Natasha has to go on a several month mission and only has access to a phone once every four weeks. This is just her leaving, some of the calls between them, and the reunion. 

Steve always dreaded when Natasha left for missions. Unlike his own missions, where he was often only there for a few days or weeks at max, she was often gone for months. Her specialty was in going undercover, so Shield never failed to take advantage of that skill and put her in deep cover missions where she would be portraying someone for months at a time. 

She was laying in his arms one night when she told him that she was leaving again. 

Fury had called her in that afternoon and handed her a file for a deep cover mission that would take a minimum of five months, and a maximum of seven. 

Her fingers danced over his bare chest as she looked up at him, promising that she'd get the job done and return in five months. 

"When do you leave?" Steve asked, his voice giving away how much he would miss her. 

Natasha frowned, "Friday."

That only gave them two days together before she had to go. 

"Will you be able to contact me at all?" Steve asked. Since they had gotten together, Fury had started allowing them to call each other or email every few weeks because even he could see their productivity go down when they weren't together. 

Natasha nodded, "Fury promised me that I could call you once a month. I know it's not a lot, but at least its something."

Steve nodded, brushing Natasha's hair from her forehead and pressing a light kiss to her skin, "It's something," He repeated quietly. 

Natasha shifted closer to Steve and rested her head on his chest,holding his hand in hers as they both stared at the ceiling, "We've both got the next two days off though so we can do whatever you want."

Steve sighed, "I just want to stay here with you."

Natasha rolled over and pressed a kiss to Steve's lips, "I think I can live with that."

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Two days later, Steve and Natasha were forced with the emotionally draining task of saying goodbye. 

They had developed a ritual of saying their goodbyes in their room rather then at the dock. It was more private that way. 

Natasha held Steve's hand daintily and gave him a soft smile, "Try not to miss me too much, okay Rogers?" 

Steve managed a laugh, "You know that's not gonna be possible. I'll miss you more than anything."

"I'll miss you too."

Steve pulled her to him and kissed her passionately, knowing it would be one of the last kisses he would get to give her for at least five months.

Natasha finally pulled away and grabbed a pen off the counter. She held Steve's wrist so that his palm was facing up and began scribbling something down on his skin. 

"What are you doing?" Steve asked, unable to see what she was writing. 

Natasha pulled the pen away so he could see five dates, "These are the days I'll get to call you...don't miss my calls okay? There's only a few as it is." 

Steve nodded, "I'd never miss your call Nat." 

She smiled, "Good."

Steve sighed and pulled her into another embrace, "I'm really gonna miss you Natasha."

Natasha nodded, "I'm really gonna miss you too."

She pulled away and leaned up to kiss him softly, "I love you. Don't be too miserable while I'm gone okay? I don't want to come home to a mopey Captain America." 

Steve laughed quietly, "I'll do my best. I love you too. Be careful." 

She nodded and picked up her bag, pressing one last lingering kiss on the corner of his lips before walking out the door, "Always," She promised over shoulder as she left their apartment. 

Steve sighed and sat down at their counter. He should be used to saying goodbye to her by now but he swore that it got harder every time. 

Looking down at the dates scribbled down on his hands, Steve couldn't help but laugh a bit at her short note.

Don't miss them or I'll have to kill you, 

Love, Nat

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It was February 9th, the first day that Steve was going to be able to hear from Natasha since she had left nearly four weeks ago. 

He had been wallowing in self pity since she had left and he was hoping that hearing from her might lift his spirits a bit. It would certainly ease his worries. 

Steve had cancelled all of his plans for the day. He wasn't going to train, he'd eat meals in his room, and he sat by his phone on the charger all day waiting for it to ring. 

It was almost eleven at night when the phone finally vibrated, lighting up with a call from an unknown number. 

Steve answered it before it could even ring, "Hello?" He asked hopefully.

"Hey soldier," Natasha said over the phone, her voice as teasing and playful as always, "Miss me yet?"

