Things are going to heat up in chapter 4 and there might even be a lemon, so stay tuned. Drop a review and let me know how bad this sucks lol. Bonus points if you get the reference at the end of the chapter :)

If you like this story, swing by my page and check out The Hunter's Prey or some of my other Clintasha works! My apologies for the goof up and posting the same chapter twice.

A light breeze worked its way through the window and lightly rustled the blinds, causing rays of light to dance on the floor. Natasha groaned slightly at the disturbance and reached out for Clint, only to find his spot empty. She sat up abruptly, panic stricken, and her vision went black. She groaned and dropped her head, waiting for the head rush to end, and then peeled her eyes open once more. A quick scan of the room revealed no traces of her partner and a sense of unease settled over her.

"Clint?" She called out softly, her voice seeming to echo in the empty room. Doubt began to claw at her mind and she looked at the wall in disbelief. Had she really just dreamt that he was there? Did she end up coming home to an empty house and cry her self to sleep? Her eyes locked onto the mirror and the first thing she noticed was the shirt that she had on: his shirt. The breath she had been unwillingly holding exploded from her lungs and relief settled over her just as the bathroom door opened.

"You called?" Clint asked around a yawn, rubbing a hand across his eyes. His hair was now trimmed back and his chin was smooth. Natasha smiled as she yawned herself and patted the bed next to her. Clint sat down and she leaned into his side, playing with the hem of his shirt.

"I thought last night might've been a dream." Natasha admitted after a moment. " iI woke up and you weren't there.. It scared me."

"I'm sorry." Clint pressed a kiss to her hair, which had curled over night. "I was just cleaning up a bit."

"Last night wasn't good enough for you?" She teased as she looked up at him.

"If I remember correctly, I was busy washing someone else." He grinned. "Again, not complaining though."

"Sure." Natasha smiled and then sighed, looking down at her hands. "Do...do you think we could talk today? About what happened?"

"I'm ready to talk whenever you are darlin. Whether it be breakfast, lunch or midnight. You just say the word."

"Darling? I thought you didn't like pet names?" Natasha nudged him with a slight smile on her face.

"Look, all they had on tv over there was a bunch of old westerns. Don't make fun of me. I might cry." He poked his lower lip out and she laughed, shaking her head at his antics.

"I missed this every morning." She gestured to them. "Steve is grumpy until he has coffee and Hill doesn't like me at all. Fury's sense of humor is dead."

"I missed it too." Clint sighed and stood up, offering her a hand. He pulled Natasha to her feet and gave her a once over, smirking slightly.

"What's that look for?" She crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow.

"Don't get me wrong, you've always been hot, but the extra work outs have really done wonders." He gave her a shit eating grin and stared at her butt.

"Whatever, Clint." She rolled her eyes and pulled a pair of jeans out of her closet. She slipped into them as Clint watched her the entire time. A sly grin covered Natasha's face as she purposely took her time changing her shirt and putting on a bra.

"You know," she drawled slowly as she reached around to clasp her bra. "I kissed Steve."

"What?" Clint's eyes snapped from her chest to her face.

"You heard me." She smiled at him as sweetly as she could.

"Bullshit." He scowled. "I call bullshit on that." His tone was low and his eyes were now dark.

"Ask him if you don't believe me." She finally pulled a shirt on and sauntered over to him. "What's the matter? Are you jealous?" She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head.

"Damn straight. That dumb ass oughtta know better than to touch you." He practically growled and Natasha couldn't help but smirk.

"It wasn't a real kiss Clint. Well, it was, but it wasn't. We used it for cover. But you are cute when you get jealous." She walked her fingers down his chest, still wearing a smirk.

"Damn right it wasn't a real kiss." Clint grabbed her and pushed her against the wall. It was rough, but it was in control, just like Natasha preferred. His lips crashed down on hers and she hooked one leg around his waist, then the other. He kept her pinned against the wall and off the ground, his hands tangling in her hair as they kissed.

When they finally pulled apart Natasha smiled at the smirk he wore.

"You could've asked for that, ya know. You didn't have to provoke me." He eased her onto her feet and stole another light kiss.

"This was more fun, trust me." She twirled away from him and fell onto the bed with a yawn.

"Maybe for you." Clint closed the distance between them in two easy strides and lowered himself on top of her with a sly smile on his face. "I was ready to go pummel Steve."

"I wouldn't have let you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to kiss him, but Clint turned his head away. "What's wrong?" She frowned.

"Did you really kiss him?"

"Yes." She pursed her lips as she recalled the kiss. "Honestly-"

"Did you sleep with him? Or anyone else?" He cut her off, staring straight into her eyes; she could see that he was on the verge of hurt. She sighed deeply before lying a hand on his cheek, staring back at him.

"No, Clint. I didn't sleep with him. Or anyone else for that matter. I couldn't have made myself want to. I kept hoping that you would come back. And here you are. And what about you?" She added, suddenly curious.

"No, of course not. You're all I could think about." He placed his forehead against hers. It felt odd to Clint that they were lying there professing such things, but it told him that they truly cared for one another, and that felt good.

