Clint ended up sleeping for over eighteen hours, a testament to how exhausted he had been. The Ancient One's magic had worn off after a half hour. Stephen also took the time to sleep, though not nearly as long as Clint. Pietro stayed by Clint's side the entire time. Protecting the man even though the speedster knew that Clint could handle himself and that the archer wanted to 'kill' him to create a better world. Wanda spent some time with the Sorcerer Supreme after she also rested for a short time. The duo were training even though it wouldn't help the Wanda in Clint's reality, it may help restore the world to how it was supposed to be.

Nearing the end of the eighteen hours of sleep, Clint started to stir a bit. Pietro perked up, having nearly fallen asleep on his watch. It almost looked like the archer was having a nightmare. Pietro was about to try and soothe the archer when suddenly, Clint's eyes snapped open.

"Son of a bitch!" the archer cried as he came back into awareness far faster than Pietro had ever seen someone do before. Pietro jumped to his feet at the shock of the cry.

"Clint! Hey, it's okay!" Pietro called, trying to stop Clint from getting into a sitting position. Of course, Clint's second reaction to waking up was to attack whatever presence he sensed near him and with Pietro about to lay a hand on him, that was mentally deemed an attack. Thankfully, Pietro was able to see the attack coming due to his powers and was not only able to dodge the attack but grab a hold of the archer in an attempt to calm him further. That only seemed to enrage the agitated archer. "CLINT!"

"Pietro?" Clint stuttered after a moment. Slowly, he settled as his gaze started to focus on the teen. Sensing that the event was over, Pietro released the archer from his hold and backed a step away to nod. Now released, Clint raised a hand and began rubbing the remnants of sleep from his face. He still felt and looked really tired even though his body felt well rested. But Clint also felt a bit like he had been drugged. A side effect. "What happened?"

"The Ancient One knocked you out," Pietro happily replied knowing the archer would get pissed at the older woman. At this point though, Pietro didn't care. Wanda had come in earlier and complained about the treatment she was getting from the woman and ever since, the Ancient One had been on Pietro's 'shit list'. Clint's face darkened as he remembered arguing with the woman and then her finger coming closer until blackness. "She used magic."

"Damn magic," Clint hissed as he suddenly got dizzy. Something that normally happened when he was drugged with normal medicine for surgery. Pietro nodded, not knowing that Clint's body was having an adverse reaction to what the Ancient One had done. As the archer centered himself once more, he glanced over at Pietro. "How long?"

"Her magic was supposed to stop after a half hour but..." Pietro trailed off. Something about that made the archer unsteady. He sat up and got hit with another dizzy spell that wore off when Pietro grabbed his arm to help hold himself up.

"How long?" Clint emphasized when it was over. Pietro sighed and looked away nervously. He had spoken with Wanda and Stephen about letting the archer sleep so long but they all agreed, Clint did need the sleep.

"About eighteen hours," the teen answered.

"Son of a bitch!" Clint cussed again. He then proceeded to try and get off the bed but his movements were slower than normal and totally uncoordinated, almost like that of a new born babe. Pietro frowned in concern even as he gently pushed the archer back to the bed.

"You need more sleep," the speedster argued as if Clint even cared. Clint grunted in response before fighting to get back up again. This time, Pietro used a bit more force. "Do I need to ask for someone to knock you out again?"

"You wouldn't," Clint skeptically said even as he began to relax back into the bed. Pietro gave the archer a look that dared Clint to test that theory. Clint growled even as his face paled a bit before laying back down in the bed completely. For a moment, the two sat in complete silence. "Now what."

"Wanda's getting some training, you need more rest, and then we'll figure out our next move," Pietro listed as if he was suddenly in charge. Clint scoffed, turning his body away from Pietro like a petulant child.

"I don't need rest," Clint snapped as he room door opened. Neither man paid any attention it, lost in their own conversation and each other's presence.

"Sadly, your body and aura says otherwise," Stephen called, introducing himself to the room. Pietro looked over and seemed relieved to have back up in dealing with Clint. Clint on the other hand tensed as he turned back over to look at the Sorcerer in Training. Stephen nodded to a mirror on the wall beside the door. "Looks like you could still use a few hours."

