A/N: I am absolutely overwhelmed by the amazing response this story has receive and it has encouraged me to find time amongst doing my school work to write this chapter. I really appreciate your reviews, I love reading about what you think about the chapter or story in general so please keep them coming.

This chapter is for all you Clintasha fans, I hope you like it!

:)

Natasha slowly opened her eyes and looked around. The room was dark, the only light coming from the window in the door opposite her bed and from the beeping machine next to her. She soon realised that she was lying in a hospital bed with an IV drip stuck in the back of her hand, in the infirmary on the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier, as she could hear and feel the gentle hum of the engines. Then she noticed a figure sitting in a chair next to her, with his eyes half closed and his feet propped up on the end of her hospital bed.

Clint

She looked at him closely in the semi darkness. He had dark rings under his eyes and an ugly cut running from behind his ear down his neck and other cuts appearing out of the top of his S.H.I.E.L.D standard issue grey top.

She opened her mouth to speak, but her mouth was completely dry and no sound came out. Instead she moved her aching legs to nudge his feet, which were resting on top of her white blankets

'Wha- oh Tasha you're up' he stated, jolting awake and noticing his partner's green eyes wide open in the darkness. He noticed that she was reaching out towards the water on her bedside cabinet. 'Here you go' he said handing a glass to her, which she drank readily.

'How long was I out for?' she asked finally 'the last thing I remember is shooting Boris.'

'That was just over three days ago' Clint replied, reaching out to hold Natasha's hand as she looked up at him with a shocked expression on her face. 'Well, you did have minor case of hypothermia, malnourishment, some cracked ribs, concussion and not to mention a whole other assortment of injuries'

'How are you?' she asked, squeezing his hand

'I'm fine, nothing take a couple of painkillers can't sort out' her partner replied.

'Have you been here the whole time?'

Clint nodded

'You stupid man! You should be in your room asleep resting!'

'I know, but I didn't want to leave you' Clint replied reaching out to stroke Natasha's cheek tenderly. 'The last time I left you, you were captured and I did not see for days and besides, I know you hate waking up alone'

'Thank you' Natasha whispered 'How is everyone else?'

'They are alright, worried about you though' Clint replied 'They've been in a couple of times, Pepper keeps on sending me food and Bruce is on the medical team monitoring the girls'

'The girls, Elena, I should be with her' Natasha exclaimed, beginning to sit up, with some difficulty in the bed.

'Relax Tash, before you do yourself anymore harm. The girls are all still out and Bruce told me that he wasn't expecting them to wake up until at least the morning. You should go back to sleep Tash'

Natasha sunk back into the pillows and closed her eyes. Her mind would not rest; there was too much going on. She had images of Boris leering at her, of her dancing with Alexei, baby Lena's bright blue eyes staring up at her, the explosion... 'I can't sleep' she whispered 'I keep on getting all these images in my head and this bed is about as comfy as the hard pallet I was subjected to back in the compound.'

'Well I know bed that is much comfier' Clint replied

'Can you help me get out of here?' Natasha asked

'Tash I'm not really sur-'

'Please Clint'

'Fine, but you can face the wrath of Dr Michaels in the morning' he answered placing an arm behind her back and helping her up.

'Pah, like I care, the bitch is scared of me ever since I threatened her when she would not let me see you after Guatemala' Natasha stated reaching down and pulling the IV out of her hand.

'Well come on them' Clint stated, wrapping his arm firmly around Natasha's waist and helping her walk out of the hospital room, towards his quarters.

Under normal circumstances Natasha would never let Clint help her walk along like he was currently doing, but it as dark, there was no one around and her legs were screaming out in protest every time she took a step. she had definitely pulled more than a couple of muscles and so for once she made a concession and showed some weaknesses

'Here we are' Clint announced as they rounded the corner and approached the door to Clint's room which they quickly entered.

'Your bed has not been slept in' Natasha noted as they entered the room.

'Well I already told you that I had been with you all the time' Clint stated. 'Maybe you should have a shower, that normally clears your head' Clint suggested

Natasha nodded. A nice hot shower was one of the only things which could rest her buzzing mind. She slowly stood up and made her way across Clint's room to his bathroom.

Clint lay on the bed after Natasha had gone to have a shower, thoughts of the past couple of days passing through his mind. The only other time he had been as scared as he was when she would not wake up when they reached the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier, after their flight back and had to be carried off on a stretcher by the medics, was when she had been shot in the stomach during what was meant to be a simple mission in Warsaw. Seeing her lying there motionless, almost as pale as the hospital sheets she was lying on, her normally bright hair, dull and lying limply around her head, was one of his worst memories. She looked so venerable, hooked up with all this wires to machines which were keeping her alive and he could not help her.

