Disclaimer: Do not own Marvel or The 100

A sort of prequel to my stories, involving Clarke, Natasha and the Accords. Before "Come find me," before "Her call is irresistible," before "The agony of dreams," and all that, this story takes place.

This is mildly inspired by Dinofuryjaws's story, on Archive, "The things they would do for her." Mildly.

I want you safe too, Clarke

"I want you to be safe too, Clarke," Natasha Romanoff said to her romantic partner soulmate, Clarke Griffin as she sat across from Clarke.

There was a wall of supposedly unbreakable glass between them.

Clarke stood at the front of the glass, staring out at Natasha as the redhead sat on the metal foldup chair in front of the cage.

"Why did you stick me in here, then?" Clarke sneered, "Because you wanted to keep me safe? Nope. I don't believe that bullshit."

Natasha shook her head. "Of course, it isn't. I put myself between you and the door, to protect you. I know that that glass won't hold you. But I know you'd never raise a hand to me. So, even if you break out of that cage? You won't go past me. Not if it risks hurting me."

Clarke growled, glaring knives at Natasha.

That was why the room they were in was so small. And why the door was so close to Natasha's back.

Natasha was the real barrier here.

Not the supposedly unbreakable glass-which Clarke would have broken through in seconds, not the thick steel door, which Clarke also would have broken through in seconds.

No.

Natasha Romanoff was the true barrier here.

Here they were. Soulmates. Wives. But one of them had sided with Captain America. The other had sided with Iron Man. Or more accurately? With the Accords, because she thought it would keep their team together. And look where they were now. With Natasha trying to get her wife to trust her again, and Clarke certain that Natasha had betrayed her.

"Right," Clarke growled, "You're doing this because you're just trying to protect me. Right."

"I am," Natasha said, sighing, "I know that's hard for you to hear. You don't want to accept this. But it's true. If you kill Ross? Sure, the Raft or any prison won't be able to hold you, but you'll be a criminal. You'll be seen as an enemy of SHIELD."

Clarke scoffed. "Oh yeah," she snarled, "That's something I'm unused to. Right. Are you forgetting, Nat? I'm Wanheda-the Commander of Death. The tribes will back me. Especially the Azgeda. And even if SHIELD will see me as an enemy, do you think anyone will fucking actually go against me? Come on."

Natasha stared at Clarke, as if hoping to get her point across to her mate and wife, by sheer will alone as she said, "I know that you'll have support. But it matters how you're seen by all the communities. We've all messed up, Clarke. Why do you think I signed the Accords? To protect us. The Avengers. And you. To keep our family together."

Clarke's jaw clenched.

"Well, it's not keeping our family together," Clarke growled out, "Look at us. I'm here, you're out there. Clint, Sam, Scott, Wells, Pietro and Wanda are in the Raft, and Bruce, Steve and Thor are coming for us. And you know this prison won't hold me for long. How many people do you think are gonna die when I break out, Nat, huh?" A threatening grin crossed Clarke's face as she asked this question.

Natasha tensed. She knew that Clarke was trying to come off as threatening. But it wouldn't work.

She knew Clarke. She would never be scared of Clarke. Could never be.

But she knew that this place would not be able to hold Clarke. No prison, including the Raft, could hold Clarke. Clarke could crush both adamantium and vibranium in seconds.

This prison would be nothing to her. If Clarke was staying in this prison right now? It was only because she was allowing it so that she could have this talk with Natasha.

Natasha understood then, what it was that Clarke was getting at; why she had wanted this talk.

It was an unspoken admittance, that when Clarke and the others broke out of the Raft, they would rejoin with Steve, Bucky, Thor and the Hulk.

That was why Clarke was looking at Natasha expectantly. She wanted an answer.

The question was; will you come with us?

Natasha took a deep breath as she said, "Clarke, I want you to be safe too. I need you to be safe too. That's why I signed the Accords."

Clarke snorted, shaking her head and turned away.

Natasha closed her eyes.

For Clarke? Natasha had just given her answer.

Clarke assumed that Natasha had just refused. But Natasha wasn't sure what her decision was yet. She needed to talk to Stark first.

See if he, Vision, and Rhodey would run too.

But she knew if she said that? That Clarke would interpret that as a rejection. Because Clarke had come to see Stark and Vision and Rhodey as part of "Ross's team."

And Natasha, she knew that that was only Clarke's hurt feelings talking. That she didn't actually think that. But still, Natasha mentioning that she would need to speak with Stark, Rhodey and Vision? Would not help her.

"Just wait for me to come back," Natasha said, opening her eyes, "Just wait, malyshka. Please."

Getting no answer, Natasha tried to ignore the pain her chest as she turned around and left the room.

She needed to go speak to Tony.

After having a thoroughly unhelpful talk with Tony, because emotions were high and the truth was; none of them knew what the right way of going about all this was, not Natasha, not Tony, not Clarke, not Clint, not Steve-no one, Natasha knew that there was nothing she could come up with to all this.

None of them were bad guys, at least not in the narrowest of senses, but none of them knew what the right answer to all this was.

Then the news was brought forth to Natasha and Tony.

The news was that Clarke, Wells, Pietro, Wanda, Sam, Clint and Scott had broken out of the Raft and had reunited with Steve, Bruce and Thor.

As Tony went to speak with those in Ross's company about this, Natasha knew that she had to make her choice now.

She would have to accept that for now, anyway, the Avengers were going to be divided, even if they didn't want to be.

It hurt, but she knew what she chose.

That was why she grabbed her bike and drove off.

She drove the first chance she got, in the direction of where she heard Clarke and the rest of Steve's group had gone, hoping, desperately hoping, that Clarke would trust her again and try to understand why she did what she had done.