The Uncle From America

Chapter 2

New York, 48 hours earlier...

"Barton, you are expected in debrief room number 3."

The archer blinked and turned around to see Maria waiting for him on the other side of the shooting range.

"I am?" he repeated. Last news, he hadn't been convoked for anything.

"You are. Something came up and D-team is requested."

"Seriously?"

"Does it look like I'm joking?"

Clint hesitated, then shrugged.

"Nobody knows when you are. Except maybe Tasha."

Maria rolled her eyes and made a 'come on' gesture with her hand. He put down his bow, folded it in its case and followed her. After the huge mess they've left in Budapest, Delta Strike team was wisely given some time off to let them recover. That was the official reason. In truth, they were asked to lay low for a while, because the WSC was not happy with them. So that Maria of all people (wasn't she supposed to be on the Helicarrier by the way?) came for him left him perplexed. They entered the debrief room where Natasha was already waiting. Coulson wasn't there, which surprised him.

"Phil is late?" he asked, glancing at his partner. Natasha shrugged.

"I am your handler on this one." Maria interrupted and added before either could comment. "It's not a high risk mission, just an infiltration and information withdrawal. You are expected to find names of the leaders of a rising drug ring in England, the Nirvens, and forward this intel to another team who will dismantle them."

"Are you serious?" Clint blurted, annoyed. He had vaguely heard about the Nirvens from a colleague the previous month. Considering what Delta Strike team faced on their usual mission, this was way below their standards. "They're sending us on rookie missions now? Are they that scared of us being bored?"

Natasha didn't comment, but given her barely noticeable scowl, she agreed with him. Maria didn't take the bait and slid two files in their direction.

"You weren't chosen by chance," she added dryly. "Some members of this ring work in a small notary cabinet, and we were given the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the building. A man suspected to belong to the Nirvens died in a car accident recently." She turned towards Clint. "Does the name Bernard Granger ring a bell?"

The archer frowned and picked up the folder.

"Not a th-"

He paused when he opened the first page and fell on familiar blue-grey eyes staring back at him. Blue-grey eyes he hadn't seen in years.

"Then maybe you have heard about his real name." Maria went on imperturbably, in spite of Clint's uncompleted sentence and Natasha's stare of disbelief. "Meet Bernard Granger, a.k.a Barney Barton."

Present time.

"Hello Hermione, nice of you to join us."

The teenage girl stared at him abashed, and Clint took in how exhausted and lost she looked. Her parents' death must have hit her hard; she was only fourteen after all and from what he had read from SHIELD's report and her profile, she had had a good and loving life. For all his past mistakes, Barney seemed to have done right by his daughter.

When Hermione didn't move to take his hand, he dropped it and added:

"My name's Clint, which you must know by now. And sorry I didn't visit earlier, someone forgot to mention I had a niece." He sent a glare to Harrison for good measure. The notary shifted uncomfortably on his chair. "Where you hoping I'd never find out?"