wwy12

3 HOURS EARLIER

Natasha stormed into the large living room, and immediately the Avengers knew something hadn't gone well. She blurted it out, and everyone could hear the unadulterated anger in her voice and it was Clint who realised that even though Natasha was highly trained for situations like this, but it all was different when it came to Hazel – everyone was different when something concerned Hazel.

She wasn't even considered an adult yet. She was nineteen – still a teenager. Clint couldn't shake away the thought of how everything had been his fault. Why couldn't he have just let her be taken away into foster care all those years ago when their parents had died? But he knew the answer to that and it was the battle inside his head that was always won by the reason. He knew what the foster systems were like for many children – they were treated kindly but never felt like they mattered, if their parents never wanted them, then why would anyone else? He understood them and he had felt the same when he found out his parents had died. It was like they abandoned him and Hazel to face the world by their selves but he now understood. Coulson had taught him many things and the imminent death of everyone was one of them – heck, even Coulson had died and that was something Clint had never been prepared for.

"Killian's gone. There was a mole." Everyone sighed and Tony threw himself back onto the couch in despair and Steve stood shocked, hoping that Natasha was going to crack a smile and tease them by laughing at the state they got themselves in over a prank and they were silly and Hazel was fine – but she didn't. She stood there, anger all over her face and did not utter another word.

Bruce was the next to have a reaction. He stood up from his spot at the table and ran a hand through his hair. He looked around at them all and knew he should leave the room to clear his head, too much tension made the other guy anxious. He started to walk towards the door and once he reached the exit, he turned around and faced his team and they all shot him understanding looks knowing straight away he was having issues.

"I'm gonna go – uh – I'll be in the library." He said slowly and cautiously like he was still trying to process the thought that the man who had turned Hazel against them and had Jared double-crossing them was in fact free and no-one knew what his next plan of attack would be. He walked away, not liking any part of this.

The rest of the Avengers sat discussing what they should do and how they should move forward from their state of mind and situation but they couldn't get anywhere. Steve was out of it again, thinking about Hazel and how he missed her long straight hair, her sea green and blue eyes, the way her eyebrows would shoot up when someone surprised her or the way she didn't need protecting from anyone – but only Steve knew she did need protecting from herself. He knew how much she could beat herself up over something and he knew that once this was all over and when she was back in his arms, she would be blaming everything on herself – even the bits she wasn't there for – and he hated how no matter what he said, she would always feel guilty.

Tony didn't show it, but he was taking the news about Killian (and Tony knew he would probably be making his way to Hazel to feed her more lies about her family to break any bonds that were left) dreadfully and he just wanted it all to be over. He was lucky Pepper wasn't in the room, and that she was a few floors down below working on the finance of Stark Industries. He helped himself to a shot of whiskey and ignored the looks he was sent by the rest of the team but they dropped the glares once they realised Tony was struggling too, and stopping him from having a sip of whiskey wasn't going to help anybody, it would just start arguments and they all knew by now that arguments never helped anything.

"Master Stark, I-" Tony cut off JARVIS before he could finish what he was saying. The rest of the team ignored it, knowing that it happened all the time and if it was urgent then the alarms would have sounded. Thor started to talk, his cape hanging around his shoulders.

"We must find Killian." He spoke boldly and everyone around the table nodded, but Clint wanted more. He didn't want to just find Killian, he wanted Killian to die. He wanted Killian to feel the pain he felt when he found out his sister was gone. That she couldn't believe they were related anymore, she couldn't even look at him properly. Clint wanted to make Killian pay for everything he had put them all through, but he wanted to make the man pay for the havoc he has caused in hazel's head.

"No. We kill him." Steve spoke and Natasha, Thor and Tony looked shocked to hear the seriousness in the young man's voice and they were all surprised at the unofficial leader of the Avenger's demand. Clint though, understood. It was his little sister and Steve's love. Killian had to go down for this.

"Master Stark! We have-" JARVIS started again but Tony cut him off. This time however, the A.I wasn't listening to Tony, he continued.

"We have a security breach." The five Avengers stood up, knowing they had to get to their weapons which where three floors below and completely inaccessible should they be attacked at that very moment. They all started to move towards the door listening to JARVIS.

"Doctor Banner is unconscious, and I think there is a fire bom-" His words were cut off as there was a bang, and the whole room exploded into flames.