To Kalina, it was refreshing to have the men in her home. Dinner had been uneventful, but was surprisingly filled with quite a few laughs and jabs between Bucky and Sam, and the woman thoroughly enjoyed their company. It warmed the space in her dining room to have the chatter, and she frequently found herself smiling at the two Avengers.

As much as she wanted to resent them and their team's part in the fall of Sokovia, the lighthearted banter reminded her that they, too, were human, and that she enjoyed having friends around. Though, she couldn't really call the two men friends just yet, she was happy that Helmut had inevitably led them to her penthouse. Even Sam, who had been cautious around her due to her association with the criminal they escorted, had finally relaxed into his seat with a drink in hand.

Kalina had decided to recreate a favorite dish from home, chicken paprikash, and while it was not chef quality by any means, she was thankful to have an audience to test it on. She swirled a glass of wine in her hand laughing at something Bucky had said about Sam's attitude, realizing that the two men bickered liked a married couple. Helmut had been uncharacteristically quiet during the entire meal, only nodding thank you to being served the food and follow on drinks, and smiling every so often as Kalina's laugh reminded him of a time he could never return to.

Bucky and Sam had eased into the conversations after a few drinks, and were now thoroughly engaged with Kalina about everything from the Avengers, to the weather, to Sam's family and side mission back in Louisiana. Kalina even gracefully spoke about her home, though it was a sore subject between the two Sokovians at the table, and they shared several laughs together about old memories despite the tragic ending the country had faced. Helmut had stifled a few chuckles at the stories but refused to engage. His mind was elsewhere.

"So, how old do you calculate yourself to be?" Kalina nudged at Bucky who had been picking at Sam for acting like an old man and needing to lighten up.

Rolling his eyes and laughing, the former Winter Soldier chortled. "Just turned one hundred and seven. At least I don't act like it."

He took a large swig from his glass of Cognac and Kalina let out an audible laugh. "You've really been keeping track."

Sam couldn't help but shake his head and smile. "Someone's gotta to be an adult and babysit you two on this mission."

He nodded to Helmut, who was properly seated in his chair, clearly ready to step away from the table for air. The entirety of the dinner event had been nauseating and the alcohol could not cut his anxiety. Kalina was enjoying herself, and he had been admiring her from across the room, but couldn't help feel longing for her, wishing it was he that was making her laugh again. He knew her pain ran deep from the wounds he had cut and couldn't fault her that. It was he that brought the other two men to her home, and a part of him was happy to see her beautiful smile while the other part desperately wished for a past that once was.

Kalina looked out the terrace window, noticing the sun setting and the daylight dimming. A small pit in her stomach sank, knowing the men would leave for their mission soon and she would again be alone in the large, empty penthouse. She hadn't asked many questions about their next steps, or where they were going, wanting to revel in the simplicity of their company and their stories.

Bucky noticed the look on her face, recognizing the loneliness behind her sparkling hazel eyes. He felt sympathy for her, understanding what it felt like to be alone in a captivity of freedom. He had been released of the control the Winter Soldier had, and was free of the chains that had bound him, and yet the longing for companionship and the overwhelming isolation was an emotion he felt all too often.

Looking at Helmut, noticing the stark difference in his arrogant attitude from the flight over, to his quiet and calculating demeanor at the dinner table, he wondered what kind of obviously tense past the two Sokovians had between them. Were they friends, alliances, enemies? Were they only in cohorts because of their connection to Sokovia? Bucky sensed there was something more that he couldn't put his finger on.

"Kalina, thank you for dinner, I don't think I've ever had chicken papri... paprika?" Sam lost the phrase he was looking for and made a face, feeling a little guilty because she had spent nearly five minutes talking about the importance of the dish to Sokovia, and had obviously gone to great lengths to prepare it for them.

Kalina simply smiled, amused at the uncertainty. "Paprikash."

Mentally cursing himself, the Falcon nodded and let out an uncomfortable laugh, feeling even more guilt sink in. "I'll have to remember that. It was great, though."

Bucky nodded in agreement, as if his request for a third serving had gone unnoticed. Helmut remained silent, and Kalina detected the rigidity in his attitude as she twisted her lips. She understood why he was acting this way and it was in direct response to her comments from prior. Knowing she didn't want to open herself up to more disappointment, she had isolated her entire existence to the man in her home, not wanting to drudge up the past. It pained her to remember the years of heartache she had endured at his hand, but she was also a different Kalina now.

She wanted to be selfish and reckless and a small spark of chaos disturbed her inner peace as she watched the man sip the whiskey he had traded his Cognac for. He was a different man, too, more aggressive and cool, and his demeanor compelled her. Kalina let the wine paint her lips as she took another gulp.

"Sam, Bucky, thank you for being my guests for supper." The sun had finally gone down on the horizon, giving way to the night outside the dining room. The two men nodded their gratuities for the hospitality.

"We should get out of your hair, I'm sure you've got something better to do than entertain us. Heck, I don't think we even expected to be here eating dinner." Sam began to consolidate his dishes on the table, wanting to at least help clean up her home before they departed.