"Good." Her thumb brushed over his jaw. "I love you."

"You've changed a lot since we first met, you know." Clint rolled off of her and sat up. Natasha rolled over so that her head was in his lap and his fingers began playing with her hair. He pulled the tiny curls straight, and then watched them pop back into place.

"How so?" She looked up at him, studying his face.

"Well, you couldn't stand me when we first met. As a matter of fact you tried to kill me. Once we got back to SHIELD you weren't thrilled about having to work with me. You became less hostile over time, but when we went undercover in Mali teo years later you still wouldn't let me touch you even though we were supposed to be a couple." Clint chuckled at the memory. "Then, once I finally got you to kiss me, you never seemed content with it. You weren't open with your emotions, even after you started returning some affection. I felt like you closed me out every time something happened. But right before Loki's little temper tantrum you started to change. You let me in and you let me love you. I'd tell you that, that I loved you, and you'd actually smile. We started staying together." He paused and Natasha laced her fingers through his, thinking back to all their missions.

"Keep going." She prompted as she listened and reflected on her life.

"Well, Loki came and you saved me. That said a lot right there. After we saved the world we became inseparable, you know that. Bt the first time you told me that you loved me was the night before I left, but I could tell you weren't ready to say it. And now, over the course of two days, you've been throwing that phrase around a lot. I don't know what happened while I was gone, and I'd never wish any kind of hurt on you, but the change is nice." Clint finished his little speech, looking a bit sheepish.

"A lot happened while you were gone, and I'll tell you about it soon, but you are right. I realized that life doesn't last forever and that my past was just that: the past. It didn't have to define my future. I found myself falling for you, so for a while I tried to fight it. But then I decided to stop fighting it and see where it took me. It took a while to tear down the old walls and habits, but by time Loki was sent back to Asgard I knew I couldn't live without you. But even with that revelation in mind, I still couldn't bring myself to say I love you." She sighed and shook her head. "I was stupid."

"No you weren't." Clint frowned at her.

"Was too. I just couldn't make myself make that commitment. I liked hearing you say it, but I never could. And then I thought I was losing you." She felt the tears sting her eyes and she swallowed hard. "I'm sorry it took so long. You deserve so much better." Natasha dropped her eyes and stared at wall.

"No, I don't deserve better. I don't even deserve you." Clint titled her chin up so she had to look at him. "We both had to battle our demons in order to get where we are today. What matters is that we won, Nat. Things are messy in the world right now, but they'll get better. And in the meantime we'll have each other."

"Clint." She smiled and shook her head. "I don't think you realize how charming you are."

"I'm just speaking the truth." He shrugged, playing with a curl at her temple. "You know, I think that is the first time we've ever talked about us."

"Together, yes. I told Steve about us though."

"Really?" Clint's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Why?"

"He told me about Peggy." Natasha pursed her lips. "I feel bad for him. I kept trying to hook him up with people, but he won't have any part of it."

"Huh." Clint shook his head. "Poor guy."

"Don't feel too bad for him- he asked how I wasn't pregnant."

"What? Why?"

"He assumed we were sex crazed lunatics. You should have seen him trying to stammer out his question." Natasha laughed.

"You told him we hadn't actually slept together like that?" Clint chuckled, imaging a blushing and stammering Steve.

"Yeah. He didn't believe."

"And why is that?" Clint looked down at her intently.

"Because he is oblivious to how things work?" Natasha tried to skirt around his real question.

"No. Why haven't we slept together?"

"I don't know."

"You are a terrible liar Nat. I am not trying to force anything, or even persuade you, I just want to understand. It seems like every time we get close you run away from me. I've touched you, you've touched me, but nothing has ever come from it. Is it me?"

"Of course not." Natasha scowled at him. "What would be wrong with you?"

"I dunno. I am pretty scared and bruised up."

"And I'm not?" She shook her head before sighing. "It is me, Clint. I'm the problem."

"What do you mean?" He frowned.

"I had a rough past and you know that, yet you have never brought it up, not even once. I can't help but feel that I am not good enough for you. Out of all the people in the world, you chose a broken person."

"Nat. Come here." Clint shifted her into a sitting position and placed his forehead against hers once more, staring into her eyes. "You aren't broken. Nothing about you is broken. So you've made some mistakes in your past; haven't we all? All that matters is that I love you. And you love me, right?"

"Of course, but-"

"No more buts." He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "I love you."

"I love you too." Natasha sighed and leaned into his chest, thinking over what he said. The logical part of her new that he was right, but there was a seed of doubt in her mind that she wouldn't be able to give him what he wanted. It wasn't that she didn't want to, there was a few times in the past where she practically attacked him, but she was scared.

"Let's get some breakfast. I'm hungry." As if on cue Clint's stomach rumbled. Natasha smiled as let him pull her to her feet before wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You are always hungry."

"I know." Clint chuckled before stealing another kiss. "You know what else is an 'always'?"

"What?" She titled her head, looking at his curiously.

"My love for you."