Chapter 10
"Pull over."
"Clark-"
"Pull over before you pass out. You've been driving for nearly ten hours. Now let's find a gas station, fill up the tank and grab some food. Then you can tell me where to go and get a few hours sleep."
Natasha just sighed before taking the next exit, pulling over a few minutes later.
"Fill up the tank while I head inside and pay for everything. Anything particular you want?" She asked, and he shook his head.
"I'm good with whatever. Thank you." He said, and she smiled.
"You're welcome. There's a gun in the glove box. You see or hear anything suspicious-"
"Shoot first, ask questions later. I've got it. If anything happens in there-"
"I'll yell. See you in a few." She said, heading inside the gas station while Clark filled up the pump. The young man watched her until she was out of sight, grabbing the gun from the glove box and flicking off the safety. He set it beside him so that it was within easy reach, but out of sight of anyone else who might be nearby. The Exxon just outside of Ohio was surprisingly empty for just after 6 p.m. in the evening. There were a couple trucks filling up, and there was an old BMW parked in front of the gas station, but that was it. Clark used his x-ray vision on the vehicles and their occupants, relieved to find no weapons or identification that might point to Gonzalez or some of his people. Not that Clark relaxed his guard. There was every chance that whoever had tried to kill Natasha was just a few minutes behind, waiting for a chance to finish the job. If there was one thing he had learned from the last couple of days, it was to never relax your guard. Because the moment you did, you could get hurt.
"Everything okay?" Natasha asked a few moments later when she got in on the passenger's side.
"Seems to be. But I think it's best if we keep moving. Where are we going?"
When she told him, he couldn't believe it.
Two Weeks Later
"Natasha, wake up. We're here."
Natasha's green eyes fluttered open, seeing the familiar farmhouse in front of them. It had taken two weeks, but they had arrived, and the former SHIELD agent was confident they weren't being followed.
"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" Clark asked as he got out of the car, walking around and opening Natasha's door.
"Honestly? No, but it's a safe place." She replied before heading up to the farmhouse, Clark walking beside her. She opened the door and the two walked inside, a man and woman meeting them in the foyer.
"Romanoff." The man said simply.
"Barton." She replied in the same tone, the two embracing each other a moment later.
"It's good to see you Nat. But who's your friend?" Clint asked, his eyes darting towards Clark.
"This is Clark Kent. Clark, this is Clint Barton and his wife Laura." She said, and the young man shook hands with the two.
"How about we sit down, and you tell us what's going on Nat?" Clint asked, and she nodded.
"Where are the kids?" Natasha asked when they sat down on the couch in the living room.
"At my mothers. We have to pick them up in an hour." Laura said.
"Now what's going on Natasha?" Clint asked, and Natasha explained the events of the last couple days.
"Thank you for saving my sister Clark. I don't know how you did it, but thank you." Clint said, and Clark just smiled.
"Now, let's get you two set up. There's a guest bedroom just up the stairs on the right. You can put your stuff in there." He said, and Clark nodded before grabbing the bags and heading upstairs, leaving Natasha alone with Clint and Laura.
"I'm sorry for bringing our problems here Clint but-"
"We're family Nat. And when I see Gonzalez again, I'm going to put an arrow in his eye."
"Get in line." Clark replied as he walked back down the stairs.
"Boys, enough. We'll deal with Gonzalez later. For now, we both need some sleep." Natasha said, and Clark nodded.
"We'll try to keep the kid's quiet when they get in. Sleep well. You're both safe here." Laura said, and they smiled before heading upstairs. Five minutes later, they were asleep in each others arms both mentally and physically exhausted.
Clark opened his eyes as he heard the bedroom door open, relaxing when he saw Laura standing there.
"Dinner's almost ready if you two are hungry." She said, and Clark smiled.
"Thanks. We'll be right down." He said, and she nodded before leaving the room.
"Morning sleeping beauty." He said, and Natasha chuckled.
"I think it's evening."
"It's five o'clock somewhere." He replied, and she just shook her head before standing up. Clark did the same a moment later, and the two walked downstairs where they found Clint, Lara and their children at the table.
The next thing Clark knew he was nearly bowled over as the children rushed to Natasha.
"Auntie Nat!"
"Geez you two have gotten big. What have your parents been feeding you?"She asked with a smile, embracing her niece and nephew.
"Mom cooks. Dad goes and buys pizza." The boy said. Natasha. Clark and Laura laughed while Clint just shot a glare at his son.
"Traitor."
"I think your boy's just smart Barton. It's impossible to lie to Natasha Romanoff." Clark spoke up, and Clint just glared, muttering under his breath.
"Stan, Rebecca this is my friend Clark. Clark this is Stan and Rebecca, my niece and nephew."
"It's nice to meet you." Clark said, offering both children a smile.
"You too." Rebecca replied while Stan just nodded, offering Clark a smile.
