Author's Note: This is my first fic that I've posted here, so I hope you guys enjoy. Feedback is greatly appreciated :) Thanks to Animus et Anima for being such a cheerleader! Oh, and I don't own the Avengers. What I do own is any character that I make up.

The Black Widow had another job. Her target was a very interesting woman who knew far too much for her employer's liking. Anna Anissina was a very intelligent woman that noticed too much. It was the Widow's assignment to take her out. To make her disappear, for good. She had to get close to Anna, closer than anyone.

As always, the Widow needed a cover, and a good one at that. She could not use only her charms on this one. It was much more complicated than that. If she pulled this off, one million euros would be in her pocket and she would be on her way to Paris. This one was a catch, if she could pull this off she would be a very wealthy woman.

She was intelligent for a girl of eighteen. She could look older, or younger than her age, depending on her mission. Many a time she had played the innocent girl, just trying to find the train station. She knew just who she would be this time, Anna's young, new intern fresh from Moscow. She smiled, this should be fun.

Two weeks had gone by since her assignment had been given to her. She had created an entire identity that was foolproof. She had explored every avenue of every area in her new background. There was no way Anna could think that this identity was false, her work was flawless. She was now Klara Baranova, age twenty from Moscow.

Her interview went flawlessly, Anna had played right into her hand. She got the job two days later, just like she knew she would. She started at Bukolov Pharmaceuticals the next day. Everything was going according to plan.

Monday came around and she was in her business attire, a white blouse, black pencil skirt, and black heels. She clipped her name badge onto her blouse and looked into the mirror. She was no longer the Black Widow, she was Klara Baranova. Her long, dark red hair had been dyed a beautiful shade of chestnut, so that it didn't stand out in the crowd. That was something she was trying to avoid.

Work was pretty uneventful. Klara spent her time following Ms. Anissina around, handling her paperwork, and running her various schedules. She was a hard worker, and became close to Anna very quickly. She played her part so well, that she began to believe it.

Two months went by, and she was ready for action. There was a company gala in a week and that was where Klara was going to strike. No theatrics this time, just something quiet and subtle. Something that would kill Anna in her sleep, no one knowing. It was better that way, she could slip out quietly. With Anna dead, there would be no need for Anna's intern. She would be let go and then disappear altogether. Simple as that.

The night of the gala came, everything was set. She had been sent to go buy a tube of Anna's favorite lipstick. She had dipped it in poison, just enough to soak into her skin. Anna Anissina would be dead by morning and Klara would be the recipient of one million euros. Still, Klara couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. Her instincts were precise, but she blew it off. She was just having stage fright, that's all. Anna had put on the lipstick, just as she was supposed to. Now all Klara had to do was enjoy herself for the evening.

She knew someone was watching her. She could feel eyes on her, not just eyes appraising her beauty, no these eyes were watching a target. She play her part flawlessly, as always, but she knew that someone at that gala knew who she was. From everyone she met, she felt no suspicion of any sort, so it must have been someone that she had never met. Klara knew her disguise was flawless in design. She changed it up enough that no one who had met her previous aliases would even have an inkling that they had met her before. If it wasn't someone that she had encountered on one of her other jobs, then who the hell was it?

Air, that is what she needed, air. To get away from the stifling people for a moment, to touch up her makeup and make sure her hair was in place. She walked out of the ornate ballroom and into the open air. A cool breeze rushed over her bare shoulders, and put it's fingers through her hair. It was a beautiful night. Klara didn't feel so exposed here, so unhinged. The garden was beautiful; full of fountains and flowers that shouldn't be able to grow in Russia's harsh climate. She mused how much it must cost the owner to keep them alive, they were beautiful enough to be worth it, though.

He watched her from up above, settled quietly in a tree; waiting and watching. He had been watching for months now, this little spider was fascinating. She played her part with deadly accuracy, so much so that he had almost lost her when she took this job. She was like a chameleon, appearing and disappearing at a moment's notice. He had never seen anything quite like her before.

He had gone through her file, as scant as it was, and memorized it. Natasha Romanoff, age eighteen, assassin. That was about it. There were three pictures and a few details about various previous jobs, but he knew that there was much more to her than that. How does an eighteen year old girl become such a talented professional killer? What had happened to her to make her like that?

S.H.I.E.L.D. had sent him to kill her, but he wanted answers first. He didn't think that he could kill her; she had so much to offer. If he could just get her to come to his side, she could live. She might have red on her ledger, but that didn't mean that she deserved to die.

He wondered, as he watched her, if anyone had ever given her way out. A chance to make a new life for herself. A chance to be good. Director Fury was going to have his ass for this one, but he was going to make a judgement call.