Katya put the phone in her back pocket and rushed out the bathroom and into the kitchen, immediately grabbing some ice. ''Jesus, guys. He didn't go down without a fight, did he?''

Sam groaned when he sat down on the barstool, accepting the ice she offered him with a grateful grimace. He had blood all over his suit and on the top of his head, and he had a cut from a knife. Bucky was worse though. His entire face was littered in small cuts and his lips were red from all the blood he had been spitting out.

''He definitely took the serum. My bones can attest,'' Sam tried to joke, clutching his ribs. Only then, Katya saw the wings he had thrown on the ground near the door. They were no longer on his backpack but instead broken, snapped off. Those things were strong. Not just anybody could break them.

''What happened to those?'' she questioned, turning to Bucky when he walked behind her to the fridge.

''Not much good,'' he answered vaguely, grabbing a cold bottle of water and throwing another one towards Sam. He was in one of his bad moods again, but who could blame him.

Sam studied the woman who looked pretty relaxed, leaning on her underarms on the kitchen island. It's like she was a whole new person. Clean, awake, in different clothes. ''But you're looking better.''

Katya smiled and shrugged, her jaw protesting as she did so. ''Took a shower, am wearing my own clothes, Facetimed Nat. So yeah, I do feel better. Maybe you should do the same. Not Facetime Nat, but those other things. Don't take too long though. Promised her I'd be home today.''

''That's one promise I can fulfill,'' Sam answered, moving the icepack from the top of his head to the back of his neck. ''Karli's gone underground. GRC is sweeping all her hideouts, but so far, no success. We're out of leads. So nothing else to do but go home and wait.''

Happiness spread through Katya's chest. She had hoped Sam would say that, but the prospects look really good. ''Good. I showered cold, so you and your muscles are lucky.''

Katya watched him go into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. She dropped her face into her hands and rubbed them over her skin a couple times. Her headache started to return, but she didn't trust any of the medicine Zemo had in his cabinets, so she just pushed it away. 

With the silence that fell over the apartment now, she had nothing to distract her. Luckily, her eye fell on the bloody shield by the door, and involuntarily, her mind went to Steve again. It sent a deep sadness into her chest, especially with the blood dripping off the Vibranium. She couldn't look at it, so decided to clean it. 

Bucky watched her silently from the couch, gently taking the shield in her hands and bringing it to the sink. Now, what was the best way to clean this thing?

First, she ran it under some water to get the thickest off. Unfortunately, it had dried a bit and didn't budge. So next, she went looking for a sponge, finding it under the sink. Like washing a plate, she did the shield. Didn't matter that she used dish soap. Even if she would have thrown acid over it, it wouldn't have scratched the paint. Besides, dish soap got the job done.

''Katya?'' she eventually heard behind her. She closed the tap and turned to see Bucky staring at her. He had done that for a while now, but he didn't always speak his mind. Today, he apparently planned to.

''Hmm?''

''Do you think Sam was wrong to give that thing to the museum?'' he asked, referring to the shield she was drying off now. All the blood was gone, leaving a shiny shield behind.

She was caught a bit off-guard by the deep question. ''Ehm.'' Throwing the towel on the counter and placing the shield on the kitchen island, she sauntered to the couch and sat down. By the concentration on her face, Bucky knew she seriously thought about an answer. 

''I don't think there's anything like right or wrong here. He wasn't ready to carry the burden that comes with being Cap, so he chose to give it to the museum for the time being. There isn't any shame in that. He couldn't have known they would screw him over. His trusting personality can sometimes come back to bite him.''

Bucky stayed silent, contemplating her answer. He'd been so mad, but Katya's answer held a sense of truth. His eyes flickered to the wound on her arm that she still had to bandage after her shower, before they landed on her face again. ''Do you believe he is the right person for the job?''

''I do,'' she answered without hesitation, leaning forward to place her elbows on her knees. ''That guy is pure goodness and selfless to the bone, like Steve. He can do it, he just has to believe in himself.'' She saw him nod to himself, but his mind wasn't entirely here. Something else was on his mind, and she thought she knew what. 

