One

"Barton." Natasha's voice came through Clint's earpiece clear and urgent. "Can you see them?"

"No, not yet," he said as he watched the busy streets of Moscow closely and carefully.

"Are you sure?"

Clint was perched on the ledge of a tall building about 100 feet up. He could see everything. "Yes, Tasha, I'm sure. I've got eyes like a hawk."

He heard her laugh. "Okay, just let me know when you see them."

"Yes I will, don't worry, Tasha. Just relax, everything will be alright, it always is."

Which was true. Natasha was always worried that there will be one time when they failed their mission, but Clint managed to calm her down every time. He assured her that they were good at what they did, the best in fact, and Clint had her back no matter what.

Another hour passed before he spotted some of Petrovsky's spies. He recognized their faces from the photos that he and Natasha had been given when they were assigned this mission. He let her know that he had seen them and heard a quick "Got it" in reply. He opened the window next to him and climbed back into the building. He waited by the balcony over a large secluded room for Natasha and the men to come in. His fingers were itching to notch the arrows to his bow and shoot the bastards.

After about fifteen minutes, they still hadn't shown up. Something was wrong; it shouldn't be taking Natasha this long.

"Tasha, is everything okay?" Clint whispered just in case someone was listening.

Instead of a reply, Clint got a loud ringing sound in his ear. He gave a surprised shout and yanked the earpiece out of his ear.

He ran as fast as he could to the stairwell and rushed down the stairs. They led him to an alley behind the building and he bolted to the last place Natasha was. It took him less than a minute to reach the small empty warehouse that she had been hiding in.

He opened the back door and silently slipped inside. Natasha was tied to a chair in the middle of the room and was surrounded by three large men. He didn't recognize any of them from the photos so he had no idea who they were or why they were here. But he didn't let his confusion faze him; Natasha was in trouble and he needed to save her. That's all that mattered at the moment.

He stayed where he was and listened to the interrogation, waiting for just the right moment to kill them.

"So Miss Romanoff," the biggest man was saying with a heavy Russian accent, "while you and your friend were making plans to catch those other men we sent out to distract you, we were watching and making plans to catch you."

Clint understood who these men were now. The other men that they had been chasing after we're just a ploy so that Petrovsky's real spies could capture them.

The Russian man continued speaking but Clint was no longer listening. He was trying to figure out a way to get Natasha out of here. He could shoot one of them but he couldn't guarantee that he would be able to kill the other two fast enough.

All of a sudden, he saw Natasha notice him. It happened in just a split second, no one could have possibly seen it except Clint. He worried that the three spies had noticed but after a few minutes had passed and nothing else happened, Clint decided that it was safe to assume that they hadn't noticed.

Clint raised his bow and cocked his head as if to ask, Is it okay to shoot?

Natasha mouthed, "Do it," and before the men could turn their heads Clint notched an arrow and shot the man closest to him. Natasha broke free in one swift movement as Clint quickly attached another arrow to his bow and shot the second man. He notched a third arrow and pulled the string back, ready to shoot the leader of the group, but stopped when he saw that he was holding Natasha in front of him, a gun to her head.

"Not so fast," he said, giving Clint an evil grin, "you release that arrow, she dies. Got it?"

Clint began to lower his bow but Natasha shook her head and said, "Shoot."

Clint gave her a confused look but raised his bow back up anyway. He was still hesitant to release the arrow, wondering what the hell Natasha was thinking.

"Aw, how noble of you, sacrificing yourself for the mission."

"Clint, shoot."

"But Tasha-"

"Just fucking shoot him already!"

Without wasting another moment, Clint released the arrow and waited for the gunshot. But it never came. Just before the arrow pierced his neck, he pulled the trigger but nothing happened. Then he fell to the ground as the arrow hit, releasing Natasha.

Clint ran over to make sure he was dead then hugged Natasha tightly, glad she was alive.

"How did you know it wouldn't work?" he asked when he pulled away from her.

"I took the bullets out right before he caught me. He wasn't as smart as he thought he was."

"You know, I expect a thank you for saving your life. Maybe even a reward of some kind."

