Chapter Text
[BREAKING NEWS - NATASHA ROMANOFF DECIDED TO CALL IT QUITS?]
Amidst casting rumours and at the height of her career, A-list Actress Natasha Romanoff (34), caused quite a stir in the industry when she suddenly announced her indefinite hiatus during a press conference held by her agency, SHIELD Entertainment, earlier today.
Romanoff, who began her career in the entertainment industry as a child actress, rose to stardom with the nationwide success of The Black Widow, a TV series which spanned six seasons with Romanoff playing the titular character since 2009. She won numerous awards and accolades from her performance as Natalia Alianovna, a Russian spy and assassin who defected to the United States. The actress also starred in many other prominent movies of different genres, all of which made significant marks in her career, making her one of the most versatile actresses in the last decade. Romanoff had been a fan favourite to star as the lead female character in Alexander Pierce’s upcoming movie - one which film critics have penned to be highly acclaimed and predicted to be award-sweeping. Alas, it is clear now that that would no longer be happening.
Subsequent of her announcement earlier this afternoon, Romanoff refused to give further comments regarding her decision, merely citing this as a much needed break. While she expressed her gratitude to her fans for their continuous support in the entirety of her career, Romanoff sought for their kind understanding in this current situation, and to respect her wish of going on an indefinite hiatus.
Her agency, SHIELD Entertainment, had reportedly been equally shocked at Romanoff’s decision which, understandingly, had been decided solely by the actress herself. Even so, her manager, Nick Fury (63), has requested for everyone to give the actress some space, and to refrain from making baseless rumours regarding her decision. When contacted, fellow co-star and best friend, Maria Hill (36), had refused to make any comments as well, even though it was rather apparent that she had no idea Romanoff would pull this stunt without warning.
In recent development just half an hour ago, it has been reported that Romanoff has left her condominium in Manhattan, and that her current whereabouts are unknown.
For more updates on our favourite celebrity, stay tuned to Marvel Channel 616. This is Christine Everhart, have a pleasant evening.
In all honesty, Natasha did not expect things to spiral out of control like this when she stepped into the press conference earlier that day.
When her agency had contacted her days before to let her know that they were planning on holding a press conference for her, Natasha hadn’t so much as even dreamed of spewing those words that had inevitably escaped her without warning that afternoon. The initial objective of the press conference was simple; address the unwarranted dating rumours that had been floating about in the internet between her and Dr. Bruce Banner, a scientist she’d met in one of Tony Stark’s gala dinner, an acquaintance she’d gone out for dinner with once.
She and Bruce were just friends, for goodness sake, but the public was never going to believe that. Much to her chagrin, she had appeared on the front cover of various gossip magazines the next week with headlines that nearly made her scream.
“The Black Widow at it Again - a New Fling?”
“A Football Player, a Lawyer, an Actor, and Now a Scientist? Natasha Romanoff’s Myriad Taste in Men!”
“Say Goodbye to Matt Murdock, Say Hello to Bruce Banner - Natasha Romanoff’s New Romance!”
“Remaining Truthful to Her Titular Character’s Namesake, the Black Widow Finds a New Prey!”
She was supposed to be immune to those rumours and gossip - Natasha should have known better. Public opinion of her, both good and bad, has never left since the day she was thrown into the spotlight, when she went from being a supporting child actress in a family sitcom to the lead actress in a primetime television series. Years and years of being in the entertainment industry, through harsh experiences and reality checks, had taught her to compartmentalise, focusing only on the positive and ignoring the negative. It was a daily mantra for her, one that she held close to her heart because it was all she could do to protect herself from being hurt by unnecessary comments from people she didn’t even know.
But as she sat in that cramped hall that afternoon, surrounded by so many cameras and journalists just waiting to pounce on her, Natasha found herself in a state of agony, of not being able to breathe. She felt suffocated for some reason, even though doing a press conference wasn’t something that was unusual for her. She had quite literally grown up giving statements and interviews, so this was supposed to be a breeze, just one of the many press conferences she had participated in throughout her career. She even had a script ready in front of her, for goodness sake!
