01x04 - Partners, Am I Right?

[bunniefuu]

Sorry, Santa.

(CRASHING)

(TIRES SCREECHING)

Nathaniel? What are you doin', buddy?
Hey, is everything okay?

Hey. You know I'm gonna
be there, like I said.

So Ronin is dead, and the person
who k*lled him is dead.

That's convenient. How do you know this?

'Cause I was there.

MAN: Up next, we have an artifact

recovered from the wreckage
of the Avengers compound.

MAN: The lots.

REPORTER: New York socialite
Armand Duquesne

was found dead in his home last night.

This is Detective Caudie
of the New York Police Department.

Ms. Bishop, can you come down
to the station for a quick chat?

How'd you say Armand was k*lled?

Stabbed with a sword.

BARTON: See if there's anything on Kazi.

KATE: Okay, what's this company,
Sloan Limited? Kazi is an employee?

Let me see what I can pull up on Jack.

And I've just been locked out.

JACK: Don't move.

Stay exactly where you are.

Jack, no!

What the hell is going on?

And why is there an Avenger
in my dining room?

Hi.

Oh, my God. You're... You're Archer.

- Hawkeye.
- Clint.

- It's the branding issue, I'm telling you.
- Yeah, sure.

(CHUCKLES)

Hawkeye and I are working on a case,

and we needed to use the bathroom.

He did. So, we were by the house,
we dropped in. No big deal.

- Working on a case together?
- How terrific.

He's my partner.

We're not partners.

Well, we're friends-slash-partners.

I wouldn't really describe
us as friends.

(CELL PHONE CHIMES)

Someone used my laptop to sign onto
my work account ten minutes ago.

Any thoughts, Kate?

Hawkeye?

You'll never get anything outta him.

See, CB-One has trouble opening up.

Nobody calls me CB-One.

I'm just tryin' it out for a second.

Probably some early childhood thing.

He thinks he doesn't tell me much,

- but he ends up telling me all of it.
- I tell her nothing.

I think it's 'cause
I'm generally just pretty chill.

I'm not like, "Oh, my God, Hawkeye!"

(CHUCKLES)

Definitely not chill.

By the way, thank you...
for saving the world.

Don't mention it.

I would like my daughter
to start telling me the truth.

I logged into your account
because I needed information

on an actual case with actual people
who are in actual danger.

So, Kate is helping you
with an Avengers-level thr*at?

Well, not exactly.

But you are working together?

Yes. Sounds weird, 'cause it is.

Okay.

Well, I guess I'm just
gonna have to trust

everyone at this table
to do what's right.

BARTON: Hmm.

Cool. It was great
bumpin' into you guys.

- Please stay.
- We should get...

Can I see you out?

I'll get my coat. Jack.

Let me clarify.

Yeah.

She is not a superhero.

Oh, yeah. Come on, I already knew that.

She's pretty good at all this, but...

Natasha Romanoff was pretty
damn good at it, wasn't she?

Being good isn't always
enough to keep you alive.

(ELEVATOR DINGS)

I see.

- Clint?
- Yeah?

Do you have kids?

Yeah, I'm gonna assume that you do.

It's been a rough week for my family.

But I am letting you know
that I cannot lose Kate.

I've lost people before. I know
in your line of work, you have, too.

I understand. Okay.

So, you'll forget this case?

I can't do that.

But what I can do is ensure that
your daughter stays safe. Okay?

(ELEVATOR DINGS)

(SIGHS)

(LINE RINGING)

(LINE BEEPS)

It's Eleanor. Um...

Could you call me back,
please? It's urgent.

Hey. Did you find anything?

I talked to that friend of yours.
He's really busy.

He's been learning Russian
and jogging a ton.

Tracksuits. So Sloan is their front?

Yep. He said that his boss,

Jack Duquesne, never
gives him a day off.

Jack's CEO? He's laundering
money for the big guy?

Let me guess, you're
gonna need another day.

