Email Log: Family Reunion (Clint & Tasha go to see his older brother.)

[kick_ass_curls]

Tasha: * bored because national holiday means no catastrophes*

Clint: *is sitting beside her, glad they didn't have anyone to fight.*

Tasha: Aren't you bored?

Clint: Out of my mind, actually. What do you want to do?

Tasha: No idea. Any loose end need tying up?

Clint: Only my brother. *someone she hasn't met*

Tasha: *blinks* What do you mean by that?

Clint: He's still around.

Tasha: *narrow eyes, may not have met him but she's heard stories* Why?

Clint: Something to do.

Tasha: *nods* If you're up for it I'm up for it.

Clint: As up for it as I can be.

Tasha: What are we going to do when we find him? *that's up to Clint, not her. She'll be his backup today*

Clint: I don't know yet.

Tasha: *and now she shows him how much she trusts him* Good enough for me.

Clint: I doubt you'll like him.

Tasha: I don't like a lot of people. That's never stopped me from following you when you need me.

Clint: Yeah, I know.

Tasha: Then lets go, get some of your past put to rest finally.

Clint: I don't know if it will be put to rest but we can try.

Tasha: *sighs* When did you become the kind of man who was satisfied with just trying?

Clint: Who said I was?

Tasha: You just did. Time was you'd tell me we're addressing this situation and that was the end of it. No try about it.

Clint: He is my brother.
Tasha: *closes her eyes* I know that, Clint, but I'm curious what exactly this trip is going to be all about. Am I gonna need my guns or an apple pie?

Clint: Might need your guns. Maybe.

Tasha: *nods* Bringing your bow? *now she's going to start packing the car with gear*

Clint: You know that I am.

Tasha: Good. *tosses him the car keys because he would know the way* Road trip.

Clint: * takes the keys and gets them out on the road*

Tasha: *no joke about a road trip? Now she's getting worried.*

Clint: * its quiet the whole way there. No set destination just yet.*

Tasha: *she's going to play with the stereo, then. Clint has WAY too many hair bands on his MP3 player, by the way.*

Clint: *So what if he does. He enjoys it. Helps him think... sort of.*

Tasha: *she'll deal with it, she even likes it because it makes him more calm, somehow.*

Clint: *is humming along as he drives. Its a long drive and he isn't sure what he'll do when he sees Barney*

Tasha: *humming really?* What're you thinking about? *oh so casual*

Clint: Hmm? Just what I'm going to do when I him.

Tasha: Any ideas?

Clint: Not really. We're almost there.

Tasha: *exhales sharply* You ready for this?

Clint: As ready as I will ever be.

Tasha: *leans over and kisses his cheek* I'm here. Just say the word and I'll do whatever you need me to. *no matter what it is*

Clint: Just make sure I don't kill him.

Tasha: *gets out of the car and puts her guns under her jacket* Do I have permission to shoot you, Agent Barton?

Clint: You have permission if it comes to that.

Tasha: *swallows* Don't let it come to that, Clint. You know as well as I do it's not worth it.

Clint: I'll try not to. Can't guarantee anything though.

Tasha: I'll aim for your foot then. *deadpan*

Clint: *raises a brow* No aiming for my foot, Tasha. *that won't stop him from shooting a bow*

Tasha: *Duh, like she'd take out his ability to use his bow for a long time. no way.* You seriously think this will get that intense?

Clint: This is my big brother we're talking about. I honestly have no clue how intense it will get.

Tasha: *nods, steps aside so he can get his bow* At least I brought grenades. *dryly*

Clint: *reaches in grabbing his bow before raising a brow* Grenades might be a bit excessive.

Tasha: *shrugs* In my experience there's no such thing as excessive with you.

