A/N: I am so sorry for the delay, I have not abandoned this story but life definitely got hectic for a minute. I'm back now and I hope everyone enjoys this update.

When I was younger I saw my daddy cry, and curse at the wind.

He broke his own heart and I watched, as he tried to reassemble it.

And my momma swore, that she would never let herself forget.

And that was the day that I promised I'd never sing of love if it does not exist.

But darling, you are the only exception.

Maybe I know somewhere deep in my soul that love never lasts.

And we've got to find other ways to make it alone, or keep a straight face.

And I've always lived like this, keeping a comfortable distance.

And up until now I have sworn to myself that I'm content with loneliness.

Because none of it was ever worth the risk.

Well, you are the only exception.

I've got a tight grip on reality, but I can't let go of what's in front of me here.

I know you're leaving in the morning when you wake up.

Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream.

You are the only exception.

And I'm on my way to believing.

Oh, and I'm on my way to believing.

The Only Exception-Paramore

"Natasha, Miss Lewis is on her way to your office." Friday says as Natasha looks up from her computer screen. She's been going through old mission files and archiving them and her eyes are getting tired of staring at the words. With Shield starting over, they wanted to go through every mission, every file, and dig out when Hydra operatives had been involved in anything. That included going over Avenger mission files.

In order to get the best possible picture, they needed to know who was involved in what, where, and what time. They needed to know what sort of position the Hydra operatives had been in and how that affected the outcome of said mission, if it did at all.

Luckily, between FitzSimmons, Friday, Vision, Jocasta, Tony, Coulson, and Natasha herself, they were able to formulate an algorithm that separated the files into categories according to the lead on the mission, the team on the mission, and the handler at Shield headquarters. From there, the files were split between Agents Mackenzie, Johnson, May, Rodriguez and FitzSimmons. After they identified which missions contained known Hydra operatives, they were separated again, along with suspected Hydra operatives and handed over to Director Coulson, Tony, Natasha, and Fury to review again. It's tedious and time-consuming but it has to be done.

Yesterday they'd done the debriefing from their first mission and set up about a dozen meetings, including Lang's interrogation, which is scheduled for tomorrow. Pepper had sent the three women that came for the press conference, the Ribeiro sisters, to talk to Maggie, Paxton, and Laura about working for Stark Industries.

"Okay, thank you, Friday." Natasha says as she saves her work and leans back in her chair. She isn't getting much done today since her mind keeps drifting to what happened when they'd returned home from the mission. She's always thought she'd stay on her own. That she would let her career take over a large portion of her life, be 'married' to her work, as it were. But she can slowly feel that shifting.

Her office door opens and Darcy steps inside with a large grin on her face as she tosses a small ball of electricity between her hands. The younger woman is wearing a nice pair of black jeans with gray ankle boots and a blue t-shirt.

"What can I help you with?" Natasha asks Darcy as she takes a seat in front of Natasha's desk.

"So, you're the mystery woman that's been in the gossip rag pictures with Tony." Darcy says letting the electricity absorb back into her skin. It looks like lightning moving below the skin, an interesting effect.

"Yes." She answers because she has no reason to lie and is wondering where this line of questioning is going.

"How come you haven't made it public yet?"

"We're making sure that things get a little more settled before rocking the boat again. And we have no plans to make an announcement. We're going to let it happen organically."

"You really think the media is bright enough to put that together?" Darcy asks her with a laugh. "They're going to say it's a publicity stunt, or you're helping him hide his real relationship."

"Maybe." Natasha shrugs as she looks Darcy up and down, thinking about her file and the degree in political science. "How would you feel about working with the Ribeiro sisters on the public image of the New Avengers and New Shield?"

"What?" Darcy asks her, sitting up straighter. "But, I'm already assisting Jane."

"You collate her data twice a week, Darcy. And we won't take you away from that. You'll have one or two meetings a week with the sisters where you update them on anything going on, within reason and that affects our public image. You can coordinate with Coulson, Vision, and me beforehand for a review of the information you're giving them. I've looked over your social media accounts and I think you'd be good at it. Plus, candid shots go for a lot of money."

"Can I think about it? Maybe talk about it with you, Jane, Vision, Coulson, and Tony. I'd like to get a better understanding of what it is you want me to do. Then I'll talk to the sisters." Darcy has another ball of electricity in her hand but it is small, about the size of a quarter. She keeps rolling it over the back of her hand and into her palm only to do it all over again.

"Of course." Natasha tells her reassuringly.

"So, how is sex with Tony?" Darcy asks out of nowhere. "I bet it's great."

Natasha stares at her for a moment, her face blank as she debates on whether to answer or not. Normally, she'd shut down that type of inquiry or figure out what the person wanted and use it to her advantage. But Darcy's becoming a friend. Darcy's grin only gets wider the longer Natasha stays silent so she rolls her eyes and gives in.

"Yes. It is. But that's all I'm telling you."

"Sure." Darcy says as if she doesn't believe it for a second. "Until we have girls' night this weekend."

"What are we having?" Natasha has never participated in a girls' night. Or anything remotely similar.

