Summary: One shots set in the world of Gemini Protocol and Trouble with Triples following the past, present and future lives of our favorite genetically engineered triplets.

Pairings: Clint/Natasha, oblivious!Will/Jane, some Aaron/Marta and Tony/Pepper. Nothing major is really going to happen in terms of romance. This story is mostly about the boys and their adventures…. So bromance all around!

Warnings: Language, I guess, because I have a potty mouth damn it. Also a strong possibility for crackish behaviors. Spoilers for The Avengers, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and The Bourne Legacy. Oh, and whump because… I write fanfiction for The Avengers. Apparently that's reason enough!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Author's Note: Hey all. It's been awhile. I have no excuses to offer. I started writing a new few new stories and this one just kind of got lost in the shuffle. On a bright side, this whole little side what if arc is almost done. One more chapter and it should be over. So yay! Hope you enjoy!

What If (4)

Clint had to give Will credit for one thing. He was truly a man of his word. Despite the increasingly more annoying pressure from the very irritated Secretary, who was no doubt wondering where his Chief Analyst disappeared to, Will stayed by Clint's side as he promised. Aaron also kept Will's word and moved into the Tower. Clint still wasn't sure when he actually moved in. He only knew that the morning he returned from his required overnight stay in the Infirmary the apartment opposite his on his designated floor was empty. Later that afternoon, it was full and definitely Aaron's. He really didn't mind despite his protests and grumbling. The few days that the trio spent together while they waited for Clint to adjust to the outside world again were perfect. It was something they hadn't allowed themselves to have in years.

But then a few days after they rescued him from his own personal torture chamber, Clint was finally able to open his eyes without shorting out Aaron's brain. Of course, Clint still wasn't sure what the actual measure was on that one. Aaron always seemed a little touched in the head. Then again he was their brother. That was pretty much standard operating procedure. Anyway, once they were sure that there were no complications or setbacks on his inevitable recovery, Will called the Secretary and let him know that he would finally be joining him in Russia. Of course he didn't leave without the promised revenge. However now that Clint was back and as safe as he was going to be given that he worked for SHIELD and was an Avenger, Will's murderous rage and impulses had cooled significantly. Aaron was disappointed that he wouldn't get to watch his brother eviscerate the moron that hurt their little brother. That is until the day he left when he announced that he got someone to take care of that for him. If Nick Fury was like their godfather/uncle, then Melinda May was their godmother/probable future stepmother. And she was scary as hell. Will missed a hell of a show.

And Clint missed him a hell of a lot. He wasn't diminishing the importance of having Aaron around because it was definitely super awesome and highly appreciated. But let the record show that he definitely missed his twin. He always missed him when he left. And it seemed like Will was always leaving. But something felt off this time. He felt like he shouldn't have let Will go this time. Not that he really ever had a say in that. Will was a stubborn son of a bitch. Wait. Was it ok to call him a son of a bitch when they were brothers? Was that insulting to their mother? Did they even have a mother?

"What are you thinking so hard about? I can hear your brain going in weird circles from over here," Aaron called out, drawing him out of his thoughts and into the moment. Clint looked up to meet Aaron's concerned gaze with a raised eyebrow.

"You know you can always read my mind, right?"

"Why, yes, Clinton, of course I know that. But Dad said if I was going to live here that you and I would have to engage in at least two verbal conversations a day that weren't completely random and made up. Apparently it's scaring the others that we can talk without, you know, talking and stuff."

"Dad should be more concerned about your lack of a coherent vocabulary. We had the best tutors Nick could scare into total and complete secrecy and that's all you got?" Clint laughed as Aaron threw a dishtowel at him. He didn't miss the hint of a smile on Aaron's face as his brother served him a plate of toast, eggs and bacon.

Having Aaron around was taking some getting used to. He hadn't lived with his older brother since he started calling himself Aaron. But he found that despite the increased intelligence, pain resistance, sarcasm and agility, Aaron was really the same person as Kenny. He was still able to see right through Clint's walls, even without using their connection.

"I'm waiting," Aaron reminded him. Clint smiled faintly.

"It's just… I... I don't know why but I have a bad feeling about Will's trip."

"He checked in yesterday and everything was fine," Aaron assured him, though Clint could feel that Aaron was concerned now. "Clint, Will is going to be fine. He's the normal one, remember? And by normal, I mean…."

"Boring," Clint finished with a slight grin. "I know that he's the one that nothing ever happens to but I can't help this feeling."

"You think it's got something to do with the tank?"

