Red Rooms Black Canary (ON HOLD)

Prologue: Who hurt you?

Natasha and Steve are driving in a truck on the run from Shield/Hydra

Natasha looked over at Steve "Where did Captain America learn how to steal a car?"

"Nazi Germany."

"Mm." she hummed

"And we're borrowing. Take your feet off the dash." Natasha took her feet off the dash

"Alright, I have a question for you, oh, which you do not have to answer. I feel like if you don't answer it though, you're kind of answering it, you know?"

"What?" He cut her off

"Was that your first kiss since 1945?"

"That bad, huh?"

"I didn't say that."

"Well, it kind of sounds like that's what you're saying."

"No, I didn't. I just wondered how much practice you've had."

"You don't need practice."

"Everybody needs practice."

"It was not my first kiss since 1945. I'm ninety-five, I'm not dead.

"Nobody special, though?"

Steve laughed, "Believe it or not, it's kind of hard to find someone with shared life experience."

"Well, that's alright, you just make something up."

"What, like you?"

"I don't know. The truth is a matter of circumstances, it's not all things to all people all the time. And neither am I."

"That's a tough way to live."

"It's a good way not to die, though," she said somberly

"You know, it's kind of hard to trust someone when you don't know who that someone really is."

"Yeah. Who do you want me to be?"

"How about a friend?"

Natasha laughed, "Well, there's a chance you might be in the wrong business, Rogers."

"Who hurt you?"

"Wow, Rogers you sure have a pair."

"I'm serious."

"The Red Room destroys a person. Breaks you." She drew out a long pause "They did things to me. Took things from me. They took away my choices, my voice, my chance at ever having a child."

"Oh. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's okay."

Steve decided to leave it there not wanting to push the woman anymore.

The events of the Winter Soldier and the rise and fall of Ultron had passed; the two were now at the Avengers compound training their new pupils. Natasha was standing off to the side watching as Wanda did hand-to-hand combat with one of the other agents. Steve came up beside her "I'm surprised you aren't in there."

"I will be in a minute. I just like watching her for a minute."

"She's not much older than your girl is she?"

The next words out of Natasha's mouth were harsh a hint of Russian in each word "Not a word about her. And no. Wanda is older." She left him standing there going over to Wanda "Place your feet here and your hips here to get a better punch."

"Why do I have to learn all of this if I can you know..." she wiggled her fingers around

Natasha rolled her eyes "Because..." she wiggled her fingers "What if you lose this. You have to learn how to fight."

"Who was she?"

"What?"

"The girl you think about."

Natasha lunged at Wanda "Get out of my head."

"I can't help it. Your mind screams her at night and whispers during the day."

Natasha took a step back "She is no one."

"We both know that's not true."

"She was someone I loved a long time ago."