We Can't Go Back

If You Leave, I Will Follow

She thought it wouldn't take long for him to track her back down but days turned to weeks and soon it was a month. She thought that memory would trigger everything but she didn't even know what he remembered. Him calling her 'Ellie' in response to 'Jaime' might have been a subconscious instinct.

Still, everyday she felt him move away from the city more and more. Her only hope is that he is moving a lot slower than a person on the run should be.

She is once again thinking of their brief interaction when Nat knocks her on her ass again.

"You're distracted," Nat said as she helped Lizzie to her feet.

"Sorry," Lizzie muttered.

It's of course true. Natasha now ended up on the floor just as often if not more than Lizzie now that she had a handle on the teleportation. It was only Natasha's sharp instincts that kept her from losing all the time. Plus, Lizzie still couldn't manage to teleport if someone had a hold on her. Natasha knew to try to hold her in a grapple if she could.

Steve lost now most times they fought and Tony won't fight her anymore. He was a sore loser.

Still, today, she hadn't managed to knock down Natasha once which hadn't happened since she began using her powers.

"Barnes?" She guessed.

No one knew about her meet up with Bucky or her ability to track the people she knew instantly. She didn't know why she hid it from them but she wanted to keep him to herself. As far as Natasha knew, she was frustrated for her and Steve's inability to find him.

"I don't want to talk about him," Lizzie said through gritted teeth.

Natasha paused. Lizzie knew Natasha was working her way up to saying something unpleasant. Her mouth opened and closed, unsure of how to phrase her words.

"Even if you find him... you know he won't be the man you knew," she said hesitantly.

She tried to hold back her anger. Natasha didn't understand how Jaime and her worked. There was nothing they haven't overcome. Bucky is one of the strongest people she knew and he would get through this. She had to believe that.

"You're right. He'll be different but so will I," Lizzie said.

And Natasha knew the conversation was over but she had seen The Winter Soldier in action three times now and she didn't see a hint of the man that Lizzie and Steve talked about. She wanted to save them the heartbreak of figuring that out but they would have to figure that out on their own.

"Well, focus then," Natasha demanded.

Later, Lizzie was working in her office/lab at home when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Lizzie said without looking up from the screen.

Steve leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed across his chest.

"What are you working on?" He asked.

"Improving Stark's security."

She was so engrossed in her work that it took her a little too long to realize that Steve was still in the room and silently watching her. The expression on his face gave her pause.

"Steve?" She questioned as she shut her laptop.

"You already found him," Steve said sadly.

She opened and closed her mouth a few times. She didn't know what to say. She knew how badly Steve wanted to find him and she hated hurting him. She hated keeping secrets from him but Steve didn't really understand that Bucky needed space. If Steve confronted Bucky, he would push too hard and they'd possibly lose him forever.