Avengers
From Time to Time
Chapter 10
Tugging, he finally convinced her to come with him. Not releasing her hand, they walked through the ship until they reached the deck. "What do you see?"
"Planes, the tower, warehouses, a water tower some cars and trucks."
Taking her hand again, he led her to the ladder that took them to the catwalk below the conning tower. He climbed up onto the tower and waited for her to join him.
The sky was going dark with the setting of the sun and just a few stars were out. The moon hadn't yet made its appearance and the lights of the city came on a few at a time. A small gasp came from Naomi as he sat down and she did the same. "Wow! I see why you like it up here."
Clint pointed into the distance. "From here, you can see the whole county."
"It's beautiful." She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped both arms around them, a small contented smile on her face.
~~O~~
The warm wind blew through Naomi's short hair pushing the bangs from her forehead. In just the few months she'd been on the helicarrier, they'd grown until they were a little too long, but she hadn't gotten around to having them trimmed. The shorter style was easier to manage, but she missed her long hair…and the way Clint used to run his fingers through it while inhaling the scent of her shampoo…the way he was doing now. He probably thought he was being subtle.
A few days ago, he'd indicated he wanted a deeper relationship with her than mere friendship, yet they'd been on the conning tower for more than thirty minutes and he hadn't even tried to hold her hand or put his arm around her. The only movement he made was to plant his feet far apart with his knees raised, his elbows resting on them and hands clasped together. If he moved any part of him, it was his head or even just his eyes.
Now that they were alone, or as alone as they could be on this ship, she wanted him to pick up where they'd left off at Stark Tower. Their moments of normalcy had been just what she needed when she hadn't known she needed them. Now she needed…wanted him, but he wasn't cooperating.
The breeze picked up bringing with it hints that fall was on its way making her shiver. Instead of putting his arm around her, he took off his jacket and settled it around her shoulders without even touching her then returned to watching the lights. It annoyed her and she didn't know why. Or rather she did but didn't want to admit that she wanted him to make a move because this time she'd say yes.
After just a few minutes more of the stand-off, Naomi couldn't take it anymore. She touched his arm rubbing lightly down to take his hand. He turned to her with a smile, gave her a squeeze and released. "Ready to go in?"
Doing her best not to betray her frustration, she smiled. "Yes."
On the walk back to her quarters, he kept his hands in his pockets and what talk there was had nothing to do with anything they'd talked about in the session. Mostly, he ran down the player stats of his favorite hockey team's chances for taking the Stanley Cup in the playoffs. Not being a hockey fan, she just nodded and smiled with the occasional "oh really?" so he would think she cared. She did, sort of, but not enough to have this much detail.
Her relief when they arrived at her room was profound. The situation felt like they'd been on some strange date and now she was wondering if he would kiss her good night. When they'd kissed at the community center, she felt the same attraction to him that had been a big part of the reason she'd first approached him years ago. "Thanks for tonight. I think I get it now."
"Get what?"
Leaning against the wall next to her door, Naomi shrugged one shoulder. "You. Or at least understand you a little more. We were only a real couple for a few weeks. Not a lot of time to really know everything about each other."
"We can do that now, if you like." Clint came close enough to touch her, but didn't. Instead, he leaned down and her pulse leapt. Finally, after all the hints she'd dropped, he was going to kiss her. The little flutter in her stomach changed to a rock when he veered off course and pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead. "'Night."
Then he turned and walked away without a backward glance leaving Naomi standing there wondering if she was going crazy. He had wanted their relationship to move forward, hadn't he? But now he was acting as if none of that had happened. Going into her room, she got dressed for bed then sat down at her desk to write up her last session notes on Clint for Hoffman leaving out her ambivalent emotions.
~~O~~
In his room, Clint tossed his jacket on the bed then booted up his computer to go over his notes from the mission to Satisfaction, but he couldn't concentrate. He'd been just a little mean to Naomi by not doing what she so obviously wanted him to do. Then when she made the advance, he'd put her off. It was all part of his campaign for them to become friends before they became lovers again. And they would. It was only a matter of time, and now time was actually on their side.