''Listen, I have no clue why he gave it to Sam and not to you, but Steve never did anything without a reason. Maybe he just wanted to protect you from the pressure of having to deal with being Captain America. But if you really want it, you should sit down and have a talk with Sam.''

But her guess proved to be wrong when he quickly shook his head. ''No. I don't want that thing.'' He took a breath, looking at his hands. ''It's just... weird to see it on someone else.''

''I know.'' Katya's face fell too, and she glanced at the red and blue thing on the counter. ''I keep expecting Steve to walk in and sweep it up.'' She ripped her eyes away and gave him a small smile. ''But Sam's going to be a good Cap. An even better one, if that's possible. Or if he still doesn't want to, he can always give it to Morgan so she can take it sledding.''

Bucky scoffed. ''I'm sure Stark built her some supersonic Iron Man sled.''

''Probably,'' she agreed. ''Look, I know you love to do everything by yourself, but if you want... if you want, you can come by the house and we can remember him together. Share stories, like some messed up campfire sharing moment. With lots of booze of course. For you then. I'll even kick Natalia out of the house if you don't want her there.''

That made him smile a bit. He just really missed Steve. ''Thanks, but maybe later.''

''That's cool. The offer always stands.''

The door on the other side of the room opened, pulling their attention away from each other and to Sam, who had changed out of his suit and into his normal clothes. ''Your turn.''

Bucky nodded but didn't stand up immediately, sharing another moment with Katya in which he silently thanked her for that conversation. 

''You cleaned this thing?'' Sam asked when Bucky was gone, picking up the shield and holding it in the light to check for any leftover blood. But there was none, she made sure of that. ''With dish soap?''

