A/N: For those who read small fry/lil'bit, you'll notice a few differences here with AJ. It's just a timing thing. In small fry, her sister reached out to her and she left the ring early. In this, her sister didn't ask her to baby-sit. Just a little side note.


Chapter #05:

Revenge Is a Dish Better Served Cold


"Sometimes you get to what you thought was the end and you find it's a whole new beginning." -Anne Tyler


When I opened my eyes, I was immediately blinded by light. It was jarring especially since I had been expecting a concrete room. Panic was what hit me first, I wasn't a fan of waking up in unfamiliar places, but when I turned and saw Manhattan outside my window all I felt was relief. Regardless of what was happening, I was in a familiar place. I had more of a handle of my situation in America than I did Russia.

I was already slightly propped up, but I pushed myself up more to look around the hospital room I now found myself in. The room was large. A window with an amazing view, a private bathroom, and a whole damn couch pushed up against the wall across from me. It was the kind of hospital room that famous people got to stay in. Not dirty, little street rats like me.

The room was pretty, it looked safe, and I felt amazing. I was still sore and there was an ache behind my eyes that throbbed anytime I moved but compared to what my state had been last time I was awake this was great. Last time I had been awake I was dying. I had been dying, right?

"Shit." I mumbled. I was in Manhattan, but I didn't have enough answers to feel comfortable. For all I knew, this had something to do with Boss. I couldn't imagine him spending this much money to save me, but I wouldn't put it past him to save me just so he could kill me himself.

Quickly, I forced myself off the bed and to my feet. Testing my strength, I shifted from foot to foot to see how steady I was. Everything seemed to be working fine. I had a splint on my right hand and wrist which would make punching anyone I came across a little difficult, but other than that I was good. I could be left hand dominant for the next few hours.

It was easy enough to rip the heart monitors off myself, but my eyes glanced down at the IV in the crook of my right elbow. This would be a different story. I took in a few quick breaths, grabbed the IV, and steeled myself for what was to come.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

I glanced up to see Clint Barton standing in the doorway. Clint Barton was here? He took the opportunity of me just dumbly staring in surprise to rush over and swat my hand away from the IV line. He motioned for me to scoot back and I dropped into a seated position onto the bed while staring at him in confusion. Clint Barton was here.

"I'm gone for five minutes and you're trying to rip out your IV?"

"Clint Barton? Agent Clint Barton?" My voice sounded strong. Normal. I rubbed my eyes with my non-splinted hand. When I finished he was still there. "What are you doing here? What am I doing here? Where is here?"

Clint held his hands out in a calming gesture, "How about you get back in bed and then we talk? Deal?" I didn't really see another option, so I slid back into bed warily. Clint smiled at the action, an amused smirk, and I only felt more confused. "How's your head?" He had tapped the side of his own head while asking. I lifted my left hand and felt a clean row of stitches in my hair a little bit above my ear. That explained the ache behind my eyes. "You woke up once last night and said 'No more fucking pain meds' so we lowered the dose. That's why you're probably still hurting but…"

I had my memory. Nothing was missing, I don't think, but it all felt out of place. It was like the memories were bouncing around inside my skull and anytime I reached out to grab one it would slip away. Physically, I was doing great. Mentally? It was gonna take me a minute to get my head back. I held out a hand to stop Clint from talking again and then tried to piece it all back together.

"I was kidnapped by two asshole Russians." I said slowly. That memory slid back into place. I got gotten hit in the head, hard, and then thrown into a van like yesterday's garbage. I narrowed my eyes at Clint, "Did you…You came to get me? All the way in Russia?"

Clint's eyes widened slightly, "Of course, we did." He moved to sit in the chair on my left side. He looked more tired than the last time I saw him. Like he either hadn't been sleeping or had just been woken up. "We got you into that mess to begin with. We weren't gonna just hang you out to dry."

A flash of metal in my head. Silver metal? Red and gold metal. A suit. Shit, Iron Man had been there. Iron Man had scooped me up off a cold concrete floor and told me to stay awake. Wow.

Clint wasn't wrong. If they hadn't come up to me then I would've just stayed in the city in my same monotonous schedule. Still, I didn't expect a rescue party and I really didn't expect the Avengers to be said rescue party. Holy shit. They were heroes who saved the world and they wasted their time coming to pick me up from that hellhole?

"You thought we were gonna leave you there." Clint said softly. I focused my gaze back on him. He had a look on his face I couldn't immediately place. It was familiar, I should recognize it, but my sluggish brain wasn't giving me an answer.

"I had kind of assumed." I replied with a small shrug. "Thanks, Clint. I… Thanks." My face felt warm, but this time it wasn't from traumatic swelling. It was from embarrassment. I was still in shock that they had come for me. "So, uh, what's the final damage?"

"You've been out for about four days. When we got you…you were in really rough shape. We stopped by a hospital in Moscow to get you stabilized and then as soon as you were we brought you back here. We were worried Vladimir's crew might be looking for payback so we didn't want to stick around." Clint explained. Vladimir. Oh! Bear man. He had paid Boss for me. He was the leader of that Russian ring. I remember that. "You have a skull fracture, horrible concussion to go with it, but no brain bleed."

I gave him a quick thumbs up, "Yay."

"Cracked knuckle, fractured cheekbone—"

"Really?" I questioned and lifted my hand to touch my tender face. Things had been bad. I remember that too. My face had been a swollen mess. So swollen and bruised that apparently I didn't even notice that my cheekbone had been fractured. Flashes of a giant, blonde woman hit me. Helga. I flinched without meaning to and Clint set a warm hand on my injury free wrist. "Sorry."

