Disclaimer: Don't own, not for profit, doesn't even have a Stan Lee cameo.

Spoilers: Civil War, like whoa. Spoiled like chunky milk.

Pairing: Steve/Sharon, with Steve pining after a) what could have been with Peggy and b) Natasha, because Natasha.

Summary: Sharon gets thoughtful about how she's clearly not the one who's supposed to be with Steve. I suppose you could call it a Romanogers fix-fic after the 'ship fiasco in CW, but with Sharon treated respectfully as the human pawn/substitute she is rather than unceremoniously tossed under the speeding bus from the movie where the bus had to go a certain speed and it would explode if it went under that speed (I think it was called 'The Bus that Couldn't Slow Down.').

Sharon first started to think that maybe this relationship wasn't going to be what she wanted when Steve turned down sex with a lame excuse for the third time. He hadn't said he wasn't ready or that he wasn't sure or even that he wanted to wait because he was old-fashioned – she could have accepted any of those, potentially indefinitely. He had said he was tired. Captain America, who had run a half-marathon through the woods that morning and sparred with the team on the lawn all afternoon, was too tired for sex at the end of the day.

The funny thing was, she would have accepted that, too, if he weren't currently carrying out a 'training exercise' involving the Avenger version of hide and seek free-for-all in the thick birch and pine forest surrounding their lakeside Swedish safe house. She still wasn't entirely clear on how the extremely private estate had been obtained so quickly after the German airport snafu, but she hadn't pushed for information. She was glad to have somewhere safe to stay after the CIA had first fired then grudgingly reinstated but suspended her (with pay) after Zemo's capture by King T'Challa. Although they couldn't know she was sort-of intimate with Steve, they knew she had smuggled his and Sam's gear off the base. She was under investigation for that incident, subject to change pending the outcome of the larger Avengers' Review. If she did return to the Company, it would be on a probationary basis and she would probably have to endure a lot of questions and personal surveillance.

In the meantime, she was almost enjoying a well-deserved vacation. Any other woman would be thrilled to be staying in what amounted to a very isolated ben and breakfast with her boyfriend, even if they had been sleeping in separate rooms since arriving and hadn't shared more than a hug and a peck on the lips since… oh. She pressed a glass against the lever of the icemaker, then nearly overfilled it with water.

She settled onto the porch swing with her glass of cold water and looked out over the clean landscape. Thinking back, it was more obvious. Steve had brought her here first not because she was his first priority, but because she was the easiest to get to. They had made out a few times while he planned the mass breakout of Sam, Clint, Scott and Wanda from prison. She had assumed his ensuing withdrawal had been related to privacy or embarrassment, but once he had found out that Black Widow had been separately incarcerated, he had been a little obsessed over her rescue. Learning the whole story, Sharon had decided it was guilt, but she wasn't so sure anymore.

She should have known from the moment he'd walked through the door with Black Widow in his arms that it was all over. Steve, Sam and Clint had handled that mission. From what she had been told or overheard, enhanced interrogation techniques had been employed, albeit unsuccessfully. Sharon shook her head to clear the CIA euphemism. It was torture. Black Widow – Natasha – had been tortured for several weeks without breaking. Hell, this was probably her property. Who else would have such a nice setup in a neutral country?

As Sharon continued to reflect on her situation, she made out a figure approaching the rear of the house. Clint waved as he jogged toward her. When he got closer she was able to make out the reason for the periodic flashes at his side. "You were out collecting lightning bugs during training?"

"Nah, found him on my way back and decided to bring him along." He shook the jar, causing a small figure at the bottom to fall over and shake a fist. "Think I should let him out?"

"Is that…?"

"Uh huh. I thought it was pretty clever." Clint unscrewed the lid from the jar and reached into it after the lightning bugs had flown off, pinching Scott carefully between two fingers.

As soon as he'd been set down, Scott grew to his normal size and tore off his helmet. "What kind of secret powers is she using? I'm six freaking inches tall in a giant forest and not only does she find me, but she's got a jar of fireflies all ready to go! Who carries a jar?"

"Same kind of person who blowgunned me with the codes to access a secure satellite linkup." Clint pointed to the tranquilizer-style dart still pinning a piece of paper to his thick vest. "Any calls you wanna make, Lang? Or would you rather explain why you didn't just grow and bust out of the jar?"

"Didn't want to hurt the fireflies." Scott's annoyance transformed to interest immediately. "Serious about the link?"

"Three codes for three separate devices, good for the next two hours," he replied, tearing the paper in three strips, one of which Scott immediately grabbed as he ran into the house. Clint was outwardly calmer, though he was probably even more eager to speak to his family. He held up the third code. "Sharon? You need to contact anyone?"

"Nope, but I'll give it to the next person who does."

"Eh, just tell Sam it's on his bureau."

"Right." She gave him a sad smile before he walked away. Of the four people still out in the woods, Sam was the only one who would want to make personal calls. She checked the app connected to her secure phone to ensure that they were all still in the game. The blue and red dots were steady, but the darker red and silver dots were blinking. A soft beep accompanied their going dark a moment later. Sharon settled in to wait for Wanda and Sam's reappearance, while Steve and Natasha continued hunting each other. Was it really that surprising when she considered it? After all, Natasha had been the one to go on the run with Steve in order to expose SHIELD as a Hydra front.

She was still contemplating Steve and Natasha's relationship when she heard Wanda and Sam coming around the side of the house.

"I should have stayed in the woods and waited."

"That's cheating, Wanda."

"She betrayed us."

"Because she was trying to do what was right. Nat didn't exactly have anyone to teach her right from wrong, so she may not get it perfect all the time, but… Don't forget she was the one who helped Steve and Bucky get away."

"And we are all fugitives. Are you suggesting I trust her because she betrayed everyone and not just us?"

"Just…whatever."

Before he could walk away, Sharon called out, "Sam, there's a security code in your room if you want to make any personal calls!"

"Thanks!" She heard a door slam somewhere in the distance after his heavy steps had receded.

She settled back into her seat and took a sip of water. She was about to check the progress of the game when the seat across from her creaked and she jumped. "Wanda, I didn't realize you were still…"

"If you are in love with Steve, you need to make him choose."

"Excuse me?"

"Make him choose, once and for all." Wanda leaned forward, her eyes glowing red for a moment with intensity. "He will not choose you, and I am sorry for that, but at least…I value Steve as a friend and I wish for him to be happy."

"What are you talking about?"

"Do not pretend to be stupid. You want him, he wants her, she wants him. Simple math." Wanda stood and pulled open the back door. "Men often make poor choices. It is something we must accept." She disappeared without another word.

Sharon stood and finished her water. Setting down the glass, she stepped off the porch and began a walk along the shore of the lake. Although it was past ten, the long summer days at this latitude meant it was still light. She'd walked about a third of the rough circumference when she spotted them. Their backs were to her as she spotted them, sitting side by side on a ledge overlooking the short waterfall flowing from one of the creeks into the lake. Over the soft sounds of birds and insects, she heard him say, "I should have taken you with us."

"Leaving no one to hold back T'Challa. Plus, Bucky probably would have shot me during the flight, just out of habit."

"Nat…" Sharon dug her fingernails into the bark of the tree she'd been leaning against as Steve leaned in. He didn't hesitate the way he usually did when he kissed her. There was something inevitable, gravitational about the action, as if the universe paused for a moment to make sure it was happening.

"Stop." Natasha was pulling back, hand still cupping his cheek. "You need to handle things with Sharon before we do this."

"I will. I don't want to hurt her, but…Nat, I…"

Sharon was careful to be quiet until she was confident she was far enough away to start a sprint back to the house.