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Chapter 56

As it turned out Bashki started to sing like a canary once he got his new identity and an account filled with ten millon dollars, even though Natasha suspected that he would never be able to use that money. Bashki gave them the leaders of the European HYDRA and SHIELD and Interpol got to work to arrest them. She hoped that they would lead them to Malick who was undoubtfully their boss and was probably well protected. Who knew how much dirt he had collected on others during his decades long political career.

Bashki was released by Coulson's order and brought to a secure location by May. Natasha had no doubt that she would have been sent to go with them if she was still with SHIELD. Coulson could have sent any agent to get Bashki to his new life but he chose May. Because she was a good assassin.

"Is there even actual money in that account?" Natasha asked after May and Bashki left.

Coulson's mouth twitched in amusement. "You're doubting my word? Of course that bank account is real. He'll just never get to enjoy it."

She smirked back at him and got to the room she was sharing with Steve at the Playground to change into her catsuit. SHIELD wanted to take down the first HYDRA cell on American soil and the Avengers just had to join. Steve was already in his uniform when she came back.

He gave her a warm smile and clipped his shield on his back. "Bashki gone?"

Probably more in one way very soon, she thought to herself. "Yep."

She gave Steve a little show while she got ouf her regular clothes and changed into her suit. He took the scene in with vivid interest and followed every of her movements with his eyes.

"You know..." He said and walked over to her when she was done. He hugged her and let his hands rest on her ass. "I think for our honeymoon we should rent an island. People can do that, right?"

She laughed. "Shouldn't we plan the wedding first?"

He smiled down at her and kissed her. "Probably, but the honeymoon is just as important as the wedding!"

She rolled her eyes at him and grabbed his ass causing him to laugh. "Oh please, you're just thinking about all the sex we're gonna have during our honeymoon."

His cheeks turned slightly pink and she knew that she was right. "Can you blame me?"

No, she really couldn't. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her. She smirked up to him and kissed him one more time before they met Tony and Sam and the SHIELD agents to fly to Chicago to take out that HYDRA base.

They managed to bring down the base without any casualities on their side and European law enforcements were working on shutting down the HYDRA cells on the other side of the pond.

They were getting closer to their goal to end HYDRA once and for all but they still had nothing on Malick or knew where the four Winter Soldiers were and what their purpose was. Natasha would be lying if she hadn't thought about killing Malick but that would only solve the HYDRA issue temporaly. They had to find the money resources and Malick probably had someone to take over if anything would happen to him. Natasha's money was on the daughter but they had no evidence to prove Stephanie Malick's involvement. And since she was no longer a SHIELD agent and the President didn't order her to kill Malick, she could potentially get arrested for Malick's murder. He had to have powerful friends everywhere. But Natasha did wonder if Malick got nervous with all the HYDRA cells getting destroyed and if that would make him reckless and stupid.

They returned to New York after the raid in Chicago and Bucky greeted them with the news that the Attorney General was in town and would come by tomorrow to talk to him about his case and legal status. Steve wanted to be present for that meeting but only Bucky and his lawyers were allowed to be there.

"She might want to talk to you at a later point." Bucky said when he saw Steve's disappointed face. "She wants to make her own picture about me and talk with me about my options. Matt and Foggy think it's a very good sign that she wants to speak to be personally."

She hoped for Bucky that they were right. He deserved his freedom and the chance for redemption. And they could use another supersoldier on the team. Especially if they had to face four Winter Soldiers. Natasha didn't think that they could be so easily killed like the one in Trenton.

Natasha used the free afternoon to meet with a PI that Matt had recommended to her. She wanted to hire Jessica Jones to find dirt on Malick. His servers were supiciously clean and she didn't think that anyone would make the connection between the Avengers and Jones. Apparently Jones was one of a kind according to Matt and very good at her job.

The door of her apartment/office was open and Natasha just walked in. Jessica Jones (she had FRIDAY do an background check on her) was sitting on her desk and drinking bourbon right out of the bottle.

"Murdock didn't tell me the client would be an Avenger!" Jones grunted and took another sip.

Natasha crossed her arms. "That a problem?"

She wondered for a second if her life would have been similiar to Jones if she hadn't had SHIELD and now the Avengers in her life. Would she freelance and offer her skill set for money? She couldn't help but feel uncomfortable in Jones' shabby apartment. Her leather jacket had probably cost more than the monthly rent for this place. Natasha loved money and she loved spending it and she never realized how lucky she got that she didn't have to do too shady stuff to finance her life.

"As long as I don't have to wear a stupid costume and run around with you clowns, we're cool."

Natasha smirked. "I'm not here to recruit you, don't worry."

