A/N: No excuses, sorry for the wait!
Read it...enjoy it.
Tony Stark loved having an audience. He loved being loud, and vibrant and saying all the things people usually wished the could, but couldn't. He loved being able to say whatever was on his mind without consequence. Tony knew he owed that kind of luxury to his wealth, to people not wanting to get on his bad side because they're afraid he'd fire him. In many cases, Tony Stark really just loved to hear himself talk.
Today was different. Today there were actually too many words in his head for him to even speak a coherent thought, and so he chose to say nothing. To many it was strange, but today as he sat on an airplane to Vienna, there was one person bold enough to point out the behavior.
"Something happened last night, didn't it?" Natasha asked from her spot where she sat across from the man. It was still strange to him that she was taking his side on this one, but he didn't question it much, figuring he could use all the support he could get. "With Sparrow."
"Sparrow?" Rhodey asked from his spot beside Tony. He looked from Natasha to the man with a quirked brow. "Wait, I know this." he turned away in thought. "Katie!" Rhodes said proudly, before turning to the bored look of Natasha who just shook her head. "Sorry, sometimes there are too many code names to remember." Both he and Natasha turned back to Tony, who kept his eyes out the window.
"I knew her going away would change something, but I didn't think it would change her." Tony said, not even turning to him.
"She seemed the same to me." Rhodes said turning to Natasha who rolled her eyes.
"It's because she was the same annoying, big mouthed, smart person anyone has ever seen." Natasha replied glancing over to Tony. "What happened the last time you saw her?"
"It doesn't matter." Tony said waving the woman off.
"It kind of does, because I just got a text from Barton." Natasha said and Tony finally met her eyes. "Guess who hasn't returned to old Mc Donald's farm?" Tony let out a huff before unbuckling his seat belt and storming toward the back of the plane.
"Where are you going?!" Rhodes called after him, but the man didn't say a word. Rhodes turned to Natasha who shook her head before looking down to her phone. "Is this something we should be worried about?"
"When it comes to her, we should always be worried." Natasha replied before unbuckling her own seat belt and walking away as well leaving Rhodes alone wondering if he too needed to make a couple of phone calls.
Tony stalks to the back of the plane, closing the door behind him so he's all alone. He drops in a seat, that spins around as a holo computer appears.
"FRIDAY, give me a location of Katie's bracelet." Tony ordered.
"I'm sorry, I can't do that."
"And why the hell-" Tony stopped and dropped his head letting out a deep sigh. "When did she override your program?" Tony shook his head. "You know what it doesn't matter, because we planned for this. Run the counter attack function-"
"I can't do that either Tony."
Tony stopped and stared blankly at the screen before reaching forward and bringing up FRIDAY's internal code and he let out a snort.
"She found it." he muttered with a shake of his head. "Of course she found it, she wouldn't be my kitten-" he let out a sigh as he remembers their last conversation. "Do you have surveillance of Katie before she left the facility."
"It's been erased."
"Fuck!" Tony snapped before standing to his feet trying to rack his brain. "So right now we don't know if she is no where to be found because she's being held against her will or if she's ghost because she wants to be." Tony stopped because he wasn't sure which one he wanted to be true. He walked over and typed in a string of code to reboot FRIDAY's system and hopefully give him control again.
Clint Barton could possibly be the angriest person in the world right now. Like he was pretty sure that if he were Bruce he'd probably be a hulk right now destroying this farm. He called her. He called his wife who was supposed to answer. That was their deal when ever they had to leave each other. They had to be reachable whenever the other called because when that phone rang and no one answered, their minds went to a dark place. A place that they could only be pulled out of by the sound of their others voice, or the sight of their face and Clint had neither in this moment. All he had was the sound of her voice mail telling him that she'd call him back when she got his message, but she still hadn't. The meeting was over, and most of the team was headed to Vienna for the UN meeting and he knows that she blatantly said that she wasn't going. Two days, two whole days, she was just gone.
Clint currently held his phone to his ear as he paced back and forth in his living room, ignoring the concerned glances from her mother and father in law. They chose to stick around until they knew Katie was alright. He'd been on hold for what felt like forever and each second was a second he felt himself getting deeper and deeper in that dark place. That place where he sees her being captured by rogue HYDRA agents, who now torture her for the location of her mother.
"Barton." a voice finally spoke. "I'm sorry for keeping you on hold, but-"
"Where is she, Coulson?" Clint demanded. Because when his wife goes missing he finds that the director of SHIELD or what used to be SHIELD would know the answer.
