This is chapter...23? Oh my God! This has gone fast!

Previously

Then I fell asleep with his comfortable arms wrapped around me.

I woke up facing Clint who was breathing very heavily and had sweat across his forehead.

I tried shaking him awake, but he was trapped in his nightmare.

"Clint? Clint, it's me Natasha." I said grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him more.

"Clint!" I shouted. "Wake up!"

His eyes snapped, he grabbed me by my wrist and pinned me down onto the bed.

His surrounding came in around him and his breathing started to slow.

"Tasha?"

"Yeah, yeah it's me. It's Natasha, Clint." I said to him.

He recognised it was me, let go of my wrists and started to pull away.

"I'm sorry." he said, but I wasn't going to have him drowning in guilt all day.

I pulled him back towards me and held him in my arms.

"You've got nothing to apologise for. I know what it was about. It's okay and you are not leaving me again. Got it?" I said.

"Okay." he mumbled into my chest.

I knew it was about what happened with me and Loki. I could tell. I was good like that.

We lied like this for half an hour, just happy to be with each other at last, until JARVIS announced that Pepper had made breakfast.

We got up and Clint grabbed some clothes out of the wardrobe.

"I'll go back to my room to get changed." I said turning around to go through the private sparring door, but before I left he grabbed my arm.

"Wait...um...did you want to..possibly move your stuff in here?" he asked.

"Your asking me to move in with you?" I questioned.

Were we actually going to do this?

"Well, unless your planning on leaving me? I mean, your going to move in at some point...hopefully! Why not now?"

He did have a point. Now that we were together, we're not going to let anything split us up.

"Okay." I said.

"..what?" he said, surprised that I actually said it was alright.

I laughed and said "I said okay. I'd...love to move in with you."

"Great." he said.

"Well I could ask Stark whether we could share or mix our rooms." I said. "I know he'll tell the whole world about it, but everyone assumes that we are sleeping together anyway."

"I'm sure he'll work something out. Computer genius and everything."

He smiled, pressed a kiss onto my lips and said "Now go on. We don't want to be late for breakfast, but come straight back to me."

"He was right. You are clingy."

"It's the Black Widow. I now have the Black Widow. Of course i'm being clingy. Who wouldn't be if they had you?" he said.

I rolled my eyes, picked up the dress from last night and replied "See you in 10, Hawk."

I walked across the sparring room and opened the door to my room.

I got changed into my sparring gear and then made my way back to Clint.

Coming through his door, I saw him sitting on the bed waiting.

"10 minutes exactly. Why are you always on time?" He said standing up to face me.

"You look like you have been waiting for me, but you are usually late for everything."

"I'm always on time." He argued.

"Only for me it seems...never for Fury." I smiled and we made our way out to door.

The smell of pancakes wafted through the corridor as I wrapped my hand around Clint's.

We walked into the kitchen and I was met with Banner, Hill, Rogers, Pepper and the back of Stark's head flat on the table. Maria and Steve sat particularly close this morning. Definitely interrogating them later about that.

"What happened to him last night?" Clint gestured to Stark as Pepper placed pancakes on a plate and passed it to Clint.

"Don't even ask." Pepper replied.

She looked at me a bit hesitantly like she wanted to say something, but at the same time didn't.

"What is is Pepper?" I asked.

She pursed her lips.

"I...I think you need to look at the paper." she said handing me the folded newspaper.

I opened it, looked at a picture of me kissing Clint last night and began to read the article below:

Hawkeye caught in Widow's Web

"What is this?"

Clint Barton aka. Hawkeye, the hottest archer around, has

Wait! what?

"The 'hottest archer around'? Clint did you write this?" I asked.

"Really? I would've said the sexiest archer around wouldn't you?" Clint said raising an eyebrow and smirking.

"More like the most arrogant!" I replied.

been in love with Natasha Romanoff aka. Black Widow since he brought her in, 7 years ago.

I glanced up at Clint quickly and he gave me a quizzical look wondering what I was reading.

I opened my mouth to ask him whether it was true or not, but thought against it, shut my mouth and returned back to the paper.

Even though he has this affection, she fails to return it.

When one of our top reporters asked her how long she had been in love with him for, she said "I wouldn't call it that."

What? This is completely out of context! I said I wouldn't call it that exactly and that we were happy in each other's company.