When Fury finished his opening statement and directed everyone’s attention to her instead, Natasha didn’t know how to explain it, but at that moment, she felt tired . Exhausted beyond belief. Even though she had told herself repeatedly that public opinion of her didn’t matter, Natasha knew that deep down, it did . Devastatingly so.
In hindsight, she probably should have seen it coming. She thought of the days when she used to be so passionate in acting and receiving projects and casting offers; rumours that Alexander Pierce had been eyeing her to be his female lead would have set her excitement straight through the roof if it occurred five years ago. Today, casting offers no longer sounded as appealing as they used to be. Nothing sounded interesting anymore, even though Natasha acknowledged one or two partial scripts that she thought had brilliant plots. It was just that, she no longer had the drive to commit herself to a new project. All she wanted to do was to curl in her bed and sleep so Natasha began to reject those offers. Fury merely raised an eyebrow, but did not question her decision. He figured that she was making space for Alexander Pierce’s offer, which they all had anticipated but had not reached her yet. She wasn’t.
Acting was supposed to be her dream, and for the longest time, it had been that. But something happened between those lines, something she couldn’t exactly explain, because one second Natasha had thought of acting as the only thing she could do, something she would devote her entire life to, and the next second, Natasha had shuddered at the thought of being behind cameras and screens. Suddenly, acting was no longer her dream. If anything, she had learned to loathe it. When she looked into the mirror, Natasha had come to realise that she no longer recognised the person in her reflection.
In the midst of chasing after shooting stars, she had lost herself in the abyss of the galaxy.
“Natasha?” Fury had called out her name, covering his hand over his microphone. He raised one eyebrow slightly, gesturing for her to say something. It snapped her out of her reverie, and Natasha cleared her throat. “Good afternoon.” She began slowly, trying to redirect her attention at the swarm of journalists and reporters in front of her, the flash from their cameras going off a few times. She didn’t even so much as squirm, having been used to it. “Thank you all for coming today. I believe there is something I ought to clarify to the public.”
Natasha had forced those words out from her mouth. Words she didn’t believe in; there was absolutely nothing that she owed to the public, not a clarification, not a single word. They had no rights to meddle in her private life in the first place. She gave an inward sigh. That was the problem, wasn’t it? Being a celebrity meant signing away your privacy to the eyes of the public, to the front covers of gossip magazines - she was well aware of that.
The cameras clicked away as journalists began to scribble on their notepads, or to type on their laptops. Natasha swallowed the bitter bile rising in her throat, glancing at the piece of paper in front of her. “Um,” She hated how vulnerable she felt at that moment, how pathetic it was that she had to clarify a platonic friendship she shared with another individual. Natasha sucked in her breath, then exhaled.
Her eyes had glossed over the words on the paper, words she’d memorised from reading it multiple times during the car ride earlier, words crafted by her publicist that were approved by her agency; Dr. Banner and I are really just friends. I can assure you that I am not dating him, nor am I dating anyone else. I doubt I have time for that, not with my priority being my upcoming projects.
Needless to say, those were not the words that tumbled out from her lips. If they were, then Natasha wouldn’t have had to hear the gasps that rippled across the entire hall in a split second. She wouldn’t have had to witness Fury snapping his head in surprise (and nothing ever surprises that man) at her direction, his eyes widening. She wouldn’t have had to excuse herself calmly - another facade, because she was trembling from head to toe, the weight of her words finally sinking in.
She really should have just said what she was supposed to say. Then this frenzy of panic from everyone in the industry wouldn’t have happened. This sudden rush to pack her bags, and her impulsive decision to fly halfway across the country, then take a one hour boat ride to the most secluded place that she could think of, were probably not the best ways in salvaging the damage she had caused.
