After the event at Istanbul with Ivan Somodorov and his quantum entanglement machinery the O.P.U.S., Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a Black Widow, and Ava Orlova are left in a state of grief after losing Alexei during that same encounter. Brother to Natasha and the love of Ava. But what if Alex had survived his bullet wounds from Ivan's hired guns? What if they had S.H.I.E.L.D. notified and had the chance for back-up? A fanfiction for the end of Margaret Stohl's novel Black Widow: Forever Red for fans to be able to see into the future of what might have become to the lost Romanoff sibling. Enter the world of the Avenger's iconic master spy once again.

Before SHIELD, Natasha and Clint tried to kill each other. Natasha works for the KGB, hunting down HYDRA traitors in the system. When she's assigned a job at the Russian ballet, she battles memories of her past she never wanted to face again. Clint is a fugitive, framed by his brother for attempted murder. Some guy in a suit shows up, Special Agent Phil Coulson, representing a government division Clint can't pronounce, with the offer of a fresh start and Clint finds himself a brand new recruit of SHIELD. Then there was Budapest where no amount of training could prepare them for the choices they would be forced to make. NOTE: This is largely unedited, so please excuse errors, plot holes, etc.