I haven't forgotten about this story! It probably will not be as long as Finders Keepers (thank goodness!), but we still have a way to go in this one. Let the road trip begin!


Early the following day, Clint pulled up in front of Bucky's apartment. As soon as Clint arrived, Kate had started complaining about the early hour. Clint told her to suck it up and grabbed her suitcase, tossing it in the back of the SUV. She climbed into the backseat, bow around her, and held Lucky's leash. "Why do I have to sit back here?"

"Exactly how old are you, twelve?" Clint felt like he was talking to Lila. "You're keeping an eye on Lucky, so that'll be easier from back there. On the plus side, you'll be able to stretch out and sleep."

"Okay, there's that. Will do, CB-1." Once they arrived at Bucky's apartment, Clint motioned Kate to stay in the vehicle as he honked the horn, then got out and walked around to the back of the SUV.

"Hey, Barton," Bucky nodded as he saw Clint.

"Barnes," Clint was standing next to the open back of the SUV. He tried to take Bucky's bag, but Bucky wasn't having any of it. Bucky politely shoved Clint aside and swung his bag into the vehicle, where it landed on top of the rest of the luggage. Clint closed the door, and the two men climbed into the front seats. "Stowaway?" Bucky smirked, motioning to Kate.

"Close. Kate Bishop, James Barnes. James, Kate Bishop. Lucky's the quiet one."

"Hey!" Kate exclaimed.

"I see what you mean," Bucky said. "Good boy." He patted Lucky on the head. "So? Lucky?"

"Yeah," Clint answered. "Kate found him while stealing something and kept him from getting hit by a car, so figured he was lucky to find her."

"He's like our mascot. Two Hawkeyes and a dog. I'm getting t-shirts made." Kate beamed.

Bucky looked over at Clint as Clint pulled away from the curb. "She thinks I need branding. I've tried telling her my job is not to be noticed."

"Was, CB-1, was," Kate argued.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Katie-Kate. Once a spy, always a spy. The only retired spy is a dead spy."

"I could get you a t-shirt with that on it. I'll add it to the list." Clint rolled his eyes as Bucky chuckled. "Cool arm! Sorry, what you went through to get it, though."

"Thanks, it's definitely a lot lighter than the original one." Bucky had become more comfortable over the years talking about it, though he still didn't wasn't the first one to bring it up in a conversation.

"You know," Clint spoke up as he merged onto the highway, taking them out of the city, "Tony would've given anything to work on it. He lived for technology and ways to improve upon it."

"Yeah, Steve told me that, too. Stark was like his dad that way. I remember right before heading out to Europe, Steve and I were on a double date at the Stark Expo."

"Oh, goody," Kate interrupted, "this will be one of those 'back in the day' stories. You know, 'I walked ten miles to school every day, uphill, barefoot, in the snow' kind of stories."

Clint and Bucky both rolled their eyes. Bucky spoke first. "Yes, now respect your elders and let me finish the story. As I was saying, Steve and I were at Stark Expo. Steve humored me, especially after I told him we were double dating. It was my last night as a civilian, so I wanted to celebrate." Bucky told Clint and Kate about the Expo. "And damn it, still waiting for the flying car."

"If it'll help, I can drive fast enough to make it feel like we're flying," Clint offered.

"Not in this weather, I'll pass. Thanks for the suggestion, though." Clint continued driving west as Bucky shared stories of growing up with Steve in Brooklyn and answered questions from Kate.

"They arrested you for missing a counseling session?" Kate was shocked something like that could happen.

"Well, when you're the former fist of HYDRA, they want to make sure you're not going to snap and relapse suddenly."

Clint nodded. "I know that feeling." After Loki, Clint had to attend mandated therapy sessions. Thankfully, he had Nat by his side, ensuring he didn't miss one. He probably would've been arrested several times if it wasn't for her. 'Yet another way she saved my ass and helped clear her ledger,' Clint thought to himself.

Kate spoke up. "When I started college, all freshmen had to see a shrink. After spending about ten minutes with the lady, I never saw her again. My parents had a psychiatrist on speed dial, not that anyone ever went. Mom probably just used the guy to get meds." After the admission, Kate leaned down, put her face in Lucky's fur, and fell asleep.

After driving for a while, Clint looked in the rearview mirror to check on Kate. Her face was still buried in Lucky's fur, and she had started lightly snoring. "I forget how young she is."

"How old is she?" Bucky asked, turning around to also check on her.

"Early twenties, I think." Clint shook his head. "Damn, when I was that age, I was already in SHIELD."

"Seems a little young to be an agent."

"Yeah, well, when you've got a particular set of skills, people tend to look the other way and ignore rules." Clint thought back to Coulson and how he found him in jail after being left for dead by his brother and mentors from the circus.

"True." Since both men knew what Bucky had gone through when he was about that age, neither one wanted to continue that conversation. "So, circus, huh?"

"Yeah. Didn't you read my file when Nat dumped it when SHIELD fell?"

"Nah, tried to get as far away from any information as possible. All I knew about you is that you were a skilled marksman and the only unenhanced male on the Avengers."

"Yep, skilled as in never miss, man."

"Everyone misses."

"I'm not everyone." Bucky sensed Clint wasn't saying that to brag but stating a fact. "In my line of business, if I miss, people die. If I don't take out who I'm assigned to, then the bastard lives to kill someone who doesn't deserve it, so I hit the mark, every time."

