Chapter 3

Clint and Barney loved the circus, and just as Barney had said, the circus people became like a family to them. When they first came, Clint was instantly drawn to the Swordsmen act and was not even afraid of the tricks of that trade. Impressed by his guts and bravery, the Swordsmen took Clint on as his assistant. Barney was proud of the boy his little brother had become, but he started to notice something about the circus, every town they stopped in, people started to complain that they had been robbed, and all of the people who had been robbed had been to the circus. Barney was suspicious, but he had no proof of the matter, nothing but the fact that his little brother seemed more distant and craftier. Barney was curious about the change in his brother, but he brushed it off to living in a new place with new people, surely no one would hurt his little brother in the way he was thinking.

Barney started to notice it more when Clint began to work for Trick Shot, the archer in the circus. Barney watched his brother and Trick Shot, who had agreed to teach Clint archery so he could settle a debt he had with the Swordsmen. Barney was happy that Clint enjoyed the act, seeing as Clint seemed to have a natural flare for the sport, but he worried about him. Clint was becoming more distant and moodier. He had seen the signs in himself once before, back when his father, and then Headmaster Black, had taught him about "love." Barney worried about Clint and only hoped he was wrong, but then he caught his brother in the act of stealing.

Fed up with the dishonesty and thievery in the circus, Barney left for a time and got his high school equivalent. He came to Clint with the news, hoping he would be happy about it, but Clint wasn't. Clint wanted Barney to stay, and that proved to him that something was wrong, Clint was now a teenager, he could take care of himself, unless something was really wrong. Barney tried and tried to convince Clint to come with him, but Clint refused. Clint claimed that he had to stay in the circus, that it was the only real home he had known in a long time. Barney was worried, but he wouldn't stay and go down with the circus if it was caught for its crimes. Barney tried one last time to convince Clint to leave the circus, to leave the life of crime he knew Clint was involved in, but Clint wouldn't do it. Barney could see the fear in his brother's eyes, but he couldn't continue to stay with the circus. Finally, he left, promising to come back and visit Clint one day. Clint looked so hurt and scared that Barney almost went to him again, almost wrapped him in his arms again, just like when they were kids, and show him he was safe and loved, but he couldn't, he couldn't stay here and continue to watch Clint get hurt and then turn around and steal from others, it was wrong. So Barney left the circus and joined the army, ready to move on with his life and better it for the first time in a long time. He was not going to put up with this any longer, he would not support their criminal acts of theft of innocent people, it was wrong.

A few years past, and Barney was finally trusted with a big job, an undercover job for the army. There was a notorious mob lord around their area and the army wanted someone to go in undercover and catch the man in the act. Barney was assigned to this man as a body guard, for the simple fact that Barney had the best shooting skills of anyone in his class. He hated working for such a slime ball, but it was getting the guy caught, it was for the greater good, so he would do it. He was to stand at this man's side and protect him from any threat, if he died, they would have no case on him.

It was just a normal day of work for him, his "boss" having yet another poker game while he and the others guarded outside the room, when they heard it, a yell from inside the room, something had happened. When Barney and the other guards broke in, the mob lord was dead, an arrow to the head. Barney paused, he knew the craftsmanship of the arrow, he'd seen it in the circus. Barney followed the others out of the room and his heart nearly stopped when he got out there to see what it was. There, in the yard, stood his brother, in his Hawkeye costume from the circus.

The men started shooting at Clint and Clint returned fire, shooting his bow at them. One of the men yelled at Barney to shoot, but how could he? This was his little brother and these men were shooting to kill, not to disarm, and his poor brother was only shooting to disarm. What chance would he have against them? Barney took his gun out and started shooting, but he purposefully avoided hitting his target, making sure his shots were off. He watched as one of the men shoot his brother and his eyes widened in shock when he felt an arrow pierce his chest.

Barney watched as the other men quickly ran off and he dropped to his knees. His vision was clouding, but he saw his brother run up to him and heard Clint gasp when he made the connection that the guard really was Barney. Barney felt better that his brother had not known it was him, but he hated seeing the pain on Clint's face. He listened as Trick Shot came running up and demanded Clint come with him, but Clint refused, he wouldn't leave Barney, and that made a small smile creep onto his face. After all these years, his little brother still remembered him and still loved him, that made Barney happy. Barney could feel himself fading fast as he heard the sirens coming, no doubt the police had been called when someone heard the shots. He begged Clint to leave, not to get caught, but with tears in his eyes, Clint only shook his head and refused, he wasn't going to leave Barney there to die alone!

Barney looked up into his little brother's eyes with a smile, "It…It's okay Cl…Clint, I'll be fine…I…I'm going to get to see mom again." He watched as the tears in Clint's eyes flooded over and started to spill out as he held Barney close in his arms.

"I…I'm sorry…I'm so, so sor…sorry," Clint cried, "I..I didn't know it was you."

Barney slowly lifted a shaky finger to Clint's lips to silence him, though it took most of his strength, "It's okay Clint, I know. I understand that you are afraid of Trick Shot, bu…But you have to leave him. This life of crime will get you…you nowhere, understand? Clint, please…you have to promise me…Promise me you will leave this life of crime and become a hero. Please Clint."

Barney was fading fast and he knew he wouldn't last much longer, but he had to know, he still had to take care of his little brother. Finally, Clint nodded, "Al…Alright Barney, I…I promise."

Clint stayed with Barney until he finally drew his last breath and then ran, just before the cops got there, but he had no idea that the whole thing had been caught on a security tape.

/

Sorry for just the one sided view, I promise to update as soon as I can and I will give you Clint's point of view on what is going on and why he feared both the Swordsmen and Trick Shot. Be ready for a lot more feels.