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To Dance Or Not To Dance

The engagement party of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts had been the media sensation of the month. Their marriage announcement was a very big occasion. It seemed the world was not only interested in the Avengers as heroes but also craved to be a part of their personal lives as well. However, the world was unaware that Clint Barton and Barbara Morse-Barton had recently gotten married in a private ceremony, and those that knew about their nuptials considered the celebration a dinner party for them as well. Among those that were privy to this inside information, Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff were also attending the event.

Natasha found herself sitting at the bar beside the secret newlyweds who absolutely would not let her leave their side. She was uncertain of her new role with the two of them, but she was slowly adjusting. Clint was constantly reminding her that he needed her to be every bit his partner in life as on the battlefield. Barbara's zest for life was consistently uplifting, and she could easily see how Clint had fallen in love with the beautiful blonde. The two of them had lived such cold, empty lives as operatives for so long that she was pleased to see how happy he was, beginning to live a whole new life with Barbara.

Also, to top it all off, Clint and Barbara were two of the few people that were aware of the recent relationship between Natasha and none other than The Captain Steve Rogers. Although they had discovered it somewhat by accident, Natasha wasn't at all regretful that she had shared the revelation with them. Ever since the day when Clint had stumbled across Steve and Natasha hugging one another after a heated mission, he had immediately known that there was something deeper between them since he knew that Nat let very few people touch her. Clint had been overjoyed that Nat might have the same chance at happiness that he himself had found. Finding out about Steve and Natasha's relationship had also proved to be beneficial for Clint and Barbara. Once Barbara was secure in the fact that the petite red haired partner was genuinely involved with another man, Barbara finally accepted that Clint and Natasha had no intimate designs on each other and she had become more relaxed with their partnership.

Over the last few months, Natasha had been surprised at the way in which she had slowly drawn closer to this new circle of people. Spending quiet time with Steve had opened her up to others and really allowed her to feel something which was starting to resemble happiness. She had felt herself start to soften into having something of a personal life, and she sincerely hoped that the change in her was for the better.

As Natasha sipped her drink, she caught herself glancing over at Steve's location once again. Immediately, she saw his gorgeous blue eyes staring back at her. Steve was surrounded by a small circle of fans and reporters, as Captain America always seemed to be when they were out in the public eye, but he hadn't been able to keep his eyes off of her all evening long.

She had dressed to impress him tonight. The sexy redhead wore a short black skirt with a bright red sash around her slim waist, along with a pair of red high heeled double ankle strap pumps to match her sash. Underneath, only he knew about the red, white and blue push up bra and thong set she was wearing for him.

They gazed at one another across the crowded room, drinking in the sight of each other as if no one else in the world existed, and Natasha had to turn away after a few moments. She couldn't believe the way her insides felt whenever he stared at her, the way her heart moved whenever he held her, or the way her blood raced whenever he caressed her.

A few years ago, Natasha would never have thought that it was possible for her to feel this way about someone. She had been surprised at the way she and Steve had drawn closer together. When he had started to trust her during their ordeal with the Winter Soldier, it had completely changed the dynamic of their relationship. He had been open and honest with her, and he had a way of getting through to her.

Steve treated her very differently than anyone else around her. Most of the other agents were afraid to even speak to her. Her reputation always preceded her, and many of them went out of their way to not even get close to her from fear of doing something which may turn her wrath against them. Instead, Steve had always been forward with her, giving her orders and treating her the same as everyone else.

Also, The Captain had always been very respectful of her as an agent and a team mate. Unquestionably, he had always taken care of her. She wouldn't have tolerated this from any other man, not even Clint, but somehow, with Steve she simply wasn't able to protest his protectiveness. She couldn't explain this rationally to herself, but it just felt right to her. He treated her as a woman, and the scariest realization was that she liked it.

He had never cared about all the lives she had taken or the red in her ledger. There was always more of an interest in getting to know the woman behind the spy. Her vaunted reputation as the deadly Black Widow had never phased him.

Still, there was a new concern in her heart which had arisen with these other new feelings. It was a fear unlike any she had ever felt before in her life. Her feelings for Steve were more intense than she had ever imagined. And, sometimes, late at night, when she was all alone, she wondered to herself if he felt the same way about her. Not that she would ever admit it out loud, but this concern stayed on her mind.

