Title: Five Times James Bond encountered Natasha Romanoff (and one time he didn't)

Warnings/General Notes: A Five plus one format fan fiction. Exactly what it says on the tin. Language. Cannon level violence. Un-beta'd and not Brit-picked. Author's notes will appear after the chapter.

Parings: None except an implied Clintasha eventually if you want to squint.

Standard Disclaimer: The characters and settings belong to their respective owners. I'm just borrowing them for fun. I claim no rights. I make no profit.

Five + One: Los Angeles, CA

As far as sunsets go, this one was going to be spectacular if you went in for such things, James thought to himself as he assembled his rifle. Not only did he have a wonderful view of the Pacific Ocean but he also had a near perfect line of sight into the drug baron's mansion. Now all that remained was to wait for full dark so he could dial in on the bedroom window. It just wouldn't do to have some alert security type notice a reflection off the scope on a hillside that was supposed to be inaccessible. After that it would most likely be another long wait for the target to return from his scheduled appearance at an A-list Hollywood party.

Bond settled in for duration. There wasn't even going to be chatter over the coms to make the time pass faster on this one. The drug baron was seriously paranoid about electronic surveillance and had ECM second to none. Q had determined that not only was the ECM strong enough to mess up wireless reception for almost a klick around his compound but that it was highly likely to be able to detect any transmissions coming from that area. That meant he would be out of touch with Q branch up until the time he jogged out to the road and signaled for pickup.

The sunset had indeed been one of those picture perfect ones that the Los Angeles Visitors and Convention Bureau loved to put in their PR materials. The ocean was smooth and serene reflecting its name rather than the usual 5ft plus swells that made Southern California a surfing mecca. In fact the sea was so tranquil that Bond actually saw the legendary "green flash" just after the sun dipped below the horizon. Setting up the shot was just as perfect. Clear sight lines, far enough away to be well-nigh invisible from the patrolling guards, and a comfortable position from which to fire what more could any sniper ask for? Well, someone to watch his back but that would necessitate leaving a car parked along with the potential for it to be investigated by a member of LA's finest. Not a good idea if one wanted to leave no evidence of your movements. Ah well, no mission had everything.

By 23:00 the full moon had risen and lit the landscape and the sea with its glow. A lone car started its way up the long winding driveway to the drug baron's estate. The gentleman was making an early night of it most likely having found a willing partner at the party. Bond took his binoculars and tracked the car to the front door. The occupants alighted. Yes, it was the drug lord and a good looking female companion. He watched as they entered the house and proceeded to the living room presumably to admire the view. It was then he managed to get a good look at the girl. It was Natasha Romanoff standing next to his target looking as if she was completely enchanted by whatever it was he was telling her. A kiss ensued. Then, if Bond was reading the body language correctly, she suggested moving to the bedroom.

Several minutes later the bedroom was softly illuminated and Bond had a front row seat to watch the infamous Black Widow at work. He had to admit she was very efficient. The mark was down, interrogated and dead in less than five minutes. Amazing. That thing she did with her thighs was poetry in motion. He sighed, put down the binoculars and started disassembling his rifle. It wouldn't be needed now.

As he placed the last piece into its case he caught some movement uphill and to his right. Drawing his Walther he moved further into the shadows and waited to see if it was merely wildlife or something else. He heard a low chuckle then, "Good choice for a set up," a male voice with an American accent commented. "However I prefer a little more altitude. Better field of fire if things go wrong."

Bond couldn't see the owner of the voice but the comment combined with Natasha's presence told him exactly who he was dealing with. "Mr. Barton I presume." He lowered the Walther not quite ready to holster it but not wanting to appear adversarial.

"007," was the quick reply, "I'd heard you were in town."

"Not from the usual channels I hope." Bond didn't think his cover had been blown that easily. If it had there was someone working for SHIELD that could give Q a run for his money.

"Nah. Just plain good luck. Nat spotted you at your hotel last night."

Bond internally sighed with relief and holstered his weapon. He made a mental note to have Q hack SHIELD just in case Hawkeye was lying. "Speaking of your partner, that appeared to be a rather cursory interrogation. I hope your boss wasn't looking for substantive intelligence."

"He pissed her off."

"The boss or the target?"

"The latter."

Bond finished putting his gear in the light rucksack and shrugged it on. He could, now that he had identified just where the voice was coming from, barely see the archer standing with a rifle on his back in addition to his quiver. His trademark bow was in his hands with an arrow nocked. Bond could also tell that Hawkeye was dividing his attention. Most of it was on the mansion and his partner Natasha who was most likely in the process of extricating herself without alerting the guards the rest was tracking Bond's movements. "Well, I'll leave you to it. Give her my regards." With that, Bond strode off toward the trail that would take him to his pickup point and ultimately back to London to file the inevitable post mission report.

Author's Note: Well here we are again at the end of another bit of fan fiction. I hope that you, gentle reader, have enjoyed the ride. Next fiction in progress is a sequel to Brothers Three. I will also be continuing to write the short snippets to complete the 50 Reasons (Q Branch Edition) as they come to me.

Once again I will plagerize the words of the Bard from Midsummer Night's Dream, Act V, Scene 2:

If this writer has offended,
Think but this and all is mended.
That you have but tarried here,
While each chapter did appear,
And these words upon this theme,
Are of no import, only my dream.

It has been an honor to share my dream with you.

K2N2