"You ok?" There was real concern in his eyes. Huh.

"Thinking about the tank who broke my face. You know, all the years I fought…I've never broken my face. That's kind of a bummer. Guess I never cracked my skull open either but…" I forced out a chuckle. "Anything else?"

Clint scoffed, "Yeah. You were black and blue and if that wasn't enough you got sick. Pneumonia. You went into septic shock around the time we finally got to you." Oof. That was a list and a half. I needed to look in a mirror soon. Hopefully, the damage done wasn't bad enough to scar. "I'm sorry."

I blinked in surprise and looked to Clint who didn't meet my eyes, "Huh?"

"I'm sorry." He repeated, squeezing my wrist once, and finally looked up from the ground. "Tash said we shouldn't get you involved, and she was right. This is my damn fault. I nearly got you killed and if that wasn't enough I got you blacklisted from the fighting scene here and—"

Panicked, I pulled my hand out of his grip to grab his shoulder, "Oh my God, shut up." Clint gave me a curious, surprised look and I shrugged sheepishly, "I just had a bad feeling you were gonna talk and grovel for a while there and dude it's really not necessary."

"Aj—"

"I chose to help you. I did. That's on me." I replied with a firm shake of my head. I pulled my hand away from his shoulder then smirked, "Plus, I sort of do whatever the hell I want. It's kind of my thing and it's made my life incredibly difficult."

Clint laughed, but the look on his face lingered. My sluggish brain finally caught up and I recognized it now. Guilt. The kind of guilt that reassurances didn't help. He had to tackle that issue on his own. I knew because I had my own list of shit to work through.

"You know, I am not a medical doctor." Tony Stark suddenly breezed into the room while reading something off a tablet in his hand. I did a double take at the sight of him, but he didn't even glance up to look at me. "But I think, medically speaking of course, that the general recommendation is to not get the shit kicked out of you?"

"You should've seen the other guy." I replied with the typical response I gave when people mentioned my injuries. It was a reflex at this point. For a moment, I wondered if my brain was bleeding and I was imagining all this. I didn't think I was that creative. All of this was like some sort of pipe dream. Was I on drugs? I had two Avengers in the same room as me and one of them was trying to give me medical advice.

Clint spoke up, "Oh, we did. The fight was recorded. We got it off their security feed. Watched it on our way back to the USA."

"Cool, cool, cool. That was definitely a moment I wanted saved. Make sure you send me a copy."

Tony Stark ignored me, "Also, your potassium looks a little low? Maybe a banana every once in a while. Tinkerbell?"

It took a few seconds for what he was saying to make sense in my head. I connected the dots then pointed at him accusingly, "Are you…Are you reading my medical records?"

"Yes."

"Isn't that like super illegal, Mr. Avenger?"

"For people without permission, yes, but as your emergency contact, I have access." Tony shrugged as if any word in that sentence made some kind of sense.

"Since when was Iron Man my emergency contact? I think I'd remember writing that down." I argued and glanced over at Clint who just smiled at me. I raised a hand to my forehead, "Ok, so I must have actually died in Moscow because there's no way this shit is actually happening."

Tony set the tablet down at the foot of my bed and leaned against the railing there, "I know, I know. We're very dreamy, but this is happening. Guess it's your lucky day. God knows you needed one because the file SHIELD has on you reads like a damn tragedy."

"SHIELD has a file on me?" I turned to Clint.

"They do now." Clint said sheepishly. "Anyone they find with a skill set like yours registers as a potential risk. You're a low risk, but, you know... still a risk."

I bobbed my head up and down, "Didn't think they'd be impressed with my skill set of finding trouble within a 10-mile radius, but ok. I'll start putting that on my resume, I guess."

A SHIELD risk? That was kind of cool actually. If my brain was working at full power I'm sure I'd be more upset at that fact. However, my tired brain just thought it was neat. I'd have to come back to that little tidbit of information later when I was more sane.

"How'd you do it?" Tony suddenly asked and I tilted my head in confusion. "You know, survive. By all accounts, you should be dead."

"I heal quick." I replied again on reflex. He was right though. I had been through the ringer before and I've had my bad days, but this was a new level of trouble. After that last fight, I should've died. What happened? I remember a small room. A shitty bed. Someone was—

"We'll talk about that later." Clint said firmly, "Don't stress yourself. Concussions are nasty business."

I rubbed the back of my neck, "Yeah, I know. Hey, can I have a mirror or something? I just wanna see how bad I look."

Tony pulled out a fancy, touchscreen phone. It made the thick flip phone I had back in my apartment look like a relic. He lifted it up, "Say cheese." I smiled and threw my good hand up into a 'peace' sign. Tony smirked, "That's a good one. New caller ID."

"You don't have my number and I don't think I have a phone anymore." I replied and took the phone from him to look at the picture of me. The swelling was gone. My lip was busted and there was a deep purple bruise still on my right jawline. That's the side Helga had really gone after. Bitch. The area under my right eye was still purple and blue and the skin under my left eye was light purple and yellow. That bruise would be gone by tomorrow at least. The bridge of my nose was purple, but it was straight. That was a miracle. I could remember Helga breaking it. My right cheekbone had a half-healed gash that I assumed was over where my fracture was. That one might scar unfortunately.

"Still pretty as a picture, honey." Tony reassured as I handed the phone back to him.

Clint shook his head again, "Aj, I'm sorry—"

"If you keep apologizing, I'm gonna break my left hand on your face. Stop it." I stopped him again. Tony snickered and Clint gave me a small smile. The agent was looking at me like I was about to fall apart or spontaneously burst into flames and it was odd.