When asked more about the subject, Romanoff refused to discuss the subject anymore.

God, I hate the press.

She has been stringing him along with her spider silk like one of her targets.

This is fucking ridiculous.

I slammed the paper down to my left and put my head in my hands.

Did Clint really love me? Was the report right?

I slouched over the kitchen table and buried my face in my hands.

I didn't want to look at anyone.

After 10 seconds, I breathed out and lifted my head up to find the paper was sliding along the table.

Clint was picking it up to have a look at it, but before he could read a word I snatched the paper out of his hands and chucked it in the bin.

"Tasha? What did it say?" he asked me in a quiet tone.

I looked round at the others.

Pepper, Rogers, Hill, Banner and even Stark now were staring at me. As well as Clint who had the most determined look on his face.

I could tell the others had read it by their sympathetic faces.

"Nothing." I said in a light tone. "It's nothing."

"Natasha Romanoff, do you think that after 7 years I don't know when you are lying?"

"I'm not lying."

"What did it say Nat?"

"Nothing. It. Said. Nothing. Okay!" I was getting angrier and angrier and at this point I had stood up to say it a couple of centi meters from of his face.

"What. Did. It. Say." Clint said, his anger rising too.

"NOTHING! IT WAS NOTHING!" I was screaming at him now, tears forming in my eyes.

"TELL ME!" he shouted.

"IT SAID THAT I DIDN'T LOVE YOU!"

Silence. Complete and utter silence.

"And was it telling the truth?" he asked.

I looked up at him, into his gorgeous blue eyes. Does he love me?

"You don't have to feel that way about me. I'm not forcing you to, but" he continued.

He stopped and looked down towards the ground. I felt like I couldn't breath. What did he want to tell me?

"But what, Clint?"

He looked back up at me and reached forward to cup my cheeks.

"I love you Natasha Romanoff. I love you so much it hurts. And I don't care if you throw me into the wall or beat me to a pulp in the sparring room like you usually do, but I just want...I just want you to know that I am always here for you. No matter what. And...I love you."

Tears were spilling down my cheeks and he was rubbing them away with his fingers.

"It doesn't matter that you're not ready. You may never be ready, but...I just wanted you to know that." he said wiping my face one last time and kissing my on the forehead.

He pulled back and turned away to make his breakfast, but I caught his hand just in time and pulled him back towards me planting a passionate, deep kiss on his lips.

After a couple of seconds, I pulled away and looked into his eyes.

"I love you too." I said. Oh my God. "Did I just say that?" I questioned myself.

Clint laughed and replied "Well, I hope you did. Otherwise it's just my imagination playing tricks on me."

I swatted his arm, smiled and we went over to the breakfast table being clapped by Banner, Pepper, Rogers and Hill. Stark was whooping and chanting "Blackhawk. Blackhawk."

I didn't really care though. Clint loved me.

He put his arm around me, sat down next to me and then held my hand in his.

"So, is someone going to tell us what happened last night?" I asked as Stark's cheering died down.

Pepper decided to take the opportunity of telling us what happened, because 1. No one really wanted to discuss it 2. She was the most professional and 3. Everybody was staring at her because they knew that she would explain it the best.

Not really an opportunity, more like responsibility. She was like the mother of the Avengers. Hill was the assistant carer.

"Okay, so Tony decided to play kill the pineapple with his blasters." Tony was about to but in with an argument against that idea, but Pepper silence him. "Don't even think about arguing Tony. There is still pineapple juice all over the windows. Thor smashed multiple beer glasses, as usual, and lots of the party guests got a little bit more than drunk and we had to carry them off to the medical unit downstairs."

She stopped, but Tony started talking. The joy. "Oh and if it helps you feel better about your whole 'front page love story debacle', Captain Hill have a column written about them too."

Rogers and Hill shifted apart and said "What?" at the same time.

"Whoops. Sorry, I thought you knew." he said, even though he didn't sound the slightest bit sorry, handing them the paper.

The immediately both grabbed it, but their hands touched and they both immediately pulled away like they were touching fire. Their cheeks certainly resembled a fire coloured look anyway.

"Sorry, it's fine. You look at it Maria." Such a gentleman.

"Thank you Steve." she said, sounding formal and her cheeks now decreasing from the bright red they were a couple of seconds ago.

Maria's mouth dropped. What did their column say?

