YN and Nat had gone back to their bedroom to pack a bag, but once they'd started, they'd realized that everything they owned would fit in a small suitcase. With a shared look and a shrug, they packed up all of their belongings. It didn't seem likely that they would be coming back to Prague anyway, so why leave anything behind that would alert someone to their presence? Ten minutes later, it was as though they'd never even been in the small apartment.

Barnes had called for a cab, and YN'd had the misfortune of being crammed in the backseat between him and Nat. Barnes had laid his arm on the back of the seat behind her, and the tight confines of the car had forced her so close to him that she was practically sitting in his lap. She reminded herself that it could have been worse – he may have looked like a hobo, but he definitely didn't smell like one. She wasn't sure what body wash or cologne he had on, but it was an intoxicating scent that had her peeking up at him through her eyelashes as she tried to figure him out.

"Looks like someone got a new sugar daddy," Nat observed when they pulled up to the private terminal.

"You know what, Romanoff. . ." Steve abruptly stopped speaking and just shook his head as he turned back around in his seat.

YN was confused at first until she spotted the tall, regal-looking woman standing on the tarmac beside the plane. Although YN knew she was a different woman than one that had accompanied T'Challa at the Joint Counter Terrorism Centre, there was no mistaking a member of the Dora Milaje. It said a lot about a country when it's elite warriors were a group of highly skilled women who were also charged with protecting their king.

Steve paid the cab driver and started heading through the terminal to the private jet awaiting their arrival. YN had noticed a small grin form on Bucky's face at Nat's comment and thought that the formerly brainwashed assassin seemed to have found his sense of humor again. She'd heard so many stories of the infamous Bucky that she was curious to see if the man lived up to the legend.

As they took their seats and the plane began to taxi down the runway, YN looked out of the window to see the sun starting to rise on the horizon. It had been a long night, and the adrenaline rush of the evening before had left her exhausted. She took once glance around at the people on the plane with her, and knew that she had nothing to worry about. Leaning her seat back and closing her eyes, she allowed her body to finally get the sleep it so desperately craved.

YN awoke to the sound of whispering voices. She strained her ears to make who was talking, and wasn't surprised when she recognized Nat and Steve as the two speaking in hushed tones. Try as she might, she couldn't hear what they were saying. She peeked through her lashes to see where Barnes had ended up, and was surprised to find him sitting to her right on the opposite side of the small plane. Unlike her, he was blatantly staring in her direction, even though he must have known she was awake.

Opening her eyes fully, she stretched her arms over her head as she looked out the window beside her. The sun was still low in the sky, but since they were flying west, that meant absolutely nothing in terms of what time it actually was. She could tell from the stiffness in her shoulders that she'd been sleeping in an awkward position for some time, and there was land beneath them instead of water, so she assumed that they were fairly close to their destination.

Finally willing to acknowledge Barnes, she turned her head slightly and gave him a questioning glance. He had lifted the arm rests on the two seats he was currently occupying and had stretched out with his back to the window. It annoyed her that he didn't seem to mind being caught gawking at her. She tried to play it off on his training – he was probably just trying to get a better read on her. They hadn't had a lot of time to talk back in Germany once Tony and the rest of his team had arrived at the airport. She knew most of his history from talking to Steve over the years, but she wasn't sure how much Steve had told Barnes about her. Now that all of them knew the short version of her true history, they were probably more wary of her than they had been when they'd all first met.

She wasn't sure how long the staring contest would have gone on, but when Nat suddenly appeared in her line of vision, she was forced out of her thoughts and back into the present. Nat shot a quick glance over her shoulder at Barnes and then turned back to YN with a smirk. Rolling her eyes, YN ignored her friend's silent insinuation and looked back out the window of the plane.

"Where are we?" YN asked as she turned back to Nat. She noticed that Barnes had twisted in his seat to allow Steve to sit beside him, so she couldn't see the former assassin any longer. With a mental shrug, she focused on Nat's reply.

"Almost to New York," she told YN. "It's about half past eight right now, so we shouldn't experience any jet lag. Only good thing about flying west at the break of dawn."

YN nodded her head in agreement before giving her friend a steely look. "So what were you and the good Captain whispering about back there?"

