SAVE
Aleksandra Barton and T.J. Stark sat on either side of Tony, listening intently to the story of his capture. He had responsibly skipped over the horrible parts including his torture; no one, including Pepper and himself, needed to hear that. Pepper sat on the adjacent couch, rocking the couple's four month old daughter, watching Tony with a look the clearly instructed that he keeps the tale as vague as possible. Natasha was focused on her daughter's unfazed expression. She half expected the seven year old to be suddenly terrified, yet the assassin's daughter remained mainly emotionless aside from the slight tint of childish excitement. Clint was asleep with his head in the red head's lap. His last solo mission had drained him of all energy; he had chased a group of men, who SHIELD had seen as a possible threat, through the deserts of Saudi Arabia for three days straight, completely weighed down with all of his gear and a bullet wound to the leg. Steve was sitting silently in a stool at the bar, relentlessly polishing his shield as he always did when he was bored or nervous. Bruce was glued to his lap top as usual. The insistent 'tap, tap' of his fingers on the keys had become permanent white noise in the Tower. Jane was currently back in New Mexico to gather some more data for a project she was working on. Thor sat on the floor, gently, ever so gently, playing with Clint and Natasha's two year old son.
Tony had made more than enough comments to Jane and Thor about when they would start having kids. Steve would always glare disapprovingly at the billionaire when the god would glance away and blush, then Bruce would chastise the two men, and Clint and Natasha would laugh.
Tony finished the story with his son and his niece asleep, leaning against either side of him.
Tony was just starting to doze off, Pepper had finally gotten Avery, their restless daughter, to fall asleep, even two year old Phillip had finally conked out on his Uncle Thor's chest when Jarvis' quiet voice rang out through the room.
"Director Fury-" the electric voice started.
"Not now Jarvis." Natasha hissed at the AI.
"My system is being overridden." he informed before Fury's loud voice replaced Jarvis'.
"The council has requested that the Avengers tend to an is-" the Director began loudly. Both women in the room shushed him but it was too late; Aleks and Clint jumped awake. Natasha pulled Clint back down before he could punch anyone; Aleks startled both Tony and T.J. awake. Phillip woke when Avery started to cry. Pepper huffed angrily, and began bouncing her daughter again while Natasha fired a long string of Russian curses at the loud man who had caused the chaos the living room had been launched into.
"What do you want?" Clint groaned as Natasha retrieved her son from a very confused Thor.
"This is what happens when my best team turns into… whatever this is!" Fury ranted. "Avengers. Quinjet. Twenty minutes." He grumbled, disconnecting the call. Natasha automatically handed Phillip off to Pepper and the six members of the Initiative retreated to their bedrooms to suit up.
Once the whole team was waiting for the Quinjet on the roof, Pepper, both babies in her arms, and Aleksandra and T.J. joined their family on the roof. Each of the men kissed Aleks goodbye, the girl hugged her parents, T.J. hugged his dad, Tony kissed both Pepper and Avery goodbye before shooing them back inside as the Quinjet appeared overhead.
"At your three o'clock, Widow." Hawkeye's voice sounded over Natasha's comm. link. She somersaulted out of the way as Clint fired an explosive arrow at the robot behind her. Sneaking up behind another, she leaped onto its back, wrapped her legs around its neck and tore its mechanical head from its body.
"We're getting too old for this, guys." Tony joked. Steve, Clint, and Natasha laughed. "Anyone seen-" a bolt of lightning cracked through the sky. "Never mind." Somewhere in the distance, the Hulk's angry roar followed by its familiar, echoing, smash could be heard. The last few robots advanced towards the three Avengers that remained on the ground. Thor was somewhere, lighting something up with his beloved hammer. Bruce was somewhere else, smashing everything to smithereens. And Tony circled above Captain America, Hawkeye and the Black Widow, shooting anything that they couldn't see. "Let's finish this. I miss my kids." Tony muttered seriously. Clint grunted in agreement.
"Hawkeye, you take the left, Widow, you take the right, I'll take anything straight ahead, Stark, you take… everywhere." The Cap ordered.
Within the hour, there were less than fifteen robots remaining when Jarvis put a message through to anyone on the team whose ear pieces hadn't been destroyed.
"I have detected unauthorized entrance to the Tower." The AI recited.
"Are you sure?" Tony checked, firing at another robot.
"Yes sir. It was you who programmed me, after all." Jarvis confirmed.
"Where are Pepper and the kids?" Clint interjected worriedly.
"I have put a call through to the NYPD. Mrs. Stark, and the 'kids'," he said, copying Clint's terminology. "…have been taken, Agent Barton." Natasha's eyes were the only thing giving away her worry, otherwise she looked completely unfazed, Clint's aim went considerably off target, and Tony's flight pattern faltered.
"EVERYBODY DUCK!" Clint yelled angrily. Once he scanned through his teammates, making sure they had followed his orders, he notched a sonic arrow and let it fly into the crowd of the robots they were fighting. The force of the explosion knocked Clint into a wall, and everything went black.
"Jarvis, play the security footage from the entrance point again." Tony ordered, frustrated. As Clint opened his eyes, he saw Natasha hovering over him, Bruce and the Cap hovering over Tony as he stared at the video, and Thor was on the phone in the opposite corner of the room.
"We snuck you out of the med bay. Fury's going to be angry." Natasha noted. Clint shrugged, taking the hand Natasha held out to him. He staggered a little bit as the blood rushed to his head. Looking at him, she raised her eyebrows in questioning if he was ok. He nodded and she led him to the computer three of the other men were huddled around. Barton pushed his way through. The second he laid eyes on the men in black as they dragged his children, his niece, nephew and Pepper out the door he was literally beginning to see red; his least favorite color. He forcibly switched himself into sniper mode, searching for anything that could help them get their family back. Thor joined them a few minutes later.
"Lady Jane is unharmed. I requested that she join Friend Darcy in her home, and not return to this Tower until I contact her again." Thor boomed informatively. "Here is your communication device." He held the phone out to Tony. The uncharacteristically silent billionaire took the cell phone wordlessly.
"Stop!" Clint ordered Jarvis. The tape paused. Hawkeye tapped the picture a few more times, zooming in on the man who was holding his daughter. "Nat, recognize these men?" He growled. Six months after Phillip was born, Hawkeye and Black Widow were sent on a mission to neutralize a threat in Bora Bora. Somehow, the enemy had found out about Aleks and Phillip. That had been a mistake on their part. The moment they went on about how after they killed Barton, they would find the kids and make Natasha watch as they killed them, the Black Widow took five of the men down single-handedly. The leader fled. The two agents had gone home and considered the mission completed. They had taken his weapons and his men, believing he would be to cowardice to come out from hiding without an army, yet here he was, kidnapping the worlds most feared, and idolized, team's family hostage.
