Hellish (Steve Rogers Fan Fiction)

T h i r t y E i g h t

"Has she woken up yet?"

"No." Natasha glanced over to the Red Dahlia, who was laying across the only bed in the motel room. "But good news is she's breathing again."

"Again?"

"You don't have to worry about her, Steve."

"Can we go over the plan one more time?"

"Of course." Natasha went to stand in the window and look out to the street below. "Barnes and Sam are going to stay here with her. I have to leave just for a few hours to get the file to Agent Taylor and then Barnes and Sam will meet me and Stark at JFK where Stark is going to provide us with a jet to get Alex to London. Then later on tonight, Stark is going to fly you to London."

"Shouldn't she be awake by now?"

Natasha looked over her shoulder just in time to see the woman cough harshly and open her eyes.

"She'll be okay, Steve. I have to go." She hung up.

"Where the hell am I?" Alex brought her hand up to rub her eyes.

"Still in New York." Sam answered from his place at the small table in the room. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a truck."

"That's a little dramatic." Bucky commented under his breath.

"I've been hit by a truck before. This feels like that." Alex pushed herself into a sitting position. "Where's Steve?"

"He'll meet up with you in London." Natasha picked up her coat from the edge of the bed Alex was on. "I have to go. You guys keep her in this room no matter what."

"Yes, ma'am." Sam nodded his head while Bucky rolled his eyes.

"What happened?" Alex quietly asked, her eyes falling to Sam.

"There was no way we were going to sit by and watch you get life in prison, girl." He shook his head with a smile. "We take care of our own."

"Even when they don't deserve it." Bucky muttered. Sam rolled his eyes at the brunet.

"How is he?"

"Doing pretty good handling all the stress he's under right now." Bucky leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "You know he really thinks you're going to marry him." Alex was silent for a few moments, her brows furrowing together softly.

"He told you?"

"Of course he did, Alex, and his eyes lit up 'cause he actually believed you."

"I was and still am a hundred percent serious about it, Bucky." She whispered. "I-I have no one left. He's all I have."

"But you keep treating him like he's disposable, Alex. That's what is wrong with you. You treat everyone around you like they're just pawns in your little game."

"I kind of agree with Barnes on this one, Alex." Sam leaned forward in his seat to rest his elbows on his knees. "You gotta stop treating Steve like he's nothing to you, like his feelings mean nothing. You make stupid, reckless decisions without even thinking about how they will effect him. He loves you, kid."

"And it's stupid of him to." She spoke quietly. "But I'm.... I'm ready to change my ways. For him."

"I swear, kid, if you hurt him one more time, I'm going to kill you myself." Bucky muttered under his breath as he stood up and left the room.

"Don't mind him." Sam sighed out. "He's just mad Romanoff put him on babysitting duty."

----

Hours later, Alex found herself in a rather expensive hotel in London. She stood by the window, looking out over the city below. She was anxious to see Steve. A knock on the door made her jump. She turned around just as the door was opening. Steve closed it behind himself. His duffle bag was dropped by the door. A soft smile crossed Alex's lips at the sight of the Captain America.

"I'm finally free." She whispered to him. Her eyes met his and she let out a soft breath. A weight seemed to lift from her chest as he nodded his head. His own smile made her inside twist but in a good way. She crossed the room in a few quick strides. Her body collided with his, her arms wrapping securely around his neck and her legs found their way around his waist. His hands latched on to her upper thighs, supporting her weight. Though she was still healing from her near-death experience with Thaddeus Jakande, she ignored the pain and chose to hold him close.

"There's still a lot of work to be done." He reminded her. She pulled back and nodded her head. Steve smiled softly as he looked over her features. "We're finally here."

"I'm so sorry for everything." She dipped her head down to catch his lips. Steve placed her on her feet but never broke the kiss. His hands gripped her hips, holding her close to him. A knock on the door brought them out of their little moment. Steve turned towards the door. One hand remained on Alex's hip to make sure she stayed behind him. "It's just Sam, Nat, and Barnes." She assured him, slipping around the Captain and moving towards the door.

The three quickly slipped into the hotel room. Natasha pulled a manila envelope out of her jacket. She passed it to Alex.

"In this folder is your new identity." The Widow explained. "While most of your aliases were burned, I managed to keep one. Alexandra King."

"She's one of my favorites." Alex smiled softly. Her eyes were glued to the envelope.

"Alexandra is an art curator in Bucharest."

Steve's eyes widened as he looked to the Black Widow.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"It is." Alex nodded her head softly, lifted her gaze to meet his. "I know art. I like it. If I have to have a normal person job for the rest of my life, that's what I would want to do."

"That's what I was thinking." Natasha smiled softly. "Here are the three one-way tickets to Bucharest. The flight leaves in two hours." She pulled the tickets out of her jacket and handed them to Steve. "Inside that folder is an address to an apartment Stark purchased for you guys."

"Three tickets?" Alex repeated, furrowing her brows together. She wasn't aware that anyone else would be leaving with her and Steve. A solemn look came over his features as he lifted his head up. He was looking across the room to his two closest friends, the Falcon and Winter Soldier.

"It's for Bucky." He explained quietly. "The bigger our group is, the more likely we are to draw attention-,"

"You don't have to explain it to me, Captain." Sam cut him off with a little smile. "I understand. You gotta keep his ass out of trouble. I'm gonna miss you guys." He moved to hug Steve and then Alex.

"I'll miss you too, Sam." Alex hugged him tightly. Sam turned around to Bucky, who shook his head.

"Come on, Barnes."

Bucky rolled his eyes and sighed heavily.

"I'm gonna miss you too, even though you're a pain in my ass." Sam patted his back.

"Shut up." Bucky muttered. Alex found Natasha's gaze.

"Thank you for everything." She nodded her head once to the Black Widow. Natasha watched as Steve picked up his duffle bag and held his hand out for Alex.

"I'll keep in touch." Steve told Natasha.

"You better." The Widow smiled softly as she watched the two disappear through the door. Bucky stuffed his hands into his pockets and followed them.

"You think they'll be okay in their own?" Sam looked over to Natasha.

"Yeah, they'll be just fine."