Sweet Nothings

          It was funny how lonely you could be in a house full of people. How, even with every light in the room blazing, you could feel the darkness creeping closer, it’s snaking fingers reaching for you. Sleep no longer became an escape, but a curse in itself. Your nightmares came to life, terrorizing you in the light of the day as much as they did in the darkness of your bedroom. Watching the clock tick away, counting down to the hour you would be forced to crawl into bed and brace yourself for the onslaught, you would wish for just a few more hours of light. Just a few more minutes to gather the strength to get you through the night. Sometimes, it worked. But when it didn’t, it was torture.

          That was part of the reason why Darcy hadn’t slept in two days. If Darcy had gotten a few hours of sleep, she wouldn’t have been at the bakery that early. If she hadn’t been at the bakery so early, she wouldn’t have been trying to make Red Bull cupcakes. If she hadn’t been trying to make Red Bull cupcakes, she wouldn’t have been making little bulls out of fondant. If she hadn’t been making little bulls out of fondant, she wouldn’t have reached for the scalpel. If Darcy had gotten a few hours of sleep, she wouldn’t be in the emergency room getting stitches in her palm.

          The nurse taped a strip of gauze over the fresh stitches and told Darcy to be careful using her hand until the wound healed, and to keep the stitches from getting too wet. Darcy nodded mutely and made her way through the sterile halls toward the waiting room. The halls were nearly empty, only an orderly here and there. She could hear the hum of voices behind curtains in the distance. She looked down at her bandaged hand, feeling stupid. Who the hell cuts themselves picking up a tool? She could already hear the lecture she was going to get when she got back to the bakery. Strangely, her heart gave a longing squeeze. How bad was a lecture? A lecture meant someone cared. Darcy flashed back to the look on Steve’s face when he dashed into the kitchen to find her sitting on the floor, one hand cradled in her lap, the other holding her cell phone.

          Darcy reached out to pull open the door with her good hand. Before she could, someone grabbed her from behind. Her arms were pinned to her side as she struggled against her attacker. A crisp white handkerchief was pressed to her face and the world faded into darkness.

          “Don’t worry about it Steve, we’ve got things covered here,” Tony assured the man through the phone. “Just get Darcy stitched up and take her home. She doesn’t need to be here today.”

          Steve sighed. “Tony, I don’t think she’s been sleeping. At all.”

          “What makes you say that?” Tony asked.

          Steve’s voice was low and sad. “You should’ve seen her this morning, Tony. She looked so helpless, her shirt covered in blood. She hardly looked like the Darcy we know. It was like all the color had been drained out of her. I tried to tell myself it was just the shock of the injury, but…she’s been like this for too long.”

          Tony was quiet. “I’m going to talk to Natasha. I don’t know how we’re going to do it, but we have to tell her. At this point, I’m worried she’s going to do something drastic.”

          “Clint couldn’t live with himself if something happened to her,” Steve said. “And neither can I. This has gone far enough. We’re telling her. Today.”

          “When you get back, Natasha and I will sit her down and tell her everything,” Tony agreed.

          They disconnected and Tony ran a hand over his face. There was a knock at his office door and he looked up. Natasha leaned against the frame.

          “You probably aren’t going to like this, but I did it anyway,” she started off.

          Tony held up a hand. “That is by far the worst introduction to a topic I have ever heard, but I’m going to risk it and ask. What did you do?”

          “I called Darcy and told her I needed to talk to her about Clint,” she told him.

          Tony smiled wryly. “You don’t say. I just got off the phone with Steve, and we agreed it was time to tell her. What did she say?”

          Natasha shrugged. “Nothing. I got her voicemail. She’s probably still in with a doctor.”

          Tony sank into his chair. “Any word from Clint?”

          “Radio silence since last week,” Natasha reported. “Meaning either he found his target or-”

          Tony nodded when she stopped talking. They both knew what it could mean. All the more reason to come clean to Darcy. If Clint had failed, she could still potentially be in danger. They wouldn’t put it past these guys to off Clint and then come after her just for kicks. If that was the case, Darcy needed to be prepared. Tony and Natasha might not have been privy to all the information Clint was, but they knew enough to know that the people they were dealing with were dangerous, and their threat was not something to be taken lightly.

