So... everyone grab yourselves a tissue to wipe away the stray tear that is about to come... I think this concludes 'Caught in a Goodbye'; it's been a pleasure to write and I'm utterly surprised and humbled by the love, support, and feedback it's received, but I've warned everyone a couple of times that I intended for this to be a short story, and I've stuck to that one promise (and I tend to usually not make promises). Now, I hope this final chapter is up to par with everything else I've written and that it's a satisfying ending for you all.

Edit #1 (9/2/12): Hardly any edits made, but the ones that I did make were required

After two days of completing files, handling criminals, and debriefing, Natasha and Clint could finally say they completed the mission—they solved all the loose ends and ended all acts pertaining to the Karan's plans. They could now breathe a sigh of relief and relax, even if just for a day. Natasha's primary focus had been to handle Lilly and get her somewhere safe and familiar while Clint decided he'd handle a great deal of the debriefing. All either of them wanted to do was put this case behind them.

And that's what Natasha had been trying to do all day—she spent time throughout the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters on whatever she could get her hands on. She knew she'd drop this quickly like she had all other missions, it would just take a good distraction.

So, Natasha spent a lot of time in the training room; she loved a hard workout to clear her mind. Clint also enjoyed a good bit of exercise, so when he found Natasha there it came as no surprise. She was merely beating up a punching bag, so he knew she hadn't been there very long and he was enjoying seeing Natasha as she usually was. Natasha heard him come in, but didn't acknowledge his arrival as she continued to beat on the defenseless equipment.

"I half expect you to pull a Rogers and knock that thing from its hook." Clint commented as he watched from the side. Natasha looked at him with an amused grin as she gave the punching bag one last good swing. She wiped some sweat from her brow as she walked toward her partner.

"Wanna take its place?"

Clint smirk mischievously, "If you plan to show me a different kind of abuse." Natasha socked him in the shoulder as he chuckled, "Just speakin' my mind." Natasha took a seat on the bench to let her muscles relax for a few minutes while Clint watched her carefully, "We did good this time; a 'fun' and successful mission to say the least."

Natasha sighed heavily, "It's one I'd like to forget about."

"Why?" Clint took a seat next to her, "Because you needed me to help?" He joked but got no response, "Just trying to forget it like most other missions?"

"I only want to remember the ones that were important to me." Natasha replied, "This is just another basic mission to me with no gain or value for myself in the end."

"I would assume that Suresh guy was kinda important, though." Clint said.

"Hardly—he's just another reminder of Budapest." A very obvious grin crossed Clint's lips, causing Natasha to raise an eyebrow at his expression.

"I though Budapest was pretty important; I really enjoyed Budapest." Natasha rolled her eyes, "You did, too."

"I don't see how you could enjoy that war zone we were thrown into… and how would you know I liked it?"

Now, Clint raised a suggestive eyebrow, "Well, based on you putting up with me for all this time and the fun we had some days ago on the mission…"

"As a whole, Budapest wasn't so great." Natasha started, "But our… alone time on that trip was quite memorable."

"It damn well better be memorable." Clint replied with a chuckle as his knee nudged Natasha's, "I sometimes wonder if Fury knows about all that."

"There's a very likely chance; he might even know about all the other times."

"'All the other times' of what?" Clint asked as he grinned, only having ever imagined hearing Natasha say something along the lines of 'fucking each other senseless' (though he knew she'd never even come close to saying it that way).

"You know exactly what I mean, Barton." Both agents sat in silence for a minute or two with fairly similar thoughts about their discussion on their minds.

"I can't believe we get away with that."

"Hmm?" Natasha turned her head to look at Clint.

"I don't imagine you've kept track of how many times we had sex—"

'Nearly forty times in the last ten years.' She thought casually as her ears grew slightly pink.

"—but S.H.I.E.L.D. has never suspected it." Clint looked at his hands for a moment, "And if they have suspected things, they don't feel like acting on it."

"Maybe they want evidence." Natasha joked.

"They wouldn't find any; maybe to get their attention we have to be a little more risqué." Clint replied while leaning toward his best friend, "We could try to get their suspicions up."

Natasha began leaning closer to Clint, "And what would we gain from that; losing our jobs?"

"Maybe they'll let us off with a warning."

Just as Natasha could practically feel Clint's lips on hers she stood swiftly, her hair lightly whipping him in the face while doing so. With a large grin, she looked down at his glaring eyes, "We're not in high school, Clint, S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't do warnings—that's one risk I won't be taking any time soon."

Natasha walked back toward her punching bag as Clint looked her up and down, "You just wait Romanoff…" He challenged as the partners gave each other meaningful smiles.

Even if this story has come to an end, I'll tell you all now that I will probably have more Clint/Natasha pieces in the future. Maybe not long like this, maybe longer, maybe shorter, but I've had a couple different ideas floating about in my head and hope to get whatever I can written not only for my pleasure but the pleasure of my readers as well. So, till next time, my dears...