"We nailed it out there! Textbook perfect!" Tony grinned as he poured each Avenger a glass of champagne. "This is proof we don't need Shield to do what we do! Tomorrow night, I'm throwing the party of the century!"
"Sorry, Tony, I need to get home to my girls," Natasha replied.
"They'll be fine a few more nights, Tasha. Stick around," Clint suggested. "Even a mom needs a break once and awhile."
"Stay, Nat, somebody has to help me keep this party from getting out of control," Bruce added.
Natasha looked at her friends. She did miss this feeling. There was nothing like the adrenaline rush of a successful mission, and this one had gone nicely. "I'll call Annette. As long as the girls are okay, I'll stay a few days."
"Good, it's settled. Too bad Pepper is out of town," Tony grinned, "or, depending on how wild the party gets, maybe that's a good thing."
After they toasted their success, everyone went their separate ways to unwind. Natasha immediately called home.
"How did it go?" Annette asked.
"We got the scepter. It actually went really well. I think, for once, Tony is on to something. These guys will be able to make a real difference."
"Maybe you should reconsider joining them. It is a good opportunity for you," Annette suggested.
"I don't know about that," Natasha sighed. "Besides, the girls and I would miss you."
"You wouldn't have the chance to miss me. I'd visit and you and the girls would come home often. Nat, it's okay to live your life. I'm grateful to be part of it, but you're too young to make me and the children all of it."
"I'm older than you."
"But, the serum has given you a gift. Don't waste it. Besides, you may be older than I am, but you've only just started to live. You just existed for most of your life. Take the chance."
"It's probably a bad idea. Steve's here remember? It's stressful for both of us."
"You're both too stubborn for your own good. Have you talked?"
Natasha winced thinking about their conversation on the road. She had absolutely panicked when he tried to kiss her then she practically offered her body up on a silver platter. What was she thinking? Steve probably had an even lower opinion of her now, but she wasn't about to share that story with her sister. "We talked."
"Good then I'll expect Steve to come around more often. That man may be a stubborn fool, but he's a stubborn fool in love."
"He's not in love. He never was. He was just confused. I mean, sure, there's an attraction, but there's just too much to get passed. It would never work. I'm a spy. Everything I stand for repulses him. We are going to try and be friends."
"You forget I was married to a spy. I probably understand how Steve feels better than most people. It's not easy to give your heart to someone who has to change personas on a regular basis. He may never understand what you have done or why, but the man in my living room a few days ago was anything but repulsed by you. I was honestly shocked to find him on the couch. I figured he'd end up in your bed."
"Ana! I would never bring a man into my bed with the girls down the hall!"
"Well, maybe you should. Natalia, you deserve a chance at love and the girls could use a male influence."
"I've had many lovers, thank you very much. And, the girls have plenty of male influences."
"Lovers and love are very different things," Annette replied. "You may have had many of the first, but I'd be willing to bet you've only had one of the latter. I helped you recover from that broken heart, so don't even try to deny it. Take a chance. He's a good man."
"I don't think I can," Natasha said softly. "It's too scary."
"When has fear ever made you back down from a fight?"
Natasha had barely gotten off the phone with Annette when there was a knock on her door. She opened it and a nervous looking Steve was standing on the other side. "Everything okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, everything's fine. I was just hoping we could talk," Steve replied. "Can I come in?"
Natasha pulled the door open wider and he walked inside. "I promise I'm not going to hit on you. I just wanted to thank you for coming with us."
"Anytime, Steve."
"How about all the time? We did good out there. Fury made a lot of mistakes, but he chose the right people for the Avengers Initiative. I know you told Tony no, but I was hoping you'd reconsider."
"You want me to come back full-time?" Natasha asked. "Are you sure about that?"
"I'm positive. Nat, we might not always get it right when we are trying to have a conversation, but nobody can read me better on the battlefield. I don't think I can lead this team if you're not on it."
"Can I ask you something and get an honest answer?"
"I'm always honest," Steve replied earnestly. "You can ask me anything."
"Do you trust me?"
