I've been around since the beginning of May reading Avengers fanfics (and occasionally reviewing), and I have been itching to start my own. It's not the kind of plot I'd usually do, to be honest. I read a few stories that involved Clint and Nat having a baby, and I didn't find it overly realistic. I stand by my belief that at the time of the movie they really are just friends because neither is ready to admit how they feel. And that's how I like to picture my BlackHawk relationship. I think after the movie they get closer and admit their love for each other, but I still couldn't picture the Black Widow with a baby. But then I thought I could make it more realistic for them to have a family. So... I'm setting up a scenario where I think it could happen. Without jumping into my favorite assassins saying "I love you! Let's get married and have kids!" because, no, that wouldn't happen. Ever.

As I said, this is my first ever upload to the site, so please take it easy on me. Still, criticism is as welcome as praise. I just finished this chapter today and want to know if there is much interest in me continuing it. I can promise more interaction with ALL of the Avengers (especially some Tony/Clint friendship and everyone having some dialogue with Black Widow later on). Enjoy!

It was still early when Clint, having finished with his usual morning training and shower, wandered into the kitchen to see if anyone else was awake. The newly renovated Avengers Tower had a separate, customized floor for each team member, which included a private kitchenette, but everyone seemed to spend a lot of time in the kitchen/dining room and entertainment/living areas on the spacious level Tony called the team floor, set aside as a sort of common area. Thor was already sitting at the counter digging into a plate full of Pop Tarts (what looked to be the contents of an entire box). Clint hadn't seen him for a few days and had been starting to think the Asgardian had returned to his own realm.

"Good morning, Agent Barton," the god greeted. He wasn't in full armor but still looked out of place wearing his Asgardian clothes in a modern kitchen.

"Hey, Thor," Clint offered with a smile as he went to the refrigerator to retrieve a carton of eggs. He had finally become familiar enough with the rest of the team for them to call him by his first name, but the god was still stubbornly formal. At least Clint knew that in Thor's case it was a cultural custom and did not reflect on what he thought of the SHIELD agent who had once fought alongside Loki. In fact, aside from the Black Widow and Captain America, who had willingly brought Hawkeye as an ally into what was now called the Battle of New York, Thor had been the first to assure Clint that he did not blame him for his actions while under his brother's spell. Clint cracked a few eggs into a bowl. "I thought maybe you'd gone home."

"Nay." Thor shook his head sadly. "It would seem that my father is still… displeased… that I asked to return to Midgard."

"He didn't forbid your return to Earth."

"No, but I am not welcome home until I 'learn to put my duty to my own realm before my love of this one.' All Asgardians are, at the moment, forbidden to even speak with me."

"The silent treatment, huh? Harsh. But I'm sure Odin will come around eventually."

Thor looked slightly confused. "I do not believe he will be visiting Midgard anytime soon."

"He means your dad will see things your way soon enough," a new voice spoke up from the doorway. Clint and Thor turned to see Tony Stark striding into the room. "Anyway, don't worry about it, big guy. We like having you around."

Barton held up the bowl of eggs he was beating, silently offering some to the new arrival. Stark nodded and started to toast some bread while the archer added a few more eggs to his bowl.

"Have either of you seen Natasha?" Clint asked offhandedly.

"You mean you didn't see her last night?" Tony jested. He shrugged off Clint's glare. "Hey, man, I'm not the only one who thinks you two are, you know, an item."

"Well, just for the record, we're not." Tony looked unconvinced, but Clint ignored him. "I was just going to ask if she wanted to back me up on a mission."

"Back you up on a mission? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?"

"Tony!" Exasperated, Clint shook his head and rolled his eyes. Sure he and Natasha had gotten closer since the whole incident with Loki, but the rest of the team had no business knowing how close. Clint knew Nat wasn't ready for that…

The billionaire threw his hands up in the air apologetically, but no one smiling that much was ever truly sorry. Thor just chuckled.

Another voice came from the door now. "Where's Fury sending you this time?" Natasha asked coolly. She strolled casually into the room. Clint winced as he considered how much of the previous conversation she may have overheard – probably all of it.