The hospital room door opened again, and Natasha came in with a tall, familiar blond man. The red headed woman looked as put together as she always did. A purple blouse with a black leather jacket and skinny jeans. The guy was less dressed up than her, but I couldn't even tell you what he had on. I only stared at his face. Neatly combed blond hair, shoulders so broad you could melt in them, and strong features.

"Holy shit, you're Captain fucking America." I blurted. Captain America's cheeks tinted pink at my words while Natasha smirked, and Tony laughed. If I was less out of it, I might've been embarrassed. Maybe. Probably not. I mean, it was Captain America. I took an entire history class on this guy my senior year of undergrad.

"I'd like to file a complaint." Tony pulled my attention back to him, "I did not get a reaction like that and it seems a little unfair."

"How are you feeling?" Natasha came up to the bed.

"Like I might be hallucinating." I mumbled.

Captain America stepped up to the bed as well with a warm smile, "It's nice to meet you ma'am. My name is Steve Rogers. Sorry we pulled you into our mess."

"Oh, that's ok." I giggled. As soon as the sound came out of my mouth, I realized I had actually fucking giggled. Holy shit. Maybe Captain America's superpower was to make women swoon and do dumb shit.

"So, he can say sorry, but I can't?" Clint scoffed.

I snapped my gaze over to Clint and Tony who were standing on the left side of my bed, "I'm hearing a lot of complaints from the peanut gallery and nobody asked."

Steve Rogers chuckled, and I looked back to him. Steve. Why was that name fresh on my brain? Steve. He must have noticed the look of frustration on my face because his grew concerned, "Is everything alright, doll?"

Doll.

'Tell Steve I said to take care of you for me. Ok, doll?'

"Toska." I gasped. The Avengers said something, but I didn't even register what it was. I was in Manhattan and he was still in Moscow. Oh, God. He was strong. Toska was strong and had a badass metal arm, but how many of Vladimir's men could he handle before it became too much?

I scrambled to rip the IV out of my arm again. Clint dove over the bed and grabbed my hand before I could, "Will you stop trying to rip out your damn IV?!"

"Toska. We have to go back. I have to go back." I shook my head panicked. "We left him behind!" Clint sat back down, but he left his hand on top of my left one. Probably to keep me from freaking out again. He motioned for me to take a deep breath and I hesitantly listened. It felt good to be able to take a deep breath without coughing, and if I was gonna save Toska like he saved me then I needed a clear head. "He saved my life. Toska is the only reason I'm alive."

"The only reason?" Tony shook his head with narrowed eyes while motioning to himself.

Natasha rolled her eyes at him before looking back to me, "Toska isn't a name, Aj. Are you sure that's what he said?"

"Yeah he—I… If it's not a name what is it?"

"It's a word that doesn't translate well to English." She said slowly. "It means sadness. A deep melancholy and anguish."

The name fit him. The first thing I had noticed about him was that he looked sad. I sunk into the mattress beneath me in my own version of toska. He hadn't even told me his real name. How was I supposed to find him now?

Clint squeezed my hand and I looked back over to him, "Hey, we'll help you find him, ok? It's the least I can do. Can you describe what he looks like? Tony can already start running a search."

I gave him a tight-lipped smile and it only grew when Tony pulled his phone back out with a nod. This was good. If anyone could find him it was the Avengers, right? Steve gave me a reassuring nod. I took in a steadying breath, "He wasn't Russian. He spoke it really well, but he was American. From Brooklyn actually." I could feel Clint stiffen beside me but kept going. "Honestly, with y'all it should be easy to find him, he has a metal arm. There can't be many people running around with that, right?"

The entire room went still at my words. Tony nodded once more time and slipped his phone into his pocket, "Well, that answers that." Before I could question what that meant Steve turned and left the room. Clint rose, but Natasha shook her head and went after him. "He helped you? Really? Didn't put you in a choke hold or—"

"Hey." I snapped. "He's my friend. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him."

"Aj, his name is James Buchanan Barnes." Clint sighed. That name sounded familiar for some reason. "Also known as the Winter Soldier or… Bucky."

"Captain America had a friend named…" I said slowly as it dawned on me. Holy shit. Holy shit. I had been in a room with a guy from the 40's who was supposed to be dead. Steve Roger's best friend. The only Howling Commando who lost his life during the war.

Tony snapped his fingers, "She's got it now."

"Tash and I knew he was in the area, but we didn't know he was actually in the bunker." Clint said directly to Tony. "I should've told Steve, but…"

Clint's eyes glanced back to me and Tony's did as well. I cleared my throat, "What does the Winter Soldier mean? And why do you think he would hurt me? He was a good guy. I remember that from history class."

"How much is she allowed to know?" Tony motioned to me, looking at Clint. "If you can't share then I'll tell her. Loophole. Patchy the pirate won't even know."

Clint shook his head at him then turned back to me, "Do you remember a few months ago when there was an…incident in Washington?"

I tried to think back. I wasn't one to pay much attention to the news, but if it involved the Avengers someone would've told me. The ache behind my eyes was growing the more I tried to focus, but I finally found something, "The planes. Y'all crashed a few planes to the ground?"

Clint opened his mouth to continue, but Tony cut in, "Quick point, I was not part of that 'y'all'." It was weird hearing Tony Stark use the word 'y'all'. He continued, "I wasn't invited to that party and by time I found out about it Capsicle had already nosedived the last helicarrier into a lake."

"Jesus Christ, that guy just does not like landing planes, does he?" I mumbled.

