Notes:

Okay, first off, I want to thank everyone who called for the next part of this series, because you are the main motivation for my writing. Thank you so much for commenting.

Next, I know I should be working on Equilibrium, because I totally missed my posting deadline, but I'm not. I've been turning this chapter over in my mind all week, and I just couldn't write anything else until it was up.

Finally, thank you Liebekatze for constantly feeding my rabid plot bunnies, this is entirely your fault.

The chapter title is inspired by Into the Nothing by Breaking Benjamin.

In Search of Winter

Chapter 1: Into the Nothing

The trees whipped by as they made their escape, branches tearing at the sleeves of her uniform. Darcy glanced back at her mate, his hands clutching at his bow, an arrow knocked. He paused and turned, loosing an arrow toward the gun fire.

"I told you this was a bad idea," she said as they started moving again, bullets ripping past, tearing out chunks of bark. An explosion rocked the woods, throwing them both to the snow covered ground.

"Yep," Clint pulled her back to her feet and knocked a new arrow. "Heard you the first time, Darce." Another detonation went off to their right. The archer threw himself over his partner, covering her head as splinters and debris rained down over them.

"Just thought it warranted a second mention," she took his hand and pulled him close, a quick kiss on his lips before she threw herself forward, towards the clearing where they left the Quinjet.

"Yep, got it babe, keep running," he put his bow over his shoulder, switching it out for the semi-automatic that Darcy favored, two quick barks from the barrel brought down the drone that hovered just above the tree line.

"Next time we're totally bringing a flyer with us," Darcy concentrated on the tech and let off a pulse, two more drones dropped through the trees, hitting the ground in their path.

"Got it," Clint grabbed onto her hand and shoved the gun in her opposite hand, standing back to back they shot at the Hydra guard that snuck through the trees around them. "No more running down crazy leads alone." Darcy dropped a clip out of her gun and let go of his hand to reload, wrapping her back leg around his so that the openings in their suits aligned, and their minds connected. "How about we focus on getting our asses out of this in one piece and I'll let you yell at me all you want in the safety of our own bedroom, yeah?"

"Now you want to concentrate," she barked out a sharp laugh, as she dropped Hydra's sniper out of a nearby tree. "That's not what you were thinking just a few minutes ago."

"Sue me," he shrugged, reloading and switching back to his bow. She might prefer guns, he always felt more secure with his recurve in his hands. "I've got the world's sexiest girlfriend, and a fertile imagination."

"Fiancé," Darcy corrected.

"Hey," Clint clicked through the settings on his quiver and chose an arrow. "Just because you know I bought a ring does not mean I've given it to you yet."

"Whatever," she chuckled as they took off through the trees again, the Quinjet just over the next hill. "You love me, you want to marry me," she sang.

"True," he locked his fingers around hers and pulled her up the rise, as her feet lost purchase on the ground. "Let's get home, so you can yell at me, and if you're really good, I'll do that thing I was thinking about like ten minutes ago."

"That thing you were thinking about when you got distracted and made us?" Darcy sassed.

"Fuck you," Clint grumbled. "Yelling at home, Darce."

"You know damn well when we get home this is not what we're going to be talking about," she squeezed his hand.

"Only if we get there in one piece."

"True," Darcy hit the button on her comm that opened the back ramp of the jet. "If you get me blown up, you will never here the end of it.

"Good thing you weren't blown up," Clint's boots clanged against the metal of the ramp. He tossed his quiver on the bench and headed to the cockpit and dropped into his seat, starting the preflight.

"Luck man," she kissed him gently before she dropped into the co-pilots seat.

"Yes I am," he smiled flipping switches and pulling on his headset. "Rings in the front pocket of your jacket, you know, if you want it." Darcy lifted up her left hand and let the ring sparkle in the fading light of the sun.

"You can't hide anything from me, babe."

"No, I really can't," Clint pulled the jet off the ground and headed toward home. "I kind of love that."

Steve strode through the doors of the War Room at Avenger tower, clicking the holoscreens to life and looking over his team. Natasha sat with her feet on the table, long red hair pulled up into a messy bun on top of her head, looking like nothing in the world could possibly bother her, though he knew that five hours before they'd both been running for their lives when their carefully rigged explosives went off a little early. Bruce was huddled, as usual in his chair, looking like the world's oldest slacker college student, and Tony sat beside him with a glass of whiskey, and a bandage over his left shoulder. Even Thor looked a little worse for wear. His team was running ragged, and they didn't seem to have a lead.

"Let's talk about what we have," the Captain turned his back on the assembled Avengers, and pulled up the surveillance pictures that Jarvis had managed to find. "We've had sightings of the Winter Soldier in a dozen counties in the last five months, but we're always running a step behind. Intel says he's taking out Hydra bases as he goes. The reports we've been getting haven't been substantiated on the ground."

