Story Name: Same Battle Different Battlefield.
Full Summary: Trapped inside her own mind, Black Widow must fight her toughest battle; herself. Meanwhile Hawkeye will stop at nothing to save her. Will they survive? Will things ever be the same again?
Author's Note: Back with a new story! Another superhero one, go figure! So this will be updated on Thursdays but I'm updating this now incase I can't this Thursday, so enjoy! It'll be a busy week for me! I kind of want to dance in each of the Avenger's cannon and not totally cannon pairings with their own tale. I've done Pepper and Tony, now Clint and Natasha! I was surprised with myself with this plot. Timeline wise in my own little Avengers AU is somewhere in the sixteen years between chapters 5 and 6 in Proof that Tony Stark has a Wait What? The summary sucks. Oh well, also I won't update after Saturday the 14th until the following Saturday. I'll be on vacation. But I won't slack off in my writing I'll have this story updated the moment after I retype it on my computer from my notepad! So I'll stop rambling and give you the disclaimer and chapter.
DISCLAIMER I DON'T OWN THE AVENGERS MARVEL DOES I ONLY OWN THE PLOT!
Prologue
Clint and Natasha, Natasha and Clint. Either way before the Avengers Initiative they were partners and considered each other friends. Before that when they came to S.H.I.E.L.D they duo knew nothing about each other when they met there was no chemistry there. Natasha greeted Clint in a very cold manner, Clint being used to warm receptions was offended and retaliated by being cold. When they were told that they would be partners and given their first assignment. It wasn't accomplished without the pair of them trying to better each other. As they got used to each other their relationship got warmer. They soon realized that their specific skills complimented each other. Clint in the back and Natasha fighting up front. Long distance and close range are the deadly pair that's taken down many foes.
After the Avengers Initiative began and Natasha first learned of Clint becoming compromised she reacted in a way that was more than the welfare of her partner and she had more concern than a friend should have. Natasha had shrugged it off and focused on getting her partner back.
When Natasha found out Loki had taken control of Clint she had swore that she'd do anything to get him back on their side, by her side. At the time she didn't know why she had thought that thought. Maybe it was because it felt unnatural for her to be without Clint standing next to her or as the other agents called it nesting somewhere, where she couldn't locate him but she felt his ever watchful gaze pass over her as he scanned the rooms. Maybe it was because they were facing a foe that no one could fight by themselves and live to tell the tale.
As Natasha was confronted with the Hulk when she was by herself she wondered briefly where Clint was but then she realized that he was the one who was probably leading the attack on S.H.I.E.L.D's base of operation. It was odd facing danger alone after years of having someone back you up.
Then she saw Clint, his eyes weren't his own, they weren't that his color blue-gray. She felt sorry for every blow that she had to land on her partner.
Once he finally came to as himself she allowed relief to wash over her. She had learned from a very early age that it was everyone for themselves and never put anyone before yourself. But this man with a dark past of his own was one of the nicest most honorable gentlemanly guys you would ever meet unless you threatened anyone that he was close to.
Clint while under Loki's influence still had some control over his actions, so when he attacked the Helicarrier he tried his hardest not to kill anyone, but unfortunately
he had ran into the one person he did not want to see because then they would most likely have to fight and hurt her and that was the last thing on his list.
He was a man with a past, the agents he worked with him knew that. They also knew that they shouldn't ask. But being partnered to Natasha the trained assassin, he learned that your past wasn't who you can be. So he had tried his hardest to show her that.
Some people would think that he's gone soft, mainly his old enemies and figures from his past. But he didn't care. Natasha when they had first met hadn't been a team player but Clint knew the value of teamwork so he had put up with her, and as the time they knew each other grew so did his feelings but he couldn't place what the feelings where for and what he wanted her to be to him.
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Chapter One
Clint sat comfortably in a tree. He was waiting for Natasha to get done with her recon so they can get a plan to grab the plans Fury so desperately. A owl landed on a branch to his right tilting his head listening for its quarry. Clint watched the bird as it took off and not five meters away from him did he see the bird swoop down and snatch its dinner.
"That's life for you, one minute you're fine the next an owl swoops down and kills you." He said quietly to himself.
"Hawkeye, if you're done with you morbid musings get down here!" Black Widow commanded. Returning from her scouting.
Hawkeye leapt easily from the tree landing silently beside the Black Widow. "What's up?" He asked.
"What's up? It appears that this isn't a normal hive." Black Widow answered.
"How so?" Hawkeye questioned.
"For one they have some sort of barrier but I can't find the source and there seems to be the leader here in person." Widow explained.
"So?" Hawkeye wasn't seeing anything strange so far, the source of the barrier could be hidden and this could be a big shipment.
Widow shot him a look that clearly said You're-being-an-idiot.
"What'd I do?" He asked bewildered.
"The leader seemed to be some sort of telepath. His men were responding to orders but they were never spoken."Clint shrugged. "Maybe they just know what they're doing?"
"No because the kinetic energy scanner was going wild." Widow answered.
"Alright." Hawkeye raised his hands in a mock surrender. "What's the plan?"
Widow began to explain how Hawkeye was going to cause a distraction by shooting flash bang and smoke bomb arrows. Once the distraction was doing its job Black Widow would slip in, hopefully undetected, and grab the plans. Neither were willing to fight the telepath, especially Hawkeye since last time someone messed with his mind he ended up almost wiping out Shield Headquarters. Black Widow was always weary of someone who could dig through someone's mind and take all their deepest secrets.
"On my count." She whispered as they made their way to the building, an old leather factory that's been abandoned for years.
They got to the corner of the building where they would split. "Three. Two. One. Go!" Widow said and she ran towards the door. Hawkeye took off down the other wall and climbed the fire escape once he was in position he shot his first arrow right in the middle of a large crowd.
