Chapter 1:
Natasha backed up, giving ground as her opponents came at her from both sides. Ducking and weaving, she evaded their blows, unable to put in her own just yet, her eyes narrowed in concentration, waiting for her opportunity, knowing one of them would make a mistake. Sure enough, one of her assailants leapt forward, thinking to overwhelm her smaller size with his muscle, pressing his perceived advantage. Stepping aside smoothly, she grabbed his wrist, flipping him over her, and in midair, planted a firm kick to his midriff that sent him flying into her second assailant, the two of them colliding heavily and falling into a stack of equipment, yelling as they sought to disentangle themselves . Smiling inwardly, she dived forward in a perfect front hand spring, coming up in a fighting stance. Her opponents were tangled in some netting that had somehow wrapped around their legs, and they were hopelessly ensnared.

Pausing in his struggle long enough to make eye contact, Steve Rogers grimaced at the mocking eyebrow that she directed at him, a moment that was broken as Clint Barton accidentally stabbed his elbow into his neck. Natasha grinned widely, as she spread her arms over her head and leapt across the gym floor in a series of perfect gymnastic flips. Her last flip took her directly to the opposite side of a table loaded with weapons, and as she landed, she grabbed a Glock, cocked it, and fired two shots at the two men , that had freed themselves and were now charging towards her. Steve was in front, his superserum giving him greater speed, but it was at Clint that Natasha fired at first, letting Steve draw in closer, before she fired her second shot, timing it just so, so that his super-reflexes couldn't let him dodge the shot. As the men dropped down, red blossoming across their chest, Natasha looked down in surprise at a patch of red that had appeared on her chest.

"Derr'mo,"she swore in her native tongue, "You got me Captain."

Steve lifted his head from where he lay supine on the floor.

"You've shared a few of your moves with me ma'am," he said, his charmingly boyish smile breaking across his normally taciturn face, "And it's about time I got one on you."
The scoreboard that hung against a wall on one side of the gym carried various combination of Avenger outcomes, and so far the Black Widow held the lead in take downs.
"Glad to have been of service Captain," Natasha laughed, removing the rubber knife handle, and the congealed paint blot from her top, "Clint, you can get up now."

Still lying on the floor where Natasha had 'shot' him, Clint had closed his eyes, crossed one leg over the other and laced his hands behind his head.
"No thanks Nat. I'm just gonna take a nap now,unless you two are ready for lunch."
Suddenly he flipped himself over, pulling a blade from the side of his boot and threw it. Natasha and Steve ducked as it flew over their heads, laughing at his lack of sportsmanship and marksmanship - but he hadn't been aiming it at them. The blade sliced through a rope that suspended a vat of ice water over the two unsuspecting heroes, and the deluge came down. Gasping for breath, Steve and Natasha wiped water from their eyes, and started forwards, ready to wreak their vengeance – but the wily marksman had already started running.

Exchanging looks, the two split up, knowing just where the archer would be headed. A silent ten minutes later, Steve was drawn by a yelp , and an ululating war cry, that came from the living room of their floor in Stark Tower. Natasha enjoyed Xena re-runs on T.V. and had perfected the warrior princess's battle cry for her own personal use. Steve walked in on Natasha straddling Clint on the living room floor, Clint begging to be released as Natasha tickled him mercilessly. Steve stood to one side, still sopping wet, and watched as the two wrestled.

He smiled at the banter that passed between them, ignoring the slight ache in his chest as the thought crossed his mind that he would never be able to have the ease and intimacy that the two fighters before him had. He was a man out of time, and more so than that, he was a leader now, and that position brought its own burden of loneliness. Brushing the thought from his mind, freezing it as strongly as he'd once been frozen, he stroked his fingers through his damp hair, realizing he'd better step in before the two of them broke something. As much as he disliked Tony, Mr. Stark had been considerate enough to allow them all to move in, and his mother had brought him up to be considerate. Even though that consideration and politeness were wasted on the man who was as obnoxious as ever, having saved Manhattan, and who still lacked any sense of courtesy. At least it seemed that way to Steve – as antiquated as his manners might be, he had grown up in an era of chivalry, and old habits die hard, which Clint was about to do from lack of oxygen as Natasha had been tickling him non-stop.

"Alright you two," he barked, in his best field sergeant voice, "break it up. I'm starving."
Natasha leaned back, her hips still straddling Clint. "Aye, aye Captain," she saluted. Clint took advantage of her distraction to flip her over onto her back, before leaning in and stealing a quick peck of her lips. Laughing like a mischievous school boy, he ran for his room, Natasha following close behind, scrubbing at her lips, swearing in Russian. Despite himself, Steve smiled. A man out of time took his friends where he found them, and he had found them in two master assassins, who were as rambunctious as five year olds when off duty. Heading towards his rooms, he peeled off the sodden white shirt that clung to his muscular body.

"Jarvis?" he murmured quietly as he pressed the elevator button.
"Yes sir, I've already had your laundry delivered to your rooms, your clothes are being put away as we speak. Is there anything else I can do for you ?"
"Thank you Jarvis, yes – could you make a reservation for us at the Ind.."
"At the Indian restaurant you went to two weeks ago with the excellent lunch buffet ? Right away sir. Anything else ?"
"No, that'll be all Jarvis. Thank you."