Clint: *laughs* Is that so? Come on. Lets get this over with. *before he lost his nerve*

Tasha: *smirks* It is so. *nods, follows his lead, guns ready in case this goes south*

Clint: *shakes his head, moving to head inside stopping short at the older man and a few others. The older one probably looking a bit older than the archer.*

Tasha: *doesn't do anything, waiting for Clint to make a move to determine her course of action*

Clint: *isn't actually making a move. For the moment he's just kind of... standing there.*

Tasha : *nudges Clint's foot with her own, never taking her eyes off the other man or the people with him*

Clint: Maybe this was a bad idea. *he turns to go but Barney stops him. Damnit...*

Tasha: *So hard not to pull both guns out, but she manages to watch, and wait and listen*

Clint: *oh things get heated alright. Who knows what they're saying though*

Tasha: *she's pacing. Not that she expects Clint to be paying attention to her at all. She's paying VERY close attention to him. The second it gets beyond shouting her guns will be out*

Clint: *No, he isn't paying attention to her but a few of Barney's guys are. One of them being very weary about his girl being there. That argument, however, is a bit more heated as well. One of them might be throwing punches there's just no telling which one.*

Tasha: *that's all it takes for both guns to come out and her to yell.* STOP IT! *the Russian accent is in full form, of course. Now that she and Clint are...them separating a mission from a personal matter is that much harder*

Clint: *stops and turns toward her or would if guns weren't on her. Which has his bow on his brother's boys or whoever they thought they were. Which leaves him open to his brother's own arrow really. Not really a good combo here.*

Tasha: You boys really need lessons on a proper family reunion. *her eyes narrow, but she doesn't move her guns a millimeter. There's a quick glance to Clint. Bet he's happy she brought those grenades now, if it comes to that.*

Clint: *no, not really. Grenades will not be used or needed. Though her words have him shaking his head. Everyone has a weapon on everyone now. Maybe he shouldn't of even brought her out here but coming alone would've been hell too*

Tasha: *She can tell by the look on his face he doesn't want her pushing it. Fine, this is his 'mission' not her's. She doesn't move, her weapons still on the opposition. They've got a good old Mexican Standoff going on here*

Clint: We're just going to go and pretend I was never here. *if he doesn't do something someone's liable to get hurt. Though he does grit his teeth and sorry but that bow goes off, shooting his brother in the upper thigh the moment Barney mentions something about little brother running back to Trickshot.*

Tasha: *it's at that point she does something really stupid. She bridges the distance between her and Clint in a second, blocking him from any harm with her own body, her guns still raised in front of her.* This doesn't have to get any messier. *she know damn well Clint's got better control than that. That shot flew on purpose*

Clint: *Of course it flew on purpose. Just like he's already notched another arrow and it's still pointing at Barney. However, all Natasha is doing is amusing the older Barton brother.*

Tasha: What? *she really didn't think when she blocked Clint with her own body. It was a reaction, instinct and she's not going to back down now* You think he can't shoot around me?

Clint: *that amusement in Barney's eyes just seem to intensify. His own arrow goes off, goes around her and straight into little brother's shoulder almost causing Clint to drop the notched arrow. He shouldn't be holding it in position. But now one Barton had an arrow in his leg and the other in his shoulder. They should really, really REALLY go like Clint suggested*

Tasha: *No...Tasha's going to do what she said she'd do before. Shoot Barton in the foot. Not Clint though but his asshole brother. The arrow that whizzed by her head? Didn't faze her in the least.*

Clint: *grabs a hold of Tasha's arm* Lets just go.

Tasha: *has a feeling they just kicked open a HUGE hornets nest, but she backs away, her guns still raised*

Clint: *is pretty sure they did too. Luckily, however, Barney lets them walk away. Oh, he's got other plans for his little brother but that would come at a later date and probably by someone else the younger Barton knew when they were younger.*

Tasha: *see and that will make her regret not killing everyone there today, isn't it? She's going to have to drive them back home now, right?*

Clint: *maybe... Though main priority is getting the arrow out of his shoulder. Which he's liable to do the way he's always done. Break the arrow and push it through. Only problem is... his brother's arrows are like his own and not easily breakable. Lets hope Barney didn't hit anything vital or Clint won't be using a bow for a while.*

Tasha: *driving, and as if she just knows what Clint is contemplating* Do NOT touch that arrow, Barton. *it's harsh but her voice is shaking, clearly worried about him.* Do you know anyone around here who can look at that?

Clint: *raises a brow, cracking a smile* Would I do that? *knowing him, he probably would* Yeah... there is. A city down from where we are.

