The next chapter has pulled into the station! :D

Natasha was slumped against Steve's side, her face buried in his jacket. Stark had picked them up in his car, and now they were headed back to the Avengers Tower. Neither Steve nor Natasha explained to Tony why the rescue was necessary. They had climbed into the car, shivering, cold, and covered in snow. It was a sign of Tony's trust that he didn't ask them what had happened. Steve looked at the assassin and noted the steady rise and fall of her chest. She was asleep.

"You two alright?" Tony asked casually. Steve looked up.

"Yeah. It was the cold that set us both on edge. When it started snowing, she lost it. It wasn't a full-out panic attack. It was more like she was sucked into a world I couldn't see, and I can't even begin to imagine what was running through her mind."

"It's so hard to see her like this. She's always seemed like the strong one. The only time I saw her falter was when she was forced to relive the Red Room, courtesy of Wanda. But it's gotten so much worse. At least then it wasn't physical torture she was reliving." Tony confessed. "I waited for you two to call. I even expected you to get into some kind of problem."

"We're just a bunch of damaged people, aren't we? All of us. You from Afghanistan. Tasha from basically her whole life until the Avengers, Russia. Me from the war. Clint about his kids. Thor about Loki. It's just one nightmare after the other."

"You got that right. Listen, I can tell the others that you two were caught in the blizzard. Nothing else." Tony offered. "No one else needs to know. I know what it's like, Cap." For once, the cocky billionaire was offering something out of empathy. Steve nodded again and cautiously wrapped his arm around Natasha. Nothing would get between them.

"NATASHA!"

The red-haired assassin was tossed roughly to the ground inside the Russian bunker. She was shivering and her lips were blue. Thor got to her side first, and then the others. Steve could see Bruce struggling to retain his grip on reality.

"She's freezing." Thor announced. Without hesitation he whipped off his red cape and wrapped Natasha in it, cradling her to his chest. She looked so small lying there in Thor's arms. Even vulnerable. It was a change from the stoic, courageous Natasha they were all familiar with.

"Any news on SHIELD?" Steve asked, his question directed at Tony. He shook his head.

"T-th-ey s-s-said that S-S-H-IELD w-was s-s-u-p-posed to g-get h-h-ere in t-two days." Natasha murmured, still pressed to Thor's chest. The other Avengers exchanged startled words. Steve never expected her to be coherent after what her Russian torturers did to her, but yet she still managed to gather information.

"You're going to be okay, Nat. We'll get you home." Clint said, his voice soft. As they spoke Natasha's eyes were closing. Thor put a hand on her chest. His palm was huge against Natasha's small, lightweight frame.

"Her heart is slowing. We must leave soon or she will die." Thor said. He handed Natasha to Clint, whose arms tensed, as if he were expecting more weight. "Lady Natasha will not last two more days. We've been here for a month. If they torture her any more they will kill her."

"Then we must do it ourselves." Bruce announced. Natasha murmured something that the others couldn't hear. Clint, with her in his arms, could.

"Across the hall is where our weapons are." He said out loud. "She found them." He looked back at Natasha. Her red hair, even, seemed to have lost its color. Her eyes were closed and her chest rose the barest millimeter.

"We're breaking out. When they come and get her next, they're not going to. We're getting their clearances and we're busting out of here. Natasha is not going to die."

Steve woke in a cold sweat. This nightmare was new. In the past, he had always recalled the moments when they were forced to watch her torture sessions. This time, it was the moment where hope had suddenly appeared. Despite Natasha's weakening condition, the team had managed to get out before the Russians caught up to them. SHIELD encountered them five miles away from the bunker, with Natasha on the brink of death. Carrying her those five miles had been the worst five miles of Steve's life. He had watched her breaths become slower and had seen the color in her eyes fade slowly. He had hated that feeling. That a soldier was dying and he was there, but he couldn't stop it. Luckily, SHIELD did. But now they wanted Natasha to finish what they had started.

Sorry if this chapter was a little short.