Rise of the Champions - Chapter Twenty-Two

Author: Milady Dragon

Jack stood on the outskirts of the travelers' camp, watching as people bustled about getting ready for the night's show.

To be honest, he still felt a little uncomfortable being there. Jack couldn't help the unfortunate connections he'd made between Carson's and what he'd known of the Night Travelers, even though they were as different as night and day. For one thing, it didn't appear that anyone at Carson's was going to steal his soul, so that was a definite plus.

Many of the gaming booths were already open, even though the show wasn't officially letting in paying customers as yet. The immortal could see some of the traveling folk were testing out the various sorts of games, making certain they were prepared for the influx of visitors already starting to queue up to the entrance, milling about impatiently, to spend their hard-earned money on the attractions.

Laura Barton was walking amid the transformed wagons, greeting her people. He couldn't tell what she was saying to them, but Jack was willing to bet she was asking if everything was on track for opening. He'd been impressed with her yesterday; she'd seemed competent and caring, tough yet fair. He only had to question her choice in spouse, but then he didn't know the entire story. Barney Barton had had to do something to prove himself worthy of her, and Jack was interested in seeing just what that was.

As he watched, Laura noticed them standing on the little rise just beyond the encampment. She finished her conversation with the worker manning what seemed to be some sort of ring toss, making her way toward them purposely, intent in her every stride. Still, she was smiling when she approached. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon, Captain," she greeted them. "Let alone with an entourage."

"Mrs. Barton," Jack returned, giving her one of his most winning smiles. "I hope you don't mind us stopping by." He turned to the people who'd accompanied him. "Allow me to introduce my team. You already know Lady Toshiko Sato, my Second." Toshiko nodded in greeting, leaning on her longbow casually.

"This is Natasha Romanov," he motioned toward the red-head, who was armed to the teeth yet didn't seem to be. Jack was willing to bet she had at least ten knives on her person, because if he'd learned in the short time he'd known the woman Jack had been able to determine that the Widow never went into a situation without heavily preparing for every contingency.

"And this is Bobbi Morse." He knew that Bobbi was there because of Clint; she'd been married to him at one point, after all. While Natasha had agreed out of some desire to stick a knife in Barney Barton when no one was paying attention, Bobbi had agreed because of a part of her felt a little guilty about marrying Clint in the first place, when she'd known pretty early on that she'd been some sort of placeholder for someone he'd loved and lost. They'd been happy at the time, but not for the right reasons, and seeing him now with Phil had shown her that it hadn't been as true a love as she'd thought. Now, she just wanted to be Clint's friend, and was pretty angry that a person who should have supported him had left him dead in a ditch.

"And Lance Hunter." Hunter had come because Bobbi had. Despite knowing that Clint was with someone else, he still felt that twinge of jealousy that the woman he'd loved had been with someone else. Perhaps there was some guilt there, as well, but Hunter was really good at hiding that stuff under a snarky façade that didn't leave much visible to the eye. Jack, however, had become very good over the centuries at reading people. He could see it, in the side-eye Hunter would sometimes give Bobbi and Clint when they were together.

Having these four people with him was almost like having a brand-new team.

Yes, Jack did have a current team. Toshiko was his Second, and it was made up of a combination of new faces and the descendants of those he'd led in the past. Owen Harper's granddaughter, Martha Jones and Tom Milligan's twin great-granddaughters, Toshiko and Tommy Brockless' grandson… they were all family to him, as dear to him as his own daughter and grandchildren were.

Still, there was a part of him that didn't want the responsibility of leading those who were that close to him. While it wasn't as dangerous as it had been, with his people being chartered by the Crown of the United Kingdom, there was still a modicum of risk in what they did, and Jack was proof of that, having died a couple of times in the last several years during missions that should have been straightforward and had turned into major shitshows. Ianto hated it when he died but it was better him, who would always come back, than someone who wouldn't.

Yet, this team…it wasn't his team, not really. This was more Clint's team, even though the archer wasn't there in person. They were there because this was Clint's business, that this was his family, even if said family had been a bastard toward him. And, by asking Laura to put out the word about Hydra to the other traveling shows, it had made her, Barney, and their children a possible target for both the Hales and Loki, if he'd been set free by the remnants of Hydra. And there was also the chance that Loki knew even without any information the Hales may have about Clint's past, given the Elf's and the Asgardian's shared history.

