leoms6477: I'm glad you're enjoying the story so much, thanks as always for the encouragement!

SuperShadow: Glad you're okay :). I love using your suggestions, and thanks for all the compliments!- May the force be with you!

kjb110: Ha, that's funny. I'll have to look the blooper up, it sounds funny. Thanks for the review, and I'm glad that I'm getting chapters up faster. About the suspense, after this chapter there's only two more to go before the reveal- I think anyway. Love you 300 to!

(PS: I am aware that there are actually other Soldiers, but Winter is just making stuff up here. Also, this is a shorter chapter, I wanna hurry up and get to the reveal, lol.)

-PaleWolfsHowl

Clint shifted a little, glancing at his wife. This had been an odd day, that was for sure. The future looked harsh, and Clint could only pray that Nat survived. He didn't know what he'd do without her, she was more than just his wife; she was his best friend and fellow agent.

And on the other note, her didn't think he'd survive being a single parent, like, of course they had his sister, Luaren, who would watch their kids when they were 'at work'.

But the most surprising thing by far, was how the so-called Winter Soldier was acting. Clint heard of the man before, from Natasha, when she'd explained her scar to him. It had made him mad with fury, he'd barely been able to hold himself back when he saw Winter at first.

But the more time Clint spent watching and interacting with the Hydra Assassin, the more he realized he'd been so wrong. Wrong to even think about hating the man, of course, what Winter had done was horrible. But he knew how it felt to be unable to control yourself, and he could,but bring himself to blame Winter for anything he'd done.

But how Steve and Winter interacted… Now that was weird, it was like they knew each other. Clint had been trained to detect things like this, and those two acted like brothers. Which didn't make sense, why would they know each other? And Steve hadn't given any indication that he had known the Winter Soldier, at least not consciously.

It was like they didn't realize how they were acting, like they didn't know they looked like they'd grown up together. Of course, they had been born around the same time period, which was interesting. And Winter had said he served in the army…

Maybe they had once known each other? No- because A) Steve had never mention a close friend besides Bucky, and B) Wouldn't Steve have recognized someone he knew well?

Of course, Winter's looks might have changed since they'd last seen each other?- He was putting too much thought into this. Needing a distraction, he leaned over and whispered to his wife. "So.. you thinking about making a run for it and marrying Cap?" He asked quietly, keeping in mind that some people in this room had enhanced hearing.

Natasha glared at him mockingly, biting her lip a little. "If you keep that up, then possibly." She said with her devil's smirk.

Maybe that was another reason he had accepted Winter so quickly, Natasha had a similar back story. And Clint had never been able to find it in himself to dislike Natasha- even if she'd had more of a choice then Winter had.

He smiled at his wife slyly. "Oh really. Will you be taking the gremlins, or do I have to keep them?" He asked her quietly, of course meaning 'children' when he said 'gremlins'.

Natasha huffed, shoving him a little. "Shut up. And if you're really that upset about my future self kissing Cap, then why don't you just say it?" She grumbled, though Clint could tell she was a bit nervous. He wrapped his hand around her smaller one.

"Please. Cap's not your type. And- you love me too much for that." He meant what he said, but he made sure to give Natasha his largest puppy eyes. Blinking at her in a mockingly subductive way.

She rolled her eyes at him, but Clint could tell she was pleased. Success then. Despite what most people might think, Natasha wasn't a controlling woman. She'd never tried to control Clint, and she was a good mother.

Clint loved watching her dance around with the children in the daylight, her demons being thrown away. When he saw her like that, he was now thankful that he'd gone against Fury's orders.

He turned his head a little to listen in on what Winter, Steve and Tony were talking about. He snorted as he caught the end of Winter's sentence, Soda Can. Perfect.

Natasha, seeming to have heard the insult as well, snickered. Clint took a moment to marvel at how much Winter had changed since the beginning of the movie of future.

Winter seemed to be perfectly comfortable with his legs thrown across Steve's lap, like they'd sat like that a million times.

It was so weird, and Clint was willing to bet they had known each other at some point. And he'd also bet that Winter knew. They way the Assassin trusted Steve, well, that amount of trust took time. After a moment, everyone turned their attention back to the Tv.

Brock Rumlow: [As he notices a footprint in the dust] Call in the asset.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Winter whined, yes, whined. The deadly Assassin whined, but of course, Clint was used to deadly Assassin's turning out to have soft sides. As he thought this, he made sure not to glance at Natasha- that women could practically read his mind.

Steve looked sad, Clint noticed, but resigned. Obviously, everyone had known this would happen, Tony was right, this was like an action movie.

Clint wouldn't be surprised if in some alternative dimension, if they were all just comic book characters- or possibly characters in a movie.

"It's always me. They can't just call in- er, Bob. Or the- the Summer Soldier!" Winter exclaimed, and Clint nearly choked.

"The Summer Soldier? That's a thing?" Clint asked, raising a disbelieving eyebrow.

"Uh- shut up." Winter said, looking flustered.

