InsaneJournal

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The last time Clint had faced Loki, he had come home broken. Physically, he’d seemed well enough. Laura was used to the scrapes and bruises that inevitably accompanied his job. He’d even seemed mentally hale at first. He’d smiled for her and the children. He’d fit back into their lives as though he’d never left, and Laura, as smitten with him as the day they’d married, had let him carry on the ruse without noticing it herself.

Then, the nightmares started. One or two rude awakenings she could explain away as a natural reaction to the stress of having to save the world, but there were more than a few sleepless nights, and she could feel, when she laid her hand over her husband’s, how unsteady the dreams left him. So Laura had done some top secret work of her own. She had connections who could tell her what happened during the battle for New York, and in the days leading up to it. Through them, she received confirmation that Clint was not okay.

Clint got better with time and care. Laura supported his return to the Avengers, and she was still there, at his side, every night she could be if he needed her. When she couldn’t, she trusted that Nat would step in. Thank God Clint had seen the potential there when he’d been sent to kill the Black Widow. Knowing that Nat would always look out for Clint was one of the only reasons Laura had been able to let him go back to SHIELD without argument after what Loki had done to him.

She worried that all of their careful progress could come undone as she watched her husband react to Loki’s recently revealed presence in this world. Laura had learned in helping Clint the first time that the best way to deal with the fear and all of its manifestations was to get out ahead of it. So she didn’t mind staying up late, after they had put Lila and Nathaniel to bed, or making hot cocoa that she poured into steel tumblers to keep warm, or gathering up blankets and quilts for Clint to help her carry to the roof. She wasn’t a hawk herself, but she loved the places that he did, and being up high always seemed to make him feel safe.

Ever since he had seen Thor in New Mexico, the power he had and wielded, Clint had started to question if normal guys like him could even stand a chance in such a world anymore. You had guys like Stark with his armor, the Hulk (at the time) running around, and then gods were thrown into the mix. Oh sure they were technically aliens but with all the power they had at their disposal they might as well be gods. Clint had needed time to think things over before he had approached Laura with what he had seen and if he should even continue as a SHIELD agent. So when he had been requested (ordered) by Fury to guard the cube they’d had in storage for decades, Clint had figured a quiet post would help him figure things out.

The moment the cube had started to act on its own, Clint had grown worried. He had read everything he could on the artifact and was honestly surprised that Fury hadn’t really figured out that the cube could be opened from the other side. Just about every door could after all. And when Loki had come through and Clint had laid eyes on the Trickster he knew they were in trouble. The staff had only made things worse. There were still nights, even several years later, that had Clint waking up, clutching his chest as if he could still feel the cold and hot tendrils from the gem of the staff creep into his skin and twist him.

Coming home after the ordeal had been a worry on Clint’s mind. Part of him had been afraid Loki was still there creeping in his mind, laying dormant until the opportune moment. But he had needed to see Laura and their young kids. He had never wanted them to worry about his job. Oh he knew Laura no doubt did whether it showed or not, but he didn’t want to worry the kids in thinking their father would never return home. So he had put on a front that all was well. And it had worked for a while. Seeing Loki bound and gagged and headed to life imprisonment on Asgard had eased some of the tension in Clint’s mind. But perhaps it had just been the exhaustion from everything that had happened that kept the nightmares at bay.

When Laura had confronted him about the nightmares he had first played it off as stress from fighting in New York (he had spent a few weeks limping after smashing through the window to escape the exploding roof after all). But then she had come back with intelligence about what had happened and demanded the truth. And by that point, Clint needed to tell her. So he told her everything from the moment Loki arrived, what it had felt like when his mind was broken and reformed into something Loki could use, the blur of things he had done all the way up until Natasha had bashed his head into a metal railing. Retelling of the hole Hulk made with Loki had even brought a small smile to Clint’s face as he remembered.

Time really did heal wounds though and as more and more time passed, the nightmares that so frequently plagued him had faded to only a handful a year at most. But upon seeing Thor’s statement in the network, that Loki lived and was in Tumbleweed, Clint had wanted to panic. But years of training stunted that reaction. But he was still left shaken in spite of his efforts. So he had barely remembered to lock up his truck before finding a high place to hide and get himself together. Clint also had reached out to Laura and Natasha, knowing they would no doubt be worried about him. Talking with both of them had helped ease his racing mind and with the promise of talking more with Laura up on the roof that night had convinced him to head back to the Avengers Compound. The truck wasn’t going anywhere. He needed to be with his family more.

