Natasha woke up slowly. The soft bed enticed her to fall back down into a welcoming sleep but she forced herself to sit up. Immediately she realized she wasn't wearing any cloths with surprise. It wasn't like her to not know what happened the night before. The slight pounding in her head let her know of her hangover.

Suddenly she was aware of a body beside her. Staring straight and not down at the person beside her, Natasha racked her brain to think of any details of last night. She remembered the party, the simple black dress she had been wearing, her mission, she remembered dancing… With a slight gasp Natasha realized who was beside her and it caused her stomach to drop.

Looking down, Natasha saw his back; broad and muscular, it wasn't hard to see all of the scars on his back. His dark, dirty blond hair was in need of a haircut. With the soft sunlight streaming in she could see the sprinkle of freckles that covered his nose.

He moved in the slightest to readjust himself in a more comfortable position. Natasha sucked in a breath and looked down at her partner, Clint Barton lying beside her and everything came rushing back like a flood.

Three Months Earlier

Natasha mentally knew what day it was, not that anyone else would remember. Silently she congratulated herself and let herself have a day all to herself. She trained, ate her favorite lunch from the taco truck that always sat out of SHIELD's headquarters, she even danced a little bit which she only allowed on certain occasions.

It had exactly been one year since she had officially joined SHIELD as an agent. It had taken a long time, months of proving herself and therapy to get her through the nights she thought she was still in the Red Room, but she had finally done it. There had been a bi ceremony with dozens of agents and for most the memory slowly faded in with the daily hustle and bustle of SHIELD's world; but not for Natasha. Joining the program and becoming one of their top agents was something she took great pride in. Then again, none of this would be possible without Clint.

Natasha's mind wondered back what in reality was just a little over a year ago but felt like another lifetime.

She remembered seeing Clint hold back an arrow pointed at her heart. At that moment she accepted her death. At least death would take her away from the horrible torture, treatment and cold life she had been living up to that point. Natasha calmly closed her eyes and waited for pain… but it never came.

Slowly opening one eye, she saw the man lower his bow with a look of conflict on his face. For a second neither of them moved, they stood still in the moment that felt like hours. The man finally dug something out of his pocket and threw it out her. The small device attached itself to her and sent an electrical pulse through her that caused her to black out.

"Fury's gonna kill me," Were the last words she heard before passing out.

After that, Natasha was brought back because of Clint. She was alive and free of the Red Room because of Clint. It took months of gaining each other's trust, the trust of other agents and Fury especially before she was allowed to start training as an agent. Even now, there were agents who looked at her like she was a rabid dog ready to go crazy at any moment. Clint had been the only unwavering person in her time here that she felt truly trusted her with everything that he had.

Natasha was just finishing up her dancing route when she got a text from Clint.

Clint: Come up here

Natasha: Wanna be a little more specific?

Clint: Come up to my apartment Nat

Natasha: Why?

Clint: Because I'm your best friend?

Natasha: Gotta give me a better reason Clint

Clint: Fine, I have a surprise so hurry up.

Natasha smiled to herself before throwing her items in a small bag and getting into an elevator to go up to Clint's apartment.

Due to both Clint and Nat having no family in the DC area and being some of the deadliest assassins SHIELD wanted to keep them safe so they were allowed to stay in a small group of apartments on SHIELD's headquarters upper floors. They were two of about twenty-five agents that stayed there year around.

After the elevators doors opened Natasha slightly jogged down to Clint's door. Knocking on the door Clint opened up within a second. His green eyes were vibrant and his wide jaw harbored a smiled.

"You smell," Clint joked. Natasha walked in and gave a little eye roll.

"So what is this big surprise?" Natasha crossed her arms and fell onto his couch. Surprises for Clint could range from showing Nat his new bow to secretly harboring a dog in his apartment.

"Close your eyes," Clint asked. Natasha did as he said, he was the only person she would ever voluntarily close her eyes around. She heard him step quietly to his room and push the door open that made a squeak. His footsteps crept back in front of her and stopped. "Alright, open."

Natasha opened her eyes and dangling from Clint's callous hands was a thin string of metal hanging down. As her eyes focused on it more she was it was a simple necklace. It was a plain, silver necklace and in the middle was an arrow.

"I know you're not one for outrageous jewelry but I had to get it." Clint smiled. "Plus," He dug into his pocked. "I had to get one as well." From his keys there was another new keychain hanging down. It was a red hourglass, the symbol of the Black Widow- her code name.

"Clint…" Natasha smiled. Her usual calm demeanor was now interrupted by a swell of warmth in her chest and smile across her face.

"I know one year ago today you joined SHIELD and we became partners. I wanted to remember that," Clint shyly smiled.

"I love it," Natasha whispered. Carefully she took it from Clint and quickly looped it around her neck. "I'm sorry I didn't get anything,"

"Don't even worry about it," Clint assured her. She gently gave him a hug which he returned. Once she felt her face grow hot she let go quickly.

