Author's note:
Hello, it's me... I was wondering if after all these years you'd like to meet... Sorry Grossly-Sweet, but unfortunately it was not Adele who called. But, good guess!
Sportsfan64, thank you again for a delightful review! I loved every second of reading it (even when you said you weren't sure if you loved or hated me :P) I really smile when I see a review is from you now, even before I've read it!
RomanogerLaucifer, Thank you for your review too! I'm glad you liked the teasing! And the compliment in your review too was so sweet!
Steelers1, Thanks! I'm really glad you liked it ^.^
supesfan18, thank you for your review, I am inputting what you suggested, as I've said. I love opinions, they make me a better writer and make a better story too!
RukiaDeathKuchiki, Thanks! You honestly flatter me! :D
Natasha answered Steve's phone, pressing it to her ear. "Hello?"
"Ste- What? Who is this?" The voice on the other end demanded.
"It's Natasha," She paused. "Bucky?"
There was heavy panting on the line and some shouting in the background. "Uh- yeah." He said breathlessly. Metal clanged and there was the sound of feet slapping on pavement. "Listen, is Steve there? I really need him right now!"
Natasha glanced at the door, contemplation playing on her face. "No. He's not. I can help you, though- tell me what's going on and where you are."
"Natasha, I can't talk to you right now! Give Steve the phone!"
"If you're in trouble, I can help you a lot more than he can. I have connections. Talk. To. Me. Now." Natasha said firmly.
Bucky didn't speak for a few seconds and there was a strange shuffling sound. "Alright. I got into some trouble- it was a reflexive response, I didn't mean to kill those men!" He cried, sounding distressed.
"I'm on my way- where are you?" Natasha asked. She headed for the door, but stopped, quickly writing a note- 'Called on mission' -and slipping out of the window.
He panted again. "An- an alley, I don't know where. I've found a hiding spot for now, so I can't leave to see the street signs; the last one I saw while I was running here was Fourth, though."
"I'll track your phone, just stay on the line…" Natasha jumped, landing on her feet and running to 'borrow' one of the quinjets- she still wondered how Stark had gotten one. "Keep your metal arm hidden- then you can blend in with a crowd better. What country are you in?"
"Um- America; I haven't left. Still in New York, actually; I just ran into some bad people." He confessed. "It all went downhill after that."
"Okay. Stay down, I'm tracking your location right now- I should be able to direct you to someplace safer while I fly to you," Natasha spoke as she started the engine, put him on speakerphone, started tracking and took off. "Are you injured?"
"Got punched a few times- I think the other guys got it much worse." He said with a cynical chuckle.
Natasha tilted her head with smirk. "I'll take your word for that- how many did you kill?"
Bucky was hesitant to answer, that much was clear. He swallowed audibly and shuffled a bit. "Seven." He admitted quietly, shame painting his voice.
"Not bad," Natasha replied casually. It didn't bother her. "Just don't let that number increase." She got a bing. "I've got your location- is it clear where you are?" She questioned.
"Uh- yeah." He answered. "How are you so calm about this- I killed people! They were government agents! I'll get the death sentence for that!"
"Been there, done that," Natasha replied. "Go back out onto the main street and go left, walk down and take the third right. After about ten houses, there's an alleyway- go down it. Left when you get out of it, third house. Knock on the door; the password is, 'I have your peaches'. Wait in the basement and talk to NOBODY. Got it?"
"Got- got it." He stuttered in surprise. "Why are you helping me? You don't know me that well- I caused a fight between you and Steve!" She heard his light footsteps as he followed her directions.
Natasha sighed. "You didn't cause an argument; we weren't… in a… it's complicated. We hadn't really worked anything out when he had told you, and even though it was nice, things just broke apart and then I exploded. Said a few lies- but it's all in the past. I'm not angry at you." She paused, increasing the speed. "Steve and I are fine- we're friends. And you're his friend, so of course I'll help you."
"I-" He cut off, thinking better of his previous idea, and instead settled for, "Thank you, Natasha. I won't forget this kindness."
"Just make sure you're not being followed- I don't like a safehouse being compromised," Natasha replied. "Stay on the line." She hated talking, but she could track him and prevent others from tracking him more easily if the line was still connected.
"Copy that," Bucky said, and a muffled 'I have your peaches,' was heard. There was the sound of a door opening and Bucky rushing inside. "I'm in."
"Basement, now." Natasha ordered. "And stop talking. Unless there's something wrong."
"Nothing wrong- just ki-" He once again cut off, probably not wanting to freak out the safe house's other occupants. He brought his voice down to a whisper. "Just killed seven people- absolutely nothing wrong." He snapped sarcastically, but without malice.
"I see Steve gets his theatrics from you," Natasha commented. "Are you in the basement yet? Are you alone?"
"Yes, I'm alone- the basement is locked, though."
