Natasha shuddered, her bare skin, blazing with fever pressed against the agonizingly cold stone of her cell floor. Opening her eyes blearily, she looked around. Russia. How had she gotten back to Russia? Searing pain across her back pulled her mind from her confusion. She looked down at her body. She was in prisoner's rags, the small cotton gown hanging torn from her shoulders. Red welts covered her arms, dried blood crusted in her fingernails. The back of her gown felt wet where it touched her back, and the slightest motion caused her vision to darken in pain. Natasha gritted her teeth, determined to figure out what had happened. Reaching out, she grasped the bars of her cell and painstakingly started pulling herself up. Her breathing rattling, she made it to a standing position.

"Still made of marble I see. I always told them you would be hard to break. Physically at least."

Natasha's heart stopped. She had hoped never to hear that voice again. She pressed her face between the bars, straining to catch a glimpse of the woman who had raised her, had made her into the monster she had become, but all she could see were shadows.

"Where are you?" Natasha's voice faltered only slightly, her eyes scanning the room outside her cell. She lifted her chin, feigning confidence, "You have no power over me anymore. I'm not your puppet to control."

A chilling laugh bounced off the dark corners of the cell, "Oh my sweet Natalia. Don't be such a child. You handed me the very tool I needed to get you back. It makes me wonder if you didn't do it on purpose. Tired of the straight and narrow are we?"

Natasha's hands slipped on the bar, taking her off balance for a moment. The pain of the motion blinded her, but still she persisted in standing, too proud to show more weakness than she already was. "What are you talking about?"

"Come and see."

Suddenly the pain subsided entirely, leaving her feeling lightheaded with relief. She found herself standing outside the cell she had just been in, and two hands grasped her shoulders from behind. She tried to turn and see who was there, but she could not get her head to turn. "See who has taken your place…"

Natasha peered into the cell. There, his hands chained above his head as though he himself were the Russian traitor instead of her, was Steve. His broad back was bare and covered in lashes. Natasha reeled backward in shock . "No!" She ran to the bars and rattled them furiously, trying to get to Steve. "Open this cell!" She screamed to the dark shadows where her handler remained hidden. "Do you hear me?! Open this cell! Steve? Can you hear me Steve?" Steve remained motionless, blood slowly trickling down his sides.

Natasha shook the bars again, then turned, determined to find the key. A punch to the face out of nowhere sent her sprawling on her back. Natasha sat up slowly, her hand nursing a bloody nose. The chilling voice whispered in her ear, raising goosebumps along Natasha's arms, "See the gift you have given the KGB. All is forgiven. Welcome home."

Natasha sat bolt upright in bed, covered in sweat. Throwing off her blankets, she ran to her bathroom and retched. Gasping for breath, Natasha rested her head against the toilet bowl. She held her hand out before her, and watched as it shook. Quickly she checked her bracelet. Reassured that her shield was up and that she hadn't woken Steve, she shakily got to her feet. Grabbing the handgun that she kept in her bathroom drawer, she stepped back into her room. Flipping on the lights she checked every corner until she was satisfied that she was safe. Old habits died hard. She holstered the gun and sat on her bed. It had been about a month since she had told Steve that she loved him. For a while, her nightmares had stopped, only to return with a vengeance. It was as though because she had come to terms with her past while she was awake, it was determined to haunt her while she slept. She looked at the clock, 3 AM. There was no way she was about to go back to sleep now. Cautiously, quietly, Natasha reached out in her mind to check on Steve. He was asleep, deep and dreamless. She envied him. He rarely used his own mind shield, leaving his thoughts open for probing as he slept. She retreated without waking him. He didn't need to lose sleep just because she was.

Natasha walked wearily back to the bathroom and got in the shower. She let her mind wander back to when she had been captured after the loss of Kristoff. It had been the worst week of her life. She had been trained to withstand pain, and her handlers knew exactly what she could handle, and what she could not. She had come close to death several times, but they always brought her back, not content just to kill her for her crimes. Natalia Romanoff had been the pride of the KGB, and her loss was a bitter pill to take. They had wanted to be sure she suffered for it. She shivered, despite the hot water. Turning off the shower she opened the curtain and regarded her reflection in the foggy mirror. Her skin was flawless, and she still wasn't used to it. The scars along her back and the marks of all the missions she had been sent on had been wiped away with Steve's blood transfusion. Emotionally and physically, Steve was helping her heal. She wasn't about to let a few bad dreams get in the way of what was quickly becoming the best thing that had ever happened to her. Quickly drying off she threw on her workout clothes. She hastily pulled a brush through her hair and tied it back, then headed out the door to start running laps on Tony's indoor track.

When Steve woke that morning he headed down to the kitchen. Flipping on the lights he was startled by Natasha sitting on the kitchen counter, downing a tall glass of water.

"Nat? What are you doing up? And why are you sitting in here in the dark"

"I couldn't sleep, thought I would get an early start on the day. I didn't want to wake anyone" She slipped down from the counter and wrapped her arms around his waist. She smiled up at him and tilted her chin up for a kiss. Taking her chin, Steve looked down at her suspiciously. "You hate waking up early."

"If I don't up my training you're going to wipe the floor with me Rogers. And that would just be embarrassing. Sacrifices must be made. Now are you going to kiss me or not, because the offer is about to expire." Steve smiled and gently kissed her. Natasha deftly pressed the star on her bracelet, showing him how lightheaded his kiss made her. They pulled back and grinned at each other. Natasha went to the fridge and pulled it open, handing Steve the orange juice without having to be asked. She turned her bracelet on again. Steve looked at her as he poured himself a glass, "We can talk about your nightmares another time then."

Natasha looked up, "Now how did you know that?! I didn't even think about them when my shield was down!"

Steve shook his head. "I don't have to read your mind to know something is up, even without your little distraction techniques." He raised his eyebrow at her pointedly.

"What distraction techniques?" Natasha asked innocently, still rooting around in the refrigerator. Steve rolled his eyes and came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Pressing his lips close to her ear he spoke, his voice low, "Natasha?"

"Hmm?" she responded, faltering for a moment.

"What were you just looking for," he asked, his breath tingling against her ear sending goose bumps racing up her arms. She thought for a moment, then turned to face him, "You're mean." He laughed and stole a kiss when she wasn't expecting it. He sat himself on a kitchen stool and drank his orange juice, waiting expectantly. She sighed. "The dreams are back worse than ever. But they're just dreams Steve. I can handle it."

Steve frowned, "Why don't you wake me? Nat I want to be there to help you through this!"

"I know you would be there in a second if I asked, but I don't want to keep waking you!" Steve was about to protest but Natasha cut him off, "If they become too much for me to handle I will start sleeping without the shield. Until then I want to try to push through on my own."

Steve regarded her thoughtfully, "Alright. You know I will be there when you call."

"I know."

Steve looked at her, "Are they still about me?"

Natasha took his hands in hers, "If ever I was going to break, it wouldn't be under torture or because someone threatened my life. The only thing left in the world that truly scares me is causing you harm. So yes, my nightmares are always about you."

Steve sighed and pulled her into a hug. Taking her face in his hands he smiled, "Let's get to the training room. I want to get some practice rounds in before the others arrive."

She smiled at him wickedly, "They have no idea what they are getting into today." Laughing together mischievously, they walked hand in hand out of the kitchen.