August 22 : Where In The World Was Clint Barton (option 14)
Title: Where In The World Was Clint Barton (option 14)
Author: Beriaearwen
Crossover: Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Avengers (movieverse)
Characters: Clint Barton, Buffy, Dawn, rest of gang, Fury (brief)
Rating: FRT
Word Count: 2323
Disclaimer: The characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer belong to Mutant Enemy, etc. The characters of the Avengers belong to Marvel, etc. All are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: Obviously AU.
Summary: Another idea of where Clint was during the events of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”.
Where In The World Was Clint Barton (option 14)
by Beriaearwen
It was chance more than anything that he wasn't away on a mission when he got the message. In fact, he'd just gotten back and finished debrief. He was looking forward to a few weeks off to take care of the normal post-undercover check-ups. Not because he liked the check-ups but because he would have nothing pressing to worry about unless the continued existence of humanity was threatened again. But what were the chances of that?
He hung up the phone and ran through a list of what he would need to do. He definitely needed to call Hill and probably notify Coulson and Fury as well.
His life had not always been easy and many of his own choices had made it harder still. There weren't many blood family he'd kept in touch with, only two really, and he'd just been notified that one of them, his cousin Joyce was dead. The man on the phone had said it was an aneurysm, that she'd gone quickly and painlessly. But he also knew that wouldn't be any help to his cousin's daughters. He would need to go out there.
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Landing in Sunnydale, he exited the plane, making a mental note that every person in the airplane and who worked at the airport was openly showing religious symbols, most of them crosses. Entering the airport, he noted more of the same.
Driving out of the airport, he took in his surroundings and, despite the cheery, sunny, small town appearance, there was something very wrong in Sunnydale. Repairs were well-done but obvious. People sped up just a little more than necessary when passing an ally. It was subtle but it was there.
Soon enough he arrived at his cousin's house and hoped that at least Buffy would remember him. He didn't have a hotel just yet, but wasn't worried about it. He'd see how Joyce's daughters were doing and then decide if he needed to stay or not.
Knocking on the door, it was opened by an older gentleman with glasses. “May I help you?”
“Hi,” Clint greeted, reaching for a small smile. “I'm Clint Barton, Joyce's cousin.”
“Oh, yes,” the man said. “You were on our list.” He then opened the door wider and stepped aside.
Making a mental note of the action, Clint hoped he wouldn't have to stay in a hotel. He understood all too well the greeting he received. Stepping inside and seeing something in the man relax, he found himself looking to the left and spotting Joyce's girls in the living room.
Buffy was the first to look up and Clint almost cringed. This was not the Buffy he remembered. There was something more than just grief weighing on the young woman. Hopefully it would be something he could help resolve before things reached a crisis point. Seeing her trying to puzzle out who he was, he offered, “What, Buff-Buff no hugs?”
The young woman's eyes cleared as she stood. “Uncle Clint,” she greeted, walking into his arms for the offered hug.
Clint let her direct the hug, hoping his ribs would survive the tight embrace, but if it helped her, he would take the 6-8 weeks of healing.
As Buffy pulled back slightly, Dawn came forward cautiously. Offering another small smile he greeted Dawn, “Gotta say, you look much better without the diaper on your head.”
Dawn's brow drew down, partially in offense, mostly in concentration as she tracked down that particular memory, if she remembered at all. Her face cleared and she came closer as she responded, “I was four and they weren't my diapers, beside, it made an excellent deep sea diving helmet.” She then accepted her own hug, no less fierce than her older sister's.
“Sorry for the reason for meeting again,” Clint offered as the girls led him to the living room. He couldn't believe how much they had grown. If it hadn't been for the pictures Joyce would periodically send, he wouldn't have recognized them. He had a moment of panic as Dawn's eyes filled with tears and worry as Buffy clenched her jaw, her fist and shook her head.
“You're the only one who said you'd come,” Dawn replied in a small voice. “We couldn't even get a hold of Da - Hank.”
Clint had a few ideas on what he'd like to do with Hank and, this time, Joyce wasn't around to stop him. “I'm here and, since I'm on a sabbatical from work, I can stay as long as you need me.”
“Where are you staying?” Giles asked.
Before he could respond, Buffy spoke up. “The den has a pull out that's not being used. It's not the most comfortable...”
“It's fine,” Clint assured. “Now, what do you need help with?
Two days later, the day of the funeral, he was in the kitchen putting together a light breakfast of toast and tea, knowing neither girl would want to eat anything and hoping he could coax them into eating this much.