Yeah, look, uh, this kid I'm helping
is stuck in the middle of it,

so I can't leave until
I know she's safe.

I've been wondering...

(SPEAKING GERMAN)

BARTON: You mean the Rolex?

It's Dad.

I don't think... I don't think so.

Why? Wasn't that destroyed,
like, years ago?

Well, I thought so,

but I thought the same thing
about your fancy outfit.

It's worth lookin' into, ain't it?

If you can, check the signal
from the transmitter.

Okay. You sound like you've been
runnin' around all day. Are you tired?

Yeah, I'm a little banged up,
but nothing's broken.

Okay. Well, put your feet up.

Ice them if you have to.
Okay? I love you.

I... I miss you.

I'll see you soon. I promise.

Bye.

Uh, guys, looks like Dad's gonna
be stuck at work a little longer.

(NATHANIEL GROANS)

ELEANOR: Obsessed. Completely obsessed
with Clint Barton since...

Well, ever since the att*ck.

JACK: She's awfully composed
around her own idol.

If I ever met Huey Lewis,
I'd be a wreck.

ELEANOR: Kate's always been confident,

never had to worry
about her on that front.

You're getting that pre-headache look,

darling. Let me get you some tea.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

Would you like something, Kate?

No. Thanks.

Mom, I really need to
talk to you about Jack.

Hey, could we... Um...
Could we change the subject?

You need to give him a break. Come on.

I... I need your help
with a few decisions

on the Bishop holiday party.

I don't... I don't think
I'm in the mood.

Come on, Kate. You're
great at this sort of thing.

The party's non-denominational,

encourages company camaraderie
with a festive spirit.

Sounds like a blast already.

Did someone say parties?

Just make sure there's
plenty of dancing.

Well, my mother doesn't dance.

Oh, really? I beg to differ. Darling?

(ELEANOR CHUCKLES)

(SINGING) ♪ Chestnuts
roasting on an open fire ♪

♪ Jack Frost nippin' at your ear ♪

(JACK CHUCKLES)

(BOTH CHUCKLE)

♪ And though it's been said
many times, many ways ♪

♪ Merry Christmas to you ♪

(ELEANOR CHUCKLES)

Don't think I've ever seen you
like that before.

(CHUCKLING) Wow!

A superhero house call and
a serenade, all in one day.

Well, you know what
they say... life is short.

You never know what you're gonna get.

(BOTH LAUGH)

What? What'd I say?
Did I say something wrong or...

Every time you use one of those
aphorisms, they are... wrong.

What? No. That can't be right,
is it? Darling. Please.

(CHUCKLING)

The other day, you said, "Absence
makes the heart grow older".

- (CHUCKLES)
- Because that's what it does.

- (CHUCKLING) Yeah. Honey. Come here.
- No. Really?

Aw. You're making my heart grow older.

(JACK CHUCKLING)

I guess getting laughed at by family

is better than being alone
in the holidays, right?

ELEANOR: What's better
than being with family?

I'm so glad you're both here.

JACK: You know,
we should play a board game.

ELEANOR: That's a cute idea.

JACK: Risk, Yahtzee, Stratego.

(EXHALES)

(SIGHS IN RELIEF)

(EXHALES DEEPLY)

(INTERCOM BUZZING)

(BUZZING)

KATE: It's me. I come bearing pizza
and holiday cheer. Let me in.

Mmm.

(DOOR BUZZES)

Come on, Pizza Do... Okay.

(CHRISTMAS SONG PLAYING)

- Hey!
- Hey.

- A little help?
- Hey, get outta there.

All right, this is the classic Hawkeye
costume we've been waitin' for.

What is all this?

This is me saving the holidays.

Is that right?

I'll get you home in
time for the big day.

Figured in the meantime,
we could celebrate.

It's movie marathon night, right?
Check this out. I got movies.

That's very thoughtful of you.

Thanks.

