Betrayal

"How dare you!" she screamed her heeled boots clicking on the metal floor. She stormed up to him with a fire in her eyes and he stood from his perch to give her a curious look. "Do I honestly mean that little to you!" she yelled reaching where he stood and throwing a punch, which he dodged. "Am I that annoying, that clingy, that replaceable, expendable to you!" she screeched punctuating each point with another punch which he skillfully dodged.

"Natasha what the hell is going on?" he asked while trying to keep her at bay.

"You! You being an unforgivable asshole is what's going on!" she screamed resorting to a round house kick which caught him off guard and slammed him onto the railing of the catwalk. He grunted as it made contact with his back but rather than hurt him he seemed annoyed.

Her advances didn't stop though, instead they increased in speed. But Barton was done just taking her beating. He stood at his full height, no longer slouching, and leered down at his possessed partner. He grabbed her wrists and pushed her back onto the railing. Once he had secured her he leaned his face down to her's and glared at her. "What the hell do you think it is I did?"

She glared back up at him her eyes hurt, her face hurt, and she looked away from him.

"Goddammit Natasha I can't help if you won't even tell me what it is that I did!" he screamed at her drawing even more attention from the control room below them.

She looked back up at him for a split second before flipping over the railing and falling to the level below. She didn't even look back up at him she just walked away. "She's crazy I swear it," he muttered returning to clutching the rail and looking at the people working below him. It didn't take long though before his curiosity was gnawing at his brain. He stood from his platform and walked towards their rooms. He had to admit for as advanced as S.H.I.E.L.D. was they needed serious help in interior design. The door facing the outside hallway led to a small room that almost nothing fit in that contained two more doors that led to living quarters. Since they were partners he and Natasha shared such an area.

He walked into the cramped room half expecting to see her in there. When she wasn't in the two chairs they had managed to fit in he walked into her room without knocking. She was sitting on her bed with her head in her hands and shaking it repeatedly muttering something.

"Do you want to tell me what happened out there yet?" he asked her leaning on her wall.

"You're a bastard Clinton a real honest to God bastard."

"Tash what are you talking about?" he said walking over to her.

"I'm talking about this," she motioned around her room. Clinton surveyed the area not noticing much until his eyes landed on her nightstand where she once had a picture of them seated. It was the only evidence that she had ever smiled in her life and they both kept one in their room. His eyes continued their search finding a box on the floor filled with clothes, her bathroom supplies, and the gun she kept in her room.

"Natasha what's going on?" he asked.

She glared at him, "Director Fury already told me about it Clinton, your request for a new partner. Well they found one and lucky me I get to go and pick her up then give her my room."

She stood from her bed and grabbed her box of stuff before shoving past him and exiting her old room. "I'm coming back for that damn chair too," she quipped as she walked down the hallway.

Clinton stood in her room completely confused as to what was going on. He hadn't requested a new partner! If he had it his way he and Natasha would never even do solo missions. He always wanted to be around her, to watch over her and protect her. He didn't know what to do about this he found himself bolting from the room. His feet carried him around almost the entire base at a run before he found the man he was looking for.

"Fury!" he screamed as the man was about to step inside another room. He paused at the door and nodded to whoever was inside and walked towards Hawkeye.

"Can I help you?" he asked staring him down with his one eye.

"Ya what the hell is this crap you told Natasha about me requesting a new partner?"

"So she told you did she? I told her explicitly not to do that until you met your new partner."

"Well I'm glad she did, I don't want a new partner, I don't need one. Natasha and I know each other better than we know ourselves. We're the best team you've got in S.H.I.E.L.D." Hawkeye screamed at the man.

"Which is why you are both getting new partners. I'm interested to see if you create bonds like that or if it is purely your own. We need more teams like you two and you are both going to create them."

"I can assure you that I'm close to her solely because she is who she is," Hawkeye whispered lowly.

"Well I suppose we'll see, come out onto the landing bay," Fury walked outside with him.

"Why what's on the landing bay?" Hawkeye asked not liking his life being played with. "And anyways why couldn't you tell Natasha the truth like you told me. Why did you have to make it my fault?"

"You know Agent Romanoff better than anyone aboard, you said it yourself, would she follow my orders and not work with you if she knew that you were both hell bent on remaining together?" Hawkeye didn't respond, instead he just looked down at his shoes.

Only seconds later a chopper appeared and out of it a man stepped followed by a blonde woman who was pushed out in some very intricately woven knots.

"Here let me help you down," the man said extending his arm.

"Don't touch me you disgusting piece of trash," Black Widow said stepping out and walking past Fury. "There you go," she said as she past.

"Agent Romanoff I gave you specific directions that Summer was to be treated with respect and care!"

"Why do you think she's not dead," came Natasha's venomous response.

Director Fury rubbed his temples and gestured to the swearing woman on the ground. "Go help your new partner Agent Barton," he said. The Director himself walked up to the man and they began conversing.

"Hi," Clinton said timidly as he untied the ropes.

"Why aren't you cutting them?" the girl asked more than a little agitated.

"They fit into her kit and she's quiet fond of them," he said collecting the rope after he had freed her."

"In that case you should burn it," the girl snarled. He didn't like her, not a single ounce, she had no right to disrespect Natasha like that. He turned on his heel and orders or not walked away from her.

"Agent Barton!" Director Fury called.

