A/N: Thank YOU to all reviewers/favouriters/alerters. Just letting everyone know that the last chapter is not going to be for a while yet. I have a few twists and turns I'm going to throw in, and I'm planning on separating Clint and Natasha for a little while. I know people want to see them get back together, but for purposes of plot, separation is needed.

Verse: Avengers Movie-Verse

Rating: M/NC-17

Characters: Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) and Clint Barton (Hawkeye). Rest of the Avengers cast.

Warnings: All the usual warnings. Plus, slight smut warning for this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Avengers franchise. I'm just using them for my twisted muse.

No Time for Regrets – Chapter 10

Tony Stark fiddled with an engine part, deep in the engine of his latest Audi. But in truth, he wasn't really focussed on the car, as beautiful a machine as it was. His mind was miles away, bubbling away with anger at Nick Fury and the situation Clint was in. Selfishly, he was disappointed that he didn't get to have any buddy-buddy time with the archer. Clint was just as silver tongued as he was at times. Especially when drunk. And he was one of the few who could keep up with his insults. But in other ways, he thought it ridiculous that so soon after capture that Hawkeye was back in the field. Tony knew he worked late and ridiculous hours sometimes, but he more than made up for it with his bouts of hedonism.

Not to mention it was only one day and the infamous Black Widow was looking, dare he say it, a little mopey. The most alive he had seen her today was after her sparring session in the gym. She had looked victorious. But he wasn't suicidal enough to mention anything like that to her.

It made him wonder what had happened between the two agents during capture. He had heard Clint's statement. It had sounded truthful. But now he had cause to doubt.

It was another reason why he was a little pissed at Fury. While at least Natasha had some time to rest and do what she wanted, Barton had none. Something was up for Fury to just unfeelingly send Batron off to do some mission in .

So there he sat, stewing, when Pepper came down into the workshop.

"Hey you," she greeted. When she received a grunt in reply it had her worrying. It was late at night and Tony was still here in the basement of the tower. It usually meant he was over-thinking something. Interpreting his body language, she murmured, "It's about Agent Barton not being here, isn't it?"

"Mmm," hummed Tony distractedly.

Rolling her eyes, Pepper carefully embraced him from behind, feeling his tense muscles give a little under her touch. It was their own personal code for 'I'm here for you.' It usually got the dark-haired man to open up.

"I'm plotting," Tony finally announced, backing up and shutting the hood of the car.

"Make sure it won't piss off Fury too much," warned Pepper, making Tony smirk. Of course. Pepper knew things.

"I promise not too much. Just enough to make him come and see me. Like a high school prank. I haven't done one of those in a while," replied the genius.

"Tony, your idea of a prank is probably SHIELD's idea of an act of terrorism against them," the woman said, shaking her head in amusement. She couldn't help but agree. Not giving someone a rest between missions seemed a bit harsh to her. She would stand by whatever her partner would do, regardless of the consequences. Pepper gave him a quick kiss, mentioning that she hoped that he would come up to bed soon, and left.

But Tony was already back in his own world.

And he had a plan forming in his head too. His grin got bigger. Oh, hacking into the SHIELD mainframe was going to be so much fun.

But tomorrow. He'd do it tomorrow. There was a strawberry blonde upstairs waiting for him.

The sheets were the softest silk, the air was perfumed with the scent of lilies, the aroma of her perfume, and the musk of the sweet sweat glistening on their bodies. It was a moment almost too pure for words. The two people writhing in sweet, blissful torture on the bed were lost in each other, the sensation taking over their bodies.

Natasha slowly moved, up and down, impaling herself in bliss, her crimson locks in damp strands. The slow pace was both pleasurable and excruciating. It was an exercise in control, something she was running out of, and from the clouded, lusty look in her partner's eyes, Clint was fast running out of his own self-control too. She leaned forward, barely brushed her lips against his in a slow tease, letting a soft whimper escape, knowing it would test her lover. He groaned, his hands curling around her hips and guiding her down more forcefully on his shaft.

She purposefully clenched, then relaxed, and then did it again, wringing another delicious groan from Clint's open lips.

"You like that…don't you?" she purred, rolling her hips as she was guided back and forth, up and down again.

"Oh yeah baby," he replied in his own low purr that sent shivers down her spine.

Natasha straightened, and she caught the mischievous gleam in Clint's eye, although honestly, how he found the energy to be mischievous…this was their third round tonight.

In a move of both power and grace, Clint tumbled them over so he was above her, carefully positioning her legs so that they were almost obscenely wide and her ankles were near her head. Unconsciously, he licked his lips and his gaze was heavy on where they were joined. "So beautiful. You can't believe how hot you look. All for me. God Tasha, I love the feel of you, being in you, being with you."