"So, how did you two meet?" Clint asked, and Clark hesitated. While they had told Clint and Laura about what had happened over the last two days, they had omitted anything about meteor rock, and Clark's powers.
"That's a long and somewhat complicated story. The short version is I was doing some research and Clark took the initiative to help me out." Natasha replied, knowing that her former partner would understand what she wasn't saying. Natasha loved Laura and the kids, but there were certain things that they would never know. And the Avenger's Initiative was one of them. Oh, they knew about the Avengers, but the plan to form them was strictly need to know.
"Nice of you." Clint said, and Clark smiled.
"It was my genuine pleasure." He replied, and Laura smirked.
"I'll bet it was. Now I hate to cut this short, but it's time for the kids to go to bed."
"But-"
"No buts young lady. You both have school tomorrow." Laura said, and Rebecca glared before leaving the table, Stan following behind after a glare of his own.
Clark raised an eyebrow as he heard a few choice words escape the young man's lips.
"What?" Natasha asked, but Clark just shook his head. There were some things you just didn't say in mixed company.
"Well I think we're going to call it a night. See you two in the morning." Clint said before he and Laura headed upstairs.
"Are you sure we should be here?" Clark asked once they were in the guest bedroom. Natasha looked up at him, just waiting for him to elaborate.
"Gonzalez is going to come after us, and he'll find us eventually. The last thing we need is for Laura and the kids to get caught in the crossfire."
"They won't be. We'll be gone before Gonzalez can find us here." She replied, and he nodded.
The Next Morning
Natasha opened her eyes, reaching across Clark's arm to where her phone was ringing. Wait...Her phones wasn't supposed to be ringing. She had ditched it a couple days ago when she and Clark had left Smallville. He had ditched his too. Which meant someone was calling her on a burn phone.
"Clark, wake up." She said, shaking him awake.
"Natasha? What time is it?"
"Time to go."
He was up in an instant, changing clothes at superspeed, grateful they hadn't fully unpacked. By the time Natasha answered the phone the two of them were downstairs, Clint running to grab his bow as soon as he saw the look on his sister's face.
"Hello."
"Good morning Agent Romanoff. You and the boy need to come in."
"I don't work for you Gonzalez. And Clark's just as likely to kill you as talk to you, so you'll understand if we pass on your invitation."
"I wanted to do this differently, but you aren't giving me much choice."
A moment later Stan's voice was heard on the phone.
"Let her go you-"
"Stan!"
"Auntie Nat! They've got Rebecca I-Ahh!"
"Stan! Gonzalez let those kids go or I swear to God-"
"Empty threat. And tell your boy not to try and run after them. If he does...well his parents won't look so healthy with holes in their heads."
Natasha felt Clark stiffen beside her, and she didn't need to look at him to see the fury that was on his face. She could feel it pouring off of him in waves.
"When and where?" She asked, keeping her voice even. She was beyond pissed, but emotion wouldn't help her now. She needed to be calm and collected or she would make mistakes.
"How about Clark's house, say ten tonight? I think it's time his parent's know who their son spends his nights with."
"We'll be there. But if Clark's parents or those kids are in anything less than perfect health, I will kill you slowly."
All she heard was a dial tone. Gonzalez had hung up.
"I'm going to kill him. I'm going to rip him apart with my bare hands." Clark said, speaking so softly that Natasha barely heard him.
"Let's wait until everyone's safe okay? Remember, we don't need innocent people getting caught in the crossfire." She said, and he nodded, taking a deep breath to try to let go of some of his anger.
Just then Clint came back into the room, bow slung over his shoulder and Laura coming behind him, a gun in hand.
"What's going on?"
"Clint...Gonzalez has the kids and Clark's parents. He set up a meet."
"That's not possible. The kids are at-"
An instant later, the phone rang. Clint picked it up before the first ring had faded.
"What?"
"Sorry Clint. This wasn't personal."
"Bobbi, if you touch my children I swear-"
His voice lowered, now audible only to Clark's ears.
"I swear, no matter what we once had, I will kill you myself. I will do it slowly, painfully, and in every way I know you fear. I'll make you beg for death. So please, tell me my kids will be okay. Please don't make me kill one of the few friends I have."
"They'll be okay. You'll just have to trust me."
"Who's Bobbi?" Clark asked when Clint hung up the phone.
"Barbra actually. Goes by Bobbi. Her dad wanted a son. Also known as Mockingbird. Shield agent level seven, or at least she was before Nat and Steve turned it to ash. Second-best female operative Shield ever had. Likes batons, but she's comfortable with almost everything, including a bow and arrow. She took my children." Clint said angrily, squeezing tighter on his bow.
"No."
"No? Nat-"
"I know what's at stake Clint. But can you honestly tell me that you would be able to put her down if it came to that?"
"Could you? The two of you are friends." He shot back.
