FIC: The Hawk and the Spider (2/6) (for nessataleweaver) - PG-13
Title: The Hawk and the Spider (2/6)
Author: sgteam14283
A Gift For: nessataleweaver
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: language, violence
Pairings: Clint/Natasha
Summary/Prompt Used: As a bounty hunter, Clint never let it get personal. Then he met Natasha./ steampunk/western (historical) promts filled.
Authors Notes: really had fun writing this since I love steampunk but since it was also a Western I made it so that steampunk wasn't so saturated in the outer territories, but they still used all that awesome stuff. Also I tried to make everything as accurate as possible. Don't own anything, I just have fun playing in the sandbox!
Chapter Two
Clint looked through the scope on his rife, glad that he'd thought to bring it along, since it was much easier to view the street in front of him than if he'd just been staring at it. He'd been in Nevada Sparks for almost a week and had figured where Natasha was staying. Now he just needed to suss out what she was up to so he could make his move before anyone else got hurt.
Footsteps down the hall drew Clint away from the window, hand to the Colt that rested by his leg as he silently moved towards the door. He waited as the footsteps drew nearer and stopped in front of his door. Then came a knock, “Barton, you in there?”
Clint relaxed his shoulders at the sound of Marshal Rogers voice but kept his hand on the Colt as he opened the door. “How'd you find me?” he asked after seeing that the Marshal was alone, but not letting the Peacemaker go. Steve had been helpful in helping Clint keep a low profile, setting him up in a spare room above the jail and telling his deputy that he'd owed Clint a favor from a long time ago. Bucky had taken one look at him and Clint knew that he wasn't buying the story but let it be.
“Bucky mentioned something about the boarding house and I figured that you'd be checking it out.” Steve replied with a smile ghosting over his face. “So is she there?”
“Not at the moment, stepped out about an hour ago to most likely case probable vantage points.” Clint responded as he closed the door and made his way back towards the window. Raising the rifle so he could look through the scope he continued, “Seems like she's going to make her move soon, is there anything big going on in town?”
Steve took off his stetson and absently scratched the back of his head, trying to think. “There's a special train set to arrive in two days before the mayor makes a big announcement to the town. Rumor is that the military is going to build another fort near here to reduce the Indian raids that've been happening lately.”
“Surely as Sheriff you know who's-there you are, my little spider.” Clint started to say as he spotted Natasha walking down the street towards them. Adjusting his angle he watched her through the scope as she neared the boarding house. She was dressed in a black dress with red trimming along the edges, a matching black and red hat with her red hair held to one side. If Clint didn't know any better he'd guess that she was a young window looking for a fresh start.
Behind him, Clint heard Steve let out a slow whistle and say, “She doesn't look dangerous.”
“The dangerous ones normally don't.” Clint softly replied as she entered the house. “And those are the ones you have to be careful of.”
--
Clint stood on the rooftop across from the Sheriff's building and checked, for the hundredth time, that his arrows were ready and then triple checked that his rifle was loaded with the scope in place. Glancing towards the street, he had a feeling that things could get ugly fast.
That's why he'd had the lawmen discreetly spread the word to townspeople who could be trusted that something was going to go down and to keep out of the way. And he'd decided to act the day before the train arrived with the Commander of the U.S. Army-the Widow's intended target.
A sharp whistle brought Clint's gaze up from the ground and saw that Bucky had left the boarding house and was on his way towards the station. “Now the waiting begins.” Clint wondered how long he'd have to wait until Natasha decided to turn and leave; that's why he had Bucky spook the Widow. Flush her out so he could capture her and get this mission over with.
--
Natasha always saw a mission through, no matter what the challenges, but seeing as how the local law had just paid a visit to her and asked a number of uncomfortable questions made her realize that she'd been compromised and had to modify her plans; the target had to be taken out now.
Quickly changing into the skirt she used when working and sliding her Derringer's into their leg holsters, Natasha slid in her hairpins that also doubled as daggers- a trick that she'd picked up on her second trip to California territory. Once everything was set, she quickly gathered her bags and left her room, she'd been paid up so it didn't bother Natasha that she'd had to adjust her timetable.
She'd knew that in this business you had to remain flexible.