"You didn't save my life, I saved my own life!"

"Can I still have a reward?"

Natasha smiled slyly. "Maybe later."

Two

"Move Clint."

Clint opened his eyes and saw Natasha standing over him, arms crossed and looking at him expectantly.

He closed his eyes again and rolled over so that his back was facing her. "But Tasha, I'm so comfortable," he whined.

Natasha groaned and pulled his legs off the seat and sat down. Clint readjusted himself so that his head was on Natasha's lap. "Aren't you tired?" he asked her.

"Yeah, but I can't fall asleep on trains. Besides, I have to keep an eye out just in case they're here."

"Relax Tasha, they won't be here. I think we're safe."

"That's where you're wrong Clint, we're never safe."

Clint opened his eyes and looked up at her. She was gazing down at him with some kind of emotion he couldn't quite figure out. He reached his arm up and stroked her arm reassuringly as if to say, Don't worry, everything will be fine. She opened her mouth to say something but then turned her head away from him abruptly.

"What's wrong?" Clint asked, sitting up.

"I could've sworn I just saw-" she cut herself off and stood up. "I'm going to go check something out. You stay here."

"Are you sure you'll be oaky without me?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. I'll be back before you know it."

Clint watched Natasha walk quickly down the aisle with determination. He waited for a couple of minutes before disobeying her order for him to stay put and following. He passed through two passenger cars before ending up in the observation car. He saw two figures out on the balcony fighting but before he could go out there to see who it was, he was whipped around by the arm and punched in the face. He stumbled backward before he composed himself and threw a punch at his attacker. The guy ducked and kicked Clint in the stomach, making him fall.

Clint quickly cleared his fatigued mind and became more focused on the fight occurring at the moment. The attacker swung his fist in the direction of Clint's face, but before he could make contact Clint grabbed his arm and twisted it until the other man's face scrunched up in agony. Clint let go of his arm and punched the guy hard in the face, making him fall back onto the ground unconscious.

Clint stood up and hurried out onto the balcony. He froze in horror at the sight before him. A tall and muscular man was holding Natasha against the rail and with one small push she would fall over and possibly, probably, die.

With not a moment's hesitation, Clint grabbed the man by the back of his shirt and forced him against the rail, in the same position Natasha had been in just seconds ago. Right before he pushed him over, Clint recognized the man as one of Petrovsky's spies, so he didn't feel bad as he watched the man fall to his death below them and saw his head split when it hit the railroad tracks. After all, he was just doing his job.

Clint turned around to see how Natasha was. She was leaning down, holding her neck and breathing heavily. He guessed that the man had tried strangling her.

"Here," he said as he gingerly put his hands on her arms and helped her stand up straight, "let me see."

Clint examined the dark bruises around her neck and grimaced. "They're pretty gross but I think you'll live."

Natasha smiled. "Thanks Dr. Barton."

"You okay?"

Her smile faded and she took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm fine, it was just kind of scary."

Clint wanted to laugh. Anybody else would have described that event as the most terrifying experience of their life. But Natasha had been through so much shit that to her the event was just "kind of" scary.

"Thank you, Clint, for saving my life."

"Again."

She laughed weakly, still finding it a bit hard to breathe. "You didn't save my life the first time!"

"Whatever you say, Tasha. Do I at least get a reward this time?"

Natasha thought for a moment before saying, "Well I guess you have earned it."

Before Clint could say anything else Natasha pulled him forward by the shoulders and kissed him lightly on the lips. She pulled away quickly, before Clint had a chance to kiss her back.

"Seriously, that's it? I fucking saved your life, I deserve more than that!"

"I know." Natasha smiled suggestively before heading back inside, leaving Clint dazed and confused on the balcony.

Three

"What the hell is taking them so damn long?" Clint whined. "We should've boarded by now!"

"Calm down, it's only been five minutes," Natasha said.

"Ugh, I fucking hate airplanes. Why couldn't we have just stayed on the train?"

"You know why Clint, it wasn't safe."

"It's not like the plane is going to be any safer."

"True, but it will be faster and we need to get to Bangkok quickly before Petrovsky leaves and we lose our chance again."