Tony's face broke out into a wide grin, but Clint didn't let him cut into the conversation again, "Yes, that. A nazi organization was trying kill a lot of people. We went in to stop them and they sent the Winter Soldier after us. Long story short, Bucky didn't die. This nazi organization grabbed him and turned him into a weapon." Clint sighed. "He's an assassin. Was, I guess. Steve has been looking for him since we ran into him."

No wonder he had been so broken up. No wonder he didn't take me with him. He was on the run. Toska—No, Bucky was just trying to keep me away from whoever was coming after him. He was good. I knew deep down he was good. The fact that someone as good as him had to go through that? To be turned into something awful? A weapon?

The door swung open with a bang and Steve stormed in. His face was set in determination. My entire body tensed unintentionally. Fight or flight. Even against a super soldier my stupid body always picked fight.

"Cap—" Tony began.

"Did he say where he was going?" Steve asked firmly. "Did he say anything? Any clue that—"

"Steve." Clint barked. The Captain's shoulders relaxed, but I didn't. I was shaking. The excess adrenaline of what I thought I needed coming out in the usual shakes. I balled up my left hand and pressed it against my abdomen to try and stop the shaking. This was embarrassing. "Hey, it's ok, Aj."

I glanced at Clint curiously and then I felt it. I was crying. The last time I had cried… God, I couldn't even remember. After so many fights and so many nights in the ring it was like my entire body had just gone numb. Nothing I did, nothing I saw, made me cry. Yet, here I was lying in a medical bed crying in front of the Avengers.

"I'm sorry." Steve said softly. Natasha set a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to yell. I've been looking for him for a while now. If there's anything…"

I hastily swiped away the tears and ignoring the burning of my face and tip of my ears, "I don't. I'm sorry. He never told me where he was going to go. I asked him to take me with him, but he left me in the hallway. He led away Vladimir's men to give you guys time to find me." I bit down on my lower lip then flinched remembering it was busted. "He mentioned your name."

"He did? He remembered me?"

I nodded, "I think so. It seemed like it when he said it."

"What did he say about me?" Steve questioned.

All eyes were on me and I had never felt so small before. I rubbed my face one more time and shrugged, "It wasn't… I don't think he actually wanted me to say it to you. I think… it was just his way to say good-bye to me?"

Steve set his hand lightly on my splinted one, "Please. Please tell me."

"He said", I took a deep breath, "He said, 'Tell Steve I said to take care of you for me.'"

Steve's eyes widened slightly but he still nodded his thanks before leaving the room again. Natasha and Clint shared a look over my bed, and this time Clint was the one to follow after him. He gave me a tight smile before slipping out the door. I wasn't sure how, but it felt like I had disappointed Captain America.


Tony checked his watch. He still had a few hours to kill before he was needed at the Tower for some kind of start-up meeting. Those were the only meetings he sometimes enjoyed, but Pepper wouldn't tell him the details of what this one was about. That meant she knew he'd skip if he did. He nodded to the nurse at the station before moving down the hall. Aj was in one of the top floor care rooms. There were only six in the hospital, but he figured she could use something good in her life.

As he reached her door, Clint was coming out of it and nodded to him. It had been about a day since Aj had woken up and she was miraculously feeling better, but the doctors didn't actually trust it. They wanted to keep her a few more days for the concussion alone. Tony didn't blame them though. It was suspicious how quickly she was healing and if she hadn't come in with the damn Avengers the hospital probably would've questioned it. Luckily, they had no idea that the Avengers were just as confused as they were.

"Good, you're here." Clint breathed out a sigh of relief, "I need you to sit with Aj while I get some things done."

"You know she isn't a toddler, right? You can leave her alone for a few minutes at a time?" Tony motioned to the door with the hand he was using to hold his coffee cup. Clint had been overbearing while she was knocked out, and now he was only worse. "Where are you going anyways? Drawing up the adoption papers?"

Clint rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone, "You're a riot."

"I'm also not wrong."

"I'm also not wrong." Clint mocked under his breath while shooting out a text. Tony smirked in amusement. Even he knew the archer had a knack for picking up strays. He couldn't really blame him on this one though. Aj, despite being one of the most independent people he's met, really screamed 'Please help me'. She needed some kind of ally in this world. "I gotta meeting with Fury plus I gotta find a job for Aj."

Tony shook his head once, "You have to what?"

"I have to find her some kind of job." Clint sighed and Tony knew there was no way Aj had actually asked him to do that. He continued, "If I don't find her something to do then she's gonna just go right back to the ring."

Tony scoffed, "She nearly died, Clint. No one in their right mind would go back."

Clint gave him a look before taking a call that came through. He nodded once at Tony before hurrying down the hall. He never would've described Clint as a worrier. The agent was usually as calm and chipper as it got. This was going overboard though. Tony wanted to help get her back to her feet. Aj had no cash, no home, and right now no real future. He could fix at least two of those things.

"Hey, sunshine." Tony breezed into the room.

Aj didn't look up from the Stark Phone he had given to her, "What's up, tin can?"

"Hey. You're not supposed to be playing with that. Concussions and electronics or whatever the doc said." Tony pointed at her.

Aj raised an eyebrow at him, "Says the man who gave me the phone."

Tony wasn't Clint so he didn't bother trying to pull the phone away. She didn't seem like she was in any pain anyways. He grinned smugly, "You like it though, don't you?" Tony walked over to sit in the chair by her bed. Aj had fought and refused to take the damn thing, but when he finally got it in her hands she didn't let go. "Figure out all the bells and whistles?"

Aj chuckled, "Maybe? This is the first touch screen item I've owned in my entire life."

"Are you sure you lived in Jersey City and not like, you know, a cave?"

