42She typed at a ferocious pace, never once tearing her eyes away from the screen. Months of paperwork still remained, despite her legitimate reason for being off the grid.
She glanced over to the electronic time on the right-hand corner of the screen. It was time to leave for the day. She powered down her laptop and tossed the rental into her desk. She slipped the key into her purse and made a beeline for the exit.
The office was quiet for the evening with the skeleton crew coming in as their relief. The monotony of everyday life was enough to drive her insane, but Fury still hadn't cleared her for field missions. The Director knew that the two needed time off to clear their heads. He didn't need two compromised assassins at the very moment.
Natasha drove away from headquarters and ended back in the city. The night air blew by her fiery curls. She sped down the turnpike and found the rendezvous point under the bridge. A familiar black motorcycle was already parked on the gravel.
…
"It took you long enough," he had his arms crossed on his chest.
"If you didn't leave me the paperwork, I would've been here sooner." She nudged him in the shoulder, as they both looked out into the open water. "How's therapy?"
"It's going…just a couple of more sessions and I'll be back on the firing range."
"Don't overdo it," she shot him a look.
"Speak for yourself. You're still stubborn as ever. Maybe a little bit more." He was hinting at something.
"You're full of it."
The two leaned against her car as they soaked in the quietness of the night. Each one of them knew the significance of the day.
~Flashback~
The white marble walls were emblazoned with paintings. Slowly, she took in the images of folklore and history in the foreign desert land. The city was known for its towering skyscrapers but here everything stood on its own. She walked through the halls, gathering intelligence as she mingled with the rest of the guests. Her eyes fell upon an abstract of a smattering of reds and oranges mixed with shades of blue. Fire and ice. That's what it felt like at moment as she recalled the great debate earlier from their hotel room.
"You know it's going to be swarming with his lackeys there," Clint ran a hand through his hair and paced around the room before getting dressed. "Fuck sake, Tash." He nearly ripped off a white shirt from a hanger. "You should've told me sooner."
She armed her Glock and tucked it in her knee-high leg holster. She walked over to their temporary walk in closet, grabbing her black bra and panty from the floor "It won't be any different, Barton. It's just like any other mission."
"Right," he stressed the word.
She looked through her stockpile of dresses that she brought along courtesy of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Stark himself, who made modifications to the fabrics. She fingered through them before resting her eyes on a black dress with lace-capped sleeves and sweetheart neckline. The fabric had enough leeway in case she had to use any of her acrobatic tricks. In the background, she heard her partner still fuming about the whole mission. Something was off today. It was almost as he was trigger happy on something else despite their recent activity. She could still feel his breath across her chest. "You know it's going to be all right."
"I heard that before," he growled.
She stepped out into the open room with the dress unzipped at her back, "Could you?"
For a moment, he thought he would lose it right there again. "Your trick earlier didn't work." He walked up behind her and slowly zipped up the fabric. "I still think this is insane. We're walking into a trap. You and I both know it."
"It's Alexei we're dealing with, I know."
He shuddered at the mere name of the Red Guardian. "If he touches you or hurts you, I'm going to kill him myself."
She turned on her heels and faced her partner. "I'll take that as a yes." She kissed him on his cheek before leaving the room.
…
"Do you see him yet?" The comm broke through the classical music.
"No," she responded back, "I'm sure he'll come find me."
Clint walked around in his tuxedo, taking in the scenery. He spotted a few security guards, but he was mindful that any of the other guests might potentially be sleepers as well. He grabbed a champagne flute off a silver tray and walked over to a column, occasionally nodding to random strangers.
He felt the weight of the velvet box in his breast pocket. He wondered when it would it ever be the right time to give her the box. They were always on the move. His eyes scanned the room, wondering if the Red Guardian was there at all.
Natasha walked through the corridor until she saw her ex-husband standing at the end of the hallway.
"I knew you'd come."
"The feeling is mutual." Her eyes narrowed as she walked closer to him. Her heels clicked off the porcelain tiles. "Where is she?"
"Why would the Black Widow come rescue her comrade?" He raised his eyebrows, "The Red Room doesn't allow it."
"I'm not part of it anymore."
He reached out to her, but instinctively she recoiled and pulled her Glock at him. "There's a mole back in New York. Fury doesn't even see it at all."
She fired at him anyway, before sliding to the ground. Steel bars dropped at every possible exit.
"You should have listened to your partner." His voice mocked out to her.
"What did you do to him?"
"He's currently occupied." He walked closer to her. "Join me, Natalia."
That's the one name she didn't want to hear ever again. She had left her past behind in the Red Room. Clint was the one who saved her from herself. He was the one man that gave her a chance to live.
She whipped her hands behind the black belt and pulled out mini pellets that erupted in front of her ex-husband's face. The smokescreen would only be temporary but it gave her enough time to clear out. Quickly, she looked at the weakest spots in her prison and tossed metallic discs from her belt. A blast tore threw the walls, sending concrete and paintings strewn about.