But as she stepped out of the boat, donned only in earthly tones, baseball cap and sunglasses, eyes taking in the calm, foreign surroundings, Natasha had an epiphany. A moment where her breath was caught in her throat, heart pounding in realisation that she had really done it this time. She had really left everything behind, all her glam and fame, glory and pride. For a moment there, Natasha forgot about the responsibilities she had tossed into the wind, all the potential unanswered texts and missed calls from Fury, and probably a bunch of other people she didn’t quite care about. She watched the few people around her, walking past her without even so much as glance her way. They were all in their own world, uncaring about the visitor standing awkwardly on the dock with her Gucci duffle bag. For the first time in a long time, Natasha was invisible.
And it made her smile.
Natasha wandered around aimlessly until she spotted a dingy looking motel near the end of the street. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the small little reception area, where an old, grumpy woman sat behind the counter. There was no acknowledgement from the old woman that she had heard a potential customer walking in, so Natasha had to clear her throat loudly to get her attention.
“Good evening,” She said tersely, removing her baseball cap, but not her sunglasses - just in case . “Room for one, please?”
The old woman glanced at her briefly, her face impassive and completely unimpressed - much to Natasha’s obvious relief. Instead, she grunted, pushing a sort of logbook across the countertop - another relief to Natasha that this motel was as traditional as it could get. “Name, social security number or passport number and signature. 50 dollars per night.”
She scribbled across the page with the first name that popped into her mind, and then paused. She wasn’t going to risk using her credit card in case people (read: her agency) could track her whereabouts, so Natasha took a few notes from her purse and placed them on the countertop. “I’d like to stay for one week.”
The old woman muttered something beneath her breath that Natasha didn’t catch, but she figured that all was right, since she had accepted her money without another word thrown in her direction. Natasha watched as the old woman issued her a receipt, before dropping a key onto the countertop loudly. She huffed in a disgruntled tone, and Natasha was left wondering if this old woman was held at gunpoint to work here, or coerced in some manner of undue influence to be at the front desk.
“Enjoy your stay, Ms. Rushman.” The old woman said in a robotic, rehearsed manner, clearly meaning none of her words. “Welcome to Alaska.”
Once she had settled down in the small-but-surprisingly-cosier-than-expected room, Natasha spared a glance at her black device peeking out from her handbag. The second she had made the decision to go off grid, Natasha had switched off her phone and left without looking back. She was almost afraid to switch it back on, knowing the amount of missed calls and texts she would have gotten by now, and most of them would be from people she could care less about.
She took another deep breath before pressing the power button. Natasha did it only because she didn’t want Fury to worry about her - she hated her job, not her manager. Knowing that Fury would probably not rest until he heard from her again, the least Natasha could do was to assure him that she was alright. The second her phone was powered on, Natasha heard all the notifications beeping in, continuously and relentlessly for a solid 30 seconds, before all was silent again.
Scrolling past her notifications so that she could at least get a rough idea of what to expect in the future, Natasha decided to call her best friend instead. Somehow, the thought of speaking to Fury at this moment was unsettling, almost as though she was ashamed of herself for letting him down. The dialling tune barely even started playing when she heard a click, followed by -
“Natasha, what on earth? Please tell me you’re alright.”
Natasha sighed in reflex, covering her face with her hand before flopping down onto the bed. “I’m fine, Maria.”
“What happened? ” Maria asked, calming down almost at once, even though Natasha could still sense the hint of trepidation in her tone. “Where are you? Why did you up and leave like that without any warning? Did you really mean what you said during the press conference?”
She didn’t answer her at once. Instead, Natasha resorted to just staring at the ceiling on top of her. “I don’t know.” She replied eventually. “But I don’t regret what I did.”
Her best friend sighed a little, but Natasha knew it wasn’t one that was judging her for what she had just said. It was one that was more of a worry than anything. “Can you at least tell me where you are now?”
“Not yet.” Natasha answered softly, closing her eyes. “I need some time alone.”
“Okay.” Maria accepted her response slowly. Natasha knew that it was never in her best friend’s nature to pry unnecessarily, anyway. “But you’re safe, right? Like really, really alright?”
