The next part of Originals & SHIELD Agents. I can't say yet how long the story will be or when the next update will appear. Thank you to Senema for her Beta and her big help. Enjoy!
Chapter 1
Natasha never thought she would be back in the United States so soon and of course, she had Steve to thank for that. He had gotten it in his head that not only should the Avengers be safe, but also all the other Enhanced, who were now in danger and deprived of their human rights by the Sokovia Accords.
To help them, Steve wanted to start an underground railroad like the ones that existed during the American Civil War and World War II. For that they needed fake papers, they had to make contacts, they needed safe houses and much more.
Clint, who had better underground, or rather criminal, connections than she did, gave her the names of the best forgers he knew. However, he also warned them that these counterfeiters would not help them out of the goodness of their hearts.
As it turned out, he was right about that. The first two counterfeiters had dismissed them immediately; they had no desire to challenge the government. A third forger, they tried to contact was arrested before they could meet him. Two others were willing, but they wanted inordinate amounts of money and additionally neither Steve nor Natasha had a good feeling about them.
Finally only one forger on their list remained. They got in touch with him, and he agreed to meet them at a place of his choosing in New Orleans. They knew, of course, that Elijah lived in New Orleans, but it was a big city. What were the chances that they would meet?
Natasha entered Rousseau right behind Steve. She was used to having a few people react when she walked into a bar, but this time the amount of attention given to her and Steve was unusual.
Natasha felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, but she didn't know why. She felt threatened, and if she read Steve's body language correctly, he felt the same.
Steve went to the bar where he spoke to the young dark haired bartender. "Hello, could we get two beers, please."
The young man smiled kindly. "Coming up right away."
He turned and poured two beers, which he then placed in front of Steve and Natasha. When he looked more closely at her, Natasha could literally read in his eyes that he had recognized her. His head snapped back to Steve, his eyes widened and Natasha knew their cover was blown. Her pulse was racing and she felt Steve tense beside her as well, ready for flight or fight.
"Don't be afraid", the young man said quietly. "None of my normal guests would even for one second think about informing the government that they saw you. The tourists are of course a different matter. How about we find you a nice table located in a dark corner and with different side exits to choose from?"
"We'd appreciate it", Steve said calmly.
"A quiet table for a couple in love, I have just the one", the man said a little louder and they followed him as he brought them to a table.
Natasha was pleased, the table was absolutely ideal for spies and clandestine meetings. "Thanks", she said. "What is your name?"
"Josh", he replied friendly and smiled.
"Thanks, Josh", she said, smiling seductively at him.
Josh chuckled. "Sorry, Black Widow, but I play for the other team. And it's also unnecessary, I won't tell on you." With a friendly nod, Josh walked back to the counter.
"Well that was interesting", Steve said quietly. "Do you also have the feeling that we are still being watched?"
"Yes, I have", Natasha answered quietly. Unobtrusively, she let her gaze wander through the bar. "Our contact is not here yet. Did he mention a specific time?"
"No, not exactly. He just said that he would come after eight o'clock this evening." Steve checked his watch it was shortly after. "Have you heard from Clint and Wanda?
"No, Clint wants to check out some incidents and rumours that he finds suspicious and Wanda is with him." Natasha shrugged. "He doesn't like this kind of work anyway and four of us in one place would have been too conspicuous and dangerous anyway."
While she and Steve talked quietly about different things to pass the time, Natasha kept an eye on the comings and goings of the bar. She tensed as a man in casual clothing and two men and a woman in suits entered the bar and strutted self-importantly to the bar. However, she quickly relaxed because they didn't give the impression that they worked for the government. She saw however, Josh grimacing and looking unimpressed when they spoke to him.
The man in casual clothing seemed to be the spokesperson and it was obvious that he and Josh were arguing. And Josh didn't seem the only one not happy about the newcomers. The general attention had shifted from them to the new arrivals and none of the guests looked all too happy either.
Josh looked increasingly angry and finally hissed something that made the other man turn to face their table.
"What's going on here?" muttered Steve.
"I have no idea", Natasha answered, just as softly. "But it looks like we're about to find out." Her right hand went under the table and she readied her electro-shock batons for use.
The man in casual clothing moved towards their table, followed by his three lackeys. Natasha really couldn't call them anything else. She saw Josh pick up the phone, dial a number, and speak into it before hanging up. Then he made a sign and Natasha watched bewildered how the place began to empty.
Even tourists who first appeared reluctant suddenly got up and left. Natasha frowned, somehow it reminded her of something she'd seen before but she couldn't recall when and where.
The man stopped in front of their table and eyed them arrogantly. "Get out of here, people like you are not welcome here."
Steve raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "People like us? And what are we exactly?"
Natasha couldn't suppress a soft laugh. Nobody could do politely interested and not the least bit intimidated like Steve.
