A New Life
"Agent Barton, your next mission," Coulson slides a file across the desk to the archer.
"The Black Widow, Sir?" Clint looks up at his handler in disbelief.
Coulson nods and says, "target needs to be neutralized and nobody can get close enough to get it done. That's why we called you."
Clint smirked. No one could get close? It's a good thing he works better from a distance. Agent Barton is the best marksman at Shield.
"When do I leave?"
"0800."
"Agent Barton, report." Coulson ordered over the comm. Link.
"Target is in the warehouse. There is nobody there with her and she hasn't come out. Do you want me to check it out?" Clint replied. He had followed the Widow to the warehouse over an hour ago and she had yet to emerge. While it's possible that she slipped out another entrance, Clint knew she hadn't. It was a gut instinct. He knew she was still in the building.
"Negative Hawk, stand by." Clint rolled his eyes. He may be the ever patient sniper, but waiting for his next command was boring. He kept his eyes on the building's exits and windows. Once in a while he caught a small movement in the windows, but they were so minute that he could be sure it was her. It could have been anything.
"Agent Barton, you are cleared to check out the warehouse." Coulson suddenly sounded in his ear. "but be careful."
"Aren't I always?" he responded a little to sweetly. "Going radio silence. I'll call for back up when I'm done."
"Good luck, Agent."
Clint crept into the warehouse through the back entrance. He entered in a hallway with several doors leading off it. As he passed them, he checked to see if each door was locked. At the end of the hall was a large door to an open room, most likely an assembly room at some point in time. Peaking through the window, he saw no sign of movement or life.
Slowly opening the door, so it would make noise, he sneaked into the room. It was clear. No one was hear. He was about to radio in to Coulson when cool metal touched the back of his neck.
"Who are you," a voice behind him growled. It was a woman's voice with a Russian accent. No doubt this was the Black Widow.
"Figure it out," Clint smirked.
For a moment the Widow was quiet. Studying the man in front of her, she took in his uniform, but more importantly, his choice of weapon.
"Hawkeye," she spat.
"The one and only!"
"Drop your weapon, slowly. "
"Can't do that, Princess," he swung around and aimed a punch at her. She dropped, sweeping her legs to trip him. He dodged the attack, but she regained her footing and went for a kick to the stomach. He grabbed her foot but she used the leverage to swing her other foot up and kick him in the head. He stumbled, but recovered quickly.
She ran at him and jumped, wrapping her legs around his neck to bring him down. She landed on top of him. He gained leverage to flip them. He pinned her to the ground, arms pinned above her head with one wrist and a knife at her throat. She struggled but could not buck him off.
"Mama!" there was a shriek from across the room. Clint looked up to find a small girl running over.
Widow tried to use his distraction to get out but he wouldn't budge.
"Baby, it's okay. Go back, hide. Wait for me to come get you. Go now!" The Black Widow yelled to the child in Russian. The girl froze where she was.
"Go, baby, go! Please!" Widow pleaded to the child.
"Who is that?" Clint growled. "Kidnap a child Widow?"
"She is nothing to you! Leave her alone!" the Widow doubled her efforts to get away from the archer. Nothing was working.
He looked from the little girl across the room to the woman lying beneath him. Both had red, curly hair. Both had striking green eyes and pale skin.
Then it hit him.
"She's your daughter."
The Black Widow froze in her attempts to escape.
"Isn't she?" Clint prompted.
"Please, leave her out of this. Kill me. I know your here to, so just do it! Just please, do not harm her!"
Clint stared down at the woman beneath him. She couldn't be any older than nineteen. That child was at least three. Clint suddenly wasn't looking at the Black Widow. He was looking at a mother trying to protect her child. He was looking at a girl, running from her past.
"What's your name?"
Widow scoffed. "Black Widow."
"Your real name," he looked at her. He didn't glare, he didn't show any emotion. He just watched and waited.
"Natalia Romanova." She sighed.
"I can help you." Clint said.
"What?" Natalia's eyes narrowed in confusion.
"Come with me. I can keep you safe. I can keep both of you safe. Come work for Shield. You won't need to run anymore. No one will hurt you or your daughter."
Clint held his breath as he watched her process his words.
"Why? What do you get from this?" She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"Nothing, except maybe kicked out of Shield. My boss won't be happy about it, but I think I can convince him to accept you as an asset. You are one hell of an asset to have." Clint smirked.
