CHAPTER #1

They saw Thor leave with Loki, the captain left on his motorcycle and Bruce Banner drove off with Tony Stark. That left just Natasha and Hawkeye. After saving the world from an alien attack, they chose to take some time off, whether people liked it or not.

"Well I need a massage and a little RnR. What are you up to?" Hawkeye asked getting into the driver side of the S.H.E.I.L.D vehicle.

Natasha sighed, "that's what I plan on doing. You're welcome to join me, but the location is top secret and you'll be wearing a blind fold until we arrive."

He grinned, "sounds mysterious. Sure why not." He waited until she got in and buckled up.

"Take us to the airport please."

"This gets more interesting by the minute," he laughed. But in no time they arrived at the airport.

She made a quick phone call and said, "once we're in the plane, then the blind fold goes on."

When a remodelled Synergy airplane was rolled out on to the runway, Hawkeye's smile got huge. "We're flying in that? I thought you didn't know how to fly planes."

"S.H.E.I.L.D. is working with John McGinnis and I've been helping with the test flights. This plane is easier to fly than the standard equipment we normally use. Stark Industries has also contributed some technology to this remodel, although no one at the agency knows that except you, me and him. This is the second prototype, on loan to me for now," Natasha explained.

He raised an eyebrow, "then why do I have to wear a blind fold? You know they have some sort of tracker in it."

"Come on, I'm not that rusty as a spy. You know I've removed it by now."

He sighed and put the blind fold on to humour her, when he was in the plane. She knew as soon as it came off, his eyes would see every detail and give him knowledge that others overlooked. But the only one who knew where her compound, her private sanctuary was located, remained to be only Tony Stark. Him and his damn technology had discovered it. Well actually it was Jarvis, but as everyone knew, Jarvis was just another extension of Tony. That was when it had just been a simple cabin. Then Tony had convinced her to build better and more, until it became what it was now. He'd even convinced S.H.E.I.L.D to put some funding into it, explaining that Natasha could train operatives secretly at the location. They'd gone along with it, so had she.

"Well since I can't see shit, I'm taking a nap. Wake me when we arrive," Clint said.

She grinned, thanks to Tony's modifications, the plane could go supersonic. They'd be on her personal island in no time. As soon as she was given the airspace clearance, she hit the button. Unlike the others, they had only a few days off, to recover so to speak. Then S.H.E.I.L.D would call them in for a new assignment. It seemed like only a few minutes and really was thirty, when turbulence woke Clint. He pretended to sleep through it, even though he could tell they were descending. He had to admit, she could really fly this bird well, the landing was super smooth.

"Okay we're here, you can take off the blind fold."

He did so, slowly, letting his eyes adjust to the sudden light. Then he took it all in. The sky, the wind, types of plantation, even the bug splat on the plane. His senses told him right away they were on an island. He wondered where in the ocean they were.

"Are you coming or just going to stand around all day?" She teased, walking to a motorcycle and putting on her helmet.

He snorted and walked over to what apparently was his machine. He noticed they were modified sports bikes and they had Stark's name on them. "Since when are you and Tony Stark such good friends?"

"Let's just say he finally owed me one and helped design this place. You know how much I love my privacy."

Clint rolled his eyes. "Anything I should know about these machines?"

"They go super fast and as soon as you start rolling it encases the rider. You'll appreciate the secure structure when you see how fast they go."

He grinned, "I'd say let's race, but I have no idea where we are going."

"Speed junky," she teased through the microphone in the helmet.

He chuckled, "you're one to talk."

In answer she gave throttle and shifted gears quickly, leaving him behind. In no time he was right on her tail. He appreciated the straight away they were on, but his helmet's computer advised of the approaching winding road. They screamed into and out of corners, dipping the bikes low. The faster they went, the bigger his smile got.

"I love these machines. Remind me to ask Tony to get me one."

Shortly they raced through some lasers and finally Natasha reduced her speed. She explained that if those lasers didn't recognize them, they'd have been dust in two second flat. They slowed down to about 40 km as they travelled down a long lane way, finally gearing down to first and parking on what looked like some kind of conveyor belt.

"You can leave the helmet on the bike," she instructed. "We're here."