Steve smiled, "You know I do. I've been sitting by the phone all day so I didn't miss your call." 

He could practically hear her smile, "Sorry it took me so long to call. I just got home from my fake job. But there's a time change here you know." 

"I figured but I didn't want to risk it...how's the mission going?" Steve asked.

"Good. Everything is going to plan and I've hardly had to do anything so far," Natasha said, her voice lowering. Steve assumed she was just being cautious, "How's the team? They miss me yet?" 

Steve laughed, "Probably. Tony won't stop saying he's going to hire me a stripped if I don't cheer up and Sam keeps complaining that I act more like an old man when you're not around." 

Natasha laughed quietly, "Tell Tony that if you're getting a strip tease or a lap dance from someone, it's going to be me."

Steve laughed, his face heating up at the thought, "If I do that I don't think I think we'll both regret it."

"You're probably right...just tell him that if he hires some other woman to touch my fiance, my next mission is going to be to kill him." 

Steve shook his head with another laugh, god he really missed her, "Alright I'll tell him."

Natasha sighed, "I wish you were here. The other agents on this mission have no experience. They've nearly blown my cover several times by almost calling me agent in front of the target."

Steve frowned, "Fury trying to get some rookies in the field?" 

"I guess so. I'm not going to be able to tolerate carelessness much longer though. Fury knows I don't train in the field well. He needs to sort them out." 

"I wish I was there to help too. You know if you send me the location I'll come running. I know you won't, but I'll always have your back." 

Natasha sighed, "I know."

Steve sat back and stared ahead at the wall, "It's good to hear your voice Nat."

"You act like you can't watch a video of me and hear my voice Rogers," Natasha teased, but Steve could tell it was her way of saying she felt the same way.

Steve laughed quietly, "I know, but it doesn't have quite the same charm of hearing you insult me in real time."

"Only four more months and I'll get to insult you to your face again. Think you can make it?" 

"I guess I'll find a way to push through."

He pictured her smirking as she laughed again, "You better...the second I get home we can spend at least a week making up for lost time." 

Steve blushed, knowing exactly what she meant by that from previous experience, "You know I won't have any complaints about that."

"I know..." She paused for a moment and then Steve heard her sigh, "I've got to go soon. One of the new agents lost a file with classified information so I have to go distract the target until they find it."

Steve frowned but didn't argue, knowing that she had no control over the situation, "Good luck. I love you." 

Natasha sighed, "I love you too. I'll talk to you soon okay? Don't let Tony hire a stripper."

Steve laughed quietly, "Alright, I won't. Bye Nat. Be careful."

"I will be. Bye Steve," She said, before the line went dead and Steve was suddenly surrounded by a lonely silence. 

He sighed and tossed his phone on the couch next to him. Four more weeks...

Four more weeks and he'd be able to talk to her again. 

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 Natasha's next call came on March 8th at nearly one in the morning. 

Steve had woken up with a jolt when his phone rang and he answered it as quickly as he could, "Hello?" 

"Hey," He heard Natasha say from the other end. She sounded exhausted, "Did I wake you up?"

"Yeah but it's worth it to get to talk to you. How're you doing?" 

Natasha paused, "Alright. The mission isn't going exactly as planned because one of our agents was killed yesterday but they don't suspect me so I can still continue doing my job. I'm exhausted though."

Steve nodded, "Nightmares?" He asked quietly. They both got them whenever they weren't together. It was part of the reason they had moved in together so quickly. When they were in each others arms the only dreams they had were of each other. 

"Yeah," She replied simply, obviously not wanting to elaborate over the phone, "How's the team? Tony still trying to replace me?" 

"They're good. Everyone misses having you around...and Tony stopped trying to do that once I told him what you said. Now he's back to his normal antics." 

Natasha laughed quietly, "I can't say I miss those." 

Steve nodded and frowned, "Natasha what time is it there?" 

She paused, "Almost three." 

