"You weren't kidding when you said it was messy." Groaned a voice from the distance bringing Natasha back to reality.
"You sure get back on your feet fast. I like your book by the way." Said Natasha bringing up a smile and waving the book to a now flustered Steve.
"Yeah, well it just hit me that night and I couldn't stop drawing." I was going to give it to you before I left, as a thank you for being a friend to me these past couple days.
"Well you've been the same to me and a most gracious host, a hero too." Said Natasha pausing before adding in the last part.
"Anyone would have done it, at least that's what I always tell myself when people reprimand me for being foolish or naïve." Said Steve with a chuckle as he reminisced back to the times Bucky would yell at him after fighting off bullies in an alleyway somewhere.
"What happened to those guys anyways?" Asked Steve curiously as his mind slowly began recalling the events that led to him waking up in Natalie's room.
"Well after you got knocked out some cops showed up and took the men away, they wanted to check you into a hospital but I told them you'd be fine with me." Said Natasha giving a slight glance out the window and trying to hear if there were still screams and sirens outside.
"Figures, well the important thing is that you're safe." Said Steve absentmindedly as he stared down at his sheets not noticing the look Natasha gave him.
Days passed and the two continued their various adventures around the city as Natasha took notes of specific landmarks while Steve would sometimes sketch them. Often the two would trade pieces as they found the lather's more interesting. Soon enough Natasha found herself sitting with Steve at the doorstep of his apartment. Steve was dressed in his issued military uniform with a bag at his side. The two didn't say much as they sat there in silence waiting for a certain car to pick Steve up.
"So, I guess this it?" Said Natasha flatly
"For now, I'll be back in a couple weeks." Said Steve
"You will?" Asked Natasha surprised.
"Yeah, this is just training or something. We come back to New York before shipping out again."
"So I'll see you again? In a couple weeks." Asked Natasha quietly
"I believe so." Said Steve finally turning around to look at Natasha giving her his usual dorky smile.
"It's a date then." Said Natasha with a wink as she got up along with Steve as a black car pulled up in front of them.
"Well, I guess this it for now." Said Steve awkwardly scratching his head.
"It'll go fast, good luck." Said Natasha with smiling as she leaned down giving him a kiss on the cheek. Before walking off down the street but not before locking eyes with a certain brown haired woman that was inside the vehicle.
"Yeah." Said Steve flustered for minute.
She had to move fast if she wanted to get everything in place. As soon as she turned the corner she made sure she wasn't being followed before dashing through the alleyways and back into her room. Once inside she got out her bag as she took some cash, fake Identifications, and a pair of binoculars. She quickly stuffed the things into her jacket and made her way towards the door when suddenly her wristwatch started beeping. She looked at the screen for a moment before pushing the door open and hailing the first taxi towards a certain military base.
It was nightfall when she was dropped off at a nearby town where she paid the driver and continued on down the street towards the town's pub. Inside the bar was dark and only a few people could be seen milling inside. The bar was empty except for the bartender and a blonde woman who was alone having a martini.
"Excuse me? My boyfriend and I got into an argument and he left me stranded here, you seem like a friendly face and I was wondering if you could tell me where the nearest phone booth is?" Said Natasha looking lost and desperate.
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that, here let me finish my drink and I'll take you right to the nearest one." Said the blonde women with a look of sympathy as she quickly downed the martini before giving Natasha a reassuring smile and pulling her along towards the door.
"By the way what's you name stranger?"
"Megan." My boyfriend and me went on this road trip to D.C and there was an argument and the asshole just left me here and drove off.
"Men." Said the blonde shaking her head as she led her in front of the phone booth. "Well here you go…" She was unable to finish her sentence as she collapsed onto Natasha.
"Miss! Are you alright?"
"Yeah, just very dizzy." Muttered the woman
"Must have been the drink, here let me take you home. It's the least I can do after you helped a total stranger." Said Natasha with a warm smile.
"Thank you." Said the lady with a look of relief "It's just down the street first house on the right."
The woman would be unconscious for a couple days but alive. Which was much more than Natasha's other victims could say. But she wasn't a target anyways, just a means to an end.
