I'm really sorry I left the last chapter as a cliffhanger, I hope you'll forgive me with an extra long chapter :)

I just want to apologise in advance because I have never been to France, therefore have pretty much made up my own kinda set up. You'll understand soon enough haha

Enjoy!


He couldn't fucking believe it.

In all his years of being an agent, he had never been in this position. He'd gotten to where he was because he was the best and didn't make mistakes. But that was over now. And of course it had to be Natasha to break his streak.

As he waited for Cane to come back on the line, his mind was only focused on her. He wasn't worried about what his boss or the agency would say. He wasn't worried about his job being on the line. He wasn't even worried about what John would think of him, although that should definitely be high up on his list of things to worry about. No, the only thing he was worried about was if Natasha was alright.

He knew they wouldn't kill her, but they had other ways of making her suffer, and just the thought of her being hurt made the hairs on his neck stand on end. There was no excuse for what had happened; he'd been impatient and because of that, Natasha had been kidnapped and was now who knew where. That's why he now needed the help of his team. He couldn't find her on his own, he needed resources. He didn't care if Bailey found out he'd lost her, but Cane had said they'd keep it a secret unless necessary. At the moment he was looking into traffic cameras, trying to find out where the SUVs had gone.

Clint shook his head to clear it, but it wasn't working. He'd pretty much just let them take her. He should have tried harder. Part of his job was putting his life at risk; he should have done that tonight. Instead he allowed himself to get put in a bad spot and Natasha was put in serious danger as a consequence. She'd been slowly beginning to trust him and he'd just blasted that to pieces. She'd never forgive him now.

Cane came back on the line and Clint managed to pull his attention away from his protectee.

"We tracked the SUVs. They're on their way into France," Cane said coolly. "They're getting her as far away from Barcelona as possible."

"Where are they headed?" he demanded.

"We'll give you the location when they stop, Sir. You might as well start on their tail and cross the border."

Clint agreed, and kept Cane on the line while he followed the road signs back into France. It would take a little while to get there, and he was in no mood to be left alone to his thoughts. About thirty minutes later, Cane had Natasha's location.

"It looks like they're heading for Perpignan, which is about another hour away from you. There's an airport there; the team is going to fly down to assist, Sir."

"Did you inform Bailey?" Clint asked.

"Negative. He's in a meeting at the moment, no need to disturb him. He won't even know we're gone."

"I appreciate it. But how do you know they're going for Perpignan?"

"The cameras have picked up the SUVs on the main highway that leads into Perpignan. If they'd been going anywhere else we assume they would have turned off earlier. They're still a while away from it."

What were they doing? Trying to lose him? But then he thought about it a little more. Perpignan probably had the closest airport to the border, and they were in a hurry to lose him. If he was in their position, he'd want to get her out of the way of threats as soon as possible. And what better way to do that than fly her out?

"How long will you be?" Clint asked urgently.

"We're preparing the jet now. We should land in about an hour. You're quite a way out of Perpignan, but the target is as well. We'll probably get in the same time as you."

Clint thought it over. "I think I know what they're up to. While you're on the plane I want you to check the planned flights coming into the airport; check for any private or cargo planes. I think they're going to fly her out of France."

Cane agreed and they hung up, leaving Clint to his thoughts once again. He was sure they were going to try and escape by plane, but he could not let that happen. He had to save Natasha. She was relying on him, and he didn't want to fail her - not again. He would make absolute certain that she could trust him. And he would make sure he dealt with the men who took her.

The phone rang another thirty minutes later and Clint answered on the first ring. The jet was making good time, but unfortunately so were the men who took Natasha. Clint wasn't a great deal behind them; however he started to doubt that he'd make it in time to stop them. But Cane gave him some hope.

"I checked over the plane records. They might be beating you to the airport, but it says here there's a cargo plane scheduled to arrive from-"

"Russia?" Clint guessed.

