Chapter 2
The next two weeks passed in a blur for Clint. Sending Loki back with Thor, getting debriefed with Natasha at S.H.I.E.L.D, and then hiding out in a safe house for a week before going stir crazy. They made their way back to the Tower when Tony tracked them down and offered them a place to crash.
“I’m making this the Avengers tower now. It’s ours.” Tony explained walking them through the remodels. He already repaired one of the floors having his private construction crew working 24/7 to make the area livable. “We’ll each have our own apartment floor, there’ll be a communal floor where we can share and bond and shit- Capsicle over there said it was important. Pepper agreed. This way next time we’re needed we’ll be convenient. A home base so to speak. I donated my crew to the clean-up first. Paying them lots of overtime too.”
“Well it’s not like you can’t afford it right?” Natasha said dryly.
“Of course, I can. It also helps with our relations with the locals or, so Pepper tells me.” Tony said.
“Who’s all here?” Clint asked.
“You, Super Spy Chick, Green Rage Monster, Capsicle, and Pepper are here now, and Thor’s science lady friend and her assistant are coming soon.” Tony answered.
“New Mexico scientist?” Clint asked. “I liked her. She threw a machine at my head. Her assistant helped.”
“Jane Foster.” Tony answered looking at his Starkpad. “Brilliant woman, been trying to recruit her for years.”
“Took Thor to finally convince her?” Natasha asked.
“Nope, offered her unlimited funding to study whatever she wants.” Tony answered. “Jarvis- show the super spy’s their rooms if you could.”
“Right away Sir.” The voice from the ceiling said. “Ms. Romanoff your apartment is down the hall and the third door on the left. Mr. Barton your apartment is right beside hers. If you need anything, please do let me know and I’ll have it sent up.”
“Thanks Jarvis.” Natasha said before leaving the common area to find her room.
“So this means you’re staying?” Tony called after her.
“It means we’re staying tonight.” Clint said before following his partner.
A week later both of them were still in the tower. Clint walked into the common area after his post work out shower. Natasha already sat on the couch watching the news channel.
“How do you do it?” Clint asked as he flopped down next to her.
“Do what?” She asked.
“Get in the shower the same time I do after the same work out I do and finish before I do and still look perfect.” He said.
“Practice and talent Barton, practice and talent.” Natasha answered before turning back to the TV.
“We come to you live from Harlem where a local teacher is desperately seeking the parents of a young girl she rescued during the alien invasion.” The news casters voice came from the television.
“Hey turn that up.” Clint said, “Remember that woman I mentioned?”
“Impressive swearing and she found the kid?” Natasha asked.
“Yeah- that’s her.” Clint said as Charlotte appeared on the screen cradling the toddler they’d saved.
“So, you found this girl under the rubble?” the news caster asked.
“Yes. Hawkeye from the Avengers helped me rescue her and brought us to a safe zone during the attack.” Charlotte told her.
“Do you know anything about her?”
“No, I’ve been calling her Baby Girl. She’s about two and has obviously been loved. She talks a little bit but hasn’t been able to tell me her name or anything else. I’m looking for anyone who recognizes her or knows her parents. If anyone has any information, please contact the police or social services. She needs her parents and I’m sure they need her too. Please help us.”
“That was Charlotte Mathews everyone. Let’s all pray that this little girl gets to see her family soon. I’m Angela Webster live in Harlem. Back to you Jason.”
“Hey Jarvis.” Clint said to the room.
“Yes Mr. Barton?” the AI asked.
“How hard would it be to find someone if I had their name, neighborhood and occupation?” Clint asked.
“Not hard at all Mr. Barton. Shall I start a search?”
“Please, Charlotte Mathews, teacher in Harlem.” Clint said.
“Right away sir, I’ll alert you when I have any information.” The AI said.
“Thank you, Jarvis.” Clint said.
He turned back to Natasha who looked at him with one eye brow raised.
