Lost in the seas of forgotten memories
A/N: OMG SO HARD TO FIND INTERNET! But i tried just for you guys :)
Chapter 6
Recap
"But Nataha...do you even want to remember the last 3 years?" He asked slowly. Hedreaded either answer she would give him.
She looked up at him hesitantly. "I don't know. There are a lot of things I wish I could remember...but at the same time I'm sure there are things that I probably wish I could forget." She said quietly. She gripped herself tighter. He took a few deep breaths to calm his frantically beating heart. She was going to give him a heart attack without even knowing it.
"Could you live the rest of your life with such a big gap?" He forced himself to ask neutrally. She looked up at the darkening sky.
"I don't know - I could try and learn about all the important things I missed, but of course it would never be the same as actually remembering them." She replied tentatively.
"Some things can't be relearned Tasha." He said with a faraway look. She watched him carefully.
"What are you not telling me Barton?" She asked cautiously. He sighed and leaned his forehead against the ledge.
"There are a lot of things I haven't told you yet Natasha. 3 years of things I haven't told you. But I promise I will tell you everything in time." He said staring at the little people walking on the street beside their building.
"That's very vague you know Barton." She said dryly. He chuckled humorlessly.
"Yeah I bet, but do you trust me Tasha?" He asked suddenly looking up at her intensely. She gave him a confused look.
"Of course I do - if I can't trust my partner who can I trust?" She said evenly. He sighed in relief.
"That's good." He said.
"You make me nervous when you ask weird questions like that you know." She said cautiously. He winced.
"Trust me, no one is more nervous then me right now."
Memories Memories Memories Memories Memories
Clint was sitting on his bed staring at the papers laid out in front of him. He was trying to make sense of all the things he would have to brief Natasha about to prepare her for field work in 5 weeks time. He was still overwhelmed by the information himself - Natasha would just be lost if he didn't present this monster of intel properly to her. There was life threatening information she would need to know, otherwise she could jeopardize a mission if they ever had to go undercover and she didn't have her facts straight. What a nightmare. One page jumped out at him. He picked it up and stared at Agent Phil Coulson's file. This was one of the many things he should but hasn't gotten around to talking to Natasha about. He suddenly tensed as he felt a new presence in the room with him. He relaxed when he recognized the nonthreatening posture.
"You're either losing your touch Hill or you want to politely let me know you are invading my personal sanctuary." He said dryly. He looked up to see that his prediction was correct. Agent Hill was leaning against the far wall of his room with a bemused expression on her face.
"Why do you torture yourself by staying in here?" She asked looking around the large, but empty room. The walls were bare - but he had done that on purpose.
"To remind me every night what I have lost and to remind me every morning what I'm fighting to get back." He replied steadily. She nodded.
"You had the Captain barter for a longer down period." She said evenly.
"Is that a problem?" He asked. She shook her head.
"That fine. The only thing that concerns me is that you haven't checked in at the helicarrier since Natasha's release." She said giving him a questioning look. He shrugged.
"I've been busy with more pressing matters." He replied dryly. She stared at him unimpressed.
"You skipped a mission debrief and your monthly medical check up. I can let the first one slide but you know you have to go to that check up Clint." She said seriously. He snorted.
"And let them poke and probe me until they deem me physically sound in their professional opinion? I've been fending for myself for a long time Maria - you know that." He said. She didn't budge an inch.
"Natasha has a check up for her brain scan tomorrow at 9 am. Be there - get your shit done or I will drag you in there myself." She said frankly with an I-am-not-in-the-mood-for-your-manly-pride-shit-today-Barton look. He grimaced.
"Tomorrow?"
"Be there." She said giving him a long look before she turned to leave.
"Why haven't you met Natasha yet Hill?" He asked. She paused with her hand on the doorknob.
"You and I have a lot more in common then you think Clint." She said quietly before she opened the door and walked out without without a single glance back.
She totally blew him off - but her reply was even more telling then a straight forward answer would've been. What was she really saying?
Memories Memories Memories Memories
Natasha once again found herself standing in front of what she now knew as Doctor Banner's lab - it was too weird to think of it as their lab yet. She hesitated about wether she should knock or not. Sure, they were good friends in the past and were well on their way to rekindling that lost friendship - but he was still a busy scientist! She shifted from left to right until she finally made up her mind and knocked.
No response.
She furrowed her brow and knocked again.
"He ain't there Red." Someone spoke from behind her. She jumped and accident elbowed the poor man in the stomach. She spun around to see a crouching Tony Stark holding his stomach in obvious pain. She winced.
"Sorry!" She said quickly, before pausing and standing up straight. "Oh my god! Something is seriously wrong with you people! Stop startling me like that!" She said heatedly. He grunted and held up a finger.
"S-s-super spies should know the d-difference between friend or foe without even looking." He managed to get out before he dropped to his knees. She rolled her eyes at his dramatic reaction. She didn't hit him that hard.
"With you I don't know which category I would choose - one is more tempting then the other." She said dryly. He gave her an offended look before pushing himself off the ground with a very real wince. Okay...so maybe she might have used just a bit too much force.
"Bruce is downstairs in my shop. I'm just stopping by to pick up some papers." He said as he took out a keycard and swiped it on the scanner beside the door before he walked in. She watched him disappear into the room and wondered if he expected her to follow. She looked around the empty hall - well to hell with what he expects - there's absolutely nothing to do out here. She followed him into the lab and looked around the neat and tidy space. It definitely looked like Doctor Banner's lab. Neat and tidy was his style - the polar opposite of the other guy.
"So why were you looking for the Doc, Red?" He asked as he riffled through piles of papers obviously looking for something specific. She scowled at the nickname.