Tasha: *Oh, and she knows him* Tell me how to get there. *She doesn't want to look at him, bleeding like that with an arrow in him that his own flesh and blood put there and Natasha has no idea WHY it happened*

Clint: *for a moment he doesn't say a word. Though he eventually gives her the directions she needs. It lands them right outside of a circus though. A place he thought he'd never step foot in again. Though it sure as hell wasn't to see Trick Shot or the Swordsman. That was for damn sure.*

Tasha: *well, this just got interesting* Thought you said you'd never come back here even if it killed you?

Clint: *grits his teeth because yeah... his shoulder is starting to kill him.* Yeah well... I lied. This was the closest and hopefully she's still around or we're screwed. *well, he was at the very least*

Tasha: Who? *times like this she wishes she'd packed vodka. she moves around to the other side of the car to help him out*

Clint: Teena. *Fat Teena but he's not seen her since being in the circus. However, she's the only one out of all of the criminals that he knows would help.*

Tasha: *Just nods, being very careful of that arrow still stuck in him* Where would she be? *so lost it's not even funny, it's not like Clint's ever given her details about his past, but lots and lots of vague stories*

Clint: *doesn't actually give her directions. After getting out of the car he takes her hand with his and maneuvers her through the different tents, body tensing not that he even notices.*

Tasha: *she notices, and there's not been a time she's seen him this tense since the mess with Loki. She doesn't say a word just letting him lead her where they need to go, squeezing his hand when she feels or sees him tense up*

Clint: *the further back they go the more tense he gets. Teena's tent was always close to Trick Shot's.*

Tasha: *She can feel his pulse in his wrist, which is unlike him. He's usually calm as can be even staring death in the face* Who's Teena? *oh so casual*

Clint: Fat Teena is just one of the circus performers. *his tenseness has absolutely nothing to do with her though. It has to do with who her tent was close to.* Her tent is close to Trick Shot's. So we'll just avoid his tent.

Tasha: *wraps her arm around his undamaged arm, trying to get him to calm down. Of course asking this won't help* Why are we avoiding him?

Clint: *she startles him a bit but it doesn't actually show this time.* Because he's my mentor and we're going to leave it at that. *It wasn't Trick Shot that said he'd kill the young archer upon seeing him again. It was the Swordsman that did.*

Tasha: *slow, even nod* Got it. *not pushing, not when he's got a giant bloody arrow sticking out of him.*

Clint: Quiet as mice. *it's said with a half smirk because he's trying to take his mind off the pain* Two tents down. Just walk inside.

Tasha: *she can do quiet to perfection. She's wondering WHY they're doing that, though. Isn't this Teena supposed to help him?*

Clint: *They're not hiding from Teena though. He just takes her two tents down and into it. He doesn't say anything but there is a decent sized woman not that far from them but her back is toward them.*

Tasha: *doesn't make a sound, just like Clint asked*

Clint: *stays quiet for the longest time before clearing his throat, Teena turning on them in a heartbeat narrowing those eyes until she sees Clint and then there's a smile. Except where she looks toward Tasha for an explanation of what the hell happened. Yeah... we're not so sure she's happy. Happy to see him, yes. Happy there's an arrow in him, no.*

Tasha: *doesn't care how the other woman looks, she pulls Clint to the nearest chair and pushing him to get him to sit down. She's not going to explain further than saying* We can't go to a hospital.

Clint: *glares but eventually sits down and leans back. Except that Tasha doesn't have to explain anything. Because the next words out of that woman's mouth are 'If I see Bernard Barton again...' We're sure that doesn't sound good. Though she does move to start helping with the arrow in his shoulder*

Tasha: *looks confused for half a second. This woman obviously has known Clint for a lot longer than she has, and that means they should trust her. Tasha knows Clint BETTER though, she's sure of it. That gives her right to tell Teena this as she steps back to let the other woman help Clint.* Get in line.

