Chapter Three

Clint's POV

I can't actually believe I've made it this far. I am sitting just outside Fury's office listening to the raging battle going on inside. Steve had to literally drag me out of Natasha's room this morning and when we had made it outside, there was a car waiting for us after checking S.H.I.E.L.D numbers he let me in. The guy then said to Steve "I'm only supposed to be picking Agent Barton up." and Steve replied "Well, I'm Captain America." Giving me a wink. Once we were both safely let in to the back of the car, I muttered to him "I thought it was only Tony who did that?" and he replied "Well, he wasn't going to let me through otherwise and I AM Captain America." We sat in silence and my thoughts returned to Tasha.

I tune in to Steve's argument with Fury about coming with me. This has been going on for a while and I don't know why Steve doesn't just give up.

"...Leave him alone helpless with only the new handler to tell him what to do? I might be ok if it were Coulson but he's dead-" Steve says

"The handlers not new, they've had him for ten months. I don't want Barton dead. Every time he hears your voice he will think of her. I need him to stay focused-" Fury argues

"Then let me go with him!"

"What are you going to do with the shield while you are in the bar or whatever? Because if you don't have that how are you going to help him?" Although I really want Steve to come with me, all of Fury's arguments are valid. In a spur of the moment decision, I burst through the doors and shout "DO YOU CARE ABOUT WHAT I THINK?" Then slightly more calmly continue "I think Steve should wait outside with a comm that can only be hooked up to mine if the handler thinks I need him. We can still both talk to him but only to each other if he connects it up."

"That is not actually a bad idea Barton. Go suit up, both of you, and be at the taking off platform in five." Fury agrees. Steve and I hurry down the hallway to where our suits live.

Five minutes later, the Cap and I are sitting opposite eeach other in a small jet headed for Plymouth, England. My newish handler who took over from Phil, John Mitchell, is on my left looking the Captain up and down. "So, found yourself a new partner, Clint, while Romanoff's on leave?" there's a low growl and I don't realize it's coming from me until Steve says "Calm down Clint, he's just pulling your leg." But the look in his eyes shows that he is just as angry as I am but Steve is a master at not letting your emotions show, just like Tasha. That is one of the things I hate about Mitchell, he doesn't understand that the bond Tasha and I share is so much deeper than normal assassin partners, if any assassin partnership is normal. A mechanical voice announces that we have reached our destination, and I begin to go through a plan of Acton with Mitchell: Day one; Find and make friends with target. Day two; Meet up again and find a destination with a suitability close side-alley and suggest we meet there the next day. Day three; Take out target in the suitability close side-alley. This is fairly standard but I don't know if i'll be able to do it without Tasha. "Of course you can, Clint." I think.

Later I am just about to go and meet the target when Mitchell says through the comm "Barton, off you want this mission over ASAP, there's an alley to the right of you now, if you can get them to go that far."

"I'll try." I reply

"And the Cap will be there but will stay in the shadows until-if need him, just say 'Cap' even when your in the building and I'll link your comma and send him over."

"Ok, thanks."

I make my way into the building and sit myself at the bar right next to the person whose face matches the picture in the file.

"Hey, handsome." she says. It looks as if I'm going to have to play it this way.

"Hey, beautiful." I reply trying to get some conversation going. After around half an hour it is apparent that she has no idea that I'm with S.H.I.E.L.D, even less that I'm Hawkeye.

"Do you want to take a walk with me?" I ask knowing I can't kill her in there "It's getting quite hot in here, and loud I can barely hear you!" She agrees to come with me and as soon as we're in the alley, Mitchell confirms that she's the right target and I pull out a gun and she says "Thanks." as I pull the trigger.

"Come on," says Steve stepping out of the shadows and he leads me to the jet. Once I'm on I feel relief, that is until I see that Pepper is calling me. It's 11PM want would Pepper be calling me unless Tasha had died? Actually I remember it's only 6PM there and she normally stays up until 10 answering e-mails and stuff. The phone is still ringing in my hand and I press accept call and hold it to my ear. "Clint are you ok? About nine hours after you left Natasha started to toss and turn and I figured it would take you nine hours to get there and then about ten minutes ago she just stopped like you had died or something..."

"Pepper it did take us nine hours to get there and I did stop fighting about ten minutes ago but I won and were coming back now-"

"So the whole mission is only going to take 24 hours?"

"Yes, I just really wants to get back. Tasha's still alive?"

"Yes."

"Sorry Pepper, I have to go now, were about to take off. See you soon ok?"

"Yep. Bye!"

"Bye..."

I put the phone down and go to a well-earned sleep.

"Clint wake up I am not carrying you any where." Steve says and I realize that we're back say the tower.

"Come back to us, Tasha. I love you, Tasha. I miss you. I need to get back to you" I think as I run up the stairs.