➶ ｡˚ ° ➶ ｡˚ ➶ ｡˚ 
(𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐂𝐀𝐑)
CHAPTER ONE ----

2016

It was a fairly sunny day in the small Italian town, Rosalie's shoulder-length brown hair fell into her face as she signed the alphabet with the small boy. The other students had already made it home, but the little boy's mom was running late, so she sat with him and gave him a little extra help. "Sono così, così dispiaciuto. Che sono in ritardo" (I'm so, so sorry that I'm late.) Rosalie shook her head, "No, no va bene! Ha anche fatto un po' di pratica in più. Non è vero?" (No, no it's fine. He even got some extra practice in. Isn't that right?) the last part directed at the small boy, he signed back, "si! Grazie signorina Barton" (Yes, yes thank you, Miss Barton)

Rosalie talked to his mom about how much the child had improved, when she noticed a flash of a red braid out of the corner of her eye. The ex-Shield Agent wrapped up her conversation with the woman quickly, Rosalie lived just around the corner from the small deaf school she taught at, so that's the first place she headed, in a very cautious manner. She just knew something was wrong.

The door was slightly cracked open when she came to it, and there was a clear sign that someone had broken the lock, she reached for her stashed away handgun before pushing the door open with her boot. 

She pressed close to the walls, white paint chipping away from them, much like her brother, she was one to start project after project, the house never fully complete. Rosalie clicked the safety off of her gun, cringing as the sound seemed to echo across the hard floors. "So che sei qui" (I know you're here) she spoke, she knew someone was there, she just wasn't prepared to find out who it specifically was.

"lo so" (I know) the voice spoke from the kitchen, Rosalie froze immediately recognizing the familiar voice. Jaw clenched she took a few more steps forward through the small space. Rosalie kept her gun out in front of her as she rounded the corner coming face to face with none other than,

Natasha Romanoff.

Rosalie really was never expecting to hear the woman's voice outside of the sound of forced press conferences, that they played on the tv...not that there was much of that going on. There was a manhunt for her and Steve Rogers,  the famed Captain America. 

The ex-Shield Agent used to envy that life as a child, one where she could be the hero, one where she was helping others. One where she wasn't moving from place to place. One where she wasn't living day-to-day.

She guessed she had that life now, a stable home, a stable income, helping deaf children. Then how come it never felt like enough.

"Agent Romanoff never thought I'd see the day." Rosalie still had her weapon trained on the unarmed redhead, "What the hell are you doing here?" the brunette questioned, brown eyes studying Natasha's face. "What do you mean? Can't a wanted fugitive drop by to say hi to an old friend?" Rosalie rolled her eyes at Natasha's dry sarcastic tone.

"So, are you going to put your gun down or..." the redhead tried, "Nah, I think I'll put a bullet in your leg." Natasha sighed, before leaning against the counter, "Look, Rosalie, if I could've gone to anyone else, I would've."

Rosalie wasn't sure what hurt her more, the fact that she was the last possible option of people Natasha would reach out to, or the fact that Natasha couldn't reach out to anyone else, she was completely alone.

"Oh yeah, I heard all about the Avengers divorce from Clint." the brunette finally lowered her gun, clicking the safety back on, Natasha shot her a look, "Don't look at me like that," Rosalie spoke pointedly, Natasha set several vials that were filled with a red liquid on the counter, "What's that?" the brunette questioned, the red glowing vials piquing her interest, "I was hoping you could help me find that out."

"I'm not an agent anymore Romanoff, I'm a teacher who lives a calm and collected life." she set the vials back down sliding them back to Natasha, "I can't have you dragging me into this. I left Shield for a reason."

The red-haired woman tapped her fingertips against the table, "You can't tell me you don't miss it, I know you, Rosie." the brunette scoffed, "Oh yeah, sure. You know me as Agent 17, your ex-girlfriend." Natasha flinched ever so slightly at her words, "Ya know, it took me three and a half years to build a life outside of Shield...outside of you."

The redhead exhaled sharply, "You're right. I never should have come here."Natasha collected the vials sticking them back in her jacket pocket, already walking halfway across the room, Rosalie shook her head, emotion welling up inside her, "No, you don't get to come here and just leave again."

