"Do you want to tell me what really happened?"

Natasha flicked her eyes up to meet Bruce's stern gaze. He was holding her x-ray out in front of him, not looking pleased in the slightest. It was just him in the lab, his assistant had taken the afternoon off for personal reasons and that was the only reason Natasha had actually come in to ask for the Doctor's help.

"I told you what happened." She said with a neutral expression and he raised his eyebrows at her, clearly not believing her story.

"Yes, you told me one of the newer recruits managed to land a lucky kick. A viable explanation, except it doesn't match up with your injury." Bruce had that professional looking face, as though he was not going to listen to any bullshit she gave him, but Natasha was not wavering from her story.

"Yeah and it hurt like hell. Is there anything you can do?" She said, keeping her eyes locked to his, if she looked away it would only show she was lying. Even though he seemed to be fully aware of her deceit.

"You have a hairline fracture that was made with a circular object." Bruce said calmly. "My guess would be a metal pole of some description. Certainly not from a kick."

"He was wearing steel capped boots." Natasha lied smoothly, knowing that it would have fooled anybody else. She shifted ever so slightly and ignored the pain that shot through her abdomen, not even Bruce picked up any discomfort from her expression.

"The x-ray is very clear Natasha." He said, "It's a rounded object. This is not the first time you have come in here with a story that doesn't connect with an injury. I haven't said anything to anybody because you asked me not to, which in itself is a sign that you are trying to pull the wool over my eyes. But this is the worst one yet and I'm starting to get worried about you."

That was the absolute last thing that she wanted to hear, the reason she had not gone to one of the official SHIELD doctors or even informed Fury about what was happening. She did not want anybody's pity and she felt she did not deserve it. She had proven herself time and time again but as soon as she started to make a couple of mistakes, she was deemed to be worrisome. She slid off the bed she had been sitting on and walked forward to take the x-ray out of Bruce's hands.

"Thank you for your help Doctor." She said calmly and quickly exited the lab, completely ignoring him as he called out her name before the door slid shut after her. She rolled the x-ray up as she walked through the corridor and kept it by her side so as not to get any suspicious glances from the agents that passed her. Just as she reached the quarters that she used while at the base, she heard a familiar voice shout her name and she turned, waiting patiently as Clint jogged towards her.

"Hey! Heard you were back." He said, greeting her with a smile, "I also heard you did brilliantly. One more crime boss thrown in the slammer! Fury should give you a medal or something, you've been on a roll lately."

"All in a days work." She said, stealing the catch phrase that he often used when someone complimented his work after a mission. He laughed and noticed what she was holding in her hand.

"What's that?" He asked with a curious tone.

"Blueprints for my next run." She said casually, feeling guilty for lying to Clint, but knowing that he would have no reason not to believe her and would assume the details were confidential and wouldn't press further.

"Jesus, you get straight back into it don't you." He chuckled, dropping a hand on her shoulder. "You'll get some rest though right? Before you go back out, seems like all you've been doing lately is heading out on the deeper missions." She liked that he wasn't openly showing his concern like Bruce had been, but he was hinting gently that she should take it easy. He knew her well and he was aware that the harder he urged her to slow down, then the faster she would try and go.

"Yeah, don't worry, there's lots of planning before I head out on this one." She said, giving the 'blueprints' a little shake. Another lie and another wave of guilt. She was making a habit of falling into a routine of deception. "I was actually hoping to get some sleep…" She hinted obviously to which he looked quite guilty himself.

"Oh right, sorry sorry, of course." He smiled and started to head off, giving her a parting wave. "I'll see you after you've had your beauty sleep. Not that you need it of course." He winked and disappeared around the corner. Natasha let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in and quickly entered her quarters before anyone else could stroll past and engage her in conversation.

She dropped the x-ray on her bed and made her way through the tiny room into the bathroom, standing in front of the mirror with a frown. She winced as she carefully rolled up her shirt to reveal a purple bruise that was already starting to get that sickening yellow tinge around the edges. It was very clearly a circular mark and she cursed herself for not thinking of a better cover story to tell Bruce. If only he knew how correct he had been.

She drew back upon the memory of the broken pole being slammed into her ribs and almost flinched, even though she was in no actual physical danger. She had made a drastic mistake that had entirely blown her cover, but when completing the paperwork she had altered the story slightly and managed to avoid admitting how badly she had messed up. It wouldn't have been such a big deal, if it hadn't been her third mission in a row that had included her making a vital mistake that she had no excuse for.

"Get it together Romanoff." She growled at her reflection and stared hard into her own eyes. She was certain that if she had to go to Bruce one more time to ask for help, then he was going to void the whole 'patient confidentiality' thing and just tell Fury what was going on. Then she would be put through the blender, forced into psyche exams and grilled for info, taken off missions for an indefinite amount of time. She couldn't let that happen. Her work was all she had and she made a decision to stop letting herself mess up.

Luck had been her friend so far, but she had a feeling that would only last so long. When all the cards were on the table and everything had been drilled down, Natasha knew that the only thing she could rely on was herself.