Romanogers: After Civil War

Chapter 21

Natasha tossed and turned on her mattress. She was shaking with panic about what might happen the next day. The longer she lay there the worse it got, until she could no longer bear it. Quickly she got out of bed and tiptoed to the basement where she hung a punching bag with shaking hands, already heavy breathing. She didn't wait to put tape on.

Natasha punched it once, then twice, then three times, until all you could make out of her hands was a blur. Pain shot through her arms, but it was better than emotional pain. Anxiety raged inside her, spiring her on.

Steve's eyes fluttered open. Another nightmare about the war. He looked over at bucky, wondering whether to wake him, but eventually decided against it. Steve got up, a glass of water would probably help. He made his way down the silent corridor and down the old stairs to the kitchen. After turning on the tap, he sat on the table top, waiting for the water to turn cold enough for him.

All of a sudden he thought he heard a bang. He listened closely. There it was again. Steve turned off the tap. The sound was much louder now. BANG BANG BANG BANG. Worried, he opened the door. Nothing there, but still the sound. Quickly he peaked out all the windows until he'd had a 360 view of outside. Still nothing. Then an idea came to him. Steve kneeled on the ground, putting his ear to the floor. Yes, the sound was even louder.

Steve ran down there stairs, where he saw Natasha beating a punching bag to a pulp. Her face looked frightened, Steve noted, her breath was uneven. Then he looked at her hands. He gasped. They were covered in blood, dripping onto the floor, smothering the white bag in it, staining her clothes. Without thinking he ran the her. " Nat!" He said, shaking her shoulder gently. " NAT" he said louder. She didn't acknowledge his existence in any way. Steve was starting to panic. " Clint," he whispered to himself.

He ran up the stairs, running past the still on tap, nocking over his glass on the side, which crashed to the ground, smashing loudly into pieces. He thundered up the next set of stairs, no doubt he'd already woken everyone up, down to the end of the corridor to clints room.

Clint awoke to someone shaking him roughly. " What?" He said sleepily.
" Clint you've got wake up, come on!" A voice said urgently. It was caps voice. " It's nat," cap said. Clints eyes snapped open. " What's wrong?" He asked," and why are your hands covered in blood?"
" We've got to go, we've got to go!" Steve said to him, pulling him.
" Clint go!" Came his wife's scared voice.

The two ran down the hallway, as the other avengers poked their heads around doors, looking bewildered at the sight of the two of them. " She's in the basement!" Steve said, directing Clint down the stairs. They got to the bottom.

" She's gone," Steve whispered in panic. All that was left was the bloody punching bag and a small pool of blood. Steve and Clint stared. The others joined them. " What's wrong?" Tony asked.
" Nats gone," Clint said.
" What?"
" Excuse me."
"Why?"

Steve started to explain what happened. " She seemed off this afternoon too," Wanda commented," kept zoning in and out."
Sharon huffed, but silenced herself when Wanda glared at her.
Bruce spoke up" She can't of got far, I mean I know shes quick but-"
" What's that." Fury said loudly.
Everyone whipped round to look at him to see him point at something. Maria gasped and Steve saw realization in clints eyes.

Maria ran and picked up the thing. She looked at Steve," your necklace." She said.
" Um yeah," Steve said, amazed nat still had it.
" We agreed if she ever got kidnapped she'd leave it so we would know," Clint said.
" But how could anyone get in, I armed this place so if any unknown body's even touch the house, an alarm I assure you would wake you up goes off." Tony said.
" Maybe this human invention does not work against the likes of gods, maybe Loki's got her!" Thor gasped.
" Loki is dead" Rhodey pointed out.

" It's my fault," Steve said.
" Hey don't beat yourself up cap, you got Clint as fast as you could," pepper said kindly.
" No, when I first heard that sound I opened the front door, I didn't close it, whoever it was must have been waiting and saw." Steve said painfully. It was his fault she was gone. There was silence.
" They probably heard the same sound as me, and she was probably an easier target at that moment than anyone else," he finished by shaking his head in disbelief," how could I have been so stupid!"

" There is no point blaming people we need to find out where Natasha is," fury barked," maria stark vision, see if you can track her on your computer, the rest of you scroll the internet, black market, black web, the news, anything," Steve could hear the worry in his voice, and felt even more guilty, if that was even possible." Captain, agent Barton, with me, I need to know all the exact details," fury said.

Everyone started to file out the basement. Steve just stood there in disbelief at what he'd done.
" Don't worry Steve," pepper said," we'll find her,"
" Yeah, and she's the black widow," Bruce said," she can handle anything,"
" You didn't see her," Steve said unemotionally," something was seriously wrong,"

Once everyone else had gone, Steve felt Bucky's metal hand on his shoulder. " Steve," he began.
" It's my fault buck, she could be being tortured, she could of been captured by Ross, or hydra, or the red room, she could be dead, and its ALL MY FAULT,"
" Don't say that," bucky said," we will find her,"
" I hope so," Steve sighed, head bowed down.