"No. What I need is to get out of here," Clint argued. Stephen glanced at Pietro for support. Realizing he wasn't going to get the help he thought he would, Pietro looked back to Clint.

"It honestly can't hurt," Pietro started to say. Clint scoffed and shook his head. He was not going to be lying around anymore. No. He was not going to delay the battle anymore. No more collecting heroes to help, he was done with that. Everyone had their own agendas and they may never settle right with Clint's. He'd do this on his own if he had too.

"Have any of you thought that there might be a time table to fix this?" Clint muttered under his breath. Pietro frowned and glanced over to Stephen. Stephen's face went blank. "That this whole world could become permanent in say... An hour?"

"Son of a-" Pietro mumbled, cutting himself off before actually swearing. He growled, mostly to himself as he thought over Clint's words. Only one person would have the answer. In a flash, Pietro was gone. Clint sat up quickly, ignoring the dizzy spell again as he worked to get to his feet. Stephen shifted into the room to stop Clint but wondered where Pietro had gone off too.

"Follow him!" Clint commanded as if Stephen could have seen which way Pietro had gone. Stephen nodded and turned to take off after the teen but stopped when he heard a body crashing to the floor. He turned back around to see Clint struggling to get up. With a groan, Stephen helped Clint up and they headed off in the direction they thought the speedster had gone. Neither man mentioning how much the archer relied on the sorcerer to put one foot in front of the other.

"How can you be telling him to rest if he may be running out of time?" Pietro's shout carried down the hall to Stephen and Clint. Clint shoved off Stephen and put on a burst of speed to round the corner and enter what looked to be the Ancient One's training room or meditation hall. Pietro was being held aloft in a ball of red energy that obviously Wanda was making. The little witch was deep in concentration and didn't notice the new arrivals to the room. The Ancient One was calmly watching as if the speedster hadn't just tried to attack her.

"This is not dependent on time," the woman calmly stated, her gaze flicking to Clint and Stephen before focusing on the angered teen. She seemed unconcerned about the fact that nearly everyone now in the room was angry with her for one reason or another and they could easily gang up on her and win.

"How do you know that? How are you so sure?" Pietro shouted, banging his fists on his sister's magical shield. Wanda winced with each hit but the shield held strong. Clint frowned, glaring at the Ancient One for making the twins fight each other.

"PIETRO! ENOUGH!" Clint roared into the room. Pietro stilled and Wanda's eyes snapped open in surprise at his appearance. Amazingly, she never lost control of the ball holding Pietro aloft. A sign that Clint registered her as having learned a great deal from the Ancient One. "Wanda."

Without reply, Wanda gently lowered the shielded ball to the ground before releasing it. Pietro stumbled a step toward the two women when it vanished but didn't continue in his quest to attack the Ancient One. It was in that moment that Clint seemed to lose his adrenaline and nearly fell over. Pietro flashed over to the archer's side and caught him before anyone else could really notice. Clint gave the speedster a relieved smile even as his mind wondered what was happening to his body. More than just the magic must be affecting him.

"She knows more than she's telling us," Pietro whispered as if Clint didn't already know that fact. Clint nodded and turned a darker glare at the woman he was now deeming as holding him captive.

"I know more than you need to know," the Sorcerer Supreme mentioned as if that helped the matter. Pietro took a threatening step forward which made Wanda raise her hand up to magically stop her twin. Clint shifted to block the speedster's path and hold him back. Taking the archer's silent advice, Pietro backed down. Stephen slipped further into the room and stood between the combatants like he was neutral ground.

"I said enough," Clint warned the teen as he gave Wanda a look that made her drop her hands. The Ancient One smiled at the fact even as Clint centered his glare back on her. "If you won't tell me what I need to know, I'll leave."

"Even if no one follows?" she questioned as if the archer knew what his next step was going to be. Clint nodded, determined to leave this place as soon as possible. For a moment, the woman stared at the archer, almost daring him to back down. Clint's eyes narrowed as he realized she was testing him. After a moment, the Ancient One smiled. "Exactly what I needed to hear."

"What?" Pietro shouted. "What just happened?"

