Special shout out to Jade, your review made me smile. I would love to be a writer for Marvel! What a compliment :) I hope you still like me after this chapter...

Nanali discreetly stole a glanced at her charge as she drew blood samples for further testing. Natasha's face was hard, pain etched into every line as she stared off into space, seeming not to notice the doctor.

"There certainly has been a lot of change happening in your body," Nanali said, drawing another vial of blood. "How do you feel?"

Natasha looked at her, snapping out of her reverie, "Feel?"

"Yes. Physically how do you feel? I can see that your emotional health is lacking." Nanali turned to her computer, hooking the blood samples up to be analyzed.

"I feel fine. I feel… I'm not sure, different, but I'm not in pain. What did Steve-" she choked on his name, "What did Steve's blood do to me?" Her eyes grew suddenly wide, "I swear to God, if you tell me I can't get drunk I will scream."

Nanali chuckled, looking at the results on the screen. "That does not appear to be the case. Though I feel certain you will test my theory no matter what I tell you. The Serum in Captain Rogers blood seems to have heightened your ability to heal, which we have already seen." She pulled out the results of the MRI scan to show her, "It has also healed and removed scar tissue from your previous wounds."

Natasha lifted her shirt, and sure enough, the scar from the bullet Bucky had put in her was gone. Her skin was perfect all over, with no trace of any previous violence.

Nanali smiled, "Skin like a baby. And it looks like it will stay that way." Natasha put her shirt down.

"The only other difference that I can find is here," Nanali pointed to a spot on her brain from a brain scan in her hand. "We took this mere hours before you woke. Note this spot on your brain, it's called the right supramarginal gyrus, it's responsible for empathy and compassion in a person. What is interesting, is that yours is lit up, extremely active at the time we took the scan. I'm not sure why this happened, but my theory is that the brain activity in this region 'woke up' the rest of your brain, allowing you to come out of your coma. I would like to take another scan to compare, just to see what's happening in there."

Natasha immediately thought of Wanda, and of the strange connection she had placed between her and Steve that allowed her to feel what he felt. The science behind Wanda's gift was interesting. "I can do that," she shrugged. Nanali smiled at her, "We will postpone any more tests until after you've had some rest." She hesitated, suddenly becoming very serious, "There is one more test I think you should have done at some point." Natasha looked at her blankly, "Alright, what is it?"

Nanali pulled a chair in front of Natasha, sitting at eye level with her. "The serum has healed your body entirely. I want to suggest to you that it may also have healed… other issues." Natasha looked at her coldly, her mind unwilling to accept what Nanali was suggesting. "What other issues?" Nanali looked at her, compassion in her eyes, "I think you know."

Natasha felt tears rush to her eyes, but it only made her angry. She stood up and glared down at Nanali, "Do not give me false hope. Not even super serum can undo what was done to me."

Nanali looked up at her calmly, "That may be true. But all it would take is a quick exam to find out."

Natasha stood frozen in place, her mouth opening and closing wordlessly, fists balled at her side. Nanali leaned forward, "Ms. Romanoff, may I offer you a bit of advice?" The gentleness of Nanali's manner calmed Natasha, who nodded.

"When we experience a trauma, it inevitably becomes part of who we are. We get used to carrying the burden until we are so strong that it doesn't feel as heavy anymore." As Natasha watched, the older womans eyes grew distant, thoughtful. "The opportunity to have the effects of that trauma removed is unheard of. Yet here you are, facing the possibility that this is what has happened. Just from my observation of you Ms. Romanoff, it would seem that this turn of events is unwelcome. Why is that?"

Natasha just shrugged, her lips pressed into a thin line. "It just isn't possible. I wouldn't know what to do with that information." Her hand drifted to her stomach, touching it for a moment before realizing what she was doing and crossing her arms.

"Wouldn't you?"

Natasha looked at her sharply, a warning in her eyes. Nanali paid it no mind.

"It might be time to put that particular burden down. What would your life might look like without the effects of your past? You would have no further excuse to bar yourself from happiness." She clasped Natasha's hand gently, "Don't let fear hold you back."

It was too much for Natasha, her emotions going haywire. She stormed from the room, wanting to be anywhere but there, to find a place of solitude to think. She stopped at the door and turned angrily to Nanali, "What I do is not about me, it's for the sake of people I love. When you love someone, you sacrifice for them, for their happiness."

Nanali spoke, wisdom and sadness audible in her voice, "My dear girl, love is desiring the highest good for the other person. Sometimes that means sacrifice, certainly. Sometimes it means being humble enough to accept that you might be what he needs. And you forget, the ones you love here on this team, also love you…"

There was a very real danger that the tears swimming in Natasha's eyes would spill over. Feeling foolish, like a child, she turned from the older woman and ran.