Clint toyed with a piece of toast. Honestly, that was his first thought when he initially started having this feeling. He really didn't want to give that experience too much thought. He tried to downplay for the sake of his team and his brothers but the reality was that there were some scars. Then again, they were his brothers. They already knew he wasn't ok. Clint knew Aaron didn't move in because he was suddenly ready to be an agent out in the open. He knew that the oldest of the brothers was worried. He knew Will was worried because despite having more than enough empty rooms on his floor, Will chose to sleep in Clint's bed. The skin to skin contact helped ground him. It definitely helped to keep the nightmares at bay.

So really it wasn't out the realm of possibilities to assume that his uneasy feeling about Will's trip was lingering anxiety from the tank. He needed Will and Will was gone. It made sense. But at the same time, it didn't. He was used to needing Will and finding that his twin wasn't there. He knew that made Will sound terrible but Clint was a realist. He knew that Will ran from them not because he didn't care but because he cared too much. It made sense to Will and it made sense to Clint. But the feeling in his gut wouldn't go away. That told him something was wrong. That had nothing to do with anxiety and everything to do with the latent magic that fueled their connection. It was true that he and Aaron were the trouble magnets out of the trio but something was telling him that things were not ok. He just didn't know what the hell he was supposed to do about that.

"Hey, turn your brain off for just a minute and eat this wonderful delicious breakfast that I lovingly prepared for you."

"I'm finished," Clint replied, pushing the mostly full plate away. "I don't really have much of an appetite lately."

"Yeah, I've noticed," Aaron retorted, poking the archer on the arm. "You're still not at the optimal weight."

"Since when do I have an optimal weight? How was this determined? Why was this determined? And how big was Will's role in all of that determining crap?"

"Shockingly Will had minimal input. Mostly because he's just as inept at self preservation as you sometimes. It's actually something dad came up with," Aaron shrugged, while hoping up on the kitchen counter beside him. "Mostly it's a gauge because we know how well you don't take care of yourself."

"I take care of myself."

"Right, that's why dad had to hire an insane assassin to baby-sit you during the years that you and the other idiot weren't talking to each other? And that's why we have to remind you to eat on an almost daily basis?"

Clint rolled his eyes. "I knew this you moving in thing was going to bite me in the ass somehow." Aaron ruffled his shorter blonde locks with a grin.

"Look, brat, I get it. You feel stifled and belittled and a whole bunch of other words. But like it or not, you're our baby brother. And we're going to take care of you. It's just how this whole genetically engineered triplet thing of ours works. We look after you but we look after each other too. I seem to recall that you helped me out more often than not when we were growing up." Clint looked up to meet his gaze. "Remember how you used to stand up to all the bullies at school that made fun of how slow I was?"

"Yeah," Clint sighed. He pulled the plate back over. "I'll eat the bacon, ok?"

Aaron gave him a fond smile before turning the plate towards the eggs. "Eat a handful of the eggs and I'll totally forget that I wasn't supposed to let you have the number to Will's SAT phone. You can call or text him and let him tell you just how ok he is."

Clint glared though the move was ruined by the tilt of his lips. "You're doing that thing where you're trying to placate me."

"I'm doing that thing where I do my damnedest to keep you alive because I lost you once and those were the worst ten minutes of my life," Aaron replied, honestly. Clint swallowed. He knew that his death, however temporary, was still a sore spot for his brothers. They only mentioned that when they needed to break out the big emotional guns. Clint nodded and scooped a forkful of eggs into his mouth. Aaron gave him a smile before plugging Will's phone number into Clint's phone.

And so the morning passed quietly with Aaron and Clint hanging out and enjoying a rare peace. Phil joined them midway through the day and Clint was happy. But he still couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the calm before the storm. His feeling was confirmed when the news hit that the Kremlin was blown up and the President declared Ghost Protocol on the Impossible Mission Force. He really hated being right sometimes.

It was not a secret to anyone that William Brandt turned Coulson wanted to be an individual. He loved that he had two people in the whole world that were genetically designed to understand him and like him but he still wanted to be his own person. So he spent the greater part of ten years trying to run as far and as fast away from them as possible. And during that time he lost them both. True, they were both fine and alive and just as annoying as ever. But the fact remained that for two years he thought Aaron was dead. And though it was a shorter time period, Will couldn't deny his twin's death for the ten minutes he sat praying for a miracle that he somehow got. Both times he came so dangerously close to losing them for good. Both times he swore if he got another chance, everything would change. He was going on record by saying he was always a third times the charm kind of guy. He swore that if he got another chance to see his brothers, he was going to stay with them. No more running. That is if he got another chance. Somehow that was looking less and less likely.

