I was thinking about posting this on Saturday, but I decided that I couldn't wait that long! Enjoy! Also, thank you everyone for the reviews! They really lit up my day!
Chapter Twenty-Five
Did I ever mention how much I hate history class? Talking about a bunch of dead guys has never really been my thing. And that's where I was right now. Listening to a boring lecture class about dead people. I was honestly thinking about making spit wads and shooting them across the room just to stay awake. The scene outside wasn't helpful either. It was so peaceful that it was lulling me to sleep.
"Ms. Barton?" I shot up out of my stupor, eyes wide like a deer in the headlights.
"Yes, Dr. Carlyle?"
"What World War II figure was I just discussing?" The smirk on his face was obvious. He knew he had caught me off guard. I swallowed before I mentioned the first person that came to my mind from that era.
"Captain America?" I tried to make it sound like a statement so that he wouldn't know I was guessing. It must have worked because his eyes grew wide in surprise.
"Yes." He answered suspiciously. "And what was he just doing?"
Oh, boy. Now I was in for it. I thought hard of all the stories I had heard about Captain America and everything Steve had told me about his adventures in Europe.
"Ummm...just destroying a Hydra facility." I could literally see the professor's heart break. I smiled. I had guessed correctly.
Boo-yah!
"Yes." He mumbled and turned to the board and I could see the eyes of my classmates shift from him to me, pleasant smirks on their faces. I think I even got a thumbs up.
And that's what you get when you live with the one and only Captain America.
An Hour Later...
"Sweet!" Tony gave me a fist pump in the lab after I told him what happened in class. I couldn't wait to tell my uncle.
"You've got to tell Steve that one." Bruce took another sip of coffee and placed it down on the table beside his work area. He was working on a quantum field generator or something science-y like that.
"I'll tell him when we start practice." The science bros stared at me in confusion. I forgot I hadn't told them yet. I hadn't told anyone yet. Actually, I hadn't even told my uncle yet. I had put it off for the moment. Steve had given me looks at lunch when Uncle Clint was sitting with us, but I avoided his gaze. But I was on a strict time schedule. If I wanted to start training soon, I'd have to ask him now rather than later.
"I asked Steve to train me. You know, so my uncle won't have to worry about me."
"I can't say I disagree, what with HYDRA running about."
Bruce seemed pleased with the idea. Tony, however, seemed a bit...upset?
"What's wrong, Tony?"
"You didn't ask me." I rolled my eyes in exasperation.
"Really? You're upset about that?" My sarcasm was returned with a hurt expression.
"I'm your friend, too. I know martial arts, you know." Bruce and I exchanged glaces. Tony was good, but we all knew that he could get his butt kicked in a heartbeat. But, being our friend, none of us had had the heart to tell him.
"Tony," I tried to make this as gentle as possible, "don't take it the wrong way, but sometimes..."
"You're not the best fighter." Way to be soften the blow, Bruce.
"Gee, is it that obvious." Tony turned his back to us in his swivel chair and I gave Bruce a glare.
He tried to hide an evil grin from me as Tony continued into his state of depression.
"You guys are just...just...mean!"
I sighed and patted his back. "That's okay, Tony. Maybe Steve can give you some lessons."
Before he could yell at me, I was out the door, Bruce laughing hysterically behind me. But in leaving quickly, I almost rammed into my aunt. Lucky I didn't crash into her or little Barney.
"Hi, buddy!" I hoisted the toddler into my arms. He had tear marks in his eyes and my heart nearly broke.
"What's wrong?"
"I get boo-boo." He sniffled as he held up his finger with an Iron Man band-aid.
"Paper cut." I tried not to laugh at my little cousin over his tears of a little paper cut. He was a toddler after all.
"Let Auntie Hannie kiss it." I swore I saw a small smile as I kissed the band-aid.
"I feel better, Auntie Hannie." Then he started to wiggle out of my arms. "I gots to go show Uncle Tony my band-aid!" I let him go as he jostled to the door and hurried to his favorite uncles.
Before I could ask, she answered "They were the only band-aids left."
Gee, I wonder who was responsible for that.
"How was school?"
"It was alright. My teacher caught me daydreaming in class and I had to guess what it was. And I got it right."
"Barton luck." The smirk on her face revealed the undeniable truth. We could get ourselves out of most anything, I suppose.
"Should I ask the subject?"
Now was when she would really smile.
"Captain America."
She shook her head.
"Of course it was."
"Mommy, Uncle Tony's gonna teach me how to shoot a ray gun!" The three-year-old shouted from the lab. Aunt Nat's face was indescribable at that moment. The last thing we all needed was a toddler with a gun pointed at us.
"Tony, don't you dare give my son a weapon!"
Later...
"Ready?" Steve asked me as we were on our way up to my aunt and uncle's floor. The twins had to be in bed by now, and my aunt and uncle stayed up later to relax before going to sleep themselves.
"I hope he doesn't lose it." I answered nervously.
"Don't worry." He wrapped his arm around me. "I'll be right beside you." I leaned into him for a moment, letting his strong arm embrace me. But when the elevator doors opened, any good feeling of encouragement I had was gone with the wind and replaced with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Visits to the Barton abode were common when I wasn't busy with homework and Steve usually tagged along for the fun of it. My uncle's obsession with baseball quickly attracted him to the large-screen television every time a game came on.
"What's up?" My uncle sat in an old pair of jeans and t-shirt, Aunt Nat resting right beside him.
"Nothing." I lied as I plopped on the couch beside Aunt Nat. I secretly hoped she would ward off an angry uncle if he lunged for Steve or me when I told him the plan. However, as our eyes moved to the game in front of us, my mind was far from it.
