Sadly, I do not own the Avengers. Of course, that's probably a good thing since I could never afford all those awesome special effects.

Flagstaff, Arizona

"We should go out for drinks and celebrate, Natalie. You nailed that presentation. Our little advertising firm has never landed such a large account," Phillip Marshall said with a smile. "Hiring you just might have been the best move I ever made. I have a feeling I'll be changing the sign soon. How does Marshall, Marshall, and Rogers sound to you?"

Natasha laughed, "Mr. Marshall, I'd say the best move you ever made was marrying Mrs. Marshall. Her apple pie is amazing, but I wouldn't say no to a promotion."

The older woman beamed at Natasha. "I'll get you the recipe. Phillip, this beautiful young woman probably has better things to do on a Friday night than have drinks with a couple of old folks like us." She hugged Natasha, "take the rest of that pie home, dear. You earned it. Well see you bright and early Monday morning."

Natasha smiled and picked up the pie. She actually enjoyed her job and the Marshalls were just genuinely good people. If anyone would have told her that life after espionage would involve a job in advertising in Flagstaff, Arizona, she'd have probably asked what they were smoking. But, this was her life now and it actually suited her. Being Natalie Rogers wasn't such a hardship at all. Why she'd chosen Rogers was still a mystery to her, but it did seem to ease the loneliness inside and her decision to help Steve did inevitably lead her here. Here was good. She worked for a husband and wife team who genuinely cared about each other and, for some reason, they cared about her, too. She had a little house and a little rat terrier puppy who liked to cuddle with her in front of the television. Granted, little Fury wasn't as much fun to watch movies with as Steve or Clint or even Wanda or Vision, but this was her life now. It was a little lonely, and Natasha had kind of gotten used to life with the team. Lonely was much harder now than it would have been a decade ago.

As Natasha pulled into her garage, she got a feeling she wasn't alone. Something wasn't quite right. It was a little unnerving, but she'd learned long ago to trust her gut. She pulled her gun out from under the seat of her Volvo and slowly opened the door. Gun raised, she was surprised to see Steve Rogers sitting on her couch with her dog. "Fury," Natasha chided, "you're a terrible guard dog. We don't cuddle with intruders." Putting her gun on the coffee table, she stood in front of Steve. "How'd you find me?" she whispered.

"I didn't. Tony's known where you were for months apparently. I wouldn't have tried. You have a right to a normal life, Nat. If any of us deserve that chance, it's you. But, we have a problem."

Natasha sat down beside Steve and Fury climbed into her lap. They sat in silence for a minute and she just stroked Fury's back. She allowed herself to really look at Steve. He seemed so different. It was more than the darker, longer hair and the full beard. He looked older suddenly, sadder. The idealism she'd admired was replaced by something darker that she recognized all too well. Steve Rogers was a broken shell of a man, and it broke her heart more than she really wanted to admit. "Cap," she began.

"No, not Cap. Not anymore. It's just Steve."

"Steve, I can't help. I'm retired. I have a life. It may not seem like much to you, but it's mine. I chose this one. For the first time in my life, I am at peace with who I was and not trying to make up for the red in my ledger." She sighed and looked him in the eye. "I finally understand the truth. Nothing good I ever do will undo all the bad I did in the past, and I'm okay with that. I just want to be left alone. Is a Tony going to turn me in to Ross?"

"No," Steve said quickly. "I think if he wanted you in jail you'd already be there. He seems genuinely sincere. He's trying to fix things from the inside. But, this is bigger than us, Nat. Tony thinks the team is in danger of being destroyed one by one, and he believes we are the only ones who can save them. Aren't you a little curious?"

"Curiosity killed the cat, Steve. I think it would be best if you just leave." Even as Natasha spoke the words, she knew she didn't actually want him to leave her yet. Clint may have been her best friend, her rescuer, but Steve was her compass. She trusted him in a way she didn't think she could trust anyone. He was innately good and noble. He was everything she wished she could be and seeing him so broken absolutely terrified her.

"Would you at least hear me out, Nat? Just listen and if you don't want to help then I'll go and I won't bother you again."

Seeing the desperation in his eyes, she nodded. "You have five minutes."