Exiting onto the street, Natasha quickly noticed that it was much more deserted than normal; it was always bustling this time of day. Instantly alert, she looked around for any sign for something out of the ordinary. Not finding anything, Natasha started to cautiously make her way towards the train station; she'd stash her bags there then in the confusion leave this godforsaken town behind in the dust. If luck was with her, no one would notice that she'd gotten on the first train out of there until it was too late.
But she had to time it perfectly in order to accomplish this.
--
Clint didn't have to wait long until she appeared, determination in her stride. Pulling out one of his arrows; he nocked it, aimed and let it go. It hit the ground right in front of her with a thwack and she stopped in her tracks.
That had been a warning shot. The next one wouldn't be.
Looking at the arrow in front of her, Natasha then looked around, trying to figure out where it had come from. “You missed.” she shouted, hoping to draw out whomever had shot it.
“I never miss.” Clint called out, hoping that the echo would throw his voice and not give away his location. “Natasha Romanov, you're wanted for murder. I suggest that you give yourself up.”
Natasha couldn't help but smirk a little as the mystery shooter told her to give up and then, almost as if they'd rehearsed it, the Sheriff and his deputy appeared; both of them training their weapons on her. “Idiots.” she thought as she set down her bags and raised her hands, symboling that she surrendered.
They were closing in on her when Natasha decided to act. Quickly moving, she activated the pulls on her skirt to raise it so she'd have more movement and then reached with both hands for her Derringer's. Pulling them out she fired on the nearest lawman-both barrels trained on him.
It had happened so quickly that Steve wasn't sure what had happened. One moment him and Bucky were nearing Miss Romanov and then the next shots echoed through the air with Bucky on the ground, bleeding. Reacting, he moved to shoot Natasha but suddenly there was a dagger sticking out from his wrist and pain was shooting through it. Dropping the gun, Steve gripped his hand but he was still determined to stop her and moved to apprehend her.
One down, Natasha now focused on taking out the secondary target. Dropping one of her pistols she pulled out a dagger and threw it at the Sheriff, hitting him in the chest. But that seemed to only encourage him, so Natasha ran towards him and swept his legs out from under him; sending Steve crashing to the ground.
Hearing movement behind her, Natasha whipped around while aiming the pistol to see an arrow staring right back at her.
Satisfied that they had Natasha covered, Clint had been about to join them when Natasha had shot Bucky. Knowing he had to act quickly or risk losing his prey, Clint quickly tied rope to an arrow and shot it to the opposite building. Pausing only to swing his bow across the rope, Clint slid down towards them; letting go at the earliest moment possible so he didn't kill himself and ran towards Natasha, reaching her just after Steve went down.
Quickly drawing another, he aimed it at her just as she turned around. He stood in front of her, wishing she'd move so Clint could kill her and collect the bounty. But she didn't move so there they stood, each not sure when the other would. Finally Clint spoke, “You missed your target, the Sheriff's still breathing.”
“Who said I was aiming for the Sheriff?” Natasha asked while raising an eyebrow. “Maybe I got who I was after and the rest is just a happy bonus for my bank account.”
After she spoke, Clint fired but Natasha ducked and the arrow went sailing over her back. Clint then dropped his bow and reached for his knife, swinging up as he did. As she ducked Natasha reached for her second dagger and pulled it out, blocking Clint's knife with a metallic clash. She then lashed out with her foot to his side and felt it connect, pushing to make him stumble back.
Clint managed to regain his balance only to duck as Natasha lashed out again; this time with her dagger. It sliced across his shoulder and pain almost made him cry out, but he focused on making sure he didn't give up. Because if he did then she'd disappear and he would've failed.
Hawkeye didn't fail.
Then her blade slashed him again, this time on his chest. Thinking fast, Clint fell to the ground and let his knife fall while pressing a hand to his newest wound, flinching slightly at the pain the pressure caused.
“Giving up already? That's kinda pathetic given what I've heard about the great Hawkeye.” Natasha said, watching Clint fall to the ground.
Clint raised an eyebrow, “You've heard of me?”
“Took me a second of course, but once I saw how good of a shot you were it all fell into place.” Natasha took a small step towards Clint, entertaining the healthy paranoia that it might be a trick.
“But I've never heard of you.”
