Summary: The sequel to Because I Could Not Stop for Death. As the team settles into the newly minted Avengers mansion, there's a new danger rising that threatens to tear the team apart from the inside. Now more than ever, they'll need to show that they're more than just a team, they're a family.
Pairings: Clint/Laura, Tony/Pepper, Thor/Jane, Darcy/Ian, Steve/Bucky. Hints of Wanda/Vision, Bruce/Betty
Warnings: Um, spoilers for Age of Ultron and Civil War, kind of?
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Author's Note: Hello all! I'm finally here with the actual sequel to Because I Could Not Stop for Death. This chapter touches on some things brought up in the prequel I posted, How I Met Your Mother (Again), so if it seems like some things are being glossed over, that's why. That being said, hope you enjoy the ride. I might not be great with the updates but rest assured I've got at least the first three chapters plotted out. After that… well! We shall see. Ciao for now!
Today Was a Good Day
When Daisy Johnson first met the infamous Clint 'Hawkeye' Barton, she admitted that she was more than a little star struck. He was considered to be one of SHIELD's brightest and he was also a founding member of the Avengers. He was there that day fighting when the Chitauri fell from the sky. As if that wasn't impressive enough, he also had the admiration of Phil Coulson, Nick Fury and Melinda May. Even if he wasn't an Avenger or one of the better liked agents in SHIELD, Daisy would've respected him just for holding the esteem of any of those three people. So she freely admitted that when she realized who he was, she was star struck. She was also totally embarrassed and feeling guilty because she did attempt to harm his wife and almost murdered his son. Thankfully, their second meeting went much better in that no one was nearly mortally wounded. She even walked away from it feeling that she might have made some inroads on gaining his trust and maybe possibly his friendship one day.
It was a slow moving path. She got the feeling that Clint didn't trust easily. But she could see from the way he interacted with the over Avengers, that when he did trust, it was absolute and unwavering. She hoped that one day she could achieve that level of trust. Since that initial meeting, the Avengers were once again loosely affiliated with SHIELD. Officially, they were disbanded though they publically moved into Tony's old family mansion. Unofficially, most of them were employed by SHIELD (with Natasha and Clint resuming their old agent status and Bucky and Steve assuming actual agent status). For the most part, the team formerly known as the Avengers but still pretty much were the Avengers were helping out on missions that involved people with powers, be they mutant, Inhuman, or other. It wasn't odd to find that Iron Man or Captain America was suddenly added to the team right before a mission. But as of yet, Daisy had yet to be assigned to any team with Clint. She's worked with Natasha, Tony, Sam, Steve and even Vision. But not Clint.
And then one day, when most of the SHIELD agents were out on various other missions or downtime, Phil got a call from a family that needed immediate assistance. Their teenage daughter recently came into her powers and there was increased pressure and harassment to have her register. Phil had a team of Avengers assembled and then called in Daisy. She was supposed to be off that day but Phil told her that Clint specifically requested that she go on this mission. She was still proud of the fact that she didn't do a victory dance in the middle of Phil's office. Especially since it wasn't much of a victory. Because the fact was that even if Clint was the one who asked that she go on the mission, nothing said he was going on the mission as well. No, she was on a team with the Winter Soldier, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Also known as the three Avengers Daisy has had little to do with and might be secretly a bit terrified of. And even more disappointingly, Clint wasn't going because he was home babysitting.
Five hours later, Daisy was irritated, exhausted and more than willing to admit defeat. She was never going to get Clint's trust because the man clearly wanted nothing to do with her. Either that or he wanted to scare her away. How else could he justify signing her up to be locked in a small space with Wanda, who still hated her for what she did to Pietro. Oh, and Bucky, who had given up all attempts at verbal communication three hours before that moment and was alternately glaring at the father, who was itching for a fight with someone, and their new mutant's little brother who seemed fascinated with Bucky's metal arm. Then there was Pietro, who looked more and more uncomfortable with every flirty touch and giggle from said new mutant. Wanda seemed torn between sending dirty looks at the girl who was harassing her brother and Daisy. As for Daisy, well, she was pretty much ready to just give up.
"You're looking at this totally wrong, you know?"
