A/N: Special thanks to Dancing Eyes for suggesting I include more of Nat's backstory. All references are courtesy of the origin of Black Widow at Marvel. And thank you all for the wonderful reviews. FYI I suck at action/fight scenes. I'm more of angst, hurt, drama person.

Chapter 9

Nat debated for a moment. Could she just send them away? Probably not. Given the severity of Clint's injuries, they indeed were very real as were the guns. She knew she could take out 3 maybe 4 if she double barreled it but that almost seemed like too much work.

So she decided to make it easy. Reaching into her utility belt, she pulled out a grenade and immediately pulled the pin, and pitched it into the sextet before diving out of the way.

"Tell Baron Von Strucker, I said hi!"

Burning debris peppered her body as she landed in the dirt face first. Thankfully she had the cover of an old oak to aid her against the fiery hail. Her ears rang unmercifully for several minutes while she attempted to pull herself together.

Keep moving, just keep moving she willed despite her spinning head. She needed to find Clint. He's the only one who could end this.

She had taken just a few steps when the girl appeared to her again; this time as an older teenager with long flowing red hair. The teen was now a full fledged killer and graduate of the notorious Red Room Academy. This was the version of herself Natasha hated the most. No soul. No conscience. Just a cold blooded killer, who thoroughly enjoyed her job.

Natasha shuddered as the faces of her victims came front and center to her mind. This is Clint's dream she reminded herself. What she was seeing was just a vision of a recollection that she had shared with him.

"I am not that person anymore," she proclaimed as the young killer lunged at her dealing a swift kick aimed at Natasha's jaw. Recognizing the move, Natasha caught the teen by the foot and knocked her on her ass.

Angry, the teen spun around kicking Natasha's feet out from under her and then quickly sprang back to her feet.

Natasha retaliated with a back walk over and then flew into a series of mixed martial arts moves, attacking the teen from all angles. The teen got off a few good moves of her own, cracking one of Natasha's ribs. But eventually the matured assassin prevailed with a knife straight through the heart.

Breathing hard, Natasha held her injured side as she gazed down at the dead teen. Things could have really turned out that way she thought recalling how reckless and immature she had been.

"You don't exist anymore."

"But I do," a forgotten voice replied.

Shocked, Natasha whirled around to see a man she once knew standing before her. A young handsome, KGB agent named Alexei Shostakov. Natasha had met Alexei right before she had finished her studies at the Red Room. At the time Alexei was working under the guise as a pilot with the Russian Army. Young and naïve, she had fallen for him immediately. The two shared a whirlwind romance and were married shortly after her 18th birthday. Two years later the KGB orchestrated Alexei's death in hopes of controlling Natasha. Believing her husband dead, Natasha fell deeper into their clutches killing out of sheer rage and earning herself the title of super assassin. It wasn't until she met Clint that her grief for Alexei began to diminish.

"Hello, My Beautiful," Alexei greeted in a thick Russian accent.

A flood of emotions filled Natasha's chest. She had forgotten she had told Clint about Alexei. Now the Jinn was going to use it against her.

"You're dead!" she said eyeing the handsome agent heatedly.

Alexei again smiled. "Quite the contrary, I am alive and well working for the KGB or didn't your friend, Hawkeye tell you? He and I had a meeting about a year or so back. Good man he is, but not good enough for you."

Natasha felt a stab at her heart. Instantly she felt betrayed. Clint knew Alexei was alive and didn't tell her?

Focus she reminded herself. This isn't reality.

"I don't have time for you right now," Natasha replied, praying that the image would not try to harm her.

"Perhaps then when you wake up," Alexei grinned leaning in for a kiss. "I'll be waiting."

Tears pricked Natasha's eyes as the image disappeared. She then looked heavenward, "Clint, when you wake up we are going to talk." She needed to know if Alexei was speaking the truth and if he was she was going to kick Clint's ass. But in order to that she had to save him first.

Weapon in hand she ran across the compound, checking every room in every building until she came across the ringmaster's tent. Keeping her weapon in check she moved stealthy inside on the concrete, stopping every few seconds to canvass the area. Nothing but rows and rows of animal cages.

And then she saw him.

"Clint!"

Natasha entered the cage, calling the archer's name. No response. Was he still alive? Clint's chin was resting against his chest, eyes closed.

