Just A Normal Kid

Chapter 11

Natasha kept her comm unit switched on as she banged her fists on the restroom door. "Get out of there right now, Barton! We've gotta get to Stark Tower!" The door opened a few seconds later, and her partner came out, drying his hands on a towel. "Why?"

" She's there right now and so is Loki!" Natasha replied. She strapped on her guns and thanked god that she hadn't changed out of her suit yet. A look of confusion passed across his face, before his expression hardened just as the Captain burst into the room. "Time to go."

"We know." Natasha snapped, beyond caring if she was being rude. "Let's go get a jet."

"You can fly one?" He asked, hurrying along beside her as she marched down the hallway towards the Hangar.

"I can." Clint raised his hand.

"Got a suit?" Durak. Captain America? More like Captain Oblivious...

"Yeah."

"Suit up." Clint ran off to get his stuff while Natasha led Rogers off to the supply room to grab more weapons. She crammed in everything she could into the various holsters and hidden pockets in her suit. She saw the Captain grabbing a few guns as well, before he looked at her and nodded, signalling that he was done. She sprinted off towards the Hangar, where the Quinjets were stored and Clint joined them outside the huge doors.

A young S.H.I.E.L.D pilot stopped them right in front of the Quinjet. "You're not authorized to be here..."

Natasha was ready to tranq him if he delayed them anymore, but Clint held her back as Rogers handled the situation without much delay. The three of them got into the jet and Natasha stood by Clint's side as they took off from the Helicarrier. Once they were in the air and speeding along to Manhattan, Clint turned his head to look at her.

"How did you know?" he asked, and she noticed Rogers imperceptibly perk up his head, obviously wanting to know the answer as well. "I still had my comm connected. Stark told me before flying off." She answered. "He was the one who figured it out."

Rogers nodded his head, "We were standing outside the cell and talking, trying to decide why Loki had planned for that fiasco to happen, when Stark said something that led us both to realize what was happening. He ran off to find his suit while I came to get you."

Natasha acknowledged him with a nod of her head, too worried to say anything else. Clint laid a reassuring hand on her arm. "We'll be there before you know it." He lowered his tone so that the Captain couldn't hear. "She can handle herself. Besides, I'm pretty sure Stark's got a million security measures just in case."

She knew that Rosie would not be helpless, but Loki was dangerous and Natasha did not want to consider the possibility that he had mind-controlled her niece as well.

She had been very proud of the day when her only student had mastered the death-glare. It even managed to unnerve Natasha herself. Somehow, she found herself being intimidated by a tiny, shy kid who wasn't even sixteen yet and she didn't mind. Rosie was an amazing student and Natasha could see how much her training had helped increase the girl's confidence. The longer she spent with Rosie, the fewer nightmares and flashbacks she had about her time at the Red Room. Her dreams were now mostly happy ones, many of them memories of Clint, Laura and their kids or Rosie.

The girl had slowly made her way into Natasha's cold heart and had stayed there, giving her something to fight for other than Clint. Natasha was quite surprised at the way Stark had changed all for a teenage girl. He claimed that she needed someone sensible to look up to, not a drunk playboy who spent his money frivolously. 'She brings out the better side in both of us,' Natasha realized. 'I can't afford to lose her and neither can Stark or Rhodes. We have to get there in time, and we will, because she needs us.' There was no greater driving force than that.