Daisy barely held back the screech that almost left her lips as Bucky flopped down on the ground beside her. She hadn't even seen him move! The man was honestly scary as hell. She knew about Bucky Barnes from the 40s. If you were part of Phil's life, you knew about Captain America and the Howling Commandos. It was just a requisite of being one of the people he trusted in this world. And this scowling, emotionally withdrawn man was nothing like the charming, ladies killer from Phil's stories. It was hard to reconcile that image in her mind. Daisy knew of everything the man had experienced over the past seventy years but it was hard to remember that when he was skulking around in the silence carrying more concealed weapons than Natasha. And she's seen Natasha disarm herself. It was somehow both terrifying and yet amazing to witness. It definitely had to be a Soviet spy thing.
Still, Daisy watched as Bucky settled into a more comfortable position beside her, folding his legs into a lotus position. He was looking in the direction of the twins who were not seated side by side. Wanda had a proprietary arm wrapped around her brother's that seemed to be effective in warding off his new admired. Pietro looked not short of relieved for the break in flirty teenage girl ways. Daisy wasn't surprised to see a smile on Bucky's lips nor was she surprised to feel a smile of her own growing. It was the little moments, like this, that helped her to understand what the Avengers saw in the twins. And then her brain caught up to what he said before they started watching the twins.
"Wait, what do you mean I'm looking at this wrong? What exactly do you think that I'm looking at here?"
Bucky snorted, leaning back against the wall she was resting against. "You think that Clint doesn't trust you because he didn't come on this mission with you. Right?"
"Uh," she mumbled, looking down at the gauntlets on her hands. "I guess a little bit."
"Well, that's what you're wrong about. Because Clint does trust you. You know how many of these missions the Wonder Twins over there have been on that didn't involve Steve, Sam or Clint in some capacity?"
"Uh, three?"
"Try none," Bucky corrected with a small huff of laughter. It was a warm laugh that was accompanied by a genuine smile. "Sam and Stevie take being named godparents really seriously. And Clint is so completely overprotective of those two that he didn't even trust Darcy and Natasha to take them out for a day. So the fact that they're here now with you and Sam, Steve and Clint are back in New York watching two of the most self-sufficient children I've ever met and a baby, should tell you everything that you need to know."
Daisy tilted her head to the side as she tried to fit this new information into the scenario she painted early. It made a little more sense now. Although, the more she thought about it, Wanda and Pietro weren't the only ones that brought out a sense of protectiveness in the Avengers. In the three months since they were living in the mansion, Daisy has seen almost all of them go up against someone who thought that Bucky should be held accountable for being brainwashed and transformed into HYDRA's favorite weapon. People expected Steve's passionate defense of his best friend but it was the cutting remarks from the rest of the team that caught people off guard. After one particularly brutal response from Sam invoking every bit of knowledge about PTSD and war in general, it was rare that anyone bothered to question Bucky's freedom anymore. So Daisy was starting to get the hint that maybe she was a lot more trusted than she originally thought.
"They really do trust me, huh?"
"Yeah. They sent you a mission alone with the twins and no other Avenger."
Daisy arched an eyebrow. "Uh, you're here."
"I'm not an Avenger!" Bucky protested, a scowl that dipped just a bit towards a pout formed on his lips even as he crossed his arms over his chest. Daisy had to bite on her lip to hide her smile. The Winter Soldier ladies and gentlemen. Still she grinned. Clint trusted her! Hell they all trusted her. That was enough.
Today was a good day.
"Clint?"
"Hmm?"
"What the hell are we watching?"
"It clearly says Dog Cops, Steve. Clearly."
"Yeah, but… what exactly is the plot of this show?"
"They're dogs and they're cops."
"Okay, we've established that. But what's the point of it?"
"What was the point of you punching fake Hitler in the face?"
Steve narrowed his eyes. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Everything, Steve. It has everything to do with it," Clint retorted, before sinking further down on the sofa with his eyes never moving from the ridiculous show on the television. Steve arched an eyebrow as he continued to stare in disbelief at Clint.