"Katie's gone missing?" Coulson asked.
Clint stopped walking, because the man asked the question as if it were new to him. But it couldn't be new to him. Someone had know where she was right now.
"Barton-"
"You have eyes on her, on us." Clint stated what he felt were facts.
"No, she clearly told me that your lives were to stay your lives. There have been no eyes on you and your family." Coulson said and he heard the heavy breath that escaped the man. "When did she go missing?"
"I don't know." Clint said with a shake of his head. "She went to New York to some meeting-"
"The meeting with General Ross." Coulson said remembering hearing about the meeting and the impending ratifying accords. "Look if she was at Stark's facility, there has to be at least video footage of her leaving."
"I texted Nat, who I figure is questioning Stark now, I'm just waiting-" Clint stopped pacing and glanced over to Cynthia and Martin who still were watching him closely. "She is still a possible HYDRA target, why aren't you watching us?" he turned away and stalking out onto the porch.
"Like I said-"
"Coulson I heard what you said, but I also know that you wouldn't care how upset she was if you were trying to save her life." Clint replied as looked out to his farm.
"Clint I'm sorry, but I promise you that I'm going to try to figure this out on my end." Coulson said.
"And what do I do?" Clint asked honestly wanting an answer to that question. "I can't just sit here and do nothing if my wife is in danger."
"Barton, if you aren't already out there searching for her, then I have to assume that there's something keeping you in place." Coulson said and he heard another heavy breath from the man. "Look right now you need to stay strong, not just for you, but for your daughter."
Clint knew he was right, he knew if this was just a year ago, nothing would stop him from going out there and searching for his wife, but now he had Natalia. If this really was some sort of HYDRA attack then he wasn't going let his daughter be vulnerable.
"Katie has been out of the field for a while now, but I have no doubt in my mind that there is still a fighter inside of her.
An annoying bug buzzed by Katie's ear, and she turned her eyes open. She had no idea what she was doing in Bucharest, searching the streets for a ghost.
The moment she heard his voice, she glanced up to the camera before turning away.
"Bucky, is that you?" she asked once more. Still there was no reply. "Don't you dare play mute with me. I already heard your voice. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I'm just-" the man let out a heavy sigh. "It's tough having memories of two different lives. In the end you're left wondering who you are."
"You're lost."
"So to speak, and it helps to hear someone familiar." Bucky replied. "Look I'm not supposed to call you, it's risky and-"
"But you did and now here we are. What do you need?"
"I don't know. I just really don't know. I'm sorry for calling, it won't happen again."
The line ended and Katie growled as she looked down to her phone. With a shake of her head, she glanced up to the ceiling.
"FRIDAY, I need a computer." Katie said.
"Well Mr. Stark's facility holds an array of computing devices, for example-"
"A computer!" Katie snapped angrily. "With a monitor and a keyboard, right now." there was a silence for a moment, before the elevator doors opened and Katie stepped out.
"Mr. Stark has a lab that is at the moment vacant. Third door on your left." The program said and so Katie was off.
The moment she stepped inside, the room illuminated as the large monitors powered on. Katie stripped off of her jacket.
"FRIDAY, I am changing the hands of your puppet strings." Katie replied as she typed. "You do not tell Tony about anything I'm doing, all audio from that elevator is kept locked,any request for the footage just say that it's been erased and everything we do today does not get reported. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Katie." the program replied
"Alright, I need a trace on that phone call that just came to my phone." Katie said. She'd attempted to trace the call back on the farm, but her tech wasn't as savvy as the equipment Tony had. When her fingers stopped she looked up to the monitor, a map on the screen zooming in more and more until a red dot blinked. Katie tilted her head a bit and sighed. "FRIDAY, I need the next flight you can book to Bucharest."
There was a payphone across the road, where Katie sat at cafe hoping to catch a glance of the man she'd came looking for. She glanced down to her phone that once again rang, this time it was Natasha who called. Katie was supposed to be back on the farm right now, back with her husband and daughter. Something she's sure her husband knows at the moment. She's been gone for a little over forty eight hours without talking to anyone. It was wrong, and she felt completely guilty, but she couldn't explain this. She couldn't explain traveling half way across the world to find a man who almost killed her brother. But she heard his voice, heard how lost he seemed, and she couldn't help but relate. They were both victims of the two headed monster that was HYDRA/SHIELD and for some reason she just felt obligated to help him. Katie looked at the time, and realized she'd been sitting for about an hour.
