Chapter Eight

About a week had passed since I nearly ran away, because the Avengers had been interested in my ability. Since than they hadn't even mentioned it, much to my relief. I knew they were keeping an eye on me. They were making sure that I didn't run away again. I hadn't since than.

But every morning I went out on a run to blow off some steam. Jarvis was kind enough to not warn the others. For some reason the AI seemed to know that I needed to get away for a couple of hours. With that being said and done, I was thankful to get away and exercise.

After putting on my jogging shoes and a light t-shirt, I walked down to the lobby and chose an area where I wouldn't get lost. Getting lost in New York wasn't exactly something that I enjoyed. Especially when the Avengers were already on edge.

I started running down the sidewalks, avoiding people that stopped and stared down at me. The air itself was surprisingly warm. It may be early in the morning but that wasn't stopping people from getting to work. I hadn't realized until now that the streets were already crowded with cars.

With a shake of my head I ran over to the nearest park to get some real fresh air. I passed a few trees before sitting on a bench that was placed behind a fountain. I watched as people walked past me. The people who seemed to be a family were lucky. For a moment I felt a pang of jealousy as I watched them. Especially when I saw a young couple smiling as their two-year old started laughing.

How long had it been since I'd seen my real family? I could hardly even remember what mom or dad looked like. Anyone who was closely related had been killed during my time in the warehouse. I never realized how alone I was until watching those people.

"Casey?" I froze when I heard Steve's familiar voice. Looking up I saw him standing next to me, eyes wide in surprise. "What are you doing out this early?"

"I just needed some air," I replied with a shrug. "Plus I like going on morning jogs. It helps refresh my mind."

"How long have you been out here?" I shrugged once again when he asked that.

"'bout an hour, give or take," I replied.

I'd gone out around five in the morning. I knew that just about everyone other than Natasha or Steve would still be asleep. I braced myself for a million more questions, knowing that I shouldn't be out here alone and was caught red-handed. But to my surprise Steve didn't continue badgering me. Instead I noticed he smiled, a knowing look flashed in his eyes.

"You want someone to join you?" he suddenly asked, taking me by surprise once again. For a moment I didn't know what to say, before closing my gaping mouth and nodding.

"I suppose it would be nice to have someone to chat with," I murmured thoughtfully.

Back in Alamo I would run every morning with Emily's older brother. Since we were practically neighbors we met every morning under the oak tree that guarded our homes. I missed those carefree days. I tried not to think of the past as I followed him along a path I'd never taken. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

...

My feet were killing me by the time we got back to the tower. I hadn't even thought of how many miles Steve was running until he pointed it out. He usually ran about ten laps around the park. Ten freaking laps. At the most I'd probably run five.

I wasn't going to let my exhaustion show though. A few times Steve had stopped and asked if I needed a break. But I refused and kept going until I was literally ready to drop over dead. By than I was almost dragging myself back.

Clint was laughing by the time I reached the living space. I shot him a glare as I fell on the sofa face first, hitting a pillow in the process. Steve had already disappeared to God only knew where. And here I was trying not to groan in pain.

"Had a good run?" I turned my head slightly to glare at the archer.

"Shut up," I moaned before tossing a pillow at him square in the face. By now we were both laughing at that.

I spent the rest of that afternoon catching up on movies. Relaxing was something I needed now more than ever after that experience. To my surprise Clint spent most of the time with me, either commenting on how lame the movie was or how unrealistic it was. To which I rolled my eyes and tried to ignore each remark.

...

It was close to dusk when I found myself in the gym. By then my feet weren't in as much pain. Of course Bruce had scolded me for overworking my muscles. But I had argued with him that I would have to stretch them out one way or the other. And jogging was really the best way to do that.

Thankfully I got away from a long lecture and found myself working out in the gym. The punching bag swung back and forth as I slammed my fists into it. I barely took notice to the fact that I had already been here for almost an hour now until I heard the door slide open.

"I thought you were taking it easy," Natasha said in an accusing tone as she walked inside.

"This is me taking it easy," I retorted while punching the bag as hard as I could. It barely even budged this time. I held back a sigh of frustration and tried to focus.

"Casey, what's on your mind?" I paused and looked at her warily. I knew sooner or later I would spill the beans. For now I tried thinking of something else to say other than what was really on my mind.

"Nothing too important," I replied with a shrug. "I was just hoping to keep up with my fighting skills."

Yeah, that totally worked. Natasha saw right through my lie. But thankfully she didn't say anything to that. What she did say next caught me completely off guard.