The corners of Natasha’s lips tugged upward slightly. She nodded by reflex, even though she knew Maria couldn’t see her. “Don’t worry about me. I’m a tough girl. You know that.”
She heard Maria chuckling from the other line. “Of course I do. Look, Nat, I don’t know what’s going on but I’m always here for you. Pepper, too. Promise me you will keep in touch, at least by texts.”
“I will, Maria.” She promised, then asked. “Can you do me a favour?”
“What is it ?”
“Tell Fury not to worry about me. Tell him I’m fine and that I’ll contact him soon. I just don’t think I can face him now.”
“Of course.” Maria answered easily. “But he’s not going to be pleased to hear that you’ve quite literally disappeared from the face of the earth.”
“He’ll be fine.” Natasha shrugged nonchalantly. “And tell him not to come looking for me. I really...I just really need some time to think everything through.”
“Okay, Nat.” Maria paused. “ So what are you planning to do now?”
Natasha lapsed into another silence as she thought of an appropriate reply. She drew in another breath before saying, “I’d like to find myself again.”
In the two weeks that had gone by in a blink of an eye, Natasha had explored most of the little town she had sought unexpected refuge in. In her time of exploring, Natasha had been as stealthy as possible, avoiding the crowd and exercising the most minimal amount of interaction with the people around her. She had no idea if the stars were aligned for her or if she really was that good at being discreet, but no one showed any recognition of knowing who she was. The best part was that when Natasha passed by a magazine stall, almost expecting to see her face plastered on each and every cover of all the entertainment magazines, she was pleasantly surprised to find that the stall only had issues dated three months back.
Needless to say, Natasha was relieved beyond words. She belatedly decided that she wasn’t going to leave this town for a long time, at least until she figured out the way forward, what she wanted to do with her life now.
There was one slight, teeny, tiny problem, though.
Natasha didn’t expect to ever hear herself thinking about this but she almost wanted to laugh at her current predicament; how could someone with a net worth of 100 million be in this situation where she was running out of cash? At least, literally, because she wasn’t going to use her credit cards nor was she even going to withdraw money from the ATM machine. There can be no room for risk, and Natasha was adamant in keeping herself off the radar.
Based on a rough calculation and factoring food and laundry into the bill, Natasha knew that at best, she could only extend her stay one last time at the motel for no more than two days. She ran a hand through her hair in mild frustration, cursing herself for not properly planning this long-term getaway. If she had done that, Natasha would have withdrawn more money to keep in her stash. Now, she had two more days before she would lose the roof over her head (oh, the irony wasn’t lost, trust her) - what was she going to do now?
“Good evening, Ms. Rushman.”
Natasha nearly jumped out of her skin when the grumpy old receptionist greeted her from the counter the second she stepped inside - now that was a first. She whirled around, composing herself quickly before darting a polite smile at the old woman - Mabel, Natasha had found out just a few days ago, was her name. “Good evening, Mabel.”
Mabel did not smile back. Instead, she grunted. “You’re finally checking out tomorrow, aren’t you?”
“Um,” Natasha hesitated. “Maybe?”
The crease in Mabel’s forehead deepened. “Maybe?”
The redhead sighed before taking a few steps forward towards the counter. “I might extend my stay here...again.”
Mabel did not look impressed at all, which to be honest, was extremely odd. Did she not want any business for this motel? Shouldn’t she be grateful that someone was willing to stay here for so many days? Natasha shifted her feet uncomfortably, Mabel’s stare wearing her confidence down.
“I’m going to ask you something and I hope you’ll be truthful.” Mabel began again after a short pause, and Natasha’s heart immediately started racing. Shit, was her first thought; Mabel has realised who she is, was her second. Natasha felt the lump in her throat, but then furrowed her eyebrows when she realised that Mabel’s expression had softened drastically. “Are you hiding from someone? An abusive husband, perhaps?”
