For purposes of clarity, here are some notes on my story.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my OC Henley. If I did, you can bet Clint's deafness would be in the movies!

All signed communication will be 'glossed', that is, translated as close to the original intent of the signs as possible. Anything that is intended to be read as being signed will be in bold font.

I will have footnotes at the bottom of my chapters to explain any references to Deaf Culture or to a signing term.

The way I write Clint is a combination of the MCU version and Matt Fraction's comics, although being familiar with the comics is not necessary to understand the story, I will throw in a lot of detail from them. If you haven't read them, I'd encourage you too, they're really good and one of the few comics I enjoy reading repeatedly. I really wish the movie writers would use the comic canon Deaf storyline; it's one of the few things I don't like about the way Clint is in the movies.

Okay, enough talk, on to the story!

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The Interpreter

File ARC-2700-98-Recruitment Consideration

Name: Henley Willow McBride

Occupation: High-risk situation ASL interpreter

Age: 28

Place of Residence: 1060 Chambers St. Portland, Oregon

Recommended By: Coulson, Phillip J.

Recommended Position: Full-time interpreter assigned to operative agent

Assigned Agent: Clinton Francis Barton-codename Hawkeye

Reason for Consideration: Certified interpreter, experience with high-tension and high-risk situations, formerly worked as an on-call freelance interpreter for FBI, CIA, and police agencies. Calm under fire, above-average self-defense skills. Above-average intelligence. Would accompany Agent Barton on all missions as a failsafe in case of hearing aid failure. Considered for recruitment under S.H.I.E.L.D. Protocol 5097-Shadow Directive.

Codename: Nightshade

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Put down the gun, and both of our mornings will be a lot less stressful. I can ask them for the money, but you need to give me a sign of trust here.

When I got involved in sign language interpreting, it was basically because I wanted to be somebody's hero. That mental vision didn't really see the me ten years, a lot of classes, and an insanely hard certification test later, standing on the sidewalk outside the plate-glass window of an insurance agency, trying to defuse a hostage situation.

This is not going ideally, on the spectrum of calls I've had this rates about a seven. Not as easy as the domestic dispute callout that turned out to be merely the noise of a deaf couple cleaning their garage out and unable to hear the racket they were causing, but a thousand times better than the deaf kid who was in the wrong place at the wrong time during a robbery, and didn't stop when the police yelled at him to put his hands up. I was too late for that one, and it still haunts me.

Today is not great. It's nine a.m., I was on a late call last night that had me out until three talking down a potential suicide, and I haven't had my coffee yet.

The man slips his gun back into his coat pocket and starts to sign to me, and I can feel the movement of the sharpshooters waiting for a chance to end this now. But I know they are waiting on my signal; I've got enough of a reputation with law enforcement now that they trust my judgment when I feel that I can talk someone down without the situation escalating.

Ok. But you have to promise me …

He doesn't get any father than that before the resident idiot hero of the day tries to take advantage of the man's distraction and the more vulnerable position of the gun, and attempt to disarm him.

It's a dismal failure. The deaf man, Joey Maxon I found out from the police file I had to speed read on my way, is former military. As a matter of fact, he lost his hearing in a deployment when an IED went off too close to his position. His years of training and the swift reflexes of a man used to fighting for his life have the would-be hero on the ground in moments, and now the gun is out again and we are back where we started.

I resist the urge to facepalm and continue to sign.

Joey, I know you're upset. I know about your daughter's cancer and I know that this company stopped paying her bills. But this is not the way to help her, ok? Her dad is strong, I know it, and she is too. You made it through three deployments and you've learned to cope with being deaf. I bet that little girl's got your determination. But she needs her daddy with her to help her fight, and you can't help her if you're in jail. So please put the gun down and let us help.

Slowly but steadily, Mr. Maxon lowers his gun. He's looking me in the eyes the whole time, and I can see that I finally got through. It's an odd thing, the look deaf people can get when they realize all I want to do is be there for them. That's why I do this job. Not for the news stories, not for the money. For the people.

I call myself a 'high-risk situation interpreter'. It's a pretty unique job description; as a matter of fact, I might go so far as to quote Sherlock and say I invented the position myself. I work with a variety of law enforcement and government agencies in situations where a perpetrator, a victim, or a potential suicide risk is deaf.

"Another impressive success to add to your resume, McBride," the police lieutenant says as several men escort Mr. Maxon out of the insurance offices.

"I don't feel like it was. I wish we had gotten to him sooner. He's still going to be facing a sentence and jail time for this."

"But you got everyone out alive."

"This time. But every time I see this kind of thing happen, I wonder if we could have prevented it." I stand up from my makeshift perch on the bumper of one of the patrol cars. "Pleasure working with you, lieutenant, and your team. Guess you see a little too much of this in Portland?"

"Sadly, my men do have a lot of experience. But having good people like you makes their job a lot less stressful."

"I'd say I hope to work with you again, but given my line of work…"

"Yes. I'd prefer not to have to call again, but if I do I know where to find you. Good luck, McBride."

I need coffee. I need a lot of coffee. I climb into my car and let out the breath I was holding when my little cranky Buick actually turns over. I pull out of the parking space and drive aimlessly until I find a place that looks promising, a little corner café with a brown awning and lots of people at wrought-iron tables outside.

I walk inside and wait behind a stream of chattery housewives, hipster college students, and staid businessmen until the pink-haired girl behind the counter finally gets to me. I smile at the sight of an 'ILY' necklace she's wearing, and decide to play a hunch.

I order my usual, a black coffee with just a little hazelnut flavor, in ASL and the barista's grin is totally worth it as she signs back.

I read about someone doing this at a Starbucks and it sounded awesome so I thought I'd learn sign language too. You're my first signing customer.

Your signing is really good. I'm a professional interpreter, and I was impressed. You know, you might want to ask your manager if they'd consider hosting a Deaf Social* event at this café. Those are really cool, and you could meet a lot of Deaf people to practice with.

That sounds awesome! The girl's still grinning when she hands me my drink.

I start to walk out the door when my path is blocked by one of the businessmen. He's holding a briefcase, but when he shifts I see the handle of a gun in a shoulder holster. I feel like banging my head against a wall.

I cannot deal with another hostage situation this morning. Why? Universe, do you hate me? I'm so wrapped up in my dilemma that I almost throw my coffee at him when he speaks.

"Ms. McBride? I'm Agent Phil Coulson with S.H.I.E.L.D. I'd like to talk to you about a job."

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*Deaf Social is the term for gatherings Deaf people hold to meet and converse in their own language. These events are often held at cafes, restaurants, and other public places, or at a Deaf person's home, and they can last hours since Deaf people rarely get a chance to sign outside of their own community and take advantage of the opportunity to use their language for as long as they can. These events are good places for ASL students to attend as well, for practice and to meet new Deaf friends.

Any good? Any comments or critiques? The review box is waiting (im)patiently! Thanks for reading! I'll probably post a new chapter each week unless inspiration strikes sooner.

Until next chapter-N1ghthawk