Roswell (S. Rogers & B. Barnes)

49.

Bucky sits alone later, Roswell no where to be found, he runs his fingers through his hair and takes a deep breath just as the door opens and Steve walks in. Steve was hoping to find them together, Friday had alerted him to the situation and he got out of his meeting as fast as he could. It wasn't fast enough.

"I heard what happened" Steve states, Bucky brushes his hands over his face as Steve steps closer. "Where is she?" Steve asks him, Bucky shakes his head.

"Gone...she's gone" Bucky answers. "I tried.....but they really upset her" Bucky looks up at him. "Did you talk to them?"

"Not yet" Steve offers as he sits beside Bucky. "But I will, I just...I wanted to check on her first..."

"This isn't your fault, Steve" Bucky tells him, knowing that Steve will be blaming himself. What they have, it was Steve's idea, he lead them into this, any backlash, he is the one that will be taking the blame with. He will feel it more than they will because he knows it was him that started this. It was him that put her in the line of fire. When they were ready, they would have told the others, and they would have done it together. Roswell was ambushed by her so called friends before they were ready to announce it to them. It was unfair and uncalled for. And not Steve's fault.

.............

Phil enters the living room, eyes scanning over the room, tension highs, Steve's shoulders and hackles raised, Bucky is glaring at Natasha and Wanda who are stood across from the pair. To be fair, not all of the Avengers seem to be in on the argument, most of them seem to be staying out of it, or trying to anyway. Steve has been trying to explain what he, Bucky, and Roswell have. But Natasha has got a bug up her ass about it. Like she's trying so hard to defend Steve's honor over it, even when Steve isn't, it doesn't both his honor. It's consensual and working. Or it was. Until Natasha got involved. Steve sighs and shakes his head, his eyes landing on Phil watching them.

"Coulson" Steve greets. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to pick up Roswell's things" Phil answers. "She going to be staying with me across the other side of the facility"

"Where is she?" Steve asks Phil who shakes his head.

"She's.....fine" Phil assures him.

"That's not what I asked" Steve scolds.

"That's all you're getting until she's calmed down" Phil counters. "Look...she just wants to be left alone for a bit, but I know that she doesn't want to make you chose between her and the team" Phil tells Steve and Bucky.

"She doesn't have to" Steve counters. "We chose her"

"Hey" Tony whines.

"I'm still mad at all of you" Steve points out. "And utterly disappointed" he shakes his head. "I thought you were all better than that but you humiliated her without fully understanding the situation"

"We were looking out for you" Natasha argues.

"How'd that work out for you?" Steve asks. "And you, Wanda....your own sister, you turned on her like a rabid dog"

"Don't talk to her like that!" Natasha scolds.

"Oh it's happening again" Clint mumbles to himself aware how fast this is going to spiral, and how bad it can get when the team fights.

"Why didn't you just tell us?" Tony asks, Steve shoots him a look.

"We talked, remember?" Tony frowns at him before realising.

"This what that was about, I thought we were just, you know, spit balling"

"Look we didn't shout it from the rooftops because it is still new, even to us...we were still figuring it out" Steve tells them. "We were taking time to figure out how it worked between us" he sighs and looks at Wanda. "You couldn't have asked us?" Steve tells Wanda. "Given your own sister the benefit of the doubt because she is your blood? You know how she feels about family and you betrayed her, you thought the worst of her." Wanda looks down. "And then went behind her back to gossip with those she called her friends, who basically ambushed her....." Steve steps closer to Natasha. "If I loose her because of this" Steve starts. "Because of you" his eyes find Natasha's. "I will never forgive you and I will never work with you again, you know better than anyone what I have gone through with women, how hard it has been for me to settle into a relationship, and I finally find a woman who works for me, who I love, and you..." Steve shakes his head and closes his eyes. He takes a breath and turns to Coulson. "Tell her I'm sorry" Steve offers. "Tell her that when she's ready....I'll be here" Coulson gives him a nod and a smile, he knows how much Steve loves Roswell. Bucky shifts behind Steve. "We'll be here" Steve corrects and glances back at Bucky who nods, reassuring him that he agrees with everything he's just said.

...............

Roswell sits on Phil's couch, her eyes red and puffy from tears. She can't stop crying. She knows that it hurts. The aspect that what she, Steve, and Bucky have is over. She loves them. But she doesn't want to be bullied because of her feelings. And not by her so called friends. And if that means she has to walk away, then she'll do it. So Steve and Bucky don't have to deal with it. They don't deserve to have to deal with it. Not with everything they've already been through. She glances to Phil as he closes the door, setting her bags down. He gives her a sad smile and she sniffles resting her chin on her knees.

"Did you see them?" she asks him, he nods. "Are they okay?" she whispers, he sits beside her and leans on his knees with a sigh.

"No, kiddo, they're not...they miss you" he admits, she sniffles and then presses her sleeve to her cheek to dab away her tears. "Roswell" he starts as he turns to face her. "Those two men love you" He assures her. "And I know that what Natasha told you hurt, and it was wrong, she did go about it the wrong way, but walking away from them, from two men who adore you, from your chance at happiness...."

"The others" she starts and shakes her head. "I'm not strong enough" She whispers, Phil brushes her hair back behind her ear and smiles fondly at her.

"Oh, sweetheart, you're a Winchester and a Constantine...." she glances at him. "You can deal with anything....but if you need a few days to think about it, then you know you are always welcome to stay here" She nods a little. She does need to think about all of this. About whether whatever future she might have with Steve and Bucky is worth the grief it is going to cause, because she knows that this is just the start, once more people find out that they're all in it together, they are all going to have their opinions. She can either get used to it, deal with it, or walk away. And walking away from the men she loves, even the thought of it, breaks her heart.