Chapter 8 – Babies, Kidnappings and Broken Promises
They all froze. What? What did she just say? No she did not just say that! Slowly both Rose and Natasha turned to look at Clinton. How was he going to take this? How are you meant to take this? You just find out your wife has been cheating on you for like four years, you get a divorce and then she shows up at your door a couple days later saying she's pregnant with your kid. How are you meant to react to that? By the looks of it Clinton didn't know how to himself. Rose leant over to Natasha.
"What?!" she whispered, "Did this happen-"
"Nope." Natasha cut her off. This had never happened to Clint. When they got a divorce after Clint found out about Bobbie cheating on him there was just a lot of shouting around base, deadly looks, moping around, very dead dummies, terrified Recruits, Junior Agents and Rookies and death threats. No announced pregnancies.
"You're what?" Clinton stuttered.
"I'm pregnant," Bobbie repeated. Clinton went silent. Rose and Natasha had no option but to stand their Bobbie was blocking the way to the stairs and Clinton the way to the apartment.
"If this is one of your messed up ways to get back together then you're just sick!" Clinton spat.
"No it's not! I went to the doctors to make sure. I am pregnant Clinton and it's yours!" Bobbie squealed.
"How do you know? You've slept with nearly every male Agent in Oscorp and that used to be in S.H.I.E.L.D. Fury would be ashamed of you! We were in the special ops division; we were the best of the best! Now you've gone and turned your back on all of us, me, Rose, Coulson, Hill, Jane, Darcy, Betty even Fury himself! All of us! Your friends Fury would hate you for this!" Clinton shouted. Bobbie froze. How dare he mention Fury!
"Don't you dare bring Fury into this! He was a great man don't disrespect him this way!"
"Me?! Disrespect him?! You're the one that's spitting and dancing on his grave! You've turned yourself into Osborn's little spy! I wouldn't be surprised if you killed him! You've stabbed him in the back!" Clinton screamed.
"How dare you accuse me of that! I'm just doing what I need to survive!" Bobbie screamed before calming down slightly, "I know it's yours because I've not slept with anyone else in two months."
"And that's supposed to make me feel better? Well done you two months! Do you want a gold star or something?! Just get out of here Morse!" Clinton cried before turning on his heels and storming inside. Rose turned to Natasha and nodded inside. Natasha understood immediately. She'd take care of Clinton whilst Rose got Bobbie away from here. Natasha went inside and as soon as she did Rose moved to stand in front of the doorway arms crossed.
"Clinton!" Bobbie called after him. She tried to push her way past but Rose blocked her way.
"Get out of here Morse." Rose hissed.
"I need to speak with him!" she demanded.
"No I think you've done enough. Get out!" Rose growled.
"I'm not afraid of you Stalingrad." Bobbie said. She tried to keep her voice from shaking but Rose could pick out she was scared of her. Rose stepped forward and Bobbie leapt back hitting the opposite wall.
"Get. Out. Of. Here. Now." Rose said her voice very sinister. Bobbie took a second before slowly turning and walking away.
Natasha walked towards Clinton's bedroom and knocked on the door. After a second Clinton hadn't replied she just opened the door and walked in. Clinton was at the bottom of his bed head in his hands. Natasha walked over to him and sat down next to him. After a couple of minutes silence Natasha spoke.
"Well you took that well," she laughed. Clinton laughed softly before looking up.
"Why now? Why not before. What if she'd got pregnant before that would have save everything wouldn't it," he muttered. Natasha looked at him. There they are those two little words. Why does nearly everything she does or hears have those two bloody words.
"Yeah but what if she did the same thing and your child would end up being in the middle of all the arguments and eventually a divorce," Natasha put her arm around his shoulders.
"I don't think I'm ready to be a Dad…" Clinton muttered, "What if I turn out like mine? Surely you know about that right?"
"Yeah I know and trust me you'll never be like your Dad," Natasha told him soothingly.
"How do you know?" Clinton asked looking her right in the eyes. Natasha smiled at him.
"Because I just do, you'll be a great Dad." Clinton smiled at Natasha before getting up and heading to the living room. Natasha got up as well and followed him out the room. When she came into the living room Clinton was nowhere to be seen. Natasha looked around confused she saw Rose's door open and was about to go into it when Clinton came running out and over to the front door. Natasha followed him an eyebrow raised. He looked out the door before looking back to Natasha worry on his face.
"Where's Rose?" he asked worried. Natasha furrowed her eyebrows together.
"What? She was keeping Bobbie from coming inside, she's not out there?" Natasha asked.
"No and she'd not in her room either… she would have said if she was going," Clinton stuttered worriedly his face was full of panic. Natasha was about to reply when four men broke through the windows and started firing at them. They both dropped to the floor and crawled behind the kitchen counter. Clinton opened the cupboard door and handed a gun to Natasha and got one for himself. They both jumped up and shot a couple of bullets before ducking back down. Those few seconds was enough for Natasha though. She'd recognise those outfits anywhere.
"Red Room Agents!" Natasha cried.
"Shit! They've finally come for Rose!" Clinton cursed. They shot back up again and shot the four agents dead. Once they were sure it was safe they got up. Clinton looked around the apartment worried before he snapped into mission mode, a face Natasha knew only too well.
"We to find her, now."
