Thank you Radiant Celestial Aura, MicaRoxyStar, TessFan, Cestrenes97, ChangingIsEternal, tlyxor1, Ummay Winchester, Jazz, BetahimeTsukiko, ANGEL FALLEN FROM HEAVEN, InazumaNina, jazz, MariMart, birdy, Quyiken, Ksave, Elia the Huntress, XxXLuvTheOriginalsXxX, Tsuki no Yasha, and Guests for reviewing, as well as everyone who faved/followed this story. You guys are so wonderful, and you truly light up my world. Sorry if I forgot anyone!
MicaRoxyStar: Thank you! I really hope you enjoy the new chapter, and thank you so much for reviewing. It means the world to me.
jazz: well I hope I live up to your expectations! Personally, I love this chapter because Clint! I hope you like it too.
TessFan: It sure will be interesting when it all comes out! And no, the hacker is neither JARVIS nor Tony. It's not a huge plot point, but the question will be answered later. ALL SHALL BE REVEALED. Thank you for your review. They always put a smile on my face, so I hope this chapter will do they same for you.
birdy: NO, YOU'RE GREAT! I love seeing your name and your reviews. It always makes me so very happy.
Minacarlyle: A bit over a week, but am I forgiven? I think Steve was getting upset I was making him wait for his date, (which I will go more in depth with later). And I think we've all been guilty of having slightly stalker-ish tendencies once in a while. Your review made me laugh. Sounds fair indeed! Your enthusiasm nearly knocked me over though! Thank you.
Clint is sooo much fun to write! I hope you all enjoy this chapter! And I will be going into their date in more depth next chapter, promise. I just thought it was a good spot to end the chapter. Can anyone spot the Jupiter Ascending reference?
And I'm on Tumblr as why-not-jane if you'd like to drop by!
"Do you think they're werewolves?" Clint offered, breaking the stiff silence. The joke didn't cause the laughter he had hoped.
"To be honest, I don't think that would surprise me anymore," Steve grumbled from where he sat on the floor next to Clint. The four were crammed into Hill's newly booked room, where Natasha and Steve had filled them in on the details. The women had immediately taken control of the bed.
"Think about it. You were chasing a human, then a wolf like creature. The clothes were all ripped and blown apart, but had no blood," Clint said, his serious demeanor uncovered with a snort.
"It fits," Natasha allowed, "but just because something is possible doesn't make it probable. Or even likely."
"Relax, it was a joke," Clint grumbled, "and you seriously think your girlfriend turning into a werewolf wouldn't surprise you?" he directed at Steve.
"I have fought aliens and space whales, met a man who turns into a green giant, and a norse god. Would it surprise you?" Steve asked, taking a sip from his cold beer.
Clint considered this, "I dunno. Guess the question is, which is weirder, aliens or werewolves?"
"Aliens come from another planet," Steve offered, grinning from behind his drink.
"We've always know that was a possibility. But humans morphing into something else?" Hill said doubtfully, "that's impossible."
"You ever met the Hulk?" Natasha smirked at her friend.
"Maybe they're not human. Maybe they're aliens," Clint offered, stretching out on the carpet.
"Space werewolves?" Steve laughed.
"Obviously," Hill rolled her eyes at him, but allowed herself a small smile.
Someone knocked brusquely on the motel door. Steve could barely hear it over the pounding of blood in his ears as he stared at the jagged paper jutting out from the spine of his sketch book. A drawing had been hurriedly ripped out, one he could have sworn was still there after the break in. It wasn't one he could forget.
"Steve?" Hill asked, and he jumped up, nearly missing the red head behind her slip a metal pick into her pocket. Steve stared between the two, his forehead wrinkling. He reached up a hand to unconsciously scrub the creases away.
"Explain," Hill snapped in a voice that had made every single officer on the Helicarrier deck stand up and wince.
Steve closed the book with a snap, and slid it back into the drawer, standing up.
"One of my sketches is missing. Page was ripped out. Musta been taken during the break in," he explained slowly, trying to edge past the women blocking the doorway. Neither moved, fixing him with the same impenetrable stare.
"Which one?" Natasha asked, allowing a small note of worry to slip into her voice. This time, Steve didn't pause.
"Can't remember," he said. Natasha raised a brow, but didn't question him, holding out the keys to her car on one slender finger. With a nod of thanks he took them, and suddenly he forgot all about the missing page and remembered where he was going. Turning back to his friends he gestured to himself.
"Do I-"
"You look fine," Hill said wryly, crossing her arms. Natasha reached forward to straighten his collar, examining him carefully from head to toe. She pushed his hair back off his forehead, then nodded.
Clint popped his head out from the room next door, "Hey Cap, can I sleep in your room? Mine smells like fish," he whined.
Steve rolled his eyes, "Sleep on the floor," he ordered.
"Thank you for your overwhelming kindness," Clint quipped, "Have fun on your date, gramps. And stop freaking out. When you freak out, you sweat, and then you stink, and no one wants to be near a dude that doesn't know how to apply deodorant."
