Captain America: Age of Chaos

Mission: Assassination

Everyone eventually fell asleep on the couch, or in random places in Natasha's room.

Natasha was standing on her balcony, watching the snow come down. For once it felt like she was living life, like it was worth living now.

She looked into her cup of hot chocolate and swirled it a bit in her hands.

Natasha stopped when she heard the door behind her open. She saw Clara coming out wrapped in a blanket

"For someone who has the blood of a super soldier is pretty susceptible to the elements." Natasha teased.

"Oh be quiet." Clara said with a chuckle. She stood next to Natasha.

"What are you pondering out here?" Clara asked as Natasha returned to the way she was standing before.

"Nothing much..."

There was a lot on Natasha's mind. The war, Fallon, Hydra, her life, everyone, Clara...

There was so much.

"Liar." Clara said as she looked out into the snow. Natasha just chuckled and sipped her hot chocolate.

"What makes you think that?"

"Cause I just know." Clara said looking at her. Natasha met her gaze, those brown eyes making her melt like usual.

"Fine..." Natasha put her cup down. "I'm worried... that when we take Hydra down, it'll look like peace is there. But then Fallon will come running."

"Why are you worried about Fallon? His target is Hydra."

"The Avengers and Shield are as well." Natasha said right after her statement.

Clara's eyes widened. "He didn't tell me that."

"If he did, you wouldn't have joined him at all." Natasha said as she looked at the snow piling up.

"So... I'm afraid, he will go after us even though we saved him.... He's a man who is rightfully angry... and honestly deserves justice, but not the way he's going about it." Natasha said as she put her cup on the table out there.

Clara and her stayed silent a moment longer. "Is that why you threw this party...."

Clara looked at her. "You're afraid someone isn't going to make it out alive..."

Natasha didn't say anything.

Clara teared up.

"It's never just sunshine and rainbows huh..." Clara said as she wiped her eyes.

"It never was... that's how life is..." Natasha said as she looked at Clara . "... but it's about what you do with your life with the time you have."

Clara frowned. "Why are you talking to me like this?"

Natasha just chuckled. "Like what?"

"Like you're going to die."

Natasha stayed silent. But then she just smiled. "I'm not going anywhere. Don't worry."

The two stayed there in silence. "Please don't die in front of me again... okay?" Clara said as she fiddled with her fingers. "... I want us to somewhat last."

Natasha nodded slightly. "I know."

Fallon sat in the library he was confined in. His mind drifted to when his kids were with him, alive and smiling, making Snowmen on nights like this.

It was wholesome. It was beautiful... it was his life.

"Insane how nights like this can make your memory work overtime." A female voice said. Fallon just continued to look at the rain as Wanda appeared from the shadows.

"It is astonishing... and yet I've forgotten what they sound like." He said as he tried to stand. Wanda walked over and helped him stand.

"Thank you..." he said as he walked over to the window.

"They should be alive right now..." he said quietly.

Wanda knew his pain. "I know...." She sighed but then cleared her throat. "Here's all the information you asked for. All the data I could gather on the current avengers team, and on the old." She said sad she carefully placed the file beside his chair.

"Thank you." He said quietly.

"You're welcome." She Said as she started to leave.

"Merry Christmas, Wanda." She paused and chuckle.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Fallon."

Natasha ended up staying out on the balcony for a bit longer after Clara went to be. She just went in after awhile and went to bed.

She laid down beside Clara, who ended up turning and curling up against her. Natasha wrapped her arms around her and kept her close.

The following morning, Natasha received mission orders for her and her squad. They were going to be infiltrating the Hydra base Madam was in.

Natasha's mission was to kill Madam.

She woke up first to debrief with Maria. She pulled her uniform on and brushed her hair back. She sat on the bed and started to pull her boots on.

As she laced them, she thought back to when she was in Hydra doing the same. She took a deep breath and just stood up as she grabbed her things and headed out as quiet as possible.

Maria gave her a run down. "This base is highly fortified. She knows you'll be coming... so you're going to have to mainly focus on being stealthy, compared to going in guns a-blazing."

Natasha knew madam knew. She just wanted to make sure she'd be able to get madam taken out of the question.

But she knew the moment she did that, it opens the door for Fallon to move in, it also didn't help he was recovering well...

Natasha nodded and stood up. "Alright. So quiet assassination." She said as she looked at Maria.

"Yes..." Maria sighed and handed her a box. "For this mission, I'm asking for Zima... I know Captain America is needed but, for this to go well, I need Madam dead."

Natasha opened the box and saw her old Hydra uniform.

"It'll help with you blending in." Maria said.

Natasha closed the box and nodded. "Okay."

"And... I need you to do this solo."

She got back to her room and opened the box slowly. Zima started to scream at her to let her out. "Not yet!" Natasha yelled.

Zima went silent. Natasha picked up her uniform. She gripped it tightly.

"Alone..." she said to herself. She glanced at Clara who was still asleep.

She knew Clara was going to be mad.