I'm writing this in the first-person point of view as I've never done that since I mostly hate the first person because it's a limited perspective. However, this is a Black Widow story, and she's so well liked that I think only getting her point of view will add to the story, not take away.

This is set during Avengers Endgame when Natasha is fighting with Clint over who gets to die. When she hits the water below, she doesn't actually die. Her soul dies in that world, but she is transported into the BTVS world at the moment Dawn is about to be sacrificed. What would happen if Natasha was there for Dawn? What if she was there for all of them and forced to live in the world with real monsters and no SHIELD? What would she do? Read the story if you want to know! Spoilers for Avengers End Game, so if you haven't watched it and plan to, stop reading now.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Black Widow character or any Avengers related back story/characters. Nor do I own BTVS. Both are the property of the late great Stan Lee and very much alive Joss Whedon.

Chapter 1: Natasha

*****Vormir*****

I wasn't about to let the greatest man I've ever known die—not when he'd done so much for me. I fought with Clint for the right to sacrifice for the Soul Stone—the fate of the known universe depended on us getting this stone. Did we know when we were sent to Vormir that one of us would have to die? No. Would it have mattered? Not at all.

As the Black Widow, I work with some exceptional men, and many would conclude that Steve Rogers—aka Captain America was the greatest of all of my many male co-workers. Some would argue that Tony Stark, who risked life and bank account often was the best.

They would be wrong.

As the only totally pure human, Clint was the greatest man I'd ever known (up to that point anyway). He'd not just saved my life that time he refused to assassinate me and instead recruited me—he'd saved my soul. I paid him back the way I'd been trained with sex, but he didn't use me that way for long. Instead, he gave me something I needed far more than a lover—he gave me a home, a family. He was my best friend, my brother. His children were my niece and nephews—his wife, a saint who'd given him the home he'd longed for. I wasn't about to let them lose their father.

On the cliff side that day, I had made up my mind that I didn't have it in me to let him die in my place. We were going to defeat Thanos, and his family would be brought back to him. He would be whole again, and I would make this final sacrifice for him. I could repay him for all he'd done for me—I wasn't going to fail him now. My ledger had too much red on it.

I managed to beat Clint because he could never bring himself to really hurt a woman, especially not me. Not to mention, he was deadlier with an arrow than with his hands. However, I knew he would fall with me before he would let me go, and I saw the pain in his eyes as he desperately tried to hold onto me and keep me from falling. It was up to me—I would have to force him to let me go.

Love for him filled me. "It's okay," I told him before pushing off and ripping my hand from his. Our eyes connected for a long moment. He was my other half, so words weren't necessary. The look said everything. I loved him.

He loved me—the first man who ever did. He taught me what love was and what it could be. I had been too broken back when we first met to allow him to love me as a lover, but he loved me as a friend and sister. I was sorry that the last thing I ever did for him would hurt him, but it had to be done.

He had to live.

I felt both peace and relief as I fell, and then everything went black.

Suddenly, I was free falling once again—not at all what I expected. I saw a giant metal tower of some kind and positioned my body so that I would hit it, knowing I needed something to stop my fall.

I hit it hard, rattling the structure, and a girl screamed. I looked and saw a young girl with long brown hair. She was terrified, standing on the edge of the tower, her hands tied in front of her. Somehow, she managed to not lose her balance.

What the hell is this? No time to study the situation as action was immediately needed.

"It's okay," I assured her. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Where did you come from? Are you one of Glory's minions?" she asked, her terror apparent.

Smiling, I shook my head. "I'm not exactly sure where I came from. I was on another planet, and now I'm here. I'm definitely no one's minion," I said.

The girl frantically looked at her body. "But I'm not bleeding yet, so I couldn't have opened a portal. How did you get here?" she asked.

"You can open portals? That's cool," I said. "How about we get down from this tower? It doesn't look safe."

"Watch out!" she screamed.

I turned and saw some Poindexter looking old man holding a knife, coming toward me. Clearly, he was a bad guy. There was only one way to handle bad guys.

"You mustn't interfere. Glorificus's will be done," he said.

