Chapter 2: Retrieving a Friend

******A Few Weeks Later******

Oliver hadn't heard from Natasha in over two weeks. Since there wasn't a formal arrangement between them, he knew he had no reason to be bothered by her silence. Yet he was.

He missed her, and he worried for her. His preoccupation was noticed by Felicity.

"So what's your deal?" Felicity asked him when she caught him gazing out his office window for the third time.

"What?" Oliver said, turning his distracted gaze toward her.

Felicity lost her smile and looked at him in concern. "Is everything okay, Oliver? You seem like something's on your mind," she observed.

He gave her a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry. I missed what you said. My mind is wandering today," he said.

"I noticed," she said, grinning. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing very important," he said with a shrug.

"Come on, Oliver. Tell me!" she urged.

"I was just trying not to worry about Natasha. I haven't heard from heard in a while," he admitted. "Have you?"

"No. Maybe Steve has. I'll ask him and let you know," she said.

Oliver felt embarrassed. "Don't bother. She'll call me when she wants," he said, looking down at the papers on his desk.

Felicity frowned, getting up and moving around his desk to stand next to his chair. Leaning against his desk, she looked down at him and said, "Oliver, it's okay to miss her. It's okay to worry about her. That's natural."

Oliver sighed. "We're not really together. I have no claim on her. We just spend time together when she's in town," he said.

"So she's just a hook up? A booty call?" Felicity said, arching her eyebrow.

Oliver felt a rush of annoyance at her words. "Of course not!" he insisted.

"It's obvious that you care a lot about her," Felicity said.

"I do. More than I thought I would," he admitted. "She's…"

"Beautiful, deadly, wonderful in every way?" Felicity listed.

Oliver smiled. "She is pretty amazing," he said in agreement.

"So what are you going to do about it? Be all mopey and sad when she's not here?" Felicity asked.

"What else can I do? Her work is important to her. I can't expect her to stay in Starling City with me," Oliver said.

"Why not? If she loves you, she'll want to be with you," Felicity pointed out. "Or you can go with her. Starling City is a lot safer now a days. Between Steve and Team Arrow, the criminals aren't as bold as they used to be. I can handle work if you took time to be with her wherever she's at."

"I guess that's the least you could do since your husband has made me irrelevant," Oliver said with a rueful smile.

Felicity laughed. "This city will always need the Arrow," she insisted. "But maybe not as much as it used to. However, Steve won't work as much when the baby's born. Neither will I, of course, so take time now while you can!"

Oliver thought about it a moment. Then he made a decision. Why should he always be alone? Maybe he deserved something good for himself.

******Boston******

Bucky Barnes walked away from the burning building with satisfaction. Another Hydra cell burnt to ashes. Since he almost killed Steve a year ago, he'd been floating around the world. His fragmented memories were the only thing he had. His entire world had been stolen from him. His friends, the world he knew, even his honor had been ripped away by Hydra. They turned him into a monster. He was glad he didn't remember all the atrocities he'd committed on their behalf. What he did remember sent him into a blind rage.

A beautiful redheaded woman stood in his path. She looked familiar; he stopped.

"Mr. Barnes, can I speak with you?" the woman asked.

Bucky blinked. She knew his name. No one had called him by name in so long. Then he remembered Steve, his best friend, his brother. He called him by name, and Bucky'd almost killed him.

"I have nothing to say," he said.

"We've been looking for you," she said. "I'm Natasha—a friend of Steve's."

"Go away," Bucky said, walking away from her. Thinking about Steve hurt the most. He'd betrayed Steve, betraying everything they had stood for.

"Your best friend has been looking for you. He needs you," Natasha said.

Bucky stopped and looked at her. Despite his self-loathing, he asked, "Is he okay?"

Natasha flashed him a smile. "He's great. He's in Starling City working as a police officer," she said.

Bucky snickered. "Uncle Sam allowed their top soldier to take a civilian job?" he asked, a bit surprised.

"He didn't give them a choice. Like you, he lost ninety years. He was asleep for ninety years, frozen in ice. He only woke up a short time before he found you," she explained. "He's been looking for you ever since he found out you were alive."

"I don't see him now. I see you," Bucky said coldly.

"He got married a few months ago. We looked everywhere for you. He wanted you there more than anything. You were the only one he really wanted there," Natasha said, hoping to get through to him by reminding him of their bond.

"I'll never be the Bucky he knew again. He doesn't need me tainting him," Bucky said bitterly. He resumed his walk.

"He's going to be a father!" she called out.

Bucky paused for one moment. Then he kept walking. He was happy for his friend because the man had been alone too long. Bucky had been his only family for most of Steve's life. He knew how badly Steve had wanted a family of his own. They both thought that after the war, they'd get to settle down. Steve with Peggy and Bucky with whoever caught his fancy enough. It never happened.

Bucky was glad his friend was getting the life he deserved. However, Bucky could never be a part of it. He wasn't the Bucky Steve remembered. Half the time, Bucky didn't even know who he was. When he did, he knew that Steve didn't need to be dragged down by him.

