A/N: 2012 winner of NaNoWriMo contest and exclusively Beta'd by the wonderful ladygris.

Thanks,

~Sandy

Avengers

From Time to Time

Chapter 5

The door closed and Naomi moved over to the desk to fill out the paperwork that would send Clint back to work on light duty. If you could call assisting in the rebuilding of a city with a population of over eight million people "light duty." She guessed he would return to Stark Tower each night more tired than he'd ever been then get up and do it again the next day. Or he might not even bother going to the tower. Just sleeping where he could so he'd be onsite first thing in the morning. Of the two scenarios, that seemed the most likely. He wouldn't want to be away when there was still work to do. That's why he'd been so restless when she'd seen him in the gym, on deck or in the Mess Hall.

Clint's recovery from the incident in Canada was nothing short of extraordinary. Never had she had a patient make progress so quickly. She made a note to check out some of the things he'd told her. Not about the sex or his supposed relationship with Agent Romanoff. But other things that didn't add up. His dreams, for instance. How had he gone from nightmares and just plain bad dreams to sleeping through the night? Especially after having one that got him confined to a psych ward, even if it had been for less than a day.

Opening an email, Naomi sent a message to the CMO to do a full blood panel on Clint when he returned to the ship in a few days. She was glad he brought up their continued sessions. It would give him time off forcing him to rest so he wouldn't work himself into the ground because one thing hadn't changed in the last twelve years. He still worked hard and she was sure he played just as hard. And it was her job to make sure he was able to continue to do both as long as possible. Mentally anyway. The chime rang announcing her next appointment. With a sigh, she let him in.

~~O~~

Jogging back to his room, Clint took his duffle bag from the closet and began shoving clothes into it. Mostly sturdy pants and T-shirts over which he'd wear a jumpsuit or even a hazmat suit depending on the venue. The boots he was wearing were steel toed. He didn't need shaving items, but he did take his toothbrush and the bottle of Tylenol from his bedside table.

Setting the bag and his bow case near the door, he got into his jacket. Tugging at his sleeves, he felt more than a little guilt for his deception. He hadn't been lying when he told Naomi that he wasn't having nightmares. What he hadn't told her was how he was doing it.

The OOD greeted him with a nod. Instead of taking a quinjet, he took one of the smaller helijets. They could be flown like a helicopter or a small jet and didn't require a co-pilot. He ran through his pre-flight check list and was in the air within minutes.

~~O~~

The office had been remodeled to remove everything that would remind anyone of its former occupant. Over the last year, he'd made sweeping changes to policy and personnel that hadn't been popular. But then, he wasn't in this business to be liked by his employees. As long as they performed their jobs to the best of their abilities, they stayed. If not, they were…retired with extreme prejudice. And that suited him just fine.

With the connections he'd made in his former life and those he now commanded, he wielded enough power to influence others to do the dirty work. Or rather, the work that made the operation appear "clean." Laundering money was relatively easy compared to some aspects of the business, though all he really needed was the right person for the right job. And if someone showed a lack in one particular position, but an affinity for another, he would move that person creating a more efficient working environment.

And with his knowledge of how the judicial system worked, the business was booming and law enforcement could do nothing. More than once, the feds had tried to slip someone in undercover, but knowing what he knew, it never worked out. The agents were made and eliminated. All but one. And though it had happened years ago, it still irritated the hell out of him to have his success rate marred by this one failure though it hadn't hampered their operations even a little. Still, if he ever got the chance to correct it, he would.

The door opened and his chief lieutenant entered. She smiled and he found himself scowling instead of returning it. "Sir, we're ready."

~~O~~

Dr. Elaine Rivera opened the email from Naomi requesting a blood workup on Agent Clint Barton. She sent the request on to the lab with a copy to Clint informing him to stop at the Med Bay when he returned to the ship. He answered almost immediately. Shaking her head at his two word response, she set a reminder and went on to her next task.

~~O~~

Clint read the email from Rivera on his tablet and wanted to hit something. Instead, he sent the usual response before finishing off the rest of his meal. Many of the local restaurants that were once again open for business and provided meals free of charge for the workers. Today it had been the deli on Midway. He didn't even know what he'd eaten except that it had been on rye bread and it had filled the empty place in his stomach. Not his favorite, but you don't complain when people are being so generous. As far as he was concerned, food was food when he was on "company" time. On his own, he wanted something he liked and enjoyed, usually made by his own hand and accompanied by a nice bottle of wine. He missed his coffee too. What he could get out here was weak by his standards, but it was hot and gave him a kick in the morning.