An arm snaked across her waist as she thrown backwards. Her hands flew at Alexei, as he shoved her to the ground. The air escaped from her lungs and her vision temporarily went black. Her training kicked in and locked one of her bracelets onto him. The deceptive band stung him, sending him careening to the ground. For once, one of Stark's inventions was some use to her, even though she hated to wear any kind of jewelry.
"Hawk, do you copy?" She frantically tried to get a signal, while maiming her ex-husband. Static was heard until she heard his restless breathing.
"A little busy here," he blocked off a right hook. "Where are you?" He rolled onto the ground and picked up his dropped gun. He squarely looked at his target before he fired. "I'm coming to you."
By now, the event hall was empty of guests. The Black Widow meandered through the mess she caused until she heard footsteps running towards her. In the distance, she could see Barton with his disheveled tux. "You all right?"
"Yeah. Nothing I couldn't handle." She ripped last of the lace off her sleeves.
A wave of relief washed over her to see that he was all right. She walked towards her partner until she felt a sting from her right shoulder. A bullet whizzed past her and everything went into slow motion. Barton ran towards her, as she dropped to the ground. A shocked look came across her face at the sudden realization that she was hit.
Her hand reached along her back and pulled out the needle. The metallic piece rolled away from her, as she saw Barton come to her side. "Talk to me, Tash." He fired another round at the unknown.
"I'm just catching my breath," she hid the panic in her voice.
He turned her over, but found no entry wound except for some bruises. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah." She slowly got up on her feet, but deep down, she knew Alexei wouldn't let her go that easily. She kept her secret hidden from Clint and knew it would haunt her.
~End of Flashback~
Her eyes picked at the changing waters as waves lapped against the shoreline. "Where do we go from here?"
He pulled out a velvet box from his leather jacket. "I was supposed to give you this. Back in Mumbai, but I never got a chance until now."
"Clint, you know that…"
"Just take it." He shoved the box in front of her and held it.
She looked at the innocent object. She knew their lives were finite and that on any given day, one of them could be killed. They both tested that theory a year ago on two separate occasions.
"I know you said it once before. You don't have to say it again."
In the darkness, the silver chain caught the moonlight. "I don't know what to say." She pulled the lightweight silver into her hands.
He took the silver chain into his hands and clasped it around her neck. "No matter what, you've been the best thing for me."
She crushed her lips against his as they stood under the veil of stars. Her emerald eyes flashed open into his stormy gray eyes. The minutes slipped into hours, as somehow they both ended back to their apartment.
They made up for the lost time, since Clint spent his time recuperating in the west coast. Under the tangle of sheets, she stole glances at him as he slept. She saw months of torment etched on his harden features. Her eyes then wandered over to his left arm. The scars were visible from the two surgeries he had to repair the nerve damage. Absentmindedly, she fiddled with the chain around her neck. It was his promise to her. "I love you too," she whispered into his ear.
A small grin appeared on his face. "I knew it," he muttered in his sleep talk as he shifted towards her voice.
She tucked herself closer to him and took in the moment.
It was a great run again. Thanks for sticking by me on this short story. The flashbacks here were meant to link part their backstory mixed with the interim time post-shawarma. Hopefully, I didn't mean to confuse anyone.
Thank you to the following reviewers: anteffy1, ArabianForest, avngstories, Brandi Golightly, clintashavenersdoctorwhofun52, CrystalShardsofRain, DanAlaya, DBT the awesome, discordchick, IcarusOwl, Lollypops101, Pepperoni Zebra, Precious93, and TheNaggingCube.
Thank you to those who have added this story to their fave lists or story alerts. You all rock and thank you so much for taking the time to read. Thank you to: ASDF Rainbow Ninja, AbbyRose17, Acacia118, AllMyLifes, Ashlinka, Athena Writer 24601, Aurora Reinette, BettyBackInTheDay, Black Betty, BloodyShow, BluAugust, Born in the wrong generation, Brandi Golightly, Clintasha101, ConstiAnne, DBT the awesome, DanAlaya, Doggielilly, Everliss the wolf, EvilTheTwins, HardyGirl528491, Hatake Kai, Horror Wynter, IaMcHrIsSi, Infaredfield, Lillehafrue, Lollypops101, Maxiekat, MissSpasticEnthuseastic, Natasha Barton 13, NCISRookie33, Nightsong014, Okichi, Pepperoni Zebra, Precious93, RemiSparklez, Sabsi13, TheNaggingCube, WelshJuliet, Wren Wolfe, angelgirl116, anteffy1, ashe140, babybosn, blindhuntress, cherry1122, coolgal13, crystalbladedragon, discordchick, dominoharvey, doodlebug9830, ecrooked24, evershort, hawk1222, iiWonderwomenii, jaguar24, kekavicky, latenightreader93, likealightbulb, misshotwolf, onegiraffe, pattycake1971, potterislife21122, purplestarr59, race2win, raisingwerewolves, sibunagirl-0331, and tarpeach1981.
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Waterlilies