Steve sighed, as much as he wanted to talk to Natasha for hours, he knew that she needed sleep, "You should try and get some sleep again Nat. I can't have you getting hurt because you were running on two hours of sleep."

Natasha sighed, "I can't Steve. I already tried. Every time I close my eyes it gets worse. I can't sleep without you Steve." 

Steve frowned, "What if I stay on the phone with you?"

There was another long pause before Natasha finally agreed, "Alright fine, just don't hang up okay?"

"I won't. I promise." Steve said, laying down in their bed with his phone on speaker besides him. 

"I'm sorry I can't hold a conversation tonight. I haven't gone this long without sleep since before we started dating."

Steve sighed, "It's okay Nat. We can talk longer next time. All I need is for you to be safe and you can't do that without some sleep." 

"Okay...goodnight then Steve. I love you." 

"I love you too Nat," Steve whispered, listening carefully as the room filled with silence aside from the quiet breathing coming through his phone. 

He knew that he should try and get some sleep but he couldn't without knowing Natasha was sound asleep. So instead he stayed on the line until the next morning, listening to her steady breathing and letting it remind him of when she was in his arms asleep rather then on a mission. 

He didn't hang up until the next morning when Natasha woke up. 

"Steve? Are you still there?" She asked. 

Steve turned towards his phone, "Yeah, I'm still here. Did you get some sleep?"

"Yeah I did. Thank you for staying on with me," She said, sounding less tired then the night before, which Steve took as a good sign.

He nodded, despite knowing she couldn't see him, "Of course. You know I'd do anything for you."

"I know. That's why I love you. But I've got to go again. My cover job starts soon and I'm already running late. I'll talk to you next month okay?"

Steve sighed, "Okay. I love you." 

"Love you too. Bye Steve," Natasha whispered before hanging up. 

Steve turned off his phone and rolled over, gathering Natasha's pillow into his arms as he tried to close his eyes and get some more rest before going down to training. 

Four more weeks...he told himself, closing his eyes. 

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Steve's next call with Natasha wasn't until April 12th. Like always, he had avoided leaving his phone the entire day and waited patiently for Natasha to call him. 

He knew that she could call him at anytime during the day so he tried not to let himself be bothered when it was late that night and she still hadn't called him. 

Even when it was past midnight, he still help out on hope that she would call him. 

He had nearly fallen asleep on their couch waiting for the call when his phone finally rang. 

His eyes shot open and he grabbed his phone, "Hello?"

He heard Natasha sigh on the other end and he sat up straighter, "Hey. I was worried you'd already be asleep." 

"Well I couldn't miss your call," Steve said, smiling slightly. 

"Sorry it's so late. It's been a rough few weeks," Natasha said and Steve could tell from the tone of her voice that the mission wasn't going according to plan.

Steve frowned, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. My cover hasn't been blown yet. A few close calls, but nothing I couldn't lie my way out of."

Steve sighed, if she wasn't so good at what she did, he'd be sick with worry, "Why do I have a bad feeling that five month minimum might be extended."

Natasha sighed and Steve knew that she was upset about being away, "I'm still going to try and make it. You know I don't slack off on the job. Unfortunately Fury seems to think it's a good training exercise to throw inexperienced agents with me so they can 'learn from me'"

"Sounds like Fury is to thank for all our problems right about now huh?" Steve said quietly, feeling terrible about not being able to see Natasha for even longer now. 

Natasha scoffed, "Don't worry, when I finally get home I'll do more then thank him." 

Steve sighed, "He's going to owe us a week off."

"Two weeks," Natasha countered. 

Steve laughed, "Two weeks with you sounds like heaven right about now."

"That your way of saying you miss me?"

"You know I do," Steve said with a quiet laugh. 

He could nearly hear her smile through the phone, "Yeah I know. I miss you too."

Steve couldn't help but smile. He knew how hard it was for Natasha to be open...especially over the phone, "I think Tony is missing you more then he lets on too. He had a peanut butter sandwich for lunch today." 

