The screams pulled Marley from a deep sleep. Just like last night, pain-filled screams ripped through the silence followed by other sounds, thrashing, breaking glass.

Bucky.

Last night she'd already been awake when she heard him. Tonight, she'd been so exhausted that she slept. Grabbing her robe, Marley got out of bed and pulled it around herself, intent on seeing if her neighbor was okay.

The door to his apartment was open and Steve was in there with him. At first, she thought they were fighting but after a moment of watching, she realized that Steve was trying to wake his friend up and keep him from hurting himself too. Bucky had apparently fallen asleep on the couch which was between them and her.

Marley knew the moment Bucky awakened because he stopped struggling as Steve kept a grip on his shoulders, his breathing a ragged, harsh sound.

"I got you, Buck. You're okay," Steve whispered. "You're safe."

Bucky began to sob then, a raw sound that hurt her heart as she stood there watching the scene before her. She knew, oh she knew so well how he felt in that moment. She was grateful he had Steve, a friend who cared about him so much.

Steve noticed her standing in the doorway, catching his breath from his struggles.

Is he okay? she mouthed to Steve.

Nodding, he pulled Bucky into his chest as he cried.

He's not going to want her to see him like this.

Understanding that, Marley padded back to her own apartment and went straight to her kitchen, pulling out what she needed for chocolate. In the time it took for her to put it together, maybe she could get it to Steve and it would help the man sleep. Judging by his thoughts last night, he'd liked it.

It was quiet when she'd finished, and maybe she was too late. Marley grabbed two mugs anyway and headed back, stopping when she reached Bucky's door.

Bucky was lying on the couch, the back of it facing her, Steve sitting on the arm of it at his feet. They were talking.

Bucky noticed her first. Shit, I've got to start wearing clothes when I sleep.

Despite herself, Marley's face warmed at that thought and now she wondered what to do if he was naked over there. Steve, wearing t-shirt and sweatpants, jumped up and approached her.

"Sorry," she offered as Steve came to a stop.

"Hey, Marley. Is that the hot chocolate I keep hearing about?" Steve asked, grinning.

Nodding, she handed them both to him.

"One for me?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Of course," Marley told him.

Bucky managed a small smile, waved at her from the couch. He was wrecked tonight and a bit more embarrassed than he had been last night.

Geez, this is good. Steve's thought got her attention. "Marley, thank you."

Bucky's discomfort made it awkward for her. She didn't want to make him uncomfortable. "Good night, guys. Sleep well."

"Night."

"Goodnight, Marley." Buck's voice was low, gravelly.

Pausing just outside the door, she listened with her ears and her mind. She shouldn't. But she did.

"What did I tell you?" Bucky asked.

"So good," Steve told him. "I'd be okay having this every night before bed."

I'd be glad to have her every night in my bed.

Marley scrambled back to her own apartment and shut the door as quietly as she could, her heart pounding.

Bucky was a man, after all, and they all thought about women and sex like that. Right? It wasn't the first time a man had thoughts about her that were sensual in nature and it probably wasn't the last.

It was the fact that it was him, a terrifying, formidable legend of a man, who was incredibly handsome on top of all that, having saucy thoughts about her that made her knees weak.

Marley had only had a couple of lovers in her life. One awkward guy in college who had no more idea of what he was doing than she did and then Grant. But she hated to think about Grant at all. She couldn't even call what they'd had sex. It had been just another, more personal way for him to abuse her because she'd experienced nothing but pain in the bedroom.

She'd been told by others, read in books, that sex wasn't supposed to be this terrifying painful thing. Maybe they were right. She'd given herself orgasms, made herself feel good. Trusting someone else with that? Well, she wasn't sure that was something she'd ever be ready to try again.

Right?

Downing her own mug of chocolate, Marley decided to surf the internet on her phone until she fell asleep.

This time a loud knock woke her up. Grabbing her phone, Marley saw that it was just after noon. Shit! She'd slept in. She couldn't remember the last time that had happened.

"Marley?" Natasha called from the other side of the door. "You in there?"

Not bothering with her robe, she jumped out of bed to answer the door finding the beautiful agent looking perfect in her training clothes, smiling at her.

"I am so sorry," Marley began. "I should have set an alarm. Normally, I don't sleep."

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Cap said you needed the rest. I came to see if you wanted to get lunch and pick it up with weapons training."

Having put her at ease, Natasha took a seat in one of the plush chairs in her living room and pulled out her phone.

"Go get ready," she said, not looking up from her phone.

"Right!" Marley dashed into the bathroom, showering, dressing, and putting herself together in record time while Natasha waited.

When she walked back in, ready to go, Natasha glanced up at her, smiling.

You know, I think Bucky has a crush on you.