Natasha looked in the mirror as she donned a secretary outfit with her hair now blonde and a special mask that replicated the face of the woman. She smiled, as she looked herself in the mirror adding the final touch was a nametag, which read "Private Lorraine."
Soon she was at the base and could see Steve who was running behind a battalion and was way behind everyone else.
"Lorraine!" shouted a voice from the side, which drew her attention.
"Yes sir?"
"I need you to give me an analysis on these soldiers, come ride with me an Agent Carter." Said a rugged looking man who seemed be his late 40s.
"Yes Sir!" Said Natasha as she ran towards the jeep seating herself next to the brown haired woman who gave her a small smile.
"Nice to see another woman in the field." Whispered the woman.
"The few and the proud." Said Natasha eliciting laughter from the woman.
"Alright calm down ladies." Grunted the Colonel.
The trio observed the group of soldiers as they went through various tasks, all which tested their physical strength, and skills, which Steve failed miserably at every single one. As the group was jogging through the forest the trio pulled up next to a flag where everyone seemed to stop.
"Alright, whoever gets that flag down can ride back to camp with Agent Carter over here." Shouted the sergeant leading the battalion.
All the men tried to jump and push over each other climbing or shaking the pole but each and every one of them failing.
"They're not the brightest lot are they?" Said the brown haired woman.
"They don't need brains, we need strength and the basics." Grunted the colonel
"What about that guy?" Said Natasha as she pointed to Steve who was standing off to the side.
Everybody had seemed to give up and was getting ready to continue their run when Steve walked up under the pole, loosened the bolts bringing the whole pole down and grabbed the flag.
"Well, I believe that counts." Said Agent Carter with a smile as she turned away from the group to look forward.
A tired Steve shuffled towards the jeep with the flag and plopped down onto the backseat.
"This truly was interesting." Thought Natasha with a smile which Steve returned not realizing it wasn't meant for him.
The next day was pretty similar as they analyzed each soldier and took notes and again Steve was getting manhandled especially during the sparring phase.
"I'm telling you Hodge is the prefect soldier he's passed all our tests and he'll follow every order." Said the colonel to and old man who was well dressed and wore a pair of glasses.
"Hodge is a bully." Said the old man flatly
"You don't win wars with niceness, you win it with guts." Said the colonel as he grabbed a grenade from a nearby box and threw it at the group doing jumping jacks.
"GERNADE!" He shouted
Natasha's instinct kicked in as she made to duck behind the vehicle expecting an explosion when suddenly she heard a voice.
"Get back! Get back!"
She peered over the jeep as saw Steve curled up over the grenade trying to shield everyone from the blast. The look of shock was evident on everyone's faces except for the old man who had a smug expression.
Natasha felt shame as she saw Steve curled over the grenade selflessly sacrificing himself for a bunch of douchebags that laughed and picked at him all week. Her first instinct was to duck, to hide, to survive. For the first time in a long time she questioned whether that was the right instinct? But what other way was there?
"You alright there Private?"
"Yeah, I'm good." Said Natasha with a smile.
"Oh, I know that alley! That's where I got beat up and down there I was beat up there too."
"You sure get beat up a lot."
"I was just always tying to help, and Bucky would call it my stubbornness to never back down."
"Well it's got you so far." Mused Peggy
"Yes it has." Said Steve fondly looking at the streets he used to walk as a child growing up.
"So are you going to see your girlfriend before everything changes?" Asked Peggy with a piercing look.
"Girlfriend?"
"You know that one that was with you when we came to pick you up with the red hair."
"Oh, Natalie. She's not my girlfriend we're just friends, I literally met her a week before I left for camp." Said Steve chuckling as he thought about the one week adventure he had with Natalie.
"Well you will see her again right?" Asked Peggy
"Yeah, she promised to meet me later tonight." Said Steve fondly.
"Well, I hope you have a good time. Don't forget 6am sharp tomorrow." Said Peggy with a warm smile that didn't quite seem to reach her eyes.