When he was with his children, it was hard to remember that Clint really wasn't that much older than Steve. He was just barely in his thirties. It became much more apparent when Clint was around Tony or Thor or Bucky. They seemed to bring out the younger side of the archer that was buried under parental responsibility. And it made Steve feel even lighter knowing that he was somehow added to that list as well. Still…
"Punching fake Hitler in the face has nothing to do with this show and you know it. Dog Cops makes no sense."
"They're cops and they're dogs! What is more awesome than that?" Clint protested. His eyes widened dramatically. And Steven knew that look. He's seen on the face of Lila, Pietro and Tony far too many times. It was the look that meant whatever came out of his mouth next was going to lead to Steve wishing he never said anything at all. "Unless you hate dogs." And there it was. One day, he would learn. One day.
"Who hates dogs?" Sam's voice added to the madness. Steve's gaze flickered to Sam who was walking into what they were calling the living room.
Honestly, the mansion had about five other rooms that served the same purpose but it was agreed upon by all of them that this was the living room. The other rooms were only used when the television here had been commandeered for shows that were considered to be a big deal. It didn't matter if some people didn't get it. If there were enough people screaming that the show was important, it was important. No one wanted another scene like the time Steve made the mistake of turning away from an episode of Shadowhunters. Steve didn't know what the show was about but apparently something named Malec was happening that night and Wanda made it very clear what would happen if anyone else tried to interfere with that. Piercing glares from Pietro, Lila, Cooper, Vision and Darcy backed up her threat rather effectively. Steve immediately retreated from the room and towards one of the other lounges only to find Bucky, Clint, Laura, Natasha, Thor and Sam all crowded around the television watching the same damn show. Steve gave up and plopped down between Bucky and Sam. After a much nicer recap from the always patient Laura, Steve had to admit the show was pretty good. He was rooting for that Malec pairing. But that show, he got. Dog Cops on the other hand….
"Steve hates dogs," Clint answered, taking the beer Sam wordlessly handed him with a grin. "He hates Dog Cops."
"How could you possibly hate Dog Cops?" Sam asked incredulously.
"I don't hate dogs or Dog Cops! I just don't get it, that's all."
"What's to get? They're cops and they're dogs. What could be better than that?" Sam argued, narrowing his eyes at Steve.
Steve blinked looking between Sam and Clint, who was also glaring at Steve. Silence fell over the three men with the only sound being the episode playing in the background. Finally, Clint snickered prompting Sam to echo his laughter. Steve rolled his eyes, stealing Clint's beer in the process. He drank the rest of the beer in one long swallow.
"Aw, beer, no," Clint mumbled. Steve gave back the empty bottle. He didn't feel even an ounce of remorse for the archer's pouting expression. "Why beer? Why?!"
"You guys are jerks," Steve answered.
"Nah, you're just way too easy to mess with," Sam shrugged, shielding his beer from Steve. He threw a sidelong glance at the still pouting Clint and handed his bottle over to the younger man. "Not to change the subject from the always riveting Dog Cops, but bro, you need to do something about Bucky."
"He's not even here right now. What could he possibly have done now?"
"Dude, you're aware that there are now ducks living here, right? He legit found ducks from god only knows where and moved them into the pond. Also we have a pond. These were not mutually exclusive discoveries. We have a pond and now we have ducks," Clint replied.
"This is on top of the ferrets that live in the attic," Sam added.
"Not to mention, the flamingo colony that seem to inhabit the property but I think that Tony said it might be his dad's thing."
"Oh, that makes sense."
"Come to think of it, the ferrets might actually belong to Thor. Or Vision. One of them," Clint mused. "But the ducks are definitely Bucky's."
"Definitely."
Steve sighed. That apparently was all the cue that the other two needed as the television was very suddenly muted and all attention was on him. Neither of his friends seemed angry or even hostile. He could read the concern there. If it were any of member of this family questioning him right now, Steve probably would've found a way to escape as quickly as he could. But this was Sam, who put his life and freedom on the line every day just because he decided Steve was the kind of man he should follow. And Clint, who opened his home and his family to Steve without batting an eye. Clint was also the same man who told him it was okay to feel what he feels for Bucky and to offer unconditional support. Steve owed them both more than he cared to admit.
"Still no movement on the Stucky front, huh?"
"Stucky?" Steve repeated, bewildered. They both shrugged.
