I decided I really wanted to post the next chapter now. Surprise! And I have to warn you, this is where the drama of the story begins. Are you ready?
Chapter Sixteen
So what happens when you have a scientist, a super-soldier and seventeen year-old who are bored out of their brains alone at Stark Tower? Chemical pong, that's what! I munched on some cheese puffs as Steve shot another ball into the chemical substance. It plopped it with a hiss and started to turn from blue to green to red before melting into the concoction.
"Nice shot." Bruce said as he took his turn. However, he missed his target by a mile.
"Drats." He muttered.
"Cheese puff?" I offered to compensate for his loss. He took it and munched on it while I took my turn. I aimed and, with my luck, I missed.
"You're not very good at this, are you?" Steve asked us. The score was humiliating. Steve had sunk every shot and Bruce and I could round up our totals to one, but only because Bruce got lucky.
"Gee, what made you come to that conclusion?" I pouted. He could only laugh.
"I'm not trying to make you feel bad, you know." He took another ball and sunk it in the chemicals. Bruce and I both sighed.
"Show off." Bruce whispered and I stifled a giggle.
"Indeed." I agreed.
"So what's the score now?" I think Cap was enjoying this, knowing his score versus ours.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Bruce asked sarcastically.
"I'll make you a deal. If you make the next shot, you both win." He threw the small white ball to Bruce and he fumbled with it before it bounced on the floor. That's when I knew we were done for.
Bruce stepped up to the line we had drawn. He pushed up his glasses, focusing intently on his target. After a moment of silence, he shot the ball. I almost looked away, afraid to watch. But the sound of a pop turned my attention to the beaker, where the ball was turning a dark shade of purple.
"Good job." I said with a laugh.
"Agreed. Good job, Dr. Banner." Steve congratulated him.
"Have a cheese puff." I rewarded him. That's when a beeper went off.
"Just in time. My other experiment is ready to begin." Dr. Banner wandered over to another portion of the lab, leaving Steve and I to ourselves.
"So, do you have any other plans for the day?" I asked as we walked to the elevator, leaving the doctor to his studies.
"Well, actually, come to think of it, I need to go get some shampoo and stuff."
"Can I come with you? I need to pick up some things myself." Besides, I really wanted out of the Tower. It had been a week since our beach adventure and I hadn't been out since.
"Absolutely. Would your aunt and uncle mind if we took my motorcycle, though?"
Come to think of it, it might be best not to see what happened if they found me straddling someone on the back of a motorcycle, even if I was with Steve. After the whole 'no more dangerous stunts' episode, they might be more prone to overreact. So I texted them and they said yes. With that, we got on the bike and headed off towards the super center.
"I'll meet you in a few minutes." I told him as he went over to the personal care products. I was really craving some fruit and the Tower had been out for several days. I decided to pick out some apples and a huge pineapple. Those were always delicious. My eyes moved up for a moment, only to look across the fruit section about fifty feet away from me. There was a man standing there in dark pants and jacket. His ensemble looked eerily like...I gulped. One of the Dark Hand guys! He was pretending to be interested in a piece of grapefruit, but I couldn't miss those small glances in my direction.
But wait? It could just be some guy, right? I couldn't just say he was from the Dark Hand and then come to find out he was just some civilian. No, I needed to remain calm and think my way through this. Next, I needed to make sure my assumptions were true. I placed the fruit in my grocery basket and started to walk off in Steve's direction, keeping the man in my peripheral vision. For a moment, I started to believe he was just an ordinary guy, but when he started to follow me at a distance, I started to get scared. I looked down a few of the aisles and found Steve on the fourth one.
I half-walked, half-ran over to him. He quickly saw something wasn't right.
"Hannah? What's wrong?"
"There's a man dressed in the exact same outfit as the man who tried to kill my aunt and uncle." I whispered to him. His face grew serious.
"Where is he?"
"He's out there somewhere. He started to follow me here."
"Hide over there." He ordered, gesturing towards an end cap. "Call Clint and tell him to get over here."
I did so without question. But before I could dial a number, I heard some shots fired, followed by screams and the footfalls of dozens of customers.
"No." I said, terrified for Steve. Without thinking, I ran to the edge of the aisle and peeked my head out from around the corner. There was the man in black, not very far from my aisle, looking for something...or rather, someone. I couldn't see Steve. The man had a gun in his hand. In terror, I quickly ran to the end of the end cap and hid, trying to dial the number with my jittery fingers.
"Hello?" Uncle Clint's voice sounded at other end of the line. Thank God.
"Uncle Clint," I whispered. "There's a gunman in the super center where we're at. He's from the Dark Hand."
"Stay hidden." He ordered sternly. "If you hear him, run."
