𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓. | ❛ Safe House. ❜

     THE QUINJET LANDED JUST OUTSIDE CLINT BARTON'S FARMHOUSE. The Avengers hopped out of the jet, with Clint guiding them to his sanctuary as he held Natasha with his other hand. The rest followed hot on his heel, with Tony and Thor walking behind the duo, their eyes wandering across the residence with bewilderment. Jamie walked beside Steve, feeling his hand ghostly trailing down her back as they stepped inside.

"What is this place?" Thor voiced his curiosity, his eyes darting across the ambiance with a thoughtful look.

"A safe house?" Tony interjected, adding a shrug at the end.

"Let's hope," Clint mumbled, but enough for them to hear as they entered the living room.

"Honey, I'm home." Clint's wife revealed herself, sauntering out of her kitchen with a hand resting on her baby bump. She halted with her steps, her eyebrows pinched as she stared at the earth's mightiest heroes.

"Hi. Company. Sorry I didn't call ahead." Hawkeye sheepishly said, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

Laura Barton's lips curved into a soft smile, walking towards her husband to greet him with a chaste kiss.

Tony raised his eyebrows, watching the scene in front of him. He leaned his head to the side, meeting Thor's gaze. "This is an agent of some kind," he whispered.

"Gentleman, this is Laura." Clint introduced them, having his arm around her lovingly.

Laura nodded her head, a small smile etched onto her features. She gestured with her hand. "I know all your names," she said, her tone soft.

The Avengers could only gawk at the pair, having no idea about Clint's personal life. Tony brought his hand up to wave while the rest awkwardly looked at her, not knowing what to say. Jamie's stomach churned, feeling guilty for invading their home. She gave Laura a warm smile, which she returned back, her eyes sparkling at the Heroine.

"Oh, incoming." Heavy footsteps padded against the hardwood floor, the sound of children's giggles echoing across the room. Clint's face lit up, his eyes warm as he turned his body towards his kids who launched themselves into his arms. "Dad!"

Cooper and Lila hugged their father tightly, greeting him with toothy grins. Clint's eyes softened, kissing his son's head. "Hi, sweetheart. Hey, buddy! How you guys doing?" he said, his voice filling with elation.

"These are...smaller agents." Tony once again shared his thoughts, his face painted with surprise, watching him picking up his daughter.

"Look at your face! Oh, my goodness!" Clint gushed, ruffling his son's hair with a laugh.

Lila gave her father a sweet smile, her hands fiddling as she looked up at him. "Did you bring Auntie Nat?" she asked, her smile matching his father's. Cooper's eyes sparkled, standing beside his sister with an ecstatic nod as his lips emitted Jamie's name.

Natasha's head turned to his children, a smirk forming on her beautiful features. "Why don't you hug her and find out?" she beamed, walking toward to pick her up in her arms.

Cooper immediately ran into Jamie's arms, his tiny arms wrapped around her neck as she cradled him. She let out a chuckle of surprise, gently patting his back as she cooed at the sight of him. "Oh, I've missed you too, kid." she gushed, planting a kiss on his head.

The Heroine made her way to Laura, who watched the interaction with a warm simper. As she was nearing the pregnant woman, she could feel Cooper's hand reaching for her swords. She frowned, gently pulling his hands away. "They're very sharp, Coop. Don't want your pretty little fingers bruised and bloody." she softly told him, giving him a smile.

Laura stood beside the older woman, her eyes tinted with slight playfulness. "You heard her, sweetie. Be careful," she told him, making him huff and nod his head. He muttered a small apology, wiggling out her grasp to hug her mother.

Steve watched the three, a fond look forming on his face. His lips curved up unknowingly, his gaze lingering on the ex-soldier before his face turned stoic. "Sorry for barging in on you." he apologized, giving Laura a tip-lipped smile.

"Yeah, we would have called ahead, but we were busy having no idea that you existed," Tony added, his arms folded as he stared at Clint with slight bewilderment, still trying to process.