You've got to say something.
I could feel Steve's eyes shift towards me every once in a while. One minute flew by, nothing. Five minutes passed and I could feel Steve's eyes start to burn a hole in me.
Tick-tock Hannah. The clock is ticking.
My uncle yawned and I could see my aunt's eyes close a bit as her head rested on her husband's shoulder.
Maybe I could move this to another day.
But I knew if I didn't do it today, the next day would pass and the next until I gave up on the idea at all costs.
Ten minutes had passed and I moved my gaze to Steve who had his head resting on his knuckles, looking at me with impatience. His look seemed to say "How long are you going to keep this up?"
"Uncle Clint?" I spoke quietly, hoping that he'd hear me above the TV. I glanced over. Not even a sideways glance. "Uncle Clint?" I spoke a little louder this time, my actions causing him to shift his head slightly to the left at me.
"Yeah?"
"I was thinking...you know how I've been wanting to get back in shape again?" He nodded. We'd discussed it several times, but I'd never found the time to get into a routine. I prayed that this idea would sell. "Well, I think I've found a way to do that."
"How so?" His eyes reflected his curiosity and Aunt Nat's eyes, once so close to sleep, now sparked with interest.
"I was thinking about taking up mixed martial arts." I glanced to the side at Steve. "And Steve's offered to train me." Steve's gaze met my uncle's and I saw a small hint of panic in his eyes masked by an expressionless face. I slowly pulled myself back to face my uncle, only to see a huge frown plastered on his face.
"No."
"But Uncle Clint..."
"No buts, Hannah. You're not going to fight and that's that." He moved himself off the couch, Aunt Nat nearly fall on the empty spot he left behind.
"But this is for you!" I stood up from my seat in protest. "You won't have to worry about me if I know how to fight."
"Clint, she's right." Steve lifted himself up beside me. "We've already got two defenseless toddlers running around. She's one less person we have to worry about if something happens."
He quickly swiveled around. "You think I don't know that she's defenseless? You don't think I know that I've got two little ones that can't take care of themselves if HYDRA comes knocking at our door?"
"But this can help." I pleaded with him.
"The answer's no." He said, a fire blazing in his eyes this time. "And Cap, if I even see you attempt to train her, I'll put an arrow through your eye socket."
Steve tensed beside me. I could tell he was trying to hold back his anger at the threat that had just come from my uncle's mouth.
"Steve, don't." I placed my small hand on his large chest, realizing moments later how useless it would have been against his large frame.
Aunt Nat, who had been silent throughout the short-lived scene, watched as Uncle Clint retreated down the hallway, a door slam echoing into the living room. Her head turned to look at me, the disappointment and hurt on my face evident.
"Give me until tomorrow."
She disappeared out of sight, leaving Steve and I looking at each other in uncertainty.
Clint
Nat was quiet as she came into bed that night. I was expecting her to give me a glare or at least say something to push me into letting Hannah train with Steve. But she was silent as she pulled the covers over her shoulders.
She's waiting on you to say something.
I sighed in frustration. What was I supposed to do? Hannah was wanting to become a fighter like us. I suppose I should have seen it coming, but it didn't make me any more prepared for it now that she brought it up. It was a good idea, yes. But I couldn't do it.
You can't always be there with her.
Yes, I could and I would.
You know that's not possible. She's a twenty-two year old. You can't keep up with her and two three-year-olds.
I could do it. I could keep keep up with all of them. They were my family. I had to always be there for them.
But as the silence continued, I knew that my answer was as unrealistic as keeping Hannah locked up in the Tower twenty-four hours a day (which was looking very tempting).
My thoughts shifted to HYDRA for the millionth time since it had reared its ugly head. I was trying to push away those thoughts, but I couldn't. It was like having the Dark Hand situation all over again. But I knew that this organization was much bigger and stronger than the Dark Hand.
As for Nat, I could only dream of what she was thinking about. The thoughts swirling in her mind were darker than I could imagine. I had had a rough childhood, but she had lived in the darkest part of the world, learning how to be a spy, trained to kill. Now, that darkness was starting to dim the light that S.H.I.E.L.D. had tried to keep alive. With that organization gone, who knew what would happen next.
"I don't want her to be a part of this." I told her that night. Her eyes opened, letting me know she had never truly fallen asleep. I had rarely seen Nat cry. Once when we were alone on a mission, once when Hannah had almost died and now. She clasped my hand tightly, enough so that the circulation almost stopped in my fingers.
"The world's changed." She whispered. I pulled her close, her head resting on my chest. I felt helpless in that moment. The world had changed, and there was nothing I could do about it.
"But our family is still here." I replied. And that was true. Our family was here in this Tower. The team, our kids, our niece. This was our home. And we would fight to keep it intact.
"You need to talk to her."
"She doesn't understand, Nat. If she learns to train..."
"Then she would be able to fight off her enemies."
"It makes it too real for her to face someone like them." She knew I meant HYDRA. If she faced those sadistic monsters and died, I'd never forgive myself.
"We have to face reality, Clint." She told me sadly. "She will more than likely face them one day. The question is whether she'll be prepared for it this time."
This time. Last time it was the Dark Hand that had tortured her almost to death. Next time would be worse. HYDRA wouldn't stop from killing her the second they laid eyes on her. Nothing would hold them back.
With a sigh, I begrudgingly agreed. I didn't like bringing up the past, especially one that involved a terrorist attack and emotional pain. But I would face a lot worse if I didn't do what my wife said.
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