"This is ridiculous." she muttered standing to her feet. She grabbed her back pack, pulling over her shoulder, and it was just by chance that she looked up and saw a familiar face hidden underneath a baseball cap. The moment he saw her, the man just stopped walking. The shock was only momentary, before he crossed the road, and found himself standing in front of her.
"You just couldn't let it go, could you?" he asked and Katie smiled up to the man.
"Once you know me better, you'll realize that I don't let things go." Katie said before turning to sit once again. Bucky walked over to take the seat across from her. "So, what the hell are you doing in Bucharest?"
Tony promised himself that there would be none of his usual shenanigan at the UN meeting. He was going to be a grown up, shake hands, engage in small talk that was in no way, shape or form inappropriate or offensive. At the moment he was only partly successful.
He paced back and forth in the hallway, outside the meeting room. His fingers typed furiously on his Stark phone, still trying to undo the lock out function Katie initiated before disappearing.
"How is it going, FRIDAY?" Tony asked.
"Your master key function is almost finished." the program answered through to comlink in the scientist's ear. "It seems to be taking longer than anticipated."
"She's making us jump through hoops to undo this shit." Tony said as his eyes looked over the code with a careful eye. "Try her cell phone again." the man was so focused on the phone in his hands, that he nearly bumped into someone who appeared in front of him. When he looked up, he let out a sigh.
"Look it's no use. Sparrow knows how to go off the grid and become untraceable." Natasha said and the man just shook his head before looking back down to his phone. "I've used all my contacts, all my resources, and she's ghost."
"Is this voluntarily or involuntarily, exactly?" Tony asked glancing over to the woman. "She wants to disappear, that's fine, but I need to know that she's the one in control."
"What happened the last time you two saw each other?" Natasha asked once again.
"I told you it doesn't matter?"
"Maybe, but maybe not. It could be a clue to where she is right now." Natasha replied and Tony looked over to her and just sighed.
"She came to say goodbye, and the accords came up again." Tony glanced back down to his phone. "I tried to convince her to be here, to sign them."
"And she refused." Natasha stated and the man looked back over to her. "Have you totally forgotten who this woman is. She has a problem with authority, a problem with putting her life in to someone else's hands. I knew before she walked into that room that she wasn't going to sign anything Ross put in front of us."
"Yeah, well I thought having a kid would've changed her perspective on things." Tony said with a shake of his head. "Apparently it didn't. She said some things, I said some things, and then I told her to leave."
"You told her to leave?" Natasha asked. Of everything the man had told her, that was the most surprising. It was no secret that the relationship of Tony Stark and Katherine Barton was both strange and understandable. The moment SHIELD found out about the two meeting, there was no question that the friendship would happen. They assumed they could manipulate Katie into an alliance with SHIELD, but they underestimated the friendship that developed between the two. Natasha turned back to the man and just gave a nod.
"Hey, you guys." Rhodes spoke as he walked over. "It's about to begin." Natasha turned back to Tony, who looked at her for a moment before glancing down to his phone and letting out another sigh before slipping the phone into the pocket of his suit. He looked back over to her, before walking past her and Rhodes into the meeting. Natasha was about follow when Rhodes took a step to block her. "Any luck finding Katie?"
"Not yet." Natasha replied before attempting to step around the colonel, but he once again stepped to block her, this time causing the assassin to turn an annoyed eye toward him. "Was there something else?"
"It's just Katie is on half a dozen watch lists right now, and if she's suddenly off the grid I am obligated to report it." Rhodes said, to which Natasha rolled her eyes.
"If you think that will help, then go right ahead." Natasha replied giving the man a pat on the shoulder before walking inside for the conference.
Clint hated the moment where he realized he was finally going to have to make a tough decision. The man stood leaning against the wall of Natalia's nursery, looking down to the sleeping child who'd just gone down for her nap. There was a light knock on the door, and Clint turned as Matthew walked inside. The young man glanced over to the sleeping child, before turning to Clint.
"What could the CIA find out?"
"The CIA was hacked." Matthew said and Clint met the man's eyes in confusion. "All information on my sister gone, and any attempt at searching for her with their facial recon software is pointless because even her pictured has disappeared." Matthew shook his head with a sigh. "Nothing else has been compromised, but even so, someone with the ability to make themselves just disappear so easily is seen as extremely dangerous." Matthew glanced over to his niece. "Like I knew my sister was good, but I didn't know she was next level hacker good." he turned back to Clint. "What the hell was she thinking?"
"I'll be sure to ask her when I find her." Clint replied before stalking out of the room, and Matthew chose to follow behind him.
