Covert Affair | Natasha Romanoff

Chapter 53: I'll Fight For You

Jenna stood before Marcus, her expression guarded as she met his intense gaze. The tension in the room was palpable as Marcus regarded her with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity.

With a deliberate motion, Marcus dropped the burnt gun onto the table, the metal clanging against the surface with a hollow echo. His eyes never left Jenna's face as he spoke.

"Do you want to explain?" Marcus's voice was low, his tone carrying a weight of authority that brooked no argument.

"They were going to kill my source of information" Jenna began, her voice calm but firm. "I had to improvise."

Marcus's lips curved into a faint smirk at Jenna's words. He leaned back in his chair, his demeanor shifting from suspicion to approval. "Well done, my child" Marcus said, his tone tinged with pride. "Thinking about your next move, just like I taught you."

Jenna's shoulders relaxed slightly at Marcus's words, a wave of relief washing over her. She had managed to deflect suspicion for now.

With a nod of acknowledgment, Marcus gestured for Jenna to leave the room. 

━━━━━

Jenna quietly slipped into the Avengers compound, her footsteps echoing softly in the empty hallway. She came upon a scene that made her lips twitch with amusement.

The Avengers were gathered around the table, their expressions is pure exhaustion. Clint sat among them, a bag of frozen corn pressed against his head. Jenna couldn't help but chuckle at the sight, her laughter bubbling up despite her efforts to suppress it.

"What happened to you?" Jenna asked, her tone teasing as she approached the table, feigning innocence.

Clint glanced up at her, a wry smile quirking his lips despite the discomfort evident in his features. "Just a little souvenir from our latest adventure" he replied, his voice wry as he gestured to the bag of corn.

Jenna grinned, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she took a seat at the table. "Well, it looks like you're handling it like a champ"

Tony glanced at Jenna, catching her eye with a knowing look. He mouthed the words "Did you do that?". Jenna simply nodded.

Tony's lips curled into a smirk before he broke out laughing, the sound echoing through the room. The others turned to him in confusion, but Tony simply waved them off, struggling to compose himself as he continued to chuckle.

Tony's laughter subsided as he wiped tears from his eyes, still chuckling under his breath. "Alright, time for a snack break" he declared, gathering an assortment of snacks from the table.

Jenna eagerly accepted the invitation, following Tony as he led the way to the lab. They continued to banter and laugh, the tension of the day slowly dissipating in the comfortable familiarity of their shared space.

As they settled into the lab, their laughter gradually fading into comfortable silence, Natasha entered, her expression serious. She approached the table and dropped a burnt widow bite in front of them, her gaze fixed on Jenna.

"My widow bite malfunctioned" Natasha explained, her voice tense as she studied Jenna's reaction. "Can you guys look at it for me?"

Jenna met Natasha's gaze evenly, her expression neutral despite the undercurrent of tension in the room. "Yeah" she replied calmly. "Ill take a look at it right away."

Natasha hesitated for a moment, her usually composed demeanor faltering slightly as she glanced at Jenna. "Thank you" she said quietly, her voice betraying a hint of nervousness.

Jenna wasted no time going to her lab, Natasha on her tail. She quickly setting up the necessary equipment to analyze the burnt widow bite while Natasha stood by, her gaze fixed on Jenna's focused form.