Chapter 8
The Torch- 6:05 p.m.
For the last five minutes, the office of Chloe Sullivan had been silent as the young blonde reporter thought about what her visitor had said. Mr. Gonzalez or as Chloe was more apt to think, Agent Gonzalez had stood silently and allowed Chloe time to organize her thoughts. He seemed as though he could stand there all night if necessary. Then again, if he worked for or had worked for SHIELD as Chloe suspected, then he had probably waited far longer on far more important people than a fifteen year old high school student.
"How do you know about Natasha Romanoff?" Chloe asked. She may not want the redhead anywhere near Clark, but Chloe wasn't an idiot. If Gonzalez had been sent by Natasha to test her, then she would most likely end up dead. And if Gonzalez wanted the Black Widow for any other reason, a lot of other people would end up dead. That wasn't something Chloe Sullivan needed on her conscience.
"I worked with her. I'm an agent of SHIELD, just like she is."
"You mean like she was. SHIELD was a lie. All it was was a smokescreen for Hydra." Chloe replied, and Gonzalez smiled.
"No, the SHIELD that men like Nick Fury and Alexander Pierce built was a lie. It was a house of lies that could no longer support it's own weight, and it was destroyed from within." He replied, and Chloe glared, looking at him through narrowed eyes.
"That was poetic. But if you are an agent of SHIELD as you claim, then all you have done is rebuild that house." Chloe replied. If she expected Gonzalez to be insulted, he didn't seem to be. If anything, he almost seemed to take her words as a compliment as his smile widened.
"Miss Sullivan, if you were older I would try and recruit you. You're exactly the kind of person that the new SHIELD needs. Someone who doesn't take the words of anyone at face value, but determines the truth for herself."
"Not interested. All I would be doing would be trading Nick Fury's lies for yours." She replied, and he laughed.
"No Miss Sullivan. For unlike Nick Fury, I don't believe in doing everything on my own. I am part of a council and we make decisions together. This way we make sure that no one person holds all the cards."
"So checks and balances?" Chloe asked, and Gonzalez nodded.
"If you like, But I didn't come here to explain the new SHIELD policy to you. I came here to deal with Agent Romanoff."
"You don't want to hurt Clark?" Chloe asked.
"I have no interest in Mr. Kent. My only concern is keeping him safe from the Black Widow. You don't know her like do Miss Sullivan. No matter what she says, Natasha Romanoff is totally devoted to the ideals of Nick Fury. Given the chance, she will take your friend and turn him into an assassin."
"Clark would never-"
"He wouldn't even realize what she was doing until he killed someone. And by that point, he wouldn't care. Oh I'm sure he might be upset for a time." Gon zalez said, seeing the outraged look on Chloe's face.
"But a few honeyed words and touches from Natasha Romanoff would have him quickly forgetting his guilt. She is the most dangerous woman in the world, but far too few remember that her skills as an assassin are not the most lethal tools in her arsenal."
Chloe grimaced at the implications that Gonzalez's words conveyed, but she couldn't deny that they had merit. In the three short months since Natasha Romanoff had first appeared in Smallville, Clark Kent had changed to the point where Chloe barely recognized the young man who had been her best friend since they were both eight years old. Clark had dismissed her concerns about the former KGB spy as mere jealousy without even bothering to hear her out. He seemed like a stranger to her, and she knew that it could all be laid at the feet of one person. One woman was to blame for Clark Kent's drastic change. And that woman was Natasha Romanoff. The Black Widow. The spy and the killer who could bring nothing but hurt to anyone and anything she touched. Well Chloe would die before she would allow Clark to be hurt by Natasha Romanoff or anyone else. She loved him, and because she loved him, she would protect him even if he didn't know it.
"You swear to me that Clark won't be hurt?" She asked, and Gonzalez nodded.
"You have my word that Clark Kent will not be touched."
"And the Black Widow will be out of our lives?"
"Miss Sullivan, I promise you that you will never have to see Natasha Romanoff again."
Chloe sighed, silently praying to whatever God may exist that she was making the right decision.
"Okay then Agent Gonzalez...Tell me what you need me to do."
Three Days Later- Natasha's Apartment
"I'm sorry if I-"
Clark's apology was cut off by the sound of Natasha's laughter, the young woman smiling as she wiped a small trickle of blood from her lip.
