The Keepers of Onslaught (Avengers FF #4)

1 - Return of Black Widow

AN: Dedicated to @Arcticfury001 for leaving wonderful comments and votes!

"What are you doing, Nat?"

His voice cut into Natasha's thoughts, causing her to miss a beat in her step. She trained her jade eyes forward, not daring to look anywhere else. Ignoring him was the best choice in order to keep her sanity in check. Natasha shoved her hands into her dark coat pockets, feeling the cold chill of the night brush up her sleeves. Her black wig's locks flowed behind her, leaving her ears unprotected from the nippy air.

The streets lacked an abundance of people, even if it was only two in the morning. Soft music from bars and nightclubs drifted through the silence of the night. The stars twinkled above, putting on a show for the moon as they always had. Dogs barked in the distance, while small animals scurried around in alleyways. Street lamps dimly lit the small aged street. Has it really been that long since I've been here in...? Nat paused her thought immediately. Her brow furrowed as her green eyes narrowed in confusion.

What city was she in? How long had she been on this hunt? What day was it? Year? When was the last time she talked to her friends?

Questions piled higher; yet, she had no answers. Natasha's eyes flickered to a colorful advertisement for beer. Romanian. That's right. I'm here fo-

"Hello? Earth to Nat?" A figure stepped in front of her.

Clint Barton.

It was like he was ripped straight from the photo on her main cell phone. Blond, bright blue eyed, and bushy tailed Clint from when they first met stood in front of her. No wounds, no dead gaze, no stench of death...She wished he was the real deal.

But Clint was dead.

"Not here..." she managed to whisper softly without having her voice break. Natasha sucked in a breath and averted her eyes down to the sidewalk. She side-stepped around him, even if he was a figment of her imagination. Catching a glimpse of him shoved a knife through her heart, cracking it as if it were made of glass.

Yet, she felt no pain.

"You can't ignore me forever!"

He was wrong.

One day, he wouldn't be there anymore. Could be months from now. Years. Maybe when she's old, he'll finally be out of her guilty mind. Until then, she had to use all of her power to bear with it.

Natasha turned the corner and calmly walked to her small flat. It wasn't home, but...it was something. She played with the small burner phone in her hand, contemplating if she should check up on Steve, or Tony. From what she had seen on TV, Tony worked with Pepper more in the company. Steve, besides his daily runs, didn't get out much. At least, the paparazzi and other civilians didn't see him. Remembering how bad he got after Peggy died crossed her mind, and only made her clutch the phone more.

A chill ran down her back as she felt someone's presence behind her. Footsteps couldn't be heard, but the energy emanating off of them sparked her internal alarm system. A deep breath released from her lungs as she kept her head steady. Could be a coincidence that someone is walking out on the street. Could be bad.

Natasha took another turn into a nearby restaurant. Without paying attention to the greeter and the host, she shoved passed towards the bathrooms. When she was out of sight, a quick walk through the kitchen brought her to the back exit. The heavy green door shut behind her with a clunk.

The night air greeted her face once more, and the silence it brought soothed her. She hopped over the fence and trailed passed a few buildings before she stopped once more. If the guy was following her, now would be the time to strike. Nat listened in for a moment, searching for the sounds of shallow breaths. They were the next best thing if she couldn't hear footsteps. Murdock taught her that much way back when.