Nat shook her head and tossed a glance over her shoulder at the super soldier in question. "Nothing much. Just catching each other up on what's happened since he and Barnes stole the Quinjet."

"Since you helped him and Barnes steal the Quinjet," she corrected with a raised eyebrow.

"Still not sure why I did it, but I'm glad I did," Nat said with a sigh. "You won't believe what happened to the rest of the team once Ross and his crew showed up at the airport. I'll fill you in later, but just be glad that I convinced you to come with me instead of heading back into the fray."

"That bad?" YN asked as she tried to imagine what types of punishment Ross had inflicted on her friends. "Now I feel even more guilty for leaving with you."

Nat laid a hand on her friend's arm. "Don't. You completed your objective and got Steve and Bucky to the Quinjet. We're all fugitives regardless of who was caught and who escaped, and don't think for one second any of them went willingly. In case you've forgotten, we did try to talk some sense into Stark before we went into hiding," Nat reminded her. "We tried to help our friends, but he was too stubborn to put aside his own pettiness to realize that what he'd done was wrong."

"That's not fair. . ." YN began before Nat cut her off.

"Enough," Nat said, her voice edged in ice. "I'm sick and tired of you constantly making excuses for him. He doesn't care about you and he never will – you're nothing more than a means to an end for him."

Nat's words stung, not because they were said with such malice, but because they were true. YN turned back to the window to hide the hurt and the tears that had sprung up in her eyes. She'd known for years that Tony would never look at her the way she wanted him to, and she also knew that she was guilty of playing devil's advocate for him on many occasions when she knew he was completely in the wrong.

She was saved from having to reply as the captain of the plane came over the intercom to announce that they were beginning their descent and they should fasten their seatbelts. Without giving it much thought, YN did as she was instructed and then continued to look out of the window. She could tell from the rapidly approaching landscape that they weren't going to the city, but rather to the compound in Upstate New York. As much as she loved the seclusion of the compound, she had a feeling tensions would be running high for this reunion and she could have used the hustle and bustle of the city to help her disappear for a while if things got to be too much for her. She knew her infatuation with Tony was unhealthy, but even with all of her efforts to move on from him, she just hadn't found a way to convince herself that she deserved better.

Steve spoke briefly to the captain and the member of the Dora Milaje before they exited the plane. YN was curious to know how Steve had ended up in Wakanda with T'Challa, but that was a story for another day. They began to walk down the stairs to the tarmac and YN took a deep breath as she tried to prepare herself to see Tony again. She'd tried to forget the last time she'd seen him, and the horrible things he'd said to her, but now that seemed to be the only thought she was capable of remembering.

She needn't have worried since it didn't appear as though Tony would be there to greet them after all. He'd sent Pepper, and YN tried to tell herself that it was a good thing to be reminded of the woman Tony was actually in love with. Pepper had a smile on her face and greeted Steve and Nat warmly. She politely shook Barnes' hand before turning toward YN with a sad smile on her face. YN liked to think she was an excellent liar, and in most situations, she was, but when it came to Tony, it was hard to hide her feelings and Pepper was no fool.

"It's good to see you again, YN," Pepper said as she pulled YN into a hug.

YN had wanted so badly to hate her, but it was no use. Pepper was an amazing woman, and even though she knew how YN felt about her boyfriend, she'd never held it against her. YN returned the hug and told Pepper that she was glad to see her as well.

With one last pitying smile, Pepper led them all into the compound. It looked as though Tony had been busy while they'd been in exile, and YN couldn't help but admire the changes he'd made to the facility in their absence. She held back a bit, letting the others go ahead of her so that she could steel her nerves again for her reunion with Tony. She made half a dozen promises to herself about how she would act, and what she would say. This was her chance to start afresh with him, and maybe, just maybe, if she acted like being in the same room as him didn't break her heart, she could finally convince herself that it was true.

As her mind played out a multitude of different scenarios, she felt someone's gaze on her. Bringing herself back to reality, she found that Barnes had allowed the group to move on ahead of him as he slowed down to walk beside her. He was watching her intently and it was beginning to unnerve her.

"What?" she asked more sharply than she'd intended.

"I'm just trying to figure you out," he said, not bothering to play games with her.

"There's nothing to figure out," she said with a shrug. "What you see is what you get."