The man scowled at her. "Trouble! You're not the first Enhanced to show up in the French Quarter to hide here. Where you show up, government agents follow, which we don't want here either. Besides, you're freaks of nature, not normal humans."
However, Natasha got the impression that behind the last comment was not the usual hatred on anyone, who was different but rather a fear that someone like them could challenge his control over others and he would lose his power to them.
Steve's eyes turned icy and his answer was equally cold. "We can certainly debate this endlessly."
Josh came also to the table. "They are my guests, Marcel. You don't have the right to decide who I serve or not. Why don't you take your new lackeys and go bother someone else?"
"Go back to the bar, Josh, and don't interfere in my business!" Marcel snapped back angrily.
"You don't command me anymore, Marcel", Josh replied just as angrily. "And the way, you gave everyone the boot as soon as you got your new lapdogs, tells me, you don't deserve my loyalty anyway. As usual you are only loyal to yourself and your greed for power, all others be damned."
Natasha sensed old grievances behind this exchange.
"Go or my people will make sure you do." Marcel now looked angry and ready to turn violent.
"Your people?" Josh laughed mockingly. "We both know who ultimately has the control over the Strix should he really want it and it's not you!"
This remark seemed to hit Marcel and there seemed to be a certain truth to it judging by the uneasy reactions of the three lackeys in the suits.
"Throw them out!" commanded Marcel. "And make sure they don't come back."
"Can we kill them?" one of the men asked.
Natasha frowned at this question.
"That is fine with me", Marcel replied.
Natasha saw at a glance that it was a power play against Josh to show who was in charge. She sniffed contemptuously; these third-class would-be dictators were all the same. She saw from Steve's narrowed eyes that he had just classified the man as a bully and she knew how much Steve despised them.
"Are you crazy?" Josh cut in again. "This is Captain America and Black Widow! If they disappear, sooner or later some of the Avengers will appear here to search for them and then there will be real trouble. And I don't think they will be easily discouraged."
Marcel made a face. "Damn it, you are unfortunately right. Change of plan, just make them forget everything."
The three minions, or as Josh had called them, the Strix, obeyed and approached the table.
"You want to compel us?" Steve asked in surprise and this time everyone reacted identically, staring at him in full amazement.
Now that Steve had asked his question, Natasha noticed some similarities with Elijah. And she remembered Bender mentioning 'your kind' when speaking to him.
"Are you like Elijah?" Natasha blurted out. The Strix not only stopped suddenly but also backed away, the shock in their faces reflected in Josh's and Marcel's too.
Josh cleared his throat. "You know Elijah?" His voice sounded hoarse and he suddenly seemed scared.
Marcel, on the other hand, looked angry and annoyed.
Natasha immediately realized that she had an advantage here. "Yes, quite well actually", she exaggerated a little and smiled.
"Do you know him too?" Steve asked, immediately recognizing her tactics and wanting to support her.
Josh now looked very disturbed. "What does an Original have to do with two Avengers?"
"That would interest me too." Marcel grinned evilly and stared at Natasha. "I'm always interested in what Elijah is up to and if I can use it against him, all the better." He approached Natasha. "You will come with me and I will make you talk."
Natasha smiled and as soon as he was within range, she used her shock batons on him. While Steve had distracted Marcel, she had turned it up to the highest level because she remembered how tough and resilient Elijah was.
Marcel fell twitching and out cold to the ground. Under the dumbfounded stares of Josh and the Strix Natasha jumped up and immediately applied the batons on Marcel again.
One of the men lunged at her, but Steve grabbed him and pushed him back harder than he would have pushed normal people, he too remembered Elijah's abilities.
The other man took this as an opportunity to attack Steve as well, while the woman lunged at Natasha. Josh tried to stop her, but to Natasha's horror, she snapped Josh's neck and killed him.
Angry about the murder of the young man who had been nothing but friendly to them, Natasha used her batons on her. Maybe the batteries were too depleted but she didn't seem as effected by the electric shocks as Marcel.
Natasha quickly noticed that the woman was far stronger than she was and she outmatched her even in speed, which didn't happen often. Her only advantage was that she was far better at hand-to-hand combat. From the occasional looks she got, Steve seemed to be in as much trouble as she was.
Eventually the woman pressed Natasha with her hand around her throat onto the table, and Natasha watched in horror as the woman's face changed. The teeth grew longer, the eyes went black, and black lines moved around them.
Natasha could hardly believe what her eyes showed her, but it was clear that a vampire was about to sink her fangs into her throat.
Suddenly the vampire was pulled away from her and a blond woman stood beside her, but Natasha could see that she was also a vampire. She wasn't sure if she hadn't just gone from bad to worse given the ease with which the blonde woman had pulled the other vampire away.
Natasha looked over at Steve, she saw Elijah coming up behind the two men, grasped their necks, tore them away from Steve and throw them across the room. They hit the counter with a loud bang, but where normal humans would have remained laying, they got up in the same smooth manner that Natasha had seen Elijah do.