He looked around and then a little more closely in front of them. At first it looked like the lane way just continued on, then he noticed the cloaking glass. She said something in Russian and a sliding door opened. They walked in. The place remind him a little of Stark tower, in that the ceiling was high and had huge panels of glass. To one side it looked like a solarium, with a tropical forest growing inside. There was too much to see and take in, it was more than he'd expected.

"Being an agent doesn't pay this well. Had something left over from being a spy eh?"

She dodged the question, but explained a little about the architecture. "I needed a place where I could instantly relax. Stark Industries worked with Bart Price to design this place. It's a little pod like, based loosely on the design he did for Steve Skilken."

She whistled sharply. Two large dogs came bounding toward them. One seemed to be a bull mastiff crossed with great dane. The other an akita-malmute-collie mix. They skidded to a halt in front of Natasha, tails wagging so hard, that their bodies bent with them.

"This beautiful girl is Mokos and he's Kupalo," she explained.

Clint said, "the bull mastiff-dane is named after the Russian goddess of life and he's summer?"

"Close, he's named after the god of summer solstice. I rescued her in South East Asia and him in Bolivia." She shrugged, gave the dogs a hand signal and they fell into heal beside her. "I'll show you around later. Right now I need a massage, a drink and then a soak in the jaccuzi."

"Sounds like a plan," he agreed.

They went up a bunch of stairs, to a second level of the main pod. She lead him to his bedroom and then continued down the hall to her own, the dogs following her. In his room he found a spectacular forest view. He had his own ensuite bathroom too. It was well laid out. In the closet he noticed clothing his size, including a few swim trunks. He had just finished stripping down and putting one on, when there was a gentle knock on the door. He put on the black robe he found in the bathroom and opened the door.

He followed Natasha back downstairs into the tropical solarium. The temperature was perfect inside. Two massage tables were set out, with the therapists waiting. Once they both had laid down on their stomachs, the massage began. Light relaxing music played in the back ground.

"I might just fall asleep again."

"No you won't, trust me. When they start working on the sore muscles, you'll be awake," she said.

Shortly Clint found out she was right. It was painful, but in a good way. His back was the worst, from when he had fallen onto of his quiver, when fighting against the Chitauri. He involuntarily groaned when a particularly bad knot was worked out of his muscles.

"Aren't you glad we have a few days to get back to normal?" Natasha asked softly, gritting her teeth when the therapist hit a bruise.

Clint grunted, but said nothing.

After an hour, the session was done. Natasha said, "just leave your robe and follow me."

His eyes couldn't help notice the one piece swim suit she wore, it accentuated her figure in all the right parts. They walked down a pathway, through a tropical forest. At the end of it, a wall of fine water washed them, before they got into a jaccuzi that was sunk into the ground. The dogs lay near by. A bottle of his favourite beer awaited him and she had a vodka cooler. Some things never changed, while other things were vastly different.

"Good thing I didn't invite you over to my pad, it's a dive compared to his place," Clint said after taking a sip of his beer.

They both sat with their arms above the water. The warm water helping what the massage therapists had done. He noticed Natasha's eyes closed, but he knew, that just like him she wasn't completely relaxed.

She replied, "it's really not my place at all. I have trained other S.H.E.I.L.D. agents here. Really it's their facility, but my property. They know sort of where it is, but only Tony knows the exact location."

He laughed, "still being mysterious I see."

She peaked at him from under her eyelashes, admiring his muscular arms. They'd always had serious chemistry, but circumstance and timing had never allowed either of them to follow through on it. He'd saved her and she'd saved him, their friendship was strong, he was the only one she trusted, ever. And he was the only one who'd ever seen her weak and terrified. This past adventure, made her realize she loved him and she didn't know how to handle it.

"After this, I'll give you a tour of the rest of this place. You'll like the gym-training room."

"Any new toys they give you?" Clint asked lowering his arms and sinking into the water up to his neck.

"Some I'm sure you haven't seen before," she teased.

He grew quiet, reflecting on the past. Clint respected her and if he gave himself a minute, he would admit he loved her. They'd been on many missions together, he trusted no one more than her. She'd brought him back, saved his soul when Loki took it from him. He'd brought her back when she was a raw exposed nerve. They were much alike. She out classed him in certain skills, but he held his own.