'Clint, can you help me' came Natasha's voice, almost a whisper, pulling out of his memories.

Clint leapt off the bed and headed to the bathroom. 'What do you need?' he asked standing next to the bath room door.

'Can you help me please' came Natasha's reply

'What? You want me to come in?'

'Please'

Clint slowly opened the bathroom door to find Natasha sitting at the bottom of the shower, tears running down her face mixing with the water which was coming out of the shower. Without a moment's hesitation, Clint stripped off his clothes and quickly entered the shower. 'Come on Tash' he said, helping her stand up 'let's get you all cleaned up' he stated, brushing her tears away.

Natasha just nodded as Clint reach up to grab some shampoo before starting to massage it into her red curls. It did not feel awkward being together naked and sharing a shower. It was nothing each other had not already seen before and it was a sort of post stressful mission ritual, as if standing under the spray of the water would wash all the hurt and all the crimes they had committed away. It was like after they stepped out of the shower, they were just Nat and Clint, no alias or code names, just themselves. Clint remembered how Natasha had led him into a giant bathroom on one of the floors of Stark tower, which had not been destroyed after the battle against Loki and had first piece by piece, painstakingly picked out all the bits of glass in his back before helping him into the shower, where they had both washed the blood and dirt from the day away.

'Thank you' Natasha said gratefully as he rinsed the shampoo out of her hair and picked up the shower gel. After squirting some onto his hands, he rubbed them together before starting to massage it into her shoulders, relaxing her tense, taut muscles under his fingers. He slowly worked his way down her back as Natasha pushed her hands against the wall in order to brace herself. She was losing herself under Clint's tender ministrations. 'Thank you' she whispered again turning to face her partner, her wet head pressing against his equally wet bare chest.

'No problem' Clint replied as the hot water continued to spray them and he placed a kiss to the top of her head. 'What you do without me?' he joked

'I'd still be in Russia' Natasha replied seriously, pressing a quick kiss to his lips, before shakily stepping out of the shower into the now steamed up bathroom and wrapping a towel around her, leaving Clint in the shower, wondering what she had just said.

'You take the bed, I'll be fine on the couch' Clint stated after they had dried off

'I still won't be able to sleep' Natasha replied, holding out her hand 'please stay with me'

'Are you sure?' Clint asked

Natasha, wearing one of Clint's shirts, nodded and lifted up the covers to allow Clint to crawl in next to her. 'I meant it you know' she stated as she uncharacteristically snuggled up next to him 'I would be still in Russia if you had not been sent to kill me. I'd probably be a lost vicious killer'

'But you're not'

'I know, thanks to you'

'Where's all this coming from Tash?' Clint asked

'I remembered the conversation I had with Irina back in the compound, after I didn't kill her.' Natasha replied 'She said that by me sparing her life gave her hope that she would not become a heartless killer and that she would not lose all compassion. I replied that five years ago she would've been dead. You changed me, you taught me how to feel again and I couldn't kill her because too much blood had already been spilt in that compound, which I was still trying to clean off my ledger and I couldn't kill in front of my daughter.'

'Well you changed me as well, don't forget that' Clint replied

'What am I going to do?' Natasha asked suddenly 'what am I going to do with Elena, I have no clue how to be a mother, how to look after a child and how can I go on missions for S.H.I.E.L.D if I have to look after a six year old. Will she like me, or will she hate me for leaving her behind' Natasha worried.

'You'll be fine' Clint replied, trying to reassure his partner and wrapping his arms around her. 'I'm sure you are a wonderful mother and I know that you would do anything for your daughter' he said remembering how distraught she had been when they had though that Elena was dead.

'I know that, it's just the practicalities of looking after a child. Elena's going to need stability and security after all she went through under Boris. You remember what I was like when I defected, how antisocial and suspicious I was of everybody, well she's going to be like me but worse'

'And we'll get through it together Tash, we're a team, you're my partner and I will always be there to help you' Clint stated earnestly

'You mean it?' Natasha asked moving her head to look up at him

'Yes' Clint promised, moving down and capturing her lips with his, hoping to convey that they were going to be alright. 'I love you' he whispered when they finally broke for air

'Love is for children' she replied, reciting the mantra which had been drummed into her as a child

'Vozmozhno, ya rebenok' Clint stated firmly, repeating what she had told him when she was waiting to be rescued

'Vozmozhno, ya rebenok' Natasha mumbled in agreement, before sighing contentedly into Clint's chest and falling into a dreamless sleep. However it took longer for Clint to drift off as he wondered what the following days would bring.

Translations:

Vozmozhno, ya rebenok' - perhaps I am a child

(all translations are from google, I'm sorry if there are any mistakes!)