Will sat huddled in what he was officially claiming as his corner of the train listening to the others hash out a plan. They easily dismissed him as being only slightly useful. Any other day he would find that offensive but today he was glad. Because today he needed some time to process what the hell just happened. He was not going to be even remotely functional until he could. Because what the hell just happened?! He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting his mind map out all the information he was trying to process. It was like his father taught him. He needed to make a mental timeline of events. He needed to break it all down, make it easier to deal. He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. He really missed his dad. His adopted father that is. Not his biological one because… just no.

All of the craziness started the way it always started… with one of his brothers. This time it was Clint sending him a text. He was actually expecting more messages. Aaron must've taken the phone away from him. Of course he somehow got it back but Will really didn't mind. He was stuck analyzing data yet again. Anything that broke up the monotony was a good thing. Especially when it came from his younger brother. Although he was worried about this bad vibe that Clint mentioned. Maybe it was that concern or the stress from the past few days finally catching up to him but he slipped. He actually admitted that he had brothers to the one person he had been hiding that fact from for years. He expected that the Secretary would brush it off or not be interested but he was wrong. The man was creepily interested. He asked a million questions about Clint and Aaron. Questions that bordered on knowing too much.

Thankfully, or not given the outcome of that, the Kremlin exploded and the Secretary didn't have any more time to devote to creeping Will out. Now all of his focus was on trying to contain this. While he was off fielding angry phone calls from the President, Will was trying to remember what he forgot. He always knew there was something off about the man but he just couldn't remember what it was. But with the questions about his brothers combined with the insane amount of interest he showed in Will through the years, he finally remembered. There was one person who was affiliated with what the triplets called Project Rebirth Reborn that was never picked up. It was the man that funded the experiment. The man that donated his DNA to the project… essentially the man that was their father. Will thought back on all his interactions with the Secretary thus far and realized that it fit. The creepy interest in him and his actions, the almost obsessive focus on his memory and the constant looks of misplaced pride. It all fit. He was their genetic template.

He didn't want to jump to conclusions or make assumptions based off information he really hadn't given much thought to since they were sixteen. So instead he sent an email to Tony asking him to look into it discreetly. He was back in the limo sitting next to their would be father when he got a text from Clint and Aaron confirming that one, Tony didn't know what the word discreetly meant and that two, Michael Sterling, the Secretary of the friggin IMF, was their father. He wanted to be sick. He wanted to yell, scream and wonder why this man chose him. He wanted to reevaluate every life choice that led him to being under Sterling's thumb. But all of that went out the window the second the limo door opened to reveal the metaphorical weight on his shoulders: Ethan Hunt. Then he just wanted to curl up into a ball and die.

After that it was all a blur. A blur that led to him getting his wish and being curled up, feeling cold, damp and impossibly alone. Even the connection between him and his brothers was a dull hum. He couldn't feel them through the chaos in his head. The Secretary was their father and he was dead. IMF was disavowed and they were on their own. He knew he could find a way to call SHIELD but that would be risking an international incident, so he was stuck. He was so incredibly screwed. He was incredibly alone. He could tell that the others already thought he was just an analyst, a paper pusher. They thought he was a burden. He could tell them that he had field experience but to do that would be to reveal his secret, his albatross. He would lose their trust and possibly a way to get them all out of this mess successfully. No, he just had to stay calm. Stay under control and be normal. But he swore to everything holy that this was it. He was done running now. If they somehow made it out of this alive, he was packing up his crap and moving into the Tower too.

"Brandt?" Will blinked, surprised to see Jane kneeling in front of his face. She leaned back somewhat to give him room. "Are you ok?"

"Uh, yeah," he nodded. "I'm, uh, I'm ok."

"Yeah, you seem like it," she laughed quietly. "I know this must all seem… strange to you. It must be a very overwhelming."

Will let out a shaky laugh. "It's something," he agreed. "How about you? How are you holding up?"

"I'll live," she replied, giving him another smile. "I just wanted to say that this might all seem crazy to you but if you need to talk…."

"Thank you," he said, honestly. He wished he could take her up on that offer but he knew that once she knew the truth, once she knew about Croatia, she wouldn't be smiling like that at him anymore. She would hate him. And for some reason, he really, really didn't want this woman to hate him.

"So tell me about yourself, Agent Brandt."

"Isn't that like against company rules? The less we know about each, the easier it is to walk away when the job is over."

Jane moved so that she was sitting next to him. She nudged him with her shoulder, smiling gently. "Do you really think it's going to be that easy to walk away this time?"

"No, I don't suppose it will be," he murmured. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes. Benji and Ethan's voices droning in the background. "I was thinking about my brothers. I just worry about them. Even though I just saw literally the other day. I… miss them."

Jane craned her neck to get a better look at him. "How many brothers do you have?"

"Two. An older and a younger brother."

