While Nikita slept in his bed, Steve asked JARVIS to put in a call to Natasha. "That will not be necessary Captain Rogers," responded the AI. Before Steve could question him further, there was a soft knock on his apartment door. He was unsurprised to find the spy on the other side on the door. She walked past him settling herself comfortably at the end of the couch facing the door, "I've decided that you need some advice."
"I was just thinking that actually," Steve agreed sitting at the other end of the couch facing her. Natasha gave him that 'I'm listening' look with a slight tilt of her head encouraging him to continue. Steve heaved a sigh, "I made her angry, really angry," he began. "I said something unflattering about Volkov, about him turning her into a killer. I just don't understand how she could defend the man after the way he treated her."
"He didn't," said Natasha enigmatically.
"He didn't, what?" asked Steve confused.
"Make her a killer," she responded. "That girl was a killer before she ever met Demyan Volkov. When you talked about him, what did she say?"
"She said that he protected her, trained her, gave her a place of value, that he never lied to her or hurt her," Steve answered. "That she killed so she could be of service to him."
Natasha shook her head a little as she looked at her friend. "Do you know how children are made into assets, into weapons? First you find the ones already subjected to cruelty and abuse, then you look for the ones that don't break. Next you 'rescue' them, make them believe that you are the only thing in the world standing between them and the things they fear, that you are the only person who cares about them. You earn their loyalty and then you train them."
Steve looked at her sadly, "That's what happened to you, both of you?"
"More or less," she responded. "But with a sub it's both simpler and more complicated, the loyalty more profound."
"How so?" he asked.
"A submissive is already hardwired to crave praise and approval," Steve nodded as she explained. "They crave direction, have a need to follow orders, and are desperate to be of service. If you train a sub to kill, praising them only for those skills, they will live to only to execute your orders. They will mete out violence at your direction without question, they will kill on your orders without fail."
"Okay," sighed Steve, "I think I'm following, but how do I keep from making it worse? She expects to fight with the Avengers under my orders. How is that different?"
"Right now fighting is her identity. What she needs is a new direction. You can teach her how to be a protector instead of a killer." she answered, "What else?"
"Right," Steve continued a little sheepishly, "I know that she has been abused. I can feel her fear and apprehension, I'm concerned that one wrong move could destroy any hope of building a relationship. I've never had a long-term relationship with a sub before."
"Have you discussed terms yet?" she asked.
"A little, so far her only only hard limits have been not wanting to drop or kneel in public," Steve explained. "I didn't want to have the rest of that conversation in medical."
"You should have that conversation soon," advised Natasha. "I imagine she has a deep seated need to appear strong in public. If you want her to become comfortable with the team, you should respect that."
"Of course," replied Steve, "but how do I win her trust?"
"Dealing with an abused sub can be tricky," admitted Natasha. "Before she can begin to open up and show you her true nature, she has to feel safe and have reason to trust you. Once she does open up, she will still need to be reminded frequently. With an abused sub it's easy to make them feel unwanted and unloved without meaning to. Reminding her that she belongs to you and is valued will help quell that little voice telling her that she means nothing. Your approval and reassurance will be crucial to helping her adjust to her new life. Reviewing all the ways she is valuable to you when she gets insecure will be the best way to keep her obedient and happy. Have you thought about collaring her?"
"I want to," Steve answered, "but I thought maybe I should wait, take it slow."
"I disagree," Natasha asserted. "I think a collar would give her a sense of security and safety, a tangible reminder that you value her."
"What about sex?" asked Steve. "I don't want to trigger her."
"As it stands I think she would rather kill for you than have sex with you," replied Natasha with a rueful laugh. "Killing is familiar and requires no real trust from either of you. To let down her walls and give you control of her will may take time and testing before she feels safe enough to permit either of you to go beyond the initial stages of your relationship. Even after she has given herself to you, she will need to be reminded that she is safe with you. You will trigger her. There's no way around it. I doubt she even has any idea what her triggers are, you'll have to discover her limits together. You have to be ready to deal with it when it happens. Prove to her that you are a safe place to fall, that you can catch her."
"So, like navigating a minefield," Steve replied.
"A little like that, yeah," she chuckled. "But if anyone can do it, Cap, it's you." Natasha unfolded from the couch, heading towards the door.
Steve walked her out. "Thanks, Nat," he said as he closed the door behind him.
Steve's conversation with Natasha kept running through his mind as he brushed his teeth and changed into a pair of sleep pants. He quietly slipped into bed wrapping his arms around Nikita, careful not to wake her. Turning his strategic mind to the problem he began to formulate a plan. Eventually the sound of her deep even breaths relaxed him and he fell asleep with a smile on his face.