Previous part of Who wrote these orders.

***

"Director Fury, Sir."

"Yes, doctor, what is it?" Fury asked in the tone that said someone had better be dying before anyone dared to disturb him.

"Agent Coulson is insisting on going to see Agent Barton," the doctor replied.

Fury looked up from the report he was reading. JARVIS, for all of his concerns, was starting to be able to route Fury documents that showed they were on the right track. "Are the drugs out of his system?" he asked.

"Enough that he can be allowed to move around medical with an escort," the doctor said. "Captain Rogers and Dr. Banner both seem like they're not leaving Agent Coulson alone any time soon."

"Then I don't see what the problem is," Fury said. "If Agent Coulson is alert and aware, and you feel the drugs are mostly out of his system, then let him see Agent Barton. You know how close the two of them are."

"I'm worried about the impact it could have on his mental state," the doctor said. "Agent Coulson was compromised, but he did ultimately take Agent Barton out on the assignment that led to Agent Barton being in medical on life support. I don't think letting Agent Coulson see Agent Barton in this state is a good idea."

"Your concern is noted," Fury said. "Let him see Barton."

The doctor sighed. There were days when he wasn't even sure why he tried. "Yes, Sir," he said.
***

Horatio looked up from Barton's medical records when the door opened. "Phil, are you okay?" he asked. He went over and helped the other man into the room. "Here, sit down. How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been run over by a tank," Coulson replied. "Horatio, they told me that we've already talked, but I don't remember it. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry for anything, Phil," Horatio said. He pulled another chair over and sat down. "You're as much of a victim in this plot as Clint is, and you were both helpless to do anything. You've got to work on getting better because my boy is going to need us both."

"The doctors won't tell me anything about his condition. How bad is it?"

"It's bad, but you know what, I have hope for him to wake up," Horatio said. "Because I know Clint and I know what a fighter he is. It might take him a while, but he'll be back with us again, Phil. He'd never leave you alone like this."

Coulson looked down at his hands. "He might blame me for what happened," he said. "I'm the one that took him on those missions. Hell, they were all unsanctioned by the director. I think I'm lucky I'm not being held for trial right now."

"Nick understands that you were drugged and used by another," Horatio said. "No one, no matter how strong they are or how well they are trained to resist torture would have been able to fight off these drugs, Phil. I think we're lucky that they didn't kill you, given how steady a dose you were taking. I'm hoping your memory is going to come back as you're recovering, do you have any memory of who gave you those patches?"

"I don't," Coulson said. "It's possible I could remember later on, but that doesn't help us now, does it? I think you're going to have to ignore me as a possible witness and trust to other means."

"Which we are, Agent Coulson, but your input would be most welcome," JARVIS said.

"Did Tony give you that tablet?" Coulson asked with a smile.

"He did, much to Nick's dismay," Horatio replied with a smile.

"I wish I could help out, JARVIS, but right now I feel like you would if an EMP went off near your main banks," Coulson said. "Are you and Stark making any headway into who did this?"

"We are, Sir," JARVIS said. "Mr. Stark wishes me to tell you to get better so you can go back to threatening to taze him at regular intervals."

Coulson managed a smile. "Working on it, JARVIS," he said. "Tell Stark I said thank you."

"Of course, Sir."

Coulson looked over at Horatio. "You're watching over Clint?" he asked.

"I'm not leaving his side until the both of you are healthy again, Phil," Horatio said. "Clint is my family, which means you are my family. Family means everything to me and there is nowhere else I would rather be right now. Do you want to lie down for a bit? There's a spare bed and your friends could go get some dinner."

Rogers and Banner both blushed. Coulson nodded. "I'd like that," he said. "Let me be close to Clint for a bit."

"Let him know you're here and then we'll get you settled in, okay?" Horatio asked.

***

Fury was in his office reading through a file when there was a knock on his door. "Enter."

"You wanted to see me, Sir?"

"Come in and sit down, Agent Hill," Fury replied. He put the folder down on his desk and folded his hands on top of it. "I'm very interested in something, Agent Hill, and I'm hoping that you'll be able to give me the answers I'm looking for."

"I'll do my best, Sir," Hill said.

"At what point in time did you first give the drugged patches to Agent Coulson?"

"Sir?"

Fury looked at her steadily. "You're good with computers, but you're not good enough," he said. "JARVIS was able to find the chemical equations of the drugs that were mixed and placed on patches given to Agent Coulson approximately four to four and a half months ago. Right now, medical is amazed he's not dead from an overdose given the potency of the doses. JARVIS and Stark were also able to locate the video footage of you taking the box of patches to Agent Coulson in his office every month."

"Director Fury, Sir," Hill started and then paused. "Video?"

"Video."

"I don't know what you want me to say, Sir," she said.

"The truth would be a damn good place to start," Fury said. "You've tried to kill two of your colleagues, one of whom sees you as a close friend. I want to know if this whole crazy scheme was your idea or your partner's."

