[ xxii. twenty-two ! ]
❛ 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙱𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙺 𝙾𝚄𝚃  ❜

❝She had you back, too❞

    𝐀 𝐅𝐄𝐖 𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 Anastasija sat in the front row of a big church, next to Sam and Juliet, dressed in a complete black dress. Her blonde hair was opened and fell into her face as she watched silently how Steve carried Peggy Carter's coffin forward together with three other men.

His eyes were red and puffy from crying but when Ana wanted to talk about it he didn't wanted to, so the woman decided to just let the topic be.

The ceremony had been beautiful and the Speech from Sharon Carter was lovely and inspiring. Ana didn't knew that Peggy had been her Aunt and was pretty surprised when Sharon mentioned it in her speech.

After the ceremony all people left the church and so had Ana, but as she stood outside with Sam and Juliet she quickly realised that Steve was nowhere to be seen.

The woman worried about him, Peggy had been his first love and she knew that they had a connection to the very end. Ana could only imagine what grief he must feel.

Ana excused herself from her friends and quickly went back into the church, searching for Steve who still stood in the middle of the big hall.

As he heard her approche the man turned around towards the russian. He exhaled deeply and Ana finally arrived by his side, the two stood there just looking at each other for a moment.

“When I came out of the ice, I thought everyone I had known was gone. Then I found out that she was still alive. I was just lucky to have her", Steve explained to her sadly as he fought back the tears.

Ana eyed him smiling sadly, she wasn't jeleous, she knew that he loved the women back in 1945 and she also knew that he would always love her but she also believed in what they had together.

Anastasija still smiled at him sadly as she spoke up with love in her eyes, “She had you back, too.”

Steve nodded his head at the blond before they remaind silente again. “Who else signed?”, Steve suddenly questioned her as their eyes met again. Anastasija swallowed quietly before she answered him, “Tony, Rhodey, Vison and Natasha.”

“Clint?”, Steve questioned curious as he raised an eyebrow.“Say's he retired”, Ana answered shortly as she looked up at him. “Wanda and Eva?”, “TBD”, the women told him.

"Juliet?", Steve questioned then and Ana shook her head immediately, "Say's she will follow your lead."

“I'm off to Vienna for the sign of the Accords”, she then told him awkwardly. Their was a weird vibe between them the last days because Steve wasn't happy at all with her decision.

“There's plenty of room on the jet”, she offered him smiling a bit at the man. But Steve sighed while he eyed her with a sad smile on his lips.

“Just because it's the oath of least resistance dosen't mean it's the wrong path”, she told him while she watched Steve's face expression.

“Staying together is more important than how we stay together”, she took a  small step forward.

“What are we giving up to do it?”, Steve asked her stubborn as he was. Her smile faded slightly and the blond sighed as she looked at the ground. “I'm sorry, Ana. I just can't sign it”, he told her.

“I know”, the russian answered him as she took another step closer to him.

“Then what are you doing here?”, he asked her smiling a little bit.

“I didn't want you to be alone”, she stated as she looked at him with a sad smile. The woman slowly wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Come here”, she whispered in a loving voice as he placed his chin onto her shoulder.

Steve wrapped his muscular arms around her upper body and they stood there for a while hugging each other before they both leaned back again.

Steve leaned down and pressed his lips softly onto her's, Ana's eyes fluttered shut and she quickly kissed him back, her hand moving to cup his left cheek. After a long moment the two let go of each other and said their Goodbye.

After a couple of long hours Anastasija and Natasha arrived in Vienna by the signatureing of the Accords. They wake down the big room that was brightened by giant windows.

“Excuse me, Miss Romanoff?”, a voice suddenly spoke up from behind them.
“Yeah”, Natasha said as she looked at the younger women behind them.
“These need your signature.”

“I suppose neither of us is used to the spotlight”, a stranger suddenly exclaimed from behind the two women. 

The two Romanoff sisters  turned around smiling at the handsome dark skinned man. “Oh, well, it's not always so flattering”, Ana told him as she took a step towards him.

“You two seem to be doing all right so far”, the man said as he looked at the two. “Considering your last trip to Capitol Hill. I wouldn't think you'd be particularly comfortable in this company”, he said smiling at Ana.

“Well, I think we are both not”, she said as she looked at her sister who smiled as well and nodded. “And that alone makes me glad you are here, Ms. Romanoff”, the man told her seriously.

“Why you don't approve of all of this?”, Natasha interrupted their conversation.

“The Accords, yes. The politics, not really”, he replied to her honestly. “Two people in a room can get more done than hundered”, T'Challa quoted a scentence that his father had tought him.

“Unless you need to move a piano”, the King of Wakanda suddenly joined them chuckling. The two greeted each other and then Anastasija realized that that was Prince T'Challa she spoke to.

“Ms. Romanoff”, the King greeted her and Natasha friendly as he nodded at them. “King T'Chaka”, Ana nodded her head at him as well.

“Please allowed me to apologise for what happened in Nigeria”, Anastasija immediately told the older man.

“Thank you”, he accepted her apology smiling lightly, “Thank you for agreeing to all of this. I'm sad to hear that Captain Rogers will not be joining us today”, the man told her honestly.

