I woke up to the sound of tapping outside. I checked the clock on the bedside table: 3am. I groaned and quietly slipped out of bed.

"Steve?" Nat whispered.

"Just getting some water," I told her, kissing her forehead.

She rolled over. "Bring some for me too?"

"Of course." I slipped out of the room and walked into the kitchen. That's when I heard the tapping again.

I walked to the front door, careful not to let it squeak. The last thing I needed to do was wake Natasha. I rubbed the sleep out my eyes and opened the door. "Bucky? It's 3am, what are you doing here?"

"Sorry, Steve. I know it's late. Can I come in?"

I stood to the side and let him in. "What's going on? How'd you know we were here?"

"Tony told me when he got back to the compound with Yelena," Bucky replied. "Plus, where else would you be?"

I nodded. "True. So you know Yelena is in town?"

"Yes." He stopped walking and turned around. "What did Nat tell you?"

"Nothing. Just...something about you and Yelena having a history together. Something like that." I scratched the back of my head.

"Yeah, well. It was a long time ago. Anyway, the reason I'm here—"

"Barnes, what the hell are you doing here?"

So much for not waking Natasha. We both turned at the sound of her voice. She was draped in my t-shirt and barefoot.

"I, uh, needed to talk to Steve," he said, not even flinching.

Natasha crossed her arms over her chest. "And you couldn't wait until daylight?"

Bucky and I exchanged glances.

"He wanted to go over some wedding details," I covered for him, hoping Natasha would buy it."

"At 3am?" she asked.

Bucky nodded. "Yeah, we wanted things to be a surprise, and what better way to do that than when it's least expected?"

"Hmph." Natasha narrowed her eyes. "Well, whatever it is you two are really up to, just don't be too long." She deposited a kiss on my cheek before walking back in the direction of our bedroom. "And if you're staying, you can take the couch. Blankets are in the closet."

When Natasha had returned to our room, Bucky and I sat down on the sofa.

"What was I saying?" Bucky asked.

"You were saying the reason you were here was..." I started then trailed off for him to fill me in.

"Right. The reason I'm here is because Yelena has been making waves in the world of espionage as of late," he said.

I raised my eyebrows. "What?"

"You know about ASSET, right? Division of SHIELD that went rogue like HYDRA?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Yelena said that Kristina is recruiting former widows for it."

Bucky cocked his head to the side. "She told you that?"

"Yeah. Why?"

He cleared his throat. "Yelena is a master of deception."

I blinked, not reacting. "And?"

"And clearly, she was lying to you."

"What makes you say that?"

"She's a former widow, just like Natasha. But she knows more about ASSET than Natasha does based on what she told me tonight at the compound."

"So you talked with her?"

He nodded. "Yeah. She brought up the interrogation with you. And then she asked about Natasha's recent encounter with Kristina. Except she hasn't had a recent encounter with Kristina."

"You don't know that," I argued.

"Let me finish. Yelena said that she apparently found out from Kristina herself that Nat had volunteered for Phase 2."

There it was again: this is what Natasha's dream had been about—Phase 2 for ASSET.

"So then why was Yelena talking with Kristina?" I asked. "How have they been in communication?"

"Good question. It turns out Yelena still takes jobs from Kristina on a fairly regular basis."

I raised my eyebrows. "She told you this?"

Bucky shrugged. "I have my sources. Or rather, Shuri does."

I smirked. "Back to the point, Bucky."

"Right. Look, what I'm trying to say is we really don't know who Yelena is or if we can trust her."

"You obviously don't trust her," I observed.

"I...it depends on the day. But right now she hasn't given me much opportunity to trust her. If she's been in communication with Kristina, then we really need to tread carefully."

"What are you worried about?" I asked.

"I'm worried that Yelena is working for Kristina in ASSET. If she's taking other jobs from her, why not this one?"

I shook my head. "Would she really do that to Natasha?"

Bucky glanced at me. "I don't know. But I sure as hell hope I'm wrong." 

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

I woke up a few hours later next to Natasha, my mind still reeling. Bucky and I had ultimately decided it would be best to wait until morning to tell Natasha what we'd discussed.

"Hey there, sleeping beauty," she said.

"Mm, what time is it?" I asked.

"Time for breakfast. C'mon, I'll make your favorite."

I followed her into the kitchen where we found Bucky already standing at the stove.

"You're still here," Nat said.

Bucky smiled. "Yeah, I figured this was the least I could do given that I woke you at 3am."

"Right. About that, are you two gonna tell me what was really going on this morning?"

Bucky and I exchanged glances. "Wedding details."

Natasha shook her head. "You know I'm gonna find out the truth eventually." She took a mug from the cabinets and filled it with coffee.

"Buck, maybe we should—" I started to say.

"No," he cut me off, ignoring the fact that Natasha was standing right there.

She narrowed her eyes. "What is going on?"

I sighed. "Nat, we think that there's something off with Yelena."

Her gaze darted between the two of us, landing on Bucky. "Off? Look, I know you have history with her—and by the way, we're definitely having a conversation about that later—but you can't just accuse her of—"

"I'm not accusing her of anything, Nat," Bucky said. "It's just a feeling."

I put my hand on the small of Natasha's back. "I think we should give him a chance to explain."

Natasha took her coffee into the living room and flopped onto the sofa. "Ok, boys. Explain."

Bucky and I exchanged glances.

I shrugged. "Your turn, man."

Bucky sighed and dragged a hand down his face. "Ok, here's the deal. Yelena and I haven't spoken in a very long time—you know that. And when she got to the compound last night, there was just...I don't know. Something. The way she was looking at me."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "You and these looks. We get it, you're attractive—"

"Hey!" I protested. I was not prepared to start that fight again.

"—and all the women fall at your feet," she continued, "but that's still no excuse—"

"Natasha, let me finish! Please."

Nat motioned for him to continue. "Sorry."

"I've only ever seen that look a few times. It was almost as if she was trying to manipulate my mind."

"Oh." Nat tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "I guess her powers are more advanced than we thought."

Bucky groaned. "You knew? Why am I the last to know everything?"

Natasha glanced at me for help and I covered her hand with one of my own.

"We figured it out last night. But we're still not sure why she has powers," I said.

"Well, I have an idea," Bucky replied.

"What's that?" I asked.

Bucky opened his mouth to speak but it was Natasha who answered: "She's recruiting former widows."

"That seems par for the course for Kristina," I replied and Natasha nodded. We both knew that after Natasha's dream where she 'volunteered' to be a test subject, she'd ended up with new powers. Maybe this was Kristina's way of thanking Yelena for volunteering too.

"Not her. I mean Yelena." Bucky countered. "Yelena is the one recruiting former widows."