Natasha locked eyes with him, a rare hint of guilt racing through her green eyes.
"Don't tell me." Stark began menacingly. "Another vendetta against our two favorite assassins?" he spat. "And my family is paying for it!" he hissed in Natasha's face. She stood her ground as he got angrier. "When we get them back, you and Barton are out of here." He growled.
"Stark!" Steve called after Tony as he stalked from the room. He glanced at Natasha and Clint with unneeded apology in his eyes. Clint shrank back, rubbing a hand across his face before turning back to the computer and watching the rest of the video.
Once the video had finished, Bruce recommended a meeting be held, with Fury and Hill included, discussing what could be done. In the last few hours Clint had noticed Natasha's control slipping. Minutes before the meeting, Clint grabbed her hand and pulled her behind closed doors. She looked up at him.
"This is exactly what I was afraid would happen… why I didn't want to have kids." She whispered. "They'd be used against us." He nodded in understanding, pulling her against his chest.
"We'll get them back Tasha." He promised. The stood there for a while before Natasha reminded him that they'd be late for the meeting. By the time they stepped into the hallway, the Black Widow's mask had returned.
The team sat down, waiting only for Stark. Eventually he showed up, walking over so he was directly across from the two SHIELD agents in the room.
"I just wanted to apolo-" Tony began. Clint waved him off.
"Honestly, I get it Stark. It's all good." Barton assured him.
"Thanks Robin Hood." He muttered before sitting down. Fury opened his mouth to speak but Stark cut him off. "Don't even." Tony warned. "If the words 'Told you so,' come out of your mouth…" for once, neither Steve nor Bruce corrected him. Fury began the briefing as the team settled in their seats, attempting to stay calm.
Aleksandra held tight to her brother as she and T.J. were tossed roughly into a small room. Pepper and Avery had been separated from T.J., Phillip, and Aleks, and locked away in a room close to the other children's. Aleks attempted to rock her brother before his crying attracted negative attention from their captors. T.J. searched the whole room for any possible exits but found nothing. As the sound of the door unlocking echoed through the small room, the eight year old boy quickly shoved his cousins into a corner and stood in front of them.
"Well, well, well. I've caught a little hero haven't I?" the man cackled. Aleks was vainly attempting to hush Phillip as he started to cry again.
"Where are my mom and sister?" T.J. demanded. The man shrugged.
"They may be dead. They may be alive." He stepped closer.
"T.J. move. He'll hurt you." Aleks hissed as the man motioned for Tony's son to move out of the way. But Tony's son was just that, not only was he defiant like his father, but he wouldn't leave a girl and a baby vulnerable for anything. So he stood his ground until their captor punched him in the stomach, sending him flying into the wall. Aleks stood tall, shifting Phillip behind her. "What do you want with us?" the dark haired girl demanded angrily.
"You're parents." He answered simply. The man lunged forward, snatching the boy from his sister. Aleks growled as her brother wailed in protest. Holding tight to the two year old, the man pulled a cell phone out with his other hand, shoving it in Aleks' direction. "Call them. Now." He ordered. The seven year old scanned the scene for possible ways to outsmart him, but she knew she couldn't, not with Phillip in his possession. T.J. was still unconscious in the corner so that meant she was on her own. She silently dialed Uncle Tony's number, getting progressively angry with the person holding Phillip. The ringing stopped.
"Uncle Tony?" Aleks called, hiding her panic with a layer of anger.
"Aleks?" he called back. "Where's-?" the man grabbed the phone, dropping Phillip to the ground. With a speed that belonged completely to her mother, she lunged forward, sliding underneath her brother, grunting when he landed in her stomach.
"Your children are quite the heroes." He laughed. She could hear her Uncle's angry voice rumbling through the speaker. "Hand over Barton and Romanov, and your family goes free." He hissed before hanging up. He stalked from the room, leaving Aleks to tend to T.J. She took off her sweatshirt, laid it on the floor, set Phillip down and rushed over to her cousin. She pulled his head in her lap and began shaking him gently.
"Mom?" he whispered groggily.
"No, T.J., it's Aleks." She replied. Reaching over him, she scooted the shirt up the eight year olds chest, grimacing at the blossoming purple bruise. She pressed a hand to his stomach, grimacing when he hissed in protest.
"Nothing's broken, Leks, I promise." He muttered. She nodded.
"How's your head?" she asked. He shrugged, with one hand at the base of his ribs he sat up against the wall.
"You and Phillip, ok?" he asked worriedly.
"For now." She grumbled.
"What about mom an Ave?" he asked half-heartedly. She shook her head sadly. He sighed. "What do they want?"
"Mom and dad." She whispered brokenly. He moved closer to her and put an arm around her shoulder; that was the Pepper in him.
"They're the greatest spies in SHEILD history, Leks. They'll figure it out. Plus, they've got dad, they'll get us back in no time." He smirked cockily, trying to cheer her up slightly. She smiled.
"I hope." She whispered, glancing over at her brother.
"Alright Star Spangled Man, what's our plan?" Tony addressed the tall blonde who was facing the wall.
"We don't have a choice. We can't attack while they have the kids. We give them Barton and Romanoff. Wait till they let the kids go, and then we attack. If they don't free them, we draw them out and fight." He stated.
"And why can we not perform the second option first?" Thor asked.
"It's a risky last resort. Aleks, T.J., Phillip, Avery, Pepper, they could get caught in the cross fire. They could be used as leverage against us. So many things could go wrong." he answered knowingly. "Suit up. We leave at 0300." He concluded, leaving the room.
Knowing the danger his nieces and nephews were in was making him sick. Somehow, Captain America had managed to let them get captured. At least that's what he thought as the unreasonable guilt raced through his mind.
Exactly fifteen minutes later, the whole team, Tony on time for once, boarded the jet, Barton as pilot, Romanoff, co-pilot. The other's slept, knowing they'd be no help to their family sleep-deprived. Natasha twirled her gun in her hand, praying that they'd get their children out in one piece. Clint covered her small hands and her gun with his. She let one of many guns fall between her legs, enveloping Hawkeye's hand in both of hers. He clenched his hand into a fist, his silent assurance.
Natasha woke hours later to Clint announcing they were ten minutes out. Steve came up and took Hawkeye's position as pilot. Cap's hands shook slightly as he closed his hands around the yoke. Clint paused and put his hand down forcefully on his friend's shoulder, giving him a meaningful look.
"Be safe my friends." Thor boomed through the jet. Hawkeye nodded his thanks.