A few drinks later, Natasha looked at her hands. "I'm turning into a prune. Ready to get out of this thing?"

He nodded and stood up, giving her a great view of his chiselled chest and abs. Then he picked up a towel and handed her the other. He noticed the dogs sit up too. They were her body guards, her personal shadows. "Tell me how to get back upstairs to my room and then I'll change and be ready for the tour."

"I've got to go up there too, so come on." Again she led the way. "Do you like the view?"

He smirked, but chose not to answer the way he was thinking. He raised his eyes up off her ass. "Love the glass wall and the view into the tree canopy. Feels like a tree house almost."

"One panel opens up, so you can get fresh air. I can show you later if you haven't already figured it out."

She left him again and went to her room to change into jeans and a t-shirt. This time he was waiting for her, leaning against the wall by his door. He wore a pair of cargo pants and a black t-shirt. "So where to next?"

She showed him all the levels of the house, then took him through a passage way to the gym. It had mats for ground work, weights and a wall with various weapons too. One other wall was for rock climbing and repelling.

"Impressive. Perhaps when we are both up for it, we'll have a hand to hand combat session?" Clint challenged.

"Sure why not. Out this door brings us to the stable. We have a few horses. Feel like going for a ride?"

"I'm a bit rusty, but why not. Show me the grounds. You're dogs will love the run I'm sure."

She flashed him a smile. Then picked out friesian-arab cross geldings for them both. He saddled his horse and she did hers. They lead the horses outside and mounted. He noticed the dogs kept a respectful distance, but stayed at heal. They walked out of the yard and then through an automated gate.

He could see a path cut through trees and grass that was wide enough for the two horses to walk side by side. "Is this were you go for a jog?"

"There's a separate gravel path for endurance runs. The horses's hooves chew up the path too much and who wants to twist an ankle out here."

The horses responded to the gentle cues and began to trot, then canter. Their movement was very fluid and comfortable to ride. They came to an open field and he felt the need for an adrenaline rush. "Feel like racing?"

She gave him a side glance, "feeling competitive today?" After he nodded, she signalled the dogs to her side of the field, but far enough away from the horses. "On the count of three…"

Both riders tucked low over the horses' necks as they launched forward. When you rode something that had a mind of it's own, it added to the adrenaline rush. You never knew what unpredictable thing could happen. This time though, the two horses both enjoyed the run, each pushing the other to go faster and faster. Clint gave a primal yell and his horse stretched out even more, drawing ahead of Natasha's beast. The dogs ran beside them. Clint's horse left them behind. He began to slow his mount down, as he saw a curve coming up ahead. Eventually he brought the horse to a slow canter and slowed until finally they did a cool down walk.

"Way to go. I thought you said you're riding was rusty?" Natasha said, having caught up to him.

He shrugged and grinned, "I guess it's like riding a bike, after a minute everything comes back to you."

The ride continued, taking them around the outside of the compound and then back to the stables. They both stripped off the bridles and saddles then rubbed down their horses, before turning them out in a grassy paddock. The dogs were no where to be seen, but a sharp whistle from Natasha brought them back to heal.

"I'm getting hungry, shall we go in for diner?" She invited.

Clint nodded. "Sure but I smell like horse. Let me go wash up and change. I'll meet you in the dining room."

"Don't get lost," Natasha teased, then went to do the same.

They sat down to eat and both had beers this time with the meal. He knew she could drink far more than he could and still stand, but he did notice she was drinking faster than he was. The vibe he had got back on the S.H.E.I.L.D. airship when he was coming out of Loki's mind hold, was the same he was getting now. Natasha was hiding something or not facing some truth. Tonight he intended to get to the bottom of whatever was bothering her.

He brought up working with the Avengers, then some of their mutual past assignments. Their reminiscing was taken to the living room area, Natasha continued to drink heavily. She stood up suddenly and felt the world spin, but before he could react she was stable again. "I feel like a swim. I'm going to change, see you in the solarium."

She seemed to be almost running away, uncomfortable to be alone with him. He didn't understand it, but changed into a new pair of swim trunks. When he came to the pool, she was already in it floating on her back. "It has two sections; one has a current to swim against and another is calm. It winds along the side of the house. The two sections join at the ends."