"I'm constantly influenced by the youth of today. You get a cute couple name. Deal with it," Clint retorted. "And answer the question. We talked about this a few months ago. You seemed like you made a decision. But here we are."
"It's just that… it's not that easy, you know? I want to, you know, with him. But I just… I can't… I don't know if I can make a move. I just… he's been through a lot. And despite the fact that he did most of it on his own, he thinks that I'm the one that saved him. I just feel like if I make a move, if I try to start something, it might make things worse. I don't know if he wants to be with me but I know that if I say something, he'll feel obligated. That's just how he is. He always gives me what he thinks I need because he's a self-sacrificing idiot." Steve pointedly ignored the raised eyebrows from Sam and Clint because screw them, that's why. "The point is, I don't want him to feel like he has to be in a relationship with me."
"You want him to choose you?" Sam clarified, gently.
"Yeah," Steve sighed. "I don't want to make a move and trap him."
"Dude, pretty sure he chose you a long time ago," Clint pointed out. "I refuse to spill details from private Sniper Bros conversations but I think it's pretty obvious that Bucky is just as head over heels for you as you are for him."
Clint had a point. They both did. It was more than obvious that Bucky had feelings for him. More than friend feelings. Just as it was beyond obvious that Steve was in love with Bucky. But there was just this fear that if they crossed the line, something would happen. He knew it was stupid. He knew that he had a chance that most people would kill for but he still hesitated. He charged without thinking into every situation he was presented with. But the idea of a romantic relationship with the man he called best friend for almost ninety years was enough to send him into a blind panic. Still, something had to give. They couldn't keep dancing around this topic for the next however many years. It was driving them both insane. Not to mention the rest of the Avengers. And really, some of them (Tony) couldn't afford to be driven any closer to the edge of sanity and reason. Yeah, Steve definitely needed to have a talk with Bucky and settle this thing between them once and for all.
"I'll talk to him," Steve promised. He watched Clint and Sam exchange glances and nods. "When he gets back from the mission with the twins and Daisy."
"About that," Sam said, turning towards Clint and effectively, and blessedly, changing the subject. "Why did you send three fourths of the Eastern European faction out with Daisy anyway? She is woefully unprepared to deal with Bucky and the twins separately much less altogether."
"One," Clint said, leaning back against the sofa, "she wants to be part of the family. That means she's going to have to learn to be prepared to deal with them. two, if they stayed here they would be asking a lot more questions about where Laura is and I'm not really prepared to answer those without her. Especially not to those three. Damn wife practically adopting everyone. And she complains about me picking up strays. I heard her actually refer to Bucky as her brother the other day. So look on the bright side, Steve. When you finally get your act together, one day you and I can be in-laws!"
Steve rolled his eyes but couldn't fight the smile tugging at his lips. It was true. Laura gave her husband a lot of grief for his quick attachment to humans in need. But she failed to acknowledge that it happened to her as well. While all of the team was accepting and protective of Bucky, Laura took it to a whole other level. She protected Bucky with the ferocity he had only seen her apply to her children, Clint, Natasha and Tony. And Bucky didn't seem to mind at all. If anything he seemed to reciprocate the affection. It was adorable and pretty much solidified the fact that should it ever work out between Bucky and Steve, he definitely would be Clint's brother-in-law. That thought was a lot less terrifying than it should've been.
"Hold up," Sam waved a hand. "Where is Laura exactly?"
"Uh, visiting an old friend?" Clint replied, hesitantly. He bit in his lip in thought. "Or more like acquaintance. That might be a better way of putting it. Or I guess you could say extended family."
"Laura has more family?! Please tell me that they're nothing like her mother and sister," Sam pleaded. Steve silently agreed.
"Actually, it's not Laura's family so much as Cooper."
Steve's brow furrowed. "Cooper? As in your son, Cooper?"
"Yes and kinda no," Clint mumbled quietly and it was only Steve's super hearing that picked that up. And even then it took a minute for the words to actually register.
"Wait, is Cooper not your son?!" Clint shrugged.
"He's my son in everything but blood."
"Holy shit," Sam swore. "How the hell did we now know about that?! Wait, does Cooper know?! Is that why you never told us? Because you still haven't told him?"
