The next month went by a lot faster. Of course, there wasn't much to drag it out without fighting, keeping secrets, and a psychopath, black market dealer trying to turn them over to the CIA. She had hardly even noticed the month was gone, but when Bucky came by her apartment to check on her arm, he reminded her.

"I guess that means Klaue won't be coming after us?" she said as he examined the scar on her arm.

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

"It's been a month," she pointed out. "Surely, he would've come after us by now."

"Did SHIElD stop chasing you after a month?"

"No, but he's not SHIELD."

He sighed and put her sleeve back down. "I'm just saying we should keep our guard up. Your arm looks fine," he added.

"I know it does," she quipped. "I told you you could stop checking on it a week ago."

"I'm checking for infection," he said.

"I didn't realize Hydra trained their assassins to be doctors," she teased.

Bucky scoffed and headed for the door. "I'll come by and check on it one last time tomorrow." Hannah nodded, and he left the apartment. For the most part, that's how the month had been. He would come by every now and again to check on her arm, and they might talk for a little bit. Then it was off to work and worrying about Klaue all the while. Generally speaking, it was boring; but Hannah and Bucky hardly ever got to be boring for a while, so they didn't complain.

The only interesting thing was Hannah and Bucky talking without arousing an argument. Ever since their chat in the cafe, they communicated better. They learned that they were both unstable, and they trusted each other more because of it. It made no sense, but it worked. Hannah couldn't even come close to understanding what Hydra did to him, so she stopped pushing him to talk. She had learned more than she wanted, and now she couldn't help but pity him. She could tell that he noticed, but (as usual) he didn't say anything.

Hannah had spent her weekdays recovering things on her laptop. Before she and Bucky had left for Africa, she wiped the whole thing so it couldn't be traced. It was necessary, but it meant she had lost all her files and research that she didn't have on paper.

She got to work on her computer as she waited for Bucky to come back. Because she avoided going into town as much as possible, he was the only person she could talk to. He hardly said anything, and he usually didn't stick around for long, but it was better than being alone all day.

Hannah had been staring at her computer screen for so long she had lost track of time. She had missed dinner, and her stomach made sure to let her know. However, she was too involved in her work to listen to it. In fact, she was so involved she didn't hear Bucky coming up the stairs. So, when a knock sounded at her door, Hannah jumped out of her chair. It took her a second to calm down before she marched over to the door. She opened it and spun back to her work without looking at Bucky.

"You scared me half to death," she scolded half-heartedly.

The door closed and Bucky sat down across from her after setting a bag on the table. Hannah looked over the laptop to see him waiting for her to finish her work. "I thought you weren't coming over 'til tomorrow," she mentioned. "My arm is fine."

"I brought dinner," he responded as he gestured toward the bag.

Hannah closed her laptop slowly and raised a brow at Bucky. "How do you know I didn't have some already?"

"If you did, then there's more for me," he said. He began taking the two boxes of food out of the bag, so Hannah moved her laptop. "Besides, I can tell you haven't looked away from that screen for hours," he added as he handed a box to her.

"I look that bad, huh?" she joked.

Bucky smiled shyly at the table. "That's not what I meant."

"I know," she laughed. "I'm just kidding. I know I need to take a break."

"That's why I brought you a break," he said.

They both opened their boxes and began eating. "Thanks," Hannah said after a few bites. "How much do I owe you?"

"You don't," he answered. "It's payment for making you ruin your laptop."

"Oh, so that's your fault too, now?" Hannah set down her fork in mild frustration. Ever since he had told her about his past, he had started blaming everything on himself. No matter what she said, he never changed his mind.

"If I had told you about Klaue instead of sulking in my room, you would still have all your files," he insisted.

"Bucky," she said exasperated. "You didn't make me push that reset button. Chances are, I would've had to do it eventually anyway; then I would've lost even more research." She stared into his eyes to make sure he got the point. He didn't say anything, and Hannah took that as a sign that he did. "Stop blaming yourself for everything," she concluded in a whisper.

The rest of the day was pouring over files. Bucky had left promptly after lunch, so she caught herself talking to the air multiple times. Eventually, she grew tired of it and tried to get some sleep. She tossed and turned, but nothing helped. She would get up and walk around to no avail, and getting on her laptop would only suck her into staying on it until morning.

She was walking through the kitchen trying to wear herself down when she heard Bucky's door open and close above her. Why was he awake? Hannah left her apartment out of curiosity.

She leaned over the stair railing and whispered to the floor above her, "Bucky?"

A few seconds later Bucky's head appeared over the railing. "Did I wake you?"

"No," Hannah laughed at the notion that she had been asleep. "I can't sleep," she added as she walked up the stairs.

"Me neither," he said blankly. "I usually can't."

"What's your solution?" she asked.

He shrugged. There was a moment of silence as he decided whether or not to tell her. "I don't have one yet."

Hannah knit her brow. "Don't you get any sleep?"

"Hardly," he scoffed. He nodded what Hannah assumed was a goodnight, and he started up the stairs.

Hannah watched him go for a while before she spoke up. "Where are you going?"

Bucky pointed vaguely up the flight of stairs. "The roof."

"Can I join you?" she asked. She would much rather talk to Bucky than be frustrated about sleep.

Another shrug and he continued on his way. Hannah took that as a yes and caught up with him. He opened the door to the roof and walked out without hesitation.

Hannah followed him out unsurely and closed the door behind her. "Is it safe up here?" she asked.

Bucky nodded. "It is if you don't jump off," he replied as he sat near the edge of the building.

She chuckled lightly and sat next to him. "I'll try not to do that." They sat in silence for a while and looked out over Bucharest. Even though she was next to a ten-story drop, she felt better. She looked over at Bucky, but he seemed to be deep in thought about something.

"So," she said. "Is the balcony in your apartment not working?"

Bucky smiled. "The extra two stories are crucial," he joked. Then more serious he added, "Being up here helps me stay awake."

"I thought the goal was to get some sleep," Hannah pointed out.

He took a long breath. "Maybe for you." Hannah didn't know what to say. What could be torturing him enough for him to skip sleep altogether? She knew it must've been something about Hydra, but she never dared ask questions about it. The fact that he was an ex-Hydra assassin made everything so much more complicated.

Bucky looked over at Hannah and could see that she desperately wanted to know what he was talking about. "Nightmares," he explained.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. She hesitantly offered her hand, and Bucky softly held it. There was nothing she could say that would fix it, but he needed to know that she was there. Bucky hardly ever said anything about his past, and it only made him worse. He needed to know that she was there, and she would listen.