And then he moved, just as slow as before, but with more intensity, more focus, all on their mutual pleasure…

Natasha's eyes flew open.

Oh God. It had been a dream. It had been her first erotic dream ever since…well, she couldn't really remember if she had erotic dreams. Much less about Clint and herself. Sitting upright, she realised that she was radiating heat, and the touch of the simple sheets on her body set off tiny whispers of sensation through her nervous system. It was a little embarrassing that she knew that beneath her underwear, her nether regions were definitely wet.

There was an unsolved hum in her body that would go unanswered, but Natasha knew that in the micro-second after waking that she had felt a distinct wave of disappointment. She had wanted to be experiencing that dream. The detail had been so real.

"Get. Over. It," she ordered herself.

But Natasha was a smart woman. She knew she wouldn't get over it any time soon.

And truthfully, she didn't really want to. Clint made her feel something. He had been the one to break down the robot-like life she had led. What had transpired between them recently had opened up new doors for her with the potential to be so much more. Clint made her feel…alive. Truly alive. The native Russian thought that she had experienced life at last when she joined SHIELD and gained the friendship of the naturally reclusive Hawkeye. But that was nothing compared to the blazing inferno of emotion that burned within her now. Having sex together, being so much more as best friends who trusted each other completely, had opened a new side to her, one that she never knew existed.

It made her question the saying 'love is for children.'

However, the one person she felt could understand her and her emotions was gone, on another continent.

Natasha realised she didn't have everything sorted out yet. That was fine. As long as Clint wasn't gone for too long.

If Clint did take longer on the mission, she probably would go a little crazy. Especially with the weird little unit that had evolved from a mere initiate to become her family, as simple and as complicated as that single word was. As good as they were together, they had the potential to be destructive once more as well. Bruce had summed it up all too well back on the helicarrier. They were a chemical reaction ready to blow. For now, they were stable (and hopefully, they would be for a while more), but there was always that potential…

Natasha turned her thoughts to her team in an effort to cool her desires that were swimming on the surface of her feelings.

Tony had tamed a bit now that he was less on the verge of dying, and trying to be a good boyfriend to Pepper. He was still annoying, egotistical, and as brilliant as ever, but there was a less reckless side to him that came out more often. His near brushes with death had made some maturity gene kick in at last. But only a little bit. Enough for those who knew him to see the subtle change. Natasha believed that part of the change was also making peace with his father's memory, acknowledging that the relationship he had with his father was screwed up, but it had helped to shape who he was.

Bruce was quiet, kind in a slightly quirky way, and watched CSI whenever he had some time off. He had been a little wary around her at first, fearing he was going to Hulk out in remembrance of what happened on the helicarrier. But after a few awkward talks, she had found that Bruce was apologetic and genuine as he could be. He did prefer seclusion, and it suited him, but there were times when she observed he need some sort of human connection. Like breakfast yesterday.

Thor was…Thor. He was grandiose on first impression and yet take away his formal Asguardian wear and put him in some regular clothes, and he was simply a guy who liked Shakespeare. And food. Lots of food. There was practically nothing Thor wouldn't eat on Earth. The only food he didn't seem too fond of were mangoes. When he wasn't in the midst of battle, he was personable and warm, a real communicator. He didn't hesitate to let his opinions be known, but was wise enough when the time called to stay silent. Natasha knew that she had underestimated him at first, thinking him a little simple minded. But he was a good person. A little over-enthusiastic at times, but events transpired had made him wise, rather than arrogant as he had been.

Steve was an interesting one.

He and Thor were alike in that the technologies of the world confounded them at times. Oh how they had jumped and yelped like little boys when JARVIS had first greeted them in the tower. At least they both were learning to drive modern cars and use mobile phones – it had been interesting to find that the only phone Thor was trusted to handle were the massive, brick-like Nokias from before the turn of the century.

But time had not erased Steve's sense of right and wrong, and other qualities from his own era. Take today for instance. Natasha let a little smirk express itself as she remembered how embarrassed he had been when she had tackled him with her legs. Still a virgin (not that there was anything wrong with that. It was oddly sweet), still a gentleman, and an all around good guy. And, he could cook. A team leader that could cook racked up bonus points as far as she was concerned.