The blond woman smiled down at her. "Bloody Strix! But I have to admit you gave her a good fight for a mere human."
Natasha straightened up without help and ignored the remark for the moment. "Thanks for your help."
"It was a pleasure." The woman grinned sharply and then her face became human again. "I'm Rebekah."
"Elijah's sister?" Natasha asked in surprise. Elijah had mentioned the names of his siblings in their conversations. But if Rebekah was a vampire, that had to mean Elijah was one too.
The woman was visibly startled. "You know my brother?"
"Yes, I do. By the way, I'm Natasha", she introduced herself.
"Hello Natasha." Now the smile was far friendlier than before. "Come on, let's go to my brother."
The two women went to Elijah, who had helped Steve to his feet. Judging by Steve's shaken expression, he'd seen the same thing as her.
When he also saw Natasha, Elijah frowned. "Isn't it a little too dangerous for you both to be here?"
"I'm afraid that's my fault", Steve admitted sheepishly.
Elijah smiled finely. "I thought as much." He grew serious as he turned to the two men and the woman who were now slowly walking towards him.
Natasha heard moaning and groaning, and as she turned to the sounds, she saw Josh and Marcel struggle to sit up. She immediately rushed over to Josh and helped him to his feet. "I thought you were dead. Are you alright?"
"Oh, I am," Josh said, eyeing her with concern. "And I think I should ask you that."
"I'm unharmed, thanks to Rebekah", Natasha replied. Together they went back to Steve and Elijah.
Rebekah, on the other hand, had rushed to Marcel and helped him to his feet. "What happened to you?"
"Oh, that was me", Natasha said dryly. "He was rude and thought he could intimidate me. I hate it when men think they can do anything to women." She smirked at Marcel. "And I love teaching them manners."
Marcel scowled angrily and Natasha watched in fascination, now that her life was no longer in danger, as his face changed too. He involuntarily moved towards her, but suddenly Elijah stood in front of him and put a hand on his chest.
"Don't even think about it", Elijah said warningly and pushed Marcel slightly back. "The two Avengers are under my protection." His gaze wandered to Marcel's lackeys. "And I view any attack on them as an attack against me. Do you want to challenge me?"
Natasha saw, how the two men and the woman swallowed, then went pale and shook their heads.
"It would have surprised me too. You can go now!" Elijah smiled wickedly and Marcel's lackeys rushed to leave. He turned to Steve. "Can you tell me what happened?"
Steve and Natasha exchanged looks, then took turns reporting what had happened.
Elijah looked thoughtful, then turned to Josh. "I now owe you a favour for helping my friends."
Josh looked surprised and quite pleased. "Thank you, Elijah."
Rebekah stood next to Elijah and glared at Marcel angrily. She didn't consider what the two Avengers had said particularly pleasant.
"You may go now too, Marcellus", Elijah said calmly.
"I'm the king of the city", Marcel snapped.
"But you're in my bar and I'm exercising my domiciliary rights. Go away, Marcel." Josh suddenly grinned malicious. "And don't even think of threatening me. After all, I can call in a favour from Elijah, and I think he'd enjoy kicking you out of the bar."
"Oh, I would even do that without you having to cash in your favour", Elijah said in a velvety voice and eyed Marcel. The threat in his voice was clear.
Natasha looked satisfied that Marcel at least knew when to admit defeat and better back off, as he left the bar grumbling.
Elijah then looked around the bar where many things had broken in the fight. "Josh, total up the damage and send me the bill."
"I will do that. Thanks, Elijah", Josh replied respectfully.
"Let's go to the compound, there we can talk undisturbed", Elijah said to Steve and Natasha.
"We've been waiting here for someone important", Steve said uncertainly.
"For whom and why?" asked Elijah.
"A forger." Natasha looked searchingly over at Steve, who nodded. "We want to create an underground railroad for Enhanced. False papers are the first step for this."
Steve smiled at Elijah. "I think you know better than anyone else how challenging it is to set something like this up", he alluded to their first meeting.
Elijah smiled crookedly. "I remember vividly, yes. What's the name of the forger?"
"Robin LeGrange", Natasha replied immediately.
Elijah nodded and turned to Rebekah. "Sister, would you do me the favour and try to find him?"
"I know where he lives", Josh said. "And I would like to help with that." This time he looked at Steve. "Not just today but later too. I know what it is like to be hated for who you are and being discriminated because of it."
Steve smiled compassionately at the young man. "We are grateful for any support."
"Then you'll come with me, Josh." Rebekah smiled enterprisingly. "We have a forger to find."
Natasha and Steve watched in amazement as Rebekah and Josh practically disappeared from the bar.
"I think you have a lot of explaining to do", Steve finally said calmly to Elijah, who shrugged.
"Seems like there's no getting around it", Elijah admitted with a sigh. "Please come with me." He turned and walked towards the exit and without hesitation, Natasha and Steve followed him.