"The sentence is the same either way, isn't it, Sir?"

"You know damn well that it is, but you might get a little respect for telling the truth," Fury said. "Hill, I know what you lost the day of the attack. I also know that you thought I didn't know, that I hadn't heard you that day, or seen you with him in the months before the battle."

"Barton killed him, Sir."

"Agent Barton didn't kill a single person that day," Fury said. "In fact, video review shows that he was doing his best to minimize damages while he was compromised by an alien force. You know as well as I do that he missed both of us when the cube was taken. Think about that one for a minute, Hill. He could have shot you in the head, but he pulled his shot. He pulled every shot. Barton does not miss. Ever."

She looked down at her hands with a sigh. "He's responsible for taking out two of the engines of the Helicarrier and leading a strike team against us, Sir," Hill said. "He should have been arrested and detained, not made and Avenger and cleared for duty without talking to anyone."

"Now that's where you're wrong. He did talk to someone," Fury said. "He talked to me. On the record and frankly about what happened to him. That's why he cleared for duty so easily. Because I could see that he was innocent of everything. He held himself guilty, Hill. Everyone here but Coulson and me held him guilty. I don't know if he'll ever fully forgive himself, but the damage that day was minimal. I don't know what might have happened if Loki had chosen me instead."

"Loki wouldn't have chosen you, Sir," Hill said.

"You know that for a fact, do you, Hill?" Fury asked.

"I do, Sir. I reviewed the footage from the base, or what was left of it after the implosion, and I believe Loki was there before any of us realized it," she said. "Dr. Selvig had a habit of talking to himself, but he would pause as if he was getting answers. Loki was there and he was watching us before we knew it."

Fury leaned back in his chair. "You're just telling me this now," he said.

"I didn't think it was important, Sir, with Loki gone."

"You don't make those decisions, I do," Fury said. "So, you involved Agent Coulson because he's the only one that handles Agent Barton. Barton was your real target. I have to say that I'm very disappointed in you, Hill. I asked you, back when you were promoted to my second, if you would be able to lay your heart to the side to do this job and you said yes. You lied to me, Hill, and that's not something I take lightly. You'll be held until we have all the evidence against you and your partner gathered."

She looked up. "You don't know who he is."

"Oh, we know; I'm just leaving that to Stark, JARVIS and Dr. Banner," Fury said. "Consider yourself under arrest."

***

"So, anyway, Bruce, you have to come and see these new robots I've been working with," Tony said as the pair walked into one of the labs. "I got to thinking about how everyone is going towards the roomba for so many different applications and thought, you know, I could totally make that smaller, better and for less money. Not just for private homes, but for other applications as well. I doubt I'll ever convince Fury to get one for SHIELD, you know how much he trusts me and, oh, hello, I didn't realize anyone was here. You're Robert Fergeson, aren't you?"

"I didn't think you knew me, Mr. Stark," Robert said. "I'll get out of your way."

"No no, don't run off," Tony said, moving around to the other side of the table. He put his tablet down with a grin. "You see, I'm more of an engineer than a chemist and Bruce there, he understands chemistry but he can't explain it worth anything so I'm really confused about a project and your name is the one they gave me when I asked around about who would be good to explain chemicals in simple terms."

Bruce moved around to the other side, effectively blocking the man in. "I've tried to explain to Tony that the numbers in this formula are wrong, but he insists they're right," he said with a small smile. "If you're not busy working on something for SHIELD, would you be willing to take a minute and look this over for us? An outside opinion is sometimes the best thing in your work."

"Yeah, sure, I guess," Robert said. "I don't know how much help I'll be though."

"To start with, you can stop playing with the knife in your pocket," a soft voice said from behind them all. "Take it out and put it on the table slowly or you will find out what being shot in the head feels like."

"Thanks, Horatio," Tony said. "I know you want to stay with Barton, but I thought a little extra back-up would be a good thing. Turn around slowly there, Robby, and meet Clint Barton's father."

Robert looked behind him and paled when he caught sight of Horatio standing there with a gun pointed directly at his head. Horatio smiled grimly. "I'm not a member of SHIELD and I have no problem killing to protect my family," he said softly. "Knife on the table now. I'm not going to tell you again."

"I didn't know Agent Barton had family," Robert said. He put the knife on the table and raised his hands out to the side. "How did you find me?"

"You weren't smart about erasing your traces in the computer system," Tony said. "If you want to be an evil genius, you need to learn not to leave your notes on your evil plans where anyone with half a brain about computers can find them. Now then, I think Director Fury wants to meet you, Robby. Why don't we just go along and see him and you can explain exactly why you decided to help kill one of my team. You see, Horatio there will kill for his family, but you know what" He leaned in and made eye contact. "I don't kill. I will take out every moment of torture you inflicted on my team before I let Horatio near you. So let's go."
****

"We got him," Horatio said softly when he got back to Clint's room in medical. "Nick is taking over the investigation and he's not happy."