"No current is the way I will go," Clint said easing into the water.

She swam beside him. They did two laps and then he got out. "Want another beer?"

"Sure, might as well bring a few in the ice bucket," she suggested.

Alone she tried to stop thinking about Clint. He was in great shape, even with the bruises and scrapes still visible. She was having a hard time not just going into his arms and giving into what she felt. But he was a co-worker and she knew not to mix business and pleasure. She accepted a beer that he returned with and took a long swallow.

"I know something is bothering you. What is it?" Clint asked her directly.

She shook her head and lied, "nothing." She downed the rest of the beers and then asked him to bring him a bottle of vodka, that was in the liquor cabinet.

He knew it was useless to keep pressing her, so he let it drop. He brought her the requested bottle and a glass. She'd tell him when she was ready. "This place is beautiful at night. I can see why you like coming here to recuperate." He stood up looking out the glass windows, sipping his beer.

She said nothing and polished off a number of glasses of vodka. She went to stand up to join him by the window, slipping in the process, "shit!"

Clint's reflexes where not dulled by the beer and he caught her in his arms, before she fell. "You okay Tasha," he asked softly.

Natasha nodded, looking up into his blue eyes. Her heart hammering in her chest. Her eyes fell to his lips. Her hands could feel the hard cords of muscle in his arms holding her up. "I… sorry." She regained her composure and stepped out of his arms. "I guess it's time for me to go to bed."

He watched her retreat, finally understanding what the tension had been. The look she'd had in her eyes when they had dropped to his lips, had told him volumes. She was feeling vulnerable and had let some of her affection slip through her defensive walls. He sighed, picked up the bottles and carried them to the kitchen. The lights turned off automatically as he left the room and went upstairs. In his own room, he put on track pants and stood looking out at the night sky. The stars were out with the moon, casting strange light on the tree tops.

In her own room, Natasha changed in to silk pj bottoms and a t-shirt top. Then she got under the covers. She knew she was drunk and hoped to sleep well that night. But that was not the case, she tossed and turned, fighting the blankets. The past kept creeping into to her dreams, making the night relive her most weakest moments.

Clint sat up suddenly in his bed, coming awake instantly. Had he heard Natasha's scream or was he having a bad dream? He listened to the silence and was about to lay back down again, when he heard it again. She was definitely in distress. He tore off his blankets, ripped open his door and ran to her room. Once there he carefully opened the door and scanned the room. She was alone, which meant some dream gripped her mind. He went to her bed and sat down.

"Natasha wake up!"

He had to shake her, for the dream to break and her eyes finally sprang open. Her eyes were glazed and it took her a moment to remember where she was. The look of horror and fear, had not yet left her face. She struggled against him, trying to attack him.

"It was a dream, that's all, you're safe," he reassured her, enduring the assault with a bear hug.

She clung to him, breathing hard, not truly believing they were safe. "Hawkeye?"

"Yes it's me," Clint reassured.

She sighed then, trying to regulate her breathing and heartbeat. "It was a dream, just a dream…." she repeated, trying to convince herself she was okay. And letting go of her death grip on his arms.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked gently.

"I can't, I don't remember…" She stuttered. "Can you just let my dogs in?"

He nodded."Did the Hulk's attack on you drag up bad memories?"

Natasha nodded. "I haven't felt that helpless in a long time."

"You're safe. Try to get some rest," Clint said, then went down the stairs and called to the dogs.

The dogs didn't need further invitation. They ran up the stairs to Natasha's room. When he went to check on her, both dogs were on her bed. He stepped into the room and they raised up their heads and growled. He backed out slowly and closed the door.

They'd been through this before, sometimes she'd wake four or five times. Either she'd wake up fighting or terrified. The past never could leave her alone. He wondered if he'd go through that later, due to Loki messing with his mind.

CHAPTER #2

When Natasha woke up in the morning, she noticed that her dogs were lying across the threshold of her door. Clint must have left the door open on his way out. She showered and changed into her work out gear. In the kitchen is where she found him, using a blender and making a protein shake.

"Good morning," he said.

"Just get back from a run?" she asked.