"What?" Marley said before she could catch herself.

"You read minds," Natasha stated.

Marley was well and truly caught.

"I wasn't ready for you to think something… outrageous as that," Marley pointed out.

"Outrageous, huh?" Natasha rose from the chair to stand in front of her. "You haven't noticed the way he looks at you?"

"Not really," Marley dropped her head.

"Then pay attention today. You'll see what I'm talking about."

Natasha's head was fascinating to read. She could almost do what Marley did only she didn't read minds. The master spy read everything about a person from their tone, body language, details on their person.

Natasha liked the information and Marley wondered how often she did anything with it. She'd certainly been paying attention to herself and Bucky it seemed.

While Marley didn't really have an appetite, Natasha slyly grabbed a tray in the cafeteria and filled it with an assortment of fresh fruits, raw vegetables, and protein bars. The two water bottles told Marley she was intent on buying her lunch. The spy kept a careful reign on her thoughts for the moment, so Marley played along.

Finding a place to sit in the lounge, Natasha motioned for Marley to sit in front of her.

"Eat," Natasha said unceremoniously. "You're never going to keep up what you're doing if you don't nourish yourself."

Maybe she was a bit hungry.

Glancing at her phone, Natasha smirked. Then Steve walked in with Bucky, Tony, and Clint.

The group of men waved, sat at another table adjacent to her and Natasha since their table was full. Bucky's gaze lingered on her.

Hope she got some rest today.

Natasha followed her gaze. "See? He's worried about you."

Marley looked over the fruit. Natasha huffed impatiently and shoved a banana in her hand.

"How do you do that?" Marley asked.

"How do you?"

"You guessed correctly," Marley told her. "But you can't read minds. And yet you know so many things."

"Comes with being a spy," Natasha glanced at the men's table, grinning now.

Marley pealed the banana slowly, trying to sort through the other woman's thoughts.

Marley, I know you're almost thirty. You're intelligent. Kind. You're weirdly shy around men for a woman your age so I'm guessing you had a partner somewhere who was physically abusive. Maybe emotionally abusive?

"How do you know about the physical abuse?" Marley asked, taking a bite of the fruit.

Marley had visible scars although they weren't the worst she had.

Body language. You never get too close to anyone physically. You look ready to cut and run any time you're faced with a man. Well, except Peter.

That made her smile. Who could bring themselves to think of Spider-Man as anything but adorable?

"Mmmmm, this is good," Marley hummed, hungry after all.

How am I doing so far?

Marley had to admit that while the assessment of her life was a little uncomfortable, no one had ever done this with her. Had a conversation with her this way.

You know this could come in handy out in the field. What about distance?

"Hmmm." Marley sucked a small bit of the banana off the pad of her thumb as she thought about that answer. "I can still get most of it at quite a distance if we're talking line of sight. If you're in another room or outside of where I am, it gets tricky."

"Definitely could be useful." Natasha began speaking aloud. "With the right training, you could be a one-woman nuclear fucking war."

Nibbling at her fruit, she thought about that. "I don't want to be."

"You don't want to be what?"

"A weapon. Something that destroys."

"Maybe you could use it to keep things from being destroyed?" Like me.

Marley laughed at that. "I would protect you. Maybe one day I can."

"It will be a while before you'll go on any missions, but we can get you in shape in the meantime. I could work with you on self-defense."

Work with the Black Widow to learning fighting skills? Yes, that was definitely something she was interested in.

"That's a yes?"

"Yes!"

Marley caught Bucky's gaze out of the corner of her eye.

Eat. You'll need your strength to train with me.

Natasha's thought drew her attention back her. Marley dutifully finished her banana.

"We'll start tomorrow. Instead of calisthenics, you'll work with me. I'll take over your weapons training even though Peter will be so disappointed."

They laughed at that.

"Thank you," Marley meant it. Natasha was as close as she'd been in a long time to making a friend.

"Don't thank me yet." Natasha picked up an apple and nudge the tray between them towards Marley. "Come on."

Grabbing a sprig of grapes, Marley pulled one loose and popped it into her mouth.

"Aren't those wonderful?" Natasha asked.

"Mmmmm, so good," Marley admitted.

The harsh sound of a chair scraping drew her attention to the table where Bucky was getting up from their table. He wasn't looking in her direction now.

Can't do this. The banana… Jesus.

"Bye Bucky," Natasha called to him without looking. Steve glanced from both Natasha to her, trying to figure out what just happened. "Now, do you see?"

Marley's face went up in flames as she caught on. She hadn't been trying to eat anything suggestively. She'd been too busy in Natasha's head to really notice.

Bucky glared at her lunch companion and stalked out of the room.

"I have a lot to teach you," Natasha said with a smirk.

Marley wondered if she should be afraid.