I do not own Marvel or characters. (Jack of Diamonds is one of my OCs)

Ok so this was originally meant for my story The Black Hawk but there is no mention of Clintasha so it can't go there. I do not feel like this is the best story I have written. I tried to use Clint to tell this story and don't know how well I did. Please tell me.

I was a married man when I joined SHIELD and Director Fury helped me set up a safe house (which he kept off the charts) for my wife and child. I loved them, but I wanted them to live without my job hanging over them.

I had worked at SHIELD a little while when I first saw Her. She was my target and I was high up in a window with my bow ready and my arrow nocked. She was standing there with blood on Her hands. I had been to late to stop the death of Her target. But that wasn't my mission. I focused in on Her right ear. I never miss. But in the moment before I released the shaft She turned and looked me in the eye. She couldn't see me, but I knew She could sense my presence. She didn't run, didn't raise a weapon to defend Herself; just stood there and let Her gun clatter to the ground. Her eyes were weary; lost, but there was a hint of a smile on Her face, a gladness in death.

I could have seen all of this and still killed Her. If I hadn't been me, that is. And so in that moment I saw myself in Her and I made a choice that has changed history. But history isn't why I remember that night, I remember that cold winter night because it was the first time I laid eyes on the one person in the world that I would die for without thinking once. Usually it's said 'without thinking twice,' but when it comes to Her, I never think.

Back at the base Coulson was mad and Fury was madder. They tried to question Her.

That went well.

Not a thing would She say about Her past. It took the deaths of two agents before they realized She'd work for them if they left Her past alone. In the end I was partnered with Her. Months past and nothing I did would open Her up. Our partnership wasn't really a partnership at all. At base She acted as though She hadn't met me and in the field She was just as cold. So much so that Coulson didn't understand how we worked so seamlessly together. He said it looked like we had worked together for years. But there was never any familiarity in Her manner. To Her I was just another agent She was to put up with. Even after New Mexico She acted like I was nothing more than an assignment.

What had happened was this.

The mission was easy enough get in blow something up get out. Well it worked out I guess until I stepped on the land mine. She had been a few steps behind me when She tackled me, shouting. "Hawkeye, you finish this. Come for me later."

I pulled myself up from where she had thrown me but the ground ripped open and the explosion knocked me off my feet again. The look in Her eye was enough to force me up and I ran to the building that contained the ammunition we were supposed to destroy.

When I reached Her She was unconscious, blood oozed from Her crooked limbs. I scooped Her up in my arms and carried Her away as behind us smoke and flames rocketed into the sky.

She was in the med bay for a few days but they wouldn't let me in to visit. Apparently there was some document somewhere that said She didn't want me around.

Anyway I didn't see Her till after She was cleared for duty.

We were on a jet headed out for a job in Paris when I decided to speak. "Why did you do that. And don't say it was because I had a better skill set for the job."

She knew what I was talking about. "I won't." She spoke in a voice one would use when explaining something extraordinarily simple to a child. "My job was to get the mission done and to keep you in shooting shape. Either skill set would have worked. Mine might have made it slightly easier perhaps, but if I had let you take the brunt of that explosion you would be dead. And personally, I don't think Fury wants to test the theory that you would keep shooting even after your heart stops."

I had seen what was left over from the explosives and knew how deadly they had been. In the short time I had been in Her presence I had noticed the ever so slight limp in Her step. For the Black Widow to limp at all meant She was in extraordinary pain."You could have died in that explosion too, Romanoff."

"Really," She asks looking as though She wants to beat some sense into me with Her fists. "I seem to remember being the one wearing a catsuit that could withstand a CR-473 Laser. Barton."

It wasn't till Budapest that we became friends. This is what happened. It was a normal mission, the Agent Romanoff dresses up and gets Herself captured in exchange for a hostage and kills the boss kind.

That is until I realized that SHIELD had their info wrong, George Carl is also known as The Jack of Diamonds. He is no small time crime boss. He's had it out for my partner since she assassinated his mom.

Long story short, I decide to take her place and get everyone mad. And Nat is maddest.

Long story long, I write a note for The Black Widow to find when she cleans her guns in the morning.

I owe you spider, don't smash my laptop because I called you that,

O'l Jack of Diamonds was a little too exited to meet you, let me finish and don't try to stop me, so I think you can be looking forward to catching flies in the corner for a few days, do not steal the chocolate I hid in the rafters, probably should not have said that. I'll get out just fine, for the record you do not need to come in to keep me in 'shooting shape'.