Black Widow and Hawkeye deployed their parachutes as they free fell from the plane. They each detached a knife from one of their holsters. The moment they touched the ground, they cut the strings on their chutes and ran, leaving the Stark Industry parachutes on the ground behind them. They paused, hidden in the group of trees. Natasha wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him quickly. He pulled away first, dropping her hand as they left their hiding place.
Aleks' head shot off of T.J.'s shoulder, and her arms tensed around her sleeping brother as the sound of the door unlocking echoed through their holding room. The two had barely enough time to get to their feet and shield Phillip before their captors burst into the room.
"Mom!" T.J. cried instinctively as two men led Pepper and her young daughter into the room.
"T.J., Aleks, Phillip, you're alright." Pepper sighed. T.J. lunged forward to hug his mother. The man who was holding onto Pepper yanked her backwards by her hair, away from her son. She yelped. T.J.'s eyes darkened angrily and he attacked the man closest to him. The eight year old wasn't near as good as his seven year old cousin but he had been trained by his five super hero uncles, his assassin aunt, and his weapon of a cousin. He could hold his own, even against a man three times his size. He also had an advantage; he was much smaller than his attacker.
"Stop." Another called from behind him. And it all came crashing down. He had no advantage. His skills were rendered useless because that one man had his best friend at gun point. T.J. released his hold on his opponent's neck and dropped to the ground, hands in the air.
"Let my brother go." Aleks ordered in choked voice. The man shrugged and let the wailing two year old fall to the floor.
"I stopped. Now let her go. She had nothing to do with it." T.J. reasoned carefully. The leader shrugged.
"True." The man agreed. T.J. relaxed as the man lowered the gun. His hand stopped moving when it was level with her waist and he pulled the trigger.
"NO!" T.J. yelled, lunging toward his cousin as she crumpled to the ground. The person T.J. had attacked landed his foot in the boy's already bruised ribs and sent him flying backwards; making that the second time in two and a half days T.J. had been knocked unconscious. Pepper angled her body so that Avery was hidden from the lunatics.
"They're just children!" she cried. "Why are you doing this?" They didn't answer. The three men just left the room silently, locking the door behind them.
"Teesh! Aleth!" Phillip cried worriedly, standing between both his injured family members. Pepper set her crying Avery down beside the confused two year old and made her way over to her bleeding niece.
"Phillip, go wake up T.J.." Pepper told the child in an excited voice, hoping that Phillip would get excited enough to play the 'game.' Clint and Natasha's son giggled, crawling over to his cousin, hitting him repeatedly. Pepper pressed her hands against the bleeding wound in her niece's side, trying to staunch the flow of blood. She was still trying to figure out why they had suddenly put her in the same room as them, and why they had done this to two kids. T.J. suddenly jerked awake, batting Phillip's hands away.
"Yeah, hi buddy." He grumbled. He went pale as he caught sight of Aleks. He stumbled over to her and pushed his mother's hands away. Pepper sat back, tears welling in her eyes as she watched Tony's son try to wake his best friend up. Phillip sat down next to Avery and watched, chanting 'Aleth?' over and over. Aleksandra Barton, a seven year old little girl, who had been through more in the last hour than anyone should ever have to, who had been shot minutes ago and probably should never have woken up, opened her eyes. T.J. Stark had never been happier to see the color grey in his life. "Hey Leks." He sighed, pushing his small hands against the gunshot.
"Hi." She choked, her eyes fluttering closed again.
"No, Aleks." T.J. ordered forcefully. "Let's play a game." He amended, determined to keep her alive.
T.J. held Aleks in his arms, her now blood soaked sweatshirt tied tight around her waist. He hadn't let her close her eyes since she'd opened them. She was pale and she was running a fever. But the bleeding had stopped. And if they were rescued soon, she would be saved. Pepper was curled around the babies in a corner, protecting them while they slept, praying, for both of the injured kid's sakes that Tony would save them soon.
"What's my favorite color?" T.J. asked the half-asleep girl in his arms for the hundredth time.
"Red." She slurred.
"What's your least favorite color?"
"Green."
"When's your birthday?"
"November 26."
"Mine?"
"March 13." She almost whimpered. "T.J., please. I won't die. Can I sleep for a little bit?" the child begged. She locked her faded icy eyes with his and he saw the pain and the need to escape for a little bit in them. Shoving away his fear that he would never see Aleks' eyes again, he nodded. She kissed the inside of his elbow, the only part of him she could reach without moving and gratefully close her eyes.
"Night, Leks." He whispered. If he could ignore the fact that he was coated in her blood, he could pretend that she was perfectly fine. So he did just that, leaned his head back against the wall, and drifted off as well, eager to get away from the pain of his broken rib.
"Ah! My dear friends. You made it!" Mathis, the leader of the group of kidnappers, shouted proudly, clapping his hands as Hawkeye and the Black Widow approached his door, hands up in reluctant surrender.
"Let the kids go, and we go quietly." Clint hissed.
"All but your boy." Mathis countered. Clint snarled.
"That wasn't the deal." Natasha added angrily.
"You're right. It wasn't. I promised Stark his family could go free. But I'm feeling nice today." He waved a hand behind him, and two men disappeared. "I'd like to keep your daughter, she has spirit, and she can fight. But if I keep her, she'll die. And I don't want to have to deal with that."
"What do you mean she'll die?" Natasha spat. They were both seething, fighting the urge to kill the man where he stood. But they needed to stick to the plan, or there may be more deaths than that family could bear. Mathis shrugged.
The two men returned, one carrying the limp and pale form both parents recognized as their daughter, the other, leading Pepper, who was carrying Avery, and T.J. out the door. Stark sighed in audible relief over comm.. Clint and Natasha's eyes both flashed furiously at the sight of their daughter. All control snapped and the assassins attacked. T.J. fought for Aleks, forcibly taking her from the now injured guard. He grabbed his mom's hand, quickly making sure she had a firm grip on Avery, pulling all the girls into a somewhat safe corner. He gently set Aleks down beside his mom, and bolted back into the fight despite his mother's protests. In the few minutes he had been gone, the remaining members of the Avengers team had joined the fight. His dad called his name repeatedly, but he ignored it, running back into the building to find Phillip who had been left in their holding cell.
Outside, Tony watched in confused horror as his son ran back into the building. But as his suit took a hit, he was forced to keep his mind in the battle. All the family members were dangerously distracted by their niece or daughter who was, by the looks of it, barely hanging on. Clint momentarily left Natasha's side, making his way over to Thor. He'd have liked to ask Tony, but he knew that there was no way Tony could be convinced to leave his family behind.
