A short little filler so the timeline makes sense!
2008-May and Hill
"I can't believe that she's been here 8 years already." Hill said handing May a cup of coffee as she sat down across the table from her. The two agents looked out of the observation window that gave them a bird's eye view of the training room where Barton and Romanoff were engaged in hand to hand combat.
"I still can't believe that she agreed to two weeks of rookie training. Actually I can't believe they both did." May said casting a glace to the rows of new recruits who were watching from all the sides of the training mats. "How many do you think will make it through today? Those three over on the right look terrified just watching them."
"Honestly, I wish Fury would stop putting them in rotation, normally we get lucky and they're both away on missions but with Romanoff's ribs still healing from that last mission they had no choice. I have a feeling this is their way of making sure they don't have to do this again."
"Well you have to admit, it's pretty smart on their part."
"Did Coulson let you in in on his and Fury's little bet yet?" May asked her friend turning her attention away from the frightened recruits.
"Which one? They have so many these days it's getting hard to keep up."
"The one on those two." Jerking her head back towards the assassins.
"Ahhh. The one where he thinks they'll come back from a mission married and Fury thinks they'll deny it till their dying breath? Ya, my bet was that Barton will confess first, but only if he thinks one of them is dying. What about you? What's your prediction May?"
"If it were 3 years ago I would have had to have agreed with Fury, but seeing them lately, how they act around each other, who knows. However, I bet that Clint will end up confessing to Nat and she'll disappear on us for like a week before she comes back would be a nice middle ground for something as confusing as their relationship."
"That actually sounds like the most realistic scenario of all of them." Hill said taking another sip of her coffee before turning her attention back to the agents below. At that point the two agents had decided that the rookies probably had had enough demonstrations and started to pair them off to start showing them what they had taken away from their little show. They took their place on the side of the mat side by side.
"Who knows with those two. They are the most secretive people in this organization next to Fury. For all we know Coulson's already won the bet but they've covered it up so well no one will ever know."
"Then we'll just have to wait and see Hill."