"Are you sure you want to head to this party tonight? You're still healing we can just call it a quits and head home." Annie voiced her concerns as they sat in one of the living areas of the newly revamped Avengers tower. Her hand held a vice like drip on Clint's thigh as she looked at him still partially convinced that he could disappear at any moment and this was some cooked up figment of her imagination. 

"Annie I promise you I'm feeling much better, is there something going on? If you don't want to go tonight we can use my injury. I'd rather you not feel uncomfortable." Clint had turned from watching the TV to looking directly at Annie, he could easily tell that there was something wrong. He knew that she hadn't been telling him everything the day he was shot, yet didn't want to pressure her into sharing something until she was comfortable.

"After everything I just want to get home and back to the comforts of our place." 

"We'll stay a couple hours, grab Nat and head home. You can let her know when you two go and get ready together." Clint's bright smile only caused Annie to feel guilt. He was doing so much to make her feel comfortable but she still maintained this secret, one she knew would ruin his mental state.

"Yeah I suppose." Annie sighed as she spoke the grip she had on Clint's thigh getting just a little tighter. 

"You and Nat are getting ready together right? You two always get ready together for something like this."

"Normally yeah, I just don't really want to be leaving your side." Annie was not lying entirely. She was terrified of being a couple rooms away from the dirty blonde who had a knack of injuring himself at this moment in time. But she was also not sure she would be able to spend such a length of time with Natasha alone after what she had witnessed a few days prior. The two women had not spoken since that day, they were both avoiding each other to the best of their abilities in this moment in time. 

"Oh Annie I love you so much. I adore just how much you care for me but I promise I'm safe here, I'm safer here than anywhere else at this moment in time. I will call for you the second I need you, it's okay for you to leave to get ready. I'll wait for you and we can walk in together." Clint had taken her hand from his thigh and into his own as he squeezed it for the comfort. 

"Promise."

"Oh darling I promise." 

Having failed to get out of the event tonight, Annie did find herself having to get herself ready and looking put together enough for the party. Yes most of her team had now seen her completely comfortable, without a lick of makeup on her face and post battle where she had been covered in blood and other nasty fluids. Yet this party was one which was not just for the team members and their close acquaintances, as Tony had invited who knows how many people. Annie therefore, would have to make herself presentable purely for these people she did not know. 

It was an unspoken rule that Natasha would come to Annie's room to get ready for any large event they both attended, it had been this way since before they were even dating. Annie was not sure she would see the red haired woman that night, yet she returned to her room regardless of that factor. Perhaps, she pondered for just a little while, that she was trying to hold onto hope that what she had witnessed was just a horrible misunderstanding, and that Natasha would turn up and thing could return to normal. Despite her harsh words, and further ignoring of the older woman Annie's feelings still ran deep the kind of love she held for Natasha was not one that would go away overnight or within a few days. And she too hoped that this was the same case, however Annie was not sure just how long the witnessed affair with Bruce had been going on for. 

It did appear as though Annie was just holding onto hope for a while as for the first hour she spent getting ready she was alone. And sure she spent a good amount of that time hating both outfit options she had packed for the event. Annie wished that she had perhaps brought the third option she had considered packing, so that she had just more than the one dress option, for the second she had tried that one on she hated it. Her second option, which was a suit matched with a silk blouse just was too formal. But she knew the last thing she could do was wear the dress, considering it made her feel that unpretty. 

Annie had other potential outfits she could see that she could make with some of the other clothes she had brought with her. It just felt a little strange that she would have to make the decision alone, it sucked but she supposed it was just the way the cookie crumbled. Sure she had friends who she could call, video call even and ask for their opinions on what she wanted to wear but it was not the same thing as having someone in the room to choose with you. The last few years had been a blessing in that aspect. 

Perhaps she had broadcast her dilemma just a little too loudly that it had made its way over the fraying mind link between her and Natasha. For as she only became more frustrated with herself, did Annie find the door opening and a familiar head of red hair peeking through into her room. 

