Avengers

From Time to Time

Chapter 19

The moment Naomi reached the top step Clint forgot to breathe until his chest began to ache. He forced his lungs to do their job as she sauntered across the room to stop in front of him.

What had at first looked like a simple black sheath with an intriguing design down the right side had transformed into an alluring gown that promised much without giving it away. The curly-cue design had a peek-a-boo insert that started at her waist and ended at her feet. The stones had been strategically placed to tease the eye with what might be hidden underneath. Was she or wasn't she wearing anything beneath the silky layers? Not that it mattered because he'd find out eventually.

The enormous gold hoops that hung from her earlobes matched the gold in the swirly design. The strappy heels on her feet brought the top of her head even with his so that they could now look directly into each other's eyes. And they did, totally ignoring the fact that they weren't alone. In fact, they'd stood like that for so long that Stark stuck his face between them to get their attention.

"If you two are done undressing each other with your eyes, which is very creepy by the way, it's time to go."

The group rode the elevator up to the helipad to find a quinjet already waiting. Inside, Kripke sat in the pilot's seat while Hill acted as co-pilot. They found seats and that's when Clint realized that Banner was the only one not paired up. Clint excused himself, moving as far from everyone as he could, and pulled out his phone. He spoke briefly then returned to his seat next to Naomi.

The SHIELD aircraft wasn't as romantic as a Lear or a Gulfstream, but it was faster, and before they knew it, they'd been given clearance to land at Charles de Gaulle Airport. They were met by a long black limo and driven straight to the restaurant where a private room had been prepared for their use. What surprised everyone but Clint was the woman awaiting their arrival. She got her feet, flashing them a brilliant smile and holding out both hands.

"Bonsoir, Clint." The archer took her hands in his and greeted her with the traditional kiss on each cheek.

"Bonsoir, chère." Natasha came forward to greet the woman in the same manner, with a delighted smile. The three of them spoke for a few moments in French. Clint introduced the woman to Naomi then turned her to face the rest of the group standing just inside the door. "Everyone, this is Natasha's and my good friend, Genevieve Pascale. Genevieve, please meet Tony Stark, Pepper Potts and Steve Rogers." They shook hands all around, with Banner showing mild irritation at his exclusion. But he needn't have been concerned because Clint drew Genevieve to him with a smile. "And this is Dr. Bruce Banner."

Still puzzled, Bruce smiled and shook Genevieve's hand. "Pleased to meet you, Genevieve." Though Banner seemed naive at times, he wasn't, and had figured out Clint's scheme.

"And I you, Dr. Banner." Her voice was soft and sensual, with an attractive accent. "I'm sure that we will have a wonderful time tonight." Her wavy blond hair reached just below her shoulders which were bare as was the front down to the upper curves of her breasts. The narrow sleeves of her gown hung off of her shoulders as if by accident, but the look in her sultry green eyes said otherwise. The gown was made of soft and very silky black chiffon that made her fair skin glow with a golden tone. The material flowed over her curves, and sprinkled cross the front were stones in gold and black.

Again Banner slanted a look at Clint, the archer smirking back. "She's your date, Bruce."

"But…"

"You're the only one without a companion, and Genevieve was kind enough to join us so you wouldn't have to be on your own tonight." Lowering his voice, he leaned close so only Banner could hear. "It's just dinner and dancing, doc. She's not a courtesan. Just a good friend. A single friend."

Giving in gracefully, Banner extended his elbow. "In that case, I would be delighted, Genevieve." She wrapped her slender fingers around his arm, giving him a smile filled with straight white teeth.

Once everyone was seated, the sommelier entered, spoke briefly with Stark and quickly departed, returning in just a few moments with bottles of Krug Clos d'Ambonnay 1995 and several servers to assist with the pouring.

The meal itself was perfection and while the friends were awaiting dessert, Clint did as he'd wanted to do from the moment he'd seen his fiancée in that dress. He took Naomi by the hand and led her onto the dance floor. Holding her close, he let his hand roam up and down her back while she rested her head against the aside of his neck.

