Hello all. I was inspired to write this story a bit ago, and pieces came together during my vacation when I let my brain relax for a bit. I did some reading and saw that there was supposed to possibly be a twin for Jean Vilain (Claude), who might also pop up in the new film yet, and I wanted to write a story about it. I hope it's entertaining and keeps you on your toes.
I will say there will be triggering things in this story like action, minor violent scenes, and grief. You've been warned.
Please enjoy!
Arizona
He looked down at the small photograph in his fingers, smoothing it with his thumb. Their smiling faces looked back up at him. He gave a slight chuckle. They'd always gotten into mischief growing up, so much so that their parents hadn't known what to do with them.
"I miss you," he said out loud. Then he sighed, folded the photograph back up, and put it in his wallet again. He drummed his fingers against the table top, waiting. He scanned the bar idly, noticing who was where and doing what. Habit.
The door opened, and he watched a man enter. He took in the man's exterior, the tough build, the sharp eyes, and the clenched jaw. His shaved head bounced light off of it as he walked towards him.
"Travis?" he asked, stopping next to his table.
"That's me."
The older man sat down and folded his hands on the table, looking at Travis as if he was waiting for Travis to start talking first. That wasn't the deal here, and Travis knew he knew it.
"And you are?" he asked.
"Church," the man answered.
"Church," Travis repeated. What the hell kind of name was that?
"Yea, like the building you pray in, but a lot of people pray they don't run into me," Church offered.
"Is that supposed to scare me or impress me?" Travis asked. Church lifted his shoulders into a shrug that said he would take either or. Travis wondered if he was wasting his time here.
"You wanna tell me why I'm sitting here in some bar in Arizona having a meeting with you?" Church asked.
"I know you already have the answer to that," Travis said back, keeping his gaze level on Church.
"So, you're telling me you have intel that Jean Vilain is still alive," Church said after a moment.
"That's correct."
"Bullshit," Church fired back. "I saw his decapitated head myself."
"What you saw," Travis said, leaning forward slightly, "was his brother's head. Claude."
Church blinked, processing this information. Then he licked his lips and started to talk before stopping himself. He made a sound in his throat and exhaled slightly before trying to speak again, pursing his lips as though to say "you," finger starting to jab towards Travis. He stopped again. He genuinely looked taken aback.
"That's about how I looked when I found out," Travis said, sitting back in the booth. "So tell me, how are we going to deal with this?"
"Well, obviously he has to go," Church said. "Where is he now?"
"I lost him."
"You lost him?" Church repeated. "How?"
"He moves like a ghost, but not for long," Travis promised.
"You can't take him down alone," Church started, and Travis held up his hand.
"I know," he said. "That's why you are gonna introduce me to the team who took down Claude."
"Ah," Church said knowingly. "So that's why you searched me out. You need to find them."
"It's either with them or not at all," Travis said pointedly.
"All right," Church sighed, pulling out his phone. "Let me track the mutts down and get back to you."
"You do that," Travis said lightly, picking up his beer again and sipping. He looked around once more while Church got up and made some calls. A memory was playing in his head.
"You've got my back, right?" the younger boy asked, looking up at him. "No matter what?"
"I've always got your back," Travis replied strongly.
"Here," Church said, snapping him back to the present. "That's his address. Be careful getting tangled up with them. The last guy they had working with them got a knife to the heart."
"No shit," Travis said dryly. He took the piece of paper and stood up. Church surveyed him carefully.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were on a revenge mission," he said.
"So what if I am?" Travis challenged.
"Don't let it cloud your judgment."
"I haven't seen this clearly in a long time," Travis indicated. Church gave a slight snort before shaking his head.
"Youngsters," he commented. "Thinkin' they're so damn tough when they're not."
"You want to see tough?" Travis asked menacingly. "Huh?"
"I don't doubt you could snap my neck with one hand, but don't make the lady clean up that mess," Church said, tilting his head towards the woman who was wiping down the table two down from them. "She doesn't deserve that."
"Are we done here?"
"Depends. What is Jean Vilain up to?"
"I don't know yet," Travis lied. Some cards he wanted to keep close for now. "Thank you for the information and your time."
"Good luck with the mutts," Church said last. Travis held up his hand as he walked away, getting into his black Dodge truck and driving off quickly.