It was their duty to make good on that probable mistake and, if that meant Jack had to hang about there, with this new team he really didn't know – except for Toshiko, of course, who really should have been out with their real team but had chosen to follow Jack – then so be it. This was something that needed to be done, and they were the ones who'd most likely made the mess in the first place.

And it saved Clint from having to put himself through the pain of doing it himself.

Because he would have. After all, he'd been the one who'd come up with the plan to come here, to enlist the aid of Laura Carson – Laura Barton – to play upon their former friendship in order to get her to help them. However, Clint hadn't taken into consideration that his brother would have made a reappearance, marrying the woman who'd been a childhood friend and was running the traveling show along with her. He hadn't realized that he had a niece and nephew out there, children of the brother who'd betrayed him, and he'd accidentally put them all in danger by asking for this favor… and that wasn't taking into consideration that Loki might already know.

It wasn't Clint's fault. He couldn't have realized what he was going to find by coming to Carson's. And, Jack had to admit, it had been a really good idea. The Western Lands didn't have the same Guild structure as the United Kingdom did, so it would have been more difficult getting the word spread around to anyone who might be in a position to see something, to discover some sort of clue to Hydra's whereabouts. This had seemed like a solution, and it had made sense to take it.

Laura was giving him a discerning look. "Alright…what's going on? You're not here because we've heard anything; I've barely had time to contact anyone yet about your Hydra problem. So, my guess is that something's happened." Her expression turned worried. "Is Clint alright?"

"He's fine, I promise." Jack should have realized she might come to that conclusion. "But, there's been a development, and I'm hoping you won't mind if we hang around here for a few days. Just to be on the safe side."

"Well," she scoffed, "that's not worrying at all. I mean, having a fully armed mercenary band onsite isn't at all concerning." She crossed her arms, glaring at him.

In that moment, Jack knew she wasn't going to take him glossing over the reason for their being there. She wouldn't allow them to stay unless he was being strictly honest with her. Well, he supposed, as leader of her own people, it would make sense for her to have all the facts.

He glanced down at Toshiko, who nodded without him having to even ask. He gave her a smile, because he'd already known that would be her opinion on the subject.

"Alright," he agreed. "Maybe we should take this somewhere private?"

"My wagon." With that, Laura turned on her heel and headed back down toward the camp.

Before following, Jack looked at his newest team. "Spread out over the grounds and keep an eye on things. I doubt there's anyone here yet, but we have no idea about Hydra's resources right now."

It was a worry that they really had no notion at all about what Hydra had had before they'd taken it down almost to the roots, member-wise. There could be caches of weapons and Artifacts out there, just waiting to be brought into play, and Jack didn't like the uncertainty one single bit.

The others melted away, down into the crowd of workers; except for Bobbi, who mingled with the crowd waiting to be let in. Then, he headed out after Laura, his longer strides catching up with her as she was walking past the big tent and into the residential area of the camp.

When they entered the caravan, Barney was there. Jack wasn't surprised.

The other man frowned. "What's going on?"

"Captain Harkness brought some friends with him," Laura said, taking a seat on the sofa, "and he's going to explain why."

Jack figured he might as well lay the majority of their cards on the table. They'd explained about Hydra yesterday, but that had been before any of them had known about Loki. That was what was now making the situation so dangerous; really, they had no proof that the Hales had broken Loki out of his prison, but it seemed to make the most sense. They had no idea where any of them were, and that was frankly terrifying. While he and Ianto hadn't been in the country during Loki's abortive invasion, they'd certainly heard about it, so they knew exactly what sort of trouble the mad Asgardian could cause if left out in the world.

"Yes, I am." He took a seat himself in the chair. "I'm certain you know all about Loki."

Barney sat beside his wife. "Who hasn't? We were in Barony Santana during the fighting, but we'd have had to have been both deaf and blind not to have heard."

"Well, he's escaped…and we suspect Hydra had something to do with it."

Laura frowned. "And you just had us put word out about Hydra."

"That's right. We're afraid that we've drawn attention to yourselves by helping us." He sighed. "I'm sorry about that. If we'd known about Loki, we never would have asked."

"Is that why you suddenly left yesterday?" Laura demanded.

"It is. We were told the moment we got back."

