T: Is that some kind of joke?

N: I don't think anyone would joke about something like that, Tony. Not even you.

Tony, Natasha and Maria Hill were talking at the Command Center, an hour after the discovery of Clint Barton's empty coffin.

Laura fainted briefly after seeing the coffin without her husband's body, her children were taken by Pepper to her dorm.

T: How is that possible? Who took his body from there?

H: That's what we're trying to figure out.

T: Isn't even in the morgue?

Natasha shook her head.

T: Who was not at the funeral, but should be?

N: You?

Tony looked at Natasha, angrily.

T: I was researching the blood sampler of your beloved capzombie.

H: Who can guarantee that?

Tony now turned to face Maria Hill and he was even more annoyed.

T: McCoy can confirm this, just like the bunker cameras...

H: You handle the cameras directly all the time, you could have changed the images.

T: But what? Why on earth would I take his body from there? What would I do to his body? Are you crazy?

N: We know it wasn't you, Tony.

H: We'll just have to interview everyone here, without distinction.

T: You weren't there either.

H: No. I was here at the Command Center and I wouldn't have anything to do with Clint's body either.

T: Even more that you didn't even like him.

Hill stood with her arms crossed and she looked at Tony with a frown.

H: Who said that?

T: I didn't see you sad, not even for one day. You and Clint barely spoke to each other.

H: Don't talk about what you don't know.

N: Okay, people. Let's start with who wasn't there, but should be because we know they're very close to Clint.

T: Start the list.

N: I don't remember them all, but I missed Wanda there, she really liked Clint. Actually, I didn't see her again after we got back from this last mission.

T: Okay, that's a good suspect!

H: Most likely it was her, but what would she do with his body?

N: She's a witch, I have no idea.

T: Anyway, everyone is suspicious. Let's see the camera pictures from there to see who was and who wasn't.

Tony activated the screen and they watched the images of the cameras from the bunker.

After watching, Hill picked up a notepad and wrote down the name of who wasn't at the funeral, but should be.

H: So, three names: Thor, Wanda and Vision.

T: Vision? Interesting. I'm going to make a video call to his room.

Tony dialed to Vision's W.T., and no one answered, he tried three times.

N: Try Wanda. They're always together.

Tony called Wanda, and also no one answered.

H: Nothing?

Tony shook his head.

H: Agent Mack.

The SHIELD agent at the command center looked at Principal Hill.

H: Gather Agent Simmons and Coulson, have them call Thor, Wanda and Vision for an interrogation. I want teams scouring the entire bunker until we find them all and call Laura Barton as well.

Natasha and Tony looked at Maria Hill, who saw their reaction, but chose to ignore it.

H: Everyone closer to him is a suspect.

N: She was there!

H: At the time of the funeral, yes, but she could have made the robbery sooner.

N: Hill, you can't put her through it...

H: I'll put another "gentler" agent to interrogate her, it'll be like a conversation, she won't even notice that she's being interrogated. Better that way?

Natasha was silent, agreeing with Maria Hill.

H: I'll accompany the interrogation at E Wing. Will you come with me?

T: Actually, I need to get back to the research center.

Natasha remembered Steve and looked at Tony.

N: Any news?

T: All I can say is that Steve's body is struggling to get rid of the poison.

N: That's good, right?

T: That's great! I think we can balance his body with a cocktail of antibiotics to get rid of the toxins that left him like that.

N: If you need more blood...

T: First, let's try with what we have, we get a good amount and he's already too weak to get stuck all the time.

Natasha nodded.

T: Cho is hopeful that we will succeed.

Natasha looked down and nodded, as if she were losing her hopes. In fact, she was tired of everything. The whole world seemed to weigh on her back and she doesn't know exactly how to act to help everyone, especially who she loves.

Tony watched Natasha's expression.

T: I also believe he will get better.

Tony touched Natasha's arm, which made her look at him.

H: Are you coming, Natasha?

Natasha looked at Hill and shook her head.

N: I have to free Juliana who's taking care the children for me.

H: I'll keep you posted.

Hill nodded and walked out the door, as did Tony and the agents she'd given orders.

Natasha left and went to her room, but when she got there she didn't see Juliana or the children. Natasha frowned and wondered where Juliana had gone with James and Sarah.

Natasha didn't need to make any effort, she soon thought of Bucky, although infirmary wasn't a suitable place for children, she found it more likely to find them there.

...

Bucky: I loved seeing this boy, he's too big now, he barely fits in my lap... I can't believe I saw him born.

Said Bucky, who was at the infirmary stretcher with James sitting on his lap.

The stretcher was in a sitting position so he would make no effort.

B: But you shouldn't bring children here, Juliana.

