Summary: Natasha doesn't mind helping fix the Accords, but when James finally recovers his memories in Wakanda, she doesn't waste a second going to find him.

A/N: Italics represent Russian

The Accords are a mess. Ever since Leipzig, Natasha's been moving back and forth between the States and wherever Steve's taken to hiding with Wanda and Sam. Sometimes she stops by Wakanda, but there's not much time between her unofficial role as an ambassador and also being on the run. She may get into the States without difficulty, but that doesn't mean General Ross doesn't have a warrant out for her immediate arrest.

Tony's trying his best and Natasha knows this, but it doesn't make it easier. He depends on her to catch any loopholes he might miss or sway the UN with her words (from behind the scenes, of course. She is supposed to be underground). She doesn't mind helping Tony, though. In fact, it's a good distraction. The only problem is that Steve needs her too.

Despite his time at SHIELD, Steve's not as experienced as she is when it comes to hiding from some of the world's most powerful governments. She has to give him pointers every so often just so he doesn't get himself (and Sam and Wanda) caught.

And then there's the matter of James. James, who is currently in cryo in Wakanda while they work on his mind.

Everything is a mess and Natasha isn't surprised, but she's also quickly becoming exhausted and she's not sure how much longer she'll hold up. When T'Challa finally calls to say James is awake, she wonders if he knows how perfect the timing is.

"Are you sure you can't stay another day?"

Tony's only asking because they're getting so close to finally fixing this whole mess and he's worried something will go wrong. He knows she wouldn't leave if it wasn't important, even if she won't tell him why she suddenly has to leave tonight instead of three days from now.

Natasha tries not to sigh. "Yes, Tony."

He raises an eyebrow at her and she knows she did a poor job at hiding her exhaustion.

"Steve or Barnes?"

If Tony is able to read her that easily, it's well past time to take a break. Usually, she's better at hiding things from him than that even if Steve and James are the only two other people taking up her time.

"He's awake," Natasha tells him softly. Despite himself, Tony smiles.

It had been shortly after her return to help fix the Accords that she told him about her history with James. He'd been surprisingly understanding, but she'd taken care not to talk about James any further. Whether it was to protect her own past or to avoid dragging up the pain of his parents' death, Natasha didn't bother to figure it out.

"Go see him then," he says just as softly. "Call when you get there."

As usual, he sends her away on one of his jets. Almost as soon as she's onboard, she calls Steve.

He picks up after one ring. "Are you on your way?"

"Leaving the Compound now," she tells him. "Will you be there when I arrive?"

"We're already here."

Natasha frowns. How long has James been awake? She had only just received T'Challa's message, but if Steve is in Wakanda already, it can only mean one of two things: they were about to get caught or T'Challa hadn't called her immediately.

"Are you all alright?" she asks, deciding to start with the first option. It doesn't twist her gut as much as the thought of being left out.

"I was recognized in Lucerne," Steve says. She can't help but feel a little relieved. "We made it out though."

"So much for lying low for two weeks," Natasha teases.

She can almost hear Steve rolling his eyes through the phone and after a brief conversation, they hang up.

* * * * *

The flight to Wakanda is long, but Natasha sleeps better than she has in a while. As soon as the jet touches down, she's out the door and heading straight to where she knows the cryo lab and Shuri are. With a little luck, James will also be there.

Now that she's in Wakanda, she takes a moment to send Tony a text. A call would take longer than she wants it to, but Wakanda has enough defenses to prevent Ross from tracing a text message back to her.

She's halfway to the lab before she runs into James. He's with Steve and the two of them are laughing quietly, but the image hits her with so much force that she stops in her tracks.

There's a part of her that's worried he'll be different. They hadn't talked much before his decision to go into cryo, but she knows that he knew her. At the time, he hadn't regained all of his memories and she'd been hoping maybe cryo would help fix that, but now she's worried about another thing.

James has his life back. He has Steve back. Sure, he still has his memories from Hydra and their shared history, but is that enough to convince him that she still deserves a spot in his life? There's a small, terrified part of her that's worried he'll try to stay away from her in hopes of further separating himself from that life.

Her fear is dispelled as soon as James's eyes land on her. She's still quite a ways away, but James leaves his conversation with Steve and is in front of her in a blink. Another blink and she's being pulled into his arms.

"Natalia," he breathes.

Her eyes feel wet and her arms wrap around him on their own accord. She hadn't thought that she'd cry, but apparently seeing James like this―healthy, happy―is a bit too much for her to handle in her tired state.

"Do you remember me, then?" She had intended for the question to be teasing, but she sounds too hopeful. James doesn't even blink when she slips into Russian.

"How could I not?" he replies. "You were the one good thing."

He holds onto her tighter and Natasha thinks she feels the first tear make its way down her face.

"Buck?"

Steve's voice pulls them apart, but James doesn't unwrap his arms from around her. Instead, he keeps her tucked against his side and turns to look at Steve. Not once does he turn away from her or make an attempt to let go of her and she's thankful for it.

Steve's giving them both a sly grin and Natasha knows―knows―he's going to give them both shit about this for days. When he sees the tears in her eyes, though, his expression shifts.

"You two really knew each other, huh?"

It's meant to be rhetoric, but Natasha still nods and swipes a hand under her eyes. James notices.

"Shit, doll," he mutters. He folds her impossibly closer and Natasha finds herself buried in his arms. "Don't cry on me."

"Who's crying? Natasha?"

And that's Wanda, which must mean that Shuri is nearby because when in Wakanda, the two of them are damn near inseparable. Sam is sure to be around too which means that in the span of a minute, four people will have seen her crying. It should be embarrassing, but she almost doesn't care.

"Guys. Give 'em some space."

By the time Natasha pulls her head off of James's chest, Steve has successfully guided Sam, Shuri, and Wanda away from them. They're alone for the time being.

"I really didn't think you'd cry," James mutters. His right hand reaches up to gently cup her face as he teasingly says, "I thought you'd be a bit happier."

"I am." She swallows thickly. "I'm really, really happy."

James presses a warm kiss to her temple and Natasha's eyes flutter closed as she adds, "I'm also really, really tired."

James chuckles. "Steve told me you've been playing advocate with Stark."

Natasha hums in confirmation.

"He said you've been working real hard." The accent slip makes Natasha smile. "You should rest, love."

"I'll rest later," she promises. Despite how comfortable she is in James's arms, she doesn't think she'd be able to sleep right now. "I only just got you back," she reminds him.

"We got all the time in the world, doll." He seals the promise with another kiss to her temple. "But I won't complain if you want to stick around."

She does and when she finally does take a break to rest, she sleeps for fourteen hours straight. James stays with her, though, and while she feels a little bad about keeping him from Steve, she's glad he's there.