"It's weird but I don't really hear about a lot of IMF agents keeping in touch with their families. Then again maybe that's just exclusive to field agents. We don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to relationships."

Will winced. He only just heard about Agent Hanaway. Romantic relationships between agents were usually frowned upon for just this reason. Agents were anonymous in IMF. They didn't have families. They didn't have ties. They only had IMF. Sometimes Will thought he would go crazy if he didn't have Clint and Aaron dragging him out of that way of thinking. He had strong ties to the outside world through them and that kept him grounded… kept him sane(ish). And yet he was always trying his best to get away from them. But not anymore. He was never going to let those guys go away. He smiled softly before bumping his shoulder against Jane's. Her brown eyes glistened in the dim train lighting.

"If we actually manage to get out of this whole thing alive, maybe you could meet them. You know, my brothers, if you wanted," Will suggested, and actually meant it. Jane gave him another smile.

"I think I'd like that, William Brandt."

She patted him on the knee before moving over to talk to Benji. All the while, Will could feel Ethan's eyes locked on him. He steadily ignored that and focused only on the black cord around his wrist. It was the only accessory he steadily wore. The only thing he couldn't bear to part with even when he was an active field agent and doing undercover missions. Because it was special. The simple corded black bracelet was given to them on their 18th birthdays by one Melinda May. It was the reminder that his family would always be there with him. No matter where or when, they would always be there. His head shot up.

"Do you think this has gotten out yet?" he asked.

"It's the bloody Kremlin," Benji retorted. "Pretty sure everyone knows about it by now."

"Not that," Will shook his head. "Do you think other intelligence agencies know about us being disavowed?"

Ethan frowned. "There aren't a lot of agencies that have the clearance to even know we exist. But I suppose if they did know then they would know about the ghost protocol."

Will's eyes widened. "Oh god," he buried his head in his hands. First order of business when they stopped was to borrow a phone. Otherwise they were going to have a serious problem in few days. Well more serious than the entire agency being disavowed and being blamed for an international act of terrorism. They were going to have to deal with his brothers, father, uncle and their team. He really hoped an alien invasion happened in the next few days. Because nothing short of that would keep them from getting on a plane and making things much, much worse than they already were. And he knew that with his brothers involved no matter how bad a situation was, it could always get worse. And that was before they started hanging out with superheroes. There was no way this was going to end any way other than terribly.

Aaron frowned as he finally found his little brother huddled on the edge of the roof. He was making himself small again. He was hiding. And the person best suited to get him out of that mood was the reason he was hiding in the first place. His little brothers made the most interesting messes and he never minded cleaning up after them before… but this time? This time he didn't think he could clean it up. Because this time it was huge. Will was supposed to be the boring one. He was the one that avoided trouble. He sat at a desk! He was practically a paper pusher and Clint and Aaron couldn't have asked for much more. It meant that he was safe. And his eidetic memory meant that IMF wanted him protected. But now he wasn't safe. And there was nothing Aaron could do about it. He felt helpless again. All the genetic enhancements and intelligence in the world couldn't help Aaron save his little brother. He was starting to feel like…

"Stop it," Clint ordered softly. Aaron blinked surprised to find that he was sitting beside his brother. When did that happen? "You're not stupid or useless or anything of the sort. You never were and you never will be. This isn't anything we could've prevented. This is just… what happens in our world."

"I know and it sucks."

"That it does," Clint sighed. "I know why he runs, I really do. I get it and I'm not insulted by it. But I swear to the freaking deities we have living under this roof that this is it. This is the last time he leaves us. We're keeping his ass with us."

Aaron snorted, slinging an arm around his brother's shoulders. "You know, kiddo, I think you might be on to something. Besides even if you didn't think of that, I'm pretty sure that Dad and Uncle Nick were definitely already on that line of thought."

"Is that what Dad looks like when I go missing? Because it's kind of scary to be honest."

Aaron laughed and he felt a burst of pride spread through Clint. He squeezed his baby brother closer. "Yeah, Dad is pretty much like this most of the time when you're gone. He's on the warpath and nothing short of the safe return of his kid is going to make him stop trying to bust a cap in the ass of everyone he thinks is responsible."

"So why is he stopping us from going there? We shouldn't be sitting back and waiting for Will to get to us. He's in trouble."

"I know. Trust me, I want nothing more than to steal a jet and fly straight to Russia and drag his ass back here. But you know we can't. We're SHIELD agents. We cross into Russian airspace right now and we're causing a major international incident. It would be an even bigger than this crap IMF has created. I want him with us too. But you saw the message. He's ok. For now. We have to trust him."

"I do trust him. I just don't trust the rest of the IMF. Who the hell let's the Kremlin get blown up? Oh, yeah Ethan Hunt, that's who."

