So this is the last chapter of this story, wow. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, read, followed and favourited! I didn't expect this story to get as much as it did but thanks :) I'm currently not writing a sequel but I am writing another Avengers story and who knows, maybe after that I might do a sequel to this :) If I do, I'll post another authors note so you know. Thanks again and it has been a pleasure writing for you.
Chapter 29
The next morning, Clint and Hazel had got up at the crack of dawn so they could finish the mission as quick as possible. They had their bows slung across their shoulders and the quivers on their backs, but both also had their guns in their thigh holsters just incase they got closer than planned.
Clint had managed to find some frozen pancakes at the bottom of the food supply and somehow managed to reasonably unfreeze them enough to be considered edible. They had ate them but unlike how they normally did it silently, they laughed over memories and jokes about their team members until it was time for them to start heading towards the cabin.
As Clint opened the latch from the disguised metal door that had a ladder leading up to it, Hazel was getting ready to pass him his bow and quiver as he found it too hard to open the door without the bow being caught on the door, so he left it for hazel to pass up.
He pulled himself up and out of the hole on the ceiling with Hazel passing him up the bow and quiver. As she started to climb up the ladder, she jumped and missed the step her foot was heading towards due to a long echo, which she immediately recognised as being a gun shot. She heard a groan from her brother which just made her more determined to get back up and to see exactly what was going on.
Hazel scaled up the steps faster than she had ever done before and saw her brother with his bow loaded, the arrow was already out of the bow by the time she had whipped her own off her back. She watched it travel and her eyes locked on to a man dressed head to toe in black, clearly standing out against the white snow. It hit him straight in between his eyes and he fell to the ground, dead.
She walked over to his body, but with her bow still loaded just incase there was more of them. But she knew there wasn't, this was the man they had been sent to get rid of and she was glad they finished it so quickly, she detested colder missions. It was just not her thing. She stared at the man for a moment wondering what he had been assassinated for but her attention snapped away from the man when she heard a soft hiss of pain. She spun around, her bow now pointed forward just to see her brother with his hand over the top of his thigh. She let a smile fall on to her lips when she realised there was no danger and they were both perfectly fine.
That was until she saw the blood on the snow. Her grin faded as Clint removed his hand from his thigh and the red liquid dripped down his palm before splitting against the pure white snow, dying it red. He looked up at Hazel and she immediately burst into action, she could now see the bullet hole. She quickly opened the base door and ushered him down gently while she hid the blood on the snow by putting more snow on top. It wasn't the best but it would have to do for now.
She joined Clint back in the buried base, locking the door above her before climbing down the remaining steps of the ladder and making her way over to her brother who was tugging the bullet out of this thigh. Hazel knew how to deal with wounds like this, her experience had taught her that. She quickly walked over to the cabinets and after a few minutes of looking she found the small green bag with the white cross on the front and pulled it out, sliding it across the table to where Clint was sitting. She crouched down beside his leg and flicked his hand to the side as she pressed down on the wound with one of the special wipes. She knew it would sting but she didn't care, she was getting this wound stitched up so that Fury wouldn't try to murder the siblings.
Once the blood flow coming from the bullet wound had successfully decreased, Hazel pulled out the medical needle and thread before grabbing some ice and holding it across the wound to numb it for a short while. She quickly stitched the wound up and Clint thanked her with a brotherly hug before she made them both a coffee. While he examined the stitching, Hazel had pulled out the paperwork she would be filling in for both of them and had made a start on it. She was basically just writing the same thing out twice but like always, Fury wouldn't even notice it wasn't Clint's writing as theirs were identical. Fury had once told her it was the exact replica of her mother's handwriting too. She had no proof so she just took his word but that was a one off. She wasn't so keen on trusting Fury, there was a lot he had never told her.
She had finished the coursework by the time Clint had felt up for flying back, and they both shared their delight at being able to leave the mission a day earlier than planned. It was a rare chance to get a mission in which S.H.I.E.L.D could not check up on them to find out how the mission had gone which for some agents was peaceful but the two hated it as they didn't know if anything had happened back at the Helicarrier.
They made the two hour trek across the snowy mountains that they had made the day before and Hazel let out a squeal of delight as she saw the jet. Clint rolled his eyes and Hazel scoffed. She turned to face him as they buckled into the seats, their weapons and bags all in the back of the jet.
"Come on Clint, you missed the heating too." He couldn't disagree he did prefer the warmth of the jet, it was a bit like his nest back in New York. They made it back to the Helicarrier in just under an hour, their unexpected arrival meaning Fury was standing with his hands on his hips as they landed the aircraft in its desired spot. They grabbed their stuff and climbed out of the jet, smirking at the director. He rolled his eyes as Hazel spoke.
"Easy."
He turned around, his leather trench coat whipping behind him in the wind and although Clint was fine and followed after him calmly, Hazel couldn't help but snicker slightly at the dramatic exit. She noticed they were almost our of sight so she quickly jogged over to them and smiled as they shot her exasperated looks.
Clint left to go up to his nest while Hazel stayed to continue the conversation with the Director.
"So what you are saying is, that I have to go to a press conference with Tony about how Jared and I are Avengers but Jared doesn't?" Hazel asked slowly, trying to process it properly. Why didn't Jared have to go? If she had to go then he should suffer too.
"Exactly. Stark is in the AI Lounge waiting on you." Hazel couldn't help but roll her eyes like normal at the name of the lounge. It was so unoriginal. True to his word, Tony was standing in a suit waiting on her. He smirked and they left the Helicarrier, heading for this press conference.
And that, was how Hazel Barton became an Avenger, found a brother, made enemies, made friends and even a boyfriend and somehow managed to stay herself. This was the story of Hazel Barton but who was to say it ended there?
