Yay, finally another chapter!

Though he couldn't see what was happening around him, Steve knew something wasn't right. The hospital didn't sound the same as all the other times he had been admitted there, which had been a lot. Even the air inside the hospital didn't feel the same, and the kind of words the doctors used just felt…weird. Steve was sitting in the waiting room of the hospital while Natasha argued with some doctor about letting him leave. That was something else that felt weird. Who was Natasha? Who were all the other people? Why were they there instead of Bucky? And why did he feel like he could trust them all, especially Natasha, no matter what?

A hand touched him lightly on the shoulder.

"Steve?"

Natasha.

"Come on, let's get you out of here."

Natasha gently took Steve's hand in her own, and lead him out into the world. Steve couldn't see the sun, of course, but he could feel its warmth on his face. The light breeze was chilly, and the overall feel of the air felt like mid-October. But that couldn't be right, Steve thought with a frown. Last he could remember, it had been late May. He and Bucky were excited that school was finally going to end for the summer. Of course, the doctor had said he had experienced some short-term memory loss. But still, something didn't seem right.

"Miss Natasha?" He asked timidly.

"Just Natasha, Steve," she reminded him. "Or Nat, whichever you prefer."

"Um…yes ma'am," Steve said. He had no intention of ever calling her either of those names. It just seemed disrespectful. "What day is it?"

"October 17," she replied. She was an expert, but Steve had been reading voices instead of expressions his entire life. Her voice sounded a little too cheerful, and just the slightest bit tense. There was something she wasn't telling him.

Before long, they were stopping again, and Natasha gently guided Steve into a car. It was warm inside, but not stuffy, and the seat felt unusually comfortable. The door closed beside him, and for a brief moment, everything was silent. Then a door across the car opened and Natasha got inside and started driving. The ride was smooth and silent, so Steve almost couldn't tell whether or not they were moving.

He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew, he was being lifted from the car by a pair of very strong, extremely muscular arms. He struggled a little against the person holding him, but the grip only tightened slightly.

"Patience, young Steven," a deep voice said softly. "You are weary. Allow me to aid you."

This was one of the men who had visited him in the hospital. The one with the really strong handshake. Thor, or something like that.

"Where are we?" Steve asked, stifling a yawn.

"We're at the Avengers' compound," Natasha said from somewhere ahead. "You're going to stay here until we can contact your mother."

His mother? Steve stiffened instinctively. Now he definitely knew something wasn't right. Sarah Rogers was dead. She died two years ago, and Steve had been living with Bucky ever since. Being more than a year older and almost a foot taller, Bucky had always felt protective of Steve, something both boys knew. They took care of each other, always, but now Steve was alone with a bunch of people he didn't really know, people who lied to him and said his mother was going to pick him up. People who had barely spoken two words about Bucky. They were lying about something.

"I can walk," Steve said, struggling to get away from Thor's strong grasp. The Asgardian looked at Natasha for guidance, and she nodded, allowing him to put the small version of their friend down. Natasha walked back and gently took his hand.

"Come one, Steve," she said. "Let's go inside. It's warmer in there."

"No," Steve said, much more bravely that he felt. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I need to go back to the hospital."

"Why?"

"Because I don't think I can trust you."

"Why not?" Natasha's tone was quiet and calm, like she was trying to understand the reasoning behind his refusal to comply. Of course, she had expected this. She just wished she didn't have to.

"I've never met any of you, and Bucky's not here, and you're lying about the date, and you don't know anything about my life!" Steve burst out. His normally pale face became flushed from exertion, and he let out a wheezing cough. Instantly, Natasha was at his side, hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"Steve, honey, I need you to breathe, okay?" She said calmly. "You're having asthmatic attack. We have an inhaler inside, okay? Come on, let's go get it."

Steve shook his head stubbornly, and spoke around his rasping coughs and wheezing breaths. "No," he said. "No, you're lying. Please, just let me go back to the hospital. Let me see Bucky, I want Bucky!"

Tears flowed freely from his pale, unseeing eyes. Natasha pulled him into a hug, pressing his head against her chest as she made soothing noises to calm him down.

"Shhh, Steve, listen to me," she said. "Listen to my heart beat, okay? I promise, we are not going to hurt you. We love you, and we want to take care of you. You are safe with us."

Steve didn't speak, but his crying and wheezing began to subside.

"Listen to my heart, Steve," Natasha continued, ignoring the four men who were now standing nearby with worried looks on their faces, and instead focusing completely on the younger, terrified version of the man who was closest to family for her that she would ever find.

"Listen to my heart, and you'll know that I'm not lying. I'm telling the truth, Steve. You're safe. We love you, and we will take care of you."

Several hours later, Natasha walked softly into the large living area of the Avengers compound. Tony, Thor, Bruce, and Clint had all been lounging on couches and chairs, but sat up, alert and worried, the moment she entered.

"He's asleep," she said softly, collapsing in exhaustion on the nearest piece of furniture.

"How is he?" Bruce asked for all of them.

"Scared," she replied. "And with good reason. His entire world was just turned upside-down."

"Has he asked about Bucky anymore?"

"Yeah," Natasha sighed. "I didn't know what to tell him."

There was a moment of silence.

"What about his family?" Tony asked. "His parents, any siblings, …"

"Dead," Nat wearily ran a hand through her hair. "He talked for about an hour about his life. I don't know what I was expecting, but everything he told me…" she trailed off and stared into space as her mind went back to everything Steve had said about his family. About how his dad left when he was six, and how because of that and all Steve's medical problems, his mom had to work three jobs to pay for food to put on their table, and how after she died, all he had left was Bucky.

Bucky, who fought off bullies and let himself get beaten up so that Steve would be safe, who voluntarily slept on the floor in their little shack so that Steve could have the bed, who patiently sat up through long nights to help Steve breathe more easily when he had an asthma attack. Natasha had never realized just how important Bucky was to Steve.

She sighed. The world was so messed up, splitting apart two people like Steve and Bucky, who were so good. It just wasn't fair.