"So you're going after her?" Matthew asked following after Clint who headed for the stairs. "Do you even know where to start?" Clint stopped walking and turning back to his brother in law. "Look I'm worried about her too, but all signs are pointing to Rinny going off the grid. And when that happens, when my sister needs to disappear, then there's no one who can find her." Clint turned away with a shake of his head. "Dude, I know this sucks, but-"
"She's my wife." Clint interrupted the man. "Mother of my daughter." he looked back over to Matthew. "She needs to go off the grid, fine, but I need to know where that is. I need to hear her voice." Matthew looked at the man for a moment before giving a nod.
"I'll check back in with the agency." Matthew replied and when Clint took a step forward, Matthew stopped. "But until we have some sort of direction here C, I need you to stay here." Clint turned with a quirked brow. "The CIA doesn't like to be bested, and that's what someone did. And everyone is pretty sure that person was Rinny. All eyes are looking for her, and that means eyes are on you. If you're accused of conspiring with her, then you'll be taken in and then my little buddy down there will only have me and I'm pretty sure no one wants that. Clint looked at the man for a moment before turning and heading downstairs. Matthew let out sigh before following behind the man.
The moment the men were down stairs they heard what could only be described as a whispered argument. Matthew and Clint shared a look before seeking out the only two people they knew could be arguing. They found Martin and Cynthia in the kitchen, where all conversations stopped the moment they appeared.
"Is there any news on Katie?" Cynthia asked first and Clint shook his head.
"Only that for some reason she's not showing up in any government file. Someone made her disappear." Clint answered.
"Not someone, she did it herself." Matthew muttered folding his arms over his chest. Cynthia turned to him with a quirked brow.
"Wait are you saying there's a possibility that my daughter is nowhere to found right now because she wanted it that way?" Cynthia asked and Matthew and Clint shrugged. The woman glanced over to her husband who simply shook his head before turning and stalking out the back door.
"Martin-" Cynthia called about to go after the man, when there was a sudden beep. They all turned to Matthew who snaked his phone from his pocket. "Is it about Katie?"
"No." Matthew said very seriously before looking over to Clint, and then rushing into the living room. He quickly flicked on the news that was currently showing a sight that shocked everyone there.
"For those just tuning in, More than 70 people have been injured." the reporter still clearly shaking as the camera pans to the building that is still being sprayed with water. " At least 12 are dead. Including Wakanda's King T'Chaka. Officials have released a video of a suspect, identified as James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter soldier. The infamous HYDRA agent, linked to numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations."
"Was she there?" Cynthia asked suddenly and Matthew glanced over to her as Clint simply stared at the screen. "What the hell is a Winter Soldier?"
"A dead man." Matthew replied as he glanced back down to the news, a sudden memory of playing the Winter Soldier's punching bag came to him and his fist clench. "If that bastard has my sister-"
"It wouldn't make sense." Clint spoke suddenly. He glanced over to Cynthia and then Matthew. "Find out what the CIA has on Barnes. Don't even mention a possible connection to Kat, just see what they know."
"What are you going to do?" Matthew asked and Clint sighed.
"I'm going to try to call her again." Clint replied grabbing his phone and heading out the front door and dialing her number once again.
Katie thinks she's going to remember this moment for a very long time. This moment where she finds herself very far away from her friends and family, sitting across from a man who everyone thinks is probably dead.
"You shouldn't have come here." Bucky said scanning the area for lingering eyes. "It's too dangerous for you to be here. If someone sees you-"
"You needed help." Katie said simply and the man turned to her. "I fell out of this huge flying ship and you made sure I didn't die. Because of what you did, I married my husband, have this adorable daughter. So yeah, when you call and you sound lost I will come help you get found."
"That's not possible." Bucky replied with a shake of his head. "There's no coming back from the things I've done, people I've hurt." he turned back to her. "Your brother, he-"
"Bucky stop." Katie said holding up a hand to him. "I do not want the details of the things you've done. Because you, the man sitting in front of me didn't do any of those things." Katie turned away. "Big, bad HYDRA did that to you, they did a lot of things to a lot of people." she glanced back to the man. "Stop blaming yourself for things you had no control over."
"That's easier said than done." the man said once again glancing around. "It's getting late, and we've been out in the open way too long." he turned back to the woman. "Where are you staying?"
"Like I just got here this morning, and I was sort of doing everything on a whim." Katie said before rubbing her tired eyes. Bucky sighed before standing to his feet and tossing a couple of bills onto the table.