"Don't call me Red." She said haughtily. He looked up and gave her a pointed look.
"Don't jag me in the stomach." He shot back. She rolled her eyes - childish.
"I wanted to ask him something." She said vaguely. He raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? And what would that be?"
"A whole crap load of none of your damn business." She said with a deadly glare. He quickly turned around to keep searching for those documents.
"You're scary."
"You're annoying."
"You're mean."
"You're an ass."
"Thank you I know I have a nice ass - all the ladies think so." He said wagging his eyebrows suggestively. She groaned.
"Stark you have a problem." She said through gritted teeth. He flashed her a megawatt smile.
"That I'm too handsome for the world at large?" He asked conceitedly. She sighed - you just can't win with narcissistic bastards.
"Stark I'm going to kill you one day." She said frankly. He would be the only person on her ledger that she could live with happily without regret. His smile dimmed.
"You'd have a tough time getting out of the country with Pepper breathing down your neck." He pointed out. She shrugged.
"It would be worth it."
"You're freaking sadistic."
"You're a freaking child."
"Your face appears in little children's nightmares."
"Your ego takes up half the breathing space of New York."
"You're crazy."
"You're lazy."
"You want to come down to my workshop with me?"
"Yeah."
5 minutes later.
"Hey Bruce - look what I found wondering around your lab upstairs." Tony said as he walked into his workshop with a dark looking Natasha trailing behind him. Bruce looked up from his notes and smiled when he saw Natasha - with her icy stares and all.
"Oh hello Natasha! I haven't seen you in a couple of days." He said taking off his glasses. The darkness hanging around her shoulders lightened when she shrugged.
"I've been busy." She said simply. He nodded understandingly.
"I bet. So what can I do for you today?" He asked kindly. She shifted hesitantly under his curious gaze. She could feel Stark burning a hole through the back of her head as well.
"I was wondering...if we could start up that research project we were working on - before my accident." She said tentatively. She heard folders fall to the floor behind her.
"The WHAT?" Tony shouted. Bruce winced. She looked back and forth between the two men cautiously. "Tell me she isn't talking about the Hulk response project we agreed we would never do." Tony said seriously. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Bruce.
"It was her decision Tony." Bruce said slowly.
"The hell with her decision! She could have died!" Tony shouted angrily. She stared at his strong reaction in disbelief - she had never seen this side of the genius. She's pretty sure not many people have.
"I told her that but she didn't listen!" Bruce said.
"So you just went along with it?" Tony asked in disbelief.
"We took safety precautions!"
"There are no solid safety precautions!"
"You've worked with the other guy too Tony! Stop being a hypocrite." Bruce said with a hint of irritation in his voice.
"IN THE SUIT!" He shouted. Bruce narrowed his eyes - they all heard the telltale beep.
"She was behind an unbreakable shield!"
They both heard a warning shot ring through the air and looked towards the location of the sound. Natasha had her gun pointed in the air and a bemused expression on her face.
"I may have amnesia and I may not have the full story behind what you two are arguing about - but you will not talk about me as if I am not standing right in front of you - understand?" She said dangerously. They both nodded vigorously.
"Stark cool your jets. You may own this building but you neither own us or pay us to be here. Doctor - did I give my full consent to work on this project?" She asked for clarification.
Bruce sighed and nodded. "Yes. I was against it at first - contrary to what Tony is insisting, but once you saw that the research was getting somewhere and we were starting to see patterns we could change, you refused to stop. You flat out said you would kill anyone who tired to stop you from doing what you wanted - including me." He explained with a small wince at the end. She nodded with a satisfied face.
"That sounds exactly like something I would say. And guess what? I'm saying it now as well. If you'll have me Doctor - I wanted to try to pick up where we left off." She said hopefully.
"Hey! Don't I get a say in this?" Tony asked throughly ticked at basically being ignored. Click. He looked down at the loaded gun now pointed at his nose - he has stared too many firearms in the face in his lifetime to be scared anymore. But the look in Natasha's eyes held a promise that she would follow through with her threat. He gulped and looked away.
"Whatever - your choice." He mumbled. She nodded.
"Exactly - my choice. Glad to know we have an understanding." She said giving Tony an I-dare-you-to-say-one-more-word look. He didn't.
"Are you sure Natasha?" Bruce asked warily. This standoff was making him nervous - but the value in the conversation was not beyond him.
"Yes."
"Then welcome to the team." Bruce said with a grateful smile. She smiled back brightly.
"Well if she's not going to back down I want to be on this team too." Tony suddenly said butting into the moment. They both looked at him and then at each other.
"Guinea pig?"
"Guinea pig."
An hour later.
"I didn't mean like THIS!" Tony shouted through the voice amplifier in his suit as he ran for his life. Natasha sat on a bench with a bunch of forgotten notes lying in front of her as she laughed herself to tears.
"HULK NO HAPPY WITH TIN MAN!" The other guy roared. Iron man ducked and rolled to the side as a green fist came crashing down on top of him.
"It wasn't you buddy! It was me!" Tony said as he dodged another fist. Natasha laughed even harder.
"What is this? A break up scene?" She asked wiping a tear from her eye. She couldn't see the glare, but she could definitely feel it.
"Why don't you try your mojo to calm the big guy down huh? Isn't that the while point of this research?" Tony shouted as he tripped and got thrown into a wall. Yikes. That looked like it hurt.
"This is more entertaining." She said with great amusement. Darn where was the popcorn when you needed it?
Memories memories memories memories
I'm still on vacation but I finally got one bar of wifi signal, a tiny iphone and a lot of time spent in transport - so i hope you liked the result XD i wrote the next chapter already :) so let me know what you think and I'll update faster :D lol