Disclaimer: I don't know anything.

A/N: Make sure to read the A/N at the end of this chapter. It includes a sneak peek at the chapter after this. Enjoy!

"What the hell am I supposed to do?" She asked quietly as Bruce walked past her, boxes in hand.

"What do you want me to tell you Natasha?" Bruce asked, sitting the boxes on the ground.

"That you can handle Stark for me." She said quietly.

He shot her a look and she shook her head. "Never mind." She whispered, pulling a seat up to the worktable, sitting down and propping her head in her hands. "I don't know what to do. Steve's confessing his feelings, Barton is ugh and Stark, well he's just being a bitch!"

Bruce chuckled, a grin on his face.

"I mean, the only ones not getting me frustrated are Pepper, Thor and you. Cause Thor's never around, and Pepper, I can't be mad at Pepper and you stay here in the lab." She laid her head down on the table. "I mean, they're acting like I can make them all happy and I don't know what they want? I mean, it's obvious what Steve and Barton want, but Stark, I mean, Stark's just an idiot. I can't do everything that all of them want."

"You got to remember. Fury still hasn't figured out. And think about what he'll do." Bruce said, making her groan.

"And now I got Fury to worry about. Thanks Banner." She said quietly.

"You've always had him to worry about. I've thrown him off the trail of you two." Bruce shook his head. "Can't let the most interesting thing going on in this tower be torn apart."

"Oh you would." She said with a laugh. "Thanks for not telling anyone Bruce." She smiled softly at him. "I still don't know how you figured it out."

"Well, let's see. You were complaining about how Barton and Rogers were gonna have to be pulled off of each other. And I'm not stupid. So I put it together. It's not that hard." Bruce shrugged, pulling out some folders, and laying them on the counter next to her. "Thor was wondering if something was going on between you and Steve."

"So now Thor's figuring it out." She let out a breath. "Perfect."

"What did Tony say exactly?" Bruce asked, slipping his glasses up more on his nose.

"He didn't say anything. He handed me an envelope and said give it to Steve. And I opened it." She shrugged her small shoulders. "And inside was $1000."

"So?"

"So, they made a bet. And Stark said that he was gonna give $1000 to whoever it was. And it was that." She frowned.

"That doesn't mean he knows." Bruce offered.

"Yeah, but when I walked into the office, he was in his big black plush chair and he turned around slowly." She said. "And only ONE light was on in the entire place."

"They really shouldn't let him watch movies sometimes." Bruce said quietly. "It's gonna be okay Natasha. "

She let out a shaky breath, shaking her head. "What if it's not? What if he tells Fury? And what if we get in trouble?"

"Are you really worried that Anthony Edward Stark is going to tell on you to Director Fury?" Bruce shook his head. "Dude, he loves you guys too much." He let out a laugh. "I'm serious. The other day he came in here bugging me all day trying to figure out if I knew anything about you and the guy you were with."

"No he didn't." She said quietly.

"Oh god, yes he did. It was hilarious." He said with a laugh. "He was just like 'Brucey, bubba, please help me with this. I mean, her and Barton make sense, but her and Steve, I mean, they're like, perfect."

"No." She shook her head.

"Oh yeah. Trust me. It was great. I just sat here shrugging and acting innocent." He said with a smile. "I thought he was going to explode by the time he left. He was groaning and huffing."

She covered her face, her cheeks turning bright red.

"I just, it absolutely blew my mind he would be that focused on figuring out who you're with." Bruce said with a laugh. "But it makes a lot of sense. He, he worries me."

"Thanks Bruce." She said quietly.

"No problem Natasha." He said with a smile.

She closed the door behind her, something feeling off about the air. Again, with the paranoia.

She walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge, searching for something, anything, to calm her. She grabbed the small container of cheesecake, picking a piece of chocolate out and pulling it out of the container, sticking it in her mouth to hold it as she grabbed the milk. She stared into the fridge for another moment before closing it.

The cheesecake fell out of her mouth and she groaned, placing the milk on the counter and grabbing the paper towels, getting down on her knees.

She grumbled under her breath, wiping the cheesecake up with the paper towels, taking a second after it was cleaned up to breathe and finally stand up.

She threw the paper towels into the trash before she turned to the counter, where the milk was now moved from the spot she had placed it. Two glasses were now filled with milk. She raised an eyebrow, shaking her head. You already did that Natasha, you already did it. She told herself, grabbing the milk again and putting it back into the fridge.

She turned around and a plate was on the counter, a piece of cheesecake sitting on it.

Don't start freaking out Natasha. It's nothing. She thought, heading over to the barstool and sitting down, looking at it. She looked down and reached for the fork, looking down at the plain cheesecake. "Strawberries." She said quietly, heading back to the fridge.

She opened it, grabbing the strawberries and pulling it out, closing the door.

"Hey."

She tensed at the voice, the strawberries falling out of her hands.

"Let me get that Tasha." She closed her eyes, clutching onto the fridge handle.

He placed the strawberries back into the container and sat them on the counter, a small smile on his face. "Can we talk?"

She opened her green eyes and looked at him. "What do we have to talk about?" She asked, her voice breaking. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Cause last time we "had a talk", you punched me."

"I know." He said quietly. "And I'm sorry."

"Do you honestly think I can believe you anymore Barton?" She asked.

"I completely agree with you." He said. "But please. Give me five minutes."

She looked down at her feet and nodded. "Fine, but that's it."

"Thank you. Thank you Nat." He said, propping himself against the counter.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"I want to know something. And you have to be truthful." He said. "Who is he?"

"Who is who?" She asked innocently.

"This marvelous man that has been able to turn you into some girl that I don't even recognize anymore." He said. "The man who has turned you from the one person I knew everything about to this stranger who is spaced out and daydreaming all the time."

