"Don't you think you should talk to Steve about this first?" Shuri asked. Her tone was nervous.

"What?" Natasha asked sharply. "No." She shook her head, feeling some nervousness of her own. "I'm not… I'm not doing this for Steve. I'm doing it for myself. Besides, we don't even know if it'll work."

Shuri pressed her lips together and made a sound. She looked thoughtful and worried. Rightfully so. Natasha had just given her a pretty tall order, especially given the fact that the girl was still just a teenager. Granted, she was the smartest teenager, and perhaps the smartest person, that Natasha had ever met, but she knew that her request still came as quite a surprise.

Natasha had asked Shuri if she could undo the damage that the Red Room had done to her. In the event that she actually was able to move on and start having a normal life one day, Nat wanted to at least be able to have the opportunity to try for the things that had been denied her all these years. Whether that was with Steve, someone else, or no one, she at least wanted the option. She thought she deserved that much. Shuri seemed to think it was possible. With the use of stem cells and Wakandan technology, the young princess hypothesized that Natasha's body might be able to regrow what had been taken from it. It wasn't a sure science. It could fail or backfire, but Natasha didn't seem to care. She wanted to try.

"I know it's a lot," Nat told Shuri. "And I know I have no right to even ask it of you, but-"

"No." Shuri cut her off. "You have every right. The things that were done to you were cruel and inhumane. You had your choice taken away from you." The princess took a deep breath and sighed it out. "If I have the ability to return to you that choice… I can't deny you that."

Her young face lit up with a hopeful smile that Natasha couldn't help but match.

"I'll need some time to do some planning, make some preparations; get a team together, but we can give it a shot." Shuri said.

Nat didn't know how much time Shuri would need, and she didn't know how long Steve would be visiting with Bucky. She knew she didn't want to have this conversation with him, though. At least not yet. She was honest in telling Shuri that she wasn't doing this for Steve, but she also didn't want to freak him out with talking about certain… things… well before he was ready for them. And, in the off chance that he was ready, she didn't want to get his hopes up. So, she had to figure out a way to keep this all quiet for now. Easier said than done, she was sure. Luckily, Shuri seemed to have a solution for that.

"My brother is taking a trip to the Border Tribe lands today," the princess said. "I'm sure it won't take much convincing to have him ask Steve to go along. There are some rhino enclosures in need of repair, and a strong man such as the Captain would serve most useful in such a task."

Natasha gave Shuri a close-lipped smile, unable to express how truly grateful she was for the princess's help. Maybe someday she would learn how to properly express her gratitude or maybe even repay Shuri for everything she'd done. But today just wasn't that day.

"That sounds like a great idea," she said instead.

Maybe the Black Widow's hope and optimism were enough for Shuri, because the young woman hurried off with an excitement that she hadn't exhibited before. That was good. It meant some of the nervousness had been curbed, and Natasha took that as a cue to curb some of her own. Of course, she had entirely too many nerves right now to be able to quiet them all. This was… pretty crazy. She knew that. She was fully aware of how rash and insane it all seemed. It probably seemed pretty out of character for the former spy, but she couldn't pass up this opportunity. She knew that the only chance she had of taking back what had been taken from her was here in Wakanda, under the close supervision of Shuri and her medical team and their most-advanced technology. It was her best chance at working towards a future that was a little more normal and a little less… depressing.

Of course, that meant lying to Steve. Well, perhaps lying wasn't the proper term. "Withholding information" might have been a better way to describe it. She was pretty sure Shuri would keep T'Challa out of the loop as well, though, so hopefully that would make things a little easier. Still, Natasha felt guilty. Steve had just gotten back from his visit with Bucky when the Wakandan King approached him about heading to the Border Tribe's territory. Apparently it hadn't taken much effort for Shuri to convince him that Steve would be a huge help with whatever repairs it was they were doing. And, of course, Steve being the person that he was, readily accepted the opportunity to help. It was the least he could do, given all that T'Challa had done for him.

"Remind me why you're not coming with us?" Steve asked Natasha before heading out. He'd just gotten back, and he wasn't crazy about the idea of having to leave her again so soon. He also knew she was just as capable of doing some heavy lifting.

"Shuri needs me here." Natasha said with a shrug. It wasn't a lie, so it wasn't all that hard for her to tell it. "Don't tell me the Captain America is having qualms about earning his keep…"

Steve furrowed his brow at the teasing grin Natasha was sending his way. "I'm not," he said. "I just get the feeling that I'm getting the short end of the stick, here."

"You've spent the majority of the last week playing Sleeping Beauty." Nat pointed out. "A little bit of exercise could do you good."

Steve shook his head and chuckled, but he was already starting to walk off to join T'Challa on the bridge. "You're going to feel bad if I get trampled by rhinos!" He called as he walked off.

