A Different Call

Then All is Found

A.N. We're nearing the Endgame with this story. I probably have about four more chapters left and then once I finish I'll be taking about a month-long break before I start publishing the sequel.

Natasha's P.O.V.

"Rocket and Bruce can you two get Thor? I want the whole team together before we try to do this." The two nodded and I cleared my throat.

"Thor's not the only team member we're missing."

"Well yeah Nat, but I thought you said that Carol couldn't be here for a few days."

"She's not who I'm talking about." Everyone's eyes became locked on me. "Barton's still alive."

"But there wasn't anything at the farm when we went," Steve reminded me.

"Yeah, I know but a few years ago Okoye was saying some of her outreach groups heard rumors of some serial killer that was killing off members of various unsavory organizations and so I sent Rhodey to look into it and we're ninety-nine percent sure it's Barton."

"And you just let him do this?" Tony asked, a mixture of disbelief and anger in his voice.

I took a rough breath In and closed my eyes, "If I tried to stop him that meant that what'd he'd been doing would become a reality and I couldn't deal with that. He's always been the good one of the two of us and I just couldn't deal with him committing all these crimes."

"Well do we have any idea where he is?" Rocket asked.

I glanced at Rhodey, "Tokyo should be the next place he's heading."

Steve nodded, "So while Rocket and Bruce get Thor, Natasha and I will find and rescue Barton."

I shook my head, "I need to do this alone." Tony went to speak up, but I cut him off, "This isn't the Clint you all are used to. He won't be as trusting as you're used to, and I know all his moves in case he becomes violent."

"Alright," Steve said, "Rocket and Bruce are getting Thor, and Natasha's getting Barton. Tomorrow we start working to figure out how we're going to do all this."

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I followed the trail of bodies to find out where exactly in the city Barton was. With each corpse I passed, I got more and more nauseous, not because of the bodies themselves – I had seen plenty of those in my days – but because of what they signified. Most of them had an almost systematic yet unhinged feel to the way that there killed, and I had never known Clint to be that full of rage and anger.

My horror increased when I actually found Clint and he seemed to be a deadly game of cat and mouse with the Yakuza member. Clint never liked the deadly part of our job and usually tried to take out targets as quickly and painlessly as possible.

"You shouldn't be here," Clint said after removing his hood, not turning to face me.

"Neither should you," I replied. I tried to make my voice as steady as possible and restrained from moving towards Clint. I didn't want to somehow startle him and cause him to dart away.

Clint turned to me and I could see how hard these last five years have been on him. It took everything in me to not tear up, "I've got a job to do." Clint's tone was very dismissive, but I wasn't going to let him spiral any deeper.

"Is that what you're calling this? Killing all these people isn't going to bring your family back."

"They weren't the only ones I thought I loss."

It was then that I realized Clint really had needed me to step up all those years ago. I began to move toward Clint, hoping it wasn't too late and praying he wouldn't leave. "We found something. A chance, maybe."

Clint looked me in the eyes and sighed, "Don't."

"Don't what?" I asked. I was starting to get nervous, thinking that Clint would make some sort of rash decision.

"Don't give me hope that they could return. That you've returned."

It was at that moment that it hit me. I'm not sure if Clint thinks that I'm just a figment of his imagination or not.

"I'm sorry I couldn't give it to you sooner," I said stepping forward and resting a hand against his wet face. "I just hope you trust me enough to come back."

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"I thought you were dead," Clint said halfway through our quinjet ride back to the states. "First Laura and the kids disappear and then the Avengers are speaking on the news about how they planned to fix when happened and then it changed to how they planned to help those that were left behind, but I never saw you. It was always Steve and Rhodey and Okoye, but never you."

I hung my head, "I'm sorry I did that to you. I just got so buried in trying to find some way to fix what had happened that I never felt like TV appearances were appropriate. Fury, Hill, Hunter, Bobbie were gone and Steve and I went to the farm but all we found was Lucky and your ankle monitor and so we thought-" my voice cracked, "I'm so sorry Clint."

Clint pulled him into a hug and kissed the top of my head while rubbing comforting circles into my back, "It's okay. Now we can find a way to fix all of this together."

I looked up at him with a small smile and nodded, "Together."