Author's Note: If I get enough requests for it, I might either write and then type, or just type up some of the odd or funny things that get mentioned in past or future chapters. I already have ivorycrawler requesting a few one-shots about something that happens in this chapter, but before I actually get around to writing it, I want to see if anyone else is interested in reading about what happens behind the scenes that only vaguely gets mentioned in the story itself. When I actually upload this chapter for your viewing pleasure my dear readers, I will let you decide.

Until then, here is another character that we will see a great deal of in future chapters. Hopefully you enjoy this chapter as much as you have the previous chapters.

Due to continued pestering by one particular reviewer in regards to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the only thing I can say is this: this is a story with a slow build up. With that, once again said, I will also say this: I have already written these chapters out and typed them up, and as such the introduction of certain characters has already been made.

Author's Notes are here for a reason, read them.

Disclaimer: If you can google it and find at least 20 pages of it, or recognize it, then quite obviously, I do not own it.

Bitter Coffee Chapter Four

Natasha was damned certain that it wasn't just an overly fond love of bows and arrows that the two shared. In fact, Natasha had been watching the two have a prank war for the past two weeks.

Well, not really a war per say.

Tilting her head to the side, Natasha watched Clint as he ruffled Serena's hair, making the red strands fall out of the beautiful bun it had been in, and then dropped a harmless dye bomb in the younger red head's coffee.

Her mission had ended rather early and she had been back for two weeks now and she had noticed a few things upon her return.

One, Clint now seemed to have some sort of rivalry with Serena when it came to the gun range. Natasha couldn't even count the number of minor complaints she had heard about the two, who didn't seem to understand the 'gun' in 'gun range'. If it could be used as a weapon, then no target paper was safe if the two went in together.

The Black Widow wasn't sure if the story about the potato gun was real or not, and she was certain she was better off not knowing.

Two, nerf guns and nerf darts had, officially, been banned and the vents had been closed all over the building with pretty much everything but a blow torch. No one said much about why that was the case, only that Barton and Serena were the reason.

A little more digging on that matter had her reading a report where one of them had gotten Fury, on the patch, with a nerf dart.

That was all she had read about that incident.

Three, the two engaged in practical office jokes only when Serena looked as if she was getting lost in her thoughts. The more lost - blank, really - she looked, the bolder the prank Clint played on her.

The dynamics in SHIELD Headquarters had changed in the five months she had been gone. Clint might have made a new friend, maybe even a new field partner, but until Serena got the Black Widow's stamp of approval, Natasha would make damn certain the woman didn't stay around long enough to escalate from pranks to something worse.

After all, it didn't take much effort to slip cyanide into coffee instead of food dye.

Natasha wasn't surprised to see that it was Clint who noticed her approach first. Serena glanced at her, took her measure the way only another woman could, and nodded a polite, but cool greeting. The earlier humor was gone from the other woman's expression. Replacing it was a cautious wariness, like that of a predator coming across something unfamiliar.

Good, she should be wary of the Black Widow. Fury might have recruited her, she might have Hawkeye's friendship, but the Black Widow was the assassin no one saw coming. She owed Clint more than anyone would be able to understand, and Natasha wasn't going to let a pretty face be his death.

Smiling politely, she took a seat, and watched Clint grin. "Nat, this is Serena. I'd have introduced you earlier but I never seem to be able to find you." Are you avoiding me?

"You know how it is after a long mission. Reports, check ins, equipment checks, tests." No, but I've done some watching. It pleased her, amused her really, to see the flicker of annoyance in his eyes before he was back to being friendly.

It was another set of blue eyes that Natasha was keeping track of. Those blue eyes bounced back and forth between her and Clint, a slight frown tugged at full, pale lips. Yes, the woman knew a second conversation was happening, but she didn't seem to know what it was about.

So Clint didn't bring her into the fold. There was hope yet for the man with a weakness for redheads and pretty faces.

Reaching over the table, Natasha held out her hand to Serena for a handshake. "I'm Natasha. I'm sure you've heard rumors about me." One could tell many things about a person just from their hands alone. Natasha was hoping for a few answers, especially since Fury had ordered her to stop digging through records for information.

The guarded look she was given told Natasha that this Serena knew about that particular trick as well.

Interesting.

Didn't stop her from grasping Natasha's hand in a firm grip and shaking it politely. "Black Widow." The way Serena said it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

Even Clint took a slight step back.

"I've met a few of your sisters." The cool look aimed at her from glacial eyes made it clear what the context of those meetings had been.

"Oh? Did they play nice?" Clint shot her a look, but Natasha ignored it, her attention on Serena as their hands went back to their proper places.

Serena gave her a smile that was all teeth and more snarl. "They decided I could make better use of their guns than they could." And that told Natasha that this woman was dangerous and would kill.

But Natasha needed to know if it was something that would happen by provocation or by will.

"And why'd they go after you?" Serena gave her a darkly amused, almost secret smile. She leaned forward as if it was a secret. Natasha found herself leaning forward to try and see if it would be whispered or if it actually was a secret, then the fewer who knew, the better.

"Because I have something their handler wanted." With that, Natasha watched the woman get up and leave, taking the pranked cup of coffee with her.

Almost immediately it was Clint taking the recently vacated seat, a slightly dark look on his face. "Nat, what the hell?" No translation necessary there.

"Do you already trust her?" It was something she needed to know. "She just admitted to being a killer, one who has killed professionally trained killers." Something flickered over Clint's face, something that made her eyes narrow. "Clint, not everyone that you find needs saving."

"She does." Something had definitely happened while she was away.

"What makes you say that, Barton?" You better wince. The vindictive thought was in her head before she could refrain herself.

"It's what Fury told me."

"Fury? Director Fury told you she needed saving?" Clint winced at her tone, just as much as her words. Good. Natasha thought.

"No. He, she, I - dammit Nat!" At least he still had his temper. Meant he wasn't too far gone.

Clint leaned across the table, towards her. His arms were, also, on the table and his hands were already gesturing a bit. "Look. Apparently she confessed everything to Fury before she joined and everything checked out. The only reason why we can't find anything on her is because he promised to keep it all off record. Follow so far?"

"Yes, Clint, I'm following your little story." And so far it was a story. Until Natasha saw proof and held it in her hands that Serena wasn't out to kill her partner, Natasha would always be doubtful of the woman's loyalty to SHIELD. "Doesn't explain why you trust her or why you've been playing these games with her."

"The only thing Fury was willing to confirm, to me, is that she lost someone important and that I remind her of that person." He wasn't finished. Natasha could see that much. "I think it was her lover."

"Everyone loses someone, Clint." She would know. How many people over the years had she lost for one reason, one cause, or another?

"Not everyone still bursts out crying at just being reminded of the loss, Nat." Clint looked her in the eyes. "And the loss isn't recent either, Nat. At least two years." Since the loss.

Leaning back in her chair, Natasha watched him. "And you think she was truly in love with this person that she lost." The part of her that liked to occasionally read romance books found this to be almost romantic and heart-breaking. The part of her that was forever the Black Widow, on the other hand, didn't buy it. "Too easy of a story, Clint."

"I know, but two years ago was when an asshole named Trickshot was killing off SHIELD agents. Raw anger was in Clint eyes. Too raw.

"You knew Trickshot or you were close to someone he killed." It was the only conclusion she was drawing.

"Worse." Clint glared at her, but it wasn't aimed at her. "Trickshot's real name was Barney Barton, and he was my brother."

Author's Note 2: Author's Notes are here for a reason, read them. If you have not read the one above this chapter, go up and read it. Especially you, my repeat reviewer that is badgering me about Percy Jackson and the Olympians.