Chapter Eight: Emotionally compromised

Natasha and Peter sat quietly in a restaurant overlooking Baltimore harbor. Most people would have thought it awkward, but not Natasha. After so many years of dreaming of being with her boy, but it always being out of reach. She was happy to sit in silence and watch him, even as he scarfed down 7 sandwiches in 25 minutes. It was impressive, actually.

"So you got bitten by a mutated spider on a school field trip, and it didn't occur to you that maybe you should tell someone?" Natasha finally asked. Peter's powers were impressive, certainly. But that didn't change the fact that the spider bite could have very easily been fatal. "It could have killed you." She tried not to scold the teenager in front of her, considering they'd only really known each other for a few hours.

"It seemed just as likely that it'd give me awesome powers!" Peter protested with a smirk, his eyes briefly glancing at the permanent dark spot on the back of his right hand. The spider may have paid for the bite with it's life, but it likely left the young hero with the last scar he would ever get.

Natasha held off the smile that was pulling at the corners of her mouth. "No it didn't." She responded, finally giving into the smile, sliding her leftover fries to the teen as he finished his sandwich. Her heart was practically skipped a beat every time he spoke, the teenager's voice was like music to her.

"Yeah well," Peter placed the tip of his finger on a fork on the table and lifted it. "They are pretty cool." Natasha watched him silently, marvelling at his powers. She'd seen a lot of incredible things over the years; super soldiers, genius billionaires in suits of robotic armor and even demigods from legend. But she still found herself awestruck but this boy's abilities. Beyond the immeasurable strength that he possessed was speed and agility. One day, with a bit of training and direction, there would be few beings that could match him.

"Direction." Natasha shuddered at the thought of who might've ended up being the fledgling hero's mentor if it weren't for Tony. Though he was far from the perfect role model, and he had dragged Peter into a war.

"N-Natasha?" A quiet and nervous voice dragged her back to reality and to the teen across from her. "Are you okay?" He questioned, visibly tensing as he stared into her green eyes. The kid was awfully nervous, and she wondered quietly if it was just around her.

"Yeah," She shook off the anger that had taken hold before she even realized it was happening. Much to Peter's dismay. "Yeah, I'm fine it's just..." Natasha bit her lip. Peter had a far stronger relationship with Tony than he did with her, and she feared him reacting negatively to her implying that Tony had used him.

Everytime she fell silent Peter felt as if his heart might explode. "Natasha?" The anxious teen again ventured nervously, trying his best to control his breathing. Peter wanted to ask her what was wrong, wanted to know it wasn't something he'd done.

Natasha's eyes were drawn to the hairs on the back of the boy's hands; noticing how his hairs stood on end everytime he was anxious. "You didn't belong there, in Leipzig." She finally said. "That was our war, not yours." Peter sat back in his seat, confused.

"But, you were for the accords, weren't you?" He asked.

"I was, and I still am." Natasha spoke softly. "Oversight and accountability was and still is necessary." She paused. The cynical part of Natasha that she would never rid herself of, doubted Stark had bothered to try to explain both sides to Peter. Hell, he probably hadn't told him much of anything about the situation; just that he was right and Cap was wrong. Natasha kept that part too herself. "But bringing a kid into a dangerous situation, with an infinite number of negative and dangerous outcomes to exploit his powers." She finished with a light sigh, understanding the bewildered look on the teen's bruised face. Tony was more than just a mentor to the hero Spider-man. He was a father figure to Peter Parker, and one that he obviously needed.

"He didn't exploit my powers.." Peter protested in a small voice.

"Not intentionally." Natasha assured him. She paused, watching Peter grapple with idea that he may have been used by the person he admired most. Natasha opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by the buzzing of her phone in her pocket. "Stark." Natasha frowned. "Speak of the devil, and he shall appear." She knew at some point he'd interrupt their time together, but they'd only been away from the hospital for a little over an hour. "Yes?" She answered the phone, her irritation evident in her tone.

"I'm sure you're very busy," Tony started without so much as a greeting. "But we still have work to do if we wanna track down Batroc." Natasha's eyes came back to Peter, who pretended he couldn't hear everything Tony was saying. The two heros had butted heads a lot over the years. But when it came to Peter Tony would do anything to protect him, but so would Natasha.

"We have to find him right this second?" Natasha had a justified suspicion that Tony was just trying to keep an eye on her.

Tony was quiet for a moment. Truthfully, Tony knew finding Batroc was more a matter of when not if. "No, it can't." He hung up before Black Widow could respond.