He nodded and used his arm to wipe sweat off his forehead. "Feel like some training today?"

"Sure why not. Let me just put the dogs outside."

They went to the gym and did some jiujitsu. Then after putting on some padding, practiced their hand to hand combat. She went into instructor mode and taught him a few new tricks. Once they were satisfied with that, both did some weight training.

"Sauna time?" Natasha asked.

"Nope, I'm going to try swimming in that current you mentioned."

They split up. He did do the swim and was pleased with how strong the current was. It was a great way to end the workout. Then he went into the jaccuzi to relax. This is where she found him semi-dozing. He opened an eye, long before she even came to stand beside him. He had felt her presence, even with his eyes closed.

"S.H.E.I.L.D called, we're to head back to the airship tomorrow."

"No rest for the wicked it seems," he mumbled.

"As if you're not itching to get back into the mix of things," she snorted.

"We both are," he said fully opening his eyes up and pinning hers with his.

"Nick Fury says it's just a recon mission. But something is up, because we are doing it together," she advised.

"That's the agency for you, never gives straight answers or the full truth." He got out of the jaccuzi and towelled himself dry. "I'll meet you in the training complex by the weapons wall."

She grinned and went that way. She picked up a pair of curved blades and waited for him. He jogged in, wearing his gear. "Grab a few toys and let's go into the forest," he directed.

Natasha noticed he had his bow and arrows. She strapped on her guns, a sword and took the hand blades too. New metal cuffs she clipped on to her wrists and gave him a pair also. He took two guns and a katana. At the conveyor belt, she touched a panel and out came a modified quad ATV. She got on first and he sat behind her. They rumbled off and down the horse path into the forest. She turned off the path and then stopped in a small clearing. Some targets already were up and showed marks from use.

He nodded satisfied with the area. "Choose your weapon and attack," he said.

She put aside the pile, turned her back on him, so he couldn't see what she chose and then spun around to attack. As he'd predicted, she used the curved blades for hand to hand combat. The wrist guards came in handy to deflect her blows. He managed to disarm her, quicker than she'd expected. The guns had rubber bullets, she used these next. She caught him twice, but his acrobatic skill kept him out of harms way most of the time. When her clips were empty he came at her with the katana. The sound of clashing swords, scattered the few remaining birds. She wasn't the best with a sword, but her agility made up for that.

"Stop," Clint said. "If you do this, then I can't do that…." he taught her how to defend against his katana. "Okay let's start again."

With the new move he'd just shown her, she improved her defence. He showed her a few more techniques and then she stopped them.

"Okay hot shot, lets do some target practice." She shook her head when he picked up his bow. "Not with your bow Hawkeye, with the guns. Let me just change the clips to real bullets. One for me and one for you."

"Did you bring a sniper rifle?" He asked.

"No, but this gun has been modified for a sniper attachment. That I did bring." She showed him the pieces, but didn't assemble it. "Later."

He was a pretty good marksman himself, so they were evenly matched with the hand guns. Getting frustrated with her own performance, Natasha assembled the sniper unit. She called out her shots, before firing. He watched to see if she hit or missed. She was accurate for the most part. One shot that he gauged to be around 500 meters, completely missed it's target. He grinned and then did the same shot, hitting it right in the centre.

"Sometimes you really irritate me," Natasha said.

He chuckled, "awe don't be like that."

She dropped her weapons and he knew that she wanted a hand to hand combat session. He removed his weapons and the wrist cuffs. Then they fought. He let her win, not wanting to be bruised again. She ended up on top of him, with a full mount and put him in a choke. He tapped.

"You won that easily and you always will."

She stayed straddled over him, her hands on either side of his head. Her hair fell forward and he tucked some strands behind her ear. He looked into her eyes and saw the desire building. She licked her lips, wanting to kiss him so bad, but she didn't. That meant allowing him closer to her than ever before and she wasn't ready…yet. Standing up, she offered him her hand, he took it and got up too. Both knew they shouldn't get involved due to working together, yet both of them didn't want to let go either. He also realized that she didn't trust him enough to just give into her desires. Clint knew all about her past, what had cause her to become a Black Widow. The past that she had overcome and survived, would have broken most people. It made her who she was today and why she fought the good fight and worked for S.H.E.I.L.D. They picked up their gear and then got back on the ATV to return to the training compound.

