A/N:

Hey, everyone. I'm sorry for disappearing. Again. School started, and let me tell you, freshman year sucks. Even now, I'm putting off my homework to give you guys this story. I am putting my GPA on the line for you guys.

Now, about the story. I've had it written for a while now on my Kindle, and now have decided to share it for you. I am going to apologize for the length (or lack thereof) of the first couple of chapters. There wasn't much that I could think of to put in it. I have the whole story written. It's not going to be long. Eight chapters exactly. I will update every Saturday, I promise you all.

Give me your love!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to the Avengers or Marvel.

Natasha Romanoff found herself in Paige's old house, going through and clearing out her stuff. The grief for her friend was still stinging her heart and pulling at her mind. It was an awful feeling—one that she'd never experienced like this before. She'd felt something like it once, back in the KGB when her friend was eliminated. Maybe "friend" was too kind. The girl had been her ally, a distant partner at best. That grief had been totally different, because then Natasha would have to train another ally, which took precious time.

Time that could've gotten her eliminated as well.

Clint had decided not to come to day. He had begun to think of her as a little sister or even a daughter (and if Natasha was being completely honest with herself, so had she). Natasha found herself alone, facing the worst room in the house, which both she and Clint had left alone for as long as they could. Over the past week, they'd cleared out the rest of the house, starting with the kitchen and moving on from that point. Natasha almost believed that this task was going to be too hard for her, and feared she would loose her famous control. But the Black Widow was never one to back out from a mission, especially when it came to her friends and family. Or at least what she considered to be her family. Besides, if she didn't do it, Coulson would send some other agents who didn't care or respect Paige's things. So she told herself to suck it up and get the job done, the way she did every impossible mission.

It didn't help.

Paige's bedroom had the most belongings in it by far. These were personal belongings, which made the job so much harder because most of them were objects Paige had acquired when with her and Clint. Natasha had been standing in the doorway for the past fifteen minutes, trying to gather up the courage—she was the Black Widow, for crying out loud, famous for not hesitating to do a job—to walk inside and start. There were boxes for things that she wanted to keep, and trash bags for things to be thrown away. Drawings covered the walls, of places and objects and people. Some were neat and precise, others sloppy and smudged, as if Paige had been in a hurry to get them down onto the paper. Books littered her desk, some brand new, others torn and tattered, and the rest in every variation in between. In the middle of the mess, her laptop was plugged in to charge, as if Paige had been up all night on it, which she so frequently did, and ended up having to plug it in before it died completely around two in the morning. Clothes were strewn about. It looked as if she had left in a hurry, expecting she'd be back soon to clean it all up.

Only she'd never be back.

Natasha gritted her teeth and began to work. She stripped the drawings down from the walls, sorting through them. She kept the ones of her, Clint, and the rest of the team. She kept one of Coulson, and of places that she recognized. There was the schwarma joint, and the Triskelion, and other places. Those were placed carefully in one of the boxes. A few articles of clothing were added in. They were some of Paige's favorites. The girl would wear them all the time; to the point that they were so worn they were hideous. When pointed out, Paige would defend them endlessly, saying that she could wear what she wanted. The jewelry and a few books were put in, along with her laptop.

Natasha stripped the bed of its black sheets and blue comforter, which screamed "Paige!" so loudly it almost hurt. They were thrown in a trash bag. There was no reason for Natasha to keep. She got down on her stomach to check underneath the bed, where the only thing she found was a box. It was cardboard, with a matching lid on top and handles cut into the sides. Natasha pulled it out, setting it on the bare mattress, and took a deep breath before opening it. Inside there were more drawings, old SHIELD files (mostly missions with her and Clint), and newspaper clippings. Natasha found some from the Battle at New York, along with some from her debacle in London. What drew her attention was the black leather-bound notebook her initials stamped in blue.

Natasha picked it up and opened to the first page, where she was greeted with the sight of Paige's sloppy handwriting. Biting her lip, Natasha began to read.

"Hello, Natasha.

Yes, I know you're the first one to find this. I wrote this journal to tell you—all of you—the truth behind me. I know this will seem far-fetched, but please just read it. Before we begin, I guess I should give you some facts that only Paige McKenzie Willows would know, so you know it's actually me writing these words.

Ten years ago, you first saw me on the street in New York City, when I attacked that Chitauri warrior with my backpack and blinded it with a pen. I was fourteen then. I'm twenty-two now. You first met me after the battle, when I woke up after being out for two and a half days. We discussed several personal things, such as Loki's threat, and that fact that you were compromised.

I swear on everything that I have done that everything is this book is the truth and nothing but the truth.

I'm going to go way back to the beginning now. I'm going to tell you my stories, my secrets, and everything that goes along with them. I think you'll find these stories quite familiar…"

So this is the prologue. I added a whole bunch to it. I realize it is still very short. Chapter one will be short as well, but they will get longer, I promise. I have this entire story all written out, but will update every Saturday. Wouldn't want to spoil you all. Anyways, the you'll understand more as the story continues. This is going to be a series. I have the next part written out completely, and am working on the third and fourth parts. I promise, I will not abandon this story.

Love, Angel