I have a couple things I would like to say before I get to the chapter:

1. The character of Barney Barton is taken from the comics. I did not come up with him.

2. This chapter ends on a note that makes it seem like it's the end. However, IT IS NOT. I still have one or two more chapters planned for this thing.


The Avengers returned to the mansion, unsuccessful with their search.

"You know, I wish he'd just call, like a normal brother," Clint commented as Tony opened the door and let the group in.

"Leana, we're home!" Janet called through the house. She listened for a reply, which never came. "Leana?"

Thor headed to the kitchen, and noticed a piece of paper on the table. "There's a note in here!" he called to the others. As Clint, Janet, Tony, and Steve filed in to look, Thor grabbed a piece of chicken to munch on before joining them.

Clint picked up the note, all color leaving his face as he read it. "Oh no," was all he managed to say.

"What is it?" Steve asked. Clint handed him the note, which Steve read off for the others.

Dear Clint,

I'm sure by now you've seen the presents I've left for you and your "friends". Proud of me? After you left, I took up training with your old master, Trick Shot. He taught me some pretty valuable things. I don't see why you left him. He's dead now. A tragedy, I know.

Now, down to business. I have your little girlfriend. I'm surprised, she put up less of a fight than I expected. You can do better, can't you? In any case, I'm sure you care about this girl. I'm offering you this deal: I let her go, if you join me. My methods seem more productive in stopping crime than the Avengers'. How many times have you fought those guys? I doubt they'll be causing you much trouble from now on. Together, we'll be feared throughout the criminal underworld.

I'm at the old carnival. Do you even remember the place? It's seen better days, that's for sure. I'm in the old storage room at the back of the place. It's the least run-down building on the grounds, and is where I've set up shop. Come anytime, but the longer you wait, the more likely I'll forget to make sure the girl doesn't die.

Sincerely,

Your brother, Barney Barton, AKA Trickshot.

"Girlfriend?" Tony scoffed. "I didn't know-"

"Shut up, Stark!" Clint snapped, on the verge of tears. "Leana has been kidnapped and you don't have anything to say other than a joke?"

"What is the plan of attack?" Thor asked.

"He never said to come alone," Janet pointed out.

"What, that's not just implied by now?" Tony asked.

"He just wants me there," Clint said. "I'm going."

"We're coming, too," Steve told him. "Someone bullies one of us, he better be ready to take on the whole team."

"My brother, my problem," Clint stated, trying to push himself through the others to the door.

"But Leana's our friend," Janet said. "If not the whole team, let us come with. We'll get Leana out of there, and if we're lucky, we'll get Barney into jail, too."

"And even if you do try to go without us, you know we'll be able to follow you anyways," Tony stated. "So might as well invite us along. It'll end up the same way."

Clint sighed. "Fine. Under one condition: we leave right this moment." Tony nodded, and the group headed towards the Blackbird, Thor throwing the chicken bone away as he passed the garbage.


Just a couple minutes later, the jet landed in the middle of the abandoned carnival. Clint led the way, followed by Steve, Tony, Janet, and Thor.

"Here's the plan," Steve said, and the others stopped to look at him. "Clint goes in and talks to Barney. Keep him distracted. Janet sneaks in and frees Leana. If you need backup, Tony, Thor and I will be waiting just outside." Everyone nodded, showing they understood. Janet shrunk down and flew right behind Clint, as the archer walked into the designated building.

Barney whistled. "Well, that was quick," he commented. "She that important to you?"

Clint looked around the room. The whole far wall was electronics: monitors, computers, etc. He noticed a couple of the monitors showed the grounds, so he must know that Clint didn't come alone. In the back corner was a chair, where Leana was tied up with her hands behind her back and ropes binding her legs together. She was left un-blindfolded, however, and seemed terrified.

"She's my friend, of course she's important to me," Clint retorted, hoping that Janet was on her way to untie Leana. "But I'm not going to join you."

"That's too bad," Barney said, pretending to sound hurt. "Then I guess I'll just have to hold on to the girl. I'm sure she'll have her uses. Oh, and if your 'friends' outside decide to join us, I have this place set to blow." He held up a handheld device that was apparently the control for the explosive. There were two buttons, one larger than the other.

Janet was hard at work on the rope. However, the knots were extremely tight, and she tweaked a muscle trying to pull one loose. "Ow!" she said, forgetting that she had to stay quiet.