Bucky understood that all too well. "Never knew we had so much in common."

Clint chuckled. "Yeah, I think Nat would say welcome to the former assassins club. Now there's a t-shirt Kate should design."

"Can I ask a question?" Clint nodded to go ahead. "Bow and arrow, strange choice of weapon. How come you chose it?"

Clint knew he'd need a lot more coffee to get through this conversation. "Before we start the 'this is your life, Clint Barton,' portion of the drive, how about we stop for lunch. We've got another four or five hours before we hit the halfway point."

"Sorry, man, didn't mean to make you dredge up anything."

Clint shrugged. "No problem. The info's all out there, anyway, might as well make sure you know the correct version." When he came upon the next exit, Clint left the highway and pulled into the parking lot of a small diner. "Damn, forgot we've got a pet," Clint said, motioning back to Lucky. "Stay here. I'll go get us something and come back." Before Bucky could respond, Clint got out of the vehicle and went into the restaurant. Once he got inside, the employees said it wouldn't be a problem to bring Lucky inside while the group ate. They told Clint they weren't expecting much business anyway due to the weather. "Thank you. I'll let them know." Clint went back out to the SUV. "They're good with Lucky. Katie-Kate? Time to eat."

"Nnrrggh," Katie mumbled, then spitting dog hair out of her mouth. "Are we there yet?"

Clint smiled. "See, what'd I tell you? She's a kid." He opened the back door. "C'mon, time to eat." Clint grabbed Lucky's leash and led the dog to a grassy area. When Lucky finished, Clint took the dog inside and met his traveling companions at a circular table with good vantage points. He led Lucky under the table and went to clean up. He returned and found a steaming cup of coffee waiting for him. "Thanks." Clint picked up the coffee mug, drained it, then grabbed the carafe and poured himself a refill. The waitress showed up, took their order, then left them alone.

"You mentioned the halfway point," Bucky said. "Where exactly is halfway to wherever it is we're going?"

Clint took a sip of coffee. "We're going to Iowa. The house is just outside Waverly. Don't worry. You've probably never heard of it. Halfway point is Grosse Ile, Michigan. I've got three rooms booked."

"Oh, good," Kate said. "I don't have to room with either one of you."

'Or worry about the nightmares,' Clint thought. He'd noticed he now seemed to have nightmares related to either Loki or Vormir. Clint wondered if that should've been a sign that he should've ended the marriage then. He never had nightmares about his wife or kids. He was stirred from his thoughts as the server brought their food. Once she distributed the orders, the trio dug in, realizing they were hungrier than they thought. The men finished before Kate did, still in the habit of quickly shoving down food in case they had to relocate.

"Did I miss the fact there was an eating competition going on with you two?" Kate waved her fork as she pointed toward each of them.

"Old habit," Bucky said.

"Do you even taste the food?"

"I'm pretty sure everything I've had to resort to eating over the years has deadened my taste buds," Clint said.

"Ever had reindeer?" Kate asked, remembering her conversation with Yelena.

"Yep," Clint said, "tougher than you'd think, would make good jerky."

"Don't remember if I have or not," Bucky said. "I'll add it to the list of things not worth trying. I can say, however. Damn fine pancakes." He pointed to his empty plate.

"How could you taste them with all the syrup you put on them?" Kate asked, still eating her chicken and waffles.

"Growing up in the depression, we didn't have much money for extra stuff like syrup. Steve and I talked about that once the memories came back. So, I decided I'd enjoy things I couldn't back then."

Clint nodded in solidarity. "We didn't have a lot of money growing up, so you learned to eat what was put before you."

"Well, that explains your fascination with pizza and coffee." Lucky bumped Clint's leg with his snout when he heard Kate say pizza.

"There is nothing wrong with either one of those," Clint defended his food choices.

"Eat some veggies not on a pizza every once, CB1."

"Yeah, CB1," Bucky teased.

"Great, another one on my case." Clint shook his head, then pinched off part of his biscuit, feeding it to Lucky.

"Oh, no," Bucky said, noticing the movement, "you will not get that dog started on unhealthy eating habits."

"What? You want me to order him a salad?"

"Dog treats, man, dog treats. I'm sure the convenience store next door has some," Bucky said. When Clint went to pick up the check to pay, Bucky slapped his hand (thankfully, his flesh and blood hand). "I got it."

"Buck, you're doing me a favor."

"Shut up, Barton. I've got it. Now, you two go to the car with Lucky, and I'll pick up some dog treats. If you're good, I might find something for you for the road." Bucky shoved Clint out of the booth and went to pay the tab.

"Bossy, isn't he?" Kate said. Clint didn't say a word. He grabbed Lucky's leash and loaded him up into the vehicle, Kate climbing in behind him.

Right after, Bucky climbed into the vehicle, handing Kate a bag. "Here. Should be enough treats for the trip." Kate looked in the bag and pulled out a large bag of dog treats and some chew toys.

"And this should be enough for you, CB1." Bucky passed Clint the most oversized mug he'd ever seen. "Coffee for the road."

"Thanks, man."

Bucky held up a white plastic sack. "Jerky, trail mix, and energy drinks."

"Kate's not allowed to have those drinks," Clint said. "She's got too much energy."

"Shut it, CB1." The traveling companions laughed as Clint pulled back on the highway and headed toward their destination.