So I decided to finish the collection anyways (as usual I didn't finish when I was supposed to). The following two one-shots have one theme in common and it's a warning at the very same time: character death. I recommend listening to sad music.

October 28th: Sing me to sleep

(Not sure where to place this AU... probably Post Civil War, pre IW)

In moments like that one he so badly wished he could turn back time just a few seconds and try again. He would give pretty much everything to gain that power.

Another bullet grazed his shoulder, but it barely did any damage. That wasn't important now. Steve threw a knife at the attacker who had just shot. He managed to hit the other man in the stomach. Immediately he pushed forward, pulling the knife out with one quick movement and hitting the attacker on the back of his head with his arm, knocking him unconscious.

Steve spun away right away and kicked the last of the group of terrorists away and pinned him down with the knife. He didn't care whether or not the guy was just down or dead. There were other things on his mind.

Almost slipping on a spot of ice hidden by the fresh snow Steve half stumbled the few feet back to where a body lay in the snow. The blood colored the white snow around her in a deep crimson.

Steve fell to his knees next to her and immediately started removing her jacket to see how bad the damage was. He froze for a second when his eyes met with a pool of blood which originated from the center of her abdomen. She was even paler than usual and her eyes were closed. Steve cursed under his breath and used the jacket to apply pressure to the wound as it dawned on him that the bullet had gone all through her body and exited through her back.

The sound of footsteps made him turn his head. Sam stopped dead in his tracks when he saw what was going on: „Oh my God... What...?"

Steve took a deep breath and kept his voice as steady as possible: „Sam, run and find Wanda. She probably waits by the jet, we need the jet here... now!"

The other man didn't even know what to say and turned. He started running right away and soon he was out of sight.

Steve desperately tried to stop his hands from shaking when the woman in his arms moved her arm just the slightest bit and opened her beautiful green eyes. Steve's voice came out husky, but there was hope in his tone: „Nat..."

Natasha confusedly moved one of her hands towards her stomach, but she met with Steves hand pressing on the jacket, which was doing a decent job at stopping the bleeding.

Steve looked down at their hands for a moment before he looked at her face again: „Don't... we... we will fix it. Just stay with me, understood?"

Natasha bit down on her bottom lip and it was clear she had a hard time keeping herself awake. Her voice was weak and barely audible: „You're a terrible liar..."

Steve shook his head and pressed down even harder: „No! We have made it through some pretty nasty stuff... this is not going to end here."

Natasha swallowed hard. Steve frantically tried to fix things, but sometimes he couldn't do that. She breathed in painfully and addressed him: „Steve... please... just stop. Let me look at you."

He did as she commanded and focused on her face again, while still trying to keep the pressure: „You can look at me every day from now on, you just need to stay awake."

The corners of her mouth twitched upwards: „I don't know if I... can do that."

Steve fought back the tears: „Come on Nat. I need you. I can't live without your jokes to cheer us all up... and your smile, your talent to annoy me out of my mind with your comments..."

He slowly felt her drifting away in his arms as he spoke so he pulled her closer: „Nat, please!"

She closed her eyes again and the fear of never seeing those beautiful green stars again overwhelmed him.

Natasha could barely talk, but he could still make out her words: „I'll miss you..."

A tear made its way down Steve's cheek. What he said next only came out as a whisper, barely louder than the wind: „I love you."

He saw Natasha smile weakly. She parted her lips to answer him, but the only thing that came out was a whimper accompanied by a small line of blood from the corner of her mouth.

Steve felt more tears well up in his eyes and he didn't stop them from falling. He started singing a Russian lullaby to her in a low tone. One of his hands started brushing through her hair, the other still pressed on the wound.

He was adding red strains to her silver locks and it reminded him of the past. His voice shook but he kept singing, as he felt her breathing slow down. She stopped shaking and her features softened.

Steve couldn't continue and the singing was replaced by small sobs. Natasha made her last breath and he knew it had been the last time he had ever talked to her.

When he heard the jet behind them she had went limp in his arms. And in that moment the world just stopped turning for him.

He didn't see Wanda and Sam running towards them. He didn't react when they were checking for a pulse. When Wanda collapsed in the snow he slowly shook his head.

Carefully, as if trying not to wake her from sleep, Steve placed a kiss on Natasha's forehead: „I'm sorry..."