"A girls' night. All the women in the compound are hanging out in the common room near my and Jane's apartments. And the guys are all hanging out in the one near your rooms with Tony."

"Natasha, Boss is on his way to your office to discuss the details of Lang's interrogation. And Miss Lewis, Dr. Foster would like me to tell you that her lab results indicate that the bifrost may be about to open."

"Thank you, Friday." Natasha says as Darcy stands up and heads for the door, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Yeah, thanks." The brunette murmurs as she leaves Natasha's office. Tony steps to the side to let her leave before stepping into the office and shutting the door.

Natasha stands to greet him and he surprises her as he rounds the desk and wraps his arms around her, one around her waist, and the other around her shoulders. She return the hug as he buries his face against her neck and breathes in deeply before letting out a shuddering breath. She's confused enough about his reaction that's he doesn't say anything, just wraps her arms more tightly around him and squeezes.

"Tony?" she questions as they stand there, holding each other. He doesn't move away from her but he starts to speak in a low voice.

"Just give me a minute." He whispers and she holds him tighter in response. After a moment, he steps back and moves around her desk to take a seat. "So, Lang's interrogation. How do you wanna do this?"

"I think that we should send in Lewis, Johnson, and Mackenzie. Lewis and Johnson can play up the 'just another pretty face' angle while Mack acts as muscle. Despite most likely knowing that both women are inhuman, I believe he'll underestimate them. In my experience, if you have a man and a woman in the same room, no matter the man's demeanor and size, he'll be perceived as the bigger threat." Natasha tells him with a slight shrug. She'd be more offended if assumptions like that haven't worked to her advantage so often. "Lang's fought against me so he knows that I pose a threat. He's never met Lewis or Johnson."

"As horrible as that sounds, it's realistic." Tony agrees with a shrug of his own. "We want to throw him off balance, but not enough that he clams up. And if Johnson can throw in some references to her past work as a hacktivist, maybe he'll commiserate or feel the need to impress her and give us something we didn't know we needed."

"You're good at this." Natasha grins at Tony. She's always found it interesting how he reads people and then interrogates them without them realizing he's doing it. "I think I like it."

"Oh, yeah?" He asks her as he stands up and moves around her desk. She stands up, too, turning around and backing up against the desk as he crowds into her space. He plants his hands on either side of her as he leans forward. His lips are just pressing against hers when they're interrupted.

"Boss? Miss Lewis has an urgent message from Heimdall." Friday says in an apologetic tone.

"What's the message, Fri?" Tony asks as he steps back slightly, still close, but no longer pressing into her space.

"It appears that, according to an ancient prophecy, Asgard is going to be destroyed and Dr. Banner has been found on another planet. Heimdall is unaware of the exact date or time but wishes to bring his people to earth until they can find another home. They also have other matters to discuss with the New Avengers and New Shield but have not disclosed details." Friday says, a hint of annoyance in her tone.

Natasha puts one hand on Tony's jaw and he leans into the touch as his eyes close. Her heart hurts while also feeling elated that they have news of Bruce. The hurt she felt at his leaving is still there, but she's also happy that he's been found, for Tony's sake. She knows they were close.

"Okay, Fri. Tell Lewis to try to get an estimate on the number of Asgardians and I'll see what I can figure out from here."

"Tony?" Natasha calls to him and he turns his attention back to her, still standing in front of her but already pulling away. "It's going to be fine."

Tony starts to nod but Natasha can tell that he doesn't necessarily believe her. So, she uses her free hand to grip the front of his shirt, her hand that's on his jaw sliding to the back of his head and into his hair as she pulls him forward. He comes willingly enough and she crushes her lips against his. Her kiss isn't slow or gentle, but hard and demanding. She pours everything she feels for him into the kiss. Her frustration, her passion, her loyalty, all of it goes into this kiss because it's the only way she can reassure him that she feels he'll believe.

Pulling away slowly, she blinks up at him, noticing that his fingers are digging into her hips as his hips press tightly against her.

"I'm not going anywhere, Tony." She tells him, making him look her in the eye, before she leans up for another kiss. This one is softer, a reassurance. "I'm here."

When Tony leans back this time, he stares at her for a moment, his eyes soft, before he closes them and presses his forehead to hers.

"I'm glad you came back." He tells her in that quiet tone that he uses when he thinks she might flee, as if she's a frightened, cornered animal. And she thinks that that's exactly what she's been most of her life. A frightened, wounded, scared, and wild thing. "You can always come back."

Natasha pulls away slightly so that she can look into his eyes. She reads the truth there, as he stares back at her, reassurance coming from him in waves. All the pain and betrayal he's experienced at the hands of those he cares for and he still offers her this. A home, a place to be. Someone that cares for her.

"Tony, I will always come back." She tells him. She won't say that she'll never leave, because he doesn't want to make a promise she's not sure if she can keep. But she can say that she will come back if she does leave. "No matter what, I will always come back."

"Okay." He says, nodding and pulling her back into his embrace. She goes, easily and freely. They have to discuss this ne turn of events, but for now, she's happy to stay here, in his arms, with this new understanding between them.