Author's Notes: Don't own anyone but Abby, everythign else is Marvel...Feedback please?
It was their two-year anniversary since they started dating (or six years if you counted working together and silently obsessing over the other for the previous four). Clint had taken Phil out to eat at a nice Italian restaurant in the small Ohio town that they were passing through on their way back from a mission.
"What do you think, drive all day tomorrow?" Clint asked as they were eating their Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara.
"Yeah, it shouldn't be more than eight hours." Phil said as his phone went off.
"Phil, I thought you turned that off." Clint said somewhat pouting.
"It's the other line." Phil answered as he checked the caller id: Franklin County Ohio Police. "Shit." He swore before flipping the phone open. "Coulson."
Clint watched as Phil's expression became more of Agent Coulson and less just Phil. "I'll be there as soon as I can thank you." Phil hung up the phone as Clint raised an eyebrow. Phil gave him a look that said not here so they got boxes for the dinner, paid and left. Once they got to the car, Phil went to the driver's door and Clint sat in the passenger seat.
"You want to talk about it?"
"My sister, Elizabeth, and her daughter, Abigail, are my only remaining family. My sister was killed in a car crash tonight. I need to go pick Abigail up."
"I'm sorry. Did you have a contingency plan?"
"Yeah, I would take care of Abigail…"
"Here," he said unbuckling. "I'll drive and you make some phone calls to Fury and anyone else. Let them know that we'll be a while longer."
"We?"
"Yeah, get it through your skull Phil that I do love you. I'll stay and help you raise your niece and it'll be just peaches. We'll be a beautiful and happy family." Phil looked at Clint and the relief on his face showed just how the turn of events had affected him. He kissed Clint briefly.
"I love you Clint. Now budge over and drive to Franklin, Ohio. It should be around 2 hours from here."
"I love you too." Clint said as he got in the driver's seat and Phil sat in the passenger seat. In the hour and fifteen minutes, it took to drive from wherever they were to Franklin Ohio, Phil reported in to Fury to let him know what was going on. Fury was a tad bit miffed, but understood, especially since he was one of the few privy to the fact that Clint and Phil were even in a relationship. He wished them luck and told them to keep him informed of the situation. "How old is she?" Clint asked after the conversation ended.
"About 13 months. So she's going to be a little thing." Phil answered.
"Crib, diapers, the whole nine yards?"
"Yes."
"It'll be fun. We'll make it work, Phil. I know that if anyone in our crazy line of work can make it work, it's us." Clint stopped the car at a red light and gave Phil a kiss. They pulled into parking lot of the police station and parked the car. They went to the main desk and asked where to go. First, they were led to the morgue where Phil positively identified Elizabeth's body. A few minutes later, they went to a small room where a dark-haired baby girl was gurgling happily in a playpen as she played with a light up toy. Her eyes brightened further when she saw Phil and she cooed gleefully. He bent down and picked her up, smiling and playing with her fingers.
"Hey Abby. Remember me? I'm Phil." He spoke quietly as Clint watched them. "I'm going to take care of you." He turned to the officer and social worker. "What paperwork do I need to fill out?" Clint carried the diaper bag and then took Abby in the other arm. She smiled up at him and played with his fingers. Phil filled out all the forms and made sure that those were all he needed to do, before taking the bag of Elizabeth's personal belongings that had been on her when she died. They put the car seat in the back and buckled it in before placing Abby in the seat.
Once they arrived at the apartment, they reheated their dinner from earlier and fed Abby some fruits and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. After they were done eating, Clint played with Abby and her toys as Phil began packing up Liz's things and dividing them into two groups: the storage-pile and the donate-pile. Phil smiled as he heard Abby laugh loudly. This may work after all. Phil thought to himself. Two hours later, Phil had finished going through the clothes and most of the other things so he went to check on Clint and Abby. He chuckled softly to himself when he saw the two of them. Clint had changed Abby into a pair of pajamas and was singing Billy Joel's New York State of Mind as he rocked her to sleep in the rocking chair in Abby's room. Phil watched how Clint held her protectively and smiled.
When Clint had finished singing the song Abby was asleep and Clint slowly got up and placed her in the crib. He turned the baby monitor up and took the portable extension with him. "Shh. I just got her to sleep." He whispered to Phil as they left the room, leaving the door ajar.
"When did you become so good with kids?" Phil asked him seriously, as he gave him a kiss. "Because that was pretty adorable."
"I dunno." Clint smiled as they sat down on the large sofa, kicking their heels up on the coffee table. "You just have to do everything with kids. Gotta feed them, play with them, change their diapers, and eventually put them to sleep. It wasn't that difficult."
"Did you change her diaper?" Phil asked questioningly.
"Yeah."
"Since when did you know how to change a diaper?"
"I googled it. Wasn't that hard." Clint said sheepishly.
"Well, it should only take tomorrow to straighten out the rest of the stuff. I figure we take the toys, clothes, pictures and a few other things and donate most everything else. We can pick out a new crib in New York and everything else. I don't want to move more than we have to."
"It'll be fun to pick out new things for Abby. I like her. She's cute."
"I'm glad to hear that." Phil said laying his head on Clint's shoulder.
"Phil," Clint said looking down at Phil as Phil looked at him. "Earlier at dinner, before the phone call, I wanted to ask you to marry me."
"Do you still want to?"
"I wouldn't learn how to change a diaper for just anyone." Clint smiled as he bent over to kiss Phil. "Yes. I still want to marry you. I meant what I said earlier about being a family."
"Yes, Clint Barton, I will marry you."
Clint and Phil watched TV for a little while before falling asleep on the couch cuddled together, the baby monitor next to them fully turned up in case Abby awoke.