"C'mon." Bucky said and Katie looked unsure before grabbing her back pack and standing to her feet as well. "You can crash at my place."
"Am I about to see where the magic happens?" Katie asked the man who simply shook his head before stalking away. "C'mon at some point I am going to make you at least smile." she ran to catch up to him.
When she walked into tiny apartment, it was as she expected. Very basic, with only necessities. There was nothing personal, not a lot of things in case he needed to leave quickly.
"There's a bed." Bucky said and Katie glanced over to the dusty mattress on the floor. "I know it's not much, but-"
"Shut up." Katie interrupted before tossing down to her bag and practically falling onto the mattress. The woman pulled her baseball cap over her face to block out the light. Bucky looked down to her for a moment before shaking his head and turning to take off his jacket. He walked over to the kitchen, but stopped when a thought suddenly came to him.
"Your phone, is-"
"It can't be tracked." Katie's muffled voice replied. "Plus I turned it off." he still looked over to her.
"Your husband doesn't know you're here, does he?" Bucky asked and Katie doesn't reply. "Does anyone know you're here right now?"
"You do." Katie replied and Bucky let out a huff before walking over and sitting on the couch beside the mattress.
"I didn't call you so you would come here." Bucky said and Katie replied the hat and glanced over to the man. "Seriously, you don't have to be here."
"I know I don't have to be here. I know you didn't ask me to come here. But help isn't always asked, and whether you know it or not, you need something. Mulling around aimlessly isn't getting you anywhere closer to an actual life."
"I stopped hoping for an actual life." Bucky replied standing back to his feet and walking back to the kitchen area.
"Well start because I am going to help you get it." Katie replied before closing her eyes and trying her hand at sleep again. Bucky once again glanced over to the woman and couldn't help the small smile that came to his face.
The next morning, Katie heard the faint sound of Bucky saying something about getting some food, but she was way too exhausted to even reply. He got a non committal wave before leaving the woman.
Inside her head, in her land of dreams, Katie found herself surrounded by stars. It was a sight that was too impossible to believe was real. Being surrounded by so much dark space, twinkling stars so close as if she could reach out an grab one. This place felt so strange, and yet it felt as if this was where she was meant to be. She suddenly didn't feel alone, and so she turned and finally noticed there was someone sitting beside her.
"Thanos." she spoke, and a sick, demented smile came to the being's face. "Why am I here?"
"Because my children always find their way home." his deep throaty voice spoke, before he erupted in a bone chilling deep laughter.
Katie's eyes snapped open, and the moment they did she heard the sound of someone messing with the door. She quietly lifted herself, standing to her feet as she kept her eyes on the door. She reached for her bag, and slipped a hand inside grabbing the cold steel handle of her glock. Whoever was at the door finally popped it open, and Katie quickly aimed the gun. Suddenly someone appeared that she really didn't expect and the moment he saw her, he looked just as surprise.
"Katie?"
"Steve?"
Katie lowered her gun as she looked over the man who was currently decked out in the complete Captain America gear, something he only does when he expects a battle. Steve walked inside, closing the door behind him.
"What are you doing here?" they both say.
"Where's Bucky?" Steve asks seriously, and Katie looks to him in confusion.
"Why?"
"Katie-" Katie lifts her head to the man who suddenly slips inside the apartment and Steve turns following her eyes to see Bucky.
Bucky carefully walks inside, his eyes on Steve and Katie can see he's ready for whatever fight he thinks is about to happen.
"I know you're nervous." Steve says, and Bucky remains silent. "And you have every reason to be, but-" he finally turns fully to the man, his shield held firmly in hand. "You're lying."
"Lying about what?" Katie asks looking to Steve.
"I wasn't in Vienna." Bucky declares firmly and Katie turns to him in confusion.
"What happened in-" Katie stopped because she suddenly remembered something. "The UN meeting was being held in Vienna." she turned back to Steve. "What happened at that meeting?"
"I didn't do it." Bucky said and Steve turned back to the man. " I don't do that anymore."
"Well, the people who think you did are coming here now. And they don't plan on taking you alive." Steve replied and Katie's eyes went wide as she looked toward the door, and then over to the window.
"That's smart. Good strategy." Bucky replies his fist clenching at his side. He glances over to Katie who looks at him confused. "I told you, you shouldn't have come here."
"Shut up." Katie replies before reaching into her back pack, and pulling out another glock. "I just became your back up you idiot."
A/N: She didn't choose the hero life...