Bad dreams haunting the inhabitants of the Avengers Tower is old news but the strength in which those new ones start to linger ist horrifying. Everyone of the Avengers has been awake for far too many hours and they start to hallucinate. But eventually, they all have to succumb to their need of rest they step into a world where their horrors truly lurk in the shadows. Can they overcome their worst fears? Will bonds be broken or newly created in a stronger, better fashion?

He [the sandman] is a wicked man, who comes to children when they won't go to bed, and throws a handful of sand into their eyes, so that they start out bleeding from their heads. He puts their eyes in a bag and carries them to the crescent moon to feed his own children, who sit in the nest up there. They have crooked beaks like owls so that they can pick up the eyes of naughty human children.

- E.T.A. Hoffmann The Sandman


The halls of Avenger's mansion was quiet. Too quiet. Usually they were filled with laughter, yelling, and general life. The utter silence was oppressing. Even the current inhabitants felt it. But none of them could or would break it. Clint had noticed it first. He had come home from a mission, sacked out on the sofa only to hear, seconds later someone enter the room. Still running high on post-mission adrenaline, Clint cracked open an eyelid and surveyed the room. Empty. Clint closed his eye again, assuming that whomever it was, saw him sleeping, and retreated.

Clint snuggled down further into the sofa. That was when he heard breathing. His eyes popped open and he grabbed for his bow. Only to find it gone. Clint's heart lept into his throat as he tossed himself off the sofa and into a wall. Back safely secured Clint scoured the room for life. As he crouched there, breathing shallowly, he heard and saw nothing. The expert bowman carefully moved away from the wall and walked around the room. Nothing.

Clint rubbed his eyes. "Way to freak yourself out Barton." He muttered as he spotted his bow behind the sofa. He grabbed his most precious belonging and curled up with it on the sofa. Of course as soon as she closed his eyes once more, he heard it again. Clint moved to draw his bow, only to once more find it gone.

"No!" Clint couldn't help the strangled cry that escaped him. His bow couldn't be gone, it couldn't!

"Clint?" Whatever it was spoke. Clint grabbed the nearest object and threw it at the voice. Just because he didn't have his bow, didn't mean he was defenseless. There was a resounding crash and a swear that caused Clint to jump.

Clint blinked owlishly at Steve who had jumped out of the way of a table lamp. Steve, not some mysterious intruder.

"Sorry." Clint said, actually abashed. He felt ridiculous, tossing a lamp at Cap.

"Bad mission?" Steve asked, still eyeing Clint and the now broken lamp.

"Bad dream." The archer confessed. He shifted on the sofa only to find his bow tangled on his legs. He quickly retrieved it. Thankful in that moment that it had been out of reach, else he might have really shot Captain America.

"Want to talk about it?" Steve asked, like it was no big deal.

"Na. I'm good." Clint muttered as he decided to escape the room. He hurried past Steve and away, somewhere where he could maybe outrun the dream. He had never handled being helpless well.

Steve watched Clint leave and let him. Even on his best of days Clint was something of an enigma. The more they learned about him, the more they realized they still didn't know. Steve sighed and bent down to start cleaning up the broken lamp. If Tony had been there, he would have hassled him about it. I have maids to do that. Steve smiled at the thought. Though he quickly sobered as he continue to pick up pieces of lamp. Clint must have been really out of it to chuck a lamp at him.

Steve sighed and looked at the carefully piled pieces. He took a moment to ask JARVIS to send someone by to finish cleaning up the mess. Gathered together no one would accidentally hurt themselves. Since Steve's self imposed job was finished he took up residence on the couch until the mess was disposed of. He didn't want to leave it unattended. The super soldier pulled out his drawing pad and began to sketch.

As he worked he became aware of a new sound. Steve paused and put down his art book. He examined the room only to find nothing. Shrugging Steve went back to his drawing. After a few moments he stopped again. The sound had returned. It almost sounded like the hissing sound Bucky's arm had made. But Bucky was on the lamb, and not in Stark's ugly tower.

Steve made another circuit of the room, still finding nothing. However he remained too antsy to stay in the room. He gathered up his belongings, looked at the broken lamp and hesitated. He glanced down at his art pad, decided it was big enough, swept all the pieces onto it and left the room.

The next person to enter the room was Sam, just a few hours after Steve had left. Sam sank down onto the sofa with a long sigh. He rolled his shoulders and felt the tension drain out of them. He give out another sigh, finally feel better.

"JARVIS dim lights." Sam barely makes any noise when he speaks, still the lights turn down. He gives another contented sigh and his breathing evens out as he falls asleep. Like all the others who had ventured into the room, Sam's eyes snap back open. His head whips around, but there's no one.

"JARVIS?" Sam questions as he reaches for a nonexistent gun. His hand closes on empty air and the feeling doesn't help calm his nerves.

"Yes Mr. Wilson?" JARVIS' cool voice echoes in the room.

"Who was just in here?" Sam demanded.

There's a pause then, "There was only just you since you entered the room Mr. Wilson."

"It's Sam." Falcon absently corrected. "No one but me has entered the room?"

"Agent Barton and Captain Rogers were in the room earlier today, but no one else aside from you." JARVIS helpfully supplied.

Sam wasn't a coward. He had seen war and some crazy stuff after meeting Steve. There had been someone in the room. Did they hack JARVIS? Stark would pitch a fit if Sam suggested it. But he couldn't ignore his instincts. They hadn't failed him yet.

"JARVIS?" Sam asked again.

"Yes Mr. Wilson."

Sam sighed. Sometimes JARVIS was just as obstinate as his maker. "Can you connect me to Stark?"

"Let me see if he's available." There was silence as JARVIS communicated with Tony. During which Sam couldn't help but continually scan the room.

