Previously:

Tony wasn't doing so well after the Avenger's so called Civil War.

He was heartbroken because the team split up, and because he and Natasha had a relationship going on before she was coined a traitor and had to go on the run. They had a fight right before and Tony had no idea that she left. He hadn't heard from her since, and he wondered if that meant their relationship was over.

Wanting to find out for sure, he kept searching for her anyway, all the while he stopped taking care of himself and was drinking heavily. When he finally found her, three months had passed, and she was in the middle of trying to break out The Red Guardian from prison. She was anything but happy to see him, and it took a lot of apologizing for calling her a double agent, but the two finally made up - sort of.

Now Tony is determined to help her on her mission, except he has no idea what it is, or why it involves another super soldier.

Chapter 2

"It's a long story."
"Well, I don't have anywhere to be." Tony rubs her arm.

Natasha looks up at him, unsure of how she is feeling at the moment, because it is too many things.

She never expected him to show up here like this, and she didn't want him to, to be honest, hence why she never initiated any contact, as much as it secretly killed her.

She was beyond pissed at him for calling her a double agent. And yes, it hurt. It hurt because he of all people should know how hard it's been for her to prove she isn't that person anymore - all the things she's had to do.

Given he had to change his own image when he stopped making weapons, she never thought he would stoop so low, but he did. He poked a sharp stick into one of the few places she's still raw at after she trusted him, and now how is she supposed to again after this?

She didn't really want to leave either, because things were actually going well between them this time in their rollercoaster of a relationship. There was no Pepper. No Bruce. Just the two of them.

Sure it was still a secret they kept from the rest of the team, but that set her off, and then she had to avoid Ross anyway, and so she just left because she's sick of him playing with her emotions.

That may sound outlandish given that it's coming from her, someone who would never allow themselves to be manipulated, but if it's one thing she has learned when dealing with this chaotic energy called love, nothing about it makes sense, and it's no wonder why the Red Room told her to avoid it at all costs, but at the risk of being called cheesy, she can firmly say that this was not her fault.

She doesn't know what it is about Tony, and god knows how hard she's tried to deny and avoid it, but the man just gets under her skin, in a way nobody else has.

It all started when she pretended to be his assistant back when he was dying. She did her dutiful research beforehand like she always does, but then when they met in person it felt like some giant magnet was dragging her towards him. It was infuriating, to say the least, especially when she'd read all about what a whore he was. She expected some kind advances to take place, she just didn't think she'd be the one doing the advancing. Not to mention it was on a mission to, for christ's sake, and she's a professional, but this was something she did not know how to defend herself against, and she still doesn't, aside from doing what she already did and leaving, and look how that turned out.

She sighs lowly while he waits for her to answer.

She also does not want to admit this to him either, that she screwed this Red Room thing up and that monster who created her is still out there hurting other people.

"I thought I killed the son of a bitch who created the Red Room, but it's still a thing, and now I have to deal with it," she says. "I screwed up."

She motions to Alexei. "He knows where it is, and that's why I broke him out of prison."

Tony raises his eyebrows.

"Red Room. You mean like the place that tortured you? That Red Room?"

"Yes." She presses her lips. "I thought I destroyed it but I was wrong. Dreykov survived and now I have to kill him before he kills anyone else."

"I see." Tony thinks for a minute. "And you're trying to take down this Red Room singlehandedly?" He asks.

"You think I can't?" She asks, defiantly.

Tony smiles.

"Err...no, I know very well you can, babe, but it'd make me feel better if you have some back up."

Natasha scoffs.

"Tony, I don't need any fucking back up, okay? Least of all from you."

A flash of hurt passes over Tony's face and she immediately sighs because she didn't mean that.

"I just don't think it's a good idea," she says, and glares at the floor. "Somebody needs to be running the Avengers. This is a big risk, you being here."

"Maybe, but seeing you is worth it." He smiles.

Natasha frowns, wishing he would take this seriously.

"Please let me help," he says, batting his thick lashes at her.

He makes his eyes swell to the size of saucers, rivaling that of Puss In Boots, and she glares at him.

"You know what, Tony, fine. Do what you want then." She waves her hand. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

He grins having gotten his way and pulls her back to him, kissing her.

She quickly pulls away before she can get caught up in his spell.

"Just do what I tell you," she says. "And we'll get along fine."

"Yes, Mistress," he replies, in a silky, deep voice that makes her body hum.

"Also, you smell like a brewery, have you been drinking?" She asks. "And when's the last time you ate?"

He looks thin.

"Had a poptart an hour ago."

"A poptart, really?"

"What? You like poptarts." He grins.

She chuckles and shakes her head at his disheveled appearance.

"Have you slept?"

"Kind of."