He, like their whole team, had his own demons too. Natasha knew because sometimes, faintly, she could hear him sobbing. He lived in the other apartment on this level, so it was logical. From what she had read in his file, he had lost a lot. His father, his mother just before adulthood, all of those he knew back in the 1940's. Peggy Carter was a special name that had come to mind. She and Howard Stark had helped create SHIELD. James 'Bucky' Barnes was another name. His file had been sealed, so she wondered what was being hidden there. Cap was suited to leadership. Sometimes he said harsh things out of frustration, but he listened and was fairly good at strategy.

Personally, she liked him. He had a warm spirit. She could find herself reluctantly confiding in him.

Only if she was desperate. Until then, she was keeping everything about her and Clint close. It was too early to show her hand just yet.

Slumping back down, Natasha hoped that she could find sleep before the sun rose. Without any nice sensual dreams. She suspected she would long for them if they kept happening.

Unbeknownst to a certain redhead, Clint Barton, half a world away, was having the same problem.

For the second time in a row he had woken up from sleep in a sweat. Only this was hot, and the hard-on growing underneath the sheet of his tattered sheets only reminded him if the dream he had experienced. Natasha, above and below him, having her in any way possible, caught in her sexual prowess and beauty.

To be honest, this sort of dream had not been a stranger to him, especially where his partner was concerned. He much preferred them to nightmares reliving all the atrocities he had committed.

However, things were different. He and Natasha had actually acted on their desires, and, instead of feeling his thirst quenched, he only found a craving for more.

It was love.

Not the silly, sappy kind of love (that kind of affection worked for some people, but he knew he was just not applicable to that kind of emotion), but the deep, soul-searing love. The type where you knew you just could not go without the other person if they were to disappear from your life through breakup, death, or some other unfortunate circumstance. To live without them would be a half life. A cursed life. Clint had no doubt that if it came to it, he would gladly give up his own life for Natasha's. Simply because his world wouldn't be right without her.

Too keyed up to go back to sleep, the archer rose from his makeshift bed and headed for the shower. Perhaps a nice cold one would help take care of his…problem.

He was in Spain, finally, holed up with his fellow agents in a warehouse. There were no rooms, so everyone made their own space. He had chosen the highest place in the warehouse, on top of what must have previously been some kind of managers office. The others had ribbed him a little for making his own 'nest,' and it rang with truth. He was above he others, with a fantastic position for sniping if someone unauthorised entered the warehouse. Avoiding a trap he had set up in case of intruders, Clint made his way to the single shower.

Although he went through the motions of shedding his clothes, turning on the shower, his mind was still circling with thoughts. The mission popped up every now and then, but he wasn't really concerned about that. If all the rest of the agents did their part as planned, this could be so easy that he could do it with his eyes shut. He might even shut his eyes for a bit of a challenge actually.

No, his mind was back home with his partner and his new team.

He longed for Natasha, but he also strangely missed his team.

Seeing Tony at the rescue had been good. He had been looking forward to a night on the town, laughing at a drunk Tony as he attempted to dance, while a bewildered Steve Rogers looked on. He had also been looking to playing guitar. He was even thinking about letting Bruce in on his session again. The resident geek had mentioned something about 'the other guy' liking music. Weird. Hey, different strokes for different folks. Heck, he even wanted Thor to come back to Earth so they could have another belching contest with him and the rest of the guys on the team. Last time had been enlightening and fun.

It would all have to happen after he finished this shitty mission though.

Clint had never really had anyone to miss.

Well, there had been Coulson. Phil. Phil had been almost like a brother to him. In a 'I'm your handler' kind of way. He was quick and witty, and had always made sure that Clint's mission logs had been impeccable. He had also been one of the few to advocate his decision to bring Natasha into SHIELD instead of following the kill order.

But apart from that, he was a real lone wolf…or Hawk, as it were. To miss someone that wasn't Natasha was odd.

Natasha though…her he positively ached for. Like a junkie after their first hit, he wanted more. The feel of her soft skin over those taut muscles, her hair brushing over his skin, the passions unlocked when their lips touched…

Well, those thoughts were completely messing with the concept of a cold shower.

With a sigh, Clint switched the temperature to hot and reached down to the erection between his legs. There was only one solution to this, and he'd be damned if he didn't think of porcelain skin, green eyes, and crimson locks as he did so.

A/N: Ta-da! New chapter!

Some of you wanted a bit of Clint in this, so here you go! I hope I've made his own feelings a bit clearer. Same with Natasha. Hope her stance is a bit clearer too.

I also wanted a bit more of the rest of the team, so I decided to write how each of them thought about their team.

I also thought you would enjoy a little snippet of smut. :D Enjoy.

Ooh…what's Tony planning? XD

Reviews are very much appreciated, keep up the good reviewing skills!