Clint groaned. "Bangkok better be as great as everyone says it is."

Natasha didn't reply and was instead staring straight ahead. Clint tried to see what she was looking at. After failing to understand he asked her, "What's wrong?"

She leaned in close and whispered, "Does that guy in the suit that's talking on the phone look familiar to you?"

Clint studied him. Without a clear view of the guy's face he couldn't tell if he was familiar or not. The man turned slightly and while it didn't help Clint mush it obviously helped Natasha because he heard a sharp intake of breath beside him.

"That's one of Petrovsky's spies," she said in a low voice.

"Told you the plane isn't safe."

"Clint, this is serious."

"I know. The plane seriously isn't safe."

She sighed, clearly annoyed with Clint. "Okay, I don't think he's noticed us yet otherwise he would be in our gate, and not that one. Right?"

"Sure, but what do you suppose we do if he does notice us?"

Just as Clint said that the man turned around completely and before he knew what was happening, Natasha leaned over him and captured his lips in her own. Clint was surprised at first but eventually began kissing her back. She swiped her tongue along his lower lip and then pushed it into his mouth. Clint let a small laugh slip out, making Natasha pull away.

"What's so funny?" she asked angrily, her face still close to Clint's just in case the spy was still watching them.

"Before you gave me nothing and now you're making out with me? With tongue?"

"God Clint, you sound like such a teenager right now. And it didn't mean anything anyway, it was just a cover. Speaking of which, is he still watching us?"

Clint peered over her shoulder discreetly. He didn't see him anywhere so he told Natasha it was okay to sit back in her seat. As she settled into a comfortable position they heard the boarding call for their flight. When they stood up Natasha grabbed Clint's arm, pulled him close and whispered, "If we see him or any other spies on the plane we're getting off right away and driving to Bangkok instead, okay?"

Clint nodded his understanding and they boarded the plane.

About an hour into the flight they noticed something suspicious. They hadn't seen any spies when they boarded and they didn't see any now, but they saw something that didn't seem quite right. A stewardess went up to a man sitting a couple of rows ahead of them, leaned down, and whispered in his ear. He nodded and then followed her to the front of the plane. Natasha immediately unbuckled and stood up. Clint did the same but Natasha placed her hands on his shoulders and sat him back down again.

"I'm going alone," she told him firmly.

Clint shook his head. "Hell no. Last time you left by yourself you almost died. I'm not going to let that happen again." He stood up. "I'm coming with you."

Natasha grabbed his arm and pulled them both down into their seats. "Won't that look a little suspicious?"

"I'm not going for suspicious, I'm going for safe."

Natasha sighed. "Fine, do whatever the hell you want." She stood up again and walked toward the front of the plane.

All I want is to keep you safe, Clint wanted to say, but he kept the thought to himself and followed Natasha.

Clint wasn't sure what was happening between him and Natasha lately. They always joked around about having feelings for each other but they both knew that they could never be more than friends. But after the kisses they had shared on the train and in the airport, Clint began to rethink their relation ship. He thought he felt something more then and even now he was feeling something for Natasha that he had never felt for anyone before, but he had no idea what it was or what it could be.

He shook the thoughts away and focused on the task at hand. They came up at a door with a sign that read, "Passengers Not Admitted". Natasha quickly picked the lock and slipped inside, Clint following close behind. They found themselves in a small room with nothing but a large door and three people staring at them. They recognized one of the men and the woman as the two they had followed here and the other man as the spy in the airport.

"Well hello there," the woman grinned, "we've been expecting you." She turned around and pushed a large red button. The door opened and Clint and Natasha were immediately hit with a gust of wind. They backed up against the wall, trying to get as far away from the opening as possible.

"Let's see, who should go first?" the woman asked, looking from Clint to Natasha. But before she could say or do anything else, Natasha lunged at her, grabbing her throat and pushing her to the ground. She tried hoisting the woman up, to throw her out the door, but the woman gripped Natasha's arms and pulled strongly, keeping them on the ground.

Clint stepped forward to help Natasha but was shoved against the wall, hard. He had almost forgotten about the other two men. One was holding him against the wall while the other was next to him, holding a gun against his temple.