"In the field, I trust you completely. Everywhere else, I'm really working on it. I meant it when I said I miss you. Kissing you was great. I'll always be grateful for Jamaica. But, that's not what I miss the most. I miss hanging out after work or going to bed knowing you were just a few doors down the hall. Can the fact that I'm trying to trust you be enough? Please, Nat."
Natasha nodded her head softly. "I do miss this. I didn't choose to be the Black Widow, but I chose to be an Avenger. I do have a few demands if I'm going to even consider uprooting my girls and moving to the compound."
"I'm listening."
"I don't care how important the mission is, my kids come first. If they need me, I will not leave them."
"That's only right," Steve agreed.
"No honey traps. If you need someone to seduce your target, pick a someone else."
"Like I'm going to stand there and listen to you flirting with another man while I'm on the comms," Steve huffed.
"Steve, I'm being serious here. I need a promise."
"I promise I will never ask you to do that. I'm even going to go one better. If you come to work with me, I absolutely forbid you to use your special training."
"Forbid?" Natasha teased.
"Forbid," Steve replied.
"Ordinarily, I'd be irritated at you for forbidding me to do anything, but I'm going to give you this one, Rogers."
"So, do we have a deal, Romanoff?" Steve asked with just a touch of a smile forming.
Natasha rolled her eyes. She knew he was sure she was going to say yes, and she probably would take him up on his offer. "I will definitely consider it."
Steve smiled. It was her favorite of his smiles. It reminded her of the one plastered on his face when he was staring at the hickey he had left on her neck so many months ago. She couldn't help but smile back. He held up a movie he had been holding behind his back. "Friends watch movies together."
"They do. Pop it in."
Natasha plopped down on the couch while Steve put Indiana Jones in and took the seat beside her. "Sam introduced me to these. There is a whole series. Have you seen them?"
Natasha laughed. "I've seen them, but I can definitely watch them again with a fossil."
"Careful, Romanoff. You're almost as old as I am, Steve teased. "And, you didn't sleep seventy years. I'm pretty sure that makes you way more of a fossil than me."
Natasha playfully hit his shoulder as the movie started. This felt right. If they could honestly be friends and work together, she decided she could be content. This was what she'd missed most. She wasn't ready to say yes just yet, but she had a feeling she wouldn't be able to turn him down.
Natasha didn't see much of Steve the next day. Maria and Sharon took her out for a girl's day. They pampered themselves with manicures and pedicures then shopped for her dresses for the party.
When she got back to the tower, Steve was gone. Clint told her he was visiting Barnes. Natasha was glad Steve finally had his friend back. She knew eventually Barnes would be at the compound, but she also knew Steve wouldn't bring him there until he was positive Barnes was no longer a threat. For some reason, knowing that simple truth made her feel warm inside. He wouldn't have asked her to come if he considered her a threat either.
Natasha took a little extra time getting ready for the party. She told herself it had nothing to do with Steve, but when she walked through the door and he nearly dropped his drink trying to stand and pull out her chair, her heart fluttered. "Careful, Romanoff, use your head," she reminded herself. Not falling for Steve Rogers again was going to be a full time job in itself.
She sat with Steve and Sam for a few minutes then made herself the unofficial bartender to put a little distance between them. She kept that distance until only Steve, Clint, Tony, Thor, Maria, Sharon, and herself were left. Watching the guys attempt to pick up Thor's hammer was probably the most fun she'd had in years. When they asked her to try, she begged off. "Oh no, that's not a question I need answered."
It was the perfect night until suddenly it wasn't anymore. Tony and Bruce had made a big mess with the scepter, and the world was in more danger than it had been when the scepter had been in Hydra''s hands. They fought off Ultron then argued amongst themselves, trying to find a solution.
By the time they went to their rooms, they were frustrated and exhausted, and a solution was nowhere near within their grasps. Natasha was the last to go upstairs. She stopped in front of Steve's door. She knew he was angry with Tony, not her, but she wasn't sure going to him was a smart move. "To hell with it," she finally murmured and knocked on his door.
Sorry this chapter is shorter but it is Christmas. Tomorrow's conversation is going to be a big one. Stay tuned.