Catch a snake

"Well then... start talking." said Natasha, her tone highly annoyed. She did not know why, but there was something about Romanoff standing here so confidently without a care in the world, as if he had time in his hands. This annoyed Natasha at all, could he be anymore serious?

He was acting as if the police were not on their way already, and quite frankly Natasha did not care how this looked, she wanted answers and if he didn't give her the answers she needed before the Police got here, she would personally strangle him herself.

"Ahh Natasha, always so eager to get what you want. You inherited that trait from your lovely mother." said Romanoff as he smiled and Natasha scoffed.

"Don't talk about my mother, instead start talking and explaining the reason you waited this long before breaking out of prison." she said, she could feel herself close to breaking her limit.

She just hated it when Romanoff spoke about her parents, especially about her mother. It certainly was a soft spot for her and she knew that he was aware of that, hence why he kept on mentioning that.

"Do you know the best way to catch a snake devochka (girl)?" he asked as Natasha narrowed her eyes at him.

"By setting up bait." Romanoff said, answering his own question.

"In order to catch a snake, you need to bait it, to trap it with something you know is irresistible to it. In other words, you need a rat to catch a snake." said Romanoff as he smiled.

"You see, sometimes you believe that you can live in peace with a snake, but you're wrong." he said.

"Snakes are slippery, disloyal creatures that are selfish and who only care for themselves." said Romanoff the spite evident in his tone.

"And unfortunately we have snakes around us. They are in our daily lives, hiding in plain sight, waiting for the day to strike us down with their venom." said Romanoff as Natasha narrowed her eyes at him, wondering where exactly this was going.

"So when you have a snake problem you need to get rid of them, and the best way to do that is to tempt them with bait that they cannot refuse." said Romanoff as he smiled.

"Your analogy is really not necessary Romanoff, what do snakes and rats have to do with your ploy to break out of prison?" she asked, the irritation in her tone evident, she had no doubt in her mind that Dom would be on his way to look for her right about now, and she still hadn't got any answers.

"Oh but it is devochka (girl)." he said with a smile.

"Snakes think that it is much more easier to catch their prey when they are caged." said Romanoff as he smiled.

"But that is far from the truth." he said, his voice erupting in laughter.

"I will not lie to you devochka (girl), when I said that I needed to pay for my crimes and all the pain that I put the people I care about through, I meant it sincerely. And I definitely stayed in prison for that sole reason, but that was not the only part of my reason." said Romanoff.

"You see, you only know the true enemies of a man when he is in his worst phase in life." he said.

"And my imprisonment showed me those who were truly loyal to me and those who were not." he said.

"So I had some time to reflect and think about my life and my actions, and one thing was for sure, there were definitely worse people than me who were free and yet I was serving time for something I was not directly involved in." he said.

"And I knew that my enemies were rejoicing at my downfall. I decided to let them enjoy for a few months while planning my escape, a way that would make me come out triumphant in the end." he said.

"So I just waited patiently for the law to catch up with that idiot who thought that he was rejoicing." said Romanoff with a scoff.

"So Igor is the snake and you're the rat?" asked Natasha as she began to piece all the information together.

"Exactly, the only reason that idiot stayed around was to watch me suffer some more, and I knew that Agent Dians would be relentless in catching him, and right I was." said Romanoff as he laughed.

"That mu-dak (sh*thead) really thought that I would remain in prison while he continued living in freedom? God forbid, he really thought that he had won, well I showed him... who is behind bars now and who's free?" asked Romanoff as his laughter continued.

"So you planned all this deliberately just so that Igor would be in prison while you are free?" she asked.

"Exactly devochka (girl) as soon as I heard of his arrest I began to plan my escape. I had some outside contacts and inside contacts and that's how I supposedly got sulphur poisoning, and I borrowed a few men from my close friend to help me get away from the police." said Romanoff.

"But then how did you fake your death? How did you fool everyone into believing that you were actually dead?" she asked.

"That devochka (girl) I cannot tell you, for the sake of your own safety." he said with a smile as Natasha scoffed.

"So you told me to come here and yet you told Jean to stay away?" she asked.

"I don't want my Jeanie to be stressed. I will reach out to her when I can, but you...I knew that you would refuse to believe that I actually died, I knew that you would want to know my reasons and why I did what I did, and that was why I asked that you come pay you last respects." said Romanoff.

"Last respects my foot, you are perfectly alive and well." said Natasha as she scoffed as Romanoff just smiled.

"Well that is it devochka (girl). That is what happened and that is why I decided to escape now." he said with a smile.

"You do know that now that you have told me all this, there is no way that I can possibly let you go." she said as she stepped foward.

"The police are on their way and I followed you, I am sure that there is no way you will be able to escape before they arrive." she said as she stopped right in front of him.

"I admire your confidence devochka (girl), but do you really think that you will be able to me?" he asked as he laughed.

Natasha did not even wait for him to stop laughing, instead she instantly made a move to deliver a blow to his lower abdomen.

Romanoff could not lie that he had not expected that sort of quick attack, he was taken off guard and pushed back as she had hit him in a sore spot. He had only just woken up after his body was dangerously thrown out a his casket. In order words, he was still a little bit tired, but he could not show Natasha that.

Natasha might have been quick, young and full of strength, but he definitely had more experience than she had in combat.

Romanoff steadied himself as he sighed and smiled, shaking his head as Natasha proceeded to try to kick him in the same spot seeing his initial reaction.

Romanoff had seen her intention following the train of her eyes and he was able to catch her foot and throw her back before she could land another hit on him.

Natasha cried out in minor pain as she landed on the ground with a thud. She instantly got up as Romanoff moved closer to her, he did not attempt to hit her, but that did not stop her from hitting him continuously as he remained unaffected. 

She wondered if between the time she first hit him and now, if he had injected himself with something numbing, because she could not explain his tolerance to the pain she was inflicting on him.

Her punches were hard and firm with the intent of causing him pain and yet she could not see any results at all.

As if Romanoff suddenly realized that he was out of time. He held Natasha's fist and he threw her back as she tripped on a rock and lost her footing, landing on the ground.

As Romanoff towered above her she instantly moved her leg to sweep him off his feet as that seemed to work and she quickly stood up and stepped on his hand.

"Stop resisting and stay still." she said as Romanoff chuckled and pulled her leg causing her to fall as it was his turn to pin her down. He held her neck with his hands, and yet he did not apply any force at all.

"What are you waiting for? Strangle me, kill me if you want to." said Natasha boldly as she stared into his eyes and he sighed.

"Natasha, I would never kill you. Never, but that's no way to treat your elders, you should be more respectful." he said as Natasha scoffed.

"You're a coward, you're running away again. You're running just like you always do, hiding in the shadows, watching from the darkness." she said.

"I have no other choice. Believe me Natasha, if things were different, I would stop running, I would stop hiding, and then maybe I could have a normal life and be around those I care about...but it's not possible." he said as his gaze softened dramatically.

"Natasha!!!!" came Dom's voice from the distance as both Romanoff and Natasha turned their heads in the direction that they heard his voice.