“What?” He asked.
“Again?” Natasha asked.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about Nat.” Clint insisted
.
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Your hero complex is kicking in again.” Natasha accused.
“I don’t have a hero complex!” Clint said.
“Yes, you do- Budapest.” Natasha responded.
“You and I still remember Budapest very differently.” Clint insisted.
“If you say so.” Natasha smiled before turning back to the T.V.
“Mr. Barton, sir, I have the information you requested. Would you like me to send it to your phone?” The AI’s voice came over the loud speaker.
“Yes, please. Thank you, Jarvis.” Clint said.
“Of course, Mr. Barton.”
“Hero complex.” Natasha said one more time under her breath before flicking the channel on the T.V.
“Don’t forget your hearing aids when you go.” She said louder.
“I won’t.” Clint told her before turning back to the T.V.
~&~
Charlotte stood in her tiny kitchen staring at the cupboards trying to decide what to make for dinner. It’d been two days since she gave the interview and still no one had come forward recognizing Baby Girl. She glanced into the living room to check on the toddler. Baby Girl sat on the floor playing with the toys Charlotte had managed to find or borrow. She thanked god it was summer, and she didn’t have to find a sitter every day. Still social services asked if she’d be willing to keep the girl until a relative was found. She’d said yes of course. They’d expedited her certification as a foster parent. She was now the official guardian of toddler Jane Doe. With the city scrambling to rebuild all of the systems were back logged. The list of missing and dead grew every day.
“Spaghetti.” Charlotte said under her breath pushing her thoughts out of her head, “we’re having spaghetti.”
She reached up to grab the noodles, pasta sauce, and spice rack from the cupboard shelf when the stitches in her shoulder pulled. She winced and reminder herself to call Claire, see if the nurse could come over and remove her stitches this week. Hospitals and clinics were on the backlogged list. Claire worked as an RN over in Hell’s Kitchen. Getting her stitches out in her kitchen couldn’t be any worse than getting them put in on an urban battle field. Besides, according to Claire in their frequent phone calls all of the hospitals were so back logged it'd be quicker in her kitchen anyway.
As she finished browning the hamburger Charlotte hear a knock on the door.
“Un momento Tia!” She called out thinking it was her elderly Cuban neighbor, “Ya voy!” She quickly dumped the browned meat into the strainer in the sink before turning off the burner. She wiped her hands off on the towel over her shoulder as she quickly walked to the door.
“Tia, esta temprano.” She said as she opened the door.
“Oh, you’re not my neighbor.” She said as she stared at the man in her doorway.
“Umm, no I guess I’m not.” Clint said. “You call your neighbor Aunt?”
“You speak Spanish?” Charlotte asked as she moved aside to let the Avenger in.
“Not really. Just enough to get by. You?” He asked curious.
“Enough I guess. Took some in college and my neighbor is Cuban- she doesn’t speak a ton of English, so I learned more when I moved here. Speaking of how did you find us here?” Charlotte asked as Clint awkwardly stood in her kitchen. She saw him glance around the room and suspected he noticed everything there.
“I saw your interview the other day. Wondered how you were doing. Tony- Ironman- has a lot of resources and the interview gave your name, occupation and neighborhood.” Clint shuffled from foot to foot a bit not knowing if he should sit or if she had plans and would kick him out. Charlotte stared at the man. He was shorter than most men she knew coming only six or seven inches taller than she was making him about five foot ten. He was rock solid, she could see that even in the loose long sleeve shirt and jeans he wore to make himself blend in more. He also looked nervous.
“Well you’re here so you might as well stay for dinner.” She said taking pity on him, “Have a seat. Would you like some wine?” She asked holding up the bottle she had already opened.
“Please.” Clint told her sitting down at the kitchen table, “and thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.” Charlotte said pouring them both a generous glass before turning back to the stove.