"If you wouldn't mind. I can only tell you this," the Sorcerer Supreme stated, ignoring Pietro. Clint frowned. He really didn't want to be in a room alone with this woman again. It wasn't just that he didn't trust her but... Well, he didn't trust her not to use magic on him once more. Wanda must have sensed his displeasure.

"No," the teen called. The Ancient One looked to her, surprised. Almost as if the woman had thought that after training, Wanda would trust all her decisions. Wanda shifted herself to stand in front of the mystic. It now looked like everyone was siding against the old woman. Clint noticed a twinge of what looked to be fear before the mystic was able to calm herself back down. "No more secrets."

"You do not understand," the Ancient One tried to argue. Wanda shook her head before the woman could elaborate.

"No. I don't think you do," Wanda countered. The Sorcerer Supreme frowned. "We don't trust you. No... We can't fully trust you. By only telling Clint what is going to happen, you could potentially manipulate the world to how you desire it to be and not what it's supposed to be. By telling all of us, one of us could pick up on it."

"I see," the woman stated, her eyes going slightly dark. Stephen frowned and stepped forward. It took Clint a moment to realize that the Sorcerer in Training was seeing something wrong with his mentor. Wanda shifted a step back but didn't fully stand down. Her hands were twitching, ready to throw up a defensive spell if needed. Pietro leaned down, ready to run at his sister's silent command. Clint itched to have his bow and arrow with him but they had been damaged in the crash the day prior. "Hydra."

"What?" Clint muttered. The Ancient One looked right at Clint.

"Hydra has the item you need to fix the world," she told him. Clint frowned.

"Where?" he wondered, having mostly assumed that Hydra was the ones behind this whole mess in the first place. He was truly shocked when the Ancient One shrugged her shoulders. "Wait, so that's it? All you had to tell me was that Hydra has whatever did this?"

"Not quite but it is all I am willing to say on the subject," she replied. Clint scoffed and turned away from her. As he started to walk away, Pietro turned and followed. Wanda was next before finally Stephen shook his head and turned to follow the group as well. "Archer. Be warned. Your magic will be needed. Train with Stephen and Wanda on your journey!"

Clint didn't even turn around. But he did raise his arm and flip her off. Pietro quickly mimicked the gesture. Wanda and Stephen didn't even turn around. The group slowly headed back to the room that Clint had spent the past eighteen or so hours in. Once there, he collapsed onto the bed with a groan.

"I'm sorry," Stephen said, closing the door behind him to give them all some privacy. Clint didn't even look up. Wanda sat down on the edge of the bed next to the archer and raised her hand to see if she could help before hesitating and then dropping it back down onto the bed. Pietro reoccupied the chair he had been in. "It had seemed like there was more she wanted to say."

"Yeah, like make me a fucking magic user," Clint grunted into the cushions. His voice was slightly muffled but the trio could tell what he had said.

"Believe me, we argued about that," Stephen soothed. Clint turned over slightly so he could glare at the sorcerer. "I did not want to even tell you about the magic, praying that someone in the other reality that you were closer too could do it instead. But she insisted that you needed to know."

"Yeah, well... Fuck her," Clint hissed.

"Are you feeling okay?" Wanda mumbled, changing the subject. Clint rubbed his face no into the bed. She glanced over to Stephen with concern in her eyes. The sorcerer frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Feel like I've been drugged," Clint admitted, another side effect. He was too truthful. Wanda chuckled then.

"Means you're still tired," she told him. Clint twisted to glare at her. "Don't worry. I won't make you rest. Just recommend it."

"What's our next move?" Pietro asked. This time Clint shifted to sit up on the bed.

"We talk to Phil."

Convincing Stephen to bring the group back to the crashed jet was harder than Clint first thought it would be. The sorcerer could not believe that Clint had left the only source of communication with Coulson back there. It made no sense to Stephen that the archer, even distracted by crashing and magic, would have willingly left such an item behind. Also didn't help that Wanda and Pietro seemed to agree with Stephen. They didn't want to go back to the jet either. While they didn't voice why they didn't want to, Clint could only assume it had to do with Hydra. If anyone had found the wreckage, Hydra would know and be watching it. After threatening to ask another person to portal him to the site, Clint finally won. No one wanted Clint to potentially be captured.