"Agreed." Natasha nodded. Clinton ran back into his bedroom and came back out with a jacket, his bow and quiver, a pair of sunglasses and some guns. He chucked the guns at Natasha and told her to get a jacket out of Rose's wardrobe. Natasha did as she was told and got the biggest one she could find (a denim jacket) before hiding the guns inside and running back into the living room. Clinton now had the sunglasses on and as soon as Natasha came out they both ran to the door and out the apartment building. Natasha followed Clinton as they ran through the crowds of New York.
"So where are we going?!" Natasha cried dodging the thousands of people.
"I have a feeling I know where she is, after what I just shouted about I'm pretty sure!" Clinton cried back. Natasha nodded and followed him through the crowds.
Eventually they came across Central Park and they rushed inside. Clinton went down one of the quitter paths and they could finally run as fast as they could. Natasha noticed Clinton's hand twitching to where his bow was hidden. She knew what he was thinking, Clint would be thinking the exact same if it was her and him in this position – if they lay one finger on her their dead. Eventually they came across a fenced off area. Natasha looked to the sign as they ran under the metal arch. It read Central Park Cemetery. Natasha raised an eyebrow why would she be in- oh.
Sure enough there was Rose standing at a grave with newly placed flowers on it. It was a simple grave not that fancy it was obvious they'd paid for it out of their own pocket. Natasha squinted to get a better look at the name. When she saw it she stopped dead in her tracks. When she saw they were going into a cemetery she knew it was going to be that name but it didn't mean she was ready for it. On the gravestone was;
R.I.P.
Nick Fury.
A beloved friend, boss, hero and a great man. He will be missed.
Died 22nd December 2011
Once Natasha had reigned herself from the shock of seeing Fury's grave she looked over to Clinton. He too seemed a little tearful. Clinton must have known she had been looking at him as he spoke.
"Rose and I were in the Helicarrier just going for a mission when we heard gun shots from the direction of Fury's office. We ran straight for it. By the time we reached him Fury was bleeding bad and there was no way we could save him. Rose and I instinctively tried to stop the bleeding as much as we could, if we couldn't save him then we wanted to find the killer and make them pay. Fury told us he regretted nothing and that he made the right decision letting Rose in. That whatever happens I'm always to watch Rose's back and she to watch mine. He also told us not to let Osborn take control but if he did we need to get it back. He was dying in our arms and it was killing us. Rose started screaming in her com for a medical team and Coulson, Hill, Jane, Betty and Darcy to get down to Fury's office. I was trying to get him to tell us who shot him when they all came in but not the medical team. He told us it was Osborn and with his dying breath he told us to protect the world from Osborn… It was then the medic team came in and took his body away. Rose broke down crying along with Darcy, Jane and Betty. I went to comfort Rose and covered in our boss's blood I started crying as well. We all stayed in his office for hours crying letting no one in. It was in those hours of weakness Osborn grabbed control, we were the only ones strong enough to stop him and we failed. When we found out ten hours after his death we started kicking ourselves. We couldn't even carry out his final wish. If we'd just gone out Hill could have taken control and we wouldn't be in this situation. We knew we'd failed but as Fury told us there's always another way. Putting that belief to use and our anger over his death we formed the Order of the Eagle in Fury's office. When we came out Osborn sent us all home and demoted Hill. He'd already fired 80% of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents. They were the ones who were truly Fury's followers but he left us with another 10%. The other 10% were his followers within S.H.I.E.L.D… After a week he called us back, but not to S.H.I.E.L.D. Oscorp. We could have said no right then and there but being in the belly of the beast would be the best place to strike. Two months after Fury's death he started to hunt down Super Heroes we started to get the out and well you don't need to every detail," Clinton sighed staring at the grave.
"No, I want to know I think I can help get it back to the way it used to be but I need to know everything. After Rose is safe you have to tell me everything," Natasha demanded. Clinton nodded. She said she could help and he believes her, she knows what it's meant to be like so maybe she can.
"Thank you," he smiled.
"For what?" Natasha questioned, she'd done nothing yet.
"For saying you'll help." he smiled and Natasha before turning back to Rose, "Rose!" As soon as she turned to look at them the saw them but it was too late. They'd never get to her in time. Ten men leapt out from behind graves, bushes and trees. Five men launched for Rose whilst the other five pulled out guns and started firing at Clinton and Natasha.
"LOOK OUT!" he screamed just as the men grabbed her. Rose screamed, she was absolutely petrified and Clinton knew it.
Natasha took out the guns and Clinton his bow. The knelt behind separate gravestones and started firing at the Red Room Agents. Clinton watched in horror as Rose was dragged kicking and screaming for him to help her away into the trees. It pained Clinton to hear but more that he couldn't get to her.
"ROSE NO!" he screamed as rushed forward and ran after her.
"Clinton you idiot!" Natasha hissed as she shot the last two men.
"CLINTON HELP ME! PLEASE HELP ME!" Rose's cry got fainter. Natasha and Clinton chased them through the trees. They'd just got out of the trees in time to see a jeep driving away. Clinton was out first and collapsed to the ground in defeat. Natasha slowed as she watched the jeep drive out of sight she quickly memorised the registration plate HJC 9846. She put her hand up to the com link in her ear that she hadn't taken out. She pressed the button calling everyone else's coms. She knew Rose's will have been squashed by now.
"What is it?" Hill's voice came through first.
"I'm in the middle if an experiment this better be important!" Jane demanded.
"And I'm helping but what's up guys?" Darcy chirped.
"This better be quick I have a mountain of Clinton's unfinished mission reports I need to complete staring me in the face," Coulson grumbled.
"Is everything all right?" Betty's happy voice came through the com.
"This is Widow… Agent captured…" she delivered the blow that silenced them all.