FAGE 12. Never Too Late to Start Anew

Title: First Night in Charge

Written for: TheDarkestFallingStar

Written By: Przybyszewski

Rating: T

Summary/Prompt used: "Owns a bar for supernatural creatures" and "A rodeo is in town, all the cowboys!"

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Bella was nervous and anxious most of the day to take on the next project in life that she had inherited from her father. The butterflies in her stomach and the lump in her throat grew more and more as the sun was beginning to set and the evening drew nearer.

For years her family had lived in Great Falls Montana, a smaller city with a population of around 59,000. Her father's bar was always a spot for the vampires and other supernatural creatures that walked among the humans in the area to spend their time. Her dad and her grandfather had built this small town bar with their own two hands. Ever since her father was a young man, their bar had been an overnight hotspot for many creatures in the area. It was just far enough outside the main city that it never drew too much human attention. With the hard work her father put in, her grandfather named it after him, and they called it Charlies Tavern.

Bella was determined to take on the task of running the bar. Her dad was in no way incapable of continuing himself, but he loved and enjoyed how hard his daughter worked. She loved and cared for the place just as much as he did. With her clear love and dedication, he knew she was ready.

Bella had been shopping around the city with her friends Alice Cullen and Wanda Maximoff for supplies, decor and appropriate attire. Bella had known Alice since they were young. Just a few months apart in age, they met when Alice's father made friends with Bella's father at the bar. Alice was a vampire and had grown to be Bella's closest friend. Wanda made her way to the small town after the battle of Earth a few years ago. After losing her love and experiencing a grewling battle against Thanos with the Avengers and others, she took to Montana to have a quiet, secluded life. The vampires and creatures in the area at first were not very welcoming to The Scarlet Witch, but with time, they grew fond of her.

Certain areas in and around Great Falls were considered "cowboy town," and the Big Sky Pro Rodeo was this weekend at the Montana State Fair. The city would be swarming with people around for the big weekend event. For some unexplained reason, the vampires, ghouls, and other creatures in the area had a fascination with the rodeo, and it became quite a comical scene when you combine the creature nightlife and the rodeo event. Just a few years back, the local creatures had practically begged Charlie to do a western cowboy theme at the bar and ever since then, it became a big annual thing for everyone to look forward to.

"You have got to calm yourself down, Bella!" Alice said, breaking Bella from her thoughts. Alice and Wanda both chuckled.

"Of all the days that were going to be my first to take over the bar, rodeo day had to be the one!" Bella exclaimed, heaving out a big sigh.

"I think my dad was trying to hand it down to me early on purpose just so he could avoid the chaos that will be this wonderful Friday night." Her emphasis on wonderful was filled with just a hint of sarcasm, making a big gesture with both arms towards the area around them.

"Please tell me Clint is going to be helping us out tonight, you know how crazy that rodeo crowd can get." Alice said. Clint had come to Great Falls with Wanda in the hopes to achieve the same calm and quiet life that Wanda was looking for. Not only was that a success, but he also met and fell in love with Bella within the first year moving there.

"You say that as if I wouldn't be able to handle any of those jerks myself," Wanda replied to Alice with a smirk on her face, they wouldn't stand a chance!"

As fun as the night could be, there were always some drunken assholes that would make their way into the tavern causing a stir. Not everyone knew about the creatures in the area, but some of the people that did were not always very friendly towards them or as accepting of who and what they were.

The three ladies made their way back to the bar, scrambling around to get everything together. It was almost 9 o'clock, and nightfall was approaching. Bella had taken the last few minutes of available time before the bar opened to change into her outfit. She came back out into the bar with a white bedazzled cowgirl hat, a blue and white flannel tied in the front, and skinny jeans that were tucked into her cowgirl boots that had an intricate blue floral design woven into them.

"Bella my dear!" A booming, thick Russian voice called out as he bursted through the front doors of the tavern.

Bella looked up with an amused smile. "Hello, Igor," she managed to say before her and the other two ladies burst into a fit of giggles.

Igor was one of the older vampires in the area. He had traveled from Russia about 50 years after he had been turned. He was a popular one amongst the other vampires in the area. While typically dressed in dark velvet cloaks and older period clothing, the pale skinned man was decked out in full rodeo attire, from the cowboy hat atop his head to the spurs on his boots.

