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Enjoy!

STRAYS

*Chapter 4*

The nurses had protested at first, but Steve Rogers had a way with people that amazed Barton. While he had been arguing with everyone that he was fine enough to walk down the corridor, all Steve needed to do was flash that dazzling smile of his and they had authorized him out in the freaking yard! He was wondering if he should ask for some tips for social interactions when Steve spoke up nervously:

"Listen, I know this might not be the right moment but…I need advice. It's about…this woman I like."

Barton raised a surprised eyebrow.

"You know, I'm pretty sure any woman would fall at your feet if you just ask."

Steve shook his head.

"Not this one. She's tough and I have no idea how to approach her. I mean, she would probably even shoot me if I asked her out the wrong way…I think she doesn't really like me."

"Wow, that chick actually exists and has a name?" Barton teased with a smirk. "Lemme guess, is it Carter?"

"Carter?"

"Sharon Carter, the liaison from England. She's a hardass on good days."

"Uh, no."

"Is it Elizabeth Ross? The General's daughter? She is a bit of a cold fish since her fiancé ran away when he turned into a green-raged monster."

"No, it isn't her and seriously Clint, you shouldn't be mocking the poor woman." Barton waved away his remark.

"Fine. Is it Beth? The waitress from…"

"It's Hill."

Barton's teasing smile left his face.

"What?"

Rogers winced under the sudden coldness in the other man's eyes.

"Yes, Maria Hill. Deputy Director, head of the STRAYS division. Thirty-five and mother of twins –whom you are the godfather, should I add. That very Hill." The archer crossed his arms and glared. Rogers suddenly swallowed hard. Okay, maybe he should have listened more carefully to the rumors about Barton being brotherly-overprotective towards the deputy director…but he wouldn't go down before pleading his case. "I didn't like her at first, I thought she was cold-hearted but" he added quickly when a murderous glint lightened in his friend's eyes. "After working with her I realized she had to act that way so people would take her seriously. She's a beautiful woman high in the hierarchy and carrying a lot of responsibilities, so I understand. And then I met her daughters once, at the park." Steve couldn't help but smile a little at the memory. "They pulled me into a game of tag. It was tiring but fun and I saw another side of her. She's so many things at once and yet…I thought I had a decent reading on human behavior but she keeps surprising me. I like her, really, and I'd like to try." Barton's gaze hadn't lost its intensity, but some hard lines had dissipated. Rogers took it for a good sign. "But like I said, she's not really into me."

Barton seemed to hesitate between punch or answer him. After two full minutes of stare-holding in complete silence, the archer made up his mind.

"Listen, as far as I'm concerned, you're a great guy. She let you play with Soph and Lily, so she must trust you at some point. But Maria's mind is complicated, even for me so I'm afraid you're on your own. Although if the twins like you that's definitively brownie points. Maria adores her kids, so…You know, I'm probably not the best guy to ask that kind of thing." Barton added with a shrug. "I screwed up every relationship I got into. Couldn't even keep the woman I loved."

"Agent Morse?" Steve asked, although given the way his friend talked about his ex-wife at times, he wondered if the man had truly loved her at all.

"No, before Bobbi." Barton paused, wondering whether he should tell the man that story or let it go. Steve wouldn't pressure if he stopped there, but at the same time, he felt that urge to spill his guts to someone trustworthy. For some reason, after his late awakening, she had been haunting his mind. Perhaps talking about her would help him lift the odd feeling. "There was this woman. Natalie. I met her on a mission. We started dating and –well let's say I fell for her pretty hard pretty fast. I proposed to her eight months later."

Steve blinked.

"That was fast."

Barton snorted in agreement.

"I thought she was The One. A cute redhead with big green eyes. She was smart, strong and goddamn beautiful. You didn't want to mess with her and we had some good arguments and fights. But hell I cared; she was my breath of fresh air each time I needed one. She knew about my job, accepted it. Took a tool for the nightmares sometimes." He remembered waking up screaming, and she would be there, holding him throughout the night. The archer paused and stared at the ground hard.

"Those eight months were a total lie, but they were also the bests of my life." he whispered. "I loved her and I think she...she might have liked me too."

"Might have?" Steve repeated, puzzled. "You mean you got involved with someone who wasn't in love with you?"

"At the time I thought she did. They were signs, things she said, the way she acted...I think she wasn't faking all the time. And the morning after I proposed, she shot me." Barton's features hardened. "I learned later that her real name was Natalia Romanova otherwise known as the Black Widow, a Russian spy. She had been on my tail to find out more about SHIELD and kill me."