But yeah, can we put a pause on that and

talk about Sword Boy for a minute?

- You got good instincts, kid.
- What do you mean?

So, I did a little digging
and turns out,

Sloan's a shell company that
launders money for the Tracksuits.

And Jack Duquesne is the CEO.

You sure?

Mmm.

Okay, well, we're just gonna have
to come up with a plan to take down

my mom's fiancé's organized crime ring

while simultaneously having
a heartwarming holiday celebration.

(CHRISTMAS MUSIC PLAYING)

Got any more of that slushy stuff?

- BARTON: In the kitchen.
- Okay.

Okay, cops. We need to
get the cops off my back.

TSM, we need to get them
to leave us alone.

And we need to figure out why and
how Jack is connected to it all.

Yeah, right.

This the part where you finish
my sentence with a plan.

Planning's not really my thing.
Are you sure that's dry erase?

(CHRISTMAS SONG PLAYING)

Good boy.

(CHRISTMAS SONG CONTINUES PLAYING)

How do we get more trick arrows?

Well, there are no more trick arrows.

Like in the world?

Basically. I have a few more
trick arrowheads.

But you can't just put 'em on any shaft.

So, we really have to get these back.

What're you doing?

See? Tree covers the parts
that won't come off.

Well, now you're problem-solving.

- Have you ever heard of boomerang arrows?
- What?

Why would I ever want to use
a boomerang arrow?

- Because they come back.
- Exactly.

Yeah, well, if all trick arrows
were boomerangs,

then we'd have them all.

Coming back at us.

You'd have to... You'd have to dodge.

(CHUCKLES)

BARTON: No, it's not impossible.

The first arrow you release
just has to be wood.

So when you release the second one,
it splits it up the middle.

- I call bullshit. I've tried it.
- Well, I've done it a few times.

You got any other cool tricks?

Well, I can knock somebody unconscious
with that, like, feet away.

No, you can't.

I'd use a quarter or a nickel.
A dime's too light.

Prove it.

What, knock you unconscious?

No, I want you to hit something.

Fine, live forever
without me believing you.

I'll just tell every stranger that I see

that Hawkeye is full of bullshit.

- (COIN CLATTERS)
- (TV POWERS OFF)

Whoa!

(DOG WHINES)

You've got to show me how you did that.

(CHRISTMAS SONG PLAYING)

All right, you ready?

Yeah.

You have a nice snap.
Make sure you get that curve.

Just a little one.
Right, you got it, right?

(COIN CLATTERS)

BARTON: Oh, God.

(LAUGHS)

What are you doing?

Ring finger.

- Grip it tight.
- Yeah.

That was better.

You can do it this time.

Okay. (CLEARS THROAT)

(TV POWERS ON)

- KATE: Oh, my God!
- What?

- Holy sh*t, I did it.
- Yes.

That was crazy.

Hey, not bad, kid.

Not bad. All right.
Best sh*t you ever took?

- Uh, the one I didn't take.
- What does that mean?

Uh, it means... Never mind,
shouldn't have said it.

- Oh, come on, you can't do that.
- Never mind, it's nothin'.

What? Come on, consider
it my Christmas present.

- No, it's not the right time.
- Yes.

- Look, it'll be a good story, I'm sure...
- It's just not a good story, okay?

It's...

about the time I met someone.

I was sent to take her out.

And when I got there,
when it was time...

Um...

I couldn't do it.

I just had this feeling
that she wanted out.

Turns out, I was right.

KATE: You mean Natasha.

Yeah.

She was the best there was.

(SIGHS)

I'm sorry.

It's all right. It's, uh... When you do
what I do for a living, it...

It's just a game
of managing loss, right? So...

(BARTON SIGHS)

Kids, Janie, Janie, Tommy!

MAN: (ON TV) Look at you.
Oh, I could eat you up.

- Where's your mother?
- BOY: She went looking for you.

You lost your family in the Blip?

Yeah. Like half the world.

