Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Today was the day.
Bobbi had convinced Coulson to let them have a day off to 'recover from recent events' (Bobbi suspected he knew that was a load of crap, but he didn't question them, and she was grateful for that), and she had let Ava's caregiver Samantha know that they were coming. They lived a few miles outside of Washington DC. They had borrowed one of the cars at the Playground and were driving out there together.
Bobbi, who was driving, glanced over at Hunter in the passenger seat. He hadn't spoken since getting in the car, something that was very unusual for him. He was staring out the window at the scenery outside as they passed. Finally Bobbi, unable to stand the uncomfortable silence any longer, spoke. "Are you nervous?"
Hunter tore his eyes away from the window and looked at her. "What the hell kind of a question is that?" He asked. "Of course I'm nervous, Bobbi. How often do you meet your daughter for the first time?"
"She's three years old, Hunter, she's not that hard to impress." Bobbi told him. "Just be yourself."
"What if she doesn't like me?" Hunter regretted the question the moment it left his mouth. It sounded so childish when he said it out loud. It was the main worry on his mind, however. What was he supposed to do if she wanted nothing to do with him? Not that he really had a plan for the future if things went well, either. He was still trying to figure out what to do. He and Bobbi had spoken very little since he had found out about Ava. He was still upset with her, and she seemed to have sensed that and given him space. He was glad, because honestly he wasn't ready to talk to her yet, but it also meant that they had no plans for what happened after that day.
"What?" Bobbi cried. "Hunter, she'll love you. Trust me, of this I have no doubt. She's actually a lot like you."
He gave her an incredulous look. "Bob, as you just said yourself, the girl is three years old. How much like me could she possible be?"
"I'm serious!" Bobbi insisted, a grin appearing on her face.
"Whatever you say, Bobbi." Hunter said, returning to looking out the window.
"You'll see when we get there." Bobbi told him. "I promise."
There was silence for another minute or so. Then Hunter turned to her again and said, "Are we going to tell her that I'm her dad? Or am I just a friend of yours in this scenario?"
"That's up to you." Bobbi replied. "Whatever you want, I'm ok with. I owe you that. I've stolen too much from you already."
"At least we agree on something." Hunter muttered, looking out the window again. Silence fell again, and this time it remained until Bobbi stopped the car in front of a white house.
She looked at Hunter. "This is it." She said. "You ready?"
He nodded. "Yeah." He said. "Let's do this." He got out of the car, and Bobbi did the same.
Hunter followed Bobbi up to the front door of the house, and Bobbi rang the doorbell. A few moments later, the door was opened by a woman, who smiled. "Bobbi." She said.
"Hi Sam." Bobbi replied, smiling back and hugging her. "How are you?"
"I'm good, thanks. It's good to see you. It's been too long."
"Yes it has." Bobbi agreed. "How's your daughter?"
"She's good. She's at school right now. But don't worry, Ava is here." Samantha hesitated as she noticed Hunter. "Hello." She said.
"Sam, this is Hunter." Bobbi said quickly.
"Hi." Hunter said.
Samantha's eyes widened. "You mean…that Hunter?"
Bobbi nodded. "Ava's father."
Samantha looked at Bobbi. "So you told him."
"Actually, she didn't tell me." Hunter said. "But I found out."
"I see." Samantha said. "Well, come in." She pulled the door open wider and let them inside. They stepped into a yellow kitchen. "Ava is in the living room."
Bobbi looked at Hunter. "I should talk to her first." She said. "I'll introduce you. Then we can leave you two alone for a few minutes to let you guys talk." Hunter nodded, suddenly finding himself unable to say anything. His throat was tight and his mouth was dry.
The living room was directly across the hallway from the kitchen. Samantha led the other two into the room, and Hunter caught his breath. The little girl from the photographs was sitting on the floor in the middle of the carpet, playing with toys. "Ava," Samantha said, "Someone's here to see you."
Ava looked up, and a smile spread across her face that made Hunter's stomach turn with nerves again. "Mommy!" Ava cried, and she jumped up and ran into Bobbi's arms. Bobbi picked her up and hugged her tightly.
"Hello, Baby Girl." She said, grinning. There was a happiness in her eyes that Hunter hadn't seen in a long time. "I missed you so much."
"I missed you too." Ava said. She didn't seem to have noticed Hunter yet. "Are we going home?"
"Sorry, Ava, this is just a visit." Bobbi replied. "But I'll be here all day, I promise." That seemed to satisfy Ava, as she smiled again.
"She's been a very good girl." Samantha said.
"Of course she has." Bobbi said. "Ava Sue wouldn't do anything naughty, would she?" Ava shook her head solemnly. Bobbi kissed her on the cheek and then set her down. "You'll have to tell me all about everything I missed while I was away." She said. She glanced at Hunter for a moment, then said, "This is a friend of mine. He's going to stay here and play with you for a few minutes while I talk to Auntie Sam about some things, ok?"
