As the last of their assailants fell, Natasha wiped a sleeve over her face. The initial onslaught had been a fire fight, but eventually it had degenerated into hand to hand combat. Against The Black Widow and Hawkeye, the mercenaries never stood a chance. Those who had not succumbed had simply turned and fled.

A siren blared out in the street below. 'We probably should get out of here.' She said turning to her partner.

'You've got a little...' He waved a hand towards his forehead. Considering Hawkeye was covered in dirt and blood, and she was equally soiled it seemed a meaningless gesture, nevertheless, she wiped her face again. 'Better?' She asked.

Hawkeye nodded. 'Come look at this.' He turned a soldier over with his foot. 'Interesting.' He said distractedly.

'What is?' She looked down on the corpse dispassionately.

'Chinese?' She asked her brow furrowing.

'Where does an Italian and a Hungarian whip up a Chinese army in only a few hours?' Hawkeye said.

'And how did they know we were here in the first place?' Natasha finished.

The blare of sirens was increasing. Hawkeye stepped over to the edge of the roof and looked down. 'Time to go.' He said loading an arrow into his bow.

'We can't just take the stairs, no?' Natasha said wearily. With a grin the archer shook his head. Firing the arrow the head lodged into the concrete. He threw the line to Natasha. Slowly she joined him on the edge of the roof, their backs to the street below.

'Please tell me you're going to at least secure your rope?' She said.

Clint shook his head and loaded another arrow and line.

'You're a complete лунатик Barton.' She said shaking her head.

He leaned across and said quietly 'Where's your sense of adventure?' before stepping backwards off the roof. The archer's second arrow found its mark as he fell two floors and the two agents abseiled down the building unseen.

'We have another problem.' Coulson's voice came over the com system. 'Agent Foster went out for coffee just before this all kicked off, and she hasn't returned.'

The three agents had regrouped in the handler's hotel room. 'What do you mean she came to see you?' Phil Coulson asked Barton for the third time. 'What did she come to see you about?

The door to the bathroom opened and a much cleaner and refreshed Natasha emerged wiping her hands on a towel. Crossing the room, she threw the towel at her partner before flopping into the wing backed chair opposite and resting her feet on his thigh.

Barton wiped his face. 'I was at Liberty Bridge and she just appeared. I sent her straight back.'

'You think she's the informant?' Natasha asked.

'It's a possibility.' Coulson agreed.

Clint shook his head. 'I don't see it, she isn't the type.'

Raising an eyebrow the Black Widow turned to face her partner. 'Isn't not being the type the perfect cover for a spy?'

Clint shook his head. 'Some thing must have happened to her.'

'Her coms are off, she deliberately compromised one of our agents on a mission and attempted to infiltrate...' Coulson stopped.

'Infiltrate what?'

Natasha shrugged. 'It would go some way to explaining her behaviour towards you Barton.'

Clint stood up quickly spilling Natasha's feet onto the floor.

'You're saying she was trying to play me?' He said indignantly. 'Because I can tell you, nothing... and I mean nothing happened!'

'All she's saying is it's possible she led a tail to you on the bridge, that's all.' Coulson said calmly.

Clint paced the room.

'There is no guarantee that she ever planned to return anyway.' The handler continued. 'She could have been planted years ago by Picotta or Barta just in case we ever got too close.'

'I still don't believe it.' Barton said doggedly. He pointed at Coulson. 'If she was a spy, why didn't a squad come after you? She knew this exact location...'

Coulson shook his head. 'I don't know.'

Clint continued to pace. 'Is this what we do now? If I go missing on a job will it be assumed I've defected?'

'Of course not...' Coulson began. He was interrupted as the communication system crackled into life.

'Agent Foster reporting.' There was a quiver in Hannah's voice.

The three agents exchanged a look.

'Where are you Foster?' Coulson asked.

'I... I...' She began, before a male voice interrupted. 'Agent's of S.H.I.E.L.D, as you can hear, we have the girl.'

'Who is this?' Coulson demanded. The voice was thick with an eastern accent. It laughed. 'An old friend of Agent Barton's.' the man continued.

Clint frowned, trying to place the old adversary but drawing a blank. He shook his head at the others.

'Put Foster back on.' Coulson snapped.

'Agent Coulson?' The girl sounded terrified.

'Are you all right?'

'You've heard she's alive.' The man's voice was back. 'For now... and such a pretty little thing, don't you agree Agent Barton?'

'It seems I made much more of an impression on you?' Clint said. 'I have no idea who you are?'

The man laughed again, only this time it degenerated into a cough.

'All in good time my dear Agent.' He continued once the fit subsided. 'I need to give you my demands.'

'Which are?' Coulson snapped.

'A simple exchange, one agent for another.'

'If you wanted me you should have just come and said hello instead of hiding behind an innocent girl.' Barton growled.

'Nothing so simple.' There was a defined sneer in the words. 'You took something important from me, and now I m going to take something you love from you. This creature means little to you, but I doubt you'd want her slow and very painful death on your already burdened conscience.'

'What do you want?' Clint snapped.

'A simple exchange. I will give you the life of this young and innocent child unharmed in exchange for the Black Widow... unarmed.'

Coulson made a chopping motion to cut the coms.

'Hang in there Foster, we'll get you home.' Barton said before the connection ended.

'No way!' Clint said again. There has to be another solution.'

'Think about it. Natasha is more than capable of dealing with the situation, even without weapons.' Coulson said.

Hawkeye raised a hand to stop him. 'We don't even know what or who we're dealing with...'

'It's a good exchange.' Natasha cut in. 'Coulson is right. I go in, Foster comes out.'

'I don't like it.' Barton said before addressing the widow directly. 'There is no guarantee he won't kill Foster anyway, and whoever he is, he obviously thinks he can handle you. You'd be going in blind and unarmed.' He paused.

'I won't be blind, you'll be my eyes. It's my call Clint.' Natasha said firmly.

Hawkeye opened his mouth to speak then changed his mind. The floor was paced. 'I need some air.' He snapped eventually before storming out of the room.

Coulson and Natasha stared at each other in silence. Eventually the Black Widow's shoulder's sagged. 'O.k., o.k., I'm going.'

As she reached the door Coulson asked. 'Do you think Foster was in on it?'

Natasha considered a moment. 'If she was, then it was a hell of a cover.' She said grudgingly.

Clint crouched on the roof, his toes over the edge, arms crossed and resting on his knees. He peered downwards.

Natasha sat next to him, her back to the street. Her arm pressed against his.

'You really do look like a gargoyle.' She teased with a gently nudge.

Clint turned his head to look at her, resting his chin on his forearm.

'I don't like it.' He said.

'I'm not exactly crazy about it either.' She said. 'But it's the only logical thing to do.'

Natasha rested her head on his shoulder as they sat in companionable silence.

'Tash, do you ever wonder what would happen if one of us was compromised?' He asked eventually.

'No.'

'She's only a kid.'

'Clint, you're not responsible'

He snorted. 'Who if not me? I should have brought her back, damn, I knew she had a crush and I did nothing about it. I was too distracted, and now she's compromised, probably scared, that's if she's still alive, and now you're going into we don't know what...'

Natasha could see the torment raging in his eyes.

'I'll be fine. 'She said. 'You wouldn't let it end any other way.'

Clint nodded.

Gently cupping his face with her hand, Natasha smiled. 'And I promise Barton, if you're ever compromised, I won't rest until I've found you.' Clint leant into her touch. Natasha gave his cheek a small slap. 'I'd hunt you down so I could kick your arse myself for being such an idiot.'

Despite himself, Clint smiled.