God, that must have been devastating.

Yeah, there are no words.

Is that where you met the Ronin?

(SIGHS)

It's you, isn't it?

Everybody dealt with the Blip
in their own way.

I continued doing
what I was trained to do.

Protect people.

Hurting people. Investigating first,

but in the end, my job has
always been to hurt people.

You were a hero.

I was a w*apon.

I was aimed by the right people
at the right targets, so...

Look, you made mistakes,
but those are behind you.

No, it's tied to me.

Tied to my family.

That's why I'm here. And
I can't go home till I fix it.

I really appreciate
what you did tonight.

It means a lot.

You know, you should get some rest.
You got a big day tomorrow.

- Yes, boss. Good night.
- 'Night.

(CLICKING TONGUE) Come on!

(INHALES)

(EXHALES)

How about now? (CHUCKLES)

NATASHA: k*lling all these people
isn't gonna bring your family back.

It's okay.

Please.

(NATASHA GRUNTS)

No!

WOMAN: (OVER RADIO)
It's three days until Christmas

and we've got your soundtrack
for the holiday season.

You're listening to New York's
. , light FM.

(CELL PHONE BUZZING)

- Morning.
- Mornin'.

- Some coffee.
- Oh, thank God.

Okay, this morning, I'm gonna
have a talk with our friend, Kazi.

What I want you to do
is track down the trick arrows

from our friends, the LARPers.

(CHUCKLES)

- Wait, what?
- My tracer arrow stopped moving,

and it's over by an NYPD facility
down by the bridge.

And now the LARPers, they're mostly
first responders, one's a cop.

See if they can get access
to that NYPD facility.

LARPer friends.

Yeah, they're... They're colorful.
You're gonna love 'em.

You know, I like to think of
them more as our arrows.

Okay. Go get our arrows.

Hmm.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

WOMAN: Thrust!

MAN: Lightning Bolt!
One, two, three, four, five.

WOMAN: Retreat! Formation. s*ab!

(SHOUTS)

Ice Wall!

(WOMAN YELLS INDISTINCTLY)

Superpower Doom!

(ALL YELLING)

Hey, I, uh... I don't
mean to interrupt...

(ALL YELLING)

- Wow. You guys are...
- WOMAN: Retreat!

Dedicated.

Who are you?

Uh, Hawkeye sent me here
on official Avengers business.

I'm his partner-slash-best-friend, Kate.

He said you guys could help us out.
One of you is a cop?

That's me, Officer Wendy Conrad.
Better as Els-Bath of Deepdale.

Officer. Basically, all we need is some

casual, run-of-the-mill
evidence tampering.

Hawkeye's trick arrows
are in an NYPD facility

near the Manhattan Bridge.

I can probably help you out

if you make it worth my while.

Worth our while.

Yeah. Yeah, sure, totally.
Whatever you want. All right.

All in? Okay. This is gonna be great.

You guys are awesome, outfits,
the... It's just really awesome.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING)

Surprise. Ah, ah. Just wanna talk.

I need to get out of the city.

But before I go, I need to put
this Ronin situation to bed.

Look, I know you have Maya's ear,

and you seem like you're a
reasonably not stupid guy.

If you're tryin' to flatter me,
you are way off the mark.

Don't get me wrong,
I think you're a doormat.

Look, you've been working under

William Lopez as a lieutenant for,
what, for four years?

And now under Maya for a few more years.

You know this operation
better than anybody.

You know what Maya's boss wants.

And you know what he's
already done to get it.

So what do you know?

I know he doesn't like this
attention, that's for sure.

I know Maya's obsession, wanting
to hunt Ronin down, is dangerous.

Clouds her judgment, don't you think?

So you're concerned
for the organization?

And, uh... And my rank in it?

What do you want?

I don't want anybody else to die.

But Maya's need for vengeance
is gonna get her k*lled.

Period.

Looking for this? Or maybe
it's the box cutter under the seat.

