Thank you so much for all the reviews, follows and favs for the story!

I usually have time to reply to people's reviews, I'm sorry I didn't do it last time. I had to do three papers in one day (what I get for being a History major). Cross fingers and hope I did well.

And if the Giants beat the Tigers tonight, I'll see about posting the next chapter!

Mistakes on this are all mine. See Chapter 1 for disclaimer.

Happy reading!

Chapter 8

As it turns out, Natasha would get her wish to spend more time with Clint. SHIELD had received intel about an underground former KGB ring that was ran weapons through tunnels using the undestroyed remains of the Ho Chi Mihn trails that the North Vietnamese used against the Americans during the Vietnam War.

Clint was usually given preference in intel gathering and long range killing assignments. He was the SHEILD operative who had the most experience and patience with that kind of operation. Even Natasha didn't have his talent of being content on top of a tree or a building for days on end to observe the enemy.

Since Clint still had not been reassigned with a partner, mostly because a lot of the senior agents were busy in long term undercover ops in order to gain the upper hand and intel with Iran and North Korea. Also because he didn't want a new partner, not yet.

The operation that they were assigned required back up and a partner, therefore, as Clint's former partner and the former Strike Team Delta, Natasha was ordered to leave Bucky and join Clint to the jungles of Vietnam for surveillance and reconnaissance; further instructions would be later given whether or not they were supposed to infiltrate.

It was a short term mission that they anticipated would last no longer than a month.

Steve Rogers could not believe his luck.

It was one thing to be chosen to become Captain America, the ultimate icon who embodied the courage, integrity and selflessness that the military stood for. Another thing to be alive and well enough that he was able to still stand for those things almost eighty years later. Another thing that his childhood best friend, the person who saved him when he was attacked in allies, the one who taught him the ropes and stood by him as he wreaked havoc on the enemy was alive.

"You know," Steve started looking over at his friend who was currently sitting next to him watching the Yankees play in Ebbets Field. "I don't think I ever told you that I'm glad you came back."

Bucky nodded his head munching on the caramelized popcorn that he had purchased from the vendor and washing it down with stadium beer.

"Glad I did too," Bucky replied cheering with the fans as the Yankees batter hit a ground ball and the guy who was in second base was able to go to third.

Bucky looked down at his cup, realizing that he had drank all of the beer he had recently purchased. He looked at Steve's cup which was also empty. "You want a refill?"

"Problem with us and this serum," Steve stated a small smile, "we can't even get drunk."

Steve handed Bucky his empty cup. Bucky stood up and headed for the vendors. He was back a record of eight minutes later considering how the lines must have been. Steve didn't question it, shrugging as he took a sip of the beer and let the cool liquid flow down his throat.

Bucky watched Steve take each sip, his smile getting bigger as the man finished the cup of beer before returning his attention to the game.

Bottom of the ninth.

"Don't know what they put in that beer," Steve commented. "Finally feeling it hit."

Bucky shrugged covering up the smile on his face as he raised his cup to his lips.

They have set up camp for the night, concealed within trees and bushes and plants all around them. It was the perfect spot, especially because it had been created by burrowing animals who used it as a feeding hole. Clint had set up rope traps in order to catch whatever it is so that they could have them for breakfast and possibly dinner for the next day. No sense in wasting the MREs that they were provided if they didn't have to use them.

It was their fourth day since drop off and Natasha was getting antsy. Ever since that afternoon, seeing Clint's new girlfriend, she hadn't been herself and Bucky had happily pointed that out to her. He offered her old ways of reprogramming, offered to blurt her trigger word that would erase her emotions for someone but she refused. She was going to deal with it on her own, no more reprogramming.

"Natasha," Clint whispered to her, keeping his voice low amongst the thousands of creatures around them.

"Yeah, Clint?" Natasha replied, turning her body in the direction she knew he was sleeping at.

"I was just - never mind, Natasha," Clint stopped hesitating. "You should go back to sleep."