With Laura having the hot chocolate in hand, Clint gathered up the blankets and headed up to his favorite spot on the roof. There was already proof that he had more or less claimed that spot on the roof as a waterproof tarp was weighed down with concrete blocks to protect some . Shifting things around, he tugged out some thick blankets and an unzipped sleeping bag. That went on the bottom and he arranged the blankets for them to curl up on. He knew people liked to tease him about his codename and his love for high places. But height was a tactical advantage. It was hard to sneak up on a person who had the high ground after all.

Snagging one of the containers of cocoa, he opened it and took a small sip, holding the warm metal in his hands. “Nat says it’s probably not a good idea for me to put an arrow in his eye.” He shifted and sat down on the blanket mound, setting the cocoa down long enough for him to draw one of the big blankets around his shoulders and hold it open for Laura to join him under it.

The tumblers were enough to balance - they were the good kind, double-walled, vacuum-sealed, able to keep the warmth in for hours - so Laura happily handed the blankets over to her husband for the trip up, and waited patiently for him to get his perch in order. They had places for this sort of thing at home, too, one of the advantages of owning a farm in rural Pennsylvania. The various outbuildings, not to mention their two-story house, provided plenty of opportunities for stargazing and being out in the open air well above the ground. She had left her jacket inside, much happier with the idea of curling up against Clint to share body heat under a cozy blanket. He was taller than her, which made it incredibly comfortable when they sat together like this, Laura pressed against his side with her head on his shoulder, her arm around his waist. She got in as close to him as she could. He wasn’t alone in this. He never would be.

“Nat’s probably right,” Laura agreed mildly. “He is Thor’s brother.” She’d still punch Loki if she ever had the chance, or get Thor to do it for her. He’d caused enough damage that she didn’t know if she could ever forgive him. None of the Avengers were angels, but at least she could find it in herself to accept the reasons for their choices. With Loki, that was harder. All she saw was someone who had capriciously played with other people’s lives, and wounded Clint more deeply than anyone else had ever managed.

“Have you spoken to Thor?”

Like Laura, Clint had left his jacket inside, opting instead to wear a simple long sleeve shirt. As she nestled against him and was settled, he drew the blanket around them both before grabbing his mug and taking another sip of the warm liquid. Texas was a lot warmer than their home in rural Pennsylvania but the nights here could still be brisk. Clint’s head shifted enough to rest against Laura’s, his arm around her shoulders. “Yeah. She often does raise very good points.” Clint was glad that it had been him who had been sent on that mission all those years ago to stop the infamous Black Widow. Like he had told Fury, he could see better from a distance and what he had seen through the crosshairs that day… Yes defying those orders hadn’t been the best move career wise but Clint never wanted a desk job. He was a field man through and through. And Natasha was now probably his best and most trusted friend. Even if they had been on opposite sides in Leipzig (Wanda had been right in that he had been pulling his punches against his best friend but the whole situation was stupid with too many big egos involved, no offense to Steve).

Laura’s inquiry about Thor drew Clint from his thoughts and he gave a small nod. “You couldn’t see the rest of our conversation due to the filter but he gave his word that Loki won’t harm any innocents. Especially you or the kids.” After the New York incident Clint hadn’t hidden the fact that he had told Loki everything he knew. It was his greatest shame that he hadn’t been able to withhold the information on his wife and two kids at the time. Thankfully Loki had had no interest in his family. Clint had been nothing more than a simple pyawn at the time, easily tossed aside to complete his goals. But now though… Now Clint had proven how valuable he could have still been if Loki had kept him.

“I hate this whole situation,” he admitted, his arm tightening slightly around Laura.

Big personalities was the mildest way someone could describe the Avengers. Laura had some choice words of her own in response to Steve and Tony and their little tiff. Everyone had made their own choices, but only one of them had decided to leave his former teammates to the Raft, knowing exactly what he was doing, what it would do to them, and to the people who were waiting for them at home. Had he known Steve would get them out? Laura certainly hoped so, or she might never allow Tony in her sight again.