Bucky recognized his partner's efforts and sipped again on his drink, hesitant to leave Kalina hastily after she had provided them such a comfortable evening. The Falcon and the former Winter Soldier had two entirely different perspectives on life and it showed during this moment in Kalina's dining room. Helmut uncomfortably shifted in his seated.

"Please, Sam." Kalina reached for his arm and stopped his cleaning. "You leave to your next location in the morning, correct? Will you indulge me by staying the evening?"

The man stopped, uncertain whether to accept the additional offer, as she had already provided more than they had deserved that day for barging into her home. "Oh... no, we really can't impose on you like that-"

Kalina laughed, taking a dirty fork from his hand. Helmut eyed the exchange, entirely uncertain where the situation was heading. He, too, wanted to leave, knowing that he personally had overstayed his welcome, even if the two Avengers were also unexpected guests.

Rising to her feet she locked eyes with the Falcon, with a look of warmth and assurance, but hiding a flicker of desperation for their company. "I insist, really. I don't receive many guests, and I'm genuinely enjoying your amity. Will you please stay?"

Bucky grinned, taking another sip from his glass and raising his eyebrow at Sam, as if he were a child asking his mother for a new toy. His partner, who had found a comfortable setting in Kalina's home, smiled and nodded, caving in. "Sure. I guess it'd be rude to reject an offer like that."

Sam now also stood to his feet, helping Kalina consolidate dishes, as Helmut remained seated at the table, desperatly wanting another drink. The tension between the Sokovians was an undeniable elephant in the room, but neither the Falcon nor the former Winter Soldier were willing to address it, especially not with Helmut Zemo.

Standing to help the other two cleaners, Bucky's smooth metal hand clinked against the fine dishware. He had removed his gloves before dinner, and Kalina had inquired politely about it. Once he had shared the stories with her, and received a kind and warm response, Bucky felt at ease being around the woman with his bare hands. She had made him feel no less of a man for his transgressions than she had with Helmut, and treated him with respect despite the underlying assumption of his escapades as the Winter Soldier. He didn't have to tell her the harsh details, but she could derive her own conclusions.

Kalina rounded the table, and brushed past Helmut, taking his dishes from the table. The fabric of the cardigan she wore grazed his shoulder, wafting her scent in his direction. Shuddering, he wanted to reach up and grab her, pulling her close to him, but he remained stoic and quiet even as she looked into his eyes when she pulled the dishes away. Politely, he nodded thanks toward her, and she returned it with a strained smile.

The three now-servants moved to the kitchen with the dirty dishes and continued their chatter down the hall, Sam's laughs echoing off the walls. Helmut sat in the dining room alone, smelling the paprika that still lingered in the air and feeling the heaviness of his relationship with Kalina pour over him like a storm.

He would leave Paris tomorrow to fulfill his obligation to the two Avengers and leave her in peace. She clearly had found her own way in life, and he would inevitably return to the correctional facility if Sam and Bucky had their way, so the book they had written together now needed a closing.

Helmut looked at the empty glass of alcohol that rested in his palm. He just had to get through the evening, then he would bid Kalina farewell in the morning. They were just two ships passing in the night, no longer sailing along the same route. They now found themselves drifting farther apart into a dark unknown.

The laughter in the living area had begun to settle, as Bucky yawned and Sam nodded in agreeance. Kalina and the two Avengers had made themselves at home, continuing to joke and share stories, and the evening was drawing to a close. Helmut had retreated to the terrace with a decanter of whiskey and had yet to be seen since supper.

The hostess followed suit with the yawns, stretching her arms and untucking her legs from their crisscross position on the sofa. "It may be time to retire for the evening."

Sam cracked his neck, looking down the hall toward what he assumed would be guest rooms. Pointing, Kalina stood on her feet and inched in the direction of the corridor in question. "There are four suites available, none are better than the others. Please enjoy, I won't keep you awake any longer."

She turned to the men and smiled with a genuine joy in her eyes. Kalina hadn't felt this fulfilled in years, and she was reminded of how much she loved life and the people in it. Inadvertently, she was thankful Helmut had showed up at her door. She had not forgotten him on the terrace, but chose to let the tension subside between them separately. Now that she had stepped out of her comfort zone with the two Avengers, she was feeling bold and vibrant. The waves of grief had washed away from her as she smiled more and more, and she felt her heart blossoming in a way she hadn't in years.

The company of the two men who simply interacted with her as friends had elevated Kalina's confidence. Suddenly, she felt freer than she had in a very long time, releasing the weight of the burdens she had accepted over the years. Realizing that these were never hers to bear, Kalina wanted to forever feel as unbound as she did tonight laughing with Bucky and Sam.

Bidding the two men a goodnight, she moved to her own bedroom to refresh and replenish. She wanted to stand in the shower and wash the world off her shoulders. The small extension of friendship and non-judgement from the men reminded her not to be a martyr. Despite the immense success of her business over the years, and her notoriously ambitious attitude, she knew she had been lost in a sea of grief and anxiety in her own personal life. Kalina had met a woman tonight that she hadn't spoken with in years. Suddenly, she was alive, and she was free.