Natasha glared at her phone for a moment, before jamming it back into her jacket pocket. Stark was once again exerting his position over her, and it was more infuriating than ever. "Who was that?" Peter continued to pretend he hadn't heard the exchange.

"Stark," She kept her anger to herself the best she could. "I'm sorry, I have to head back to New York." Natasha felt guilty, even if she knew it wasn't her fault. Peter deserved her undivided attention, and she couldn't give him that.

"It's about Batroc, isn't it?" Peter asked. Natasha nodded the answer, though she couldn't have cared less about finding the merc. "I should come-"

"No!" Natasha shot him down. "We don't want you to be anywhere near this." She spoke for Stark as well. If the two heros had one thing left in common was that they both loved the little spider.

Peter opened his mouth to protest, but stopped. He wasn't sure what he found more frustrating, the fact that he was now being treated like a child by both Natasha and Mr. Stark. Or that fact that Natasha and him had only been together for a few hours and she was already being dragged away. "Okay.." He relented too her. It wasn't worth fighting about.

"When this is over you and I can do whatever you want, okay?" Peter simply nodded in agreement. "God, he looks so much like his Father." Natasha reached out with her hand and brushed the boys hair out of his face.
Peter recoiled from the sudden contact, much to Natasha's disappointment. "Too much." The two had a long way to go before they'd be where Natasha wanted them to be. "Here," Natasha reached into the purse she was carrying, being careful to conceal the Glock 43 within. "I wasn't planning on giving this to you yet, but-" She pulled out a folded up piece of paper and handed it to the teen. "I wrote this to you, when you were little." She visibly winced when she thought of it.

Peter perked up. "Before you left?" He was so very curious about their time together before she left.

"Before." She handed it to him without much enthusiasm. The old, tattered and torn letter was connected to the most painful memory in her lengthy list of painful memories. "It probably doesn't mean much to you now, but maybe-" It was strange for her feel out of her element. "Maybe it'll help you understand."


"This is a waste of time," Clint remarked as he and Steve pulled up to an old apartment building where Spider-Man had his confrontation with Batroc. "You know as well as I do he isn't dumb enough to have left anything behind." The mercenary hadn't avoided capture for some years by being careless.

"No," Cap agreed. "But one of his men might have." The two made their way to the front door of the building. Which had been condemned by the city a year earlier. The local police had investigated the scene after responding to the fight but hadn't checked the building. "What about the buildings owner?" Rogers asked while Clint quickly picked the deadbolt. The neighborhood was poorly lit, which was amplified by the moonless night. "No forced entry. So they either picked the lock, or they had a key." The super-soldier surveyed the scene around him. The scene had been cleaned except for the obvious crater in the ground left by the rpg.

"Thomas Mathis. He's a nobody," Clint paused as he opened the door. "An ex-cop." Clint had read every file that there was to read on the man. Nothing popped off the page screaming "Person of interest!"

"Ex?" Steve inquired.

"He was thrown off the force and indicted for taking money from some mafiosos in '01." Clint obviously didn't think anything of him. "Was sentenced to 7 years in a Federal prison but got paroled after 3 years." Steve walked through the dark entryway of the apartment. Relying on his superhuman eyesight he noticed boot prints in the layer of dust that caked the wooden floors. It'd been a long time since anybody had called this place home.

"What's he do these days?" Cap crouched down and traced over a relatively fresh chip in the wood. Batroc's men had certainly packed up in a hurry when the young hero had stumbled upon them.

"He's a pastor." Clint proceeded further into the building, flashlight in one hand and the other on the pistol on his hip. "Again, the guy's a nobody." Clint was clearly convinced that Tom had no connection to Batroc. But Steve wasn't convinced. Why of all the empty buildings in New York did Batroc pick this one? Why was there no sign he'd forced his way in?

"I think we should pay him a visit." Cap said, drawing a dumbfounded look from Clint.

"You're kidding right?" He turned to face Captain America.

"Nope." He responded his mind venturing to the thought of the Spider-man. The kid had gone up against one of the most dangerous men on the planet and lived to tell the tale. And more than that, he hadn't shy'd away from the fight, even when he was clearly outmatched. A smirk graced his bearded face, he understood why his old friend cared for the boy.

"Being out in the open like this is one thing, Cap." Clint started. "But accosting someone and questioning them about an escaped mercenary is totally different. I don't know about you but I'm not trying to get sent back to the Raft." Cap wasn't moved by the prospect of getting captured. He was more than confident in his ability to evade capture. "I mean if Ross gets wind of us being here.." Unlike Steve, Clint had a family to look after. 3 children and wife that had been put through more than any one person should be asked to bare.