          “Excuse me, miss, but is there any update on Darcy Lewis?” Steve asked.

          The nurse at the front desk turned dutifully toward the computer, tapping at the keys. Her brow furrowed and she scanned the screen carefully, as if looking for a hidden message.

          She glanced up at Steve, confused. “Sir, Miss Lewis was discharged half an hour ago. She received treatment for a deep laceration on her left palm and was then released.”

          Steve’s shoulders tensed. Something was wrong. There was a commotion at the door and the nurse stood from her chair.

          She glanced over at Steve. “Are you her father?”

          Steve didn’t hesitate before nodding.

          The nurse hit a button on the underside of the desk. “Go on back. She probably felt faint and found an empty bed. You’ll both need to sign out when you come back through. If you’ll excuse me?” 

          Steve thanked her as she hurried toward the door. He stepped through the door and his foot connected with something, sending it skittering across the hall. He stooped to retrieve it. It was a black cell phone. Steve flipped it over, hoping vainly there would be a name scratched onto the back. The sight of the small penguin sticker on the back made his blood run cold. He hurried down the hall, his eyes searching the sparsely populated emergency room for the familiar brunette. His heart racing, he pushed back into the waiting room, already dialing Tony’s number.

          “Darcy’s gone.”

          “Darcy’s Brothel. Leave your name and fetish at the beep.”

          “Listen, Darce. We need to talk. It’s about Clint. I can’t talk about it over the phone, but when you get back to the bakery, I’ll tell you everything. Just know that everything’s going to be okay. Hang in there, Darcy.”

          Tony threw his office door open, sprinting toward the counter. He slapped at the silent alarm a couple of times and sank against the ledge, waiting. Doors swung open in all directions, bakery workers flooding into the room, ready for war. Peter had a stool in one hand, Thor had a hammer, and Natasha had the tenderizer. Tony motioned for them to put the weapons away and turned to face them, hands on his hips.

          “We’ve got a problem,” he announced.

          Natasha stiffened. “What’s the matter?”

          The front door swung open and Steve rushed inside, his eyes wild. “Other than the phone, there was no other trace of her. They got at least an hour’s head start, and we have no way of tracking her.”

          Thor wrinkled his brow. “What in the name of all is going on? Who cannot be tracked? Why do we need a trace of her?”

          “Darcy,” Loki said quietly.

          Tony nodded solemnly. “She’s disappeared.”

          Natasha moved behind the counter and pulled out her laptop. “Where was the last place you saw her?”

          “At the hospital, when she was taken in the back for stitches,” Steve supplied. “She was discharged by the attending nurse a little less than an hour ago.”

          Natasha nodded and focused on the computer screen. After a moment, she straightened and hit a key.

          “I’ve got her,” she said.

          Everyone crowded behind her to watch the screen. She hit play and they watched Darcy walk into frame, an orderly a few paces behind her. She reached for the door and the orderly leapt towards her, his arms wrapping around her. The struggle was short. She’d been taken by surprise. They watched as Darcy drooped and the orderly dragged her out of the frame. Natasha hit a button and another camera angle took its place, this one showing Darcy on a gurney being wheeled through the hospital. They lost her in the building after that, but an exterior camera caught their exit. The man, still in scrubs, dumped Darcy in the back of an SUV and slipped into the passenger seat.

          “I can run the plates, but I’m sure they’ll come back stolen. However, this looks like a newer model, and it probably has a built in GPS I can override. I can at least find the vehicle,” Natasha told them.

          “How the hell do you know how to do that?” Peter asked.

          Natasha bent over the laptop. “When Clint was in the field full time, I was his partner.”

          Peter stared at her, his mouth open. “Jesus Christ.”

          Natasha nodded.

          “You know what, out of all of this, that makes the most sense,” Peter decided. “What can I do to help?”

          Natasha looked up at him wryly. “Frost the cupcakes.”

          “Are you serious?” Peter asked.