"Affirmative. That's their way out. But it doesn't land for another two hours."

"Giving us a window big enough to rescue her," Clint murmured. By the time everyone landed at the airport, they'd have more than enough time to search the airport and find Natasha.

"Any sightings on the SUVs again?" he asked. Clint heard Cane tapping the keyboard.

"Your theory was accurate. I just caught them on a traffic camera; they've turned off toward the airport."

"Great. Once the team lands, I want you and the guys spreading out and searching the area. Understood?"

Cane responded with a "Yes, Sir" and hung up. Another twenty minutes later and Clint was in Perpignan. It didn't take much longer to arrive at the airport. Clint parked away from the main lot and got out of his car.

The dark night was highlighted by the neon beacons along the runway, and the nearer area held a couple of commercial planes preparing for their flights. There were a few men on this side of the airport, and Clint looked over at what appeared to be several small hangars further away from where he was standing. If he had to guess, Natasha was being kept somewhere inside while they waited for their ride. He was tempted to go in there alone but he didn't know how many people were in there, and now was not the time to be reckless.

Luckily he didn't need to wait too long, for across the other side he watched the jet that held his men come into land. He got back in the car and drove over to the back entrance. Flashing his ID, he made his way in and met up with his team once again. Cane, Adams and Davis were in their field gear; Clint was happy to see them. He quickly outlined what was to happen, and they silently walked over to the hangars. They had about an hour to get Natasha out of here and disappear.

The team split up to check the four hangars. As Clint and Cane moved towards the third and fourth hangars further away, Adams and Davis went to check out the first and second hangars across from them.

Ten minutes passed and Adams radioed Clint letting him know the first hangar was clear as he and Cane entered the third hangar. Five minutes later it was cleared, and they moved on to the fourth hangar. When Davis radioed saying the second hangar was clear, Clint held his hand gun tighter. Natasha had to be in this hangar.

He inched closer and heard movement. There was a gap where the hangar door hadn't been completely shut, and he looked through to find Natasha on the opposite side of the area, barely conscious. She was tied to a chair, her head down.

He became furious. Those men were going to pay.

Adams and Davis joined him and Cane, and he counted them down to enter the hangar. They would go in, incapacitate by any means necessary, and get Natasha to safety before the plane, and possible reinforcements, arrived.

"Three."

They stood around the door.

"Two."

They readied their weapons.

"One."

Cane pushed open the door and the four men rushed in, taking in the sight before them. Davis took out a man with a gun, and Clint took out another without hesitation. He guessed there were about ten other men besides those two.

His team took out half the enemies surrounding them with weapons and combat - a couple other men surprised them. The three other men backed up Clint while he rushed toward Natasha. Her head dropped and her body bruised, he reached out to touch her when he felt a sharp pain on his arm from a bullet.

Turning around, he found the man that had grazed him and punched him square in the face. The guy didn't even see it coming. Clint pushed his elbow forward and hit him in the chest, and then elbowed him in the nose. The guy crumpled to the ground unconscious, and another man took his place. He didn't have a weapon, so he decided using brute strength would take Clint down.

The man moved forward to throw Clint to the ground, and Clint went to grab for his gun but found it missing. He moved out of the way of his opponent in time and the large man stumbled. Clint saw his gun near Natasha. He must have dropped it when he'd gotten shot. Focusing his attention back to the guy across from him, he moved forward and punched the man in the side of the head. While he was disoriented, Clint reached down and punched his knee joint hard. He heard a crack, and the guy screamed. Clint then straightened up and gave a hard hit to his stomach and then his kidney. The man fell on his back and Clint took his anger out on him, lowering himself to throw punches at his face. The guy was absolutely out, but Clint didn't care. He deserved to be beaten to death.

He was faintly aware of someone yelling out to him, and didn't stop hitting the guy until he felt a hand wrap around his arm. He tensed and was about to throw another punch until he saw who was holding him.