Putting those thoughts aside, Clint pulled up the videos he'd recorded the three nights he'd been in Satisfaction to run them through the facial recognition program. While he waited, he changed into workout clothes. He and Natasha had a standing sparring session in twenty minutes though he hadn't heard a quinjet arrive in the last couple of hours. She seldom canceled and never forgot to call when she did. But if what he'd seen the last time he was at the tower was what he thought it was, she was most likely spending time with Rogers. The super-soldier would be good for her. They would be good for each other, and he wished them well. Now if only Natasha would let herself feel love for another that he knew she could. She'd always said that love was for children, but he knew differently. Love was for anyone who would allow themselves to find it. And he was living proof.
The computer beeped, but the results of the scan were inconclusive. There were several faces highlighted, but with percentages of less than fifty percent that those individuals were known to law enforcement except on minor traffic and misdemeanor drug or assault charges.
Taking down his duffle bag, he packed for his trip to the community center. He was adding his toothbrush when someone knocked on his door. Going to it, he was surprised to see Naomi. After the way they'd parted, he thought she'd avoid him for a while. "Come in."
"Sorry to intrude. I've brought some things that belong to you."
"Have a seat." Naomi sat in the chair and Clint took the bed. She passed him the paperback, Flowers for Your Grave by Richard Castle. He read the synopsis then the author biography on the inside back cover. "What about it?"
The look on her face was cheerless. "You were reading it for your American Lit class, I think."
"Don't remember it. What else?"
From the pocket of her pajamas she took a pendant. "You wore this several times. I never did find out who gave it to you."
Holding the necklace, he rubbed his thumb over the design. Images flitted through his mind and again, his head began to throb. "I don't…" And then there it was. A memory. "Buck Chisholm gave it to me after my first solo show with Carson's." He rubbed his forehead and the ache subsided. He hadn't heard her go into the bathroom until she handed him a glass and held out two Tylenol. Taking the water, he shook his head at the pills.
"You get a headache every time you try to remember something you've lost?"
Nodding, he sipped the water then set it aside. "They're not as bad as they used to be." He waggled his hand. "Depends on the memory."
She set the photo album aside. "Then we'll leave this for another day."
"It's fine." Clint patted the bed beside him. "Let's look at it together."
"My mother took most of them. She has a habit of sneaking up on people and taking their picture. They never even know it until she pulls it out when it will cause the most embarrassment."
That made him grin. "Sounds like her." With Naomi holding it, Clint turned the pages.
The first was identical to the one he kept in his bedside table of the two of them sitting on the sofa together. He remembered when it had been taken after Thanksgiving dinner. The dishes had been washed, dried and put away, and they'd been having coffee and pie in the sitting area. He recognized picture number two as well, but not the people in the third one. A well-dressed man in his forties and a woman in a very tight red dress that left very little to the imagination.
But the next picture was the most startling of all. He was sitting on an ottoman talking to an older woman, listening raptly, and she was beaming. The fingers of his left hand touched the lined face. "Clementine."
"Hm-hm. She passed away eight months later, but never forgot how kind you were to her. She asked about you all the time." The sadness in Naomi's voice was almost heartbreaking. "We kept telling her you were out of town on business."
"I never knew my grandparents and she was sweet. All she wanted was someone to take the time to listen to her." The pages crackled as he turned to the next page. He had his arms around Naomi as she stood at the kitchen counter cutting up sweet potatoes, and the look on her face was unlike any he'd ever seen on a woman before…that he remembered. This smile was soft and dreamy, her eyes closed, face turned toward him as he nuzzled her neck.
She was sitting so close now their shoulders touched, and Clint inhaled the sweet scent of cherries mixed with the subtle fragrance only Naomi had at certain times. He was of two minds if he should do anything about it. He wanted to get up and move away from her so she wouldn't be embarrassed at the effect she was having on him, but that would just draw attention to it. Instead, he chose to turn the page.
This photo was of him alone standing on a patio in the snow. Something about it was familiar, but he couldn't place it. "This one. Where was it taken?"
