Whatever it Takes: Black Widow

Chapter 2

It had been weeks since Natasha had gone on the run and ended up in Norway. Her former coworker, Rick Mason, had helped set her up with an old trailer in an isolated area near the woods. She arrived at the makeshift home around 3:00 in the morning and had gotten a few hours of sleep.

Natasha had done her shopping earlier than she would have that day, hoping to beat Rick before he decided to sleep in her bed. He had been a good friend to her throughout the years and was one of the few people she and Fury still trusted. Natasha and Rick's banter included harmless flirting, but she had made it clear that she just wanted to be friends years ago, which he respected.

Before she met Bruce, Natasha would have the occasional hookup, but nothing more. Dreykov's abuse led to a lot of trust issues that only the Bartons, Fury and Bruce were able to help her with very in different ways over the years.

The Bartons taught her to love a trust a family again and Fury gave her the father figure she didn't know she needed. But Bruce was the one who broke down her walls and in the end, he was the only one Natasha could truly give her heart to.

Natasha took a breath and made herself stop thinking about Bruce. Despite the comfort of the silence so she could plan out the best way to approach her family, she missed Bruce. She hadn't heard from him since they went their separate ways, despite Natasha always keeping her burner phone with her. Since he was in more danger than she was while on the run, Natasha didn't want to call him unless it was an emergency.

When she reached her destination, the spy parked the Jeep near the trailer and got out, then drew her gun from its holster. She didn't trust the lock to keep intruders out since the trailer was old. She unlocked and opened the door without making a sound and sneaked inside, weapon at the ready.

Once inside, she nearly jumped out of her skin at the sight of a familiar face with his hands raised in a surrender motion.

"Bruce, geez!" Natasha shouted while putting her weapon back in its holster.

"Sorry," he said, with a slightly scared tone. He was wearing a plain white shirt with dark jeans. His hair was shorter, giving him a more salt and pepper look due to the grey at the sides.

"You couldn't call?"

"I tried. You didn't answer," he said while shrugging and putting his hands down.

She looked at her phone to see that she didn't have a signal in this part of the woods and said, "No signal. I just got here early this morning."

Bruce nodded with a small smile and adoration in his eyes, indicating he was happy to see her.

"Hi," she said, feeling happy for the first time since they parted.

"Hey," he said as he walked closer.

"Did you get a haircut," she asked curiously.

"I'm a bit easy to recognize when my hair is longer," he said while putting his arms around her. "Practically gave myself a buzzcut. It just started growing out."

She smirked at the image in her mind and put her arms around his neck. "How did you find me?"

"When I couldn't get a hold of you, I called Fury and he sent Rick Mason to tell me where you were. He gave me a spare key and managed to get me a private flight. Nice guy."

"You worried about me?" she teased while playfully smiling at him.

"Worried and missing you," he said in a serious tone. "I know I should have called sooner and I know you can take care of yourself, but I managed to get Ross off my tail and I wanted to see you. I got here about 20 minutes ago."

Natasha bumped her nose to his as she pressed their foreheads together. "I missed you too."

He closed the gap by pressing his lips to hers, which only lasted a few seconds. She buried her face in his shoulder and hugged him to her.

When they parted, she went outside to get the groceries that were in her car while staying aware of her surroundings. Her eyes darted from one area to the other, making sure everything was clear.

Bruce helped her unpack the groceries when she was inside and they quickly fell into familiar territory and routines.

"Hope you like ramen because that's all I have other than ice cream," she told him.

"That's fine."

"No lecture about my eating habits?" she teased with a smirk.

Bruce smirked and replied, "No. I get needing to buy whatever's cheap. Plus, when you're on the run, you can't shop like you're staying for weeks."

"How did you escape Ross so fast?"

"Turns out Ross' new team is worse than his first. They never found me, but I stayed alone for a couple of weeks to make sure before coming here."

"The suit trick worked. They haven't found me yet."

He chuckled then handed her the blonde hair dye. "Going blonde again?"

"Yeah. Not right now, but soon."

He looked like he was going to say something until there was a knock at the door. She went to open it, revealing an exhausted Rick Mason, holding a box.

"Hey," she greeted him while moving out of the way so he could come in. She looked around to make sure no one had followed him before shutting the door.

"I have the fake IDs you asked for," Rick said. "And here's a box with some stuff from the Budapest safe house. Hey, Dr. Banner."

"Rick," Bruce greeted politely.

Rick pulled out the fake IDs and handed them to her and Bruce. While he was explaining the cards, she went through them and rolled her eyes at one of the names on the IDs.

"Fanny Longbottom? Are you 12?"

"That's a legitimate name," Rick said in a teasing tone.

Bruce stifled his laughter from where he was standing, causing Natasha to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Sorry, just sounds like a name I'd give my cousin in this scenario," Bruce explained.

Rick laughed at the statement, but Natasha didn't find the boys antics very amusing and rolled her eyes at them.

After talking for a few minutes about the Avengers and the trailer, Rick said, "I've got to go. Let me know if you both need anything."

When the door shut, Natasha turned her attention to Bruce who hesitantly asked, "So, is-is he an ex something?"

"No," she answered as she stepped closer to him. "He's just a friend who flirts with me. Had a crush on me for years, but I've never been interested in him like that. We have a playful banter, but nothing past that. Does it make you uncomfortable? Because I can change my tone around him."

"No, it's fine," he said while shaking his head to reassure her. "I was just curious. I don't want you to feel like you have to change how you interact with him. I know where we stand."

He sounded so sure, trusting and and certain of her and their relationship that all Natasha could do was press her forehead to his and say, "I adore you."

"I adore you too," he said with a smile.

Note: You didn't think I was going to keep them parted for long did you?