Well I don't when She found the note but I do know I got to the drop point early and the drug I gave Her must have worked (not many do, something to do with Red Room) because She never appeared. The switch was successful and a half hour later I was cuffed to some sort of table. It was than that I first met the Jack of Diamonds. He must not have seen me or he would not have started his interview with "My dear Natalia, it has been so long."

"As much as I like the name, Jacky o'l boy, it isn't mine." I answer.

He rushes around the table and I turn to look at him. His face is the picture of shock, rage and pure befuddlement. "How how did you get here?" He shouts.

"Oh, well your lackeys trussed me up like a chicken and drove me here and then cuffed me to this table. Do you mind letting me loose?" I ask cheekily.

"Where did she go?" He looked wildly around as if searching for some hole in the wall that She could have crawled through. "How did she get away?" He turns on me. "You'll tell me if it's the last thing you do."

I see his disillusion as extra time for me. So I play along. "Never!"

"We'll see. Perhaps this will make you tell on your girlfriend." He pauses dramatically. Then continues, "You see, she is an assassin and I have been tasked by our government to bring her to justice. She is using you to get to her next target the Prime Minister."

Inside I am laughing fit to burst. He really knows nothing about me. I'll play along with the 'newly enlightened boyfriend'. "Natalia would never do such a thing!"

"Well let me prove it." He says with a smile.

He returns with a computer and begins playing a video.

The setting is dimly lighted and quiet. A sparsely dressy blonde relaxes on a couch with a glass in her hand. "Natalia," she calls to someone off screen, "Come have a drink with me. You needn't always wait at the door for permission to come in."

There is a tinkle of laughter and Natalia aka Natasha Romanoff, strolls up behind the woman and leans down. I see her practiced hands snap the blonde's neck in one fluid motion. She smiled. "Are you certain, my Queen?" She asks and the screen goes black.

"Do you believe me now."

"Yes."

"Will you help me?"

"No."

Well anyway he got mad and showed his true colors and that meant a lot of pain for me. I didn't really care. He had amused me.

Then came the inevitable rescue In which She sacrificed herself for me and got caught to buy me time.

When I arrived back at the apartment it was in shambles. My laptop was unrecognizable. The rest of the plaster was not much better. And of course the chocolate was gone. After a bad nights rest I was ready to rescue Her.

When I finally found her She was chained to a wall sitting in pool of blood. If I hadn't recognized the CR-473 laser-resistant catsuit I wouldn't have known it was Her. She was looking at me and I raised my bow She nodded. There was no way to save Her so I shot the arrow. It fell short of Jack, but it was exactly where I wanted it. Jack laughed.

"Nice try Hawkeye." He called.

So he had done some research after I escaped. But his source must not have been that good because he didn't seem worried.

Then the arrow exploded, and fire rained down. The last thing I saw before the building came crashing down, was Natasha outlined by light as She was thrown through the air.

When I came picking over the ruble an hour later, I found Her in a pool of blood. She was barely breathing and Her pulse was far to soft and slow for me.

For the first time I was terrified on a job. I wasn't scared of death or injury, no I was afraid that this woman wouldn't make it. I was afraid I would never see Her cold glare again, never be exasperated by Her lack of openness, never be the brunt of Her cold lectures, never fight beside Her, never run at Her side, never be beaten in sparring practices, never have the chance to find the woman behind all the walls and barricades.

I was compromised.

But I was never going to tell Her or Coulson or Fury.

I pulled myself together and got Her back to base and stayed with Her till She recovered.

Nothing had changed with the documents, it was just that there was no one capable of dragging me out. And no one was looking forward to drugging me because I have a reputation for injuring the person responsible.

When she woke up I expected Her to punch me. She didn't. "You'll do." She said. And that was that.

Nothing has ever separated us since, and nothing will till death. (You could say that in a way we are married, but that is silly. I've got a wife and kids, and Nat's their Aunty.) She decided I was Her friend and nothing will ever change that. Lots of things have tried (Loki, Ultron, The Civil War, a bunch of smaller problems, I could go on for hours if I wanted.) all have failed.

Did I do alright? Was Clint's story telling convincing? Tell me what you think. I really like reviews.

Oh and I apologize for typos, I have this feeling that there are some hidden around. :

To all of you who read this hoping for some Clintash (even after I said it wasn't at the top!) go look at The Real Story or The Black Hawk, both can be found on my profile.