"Sounds like you already brought someone in," Barney commented, pressing the smaller of the two buttons. Both Leana and Janet cried out in pain as the chair gave off an electric charge.

That infuriated Clint. "This is why I'll never join you!" he exclaimed. Before Barney even noticed what was going on, Clint pulled out his bow and an arrow and fired, knocking the remote out of his hand and breaking it. "Guys, if you want to fight, come on in!" Clint called to the other Avengers.

Sure enough, the others charged in. "Four against one? That doesn't seem very fair," Barney commented, his tone of voice showing that he didn't really care. He fired his own arrows at the Avengers, setting off the fight.

Janet continued to work on the ropes, now that she could do so in her normal size, since she didn't have to worry about being stealthy. Barney tried to shoot an arrow at her, but it was blocked by Steve.

Barney's attention was grabbed by Tony, who tried to blast at him with his repulsors. However, Barney dodged, getting in close to Tony, quickly firing off a trick arrow that stuck to the leg of the armor and sent a shock through the armor. Tony yelled in pain and dropped to the ground, the arrow effectively disrupting the functions of the suit. Barney's small victory was short-lived, as he soon had to dodge Thor's hammer.

"Surrender to the might of Thor!" the god boomed as his hammer boomeranged to his hand.

"I have other plans," Barney said, shooting an arrow towards both Thor and Clint before running over to get Janet and Steve away from Leana. Clint readied another arrow and took aim; but the arrow Trickshot had fired set off a small explosion, sending boxes filled with who-knows-what tumbling down onto the two Avengers. Clint ended up firing as he fell, which threw off his aim.

Clint watched in horror as the arrow DIDN'T hit its intended target, and instead sailed into a piece of machinery on the far wall. There was a spark, and then the machine caught on fire. This was apparently enough to set off the explosives in the room, starting with those on the side that Leana was on. She screamed.

"Leana!" Clint shouted as the ceiling caved in on her. He tried to run over, but Tony managed to drag him away, pulling him back outside with the other Avengers. The whole building collapsed, and Thor even had to tear off his cape because some of it became caught in the rubble.

As soon as everything settled, Tony let Clint run back out into the mess to shift through, on the faint hope Leana was alive. He managed to find her arm in the rubble - barely recognizable due to the blood and crushed bones. There was no way she could've survived. A proper burial would've even proved difficult, due to how mangled her body must be. Clint began to cry, not letting anyone near him.

Janet shrunk down to her small size and flew between the chunks of cement that had made up the building. She came out carrying Leana's charm bracelet. However, she couldn't give it to Clint, since whenever she tried, he'd shoo her away.

Janet and Steve had eventually managed to drag Clint away from the rubble. However, when they got back to the Avengers mansion, he shut himself in his room and refused to talk to anyone. There was a cloud of depression over the rest of the Avengers as well. Cap seemed to be the next most depressed about it, having flashbacks to losing Bucky. However, this time it seemed even more real due to actually seeing part of the body. Janet would not let go of the charm bracelet as if her life depended on it. She didn't even put it on - she just clutched it in her hand and occasionally stared at it. Tony was the one to spread the news to Bruce, T'Challa, Hank and even Fury. Bruce seemed overwhelmed by the news and had a hard time keeping the Hulk under control, but he managed to. Thor grieved in his own quiet, stoic way, as did Hank.

Janet went once again to try to get Clint to get out of his room. "There's something you should probably have."

Clint opened the door with enough force to startle Janet. "What? What do you have?" he asked, obviously irritated. Janet wordlessly held out the charm bracelet, which Clint took. It caused him to have to fight to hold back more tears, and he sat down on his bed, keeping the door open. Janet cautiously walked in, her own face still stained from tears. "It's my fault," Clint realized. "I missed my shot, and it caused the whole damn building to collapse."

"Those boxes fell into you," Janet pointed out. "It wasn't your fault you missed the shot."

"If I had fired just one moment earlier, or waited just one moment, Leana would be alive," Clint stated. "I don't miss. I CAN'T miss. Because then, stuff like this happens." He was clutching the bracelet so hard that the charms dug into his skin, the bow and arrow charm, due to it being the sharpest of the charms, managed to draw blood without Clint even noticing.