First, thank you for the reviews! And now, Clint and Jeremy meet…hope the reactions won't sound too OOC…

The work is unbeta-ed, so all mistakes are mine. Now read and enjoy :)

STRAYS

*Chapter 5*

Barton was pissed. As if she had sensed his upcoming arrival, Maria had left for a mission the very morning he and Steve had their conversation. He had tried to harass Fury and Coulson for more information on Black Widow's status, attempted to blackmail and bribe a couple of secretaries, but it turned out useless. One thing was certain though: Black Widow was part of the STRAYS branch and he had to go through Maria no matter what. On the brighter side, medical had cleared him to go out, but since he was still on recovery he was pretty much kicked out of the field or the training range and had no means to evacuate the building frustration.

On impulse, he had picked up a car and driven away from the base. He was now walking through a public park filled with families on the out. It was a nice day, pleasant enough to wander out and enjoy the sun. Kids were playing under the watchful eyes of their parents. While they were particularly noisy, Barton thought the sight was somehow…soothing. He sat on an abandoned bench and watched a group of boys playing soccer. They were all so taken in the game and uncaring of the world around them. He envied them, because at their age he was performing in a circus.

One of the boys stopped running and stared straight at him. Barton looked elsewhere, figuring the kid had sensed his gaze, and he did not want to be taken for a pedophile. That would be the perfect way to finish an awesome week, he thought sarcastically. He couldn't believe the Widow was working for SHIELD. And Maria out of all people hadn't told him.

They had known each other for over thirteen years. He had been her instructor when she joined the organization. They had gone through tough missions together. He had been the one who beat up her ex-boyfriend when he dumped her after she got pregnant. She had been the first to know about Natalie. She had listened to him rant about the ups and downs of their relationship, supported him when he had decided to buy that ring, held him when Natalie Rushman turned out to be Natalia Romanova, and helped him get his act together. He thought they were past secrecy, that they hid nothing from each other. She knew how deeply he was involved in the Black Widow case. How could she conceal such information from him?

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a blond boy, the one who had caught him staring. Barton didn't move from his bench, not particularly bothered. If the kid wanted to talk to him, it was a free world.

"Hi" the boy said. Barton raised an eyebrow behind his sunglasses.

"Hi" he replied flatly, wondering what the kid had in mind. Instead of speaking -or leaving for the matter, the boy tilted his head on the side and kept staring at him. After a full minute, Barton asked: "What?"

"My name's Jeremy." He replied, as if it was supposed to mean something.

"So?"

"You're Clint Barton, right?"

The archer's senses suddenly came to life and he tensed as he took a second, closer look to the kid. Blond sandy wavy hair; a cute face with smooth lines and piercing observant blue eyes. His mouth was curved in a sort of odd amused line. A bell rang in his mind; he had already seen that half-repressed smile somewhere. Now if he could pinpoint where…

"I thought so." The boy said with a sudden triumphant grin.

The cheerfulness in the boy's voice was the only thing that held Barton back from sizing the kid and shaking him senseless.

"Who the hell are you?"

The kid frowned.

"No swearing" he chided with seriousness. "Mom says you can only do during 'oh shit' situations."

Barton felt the urge to pinpoint that 'shit' belonged to the swearing category.

"Do I look like I care?"

"Guess not." The boy admitted with a shrug. "Anyway, I'm your son. Nice to meet you."

10 years ago...

"Do you ever consider having a family one day?"

The question was asked completely out of the blue. Barton could tell he had startled her because Natalie cursed as she dropped the pen she had been playing with, and Natalie never dropped anything. She raised weary eyes to meet his.

"A family?" she repeated in disbelief.

"It was just a question" he replied with a shrug, although a little startled by her defensive tone. She stared at him a while before leaving her chair and sat next to him on the couch.

"What brought it up?" her voice was gentle and careful, almost wary.

"Nothing, I told you it was just a random thought."

More or less, he admitted but only to himself. He was seriously considering the long run with her and wanted a glimpse of her opinion on the subject.

"Clint, are you considering children?" she asked quietly.

"Maybe? I mean" he added hastily: "Not now and maybe never because of my job, but…what do you think?"

Something flickered in the depth of her eyes. Barton wondered if he had correctly read regret and sadness.

"I can't have kids." She whispered, lowering her eyes. "My body…I can't…I am not biologically capable of carrying a child."

"Oh." He uttered, feeling a little dumb. He hadn't expected that. The redhead shrugged nonchalantly.

"Yeah, Mother Nature isn't so kind to everyone." She shook her head, her wavy red hair flying lightly around her face. "I'm sorry if you were expecting to reproduce with me."

"Eh…reproduce isn't a term…" he started, but caught the glimpse of amusement in her eyes. "You're messing with me."

She leaned forwards and kissed the corner of his mouth. Then, she moved to his ear and whispered:

"Can't help it мойястреб, you are so cute when you're embarrassed."

Her hand wandered lower. He cupped her cheek, kissed her and no more words were said for a while. His mind didn't register until they were lying in bed that Natalie had been trying to distract him. It had worked and he didn't think of their conversation again until the clock hit one am. He thought she was sleeping, but the quiet whispered sentence proved him wrong:

"If I could have kids, I wouldn't mind having them with you."

