Whooop OK this is the longest chapter I have written so far and you will see why. I did my research on Crossfire into his dealings with Hawkeye and here it is. It's not exactly the same but I have taken elements from the comic, turned them a bit so it fits in this story and also added my own take and plot points so it also ties in to some off the films mainly Ant Man.

Wasn't sure how to tie in Nick fury and why William want to find him, when I first wrote it but hopefully now that problem is resolved.

A lot of talking, explanation and Clint and Scott bonding…..Hope you like it XD

Chapter 8

"That's enough what are you trying to prove, can't you see he can't take anymore"screamed Scott as he thrashed about in his seat, watching the real life horror show in front of him.

Clint screams echoed throughout the cell as by this point the sander had been moved onto right leg and brutally shaved away the flesh. Blood pooled and spattered freely from the ever-expanding wound as more and more layers were being taken away. It was inevitable that if it continued at this rate, the sandpaper would reach Clint's muscles, tendon, ligaments and eventually his bone. Evidently if that happened it wouldn't be surprising if Cross still motioned for his henchmen to carry on until the machine cut the limb clean off.

"He will take whatever I decide for him to take and to answer your question, you won't answer any off mine and coincidently it's also called taking revenge for his part in destroying a large part off my life" Cross shouted over the sound off the blood curdling cries and sander, all the while watching his instructions being ruthlessly played out.

"Look I don't know about your past with Clint but seriously revenge isn't the way to go. I came to realise that when I was locked up with my life in complete shambles, Forget the past otherwise grudges will tear you apart until there is nothing left just like it did with Darren in the end"….Shit shouldn't off said that last bit. Scott winced and silently kicked himself for letting the last part off his speech slip out, that was certainly going to enrage William.

With no clear emotion on his face Cross went over to Donald and turned off the machine and turned to Scott.

The young brunette could see that his remark had differently struck a nerve and as intimidating as Cross's stern expression was he held his gaze not wanting to back down if it meant that it would keep the villain attentions away from Clint for a while so be it.

"Yes that last bit was a stupid thing to say to me but I'm not going to agree with the rest of your little speech you see forgiveness is a weak trait I don't process, especially when it comes to you two and that bastard Fury" Cross calmly answered back.

Scott was a little taken back by William's somewhat solemn response; he truly thought that his remark would result in some sort of beating down or even angry outburst but still he continued regardless off the punishment he will probably receive for his impedance.

"Seriously man what the fuck is so bad that it come down to doing all this, I understand sort off about what I have done but Darren needed to be stopped before he hurt a lot of people, I didn't want to kill him but I had no choice when he threatened to kill my daughter…..Probably you don't understand but when it comes to someone you love you do all you can for them no matter what."

A small huff escaped Cross's mouth as he shook his head and then looked back up at Scott "I understand that more than you think Scott"

The villain then turned round and point directly at Clint who's head was slumped to his chest and breathing heavily through his nose "You see Clint here is personally responsible for the death of my wife"

Scott's expression turned from angry to sheer confusion at the new piece of information he had just been told "What?"

Finally Williams true emotions were starting to present themselves as the once solemn man was now becoming more and more angry with every work he spoke "Yes I don't think you've met that side off your buddy, a cold blooded murder who once worked for an organisation who services were to lie, kill and not even dwell on what they left behind."

"It was not my fault I tried to save her but there was nothing I could do" Clint cut in which took both Cross and Scott attention off each other and into him.

"You keep telling yourself that Barton but the fact off the matter is you and Fury are responsible, her blood in on your hands" said Cross

The archer looked up at Cross, sweat covered his pain filled face and mixed with the dried blood that was already present. "If anything it is on your hands, the pain and suffering you put innocent people through we couldn't sit back and let you continue to induce suffering like that and as for Roselyn the biggest regret with her was not getting her away from you sooner" he hissed at the villain which resulted in a direct punch to the face and William grabbing a handful off his hair, so the archers face was directly pulled inches from his.