"I wasn't the one having sex with her."
"Doesn't matter. Whatever we had has been over for years. Now I'm coming with you. End of discussion."
"Enough. This isn't getting us anywhere. We've got just over twelve hours until this is supposed to go down. You two are supposed to be Fury's best spies. Now stop arguing and think. Mr. Barton-"
"Clint."
"Clint, if you come then that would help with overwatch. But if you get discovered, that could make Gonzalez angry."
"Right now, I don't care. We'll get it done. But we've gotta get there quick. Let me call Stark."
Ten minutes later, they were in Clark's car. Twenty minutes after that, the car was loaded in the bay of a quinjet, the jet flying towards Kansas.
"How long till we get there?" Clint asked. He was pacing back and forth.
"Four hours. Now sit down." Natasha said from the pilot's seat.
"Don't tell me to sit down! My kids-"
"Will get hurt if you screw up because you can't focus. My parents are there too Clint. Now we will get this handled, but we need you here. We need the Clint Barton who brought in Russia's top assassin and fought a bunch of alien fanatics in New York. Now will you put your head on straight, or do I knock you unconscious?" Clark asked, looking the older man in the eye.
Clint nodded. Clark was right. His children didn't need the worried father. They needed the top operator that had done things for SHIELD that could never see the light of day.
"You're right. We've got time. So let's think. They're at your house. Give us the set up, the layout."
Natasha put the plane on autopilot, walking over to the man she considered her brother. She embraced him, whispering a promise in his ear. They would get everyone back. The two broke the embrace a moment later and Clint smiled.
"Thank you. Both of you. Now let's get to work."
Four Hours Later- Just Outside Smallville Kansas
"I'm sorry."
They were the first words either of them had spoken since leaving the Quinjet. Natasha and Clark were driving toward the Kent Farm, Clint having taken a separate vehicle. Both of them had been too preoccupied with their own thoughts to make any conversation, too worried about what would happen once they actually got to Smallville. Even if everything went their way, and that was a big if, they both knew there would be repercussions. Clark's parents would be furious that he was dating Natasha, and they would no doubt blame her for what had happened. And the former SHIELD agent couldn't really blame them. It was best to get this over with now instead of having to do it in front of an audience.
"For what?" Clark asked, and she sighed.
"Everything. Making you run with me, Gonzalez putting your family in danger, just...everything."
"Don't apologize. You offered to let me stay in Smallville, remember? You told me you'd buy me a few months, maybe a year. I chose to come with you, and I don't regret that choice. Not for a second. As for my family being in danger, that's not your fault. It's mine. I should have gotten them out."
Natasha wanted to argue with him. After all, she was the one who had spent most of her life as a spy. She was the one who had been thinking five steps ahead, who had set up covers for both of them. But she had made a rookie mistake, and she had left his family exposed. However, she also knew that Clark wouldn't see it that way. So she didn't say anything. Instead she just took his hand. She wanted to enjoy the last few minutes that she had with him.
"My parents aren't going to be happy, you know? When they find out about us."
"Do we need to talk about this now?" She asked. The truth was that as much as it hurt, she had already resigned herself to the inevitable. Tonight was her last night with her best friend. By this time tomorrow, she would be gone. It was best for both of them.
"I can't think of any other time. Look, I know my parents are going to be upset but I don't care. I don't want to lose you Natasha."
"It's better-"
"Better? Better for who? Gonzalez? My parents? You?"
"We can't talk about this now. Once everyone's safe...then we'll figure this out."
Clark just nodded, squeezing her hand.
"Remember what I taught you. You have a second. Use it." She told him as they got out of the car.
"Mr. Kent, and Agent Romanoff. You're punctual. I like that." Gonzalez said as they walked into the living room. He was standing just in front of the couch, looking like he didn't have a care in the world. Natasha's trained eyes took in the scene, thinking about how their plan would go. Clark's mother and father were on the couch, looking mostly unhurt save for a cut above Jonathan's left eye. Chloe sat next to them, nursing what Natasha suspected was a broken wrist. Stan and Rebecca were at opposite ends of the room, both nursing bruises. Bobbi Morse and Grant Ward had just entered the room and moved to stand beside Gonzalez.
The former spy swore softly in her native tongue. She was going to kill Gonzalez when this was over.
"Let's cut the pleasantries. Just tell us what you want." Natasha said, and Gonalez just laughed.
"Same old Romanoff. Always business. Tell me, is she like that in bed?" Grant asked, making Clark glare. Natasha's look was the only thing that kept him from responding.
"Son, what is he-"
"Oh he didn't tell you Mr. Kent? Your son has been sleeping with Agent Romanoff. She's also been teaching him to be a killer." Gonzalez said with a smile.
"Since we're in such a sharing mood, how about you tell me which one of you shot Natasha in the stomach?" Clark asked, fury clear in his eyes.