"Kind of?"

"Yeah. It's hard to sleep now when you're not there," he admits, softly.

Natasha rolls her eyes.

"You're hopeless," she says, because he always completely falls apart without a handler.

"I know. Are you still mad at me?" He asks, like a little boy hoping he's not in trouble anymore.

"A little." She smirks.

He nods.

"Do you love me, Natasha, for real?"

That makes her angry again.

"Oh, I see, you doubt that to? You think everything was a lie now?"

"Well you left...I'm just making sure we are still on the same page."

"Are you going to leave if I say no?" She asks.

"...I doubt it."

"Then yes."

She pushes him away and moves to go back towards the front of the plane, needing to breathe. He's left standing there alone, but eventually sits down in the seat across from Alexei.

"Soooo…you did not mention you and Iron Man were a thing." Yelena grins. "I thought I might have to stop you from killing him, then I was about to tell you to get room."

"Let's just stay on task," Natasha says, because they've wasted enough time. "We can't do anything until we find out where the Red Room is. And you're going to tell us how to get there." She looks over her shoulder at Alexei.

The man glances up at the mention of his name, looking half asleep.

"Oh whoa, look at you, huh? All business."

"Trust me, it certainly isn't pleasure," Natasha assures him.

"No, she has her boy toy of Iron for that." Yelena cackles.

"Shut up." Natasha glares at her.

"Little Natasha, all indoctrinated into the Western agenda." Alexei slumps back into his seat.

"I chose to go west to become an Avenger. Cause they treated me like family," she says.

"Really, Family? Aside from this American." Alexi throws his head in Tony's direction. "Which, by the way, what are your intentions with my daughter?" He looks at him.

"You're daughter?" Tony sputters, his eyes darting to Natasha.

"No." Natasha looks at Tony, and then glares at Alexei. "I'm not your daughter. Just tell me where the Red Room is."

"The Red Room, well I have no idea." He shrugs.

Natasha grits her teeth, ripping off her headset and moving to the back seat.

"Come on, you andDreykovwere like- "

"Dreykov?"

"Yeah."

"General Dreykov, my friend, huh?" Alexei growls. "Gives me glory. Soviet Union's first and only super-soldier. I could have been more famous than Captain America. Then he buries me in Ohio on that stupid mission. Three years! So tedious, boring me to tears."

Yelena twists back in her seat and scowls at him, because yeah, that's not great to hear for her either. That the only father they ever had, no matter how fake he was, hated being there with them.

"No offense," he says, catching Yelena's annoyance. "...then he puts me in prison for the rest of my life. Why, huh? Why? Why would he put me in…You know why? Cause maybe I want to talk about the withering of the state. Or maybe I don't like his hair or something and I say something casually about that. Maybe, you know. I want the party to feel actually like a party instead of this sourpuss organization. But instead, no. He puts me in prison for the rest of my life. He just runs off and hides, huh? I'm not even the one who, uh, you know…I'm not the one who killed his daughter."

Natasha flinches.

"Can we throw him out the window now?" Yelena asks.

"I think we should wait until we get to a higher altitude."

"Why not ask Melina where it is?" Alexei offers.

"Wait. Mom Melina? We thought she was dead." Natasha looks at Yelena.

Alexei grins.

"You cannot kill a fox that swift."

"Eww."

"She was the scientist, the strategist. I was the muscle. She worked directly forDreykovfar more than I ever did."

"Wait. Are you telling me that Melina is working for the Red Room present day?" Natasha asks, in disbelief.

"She works remotely outside St. Petersburg."

"Uh, I don't think we have enough fuel for St. Petersburg." Yelena glances at the fuel gauge.

"No, we're good. We'll make it," Alexei insists.

Sometime Later

Yelena whittles Alexei down with her sharp, steely eyes, the three of them, excluding Tony, who is outside lowering their fuel-less plane to the ground, sit glaring at eachother.

"We'll make it, right?" Yelena mocks Alexei's words. "What if Natasha's boyfriend didn't have his flying suit thingey? Huh? Then what?"

"We would have figured something out." Alexei shrugs, following her out the exit once they are safely on the ground.

Natasha gets out and looks around.

She gave Tony strict orders to stay in stealth mode, and since she doesn't see him anywhere, it appears he's actually decided to listen - for now.

"You should've brought the Avengers' super jet," Alexei says.

Natasha walks ahead, Yelena falling into step beside her.

"I swear if I hear one more word from him, I will kick him in the face," Yelena mumbles.

"Natasha. Natasha!" Alexei calls.

Natasha shares a look with Yelena before reluctantly slowing down.

"Come here, I want to ask you something…" Alexei walks up to them.

Yelena hurriedly walks ahead to avoid being in the conversation, leaving Natasha alone to deal with him.