"I can't imagine he is," Coulson said. "I know that I'm feeling pretty sick about the whole thing myself. That friends did this to us is bad enough, but that they were able to do it under Director Fury's nose. That scares me."

"It just means you need to reassess pre-mission protocols," Horatio said. "Which means that Clint is going to have to start going to meetings with you, no matter how much he hates them."

Coulson sat up with Steve's help. "I looked over the medical report, Horatio," he said. "Clint's out of action for at least two years if not longer. It's possible there's brain damage that we don't know about and that could screw up his vision or his stability in his grip. I know he's strong, he's probably the strongest man I've ever met, and I don't know how he'll come back from all of this."

"Say he can't," Horatio said. "Clint wakes up and he's not able to go out and fight against the monsters anymore. Is there anything stopping him from teaching or helping prepare mission specs?"

"No, of course not, and he's certainly smart enough to do it," Coulson said. "I just worry he'll get bored and leave."

Horatio moved over and sat down on the bed next to Coulson. "Phil, he loves you more than anything. He's not going to leave you, okay?"

"I wish I could be as sure as you are, Horatio."

"Tell you what, when he wakes up and can leave medical, you both come down and stay with me," Horatio said. "The sun in Miami is good for lots of things and I'd love to have you both with me for a while."

"Thanks you, we'll do that," Coulson said. "Horatio, I don't know how you can forgive me for what I did to Clint."

"Hey, listen to me, there's nothing to forgive because this is not your fault, okay?" Horatio said. "This is not your fault because you are as much of a victim in this as Clint is, and the ones who are responsible are going to suffer for what they did. Your job, look at me, your job is to get better so you can help me with Clint. Okay?"

Coulson nodded and wiped his eyes. "Okay."

***

"Ow."

"Clint, hey, are you awake?" a soft voice asked from off to the right.

"Pop?"

"Yeah, hey there," Horatio said. "You've been in a coma for several weeks, Clint. There's a lot of people who are going to be very happy to see you awake. I've called for the doctor, how do you feel?"

"Why are the lights out?" Barton asked, blinking a couple of times.

Horatio paused. "Clint, you were hurt worse than they've ever seen for you," he replied slowly. "The estimate is that a building came down on you and there was massive head trauma. I'm not going to lie to you, son, it's possible you're blind."

"Not my eyes, Pop," Barton said. He reached out, searching for Horatio's hand. "Anything but my eyes. I don't know how not to see."

"Clint, listen to me, it could be temporary," Horatio said. "So far you have defied every single thing they've said about you and that's because you're remarkable. Let's get through the tests and see what they say, okay? We'll get through this, I promise."

"Phil?"

"He's up with Nick. There's been some problems while you've been unconscious and they're just finishing up a few things," Horatio said. "Here's the doctor, Clint. I'll be right here the whole time. Doctor, he can't see."

The doctor nodded. "That's not a surprise given the level of trauma sustained when the building came down," he said. "Agent Barton, I'm almost positive this is temporary and you'll be able to see again by the end of the month. The injuries you were brought in with, well, let's just say I never thought you'd wake up. Your father here was convinced you would, and I'm really happy to have been wrong. We need to take you for some tests."

"Pop goes with me," Barton said.

"That's fine, Director Fury has given him full clearance," the doctor said. "Why don't we go and see what's going on in your head."
****

"Director Fury, Sir, forgive me for interrupting the court martial, but Agent Barton has awoken," JARVIS said.

"Oh, thank god," Coulson said. "How is he, JARVIS?"

"He is fully awake and able to form full sentences," JARVIS said. "He has full mobility in both of his arms and legs, and full sensation in all limbs. The only worry at the moment is his eyes."

"I thought his eyes were fine, JARVIS," Fury said.

"They are physically fine, Director Fury, however he is unable to see," JARVIS said. "The doctors are running more extensive tests now to ascertain how severe a problem this is going to be."

Fury looked over at Coulson. "We can finish this up later, Phil," he said. "Go on down and see how Barton's doing. You know he's got to be freaking out about his eyes. Tell him he's got a place with SHIELD whether he can see or not."

"Thanks, Nick," Coulson said.

"Well then," Fury said, looking back at the pair who started all the problems, "I suppose that takes homicide off the list of charges, but I consider assault and maiming one of the best assets SHIELD has to be a worse crime. I'm starting to think that hard labor looks good for the beginning of your sentences."
****

"Phil's here, Clint," Horatio said softly. "I'm going to step towards the foot of the bed so he can hold your hand, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks, Pop," Clint said. "Hey Phil."

Coulson moved into the spot Horatio had been standing in. "Hey there, welcome back," he said softly. "JARVIS told me. We'll figure something out, Clint. Fury said to tell you that you have a job no matter what."