"Look at him. He can't take his eyes off of you," Barbara said loudly to her over Clint's shoulder.

Her words quickly interrupted Natasha's thoughts and drew her out of her reverie. She glanced between Steve and Barbara.

"Well, he's probably just needs a little break from the crowd," she told them.

"No, I don't think so," answered Barbara. "Not with the way he's looking at you. Tell me, are you two up to something special tonight?"

Natasha's eyes widened and she stared back at Clint intently.

"What? We're all spies here," Clint laughed as he took a sip of his drink.

"Now give up the info," Barbara followed.

"Well, maybe a little something," smiled Natasha, hoping that the admission would placate Barbara.

"Ohhh, so sexy couple's fun, huh?" Barbara said as she beamed a bright smile. "Let me tell you what Clint and I did last night! He had me..."

Barbara was suddenly interrupted as Clint's lips suddenly pressed firmly against her own, silencing her before she could utter another word. Barbara gave a little squeal of surprise, then her eyes immediately darkened seductively and closed as she opened her mouth and deepened the kiss. Natasha turned away, giving the obviously heated lovers at least the privacy of not having her eyes on them.

Another glance over at Steve made her pause. One of his more aggressive fangirls had now pulled him into an awkward attempt at a slow dance as a few of the other girls jockeyed for position to get in. The Captain led the girls in short dances in turn, going along with the flow of it.

Natasha couldn't deny this new feeling on the pit of her stomach. For the first time in her life, she felt jealousy. The sight of Steve dancing with another woman gave her an odd pain in the middle of her chest. It took a moment for her to force her eyes to look away and stared down at the cup in her hands. She felt her ire rise. Anger welled up inside her chest, and her fingers tensed on her glass. The feeling was foreign to her. The Black Widow was detached and reserved, but Steve was actually starting to make her feel hated the fact that she liked feeling this way, and she felt lost beyond control. Maybe she was into this much deeper than she had admitted to herself.

That strange deep seated fear arose within her heart again. It was a fear of loss and rejection.

Very few people had ever gotten close to her in her life, and no one had ever seen the woman beneath the spy. Steve was the first. His closeness to her simultaneously inflamed and infuriated her. She wondered if he would ever feel this strongly for her.

"What is it, Nat?" Clint's hardened voice suddenly stole her attention.

"Yeah, what are you thinking about?" followed Barbara.

"Nothing. Why?" Natasha smiled with a wave of her hand, hoping to brush them off.

"It's not nothing," Barbara said, suddenly serious with all her attention focused on Nat. "Clint?" she called quietly.

Clint took a long moment to size Natasha up. He glanced at Steve then back to her. Then, he leaned close to Natasha, never taking his eyes off of her as he spoke to Barbara.

"Birdie, I gotta fix something. Trust me you two, okay?" he said, asking their permission.

"You go ahead, Sport," Barbara whispered. "I'm with you."

Nat nodded as he spoke, her curiosity piqued at what the archer had planned.

"The voice recorder on your watch. Turn it on."

"Why?" asked Natasha with a surprised frown.

"Just do it." Clint said with the confidence of a long time partner.

Shifting her drink in her hands, Nat glided her fingers over her watch and activated the recorder, so smoothly that no one except Clint and Barbara could have noticed it.

"Good evening, Captain," Clint said, sounding more formal than usual since Steve was old-fashioned, staring firmly at Natasha. "This is your old buddy old pal Clint Barton. Right now, I'm in the process of proving something to Nat here, and I want you to listen up very closely. I don't have the chance to ask your permission at the moment, and if I did, it would defeat the whole purpose. You'll understand in a minute. Okay, I'm putting my hand on her thigh. You see this, Steve?" he said as he reached forward and placed his hand on the skin just above Natasha's knee. With her short skirt only coming down to the middle of her thighs, the gesture seemed more intimate than it was in actuality.

Across the room, Steve stopped dead in his tracks. He had just been able to stave off the raging fangirls and was signing autographs once again, when the sight of Natasha and Clint froze him cold. There was an icy pain in his heart, a stabbing pain that felt simultaneously freezing cold and burning hot. The slight frown on his face was only a surface revelation of the torrent of emotions he felt inside.

