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~Chapter 2

Natasha is glad Fury knows when to keep his mouth shut. For once he had learned to let her go on a personal mission and not tell Clint about it. If he told Clint he'd already be out the door and coming to get her. As Clint had not showed up as of yet and she'd been stationary for more than a day, she took it as a sign that Fury hadn't told anyone where she was or what she was doing.

Truthfully, she'd always seen Fury as more of the fatherly figure she never really had, though she would never admit it if asked.

So was quite happy with the fact that he had decided to keep her secret and not tell Clint anything about the mission, no matter how likely it might be that things turn out badly.

As long as Clint is safe and far from Russia, she has no qualms with the one-eyed agent known as Nick Fury.

*(*)*

Hawkeye couldn't help the groan that escaped from his lips as he trudged through the snow.

Clint Barton is not unfamiliar with Russia during winter.

That was about his only advantage when it came to the barren popsicle known as Russia.

But during his last mission here, it had been known as the U.S.S.R, and it had not been so friendly.

Even so, he finds the people still to survive and untrusting of Americans such as himself, the food just as tasteless as ever, and the overwhelming sense of just cold to be highly insufficient.

All in all, he fancies that other than the name, the place hasn't really changed all that much.

The most annoying thing he found, was the blinding snow glare and equally blinding snow storms hadn't changed even a bit.

He likes the initial cover the constant mountain blizzards provide, but they restrict him as well as they do his possible enemies.

Blind doesn't go over well with Hawkeye, as his name suggests. His sight is his most valued asset and his hearing comes close after. In the Russian storms he has practically neither.

This prospect only makes him miss the Black Widow even more.

Right now he really needed someone to watch his back and she isn't there with him.

He had gotten so used to having a partner that he might slip up and up in the hospital with a compromised body and a compromised mission.

So, he listens a little closer, watches more carefully for anyone that was out of place.

But even with all that Clint isn't expecting it when he gets hit on the head.

*(*)*

"Oh, hey Capsicle!" Tony calls as he sees none other than Steve Rogers a few days after they receive their orders. 'What's up? You seen Robin Hood? He sure has had his tights in a twist lately."

"Hawkeye is on a separate mission, Tony. I told the whole team yesterday," Steve says with a sigh, not really appreciating the name calling.

"What?"

Steve frowns. "Do you ever listen?"

"Depends." Tony admits, dropping the tools he had been using to tinker with some sort of technology. "Is it something important I should hear about."

"Well, if it concerns our teammate, then yes."

Tony waves off the whereabouts of Hawkeye as unimportant. "What's it matter to me where big bird makes his new nest?"

Steve honestly doesn't know what to say. But he's starting to get a little frustrated with Stark and his attitude toward the team.

He keeps his peace though, for the moment.

Tony would learn to appreciate the archer eventually, but Steve predicts it would only be once something really terrible happened.

It's times like this that Steve hates his habit of being right.

"Hi, Steve," Pepper calls as she walks in through one of the multiple doors. "Heard anything about Clint or Natasha yet?" She asks.

Steve really did like having Pepper around. Though he would never understand why she decided to fall for such an ignorant man like Stark, he was still happy for the lucky bastard who didn't deserve such a good girlfriend. He hoped Pepper would straighten Tony out some. He was certainly asking for it.

"No, I haven't." He replies, glad someone cared for their teammates other than him. "And Fury won't let us in on where they are either." Steve is beginning to wish he had peeked at the file he had given Barton. Maybe it would give them some insight. Steve was certain something didn't feel right about those two being on separate missions. Something seemed a little shady, and he hated it.

"I'm sure they're fine," Pepper assures him, handing a stack of blueprints over to an enthusiastic Tony.

"I know." Steve says lamely. "But I can't shake the feeling that something weird is going on under our noses."

*(*)*

In half a second, Hawkeye has an arrow nocked and pulled back, spinning a 180 to face his attacker.

He frowns. He couldn't see or hear anyone within a mile radius.

He glances up and smirks, realizing what had happened. To prove his theory, he runs a hand through his short hair and feels the icy cold of snow.

Hawkeye sighs. Russia didn't seem to like him much. Even the trees were trying their best to show he wasn't welcome by dropping snow on him.

Clint decides he ought to be a bit less high-strung, or he'll end up putting an arrow through the coal eye of Frosty the Snowman. If Natasha were here she would be laughing at him internally right now for overreacting.

But he's a spy, and firmly believes he has the right to overreact. When it comes down to it, over reacting is what keeps him alive most the time.

He'll just pay more attention to his surroundings, and he'll be fine. If that means shooting anything that twitches, then so be it as long as it keeps him from getting killed.

Natasha.

Now that Clint considers it, she had been acting a bit differently the entire week before she left. And she hadn't mentioned the assignment to him either, which was unlike her. Nat always told him if she was going on a mission, and especially when Barton wouldn't be coming along. She was less outspoken, and though she wasn't really one for words to begin with, she still trusted Clint enough to confide in him at least a little.

Her trust barriers still didn't reach that far out, other than him. He was hoping working with the team would change that, but it felt as if she were only becoming more like the secluded black widow she was named after.

Crack.

Clint freezes mid-step.

That wasn't snow.

oh no, what's going to happen to clint? well, if he dies, we know that nat will bring him back from the dead to beat the crap out of him, so no worries about he dying XD

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gilraenstar

P.S. Chapters will get longer as the story progresses, promise!