Disclaimer and AN: I don't own them - just borrowing them for a bit. I promise that last chapter really didn't mean to be a cliffie! I had no intention of writing it that way. Sorry! Now in this chapter there is a conversation but I included in brackets next to what I was trying to say in English. So if it's wrong, blame the free online translator I used since my friend who lives in Russia is on vacation right now and couldn't translate stuff for me. Also if you love this story, then pleaseeeee check out "Lady Hawk" - it's my other Avengers story. Enjoy!


Chapter 20:

Tony had tried to get information out of him without any luck. Clint passed on interrogation saying he rather use a bow for interrogation then words. Steve didn't even want to try. Nor did Thor and Hulk just threatened to smash Winter Solider to bits. That just left Emma and Natasha to get any information out of him before calling in S.H.E.I.L.D. and turning him over.

Emma and Natasha sat across from this supposed him and just glared. Neither of the said anything to him or even looked at each other. The other Avengers stood behind them against the wall of the living room of the small guesthouse.

"Мы можем сделать это легкий путь или твердый путь" (We can do this the easy way or the hard way) Emma finally said in Russian as she set her gun down on the table in front of him.

Winter Solider said nothing as Natasha nodded in agreement as she twirled a knife in her hands.

"Что Вы делаете здесь? И что Вы хотите?" (What are you doing here? And what do you want?) Natasha asked next.

"Вы и она," (you and her) he said with a smile.

"Кто послал Вам?"(Who sent you?) Emma said picking her gun up, pointing it at him and pulling back the hammer, readying the gun to fire. Behind her, the Hulk menacingly made his hand into a fist like he was getting ready to hit him if he didn't answer the question.

"Lukin. Aleksander Lukin," he said in English.

Natasha stopped twirling her knife and Emma stood up from the chair, turned and walked away – only to turn around a second later and fire the bullet that was in the chamber of her gun at Winter Solider. It grazed past his right ear and impaled itself into the far wall. "Get him the hell away from me before I kill him," she said as she walked by her husband. "My next shot won't miss."

She stormed out of the house with Natasha right behind her.

"So what do we do now?" Steve asked.

"Call Fury and get him the hell out of here. He can rot in jail like Lukin's other lackeys." Clint said. "Besides Lukin will probably join him shortly because if Emma and Natasha both are his targets, then he is as good as dead."

Steve sighed. He had to tell someone the truth. Winter Solider wasn't bad – just…hell he didn't even know what was wrong with him. But with the way that Emma and Natasha were acting towards him, he doubted that anyone would believe him anyways.


"Emma wait!"

Emma turned around as she was walking back towards the main house. All she wanted to do was clean up her arm, get out of the dress she was in and hold her daughter in her arms. Natasha quickly caught up with her. "What did Lukin do to you?" she asked.

"Basically his son killed me. Tried out some freakish new drug or something on me. Shut down all my organs. Took a while to recover. I still have nightmares from time to time. What about you?" Emma said walking again.

Natasha didn't say anything.

"Wait did he have something to do with Red Room?"

"Yeah."

"Well then I think we need to pack up and head to mother Russia. What do you think?"

"Couldn't agree more."


Audrey clung tightly to her mother as Emma gently rocked her back and forth on the bed. The little girl's tiny frame shook as sobs racked against her tiny chest. Clint stood in the doorway and silently watched the scene before him. Being apart from his wife and daughter so often didn't allow for him to watch moments like these and these were always the moments were Emma's true nature shined – her love for him and their daughter.

"Shh baby. It's ok. Mommy's safe." Emma said to her daughter as she kissed Audrey's tear stained face.

Audrey pulled away from resting her head on her mother's shoulder and wiped her runny nose on her arm before Emma began to clean both Audrey's arm and face off with a damn cloth. "But mommy there was guns and loud booms! You were screaming at daddy to run!" the little girl sniffled.

"I had to make sure that you were safe."

"But what about daddy? Isn't he supposed to protect you?"

"Yes, daddy is supposed to protect to mommy," Clint said joining to conversation. He sat down on the bed next to his wife and daughter. "But mommy and I are both supposed to protect you. Plus I knew mommy would be ok."

"Why?" the little girl asked yawning a little.

"Because our friends were there to protect her." Clint said picking Audrey up and giving her a hug and a kiss while Emma pulled back the sheets on the bed. "Now you need to get some sleep," he said tucking her into bed. He kissed her cheek one more time before Emma did the same.

"We're in the room right next to you Audrey if you need us. Love you."

"Love you too mommy and daddy," the little girl sleepily said.

They both quietly left the room, turning out the light and shut the door all but a crack. "Come on Emma. Let's get that arm cleaned up before Fury gets here." Clint said, leading Emma into their room.

Out of habit, Emma followed without question. After so many missions, old habits die-hard. Clint would always clean up Emma first then she would clean him up. That's just how it was. Another old habit that Clint never got rid of was going anywhere without a well stocked first aid kit in his suitcase. He set Emma down on the bed while he grabbed the first aid kit and a few damp towels from the bathroom.

"It's not very deep," Emma said. "Only a graze."

"Then this shouldn't take but a minute or two," he said, using a damp towel the clean all the dried blood away. "I bet I even put some of Audrey's cute Hello Kitty Band-Aids in here. Would that make you feel better?"

Emma turned and glared at Clint. "Right no Hello Kitty," he said as he applied a regular bandage to her arm.

Just as Clint finished, the hum of a S.H.E.I.L.D. Quinjet engine could be heard landing nearby. Thank goodness. This night needed to end. He was worn out and he knew Emma was as well.


"Until we figure out who exactly this Winter Solider is and why Aleksander Lukin has him coming after Widow and Emma, no one is doing anything," Fury said. "Enjoy tomorrow but on Monday everyone reports to me at Stark Tower. And not going after Lukin goes double for you two."

Fury pointed at Emma and Natasha. Both of their eyes narrowed at their boss. "I know that both of you have history with the Lukin. I will not let this become an agency for personnel vendettas! Have I made myself clear?"

They both nodded.

"Good."

Thor carried the unconscious Winter Solider onto the Quinjet and strapped him in for Fury. "What did you do to him anyway?" Fury asked.

"The Hulk got a little angry with him for saying that he was supposed to kill Widow and Emma, so he hit him on the head. He should be ok in a few hours," Bruce said.

Fury didn't say anything as he boarded the Quinjet and it took off. Everyone turned to head back into the main house and crawl into bed since it was almost 3 am by that time. The last one inside was Steve. He still was troubled by the fact that Winter Solider was actually Bucky Barnes. He knew that he was. It was just that he needed to tell someone, but whom could he actually trust that information with?

He'd worry about it in the morning. Perhaps sleeping on the issue would give him some idea of who to talk to about it.