What Happened In Budapest *unedited*

Chapter 21: Extraction Squad

In my sleep-like state, I could still hear the shots, but my subconscious mind didn't process them for what they were. Instead, I took it as the clack of a match being lit. I saw my hands, my own hands brining the flame to an amber colored liquid- gasoline? - and setting a large building on fire.

I couldn't smell any of it, but I could feel the heat. And it was heat from a fire, but not the one I was seeing. The one outside the door that was real, real real real realrealreal.

"Natasha." I tore my eyes away from my hospital fire, shivering, and looked into a real fire. "Natasha." Tearing my eyes away from the flames, I rolled over, grunting in pain from the beating I had taken, and saw an agent. I had to squint until I recognized them but when I did, I sighed with relief.

"Oh, my god, Maria." I cried, overjoyed to see her. In a moment of weakness, I called her by her name. Not Hill, like she had ordered me to address her as.

She gave me one of her rare smiles and lugged me to my feet. "We have to get you and Barton out of here." She said. "Now."

The fire was consuming almost everything, and I could feel the heat on my face. Agent Hill pushed us out the door into the blaze.

"Turn right!" She screamed, catching up to us. We turned, and the three of us huddled together in a six-legged race. The three of us sprinted towards the large, smoking hole that was the exit only to be stopped.

"The Black Widow belongs to us!" The man yelled. Her eyes wide, Agent hill pushed me behind her and I scooped up a gun off the floor, trying not to stick my hand in the shallow pool of blood surrounding it. I didn't see a body.

"She does not belong to anyone!" Hill replied, calmly as ever. "She chooses her own sides."

With that, I launched myself over Hill and slammed into the man. The force toppled me over on top of him, but I jumped up and shot him twice- once, shakily in the arm, and the other straight through the brain.

I could feel the heat scorching my back, and I winced, but I pushed ahead. I was coughing from the smoke, and I couldn't see Clint or Hill. The heat, closely followed by the fire lapped at my heels, burning the skin. Screaming, I dragged myself to the exit. Clint and Hill were already standing on the other side of the hole.

I couldn't get there fast enough. The fire began licking at my legs, higher and higher. It burned, and it hurt.

So this is how they all died in the hospital. I thought, finally on the other side of the wall, next to Clint and Hill. They burned. Pain, so much pain... and completely my fault.

Right before passing out, I managed to wrap my arms around Clint's neck as he carried me across the field.

~_~_~_~_~

I woke up in what was clearly a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. The walls were white and I was strapped into a bed, tubes poking out of my arms. My legs were heavily bandaged and my brain felt fuzzy, like it was stuffed with cotton.

Unable to keep my eyes open, I fell asleep.

The next time I woke up, my brain had less cotton wads in it. Everything hurt, my body ached, and I was hungry. It took me a while to realize I wasn't alone. Clint was in a (white) chair next to my bed, but he was fast asleep, his head resting on the edge of the bed. I smiled, and lifted one of my arms to gently place my hand onto of his head.

Exhausted from all the moving, I closed my eyes.

The smell of food jolted me awake, but I was disappointed. Clint wasn't there, and what I had to eat was little. I managed a few bites, and deciding maybe I wasn't so hungry anymore, I put my fork down.

The door opened, and Clint walked in. "We're home, Tasha."

You should have seen the smile on his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Uhm, this is almost over?

I'm just writing the epilogue and then I have a surprise for y'all.

kisses!nufflepuff

p.s. thank you so much for all your support guys. It means so much.

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