Natasha gave him a wave when he looked over his shoulder at her, but she said nothing. Her nerves were starting to jump back into place in her gut. Things were becoming a lot more real than they had been a couple hours ago. She knew there was no turning back, though. She couldn't ask Shuri to make all these plans and preparations for her and then back out at the last second. Besides, Natasha wasn't exactly one to back down from a challenge. She just had to suck it up, put on her brave face, and get it over with, all while trying not to get her hopes up too much. There was a very good chance this wouldn't work.

After taking a few moments to gather herself, Natasha headed off to meet Shuri.

….

Going to the mountainous region of the Border Tribe wasn't as bad as Steve had expected it to be. He was given the privilege of riding with T'Challa and his Dora Milaje escort in a small aircraft that carried them up to the sloping greenlands where the Border Tribe resided. They posed as farmers and rhino breeders to deceive foreigners of Wakanda's true wealth and power. Even still, they possessed some technological advancements that the rest of the world's farmers would gawk at for sure. Yet, they still had incidents… Like rhinos breaking out of their pastures and roaming freely about the land.

"I don't think I'd ever get used to this." Steve noted as he and T'Challa exited the aircraft. He'd never seen a rhino this close before, let alone ones outfitted with armor plating and harnesses. It was quite an impressive and intimidating sight.

"That is a good quality to have, Captain." T'Challa pointed out. "Complacency is a good way for a man to make himself vulnerable. If we are constantly in awe of the world around us, we can harbor a respect for it, and that respect keeps us safe."

To prove his point, the King calmly approached a rhino that was still in an enclosure and extended his hand over the top of the fence. The beast sniffed T'Challa's hand a few times, huffing out breaths of hot air, before ultimately lifting its chin and allowing him to scratch it. Steve was thoroughly impressed, but he didn't think he wanted to pet any rhinos any time soon. He wasn't quite ready for that. What he could do was help repair the enclosure that had been broken.

It was hot and laborious work, but it was good to be able to use his strength for something productive; something good. He was sure there were probably some types of machine or pieces of technology that could've been used for a task like this, but there was something very wholesome and satisfying about having the option to do things the easy way but choosing not to.

"The Border Tribe are content to lead simpler lives." T'Challa explained. "I like to come here from time to time. Put myself in their shoes. Remind myself that there are different perspectives than my own."

Steve couldn't say he knew what it was like to lead a "simple" life. He supposed he'd never really tried. Ever since he was a kid, he'd always wanted to be… more. More than the scrawny street rat in the cheap coat. It'd never been about money, though. It'd never been about power. He'd just… wanted to make a difference. Now, he'd lived two lifetimes of doing just that, and he was starting to think that maybe simple wasn't so bad after all. Being somewhere peaceful, living off the land; just… living in general. It had a nice ring to it. He just didn't know if Natasha was the type of woman for "simple" anything.

But then he remembered.

"I'd spend every day just… sitting at coffee shops and being bored out of my damn mind if it meant never having to do something like this again."

Natasha's words echoed in his mind.

"I don't want to do this anymore."

Maybe that meant there was hope. Maybe they really could slow down, give up all the running and fighting and just… be. Maybe it wasn't as much of a long shot as he originally thought.

"It'd be nice," he finally responded to T'Challa. "To have a break from it all. It just feels like the second we stop fighting, the second we're thrown back into it."

"That is a choice you make, Captain." The King replied. "Sometimes, the best thing you can do is to not do anything at all."

T'Challa was a wise man; beyond his years for sure. Steve enjoyed spending time with him, and the work they did that day was good. The Border Tribe expressed their gratitude with food and drink that was enjoyed in the presence of the setting sun. T'Challa sat among them as an equal. The company was good. Steve found himself wishing Natasha was with them, not to contribute to the work, but to just enjoy the moment. The peace. It was something he knew she needed. He wanted to give that to her, and he wondered just how he might be able to. Maybe they could go somewhere; sit at more cafes and drink more coffee.

Of course, that would have to come after they reunited with the others to show them all that Steve was alive and well and not some angry, brain-washed super soldier. It might take some time, but… at least now he had a plan. Kind of.

…

In the hours that Steve was away, Natasha was in an operating room with Shuri and a small team of doctors. They'd put her under, even though the procedure wasn't nearly as invasive as it would've been anywhere else. It was more for Natasha's comfort than anything else. Shuri was probably well aware of the fact that the Black Widow would be freaking out the entire time, and they wanted to keep her calm. As a result, when she woke up a couple hours later, the former spy had no idea how much time had passed. All she knew was that she was a bit sore deep in her abdomen, and that she'd been relocated.

Rather than an operating table, Natasha was laying in a small, warm, comfortable bed situated by a huge window that faced West. The sun was setting, but it was still spilling the warmth of its rays into the room. The diluted color was soft and comforting, and Natasha found herself lulled back to sleep after just a few moments of looking out the window. She didn't know if she truly dozed, and if she did for how long, but eventually she was opening her eyes again to Shuri entering the room.

