Chapter 1
Snow was covering the ground. The temperature was farbelow zero and continued to drop. By nightfall, it would probably be fatal tospend the night out in the open. Nothing like a Russian winter!
Clint made a frustrated sound between clenched teethwhile pressing even harder against the wound in an effort to minimize thebleeding. His mind was racing both with what had happened and what he needed todo.
First, deal with the bleeding. Second, avoid detection,and finally; find shelter. Those three would become his primary objectives,everything else would have to wait.
He used his free hand to pat over the pockets on hisjacket, the one he'd stolen from a guard, and felt a flicker of relief when heencountered the familiar lump of a field bandage.
About damn time he'd have something other than badluck!
Clint pulled out the small package and wasted no timein applying it.
It wasn't perfect, but it would have to do, especiallynow as he heard people shouting nearby. Hydra was starting to re-group andwould soon be looking for the ones responsible for blowing up their secretunderground base.
He glanced down at his first-aid work, trying to ignoreall the blood staining the snow, and steeled himself for the pain that wouldcome when he moved.
His body was more than a little battered and bruised.
Leaning forward, Hawkeye gently slid his armsunderneath the limp body and lifted her up as he struggled to his feet. Herblood had already soaked his clothes and her face was dangerously pale.
"Don't you die on me, Nat," Clint said."Don't you goddamn dare."
He hoisted her closer to his chest, scanned theirsurroundings, chose a direction and started walking into the wilderness.
4 Months ago
After the New York Incident, that's what they calledit, he was different. Natasha didn't push, didn't intrude on his pain, butstalked him silently as a second shadow.
To the others, Clint Barton seemed back to normal, butshe knew better.
She knew him.
To her it was too obvious, the sleepless nights andself-doubt he suffered. How he tended every funeral. The loss of Coulson, whosename they never spoke out loud anymore.
Clint was struggling and she didn't know what to do orthe right words to say.
She was never any good at this.
So she hovered nearby and hoped he knew. He had alwaysbeen able to read her.
But time passed and he never said a single word aboutit; about Loki and the thoughts that troubled him, and too soon every-day-lifekicked in and she was ordered out on missions.
Just because they had thwarted the plans of oneunearthly terrorist didn't mean the local ones packed up their game as well.
Natasha felt uneasy about leaving Clint when he feltthis... wrong, but orders were orders.
The mission went without a hitch. She wasn't gonelonger than two weeks before she was back at SHIELD HQ.
Not even pausing to dispose of her traveling bag, theBlack Widow headed straight for the training room and felt a strange sense ofrelief to find him there.
Clint still had dark smudges from sleep deprivationunder his eyes, but his aim was as flawless as ever.
He greeted her and welcomed her back in a voice thatwould have sounded cheerful to anyone but her.
Snow was covering the ground. The temperature was farbelow zero and continued to drop. By nightfall, it would probably be fatal tospend the night out in the open. Nothing like a Russian winter!
Clint made a frustrated sound between clenched teethwhile pressing even harder against the wound in an effort to minimize thebleeding. His mind was racing both with what had happened and what he needed todo.
First, deal with the bleeding. Second, avoid detection,and finally; find shelter. Those three would become his primary objectives,everything else would have to wait.
He used his free hand to pat over the pockets on hisjacket, the one he'd stolen from a guard, and felt a flicker of relief when heencountered the familiar lump of a field bandage.
About damn time he'd have something other than badluck!
Clint pulled out the small package and wasted no timein applying it.
It wasn't perfect, but it would have to do, especiallynow as he heard people shouting nearby. Hydra was starting to re-group andwould soon be looking for the ones responsible for blowing up their secretunderground base.
He glanced down at his first-aid work, trying to ignoreall the blood staining the snow, and steeled himself for the pain that wouldcome when he moved.
His body was more than a little battered and bruised.
Leaning forward, Hawkeye gently slid his armsunderneath the limp body and lifted her up as he struggled to his feet. Herblood had already soaked his clothes and her face was dangerously pale.
"Don't you die on me, Nat," Clint said."Don't you goddamn dare."
He hoisted her closer to his chest, scanned theirsurroundings, chose a direction and started walking into the wilderness.
4 Months ago
After the New York Incident, that's what they calledit, he was different. Natasha didn't push, didn't intrude on his pain, butstalked him silently as a second shadow.
To the others, Clint Barton seemed back to normal, butshe knew better.
She knew him.
To her it was too obvious, the sleepless nights andself-doubt he suffered. How he tended every funeral. The loss of Coulson, whosename they never spoke out loud anymore.
Clint was struggling and she didn't know what to do orthe right words to say.
She was never any good at this.
So she hovered nearby and hoped he knew. He had alwaysbeen able to read her.
But time passed and he never said a single word aboutit; about Loki and the thoughts that troubled him, and too soon every-day-lifekicked in and she was ordered out on missions.
Just because they had thwarted the plans of oneunearthly terrorist didn't mean the local ones packed up their game as well.
Natasha felt uneasy about leaving Clint when he feltthis... wrong, but orders were orders.
The mission went without a hitch. She wasn't gonelonger than two weeks before she was back at SHIELD HQ.
Not even pausing to dispose of her traveling bag, theBlack Widow headed straight for the training room and felt a strange sense ofrelief to find him there.
Clint still had dark smudges from sleep deprivationunder his eyes, but his aim was as flawless as ever.
He greeted her and welcomed her back in a voice thatwould have sounded cheerful to anyone but her.