"The doctors say it's temporary," Horatio said softly. "A month at most. There was still some fluid putting pressure on the vision centers of his brain that they didn't catch. I figured you'd want to talk with them about that. Clint's been cleared to travel now that they drained the fluid out. The offer for the beach still stands."

"I want to go, Phil," Clint said. "It'll let me spend time with Pop. Will you come too?"

"Let me talk with Fury about a couple of things and then I'll join you," Coulson said. "Horatio, I'm sure that the other Avengers are going to want to come along. Does that bother you any?"

"They helped catch the people who did this to Clint," Horatio said. "They're his family and, by default, mine. I don't have space for them all at the house, but they're welcome to come over and hang out any time they want to."

***

"What is going to make you the most comfortable while you're here, Clint?" Horatio asked as he wheeled the still-bandaged archer into the house. "I haven't rearranged anything, the layout is open so it'll be easy to move you around in the chair. What do you need me to do?"

"Just talk to me or make sure there's someone close by all the time," Barton replied. "I'm surprised the doctors let me go with as injured as I am."

Horatio smiled. "A number of your injuries have had time to heal while you were in the coma," he said. "I have a strict set of instructions on what to watch for to tell if your head injury is worsening. I think the doctors know you don't want to be in medical and took the opportunity to have someone who cares about you take over your care while you rest and heal. Phil will be here tomorrow and I think I heard Tony talking about buying a hotel or something to stay in."

"Oh, he would. I'm surprised he doesn't already have a house down here, given how many places he has around the world," Barton said. "I'm not tired, Pop, can we sit out on the deck and talk for a bit?"

"Of course we can," Horatio said. "I'm sure the sun will do you good, although you're going to need a hat. Your hair isn't as long as it was last time I saw you."

"You'll be hiding under the umbrella, won't you?" Barton asked with a grin. "I don't know why you live down here when you hide from the sun all the time. It just seems like too much work."

"It's a good place to live, the sun is just an annoyance for me," Horatio said. He parked the wheelchair at the deck table and made sure the brakes were on. "I'm going to grab a hat and a couple of sodas. There's no one around, and I'll be just inside."

Barton nodded. "I'll be okay for five minutes. It'll let me practice my listening skills," he said. "Just don't take too long."

"I won't," Horatio said.

The waves were a hiss on the sand and there wasn't much wind, so Barton knew that he would be able to hear anyone that came near him. Horatio's deck, unless that had been changed, was railed in such a way that side attacks would have to land on the deck before approaching, and he'd hear anyone on the sand. He closed his eyes with a sigh. His personal inventory of his body showed there were a couple of injuries the doctors weren't worried about, but he was. He wasn't stupid enough to think that he wasn't facing months, if not years, of physical therapy, but the doctors had down-graded him from at death's door (which was an actual classification at SHIELD) to cautiously optimistic.

"Okay, I don't know who you are, but you might as well come out," Barton said, head snapping in the direction of the noise. "I'm armed."

"Whoa, I'm not going to hurt you," a male voice said. One that was familiar.

"Eric, right?" Barton asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'd like to know the same thing," Horatio said from behind Barton. He put the cap on the younger man's head. "I thought we took all your weapons away, Clint."

"I'm still armed," Barton said with a grin, holding out his arms.

"I'm sure Phil would have something to say about that," Horatio said. He bent down to put the drink on the table. "Natasha is on the roof."

"Thanks," Barton said.

Horatio looked over at his CSI. "What are you doing here, Eric?" he asked.

"Calleigh told me you called in and took an extended leave of absence from the lab and I wanted to make sure you're okay," Eric said.

"I'm fine, Eric, something you could have checked over the phone," Horatio said. He sat down next to Barton and handed the younger man his soda. "It's already open, Clint."

"I didn't know if you'd tell me the truth about any injuries you might have," Eric said. "So I thought I'd come over and check on you, see if you needed any groceries or anything. I didn't know that Clint was back."

"He's back and he'll be here a while," Horatio said. "Eric, I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. I'll be back at work in a couple of months at the most. Right now, I've had a busy day and I'd really like to get some rest."

"Yeah, no problem, H, I'll see you later," Eric said.

Barton waited until he thought the younger man was gone and looked towards Horatio. "That is?"

"He's gone."

"Pop, you need to do something about him," Barton said. "Tell him you're not interested or something, but he's going to keep popping up until you do."

"I know, and I'll think of something," Horatio said. "When your team is here and can sit with you, I'll go and find him, okay?"

"I'm holding you to that."

***

"You have a nice place, Horatio," Tony said as he hopped up the stairs and onto the deck. "You just need a little more security and you'll be set. Do you mind if I tinker a little?"

"It depends on what you want to do," Horatio said.

Tony grinned. "Okay, normally I don't do this, but since Hawkeye is here, I'd feel totally better if you had JARVIS in the house," he said. "It's not hard to link up to him, you just need a standard computer for me to plug into that you can dedicate to the program. I'll even build you one. It'll give me something to do with my hands while I'm here."

