Chapter 18
By: MysticFantasy
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Yes Qweb, this is for you.
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"Director, I need to have a private word with you." Steve said as he entered the director's office.
"Captain, what is it that you want to talk about?" Fury asked.
"Sir, I'm sure you already know that I want to confront Winter Soldier alone." Steve said.
"I assumed as much." Fury agreed.
"Do you have any objections?" Steve asked.
"Even if I voiced them, I know that you'll still continue to attempt to confront Barnes on your own." Fury said. "All I ask is that you be careful. If you somehow manage to convince Barnes to come to SHIELD, then I would be all for it. He'd need some serious therapy but I would like it if we had another person like yourself here. But how are you going to convince him to come to this side?"
"I know Bucky better than anyone. If I can talk to him long enough, I may be able to try to get him to tell me how all of this happened to him." Steve answered. "I know it has something to do with what happened to him when he was caught with the rest of the 107th. He never told me what happened to him and I never pressured him to say anything. I know the Schmidt had something to do with what happened to Bucky. I want to find out what it was and how I can stop it."
Nick Fury sat in silence as he thought over the captain's words.
It was risky. Very risky. Probably more than Steve could handle by himself. But he knew that there was no way to stop the soldier once he was bent on something and this was probably going to be the most important mission of his life in this time.
Fury would like it if Steve took the rest of the Avengers with him but for once he was going to have to step back and let someone else take care of the situation.
"Alright, Rogers." he said. "I'm going to let you take the reigns on this one. It's your call on what you want to happen and who you want involved. You can do it alone or you can have your team with you. It's all up to you. Just be careful and good luck."
"Thank you, sir." Steve said with an appreciative nod and quietly left the office.
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Natasha walked over and slid her arms under his and around his chest.
"Please," she said softly. "Please let me come with you."
"I can't." Steve replied as he placed a hand on top of hers. "I have to do this by myself."
Natasha held onto him tighter, hoping he would change his mind and allow her and the team to follow him.
"Steve, let me help you. Let the others help you." she pleaded. "We don't want to see you go through this alone. Or get hurt again. Can't you see how much it upsets us?"
Steve turned in Natasha's arms and wrapped his own around her. He held her close and buried his nose in her hair.
He wanted to let her and the others come with him. He wanted them at his side when he found Bucky.
But he had to do this alone. He felt responsible for what happened to his friend and he wanted to make things right by himself.
Bucky was after him for whatever reason and Steve wanted to confront him alone.
"I want you to be there with me but I have to do this alone." Steve said. "I feel responsible for what happened to him and I want to fix it."
"You don't have to do this alone." Natasha insisted as she looked into his eyes. "You've always done things along but you don't have to do that anymore!"
"I don't want you getting hurt because of me." Steve declared. "I care about you too much, Natasha."
"I won't get in your way of trying to talk to him. I just want to be there with you." Natasha said. "Even just being back up or just sitting in the quinjet, I want to be there."
Steve was at a stand still.
He wanted Natasha and the others there but he didn't want them to get hurt. They already saw him at his worst.
He didn't want them to see him confront his best friend gone bad.
But Natasha was right.
Steve was always trying to do things on his own because he feared that those he cared for would be hurt or he would lose them.
He didn't want to go through that pain again but he didn't want to turn his back on his team again.
They were still recovering from the last time he took off on his own.
Maybe he really should start giving up the solo act.
"Alright." he said. "I want all of you to be there."
"You mean it?" Natasha asked seriously as she held the sides of his face in her hands. "You'll let us be there for you?"
Steve nodded.
"Yes." he answered. "I think that I am going to be more clear headed having all of you there with me. I think that if I do it alone that I will lose touch with what I'm really trying to do. I might throw my guard down trying to talk to Bucky if he's trying to kill me. Having the rest of you there might keep me in touch with reality. I need you and the others there."
Natasha lightly smiled and hugged the soldier greatly. Her fears and worries lowering slightly now that she would be able to be there with Steve as he confronted James Barnes.
Steve himself felt a littler better knowing that he would have Natasha and his team with him but he was still just as worried as to how this would all turn out.
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"So..." Clint said as he took a seat in the pilot chair of the quinjet. "Where are we going, Cap?"
"There's only one place I know of that Bucky would go in order for things to get settled." Steve answered. "The place where it all started."