What Happened in Budapest

The Proposition

"What is your real name, because it obviously isn't Clara Touci." Asked the man with the eye patch, pacing back and forth slowly in front of me.

"How would you know that, eye patch, since you obviously know nothing about me?" I asked calmly, seeing the anger form in his eye.

"Well I know enough about you to catch you, and that seems to be some thing no agency has ever done before, now tell me, what. Is. Your. Name?" He said, slamming his hands on the table in front of me.

I sighed " The name is Natasha. Natasha Romanov." I smirked at him, seeing that he was surprised. What he didn't know was that my handcuffed wrists were almost free, and then he would be met with a real surprise.

"Well, Natasha, I have a proposition for you. And I know that you undid your handcuffs, so don't even bother an attack." He said right as they fell free from my arms.

"What could you ever do for me, eye patch, besides tell me your name." I inquired, folding my hands on the table.

He chuckled and said " They call me Director Fury, and I am the head of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, or S.H.I.E.L.D. for short. And I can offer you on thing no other place would even think of giving you." He paused to turn at me, and my breathing stopped in that moment, fear of his next words looming over me.

"I came hear to offer you redemption. I came hear to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative."

Then everything just stopped.

I stared at him, and wondered how he knew that this is what I fear. The fear that I would be offered redemption for what could never be redeemed. Offered redemption for murdering and lying and stealing from innocents.

The silence was broken when Fury told me that I could think over my decision.

"You have one week to decide, but you can stay here for the time being." He called in a handsome man with black sunglasses and a quiver of arrows. "Clint Barton, meet Natasha Romanov. She is now your responsibility. Please show her around, and take her to her room afterwards."

Clint nodded and walked out, not waiting for me to follow. Once I caught up to him he took of his glasses to reveal blue eyes, and looked me over, as if he was sizing me up. He then turned back forward, without saying a word.

"Well, nice to meet you to, Robin Hood." I mumbled, and he captured my arm, slamming me against the wall with such force that the air was knocked out of my lungs.

"You may think that you're fine because Fury offered you a job, but to me, you're just as bad as the people I go out and catch." He whispered in my ear, and he let go of me.and walked away, as if none of that conversation had ever happened.

And I realized that what he said was true.

But none of that mattered right now. I still was going to get a tour of the building. I may be a criminal, but then again, he probably was one too.

I ran back up to him and kept my mouth shut until we saw most of the building, until we got to what would now be my room.

"Oh God, I'm tired." I said, flopping onto the soft bed. I picked my head up off my new pillow and saw Clint smirking in the corner. He walked towards where I was and lifted me up, off the bed, and moved me into the huge attached bathroom.

"What the hell are you doing?" I yelled when he tried taking off my shirt.

He looked at me with an uninterested face and pointed at the open scars on my side. "Those need to be treated correctly, and you obviously didn't notice them. Besides, Even if you're a criminal, you ARE my responsibility, and I can't let you get hurt, now stop complaining and take off the shirt."

"Fine." I mumbled and did as I was told, hissing as the wet cloth was pressed against my side. After he cleaned the cuts, he pulled out a needle from below the sink that I was sitting on.

"You might want to bite on something." He said, handing me a towel to put between my teeth.

As he began to stitch my side's I hissed and tried to pull away, unable to with Clints grip pulling me back. After half an hour, he was finished, and left without a single word.

I got up and groaned, my hand rushing to my side. I dealt with the pain and walked to my bed, finally able to go to sleep. I looked at the clock beside it. It read 2:00 am. I sighed a long, drawn out sigh, and as played down. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was knocked out.