"I have told you that I find your utter hatred of the man to be totally adorable, right?"

Clint snorted but didn't reply. There was no reply necessary. Because Aaron felt the same way. While he did feel a certain amount of sympathy for the man, he did lose his wife after all, Aaron couldn't help but hate Ethan Hunt. Because it was his need for a protection detail that sparked the mission that broke their brother completely. Will was always one shove away from being just as broken as his brothers. Croatia, and Ethan freaking Hunt, was that final shove. What they had left was a Will that was never quite the same. A Will that got lost in his own head and even the pair that were genetically designed to peer into his brain couldn't reach him sometimes. And it was Ethan Hunt's fault. It was also his fault that the entire IMF was disavowed and their brother was stuck in Russia.

"Let's give him a little bit of time to figure it out," Aaron finally said. "We don't hear from him in a few days then, politics be damned, we're going after him. Ok?"

Clint looked at him out the corner of his eye before his mouth ticked up in a grin. He tilted his head back. "You got all that, Dad? I know you're spying on us. A few more days and then we're going after him."

"I would expect nothing less," their father replied over the building's intercom system. The older and younger of the brothers exchanged smug grins. One way or another they were getting their brother back and they really didn't care who they had to plow through to get him. But they were both hoping it would be Ethan.

Will shuddered, fighting against the sudden chill racing down his spine. He glanced around the plan with a frown on his face. Nothing seemed out of place. Ethan was seated at the front of the jet, absently flicking through a file on his lap while rubbing his ears absently. Jane was curled up a few seats away, sleeping soundly. It was quiet and almost peaceful. So why did Will feel like something horrible was about to happen? It had nothing to do with the rest of this mission but it still felt like it had everything to do with Ethan Hunt. His frowned deepened and a low groan escaped his lips unbidden. His idiot brothers were plotting something.

"Problem, Brandt?"

Will glanced across the table at his companion. The computer tech was giving him a faintly amused look. Will return the small smile with one of his own, happy that he found a friend in Benji. Honestly he didn't really have a lot of those on his own. Natasha and Marta didn't count. Yes, he knew they liked him for him but he they were also his brothers' girlfriends. They had to accept him as they were all a package deal. Even Wade liked Will because he was part of Clint and Aaron. So it was nice to find someone that was a friend that he made on his very own. The fact that Benji knew the truth about Croatia and still considered him to be a friend worth talking to…. Well, it felt nice.

"You ever get the feeling something really bad is about to happen and you're absolutely powerless to do anything to stop it?" Will asked, toying with the cap to his water bottle. Benji shrugged.

"Of course I have. That's pretty much how I've felt every day since the bloody Kremlin exploded!" Will laughed softly nodding his head in agreement. "You know, you surprise me, Brandt. I would've thought after everything in Dubai that you would've been a little more vocally against this plan. I'm essentially dropping you into an oven."

"But you're going to catch me," Will smirked.

"I am," Benji conceded with a smirk of his own. "But still, I really thought you would be making a bit more of a fuss about this."

Will's lips twisted. Maybe he would've in another life. But the fact remained that jumping into a virtual oven was probably child's play compared to some of the stunts that both Clint and Aaron have pulled through the years. It was hard to get upset about Benji's impromptu plan when compared to their collective madness. Hell, just a little over a year ago, his little brother was fighting aliens with a bow and arrow. And god only knows what the hell Aaron got up to when he was off on his black ops missions for SHIELD. He really didn't want to know either. Especially since most of them involved Deadpool. Yeah, he could definitely handle being dropped down the shaft of the computer system.

"You do that a lot," Benji mused, dragging him back into the moment. Will raised an eyebrow. "You get lost in your thoughts then you play with that black cord thing on your wrist."

Will held up his arm, almost surprised to find that he was once again messing with the bracelet Melinda gave them. "This was given to me when I turned 18 by… a friend of my dad. She gave one to my two brothers as well. We always promised that no matter what, we would wear these. That way we knew that we would always be together even when we weren't."

"That's actually pretty sweet, Brandt. I didn't even know you had brothers. Are they anything like you?"

Will laughed. "No, definitely not. They're more like each other than they think… or want to claim. They're both impulsive, reckless and not really big on worrying or even considering anything having to do with consequences."

"Why would they when they have you around?"

"I never really thought about it like that but I wouldn't be surprised if that's how they saw it," Will shook his head.

Benji grinned. "You seem like you're pretty close to them. When was the last time you saw them?"

"Right before I left for Russia. Feels like it's been years though," Will sighed. "That's why we have to get this done. I need to get back."

"You're that worried about them?"

