Hellish (Steve Rogers Fan Fiction)

T h i r t y F o u r

"Are you sure this was her place?" Bucky glanced over to Natasha. "It feels too put together for her."

"I'm positive this is her apartment." Natasha closed the door to the apartment behind herself. "Don't touch anything. I just want to look around and leave before she gets back."

"Looks like she's moved on." He commented. The apartment was sparcly decorated and exceptionally clean.

"But she's staying in the city when she could go anywhere in the world she wants." Natasha shook her head. "She's giving him space—,"

"I don't like this, Romanoff. She obviously—,"

"You don't know her the way I do, Barnes." She cut him off, turning to face him. "I don't agree with a lot of what she's done but I understand why she did it. The girl lost her entire family and her father turned his back on her. He was the only person she trusted and the only one she had to turn to. She never fully trusted Steve because of her father."

"You can only blame so much on her shitty upbringing, Romanoff." Bucky shrugged his shoulders. "I bet you the only reason she's staying in the city is because she's still healing. I mean, it's only been three weeks."

"Whatever you say, Barnes." Natasha let out a heavy sigh and started opening drawers in the kitchen.

"Why the hell would she leave her windows open in October?" Bucky mumbled to himself as he glanced to the windows against one of the walls in the living room of the apartment. He turned away and began to shuffle through the magazines on an end table.

"Why do you still ask stupid questions when it comes to her?" Natasha closed the last drawer and looked up. She froze when she saw someone standing in the window sill in the living room.

"Should've known one of you would come snooping around." Alex sniffled and rubbed her nose with the back of her black jacket. There was a tan sweater underneath the jacket and she wore a pair of black jeans. She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jacket and looked between both Avengers.

"You look better than the last time we saw you." Natasha leaned against the back of the sofa.

"I still think you look like shit." Bucky shrugged his shoulders.

"What do you guys want?" Alex asked quietly. "I haven't done much but maybe snag a few wallets here and there but they deserved it."

"We just wanted to make sure you were okay, Alex." The Black Widow spoke. "You were in pretty bad condition when you left the Tower. You needed to be somewhere where people could help you."

"I'm fine by myself." She shrugged one shoulder. She chewed on her bottom lip and looked anywhere but at the two Avengers.

"Do you want to know how Steve is?" Bucky asked her. Alex's blue eyes flickered over to meet his. She said nothing but he didn't need her to. He already knew the answer. "Last I heard, he was okay."

"What do you mean?"

"He didn't come back to the Tower for a week and a half after he left the hospital. We haven't seen him since then."

"Why did he leave?" Alex quietly asked.

"He needed to think." Natasha answered. "I guess being in the Tower was too much for him."

"Where is he?"

"Not sure." She took a seat on the edge of the sofa. "He left his phone behind."

Alex took a deep breath, her hand clutching her ribcage. She squeezed her eyes shut briefly and moved to sit on the arm of the sofa.

"How've you been, Alex?"