She narrowed her eyes further. She struggled against him again, but he appeared to have not loosened his hold at all.
"Please let me up," Natalia asked.
"I can't. I'm sorry. I don't want to be killed. Especially in front of a child." Clint glanced up to where the girl was still standing. Instead of shock or worry on her face, Clint saw curiosity.
"Baby, come here. I don't think he will hurt me. I know he will not harm you." Natalia called to the girl.
"What did you just say to her?" Clint asked, curious.
"I told her to come here."
The little girl hesitated only a moment before scurrying over to her mother and Clint. Clint observed the child. She was petite, like her mother had probably been as a child. She was also malnourished. Her clothes were raggedy and dirty and ripped. She was holding a worn out stuffed hawk toy.
A hawk. Clint smiled at the thought.
"If I let you up, will you try to fight me, kill me or run?" Clint looked down at Natalia.
She thought for a moment before deciding, "no. I will stay. You will not be harmed by me."
Clint read her face for tells that she was lying. He believed her to speak true. He released his hold on her. She instantly shot up and scooped the girl into her arms, angling her body so that it was between Clint and her child.
"I promise I won't hurt her, or you." Clint held up his hands in a surrender. "Come with me to Shield. I will protect you. You don't need to run anymore Natalia."
Natalia looked back at her daughter, who smiled in return. Natalia seemed to be contemplating her options. Clint could see that her main worry was keeping her baby girl safe.
"Alright. I'll come with you," she sighed. "But you must promise that you will keep her safe. It doesn't matter what happens to me. I deserve much worse than death, but she is innocent. Please, promise me no one will hurt her." Natalia's eyes held fear and hope.
"I promise, I will protect her with my life. Nobody will touch her."
Natalia nodded and brought the child closer to Clint. "Her name is Ari, it's short for Ariana."
Ari looked up at Clint and smiled shyly.
"Hello Ari, I'm Agent Clint Barton of Shield. I'm going to bring you and your mama home with me. I will keep you safe," Clint raised his hand for the little girl to shake.
Clint called for an extraction. Coulson's reaction was expected. He yelled at the archer, threatening Fury's wrath when he got back.
As soon as the extraction team arrived, Natalia was handcuffed. Her daughter was not, but when a doctor tried to take the girl away from Clint, who had been holding her, she went ballistic.
"Don't touch her! Don't you dare touch her!" Natalia snarled and thrashed against her restraints. She was able to knock the guards away and lunged for the doctor who tried to take Ari. She was shouting in Russian, threatening everyone who came near her daughter.
One guard tried to drugged her and that's when things got worse. Natalia, the Black Widow, was scared. Terrified it seemed, because of the needle.
"Please, no. Please, no,," she begged. The sight was too much for Clint to handle, he dropped to the ground where Natalia was, for lack of a better word, cowering.
"Shh, it's okay. Natalia, it's me, it's Clint. No one is going to hurt you. I promised you, remember? They won't hurt you and they won't hurt Ari. It's okay, you're okay." Clint pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair until she calmed down. Clint unlocked the cuffs binding her wrists. He knew she wasn't a risk.
Everyone on the jet was silent, staring at the scene that had just played out. Ari curled herself up against Clint and her mother. Natalia noticed her daughter and pulled her tight against her with Clint wrapped around them both.
"If anyone speaks of this, they will answer to me." Clint threatened to the staff aboard the jet. Nods and 'yes, sir's echoed around the space. After several minutes, Natalia stood up with her daughter in her arms.
"Nat," Clint places a hand on her shoulder. She flinched at the nickname. "The doctors need to examine her. They want to make sure she is healthy. I will stay with her if that helps?"
Natalia still looked skeptical but agreed. She handed her daughter to Clint. Another agent immediately clasped the cuffs on her wrist again. Another came up behind her and jabbed a needle in her neck, drugging her from behind. She wheeled around to attack but stumbled.
The last thing she heard before everything went black was Clint shouting at the agents.
She woke up strapped down to a hospital bed. Or what she thought was a hospital bed. Looking around the room, she saw white walls and a white ceiling. White blankets and chair. Machines that were spotlessly clean. It was definitely a hospital, but she didn't know where. Her mind was fuzzy and unfocused. She couldn't remember what happened.