"Don't apologize Clark. The fact that you managed to get past my defenses enough to draw blood just shows how far you've come. And the fact that you managed to do it without using your powers makes it all the more impressive. Pretty soon I won't have anything left to teach you." She told him, and he smiled with pride at the words of his teacher and friend.
"Somehow I doubt you'll ever run out of things to teach me Natasha." He replied with a smile of his own. She opened her mouth to reply, but Clark wouldn't know what her next words would have been. Not tonight in any case. In the next moment Natasha fell to the ground, clutching at her stomach.
"NATASHA!" Clark screamed, by her side an instant later. Immediately he felt as though he were going to pass out.
There was a bullet lodged in Natasha's stomach. A bullet that was made of glowing green meteor rock.
"Get...get away." She whispered, but Clark ignored her, choosing instead to pick his best friend up in his arms. Taking Natasha Romanoff to a hospital was not the smartest thing in the world, but faced with the choice of having to stop an unknown number of assassin's or watch his best friend die in his arms, Clark Kent knew what he had to do.
Ignoring the pain from Natasha's wound or the growing fury he was feeling within him Clark ran. He ran faster than he had ever ran before, arriving at the Smallville Medical Center at mere five seconds after he started running.
"SOMEBODY HELP!"
His scream brought people running, and Clark could hear a doctor calling for a gurney. But though he heard the words, none of them registered with the young man. The only thing he would remember about the next few minutes would be Natasha's green eyes fluttering open and shut, his pleading with her to stay with him, and Clark's name on her lips just before her eyelid's fluttered shut.
"Give her to me. Let me help her."
The young woman's voice broke through Clark's thoughts, the young man setting his best friend on the gurney beside the Doctor. The Doctor turned to run down the hallway, but was stopped by Clark's voice.
"Doctor...Please help her."
"I'll do everything I can. I promise."
With those words Natasha disappeared from Claark's sight, the young man slumping in a nearby chair, suddenly overcome with exhaustion. However, he didn't sleep. Instead he spent the next twelve hours listening to the female Doctor's tense voice and Natasha's labored breathing.
Twelve Hours Later- Smallville Medical Center
Clark stood as soon as he saw the Doctor making her way down the hall, striding across to where she was.
"Is she..."
"She's alive, and she seems to have made it through the worst of it. These last twelve hours were key. She's going to have a scar, and she'll be in pain for a few weeks, but she should be okay."
It took everything Clark had not to cry and fall to his knees right there. He had never felt so relieved in his entire life. Instead he just nodded, and when he spoke he was overcome with emotion.
"Thank you Doctor..."
It just occurred to Clark that with all his worry over Natasha, he hadn't even bothered to ask her name.
"Bryce. Helen Bryce, and you're welcome. Would you like to see her?"
"More than anything." He replied, and she just started walking back down the hallway, Clark falling into step beside her.
"We're supposed to only allow family, so if anyone asks..."
"I'm her fiancee." Clark finished firmly. Doctor Bryce raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment or in any way challenge the young man's claim. Instead she just nodded before opening a hospital room door. Natasha Romanoff lay in a hospital bed asleep, the only noise in the otherwise silent room coming from the beeping of the machines connected to her bed.
"There is one other thing. Well two things. First, I had to call the police. It's standard procedure when someone comes in with a gunshot wound. Secondly, there was no form of Identification, so we've labeled her a Jane Doe. As her fiancee and next of kin, there's some paperwork you need to fill out, and I need an ID. You're also going to have to talk to the police."
"Her name is Natalie Rushman." Clark replied as he took the paperwork from Doctor Bryce. Natasha had told him that was the name she used when she went undercover at Stark Industries just before the Chitari invasion. With SHIELD almost nonexistent or at the very least fighting among itself, and with all of Natasha's aliases burned, Clark knew that it wouldn't take long for someone to put the pieces together. But hopefully, it would at least buy Natasha a couple days before someone came looking for her.
As Clark sat in the chair next to Natasha's bedside, taking her hand in his own he felt two emotions fighting for dominance inside of him. The first was regret. Regret that he had chosen to wait to act on his feeling's for the beautiful redhead, but more than that regret that she had taken a bullet that was meant for him. The green glow left no doubt in Clark's mind that he was supposed to be the one shot. The second emotion he felt was rage. He was enraged that anyone would dare to attack Natasha, to harm someone who had given so much to the entire world. She didn't ask for acolades or rewards, even though Clark knew she deserved them. No, all she wanted was a place to call home, someplace where she wasn't haunted by the Black Widow. But more importantly, Clark was enraged that someone would dare try to take Natasha from him. And as he looked over at his sleeping best friend, the woman who had quickly become the most important person in his life, Clark Kent made a silent vow. He would find everyone involved with the attack on Natasha, no matter how small a part they may have played. And when he did, he would kill every last one of them with his bare hands.