“Of course, if you’re going to stay for dinner do I call you Hawkeye all night or do you have a name?” Charlotte asked as she took a sip of her wine.
“Clint is fine.” He laughed taking a sip of his own glass. The pair sat in silence as Charlotte prepped to start making the sauce.
“How goes the hunt for her parents?” Clint asked looking at the toddler playing in the living room. A blanket lay over the couch back folded neatly, and a pillow sat off to one side. Clint was willing to bet his swanky new place that Charlotte spent the last two weeks on the couch while the kid slept in the bedroom.
“Like shit.” Charlotte said frankly as she dumped the pasta into the boiling water and began to stir the browned meat into the sauce, “No one’s reported a little girl missing and they have no idea who she is, if she has family or hell even if she’s from New York.”
“I suppose she’s too young to have her DNA in the system.” Clint commented watching the toddler play.
“It actually might be. She was probably born in 2010 or 2009. Parents had the option to DNA their children in a lost children’s system. It could only be used to identify kids in missing children cases. If her DNA isn’t in a system somewhere her foot prints might be digital. But every system is back logged, and no one’s reported a missing little girl that matches her description. Cases where a child’s been reported missing are being dealt with first!” Clara explained frustrated. “The city just doesn’t have enough resources right now.”
“Tony might have something. I can ask him if you’d like.” Clint told her.
“I’ll try anything right now. Hell, I’d settle for a name even.”
Just then Baby Girl wandered into the kitchen reaching for Clint’s wine glass.
“Juice!” she said trying to grab the glass stem.
“No, no, no sweetie that’s not juice.” Charlotte said swooping in holding a sippy cup. “Here’s your juice Baby Girl.” She handed the toddler the bright sippy cup before scooping her up in her arms and returning to the stove to stir the sauce. She cradled the toddler on her left hip, so she wouldn't pull her stitches in her right shoulder.
“Can I help with anything?” Clint asked.
“Umm, would you set the table?” Charlotte asked, “Plates are in the cupboard over there, cups in the next one over. Flatware is in the drawer below. Would you set four places? Please?”
“No problem.” Clint said walking to where her finger pointed. He grabbed four sturdy mismatched plates from the shelf and carefully laid them on the table. He found the rest of needed items and laid them out also. Charlotte set the toddler down to grab the cooked noodles and dump them in the strainer. As she stirred butter into the noodles another knock sounded on the door.
“Tia?” Charlotte called out to the door.
“Si mi’ja, estoy aqui’!” her neighbor called through the door.
“Ya voy Tia.” Charlotte called as she quickly crossed the small room and opened the door embracing the small Cuban grandmother. “Hola Tia, como esta?”
“Estoy bien mi’ja. Como estas? Quien es?” She asked pointing her finger at Clint, “Tienes un novio?”
“Tia, sabe que no! El me salvo durante la batalla.”
“Es guapo no?” The elderly woman looked Clint up and down with a Clint in her eye.
“No se.” Charlotte laughed. “Clint this is my amazing neighbor Senora Esmeralda Maria Mendoza. Tia this is my friend Clint.”
“Mucho gusto Senora.” Clint said in heavily accented Spanish.
“Esme is ok Clint.” Emse responded in equally accented English. “Where my little girl baby?” Esme went into the room and scooped the little girl into her frail looking arms.
“Esme was one of the last legal immigrants from Cuba. She came when she was about eighteen and became a maid to the young wife of the Spanish ambassador. When the woman died of a heart attack thirty years later she left Esme a sizeable amount. She retired and rented the apartment next door and has been there for years. She goes to church three times a week and teaches Catechism at the local Spanish Catholic school and comes to dinner every Tuesday and most Saturday’s. Never really had to learn much English.” Charlotte explained as she set the food on the table.
“Cool lady.” Clint said helping.
“You have no idea.” Charlotte said watching her neighbor listen patiently as Baby Girl brought Esme each of her toys. “She’s been coming over every other day to watch Baby Girl, give me a break to do shopping or talk to the police.”
