The Accidental Family

A Clint & Natasha Story

By Brown Eyes Parker

Warnings: Spoilers for Avengers: Age of Ultron, minor character death. Maybe a little OOC Nat/Clint.

Rated: T

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Chapter 1

"We could stay out here with you tonight, if you needed us too," Tony Stark said to Natasha Romanoff in hushed tones.

Pepper Potts nodded her head in agreement.

"We'll be fine," Natasha answered, looking into the living room where Clint Barton was sitting in his plaid La-Z-Boy recliner and staring into space, a half-empty bottle of something alcoholic in his hand. "I can handle him; we've been friends for a long time."

"If you're sure. . ." Pepper whispered.

"It'll be fine," Natasha assured them. "You two go on home, you have a long drive into the city and it's already late as it is."

"Okay," Tony said. "Listen, you call us if you need anything and I mean anything."

"Thank you," Natasha said.

"Auntie Nat?" Nicole Barton called from the top of the stairs. "Nate is crying again!"

"I'll be right there sweetie!" Natasha answered; she looked back at Pepper and Tony. "I'll see you guys later."

Pepper took this as their cue to leave and steered Tony out the door, while he tried to call goodbye to Clint. Natasha closed the door behind them, relieved that the last of the funeral guests were gone for the night.

"Auntie Nat?" Nicole called again.

"Coming!" Natasha answered, glancing into the living room before deciding to deal with Clint later because she could hear Nathaniel crying all the way from downstairs. She took off her black stilettos and kicked them away from incoming foot traffic before taking the stairs two at a time.

Nicole was standing in front of the nursery, watching Nate. She turned when she saw Natasha coming and shrugged. "I think he misses mommy."

Natasha nodded as she went into the nursery and picked Nate up, trying to soothe him by swaying him back and forth in her arms. "Shhh, it's okay Nate," she cooed. "Auntie Natasha's here, she's going to take good care of you. Come on Nick, we'll go and make him a bottle. I think he's just hungry."

"I'm hungry too," Nicole told her as they started down the stairs.

"Oh you are, are you? Well, we'll see if there's anything leftover from today for you to eat," Natasha said.

As she heated up the bottle, she rummaged through the fridge and rustled up two leftover, pathetic looking ham and cheese sandwiches from the deli platter Thor and Jane had provided for the reception. Nicole wolfed them down and Natasha realized in the midst of all the chaos, she probably hadn't been fed.

Natasha felt a stab of regret, she knew if the roles had been reversed and it had been her funeral, Laura would have made sure Lewis, Nicole and Nathaniel had plenty to eat.

"I'm sorry I forgot about you today, sweetie," Natasha said, retrieving the bottle from the microwave and screwing the nipple on it. She put it into Nathaniel's mouth, buying them blessed silence.

"'S okay," Nicole assured her. "Tony gave us candy bars."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Of course he did. I'm going to check on your dad, why don't you get Lewis and then we can all eat together."

"Okay!" Nicole answered, scampering out of the kitchen while Natasha followed her out, going to the living room to look in on Clint.

He was still unmoving, frozen with a mixture of grief and disbelief that his wife was gone, just like that. There was no explanations, no chance to say goodbye. He'd worked so hard to keep them all safe, only to lose Laura in a car accident while she had been picking up groceries. It wasn't even her fault; the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel, exhausted from driving all night to make it home for his grandmother's funeral.

It had been ironically tragic.

"Clint?" Natasha asked, shifting Nathaniel in her arms and reaching out to touch him with her toe.

"Gone," Clint repeated as he slumped back into his chair wearily. "Everybody's gone now except for you. Why are you still here Nat?"

"You need my help, that's why," Natasha answered. "Come on, get up and come have dinner with me and the kids. They need you more than ever now Clint."

"I'm not hungry," Clint told her.

"Well, will you at least come and sit at the table with us while we eat," Natasha pleaded, setting the bottle down on the coffee table and putting Nathaniel over her shoulder to burp him.

She grasped at straws, not wanting to hit him below the belt and play the Laura card when he was grieving but she didn't know what else to do. So, she decided not to say anything because it wouldn't be fruitless and unfair to him.

Natasha turned away and left him alone again, climbing the stairs to put a sleeping Nathaniel back to bed. When she went back to the kitchen, Lewis and Nicole were waiting for her, looking completely exhausted.

"Fluff and Nutella sandwiches?" Natasha asked, as she rummaged through the cabinets.

"Sure," Lewis answered, giving Nicole a look when she was about to start protesting. "That sounds good Auntie Nat, thank you."

"After dinner, we have to go to bed," Natasha told them. "It's been a long day for all of us and you two need your rest."

"Is daddy coming to eat with us?" Nicole asked.

"Um, daddy's tired and decided to go to bed early tonight," Natasha lied.

"You don't have to lie to us, Aunt Nat. I know dad just can't deal right now," Lewis said, grabbing two slices of the ciabatta bread she had cut and slathering it with Nutella with the handful of knives she had thrown on the counter.

Natasha nodded. "Okay, no more lies from here on out."

"You have to swear," Lewis said seriously.

"I swear," Natasha replied, licking Fluff off her knuckle and handing Nicole her sandwich, trying to smile at him but failing miserably. The situation they all were in was no smiling matter and she couldn't muster one, not even if it was going to make the kids feel better but they weren't smiling either.

She didn't know if any of them would ever smile again.

She was suddenly overwhelmed with how daunting a task taking care of a grieving family was going to be. It seemed even harder than being an Avenger ever was. She didn't know if she was the right girl for the job.

TBC. . .

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Author's Note:

Okay, so this could be a standalone or I could write more because I have more to write. Just tell me if you're interested in seeing what happens next and I will happily write more. A few things, this is kind of in answer to Age of Ultron, but I don't mind Laura so much. In fact, this was born from the fear that there's some major Clint-pain planned in the MCU. I hope you'll tell me what you think! Also, since Clint's kids were basically nameless except for infant Barton, I looked up the comic book names of his kids and named them accordingly.

Until Next Time, Maybe.

Holly, 5/13/2015_