A/N: Well, it'll be interesting to see what you all make of this chapter. :D

There is definitely more fleshing out of the NaCl relationship and I've got something really fun planned for them down the line... brain tumour notwithstanding. ;)

And then, of course, I had to throw in some more Pepperony, because I did promote this as a Pepperony fic, after all. :D The next chapter should be a bit of fun.

Thanks for being so patient with me as I get all of these s/l's up and running. We've almost got all our balls up in the air and then we can get cracking with resolving them all.

Enjoy, gentle reader... :)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Clint crouched down on the edge of the roof of the building he and Natasha were keeping an eye on Justin Hammer. They'd just watched him walk out of the Avenger's Tower and then they'd followed him up town to a bistro where he was currently sitting al fresco, waiting for his lunch and talking on the phone. "What's the phone call about?"

Natasha looked over at him briefly from where she was holding a listening device in her hand with a white earpiece in place. "You don't want to know."

"Hey, I'm on this stake out too, who's Hammer talking too?"

"He's booking himself in for a pedicure and a back, sac and crack wax," she said casually.

Clint blanched. "I didn't need to know that."

"I told you."

They'd already communicated with the other Avenger's about Hammer's impromptu visit and Clint grimaced. "I sure hope that has nothing to do with this magnificent octopus thing he wants us to check out tomorrow because it is, I'm going to be shooting first and asking questions later."

"I think Thor may have gotten a little confused there," noted Natasha. "That doesn't seem right to me somehow."

"Nothing about that guy seems right," said Clint dourly.

Natasha came to crouched down beside him as Clint lifted up his bow and arrow, peering through the specially designed sight to the magnified view of Justin Hammer below. The man was literally in his crosshairs. "You know, I put an arrow in this bow and let go, and we can call it a day."

"We don't have clearance to kill Hammer. This is a recon mission only."

Clint grunted. "Rules are for breaking."

"There is a bigger game in play," said Natasha firmly. "We'll lose an asset by killing Hammer."

"What makes you so sure? Crack Wax Boy doesn't seem like a big threat to me, just an idiot."

Natasha gave a short shake of her head. "Justin Hammer has something to prove and nothing to lose."

"He's got plenty to lose," Clint argued.

"Not by his reckoning, I don't think."

Clint wasn't sure if he agreed, but Natasha had far better instincts than he did and he knew better than to go up against her when it came to understanding people and their motivations. He continued to look through the sight at Hammer, who was now eating a piece of cake. "So, are we going to talk about it?" he asked, without looking at Natasha.

He felt Natasha give him a swift look and then look away again. "You're starting a lot of conversations off that way lately," she noted.

"We kissed." He still remembered the feel of her softness against his lips, even though it had been over an hour ago now.

"We didn't kiss," she corrected him.

"We would have if Jarvis didn't interrupt."

"But we didn't."

Clint put down the eyepiece and shook his head in exasperation at her. "You're the most stubborn person in the world. Why can't you just admit there is something between us?"

She gave him a quick look and then was back to watching Hammer below them. "I do admit what is between us, history."

"And you remember that history, right? What happened?" Clint didn't let her answer. "We met when my life was a little bit complicated-"

"You were on the run from the police," said Natasha wryly.

"That's what I said, a little bit complicated and it was all a big misunderstanding anyway. I wasn't stealing anything, I was trying to be a hero. Stupid, I know. Then I met this mysterious woman who led me astray."

"You were already astray," she countered.

"A big misunderstanding, remember? Anyway, I meet this beautiful woman who just happens to turn out to be a spy for the Soviet Union and the next thing I know I'm stealing Stark Industries tech."

"No one forced you into it," said Natasha tightly.

"I didn't say you did," said Clint calmly. "I wanted to help you, I was prepared to do anything for you."

Natasha looked stressed. "Why are you rehashing the past, it doesn't matter now."

Clint didn't answer her and he didn't stop. "Things went badly on that mission, you were almost killed."

"And you saved me," she said shortly, "I know and I returned the favour with you and Loki's mind control. We're even now, there is nothing else to talk about."

Clint was watching her intently now, Hammer all but forgotten. "I tried to take you to the hospital, but you just up and left. I didn't know what had happened to you. I figured you didn't want anything to do with me and I convinced myself that was a good thing because you were nothing but trouble. Only, the thing was, I'd find myself noticing red headed women wherever I went, thinking for the briefest moment that they were going to be you, but they never were and I was always disappointed. I didn't see you again until Fury recruited me and I walked in to see you standing there." He shook his head. "That was a hell of a thing."

Natasha was looking at him with concern. "Why are you bringing all of this up now? We've talked about our history already."

"I want to know why you really ran last time and why you never gave us a chance?"

Natasha looked away in frustration and then back at him. "Why now?" she bit out. "Why do you need the answers to your questions now?"

"Why not now?" he countered.

"So, what, you find out I've got a life threatening illness and suddenly you want to hook up?" Natasha ground out. "What's that all about?"

Clint twisted to face her more fully. "One, I don't want to hook up, as you put it and two, finding out about your illness just made me ask myself what the hell I was waiting for and I didn't have an answer."

"And you think me dying is going to make me change my mind about us?"

"I thought it might open it up a little. I mean, what is your big problem with giving us a chance anyway?"

Her chin came up in that defiant stance Clint knew so well. "We work better as friends."

"How can you say that?" he protested. "We've never been together, so you've got nothing to compare it to and make the call that one is better than the other."

Natasha's lips thinned. "In our line of work becoming involved never works. It can't be done."

