Sorry for the delay- I took a hiatus for a bit :) For those who have asked, this is probably not a Captain Hill fic, and I don't think it will be Romanogers, either. I think they will all just be really good friends and comfort each other. Or maybe I'll change my mind.

Steve awoke the next morning, refreshed and ready to begin the day. He pulled a blue shirt on and a sweatshirt. The nightmares hadn't come, which was a surprise. It made him feel oddly guilty, because he was sure that the others did not sleep well yet. Steve took the elevator to the common floor and began to make waffles.

"Morning." someone said. Steve turned around. It was Clint.

"Hey, Clint." Steve replied. "Sleep well?"

"Somewhat. It was the usual. The sparkling unicorns, the rainbow bridges leading to fantasy land." Clint said sarcastically. "No, but seriously, it was okay. Nothing too horrible, nothing like right after Russia-"

"How do you know Nat so well?" Steve blurted. "You always know what she thinks. I don't understand how you do it. Nat is very private, and you know her like the back of your hand." Clint poured himself a cup of coffee and shrugged.

"Nat and I have been on many missions together. We were in Budapest together. I was sent to kill her. I was her first partner. She's the only one who knew about my kids. We worked all over the world together. She drew me back from Loki. We have a bond that would be difficult to sever. It was forged through hardships and the world of death. She is a very different individual. When you get to know her, as the real Natasha Romanoff, you'll find that you also love her." Clint finally said. "I know people always say that they love their friends. But when the first time you saw her, or the hundreds of times after that, did you really love her? The assassin. SHIELD's most wanted."

"I guess I didn't. I still don't know what to think about her. She's like no one I've ever met." Steve confessed. "I don't know how to help her, because I feel like we barely even know each other."

"Trust me, Steve, you know each other a lot better than you might think. Remember when you were chasing after the Winter Soldier? You went through so much together. It's like your very own Budapest. Trust your instincts. Follow your head and your heart, and you might see through to the soft side of the Black Widow."

"Hey, guys!" Tony said, bounding into the kitchen area. "No green guy, demigod, or spider yet?" Clint and Steve exchanged exasperated looks. The conversation, however brief, had actually helped Steve a lot in understanding the conundrum that was Natasha.

"No. Obviously not." Clint replied. He set his mug on the counter. "I was thinking that we should go Christmas shopping. Together, I mean. As a team." Steve raised his eyebrows. Christmas shopping?

"Brilliant, Legolas. I'll schedule it all. Jarvis?" Tony clapped his hands together. "Erase everything from Steve, Clint, Natasha, Thor, and Bruce's schedule for today." Steve frowned at Tony, who looked just a little too smug. He decided to pop Tony's bubble.

"Jarvis? Erase Pepper's, too."

"NO NO NO NO NO!" Tony immediately growled. "She has press meetings and other stuff for the company! Do you want me to get broke and have to eject you all from the tower?" Clint snorted. Steve couldn't help but grin.

"Too bad, Stark. I guess that you'll have to endure your wife for a whole entire day. Imagine that!"

Natasha was surprisingly game for a day of shopping. Steve had been anxious to find out what her reaction to the shopping day was, and she had actually approved. The whole team was going into the City to shop for each other. As they walked out the door, Natasha slipped her hand into Steve's. He noticed that she was clenching rather tightly and looked a little too nervous for a shopping spree.

"Okay, here's the plan. Steve and Nat, you're a pair. I'm with Pepper. Thor and Bruce, you're buddies, and Clint, you get to pick your group. After three hours, we'll get back here and switch partners, so that we don't see our presents being bought. We'll also drop our purchases off." Tony announced. "And, so we're not mobbed by the press, I got you all stuff." Tony tossed a blue baseball cap in Natasha's direction, sunglasses in Clint's, another hat at Steve, sunglasses at Pepper, and a fedora at Bruce. "Get out there and get some gifts!"

They began to move. Steve couldn't help but see that Natasha was trying hard not to bump into anyone. Which, in New York City, would be rather difficult. He wrapped an arm around her and felt her relax slightly.

"Got any ideas, Nat?" he asked softly.

"Yeah." she replied. "Let's start with Thor." Steve nodded and was silent, thinking about his options. Natasha was acting normal, and it made him feel more relaxed around her, too. Last night, he had been awkward.

"I need to go into a grocery store." Natasha finally said. Steve immediately steered them toward the other side of the street, where a conveniently placed grocery store was located. They stepped inside the store and looked around.

"Where to?"

"The PopTarts, obviously, Rogers." Natasha replied. Steve smiled slightly. Thor was hilarious when he was eating PopTarts. It was actually really amusing to learn that an Asguardian liked American junk food.

They bought Thor several large boxes of assorted PopTart flavors. They had both been given credit card signed with their names, but the money came from Stark's accounts, since he was the only Avenger with a large stash of cash. The others made their living by working for SHIELD, but Tony could survive even without being signed to the Avengers. Steve carried the bag in one hand and held Natasha's in the other. She acted normal, but he could still notice subtle movements that alerted him to her nervousness.

"I think I'm going to get Jane a new telescope." Steve said as they were walking down the street. Natasha nodded and followed him to the store that carried numerous astrology equipment. They purchased a sleek, black telescope and asked for it to be shipped to the Avengers Tower. The man at the counter looked slightly awed when he realized the two under the baseball caps were Avengers.

All was going well, until they were walking down the streets toward some of the Broadway theaters, and it began to snow. Both of the Avengers hated the cold. Steve disliked it because he spent 70 years in the ice. Natasha dreaded it because of Russia. During their kidnapping, she had been doused in ice water, straight from a mountain stream. She had also been outside for an hour without a coat on, as another torture experiment. Natasha stopped walking as the flakes began to fall harder. People were beginning to get inside and out of the cold.

"Are you alright, Natasha?" Steve asked. He was trying not to let his own apprehension show. He didn't want to make her even more frightened than she already was. Natasha didn't reply. Her green eyes were glazed over, like she was seeing something that Steve couldn't. He recognized the symptoms of a flashback as soon as he saw her eyes. Bucky, his partner during the war, had also suffered nightmares and flashbacks. Steve had learned to notice when one was coming.

Natasha was shaking, and a sound like a wounded animal rose from her throat. Steve fought the panic that was beginning to rise up in his chest and stepped closer to the assassin. He flipped open his phone.

"Stark, get a car over here now." There were no cabs available. The street was deserted. People were rushing to get home before it snowed harder. Steve hung up before Tony had the chance to reply.

"Listen to me, Nat. You're in New York City. You're Christmas shopping. Nothing is going to hurt you. I'm here to protect you, Nat." Steve said gently. Natasha didn't seem to hear. Steve kept talking, but his mind was reeling with solutions. When Bucky had flashbacks, physical contact affected him the most. Either Natasha would strike out at Steve, or the contact would bring her back to the real world.

Steve enveloped Natasha into his chest, and after a brief second, he felt her shaking ease slightly. The snow was beginning to fall even faster now, and an inch already was on the sidewalk. Steve was beginning to get cold. He stroked the back of Natasha's head, and he felt her draw a shaky breath. They stayed like that until Stark came in his fancy black car.

I am SO sorry for the delay. I didn't know where to begin and I was taking a break from writing and just browsing the fanfics. I hope you liked this! If you have any scenes you might want me to write, submit them, and if I like them, then I might put it in! Review, please!