Nyla-Rose stared at the empty blue sky, not a single trace of cloud slinking across. She was laying on the tilted rooftop that the bedroom window made home above and because it was a little after 12, the sun was slowly making its way onto the other side, leaving her in the cool shade of the farmhouse.

It had been ages since she'd visited Clint, but the space of time that separated them had no effect on how much they meant to each other.

Clint wasn't dull.

He knew that Nyla-Rose needed someone more than ever once he saw the news of Tony's disappearance and when she drove up in the sleek black car, he wasn't at all surprised. Not even when Tobias stepped out and stood off awkwardly to the side as she rushed forward to embrace the Barton's. He soon got comfortable once Laura offered him something to eat and that had given Clint and Nyla-Rose a chance to catch up, each avoiding the obvious question that hovered over their heads.

Clint had dove in first.

"So...any word from your mom?"

Nyla had stiffened, but shook her head.

"No. I guess two years of silence makes it pretty clear that neither of us wanna talk."

"That's not true," Clint argued, "Nat can hold one hell of a grudge, I'll give you that, but she's scared, Nyla. She's afraid that she's lost you completely."

The young woman had gone silent.

"Maybe she did."

Clint had only watched as Nyla-Rose pushed herself away from the tree and climbed to her feet, walking back towards the farmhouse before he could say anything else. He hadn't expected anything less from her. She really was her mother's daughter.

Now, she studied the afternoon sky following  a night of tossing and turning, hoping that Tony would descend in that big donut that had taken him away, alive and well. But, Tony Stark was a magnet for danger. All she could do was hope and pray for his safe return. Still yet, she focused on the vast blue, not noticing the tears that began to spill over her lashes and down the sides of her face. Tobias nudged her leg with his own, slipping his hands under his head and turning to study his best friend as she silently cried to herself.

He couldn't begin to understand how she felt.

Half of her family including her mom were branded as fugitives and she hadn't seen the woman for two years, she had just recently found out she was the sister of Tony Stark and both her real and adoptive parents had been murdered, she had some sort of super strength juice running through her veins and now, one of the most important people in her life had disappeared into space with no reassurance that he would come back. It was no wonder why she'd turned into the emotionless and empty corpse of a person that she did.

He'd had trouble pulling her out of the pit of depression that she'd thrown herself into, but that's what he was for and he wasn't about to give up now. Not when her eyes began to acquire its familiar sparkle and she smiled more often, even if it was only for a small moment. Not when she was finally shedding the bitter shell that encased her for so long and revealing the usually so witty and sarcastic Nyla-Rose. Not now when she was finally brushing her hair.

"What do you think he's doing up there?" She asked, breaking him out of a memory of showing up at the Compound and finding her hair looking like she had gotten electrocuted.

"Probably fighting space aliens. You should've gotten abducted, too. That super soldier stuff would've been handy in space," Tobi replied.

Nyla grinned softly.

"Shutup."

"Seriously though? He's Iron Man. Pretty sure he's taken care of."

"That doesn't mean he can't get hurt. He's still human, Tobi. That suit can't protect all of him."

Nyla's throat tightened slightly at the dreaded thought of Tony being gone forever and Tobias shifted onto his side, his hand holding up his head so he could see her more clearly.

"Nyla. It won't do any good to worry, you know that. You might get—"

"I know, I know," she sighed and rolled her eyes to look at him. "It's just that I haven't had one in so long. Maybe it's over. Maybe they're done."

The falseness in her voice made Tobias grim and he fell quiet before rushing to fill the silence.

"You know what you need?"

"What?"

"Nyla! Tobi! Get moving, we're going out!"

Tobias grinned and Nyla scoffed at the coincidental moment.

"Food."

—————

"Honey, are you alright?" Laura's concerned voice brought Nyla-Rose out of her deep thinking and she shrugged dejectedly.

"Okaay, that was a stupid question to ask."

"Ah! Mommy said a bad word!"

Nyla giggled as little Nathaniel gaped at his mother who pretended to be ashamed.

"Don't tell Daddy, okay?" She whispered to the little boy. He nodded seriously and turned back to his older brother to resume the game of catch they'd been playing. Cooper shook his head and laughed as Nathaniel mimed Laura saying "stupid".

"I'm fine, thank you for asking," Nyla said politely.

Tobias rolled his eyes and took another bite of hot dog, stretching his legs over the picnic bench.

"Yeah, okay. That's why you're shredding a perfectly good hot dog bun." Nyla dropped the bread onto her paper plate and pushed the strands of hair blowing over her face behind her ears.