"That would be fine, Tony, thank you," Horatio said. "I feel honored to be accepted so easily by your team, Clint."

"They're good people, Pop," Barton said with a grin. "All of us are misfits who had crappy childhoods and can really understand each other. I'll be honest, I never thought I'd find a place to fit in better than I did at SHIELD, but here we are."

"Here you are indeed," Coulson said. "Horatio, I've heard that you're already having issues with your friend. We'll keep Clint company if you want to go and deal with that situation."

"It does no good to put it off, does it?" Horatio asked with a sigh. "How does everyone feel about having me bring back pizza for supper tonight?"

"Only if you let me pay," Tony replied. "No, seriously, between Cap, Bruce and birdman there, we can all eat a lot and it gets expensive. Food is on me."

Horatio looked over. "Why don't you ride along with me, Tony?" he asked. "I can have Eric meet me at the mall, there's a good computer store there, and we can pick up supper on the way home."

"Sounds cool. Hawkeye, you need anything from the mall?" Tony asked. "Bird seed, perch, seeing eye dog?"

"Just wait until I get my eye sight back, Stark," Barton said. "You're going to find bird seed where you least expect it to show up."

"He knows better."

Everyone but Barton and Coulson jumped. "Jeez, Natasha, don't do that," Tony managed.

"You should have expected me," she said with a smile. "Clint, how do you feel?"

"I'm doing fine, honest," Barton said. "It feels good to be out in the sun, even if I can't see the ocean. Pizza sounds great for dinner, Pop."

"Then that's what we'll do," Horatio said. "Tony, if you're ready?"

"Ready when you are."
****

"I'll be here when you're finished, Tony," Horatio said. "Eric shouldn't be long."

"I'll take my time," Tony said. He handed Horatio a phone. "Here, have JARVIS call me when you're finished. Seriously, computer stores don't take me that long. I'll go slow so you have time to talk with your friend."

"Thank you," Horatio said. He settled back in the chair at the far end of the food court with a sigh. He wasn't sure how to let Eric know all of the truth, or even if he should. There was a lot about the whole situation that was classified.

"Hey H."

He looked over. "Eric, have a seat."

"So what's up?" Eric asked. "You said you needed to talk with me?"

"I do, Eric, about a couple of things," Horatio replied. "The first thing is something I have to admit I didn't notice until it was pointed out to me, and if I'm wrong then I apologize. It seems like you've been trying to get up the nerve to ask me out on a date, Eric. Am I right?"

"Yeah, you are," Eric said. "I just wasn't sure how best to do it."

Horatio sighed. "Eric, there's no easy way to tell you no, but that's what my answer will always be," he said. "You're very special to me, never think that you're not, but not like that. I'll be happy to go out with you any time you like, but it's always going to be as family."

"Is it because of Clint?" Eric asked.

"No, it's not. It has nothing to do with Clint at all," Horatio said. "Everyone has a type, Eric, you know that. I'm sorry, but you just aren't mine. This has the potential to be awkward, but it's only going to be if you let it, okay?"

Eric flopped back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "So that's it?" he asked softly. "Sorry but you're not my type, but it's on you to not let it be awkward?"

"We're friends, Eric, and I think that's more important than dating each other," Horatio said, blue eyes sad. "It's never easy to be rejected, but our relationship both in the lab and away from it is too precious to me to risk attempting to do something I know will fail. I will never treat you any differently because of this, Eric. It's up to you to do the same."

"Great," Eric said. "So what about Clint? How long will he be here?"

"Clint was badly injured at work and is going to be staying with me while he recovers," Horatio said. "The doctors aren't sure how long, but it's possible up to a year. His lover is with him, so I'll be back at work in a few weeks. I haven't seen him in years, not for an extended period of time, and want to be able to catch up with him. Besides, you and Calleigh are always telling me I work too much. You should be glad I'm taking your advice."

"This isn't exactly what I meant," Eric said.

"Lieutenant Caine, Sir, I do apologize for interrupting, but there is a man with a gun in the toy store across from the computer store, and he has several children hostage," JARVIS said. "It's too risky for us to try anything."

Horatio grabbed the phone and stood up. "Come on, Eric," he said. "Call it in and get me patrol. JARVIS, where is Tony?"

"He's in the computer store, third isle back on the floor," JARVIS said. "He has a clear line of sight into the toy store."

"Tell him to stay put," Horatio said. "Eric, ETA on patrol?"

"Ten minutes out," Eric said.

"That's too long to risk," Horatio said. "You wait back here and direct patrol up to me. I'm going in, Eric."

***

The only problem with going to try and talk the man down was that, as Horatio had come from home, he didn't have his badge, ID card or gun with him. He wasn't even in a suit, just a polo and jeans. He had to hope that the man who was in the toy store with a gun watched the news or knew who Horatio was. With a deep breath, he looked around the corner into the toy store, assessing the situation. "JARVIS, I'm going to need a distraction," Horatio said quietly, holding the phone close to his mouth. "I'm going to have to put the phone in my pocket, but when I say your name, would it be possible for you to do something loud and shocking?"