"I adore the bandana you decided to add this time, Igor. Matches your eyes." Wanda teased.

"That was my entire plan! My wife Nadja insisted I wear it. She loves my eyes!" This caused all three of the ladies to laugh.

Clint strolled in not too long after Igor. Several vampire friends of his came and settled into their usual rounded booth in the far left corner. Bella's eyes lit up and a big smile made its way to her lips. She jogged over and pulled him into a big hug. The Hawkeye that many people knew about had a drastic change in attire. With his quiver and bow gone, he had a plaid shirt similar to Bella's, but his was red. He sported a hat as well, chaps over his jeans and gun holsters on his sides. And of course, boots.

"Well, my 'sharpshooter' nickname for you is much more amusing and fun today than it ever has been." Bella said as she eyed the guns on his hips and giggled.

Clint smiled, leaning forward to place a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I knew you would like this outfit," he replied.

"Wanda was telling me you plan on having some old friends stopping by from out of town tonight? Enlighten me!" Bella asked eagerly.

Clint shook his head.

"Mmmmm nope! It's a surprise."

Bella raised her eyebrow at him.

"That can either be really good or really bad." She chuckled before leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on his lips.

An hour went by, and the bar was packed. Alice and Wanda were busting their butts behind the bar, and Bella mingled around the place assisting whenever needed. Everyone was dressed in their rodeo attire. Bella was amazed at how many people had shown up tonight.

"Bella!" Igor called from his table. She strolled over with a tray in her hand, placing a new round of drinks on the table.

"How can I help you, Igor?" She asked.

"What is this...mechanical bull, of which I have been hearing about?" Gesturing to the opposite end of the bar where the big contraption sat.

"Well I thought it would be a good way for you all to get a better idea of what the rodeo can be like! You climb on top, and someone else controls from the side making it jerk and twist. But, you have to hang on with only one hand. It's really difficult." Bella explained.

"Difficult!" Igor laughed. "You're speaking to a bloodthirsty creature of the night! A little machine will be nothing compared to what I have encountered in the last several hundred years!"

Boy was he wrong.

Igor's pale, thin body was quickly tossed off the mechanical bull, falling onto the squishy surface below, right onto his face. The crowd of onlookers burst into fits of laughter, giving him an encouraging cheer as he picked himself up.

"I'm pretty sure you broke the record for least amount of time spent on a mechanical bull, Igor." Clint teased.

"I don't think I've ever seen a vampire's face flush." Bella interjected. Igor, being the proud vampire he was, made an attempt to act as if he did nothing but a beautiful job.

"I told you, that beast was no match for me!" He boomed in his thick Russian accent, strolling away, and gesturing his hands out to accept the laughter and applause from the spectators.

"Clint!!" A familiar voice to him called above the buzz of people. Bella and Clint both turned towards the voice. Clint smiled while Bella's eyes grew wide.

"Is that...?"

"Yup."

Standing in the archway were The God of Thunder himself and Bruce Banner in his half hulk

/half Bruce form. Their arrival drew the looks of many vampires and others. They both had big smiles on their faces as they took turns pulling Clint into a hug.

"Thor! Son of Odin! God of thunder!" Clint greeted in a friendly and joking way.

"Clint! Son of Harold! God of..of..the bow!" Thor replied, his face beaming. Clint laughed at the quick formality.

"Doesn't sound as good as God of Thunder, my friend. Though, it's very good to see you. Bruce, I'm glad to see you're keeping your lovely green figure." Clint teased.

"It's my keto diet," Bruce said deadpanned.

That got all three of them laughing.

"Gentlemen, I want to gladly introduce you to my beautiful girlfriend, Bella Swan." Clint said.

It took a Bella a few moments after her introduction to snap out of her daze and realize who she was actually speaking with. Both Thor and Bruce took her hand and kissed the back of it delicately.

"M'lady, a pleasure." Thor said

"Very nice to finally meet you. Clint has spoken a lot about you." Bruce followed.

"It's nice to meet you both." Bella replied with a genuine smile. "Now I know what the surprise was that he was keeping from me today. I, too, have heard a lot about you both."

"I thought Steve was joining you both as well?" Clint asked.