"He better not eat all my peanut butter," Natasha warned.

Steve laughed, "I already told him not to. He's eating Thor's instead."

"Good," Natasha said, sounding satisfied. She paused, "I've gotta go soon. They need me to go out in the field tonight."

Steve frowned, he had hoped their conversation could be longer, "Be careful out there okay? I don't care how long I have to wait to see you, I just need you to come home safe."

"I'll be fine Steve, I promise. I love you and I'll call you next month okay?."

Steve sighed, "Okay. I love you too. Stay safe."

"Goodnight Steve," Natasha whispered, hanging up. 

Steve set his phone besides him and leaned back. 

He had only just hung up and he already couldn't wait to talk to Natasha next month. 

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May 10th rolled around and Steve was supposed to be having his final call with Natasha before she returned home, but from what he had gathered from Natasha, it would probably be another two months at least before she'd return. 

Steve hadn't expected Natasha to call in the middle of the day but he was certainly not complaining when his phone started buzzing as he was starting to make himself lunch in their kitchen. 

"Hey," He said answering quickly and turning off the oven and walking out of the kitchen.

"Hi...I don't have a lot of time, but I wanted to hear your voice," Natasha said quietly, sounding tired and beaten down. 

Steve frowned, "Everything okay?" 

Natasha sighed, "My cover's been blown but they don't think I know they're onto me. We have to make a move tonight and if it fails, I'll be here for at least another two months."

"Be careful Nat. We've waited this long, I can make it another few months if it means you come home safe."

"I know. I'll be okay. I gotta go but I'll be home soon okay? If not I'll call you next month. I love you," Natasha said.

"I love you too," Steve whispered. 

The line went dead and Steve sighed. For once, he didn't want to get another phone call from Natasha the next month...he just wanted her home. 

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Steve had been sitting next to his phone all day. It was June 14th and originally, Natasha was supposed to be coming back that week, but from what she had said on her last phone call, it didn't sound like she would be back. 

For the first time since she had left he was praying that his phone wouldn't go off. It she didn't call him, then she'd be home soon. If she did, it would be at least another month. 

Much to his disappointment, his phone began ringing a few minutes later. 

"Hello?" He asked, trying to mask his disappointment. 

Natasha sighed, "Hey."

"I guess things haven't quite gone to plan huh?" Steve said, sighing quietly. 

"Not exactly, no," Natasha said. 

Steve frowned, wondering why she didn't sound more upset about it. Last time she had talked to him, she sounded so disappointed.

"Are you hurt?" He asked.

"No. I'm alright," Natasha said, still not sounding tired or upset. 

Steve frowned, "How'd your attack on the base go?" 

"Well, maybe if you'd get off your phone I could tell you," She said, her teasing voice echoing through their apartment. 

Steve turned around and saw Natasha leaning against the door to their apartment, looking just as beautiful as the day she had left.

"Miss me?" She asked, a small smirk on her lips. 

Steve rushed forward and kissed her with everything he had, "God yes. I missed you so much Natasha."

She wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head on his chest, "I missed you too. Five months is too long." 

Steve nodded in agreement, "Next time I'm coming with you."

Natasha sighed into Steve's shoulder, "Fine by me. We could have used someone with some experience." 

"You're okay though? No injuries?" Steve double checked, backing away slightly so he could take in her appearance. 

Natasha flashed him another smirk, "Why don't you look for yourself Cap?" 

Steve's pupils dilated and he pulled Natasha in for another kiss, "You're going to be the death of me," He mumbled, pressing more kisses along her jaw and collar bone as she stripped him of his shirt. 

Natasha moaned and tugged at his hair, "Bedroom. Now." 

Steve happily obeyed. 

Hey guys. This chapter is a lot of dialogue and may be a bit repetitive at times but I got this idea and just really wanted to give it a try so I hope you all enjoyed it. If you did, please comment and vote! I hope all of y'all have a good day and are staying healthy and safe!