"Sir, you need to get out of here," Cane said hastily.

Clint's fury subsided and it took him a moment to register what Cane meant. "What?"

"The cargo plane will be here soon, and more of their reinforcements will arrive. Davis called the Director to send more agents down here to clean up."

Clint stood up and looked at him. "He knows?"

Cane shook his head. "Davis 'informed' him of how we were watching for suspicious activity and found these guys from the Russian mob planning something. He doesn't know that you, or Miss Romanoff, are here - you need to get her back to the safe house immediately."

Clint nodded and turned toward Natasha, who hadn't moved since when he'd last glanced at her. He slowly walked over and loosened the rope that was cutting into her skin. Her arms dropped to her sides. He touched her shoulder, and she jumped.

"Natasha, it's me. It's-" Clint stopped talking when he saw her face.

The hit she'd taken back by the parking lot had resulted in the left side of her face turning purple, and it looked like she'd been given another couple for good measure. It had swelled up. It looked like her nose had been bleeding a while ago too.

He almost cried out. She had been kidnapped and beaten because he hadn't done his job. This was his fault. His carelessness had led her to being hurt. He would never forgive himself for having her beautiful face treated like a punching bag. She didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve any of this.

She looked drowsy so he put one arm around her shoulders and the other arm behind her knees. He saw bruises on her arms where she'd been manhandled. Lifting her off the chair, he carried her outside the hangar where he found the car being brought to him. Adams got out of the driver's seat and walked around to open the passenger door.

"Thanks," Clint said, and laid her down gently. He brushed the hair out of her face and put her belt on.

Davis and Cane walked over to the car and Clint walked around to the driver's seat.

"Thank you, guys. I really owe you," Clint said. Cane chuckled.

"We wouldn't be where we are if it wasn't for you. You know we'd do anything for you Sir," he replied.

Clint gave a weak smile. He looked at his men. "I mean it. Thank you. I-"

"Get out of here," Adams said with a smile. "We'll take of it. Just make sure she's alright."

Clint nodded and got in the car. When he drove off, he saw his men going back toward the hangar to wait for back up. He looked over at Natasha, who was still in her seat. He was concerned. She could have a concussion.

"Natasha?" He asked. He touched her arm and she jumped again.

"Where am I?" she asked anxiously.

"It's okay," he replied. "You're safe. I'm taking you home. But you need to stay awake. Can you do that?"

Natasha was still for a moment and then nodded silently. Clint turned on the radio, and they didn't say another word for the rest of the trip.

His adrenaline levels had dropped drastically, and he could now feel the sting of his wound. He would deal with it when they got back to the safe house.


Natasha slowly got out of the car and Barton came over to help her walk. He'd parked outside the front door.

"I'm fine," she said softly, and he gave her space to walk to the door.

But she wasn't fine, was she? She'd thought she could handle herself tonight, and she'd been kidnapped. She should never have left the house. She should have just trusted Barton, and now she regretted ever questioning his loyalties. Because of her, his job had been put at risk, not to mention his life. She had been senseless and Barton had paid. She needed to apologise. She looked over at him and saw his arm was bleeding.

"What happened?" she asked quietly. He furrowed his eyebrows and she nodded at the blood.

He looked at it. "Oh… I got shot. Nothing serious, it was just a graze. Didn't even hit the muscle."

She laughed humourlessly. "Nothing serious? You got shot - it could have been much worse. You could have died trying to save my stupid ass."

They reached the door and Barton stood there looking at her. She looked back at him.

"I'm sorry," she said, and he gave her a look of confusion.

"You're sorry?"

She nodded. "I thought you were… look, I thought I could be sneaky and find out what you were up to and it backfired. You were completely right. I-" Barton interrupted her.

"What happened tonight - that's on me. You did nothing wrong, Natasha. None of this was your fault. If I'd just done my job like I was supposed to and told you the truth, this never would have happened."

