Crimean Peninsula
5 months before Thanos reached Earth
Natasha pulled her scarf a little tighter around her neck as she walked to the door of the rundown apartment complex. Finding the door quickly, she knocked. No answer. She knocked again and heard a rustling sound but still no reply. Finally, she knocked a third time, "Steve," she said softly, hoping he could hear her voice but afraid to speak louder and risk giving away his position.
The door opened and the bearded man pulled her inside, quickly closing the door behind them. The room was dimly lit but Natasha saw the familiar smile. "You're here," Steve said, pulling her into a hug. "How did you find me?"
Natasha smiled. "I'm a spy, Cap. Besides, you haven't exactly done a good job of laying low, Nomad."
Steve frowned at the use of his new moniker. "I couldn't just keep sitting there doing nothing."
Natasha nodded. "No, that's not who you are." Her voice softened, "it's good to see you."
"It's good to see you, too, Nat. I looked for you after the fiasco at the airport. Helping me cost you too much."
"Yeah, well, doing the right thing usually has consequences. You look like you've been injured. Need any help cleaning the wounds?"
"I bandaged them up. It's not the worse I've ever had. I'll heal."
Natasha nodded again. "I'd still better take a look. Shirt off Cap."
Steve grunted but did as he was told. Natasha gently pulled the bandage away and picked up the peroxide that was still sitting on the table. He winced a bit as she worked, but they both remained fairly silent until the bandage was replaced and Steve's well chiseled abs were once again covered by a t-shirt. "So, I'm guessing you didn't come all the way here to bandage me up. What's going on, Nat?"
"I was in the area doing a job and just thought it would be nice to see an old friend," Natasha replied as casually as she could manage.
"A job, huh? Guess I'm not the only one who couldn't just sit back and lay low."
"Hey, I'm good at laying low. You didn't find me remember? Anyway, I finished what I needed to do, saw an interesting bit of news about an uprising of the repressed and knew you wouldn't be far away. The rest was easy."
"Well, since I know you're on the outs with Ross, I'm guessing I have Fury to thank for you being in the right place at the right time," Steve smirked.
"No comment," Natasha grinned. "Can't tell you all my secrets."
"I've missed you, Nat. I wanted to find you and get you safely to Wakanda. You wouldn't have to worry about hiding there."
"I'm good at hiding, Steve. I'm managing pretty well. You, on the other hand, need to learn to be more covert."
"You offering to train me? Why don't you come back to Wakanda and teach me your ways?"
"Nice try, Cap, but I don't think T'Challa would be very interested in having me there after tasting the widow's bite."
"It wouldn't be a problem. He gets it now. He's on our side."
Natasha frowned. "All the same, I think I'll keep my own accommodations, thank you."
"Too bad. I've really, really missed my partner."
Natasha smiled sadly. She'd missed him, too. "Well, you do need some training."
"So, you'll come with me?"
"No," Natasha said firmly, "but you can come with me for a bit. I've finished my assignment and I've got a little time off. How do you feel about a trip to Australia?"
Steve grinned. "You inviting me to your secret hideout?"
Natasha laughed. "Maybe. What do you say, Cap? Want to take a trip and let me show you how not to get caught by Ross's minions?"
They boarded a flight for Sydney two days later. Natasha took Steve to her safe house and the two spent a few days just enjoying each other's closeness. Natasha had thought about Steve a lot since their encounter at the airport. She'd kept in touch with Tony after he warned her that Ross was going to come for her, and Tony told her about the prison break on the raft. Neither of them doubted Steve's hand in the ordeal. Natasha only wished she'd been able to help free their friends, but her job in that moment was clear. Laura and the kids needed to be moved to safety. She and Clint had worked out a plan for this type of eventuality years before and it was important she execute it before Ross got wind of the family's existence. Her busyness didn't keep her from questioning herself though. Helping Steve may have been the right move but it wasn't the smart one, and Natasha always tried to choose the smart move. It didn't take her long to realize she'd let her feelings get in the way of her brain on this one.
