A Heart Break In Time

Um... I'm About To Hit You In The Head With A Peanut Butter Sandwich.

She let go of my hand and it's like the world stopped. I held my arms out, bracing myself against the wall to my left. "Woah..."

"Talia?" Steve was instantly holding me up. "Are you okay?"

"Sorry, I-sorry. I didn't mean to..." Maria tensed up, backing into the corner.

"I'm fine, it's fine. You didn't hurt me. It was just... odd. Are you okay?"

"Yes. Thank you... for trusting me." She replied hesitantly.

Sam walked in with two water bottles and two small cups with pills. "Hey, here you go." He handed me the water and the cup and then turned to Maria. He was far enough away that she would have to move towards him to get them, but he held the cup and bottle out for her. "It's Advil."

I opened my water bottle and took a sip before grabbing the cup from Sam. I put those pills in my mouth and handed the cup Sam gave me earlier to Maria. I took a big gulp of my water bottle and then held that out as well. "Bruce gave both those things to me, so you know it's safe."

Maria gave the smallest hint of a smile before she took them from me. She took the pills and then finished the water bottle. She looked up at me after and I realized, I have no idea when she last ate or drank anything.

"Do you want more water?" I asked. Maria just nodded so I took the other bottle from Bruce, drank a small sip and then handed that to Sam as well. She finished that one just as quickly. "Are you hungry?"

"I-I don't know." She replied, I remembered this from Wanda. Once your body is in starvation mode long enough, you don't feel hungry anymore. It took Wanda a while before she understood her bodies cues again.

"Okay, how about we start small? I'll get Angel in to make sure you're not allergic to anything, and then we'll find something for you to eat." Maria nodded so I turned around. "Wanda, Rhodey. Can you go get Angel? The rest of them can come with her. Sam, go check on the lab for me please." I didn't want Sam to have to be here for Angel's family reunion. He didn't need to have to deal with that.

They all agreed and went their separate ways. "Do you mind if Steve and I sit?" I asked Maria. She shook her head and sat down on the floor. Steve and I sat on the cot. It felt... weird being this close to him. Our legs touched and he had his arm behind me, not wrapped around me. Just leaning on the cot but it had been so long since he and I had been like this. And Bucky... I felt guilty. I didn't want to be doing this right now.

"He's important to you?" Maria spoke.

"Hm?"

"Forgive me, I shouldn't have said anything." She looked at the ground again, looking guilty.

"No." I sat up. "Go on. I assume you mean Bucky?" Steve tensed up next to me. I wasn't sure if it was Bucky being mentioned because of Hydra, or Bucky being mentioned because of me. Either way.

"I knew of him. The Winter Soldier. You love him. You both do. Even though what he's done." Maria said, she didn't understand, but she wasn't questioning it either.

Steve decided to answer. "It wasn't him. It was them. They forced him to do all of it. He, Bucky, would never do any of that." There was a brief pause. "I don't think you would have done any of it either."

"I don't know." She said, her eyes were filling with tears, with guilt. I remembered this all too well.

"You're not responsible for what they did. Once we get Bucky back... he'll be able to help you with this a lot better than us."

Just then, FRIDAY spoke. "Sorry to interrupt, we have news in the lab and your presence is being requested Miss Aimilios, Mr. Rogers." Maria jumped up, looking terrified.

"It's okay. That's FRIDAY, she's an AI. Basically, a computer. She runs pretty much everything." I reassured her before turning to Steve. "You go, I'll wait for them to get back."

"I'm not leaving you." Steve whispered back.

I rolled my eyes and turned to Maria. "Men. So dramatic." The corner of her mouth turned up into a small smile.

Angel came running in the room and wrapped her arms around Maria, she was crying. She was talking but I couldn't understand her. Steve and I stood up and saw Eva and Kai coming through the doorway, with Rhodey and Wanda standing outside behind them.

"Hey, we're needed for something in the lab. I'm going to lock this door after we leave, but FRIDAY works in here too so if you need anything, let me know." I said, avoiding eye contact with any of them as Steve and I walked out.

Angel walked up to me. "Talia, wait." I turned and she grabbed my arm. "Thank you. For Maria. For what you showed her."

So many things rushed through my head. I didn't do it for you. But did I? I trusted her, I cared for her. And she cared for us too. But she was a spy.

But once upon a time, so was I.

I looked at Clint, the man who decided to trust Natasha and I.

The man who saved our lives.