New Chances

Meeting the Power Broker

We set up a plan first. A plan that might turn out to be very dangerous, then Steve and I ushered everyone else out. "Well... that's gonna be fun, huh?" I said as I turned to Steve, who was leaning over the table, his hands resting on the wooden surface. He seemed to be staring into nothing. "You alright?" I asked as I walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He sighed, "Yeah, I'm fine." I wasn't at all convinced. "You're a terrible liar," I said, as I had said so many years ago. He looked up at me and I swear the corners of his mouth were turned up ever so slightly. "Well, where have I heard that before?" "Tell me what's bothering you." "What do you think, Nat?" "You're worried about Maria. Right?" He nodded. "Yeah, me too. But... she's tough, Steve." "I know that, but this Power Broker is... well ruthless, it seems." "Yeah, it seems." I sighed, "Well, we can't do anything for her now." "Except get a good nights rest and track her down tomorrow," Steve said. I nodded in agreement, "Except for that, yes." So that's what we did.

The next morning I got up early, earlier even than the day before, and met Yelena in the hallway of the hotel again. Fanny was with her too. "I see Rogers isn't with you today?" "I decided to let him sleep in, for as far as we can." "hey, I have always wondered, how does Captain America sleep? Like, what does he wear?" I was fairly certain that, one, she had not always wondered this and two, she was only asking me to both mess with me and make me feel a little more at ease. I rolled my eyes, "Really, Yelena?" "Yeah, I'm just... curious about such things, ya know?" "Well, if you really need to know, he sleeps in his underwear." "So... boxershorts and an undershirt? Just boxershorts? Oh, briefs maybe?" I shook my head, Yelena could be so silly sometimes, but I needed the distraction she was providing me with, so I took it. "Just boxershorts." "Nice." "I have to admit, that is indeed pretty nice." "Fascinating." "What?" "That you find it... pretty nice..." Oh God not this again, "Yelena..." "What?" "This again?" "What again?" "You know what I mean." "Hey, it's not my fault that it's obvious to everyone, except apparently you and Rogers, that you have a thing for him." "I don't have a thing for him." "Yes you do, even Fanny sees it." "No she doesn't. And even if she did, her name is Fanny, so what does she know?" "Dog stuff." "Dog stuff, really?" "Yeah, dog stuff." I shook my head, "You know what? Let's just go, before we stand here arguing till the rest wakes up." "Sounds good to me."

We ran though Paris again, just like we had the morning before. As we did I finally admitted to myself that I was glad that I was getting into some sort of routine with Yelena. Things almost felt normal. "What you thinking of, Romanoff," she asked me as she caught me staring at her. "I'm thinking that I'm glad to... well, to have found you guys again. And that I'm happy to be doing something with my little sister." She smiled at me and just gave me a, "You know I'm taller than you, right?" "Ah, yes, but I'm still older than you." She rolled her eyes, "Whatever." She was silent for a while, then, "I'm happy to be doing something with you as well. Something normal I mean. Almost feels like we're normal people. And... I'm glad to have you back." I stopped, grabbed her hand and pulled her into a hug. "Really?" She said. "Yeah. Really." "Shucks," she chuckled. "Oh, you know you like it. You used to like it when you were little." I let go of her, but now she pulled me back in. "Hey, Nat..." "Hmm?" "You're not gonna die on me again, right?" "I'm not planning to." "Good, cause... well... hearing that you died... it really broke us, ya know?" "I know." "And I don't want to have to go through all that again. Not till we're both old and lived a good life, got it?" "I got it." "So no more cliff jumping." "Not even recreationally?" "You mean at sea?" "Yeah, jumping into the water, adrenaline rush, all that." "I... suppose that's fine... on one condition." "And that is?" "You're not doing that without me." "Deal."

When we got back to the hotel, Steve was waiting for us outside with some fresh chocolate croissants. "Good morning, ladies," he said with a smile on his face. "What got you so happy?" Yelena asked him. "Oh, you know, nice weather, good food, and Buck-." "Bucky's got you so happy?" I joked before he could finish his sentence. Steve rolled his eyes. I'll repeat it, because it sounds so surreal. Steven Grant Rogers, formerly known as Captain America, actually rolled his eyes. "I was going to drop some good news and you just had to interrupt me with a bad joke, huh?" "That's how I roll, Rogers." "I am aware. Anyway, Bucky stayed up all night and racked Maria's location. She's still where she was last night... but here's the thing. It's an old Hydra facility." "So?" I asked. "So... Bucky know the facility... on the inside. He knows where the cells are. He knows the backdoors as well. This will make breaking in and saving Maria much easier." "Huh... that is good news indeed," I admitted. "Yeah, can you now please give us those croissants," Yelena interrupted, "I'm starving." Steve handed her the bag with the croissants and Yelena handed two to me. "Bon appétit," she said faking a French accent and then took a huge bite from one of her own croissants. "So, seems like maybe our job is going to be easier than we thought huh? Or at least this part of it," I said. "Donf fay fath. You mift jinfx if," Yelena said with her mouth full of croissant. "What?" Steve and I said. She chewed for a bit, then he swallowed and said. Don't say that. You might jinx it. You gotta knock on wood now." I knocked on the tree Steve had been leaning against as he waited for us. "Good enough?" "Yeah, that might do."