"Relax, Wilson," Clint rolled his eyes. "Of course Cooper knows that I'm not his biological father. He actually figured it out on his own. The kid is smart, I'll give him that. So we told him the truth. He told me it didn't matter to him. I'm the only dad he's ever known and that's all he cares about. I was there from the minute he was born. I'm going to be there for him no matter what. So I'm his father and he's my son. Just, you know, he has another father who he's never met and with any luck will never have to meet if he doesn't want to."
"Damn," Sam whistled. Steve seconded that. He always admired Clint and the way that he interacted with the twins. To an outside person, the only room for pause when it came to the twins being the Barton's natural children was the age difference between them. But even that didn't seem so totally unrealistic. Clint had adopted the twins not only in name but also through actions and into his heart. And now he realized that it was just how Clint was. Yeah, he definitely didn't mind being Clint's in-law at all.
"So Laura is meeting with Cooper's biological father?"
Clint snorted. "Nah, she's meeting up with his grandfather. And there is not exactly a lot of love lost there."
"Is she okay going there by herself? We could've watched the kids if you wanted to go," Steve pointed out. Clint shook his head.
"Nah, she was fine going by herself. Anyway, I have a feeling she's not as alone as she thinks she is. It's cool, Cap. I knew you guys could hold the kids down. She wanted to do this on her own and who am I to stand in her way? Besides, I would rather enjoy a 48 hour marathon of Dog Cops then deal with the passive aggressive bitchfest that is Laura going back there. Take the hostility between her and her mom and sister and multiple it by seven and you still wouldn't come close to the hate boner she has for Scott, Emma and some of the other students there. At least with her mom and sister, Laura had hope that they could work it out. With the X-Men…. I think she's just hoping that one day, the purge will actually happen. So yeah, I think we're better off here."
"Yeah, you're right. I think I'd rather have Dog Cops over that too," Steve agreed, shuddering at the description alone.
And that's how Steve found himself slouched on the sofa between Clint and Sam watching the world's most ridiculous yet addictive show about dog cops. He smiled listening to the two beside him bickering and bantering throughout the show, all the while thinking of how he was going to bring up the whole more than friends thing with Bucky. He was definitely going to talk to him when they got back from their mission.
Today was going to be a good day.
Laura wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans as she stood on the doorstep of the Xavier School for the Gifted. The placed used to be a lot more physically intimidating when she was younger, but that was before she moved into a mansion situated on a property that had its own zip code. Laura could see where Tony got his bigger is better nature from now. But at any rate, living in a house bigger than the Xavier estate did little to calm her nerves which had been on edge since she parked the car ten minutes ago. She despised this place. More importantly she despised the man that ran it.
He sold her out to SHIELD. In the end, it worked in her favor that he sold her out to Nick Fury, who saw value in those society liked to ignore. It definitely worked that Nick found the value in Clint Barton years before her file crossed his desk. But the part that still made her angry to this day was that Charles didn't know any of that. He sold her out with the intention that she died. If it had been any other director, any other sniper agent, she would be a dead woman. Her child would never be born. Just the very thought of Cooper not existing broke her heart and made her see read. Then the front door opened and her sudden wrath found a perfect target.
"I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to ring the bell," Emma Frost drawled from where she leaned against the door. "But then I realized it's probably part of your grand master plan to murder us with your mind from the outside."
"Emma, how wonderful to see you! How's life? I heard about you and Scott. Congratulations, I know you've been trying to get in there for years. Just a quick little question, did you actually wait for Jean's body to get cold or did you just bang Scott right there on the battlefield over her corpse?"
Emma's already ice colored eyes frosted (ha!) over and Laura could see one curled fist slowly covering with diamonds. A smirk tugged on her lips. This might be exactly what she needed before having to talk to Charles. She tilted her head to the side and let the inky blackness she associated with her powers cover her eyes. She had been itching to take the other woman down a few pegs since they first met over two years ago. And it seemed that she would be waiting still as Scott suddenly skidded into the scene. Laura rolled her eyes.
"Oh great, it's you."
"What are you even doing here? Didn't you say that you never wanted to set foot in this place again?" Scott retorted, wrapping a comforting arm around Emma. "Are you back to bother the Professor?"
