"Barton's been compromised."

The words echoed through Natasha's mind. A painful reminder of how she'd gotten into this mess in the first place—to save Clint. To save her friend.

But now all of that was pointless. He couldn't be saved. Loki's control was too strong, and his "Potential Threat" status had been bumped up to "Danger."

As his partner, Natasha had been given two options: kill him herself or request that someone else take the burden. "No," she had said upon hearing the second option. "I know him best. I know his weaknesses. I'll do it."

Those were her words—that shewould do it. Not that she could. That she would.

Hours later, Natasha found herself face-to-face with one of the only people she could trust. A gun pointed at his head, an arrow pointed at her own.

She was being foolish, but she had to try.

"Clint? Are you in there?"

"I am Clint," the man replied. "Clint Barton, Hawkeye, Agent of SHIELD, partner of the Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff, formerly Natalia Romanova."

She hated the sound of her real name on his lips. Always had, but tonight it was particularly unsettling.

"I refuse to believe you're Clint."

"Oh, but Tasha—" she cocked her gun "—Iam Clint. Or, at least, he's part of me. He's in here, screaming. I can hear him. Would you like to talk to him?"

Natasha gritted her teeth.

"Here—I'll let him out." Clint's eyes changed from the icy blue to his ocean-like navy. "Tasha, you've gotta kill me. Please."

"N-no. You're out, Clint. You can fight it."

"Are you kidding? I've been try—" suddenly the icy blues were back. "Oops, half a word too many."

"Let him go."

"A tempting offer, Widow, but—No. I'd rather watch you kill him."

That was the moment a chill ran down her spine and to every extremity. She hadn't accepted it before then. She had known but not accepted that her only choice was to kill Clint Barton.

Separate yourself, Natalia, she told herself. He's just another soldier. He's expendable.

"Go on, Widow. Add to the red in your ledger," Clint's voice urged her. "I guess you'll always be in debt."

Natasha swallowed hard.He wants this, she tried to tell herself. He wants to die. You're putting him out of his misery. This is a mercy killing.

That was almost harder to accept. She felt like she was justifying killing a man who didn't deserve the death sentence placed before him.

Clint's body took a dangerous step closer, and Natasha realized her aim had faltered.

"You're boring me, Widow," Clint's voice warned. The arrow cocked in his bow was sent flying across the room towards Natasha.

It was over before she knew it. Natasha ducked, rolled, and shot, her training temporarily taking over her body.

She stared, mouth gaping, at what she'd done. The bullet had hit its mark, right in Clint's forehead, lodging into his cranium.

He was dead.

Natasha had killed Clint Barton.