There was very little Natasha wouldn’t do to see that smile, and her lips curled upwards against his hand. He was right as well; the request would come with questions, and she would be better prepared to answer them than him. She had no connection to the case, no emotions to get in the way, but Clint needed to know what happened and that desperation would likely show through and make it more difficult for him.

She gave him the time he needed to gather his thoughts and decide what he wanted to say, and was pleased with the results. “Very wise words,” she agreed, as they were pretty close to her personal motto. She didn’t shy away from her past, but she didn’t live in regret either. Her past was her past and there was nothing she could do to change it; she could only move forward and ensure that what she did with her present, her future, could at least partially help her atone.

“When we leave here I’ll make the call. We’ll have to decide on a way for them to send it to us.”