"No, I'm that scared that if I don't get back before whatever imaginary deadline they've created that they're going to come after me. Trust me, nobody wants that."

"I don't know. They're your brothers. How bad could they possibly be?"

"You have no idea. And it's not necessarily them I'm worried about."

And honestly he wasn't because while Clint and Aaron were a force to be reckoned with, they each had a kill switch. There was something that could be used against them to get them to stop. Their father, on the other hand, well his kill switch was a lot harder to find. Especially when it came to his sons. No, Will was more concerned about what Coulson would do versus what Aaron and Clint would do. He knew what they would do. They would burn everything down until they found him or were stopped. Phil wouldn't stop. He wouldn't rest until he destroyed everything that dared to threaten his kids.

2005

Will stared at the steadily beeping machine in front of him. The beeping would've been annoying had it not been the only sign that Clint was alive. Even the magic bond that connected the three brothers was fading as the Black Widow's venom worked its way through Clint's system. So the machines were providing the comfort of at least convincing Will that some part of his brother was still alive. Though by looking at his brother, it was hard to see what part that was. The poison was designed to shut down his organs one by one. Right now it seemed that he had the barest of kidney functions and his heart was still pumping. There was nothing he could do but wait and watch. It had been two days of this and there didn't seem to be any improvement.

"Clint," Will whispered, lifting his brother's cold hand and pressing his forehead against it. "If you can hear me, I need you to hold on. Dad and Aaron will be back. They're going to find the antidote. They're going to fix this."

Almost as if on cue, the door to Clint's room burst open and a doctor followed by an anxious Aaron entered the room. Will didn't let go of Clint's hand but he did move to the side as the doctor administered the contents of a clear glass vial into archer's IV. Aaron waited until he was done before moving to Will's free side.

"Is that it? Is he going to be ok?"

"It's too early to tell," Doctor Warner reported. "But based on the data that we received that was the correct antidote for the Black Widow's poison. His condition is still critical but I believe that this should stop the spread of the poison."

None of that made him want to jump for joy. Will realized he wouldn't be jumping for anything resembling joy until Clint opened his eyes. He wouldn't feel settled until Clint was plotting how to escape from the hospital. Since none of that was happening, Will was content to remain in his emotionally unstable and anxious state.

"How did you find it? Did Wade come through?" Will asked once the doctor was gone. He loved that the man didn't bother to tell Aaron or Will to leave. Neither of them were out the room for more than a few minutes at a time. And once Aaron left to track down the antidote with their father, Will didn't bother to leave at all.

"Actually," Aaron scratched the back of his ear sheepishly. "It was Dad that got the antidote. And Dad that convinced her to give up the antidote. And by convince I mean he shot her in the shoulder and promised to aim lower next time."

"Dad?" Will asked incredulously. "Our dad? Phil Coulson? The dude that watches Super Nanny and makes us burgers and cookies?"

"Yup! That's the guy."

"Huh," Will mumbled. He glanced down at Clint and found that he was still not looking like he was improving. He tore his gaze away to focus on Aaron again. "Where'd you find her anyway? You weren't gone even a day."

"She was at SHIELD HQ."

"What?!"

Aaron nodded, taking a seat on the foot of Clint's bed. He rested a hand on the comatose triplet's leg and smiled. "I know! She turned herself in. Wade was disappointed to say the least. Then he went on some tangent about her being the Yoko Ono to our brotherly Beatles. Not really clear on that one."

"It's Wade. The only one fluent in him is Clint," Will laughed. Then his brow furrowed as he picked up on what his brother said. "You said Dad shot her."

"He did."

"But she already turned herself in…. why did he shot her?"

"That, William, is an awesome question," Aaron drawled. "I always thought May was the badass one out of the two of them. Scratch that. Dad is decidedly not cool when it comes to anyone hurting one of us. Fury suspended him. He told him not to come back until Clint is walking again. I think even he is disturbed by the sheer amount of instability Dad is displaying lately."

"He only gets like this… extra insane when it comes to Clint."

"I think we all tend to be a little bit… extra when it comes to Clint," Aaron agreed. "He's the baby out of us. And so many people have crapped on him in his life. He deserves a little protecting and insane defenses."

Will snorted, glancing down at his twin. Was he crazy or did Clint look paler? He looked up to the monitors that were steadily beeping earlier. But the beeping was slowing down. Just as he finally registered that fact the heart monitor emitted a high pitched whine. Clint's heart just stopped. Will blinked as he looked from the monitor to his brother. His skin was paler and the hand underneath his was losing warmth. And his heart just stopped.

"Clint?" Will yelled. His eyes were wide and he looked up to see Aaron staring in horror at the machines. Then they were both looking down at Clint. The archer made no movement or acknowledge them. The flat line sound continued to drone in the background.