"I know you're mad at me, you have every right to. But a little birdy told me you needed help." Natasha's voice was aprehensive in the manner of which she was slightly weary of entering the younger woman's room, Annie had never been violent towards Natasha other than in training but the ex assassin was aware she was on the teacher's bad side and really didn't want to overstep any new boundaries. 

"Come in, I have become a bit of a disaster." Annie decided it would be best to try to be civil, for only three of the team knew what had really conspired that day and just why there was such a rift between the two female members who had always been so close. 

"You're not going for the dress are you?" Natasha's voice gave away that Annie really had made a mistake packing the ghastly burgenday coloured dress. 

"I was hoping that I could just wear it once and then get rid of it, I'll donate it on the way home get it to someone who would actually enjoy wearing it."

"Suit pants it is, got an appropriate top?" Natasha had spotted the trousers sat on the bed and looked at them briefly before returning her attention back to Annie. 

"Not sure really." Annie shrugged as she spoke, she really did feel at her wicks end with this whole getting ready phase.

"What about that silk cami?"

"The one I wear to bed?" Annie tried not to sound so confused, she normally would not say anything about wearing the camisole as a top, had she not been wearing it to sleep in for the last few days. 

"Yeah, it'll be sexy."

"That could work for sure yeah."

"No jacket though, skip the jacket. Get dressed and I'll do your hair we're running a little close to time for you to do it yourself." Annie chose not to argue with this statement, perhaps her wishes had come true and Natasha was slowly coming back to her. 

It took her only a couple of minutes to get changed into the outfit for the night, and soon enough she was sat at the dressing table in the room getting the required makeup she needed lined up as Natasha came from behind to start on her hair. It took Annie not too long to do her makeup, the frequency of which she wore it had meant that she was slowly becoming rather fast at putting together her go to look. Natasha had at this point started to straighten Annie's hair. It was not like her hair needed a lot of straightening, after all it was pretty much straight naturally, it just laid nicer when straightened. The older woman was nearly done, the pair having sat in not quite comfortable silence during this time, when she spoke up.

"Did you tell Clint what you saw?" Natasha spoke as she turned her focus only to what she was doing and not the younger woman she could make eye contact with through the mirror. 

"No. No I didn't." Annie's voice was low as she responded, for the guilt she still felt about hiding this was eating away at her.

"You haven't?" Natasha seemed to be in disbelief regarding this fact.

"I don't know whether it's because I have this stupid belief that everything I saw was a trick of the light or what it is. We've been together for over five years Nat, part of me finds it impossible that you would cheat." Annie would not allow herself to cry at these words, despite the overwhelming urge to do so. 

"And the other part?" Natasha's own tone took on one of sadness.

"The other part, the other part of me is screaming that of course you would. That me and Clint just aren't what you want. That it all makes sense that the second you find someone who fits better than we do that it would all be over. And he does fit better doesn't he? Bruce that is, he can work out how to give you everything you've ever wanted but we couldn't. Us being a family just isn't enough for you." 

"Annie, it's not like that. You and Clint were enough, you were more than enough for these years. I just can't deny these feelings that are developing." Natasha's attempts at explaining her actions were not going to be enough for Annie, in fact she wished she had never gotten into this conversation, she should have ignored when the red haired woman brought it forwards. Heck she could have just turned her hearing aids off and looked downwards .

"We're not enough to keep you though." Natasha put down the hair straightener at Annie's words as she finally brought forth the confidence needed to look the other woman in the eyes. 

"Please Annie the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you." Natasha was pleading with the teacher hoping that, actually Natasha wasn't sure what she wanted in this moment, what she was holding out hope for. 

"People are going to get hurt no matter what relationship you choose to be a part of now Nat. And for some reason I don't think that person will be you." Annie scooted around the other woman as she decided it would be best to leave the room now before she did something she would regret. She just hoped that her ruby red glasses would be enough to hide just how red her eyes were underneath.