''You're welcome,'' Katya answered casually, kicking her legs up on the couch and making herself comfortable. She already had her bag packed and ready to go. Only thing she had to do was wait for Bucky to be done so they could fly the hell out of here. Latvia was beautiful, but it started to feel like a prison.

~~~~~

Bucky hadn't come home with them. He left ''to take care of'' Zemo. Aka killing him. Katya honestly couldn't care less. In fact, she told Bucky to get revenge for her, trusting him to do it. After all, he had enough history with Zemo to want that for himself.

As for her and Sam; apparently, he had made some friends in the army, resulting in them letting him use one of their planes. Or well, use probably wasn't the right word for it. They just flew the duo from Latvia to New York, nothing more. Katya didn't mind. Anything was better than flying commercial. Even when the back of said army plane was more of a cargo hold than anything else. After practically living in a Quinjet for years though, it was nothing new.

The reason they kept glancing at their watches was because Walker was appearing in front of a council at any moment. He had been rushed to the States, where they had already made a decision. Wasn't much of a decision, but still. 

The pilot had given Sam a laptop to watch the Senator hearing on. And he placed it on a box in such a way that both he and Katya could see it from the opposite sides of the plane clearly. 

The courtroom was small, rectangular, with the chairs and benches placed neatly in rows. Behind the wooden desk in the front sat seven people, the Senator in the middle. John stood between them and the spectators, behind a pulpit, in his uniform. Not the Captain America one, but his army uniform. 

Katya had a hard time recognizing him like this, with the beret on his head and his arm in a sling, courtesy of Sam and Bucky. He looked bad. Like 'I am about to explode'-bad. And Katya guessed, with all the things they were going to say in the next few minutes, the chances were big that that would indeed happen.

Involuntarily, her mind went all the way back to 2014, when she had watched in awe how Natasha had mouthed those Senators off in their own hearing. That was hot.

''John F. Walker, it is the order of this council that you are no longer to act in any capacity as a representative of the United States government or its military. You are hereby stripped of your title and authority as Captain America, effective immediately.''

A sigh of relief went through the cargo hold. This was all they wanted; Walker no longer being Captain America. The world could better do without a Cap, than whatever Walmart version of him Walker was. Honestly, he belonged in some sort of mental institution where they could fix his anger issues. 

''Senator, uh, permission to present to the council testimony as to the circumstances of the incident,'' John rambled quite softly and monotone, like he had no energy left in him. Katya felt kinda sorry for his wife in the front row, which she recognized from the pictures online. She looked kind and was now burdened with this mess of a man. 

''Circumstances of the incident have been considered. It's only because of your previous exemplary service to this country that I'm recommending against a court-martial,'' the Senator frowned. He didn't like to be contradicted and didn't try and hide it. What was with Senators and being douchebags?

''With all due respect, I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation fully, thereby, have misunderstood the circumstances-''

John's rambling got cut off once again. ''This is not a negotiation.''

''I understand that.''

''This is a mandate.''

''I'm just asking to be heard,'' he said, a little firmer. But unlike Natasha more than a decade ago, he didn't have the ability to silence them and push his own agenda through. No, Natasha was a master manipulator and a very good bullshitter, and Walker was just a soldier with too much trauma and serum in his body.

''It is a mandate.''

''I understand that! I understand that!'' Walker finally snapped, slamming his good hand down hard on the wood. Katya side-eyed Sam, who shook his head silently to himself. ''I lived my life by your mandates! I dedicated my life to your mandates! I only ever did what you asked of me, what you told me to be and trained me to do, and I did it. And I did it well.''

The Senator was just as unimpressed with his outburst as her, going back to reading the rest of his verdict with a plain expression. ''You will be given an other than honorable discharge retroactive to the beginning of the month. You will hold no rank in retirement and receive no benefits.''

''Damn,'' Katya muttered under her breath. Those measurements were to be expected, but still, they sucked. See, that's how easily governments dropped your ass. And exactly why she didn't work for them anymore.

''You built me. Senator, I am Captain America.''  

Katya rolled her eyes.

''Not anymore. And if you continue to demean and denigrate the priorities and dignity of this council, you will spend the rest of your life in the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks.'' Walker started to walk off in the middle of the Senator's speech, down the aisle. ''Consider yourself extremely fortunate, Mr. Walker, and return the shield to us with expedience.''

The door shut behind him, also signaling the end of the interesting part of this hearing. Sam closed the laptop, the plane sounds filling the silence instead. Katya kicked her legs up the seats along the wall, using her backpack as a pillow. 

''Well, you better build a very good safe for that thing.''

Natasha

When Natasha picked up Maya at three, she wanted nothing more than to tell her Katya was coming home today. But she didn't want to give false hope. A lot could go wrong, and she hadn't received any more texts or phone calls from the brunette. Nothing about getting on a plane or the time of landing.

Maya stepped into the car with a huge smile, an almost empty box of cupcakes on her lap. They had made a little more just in case, but it looked like she and Natasha would have something to snack on at home. 

