After the Avengers (Clintasha) [Complete]

Chapter 26

26
Natasha POV

Katherine, her name is Katherine.

The funniest thing is, Clint always said that is what he would name his daughter, if he ever had one, he would name her Katherine.

And he wasn't even here to hear her say it, fact is, he may never be able to hear her again.

Katherine sat back in her chair with a blank expression on her face.

"Kate's fine," she says lightly. "No one has called me Katherine in years."

"Start explaining now," I growl at Katie, no Kate - my stepdaughter.

"It's a lot," she says. "It might take a while."

"You're not leaving this room until we get a good explication," Fury informs her. "I want to know everything, especially how 'Kate Bishop' died yet is sitting in front of me. I want to know why you're an assassin and who you're working for."

"Well," she starts, looking around at me and the team. We welcomed her into our home and she lied to us all "I guess it starts with my mom. Her real name is Eleanor Bishop. She was married to Derek Bishop and they had a daughter named Susan Bishop, my half sister. They lived together happily in Hawaii where my father worked until my mother went to New York for work. That's where she met Clint."

My mouth turns dry. Here's my stepdaughter, telling me all about how her mother cheated with my husband, her father on her husband. "Ellie" even lied about her real name.

"Derek Bishop," Tony mutters, "I know him."

"You should," she scowls. "He's a very rich business man. Very arrogant, selfish, and has obsessive tendencies. Not unlike you."

"Hey, you listen-" Tony starts.

"Get one with it, Bishop," Fury snaps.

"She fell in love with him and when she got pregnant with me," she looks down, "she left. She convinced Derek that I'm his daughter and I was raised that way, even after she died. I didn't find out until I was twelve."

And that's why she has such a hard time believing that Clint is her father. She grew up believing that another man was her father.

"She left me a video to 'open when I was ready'. We opened it as a 'family', Derek, Susan, and my 'stepmom' Heather. Um, it was a lot. Derek couldn't accept it."

"That's why you 'died'," Fury says.

"Yes," she says bitterly. "My 'dad'," she air quotes the words, "hated the idea that my mom was with someone else. So he set something up to have me taken out of the picture."

My head shoots up, "He tried to have you killed?" I don't care if he raised her, if the man tried to kill his daughter, biological or not, I would track him down and take him out myself.

"No," she sighs. "He faked my death. He's a well respected man, he couldn't have the press find out that one of his 'daughters' was the product of his wife and her lover.

"He sent me to live in Boston," she continues. "He'd check up on me every month or so, I had a nanny."

A twelve year old, he did this to a twelve year old to protect his image. Stark is a bastard, but he wouldn't even do something so cruel. Isolating a little girl. I am going to kill him.

What was done to me and those other girls when we were much younger than her was...something else entirely, but she didn't grow up like I did. She grew up in a loving home to suddenly one day be pushed away because of a secret her bitch mother hid.

She wouldn't have been able to take it at twelve.

"I left when I was thirteen," Kate looks down, "I couldn't take it any more. I thought that New York would give me some answers. My mom said in her video that my dad lived in New York, I thought I could find him. I didn't realize...how big it was or how impossible."

There were tears in her eyes now. I bite the inside of my cheek, I may not know Kate, but I still feel connected to this girl, my stepdaughter. I want to wrap her in a hug and tell her how I understand.

To never let anyone see who you are and then after years have to explain everything, I know how unbearable it is. I know how it feels to believe that the person you made up is you, only to be reminded you are not her.

Small and vulnerable, not the invincible person you put out. In need of support, but afraid to ask for it.

I reach out and put a hand on her shoulder, she makes eye contact with me and I know that she knows what I'm trying to tell her.

I'm here, Kate, I tell her. I know what you're going through.

She looks back towards Fury. What comes out of her mouth makes my heart stop briefly.

"I was assaulted in Central Park, that's why I became an assassin," she whispers. "I just wanted to take some self defence lessons at first, but I was tired of feeling weak and powerless. I wanted to be strong, it just got out of hand."

I sigh and lean back on my heels. I look at Kate with new light. Her and I are more alike than I thought.

"I told the truth when I told you how I got involved with the guy in the Beijing Opera mask," she explains. "I'd never worked with him before. When I delivered the message about Fury, I received a message from him saying that he wanted me to work for him permanently. If I wanted the job to contact him."

I close my eyes. Clint and I practically pushed her towards him with the baby talk and the lying.

"Clint followed me," she continues. "And they attacked. I never meant for this to happen."

"Well, Clint is currently very injured. The man in the Beijing opera mask, wasn't our guy. We know where he is though. Avengers, meeting in five," Fury says, walking away. "Katherine, you'll stay here."

"But-" she starts.

"You've done enough," Tony says.

The boys get up to leave but I stay close to Katie. She looks even more vulnerable than before.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" She whispers and glances down at my stomach.

No, I'm not, I want to say. I want to protect this baby but I also want to get these idiots who hurt my husband.

So, the truth has been revealed. I'm glad I got this done tonight, I didn't think I'd get this done this week. But, work gets done when you're pissed off I suppose
Important note, I want to do two chapters in Kate's POV to wrap this up