"I'm more worried about letting Georges Batroc loose on the world than I am of Ross catching me." Steve spoke in a calm but determined voice. "If you want to head back home that's-"

"Okay..." Clint gave in. "But if I go to prison for this, Laura's gonna kill you." Steve chuckled at the thought of Laura, a loving and kind woman, trying to kill him over her husband.

"A price I'm willing to pay." Cap smiled at his friend.


"There's side effects." Georges recalled Justin's words while sitting in his darkened room within the Hammer industries warehouse. He'd dealt with headaches for years. Stemming from years and years of combat. But this was far and away the worst of the hundreds of migraines he'd dealt with.

Georges winced as another wave of pain hit him and sent the room spinning. He managed to force his eyes open as the door to his makeshift room was opened. "Still not any better?" Justin questioned. It'd been nearly 8 hours since the headaches had debilitated the mercenary on the flight back to New York. Georges nodded his response and closed his eyes, shielding them from the fluorescent lighting of the warehouse that was flooding the room and his senses.

"Did you get me the building plans for Stark's fundraiser?" He asked, though he already knew the answer. Justin hesitated for a moment. They were getting closer to their goal, and with each step he was less sure of the decision he'd made releasing Batroc. "Justin," He reopened his eyes. "The file." He ordered. Georges head felt as if it might explode at any moment and he had little patience for Justin.

Without a second's hesitation he handed them over. But he was less sure of his conviction than ever. Maybe he should have just let go of the anger he was holding for Tony Stark. "What about my team?" Georges interrupted his thoughts.

"Still vetting a few candidates." Georges nodded, and tried to fight off a wince as yet another wave hit him. Justin watched the the merc's hands clench and unclench, over and over again. He was desperately trying to pretend he was fine. "Maybe we should get you to a doctor. I have one that owes me favor, and great deal of money." Justin offered, his mind being dragged away for anxiety of the mission that was ahead. Being replaced with... Concern?

"Stop." Georges didn't have time to deal whatever was causing his unrelenting migraine.

"If you're serious about killing Tony Stark then you need to be at your best." That drew a pained glare from Georges.

"I am far more aware of that than you." He argued with Hammer, something they hadn't actually done.

"Then what's the issue?" Justin threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "Just see the fucking doctor! What's the worst thing that happens? You get a clean bill of health and it eases my mind?" Georges rolled his eyes. Easy his mind? Why would he, of all people, care about easing his mind. Georges clenched his jaw and fought off the urge to vomit; that would only help Justin's case.

"I hate doctors.." He admitted begrudgingly. Justin raised an eyebrow at that. "I spent more time than I care to think about in operating rooms and in hospital beds recovering from injuries." His hand absentmindedly traced the scar of the rod that had been implanted in his right arm. One of over a dozen surgeries over many years.

"But what if you ARE sick?" Justin posed the question.

Georges stopped and thought about the question. "All my chips are in on the this one." He answered honestly. "Ill either die in battle with the Avengers, or-" He hadn't thought about the 'after' part. Actually killing them had seemed unattainable until recently. A goal that he knew he'd never reach, so he didn't bother with another step. "If I'm sick, well then I guess I'm doomed regardless." He pretended to be more okay with his death than he actually was. Deep in his chest, he could feel the anxiety growing.


"This is a terrible idea, partner." Natasha noted from the seat in the back of the car as it drove down the dark New York city street.

"Not my idea." Clint protested.

"It was mine." Steve took responsibility. "And I know it's a risk-"

"That's an understatement." The Black Widow interjected.

"BUT," Steve raised his voice slightly, but not in anger. "If we want to catch Batroc before he hurts anyone else, we can't leave any stone unturned." Her mind immediately went to Peter, and the mental image of the cuts and bruises that covered his face. Maternal instincts kept her quiet for the remainder of the ride, if it could bring her closer to killing that man then she'd do it.

The trio was quiet, from the car to the apartment lobby, and up the elevator to the 7th floor where Tom Mathis lived. Natasha took the liberty of banging her hand on the door, showing her obvious impatience and gaining a concerned look from Rogers. Though it went unnoticed.

The old green door cracked open and a brown eye stared at the 3, confused. "Thomas Mathis?" Clint asked.

"Yes?" Tom responded, his heart hammering against his chest. The Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Captain America were at his door, and there was only one explanation.

"We just need to ask you a few questions." Steve spoke with usual calm and soft voice.