She started to panic. First, because she was strapped down in a medical facility. Second, because she couldn't remember how she got there. Third, because she didn't know where her daughter was.
She bucked and pulled against the restraints, but they were too tight for even her to get out of. At least while she was still half drugged.
Footsteps caught her attention. She glanced to the doorway to see a man with dirty blonde hair and storm gray eyes. Clint, her memory supplied. Then it all came back. The warehouse, the archer, the offer, the jet. She was drugged, they drugged her because she was a threat to them.
"She's safe," Clint walked into her room. "She's asleep in the next room. She's safe." he repeated.
Natalia let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Thank you." was all she said.
He walked over to her bed and began to undo the restraints holding her legs. He did not undo her wrists though.
"I'm sorry but I'm not authorized to let you go yet. Actually, I'm not even supposed to be here," he stared at her face, searching for something.
"Then why are you here? You are disobeying orders to see me, why? Does it not scare you what the consequences will be?" Natalia looked at him in confusion and disbelief.
"That's a lot of questions. Let's start with the last one. No, I'm not scared of the consequences. I will either be suspended or kicked out. Neither of which particularly bother me. Well, I suppose they do, but they don't scare me. As for your first question, I wanted to make sure you were alright. You've been out for about twenty-four hours. They sedated you on the jet. I also wanted you to know your daughter is safe. She will be staying with me for now," while you are under arrest. The wordshung unspoken between them.
"You will keep her safe?" Natalia asked, though she knew the answer by now.
"I will protect her will my life, I promise you." Clint smiled gently. "Now, I must go. Sorry, princess," he smirked and winked then he was gone.
Clint walked back into the room Ari was resting in. He walked up to the bed and gently woke her up.
"Hey Ari, it's time to get up, baby girl," Clint called.
"Mama?" the little girl mumbled, half asleep.
Clint chuckled. "No sweetie, it's Clint. Remember me? Your gonna stay with me okay?" He picked the child up off the bed. She curled against his shoulder, still sleepy.
"Clint? Where we goin'" she asked.
"Back to my rooms, okay? We will visit Mama later. Right now it's dinner time," Clint rubbed a hand across her back.
"What for food?"
"What would you like?" He smiled as she woke up more fully. She pulled herself away from his shoulder and he shifted her to his hip.
"I can pick? Anything?" Her eyes widened and a looked of wonder filled her eyes. Clint laughed a little.
"Yes, anything. What would you like to eat, Ari?"
"Pizza!" She squealed. "Wiff lotsa cheese!" Clint laughed again.
"Anything for you, baby girl." Ari smiled big and bright and hugged Clint as tight as she could.
"How do you know English so well, Ari?" Coulson asked as he sat down to eat with Clint and the little girl. They were in Clint's apartment on base. They had ordered pizza and Coulson picked it up for them.
"Mama teach me lotsa stuffs. I can speaks Russian, French, English. Mama not start teachin' me other stuffs though. She also teach me to do g'nastic's. Wanna see?" Ari stood up from her seat and push it out of her way. She moved to the open space between the kitchen table and the couch.
She took a deep breath, then did a handstand. Once balanced properly, she started to walked on her hands. She did a lap around the table then let her feet fall and she landed in a bridge. From there she stood up and raised her arms in a 'ta-da'.
Clint and Coulson clapped for Ari as she made a bow and giggled. Clint ran over, pretending to chase her. She squealed and ran around giggling, trying to get away. Clint snatched her up from behind and tickled her like crazy. Her giggles turned into full out laughter which turned into squeaks and squeals and screeches.
Clint stopped tickling her so she could catch her breath. As she calmed down she yawned really big.
"Sleepy?" Clint asked. She nodded with droopy eyes. "Do you want a bath first?" Clint asked.
"A bath?" Ari looked confused.
"Yes, a bath. In a tub, with warm water and soap. Never had a bath?" Clint asked, unsurprised. From where they had been living, it was unlikely Natalia ever was able to give her daughter a proper bath. Ari shook her head.
"Well then, would you like one?" Clint offered the little girl in his arms.
"Please!" the girl smiled.
"Coulson, do you mind staying? I want to talk but I need to get her settled first."
"No problem. Actually, how about I come back. I need to go grab some stuff. I'll be back shortly." Coulson stood and left.
