This is my take on how Hawkeye and Black Widow met. I don't own the characters or anything Marvel.. I just wish I did.

"Barton!" Fury barked as he entered the range. "My office…now"

"Yes sir!" Barton replied obediently, firing one last arrow at his target hitting it dead in the centre.

"I have a new mission for you" Fury began as Clint wandered in and took a seat. "Natalia Alianovna Romanova aka The Black Widow" he stated as a photo appeared on the screen in front of them. A Russian spy and master assassin, trained in 'The Red Room'. I think the name basically tells you her m.o. She has been on S.H.I.E.L.D's radar for a few years now, but in a recent OP she came across two of our Agents looking for the same mark, needless to say they didn't make it out of there.

Barton surveyed the photo for a moment. This woman was beautiful to say the least, from her long flowing red hair, to her blue/green eyes, to the curves of her body. How could a woman like her be such a ruthless killer?

"So what exactly is the purpose of this mission Sir?"

"Capture and eliminate the threat Agent Barton. Your plane leaves for Russia in one hour."

"Yes Sir"

It took Barton less than 24 hours after arriving Volgograd to track down the infamous Black Widow. He watched her for days, studying everything about her. The way she walked, the way she talked, the way she fought. Especially the way she fought.

Not that he would need to go up against her in hand to hand combat. No. He could take her out in a split second with just one arrow from any one of his vantage points he had set up while watching her.

In a way he felt sorry for her. There had to be a reason her life had gone down the dark path of contract killing. People aren't simply born cold blooded killers, and from the little he knew about The Red Room, he knew that there had to be more to her story.

He watched silently from his perch on top of an adjoining building as she effortlessly took down a couple of bodyguards standing at the rear entrance of a high class bar, working for some heavy hitter mob boss. Clint knew from the file Fury gave him that he was her target. Arkady Kovaleva. Son of a Bitch had a long list of skeletons in his closet, and if he was being honest with himself he didn't care if The Black Widow succeeded in her mission. That bastard deserved to die anyway.

So he waited patiently for the Widow to carry out her mission, watching her every move with his Hawkeye vision moving to different vantage points to get a better view through the few windows and skylights available, and then he would strike.

Barton couldn't help but be impressed by her. The way she moved around effortlessly, almost a cross between gymnastics and dance, it was beautiful. She took down men twice her size without even breaking a sweat. She was well trained.

He made his way to a higher vantage point to get a better view through the skylight. The Widow had now made her way to the top floor where she knew her target would be. He watched as she discarded her gun before she sauntered in to the near empty room, swinging her hips in a way that no man could ignore. Clint chuckled to himself as Kovaleva started to drool over her like a puppy dog. Hastily he lept across to the building where his mark was and watched her carefully as she seduced the poor schmuck.

She flirted, and giggled as she ran her fingers along his arm, and he fell hook line and sinker for her little act. What he didn't notice was that she had put something in his drink as she leaned in and whispered something in his ear. Probably something along the lines of 'you wanna get out of here?' Clint guessed by the way Kovaleva's face lit up. He must've thought he was one lucky guy, taking a woman like her home. She was clearly way out of his league.

The Widow stood up and started to leave, but not before turning and giving her mark a seductive wink that had him knocking back the last of his drink and quickly following along behind her. Clint lept back to his previous spot where he had a view of the alley at the back of the building. He watched as she lured Arkady outside, where the man was already looking worse for wear, stumbling around like he was drunk. With one swift movement the Widow had buried her knife in his chest and lay him down against the wall with the two bodyguards from earlier.

Just like that it was all over, in and out in a matter of minutes. She took a moment to survey her work. Silently Clint made his way down the fire escape of the building he was perched on. When he got to the bottom, he drew and arrow and aimed it directly at his target. He hesitated for a moment, not able to convince himself to let the arrow fly, and that's when she turned and looked him right in the eye.

"You've come to kill me?" she asked calmly.

"Yep" Clint replied bluntly.

"You wouldn't be the first… You work for him?" she questioned as she nodded her head towards one dead Arkady Kovaleva.