"Bob? Who's Bob?" Tony asked, leaning forward in his chair, seeming to be enjoying himself.

"Bob is the, eh, Spring Soldier. And Jeff is the Summer Soldier." Winter explained, brow furrowing as he made things up on the spot.

Clint huffed, smirking at The Hydra Assassin. "What about The Fall Soldier, what's his name, George?" He remarked sarcastically, and Winter rolled his eyes.

"For one, it's a she, and her name is, eh- Jennifer." Winter said, rolling his eyes at Clint.

Tony was snickering loudly. "Do you have, like, a group name?" He asked, and Clint was glad Tony had relaxed.

Winter nodded, and Clint could tell he was thinking something up on the spot. "We're the- eh, Seasonal Soldiers." Winter said, nodding again.

Steve rolled his eyes, but Clint could tell he was relieved that Winter had calmed down after his panic earlier.

[at his home, Pierce goes to his kitchen to get a drink when he sees the Winter Soldier sat behind behind him with his gun on the table when his housekeeper calls out]

Clint could see Winter stiffen, obviously disliking the man. Clint could tell there was some seriously bad blood between The Winter Soldier and Pierce. Clint hated that Hydra had survived, he'd learned about it in history class.

The whole Captain America story, though, honestly out of the historical characters, his favorite had always been Bucky.

From what history had claimed, Barnes seemed like a pretty cool guy. The ideal best friend for someone to have, Clint had always wished he had that kind of friendship. But of course, he did end up having that kind of friendship- well, at least it was originally friendship- with Natasha.

But it was nice to have someone who always had your back, and would never dream of betraying you. Clint was eternally grateful for Natasha, and he felt intense sympathy for Steve.

Even though Bucky and Steve had been friends, from what history said and what Steve claimed- they had been like brothers. And Clint couldn't imagine losing his best friend, so he felt bad for Cap.

Renata: I'm going to go, Mr. Pierce. You need anything before I leave?

Alexander Pierce: No. Uh...it's fine, Renata, you can go home.

Renata: Okay, night-night.

Alexander Pierce: Good night. [Renata leaves] Want some milk?

There was a moment of silence, before Tony spoke up. "Seriously?" The billionaire asked, his voice a mix of sarcastic and disbelief. Clint felt the same, that was just… no.

Winter shook his head. "Yeah- no." Was all the Assassin said, shaking his head.

Clint highly doubted Pierce would actually have let Winter have the milk.

[the Winter Soldier doesn't reply]

The timetable has moved. Our window is limited. Two targets, Level Six. [he pours himself a glass of milk and goes over to join the Winter Soldier at the table] They already cost me Zola. I want confirmed death in ten hours. [just then Renata interrupts them as she enters the kitchen]

"Oh no." Winter muttered softly, and Clint could see Steve look at him with concern. Clint grimaced, having already guessed at what would happen. The rest of The Avengers seemed to have come to the same conclusion, judging by the grim looks on their faces.

Clint squeezed Natasha's hand. Two things had become increasingly obvious, for one Winter was being sent after Natasha and Steve, and two, that girl would not be leaving that house alive.

Renata: Sorry, Mr. Pierce, I...I forgot my phone. [she notices the Winter Soldier]

Alexander Pierce: Oh, Renata. I wish you would have knocked. [Pierce picks up the gun from the table and shoots and kills her]

Clint grimaced, poor women. He felt guilty too, after all, he was an agent of Shield, he should have known about this. He had been serving under a mad man without even knowing, carrying out evil doings.

[returning home from his morning run Sam hears a knock at his door, he opens the door to see Steve and Natasha]

Sam Wilson: Hey, man.

Clint smiled a little, and Tony let out a soft whoop. After all, they were both interested in this man. Sam seemed cool, and Clint wanted to keep his mind off of the senseless murder he had just witnessed.

Steve Rogers: I'm sorry about this. We need a place to lay low.

Natasha Romanoff: Everyone we know is trying to kill us. [Sam pauses a moment before replying]

"Everyone?" Winter asked with a raised eyebrow, gesturing towards The Avengers, clearly making a point.

"Okay, I might have exaggerated." Natasha said with a roll of her eyes, and Clint could feel her relax a little.

Clint gave Winter a grateful look, he could tell Winter had already figured out about Natasha and his relationship, but had kept quiet.

Sam Wilson: Not everyone. [Sam let's them enter, later as Steve and Natasha are cleaning up, Steve notices Natasha looking sad and thoughtful]

Steve Rogers: You okay?

Natasha Romanoff: Yeah.

Steve Rogers: What's going on?

Natasha Romanoff: When I first joined SHIELD, I thought I was going straight. But I guess I just traded in the KGB for HYDRA. I thought I knew whose lies I was telling, but...I guess I can't tell the difference anymore.

Clint grimaced, gently rubbing his wife's hand. She didn't deserve that, but of course, when had she ever had it easy?

Natasha had a grimace on her face, but her green eyes were thankful as she looked at him.

