I know you all have been dying to know about whether or not Hannah will meet the Avengers, and why, for crying out loud, I haven't done it already. Well, I can tell you now, from here on out, there will Avengers in EVERY chapter. The next chapter will include all of them, but this chapter right here will introduce our favorite Captain. Enjoy!
Chapter Six
Clint's P.O.V.
The past few weeks had been a real turnaround for Hannah, Nat and I. What had started out as something dreadful had turned into something, dare I say it, wonderful. Not a real popular word for me, but it was nonetheless true. Hannah and I would wake Nat up every morning with the sound of our strumming and would have an irritated look on her face.
"It's starting to get old." She said this particular morning as she walked out of our bedroom.
"Ah, come on Nat. You know you like it." I teased and she glared at me with those beautiful eyes of hers.
"I already have an alarm clock, thank you very much." She said as she sat down beside us.
"So...I was thinking, maybe we should go out to get breakfast." I started.
"I second that motion." Hannah agreed.
"I think I'll let you two go on ahead." Natasha said tiredly. "I need another hour of sleep."
"Alright. We'll bring you some Starbucks." I said and we headed out the door.
Hannah's P.O.V.
"Okay, so hockey player or barber?"
"Hockey player. Far more fun to knock people over." Uncle Clint answered as we were sitting down at a small diner eating breakfast. "Truck driver or ballet dancer?"
"Ugh. Truck driver. Those tutus are hideous." I said and he laughed as we continued our ridiculous game. We had been at it for about ten minutes and I had learned he would rather be a valet than a traveling salesman because 'they get to drive other people's nice cars,' a ninja than a dentist, and a rock-and roll-star than a doctor( go figure given his musical abilities.)
"Can't help but agree with you there." He said before he scooped another bite of eggs in his mouth.
"Clint? Is that you?" A voice from behind asked. We both turned to find a very tall, muscular blonde man standing in front of us. He had to be a good foot, maybe even higher, than me.
"Steve, good to see you again." Clint said as he got up and shook the man's hand. I watched them in silent curiosity. Who was this guy?
"I haven't seen you since...you know."
"It's only been a few months, but it seems like forever ago." My uncle said, lost in conversation about whatever it was they couldn't mention in public. Their conversation was dropped however when the man named Steve looked at me.
"And who is this?" He asked curiously.
"Her name's Hannah, Hannah Barton." Steve's eyes grew wide at the mention of my last name.
"You never said you had a dau..."
"Niece." He quickly corrected him.
"Oh." He said as he put out his hand towards me. "Nice to meet you, Hannah."
"Pleasure's all mine." I said, returning the handshake and he smiled.
"Are you just visiting?" He asked.
"I'm more of a...permanent resident." He raised an eyebrow. "My father passed away and I'm staying with my aunt and uncle."
"You two got married?" He asked and Clint nodded, a small grin forming at the corners of his mouth. "Congratulations!"
"We were going to tell you at the next meeting, but that hasn't exactly happened yet."
"The team and I were talking about convening for another one soon." Steve informed him.
"Meeting?" I asked.
"Just a work meeting." Uncle Clint answered. Steve passed an odd look to him, but quickly removed it.
"I'll call you when we have a time and date." He said to him before looking to me. "It was nice to meet you, Hannah."
"Nice to meet you too, Steve." I said and he strode off out of the diner.
"Good friend of yours?" I asked and he nodded.
"Good business partner too."
We finished our breakfast and picked up a coffee and a muffin for Natasha before heading back to the apartment.
"Nat, you'll never guess who I saw..." My uncle was cut off as we entered the apartment by the sound of gunshots and bullets whizzing passed our heads.
"Hannah, get down!" My uncle shouted, dropping the contents of coffee and bakery goods and jumping on top of me. I was instantly filled with fear.
"Clint, get her out of here!" I heard my aunt's voice shout from the apartment.
"Get out of here." He repeated to me, shoving me out of his grip and near the stairway. "And don't stop running." In fear, I did as he said. I could still hear the gun..or guns... going off as I bolted down the second flight of stairs. I paused, suddenly filled with rage. Why was I running? I had already lost someone close to me. And I'll be darned if I was going to lose any more members of my family. I retraced my steps and made it to the apartment floor, the gun still relentlessly going off. I thought hard to remember some self defense moves.
"Remember to S-I-N-G." I told myself, remembering the movie Miss Congeniality. However, I hardly believed that that move was going to work. But whatever I was going to do, I silently prayed that if I did attempt it, that it was real and not just a made-up movie move. I suddenly heard a cry, and, fearing it was my aunt or uncle, I swiftly moved into the apartment, hiding behind the front door. I peeked out of my makeshift hideaway to see a man dressed in black, his face cold and his eyes matching his expression. His eyes and gun were fixated on a door that had already been shot about a million times. He was so focused on the door that he didn't even notice me come in.
I slowly moved the door away from me, leaving my body completely exposed. I had to do this quick if I expected to come out alive. I took a silent breath, hoping against hope that this was going to work. I was so close to him I could smell him. For a moment, I almost stepped back. But in a both brave (and I suppose foolish decision), I kicked him in the back of his knee, making him fall on the ground. I rushed at him and jammed my foot on his hand, making him cry out in pain and anguish. He let go of the gun and I retrieved it in an instant.
"Make one move and I'll blow your head off." I threatened. His once-cold eyes were now filled with fear.
"Hannah?" My aunt's voice, very befuddled, asked as the badly damaged door opened a peek. I didn't take the time to look over, afraid of whatever this guy could do while my back was turned.