He hung up and I was left alone.
"Please don't let him find me." I whispered to no one. I kept as quiet as I could, listening for any footsteps, any sign that the man was coming in my direction. But there was nothing. The seconds ticked on like hours as the reality of time was lost somewhere in the corners of my mind. My guess that everyone in the store had long ran off, safely out of the building. And Steve? I just prayed he hadn't been shot...or killed.
My nerves were more on edge now, the adrenaline coursing through my body. Every instinct was telling me to run, but I knew I had to stay here. He could be close, closer than I thought he was. My thoughts were interrupted by a hand clamping over my mouth. I was filled with terror until I saw Steve.
"Where is he?" I whispered.
"He passed by here five minutes ago. He's near the grocery section. Now let's get out of here. S.H.I.E.L.D. will be here any moment."
"Oh, I don't think they'll be here any time soon." A loud, masculine voice erupted. We looked ahead of us to see the man dressed in black, his eyes cold and his expression just as evil as the other guy from the apartment.
"Hannah, get behind me." Steve pushed me behind him, leaving himself exposed to this madman, who only smirked.
"Now, now, Captain, just give me the girl and you can be on your way."
"You're not taking her anywhere." Steve growled.
"Captain, we both know you're unarmed. You're no match for me."
"Come over here and I'll show you just have defenseless I am." He spat.
"I was hoping we could do this without violence." The man lied. "I'll give you one last chance. Give her to me and your team will be none the wiser."
"Get out or I'll kill you right here and now."
"Not so cooperative today, are we?" The man said, giving a tsk tsk sound. "Well, I suppose I'll have to teach you a lesson in submission." He raised his gun and a shot rang out. I nearly screamed, but it was caught in my throat. I looked, afraid that I would see Steve shot. But there was the man in black, lying on the ground, a pool of blood starting to seep from his head.
"Steve? Are you alright?" I asked, very confused now. His expression matched mine as he looked from the dead man to me.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He said, astonished as he looked around the aisle near the now-dead man. Uncle Clint was standing there, gun in hand. Aunt Nat was quickly running up behind him.
"Hannah, are you alright?" Aunt Nat asked, wrapping her arms around me tightly like a child.
"I'm okay." I assured her, my voice shaking. I looked to Uncle Clint. "You shot him?" He nodded.
"Come on. We're getting you home." He left no room for questions he placed his hand over me, half leading, half shoving me out the doors. We all got into a black car with the S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem on the side and headed in the direction of home. I was guessing Cap's bike would be delivered later.
But as Uncle Clint drove home, Aunt Nat in the passenger seat beside him, I saw them exchange several glances towards each other. And Steve? His facial expression was blank, but his eyes revealed everything. And that's when I knew something was horribly, terribly wrong.
Clint's P.O.V.
I sent Hannah to her room as soon as we got back to the Tower. I had sent out a message to the rest of the team, and they were all in the living room waiting for us to arrive. There was a surprise guest to our meeting, however. Director Fury was standing there, his presence as commanding as ever. He watched us as we came in, his face grim.
"It was a member of the Dark Hand." The Director confirmed. "And the one at our facility isn't talking."
"This was a planned attack." Steve informed us. "They wanted Hannah." For a moment, my heart stopped. They knew.
"No." I said softly. I knew what this meant. And so did Nat. She grasped my hand tightly, her eyes, usually masked, now revealed her terror.
"Agents Barton," Director Fury started, "I beg you to reconsider my offer." I started to feel sick at the very thought.
"Just give us some time..."
"Time has run out." He said sternly. "They know about Hannah, and they will continue to go after her if you let her stay."
"But Director..." Nat started.
"She needs to be put in foster care, as far away from here as possible."
"Now wait just a minute, Fury." Tony shouted out furiously.
"Quiet, Stark. This is for Ms. Barton's safety." Fury snapped and he looked to the both of us. "If you both truly love her, you'll send her into foster care. I promise you she'll be safe there."
So this was the hardest part of love; letting go when you knew it was in the best interest of the other. But I knew that if we wanted her safe, we had no other choice. If the Dark Hand wanted her, they would pursue her relentlessly. And when they found her, they would use her against us. No. That was worse than sending her to a safe foster home. And she could have a good life, one free of danger. The thought of losing her was painful, but I'd get over it. I had to, for her sake.
"I'll tell her." I said grimly, walking slowly in the direction of her room.
"Clint," Nat said to me about halfway down the hall, placing her hand on my shoulder, "do you want me there?" I shook my head.
"I'll go. I need to do this alone."
She nodded in understanding as I knocked on the door.
"Come in." Hannah replied and I slowly walked in, bracing myself for the coming storm.
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