Reflecting on his time in Sunnydale so far, it didn't take him long to realized that while Dawn and Buffy were leaning on him, the others were uncomfortable with him there. They did their best to make sure everything seemed as normal as possible, but he hadn't spent his life the way he had without being very observant.
His practiced eye had noted several things about the house - the various repairs, the fact that the places he would hide weapons currently have weapons stashed there, though not the type he would expect.
Of course, the most glaringly obvious sign that things weren't as normal as they would like was the extra effort they put into ensuring he stayed inside the house after sunset despite Buffy's sneaking out. It did nothing but confirm for him that what he had heard and what he suspected was true. Sunnydale, California was demon central and, if he wasn't too far off, his cousin Buffy was what kept them in line with the others helping her.
Currently, he was waiting information from a source Fury knew nothing about. It would hopefully confirm what he suspected and give him the info he needed to break into the group's secret. He wouldn't be able to stay indefinitely, but he needed to know for himself that his cousins would be OK.
“Hey, Uncle Clint,” Buffy greeted softly as she drifted into the kitchen.
“You do know I'm not really your uncle?” he asked, hoping to draw her attention to the world around her.
She waved her hand. “Cousin, but you've always been Uncle Clint, so you're stuck with it.”
He almost winced at her flat tone. It was her normal response, but lacked all of her inflection and sass. Pushing the plate of toast forward and pouring a mug of tea, he left them in front of her.
Buffy pushed it back. “Not hungry.”
“I know,” he acknowledged softly. “But your body will thank you for it later. Just a couple of pieces.”
With a sigh, the blonde began to eat and Clint picked up his own cup of tea, knowing his own stomach wouldn't appreciate coffee this morning.
The day was no harder than he expected. It worried him that Buffy wasn't communicating at all with anyone. When they finished, he offered to stay with Buffy, but she just shook her head and looked away.
Allowing her to think he was following her direction, he followed the others back to the house, dealt with what he needed to and then changed into darker clothes. He was gearing up when his phone alerted him to a message. Opening it, he skimmed what his contact had to report about Sunnydale. His lips thins. It was worse than he thought. Clipping his quiver on his back and grabbing his bow, he slipped outside while everyone else was distracted. There was no way he was leaving Joyce's daughter out there alone with night setting in, even if what he suspected of her activities was true.
It didn't take him long to return to the cemetery and find a perch. He settled in and waited.
Sunset had been only a little while before when he spotted a tall figure approaching his young cousin. Getting his bow ready with a wood-tipped arrow, he took aim and waited. The interaction he saw didn't exactly comfort him, but at least it didn't seem to be a supernatural threat. Still, he thought replacing his arrow in his quiver and dropping to the ground. No reason to have Buffy deal with someone who didn't think enough of her to show up until now.
As he drew closer, his sharp eyes made out the details of the man's face and he knew he'd seen it before. It only took a few minutes before it clicked. This guy had a military file from World War 2. Sure it might be a look-alike grandkid or something, but Clint didn't think so. The DRI was even shadier than SHIELD.
The deliberately relaxed his body and strolled toward the couple. Sure, he knew his bow and quiver made him look anything but casual, but if the man in question was around in the 1940's, it may still be necessary.
“Uncle Clint?” Buffy greeted, looking a little uncomfortable, but mostly surprised. “What are you doing here? Is Dawn OK?”
“Dawn was fine when I left her. Willow and Tara agreed to stay at the house until we got back,” he replied eyes drifting to the man standing a bit too close to Buffy.
Finally getting the idea, Buffy introduced, “Uncle Clint, this is Angel. Angel, my uncle Clint.”
“Pleasure,” Angel said, extending a hand. “I didn't know Joyce had a brother.”
“Brother, no. Cousin, yes,” Clint corrected. “I think it might be best if we headed back to the house.” Gently moving beside his younger cousin, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder and began walking. She followed without protest.
They were halfway back to the house when Buffy finally broke the silence. “Uncle Clint, why do you have a bow?”
“Personal protection,” he replied, his eyes meeting Angel's in a challenge. “I like to be sure both me and those close to me are as safe from any sort of harm as I can make them.” The other man met his eyes and didn't look away, eventually nodding his understanding.
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
It had taken them an additional week to let him into the secrets they were hiding and then it was only because Buffy and Dawn explained everything over breakfast one morning when the others were still protesting. And wasn't that a kick in the gut to find out Buffy was a Slayer and exactly what that meant.
