Talia's blood ran cold as she registered the familiarity of the voice at the end of the line. The silky confidence combined with a thick accent that screamed of plotting and planning an ideas undisclosed.
"Do not go inside." He instructed. "Do not alert them to this call, Miss Romanoff. It is for your safety and theirs."
Talia's eye searched the space around her for him. He knew she was outside. He knew who she was with. He was on the grounds somewhere.
A small shift in the distant trees made her shiver as she watched the shape of a man slip back into the wooded area by the lake.
"I know who you are." Her voice was shaking and she hated the weakness of the whisper that it came out in. "I know what you have done. What do you want from me Zemo?"
His laughter was like splintered glass under her skin.
"Good," she heard the slam of a car door, "then you know my mission. Now, Miss Romanoff, I saved your life. It is time for you to repay my kindness."
"I am repaying your kindness by not hunting you down and killing you myself Zemo," she spat through gritted teeth as her hand clenched around her phone. "We're even."
"Talia." Zemo sighed and she could picture him pinching the bridge of his nose as he calmed himself. "Do you mind if I call you that? Talia, they will make you what James once was. And once they have control of you they will make you kill him and your little boyfriend. What is it you like to call him?" He paused and she could almost hear his sardonic smile. "Ice-Pop?"
Her eyes had shifted as he spoke and now she stood watching them both as they laughed in the lounge. Bucky had his arm thrown over the couch cushions as Steve sat facing him, holding his chest as he cackled at something Bucky had said. She watched as Steve wiped tears from his eyes and drew in a deep breath, smiling lovingly at his closest friend and her heart ached. He had protected her so many times already. She loved him for his kindness and his empathy, his humour and his patience, his confidence and the way he sometimes appeared to be the same shy Brooklyn kid Bucky had told her about.
Zemo took her silence as understanding. As agreement.
"I will see you at the airport. 5am. Tell no one Talia." He paused as he listened to her uneven breathing and his voice softened when he spoke again. "You know I am not a threat to you Miss Romanoff. I will see you soon."
*
Steve hummed contentedly as he opened his eyes when Talia nuzzled closer on the couch, her head on his chest while his arms were wrapped around her. Bucky snored softly on the other end of the sofa and he smiled over at him as he rested, grateful that things could be okay between them even with everything that had changed.
"You tired Runaway?" He kissed Talia's head gently as she traced a soft pattern across his chest with the tips of her fingers.
"Hmm kinda," she sighed. Her heart was breaking with every passing second and she didn't want to sleep. If she slept then she would miss moments with Steve. She'd miss smiles and sighs and soft caresses. It was hurting her to keep it from him, to not tell him what had been said, to not explain that she had to go. Tomorrow she would be his Runaway who ran away and if she paused to think about it for even a second then she would fall apart.
"Come on then." He moved slowly, trying to get to his feet as her arms wrapped tightly around him and she scrunched her face up, refusing to let him move.
"Five more minutes like this? Please?"
He laughed softly, pulling her face up gently so he could look at her and he kissed her with a gentle touch.
"Okay, five more minutes."
*
Steve lay sleeping with one hand still placed against her spine as she lay beside him, wrapped in the blanket on the couch. She slipped from his arms quietly and stood watching him for another moment, turning to look over at Bucky who had somehow managed to find a comfortable spot on the floor beside them and was now snoring loudly in the dim glow of the television she bit her lip and tried to silence the whimpered cry she now felt surfacing. She looked back to Steve and gently ran her fingers through his soft blonde hair, biting back her tears as she leant in and placed feather kisses on his lips, before she turned and quickly made her way to their room.
Hanging in the closet was a grey hoodie Steve had worn the day before. It still smelt like him, woodsy and comforting, and she slipped it on over the thin black t-shirt she wore. She held the collar to her face and breathed him in as her tears began to fall. Quickly she slipped into dark jeans before grabbing the black leather jacket she had stolen from Nat's room on her arrival here and the trainers she wore to train.
It was time.
*
The crowds were busy and bustling as she pushed her way into the airport and through the lounge. Her eyes scanned the faces around her as she turned frantically. It was 4:57am and she was afraid to be late. Afraid that Zemo might think of it as an insult or a refusal to comply and that she would put the people she loved at risk.
