Chapter 3

As Natasha started to wake up, she noticed her injury straight away. It was a feeling that she could never describe if anyone asked her to "What am I going to do? Did I make the right choice?" Natasha thought to herself.

She starts to hear people talking near her, but she is unable to identify them at first. She makes an effort to push herself into a sitting position as soon as she is alert enough to move.

"Who are you, and what is your name?" Bruce asked.

The voice was Bruce's, and Natasha recognised it. She didn't understand why he was asking her who she was; Bruce knew who she was.

"Bruce," Natasha whispers.

"Tell me what you want and why you have come here," Bruce said.

"Bruce, it's me, Natasha," Natasha told him.

"No, Natasha died. She jumped off Vormir Cliff. Who are you, and what do you want?" Bruce asked.

Natasha notices both Bruce and Clint looking at her.

"I am me, and I can prove it," Natasha says.

"All right, fine. Don't make any sudden moves while We ask you a few questions. If you answer them correctly, or what we deem correctly, then we will consider believing you," Bruce told Natasha.

Clint made an effort to come up with a secret that only Natasha would know.

"What were the final words you said to me before you died?" Clint asked.

Natasha finds it difficult to recall; she only has partial memories of what happened.

"We thought over who would let go; you wanted it to be you, but I made sure it was me. I can only recall fragments of it, but I'm fairly certain that it was Let me go." Natasha told Clint.

Bruce turned to face Clint. "Is that correct?" he asked.

"Yes. I've never told anyone Natasha's last words," Clint said to Bruce. "Either she is Natasha, or someone else was also there that day that I don't know about," Clint told Bruce.

"If you really are Natasha, why are you alive when Clint saw you die?" Bruce asked.

"I don't really know apart from I woke up, and some guy was there and said I could return, but I had to have a permanent injury. A permanent price to pay for the second chance at life, or I could just cross over to the afterlife. Because of what Steve did with him putting the stones back in their original timelines, it reversed all the deaths of the people that died through a stone's power, or in place of a stone, basically because he got stuck in the past and he couldn't return until he was old and dying. It worked as some sort of sacrifice, and it gave us the chance to come back. There were apparently four others, but I don't know who they are," Natasha told Bruce.

"What about Tony?" "Do you think that includes him, given that he died as a result of the stones?" Clint asked Bruce.

"Tony's dead?" Natasha asks.

"Didn't that person tell you that?" Bruce asked, confused.

"No, they only informed me of what Steve had done and that you guys had obviously succeeded in killing Thanos and that I would wake up here, and also that there were four others like me," Natasha told Bruce and Clint.

"It seems like she's telling the truth," Bruce said.

"What were we going to call my youngest child if he was a girl?" Clint asked.

Natasha couldn't help but smirk at that. "Natasha," she told Clint.

"Were you?" Bruce asked.

"Yes," Clint responded, "but he was born a boy; therefore, we named him Nate instead," Clint told Bruce.

"How long have you been a Shield agent, and how did you become one?" Clint asked.

"In 2008, you were sent to kill me in Budapest, but you chose a different call. We spent days hiding in vents together while on a mission," Natasha told them.

Clint turned to Bruce and confirmed, "That is right."

"Okay, we believe you for now; we'll keep an eye on you, and even if you're really you, you've got to understand that we're sceptical since you were actually dead and now you're alive, and that's not a normal occurrence to happen," Bruce told Natasha.

"I understand," Natasha said.

"You claimed to have been hurt; what injury is it?" Clint asked.

"I was given the option between a brain or a back injury, the man said. A brain injury would result in persistent neck pain as well as blindness, deafness, and most likely other effects that are unknown. With the back injury, I would be paralysed from the waist down. I might be able to walk again, but not without assistance, and I wouldn't fully recover," Natasha told Clint, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

"I don't think someone would go as far as learning everything that she seems to know and faking an injury," Clint told Bruce.

"No, I don't think so; I think it's her, but we should be cautious just in case," Bruce told Clint.

Natasha didn't know how to prove to them that she was herself, and then she remembered something that only Clint knew except for her adopted family. So she knew that would guarantee Clint would trust her and believe it was her.