"Mother's house on Thanksgiving. You'd stepped outside to get away from the noise and confusion. It could be a good thing you don't remember this one."
"Why?"
Naomi turned her head to smile at him. "Because right after that was taken the local cougar tried to get her claws into you."
Smiling back, he shrugged one shoulder. "What stopped her? Besides me not being interested?"
"Oh, so you do remember Suzanne."
Shaking his head, he nudged her with his elbow. "I just remember how I felt about you."
Taking his hand, she gave it a squeeze. "The feeling was mutual, though we hadn't said the words yet."
"And how do you feel now?" Clint didn't know what made him ask, but it was out there, and he held his breath waiting for an answer. At first he didn't think she would, but then she gently separated their hands.
"To tell the truth, I'm not sure how I feel. Or how I'm supposed to feel. All these years I thought you'd just…left. That maybe somehow loving me scared you."
A chuckle escaped before he could stop it. "That's because it did."
"What makes you think I wasn't scared too?" She closed the album and tossed it on the bedside table, that same hand patting him on the thigh. "I think that's enough sharing for tonight."
Impulsively, he hugged her and was relieved when she hugged back. "I'm glad we had this talk."
~~O~~
"Me too." Naomi couldn't help the little shiver of awareness at the feel of his warm breath whispering over the sensitive skin of her neck. She turned her head to kiss his cheek at the same time he turned, her lips catching him on the corner of his mouth. "Oh. I…"
She leaned back just enough to be able to see that a shadow had covered his eyes turning them from the blue of the sky into storm clouds. Suddenly, he was kissing her with a hunger matched by her own. Their clothing vanished and they were tangled in each other, the last twelve years falling away as if they'd never happened.
In the morning, Naomi awoke with Clint spooned against her back. It had always been his favorite sleeping position when they slept in the same bed. And she realized that from the moment they'd first laid eyes on each other in the hospital that it had been inevitable.
Clint rolled onto his back and she took her chance to escape. She reached for her clothes, but wasn't allowed to enjoy her freedom for long. His arm snaked around her waist as he sat up, kissing her on the neck. "Going somewhere?"
"I, uh, I have appointments and patient files to update, a workout with Maria, meetings to get ready for."
"You forgot 'and the dog ate my homework'." He fell back taking her with him so that she was now draped over his chest, bare skin touching bare skin. "Please stay a little longer."
And because she still loved him as much today as she had before, she agreed. With her head on his shoulder and her right hand on his chest, she closed her eyes. His hand rested on her ribs, the fingers lightly rubbing back and forth while his free hand brushed the hair from her forehead and he planted a kiss there making her sigh. In a few minutes, they were both asleep again.
When next Naomi awoke, Clint was sitting in the chair sipping coffee. "How long have you been up?"
"Not long." He nodded to a cup on the desk. "Coffee?"
Nodding, she wrapped the sheet around her, scooted off the bed and gathered up her clothes. Without looking at him, she went into the bathroom coming out a few minutes later fully dressed. She opened the cup and took a sip before the implications hit her. "You went to the Mess Hall?"
He took another drink and swallowed. "Yeah."
"Crap!" Looking down, she realized that she'd come here in her pajamas. "Look how I'm dressed! It must be all over the ship by now! Or it will be when I leave."
Shifting in his seat, he grinned at the frustrated tone of her voice and she wanted to slap him. "Not a surprise either. Just the when."
"Maria said there was pool."
Again, he shrugged, unfazed by the fact that their colleagues had bet on when they would sleep together. "There's always a pool."
She covered her eyes with one hand while sipping coffee with the other. "What if the director finds out?"
"You're not my doctor anymore, remember?"
"I know." Taking another long drink of the coffee to fortify her, she jumped right into the fray. "I suppose it's time for the morning after talk." Clint didn't say anything, just sipped his coffee. "I didn't come here last night with the intention of…"
"Taking me to bed? Do you hear me complaining?"