“Yes, so am I”, Ana sighed as she looked at the older man infront of her. “The assembly is now in session”, a voice spoke through the loud speaker.

“The future is calling. Such a pleasure”, T'Challa said as he shook Ana's and Natasha's hands. They took their seats and listened to King T'Chakas speech.

“When stolen Wakandan Vibranium was used to make a terrible weapon we in Wakanda were forced to question our legacy. Those man and women killed in Nigeria were part of a goodwill mission from a country too long in the shadows. We will not, however, let misfortune drive us back. We will fight to improve the world we wish to join. I am greatful to the Avengers for supporting this initiaive. Wakandas is proud”, the King spoke as he stood infront of the people.

Anastasija watched the young prince walk up and down infront of the window as he suddenly seemed nervous and hectically.

“To extend it's hand in peace”, the King ended his scentence. Anastasija slowly stood up because she wanted to make sure everything was okay but in that moment T'Challa quickly turned towards them as he run to his father screaming, “Everybody get down!”

Natasha quickly grabbed Ana by the arm and janked her with her under the table. In that moment a bomb went off letting the windows explode and glass fell down on the people making the scream in fear.

Ana saw the prince fly through the room as she  had a beeping tone in her ear, she could her muted screams as she sat up and looked at Natasha to make sure she was okay.

After that the people were all evacuated and the medics took care of the people who got hurt because of the explosion. There were many dead people, Ana got a little cut herself on her forhead but that was nothing compared to the dead people.

Anastasija was walking through the many people that had crowded outside of the burning building as she saw T'Challa sitting on a bench starring into nowhere. She slowly sat down next to him as she carefully spoke up, “I'm very sorry.”

The prince looked at her as he held his father's ring in his hands, “In my culture death is not the end. It's more of a stepping-off point. You reach out with both hands and Bast and Sekhmet, they lead you into the green veldt where you can run forever”, he explained to the russian sadly.

She looked at him slowly nodding her head at the prince, “That sounds really peaceful.”

“My father thought so— I am not my father”, he told her, a sudden anger in his voice as he stuck the ring back on his finger. “T'Challa task force will decide who brings in Barnes”, the women told him calmly as she eyed the man.

The young man stood up looking at her, “Don't bother, Ms. Romanoff. I'll kill him myself.” And with that he left her alone sitting on the bench, Anastasija let out a deep sighed as her phone suddenly started chumming.

Anastasija took it out of her pocket and looked at the screen which showed an incoming call from Steve. “Yeah?", she answered the call immediately. “You're all right?”, Steve's voice questioned her worried.

“Uh— yeah, thanks. Just a scratch”, she answered as she heard the sirens echoing through the phone which meant that Steve was there too. She quickly looked around as she jumped onto her feet.

“Look, Steve, I know how much Barnes means to you. I really do. But stay home! You'll make it only worse. For all of us”, she begged him as she saw Natasha approch her from afar.

“Are you saying you'll arrest me, Ana?”, he asked her a bit defensive.
The women immediately shook her head, “No of course not. But someone will. If you interfere. That's how it works now.”

“If he is this far gone, Ana. I should be the one to bring him in”, Steve said as he watched her from a building. Her opened hair flew through the air into her face. “Why? Why does it have to be you?”, she asked him as she stroked her hair out of her face.

“Because I'm the one least likely to die trying”, he told her as he sighed. “Goodbye”, she heard him say but she quickly spoke up, “Wait—”

The russian sighed as she rubbed a hand over her face, “Promise me to be careful, Steve.”

“I will, promis”, and with that he ended the call. Anastasija looked at her phone as she sighed, “Shit!”

“Everything all right?”, Natasha asked from besides her. Ana looked at her as she put her phone away, “Yeah, everything is all right.”

Not long after the call Ana had been informed about a chase where Steve, Bucky, Juliet, Sam and T'Challa were involved. The woman was already awaiting Steve, Juliet and Sam as the three were led into the building by several Agents.

“For the record this is what making things worse looks like!”, she stated as she walked next to Steve. “He's alive”, Steve said as he looked at her, they walked into the big office.

Ana walked a bit away from them as  she said, “Try not to break anything while we fix this.” As she walked she could hear Tony talking to someone on the phone as he looked at her and then at Steve.

“I'm not getting that shield back. Am I?”, Steve asked Ana through the room. “Technically, it's government's property. Wings, too”, she told them as she walked down the hall next to Tony looking over her shoulder at the two. “That's cold”, Sam commented, “Warmer than jail”, Tony joked as he looked at them as well.

Later Tony went into the room.where Steve was seated to convince him to sign the Accord but that didn't really went as planned. Tony had mentioned Wanda and that she was looked up in the Avengers headquarter to her own safety.

Steve got angry at him for letting that happen and you could hear their conversation getting heated as Steve and Tony suddeny shouted Something like, “She's a kid”, and  “Give me a break!”

But that was all Anastasija could hear as she sat in a chair besides Natasha watching the two from afar. 