"Shit," Barney breathed. Then he straightened. "It doesn't matter. I still would've helped. It's my brother that asked, Captain, and I won't refuse him anything."

Jack gaped. Had the idiot just claimed that other lives didn't matter, as long as it was a favor from his brother?

That…made a strange sort of sense. Barney Barton was under the thrall of the UnEarthly Child's prophecy, and he understood just how powerful that sort of thing was, especially when the prophecy in question was playing upon Barney's guilt at what he'd done to Clint all those years ago. The only thing that he cared about was regaining his brother's respect, and that was a force that no one could fight against.

Barney must have realized what that sounded like, because he began to back himself up from what he'd just said. "Gods, that came out wrong. What I meant –"

"I know what you meant," Jack interrupted. "Clint is your brother, and you need to make up for what you did to him." He leaned forward. "But you can't put those who depend on you in danger. Loki is crazy, and powerful, and if he found out about you and your family…" Damnit, he was going to have to be completely truthful. "Look, there's something else you need to know, about Clint… and about Loki."

So, he explained it all. About how Loki had taken control of Clint, had used the archer's experience and knowledge for his invasion, until he'd been rescued and brought back to his own mind. At the end of the story, both Laura and Barney looked stricken, Barney pale as a ghost and Laura with a hand over her mouth in horror.

"If I hadn't –" Barney choked.

"You can't think like that," Jack declared. "What's done is in the past, and you can't undo it. All you can do is move on from here." To be honest, he was a bit gratified by Barney's reaction; anything else other than utter shock and Jack would have told Clint to stay clear.

"Who saved him?" Laura asked softly.

"I did."

Jack wasn't surprised at Natasha's presence at the door; he figured she'd be along at some point, wanting to see Barney for herself and to confront him about Clint. She was a part of Clint's found family, and was fiercely protective of him…and that protectiveness had transferred to Phil, Daisy, and Crystal, simply because Clint loved them. She knew about his past, about how he'd been treated by his blood family, and had accepted that part of him as much as he'd accepted her past as the deadliest assassin in the world, and yet didn't hold it against her. He was her brother more than Barney was, and she wasn't about to let the bastard who'd betrayed him and left him for dead do that sort of shit again.

Both Laura and Barney jerked in response to her sudden appearance, not having expected her to just show up.

"Clint is my friend," she said as she slunk into the room, all sharpness and danger, "and I would have tracked him all the way to the Southern Confederacies and beyond if that was what it took."

Barney looked a bit wary, but he nodded. "I'm glad he had someone with him. You must be the Widow, then." He raised his chin in an act of near defiance. "When I was searching for him, I figured out he was the mercenary calling himself the Hawk. He traveled with the Widow, so I'm assuming you're her."

"I am." Jack watched as she prowled toward Barney. "And you know my reputation."

"Yeah, I do." He swallowed heavily. "And I'll deserve anything you want to dish out if I do hurt him again."

Natasha's eyes narrowed in scrutiny, but Jack had to admit that his response to her threat was pretty damned good. He seemed to mean it, which boded well. Maybe Clint and his brother might eventually get a happy ending.

"I…I wanted to ask…" Barney stammered uncertainly, "but I'm not sure I have the right."

"You can ask," Natasha said, "but I can't guarantee I'll answer."

Jack sat back, watching the exchange, wondering just what Barney was up to. If he'd really been searching for Clint, then the immortal was pretty sure what some of his questions would be about.

"It's just that…I heard Clint had run with the Dark One…"

Yes, that was what Jack was waiting for.

Not that he could blame Barney for making the attempt to understand.

Natasha gave a single tiny head bob, as if she'd been expecting it as well. "That's true."

"It's just that…" Barney's eyes were sad, but his words were full of self-loathing. "I drove him to that."

Jack rolled his eyes, because while the man sounded sincere, it was basic melodrama at its worst. He could see why Barney would blame himself for Clint's leaving, because that had been that very basic betrayal that had had his brother turning his back on everything he'd known. However, in the end, Clint had made his own choices. He could have settled down somewhere and lived a quiet life; but, instead, he'd become a mercenary, one of the most feared in the Western Lands and in places beyond. Barney had had no hand in that, and yet he was taking responsibility, as if taking away his brother's decisions would somehow make things better. Clint Barton was a grown Elf, and it had been up to him to live his life on his own terms.