Shortly after Clint brought Natalia in, he convinced Coulson that this was a good thing. He also convinced him that Ari needed her mother alive. Coulson, upon meeting Ari, couldn't agreed more. He was immediately wrapped around the young girl's finger. He assured Clint he would help with Ari in anyway he could and he would help Natalia as well.
After he left, Clint brought Ari into the bathroom. Shield apartments all had bathtubs and shower stalls. Clint did not pretend to know why, but he was grateful for it. He turned the water to warm and let the tub fill up with a few inches of water. He undressed Ari, or rather had her undress herself. He turned off the water when it was filled enough and helped Ariana step into the bathtub.
Clint washed her hair and her body as best her could. She seemed to really enjoy the warm water and bubbles from the soap. When she was clean, Clint drained the tub and grabbed a towel from under the sink. It wrapped around Ari like a blanket due to her small size. He dried her body then her hair. When he finished he grabbed a t-shirt from his room for her to use as a nightdress.
She yawned again and he brought her into the livingroom, grabbing a brush on his way out of the bathroom. He sat her on the floor in front of the couch and sat down behind her. He brushed her hair, carefully working out the knots. Her hair was exactly like her mother's: fiery red and crazy curly.
When he finished, he braided her hair into two pigtails, tying each off with an elastic.
"Alright, baby girl. Time for bed."
"Nooo," she whined, obviously tired. He scooped her up off the floor and brought her to the bedroom.
"Yes, baby, it's time for sleep." Clint soothed. "Want me to sing to you? My mama used to sing to me when I was little so I could sleep. Want me to sing for you?"
"Mama sings to me. I miss her," Ari burrowed into Clint side. They were both laying on the bed, Clint propped up more on the pillows. Ari was curled into his side with one hand tucked against her chest and the other griping Clint's shirt.
"I know, baby girl. You'll see her soon. I promise." Ari only nodded.
"Sing for me?" she asked.
"Anything for you, baby girl." Clint started to sing You are my sunshine, it was a lullaby he had heard as a child. Ari was asleep in no time.
Natalia was laying in her hospital bed, still in restraints, when a man in a suit walked in. He had a blank expression on his face, not giving away any emotion.
"Miss Romanova, how are you feeling?" the man asked.
Natalia was weary. Why would this man care how she felt? She didn't answer.
"Miss Romanova, I am Agent Phil Coulson. I am Agent Barton's handler. Tell me, why should we not execute you now?" Agent Coulson's expression did not change.
"There is no reason for you not to kill me now. I have done terrible things. Things I wish I could take back. My ledger is dripping and there is no way to wipe it out." Natalia said quietly, then added in a whisper, "but I do not want to die." It was so quiet that Coulson had almost missed it.
"You do not want to die, but we should not let you live. How do we know you won't go back to your masters with the information you've gained here?"
"They are not my masters! They will never have me!" Natalia snarled, thrashing against her restraints to prove her anger.
Coulson had not expected that, but did not let his surprise show.
"Why should I believe you?" Coulson had to play Devil's Advocate.
"Why would I go back to the place where I was raped and beaten and used! Why would I go back to a place that wanted my daughter taken from me and raised to be like me! A heartless assassin! Why would I go back to the place I ran away from and would have me killed on sight, or worse, take me and remake me into something else!" Hot, angry tears streamed down Natalia's face. She did not even try to hide her emotions now.
Coulson nodded and walked forward, taking a seat in the chair next the bed. He placed a hand on top of hers and said, "I'm sorry. For what happened to you, for what could've happened to your daughter, I'm sorry. I was not trying to hurt you, but you see how bad it would be to just let you stay, let you live?"
Natalia watched his face soften to that of sympathy, not pity. He was being genuine. She nodded once.
"I have talked to Director Fury, he has granted permission to let you out of the restraints, but you must stay here, in this room for now. Can you do that?"
Natalia nodded.
"Okay," Coulson unstrapped her wrists, then moved to unstrap her feet when he noticed they were already undone. He glanced at her questioningly.
"Barton," Natalia smirked. Coulson rolled his eyes then sat down again.
"I must leave for the time being, is there anything you need?"
"I-," Natalia was nervous to ask. "My daughter, is she-?"
"She is with Agent Barton. He was about to give her a bath before I left them. She is staying with him until you are allowed out of here."
"He is taking care of her?" This surprised Natalia. But then, maybe it didn't.