The bitch.

Meanwhile, up ahead, Tony is busy wrapping his head around the fact Natasha actually has relatives.

As far as any of them knew she didn't, and she sure as hell didn't mention anything - she never mentions anything, and there was nothing in the information she leaked.

He is feeling way better that they are kind of okay - he thinks, but he still feels like he's in the dog house.

Hopefully if he plays nice through all of this things will work out, except she'll still be a fugitive. He'll have to do something about that.

"So…if Big Red back there is her dad, who are you? Her sister?" He asks, having made his way over to Yelena.

She smirks and keeps walking.

"Something like that, metal man."

"Something like that? You are either somebody's sister or you aren't," Tony replies.

"Everything in the world is not so simple. You should be more concerned what I will do to you if you hurt her again." She threatens him.

"You're threatening me?"

"No threats. Promises. Don't ever hurt her or I will find you and make you wish you had never made that contraption." She eyes him.

"It's a mech made of titanium alloy, actually. A contraption refers to something that required little to no thought."

Yelena snorts.

"I can see why she was so pissed at you."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you are obviously egg head."

"I am pretty smart if that's what you mean."

"Actually I mean you are full of yourself."

"Well I'm that to."

"Ha! I suppose it is commendable you admit such a thing, but you are also a moron."

"Why?"

"Because, you have no idea what she went through in the place we are from. Horrible things. If she likes you enough to put up with whatever you did, you don't know how lucky you are."

Tony frowns.

"What kind of horrible things?"

Yelena chuckles, but doesn't answer.

Behind them, Natasha starts yelling at Alexei.

"You haven't seen either of us in 20 years, and your gonna ask me about you?!"

"What?" Alexei looks at her in confusion. "Did I do something wrong?"

Yelena rubs a hand over her face. "Is that a serious question?" She turns around.

"I only ever loved you girls. I did my best to make sure you succeed to achieve your fullest potential. And everything worked out."

"Everything worked out?" Natasha is astonished.

"For you, yes! We accomplished our mission in Ohio. Yelena, you went on to become the greatest child assassin the world has ever known. No one can match your efficiency, your ruthlessness. And Natasha, not just a spy, not just toppling regimes, destroying empires from within, but an Avenger! You both have killed so many people. Your ledgers must be dripping, just gushing red. I couldn't be more proud of you."

He tries to pull them into a hug, but Natasha immediately jerks away and stalks off.

Tony wrinkles his forehead, because it's like a scene out of a movie.

He flies up to next to her and walks along silently, wondering what - if anything he could say, because being proud that your kids are really good at killing people is probably not great parenting. Still, it's better than the non-existent praise he received from Howard, so he starts there.

"This is going to sound crazy, but I think he means well."

Natasha snorts.

"Yeah, it's so great when your PRETEND father is proud of you for how many people you've killed." She mutters. "Also, you've known him five minutes."

"Pretend father?"

"He's not actually my dad, Tony," Natasha replies. "It's another long story."

"Oh..like not biologically, or...?"

"Not at all!"

She huffs and stomps ahead. Tony cringes inside his suit.

"Okay, okay... he still seems like he cares about you though."

"You don't know anything about it." Natasha growls. "I haven't seen him since I was 11 years old."

"You lived in Ohio?" He asks.

"For a couple of years. But it was fake. We were planted there to steal Shield secrets."

"Oh."

"Yeah, it's just one big manipulation. Everything always is."

Tony sighs, hating that she is so upset, and he is not the greatest at this anyway.

The group continues trekking through the hills of St. Petersburg, ignoring each other until Yelena gets bored.

"Are we there yet?" She asks.

"You'll know when we're there," Alexei says, scrunching his face and snorting like a pig.

Natasha flares her nose at him.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"You'll see." He smiles at her.

She shakes her head.

A couple more miles pass before the rancid smell of shit hits their noses and they find out what he means.

"Oh god, what is that?" Yelena asks, climbing up a hill.

They look down into the valley to see a farm below.

"Come on," Alexei says, excitedly leading them there.

Natasha and Yelena exchange wary glances.

When they get to the bottom, there's a woman there waiting for them with a big ass sniper rifle.

"Okay, she's packing. What's the play here?" Tony whispers to Natasha.

"It's fine," Natasha says, although she's not for certain.

First her Alexei, and now the only woman she ever knew as her mother is standing right across from her. She's really not liking what's stirring inside because of it."

They come to a stop at the razor wire fence. After a few minutes of nothing, Alexei grins widely.

"Honey, we're home."

The woman, Melina, stares back at them with a blank face, then turns with her sniper and starts walking to the house.

"So...your mom?"

"No," Natasha glares, making her way to the house.