Her curls were combed into a bun that turned out quite poofy because of the volume of her hair. It was adorable, with small curly strands dangling on the sides of her face. She had attempted it herself this morning before calling Natasha for help since she couldn't hold all that hair in her own hands.

Back home, Maya sat at the kitchen counter, eating a leftover cupcake in silence. The day had tired her out some, but she would need to push through for her party in about an hour. Natasha was just cleaning out Maya's backpack, putting her lunchbox in the dishwasher and stuff, when she stumbled upon a couple birthday cards. 

''Hey, your friends got you cards?'' she asked, not meaning to snoop around but just bumping into them.

Maya hummed, her mouth too full to answer. She slid off the chair and walked around the counter, taking the backpack from Natasha and pulling them out herself. Opening them one by one, she showed them and who they were from. Some were handcrafted, which was adorable. 

But at one, Maya's cheeks turned slightly red and she went through it a bit too fast to be subtle. 

Natasha had trouble keeping in her laugh, but smiled at what this must mean. Looked like Maya did indeed like someone, and the name at the bottom of the card had said ''Mason''. 

It was absolutely adorable to see her kid get flustered. But Natasha didn't say anything, because that would just embarrass Maya. That's not the kind of parent she wanted to be. 

''It's very sweet that they gave you all these. You're definitely better at making friends than me,'' Natasha laughed, and Maya seemed to relax a bit, seemingly thinking her mom hadn't seen how red she had gotten. ''You should get changed. We still need to pick up Aunt May and Peter and I need to do your hair, too.''

Her eyes widened. ''Peter's coming with?''

''Yeah, I thought it would be better to bring some reinforcements,'' Natasha joked, enjoying how Maya's eyes lit up at the mention of the boy. Hopefully, she didn't figure out that Peter was more than just company, and was there to also protect her if needed. Luckily, May knew all about his Spider-Man side job, so she understood completely.

Maya disappeared upstairs, returning not even five minutes later in all black. It had taken some art and crafts, but her clothing represented Natasha's suit fairly closely. High boots, a top with a high collar and a zipper down the front, leather look pants. They even managed to find an hourglass pin and made it onto a belt. Luckily stores sold a lot of Avengers merch.

The only thing both Natasha and Katya didn't let her have were any fake weapons. Simply because they didn't want those things in her life. All the weapons in the house were stored in the master bedroom, in a safe with a childproof code. 

Oh, and two guns in their nightstands, but those had handprint recognition and would never be able to get fired by anyone other than the two Russians. Safe for Maya if she ever went snooping somewhere she really shouldn't.

''Wow, you look more like me than I do,'' Natasha laughed. She gently took the bun out and tightly braided Maya's hair down her back, like she had herself most of the time. They took a lot of pictures and sent them to Sam's phone, not expecting a text back immediately. But Katya wanted to see photos, so photos she got.

''Alright, ass in the car. I will get the giftbags and then we can go.'' She shooed Maya outside, smiling at her skipping step. Like the paranoid person she was, Natasha checked all the locks and windows before pulling on her coat and gathering the giftbags in her arms. Right when she pulled the front door closed, her phone chimed.

Impatiently, she pulled it out and smiled at the screen. 

''O my god she looks adorable!! And better in that than you ever did ;)  So sad I'm missing it. But you can tell her that I will be landing at JFK at 21:07.''

Natasha's mouth almost dropped open, but it soon merged into a huge smile. ''Are you kidding?'' She typed back, swearing her hands started to shake out of excitement.

''Promise I'm not. Am currently in the cargo hold of an army plane. Private treatment. Maybe the government isn't as bad as I keep insisting.'' Natasha let out an unvoluntary chuckle, hearing Katya's voice in her head. She was about to type something back, when Maya impatiently called out from behind. She stood with the doorhandle in her hand, waiting until the car would unlock.

''Mom! Come on, we'll be late.''

''One second, honey!'' She yelled back without looking over her shoulder. 

''This is the best gift you could have given her. We'll be there.''

She picked up the giftbags again and pressed the car key, opening all the doors. Natasha put the giftbags in the trunk, but for some reason, Maya didn't sit down in the back while she did this. No, instead she had narrowed her eyes at her mom. ''Why are you smiling?'' she asked suspiciously.

''That's none of your business, young lady,'' Natasha scolded her playfully, closing the tailgate and moving to the driver's seat. She could have easily told Maya Katya was coming home, but it was so much better to tell her later when she didn't expect it. 

''You are smiling that smile only Kat gives you,'' Maya continued casually, finally buckling herself in.

Surprised, Natasha twisted in her seat and narrowed her eyes at her daughter. ''You're an observant one, aren't you?''

Maya shrugged. ''I learned from the best.''

~~~~~~~~

A/N: I know the timing of this makes no sense, and between the fountain thing and the hearing are probably a few days, I really want Katya home on Maya's birthday, so please ignore how messed up my timeline is :) The reunion will be in the next chapter!

Also: I got my Black Widow tickets! July 7, 8 PM! (Perks of living in Europe hehe) I am already nauseous with excitement. I am too invested and too in love with her. On that note, please don't post any spoilers in your comments next week. I will remind you again and I will not spoil anything myself. It can seriously ruin people's movie :)