At the sound of laughter nearby, Naomi looked around and Clint nodded to where Banner and Genevieve were dancing and talking. Genevieve said something, and to Clint's surprise, Banner threw his head back and laughed out loud. Not that laughing was an inappropriate response. But it was the first time since Clint had met Banner that he'd seen him amused enough by something to more than chuckle politely.

Maybe there was hope for the guy after all.

~~O~~

After changing into casual clothes, Hill and Kripke strolled along the Champs-Élysées, still not quite used to being more than just friends and co-workers. When Kripke-Ryan, she corrected herself-when Ryan approached her in the Mess Hall the other day saying that corny line with such sincerity, at first she hadn't known how to respond, expecting him to burst out laughing at his twisted idea of a joke. But he hadn't been joking, and from that day on they'd been spending much of their off duty time together.

This dating thing was still so new that they were taking it one day at a time, working hard to get over the awkward and sometimes stilted conversation. Kripke was adamant that they not talk about work when they were on a date, and that had made for some uncomfortable silences. That is until he'd asked her about her family, and he'd told her about his. He had two older sisters who were married and childless and one younger sister in college. She had a brother in the military stationed in Japan and a sister who was a cop in their home town of Vancouver. In both of their families, they were the only ones not married or seeing someone, and often felt out of place at family gatherings. It was the first common ground they discovered that hadn't involved work.

The crowds made it difficult to stay together so Hill slipped her hand into his. Shocked at first, he gave her a smile and just kept walking. "Hungry yet?" Kripke's voice was smooth and unaccented, owing no doubt to growing up in Pasadena, California.

"Yeah." He pointed to a small café with tables outside and a jazz quartet playing lively tunes. Though there was a small open area, no one was dancing, and Hill wasn't sure if she wanted him to ask her or not. Instead of worrying over what the night might bring for them, she resolved to just enjoy herself.

Instead of wine, they had iced tea with dinner. Stark hadn't been forthcoming with an itinerary so they had to be ready to fly at a moment's notice. For dessert, Kripke ordered a dish of ice cream, but Hill declined and they drifted into a companionable silence. She bobbed her head in time to the music then the song ended and the quartette took a break.

Holding up his bowl, Kripke asked, "Want some?"

Nodding, Hill scooted her chair around next to his, placed her hand on his shoulder as he spooned the sweet treat into her mouth. She let it melt then swallowed and he silently asked her if she wanted more. Shaking her head, she leaned close and kissed him. When she pulled away, his eyes were wide and his mouth had dropped open. He closed it again then said, "Wow! I did not expect that."

"Me either. But we're in the most romantic city on Earth."

"I'm glad you did." Setting his bowl aside, he got to his feet, holding out his hand. Hill put hers into it and together they walked back toward the rendezvous point.

~~O~~

Clint landed the quinjet, shut the engines down and came into the back to grab his bag and Naomi's hand. Once out on the deck, they wrapped their arms around each other, hustling across the expanse and into the ship. The narrow corridors made it difficult for them to maintain that position so Clint followed behind her, the two of them not talking.

They passed a group of newly assigned agents, two looking at Clint with curiosity, the third glaring a hole in Clint's back as they passed. Clint came to a sudden stop, dropped his bag, made an about face and went to confront the tallest of the three. "What did you say?"

The man crossed his arms and snorted. "I was just telling my pals here about Barney Barton."

The icy stare Clint gave the man sent shivers down Naomi's spine, and it was made worse by the tone of his voice. "You got something to say about my brother then say it or keep your big mouth shut." Clint turned away, swinging back around at the man's next words.

"Your brother was a dirty agent, Barton. And we all know that dirty's in the blood. I bet you're just like him." Naomi knew that Clint was holding onto his temper by a very slim thread that was in danger of snapping, and silently asked the man to stop talking before he made it worse, but apparently he thought he knew better. "How do we know you weren't working with Loki of your own free will? Barney was paid to look the other way on some of our ops. Made sure they didn't pan out. How much did that alien b****** pay you to steal the Tesseract and help him escape? Was it really worth the lives of the agents you killed?"

