Author's Note: For Spontaneous Me, who requested a longer chapter and is asking for a little angsty Will. Chapter is rated for language.
New York City
"Tony."
Bruce Banner pushed his glasses back up on his nose and glanced over at his fellow Avenger. Tony Stark was engrossed in a holographic blueprint of his latest building. Bruce looked down at Tony's Starkphone lying on the table next to him. Tony had Black Sabbath up so loud Bruce was surprised he wasn't deaf. Or maybe he was, considering he paid zero attention to his phone. "Tony!" Bruce yelled, a little louder.
Tony blinked. "Yes, Leonardo?"
Bruce frowned. "Ninja Turtle references, really? Your phone is ringing."
Tony glanced over at it. "Eh, she can leave a message."
Bruce passed him a schematic from his screen to Tony's holopad. He glanced at the phone. MISSED CALL FROM NATALIE RUSHMAN. He frowned. "Who's Natalie Rushman?"
"We-ell," Tony said, plugging some numbers into the blueprint, "she used to be my personal assistant."
Bruce raised an eyebrow. "I thought Pepper-"
"Pepper's CEO. I needed a replacement. Natalie had all the right…assets."
Bruce snorted. "I'm sure she did."
"Yep," Tony agreed. "Til she turned out to be a SHIELD plant with a love of dead languages and kickass kung-fu skills." He tossed another schematic back at Bruce and Bruce blew it up on his screen. "You know her," Tony added.
Bruce pocketed his glasses as Tony slid his phone over to him. Bruce inspected the called ID photo on the missed call screen. "Wait-"
"You betcha Jolly Green," Tony said, crumpling up the holo and tossing it in the virtual trash.
"Natasha Romanoff?" Bruce laughed. "SHIELD's had their eye on you for a while now, huh."
"Almost as long as you," Tony shot back. Bruce nodded, conceding the point. Tony's phone lit up again. "You gonna answer that?" Bruce asked him.
"I don't really want to," Tony replied. "For one thing, she and Featherhead are supposed to be on vacation-"
"Vacation," Bruce muttered. "Not really." He looked at the phone as it vibrated on the table. "Does Natasha make a point of calling you on a regular basis?"
"Only when Pepper's out of town." Off Bruce's raised eyebrows, Tony amended, "Eh Pepper doesn't think that joke's funny either."
"So it might be important," Bruce said.
"Maybe," Tony said, returning to his schematic, ignoring the phone.
Bruce reached over and picked up the phone. Tony opened his mouth to say something, but Bruce's eyes flashed green. "Ask her to bring back some coconuts," Tony muttered, spinning the hologram around.
"Natasha?" Bruce asked into the phone. Ever since he'd nearly killed her on the helicarrier, Bruce had been working to make it up to her. He wasn't sure she trusted him yet, but he was doing his damndest.
"Dr. Banner?" Natasha's voice sounded very confused. "Where's Tony?"
"He's here," Bruce responded, tucking the phone under his ear and glancing sideways at Tony. Tony's response was to crank the music. "He's just um….inventing."
"Dr. Banner, this may sound strange but…have you heard from Agent William Brandt?"
That brought Bruce up short. He narrowed his eyes. "Will?" he said. He and the IMF agent had gotten along pretty well on the helicarrier, and had stayed in touch a little after Manhattan. "No, not in a while," he admitted. "Last I heard he was headed to Honolulu for a mission with the rest of his team," Bruce replied. "Why?"
The truth was, he and Will had kept in touch quite a bit. Though Bruce was not a medical doctor or a psychologist by any means, he and Will had kept in touch almost every week for the first few months after Manhattan. And though he wasn't truly a doctor, Bruce hadn't said anything, keeping their calls private. He hadn't even told Clint. Clint was dealing with enough the way it was.
"Doc, it's Clint," Clint's voice came over the phone. "You haven't heard from him at all lately?"
"No." Bruce reached past Tony and turned the music off. Tony swore. "I'll poke you with the nearest pen," he threatened.
Bring it, Bruce mouthed back. "Clint, what's going on?"
Tony looked up, mildly interested. "Yeah, okay," Bruce said. "We'll see you in a few hours." He hung up and handed the phone back to Tony. Tony stared at it for a moment before taking it. "What's up with Feather Head and Romanoff?"
"You remember Clint's brother, Will?" Bruce asked. "The IMF agent?"
Tony nodded. "I liked him. He thought I was funny."
"He's missing."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Whaddya mean, 'missing'?"
"I mean, Clint hasn't heard from him and he's not answering his phone." Bruce replied. He thought a moment. "Tony…." He managed a smile even though he was worried. "Break out JARVIS. I need you to find somebody for me."
London
"And once again here I am…sitting in the van….staring at the computer. Waiting for the action to happen. It takes skill. Power of observation-"
"Hey, Benji? Observe that I can hear you and it's getting annoying," Jane Carter muttered into her mic. "Next time Benji, I promise, you can wear the dress."
"If it gets me out in the field I'm all for it," Benji Dunn retorted.
