I heard screams and shouts. But that was to be expected during an invasion. But what I didn't expect to hear was Loki, the guy who started all of this scream a name telling them to run. "Ana! Get out of here!" I saw a flash of golden red hair decorated with a multitude of feathers. Heterochromic green and blue eyes were set in her face, a face that rivaled Natasha's for beauty. She wore a pair of denim shorts and an AC/DC shirt. She wore no shoes, no make up, nothing that could make her stand out aside from the black feathers in her hair. "No father! We're not letting you fight alone!" Loki sent a blast at me but it didn't hit. "The one's I'm fight are not your enemies. Fight the Chitauri Ana!" He kissed her forehead. "And remind me to kick the shit out of your brothers for letting you and your sister fight." The girl rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek. "Yes father. Go!" She darted off running up the side of a building only to bunch her legs under her and push off the building and catch a ride on one of the weird hovercraft things the Chitauri rode.
No one saw her during or after the battle, no one but me. This girl, Ana, I would never forget her. She saved me once during the battle by catching a weapon blast and throwing it back at the creature. I kinda felt sorry for the more famous Avengers, they couldn't go outside without being bombarded by paparazzi. But at the same time Stark gave really good lessons on how to avoid them. I sat at a table in a cafe and stared blankly from behind my sunglasses as I sipped my coffee. Out of the corner of my right eye I saw the head of golden red hair and black feathers. She must have noticed me and recognized me from the invasion because she sat across from me after asking. "This seat taken?" I didn't have time to respond before she sat anyway.
"Where did you send him?" She asked peering at me placing her arms on the table. "I can't tell you...at least not here." She nodded and leaned back in her chair. "I'm Lokiana, but my father prefers to call me Ana." She said quietly, I found myself telling her my real name against every little bit of training. While I was under Loki's control I saw the pain he had gone through to make sure his children, Ana most specifically, out of harms way. "I know...your father kinda took over my mind." She let out a sad laugh. "Please remember that he was not always like that." I held up a hand. "The whole never being told his parentage thing and his childhood would make a lot of people go bad. So...did you kick your sibling's asses for him?" She chuckled nodding a bit. "Yea."
For some reason we kept returning to that cafe. We kept talking to each other. And for Stark's first gala to showcase the Avengers I asked Ana to be my date. I found peace and love with her. I found that she wore the feathers in honor of her mother Sigyn, Loki's wife whom Odin banished from Asgard only 30 years earlier, when Ana was only a child. Once the team met her Stark had immediately taken to calling her 'Feathers'. And she didn't mind, although she did threaten to shove one of my arrows up his ass if he even thought about teasing her for it. He, surprisingly took the threat seriously.
We ended up dating. She didn't necessarily like what SHIELD had me do but she posted no arguments about it. If I returned home without going to the medical bay she would patch me up herself. I thought I had lost her when I got a report of old enemies breaking into the house when she was there, they found her at the Tower under Tony's care. He had bugged my house to keep an eye on her once he heard that I was going on one of the longer missions, they were practically best friends what with her like of old bands and science she fit right in with Stark and Banner, When JARVIS informed him that she was being attacked her flew out to her and gave her a hand in beating the shit out of them. I was told to cut my ties with her or SHIELD, in the end I chose Ana. Fury asked me to stay on with the Avengers seeing as how it would piss the Council off and they had become like a family to me.
Looking back I realise that I shouldn't be this nervous. Ana and I have been together for nearly seven years. Married for five, a child shouldn't make me freak out but here I am, pacing in front of the nursery window waiting to see my child. When the nurse finally entered she held a blue bundle and placed him in the crib labeled BARTON. However another nurse came in with a pink bundle and placed her in another crib next to my son. I watched the nurse place a label on her crib. BARTON. I let out a breathy laugh and watched the two. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder, I looked over to see Steve standing there. "They're cute." He gave me a smile and I couldn't help but smile back. "Mr. Barton? You can see your wife and your children now."