Budapest

Chapter 10:

Clint: Natasha seemed shaken up after leaving her room. I decided not to question it. She was still here, wasn't she.

We sat down at a cafe, I ordered a coffee, she ordered a slice of cinnamon toast, with a cappacino.

"So," I said, "You didn't run away Natalia."

"What did you just call me?" she asked.

"Natalia. Sorry, I thought it was a nickname for Natasha. I thought I heard it once before. Never mind," I said, a little flustered.

"No, it is a nickname," Natasha said, "Its just..." She shook her head, staring into her coffee as though it possessed the words she wanted to say. "It's just wierd, to hear you say it. Its what I'm called by almost everyone back in Russia. Anyone who is pretending to care about me calls me that."

"Sorry," I said, "You have a lot of Nicknames."

"Tell me about it," Natasha laughed, taking a quick sip of coffee.

"What did your family used to call you?" I asked.

She smiled to herself, "Well, my parents always called me Natalia, or Natasha. But my little brother, when he was little, he couldn't pronounce Natasha or Natalia. He called me Nattie. Not saying you should call me that, but you know."

"He's the only one who can call you that," I said knowingly.

"So what do people call you?" she asked.

"Barton," I said, taking a sip of my coffee.

"Seriously, thats it?" she asked.

"Well, theres not a lot of ways to shorten Clint," I said.

"No one calls you Arrows, or Legolas, or anything?" she asked.

"Maybe you can start that tradition, once your not, you know, Russian," I said. She smiled at the idea. "So, is your brother going to be upset, you know, if your not Russian anymore?" I asked.

Natasha shook her head, "He would have to be alive for that to happen."

"I thought you said..." I trailed off. Remembering her words. "He got out".

"He did get out," she said, "You don't honestly think Drakeov will just let someone out of the KGB do you?"

"How do you plan to get out then? " I asked.

Natasha just looked down into her coffee, "I'll have to kill him."

I shook my head. I should have known. But I didn't like it. "What if we just took you, so you never went back."

"I'm his top spy, so he'd send out ever other spy he has and hunt me down, killing anyone who stood in his way. Its bloody, and it probably start the Cold War again. Or maybe this time someone would actually fire," Natasha said.

I chuckled at the way she phrased that, "Natasha, you and I both know the Cold War never ended."

Natasha looked distant. I realized something, "You never told me you were his top spy."

"Sorry," she said.

"Care to tell that story?"

"Not partiularily," she said, getting up from the table. I followed her, leaving 20 dollars on the table. Then my phone rang, before I could protest again. I answered.

"Barton."

"Barton," Fury said, "I'm coming to intervene."

"What?" I asked, "What are you talking about. I've got this handled."

"No, you don't. I'm coming to interogate her myself. If there is one thing off about this chick, she's dropped in international waters. You hear me?" Fury asked.

"Yes sir," I said, gloomily.

"You have 24 hours until I'm there."

Then the line went dead.