Reunion
“I told you we’d see each other again,” Rhodey said.
“Yeah, you did,” Natasha replied. “Although I really wish it were under better circumstances.”
They stood in the hall, watching through the glass window as Tony pleaded with the secretary.
She studied him carefully, taking in his slightly unkempt appearance; loosened tie and unbuttoned shirt, hair that looked rumpled, as if he’d been running his hands through it, and the fantastic shiner under his right eye. She thought idly that this was the first time she’d ever seen him show his age and although he was doing a pretty decent job at keeping his composure and keeping up appearances, she knew that behind those dark glasses his eyes were tired.
Rhodey raised an eyebrow at her. “You want me to get this one, or you got it?”
“I got it,” she said softly, slipping through the door in enough time to hear the secretary tell Tony that they had thirty-six hours to arrest their teammates.
She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You alright?”
“Always,” he said, a little coolly with barely a glance in her direction.
She bit her lip, removing her hand from his arm and started to walk away.
“Hey, wait. Nat, wait,” he said, rising up from the table. “I’m sorry,” he said, standing in the doorway.
She looked up at him.
“I don’t know what I’m doing here,” he said more softly.
She took a tentative step closer to him, her eyes locked on his. He took his glasses off and she could see that his expression was hesitant and vulnerable. “You’re doing just fine, Tony,” she told him.
He sighed.
“Can I buy you a drink while we work?” She asked. “Cause you really look like you could use one.”
He flashed her an almost half-smile. “Sure, as long as we’re going someplace that has sparkling water.”
She grinned. “There’s actually a café around the corner. We can walk.”
He held out his arm and she eagerly slipped hers through his, tugging him lightly in the right direction. “Yeah, speaking of that…. You owe me about fifty-five million dollars for that little stunt you pulled, darling.” he said.
“I’ll write you a check,” she said, patting his hand.
He held the door open for her and pulled out her chair when they got to the café. She sat down gratefully, glad to have a small distraction and a change of scenery.
“You tried to warn me about Steve awhile ago, but I didn’t want to listen,” he said after the barista had brought them their coffee and pastries.
She peered at him thoughtfully over her mug. “I don’t know if I even wanted to believe it,” she replied after awhile.
He sighed. “I can’t blame him though, can I? He’s just doing what he thinks is the right thing to protect his family, same as me.”
“Tony…” she placed a hand over his.
“I’m trying so hard….. but what are we doing, Nat? I thought I knew, but I’m still questioning.”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I don’t know if this is right or wrong, but we can’t let it get bigger than it already is.”
“We have to finish it,” he agreed. “And we have to stop him before he makes things worse.”
She nodded.
“No matter what,” he said, twirling the stirrer absently between his fingers.
“No matter what,” she repeated. "And the others can't see you like this. You have to stay strong," she added quietly.
“Have I told you yet how glad I am to have you in my corner?” He asked, squeezing her hand which was still resting over his.
She smiled. “I think you may have mentioned it a few times.”
“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” he whispered.
She looked up at him and for a second his eyes were clear and he was smiling enough that his dimples were showing and for a second he was starting to look like himself again.
His phone beeped and he glanced quickly at it. “Rhodey says he found Vision.”
She nodded, toying with her own phone and opening up a text message box.
“That’s your call,” he said, nodding at her phone. “If you don’t make it, then I’ll leave it alone.”
She gazed at Tony, already sitting across from her in a cafe and making so many sacrifices for them yet again while his newborn daughter was at home in California and thought of Steve, who was sacrificing everything to hold onto something that he still believed in. Then she counted in her mind the number of months it had been since any of them had spoken to the man she’d once called her best friend and she closed the text box, shoving her phone back in her pocket. “No,” she said softly.
He nodded. “Alright. That’s it, then. I do still have to go to Queens tonight to talk to our new recruit, if we want to have a prayer of finding them in time and getting them to cooperate.”
“Okay,” she said. “Do you want me to come?”
He shook his head. “No. You stay here and work on T’Challa. Make sure he’s really ours and that he’ll follow the plan.”
“Okay,” she said again, placing some money on the table when the barista came to bring them their check.
“Natasha,” He said softly, waiting for her to turn to look at him. “I know that everything’s falling apart around us right now and that we still have a lot of work to do here. But it really is good to see you again, darling.”
She smiled. “You too.”
He offered her his arm again and they walked side by side out of the café.