Natasha swore her heart nearly flew out of her chest. It was not a sentence she had expected to hear, but anything was better than what she had in mind. Before she could say anything though, Natasha figured her expression must have gave her away, that brief moment of fear where her truth was out in the open - which Mabel was probably misinterpreting as a silent agreement to her question, because the old woman heaved a sigh dramatically and reached forward to grasp Natasha’s hand.
“You’re a brave young woman.” She simply stated in such a kind manner that nearly threw Natasha into a state of utmost confusion. This was not the Mabel she knew. The old Mabel would never have spoken two full sentences to her, let alone smiled at her. This new Mabel was rendering her completely speechless instead.
“What…” Natasha tried to find the words in her mouth, deciding to go along with what Mabel believed in. “What gave away?”
“You’ve been paying us cash twice in a row.” Mabel shrugged lightly, just as Natasha took out her sunglasses, using that chance to avoid looking at the old woman. “Your behaviour, in general. You’re always so cautious of your surroundings. And you jump each time someone walks through the door, as though you’re half expecting someone to rush towards you and pull you away. Not to mention you’re always wearing sunglasses. There’s no reason to hide such pretty eyes unless you absolutely have to.”
That was seriously a whole lot of words at one go, coming from someone who barely spoke to her in the two weeks she was lodging in this place - and did Mabel actually said her eyes were pretty? Natasha did not allow her expression to betray her thoughts, even though she could sense a tinge of red creeping onto her cheeks. “Wow, Mabel.” She laughed dryly. “Were you secretly a detective before this?”
“Honey,” Mabel leaned forward. “I’m flattered, but you’re honestly just too obvious.”
Natasha bit her lower lip nervously. “Really?”
“If you’re planning on staying in this town for a long term, you should probably lose that cap and sunglasses. Do you see anyone else wearing those in this town?” Mabel wagged a finger in her direction. “I don’t think so.”
She couldn’t help it - Natasha started to chuckle. Purely out of amusement. “Old habits die hard, Mabel.”
“I know.” Mabel dismissed her with a wave of her hand in the air. “You’re a city girl and that’s what all of you do. But you’re in a town that is cold throughout the entire year, with barely any sun. We don’t need caps or sunglasses here, Ms. Rushman. You want to blend in and not attract attention? Heed my advice and stop wearing those.”
Natasha took in all of her words slowly. She nodded, in the end. “Thank you.” was all she said, unsure of what else to say. She would have left the conversation as that, if not because Mabel asked her another question just as she was prepared to edge away. “How long are you extending your stay here for?”
She lowered her gaze. “I can only afford two more days, tops.”
“But you wish to stay in this town longer, don’t you?”
Natasha nodded.
“Why don’t you try finding a job here?” Mabel suggested nonchalantly before gesturing at the notice board in the corridor. “I’m sure some places are hiring.”
The suggestion from Mabel was simple, yet it made a whole lot of sense. Of course, why didn’t she think about that? Look for a job! She was open to that idea, of course - here, she was not an actress, but someone merely wanting tranquility. That was the only way she was going to get money, the only way she was going to be able to stay in this town longer.
Natasha made her way quickly towards the notice board, noticing a few vacancies at once. Her heart swelled in anticipation as her eyes glided across the advertisements - Natasha was sure that the universe was either trying to mock her, or help her, because three out of four of those job opportunities were retail; being a sales lady, someone who had to always be talking .
No, that was way too risky. She wasn’t too worried about the locals, but what if there was a tourist who would end up recognising her? Natasha shuddered at that thought alone.
She glanced at the last advertisement on the furthest left, and Natasha’s breath hitched. It was a simple flyer, barely any words on it, but she was immediately drawn by it. Because this job wouldn’t require her to speak to customers that could potentially expose her identity, this job wouldn’t require her to be in a crowd. No, this job was located somewhere near the outskirts of this town. It was a job where she wouldn’t need to interact with human beings, a job where no one would notice her, or even think twice of looking for her because it was simply the last place anyone would expect A-list Actress Natasha Romanoff to be caught in, let alone working in.
It was a farm job. A freaking farm was hiring.
Natasha could not believe she was saying this, but this job opportunity was perfect.