Smirking, I used my leg to sweep his out from under him, and then I knocked him off the tower. Not bothering to see what happened to him, I held out my hand to the girl. "Come on. Let's go down. This isn't the best place to get to know one another," I said.

The girl smiled. "Okay," she said as she took my hand. "I'm Dawn—Dawn Summers. My sister Buffy is the vampire slayer. She's down there, hopefully kicking Glory's ass." She pointed below where I could barely make out several people fighting.

"I'm Nat—Natasha," I said automatically. Should I use one of my legends? Falling from the sky wasn't a new one for me, but since I previously been plunging to my death on another planet, I was feeling more than a little disorientated.

We moved down the stairs and a blonde guy in black leather was coming up. He looked at us in surprise.

"Bit, are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes, Nat saved me. She came from the sky—I think she might be an angel," Dawn said, giving me a look of hero worship that I rarely took time to see.

"No, I'm not an angel," I told them. "I'm not sure how I got here, but I'm glad I could help."

"That's Spike—he's a vampire, but we don't kill him 'cause he's got this chip in his head to keep him from hurting humans," Dawn said. "He's my friend."

"How about you not tell strangers my bloody business?" the British vampire named Spike said, giving her a cross look.

Since the kid didn't look at all intimidated by his glare, I relaxed and kept following him down the stairs.

"Dawn!" a voice called out.

Before I could react, my face was hit hard, and I was torn away from Dawn.

I blinked, rubbing my face as the vampire grinned at me. "Big Sis is a hit first and ask questions later kind of girl," he said.

I saw that Dawn was embracing my attacker, so I relaxed and nodded. "I can appreciate that," I said. Looking around, I saw an adult with glasses, getting up from the ground, a dead body at his feet. He was the oldest, so I assumed he was in charge.

I walked over to him. "Hello. Are you in charge here?" I asked.

The man took off his glasses, and I looked into his weary eyes as he gave a half-smile. "Sometimes," he said. He, too, had a British accent. For some reason, the nerdy appeal of this man made me smile in return. "And you are?"

"Natasha," I said before wincing. Why did I give him my real name? Was I a rookie? "Natasha Rushman." That was better. That legend gave me fond memories of pulling one over on Tony—I missed that know-it-all already.

"She saved me," Dawn said from behind.

I turned and looked at the group that was slowly surrounding me. Besides the vampire and her sister, there were two women holding hands. One was redheaded, but she seemed much more dangerous than anyone else.

Why was that?

A man was helping a woman up from the ground, checking her for injuries.

"Is it over? Did we stop her?" the woman asked, holding onto the man's hands.

"Glory is dead," the older Brit said to them, pointing at the body by his feet.

"That's Ben," Dawn said.

"Ben was Glory," he said. "He was the earthly vessel, containing her. Buffy beat her into hiding inside him, so he was in control."

"I couldn't kill him," Buffy admitted, looking ashamed of the fact.

"I know," the Brit said, giving her a loving look. "I took care of it."

The group showed various degrees of surprise from his news. Relief was the most prominent, but Buffy looked grateful.

"What about all these people?" the younger man asked, pointing to a nearby group. "Are they sane again? Now that Glory is dead."

"The energy she sucked out of their brains might've returned," Giles said. "We have no way of knowing unless we speak to them."

"Anya and I will do that," he said, looking at his girlfriend—it was obvious. "Then I'm taking her to the hospital to be checked out. A bunch of rubble fell on her."

"My head and ribs hurt," Anya said. "I don't want to talk to crazy people. I've had enough of crazy people." She looked at Dawn and Buffy. "I'm glad you're not dead, Dawnie. I'm glad that the portal hasn't opened, sucking all my money into hell."

"And that we're all safe," the man said to her, a fond smile on his face.

"Well, of course," Anya said with a sniff. "If we were dead, I couldn't watch my money grow, and you wouldn't be able to give me orgasms."

Buffy laughed while the redheaded woman gave Anya a disgusted look. Dawn, though, giggled. "And on that note, let's get out of here," Buffy said, her arm around her sister.

She looked up at the tower and then at her sister. Her piercing gaze met mine. This was a deadly predator, I realized.

"Miss Rushman, if you would like to join us?" the older Brit asked.