Natasha watched him walk away, not upset by his dismissal. She never thought it would be easy. Just locating him had been one of the greatest challenges of her life. She pulled out her phone.

"I found him, Steve. I found Bucky," she said.

*****Starling City*****

Steve's phone rang. He looked down at it. It was Natasha. "Hello," he said.

"I found him, Steve. I found Bucky," she said.

Steve couldn't speak a moment. Then he said, "You did? Really? Where is he? Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He's been destroying Hydra cells. I found him walking out of a burned cell in Boston," she shared.

Steve felt relief course through him. "Give me your location. I'll be there," Steve said.

"I'll text you the coordinates," she said. "He thinks he's too tainted to be in your life."

"He said that?" Steve asked in surprise.

"He did. I thought you should know," she said.

After she hung up, Steve was staring down at his phone when Felicity came into the room. "What's up? Did you get some bad news?" she asked.

"No. Good news. That was Natasha. She found Bucky. He's in Boston," Steve shared.

Felicity smiled. "That's great! I can finally meet your best friend!" she said excitedly.

Steve frowned. "Natasha said that Bucky told her he was tainted. He's not going to be easy to convince," Steve said.

"You can do it. There's got to be some part of him that still feels connected to you," she said. "So Natasha's okay? Oliver's been worried. She's not called."

"She's fine," Steve said. His phone beeped. He looked down at it. "She just sent me the location."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Felicity asked.

Steve smiled warmly at her. "I always want you with me, but I think it's best if I see him alone. Besides, I'd rather you not travel until after the baby is born," he said.

"Well, then Oliver should go with you. He's looking for Natasha right now anyway. He and I decided that he should chase her around for a while," Felicity said with a grin.

"Call him. Tell him to meet me at the airport in an hour," Steve said.

"I'll have the company jet ready for you," Felicity offered.

Steve kissed her. "I love you," he said. "I can't wait for you to know my best friend." He put his hand on her stomach. "I can't wait for our baby to know their Uncle Bucky. But it may take some time for him to come around."

"We'll be here waiting for you both," Felicity said. She pulled out her phone to call their pilot and Oliver.

A short time later, Oliver was there carrying a small duffel bag. He'd come straight to their place instead of the hotel. "Is he ready?" Oliver asked.

"Yes," she said. "Steve, Oliver is here!"

Steve came into the living room, carrying his own small bag. "Let's go," he said. He kissed Felicity.

"Call me!" she said.

"We will," Steve said. Oliver smiled at her and followed Steve out the door.

*****Boston*****

They met Natasha in front of a pay weekly hotel. She was surprised to see Oliver with Steve.

"I didn't know you were coming," she said.

"Yeah, well, I wanted to get out of Starling City for a bit," he said easily.

"So he's in this hotel?" Steve asked.

"Yes, he's in room 114," Natasha said. "He's going to be difficult."

"I can handle difficult," Steve said, determinedly.

"Do you want me to come?" Oliver asked.

Steve shook his head. "I think I should speak to him alone," Steve said.

"We'll be outside if you need us," Oliver said. They said nothing to one another until Steve left. Then Oliver said, "You didn't call."

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realize I was supposed to," she said.

Oliver looked around, not liking how exposed they were. He grabbed her hand and moved them to the side of the hotel where an alley was located. "I was worried," he admitted.

Natasha smiled. "You missed me," she said knowingly.

Oliver looked intently at her then nodded. "I did," he said softly as he lifted a hand to caress her right cheek. Then he leaned down and kissed her so sweetly that when he pulled back, she looked at him in alarm.

"What's different?" she asked, taking a step back to create some distance. She hit the wall of the hotel.

Oliver put his hand on both sides of the wall, penning her in. "I don't think of you as an occasional hook up. I want more than that from you," he told her. He moved to kiss her again. This time his kiss reflected the hunger he felt for her.

Natasha's arms went around him as she responded to his kiss, unsure of what he wanted from her but powerless to resist. Several minutes of kissing caused both of them to forget about their surroundings. Finally, a need for air pulled them apart. Oliver had that intense gaze on her, waiting for something from her.

"What do you want from me?" she asked him.

"I want everything you have to give. I want us to be together," Oliver said.

"You know I'm not the home and hearth kind of gal," she said, not sure she could give him what he wanted.

"I don't want that. I want you," he replied. "Exactly how you are."

"I'll never be Felicity," she said flatly.

"I don't want Felicity. I want you," he said without hesitation. "You're all I think about these days. Surely, you know that?"

She hadn't. They'd never made time to spell out what exactly their relationship was. He'd hinted; she'd hedged. Neither had come out and said what exactly they wanted from the other. It seemed he was ready to do that. She wasn't sure that she was.

Before she could reply, she noticed men in black fatigues walking to the front of the hotel. When she looked down the alley, she saw more men in black.

They were being surrounded.

"There are soldiers moving into position," she said.

Oliver looked, cursing himself for being so careless. "We have to warn Steve," he said grimly.

Were they coming for Steve or for Bucky?

******To Be Continued******