          “Right now, there isn’t anything you can do but keep busy,” Tony interrupted. “I’ll call HQ and see if I can pull any information from them.”
          The snort Natasha gave in response didn’t sound very hopeful. Peter and Bruce set up shop on the other end of the counter, refusing to be far from the rest of the group. Thor and Loki took to the van to start canvassing the area around the hospital.

          “Nat, they need your security code!” Tony shouted from his office.

          Natasha abandoned the laptop for a moment and joined Tony and Steve in the office, shutting the door behind her. The front door of the bakery opened and there was a thud as something was dropped to the ground.

          “I’ll be with you in just a moment,” Peter called over his shoulder, finishing a swirl of icing.

          “Oh, don’t worry I’ll wait.”

          Peter whirled around, the icing bag falling from his hands. It landed with a splat on the wooden floor, the thick blue icing spurting onto Peter’s shoes.

          “Holy shit,” he muttered.

          Clint grinned wearily. “Good to see you, too, Parker.”

          Darcy blinked her eyes, trying to clear her vision. Colors and light swam together, making it impossible to discern anything. She squeezed her eyes shut and let her head clear for a moment. This time, when se opened her eyes, she could see clearly. The sight didn’t make her feel much better. Nor did the pull of the rope around her wrists or the resistance of the gag in her mouth.

          She looked around the room and surveyed her surroundings. Besides the chair she was tied to, there was a small table in the corner that held a lamp. Directly in front of her was a doorway. She could hear voices outside, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. She tugged experimentally on the rope around her wrists, but the knots wouldn’t budge. She took a deep breath, thankful that the gag at least seemed to be clean.

          Congrats, Lewis. You’re tied up and gagged and you’re probably going to be harvested for organs and then thrown in the bay. But at least you got your hand stitched up.

          The voices outside grew louder, and Darcy realized someone was coming her way. She straightened in her chair, determined that she wouldn’t start crying until they actually started chopping her up. A man stepped into the room and Darcy instinctively tried to back up.

          The man smiled easily. “Miss Lewis, you’ve awakened. How lovely.”

          She met his eyes, trying not to flinch.

          The man laughed, the sound cold and slimy. “Oh, if looks could kill, darling! I cannot wait to hear what you have to say.”

          He slunk behind her and undid the gag, letting it fall into her lap.

          Darcy moved her jaw around, making sure it was still fully functional. “Gee, thanks.”

          The man stood in front of her, looking relaxed. “Mm, the bite on you. No wonder Barton’s head over heels for you. He’s always liked a woman who bit back.”

          “Come a little closer. I’ll show you my bite,” Darcy spat out.

          The man just chuckled. “Ah, sweetheart, now that’s no way to give a first impression! Of course, I’ve known you for a while. I’ve been following you for almost three months now. You see, I knew about your little romance before you did.”

          Darcy’s blood ran cold. “Why?”

          “Hmm? Oh, why have I been following you?” The man asked. “Because, my dear, our dear friend Clint took a shine to you. See, your man wasn’t always the upstanding old decorator you know him as. I presume from that reaction you had at the circus a couple of weeks ago that he told you a little of his past? I’d wager I wasn’t mentioned.”

          “This is all fascinating, but if you could cut to the part where you tell me why I’m here and how you’re going to kill me, I’d appreciate that,” Darcy growled.

          The man continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “You and I will spending some time together, so I should introduce myself. My name is Trent Black. About six years ago, I was engaged to be married to a woman named Heather McAvoy. Oh, I had it all. I was learning to run my father’s company, I had a beautiful fiancée. One day, I was approached leaving my office. These men threw me in their car and took off. They told me they had Heather and that if I wanted her back, I had to give them a set of codes that would let them access nearly every government database that existed. My father’s company specialized in government security. I had access to the codes. They gave me a deadline and dropped me at home. Of course, my father got wind of it, and called in a friend in some agency or another. They sent Clint Barton, a strapping young marksman with all the skill and experience in hostage situations.”