Anastasija had quickly garbbed the the report form the case before she walked into the room where Juliet, Sam and Steve where sitting. She gave Sam what they had written about them. The man read though it before he stopped and looked at her.

“Really, Bird Costume?”, Sam asked her annoyed as he looked back at the paper and Juliet let out a loud snort. Anastasija shrugged at him apologizing, “I didn't write it.”

She saw how Steve stood infront of a monitor looking out of the glass room. Anastasija looked around curious if someone was watching them. But it seemed like everyone was to preoccupied with their work to even glance at them.

So Anastasija leaned forward and pressed a button on the table. Immediately Bucky appeared on the monitor infront of Steve.

“I'm not here to judge you.” A man could be heard from the monitor as Steve looked at Ana surprised. The Russian didn't reacted and just continued to look around.

“I just want to ask you a few questions. Do you know where you are James?”

Anastasija spotted her sister sitting with thier back towards them looking over her shoulder at her with a sceptical look. Anastasija avoided eye contact as she listened to the man.

“I can't help you if you don't talk to me, James.”

“My name is Bucky”

Steve grabbed the file Anastasija had brought them as he looked at a picture of Bucky before the explosion that killed King T'Chaka. “Why would the Task Force release this photo to begin with?” Anastasija shrugged at him, “I don't know to get the word out, involve as many eyes as we can?”

Steve nodded at her, “Right. It's a good way to flush a guy out of hiding. Set off a bomb, get your picture taken. Get seven billion people looking for the Winter solider.”

Anastasija looked at Steve interested as she crossed her arms over her chest, “You're saying that someone framed him to find him?”

“Steve, we looked for the guy for two years and found nothing”, Sam told his friend from where he was seated.

“We didn't bomb the UN. That turns a lot of heads”, Juliet suddenly spoke up as she sat up in her chair.

Anastasija looked around again, “Yeah, but that doesn't guarantee that whoever framed him would get him. It only guarantees that we would.”

And in that moment she knew that this was exactly the plan. Her mouth dropped open as she looked back at the monitor, as did the others. “Yeah”, was all Steve said as he watched the man on the monitor that should ask Bucky a few questions.

“Tell me Bucky. You've seen a great deal, have you?”

Bucky looked at the man infront of him seriously, “I don't want to talk about it.”

“You fear that when you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop.”
The man paused before he continued speaking, “Don't worry. We only have to talk about one.”

In that exact moment all the lights went out and everybody got bery nervous. Anastasija could hear Tony's voice, “Friday, get me a source on that outage.” Steve turned towards Anastasija who sighed in defeated, “Sub-level five, East wing.”

Sam and Steve immediatley rushed out of the room as Anastasija quickly joined Natasha and Tony. “Please tell me you brought a suit Tony”, was all she said as the three hurried down the corridor.

“Sure did, it's a lovely Tom Ford, three-piece, two-button. I'm an active-duty non-combatant!” Suddenly Sharon run past the three hectically, “Follow me!”

The blonde agent led the three to the the cafeteria were Juliet meet them. Bucky was already there and fought against a group of Agents knocking them out on after the other.

“We're in position”, Natasha informed Tony as the four women hide behind a stone pillar watching Bucky.

Tony quickly left his hiding spot and attacked the man who had his back turned towards him. But Bucky had a gun, he saw Tony and tried to shoot him into the head. Tony quickly blocked the shot and destroyed the gun as he hit him across his face. But Bucky just punched him into his side  making Tony fly against a table.

Sharon quickly attack him form ahead as she kicked him several times but also was thrown away by him again the closest wall.

Then Natasha and Anastasija decides to attack him together, Natasha kicked him but Bucky blocked the attack, she then kicked him again with her other leg as Anastasija kicked her knee into his stomach making him stumble back.

She punched against his knee as Natasha kicked him into his face but he lifted the readhead up into the air and crashed her onto a table making her grunt in pain as she rolled to the floor.

Anastasija then quickly swung around his body as she slung her legs around his neck and shoulders. She started to hit him on the head with her elbow multiple times but Bucky grabbed her by the lower  back and hit her onto a table making her grunt in pain.

She still had her legs around his neck as he grabbed her by the throat with his metal arm. The woman looked at him as she grabbed onto his hand trying to loosen his grip around her throat as she choked out, “You know, you could at least recognise me.”

She couldn't breath and couldn't lossen up his grip as he still choked her a absent look on his face.

Ana had already gave up but suddenly someone kicked Bucky off of her. Anastasija immediatley rolled off of the table holding her throat as she gasped for air. She breathed heavily as she slowly stood up and walked over to Natasha who slowly opened her eyes as she grunted from the pain.

“You're okay?”

“Yeah, I'm fine”, her sister replied to her sitting up as she eyed the blonde closely.

“You?”

Anastasija nodded at her, “Yeah, everything all right.”

The two turned towards the fighting people and saw that Juliet was just garbbed by the throat by Bucky and pressed up against the wall as she gasped for air. But as she was about to get any air at all T'Challa attacked Bucky as well, saving Juliet from getting choked to death. 

❝𝐇𝐞'𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝❞
❝𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐈❞