When next Natasha woke there was music playing softly behind her and a soft snoring to her right. He felt like she had been run over by a car... twice. Suddenly Natasha realized that the music she was listening to was the music Bruce played when he was recovering from a "code green" it made her heart freeze and burn all at the same time. She turned to turn off the music and stopped short at the sight of the man who's curly dark hair was less than an inch from brushing her elbow. "Bruce." She murmured unintentionally.
Bruce sat up quickly torn from sleep by hearing his name called. He blinked his large brown eyes and straightened his glasses gazing across at Natasha. "Hey Natasha, you ok?" He asked what a man was to say to the woman he had driven insane by his mere absence.
Her surprised face became hard as she glared down at him saying, "I'm fine. What are you doing here?"
"Steve found me; he said you needed me here so I came." Bruce said reaching out slowly with one hand to touch her only to have it slapped away by the furious redhead.
"I didn't ask Steve to get you and I don't need you. In fact I've been better than I have been in a long time. Just me and the training and the missions; how it was meant to be." Natasha insisted coldly.
"No Natasha, that's not who you were meant to be, that's who the Black Widow was meant to be and you were never meant to be her." Bruce almost pleaded with her.
"But she is me. She has been me since the day I graduated; I have nothing else and they made sure I never would. It doesn't matter who I would have been if my parents hadn't died and I hadn't been forced into the Red Room because it happened and pretending it didn't and trying to live like some hero won't make it any better." Natasha said her eyes growing steadily harder and colder as she spoke.
Bruce reached for her again, but she leapt from the bed pushing him away from her. Bruce followed hesitantly behind her as she made her way across the room saying, "Natasha, the world still needs you."
"They have me, just a better version of me."
"No, not the Black Widow you Natasha."
"I am the Natasha!" The Black Widow yelled at him whirling to face him her hand itching towards his throat.
"No, you're not." Bruce insisted staying as still and calm as possible, "She is a part of you, but she doesn't control you. The world needs the Natasha that teases me over a bar in a pretty dress, the one that kisses me then pushes me off a ledge to bring out the bit guy; the world needs "Aunt Nat" that smiles and laughs at Clint's kids' jokes. The Black Widow is only capable of bringing more death and destruction into this world and we need our hero back." Bruce half insisted half begged. Bruce looked down into her eyes and saw a cold hard nothing reflecting back at him changing tactics he said, "I'm not asking you. I'm telling you, and if that doesn't mean anything to you then I'll let the Big Guy do it. How much do you want to bet only Natasha can make the lullaby work?" Bruce threatened. The redhead glared back at him as he said, "Now go take a shower and don't come out of there until you remember what normal makeup is." Bruce said in the most commanding tone he could muster.
She flipped him off but made her way into the bathroom none the less. "JARVIS, could you please get Steve and Wanda in here?" Bruce asked.
It was a few moments later before the pair arrived in Natasha's room looking around expectantly. "She's showering." Bruce said as a manner of explanation. "Wanda could you please keep an eye on her for a bit? Calm her down if she needs it and try to get her to dress and look like her old self? Maybe help her cut her hair back short and get her looking like Natasha again. No more dark makeup or any of that, just the old Natasha." Wanda nodded and took the chair by the bed to wait.
Bruce took Steve's elbow and lead him out of the room closing the door behind him, "Assemble to old team." Bruce said seriously, "Make a clearing in the woods somewhere where he can't hurt anyone. We have a code green." Steve looked at him cautiously so Bruce explained, "Talking isn't working. The Black Widow won't be able to calm the Big Guy down; she'll have to become Natasha again, but I need all of you to keep him from hurting her. Just keep redirecting him towards Natasha and eventually she'll have to come back to us." Bruce explained his theory.
Steve was nodding and sent a voice command through his tablet to Maria before asking, "How did you get her to get cleaned up and all?" Steve asked.
"I threatened her with the Big Guy..." Bruce said a little sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
Steve's tablet lit up and he said, "Iron man is on the way, Clint's still got broken ribs and his wife isn't letting him come, probably best, Marie's trying to contact Thor, but that can take anywhere from seconds to years so we'll see."
"Can you and Tony handle him?" Bruce asked skeptically.
Steve looked uncomfortable at the idea, but said, "I'm sure Vision and Iron Patriot would be willing to help, that should be plenty." and Bruce nodded his agreement.
"What about the clearing?" Bruce asked.
"There's already one about two miles out with a good rover trail out to it. We were testing Scarlet Witch's power; managed to flatten a good quarter mile circle." Bruce raised his eyebrows impressed but nodded.
"How long before Tony gets here?" Bruce asked.
"I don't think it matters..." Steve admitted looking at a very pissed off, but normal looking Natasha glaring at them from the doorway. Steve dashed off down the hallway yelling at his tablet for his team to suit up and ready the rover.
Bruce looked over Natasha's shoulder to see Wanda knocked out on the floor. "What did you do to her?" Bruce demanded.
"She keeps fucking with my head so I took her out." Natasha said with a shrug, "I've had my head fucked with enough over the years I really don't need it from her."
"Did you killer her?" Bruce asked starting to get angry now.
Natasha shrugged again and Bruce pushed past her to check on Wanda's strong pulse. Lifting her onto the bed Bruce ran after Natasha grabbing her up and running to where the car would be waiting. She flipped out of his arms and slammed him against the wall, but his eyes were starting to go green and even the Black Widow knew she was no match for the Big Guy. Bruce could feel himself loosing control so he grabbed Natasha by the back of her shirt and dragged her out the front door throwing her at the team where they waited with the truck before dashing off into the direction that Steve pointed.
Bruce ran for the clearing holding himself together the best that he could until he and Natasha were both safely away from the rest of the compound. He made it to the clearing a couple of minutes before the others and worked on calming himself down the best he could. The truck pulled up and Steve shoved Natasha out into the clearing where Bruce waited.
"Alright fine Natasha, I warned you. If you won't come back yourself, you get the Big Guy." Bruce said and his eyes blazed green as he began to transform.