"Mr. Stark has programmed me for just such noises, Sir," JARVIS said. "I believe that I can create enough of a distraction for you. I will listen for my name."

"Thank you, and make sure that Tony stays put," Horatio said. "I'm going to have to be focused on the gunman. I can't be worrying about him."

"He promises to stay put unless you are in obvious danger," JARVIS said. "With the children in there, neither of us want to put them at risk."

"Sounds good," Horatio said. He tucked the phone into his front pocket and headed into the store. "Let them go."

"Who the hell are you?" the gunman demanded, not turning around.

Horatio stepped slowly into his line of sight. "My name is Horatio Caine and I'm with the Crime Lab," he said softly. "Let the children and their parents go and we can talk about this, okay?"

"No, they're not going anywhere. Get out of here or I'll start killing them."

"You don't want to do that," Horatio said softly. "That is the last thing you want to, my friend. Put the gun down and let's talk about this. Come on, I can help you."

"You don't even have a gun."

"That's true, I don't. I didn't come from work, I'm here shopping," Horatio said. "My job is to protect the people of this city at all times, and that's what I'm going to do. Put the gun down, let the children go and we can talk."

"You take one more step towards me, I start shooting," the man said.

"Okay, you're in charge here," Horatio said, hands out to his side. "You can shoot faster than I can get to you. I won't move a step, but you need to let the hostages go. You have me in here now, and I'm a better hostage than they are. I called for back-up before I came and you know my friends will want to get me back. Let them go and I'll stay with you."

The man shook his head. "Children are the best hostages because they get you the most attention," he said. "I had to wait until the store filled up, but it finally did. You go back out and tell your friends to get ready to start meeting my demands."

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that," Horatio said. "JARVIS, now."

All the kids screamed and covered their ears when a mix of air horns, fire alarms and what could possibly be bomb explosions echoed through the store. Horatio took the split second advantage the confusion gave him and tackled the gunman, taking him down to the floor. He grabbed the gun and pressed it against the man's head. "Now you get to listen to my demands," he said softly.
****

"Okay, that was cool," Tony said once everything was finished and the mall was back to normal. "What would you have done if you hadn't had a link to JARVIS though? The man was ready to start shooting, I could tell by the tension in his body."

Horatio smiled. "I'd picked up pair of bean bags," he said. "They would have been enough to knock the gun off target safely and knock the man over a little, even with how hyped up his system was, and that would have given me time to tackle him. I wasn't going to risk those children, Tony, never children."

"I know exactly what you mean, the runts grow on you," Tony said. "So, how did your meeting with your friend go? I've got everything I need and I called for pizza delivery because the team has to be hungry and we're running late."

"Not as well as I would have hoped," Horatio admitted. "I feel bad for being as blunt as I was with Eric, but there's more I'm not telling him. I do think I managed to knock the idea that Clint and I are lovers out of his head though."

"Okay, ew, you guys are way too obviously father and son for anyone to pick up on that," Tony said. "I mean, he calls you 'pop'. How is that not a clue that you're a father figure and not a lover?"

"I suppose Eric is allowing jealousy to lead him rather than the evidence," Horatio said. "I probably should have told him that I have a partner, one that just doesn't live here right now."

Tony looked over. "Long-distance is hard," he said. "How long?"

"Over a year, and he's active military, so I worry every day," Horatio said. "Every day that he's not going to come back to me. No one at work knows about him, I've never spoken much about my personal life because it's too risky, but it's hard."

"Do you have a way to at least talk with him?" Tony asked.

"We video-chat once a week when he's able. He's got eight months left of this tour and then he'll be home for a bit. All I can do is pray that he'll come home safely." He unlocked the Hummer and helped Tony load things into the back. "Where are you guys staying while you're here, Tony?"

"I took out a floor at one of the hotels," Tony said. "We'll be fine."

"Clint thought you might buy a house down here."

"Miami is too humid for my electronics," Tony said. "No offense to your city or anything, but the only reason I'll be able to hook JARVIS up for you at your place is you have air conditioning and it's not overly humid inside. I'm not taking him back when I leave either. You've got a connection to us, you need the protection. Keep the phone too. You're a member of our team now and we take care of our own."

***

"Hey Agent, can I talk to you for a minute?" Tony called from the house. He'd had dinner with the team and then gone in to work on setting up JARVIS. He didn't want to leave the house without them having that extra layer of security.

"Why does Tony use Phil's title instead of his name?" Horatio asked.

Barton started laughing. "When Phil first introduced himself to Tony, it was always by Agent Coulson," he said. "It was roughly two years before Tony realized that was a title and not a name, so he uses it an as affectionate nickname. Phil knows it means Tony cares for him."

