I am trying to stick close to the movie, however some things are going to change. It will be mostly from Claire's point of view. When it does switch I will label it. Claire is my character, the rest belong to Marvel.
I am altering the time line just a little as well.
I am aware that Clint Barton was supposed to be an orphan, but for the sake of my story line, I'm going to pretend that his parents never died.
…
Claire POV:
Steve's eyes were watching me and I spoke. It seemed to take him a moment to comprehend what I had said. As he spoke, I took a drink of my tea.
"Let's just talk about normal stuff and work our way up," he suggested, taking a sip of his coffee. I shrugged.
"Might as well just get the difficult stuff out of the way, Captain," I spoke plainly. Tony had put me in a bad mood and I was taking it out on him. I felt guilty, but I didn't let it show.
"Well, earlier when I was walking you to the Med Bay, you told me you would tell me what you did in Germany," He started to speak. I took this as my chance and I cut him off.
"Captain. Steve," I tested his name, he nodded for me to continue. "Tony gets underneath my skin. He makes me say things that I don't truly mean."
"Yeah, he tends to have that effect on people," Steve chuckled. I shifted in my chair, pulling my knees up my chest. The tea was warm in my hands.
"When I was little," I started with a sigh, "I was abandoned."
"Claire," Steve started to talk. I held a hand up, telling him to stop. He needed to hear at least part of my story.
"Just listen to me," I spoke, staring at my tea. If I stared hard enough, maybe I could pretend that he wasn't in the same room as me right now. "I was left at an orphanage. My real parents wanted nothing to do with me. Harold and Edith Barton could not have anymore children after Clint was born. However, they desperately wanted a little girl. They ended up adopting me, out of all the other children. I was lucky, I guess. Clint was the only person I would talk to for weeks."
"That's normal, Claire. You were young, afraid," Steve tried to comfort me.
"When Fury recruited Clint years later, he heard about me. Specifically, he heard about what I could do. Clint nearly begged him not to recruit me, but he didn't listen. I went through weeks of testing, of training."
I took a long pause to take a drink of my tea. It was starting to get cold by now and didn't taste like it should have. As I glanced up, I noticed Steve had a pained look in his eyes. I set my tea on the table before continuing.
"That's the short version of the story, anyway. I have a basic understanding of my powers, talents, gifts, whatever you want to call them. There isn't exactly a school I could go to for help."
"Claire, you didn't need to tell me this. Don't think that just because of what Tony said you were obligated to." Steve laid a hand on my knee. He had already given up trying to drink his coffee. I shook my head and looked to him.
"I'm unstable in battle. I sort of know what I'm doing. I am hoping that Fury won't make me go into the battle against Loki. But, you need to know that risk before you decide if you have to take it."
"I think I'd take it anyway," Steve smiled. "Maybe we can help you here with your gifts?"
"You sound like Clint," I spoke, looking up at him. "I hurt him once. He was trying to help me and I sent him to the Med Bay."
"That comes with learning."
"I'm going to get some dinner and go to bed," I said, pushing up from my chair quickly. I was quickly hit with a rush of vertigo, causing me to stumble slightly. I felt guilty about not telling Steve everything I knew about my gifts, but I could not force myself to speak about it. He knew enough already.
"Easy," Steve said softly, picking up our half empty cups and taking my hand in his. "Let me walk you to the cafeteria."
"You really don't have to," I replied, looking over to him.
"I want to." He decided he would not take no for an answer and walked me to the Mess Hall anyway. He stopped by the doors of the cafeteria.
"You go eat dinner and relax, I want to go talk to Fury," He smiled. His voice sounded a bit off. I briefly wondered if he was lying. "I think I see Natasha in there."
"Alright?" I nodded. His stance was tense, his voice nervous. "Are you okay?"
"Of course," He nodded, turning away. He was defiantly lying. I frowned and went to go get dinner. Everyone was starting to act strange on this carrier. I tried not to think too hard on this as I picked up food from the line. I settled on a grilled chicken burger, an apple and some french fries. I could almost hear Clint in the back of my mind telling me I needed to eat better. I walked up to Natasha's side. "Is this spot taken?"
"For you, never," she grinned up at me and patted the seat. "How are you feeling?"
"Physically, good. Mentally, exhausted. Emotionally, confused," I sighed and took a bite.
"Wanna talk?" She suggested, pushing her tray forward. She turned to face me and I took another bite and nodded my head.
"I just wish that Clint was here," I said. "Then I wouldn't have been called in on this crazy mission."
"Claire," Natasha started.
"I mean, Fury called me in, but I don't even know how to use my powers," I whispered to her, not wanting everyone to over hear.
"Fury wouldn't have called you if he didn't think you could do it," She whispered back. "We'll get Clint back soon, I promise."
"If you say so," I said after taking another bite.
"What's got you emotionally confused?"
"This entire team," I shrugged. "Bruce is quiet, smart. Steve is confident, commanding. You're powerful and take no shit. Thor is impossible to understand. Tony's… well, he's Tony. We are dysfunctional."
"I have a feeling we will be able to come together," Natasha said with a smile. "Just give us a few more days."
"We might not have a few more days, Natasha," I frowned, dumping my trash. "I'm going to go to bed. I'm tired."
"Alright," Natasha sighed. I exited the cafeteria and walked to my room. I knew that we would not become a team in time for Loki to finish his plan. Maybe this is what he wanted. My room was warm when I entered and I quickly plopped down on the bed. It was soft and I found myself falling asleep almost instantly.