Oh, Jack wasn't going to denigrate the trauma Clint had been through; and, hells, there had been a lot of that. However, there was simply no guarantee that anything Barney was considering would have changed a damned thing. And, in the end, it had all turned out for the best, because he seriously doubted that they would have been prepared for Hydra without his invaluable input. And, he made Phil happy, which was the best thing possible.

There were things that Barney couldn't know about just who the Dark One had been, and he trusted Natasha not to give away that the Dark One and Clint's current lover were one and the same, and that the Grand Master of Voids had once been a dangerous dark Wizard. There was no way she'd do that to her brother and Phil.

"There are certain things you need to understand." Natasha stalked a little closer, leaning over the couple on the couch. It wasn't overly menacing; it was more that she wanted to get her message across, so that they knew she was telling the absolute truth. "When I found Clint, he was broken, although he didn't tell me what had caused it for a long time. I picked up him, put him back together, and gave him a purpose. It was just us for years, until we met the Dark One and Marcus Johnson over a job gone horribly wrong. Meeting those two gave us both a perspective we were lacking…one I doubt you would understand even if I explained it to you."

Jack thought he knew what that perspective was: it was anger, the driving force of it, what it could do to push a person forward into events they might not normally get involved in and come out the winner…or a variation of winning that was detrimental to all concerned. The need to destroy, to create chaos, to make as big a mess as possible. To take a person's pain out on the world, to make innocents pay for the actions of people who should have been trustworthy and yet had betrayed them. While Jack didn't know Natasha's history, he did know Clint's, and could see how he would connect with the Dark One and Marcus Johnson so easily, and to fall into their orbit like the moon orbiting the world, knowing what he did now about his friend.

"We did bad things," Natasha went on, "but there was good within the bad. Remind me to tell you about Buda-Pest sometime." She leaned back a little, her hands on her hips. "However, meeting the Dark One and Marcus put us on the path we're now on, and neither of us would change a thing. Yes, we're doing our best to wipe the red from our various ledgers, but we also have met friends and gained a family that we've chosen for ourselves. Look at Clint now…with a man he loves more than anything, and two beautiful daughters. He even has a dragon; the first and only non-Wizard to have one. We regret, but we move on. We do the best we can. And, in the end, we get to live as happily ever after as we can."

Jack couldn't help but be impressed by that speech. That was probably the most he'd heard her say in one go. Her words resonated, and he could see just how touched Laura was by them by the glittering in her eyes.

Barney, though, managed to look both chastened and bereft at the same time. Jack could see why; he was Clint's brother, and it should have been him to have found Clint, to help him get his life back together, to walk along life's path with him until circumstances managed to separate them for good. Instead, Barney had had to live with the guilt of his decisions, and to miss his brother, chasing after him futilely until a prophecy sent back to the very place he'd begun, to wait in hope for the day when he could prove himself to the one person he should never have to do that with.

Damn, this was such a mess.

"Clint is happy," Natasha finished, "and I will do everything in my power to keep him that way. He deserves it, after the hells he's gone through. And I flatly refuse to let you ruin that, even if you are his flesh and blood. Especially because you're his flesh and blood, and should have stood with him from the very beginning."

"You're not the only one," Jack spoke up. "Clint's a friend. There's no way in any of the hells I'm going to let anyone ruin his happiness. He's fought hard for it, and deserves it." He didn't add that he would also fight for Phil, because putting his name out there might make certain people draw certain conclusions, and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

But Natasha nodded, as if she was somehow reading his thoughts. Anyone else might have seen that as agreement with his sentiments towards Clint, but Jack just knew she was understanding what he wasn't saying.

"It's good he has people who will stand up for him," Laura said, when it was obvious that Barney wouldn't respond; he'd been struck silent by their comments. Which was good. That was just what Jack wanted, to make sure he was thinking about what they'd said. That, despite his words to the contrary, Barney wouldn't pull the same shit on his only brother that he'd had in the past.

"I always have, and I always will." Those simple words, spoken without inflection, communicated more about Natasha and her feelings toward Clint that any fierce support ever could.

And about Phil.

Of that, Jack was sure of.

Because he and the others Clint and Phil had met along the way would be right beside Natasha, standing in solidarity with them, until the very end.