Chapter 0|| Prologue

"What do you mean Fury has a secret?" Natasha whispered to Clint. "Fury has a lot of secrets. I'm one of them."

"Obviously he has a lot of secrets, but this one comes in the form of a fourteen year old girl," Clint whispered back. Natasha gave him a weird look.

"Why would Fury be hiding a fourteen year old girl?" Natasha asked.

"Wanna go meet her and ask?"

"Why not? I'm bored."

The two spies walked nonchalantly down to medical. Unless you were looking closely, you couldn't tell that Natasha was following Clint. There was only a fraction of an inch in front of Natasha and behind Clint. To her muted surprise (because her training delegated it to never be otherwise), Clint led her down to the hospital wing of the new ground SHIELD HQ. Both agents preferred this one to the Hellicarrier. It was more convenient.

Natasha shot a questioning look and Clint. He replied with a couple of hand-gestures that conveyed he was going to look at the room log. Natasha nodded and went to keep anyone who might come around distracted. Thankfully, no one came around. Natasha didn't have time to think up a great cover story, frankly. Clint walked over to room 706, which was a recovery room. As they approached the cracked open door they heard,

"Now think real hard. You've been birddoggin' this township a while now. They wouldn't mind a corpse of you. Now you can luxuriate in a nice jail cell, but if your hand touches metal, I swear by my pretty floral bonnet I will end you."

There was a soft feminine snort that sounded from the bed. Clint pushed the door open and walked in with his usual confidence and Natasha followed quietly. She tried to seem normal. To both their not-so-muted surprises she was covered in scrapes, bruises, and her hands were wrapped up in non-conductive medical tape. She looked up at them questioningly.

"I already answered all of Fury's questions. There is only so much I can tell you about an event I was unconscious for most of," she said in a quiet, but rough voice.

"Nope, no questions. This is a social call," Clint said. "My name is Clint Barton and this is Natasha Romanoff."

"Oh, right. Fury told me you two might come by. Wasn't sure why though. I'm about as uninteresting as uninteresting can get."

"Why are you in the hospital?" Natasha asked quietly.

"And why is that man wearing a floral bonnet?" Clint questioned right after referring to the picture on the paused television.

"To answer you," she said nodding to Natasha. "I was blown up. To answer you, I'm watching recorded re-runs of Firefly. Mal was masquerading as a lady."

"Isn't that that one famous guy?" Clint asked.

"Nathan Fillion? Yeah, he's pretty cool."

"What's your name?" Natasha asked.

"I'm Lake Reed, but I'll bet you knew that," she told them. Natasha smirked knowingly; she could already see Clint becoming attached, heck, she was becoming attached.

"So what don't I know?" He asked sitting down next to her bed.

"I dunno. I'm not you," she replied.

"That and because there are too many things to list," Natasha said quietly enough only Lake could hear. Natasha sat down on the other side of Lake's bed. Within the next thirty minute conversation, both agents became a little attached to Lake.

After a rather tedious mission, Natasha was doing paperwork. She hated paperwork. It wasn't because she hated reliving the mission, or that she could be doing better things with her time, but because her right hand was cramping. Not to mention the target, who she was trying to protect, broke her last two fingers. She nearly split his skull. She was sitting in the frequently unused conference room and trying not to break something. Dealing with irritation was easier if she could break something. She grabbed a pencil out of the holder and snapped it in two. It helped…a bit.

Clint walked in milliseconds after she finished her report. He was probably watching making sure she didn't take out her frustrations on him. She wouldn't, unless he was being particularly snarky. It had been a month since they had first met Lake. For most of the month Natasha had been gone. Clint hadn't. He was still dealing with the aftermath of what Loki had done to his brain. Natasha still saw red at the thought of it.

"Natasha," he said. She looked up at how strained he sounded.

"Yes?"

"I was trying to find a file for my next mission and I accidentally found this one instead," he said.

He handed over his tabled and she took it. The file name was: Project River. She had never heard anything about this before. She could always name active cases and non-active ones. It was what she did when she couldn't sleep. She skimmed the information then her heart leapt in her throat. Lake Reed wasn't really Lake Reed. She has assumed the identity after her parents tried to murder her.

"She was a Redmond. She was spying for us on her family. Voluntarily. Her family funds the worst people in the world." Natasha whispered.

"They're the biggest arms dealers and mercenary providers," added Clint.

"Wow."

"She even sought us out. It happened when you were with Stark and I was in New Mexico. I mean that was nearly a year and a half ago."

"Her parents found out, and they had her killed. It didn't work and she was mutated by gamma radiation. She can absorb energy at will," Natasha supplied looking through the end of the file.

"And if anyone else ever finds out it is on your heads," said a deep voice from the doorway. "Lake Redmond was killed in that factory explosion. Lake Reed is a probationary agent. She doesn't need her past following her. I think you both can relate to that."

They didn't respond as Fury turned and strode off. They both sat (or stood) there for a minute as they tried to digest that the girl that had met only a few weeks prior went up against the evilest people in the world and survived. Maybe that's why Clint taught her tricks that most SHIELD agents would kill to learn. Or why Natasha helped her with finishing school and shooting. If her parents ever found out she was alive, well she wouldn't be for much longer.

Welcome to the second draft of this story. It is already loads better than the first one. :) Enjoy!

~songweareplayingforyou