“The kids’ll be fine. I’ll be fine.” Laura tightened her arm around Clint in turn. “We have plenty of people here to look out for us. I’m more concerned about you.” She didn’t say that Loki had gotten into Clint’s head without even trying. She didn’t have to. Clint was smart enough to figure that out for himself. Whether he had the wherewithal to push Loki back out remained in question. She knew that it couldn’t be easy.

“Have you thought about seeing someone?”

Clint had well known the risk of helping Steve out. That if they were caught they would be sent to a maximum security prison. But he hadn’t thought that they would send Avengers (okay, ex- and non-Avengers but still heroes) to the Raft. So when Tony had shown up there all nonchalant seeming like everything was right with the world… Oh it had pissed Clint off. The jab Stark had made about his family didn’t sit well with Clint either given only the Avengers and Fury knew they existed. Just because Hawkeye was retired didn’t mean enemies wouldn’t come knocking around and for Tony to just blurt that bit out in a place where everything was recorded? Oh he had wanted to do nothing more than break Tony’s other arm. It was probably a good thing he hadn’t told Laura yet about the jab Stark had made. Steve had apologized for asking Clint for help. Stark just made snide comments. Least it seemed that way to Clint.

Having Laura nestled against him was a great comfort and he nodded some. “I know you three will be fine. Won’t stop me from worrying about you though.” Clint did know that Loki had pushed his way into his head again. Hell, Loki would probably always have a way into his head with what the Asgardian had made him do. When Clint had believed him gone and dead? It had been easy to not think of him. But with Loki alive and so close? Clint wasn’t a fool in thinking that it would be easy to push Loki from his mind.

“Seeing someone? Like a shrink seeing someone?” He arched a brow. He was pretty certain there wasn’t anyone among the Displaced who would be able to listen to Clint and help him. Well, the other world’s Sam might…

Laura set her hot chocolate aside, safely out of range of being knocked over, so she could wrap her other arm around Clint. She’d been so relieved to find out he was in Tumbleweed after she’d arrived. Luckily, she’d had some time in quarantine to get hold of her reaction before she reached out to him, or there might have been a lot more yelling. She’ didn’t blame him, exactly, but she’d been so anxious for news of him, to know that he was safe and that she wouldn’t find herself raising their three children alone, or worse.

“Then if you’re that worried, you can spend more time working on my aim. I’m not completely helpless, Clint.” Laura had never been the sort to want to truly harm another living soul, but she’d also married a secret agent. She knew how to hold a gun, how to fire and reload, in defense of herself and her children. The same held true for a bow and arrow. Neither skill came to her with any sort of innate talent. They’d been learned because they were useful. In the Barton house, you were likely to be able to get to a bow faster than you could to a firearm.

“Yes, like a shrink someone,” she scolded, gently poking Clint in the ribs. “There’s nothing wrong with seeing a doctor when you break your leg in the field, and there’s nothing wrong with getting checked out up here - ” She tapped his temple. “ - when something might need a tune-up.”

Feeling her arms wrap around him, Clint set his own cup to the side and mimicked his wife’s actions. It had been a comforting thought to think that Laura was safe back home with the kids. Not that he hadn’t missed her. Oh quite the contrary. At least back in their world she was close even if he couldn’t go to her so she would stay safe. But being in another reality? That made it all the harder to be with her. So when she had arrived? Oh he had been elated. As had Lila. A father and aunt were good to have but sometimes a child needed their mother.

“I know you aren’t helpless.” Laura might not look it but she did have the spirit of a warrior in Clint’s mind. One had to be a warrior of some sort when you were married to a soldier. Add in the fact that they did live on a farm out of the way of most people, Clint had wanted to ensure Laura could fire a weapon in case any wild animals got too close or comfortable around their farm. Wild animals were not pets after all and if they could help said animals maintain a wariness around humans then they had a better chance of surviving. “But we can definitely work on your aim. There are ranges here we can use for both guns and bows.” Clint never went anywhere unarmed; always having a gun and/or knife on him at all times. “...are you opposed to a concealed carry license?”