New Orleans
Tool was pondering on Church's conversation as he made his way over to where Barney was sitting and cleaning his pistols. Gunner and Caesar were ramping up some kind of competition in the other room (someone was pounding on a table), Toll was tucked away with a book (again), and Lee was sharpening his knives (no surprise there). Yang still hadn't returned from when they'd dropped him over China. Tool wasn't sure if he would return.
"I'm still waiting for that rematch," Tool said to Lee, pointing a finger at him as he walked by. Lee just chuckled and shook his head. Tool approached Barney and leaned on the workbench, making his friend turn his head to look at him.
"What?" Barney asked.
"Church called."
"Again? We're square," Barney said. "Tell him to fu-"
"He's sending a recruit our way," Tool cut him off.
"What? No. I don't take on CIA recruits..."
"You let Maggie work with you," Tool pointed out.
"Only because I had to," Barney huffed, but there was a bit of color to his cheeks. Tool suppressed a smirk. He knew his friend still had a thing for the lovely Maggie.
"Anyway," Tool went on, "Church says it's important, and our new recruit will fill us in when he gets here."
"I'm not taking on anymore recruits," Barney said strongly, banging his pistol down with a clatter. Tool heard quiet go through the rest of the building as everyone else looked over at them curiously.
"He won't die like Billy..."
"Stop," Barney ordered, pointing a finger at him sharply. "Don't do that."
"It's a risk you all take every single time you walk out that door," Tool said. "You don't think it bugs me to know that the probability of one of you dying is high? You don't think I have sleepless nights thinking about which one of you is gonna end up under the ground pushing up daisies? This is the life, Barns, and you can either take it or leave it, but you can't spend forever wallowing or beating yourself up for something you had no control over!"
His voice echoed, and Barney stared at him. It had been almost a year since Billy the Kid had been killed by Jean Vilain. Tool knew it haunted Barney every day, gave him nightmares. He knew his friend felt responsible.
"When does he get here?" Barney asked quietly, deciding not to argue anymore.
"Day after tomorrow."
"Any reason why he's being sprung on us?"
"Church said he would explain when he got here."
"Fine."
Barney picked up his pistol again, and Tool left him alone. Christmas gave him a knowing look as he passed, and Tool knew that Lee would chat with Barney about it later.
All of them had a piece of their souls crushed after losing Billy. It wasn't just Barney. Tool missed the kid like hell. He'd had such an ease about him that made everyone calm and cheerful. They'd been chatting about where he was going to put Sophia's name on his arm before he'd gotten killed.
The rest of the team went back to what they were doing, and Tool saw Lee move towards Barney after a moment. He lit his pipe and turned his back on them all, losing himself in a sketch he was doing. Sometimes, that's all he had that would hold him together.
Arizona
Travis shut his truck door and walked towards his ranch-style house carefully. He dodged his leaping, licking Golden Labrador Retriever, Buddy, and opened the screen door.
"Daddy!"
He braced for impact, knowing it was coming. He wasn't disappointed. His six-year-old daughter flung herself into his arms, coming from wherever she'd been playing until she'd heard his truck come up the drive.
"What's my girl been up to?" Travis asked after dramatically kissing her face, making her giggle.
"Mommy's teaching me how to do yoga," she answered, brushing her dirty blonde hair out of her eyes.
"Really?" Travis asked, taking a step forward so he could peek around the wall into the living room. His wife, Carmen, was stretched out on the floor. He tilted his head, a playful smile on his lips, as she rolled her eyes and tried not to let on she noticed his sudden interest in her.
"I can do the Downward Dog," his daughter said now, wriggling to get free of him. He set her down, and she immediately plopped herself into position, butt straight in the air. "See? Mommy, is this right?" She twisted her head to look at Carmen.
"It's pretty good, baby," Carmen answered.
"Whatever you're doing is fabulous," Travis said to her, winking, and she snorted. He didn't miss her look back, though. She got up and wiped at her brow. Her honey-colored blonde hair was pinned back tightly, brown roots showing at the top. She came over to him and pressed her lips into the corner of his mouth, ruffling his hair with her fingers at the same time.
"You look like you're going to tell me something," she noted, her green eyes meeting his blue ones.
"You know me well."
