TW: Mentions of Non-con/Rape nothing in-depth or descriptions. Just mentions.

It was a Friday night at Avengers Tower and an unsettling one at that. The atmosphere had a feeling that had everyone waiting for the other shoe to drop. Steve was jittering in a love seat by himself, trying his damnest to draw but being unable to focus. Tony had almost twelve holo screens up, going back and forth between all of them, unable to truly focus on just one for more than a few moments. Pepper was sitting next to him, an open book in her lap while she read and replied to countless work emails. Sam was going back and forth between his phone and the TV every five seconds as was Wanda who was trying to get some of her college work done and failing. Vision said everything was too quiet for his tastes and opted to help Peter with his rounds for the night. Natasha was the only one calmly reading a book while she drank her tea.

Clint burst from the elevator, still in stealth gear with his bow in hand, and his face bruised. "What the damn hell do you think you're doing Romanoff?" He barked.

Everyone looked up, almost relieved by the balloon finally popping. Natasha, however, kept reading.

"I'm enjoying some quiet time, Barton," She took another sip of tea. "Please, leave me to it."

"You quite?" Clint yelled coming to a standstill in front of her. "You quite Sheild?"

"Oh," Natasha nodded, dog-earing her page. "That."

"Yes that," Clint hissed. "I get in from my last mission, which was a major fucking pain, by the way, only to be told by Hill and Fury that you quite Shield?"

"Natasha you quite?" Sam gapped.

"You love Shield," Pepper's brow furrowed.

"I did," Natasha nodded. "But Fury breached a major point in our contract and," She sighed with a smile. "I now value myself too much to let it slide."

"What? Did some file get leaked or something?" Clint asked. "Because I told you when that happens it takes at most an hour to get it scrubbed again."

"No, Shield no longer has my file, that was part of my exit clause. I leave," She looked up with a calm, satisfied smile. "And it goes with me."

"That's why you had me looking this morning," Tony rubbed a hand over his face nodding. "It's true, it's been deleted from all hard drives and systems-"

"What the hell, Natasha?" Clint growled. "What did you do?"

"Me?" Natasha snapped. "I did nothing. I did the mission I was assigned to then quite. I could have left you all dicks in the wind but I didn't. Did I? That French Delegates daughter? I got her back."

"Then why? Why did you quit?" Clint yelled.

"Because I'm not doing another honey-pot," Natasha snapped, throwing her book on the floor as she stood. "I refuse."

"But, Natasha," Wanda said slowly, "You make out with targets all the time and-"

"I'm never ordered to sleep with them," Natasha snapped. "I'm told to seduce as needed and kill or neutralize. This time." She took a calming breath. "I wasn't."

"Natasha, you didn't-" Steve began.

"Fury told me I could either do the mission with the requirements to be met," She snapped bitterly, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. "Or I could refuse and some other team would be sent in my place and the child would die." Her eyes narrowed, sweeping over the room. "What was I supposed to do? Let a little girl die just so I could keep what little dignity I have left?" She scoffed. "He played me. And nearly got away with it too."

"Natasha I understand that, but-" Clint began.

"It was in my contract," She snapped. "You, Hil, Fury, even Coulson promised me when I started at Sheild that I would never have to let someone use my body again. And someone did. Five people actually."

Clint winced. "Natasha-"

"Five men," She spat fists clenched at her side. "For four days, Clint. Days." She shook her head. "I'm not going back to Shield. You can't make me. I'll sooner die."

"What's your plan then, huh?" Clint asked, hands on his hips. "What are you going to do?"

She shrugged. "I'll keep up with the Avengers, obviously. I have money saved all over the world the same for safe houses. If I get bored or want to work, then I still have contacts in varying levels of jobs I can take."

"So you're going back to being a hired assassin?" Clint scoffed. "Come on, Nat you're better than that."

"Am I?" She snapped. "You'd rather me keep working with people who use me, and you for that matter, people who basically sell my body and skills for whatever they deem 'worthy'. But I'm not better than choosing my own damn work?"

"That's not how it is, Natasha, and you know that," He yelled back.

"No, when it all boils down to it, that's exactly how it is," She crossed her arms. "I'm sorry, Clint. I'm not going back. I meant it, I'd sooner die than go back."

"Damnit, Natasha you might," He grabbed her shoulders. "You're kill order is sitting on Fury's desk right now, waiting to be signed if the bastard hasn't already. He let me try and convince you back first but, Natasha if you don't come back," He sighed desperately. "Well, I don't know of any other agents that will let you live like I did."

Natasha put her hand on his cheek. "That's because there is no other Agent that I would let have the choice." He blinked stepping back from her. "Let them try." She waved her hand dismissively.

"We won't let that happen, Nat," Steve answered standing. "I'll go and talk to Fury. If he wants a kill order out for you, then he's going to need to sign mine too."

"Steve you can't-" Natasha turned to him.

"Mine too," Wanda nodded standing also.

"Fuck it," Tony shrugged hopping to his feet. "It's been a while since I've gotten to have a kill order on me. It's overdue."

"I'm pulling SI out of Sheild related immediately," Pepper added typing furiously on her phone as she began to pace.

"Count me in," Sam stood up.

Everyone looked at Clint.

"I don't blame you for staying with them," Natasha whispered.

Clint growled, bowing his head. "If we go down," He brought his bow down on his knee, snapping it in half. "Then we all go down together."