Clint shied away from her poke given it was in one of his ticklish spots but he was grinning a little. The grin faded though as she tapped his head and he reached up, grasping her hand and intertwining their fingers. “It’s not like I can go to a normal shrink to talk about this,” he pointed out. “And I don’t know if anyone in the Displaced numbers is qualified for shrinking my thick skull.”

Fury had done a good job helping Clint and Laura set up the farm as a safe place. It had never been easy. Laura managed the books with all the keenness of an accountant tracking down every last spare penny. She kept the place running when Clint wasn’t home to help, renting out land to neighbors so they could plant their crops, keeping the kids homeschooled, repairing what she could when things broke, and running into town for groceries and other necessities that she couldn’t produce at home through her vegetable garden or small flock of chickens. Every minute of that life was amazing, a gift, and so much better when Clint was there to share it.

“I don’t mind getting the permit. After all, it’s Texas,” she joked. “Might as well live the stereotype.” Laura actually preferred the bow and arrow, partly because Clint preferred them, and partly because they seemed so much less cold and destructive, despite the fact that she knew better than most how damaging the weapons could be. “We can make sure someone is around to watch the children who can handle a Norse god when we go out, if you think that we should. Although I have to say that I don’t think Thor should be babysitting them unsupervised. I don’t want to come home to find them toasting each other with ale.”

Laura grinned a little at the way Clint tried to escape her teasing fingers. He still had it in him to play a little. That was reassuring. “All right, fine, what do you suggest, then? I love Natasha, I really do, but slamming your head into a rail is probably not the best way to go about making sure it’s still in working order.”

Say what you would about Fury (it was probably true) but he had done Clint a solid in setting up the farm to be off the grid and SHIELD’s books. He wasn’t a fool. He knew that had been one of the only reasons his family hadn’t been taken by HYDRA. Learning that SHIELD had been co-opted by them hadn’t been easy to bear. Though it was more he felt worse for Natasha. He knew she had joined SHIELD to clean her slate of all the things she’d been forced to do for the Russians. But the fall of SHIELD had given Clint some more time off to spend with his family until the call came that the Avengers were needed to hunt down HYDRA remnants. Clint had been on board. HYDRA had to pay for their crimes after all.

He chuckled some at her joke and kissed her temple affectionately. Laura truly was a gift in Clint’s life. She supported him and stood by him, picking up the slack whenever he left. She was truly amazing in his eyes. With her words about the kids, he nodded some, thoughtful. Violet was a good babysitter but he didn’t feel right asking another kid (okay she was in college but still a kid in his eyes given her age compared to his) to risk her life to keep his children safe.

“We could see if Vision is willing to keep an eye on them… Maybe Wanda too.” They were two of the biggest hitters that Clint could think of who wasn’t Thor. And while he did trust Thor to keep his brother in line… Well, Loki wasn’t called the God of Tricks for nothing.

Her words about Natasha’s version of fixing one’s head earned a genuine laugh from the archer. His hand reached up and he rubbed his head where it had struck metal. “I think I still got that dent from the last time,” he laughed. His mirth faded a bit though and he squeezed Laura’s hand with his calloused one. “I can ask Sam, the Captain America Sam, if he knows anyone I could talk to. Even if it’s him.”

Laura and the kids loved every moment that Clint was home. Even when she was mad at him, Laura was happy to have him near. Just not too nar, if she happened to win the argument and make him sleep on the couch or the floor, or even in the barn. That last one might have happened more than once while she’d been pregnant. Clint could come home looking like he’d been beaten half to death on occasion, but he’d never had to keep the house running by himself while constantly carrying a bowling ball around, one that shifted and kicked and sat inconveniently close to certain organs. Not that it hadn’t all been worth it the moment they’d seen the faces of their newborn children. Clint’s work was dangerous, but it assured them a comfortable life in a world that was, by and large, safer because of what he did.

“As long as someone is in the house who can protect them if something happens, and Violet. It’s not fair to ask her to stand up to gods.” Laura truly hoped that Thor was right, and Loki wouldn’t be a threat, but she wouldn’t trust her family’s safety to that alone. “I think Wanda might like to spend some time with them. It could be good for her. You know Vision better than I do. Does he know how to handle a baby?”