"My apartment wasn't much different from a cave actually." She shrugged and set the phone down to shoot him a smile. "Did Barton wrestle you into baby-sitting?"

Tony shook his head, "No, no. I volunteered for it."

Aj laughed, "The guy thinks I'm gonna bolt the moment no one is looking."

"Well, you did try to rip out your IV twice yesterday."

"Fair point." Aj relented and leaned her head back into the pillow. He could tell she was itching to get out of the hospital. Aj couldn't stay still, she squirmed every few minutes and her fingers tapped against her thigh. She looked like he did anytime he was stuck in a meeting he didn't want to be at for longer than 5 minutes. "Have they said when I can leave yet?"

"Doctors said a few more days."

Aj rolled her eyes, "I'm fine. The worst is over."

"Yeah, how is that?" Tony questioned and Aj gave him a curious look. He shrugged, "You've healed extraordinarily fast. Suspiciously fast I would say."

"I'm a qui—"

"If you say you're a quick healer I'm taking the phone back."

Aj smirked, "Hey, the only reason I took that thing was because I figured it'd be nice to own one thing in my life."

"No, you own two." He motioned to the couch where the leather jacket she had worn was, "Funny how both are things I bought but…"

Aj's smile faltered, "Where's the other jacket I had on?"

"Bucky's jacket?" He questioned and watched as she nervously averted her gaze. Steve hadn't been back since she broke the news to him, and Tony was pretty positive that it was because he was planning a search team to hit Moscow again. Tony didn't know the Winter Soldier, but something told him he wasn't going to stick around and wait for Steve to show up. "I'm getting it dry cleaned. I'll get it back to you."

"Thanks, Stark."

There was a brief moment of silence before Tony couldn't resist checking his own theory. He leaned forward, "So, funny thing, Clint seems to think that the moment we let you out of here you're going to go running back to the ring. That true?"

Aj's eyes widened, "What? Absolutely not. I'm never working there again."

"That's exactly what I told him." Tony smiled at the small victory. Clint really was worrying too much and there was no way someone as independent as Aj was going to take a job from them. She barely took the damn phone—

"I mean, I am gonna go back to the ring to beat the shit out of Boss, but that's different."

Fuck.

Tony pressed his lips together briefly, nodding at the nonchalant look on her features, "You're going to go beat the shit out of Boss? That's your plan?" Aj nodded firmly. "You're going to leave the hospital, the one that's treating you for a number of issues, mind you, and you're going to go straight to the ring. The ring where this Boss guy is, with all his men and resources, and you're just going to walk in and fist fight a few guys, huh?"

Aj twisted her lips, "Well when you say it like that it sounds dumb."

"I could say it in any tone, any language, and it would sound dumb because it is dumb. I'm a genius, trust me."

"I gotta do something!" Aj replied. "That asshole made my life hell for years and then he sold me to some fucking Russians. He deserves it."

Tony waved his hand at her, "Not arguing that. He very obviously deserves it, but you won't get a finger on him. A guy like him isn't just waiting around for someone like you to show up and beat him up." Aj shrugged, but the look in her eye told him that she hadn't let this go. Tony groaned, "Damn it, now I need to find you a job."

"I never asked for that."

"What sort of interests do you have? Applicable skills?" Tony ignored her and pulled out his phone so he could look at the file they had on her already. She had a Bachelor Degree in Biology and a Minor in Psychology, that was something. He hummed to himself, eyebrows raised in pleasant surprise, "You got accepted into Colombia's medical program? That's no small feat. Why didn't you go, smalls?"

Aj scooped up her phone and tapped it against her lap, "I chose to get punched in the face for a living instead."

"And why wouldn't you? I'm sure the dental plan is amazing." Tony mumbled. "Do you wanna go? A few donations and they'll open the doors again. You already got accepted—"

"I spent five years in that underground fighting ring." Aj replied. "Four years of medical school honestlysounds worse."

Tony put his phone away, "What do you want then? Help me, help you."

"I'm in a five-star hotel room posing as a hospital room. You've helped enough." Aj said. "I don't need any other pity gestures, alright?"

"Who said it's a pity gesture?"

"You don't know me, and if I'm being honest, I don't actually know you." Aj replied stiffly. There it was. That look of distrust mingled with fear. She was in a new setting, with new people, and she didn't trust it. Aj was like a caged animal let loose. The door was open for her to run, but she didn't trust it enough to make a break for it. Tony didn't blame her. It looked like her entire life was a series of her just getting fucked over by people who she thought might help her. "It's been a real blast, but as soon as I'm out of here you won't see me again."

Tony sighed, "Little miss sunshine", Aj rolled her eyes but he pressed on, "All I'm asking is you give us a little trust. Give me a little trust. You handed out your trust to the Manchurian Candidate—"

"Hey."

"That's all I want. The same initial trust you gave him. He didn't let you down, and we won't either." Tony said firmly. "I think I deserve it. I mean, I did also save your life. That happened and I'm not getting nearly as much credit as I think I should be getting."

Aj laughed then looked down to her phone. Her hands absentmindedly played with the item. She didn't look up, "It worked with Bucky, but historically, me putting my trust in someone I don't know hasn't gone well." She looked at him. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't think I could survive another disappointment."

"Oh, I don't disappoint." Tony smirked. It got exactly the reaction he wanted though. Aj snickered and shook her head. The tension had broken, and they were at ease again. Tony wasn't sure if she was actually going to listen, but he was happy that she was joking around again. There weren't many strangers who would throw snarky comments right back at him. He motioned back to the phone, "You put my number in that, right?"