At the bar, Clint went farther. Natasha watched Clint closely, wondering what he was up to. The Black Widow had dispatched other men for even trying to touch her like this, but Clint knew what he was doing.

"Okay, Captain," he continued as he reached over and placed his other hand on the side of Nat's face as if he was telling her something private. "Now, I'm touching the side of her face. I hope you're seeing this, Steve. I'm betting that this should just about do it."

As if on cue, Steve immediately excused himself from the crowd around him and headed for the elevators. He wasn't rude to the people, but his words of departure were firm and brooked no rebuttal from anyone. Soon, the bar was out of sight and he didn't look back.

Clint took his hands off Nat and leaned back into his wife. Barbara slipped her arms around his neck to hold him as she placed a kiss on his neck. Natasha turned just in time to catch a glimpse of Steve quickly slipping out of the room.

"You see that, Nat?" Clint said with a proud and yet compassionate smirk.

Natasha stared after Steve in shock. His reaction spoke volumes. Clint had been right. She realized that Steve could be in this more deeply than she herself was. A strange feeling of comfort fell over her heart. Steve had always made her feel safe, and amazingly he had now inadvertently done this for her once again.

"Don't be afraid to love," Barbara said softly.

Natasha wanted to find the words to thank the two of them, but she found that she simply couldn't verbalize them. Instead, she slipped off her barstool and headed after Steve.

"Oh honey, you are too good," Barbara said as she tilted her husband's head back to her.

"I know," he sighed as she kissed him thoroughly.

Steve stomped down the hallway at a brisk pace. The wide open space felt stuffy and cramped. He was very glad that none of the partygoers knew about the secondary elevators that the team sometimes used.

He could only think that he must have misunderstood something. It was still something of an adjustment to deal with this so called new morality, which was really in truth nothing more than a thinly veiled version of old pagan Roman mentality.

Still, he thought he and Natasha had something. He thought they understood each other. Sure, they had never properly vocalized things to one another or said the words they should have said, but Steve simply hadn't wanted to scare her away from him. He was pretty sure that if the normally withdrawn Natasha knew how much he had come to care for her, she would probably distance herself so far from him that he would wonder if there had ever been anything between them. If she knew how much he loved holding her, kissing her, caressing her, protecting her, or just having her near him, she would probably feel that he was just too close to her. Yet, Steve had thought that maybe Natasha had felt something for him too. Well, if she would let Clint touch her like that while the two of them were seeing each other, he must have been mistaken. Also, if Clint thought that kind of behavior was okay after he had just gotten married then he must have been out of his mind.

Steve pushed the elevator button so hard that he broke it. His breathing was heavy as his brow furrowed in anger. He lowered his head as the doors started to close.

"Excuse me," a certain gorgeous redhead's voice suddenly purred from beside him.

She had just slipped her lithe body through the closing elevator doors with the speed and grace of a cat, and she now stood beside him with her lovely green eyes intently staring up at him.

"Not feeling the party?" Natasha asked, trying to be light.

"Not really," Steve answered without looking at her.

"Steve..." she tried to begin.

"Don't, Nat," he cut her off. "I understand," he said as he looked at her firmly.

His command voice caught her off guard and silenced her instantly. She didn't want to drag this out or hurt his heart anymore. There was only one thing to do.

She activated the recording on her watch.

'Good evening, Captain,' Clint's recorded voice suddenly blared through the confined space of the elevator.

Steve frowned. Halfway through Clint's words, as everything became evident, Steve let out an exasperated laugh that was more of a snort.

"That guy Barton," he whispered to himself.

Natasha stepped around to stand directly in front of Steve as it drew near the end, staring up into his eyes as she lightly pressed her body against his. He looked down at her with a little shy smile that she found absolutely irresistible. She gazed up at him with hope in her eyes.

'Don't be afraid to love,' they both heard Barbara's filtered voice say softly.

The two of them looked down at her watch, then back into one another's eyes. Then, they leaned in and kissed passionately. After several sensual moments, they eased back to gaze at each other.

"Did you save me a dance?" she whispered.

"I saved the last dance for you," he said as he pulled her close again.

Natasha smiled. Her heart lifted. The fear was gone.

It was time to dance.

It was time to love.