Love Grown Cold

A New Partner

"Do you really think this is wise?"

"They're the two best agents on the force. They will make a formidable enemy."

"But if they team up... discover their past..."

"They won't. They're both too far gone by now."

"Then lets do it."
*
"Agent Romanov." A voice called out from the front of the training room. Natasha didn't even glance up from where she was hitting a punching bag.

"Yes?" She asked, still not looking.

"He wants to see you." The man said, before walking away.

Natasha mentally groaned as she headed up to Pyotr Galensky's office. Pyotr was the head of the Red Room division, and a nasty person at that. Natasha hated him and had for a long as she could remember. However, being summoned to his office was a rare thing, since all of her missions went well and she didn't become overly annoying when she wasn't on one.

"Agent Romanov reporting as ordered, sir." Natasha said immediately upon entering Galensky's office.

"Ah, Agent Romanov, good. I want you to meet someone." He gestured to a dark corner of his office and a shadowy figure stepped out. Even with all of her training, Natasha barely managed not to gasp. It was the Winter Soldier. He was somewhat of a ghostly figure, as there were plenty of tales of his missions, brutal and efficient, but very few sightings of him. Usually, by the time someone saw him, they were dead.

"The Winter Soldier," Natasha murmured in awe.

"That's right." Galensky said approvingly. "He is going to be your new partner."

Natasha blinked in surprise. She had never had an actual partner, usually just handlers or other HYDRA agents that were needed to complete the mission.

"A partner sir?" Natasha asked, hoping she wouldn't get a beating for the question.

Lucky for her, Galensky just smiled and nodded. "Yes, that's right. You two are the most efficient members of HYDRA. Your missions from now on will go smoother and quicker." Natasha nodded, though she was still wary. "And, best of all," Galensky said, knowing that he had to give into her a little to make her go along. "Instead of staying here at the Red Room, you and he will move into apartments in Moscow, where you will make base from now on."

Natasha was stunned. She'd been dreaming for years about how to leave the Red Room, but she had never dreamed that it would be this easy. "When do we leave sir?" She asked, already thinking how nice it would be to not have Galensky over her all the time.

"As soon as you put your belongings together and get outside." Galensky replied, sitting back in his chair. "The Soldier will join you outside when you're ready."

Natasha gave a quick nod before walking from the room. She tried not to let her happiness show. She was tired of always having people looking over her shoulder when she was perfectly competent. They were scared of her, she knew, but she couldn't understand why. Yes, she was the best Black Widow out there, but there were a few others. Why be scared of her?

She shrugged off her thoughts though as she made it to her room, determined to pack as quickly as possible so as to be out of there within the hour. It wouldn't take long. She only had a few changes of clothes, a thin worn blanket, and a few books she had managed to smuggle in after missions.

A few minutes later, Natasha walked out of her room, heading for the bitterly cold outdoors. Although it was always cold in Russia, it had never really bothered Natasha. She welcomed it, in fact. It helped ease the ache in her heart. She had never figured out what made her feel that, certainly no one she remembered, but it could have to do with the dreams; dreams of the blonde and brunette boys that always made her wake up crying, though she couldn't say why.

"Agent Romanov." A distinctly annoyed voice snapped through her thoughts. A man stood there by a car, waiting for her. As she made her way towards him, Natasha felt a presence beside her, and barely bit back a scream as the Soldier appeared beside her. She couldn't tell where he had come from, and it was unnerving since she was usually the first one to recognize any presence.

Trying to ignore him, Natasha climbed into the car and settled herself on the far side. The Soldier sat down next to her, not even seeming to notice her. She eyed him out of the corner of her eye. He was tall definitely, and had jaw length, unkempt brown hair. His eyes were a piercing blue, but hard, much like she imagined hers were. The rest of his face was impossible to see, as his nose down was covered in a thick black mask.

The car started moving, and Natasha focused on the scenery. She'd been out of the compound a lot for missions, but it was rare for her to be able to enjoy the passing sights. She did so now though, only half listening as the man driving them prattled on about their new quarters (apparently it wasn't two apartments, but rather two bedrooms and bathrooms and one living area). They were to live under the assumed pretense of Maria and Dmitri Stralinski, a brother and sister duo that were new to Moscow, and, most importantly, they would be checked up on weekly to ensure they were performing as expected.

"You will find a gun in each of your rooms, though only for last resort usage. Any weapons you will need on a mission will be issued to you at the beginning of the mission..." and on it went.

By the time they reached their apartment, Natasha was considering whether bashing his head in or laughing hysterically would be the better course of action. The Soldier, however, seemed unaffected by this prattling idiot.
*
"And this is your apartment." The agent said, finally pausing for breath when they made it to the apartment. Natasha bit back a smile. It was an unexpectedly nice apartment, with large windows, a nice kitchen area, and, from what little she could see, relatively spacious bedrooms.

"Well," The agent said, apparently at a loss now that he had run out of things to say. "I'll leave you to..." he paused, unable to come up with the right word. "Survey your surroundings." He finally finished, scratching his head. Without another word, he turned and left, leaving Natasha alone with one of the most dangerous men in the known world.