SO! NO READING UNLESS YOU'VE SEEN AGE OF ULTRON! I DON'T WANNA BE RESPONSIBLE FOR SPOILING THINGS FOR YOU CAUSE THEN I'D CRY FOR BEING THAT PERSON!

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Niom Lamboise; Thanks for the love! You'll get everything, don't worry, I promise!

Final exams soon, so, thank means procrastination chapterrrrs!

Disclaimer; Don't own anything to do with Marvel! Wish I did, really do, so much Clint mvoies would be made..

Sigh.. I'll still dream!

Review please!

"So, what happened in Budapest?"

That was probably the only sentence that would made Clint Barton miss. Because instead of the arrow making a nice thump sound as it embedded itself into the dummy's heart, it went straight into the roof as he nearly fell over.

He looked to Kate with slightly wide eyes at the question, trying to form his words in his mind before coming to his mouth.

"What?" Ok, word, but it was better than nothing!

She grinned and shrugged, looking back to the bow in her hands as she finishing up re-stringing it.

"Where did you even hear about that?" He sighed, shaking his head a little in bewilderment as he necked another arrow.

"Tony." Of course.. "But it isn't in any of the SHIELD files that were leaked!"

He grinned a little to himself and nodded, sending arrow after arrow into the targets at blinding speed.

"More often than not, missions Nat and I go on aren't SHILED sanctioned.."

"Rebels then.." Kate hummed, stepping up next to Clint when her bow was finally balanced enough for her liking.

He just laughed and shook his head, going over to the dummy then to retrieve his arrows.

"Not quite. Sometimes we find things, sometimes SHIELD doesn't want to meddle. Sometimes we really, really do want to meddle.."

"So; meddlers then?" She corrected, sending an arrow zooming past Clint's ear and into the dummy.

It was fine, he didn't waver or get a fright. He thought this kid how to shoot, he knew she wouldn't hit him!

Not accidentally, at least..

"Basically an Avengers job description; 'Almighty fucking meddlers with no lives'. Should know that by now, Kitty-Kate." He shrugged, sitting on one of the little benches in the training room so he could pack up his bow and arrows.

He froze when an arrow lodged itself in the wall by his head, just scraping by him. He glanced up at Kate with wide eyes, the female archer glaring at him as she aimed an arrow at his face.

"Sorry, sorry.. No Kitty.." He said softly, holding his hands up defensively.

"Good!" She cheered with an all too sweet smile, and damn that was scarier than her glare! "When's Natasha picking you up?"

"Three hours, twenty seven minutes." He replied after glancing at his watch, taking the arrow from the wall and packing it with the rest. Who knows? He might need it!

"You'll be careful, right?" She said quietly, and it was a rare thing for Barton to hear in her voice. Worry. She was usually smart, sassy, usually taking every opportuinity to down size him.

He had to give a sad little smile, because he really didn't like worrying people, especially not someone he basically saw as his child.

"Just recon, Kate.." He said softly, watching as she sent arrow after arrow into the dummy, a frown set on her face though. "We don't even know if anyone will be around there, just a hunch of some agents out there."

"Like you're ever safe on simple recon." She scoffed, and he had to laugh. Because it was damn true! He always managed to find danger in the simple and safe missions.

"Well, what can I say? Bullets love me." He laughed, pulling on his jacket after he zipped up his duffle bag. He would usually stay with Kate and help her shoot, but he had a mission to prepare for!

"Keep your elbow up." He commented as he headed toward the door of the little gym they were in, bag slung over his shoulder. "It keeps slipping when you draw."

"Tell me about Budapest when you're back!?" She called after him, and he turned to smile at her. She was still just shooting away, such a good little Hawkeye!

"Buy me some whiskey and I might!" With those words, he left the gym to head home.

They never said goodbye. Never said see you soon. He never did, anyway. A superstition of his.

Telling her about Budapest was unfinished business.

He always had to leave for a mission with unfinished business.

Cause he'd be damned if he couldn't finish it!

"But think about it!"

"Clint.."

"Like, when Tony had the reactor in.."

"Clint!" She was laughing a little though, so he went on!

"Like, if Bucky got a little too close.."

"I swear Barton!"

"Seriously Nat! How would we get them apart!?" He laughed, glancing at her when she facepalmed before looking back to the road with a grin.

"What the hell goes around your head..?"

"It's a major weakness, when y'think about it.." He hummed, but she cut him off once more.

"I don't want to think about it."

Natasha was so toally regretting choosing to drive from New York to Chicago rather than fly.