She leaned up to brush a kiss over Clint’s cheek, ignoring the slight scruff of late-day stubble. “Talking with Sam sounds like a good start. And please no disappearing without at least telling Natasha where to find you.”

Clint loved their home. Yes it was usually in a state of remodeling (or at least some part of it was courtesy of his projects) but it was all to make the house more like their home. Places for the kids to play, a studio where Laura could work on her art and not hear the kids running around. His months in retirement had allowed him to finish up the project Ultron had interrupted and to start work on the dining room as he had discussed with Natasha as they drove to the lifeboat as Sokovia flew in the air. What was nice though was that Cooper had expressed interest in learning what his father was doing during the remodels so he was able to spend more time with his son that way.

He nodded though at Laura’s words. “I have no intention of asking her to stand up to a god, even with her powers. She’s too young to face that kind of power.” Clint was protective of kids. Yes Violet was of legal age but he still saw her as a teenager. The same was true of Wanda even though she was older than Violet. He personally considered Wanda family. It was one of the reasons he had been so ready to join Steve in heading off to fight the super soldiers Bucky had told them about.

Hearing about Vision and babies, Clint furrowed his brow in thought. “I think he might have read about them but to have actually spent time with one? That I doubt…” Clint held no grudge against Vision with what had happened with the Accords. Both sides had just been doing what they thought was right. Clint blamed the lack of communication between Stark and Steve as the cause of the airport fight. If Stark just could have listened, they could have come to a compromise where both sides could have come out more intact than they had.

He smiled at the kiss to his cheek and knew he would need to shave within the next day or two. He rested his head against Laura’s, a small grin on his face. “Well, according to Aunty Nat she may or may not have placed a tracking device on me somewhere.” He smiled, clearly amused with the idea. “I doubt she’ll tell me but you might have more luck in a straight answer from her about it.”

If Clint had his way, Laura suspected there would be nothing left of the original house but the studs, and maybe not even those. She teased him about his remodeling, but she liked to watch him work. Her heart warmed just that little bit more when she saw him getting lost in something that he loved that allowed him to be an ordinary man. Cooper had been more excited than he let on to have his dad home, and she’d loved watching the two of them discuss measurements and power tools like any other father and son.

“Why don’t we make sure Vision can actually manage a baby before he set Nathaniel on him,” she suggested. “Or send him in with backup.” The ease with which she’d accepted and forgiven the Avengers in Tumbleweed had surprised Laura. Not that most of the ones who were in town deserved her ire. Vision was practically a baby himself, magical stone in his head or not.

As to the tracking device and prying information out of the infamous Black Widow … “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Laura responded primly. “I don’t have anymore insight into Natasha than the next person.” Which was a complete lie. Natasha was Laura’s only “girlfriend” who was entirely aware of Clint’s secret lives - the one in which he worked for the Avengers, the one in which he was a father to three children, and the one in which he was a complete ninny. Wanda might be coming up to speed on that last, but she hadn’t known Clint for as long, and he still treated her more like a little sister or a favorite student than the confidant Nat was to him.

He’d never let on but he rather liked the teasing Laura gave him for always having some remodeling project going on in the house. It was blissfully normal in his anything but normal life. His next plan, after finishing the dining room, had been to help Cooper design and build a treehouse. Every kid needed one and they had plenty of large trees on the farm to make a good one.

Chuckling, he nodded. “First we ought to ask them if they’d be willing to keep an eye on the kids or be nearby in case Loki does try something.” He sighed a little. “I’m probably just being paranoid but...I’d rather be on a flying city fighting robots again with my bow than deal with Loki.” Clint knew he had gotten off easy with the aftermath of Loki. Being able to fight him and the Chitauri, to stop the plans he had helped come to fruition, and combined with his family, it had eased something in him. Helped keep him from spiralling like Selvig had. But that didn’t mean Clint wasn’t afraid of Loki, not that he’d admit to it.