"And you are?" I asked.

"Rupert. Rupert Giles," he introduced. "How did you come to be here?"

"I'm not exactly sure how to answer that," I admitted.

"That's fine. Explanations can wait until we've gotten some rest and took care of injuries," Rupert said.

"Giles, we have no idea who she is," Buffy said, giving me the stink eye.

I appreciated her protectiveness and smiled. "I'm Natasha Rushman," I said.

The redhead frowned. "No, I don't think that's true," she said.

"Willow, we mustn't be rude," Rupert said, frowning. "She aided Dawn, possibly preventing the world from ending. She deserves our courtesy."

I liked this Brit more and more and smiled warmly at him. "I'm glad I could help," I told them.

"She came from the sky and fell on the tower," Dawn explained. "Then she kept that Doc give from cutting me with his big knife."

"So she did stop the ceremony," Rupert said, giving me a friendly smile. "We are most grateful."

"She said she was on another planet," Dawn added.

Why had I told the girl that? I felt Fury's disapproval and sighed in resignation. I started to explain when Rupert held up his hand.

"Explanations can wait," he said. "We know she's not a threat, so we can regroup later. You all need to go home and get some sleep. We'll meet back at the Magic Box in the morning."

"I think God was answering my prayers for help," Dawn said, smiling at me while her sister looked suspicious. I couldn't blame the girl if people were trying to literally sacrifice her sister.

"Willow and I will help with Glory's victims," the other blonde said.

Rupert smiled. "Thanks, Tara," he said. "Might I add how wonderful it is to have you back."

Tara gave her a shy smile and led the redheaded Willow to a nearby group of lost looking people.

"She is dangerous," I remarked.

"Willow?" he asked, and I nodded. "She can be. She's a very powerful witch."

The idea that this place had someone like Wanda made me relax. "Where am I exactly?" I ventured to ask.

"Sunnydale, California," Rupert said.

I was on Earth—that was wonderful news.

"Home of a very powerful hellmouth. It draws a lot of demons and other creatures like Glory, who want to channel its power for nefarious purposes, which was Glory's aim," he said.

A hellmouth? This couldn't possibly be my Earth.

I had a sick feeling in my stomach as I followed the man to his car.

*****The Next Day*****

Rupert took me to his apartment, behaving like the perfect gentleman he seemed to be. I slept on his pull-out couch and debated on what to tell him. Trusting strangers was not the way I was built, but there was something about Rupert. It was clear that he knew about sacrifice and loyalty. How he came to be in charge of a group of young adults was not clear until he shared a bit more over the breakfast that he made for me.

"I understand being wary of trusting strangers," he said. "But if you are lost or need help, we can help you."

"I do better with the trust when I know the players," I said, taking a gamble.

Rupert smiled. "Well, all right," he said.

I'm not sure what made him decide to trust me with his and his charges' secrets, but he began telling me an extraordinary tale.

I thought I'd heard everything until he told me about his slayer and the past five years.

"Why are you sharing all this with me?" I asked, not sure what his angle was.

"Because you saved Dawn, who is necessary for Buffy's happiness, and who I care a great deal about," he said.

"They've both been through too much. Their mother was sick and died of complications from a brain tumor just a few months ago. Buffy had to drop out of school to help care for her and Dawn. Then that hell goddess, Glory, wanted to use Dawn in a blood sacrifice ritual."

"Why?" I asked. What was so special about that kid? "Is it because she can open portals? She told me that."

Rupert frowned. "Dawn's special, and she's never opened a portal," he said. "But Glory was convinced that her blood and that precise spot and time could do it."

"Why her?" I asked.

He clearly didn't want to share that particular detail. "That's not my secret to tell," he finally said.

I nodded. I could respect that.

"So now you. What's your story?" he asked.

"I'm not sure exactly," I admitted. "I'm an Avenger." When he gave me a blank look, I said, "Earth's mightiest heroes?"

"I can't say I'm familiar with the group," he said. "This isn't my homeland, and the kids say I'm woefully behind the times."

"It's possible this isn't my Earth," I announced, waiting for his reaction.

He just nodded. "That's possible," he said.

