never leaving your side || romanogers

Chapter 32

Natasha dug her nails into her palms, walking slowly to the girl's rooms. She rapped her knuckles against the door, not wanting to invade anyone's privacy. Especially since she knew that if she came in without notice, they'd probably freak and attack her. After all, she was one of them before. 

The doorknob wiggled. Tatiana opened the door, surprised to see both women looking inside so urgently. "Oh." She stepped aside, letting them come in. 

They walked in, Natasha not sure how they'd react when she told then the news. She took a deep breath. 

"Ok, so I've got a plan to get all you out of here. My friend, he's Tony Stark. Iron Man. His girlfriend, Pepper, is going to bring you back to a safe place for you to stay while we go find our friends and the Red Room. The jet you all will be leaving here on is coming soon." Natasha said this all a bit slowly, bracing herself for their reactions.

A girl in the back held up a hand. "Excuse me," she said, stepping forward a little so she could see Natasha. "So if you're going to find the Red Room, you'll get all of those girls out of there too, right? Because a whole lot of my friends are there and I won't leave them behind while I escape."

As the girl with dirty blond braids said those last words- I won't leave them behind while I escape- Natasha felt something stab into her heart. She remembered Yelena, how she left her behind. A wave of guilt washed over her, making her heart pound. She had left Yelena, the worst mistake of her life. She wouldn't let these girls do the same. 

"Yes. Yes, of course we will save the rest of the girls when we win. They're your family, and family shouldn't be separated." Natasha waited for any other protests, possibly about stepping onto a plane with strangers. "...And, is there anything about the jet you want to ask?"

Murmurs spread through the girls. They reached a consensus, and all shook their heads no. "We don't trust Iron Man all that much," Tatiana started. "But we trust you, and we trust each other, and we'll be ok. Just go save your friends. We can take care of ourselves, always have."

Natasha nodded, a piece of her heart chipping off. She wished that the girls didn't have to always take care of themselves and suffer like she did as a child. They deserved to run around and play like Lila, and have someone care for them like the team and Steve did for her. But that was the way life was in the Red Room. "I know." She replied sadly. 

---

Natasha shielded her eyes as she watched the jet land in the distance. A ramp came down, then a slim woman with blond hair ran out. 

"Pepper!" Natasha cried, running forward. She and Pepper pulled each other into a tight hug, laughing and crying at the same time. 

"We were so worried," Pepper said into Natasha's hair. "And I was so pissed at Tony- because while everyone else was busting their asses off trying to get you back, he just wouldn't help. But then he came home and told me why." She paused for a moment, and the two women just held each other tight. "Steve was so worried. He was angry, but I knew he was so scared for you. He loves you."

Natasha sighed and pulled back. "I know, Pep. I know and I love him so much too." Pepper nodded. 

"Alright, well we've got to go now. But take care of the girls until we can get back, ok? I know you will."

"I will, Nat. I'll see you soon!" Pepper waved goodbye, and stepped into the jet. 

Natasha waved back until the jet was only a dot in the horizon, then gone. Then, she turned to Yelena and Tony, and to another, smaller plane. "It's time to go," she said, eyes glittering with anticipation.

---

This time, Steve woke up and stayed awake. "Clint?" He tried calling, but his throat felt dry. "Clint? Bruce? Thor?" He managed to croak out weakly. He felt for his arms, trying to get up. Steve pulled and pulled, but he was too beaten up to break the handcuffs binding his wrists. 

Natasha... he thought. Where was she? Not here, hopefully. Not here, with the people who had attacked him, and probably attached his team too. Not here with the guards who had come in and swung their fists at him over and over again. But then where was she? It seemed like the only place she could be, yet she wasn't here. 

The door swung open, an angry looking guard stormed in. "WHERE IS SHE?" He yelled with a thick accent, so Steve barely understood. "WHERE IS SHE?" He repeated this, over and over like a mantra. 

"Wha- what? Who's she?" Steve shook his head, confused and irritated. How could they expect him to know the answer to such a vague question? Unless, unless they knew that he knew, but he didn't know it himself. Wait- Steve widened his eyes. Was it possible that Natasha had somehow escaped wherever she was? In that case, Steve was so glad for her, but-

The guard's angry fist collided with his cheekbone, and all went dark again.

---

Meanwhile, while Steve was getting beaten up in one room, Clint and Thor and Bruce were trapped in another. 

"Hello?" Clint yelled, rubbing his eyes open. "Any one of you bitches want to tell us where we are?" There was no reply other than his own voice echoing back to him. "Bullshit! There has to be someone who can hear us. Bruce,can't you go angry green Hulk when we need you to?" He groaned and cursed loudly. "FUCK YOU!"

Thor woke up, finally. "God, what's wrong with you?" He shouted. 

"I DON'T FUCKING KNOW!" Clint replied just as loud. "I don't know where we are now, why Steve is gone, why we can't find Natasha- I don't know anything now! So why don't you try to explain, God of Thunder?"

"Oh yeah?" Thor walked closer, looming over Clint. "Well, who's idea was it to come here? To run away without Tony, with most of our team unfit to fight, without any backup plan? Tell me, why don't you?"

Clint was ready to get riled up again, ready to fire a bout of angry words at Thor, but something seemed to stop him. "Shhh!" He hissed. Thor looked shocked, obviously expecting a comeback. Bruce looked relieved for the arguing to stop. "Listen..." he whispered softly.

From another room in the building, maybe, a man was shouting. Where is she? Where is she? Echoed all around, faintly, but audible. And then it stopped.

For another minute after that, the three were quiet. Finally, Bruce spoke.

"So now we know that someone else is here?" He tried offer a bright tone, but it came out sad and tired. "Maybe they were talking to Steve."

Clint and Thor scoffed in unison. "Yeah, as if. I bet they've beaten him already." Clint added unhelpfully. 

Bruce frowned. "Don't think that. Instead, help me."

Hawkeye and Thor watched curiously as Bruce made a constipated, huffing sound. 

"What?" 

Thor continued his bug-eyed look.