Nightingale (Sequel to Solider Boy)

One

Sharon Carter breathed in the cool evening air as she watched the sun set, lighting up the Wakandan savannah and filling the sky with burning colors. Her time with S.H.I.E.L.D. had brought her all over the world, as did her current job with the counter-terrorism units, but she had to give it to Wankanda for having the most beautiful sunsets she'd ever seen.

"Mind if I join you?"  She looked up and saw Steve approaching, hands in his pockets and a shy grin on his face. 

"By all means," Sharon invited and Steve slid beside her, leaning against cool metal of the airship that was due to bring Sharon back to New York tomorrow morning. They were quiet for a moment, but Sharon didn't mind it. While she didn't mind idle chatter, she didn't dislike comfortable silence either and Steve was only one of two people she could share that with. However, with her time in Wakanda ticking away, she did have one thing she wanted to clear up first. "So, how'd things go today?"

"The same, sort of."

"Sort of?" Sharon repeated. "Did they have partial success with the removal this time?"

"No, it was another failure. Bucky took it harder this time though. He said he quit."

Sharon hung her head as she thought of the assassin. While she wasn't anywhere near as close to Bucky like she was to Steve, she did have a healthy respect for him. She wouldn't soon forget how the former Hydra agent had helped her keep watch over her best friend. 

"Of course," Steve continued, a steely tone in his voice. "That's not going to happen."

"We can't force him to do anything he doesn't want to do." Sharon said at once. "Whatever he does now, he needs to decide those things for himself." Having gone a lifetime without choices, Sharon could only guess at how important they were to him now. 

"We're not going to make him do anything," Steve agreed. "We're just going to change his mind."

Sharon had to smile at his confidence. "You make it sound so easy."

"It's not going to be easy," Steve replied with a shrug. "Just possible."

"What's your plan of attack?"

"Just talk to him."

That's not going to be enough, Sharon thought, but she didn't want to tell him that. Not yet anyways. With the situation being so fresh in his mind, she knew Steve would react emotionally rather than rationally. Sighing, she leaned against his shoulder, inhaling the smell of his favorite soap. "I'll help you however I can," she promised. 

"I'm not sure what you could do all the way from New York," Steve said with a slight frown. "But I'll welcome the help. Bucky can be stubborn when he wants to be." Sharon laughed and Steve turned his head at her. "What's so funny?"

"Just reminds me of some other people I know," Sharon said, still grinning.

"I am not that bad."

Sharon laughed again. "Actually, I wasn't thinking about you." Mel's face popped into her mind, her thin mouth set in an uncompromising line and her eyes blazing with a borderline insane passion. "Believe it or not, I know someone who might give  you a run for your money in the stubbornness department."  And I might be able to enlist her help in the whole reasoning with Bucky campaign. Sharon thought, the contribution dawning on her as the sun became a sliver over the horizon. She'd have to wait and let Steve try first, but if her instincts were right, perhaps calling in her genius friend, Doctor "Freezer" might be a good move.

"Come on," Steve said, grabbing her hand and distracting her momentarily from her plans. "Let's get inside, it'll be dark soon."  Sharon nodded, the wheels in her head still turning as she considered the new situation. Tomorrow, she told herself, tomorrow I'll think on it some more. For now, I just need to wait. 

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First chapter is up! Hope you all enjoyed! Thanks for reading! :)