And then they were being herded out of the room and into the hallway. Even through the closed door Will could still hear that telling whine. The sounds that let them know that their brother was gone. He heard Aaron wince as they tried to use the defibrillator to bring him back but the whine continued. Will was vaguely aware of someone paging Phil, Nick and Melinda down to the infirmary. But he couldn't focus on anything other than that sound. It was so loud. It was so damning. And then it stopped. For a moment, Will let himself believe that they managed to bring him back. For a moment, Will let himself believe that his brother was ok. Then the door opened and he saw them pulling the sheet up over Clint's face.

"Agent Coulson," Dr. Warner started. Will wasn't even aware his father was there until he felt the older man's arm wrap around his shoulders. He knew without looking that he had a similar grip on Aaron. "Agent Coulson, I'm afraid that it was too late. The antidote didn't have enough time to work. His system was already too damaged by the poison. We tried everything but he didn't make it."

Will shook his head. "No, he's not. You just missed something," he said, feeling the hysteria in his tone but not being able to do anything about it. Because his brother was gone. His little brother… his literal other half. He reached out through their connection but found nothing. There was no connection. It was somehow all linked through Clint and with him gone…. He choked on a sob before pushing away his father, brother and the doctors to make his way to Clint's side. He took his brother's hand in his left letting his thumb rub absently against the back of Clint's. Those arrow worn and calloused hands were a familiar, comfortable weight in his hand. "Clint, wake up."

"Will."

"Clint, you need to wake up," Will murmured, ignoring Aaron standing behind him. The older brother let out a shaky breath and reached for him again. "No, Aaron. I don't want to talk to you. I want to talk to Clint. He needs to wake up. Because we were supposed to watch movies tonight, remember? All the extended editions of… extended…" Will trailed off as he felt the coldness in the non-responsive hand in his.

"Will," Aaron started. His voice cracked and though he was reaching for him, Will found that Aaron couldn't stand to look at him too long. "Will, he's gone."

That feeling right there? It was that feeling you get on a roller coaster when it's about to make the big drop. His heart took the big drop and crashed at his feet. His whole world imploded in that moment and everything seemed really bright and out of focus. Because Aaron wouldn't lie to him about something like this. That meant he couldn't feel him either. He couldn't sense Clint either. And that meant that…

He collapsed in the chair by Clint's bed, not letting go of his brother's hand. He couldn't let go. Not yet. And it seemed that no one was going to try to make him either. Aaron didn't say a word. He instead walked over to Will's other side and held onto his hand. He squeezed that hand tightly, looking up to meet his living sibling's tearful gaze.

"What are we supposed to do now?" he asked quietly. Aaron opened his mouth but no words came out. Instead he shook his head.

"I don't know," Aaron whispered sounding more like Kenneth than he had in years. Will tightened his grip on Aaron's hand and took a shuddering breath.

He didn't know how long they sat there like that. He knew that Phil came and went. He also couldn't look at Will for longer than a second. He hugged both of his sons, pressed a kiss to Clint's cold forehead and then stormed out. Melinda followed after him yelling about how murdering the Black Widow wouldn't do Clint any good now. Fury ordered the staff to leave them alone for as long as they needed. Will didn't know how long they would need. How long does it take to say goodbye to your little brother? To your best friend? He had no idea long they were sitting there or how long they would need at the time. But he was later informed that it was ten minutes.

He wished that he could say later on that he noticed the minute signs that led to the moment where his world fixed itself. But he couldn't. He was drowning in his grief. He was playing the what if game in his head, lost in a sea of what could have been. What should have been. Would Clint have been poisoned if he were there? Would they even have gone after the Black Widow if Will was around?

"You can't think like that," Aaron said, interrupting this thoughts. "It should've been a simple hit. I was working backup from Clint. Everything was going fine. We identified her and Clint was set to take her out. We were going to do it from a distance. It should've been a simple hit and then we'd be back here to meet you for movies."

"So what happened?"

"Clint happened," Aaron snorted. "He said he saw something in her. Something that reminded him of us. Said he couldn't take the shot. Then he up and ran away. And I know that I'm the most genetically enhanced of us all but damn the could move. By the time I caught up with him, he was offering her a job. She kissed him, told him he was too trusting and left. We were on the plane back home when he started getting sick. And the rest… well, you know the rest. And now here we are."

Yes, there they were. They were each missing a part of them both in the form of Clint and in their connection. And yet…

"How did you know what I was thinking?"

"Huh?" was all Aaron managed to get out before he gasped sharply and slid off the bed. Will wanted to reach for him but he felt a grip on his left hand holding him in place. It wasn't so much the strength of the grip as it pretty much resembled the pressure a newborn would give. But rather it was the rapidly warming flesh that caught his attention.