Due to the fact that Clint was still under house arrest, Laura's version of "going out" was having a picnic, but she had no cause to complain. She loved the Barton's and spending time with them was no burden especially since Clint had a hand in raising her as a child.

"Hey, Tobi. Do you mind running up to the house for another mustard bottle?" He nodded in understanding and as soon as he left, Laura took a hesitant seat across from Nyla-Rose.

"Nyla."

The young woman looked up and Laura inwardly winced at the dark circles under her eyes, showing just how exhausted she was.

"How are you doing? Really?" Nyla let out an exasperated laugh and shook her head. She was so tired of crying.

What good would it do?

"Some part of me wishes I had a normal life, ya know? One where I didn't always have to worry about my family getting hurt or even worse than that. But, I can't imagine it."

She sniffed.

"I can't imagine Tony not being Iron Man or—or my mom not being Black Widow. I can't imagine what a normal life is because I'm so used to the crazy. I mean, I have the same thing in me a hundred year old patriot has that made him who he is. It's gotta stop somewhere, though. And I really thought that maybe this would be it. That I'd never speak to my mom again and half of my family would forever be on the run from the government. That's how it would all play out. It just won't stop."

Laura watched, her heart aching, as Nyla took up shredding the bread again, her eyes glazed yet focused on the task at hand.

"It won't stop," she repeated somberly.

Laura carefully took Nyla's hand in her own.

"It will. You keep your head up, Nyla-Rose. The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all."

"Isn't that from a movie?"

"Mulan."

Nyla laughed, Laura joining in at the moment of silliness.

"I'm serious, honey. You'll come out so much stronger than before, I promise. You just need to keep going. All of us do."

Nyla nodded, her spirits slightly lifted as the older woman stood up and moved around her to prepare more of the food.

"Let me help you with that."

Laura hid a smile when Nyla began to busy herself with setting up paper plates and condiment bottles.

A small thwack sounded and she looked over at her boys to see Nathaniel's face glowing with happiness, the baseball they'd been tossing back and forth snug in Cooper's mitt.

"Nice throw, kiddo."

"Hey!" She called out to Lila and Clint who were busy with target practice. "You guys want mayo or mustard or both?"

"Who puts mayo on a hot dog?" Tobias called back as he bounded out of the house clutching two bottles.

"That's a good question," Clint pointed at him.

Laura shot him a look and he quickly put his hand down.

"Two mustard, please! Thanks mama!"

"Make it three!" Tobi chimed in.

"Mustard or mayo?" Nyla asked Nathaniel.

He shrugged.

"How 'bout ketchup?"
"Ketchup?" Laura echoed.

"Yeah, ketchup. Fries condiment lover?"

Tobias tossed the bottles of ketchup and mustard to Nyla and went to sit before snapping his fingers in frustration.

"Damn, I forgot the other pack of hot dog buns. I'll be right back!"

"Mommy, Tobi said a bad word."

Nathaniel had sidled up to his mom's side, watching as he loped back up the small incline. Laura made a shushing gesture that he returned dramatically, making her chuckle.

"Hey guys! Enough practice! Soup's on!"

"Alright, we're coming!"

Nyla sighed contently as she bent to dig around in the cooler for a water bottle. The ice scratched at her hand and all she was coming up with was Caprisuns.

"Hey, Laura, are the water bottles still—"

She turned to find that she was talking to the air and Clint was looking around, his head whipping back and forth frantically. Everyone but she and Clint were left in the field as though they had magically disappeared and Nyla could sense something was terribly wrong. An impending doom that echoed in her ears and paralyzed her.

"Laura?"

"Lila? Honey?"

"Laura?"

Nothing.
No one.

Empty.

The familiar bitterness of panic began to rise in her chest, a swelling tide of symptoms she'd thought had long forgotten her.

Nyla didn't know how she managed it, but she was in the house, pushing past the front door and hurrying into the kitchen to see specks of dust floating through the air, Tobias nowhere to be found. She could still hear Clint calling desperately for his family and that's when she realized. She sunk to her knees, trembling like a leaf, and clawed at the floor with all the strength she had to make it go away.

She was sorry.
She thought she would be fine.

Please go away.
PLEASE.

Nyla couldn't breathe.
"Laura!"
The uncontrollable feeling of fright.
"Boys!"
She was choking on it.
"Boys!"
It was strangling her.
"Laura!"

She said it would stop. Nyla believed her. That it would all come to an end. But, she was wrong.

"LAURA!"

It was just the beginning.