"Who says I wanna keep in touch with you?" Aj hit back without missing a beat.

Tony grinned. Finding her a job wouldn't be too hard for him.


Clint was a fun guy to hang out with. I figured that out days ago when we had brunch together. He was great company to have, but if I had to stay in this hospital for another second, I was going to lose my damn mind. As pretty as this room was with the sun setting outside and filling the white room with a warm orange glow, it still felt a little prison like. The walls were closing in on me inch by inch.

"It's only a hot dog stand, but Greg knows what he's doing. Absolute professional." Clint said. He was walking me through the best places for various foods throughout all of New York City, and I wasn't surprised to find out that I knew none of them.

"Sounds amazing." I nodded. "We should go right now. I'm starving."

Clint grinned, "Nice try. You're here for another full day though."

"Clint, not to be dramatic, but if I stay here for another hour, I'll fucking die." I groaned and Clint only chuckled at my distress. "All that work y'all put into saving me right down the drain."

"Hey, just relax. Enjoy the break."

"I'm good at two things and relaxing is not one of them."

"The two things?"

"Eating. Fighting." I listed them off.

Clint leaned back into his chair and crossed his arms, "You still haven't told me where you learned to fight. You're surprisingly good." I gave him a look and he shook his head. "Ok, we knew you were good, but you kind of caught us all off guard."

I shrugged, "I learned as a sport when I was a kid, and then when what was left of my family bailed on me, I started fighting for money. Didn't really care about the money though. I was fighting to fight."

"Your family—"

"I know you know." I replied. Another day that might have upset me, but Clint had gained enough pull with me that I didn't care all that much. "It's in my file, right?"

"I bounced around foster homes too. It was me and my older brother." Clint said softly and my eyes widened. He shook his head. "The foster homes sucked, but it was better than getting kicked around by our dad. When I was 13, Barney and I ran away from the system and we actually ended up working with a traveling circus." He didn't have to tell me any of this, but the fact that he was really meant a lot. Clint chuckled without humor, "That's kind of where Hawkeye was born. Anyways, it worked for a while. Got pulled into some trouble though. A guy I thought was a friend beat me within an inch of my life and left me for dead. Barney went with him."

I wanted to say something, but there really was nothing to say. No words could soothe the ache that something like that left behind. My story wasn't nearly as traumatic, but abandonment was abandonment. It left a scar that screwed with every relationship you have from that point on.

"Aubrey was my older sister, but I was the one who took care of her. Our entire lives it was always me fighting off the bullies or cheering her up." I twisted my lips. "Mom got sick and died. Dad couldn't recover from the loss and bailed. Aubrey and I at least had each other though. At least, that's what I thought. As soon as she hit 18, her and the guy she was seeing at the time ran off and left me alone. I, uh, didn't handle it well."

Clint nodded once, offering me a soft smile, "Sucks, huh?"

I chuckled with a smile of my own, "Yeah. It really sucks."

The two of us laughed about our matching scar and that wasn't something I thought I could laugh about. It was something I didn't even like thinking about. Clint was good though. He went through that shit and so much more, I was sure, and yet here he was cheerful and laughing. He was trying to pull me under his wing regardless of how much I fought it.

"Do you really never miss with that bow and arrow?" I asked curiously.

"I never miss, period." Clint scoffed.

"Hm, I'll believe it when I see it." I said mostly just to annoy him. Clint looked appalled that I needed proof of his skills at all. Before he could defend himself, I cut in, "Also what's the best way for me to convince Natasha to fight me?"

"What?"

"I just really want to spar with her. Maybe I can get some tips from her. Maybe have her teach me how to kill a man with my thighs alone." I shrugged nonchalantly.

Clint held his hand up, "Hey, I could give you some tips."

"What're you giving her, bird brain?"

We both glanced over to see Tony stroll in. I raised my eyebrows in confusion. He had just been here this morning and I didn't expect him back until tomorrow. Tony was fun to talk to, so I didn't really mind, it was just odd.

"You're back already?" I asked.

Tony pointed at me, "I don't like your tone and as your future boss you can count this as your first official warning. Three strikes and something happens, I don't know what yet."

I turned to Clint who just shrugged then looked back to Tony who was just typing away on his phone as if he didn't just say what he just said.

"You're not my—"

"Pepper's been telling me to get a personal assistant for months now and I've been putting it off. Turns out I was rewarded for the procrastination." Tony said chirpily, "And you, sunshine, landed a job."

I turned to Clint again, "Did you know about this?"

"I had an idea. I've been working on something myself, but this might be better."

This was too good to be true. Hell, none of it made any kind of sense. I was not the kind of person who got a job offered to them by some bizarre billionaire superhero. I wasn't the kind who got to stay in fancy hospital rooms with the best healthcare had to offer. I wasn't the kind people went out of their way to save. It wasn't worth it. I wasn't worth it.

"Before you argue, you're plenty capable. If you're smart enough to get into medical school then you're smart enough to keep track of my schedule." Tony said quickly. "Now I don't have to pay attention in meetings because you'll do it for me. This is great. I—"

"No." I said firmly. They both gave me a confused look. How was this confusing for them in any way? I was the one who's life suddenly took a drastic 180. "Y'all don't owe me shit."

"Aj—"

"No, Clint, listen." I cut him off. "Yes, I got kidnapped and shipped to Russia. You feel guilty about that, ok. You really shouldn't because it was only a matter of time before Boss pulled a stunt like selling me to someone, but that's beside the point. I didn't expect anything from any of you. So, the fact that you guys came and picked me up from Moscow was more than enough." They were both quiet for a moment. "We're even. Hell, we're beyond even. I actually already owe you more than I'd like so…"

Tony scratched the side of his face, "Are you done?" I nodded. "Ok, good, so I'm thinking you start Monday. That'll give you a long weekend to get ready—"

"You're a genius." I snapped. "There's no way you misunderstood anything I just said, big bucks."

