AN: I've wanted to write this fic for a while, just to explore Natasha a bit... That being said, this is a kinda sad fic, I was crying when I wrote it. A major character dies, and yeah. It's hopefully going to be a twoshot, but I'll talk about that at the end. I own nothing.

It wasn't possible. It just couldn't be possible. She would wake up sometime soon and it would all be a dream. Yeah, right, how many times had she hoped for that cliché before? She felt like she was frozen in time, just suspended in that moment while everything else around her continued to live. They had been fighting alongside Iron Man as Tony had been the only one in the City. Tony, however, hadn't seen the bullet that had been aimed for her heart, nor had he seen it hit Clint instead when he pushed her down, along with the two other shots that followed. He hadn't seen him fall.

"Tony!" Natasha finally managed to choke out. She somehow managed to find her voice. Tony was only a few yards away, and upon hearing the tension in her voice, he turned to face her. Though his face was hidden by his helmet, Natasha could see his entire stance change as he shot over to them after seeing Clint on the ground.

"What the hell happened?" Tony demanded as he knelt down by Natasha's side, Jarvis's scanners running vitals over Clint's body. He was still breathing, and his pulse was there, but just barely. He could already tell things were looking bad.

"He..." Natasha struggled to keep her voice as she looked up at Tony, his face plate finally moving up. She shook her head, "He took a shot meant for me. Please, please, Tony, we have to get him some help."

"Tasha."

Natasha's heart jolted slightly as Clint's eyelids fluttered and opened. She felt his hand squeeze hers gently and she squeezed back, "Clint," She said in a soft voice. "Clint, you've been shot. We need to get you some help."

"I can get him back to Stark Tower fastest," Tony said, Jarvis's analysis of Clint's injuries ringing in his ears. "He needs to see a doctor now, Natasha."

Clint's eyelids began to flutter once again and she felt his grip on her hand starting to slacken once again, "Tasha," He breathed, though Natasha was a little more than certain that he couldn't see her anymore at that moment. She looked up at Tony and nodded once. "I'll stay here with the others. Please, Tony, make sure he gets to a doctor before..."

"I'm on it," Tony said, lifting Clint up with ease. He'd have to fly at a slower speed, but he'd still get there. "Be careful here, Romanoff."

Then he was gone. Stark flew into the air, leaving Natasha with one more killer to deal with. The one who had shot Clint. She'd had more than enough. When Iron Man had taken down his comrades, the guy had run, but Natasha knew he couldn't have gotten far. She'd bring him back to SHIELD dead or alive.

An hour later, Natasha finally returned to Stark Tower, which after the battle with Loki, had been transformed into a SHIELD base of sorts. She'd had to wait for the cleanup crew to join her and start taking care of the mess. She'd brought the man who had shot Clint in alive. Feeling as though maybe SHIELD might be able to get some answers from him. But she had bigger things to worry about at the moment.

"Where the hell is he?" Natasha demanded, knowing that Jarvis's system was hooked up throughout the building and would be able to answer her question.

"The 'he' I believe that you are referring to is on the third floor, Ms. Romanoff," Jarvis responded after a moment. Natasha was crossing to the elevator as it was coming down. Natasha blinked as Tony appeared in the elevator.

"Natasha."

"Stark," Natasha said, her heart pounding when she saw him. She looked at him through eyes filled with concern. She really didn't want to stand around talking to him, but she would give him a few seconds of her time, after all, he had brought Clint back to the tower as fast as possible. "How is he?"

"Natasha," Stark repeated, his eyes looking down at the floor. He reached out and took her arm, "We need to talk."

Natasha shook her head. Was Tony seriously asking her to wait before going to check on the person who had saved her neck? The person who had for so long been her partner? "No, Stark, I need to go see my partner."

"Natasha," Stark said, his tone taking on a sense of urgency. Natasha looked up into his eyes an saw that they were slightly bloodshot. Had Stark been crying? Tony Stark never cried

"Oh, my god," Natasha said, her heart jolting painfully. "Tony," She said, her throat tightening slightly. "Tony, where's Clint?"

"Natasha, he's gone."

Natasha looked Tony in his eyes, "No, he's in the infirmary," she said with a shake of her head. "With the doctors, right?"

Her tone was pleading. She could hear it, and she was sure that Tony could. He shook his head, "He's gone. They couldn't save him."

"You're lying," Natasha snarled, her fury suddenly rising. "You're a fucking bastard, Stark," She hissed, reaching up and backhanding Stark across the face. "Why the fuck would you say something like that?"

"You know I would never lie about something like that," Tony said with another shake of his head. "Natasha, he was shot three times-"

"Yeah, I know that," Natasha glared at Stark, "But you were supposed to get him here so the doctors could take care of him."

"They tried," Tony said, unable to meet her eyes. "God, Natasha, they tried everything. He was losing so much blood... They hit one of his major arteries. It was a wonder he lasted until I got him back here..."

"LIAR!"

