Together,Forever

Chapter One

The states.

"I was wondering when you would be back?" Rustling could be heard on Natasha's side of the phone. "Sorry?" She remarked. It wasn't that she didn't want to speak to her father. It was more of her getting ready to go to catch her flight. Her father's birthday was coming up and she spent the longest begging her boss for a couple of vacations days. "What is all that rustling?" Gil paused in his step. He tried to listen in closely as all protective fathers would. "There is no boy over." Natasha flatly stated. She knew her father's ways and since she lived far away, there were a couple of things her father couldn't keep away from her. "I'm just checking, pumpkin. You should know there certain things you're still not allowed to have." The sound of a car door closing and an engine starting indicated her father was heading off somewhere. "Hey? I just wanted to know where you would be around 7:00 pm?" Natasha questioned. She finally had everything she needed in her suitcase. After zipping it up, she placed it near her front door. "Dad?" She called out, waiting for a reply. "I don't know if I should find this question suspicious," Gil stated. Natasha awkwardly laughed. She only hoped that her father didn't find out what was being planned. "I might still be at the station. Can I know why you asked?" Natasha struggled to find a reply. Her father only waited for her to respond as he drove to work. "No reason. I just wanted to know when I could call you again. I mean, being the best cop in New York could be very heavy in paperwork and stuff." The conversation lasted for a few more minutes, ending with both saying 'I love you'.

Onto reaching the airport, standing in the longest line, sitting in the most uncomfortable chair, waiting in another long line, then enduring a plane ride with a loud snorer and cheesy chips finger licker, Natasha had finally made it to the beautiful city of New York. "Finally." She breathes out. She made her way out of the airport and into the carpool area. With a quick movement of her hand, she finally had a hold of her phone. She searched through her contacts to find her father's number. Onto finding it, she gave it a quick ring to get an answer immediately. "Hey, daddy." The sound of the rustling of scattered papers could be heard and a very unfamiliar voice. "Hello?" Natasha called out. Her father's voice could be heard from far away. "Hello, hey." He finally responded. His voice was rushed and under stress. "I'm at the airport." She flatly stated. There was a sudden pause in the rustling of papers and unfamiliar whispers. "It's cold and there're weird men staring at me." Natasha knew this would get a response out of her father. "Why are you at the airport? Where? What?" Her father was dumbfounded. His brain was so wrapped up in a case that he didn't pay attention to the first few things she uttered. "I came to surprise you for your birthday. So... surprise! Now, if you're not busy. If it's not any trouble... I would like to go home and be in a warm blanket." Natasha stated. More inaudible whispering and a very unfamiliar voice tagged along with her father's voice. "I'm actually very busy at the moment, darling. I have someone coming to pick you up. He will then—" Her father paused. "Drop you off here." He finally replied.

"You must be—" A slender, brown hair and well-suited man approached Natasha. His voice was familiar with the background voice of her phone call. "Natasha." She clarified. The man looked at her closely before replying "Malcolm Bright. I work with your father." Natasha nodded before reaching for her suitcase, only to have it snatched by Malcolm. "Let me get that. You must be exhausted from your trip." She nodded and followed behind Malcolm. Once entering the car and soon driving off, there was only silence throughout the drive until Natasha broke it.

"So.... are you a detective?" She guessed. He looked very top-notch and well dressed to be like one of those TV detectives. Malcolm let out a chuckle. "No, I'm actually a profiler. I look into the criminal's mind and deeply crack them." His explanation was deep. Getting into a criminal's mind, finding why they are that way. That was a bit much but he looked like he could be good at it. Upon turning into a long narrow road, Malcolm spoke up. "What about you? I mean, you're the daughter of a cop. Did you follow in those footsteps?" Natasha kept silent. Malcolm realized that it was a very personal question and shouldn't be mentioned again.

They finally arrived at the station. Malcolm parked the car and turned to Natasha. "I'm sorry for not answering. I don't want you to think it was a wrong thing to ask. I just— it's just I always wanted to be a cop. But after my mother passed away... I didn't really like the idea of it." Malcolm nodded, with a sympathetic smile. "Jackie was a very lovely woman." It was odd for Natasha to get emotional in front of a stranger. But here she was. "Yeah... she was." Once calming herself down, Natasha leaped out of the car and followed Malcolm into the station. A couple of officers said their hello's to Natasha, some had a small chat with her, others waved. After greeting her father's workers, Natasha entered her father's office. She was brought into the biggest bear hug and swirled around in midair.

It was lovely to finally see her father, maybe after a couple of years. But there was one person she wanted to get to know and he stood in the doorway.