Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters! Marvel does, sadly. Unfortunately, the amazing Captain America does not belong to me... :(

A/N: This happens after Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It is suggested to watch the movie or at least the Avengers beforehand but not completely necessary since I will provide background knowledge (aka spoilers) in later chapters.

P.S: This story is also posted on Wattpad under the same username

Chapter 1:

Steve Rogers (Captain America) POV

It's been 7 months since SHIELD went down. Seven grueling months since I started to search for Bucky with the help of Sam Wilson, otherwise known as Falcon. Seven months since I've slept well. Seven months since I last saw her. It's been seven months of traveling and seeing the world, while not really enjoying it.

I lean my head back against the chair of the airplane and sigh. It's 2:30am, only one more hour until we land in Lusaka Airport in the country Zambia in Africa. Sam's snores fill the first class cabin, complements of Stark. I stare out the window wondering if this vacation from what seems to be endless searching will really be beneficial.

It isn't long before we land small airport. Sam and I pick up our bags and head out the door only to find a large black limo waiting for us.

"Yes!" Sam exclaims. "Dude, Stark is awesome! Why are you always complaining about him?"

I shake my head, "He has his moments. Just be glad you've never had to work with him."

We board the limo and head over to Radisson Blu Hotel. Our rooms are set right across from each other so we decide to just get settled for tonight. I walk into the luxurious suite and set my stuff down by the bed. The hotel is amazing. It has absolutely everything that you could think of. I'm really going to have to thank Tony for this I think. I rub my eyes and decide to take a walk, setting down my jacket.

The night air is cool and refreshing, relaxing my tense muscles from months of rigorous tracking. Zambia is a beautiful place. The stars gleam against brightly blue-black night sky. Crickets are out and about filling the air with their peaceful melodies. I can't remember the last time I took a stroll without thinking about the events of the past 7 months. It's nice to take a break from the hero stuff and be normal. Well as normal as a super soldier from the 20th century can pretend to be.

Just as those thoughts enter my mind, I'm alerted by a blood curling scream coming from an ally about half a block away. I run towards the sound and hear gunshots ringing through the night. Once I near the scene the screams are replaced by sobs that sound familiar yet foreign at the same time. Littering the ground are the bodies of ten men, all seeming to be dead. Along with the men is a young woman curled up into a ball, clothes tattered and beaten to an extent. She is breathing heavily and keeps rocking back and forth. I walk closer and go to put my hand on her back. Before my hand even touches the woman, its pulled away with a lightning fast reflex and force strong enough to break a man's arm.

There's only one person who I know who can exert such fierce reflexes. "Natasha?" I ask in disbelief, her features automatically register in my brain. It's the girl who has been on my mind for seven months. The very person who I can't seem to forget despite all my efforts. Her hair is long but still red and curled. Her sea green eyes flicker in recognition.

"Steve!" she breathes and pulls me into a hug.

I hold onto her tightly, wrapping my arms her small body around carefully. It's at that moment that I take in her full condition. There's a stab wound on the inside of her left thigh. Natasha's clothes are bloody and ripped. She has a bruises and a single gunshot wound on her arm and multiple burns. Never in the short time that I've known her have I ever seen her this broken. My Black Widow, beautiful and strong is broken. I am suddenly overcome by anger towards these men lying dead on the floor. How could anyone do this to her?

I gingerly pick up Natasha's small form from the ground, cradling her in my arms. We walk back in silence to the hotel and I take her back to my room setting her on the couch. Natasha sits there with a blank expression on her face as I look for a large shirt for her to wear and first aid supplies.

I kneel down in front of her, "What happened Tasha?"

She swallows, "That doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is that I'm safe and here with you and nobody is left to find me."

"Natasha, what happened?" I ask once again.

"Nothing Rogers," she insists.

I shut up for a bit but don't give up on the subject as I clean and heal her numerous wounds. I extract the bullet from the gunshot wound and stitch and bandage it cautiously. This all seems so familiar. The deja vu is quite overwhelming. I move down to the gash on the inside her thigh and apply hydrogen peroxide to the torn flesh. Natasha yelps in pain as I clean and stitch it back up.

Once I'm done applying crème and patching up her various injuries, I ask for a third time. Her face stays blank and I sigh. "Go change out of those clothes."

She catches the long t-shirt easily and limps over towards the bathroom. I place my head in my hands. This is definitely going to be a long night.

A/N: I hope you all liked the story! Please send me some feedback; I would love to hear all your thoughts and suggestions as to where the story should go. I will try to update soon. The next chapter will be in Natasha Romanoff's (aka Black Widow) POV. Followers and reviews are welcome, not required!