I had been watching Friends the whole morning. It was something I did from time to time, if I had nothing else to do. And as you know, I had nothing else to do. Ross and Rachel had just broken up again when I heard a knock on my door. Expecting it to be my dad I said " Come in." But it wasn't him who walked in. It was Natasha. I hadn't seen or heard from her since Germany, and I wasn't sure where we stood with one another.
" Hey little one." she said walking in. Little one, we must be on good terms if she used that nickname.
" Nat?" I asked confused " What are you doing here?" I though dad's team were all home.
" Saying goodbye." she said sitting down beside me on my bed.
" Saying goodbye?" I asked her now even more confused.
" Your dad knows I turned on him." she whispered.
" You did?" I asked. I didn't know that, what did she do?
" I thought you knew." she said.
" I didn't." I shook my head.
" Well, I did. I gotta leave before the authorities get a hold on me." she sighed. She was gonna run again? She finally had a home and now she needed to get a new one, again?
" Where are you going?" I asked, wanting to know where she would be.
" I don't know." was her answer. Did she really not know, or did she not want to tell me?
" Do you know where Steve is?" I tried, you never know.
" I also don't know that." she smiled, but it wasn't a happy smile. She didn't want to run, she didn't want to build up a whole new life again. But she had to.
" I'll miss you." I told her. She stroked my hair, like she always did when she tried to comfort me.
" I'll miss you too O."
" We'll find a way to stay in touch, won't we?" I asked hopeful.
" Of course." she smiled and pulled me into a hug. I was gonna miss her warm hugs. " Bye little one." she said letting go of me and going for the door.
" Bye Nat." I said before she closed the door. And then she was gone. Yet another one who I wouldn't see in a long time.
The rest of the day was pretty boring. Dad was gone most of the day visiting Rhodey and I just watched tv. Until 5 pm, when dad arrived with a group of agents following him inside. Next to him Secretary Ross, with his stern face. I put Inception on pause and stood up to greet them.
" Odette Stark." he greeted me.
" Secretary Ross." I said trying not to be angry at the man who had locked me and my friends in an underwater prison.
" Let's sit down to go over everything." he said. Dad guided us to the dining table and the three of us sat down. Dad and I on one side, Ross on the other. He put a document down on the table and pushed it towards me. " Your father read it on his way back here, I just need your autograph." he stated handing me a pen.
I looked at the papers, a lot of crap about the Sokovia accords of course, and on the last page my sentence. 2 months of house arrest, after that weekly check ups by a qualified CIA agent. If after the two months of house arrest, I would break the law, I would be send back to the underwater prison where Sam and Wanda were still being held.
I looked at dad wanting to know what he thought. It looked like he found it a good sentence. I should be lucky to have such a light sentence, I was home, with my family. So I took the pen and signed the contract. Ross took it back and put it in a secure briefcase.
" You're a lucky girl." Ross told me " If it wasn't for your dad you would still be in that cell." Oh how I wanted to punch him in the face, but I promised dad to stay calm, so I did.
I just gave him the fakest smile I had ever given anyone and said " Well, lucky me."
Back in the living room an agent put on my ankle band. Now if I would step outside the facility I would be put back in jail.
" Just one question." I said to Ross before he could leave " Will I be able to go on the roof? Or is that a big no go?"
He sighed " No, you can sit on your roof as much as you like."
Thank god, I could still watch the stars like I did with Wanda and Nat. When I got back from Rome we would lie on the roof almost every night. Gazing at the stars while Wanda told us all about the different constellations.