The White Widow

Chapter 10

Clint and Maria were left dumbfounded as Natasha stormed out of the room. They should've expected it, but her behavioral changes, since losing Yelena, have been scary, to say the least.

"Go after her, Barton. Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." Maria paused before meeting Clint's gaze. "We are looking for her."

A quick flash of dejection crossed the Commander's face before returning to the familiar stoic look she always wore. As their eyes met again, Clint sent her a curt nod and then quickly left the room. 

Clint was worried about Natasha. Ever since Yelena was taken 6 months ago, Natasha's mental health was at an all-time low. She blamed herself for Yelena's kidnapping, and he knew she would die for Yelena, and that is what scared him.

As much as she would hate to know, Natasha was predictable. At least to Clint. They've grown very close during their Avengers time. Anyway, Clint knew she would be planning and packing for another outing. Which meant much more blood was going to spill. These thoughts and worries crowded Clint's mind as he made his way to Natasha's room.

As he predicted, Natasha was there, but she clearly wasn't holding up well. Her room was trashed. Clothes scattered the floor, there were holes in the walls and furniture turned over. Natasha was in the middle of the room, frantically stuffing clothes into a duffel bag. Without looking up, Natasha asked Clint, 

"Are you coming with me?" 

"Maria and Shield are looking for her, Natasha." Clint said carefully.

"And?" She zippered the bag. "Do you really believe they could find her? Because I don't." 

Clint knew she was right. Shield had been looking for Yelena without any success for 6 months. They just didn't understand how the Red Rooms worked. Natasha did, and Yelena was running out of time. It was up to them.

"Clint. You aren't going to convince me otherwise. You can either come with me. Or stay out of my way." Natasha was facing him now, a knife clutched in her hand and an unreadable expression. 

Clint was surprised. Natasha had never threatened him before.  She roughly swung the bag over her shoulder, and a moment of silence washed over them. Natasha's eyes moved to the floor, and she began to leave the room.

Clint was still focused on her blatant threat but quickly recovered when she began to leave. "I wasn't going to stop you." Now it was Natasha's turn to look surprised. "I came here to tell you that I'm coming with you." 

"Oh." Natasha let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Well, then, let's go."

Both agents made their way to the hangar. They would definitely fall into bad graces with Maria and Fury for what they were about to do, but it was necessary. They surveyed around and decided that a helicopter would be their best bet. 

It was nearing dark, and both agents agreed to begin their move during shift change, which was still a couple of hours away. Finding a quaint corner, they both sat down and prepared themselves for a boring few hours.

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Natasha had been torturing Yelena for hours now. Yelena still cried out and begged Natasha to come to her senses. Her voice was strained and raw from the non-stop use. Normally, Yelena bites her tongue, not wanting to give anyone the satisfaction of her cries, but she was so shocked and betrayed by Natasha's torment that she couldn't stop herself

"Natalia! Please! Why are you doing this?!" 

Natasha didn't reply. She just kept relentlessly whipping Yelena, and quickly Yelena felt the familiar warmth as her blood cascaded down her body from the gashes on her back. The pain had initially been unbearable, but now, her back had long since gone numb. The noise alone was what told her the whipping continued.