BLACK & RED | NATASHA ROMANOFF X READER | MARVEL

18

NATASHA ROMANOFF POV:

I could hear the urgency in my own voice, a raw edge of panic that I rarely let slip. My hands gripped Alana's shoulders, my fingers trembling as I gently patted her face, trying to keep her with me.

"Please... please, Alana," I whispered, my voice breaking. I felt a tear escape, falling onto her face. Her head went limp against the wall, her eyes half-closed, and I could see the life draining out of her.

I couldn't lose her. Not like this. Not now. Not ever.

"Stay with me," I begged, my voice cracking. "Just stay awake a little longer. Help is on the way." But even as I said the words, I could feel her slipping away. Her breaths were shallow, her responses almost nonexistent.

"No!" I shouted, desperation clawing at my chest. "You can't leave me, Alana! Not now!"

But it was too late. Her eyes closed, her body went limp, and I felt the world crash down around me. The edges of my vision blurred as tears streamed down my face. I held her close, rocking her gently, whispering her name over and over.

The darkness took her, and I was left alone, the echo of my voice hanging in the air.

"No..." I whispered, my voice breaking with grief and despair. I knelt beside her lifeless body, the tears streaming down my face uncontrolled. My hands trembled as I brushed a strand of hair away from her face, the warmth of her skin already fading.

Memories flooded my mind, every moment we had shared together flashing before my eyes. The way she laughed, the way she smiled, the sound of her voice. I clutched her hand, gripping it tightly, as if my desperate hold could somehow bring her back to consciousness. To me.

I ignited my comms, "Steve? Steve? I need an ETA."

"Natasha?" Steve's voice crackled over the comm line, filled with concern. "What's wrong? What's happening?"

I tried to steady my voice, but the pain was too overwhelming. "It's Alana," I managed to say, my voice thick with tears.

Steve took a deep breath, his voice grave and heavy as he responded. "ETA is five minutes, Nat. Just hold on."

I nodded even though he couldn't see me, my grip on Alana's hand tightening. "Hurry," I whispered to myself, my voice almost a prayer.

Time seemed to stretch out endlessly, each second feeling like an hour. I sat there, holding Alana's lifeless body, my mind racing with a mixture of grief and anger. Who had done this? Who had taken her from me? It wasn't fair. I needed her to survive.

I needed her to survive.

Moments later, I left Lana to find Steve with whole medical team.

"Where is she?" He asked, clutching his shield.

"I'll show you. We had to hide," I guide them and move debris, to reveal a lifeless Alana.

Steve carried Alana out in his arms with ease as Bucky helped me walk. We got back to the quinjet and Steve took the controls this time as Bucky detonated the explosion when we were far away to remain unaffected.

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I sat in the back, holding Alana's hand tightly after she was treated with nanotech by the on-site medical team. She was silent, still shaken from the experience, still in so much pain, laying on my shoulder. I could feel her trembling slightly, her eyes wide and unfocused.

"You're safe," I whispered, more for myself than for her. "You're safe now. I won't let anything happen to you again."

Alana's grip on my hand was almost painful, but I didn't loosen my own grip. I wasn't going to let her go, not after the ordeal she had just been through. We rode in silence for a while, the engine purring softly as we put distance between us and that nightmarish base. I kept my gaze locked on Alana, watching for any sign that the memory of what had happened was still affecting her.