"You guys cops or something?" Tom played dumb. Natasha could see right through it, but she kept up the ruse regardless. "Well then come back with a warrant." The pastor went to close the but it stopped abruptly when Natasha jammed her foot into it.

"It'll just be a minute, sir." She grinned, but her eyes showed her true feelings. She'd slit his throat without hesitation if it got her the information they needed.

"Like I said, come back with a warrant-" Clint lost his patience and used his shoulder to throw the door open.

"Mind if we come in?" He smirked at the man as he stumbled backwards. Natasha followed without hesitation but Cap was frozen in the doorway. This wasn't something he was accustomed to. "So why don't you tell us what you know about Georges Batroc?" Clint asked, picking up a photo that was on table by the door.

"Wh-Who?" The bewildered man questioned. Stunned that they'd actually forced their way into his home.

"He's a mercenary, escaped prison awhile back." Clint spoke in an unusually collected voice, as he wandered around the apartment with no real purpose. "He was spotted at a building you own, actually."

"Only what I've heard on the news." Tom responded as quickly as he could.

"Bullshit." Natasha spat. He stared his response back at her, stunned by the sudden anger in her voice.

"I only know what's been on the news." Tom said again.

Natasha shook her head and took two long steps forward and front kicked in the stomach. The kick carried every bit of force she could muster and it took Tom off his feet with ease. "You're lying!" She yelled in anger. In that moment, Tom was Batroc, he was the man who'd harmed her baby.

"Stop!" Clint wrapped his arms around Natasha before she could move for the man again. The woman struggled and swore as she was forcibly moved back. "Stop. Stop." Clint knew Natasha better than anyone else, and even he'd never seen her so emotionally compromised.
Cap watched them silently, intrigued and confused by his teammates sudden outburst.

"That piece of shit knows something." Natasha lowered her voice so only Clint could hear her.

"And this is your plan for getting him to cooperate?" The older spy questioned. "You know as well as I do that won't work here. If he's involved we need more than fear, we need leverage." Clint felt Natasha's loosen as she stopped fighting against his grip.

"Leverage we don't have, Clint." Her partner sighed his response. He hadn't dug up anymore dirt on the ex-cop because he'd already convinced himself that Tom wasn't a person of interest. But Clint was every bit as good as Natasha at spotting a lie. And Tom was lying to them.

"I made a mistake, we'll find something and come back." Natasha shoved him away from her.

"Yeah, and in the meantime we can just wait for Peter to try to get a rematch." Natasha knew she let the name slip, but she didn't care. Tom climbed off the floor, shakily, unsure of whether or not the Black Widow would make a move for him again.

"You're connected to this," Natasha said. "I don't know how, but nothing stays hidden from me for long." She made her way back to the door, followed by Clint and Steve. She'd be back,

Tom waited in the silence of his apartment, listening for their footsteps to be gone before he rushed to close and lock the door. He was aware that a deadbolt and chain would do absolutely nothing to keep any of them out. "I have to warn them." His mind immediately went to the United Order and his allies of circumstance in Batroc and Hammer. The Avengers were on to them.


The ride back to the tower was unusually quiet. None of them knew what the next move was, or how to get Tom to admit to them what he knew. And it wasn't like they could go to the police or the FBI.
"Nat," Steve finally spoke. "Can you please explain what that was about." He didn't sound angry, or even upset, which is what Natasha had expected.

Natasha breathed deeply, thinking of how to answer. Her inclination, like always, was to lie. "Batroc hurt my baby." She stared out the car window, her arms folded over her chest. "How would you react?" Clint and Steve's eyes met, a look of confusion on their faces.

Clint turned around to face Natasha. "Your baby?" It took him under a minute to piece it together. "The Spider-Man?" Clint chuckled slightly. It was fitting, obviously.

"Yes." She confirmed. "If Peter finds Batroc before we do," Natasha stopped, shaking her head trying to free herself from the thought. If something happened to the boy she'd never forgive herself.

"Spider-Man," Steve said the name almost ironically. The boy from Leipzig was far from being a man. "Your son?" He asked asked. Natasha nodded her response, noticing Cap was watching her in the rearview mirror. Steve wondered briefly if his friend had know that Spider-Man was her son during the battle in Leipzig. He found that doubtful, considering Stark is the one who brought him along. And no mother would ever bring their child near anything like that willingly. "God she must want to kill him." Steve held off a chuckle. Natasha loved Tony, far more than she would ever admit, but it was apparent that she'd move heaven and Earth to keep the boy safe. "I can't wait to meet him." Steve smiled at her in the mirror.