“Speaks volumes of our work doesn't it?” Natasha took another step, this one near enough to kick Clint's knife out of his reach. “I've heard of you but you've never heard of me. Here's a professional tip-make sure your trademark isn't so obvious. An arrow through the heart? Should've just put up an illuminated sign that read 'Hawkeye was here.'”
“True, but I only kill when I absolutely have to.” Clint ground out through clenched teeth. “Just one more step closer.” he thought to himself. But Natasha wouldn't budge and Clint was thinking that he'd just have to risk it and go for it when Steve let out a groan and Natasha's attention was diverted for a second. Clint saw his opening and went for it. He lunged towards Natasha's feet and, grabbing them, gave them a yank. Feet thrown out from under her, she went down and hit her head on the hard ground; knocking her out.
Clint quickly secured Natasha and then let out a breath, feeling the adrenaline rush start to ebb. “You alright Steve?” he called out after seeing that Steve was regaining consciousness.
“I think-Bucky!” Steve yelled as he saw that the deputy was still lying on the ground and not moving. “Get the doc quick!”
--
Clint wasn't happy. “What do you mean Fury's not sending an airship to collect us?!” he exclaimed to Fury's assistant, Maria Hill. “How does he expect me to get her out of here?”
“You're to take her to Fort Clarke and I'll meet you there to take over her extraction from the state.” Maria replied calmly. She had arrived to complete chaos, most of the town wanting justice for the murder of their deputy while the rest just wanting her and Clint out of town on the first train bound for Minnesota.
“Does he realize how long that's going to take? It'll be at least six weeks, and that's if we don't get caught in a storm or killed by raiders. Hell, Breckenridge is closer!”
“Colonel Fury has other matters that he needs to attend to right now, there's more than one state clamoring for Miss Romanov's head. That's why he wants you to travel on horseback, give him the needed time to smooth things over.” Maria stated in a tone that told Clint the discussion was over. She then handed him a packet filled with money. “This is for supplies for your trip, anything left over may be kept as additional pay.”
Clint took the packet, what was to stop him from buying train tickets, and watched as Maria left room; pausing only to add, “I'll be watching the ticket booth at the station Hawkeye.”
He watched her go and fumed silently. Phil was going to get an earful when he got back.
Author: sgteam14283
A Gift For: nessataleweaver
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: language, violence
Pairings: Clint/Natasha
Summary/Prompt Used: As a bounty hunter, Clint never let it get personal. Then he met Natasha./ steampunk/western (historical) promts filled.
Authors Notes: really had fun writing this since I love steampunk but since it was also a Western I made it so that steampunk wasn't so saturated in the outer territories, but they still used all that awesome stuff. Also I tried to make everything as accurate as possible. Don't own anything, I just have fun playing in the sandbox!
Chapter Two
Clint looked through the scope on his rife, glad that he'd thought to bring it along, since it was much easier to view the street in front of him than if he'd just been staring at it. He'd been in Nevada Sparks for almost a week and had figured where Natasha was staying. Now he just needed to suss out what she was up to so he could make his move before anyone else got hurt.
Footsteps down the hall drew Clint away from the window, hand to the Colt that rested by his leg as he silently moved towards the door. He waited as the footsteps drew nearer and stopped in front of his door. Then came a knock, “Barton, you in there?”
Clint relaxed his shoulders at the sound of Marshal Rogers voice but kept his hand on the Colt as he opened the door. “How'd you find me?” he asked after seeing that the Marshal was alone, but not letting the Peacemaker go. Steve had been helpful in helping Clint keep a low profile, setting him up in a spare room above the jail and telling his deputy that he'd owed Clint a favor from a long time ago. Bucky had taken one look at him and Clint knew that he wasn't buying the story but let it be.
“Bucky mentioned something about the boarding house and I figured that you'd be checking it out.” Steve replied with a smile ghosting over his face. “So is she there?”
“Not at the moment, stepped out about an hour ago to most likely case probable vantage points.” Clint responded as he closed the door and made his way back towards the window. Raising the rifle so he could look through the scope he continued, “Seems like she's going to make her move soon, is there anything big going on in town?”
Steve took off his stetson and absently scratched the back of his head, trying to think. “There's a special train set to arrive in two days before the mayor makes a big announcement to the town. Rumor is that the military is going to build another fort near here to reduce the Indian raids that've been happening lately.”