Clint: *doesn't say a word and closes his eyes as Teena works. Though she ignores Tasha's whole 'get in line'. There's a slight grunt of pain out of the archer and he closes his eyes a bit harder, hands gripping the chair.*

Tasha: *she didn't expect a reaction. Natasha isn't used to people disagreeing with her wanting to do something. She winces when Clint closes his eyes, reaching her hand out to his because she's probably more comforting than a chair.*

Clint: *starts slightly when his hand is taken and he opens his eyes, looking toward her giving a faint smile* So what do you want to do after this?

Tasha: *squeezes his hand, leans down to kiss his forehead, doesn't say anything*

Clint: *Oh, he's noticed that she hasn't said a word and just... Teena shakes her head, those eyes on Tasha. There's something about taking care of her boy before getting the arrow out which gets a cry of pain out of the archer. Then again there's something out of Teena to him about being through worse before she wraps his shoulder.*

Tasha: *She's processing, this is a lot to absorb and she has so many question for Clint but she can't ask when someone else is around, so she just stays near him, trying her best to ignore Teena looking at her. It's not easy but there's more important things for her to worry about now*

Clint: *Once she's patched him up she sends them on their way, letting Clint know that the Swordsman and Trick Shot weren't around right now, so he could get anything he needed before going. Not that she thought he needed anything from anything there in the circus*

Tasha: *it takes her a few minutes to work up the guts to ask* What went wrong back there, Clint?

Clint: *shakes his head looking toward her* What do you mean? *with Teena or his brother?*

Tasha: *nods to his shoulder* You told me you and your brother don't get along but that was... *she leaves the last part unsaid. Clint can take a hint*

Clint: *he gives a shrug with his good shoulder* I'm not too sure what that was back there.

Tasha: Do you think we should find out? *simply*

Clint: No, we shouldn't. We're going to just leave it alone. *he doesn't want to find out. He just wants to go home.*

Tasha: Do I have to remind you this was your idea in the first place?

Clint: *he doesn't say anything at first* I know good and well whose idea it was. However, I didn't think it'd end up like that.

Tasha: *softly* How did you think it was going to end?

Clint: *grits his teeth* I can't really say. I haven't seen my brother since he abandoned me, Natasha.

Tasha: *closes her eyes* We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to but I don't think this is over, Clint.

Clint: It is over. We're not coming back here and Barney isn't going to come after us.

Tasha: How can you be sure?

Clint: I can't be but I'm not going to bother thinking about it. Which means you should put it out of your mind too.

Tasha: *does he know her at all?* Alright. *lying!*

Clint: *he knows her well enough and knows she's lying too* No more of that. Let's just go home.

Tasha: *nods, pulls him towards the car, not saying a word*

Clint: *slips into the car and lays back a bit* We're not telling Fury.

Tasha: *nods* He keeps plenty of secrets from us.

Clint: So if he asks what happened what do we say? *they needed to get their stories straight*

Tasha: *thinks a moment* My fault. You were trying to teach me to use a bow again and I...slipped. *looks at him seriously because they both know Fury would buy that. Tasha SUCKS at archery*

Clint:: *he can't help but give a slight chuckle* You sure he's going to believe that?

Tasha: *smirks* You've seen my try and shoot a bow before.

Clint:: *laughs but it hurts a bit* Yeah, I've seen you try and shoot a bow. You don't suck as much as you think.

Tasha: *frowns when she notices that laughing hurts him.* Do you have a better suggestion that won't lead to a ton of follow up questions we don't have answers to?

Clint:: *he shakes his head* How do we explain you shooting me though? I mean I'd have to be down by the target first.

Tasha: You pissed me off teasing me about being a terrible shot. *shrugs* People want to shoot you all the time, Clint.

Clint: *swallows hard and shuts his eyes* I'm not sure he'd believe that I pissed you off.

Tasha: *stops the car so she can pay full attention to him* Why can't we tell Fury the truth?

Clint: *grits his teeth* No. He is NOT going to know anything about my brother. Barney isn't even in my file. He's not going to be put in my file nor is anyone going after him.

Tasha: *reaches out to his face after moving rather ungracefully around the car so she can be near him.* Alright. Just you and me. *cups his face in her hands, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips before whispering* Just us, just like always baby, I promise.