Inside the yard party, Jane wished, once again, that there was somewhere other than her dress to stick a microphone. It looked very weird trying to subtly talk to your chest. Maybe we need to get those implant things like Brandt had….
Brandt. Jane forced his face from her mind as she struggled to keep up the alluring façade she was forced to wear-again. She was worried about him, but she couldn't worry right now. They hadn't heard from him since Honolulu. Ever since Ethan'd sent him home after the nightmare.
After he almost got her killed.
"Target's on your left," she heard Ethan in her ear, interrupting their banter. "Get in there, Jane," he added. "We're a man down, we need all the intel we can get."
Inside the catering van outside, Benji kept sharp tabs on Ethan and Jane inside as they both made their move toward the husband and wife targets. This op was simple intel gathering, something that Jane could do quite literally in her sleep and Ethan could charm out of almost anyone, but Benji wouldn't let either of them out of his sight. He'd been a little paranoid since Honolulu.
He liked his computers. Benji wasn't really a people person in the sense that he made a good undercover field agent. He'd passed the test to put him out in the field with Jane and Hanaway, but no matter how much he complained about never being able to wear a mask, truthfully, he was much happier in front of the computer screen.
Something broke into his thoughts, a shrill ringing. He scrambled for the phone and picked it up, looking at the caller ID.
PRIVATE.
Benji frowned. What the hell… He picked up the phone. "Uh….hello?"
"Is this Benji Dunn?"
The voice on the end of the phone sounded familiar. "Depends on who's calling," Benji replied.
"Benji, this is Clint Barton," the voice said. "I'm Agent Brandt's brother. We met in New York?"
Benji's jaw dropped.
"Benji," Ethan's voice sounded in his ear. "What the hell is going on out there?"
"Hawkeye?" There was a certain measure of awe in Benji's voice. He'd seen the man in action in New York and while he'd heard of SHIELD's expert marksman by reputation, it had been a whole other ball game watching him launch arrows from almost a mile away from a target and nailing them in the eye. And now he was on the phone with him. "How'd you get this number?"
"Look, I'm trying to find my brother. Is he with you?"
"Uh," Benji scrambled. "No. He um, actually, he's on sort of leave?"
"Will doesn't take vacations," Clint's voice countered.
"Ah, yeah, it was sort of a forced vacation," Benji admitted.
"Benji, what are you talking about?" That came from Jane, but Jane had easily picked up on who at least Benji was talking about.
"What do you mean a 'forced' vacation?" Clint demanded, concern lacing his voice. Benji bit his lip. Then he remembered he was dealing with Will Brandt's brother. The world's greatest marksman. Will Brandt's protective, older brother.
"There was a…situation on our mission-"
"Benji-not another word!" Ethan cautioned. Benji chose that moment to rip out his earpiece and set the computer on MUTE so neither of his team could get a word in edgewise. He would pay for it later. Ethan would be pissed. But Will was Benji's friend. And Clint wouldn't have called for no reason.
"What kind of situation, Benji?" Clint asked, tense.
Benji closed his eyes, remembering.
Honolulu
"You look beautiful in that dress," Will muttered to Jane. He sat on the roof of a bank across the street from the hotel and peered in at her from a scope.
"Shut up," Jane replied, tugging the hibiscus clip from her hair and letting her hair drop to her shoulders.
"Want me to look away while you slip into something more comfortable?" he asked her. He watched her flip him off and chuckled."Nothin' I haven't seen before," Will added.
"Will…" Jane's voice made him pause. He frowned. "Promise me….don't let him…I mean, before-"
"I promise, Jane," Will replied, the joking tone gone from his voice. It had suddenly got very warm in the rooftop, and it wasn't because it was eighty degrees at ten at night. "I've got your back."
"Target entering the building," Ethan announced. "Just hit the elevators. On his way up."
Jane let the dress fall from her shoulders, and Will got a full view of his teammate. He shifted positions and suddenly wished it was his brother up here instead of himself. Clint was a better distance killer than Will was.
"You're up, Venus," Ethan's voice announced to both Will and Jane. He switched freqs. "Will…are you sure you've got this?"
"Yeah, boss," Will muttered. "I got this."
"You haven't really been 100% since we got here….I know you haven't been sleeping-"
"I said, I got this," Will growled.
"Fine," Ethan said shortly. "Then he's all yours."
Will returned his gaze to the scope. He watched Jane position herself in the chair in the room. Someone must have knocked, because he heard Jane say, "Come in," in a low voice.
He stepped into the room and Will wanted to blow him away right there. It was a pity he had information they needed. The guy was lined up perfect in the sight. IMF had issued "shoot to kill" once they obtained the information they needed.
"They say this is paradise," Renault said, his voice coming in loud and clear from the mic Jane had planted in the room. "But you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen," he said, stepping up to Jane. He was eyeing her and Will watched him like a hawk. Renault liked it rough. Too rough. Will hadn't wanted Jane to go in, but she was the only chance they had. Renault's weakness was a beautiful woman. And Jane could play to his level…for a while. Promise me, her voice rang in Will's ear. Will shifted position, his finger tensing over the trigger. They'd seen Renault's handiwork two nights ago. The woman had been barely recognizable. He wouldn't let that be Jane.
