Sleep
Natasha was alone in the Quinjet, running Steve’s words through her head over and over again until Clint appeared next to her. He said, “are you coming or what?” She followed him, still smiling to herself as she thought back to Steve. She tried to push him out of her head so she could complete the mission, but he wouldn’t budge.
They Avengers tuck close together, scoping out the huge base for a possible point of entry. Tony had Jarvis scan the entire thing but it was shut tight. They either were hiding something big here or they were using this base as a distraction for something else somewhere else.
“Clint and I will head northeast and see if we can’t find anything over there.” Natasha said.
“Okay, I’ll take Steve northwest. Bruce, it’s veggie time.” Tony said.
Bruce stood, trying to work up an anger but to no avail. He couldn’t seem to turn green. Tony, becoming super impatient, picked Bruce up and flew way up high, dropping him. It didn’t take long before the big guy was out and raging for a fight. Natasha took a step back. She always felt a little fear when she saw him turning into the other guy. The team split up.
Natasha and Clint ran together, their weapons not yet drawn. They each kept their footsteps quiet as they treaded through the snow. Natasha signaled for Clint to stop as she spotted a man with what looked like a sword. “I got this one.” She snuck up behind the man, ensuring nobody else was around and she mercilessly choked him with a black wire.
They pushed forward, getting closer and closer to the compound. Ahead they spotted 4 enemies, one in a lookout tower, and 3 standing alongside the road behind some piled up sandbags. They crouched, getting out of sight as Clint said, “I’ll hit that guard in the tower and you rush in and pick off the other 3.”
Natasha nodded, ready to move. Clint’s arrow launched from his bow and straight into the guard’s head. He toppled over and the other 3 looked to the tower in surprise. Natasha took this distraction to charge them. She hopped onto one man’s shoulders, snapping his neck with her thighs and pulling him down to knock a second man down. The third man approached her, his sword drawn. Cocking her head, she said, “hasn’t anyone told you not to bring a knife to a bow fight?” And an arrow flew into his head. Turning around, Natasha saw the second man struggling to his feet. “Leave this one to me Clint. This is gonna be fun.” She waited for the man to get up, wanting a real fight.
He stood, his nose already bleeding. Pulling out his sword, he went in to attack her but she dodged him. He turned to face her once more. He tried to attack once more, but Natasha stopped his arm with hers. He dropped his sword into his other hands but Natasha once again blocked the attack. Suddenly, the thoughts that she tried to push away flooded back to her. Thoughts of Steve and love and all these other things that were proving to just be a distraction. She tried to clear her mind and not get killed at the same time, but it was proving difficult. The man knocked her down and just as he raised his sword, an arrow tip appeared through his chest and he fell forward. She rolled away, avoiding his body from toppling onto her. “Sorry, Nat.” Clint said. “I thought you needed some help.”
Natasha brushed the white snow off her black suit as she said, “thanks.” She shook her head, trying to get her head back in the game. The thoughts went away...for now. She addressed the rest of the team when she said, “approach point east secured.”
“Good. I thought you were having some trouble, Miss Romanoff.” Tony walked in his iron man suit just beside Steve as they neared a guard checkpoint. It was about 5 guys all huddled by a green truck. “Does that thing have a silent mode?” Steve asked Regarding the suit.
“No.” Tony said as he jettisoned off to take out the men. Steve shook his head, not understanding how that man’s head worked. He sprinted behind as Tony shot at the truck, making it explode in a brilliant fiery haze.
Clint, concerned, asked them, “Was that loud explosion you guys? Do you need assistance?”
“I’ll get back to you on that,” Steve said, throwing his shield at the men trying to get off the ground after being knocked down by the explosion. “That’s a negative on that assistance, Barton. West approach secured.”
“Okay team, move up.” Tony ordered.
“Who made you team captain?” Natasha joked.
“I’m sensing a little jealousy here. Let me tell you about being a leader. You need to be trusted. I hate to break it to you but you’re not trustworthy. I mean, name one good thing you’ve ever done.” Tony commented.
“Ask Rhodes. I did save his life after all,” she referred to the Vanko incident.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. That was Natalie Rushman.” Tony sassed.
Steve interrupted, “this banter is good and all but let’s save it for later. The mission takes priority.”
As each team reached the main base, a huge crash could be heard. Natasha said, “Was that hulk?”