Sighing as she twisted on the water to the shower and undressed herself, she felt the weight come off her back and fall to the floor with the cardigan she had been wearing. It was time to write in her book of life again, but this would not be a new chapter, this would be an entirely new story: a sequel.

-----

Hot steam rose from the French press as Kalina silently swirled loose leaf tea in the container, steeping chamomile and letting the flowery aroma soothe her senses. She placed her hand on the lid and pushed the knob down, taking the leaves to the bottom of the container, and tipped it toward a small ceramic cup, letting the warmth hit her face in the process. The kitchen was quiet with a peaceful pressure that lifted her up to the ceiling.

Looking at the clock in the butler pantry, it was nearly a quarter past eleven. Kalina had intended to sit on the terrace, listening to the life of Paris still bustling down below. The city seemed to never sleep, but tonight she was reminded that life was short and every moment was valuable.

As she rounded the halls toward the living room, a click of what she recognized as the terrace door caught her attention. Coming into view, the silhouette of Helmut's body moved in the dimly lit room. His figure was highlighted by the lights of the city coming from the terrace, and it was enough for Kalina to see his face.

Noticing her presence, he turned to her silently. Gliding across the room with grace, Kalina no longer felt the heavy weight she did when he had first arrived. Switching on a lamp at a nearby table, she was no longer tied down by her grief and pain and felt a sense of relief looking into the man's eyes. Helmut noticed her shift in demeanor and eyed her cautiously, a woman who was both a stranger and someone he knew his entire life, stood before him as if she were controlling his entire body.

They moved closer together, and Kalina noticed the decanter of whiskey that was in his hand had hardly been touched, as if he had put on a façade of attempting to become belligerent on the terrace through drinks, but couldn't quite bring himself to it. "That anxious?"

She nodded to the decanter, in which he recognized that she implied he hadn't drank much. In all honesty, he couldn't. The waves emotion, excitement and pain, had crippled his thoughts enough, as he stewed with them alone outside. Kalina understood, her own anxiety having made her a walking shell of a corpse in years past. It was hard enough to cope with the feelings but even more so to self medicate.

"Kalina, I'm sorry I came here tonight." Helmut poured himself a small final glass, before replacing the decanter on the shelf behind him. The set jingled as he set it down, resembling a windchime that briskly rang in the spring air. Kalina pulled her tea cup close to her lap as she sat down on the settee, trying to move herself into a receptive and non-defensive position.

The man avoided looking into her eyes any longer, swearing he would melt in her gaze. "I suppose I... I knew I couldn't pick up the pieces I left behind."

Kalina twisted her lips, unsure how to respond. She knew their relationship had eaten away at him in its own way, despite being overwhelmed with the pain she had personally felt. All these years she had blamed him for causing her grief, but tonight she felt those memories wash away, like a storm that had finally settled.

"You can't, Helmut. What is done is done. You have no ability to take back your choices." Kalina brought the tea cup to her lips, sipping the hot liquid and letting the temperature fill her body. She not only felt more confident this evening, but something inside of her heart had restored as she sat in front of him. It was as if from the moment the men arrived in her home, she began a metamorphosis and was finally finding her wings.

The pain still remained in her heart, and she could not deny the damage that was there, but it was as if the wound had finally begun to scar. She refused to let Helmut see her weakness, mirroring his confidence and pragmatic attitude. Unsure why the catalyst had suddenly hit her like a tsunami today, Kalina embraced the feeling of self control and allowed the assertiveness to settle into her soul.

She had been in power of her extrinsic lifestyle, but her inward embodiment had been in chaos since the day Helmut had left. No longer did she feel the overwhelming tug toward an infinite black hole that would destroy her. Today she had new potential.

Helmut observed her small body seated in front of him, watching the way she moved the cup from her hands to the table in front of the settee, and leaning forward into their conversation. Something about this sudden spark of energy in her demeanor drove an animalistic instinct inside of him, threatening to billow to surface if he could simply rush the room and take complete control of her. They were suddenly two people in a silent battle for power, and it was sparking a passionate fire inside of him.

"I cannot apologize because it would mean nothing, but I regret every day I spent away from you." He took a sip from the whiskey glass. The fur on his jacket grazed his ears as he moved his shoulders to maneuver the drink. The Parisian air had become cold as the sun set, and he had remained on the terrace, hoping their paths would not cross the remainder of the evening so that he could leave her in silence as the morning drew near. Yet, he could not keep away from her, and was pleasantly surprised with their current encounter.

"Helmut, you destroyed a part of me that I will never be able to regenerate." She looked at him, finally locking eyes, but the mourning had been replaced by something else. "Though... I let you."

Inquisitive, the man cocked his head, tilting his glass slightly. "You are not to blame for my undoing nor my part in this."

Kalina shook her head and confidently retorted. "I will not take the fall... but I know the role I assumed. I am not a pawn to play."

"Never, Kalina. I never saw you in such a way." Helmut was unsure of himself, internally begging that she had not seriously thought he was playing her in a grand