Perfect Widow

Ch 12

Natasha's Pov:

When I woke Alina from her nightmare it was almost 1 AM. It took her a half an hour to manage to go back to sleep and another until I decided she was knocked out enough that she wouldn't wake up during the 30 minutes I would be gone. Fury wanted me to get information from Loki as soon as I left that meeting with Tony, Steve, Thor, Bruce, and Alina, but I managed to convince him to allow me at least 2 hours rest with Alina.

Now that two hours was up I had to go interrogate the God. I wasn't going to allow Alina to come with me, her feelings for the guy was enough for me to go alone. I didn't want to put her through that.

I slipped out of the bed quietly and carefully. Alina was a light sleeper, both of were thanks to the red room. When I finally made it out of the room as I expected, Fury was waiting not even 15 feet away. "You're 8 minutes late Romanoff." He deadpanned.

"I had to make sure she was asleep fully." I explained.

He raised his eyebrow, confused, "I thought you said Agent Belkov would be joining you." We were walking now, through the hallway, walking past the few people who were allowed to go to their dorms for a short nap.

"Nightmares." I said. He knew better than to ask questions. I'm always tense when Alina is sad, frightened, or angry. One wrong word and I would snap.

He sighed as we turned the corner, now almost at Loki's cell. "Good luck in there, you're gonna need it."

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Alina's Pov:

Nat was there when I woke up, so I figured she was back to work. Honestly I wish I could have woken up in here arms, but work was work, things came up. I sighed, getting dressed in my uniform again to go find her.

I had a feeling I knew where she was, she would have woken me up if we had a meeting. I headed straight to Loki's holding cell. Not to my suprise I found Nick and her there. Nick was outside, watching intensely as Nat was seemingly trying to interrigate him. She looked tense.

"Can I go in there?" I asked my boss, worried that she was going to break. I knew what talking to a manipulative person was like. But, Nat was always better with it than me, so I wasn't sure if her unusual tenseness was an act or Loki was really getting to her.

Fury shook his head, crossing his arms and going back to listening to the conversation, ignoring me.

"And what will you do if I vow to spare him?" Loki questioned her. They were clearly talking about Barton. Natasha doesn't care about any man other than Barton and Fury who was right next to me.

"Not let you out." Nat answered.

Loki grinned, "Ah, no. But I like this. Your world in the balance, and you bargain for one man?" I got chills down my spine. I knew Natasha was going to be fine, she had handled many other worse manipulative men, but the way he spoke brought back memories I had pushed down for years. Unlike my girlfriend, I'm not immune to the manipulative ways of our enemies. It's perhaps one of my greatest weaknesses, besides her of course.

"Regimes fall everyday. I tend not to weep over that, I'm Russian...or was."

"What is it you want?" Loki interrogated, as if Natasha was the one in the cage and he was holding her.

"It's not really that complicated. I want three things: to make my girlfriend happy, to marry her, and I've got red in my ledger, so does she, I'd like to wipe mine out and help her wipe out her's too." Nat explained, perhaps giving away too much information to the enemy.

Loki walked up the edge of the cage, "Can you? Can you wipe out that much red? Drakov's daughter? Sao Paulo? The hospital fire? Barton told me everything. Your ledger is dripping, it's gushing red, and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything?" Man, he was really starting to push my buttons and possibly Nat's. I couldn't tell if her tense state was an act or not. "This is the basest sentimentality. This is a child at prayer... PATHETIC!" He continued.

I tapped Fury's shoulder, not wanting to speak in case we missed something. He snapped his head at me annoyed. "I can't leave her..."

"Relax Belkov, it's an act." He explained.

"-you pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. But they are a part of you, and they will never go away! I won't touch Barton. Not until I make him kill you! And your precious little girlfriend! Slowly. Intimately. In every way he knows you fear! And when he'll wake just long enough to see his good work, and when he screams, I'll split his skull! This is my bargain, you mewling quim!" Loki screamed, getting angry at the red head.

She turned away, disgusted at Loki's words. "You're a monster."

Loki let out an evil laugh, "No, you brought the monster."

Suddenly Nat's deminore changed, she went from being tense to being completely relaxed, "So, Banner...that's your play."

"What?" Loki staggered, confused on how Nat figured him out.

Nat put her hand up to her ear piece, "Loki means to unleash the Hulk. Keep Banner in the lab, I'm on my way. Send Thor as well." She spun back to Loki, now the one smirking. Oh how the tables have turned. "Thank you," She spoke, "for your cooperation."

She headed out in my direction, not noticing me until she walked through the door. Fury was gone at this point, off to do his boss things. "Please tell me you weren't there for that entire thing." She groaned, realizing what she said in the room.

I smirked, "You really want to marry me huh?" Natasha's face turned red and she scratched the back of her head.

"Well- uhh..." She stuttered, obviously not wanting it to come out this way.

I kissed her cheek, "Don't worry, I can wait to say yes until you properly ask me." I snuck my hand into her's, "Now come on, we need to get Barton back so when you ask me he can be there for the wedding." She groaned again as I dragged her along. She was never going to hear the end of this, I would make sure of it.

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A/n: Kinda sucks, but it's been a while and I'm too busy to spend hours writing nonstop.

Have a good day. Take care of yourself please.