The next few seconds were a blur. Clint punched the man in the stomach hard enough to double him over then got him in a sleeper hold. The man tried to pry Clint's arms free, but Clint was much stronger than he looked. The other man's eyes bulged and his face turned red as he desperately tried to take in oxygen. His voice tight with anger, Clint said, "You should be careful when talking about things you have no idea about! They could get you killed."

Naomi opened her mouth to say…what, she didn't know. She just kept watching with horrid fascination as the man's struggles got weaker and weaker.

"Agent Barton! Let him go!" At the harshly spoken order from Director Fury, Clint released the man. He fell to his knees, a hand to his throat, greedily sucking in oxygen. When he looked up again, the glare had turned deadly. The two agents who hadn't interfered helped the third to his feet, the four men waiting for their boss to speak again. Fury scowled, drilling both men with his one good eye. "My office. Now!"

Fury spun on his heel, his long black coat swirling and boots ringing on the deck. Naomi touched Clint on the arm, her eyes wide, offering what support she could.

~~O~~

Clint gave Naomi a short nod then followed Lucero to the bridge, all conversation coming an abrupt halt just for a moment. The archer idly mused that gossip traveled faster than the speed of light. The two men stepped inside Fury's office and the door closed behind them.

The SHIELD director looked from one to the other, but Clint kept his eyes focused on a spot over the man's shoulder. "Because it's unlikely that I'll get the truth out of either of you, we'll go to video." The recording of the fight Clint had just had with Lucero played on the overhead screen, yet Clint couldn't find it in himself to feel remorse. Lucero had been right. Barney had been a crooked agent, but hearing it said out loud and in front of witnesses had caused him to automatically leap to his brother's defense. When the recording ended, Fury waited, but neither man said anything, so the director walked around coming to a stop behind them. "Agent Lucero, I fail to see the wisdom in purposely provoking one of my best agents by sullying the reputation of someone who is unable to defend himself."

Particularly now, so long after the events surrounding Loki, it seemed there was something more going on and Lucero had a good reason for his behavior. Or thought he did. Later, Clint would look into the other agent's background to see what he could find out.

"Sir, everyone knows what Barney Barton was. He…"

"Everyone? Shall we test that theory?" Fury tapped his comm. "Hill, get in here." A moment later, Hill came in to stand next to Clint, but didn't indicate in any way that she even knew he was there. "Agent Hill, tell me what you know of an FBI agent by the name of Barney Barton."

"He is-was Agent Barton's brother, killed in the line of duty about three years ago."

"And?"

Hill paused before continuing. "And what, sir?"

Pacing back around in front of the agents, Fury seemed to consider what she'd said. He nodded, Hill left and he continued to pace. "Lucero, were you present when Loki appeared through the portal?"

The other agent shifted his feet nervously. "No, sir."

"So you have no first-hand knowledge of the events that took place at the compound or what followed?"

Again Lucero shifted adding a throat clearing. "No, sir."

"I see." Fury walked around behind his desk and sat down. "Agent Barton, you're free to go."

His brow furrowed in confusion, Clint merely turned and exited the room, the door sliding closed behind him. Hill caught his eye and nodded once. Clint returned it and left the bridge with all due haste.

~~O~~

Folding his hands on the desk, Fury kept Lucero pinned with his gaze. Tapping a few keys on his workstation, Fury stared intently at the screen for a moment. "Mr. Lucero, it's my considered opinion that you and this organization are not a good fit. Pack up and get off my ship." When Lucero had gone, Fury again called Hill. "I have a special project that needs to be completed quickly, discretely and before Thanksgiving."

Hill's lips twisted into a smirk. "Accident or execution?"

Fury's one good eye widened with disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"Lucero. You want him taken out, right?"

"Mr. Lucero has resigned. The project I have in mind is of a more personal nature."