"Any word from Nick about the next assignment?" Clint asked.

"He sent over an information packet. I'll put it up on the screen in the conference room."

"Even after everything we just went through working with the Avengers, I still want to get back to work. I guess it's the ADD, I need to be in the thick of things," Clint said.

"You're an adrenaline junkie, just like I am. We're not happy unless we are working or our lives are on the line," Natasha explained.

Clint shrugged. "I think for us what we do is who we are, it's not just a job. Who we work for, is how others define us."

She nodded, "agreed."

They came into the training complex and put away their weapons, except that Clint kept his bow and quiver. Then he followed her to the conference room. He was definitely admiring her rear assets. She put the information on the screen and they saw the details of their next assignment. They were first tailing Maya Hansen who was a doctor working on nanotechnology for the military, through a contract from FuturePharm research institute. She was going to a gala event to solicit more funding. S.H.E.I.L.D. suspected she may be leaking the technology to competitors, to find who'd pay the most to keep the research going. From the information provided, Clint had a feeling that there once again was something that they weren't being told, but he said nothing.

"I hate Galas. A dress doesn't give me too many options to hide weapons," Natasha grumbled.

"True, but normally there shouldn't be need for weapons at such an event," he said. She gave him a sour look. "But we'll figure something out," he said and her smile came back.

"The Gala is tomorrow night. Come on, you're going to have to help me figure out what dress will conceal the most weapons." Natasha grabbed his hand and towed him after her, going to the weapon's room to load his arms with gear. Then she went to her room and into the walk-in closet. He sat down on a sofa chair by the glass wall, waiting for her to reappear. The first dress was done up to her neck and ended above her knees. She could conceal a gun between her breasts, but no other weapon. She went through two other dresses, that had the same problem. Finally she came out in a shimmering long blue dress. The back was cut low, with thin criss-crossed diamond straps. The front was a style that accentuated her curves in all the right places.

"Wow, that's the one," Clint said in awe, as his eyes roamed over her from head to toe.

The smile she gave him, lit up her eyes. "Thank you. Best part is this…." She lifted up the dress to expose a leg band that held a gun on one thigh and two blades on the other. Then from between her breasts she pulled out another gun.

Clint whistled, "lethal beauty."

"Now you know why my code name is Black Widow," she grinned.

He frowned. "I thought that was because you've been married repeatedly and killed each of your husbands."

She gave him an unamused look. "There's that too. Part of the red in my ledger," she sighed.

Not liking that he had changed her mood negatively, Clint said, "you did what you had to do to survive. I don't blame you for that." He stood up and twirled her around, then put her into a low dip. He liked how the material felt in his hands. "So what's our cover story?"

Natasha saw the look of desire pass through his eyes and it made her feel good. "You're an investor of course and I am your wife."

"A gold digger or a partner in crime?" He joked.

"Both," Natasha winked and laughed.

"Nice. So do I have a tux in my closet?"

"Several actually. Let me just change and we'll see what works best for you." Natasha disappeared and in five minutes was back in a pair of track pants.

He raised an eyebrow, "that looks comfy."

"Once we pick out your disguise, you can change too."

He did as she said and they went through a few classic looks. Natasha was undecided between a Yves Saint Laurent tux that was dark blue or Clint's choice, which was a dark blue shirt, bow tie and black tux. She made him turn around slowly and finally decided. "The dark blue shirt just works for you. That's the look." Then she went into the closet to the accessories drawer and picked him out a watch and a ring. "These double as weapons too. The ring spins over to reveal a spike, great for punching and leaving considerable damage. The watch has a timer with explosive built in. Great for a quick getaway, but not too effective for a big blast."

"You've got to like the gadgets S.H.E.I.L.D. comes up with," Clint grinned.

CHAPTER # 3

Once again Clint had to wear the blindfold when leaving the compound. The difference was this time on the way out, he peaked, a few times. He knew exactly where her private island was. He found it to be a clever location. They arrived at a private airstrip and then got into a car that drove them to an awaiting helicopter. The helicopter took them to the S.H.E.I.L.D.'s airship. Nick Fury debriefed them, gave them car keys and a wad of cash to Clint to play his part. Then they were dismissed to being their mission. When they were returned to land, they saw the car that would add to their cover story. It was a silver Lamborghini Murcielago LP640.