"Can you take Aleksandra to the Quinjet, Thor?" Clint shouted above the noises of gun fire. The big man stopped his hammer swinging and looks down at Hawkeye who couldn't, in that moment, be called anything but a worried dad. The blonde god nodded once, bounding over to where T.J. had hidden Aleks Barton.
Clint moved over to Natasha and both watched shortly as Thor took off with their daughter. T.J. emerged ten minutes later, a crying Phillip Barton encased in his eight year old arms. He carried him to the same corner as his mom. As the boy panicked, Pepper explained that Thor had taken Aleks to the Quinjet.
"You did very well, honey." Pepper praised, patting the spot next to her hopefully. The child groaned but his rib was still broken, and he was still exhausted, so he obediently dropped down beside his mother, hands pressed against his wounded ribcage.
Bruce watched from his hiding spot in the trees, he wouldn't be needed unless things went critical. He watched his family grow more and more sloppy in their worried distraction. He watched his nephew struggle for breath due to an injury he couldn't quite place. He watched the enemy plant knife in Clint's side, and imbed a bullet in the Captain's shoulder and the Other Guy couldn't take it anymore; Bruce Hulked out and joined the battle.
With the Hulk involved the battle was over in minutes. Smashed bodies littered the ground at the end of it all, a half naked Bruce Banner in the midst of everything. Bruce made a mental note to thank Tony once again for the not hideous stretchy pants he had created. The Cap and Hawkeye had both sunk to their knees on the ground, Steve leaning forward with his hands braced on the ground. Tony pulled Rogers' good arm over his metal shoulder and heaved him to his feet. Bruce had gone over to where Tony's family and Phillip were and was now carrying a passed out T.J., with Pepper trailing behind him. Tony was dying to get to them; to apologize and tell them he loved them, but Cap needed to get to the extraction point. Natasha forced Clint upright and removed his belt. She wrapped the leather band around his abdomen, tightening it to a point where Clint's fingers were locked in a death grip around Natasha's upper arm as a pain outlet.
"Sorry." She whispered sincerely. He shook his head. "Required extraction." She said into the comm. as she got her husband to his feet.
The eight year old sat beside his best friend's hospital bed, childish tears running down his face. He cursed each drop of water and held her pale hand tighter. Clint and Natasha hovered close enough that T.J. very nearly felt claustrophobic. She had lost a dangerous amount of blood. The doctor said there was still a chance she would wake up. But he was still scared. He also hadn't gotten to sleep since they'd gotten home. He also had had nothing but an ace wrap for his ribcage. He was also terrified that he hadn't done enough to save Aleks. He was also just a kid. His parents had begged, ordered, tempted, asked, and tried by force to get their son to leave her side to get some sleep, but they hadn't been able to move him in the slightest.
Clint and Natasha had stayed in the room since they had been allowed to see her. Clint often had to sit down as his knife wound hadn't healed yet. And at some point each day, fatigue knocked him out.
At some point, after Aleks had been out cold for two weeks and three days, her hand twitched from its permanent place in T.J.'s hand.
"Leks?" T.J. called softly, his head snapping to her face. Clint moved to walked forward, but was stopped by Natasha's firm hand on his bicep. She shook her head. "Aleks?" T.J. called again, running his hand up her white arm. After minutes of blinking against the light, a few more minutes that it took for her brain to remind the little girl what had happened, her eyes met T.J.'s. The boy sighed in relief, a small laugh leaving his lips. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, leaving his lips planted on her skin longer than necessary. She squeezed his hand with as must strength as she could.
"Hi T.J.." she whispered.
"Hey Leks." He laughed. His smile faded. "I'm so sorry Aleks. So, so, sorry." He murmured. "If I hadn't attacked that guy, you wouldn't have gotten shot." He explained when she looked confused. She shakily lifted her arm out of his hand, and brought it against his cheek as hard as she could. He blinked, wondering if she really had just slapped him. "I deserved that." He muttered.
"You did." She agreed. "For thinking it was your fault, you stupid boy." She sighed. Clint was practically doubled over with laughter. In that moment, his daughter was so incredibly like his wife it was slightly terrifying. Natasha was glaring at him; a glare that would've made anyone but Clint scare to death. T.J. shook his head, about to protest when Clint decided to save his nephew the trouble.
"Hey baby girl." Clint exhaled.
"Hi daddy." She chirped. "Hey mom." Aleks smiled, as Natasha appeared beside Clint.
Natasha called everyone else in to come say hi to their now awake niece. By the time they arrived, Aleks had forced T.J. into the hospital bed with her as he refused to go a few floors up to sleep in his own bed. The look in her eyes warned him not to argue and he crawled into the white bed beside her, falling asleep almost instantly. Aleks sighed in a condescending way, just like her mother often did. By the time the rest of the family had crammed into the small room, Aleks had fallen asleep as well.
Clint wrapped an arm around his wife as the gazed at their daughter. They could just tell that those two would be inseparable from this day forward. And Clint didn't mind as much as he thought he would. He knew it was a mixture of many things that calmed him. One main factor being that they were only children. And another being that that boy had saved his daughter's life, whether T.J. admitted it or not.
Those children would have no problem living up to the legacy that was their parents. They already had. It awed the Avengers to think of how they could only get better with strength that came with age, more training, and a loving family. They'd be unstoppable.
T.J., who had spent his ninth birthday with Aleks in a hospital room despite her protests, hadn't left that very room once during the three weeks and four days that she was there. When she was finally released, T.J. was by her side 24/7. He made sure that when she got tired, she rested. He made sure she took her medicine when she was supposed to. He managed to do all this without making the girl feel helpless.
Pepper, Jane and Natasha had taken Avery and Aleks shopping a few weeks later. Aleks had been relatively surprised when T.J. hadn't argued with her mother when Natasha had suggested he stay home with the boys, on her birthday no less. T.J. was like his father in that aspect; he was cocky enough to argue with the Black Widow. Of course, the only person who could win an argument against her was Clint Barton. Sometimes. She became less confused when he winked at her. Natasha noticed and shot her nephew a death glare that should've had him running away with his tail between his legs.
A couple hours later, the girls came back. Pepper came through the door first, her asleep five month old in one arm, a shopping bag in the other. Jane came in second, weighed down with full shopping bags. Thor had learned what that meant years ago and he winced visibly at the sight of spent money, even if his friend was beyond rich.
"Surprise!" the whole family shouted as Natasha and Aleks appeared in the doorway. Aleks grinned and ran around the room, hugging each of her uncle's. She stopped in front of her dad. Clint had always been more emotional than Natasha so it was no wonder his daughter's younger years flashed through his mind as she looked up at him. He dropped to his knees so he could hug her on his level.
"Happy Birthday, baby girl." Clint whispered.
"Thanks daddy." She replied, pulling away and walking towards T.J.