"Would you like a sparring partner? I wouldn't mind seeing how much you know," she asked with the slightest smirks.

All I could do was stare at her. Was she serious? I realized that she was. And all at once I suddenly remembered how much pain my feet were in earlier. By now the pain had finally gone away, but my feet were still sore from running so far. Eventually I decided that it was an offer that I couldn't refuse.

"I-yes," I stuttered, still shaken by the fact that the Black Widow herself wanted to see how good I really was. At least I guessed that was why she had asked that question.

"Don't worry, I'll take it easy on you." I nodded and took a fighting stance.

Natasha eyed me warily the entire time as I tried guessing who would make the first move. Without warning she suddenly struck out with her fist. I moved to the side, narrowly avoiding a punch in the nose. I retaliated by swinging out my leg towards her knee. Natasha suddenly jumped and flipped back on her feet, and all I could do was gape. Sure I'd learned some fighting moves, but nothing like that!

Once she was back on her feet she wasted no time in throwing another fist. I moved aside once again and jabbed her in the ribs, but not without getting my feet knocked out from under me. I fell on the mat seconds later, staring at the ceiling in shock. Seconds later and I was back on my feet, running towards the wall as I heard her footsteps behind me.

I hit my foot against the wall and used the momentum to flip over, remembering an old move that I'd seen during karate class. Natasha had just reached the wall when I landed behind her on my feet, ignoring the pain that followed. Natasha skidded to a halt and whirled around, staring at me in surprise as I held my fists up. I hesitated for too long when she saw an opening. She threw her leg out and managed to pin me to the floor once again with a loud thud.

"Not bad for a rookie," she stated after helping me up.

"Not bad?" I repeated, groaning as my feet began throbbing in pain again. "You pummeled me!"

"Your stance was all over the place." I frowned as I realized that she was right. "If you noticed there were times when you could have easily taken me down."

"Well, they don't call you the Black Widow for nothing." I tried not to groan as I leaned against the wall.

"That move you used earlier, with the back flip, that wasn't bad," she suddenly pointed out.

"It's a move that anyone could learn," I muttered with a shrug. This time it was her turn to frown. I flinched when she put a hand on my shoulder. Part of me half expected her to flip me over again. But instead her touch was surprisingly gentle.

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself," she told me. "Remember, practice makes perfect."

I couldn't help but smile at that. She did have a good point. Lately I had been so down on myself. I had a feeling it was partly because of what had happened a week ago. The discussion between me and Emily still hadn't left the back of my mind. And I knew that sooner or later the Avengers would find out what I could really do.

"Thanks, I think I understand that," I said.

"How about this, I teach you what I know, and we'll see who's better in the end?" she suddenly suggested. My eyes widened in amazement. Now that was an offer that I couldn't refuse.

"O-Of course!" I stammered. "Thank you!"

"You might not be so thankful when I'm finished," Natasha said with a smirk.

Again I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as I followed her to the elevator. Time would tell whether or not she was serious.

...

After dinner I finally flopped on my bed and buried my face into the pillow. Exhaustion crept over me the moment I hit the bed. For the most part my day had gone rather well. I was more than surprised when Natasha had offered to teach me what she knew. I couldn't help but wonder if it was all a ruse.

Some part of me wanted to say that the Avengers were just trying to befriend me, just to gain information. But another part of me wanted to believe what Steve had said. That the Avengers were there to help me. Yet I remembered everything I heard from SHIELD.

I was so confused as to who I should or shouldn't trust. For now I would need to keep my ability a secret.

...

"Coulson, is there any news on the kid?" Fury stood next to agent Coulson as the two discussed mission reports.

"Sir, I'm afraid that she's reluctant to tell them anything," replied Coulson.

He wasn't too pleased with the idea of just sending her off to one of SHIELD's prisons. But that was exactly what Fury intended if she didn't tell anyone why those men had kept her in the warehouse.

"Then we'll need to interfere," Fury sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

The last thing he wanted was to get in the way of the Avengers. But if they needed to than that was exactly what SHIELD would do. The girl could be a potential threat that needed to be watched over. The Avengers were not her babysitters, and they would need to learn that the hard way.


AN: So, what did you think? I'd love to hear your opinions ^^ Also, I got Big Hero 6... which means updates might not be as frequent. Just a forewarning, I absolutely love that movie!

Currahee56 - You're close ;) But oh so far away :P

MinaCarlyle - It's okay, I understand :) And why is that? Does she seem suspicious? ;)