"You move even an inch and I'll blow your fucking brains out, got it?"

Clint nodded and watched Natasha and the woman struggle behind the man in front of him. There were a couple of times when they rolled precariously near the edge and Clint's breath hitched in his throat. But each time one or the other would force themselves away from the door.

At one point, the woman got the upper hand and hoisted Natasha up off the ground and pushed her against the wall next the opening. She whipped her head around and screamed at the men holding Clint, "Don't just fucking stand there, shoot him!"

Clint kicked his right foot out instantly and wrapped his leg around the leg of the man holding the gun and with one swift movement, pulled him to the ground. The man pulled the trigger as he fell but only managed to shoot the wall behind Clint. Clint quickly kicked the other man's shin before he could react and pushed him to the ground when he released his hold on Clint and bent down to grab his shin. Clint grabbed the gun from the first man and pointed it at him. The man stared at him with huge, pleading eyes. Clint watched him for a moment and then lowered his arm. The man's relief lasted only a second before Clint pulled him off the ground and threw him out the door. He tried to tune out the man's screams as he fell to his death.

He guessed the other man didn't have a weapon of his own otherwise he would have used it on Clint already. So Clint focused his attention back on Natasha and the woman. The woman was speaking to Natasha as she held her by the throat on the edge of the opening. Clint couldn't hear what she was saying but he didn't dare try to listen because he had to act fast before she pushed Natasha out the door.

Clint grabbed the woman from behind and she released her grip on Natasha in surprise. Natasha fell forward as Clint whirled the woman around to face him.

"Petrovsky was right," she said breathlessly, "you two are good."
"Flattery will get you nowhere," Clint replied and pushed her over the edge without a moment's hesitation. He knelt by Natasha and asked, "Are you alright?"

Instead of answering, she stared straight ahead and said, "There's still one more."

Clint turned and saw the other man pressed against the wall, watching them with wide eyes. Clint helped Natasha up and they walked over to him.

"So," Natasha said, "you want to tell us everything you know?"

The man shook his head. "Petrovsky told us that we should die before we said anything."

They looked at him and waited to see if he would give them any information anyway. When he didn't, Natasha sighed and said, "Okay then, I guess we have no use for you." She looked at Clint. "Do you want to do it or shall I?"

"You do it," he decided. "But go easy on him." He handed her the gun. He noticed that the man's hands were shaking and he probably didn't really want to die. Clint felt a pang of guilt as Natasha pulled the trigger and he fell to the ground with a loud thud. He grabbed the body and flung it out the opening. He closed the door and turned to Natasha who was slumped against the wall in relief.

"Thank God you insisted on coming with me," she said as Clint sat down beside her.

"What is that, the third time I've saved your life?" he teased.

"Second," she corrected. "Just do me a favor and never let me get on a plane again."

"Agreed."

Four

"This is the greatest fucking movie I've ever seen!" Clint declared excitedly. The pair was sprawled out on the king size bed in their hotel room watching The Cabin in the Woods.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "We really should get some sleep, Clint."

"We will once this movie is over."

"We need to stay focused on the mission, not watching some dumb movie."

"First of all, this movie is not dumb, it's fucking genius. Second, you need to stop worrying about everything and start living in the moment."

"The possibility of our deaths happening at any time isn't something I should worry about?"

"We're not going to die right now, Tasha. Trust me, we're safe."

"Remember what I said, we're never safe, Clint. The events on the train and plane proved that."

"Fine, but will you at least trust me when I say that I'll protect you no matter what?"

She stared at him for a moment and then slid closer to him. Clint's heartbeat sped up as she moved closer until their arms were touching. Clint's skin tingled with electricity at the contact. She leaned her face close to his and whispered, "I always feel safer when I'm with you, Clint."

His heart beat even faster now as he realized what the look in Natasha's eyes had been on the train and what he had begun to feel for her on the plane. It was desire. It was passion. It was love.

He gazed into her blazing green eyes and noticed the same emotion in them. He smiled and replied, "I always feel stronger when I'm with you, Tasha."