Her hands going behind her back, Hill nodded as Fury laid out his request. "You can trust me, Director."

~~O~~

Still filled with anger that had been somewhat mitigated by the knowledge that Lucero was getting a dressing down by Fury, Clint went to his room wishing they had regular doors he could slam. His duffle bag was on the bed with a note from Naomi asking him to come see her. He shed his jacket and headed for her office. As soon as she saw him she got to her feet, concern in her dark eyes. "What happened with the director?"

"Lucero's in with him now." He was still filled with nervous energy from the encounter and it took all his willpower to keep from pacing. "I need to-I'm going to the range."

Naomi grinned and shook her head. "I'll go with you." His expression of shock had to be comical because she snickered. "You did say you'd give me come pointers." She poked him in the chest. "I get lessons and you get to shoot something."

Shaking his head, Clint grinned back. A few minutes later, they entered the range and were assigned a slot at the far end away from the others at Clint's insistence. Clint checked out a weapon for Naomi and they put on goggles and hearing protection. "Okay, let's see what you've got."

~~O~~

Nervous at doing this in front of Clint for the first time, Naomi took her stance, flipped off the safety, aimed and fired, hitting the target in the upper left corner, well outside the black. At least Clint didn't laugh. "Whoops." She aimed again and this time hit the silhouette near the left thigh.

Clint stood behind her placing his hands on her hips using that to adjust her position. "Square off the target, feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold your right fist in your left palm. Relax." His arms came around her to help, his chest pressing lightly against her back as he repositioned her hands slightly. "Using your dominant eye, align the top of the front sight with the top of the rear sight. Now squeeze the trigger until you start to feel resistance…breathe in…exhale and…fire!"

The order came so quickly she automatically fired hitting the target low in the five. "Hey! I did it!"

He stepped away, his voice taking on a stern, instructor-like tone. "That was better, but not good enough for quals and you're gonna pass if we have to do this every day. Again."

Sighing in frustration, she laid the weapon on the counter. "I'll never get it. I'm gonna lose my job and my security clearance." Crossing her arms, she turned to face Clint. "I don't want to go back into private practice."

"Not gonna happen." He moved back to look her in the eyes. "Tell you what, you get any three of the next ten shots in the ten space and we'll spend the weekend together at that spa you were talking about."

She immediately brightened. "Really? And you won't complain?"

She hesitated and he leaned close to whisper in her ear. "Saunas, mud baths, deep tissue massages, anything you want. And all you have to do is hit the target dead center three times."

Naomi didn't even have to think about it. Mostly because she'd been waiting for just this moment. She picked up the weapon, ejected the partial magazine, inserted a full one, chambered a round and fired off the entire clip, hitting the ten spot every time. When through, she ejected the empty clip and removed her ear protection. "Okay. Pay up!"

His expression of slack-jawed awe made her chuckle which he responded to with a mock stern glare that he couldn't keep up. "What the hell? You played me!"

"Hill's been giving me lessons. She's also teaching me to spar and a little hand-to-hand."

"But I was gonna teach you."

Draping her arms over his shoulders, she pressed up against him, a tempting smile in place. "I remembered the time you tried to teach me to shoot a bow and arrow and…"

He grinned at the memory. "Oh, right."

Turning serious, Naomi stepped out of his arms. "Want to talk about what happened before?"

"Not really."

Leaning against the counter, Naomi looked down at her feet then back to his eyes, seeing that he had the good grace to be contrite for his earlier behavior. "Try counting to ten. Give yourself time to cool down."

"If I start counting to ten, I'd lose my patience at five."

"There is that." Taking his hand, she led him out into the hall. "Come on. Shooting things makes me hungry."

~~O~~

The lab was quiet and that's just how Banner liked it. And it was quiet because Stark hadn't been in for some time leaving the scientist on his own since they'd returned from Paris. Smiling wistfully, Banner thought about Clint's friend, Genevieve. She'd been smart, funny and highly entertaining the one night they'd spent in each other's company.

