A/N: This is my first Avengers fanfic. Hope I do the characters justice! R&R is much appreciated!

Agent Romanov was an agent. Not a superhero. She was not a soldier, or a mutant, or a god. She had no protective armor. She was exposed. So, when she was unexpectantly shot at point-blank range and fell off the…thing she was riding on, she hit the ground and she didn't get up. She was conscious for what she judged to be about a minute of blaring pain before the world escaped her and was replaced with a welcomed darkness.

{line break}

Clint, a.k.a. Hawkeye, was on the top of the building adjacent the Stark Tower shooting as many of the bastards as he could. He prepared his next arrow and turned to find his…well, he didn't know what they were exactly. All he knew was that Natasha was falling through the sky and there was no one able to save her from hitting the hard pavement below. He began to place a head allowing him to repel from the building closest to her onto his last arrow. He easily shot it and swung down to the ground just in time to see her crash into it. He ran quickly to her side and placed his fingers on her neck, where there was a slight pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief but it caught in his throat when he saw the blood begin to pool around her head. Her dazed eyes rolled back into her head and she lost consciousness.

"Guys, Romanov's down," he called over the headset.

"Where?" Steve called back.

"Next to the Tower," he replied.

[line break]

"Guys, Romanov is down."

Steve was shocked. Of anyone, Natasha seemed like the least likely to get hurt and if she was truly down, it had to be bad. He asked Clint where she was and fought his way there, asking Tony to take over for him. He took one look at the woman on the ground and said some things he's certainly not proud of. There was a stream of blood coming from her head
and the tiny line coming from her mouth which was a small hint of the inner turmoil wracking her body. Her could also tell that the way her right arm was bent was definitely not natural.

"Damn it," he cursed under his breath.

"Yeah," Agent Barton replied. He had his fingers on her pulse with one hand and stroking her cheek with the other. "We need to get her out of here."

"How…wait, Stark?" Steve called.

"Captain?" Tony mocked without much snark.

"Do you think it's safe for us to take her to Stark Towers?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, if you go in through the front door, take the elevator to the sixth floor, there's a makeshift infirmary. Take her there," Tony said worriedly. Steve picked Natasha up gently and ran towards the door with Clint right behind him. He pressed the button for the sixth floor and heard a groan come from the woman in his arms.

"Natasha?" he questioned softly. She opened her eyes and whimpered. The elevator bell rang signaled their arrival and he carried her into Tony's rather impressive infirmary, lying her on one of two beds in the room. She was blinking tiredly and Clint grabbed her hand and began to plead softly with her to stay awake but his attempts were futile and she fell into unconsciousness once again.

[line break]

When Natasha began to come to, she noticed she was in someones strong arms. Her whole body was screaming in pain and she let out an involuntary groan. This alerted her carrier to her full presence and she felt his eyes come to her.

"Natasha?" she heard him speak quietly and she opened her eyes and whimpered pitifully. She silently cursed herself for sounding so weak and distracting him from the fight he was supposed to be leading. One she was supposed to be fighting in. She heard something ding and the person holding her began to move. Each footstep felt like a kick to her ribs and she bit her lip to keep herself from crying out. The movement finally stopped and she was laid softly on a bed. Black spots were beginning to overtake her vision she blinked furiously to try to free herself of them. As she began to fade, someone begged her not to give in. In the end, she lost the battle and fell back into the darkness.

[line break]

Clint watched as Natasha faded. This was honestly the most helpless he'd ever felt in his entire life. He heard Tony call for backup over the headset and turned to look at Steve.

"You go, I'm gonna stay here. Go kick as many of their asses as you can, Captain," he said leaving no room for Steve to argue.

"Take care of her," he said leaving reluctantly. Clint nodded and turned back to the woman lying before him. He had no idea how to treat her but decided that staunching the blood flow from her head was a good place to start. He grabbed a washcloth that was over next to the sink and placed it carefully under her head. He than looked over her entire body. Her right arm was undoubtably broken. There seemed to be something that was similar to a gunshot wound but didn't look as if it came from a gun at all. His guess was that it was a mark left by the weapons the aliens were using. He got gauze and wrapped it around her waist, making sure It covered her wounds. The part that worried him the most was the little bit of blood on her lips. He knew there was nothing else he could do and it bothered him.
He decided he should check in on how things were going outside.

"What's happening out there, Captain?" he called.

"We've found a way to close the portal," he reported. "How's Romanov?" he asked worriedly.

"Unconscious, I managed to slow the blood flow from her head but she needs help soon," he answered solemnly.

"We'll get it in time, Clint. She's not going to die," he heard Tony reply.

"I know, Fury didn't give her the order to die yet," he said without any humor.

"Don't give up hope," Steve told him.

" can take a look at her as soon as he…de-hulks," Tony said confidently. Clint nodded even though he knew the others couldn't see him. All he could do was watch the woman he was deeply in love with deteriorate before his eyes. It was more painful than if it had happened to himself. He just hoped the others would get there soon