          Trent glanced over at Darcy. “I’ll be a gentleman and spare you the boring details of the set up. Anyway, they sent me in with a set of false codes. Clint was in position to take down the captors. I handed them over, and they released Heather. They turned to leave, and do you know what Clint did? Nothing. He watched them. So I took it into my own hands. I pulled a gun and fired at them. Oh, it was glorious! The looks on their faces when they went down! Only, one of them went down and came right back up with a gun of his own. That’s when your man jumped into action. He pegged him right before the shot went off. That shot ended up in Heather’s chest. It might not have been hit weapon that killed her, but he was the reason she died. Now, I’m getting my payback. After six years, he finally found his Heather.”

          Darcy swallowed hard. “So you’re going to shoot me?”

          Trent gave another of those awful smiles. “Oh, sweetheart, no! I would never. It’ll be so much better if he does it.”

          “Well, I hate to disappoint you, but that’ll never happen,” Darcy bit out.

          “Why’s that, sweetness?” Trent asked smoothly.

          Darcy looked down at the floor. “Because he’s dead. He has been for a month.”

          “Oh, really?” Trent raised an eyebrow. “Because I saw him just last week. He lied to you, Darcy. They all did.”

          Clint rubbed his jaw, the spot throbbing a bit from Peter’s sloppy punch. “I can’t say I didn’t deserve that.”

          “I’m glad you’re alive,” Peter said begrudgingly. “But if you ever do something like that again, I will kill you myself.”

          Clint nodded warily. “Deal.”

          The door to Tony’s office was ripped open, Tony and Natasha spilling out. Tony froze mid-stride, his eyes settling on Clint. Behind him, Steve sucked in a breath. Natasha moved back to the laptop, avoiding Clint’s eyes.

          “You’re back,” Tony stated.

          “Yes,” Clint confirmed.

          “And alive,” Tony added.

          “I have all my fingers and toes, too,” Clint clarified.

          Tony just nodded dumbly.

          Clint looked around. “Okay, I expected Peter to be pissed at me, but the rest of you knew I was leaving. So why the long faces and shocked looks?”

          Everyone traded nervous glances, trying to decide how to best explain the situation.

          Clint shook his head. “While you formulate a response, I’m going to go get my ass kicked by Darcy. Is she in the kitchen?”

          Clint didn’t wait for an answer, pushing through the kitchen door. A few seconds later, he returned, looking pained.        

          “There’s a bloody hand print on the floor,” he said. “Why is there a bloody hand print, and where’s Darcy?”

          He looked from person to person, his gaze prodding them to speak. He looked at Natasha last, perched behind the laptop.

          “Nat?” he asked softly.

          She looked up. “They took her. A couple of hours ago. She was at the hospital getting stitches. They were disguised as orderlies.”

          Clint turned and kicked open the kitchen door. It swung closed behind him, but they could all hear the bang of pots being thrown on the ground. Peter flinched at the noise. The clatter of the pots stopped and the bakery went silent for a moment, as if holding its breath. Clint walked calmly back into the room. He reached around Natasha for the phone and punched in a number.

          “C67439-JG456. Code blue,” he barked into the phone. “This is Agent Barton requesting PTK on Target #5629H. He’s in the area and he’s taken a hostage.” Clint paused as the person on the other end spoke. “No, that’s all. I’ve got my own.”

          Clint disconnected and put the phone back.

          Natasha stood. “I’ve got a location. I’m coming with you.”

          Clint just nodded, retrieving his bag from the floor.

          “I’m coming, too,” Tony said, moving to follow them.

          Clint stopped at the door. “No. You’re staying here. Everyone needs to stay here. When they realize I’m coming after them, they could decide to come after the rest of you. I want you to stay here. Lock yourselves in the kitchen or in the office, but stay away from the windows, and don’t let anyone else inside. There’s a shotgun behind the couch upstairs and a handgun in the supply room off the kitchen. I’ll call you when we get her.”

          Clint pushed open the door but paused, looking back. “I’ll bring her back. I promise. And somebody call the Dynamic Duo and get them off the road.”

          Darcy shook her head. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why would they do that?”