Taking a moment Natasha inspected the severity of his wounds; His left eye was swollen shut from where the lash had struck his face. The rest of his back and torso were nothing but a mess of blood and raw skin, save for the bullet wound in his side. She had to wonder how it was that he was still breathing.

"Clint? Clint?" she called softly taking his battered face into his hands. Reaching into her hair Natasha pulled out a specially designed bobbie pin and used it to pick the lock on the chains that held her partner bound. Once he was free, Clint was dead weight in her arms, causing them both to sink to the concrete floor.

"It's okay, Clint. I'm here," Natasha said, stroking his blood sodden hair.

Clint opened his right eye looking at her through a bloody haze. "Tasha?" he swallowed weakly.

"Were you expecting somebody else?" she smiled.

Becoming coherent Clint stiffened in her arms, pushing himself into a crab crawl "Who are you?" he demanded shoving away from the assassin.

"Who am I?" Natasha repeated confused. "Clint, it's me, Natasha."

"Natasha is dead!" he said pointedly looking to the fallen image.

Natasha followed his gaze setting her sites on the dead body. The Jinn had obviously found a way to shape shift into her likeness. She could definitely see why Clint had been so shaken. She could imagine how she would react if the roles were reversed. Tenderly, she took his hand, "Clint, that's not me. I'm here and I'm real."

"No," he swallowed retracting his hand. "I saw her die…"

Natasha pushed to her knees making her way to him. "It's a trick. The Jinn only wants you to believe it's me."

Clint's face went all screwy. "A what?"

"A Jinn," She repeated knowing that as ludicrous as it sounded they both had seen enough things on the job for him to believe in the possibility. "This is all dream. We're both stuck inside your head."

"You're lying!" Clint choked delirious with pain and exhaustion.

"Listen to me!" Nat demanded grabbing his shoulders. "This is all an allusion. Carson Carnival World of Wonders no longer exists you know that!"

"The Swordsman…"

"Is not real!" Natasha finished. "The Jinn wants you to believe he's the Swordsman. HYDRA is behind all of this!"

"HYDRA?"

"Yes, they got to you. They're inside your head."

"But I-"

"Don't have time to argue. You and I will both die if we don't get out of here!"

Reaching behind her, she handed Clint his quiver and his bow. "Now, let's get a move on," She said pulling to her feet and offering him a hand up.

Clint looked at her hand for a moment before consenting to take it. What choice did he have? Trap or not it wasn't like he was just going to wait around for the Swordsman to come back.

After the archer was on his feet, Nat wrapped an arm around his torso for support.

Unconsciously, he let out a hiss where her hands had touched his raw skin.

"Sorry…" she apologized masking her own pain as she felt the full force of Clint's weight come down on her cracked rib. They had just made their way out of the cage when the Swordsman and the Ringmaster appeared.

"Well, well who do we have here? Could it the departed Agent Romanoff or is she just another illusion? Nothing is real here you know. It's all in your imagination."

Clint shifted his eyes to Natasha.

"Just trust me."

Moving away from the archer, Natasha reached for her service weapon and fired one round point blank into the Swordsman's chest.

Flinching, the Swordsman laughed before changing into his true form: Jinn.

"Believe me now?" She quipped holstering her weapon.

Clint could nod as the Jinn filled the room with thick black smoke in an effort to conceal himself. Now that he'd been exposed all Barton needed to do was get off one good shot and the dream world would cease to exist.

That couldn't happen. Perhaps he could take out the archer's shooting arm?

When the smoke cleared, Clint Barton was staring at an exact likeness of himself. The Jinn was dressed in typical Hawkeye style complete with the trademark black and purple vest and quiver.

"Uh…Nat. How do I wake up from this dream?"

"You have to kill him," She supplied.

"Of course," Clint mocked as an arrow from the Jinn's bow came flying right at them.

"Watch Out!" Lunging at her partner, Natasha felt the tip of the arrow graze her bicep as she pushed him out of the way.

"NAT!"

"I'm okay," Natasha replied pressing a hand to her injured arm.

"Not for long!" the Jinn bellowed. Waving his arm, he sent Natasha whirling backwards through a wall. An instant later, she was sailing through an open portal and straight back to reality.