This one took place at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

I just can't get over that scene in the graveyard, and my feelings are way all over the place each time I recall that particular scene.

It's short but I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Marvel.

#3: Someone like you

"You should be honored, that's about as close as he gets to saying thank you."

A small part of Natasha wanted to believe she wasn't imagining the way Steve's face lit up at the sound of her voice. The soldier briefly forgot about the other man standing next to him, Sam Wilson, as he walked over to her.

"Not going with him?" He asked, referring to Nick Fury. She shook her head in reply.

"Not staying here either?"

Natasha gave a forlorn smile, "No... I blew all my covers, I gotta go figure out a new one."

Handing out the file, she silently wished she could go with him. But no, Steve didn't need her right now. He got Sam. And Natasha was currently not in the right place to be his partner.

Still, there was a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach at the thought of leaving him. She looked up, unexpected tears brimming in her eyes, and allowed herself to be vulnerable one last time.

A kiss on the cheek.

Something resembling sadness on his features.. or perhaps, it was just her make-believe.

She lightly squeezed his shoulder, offering another smile, a reassuring one she hoped.

And with that, she walked away.

Once she was sure she had walked far enough, Natasha allowed a single tear to fall. But just as quickly, she wiped it away. Despite their newfound trust in each other, Steve would be better off without her.

"Natasha…" A soft voice suddenly called out.

She thought she had imagined it, but then she felt his presence behind her. Steve took her hand and held it between his fingers. Natasha slowly turned around, her eyes meeting his.

"Don't go, please." He pleaded, "Stay with me. We can figure this out together." His blue eyes were bright and desperate.

"You don't need me, Steve."

Not someone like her, whose ledger was dripping with so much red. Loki had been right. Her past, now widely exposed for the world to see, would always come back to her. Natasha wasn't going to drag Steve down with her.

The man who stood in front of her was noble, a hero. Natasha was far from it. She wasn't good enough for him, she never would.

But he cupped her cheek with one hand and brought their faces closer together.

"I care about you, Nat." He gently caressed her face, "Not your files or your past. Just you."

Without waiting for her response, he closed the little gap between them and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was slow and sweet. Unlike the one they shared back at the mall, this one felt real and without pretend.

"I care about you too, Steve." She murmured quietly against his lips. "But I can't be with you, not right now." Her voice was laced with regret.

Despite his yearning for her to stay, Steve understood that Natasha needed time to make sense of everything. SHIELD was her life, her second chance, which had now been ripped away from her. So he nodded in understanding, leaning in to kiss her once more.

As he watched her leave for the second time, Steve made himself a promise.

He would give Natasha the time to sort things out. To find herself. And for now, he would let her be.

Steve was a patient man, he could wait.

But he would find her. In time.

A/N: Thanks for reading. Feedback are greatly appreciated.