"Hannah, you can let the gun down now." My uncle reassured me as he appeared at my side, pointing a gun of his own at the man as well. Adrenaline and fear were still pulsing through my veins and I didn't know if I could let my weapon down.
"Hannah, it's okay now. We've got him." My aunt said soothingly as she gently placed her hand on mine. I started to relax and slowly lowered the gun, which she quickly took from me.
"Have you called in someone?" My aunt asked my uncle and he nodded.
"I thought Cap might be a bit quicker than S.H.I.E.L.D. He's on his way here now." I had no idea who Cap or S.H.I.E.L.D. was, but I decided now wasn't the time for questions as I looked at the man who was now pleading for his life.
"Please, don't kill me." He said to my uncle in desperation.
"Don't move and I won't." My uncle replied sternly. That's when I heard loud footfalls coming to the apartment.
"Get behind me." My aunt ordered and I did as I was told as she pointed a gun at the door. However, there was not another man dressed in black, but a man with a red, white and blue outfit and mask. I instantly recognized him from the New York footage on TV: Captain America. Wait, why was he here?
"Everyone alright?" He asked as my aunt lowered her weapon and turned to the man in black.
"We got him."
"Well, actually, she did." My uncle motioned his head to me.
"You?" Captain America asked in surprise.
"Yes...I guess." I answered.
"She did great, Cap. She had him on the ground in nothing flat." My aunt praised me.
"It was nothing. Really." I said modestly as I shuffled my feet.
"Little brat." I heard the man mutter. Guess he wasn't so scared as much as furious that he got his butt kicked by a teenager.
"Be quiet." My uncle spat.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. should be here shortly." Captain America informed us.
"Good. They can take him in for questioning."
"What's S.H.I.E.L.D. and why is Captain America standing in our living room?" I blurted out. I didn't mean to be so blunt. It just came out.
"Hannah, ummm...there's a lot of explaining we have to do." My uncle said.
"Like what?" I asked. But I wasn't about to get my answer because several men in suits, some in black uniforms with eagle emblems on the shoulder, came in, guns drawn.
"It's alright. We've got him." My uncle assured them, lowering his weapon. That's when a very tall African American man entered the room, dressed all in black. Everyone stopped in their tracks as he entered. What made him more scary (or more piratey) was that he had a black eye patch. He looked at my aunt and uncle for a moment, then to the bad guy.
"Take him in for questioning." He ordered his men and they quickly took him out of the room, leaving me, my relatives and Captain America.
"Cap, would you mind removing her?" He asked Captain America, his one eye shifting to me. I was filled with fear at the one eye, which packed a lot more power than could be mustered with two, possibly even three eyes, if you get my gif.
"It's alright, Director. She's my niece." Uncle Clint said.
"Nevertheless, I don't believe this is the proper time to explain your jobs to her." The eye-patch man said.
"Very well. Cap, would you take her for a moment please?" My uncle asked.
"Ma'am?" Captain America said to me. Deciding to ask questions (of which there were loads) later, I followed him outside and shut the apartment door behind me.
"You alright?" He asked me and I nodded. I was more stunned than anything. What was a gunman doing in my home? What was he doing shooting at my aunt and uncle? What was S.H.I.E.L.D.? And why was Captain America involved? The list went on and on.
"You did great in there." He complimented me.
"Why are you here?" I asked curiously. If I had been a normal state, I probably wouldn't be so straight-forward. However, everything around me was anything but normal.
"Your aunt and uncle, I work with them." He explained.
"They work with the Avengers?" I asked in astonishment. He slowly took his mask off and my jaw dropped. It was Steve from the diner.
"You?" I asked and he chuckled.
"There's a little more to me that meets the eye."
"How did my aunt and uncle end up working with the Avengers?"
"They are Avengers." He said and my jaw dropped even further.
"What?"
"Cap, I think we'll take it from here." Aunt Nat said with a very tired smile.
"Sorry. I know I'm not much help." He said as he started to leave. "Hannah, it was good to see you again." I gave him a faint smile before he went down the stairs and disappeared from sight.
"Again?" She asked.
"We met him at a diner this morning." I explained and we both went inside the now trashed and damaged apartment.
"Hannah, go pack your things. We're leaving." My uncle said before I could even say a word.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"We'll tell you on the way there." He said as he and Aunt Nat went to their room to pack. I followed suit and started packing my things, which I noticed were quite a few bags more than when I had gotten here. I noticed the picture of Mom, Dad and I was broken on the floor and I gently picked it up and let the glass sprinkle on the floor. The picture was still intact, but the frame was broken beyond repair. A small piece of paper floated onto the floor and I picked it up. Not having the time to look at it, I shoved it in my pocket to look at later. I shifted my gaze to the walls of my bedroom that were now studded with bullet holes. I shuddered when I realized that I could easily have been in here. Placing the picture gently in my suitcase, I grabbed my guitar and was ready to go. My aunt and uncle were already waiting.
"Ready?" Uncle Clint asked and I nodded. There was a car with the same eagle emblem as the men in black that had just taken the bad guy away and the same emblem from the side of the plane when I had first gotten here. We put our things in the trunk of the car and I hopped in-between my family.
"Later." My uncle said, knowing I was dying to unleash the questions welling up inside of me. I sighed. This was going to be a long day. However, he did give me some basic information, like the fact that we were headed to Stark Tower because that was the safest place for us right now. More answers would come later.
Wahoo! One Avenger down, several more to go. Guess what? We get to meet them all in the next chapter! EEEEEEEEE! Please, please, PLEASE be sure to review and tell me what you all thought of this chapter! I'm dying to know what you all are thinking!