She smiled, moving to the kitchen. He followed. Ever since he'd met her in Spain, he'd known she would forever have his heart. They'd gotten married three years after meeting and had their daughter, Ava, a year after that. A decade together. Sometimes Travis wondered where the time had gone. It felt like yesterday he'd first seen Carmen's smile across the crowded restaurant.
"So, where are you going this time?" she asked, pulling her water bottle out of the fridge and popping the top to swig it. Travis also loved this about her. There was no daintiness in her actions (not unless it was intentional). She could outmatch him sometimes in drinking contests or belching contests.
"It's best you don't know," he answered truthfully. She lowered her water bottle, meeting his eyes again. She knew how much of a hole was left inside of him a year ago and how big it had gotten with all this time. He believed once he had revenge, he'd feel better.
"I don't like it," she said after a moment.
"Carm, I need to do this," Travis insisted.
"And what about Ava?" she asked.
"What about her?"
"What if you don't come back?" Carmen questioned fiercely. Ava chose this moment to come in and ask for dinner. Carmen picked her up and carried her to the other room, using their daughter to hide the tears coming in her eyes. Travis felt bad, but he knew he had to do this. He had to.
It was the only way he could put himself back together and move forward.
New Orleans
"So," Lee said, sidling up next to Barney about ten minutes after Tool left. "That happened."
"I'm not discussing it," Barney said back, not looking at him.
"Funny, cos that's not how it works when roles are reversed."
"What do you mean?" Barney asked, giving him a glance.
"Well, if something is bothering me or someone else, you spend as much time possible digging and digging until the root cause is exposed and ripped out," Lee commented. "So why doesn't it work that way when you're upset about something?"
"Cos I'm not upset," Barney reasoned, moving to hang his now clean guns up.
"What would Barney say to that," Lee mused, stroking his chin in a mock thoughtfulness. "Oh, right...liar."
"I just don't want another kid, okay?" Barney said. "There. Happy now?"
"Happiness for me," Lee said sarcastically. "Yippee."
"You done yet?"
"No," Lee said curtly. "Look, what happened with Billy..."
"If you say it was a one off or that it won't happen again, I'll cut that tongue of yours right out with your own knife and shove it up your own ass," Barney warned.
"That's a very vivid image," Lee noted. "First of all, you wouldn't be able to catch me..."
Barney lunged, and Lee leaped back as though electrocuted, narrowly missing Barney's grabbing fingers. He shook his head at Barney's glare afterwards.
"Can we be adults for a moment?" he asked.
"I am adulting," Barney answered. "You gave me a challenge, and I took it."
"There won't be a 'next time' kind of death like Billy's for a new recruit because we learned from it," Lee plowed ahead quickly, taking another step back, just in case. "We won't ever get caught like that again."
Barney said nothing, just gave a slight grunt. Then he pulled out a cigar and jammed it into his mouth before walking away. Lee stood there, unsure what to do now, when Toll came up to him.
"You tried," he said.
"His double standard-ness is annoying," Lee commented.
"I know."
They both eventually went back to what they had been doing before Tool brought up the new recruit.
Two Days Later
Arizona
Travis stood there as Ava clung to him in his arms. She'd been upset to learn that he was leaving. He'd spent a lot of time with her the day before, and he'd spent time with Carmen too, especially after Ava had gone to bed.
"It's only for a little while," he promised, stroking the back of her head comfortingly. "I'll be back before you know it."
"But I'll miss you," she said in a small voice.
"And I will miss you, but that's okay because it means we look forward to seeing each other again," Travis noted. He gave her a big kiss on the cheek and hugged her tight one last time. He set her down, and she held on to his left leg as Carmen moved in to hug him next.
"I'm not happy about this, but please come home in one piece," she instructed, giving him a kiss. It was the kind that implied she feared she wasn't going to see him again.
"I love you," he said to her, brushing her hair from her face lightly.
"Love you too," she said back.
"I love you too, Daddy," Ava said, not wanting to be left out.
"I love you very much, sweetheart," he said, resting his hand on the top of her head as she squeezed his leg tighter. "You gotta let go of Daddy now. He has to go to work."
Carmen tugged her off, and together they stood, watching him walk towards his truck. Ava stood in front of Carmen, her one hand resting on Carmen's that was holding her shoulder and preventing her from chasing after Travis. He took one last look at his family and felt a drop in his stomach. Was this the right thing? Would he survive?