"Then why are you here, Romanoff?"

"You know who Gideon Malick is?"

Jones nodded. "The Word Council guy. Why? You have an affair with him?"

Natasha's eyes widened. "What? No, that's a big no!" Just the thought of that made her want to puke.

"Most people come because of that to me."

"It's nothing like that. I can assume this conversation stays between the two of us?"

Jones nodded and Natasha began to talk.

Natasha left Jones' office after she signed the check and Jones promised to get right to work. She liked the woman, she seemed like she knew what she was doing and would hopefully find something against Malick.

Natasha walked through the Upper East Side to find an engagement gift for Steve. Did women even do that? Give their financé something for their engagement? Steve had given her his dog tags and would give her an engagement ring eventually and wasn't it only fair if she would get him something in return?

But that left her with the question with what she should get him. Maybe a watch? A nice watch with something personal engraved? She suddenly had an idea and needed to get to her favourite jeweler in town. She hoped that he could get her what she wanted. It would be the perfect gift for Steve.

She turned around the corner smiling to herself because she knew that Steve would love her gift. He would say that it was too much but he deserved it. The jeweler was right across the street and she was about to cross the street when she stopped. A man was walking into the store and she immediately recognized those broad shoulders. That was her man! Was Steve looking for her ring? She suddenly felt giddy like the women did on those wedding shows and hid behind the corner. She was tempted to walk into the store but she didn't want to ruin the surprise. How did Steve even know about this jeweler? Did he google him? Steve wasn't really into jewelery at all. Did he tell someone besides Bucky about their engagement? Tony? Or maybe Pepper? Those were the only fancy people Steve knew.

She waited until Steve got out of the store and then waited another hour in a café before she visited her favourite jeweler in case Steve came back because he forgot something.

Michel Albert greeted her with champagne and didn't mention Captain America once. One of the things she liked about Michel was that he was very discreet. When she told him what she was looking for, he almost seemed to know who that piece was for but he didn't say a word. He promised to get it for her as soon as possible and to call her when it arrived. She hoped she would get it soon because she couldn't wait to see the look on Steve's face when he opened her present.

She bought two cheese cakes for her, Steve and Bucky on her way back to the Tower.

Bucky greeted her by the door and took the cake boxes out of her hand. "Thank god, you're here!"

She gave him a puzzled look. "Why?"

"Steve's been acting really weird. Saying that he's not sure if it was okay but he had to do it because it's tradition." Bucky explained but she wasn't really less confused. Was it about the engagement ring?

"He's in your bedroom." Bucky added and left to cut the cake.

Steve was stitting on the bed when she walked in. "Steve? Are you okay? Bucky said-"

"I told Fury about us!" He blurted out. "I called him for his blessings! I know we said we'll keep this quiet but he had to know! I should have probably asked him before I proposed to you."

So Fury told him about the jeweler.

But what did Fury have to do with their engagement? Oh, right. People asked the parents for their permission or blessings. Well, Fury was probably the closest thing she had to a father figure. He probably hadn't been thrilled when Steve told him that they were going to get married. If anyone would have a problem with Captain America marrying their whatever the hell she was to Fury, it would be him.

"What did he say?"

Steve looked surprised. "I thought you'd be mad at me for telling Fury or that it was old fashioned to ask for his blessings."

"I'm not mad and I know that it was something that people did back in your time, so it's okay." She sat down on his lap and he wrapped his arms around her. "So what did he say?"

"Said that he would do things to me that would make even HYDRA or Loki piss their pants, to quote him. He wasn't happy that I asked you without having a ring. And he hopes that I know how lucky I am that I'll get to be your husband. " He kissed her cheek. "And I do know that."

She smiled at him and kissed him. "Good answer."

"I think he was being dead serious when he said that he would kill me if I break your heart."

Knowing Fury, he probably was. "Don't let it come to that." She said remembering how she felt after he left her to be on the run with Bucky.

"Never!" He promised fiercely and kissed her deeply. She shifted in his lap to straddle him when there was a knock on the door.

"If you don't come out soon, I'm gonna eat that cheese cake by myself." Bucky yelled from the other side of the door.

Steve pulled his face away from her cleavage. "Did he say cheese cake?"

She got up from his lap and made sure that her shirt covered her bra again. She didn't need Bucky to know what colour her underwear had. "Should I feel offended that you seem to prefer cheese cake over me?"

"You can think of ways of how I can make it up to you while we eat that cake, okay?" He grinned and walked to the bedroom door.

Oh, she could definitely think of a few ways of how he could make it up to her. She hoped he didn't plan on getting much sleep tonight.

10 points to everyone who can guess what Nat's gift to Steve will be!