"Tony gives everyone nicknames," Steve said. "I'm Capsicle, Bruce is his science bro, Clint is usually birdy or birdman but can also be Legolas, and Natasha..."

"He doesn't dare," Natasha broke in with a small smile.

"He's an interesting man," Horatio said. "It's obvious how much he cares for all of you."

"He takes care of us, and we take care of him," Steve said. "It's hard sometimes, but we manage. Just like any family."

"So I wonder what he needed Phil for," Barton said, turning towards the house.

"He might just want to talk about our adventure at the mall," Horatio said. "I have an uneasy feeling it's going to be the lead story on the news tonight, and Tony was there. This might get interesting."

Coulson waited for the conversation to turn to another topic before he moved farther into the house to where Tony was working. He had already called Fury and made sure that the PR department at SHIELD would get a hold of any news footage of the hostage situation at the mall and edit it to the point where it wouldn't connect Horatio with Tony. That was too risky, even with all the Avengers in Miami. "Tony?"

"Hey, so Horatio told me he has a serious partner that's over in a military zone," Tony said, wrapping two wires together. "Eight months left on his tour and Horatio's worried he's not going to get home. I don't have a name or anything, but you've got access to everything, could you maybe find him and bring him home. Grab him for SHIELD or something?"

"Tony, you know we can't really interfere with the military," Coulson said.

"It wouldn't be interfering, it'd be reassignment," Tony pointed out. "Come on, Phil, he almost lost Clint and he's worried about his partner. There has to be something legal that you can do to help out here."

"Let me look into it," Coulson said. "I'm making no promises here, Tony. It's possible the man wants to finish out his tour and would see leaving in the middle as abandoning his post. I can't imagine Horatio dating anyone that didn't have a lot of personal honor."

"Yeah, I can't either, especially after seeing him in action today," Tony said. "All right, JARVIS, are you in there, buddy?"

"I am, Sir," JARVIS replied. "I am bringing the sensors up on line and connecting to the security systems Lieutenant Caine already has in place for his home. Install will be complete within the hour."

Tony smiled. "Awesome," he said. "I'll let the two of you hash out what role you're going to have here, J, but you stick to the protocols for the other houses, okay? We need to keep everyone safe here."

"I shall speak at length with Lieutenant Caine tomorrow and see what roles he wishes me to perform for him," JARVIS said.

"That's that," Tony said. "Okay, Agent, let's go see what sort of trouble the others are getting into outside."

***

"Phil, where are you going?" Barton asked when the team was leaving for the night.

"Back to the hotel with the team," Coulson replied.

"Aren't you going to stay here?"

"Clint, there's some things you don't remember that we need to talk about," Coulson said. "Until we do, I don't know if us sharing a room is such a good idea. I'd planned to keep the team in line at the hotel."

Horatio rested a hand on Barton's shoulder. "You're welcome to stay here if you want, Phil," he said. "It would give the two of you a chance to speak privately."

"I can handle the team, Coulson," Natasha said. "You stay with Clint. He needs you more than we do right now."

"You sure?" Coulson asked.

"If I catch Tony doing anything he's not supposed to, I'll tie him up and shove him in a closet," Natasha said, eyes fixed on Tony, "then take away all of his tech so he can't call for help and leave him there."

"Creative," Barton muttered. "Nat, you know that Tony's going to attract attention no matter where he goes. As long as he's not blowing things up, getting drunk in bars, or doing science where he shouldn't, just ignore him. He knows the rules."

"I follow them too, mostly," Tony said. "You need to be here, Agent. We'll be fine. You can taze me tomorrow if I do anything wrong."

Coulson finally smiled. "I'll hold you to that. Cap, Natasha, I'll leave the team to you," he said. "All right, Horatio, where are you putting us?"

"Come on, I'll show you to the guest room and you guys can get settled in," Horatio said. "Will you be able to handle moving Clint on your own or do you need help with that?"

"I can manage, but thank you. I've had far too much practice," Coulson said. "Thanks for letting us come to stay with you, Horatio. I think the sun and having his family around him will help Clint heal more than being stuck in medical ever would."

"Clint can hear you," Barton pointed out dryly.

"I know you can," Coulson said.

"Here's the guest room, the bathroom is attached and everything you should need is in there," Horatio said. "Let me know if you need anything else. I'm going to clean up the kitchen and turn in as well. From what I understand, we have JARVIS watching over the house now."

"You do, Sir," JARVIS said. "We'll have to speak tomorrow to work out what my role here shall be, but I do have a protocol in place for protecting Mr. Stark's private residences, which I will follow here as well."

"Sounds good," Horatio said. "Clint, Phil, you two have a good night and I'll see you in the morning."

Barton waited until he heard the door shut and then turned in the direction he could sense Coulson's gaze from. "All right, you want to start this talk we have to have, Phil?" he asked.