"Nope, I work for much bigger fish" he told her as he slowly walked closer to her.

"So who do you work for?"

"That's classified"

"Pfft" she laughed. "What is this, the x-files? Who even says that anymore?"

Clint couldn't help but think about how beautiful she looked when she laughed. He wanted to see the good in her. Somehow he knew that it was in there somewhere, he could see it in her eyes. She wasn't just a cold blooded killer. She had been brainwashed into thinking that killing was her purpose in life, but she didn't entirely believe it. So he took a chance and put the arrow back in his quiver and lowered his bow.

"I thought you were here to kill me?"

"I was, but I changed my mind"

"That's too bad" she replied and she whipped out a knife and attempted to slash Clint's chest. Quickly he blocked her attack and countered with a strike to her arm, making her drop it. She raised her knee and drove it into his stomach. He backed away but recovered quickly, lunging forward striking her in the ribs, following up with a swift kick to the opposite side. Yet she just kept coming, her fist colliding with the left side of Clint's face.

The both backed up a little and stared at one another. Strategizing on how to best take the other down. Clint made the first move, sweeping his right leg in attempt to get her on the ground, but she was too quick. She countered his attack wrapping her thighs around his neck with one of her signature moves, flipping him over and bringing him down to the ground. She had the advantage, but that wouldn't last long.

Suddenly they were interrupted by shouting followed by the sound of a gunshot. Judging by the ungraceful way The Widow tumbled off Clint suggested she was at least clipped by that bullet. Without a second thought Clint grabbed his bow, drew and arrow and fired it straight into the chest of the man standing over Kovaleva's body with a gun drawn. As they bodyguard fell to the ground two more emerged from the building with guns pointed in his direction.

Quickly he glanced back to the assassin he had been fighting with mere seconds ago to she was standing behind him, her own gun drawn ready to shoot the men down. Together in a storm of bullets and arrows they took down the two bodyguards, and the next three that emerged from the other end of the alley, both receiving a few minor injuries in the process.

Clint turned towards The Black Widow to see her smirking at him. "Still gonna kill me?" she asked.

"Was thinking about it…after you threw me to the ground. I think I left my dignity down there somewhere" he replied, as he scanned he looked around at the ground chuckling, which got a small laugh from The Widow too.

"Look out!" he yelled shoving Natalia aside as the sound of gunfire rang out. He took a round to the chest, but got off a couple shots with his side arm taking the guy out before he hit the ground.

"What the fuck?" She questioned somewhat angrily as she dropped down beside him applying pressure to his wound. "Why would you do that?"

"Coz I wasn't gonna kill you and you weren't gonna kill me"

"You don't know that"

"I do, I saw it in your eyes" he told her.

"So that automatically means you have to take a bullet for me? Coz I wasn't gonna kill you? That's some messed up logic you know that" She said rolling her eyes

"Not my first bullet wound, won't be my last" he half-heartedly laughed.

"This is Barton, requesting immediate evac at my location" Clint spoke into his comms.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm getting us out of here"

"And taking me to the people who sent you to kill me, no way" she protested as she attempted to leave. Only to be held back by Clint.

"Trust me"

"They'll kill me, you know that"

"They won't"

"Pfft" she muttered disbelievingly.

"They won't…. I won't let them. I'll protect you" he reassured her as he looked at her with piercing blue eyes. His eyes held such truth in them that she understood that he meant what he said. Those were the last words he spoke before he passed out from blood loss.

They were the words that echoed in her mind, every time one of them got injured in the line of duty. Every time they went on a mission together and he would give her that look that she knew meant he had her back. Thanks to Clint Barton, she had a chance at a semi-normal life. No longer a Russian spy but a SHIELD agent. Working alongside the man who was sent to kill her, but made a different call. The man who took a bullet for her. To this day she doesn't know exactly why, but with every passing day she begins to understand his choice a little more. Clint saw something in her, something he believed to be good, something that with his help she is starting to see. That is what saved her from the life she was leading.

Thank you for taking the time to read. I may make this a series of slightly connected one shots. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. Thanks!