Clint:*he kisses her back softly, smiles* I like the sound of that. Just us. *always just them*

Tasha: Me, too. *moves herself closer so she's sitting on his lap. His shoulders hurt, after all.* We could not go back there. *leans in for another gentle kiss* Not go back to SHIELD.

Clint:: *there's a bit of a smile there and he wraps his uninjured arm around her* Where would we go, Tasha? Iowa?

Tasha: *she hadn't thought that far ahead, all she knows is he's in trouble and she NEEDS to make that stop* Does it matter?

Clint: It does matter, Tasha. I won't go running around again. Did enough of that in the circus.

Tasha: : *frowns* What do you want to do? This is your...*almost says mission but...* life, not mine.

Clint: *that gets a slight scowl out of him* It would be our life, Natasha. Not just mine.

Tasha: : *sighs* Your past is the reason this happened. That means you get to choose what we do. Whatever it is, I'll be with you.

Clint: *closes his eyes and shakes his head* If we do that we'd be going back to Waverly, Iowa. Or somewhere off the grid.

Tasha: : *nods* How many days do you think can go by before Fury notices we haven't checked in? *trying to buy them some thinking time*

Clint: Well... he'd probably think we were out on a mission or on down time. So he might not notice for a bit.

Tasha: : *more nodding* We have time to figure out what to tell him then.

Clint: I'm sure we'll have more than enough time. We should go.

Tasha: : *softly* Home?

Clint: Where is home though?

Tasha: : *smiles softly* Wherever you are, I'm home.

Clint: Then maybe back to Iowa then. For now anyway. Later somewhere else.

Tasha: : *slips off his lap and back into the drivers seat* Just tell me what road we need to take.

Clint: *leans in his seat after the door is shut* I'll let you know when we get close.

Tasha: : *nervous nodding but starts driving again*

Clint: Though if you want you can just drive until we hit a destination. I don't care.

Tasha: : Hotel. Someplace off the grid. *she's tired and she would bet he is, too*

Clint: Sounds good to me. *he's more than tired. He's in pain and that's not going to go away right off the bat. They both know that.*

Tasha: : *she'll get him painkillers, or booze. Whatever he wants. Eventually she finds a little hotel that looks mostly vacant* Home sweet home. *dryly*

Clint: *a little bit of both? When they do get there he gets out and gives her a smile* Come on. Lets head inside and see what it looks like.

Tasha: : *frowns* Does it matter what it looks like?

Clint: I just didn't want us to be somewhere that wasn't worth our stay.

Tasha: *smiles, unlocks the door* We've stayed in worse places when we needed to, Clint.

Clint: *gives a small smile* Yeah, I know. *he comes up behind her as the door is opened, it doesn't look so bad. Not yet at any rate.*

Tasha: *NOT thinking about Budapest. OK, lies. She is.* Will it work? We can go someplace else if you want. *she's pandering to anything he wants. The guy DID get shot with an arrow today after all*

Clint: *for a moment he rests his chin on her shoulder. Hey... at least unlike Budapest there's no war to deal with. That's a plus. Right? *It works.

Tasha: *few things make her blush, but Budapest is one of them, she closes her eyes and turns her head to kiss his cheek* You should lay down and get some rest. *she won't be sleeping, she's going to keep lookout just in case they were followed*

Clint: *moves over to the bed* I'll lay down but I'm not going to rest. *he was in too much pain to do that*

Tasha: *she's busy staring out the window* So you're just going to lay there all night?

Clint: : Pretty much. Pain's not going to really let me rest. *sleep... whatever it is.*

Tasha: *rummages around in her bag for something for the pain* I should get some rest. *tosses the bottle at him*

Clint: *catches the bottle and ignores the wince of pain before sitting up and taking some out of the bottle, downing them dry before setting the bottle aside and laying back, shutting his eyes.*

Tasha: *sits on the edge of the bed, though her eyes dart to the window every 5 seconds or so* Do you need anything?

Clint: *He's silent for the longest time* For you to lay down.

