Hello Everybody! Sorry this chapter is late but it took a bit of editing and getting past a bit of writers block...And my mom surprised me and the family with a visit this past weekend! I am currently working on chapter 10 and I'm hoping that I can post it tomorrow, but it depends on how easily I can get all my thoughts out.

Hope you like it!

Chapter 9:

T is for Trauma,

Talking...And

Trust

"Here you go..." Harlow handed a glass of wine to the red head, taking a sip from the glass she poured for herself. Natasha felt the couch jostle slightly as the girl sat back down, crossing her legs.

"You do realize you're not 21 yet." Natasha watched as Harlow raised an eyebrow, pearly smile on her face. "What?"

"You're one of those aren't you..."

"One of what?"

"A mom friend." Harlow watched as the woman took a drink, green eyes avoiding direct eye contact. "It's nice that you care."

Natasha felt her cheeks warm, but she said nothing and the sandy blonde didn't continue to pry. Their focus returned to the next movie they had put in, Natasha insistent that Harlow choose this time. It was something the red head didn't recognize, but she also took notice that the girl beside her didn't seem to be watching it. Her gaze seemed far off as she took sips from her glass, an index finger tracing the rim when she wasn't.

"Earth to Harlow."

"Sorry, was just thinking about a few things." Natasha found that hazel eyes met her gaze, a wistful look in them accompanied by a soft smile.

"Yeah?" The red head leaned back into the cushions, taking a drink of the wine in her glass. Harlow took notice of the furrowed brow on Natasha's face as she took a drink before pushing forward. "Anything in particular? If you need to talk about it I mean..."

"I wasn't trying to make the evening somber." A nervous chuckle filled the air, mixing with the sounds of action from the film still playing.

"Well it's like you said last year, we need to try...So just..." Natasha shrugged. "I don't care. It's been a good evening so far, you're not going to ruin it."

"Okay." She nodded, her lips pursed as she put down her glass. Harlow adjusted herself so sat facing Natasha, but still cross-legged. "I just...I was thinking about my parents...You know, I-" She shook her head.

Natasha just waited, giving Harlow her undivided attention. Something had been welling up in her since she and the girl before her started actually talking. A want and desire to truly listen to people, to give them chances. Between Harlow and Clint, the woman could see that all connections were not baggage. Not all people took advantage of other people.

"I don't know if Fury ever let you in on anything from my past, but it's just not something that I like to think about often. When I do, it just hurts too much and I'm still too angry about it ninety percent of the time."

"Who isn't?" Natasha sighed, her heart clenching at the memories flashing in her own mind.

"...I was just wondering what my parents might be doing now...What my brother might be doing...It's stupid I know, but part of me still hopes that my parents regret ever sending me away...Well selling me really." Natasha looked at Harlow from the corner of her eye, not able to bring herself into the girls direct gaze. Fury definitely hadn't shared anything with her and no matter how hard she tried, Harlow's file seemed to be just out of reach...Although, maybe this was why...The fact that Harlow felt as though she could open up to her. That she would share it in her own time.

"I was only eight. What kind of person does that to another human being?" Harlow swallowed hard, her stomach starting to burn with frustration. "Maybe one day I'll get up the courage to ask them...Or maybe to find my brother, David. He saved me after I escaped where my parents sent me to, did a good job taking care of me too...Well until he started to blame me and my abilities for all of his problems. How he didn't get to do this and that..."

"So you left?" Harlow noticed a shift in Natasha and that she wasn't looking her head on. A sad lilt in her voice, small sniffles entering the air. However, the girl didn't point it out, knowing that the woman rarely wore her expressions on her face. She figured if Natasha wanted her to see, it would be on her own terms.

"Yeah. When he started getting into to stuff he shouldn't, I wasn't going to watch him waste away...I just..." The girl scratched her head in thought. "It's like who would I have become if I didn't go through what I did? But I wouldn't change it." Natasha said nothing, fearing her facade would crack looking at the blonde. She hadn't realized how similar their stories were, being taken away from everything they knew at such a young age. Being brought up in ways they shouldn't have been, childhood ripped away.

