A Spider's Web ll Natasha Romanoff

Choices

It was a few days later when we were rounded up and brought to a bridge clearing to see Loki and Thor off. Tony was in charge of the Tesseract at the moment and brought it in a case. I stood next to Steve and Natasha, watching the interaction between Selvig, Tony, and Bruce. They were putting the Tesseract in a container attached to two handles.

We all said our goodbyes earlier and now it was time for them to go. Thor looked at all of us one last time before shoving the Tesseract carrier towards his adopted brother, who grabbed it forcefully.

Thor nodded and twisted his handle, causing the two gods to be engulfed in blue and shoot up into the sky, back to their home planet. It was silent as we observed them leave, before we all broke our circle formation and began to converse with one another. Who knows the next time we would see each other again.

Barton walked over to me and offered his hand out for me to shake.

"Nice work, Kid. Never thought we'd meet as allies." He said.

"I'm not a kid and let me guess. You thought you'd be the one to bring me in?" I questioned.

He smirked, "If not me, then Natasha."

"Well good thing I'm on your side, huh?" I said.

"Are you though? This mission is over. Does that mean you're going to go back to being a criminal?" He asked.

"I don't know. I never really thought of it. This was supposed to be my chance for a new start." I admitted. I truly didn't know. Did I want to keep fighting? Did I want a normal life?

"S.H.I.E.L.D offered for you to join us. You could use your abilities for good if you wanted to." Another voice interjected. I looked over at Natasha, who was walking over to us.

It was true. S.H.I.E.L.D offered for me to become a spy for them. They said I worked well with the others, surprisingly. If I accepted, I would be working with Steve a lot. Almost as a partner. I admit it was tempting, but I couldn't bring myself to accept the offer at that moment.

"I need to sort myself out and figure out my priorities before I commit to that." I told them.

They nodded and I looked to the side when I saw movement. Steve was waving me over to him.

"Excuse me." I excused myself and walked over to him.

"Have you thought about joining S.H.I.E.L.D?" He asked, once I reached him.

"Funny. I was actually just talking to Natasha and Clint about this. I don't know yet. I need some time to decide what I want to do. I was a criminal before this. I still am in a way. I can't just become a hero overnight" I explained.

"You kind of already did." He said. "But I respect your decision. It's up to you. I'm sure the offer will still be there. We make a good team. I would be happy to have you as my partner."

"For now, I'm satisfied with calling you a friend." I said, smiling.

He cracked a smile as well, "I feel the same way. Friend."

Tony and Bruce walked over to us and began their goodbyes. "I hope to see you around, Doctor. Hopefully under better circumstances." I said to Bruce.

"It was nice meeting you, Miss Desantos." He said, shaking my hand.

"Feel free to drop by the Tower anytime, you know, once it's reconstructed. Just make sure you call first." Tony insisted. I smiled slightly.

"I will, Tony. Take care of yourself." I said to the older man.

They both walked off towards one of Tony's many cars and got in before heading off towards the Tower.

"I guess this is it for now." Steve began. "Don't be a stranger. And think about the offer."