By the time Natasha stopped running, she found herself on the roof of the tower, gazing out over the city lit up in the darkness. It was a calming scene, and she sat, her legs dangling over the edge, taking it in. She let the sounds of the city fill her mind, pushing out all other thoughts. Her eyes wandered, tracing the edge of the skyline, headlights and brakelights making a twinkling light show as they made their way through the streets below. She sat there for a while, the cool breeze blowing across her face, allowing herself to think about nothing at all. Slowly, cautiously, she began to consider the facts.

She was alone, she had been alone since she was a child. The thought didn't frighten or sadden her, it was simply a fact. Being part of a team was still a new concept for her. She had always worked alone, it was where she was comfortable, it was what she was used to; up until this point, her very physical make up had caused her to believe that she was meant to be alone. She had known her place in the world.

You have no place in the world. The words of her Red Room training floated back to her. As much as she fought against what they had made her, it was a concept that she still believed. She was an Avenger for now, but she struggled to believe it was somewhere she belonged. She would stay until she was no longer needed or could no longer contribute. It had never been a forever thing. But now Steve…

She shook her head, nervous to approach this line of thought. She loved him, there was no denying that. Love is choosing the highest good for the other person. Nanali 's words drifted through her head. Natasha hugged her knees. With her past, and all that came with it, would she ever be the highest good for anyone? Let alone someone as good as Steve Rogers? She thought about it for a moment, what would be the highest good, the very best thing she could do for Steve? Steve needed a woman he could trust to have his back, who would protect him from himself during the times when he was too hard on himself. He needed a woman who could love him as he was, and never try to take him away from the service of his country. Whether he admitted it or not, Natasha knew that Steve needed conflict, he needed to protect people. It was literally part of his physical make up, in his blood. He would want stability peppered by adventure. If what Nanali said were true, and she was healed and able to have children, then Natasha had every quality Steve would want. She considered that, shocked at her own conclusion.

You have no place in the world. The words tightened her heart like a vice. Committing to Steve meant committing to the Avengers. A few days ago the Avengers had split, the team was no longer a team, and she had disagreed with Steve. They might not always agree in the future. How would they deal with that? What would happen if Natasha no longer wanted, or was no longer able, to be an Avenger? Steve was the poster child for American Freedom, what would the world think of him pairing with a Russian assassin?

Mentally she reigned in her thoughts, stopping the flow of questions. If she was going to actively love Steve, then she had to pick the best thing for him. She had enough humility to understand that Steve deserved for her to let him have some say in it. She needed to talk this through. She had to tell him about the possibility of her being healed. As for her place in the world, right now it was with the Avengers team. She couldn't control the future, she and Steve would have to figure it out, what was best for each other, as they went. She stood up and went to find him.

As she descended the stairs into the common area, she could hear the voices of the team, tense with disagreement. When she heard her name spoken, she paused to listen.

"We can't post this video now! The public will think it's a lie! You saw Nat, she's completely healed!"

Steve replied, irritation in his voice, "So we tell them the truth! I gave her my blood which had an effect on her ability to heal!"

Tony cut in, "Steve, trust me, it's bad enough that I know that your blood has healing properties, I'm fighting the urge to steal a blood sample in your sleep for my own research. You do not want to tell the world that the cure for cancer could be floating around in your blood. They will be after you in a second. You thought the Accords was bad, you would turn a whole population against you."

"So we say that we waited a while before we posted the video."

"We waited six months to give vital information to the public concerning the safety of enhanced people? That suggests a lack of urgency! And if I may remind you, the government will be pounding on our door demanding their prisoner back any second now. Some of us here have signed, we are legally bound to obey or face the consequences, which we have recently learned are fairly severe."

Steve ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, "What are you suggesting we do?"

"I have to leave."

The team turned to look at Natasha, who had materialized apparently out of nowhere. Their expressions were guilty. She looked at them, her face stoic, "I have to go somewhere where no one will see me to report that I am uninjured. You can tell people you've sent me away for recovery. I'll need to be gone for quite a while, my injuries were extensive."

Steve looked at her, his face a reflection of her rejection mixed with despair, "No. We are not going to send you off to exile for sacrificing to protect this team!"

"Steve," Natasha's voice was low, resigned, "There is no other way. If I stay, all hell will break lose, and it will be like none of this ever happened." She looked at the reunited Avengers team with a sad smile, "I have to choose the highest good for every one of you. I'll leave in the morning."

Steve started towards her but stopped at her look. "Your place in the world is here, with... us." he stumbled on "us" and Natasha knew he meant, " with me." She willed her heart to close to him, it was the only way she would survive this.

She shook her head, her expression serious, "I have no place in the world."