Time to go

Need

Kate's finger shook as she hastily opened the door, half of her was terrified what she learn if she opened this door to a complete stranger.

Not a complete stranger. She reminded herself. Clint's brother. That he never mentioned. For all she knew this guy could just be some random agent that was trying to get information about shield or the young avengers out of her.

But when she opened the door she instantly knew none of that could be true, because standing in front of her was Clint.

"Clint?" She couldn't help but ask, it had been so long since she had seen that stupid face.

The man at the door just smiled slightly. "My name is Barney, we spoke on the phone, you gave me this address."

Kate nodded and looked the man over again, after he spoke it seemed glaringly obvious that Barney wasn't Clint. Sure they looked very, very similar but it just wasn't the same. Barney was older, his smile didn't make his eyes scrunch up like Clint's used to, his hair had a slightly more red tinge than Clint's, his lips were longer, this teeth a bit straighter.

Kate smiled, but it was a bit forced. "Come in. I'm sorry,it's just you looked so much like Clint at first glance....."

"Yah, I understand." Barney stepped inside. "Don't feel bad, at least you didn't chase me through Central Park, tackle me and knock me out because you thought I was my little brother."

Kate cringed. "Let me guess. Natasha? The tiny, scary, Russian one?"

He nodded. "The one and only, and my god are you right about the scary part. I mean, it was like having the world's most dangerous feline on your tail."

Kate smiled again, at least his humour was just like Clint's. "Do you want something to drink? I've got basically everything."

"No thanks, I feel like maybe we should just sit down and get to brass tacks." Barney sat down on the couch and instantly sunk in an inch.

Kate sat down across from him and smiled her business smile. "Alright, brass tacks. What are the brass tacks?"

"Clint..." Barney ran a hand through his hair. "How do I say this?"

"He's dead? I know already, a few years ago the avengers phoned and told me,kinda." Kate's smile fell quite a bit.

"No, Clint isn't dead. He's alive, he faked his death."

Barney's words rung through the apartment like a gunshot, making Kate almost fall out of her chair.

Clint, her Clint was alive.

She could feel the tears beginning to well up and stream down her face and she was also vaguely aware of Barney wrapping a comforting arm around her, but none of it mattered.

Her Clint was alive and he had never came home to her. She understood that he never felt like he belonged with the avengers, and he had to lay low for a bit so no one found him, but he could've came back home after a few months. He could've at least told her what was happening, that he was alright. He could've said that he was done with this life and never wanted to see her again, but at least she would've know he was okay. At least she wouldn't have mourned him for over two years.

"Why?" Kate coughed out. "Why did he never come home?"

Barney closed his eyes, "I don't know. When we were little Clint was convinced that he was the bringer of bad luck and death, I guess he never gave up on that thought. He didn't want to see anymore of his friends hurt."

"So he just fakes his death? Doesn't he know that people love him, that he is like their older brother? I needed him, I need my older brother Barney!" Kate started to weep even harder.