"I have a sister; technically, we are adopted. That's how I learned how to fly a plane, and all I could think about was her being safe," Natasha said.

Bruce looked at Clint and asked, "Is that the truth?"

"Yes, I know that no one but me has been told about it outside of their little adoptive family. Natasha always kept it a secret, it's something she didn't like talking about. There's no way someone else would know that and how to get to my house," Clint told Bruce.

"Fine, we believe you," Bruce told her.

"So you chose to come back with a permanent back injury?" Clint asked her, making sure he had heard her right.

"Yes, I thought you might need my help if there are any upcoming fights, And I wanted to be here for Yelena and maybe you and your family too," Natasha said with a smile. "If you were in the same position, you'd make the choice to, wouldn't you?" Natasha asked.

"We wouldn't have been hopeless. Without you, we would've learned how to cope and fight," Bruce told her.

"No, of course not. You would be a great team with half of us dead," Natasha said sarcastically.

"Yeah, that's Natasha; she's still got her sarcasm," Clint told Bruce.

"Well, if you really are injured like you said you are, then you're going to need a wheelchair," Bruce told Natasha.

"I know, and I'll have to learn how to adapt and how to fight with this new injury; it'll take time, but I'll be ok; I'm still going to be the fighter I was before; it's in my DNA; it's what I was trained to be; I can't get rid of that; I can only change it; I'll fight differently, but I'll still be able to fight," Natasha told Bruce and Clint.

Natasha gets stronger, more awake, and more alert throughout the day. Even though Clint now has greater faith in her, he still prevents his kids from going to see her out of concern that Natasha or the kids would become upset. He sits with the kids to tell them that the person downstairs is their Auntie Nat.

Laura leaves him to it and goes to see Natasha.

"Hey stranger," Laura said to Natasha while standing in the doorway.

Natasha glances and smiles. "Good to see you too, Laura," Natasha told her.

"If anyone can survive literal death, I guess it would be you," Laura told Natasha.

"What can I say except that you can't get rid of me that easily?" stated Natasha.

Laura laughed and went and sat in an armchair next to the sofa that Natasha was on.

"Apparently there's a permanent price to pay for this extra chance at life; Clint said you're going to be permanently injured," Laura told Natasha.

"Yes, there is, but it'll be OK," Natasha told Laura.

"Of course it will because we're here for you, and as always, you're free to stay here whenever you want, and if you ever need help—I'm not saying you will—but we will help if you do," Laura told Natasha.

A wheelchair for Natasha was then brought over by Bruce. He overheard Laura and Natasha talking.

"Am I interrupting you? I'm sorry." Bruce asked.

Laura assured him that it was OK.

Then Bruce's phone began to ring. He took it out of his pocket and checked the screen. The word "Tony" flashed.

"I have to go and answer this. I apologise," Bruce said.

"There is a need," "There's nothing to be sorry for; it's alright," Laura assured him.

Bruce then left the room to answer the phone.

"I notice that he has successfully combined Bruce Banner and the Hulk. When did that become a thing?" Laura asked.

"He spent some time alone and solved it during the snap in the five years you were gone. Who found me because I think I heard Clint say something about one of the kids finding me?" Natasha said, changing the topic.

Laura informed her, "Nate found you; he heard some noise, and he came down here to see what it was."

"Sorry about that; it must've been a lot for him and confusing," Natasha said.

"It's okay; I'll talk to him and try to explain this to him; he will be happy to have you back, as are we all," Laura told Natasha.

"I bet it was hard when the kids thought I was dead. I'm sorry." Natasha told Laura.

"I'm not going to lie to you because I know you're just going to work it out anyway. It was, but they will be happier now that you're back. We can talk to the kids and try to explain it," Laura told Natasha.

Natasha and Laura continue to talk to each other until Bruce eventually returns.

Bruce came into the room looking like he had seen a ghost. Natasha looked at him.

"Bruce, what's wrong?" Natasha asked.

"It's Tony; he's back; he's also returned just like you," Bruce informed Natasha.