"I can look faster if you just tell me what to look for," Pietro called for the fifteenth time. Clint sighed deeply as he glanced back at the teen. Stephen and Wanda were patiently waiting at the edge of the jet watching but the archer could tell they were just as annoyed with him as Pietro. The longer they stayed there, the higher risk of an ambush. Clint could feel the tension but tried to ignore it.

"I've described it already," the archer scoffed, turning back to move a misplaced box. He hadn't realized how messy the jet had become during the crash. In fact, much of his memory from the moments after the crash and even waking were blurred. He remembered Wanda or Pietro mentioning Stephen needing help, the Sorcerer Supreme coming and talking with him but the full details were pretty much lost to him.

"A comm that doesn't look like a comm is not a very good description," Wanda argued. Clint shrugged. There was simply no way to describe it.

"Well, I don't know what to… Wait! Got it!" Clint triumphantly cried as he pulled an old looking device from a box. The trio behind him analyzed it. It looked like a mix of a hearing aid and almost like a feeding tube or something. Wanda could see why it was hard to describe. Pietro wondered how that thing could be a comm while Stephen smirked.

"Is that a hearing aid? How is the world is that going to help?" Wanda muttered, even angrier than before. She half wondered if Clint was insane.

"I told you. It's a comm but-"

"Not a comm," the trio mocked. Clint pouted for a moment before he thought about how annoying he must have sounded. Had Cooper or Lila said that same thing over and over to him, he'd be just as upset with them. Thinking about them brought a spark of sadness before being overcome with intense desire to fix what happened to them. He shook his head and placed the comm into his ear. Seeing it fit into his ear the others could tell that it must have been an old hearing aid that S.H.I.E.L.D modified to also be a communicator.

"Coulson? Coulson can you read me?" Clint asked, ignoring the others as he listened for his old friend. He kept repeating the statement over and over every few seconds for the next few minutes. Pietro shifted in agitation after the third call while Wanda and Stephen turned away, scanning the area as if someone might soon attack them.

"I don't think he can hear you," Pietro mumbled, bouncing on his heels in a rather bored state. Clint turned and gave the teen an unimpressed look.

"He may not be listening in right now," the archer countered, determined to prove the teen wrong. So much depended on Clint getting a hold of Coulson that he couldn't fail. Pietro shrugged as if he didn't understand that Clint was hoping Coulson could give them their next step to fix this problem. Clint gave one last pathetic attempt before sighing. Suddenly a thought flew into his head and he half wondered if Wanda had dug around for this before deciding he didn't care. "We need to go to D.C."

"Why there?" Stephen wondered, the first he had spoken since bringing them to this site.

"In my reality, S.H.I.E.L.D built these Triskillions. They have the ability to pinpoint people and kill them by just a simple program. Hydra will be in control of it here."

"If they are ready, why aren't they using them?" Wanda pointed out. Pietro glanced into the sky like he'd be able to see an incoming bullet and stop it from piercing Clint's forehead or chest. Clint shrugged before groaning lightly. It made sense that if they were operational that Hydra would have already used it on him and many others. So, what could be happening? And was Hydra even building them in this reality?

"Look, I have no idea what I'm doing. No idea what to do next. I'm kinda hoping someone could just point me in the right direction," Clint said. "I'm normally a follower. Others just tell me where to go and what to do when I get there."

"Strange being in the lead?" Stephen lightly chuckled. Clint grimaced.

"Eye opening for sure," the archer admitted. After a moment he sighed once again. "We should probably find shelter or something."

"If you don't mind… I can open a portal to my apartment in New York," Stephen suggested. For a moment, Clint looked ready to shut down the idea. But then the archer looked around at the damaged Quinjet. Slowly, he nodded, not even willing to try and calm his now raging anxiety. Less than two minutes later, Clint was staring out a window to the view of Stark Tower in the distance. Wanda and Pietro headed off into the apartment to find the kitchen and bathroom respectfully while Stephen waited a bit behind Clint. Sensing the other presence and wanting to be distracted, Clint spoke.

"That sign was mostly destroyed in the battle of New York," he commented. Stephen stepped forward to see the large letters on the side of the tower. They spelled out 'Stark' and Stephen personally knew there was a smaller 'Industries' sign written underneath that not many people were aware of. "Only the 'A' stayed. Tony thought it was cool, so he never fixed it."