Of course, that week had helped a lot. After returning from the cemetery, they had found Dawn trying to convince Willow and Tara to resurrect Joyce. He had put a firm stop to that, but it had been enough to finally let her emotions break.
The next two days were horrible. There was no other word, but then things started getting better. The girls started eating again and talking more than just in response to direct questions. The pain was still there, but they were returning to functional, and that, Clint felt, was more than he thought he'd get.
But, after Buffy and Dawn spilled the beans and he pumped Giles and the others for all their information, he had realized that there were a few things he could teach them that would, hopefully, keep them alive and, maybe, help them.
Their normal tactics weren't working, so it was time to try something different.
He taught them surveillance, tailing, longbow, knives and any number of other things he could think of. Xander and Anya both had a very strong aptitude for the more delicate aspects, something no one seemed to find surprising for Xander, but everyone found surprising about Anya. But, after hearing her story, Clint realized why she was a natural, after all, she'd spent over a thousand years getting people to trust her enough to share their innermost thoughts and desires. God help the world if she and Natasha ever started exchanging tips.
It took the three additional weeks, but they finally figured out that Glory and Ben, Joyce's intern, were one and the same. A brief, very tense visit from the Watcher's Council let them know that she was vulnerable when in Ben's form. That left one very simple solution to his mind - remove Ben from the equation and Glory was no longer a threat.
That didn't sit well with any of them, but they all eventually agreed to the necessity. A conversation with Giles about the effects it might have on Buffy is she carried through and Clint slipped out of the house one night, found a perch on the path they knew Ben used and waited until he was too close to change into Glory and stop his arrow.
Ben's obituary hit the papers two days later.
Glory's minions were eliminated in the raid he organized with the kids for later the same night he'd killed Glory.
Two weeks later he had to leave, but had also made arrangements for a retired friend to come out and do a little more training with the group. They had one hell of a potential among them and he couldn't wait to see where it led.
On the flight home, he grinned to himself and tried to figure out what he would tell Natasha. One thing he was sure of, his time off had to have been more exciting than hers, especially since Cap just didn't know how to have fun.
Still, as he settled back into his seat and started going through the channel selections offered on the in-flight television. Maybe he should catch up on current new.
End
Author: Beriaearwen
Crossover: Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Avengers (movieverse)
Characters: Clint Barton, Buffy, Dawn, rest of gang, Fury (brief)
Rating: FRT
Word Count: 2323
Disclaimer: The characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer belong to Mutant Enemy, etc. The characters of the Avengers belong to Marvel, etc. All are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: Obviously AU.
Summary: Another idea of where Clint was during the events of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”.
Where In The World Was Clint Barton (option 14)
by Beriaearwen
It was chance more than anything that he wasn't away on a mission when he got the message. In fact, he'd just gotten back and finished debrief. He was looking forward to a few weeks off to take care of the normal post-undercover check-ups. Not because he liked the check-ups but because he would have nothing pressing to worry about unless the continued existence of humanity was threatened again. But what were the chances of that?
He hung up the phone and ran through a list of what he would need to do. He definitely needed to call Hill and probably notify Coulson and Fury as well.
His life had not always been easy and many of his own choices had made it harder still. There weren't many blood family he'd kept in touch with, only two really, and he'd just been notified that one of them, his cousin Joyce was dead. The man on the phone had said it was an aneurysm, that she'd gone quickly and painlessly. But he also knew that wouldn't be any help to his cousin's daughters. He would need to go out there.
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Landing in Sunnydale, he exited the plane, making a mental note that every person in the airplane and who worked at the airport was openly showing religious symbols, most of them crosses. Entering the airport, he noted more of the same.
Driving out of the airport, he took in his surroundings and, despite the cheery, sunny, small town appearance, there was something very wrong in Sunnydale. Repairs were well-done but obvious. People sped up just a little more than necessary when passing an ally. It was subtle but it was there.
Soon enough he arrived at his cousin's house and hoped that at least Buffy would remember him. He didn't have a hotel just yet, but wasn't worried about it. He'd see how Joyce's daughters were doing and then decide if he needed to stay or not.
Knocking on the door, it was opened by an older gentleman with glasses. “May I help you?”
“Hi,” Clint greeted, reaching for a small smile. “I'm Clint Barton, Joyce's cousin.”
“Oh, yes,” the man said. “You were on our list.” He then opened the door wider and stepped aside.