"You know," she said, not breaking eye contact, "when I made out with you in the airport it wasn't just for the cover."

"I know," Clint said before closing the small gap between them and pressing his lips against hers. He opened his mouth slightly and nipped at her bottom lip. She giggled and leaned over him. She placed one hand on the back of his neck and the other underneath his shirt. Clint gasped into her mouth as he felt her hands explore his chest. She shifted her body so that she was straddling his waist and he helped her pull his shirt off over his head, breaking the kiss briefly.

"Are you sure that this is really the best time for sex?" he asked her, breathing heavily.

"What happened to 'living in the moment'?" she joked.

He laughed and pushed her shirt over her head. He flipped her over onto her back and straddled her waist. She undid the button and zipper of his jeans.

"Looks like someone's got a husband bulge," she teased.

"So you were paying attention to the movie!"

She laughed as she pushed down his pants. He quickly pulled hers off as well and kissed her on the lips fiercely. She gasped as he pushed his way inside her.

"Fuck, Clint," she groaned and clutched the sheets desperately. Beads of sweat appeared on Clint's forehead and she moaned and gasped his name louder as the heat between them grew more intense.

As they fell asleep with their arms around each other Clint thought that he had never experienced anything more exhilarating in his life.

Clint woke up the next morning to Natasha shaking him. "Clint, you need to get up now."

Clint sat right up at the urgency in her voice. "What's going on?"

"Put your clothes on," she said, throwing his shirt at him.

"Will you just tell me-"

"Put your fucking clothes on!"

Clint pulled his shirt and his pants on quickly. She thrust a gun into his hand and grabbed his other. She led him to the balcony and pulled him outside. She pushed him into a corner and made him crouch against the wall. She crossed the balcony and crouched in the other, holding her gun up against the side of her face.

"Will you please tell me what the hell is going on?" Clint hissed.

"Some of Petrovsky's spies found us," she explained in a hushed voice. "I went out to get us some breakfast and they were breaking into a room a couple doors down from us." She chanced a peek through the window before looking back at Clint.

"So what are we doing hiding out on the balcony?"

"We're going to surprise them before they can surprise us." Right as the words left her lips they heard a loud crash from inside the room. Clint went tense and waited for Natasha to give him the signal to go in and attack. They listened to things banging and breaking and Clint glance nervously at Natasha who just shook her head.

"Not yet," she whispered.

There were a few more crashes before everything went silent. Clint raised his eyebrows and looked at Natasha. She opened her mouth before they were suddenly blown backwards against the rail of the balcony.

Clint stayed where he was on the ground for a few moments trying to regain focus. He blinked a couple of times and shook his head to get rid of the loud ringing in his left ear. He looked over at Natasha and shouted, "Are you okay?"

Natasha's hands were hanging limp at her sides and her head was facing the ground.

"Tasha, you okay?" Clint reiterated, louder this time. He crawled over to her and took her hands in his. "Tasha, can you hear me?"

She remained still and silent. Clint felt her pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when he felt a steady beat. The blast hadn't killed her; it had just made her go unconscious. All he had to do was wake her up.

Clint tried shaking her, gently at first, then more roughly. He then yelled in her ear as loud as he could. When that didn't work he thought about slapping her face but was afraid that that wouldn't work either. But it couldn't hurt to try.

With a finger on her chin, he tipped her face up and leaned her head back against the rail. He slapped her as lightly as possible first then a little harder the next two times. She remained still. Clint took a deep breath then pulled his hand back farther than before and slapped her across the face as hard as he could.

Natasha's eyes snapped open and her hand instantly flew up to her left cheek where a dark bruise was already beginning to appear. She looked at Clint with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry," Clint said. "I didn't know what else to do! You were just sitting there and I had to wake you up somehow and-"

Natasha cut him off by taking his face in her hands and kissing him on the lips long and hard. When she pulled away she was smiling.

"It's okay Clint," she said. "You saved my life."

"Not really..."

"Oh shut up and let me thank you," she said before kissing him again.

Five

"Deal me in," Clint said as he sat next to a middle-aged man in a suit. He pushed a small pile of chips toward the center of the table and the dealer dealt him the cards.

