When in Hydra

Chapter 14

With the Compound living quarters just up the stairs, the medical staff weren't too worried about Natasha's recovery and agreed to let her leave as soon as she woke up. If anything went wrong, FRIDAY would be available and the doctors were just a few minutes away.

Once the anaesthesia wore off and Natasha felt like she could see straight, they got ready to leave.

"And you're sure they're okay?" Natasha asked, slowly swinging her feet over her bed.

"Yes." Steve held out a hand to help her stand and even though she rolled her eyes, she accepted the help. "FRIDAY still has contact with Tony and according to the both of them, the attack went well. Once they're sure everything is taken care of, they'll be back."

Slower than ever, they made their way into the hall. Having refused a wheelchair and Steve's offer to carry her, Natasha limped beside Steve with his hand still firmly in hers.

They took the lift up to the residential floor of the Compound rather than the stairs and when they eventually made it to their rooms, they were unsurprised to see their bags had been delivered.

They split apart into their own rooms. Changing took longer than Natasha had anticipated but as soon as she was comfortable, she limped across the hall to Steve's room. To her surprise, he hadn't finished changing yet and was in the middle of pulling a shirt over his head when she pushed open his door.

"So," she said, smirking when he jumped, "I was thinking. It's been a while since we've had take-out and a movie."

"We have been a bit preoccupied," Steve said, looking at her pointedly.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "My point still stands"

"It is a good point," Steve conceded.

That was all the permission Natasha needed. Hobbling across the room, she snatched the remote to Steve's TV off his nightstand and dropped down onto his bed. Although Steve shook his head at her, he smiled.

"Do I at least get a say in which movie we watch?" he teased.

"Of course not." Natasha grinned. "But you do get a say in where the takeout comes from."

"Alright." Steve pressed a short kiss to the top of her head and Natasha stilled. "Just don't pick anything horror."

With a wicked grin, Natasha changed her Netflix search as Steve disappeared to order their food.

* * * *

Natasha woke up in a sweat. For a long moment, she didn't open her eyes. She just laid there with her entire body stiff and her heart pounding in her ears. At the sound of something moving beside her, however, her eyes flew open and darted around the room.

"Nat?"

Steve's voice came from beside her and the bed moved again as he shifted. 

"Oh god," she breathed, letting out a long breath.

She slowly forced herself to relax. Already, her muscles were screaming at her and her thigh throbbed, but even with Steve laying beside her, she couldn't seem to breathe.

"Nightmare?" Steve whispered, sitting up.

"I'm fine."

Steve carefully pulled her up so she was sitting beside him then pulled her into a hug. Despite the soreness of her muscles, she clung to him tightly and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"What was it about?" Steve asked softly. She flinched involuntarily and Steve's arms around her tightened.

After a couple of seconds, Natasha whispered, "The Red Room."

The lashes across her back had already healed considerably, but she still groaned as Steve's hold on her tightened even more.

He turned his head and kissed her neck softly. A choked sob threatened to escape her throat, but she held it back and tried to focus on Steve instead of the memories was flashing through her mind. As her hands slowly stopped shaking and her muscles really did start to relax, she let him go.

"I'm going to get water," she muttered, slipping out from under the covers and limping out of the room.

Steve waited for her to come back for nearly ten minutes before he got up from his bed and followed her into the hall. Around the corner, the kitchen light was on and he could hear voices. Despite being in the Compound, he rounded the corner a little more worried than necessary and was relieved to find the team gathered in the kitchen.

Tony was the first to notice him. "Welcome back."

Steve nodded at him and looked around for Natasha. Tucked away from the group, he spotted her talking with Wanda. As he moved towards them, he caught the tail end of their conversation.

"It's alright," Natasha said softly, running a hand over Wanda's head soothingly. "No one expects you to be okay."

Wanda took a shuddering breath and Natasha pulled her into a hug. 

"Go to sleep, Wanda," she said. "You'll feel better in the morning."

Wanda nodded and walked down the hall in a daze, passing Steve on her way. As soon as Wanda was out of sight, Natasha turned to Steve. 

"Some of people in that facility were part of the team that experimented on her," Natasha muttered. 

"Other than that, did everything go okay?" Steve asked, glancing from Natasha to Tony to Sam. They all nodded.

"The facility is in ruins along with everyone who worked there," Rhodey assured him, his eyes flickering to Natasha. He had looked like he was going to say more, but something seemed to change his mind.

Concerned, Steve glanced down at Natasha. She was still staring down the hall where Wanda had disappeared, but her face was unreadbly blank.

"What happened?" Sam asked, jerking his chin in their direction. "Natasha gave us the location with special instruction to burn it down."

"Things went haywire," Steve said. Sam raised an eyebrow. "We were sniffed out within hours and spent the remaining two weeks getting acquainted with Hydra's interrogation tactics."

Sam grimaced. "All things considered, you don't look it."

"I was the lucky one," Steve replied, glancing at Natasha who was still staring ahead blankly.

"What happened?" Tony's question was directed at Natasha, but she didn't respond.

Steve nudged her gently to bring her attention to the group. She inhaled a sharp breath, but her attention turned to the team.

"What happened to you?" Tony repeated, frowning worriedly.

She blinked once before answering, almost as if she had to take a moment longer to process his question.

"I was shot," she said. Her hand found the bandage that was hidden under her sweatpants. "And stabbed. Same spot."

Sam and Rhodey grimaced, but Tony gave her a knowing look. "That's all?"

She rolled back her shoulder and frowned slightly at the small stab of pain. "No."

When it was clear she wasn't going to elaborate, Tony threatened to check her medical records himself.

Natasha scowled. "Trust me, you don't want to. Not everyone uses whips for fun."

"A whip?" Rhodey choked.

"It's worse than it sounds," she grumbled, though Steve had quite a few doubts. Before anyone could press her further, though, she announced, "I'm going to go check on Wanda."

Without further explanation, she turned and limped out of the kitchen, leaving Steve with the team while she went to make sure Wanda was actually asleep and simply hiding from the rest of the team.