Though they hadn't really been a team that long, he missed the Avengers too. That single day of fighting side by side to destroy the Chitauri army had forged a bond that couldn't be broken.

With a huff of frustration, he realized that coffee and the Avengers weren't all that he missed. Now that she was back in his life and he'd had to talk to her about intimate, private issues, he missed Naomi. And after thinking long and hard about everything, he finally recognized the fact that he'd been missing her for a very long time. In the lonely moments at night when he couldn't sleep, when he came back from being Loki's slave and especially when he saw something that reminded him of their time together. He thought he'd been missing having a special someone. Well, he was, and that someone was Naomi.

A boy about ten came into the room he'd appropriated as "his." It wasn't much. Barely twice the size of a closet in the rebuilt area of the community center, but it was a roof over his head the nights he stayed on-site, which was most nights and when he wasn't at the helicarrier or the occasional stop at Stark Tower.

"Hawkeye?"

"Hey, pal! What's up?"

Alex looked at him shyly, scuffing the toe of one dirty sneaker against the floor. "Me 'n the guys…"

With a grin, Clint automatically corrected Alex, "The guys and I."

"Yeah. We were wonderin'…"

"If I'd come out and play?" Tossing his napkin in the trash can, he rolled to his feet. "Let's go."

Whooping for joy and running ahead, Alex called out his triumph to his pals, a group of about nine boys and girls ranging in ages between seven and twelve. The kids of the neighborhood had adopted him as a sort of uncle and frequently came by to play.

"Could ya show us some more of that circus stuff?" one girl asked.

"That what you guys want?" A wave of excitement ran through the kids making Clint smile. Thanking is own foresight, he took off his boots, unzipped the front of his jumpsuit and stripped it off. Underneath he was wearing cotton shorts and a light blue T-shirt. Removing his socks, he stuffed them down inside the boots then walked out to the middle of the all-purpose court. "What d'you wanna see first? Sally?"

She was African-American, seven and had two little pigtails on either side of her head. "Can ya do some flips 'n stuff?"

Pretending to think it over, Clint stretched already sore muscles to loosen them up. If Alex hadn't come to get him, he'd probably be asleep by now, but he couldn't disappoint the kids. They had so little to keep them busy and engage their minds until the schools were finished that he relished this time and would never deny them unless it was unavoidable. "I can do better than that. You guys wanna help?"

"Yeah!"

"Great! Okay, let's start with…"

The entire group said together, "Walk on your hands!"

Chuckling, Clint shooed the kids back out of the way and with a quick back-flip he was on his hands, feet in the air as he "walked" across the floor. He flipped again and got to his feet to applause, spending the next hour performing for and with the kids.

Checking the time, he saw that curfew was coming up. "Okay kids, one more then home to bed." He ignored the groans. "We're gonna make a human pyramid. So Chad, Jaden and Assad, you're the biggest so you're on the bottom with me. Alex, Kenisha and Barrakat, you'll be the second row. Miki and Vinnie, you're the third row and Sally, you'll be on top."

"Hey, why does she get to be on top?" The girl complaining, Miki was almost a head taller than Sally, the youngest of the group.

Clint tweaked Miki's nose making her giggle. "Because I said so, that's why." He clapped his hands. "Okay, this is how it's gonna go. Us big guys are gonna get down on our hands and knees with me in the middle, then the next row gets on our backs. Just be careful where you put your knees, guys. I'm not as young as I used to be." He waited while the second row climbed on. "Okay, Miki and Vinnie. You're up. Try not to move around too much or we'll all fall. Okay. Now Sally, be very careful and climb up to the top."

The little girl did as she was told and their pyramid was complete. A voice called out and they all looked up in time for several of the kids' parents to take photos. The second row began to wobble, a couple of the kids screamed and panicked. When the weight lifted from Clint's back, he quickly rolled onto his back and managed to catch Sally well enough she didn't get hurt. After the moment of fear passed, they lay all on the floor in a heap laughing and giggling.

He made sure the kids were all okay then Clint sent some of them off with their folks while he walked the rest the four blocks down to the shelter waving good-bye as they disappeared inside and the door closed.