The plan was that Clint would go around the casino and have some fun while Natasha pretended to be an escort for Petrovsky. At some point, Natasha would get him alone and kill him. It was so simple that Clint couldn't quite believe that it all would actually happen that easily. But so far everything was going according to plan.

Until he received a short text from Natasha that read, Come now 1203.

Clint stared at it for a second before he realized that "1203" was the number of the room she was in with Petrovsky.

He put down the cards immediately and stood up. He hurried away from the table, ignoring the shouts from the dealer and the other players telling him to come back, went straight to the elevator and pressed the button for the twelfth floor. He tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator slowly crawled its way up. He placed his hand under his jacket and on his gun, feeling a hundred times safer knowing that it was there.

When the elevator finally reached the twelfth floor Clint rushed out the doors and down the hallway, frantically searching for room 1203. Once he got there he didn't hesitate to shoot the handle and push the door open. The only person he saw in the room was a large man standing by an open window.

"Petrovsky," Clint said, pointing the gun at him, "where is she?"

"Agent Barton," Petrovsky gave him a sly smile, "where's your bow? I heard you were quite the archer."

"Couldn't fit it in my pocket," Clint replied seriously. "Where's Natasha?"

"Why don't you look and see for yourself." Petrovsky stepped aside and the first thing Clint thought was, Fuck, she's dead. The bastard pushed her out the window and killed her. He took a few steps forward and let out a huge sigh of relief when he saw her hands gripping the ledge so hard her knuckles had turned white. Clint turned on his heel and aimed his gun at Petrovsky's head. His hands flew up in front of his face.

"Now, now, Clint, no need to be so rash," he said. "If you kill me, she dies."

"How?"

"There's a man waiting on a balcony below this room. If he hears a gunshot at all he'll shoot Natasha. So," he pulled his gun out of his jacket and set it on the bed, "why don't we put our guns down and settle this in a civilized manner?"

Clint eyed him carefully before setting his gun down on the bed beside Petrovsky's. As soon as he did so Clint stepped forward and punched Petrovsky in the jaw. Petrovsky stumbled backward and laughed, rubbing his jaw.

"Or not," he said. He raised his fist and swung at Clint. Clint ducked and pushed Petrovsky onto the bed. Petrovsky reached for his gun but Clint pushed it onto the ground and grabbed his own. He pointed it at Petrovsky.

"What happened to settling this the civilized way?" he asked.

"That ended when you kidnapped and killed dozens of innocent people," Clint responded. Still pointing the gun at Petrovsky, Clint backed away toward the window. When he got there he quickly swiveled around, grabbed Natasha's hands, and pulled her up and through the window. As soon as she was through she wrapped her arms around Clint's neck and held him close.

"I love you," she whispered.

One

Clint's happiness lasted less than a second before Natasha screamed, "Clint!" and pushed him aside. As his head hit the floor he heard a gunshot from behind. He rolled over just in time to see Natasha fall to the ground beside him. Before he could let anything else happen, Clint grabbed his gun, aimed it at Petrovsky, and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit him right in the middle of his chest and he fell back against the wall. Clint shot him two more times in the chest as he fell to the ground just for good measure.

Clint pushed himself up and knelt by Natasha. She had been shot in the shoulder and she was holding her on the wound in pain. Clint grimaced and ripped a piece of his jacket off and held it against the wound to try and stop the bleeding. Natasha smiled weakly in thanks before completely blacking out.

"Where the hell am I?" Natasha asked when she woke up two hours later.

"You're in the hospital," Clint replied from a chair beside the bed.

"Clint, we don't do hospitals."

"We do if you're bleeding to death."

She looked over at him and smiled. "Thanks for saving my life."

"Thanks for saving mine." Clint smiled back and took her hand. He rubbed small circles over the back of her hand lightly with his thumb. "Now what was that thing you told me after I pulled you through the window?"

"I'm not sure I recall..."

He leaned in close and said softly, "Maybe this will help jog your memory." He kissed her on the lips and murmured, "I love you too, Tasha."