          “Because, darling. They were afraid of me,” Trent explained simply. “Clint knew what I was going to do to you, so he ran away. He left you, because he didn’t want to see it.”

          The blood in Darcy’s body was boiling hot and it made her antsy. “I think you’re wrong.”

          “Oh, because he told you all about his little plan?” Trent shot back.

          “No,” Darcy admitted. “I think you’re wrong because I know Clint. Even if there was no way to stop it, no way to save me, he’d stay until the end.”

          She met Trent’s eyes challengingly. “That’s where he’s been, isn’t it? He’s been trying to track you down. He figured that if you thought he was dead, you’d get sloppy and reveal yourself.”

          Trent’s eyes narrowed. “I’m never sloppy, darling.”

          Darcy snorted. “You were sloppy enough not to kidnap me.”

          “And what, pray tell, does that mean?” Trent folded his hands behind his back.

          “That means,” Darcy replied, “That Clint was off the radar because he was trying to protect me. Now that I’m in danger, you can be damn sure he’ll be back with a vengeance when he finds out.”

          Trent gave a long, loud laugh. “What makes you think that isn’t exactly what I want? What makes you think I don’t know exactly how this is going to play out?”

          Darcy shrugged. “Maybe the fact that I undid the knots about ten minutes ago and the voices in the other room stopped talking.”

          Trent froze, the grin on his face slackening. He turned toward the door, pulling a gun from his waistband. He leveled it at Darcy’s chest and shouted into the hall.

          “Come out, come out, wherever you are, Barton! Daddy wants to play a game!”

          Darcy grimaced. “You have issues, you know that?”
          Trent whipped around, his eyes blazing. “Shut your mouth, bitch, or I’ll shut it for you!”
          Darcy held her hands up in surrender. “Please, continue.”

          Trent hissed. “Maybe I should just put a bullet down your throat already. You’ll be dead either way.”

          “Listen, sweetheart, if you can’t stand the heat, there’s the door,” Darcy shrugged.

          “Down!”

          Darcy rolled out of her seat, hitting the floor at the same time the gun went off. There was a loud thud, but Darcy kept her face to the floor, her arms over her head. A pair of strong hands hauled her to her feet and before she could open her eyes, she found herself crushed to someone’s chest, their arms holding her tightly. She breathed in the familiar scent and sighed, tears threatening to fall.

          “I should be punching you in the face right now,” she mumbled.

          Clint gave a weak laugh. “If it makes you feel any better, Peter got me pretty good at the bakery.”

          Darcy started to pull back.

          “You don’t want to see that, Darce,” Clint warned. “Shut your eyes and hold onto me.”

          Darcy did as she was told and let Clint lead her. She felt the temperature change and opened her eyes. She was standing outside, still wrapped up in Clint’s arms. She heard Natasha’s voice, followed by the revving of an engine. Clint loosened his hold and let her pull back.

          Darcy swiped her good hand over her face, brushing away tears. “You didn’t kill his fiancée.”

          Clint nodded. “I know. Deep down, I think he did, too. But he needed to blame someone, and I was an easy target. I’m so sorry. About all of this. About lying to you, about hurting you, about getting you kidnapped. I know I messed you up, and I know you’re pissed, and I don’t blame you in the least. But I kept you safe for a lot longer this way. That isn’t an excuse, it’s just my explanation of why I did it. I know what I did-“

          He was cut off mid-sentence by Darcy’s fist. For such a short girl, she sure could pack a punch. It helped that a couple months of pent up anger were behind it, added to the stress of the day she’d been through. All in all, she ended up knocking Clint flat on his ass.

          He wiped at the blood trickling from his nose and looked up at her.

          Darcy squared her shoulders. “You deserved that and I’m not apologizing.”

          Clint nodded and pushed himself to his feet. “You want to finish kicking my ass here or at home?”

          Darcy sighed wearily. “Home, please.”

          They walked toward the car, where Natasha was waiting.

          Darcy cast a sideways glance at Clint. “Did I break your nose?”

          “Yeah, I think you did,” Clint said quietly.

          Darcy cracked her knuckles. “Good.”