Chapter 2

When Natasha awoke the sun was breaking free of the horizon. Warm hues danced through the room and bounced in the corners. She stretched and looked towards Clint who was still out. Sleeping peacefully at last. Slowly she made her way out from under his legs and the blankets causing him to stir only slightly. Satisfied that she had made an escape without waking him she dressed quietly and opted to take her morning shower after breakfast and in her own suite. He needed as much sleep as he could get and she wouldn't risk disturbing it for her own convenience.

She made her way for the door, her eyes catching the folded envelope that she had absently dropped onto the small table by the bedroom door the night before. She picked it up and put it in her pocket without much thought beyond an instinctual guardianship of the thing. She stepped out into the hall, listening as she did. There were few voices that she expected to hear in the tower in these dawn hours. Pepper would already be out tackling whatever Stark Industries threw her way and would have, no doubt, been at it since before the sun rose. Tony too would be awake. The man never slept and seemed to always pace some corner of his tower, a restless king. Though she knew it wasn't boredom that kept his body moving. His adrenaline was always flowing and his mind was always thinking, creating.

Steve would no doubt be awake but probably off to himself. He was working on something. It was something he didn't want to share with the others and it was taking up more and more of his time. Though she was curious, and a little resentful of his no-secrets-in-a-team hypocrisy, she trusted that whatever he was into he had good reason for keeping it to himself. Anyway, she was never one for not keeping secrets. Some things needed to remain in the dark for a time, or for eternity, in her opinion.

Then there was Bruce. He was the wild card. He could be awake, could be asleep, could be working in the lab stomach growling unnoticed, or he could be sitting savoring a large breakfast with no thought but his next bite. He went with the flow of his moods. It was part of what kept him from bursting at the seams, she imagined, his flexibility. But it also meant she had no idea where he would be this morning or any other.

Thor was gone. Returned to a world that she could only imagine. That left her with only one sure, welcome, voice to fill the current silence of the tower, "Good morning Ms. Romanoff." Jarvis seemed to respond to her thoughts.

"Good Morning Jarvis." She continued toward the front elevators, choosing to bypass the common room and its small kitchenette. There was a large staffed kitchen a few floors down that no one seemed to visit, which just so happened to make it one of her favorite places in the tower.

"Natasha." Kevin, the day chef called across to her when she stepped out of the elevator and into the shining kitchen.

She smiled. Kevin was tall and stout with the type of larger-than-life presence that filled the room with love. It was a trait that seeped into his dishes. "Morning Kevin." She found a bounce to her step that hadn't been there moments before.

He walked over to her, wiping his hands on his apron as he did, "Can I make you something?"

She shook her head no. He always asked and she never let him. She came here for the company and the peace not to have him cook for her. "No thank you."

"One of these days."

"Doubt it."

"Me too." He smiled, "How about I make something for Clint? You can take it up with you." He knew the archer as well as Nat. Clint had actually been the one to start coming down here first. He and Kevin had hit it off immediately. They were both mid-westerners with all the straight forward, down-to-earth, nose to the grindstone mentality that seemed to go along with that. Not to mention the chef had taken up throwing knives in his youth for no reason beyond boredom. Clint had found in him a kindred spirit and as able a darts competitor as any in the tower.

"He's still sleeping...it's probably best to let him." She began to take ingredients from one of the large refrigerators.

Kevin watched her, "You can use that one." He pointed to one of the open stove-tops and the pans nearby, "How is he?" He hadn't seen Clint since his return to the tower.

"He's okay." She looked up at his doubting eyes, and confessed,"He's been better."

"Tell him he needs to get down here. There's a beautiful steak that's got his name all over it."

"I will."

Someone hidden farther back in the kitchen called for Kevin, "I'll be right back."

Natasha nodded and went about making her breakfast. It was a quick meal to make and she was sitting on a stool by the counter, eating, when he made it back to her. He pulled a stool over and sat beside her, stealing a bite of her breakfast as he did. She looked at him questioning.