Rogers blinked in puzzlement again.

"Black Widow you said? The Black Widow?"

"Yeah; I know how to pick them." Rogers remained silent, but he looked like he wanted to add something. "What?"

"It's just –I thought…" he started before shaking his head. "You know what, it doesn't matter."

There was just something in the man's tone that made the archer suspicious. It was that particular tone Steve used when he knew something Barton would not like to hear. And it concerned the Black Widow.

"Rogers, now that you've said too much, better tell me all of it now."

The blonde man stared at her friend carefully. It wasn't often that Barton had that sudden gleam in his eyes. He figured he might as well say what he knew; the archer would find out on his own anyway and risk a bigger commotion.

"I asked Hill if I could read the report on your last mission. You know SHIELD sent in STRAYS agents to finish your job?"

"Yeah I know, Alice the Mercenary, she found u- wait you said agents? There was more than one?"

"A pair, actually. Alice had a partner codenamed Black Widow. She's the one who found you."

Barton swallowed hard, but didn't let the news faze him and Steve knew he might have committed a mistake. It was obvious the man still felt something strong towards the woman bearing that codename.

"Could be a coincidence." He said. "I mean, STRAYS are never on base and Maria goes to them directly for a mission. We don't know what they look li…"

"When I was at the park with Hill and her girls, a woman stopped by to drop a file" Steve cut, knowing he might as well tell everything. "I didn't really pay attention, but I am pretty sure she was a redhead about Hill's age. When I asked Ma- Hill about it, she told me I must be one of the few lucky men who got to meet the Black Widow on a job without being sho- "

Barton darted halfway through the corridor before the sentence was done. Steve blinked and dashed after him.

"Clint? Clint what's going on?"

He replied without looking back:

"Maria and I are going to have a little chat."

Jeremy lay back on his bed, arms crossed behind his head, eyes fixed on the ceiling. It turned out, Mom's stay lasted a week. Hill had ringed at the door three days ago, spoken about a potential new recruit and asked Mom to accompany her for a period of observation (he called it stalking). In any case, it was the start of spring break and Jeremy was left alone that day with nothing much to do. He supposed he should be glad he had an interrupted week with mom this time. But still, he was planning to go to the park with her to play soccer so had done all of his homework.

The boy sat on the bed and weighted his options: the twins were staying with their grandma since Hill was off on a mission. Irene, Arsene, Becky and baby Helena were too young to provide a decent distraction. Kevin was fifteen, but he was deep into schoolwork and his part-time job lately. Lucy was off with her father to Brazil…afterthought, every kid in the Residence was checked out. Jeremy went through the adults that had not been sent abroad: uncle Oliver was on his computer hacking on SHIELD's account, so couldn't be bothered. Aunt Milla was out on some recon, dragging uncle Sammuel in her wake and Naoto and Heine gone to shadow a politician for the day in Atlanta, so he couldn't go to the shooting range or access any STRAYS training facility. Once again he sighed in frustration; pent up energy was accumulating in his body and he needed an outlet or he'd be in a very bad mood tonight.

On impulse, Jeremy picked up a small bag where he put his mobile and a taser and headed out. The closest park was barely half an hour away and with some luck he'd come across some kids who needed a pal to complete a team or something. In whatever case, he was determined not to get bored.

It turned out to be a good idea. A bunch of his kids from his school was playing soccer in the park and immediately asked him if he wanted to jon. Uneven numbers tended to create tensions among his peers and thanks to his petite size, Jeremy was faster than most. Even the bullies would rather have him on their team than against them. Thankfully, any argument was quickly shut as he paired with two other kids from his class and kicked the ball to the self-proclaimed team leader. Soccer wasn't his favorite sport, but he wasn't half-bad at it and managed to score a goal within ten minutes of the game.

He suddenly felt the gaze of someone staring at them and stopped running to glance around. Everything seemed normal; people were walking, mothers were gossiping…but that one guy wearing sunglasses sitting on the bench was looking in their direction. Jeremy stared back at him with narrowed eyes. The stranger's gaze drifted away, and the kid's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't a hundred per cent sure, but that guy looked familiar. He had never met him face-to-face before, only through pictures, but the dirty blond hair, the compact and strong body, the face…

"Hey Jer! What'cha think you're doing!"

Gavin was calling after him as the ball rolled nearby him. Jeremy focused back on the game, determined to mark another goal and then take a closer look to the man. If he was right –and his guts rarely failed him –then he might be meeting his father today.

Next chapter will definitively be published Friday. It's nearly done, all I need is brushing the details. Review please? They always make my day.