Clint kept a close watch on Natasha all throughout dinner. Ian McMasters and his wife just thought they were in love as Clint kept giving Natasha long lingering looks and holding her hand.
Dinner was a three-course meal that was the best thing Natasha had ever tasted, it was nothing like home but then she thought to herself home? If that is home and went on eating as music began to play behind them.
The band started off with a slow tune and couples started to rise and take to the dance floor.
Clint offered Natasha his hand and she took it, they went to the floor and Clint held her in his arms protectively as they started to sway, "looks like this is going well. If we're lucky we might be home tomorrow"
"Good" Natasha agreed although her heart wasn't in it
"Hey, everything ok? Did you want to talk about…what happened?" Clint asked quietly
"Later, please. Just focus on the mission at hand"
Clint nodded and they finished their dance.
When the music stopped Natasha saw Ian's wife get up and make for the bathroom, she took her queue and casually followed her, looking back at Clint as he sat down at the table with Ian. Natasha couldn't hear what they were saying but knew that Clint had opened the conversation with a joke when they started laughing. She opened the bathroom door and went out of sight.
"So tell me Mr Parker, how did you and your lovely wife meet?" Ian asked casually
"We met at work, actually. She came up to me one morning, saying that she was taking coffee orders and doing the coffee run. Little did she know that when she took my order she also took my heart" Clint smiled in a goofy love-struck way
Ian rolled his eyes yet smiled as if he understood "You two look every bit like a perfect couple. I only hope that you use this time well before work takes over and you hardly see each other" he raised his glass and took a sip
"We'll always make time for each other" Clint vowed a little too strongly which caused Ian to give him a confused look
"Of course you will. So, speaking of work, what is it you do? It must pay well or how would you afford a place like this to honeymoon in?" Ian laughed now trying to lighten the mood
"You think this is a stretch? You should have seen the bill for the wedding!" Clint laughed too and took a sip of his drink "but seriously now, I work in Russia but have done some work in America, when I'm no longer needed there I'll go back to America and pick up where I left off" with Natasha by my side he finished silently.
Ian listened as Clint began to describe his work in Russia, mainly that of a paperboy at first: filing documents, getting the main out on time, making sure his boss got to his meetings and all that. Eventually, Clint rose through the ranks and was now highly thought of by his co-workers and boss alike, when Ian asked who he worked for he immediately regretted the question.
When the name 'Ivan Petrovich' passed Clint's lips Ian felt his blood run cold. He had to get out of there!
Clint, sensing Ian's discomfort, tried to change the subject but it was no use, Ian was already making an excuse to leave the table and looking for his wife "Please Mr McMasters" Clint offered kindly and placing a hand on his arm to stop him "if you would just hear me out–"
"I should have known who you worked for! Well I'm not going to work for Petrovich! I have said it once I have said it one thousand times, the answer is no!" Ian pushed Clint's hand off and left the table.
Clint sat back in his chair and breathed a frustrated sigh that could have gone better he thought to himself as he downed the rest of his drink. Natasha eyed Clint suspiciously as she existed the bathroom and Ian's wife gave Natasha a friendly smile and Clint a short wave.
"Well?" Natasha asked as she sat down after bidding Ian's wife goodbye and promised to have lunch together as 'just the girls' "how did it go?"
"Failed. Ian McMasters fled as soon as I mentioned working for Father and wouldn't give me a chance to explain"
"Don't worry about it, I made plans with his wife for lunch tomorrow, I can talk her into getting her husband to say yes to Father" Natasha looked confident
"Alright, we have a plan B. We can try again tomorrow" Clint smiled "I have an idea, what about we get some dessert, go up to the room and watch a couple of bad movies? Get our mind off the mission for a bit?"
Natasha nodded in agreement "sounds like a plan, this mission is longer than I thought" they ordered their food and went back to the room.
OOOOOOOOOO
A few movies later Clint and Natasha sat in their room on the big plush couch flipping through a DVD case. There was everything they could ever watch in it, soon they came to a decision to watch M*A*S*H and Clint put the DVD into the player.
Clint kept a close eye on Natasha, she seemed to be relaxed but he knew better. Instead of flat-out asking her, he would wait until she was ready to talk; eventually she would open up about her break-through.
It was nearly 2:00AM by the time Clint suggested that they go to bed, Natasha looked down and agreed before heading to the bedroom, then she turned "Clint…could you stay with me?" she asked softly
"Of course" Clint agreed and followed her "dinner was good, huh?" such a lame conversation starter! He mentally slapped himself but smiled at Natasha
"Yeah, it was" she nodded as she went to undo her dress, she knew that Clint would turn his back, but even if he didn't; Natasha had too many things on her mind to care if he saw her.
Slipping into a comfy long night-shirt, Natasha pulled up the covers. If she was going to talk, now was the time. She looked over as Clint climbed into bed fully-clothed "I'll change later" was his explanation, she just sighed and lay there for a few minutes. They both lapsed into a comfortable silence, their hands finding each other and their fingers looping together, not in a sexual way but in a 'I'm here if you need me' kind of way.
Clint was good like that, he didn't push but enough was enough.
