Her Hidden Past

- Chapter Twelve -

Maria pulled the rental car up near where she and Steve had split up, to find him pacing anxiously.

"Stanley," She called as she got out of the car. "It worked." she smirked when he joined her.

"I see that," Steve shook his head in surprise. "You've done that before?"

"You played the part perfectly," Maria praised him, ignoring his question. "Now let me go clean this off," She gestured to the smudged make-up. "We need to get on the road."

Clint and Natasha arrived in Peoria where they had decided to stop for the night. Having decided against taking a bus for the next portion of their journey, they had used Clint's fake ID to hire a car for a week. They intended to return it early, but had opted for the longer rental to throw any tails off the scent. They found a motel to stay in for the night, booking a room to share and forgoing the precautions of the previous night.

They spent some time getting showered and changed; Clint washed as much of the dye out of his hair as he could. His identity as Ben had his natural sandy blonde hair, while Natasha's identity kept her dark brown hair. They had stopped along the road to get supplies using the cards of their current identities and saving as much of the cash as possible. Sitting together comfortably they relaxed for a couple of hours reading their books.

"Can I take you out for dinner?" Clint asked quietly after a while.

"What for?" Natasha asked suspiciously.

"I just think we should have a night out to relax," Clint replied. "It's been a rough week, and it wouldn't hurt our cover."

"As long as you aren't thinking anywhere fancy," Natasha sighed. "I don't have anything nice with me."

"Neither do I," Clint reminded her. "There's a nice little restaurant a block south that looks casual and cosy."

"I'm sure I can find something that will work," Natasha shrugged lightly.

"Thanks Tasha," He whispered. Natasha scowled at him over her shoulder, setting him chuckling. "I know you aren't mad," He called after her. 

An hour later they were waiting for dessert to be served. Clint was watching Natasha closely, she'd been distant all afternoon.

"Lillian?" Clint got her attention.

"I'm sorry," Natasha sighed. "As you said, it's been a rough week."

"I know," Clint nodded. "It's ok, let's try and forget about it for a few hours though?"

"Yeah," Natasha sighed, eyeing him suspiciously as she read the look in his eyes.

"We aren't where I wanted to do this," Clint started, watching as Natasha narrowed her eyes at him. "But with everything happening, I don't want to wait any longer." Getting up, Clint knelt next to her, "Lillian, will you marry me?" He popped the ring box open holding it out to her.

Natasha stared, eyes wide, of all the things he might have been about to do, this hadn't even registered. Absolutely lost for words she took a moment to register everyone around had stopped what they were doing waiting for her answer. "Yes, Yes I will," She whispered as the surprise began to wear off. She had to play along for their cover, but the look in his eyes worried her.

Clint's face lit up, he slipped the ring onto her finger before standing up and pulling her up into a hug. Cheers went up all around as the other restaurant patron and staff began clapping for them.

Emotions she didn't want to analyse surfaced. "It's beautiful," Natasha whispered, wiping a tear away, as she admired the ring.

"Hey, hey, don't cry," Clint whispered, pulling her into another hug. He kissed her forehead as she leaned into him.