“Very cool lady.” Clint amended. The three adults and one child all sat down together to eat. Charlotte and Esme took turns helping Baby Girl eat plain buttered noodles. They managed to combine English and Spanish to make enough conversation to laugh over.
“So Clint, you have job?” Esme asked.
“Yes, yes I do.” Clint said wiping his mouth. “Umm… the government, I work for the government.”
“Good job?” Esme asked.
“Yes, I work with… interesting people.” Clint carefully supplied.
“Good and you go to church?” Esme asked.
“Tia, yo no voy a la inglesia- usted sabe.” Charlotte interjected.
“Mi’ja, solo quiero saber si el es un buen chico- si tiene trabajo, si va a la inglesia.” Esme said smiling, “Sabes que tu tienes que llevarla nina a la inglesia. Es importante.”
“Ella no es mia.” Charlotte pointed out.
“Por ahora ella es tuya.”
“Solo por un ratito.” Charlotte insisted.
“Vamos a ver.” Esme told her.
“I didn’t understand anything but church.” Clint said laughing watching the two women talk back and forth.
“Si me da permisso a llevarla a la inglesia este domingo yo podria cuidar de ella durante la noche.” Esme glanced pointedly between the two adults.”
“Esme was offering to take Baby Girl to church in the morning.” Charlotte said blushing a bit.
“I get lonely, it nice to have company.” Esme said smiling. “I think Charlotte need break too.”
“Alright, alright Tia.” Charlotte laughed, “You can have Baby Girl for the night and take her to church tomorrow.”
“Good, children do dishes. I pack things.” Esme said wiping her mouth and standing up. She picked Baby Girl out of her chair and went to the sink to wash the toddlers face. Charlotte shook her head and began clearing the dishes from the table. Clint quickly got up to help her. They washed the dishes in companionable silence and packed away the left overs for later in the week. After several minutes Esme came back out of the bedroom carrying a back pack and chatting to the child in Spanish.
“Sabe que ella no habla español?” Charlotte asked.
“No habla espanol todavia.” Esme pointed out. “Y nunca va a aprender si nadia ayudale. Vamos ahora. Volvemos manana- a las dos creo. Have good time children.” With that the elderly woman took the toddlers hand and led her out of the small apartment and across the hall.
“Why do I get the idea that your neighbor just tried to set you up by taking the kid to church?” Clint asked laughing.
“Because she did.” Charlotte laughed as she grabbed her glass and the bottle of wine off the counter. “Another glass?”
“Sure.”
Clint sat down next to Charlotte on the couch and held out his glass for her to pour. For a few moments they sat in silence sipping their glasses.
“Do you really think Tony Stark would help me find her parents?” Charlotte asked after a few minutes.
“I think so. He’s a good guy. Arrogant ass hole but a good guy.” Clink said. “I can ask him tomorrow. If you want I can call you and tell you what he says.”
“Oh, so you already have my number?” Charlotte teased.
“No but if you’re comfortable giving it to me I’ll call after I talk to Tony.”
“Like I said, I’ll try anything at this point. Even men with more money than sense.” Charlotte told the archer.
The pair switched topics to talk about the cleanup of the city and how the country reacted to the existence of aliens and super heroes. They stayed away from anything too personal for either of them. They talked about their favorite parts of the city- the Met for her and Coney Island for him. Around ten or so they exchanged numbers and Clint promised again to talk to Tony in the morning.
“Hey thanks for checking up on us and for helping with Baby Girl. She needs her family.” Charlotte said as she walked him to the door.
“Don’t mention it. That day was hell. I know we stopped it as soon as we could but it’s good to see some of the little good we did.” Clint confessed.
“Whatever the reason thank you.” Charlotte said one last time.
“I’ll call you tomorrow after I talk to Tony. Night Charlotte.”
“Night Clint.”