"I don't think so," he disagreed. He paused for a moment before continuing. "Why did you side with Steve when you're obviously in love with Stark?"

Her mouth fell open in shock before she could stop herself. Jerking her head back around to look straight ahead, she tried to think of something she could say that would convince him he was wrong. Knowing that he would see through any lie, she went with the truth. "I didn't want to reveal my history with magic. I knew if I sided with Tony, I'd have to sign the accords and then my entire past would be up for review. I've worked hard to leave that part of my life behind me." She stopped for a moment and let out a sigh. "I also thought Steve was right – signing the Accords would only leave us vulnerable to manipulation by people who wouldn't bother to give us the whole story before they used us as their own personal mercenaries."

Barnes nodded his head in understanding. "That must have been hard on you."

He didn't phrase it as a question, which surprised YN. She looked over at him to find him looking at her with a look almost like pity, but there was a touch of respect in his eyes that softened the sting.

"Maybe it was just time that I faced reality," she said, surprising herself. Why was she even talking to him about this? Maybe it because he didn't really know her or the history she shared with Tony, or maybe it was because she was tired of fighting for a man that would never fight for her.

They were quickly approaching the conference room, and YN started to feel a bit panicky. She took a couple deep breaths as her hands tightened into fists. She would not let Tony see how much he affected her, not after he'd so completely dismissed her back in Germany. Just as she was about to turn the corner that would bring the open space of the common area into view, she felt a hand at the small of her back. Looking over in surprise, she saw a small smile playing over Barnes' face. He glanced down at her with mischief in his eyes as he gave her a wink.

Snapping her head forward again, she suddenly remembered something Steve had said to her years ago when he'd been telling her about his best friend. He'd said that Barnes was the most notorious skirt chaser in all of Brooklyn and all it took was one smile and a wink, and he could have any dame eating out of the palm of his hand. As an unnerving warmth started to spread throughout her body, she finally understood what Steve had been talking about. Barnes was a dangerous man, and she'd do well to be cautious of him. She considered swatting his hand away, but decided that having someone in her corner might not be a bad thing, even if that someone was a complete stranger.

As much as she'd tried to prepare herself to see him, it still felt like a punch to the gut when she finally laid eyes on Tony. He hadn't changed a bit, but she wasn't surprised. He had a way of erecting a shield to hide his true emotions, and over the years YN had learned to see beyond the façade, but this time there was nothing to hide. Getting back with Pepper had obviously been good for him, and it seemed as though the events in Germany hadn't taken as hard of a toll on him as it had on her.

Steve and Nat had approached him first, so she hung back for a moment with Barnes still beside her. His hand had shifted from the small of her back to rest on her hip, and she shot him a questioning glance. She knew he could feel her glare, but he only offered her one side-eyed smirk as he pulled her a little closer to him. She caught a whiff of his intoxicating scent and she felt herself leaning into him as a smile began to tug at the corners of her mouth.

"YN."

She heard Tony's voice saying her name, and she immediately turned back to look at him. She saw him glance down at Barnes' hand resting possessively on her hip and she couldn't help the feeling of triumph at seeing his reaction. If she had known what had transpired in Siberia, she might not have felt so pleased to see the anger in his eyes. If she had known the truth, she might have thought twice before letting Barnes anywhere near her.

"Hello, Tony," she finally said, trying to keep her voice even.

He gave her one last look of disgust before turning to the other man in the room. YN hadn't paid any attention to anyone other than Tony, so she was surprised to see this stranger standing off to the side. She'd been expecting the Ancient One, and her brows knitted in confusion as she took in everything about this man. When she saw the pendant hanging from his neck, she took a step forward, her eyes round with shock. "Who are you, and how the hell did you get the Eye of Agamotto?"

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Author's Note: Thank you for reading Part 3 of this story! I hope you enjoyed it! What do you make of Bucky's fascination with her? Is he telling the truth about just trying to figure her out, or is there something more?? How did you feel about him flirting with her? Was he trying to help her fool Tony, or was he trying to goad Tony after what happened in Siberia? I'm sure you've all figured out who the "strange" man at the end is, but have you figured out the plot of this story yet?? I look forward to your comments and please consider voting if you enjoyed this part!