"This isn't about us trying to make something up to you, Aj." Clint tried to reassure me, "I consider you a friend. Do you consider me a friend?"

I had a feeling I knew where this was going and hesitated. Bucky was my friend. I didn't give two shits about his past or the mess he was in. He saved my life, gave me comfort, and I trusted him. Bucky was my friend. Clint? He saved me too. He crossed an ocean to get to me, and I had even told him about Aubrey. Aw, shit, he was my friend too.

I sighed and shifted in my seat, "Yeah, I guess."

Clint smirked, "Friends help friends, don't they? If I needed help, you'd be there for me, right?" Reluctantly, I nodded. His grin grew, "See? I'd be a shitty friend if I didn't help you get back on your feet after what happened."

The bastard had backed me into a corner and based on the smug look on his face he knew it. Tony cleared his throat and we glanced back over at him. He motioned to the two of us, "You done with your cute little moment? Because we have to talk logistics now."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Not a lot of people say 'no' to you, do they?"

The infamous Tony Stark smirk was painted on his face and it was just as smug as when I saw it on the television, "I can only think of one, and I don't plan on letting you become the second."

"Alright, what am I getting myself into?"

"Don't worry, working with me is a pleasure." Tony said and Clint scoffed. "The PA job is pretty self-explanatory. I'll get you a Stark Industries tablet so you can hook it up with the tower and keep track of my meetings. You can play around with it this weekend, get a feel, and then on Monday we take off the training wheels."

I blinked, "Taking the training wheels off on day one?"

"I have a lot of faith in you, sunshine." Tony reassured, "Now, the PA job comes with an apartment located in the tower—"

"Whoa." I held my hands up and Tony rolled his eyes. I turned to Clint who looked equally surprised this time. "There's no way that's a normal PA thing."

"Being my PA is a full-time job—"

"That sounds more like a nanny."

"—and having you close by will help things out." Tony shrugged. "Plus, Fury already made me give all the other children their own space."

Clint cut in, "Fury said give us a place to sleep. A bed. You gave us each our own floor."

"Irrelevant." Tony replied. I didn't know who this Fury guy was, and it wasn't really my main concern to ask right now. Tony pointed his phone at me, "Thor's always gone doing Princely stuff in Asgard so his floor is completely open for you to take. Plus, Steve is probably gonna stalk you now so that'll make it easier on the old man."

I held my hands up and took in a deep, steadying breath, "You say these crazy things in your normal tone as if I'm just gonna nod along with it! Why am I being stalked by Captain America? Another PA perk or…?"

"Bucky asked him to look out for you." Clint shrugged, "We haven't really talked to him about it, but there's no way he isn't going to take that seriously. Using the word 'stalk' is a kinda crazy, but in case you haven't noticed Tony is crazy."

Tony shook his head, "When you have as much money as I do the correct term is 'eccentric'."

This was not the turn I expected today to take, but I could work with this. Right now, I didn't really have any concrete plans. I only had loose concepts on a flexible to-do list in my brain. One of the top things on this to-do list was find Bucky. I had no real plan for it, and considering the Avengers couldn't even track him down that didn't bode well for me, but the only chance I had was through them.

Tony stuck around for a little longer to tell me more about the job that I now apparently had. It really didn't sound very hard, but I had a feeling Tony Stark was going to make it way more difficult than it needed to be. After he left, it was just Clint and I again. He'd have to leave soon, visitor hours were ending, and I told him if he slept here again instead of his own bed I was gonna kick his ass, but there was one last thing I needed to talk to him about. It was another item on my to-do list.

"Hey, Clint." I broke the silence between us. Clint had his eyes on the TV in the corner where some Spanish novela was playing, but he turned to me at my voice, "I need to go back to the ring."

His features hardened, "Aj."

"Not like that." I shook my head. "You're planning on taking the ring down, aren't you?" Clint looked like he wanted to deny it, but I had heard him talk about it on the phone with someone earlier today. "I know you are. I want to be there."

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Aj."

"Boss made my life a living hell for the last five years." I tried to keep my voice steady. "Clint, I need to be there. I want that closure. Please." He still looked hesitant, but I gave him a smile, "I'm asking as a friend."

Clint chuckled and shook his head, "Alright, but what I say goes. You aren't going off on your own. You'll stick with either me or Tash. Got it?"

I nodded in excitement. This was an item I could mark off my list.

Confront Boss.


There were multiple branches of the ring I worked for. One in Harlem, one in Queens, another in Brooklyn, and then there was the one in Jersey City. My ring. The Pit. This was the one Boss stuck around the most. It was the largest and worked as his headquarters. From his office there, he managed all his sins. The ring itself was located near the docks and it was a large basement connected to a few other basements of the neighboring buildings. It wasn't entirely well-hidden, but Boss had friends in the NYPD that looked the other way for him.

I walked into the ring for the thousandth time, but this time was different than all the others. SHIELD agents were everywhere. An entire squad had broken in and were now arresting everyone here. This was a small-time mission that ran way below what SHIELD usually dealt with. No one had expected them to come, and especially not during Boss' monthly meeting with his ring managers. It was really perfect. It was as if someone who knew Boss' entire schedule had given him up while also getting in touch with all the worthy fighters who didn't deserve to get arrested for this. Huh.