Steve Rogers: There's a chance you might be in the wrong business. [Natasha smiles faintly]

Clint could see Winter roll his eyes at that. And Steve smirked a little. Clint looked at Natasha, who was snickering a little.

"How creative." Tony commented, earning a mocking glare from Steve.

Natasha Romanoff: I owe you.

Steve Rogers: It's okay.

Natasha Romanoff: If it was the other way around, and it was down to me to save your life, and you be honest with me, would you trust me to do it?

Clint saw Steve nod, and smiled a little. It was nice that the other Avengers had found it in them to trust Natasha, even though that was an easy feat compared to trusting Winter. But, either way, he was grateful for it.

Steve Rogers: I would now. And I'm always honest.

Natasha Romanoff: Well, you seem pretty chipper for someone who just found out they died for nothing.

"Wow, thanks for that, Natasha." Steve said, Natasha just snickered more. Clint smiled, this was more like it, lighten up that mood.

"Rude." Winter commented without looking away from the screen, Clint rolled his eyes. Companies to how quiet Winter had been in the beginning of the viewing, Winter's new snarky behavior was a definite relief. Even if it was shocking, Clint assumed it was whoever Winter used to be's personality starting to make a show.

Steve Rogers: Well, I guess I just like to know who I'm fighting.

Sam Wilson: [to Steve and Natasha] I made breakfast. If you guys...eat that sort of thing.

This caused most of the room to burst into laughter, except for Winter, who looked a little upset.

Clint tilted his head, wondering what was going on with The Soldier, but he decided not to say anything, he did owe Winter one for not revealing his relationship.

[later as they are sat in Sam's kitchen]

Natasha Romanoff: So, the question is: who in SHIELD could launch a domestic missile strike?

Steve Rogers: Pierce.

"Bingo." Winter said, his voice cheerful. "Kill him." Clint rolled his eyes, but Natasha gave Winter a thumbs up.

Steve rolled his eyes. "You can't just kill everybody, Winter." He said calmly, like this was a normal conversation.

Winter rolled his eyes. "I know. But make an exception this time. Kill him." He said, and even though Winter's voice was muffled by the muzzle, Clint was sure he heard an odd accent in The Assassin's voice.

Natasha Romanoff: Who happens to be sitting on top of the most secure building in the world.

Steve Rogers: But he's not working alone, Zola's algorithm was on the Lemurian Star.

Natasha Romanoff: So was Jasper Sitwell.

"Yes, kill him too." Winter exclaimed, well, at least he was confirming that those people were in fact Hydra. It was helpful- a tad bit annoying? Sure. But useful.

Steve rolled his eyes again, but instead of arguing, he just shook his head.

Steve Rogers: So, the real question is: how do the two most wanted people in Washington kidnap a SHIELD officer in broad daylight?

Sam Wilson: The answer is: you don't. [Sam drops a file in front of Steve]

Steve Rogers: What's this?

Sam Wilson: Call it a resume. [Natasha picks up a photo of Sam with his pararescue team]

Natasha Romanoff: Is this Bakhmala? The Khalid Khandil mission, that was you. [to Steve] You didn't say he was a pararescue. [looking at the photo of Sam with his colleague]

Steve Rogers: Is this Riley?

Clint winced a little, remembering that Sam had lost his best friend too. No wonder Steve and Sam seemed to get along so well, they'd both lost brother figures.

Sam Wilson: Yeah.

Natasha Romanoff: I heard they couldn't bring in the choppers because of the RPGs. What did you use, a stealth chute?

Sam Wilson: No. These. [he hands Steve the file, Steve opens it and reads it]

Steve Rogers: I thought you said you were a pilot.

"Oh dear, what now?" Bruce moaned, and Clint smiled at the scientist. He really needed to talk more, he could tell that Bruce was nervous about Winter, but still.

Steve shrugged, and Clint noticed that Winter looked intrigued.

Sam Wilson: I never said pilot.

Steve Rogers: I can't ask you to do this, Sam. You got out for a good reason.

Sam Wilson: Dude, Captain America needs my help. There's no better reason to get back in.

"He's not wrong." Clint pointed out, smiling a little. If he was Sam, and someone like Cap needed his help, he'd definitely jump into action without second thought. And then Natasha would kill him, but, oh well…

Steve Rogers: Where can we get our hands on one of these things?

Sam Wilson: The last one is at Fort Meade, behind three guarded gates and a twelve-inch steel wall. [Steve looks at Natasha who shrugs her shoulders]

Steve Rogers: Shouldn't be a problem.

[Steve throws down the file on the table and we see that it's a classified military project called Falcon]

"Ah, I heard about that." Tony said, and everyone looked towards him with interest. The billionaire smiled, obviously enjoying the attention. "It's like this- wingsuit, robotic wings." Tony moved his arms in a bird-like way, and Clint nodded.

Why couldn't he have the wings? His code name was Hawkeye, so he deserved wings.