"Clint, I'm the reason you currently blind in a wheelchair," Coulson said. He sat down on the bed. "I'm going to hold your hands. I'm the reason you almost died and have six months to a year of physical therapy to get back in the field."

"I'm totally lost. I thought it was Hill and some jerk from the labs," Barton said.

"They were feeding me the false missions, but I'm the one who took you out into the field and into the dangerous positions," Coulson said. "I keep waiting for you to realize that I almost killed you, Clint."

"Hey, come on, look at me, Phil," Barton said.

"How do you know I'm not?"

"I know what it feels like when you're looking at me, you know. That's better. Phil, you're as much of a victim in their plot as I am," Barton said. "Yeah, you took me out into the field, but you thought they were legitimate assignments from Fury. They sure seemed like it when you were giving me the rundown in transit. This is Loki all over again, only this time you were mind-controlled and I landed in medical."

Coulson actually laughed. "I hadn't even thought of it like that," he said.

"That's how I've been thinking about it because that's what it is," Barton said. "You're stuck with me, Phil. I came back for you and for Pop. Nat too, but don't ever tell her she's third on my list. I think I'd be in a world of hurt. We're both down here in Miami to heal, Phil. I know you'll be with me every step of the way because that's where you belong."

"I don't know if I can let go of this in a day, Clint."

"You don't have to, just don't beat yourself up every time you look at me. This isn't because of you, this is because someone decided to take over your mind and use you, Phil," Barton said. "Now, if that's cleared up, I want a bath. I'm not steady enough to be on my own, so I guess you'll just have to come in with me."

"Subtle has never been your forte, Clint."

Barton grinned. "Nope," he agreed.

***

"Clint, do you know who Horatio's dating?" Coulson asked once they were in the large tub together. The doctors had given Clint permission to bathe and swim as long as Horatio or Coulson kept an eye on the still-healing surgical sites for infection.

"Do you mean Grant?" Barton said.

"I don't know, is Grant military and on deployment?"

"Pop hasn't mentioned him recently, so yeah, probably," Barton said. "I think he's getting close to retirement age, this might be his last deploy."

Coulson nodded. "They've been together a while then?"

"They've been partners since before Pop took me in, so yeah, you could say that," Barton said. "Why the interest?"

"Tony asked me to see if I could find Horatio's partner and bring him home," Coulson said. "I'm not sure why, but I think Tony really likes Horatio and this is a way of trying to help him out. I thought I'd talk to you before I started digging in any military databases."

Barton laughed. "Probably a good idea," he said. "Grant's Army, I'm not sure what his rank is now, but he's up there. Not a general, but that's just because he doesn't want to risk being posted to D.C. and away from Horatio. He went in right out of college and worked his way up the ranks. He's a good man."

"He'd have to be to be with Horatio," Coulson said. "Given the personal code of honor Horatio has. Do you think that Grant would take a re-posting stateside if we grabbed him for some sort of post with SHIELD?"

"He might, but it depends on what all is going on at his posting. I can't imagine he'd leave his men if they were in danger," Barton said. "You're thinking about an eyes posting down here. Well, we do need someone keeping an eye on Miami and the rest of southern Florida for weird things and Grant would be good at that, especially if he could liaise with the police department."

"What's his specialty?"

"People, just like Horatio," Barton said. "He's the one that taught me to play basketball. I thought I'd mentioned him before."

"Not that I'm remembering, but it's possible my memories are still confused from the drugs," Coulson said.

"I doubt that, I'm probably just not remembering who I talked to. Must have been Nat. Grant was posted here training when Horatio brought me home," Barton said. "They both worked hard to give me as normal a teenagehood as possible, but after things I'd seen and had happen to me, it wasn't always easy going. I do think Grant's the reason I drifted more towards military as I got older. SHIELD is heaven. Military enough that he's proud of me following his footsteps, but loose enough that I know I can question orders if I need to."

Coulson kissed Barton's cheek. "That's just us," he said softly. "Do you have a way to get in touch with Grant? I'd like to surprise Horatio if possible. That means no telling him, JARVIS."

"Of course not, Agent Coulson," JARVIS said. "If I might offer my services. I could locate Grant and his contact information for you."

"Probably a good idea, because I don't have it," Barton said. "I usually call Pop if I need to talk."

"That'd be a help, JARVIS, thank you," Coulson said. "If I have to travel over to talk with him, Clint, will you be okay here with Horatio and the team?"

"Of course," Barton said. "Thanks for doing this for Pop, Phil. I'll thank Tony tomorrow. Horatio deserves something nice to happen to him. Bringing Grant home to stay would be awesome."

"That's if he wants to come, Clint. I'm not going to physically remove him from his posting if he doesn't want to come."

"Yeah, I know, but I think he probably does," Barton said. "I'd be surprised if he doesn't miss Pop."

Coulson kissed Barton again. "Me too."

***

Next part of Who wrote these orders.