"I knew I could find you here sooner or later, Claire Barton," a dark voice spoke from the shadows of my dream. I was standing in the center of a spotlight, the light blinding my eyes if I dared to look up. A circle of darkness surrounding me.
"Who are you? Where are you?" I asked, turning in circles. This dream was like other I had before.
"You know who I am," the voice spoke again. I twisted around again before landing my eyes on Loki. He was dressed casually, not in the armor that I had seen him in before. I turned to face him, squaring my shoulders.
"Why are you here, Loki?" My voice wavered.
"Your brother told me you were special. He mentioned that I could find you here, in this middle ground," Loki taunted. "Only after we met here once before."
I stepped back from him as he stepped closer to me. My brows furrowed before I realized he was talking about my first nightmare on the carrier. I watched him as I spoke. "You caused my first nightmare here."
"Very good, child," Loki laughed. "Although, you were not supposed to see or hear what you did during that are very special."
"What is your plan, Loki? To invade my dreams? Scare me?"
"No. Claire, I want to help you. I can help you control your gifts. I can teach you how to use them." Loki's voice was smooth, it had an undertone of seduction.
"No," I shook my head. "I don't want your help. Your mind games won't work on me, Loki."
"You could rule at my side, Claire. Think of it, King Loki and Queen Claire," He invited. I bit my lip. It was tempting. He was tempting. "No one would dare to call you a freak again."
Memories of grade school flashed into my vision, the other students calling me a freak, getting into fights, the landlord kicking me out from an apartment for having my gifts. Loki had a point, no one would ever defy me again. I could live freely. He is skilled in magic and could teach me how to control it. I looked up at him.
"You…you would teach me?" I whispered, my voice cracked.
"Of course," Loki enticed, putting his arm around my shoulder. He waved a faintly glowing green hand down towards the floor. My tank top and shorts changed instantly, along with his clothing. He was now dressed in his armor. I wore a short, dark green skirt with a slit up to the thigh with black spandex like material underneath it. A short sleeve green shirt was underneath a silver breast plate that extended down to my hips. A green cape matching Loki's rested on my shoulders. I looked like a warrior I had only seen in books and movies. "Can you not see us ruling together? You were made to rule, Claire. These humans do not give you the credit you deserve."
"I…" I trailed off, looking down at myself. With a shake of my head, I pulled away from Loki. The illusion of the battle clothes disappeared. He was trying to turn me against the team. "I am nothing like you."
"You are though. We both live in our brothers shadows, Claire."
"No!" I yelled.
"Claire!" Natasha's voice pulled me roughly from the dream. I woke up panting, covered in sweat. My blanket was in a knotted mess at my feet. "You're alright, I'm here."
"Claire?" Steve spoke from the doorway. I looked up at him, then to Natasha.
"Loki," I swallowed thickly. "Loki was in my dream"
"How?" Steve asked, sitting on the bed beside me. I ran my hands through my hair, tugging harshly.
"Claire dream walks sometimes," Natasha spoke for me. She rubbed small circles on my back, letting me lean against her.
"Dream walks? I don't understand," Steve looked confused. He laid a hand on my knee.
"When I sleep, my mind wanders. Sometimes, I end up in other people's dreams. Other people," I took a deep breath, "end up in mine."
"So, you walked into Loki's dream?" Steve frowned, trying to understand. Natasha got up for a glass of water for me.
"No," I took the glass from Natasha and took a drink. "Loki walked into mine."
"What did he tell you?" Natasha spoke, looking at me with concern in her eyes.
"He said that Clint told him I dream walk. He told me he could help me learn to control my gifts. Loki said we could rule together." My voice trailed off at the last sentence. I ducked my head down, avoiding their eyes. "He said we were the same."
"You are not the same, Claire," Steve spoke, his voice stern. I heard footsteps at the doorway pause for a second, then come into the room.
"Another nightmare, Claire?" I heard Bruce speak. I nodded a little in my knees that I had pulled up to my chest.
"I brought you something to help you sleep, if you'd like it?"
"Thank you, Bruce," I looked up, taking the drink from his hands. It was warm in my own hands, pale brown in color.
"Not a problem, Claire." He smiled and nodded, exiting the room. Natasha followed him.
"I'm sorry I woke you," I spoke to Steve, looking up at him.
"Don't be sorry," Steve said, sliding closer to me on the bed. In two drinks, I finished the liquid in the cup. It tasted like chocolate and something else. The chocolate was masking the flavor of something bitter. I gave him a small smile and flopped back onto my bed.
"I wish I was normal for once."
"Well, if you were 'normal', I probably wouldn't have met you," He whispered, looking down at me.
"And that's a bad thing?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. Claire, you are more special than you give yourself credit for."
"He's right, Claire," Natasha said, scaring me. I hadn't realized that she had walked back into the room. "You should get some sleep."
Natasha hugged me and whispered into my ear that it was going to be okay. Steve gave me a hug as well, whispering into my ear that he hoped I had good dreams for the rest of the night. I felt my face heat up.
Thankfully, I didn't have anymore dreams that involved Loki. However, I didn't sleep easily. At around 6am, I got up from the bed and showered again. I avoided breakfast all together and started towards Bruce's lab. Something told me that he would be in there, despite the hour.