Yawning, he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He'd been working for more than twelve hours straight and hadn't made any headway in his current project. As much as he wanted to do this himself, he admitted that he could use Stark's input yet still hesitated to make the call.

He glanced at the clock and decided a meal and a nap would do wonders for lubricating the thought processes. Nap first. Tapping the screen, he dimmed the lights before flopping onto the sofa and covering his eyes with a pillow. He was just about to doze off when his phone beeped. With a groan, he pulled out his Stark Industries phone and saw he had a text.

Bruce,

I had a wonderful time in Paris. You're a superb dinner and dancing companion.

I'll be in New York next week on business. Would you care to have dinner with me one night?

À bientôt,

Genevieve

A moment of panic whispered through Banner's brain as he shot off the sofa and headed for the elevators, silently urging it to hurry while tapping his fingers against his thigh, jumping out before the doors had even opened all the way. He spotted Natasha sitting on the patio curled up in a chair reading. Brushing a hand through his hair and trying not to look as nervous as he felt, Banner stepped out onto the patio. "Got a minute, Natasha?"

Natasha looked up from her book and gave him a smile. The smile faded at the look on his face. "Of course. What's wrong?"

"I just received a text."

"And?"

He held up the phone as if that were the answer she was looking for. "Genevieve. She wants to have dinner."

Natasha laid the book aside and patted the foot of the chaise inviting him to sit so he did. "What's the problem?"

"What does she do?"

That made Natasha smile again. "I guess you could call her an independent defense coordinator."

Puzzled, Banner peered at Natasha seeing the sparkle of humor in her eyes. "That's SHIELD-speak for arms dealer/bodyguard/spy."

"In a manner of speaking. She's not SHIELD, but she does work for the good guys."

"What does she know about the Other Guy?"

Drawing her knees up to her chest, Natasha wrapped her arms around them. "Clint and I discussed it and we thought it best if you tell her about the Other Guy yourself. That is if the two of you are going to be dating."

Getting to his feet, Banner went to the railing, leaning his elbows on the top, looking out over the city though not at any one thing. He heard the creak of the chair and a moment later Natasha was at his side.

"I only have tenuous control over when the Other Guy comes out. At any moment, something could happen, we could be attacked or I could be shot at or even stub a toe and destroy not only Times Square, but any chance of having a relationship with her or any woman."

Natasha turned to the side, leaning on the railing and watching him. "What I'm getting from all of this is that you want to pursue a relationship with Genevieve, but you're concerned that she'll run if confronted with reality."

Banner nodded. "Exactly."

"If you want it, go for it. She might be just what you need."

"My concern isn't for the everyday dinner and dancing type dates." A shy and more than a little embarrassed smile crossed his face. "Getting angry isn't the only think that brings him out. One of the triggers is when my heart rate gets above two hundred."

With a smile, Natasha squeezed his hand. "Trust me. She is just what you need."

Banner didn't quite know what to make of the enigmatic smile. "I do trust you. Thanks." The Black Widow retrieved her book and went back inside, closing the door behind her. Banner scrolled to Genevieve's number and dialed. "Genevieve? Bruce. Dinner would be great. What night is good for you?"

~~O~~

The Mess Hall was crowded for mid-afternoon, Clint and Naomi sharing a table with Hill and Kripke. Conversation was lively with only a few disagreements, mostly between Hill and Clint over some minor point in one of the many pools going on around the ship. With Naomi's help, they were kept relatively short.

Naomi got up to refill and Kripke left for his shift on the bridge leaving Clint and Hill alone for the moment. Clint's eyes followed Naomi's trek across the Mess Hall, a smitten expression on his face that he hadn't realized was there until Hill poked him in the ribs with an elbow and snickered.

Still distracted by his fiancée's sweet little walk, he answered with, "Hmm?"

"You should've done that a long time ago."

Now she had his attention. "What?"

"Fallen in love. You've changed since Naomi came on board, though I'm still trying to decide if I like it or not."

