I DO NOT OWN CLINT OR BERNARD OR BRUCE(hulk) OR TONY OR STEVE OR T'CHALLA OR THOR OR JAN OR HANK OR... (etc)
-although marvel does.

Summary: Clint's having one of those days which seems to be stuck in the past. The Avenger's are called to ensure that a high profile mob boss doesn't escape from jail. When they show up at the prison... Hawkeye has a rude awakening when he discovers that the convict that they're guarding is someone who used to be very close to him...

A/N: After nearly a year of no activity on this account... I've had a random spurt of... something... that made me want to post this on here. I'm sorry if any of you missed me... but I was kinda just drawing a blank.

So plz enjoy.

Comments are very welcome ;) 3

It was a rainy day in New York City as the Avengers crowded around the TV to watch the game. Baltimore was playing Chicago, and everyone was crowded around in the living room- save Hank and Clint. Hank was still shut up in his lab, laboring over this or that, so no one bothered to try to pry him away. Clint, on the other hand, was sitting by one of the many large windows in the mansion's lobby, his elbow on the sill of the window and his chin resting in the palm of his hand. He didn't know why, but today his mind simply refused to think about anything other than his life before S.H.I.E.L.D.

Seriously, he was starting to creep himself out. His mind was force-feeding him images of the orphanage and the circus and his brother. He was internally telling his mind to knock it off. Last time his mind kept wandering like this happened to be the day Widow knocked on their front door, asking for their help.

It was also a rainy day then. He was considering the possibility that if he were to move back to the south, where rain like this was much scarcer, then perhaps these days would stop coming around.

He didn't mean to look so glum, but apparently one who was looking unseeingly out a window on a rainy day was prone to look glum whether or not it was their intention, so of course, Jan was bound to come by and ask him if he was okay. He shrugged her off and she let it go, leaving him to his reminiscing once again.

It was late by the time he realized he had fallen asleep in the chair by the window. He shook himself awake, and blearily looked out the window. He was tired but he didn't want to move. It felt as if he were bound to the spot, like it was physically impossible to move. Suddenly, the rain on the window seemed to form pictures. He rubbed his eyes, but they were still there.

One was of his mom, cheerfully sitting on some grass under a tree, a little Bernard sitting beside her, and an even littler Clint on her lap. He wavy red hair washed down over her shoulders and she was smiling.

He blinked. What the hell is going on here? The scene washed away nearly as fast as it had appeared. It was replaced by a bunk bed. Bernard sat on the top, his legs swung over the side, and he was twisting around so he could look at Clint, who laid on the bottom bunk, his hands folded behind his head. It was an image of the two when they were at the orphanage. Bernard was chatting on animatedly about something. His legs swung dangerously, though he had complete control over his body.

This, too, was washed away. This time, it was replaced by a rain-picture of just Bernard, in much greater detail. He wore a white wife beater, tucked into his skinny jeans. This was not at all a bad look for Bernard, as he was about as skinny as a stick, yet muscular at the same time. His hands were in his pockets as he strolled along side a pretty blond girl. Clint scowled as he recognized the girl.

Rachel Schneider was a complete and utter bitch. He had told her of this characteristic of hers more than once and she only shrugged, saying it came in her genetics. And yet, Barney was completely enthralled by her.

The scene in the window in front of him then clarified, and it almost felt like a video- as if the window had just magically converted itself into a television. Of course, with Clint's experience with people like Loki and Thor- heck, even Stark- nothing really surprised him anymore. The two of them were walking along in some department store, laughing and talking about nothing in particular, Barney occasionally bending down to pick something off the floor and replace it on the shelf. The 'camera' panned out to reveal the two younger kids they were following through the store- Clint and Valerie.

Valerie was Rachel's adopted little sister. Or, more accurately, Rachel was Valerie's adopted older sister. In reality, they were cousins, but when Rachel ran away from her abusive father, she found sanctuary with her mother's sister.

Except, Valerie was nothing like Rachel; she was fun and funny and everything Clint could ask for a girl. The only problem was that she was really quiet- shy almost.

The window before him depicted the four teenagers walking through the store, the two younger ones giggling (no, Clint told himself, he was definitely not giggling. That was all Valerie, thank you very much) and knocking things off the shelf. It was obviously on purpose, and young-Clint even had the audacity to look over his shoulder to laugh as Bernard patiently picked it up and righted it.

His gaze into the crystal ball of the window was only broken when his chin thumped again the floor, waking him up from his dream.

"Ow…" he mumbled, rubbing his chin. He looked at the window suspiciously, as if it were going to sprout legs and walk off.

He was faintly relieved that that had just been a dream. He'd be mildly concerned if he seriously thought he was seeing things in the rain gathering on a window pane.

He sighed, stretching his sore back and neck. Note to self- don't sleep in chairs, it leaves you sore and more tired than you were before. He looked back at the mirror, at the reflection of himself in it. His blond hair was sticking up in the back, and from his eyes hung black bags of fatigue.

