DISCLAIMER: This author's note contains major spoilers from Avengers: Age of Ultron. If you haven't seen the film yet, I suggest you skip this section. If you have watched the movie, you may feel free to read this note; it basically speaks on my decision to write this story. You may want to sit down…it's pretty long.

Once again, this passage contains major spoilers in the film! You've been warned.

I went to see Avengers: Age of Ultron on its opening night (May 1, 2015). The film was very enjoyable, but it was far from perfect, and it wasn't as good as the original. The plot was all over the place, Ultron's creation was rushed, and Thor's subplot wasn't explored as it should've been (I'm not just saying that because I'm in love with Thor. His subplot was extremely miniscule to say that it had a lot to do with him bringing Vision to life). However, my biggest gripe with the film was that inexplicably, Clint was a family man with a wife and three children, and Natasha was suddenly attracted to Bruce Banner. I was a Clintasha shipper. A BIG one. So much so, that when it appeared that Natasha was starting to have a thing for Steve Rogers in Captain America: The Winter Solider, I openly complained. However, I later saw that Nat always wore a silver arrow in honor of Hawkeye in the film (something that will be an important plot point in this story), and all was right with the world. Age of Ultron killed all that.

Now, don't misunderstand me; I love Bruce Banner. I just don't love him and Natasha together (sorry Brutasha fans). In my opinion, they made a bad couple. Not only that, but the entire thing was just out of left field. In the first Avengers film, there was no hint of an attraction between Bruce and Natasha, just a mutual respect. Besides, Bruce already had a love interest: Betty Ross. She's not particularly memorable in the MCU (I actually had to Google her to learn her last name), but nonetheless, she was Bruce's girlfriend, not Natasha.

The bond between Clint and Natasha was extremely strong in the first film. The minute Nat learned that Clint had been hypnotized by Loki, she immediately dropped everything and did whatever she could to save him. She stayed by his side and made sure he was back on his feet when he finally came out of Loki's trance. There was something between them. Even in the comics, Hawkeye and Black Widow became romantically involved. They were supposed to explore the romantic relationship between them even further in the MCU, but rumor has it that Mr. Whedon fought the studios tooth and nail to have the now infamous "farm scene" included in the film. Much to my regret, Whedon won.

Now, I've been seeing a lot of complaints on the internet that Natasha's characterization was ruined in Age of Ultron, mostly due to her newfound love interest with Bruce. I totally disagree with this-although I must say, her being kidnapped by Ultron midway through the film was completely nonsensical and was solely a plot device to have Bruce and Natasha have an interlude. Just plain booty, son. But I digress. Her characterization wasn't ruined because she likes Bruce now (out of the blue). Just because she has feelings for someone else, it doesn't make her any less of a badass, and why would it? Because she's a woman? Seems like reverse sexism, to be honest. By that token, Iron Man, Thor and Captain America should be considered less than because they're in love with Pepper, Jane and Peggy, respectively. However, no one blinks an eye when the male superheroes have love interests.

Natasha deserves to be happy just like everyone else in the MCU, as should Bruce Banner. It's just my humble opinion that they be happy with other people. Namely Nat should be happy with Clint. With that being said, this is why I've decided to write this story.

Let me just give y'all a little heads up for this tale: the twins aren't in it, and neither is Ultron or Vision. I liked all these characters (I hated they killed Quicksilver, by the way), but let's face it, I was just introduced to them not too long ago, and to be honest, I'm not sure any of them would mesh well with the story I'm about to tell anyway. Part of this story will take place on Clint's farm, but let's just say that I'm going to have a totally different approach to it than the movie had. There's no Betty, either (I mean, come on…I had to Google her last name), but I'll find someone for Bruce. The story is mainly about Clint and Natasha, but Thor's featured a good bit as well (because I love him). The setting is slight AU, for example, SHIELD is still functioning, it's just on a smaller scale, as opposed to the film, which has SHIELD completely defunct. However, that's the cool thing about fan fiction. You can tweak the stories and make them your own. It's not the MCU here, it's the NCU. Lastly, the story has some tie ins with my last fic, "Alone Time" (SHIELD's operational status is one of them). Check it out if you haven't already. It's a hot Thor/Jane story.

Thus ends my author's note-or should I say, rant-on why I decided to write "Compromise of the Heart." I hope you all enjoy it! By the way, this one isn't for the kiddies, and it's not suitable for work, so I suggest you either read this on your cell phone during your lunch hour, or at home when the kids are away!

Love,

Notzi