"More like I'm back to ask why he insists on bothering me," Laura answered, pushing past the couple and towards Charles' office.
She passed by several students who gave her a wide berth. She knew that her facial expression alone must have clearly broadcast her emotional state but for those sensitive to telepathy or empathy, she must come across as a ticking time bomb. That's why she wasn't at all surprised when one particular young man wearing a long trench coat stopped short despite him not being in her direct path. His auburn colored head cocked to the side and the most unique set of eyes she had ever seen met hers. They were red on black and they were beautiful. A soft smile tugged at his lips and she could feel his surprise and delight. She found herself intrigued by the young man. It wasn't often she met other empaths. Especially empaths that she couldn't read.
Because the strangest thing about him wasn't his eyes. It was the fact aside from the hint of his emotions, that she suspected her let her feel, Laura couldn't get a good read on the kid at all. She wasn't omega level but her telepathy was strong enough to read the minds of almost everyone. But not this kid. Oh, he was powerful. He tipped his head in her direction with a charming smirk before practically gliding across the floor towards a group of young women around his age. One of that had dark brown hair that hung down to the small of her back. Her heart shaped face was framed by white streaks. Laura watched as the young man settled by her side with an arm around her shoulders. Despite her earlier angry feelings, Laura was amused. A kid that was immune to telepaths? And he was living in the mansion without a handler following his every move. How did Charles live with that one around? It must kill him not to be able to read and control the thoughts of every single person under his roof.
"I do wish you wouldn't think the worst of me while under my roof," Charles said as she entered his office. Laura arched an eyebrow. "Though I suppose you may have some justified reasons for your anger and aggression towards me."
"Oh, you suppose, huh?"
"What brings you here today?"
"You know damn well why I'm here. You have no business tracking any mutant in the Avengers mansion."
"You can feel Cerebro even from that distance?" Charles asked, leaning forward with his elbows resting on the desk. Dark eyes widened in genuine surprise. "That's incredible, Laura. Your powers continue to grow stronger every day. But you've always been quite powerful."
"Yeah, I was and I still am. So butt out of my life."
Charles nodded slowly. "So how is Cooper?"
Laura clenched her jaw as she bit down the urge to rip the mansion down to studs. "You," she hissed. "You do not get to ask about him. Ever."
"I'm his grandfather," Charles protested.
"Not in any way that actually counts. Clint Barton is his father as far as any of us are concerned. And I'm definitely not about let you into Cooper's life so he can end up like David or worse a part of your child mutant army."
"You know that's not at all what the X-Men are." Laura raised an eyebrow even as she sat down in one of the armchairs facing the desk where Charles was sitting.
"I know that this mansion has been invaded and destroyed on more than five occasion. You can't possibly begin to tell me that you wouldn't add even more danger to Cooper's life. That he would be safe with you. Well, even if you could, it hardly matters. Because he's safe where he is. With me. With his real family."
"Oh, you mean the Avengers?" Scott suddenly chimed in. Laura whirled around to see that he had clearly followed her when she stormed in there earlier. Emma was nowhere in sight. Pity. She was really looking forward to that fight. Oh, well there was still Charles' golden boy.
"Don't start a fight you don't have the balls to finish, Scott," Laura warned. "You have no idea what goes on with the Avengers. They're my family. They have cared about me when my own kind turned their back on me. So I would watch what I say if I were you." She noticed his jaw clench but nothing else came out. Good, he was leaning. "And on that note, why are you even here? I don't recall asking you to join this conversation."
"Laura, Scott, let's just settle down," Charles interjected before Scott could make the no doubt nasty retort he had been thinking about saying. "Now, Laura. Why don't you tell me why you're here? You said something about Cerebro."
"Yeah," Laura replied after a moment. Her eyes flickered back to meet Charles'. "I thought we made an arrangement. I don't come in here and give your students migraines at will and you continue to ignore that Cooper exists."
"I've stuck to the terms of our agreement," Charles assured her. "I've made no attempts to contact or otherwise monitor Cooper and certainly not by Cerebro."
"Bullshit. I felt Cerebro in my home. Who else are you looking for it not me or Cooper? There aren't any other mutants there."