He stood suddenly, and sloped his way into the living room. He couldn't have been asleep for more than a half hour, seeing as halftime is just starting in the game. The couches in the room were completely occupied- even T'Challa was sitting there, staring intently at the screen. That left Clint to lean against the wall, his arms crossed.

Jan moved to get up, and was suddenly assailed with requests of more beer. Sighing and blowing a stray hair out of her face, she agreed, striding out towards the kitchen, smiling at Clint on the way. As soon as she was out of the room, Clint quickly snatched her seat.

Two and a half hours later, Jan having returned and passed out drinks, groaning and arguing with Clint over her seat, the game was almost over. It was 30-26, and Cap and Tony's favorite team was behind.

Their team was also making a run for a touchdown. They were about ten yards off when the screen went black, to quickly morph into the Avengers symbol, while all their com links began to beep.

"Avengers! Assemble!" Tony yelled, to much groaning from Cap and Hulk.

"But the game's almost done!" Cap whined, his face turning to Tony, but his eyes staying on the screen, which had returned to the game.

"Steve! We need to go!" Tony insisted. Cap sighed, but got up and followed the rest of the team out of the room, looking back over his shoulder longingly as the door swung shut.

The six of them ran and changed into their costumes quickly, meeting back in the war room five minutes later to find what they had been alerted to. In hindsight, he had to wonder how they managed to do that. Five minutes and they were all in the ridiculous spandex and chain-mail that made up their crazy superhero costumes. He had to bite his metaphorical mind-tongue from thinking what his brother probably thought every time he saw Clint running around on TV in purple spandex.

Anyhow, focusing on the task at hand.

Blue prints of a high priority holding building in Riker's appeared in the air above the table.

"So about two weeks ago, this big racketeer guy was sent to Riker's. He vowed that his buddies were gonna crack him out. He was put in high priority for non-super-villains. It now seems that his buddies are done waiting. They've launched a string of robberies in downtown. This can only mean that they are building up a distraction in order to get their boss back." Tony explained.

"You know what that means, team. We gotta split up. Hank, Jan, you get to this point," Steve motioned to the first blue dot on the map of New York that replaced Riker's, "Panther and Thor can take this point," he motioned to a second blue dot on the map "Tony and I can handle this point," he said, pointing at the third dot, "and Hulk and Hawkeye can manage the prison till the rest of us get there." They all nodded in tandem, and went off to their own quinjets.

Hawkeye got into the pilot's seat, buckling himself in. "You ready, big guy?" he asked Hulk, who grunted in response.

He started the engines, and they were off, barreling toward the prison island.

They arrived quickly, and were escorted by guards to the building in which their person of interest was being held.

"Here he is," the guard announcing. Hulk and Hawkeye came to stand in front of laser wall keeping the prisoner in. Said prisoner was sitting on his cot, crouched over, with his chin on his palm and elbow on his knee. He looked bored and tired- it reminded Clint vaguely of Loki, always looking for trouble to amuse himself with. He was clad in the Riker's Island inmate getup,

He was skinny, as if he hadn't gotten enough food as a kid. He looked small, although he was probably only a bit shorter than Clint. His pale skin glinted in the white light seeping into his cell from the corridor.

Hulk's shadow fell over him as the monster stopped to stand in front of the cell, causing the inmate to look up. His curly reddish-brown hair fell gently against his face, and his greenish-blue eyes caught up with Hawkeye's.

Clint instantly recognized him, his eyes growing wide. The prisoner grinned wolfishly when he realized who the man in purple was. He stood slowly, and stretched his arms and back, confidence outlining every one of his muscles. He smirked at the guard as the guard turned to leave, and then walked casually up to the bars. He stood in front of Clint- now close enough to compare height, the inmate was two inches shorter. Honestly, even with this difference of height- and the fact that this guy was probably fifty pounds lighter than Clint- he was still really intimidating. Just the fact that the man standing in front of him was in fact who he was enough to make Clint's face freeze in an expression between shock and fear.

The prisoner looked Clint up and down, and chuckled at the expression he found on Clint's face. Clint knew he should really fix his face so this guy didn't get any ideas, but he absolutely could not feel his face anymore, and had no hope of preserving his dignity.

"Long time no see, junia'," drawled Barney Barton in his thick Mississippian accent.

GASP OMG WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT?

well, i honestly don't see why i just asked that, seeing as I know what's going to happen, but oh well.

So plz comment and tell me if you liked it.

or didn't like it... whichev.

And here are some questions for you to ponder:

1. Why does Barney Barton have a Mississippian accent?

2. Why did Hulk not say anything while this whole stare-down thing between Clint and Barney was going down?

3. Where are Cap and Ironman?

4. Why am I asking you all these questions?

STAY TUNED FOR NEXT TIME, TRUE BELIEVERS ;) (lol see what i did there?)