Look, are we done here?

She's chasing a ghost.

I think you know that.
But I can't convince her of that.

And I'm guessing you're
the only one who can.

This is the final warning.
Just get it done.

Hey, can I have my g*n back?

Yeah, what do you think?

(DOOR CLOSES)

Ah, come on.

(CHRISTMAS SONG PLAYING)

- There's our guy.
- Hey.

Snickerdoodle? They're still warm.

- Okay.
- Hey, come on in.

- Hey, Clint. How'd your day go?
- Hi.

My, uh... My day's been
fine. How are you doing?

Great, yeah. Better than yours, I'd say.

So did you, uh, get my gear?

Yeah, yeah. They're on the way.

They should be here
any minute. Yeah, relax.

- What?
- Check that out.

(KATE CHUCKLES)

Not gonna lie, I look
pretty good as a Viking.

- I... You know, I made this myself.
- No way!

- By hand.
- Could I hire you to make my next one?

Oh, yeah. I would love to.

Hey, wait a second.
What if that's our deal?

- What deal?
- We get you the arrows and info,

and you get us materials
for a new costume.

Okay, how about enough materials

to make your costumes plus two more?

I know a certain someone who
needs a little help with theirs.

- I'm in.
- Great!

Hey, Orval, you hear that?
We gettin' new costumes.

Uh, Kate, I asked you to simply
retrieve my arrows, not stage a play.

Uh, we're a... We're a guild.

(PHONE BUZZING)

Okay. I gotta go.

We gotta go. We're
in this together, right?

- Excuse me, sorry.
- You're gonna have to change.

- Hawkeye.
- Oh, hi.

Arrow Retrieval Mission complete.

Oh, yes. Thank you so much.
Appreciate it.

This is my bag.

- Okay.
- You didn't bring your own bag?

No, I mean...

My wife gave me this bag.
It's embroidered. It says "Bombshell".

I... I can see that, that
it's very important to you.

He'll get it back to you.
Yeah, I'll make sure of it.

- Right?
- I promise.

- Let's go.
- Right. Okay.

- Thank you. See ya.
- Okay then.

- Thank you so much.
- Beautiful bag.

Thank you.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING)

KATE: You wanna tell me
what we're doing here?

BARTON: Something very important to me
is pinging inside that apartment.

It was stolen from a black market
auction. I need it back.

No lights, no movement.

(KATE SIGHS)

This is our chance.

This would have been easier
if we were on a higher rooftop.

That's what you think.

Yeah, exactly. That's why I said it.

Kate, you always wanna prioritize
a quick exit over a quick entrance

so when things go sideways,
and they usually do,

you have an exit strategy.

That's why I chose this spot.

It's got good sightlines
for all my exits.

Entry should be easy.

Think it should take me about
three and a half minutes to get in.

So, if you see anything out here,

just give me a signal, Kate. All right?

Kate?

- (CAR HONKING)
- MAN: What're you doin?

(TIRES SCREECHING)

Kate? Kate?

- There you are.
- I told you you're supposed to be lookout.

Yeah, but of the two of us,

who do you trust up there
not to get distracted?

That's not fair, that your inability

to act like a grown-up
helps you get your way.

(SCOFFS) No, it's not.
But it is what it is.

I need you to use your grappling
hook arrow to anchor yourself in.

Propel down the side
of the building to the window.

If it's locked, break in quietly.

Yeah, love all of that. Great plan,
just a slight tweak though.

Good evening, sir.
Can I help you with your bags?

- Oh. Thank you.
- (CHUCKLES) Sure.

What are you... No, no, no.

BARTON: No, no, no.
Don't... Don't engage.

- Got celery, a little Kashi.
- BARTON: Kate.

Okay, some pretzels?

Where are you?

- (DINGS)
- Oh, relax. I'm taking the elevator.

I'm sorry, what was that?

Oh, I, uh... I'm sorry,
I wasn't talking to you.