Even as she said it, Laura realized she made a mistake. She was so caught up in her history with Charles and the entirety of the X-Men that she ignored the most obvious answer. Charles had stuck to their bargain. He never bothered to check on Cooper directly in the eleven years her son existed. Why would he suddenly break that word? And he had her number. He wouldn't need to use Cerebro to contact her. Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. Damn Sherlock.
"The twins," Laura sighed.
"They're mutants," Charles agreed with a small nod of his head. "And from what I've seen, they're powerful. Whatever enhancements they underwent only made them stronger. Especially the girl. Wanda. She may rival David at full strength."
Laura closed her eyes. She knew it on a primal level when she first met the twins. They were the only survivors of HYDRA's experiments. It wasn't that HYRDA succeeded in creating miracles. They simply woke up something that was already there. They were still growing too. That was the most worrisome part of the whole mess. They had already witnessed Pietro's powers changing and growing. He was even faster than before. His hair was completely silver. And he wasn't the only one changing. Wanda did more than just move things with her mind. She was reading them. She was unconsciously manipulating thoughts. Laura knew it but she just couldn't bring herself to acknowledge it.
"She's powerful, Laura," Charles cut into her thoughts. She opened his eyes to see him giving her a sympathetic look. "I know she's your daughter. And I know that you care. You know I'm uniquely qualified to know exactly how this feels. But you know what David is capable of. Do you really want to see Wanda end up where he is?"
"Of course not," Laura spat. "He's rotting in Moira's lab, brain dead and unaware of the world around him. I'd rather die than see that happen to my daughter. But the alternative isn't much better. I'm not losing my daughter to the X-Men."
"That's not my intention," Charles shook his head. "I'm not suggesting that either twin attend school here full time but it may be in their best interest to have them meet with me so they can start learning to control their abilities."
Laura glanced down at her hands, eyes trained on the picture on her lock screen. It was a photo of all five of her children together. Smiling and happy. She wanted them to stay that way forever. She couldn't imagine a world in which Wanda lost control. She didn't want to imagine it. Because she knew Wanda. Wanda might have the power to rival Legion but she didn't have the black heart. She wouldn't be able to live with hurting someone. The guilt would eat her alive and take Pietro with her. Laura couldn't do that… she couldn't…
"I'll think about it. But I make no promises."
"That's all I ask," Charles accepted with a nod.
Nothing else was said as she stood up, pushing past Scott one last time. She barely paid attention to the students this time around. Her mind focusing on all the possibilities. She could walk away from this and just forget it all. But she was also right if something happened because of Wanda's powers, she wouldn't be able to live with the guilt. But she also didn't want to involve her kids in anymore craziness. The Avengers were enough. She didn't need to add the X-Men in there too. Hell, she should go into the city and see if she could find that new team, the Fantastic something just to add to the chaos.
She sat down in her car and slumped forward. She could feel her anxiety kicking in and tried desperately to control her breathing. Coming here was supposed to make her feel better. But really she knew it wasn't. She knew when she first felt Cerebro sweeping over her house that it wasn't Cooper, Charles was seeing. She knew on a deeper level that she was going to get the confirmation of what she already knew. Wanda and Pietro were mutants.
Suddenly, she noticed something. It wasn't anything big. Her powers reached for miles away. With all of the people living in the mansion and the surrounding area, she had learned to turn her senses down several notches. But, it seemed, that they were too low. It took her way too long to notice that she was not alone. Her eyes opened slowly even as her right hand reached for the knife Clint kept strapped to the side of the driver's seat. She loved chiding her husband for being paranoid but, let's face facts, it's not paranoia if the world really is out to get you. She pulled the knife away and turned in her seat to see violently red hair and smirking green eyes.
"Nat? I thought you were on that mission with Thor, Tony and Rhodey."
Natasha shrugged. "They didn't need me. It was a milk run. And Rhodey is more than adult enough to handle those two. Besides, I figured you were headed here and I knew you'd need backup. Was I wrong?"
"No, you definitely were not."
"Alright, so care to tell the better Soviet assassin what's going on?"
Laura cracked a weak smile before explaining everything, including her suspicions about the twins. She wasn't surprised at all by Natasha's lack of shock when they were revealed to be mutants. She had a feeling that both Natasha and Clint thought it but were too… them to say anything about it. She really hated/loved those two.