"Clint?" Will whispered looking down at his younger brother. He could hear Aaron spluttering on the floor and he knew he should be concerned with that but he couldn't focus on anything other than the still figure on the bed. He wasn't moving but his hand was warmer now. His skin wasn't so pale. And most importantly their connection was working again. He leaned forward to get a better look at Clint's face. Of course that's when Clint decided to open his eyes. Will let out a yelp, jumping back and tripping right over Aaron who had only just made it up off the floor. The pair landed in a heap on the floor and quickly resorted to shoving each other as they tried to get up.

A rough sounding chuckle from the bed made them stop. They scrambled up in unison to stare in wonder at their little brother. Clint still looked like… death but his skin was decidedly less pale and worn looking. His chest was rising and falling evenly. And Will knew that if he checked there would be a steady pulse beating as well.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Clint murmured, eyes slipping to half-mast.

"You died!" Aaron blurted. "Like you didn't have a pulse or anything. You were dead."

"And now 'm not."

"But how?" Will asked, shaking his head. "You've been dead for more than a few minutes. Dad is completely off the rails. That's how dead you were."

Clint arched an eyebrow. "Where is Dad?"

"Uh, he's, oh crap!" Aaron ran out in the hallway to ask someone to page their father and possibly a doctor to explain how the hell the person he declared dead just fifteen minutes ago was sitting up and watching them all with clear amusement in his gaze.

After all the confusion, hysteria and dramatics passed, Will found himself once again sitting by Clint's side with Aaron perched on the end of the bed. Phil was in the room staring at the trio like he was afraid they would disappear if he looked away for even a second. Will sympathized. He had yet to let go of Clint's wrist. His thumb resting firmly on the pulse point there. Aaron didn't need that to know that Clint was still with them. The restored connection between the three of them let him know and feel just how alive Clint really was.

"You didn't kill her, did you Dad?" Clint asked. Phil stared at him blankly. "You know who I'm talking about. Natasha. You didn't kill her, right?"

"Not yet," Phil admitted.

"Dad!" Clint reprimanded. "You can't kill her ever."

"She killed you!"

"Yeah, but I'm ok now. Plus she obviously felt bad about it. She bought the antidote. She didn't have to do that but she did."

Will groaned. "Please don't tell me that you're actually serious about offering her a job."

Clint frowned. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I repeat, she killed you."

"We were trying to kill her first."

"He does have a point," Aaron admitted reluctantly. Will was not surprised. The oldest brother rolled his eyes. "I saw her. I think she definitely wants out of the Black Widow program. And she did turn herself in. Plus she would be a really good asset to have around."

"She's a cold blooded killer who has never shown an ounce of remorse up until this moment," Phil countered. "How would she be a good asset?"

"We keep Wade around," Clint argued. "And I'm pretty sure that whenever he's not around us, he's actively murdering people. I know he's definitely kidnapping people and claiming they're his roommates."

"Wait, you mean Blind Al is actually his hostage?" Will asked, horrified.

"It's cool. Pretty sure she likes him now. Sorta. Maybe."

"Still… Clint, you cannot seriously want to recruit her!"

"I promised," Clint shrugged.

Will huffed. "You are beyond screwed up, little brother. You're legit the only person in the world that would look at the assassin that actually did murder him and think, 'yay, let's be best friends forever'. You have a very twisted perception of friendship."

"Of course I do. I was made in a test tube. And the closest friend I have that isn't related to us or pretty much like family is the insane and immortal assassin that has to kidnap his roommates! Dude, I grew up in SHIELD! I was never going to make friends the normal way."

"He has a point again," Aaron chimed in.

"Thank you, Aaron."

"Yes, thank you, Aaron," Phil said through gritted teeth. "Clint this is not up for discussion. There is no way that Natasha Romanoff is joining SHIELD. She's lucky that I haven't actually followed through on killing her. She's not allowed anywhere near you. And that's all I want to hear about this subject."

Of course it wasn't all he heard about the subject because the very next day Natasha Romanoff became an official agent of SHIELD and was partnered with Clint. She would naturally have Phil as her handler. It would take a full year (and yet another near death experience for Clint) for him to finally stop reaching for his gun every time he saw her. Later once his own urge to murder her in her sleep had passed, Natasha admitted to Will that for the time in her life she actually thought she might have found the man that would actually kill her. Yeah, a pissed off over protective Phil Coulson was definitely not one to mess with.

The end for now! Next chapter should hopefully be the end of this arc. Now I'm off to finish chapters for the other series I stupidly started. Awesome. LOL. Happy Holidays!