Chapter Twenty-Six

Fury settled himself in the seat at the end of the table. Everyone regarded him with wary eyes. The mission really must not have gone well and they all knew it. They were each bracing themselves. Even Tony looked more subdued than usual.

"As you know, the Avengers Initiative was a program that was next to impossible to pull together. Even after Loki and the Chitauri, the public was still not fully on board with the idea of a group of individuals with certain...skills and abilities, even if they were the ones protecting their lives. With the growing threat of Hydra's return, this entire program has been under more scrutiny than ever before. Tonight, we had agents and their families taken by Hydra. This type of situation, while precarious, should have been easy enough for people such as yourselves to handle without any risk to the hostages," Fury's voice was low but menacing. Everyone's eyes were glued to the table, even mine.

"I want you to walk me through what happened," Fury demanded. I had no doubt that S.H.I.E.L.D had visuals throughout the entire ordeal. He wanted to hear what happened in person. He was making an example out of his anger.

"We arrived at the location as soon as we got the alert. The hostages were being held at gunpoint in an empty warehouse. There were more Hydra agents than we had been expecting," Steve informed, his voice taking on a military-like tone. "Natasha found a way into the building without being detected and shut off the power. With lowered visuals, we were then able to surround the men inside from elevated positions. We attempted to remove the threats from a distance, in the hopes that the element of surprise and lack of hand to hand combat would be safer for the hostages. We took down the men guarding our people, but we missed five agents around the side of the building. These men opened fire on the hostages, but we were able to stop them within seconds."

I glanced over at Clint at the news. His expression was guilt-stricken, his eyes red as he stared straight ahead unseeing. As his first mission back, he was taking this turn of events personally. I could see the weight of what happened pushing down on him.

"Fifteen people are in critical condition. Four are dead. These were people you worked with, who you knew. These were their families and loved ones. This could have gone differently if the entire team had been in place when they were given the orders. This is why I insisted on each of you figuring out where your priorities were before agreeing to the job," Fury's eyes pierced into my own.

He threw a handful of photographs onto the table, spreading them out for everyone to see. "We found these in the possession of one of the Hydra agents. He had been instructed to pose as a reporter to distract a member of the team who Hydra felt was a threat to their abduction of the hostages. They didn't want a trained sniper spotting all of their movements before they could get their message across."

I stared down at multiple copies of Clint and I locked in an embrace on the sidewalk. To anyone else, the images would have been a pleasant memory, but now I felt sick at falling right into their trap. The man had surprised us with the camera flash, so when Clint got the call from Natasha, he was already on edge at the idea of being followed. He prioritized my safety, waiting until Bruce could arrive to sweep me out of danger, before following the orders to the hostage's location.

I couldn't help the words that spilled out as I tore my eyes away from the pictures. "You can't put the blame for what happened to those people entirely on Clint. You can't blame any of them for what Hydra did. Obviously, the mission could have been handled differently, but it could have also ended with Hydra killing everyone either way. Hydra is to blame for this."

To my surprise, Fury nodded his head. His expression softened and he shut his eyes, wearily. "I agree. Unfortunately, this photograph has already been leaked to the media. It is all over every news site and television station as of ten minutes ago, as well as the news of the shootings. The public approval of the Avengers has always been tenuous at best. With Hydra growing in strength, we need this team now more than ever, but this is going to make the public distrustful of the Avenger's abilities to keep everyone safe. I know how unfair the pressure is on each of you and the amount of sacrifices that come with this life, but that is the reality of it. The rest of you are free to go. I have a few more things I need to discuss before I leave." He looked pointedly at Clint and then at me as the rest of the group stood and left. I wished I could sink down through the floor.

"Barton, you're one of my best agents," Fury began, "But I can't ignore this. I expect all my agents to follow my orders exactly as instructed. We need to come to a final agreement about this situation right here and now. If you are to continue as a full member of the Avengers, this relationship must end. I know how hard it is to find someone in this world, especially considering the backgrounds we all have and I empathize with that, I do. But the risk is only getting bigger and we both know it."

I blinked back the tears that threatened to spill over. I had known it would come back to this eventually. I had tried to tell myself that, tried to force myself to see the reality of the situation that Clint had a duty to the Avengers above all else. My heart had been naive. I had desperately clung to the hope that we could figure this out somehow, but the guilt over those people getting hurt tonight because I had become a distraction was overwhelming. Clint was still without expression, staring straight ahead like he was completely devoid of emotions. He had flipped a switch and shut it all off.

"There is one other option that I have been considering," Fury said, looking between the two of us. I suddenly realized how hard his job must be. It was obvious that he had no desire to tear the two of us apart maliciously; he was simply following the path that he believed was right for everyone's safety.

"There is a young woman who has caught the notice of S.H.I.E.L.D recently. She seems to possess a highly advanced natural talent for using a bow. She's been getting into some trouble lately, nothing serious, just some childish mischief mainly, but she might be persuaded to get her act together and work for us," Fury explained, stopping to gauge Clint's reaction.

"You want to replace me with some teenage girl?" He asked, jaw clenched.

Fury chuckled, "I wouldn't call her that, if I were you. And no, not not exactly. If she agrees, I would like you to train her until she could take your spot on missions with the Avengers. You would still be called in on missions of particular importance or if otherwise deemed necessary, but the rest of the time, you would act as a consultant for our stealth units. You would be able to have more of a normal life." He nodded towards me to emphasize the weight of his offer.

"I'd be given a desk job," Clint grunted, scratching at the table. I could see the conflict raging in his head. Doing this could give us at least a chance to be together without as much of a risk to ourselves or anyone else, but it would mean handing over the torch to someone else. Clint would have to leave behind a job that he had loved and excelled at for so long. I kept my lips pressed into a thin line, letting him think through the options without accidentally guilting him into a forced decision.

"S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't really do desk jobs," Fury laughed, his good nature slipping through the cracks, "Besides, you would be the one who would have final say over whether or not this woman is a viable option. We would still be using you for the missions no one else has the skills to do. This would just take some of the pressure off you. This isn't an offer I give to agents normally, Barton. This is your chance to decide what you want."

Clint finally met my stare, reaching over to take my hand. "When do I start training this woman?" He smiled for the first time since he arrived. My own expression beamed back at him as I stood to remove the space between us, throwing my arms around his neck and pulling his face to mine.

The sound of a throat being cleared interrupted the moment. "I'll arrange for her to meet with you within the next couple of days. Her file is already on your computer for you to look over. Her name is Kate Bishop."

End Notes

We've come to the end. I have some ideas for a sequel, but I'm not entirely sure if I want to focus on that or something totally new. You can put in your two cents on a poll I have posted on my profile, if you are willing to share your thoughts.

I hope everyone enjoyed reading this story as much as I loved writing it. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and gave me feedback over the course of this entire experience. You guys are amazing! Please let me know what you thought of this chapter or the story overall so I can improve whatever comes next!