Thor and Bruce shook their heads and shrugged.

"He's been pretty distant from all of us lately." Bruce began. "Over the last year or so, he's turned into a big douche."

"Well, you guys didn't come here to talk it up in the doorway! Let's get you both something to drink!" Bella said.

Bella showed Bruce and Thor towards the bar.

"You wouldn't by chance have what they call an I.P.A, would you?" Thor asked.

"We do have a couple options, yes." Bella offered eagerly.

"Great! I'll take 10!"

————————————-

The first night of the rodeo event itself was drawing to a close, and a larger mix of creatures and humans started to fill the bar. Clint, Thor, and Bruce found themselves three seats at the bar, having a great time catching up, and getting to know some of the vampire regulars.

Just an hour or so before closing, a group of eight men stumbled in, clearly heavily intoxicated. A group of both male and female vampires stood near the entryway drinking. Immediately, the men started to cause a ruckus.

"What In the Sam Hill is your kind doing here?" The first man hissed. He was skinny, with a dark tan and leathery skin. His five o'clock shadow and scruffy stubble was prominently visible in the dim lighting.

"This bar is here for us," a kind female vampire replied coolly. "You're welcome here just as much as we are."

"Bullshit, you ain't!" The man stumbled forward, smacking the drink out of the woman's hand.

"What is your problem?" The woman yelled.

Before the man could come up with a snarky reply, Bella was up front.

"I'm sorry gentleman, I'm going to have to ask you to leave...I have zero tolerance for that kind of behavior in my bar." She warned them earnestly.

All the men eyed her hard.

"Your bar?! What do you mean your bar? Where the hell is Charlie?!" He stammered.

"Charlie is my father, and he is no longer running this establishment. I'm in charge." Bella replied as she folded her arms across her chest,"and again, I need you all to leave. Now."

The men burst into a fit of laughter.

"Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about it little lady?"

The man stepped forward towards her this time, giving her a hard shove. Bella stumbled, but stopped to regain her balance and footing before she could fall to the group.

Within seconds she wasn't alone. Everyone member of the group, except the idiot who was too drunk to realize, knew they were in for a rude awakening.

Clint, Bruce, Thor, Wanda, and even Igor stood behind Bella, ready to take care of business.

"You messed with the wrong woman." Clint said in a low, pissed off voice.

Bella glanced behind her at everyone.

"Is this the part where I get to say 'Avengers assemble?" She said enthusiastically.

Clint just laughed and shook his head.

"Yeah. Go ahea—" He started.

"Avengers assemble!"

Before Clint could finish his sentence, Bella yelled it out, grabbing the man by his collar and throwing him out into the dirt parking lot.

His gang of minions made their attempts to defend themselves and their friend, but it was nothing but impossible to face up against a God, a witch, a hulk, a vampire, and an expert marksman.

The scuffle was very short-lived as the group of men scurried away into the woods, where their trucks were parked. The entire bar erupted into a loud cheer for the group defending Bella. They had an even greater laugh as they talked about the look on the men's faces when Bruce pounded his fists on the ground and Thor sent Mjölnir flying straight towards their heads.

"I say this calls for a round of shoots!" Thor boomed.

"It's shots, Thor, shots." Bruce corrected.

With everyone in the entire bar having a round in hand they lifted their glasses up high.

"To Bella!" Clint began. "And to her first night in charge!"

"To Bella!" Everyone cheered.

"Oh, and one more thing. Now that we have all of our friends and your father here as well." He gestured to the door where her father was standing with a big smile on his face. Bella turned to see her dad and smiled big back at him. He nodded back towards the other direction, indicating for her to turn back around. As she did, her giant smile turned into a gasp.

"You started one big step in your life, why not start another one?" Clint said.

Bella brought her hands over her mouth, trying not to cry when she saw him down on one knee and the ring in his hand.

"Bella Swan...will you marry me?"

I had an absolute BLAST writing this little story! I truly hope my recipient TheDarkestFallingStar enjoys it! A big shoutout to Deonne For organizing this years FAGE and another big shout out to Sarah (mariescullen) for being my bomb ass Beta AND banner maker!! These are two genres I have never written for and I truly enjoyed a nice challenge. Happy FAGE 12 everyone!! I hope you all enjoyed it! :)