Romanogers: After Civil War

chapter 22

The first thing Natasha felt was the sharp pain in her hands. For a while she lay there, eyes closed, trying to get used to the pain before slowly opening her eyes. As they came into focus she slowly realized this wasn't clints house. Natasha sat bolt upright, then tried to stand, which proved impossible due to the chains on her legs and arms.

She slumped down back onto the floor, and took in her surroundings. Except from the chains, the room was lavishly decorated, lots of rugs and pictures, with one single chair facing her in the middle made from leather it seemed. Natasha started to rule off where she could be.

She new it couldn't be the red room, much to her relief, they'd liked to spike fear in their victims by putting them in the worst prison rooms Natasha had ever seen, and she'd seen a lot. It was also probably not hydra, because based off what bucky had told her about his time held hostage in the nineteen fourties, luxuriousness wasn't exactly their strong point.

None of her other enemies she could remember would put her in such a room even if they were rich, but she couldn't rule some of them out. Ross, however, was more complicated. The chances of him finding them with never impossible, but the fact that( if this was him) he'd found them so quickly made nat think he wasn't a very likely suspect. Obviously rulling him out would be stupid though...

An hour later she'd concluded nothing more than that it couldn't have been a few minor gangs that simply did not have the organization to kidnap her last night. Speaking of last night, she could hardly remember anything, which was weird. She remembered feeling scared because of, because of... She strained her mind. Suddenly it all came back, Sharon, the punching bag, blood and...Steve!

She'd seen Steve, he'd seen her,' oh god,' she thought,' he'd seen her like that,' The old worries started to creep back, but she pushed them away, she couldn't afford another breakdown. Adleast Steve, having seen her in the basement, new where she was just before she was taken, maybe he could have found that necklace and alerted Clint. If he hadn't, well, they probably now all thought she'd ran away.

" SO," a voice boomed from across the room," WE MEET AGAIN, BLACK WIDOW," the figure stepped out of the shadows and Natasha's jaw dropped. It wasn't possible, he was dead, but despite this, there was Loki, standing right in front of her.
" Your not dead," she said cooly.
" Sorry to disappoint you, but no, I am not dead," Loki smiled.
"Seriously," Natasha mumbled.
" I beg your pardon," Loki said politely.
" Nothing," Natasha gave him a sarcastic smile.
" So," Loki said, sitting on the chair," do you like the Asgardian supliments."
He waved to the rugs and pictures.
" Bit showing if I'm perfectly honest," Natasha said coldly.
" And you are always honest, just like me," Loki smiled.

" Cut the chitchat Loki," Natasha said, having had enough," what am I doing here and what do you want?"

" Well, you see," Loki chuckled," after my dear brother left me, thinking I was dead, I made my way back to Asgard, tricked them all into thinking I was Odin, and became ruler of the 9 realms," Loki raised his hands in triumph," but, alas, eventually the people of Asgard caught on, even though I told them Odin was dead," Loki looked down sadly, shaking his head," they wouldn't let me really become king, a king without his people is like jam toast with butter, it never works in the end," he shook his head again," they want Thor back."

" So," Natasha said," you want to lure him here using me then kill him so you become the rightful heir?"
" And also kill the rest of you, especially you first six," Loki sneered.
" Quick question," Natasha said brightly," how are you supposed to lure them hear if they don't know where I am"
" Oh, don't worry about that Natasha," Loki said," in fact I'm surprised you don't know where we are, I mean, all this finery may cover it up but still, why don't you look a little closer."

Natasha scanned the room for anything she recognized. The window, it was familiar, wait..." The avengers tower" she breathed.
" Well done Natasha," Loki laughed.

It had been hours since she had gone missing, and there was nothing. The whole team now we're giving up hope, opting to just sit on the sofas. " Daddy!" lila said, coming into the room," where anti nat?" She asked smiling. Everyone looked at Clint," well, em, she went out darling, but she'll be back soon," Clint forced a smile." Ok daddy," lila smiled back.

" Right," tony said," I'm going to check the basement again, then I'm going to bed," The team sat in silence, exchanging glances every so often. Suddenly they all heard a squeal from the kitchen. Sharon was hopping up and down clutching her foot. " I stepped on the glass," she said, looking at Steve, who hadn't looked up from the floor ever since he'd given up and sat down.

" Honey," Clint called. Laura came in, looked at Sharon, rolled her eyes and began to pull Sharon up the stairs, who had a look of indignation in her eyes, clearly wanting more attention. They heard her crying and then subdued sobs, but in minutes she had stopped abruptly. Laura came down the stairs," there was nothing in her foot," she said plainly. A few people smiled.

Just then tony came up from the basement holding a piece of paper. " Everyone get your avengering gear, we're going home baby!" He said.
" What?" Sam and Bruce said at the same time.
" Look!" Tony said, trying to throw the paper to Bruce, but it instead landed 3 people short on Scotts head. Clint, who was next to him, grabbed it.
" Avengers tower," he read aloud.
" I found it right by where you found the necklace! That must be where red is!" Tony said proudly.

" OK TEAM!" Steve spoke for the first time in ages, standing up," let's do this!"