Chapter 1
Chapter 1
As soon as Clint watched the news, he knew he needed to go to the compound. Honestly, he was surprised by how long the FBI showed up after he "tampered" with the ankle monitor. Well, tampered was putting it lightly – he was trying to break it off with any tool he could find in his shed. Yeah, sure, the next day he was technically done with his house arrest but that didn't mean that he was willing to sit on his ass in his now empty home and wait to go find out what happened to his family and how to bring them back.
When they got there, he was about ready to tell them all off if they didn't take the stupid thing off. However, given the circumstances, they seemed more than happy to end his sentence right then and there. "We need all the heroes we can get right now, Mr. Barton," one of them had even said just before they took the damn thing off.
A newly freed man, Clint got on his motorcycle and began the long drive to upstate New York. He needed answers. Answers that only a small group of people could give him. But as he drove, he wondered just how many of his friends remained after this blip.
His first thought was of Natasha. His best friend. He had no idea all those years ago when he brought her to SHIELD they would have developed the bond they had. A mutual sense of deep trust that had been tested over and over and came out stronger on the other side. Years of missions that they had nearly survived together does that to a couple of people. Natasha, his confidant. The one person he told and introduced to Laura before SHIELD got involved. The godmother to his kids. Fuck, if she was gone and he hadn't been there to help…he would never forgive himself.
And then there was Tony. The genius. The very guy who helped him fully upgrade the motorcycle he was now riding. The man who helped him design and develop his arsenal of arrows to make them more deadly and unique for whatever fight lay ahead of them. Hell, it was Tony's idea to snap the bow into a staff for close combat. The two of them had developed a deep friendship when he joined the Avengers. And the last words he had spat at him in the Raft…the cruelness of what he said. If Tony was gone and those were the last words he spoke to him, he would hate himself more than he already did.
That was a common trend, it seemed, as he thought of all his friends. Regret. Regret that he wasn't fighting alongside them when they failed. Regret that he hadn't stopped whatever it was that had cost him his family.
It took him a day to get to the compound. When he arrived, the entire comples was dark. There wasn't a soul around. Except for one – Pepper. He had entered the compound, calling for anyone when she found him. "Clint?" Pepper had greeted, coming down the stairs after hearing his voice.
Clint wasn't much of a hugger, but when Pepper ran at him with a mixture of relief and sadness on his face, he didn't stop her. She seemed like she needed this. "Pepper, where is everyone?"
"Wakanda or somewhere in space…at least, those that are left." She went on to explain this Thanos character and how he had come for something known as an Infinity stone. That was the extent of her knowledge as well as how Tony had gone into space with the spider kid and everyone else had gone to Wakanda to help Vision who had one of the stones. Any more answers he would have to sit around and wait for whoever was still standing to tell.
That time he spent waiting was agonizing. What if no one came back? What if he was the only one left? He started dialing people he knew, but not a single call went through. According to FRIDAY, all the phone lines were down from extended use. Everyone was calling their loved ones to see who was still alive. After a few hours, Clint spotted the quinjet in the distance and he finally breathed. Him and Pepper had gone to the landing pad, eager to see who was coming out as it landed. When Natasha appeared, he breathed a sigh of relief. Their eyes met and she looked just as happy to see him as he did her. They ran full speed at each other, catching each other before they barreled into one another. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you," she breathed into his shoulder as they hugged.
"Nat…what happened?"
The look in her eyes was almost enough to answer his question. "We lost."
Steve, Natasha, Bruce and Rhodey had made sure to tell him everything. Thanos. The Infinity Stones. Wakanda. Vision. All those they had lost. His breath caught in his throat when they mentioned Sam and Wanda. The kid didn't deserve that and Sam had become a good friend after the divide of the Avengers. "Tony?"
"Wasn't in Wakanda. Last we heard, he was heading into space to bring back Doctor Strange," Bruce replied.
"Doctor who?"
"Long story….basically he's a sorcerer who held one of the Infinity stones," Steve explained, "We've tried to get into contact but we haven't heard anything back from them so we don't know."
"I'm still working on trying to get a hold of Quill. He was heading to the same quadrant when we parted with him," said….was that a raccoon? Clint was looking to Natasha in confusion and the look she gave him was enough to say she was still processing that too. "What about Laura and the kids?" she asked.
He swallowed the lump in his throat, his jaw clenching as he tried not to let it show just how hard it was for him to admit that they were gone. That was enough of an answer for her. "Clint, I'm sor-"
"Where is he?"
"Clint…" Steve began.
"Where. Is He?"
"We don't know." Clint's eyes hardened as he looked at them. "He disappeared through a portal after he used the stones. He could be anywhere," Natasha explained.
"I'm keeping an eye out on any strange activity in the galaxy, but so far no luck. I'll keep looking," the raccoon replied, leaving the room. Bruce mumbled something about checking on Thor before following after him as well.
Natasha continued to stare at Clint, recognizing that look on his face. "Clint…"
Clint stood from his seat, fingers tugging on the hair on the back of his head. Natasha could read his body language that he was not at all satisfied with this answer. "We're going to do everything we can to find him and fix this. I promise…"
"How, Natasha?" She didn't flinch but she knew when he used her full name like that he wasn't happy. Not that she blamed him. "The talking raccoon just said that there hasn't been a sign of him anywhere and you don't know where he could be."
"He'll show himself again, Barton," Steve interjected, "This fight is far from over. Tyrants like him always leave a trail."
"Steve's right," Natasha added, "We'll find him. It might take some time, but we will find him. And who knows? Maybe Tony is on his way back now and can give us some clues about what his next plan might be. You just have to trust us."
Clint wanted to believe them. He really did. But after hearing what happened, he didn't know how that could be possible. This Thanos guy seemed like the kind of threat that would only be found if he wanted to be. And something told him that that wouldn't be the case this go around. Natasha could see it in Clint – the impatience. Steve recognized it almost immediately. A soldier with an itchy trigger finger. They never ended well. But they both understood why he was this way. It was the need to go do something. To try and bring his family back. The way he paced and wrung his hands together was enough to tell them what they both already knew. Natasha was almost sure they were going to have to sedate him and lock him in a room, but in Clint's head, he knew that they were only trying to help. That they wanted to help him and his family. He trusted them to do just that. After all, they were just as much his family as Laura and the kids were. He could give them a few days, right? Perhaps in a few days he'd be back on his farm and it will all have been a bad dream.
He looked between the two of them, his gaze hardened with pain. He didn't say anything as he walked to the door, his pace fast. "Where are you going?" Natasha asked. But he still didn't say anything, even as he passed Steve. They almost went after him, but when he turned towards the quarters, they breathed a small sigh of relief. "What happens if we can't find him?" Natasha asked quietly.
"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that."
TBC….