Ju: I know, but it's that everyone was at the funeral and you're here alone. I didn't know if you were sad and I wanted to stop by.

B: Juliana?

Juliana was with Sarah in her arms, beside Bucky's stretcher, but she only stared at the floor, or the ceiling, when she talked to him.

Juliana glanced briefly at Bucky and looked at the floor again.

B: Juliana?

Juliana looked at James and then looked at Bucky. Bucky looked at her and nodded.

B: Thank you.

Ju: For what?

B: For caring about me.

Juliana smiled and lowered her head again.

Bucky for the first time stopped to analyze Juliana. Of so much that Natasha and Hill spoke in his head that she has an interest in him and that she's not a child, he decided to stop to see if he had the wrong impression of her.

Juliana is a simple girl, a very pale white skin and very thin. Any man wouldn't look twice at her, if any would look once, since she is so shy that she always goes unnoticed by the places she goes.

Bucky always thought she should be around 14 or 15 years old because he didn't look much at her, but now he realizes that despite her slim body, she has a definite silhouette of a woman, he could tell by the volume at the height of her breasts, below the Nurse uniform she wore. Besides, her skin is so white and delicate that looks like baby skin, maybe that made him see her as a child yet.

Her face is always with red marks, even though she doesn't even get expose to the sun, maybe it's just because she's always so shy and embarrassed. Any kind of effort already results in her skin getting redder.

Bucky tilted his face a little to look at Juliana's face again, it was a round face, with a small and slightly retracted chin, giant blue eyes, with discreet but still appealing lips. The forehead was larger than it should be, but by looking at her whole face, he concluded that her forehead is exactly as it should be.

Yes, she is beautiful, she is very beautiful, very much! A man who doesn't look at her twice, must be blind as he was, but anyone who pays attention to Juliana's doll traits knows that she is extremely beautiful.

Ju: You...

Bucky just stopped looking at Juliana, when she let out a word, which made him straighten up on the stretcher and be embarrassed by the way he watched her.

If before she was a little red, now she looked like a strawberry of so red that she is and for Bucky, it only makes her prettier.

B: I'm sorry.

Bucky apologized for looking at her too much and he wonders if she has any idea of how beautiful she is. Does she see herself how he used to saw her? Just a girl who doesn't call much attention and who is not beautiful, I mean... Not beautiful like Natasha, who has a very obvious and easy beauty to see... Bucky made negative with his head, lamenting because she seems to have no self-esteem, for being extremely reserved.

She doesn't wear any makeup, no fancy hairstyles, or necklines, she practically hides herself in the uniforms, making it even harder for someone to find out how beautiful she is.

- There you are!

Juliana and Bucky looked at Natasha at the door of Bucky's box.

Ju: Natasha, I just came to get something I forgot and brought them with me and then I thought I'd let James see Bucky and...

J: Mommy. Buck!

James pointed his finger at Bucky.

B: I asked her to see him...

N: You don't have to lie, it's okay. I don't see problem in a visit, it just can't become a habit, here is not an ideal place for children. Right?

Natasha approached the stretcher and looked at Bucky.

N: James came to visit you before me, that's embarrassing. I didn't forget you, but...

B: It's all right, Natasha. I know you've been through a lot.

Natasha gave a small smile, grateful that Bucky was ever so sympathetic to her.

N: How are you feeling?

B: So much better. I hope to be discharged today...

Bucky said in amusement and staring at Juliana.

Ju: Tomorrow morning, from what I heard.

N: The siren will ring for the dinner, I need to bathe the kids first, but I'll come back to visit you.

B: Don't worry about that. How was the funeral? Are you alright?

N: Somebody stole the body of Clint Barton...

B: What?

N: We're investigating to find out who it was.

B: His wife.

Bucky said the first thing that came into his head.

N: I can't believe it was her. It's just not her style.

B: Sorry, neither do I, but it seems to be the most logical, she who suffered the most... It would make more sense.

N: I know that, but we have good suspects for it and I hope it really was that person.

B: What do you mean?

N: I don't know what she's capable of, but...

Natasha shook her head, trying to remove from her mind the absurd idea that Wanda would be able to do something for Clint Barton. Dead people doesn't come back. He is dead. Get over it. Natasha told herself in thought.

N: Forget it, it's just something I've been thinking.

Natasha took James in her lap.

N: Say goodbye to Uncle Bucky, James.

J: Bye, bye.

James waved his hand. Bucky smiled at him and waved back. Natasha kissed James' face and set him on the floor so she could take Sarah from Juliana's lap.

As she took Sarah in her lap, Natasha looked at Juliana.

N: How did she behave?

Ju: She was great.

Natasha raised her eyebrows in surprise.

Ju: She looks happier now. She played with me all the time, took a bottle and slept.