“Surely as Sheriff you know who's-there you are, my little spider.” Clint started to say as he spotted Natasha walking down the street towards them. Adjusting his angle he watched her through the scope as she neared the boarding house. She was dressed in a black dress with red trimming along the edges, a matching black and red hat with her red hair held to one side. If Clint didn't know any better he'd guess that she was a young window looking for a fresh start.
Behind him, Clint heard Steve let out a slow whistle and say, “She doesn't look dangerous.”
“The dangerous ones normally don't.” Clint softly replied as she entered the house. “And those are the ones you have to be careful of.”
--
Clint stood on the rooftop across from the Sheriff's building and checked, for the hundredth time, that his arrows were ready and then triple checked that his rifle was loaded with the scope in place. Glancing towards the street, he had a feeling that things could get ugly fast.
That's why he'd had the lawmen discreetly spread the word to townspeople who could be trusted that something was going to go down and to keep out of the way. And he'd decided to act the day before the train arrived with the Commander of the U.S. Army-the Widow's intended target.
A sharp whistle brought Clint's gaze up from the ground and saw that Bucky had left the boarding house and was on his way towards the station. “Now the waiting begins.” Clint wondered how long he'd have to wait until Natasha decided to turn and leave; that's why he had Bucky spook the Widow. Flush her out so he could capture her and get this mission over with.
--
Natasha always saw a mission through, no matter what the challenges, but seeing as how the local law had just paid a visit to her and asked a number of uncomfortable questions made her realize that she'd been compromised and had to modify her plans; the target had to be taken out now.
Quickly changing into the skirt she used when working and sliding her Derringer's into their leg holsters, Natasha slid in her hairpins that also doubled as daggers- a trick that she'd picked up on her second trip to California territory. Once everything was set, she quickly gathered her bags and left her room, she'd been paid up so it didn't bother Natasha that she'd had to adjust her timetable.
She'd knew that in this business you had to remain flexible.
Exiting onto the street, Natasha quickly noticed that it was much more deserted than normal; it was always bustling this time of day. Instantly alert, she looked around for any sign for something out of the ordinary. Not finding anything, Natasha started to cautiously make her way towards the train station; she'd stash her bags there then in the confusion leave this godforsaken town behind in the dust. If luck was with her, no one would notice that she'd gotten on the first train out of there until it was too late.
But she had to time it perfectly in order to accomplish this.
--
Clint didn't have to wait long until she appeared, determination in her stride. Pulling out one of his arrows; he nocked it, aimed and let it go. It hit the ground right in front of her with a thwack and she stopped in her tracks.
That had been a warning shot. The next one wouldn't be.
Looking at the arrow in front of her, Natasha then looked around, trying to figure out where it had come from. “You missed.” she shouted, hoping to draw out whomever had shot it.
“I never miss.” Clint called out, hoping that the echo would throw his voice and not give away his location. “Natasha Romanov, you're wanted for murder. I suggest that you give yourself up.”
Natasha couldn't help but smirk a little as the mystery shooter told her to give up and then, almost as if they'd rehearsed it, the Sheriff and his deputy appeared; both of them training their weapons on her. “Idiots.” she thought as she set down her bags and raised her hands, symboling that she surrendered.
They were closing in on her when Natasha decided to act. Quickly moving, she activated the pulls on her skirt to raise it so she'd have more movement and then reached with both hands for her Derringer's. Pulling them out she fired on the nearest lawman-both barrels trained on him.
It had happened so quickly that Steve wasn't sure what had happened. One moment him and Bucky were nearing Miss Romanov and then the next shots echoed through the air with Bucky on the ground, bleeding. Reacting, he moved to shoot Natasha but suddenly there was a dagger sticking out from his wrist and pain was shooting through it. Dropping the gun, Steve gripped his hand but he was still determined to stop her and moved to apprehend her.
One down, Natasha now focused on taking out the secondary target. Dropping one of her pistols she pulled out a dagger and threw it at the Sheriff, hitting him in the chest. But that seemed to only encourage him, so Natasha ran towards him and swept his legs out from under him; sending Steve crashing to the ground.
Hearing movement behind her, Natasha whipped around while aiming the pistol to see an arrow staring right back at her.