(CHUCKLES)

Can I tell you a secret?

BARTON: Please don't do this.

I was talking to an Avenger.

He's in my ear.

BARTON: Maybe you should stop talking.

Yeah, I'm his partner.

I'll just take this back.

I can help you to the door, no problem.

No, that's all right.
I got it from here.

Okay, are you sure?
It's really no problem.

All right, you take care now.

- (ELEVATOR DINGS)
- (GROANS)

What do you do with
this giant bow problem?

I have a collapsible one.

Oh, that makes sense.

Okay. I'm at the door.

We're good.

(DOORKNOB RATTLING)

(DOOR CREAKING)

Okay. Living room's all clear.

Oh, sh*t.

(ARROW WHOOSHES)

(ARROW WHOOSHING)

What was that?

I don't know. There are, like,
strobe lights attached to the wall.

- BARTON: What do you mean, strobe lights?
- I don't know.

Yeah, what do you see?

Okay, what am I lookin' for?

A watch, vintage Rolex.

Belongs to someone I used to work with.

Is that the whole story, Clint?

BARTON: They've been out
of the game a long time,

but their identity is still
attached to that watch.

Hmm. And if the Tracksuits
find out about it?

It would blow their cover.
Goodbye, friend.

Got the watch.

Great.

Hang on a minute.

Clint, somebody is taking
notes on your family.

BARTON: What?

"Clint Barton, wife, Laura,
daughter, Lila, age ,

son, Cooper, age , son, Nate". What...

Kate, get out of there now.

What? Why?

That light's an alarm. It's a silent
alarm for people that can't hear.

Oh, my God.

It's Maya's apartment.

BARTON: All right, I'm coming...

(BARTON GRUNTING)

Clint, what's going on?

Clint?

(BARTON GROANING)

(GRUNTS, GROANS)

Maya's here.

BARTON: Yeah, I can see that.

Then why didn't you tell me?

BARTON: I did. Maya's
on the roof with me.

- No, Maya is definitely here.
- (GLASS BREAKING)

(GRUNTING)

Well, who the hell am I fighting then?

(GRUNTS)

(GRUNTS)

(BREATHING HEAVILY) A little help?

(GROANING)

Give me a second. Incoming.

Get on the zip line.

(GASPS)

(BARTON GRUNTING)

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING)

(WIND BLOWING)

(EXHALES)

(BARTON GRUNTING)

Oh, this is great. (BREATHING HEAVILY)

- (GASPS)
- (ZIPLINE CREAKS)

(GRUNTS) Come on. Come on.

(GRUNTS)

(KATE GASPS)

(GROANS) That hurt.

(g*n COCKING)

(GRUNTS)

(GRUNTING)

(ELECTRICITY CRACKLING)

(YELLING)

No, no, no! No, no!

(BREATH TREMBLING)

Pull me up!

(BARTON BREATHING HEAVILY)

Get outta here.

(GRUNTS)

(LIGHTS CLATTERING)

(GRUNTS)

(GRUNTS)

(HIGH-PITCHED RINGING)

(GROANS)

(GRUNTING)

(GRUNTS)

(GRUNTING)

(GRUNTING)

- (ELECTRICITY CRACKLING)
- (GROANS)

(EXHALES)

(EXHALES SHARPLY) Who the hell was that?

You don't wanna know, Kate.

I cannot be your partner if you
don't tell me what's going on.

You're not my partner.
Do you understand that?

You never were.

Someone has hired a
Black Widow assassin.

This has gotten very real, very quickly.

So I'm doing this alone.

No, you're not.

Look, I know that tonight
didn't go as planned,

but I chose to be here.

I understand the risk,
I understand all of that.

I'm not gonna do it.

Do you hear me?

Do you hear me?

(SNIFFLES)

Go home, Kate.

It's over.

(SLOW INSTRUMENTAL
CHRISTMAS MUSIC PLAYING)