Natasha looked up at him. She'd never seen him so grave. "It… it's okay. I don't blame you."

"You should. This is my fault and I am so sorry. For everything that happened. It was my responsibility to protect you and I didn't, and for that I can never make up to you. If I had just done my job then none of this…"

He hesitantly reached out and brushed his fingers along her arm. She flinched, and then looked down at where he was touching her. Only now did she notice the bruises scattered along her arms. She reached up and traced the bruises with her fingers. They were sensitive. She also now noticed that her face was hurting – really hurting. She'd felt it on the trip back, but she'd been so numb it just felt like a slight ache. Now it felt like she'd taken a brick to her face. She moved her hand to touch it and Barton grabbed it before she could. She looked up at him, confused.

"Don't touch it," he said, his face serious. "It'll be tender."

My face… what happened to it?

She felt herself shaking and Barton did something unexpected. He pulled her into his arms and wrapped them tightly around her. She closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest. While he gave her a sense of security this moment, she still couldn't help but feel powerless.

Tonight her foolishness had gotten the best of her. She'd never really thought things through, and tonight she'd almost been kidnapped. Barton could have been dead right now. She felt tears forming but she blinked them away. She didn't want to cry over this. She wanted to grow from it. Up until the moment she was kidnapped she'd thought she was fully capable of protecting herself; but only now could she acknowledge that she wasn't as good as she believed. Her father had taught her a lot, but there was still so much he'd been unable to show her because of his absence. She needed to improve her skills so she would truly be able to defend herself.

And she knew just how to do it.

Now wasn't the best time to bring it up; he'd think she was ridiculous. She decided to just enjoy his embrace for a little longer instead. She wrapped her arms around his waist and sighed in defeat. She wished that she could ask him to spend the night with her. Not in a romantic sense, although that would be awfully nice too. But this hug was probably the only thing she'd ever get out of him. No, she just didn't want to be alone. She was afraid.

"Barton?" She asked into his chest.

"Mm?" He replied.

"Could you…" she sighed. She didn't want to make him uncomfortable.

"Could I….?" He questioned.

"Could you maybe… sleep in the lounge with me? I mean-"

"Sure," he answered. "I'll grab your mattress."


Clint finished cleaning up his graze and put a bandage on it. Then he went into the lounge and settled under the blankets he'd set up on the couch. He looked down at Natasha below him, sleeping peacefully on her mattress by the fire he'd lit. The flames highlighted her features – her face was still incredibly swollen, but would no doubt go down within the next few hours.

He hadn't wanted her to touch it, and he'd made sure she hadn't looked in the mirror when she came in the house. He feared it would have caused her to go into shock; she'd been pretty close to it earlier, but she'd held herself together and he was proud of her.

He reached his hand out and stroked her hair. He smiled. A little creepy probably, but he couldn't help it. He wanted to touch her. He couldn't stop thinking about touching her ever since he'd hugged her tonight, and it was killing him. He'd been attracted to her since he'd met her, and up until now it hadn't been a big deal.

But it was now.

He'd never felt so attracted to a woman before, and it was made all the more tempting by the fact she was the one woman he could never sleep with. Never mind the fact that this was his protectee - she was John's little girl. He would freaking kill him if Clint did anything with her. So why was he torturing himself?

Enough.

Clint pulled his hand away in disgust. He was a trained agent for fuck sakes. Surely he could resist temptation. All he needed to do was limit physical contact with her and act casually. He couldn't let her know that he was attracted to her; it would just make the whole situation awkward. Once he was away from her, he could do whatever he wanted, but for now he needed to be considerate of her. He was lucky she'd forgiven him so easily; he didn't want to screw it up by her worrying that he'd jump her or something.

He just needed to keep his distance.


So Clint is defs feeling the heat, and he's unaware that Natasha is too. This should make for some interesting interaction haha

Read and review, I'd love to hear what you think! Thanks everybody!