There was just something about Steve. He was good and noble and pure, but he saw her for who she was, who the Red Room made her, and he still considered her his equal. He treated her like she was good and noble, too. She'd been attracted to him from the start. That's why she'd tried so hard to set him up. He deserved more than she could ever give him, but Bruce was like her. He was just as damaged. Falling for him didn't seem quite as wrong.
After Bruce disappeared, Steve kept her going. Training the new Avengers together drew them closer and her feelings for Bruce faded. If Natasha was honest with herself, she'd have to admit it got really hard to fight her attraction to Steve. They had a weekly movie "date" where Natasha tried to catch Steve up on the things he'd missed, but she always made sure to keep some distance between them. Captain America needed someone better than the Black Widow.
Things were different now. They were both on the run. Sure, he'd kissed Sharon, but she wasn't stupid. He had liked her once, and she'd bet even money he still felt something for her. So, when the two of them were walking out of the opera house and Steve took her hand in his own, she didn't bother resisting. When he pulled her close and brushed her blond hair out of her face, she didn't bother pushing his hand away. And, when he leaned down to kiss her, she could only kiss him back.
Present day
Helicarrier
"I need to know," Natasha had whispered.
The skrull looked her directly in the eyes. "I'm sorry. We could have been so good together. It wasn't Steve who saved you today, Natasha. That was me. Remember that."
Natasha was about to ask again when she heard Bucky's voice raise on the other side of the door. He was flirting with a nurse, but Natasha knew he was trying to warn her that the nurse was on her way in to check on her patient. She quickly raised herself up into the air duct, closed the vent behind her, and made her way back to Clint.
"Did you get your answers?" Clint asked as he helped to lower her back to the floor.
Natasha shook her head before burying her face in his chest. Clint hugged her tightly for a few minutes while she regained her composure. "Can you walk me back to my room?" She whispered.
"Anything for you, Nat," Clint said as he place a kiss on her forehead. "We will get him back."
Helicarrier
Fury's office
"I guess the back up cameras were a good idea," Carol said, looking at Fury who was currently watching feed from the prisoner's room, the nurses' station, and the closet. "You even knew the route they would take. Do you think these are our other imposters?"
"No," Fury replied without taking his eyes off the screens. "I'd be much more suspicious if Romanoff, Barton, and Barnes or some combination of the three hadn't pulled a stunt like this."
"So, you think they are themselves?"
"I didn't say that, but this goes with Barnes and Romanoff's MO, and Barton and Romanoff go way back. They didn't try to help him escape, so I'm satisfied for now."
"What about the others?" Carol asked. "None of them have left their quarters except Valkrie."
"True enough," Fury replied as he glanced at the feeds from the rooms he'd assigned each Avenger, "but none of them are acting particularly out of character. T'Challa is the only one awake, and I would expect the king to be struggling with the responsibilities waiting on him at home. Wakanda was hit hard. And, Valkarie's visit to Thor earlier makes perfect sense after Thanos managed to kill so many of the Asgardians. Thor may have had issues with Loki, but they were brothers."
"So, we proceed with the plans as they are?"
"For now, but don't let your guard down, Danvers. Trust is a luxury-"
"We can't afford," Carol finished. "I know. It looks like the ones going with me are, at least, behaving like themselves, but I'd rather keep both my eyes." Fury raised an eyebrow at the comment, but Carol continued, "I'll keep my guard up."
"Get some rest, Danvers. We'll let Romanoff think she got away with her little private interrogation for now. I'm going to talk to some contacts on the ground and find out what really happened in Sydney. I have my suspicions, but I'd like to have confirmation before I confront her."
Carol nodded and left the room. Fury continued to watch the screens until he saw Carol enter her own quarters then he picked up the phone. "Morse, I have a mission for you. It's urgent. How soon can you get to Australia?"