Only three hours down.

In a twelve hour journey.

He was going to drive her MAD!

"Like, just set up a giant magnet and leave him there! Bam! No more Winter Soldier!"

"Not sure how happy Rogers would be about that." She laughed, he could see her from the corner of his eyes putting her feet on the dash and relaxing back.

"Why not!? I just figured out how he could get his boyfriend back!" He grinned, his fingers tapping along with the song playing quietly on the radio. "Though that'll make Tony jealous.."

"Alright! Don't even go there!" She laughed, hitting his arm as she spoke. "The day those two even think about hooking up is the day I clean that apartment of yours!"

"Deal!" He grinned, the word being cheered barely a moment after hers left her mouth. That's how confident he was about this bromance!

"You're an idiot.." She laughed, and he just sent her a smile before letting silence fall upon them.

He had no idea how long they'd be gone for. SHIELD usually had dealines, times that Fury wanted you back in or else you just weren't coming back.

But this was just them.

They weren't really affiliated with SHILED anymore.

Or The Avengers.

They were just Natasha and Clint.

They were Hawkeye and Widow.

They just went wherever the hell they were needed.

Or where the bastard Anderson poked his head up in.

He really didn't mind how long the mission would take though. Because even just the past three hours were the most fun he'd had in a long time.

Most relaxed he's been too. After the whole Ultron fiasco, things went a little south. The past few years have been going a little south. But it only takes a straw to break a camels back, and after the robot apocalypse nearly a year ago, as Tony likes to call it, the straws just kept piling up.

That didn't matter right now though!

Because, in this moment, he was happy! So that's all that matters!

He had gotten into a habit of pushing everything down, no point in telling people about these things.

He was trying to hide things from Natasha. Trying his best to make sure she kind of thought that he was doing ok with everything. But after so many years, he knew she saw right through his bullshit.

"How're the kids?"

He smiled a little at the question, it being the first thing to break the silence in nearly forty minutes. She's asked that more in the past few months than she has in all the years she's known of them.

"They're doing good.." He replied softly, driving along with one hand so he could rest his head on the other. "Was supposed to have them this weekend."

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, and he didn't need to look at her to know she was frowning at him. It was all in her tone.

"Because you would've pushed this back. And I'd rather know this guy is off the streets." He shrugged, which was true. He needed to get at least one thing off his mind before he went minding kids!

"I think your children are more important, Clint.." She sighed, but he just shrugged once again. He knew they were, they were pretty much his world, but he needed to make sure the world was safe for them first and foremost.

"Laura wasn't happy, but it's fine, I'm sure I can see them when we're back.."

Silence again.

They were avoiding so many topics and it made things kind of awkward.

So much shit had happened in each of their lives.

So much horrible stuff over the past year that sometimes can be worse than any bullet wounds.

But it was all way too fresh.

And neither was ready to open up fresh wounds lest they scar.

"Kate knows about Budapest." He said with a slight grin after another while, and he could just make out her quiet chuckle.

"Yeah, she asked me about that the other night."

"Didn't tell her?" He asked with a curious smile, and she simply gave him a little wink.

"We need our secrets sometimes, Clint."

He laughed at that, though he wasn't entirely sure if it was a major secret he should be keeping!

He had many MANY more worth saving!

He glanced at the clock on the dash.

Four and a half hours down, seven and a half to go!

An arrow was necked and held by his side as he skirted along the hallway's walls.

Someone was screaming, a blood curdling scream that set the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. Female, he'd know that anywhere.

Another room proved empty. Like properly empty. It was just pitch black, he couldn't tell what or who was inside until it was too late.

He gulped a little and raised an arrow, just waiting. He had been in this position so many times before that he just knew what was going to happen.

Sure enough, a Chitauri soldier sped out and knocked him on his ass.

Scrambling to get his arrow once more, he necked it and rolled on his back, sending it flying into the aliens skull right before he attacked the archer.

He rolled on his side to avoid the impact of the alien craft, it smashing against the wall then simply disappearing.

Clint let out a frustrated sigh and rolled on his back once more, the quiver not even giving him any discomfort. He gently banged his head against the floor a few times.

"The hell are you doing, Barton..?" He whispered to himself, eyes shut as he let his head rest down for a moment.

Not too long though, because another scream filled his ears that caused his eyes to snap open and his whole body to sit upright.

"Where are ya, kid!?" He called out, jumping up and straight into a sprint down the hall once more.

So many doors in this place! Each one revealed hidden enemies that were slowly sucking the energy, and the arrows, from him.

