Her Hidden Past

- Chapter Twenty Nine -

"Tasha?" Clint called softly. "Phil said you found something?" He joined her on the ledge.

"Subject 73 is alive," Natasha whispered emotionless.

"Yelena?" Natasha nodded. "Nat, you couldn't have known."

"I should have, I should have got her out," Natasha hissed.

"Tasha," Clint sighed, taking her by the arms. "I held you as you told me about her. How you fought and killed her because you were forced to prove you were better. How she wasn't breathing when you stopped. How you never cried, never mourned her." He paused, "I held you when you cried for all the girls, mourned them all for the first time. You didn't know she was alive. You couldn't have known."

"It feels like I should have," Natasha sighed letting go of the anger. "I knew I couldn't trust them."

"You trusted your own eyes," Clint reminded her softly. "You trusted what you could see because you knew that was all you could trust."

"Thank you, Clint," Natasha whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder. A silence fell over them as they contemplated what they had learned.

"Tasha," Clint whispered after a while. "Are you ok?"

"As much as I can be," She admitted.

"Phil and Fury were worried," Clint admitted. "They called me as soon as you left. Said it was urgent, but they wouldn't say why."

"I knew they would call you, figures that they wouldn't explain," She sighed. "I guess they knew I would need to talk it out."

"They are good at knowing that kind of stuff," Clint agreed just as his phone began ringing.

"Barton," He answered.

"Agent Barton, it's Bruce Banner," The Doctor's voice came from the speaker. "And Tony."

"Doctor Banner, Stark," Clint greeted them reluctantly. "What can I do for you?"

"Oi, Birdbrain, stop being so formal," Tony yelled in the background.

"Stark," Clint threatened.

"Ok, ok, don't get your knickers in a twist," Stark replied. "We helped you out, the least you could do is be grateful."

"I don't remember asking for help," Clint sighed.

"Of course you did, Katniss, that people problem you have." Stark continued to be cryptic.

"Agent Barton, what Tony is unhelpfully trying to say is we followed the strings from the people you mentioned and uncovered a lot more."

"Hold on," Clint suddenly sat up straighter. "Are you saying you found more Hydra agents just by looking at the names I gave you?"

"Sure did, Carnie boy," Tony snapped proudly.

"Let me call you back in ten minutes," Clint frowned, ignoring the jab at his past. "There's a few people here who need to hear this."

"Ugh, fine," Tony sighed, cutting the line.

"Tasha, if he's managed this-" Clint couldn't even finish.

"If, Clint," Natasha wouldn't allow herself to hope. "It's a huge if."

Clint knocked on Fury's door, he hadn't bothered to call ahead this time. Natasha had headed through the vents while he had taken the halls.

"Phil," Clint greeted him as he opened the door.

"What's wrong, Clint?" Phil seemed worried seeing him so quickly.