"I helped her, that was your only order," he said scurrying away before the enraged man could amend his order. He walked the hallways finally reaching the doorway of his and Natasha's room before cursing recalling she'd been moved. He sighed as he went in search of her new lodgings. He finally found her three floors above him and at the end.

"Hey," he said knocking on the door.

"What do you want?" she snapped as she slammed the drawer of her nightstand shut.

"You left this," he said setting her rope on the bed and leaving.

She looked at it and collected it delicately in her grasp. If he hadn't have caused her all this hell then she'd have ran out the door and apologized for being such a heinous bitch. But he did cause it, and yet he still showed her such kindness in returning her beloved weaponry to her. She shook her head and kneeled in front of her nightstand, peaking inside. She had locked their picture away, she didn't want to see him and remember that he didn't want her.

She had thought that their relationship was strong. She thought it would outlast anything in the world. They did everything together, showed each other everything, learned things together and experimented together. But now it was gone, and all Natasha had left was the memories.

A realization suddenly hit her, she could have memories anywhere. What was the use of being here if all she was going to have were memories. She quickly gathered the two things she cared about in this room, her gun and her picture. She holstered the gun and folded the photo. She rushed the hallways grabbing a parachute for emergencies as she ran. She was careful not to make much noise as she fled from S.H.I.E.L.D. She reached the top of the craft without being spotted, or so she thought.

"Natasha what are you doing?" she heard Clinton's voice ask.

"Leaving," she said while strapping her parachute on.

"Why are you leaving?" his face was pained.

"Because you don't want me and I can be unwanted anywhere. The reason to be here was to be with you but if you don't want that then that's fine by me," she glared before stepping towards him just a few steps, giving him hope, the throwing herself from the base.

"Natasha!" he screamed scrambling to the edge. But she was falling, fast, she was headed on the long journey back down to the earth's surface.

"Agent Barton what are you doing?" Fury asked giving the man an odd look.

"I hope you're happy," Barton snarled pushing the man aside as he went back inside the base.

"Who was that?" Fury asked racing down the stairs to catch up with Clint.

"That was Agent Romanoff apparently since I don't want her here there's no reason to stay," he snapped.

"If Agent Romanoff isn't with S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore than she is a target, just as she was before she was with us."

Clinton spun around enraged by the audacity shown by this man. "You have the nerve to lie to her about something I said, it blew up in your face and now you have the gall to threaten her! If you'd just left us alone then everything would have been fine!"

"Director Fury!" a panicked Agent Hill approached the two men.

"What is it?" the director asked while still glaring at Barton.

"Agent Romanoff is-"

"We know," Fury snapped.

"No sir her parachute, it's jammed."

A cold chill ran through Hawkeye as Hill stared at the two men. He bolted, he ran up the stairs again and attached an arrow to the ship and used the rope it attached to ease himself quickly down to the launch bay. He ran into a craft and without waiting for authorization took off. He cleared the base before nose diving at full speed towards the earth. There were about a hundred voices in his head screaming at him to stop or asking if he was crazy. He blocked out everyone and finally saw Natasha falling and panic stricken pulling on the chute release. He lowered the glass that ensure his safety and called out to her. She looked over and her eyes lit up. He dropped a few more feet before moving below her, she landed in the craft and Clint replaced the glass while pulling up as hard as he could on the controls.

She was safe, he could breath again. He finally let the voices that were crazed in and he responded to their worries. Apparently Fury was "pissed as hell" at him for his little stunt. But nothing else mattered expect that she was ok.

"I didn't request it," he said.

"What?" she was out of breath and quiet clearly shaken.

"The new girl, I didn't request her, I never asked for a new partner," he clarified.

"Then why did-"

"Fury says our chemistry is good, he wanted to see if we could create more teams like the one we had with each other. Guess it blew up in his face."

"I'm not working with anyone except you Clint," she whispered wrapping her arms around him and his chair.

"I'm not working with anyone except you either," he said taking one hand from the steering and rubbing her arm gently. "Why was it worth running away though Tash? You knew S.H.I.E.L.D. would target you again."

"I'm good at running Clint, we all know that."

"They're good at tracking, we all know that too."

"You I, I like being with you," she said obviously flustered. "I like laying with you in bed and I like it when you hold me. I like not having to think about what something means and I really like how you see me as I am now, and not for what I used to be."

"I like you to Tasha," he said staring ahead at the sky. "But I like all the things we try together, I like how you blushed when you asked me if I could show you the difference between making love and sex and how you insisted that there was one. I like how after we finish you always sigh and cuddle into my chest even when it's hot as hell. I take it back Tasha, I don't like you, I love you."

She smiled, she liked all those things too, all the intimate things. They weren't necessarily together or anything but the skin on skin contact was nice and- wait. Those last words, he didn't, he couldn't. "I'm sorry what?" she whispered.

He chuckled a bit as he landed the plane on the base once again. He opened the hatch and helped her out, she allowed him only to do such a thing. She went to take her hand from his grasp but he pulled her to him and pressed her against the body of the plane as he kissed her.

"What were you thinking Agent Barton!" Fury screamed arriving on scene.

"You heard me Natasha, I love you," Clinton repeated completely ignoring the very large very angry man hovering above them.

"But people don't love me, not the real me, not when they know me," she insisted.

"Sorry to break the rule," he winked. She looked away from him blushing. "Nat it's ok if you don't feel the same I get it, it takes you a long time to let yourself feel anything for someone."

"No I, I do Clinton," she whispered. "I do love you, I just didn't think someone who was as good as you could love me."