humanity (n): a state of grace
story rating: eventually R
genre: paranormal AU
characters: Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff
story summary: There are the things that go bump in the night, and there are the people who hunt them. Natasha Romanoff is a vampire who's never been exposed. Clint Barton's the Slayer sent to end her. They'd kill each other, if only someone else wasn't trying to kill them first.

dedication: Many, many thanks to workerbee73, the world's most patient beta who has spent the last month making this into a far better story. I wouldn't be doing this without you.

chapter: Prologue
chapter rating: PG
chapter warnings: light Clint x Natasha (prologue only)

The late afternoon sun was warm even through her leather jacket as she pushed open the door to Cattle Call, ducking into the shade of the diner.