Tony said, “Whatever it was, we’re likely to get swamped by hostiles soon. I’ll head up to the top and work my way down through the building. We need to find that scepter.”
Clint stopped him, “take me, too. I need to get a good vantage point so take me up.”
“Get your own suit,” Tony joked.
Natasha and Clint ran towards the source of the sound and so did Steve. Eventually they met in the middle and Tony grabbed Clint, taking him up to the top of the compound. Natasha and Steve found a large, hulk-sized hole through the perimeter wall. “That’s a way to get something done.” Steve laughed. The hulk charged towards the back of the building.
They noticed what seemed to be an army of men charging out the front door of the building. “Here goes nothing.” Natasha remarked as they both stood beside each other, beginning to fight. But as Natasha shot the men and Steve threw his shield repeatedly, another army of men came from behind them. Natasha and Steve stood back to back, trying to keep the men as far from them as possible. She tried to shoot once more but the clip was empty. She tossed her pistol to the side, putting her fists up. She wasn’t about to leave Steve’s back uncovered. She slid in the snow, tripping a few of the men with one sweep of her leg, and they tumbled like dominoes. They fought and fought, but the flow of enemies didn’t cease or even slow down for that matter. Their arms and legs hurt and their battle wounds hurt even more. Blood trickled down the left side of Natasha’s face from an earlier head injury. Steve’s nose bled and he had a fat lip from a guy who got a few hits on him.
Tony searched the building, shooting anyone he saw as he went by. A scan by Jarvis revealed no sign of the scepter. He was beginning to doubt that this base had what they were looking for. He headed for the front doors to help out Natasha and Steve.
Natasha was thrown against the wall, but she recovered quickly, not focusing on the bruise that would likely form on her back later. But a man was running up to Steve, his sword extended. Natasha sprinted for him, throwing him against the ground and throwing a small knife into his throat. But what she didn’t see coming was a sharp pain in her stomach. Was it from the way she landed against that wall? She looked down, time moving so slowly. She saw a tip of something shiny, a metal, jutting out of her. She looked towards Steve who hadn’t yet noticed her. It was then that she released she was a little too slow. She called to Steve as the man behind her pulled his sword out of her torso. She fell to the ground as Steve turned to her. He roared, fighting harder than ever as he seemed to attack 20 men all at once with one strike.
Suddenly, the hulk jumped over to them, throwing all the attackers away. Then Tony flew out threw the front doors, taking out anyone in his way. The fighting ceased. Steve rushed to Natasha, sitting her up on his lap as all the others watched, sadness in their eyes. The Hulk stopped feeling angry, changing back to Bruce Banner in a matter of seconds. Steve placed his hand over the hole in her stomach, trying to stop the blood flow.
Natasha laughed slightly, blood seeping out her mouth. “I was a little slow.” she said. “I’m sorry.”
“No, no. Don’t be sorry.” tears welled up in his eyes.
“Don’t you cry, Steve. That’s my job.” she was trying to maintain a humorous outlook. She moaned in pain, her lips and face becoming paler as the blood left. “I just have…” she coughed, “one more question. Why do we always end up near each other?”
“Because I’ll go wherever you will go and I won’t have it any other way. Just stay strong, Nat. We can get you back to the Quinjet. We’ll have Banner take a look at you.” Steve pleaded for her to hold on.
“No, Steve. I know what’s gonna happen. I will...die. And that’s okay, because you are alive.” tears now fell from both their eyes. “There was so much more I wanted to do...with you. This doesn’t feel right. I’m…” she spit up more blood, “supposed to feel cold. But I...feel...happy. I feel content,” she remarked weakly, her breathing becoming shallow.
“I need you, Nat.” Steve said. “I love you.”
“I...love you...more.” she said, her eyes becoming heavier and heavier now. "Lay with me, Steve. At least until I fall asleep."
"Of course." he said, rubbing her back.
Her eyes slowly closed as she finally was able to sleep in the arms of Steve Rogers.
Steve sat in his room. All he could think about was Natasha. The look on her face as they had their last little conversation, she seemed content. He held her pistol in his hands, smuggled from her locker. He thought back to what he said to her as he muttered in little above a whisper to himself, “I’ll go...wherever you will go.” He cocked the pistol, aiming it right between his eyes.
Bang