Satisfied that they had Natasha covered, Clint had been about to join them when Natasha had shot Bucky. Knowing he had to act quickly or risk losing his prey, Clint quickly tied rope to an arrow and shot it to the opposite building. Pausing only to swing his bow across the rope, Clint slid down towards them; letting go at the earliest moment possible so he didn't kill himself and ran towards Natasha, reaching her just after Steve went down.
Quickly drawing another, he aimed it at her just as she turned around. He stood in front of her, wishing she'd move so Clint could kill her and collect the bounty. But she didn't move so there they stood, each not sure when the other would. Finally Clint spoke, “You missed your target, the Sheriff's still breathing.”
“Who said I was aiming for the Sheriff?” Natasha asked while raising an eyebrow. “Maybe I got who I was after and the rest is just a happy bonus for my bank account.”
After she spoke, Clint fired but Natasha ducked and the arrow went sailing over her back. Clint then dropped his bow and reached for his knife, swinging up as he did. As she ducked Natasha reached for her second dagger and pulled it out, blocking Clint's knife with a metallic clash. She then lashed out with her foot to his side and felt it connect, pushing to make him stumble back.
Clint managed to regain his balance only to duck as Natasha lashed out again; this time with her dagger. It sliced across his shoulder and pain almost made him cry out, but he focused on making sure he didn't give up. Because if he did then she'd disappear and he would've failed.
Hawkeye didn't fail.
Then her blade slashed him again, this time on his chest. Thinking fast, Clint fell to the ground and let his knife fall while pressing a hand to his newest wound, flinching slightly at the pain the pressure caused.
“Giving up already? That's kinda pathetic given what I've heard about the great Hawkeye.” Natasha said, watching Clint fall to the ground.
Clint raised an eyebrow, “You've heard of me?”
“Took me a second of course, but once I saw how good of a shot you were it all fell into place.” Natasha took a small step towards Clint, entertaining the healthy paranoia that it might be a trick.
“But I've never heard of you.”
“Speaks volumes of our work doesn't it?” Natasha took another step, this one near enough to kick Clint's knife out of his reach. “I've heard of you but you've never heard of me. Here's a professional tip-make sure your trademark isn't so obvious. An arrow through the heart? Should've just put up an illuminated sign that read 'Hawkeye was here.'”
“True, but I only kill when I absolutely have to.” Clint ground out through clenched teeth. “Just one more step closer.” he thought to himself. But Natasha wouldn't budge and Clint was thinking that he'd just have to risk it and go for it when Steve let out a groan and Natasha's attention was diverted for a second. Clint saw his opening and went for it. He lunged towards Natasha's feet and, grabbing them, gave them a yank. Feet thrown out from under her, she went down and hit her head on the hard ground; knocking her out.
Clint quickly secured Natasha and then let out a breath, feeling the adrenaline rush start to ebb. “You alright Steve?” he called out after seeing that Steve was regaining consciousness.
“I think-Bucky!” Steve yelled as he saw that the deputy was still lying on the ground and not moving. “Get the doc quick!”
--
Clint wasn't happy. “What do you mean Fury's not sending an airship to collect us?!” he exclaimed to Fury's assistant, Maria Hill. “How does he expect me to get her out of here?”
“You're to take her to Fort Clarke and I'll meet you there to take over her extraction from the state.” Maria replied calmly. She had arrived to complete chaos, most of the town wanting justice for the murder of their deputy while the rest just wanting her and Clint out of town on the first train bound for Minnesota.
“Does he realize how long that's going to take? It'll be at least six weeks, and that's if we don't get caught in a storm or killed by raiders. Hell, Breckenridge is closer!”
“Colonel Fury has other matters that he needs to attend to right now, there's more than one state clamoring for Miss Romanov's head. That's why he wants you to travel on horseback, give him the needed time to smooth things over.” Maria stated in a tone that told Clint the discussion was over. She then handed him a packet filled with money. “This is for supplies for your trip, anything left over may be kept as additional pay.”
Clint took the packet, what was to stop him from buying train tickets, and watched as Maria left room; pausing only to add, “I'll be watching the ticket booth at the station Hawkeye.”
He watched her go and fumed silently. Phil was going to get an earful when he got back.