"Just kick the damn door open, then," Natasha couldn't keep the annoyance out of her voice. "And quickly- you need to move."
"Alright, alright," He responded, the sound of a door being forcefully kicked in reaching her. "Okay, I'm in the basement. Now what?"
Natasha slowed the quinjet. "Change of plan. Get to the roof- you might have to slip out of a window. You have no problem jumping into a jet from a roof, right?"
"Psht. Please. That's become a habit for me." Bucky replied.
"Great, I'll be there in five minutes- stay alive."
"It's what I do best." He assured, hanging up.
Natasha glared at the phone. Hadn't she told him to stay on the line? With a dramatic roll of her eyes, she continued to pilot the jet. She waited until the last minute before plummeting down, pulling up and hovering close enough to the building that most trained agents could make it across fairly easily before opening the hangar door.
A few moments later, Bucky was sprawled on the floor of the receiving bay, chest heaving from the adrenaline rush he'd gotten while jumping the gap between quinjet and rooftop. He sent her a thumbs-up to say he was okay and ready to go.
She hit the button to close the hangar door, lingering for a second before flying off, going higher to get out of sight and back into stealth mode. "You alive?"
He stumbled into the cockpit and sat in the copilot's seat. "I guess so."
Natasha looked at him. "Great, you appear to be in one piece." She flew in a random direction to start off with.
"If that counts for anything." He mumbled, staring at the floor guiltily. Now that he wasn't fleeing for his life, he clearly had more time to wallow in the guilt of having killed.
"Save the wallowing for Steve," Natasha replied. "He'd love to give you a lecture about putting yourself in danger and losing you-maybe he'll ease up with me if he's worried about you."
Bucky winced a little. "He's going to hate me for what I did- he's stuck with me through so much in the effort of bringing me back, and here I go and return to how I was before… How could he possibly put up with me anymore?"
"He's Steve," Natasha replied as if it answered everything. Because he was Steve and he would never give up on somebody he loved- and Bucky was like his brother.
"Exactly- he's like a brother to me, and now I've broken the law he struggles so hard to uphold; I've taken lives! They were human beings! I'm a murderer!"
"Me too." Natasha replied without even looking at him. He and Steve were way more alike than she'd originally realised. "Put on the blindfold next to you- can't let you see where we're going." She told him as she began to turn, planning on doing a 250-degree turn.
"Okay…" He did as told before turning his head in her general direction. "You've… killed?"
"Men, women and children." Natasha replied shortly, giving him a quick glance, she thought he knew about her past. She had no intention of having a heart-to-heart with him; he had nowhere near earnt any trust from her. There were a very limited number of people that she actually had full conversations with. She owed him no explanation. However, the odd response to show she understood was the least she could do- he was Steve's friend.
"Oh…" Bucky muttered understandingly, going quiet. His hands fidgeted in his lap nervously.
"You might want to mentally prepare what you're going to say to Steve," Natasha recommended. He nodded and they fell into a comfortable silence as she flew the jet back to the base.
By the time things with Rhodey had been sorted out, Steve returned to an empty room, half-drawn Natasha being his only company. Where had she gone? He searched the room intently and found no trace her- then he saw her note. Alarmed, he read through it, only to find himself more alarmed than before. What was she up to? What mission? He reached for his phone- only to find it missing as well.
Sam poked his head in. "Hey, Steve-Natasha called you on my phone." He said, holding his phone out.
Steve snatched the device up and pressed it to his ear. "Natasha? Natasha, where are you?" He demanded.
"Relax, I'm going to land in a minute. No, you stay silent." She paused. "Meet me in the hangar?"
"You got it." He answered, tossing the phone back to Sam and sprinting to the hangar. He approached the newly-arrived quinjet, shouting, "What happened?"
Natasha walked out. "Somebody needed to be extracted. Knew it would be quicker if I just went; there was no combat or anything. I just flew the plane." She threw him his phone. "Oh, and Bucky's here, too."
At the sound of his name, Bucky walked out, looking extremely guilty and awkward. "Hey, Stevie."
Worried, Steve stepped forward and put a hand on Bucky's shoulder. "Bucky, what the hell happened to you? Why is there blood on your shirt?"
"I'm sorry, Steve. I…"
"Some agents tried to apprehend him, and, in self-defense, he may have taken some of their lives," Natasha interrupted.
Bucky nodded. "I killed them."
Steve swallowed in surprise, grip tightening slightly. "Oh, Bucky… You killed people?" He asked somewhat gently. His face was pale, he could tell.
Bucky looked away, actions speaking volumes. "Yes." He murmured.
Steve didn't know how exactly to react. His best friend had just killed several people. But, then again… "It's not your fault, Bucky." The other man's head shot up in surprise. "You can't help your natural reactions- there were bound to be aftereffects of returning from being the Winter Soldier. Besides, I know you wouldn't have reacted so extremely unless they had attacked you, which means it was their fault for antagonising you." He trusted Bucky and always tried to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Bucky blinked, eyes wide, face paler. "Steve, I… How can you be so…?" He trailed off.