"You ever say her name again I will move the taking your organs out part as next priority, trust me" Venom clear in Cross's threats but Clint stood his ground fuelled by the increasing rage that boiled his blood and ran magma through his veins.

"You see you can't even say her name"

"Keep going and the same will go for Scott as well" Cross leaned in even more dangerously close

"Monsters like you don't know what love is, the only thing you get joy from in life is the cruel satisfaction on seeing other people suffer" Clint spat back, not backing down.

Cross again hit Clint across the face, let go of his hair and backed away "The only satisfaction out of all off this is the souvenir I got from Fury the last time"

The archer spat out the glob off blood that before looking at Cross who was now smiling. " Is that the time, oh well this conclude today's session like I said earlier I have reservations, Raph has other commitments and unfortunately Donald will be spending quite a few hours tonight in A&E getting his nose fixed. So not sure he is going to be in the best off moods tomorrow morning when we return"

At this point William and his henchman began their way to the door "See you kids in the morning, don't stay up to late" Cross sniggered as the trio finally exited the cell leaving both Avengers alone.

For the first few minutes both men sat in silence not knowing what to say to each other

"Are you OK" Scott was the first to speak

"Yeah why" Clint quickly shot back, a bit too much aggression in his tone.

Lang understood it wasn't intentional anger aimed at him directly, William had truly got under the archers skin and he could see the anxiety and stress clearly through Clint's tensed body and strained voice. Taking a deep breath Scott continued knowing that Barton needed to open up to him "Well this whole situation seems to becoming more and more personal, I know why Cross holds a personal agenda against me but yours seem to run a little deeper…was he telling the truth when he said them things"

The archer sighed.

"Let's just say like you but on a darker level I have done things in my past I regret"

"Understandable coz you worked as a spy but he implied you had something do with his wife being dead" Scott asked a bit concerned that sentence might have just been a step to far but he needed to be persistent.

"Look Scott I don't want to talk about it, they are wounds I don't really want reopen" Clint replied in a sorrow tone.

"Well from where I'm standing…Unfortunately not literally "Clint couldn't help but smirk at Scott's remark.

"It will all come round eventually if not by you, by our villainess host, honestly I would rather hear it from you and know what his grudge against you is, you know what his is with me but I need to know what his game is so I have a better understanding on what his mind set is" The young brunette continued.

Clint finally looked up at Scott and gave out another small grin "Must say Lang that is a speech I would mainly associate with Cap"

"I have my moments but seriously as a team mate and as a friend it's best I know what is going on so I can help in whatever way I can"

Clint looked at the floor and taking a deep breath he shook his head in agreement. The archer had come to respect the pint size hero more so than a lot off their other team mates. In that small amount of time they knew each other Clint knew that Scott was one off the least judgmental individuals he had ever met, a feeling that worked both ways. Both their pasts have been shady and both have spent time on the wrong side off the law but they both seemed to have been cut from the same cloth in that they shared common ground. Yeah he had Natasha who herself started her career as a criminal but years of being partners was the only reason their trust and bond grew. Scott was different though, like himself an ex con who broke the law, paid the price and is now just trying to do the right thing always making his family and daughter are his number one priority. Underneath the Ant Man suit was a normal family guy with no super powers, just a high skill set like himself. Scott Lang was humanly grounded, thrust into a team of gods and super powerful individuals.

"OK it started 5 years ago when I was still a member of SHIELD, Nick Fury got word that William Cross who at the time owned a company called Cross Technological Enterprises" Clint explained

"I heard off that company didn't they specialise in Ultrasonic technology and had connections with Pym Tech" Scott responded

"Yes Wiiliam actually got his funding when Darren was the CEO, you see to begin with William Cross worked for the CIA but was ironically kicked out when the organisation found him a bit too mentally unstable"

"WOW I guess mentally unstable runs in the Cross family" Scott softly chucked which in turn made Clint do the same.