At that exact moment the intercom came on in Clint's room.

"Fury's office, be there in 10 minutes." The robotic voice automatically said. Natasha silently thanked whatever gods were out there that the intercom came on, she didn't want to deal with whatever was going on in her head right now.

"Back to reality." Natasha sighed with a smile.

Together, they exited Clint's apartment and walked to the elevator.

"Wonder what it's going to be this time," Clint asked as the elevator started its way to the 15th floor.

"Hopefully something more interesting than last time," Natasha replied.

"Oh yeah, taking down a simple drug ring? Yep, that was a tough one when the ring leader started to cry when you pinned him against the wall." Clint laughed at the memory. Natasha felt herself crack a smile and looked up at Clint with whips of her red hair cutting through her vision.

Both Clint and Natasha had been a slump of missions. Being given simple tasks and missions that new agents could complete with ease, so for SHIELD's top assassins it was child's play.

"How's Bobbi?" Natasha asked before she could stop herself. The pair were now exiting the elevator and walking towards the west end of the building to Fury's office.

"Bobbi? Oh she's fine I guess, haven't really kept up with lately." Clint shrugged. For the past couple of months Clint had been casually going out with another agent, Bobbi Morse aka Mockingbird. Natasha didn't figure it out till she knocked on Clint's door one day and Bobbi came out with nothing but one of his flannels wrapped around her. She would never let Clint live that one down.

On the outside sure, Natasha and Clint seemed like best friends- joking and talking about each other's lives and such. Although, Nat would never let Clint know what she really thought about him. Her bond with him was complicated to explain. She would give her life for him, she cared about him deeply and would do anything for him. Was it love? She was still deciding for herself. All she knew, when she was tall, lean muscled, tanned and blonde haired Bobbi step out in Clint's flannel- Natasha quickly excused herself, ran down to the gym and fought with a punching bag until her hands were bloody, until she could no longer feel the cord of jealously that tightened inside of her.

"What happened?" Natasha asked nonchalantly.

"Bobbi's great. Funny, smart kind, not to mention sexy," Clint smiled a little bit.

"I get it," Nat said a little too quickly.

"Ok, well she's too pretentious honestly. Thinking she's the smartest in the room, the best fighter- I'd love to see how quickly you'd take her down," Clint gave Nat a playful shove.

"Well I'm sorry either way," Nat tried to hide her grin.

"Ah no big deal. Have a little fun here and there but this life isn't one for anything serious right?" Clint cocked his head. Natasha only had time to nod before they entered Fury's office.

"I guess…" Nat mumbled only to herself.

As they entered to room Natasha took notice how much it had changed. Fury was notorious for always rearranging his office every few months, no one really knew the reason why but they just accepted it.

This time, his desk was right in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, there were two chairs that were on in front of either side of the desk, there were shelves pushed again the wall filled with books that held no secret information. Fury was sitting at his desk sorting through a stack of files.

"Barton, Romanoff." He stated plainly without looking up from his desk.

"Director Fury," The partners said in unison. Clint plainly and Natasha with her signature smirk.

"I need both of you in Budapest, Hungary." Fury then stood up from his chair to stare at both of them with his one good eye.

"Any other information sir?" Clint said tightly. Clint was a good soldier Natasha would give him that, although he was a troublemaker underneath. If he was that good of an agent would she be alive?

"We have gathered information that an underground society centered there with the technology to replicate Stark's technology." Fury said handing them both a file.

"Stark has a lot of technology…" Clint began to say.

"You know what technology I'm talking about," Fury snapped which shut Clint right up.

Natasha thought about the famed Tony Stark. It just came out within the past year that Tony Stark was indeed Iron Man. He immediately became the most recognizable face in the world and everyone wanted to know how he had created the Iron Man suit. No one had been able to replicate it… at least not yet.

"I need you both to go in and not only collect all of the intel but destroy any technology they might have already created." Fury stood with his hands behind his back. "Understood?"

Natasha scanned over the file. She perked up when she saw one name in particular.

Ivan Petrovitch

Natasha sucked in her breath a little too loudly.

"Tasha?" Clint whispered to her.

"Anything you wish to share Natasha?" Fury's voice was a little softer than usual. Despite his cold and intimidating exterior, Fury did really care about all of his agents, even if she showed it in an odd way.

"I think I know one of these men…" Natasha spoke slowly.

"Are you going to be okay with this mission?" Fury asked.

"Fury," Natasha gritted her teeth. "It would be pleasure to kill the son of a bitch myself."

Fury smiled while Clint suppressed a smile.

"You leave in 30 minutes. I wish you all the best of luck." Fury nodded his head and both of them exited the room.

Natasha felt the heat of hatred, anger and so much more that she had kept all of these years bottled up inside of her. She was more than ready to shoot the bastard who took her away and put her into this life in the head more than once.