Barton didn't know how to reply to that, so he just tightened his grip over her waist, buried his face in her hair. She turned around to face him and snuggle closer into his arms. He didn't need to say the words or hear her say them back, he just knew and that was enough for him.

His son? Barton thought in disbelief. Who is that brat?

"Sorry kid, I don't have children."

The boy rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Not children, just one child. Me" He retorted, pointing at himself with his forefinger. "Unless you've been sleeping around without using protection and none of the women told you."

Okay, the kid was definitively nuts. In ordinary times, Barton would have brushed him off, but the kid –Jeremy was it?- knew his name. And he had no idea where he could have learned it.

"Again kid, you're wrong."

The boy frowned in displeasure. Once again, Barton was struck by the hint of familiarity there was in his features. Where had he seen that smile, that freaking frown and –and was that a pout added in the mix? Who had that way of pouting and frowning at the same time and yet managed to look so adora-

Oh no.

"My name's not kid, it's Jeremy Romanoff." Clint had introduced himself as Jeremy Brandt. She used to mock his resemblance with that actor, Jeremy Renner. Romanoff was the Americanized version of Romanova. "And if you need calculation, I'm eight going on nine next month." Did it mean, at that time, that she was…but she couldn't have children, she had told him herself. "And mom always said I have your eyes. I don't know that part though 'cause you're hiding behind your sunglasses –and they're ugly, by the way. Okay look" he added, putting his hand in his trouser's back pocket. "Mom told me I shouldn't carry that around, but…" he pulled out a slightly used picture and handed it to him. "That's you right?"

Barton hesitantly took the photo and didn't need to glance twice. He remembered that moment perfectly; he and Natalie had been in the park, wandering through the few animations set there. A passer-by had commented on what a cute couple they made and Natalie had looked quite flushed. That had been the first time she had seek comfort by squeezing his hand. She was still unsure of their relationship status, still hesitating at calling them something more than just fuck buddies. He had just laughed and bought her sugar candy to 'make her feel better'. She had called him an idiot and muttered something about her waistline but had eaten the candy anyway.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, quietly and dangerous.

"Mom gave it to me when I asked about you. She said that was the day she knew she liked liked you."

His hand was slightly shaking. He took a third look at the boy, seeking for more specific detail and finding himself terrified as he figured them out. The line of his jaw, the straight nose, the curious yet polite stare and that earlier pout…it was definitively Nat –Romanova's. As for his eyes…he maybe recognized his deep blue, the shape of his eyebrows. The hair color too, although the waviness was Nat's. No, not Nat or Natalie but Romanova, he reminded himself. He had no interest in getting attached to her again.

"So I'm right, right?"

Barton stared at the kid, dumbfounded. This was crazy. He didn't have a kid with the Black Widow, he repeated himself. But the age, the name and the picture…Was the kid a spy? He suddenly wondered. At eight, the Black Widow had already gone on a mission or two to lure unsuspecting preys in a bigger web. Using a child who bore a resemblance to both him and Na- Romanova was a sickening thought, but not impossible.

"More convincing then" Jeremy went on absentmindedly, yet a bit frustrated. "You use to call her Nat or sweetheart or babe –that one she hated. And since you didn't tell her your real name till the third month of your relationship, she called you honey when she was angry, дурак when she was in a good mood or мой ястреб when she felt like teasing. She only used your first name during serious conversations."

Barton felt a shiver of fear run through his guts. Unless Romanova had spilled the beans to someone –most likely her handlers or an employer –no-one knew about these details.

"Mom told me everything, y'know, no need to freak out."

"A bit late for that." he muttered. After a thirty-second inner debate, Barton figured he might as well follow the float. Even he couldn't make up such an unbelievable story, so he needed to keep digging a little. If that kid was a trap, then in a trap he would fall and fight his way out. Still, he had to control his heartbeat carefully when he uttered the next words: "Where's your mother?"

"On a mission" the boy replied, looking genuinely disappointed. "Dunno when she'll be back. Could be in two days or two weeks. Most likely two week." Jeremy tilted his head on the side. "Hey I'm just thinking, if you're out here, means you're on a break or off mission right?"

Barton nodded, feeling the kid had ulterior motives behind the innocent question. And heck, how come he knew so much? Then again, Jeremy was potentially the son of one of the best assassins. Romanova would have taught her kid a few things –Barton refused to be considered the sperm donor yet.

"What's your point?"

Barton's doubts were slightly lifted when Jeremy grinned. That kid definitively had his mother's smile.

"I know a great shooting range!"

Just an afterthought; I forgot to mention that most of the OC assassins in this fic are taken from other fandoms. Milla Jovova aka Alice the Mercenary is obviously from 'Resident Evil'. Heine and Naoto from a manga called "Dogs: Bullet and Carnage" and Sammuel Delauney from a French series 'Le Chasseur' (the Hunter). Oliver, Irene and Arsene are thieves names and baby Helena is a reference to Selina Kyle (Batman's girlfriend). Obviously they won't have a major role in the fic but offer some background. Just thought you'd like to know :)

Review please! (good, bad, I wanna know :P)