The air hummed around her as she lay blissfully content in the soft warmth of the rays of sunlight creeping into the room. Her mind danced through the dream of the night before: the brush of his lips, the feather light touch of his fingertips, the music of his laugh. It had felt too good to be true. Surely it was too good to be true.
As the mattress shifted and the comforter was pulled up over her a little more she smiled to herself. She kept her eyes closed as his lips traced along her shoulder, a soft giggle escaping her lips as he brushed her hair back and spoke against her neck.
"Good morning..." She could hear his smile. She knew that his lips would be pulled up to the left as he lazily grinned, pulling away to look at her as she stretched off the sleep. Talia rubbed her face as she smiled, finally peeking through her lashes up at him. His eyes were still sleepy and his hair was messy. Talia reached up and pulled him to her, holding his t-shirt as she lifted herself off of the pillows and met his lips with a contented sigh.
"Good morning Ice-Pop."
"Did you sleep well?" Steve hovered over her as she lay herself back down, reaching up to run her fingers through his bedhead. Before she had a chance to answer the fuzzy sound of atoms shifting around the space shocked her and Steve's head snapped up to see Vision phasing into the room.
When Vision smiled at the two of them Talia threw her hands up to her face, hiding from his watchful eye. Steve groaned as Talia rolled onto her side, her back to their unexpected guest and a deep blush spread over her face.
"Vision! The door?" His eyes were wide as he watched Vision try to contain his smile.
"It was locked Mr Rogers." Vision grinned as he looked between Talia and Steve, pleased with the way Steve remained close to Talia even with him watching them now. "I now see why."
The drip of teasing sass seeped through the space as Steve was caught off guard. Talia couldn't help herself when she heard him. Her laughter was light and carefree as she rolled back over and glanced up at her the most unlikely friend she could have.
"Okay Vis. Thanks for that..." She giggled again as she registered the flustered embarrassment on Steve's face. "Why are you interrupting a perfectly pleasant wake up call?"
Vision smiled at her, feeling a swell of pride and warmth when her gaze returned to Steve, before he regained his composure.
"Mr Stark requests your presence in the meeting room." He informed them, gesturing to the door. "It seems there is new information regarding Matthieu."
At the mention of his name Talia grew cold. She shrank into herself, her chest caving under the pressure of fear, and her heart began a familiar sprint of survival. Steve watched her as she recoiled, her pain and fear tangible, and a spark of anger was fanned into a burning rage. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her towards him, caressing her as she stared up at him.
"It's okay Runaway." He whispered, his eyes burning into hers. "You're okay."
Vision cleared his throat and offered an apologetic smile. Steve nodded slightly before turning his attention back to the woman in his arms, afraid and desperately trying to cling to the happiness she had felt when she woke.
"I will leave you to get ready." Vision murmured. "Shall I tell Mr Stark you are on your way?"
"Yes," Talia breathed. "Thank you." Her eyes never left Steve and she felt herself finding the calm in the blue of his eyes. "And Vis?"
"Yes Talia?" Vision turned to her as his hand fell on the door handle.
"About this..." Her voice trailed off as Steve smiled at her, leaning in to give her a gentle kiss, easing her worries and her fears with such a simple act.
"It is not my story to tell," Vision's voice was soft and content as he watched his friend bask in her happiness. "But I am glad for it Talia."
Without another word Vision unlocked the door and left the two alone.
"You know you don't actually have to do this Talia?" Steve brushed her hair back, his fingers lingering on the stains of Matthieu's anger scattered across her skin. "I can deal with it."
"No Steve." She whispered. "This is my mess. I have to face it."
*
When they entered the room the team were already split apart in small groups of whispered conversations. They stepped apart, as agreed, and moved to separate corners of the room. Steve perched on the counter between Bucky and Sam, cutting off their heated discussion as he nodded towards Tony.
"Any idea what this is about?"
Sam sighed. "Some sort of intel on the French guy. Stark wouldn't say anything until Mini-Romanoff joined us."
Across the room Talia folded into herself, taking a seat beside Wanda and resting her head on her shoulder. Wanda smirked.
"Sleepy today Talia?"
"A little." Talia stifled a yawn and Wanda giggled.
"Oh my god." Talia groaned. "Vis!"
"Wait." Vision whispered, shock clear on his face. "What did I do?"
When Talia scowled at him Vision looked to Wanda for clarification.
"Talia," Wanda laughed. "Vision didn't say anything. I heard you two planning your entry on my way down. My room is next to yours and your door was open."
The whispered conversation was cut short when Nat spoke up, frustration marring her voice and turning it into the voice of the Black Widow.
"Tony, start filling us in. Now."