"And so that's where we are," Laura finished with a sigh. Natasha nodded sympathetically before patting her on the leg.
"Well, you're screwed."
"Gee, thanks. It's always so helpful having you around."
"You're welcome!" Natasha replied with a wide smirk. "That's why I'm your favorite of Clint's sisters."
"Oh, is that what you are? Because I'm starting to think I'm giving that title to Darcy. Also my husband has adopted too many sisters."
"So says the woman that has adopted a former brainwashed assassin as a brother and has been actively campaigning to add Captain America as her brother-in-law," was the dry retort. Laura rolled her eyes.
"This isn't about me. It's about Clint."
Natasha threw her head back and laughed. It was a genuine laugh. The kind only her family got to hear. Laura loved when Natasha was able to laugh like that. The younger woman had it rough. The Red Room tried to take away everything that would make her an individual. Laura liked to think she and the rest of their family were helping to put it back together a little bit at a time.
"So what are you going to do?" Natasha asked, once her amusement had passed.
Laura sighed again. "If I introduce Charles to Wanda and Pietro, ultimately it's going to mean me introducing Charles into Cooper's life. But Charles is also right, that smug bastard. Wanda has powers that are becoming more and more like David's. He could bend reality, Nat. it's a scary thought. I don't want to be the reason why Wanda makes a mistake so big she can't fix it. So I'm basically being asked to sacrifice one kid for the other."
"Okay, no," Natasha cut in, wrapping her hand around Laura's. "You can't think about it like that. I know the whole situation with Charles is less than ideal. He can be a real ass sometimes. But you and I both know that he's a good man. And he cares about his students. He cares about mutants. One day, Cooper is going to manifest powers. It's not a maybe. I'm actually surprised he didn't come out the womb reading minds."
Laura laughed softly. "I'm not entirely sure he didn't."
"He was a freakishly perceptive infant," Natasha agreed with another smile. She squeezed Laura's hand. "The point is that Cooper is going to be just as strong as Wanda one day. Maybe even stronger. Who knows? But the point is that Charles is the person who can help. We've seen the good work he's done. So maybe it's not a bad thing that the twins are going to need some mutant counseling. It might help ease Cooper into the whole meeting his grandfather thing." Laura chewed on her lip.
"I hate you when you're making sense and are most likely right."
"Oh, so like all the time? We both know that's not true, Laur."
"Oh, shut up," Laura hissed, keeping her teeth clenched around the giggles threatening to burst from her chest. It was far from ideal but she knew what she needed to do. She was going to have to bring the twins, and one day Cooper, to Charles. She had to stop her daughter from becoming the next Legion. This was going to be a fun conversation with Clint tonight. "Come on, let's go home. Pretty sure Steve is ready to kill Clint and Sam. They were planning on forcing him to watch that Dog Cops marathon."
"What is it with them and that show?" Natasha mused even as she settled in the passenger seat and put her seatbelt on.
"Like most things with my husband, I learned it just best not to ask," Laura answered. She turned the car on, rolling her eyes as Natasha immediately started messing with the radio stations and eased the car back onto the road. They were driving for a good five minutes before Laura finally snapped. "Just pick a station and stay there."
"I would but they're all playing the news or something," Natasha said, wrinkling her nose. "Every single station. That's not normal." Laura met her gaze and watched as she settled on a single new station.
'Breaking news. The UN Summit meeting to discuss the ongoing proposed Sokovia Accords at the Vienna International Centre was bombed this afternoon. No word on the number of casualties but amongst the confirmed dead is T'Chaka, the ruler of Wakanda, long rumored to be both the wealthiest and most secretive country in the world. The Joint Counter Terrorist Centre have already identified a suspect: James Barnes also known as the Winter Soldier. The public is being warned that Barnes is armed and dangerous. Any leads…..'
Laura stopped the car abruptly, grateful for the mostly empty road. She looked over to meet Natasha's equally shocked expression.
"And today was such a nice day too," Natasha murmured.
*Thoughts? Was that a cliffhanger? I mean I'm pretty sure it's not… right? See y'all soon!