Shackle the Past

My burdens only

There was blood everywhere. And a body on the floor. A small, frail body. He was just a boy. I looked around the room in anger wanting to find who had done it. Who had killed him? Someone was in the corner. As I got closer it became clearer to me who the dark figure was. It was me. I was covered in blood; the gun pointed at the boy. I had done it. I killed someone so innocent.

Natasha woke up with a gasp. "Nat?" "I'm fine, " she told Bruce. "What are you doing awake?" "I can't sleep. Most of us don't anymore." Natasha got up from the floor and took a seat next to Bruce at the table. "Steve still off running missions & all?" "Yeah. Steve is Steve. You can't keep him from helping other people." "Yeah." There was a moment of silence before Natasha couldn't hold in what she had been wanting to tell him forever. "Look, Bruce. During Ultron when I pushed you down that-" "Nat please don't, " Bruce said. And she could hear the hurt in his voice. "I already put that in the past." "No, Bruce, I have to. I used you and I shouldn't have. It was wrong of me and-" "Nat." "No Bruce. I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I really am." After a moment of intense silence, Bruce finally spoke up. "It's fine. I forgive you. I already did." "I know, " Natasha said softly. "You always do, but I don't know how or why." They were silent again, but this time a comfortable silence. "You should get some sleep." "You too."

"Natasha?" "Steve?" She gave him a hug. "We thought-" "I was dead. I know. But I'm not. Still here, " she said with a smile. "I-" She was cut off by that searing pain in her stomach again. She screamed an ear piercing scream. "Natasha, what is it?" Came Steve's voice, but now so distant and far away. She fell to the floor on her hands & knees & vomited from the pain. Another scream unintentionally escaped from her mouth and everything went black again.

"Bruce! Bruce! Get in here, " Steve yelled as he sat by Natasha's side. "Did it happen again?" Bruce asked as he knelt beside her & lifted up her shirt to look at her stomach. "This has happened before?!" "Yeah ever since Hydra..." His voice trailed off as he saw that the stitches were coming undone and blood gushing out again. "I need doctor's equipment. Real equipment." "I can get that, " Steve offered. "Thanks. Be careful. Don't get caught." Steve nodded and left. Bruce sat by Nat's side holding her hand. When she woke up Steve still wasn't back. Natasha groaned. "Bruce?" "Hey. It's alright. Steve is getting some equipment so I can patch you up properly." "There's something wrong Bruce. I never told you, but I woke up- when Hydra had me. I-I think I was in surgery. There were people talking. I was compromising something by being awake. And then they drugged me, again." "Nat, why didn't you tell me." "It hadn't crossed my mind." "Well, that changes everything. I need to do an X-Ray, but we can't do that here. We'll have to go somewhere else." "Bruce-" Nat began but was cut off when Steve returned. "Thanks. Nat, I'll patch you up for now, but tomorrow morning we have to leave to get to a real office with advanced equipment." "I think I know a place, " Steve chimed in. "Perfect."

Natasha sat up. It was early. Way too early to leave yet, but that was just it, she didn't plan to. "Sorry, " she whispered to Bruce as she leaned down & kissed him on the head. "I really am." And with that, she left without saying a word to anyone about where she was going or what she was doing. This was her fight, her past. And no one should have to pull that burden with her.

DON'T READ MY AUTHOR'S NOTE IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN Endgame!!!

A\N: Guys, I am so sad! They freaking killed so many Avengers, but I will not in my stories just to let you know.