Steve swallowed, numbly climbing into the car, forgetting to even wave goodbye as he exited.
Natasha slapped Clint on the back of the head.
"What?" Clint jumped, wide eyed, rubbing his head.
"You're an ass, Barton," Hill snapped.
Leah fought off the urge to pick at non-existent lint on her green dress. It was an old dress she'd bought years ago for herself, before all the wolfy stuff had happened. As a result, it was shorter and tighter on her than before. The neckline plunged, and black heels made her legs look even longer. She looked fabulous.
If only she felt the same.
Distantly, she heard the phone ring. The noise blended with the muttering tv and the wind outside. Taking a deep breath, she stood military straight, and marched out into the family room where her mother was. Immediately, Sue turned off the tv, staring at her oldest child. The silence was almost unbearable for Leah.
"I'm going, so just- don't." she said. Sue stood up, walking until the two women were standing face to face.
"I trust you Leah. You're an adult, and you're capable of making your own choices. I can't make them for you anymore," she smiled sadly, "so I'm with you. If this is what you want, grab it with both hands and don't let anyone take it from you. Whatever happens, I love you."
Leah felt a prickle behind her eye and she smiled.
"Dramatic speech for a first date, mum," she whispered. Sue smiled knowingly.
"We both know it's more than that." Sue stepped forward, and despite her daughter being much taller than her, she did her best to smother her in an all consuming hug, like she had when Leah was a child.
"If he tries anything, kick his ass sweetie," she whispered. Leah smiled into her mother's shoulder.
The front door was yanked open, and a cold blast swept through the room, making Sue shiver.
"Seth! Aren't you going to see your sister off?" Sue called to her son. Seth turned and shrugged his bare shoulders, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans.
"Sam called. There's a dead deer buried in the woods that's been all cut up. He wants me and some of the guys to check out. Think's there's a squatter in the old cabin hunting," he explained duly, staring at a spot on the wall behind Leah. She felt a pang of sadness, then anger at her brothers behavior.
"Seth-" she started.
"Why do you have to do this?" he snapped, "he's dangerous!"
"No he's not," Leah snarled, anger flaring.
"Tell that to the smashed window. To me and Quil's faces," he yelled back, uncharacteristically angry.
"It was an accident. He apologized," Leah said, not used to seeing Seth as the one with a temper.
"People apologise all the time, Leah. It doesn't mean shit!" Seth yelled, and Leah could see tears forming in his eyes. He turned and raced out the door. Leah didn't need to see him to know he'd already shifted. A numbness started in her face, draining down through the rest of her body. She could smell salt water. She didn't know if it was from the nearby ocean, or his tears.
"Give him time, Leah. That's the best thing you can do right now," Sue told her gently.
"I'm sure that's what everyone said about me," Leah replied. She walked away, and waited for Steve on the front steps, cold wind whipping over her bare arms.
When Steve arrived at Leah's house, she raced to the car before he could get out and open her door for her, sitting in the sanctuary of the car with a thump. She ignored Steve's curious (and more than slightly panicked) glance. Without a word, he backed out of the driveway, the two simply sitting in companionable silence.
They were driving through one of the long unlit roads when Steve slid his hand slowly over to hold Leah's, squeezing it gently. Warmth coursed through her, and slowly Leah let herself relax, the numbness floating away. The corners of her mouth twitched upwards, and she glanced at Steve out of the corner of her eye.
"Have you seen Into The Woods before?" she asked.
"No," Steve admitted, then his forehead scrunched up again, "Is that a bad thing? What if the musicals really bad? The reviews said it was good, but-"
"It is. I saw it before, when I was a kid. It's weird but... kinda perfect," she admitted. She found his bumbling very sweet. It was nice to know he was just as nervous as she was.
"I think you'll get a kick out of the princes' song," Leah said, smirking slightly.
"Yeah?" Steve asked, curious.
"They're a lot like you," Leah said all too innocently, and Steve frowned suspiciously.
"Gotta feeling I'm gonna regret this," he said huskily, grin crooked as he stared out onto the road before them.
Leah didn't think about her reply. It was as natural as if she had know Steve for years.
"Not if I can help it." Her smile unconsciously matched his own.
Maria and Natasha sat at a cozy cafe in Forks, Maria sipping a caramel late, hands wrapped tightly around the warm mug, listening as her friend told her about the bonfire. Natasha was using a sleek silver laptop - wether her own or 'borrowed' Maria wasn't sure - and the cafe's free WiFi to access the internet.
"I'm guessing you didn't tell Steve about the whole 'jilted lover' affair?" Maria asked dryly, watching as her friend skim read something of interest.
"You knew because he wasn't angry enough," Natasha stated, not looking up.
"Steve's a pretty righteous guy. If he knew, he'd be less nervous and more pissed off. Why didn't you tell him about Sam and Leah's history?"
"Like you said, I didn't need him that angry. I thought she should tell him," Natasha replied. Maria's jaw ticked, and she set her cup down carefully, leaning forward in the saggy leather armchair.