Clint chuckled. "Yeah, well Fury helped me set this up when I joined. He kept it off SHIELD's files, I'd like to keep it that way. I figure it's a good place to lay low."

"I missed you. How's little Natasha, huh?" The redhead asked, a smug smile resting on her lips as she gently brought her hands to rest on Laura's baby bump.

Laura's smile faltered, looking at Natasha with a look. "She's...Nathaniel."

Natasha's eyes turned vacant, a look of disappointment clouding her face. She bent down towards her pregnant stomach, "Traitor." she said, making Jamie stifle a laugh.

▹

Jamie anxiously bit her bottom lip, watching her phone screen emerging into a video call. It had been a few days since the incident with Ultron making his first appearance, and she has been worried sick for her students, especially Robin. She remembered her wide Bambi eyes, staring at the robotic figure, watching the color on her face drain. Her heart clenched, feeling her chest prickle.

"Hi, Jamie!" A chirped voice pulled her out of her thoughts, making her head move down to her phone. She watched Robin's face through the screen, her toothy grin making her smile softly at the young woman.

"Hey, Robs. How are you doing? Are you alright?" She greeted, clutching her phone tightly into her hands.

"I'm doing fine, why?" Robin bubbled, giving her another beam.

Jamie's eyebrows were pinched, looking at her phone screen with a frown. "I just.." she stopped herself, biting the insides of her cheeks before letting out a sigh. "I wanted to check on you—both of you, after you know...what happened," she said, her voice turning smaller, feeling the pressure on her chest tighten.

Robin's face turned into a confused expression, but after a moment her eyebrows perked up. "Oh, right! Sorry, I have a memory of a goldfish. I'm doing okay. It took me off guard that night, but I promise you, I'm perfectly fine. Well—I don't know about perfectly, but you get my point. I'm so sorry, I'm rambling. It's like sometimes my mouth is moving faster than my brain, and sometimes I can't stop—" she rambled, her face forming into a grimace.

Jamie let out a soft laugh, her shoulders shaking as she watched her student apologizing with an awkward smile. "No, please. You're fine. I wanted to call you, but I couldn't and I feel bad because you're my student—Steve too! And it's my responsibility to make sure you're alright and with what happened that night..." she shared, ending up stopping herself as she felt herself rambling. "Now, I'm the one rambling. Sorry." she sheepishly said, heat flooding her cheeks.

Robin's eyes softened, feeling her heart flutter at her consideration. She frowned, watching her face through the screen. She narrowed her eyes, noticing the dark circles under her eyes, along with a small cut on her eyebrow. Robin thought she still looked beautiful. "Jamie, deep breaths," she said, her voice turning gentle.

Jamie sharply exhaled through her nose. She let out a chuckle, making Robin furrow her eyebrows. She simpered. "Feels like deja vu," she said, feeling her voice getting hoarse.

"You should worry about yourself, Jamie. Please, don't burden your heart with us. Sure, we act like a bunch of kids sometimes, but we can handle all that superhero stuff. Trust me, me and Steve have been experiencing some weird stuff in our lives." Robin explained, adding a laugh in the end.

Jamie's lips curved into a smile. "Right. I'm still waiting for these crazy stories from you." She chirped, taking a seat on the bed and crossing her legs together.

Robin's laughter echoed across the guest room. "That's a session for another time. For our next meeting, Steve and I will tell you everything!" she chimed, her eyes sparkling.

"Can't wait. You take care, okay? Make sure Steve does his homework, I don't want any stupid excuses from him." she said, her lacing with playfulness.

"Yes, ma'am! Now, go save the world, Heroine." Robin chirped, her grin matching hers before saying her goodbyes.

Jamie shook her head with a chuckle. She threw her phone to the side and let her lay down with a smile. "This girl," she muttered, closing her eyes as sleep engulfed her.