Sam stared as the Bishop accepted Barnes's hand and he pulled her to her feet. Before she was even fully on her feet, she was dragging his lips down to hers and Sam rolled his eyes. God, he was beginning to think this whole thing had just been an elaborate scheme for Barnes to get his partner in crime back.

"Are you two about ready to head out?" he asked, interrupting them when it became clear they weren't intending to stop. "It has been a week and unlike you two, I have a real job."

It did the trick because Barnes pulled away from the Bishop with a roll of his eyes.

"We're not giving you the egg if that's what you want."

"What I want," Sam told him, "is to go home and have a nice hot shower and a hamburger. Do what you want with that goddamn egg, but get me a flight home."

"What do you say, doll?" Barnes hummed, glancing down at the Bishop. "Send him home then go to Egypt?"

"He knows your name, James," the Bishop reminded him, her eyes on Sam. "As soon as he gets back, he'll send a search party out."

"No," Sam told her, "I won't. I won't tell a soul about him or you and your ridiculous "Natalie, Natalia, Nata-whatever" aliases."

He'd heard what Barnes had called her before they went careening over a cliff and he doubted 'Natalie' had been a one-time alias. If he pulled a little more at either of those threads, he knew he'd come close to figuring out who the Bishop really was. However, he was willing to overlook everything he knew about both of them.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "In exchange for what?"

"Who are you taking those eggs to?" Sam asked, jutting his chin in the direction of Barnes's backpack. "Barnes said it was an American diplomat, yeah? You give me his name and I'll let you get your six million dollars before busting his ass."

It was clear that the Bishop―he still wasn't exactly sure what her real name was or if Barnes had just been making something up on the spot―wasn't sold on the idea. By the time they made it out of the forest and to the airport where their small escape plane was waiting, though, she was on board. By extension, Barnes was too.

"I better not see you again," Sam told them as they exited the plane. "Not that this wasn't a stellar trip―" It was not. "―but I'll have to put your asses in prison if I do."

The Bishop laughed, still tucked under Barnes's arm as if they hadn't been at each other's throats only an hour earlier.

"You couldn't put us in prison, darling," she said with a smile. "We'll stay out of your hair nonetheless."

Barnes merely grinned in agreement and after making sure Sam had a complete trip back home, they parted ways.

* * * * *

Egypt was just like it had always been, in Bucky's opinion. Hot and humid, but not completely unbearable in the evening. Natalia, naturally, disagreed. From the moment they stepped out of the airport, she had a headscarf wrapped around her head and a frown on her face.

"I don't do well in the sun, Yasha," she grumbled when he teased her about it. "I'm Russian. This is the opposite of where I should be."

Fortunately, Senator Rumlow had agreed to meet them shortly before sundown which meant they could hide from the most oppressive heat of the day.

Once all three eggs were handed over and the money had been confirmed in Natalia's account, they were technically dismissed. However, not wanting to miss a good show―and since the temperature had only just then started to become bearable―they stayed.

Tucked away in a balcony corner, Bucky and Natalia watched as Senator Rumlow proudly announced his gift to his fiancée: all three of Cleopatra's golden eggs. Trumpets sounded and below them, a door opened. The eggs had been placed in a fancier box than the crate that they had brought them in, but that had been expected. Bucky had warned Wilson of such.

Whispers spread through the ceremony hall as the box was carried over to where the Senator waited proudly. As the box was opened, however, the room fell silent and everyone held their breaths. At his side, Natalia muffled a snort.

"Behold, for the first time in a millennium," Senator Rumlow announced, "all three of Cleopatra's eggs."

The three eggs glowed in the candlelight and the whispers erupted again in full force. Bucky watched as the Senator's fiancée moved forward to admire the eggs and the crowd all took a step forward in hopes of getting closer.

"All for you, my darling―"

"Attention!" The sound system in the hall crackled and a familiar voice echoed through the speakers. "This is an Interpol police action. Remain where you are and this will be over shortly."

The awed whispers quickly morphed into panicked murmurs as a small army of Interpol agents flooded the room below where Bucky and Natalia stood. At the front of the group was Agent Wilson and at his side, Steve gestured towards the box with the eggs.

From the balcony and hidden by the shadows, Bucky watched as Steve secured the eggs and Agent Wilson handcuffed Senator Rumlow. The guests' protests grew louder and before Steve's eyes could drift up to the balcony, Bucky offered his arm to Natalia and they left the hall.

Their job there was done. Next, it was on to France for slightly bigger things.

A/N: And that's it! I hope you've liked this little Red Notice-inspired rewrite. I tried to incorporate the whole "Bucky and Natasha had a past together" idea with the current plotline, but I hope you all enjoyed it!