"A for the Avengers?" Stephen asked, accepting that Clint wanted to be distracted. Clint nodded.

"Tony came up with that too."

"I'm guessing you miss them," Stephen commented. Clint snorted, looking down to the street level.

"I almost miss them more than my wife and kids…" Stephen raised an eyebrow at that. "Maybe it's that my mind separated the ones I saw die from my real family or… Well, I've been away from them on missions before. But… Since the Avengers formed… I'm not usually without one of them."

"Understandable," Stephen muttered. Clint turned to look at him.

"Does that make me a bad father?" Stephen nearly shrugged. Not being a father himself, the Sorcerer felt odd judging Clint. But he realized that Clint needed confirmation that it was okay to feel how he felt. Not if Stephen agreed or disagreed. Stephen sighed deeply and moved closer to Clint.

"I can't say I've been in a similar situation but… I think you are a great father. Rather than grieving this version of your family right now, you are working hard to bring them back. You aren't able to correctly grieve as you are determined to win in the end." For a long moment Clint and Stephen just stared at each other. As Stephen began to rethink his words, Clint raised an eyebrow.

"Are you saying I'm not grieving cause I'm too stubborn to lose them?" Clint summarized. Stephen chuckled.

"Something like that," the Sorcerer carefully replied with a shrug of his shoulders. Clint's eyebrow raised a bit higher as he thought over the words. In a weird way, it made sense. He couldn't grieve a family that he knew was safe and alive in his reality. But his friends, they could still be in danger in both realities. That's why he was so worried about them.

"Barton?" a voice suddenly called into his ear. Clint nearly jumped in surprise and attack Stephen before he realized it was the comm in his ear that was speaking. Coulson was finally getting back to him. He placed his hand to his ear to activate the comm. Stephen smiled.

"Coulson."

"Just got back from a mission and got notice that your Quinjet crashed," Coulson stated as if it was news to Clint. Stephen nodded, understanding that this should be a private conversation, before turning to the rest of the apartment to check on the twins. Wanda was working on making food and Pietro was being a nuisance. Clint smiled and turned away from the trio and looked out the window.

"We're fine now. Did you find Cap?" Clint asked. There was a pause. "Coulson?"

"Well… We found the ship but… Captain America wasn't in the pilot's seat," Coulson reported. Clint felt his heart stop. Any number of things could have happened, hell, Cap could have never piloted the ship in the first place. But all Clint could think was that Hydra got to him first and are now working on making new super soldiers. Coulson's next words were part relief and part horror. "Someone got there first."

"Shit," Clint cussed. Steve's worse fear could be coming true. "I need to find Hydra, now…"

"We have some leads," Coulson suggested. Clint sighed. He could tell by Coulson's tone that he didn't believe in them or liked the potential outcome of going after some of these leads. "Not sure if it will help."

"Anything would at this point," Clint replied. Even if it led them into a trap, it was a better start than what Clint had now. Right now, he seemed to be waiting for Hydra to do something in the open but they had spent so long in the shadows, Clint might not ever be able to find them.

"Where can we meet?" Clint blanched at the idea of seeing Coulson and his crew again. One of them was a traitor and well… To be honest, he didn't need a ride anymore. He glanced toward Stephen even as the thought crossed his mind. As much as magic bothered him, it was a faster and more surprising way to travel.

"Just e-mail me," the archer finally said. There was a pause that Clint could tell was filled with surprise and betrayal. Coulson had no idea why he'd refuse to see him after everything.

"Don't you need a ride?" Coulson asked sounding rather desperate to see the archer. Clint grimaced.

"I uh… Got that covered." Another pause followed that. Clint smirked. He loved when he shocked Coulson into silence.

"What?" Clint chuckled.

"Dr. Strange met up with us."

"Stephen Strange?" Coulson questioned. Clint hummed a yes. "The mystic?"

"Sorcerer," Clint corrected without even thinking about it. He nearly laughed aloud when he could basically hear Coulson's eyes roll in annoyance. It felt good messing with his handler/friend again. Even if it might not last…

"How did you get his help? We haven't been able to find him," Coulson mentioned, not commenting on Clint's correction. This time Clint couldn't stop his snort of humor in time.