"I think Hydra's playing with us," Clint and Darcy walked through the doors, still in their uniforms. Clint dropped his bow on the table and his quiver beside his chair, as they both dropped heavily into their seats. "They've been setting us up."

Darcy tossed a USB across the table, watching as it slid to a stop in front of the Captain. "They've been watching us," she told him. "Someone's been feeding them info, and they've been using that to lure us out. Nothing in any of the Hydra files I've been pulling have said anything about the Soldier getting anywhere near Hydra."

"So we're running a wild goose chase?" Steve plugged the USB into the interface and pulled up some files.

"Curtesy of our favorite Nazi organization," Clint nodded.

"So who's our mole?" Tony sat up straighter and put his glass down on the table. "I mean, he's got to be here in the Tower, or they wouldn't know anything about what we're doing, right?"

"Jarvis," Steve looked up at the ceiling, a nasty habit that the entire team, save Tony, seemed to have. "Pull all personnel files for the Tower, I want everyone vetted and re-vetted, until then, we go silent about Phase Two."

"As you like, sir," the AI's voice filtered through the speakers. "I estimate the program should be complete in thirty six hours."

"Go back thirty years," Tony added. "Anything suspicious, you flag it."

"Already done, sir," Jarvis stated.

"So," Steve sat down in his seat, and looked over at his team again. "You got something to tell us, Darcy?" He eyed the sparkle on her finger.

Darcy just smiled and admired the ring on her finger, three small stones, a diamond flanked by two amethysts. "Nope," she watched as the light reflected off the gems and bit her lip. "Nothing important."

"You sure, mladshaya sestra," Natasha smirked, watching as the Hawks looked at each other, stupid grins on their faces. "That's a pretty important finger."

"Yep," Darcy intertwined her fingers with her mates, letting his mind wash over hers, the feeling of completeness sweeping away the entire room for just a moment. "Clint got me a ring."

"We can see that," Tony said.

"Shut up, Tony," Steve tossed a crumpled piece of paper at the billionaire. "It's beautiful, doll."

"Thanks, Steve," Darcy smiled and held out her hand so her friend could get a better look. "I mean, it's just a formality, but it made me happy."

"You ready for this again, Hawk?" Natasha asked her friend, who was smiling stupidly at his fiancé.

"Nothing could stop me, Red," he didn't even take his eyes off of his girl. "Like Darcy said, it's a formality, we're linked. She's my mate."

"What is this formality that you speak of?" Thor looked over at his sister, who was admiring a pretty piece of jewelry on her finger.

"It's an engagement ring, Point Break," Tony patted the Asgardian on his shoulder. "Barton asked her to marry him."

"That is wonderful, little sister," Thor boomed. "I feel that you and your Hawk are very well matched."

"Thanks, big guy," Darcy smiled at her Lightening Brother.

"Well, then congratulations are in order," Tony jumped out of his seat and swept his arms around the room. "Call in the troops, I smell a party."

"No," Darcy looked at him as if she was looking over the rims of her glasses, even though she hadn't worn them in months. "Just us and Jane."

"We're grounded, though," Tony pouted.

"Nope," Clint pulled his girl from her chair. "We're going to clean up, and then we'll have drinks, then Darcy and I have plans."

"You're really going to do that thing?" she grinned, sliding her fingers under his belt at the back of his uniform.

"You guys are never any fun," Tony whined. "All you ever do."

"If you finish that sentence, I will not be responsible for what I do next," Darcy pointed at the billionaire, who just held up his hands in defense.

"I would be pleased to celebrate your impending bond with a glass of spirits," Thor clapped Clint on the shoulder hard enough that the archer rocked on his feet. "Let us adjure to the Common Room, we will wait for your return there." He strode out of the room, completely confident that the rest of the team would follow him.

"Onward," Tony followed Thor from the room.

"Impending bond?" Clint just looked at Darcy for a moment, who shrugged. "He knows we're already bonded, like as bonded as they get, right?"

"What can I say, babe," Darcy just pulled him along behind her. "He speaks in Ren-fest. It's like his thing."

"Yeah," he just nodded. "But the word choice."

"Let it go, Hawkass," she pushed him up against the wall of the elevator before pushing the button for their floor. "We have very little time before we're going to be expected for that drink we just agreed to."

"Right, focus," Clint mumbled against her lips. "Keep my head in the game." He sealed his lips over his lovers, pulling her against his chest. "I think I can do that."

"Really, now we're focused," Darcy smiled into his lips.

"I have proper incentive," he kissed the laughter from her mouth, smiling as she melted into his embrace.

Notes:

As always, let me know what you think. And don't forget to feed the author on your way out.