Natasha shot past him then and slid into the elevator, hearing Stark call after her as the doors slid closed. She rode it to the medical floor and was out of the elevator before the doors were fully opened.

"Clint!" She yelled, her heart pounding. She needed to see him. There was no way Stark had been telling the truth. He was such a dick and a bastard. "Goddamn it, where is he?"

"Agent Romanoff."

Director Fury appeared out of a door on her left and he closed the door behind him instantly, "Fury, where is my partner?" Natasha demanded, her eyes blazing.

"Agent Romanoff," Fury said in a low voice. Natasha was quickly growing sick of the look that everyone seemed to have in their eyes, like someone had died. "You know what happened. Stark just told me he told you."

"Stark's a liar," Natasha snarled, her anger surfacing as Stark's name was mentioned. "He always has been, always will be."

"Agent, your partner is gone," Fury echoed Tony's words. "Agent Barton lost his life after he was brought in by Stark. Those three bullets killed him."

"Fuck you, Fury," Natasha snarled. She pushed through him and into the room behind him. She saw Clint laying there, a tube sticking out of his throat, his body still and covered from the chest down by a thin sheet. It couldn't be real, what all of them were saying. She walked over to him and shook him by the shoulder, "Clint..." She took his hand, it was like ice. "Clint, please," She said, her voice suddenly pleading once again. "Clint, wake up..."

She didn't even notice Stark and Fury standing in the doorway watching her. They both knew this was something Natasha had to do alone.

"Barton, goddamn it, wake up!" Natasha yelled at last, her voice echoing around the room. This wasn't real. She had to be having a nightmare. She lashed out at the nearby machines, sending them to the floor with loud bangs and crashes, some of the equipment broken beyond repair. Needles went flying while glass shattered. Fury and Tony dived out of the way as a heart monitor went shattering through the window. Finally, it sank in as she fell to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks. Clint, her partner, the one who had always watched out for her, he really was gone. "No," She said in a low voice, pulling at her hair, "No, please," She inhaled sharply as her body started to tremble. "Clint, no..."

She finally started to break down, the world around her shattering. She could swear she heard it, the sound of shattering glass all around her. The tightness in her chest was slowly becoming unbearable. Please, someone had to tell her all of this wasn't real. That Clint wasn't really...

She suddenly felt someone's arm on her shoulder. She looked up, suddenly realizing that her tears had filled her eyes, making her vision blurry. She could tell it was Tony though, "You were supposed to get him here so they could save him," She said, fighting to keep her voice steady. She lashed out, punching Stark with a strong right hook. "You were supposed to make sure he was going to be okay!"

"I know, Natasha," Stark said in a low voice. "I tried. Damned if I didn't try. I was in here until the last moment. He was fighting until the end. But his injuries..."

Natasha let out a low cry, "His injuries were meant to be mine!" She yelled, punching Tony's arm. Tony let her punch him again and again, knowing that she needed to get it out, and part of him felt that her words were justified. She had let him take Clint from the scene and had trusted him. "He died because he was protecting me! He pushed me out of the way when the bullets started flying! He... He tried to save me and now..."

She was gone. The world around her had shattered. She'd abused Tony, but what the hell good was that going to do her? Kicking Tony's ass wouldn't do a damn thing. She stiffened suddenly, "Son of a bitch!"

She tore away from Stark and ran out of the room. She ran into the staircase, pulling her gun as she went to the basement where the holding cells were. She slid her access card through a reader and walked into a room where Clint's shooter sat, his hands cuffed in front of him and resting on a table.

"How's your partner?" The criminal asked with a smirk, seeing the tear tracks on Natasha's face. Natasha checked the cartridge of her gun and narrowed her eyes.

"He's dead, you son of a bitch," Natasha said in a low voice. She walked to the criminal and aimed the gun right between his eyes. "You killed him. You have three seconds to start telling me why I shouldn't start putting bullets through you."

"Killing me won't bring your boyfriend back," The criminal responded simply with a shrug.

"Got a name?" Natasha demanded.

"Sam."

"Let me remind you, Sam," Natasha said, pulling back the hammer of the gun. "I'm a trained assassin. I know at least ten ways to shoot you and still keep you alive long enough to castrate you and shove your balls down your throat."

"And you still wouldn't have him back," Sam said simply. "He's gone, and I killed him. And you know what, bitch? I don't feel an ounce of regret."

Natasha didn't feel an ounce of regret when she pulled the trigger and killed Sam instantly with a bullet between the eyes. She left Stark Tower at that point. She left the building. She didn't give a damn that the alarms were blaring due to the fact that she had just killed Sam. He was right, it wasn't going to bring Clint back. It wouldn't bring back the only person she'd ever managed to care about and the one person who had always had her back since she'd met him. It wouldn't take away the pain she felt in her heart, nor would it take the tears away. She wasn't sure where she was going or if she'd back, and god help the person who tried to talk to her.

AN: For the record, I'm a huge Hawkeye fan, so don't kill me. Debating continuing this a few days later when the Avengers arrange Clint's funeral. Let me know what you think?