"Yes but unlike Darren who pretty much got a good opportune moment and already good set foundation to take over and run a Tech company. William didn't have the resources or money so turned to his cousin for help" the archer continued.

Scott shook his head at what he just heard "I bet any money Hank had no clue a lot off his cash was being pumped into another mad man run company" the thought off Hank being ripped off and not knowing didn't sit to well with him.

"Probably not….Anyway I was assigned to investigate William having heard that he was using his Ultrasonic Technology to brainwash people" Clint replied

"Why would he do that" The brunette inquired and looked on at Clint in shock.

"Eventually he wanted to start building his own personal army but in the beginning was using innocent people as test subjects to test his mind control."

"I guess Darren knew what his cousin was doing" his tone more flat this time knowing he shouldn't be that surprised with what these guys are capable off.

"Yes he did it, was sort off a partnership between the two. Imagine having an army off mind controlled miniature soldiers that you could never see coming and being controlled by madmen" Clint replied.

"Scary thought so what did you do" Scott immediately asked

"I was assigned to go in and do what I do best sabotage the whole operation" Clint couldn't help but smirk at his cockiness.

"Yeah we all know how good you are at breaking things" Scott joked back "But where does Cross's wife come into all of this" at this point his smile dropped and his tone more curious to what Clint was going to say next.

"Originally I went in posing as a machine technician to collect Intel on William operation, and while undercover I met a woman called Rozalyn Backus who turned out to be Cross's wife." Clint paused at the end of his sentence but taking a deep breath he continued.

"It started off as just harmless banter but then she started to become more and flirtier towards me"

"Oh god you didn't bang her did you" Scott blurted out much to the surprise off Clint

"What…no I ever slept with her Scott I'm faintly married. I told her I was gay instead" Clint answered back.

"How did that go down I bet she was a bit gutted" Scott laughed.

"Yeah a bit but in the it worked in my favour coz she seemed to open up about things much more easier"

"Basically you were her gay best friend" the brunette quickly shot back which made both men laugh.

"I suppose you could put it like that, it had its good moments especially when she started wanting me to hang around with her and I never thought I would enjoy clothes shopping." Clint added

"Hey I thought you said you were faithfully married"

"I can look but not touch there's a difference" the archer gave a childlike wink at Scott.

Evidently at that moment the Barton's grin turned more serious expression, "It took a while but eventually she was able to give me intel on William and what I needed to know and so that night I decided to strike and put a stop to his whole operation. Unfortunately I wasn't the only one who did their homework and wasn't counting on an unexpected arrival and was caught."

"Oh shit" Scott replied

"Wiiliam who finally found out who I was decided I would be a great test subject to be the first skill trained zombie for his army but unknown to him and me at that point Rozalyn had been picked up by Fury and SHIELD and was being harshly interrogated." Clint again paused thinking about how to put the rest of the story into words.

"It was discovered that Rozalyn was one off the first that Cross had tried his Ultrasonic Brainwash Technology on."

"What kind of person would do that to their own wife" Scott's words came out as a mix of anger and confusion.

"A pretty sick one but strangely still he made the negotiations to Nick to do a trade Me for Rozalyn and Fury was the one who had to do the exchange" Clint responded.

"So then what happened?"

"As you can imagine William wasn't the happiest person in the world and took his frustration out on me and as Rozalyn she wasn't fairing much better"

"SHIELD tortured her" Scott quizzed

"No it seemed that Cross's ultrasonic waves, like Darren's shrinking particle's it doesn't have such a good effect on the brain. It seems that like his cousin's formula the brains chemistry is altered but to an extent the subject starts having seizures, hallucinations and eventually descend into madness" It was obvious that Clint becoming stressed talking about this past event.