"I'll drive us to the hotel first to change," Natasha smirked, taking the keys.

"Try not to kill us," Clint teased. As he knew she would, she pealed out, leaving rubber behind.

The car was fast, super fast and they were at the hotel in no time. They were having their gear and their evening wear delivered to the hotel, because the car itself had no room to spare. Twenty minutes after they checked in, their stuff arrived. They shared the room under the false name, as husband and wife. Clint was ready before her.

"I'll be downstairs at the bar, come find me when you're ready. I have the car keys and room key." Once he heard her reply, Clint left.

His eyes took in the possible escape routes and every detail he needed to feel comfortable staying in the hotel. It was out of habit more than necessity really. He also scoped out their venue for the ball. Under the tuxedo he had a shoulder holster with one gun and two clips. He had a blade attached to his left wrist, and on his right ankle he had another blade. The gala was being held on the rooftop solarium of the hotel they were staying at. He determined there was a service elevator for waiters and staff. This is where he would enter, to avoid weapon detection. Natasha would go through the main entrance elevator, since women were not patted down, just had their purses checked. She would be wearing a small wrist purse. As Clint Barton walked into the bar, he noticed some of the ladies turn their heads to watch him go by. He smirked, knowing he looked good in his tux.

He was sipping a dirty martini, when Natasha walked in. She was stunning, both men and women stopped what they were doing to watch her. She'd put her hair up and was wearing dangling diamond earrings, with an emerald chocker necklace. Her tiny dark green purse, matched the necklace in colour. There was an easy elegance about her, with an air of danger. Everything about her was intoxicating. Clint got up and gave her his arm, leading her to a private table. He kissed her cheek, before she sat down. A waiter appeared immediately, practically tripping over himself to serve them.

"What can I get you to drink?"

"For my wife, a vodka and sprite with a lime twist. For myself I will have another martini." Clint advised, flashing his bank roll as he peeled off a few bills to pay for the drinks.

"Right away sir!" The waiter disappeared.

"Wife, you look particularly delicious tonight," Clint teased.

Natasha replied, "thank you dear husband."

They were speaking in code. They'd used it before, when playing a husband and wife team. He had just advised her that so far everything was falling into place. The waiter returned and handed out the drinks.

"You look very lovely tonight ma'am. Will you two be attending tonight's gala?" The waiter asked, practically swooning.

"Thank you. Yes. Do you know if other guests have already arrived?"

"A few," he replied.

Clint stood up and took the waiter aside. "I want to surprise my wife with a bottle of her favourite champagne tonight. I have it specially imported. Is there a way I could get it into the gala, without offending my hosts?" He took out his huge clip of bills.

"Er.. yes… um I could sneak you and the bottle in, through our waiter's elevator," the waiter whispered.

Clint nodded and watched the waiter's eyes grow huge, with the $100 bill he was slipped.

"Anything you need tonight sir, I'm your man." The waiter said, taking the tip and making it disappear in seconds.

Clint shook his hand, "good man. My wife will be very pleased."

When the waiter left, he sat back down and leaned closer to Natasha. "It's set, I'll come through the waiter's entrance."

She nodded and smiled. He looked at his watch and then two minutes later his waiter brought a man to the table who held a bottle of champagne. Again Clint tipped the two men and stood up. He offered his hand to Natasha. "Time to join the party honey."

Natasha stood up. "See you there dear." She walked off and every eye followed her, including his.

The waiter took the bottle and led Clint to the service elevator. "Sir your wife is a goddess."

Clint smiled, "she is a beauty isn't she. But don't let the beauty blind you, she's very smart and never lets me forget it."

They chuckled together and then the doors opened. The waiter thanked him and wished him a good night, then left. Clint gave the champagne bottle to the bartender and had him pour them two glasses. Then he walked through the party guests, looking for Natasha. In minutes he found her and handed her the glass.

"Is Maya here yet?" He asked.

"Not that I have seen. But some other familiar faces from the information we were given."