"Happy birthday, Leks." T.J. whispered, hugging her too.
"Thank you." She said again before she ran over to both her aunts and mom, hugging them all. Natasha ghosted to the hallway, motioning for Aleks to follow her. Aleks raced after her mom, smiling at how thoughtful her family was.
In Aleks' room, her mom pinned her hair up in an elaborate style she had perfected after years of posing as a rich girl. Then the red head silently went to the closet and pulled out one of many dresses. But this one was new; it was silver with a lacy black bow just below her chest. It fell to just above her knees and would compliment her silvery eyes perfectly; Aleks grinned, knowing it was courtesy of her Aunt Pepper. Aleks smiled thankfully at her mom and raced to the bathroom to change. Natasha leaned against the wall, arms crossed over her chest as she waited.
Minutes later, Aleks opened the door, walking into the room.
"You look gorgeous, Mëд." Natasha promised, pushing gracefully off of the wall.
"Thanks мама." Aleks replied. Natasha watched as her daughter walked silently to the closet, picked out a pair of shoes, painted her lips with a small amount of pale lip gloss and turned to her mom, nodding that she was ready.
Aleks walked down the short staircase, looking at the floor as she stepped off the last step. Natasha called her name quietly, elbowing Clint and muttering something along the lines of 'she got that from you', in referring to the occasional self consciousness. Clint shrugged, happy to take part in any of the beautiful girl's traits. Aleks glanced up momentarily at her name but quickly looked back down when she caught sight of T.J.'s gaping mouth.
"Close your mouth, son. She'll kick your butt." Steve warned in T.J.'s ear. Images of the little girl his friend used to be, knocking him on his back flashed through his mind and abruptly shut his mouth.
Jarvis began playing music, dimming the lights and dropping the disco ball. Clint had pulled Natasha onto the dance floor, T.J. was still staring, Tony had started dancing with Pepper, Thor with Jane, and Phillip was attempting to get Avery to dance, that left Bruce, Steve, and the birthday girl. The men looked to each other in silent agreement; Bruce first. The doctor headed towards the blushing eight year old and held his hand out to her, slouching a little to try and make eye contact. The girl placed her small hand in her uncle's large one and let him pull her onto the dance floor.
"Happy birthday, Aleks." Bruce wished again. Aleksandra smiled in gratification.
"You guys didn't have to go all out, it's just my eighth birthday, nothing special." She muttered as she flew seamlessly across the floor, just like her mother, while Bruce stumbled over his own feet. Bruce ignored her comment and continued to trip repeatedly until the song ended. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head, nodding his head politely as Cap took his place. Aleks climbed up on his feet, giggling as her godfather started to spin around the room. As her only eligible dance partner, aside from T.J., Aleks loved dancing with Steve, he was good. And he always told her the story of him and Peggy; his dance partner. And then he would finish by saying he had finally found a suitable alternative in the assassin's daughter.
"Can I cut in?" T.J. asked from behind the Captain.
"Of course, son." Steve answered, bowing low in front of the girl and retreating to the bar.
"May I have this dance?" T.J. asked, holding his hand out to Aleks.
"So formal," she teased, in her mother's tone. The boy shrugged. "Of course." She answered, gingerly letting her hand fall into her best friend's. He lifted it up and let it rest on his shoulder, taking the other to match. She locked her hands together around his neck, her cheeks coloring slightly as they always did when he gently touched his hands to her waist.
"You look beautiful by the way, Leks." He commented as another song started. Aleks glared a little at Jarvis (the ceiling) when a slow song began.
"Thanks." She replied, as their dance started. They were the second most captivating dancers, second only to the master assassins themselves. It was even more so impressive because they were children. The other's cleared the floor eventually, to get a better view of the dance.
The spun flawlessly in the center of the dance floor, sharing a meaningful glance when it became clear the song was almost over. T.J. lifted her into the air and dropped her gracefully to the floor. Clint turned to Tony and raised his eyebrows in shock. Tony shrugged proudly, pulling Pepper against his side. As the song's last few notes played through the speakers, T.J. wrapped an arm tight around her waist, dipping her until her hair brushed the hard wood floor. She smiled up at him as the adults began clapping. T.J. slid his hands down her arms, gripped her wrists and pulled her upright. He bowed, kissing the back of her hand, his eyes reflecting the implied mocking of the gesture.
Natasha bent over and picked up sleepy Phillip in one arm, and tightened her other around Clint's waist.
"We did ok, you know." He murmured, gazing at their daughter. She thoughtfully watched the girl, who was a spitting image of her father, and then she shifted her gaze down to her now sleeping son.
"So far." She admitted. He laughed, leaning down and kissing Natasha. Eventually, when Aleks had paled considerably, and the family was starting to note the way she leaned in slightly trying to compensate for the growing discomfort of her stitches, the birthday party had come to a close, and T.J. had forced Aleks onto the couch.
When Natasha carried Phillip to bed, Clint leaned against the wall and looked at his daughter. She had fallen asleep leaning against T.J.'s shoulder and he had fallen asleep with his cheek pillowed on her head. The edges of Clint's lips twitched upwards; he realized he could add T.J. to the ever growing list of people who would protect Aleksandra.
Pepper leaned over the back of the couch, kissed the top of T.J.'s head and flipped a blanket out over them, smiling warmly at Clint before following Tony out of the room.
"You should be proud, Clint." Bruce muttered as he walked by. The man addressed, shot a grateful smile at the doctor.
"You did good Barton." Steve added truthfully. Clint's eyes darkened suddenly.
"So people keep saying. She's only eight and I almost lost her. Phillip is two and I almost lost him. How is that 'good'?" Clint whispered. Steve sighed.
"You did almost lose them. It took you eight years with Leks though, that's pretty good for a couple of assassins. And we'll always get them back. Always. I can promise you that, Barton. She's the closest thing to a daughter I'll ever have. I'm not letting her go that easy." Steve admitted somewhat sheepishly. The archer looked at him, slightly taken aback. It had been obvious that Cap had always thought of Aleks as more than a friend's kid; they all did. But Clint never knew that his adoration went that far.
"Thanks Rogers." Clint replied. Steve nodded in acknowledgement and left. Hawkeye heard a clap of thunder and knew Thor had taken off to take Jane home. He pushed off the wall, and made his way to his son's room where he would always eavesdrop on Natasha's Russian singing to the baby.
Pepper groaned, rolling over as her daughter's cried echoed in their sound proof room. She moved to sit up. Tony clamped his hand down on her upper arm.
"I got her." He grumbled.
"No, Tony, what if you get a mission tomorrow. Go back to sleep." she ordered.