The Next Morning
"Don't you have an exam to get to?"
Her voice was weak, but when Natasha spoke Clark would swear that he had never heard anything more beautiful. He turned to her, not saying a word for a long moment. Instead he just looked at her, trying to memorize every single detail of her face. He smiled, and shook his head.
"I decided to ditch. Besides, Russian's not nearly as fun without you there." He asked, and she smiled.
"You look tired. Have you been here all night?"
"That's not important. What is important is you getting better."
"Clark." She said, a note of warning apparent even through the haze of sleep and medication.
"I'm fine. A couple seconds in the sun and I'm good as new." He replied. Natasha glared, but didn't say anything. The truth was she was glad that Clark was here. Her worst fear when she was shot wasn't of dying. No, her worst fear was that she would wake up alone. She would wake up alone, and she would never show Clark how she felt. She leaned her head up, wincing as the pain from her bullet wound shot through her body.
"You should-"
"Clark." She said, cutting him off.
"Just shut up and kiss me."
And he did. Clark leaned down, and captured her lips with his own. If they were asked, neither of them could put what they were feeling into words. The only word that either thought of was perfect. This moment, right here, right now was perfect. It was a moment that neither of them wanted to end. But all too soon it did as the machine by Natasha's bedside started beeping rapidly.
The two of them split apart, blushes and broad grins on both their faces.
"Well it's good to see that you're awake Miss Rushman." Doctor Bryce said from the doorway, a smile on her face as she looked at the two.
"Just a word of advice. Save the reunion until after the machines are unhooked." Helen said with a grin, making Clark and Natasha blush all the harder.
"How are you feeling Miss Rushman?" She asked, stepping inside the room. To her credit, Natasha didn't even react when she heard the name. Instead she just smiled, and pushed herself up so that she was sitting up straight.
"Really sore, but other than that I'm fine. When can I get out of here Doc?"
"In a couple days. I want to keep you for observation a bit longer. After that, you just have to take it easy for a few weeks." Doctor Bryce replied, and Natasha nodded.
"The police need to speak with your fiancee and I need to change your bandages." She continued, and Clark nodded.
"I'll be back in a minute." He said, kissing her gently on the cheek before walking out of the room, where he found Sheriff Adams waiting for him.
"I hear you got engaged Mr. Kent. Congratulations."
"Sheriff-"
"I'm not here to ruin anyone's reputation. Just tell me what happened."
"We were at Natalie's-"
"You mean Natasha."
"Excuse me?" Clark asked, his eyes narrowing.
"I'm not an idiot Mr. Kent. The apartment is registered to Natasha Romanoff. If you changed her name that means she was a target."
"Yes she was. We were at her apartment, and she fell over. There was a bullet in her stomach."
"And if I was to inquire how you got her nearly ten miles before she bled out?"
"I'd tell you it was an adrenaline rush."
"Fair enough." The Sheriff replied after a minute. Clark breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that she wasn't going to press him for answers.
"Anything else you can tell me?" She asked, and he shook his head.
"No ma'm."
"Alright and Mr. Kent...Be careful."
"Thank you. And if this can stay out of the media-"
"After what that woman did in New York, I'm not saying a word."
"Thank you." He replied, and she just smiled and tipped her hat before walking out of the hospital.
"So I hear we need to go ring shopping." Natasha said by way of greeting, a grin on her face as she watched Clark blush.
"I'm sorry, but it-"
"Was the only way you could stay, Doctor Bryce told me."
"So you're okay if we wait a while on the ring shopping?" He asked, and she smiled.
"Let's start with dinner and go from there."
"I thought we agreed-"
"To wait? We did. But getting shot kind of changes the way I look at things. If you want to wait-"
"No. I almost lost you once. But I'm kind of new to the whole relationship thing." He told her.
"So am I. What do you say we figure it out together?"
"I'd like that."
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please read and review and the next chapter will be up soon!