The Ides of July // Loki - Book 1 ✓

Bonus Chapter #5: Sisterly Bonding

A/N: Do me a favor? Check out the author's note at the end! 

"Knock, knock," Natasha's voice draws Anna's attention to the door of her bedroom in the Avengers Tower.

Anna smiles, "Come in."

"Thanks," Nat grins at her sister, sauntering into the room.

Standing, Anna gives her sister a warm hug. It's only been a few weeks since she found out that she even had a sister, but the connection is clear. She feels closer to Natasha than she ever did to her adoptive parents, even if they were wonderful to her. It's hard not to resent them. They saved her from a difficult life, sure, but they also stole her away from her only relative. They lied to her. That breach of trust is hard to get over.

"When did you get in?" She asks, motioning for Nat to take a seat on the bed.

Nat sits, curling her feet under her, as Anna does the same, "About an hour ago. Steve wanted to talk, had some leads about Bucky, but I told him this was more important. Luckily, I think even he knows better to get between a girl and her sister."

"How's that going?" Anna asks with a smile. "Bucky, I mean. I've only heard a bit about him from Tony. Apparently he was on Steve's team back in World War II, the Howling Commandos? I didn't know anyone else had received the Super Soldier serum with Steve."

Nat sighs, "They didn't. I mean, he didn't. He was captured by Hydra during the war. They experimented on him, did some pretty gruesome things."

"I saw the videos on the news," Anna replies. "A metal arm? Damn."

A distant look crosses Natasha's eyes, "Yeah."

"Nat?" The brunette asks, noticing her sister's cloudy look. "What's on your mind?"

She smiles, shaking it off, and shrugs, "Nothing."

"Yeah? It's like that, is it," Anna teases. "And here I thought we could talk about anything. I told you about Loki, about falling in love with the man responsible for countless deaths - including my fiance. I mean, the man tried to take over the planet."

"Okay, I get it," Natasha scoffs, stifling a laugh. She exhales, "You've heard him called the Winter Soldier, yeah?"

Anna nods, and the redhead continues, "Well, you've actually met him. A long time ago. He was one of our trainers in the Red Room."

"What? Really?" She asks.

"Yeah," Nat replies. "You were young though, and he was only there sporadically. Whenever he was there, he helped train the girls in combat. Probably taught you a few of those tricks you used on Steve in the practice room."

Blushing, Anna smiles. Her training sessions with Steve were quickly becoming notorious. After their first fight, Clint stopped by to see round two, and - obviously - Tony caught wind of it. Everyone wanted to watch the young woman hold her own against the Super Soldier. No weapons, no shield, just hand-to-hand combat. She lost the first few fights, miserably (although Steve insisted she did a great job), before tripping him up on the last one and sending him to his back. Tony was there for that one, and he's been talking about it for the last 48 hours straight.

"Probably shouldn't tell Steve that," Nat adds with wry smirk.

Anna nods, "So what happened then? With Bucky? I mean, the Winter Soldier."

"One day, he didn't come back," Natasha replies simply. "I assumed he was dead. It wasn't exactly uncommon at the time. Death was part of the job."

"So you didn't see him again until a few weeks ago?" Anna asks. "When he tried to kill you on the bridge?"

The redhead grimaces, unconsciously gripping her shoulder where the Winter Soldier shot her, and shakes her head.

"I saw him once before," she tells Anna. "Ironically, he tried to kill me that time too. Got the scar to prove it."

Anna smiles, elbowing her sister, "Sounds like we've got a rough family history with men."

"Don't remind me," Natasha groans. "Luckily, they make something for that. It's called vodka." 

*****
AUTHOR'S NOTE

The Ides Of July has been entered into the Wattys. Be sure to add it to your libraries + reading lists, share it with your friends, vote + comment on chapters, re-read it...all of the things! Who knows? Maybe we'll see a Marvel fanfic take the cake this year! 

I love you all! 

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