"You have a meeting in the morning. I win. You go to sleep, Pep." He argued, getting out of bed. Pepper childishly raced him to the door, but he was ready for that; He caught her in his arms, tossing her on the bed. "See you in a minute." He grinned triumphantly, winking at her. She rolled her eyes, pulled his red and gold Iron Man shirt down over his boxers, that she wore more often than not, and sank down under the covers, falling back asleep almost instantly.
Tony walked through the bathroom, coming out the other side into Avery's bedroom. He picked up the wailing five month old, rocking her in his arms as he walked around the large bedroom. After five minutes of rocking her to no avail, he softly forced the pacifier into her mouth, sighing in relief when it worked; he really hadn't wanted to wake Pepper. He plopped down in the rocking chair, moving it back and forth. Whether he admitted it to Pepper or not, Tony really was tired. The billionaire observed his daughter's tuft of strawberry blonde hair and brown eyes. Everything about her, besides the darker brown color of her eyes that belonged to her father, she got from Pepper. Tony was secretly grateful for that; he loved being able to look at her and see the Pepper in her. He couldn't see it in T.J., except sometimes in his personality. Everything about T.J. was Tony; his hair, his eyes, his nose, his outer personality. Tony had found it somewhat humorous when he realized only Aleksandra Barton could bring out the Pepper in him.
His daughter's tiny eyelids drifted closed and he smiled genuinely; he loved his family.
Thor crashed into the ground, doing his best, as always, to absorb all of the impact so that Jane didn't get hurt.
"You know you may stay at the Tower of the Avengers with our friends and myself," Thor checked for the hundredth time.
"I know. But what about Darcy and Erik." She reminded him gently.
"I am certain they may come as well." He said hopefully.
"Thor…" Jane whispered doubtfully, reaching up to place her hand against his cheek.
"In all honesty, love. Why is it you do not want to live in the 'Tower'?" he asked.
"I… I'm not sure." She answered, looking at the ground.
"Will you attempt to come and live there?" he asked with pleading eyes, forcing her to look up at him. She sighed; she was helpless against his puppy dog eyes.
"I'll try." She agreed. He smiled a smile that was borderline manic, kissing Jane full on lips. He carried her into the small house, not once breaking their kiss. "You know, I feel slightly bad for Steve." She said suddenly. Thor looked at her with a completely bewildered look. "He owes Tony forty dollars." Thor still looked down at her, confused."They had a bet on when I would get pregnant. Tony bet within the year. Steve bet next year." She explained, hoping the sometimes oblivious god would catch on. Thor blinked a few times, his mouth falling open. Jane rolled her eyes, kissing him again.
"And, Stark won the bet?" he asked cautiously. She nodded. He smiled. Jane smiled and they fell asleep with Jane wrapped protectively in his arms.
Steve's water sprayed out of his mouth and Tony held out his hand, smirking cockily.
"Pay up Stars and Stripes." Tony ordered. Steve fished in his back pocket and fumbled with his wallet, until he produced forty dollars and held it out to Tony, blushing a bright shade of red.
"Congratulations." He stammered. Thor grinned brightly.
"Thank you, my friend."
"Good for you Big Guy, you too Jane." Hawkeye added. Natasha nodded and offered the couple a warm smile. A genuine warm smile, and it was enough to bring tears to Jane's eyes. Tony scoffed.
"Good luck with her Pikachu." He smirked in reference to the tears. "But really, congrats you guys." He declared after he sobered up. Jane's glared softened and she smiled. Pepper launched herself at Jane and hugged her.
"We're going shopping for maternity clothes." The strawberry blonde announced. Natasha groaned quietly so only Clint could hear. He shot her a look that she clearly recognized as 'Sucks for you.' The slight narrowing of her eyes shut him up. Thor's eyes widened.
"Is it truly necessary for you to buy more articles of clothing this early?" he asked somewhat frantically.
"No Thor, it's not." Tony agreed. "No shopping. Yet." Tony amended at his wife's glare.
"And you're finally moving in?" Bruce spoke. Jane nodded slowly.
"On the condition that Darcy and Erik can stay when necessary?" she said.
"Of course." Steve spoke up before Tony could.
"Congratulations, Thor, Jane." Bruce offered, smiling a little at the glowing god. "You coming, Stark?" He added, standing up.
"Course doc." Tony replied, standing up. Pepper grabbed the bottom of his hundred dollar jacket. "We're testing some stuff." He answered the unspoken question, vaguely.
"I swear Tony Stark, if you blow up the lab one more time…"
"See you later, Pep." He yelled over his shoulder as he bolted after the doctor. Pepper shook her head.
"I am taking Lady Jane out to celebrate, we will return later." Thor boomed, leading Jane out the front door.
"Where're the kids?" Pepper asked as she settled comfortably into the couch.
"Training room. They're sparring." Natasha answered. Pepper nodded. Just as the tired woman had started to relax, the baby monitor (her phone, courtesy of none other than her husband) went off.
"What's up with Ave?" Clint asked concernedly. Pepper shrugged uncharacteristically and walked to the elevator. A few minutes later, T.J. and Aleks stepped off the elevator.
"How was your work out, kids?" Hawkeye called to them.
"Good. T.J. actually got a punch in this time." Aleks smirked.
"Not my fault your mom is The Black Widow!" the boy argued. Aleks nudged him with her shoulder. She leaned against the wall while he continued to walk into the kitchen. He reached into the cabinet next to the mini fridge and tossed Aleks two bottles. She caught both, barely looking at either. T.J. grabbed her bottle of water, taking a drink as he made his way back over to her. The Hawk watched from his seat, reading the label with unnaturally good eyesight.
"Stitches?" he asked his daughter. She shrugged, downing both pills in one swallow.
"Let me have a look, Mëд." Natasha called, leaning forward on the couch. Aleks came towards her mom, lifting her shirt up in the process. The red head gently ran her hand over the healing stitches. "They look fine Aleks. They still bother you?"
"Sometimes." The girl admitted.
"Want to have Uncle Bruce take a look?"
"No thanks, мама. I'm sure it's fine." Natasha looked into her grey eyes and nodded. Aleks and T.J. turned to leave.
"Aleks, do you know where your brother is?" Clint added.
"Yeah. Uncle Tony said he wanted to spend some time with his nephew and took him." Both parents exchanged knowing furious glances and were halfway down the staircase to the lab before T.J. could blink.
"ANTHONY STARK WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY KID?!"Clint shouted as they ran into the lab. Natasha's eyes flashed angrily as she took in the scene before her; her son was sitting on a metal table with what looked like miniature repulsors strapped to his small legs.