"I noticed you couldn't stop staring," Jane replied. "I saw the way you handled my ex-boyfriend," she said. That had been Ethan, in a starring role. He wasn't used to having his ass handed to him, and Will knew how hard it was for Ethan to lose a fight. "Does that make you my white knight?" she asked.
"I'm no white knight," Renault said.
"Oh, I know," Jane said, and that was the key. The next moment, she was out of the chair and had Renault pinned to the bed. Will watched carefully though the scope for a moment or two. "Shit," he muttered. This was taking longer than he thought."She was supposed to stay in control. Ethan, it's not going so good. I don't think…she can't stay in charge... He's too big... Jane needs backup."
And then he heard her gasp in pain. Oh shit. "Ethan!"
"What?"
"Get the fuck up here!" Will yelled. He fingered the safety off. "Jane! Hold on, Ethan's coming!"
He heard Renault slap her, hard."You bitch, you belong to me now."
The voice seeped its way into Will's mind and he gasped from the shock. Suddenly, it wasn't eighty degrees anymore, it was thirty below. Your precious brother is mine.
Vaguely, he was aware of Benji yelling his name, but his mind was trapped. He couldn't register Jane struggling under Renault, couldn't hear Ethan telling him to shoot, goddamn it! His mind was frozen. Loki...
In his ear, he heard a piercing scream. It might have been Natasha. The Hulk had found her. And he was next-
"WILL!" Benji's voice cut through the panic, and Will gasped. "Fuck!" He blinked once, looking down the scope. He could hear loud banging in his ear-Ethan, trying to break the hotel door. Jane was screaming, and Renault was spouting things in French that Will didn't want to translate. "Ethan hurry up!" he yelled. "I can't get a shot!" To Jane, he said, "Hold on honey, Ethan's coming. You gotta push Renault up a little, I can't get a shot, he's out of eyeline." Goddamn wall... He just needed Renault's body a little more toward the headboard, more in the window...
Then Jane did something that made Will's heart break. He heard her scream, "Will! Help me!" It was a strangled yell, and 'me' was cut off with a garbled cry.
He couldn't get a shot. Renault had Jane pinned to the bed, flat against her. There was nothing for him to shoot. Nothing was a big enough target. Jesus, Jane, oh God…."Come on Jane, kick him in the ass!"
He saw Renault's body heave upward and Will fired without a second thought. Red exploded on Renault's temple and the force of the shot knocked him sideways. "Jane!" Will yelled.
In his ear, he heard, "Will. Get your ass in here NOW." That was Ethan, and it was the hardest tone he'd ever heard.
He left the gun and took off for the edge of the roof. In a move he learned from his brother, he pulled out the IMF standard grapple gun and fired into the brick, then leapt off the roof. He ratcheted down the side, released the cable, and sprinted into the hotel, past the shocked desk clerk, and bolted for the stairs. He took them three at a time.
Clint. Please be okay, Clint. It was like being back in New York all over again. He was up there somewhere-NO, no Jane was up there, and who knows what the hell Renault had done….He hit her floor and sprinted into the broken door.
Renault's lifeless body was on the floor, and Ethan was on the bed with a coughing, sputtering Jane. "Ethan, is she-"
Ethan's green eyes glared at him, and he saw Jane. Bright red marks around her neck. Streaked mascara. An eye that would be black in the morning. Fresh bruising on her arms and wrists. Because he hadn't pulled the trigger. Hadn't taken the shot.
The look in her eyes…betrayal. "Why didn't you shoot him?" Jane asked him helplessly. She was somewhere between fear, tears and shame. "You had the shot."
"I-I-" Will's hands drifted to his face and he ran a hand through his hair. "God, Jane, I-"
"Guys?" Benji's voice broke in tentatively. "Honolulu PD is on their way…you might want to get out of there." His voice was quiet, in shock from what had just happened.
"Get out," Ethan hissed to Will in a low whisper.
Will frowned. "What?"
"Get out," his team leader said, stronger this time. "You're not mission ready, and I don't want you on this team until you are. You need help Will," he growled. "Go home. Take a few weeks. Get some help. Get cleared by IMF Psych. I don't want you in the field with us until you're 100%."
Will looked at Jane. She looked away, not able to meet his eyes. "God Jane…I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, I…" he was backing out of the room. He didn't know what else to say. This…this was a bigger screw up than Croatia.
There was silence on the end of the phone. "A-are you still there?" Benji tentatively asked the Avenger.
After a moment, he responded. "Yeah, Benji, I'm still here. Did…did Will come back to DC?"
"I assume so," Benji said. "Ethan won't let him back into the field 'til he's been cleared by psych, and he has to do that in DC so…."
There was silence again. "Thanks," Clint said.
"Ah….Agent Barton?" Benji asked. "Is Will okay?"
"I don't know, Benji," Clint's voice said worriedly. "I just don't know."