He scanned the growing crowd and saw she was right. One of Dr. Hansen's colleagues was there and talking to the Secretary of Defence for the USA military and two Senators. There were a few doctors that worked on genetic engineering and others they didn't know. To really check out the people in closer proximity, Clint danced with Natasha. His eyes noticed that the Secretary of Defence kept his left hand always in his pocket. He read the tells, just like a poker player would. Natasha was scanning the group they were interested in, for a target that she could work information out of. She let Clint know when she wanted him to have her accidentally bump into the mark.

"Oh I'm so sorry gentleman. My partner has two left feet," Natasha flirted with the Senators.

"I'm glad that he does. I'm Lamar Alexander."

She batted her eyelashes, "Washington state Senator?"

"One and the same, and you are?" He asked taking her offered hand and kissing it, like an old school gentleman.

"Nadine Roman. My husband Francis and I have been told that there is potential to invest in some interesting projects tonight."

"You are definitely in the right place. Come I'll introduce you to Doctor Maya Hansen," Senator Alexander said, putting his hand on the small of her back and guiding her away from the other men. He totally ignored the mention of her husband.

Clint saw a woman with a sour expression on her face, sipping a cocktail. She was wife to Lamar Alexander. He brought her another drink. "I see that your husband has met my wife," he said bitterly.

Mrs. Alexander accepted the glass, not even looking at him. "That's why he's in politics."

"Well if his hand travels any lower, Senator or not, I'll knock him out."

This time she turned around with a raised eyebrow. When she saw that the man who'd spoken was handsome, her face broke into a smile. "Now that would make my night, but not yours."

"Would you like to dance?"

She nodded and he lead her onto the dance floor. Jilted women loved to gossip about others and she was no exception. He was given a lesson on who had money and who didn't. He also learned some dirty secrets, including who was sleeping with whom. She was a smart woman and a good profiler.

"If you want to graciously rescue your wife, just tell Elizabeth that Senator Alexander wants to discuss health care. The woman just never shuts up. I'll intervene after he suffers a while."

"I just love a devious woman," Clint flirted.

"And I love a man with good taste," she said as she eyed his expensive watch.

He glanced over to Natasha and saw that she wore a bored expression, so he did as he'd been told and had Elizabeth distract the Senator. Soon his wife was back on his arm. He filled her in on what he'd learned and she briefed him. Dr. Hansen was desperate for funding to pursue research regarding reprogramming the brain. She was claiming she had developed a way to exploit the genetic potential of man, so he would become a super-soldier.

"You mean like Steve?"

Natasha nodded, "she says the result would surpass Captain America's abilities."

"Now that's what I call some serious bragging. I don't think I'm going to like being her shadow," Clint added.

"She's holding a conference tomorrow in Austin, Texas just for the investors. I relayed the information to Fury and he wants us to attend. It's being held at FuturePharm. He wants us to find out more about her research by breaking into her laboratory."

"Do we have an invitation?"

She shot him a look of disbelief. "Since when do you doubt my abilities? One look at the diamonds on my ears and emeralds around my neck and she almost kissed my feet. Not only did I get us an invitation, but we are to arrive early for a personal tour."

Clint whistled low, "nice work. I'll contact Fury and get a jet. Meet you back at the room."

She nodded. "At least the booze is free and the finger foods are not bad. Damn I wish I could go with you."

"Sorry one of us has to stay. If you learned how to fly something other than that plane of yours…."

"Just go already," Natasha said.

He grinned and left. She went to refill her glass. The rest of the night she just kept Maya in view and observed whom she spoke to. Eventually the doctor excused herself and went into her own room. It happened to be on the same floor as their room. No sooner had Natasha gone into her suite, when she received a text from Clint to pack and meet him on the roof in twenty minutes. She changed into her agent uniform, packed their bags and did the online checkout. A quick watch check and she made her way up to the roof, by elevator and then stair. A rope ladder awaited her. She put the bag straps over her arm and head, then began her climb up. Once she was inside, she disconnected the ladder.

"Okay let's go," she called, making her way to the cockpit and sitting down beside Clint.

"Miss me?" Clint grinned.

She punched him lightly in the arm, "just fly."

"Yes ma'am!"