Back at the center, he gathered up clean clothes and carried them into the locker room. It was the first part of the center to be completed because it had been less damaged than the rest of the building and surrounding area. Only the shower on the end worked at the moment so he stripped off his dirty clothes, showered, brushed his teeth and dressed for bed.

He lay on his bedroll, laced his fingers together over his stomach and just before he fell into a deep sleep he remembered he hadn't taken his meds.

~~O~~

Naomi stormed out of her father's office so fast she almost ran Hill down without even noticing. He is so…maddening! She wanted to say infuriating, but didn't feel like chuckling at the irony. How can these people work with him? Maybe it's just me.

She didn't stop walking until she reached the Mess Hall, bypassing the line and going straight to the dessert counter. Without having to say a word, the service person handed her a pint of ice cream. Grabbing a spoon, she wedged her thumb under the edge of the lid, but it wouldn't come off. She growled and was about to throw it across the room when a hand snatched it from her.

Clint pried the lid off then handed both back before resuming his seat in the corner where he kept an eye on the door. With a smirk, he said, "I see Ben and Jerry are still your best friends."

"Very funny." Scooping out a spoonful, she sucked it off the spoon waiting for the psychological effects of the chocolate to do their work. He smiled and she knew he was remembering their shared past again. Good. At least he hadn't lost some of the happier memories. Seeing that they were being watched, Naomi cleared her throat and dropped her eyes back to the ice cream. "Um, thanks. I'll just…"

Clint looked around the room. Less than half the tables were occupied. He pulled out the other chair at his table nodding for her to join him. "Kinda crowded in here. Wanna share a table?"

Naomi hesitated though she wasn't sure why as she flashed back to the first time they'd shared a meal or even a real conversation together, and with a smile, she said, "Sure."

Leaning his elbows on the table, he let that grin stay in place. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it just my…Director Fury. He's just so…" She stuck another spoonful of ice cream in her mouth before continuing. "We had another disagreement."

"Anything I can do?"

One side of her mouth rose in a wry grin. "Stop him from being an a**."

Clint was already shaking his head. "Can't help you."

"Didn't really expect you to be able to, but had to try. Thanks for asking though. Um, going back to the city soon?"

"Yeah. We're in the middle of a big project rebuilding a community center for the kids and I had to return for our session. I'd like to get back."

Immediately, Naomi felt bad for taking him away. "We could've rescheduled it. That's more important."

He shrugged. "Going in the morning." She watched his fingers wrap around his coffee cup and remembered things better left alone. "Naomi, you tend to the emotional needs of the staff, but who takes care of you?"

"Dr. McNeil. I go to his office and…"

"That's not what I mean." Clint took the spoon from Naomi, put the lid back on the container then slipped his strong left hand around her right. "Who do you go to for comfort? Someone to hold your hand when you have a bad dream or need a friend?"

Pretending to be shocked by the question, Naomi squeezed back. "At one time, that was you." He smiled and her stomach clenched telling her she wasn't as over him as she thought. "When I need a hug…depends on who I'm with, who I trust. Hasn't been much of that lately."

"I know, and I'm sorry it didn't work out for us." Pushing back from the table, Clint stood, releasing her hand at the same time, and tapped the top of the ice cream container. "You should put that away before it melts." Watching him leave, she smiled.

~~O~~

Keeping his expression pleasant until Naomi could no longer see him, Clint scowled as he hurried to his room. Opening his bow case, he lifted out the bow, its protective foam and opened the false bottom. He took out a small metal box, tucked it into his back pocket then used the chair to reach the vent in the ceiling.

Climbing up inside, he stuck a small penlight in his mouth and crawled through the ducts until he came to the room he was looking for. Moving his head around, he saw it was empty. It would be this time of day because the current resident would be on the bridge.

Easing the vent open, Clint swung his legs into the opening and lowered himself till he was hanging from his hands then let go landing lightly on the floor. The room was neat as a pin, everything in its place. No dust, no clothing tossed carelessly over a chair or in a wad on the foot of the bed. The only thing that seemed as if it didn't belong was the case on the desk.

Taking the box from his pocket, he pressed a button on the side, a light came on and a pad the size of a man's thumb glowed. He swiped it over the lock, hearing a click. Opening the case, he took out the first photo album and flipped the cover open. Quickly turning the pages, he set it aside and pick up the next.