"He actually came to me. Honestly, if he hadn't come Wanda, Pietro and I would have been killed," Clint calmly commented, his mind focusing on the fact that they lived and not that they almost died. Coulson's bark of 'What?' though made Clint realize he should be taking it more seriously. Clint shrugged. "Strange teleported us out of a Hydra attack."

"You know what, I'm done… I'll e-mail you the cords," Coulson snipped at him, his attitude completely changing. Clint frowned before realizing someone Coulson didn't trust must have dropped by the man's office.

"Got it," Clint responded, a signal to Coulson that he wanted to hear what was going to happen next. There was a shuffle on the other side of the comm as if Coulson was turning off the item before he spoke again.

"Agent Ward is there something I can help you with?" Coulson called. Clint pressed the comm harder into his ear so that he could hear what Ward responded with.

"Wondering if you heard from Agent Barton."

"No," Coulson lied. Clint half wondered why Grant cared when the other man continued.

"Oh… Well, there is a rumor that his jet crashed while we were out."

"Just that agent, a rumor," Coulson stated. Clint couldn't stop the chuckle from escaping. He loved listening to Coulson lying. Coulson cleared his throat. "Is that all?"

"Uh no… Fitz and Simmons… I uh… Thought their results would have been back by now," Grant evaded. Clint frowned. Was he talking about the test on him? He thought they had already gotten the results when he left.

"They are currently inconclusive," Coulson muttered. Clint's frown deepened. He was itching to ask what was going on but needed to wait till Coulson was alone again.

"Are they running them again?" Grant wondered. Clint really wished he knew what the duo was talking about. Not knowing was bothering him more than it ever used to.

"Not that I am currently aware of," Coulson said, sounding unconcerned so Clint tried to relax. Apparently these tests weren't important. There was a long pause in which Clint could almost picture Grant and Coulson staring each other down. Then there was a distant noise that the archer couldn't distinguish before Coulson sighed deeply. "I should get back to work, Clint."

"What tests?" Clint asked before the other man disconnected the line. Coulson sighed again but this time less deeply than before. Clint frowned wondering what was happening in the background.

"Tests to prove that Hydra beat us to Rogers and that he might still be alive," Coulson mumbled. Clint nearly fell into a nearby seat. Wanda perked up and looked to him but all the archer did was shake his head. He wasn't ready to talk about it yet. She nodded and went back to what she was doing. Stephen frowned but he was the only other one to notice.

"Inconclusive?"

"Well. It was Hydra who beat us but… They can't yet tell if Rogers was alive or dead when taken. Don't worry, I will keep you posted but it's a tough fight. We've noticed the logs are getting hacked by someone, they were tracking your jet," Coulson warned. Clint nodded, having assumed that's how Hydra found him. He planned on making Stephen and Wanda go through the rest of his gear to find any trackers and destroy them.

"Thanks," Clint replied even as he moved to shut down the comm.

"Clint," Coulson called before he could. The archer hummed. "Be careful and good luck."

Wow... I am a totally horrible person. It has been nearly two months since I last posted. So much has happened since then. My husband lost a job (thankfully he was working two at the time so we are still okay for now), I got put on some medication that erased my creativity, Darius is now getting Early Intervention for his lack of communication skills, and Clint is getting close to being potentially overweight thanks to his grandparents not listening to me about watching his diet. Hopefully things will return to normal soon. Just got put on another new med earlier today and so we'll see if that helps. With Early Intervention visiting, maybe soon Darius can start letting me do things around the house without watching him 24/7. And maybe I can get some exercise in with Clint so we both can loose weight together!

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Reviews:

Sammygirl1963 - Ha, stop writing Clint and the Avengers. I doubt that will happen for a long time. Tee hee, Clint really does hate magic in every forum I've ever followed him in. Maybe because he usually doesn't end up on the better side of magic whenever it crosses his path. Remember, the Sorcerer Supreme said everyone has magic in them, they just may never be able to harness it. Thanks for the advice with Darius. Tried ignoring him and he just got violent with me so now I got a whole lot of bruises and many doctors asking if I feel safe at home, lol. But as stated above, he's got Early Intervention coming to help him and me out in the long run. Thanks for waiting and sorry it took so long.