Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Avengers, its characters or known plotlines. I'm only playing in their playground. Any OCs, however, are mine and are not intended to resemble any other person, either living or fictional.

Author's Note: So, this story came about solely due to a PM I received after finishing up "Dear Mr. Hawkeye." The person pointed out some weaknesses in my writing, times when I'd gotten lazy and had depended on one thing or another. They said something that stuck with me, and so I wrote this. An "exercise in economy." How much story can I tell without telling everything and letting the reader fill in the blanks?

So, for this story, each chapter is 275 words or less, not counting author's notes. It is complete in seventeen drabbles, and it's intended to allow you-the reader-to fill in the blanks. A huge thanks to theicemenace for her beta work, and to Alpha Flyer for the title and another bit of beta work. Ice and I were banging our heads against the keyboard trying to title this thing, and Alpha Flyer just put her finger right on the theme. Thank you, ladies! This is a much better story for your help!

So, without further ado, the first chapter...Enjoy! ~lg

oOo

She sees him enter the room. Standing next to her mark, Natalia Romanova watches as he sheds a black overcoat to reveal a spotless tux. His eyes roam over every person there, seeming to assess and dismiss them in an instant.

Then, their eyes meet. He freezes for a fraction of a second, blue-gray gaze narrowed slightly. Natalia blinks and offers a coquettish smirk. He is young, too young to be what she thinks. But looks are deceiving, and she's learned the hard way to trust her instincts.

The moment ends as he straightens the cuffs of his shirt, showing off cuff links as expensive as her jewelry. And he pointedly turns in the opposite direction. Only one other time does he meet her eyes that evening, when he greets their host. He looks at her standing beside her mark and smiles. "Ma'am."

Natalia gives him a smile as he walks away and turns to the man she would kill after the party. "Who was that?"

"I don't know," Anastas Drakov replies. "Must be a friend of my daughter."

Natalia knows better. A man who looks innocent is dangerous. She can't afford to fail because of an innocent face, not when the fate of the Red Room rests on her shoulders.

~TBC