She angled it away so Cap couldn't see it.

"Erm...Natasha I need to talk to you." Maria said, sounding a bit scared.

"I was just about to have pancakes. Pepper's pancakes at that." I complained.

"Now." she said sternly standing up, snatching the paper and walking out of the door leading to the stairs.

"She's scary sometimes." Clint said.

I chuckled, kissed him on the cheek and left to join Maria.

On the way out, I saw Steve looking a bit worried about her. Poor Steve.

I opened the door, looked out and saw Maria on the step crying.

"Oh my goodness." I whispered, running up to her. How could the others not hear this?

"This can't be happening." she said passing me the paper.

Maria Chill in love with Rogers?

"Oh God."

Maria Hill, often known as Maria Chill by her S.H.I.E.L.D co-workers, has a soft spot for one Stephen Rogers aka. Captain America. This is evidential from the photos taken from Mr. Starks party last night. If her dress isn't giving it away, their dancing certainly is.

Next to the article was a photo of Steve and Maria dancing from last night. They were both smiling and looking into each other's eyes.

"Look, it's just a news article. It's nothing to worry about. They are just assuming that you are together."

She continued to crying softly and I stroked her back.

"It's the fact that..." She stopped, took a deep breath and steadied herself.

"Director Fury is not allowing me to have any type of romantic relationship with the Avengers. If he knew that I had already kissed him, I would be in huge trouble. This is why this is such a big deal to me." she explained gesturing to the newspaper.

Oh shit.

"Look. Everything will be okay. Fury may not have even seen this yet."

"Miss Hill, Director Fury is here to talk with you."

I huffed. Oh great.

"Maria. You have got to listen to me. You were wearing that dress because Tony bullied you into it. Got it?" She nodded in agreement, got up and straightened the outfit she was wearing.

She walked forward and wrapped me in a hug.

This had never happened before. It felt a bit strange, but after a couple of seconds, I relaxed and hugged her back.

We went back into the living room and found Fury in the middle of the room.

Without turning around, he said "Agent Hill, in the conference room. Now"

"Yes, Sir." she said with no hesitation or weakness.

She completely ignored Rogers and headed straight to the conference room, which was down another corridor.

Fury followed immediately and we sat down in the kitchen, now with all the Avengers.

I smiled at Clint when he gave me a freshly made pancake with just the right amount on lemon and sugar. Perfect.

Tony was typing away on his keyboard. He had computers everywhere.

"Man of Iron, what are you doing?" Thor questioned. Who else would ask a question phrased like that apart from Thor. I may have only known him for a couple of days, but Thor really did have a certain individual way of speaking that stuck in the mind. That and his arms. I may be with Clint, but you must be blind not to see them. They are not even human. Makes sense with him not being human and all, but he is triple the size of most men. Double the size of the Avengers men.

"I...am doing...this" On this a screen came up against the kitchen wall displaying the conference room containing Maria and Fury.

"Stark, we shouldn't be doing this." Banner warned him.

"Keep your stretchy pants on green guy. My conference room. My tower. That means I own the conversations within this tower."

"I'm not sticking around here to find out." Steve said, but Tony pulled him back down to his seat.

"We need to see this. It could be important. You never know!" Tony argued increasing the volume of the video.

Rogers looked quite upset about spying on Maria, but I could tell he wanted to find out what was going on too.

We picked it up halfway though the conversation.

"It's not what it looks like." Maria said keeping her voice at one tone, not allowing emotions to leak through it.

"Really?" Fury asked disbelievingly. "I don't believe that for one second."

"Stark forced me into it. He said everyone had to go in pairs and me and Steve were the last two remaining in the tower apart from banner, who was refusing to go."

"You could have declined his invitation." Fury argued.

"It's Stark, he would've forced me to come anyway and who else was going to make sure they didn't wreck the place."

"Still, you didn't have to get photographed with him. It was reckless."

"Stark's photographers were everywhere. It was impossible to escape them."

"Why were you even dancing with him in the first place, Agent Hill?"

"Because he asked me." Maria replied.

"Do I have to remind you about the fraternisation rule with your position. Barton and Romanoff may be off the hook, which everyone is happy about, but you are not. Now, I do not want to have to come back here again to see you for the same reason. Do you understand?"

Maria looked down at the table and mumbled "Yes, Sir."