N: That's good. I think the introduction of new foods made her stronger and less grumpy.

Bucky watched Sarah and Natasha.

B: And her father?

N: Tony believes he's close to finding a cure.

B: But is he okay?

Natasha looked at James and then at Bucky.

N: Yes...

Bucky realized by Natasha's way that she didn't want to talk about Steve in front of James, he just nodded, demonstrating that he understands the lack of better information.

N: Thank you, Juliana. I'll see you later, Barnes.

Natasha said goodbye to both of them and left the infirmary with Sarah in her arms and James running around her legs.

...

At the end of the day Hill reported that she didn't find three suspects in the bunker: Wanda, Vision and Thor. Although it didn't make much sense for Thor to be missing either, they thought the explanation for the disappearance of the three was the same... The disappearance of Clint Barton's body.

...

The next morning, still early in the morning, Natasha was asleep in her room. Natasha slept in the bed while James and Sarah were sleeping together in the crib.

Sarah was the first to wake up, she looked to one side and saw Natasha in bed, she thought of crying to have someone's company, but as she moved her arms, she felt the presence of James, she looked at him and smiled.

Sarah made any illegible sound, looking at James, hoping he would open his eyes and talk to her, but James continued to sleep. Sarah tried again and had to shout to make James open his eyes.

James looked at Sarah and frowned, Sarah turned sideways with difficulty and put her mouth on James's arm, leaving his arm all drool.

James looked disgusted.

J: Mommy!

James called Natasha in a tearful voice. Natasha moaned and moved on the bed, starting to wake up.

James looked at Sarah who remained with her mouth on his arm.

J: She is biting me, mom!

James complained in a tearful voice again.

Natasha sighed and looked at the two.

N: She doesn't have teeth, James.

J: It hurts!!!

Sarah lifted her face and smiled at James. For her, they're just playing.

J: Mommy...

James sat up and raised his arm slowly as if was broken or as if Sarah had taken his arm off.

N: James, you are not hurt, she can't hurt you, she's too little.

James's eyes were already full of tears.

James frowned and noticing that Natasha did nothing about it, he looked angrily at Sarah, who was still smiling.

J: Get out of here!

Sarah laughed and made some sound, as if answering to James, but with good humor, she still thought it was all joke.

J: Stop laughing! Get out! My bed!

Natasha was still on the stage between waking and sleeping, then remained on the bed.

Sarah rested her hands on the mattress and forced herself to crawl over him to try to reach James, who cringed in the corner of the crib, as if he was afraid of her.

J: Ouuut! Mom! Mooooom, look at her.

Natasha looked at Sarah, trying to crawl and gave a small smile.

N: She's trying to crawl! Look, James!

Natasha got up immediately and went to the crib to witness Sarah's first time crawling.

Sarah couldn't get her belly off the mattress, she had already gained a lot of weight, so only her arms and legs did the action of propelling her forward.

James stood and asked for Natasha's lap.

N: No, James, she's trying to get to you.

J: I don't want to!

N: Oh James, don't be like that, help her, call her to you.

J: No...

James grabbed Natasha's blouse and made his way into her lap. Natasha was forced to take him out of the crib, otherwise he would end up hurting himself on the floor.

Sarah saw that her effort to reach James was in vain and soon she began to cry.

N: See? Now, she is sad because you didn't want to be with her... Poor thing, James...

James was still angry, looking at Sarah in the crib.

N: She's your sister, James... She loves you. She wasn't biting you, she was giving you a kiss and you were a very naughty boy with her. That's too bad, son.

James didn't answer, he was silent, still looking at Sarah, but not in an angry way anymore.

N: She is so little, she could be your friend... Like Torunn is... You can always play with her, because she is your sister. Forever.

Natasha argued to try to change James's behavior.

N: She's still sad... Can you see how she's crying and looking at you?

Natasha stroked Sarah's back.

N: Sh... Don't cry... It's okay... James is not angry with you. Right, James?

Natasha looked at James, who just stared.

N: Maybe she'll get better with a kiss...

Natasha tipped James toward the crib.

N: Can you be a good boy and kiss your sister so she won't be sad anymore?

Natasha looked at James and he seemed to be thinking about what he should do. Natasha was relieved to see James kissing Sarah's forehead, he made the right decision.

Natasha smiled and kissed his cheek, long enough to demonstrate that he did a good job and that she was proud of him.

N: Good boy, James.

J: She don't stop, mama.

N: No, she didn't, right? I think she really wants is a lap and a bottle... What do you think?

James raised his hands in the air, indicating he didn't know. Natasha kissed him once more and set him down.

Natasha took Sarah in her lap and cradled her to stop crying.

N: Has your brother been mean to you? Was he?

Natasha asked quietly, looking at Sarah.

