A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate them!

To RosalieRowan- Thanks for your input! I am well aware that Romanov is very OOC. I just needed her to be soft for this story!

Clint stood, star struck (and not in the good way), in the middle of Tasha's room hours after she uttered those big words. And they weren't "I love you." No, they were the exact opposite.

Finally, Clint made himself move to sit on the bed. And for hours more, he just sat there. He couldn't even say he was truly thinking. He just kept hearing Natasha's words playing over and over again. He kept seeing her scared face, tearstained and disbelieving.

Clint broke his promise. He didn't protect her. He let them take her. He practically gift wrapped her for them. And Clint knew he'd pay the price. She'd never believe him again. She would never again let him comfort her, even if she needed it more than air.

Clint felt tears sting in the corners of his eyes. What had he done?

Meanwhile, Natasha was currently being placed in a high security cell, guards station outside 24-7. It was tiny, with a steel bed, and desk. The bed had a thin mattress on it and an even thinner cotton blanket.

"Homey." Natasha said under her breath. She sighed. She missed… No, Tash thought. She didn't miss him, and if said person actually missed her, he wouldn't have given her up.

Natasha reconciled herself to a crappy life anyway, so she just laid down on the scrawny mattress and closed her eyes. And stayed like that. For hours, SHEILD and the Council observed her. When they brought in her dinner, she didn't acknowledge them. She didn't eat her dinner.

SHEILD was getting worried. Council didn't seem to give a crap. They believed that this was her play, feign depression to make her seem innocent. SHEILD knew better though. The Black Widow was going to wither away without someone talking to her, to reassure her. But the Council wouldn't have it. They wouldn't allow it, and even though this was still a SHEILD base, they were loyal to the Council, not Fury.

On the night before they were set to interrogate Romanov, Hill was watching her closely through the one-way glass. As Hill watched, Natasha looked around. Her lower lip trembled, and a single tear fell from her face. It seemed as though another would follow, but Natasha dug her long nails into the fleshy part of her hand, so hard that in a few seconds it drew blood. Natasha did it again and again, until she didn't want to cry anymore.

Hill watched, horrified the Tasha had gotten to this level, before pulling over a guard.

"Put a sleeping drug into her food tonight, and also in her water. Makes sure she gets it, ok? I don't want her hands to get infected."

The guard nodded, and went to tell the cook. Hill, satisfied with her work, would wait until the drug took effect and would bandage her hands.

After a couple of hours and much persuasion from Hill, Natasha was fast asleep. Hill slowly opened the door, the guard watching her closely, and stepped in. Nat's chest rose and fell in perfect pattern, and Hill took the bandages the guard handed her. Hill took Nat's right hand, wrapping the gauze in between her thumb and pointer finger a couple times, then around her wrist a few times, repeating the process about four times.

When she did the other, Tasha stirred, but did not wake. Hill couldn't help but hurt for Natasha. They were close, like sisters, and when Hill had to handcuff her, and take her away from Clint, Hill felt awful.

With a sad sigh, Hill exited the room, hoping that tomorrow, the Council would finally see her as innocent.

"Agent Romanov, so happy you could join us again." Smith said in a fake, cheery tone. She growled under her breath at him, still angry about last time.

"So, care to revise your previous statement-"

"Cut the crap, Avery!" Natasha said angrily.

"If I say I took your damn file, can you guys just kill me so that this damn thing can be over with!?" Tash asked. Silence. Tension was high, practically tangible in the air.

Avery, as well as the rest of the guards and Hill and Fury, were shocked.

"Well?" Natasha asked angrily, breaking the silence. Smith cleared his throat.

"Yes, we would either kill you, or keep you her until you die. If you were guilty, of course." He added hastily.

"Fine." Tasha said, throwing her arms into the air. "I'm guilty then. Shoot me right here, please, I beg of you." Natasha said, her eyes staring right at Smith. Smith put his hand up to his ear piece.

"Council?" He asked in a whisper. Natasha didn't catch the rest of it, but after a few moments Smith turned back to her.

"You are hereby, as decision of and by the Council, deemed not guilty, on the theft of stealing a classified document from SHEILD databases." Smith said in a monotone voice.

A collective sigh of relief came from the SHEILD workers and Natasha herself. Smith undid her handcuffs and opened the door for her. She eyed it, not truly believing she was off the hook. There was a couple second staring contest before Tasha hauled herself up from her chair, and walked out the door.

Something swelled inside of her when she walked out of that room. Freedom. She was finally leaving this place, even if it had been only a few days, it had seemed like an eternity. But now, thinking about going home, a new fear gripped at her heart, pulled at it.

Clint. She wasn't sure she could face him again with her head held at least sort of high. She wasn't sure she could look him in the eyes again, after what she'd done, what she'd said.

As she boarded her jet back to SHEILD with Hill and Fury, she dedicated the seven hour flight on how to make amends to Clint.

Natasha had hardly stepped off the jet on the Helicarrier before she heard something that made her freeze in her tracks.

"Natalia Alianovna Romanova." Clint said behind her, a couple yards away. Natasha turned slowly. She felt like a child when he called her by her full, real, name. When she was facing him, he spoke again.

"Come with me. Now." Clint didn't yell, but it was obvious the usually stoic archer was concealing a lot of anger and frustration.

There seemed to be every single pair of eyes on the deck as she walked slowly over to Clint, looking at the ground.

Clint gripped her upper arm roughly and marched her away from prying eyes, down, down, down, into the privacy of her room. When he got her there, he thrust her inside, and closing and locking the door behind him.

Natasha just stood there, in the middle of the room, not looking at Clint. Clint stared at her, arms crossed over his chest, his fingers drumming an unknown rhythm on his arm. They stayed like that for a couple more seconds before Clint picked up Natasha and, sitting on the edge of her bed, put her over his knee.

"Cl-Clint?" Natasha asked shakily. She knew what generally happened in this position, but never had Clint done this to her.

"Natasha," Clint said calmly, "I think it time I taught you a thing or two about respecting me, even if just as partners." Natasha whimpered, knowing she was in for it now, but made no attempt to escape. She knew it'd make what was about to happen, a hell of a lot worse.

A/N: Well, here's chapter 5! Read and review as always, please, and if you couldn't tell, there will be slight corporal punishment in Chapter 6. I'll give another warning in the next chapter, too.

~Taylor!