A/N: For SatiricalDraperies for the Chocolate Box - Round 5 challenge.

Natasha tenses at the sound of quiet footsteps approaching from behind her. Reaching out to grab her open box of thumbtacks, she pictures the doorway in her mind, mentally calculating the angle and how many steps there are from it to her.

Then, turning casually, she readies herself to throw it at the intruder to create a distraction while she leaps towards them. It isn't much, but thumbtacks are the most dangerous thing SHIELD has allowed her to bring to work.

Clint enters her office, and she puts the box back down again. His gaze dips to the thumbtacks, and his eyes glint with amusement when they look back at hers. 'I'll have to try harder if I want to catch you off guard.'

'I highly recommend you don't. I doubt almost killing you will endear me to your colleagues.' Remembering how one of her co-workers emptied the coffee pot that morning after Natasha used it, presumably fearful of an attempted poisoning, she smiles wryly. 'Then again, I don't think anything will.'

'They just need time,' Clint replies. 'They'll get there.'

'I don't blame them During my time with the Red Room, undercover missions were as common as Tuesdays. If this were a ploy, I could have made them believe it.'

Clint smirks. 'See, statements like that are why they don't trust you.'

Tilting her head to the right, she smiles broadly, slipping into one of the many personas she's created over the years. In an upbeat voice, she says, 'Are you saying I should let more of my bubbly personality show through?'

He shudders. 'No. It would be far, far worse.'

She lets the façade drop and laughs. 'Genuine it is, then. Besides, I know that as far as purgatories go, I got off lightly.'

It's been four months since she stumbled across Clint in Budapest, trying to protect a mark she was tasked with taking out. Within the week, they were landing in New York, and SHIELD was taking her into custody to make sure her change of heart was genuine and find out what they could about the Red Room. When they were satisfied with her answers, they put her to work at their base of operations.

Of course, while she's no longer under official surveillance, she isn't a fool; she knows she's still being tracked constantly.

'In some ways.'

Natasha shakes her head. 'It hasn't been pleasant, but it's more than I deserve. Being here is more than I deserve.'

Clint shrugs. 'Dislike isn't as bad as torture, but for people like us, monotony's the real killer. Being cooped up in an office all day, doing menial tasks? My mind would turn to mush.'

'That's true. I've dealt with more paperwork in the past few months than I have in my whole life.'

'Get used to it.' He claps his hands. 'Well, as nice as this is, I didn't come to chat.'

Turning back to her desk, she asks, 'What do you need?'

'Your presence over Christmas.'

After everything she's seen and done, it takes a lot to genuinely shock her. This does it easily. 'Pardon?'

'We both have time off over Christmas. My…' Glancing up at the camera, he turns his back to it and mouths the word "girlfriend". '…and I are going out of town for a few days, leaving on the twenty-third. We have a spare seat in the car.'

She frowns. 'Are you sure you want me there?'

'We wouldn't be offering if we didn't.'

'But your… you know will be there. She's your family. You trust me around her?'

'I trust you around everyone's family,' he says as if it's a no-brainer. 'I wouldn't have brought you back with me if I didn't.'

Touched, Natasha breathes out slowly. Even though she knows she doesn't deserve it, it's nice to know that someone here understands and believes in her. It gives her hope that, someday, she may as well. 'Then, if you're sure, I guess there's no harm in it.'

'Great! We can hash out the details later.'

This time, when she smiles, it's genuine. 'Just don't expect me to start singing carols.'