Making a mental note of the action, Clint hoped he wouldn't have to stay in a hotel. He understood all too well the greeting he received. Stepping inside and seeing something in the man relax, he found himself looking to the left and spotting Joyce's girls in the living room.
Buffy was the first to look up and Clint almost cringed. This was not the Buffy he remembered. There was something more than just grief weighing on the young woman. Hopefully it would be something he could help resolve before things reached a crisis point. Seeing her trying to puzzle out who he was, he offered, “What, Buff-Buff no hugs?”
The young woman's eyes cleared as she stood. “Uncle Clint,” she greeted, walking into his arms for the offered hug.
Clint let her direct the hug, hoping his ribs would survive the tight embrace, but if it helped her, he would take the 6-8 weeks of healing.
As Buffy pulled back slightly, Dawn came forward cautiously. Offering another small smile he greeted Dawn, “Gotta say, you look much better without the diaper on your head.”
Dawn's brow drew down, partially in offense, mostly in concentration as she tracked down that particular memory, if she remembered at all. Her face cleared and she came closer as she responded, “I was four and they weren't my diapers, beside, it made an excellent deep sea diving helmet.” She then accepted her own hug, no less fierce than her older sister's.
“Sorry for the reason for meeting again,” Clint offered as the girls led him to the living room. He couldn't believe how much they had grown. If it hadn't been for the pictures Joyce would periodically send, he wouldn't have recognized them. He had a moment of panic as Dawn's eyes filled with tears and worry as Buffy clenched her jaw, her fist and shook her head.
“You're the only one who said you'd come,” Dawn replied in a small voice. “We couldn't even get a hold of Da - Hank.”
Clint had a few ideas on what he'd like to do with Hank and, this time, Joyce wasn't around to stop him. “I'm here and, since I'm on a sabbatical from work, I can stay as long as you need me.”
“Where are you staying?” Giles asked.
Before he could respond, Buffy spoke up. “The den has a pull out that's not being used. It's not the most comfortable...”
“It's fine,” Clint assured. “Now, what do you need help with?
Two days later, the day of the funeral, he was in the kitchen putting together a light breakfast of toast and tea, knowing neither girl would want to eat anything and hoping he could coax them into eating this much.
Reflecting on his time in Sunnydale so far, it didn't take him long to realized that while Dawn and Buffy were leaning on him, the others were uncomfortable with him there. They did their best to make sure everything seemed as normal as possible, but he hadn't spent his life the way he had without being very observant.
His practiced eye had noted several things about the house - the various repairs, the fact that the places he would hide weapons currently have weapons stashed there, though not the type he would expect.
Of course, the most glaringly obvious sign that things weren't as normal as they would like was the extra effort they put into ensuring he stayed inside the house after sunset despite Buffy's sneaking out. It did nothing but confirm for him that what he had heard and what he suspected was true. Sunnydale, California was demon central and, if he wasn't too far off, his cousin Buffy was what kept them in line with the others helping her.
Currently, he was waiting information from a source Fury knew nothing about. It would hopefully confirm what he suspected and give him the info he needed to break into the group's secret. He wouldn't be able to stay indefinitely, but he needed to know for himself that his cousins would be OK.
“Hey, Uncle Clint,” Buffy greeted softly as she drifted into the kitchen.
“You do know I'm not really your uncle?” he asked, hoping to draw her attention to the world around her.
She waved her hand. “Cousin, but you've always been Uncle Clint, so you're stuck with it.”
He almost winced at her flat tone. It was her normal response, but lacked all of her inflection and sass. Pushing the plate of toast forward and pouring a mug of tea, he left them in front of her.
Buffy pushed it back. “Not hungry.”
“I know,” he acknowledged softly. “But your body will thank you for it later. Just a couple of pieces.”
With a sigh, the blonde began to eat and Clint picked up his own cup of tea, knowing his own stomach wouldn't appreciate coffee this morning.
The day was no harder than he expected. It worried him that Buffy wasn't communicating at all with anyone. When they finished, he offered to stay with Buffy, but she just shook her head and looked away.
Allowing her to think he was following her direction, he followed the others back to the house, dealt with what he needed to and then changed into darker clothes. He was gearing up when his phone alerted him to a message. Opening it, he skimmed what his contact had to report about Sunnydale. His lips thins. It was worse than he thought. Clipping his quiver on his back and grabbing his bow, he slipped outside while everyone else was distracted. There was no way he was leaving Joyce's daughter out there alone with night setting in, even if what he suspected of her activities was true.