"I'm a specialist. It's my job to take care of potential threats." Ward spoke up, and Natasha snorted.
"You're a traitor who sold his soul to Hydra. Now let's skip the crap and get to the part where you tell us what you want before I lose my patience and put a bullet in your head."
"You need to come in Natasha. You need to come back to SHIELD. And Mr. Kent is going to be indexed and watched."
"That's not going to happen. Now I'll give you one chance. Leave and never come back. Otherwise I will kill you."
"I think we have you outnumbered." Gonzalez replied.
Before anyone could say or do anything, Bobbi's phone rang.
"Clint, I told you-"
"Put me on speaker." He demanded, and Bobbi glared, but did as he asked.
"You have three seconds to let my children go Gonzalez, or your blue tie turns red."
"Agent Barton, how nice to-"
"Dad! Three of em, guns, staffs. No one else, and-"
"Shut up!" Ward said, slapping Stan across the face.
"You just signed your death warrant." Clint growled.
Gonzalez held up a hand.
"I apologize for Agent Ward, Agent Barton. He was out of line and will be disciplined accordingly."
"You're right, and that starts now."
The phone call ended, and then Gonzalez screamed in pain as an arrow was embedded into his knee. That was Clark and Natasha's signal. Neither said a word. They each attacked their chosen targets, Clark going for Ward while Natasha charged at Bobbi. Clark felt the anger and rage inside him at what Ward had done to him, to Natasha, to Stan. Natasha had trained him to get the outcome he wanted, and he knew exactly what he wanted.
He wanted Grant Ward dead.
"You're good." Ward said as he blocked a kick aimed at his head, before striking back with a punch towards Clark's jaw. The young man didn't respond, and the fight continued.
"We shouldn't be fighting each other Nat. We were friends once." Bobbi said, and Natasha glared.
"We stop being friends the minute you started kidnapping innocent people." She responded, slamming her forehead into blonde's, and causing her to stumble backwards.
Gonzalez cursed, moving to pull the arrow from his flesh. How could everything have gone so wrong? Romanoff was good, which was no surprise. But Clark Kent shouldn't be holding his own against Ward. The senior SHIELD operative realized he had misjudged the situation, and he needed to even the odds. He pulled a piece of meteor rock from his pocket...And promptly fell to the ground unconscious.
"I think everyone needs to calm down." Phil Colson said as he stepped into the room with Skye and May beside him, ICER held in his hand.
"Colson." Natasha said simply, standing over a bloody and unconscious Bobbi Morris. She looked over to where Clark was standing, holding Grant Ward in a chokehold. The so-called specialist was bloody and bruised, while Clark seemed perfectly fine. Physically at least. Mentally, he looked like he was about to snap Ward's neck.
"Clark, that's enough." She said, walking over to him.
"No, it's not. He deserves to die." Clark replied, still not loosening his grip. It would be so easy. One twist and it was over. The scum who shot Natasha would be dead, unable to ever harm her again.
"But does he deserve your guilt?" Natasha asked, so softly that only he could hear.
Clark glared, and then he allowed Ward to fall to the floor. Then he raised his fist and slammed it down onto Ward's hands. The specialist screamed in pain as he felt his bones break.
"You ever come after me or mine again, I'll do worse than break your hands." Clark whispered before looking at Colson.
"Lock that animal up before I change my mind." He told the older man before going and untying his parents and Chloe while Natasha did the same with Stan and Rebecca.
Three Hours Later-Kent Farm
"You sure I can't convince you to come back? And I could use someone with your talents." Colson asked, but Clark and Natasha shook their heads. Clint had taken his children home shortly after Gonzalez Bobbi and Ward had been taken away. Bobbi had apologized profusely, tears in her eyes. She thought she was working for SHIELD. Clark wondered for a moment what would happen to her. Then he decided he didn't care.
"Sorry, I don't do well with the whole team thing. But if you need help with another level seven..."
"Understood, and thank you. Now, you won't be in the index, but try to keep a low profile." He replied, and Clark smiled.
"Natasha, about what I asked you-"
"I'll do it. See you around Phil." She said, and he smiled, embracing her and shaking Clark's hand before walking out the door and getting into Lola.
"So, you're leaving?" Clark asked, making Natasha raise an eyebrow.
"Why would you think that?"
"You agreed to help Colson, and after what you said in the car-"
"I agreed to help Colson train Skye to use her powers. She's going to be staying here in Smallville. As for what I said in the car...I can't promise that we won't have to run again. I can't promise that you'll always be safe. I can't promise that your family will always be safe."
"I don't need that. Just promise me that I'm not going to wake up tomorrow and find you gone."
She just smiled, and kissed him in response.
"That's one promise I can make. I'm not going anywhere. Now I think your parents want to have a chat."
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please read and review and the next chapter will be up soon!