This is an AU-story of how Clint and Natasha could have met. I have never read the comics, so don't expect it to be similar to that. English is not my first language, so don't hate me for mistakes. Also, I sadly own nothing.

The first time Hawkeye and the Black Widow meet, they are in Paris and he is send to kill her. They are supposed to be enemies, to kill each other or die trying. But they don't, because it may be the first time Hawkeye and the Black Widow meet, but it's not the first time Clint and Natasha met.

The first time they meet is in a little town in Bulgaria. She is 15, the youngest and most promising Black Widow the Red Room has to offer. He is 17 and not Hawkeye yet. He is just a betrayed ex-carnie and contract killer. A pissed mob boss send him to kill her. She is good, but he is good too.

Clint spends two month tracking her down. She is his first bigger assignment, the one that will make him a legend if he succeed. He knows that. He has heard of the Black Widow, knows the rumors that are whispered in dark alleys. He's not afraid. Cautious, but not afraid. If he was, he wouldn't have taken the job.

Natalia knows she's being followed. She isn't sure what to think about it. She knows she is good, knows that she is better than most assassins, even though she is still young. On the other hand, whoever manages to find her has to be good, too. In the moments she allows herself to think openly, she admits to herself that she is a bit afraid. But even when she's just thinking it, she can hear Uncle Ivan shouting in her head: You're a Black Widow! You aren't afraid. You are the best. You are a killer. You will do what we tell you. It's comforting, but only a bit.

Clint waits for her. He sits in an empty house, gun drawn (He isn't Hawkeye yet. He doesn't use bow and arrows.), waiting for her to walk down the street.

She is there to kill a mobster. She doesn't succeed, he is warned. It happens so fast she has nearly no time to react. In one moment, she has him under control, in the next moment about a dozen bodyguards have weapons trained on her. She does the only thing that makes sense: she runs. Down the street, were Clint is waiting for her.

It wasn't him who warned the mobster. He knows she's here to kill him, but he has done some research on him and found that the world really wouldn't miss him. The problem is that his hide-out isn't as good as he thought. One of the guards saw him and suddenly they are in the house, trying to kill him, too. They think he belongs to her. He sees no way but to jump out of the house, right on the street, where his target runs away from a group pissed mobsters.

Natalia notices him the moment he jumps out of the window, guards behind him. She recognizes him instantly: It is the guy that's been following her. He is younger than she guessed, she realizes, but then dismisses the thought. She is still being followed by too many enemies.

They come to an empty warehouse. Natalia and the other guy run inside and take cover behind an empty container. Natalia has no illusions why he is here. He is an american, and he waited for her, which only leaves one conclusion: He is here to kill her. She just wonders why he hasn't done it yet.

Clint sits next to his target. It's quite ironic, he thinks, that instead of killing her he is helping her. Not that it could really be counted as helping. More as 'we need each other to survive this'. But still, as the gunfire starts, they share a short look before shooting back.

Natalia's gun is empty. She grabs into her pocket for another clip but curses when she finds none. We're …. I'm so screwed, she thinks and decides to keep the question where the 'we' came from for later.

Clint hears the redhead curse in russian and looks at her. She looks back, signing at her gun and before he knows what he is doing he gives her a new clip. Stupid! He thinks, but she doesn't point the gun at him, but at the guards that are still firing. Suddenly, a grenade is thrown towards them. Before he can think of anything, he and his target run, hand in hand. He can't remember if he grabbed her hand or she his, he just knows he doesn't let go until they're behind another container and hear the grenade go off.

Natalia continues firing at the guards, more careful with the ammo now, because she doesn't know if the other guy, the guy who came to kill me, she reminds herself, has more and if he will give her more. The guards are down to four, to two, to one. She shoots him with her last remaining bullet. The warehouse is on fire now, caused by the explosion. She sits on the floor, feels the heat of the fire and looks at the other guy. He holds a gun trained to her head, obviously planning to finish what he came for.

Clint holds the gun to her head. He should do it now. Pull the trigger. But he can't. He looks into her green eyes. The fire is reflecting in them and he sees something he didn't expect to see: Fear. She doesn't want to die. He has expected the Black Widow, a feared assasin, but now, when he looks at her, taking in her red hair, her young face, all he can think is Shit she's just a kid. After a long moment, he lowers the gun and holds out his hand instead. She looks at him warily, then takes his hand and stands up.

„I'm Clint." He says because he knows nothing else to say.

„Natasha." She decides. Natalia lives in the Red Room. It's not that she doesn't trust the Red Room, they took her when nobody else was there, when nobody else wanted her, but she wants at least a bit freedom. A little decision she can make on her own.

„Well then, Natasha, let's get out of here before somebody alerts the police." He is grinning, a sympatetic grin that makes her want to trust him. She smiles warily, not sure what to think about him and not entirely convinced that he isn't going to stab her in the back as soon as she lets him out of sight.

He doesn't.

AN: So, first chapter. I thought at 15/17 they wouldn't be that guarded yet, but I know it's a bit OOC. I hope you like it, and when there are people who want to read it, I might turn it into a story. Tell me what you think.