The effect was the one that was expected. The men around the arrow jumped back and others made their way towards the commotion dropping the barrier at the door. He shot four other arrows and the desired commotion was created. He watched as Widow slipped into the building unnoticed. He saw her disappear down the main hallway. The initial shock of the arrows was wearing off now.
Hawkeye climbed to the roof, the brick was chipping and made good hand and foot holds. Running across the top of the roof and landing on the fire escape he sent in another four arrows. Causing another stir of confusion among the men below. He waited sending arrows a equally spaced intervals. Aiming at different parts of the main floor to cause more disorder. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Widow run back into the main room carrying the plans in one hand.
Widow thought this mission was going smoothly for what they were up against. Until she reemerged into the main room, Hawkeye was doing an excellent job at causing a commotion but in her brief pause she didn't notice the figure approach her from behind.
Hawkeye saw the telepath sneak up behind Natasha, before he could send in an arrow to warn his partner the telepath put his hands to his temples, nothing appeared to happen until Natasha was on the ground, unconscious, writhing around on the ground. Hawkeye taking no care for caution jumped through an open window on to the walkway. Then down to the main level. Taking out a regular arrow he notched into his bow and pointed towards the telepath.
In a low aggressive voice he said "Undo what you've done to her, now!"
"I can't." The telepath replied calmly.
"Why you did a damn good job of doing it to her in the first place." Hawkeye growled.
"True I did. But there's no way to undo this. From the out side. She has to fight her way out."
Hawkeye's eyes narrowed towards the telepath. Releasing his arrow into the telepath shoulder pining him to the wall. Clint crossed the distance between him and Natasha swiftly. As he reached her she let out a bloodcurdling scream.
He knelt down beside her. " 'Tasha, you'll be fine I swear to you!"
Natasha, if she knew he was there, which Hawkeye was willing to bet she didn't, did nothing to stop her squirming. Clint called in to the helicopter that was waiting for them to be ready to lift off the moment he was on bored and to alert the medical bay to be ready to receive a patient, while prison bay was getting a prisoner.
"You!" He spat towards the telepath. "Are coming with me and if you do anything to anyone I'll hear about it and you'll be sorry."
The telepath for his part look a little frightened by the hostility being shown to him. Hawkeye unceremoniously yanked the arrow out of the man's shoulder and put handcuffs on him. Then using a rope he secured the telepath to him by tying one end of the ropes to the handcuffs and the other to his belt. The he picked up his partner bridal style and began the walk to the helicopter. Hoping that there would be someway to help Black Widow. He stole a glance at her face it was displaying pure pain, something Black Widow would never allow to show if she was awake and functioning under her own free will. Clint sighed, one thing was sure is he was going to be bored without the constant friendly bickering that went on between them.
As he walked to the Helicopter what ever was happening in Natasha's mind seemed to be getting stronger, when he reached the helicopter, per his orders they lifted off the moment everyone was strapped up. Not wanting to worry himself about his partner he settled on glaring at the telepath and began the interrogation of his own.
"What did you do to her?" Clint asked.
"What I did, was simply set her on her path to accepting herself and to stop ignoring her emotions." The telepath said with an air about him saying to Clint that he didn't really care what happened to his partner.
"Some shrink." Clint said bitterly.
"This is no physiologist trick. If she can't fight off her inner demon she'll die."
Clint felt a cold hand squeeze his heart. "She'll die?"
"Oh most certainly, hardly anyone can face their inner demons without there minds being torn up in the process." Said the telepath. "Of course if someone was dedicated enough that person could try and find the Curator spiritus flower.""What's that?" Clint asked.
"It's a relatively rare flower that blooms every thousand years, and you're in luck there's one that'll bloom in a week or two."
"Will she last that long?" Clint asked concern in his eyes as he saw his partner, no friend, try to make herself as small as possible against an invisible foe.
"I do not know how strong your girlfriend is, only she can keep herself alive." The telepath said with a smirk.
"She is not my girlfriend. We're partners in the job and friends every time else." Clint huffed.
The telepath shrugged and said nothing. Leaving Clint to ponder his thoughts. He wanted to save her, that was a given but he had no idea where this flower grew or even if he could get away from Shield with one of their planes if he could locate this plant. He sighed getting a plan in his head.
"Where's this plants location?" He asked the telepath.
The telepath refused to acknowledge him. "I won't answer until you remember manners."
Clint was sunned this guy was asking for manners from him when he was the one putting people into a telepathic coma. Gritting his teeth he tried to say in his most sincere voice. "Names Hawkeye, and you are?"
The telepath cocked an eyebrow at him. "I am known as Dar'el'th."
"Dar'el'th? So where is this Curator flower anyway?" Clink questioned.
"In the small nation of Wakanda." Dar'el'th answered.
Clint watched this man to make sure he wasn't lying, sure he wasn't he allowed himself to groan internally. Wakanda wasn't fond of outsiders preferring to shoot them down then talk if the passengers were still alive.
"This is the only one that's blooming?" Said a curious Clint.
"The only one that isn't to far away in timing to bloom, unless you want to wait forty-two days.""No just checking."
"But the journey to the flower is just as perilous as hers." Dar'el'th said with a smirk.
"Don't care, I'll take my chances." Clint said and at the moment his eyes showed a fierce blaze of determination. He would not let Natasha die. No matter the price.
How was that for a chapter? For those of you that may not know Wakanda is a fictional nation invented by Marvel, ruled by T'Chaka until he was killed then his son T'Challa took over. For any of you who know who he is… let's just say the name will make sense later. As always Review and until next time. Bis nachher(See you later!) ~IF