"Ok, Mommy." Ava replied happily. Bobbi turned around and gave Hunter an encouraging smile before following Samantha back into the kitchen. "Come on." Ava said to Hunter, and she took his hand and pulled him over to where her toys were set up. She sat down on the floor, and he sat next to her.
His heart was pounding in his chest as he looked at her, unable to tear his eyes away. She had gone back to playing as though he wasn't there. He tried to snap himself out of his daze. This was his chance to introduce himself and get to know her, and to make a lasting first impression. He wouldn't get another chance at that. He switched his attention to what she was playing with. "The Avengers, huh?" He asked, reaching over and picking up an action figure of Thor.
"Yes." Ava replied. She picked up the Black Widow and Hawkeye action figures. "Mommy says she's met these two."
Hunter knew those stories too. "That's right, she has." He said.
"Have you met them too?" Ava asked curiously.
Hunter shook his head. "No, I haven't. But you know what? I work with a team of people who are like superheroes."
"Really?" Ava asked.
"Oh yeah." Hunter said, nodding. "We help people, and we protect the world. Just like the Avengers. But we do it in secret, so that the bad guys don't know we're coming."
"Is Mommy a superhero too?" Ava asked.
"Of course she is. Your mum is the best superhero I know." Hunter told her. He hoped she never told Bobbi that he had said that. "Besides me, of course."
Ava laughed, and Hunter found himself laughing too. Ava turned back to her toys. "This is Avengers Tower." She said, pointing to a tower of blocks. "And this are the bad guys." She picked up a small rubber snake and held it out to him.
He took it from her and set it on his shoulder. "Oh no, help me!" He said. "The snakes have me!"
Ava grinned and grabbed the Captain America action figure. "Avengers, save the man!" She cried, and used the doll to knock the snake off his shoulder.
Hunter grinned back at her. Then, after a moment, he said, "My name is Hunter."
Ava's eyes lit up. "That's part of my name too!" She said excitedly.
"I know." Hunter said, unable to resist laughing at her enthusiasm. Then he made a split-second decision. "Ava?" He said. "I'm your dad."
There was a gap of five seconds before she reacted, and those were the longest five seconds of Hunter's life. Longer than every near-death situation he'd been in, longer than the deliberate pause that Bobbi had made before answering his marriage proposal (just to mess with him), longer than any stressful event in his life. Finally, Ava spoke. "Really?" She asked, her eyes wide.
Hunter nodded. "Yeah." He said. "Yeah, I'm your dad."
Before he could say anything more, she had thrown her arms around his middle and hugged him. After a moment, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. "I'm so sorry we've never met before." He said. "I've been…away."
"Being a superhero?" Ava asked.
Hunter smiled slightly. "Sure." He said. "Let's go with that." He looked down at her in his arms, and said what he now knew to be true. "I love you, Ava."
Bobbi walked in, and paused in the doorway when she saw them. She smiled and watched them silently for a moment. Then, as Hunter released her, Ava noticed her mother in the doorway. "Mommy, I got to meet my dad!" She said excitedly, standing up and hurrying over to Bobbi. Hunter got off the floor as well and followed her.
Bobbi smiled broadly. "I know." She said. "I'm so glad." She briefly caught Hunter's eye before returning her attention to her daughter. "Are you two having fun in here without me?"
Ava nodded. "We played with the Avengers, and he told me about how he works to save people too, like a superhero!"
Bobbi raised her eyebrows at Hunter, who shrugged. "Sounds exciting." She said. "Well, your dad and I are going to take you out to lunch. Go get your shoes."
"Yes Mommy." Ava said, and she ran out of the room.
Once she was gone, Bobbi turned to Hunter. "A superhero?" She asked.
"Hey, she calls it like she sees it." Hunter said with a grin, raising his hands in surrender. Bobbi grinned back in spite of herself and shook her head. "Besides, she thinks you're a superhero too."
"I'm her mother." Bobbi said. "I am a superhero." She looked at Hunter again and said, "I told you she'd like you." After a moment she added, "I'm glad you told her. I was hoping you would."
"I'm glad I did it too." Hunter said. He looked back at her. "I want to be her father, Bob. I don't know what I'm doing, but I want to try."
"I don't really know what I'm doing either." Bobbi admitted. "I make it up as I go." Hunter nodded. "But lunch is a good place to start." Bobbi went on. "Get to know her, let her get to know you. Things can move on from there."
Ava came running back in with her shoes. "Mommy, will you help me?" She asked, holding them up.
"Of course." Bobbi replied, walking over to help her put on her shoes. Hunter smiled as he watched.
"My daughter." He mumbled under his breath. "Our daughter." The words still sounded weird to him. But he liked the sound of them.
One chapter left. I hope to post it soon. Please review!