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Not a Sound from Their Engines

Sharon managed to hide her surprise, but only barely. She had mostly dismissed Tapper's suggestion that the Winter Soldier was really to blame for all the cases that had been popping up. But if Romanoff thought so, too… Well, it was unlikely that both of them would be wrong. Still, it wasn't like she should share her suspicions with a fugitive agent.

"What would give you that idea?" she asked innocently.

Romanoff certainly saw through the expression, but didn't comment on it. "Let's just say someone went to a great deal of trouble to remind me of him."

"Why?"

"I have no idea," she replied with a cool smile. "That's why I want to talk to Steve."

Frowning slightly, Sharon cocked her head. "I thought all Steve's information on the Winter Soldier came from you."

For some reason, that made Romanoff's eyes light up. "There wasn't much I could give him. I'm sure he spent more time than is wise trying to get his hands on something additional before events transpired to send him the man himself practically gift-wrapped. That was just luck, though, right?" she added with a grin.

It took a moment to process what Romanoff was implying, and Sharon was forced to hide surprise again. "I can assure you I've just been doing my job."

"Yes, of course. You were under orders to leak sensitive information to Steve so he'd act rashly and make things messier."

Sharon regarded her, considering an unprecedented amount of bitterness in the other woman's voice. "You've been an agent a long time. You've seen what can happen when we try to bring in an enhanced person. You know better than most what that man is capable of. Steve was the only one who could have brought him in safely. Ross was a fool for not realizing that."

Romanoff appeared to be mulling this over, so Sharon turned away to make some coffee. The activity would distract her from her anger and hopefully the caffeine would help her deal with this situation a little better. It would do no good to tick off a superior agent. Unexpectedly, Romanoff joined her only moments later, making them some toast as well.

"I haven't eaten much lately," she confessed with an almost conspiratorial smile. "It's hard to focus on food when everyone you know no longer trusts you because of some hotheaded men."

"Amen," Sharon responded emphatically.

They ate their breakfast, though by now it was more like lunch, in companionable silence. She didn't know what Romanoff was thinking about, but Sharon was considering what it must have been like to be in the Avengers when all this happened. Particularly so soon after losing SHIELD. What would have happened to her if the CIA had let her go? Being locked up was something she had known full well was a possibility going in. But just to be fired? To have no place to go? The thought was chilling in a way that prison would not have been. She had a feeling Romanoff felt the same way.

"So. What happened?" she asked when Romanoff had finished her third slice of toast. The light coming through the closed shades was enough to show that the woman had definitely been through something. There was bruising and cuts on her face and hands, and Sharon could imagine the rest of her was no different.

"Car accident." She drank the last of her coffee swiftly, like one would take a shot. "Just like the one, years ago, when the Winter Soldier sent me off a cliff."

A memory struck her at that. She could recall people in SHIELD talking about the Winter Soldier, blaming him for any case they couldn't solve. Most didn't believe in him, treating it as a joke. But she had heard the rumors that Romanoff herself believed in him, and wouldn't she know? Being Russian and all. That's how those conversations usually ended. Sharon had been skeptical of his existence until events left no room for doubt. Though she still felt his prolificacy was overestimated, particularly in older cases.

"You look pretty good for going over a cliff."

Romanoff snorted. "Well, fortunately for me, it wasn't an exact recreation."

"You know, after the SHIELD files were released to the public, anyone could have read them," Sharon began.

"Yeah, so anyone could be copying any case they want. And it's probably just an annoying coincidence. I should just continue working like I was and be wary of accepting any jobs near Odessa, in case it becomes something everyone wants to try out. Is that what you think?"

The expression on Romanoff's face had a hint of the bitterness she'd heard in her voice earlier. "No," she answered slowly.

When she didn't continue, Romanoff raised an eyebrow and leaned back in her chair to regard her. "There have been other cases," she said flatly after a moment.

"There are always other cases," Sharon insisted dismissively, but she couldn't fool one of the greatest spies in the world.

Romanoff got to her feet with a smile. "I'm looking forward to hearing all about them. Now, however, I have some things to take care of. You have some work to do to keep the boss from getting suspicious. They don't trust you completely yet, do they?" she asked, putting a hand on Sharon's shoulder. "Don't worry. I do." With that, she headed out the door, pausing in the frame to look back with a grin. "I won't stop for a beer with the fellas, I'll be home for dinner," she promised, then left without another sound.

Sharon considered going after her, but figured there would be no point in that. The Black Widow had not been seen or heard from in months. She had always been effective at disappearing completely. And she fully expected her to return in a few hours.

So, what to do until then? Should she run? It appeared that she'd given the other woman some trouble in tracking her down, so that might work. Should she alert General Ross to her whereabouts? Set up a trap? Or should she just wait and have someone to collaborate on this case with her?

That seemed unwise. After all the difficulty she'd had getting them to take her off desk duty, surely she wasn't going to violate procedure again? She could just gather information. Find out exactly what had happened near Odessa and see what she could do without involving Romanoff any further. It would be better for both of them. Her bosses would not be pleased if she included someone else in the investigation, regardless of how useful a source they might be.

Except… Well, she didn't know Romanoff very well. They'd never been on a case together when they both worked for SHIELD, although they did see each other from time to time, mainly at the gym. But she knew her reputation. And apparently Romanoff knew hers. There had been a professional courtesy in Berlin, even before they'd worked together to try to bring the Winter Soldier down.

There was no reason to involve Romanoff in this, she assured herself. But she couldn't escape the feeling that, but for some luck and maybe even some nepotism, she would be in the same boat. Romanoff had chosen the side that wouldn't put her in a prison. It wasn't clear why she'd changed her mind later, but she had let Steve and Barnes go. Sharon had done the same twice before her, and remained relatively unpunished while Romanoff had lost everything.

That wasn't right. And maybe a chance to acquit herself was all the Romanoff needed to get back into Ross's good graces. If she hadn't chosen to flee, she might have just gotten some kind of slap on the wrist and been allowed to keep working. The Avengers team roster was looking pretty thin these days, after all.

Sharon got up from the table and headed for her laptop. First things first, look for evidence to corroborate Romanoff's story. The woman was an accomplished spy, after all. Then, well… Aunt Peggy had always been willing to give people second chances, and she would certainly be on the side of helping the first female Avenger. So, if it was what Aunt Peggy would do, what could go wrong?