Clint tapped my elbow and nodded for me to continue following him. He didn't let me anywhere near the scene when they broke in, and as much as I wanted to be a part of it, I had agreed to listen. Others from the squad nodded at him as he passed. Clint had on his Hawkeye uniform. A form fitting black suit with dark purple on the chest in a chevron. He had his bow in one hand. It was kind of weird seeing him in work mode.

He had tried to talk me out of this one last time. The timing wasn't great, and he worried, but I didn't relent. So as soon as the hospital discharged me, I put on the clothes he brought me, jeans, boots, and a tank top, and the mission was on. I had my leather jacket on top of it.

"Are you sure about this?" Clint asked quietly.

"Yeah." I said nervously.

This was a dream come true. How long had I imagined getting back at Boss? It was my all-time favorite daydream. Now that it was here though, I just felt nervous. I rubbed the splint on my wrist with my left hand unable to stay still. Clint pulled me towards where Boss' office was and I could hear his damned voice.

Clint set his hand on my back and I stepped into the room. Natasha was lounging on the couch in her own form fitting Black Widow uniform while two men with guns stood over three men on their knees, handcuffed, in front of the desk. Boss and two of his favorite goons.

Boss' beady eyes landed on me and widened comically. My nerves slipped away, and a weird calm settled over me. I walked toward him and stopped a few feet away.

"Hey there, Boss man. You look surprised to see me."

"You—" Boss growled, his pale face turning red in anger.

I knelt down so we were at eye level and motioned to Clint and Natasha who stood behind me, "It turns out you were right. They are secret agents. Who would've guessed, huh?"

"You did this, you bitch." Boss spat. "Why won't you just die?"

"Well it wasn't for lack of trying on your part." I smiled and motioned to the remaining wounds on my face. His anger only grew, and it only settled me more. I chuckled, "We've come a long way haven't we, Boss?"

"You roach." Boss glared at me. "I let you be a part of this world, I take you under my wing, and this is the thanks I get? Did you find a new man to mooch off of, pet?"

I scoffed, "Mooch? The idea of me mooching off you is hilarious. What did I gain from working for you, Boss? Hmm? Not money. Not any good memories. Just scars." He snarled and I didn't stop. "Do you remember the time you smashed the back of my head onto the corner of your desk because I lost a marathon? I still have a scar there, but you said you did me a favor by not marking up my pretty face." My hands started to shake. "How about the time you carved an 'X' onto my back because you thought I had taken money when really you just got high and misplaced it? Or—Or how about every fucking time you put your hands on me, you disgusting piece of shit. Every time you caressed my face or ran your slimy hand through my hair, I wished you would've just fucking hit me."

"Watch yourself. You're walking a thin line." Boss said lowly.

"I spent so much time wondering what I was going to do to you one day. I daydreamed of breaking my hand on your face. Watching you choke on your own teeth. I knew I was going to kill you though. Some day." I was radiating with anger. Every memory I drug up from the depths of my mind only made my rage grow.

Boss let out a loud laugh, "Is that what this is, you whore? You brought SHIELD here to kill me? Go ahead, Small Fry. Kill me. Reveal your true colors for all of us to see!"

"I was going to. Even hid this—" I pulled the hospital's silver butter knife out from the pocket in my jacket and let it fall to the floor. If Clint and Natasha had a reaction to that I didn't see it. "I was gonna bury that knife into your jugular and watch you bleed to death on your fucking office floor. The same place you handcuffed me to a radiator for a weekend with no food or water. I knew the agents would probably have to take me to jail after that and I wouldn't get that new job I have lined up, but…I thought it'd be worth it."

"You're pathetic. Weak. You worthless, stupid girl."

"Watch it." Clint snapped from behind my shoulder.

Boss chuckled, "Is he your new master? The one who holds your leash now, bitch? You're weak. Everything I did was to make you stronger, and it was a waste. I should've killed you years ago."

"Mmm, but you didn't." I grinned. The same smile I gave my opponent on the other side of the ring. The smile that was more threat than reassurance. "And now you go to prison. Where you'll rot. Where you'll be bottom of the barrel. You think you're big and bad here with your money and thugs, but in prison you'll just be the tiny, pasty asshole that everyone steps on. Every single day you'll sit in your small concrete cell, looking through the bars, and you'll know that it was me who put you there." Boss was seething now. I chuckled, "You can call me pathetic and weak all you want. I fucking won."

With a guttural snarl, he dove toward me, hands still handcuffed behind him, and I threw my left elbow forward to meet his face. I heard the crunch of his nose before Clint yanked me up off the ground and pushed me behind him. Natasha stood in front of Clint looking bored while Boss howled in pain.

"You bitch! This isn't over! I have friends all over and you'll regret this. My lawyers will get me out of this, and I will end you. I will make you wish you were never fucking born."

I peeked around Clint's side with a smirk, "Okie dokie. Have fun in prison, Boss man. Don't drop the soap."

Boss continued to scream in anger, but I turned and left the room. My feet didn't stop until I reached my small broom closet. I sat down on the ratty couch and leaned my elbows against my knees. For a minute, I just stared at my shaking hands. It was done. It was over. I never had to step foot in this disgusting hell hole again. Boss was done for and I was free.

"You ok, kid?"

I glanced up to see Clint leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. His bow was slung on his back. He raised an eyebrow at me. I took in one more breath while closing and opening my hands best I could with the splint. After a second, the shaking stopped.

"Yeah." I stood up. "Can we go get hot dogs from that Greg guy?"

Clint smirked and nodded his head for me to follow him out. I had been right. This was the end of the chapter, but this wasn't the end of my story. Hell, this was a whole new start.