"Well, what do you want me to do Rosalie?" Natasha asked, turning back to the brunette, "I'm on the run, I need to figure out what the hell this shit is and why Yelena who I haven't seen in twenty years sent it to me." the redhead rambled, Rosalie's head snapped in Natasha's direction at the mention of a certain individual. 

Natasha was still rambling on, and Rosalie carefully took a step forward gently resting her hand on the woman's shoulder. She tensed up at first, her words pausing, then she leaned into the brunette's soft touch. "Yelena? Like your little sister Yelena?" Rosalie questioned, and Natasha nodded, placing a slip of paper in the brunette's free hand.

She glanced down at it a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips, it was a strip of photos, a small blonde girl, and a blue-haired Natasha, making silly faces at the camera. "Blue hair, eh?" Rosalie teased, "Kinda fruity." Natasha gently whacked Rosalie's shoulder, "Shut up, Ro."

Rosalie didn't like the way that within five minutes of seeing the redhead again, she was already comfortable, falling into the same rhythm of love. Like nothing had ever happened.

"I'll help you," Rosalie whispered, "Do you have any idea where Yelena is?" the brunette asked, as she walked across the room to a bookcase, running her index finger across the books until finding one, and gently pulling it out causing the bookcase to swing open, "Wha...I'm not even gonna ask."

Natasha had learned not to question the woman many years ago, it was also something new and inventive that Rosalie came up with. Rosalie Barton was always creative and fast to think on her feet, it's why she made such a good field agent, always on top of things and good under pressure. 

This life that Rosalie had created, didn't quite fit, she loved teaching her students, but she did miss Shield, that life that pretty much no two days were the same. And most of all she missed the red-haired woman standing in front of her.

Rosalie quirked an eyebrow at Natasha, "Let's find out what the red glowy stuff is," she pulled out basically a whole ass lab from the wall, "Shall we?" Natasha stared at her, looking between her and the newly revealed lab equipment, "Where did that even come from?" the brunette shrugged, picking up one of the red glowing vials, "How did she send this to you anyways, like how'd she know where to even find you?" Rosalie asked, "I mean I wasn't even sure where to look." the brunette noted, 

"She's in Budapest," Natasha paused walking over to the kitchen, "What? How'd you figure that one out...I don't even know why I just asked you that. You are Natasha freaking Romanoff." Rosalie tapped a few buttons, before the mechanical voice spoke, "Unidentified substance." 

"I know it's an unidentified substance, you are supposed to tell me what it is." Natasha looked at the brunette with a smirk, "Are you talking to inanimate objects again?"

Rosalie's head snapped in the redhead's direction, "Shut up, don't be mean." she glared, and Natasha laughed lightly, the brunette turned back towards the device in annoyance. How dare Tony Stark's device not work correctly.

Metal Man 

R: Your all amazing invention is being completely unhelpful

Metal Man is typing...

R: DON'T YOU DARE IGNORE ME STARK

R: I SWEAR I WILL GO THE WHOLE WAY TO NEW YORK AND DRAG YOUR ASS TO ITALY MYSELF

Metal Man: What now Rosana Bishop?

R: You're really never going to let that alias go, are you?

Metal Man: Absolutely not. What can I do for you, Mini Barton?

R: Well.

R: YOUR MACHINE IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY AT THE LITERAL ONLY TIME I NEED IT TO

Metal Man: You might hurt "that machine's" feelings

R: TONY IT IS A MACHINE. IT DOES NOT HAVE FEELINGS.

Metal Man: :((

R: I'm not saying sorry.

Metal Man: :((

R: Fine. Have it your way. I'm SoRrY

R:....PlEaSe HeLp Me FiX iT

Metal Man: What seems to be the problem.

R: It won't identify the substance. It literally just said "Unidentified substance."

Metal Man: Are you dumb?

R: *gasp* That was mean....No?

Metal Man: Give the damn thing a minute Rose.

---

"Substance identified." the mechanical voice whirred, a soft "Oh." was spoken as the brunette looked down at her phone awkwardly. "Who you texting Ro?" the redhead asked stealing away her phone, "Please don't-"

"Oh." Natasha spoke, reading the contact name, "You didn't tell him I was here did you?" the redhead asked defensively, "No...no I would never. I'm not dumb, Natasha." 

The machine beeped behind the two women, "Substance identified."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

OOOO CHAPTER ONE  IS HEREEEEEEEEEEE

-VIA