The rise of the White Widow

An unexpected turn of events/death

Alex's pov

I suddenly wake up, my heart racing as I take in my surroundings. Glancing around, I find myself lying in an unfamiliar bedroom. Confusion runs through my mind, the only thing I can remember from last night is collapsing into Hayden's arms, completely spent.

I slowly inch my way out of the cozy bed, wincing as my muscles protest and my body aches. With quiet steps, I leave the mysterious room, wandering down the hallway to figure out where I am. Eventually, I stumble upon an elevator and recall that there's supposed to be a main lounge on the third floor.

Hitting the button for the third floor, I lean against the elevator wall as it hums to life, taking me to my destination. Once there, I cautiously walk into the brightly lit lounge.

Hayden stands in the center of the room engrossed in a conversation with Nat.

Upon seeing me enter, Nat greets me with a warm smile, "Morning, hun," she says cheerfully.

"Morning," I reply groggily, rubbing my eye with one hand while trying to stifle a yawn.

Hayden turns towards me, concern painting his face, "How ya feeling Booger?" he asks.

I offer a non-committal shrug and force a small smile, "Ok, I guess," I say truthfully, despite feeling somewhat disoriented and sore from last night's events.

Hayden sits down next to me and speaks hesitantly, "So, I've discussed it with Natasha, and we both agreed that you should stay here for a while"

I raise an eyebrow at him, puzzled, "Why? What happened?"

Hayden shifts in his seat before replying, "Well, um... I'm not sure how to break this to you gently, but our house... it kind of burnt down"

My eyes widen in disbelief, "What?! How?"

"Apparently, some idiots thought it would be fun to throw fireworks inside the house while you were gone," Hayden explains, trying to sound convincing.

To an untrained eye, people might buy that story. However, with my keen perception honed from years of experience, I can tell that he's lying. But something tells me not to press the issue and that it might be something he can't reveal in front of Natasha.

Worried about my beloved pet, I ask quickly, "What about Coco? Is she okay?"

Hayden smiles reassuringly. "Don't worry. She was outside when everything happened. She's safe"

I let out a heavy sigh of relief, thankful for Cocos safety but still concerned about the mysterious circumstances surrounding the fire.

Over the next few days, my strength gradually returns, and I start feeling better. On the fourth day, Natasha and Yelena decide it's time for me to get some new clothes and personal belongings since all of my old stuff was destroyed in the fire.

We head to the mall, and as we walk through the entrance, Natasha hands me a credit card, "Here, use this to buy whatever you like," she says with a smile.

I'm hesitant to accept her gesture, shaking my head.

"No, that's okay. I have my own money," I protest.

"Come on," she insists, putting on her 'big sister' act.

"I'm the responsible adult here, and I'm paying for your things"

With a sigh, I take the card from her hand. We start going from store to store, first venturing into clothing shops where we pick up all sorts of garments, jeans, t-shirts, sweaters, even though I keep reminding Natasha that I really don't need so much stuff. However, she remains stubborn and makes sure that my wardrobe is well-stocked.

Next, Natasha decides it's time to shop for bed linens and other accessories for a bedroom. Initially, I'm puzzled by her insistence on picking out these items for me but eventually realize that she probably just wants me to feel more comfortable at their place, the Avengers Tower.

In between shopping sprees, we grab lunch from a nearby little café, where we share funny stories about our lives while bonding over steaming cups of coffee.

By the end of our shopping trip, we're all overwhelmed by bags filled with purchases. As we leave the mall loaded with our bags, I can't help but feel grateful for Natasha's and Yelena's generous efforts in helping me get back on my feet after such a difficult time in my life. My spirits are lifted and now, I'm looking forward to settling into the Avengers Tower, even if its only temporary.

As we return to the tower, I immediately notice Hayden standing near the entrance. Upon seeing me, he wastes no time in approaching me with a serious expression on his face. He asks if we can talk privately, to which I give an affirmative nod. Together, we retreat into an empty room away from the others.

With a hint of curiosity and concern, I ask him, "What's going on?"

Hayden hesitates for a moment before finally admitting, "You know how I lied about the cause of our house burning down?" I nod as he continues, "Well, it was actually Hydra. They had some sort of disagreement with the Red Room"

Pieces of the puzzle begin to fit together as I recall the earlier incident, "That explains why I found a man snooping around our house, asking questions about the Red Room," I gasp. (You really thought it was Fury 😂)

Seeing the puzzled expression on Hayden's face, I take a moment to fill him in on what transpired while he was away. Once I have provided all the relevant details, Hayden seems to relax somewhat and tries to shift the conversation towards a more positive angle.

"Actually," he begins with a nervous chuckle "There is one good thing that came out of it"

My eyebrows rise in curiosity as he continues with an awkward smile.

"Our parents were inside when the house burnt down"