Echo| Natasha Romanoff

3. Chapter 13

A/N: before I post this chapter some of you might be mad at me. So I'm putting a disclaimer here, I fully intend for a happy ending. This storyline is going in a direction I want it to go but all roads will lead to happiness.

Andrea's p.o.v

"Where are we going?" I asked, trying not to sound rude as I swung the large axe in my hand around a little. I got no answer from the large tattooed man, we just kept walking further and further into the woods. 

A part of me was worried that this was him taking an opportunity to chop my head off and bury me, telling Natasha I left her. He was a big Russian man and I couldn't quite grasp if he liked me.

We reached a clearing where there were logs scattered about. "We are chopping wood for the fire tonight," he finally told me. I didn't want to come originally but Nat insisted I did, in order to get to know him.

I nodded my head, grabbing a log and placing it on a tree stump. "Let's get to it then," I smiled, lifting my axe and chopping the wood with ease. He smirked a little, grabbing a bigger log and doing the same.

We continued to do this, stacking up small logs to the side which we would carry back later. "So. What are your intentions with Natalia?" He quizzed, his Russian accent thick and a little intimidating.

"I want to marry her, have a life with her. She means everything to me," I confessed, chopping another log in half. "Even though she hurt you?" He raised one eyebrow in a challenging way.

"She told you about that?" I asked, and the man sighed, putting his axe down as a sign of taking a break, before sitting on the tree stump. "When she visited us she was strong. She didn't want to accept us as her family. But she relaxed and she told me a lot. I am sorry she hurt you that way. This family that we have, we are not the best at expressing our feelings," he explained, and my shoulders fell a little at his words, in relaxation.

"It took me a while to get my head around it. About why she did it. But I understand now, I didn't come from a great upbringing either. I understand why she would want to run. It hurt a lot, but I forgive her and I'm ready to move on," I informed Alexei and he nodded, scratching his beard.

"She's happy when she's with you. She's a good person when she's with you. A better person. For a long time I thought she left and felt she was better than us. But now I know why she escaped the Redroom. I was a bad man and I have a lot to make up for. But she allows me the chance to do that. So all I ask, please don't hurt her. I think she needs you," the man spoke. For a moment I was shocked at his words. He doesn't appear to be a man of many feelings, but the care he has for Natasha and Yelena, he was that of a father to his daughters.

"I don't plan on it, sir. You say I made her a better person but the truth is, I'd probably be dead right now if it wasn't for her. I was reckless, but with her I want to survive," I told him and a warm smile came on his face as he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me in for a tight side hug.

"Invite me to the wedding, I want to see my little girl get married," he grinned.

Hours passed of us chopping wood and by around midday we had all the wood we needed. On the way back we were passing around jokes and I was also visibly tired from all of the exercise and the fact that I was still struggling from this hangover from the night before.

Alexei and I got along well, and so when we got back laughing hysterically at something he had said, it was certain that the rest of the family were confused.

"It's nice to see you two getting along," Nat laughed, her arms folded over each other as she leaned against the wall. My laugh died down a little as I looked at the blonde, lovestruck. "Why hello beautiful," I grinned, kissing her and she grimaced a little. "You're all sweaty," she told me, scrunching up her nose. "I'll go have a shower," I chuckled, kissing her cheek and walking past her, but she grabbed my hand, stopping me in my tracks.