"It's good." He said around the bite.

She continued to watch him as she took another forkful, her eyes narrowed, knowing he was holding back a critique. The plate finished she pushed it away. "No stars?"

"Ah come on Nat. You know I'd give you all the stars in the milky way." He continued to smile.

She smiled back, "Smooth." Grabbing her plate, she stood and was going to make her way to one of the sinks in the back.

"I'll take that." He took the plate away.

"Thanks for letting me hijack your kitchen." Her empty hands seemed to rub together of their own volition

"Any time." When she started to walk away he added, "I'm serious about that steak. Tell him."

She looked over her shoulder, "Promise."

She had only made it a few feet when Kevin stopped her again, "Hey, you dropped this." He was holding out the folded envelope.

She walked back to him, "Thanks." and turned it over in her hand, "This thing..." she started but Kevin was already gone, called away again. She went back to looking at the letter and noticed for the first time it was postage stamped from Venezuela. Alarms went off but she told herself it was just a coincidence that Clint's brother Barney lived there. Coincidence. Had to be. There was also no return address but that could be for a lot of reasons...right? Right. Barney was long gone. She had warned him after all to never show up in Clint's life again.

She was lost in thought, flipping the letter in her hands, smacking it one against the other as she rode the elevator up to the residence. She contemplated throwing it away. What could be inside after all that would do Clint any good? Nothing. The elevator binged, doors opened, and she stepped out. Looking up just in time to see Clint but not soon enough to stop. She ran straight into his braced arm. He huffed with the impact, "Morning Nat." He stepped back already shaking off the blow.

"Shit sorry." She held back the knee-jerk reaction of grabbing his arm. "You okay?"

He grinned at her concern, "Fine.".

Natasha looked him over, more to make her own assessment of his condition than to critique his wardrobe, but she couldn't help noticing he was back in the sweatpants he was wearing the night before, a plain tee, and socks. Clint was never more than a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy but this new wardrobe was casual even for him, "Where you going?"

"Tony and Bruce are ready to..." He gestured toward his ear without finishing the statement.

She nodded, "I just saw Kevin. He says you need to have a steak with him."

"Oh yeah."

"Yeah. You should go see him. I think the big guy misses you."

"I should." He caught her look, "I mean, yes, I will." Gesturing to the envelope in her hand, "What's that?"

She raised it, "Your letter. You left it on the bar last night and I..."

She wasn't making any move to hand it over and he raised his eyebrows in anticipation, "Thanks for getting it."

"It's odd."

"What's that?"

She unfolded the envelope opening it up for him to see, "There's no return address, and most admirers don't use your full name."

"That is different." He rubbed at his neck. He had bigger things to think about at the moment then some oddly addressed letter.

"It's from Venezuela." She couldn't remember if anyone had mentioned to him that Barney was living there now. "Barney lives there." She waited a beat for him to react, to say more, "Aren't you curious...at least suspicious..." When he still said nothing she continued, "concerned...annoyed..?"

"Maybe." Not really.

She raised her eyebrows, seriously.

Clint chuckled a little, "I don't know if you want me to open that thing or throw it away."

"I don't either." She ripped it open, "Problem solved."

His smile widened and he shook his head as he took the letter from her that she had already pulled from the opened envelope. She watched as his eyes scanned over the paper and his smile faded. When it took him too long to say anything she tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up. She raised her eyebrows, well.

He smiled again but it was anything but happy, "Good instincts." He handed it over to her as he walked away. "I'm heading to the lab." He added without turning around.

Natasha didn't notice him go. She was too transfixed by what was in front of her.

Hey Franny. I won't pussy-foot around it. I need your help and you owe me. I can't go into it here, but meet me at the street market near the metro station in Petare, Caracas, at two p.m. on the twenty-first. It's life or death brother. I need you. -B.

"Are you kidding me?" She looked for Clint and only just realized he was already gone.