"Tony has been tracking some former Hydra scientists. He believes they have plans in place to disable each of us individually. With us spread all over the globe, it wouldn't be hard to take us out one by one. These guys are ruthless, Nat, and without Hydra, they're desperate. If the government gets a hold of what they have, they'll use it against us. Wanda is in a really bad place right now. Losing Pietro and her guilt over Sokovia and the lives lost when she took out that building have really taken a toll. Add me dragging her into battle against half the team and landing her in yet another prison cell and it's no wonder she's nearly catatonic. None of us have escaped unscathed. If they come after us, it's over."

"Maybe over isn't such a bad thing, Steve. The world has changed. I thought staying in the loop would mean I could help, but I was wrong. This new world doesn't want Avengers. Even if it did, I'm not sure we are the ones for the job. We didn't do so hot the first time, did we?"

"Those mistakes, all of them, are on me. I was supposed to be in charge. You didn't do anything wrong here. You were the voice of reason."

Natasha laughed, "I was what I've always been, Steve. I'm no voice of reason. I just double-crossed you then I turned around and double-crossed Tony. Once a double agent, always a double agent. If they come for me, I'll deserve what I get and maybe it'll even be a relief. I'm sorry about Wanda and the others, but I can't go back."

Steve put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her a little closer to him. "You did what you did for the right reasons, Nat. Maybe you're the best of all of us. I'm sorry I bothered you. I'll tell Tony you're out. We'll figure something out. Just keep your eyes peeled in the mean time." He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips.

Natasha was stunned. When the kiss became more passionate, she found it nearly impossible to pull away and found herself kissing him back with the same intensity. This was definitely not the Cap she remembered so fondly. Finally, breathless, she pulled away. "If you're trying to seduce me in order to get me to come out of retirement, you should know you're way our of your league, Cap."

Steve's eyes grew wide and he stood up immediately. "I'm sorry, Nat. I…I don't know what came over me. I would never-"

"I get it, Steve. I'm sorry. That was just really unexpected. You've obviously been practicing," she teased.

Steve's cheeks flushed. "Not so much. I didn't mean to kiss you. I've just really missed my partner. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I'll go now."

"You don't have to go just yet. Sit. Let's catch up. I've missed you, too." Steve reluctantly sat back down, leaving a respectable space between them. "Want a piece of apple pie?"

"I'm not really much of an apple pie eater these days."

"What? Captain America and apple pie go together like fireworks on the Fourth of July, don't they?"

"Seriously, I'm not him anymore, Nat," Steve warned.

Knowing it was time to quit teasing him, Natasha decided to address the elephant in the room. She'd heard about his lip lock with Agent Carter. "So, did you ever get that coffee with Sharon?"

If possible, Natasha thought Steve's face grew even redder. "Um, no. I haven't seen her in about a year. She's got a future ahead of her. She definitely doesn't need to be too closely associated with someone like me. Besides, it was a little odd." He sighed, "Peggy."

Natasha smiled a sad smile. "She's gone, Steve. And, you're a good man. If Sharon's not the right one for you, that's okay, but don't give up on love. You deserve a real life."

Steve laughed an uneasily. "I have a real life, Nat. It's just not a life that matches well with white picket fences."

"Oh, I've been following the reports of your exploits, Nomad. This isn't you. You could find a little suburban town and start over. I did, and it's really not so bad. Retire, Steve, really retire. Be happy."

"I can't," Steve sighed, "I'm responsible for the others. Following me cost them everything. Scott hasn't seen his daughter in over a year. Sam spends his days hovering over me instead of helping vets who need him." In a quieter voice, he added, "then there's Bucky."

"Still sleeping?"

"Indefinitely, and that's my fault, too. I have to take this mission, Nat. I have to protect them."

"I know. You are a truly good man, Steve Rogers."

"There's one more thing, Nat. Tony seems to think these scientists have a way of separating Banner and the Hulk. Have you heard from him?"

Natasha's eyes narrowed. "I haven't even looked since I left New York. He's either hiding or he's gone. He made his choice, I made mine."

"But, you still love him," Steve stated.

"I betrayed his trust, Steve. I did what I always do and it turned out the way it always turns out. I'm not sure I loved him the right way even when we were together. He wanted to leave, and I couldn't do it. It's funny really. I wouldn't leave for him, because I believed the world needed the Avengers but I was wrong. The world is managing just fine without us." She looked down at Fury and patted his head. "But, if these scientists want to separate Banner from the Hulk, we may have a problem. I seriously doubt they are interested in helping Bruce, so my guess is they want the Hulk to be a weapon. We can't let that happen. I'm in. Let's end this once and for all."