The archer snorted at her words, amusement in his steel blue eyes. “Whatever you say sweetheart,” he returned, shifting quickly so he could wrap both of his arms around her and pulled her back against him so her back was against his chest. “She probably tells you everything under the guise of girl talk,” he teased, his lips close to her ear as he spoke softly. The worry and fear Loki’s presence had wrought was still there, but having reached out to Laura and Natasha so quickly, to be with his wife now up on the roof in a safe space, to know that Thor would keep his brother in line or else… Now that he could think about it all, it was starting to ease his mind. Not that he still wouldn’t find someone to talk to about what he had gone through, someone that wasn’t involved directly with it. He just hoped Sam was willing or could point him in the direction of someone who could.

Laura allowed her husband to pull her practically into his lap. She had a plan, and he was playing right into her nefarious clutches. Leaning her head back against his shoulder, she direct a beatific smile up at him.

“Yes, dear. Ask them first. That’s generally how babysitting goes.” Laura loved their verbal sparring. She tended to play up the sweet, doting wife aspect of her personality, especially around guests, but she was more than a match for one Clinton Francis Barton. It was part of how she’d nabbed him, after all. “You could upgrade from the bow,” she noted idly, “but I’m not sure it would be worth all of the complaining you’d do. Sometimes I think the only reason you don’t bring it to bed is that you know I’d kick you out.”

While she spoke, Laura let her hands rest over Clint’s while she continued to grin up at him, charming and innocent. “Natasha’s just doing her job. She knows who’s really in charge of you.” Laura leaned up to kiss him again, but her fingers sought out Clint’s sides. Their little nest was secure enough for a quick assault of feathery, tickling touches.

If this was Laura’s plan, to get his mind off of Loki and focusing on the good in his life, then it was working and Clint was glad it was working. He didn’t want to dwell on the past. It would just lead to more pain and suffering and they didn’t need that. And seeing his wife’s smile, that warmth, it filled his heart and he tightened his arms for a moment around her.

“Well we could have gone with the ‘Surprise, watch the kids bye!’ approach and watch them panic if there were hidden cameras set up,” he mused, clearly joking. Hearing what she said about the bow, he gave his best horrified expression. “Blasphemy!” he gasped in mock shock. He smiled though when the faux horror fell from his face. “The barn isn’t bad but I like our bed more so yes, that’s exactly the reason,” he joked.

Feeling her hands over his, he smiled and rested his chin on her shoulder, staring at their hands. “She’s the best friend anyone could ask for,” he agreed. Before he could say more she was poking at the spots where he was most ticklish on his side. He dramatically yelped and quickly snagged her closer, tugging her down so they were laying back and staring up at the sky. He snagged both of her hands with his own so they couldn’t keep poking at him. He also knew that his side where he’d been shot in Sokovia felt different than the rest of his skin. It was hard to detect but for one who knew how his skin felt (pretty much just him and Laura), the difference could be felt.

A little breathless from laughter, and from being abruptly but carefully pulled down to lie against the roof, Laura rolled so she was half on top of her husband, pressed against him and grinning. Her breath ghosted over the bare skin above his shirt collar as she snuggled in. These were some of the most precious times, when it could be just the two of them, the weight of Clint’s job and all of their responsibilities forgotten for the moment.

“You are the best husband. Don’t ever doubt that.” This time, when she kissed him, it was without mischief in mind. She just wanted to be near, to feel him and let him know how much she loved him. Laura knew every scar that marked the story of his career, and if she ever shied away from them, it was only out of fear, when they were still fresh, that the latest brush with disaster could have been the last one if any single thing had gone wrong. Later, when she’d mapped the new mark, it became a reminder to be grateful that this wonderful man had made it home again, that he gave of himself so freely for other people.

“I love you, Hawkeye, and you are stuck with me, even if I’m 98% certain you’re having an affair with the aforementioned bow.”

As Laura curled up against him, Clint closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment. He loved his kids. The three of them and Laura were everything to him. The reason why he stayed in SHIELD and then stayed with the Avengers for as long as he did, so the world would be safer for them. But when Cooper had been born, then Lila, and now Nathaniel, times where it was just him and Laura was exceedingly rare. The kids always needed something and by the time they had gone to bed, he and Laura always seemed too tired to do anything.