"It's definitely not an easy road." The red-head finally replied. "I-"

Harlow could see the tension rolling off Natasha's shoulders, her body seeming like it was trying to defend itself.

"Nat," She found green eyes on her almost instantly, a slight look of panic in them. "It's okay. You don't have to." Harlow watched as Natasha seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and the girl smiled softly at her. "If you do want to talk, do it on your terms, not because I shared some of my life story."

"Duly noted." The woman smiled slightly at the girl before taking a sip of her wine. However, Natasha felt her body jerk, her glass almost spilling. She found that Harlow had her arms wrapped around her, head on her shoulder as she squeezed her tight. Words whispered so quietly, had the woman not paid attention, she never would have heard them.

"Thank you." This was definitely something the red head had not expected but she couldn't help but smile softly, carefully setting her glass down. After a moment, her arms wrapped around the blonde as her eyes closed. Tears prickled behind her closed lids as Natasha accepted the hug fully. It hadn't been what she wanted, but the woman realized it was something she had been needing for a long time.

"Okay, you're crushing me." Natasha teased, giving Harlow a playful slap on the back before they parted from the hug. Harlow stuck her tongue out at her before grabbing her glass of wine, taking a few long pulls of it.

"I was eleven...I mean, younger when I first...But I was eleven..." It was all that Natasha could get out and Harlow merely nodded, patting Natasha on the shoulder understanding. She knew that like her, Natasha's life had turned out very different from what she expected it to be. As sad as it was, it was nice to know they had something in common.

TSCHHHHHHH. *tv static*

Natasha's eyes snapped open as her body jumped, she gasped for air, trying to figure out where she was. Her eyes moved about frantically, taking in the static on the tv, half drank wine glasses on the table, pizza crusts on plates. The woman's breathing slowed after realizing she had fallen asleep sitting up on the couch and she flinched slightly as she rolled her neck, a pinched nerve making itself known.

As she went to stand so she could stretch, Natasha found that her legs were weighted down. Her green eyes looked to see that Harlow's legs were stretched across hers, the pair of them sharing a blanket. She couldn't really remember when they had fallen asleep, but she vaguely recalled the girl laying a blanket over her.

The woman couldn't help but roll her eyes, a smirk tugging at her lips seeing Harlow's mess of hair. Her mouth was slightly open, drool at the corners, and small red lines ran the side of her face from zipper of her jacket. At least she was sleeping without any issues this time compared to the last few weeks. However, it definitely had been rough on all of them to say the least.

"Ugh.." The red head jumped slightly as the sandy blonde sat straight up, almost like one of the undead. Her eyes were half lidded, dark circles under them.

"So she lives." Although, no reply came from the girl as she briefly gazed at the red-head groggily before laying back down. Sleep took over once more as she jostled about, accidentally kicking Natasha in the side.

"Jeez. If you want me to move just say so." As she made her way out from under Harlow's legs and out of the living room, she heard muffled words.

"S' my spot. Move." Her words were so slurred and full of sleep, Natasha couldn't help but feel a laugh get choked in her throat. In all honesty, it was the first time she had ever witnessed how the girl was with her sleeping habits. Nightmares were one thing, quirks were another and talking in her sleep seemed to be evident.

"Joke's on you, I moved already..." A few seconds later, a pillow hit Natasha in the face. She could only stare at the being on couch, her mouth slightly agape as the woman shook her head. No response seemed appropriate and it was probably best to let her sleep, she certainly seemed to need it.

Harlow slowly stirred as the bitter smell of coffee entered the air, mixing with the smells of breakfast sandwiches. A yawn crossed her face as she sat up, stretching her limbs and a few pops entered the air. She found Natasha sitting next to her, taking a drink of her own coffee, gesturing to what was on the table in front of the couch. Greedily, the blonde grabbed the coffee cup, sighing happily as the warmth began to spread through her fingers before taking a long drink.

Natasha watched the girl from the corner of her eye, a small smirk tugging at her lips. She definitely had remembered Harlow's order correctly. When it came to food they liked or didn't, the pair would be completely transparent with one another, not fearing to tell the other what they got was wrong. The red head remembered one or two times when they had cussed each other out...However, it seemed the more times they bonded, the easier it was to keep track of the little things.

