The New York Assignment

Ten

Natasha felt Steve's strong arms around her, felt his hand against her back, trying to make her feel less alone, less guilty. Just like Clint used to, before this mess and these murders and-

"Oh my God!" she shouted, yanking away from Steve and looking at him, eyes wide.

"Wouldn't have thought it of you, Cap," Tony said, smirking.

Steve just looked at Natasha. "What is it?"

"I figured it out," she breathed. She let out a small laugh. "I figured it out!" In her excitement, she wrapped her arms around Steve's neck and hugged him tightly.

Steve couldn't help but smile at her drastic change of mood. He hugged her, then pulled her away. "Figured what out?"

"It's not Clint." She was smiling. He'd never seen her smile so genuinely before.

"Who is it?" Edith asked.

Natasha turned to Phil. "Trick Shot."

Coulson paled. "How do you know?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense! Think about it: Who else hates Clint this much? Who else would want to screw with him like this? Who else would use arrows and such an outrageous method of calling him out? It has to be!"

Everyone looked at her for a moment like she was crazy.

"Who's Trick Shot?" Tony asked the obvious question.

Natasha went back in her room and began digging through the top drawer of her dresser, talking as she pulled out another file. "Clint's old mentor. He taught him everything, but when Clint joined SHIELD, he swore vengeance. He's- here we go!"

She tore a piece of paper from the folder and showed it to them. It was a blurry picture of a dark man with messy, black hair in an overgrown crew cut and black eyes. A small scar was cut into the left side of his jaw. He looked tall, and he was built like a classic mercenary.

"Buck Chisolm," Natasha said. "It has to be."

Tony looked suspicious. "You seem mighty chipper for someone who just figured out her boyfriend is being called out by a maniac."

"As long as Clint didn't commit those crimes, we've got a chance," Phil said.

"Where do we start?" Steve asked.

Natasha looked back at the folder. "I don't know," she confessed.

Edith looked at Tony. "Stark, didn't you say something about a DNA scanner that could scan the whole earth at once?"

"Yeah," Tony smirked. "I did. You Agents wouldn't happen to have a sample of Buck's DNA?"

"I can get it," Natasha said with confidence.

"The system should be up in three hours," Tony promised. "Drop the sample by the Tower when you get it. Whoo hoo, we're back in business!" He left the apartment pumping his first in the air.

"Where are you going to get the DNA?" Steve asked Natasha.

"Clint's apartment," she replied. "There's gotta be something there."

Steve nodded. "If this guy's after Clint, you're in danger, too. I'll go with you."

"I can handle myself. I'd rather go alone." She looked at Coulson. "Phil, contact Fury and tell him our theory. Edith, go to HQ and ask for Corbin from Records. Tell him I sent you to get information on Buck Chisolm. Steve, stay here and-"

"I'd feel a lot better if you let me go with you," he interrupted.

She sighed. "Alright. You come with me. We'll meet at the Tower in three hours."

Phil and Edith left for the Helicarrier; Steve and Natasha drove to Clint's place. All four of them thought that they might actually have a shot. At the very least, it was good to have a fresh objective.

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Clint and Barbara set out late that morning, after she had given him back the weapons she stole. They said little. All Clint could think about when he looked at her was Natasha. Her hair, her eyes, her smile. He'd almost believed that he could have a normal life with her those few days.

Had she ever told him the truth? Did she ever really love him?

They drove and drove and drove. Occasionally they asked each other questions to spark a conversation, but they never lasted long. The silence was uncomfortable. It gave Clint plenty of time to think.

They switched drives halfway to New York. Clint watched the rolling hills and farm land. Maybe, when this was all over, he'd buy a farm and settle down. Part time work for SHIELD. They could use the farm as a safe house.

He'd always wanted a normal life, but he hadn't known how much until he spent those days with Natasha. He'd gotten a taste of what it could be like... and it had all been a lie. The woman he loved more than anything in the world had lied to him and been ordered to kill him.

Whatever idiot had said "Love is free" clearly wasn't in love with a spy. He'd fallen head-over-heels for the most dangerous woman on the planet, and she'd used him. Typical. He'd given her his complete trust, and she'd misused it. He couldn't say that he was surprised. But he couldn't pretend that he wasn't hurt.

After the battle, Steve had gone out of his way to tell him what a great girl he had, how worried she was, what she'd been willing to do to get him back. Steve had said she'd played Loki beautifully for information, and he made a cutting remark about her past and promised to have Clint himself kill her... slowly and intimately, in every way he knew she feared.

Well, Clint certainly knew how to do that. He knew her deepest, darkest fears. He knew how to make her happy, sad, scared. And, yes, he knew how to kill her.

A thought struck him. If Trick Shot brainwashed him...

He couldn't finish the thought. Natasha was in the past, what he thought they had was gone, and he wasn't turning back. He'd bury her so deep in his mind that she'd be nothing more than a far-distant memory.

But he couldn't bury how he felt. He couldn't forget the way his heart soared when she kissed him, the desperate need to protect her, his fervent desire to simply touch every part of her - her mind, body, and soul. He'd never felt that way about anyone before, and he knew he never would again.