"Lagos. Something about a weapons stash above and beyond the usual African warlord's tech. Shouldn't be a big deal. I pick off the guards at the warehouse, move in with some backup, confiscate the arsenal, and try to bring back one of the higher-ups for questioning."

"Doesn't sound like you need me for something like that." Natasha snatched a piece of toast Tony had just buttered and sat beside Thor as she nibbled on it.

A bit hurt by her refusal, Clint opened his mouth as if to reply and closed it again, instead turning to the stove to cook his eggs.

To Barton's surprise, it was Stark who piped up next. "I'll go."

Clint glanced sideways at him. "What?"

"I said I'll go. Fury didn't expect you to ask me, did he?" Clint shook his head. "Did he happen to mention what kind of weapons those goons in Lagos got their hands on?"

"I don't think it's Stark Industries, if that's what you're worried about."

"Right. Because Fury would be sure to mention if it was. Because Fury tells us everything." Tony's voice dripped with cynicism. "You know, I've tried to track down all the Stark tech that was sold out of the Middle East, and it's funny… but I think that some made it's way to western Africa a while back…"

Clint sighed and glanced over his shoulder at Natasha before answering Stark, as if hoping for something more from the Black Widow. "Fine. You can come. But we're leaving early tomorrow. If you're not on the helipad at 5 AM sharp, I'm going without you."

Natasha returned to her own floor immediately after she finished her toast, and Clint didn't see her for the rest of the day, though he stopped by her private gym for a while to see if she wanted to spar and hung out in the common kitchen long before and after both lunch and dinner in case she came to eat with the others. Basically, he did everything to find her except to actually show up at her bedroom door and knock. Because that would seem desperate.

It was the next morning, probably about 4:30, when she knew he'd already be up and prepping for his mission, that Natasha showed up at Clint's door. He knew it was her just by the way she knocked. He opened the door halfway, and she could see he was only half dressed, standing bare-chested before her.

"Change your mind about the mission?" he asked frostily.

His question caught her off-guard. "No, I just…" Why had she come, again? "I didn't want you to think…"

"I'm not supposed to take it personally that you're not tagging along. Fine. That's not why I'm upset, and you know it."

Nat looked down at her hands, studying her fingernails just to keep from looking him in the eye. "It's not like I've been trying to avoid you…"

"It's just coincidence that you've barely said two words to me in the last few days?"

"Look, Clint." Now Natasha met his gaze, but her face would not betray the emotion she was feeling. How could she talk to him now? She needed the right time, and it hadn't come. "I just think it's good for you to go on a mission with one of the other Avengers. You spend enough time with me, but it's not me you have to impress. We're already partners and friends, right?"

Clint shrugged and turned back into his room, slipping into his vest and fastening the armor. His bow and quiver were already laid out on the bed. Natasha took just one step inside the door, waited for him to say something, anything.

"What's up, Nat?" he said, looking at her again.

"It's just… I think we need to talk," was all she could manage.

"About us?" After a moment, she nodded slightly. "So your solution is to not talk to me for a while, huh?" She said nothing. "When I get back," he continued. "If I wait until Tony and I come back, will you finally know what you want to say?"

She didn't look overly pleased with this proposition, but she nodded anyway. "Yeah," she agreed. "I think I'll have my thoughts sorted out by then."

He nodded without looking at her, instead slinging his bow and quiver over his shoulder. "I'm going to hit the shooting range before I go," he said. She had expected this. It was why she had come to talk to him 30 minutes before he had to leave rather than only 10 minutes before. He followed her out his bedroom door, pausing to close it behind him, and walked her to the elevator. Here he stopped and pushed the button to send her back to her own floor. Clearly, he had neither the time nor the patience to talk about personal matters now.

"I'll talk to you in a few days, then," Natasha offered, stepping onto the elevator. "Don't be late," she called as the doors closed.

I promise it gets better. Keep reading to find out what happens on Clint's mission that changes everything...