He returned her kiss with all the love and devotion he had for her. Not many wives, possibly even dedicated military wives, would have put up with the crazy that was his life. Eventually he pulled back from the kiss and stared into her eyes, a small yet warm smile on his face. “You are the best wife any man could ask for,” he countered, his voice soft. “I’m not exactly the easiest man to live with.” He smiled some, knowing they both knew it was true.

As she mentioned the bow again he laughed and tightened his arms around her. “We decided to keep our relationship strictly work related. Besides, you’re far more interesting than a bow.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Laura settled beside Clint, her head pillowed on his chest so she could listen to the steady thrum of his heartbeat. The sounds of Tumbleweed drifted up to their perch, carried by the currents of air so that they sounded at once distant, and just a breath away. This wasn’t anywhere they had ever been before, wasn’t even their world, but they could make it their home. For a moment, she felt a fierce ache for Cooper, to know that he was tucked in bed downstairs with his brother and sister, or playing games with Aunt Nat.

“We’ll make this work.” The words were a promise to herself as much as to Clint. “Whatever the universe throws at us, we’ll handle it. I don't care if it’s magic or aliens or broken vacuum cleaner.”

Laura curled closer to Clint, letting his warmth and his presence anchor her as much as she grounded him. “One of these days, when we’re old and living off of your pension, we’re going to wonder when the most exciting thing in our lives became watching HGTV.”

As Laura used his chest for a pillow, he shifted his arm so he could stroke her hair. If they were a bit further out from the town, Clint could almost pretend that they were home on the farm, curled up on the porch or their balcony and the kids tucked in and asleep. He felt the same ache for his son as Laura did but he had an advantage over her. He would often ache for his family while away, be it with SHIELD or the Avengers. Carrying the picture of the four of them had helped ease some of the longing he had but not all of it. But Laura had never really been away from any of the kids this long. He knew how hard it would be for her.

“Damn right we will,” he agreed. He grinned a bit. “Or being out in space. Gotta say it was a huge shock when Lila showed up there. Especially with when she showed up…” Clint would thank whatever gods there were that were responsible for it that Lila had shown up after the xenomorph had been dealt with. Hell, he’d probably sing praises to Loki if that particular god had been responsible for it.

The smile returned to his face when she mentioned HGTV. “They do have good renovating projects I could get some ideas from…” he teased.

“No,” Laura said, gently slapping Clint’s hand. “No more ideas. You haven’t finished the ones you’ve already had.” Credit where credit was due, though. Clint did good work. Their house was gorgeous, when it wasn’t being disassembled.

Shivering a little under a breeze, Laura pulled the blankets higher to trap her and Clint’s combined warmth. She liked cooler weather for nights just like this, nights that gave her an added excuse to be close to her husband and build a married couple’s version of a pillow fort. They were both decidedly middle-aged these days, but that didn’t forbid them from the occasional childish indulgence.

“You never said how Lila got here,” Laura mused. “I suppose I should have asked, but you didn’t seem worried, so I wasn’t sure there was a story there.”

He laughed at the slap. True their house was usually torn apart somewhere as Clint remodeled that particular area. But given his retirement from Avenging, he had had more time to complete the projects he had started. It was only going to be a matter of time before he ran out of things to renovate.

Feeling his wife shiver, Clint shifted as she adjusted the blankets and smiled. He had gotten extremely lucky. Meeting Laura and falling in love with her had been the best moment in his life until their kids had been born. And even with the trauma Loki had caused him, Clint wouldn’t change one thing in his life. Without the bad things you never knew how good other things could be.

He resumed stroking her hair, staring up at the appearing stars. “The story was before she arrived. But that can wait for another night. Let’s just say there have now been two official Bartons from our world who have been in space. Even if Lila had to demand the truth of the matter from Nat.”

“Mmm,” Laura agreed. “Right now, I have to admit that a nap sounds amazing.” She smiled up at Clint again. “You’re warm, the kids are asleep, and it’s nice out.” Laura sighed happily, her fingers tracing lazy patterns up and down Clint’s arm. She considered the night well spent, her aim of getting Clint to focus on something other than Loki accomplished. There might be other rough nights ahead, but they’d laid a foundation, and they’d get through whatever might still come.