A snort popped out. He just had a way of getting right to the heart of the problem. And considering her heart was the problem, he'd done a perfect job. "No. And neither am I. It's just…we were supposed to be taking it slow this time. To see if we could rebuild what we had, but with a firmer foundation."
"We did that last night…" his blue-gray eyes twinkled, his mouth turned up in a smirk, "…and again this morning."
She rolled her eyes. "If you're trying to embarrass me, it won't work."
Clint leaned back in his chair, his legs stretched out in front of him. "We're both adults and what we do on our own time is none of Fury's business."
"Speaking of which, what exactly is this?"
"This is you and me not making any decisions about our relationship the morning after a night of rampant passion."
Naomi sighed with relief. "Good." She finished her coffee, shoved her feet into the fuzzy slippers she'd worn the night before and picked up the photo album. "Want me to leave this?"
"Please. I'll get it back to you in a few days." Clint stood when she did and a moment of awkwardness came in to join them as he gave her a quick kiss on the way out. "Still want to do dinner tomorrow night?"
Naomi didn't have to think about it. As long as neither of them had expectations about more than dinner, they'd be fine. "Of course. What time?"
"On deck, 1900."
~~O~~
A member of the off duty bridge crew ran to catch up with Hill as she headed for her quarters. "Agent Hill, ma'am."
"What is it, DeFranco?"
The young and very eager agent-in-training stood in front of Hill with both hands clasped behind his back. "Agent Davenport sent me to give you a message."
"Go ahead."
"He said…" DeFranco made a few false starts before blurting out, "…2127 tonight. He expects payment by 0700."
Without blinking, she kept her eyes locked on his knowing how it made some of the junior agents nervous, and right on cue, he turned and hurried away. Once inside her quarters, Hill swore as she changed out of her uniform and into pajamas. After brushing her teeth, she went to her computer and sent an email to one of her closest friends. No greeting. No salutation. Just the words, You couldn't control yourself for one more day?!
Once that was off her chest, she was ready to sleep.
~~O~~
The pounding in Alston's head increased exponentially when he opened his eyes and not just from whatever he'd been tranqed with. Reaching a hand up, his questing fingers found an egg-sized bump on his forehead. And because he was lying on the floor, he surmised that he'd been just tossed in the cell by a couple of goons. He crawled over to the bed and used it to help him stand and move around the room to work the kinks out of his muscles.
A quick check told him he'd been relieved of anything that might help him escape. The fog in his brain lifted the more he moved around, and no nausea meant he probably didn't have a concussion. Counting himself lucky, he used the toilet, washed his hands as best he could without soap then splashed cold water on his face to scatter the remaining cobwebs, using the tail of his flannel shirt to dry off.
Going to the door, Alston peeked out the six-by-four window, but could see only a few feet of corridor and the opposite wall. Instead of calling out, he lay down on the bed, hands laced behind his head and waited for someone to notice he was awake. Wouldn't be too long considering they were watching him from the camera hidden in the ceiling. He couldn't see it, but it had to be there. This facility was too well protected for them to have neglected to put surveillance in the cells.
He'd been about to doze off when the door opened and a muscular man in his thirties came in while another stayed at the door. Both heavily armed. And because he wasn't stupid, he waited until he set a tray on the table before sitting up. Not the most appetizing food, but he didn't complain, though he did make a mental note to plan a barbeque when he returned home to Sarah and the kids. He had also a sneaking suspicion he'd need an extended vacation when this op was over.
~~O~~
Clint set his packed duffle bag and bow case on the bed then put on his jacket. His ride to New York would be leaving in a few minutes and he didn't want to be late. After a moment's thought, he opened the drawer and took out the photo of he and Naomi from twelve years ago. Opening his bow case, he set the photo within the protective foam so it wouldn't get bent. Just as he was about to shut the door and head out, his eyes fell on the envelope Bagley had given him from his brother. He'd shoved it in there when he got back to the helicarrier and hadn't thought about it since because he didn't want to hear what his brother had to say. Nothing Barney could say would make it better. They'd been each other's only family yet they hadn't spoken in twenty years. He debated for all of five seconds before dropping the envelope in the bow case and snapping it shut with an angry flick of his wrists. The range was calling him to let loose with a few arrows to let off steam, but he had someplace he needed to be.
