TIME'S ONLY DARKNESS

A/N: It's been a while. I maintained some inspiration after receiving AoU for Christmas, so I picked up my laptop and started typing. Below is what came as a result. As you guys know, these aren't edited and they're short (since they're drabbles)

Time had become like a void. It's empty, spacious purpose flowing with nothing but utter darkness. The hands of a clock turning quickly into a useless mechanism distracting the world from anything and everything.

Natasha had been sitting until her butt grew numb in the black, leather chair whilst Steve stood, hands behind his back and mouth moving so fast the words had been jumbling together.

It usually was easy for her to open her ears and soak in the words spoken by the team leader, but there were days when even the best efforts resulted in hopeless defeat. And today was one of them.

"Thought you'd wanna know," Director Fury had said earlier that morning, passing the little screen to Natasha for what seemed like the millionth time that month. On the small screen was a lot of blue with small green blotches huddled together. On one was a little red dot, "my contacts found him camping out on an uninhabited island in Fiji." He was prominent and clear, "We haven't made contact. We're waiting for probable cause."

Nick was good like that. Most days his mouth was shut tighter than a clam in certain information. In fact, more times than none she had found herself brushing off moments of innate surprise when something had come to her attention that Nick didn't mention. However, this seemed the exception.

Since, her mind had wandered to the clouds. The new recruits had taken to sitting around a large table, twiddling their thumbs and showing little interest in Steve's instructions. If they considered "instructions." Now that she knew where he was, she fought a desperate urge to get up and find him. Make him pay for leaving her.

"You need to be ready for them." Steve finishes, gesturing to the new team, "Anything can come out of anywhere at any time," He insisted.

For a moment, zoning in on the Steve's instructions brought a little confusion. But then Steve's pre-instructions to her before her encounter with Nick on Bruce replays, "I think an exercise would benefit them," He had said, pausing for a moment, "they're inexperienced."

"It could do them some good," She had added, crossing her arms over her chest, "what do you have in mind?"

Steve had glanced down at a portable hologram monitor in his hand, "I don't know. Maybe a little versus. One on one."

"Strengths and weakness's. I like it. When do we start?"

"This afternoon."

And indeed it had started.

"Natasha?" A faded voice says, "Natasha?" Her eyes dart up to meet Steve whose no longer speaking. Rather, he glances at her from the front of the room. The chairs are now empty, and she can barely make out the sound of retreating steps down the hall, "Ready to get to work?"

Duty calls.