Room after room and it was all the same!

Chitauri, Ultron bots, old foes, drug lords, assassins sent after him. So many past missions, so many people wanting him dead, all here to try finish the job.

He was panting when he reached the end of the hallway, one final door facing him. His body was in so much pain, he couldn't even pin point where it was coming from anymore.

The screams had gotten much louder the closer he got to this door, so he knew the owner had to be behind here.

He took a moment and, once more, necked an arrow in his bow.

Damn.. Last one.. Better finish this quick Barton..

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door slowly and peeked inside. This room wasn't like the others. This one wasn't pitch black, it had a single light in the centre of the room.

Under the light stood a figure, hunched over themselves with their back to him. A girl, definitely. The long hair gave that away. Definitely the person who owned those screams.

The shaking shoulders of the girl gave him the idea that she was crying, but he hadn't a clue why.

"Hey, c'mon.. It's not safe here, we gota go.." He said softly, carefully approaching the figure. It was his 'Go save the fucking civilian, you ass!' voice. The command usually given by the ever charming Natasha Romanoff.

"He's dead." She simply replied, and it stopped Barton in his tracks. He knew that voice..

His bow was up when he entered the room, just to be safe, but it was slowly dropping now as he straed at the figure.

"He's dead, Agent Barton.." She continued, standing up straight as it seemed she was back to normal. "Because of you."

The familiar red force surrounded him before he had a chance to react, lfting him up off his feet and spreading his arms apart so he could no longer draw his arrow.

He watched as his trusty weapon and arrow flew away from his grasp, going to the hands of yet another familiar figure that seemed to appear from nowhere.

Though he knew how he got there so suddenly.

These weren't enemies..

Not anymore..

"What..?" The new-comer said with a slightly cocky smirk, setting the arrow up in the bow as he spoke. "You didn't see that coming?"

He was struggling to reply, because the force generated by the young lady was crushing his chest a little too much.

"P-Pietro.." He gasped out, wincing a little when the force confining him got a bit tighter.

Damn Wanda and her powers..

"Don't want me here anymore, old man?" He asked with a frown, a fake one, he knew that from the sarcastic tone lacing his words.

"If you died, archer.. Then my brother could live." Wanda said quietly, she was always so soft spoken, even when threatening someone. With a simple flick of a hand, he was thrown against a wall rougher than ever before.

He lay on his side against the wall for a moment, trying his best to get rid of the stars that danced across his vision.

Slowly, he tried stand up, though he was soon knocked off his feet once again by a blur.

He let out a curse as he was kicked onto his back, the boot of Pietro Maximoff holding down his chest with all his weight.

"I don't know why I did it really.."

"Either do I." Barton cut in, staring up at the kid as he aimed the arrow right between the archers eyes.

"Should have just let that robot kill you.." He growled, and for once Clint agreed with the kid. That's definitely what should have happened.

Clint let his eyes slip closed, knowing what was coming next.

"You're living on my time. So I'm taking it back now.. Goodbye Agent."

He let out a slight yelp as he shocked himself awake, staring straight ahead as he tried slow down his breathing.

Damn nightmares..

They were always the same. And he could safely say, he deserved everything that happened in them..

How did Wanda even forgive him after that? It was all his fault that her brother was dead. He was reckless, he let himself get caught off guard. He was weak, and that weakness cost a kid his life.

He let out a shaky sigh and wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking down at his hands then to try get them to stop shaking.

"I was going to try wake you.." He didn't look at the softly spoken voice, he needed a moment before he could look anyone in the eye. Difficult in such a small car though. "You were pretty restless, but I know better than to startle you awake."

"Thanks.." He replied a little too weakly for his liking. These damn dreams always had him messed up.

"Wanna talk about it?" She asked, her tone letting him know she was smiling a little. Probably her reassuring 'Things aren't as fucked up as you think they are, Clint.' smile.

"Thanks Tash, but some other time.." He said with a slight smile of his own, resting the side of his head against the window and closing his eyes once more.

"Gonna hold you to that." She simply replied, and he gave a genuine smile then.

"Nosey bitch.."

"Worried bitch." She corrected in a whisper, and his eyes opened at her words.

Now he felt really bad.

He shouldn't be worrying his friends, it wasn't what the amazing Hawkeye does. He doesn't worry people, he worries about them. He looks after people, he saves people, he saves the world.

He lets kids die for him..

He gave a slight sigh and glanced at the clock on the dash.

Another hour then he can drown his thoughts at the hotel bar..

Another hour then he can drown the kid from his memory for a while..