It didn't take him long to return to the cemetery and find a perch. He settled in and waited.
Sunset had been only a little while before when he spotted a tall figure approaching his young cousin. Getting his bow ready with a wood-tipped arrow, he took aim and waited. The interaction he saw didn't exactly comfort him, but at least it didn't seem to be a supernatural threat. Still, he thought replacing his arrow in his quiver and dropping to the ground. No reason to have Buffy deal with someone who didn't think enough of her to show up until now.
As he drew closer, his sharp eyes made out the details of the man's face and he knew he'd seen it before. It only took a few minutes before it clicked. This guy had a military file from World War 2. Sure it might be a look-alike grandkid or something, but Clint didn't think so. The DRI was even shadier than SHIELD.
The deliberately relaxed his body and strolled toward the couple. Sure, he knew his bow and quiver made him look anything but casual, but if the man in question was around in the 1940's, it may still be necessary.
“Uncle Clint?” Buffy greeted, looking a little uncomfortable, but mostly surprised. “What are you doing here? Is Dawn OK?”
“Dawn was fine when I left her. Willow and Tara agreed to stay at the house until we got back,” he replied eyes drifting to the man standing a bit too close to Buffy.
Finally getting the idea, Buffy introduced, “Uncle Clint, this is Angel. Angel, my uncle Clint.”
“Pleasure,” Angel said, extending a hand. “I didn't know Joyce had a brother.”
“Brother, no. Cousin, yes,” Clint corrected. “I think it might be best if we headed back to the house.” Gently moving beside his younger cousin, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder and began walking. She followed without protest.
They were halfway back to the house when Buffy finally broke the silence. “Uncle Clint, why do you have a bow?”
“Personal protection,” he replied, his eyes meeting Angel's in a challenge. “I like to be sure both me and those close to me are as safe from any sort of harm as I can make them.” The other man met his eyes and didn't look away, eventually nodding his understanding.
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
It had taken them an additional week to let him into the secrets they were hiding and then it was only because Buffy and Dawn explained everything over breakfast one morning when the others were still protesting. And wasn't that a kick in the gut to find out Buffy was a Slayer and exactly what that meant.
Of course, that week had helped a lot. After returning from the cemetery, they had found Dawn trying to convince Willow and Tara to resurrect Joyce. He had put a firm stop to that, but it had been enough to finally let her emotions break.
The next two days were horrible. There was no other word, but then things started getting better. The girls started eating again and talking more than just in response to direct questions. The pain was still there, but they were returning to functional, and that, Clint felt, was more than he thought he'd get.
But, after Buffy and Dawn spilled the beans and he pumped Giles and the others for all their information, he had realized that there were a few things he could teach them that would, hopefully, keep them alive and, maybe, help them.
Their normal tactics weren't working, so it was time to try something different.
He taught them surveillance, tailing, longbow, knives and any number of other things he could think of. Xander and Anya both had a very strong aptitude for the more delicate aspects, something no one seemed to find surprising for Xander, but everyone found surprising about Anya. But, after hearing her story, Clint realized why she was a natural, after all, she'd spent over a thousand years getting people to trust her enough to share their innermost thoughts and desires. God help the world if she and Natasha ever started exchanging tips.
It took the three additional weeks, but they finally figured out that Glory and Ben, Joyce's intern, were one and the same. A brief, very tense visit from the Watcher's Council let them know that she was vulnerable when in Ben's form. That left one very simple solution to his mind - remove Ben from the equation and Glory was no longer a threat.
That didn't sit well with any of them, but they all eventually agreed to the necessity. A conversation with Giles about the effects it might have on Buffy is she carried through and Clint slipped out of the house one night, found a perch on the path they knew Ben used and waited until he was too close to change into Glory and stop his arrow.
Ben's obituary hit the papers two days later.
Glory's minions were eliminated in the raid he organized with the kids for later the same night he'd killed Glory.
Two weeks later he had to leave, but had also made arrangements for a retired friend to come out and do a little more training with the group. They had one hell of a potential among them and he couldn't wait to see where it led.
On the flight home, he grinned to himself and tried to figure out what he would tell Natasha. One thing he was sure of, his time off had to have been more exciting than hers, especially since Cap just didn't know how to have fun.
Still, as he settled back into his seat and started going through the channel selections offered on the in-flight television. Maybe he should catch up on current new.
End