Stark stood up and moved across the room, facing out of the window as he spoke, aware that the team were hanging on his every word and a little shocked by how disturbed he had felt by this news himself.
"Matthieu's target was never the weapon." He sighed.
"Wait, what?" Natasha took a step forwards, her arms folded across her chest as she watched Tony's shoulders sink.
"It turns out he wasn't there for the chemicals. He wants something a little less..." He turned to face the team and his eyes fell on her. She looked fragile, younger than she was somehow, and weak. For the first time since she'd turned up bleeding and half dead in his garden Tony Stark really looked at her. She was afraid. She was beaten down and broken. She was just a young woman looking for family. "He wants something a little less simple."
Bucky had watched Talia as Tony spoke. He knew what Matthieu wanted. It was exactly how he would have operated as The Winter Soldier. Talia Romanoff simply knew too much. As she closed her eyes and pulled the hoodie she wore closer around her Bucky's jaw clenched. He didn't like it.
When Steve spoke up Bucky looked at him: his eyes darted to her quickly, almost unnoticeably, and he crossed his arms across his chest. "What does he want Tony?" He knew the answer. They all knew the answer.
"You're really going to make me say it Capsicle?" Stark sighed as he ran a hand over his face. "He wants her."
Scott Lang, sitting silent in the corner as everyone else broke into chaotic planning and heated discussions, nursing his coffee with sunglasses perched on the end of his nose, looked over at Talia. It was written all over her beaten face. She already knew this.
"Excuse me?" He cleared his throat and the team looked over expectantly as he watched Talia. "Can I just ask something?"
Nat groaned. "Now's not the time for the funny guy act Lang. I mean it."
"Noted Scary Romanoff, but my question is for Romanoff the second." Scott sat forwards and frowned as he looked at her. "Talia? We haven't spoken yet so can I call you Talia? I'm going to call you Talia. Why does the crazy masked man want you enough to stage a very deadly robbery?"
Talia swallowed against the lump in her throat, trying not to cry.
"Because I did what I do best." She dropped her eyes to her hands, unable to meet the steel blue gaze that was burning into the side of her head. Knowing if she looked at him she'd break. "I ran away."
"We're gonna need a little more than that if we're going to protect you Talia." Tony offered, pushing what little control she had left over the ledge. As her tears fell she looked up at the team of heroes around her. All of them willing to listen, to help her, even the ones who didn't like her very much.
"I was running for eleven years." Her voice cracked as she spoke. "To do that you need to make connections. You need to make connections but none that are important enough to stop you from leaving. You - er - you shield yourself above everything else. Above anyone else."
Tony sat in the chair opposite her, his hands folded in front of him and his eyes soft. He didn't say a word, he just waited.
"When I met Matthieu I had been running for six years. I was tired and alone and always so afraid." Her voice trembled as she brushed away her tears.
Steve wanted to go to her, to wrap her in his arms and soothe her, to tell her she didn't need to say anything else. He pushed away from the counter and felt the cold grip of metal on his arm.
"Steve," Bucky's voice was low, for just Steve to hear, "you've got to let her do this. Even if it's upsetting you she needs to do this. Trust me."
Steve's heart ached as he looked at her and then at Bucky. The two people he cared the most for had both seen the worst of the world.
"He made you feel less afraid?" Tony asked, oblivious to the exchange shared between the two soldiers.
"For a while, yes." Talia took a deep breath and steadied herself as Wanda placed a hand on her back: a small sign of support that meant everything to Talia. "He was attentive and protective and he would never let anyone hurt me. At least, not anyone else. He had such a nasty temper and he was involved in some sketchy things. Things I knew I should have been avoiding, but I think I loved him. At least I have to think that or... or I went through it all for nothing." She looked at Nat whose tears were flowing with hers. "I still had to protect myself though. It was the only rule I had. After about three years, when he was getting a name for himself in some dangerous circles, when the wrong people started to turn up in our home, when the dark days became every day, I left."
"What happened then?" Lang asked, his voice calm and serious.
"I knew he was looking for me. He has been for the last couple of years, but I organised so many of his operations so I know how he works. I thought I knew how he works. I thought I knew where to hide."
Tony grimaced as he realised what she was building up to. "But?"
"But I never dreamed that he would tell them I was alive. He sold me out. They know I ran, they know The Winter Soldier didn't kill me because a man who swore to protect me, a man I was stupid enough to trust despite every fibre of who I am screaming at me not to be so stupid, sold me out. I got shot." A broken whimper shook through her as her tears came thick and fast. She wanted Steve but she was afraid to look at him as she said the part that haunted her in her sleep; afraid to see the way he looked at her change as she admitted to what she'd done. "I got shot and I killed a man because Matthieu knew they would find me and kill me if they found out I wasn't dead."