"Tony and Pepper," Clint threw up the other couple's names. "They work together at Stark Industries plus there is the whole Avenger's gig for them to deal with and they work. Admittedly, I don't know how, but they worked out a way."

"We're not Tony and Pepper," said Natasha tightly.

"I'm not saying we are, I'm just saying that these things can work out, sometimes."

Natasha looked to be choosing her words carefully. "You already know you're important to me, Clint. I just don't think now is the time to mess with what we've got. This works, let's just leave it at that."

"Do I get a vote?"

Natasha grimaced. "So what, we've got a stalemate now, is that it?"

"A stalemate can always be broken," noted Clint. "I tell you what, I'm going to kiss you and if, at the end of that kiss, you still want to walk away from what is between us, I'll never mention this again."

Natasha gave him a cool look, but Clint noticed a slight flush to her cheeks. "Alright, get it over and done with then and let's settle this."

"I'm not kissing you now," said Clint casually. "I'm going to kiss you when you least expect it and don't have your guard up, so you can make an informed decision."

Natasha's tone was haughty. "My guard is always up."

Clint smiled, secretly enjoying her ice maiden act. "Every good marksman knows there is always a moment, one perfect moment to take that shot and I'm better than good, I'm amazing."

Natasha made an inelegant noise. "You're crazy if you think all this macho, overconfidence stuff is in anyway appealing, Barton."

Clint's grin widened. "If it wasn't appealing to you on some level, Romanoff, you would have already hit me."

Natasha's eyes narrowed as Clint suspected that particular arrow had hit its mark. "You're wrong about me and you're wrong about this," she threw back at him.

Clint shrugged. "We'll see," he said with a cheeky look her way. "We'll see." Their near kiss earlier that day along with the news of Natasha's tumour had focused Clint's intentions. He'd lay awake all last night thinking about it, thinking about her and realised that whatever the future held, he wanted them to be in it together, and as more than just friends and partners. He'd walked away from Natasha last time because his pride had been hurt when she'd left. This time round, Clint knew there was a lot more at stake than just his pride and he was willing to fight for a future with Natasha, however long that future might be for either one of them. Life was short and more than ever Clint realised it was worth fighting for.

oooOOOOooo

Lewis walked in and smiled at her. "You're all clear for your next appointment, Pepper. John and Cody have swept the restaurant and it's all clear for your meeting with Mr. Huang. Happy is on standby to drive us there now."

"Thanks, Lewis," Pepper smiled. "I don't know how I managed without you before."

"It's all part of the job description," said Lewis easily, "keeping you safe."

Pepper stood up from behind her desk and went to collect her bag, ready to go to the meeting when her cell phone rang. She reached into her bag and drew out her phone, answering the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey," came a cheery voice on the other end, "it's your favourite Avenger."

A little smile played around her lips. "Bruce, I told you not to call me on this line, Tony will get suspicious."

"Don't toy with my emotions, woman," Tony growled.

Pepper laughed. "Where are you?"

"I'm about, here and there," said Tony mysteriously. "Have you missed me today?"

"Of course," said Pepper indulgently. "I tried to come and see you earlier today, but I couldn't find you. I heard we had a visit from Justin Hammer today. What did he want?"

"To be weird," said Tony, "which he was and then left."

"You're being vague today," Pepper noted. "It always worries me when you're vague."

"A lot of women love a man with a bit of mystery," said Tony, his voice, low and sexy.

Pepper knew she was grinning like an idiot, but Tony was very hard to resist when he was in full flirt mode. "Ah yes," she teased, "but your kind of mystery often ends up with a law suit or serious damage to property."

"Are you saying my mystery has become predictable?" asked an affronted Tony. "I'm taking that as a personal challenge."

"Please don't," Pepper groaned laughingly.

Lewis made a discrete cough and inclined his head towards the door.

Pepper nodded her acknowledgement. "Tony, I have to go, I'm going to be late for a meeting."

"No, stay and talk to me."

"I can't," said Pepper regretfully. "It's an important meeting."

"How about tonight I take you out to dinner then? Just you, me and Masa's, I'll book out the place so it's just the two of us and we can have our omakase experience off each other's naked bodies."

Pepper laughed. "That sounds lovely, if a little unhygienic, but I really have to work, Tony."

"You're always working these days," Tony complained. Pepper heard him sigh. "I'm pouting and if you could see how adorable I look right now, you wouldn't be able to say no to me."

"I'm sorry I'm so busy right now," said Pepper apologetically, "but I'm working on a big deal. Our timing is just a little off right now, it'll get better."

"I miss you being my assistant and always being there when I turn round."

"Things change in a relationship, Tony, it's normal. We just have to work in us around these new lifestyles."

"I love you."

Pepper smiled. "I love you too and I'll see you later on tonight."

"I'll be the naked guy in your bed, just in case you've forgotten what I look like."

Pepper laughed. "Thanks for the heads up, I'll keep an eye out." She hung up and nodded at Lewis. "Right, let's get this show on the road."

Pepper hurried to her meeting with Mr. Huang, secretly a bit nervous about her and Tony as Happy drove her and Lewis to the meeting. She knew she was going to have to tell Tony soon about the secret she was keeping, but Pepper just wasn't sure when was going to be a good time. They both just seemed to have so much going on and finding a calm, uninterrupted moment seemed almost impossible these days. Pepper wrinkled her nose and looked out the window at the scenery flying by. It would have to be soon, after all, she wouldn't be able to keep a secret like this for much longer...

A/N: Thoughts, comments, observations? LOL