"What's up Sam?"

When Stark's voice came out of the speakers, Sam nearly jumped.

"I think there's someone here."

There was silence then, "Well, there's you." Stark pointed out.

Sam sighed. "Someone other than me."

"JARVIS?" Stark inquired for his AI.

"As I told Mr. Wilson, there is no one else in the room aside from himself." The cool British voice was unflappable.

"See. It's all good." Stark said. Sam was sure he was going to cut off communications so he jumped right back in.

"There was someone there. I know there was someone." Sam insisted.

There was another pause from Stark. Then, "You sure?"

"I am."

Another pause. "Alright. Give me a second."

Tony had JARVIS cut off communications. A frown creased the genius' face. With barely a thought JARVIS pulled up the security footage. After a quick scan with every scan Tony had, he determined no one had been in or was in the Avenger's home that wasn't supposed to be there. But Tony still remembered the sound of Sam's voice. Sam was so sure. And Sam was trusted by Steve. And Tony trusted Steve. And just because Sam and Tony weren't friends, it didn't mean Sam was wrong.

Tony, decided left his lab and headed to the living room with a small box of tools. Sam was hovering by the door, tense and alert. Tony poked his head in and looked the room over.

"Looks empty to me." Tony pointed out, as he decided no one was in the room, then he stepped into said room. Sam didn't respond. Which was fine, because Tony probably would have ignored him anyways. He moved over to where he had installed one of JARVIS' sensors. He plucked it out of the wall and began fiddling with it.

"What are you doing?" Sam's voice was surprisingly close. When Tony jumped so did Sam.

"Jesus." Tony gasped after he finished swearing Sam out. "Don't do that."

Sam made a face. "Sorry."

Tony shrugged and turned back to the tangle of wires. "I'm checking for tampering. If someone fooled JARVIS, they would have to do it locally. Otherwise there would be some track of a intrusion in the system."

Sam nodded his head. Made sense. He watched over the room as Tony worked, still feeling like he was being watched. Even after a while, Tony began to tense up.

"Can't you relax. You're making me nervous." Stark finally snapped.

Sam blushed a little, but didn't apologize. "I'll feel better when you're done."

Tony grunted and shook his head. Finally the older man pushed the wires back into the wall. "Hate to break it to you Sam. There's nothing wrong with JARVIS."

Sam watched as Tony looked over the room then shivered. Obviously the news didn't make either of them feel better.

"But you feel it too right?" Sam pressed. Tony turned wide eyes onto Sam.

"Nope. Don't know what you're taking about. Might want to take another class at the VA. Or something." Then Stark hightailed it out of the room without a backward glance. Or even his tools.

Sam, a little stunned, and angry at Tony's words, watched Stark's retreating back. Not even a second later Natasha poked her head in.

"Hey Sam. What did you say to Tony?" She questioned.

"Nothing." Sam groused. "If anyone said anything nasty, it was Stark." He had a lot of nerve implying Sam was hallucinating because of his PTSD.

Natasha shrugged and stepped into the room. "Well, he can be a little abrasive." She allowed. Her eyes never left Sam's face. "Did something happen other than Stark?"

Sam adverted his eyes under her intense stare. When he had first met the woman, he hadn't been all that intimidated by her. The he saw her in action. "I thought there was someone here." Sam suddenly felt like maybe he was crazy. Yet he still felt like he was being watched.

"When?" Natasha suddenly began to make a circuit of the room.

"'Bout twenty minutes ago." Sam allowed. "Both JARVIS and Stark said I was imagining it."

Natasha made a face. "But you believe it."

"I do. And I still think there's someone around." Sam added.

Natasha inclined her red head towards him. "Alright." She didn't question him at all and that made Sam feel less crazy. "I'll start from the bottom, meet in the middle?"

Sam agreed and the two split up. After the duo were finished with their search they rejoined in the living room. Clint was waiting for them just outside.

"Anything?" The archer asked. He was still a little pale from his own experience in the room.

Sam shook his head. Natasha eyed Clint. "You too?"

Clint nodded. "Heard Stark said JARVIS wasn't wrong."

Natasha looked the room back over. She shook her head hard enough for her red hair to move with the motion.

"We'll watch it. If anything happens, we'll know." Natasha said turning back to the two men.

And so it was agreed. Natasha took up first watch. Clint was on second. Sam on third, the end of which would be tomorrow morning.

When Steve emerged for dinner he was surprised to see Natasha outside the living room watching it. He greeted her, but didn't ask, not sure if he wanted to know. However when he reached the kitchen and saw both Clint and Sam together, he did ask. The two slowly explained what had happened and their plan. Steve, while he was listening had been preparing his food. When he was done he sat down and looked between his two friends.

"But Tony said there was no one." Steve wasn't sure if it was a question or statement.

"That's what he said." Sam agreed.

Steve frowned down at his meal. "I though I felt Bucky." He finally confessed.

There was silence as the idea of the Winter Soldier stalking them sank in. Then the three stood at one time and went to find Natasha. After Steve told her who he thought it was Natasha asked JARVIS where Tony was.

"Sir is in his workshop." JARVIS helpfully supplied.

"And he's okay?" Natasha inquired.

"Sir is," There was a small pause. "Sir says he's fine."

The four Avengers shared a look before they hurried down to the workshop.


A/N:

So this story ran away from me a little. I've kind of been trying to keep them self contained (and around 1,000-1,500 words) Buuuuuuut. That didn't really work. I'm already waaaay past that with Part 2. I'm hoping it wont become 3 parts. (Haha) Because we're not even half way through, probably about 1/3. And since I've given myself a week deadline, you get a Part 1, instead of the whole story. I'm about 20% done with part 2 at the moment since I don't have these stories written before hand. ;)