Trying to have peace

Stripes and Star(s)

At 8 a. m., Steve decided to go to the living room. He went downstairs from Nathasa's room. In the tower was too quiet. The Tower was never quite. All the time , Tony came up with a crazy idea and Pepper together with Bruce were trying to stop him. When that didn't work, Clint was starting to shoot arrows. This was their family:weird and loudly. Steve saw Pepper in the kitchen.
"Hey, Pepper! Where is everyone?"
"They left an hour ago. SHIELD  founded the location where Nathasa was held. They saw that you were sleeping and they  didn't want to wake you. The armchair is not comfortable, isn't it?" said Pepper.
"No, it's not. I almost sit on a knife. I hope Nathasa slept better  in her bed than me in that chair." said Steve.
"How is she?" asked Pepper.
"Now she is ok, but i know how she can be better. If the Avengers ask were i am, tell them i will be back soon." said Steve leaving the tower.
After two hours, Steve came back and found the Avengers in the living room.
"Is Nathasa still asleep?" asked Steve a  little concerned.
"Yeah, and maybe that's better" said Tony with a sad face.
"I'm a little confused." said Steve.
"We found the place  where Nathasa was held for 2 months...... and it's horrible, Steve. The place wasn't big. Just 5 rooms. At the entery, there were the meeting room, which was cleaned... no files, no plans and  the training one. In the back, where there was no light..... were the places were the terror happened. We didn't expect to find that. Just 3 small rooms. The first was full of dead bodies, from babies to old people, all dead. The forensic team  run some test and  they rezulted that people there were tortured to death. Next was a small room, no window and on the walls...... there were marks made of blood in form of hands..... there were more in a point were a brick was moved out...meaning that someone tried to escape..... of course it was blood  also on the floor and doorknob ..... the team took samples...... and they were a match for Nathasa's blood. THAT WAS HER ROOM, STEVE FOR 2MONTHS! AND SHE TRIED SO HARD TO ESCAPE AND I WASN'T WITH HER! SHE WAS ALONE IN THE HANDS OF THAT BEASTS! "said Clint, starting to cry and leaving to his room. All of them were silent for a moment. Steve wanted to cry too, but then a bark came from the hallway. He almost forgot.
" What was that? "asked Tony.
" Ummm..... my surprise for Nat. I hope you are ok with it, Tony. Come here, Star! "said Steve and soon a golden  Labrador came rushing in the leaving room." Star, sit". When she heard Steve's command, the dog obeyed and waited for the next instruction.
"Guys, meet Star. When I came out of ice, SHIELD wanted to give me a  therapy dog to help me with the fact that i was practically in the future, no war, you know the story. I refused them, but they keep the dog unemployed. I think she will help Nat with the trauma."explained Steve.
" Steve, i  don't think a dog will help Nathasa. "said Bruce.
" She's trained. We don't know if Star doesn't help or not, but we have nothing to lose if we try. "said Steve.
" Ok, i own the tower, so i decide. As long as you clean after him, I'm okay with it. "said Tony.
"Come on, Star. Let's wake Nathasa and bring her some sunshine in her life" said Steve going to Nat's room.
"I always saw Nathasa as a cat person" said Pepper to Bruce and Tony.

Steve was so excited of his plan. He opened slowly Nathasa's door. She woke up. He was shocked that he woke her up. Steve knew he was quiet, but then he thought that Nathasa was held for 2 months and had to be vigilant when that people came to torture her.
"It's okay. I have a surprise for you" said Steve in a soft voice.
The dog entered the room and went stright to Nathasa. Star put her head on Nathasa shoulder.
"I don't know if you're a dog person, but meet Star. Let's play with her!" said Steve, like he was a seven years old boy on Christmas morning. From his pocket, he took a ball and trow it. Star went after it.
"See, Nat. It's fun!"
She didn't reacted. They played for 2 hours, until he got a text from Clint.
"I have to leave so i let you two alone to become friends."
Going downstairs, Steve met with Clint, who didn't looked happy.
"I want to have a talk. Outside"
"Ok?"
The two friends  went outside. Clint looked at Steve with a serious face.
"Do you love Nathasa?" asked Clint.
"What?You think that... me and Nat" laughed Steve.
"I'm talking about you. Not Nathasa. More precisely, what YOU feel about Nathasa.I'm not blind–"said Clint, but he was interrupted by Steve.
" I don't love her. She's just a friend, a teammate. Nothing more"
"Then why you don't go to the tower's gym to train anymore since Nathasa disappeared?Then why are you spending so much time with her?" asked Clint.
"Because the last 2 months i was busy finding her like everybody in  this team. I stay with her because I know how is to wake up with nightmares, to see people die and think everday that if you tried a little harder or took a different decision , they would be alive now!And we are talking about Nathasa Romanoff, the one who belives love is for children."answered Steve .
"Maybe i don't know that much about you, after all,but neither do you with Nat. She's staying that because she was in the Red Room.The children there weren't allowed to go out of the building, but a rebellious Nat didn't care. Once, when she was seven years old, she went out and ran. After 3 hours she found a village.It was almost night and everyone was in their homes. Nathasa decided to look inside one of the windows of one house. There was the children room of that family. She saw how the  parents were telling their children a bedtime story. They were all together in bed, the parents were hugging and kissing their children. Then Nathasa thought how different was her life.The children were the same age as her.  The Red Room never treated them like that. In that moment, Nat understood that she's not a child, or else she would be loved. She was a weapon. So love was for children, not weapons. Her escapade didn't ended well. The Red Room found her and as a punishment, they burned the village. "said Clint.
Steve knew Nathasa's childhood was difficult. For sure the hardest childhood of them all,that's why  he considered her the strongest avengers. Even if she was hurt, she got up and started to fight again. And he will make  sure that she will get up after this undercover mission too.
"I don't want to hurt Nathasa. I don't want to play with her feelings, especially when she's like that!  If you hurt Nat, even if you didn't wanted to,it will be a very hard life for you! She's like my sister!" Clint warned Steve.
"Is she?" asked Steve.
Clint looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Clint, we are teammates for years. You know that i would  never play with Nathasa and if i loved her, i would treat her with the respect she deserves. Is she just a sister to you.. or is she more ?" asked Steve leaving the archer behind .