Chapter 12
I do not own The Avengers in any way.
A/N-I will not be posting any of this story tomorrow, so I'm giving you a late night update. I will be working on my new Teen Wolf fic and my Game of Thrones fic. This chapter is also told in flashback. Sorry if you're confused.
*Russia 1997*
It was a top secret mission.
Clint and Piper were to break into the Kremlin and retrieve information about nuclear weapons.
Everything went according to plan until they were caught.
"Run!" Clint told her.
"No! I'm not leaving without you", she said.
"I'll be right behind you", he said, "Run Pip".
Piper took off running as Clint shot arrows at the guards following them.
Clint took out an arrow and shot it.
The hallway filled with smoke and Clint took off looking for Piper.
"Piper!" he yelled. He heard coughing.
"Clint", Piper gasped.
He helped her up and carried her out of the palace. When they got outside, he set her down.
"Thanks for that", she said.
Clint heard a gunshot and Piper gasped.
Clint looked down and saw red staining her shirt. He shot every single guard around them. He dropped his bow and caught Piper before she could hit the ground. He lowered them to the ground. "I'll call the team. We'll get you out of here", he told her.
"Clint, it doesn't hurt", she said.
"No. You are not dying on me", he said.
"Clint", she said softly.
"What about Madison?" he asked her.
"You'll do a wonderful job raising her", she told him, "Promise me one thing".
"Anything", he said, brushing some hair from her face.
"Don't let her join S.H.E.I.L.D. I don't want that life for her", she said, "Tell her about me".
"I promise. I promise", he said tears filling his eyes.
"I love you", Piper said, her eyes filling with tears too.
"I love you too Piper. So much", he told her.
"Will you hold me? Until…" she said.
Clint placed her between his legs with her back facing his chest.
"When I'm…" she breathed, her breaths becoming shallower, "I want you to find happiness again. Whether it be in Madison or someone else".
"I'll try", he told her. He kissed her temple and took her hand in his. He felt her fighting for breath.
"Clint", she whimpered.
"I'm here", he told her, "I've got you".
Her body shivered and then stopped moving altogether. Her hand went limp in Clint's.
He gathered her in his arms and cried.
This was how Fury and Coulson found him later, still holding Piper in his arms.
Following Piper's death, she was cremated and Clint sent her remains back to her family.
He focused on work and neglected Madison.
To this day, he wasn't proud of doing this, but Madison reminded him too much of Piper. He left her in the care of Coulson and missed out on many of his daughter's firsts.
Fury forced him to take a leave of absence and focus on himself and his daughter.
He took Madison to the park and out for ice cream and normal things fathers did with their daughters.
Before Piper's death, Clint had loved Madison, but now, she was his everything.
The reason he got up in the morning, the reason he was careful on missions.
He didn't want her to grow up without someone to always be there for her. His biggest regret was breaking his promise to Piper. He broke it the day he showed Madison how to shoot.