"Do you have my back?"
"Always."
He had to go. There was no changing his mind now. He lifted his hand in a wave, and they both waved back. Then he got into his truck and drove to the airport.
New Orleans
Barney waited for his new recruit. Despite feeling pissed off about it, he was curious as to why he was getting this person. He hated that Church kept those cards to himself. Bastard.
"Any minute now," Lee muttered. He was waiting with Barney at the bar, ready to check out this new person they were bringing aboard. He felt a bit of anticipation himself. Billy's face when he died flashed through his mind. Would they get close to this person only to lose them too? Tool was right, though. Any one of them could die at any time, and that didn't stop them from being close with each other. Why close themselves off to someone new over something they faced regularly with each other?
The door opened, and a man walked in, pausing to scan the room. He was an inch shorter than Gunner, his dark hair cut short with a bit of lighter brown highlights throughout, and it spiked out in places. He had a beard and mustache, but it was trimmed short and neat. He was bulky and fit. He looked ready for war.
"That's gotta be him," Barney said, waving him over. The man joined them in moments. Once he was in front of them, though, and they could see him clearly, both Barney and Lee stared at him in shock. They'd seen those blue eyes before.
"Barney Ross?" the man asked. Lee looked at Barney. Even the accent was the same. Was he hallucinating?
"Yea," Barney answered, coming back to the room. "Who's asking?"
"I'm Travis," he said, offering his hand.
"Nice to meet you," Barney replied. He jerked a thumb towards Lee. "That's Christmas."
"Lee," Lee corrected, shaking Travis's hand as well.
"Are Easter and Thanksgiving here too?" Travis asked.
"Ha," Lee snorted.
"Shall we?" Travis asked, gesturing at an empty table. They all went to sit. Barney was still staring at him. He felt his heart rate quicken and his breath catch in his throat a few times.
"Let's get down to the chase," Barney said after a moment. "Why are you here?" Travis pulled out a photograph and slid it across the table towards him. He picked it up, studying it. "Vilain? Yea, I killed him. What about him?"
"You didn't kill him," Travis said.
"Excuse me?" Barney asked, bristling. "I did so. I had his head as proof..."
"Two words," Travis said, cutting him off. "Twin. Brother."
"Aw come off it," Lee retorted, banging his hand on the table. He started to laugh.
"I'm serious," Travis said, looking between them both. His expression was certainly serious. Lee's smile and laugh faltered.
"How did you find out?" Barney asked.
"A contact of mine shared a photo of Jean Vilain enjoying a meal somewhere in Europe. I had the same thoughts you did, but it turns out his twin, Claude, swapped out with him on that mission for the plutonium, and your real killer is still loose and getting ready to purchase a nuclear weapon."
"It's like a bloody Hydra," Lee said, looking at Barney. "You cut the head off, and another pops up."
"Where is he now?" Barney asked, ignoring Lee.
"Last place I heard was Budapest, but I wanted to align myself with your team for this. I could use the help," Travis said.
"Why us?" Barney questioned, getting to the point. He already knew the answer, though. It was staring at him in the face.
"Because I don't know of anyone else who would help me search the ends of the Earth for this guy and help me take him out after finding him," Travis said.
"What's your background?"
"Military. Special Forces."
"Who is Vilain to you? How do you know him?" He might as well make Travis say it out loud. He also suspected Church didn't know any of this information. He would have blabbed it before Travis got here. He didn't like his thunder being stolen.
Travis cleared his throat then and leaned onto his elbows, looking back and forth between Lee and Barney again. Both of them felt a bit unsettled. It was like looking at a ghost, a very solid, older version of a ghost.
"I know of Vilain," Travis said slowly, still looking at them, "because he killed my brother."
"Billy," Barney said.
"Was it that obvious?" Travis asked a little sarcastically.
"You both look very alike," Barney answered, nodding.
"Well, now you know who I am and why I'm here. Are you in? Or out?" Travis asked. Lee didn't have to have a private conversation to know Barney's answer. It was his answer too. No way was Vilain going to get away with this. Barney inhaled and gave a curt nod, looking at Travis.
"In."
Yes, I'm totally describing Chris Hemsworth as Travis and Elsa Pataky as Carmen :P (am I the only one who just learned that "Thor" is married to "Elena" from Fast and Furious?! I really am out of the loop...)