"I haven't changed." She whispered.

"Oh god, yeah you have." He said. "You went from this amazing, hilarious girl that no-one would get around because they were scared, but she was not a bad person. And now, now I don't know who the hell you are." He shook his head. "For the first time in the last however many fucking years, I don't know the girl standing in front of me. Because for the first time, she is acting her own age."

"Whatever Barton." She muttered.

"I'm serious Natasha. No-one is afraid to approach you anymore. You're not who you used to be. The Natasha Romanoff I know wouldn't be acting like this. But that Natasha must not exist and she's been replaced by this one." He shrugged. "And this Natasha, I don't like."

She rolled her eyes, shifting slightly.

"Because she has lost her touch. She has lost herself."

"I haven't lost myself." She said, her voice on edge. "Maybe I found a new me."

"Maybe you did." He said. "But what made you find it? No, not what. Who?"

"Clint, please just leave it alone." She whispered, her eyes glued to the ground.

"I can't leave it alone. I want to know what someone is d-"

"I don't know what the fuck you are talking about." She snapped at him.

"I want to know how someone has managed to change you so easily. How someone has managed to make you the happiest I have ever seen you."

"Clint, it doesn't matter."

"You better fucking believe it matters." He growled. "I want to know if it is time to move on."

That was a punch in the gut. That was what this was all about. "I, I…" She bit down on her lip as she searched her mind for what to tell him. If she said yes, she'd admit to being in love with Steve, but she, she didn't love. She couldn't love. But if she said no…. She shook her head. "I don't know what you want me to tell you?"

"I want you to tell me the truth." He said. "That is all I've ever wanted."

She stood there, her mouth gaping open as she tried to think of what to say when the front door opened. "Tasha?" Steve's voice called as he carried a box in.

She shut her green eyes, running a hand through her red curls.

"Oh." Clint said quietly. "I see."

"What are you doing here Barton?" Steve asked, causing Natasha to open her eyes again, looking at the two men. He sat a box down on the ground.

"Just having a friendly conversation with my partner." Clint said with a smug look on his face. "If that's okay. Don't want to inconvenience the resident couple."

Steve looked over at Natasha, who gave him a single nod. He nodded back at her but his jaw was still clinched.

"So," Clint let out a chuckle, "this is him. Well, kinda doesn't surprise me." He said. "I mean, I know Banner's smart, but I didn't think he'd be this right about something like this." He shrugged.

Natasha let out a breath, her arms still crossed over her chest.

"So then. I will leave you two love birds alone and um, have a nice life." Clint said, walking past Natasha.

"Clint, please don't." Natasha said.

He turned to look at her. "Please don't what?" He asked. "Please don't be pissed about this? Please don't, don't be mad because I strung you along for the past however fucking many years?" He raised his voice. "You really think I shouldn't be fucking pissed about this?"

"You don't talk to her like that." Steve said, causing Clint to turn to him.

"I'm gonna talk to her however the hell I want Rogers." Clint said. He turned back to Natasha. "Did you really think you could hide this or something?"

"I-"

"I mean, really Natasha. Everyone knows." He said. "Everyone knows how big of a hypocrite you are now. How fucking weak you are."

Her breath caught in her chest and her throat started tightening as he spoke.

"Get the hell out of here." Steve said, pointing out the door. "And stay out."

"What are you gonna do?"

"You do not want to know."

"Bring it Captain."

"Stop it!" Natasha shouted. "Just stop it!"

Both of the men turned to look at her. "Ta-"

"No!" She said, shaking her head. "I am tired of you two arguing over me like I'm some toy." She let out a breath, her nose scrunching up.

"Yo-"

"Shut up!" She growled. "It's my turn to talk."

Both of the men closed their mouths.

"I, I am not some prize nor some trophy. I am not something you two can own." She said. "I am not a fucking damsel in distress. I have never been. And I never want to be." Her voice cracked. "So you two better get your shit together. Or I will walk out that damn door and I will never come back."

"Ta-"

"I want you two to be friends again." She said, shrugging one shoulder, her shirt slipping off of it. "You two are the most important people in my life and I don't want you guys fighting." She shook her head. "We're a team. We're not a ticking time bomb, we're not enemies. We're a fucking team." She rubbed hair off of her face. "And I don't want to lose the one family I've ever really known."

"Natasha." Steve finally got out.

"I don't want to hear it." She said, pushing past the two. "Next time I walk out, it'll be for real." She shrugged, pulling at the shirt before slamming the door behind her.

A/N: Okay guys, so I finished writing it at 3:36 am on May 13, 2013. I have to be up in less than three hours before I take a two hour test that counts as half of my grade, but this is more important. Way more important. So, this was hard to write, because I am surprisingly torn. I mean, her and Clint were like, the first pairing I absolutely fell in love with, but her and Steve are just, them. But don't worry, not everything is lost. Because a certain Anthony Edward Stark is coming in to "save the day." The next chapter is gonna be very, very, very important in the direction the story ends up going. So anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and have liked the story so far. And yeah, so bye! ~Rennergirl11

Sneak Peek of Next Chapter:

"What, no! I want to be up there watching the two of them beat the shit out of each other!" Tony whined. "Why can't I be up there?"

"Because you will let them beat the shit out of each other." Pepper said.

"Fine, leave me Thor, we can take care of Red." Tony said with a mischievous grin.

"No. Bruce, you're staying with Tony." Pepper said.

"Whyyy?" Tony whined.

"Because knowing you Stark, you will whip out the alcohol, get her drunk, and um, I don't know, get in a duel with her." Bruce said.

"I was gonna say get her on some roller-skates and get her to ride on the balcony, but the duel seems like a lot more fun."