"How are you feeling?" The Princess asked.

"Honestly, I thought it'd be much worse." Natasha said. She tested her limits by slowly sitting up in bed, and when she found that moving wasn't all that bad, she peeled the blankets off of her legs and slowly swung around to put her feet on the floor. She was dressed in comfortable pants that were a dark gray color and a simple, light blue t-shirt. Shuri handed her a shawl that was a mix of grays, black and blue. Natasha accepted it gratefully and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"How did it go?" She asked.

"Rather seamlessly," Shuri replied with a smile. "It will take some time to know if the procedure took, however."

"How long?"

Shuri tilted her head back and forth a few times. "A week. Perhaps two."

"We can't stay here that long," Natasha said. She didn't want to overstay their welcome, and Steve would probably know that something was up.

That seemed to trouble Shuri a little. She furrowed her brow and folded her slender arms across her chest. She was silent for a few moments; thinking. "I suppose we could check in occasionally over the phone," she said. "But if something seems wrong, you must come back immediately."

Natasha nodded her understanding. That seemed like a fair compromise. She just hoped it wouldn't come to that. She agreed to Shuri's terms.

"My brother will be returning soon," Shuri said, moving on. "If you would like to… make any preparations, now would be the time."

Nat assumed that meant getting herself cleaned up and looking a little more presentable and a little less like she'd just had invasive, reconstructive surgery. Shuri gave her something to combat the little bit of anesthetic still in her system. After that, Natasha went to get cleaned up. She showered and dressed in something a little less "hospital-y" and was towel-drying her short blonde locks when Steve returned. He rapped on the frame of her open door, leaning casually with his arms folded across his chest. His shirt and skin was patchy with dirt and dried sweat, and his growing, dark blonde hair was a bit unkempt around his face. He looked painfully handsome. Quite literally, Natasha thought, as she felt a tightening in her stomach.

"I see you didn't get trampled by rhinos." She said.

Steve grinned and stepped into the room, arms dropping to his sides. "Not for lack of trying," he said. "I think a few of them were pretty upset about having their vacation cut short."

He came to a stop a few feet away from her. He noticed she looked a little tired; a little stiff. Steve furrowed his brow in concern. "Everything okay?" He asked.

"Mm," Natasha nodded and lowered the towel to her side. "Still recovering, I guess." Another half-truth. She was recovering; she just let Steve believe she meant from the fight at the clinic. It was cruel of her, she knew, especially given the look on his face when he heard that, but she just… couldn't tell him the whole truth. Not yet.

"Nat-"

"How was Bucky?" She asked, cutting him off before he could apologize again.

Steve pressed his lips together and frowned a bit. He was a little frustrated that Natasha kept avoiding that particular subject, but he decided to just let it go. His shoulders shrugged a bit, and he sank to a seat at the foot of the bed.

"He seems okay," Steve said. "Different, but… not. I think he's going to stay here a bit longer; make sure his head's on straight. Can't really blame him for that."

Natasha took a seat next to Steve, a soft, concerned look on her face. "What about your head?" She asked. "Is it on straight?"

Steve took a moment, his blue eyes staring hard at the wall in front of him. He was still at war with his memories and the emotions they brought, but he didn't feel like he couldn't trust himself. He felt like he was in control and would continue to be in control, but there was still pain. It wasn't physical so much as it was mental, but it lingered. There was a word for it, he knew. It was called "guilty conscience". After a moment, Steve turned his gaze to Natasha. Her deep green eyes were staring intently at him, patiently and perhaps worriedly waiting for an answer.

"After we meet back up with the others," he said tentatively, "what do you say we… take some time. Just the two of us. Go someplace where we can just… be."

Natasha's eyes roamed Steve's face, searching; wondering. Her expression was serious and contemplative. She knew what she'd said, about wanting coffee shops and boring; about wanting rest. Could she really do it, though? Could she really give up the fighting? It was the only time she ever felt like she was really making a difference, like she was really useful. She supposed, for now, they didn't have to give it up completely. They could just… step away from it, if only for a little while; see how it went.

After a moment, Natasha nodded, a soft smile forming on her face. "I think that's one of the best ideas you've had yet," she said.

Steve smiled. He reached over and placed a hand on her cheek; then leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. She smelled like exotic flowers and spring water, while he was sure he smelled like… quite the opposite. With that in mind, he gently pulled away and looked down at Natasha and the bit of color that had blossomed to life in her cheeks. The magnetic pull she possessed was almost impossible not to give into, but Steve knew he needed to get cleaned up. So, he reluctantly allowed his hand to fall away from her face, and he pushed himself to his feet.

"Call the others," he said as he stepped away. "Tell them we're reconvening tomorrow, and we want to see all their faces."

Natasha's lips pushed up in a half smile. "Roger that, Captain." She said. As Steve moved off to take a shower, Natasha headed off to make some calls.