Natasha stayed where she was. "Clint?"

"Natasha?"

"What's her name?" Natasha asked him, her voice betraying some of the hesitation and embarrassment that she was usually able to conceal.

Clint hesitated on asking who she meant to draw it out of her, but he gave up with a sigh. "Her name is Natalie. I know weird coincidence - she likes to be called Nat."

Natasha nodded her head in the darkness. "That's why you don't call me Nat, anymore. It's Natasha all the time now."

"Yeah," Clint responded not knowing how to answer. " I just didn't want to... confuse you two. You're two very different people."

"What does she do?"

"She uh," Clint paused. "She's a kindergarten teacher at one of the private schools in the city. I uh, I went to visit her at work once, she's great with them."

Good with children, check.

"Does she... does she know what you do?"

"She didn't. Not at first," Clint responded. "I wanted to wait and see if things would progress, you know, I haven't had any luck in love... She... She thinks it's great. She wanted to tell her kids that I'm Hawkeye. Apparently since the whole saving New York things, we're all a pretty big deal. I told her she couldn't though, with the whole security thing. She understood."

Accepts him for who he is, check.

"Do you - Does she make you happy?"

Clint turned to face Natasha, a soft smile lighting up his face. It was the smile that used to be directed at her, the smile she knew that he had on his face when he would think about her.

"I don't think I've ever been this happy. She's... awesome."

"Awesome," check.

Natasha sighed looking up at the trees above her, dew coming down from the leaves and hitting her in the face.

"She seems like a great person," Natasha stated, she shut her eyes letting her question fall out of her mouth.

A million thoughts ran into Natasha's mind as she watched the stars and the silence of nature filled her ears. She didn't know why he agreed on a mission with her again. Didn't know if he thought, just like the other Avengers did (or at least Banner and Stark) that she was the one who poisoned him and left him to die. Or the reason what he saw in her when he promised her a second chance at life, a chance to redeem herself and right her wrongs.

Most importantly, she wondered if she ever made him happy even once.

He was the one who was always giving in their relationship. He was there for her when she needed him to, and even when she didn't know she needed him. He cheered her up after a bad mission that reminded her too much of what the Room had done to her and took her out to experience life as a person. Not a spy, not under the guise of someone else, but just as Natasha Romanoff with the wind in her hair as Clint raced down Highway 5.

She had never known genuine happiness before then. Never knew who she really was.

Natasha's thoughts were interrupted by a telltale whistle of an aircraft doing a low fly by and another distance whoosh of an RPG flying past them.

The RPG exploded a click from where they were staying, lighting up the area around them. Natasha could feel the heat from the fire that was ignited by the missile.

"They hit the trap camp that we set up," Natasha said whispering as she gathered his things and placed it back in her ruck.

"Leave the ruck here," Clint stated, pulling his vest on, his gear already packed and ready to go. "Bring what we need to. We have to low crawl through the shaded terrain to the west, hopefully that will be enough to conceal us at these hours."

Natasha nodded, hoping against all hope they weren't getting tracked by infrared.

"Clint?"

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm happy for you," Natasha stated.

"Means a lot. I'm happy for you too, Natasha. "Clint said as he secured his weapon. He gestured to the ground before him. "After you."

"Santa, this is Rudolph. Over."

"Rudolph, this is Santa. Go ahead."

"Attach on North Pole. Polar Bears in area. Permission to proceed delivering gifts. Over."

The communications agent sighed, as much as he loved working coms for Barton and Romanoff's missions. It almost always ended up in disaster. Sometimes he wished they would just be like every other agent and have a smooth mission. He looked up at Hill getting her attention.

"Ma'am."

"Yes agent?"

"Agent Romanoff and Barton have been attacked with an RPG missile. They are safe an requesting permission to continue with the mission."

"Permission granted. I'll call the Avengers for back up."

The agent sighed and got back onto the system. "Rudolph, this is Santa. Over."