"I was on the planet Vormir looking for a Soul Stone to stop Thanos, who had wiped out half of the world population with a snap of his finger," I said.

"Well, that wasn't on this planet, so you are most definitely on the wrong earth," he said.

I had a sinking feeling that he wasn't wrong.

*****A Month Later*****

I can't believe how strange and normal my life on this Earth has become. As a SHIELD agent, I saw a lot of things and did a lot of things that were very much out of the ordinary. However, since I landed on this alternate Earth, my life was vastly different. Sure, I tried to see if the planet had SHIELD or anyone I knew. There weren't any doppelgangers of anyone I knew. No SHIELD and no Hydra.

No Clint. No Fury. Not even a Tony Stark.

Instead, vampires and demons were real, and the only thing standing in the way of the planet's destruction was a few twenty-year olds, one very ancient ex-demon, and a neutered vampire.

Of course, I could not forget the leader of the motley crew, my anchor Rupert Giles.

He had been a good friend to me this past month. First, he smoothed the way with me and his young charges. His slayer was beyond pissed when she found out that Rupert had trusted me with their secrets. I let her have her say and then I told her to shut up.

"I'm a trained spy, a government agent from another Earth," I informed her. All her friends and sister were there at the time. "I can help you because it's very clear you guys are in need of help."

"We do just fine," Buffy said with a sullen look in her eyes.

She didn't relax until I kicked her ass in hand-to-hand.

"You can't be human," she said as she picked herself up for the tenth time. I was breathing heavy and hurt in places I'd not hurt in a long time, but I'd pass out before admitting it. She was the alpha dog, but I wasn't about to be her bitch. Buffy was hanging on by a ragged edge, and her friends were too close to her to see it. She needed help, and I was going to help her.

Whether she liked it or not.

"I'm human—mostly," I said. "I was born Natasha Romanoff, a Russian asset. They used a version of a super serum on me. I don't have the strength of Captain America or you for that matter. But I don't tire easily, and I'm tough. Not to mention, I've got over two decades of fighting experience that you don't have." I had told the group about my own experiences fighting crime and monsters—aliens specifically.

"You speak Russian?" Dawn asked. "That's so cool! Will you teach me? Giles is teaching me Latin, Greek, and Sumerian, but the school only has Spanish and French."

"I can teach you Russian," I said, smiling at the girl. She was a sweetheart and had latched onto me like a homing beacon.

That was three weeks ago. Now, Buffy had decided it wasn't appropriate for me to be on Giles' couch anymore, so I was living with them. They told all her mom's friends that I was her mom's sister come to help with Dawn. Spike hooked me up with fake credentials. It was decided I could be Natasha Romanoff, a half-sister of Joyce Summers. The girls had insisted I take her mother's room after they went through her things. She was taller than me, so most of her clothes I couldn't use. She had expensive taste in toiletries, so I was happy to have them.

Buffy was wary at first, but she was clearly warming up to me. I think she finally saw how much it was to her advantage to have me fighting with her—and I did fight with her. She was special, and I admired the hell out of her—out of all of them really.

Tony would flip out if he knew how little they had to fight such threats. I was just glad I was being drawn into their world and allowed to help them.

Well, I couldn't exactly say that things were great with Willow, who was not at all like Wanda I soon discovered. I didn't trust her, and she sensed my distrust. It made her try too hard to please me at times. At other times, it made her openly hostile toward me. She had power, but I could see that it was not normal or always benevolent power. Her girlfriend Tara was a real sweetheart, and I questioned her extensively about their magic and Willow's power. Of course, Tara had no idea that I was a skilled investigator and knew how to get information out of just about anyone. She was without guile or malice and putty in my hands.

I meant no harm, but I needed intel. Dawn told me just about everything I needed to know about the group. However, witchcraft was out of my realm of experience, and Tara was raised by a mother who knew the craft. Tara not only told me everything I wanted to know about her, magic, and Willow, but she showed me how to call the four corners. That's how we discovered that I could use magic if I wanted to learn.

I really didn't as the energy from the hellmouth kept me from sleeping too many nights as it was. Using magic seemed like cheating—almost lazy. Buffy smirked knowingly when I said that in front of her and Rupert. However, Rupert convinced me that magic would just be one of many weapons in my arsenal.