"Now, now, Spidey. Let me explain." Natasha looked to Clint for permission. Clint stepped back, giving her free reign over the situation. In minutes, Bruce was trying to haul the Black Widow off of his fellow scientist who was choking for breath right now.
"Get those, off of my son." She ordered in a terrifyingly quiet voice. Tony sat on the floor like a stubborn child, so Bruce, fearing for his friend's life, headed towards the two year old and removed the repulsors. Clint swept his son into his arms and stalked from the room, Natasha in his wake. "What part of 'no Iron Man suit for either of the boys does that man not understand?" the assassin asked rhetorically. Phillip was giggling at his mother's angry expression.
"I know, kid. Angry mommy is funny, isn't it? Don't make the same mistake I did. She cut my arm open with a spoon, which she threw, last time I laughed." Clint explained to the two year old. Miraculously, the boy stopped laughing. "Good idea, bud."
Pepper stalked back and forth across the room, Avery in her arms. Avery hadn't stopped crying since she had woken up. And Pepper hadn't sat down since then.
Tony and Bruce appeared and hour later.
"Take her!" Pepper plead, shoving her daughter into Tony's arms, and stomping away. T.J. walked into the room just as his mother left in an angry rampage. The boy held his arms out;
"Good luck, dad." He scoffed. Tony groaned, handing the baby to her brother. Phillip was seated on his mom's knees while she bounced him. His bright red hair flopped up and down along with the motion. His green eyes lit up as he giggled, making Natasha crack a small smile. Clint slept leaning against the couch's arm rest. He and Natasha had had a silent argument about whether or not he should go to sleep. Natasha won. He had only been out for an hour when his phone went off. Clint immediately began scrambling for it.
"Hello?" he called groggily, running a hand over his face.
"Agent Barton," Nick Fury greeted.
"Sir," Clint replied dutifully.
"Surveillance mission, North Carolina, you leave in an hour." The Director informed.
"Yes sir." Clint confirmed, picking himself up off the couch. Natasha stood up as well, still bouncing Phillip on her hip. "Fury." Clint explained. Natasha pursed her lips.
"Shoot straight." She instructed, leaning in for a quick kiss before he left.
"Всегда делать." He called over his shoulder as he left to suit up.
Doctor Banner had flown to Kabul for the day. Thor had to return to Asgard to tell his mother and father the good news regarding Jane. Jane had gone somewhere with Darcy for the day. Steve had gone to Brooklyn for the day. Clint was still on his mission. And Tony and Pepper had gone on a date, leaving Natasha to babysit T.J., Aleks, Phillip, and Avery.
At the moment, she was feeding Avery with the bottle propped up against her shoulder in one arm, and rocking Phillip in the other. T.J. and Aleks had gone off who knows where, most likely to the shooting range; T.J. loved watching her shoot for reason's unbeknownst to anyone. Minutes later, when Phillip was just beginning to fall asleep and Avery was just calming down, a distant shout echoed in her ears. That was followed by Jarvis' telling her that the Tower had been breached once again. Natasha dropped both babies into one crib, bolted out the door, locking it behind her as she raced toward the shooting range. She loaded her gun as she ran. In retrospect, bursting in on the Avengers' kids in a shooting range wasn't a good idea, but she thanked God that T.J.'s hands were shaking to bad to aim straight.
"He took her." He mumbled vaguely. "He took her again. I shot at him but he got away. I let her go again." He ranted, tears threatening to spill down the child's face. Natasha dropped to her knees.
"T.J., it's ok. I need you to focus T.J. Who took her?" Natasha asked seriously.
"The same one that took her last time without me being able to do anything about it." The boy spat.
"T.J., go upstairs to Ave's room, give Jarvis the code to unlock it, lock it again, and stay there with the kids. Call your parents and tell them what happened." The agent ordered.
"Where're you going, Auntie Tasha?"
"I'm going to go find Leks." She kissed the top of the little boy's head. "Be safe and do as I said." T.J. watched his aunt go before following orders.
"4482." He shouted at Jarvis. T.J. listened for the tell tale sound of the heavy metal bolt sliding out of the way, slipping in the door when it swung open. "Lock door." He ordered.
"Right away, sir." And the door clanged shut.
"Call dad." The dial tone sounded over the speaker's. "Confine conversation to this room."
"Yes, sir."
"Hey, little man, everything ok?" Tony called. T.J. picked up both the kids and did his best to rock them. "Why're the kids crying?" Pepper interceded. "And where's Auntie Tasha?"
"She went after Aleks. Can you come home?"
"What do you mean she went after Aleks?" Tony cut in.
"We'll be home in ten minutes, honey." Pepper replied, ignoring her husband. T.J. could already hear the car's engine revving.
"Thanks mom." And the line went dead. T.J. sank down in a corner, rocking back and forth as both babies continued to cry. Then T.J. thought of how he had failed Aleks once again. He laughed darkly at the revelation that she would slap him right now if she were here. The smile faded; but she wasn't here, and that was his fault.
Natasha's dialed Hawkeye's number as she swung herself through the window of Tony's fastest car.
"Barton," Clint called informatively.
"Aleks was taken. Again." Natasha choked into the speaker.
"What?" Clint muttered darkly.
"Going after her now, hurry up with that mission Barton."
"I will. Be careful, Tasha."
"Всегда есть." She replied.
"And get her back." The man added quietly.
"I don't have a choice, do I?" and before Clint could reply she added, "I don't want to be the one to stand before T.J. if I fail." She added, only slightly joking. Clint laughed quietly and Natasha ended the call.
Natasha laid flat on her stomach as she lay unmoving on the edge of a cliff overlooking the building where her daughter was undoubtedly being held. This was one of many missions that Clint would be perfect for. After an hour more of observing their guard patterns, Natasha slid down the face of the cliff, somersaulting when she reached the base. She drew her hand gun and held it down by her thigh, slipping past the bored guard with little effort. She walked in the shadows, listening for any indication of where her daughter was.
"Yes," a child's voice cried desperately. "Yes, my dad taught me to shoot." That voice belonged to none other than Aleksandra.
"Are you good?" a man's voice sounded.
"Yes." Aleks admitted.
"And you can fight?"
"Yes."
"Prove it. Fight him." Aleks gasped.
"Yes, sir." She amended. Through the heavy metal door, Natasha listened to the sounds of shuffling footsteps and grimaced at how heavy they sounded, signaling the man was large.
"Begin." The man said, sounding bored. Natasha's hand shot out towards the door knob when the sound of a large fist hitting weak flesh and her daughter's strangled cry floated through the door. But she stopped when the man growled in frustration. Aleks must've gotten behind him. Minutes later, the first man spoke again.
