Vive La Nuit

Cotton sheets. That’s the first thing Ann noticed. Cotton sheets. Ann hadn’t slept in cotton sheets, much less a bed in years. The next thing she noticed was that her dress was gone. The long poofy dress of silk and tulle was gone, replaced with a flannel and running shorts. Her eyes fluttered open, and she found herself staring up at a beige ceiling. Ann sat up, and looked around. Her back was slightly sore, and she could feel the stiffness of blood stained sheets. She tossed the sheets off of her and swung her legs over the side of the bed, standing up. Her ripped up dress was draped across a chair, and next to it were three bloody knives. With a sigh, she opened the door, and stepped out into the hall tentatively. She was alone, or so she thought. She walked out into the living room, and looked around. No one was there. Ann began to walk forward, but froze when a small click came from behind her. The click of a gun.

“Who are you?” The voice of a man came from behind her, and she turned to look at him. He was blonde and muscular with piercing blue eyes. A sense of familiarity came over her like a tidal wave.

“Ann. My name is Ann Blake. Who are you?”

The man shifted uncomfortably. Ann studied him carefully, the way he moved, the way he talked. It was so familiar. Everything was familiar. She knew him, but at the same time the man in front of her was a complete stranger. He drew in a breath, his muscles tensing, and kept the gun aimed at her head.

“Clint Barton.” He said, and at that moment, Ann knew. She knew exactly why everything was so familiar, why she felt so comfortable here.

“You’re Barney’s brother, aren’t you?” The minute those words came out of her mouth he seemed to relax. Slightly.

“How do you know my brother?”

“Circus.”

“Oh. I get it now.” He said, and lowered the gun a bit. “You’re a student of the Swordsman, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know if student is the right word.” She replied, her blank face unchanging.
Clint paused and then lowered his gun completely, putting it on the counter next to them.

“I saw you on the roof. Your form is excellent by the way, but you got hit with three knives, in the back. First, that should have killed you. Second, when I brought you home, and I pulled the knives out, your back looked like hell. Now, you are completely fine. What the hell is up with that?”

Ann looked down, thinking about what he had said. Most people didn’t know. It was her best kept secret. She looked back up to him and drew in a shaky breath.

“The audience loves a girl that can’t die. They think its magic, that its fake. I can get stabbed, shot, fall off a roof, and never die. I heal very quickly, and they love it. I am the circus’s greatest creation.” She said, her voice growing very quiet. Clint stared at her in slight horror as realization dawned over him. Ann wasn’t a student of the swordsman she was… a product. She was an experiment.

Ann sighed, and sat down on the barstool next to her. “Thank you.” She murmured, and Clint looked up, surprised.

“For what?”

“Saving me.”

Clint went quiet, a twinge of pain washing over him. They stayed there, in the silence for a couple moments. Clint sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair.

“You like coffee?” He asked, and Ann looked up, pulled away from her thoughts.

“I love it.” She answered, and he walked over to the other side of the counter, grabbing the empty coffee pot.

Ann rested her elbows on the table and then leaned her face against her hands. During this whole affair she hadn’t gotten a chance to actually look at the man who had saved her. He was quite attractive, with dusty blonde hair, a sharp jawline, and toned back and arm muscles that most likely came from shooting. She watched Clint make the pot of coffee, and let her mind wander. As he put the water on, it occurred to her that she wasn’t wearing this last night. Her eyes widened slightly, and her face flushed. He hadn’t said anything about it so Ann thought it best to leave it alone. For now.

Notes

These will start getting longer soon.

Thanks to Wormstache, Issa, and HP for editing!

And as always, ratings and comments so I can improve:)

Thanks to MsCoffee for catching my errors.