At the private airport, he strapped his bow case to the back of the bike, hopped on and tore off down the street at well over the speed limit. He passed several police cars lying in wait for lawbreakers, but they never stopped him except for the first time. Once the cop realized who he was, the man had merely handed him back his ID, nodded once and returned to his patrol.
That night, after the kids and the work crew had left for the day, Clint thought about setting up a makeshift target and getting in a little practice. A few minutes later, he'd used debris from the destroyed playground to create several targets against the side of the building. It was dark out, but the street and security lights gave him enough to see by.
For over an hour, Clint shot arrow after arrow into the targets. Sometimes standing still, sometimes performing one of his routines from the circus but without the applause and adoration of the crowds. He found he preferred the solitude. Sort of. Naomi's presence would've made him feel less on edge and he didn't have far to go to find the source: the letter from his brother. When he'd taken the bow and arrows from the case, he'd slipped it into his pocket.
Now that he'd worn himself out, he sat down under a light with his back against the wall holding the envelope in both hands. It had his name on the front in unfamiliar handwriting that he assumed was Barney's. In his mind, he examined his reason for reading it now when he hadn't before and could only come up with one answer: Naomi. It was all her doing. Having her here relaxed his mind in a way that he'd needed for a long time, even before Loki.
The restlessness that had previously led him to reckless behavior with regards to the opposite sex had started to build even before Loki had come to Earth. But it wasn't making love with Naomi that had curbed the desire to begin trolling. It was her presence in his life again, and with that presence he now had the strength to face his brother's final words. He opened the envelope and pulled out a single sheet of paper. A small photograph of a man and woman leaning against the side of an old Chevy fluttered to the ground. He picked it up and held it while he read the letter.
Clint,
If you're reading this, then I'm dead. Sorry to just throw that out there, but that's the way it is.
First of all, I owe you one colossal apology for leaving without saying good-bye when I joined the Army. At the time, I thought it was the best way to handle our first separation since Mom and Dad died. I made Beppo and Snitch promise to watch over you after I'd gone, and from what I hear, they did a decent job because you're doing pretty good for yourself. I, on the other hand, took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in a place I should never have been. But all of that doesn't matter now that I'm gone.
If what I've done has hurt you in any way, I'm sorry. Whatever you do, do not follow in my footsteps. Because of the way I've conducted my life, I expect to spend eternity in hell, which is no more than I deserve, and the last thing I want is for you to end up there too.
There's so much more that I want to say, but there've been too many years of silence for us to fill them now. I just hope that you're happy with your life.
One last thing. After we were taken to the orphanage, I told you there were no pictures of Mom and Dad, but I lied. I managed to keep one, but I missed them so much I didn't want to share. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, do so. If not, I understand.
Have a long and happy life, little brother.
Barney
Holding up the picture, Clint attempted to fit the images into his memory, but they didn't quite go with what he knew, or thought he knew. Here, his parents looked happy and in love, like a newly married couple. William Barton looked sober, his arm around the slender woman leaning against his side as she smiled into the camera.
With a sigh, Clint took out his wallet, and after one last look, stuck the photo the slot behind his credit card. Getting to his feet, he went back inside, taking out his SHIELD issued phone and hitting speed dial. A moment later, it was answered.
"Hello?"
"It's Clint." A moment of startled silence came from the other end of the line.
"Is something wrong? You sound strange."
He agreed with the opinion, and only one thing could change it. "I need to see you. Can you come to the community center?"
The helijet landed in the parking lot of the community center just before midnight. Naomi jumped out and it was gone again. Clint went outside to meet her, the two of them watching until the craft had taken off again before Naomi turned to face him with concern in her brown eyes. Then, she looked past him to the makeshift targets still imbedded with arrows. "Clint, what's wrong?"
He didn't say a word, just started pulling the arrows out and she came to help. Inside, they placed the arrows on the desk and when she touched his hand, he swept her into his arms and just held her close.
TBC