"You didn't tell Steve about Sam and Leah's broken engagement because you wanted to be the one holding all the cards. Just like always." Maria spoke not unsympathetically, but in an undebatable tone. Natasha finally paused in her work and looked up.
"We're your friends, Nat. You don't need to be one step ahead of us. As hypocritical as it sounds from me, you're not a SHIELD agent anymore. You can afford to have friends. Sometimes, you're allowed to just trust us."
Natasha examined Maria, unmoving. Maria nearly held her breath as she waited.
"I'll tell him when he gets back," Natasha finally said. Maria nodded.
Natasha closed the laptop with a snap, frustration evident in her loud sigh.
"I had a look through Stark's database for any large government facilities within a twenty mile radius. Something like a water treatment plant that could be hiding labs," she explained. Maria raised her brow.
"I work at Stark's-"
"You work for Stark," Natasha interrupted slyly.
"and the database on the government is good, but not that good," Maria carried on. Natasha glared.
"Do you really want to know-"
"Nope," Maria grinned, "carry on."
"Nothing big enough or secret enough to be hiding labs. I thought they might be experimenting on the local wolf population. It would explain the size, and why the ones we've seen have not shied away from venturing into populated areas. There could be hidden facilities but my gut says no," Natasha said.
"Since when do you rely on your gut?" Maria scoffed.
"Same time people started saying I needed to trust my friends," Natasha replied dryly.
"Then I searched the internet for anything relating to large unexplained wolves in the area. Even the conspiracy sites draw a blank. Either Steve and I were both mistaken or they're damn well hidden."
"We both know you don't make those kind of mistakes," Maria said, thoughtfully sipping at her mug.
Natasha didn't blink.
"Exactly."
Jared peered through the bushes, seeing far more than any human could with the moon and stars hiding behind hostile clouds. Darting forward, he used Leah's memories of Steve's room to steer himself toward the window previously used as an escape route. He was a mere five feet away, still camouflaged in the bushes, when doubt struck him. Sam had deliberately chosen him to do this, while Leah was on a date. The rest of the pack was far deeper into the forrest checking out a probably made up homeless man. They were far enough away that Jared only needed to concentrate a little to block them out.
Ever so slowly, he padded towards the window. Underneath the sill, he paused again. An image flashed through his mind. Leah and Steve, standing close together on the beach as the sun set. Leah looked happier then Jared could remember. He wondered what business Sam had, sniffing around Steve.
Then he remembered the blind panic of Seth and Quil. An unbidden growl rose through his throat, though it was so quiet it could barely be heard over the wind.
It would be easy, that much was obvious. Under the bed in a black art folio bursting to the seams. The trick would be making sure Rogers didn't realise what he'd done. Find what was in the case.
Clint was lying on his back, glaring at the ceiling. There were suspicious looking stains decorating the plaster. He wondered how they got there. It's not like there was an oven to blow up in this tiny room. He wiggled slightly on the thin mattress. He swore he could still smell fish.
Just as he was about to take his hearing aids out for the night, he froze at a soft growl. There was someone, or something, nudging the window open. Silently, Clint rolled off the mattress on the floor, under the wooden bed frame. He pulled the quilt down till there was just a small gap between it and the floor so that he was hidden.
Breathing evenly, but so softly only trained ears could hear it, he zoomed out from the nerves and focused in on what was coming through the glass.
Ever so slowly, a dark shape outside inched the window open. Very carefully, a huge pointed nose entered, followed by a massive head and large eyes. Clint nearly gulped at the huge size of the furry animal. The need to make a Little Red Riding Hood joke lost out to his small amount of common sense.
Immediately, the creature's eyes focused on the floor underneath the window. A black art folio was propped up against the wall.
For a split second, Clint was so mesmerized by the creature's size (it could only fit it's head and neck through the window) that he nearly forgot what was in the folio. Steve's shield.
Clint rolled out from under the bed, diving for the folio. He had the distinct advantage of being more mobile than the large creature and snatched the shield up from under it's very toothy head. Then Clint was standing, holding one very badly disguised, very famous shield.
The wolf creature locked eyes with Clint. The intelligence in the animal's eyes would have made a lesser man pee his pants. But Clint was not a lesser man. Much. So he only shook a little.
The wolf turned it's gaze back to the art folio. It was clear what it had come for. Sharp brown eyes met Clint's again, and it snarled. Clint snarled back, grabbed the shield by it's curving edge, and swung.
It crashed into the wolf's nose with a bang, sending the creature flying out the window. He heard a snarl, then paws pounding on frozen ground.
For what felt like a life time, Clint stared at the red rim of the shield poking through the seams of the black fabric. Then he blinked, and he was rushing to the window. He stared outside. All he could make out were trees thrashing in the wind. Closing the window with a thud, he scrambled for the phone on the bedside table, dialing a number he knew by heart. It rang once before he picked it up.
"Nat," Clint said breathlessly, "I think I just became Captain America."
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