"Very good Aleksandra. Now kill him." Her daughter's whimpered protests, and the fear that Aleks would be forced to comply had Natasha bursting through the door. Her earlier calculations had been correct; there were four guards on either side of the door aside from the other two men. She had guessed she could take them out with only minor injuries and one to two bullet wounds. The Black Widow took one man out with a boot to the temple, another two were out with one off their own guns, the fourth was down with her infamous thigh choke, and the one who had been beat by an eight year old girl was down for the count with Natasha hand closed around his throat. She had been close enough; one bullet wound, a graze, and many, many bruises, but she was otherwise unscathed.
"Bravo. I see where your child gets it from." The first man praised sarcastically, a fistful of Aleks' hair in his hand.
"Mathis," Natasha snarled her greeting.
"Romanoff." He replied. "I did tell you I wanted to keep your daughter, did I not?"
"You may have mentioned it." The Widow hissed. Mathis flashed a sickening smile, yanking Aleks backwards. The girl squeezed her eyes shut but stayed remarkably quiet for a child.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but she isn't going anywhere." He reminded. Natasha locked eyes with her daughter, conveying to her that that wasn't true.
"Let her go. Using a little girl as a shield is just weak." Natasha taunted. As the man's eyes flickered down to Aleks, the Black Widow launched herself at him, gripping his wrist tightly and twisting, Aleks spun around to compensate for the hair he still clung to, grabbing his hand and pulling it backwards. The man was shocked as he heard the bones break in the hand Aleks had twisted. Natasha shot Aleks a look that the brunette had seen many times during the days when the eight year old was allowed to watch her parents spar; stand in the corner and don't speak. Aleks dropped Mathis' hand and ran to hide in the corner. She watched, eyes flying back and forth between the two combatants as they kicked, punched, stabbed and shot at each other. Then her mother dodged right. As Mathis lunged in her direction, the Black Widow spun to the left. The man realized he'd been tricked too late and shot a full round at her, two caught her side, causing her to falter only slightly, before bringing her arm around and digging her elbow into Mathis' neck. The man collapsed, looking up in fear at the woman who had his life in her hands. Natasha cocked the gun but as she heard her daughter's sharp intake of breath, she stopped. She didn't want to kill someone in front of her daughter.
"I'm not going to shoot you because she's watching. But if you move a muscle, I won't hesitate to blow your head off. Aleks, come here, Mëд." Aleks pushed off the wall, walking cautiously toward her mother. "Reach in my right pocket, second one down, and find my spare comm. Contact either your Dad or SHIELD, tell me when you get one on." Natasha instructed, keeping her eyes on the kidnapper.
"I got a hold of Tony, мама." A small voice sounded from behind her.
"Good job. Tell him to pick us up at the extraction point." Aleks reiterated what Natasha had said then closed her fist around the comm., nodding to her mom.
Natasha handcuffed the man to a metal pipe in the corner; she would send one of her teammates in after she got Aleks out of ear shot. Natasha gripped her daughter's hand, kicked the door open and ran, shooting anyone that dared get in their way.
Both stood at the extraction point, waiting silently for their family to come and pick them up. They stood in the minimal shelter of a tree as the sound of an aircraft rumbled through the forest.
"Aleks!" T.J. screamed as he ran from the plane. Aleks met him halfway, falling into his arms. He sank to his knees, his arms locked tight around his best friend.
"I'm sorry, Leks." He whispered.
"Don't apologize." She ordered. He pushed her back, looking her up and down. He looked at her black eye, split lip, multiple other bruises, and noticed how when the pressure changed abruptly around her torso she winced, and grunted quietly. He sighed, medical could deal with that later, he just pulled her against his chest and held her there. Natasha walked towards Thor, deciding to have him execute the villain. The god nodded grimly and headed back inside. Tony headed toward his son and niece and lifted Aleks into his arms, nodding to T.J. in reassurance. The boy got up and followed his dad. Once her daughter couldn't see her anymore, Natasha collapsed, her three and a half bullet wounds finally catching up. Steve caught her as she fell, pulling her arm over his shoulder and helping her until she passed out completely.
"Clint?" Natasha called groggily as she pulled out of her drug induced coma. Clint released a relieved breath, pressing a long kiss to her forehead.
"Right here, любовь." He replied, squeezing her hand in reassurance.
"How's Leks?" she whispered hoarsely. Clint laughed a little.
"Black eye, minor concussion, few bruises and a cracked rib. She's pretty good, already begging T.J. to get her out." He answered. "You on the other hand," he grimaced. "Three bullet wounds, a graze, all requiring stitches, major blood loss, concussion, major bruising, sprained ankle, and four severely bruised ribs." She smiled drunkenly.
"Not too bad then." She said.
"Not too… Tasha, they didn't think you'd wake up." He whispered, dropping his head down. She squinted in confusion; she didn't remember feeling like she had lost that much blood.
"Clint, I'm fine. Look at me," she ordered. He brought his head up and locked his blue-grey eyes on her exhausted looking green ones. "I'm ok." She murmured. He nodded. "Can you take me home?" she begged. When he looked like he was about to protest, she spoke again. "Please, I just want to see our kids. I'll come back for my post-op and I'll let you do my check-ups, no complaining." She offered. She could've persuaded him if she had wanted, that's what she usually did, but frankly, she was just too tired. The aftereffects of her blood transfusion were beginning to make an appearance. She gave him one more look, 'please', and waited for his answer. He had never been good at denying her what she wanted.
"Ok." He sighed. He stood up and began pulling various tubes out of his wife's arms. "I'm carrying you though." He added upon remembering her wrapped ankle. She nodded drowsily; she honestly didn't care at this point. "Stark, can you bring a car to the SHIELD med, we're taking the girls home." He requested, into the phone. "I'm going to go tell T.J., I'll be back любовь." He promised. Natasha only nodded.
Clint returned after he had made sure T.J. could carry Aleks without hurting her or himself. Then he lifted his small looking wife into his arms, watching as her hand tightened around the front of his shirt, no doubt due to the pressure on her torso, and the pulling on her stitches. He stood still until she relaxed, leaning her head against his chest.
Clint climbed into the back seat of one of Stark's larger cars, Natasha's breath catching in her throat as the pressure changed again. Clint adjusted her position in his lap so that it didn't hurt as bad. He glanced questioningly at T.J., who was sitting beside him, then down at Aleks in his lap.
"She's good. I think she fell asleep." T.J. whispered. Clint nodded, and tapped the back of Tony's seat as he started the car up again. During the thirty minute drive home, T.J. fell asleep with his cheek resting on the top of Aleks' head, and Clint dozed off with his head leaned against the window.
The girls would recover and everyone would be ok… Until the next of their enemies came along. But for now, they were ok.