What Happened In Budapest *unedited*

Chapter 20: In Case We Die...

The morning of our second attempt at escape came without us knowing. I woke up curled in a ball, with Clint's arms around me, and even looking around at the dark cell, I felt safe nested with him. I closed my eyes until a gentle tap came from the door.
I jumped away from Clint, thankfully not waking him up, and curled up on the other side of the room. I wouldn't let them hurt him just to hurt me, or vice versa. I never thought I'd say this about a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent- but I'd they killed him, I don't know of I would have the energy to move on.
The door creaked open and a little girl crept in. She couldn't have been more than seven but she came over to me and patiently waited until I turned over with both my eyes open.
"I'm sorry," she said, speaking in Russian. "I'm sorry they keep you in here. Are you the bird?"
I smile, knowing she means Clint. "N-" I say, but then, before I go on I have a horrible thought. What if they sent her to interrogate us? That's what they did to me, they made me ask questions, and I was her age.
I shrink back and the girl looks shocked. "I'm not trying to hurt you!" She cries. "I want to help you escape! I heard about the other one, you did a good job, you're just not familiar with the doors." Her Russian is impeccable.
"Are you sure?" I croak.
"Yes." She says firmly. "I don't like this. Any of this. It's not like the fairy tales."
Fairy tales, I think. What- oh. Right.
"You know, Cinderella, and Sleeping beauty."
"Yeah," I whisper, tired again. My body hurts, my soul hurts, I just want out. "How are you helping us escape?"
"Well, mommy and I are going to help. She wanted me to tell you." She flashes a gap-toothed smile at me. I attempt to smile back, but it feels like a grimace.
"When is she coming?" I ask.
"Now," A woman, me walks in.
She holds up her palm and says "I'm not you." When I gape. My mouth closes, but I still want to scream. Tears tear at my eyes. This is a thing from my past, not my present not my future. I whimper and let some tears escape from my eyes. My copycat. Even though I've seen them before, it's painful to see them up close and real.
"I'm not going to hurt you," she says. "Toni already explained-"
"'Tasha?" Clint. "Why are you- oh wait. That's not you." I know "Tasha, are you okay?" No. "Tasha. Tasha, you need to answer me. Are you okay?" No! I'm not. And I am.
"Oh, Tasha." Ignoring the clone and her daughter, he sleepily crawls over to me and wraps his arms around me. "Tasha," tears are outing down my face.
I don't care if they're here to help, I'm absolutely convinced that they're here to take me back. Back to the Red Room, where I did nothing but kill. Even those who were close.
Violent sobs take my body and the clone and the girl take a step back. Clint makes me feel safe, he's not going to let them take me back. He pulls me into his lap and runs his hand through my hair and kisses my forehead.
"It's okay," he says, then kisses my cheeks. "I'm here."
Clone clears her throat. "We need to get you out." English now.
"That would be nice," Clint says, his breathing as rhythmic as ever. I make my breathing match his, my face turned away from Clone.
"Today." The little girl says.
"And why is that so important?" Clint asks.
"We're shipping things out of the compound, first in a truck, then in a plane. It'll be easier to smuggle you out."
"Why... why are you helping?" My breathing matching matches Clint's.
"Not all of us take the Red Room's brainwashing as harshly as others. You took... more than your fair share."
Hear that? It's me. Shattering into a million pieces.
~
It's cramped in the back of the truck and Clint and I are tucked into the back corner, where they won't find us. My eyes are closed and Clint is doing everything he can in this limited space to make sure we're both comfortable.
"Clint,"
"Yeah?"
"If we die-"
"Please don't think that way."
"But in case we do,"
"Tasha," he tenses. "Do you hear that?"
The steady crunch of multiple boots... then doors opening and slamming, screaming. My screams- but not mine. Clone's.
They've found us.
My heart stops when the door opens.
"OUT." Someone screams. "COME OUT NOW."
The stuff in the truck begins to slide away from us, they're taking our all the boxes and crates until they find us.
And then- they have. They're dragging us out, me by my hair and Clint by his arm. My pants leg gets caught but they keep pulling, and whatever is left of the right knee gets ripped away.
Clint gasps, and I manage to look up long enough to see them put bullets into the girl- Toni, and Clone's head. They slump forward, lifeless.
Back in our cell, I start. "In case we-"
"I don't want to hear this."
In case we die, Clint Barton, I love you.
But I won't say it, because you don't want to think about the inevitable death.
I love you.
-~-~-~-~

Sorry this isn't in bold, but I had to type the story on my iPod cuz I'm on holiday!
And I just got wifi and the iPod part explains why it has 364,739,264,463 typos (I'm kidding...)
But yes! And I'm sorry the last part was so short... heh.
But this part is longer (not sure how many words) so I hope you enjoyed!

xxxx
nufflepuff