Love Grown Cold

End of One Thing, Start of Another

"All right, you guys know the drill." Natasha said, looking each of the commandos in the eye.

"Yep." Gabe said smirking. "You go in first drawing them out."

"Then we carefully and quickly eliminate the biggest potential threats." Jim continued.

"Next, we force our way into the base and make our way to the computer room..." Monty added.

"Where you take what days you can and destroy the rest..." Frenchie continued.

"And then we make our way out of there in a blaze of glory, taking out as many of the HYDRA goons as possible." Dum Dum finished.

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Hmmm, maybe I need a new plan. I would hate to become predictable."

Monty snorted. "If there's one thing you're not, it's predictable."

"Besides, your fighting style still throws them off." Frenchie added. Whereas Steve fought to disable, Natasha fought to kill. That was the main difference in their fighting styles, due to the way they had been taught.

"True," Natasha conceded.

"All right, Cap'n. When do we move out?" Jim asked, breaking into any reminiscing they might have been doing.

"Daybreak, so get a good nights rest." Natasha smiled at them. "See you tomorrow soldiers."

"G'night Cap'n." The boys chorused, before heading out of there and to their barracks. Natasha smiled and headed back to her cabin. On the way there, she admired the fiery sunset, not sure whether she should be happy or sad. She had been working undercover as Captain America for several months now, and though the war had officially ended and Captain America had been pronounced dead, she and the Howling Commandos were still tracking some HYDRA bases and she had found it easier to remain Captain America than to come up with her own identity.

She sighed. Even though she tried to hide it, Natasha was still reeling from the death of her best friend, and the friend who had finally been becoming more. At last though, she decided it was better to be happy than sad, and that as much as she missed them, Steve and Bucky would've wanted her to go on with her life. That's certainly what she would've wanted for them.
*
After a seemingly too short night and a too long trip, the Howling Commandos and Natasha finally made it to the HYDRA base.

"Ok guys, let's do a quick recon so that we can finish up this base." Natasha said, slipping her Captain America helmet over her braided hair.

"Is this the last base, Cap'n?" Gabe asked quietly and Natasha sighed. They had all known that eventually, they would run out of known bases and return to their normal lives. But none of them had wanted that to happen.

"It's the last base we know of." Natasha replied quietly.

"So, we go home after this?" Monty asked, saddened at the prospect.

"Well, not exactly. You know that Peggy and Howard are working to put together an organization of spies."

"Yeah, they're calling it SHIELD right?" Dum Dum said.

"Yeah, they are. And if, if you guys want, they're offering you guys positions there."

"Doing what?" Frenchie asked, excited by the prospect.

"Basically what we're doing now. Hunting down criminal organizations, that kind of thing." Natasha smiled at the positive response she got from the men. "I'm assuming that means you're going to think about it?"

"Well, yeah!" Gabe responded. "Then we could all stay together!" The boys all nodded.

"What about you, Nat?" Dum Dum asked quietly. "Are you going there too?"

Natasha thought for a moment. "Probably eventually, but I think I'm going to need some time." The Commandos all nodded, knowing that she meant time for grieving. "But that's not what's important now." Natasha said, reminding them of the task at hand. "Let's go take down some HYDRA scum."
*
A few weeks later, in a secret base in Russia
"What are they doing down there?" Natasha muttered, looking through the scope of her rifle at the goings on down there. She had been tracing this organization since the Commandos had all gone home. But she had stayed behind, somehow feeling that what was waiting for her in the states wasn't what she wanted.

Somehow, what with her best friends gone, she felt like she needed to avenge her friends. Just as she looked through the scope again, Natasha heard the clicking of a gun, it's barrel pressed against her head.

"Don't move," she heard a gravelly voice say, before her world went dark.
*
"She's waking up..."

"Does she need more sedatives?"
"No, I think it's time. See what she does..."

Natasha groaned as she came too, the voices not helping. She found that she was blindfolded, cuffed to some table with metal bonds.

"You're finally awake." A strident voice said. Though the words could've been meant kindly, the tone in which they were said indicated irritation, as if the man had expected her to wake up sooner.

"Who are you people?" Natasha croaked. "What do want with me?"

"Oh, darling I would have thought you would have worked that one out yourself. We're HYDRA, and we want you to participate in our program."

"What program?" Natasha asked, mentally searching for a way out.

"The Black Widow Program. You my dear," he stroked her face. "Are about to become famous. Very famous."