"He has not let anyone else near her. He refuses to let her out of his sight. He is quite attached to her. She is very attached to him," Coulson gave her a knowing look. Natalia smiled.
"Tell him, tell him 'thank you' for me?"
"Of course. Now I must go. I will be back later to check on you. I know a medical room is not where you want to stay, but it won't be for long, I promise you." Coulson assured.
"Thank you. I promise to behave," she smirked, "for now."
Coulson rolled his eyes. He could see how Clint had been compromised, to what extent he did not know. He only hoped Fury wouldn't kill the poor guy.
There was a knock on Clint's door. Coulson came in with a small duffel bag. He handed it to Clint.
"Here is some stuff for Ari. Clothes, shoes, toiletries. I believe there are some toys in there as well." Clint quickly glanced into the bag then brought it to the spare bedroom where Ari was currently sleeping. Coulson peaked around the doorway at the girl.
"She seems to feel safe here. I didn't expect that, especially not with who her mother is. She would've taught Ari to be more weary of her surroundings and not to trust anyone." Clint spoke quietly as they walked back to the living room.
"It doesn't surprise me at all. You've handled her quite well. You earned her trust, you also earned her mother's trust. Natalia seems to trust you, enough to leave her daughter with you. That is surprising." Coulson said.
"I guess she just didn't have another option. I couldn't let her get away and she knew that, but then what would her daughter's life have been if I had killed Natalia? She asked for sanctuary. Coulson, I had to give her protection. She deserves a second chance," Clint proclaimed, then added in a whisper, "I got one."
"You know, for an annoying piece of shit that you are, you can be surprisingly smart and sweet." Coulson bumped his shoulder affectionately.
Clint chuckled.
"How is she?" Clint asked, knowing Coulson had gone to see Natalia.
"She is...emotional. Something I am a little nervous about, to be honest. The Black Widow does not show emotions unless she is playing a game. It's disturbing to see those emotions when they are in fact truthful, not part of a wicked scheme." Coulson said seriously.
"What happened?" Clint demanded.
"Relax, I had to play Devil's Advocate. I asked her how we could trust her. She said we couldn't. I asked could we know she wouldn't run off to her 'masters'. I knew that would provoke some sort of response. I had not expected the one she gave."
"What? Is she okay?" Clint was alarmed.
"She's fine, I told you. She just...it wasn't good Barton. I could see her reliving some terrible things in her mind. What she told me convinced me, and will convince Fury, to let her stay. I don't believe she is a danger to us. She would be a great asset in time." Coulson did not give Clint specifics on Natalia response.
"Coulson, what did she say?" Clint demanded.
"That I will not tell you. First of all, it's her business to tell. Second, it's confidential so I cannot disclose that information." Coulson smirked.
Clint sighed. "Fine, is there anything else I need to know? Or can we wrap this up for tonight? It's kind of late, if you hadn't noticed."
"One thing, we need you in debriefing with Ari tomorrow morning, 0930." Coulson said as he walked to the door.
"Alright," Clint sighed. "We'll be there."
"Good night, Agent."
"Night, Coulson."
Clint woke up a few hours after he had fallen asleep to a noise. He listened closer and could hear whimpering.
"Shit," Clint whispered getting out of bed and running to Ari's room. She was still asleep. She was whimpering and she had tears running down her cheeks. A nightmare.
"Ari, baby wake up. It's Clint, sweetie. You're okay." He gently tapped the girl's shoulder to wake her. She shot upright, fear and pain clear in her eyes.
"Shh, baby it's okay. It's okay," Clint pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back, rocking her back and forth. "Shh, it's okay, baby. You're safe. You're safe." he cooed.
Ari was still crying a little. "I want Mama," she hiccuped.
"I know, baby, I know." Clint brought Ari back into to his room. He grabbed his cell phone and called Coulson.
"It's Barton. I need access to Romanova's med room."
"It's the middle of the night. Why would you possibly need her right now?" Coulson grumbled, clearly not happy at being woken up at 3:30am.
"Ari had a nightmare and needs her. Is that not a good enough reason? A child needing her mother?" Clint snapped.
"Fine Barton. You're cleared." Coulson hung up.
Clint grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around Ari. He walked quickly through the halls to the medical wing where Natalia was being kept. He walked into her room with a still upset Ari.