"Copy Santa."

"Permission granted."

"Roger."

Bucky brought home a stumbling Steve Rogers, his arms the only thing holding the man up.

"You feeling okay there buddy?" Stark asked Steve as he saw the two men walking in.

"He doesn't look so good," Bruce noting the pale face that his friend was sporting. "What happened?"

"It's nothing," Bucky brushed them off. "He's just a little buzzed. Hasn't been buzzed since the forties so..."

Bruce and Tony shot each other a knowing look promising to check on their teammate when Bucky leaves his side.

"Right," Tony nodded.

"I'll just take him to his room to sleep it off. He'll be good as new when he wakes up."

Bucky dragged Steve to the hallway where his room was. Being team lead, Steve had not wanted to get his own floor like the others did. Instead his room was in the common floor of the Tower.

Like a good soldier, Steve slept on a bed with tucked hospital corners and simple bedding. He didn't have much in the room, but there was a case of old - vintage - Captain America trading cards he signed and framed on the wall above the oak book shelf which housed about a hundred history books from top to bottom that Steve had read to fill him in the progression to the new century. On the small bedside table, there was a framed picture of he and Peggy in that base in Germany where Bucky had been stationed.

Bucky placed Steve on the bed haphazardly. Steve sported a boyish and goofy smile on his face that, if Bucky Barnes had not been the Winter Soldier, would have made him laugh.

"You were a good wingman," Bucky muttered to Steve. "Before you let me die."

Bucky turned and walked to the elevator going to Natasha's floor. There he grabbed the two bags he had packed filled with his belongings and hers.

He walked back into the elevator and walked into the helicopter on the rooftop before pressing the kill switch for the bomb he had placed on Natasha's floor.

Maria turned to the tower and went up to Fury. "Sir, we need to get the Avengers on the line. Barton and Romanoff had a close RPG attack."

Fury nodded mumbling under his breath something about how those two never have a normal mission.

"Fury! Just the man we've been trying to reach!" Stark greeted him with sarcasm in his voice. Fury could hear the chaos in the background.

"What's going on, Stark?"

"Rogers is dying. The serum that he was injected with to make him Captain America just suddenly degenerated."

"What the hell, Stark?"

Bruce walked into the room. "We can't find him."

Fury's eyebrow raised up. "Can't find who, Banner?"

"Bucky Barnes. The Winter Soldier, he's gone," Stark answered him annoyed.

"Someone also blew up Natasha's floor," Bruce commented.

"it's a good thing I retrofitted her floor and Legolas for medium strength explosions," Stark noted rolling his eyes. "Avengers Tower is still secure."

"Good," Fury nodded his head. "You all need to stay there and defuse the situation with Rogers. I will take care of Barnes."

Maria who had been standing behind Fury as they patched the phone call through looked at him with alarm on her face.

"Sir? What do we do now?" Maria asked Fury.

"Switch up to security Delta. This ship is on lockdown."

"Fury we're coming there. There's something you should know."

"What do you want Stark?"

"Tony, don't!" Fury heard Banner exclaim from the background followed by muffled voices in heated argument.

"Romanoff was the one who poisoned Barton in his garage."

Maria looked at Fury with alarm on her face as Fury hung up the phone.

"They're alone in the jungle, sir."

Agents all around them scrambled to their code Delta jobs. Hill turned to Fury in the middle of the chaos that was the command center.

"I know."

"Should we get the Avengers to rescue Barton?" Hill asked. "If Romanoff really is the one and she's been working with Barnes..."

Fury shook his head. "Romanoff won't kill Barton."

"How can you be so sure, sir?"

"Call it a gut feeling."

Maria nodded her head before turning to the other agents who were waiting for her instruction. There were only so many times when Fury's gut was wrong.

She wished this wasn't one of them.

I know, please don't kill me!

Let me know what you guys think!I'm still working on the final chapter for this fic so I'd love some comments about that too!

Comments and Criticisms, welcome!