Then he suggested I go with him to England and take some lessons from his witch friends in Devon. It was the middle of June by this point, and the girls were out of school for another eight weeks at least. A trip to Europe sounded pretty great—I couldn't recall the last time I'd had an actual vacation.

It was decided that the Summer girls needed a break, too. Willow and Tara would help Spike patrol for two weeks or so, and then Buffy would return home to relieve them. School didn't start until the end of August, so Willow and Tara would join Giles and get some training from the Devon coven, too. This way the entire group got a break. Anya refused to leave her money, and Xander was happy with a long weekend in Los Angeles with his girlfriend. I suspected the two would be announcing an engagement soon.

I didn't care who went, but it was nice getting to play tourist with the kids. They had never been to Europe, and I spoke pretty much every language on the continent—much to Rupert's delighted surprise. He spoke French fluently, but mostly read dead and obscure languages. I was teaching him Russian, though, as he wanted to learn with Dawn.

He was very sweet. Maybe someday, I'd take him to my homeland.

Although I had only been on the hellmouth a bit more than a month, I didn't realize how negative and dark the place was until I left it and went to Rupert's family home in London. Buffy and Dawn felt lighter the moment they made it to Los Angeles.

Seeing Buffy without the weight of her responsibility was an eye opener. It was like she was a different person. Of course, she ran off at the airport to go kill a demon she sensed. Luckily, she didn't get any demon goo on her clothes. I had to agree with the slayer—demon blood was the worse. I quickly began to hate it as much as she did. Vampires, though, were another kettle of fish.

They were my favorite thing ever to kill. One stab to the heart and even the body dissolves. The lack of science in that would drive Tony nuts. I smiled every time I killed one.

At first, I had spent days searching for a way back to my world. Then Rupert made me realize that I'd given my life there for the Soul Stone, so maybe this was my chance for a life here—with them. I wasn't sure if he meant that as innocently as he appeared. Sometimes, I felt a vibe from him, but he was so British and polite that I wasn't sure. It's been ages since I'd been around guys that weren't American. American men were so bold and confident. Most Brits were subtle and polite—Spike being the exception, of course.

When I dyed my blonde locks red again, he smiled and then blushed. "You look lovely," he said.

I grinned. "I do?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. That was when he blushed. God, he was cute.

"Quite so," he said. He had such a manner of speaking—it was quickly growing on me. No longer did he remind me of JARVIS when he spoke—although like JARVIS, he was knowledgeable about a great many things.

"Why the change?" he asked me.

"Well, you've got three blondes already, and I thought a fourth was an overkill," I told him with a wink. He blushed again.

"What's your natural color?" he asked.

I shrugged. "It's been so long that I couldn't tell you," I admitted.

Our European vacation was so nice that I almost forgot that there was a hellmouth waiting for us when we returned.

*****Several Months Later*****

It was my first Christmas on the hellmouth, and I found that I missed Clint, Laura, and their kids quite a bit.

The girls sensed I was sad, and they didn't push. It was their first Christmas without their mother, so they were pretty damn sad themselves.

Their father had made plans to take them to dinner for Christmas Eve. While we were in Europe, I located him in Spain and gave him a stern talking to. That was my version of events anyway. Being out of touch and leaving Buffy and Dawn to bury their mother alone got him a bloody nose. I told him that if he didn't step up and start making an effort to come to Sunnydale once a month, I would kick his ass.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Joyce's half-sister," I told him. "We didn't grow up together because my father seduced her mother one weekend. When I was born, they agreed that he would take me. Joyce and I only met once as an adult due to my job with the CIA." I almost believed my tale. Mentioning the CIA got the fear response I was looking for. It took effort to hide my smile of satisfaction.

"She never told me about you," he said, frowning.

"She never told me you were such an ass," I replied.

"Fine. I can take Dawn and have her live with me in Los Angeles if she wants," he offered.

"She doesn't want to leave her sister or friends," I said. "It would be nice if you kept in touch—don't change your number without telling them. Don't go on trips without letting them know how to reach you. Invite them to Los Angeles every other month. You know—be a good dad."