Natalia's eye had been closed, but upon hearing someone enter her room she shot upright on the bed. As soon as she saw Clint she relaxed, then tensed as she noticed who he was carrying.
"She had a nightmare," Clint spoke as he handed Ari over to her mother.
"Mama!" Ari cried and hugged Natalia tightly.
"Baby, it's okay. I'm here. I'm here, baby." Natalia stroked her daughter's hair and laid down, pulling her daughter with her.
"Thank you," she told Clint, who had taken a seat next to her bed.
"No problem. Figured she needed her mom for this. There's only so much I can do." Clint said.
"You seem to be doing a good job. Has she been-"
"She's sweet. She's been really well behaved. Showed us some of her gymnastics. I gave her a bath, I hope you don't mind. She was dirty and I figured she had probably never had a bath with warm water and soap and stuff. I didn't have any clothes for her though so I gave her one of my shirts to sleep in for now." Clint rambled. Natalia looked down at her daughter who was indeed wearing a man's shirt.
"I also gave her pizza, that's what she asked for. I hope that's okay. She seemed really hungry. I didn't let her eat to much though, didn't want her getting sick. She probably isn't used to so much greasy food," Clint continued to ramble. Natalia reached a hand to place of his shoulder.
"Thank you," she said to shut him up.
"I, uh, my pleasure." he smiled. She smiled back.
"I don't mind whatever you do. I am just glad you are keeping her safe." She smiled and looked down at the now sleeping girl in her arms.
"It's a promise I intend to keep." Clint winked.
"You should probably take her back. I'm not really supposed to have visitors." Natalia tried to shift her daughter without waking her.
"No, it's fine. I'll stay here. She can stay with you until morning. You can both sleep." Clint said.
"Are you allowed? I thought you weren't supposed to be here?" She looked at him suspiciously for a moment.
"I called in a favor. I'm cleared to be here. More for your daughter's sake than anything else." Clint smiled at the sleeping girl.
"Thank you," Natalia said for the third time.
"No problem." Clint smiled.
Natalia laid down next to her daughter, her arms wrapped protectively around the small girl. It took a long time for Natalia to relax enough to let sleep take over. It was hard for her to let her guard down around anyone, but she felt as if she could trust Clint to watch over her and her daughter. He had already proven himself to her. So she finally let her body drift to sleep.
Over the next week, Natalia was put through interrogations and evaluations to determine if she would be allowed to stay and further, be allowed to become a Shield agent. She was moved to an apartment next to Clint's and had a guard stationed outside her door 24/7. She was not allowed anywhere without an escort, though she could easily sneak around without one should she choose to. Her daughter remained with Clint until she was cleared to become an agent, which would be soon.
She had aced every test they threw at her and she had passed all psych evaluations. Interrogations went well, with her giving all information she could on the Red Room and how they operate. There was no reason she wouldn't be allowed to become and agent and yet, Natalia was still worried they wouldn't let her stay.
"Hey," Clint said to snap her out of her thoughts. "It's gonna be fine." He squeezed her hand. They were sitting at a table in one of the briefing rooms, waiting for Coulson and Fury. Ari was asleep on the couch behind them.
When they walked in, Natalia tensed. Clint squeezed her hand again.
"So, there is some paper work we need to fill out before you are officially an agent of Shield." Fury cut right to it, knowing that a tense Black Widow was not a good idea. She let out the breath she had been holding and squeezed Clint's hand.
"First, we need your name." Coulson said, opening the file he had been carrying.
"You know my name," Natalia said, confused.
"We are giving you a chance to change your name. If you wish to," Coulson answered.
"Natasha Romanoff." She stated without hesitation. Coulson wrote it down with a nod.
"Would you like to change or keep your call sign?"
Natasha thought for a moment. Black Widow was a well known killer. The name itself struck fear in any who know of her. Black Widow was created by the Red Room and Natasha would like nothing more than to throw it back in there face that they didn't own her.
"I'm not changing it," she said firmly.
Another nod.
"Date of birth?" Coulson asked.
"I-," Natasha stumbled over her answer, "I don't know." She whispered.
Three shocked faces stared back at her.
"How can you not know your own birthday?" Clint asked.
"I was taken from my family when I was two. The Red Room never kept track of our birthdays. I figured out how old I was by years because every year the Red Room trained me, the tasks they gave me got harder and harder. I'm nineteen in years, but I have no idea the month or day." Natasha responded quietly.