"Thanks for this. I was starving." Natasha only nodded in response as she sipped her own drink, wheels turning in her mind. Harlow noticed the woman narrow her eyes slightly in thought before briefly nodding to herself. She looked over at the hazel eyed girl who was now in mid bite of her breakfast sandwich.

"Wut?" Harlow asked with cheeks full, looking like a chipmunk. Natasha controlled her smile as she crossed one leg over the other.

"I was just thinking, we have a few days of leave...Why don't we do something?" the woman swallowed hard, heart beating quickly. She never understood why this always made her nervous, asking someone to hang out. Even with Clint on the occasion he was here to do so, it always made Natasha's nerves stand on edge.

"What did you have in mind?" The girl brushed crumbs off her hands before grabbing her drink for a few long pulls. She watched the red head shrug and noticed a tinge of shyness behind it.

"I don't know..." It was something that Harlow had begun to notice whenever Natasha did let her walls down briefly. The woman was always exuding confidence, but when it came to things she had never experienced, Natasha always seemed to be timid.

Harlow sighed biting her lower lip, trying to think as she grabbed her phone off the table. She sat back with a small thud on the couch, unlocking it to browse the internet for things to do. Natasha watched the girls fingers fly and scroll like through several articles and sites all the while making conversation.

"Is there anything you do to...like... decompress? We could always do that..."

"I usually go to a shooting range." Harlow turned her head slightly, eyebrow raised.

"Really? Girl, there is more to life than shooting guns...However, I can see the appeal. Pretending to shoot an ex? I could dig it." Natasha laughed.

"Okay, so what would you do then?"

"Well I've never really thought about it before...Walking in a park I guess...Or-" The girl sat up suddenly, clutching her phone as if it were her only source of life. "WE COULD DO THIS!"

Natasha found Harlow was now shoving her phone under her nose and the woman anchored her head away slightly before taking it. She found pictures of roller-coasters, food stands, games, and other things would find at an amusement park or carnival. Her mouth opened to dismiss the idea, it seeming childish, but closed it as she thought more about it. In all her years, she had never been and she was guessing Harlow hadn't either. Maybe it would be good for the both of them.

"That doesn't seem so bad. Where is it?"

"It seems like this particular place is about a day or two away...But we could make a girls "weekend" of it. Roller coasters. Restaurants. Resting." Harlow smiled brightly, standing to clean up her mess after pocketing her phone.

"Trauma, Talking, Trust...Are we going to just list things that start with certain letters of the alphabet now?" Natasha began to straighten the blankets and pillows on the couch.

"Har har. I'm serious though. Haven't you ever just wanted to go somewhere and like, not think of work or life or anything like that? To just have fun? Maybe we can play some shooting games to make up for not going to a range? I'm so nice, I'll let you win." Harlow dodged a pillow only to have another hit her in the back as she laughed like mad.

"You won't let me win sh*t. I could beat you with a hand tied behind my back."

"Then it wouldn't be fair. I'd beat you twice as fast." She watched as Natasha deftly flew over the couch before striding toward her and swiftly wrapping an arm around the girls neck, rapping her knuckles on her scalp. "Okay! Okay!" The pair laughed before the woman let go. "You've proven your point. Let's get packed up, I'll drive alright?"

"Just don't take hours choosing what to pack." Natasha called after the girl as she made her way to her room. "Or we won't get to go!"

"Yeah, yeah. As long as you don't take anymore of my jackets."

It was certainly going to be an interesting weekend to say the the least. They would be out of their element, not having to train or think about work. Both of them would see how the other was around other people, no invisible walls to hide behind. However, something unexpected would happen, something Harlow hadn't thought would bring the pair closer together. And down the road, she would come to realize she was especially grateful to Natasha and her friendship.

I just want to say thank you again for all who read this story and leave reviews or even just visit it. It means a lot to me. ^^

You are doing a good job of living each day, finding ways to get up. You can do it! ^^