Natasha really hated reliving the visit with Zola, but it had been an important event. She was grateful when she and Steve were finally settled in Sam's guest room. Just like the first time, her first priority was a quick shower. She knew Steve was still confused, and it worried her. Today had been odd enough. She couldn't imagine how it must have been for Steve to relive it so many times, and she already dreaded what she knew would be happening next.

Once she was clean, she finally got up her courage enough to ask the question that had been eating at her. "What have you tried so far?"

Steve slumped down onto the bed beside her. "Everything. Nothing works. I skipped involving Sam, and we both died before taking out the Hydra operatives in Shield. I tried explaining the time loop. No one believed me until it was too late. Ultron won that time. I told Tony the truth about Bucky. They fought and neither of them survived their injuries. Thanos still came that time. He still won. I've tried so many things. I've watched you fall for Bruce and over. I've saved Pietro. Once I prevented Ultron's creation, but it cost us Vision. Still, we lost. Nothing makes any difference. I even took a loop off and just ran away as soon as I woke up from the ice. Loki won that time."

"Oh, Steve," Natasha said, putting her arms around him. "I'm sorry it took me so long to come to you. You should know, everyone is back. They've been working for three months to find you."

"Three months? It's been so much longer for me."

"I know. I'm sorry. We'll figure this out. I promise," she said before kissing him.

Sam walked in to let them know breakfast was ready. "His timing has always needed work," Natasha said. "Let's get through this mission then we'll see what we can try this time around."

"You get hurt tomorrow."

"And, you nearly die the next day, but do we really have a choice? Some things have to play out."

"I can't watch you and Bruce again."

"You won't. That's one of many changes we're making. I'm not going off on my own when we bring down Shield either. We are sticking together no matter what happens."

"It's more important we stick together than how we stick together," he said. "I'm glad you came for me."

"It's what we do, Steve. There has to be a way. Strange as much as said there was a way out. We just have to find it."

Cemetery

One Week Later

"So, what do we do next?" Sam asked as the three friends walked to Natasha's corvette. "Are we going after your friend?"

"Not now," Steve said. "He will find us when he's ready. Go home. Get back to helping those veterans. I'm pretty sure I'll have a job for Falcon soon, if you're up to it."

"Oh, I'll be ready. What about you? What are you going to do?" Sam asked. "You and Widow are currently unemployed. If you aren't going after the Winter Soldier-"

"We'll figure something out," Steve said, looking over at Natasha.

"You got a place to stay? Your apartment is still a crime scene," Sam replied.

"He can stay with me," Natasha said firmly. "I didn't burn all my safe houses. We'll be fine, Sam. Just keep practicing. Don't let your skills get rusty. Hit the gym daily, and don't skip your runs. Pay more attention to what's happening on your left when you fly. You tend to favor your right side. Level up your left."

Sam laughed. "What? So, now you're my trainer?"

"You have no idea. We will need you, Sam. I need to know you're ready for what comes next. Consider yourself an Avenger in training," Natasha said.

"Oh, Tony Stark's going to love that," Sam teased.

"We'll handle Tony," Steve said. "You just practice and try to enjoy your life."

They dropped off Sam, and Natasha drove towards the safe house. Steve wasn't sure where they were going. He had never been there on any of his other loops. It actually felt kind of nice not to be in the driver's seat for a change. He trusted Natasha.

"I thought we were going to decide what to change together. Are you sure we should be leaving Sam here and skipping the search for James?" Natasha asked.

"I'm not sure of anything anymore, but I know we won't find him until he's ready. I just want time with you. If we fail because of it, we'll do something else next time. We've got decisions to make."

"We do. We'll be at the farm sometime tomorrow. You're going to meet Clint's family a little earlier this time around," she paused. "I think we should bring him into the loop."

"I've tried. The others never believe me."

"Clint will believe me. Trust me on that much, and we need him."

Steve nodded. He wasn't entirely convinced she was right, but it couldn't make things much worse. "Are we driving through the night?"

"No, neither of us is completely recovered. We'll stop for the night. I need to tell Clint we're coming, and I have to convince him you're worth the risk. He hasn't spent much time with you yet. I'm going to have to tell him about our relationship. He won't be all that surprised. I think he was hoping I would fall for the great Captain America from the moment we pulled you out of the ice. Laura will agree we should bring you in, but Clint still isn't in the best place after Loki. Liking you is one thing, telling you the family secret is something else altogether. Of course, what happened with Loki is exactly why he's going to believe us."

"Whatever you think. I trust you," Steve said.

"I know. At this point the first time around, I wasn't sure I believed you really did, but I know you trust me now. And, I trust Clint. It's going to be okay, Steve."

Once they were settled in the hotel and Natasha had convinced Clint to let her bring Steve to the farm, they settled into each other's arms. "I've missed holding you," he whispered.

"I've missed this, too," she said, kissing him softly. "Did we get together sooner in any of your previous timelines?"

"Once I realized my loop ended with the snap, I may have sped things along a few times. It wasn't the same. I hit on you after New York once."

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "That was early. How'd that work out for you?"

"Let's just say you didn't try to set me up with anyone else. You were surprisingly receptive."

"Well, it is possible I was attracted to you from the start. I'm a little surprised I fell that easily. How'd you pull it off?"

"We were eating shawarma after the battle and you looked so tired, but you were still so beautiful, much prettier than I remembered. I asked what you were going to do next. You said you needed a vacation."

"I took one after New York," Natasha admitted, "Jamaica."

"That loop we both went to Jamaica for six days. It took me five to get beyond a kiss. We were together until the end that time."

"Wow, I'm speechless."

"We didn't last long though. You died at Rumalow's hands in D.C. I made sure I didn't survive the bomb that took out Zola."

"Steve," Natasha whispered. "You shouldn't have-"

"Kept going? How could I? A world without you in it isn't one I want to be part of. I'd been through enough loops to know the drill. Starting over was my only option," he paused. "I killed Rumalow the next loop. I killed him with my bare hands before he was exposed as Hydra then I spent the rest of the loop in a high security prison. It was worth it."

"All of this looping is changing you. You can't let it, Steve. You can't become something you're not."

"I don't think there's any way around it. We will have to stop Rumalow before Wanda and the bomb. That's the only way I ever manage to prevent the Accords."

"You've prevented the Accords before and it didn't work?"

"Yes, the betrayal still catches me every time. Zimo always finds a way to show Tony the tape. Even when I tell Tony myself-"

"It ends badly."

Steve nodded. "I don't know how to fix this, Nat."

"Maybe we don't fix everything."

"Isn't that the only way out of the loop?"

"Yes, but maybe we defeat Thanos before Tony finds out about Bucky, before the Avengers fall apart."

"We'd need Carol," Steve said, "and after Ultron, we lose Thor and Banner. Before, we could risk never bringing in Wanda, never creating Vision."

"Not necessarily, Steve. We just have to plan this out very carefully. If we can just convince Tony to use Jarvis from the start and if we can convince Wanda and Pietro to join us without fighting them-"

"Then we can have Fury page Carol sooner if we can get him to believe us. He doesn't trust people."

"So, we make him trust us or we could just steal the pager," she said, biting her lip.

"There's still the Bucky and Tony problem."

"That one's pretty complicated. We'll have to think on it more, but not now. I just need to be here with you tonight, Steve. Tonight, let's just be us. Tomorrow, we'll do whatever it takes."