enjoy this chapter! :) another big thanks to everyone who commented, faved and alerted on the last chapter! you guys make this story happen!

:D

~Chapter 5

"Clint…" Natasha says, keeping her voice calm as he continues to tell her how nice she smells, amongst other things. She's supporting nearly all of his weight—and he's a heavy bastard too—so she can't move without fear him just falling over onto the ground.

"Hello, Natasha-."

She makes the choice in a split second, deciding to drop Clint and pull out a weapon.

Her gun is drawn and aimed before Clint even hits the floor.

"Owww…" He mumbles in a very un-spy like fashion. "Taaaaashaaaaa…" He moans childishly.

"No need for that here." The lady says kindly, a gentle smile covering her features.

"Irena…" Tasha says slowly, recognizing the woman. She had gathered information from her before, but never known she was married at one time.

Natasha slides her gun back into the holster at her thigh, and kneels next to the still floor bound Hawkeye, never taking her eyes off Irena as she helps him up and half carries drags him to the couch.

"He's been talking about you in his sleep, so I guess its good you showed up."

Natasha eyes Irena warily as she unconsciously runs her fingers through Clint's hair to comfort him. It works, and the archer stops his complaining, though he continues mumbling random things he likes about Natasha.

"I wasn't actually sent here to retrieve him." Natasha glances down at Clint when he makes a sound of pain, and she notices the gauze wrapped around his shoulder. Anger sparks in her eyes and her hands ache for the chance to beat the crap out of whoever had hurt her partner. "But he does look a little worse for wear."

"Why are you here then, if you don't mind my asking?" Irena cradles a cup of tea in her hands, holding it for warmth. "I'll start some more tea, while you explain."

"Thank you," Natasha says, concealing her sigh of relief. She was in need of a cup of tea. "Your ex-husband claims to be an ally of SHIELDs. He told me to visit you to confirm it…but he didn't tell me who you were."

Irena stares thoughtfully into her mug, as if admiring the deep color the tea presented.

"My husband is a good man, and I trust him, though our marriage didn't work out. But my son I am not so sure of."

"Pavel?" Tasha says, somewhat surprised. The young man couldn't be much older than eighteen, and his mother suspected him of something possibly malicious?

"Yes. I have no proof however, and the worry might be unfounded. But I'd feel more comfortable if you were wary of my son and his involvement."

Natasha manages a small smile. "Thank you." She glances down at Clint, who had fallen asleep while they talked. "And thank you for taking care of him as well."

Irena nods, her own lips curving up as she thinks about how he acted in his delirium. "He was a bit of a handful, but no worries. He should be fine by morning if I'm any judge."

"Do you know how he got hurt?"

"I'd assume someone attacked him while he was on his way here." Irena answers, biting her lip. "I found him perched in a tree when I went on my walk and figured he was from SHIELDs. He didn't speak Russian."

Natasha's smile grows a little. "He could never really get a grasp on it."

"His wound wasn't that bad, but the bolt that hit him was poisoned. He pulled it out before too much got into his system, but lost a good bit of blood in the process."

Again, her anger boils and threatens to reach the surface. She pushes it all back, instead being more rational about the situation. She really hadn't wanted to get Clint mixed up with her while she was in the middle of locating the last of the Black Widow program, but now he was here and very much so right in the middle of it. She would just have to make the best of the situation now.

"So, what do you propose I do?"

*(*)*

Clint feels like he's floating.

Like...on a cloud of jello? Maybe more like cotton candy. Yes, that makes much more sense...mmm...cotton candy. Natasha has shampoo that smells like cotton candy, and he loves it. God, he could really use Tasha now.

What sense is there in cotton candy if you can't share it with anyone?

The sharp feeling of pain in his shoulder tugs on his thoughts, making him wonder if had fallen asleep with his bow over his shoulder or something.

"- and his fever has come down a lot, so I think-."

"Tasha?" He tries to say. It comes out more like, "gahhhh..."

Natasha is instantly in his line of sight, her brows brought together in worry. "Any better today?"

Clint blinks blearily, not recalling anything past meeting Irena. "When did you get here?" He asks slowly. His mind is working in a whir, and goes automatically to the worst case scenario. "Are you okay? Were you compromised?"

He moves to sit up, but she places her hands firmly on his chest, and keeps him down. He finds with a bit of apprehension that he doesn't feel strong enough to push her off.

"I wasn't compromised. You were."

Clint thinks back, scratching at the two days growth on his chin. "Ah. Right."

"Think you can get up?" She asks gently. He's wary of her- she seems much too caring and kind. This isn't his Tasha.

"Yeah. I hurt my shoulder, not my legs," He tells her, rolling his eyes. he swings his legs around to the edge of he couch and stands up, albiet shaky, though this time he doesn't plummet to the floor.

"See, I'm fi-."

Natasha slaps him across the face as hard as she can, and he stumbles back, nearly loosing his delicate balance.

Clint presses his hand against his cheek, and winces. "I assume I deserved that?" He says in a tiny voice.

"You did." Natasha confirmed coldly.

HI! sorry the chapters are so short XP thats about the only drawback that comes with my updating practically everyday- it keeps my brain from frying.

anyways, some bad news- i won't be able to update for a week or two, because i'm in the middle of moving across the state to where my fathers new job is, and i wont have internet or computer for that long! I'M SORRY GUYS! i really am :( i tried not to leave on too big of a cliffy though, so maybe that makes up for it, yes?

I hope so, but i really am sorry that i have to leave you hanging for a while!

THANKS TO ALL MY SUPPORTERS! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!

( here's to hoping you all understand) love,

gilraenstar :)

UPDATE! Okay guys! I officially have internet now! YAY! I rewrote a bit of this chapter, because i didn't really like how it turned out. XD anywho, I very very very rarely rewrite chapters after i have them posted, so I promise to never do it again! I think this is only like the second time I've ever done that XD anyways, enjoy! and i'm posting the next chapter, and it's uber long, so enjoy and don't forget to review!

THANKS!