Chapter Two
Natasha put some Tiger Balm on the bruise under her eye, while Jay pressed a bag of frozen peas to her side.
"So kid, where'd you learn to fight like that?" Natasha asked. Jay observed that Natasha was professionally trained. Everything about her screamed structure, she definitely wasn't a hunter.
"My dad, he's an ex marine. He made sure my brothers and I knew how to protect ourselves." Jay told her. Natasha looked her up and down and raised in eyebrow, it seems Natasha was just as observant as she was.
"Not that I didn't enjoy the girl fight, but why are you breaking into my house in the middle of the night?" Clint wondered.
"Fury wants us to train new recruits with Cap." Nat told him.
"I don't know, Laura is getting close to her due date." Clint shrugged.
"It'll only be a couple weeks, and you'll have a little extra money for when the baby comes." Natasha reminded him.
"Alright, let me go talk to Laura." Clint said and went upstairs.
"So what about you kid? Want to put that kick ass attitude to use for your country?" Natasha asked. Jay had come there in search of a normal life, but maybe what she needed was just a different life.
"When do we start?" Jay asked and Natasha smiled at her. That night while Jay packed, Clint walked in.
"So, what do I need to expect?" Jay wondered as she folded her clothes.
"I'm not going to lie, training is going to be intense. Only the best make it through and I'm confident that is you." He told her and she smiled.
"It's been awhile since anyone was confident in me."
"I'll be silently cheering on the sidelines, kid." Clint said and patted her shoulder. The following day they were taken to a secret facility in the biggest jet Jay had ever seen. Jay was given a uniform and instructed to go to the training room. Clint and Natasha stood before the recruits in their uniforms, while Jay's childhood hero gave instructions.
"This will be an intense ten week training program, half of you will not make it through. Those of you that do will be Shield Agents, those of you that don't will have your memories wiped." Captain Roger's announced. The first training session was exhausting, but Jay had handled monsters and she could handle this. Then Clint walked into the recruitment sleeping quarters looking pissed.
"Winchester! Conference room! Now!" Jay wasn't sure what was scarier, Clint's tone of voice or the fact that he had found her real last name. Jay followed him into the conference room.
"Natasha just ran your background check, it was more in depth than the one I did when I hired you. You lied about your last name, and the fact that you're wanted for grave desecration, theft, assault, prostitution, and attempted murder. You lied to me, I let you be around my family." Clint growled.
"Clint, I'm sorry… I'm sorry that I lied, but I can't apologize for those other things. I had it rough and I did all the things I had to, to get by, to get my family through. Wouldn't you do anything for your family?" She asked.
"Grave desecration was for your family?" He asked.
"It's hard to explain." She sighed.
"Look Jay, despite everything I love you, you seemed to be a pretty great kid. I can get you help, to work through these delusions… these superstitious fears of yours." Jay's heart was racing, she was going to jail. She figured it would happen one day, she had been stupid to think she could escape the past. She stared at the wall in front of her, the walls of the conference room were mirrored. Her eyes met Clint's in the reflection, but she didn't see the eyes of her mentor, she saw the eyes of a shapeshifter.
"Shifter." She gasped and the creature grinned.
"You are a smart cookie aren't you, not just another pretty face."
"What have you done with Clint?" She demanded.
"Oh that old creep? The hawk is tied up in his nest." It told her.
"If you hurt him I swear." She spat.
"Oh, so Barton isn't the only one that's caught feelings." It taunted.
"What the hell are you on about?"
"If you could only see the things he wants to do to you. You remember those times working in the barn where he'd excuse himself for twenty minutes at a time… the sight of you in shorts and a tank top, covered in sweat… it was just too much for him to handle." The things chuckled, she didn't believe it, she refused to.
"Clint's a good man, he loves Laura."
"If he loves her so much then why is he here with you instead of being home with his pregnant wife?" While the creature was distracted by the chit chat, Jay retrieved her knife and attacked it. The knife was silver plated, it had been a birthday present from Dean when she turned sixteen. The engraving on the handle read 'To my baby sister with love -Dean'. She slashed the creature and the wound sizzled, but it wasn't slowing down. At that moment Natasha and Clint burst in. Clint was covered in bruises, cuts, and scrapes. Natasha shot the creature, which only startled it. Jay stabbed the creature in the chest and it slumped lifelessly on top of her. Jay grunted and pushed the shapeshifter off of her.
"What is this thing?" Natasha asked and kicked it.
"It's a shapeshifter." Jay huffed and pulled her knife out of it. After disposing of the shifter, Jay called Dean.
"Dean, I have a question about shapeshifters." She said as soon as he picked up.
"Well, I've missed you too sis."
"Dean can you be serious?" She growled.
"Ok, what's your question? Are you hunting again?" Dean asked.
"Not exactly. I need to know…. do shifters ever tell the truth?" She questioned, biting her lip nervously.
"Sometimes, if they think it will really mess with your head. Sis do you need back up?" Dean wondered with concern.
"No, I'm fine. I'll call you later." She sighed, thinking back to the things the shifter had said about Clint.
"Wait, dad wants to talk to you." Dean said, stopping her from hanging up.
"No Dean! Don't…"
"Hey Jay." Her dad interrupted.
"Hi dad."
"Are you doing ok sweetheart?" Her father asked. It took her by surprise, she had expected him to yell at her.
"Yeah, I'm doing well. I've got a good job and some good friends." She told him.
"Yeah, Dean told me you were working as a farm hand. Look I just want to apologize for the way I treated you and Dean after Sam left. I know I have no right to ask, but would you consider coming home?" John questioned.
"No." That was the first time she had ever dared to say 'no' to John Winchester. "I'm happy here, for once I'm in control of my own life and I'm not going to give that up, I'm sorry." She answered honestly.
"I'm glad to know that Your brother and I are less important than your freedom." John spat and hung up. Jay's heart sank and her stomach dropped.
"Jay is everything all right?" Clint asked
"I've been attacked by a shifter and my dad basically just told me I don't deserve control over my own life. I'm just peachy." She huffed.
"Your dad sounds like a dick." Clint said and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"He can be." She agreed.
"What do you say we grab dinner and forget about what happened today?" Clint suggested. Jay was hunger, but what he was suggesting almost sounded like a date.
"I'm going to pass, I have training early in the morning… that is if I'm not being arrested."
"Consider your permanent record expunged." He smiled and patted her back.