Cold as Ice - WinterWidow One-Shots

dead ones walking

Summary: Five years after defecting to SHIELD, James and Natalia are sent on a recon mission at a Hydra base. Predictably, it does not go as planned.

This one-shot takes place in a universe where Bucky and Natasha escape the Red Room/Hydra together.

Italics represent Russian.

There was nothing James liked less than being pulled awake from a lazy morning in by the sound of Nick Fury's voice. While the director of SHIELD could be considered a confidante―a friend, almost, despite the man's insistence on professionalism―in the five years since defecting, James had learned he could get away with a certain disrespect.

Which is why when his phone had rung, shrieking with an all-too-familiar ringtone, he'd sent Fury to voicemail without hesitation. It was his day off and by god, he was going to enjoy it. His phone only rang one more time―a call that also got sent straight to voicemail―before Fury gave up. A moment later, Natalia's phone came to life, shrieking with the same ringtone and making them both groan.

Tucking her face in his shoulder, James barely understood Natalia's muttered, "Answer it," before she curled up in his arms again.

He did as instructed, reaching over her to the nightstand where her phone lay. As he pressed the answer button, he settled back in the bed and grunted into the speaker.

"How is it that you answer your girl's phone, but not your own?" Fury's voice echoed through the receiver.

"Fuck you," James muttered in Russian. He scrubbed his face with his free hand, ignoring Fury's huff of amusement at his curse and demanding, "What do you want?

"You've got a mission," Fury answered, "and I know it's your day off and all, but this one's non-negotiable. You and Romanov both."

"If we're coming in on our day off," James grumbled, glancing down as Natalia whined, "it had better be because of the fucking KGB or goddamn nazi time travel."

He normally wouldn't cuss at the director of SHIELD―a man he very much owed both his and Natalia's lives to―but he was tired and they very rarely got time off. Five years of working independently for the organization and SHIELD still wasn't eager to leave them to their own devices, even if just for twelve hours.

"You're gonna wish you hadn't said that."

* * * * *

It wasn't the KGB and it wasn't time travel, but he had not, in fact, been far off with the nazi accusation. Hydra, it turned out, was becoming a problem too large for SHIELD to handle quietly. They'd been growing for years, never fully disappearing even after Natalia and James had led a reconnaissance mission four years ago to destroy their headquarters. Despite SHIELD's intel, their attack had only had minimal impact on the organization that continued to spread and recruit agents. Budapest seemed to be their most recent headquarters.

"At least we were halfway successful," Natalia murmured to him in Russian upon Fury's confirmation that the Red Room was not involved or active.

"As it is," Fury said, cutting in before James could respond, "we need you two to handle this. An information grab and nothing more yet. Do it how you would before; SHIELD will turn a blind eye."

James and Natalia shared a look that did not go unnoticed by Fury.

"Do not make a mess of it," he said sternly, going as far as to threaten disciplinary action if he received a call from the Hungarian government.

Passing over a file that continued all their briefing information, Fury dismissed them. Wordlessly, they navigated their way through the hangar in search of a quinjet, nodding once at Barton as they passed him on his way in from a previous mission. At his confused frown, Natalia paused to murmur an explanation while James reached for their weapons. By the time she returned to his side, he was fully packed.