The next chapter of Sister in Arms is in the final pass now, checking continuity, flow, etc. so I hope to have that up shortly. In the meantime, here's a little short story that sprang into my head last night. It's based on the Sister in Arms storyline, but you don't have to read any of that to read this a bit of fun since I haven't gotten to do Clint's point of view on any of this yet. :)

As Clint walked out of Fury's office he let out a shaky breath, the door closing behind him with a new air of finality. He looked down at the paper in his hand, the director's signature still drying on his application to transfer to reserve status.

That was it. It was official. Hawkeye was semi-retired.

He knew it was for the best and it was what he wanted, a chance to be home more with Laura and the kids, to take a breather and recover from the scars of Loki's possession that he didn't even like admitting to himself. And Natasha had even given him her blessing, however reluctantly. It was right and a bit of a relief.

But it was still bittersweet.

Clint made himself shake it off for now. He was still in a public corridor in the Triskelion. There would be time to have a beer and let himself grieve the change later, in private. At home.

He made his way down the hallway, heading for the elevator to clear out his storage unit downstairs, when he nearly bumped into the man walking the other way.

"Whoa, sorry, man."

"Not a problem."

Clint looked up from his reverie to see Captain Rogers towering over him, offering a hand to steady him if necessary. For all the man's size and strength, he never used it for intimidation. At least, off the battlefield.

"Captain. You heading in to see Fury?"

"I am. He called me up for a meeting about something. Wouldn't tell me what."

Clint knew exactly what the meeting was about and somehow, even more than the piece of paper in his hand, this felt like the point where there was no going back.

He looked the man up and down briefly, then glanced back at the office doors, making up his mind. "Uh, yeah. I, um, wanted to have a word with you about that." He nodded his head to the side, signaling he wanted to pull over out of the flow of potential traffic.

Rogers looked confused, but followed, stepping aside into a window alcove. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. I, uh, I just finished meeting with him myself. I'm stepping back for a while, going into the reserves."

"Really?" Rogers asked, eyebrows rising.

"I'll still be there if the Avengers get back together or anything, but…" It still made his muscles tense even now. Clint looked out the window at the helicarrier bays beyond, remembering his body moving without his control, firing on his friends, striking at Natasha… "After everything that happened leading up to New York…"

"Yeah." Rogers' voice was surprisingly soft, filled with shadows of its own. "I understand." He put a hand on Clint's shoulder, standing a bit more formally. "Well, I'm sorry to hear we won't be working together after all, but I hope you enjoy a more peaceful life."

"I hope so too. I'm looking forward to it. But the reason I'm telling you is because of what Fury wanted to talk to you about. Since I'm going off-duty, he's going to be pairing Natasha up with you."

"Oh." If Rogers had looked surprised before, he looked utterly shocked now. "She's not going with you?"

Clint laughed briefly. "Boy, the S.H.I.E.L.D. rumor mill wastes no time reaching the new people, huh?"

Rogers actually seemed sheepish about having been too personal. "Sorry. Actually, I wasn't talking about gossip. I just figured from how much she was worried sick over you when you were captured by Loki…"

It warmed Clint's heart a little and slightly amazed him that she had reacted so strongly to his capture, even showing her fear in front of people she barely knew. "No, we're not… What we are is…complicated, but no, she's staying on to keep working."

"Right."

Clint decided to just get it out there. "Look, I know you've got to get to the meeting and Natasha'd probably kill me for doing this anyway, but I just need to say this now. Nat and I have been partners for a long time. She's one of the best friends I've ever had and she's never worked with anyone here besides me, at least not for more than a few days. If you're going to be her new partner…look out for her. I know she doesn't seem like someone who needs anyone to take care of her, and she doesn't really. But she needs someone to watch her back in battle and maybe try to get her to vent when it's quiet. She seems emotionless, especially when you first are getting to know her, and she'll act like nothing bothers her, but she's human just like everybody else. Oh, and she won't always tell you when she's hurt either, so keep an eye out for that."

Clint realized he was babbling now, but Rogers was listening solemnly, appearing to take this to heart, so Clint continued.

"She doesn't like to talk about her past, so don't pry unless Fury orders you to read her file. If she wants you to know, she'll tell you. If you do read it, judge her by what she's doing now, not what she was required to do then. And she's been doing well for a while so this might be a longshot, but if she gets flashbacks or breakdowns or anything—"

"I've dealt with shellshock before," Rogers said seriously. "I'll be there for her."

"Right." You're overthinking this, he told himself. She'll be fine. "I know she's a tough person to get to know, but if she decides she likes you, she's one of the best friends you'll ever have."

Definitely been true for me.

He felt his voice starting to tighten up, so he cleared his throat and pushed through. "Last thing: You don't seem to be too hung up on any old-timey sexist BS, but if you have any issues with a female agent being in charge—"

Rogers held up a hand to stop him, smiling now. "Don't worry, I have some experience taking orders from very capable female officers."

Clint almost thought he was making a lewd joke, but then remembered that Rogers had served with Director Carter in her younger days and suddenly felt reassured that he would know what he was doing as Natasha's partner.

"Right. Well, guess that's the big stuff. You guys'll figure out the rest."

"Agent Barton, I promise you that I will do my best to support Agent Romanoff and see her back home from missions in one piece." The dark look shadowed his eyes again. "I've lost too many people in my past. I don't intend to lose any more."

Clint believed that he meant that promise genuinely. He nodded, straightening, and extended his hand to shake Rogers'. "Thank you, Captain. And good luck."

"You too. Until the next Avengers mission, I guess."

"Yeah." As Rogers started to walk away, Clint called after him, "Oh, and one more thing. She's going to test you, especially early on. Don't know how; maybe hazing pranks, flirting, being unnecessarily rough in sparring training, maybe something I'd never think of. But, just be yourself and you'll probably be okay."

Rogers looked slightly dubious now, but nodded. "Thanks. I'll try."

Clint smiled to himself, watching him go. She probably would, try to get his measure, see what kind of man she was partnered with. And planting that seed of thought in Rogers' head so he was constantly on his toes around her was at least a little parting gift Clint could leave her so she was assured a bit of fun while he wasn't around. What were friends for after all?

As Rogers entered Fury's office and the door closed behind him, Clint felt his heart ache once more. That was it. Once that meeting was over, Natasha would be officially reassigned. He felt a bit like a dad handing over his little girl at the altar and watching her walk away into a new life with someone else.

He shook that thought off abruptly. Natasha would be the first to smack him if she knew he was being that maudlin about the whole thing. He was still going to see her for dinners and holidays and casual visits; they just now didn't have to worry about one of them getting shot half the time they spent together.

And he felt better knowing who would be with her in the field, even if it was a bit of a strange mix. Captain America and the Black Widow. With their histories, who would have ever predicted that pairing? But then again, both were fighters who had been experimented on to serve their countries, although Rogers had at least gotten to consent to his role. Maybe they would find more in common than he thought.

Looking at his status transfer papers again, Clint started down the hallway toward the elevators that would carry him down to the next chapter in his life. Getting in, he took one last look around the familiar space, remembering the first time he had led Natasha up here to meet with Fury as a new agent, and the first time Coulson had led him up there before that. He listened to the echoes of the past for a few more seconds, then he breathed out, let them go, and closed the doors.