"Yes Ma'am." Said Steve as the car rolled to a stop and Steve got out in front of a hotel. He gave Peggy a wave before heading inside the hotel and towards a certain room. With a small sigh he gave one quick knock before the door opened.
"Hey Soldier."
"Hey yourself." Said Steve with a smile.
"So how was training?" Asked Natasha as the two walked down the street towards the malt shop.
"Brutal, humiliating, life threatening, but overall it was interesting." Said Steve
"Almost being blown up was interesting?" Thought Natasha
"Well, you seem to be in slightly better condition." Complimented Natasha
"Still scrawny and short though." Joked Steve morbidly
"It'll get better, in time." Reassured Natasha with a smile.
"Hopefully."
The two stepped into the malt shop where Steve ordered them two shakes as they sat down in a booth.
"So do anything interesting while I was away?"
"Oh you know, wrote a bit, visited a couple sites, nothing too interesting. Wish you could have been here, the city just seems more fun when you're around." Said Natasha quietly.
"That was a fun week, I wish it could be like that all the time. Simple innocent fun, except for the whole getting mobbed by thugs part." Said Steve fondly.
"But it can be, Steve." Said Natasha quietly.
"Pardon?"
"You could stay, be the artist you were meant to be, we could share a flat. It could be just like your dream!" Said Natasha excitedly
A pained expression came across Steve's face as he paused and looked into those green eyes shimmering with hope and a slight sense of desperation, like an internal madness fighting beneath the emerald orbs. He could stay and be comfortable, she wanted to move in with him. It would be a new start, one he's always wanted. He could go back to school, come home to Natalie; they could have so many adventures. He sighed as undeniable truth still rose.
"I wish I could Nat, but I have duty now to my people. To Dr. Erskine. I made a promise to myself and others, it's not about me anymore."
Steve's heart broke as he saw the sinking and despair emerging in her eyes as it slightly began to water before quickly disappearing with a few blinks.
She looked back up and gave him a sad disappointed smile.
"I understand. That's what makes you special Steve, your selflessness. I hope that never changes."
Shimmering lights flashed above them and everywhere around as the two stood in front of Steve's apartment.
"So I guess this is goodbye?" Whispered Natasha off to the side
"I hope it isn't." Muttered Steve eliciting a confused stare from Natasha
"One day the war will end and until then I want you to continue to live you life fully but I promise once it's over and if I'm alive I'll come find you Natalie." Said Steve with a smile.
"One day." Muttered Natasha with a smile as she looked straight into his eyes, slowly inching closer and closer. Green met blue while two lips touched under the night sky.
Bang.
One shot in the stomach and a gasp of air as he stared into cold dead eyes, confusion, pain, and hurt and swirl of physical and emotional pain surrounded him.
She stared at him blankly as he fell to his knees in front of her as she pointed the metal tip towards his head.
"Мне очень жаль," She whispered softly when suddenly Steve caught the glimpse of something in those cold dead eyes. Remorse.
Darkness surrounded him before the sound or anything else could reach him, as his last thought was the slight flicker in her eyes.
Another shot rang into the night and Natasha felt pain in her leg as she quickly turned around and fired shots towards her assailant. She didn't even bother to see whom it was before running and ducking towards an alley hell bent on escaping the scene of her latest sin.
After running as far as she can her leg finally gave out on her and she crashed onto the wall of an alleyway sinking down to the floor as she tried to calm her breathing down. It was never this hard. This complicated. But these unknown feelings were drowning her, suffocating her. Feelings she fought long and hard to bury seemed to rise of like some kind of storm and tonight was finally her reckoning. She closed her eyes as she gasped and gasped squeezing her wrist trying to stop the blood but also feeling her pulse. After what seemed like an eternity her pulse slowly slowed and the gasping stopped. But the pain was still there. A pain she wasn't sure would ever disappear like it did before.
She had completed her mission.
The final act
The scene ends
The curtains drawn
There was a beep and suddenly green light surrounded her and she was once again pulled into the darkness and back to her own time.
"Move an inch and you're dead."
Natasha opened her eyes to find an arrow pointed right at her head.
"Great."
Authors Note: And that's chapter four! As always tell me what you guys think!