Natasha ended up spending the entire day inside either sleeping or sitting by the fire Steve kept warm. As Natasha was in no state to go trudging through the forest (much to her chagrin), Sam and Wanda were sent out to check the traps and get more firewood.

At some point, the sun went down and they ate dinner, but it was all a blur to Natasha. Sitting on a stump in front of the fire, she hardly noticed as Sam and Wanda argued over a game of tic tac toe or when Steve nudged her.

"You should go to bed," he said from his spot beside her. 

She blinked before turning to look at him.

Steve wouldn't have had to spend the day with her to know she was sick at this point. Despite her insistence that she was fine, her face was pale and she hadn't had the energy to do much more than sit or sleep.

"I'm fine," she said quietly, looking back at the fire.

Steve sighed and stood up.  He offered her his hand but she just stared at it.

"Nat, you're never gonna get better if you don't go to sleep," he told her. 

Slowly, she put her hand in his and let him pull her to her feet. He guided her across the short space of their shelter and behind the bedroom curtain. Almost immediately she fell onto the bed and buried her face in the tattered mattress. Once certain she was fine, Steve left her alone and joined Wanda and Sam around the fire.

* * * * *

Wanda woke up to a horrible pounding in her head. With a groan, she brought a hand to her head, trying to stop the headache before realising it wasn't a headache at all. Distorted images flashed through her mind and while she couldn't make them out, she knew it was a nightmare. It was not her own, though.

Taking a shaky breath, she looked across the dark room towards the boys on the opposite bed. They were both sleeping peacefully, though, so she turned to Natasha.

"Nat," Wanda whispered urgently.

Natasha flinched away from her and she shifted on the bed, gasping softly but not waking. Wanda didn't want to shake her awake, all too aware of the fact that Natasha could very well attack her if she did. Deciding to try again, Wanda leaned forward and whispered her name. It did nothing.

Wanda was about to risk shaking her awake when she suddenly went rigid. There was a rapid flash of images that shot across Wanda's mind, giving her such a bad headache that her vision blurred. Beside her, Natasha stopped breathing.

"Natasha?" Wanda asked weakly, not whispering this time. 

As if Wanda's voice had triggered something in her, Natasha screamed.

Wanda jumped and Natasha's eyes flew open. On the other bed, Steve and Sam both shot up and looked around the room with wide eyes.

"What―"

Steve's question was interrupted as Natasha gasped and coughed. Wanda didn't move as Natasha pushed herself off the bed and dug her nails into her scalp. Without so much as a glance in their direction, Natasha moved to the corner of the room with her head still in her hands.

"What happened?" Sam asked as Steve jumped to his feet.

"She had a nightmare."

Wanda and Sam watched in silence as Steve approached Natasha.

With her back pressed into the corner, Natasha was breathing heavily and still not looking up. When he reached for her, Steve half expected her to hit him but she didn't.

"You're okay, Nat," he murmured, pulling her away from the wall and into his arms.

She leaned into him and dropped her head to his shoulder. He pulled her hands away from her face, wrapping his other arm around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry," Wanda whispered, from behind him. "I should have woken you up sooner."

Pulling away slightly, Natasha shook her head and looked up at Wanda.

"It's not your fault," she murmured. "I'm sorry I woke you up."

"It's fine," Steve assured her. Sam was quick to nod in agreement. "We all have them."

Natasha pursed her lips and leaned back into Steve's touch. 

"Can we push the beds together?" Wanda asked after a moment. 

Steve looked up at her but Natasha did not. With a quick glance at Natasha, he nodded.

While Wanda was the only one to ever ask, they ended up pushing the beds together more often than not. The only reason they ever pulled them apart was that leaving them pushed together was only a reminder of the nightmares they often had.

As Sam helped Wanda push the beds together, Steve dropped his chin to Natasha's head and asked, "Think you can go back to sleep?"

She shook her head. "No, but it's alright."

She'd lie down, at the very least, which was enough for Steve at the moment.

With the beds now pushed together to make one larger bed, Natasha and Steve crossed the room to rejoin Sam and Wanda. Wanda shifted closest to the wall, more than happy to be stuck between it and Natasha. Natasha and Steve took the middle, leaving Sam on the edge of the bed.

It was only a matter of time before Sam and Wanda drifted off to sleep. Steve and Natasha, on the other hand, remained wide awake but quiet. 

"Nat?" Steve whispered, barely audible. Her eyes flickered up to his. "Go to sleep."

"Can't." Wanda shifted beside her and Natasha pressed closer to Steve. "I'll be fine, but you should get some rest, soldier."

"I'm fine just how I am," Steve argued.

She let out a breath Steve supposed was equal to a laugh and he smiled. Without having to move hardly at all, he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. Although still tense, Natasha relaxed ever so slightly. Even if they spent the rest of the night staring into the dark, at least they were safe.