"You're my oldest friend- I know you better than you might think, which means I know that you wouldn't do something like that out of nowhere. You're much more controlled than that. It's clear that you regret your actions very deeply, so I'm not worried about you being a further threat." Steve answered firmly.
"Told you," Natasha smirked at Bucky.
"But… But I-"
"Bucky." Steve interrupted him. "Your actions won't go without consequences, that's for certain, but I forgive you- you're still my friend. It's all over now, so stop beating yourself up about it- it was accidental, you can't change what happened, and you'll be dealt with accordingly. Considering that you weren't in full control of yourself, though, I think your punishment will be lighter."
"I… Alright." Bucky replied, nodding. He turned to Natasha. "Thank you for helping me- I owe you one… or twenty."
"I'll definitely collect it at a later time," Natasha promised. Her eyes lingered on Steve for a few seconds, but her expression was unreadable.
Bucky snorted a little. "Just like Natasha- you're one of the few people on the planet who wouldn't wave off an 'I owe you one'."
"Bucky, go get cleaned up." Steve ordered. Bucky nodded and walked hesitantly away, leaving the couple alone. He noticed Sam in the doorway, waving in greeting and showing Bucky the way. "Nat, what happened? I know you went to get Bucky, but, I mean… Why?"
Natasha shrugged. "He's your friend- why wouldn't I help him?"
He paused and stared at her. "Sorry, it's just… You're not usually one to go out of your way to help a friend of a… boyfriend? Whatever I am to you. Anyway, I'm just saying it's a bit out of character."
Natasha stood there, looking completely composed, but her face showed a little bit of confusion. "I just… thought it would help you."
"Well, thank you, Nat. I can't tell you how much it means to me." He assured her, putting a hand on her upper arm with a smile. "You're very kind when you want to be, you know."
"Don't tell anybody else; it'll ruin my reputation." Natasha whispered, placing a kiss on his cheek. "But you know you're going to have to deal with Bucky now, right? Don't be so… soft and squishy. You have to be tough to a degree."
He frowned, even though his heart soared when her lips made contact. "What do you mean, 'deal with Bucky'? I thought the higher-ups would take care of it."
Natasha smirked at him. "What higher-ups? You going to call Tony? You're the captain, Steve. You're in charge. Who could you possibly mean by 'higher ups'?"
He stared for a second before saying, "Oh." Then he continued to stare stupidly. "Me? In charge? I can't possibly punish Bucky! I'm too emotionally involved in his case to choose the appropriate sentence!"
Natasha raised an eyebrow at that. "If you had children, would you just not punish them and give them everything they wanted? They'd probably turn out like Tony. You're the only one who really knows Bucky well enough to be fair with the punishment. Most only know him as the Winter Soldier."
Steve sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I suppose you're right… What's your advice on his punishment? You seem pretty good at punishing people."
"Excuse me?" Natasha asked firmly, taking a step back. "What is that supposed to mean?"
He laughed slightly and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you didn't know? I thought it would have been obvious with the way half the people here avoid you, and all." He said in an exaggerated drawl.
Natasha didn't take it in the intended way- she glared at him. "Is that so? I'm sorry I'm such an awful person to be around." She spun around and stormed off.
"Natasha!" He called, cursing himself as he chased after her. "Natasha, I'm sorry! That's not what I meant!"
She veered to a stop, turning and staring at him. "Then what did you mean?"
"I was just being an idiot, is all! It was a joke that I didn't think through!" He cried as means of apology.
"Well, you failed tremendously- I work those recruits hard and there are punishments for certain things. Them avoiding me isn't that far-fetched." Natasha groaned. "I guess I'm a bit..." She rolled her eyes. "...Sensitive."
A great taunt popped into his head at that, but he decided not to risk his life and instead stuck with silently nodding. Then he pat her shoulder. "We're both a bit problematic, Nat. It's why we're an awesome team." He said cheekily.
"Ground him. He can't leave the base… and let's just train him like the other recruits- help him to control his urges and emotions, similar to what I do with Wanda." Natasha advised.
"That's a really good idea! Productive, too!" He agreed, "I'm going to grab a snack from the kitchen, want anything?"
Natasha shook her head. "No, thanks. I think you should sit with Bucky. Get him cleaned up and fed- I'm not sure he's been taking care of himself."
Steve nodded slowly. "True… Alright, I'm gonna make him a sandwich and force-feed him when he's cleaned up." He decided. He would have to have a serious talk with Bucky later.
"Let me know if you need anything. I think I might go and get cleaned up, myself-maybe later-" Natasha stopped suddenly. "Just let me know if I can help."
"Copy that." He replied, heading to the kitchen.
Thank you for reading! Did you like that it was Bucky who called? Let me know if there's anything you'll like to see :D
