NIGHTMARE ▹ Natasha Romanoff

eleven.

"Where are we on the gun ballistics?" Fury was barking out orders at the agents at computers below him, who all seemed mildly terrified by the older man. Svetlana didn't blame them.

She herself was still pondering the events that had occurred earlier. It was her field intuition, putting her on auto pilot, she told herself. It wasn't like she actually cared wether or not Romanoff was okay. No, she'd just seen an injured person and, in the moment, knew she had to help. Right?

That was still going through her head when, speak of the devil, Romanoff appeared from a side hallway. You wouldn't have thought, looking at her now, that she had been bleeding out almost an hour ago.

But Svetlana could tell, from the slight difference in the way she held herself, and the slight accentuated lightness in her walk that she was injured.

Romanoff didn't look at her, but marched up to Fury and conferred with him for a minute. He nodded, then walked away, and she moved to talk to a young woman with a tablet.

Svetlana herself eventually got tired of watching her (Not watching, she reminded herself. Just observing. For professional reasons). She turned to a screen built into a large round desk and re checked all the data and evidence they had so far, which wasn't too hard since it wasn't exactly many dossiers.

She want sure how long had passed when someone cleared their throat behind her. She turned around and was greeted by the lovely sight of one Agent Romanoff. Not lovely, she told herself. Definitely not.

"Thank you. For, you know. Earlier. Before. In the room. I mean, the medical room. Uh, thank you." She seemed rather confused to be in this situation and, for the first time, she seemed human. Not some cold and closed off agent, but real. Svetlana smiled.

"You're welcome. It's not like I did some big operation, you know. And I guess the enemy off my enemy is my friend, so we might as well start being civil. Right?" She replied, fairly aware she probably sounded stupid.

Romanoff smiled back. "Right." The young agent with the tablet called her name, and Romanoff turned a little.

"They're calling you, Romanoff." Svetlana said, tilting her head to the woman across the room. Romanoff looked at Svetlana.

"Natasha." She said. Svetlana frowned a little.

"What?

"My name is Natasha." She said.

At this, Svetlana smiled. "And I'm Svetlana." She stuck out her hand. " Pleasure to meet you."

Romanoff- Natasha, smiled back and shook her hand. The woman called out to her agin, and they both made their way across to her.