She approached a desk, unsure of what she would even ask the assistant sitting half asleep in the customer care unit, when a tall figure rose from a seat to her left.
"Miss Romanoff." He approached her confidently, placing his hands on her shoulders and kissing each cheek as if they were old friends reuniting. "I am pleased you have healed well. If you would like to follow me, we have much to discuss."
She put one foot in front of the other, mindlessly following him as her eyes continued to scan the crowds and her chest ached with every inch of distance this man put between herself and Steve. Her mind was running through disaster after disaster, coaching her through fight skills and survival instincts as she walked and her heart was pounding in her chest as Zemo lead her out of a back door, hidden away from the general population, and out onto the tarmac.
"Where are we going Zemo?" She stopped beside the jet that sat looming over them and waited. "Why do you need me?"
Zemo paused at the foot of the stairs, greeting the old man who stood waiting for them with the same kind familiarity he had bestowed upon Talia moments before. He climbed the stairs with ease and turned to hold a hand out for Talia.
"Why my dear, we are going to Belarus of course." He offered her a sad smile as her face drained of colour and her mind whipped the world out from under her.
She was returning.
Talia took a look around her as the morning glow of sunrise illuminated the skyline and she let herself let go. She let herself say goodbye. If she survived this, and now she knew that the if was monumental, Steve would kill her himself, and Bucky might even help.
She shrugged off the offer of help as she climbed the stairs, pushing her hands into the deep pockets of Natasha's jacket and pulling it in around herself as she boarded the plane. Zemo sat calmly in a plush cream leather seat, two flutes of champagne and a selection plate of delicacies already placed waiting on the small table before him and he gestured for Talia to choose a seat. She sat opposite him, her eyes scanning the plane for any potential threats before landing on the extravagant man opposite her.
"You didn't answer one of my questions Zemo." She shook her head as he held a glass towards her. "Why do you need me?"
He placed the glass down before interweaving his fingers and smiling at her with deep seated admiration. It made her skin crawl.
"You know, for years I read the files on Natalia Romanoff; deadly, powerful, unstoppable. She was a force to be reckoned with, a natural fighter with unmatched skill and intellect. She was the perfect soldier." He slowly took a sip of his drink as he watched her squirm uncomfortably at his words. "It took me a long time to realise it was not one woman though. It was both of you; Nat and Talia Romanoff. NaTalia Romanoff. Genius really. It meant that for the longest time I was searching for your sister, you see, when really, it is you they want."
Talia clenched her jaw and stared coldly at the sinister smiler.
"Now your sister, she showed promise. She had raw talent. Truly, she would have made a great candidate for them now, if it wasn't for one pesky little problem." He took a small caviar canapé and chewed it slowly before continuing. "She had weakness."
Talia looked to her hands.
"You know Talia, she lost to him first." He waved the old man from the stairs over to them and held up an empty glass from a small unit beside them. "Perhaps we could get our guest something to drink, non-alcoholic as I believe she wants to keep her wits about her."
He smiled at her and she did nothing to reciprocate it.
"Yes, she lost to James first, and not by choice." He repeated as Talia's face contorted in confusion.
"Wait?" She almost whispered as her mind raced to catch up with his words. "Nat fought Bucky?"
"Oh yes," Zemo placed the glass of sparkling water in front of her and gestured for her to drink. "She almost died trying. But you..."
His eyes appraised her as he contemplated the mechanics of it all.
"You had him. Somehow he was yours for the taking. And yet, you walked away. You chose to let him live."
"How do you know all of this?" Talia leant forwards instinctively, her desire to survive fed on her desire to know everything about this man's plan and his knowledge. She couldn't let the way he so casually recounted the darkest moments of her existence throw her from that desire. She could not shy away from the pain of it all.
"Oh Miss Romanoff," he smiled as he sat back, ready for a long flight, "I know everything there is to know about you. The how is not relevant. Don't you agree?"
She sat back, her lips pursed and her eyes firmly focused on him.
"Now get some rest child. There are blankets over there." He gestured to a small unit in the corner. "And pillows overhead. Make yourself comfortable, we're in for a long flight.