Winter's Widow

Chapter 4: Welcome to New York

I remembered a flash of light. For a moment, all I could see was a brilliant, shining blue. Then a flash of light so bright that it was painful. Followed by nothing but blackness.

"Over here!" The voice above me was entirely too loud. I frowned, moving my head back and forth cautiously, trying to raise my hand to cover my eyes. "Hey Agent, you're hurt – it's okay." I squeezed my eyes shut again and then forced them back open to find the blurry outline of a woman hovering above me.

"What happened?" I grumbled. I tried to lift myself up to a sitting position but immediately fell back to the floor.

"Hey, take it easy Agent." I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was gentle, but also firm. The hand moved my chin to one side, then the other, looking for visible injuries. I tried to speak between the fingers that were squeezing my cheeks together.

"Wha appen?" The woman's face came into sharp focus suddenly as she frowned.

"What?" I pointed to her hands, which were still squeezing my cheeks unnaturally firmly. She let go suddenly, and it looked like she was blushing. "Sorry," she mumbled. I tried to sit up again, and this time she put a hand on my back, helping to support me and help me sit. A wave of pain suddenly rushed through me now that part of me was upright, and I gasped. As it hit full on, the lights around us began to flicker. I looked up at the ceiling, staring at the blinking lights, confused.

"What's that about?" I asked, genuinely curious. The woman paused before answering. I turned my attention back to her, noticing the look of compassion on her face.

"You don't know?" Her voice was soft this time, like she was preparing to give me bad news. I took a deep breath, promising myself that I'd be brave.

"Know what?" I sounded much more confident than I felt. The woman smiled at me.

"I think it's you, Sparky." Her voice was gentle and teasing and I felt myself instantly relaxing before the full weight of what she said hit home. I jerked upright again with another sharp jolt of pain.

"What?" She smiled, grabbing my shoulders and helping me to my feet when she realized that I was going to do it with or without her help.

"Come with me, Sparky. I'll get you to some people that can help." I glanced around the room, the lights finally having stabilized. I shrugged. I didn't have anything else to do.

...

Yelena's eyes started to roam around more frequently as we sped onto the New York City streets. I guided her by points and nudges towards Manhattan – midtown specifically. I gestured to a parking spot on 39th street. I slid off of the bike, grabbing her shoulder to steady myself when I nearly slipped. Yelena gasped, looked down at my hand and then looked away. "Sorry," I mumbled. She shook it off.

"Where are we?" She looked around, unable to keep the awed expression of her face. I smiled. It was the reaction a lot of people had to New York when they saw it for the first time.

"Manhattan. Midtown." I gestured towards the street sign for 39th. "When the Chitauri invaded with Loki, Steve set the perimeter all the way down to here even though the real firefight was closer to Grand Central Terminal. Yelena nodded her head, glancing around.

"You fought with Natasha here?" She asked, falling into step beside me as I rounded the corner, heading towards the terminal.

"Not exactly," I smiled, remembering the day I first met the redhead. May 4, 2012. I explained the gist, minus a few details as we walked. Every once in a awhile, I would point out a piece of missing plaster, or a building that hadn't quite finished repairs yet. Yelena nodded along. She stopped in her tracks when we approached a hot dog cart. "Are you hungry?" I asked. Yelena scoffed, but kept staring. I reached around her, ordering two simple dogs, handing over my cash and gesturing for the vendor to keep the change. The entire time Yelena watched me slowly trying to take in what I was doing. I started walking again and she followed, and I offered one of the dogs to her.

"What is this?" She asked suspiciously. I grinned.

"Just eat it." She shrugged, unwrapping the paper and taking a bite. I grinned even wider, wiping stray mustard off of the side of my mouth as her eyes widened in surprise and something that even slightly resembled delight.

"This is good," she mumbled around a mouthful of food. I giggled.

"Welcome to New York." She rolled her eyes at me. As we passed the bank, I pointed it out to her. "That's where they found me.  I was stationed here trying to help get people out." She walked closer to the building, examining it closely.

"There were hostages?" I nodded. "And Captain America saved them." I nodded, affirming her information. We continued walking towards Grand Central, and I pointed out to the former Stark Tower in the distance. Stark sold this after the Sokovian Accords split the team temporarily. But I bet I can get us a closer look. She raised her eyebrows, but continued to follow my lead. As we walked into the lobby, Yelena's mouth gaped open again. I approached the front desk smiling.

"Agent Winter, so nice to see you again!" The man behind the front desk rose to his feet, greeting me with a hearty handshake.

"Hey Phil, how are you doing? How are the kids?" He launched into a dad-boast about his two rugrats, and Yelena approached the counter impatiently. Before she could speak, I lightly gripped her wrist, stopping her. When Phil paused to catch his breath, I smoothly transitioned the conversation. "Phil, this is Agent Romanoff's sister Yelena. I was hoping I could show her around." Yelena scowled as I introduced her. Some things about former spy life never really went away completely. Phil nodded vigorously, handing over an access badge.

"Of course, Agent Winter, you know the way." I grinned, accepting the badge graciously, gesturing for Yelena to lead the way towards the elevators. She rolled her eyes but complied.

"Aren't we popular?" She asked. I glanced at her sideways out of the corner of my eye. Was Yelena Belova actually teasing me? I smirked. This may be easier than I thought.