Natasha had known they'd send someone after her, she should have guessed it'd been Steve who'd come running out the tower after her.
She was leaning on the wall waiting, trying to look nonchalant; but in reality she was tired from the short walk and the cold outdoor air hurt her chest. She needed a minute to compose herself.
"You ready?" she asked, forcing herself to stand upright and start walking down the street.
"Nat, you sure you're okay? You look-"
"I'm fine Steve"
"But you could really do with some rest"
"I'll rest when the jobs done Cap, now hurry up"
Shortly Natasha had a stabbing pain in her ribs and was struggling to breath properly as she strode down the road, refusing to show it she carried on at her fast pace and refused to slow down.
Steve was able to read her better than she gave him credit for however, and got them a cab.
There was a great deal of activity around SHIELD HQ office when they arrived; Peter Joynson had not long since brought in from Chicago and was now in custody. There were lots of agents milling around, trying to get information and make some progress in the investigation.
It was Steve's job to go talk to Hill, and get her out of her office so Natasha could sneak in, access and steal the paper copies of the personnel files.
It took Steve a while to convince Maria he needed to talk to her and Coulson together, and drag her next door to Coulson's office.
Natasha was thankful for another break and an opportunity to sit down. The day spent in the infirmary had really zapped all of her energy, she'd never felt so drained; her muscles ached and her vision was still fuzzy at the edges. Resting her head in her hands she was almost asleep when Steve and Maria exited her office.
Slightly less covertly than normal, she snuck into Maria's office, hacked into her filing cabinet (after a few wrong attempts; her hands were still shaking) and grabbed the paperwork; stuffing it into a bag and leaving quickly. Knowing full well that Steve's stalling skills weren't great, and Maria would be back any minute.
She'd meet him outside; that had been the plan, and Natasha really could do with a bit of fresh air.
15 minutes later, after a rather awkward conversation with Hill and Coulson, Steve rejoined Natasha and they caught a cab back to the tower.
