Sagittarii

Austen

“Austen, you’ve got to get out of bed sometime today,” my dad says as he stands in my doorway; leaning up against the frame. “It’s past noon, it’s time to get out of bed.”

“Why?” I question him, “what’s the point of me getting out of bed? I don’t want to deal with anything today. I’ve been getting up early for weeks now, forcing myself into a courtroom, reliving a nightmare. Can’t I just stay in bed?”

“It’s been a week since the verdict was read,” he sternly points out, “I allowed you your space, now it’s time to get out of bed. Your life moves on from this!”

“NO IT DOESN’T!” I cry out. “He took everything from me. I barely sleep and when I do, his face is burned on the back of my eye lids. Each night I relive that week in painful detail. Now my boyfriend broke up with me because I’m not the girl he fell in love with! How am I suppose to move on from this if that asshole keeps destroying my life behind fucking bars!?”

My dad runs over to me, pulling me into a hug just in time for my break down. I’ve been an emotional wreck and I hate it. I feel so helpless, so not myself.

“Daddy, I want to just end everything!” I admit to my dad, “this isn’t a life I want to live. I don’t want to be afraid to walk the streets and go out to places I once loved. I just want everything to stop.” His grip around me tightens as he kisses the top of my head.

“Your mom and I have been talking, we found a way for you to escape for a bit.” He says, causing me to pull away. “We were talking to Fury today and there is a mission that’ll take you far away from New York.”

“You think I’m mentally stable enough to even think about doing a mission with SHIELD?”

“No but you need to get out of this city and so far this is the only thing that’ll take you and your mind far away from what’s happened to you,” he explains. “All you’d be doing is recruiting someone to The Avengers. He’s a vigilante that goes by various names, The Hood, The Arrow, Green Arrow.”

“I’m recruiting another archer?” I chuckle, “cute.”

“If anyone would be able to talk him into joining, it’d be you.” He smiles, putting a hand on my cheek, “you were always the persuasive one. I think you get that from hanging out with Nat too much.” A small chuckle escapes my lips at the mention of my step-mother. My dad is right, we hang out with each other all the time. She’s taught me so much over the years, I’m grateful for her in my life.

“So when does this mission start?” I ask, breaking the silence that’s fallen between us.

“As soon as you go to SHIELD and talk to Fury.”

“That means that I have to take a shower and get dressed huh?”

A chuckle escapes my dad’s lips, “yes that means getting a shower and getting dressed.”

“Alright, what’s the worst that could happen, right?” I sigh before getting off the bed and walking out of the room, only stopping to look at my dad and smile, “thanks Dad; for everything.”

Clint

I walk back out into the living room where my brother Barney sits. He looks up at me, “so is she going to take the mission?”

“She in taking a shower now,” I reply, sighing as I sit next to him. “I’m doing the right thing, right? Letting her take this mission on by herself.”

“She needs to get her mind off of this, going to Starling City alone is going to be good for her.” He assures me, “plus you’re just a phone call away, she knows that.”

“Part of me knows this is a good idea, that it’ll be good for Austen,” I begin, “but deep down, I’m terrified. She’s broken now but what if something happens to her on the mission, she’ll be completely destroyed. Or worse, she’ll lose herself completely. Barney, she admitted that she wants to end things, that she has nothing to live for. That fucking scares me! I can’t lose her.”

“Your daughter is strong, this is just a little hiccup; she’ll be back to her normal cocky, sarcastic self.” My brother says, trying to assure me everything is going to be ok. “Austen is a Barton, she’ll overcome everything and anything that gets put in her path.”

“I hope you’re right about this…”

Austen

After my shower, I head into my room; dropping the towel once I close and lock my door. On my way to my closet, I pass my mirror; catching a glimpse of the nasty scar on the small of my back. I backtrack to the mirror, turning around to see the DC carved into my back; branding me. I can feel the anger flowing through my veins as hot tears fill my eyes. I can hear his voice whispering dirty words in my ears and I can feel the knife carving those letters all over again. My heart races and the room spins as my blood pressure skyrockets. He’s ruining my life, even in behind bars. And I can’t let him do this anymore. I’ve got to be stronger than this. I can’t let him get the satisfaction of knowing that I’m broken. I can’t let him win…

“Hey Squirt,” A familiar voice greets me as I walk into the living room. A smile appears on my lips when I see my uncle Barney sitting on the couch. I squeal and run over to him as he gets off the couch. He pulls me into a tight hug, spinning me around like he did when I was younger.

“It’s nice to see you out of short shorts and baggy t-shirts,” my dad notes when Uncle Barney sets me down.

“I feel a lot better, actually.” I admit to him. “A shower can do a lot of amazing things to a person mood.”

“So you’re heading out to Starling City, huh?” Uncle Barney asks as we sit on the couch. “I never thought I’d see the day you took on an actual legit mission for SHIELD.”

“Mom and Dad are right about it,” I begin, “the mission will take my mind off of everything and I really need that. I can’t let him win. I’ve got to move on and fight, or I’ll lose myself in the process.”

My dad looks at me, a smile on his face. A proud smile at that. “That shower really did help you, huh?”

“I’m done feeling sorry for myself and letting him win out over me. He doesn’t own me, he’s not going to win. I’m going to overcome this and if that means me leaving New York then so be it.”

“Ready to talk to Fury than?” Dad questions me, earning a smile,

“I was born ready…”