"Tell me about your birthdays" it was a request Clint wasn't expecting but she hoped he would answer her anyway
"My birthdays?" he asked
"Like, the very first one that comes to mind" Natasha prompted
"Well…I was five. The cake was brown, chocolate with vanilla cream, and it had a picture of a dog on it in frosting" Clint smiled at the memory and then eyed Natasha "you? Were the cakes with Father as good as the one I had?" he joked
Natasha huffed slightly and smiled "Whenever one of us had a birthday, Father would surprise us with some sort of gift – a new weapon or training method none of us had used yet – and a special meal from the kitchens. We never had birthday cake or candles or played games but–" the memory was coming again, she could feel it but wouldn't conceal it from Clint this time "–I remember. I remember something like that, a cake and candles. Gifts everywhere and the laughing. It wasn't like that with Father, but…I don't know where it came from"
Natasha looked away from Clint now, talking about this was bittersweet in the way that it was good to get it off her chest but it also caused her to become unsure of everything she knew.
Clint listened as she went on talking about her flashbacks, he had no idea she had had this many swirling around in her head.
There was her riding a bike, chasing a dog on a leash and her parents racing after them. Clint knew that Natasha was confused and scared but the sooner she remembered everything, the sooner he could get her out of Black Widow Ops and with him in America where she could be safe.
While Natasha was talking, Clint began to form a plan inside his head on how he would get her to America with him, he would contact S.H.I.E.L.D and get Nick Fury or Phil Coulson to stage to attack and have them both 'kidnapped' while on another mission for Black Widow, the they would return to America and Clint could finally focus properly on getting Natasha to come to terms with her past.
Right now, he just had to listen and reassure her, be there for her.
-
It was another hour before Natasha had opened up about everything, told him all that was in her head, Clint saw that she was shaking slightly "am I going mad?" she asked "why is this happening?"
"I'm not sure but I'll tell you what, when we get home I'll organise for the doctor to have a look at you, and we'll tell Father when we find something, sound good?"
Natasha nodded and smiled her thanks before rolling over in the bed and falling asleep.
-
Outside the room, the figure made sure that there was absolutely no sounds coming from inside the hotel room; they were finally asleep. Acting quickly, a gloved hand brought out a long thin hose and squeezed it under the door. A large canister was hidden from view next to the man, he turned a knob connected to the hose and smiled when he heard a hissing sound. He knew that with a little time, the mist would take effect on them inside.
After a few minutes as the mist was pumped into the room, the man shut it off and put the hose away, grabbing the canister he ran.
The mist would be taking its toll now, he smiled as he spoke into his walkie talkie "now we play the waiting game, sir"
-
Clint was only half asleep when he first noticed something was off.
He was caught in a half-dream like state yet everything was wavering around him. Some thugs came out of nowhere and took hold of Clint by the arms and forced him to his knees…
He could feel Natasha was near him, he knew that she was in trouble so he raced to find her. He didn't have to run far, Natasha was there in front of him, she was crying as Ivan held a gun to her head with one hand and held her waist close to his with the other.
Natasha pleaded for Clint to help her "don't worry Nat! I'm here!" he shouted but she didn't seem to hear him
"You can't save her! She is mine!" Ivan spat at him
"Nat, I'm here I'll take care of you" he spoke directly and clearly to her but still it was like Natasha couldn't hear or see him.
…Ivan smiled evilly as Clint begged for Natasha to be set free, he vowed that he would give his life for her own…Clint screwed his eyes shut so tight it hurt yet he still couldn't snap out of it
…Clint struggled against the thugs as Natasha was also brought to her knees with the gun shoved into the back of her head, she was calling out to Clint to help her, to save her and the tears started to flow as Ivan told her to say her goodbyes. Clint shouted Natasha's name and struggled with all that he had left in him and tried to get to Natasha before the trigger was pulled…"NO! NATASHA!" Clint sprang up in bed with a sharp gasp and then found himself taken over by a fit of coughing. Trying to breathe with difficult when he looked around the room and saw a layer of grey mist swirling and mingling with the air to create a dangerous cocktail.
Clint snapped his head down and saw Natasha was writhing and caught up in some horrible nightmare, Clint immediately tried to wake her "Natasha! Wake up! Please wake up!" he shook her and tapped her face but nothing worked, she was still stuck in her dream.
Clint gathered her up into his arms and made his way to the door but it was locked shit! He cursed. They had to get out of this mist, whatever it was doing it wasn't good. Clint had no choice, he placed Natasha down gently then picked up a chair and threw it with all his might out the window. Glass shattered and glittered through the night like falling stars as Clint held Natasha again and took a look down at where he would fall, hopefully in the pool, and, taking one last look at Natasha, he jumped.
The water was like ice as they hit it, cold and hard, Clint couldn't feel any breakages though which was good.
As they surfaced, Clint quickly tried to get to the ladder and out of the pool before anyone saw them. Somehow, he had to get into contact with Russia, he had to get Natasha out of here. Now that they were out of the water, Natasha had stopped convulsing, her eyes fluttering slightly as she moaned and opened them slowly.
They were wet, why? Natasha only remembered having the worst nightmare of her life: the memories, Clint promising to help her and then seeing him die right in front of her, his blood coating everything. Now that she was finally awake, she felt so relieved that Clint was with her.
Clint ran with her still in his arms, unaware that she was no awake, trying to put as much distance between them and the hotel and muttering that they needed a phone and to get home to Russia.
The mission failed yet Natasha felt something else was desperately wrong. Something didn't feel right. She would soon find out what it was when they reached the airport.
A/N: Finally another chapter! I have been preoccupied with other story ideas. I have become obsessed with Arrow and have my own idea for an Olicity story. While I was planning that I didn't put much time into this one and for that I'm sorry. Will write more on Olicity and this sotry as I get more time.