An Impervious Few // KateLena Apocalypse AU

Epilogue

After a mild few weeks spent lazing by the creek, the swelling in Kate's knee had gone down enough to travel. Seeing as the fabled town Wanda and Natasha searched for was a months-long journey north, Yelena suggested they go visit a few old friends. Kate enthusiastically agreed, and at the mention of fresh grown food and a working shower, the others quickly assented as well.

The journey was unexpectedly easy, pace leisurely. With no imminent threats- no horde, no Widows, no Eleanor, there was no urgency, and the couples were allowed a rather healing traipse through southern Appalachia.

Yelena and Natasha walked together for much of the first half as they caught up, ribbing and joking like they used to. Natasha told her of how she almost lost a toe to a snapping turtle; Yelena regaled her with tales of their diner escape. Any lingering awkwardness and resentment dissipated as Natasha walked with her arm around her sister, each step a renewal of her promise to never leave her again.

Several tens of miles later, as Kate entered the storied blueberry grove, she broke into a dead sprint, evidence of how well her knee had mended this time around. Yelena soon followed, bags swinging wildly as she all but rolled down the hill to the farmstead's front door.

Steve sat confusedly on the front porch, pausing his carving of an ornate rocking chair. At the commotion, Kate's laughter and Yelena yelling at her to slow down, Bucky poked his head out the front door, a rare smile breaking onto his face.

"The strays came home, Stevie?" Bucky asked, helping his husband to his feet.

Steve laughed, spotting the more hesitant women a few hundred feet behind. "And they brought a few more."

"Good, we got the room," Bucky whispered, kissing Steve before helping a giddy Kate with her pack.

Though the stop was unannounced, it could not have felt more natural. Bucky and Steve took quickly to the new arrivals, appreciating the help, while the women were immensely grateful for a place to finally rest. Natasha had not slept under a stable roof for two years, Wanda even longer, and they set their bags down carefully, cautiously, not yet unpacking, habits from the road that were not easily abandoned.

Yelena, at first worried that Natasha would bristle at the idea of quaint farm life, once again constricted and confined, was relieved to find her sister comfortable, at least for the moment. Yelena saw the way Natasha walked Wanda through the rose garden, helped her set up their bedroom, and felt her heart quiet.

Still, Natasha had her moments. On one occasion, whilst feeding the ducklings fresh strawberries at a nearby pond, Yelena caught a glimmer of want in her sister's eyes as she gazed over the water. It was a look of yearning, the ache of missing the open road.

"Are you okay?" Yelena asked, arms crossed, standing behind Natasha as she knelt at the bank.

"What?" Natasha asked, looking over her shoulder. She tossed another strawberry in the placid pond. "Why?"

"You just... you look like you miss it."

Natasha sighed, not even having to ask her meaning. "Do you want the truth?"

"Yes."

"Sometimes I do. Sometimes I miss just being out there with Wanda, sleeping under the stars, fighting for everything we have..." she shook her head, tone light. "But I've had my fill. As much as I miss that... when I was out there, I missed you more. You're all the matters. You, Wanda," she threw another piece, "and these ducks."