Locked, Loaded, Loved ✔️ COMPLETE | UNDER EDITS

Chapter 10.4--Steve

The next morning, Nat and I woke up early to meet the others for breakfast. We met on the ground level of the sanctum then walked over to a little breakfast place down the street. The air was cool and crisp and just how I remembered it from when I lived here.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Natasha asked, breaking me away from my thoughts.

I smiled. "You. And how wonderful it is to be back here."

We sat down at a table and looked through the menu.

"So, Steve, how long were you planning on staying in New York?" Wanda asked as the server poured each of us a cup of coffee.

"Well, that depends," I said. "I was hoping to stay for a week, but it sort of depends on when Nat is coming back to San Fran."

Natasha set her cup down. "Well, I think we were planning on another week of training. But honestly, I'm ready to come home. My shoulder is healed and I've gained better control. And since you're visiting, I won't do as much training this week anyway. So, I guess I'll plan on staying until next week. That gives me a week with you in New York and then a last week of training."

I nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a good plan."

After breakfast, I took Natasha to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Museum.

"You certainly fit in well here," she joked as we climbed the steps to the Smithsonian.

I laughed. "What was that joke you made about the Washington Smithsonian? About me being a fossil?"

"And it only took you three years to get my flirting," she teased, bumping me with her hip.

"I was under the impression you wanted me to date other people back then." I laced our fingers together, and we stopped.

"Well, I was young and naive back then. I didn't know how badly I really wanted you."

I pulled her close. "And now?"

She smiled. "Now I have no doubt about how much I want you." She reached up to kiss me. "C'mon, Romeo. Let's go inside."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

When we returned, we took some time to spar in the training room at the sanctum.

"You've improved," Nat said, smirking after I'd pinned her to the ground.

"Well, I learned from the best," I told her.

I sat up, holding out my hand to help her up. She gratefully accepted it.

I brushed a stray piece of hair that had escaped from her ponytail out of her face and behind her ear.

"What do you wanna do later?" she asked.

"I think we need to talk about the Alexei situation," I replied. I was dreading this conversation, but I knew it needed to happen one way or another.

Natasha stiffened next to me. "Does this have anything to do with Kristina or the book Thor gave us?"

I nodded. "Emery came to the hospital after Budapest, and she finally got Katya to talk. I'm afraid we didn't learn much that we didn't already know."

"But the lead she gave us about Budapest was a set up. I'm convinced."

"I know. Katya swears she didn't know. She wasn't able to tell us anything else."

Natasha closed her eyes. "Please tell me Nick didn't let her go."

"I'm sorry," I said, giving Nat the answer she didn't want.

"Well, then we need to find her. I don't trust her. She may've been under Kristina's control but...there's something else we're missing." She lifted her head to face me. "What else?"

I rubbed my chin. "Alexei has gone underground. Amelia contacted me and Emery saying that she and her team had checked out the warehouse after we left Budapest. She said it had been cleaned out."

Natasha raised her eyebrows. "I thought the weapons there weren't real?"

"I'm not even sure what to think any more. But Tony has put out an APB so that if he or anyone else tries to sell the weapons on the black market...well, they won't be able to because SHIELD will rain hell down on them."

Nat laid down on the mat, and I followed her maneuver.

She let a few blue sparks escape her fingertips before extinguishing them. "Ok, no more work talk. Let's go do something fun."

I was happy to oblige. Everything had been a dead end so far, and I hated seeing Nat disappointed. I wanted to get Alexei behind bars as much as she did. And Kristina...well, we had Thor checking out her status between worlds. If we were able to get Kristina, we might be able to reverse Nat's powers.

One week later

I hugged Natasha in the foyer of the sanctum, not wanting to say goodbye even though I knew I would see her at home in a week. The rest of my time in New York had flown by but I enjoyed every single minute of it.

"Call me tonight," she said, hugging me tighter.

I pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Of course."

"I love you." Natasha leaned up and kissed me one last time, extending the kiss as long as she could.

"I love you, too. See you soon," I whispered into her hair, breathing in her perfume.

She released me and went to stand by Wanda, wiping tears from her eyes. I waved and waited as Dr. Strange opened a portal. I picked up my bags and stepped through.

"Ahhhhhh! What the he—Steve, where the hell did you come from?!" Bucky yelled, abruptly dropping a bowl of popcorn, kernels scattering everywhere.

Turns out, the portal had opened right in the middle of the kitchen where Bucky had been waiting for his popcorn.

"Sorry, Buck. It's just me," I said, putting my hands up in defense.

"You could've at least used the front door," he protested.

I laughed. "It's good to see you, too, Buck."

He smiled and handed me the now-empty bowl. "Welcome home, Steve. You owe me popcorn."

I shook my head, laughing as he left me alone in the kitchen.

"See you've learned not to stand between Bucky and his popcorn."

I turned to see Sam in the doorway. "Hey, man."

"How was your trip?" he asked.

"It was good. Nice to see Natasha since it's been a while." I paused, looking around and hoping no one else could hear what I was about to say. "Did you make the appointment?"

Sam nodded. "Tomorrow morning at 10:30. Emery is coming with us. How soon are you gonna do this?"

"I'm still working it out. But it's always better to be prepared, right?"