Tasha: *doesn't say anything, her eyes stay on the window for one last moment before she lays down, rolling herself as close to him as she can without hurting his shoulder*

Clint: : *relaxes the moment she lays down beside him, arm wrapping around her. Making sure that it wasn't his injured arm.*

Tasha: *watches him for several minutes before asking cautiously* Are you alright? *she brushes her fingers along his temple to let him know she doesn't mean his shoulder*

Clint: *there's an almost sad smile there and he gives a slight shrug* I don't honestly know, Tasha. I think this is the biggest mistake I've ever made in my whole life.

Tasha: *swallows hard, still running her fingertips over his face gently* Why did you want to come out here in the first place? What did you want to happen?

Clint: Does it really matter? I made a mistake that will never happen again. * he had wanted her to meet the only family he has. Never again*

Tasha: *torn between pushing and not, goes for the former* Clint. Come on, talk to me. What the hell made you want to go see your brother after all this time when you knew he could react like that?

Clint: That's just it, Tasha. I didn't know how he'd react. *he's quiet and he shakes his head* I should've known that there wasn't family you could meet.

Tasha: *blinks, finally understanding his motivations. all she can think of to say is.* I'm sorry.

Clint: *he gives a half smile* Don't be. It was my mistake not yours.

Tasha: I shouldn't have let you go. I should have, *she swallows guiltily* asked, then I would have known this was a bad idea.

Clint: Stop, Natasha. *he pulls her closer to him, kissing her shoulder* You have no reason to be sorry.

Tasha: *clamps her mouth shut, resisting the urge to say she's sorry again. She's finally allowing those tears she's been holding back to make her eyes sparkle *

Clint: *just pulls her closer, kissing along her shoulder*

Tasha: *him not saying or doing anything different makes her break. she won't let him see her cry so she'll be hiding her face against him now*

Clint: *just holds her as close as possible and closes his eyes, trying his best to relax*

Tasha: *she's crying, not making a sound for a long time, clinging to him like her life depends on it. It sort of does*

Clint: *he has her, he's not letting go. Whether he's in pain or not. She means more right now*

Tasha: *she knows, and she won't let him go, either. She does pull back a bit after a long while* Whatever you decide to do, no matter how...*she swallows* Bad it gets, I'm here. If you need to do something terrible, I'll be right by your side doing it too.

Clint: If I do something terrible, Tasha, I won't want you right there getting in trouble too. *That would be the last thing that he'd want to happen.

Tasha: *very seriously* If I can't be there with you when you're at your worst, then what the hell is the point of being here with you at all?

Clint: I honestly don't know. I just know that I don't want you hurt because of something I've done or something I've caused.

Tasha: *closes her eyes* Clint Barton, you are the biggest idiot on the planet sometimes. *looks at him firmly* I want to be there with you. I know the risks, and I don't care. I can't let you do this alone.

Clint: And you mean everything to me, Natasha Romanoff. *shakes his head, kisses her temple* I couldn't live with myself if something ever happened to you.

Tasha: *turns so she can kiss his lips* You think I don't feel the same way about you? I know the risks, and you are worth it. You always have been.

Clint: *kisses her back, fingers threading through her hair* You're worth it too, Tasha. Always will be.

Tasha: *softly* Then let me help you. Promise me you will let me help you...always.

Clint: *there's a slight sigh out of him and he kisses her softly* I promise, Tasha.

Tasha: *still kissing back* Thank you. I won't let you down.

Clint: Don't say that. *its soft even as he kisses her a bit harder* You're here with me and for me. That's all that matters.

Tasha: I know. *she not even thinking as the words fall out of her mouth between kisses* Marry me?

Clint: *for a moment Clint isn't sure what to say or do before he gives a laugh, kissing her* Gladly, Tasha. Though isn't it meant to be the other way around?

Tasha: Since when do we do anything the way it's supposed to be done. *smiles, keeps kissing him* Vegas. *a soft chuckle* Let's go to Vegas in the morning.

Clint: That's very true. *kisses her a bit harder, smiles and it lights up those eyes* Vegas sounds like the best plan ever.

Tasha: *She's been waiting too damned long for him to smile like that and mean it again* Love you. *hey, she doesn't say it much but it's kinda the thing to say right now*

Clint:*nips her bottom lip, smiles more* I love you too, Tasha. *he means it too. He does love her. More than anything in the world.*