Nat's Rose

How Bad

"Love, can you look at me please?" Wanda asked, in a soothing voice. Nat hesitantly looked up before letting tears run down her face.

"Can you lift your shirt for me love, I need to know if you did anything else," Wanda said, softly.

"Promise you won't judge." Nat whispered, if that counts with how softly she said it.

"I won't judge, I promise," Wanda said, holding out her pinky. Nat interlaced their fingers before pulling up her shirt, revealing the large bruise along her stomach. Wanda gasped at the sight of the black and blue bruise that looked to have been done with vigorous abdominal workouts.

"Love, how long has your stomach been like this?" Wanda asked, scared to know the answer.

"Since the day I found Emma outside the coffee shop." Nat told, in a tiny voice.

"Honey, how long ago was that?" Wanda followed.

"Almost three months. I'm sorry I didn't tell you I thought it was nothing," Nat said, trying to hide herself like she did almost 10 years ago when Clint found her. She spaced out from whatever Wanda was telling her and thought back to that dreaded day as a teenager. She had just gotten out of the red room and was finally free, roaming around trying to find a way to America. Running through eastern Europe wasn't an easy task but she did it. She made it to the ocean but before she could jump in to swim away after all those years, someone grabbed her shoulder. Nat swung around and tried to pin the other person down but a small teenage girl against a grown man wasn't the easiest. The man had her arms pinned and her legs he was crushing with his body weight. She was struggling but she knew what Dreykov would have said, if she gave up. Nat had done this once and could do it again but her body and muscles were tired. She was tired and her body gave up fighting. The man above her had stopped holding her arms tightly and stood off of her. He leaned down and could see the tears filling her eyes before one lone tear made its way down her face, landing on the dirt next to her head. The man leant in close to her ear and whispered.

"My name's Clint kid, I didn't mean to harm you but you've got to come with me." Clint said, being Nat to her feet where she stumbled to walk on. Clint wrapped his arm around Nat's shoulder causing the young girl to flinch in pain, Clint noticed this action but shrugged it off for the time being.

"What's your name kid?" Clint asked, continuing to walk to quinjet.

"Я-я не су-полагаю т-говорить." Nat stuttered out. Her exhaustion finally getting to her along with her hunger and desire for water. Nat slowly started to fall behind Clint always 2 steps back if not farther. Clint turned to look at Nat but quickly ran to her as her body gave out and she collapsed into his arms. Clint rushed Nat to his vehicle and laid her in the back seat before driving back to base. Once he arrived to base Fury came over and tried to restrain the girl causing her to wake up and scream. Clint walked over to Nat and hid her small body behind his shielding her from Fury.

"She's fine. She doesn't need to be restrained I swear, she just needs rest, food, and water. I'll take her under my wing and keep her in line." Clint promised to Fury before turning to look at Nat.

"Do you know English honey?" Clint asked, pulling out his phone. Nat shook her head before speaking.

"Я могу это понять, но не говорить." Nat told Clint as he messed with his phone. Nat was thinking about that time as Wanda finally gained her attention.