22:07 09-AUG-27, RED ROOM ACADEMY

Her instincts kicked in first. Natasha pulled out her guns from their holsters and aimed them at the approaching wave of girls. Alexi had put them under some sort of mind control, and ordered them to attack her and Clint. She was about to fire but she hesitated, and instead, lashed out with her fists, knocking a blonde girl out.

"Clint," she called out as she saw him about to release an arrow, "don't kill them. Just knock them out."

Her partner looked confused, but lowered the bow and kicked the next girl in the stomach. They continued on for a few minutes, winding or knocking out the girls. Though they weren't tired, they finally realized that they were outnumbered; the girls kept flooding in from all four hallways.

One girl got a hit to Natasha's thigh wound and the Black Widow saw red cloud her vision. She stumbled back, wincing, as the girl advanced, brandishing her fists. The girl swung a fist, and Natasha barely blocked it with her forearm. Once again, the girl slammed her foot into Natasha's wound, and Natasha fell backwards.

As the girl was about to kick her again, Clint appeared behind the girl and smashed his fist into her temple. The girl collapsed, falling next to Natasha on the ground.

Clint held out a hand to his partner. She took it, but as soon as she put weight on her left leg, she almost fell.

"Damn," Natasha mumbled, wincing again. She probed her wound, feeling the bullet still lodged into her thigh.

"Nat, we should-" But Clint was disrupted by a wave of girls surrounding them. He stood in front of his injured partner and fended the girls off. Finally, after knocking out at least a dozen girls, there weren't any left. He also realized that Alexi and Barnes were gone as well.

Scanning the halls, he found them empty of movement. The unconscious Red Room girls were strewn around the area. Clint saw a few feet and hands twitch, and he knew that they had to hurry before the girls woke again.

"We have to go," he said, hauling Natasha up. He placed her arm around his shoulders, letting her use him as a support.

She didn't protest as he led her down a hallway, not stopping until they reached a set of double doors that was familiar to Natasha. Despite them being locked, the doors swung open as Clint kicked them.

Wind gusted in as the doors to the roof opened. A wave of dread washed over Natasha as she felt herself being pulled into another memory…

But for once, she was able to swim out of the darkness, focusing on her partner's strong arm around her waist. She couldn't let Clint try to get them out of the Red Room alone. She was the one who knew this place. She was the one who had to lead them to safety.

"Clint, there's no way out of here except jumping into the water." She peered over the edge, remembering the many years ago when she did just that.

"That's right. There is no way for you to escape."

Natasha groaned inwardly as she heard Alexi's voice. Clint still had his arm around her waist, and he held her tighter, almost protectively.

"I can handle him," she muttered into her partner's ear. Reluctantly, he let her go and she hobbled over to her ex-husband. "Are you going to try to kill us again, Alexi?"

"Of course," he answered. "Your little Robin Hood over there, at least, will be killed. But, my little spider, I give a choice." He paused, as if for a dramatic effect. "Marry me, and you and your partner survives, or don't, and you both will die."

Natasha did a double take as the words registered in her mind. "Marry you?" she choked out.

Her partner glanced up, distress showing in his light eyes. She knew that if Clint ever showed any emotion in front of the enemy, was because he was desperate. In all the missions before, Clint only shown weakness when Natasha was in grave danger, or compromised.

Natasha was similar to Clint, in the way that she was concerned for her partner's safety. They'd been through so much together, that she couldn't bear to watch him die. But even if she accepted Alexi's offer, she knew that something inside Clint would die anyway.

"Why do you want to marry me?" she asked. "You tried to kill me just five minutes ago."

"Yes, yes, that's true. But now, I realize that you are perfect for me." He placed his hands behind his back and began to pace across the roof. "You see, Natalia, I need someone by my side. Barnes is no good company, being under my control most of the time. None of the girls in the Red Room catch my eye either. But you have everything I want. I need you.

"Together, we can be unstoppable. You are the Black Widow, formerly Russia's best assassin. You can help me get rid of anyone who tries to stop us. My goal is to start by ruling Russia, taking over their government, remaking their army with my mind-control serum. It's simple, Natalia. All you have to do is accept my proposal, and you and your partner will be safe."

She hesitated for a moment before taking his outstretched hand. Natasha glanced over at Clint who was looking almost heart-broken.

Alexi smiled widely. "Wise choice, my little spider. Now come along with me, we have some work to do. Your partner can stay in the bunkers. Locked up, no doubt. He'll be no trouble for the two of us."

As Alexi began to pull Natasha to the doors, she stood firm. "Just a moment, darling. Can we talk for a moment?"

Alexi looked momentarily confused. "Um, yes, I suppose."

She dragged him closer to the edge of the roof, looking out into the distance at the silhouette of the mountains in the dark skies.

"Remember those many years ago when we were married? I recall our nights in bed." She smiled slyly. "Those wonderful nights. All those secrets that we told afterwards. Do you remember that?"

He nodded slowly, unsure where she was steering the conversation.

"I also remember you telling me a very specific secret. Have any guesses on what it was?"

Alexi shook his head. Natasha let go of his hand, but leaned closer to him, having to tippy-toe. Her lips were almost touching his ear. She placed two hands on his shoulders, turning him so that his back was facing the mountains.

"You told me that you couldn't swim," she breathed.

With that, she shoved him roughly, taking a step back so that he couldn't grab her as he fell. He tumbled over the short railing, flailing as he tried to grab anything to prevent him from falling into the depths of the ice-cold water.