"That's horrible"

"She couldn't cope anymore and in the end committed suicide while being under the care off SHIELD" Clint voice slightly broke on the last few words he spoke, the heartache was beginning to show and Scott could tell the archer was trying his hardest to keep his emotions in check. The brunette looked on as his fellow Avenger continued.

"Ironically I do blame myself for what she went though, I found that having spent so much time with her she was a kind, descent person who just wanted someone to care about her, just wanting a friend who would be there for her and in the end I let her down." Clint signed and shook his head.

"I was too focused on my mission to see the warning signs to what she was going through and didn't act quick enough to save her. If I only saw the warning signs sooner she may off stood a chance. As an agent who signed up to save I failed to save an innocent life but as her friend I wasn't there when she needed me"

"It's not your fault Clint It's that bastard out there that killed her" Scott quickly resorted.

"Maybe but for all these years I have played it over and over in my head and have thought off so many ways I could done things differently and succeeded." Clint softly replied.

"You can't change the past Clint and blaming yourself isn't gonna change that either, you can't save everyone." Compassion and sympathy ran deep in Scott's every word.

"True but I will always try" Clint answered, a bit off humour dipped in his voice

"I bet you will"

After a moment Scott spoke again "How did you escape?"

"On the exchange day Fury turned up as requested by Cross and that's when he found out about Rozalyn, a firefight broke out and William and Fury went at it with everything they had. By that time I was able to break my left thumb and get out of my hand cuffs and join in as much as I could." answered Clint. The last part making Scott scrunch his face in disgust.

"I took on Trickshot and was able to take him down for a while; meanwhile William somehow was able to get the upper hand on Fury and got a good swipe on his eye while I got a bullet in my hip by shielding an idiot who just keeps getting in my way. Irritation clears in Clint's voice

"Cross was then able to make his escape but not before locking us in the factory warehouse and setting explosives to go off"

"Oh my god, how did you get out?" at this point Scott was as on the edge off his seat as he could get, like a small boy being told an exciting adventure story.

"It's called ironic timing and a Natasha being a better bulldozer than the Hulk, she managed to hotwire a truck break the door down and get us out before it went off" Clint chucked

"WOW that woman never ceases to amaze me, sexy, smart and just emerges when needed. What's not to love?" said Scott with a childish grin on his face.

"Her temper and the fact she could remove any appendage with her bare hands if you piss her off"

"Yeah there is that" Scott shook his head in agreement.

"So you said that this Nick Fury guy had his eye swiped at and William said he got a souvenir last time they met and does that also mean William nicked his eye or something coz that is gross" the brunette also curiously inquired

"Probably Fury's eye didn't come back with him so yeah he probably pocketed it" answered the archer.

"I definitely don't know whether to be more grossed out or concerned that you don't seem to phased about that" said Scott

Trust me you come across stranger things like in my line off work"

"Fantastic to know the sort off people I hang with" the brunette shook his head.

"Likewise Scott….And Thankyou"

Scott looked directly at Clint with a soft look on his face "What for?"

"For listening you're a good friend Scott, strangely I find it hard to open up to people but you I find it quite easy to talk to you" Clint also wore a soft expression and smile on his face.

"Really I would off never guess that…..But no seriously dude it's my pleasure, what are friends for.I'm here to listen and not just because we are tired up and being held captive by a nutcase" Scott laughed which also made the young blonde return.

"I do have one final question though" Scott inquired

"Fire away"

"Who is that Trickshot you mentioned, anyone I have had the pleasure off meeting yet" asked Scott

"No not this one Scott, Trickshot well you see…He's my big brother Barney.

There you go so hope it was OK :D

I just wanted to start adding explanations and make this story as complex as possible so it can actually go in some sort off direction. I have loads off idea's it's just trying to figure out how to put them in. Same with characters and beginning to bring them in.

I love Trickshot and can't wait to add him in, I have a really good idea how he will fit in and also another character which has been requested will be playing a big part too.

Until next time

Please Review…XD

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