Steve and Natasha had become friends over the years, and that was something the captain was extremely proud of. Yet he could never shake he feeling that no matter how close they got, the Black Widow would always be guarding secrets. "I can't wait to meet him." Steve watched her fight off a smile. God forbid she let anyone know she was happy about anything.

"Meet him again, you mean?" Clint clarified.

"Yes, again." Cap laughed. He was fishing around in his brain to try to find the name that'd slipped at the apartment, while she was a moment away from ending Tom's life. "Peter." Both he and Natasha smiled at the name. "I can't wait to meet Peter again." Natasha again felt the weight of her secret being lifted off her shoulders. It even overshadowed the feeling of losing control on her life.


Johns Hopkins was an incredible facility and it sat just miles off the the ocean. May had even talked about visiting the city on days when her bills weren't piling up.
Peter couldn't stand see her the hospital bed. "I love you, Aunt May." The teen pressed a gentle kiss to the top of May's head while she slept. He loved her, but he couldn't stay there.

Peter again made his way to the roof, his backpack in hand which contained his suit. He knew all his idols thought he was just a stupid kid who needed protecting, and yeah, maybe he was a stupid kid. But the Spider-Man didn't need protection, from anyone.

"Hey Peter!" Karen greeted as happy and cheerfully as she always did. "How's the search coming?" The AI asked.

"Uh, good." He wasn't expecting the question, though he probably should have been. "It's over, actually." It was a strange realization that he hadn't come to until that moment. The search that had consumed his life for close to 2 months was over and he hadn't even had a chance to relish that. "I found her.." Peter ran hand over his head.

"What's her name?" Karen asked, curiously.

"Natasha Romanoff." It still felt strange, and somehow wrong, to think of anyone but Mary Parker as his mother. It'd been years since Mary and Richard had been buried after a plane crash had claimed their lives. But still the memories of being tucked into bed or playing at the park were fresh in his mind.

"Very funny, Peter." Karen laughed her response, obviously not buying his answer. "Have you met her yet?" The AI continued.

"Karen, I'm serious." The voice that normally responded to whatever he said was unusually quiet.

"Peter," His heart was racing, even though he had no idea why. Karen wasn't his biological Mother, or his Aunt, or his mentor, she was... The AI that Tony had built into his suit. "That's amazing!" She exclaimed, much to Peter's surprise. "Have you met her yet?" Peter leaned against one of the AC units on the roof and took in a deep breath of the frigid winter air. Again he realized he hadn't stopped, even for a second, to process what had happened over the last 24 hours.

He'd found his Mom, Natasha Romanoff, who to his shock was also looking for him. They'd sat down and had lunch together. "Yeah, we talked this morning, and then we had lunch." Peter chuckled slightly. "I thought I'd be happy, but-" He stopped, biting his cheek as he thought. He was SUPPOSED to be happy, so why wasn't he?

The anxiety hadn't lessened the way Peter thought it would, it'd merely changed angles. Fear of not finding her, and being alone in the world had been replaced with fear of disappointing her; of being rejected. "But you're not happy?" Peter pushed off the AC unit and tried to free himself from the feelings that were plaguing him.

"Karen, can you find the tracker I attached to the van Batroc and his men escaped in." The fledgling hero forcibly changed the subject. Peter didn't want to think about any of that right then.

"Would you like me to forward it Mr. Stark?" She asked.

"What!? No!" Peter didn't want Mr. Stark and Natasha finding the mercenary before him. "Tell me where he is." He felt it should have been obvious.

"Peter, I don't think that's a good idea. You're not ready for someone like him." The AI reasoned. After all their previous encounter hadn't gone particularly well for the spiderling.

Peter groaned into the icy air. "Karen I know what I'm doing!" He tried to assure her. "Now give me the coordinates!" He was being unusually demanding.

"Peter," She sounded exasperated. "I must protest-"

"Karen!" He yelled at her, for the first time ever. "Just do what I say!" There was ping of guilt in his chest, but he brushed it off. Karen didn't respond for a long time, as if she didn't know what to say, which was confusing to Peter.

"...No.."

Author's Note: Okay so this chapter took way longer to finish than I thought it would but here's chapter 8! So I kind of wanted to explore the emotions I felt Natasha and Peter would be experiencing, and I've always wanted to explore the depths of Karen's AI and it's something I feel is pretty interesting. And I've decided I am going to reveal Peter's Father in this story, so Ill let you guys formulate who that might be (: And thank you everyone who has reviewed, whether positive or critically I appreciate the feed back and it's what makes writing this story so much fun. Please read and review! Ill try to get the next chapter up asap!