Hank looked ashamed and nodded. "I can do that," he said. "Where are they now?"

I told him about our trip, and he agreed to join us in two days, surprising them with dinner.

That was how the Summer sisters reconciled with their father. I had enough of my own daddy issues and didn't want them to have the same problem. Luckily for them, he kept his word. Once a month, both girls saw their father, and he called once a week. I think both girls had forgiven him for his absence the past two years or so.

Christmas was low-key as Giles had gone home. Willow and Tara went on a trip to visit her parents at a ski resort in Colorado. They were excited to see snow for Christmas. Xander and Anya's wedding was planned for New Year's Eve. The plan was to party until midnight after the eight o'clock ceremony, ringing in the new year as husband and wife. When we had all returned from our European vacation, they had announced their engagement.

Xander had some misgivings, but I talked to him about it. Life was too short—if he loved her and wanted to marry her, he should. Fatherhood could wait as long as he wanted. The fact that he could love and trust a woman who used to curse men for a living said a lot about him.

I worried about him because he reminded me of Clint sometimes—he loved his girls and devoted his life to them. Anya was willing to share him even if she resented it sometimes. She loved him enough to know that he needed to help Buffy. I began working with him in September, honing his fighting skills. He was a brawler like Spike, but I taught him a more disciplined approach to fighting. I got Willow to turn to science more and create my favorite electrified fighting sticks, and Xander and Anya both kept one in their arsenals. It was great for downing a large demon when they were caught by surprised.

I had discovered that nearly all demon species would back away after getting an electric shock.

When I had been in Europe with Rupert, he had told me about his council and how they didn't pay Buffy. By the time I left, that was one tradition those old geezers were happy to give up.

I didn't tell Rupert, but I used a few variations of a honey trap to blackmail both Travers and a few other council members. No need for violence with the Brits. Just a hint of scandal was enough to have them scrambling to pay Buffy money. It was criminal the way they were exploiting those kids, and I made it really clear I'd destroy the lot of them if things didn't change.

They believed me.

Along with bonuses to her friends for each apocalypse they helped stop, Buffy would receive a monthly paycheck for her work as a slayer. It was ten percent more than what they were paying Rupert. Buffy about fainted the first time she saw the check, and Rupert was impressed I'd gotten money out of the skinflints—as he called them.

Thanks to the council, Xander and Anya had enough for a down payment on a house—Anya was overjoyed. She informed anyone who would listen that real estate was an investment, and they were no longer throwing away money on rent. Her joy in avarice never failed to amuse me. Sometimes, I would picture her and Tony together and laughed. He would have gotten a big kick out of the former demon, who loved capitalism more than anyone I had ever met.

Buffy's school tuition was being paid by the council, and she was able to return back to school. She didn't go back to the dorms, however. Instead, she spent time with Dawn—even seeing a counselor with her. The past few months, all of us settled into a comfortable routine. Thanks to my training, Buffy now surpassed me some days. She was a sponge when it came to weapons training and fighting. Rarely did I have to show her a move twice—she was the best sparring partner I'd ever had. Fury would've given a kidney to have someone like her on his team.

Her ability to sense evil was getting sharper all the time. Sometimes, I actually felt like the proud aunt I was pretending to be.

As we exchanged gifts Christmas morning, it was just the three of us. Dinner was happening later with Xander, Anya, Spike, and Spike's demon friend Clem.

Buffy gushed over the throwing stars I got her while Dawn loved the new jacket I gave her.

Buffy handed me a package. I opened it and looked down at the framed photo of her and Dawn with me. Rupert had taken the photo a month earlier on Thanksgiving.

"I thought we could add it to the mantle," she said, giving me a shy smile. Only in the emotional department was this girl ever vulnerable—we were alike that way. Her simple gift really touched me.

"Thanks," I said. I stood and placed it on the mantle.

Somehow, I had found a home and a family on the mouth of hell.

Somewhere, Clint was laughing.

*****The End*****

I hope you enjoyed my first ever 1st person point of view tale. I don't claim to be an expert on the Black Widow in anyway. I'd love a review if you have the time and inclination. Thanks for reading!