When It Snowed

Chapter 11 - Bucky?

Natasha, Steve, Bucky and Sam were all sat inside the van. Behind them, their hands were handcuffed in place while agents surrounded the newly formed team. Wherever they were going, they had no idea. SHIELD had done it, they showed up and took them into custody. Now, it was a guarantee that the four of them were on their way to be locked up for the rest of their lives.

None of that mattered though, not to him and not to Steve. Their heads were somewhere completely different. "It wasn't her." Bucky hissed looking directly to his feet out of anger. From behind his back, his fingertips rubbed violently against one another. A sad looked was washed over everyone's face. "She looked me right in the eyes and it was like she didn't know me."

Confused about what was going on, Sam shook his head. "How is that even possible. Didn't she die like, 70 years ago?" Of course he didn't know the backstory about Finley like they did, but he knew about her historic demise. Most importantly, he knew that nobody could survive a fall like that.

"I don't know." He shook his head. "-but it was her." Bucky looked to Steve pleading for the Captain to believe him. "She must have survived it somehow; HYDRA had to have gotten to her before the search party went out." It was like a punch to the stomach. "I should have gone out. I should have gone to look for her."

Through her loss of blood, Natasha disagreed. "None of that is your fault Barnes."

It was easy to tell she was on the break of passing out. The Widow swerved as the van moved, her normal grace completely absent.

"It was though, I'm the one that let her go." His voice cracked towards the end before looking away from the Widow. "Even when we had nothing, we had Finn."

Steve was just as effected by his words.

Suddenly, Sam was able to stop Natasha's movement before she fell forward. The woman didn't have much time left. "We need a doctor, if we don't put pressure on the wound she is going to bleed out."

One of the guards sprang to action- but not in the way that the four expected. The agent on the far right of the van pulled out an electric rod and took out the remaining masked agents. Then, as soon as they were alone, the guard's helmet was off and relief had washed over all of them. It was Mariah Hill, Fury's old right hand man and the new director of SHIELD. "Ah-" she sighed throwing the helmet to the ground. "That thing was squeezing my brain." Then, looking to Sam, Mariah rose an eyebrow and motioned to him. "Who is this guy?"

---------------------------------------------------------

Mariah took the four to a secret facility. "GSW." she commanded directing Natasha into the building. "She's lost at least a pint of blood."

"Maybe two." Sam acknowledged.

The doctor rushed over to them completely stopping the care he was giving another patient. "I'll take her." He gripped both of her arms ready to sweep the Widow away.

"No." Mariah cut him off pulling Natasha back into her possession. "She'll want to see him first. "

The three men stood behind Mariah and Natasha in confusion as she directed the Widow towards a different room. "See who?" Sam asked for all of them.

Entering the room though, Mariah kept quiet knowing she wasn't going to need to use her words. The four were forced to do a double take seeing his figure before them. Once they clarified who it was though, regardless of the blood loss Natasha was at his side and falling into his laying figure.

Nick Fury remained still in the hospital bed, hooked up to every machine possible. Reuniting with Natasha was sweet and meaningful, but as soon as his one eye rested on his boys, Nick shook his head and greeted them with the same attitude he held before all of the shit hit the fan. "Well it's about damn time."