By the time the two of you got back to your hotel, it was later that evening and a couple of uninvited guests had shown up.
You couldn't believe your eyes, but the closer you got, the more real it became, and you found yourself running towards them. You immediately tackled one into a hug, reaching out for the other one as well and laughing as they were all smiles.
"Sorry to crash," Bucky winced with a more guilty looking smile, "We just had to see you."
"I've missed you guys." You beamed, letting Sam go after Bucky broke away, and Steve stood back with a look of disappointment, the eyebrows giving him away.
"Boy, did we miss you too." Sam smiled with shiny eyes and then nodded to the captain.
"Come in, come in," You chuckled, gesturing them to follow you, and then the man at reception eyed you with your three new huge friends, so you smiled and told him, "Ils ne les font pas comme ca en France, n'est-ce pas?" With a wink and he chuckled, shaking his head.
The four of you soon piled into the hotel suite and it's a good thing you had a taste for bigger rooms, or they wouldn't have fit.
"No wonder the punk can't convince you to come back home." Bucky whistled, admiring the room and Sam chuckled in agreement, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Who says he hasn't?" You smirked and Steve raised his eyebrows before grinning smugly at the other two.
They plopped down across from you on one of the couches and you sat snuggled in Steve's lap. They caught you up on everything that's been going on and you filled them in on the dirty details of how you managed to fake your death. They clearly had their own theories since now and then they made faces of realizations or mumbled, 'why didn't I think of that?' because you had a feeling they never planned on faking their own before.
But the true question was still up in the air and you wanted to go back with them, you missed them terribly, this only being more proven with their visit, but you were torn. If you went back, it not only meant a life lived in fear of your life and all theirs, but it meant you would be SHIELD's puppet again. A life lived with a collar around your ankle and an invisible leash keeping you tethered to their organization that has betrayed you before.
"So, you'll come back?" Bucky finally asked when the conversation stalled for a moment.
"Buck." Steve warned when he felt you tense against him, leaning back on his chest.
"I miss you guys, I do," You told them honestly and their smiles were soft, "But I don't think I can. Not with how I left everything."
"The entire Keller family was charged, they're in jail." Sam reminded you.
"I know," You nodded with a small smile, "I've been keeping up," But then your face fell when you added, "And I've worked with them before. You guys have Hydra, I have the Kellers."
"Cut off one head..." Bucky started only for Sam to finish,
"Two more grow in its place."
Steve kissed the back of your shoulder gently, just reminding you he was there, and you were safe.
"I do miss our runs though." You smirked and Sam smiled with soft eyes.
"Hey," He shrugged, "I've got some time, we could go for one."
"Oh, I was only bluffing," You laughed, and they joined you, "But are you guys staying long?"
"The day." Bucky told you shortly and you noticed he was growing frustrated.
"We sort of um..." Sam trailed off when he realized you noticed Bucky's expression, "We're sort of just here to get you."
"I'm sorry?" You furrowed your eyebrows.
"Steve," Sam gestured to the soldier behind you, "Fury wanted your location and I'm sorry, but we can only cover for so long."
"It's been fifteen hours." Steve snapped and Sam put his hands out.
"They know you're here?" You asked in a panic, getting up, and going to close the terrace doors.
"Not yet," Bucky told you, his tone calmer than you expected, "If we bring Steve back, there'll only be suspicion about where he had gone and why, but he won't have to answer for it."
You let out a deep sigh and they all stood to look at you, waiting for some type of way out of all this.
"Guess we were never going to get our vacation, huh?" You smiled sadly up at the blonde and he pursed his lips.
"We'll uh," Bucky cleared his throat, gesturing towards the door and eyeing Sam, "We'll give you guys some time to say goodbye."
You went over to the other two and grabbed them in hugs, making them chuckle against you, but then their faces fell when you broke away, knowing it'd be a long time before they saw you again.
"New York misses you." Sam said with a sad smile and you nodded.
"I miss it too."
"France is nice," Bucky thought out loud with a knowing smile, "Missions sometimes take us to Europe, might stop by here again."
"I'll make sure to have some tea ready for when you come."
"You mean beer," Bucky scrunched his eyebrows and when you only laughed, he looked to Sam in a slight panic, pointing at you as he shuffled him out, "She did mean beer, right?"
The door closed and you could hear them starting to bicker, not envious of being on that ride back, but then you spun to face the blonde.
"I can't leave you."
"Steve-"
"No!" He shouted, growing angrier by the second as he realized, "I know you, sweetheart," He sighed, just the sight of you standing there was enough to calm him, but his anger was still rising in his chest and he needed to get this out, "I know the second I walk out that door, you'll leave this country and start over again," You both knew he was probably right, but you didn't have a choice now that word could get out and that possibility rose with every moment you both stood here, "Doll, you can't expect me to leave here without you. You just can't."
You stood there, a complete blank on what to say, because not only was he right, but this was one of those times where you were actually at a loss for how to fix everything and it was annoying as hell. But then you remembered something, your eyebrows raising as your finger did and he looked at you quizzically as you brushed by him.
"Here," You rummaged through one of your bags and pulled out a phone, handing it to him, "It's a burner with my number programmed in it already," He took it from you gingerly as you continued, "No matter where I end up in the world, that number will work, and I'll always answer for you."
He nodded with a tight-lipped smile, keeping his eyes on the device in his hand.
"It's not enough."
"I mean, it's not an iPhone, but those things are terrible for-"
He cut you off when he grabbed you into a kiss, smashing his lips against yours, and you kissed him back just as fiercely, both of you knowing that's not what he meant. He sighed deeply, trying to memorize your taste and this feeling because he knew it'd be a while before he saw you again, and even then, it was up in the air. He eventually broke away to bump his forehead against yours, his eyes still shut with his eyebrows scrunched and you willed yourself not to cry when you saw his pained face. You ran your fingers across his cheek tenderly and he leaned into your touch which melted your heart, making this all harder before he whispered a soft,
"I love you."
And that's all it took for the dam to break, your tears falling down your face as you whispered back a shaky,
"I love you too, darling."