Coulson cleared his throat. "Would you like to choose a birthday? If you don't we will pick one for you. That is, if you don't mind."
"No it's fine. I believe I was born in November. So maybe November 15th?" Natasha thought it was as good a date as any.
"Sounds good to me," Clint smiled.
"There is a couple more things regarding your daughter. We need her name, birth date and medical history." Coulson added.
"Her name is Ariana Rosella Romanova, but I suppose it is now Romanoff. Her first and middle names stay. As for her birthday it is March 10th. She is three years old. She has never been sick, except for chicken pox when she was a year old. No allergies, nothing else of significance."
"Has she ever gotten vaccines of any kind?" Coulson asked.
"Not one, but I imagine she won't need them. She inherited my healing abilities when she was born." Natasha answered.
Three confused faces followed her statement.
She sighed, more explaining.
"The Red Room prides itself on scientific discovery. They use the girls, including myself, as lab rats. When I was first brought to them, they did all kinds of experiments on my body, testing my endurance, my healing, the tested me to breaking point. The gave me a modified version of the serum used to create Captain America. I can heal faster then normal humans, I have better flexibility and agility. There are other things even I do not know of about my body that are results of the serum. But Ari has inherited from me, whatever they are." Natasha calmly explained.
Clearly no one knew what to say to that, so they moved off the topic rather quickly. Finished with the questions and history lesson, Director Fury officially signed off on Natasha becoming a full time Shield Agent.
"Welcome to Shield, Agent Romanoff." Fury nodded then walked out of the room. Clint grinned at Natasha, surprising her with a hug.
"Congratulations," he whispered in her ear. The tone of his voice made her blush.
"Couldn't have done it without you. " She whispered back.
"Okay, so now that are an official agent of Shield, you are no longer required to have an escort. However, you will not be going on missions just yet. After a probationary period of six months, pending you don't make any mistakes or break any rules, you will receive clearance for active duty and field assignments. Understood?" Coulson explained.
Natasha nodded.
"Good. You will continue living in your current apartment, though you are now allowed to have a place to live off base. Clint has apartments all over the city."
"I'd hardly call two apartments 'all over the city'." Clint rolled his eyes.
"Yes but you also have three houses in varying states." Coulson remarked.
"Ah," Clint went to protest but failed.
"There is one more matter to discuss," Coulson turned to Natasha. "I will be your handler. Therefore should you need anything you come to me. I am your next in command, you have a problem you see me, you can also go to Agent Barton. He will help you in anyway he can."
"Wait a minute!" Clint had been processing what Coulson had said and finally caught up to the conversation. "You're her handler, you're my handler. Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Clint asked disbelievingly.
"Yes. You two will be partners."
"I've never had a partner. I don't think this will work." Natasha spoke cautiously.
"Oh come on, Tasha, it'll be fun!" Clint was actually pretty happy about it.
Natasha froze upon hearing the nickname.
"Natasha?" Clint asked confused. Why had she tensed? She snapped out of it quickly.
"You called me Tasha," she was a little confused.
"Yeah, it's a nickname." Clint added as an afterthought, "is that okay?" Clint Barton was not one to ask such a question. Usually he would just do whatever the hell he felt like and call it a day. So he had no idea why he asked her permission.
"I-uh, I've never had a nickname." Natasha said quietly, almost embarrassed.
"Now you do," Clint shrugged. She smiled.
Coulson observed his two agents interact. He saw what they so obviously refuse to acknowledge; they were falling for each other. It didn't matter that they had just met, as enemies no less. They had found a kindred spirit within each other. Clint saw himself in her and she saw someone as lost a she was. They found the only people in the world who could relate to one another.
Natasha clearly trusted Clint, despite everything she had learned as a protege of the Red Room. Clint trusted her simply because he knew he could. Whatever his gut told him, he followed the instinct. Their partnership, Coulson had no doubt, would be a great one.
"Agent Romanoff, you have also been granted permission to take your daughter back to your own living quarters. She no longer needs to stay with Agent Barton." With that Coulson bid farewell to his agents and left the room.
Coulson thought to himself as he left them that this was going to be an interesting change. Things most certainly will not be boring, that is for damn sure.
The end...or maybe not?