Evermore

Chapter 30

Natasha and Fanny ran to the house. Fanny began to bark when they got to the door and Yelena yanked it open.

"Natasha?"

She hugged Yelena and looked up to see Laura and Hill in the kitchen.

When Natasha broke apart from Yelena, she hugged her two best friends.

"We missed you," Laura said.

"I missed you too," Natasha replied.

After they had all calmed down, including the dog, and Natasha filled everyone in about the castle, Yelena broke the silence. "Ross evicted us."

Natasha collapsed into the nearest chair then said, "I should have been here."

"There wasn't anything you could have done," Laura reassured her as she across from her at the table. "We did everything we could to help. Fury pitched in too. Yelena found the eviction notice a few days ago."

"I took a job with Valentina," Yelena said. "She wouldn't give me a raise."

"Natasha, this is not your fault," Hill said from where she was standing next to Yelena. "Didn't you say that the weather prevented you from coming back?"

Natasha nodded, but she still felt guilty.

"Nat," Laura said. "Don't go there. You were trapped and you had a sprained ankle with no access to crutches or a walking boot."

"I was living a life of luxury and you guys were struggling," she replied. "How am I supposed to not feel guilty?"

"Was the food good," Hill asked.

"Yeah, but-"

"Were the people there nice," Laura asked.

"Yeah, they were, but-"

"What about that Bruce guy," Yelena asked.

"He was... really sweet," Natasha said.

Thinking about Bruce hurt more than she thought it would. She missed him.

"What was he like," Laura asked as if she could sense that there was more to it.

"He was nice, polite, handsome... he made me feel safe. He listened to the smallest details and we understood each other on certain levels that few people do."

The other women looked at each other and Laura cracked a small smile.

"Nat?" Laura started. "Do you have feelings for him?"

"I like him. A lot," she confessed. "Before I left, we kissed and I couldn't deny how much I cared about him anymore. I spent a lot of time pushing my feelings aside."

"He wasn't holding you captive, so it's not Stockholm Syndrome," Yelena said.

"I know," Natasha replied. "The truth is, I was falling for him and that scares me. It's not like it was with Matt. Bruce is... Bruce. But he doesn't have much time left. My walls kept piling up, but if I let them down for good around him, then I can't put them back up again and that terrifies me. I also don't want to get hurt again, despite knowing that he would never do that purposefully. My brain says one thing and my heart says another."

"Not every guy is the same," Laura said. "Forget what your mind is telling you. Forget about the curse. Do you want to be with Bruce?"

Natasha hesitated and looked at her sister, who seemed to know that she didn't want to leave her alone.

"Natasha, I'll be fine," Yelena said. "Don't worry about me. What do you want?"

Before she could answer there was a knock on the door and Natasha got up to answer it.

"Romanoff," Ross said, as if she hadn't been gone for weeks.

"What do you want Ross?"

"You and your sister need to be out of here by tomorrow."

Yelena came up from behind her. "No, we have until the end of the week!"

"A buyer is interested if he can have it now. Tomorrow or you're on the streets," Ross said then left.

The girls flipped him off to his back and then Natasha shut the door.

"What a butthead," Natasha mumbled about Ross.

Yelena nodded her head in agreement then said, "We might as well start packing."

"We'll help," Hill said. "I'll call Fury."

"You can stay at my house until you find a new place," Laura said. "No arguments."

Laura's house was only a bit bigger than Natasha and Yelena's. It was a two bedroom, one bathroom, and a slightly bigger kitchen and living area.

Natasha didn't know how she got so lucky to have such caring friends. Much like the people she had spent weeks with, Laura and Hill were there for her.

She felt a pang in her stomach when her mind drifted to the people in the castle, then her heart began to ache at the thought of Bruce.

She quickly went to her room to pack and have some privacy, shutting the door behind her. It looked the same as when she left. Fanny was asleep on the redhead's bed, which wasn't unusual, since she liked sleeping in either of the girl's rooms.

Natasha tossed her backpack that she was holding onto the bed and grabbed whatever she knew would fit in it. When she put the stuff on her bed and unzipped her bag, she found a few pieces of papers.

Upon examination, she saw that the papers had sketches of the castle and everyone in it, including her dancing with Bruce, Morgan playing with Fanny, and everyone eating at the table. At the bottom of every drawing was Steve's signature. There was also a copy of "Macbeth." Natasha realized that Steve and Bruce must have snuck them in at some point during her stay and she took a breath to contain her emotions.

She also found a mirror with a note from Tony that read, "In case you need to see us again, just say, 'Show me the castle.'"

Natasha held it up and did what the note told her. Sure enough, the castle was visible in the mirror. Clint, Tony, Thor and Steve were shown, then Pepper and Morgan. Then she saw Bruce wearing a black jacket over a grey shirt, black sweats and tennis shoes. He looked heartbroken.

She realized that she wanted to see Bruce again, even if it was one last time before he turned into the Big Guy for good. More than anything, she just wanted to tell him how she felt and see if them being together was a possibility. But not now. Eviction was looming and when Natasha looked at her clock on the nightstand, she saw it was almost 8:00 in the morning, just enough time to pack what little she and Yelena owned.