"Our story tonight: how Manhattan is managing six months after a strange—some might say extraterrestrial—attack on the city," the evening newscaster announced in a matter-of-fact tone.

Natasha rolled her eyes, but she was curious to see how the news media would portray the events.

"Back in May, a strange light was emitted from New York's Stark Tower. It opened what appeared to be a portal, from which extraterrestrial life forms emerged. The attack by these unknown creatures was stopped by a mysterious group of superheroes, save for the notable Iron Man."

Images of Tony at press conferences and past events flashed across the screen, followed by amateur cell phone footage taken on the day of the attack.

"Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, has been secretive about the other such heroes who joined him in the fight."

Good, Natasha thought. The last thing she needed was for her cover to be blown. That would lead to newscrews harassing her about who she was and for whom she worked. She silently thanked Tony for keeping his mouth shut, although she knew he was probably aching to be theatrical. But Fury had talked to him and urged him to keep quiet about the Avengers Initiative and all those involved.

I'm glad I wasn't there for that talk, she said to herself as the TV reporter droned on.

"However, Stark has had a monumental part in the reconstruction of the damaged parts of the city."

The news channel played clips of an interview in which Tony explained what kind of repairs he had planned and how long they would take to complete. The most recent footage showed Manhattan mostly repaired, especially thanks to Tony's help.

Natasha grew bored with the story and clicked the power button on the remote before tossing the device onto the couch cushions.

Six months later.

Had it really been six months? Manhattan was almost completely renovated. Bruce seemed to be settled in his new location in upstate New York. Steve was being compliant with SHIELD; agreeing to go on missions whenever they needed him. Fury even seemed more relaxed now that the media had turned its focus away from the "mysterious superheroes," favoring the reconstruction story instead. It seemed as though life was returning back to its twisted version of normal.

But things weren't normal.

Six months ago, they had defeated Loki, but their success did not come without consequences. Clint's injuries, mostly mental, had arguably been the worst. They had all been played by Loki, but mind control was different. Clint had tried to go immediately back into work, but after several outbursts, he was ordered to take leave for about two months. At Fury's request, he had also attended biweekly counseling sessions with one of SHIELD's top psychologists. Whatever kind of therapy they had done seemed to have worked; Clint returned to SHIELD looking and acting like his old self. He still had minor episodes every now and then, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle anymore.

Natasha's problems, on the other hand, were not known by everyone else. In fact, aside from the migraine that had caused her to take a day off the other month, everything had been normal for her. Except for the nightmares. Then the insomnia. Then the skull cracking headaches. She had passed it off as stress related until that one night...

Natasha shivered as she thought about the night that Loki revealed himself in her dreams. She had been trying to forget it, but there was something about the dream that made it keep popping into her mind. Maybe it was the fact that the God of Mischief had been messing with her head, maybe it was the last thing he had said to her, maybe it was the kiss...

No. There had been no kiss. She had imagined it. It had been a dream, after all. Just a dream.

She sighed and rubbed her temples. She had to forget about the dream. It was nonsense. She hadn't let Loki win six months ago, and she wasn't going to let him win now.

The buzzing of her cell phone broke her train of thought. She glanced quickly at the caller ID before pressing the green call button.

"Hey Clint," she greeted.

"Hi Nat. Did you see the news?"

Natasha sighed again. "Unfortunately, yes. But hey, at least Tony is sticking to his script."

"Yeah..." Clint responded, sounding distracted.

"You okay?"

"You wanna go for a walk or something?" he asked.

"Sure," she responded without hesitation. "Where should I meet you?"


The two master assassins strolled down the street in silence, sipping on their coffees. Natasha hadn't asked about the cause of his phone call, but she was pretty certain all the fuss about the six month date was bothering Clint. It reminded him of a time he was also trying to forget, or at least come to terms with. After another fifteen minutes of wandering around in silence, she suggested they return to her apartment to get some privacy.

Natasha sat on the couch, and Clint followed suit. He lay down and rested his head on her lap. Her fingers idly ran through his hair, making twists and designs as she lightly massaged his scalp. He closed his eyes, seeming much more relaxed than half an hour earlier.

"Do you want to talk?" she asked gently.

"I'm just having one of those days," he said. He didn't mean it the way anyone else does. It wasn't just your average crummy day. "One of those days" was a day riddled with flashbacks of when he was under Loki's mind control, followed by mild panic attacks.

"Let it out, Clint," she whispered.

As Clint talked about his day and his feelings, Natasha kept her mouth shut and listened attentively. She didn't nod and say "Yeah" after Clint paused—she let him ramble without interruption. She was not going to pretend that a few comforting words would make his problems go away, so she didn't even say them. She kept her gaze softly focused on Clint and listened to every word he said.

"...and sometimes it just makes me think about how much I could have lost if I had been under his control for much longer. The people I would have lost."

He paused, seeming unsure if he should say what was waiting at the tip of his tongue.

"Fury told me you abandoned a mission once you heard about me," he murmured.

"Of course I did. I didn't want to lose you," she responded. She winked and added, "A good partner is hard to come by these days."

Clint smiled, knowing it was only partially a joke.

"What would you say if I suggested we extend our partnership?" he asked quietly.

When Natasha's brow furrowed in confusion, he continued.

"Will you marry me, Natasha?"

The question was not a ridiculous one, but it still came as a surprise to her. Ever since he had saved her, they had respected each other greatly. From that respect came a great friendship, and an even better partnership on missions. They had always been close. Natasha didn't trust anyone else at SHIELD as much as she trusted Clint. When Coulson had told her Clint had been compromised, she had felt scared for the first time in a long time.

After the attack, they began to spend more and more time together. Natasha had worked out a deal with Fury that she wouldn't go out of the state on any missions until Clint had returned from leave. She made sure she was able to spend time with him and talk to him. Long nights talking turned into long mornings tangled in each other's arms as they slept. At first it was just because Clint slept with his limbs sprawled out, but then it turned into something more intimate, as did the rest of their relationship. Talking led to touching, to embracing, to kissing, to bodies pressed against each other in rhythmic unison. Years ago, they had decided not to have sex so as not to compromise themselves. But during Clint's healing process, as well as Natasha's, they threw the old rules aside. They had both needed each other more than ever, and so their relationship progressed. They did not have or need a label for it, but labels were arbitrary anyway.

In the few seconds it took for her to think it over, she had decided it made sense for Clint to propose. It made even more sense for Natasha to press her lips against his while whispering, "Yes."


A/N: Hehe after that bombshell at the end of chapter 1, I couldn't just leave y'all hanging for a long time. And for those of you who are worried, don't fret! This is not a Natasha/Clint fic, and there will be plenty of Natasha/Loki stuff to come. :)