J: No! James good boy!

Natasha sat on the bed with Sarah and laid her on her legs, but belly up to see her.

N: It's alright... Sh...

Sarah looked at Natasha and calmed down a bit.

Natasha continued to stare at Sarah for a few seconds and smiled to notice that Sarah is already used to her and to James, she stopped crying quickly.

She is getting used to her, a woman that is so cold and doesn't know how to deal with children, but that seems to be enough for Sarah.

The last time Natasha felt her heart heat up that way, it was when James was still a baby, a little younger than Sarah and he used to cry, like just cry. What kind of mother doesn't know how to calm her son? She was that kind of mother.

Natasha used to just look at Bucky, terrified, and he would promptly come to her rescue, he would pick up James and take him for a walk until he calms down, until that one day that Bucky was gone for some job at the South bunker and James was crying for over an hour, literally. Natasha's despair was so great that she herself cried along with him for not knowing what to do, then she hugged him, apologized and said that she didn't know what to do but that she felt sorry for him being that way.

At that moment, James stopped crying and he was cowering in her arms, for a long time. Natasha thought he had fallen asleep, and when she pulled him away a little to see him, she saw that he was awake. The way he looked at her made Natasha feel the most loved person in the world and it was the only moment she knew she was complete and truly happy.

That look from Sarah reminded Natasha of this moment with James, not on the same scale, of course, but it was close to that.

N: You're very special, aren't you, Sarah?

Sarah made some sound to Natasha that she couldn't understand.

...

The days went by, with no news of Thor, Wanda and Vision, much less of Clint Barton's body.

Natasha got even more attached to Sarah for being with her every day, just as James got more attached to his sister too, although he didn't like to demonstrate that, but he loved the power to make Sarah stop crying in seconds.

There was some news in Steve's treatment. The antibiotics returned much of his strength, the internal bleeds were finally under control, but he showed no sign of improvement further.

Dr. McCoy had developed a kind of tranquilizer that kept Steve under control for the treatments. Natasha hoped to have Steve again, she was feeling much better and still visited him every day and every day she reported how their children were, what they did, what they said, what they learned... Everything! Even without being sure if he's understanding anything she is talking about.

In one of these return from the visits to Steve, Natasha was approached by Dr. Cho and Tony Stark at the Bunker's entrance.

Natasha looked at them in dismay. Every time they are together it's to give bad news.

Cho: So, did you visit Steve?

Natasha didn't answer, because the answer was obvious and she hates answering stupid questions.

Cho: Notice any difference?

N: What do you mean?

T: Do you think his case is evolving?

N: Of course. His skin is almost in the normal tone, he has become calmer, the wounds are healing...

Cho: Are they?

Natasha frowned, hoping that Cho and Tony would stop joking and tell her what they had to say.

T: Show her.

Cho handed Natasha a kind of bound book. Natasha took the book and started to see the pages, it was only about Steve's state, everything that was observed all that time.

There was nothing out of the ordinary in the pictures and she turned the pages, and then noticed a sequence of images that seemed to be repeated.

Cho: It sounds repetitive, but it's not.

All Natasha's good humor disappeared, she closed the book and sighed.

T: Do you know where we're trying to say?

N: He stagnated again. There's no more evolution of the treatment. He is not improving anymore.

T: And neither getting worse, which is good. It's as if he just needed an impulse to keep improving and get rid of it.

N: Well, do you have a solution or did you just came to ruin my day?

T: We have a solution.

Cho: Possible solution!

Cho decided to make it clear so there would be no later complaints.

N: How would that be?

T: Renew his blood.

N: Transfusion?

T: Yes.

N: Do you need donors? Nobody offered? I can give my blood.

T: That would be good. There were donors, yes, but we need someone with a serum.

N: Well, I have some serum, and also Bucky, so it won't be a problem. When do we start?

Cho: Tony...

Tony put his hand on Cho's arm, indicating that she should be quiet. Natasha noticed, but she didn't give attention to that.

T: We'll start tomorrow.

N: Alright. I'll see you tomorrow, then.

Tony nodded. He and Dr. Cho turned to look at Natasha walking away. As soon as Natasha disappeared from sight, Cho looked at Tony.

Cho: Why didn't you say that their son's blood is more likely to be more compatible with Steve?

T: Because I have love for my life, and maybe her blood works.

Cho: I'm not sure if will...

T: If it doesn't work, we'll have to find a way to use her son.

Cho: If she doesn't accept it?

Tony looked down the empty hallway, shrugged and sighed. Tony made negative with his head.

T: Then I don't know what happens to Steve Rogers...

**Well, I guess it's a love square now. Although, the readers of my language had already picked one for pairing with Bucky, I want to know... Who do you want Bucky to be with?**