When Clint got to the last album, he stared at the photo in the back, his eyebrows meeting over his nose in confusion then the confusion turned to anger. Taking a deep breath, he brought himself under control, purposely replacing the albums out of order.

Shoving the box back into his pocket and the penlight in his mouth, he made the return trip through the ducts to his room leaving the vent open in the room he'd just left. He wanted the occupant to know he'd been there, to confront him about his intrusion. Leaving the lights off, he sat down to wait.

~~O~~

From the table in the corner, Hill watched first Clint then Naomi leave the Mess Hall and turn in opposite directions. They aren't fooling anyone except themselves, she thought. The first time she'd seen them together, she'd checked their files and discovered they'd both been at NY Central at the same time. From the way they treated each other now, she could guess the outcome.

"What's that all about?" Kripke sipped his coffee then took a huge bite of a blueberry muffin.

Chin in her hand and elbow on the table, Hill got a faraway look in her eyes. "They're living in that great state called Denial, Kripke."

"So how do we get them into the real world?"

"No ******* idea." Then a thought occurred to her. "But I think I know someone who can help."

Kripke's face lit up as he talked around the last bite of muffin. "Yeah? Who?"

Hill didn't say a word, just smiled as she got up and headed for the exit not noticing Kripke watching her with a infatuated smile. "See ya!"

~~O~~

The chime rang startling Clint out of the light doze he'd fallen into, thankful to his visitor for stopping the dream before Loki could get into full terrorist mode, and pushing himself upright in his seat. "Come in."

Fury came to stand in the middle of the small room, hands at his sides. "Tell me why you saw fit to invade my privacy, Agent Barton."

Shrugging offhandedly, Clint crossed his arms. "If I did, what're you gonna do about it?"

"If your answers are unsatisfactory, there could be hell to pay." The older man waited patiently for a response.

"It was a fact-finding mission to aid in creating a hypothesis."

Turning his head to better see Clint when he shifted in his seat, Fury asked, "Is this about Dr. Marks?"

"Naomi. Her name is Naomi. She's your daughter for God's sake."

"Are you telling me I don't know my own child?"

As much as he wanted to wipe that unreadable expression from Fury's face, Clint kept a tight rein on his temper. "You may think you do, but I know her better than you ever will at the rate you're going." Clint made a sound of intense frustration. "You think leaving is the best thing. That separating yourself from them protects them. That might be the case, and it might work for you, but you making that decision for me never worked!"

He sliced a hand through the air as he faced the director again letting the anger in his voice show in his eyes. "It nearly got me and Natasha killed on more than one occasion. Or don't you remember Budapest? If you hadn't interfered in the relationship Naomi and I had, I'd never have been in the position of having to run half-naked through the streets of Budapest being shot at. I'd've had the woman I loved waiting at home for me."

The tension in the small room, already high, climbed even higher when Fury's eye narrowed in anger matching Clint's. "That incident was not in your official report, Agent Barton."

The emphasis Fury put on his name was meant to remind Clint who was boss. "It wasn't relevant to the mission. I was off the clock."

"Then why bring it up?"

"Because…" Softening his tone, Clint returned to staring out the window, arms crossed, but not really seeing anything. "Because having someone to come home to, someone in whom you can put your total and complete trust, makes you think before doing something…"

A small amount of humor crept into Fury's voice. "Stupid? Reckless? Irresponsible?"

Clint too allowed a moment of wry humor to come out. "I was going to say imprudent."

"So you're saying you might have still done it?"

The air of amusement vanished. "Stop twisting my words, Director!" The stress on his title was meant as an insult to Fury and it was taken as such. "You're smart enough to know what not having a foundation, someone to keep you grounded, is like. Only problem is, you've got everything so classified we can't know about your mistakes."

"Yet you've made it your business to do just that. Why?"

"For Naomi's sake. She deserves to know her father. To know that he never stopped caring about her even if he couldn't be there."

Fury assessed the carefully arranged bland expression now on Clint's face. "If I didn't know better, Agent Barton, I'd think you were still in love with my daughter."

Realizing that he'd given up too much, Clint had to get away and it didn't look like Fury was going to leave, so Clint pushed past him to the door. Then decided he'd come this far, why not go all the way? "That's because I am."

TBC