To Go Unseen (A Natasha Romanoff Story)

Epilogue

The Grand Canyon really is huge. Even Natasha is in awe as she and James stand there together, sneakers burning on the hot rock and the mid-August sun beating down on their shoulders. She’s coaxed him into less and less layers as they’ve been there, trying to get him to take off the sweaty leather jacket and gloves because she knows he’s roasting, and he does eventually, but only after she promises in a mock serious tone to stab anyone who stares at them.

James whistles over the canyon and it echoes back to them. He turns to her and grins and she thinks he’s perfect. She reaches up on her tiptoes to give him a peck on the cheek and pushes her sunglasses back up her nose.

“We need to take another picture,” she says decisively after another minute of quiet between them and he groans.

“Nat,” he starts.

“How else are we going to fill a scrapbook??” Natasha protests teasingly, shoving his chest and he shakes his head. “Come on, James,” she says. “One more. For posterity.”

The camera is hanging around her neck in full tourist fashion and she picks it up and turns it around and lifts it, snapping a few pictures of their smiles.

For once, everything is perfect. This is a real vacation.

It’ll get even better tonight at dinner because Natasha has a pair of silver engagement rings burning a hole in the back pocket of her jeans, but she’ll save that for later. All good things to those who wait, after all, and for now, she’s just enjoying him and this and everything.

She leans her head on his shoulder and drops her camera back around her neck and he wraps his other arm around her waist and tugs her closer.

And everything’s all better. Her life will never be perfect, sure, and she knows that, but here and now and James? It’s all she needs and she owns it with a fierceness. She never used to think the Black Widow could have these things, but it was never true. She is Natasha Romanoff and she will be seen.

 

THE END

I wish I knew what to say. I started this series last summer without an inkling of an idea of what it would become and where it would take me and now I’m looking at these past months with all this hard work in my hands wondering exactly what happened. And I’m so proud of myself. I really am, I think this is huge. And thank you to everyone who has read along with me and kept up and supported me because that’s meant the world.

I can’t wait to keep writing. :)

-BlitheBells