The morning when our story starts at the beginning was just another cold morning in November, a light but frosty breeze caressed the few leaves left on the tree.

It was just four in the morning when a shrill, insistent trill rang out in the cabin tree distant four miles from Castel Combe, a little but nice village in Northern Ireland.

It had about thousand inhabitants, and none of them had been as much surprise as when they heard that the old Holland family's cabin was sold to three young men. Apparently they were visiting the world, but they had decided to stop there for a while.

Into the cabin a dark-skinned man was going down the stairs rubbing his eyes, still half asleep.

He was trying to make as less noise as possible, but an inevitable scream left his mouth when another figure stepped out from the shadow, a gun pointed right in the middle of his face.

Suddenly, the figure let out a sigh and lowered the weapon, revealing his face.

"Jesus Christ!" Yelled Sam Wilson, looking at Bucky Barnes like he wanted to make him die in a very painful way.

"Nope, just me" smirked Bucky, amused by his friend's reaction. "Relax Sam, I was just looking for intruders"

"Well, so was I, but I didn't shoot you!" Pointed Sam angrily.

"I didn't shoot you!" Replied Barnes outraged.

"But you almost did it!" Accused Sam, pointing at the gun in his metal hand.

Bucky was about to respond, but the trill started again. They exchanged a look and they walked together toward the kitchen.

That terrible sound came from a little, old flip phone. And at the kitchen table was sit Steve Rogers. He was looking at the phone with a strange and complicated emotion on his face. They all knew who would be at the other end of the call.

He looked up at his two best friends for a moment, then he took a deep breath and he responded the call.

"Finally! I started thinking you were dead!" Exclaimed the voice of Tony Stark.

"Tony, as much as I'm happy to hear you, it's four in the morning." Stated Steve with a sleepy voice. "There's a particular reason why you call at this hour?"

"Of course! Besides, I'm not saying that I wanted fireworks or a love song, but an how are you Tony would have be nice."

"Tony"

"Yeah, right. I called you cause I had been an asshole..."

Steve's eyebrow furrowed in confusion. As much as he was happy and satisfied to hear those words, it was very strange that Tony had actually said them, and that he had admitted his mistake.

"Oh, I'm... I'm happy to hear that..." started Cap, but Tony cut him off.

"To Natasha. I'm not going to apologise to you, I still think you were wrong."

Steve let out a sigh. Now, this sounded more realistic.

"Then why are you calling me? I'm sure that if Nat was really angry with you, maybe you wouldn't be dead, but at least you would be at the hospital."

"I don't think that she's angry... maybe hurt?"

Even someone who didn't know Tony as well as Steve did would be capable of tell that his voice was guilty.

"Tony." Said Steve, his voice deadly serious. "What did you tell her?"

"I was angry with you and for what happened to Rhodey, so I... I tell her that the double agent thing must be stuck in her DNA."

"God, Tony! You thought about how much those words had hurt her, specially from one of her closest friends?"

"Yeah, I already feel like I'm a piece of shit, I don't need you to be Captain Moral. I called you cause I think she is in trouble"

"Why? Because she doesn't speak to you?"

"What? No! Cause I don't have her notice since after Siberia!"

Steve's heart stopped at that sentence.

"What do you mean? I thought she was at the Compound"

"What...? Wait, you don't know?"

"Don't know what, Tony? What happened?"

"Well, after the airport's battle T'Challa told Ross that she let you and your buddy escape. She's on the run like you"

Steve froze as he heard that. The sense of guilt started growing in his chest, making it become hard to breath properly.

Nat was on the run because of him. After all she had been trough she had to hide from 117 countries because she helped him, even when it wasn't her duty.

"I... I didn't know that. Why do you think she's in trouble?"

"I heard rumours at a gala last weekend. At the beginning I didn't pay much attention, but I decided to make some calls, just to check, you know. And I discovered the rumours were true."

"Come on, they're just rumours, I believe Natasha is good"

"Cap." Pointed Tony, no more signs of joke in his tone. "I think Nat went back to Russia".

For the third time that night, Steve's heart stopped.

"Alright. What did the rumours say?"

"They... listen, I can't talk about it on the phone. Plus, I have Ross that breaths con my neck. I will be there in five hours."

"What? How... you don't even know...!"

"Please Rogers, you are a soldier, not a spy. The only one of you three that can hide is Barnes. Besides, you look stunning with the beard. See you soon, Capsicle!" And with that, Tony ended the call.

Steve looked up to see Bucky and Sam sit in front of him, with concerned expressions on their face.

"Is Nat ok?" Asked Sam immediately. Even if he was scared of the redhead, he learned how to appreciate her dark and sexy humour, how to speak with her when she was in a bad mood... at the end he loved her like she was his little sister, but he never told her that for fear that she would have stabbed him.

"I... I don't know. Tony is coming here" answered Steve, and that simple phrase has triggered several reactions: Bucky chocked on his own saliva, while Sam stared at him like he was crazy.

"What did you just say?" Asked Sam incredulously.

"I know, but apparently he already know where we are. And if Natasha is in danger, I don't really care. He thinks she went in Russia"

"Of course she went there. I mean, who wouldn't go in the country where everyone wants you dead or wants to make you pay for what you have done in past. It sounds like an awesome vacation!" Exclaimed Sam sarcastically. Steve and Bucky sighed.