Grinning, Clint brought his gaze back to his friend. "That's the secret, Maria. I did." He downed the rest of his coffee before responding. "Just between you and me, I fell for her less than a month of meeting her." While Hill was absorbing that fact, Clint watched her thoughtfully. She'd changed as well. "Just out of curiosity, what took you and Kripke so long to start rockin' the boat?" Passing Hill a napkin when she choked on her coffee, Clint grinned.

"Is nothing sacred to you?"

"Nope." Clint could see that Hill was geared up for another of her famous tirades when Naomi returned. Conversation didn't have a chance to get started again due to the appearance of Fury.

"Agent Barton, Dr. Marks, I need a word with you in private."

Clint exchanged a concerned glance with Naomi. They knew that at some point there would be a need for them to justify the two of them remaining in their current positions. SHIELD's regulations didn't expressly forbid them from having an intimate relationship, but neither did it encourage such. Without a word, the couple followed the director out into the hall, but to their surprise, he didn't lead them to his private office.

"There's a rumor going around that the two of you are engaged."

Naomi was the first to speak. "It's not a rumor, Nick."

"And when did this come about?"

Though he wanted to hold Naomi's hand to comfort her and receive comfort in return, he clasped his hands behind his back out of respect for their superior with Naomi imitating him. "Couple of weeks ago."

Fury seemed to think this tidbit over for a moment. "And you didn't see fit to ask for her hand from her mother or her father, Agent Barton?"

"I asked him. Not the other way around. I wanted Mother to be the first to know and we won't be seeing her until the end of the week for Thanksgiving."

"I see." Fury came to a stop in front of a door that had no name plate affixed to the bulkhead. He touched his hand to the fingerprint reader then gestured for his daughter and her fiancé to enter then followed them in. Inside, it was more than twice the size of a regular room with a queen-sized bed, two built-in sets of drawers and closets. There were also two desks, a small sofa and additional small tables. "Since you're marrying my daughter, off duty, I expect to be called Nick. Not 'Director' or 'sir'. Is that understood?"

Dumbfounded, Clint could only stare for several seconds. "Yes, sir." Shaking his head and grinning, Clint added, "Nick." The name sounded strange, but orders were orders.

"You're expected to vacate your current quarters within twenty-four hours as we have new agents arriving tomorrow and they'll need someplace to sleep." Going to the door, Fury turned. "I'm taking a few days off. While I'm away, Agent Hill will be in charge."

"And?" Naomi asked when he didn't elaborate.

For one of the few times Clint could remember him doing so, Fury gave them a smile filled with warmth and that's when it dawned on the archer that this was the director's way of saying he approved of his daughter's choice of a mate. Without another word, Fury left them alone.

After he'd gone, they continued to stare at the closed door for a while then Clint felt Naomi take his hand and pull him over to the bed, yanking his shirt from his waistband as they went. "I think we should celebrate."

Wrapping her in his embrace, Clint tumbled them onto the bed, which was way more comfortable than the twins in their previous separate quarters. "I think you're right."

~~O~~

With Thanksgiving only a few days away, Gina, Francine and Tizzie were busy getting the house in shape for their guests. Not usually nervous, Gina couldn't help being just a little concerned when her daughter called to say she was bringing a guest home. A man. Gina was elated and disappointed at the same time because she'd continued to harbor the possibility that Naomi would one day get back together with Clint. Though she'd be happy with whatever choice her daughter made, she couldn't help how she felt.

Gina was in the formal dining room setting the table when the doorbell rang. Going to the bottom of the stairs, she shouted, "I'll get it!"

Wiping her hands on the apron tied around her waist over her work clothes, Gina used the back of her hand to brush stray hairs off her face as she opened the door. Her mouth dropped open and all she could do was stare as her stomach shot up to her throat where it was now keeping her heart company. She also wished she'd had some warning that he was coming so she could've made herself presentable.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Holding the door open, she gestured for her guest to enter. His presence had always been overpowering and suddenly, with him in her home for the first time, the entry hall seemed small. "What are you doing here, Nick?"

TBC