"Good. Give Romanoff this." he said handing her a file. "It's a new mission."

"Understood, Sir." Agent Hill said as Fury left the conference room and slammed the door.

She fell onto the table and started taking deep breaths.

"I'll go." I said after Stark had closed the screen to make sure that Fury didn't see.

Fury walked past and for a second, he gave Rogers a stern stare down with his one eye, but I just walked past the situation and to the conference room.

When I arrived, I saw Maria in a heap on the floor and I knocked on the door saying "Maria, can I come in?"

She nodded feebly and I opened the door going to crouch in front of her.

"Hey. I know it's hard, but everything is going to be all right."

"How do you know that?" she asked with a single tear streaming down her face.

"Because," I began, wiping the tear away, "I got through it with Barton for seven years."

That made her smile and I thought, because she is happy, I might as well go a step further and try to lift her up.

I brought her to her feet and asked "Are you better now?"

She nodded, this time much more confident.

"Just wait and everything will turn out okay. Do you want to talk about it later tonight?" I asked her and she nodded. Pepper was away doing Stark Industry work for Tony, but we would fill her in some other time.

"Alright, lets go." she said to me with enthusiasm.

Knowing that I was there for her seemed to cheer her up a bit.

"Did they see it? The conference?" she asked me and I felt obliged to tell her to truth.

"Yes. They did." I replied.

"I'm going to pretend that they didn't and carry on as normal."

"Okay." I didn't ask why. I didn't need to. It was because people like Hill never got a chance to skip protocol or break the rules. I felt sorry for her in my heart. She was always alone.

Steve seemed to be the only thing making her happy these days and protocol was taking that away from her. Yet again.

Stark's party broke only a few S.H.I.E.L.D rules, but the girls night must have broken at least 20 for what she did to Steve.

I wish Hill could join us permanently. That's not a bad idea actually.

My thoughts were interrupted by Hill asking me another question as we continued down the corridor.

"What's it like? Finally being with Barton?"

"Being with Barton? It's a pain in the ass, but if you are talking about now that we are together...then it's...it's amazing. There is no other feeling like it. It's like I am experiencing all my emotions being bundled together at once. Even to feel one emotion is a record."

She smiled at me.

"I'd love to feel like that."

"Do you want to?" I asked.

"Yes."

"With Cap I mean?"

She turned to look at me and said "I can't be with him. If there's anyone I can't be with, then it's Captain Rogers. I can never feel like that with him."

I stared right into her and asked her, seriously, "Is that S.H.I.E.L.D protocol or Maria Hill talking?"

She didn't say anything and just kept walking.

I knew we would discuss it later.

Everyone would be in the Tower, but it we would just stay in the living room and talk.

We came back to the kitchen and Clint came up to me hugging my to death.

"Woah...Clint...suffocating...me..." I gasped.

He loosened his hold on me and said "Oops, sorry. I just missed you."

"I was gone for like 5 minutes, Clint."

He smiled and said "I know. And I missed you every second."

He pushed his lips firmly against mine and I hummed at the sensation.

The kisses were still giving me shocks through my body.

I loved the way he felt against me.

It made me feel like I was complete.

My whole life I had been waiting for a gap to be filled and he fits perfectly.

I broke apart from him and took my hands down the sides of his arms.

"I love you." he said.

"I love you too." I replied.

"I love you more." No.

"No, no, no. We are not being a normal mundane couple that goes on about how much they love each other all the time okay! That is my one condition of us being together. That and you being good in bed." I said smiling and whispering the last bit even though I knew everyone could hear. He smirked and placed another kiss on my lips.

"Stop. Stop. Stop. You're freaking me out here!" Tony exclaimed covering his eyes with his hands.

"You've woken up quite well after being hungover about 10 minutes ago." Clint said.

"Well, I was rudely interrupted by two assassins kissing each other in MY kitchen."

"Such a drama queen." Banner said.

"I do not understand this reference?" Thor said looking confused.

"It means-" Stark started.

"Don't worry about it, Thor." Pepper interrupted knowing Stark was going to say something stupid.

"Right, who wants what on their pancakes?" Pepper asked us and we all shouted over each other at the same time.

Was this some kind of dysfunctional family?

Hope you liked this. I will add in a lot more chapters than this and yes I will warn you when it is near the end...:) Review, review, review!