Nat comforts Steve after he has a bad dream. Pre-Winter Soldier. Canon divergent.

At first, she didn't hear anything. Not that she would have right off the bat. Natasha Romanoff was a heavy sleeper and it took a lot to wake her up. However, this case was different. The loud moaning had turned into a long guttural scream and her eyes snapped open.

"Steve," she whispered and kicked back her bedcovers. Without bothering to put on her robe, Natasha leapt from her bed, rushed out of her room and took off down the hall. She got into the elevator and rode it to the floor above her, Steve's floor and quickly made her way to his bedroom door.

As usual, his door was locked, but all she had to do was say the code to Jarvis and he opened the door with no complaint. This had been a recurring theme in the past few weeks and both Jarvis and Natasha had gotten used to it.

Regardless of the familiarity of the situation, it never made Natasha feel good to see Steve writhing back and forth in his bed. Silently, Natasha went into the bathroom and took out a small washcloth from the bathroom cabinet. She held the rag under the faucet for a few seconds. Then, when it was good and wet, she squeezed the water out and went into Steve's bedroom again.

It took a brave person to approach Steve when he was asleep. The man was huge and could cause some serious damage if he were awakened the wrong way while having a nightmare. However, Natasha was no stranger to him and she had experience with this matter.

She padded over to the bed and turned on the tiny lamp on his nightstand. It was enough for her to see his furrowed brow and his worried, sweaty face.

"No! Stop! Bucky! Ahhh!" He screamed and Natasha's heart went out to him. Once again, Steve was dreaming of his best friend. The man whose death he felt responsible for. The anguish on Steve's face broke Natasha's heart and she reached out, shaking him.

"Steve. Steve, wake up. Wake up!" Her whispers were harsh and urgent, although very soft. Thankfully, as before, her words were soft enough for him to hear.

After a few more moans and twists of his head, Steve stilled and his breathing slowed into a steadier pace. Natasha slipped her hand into his and squeezed gently while smoothing the knuckles.

Seconds later, she found herself looking into Steve's beautiful blue eyes. His gaze was a bit glassy as if he were on the verge of crying. No matter how many times she had to come and wake him up from his nightmares, Natasha never got tired or frustrated by it. She understood that what Steve needed was comfort, a shoulder to lean on in his vulnerable moments. This is what she freely gave to him in order to make his nights go by a little easier.

"Nat...I-I dreamed about Bucky again..." His voice was a bit hoarse. He'd been screaming for a bit longer than usual before Natasha had gotten to him.

The redhead wiped his brow with the wet washcloth. "Shh, it's okay. It was just a nightmare. That's all. It wasn't real, Steve."

"But this time, it was different, Nat. In this dream, he was...he was about to kill you. He had just pointed his gun on you and was aiming to fire wh-when you woke me up. It was terrible!" Steve looked into her eyes, desperation written all over his features.

This was the first time that Steve had dreamed about her. Usually, his dreams were about that awful moment on the train when Bucky fell to his death.

If the situation were different, Natasha would feel flattered that Steve were dreaming about her. This, though, was anything from a good thing. It never made her feel good to see Steve so worried, so afraid like this. Losing Bucky was like losing a part of him. Natasha didn't even have to guess it. She just knew.

Add that to the trauma of being in ice for over seventy years and waking up to a world that is much altered from the one you grew up knowing, and there was no way anyone could expect you to be one hundred percent.

Since Steve was the Avengers' leader, he had to be transparent, but at the same time, he had to keep his teammates from seeing this broken, tortured part of his soul. He was a changed man from the one he once was years ago. He couldn't afford to show such an intimate view of himself. It would only endanger the team and the people they were trying to save or hinder their mission.

The first time Natasha found Steve like this was three months ago on a cold, rainy Saturday in the Avengers Tower. It had been an unusually cold day and the air conditioning in Steve's room had just conked out around midnight.

The cold always had a negative effect on Steve, as it would bring back those sad memories of losing Bucky and crashing into the Arctic. Said memories would turn into horrible nightmares that were hard for him to wake up from. Yet, Natasha made sure she was there for him whenever these nightmares occurred. She stayed with him all night the first time and ever since then, she continued to do the same. They simply trusted each other that much.

Natasha cleared her throat and ran her hand through Steve's blonde hair gently. "It was only a nightmare. See? I'm flesh and blood and I'm right here with you." She took his hand and cupped it with her own.

Taking in a shuddering breath, Steve tugged her arm down and she blinked in surprise. In all of the nights she comforted him, he never brought her this close to him. It unnerved her a little, being so near to him.

His voice was so light, like a brush of a feather tickling her cheek as he said, "Nat...I can't lose you too."

The redhead breathed slowly and steadily. She was taken aback by Steve's earnest words. He spoke them so tenderly, almost like the way a lover would. It even sounded like there were tears in his eyes when he uttered them.

Of course Natasha knew that there was something between she and Steve. The witty banter, the flirtatious looks they sent each other's way, the flawless moments when they fought together in battle, side-by-side. They were a unit. Perfect partners.

Neither had admitted so out loud, but both of them knew that their feelings were quite mutual.

Perhaps this is the start of something...Natasha thought to herself.

Time to end this dance.

Pushing the covers back, she crawled into bed with him and lie her head on his chest. She dared to entwine her fingers with his. Steve's arms went around her waist in a protective embrace and Natasha reveled in it. This was a risk, getting so close to him, letting him get close to her, but Natasha didn't care anymore. She wanted this more than anything in the world.

When she was settled, she looked up at him, her green eyes meeting his blue ones. "Steve, you'll never lose me. Go back to sleep."

Steve nodded, and he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. "Don't leave. Stay."

The plea in his voice touched her. Honestly, there was no way she could go now. Even if she wanted to. "I'm here to stay, Steve. I promise."

The blonde smiled at her before closing his eyes and falling back asleep. Natasha watched the movement of his chest until his breathing became steady and slow. When she was certain he was asleep, she pulled the covers over both of them.

Natasha could feel sleep overtaking her as well, but she resisted it long enough to run her hand across Steve's cheek. His skin was warm under her fingers and she sighed contentedly. Her eyelids began to droop and she fell asleep as well.

Even though she was asleep, the words Natasha had spoken to Steve were very true, and when she said them, they came from her heart. Deep inside of her soul, she knew that she could never leave Steve. Come what may, she would stay by his side and keep him close to her just as they lie peacefully in his bed. How could she do any less for the man who had stolen her heart?

-hands out tissues and handkerchiefs-