A-FORCE: Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel

TWO: Natasha

I sit in the waiting room, holding Francis and Lila's hands. Hospital commotion sounds from each direction.

I think about losing another one, another person I love. The tears start again.

It's been only 20 minutes since we arrived. Nathaniel was rushed to the emergency room for potentially fatal wounds. We haven't heard anything since.

I sit back and rest my eyes, letting them get heavy and before I know it I'm out.

When I wake I'm no longer in the waiting room. I'm in Nathaniel's hospital room. I can see his little shape resting on the bed in front of me. I stumble when I first notice it's him and get on my feet. The room is empty, no doctors, no family in sight, just me. I slowly step over to the bedside, trying not to wake him.

"Aunty Nat?" His eyes flutter open.

"Hi, sweetie." I smile, my eyes are puffy from crying.

"I haven't seen you forever Aunty Nat, did you know I'll be okay?" He says.

"That's great sweetie! I'm so glad." Doubt sounding in my voice, something doesn't feel exactly right...

I look around the room and in an instant, Nathaniel jumps out of bed. I gasp, he's missing a leg but walking perfectly.

"Sweetie... What is- What are you-" I stumble my words out, but am cut off by the loud screech of Nathaniel yelling.

"It's not great... IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT ANUTY NAT!" Each time he says the phrase he steps closer.

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT ANUTY NAT!" His body looks more and more zombie-like every time he gets closer. I back up and back up until I'm up against a window. Nowhere to go.

This time he says the phrase different, "IT'S! ALL! YOUR! FAULT! ANUTY! NAT!" Then he runs at me, blood spewing out of his mouth. The world goes black.

I sit up startled, breathing heavily. I look around making sure this is reality. Francis and Lila look at me like I'm crazy, people walk normally down the halls leaving and entering.

It was just a dream.

"Aunty Nat, you good?" Francis asks, a look of startled on his face.

"Yeah... Yep, just a... Bad dream." I finally get the words out. Lila side hugs me, warming up my shivering body. "Has there been any news?" I ask.

"Well, actually yes." Lila says. "He came out of surgery around 10 minutes ago. They successfully took off his leg, it was too mangled to really do anything about." She explains.

Nathaniel walking legless flashes back into my mind, the chills I finally had just lost crawl back up me again. "So what's going to happen?" I say questioning the fate of all this.

"He's already been fitted for a prosthetic leg, he's pretty excited about it too for someone who just lost his leg." Lila gives me a small smile to let me know, everything's okay.

I still question, "Is everything else okay?"

"Yes Nat, don't worry. He had some minor injuries but those were fixed pretty quickly, and mom only had a couple of small wounds from the debris." Lila tells me.

"Where were you?" I ask Francis, "When it happened?"

"Uhh, the game store. I heard a, uhh, boom and then I ran-ran out." Francis' eyes dart every which way, but I choose to not press him for any more information.

In less than five minutes Laura comes out telling us we can finally see Nathaniel. It's apparently been five hours in the hospital so far.

When I walk in I see Nathaniel's smile bright up. The others stay behind, well I talk to him.

"Aunty Nat! You're okay!" He cheers.

"Yes sweetie, I'm okay. I'm so sorry." I say.

"Aunty Nat, it's not your fault!" He pleads.

"I know, sweetie. But I promise I will never let anyone or anything do that to you again. To anyone again." I tell him.

"You're my hero Aunty Nat. I love you." I carefully give him a hug and the others come over chatting the little man up.

~

After days of living in the hospital, eating their average food and getting little to none sleep, we are back home.

It's been almost two weeks since the incident, Nathaniel continues to improve. He now works his Stark prosthetic leg like a pro. Pepper sent it to us after hearing about the accident.

I still think about what I could've done to save Nathaniel, the possibilities flash in my mind every time I rest.

One day on the news I hear about another attack in the streets of New York. "Multiple people dead" the headline reads.

Where are the heroes? I question myself. The question never leaves my mind. I walk into my room, opening the closet, searching for one thing.

At the back, it sits. Still shiny, but torn in multiple areas.

Black Widow is back.

For good.

A/N: Guess who's back!! Next chapter Nat will be meeting someone new, love interest or just another hero? I have to find out myself before you all do but stay tuned!!