Yeah, this time I stay with my timetable :)
Thanks to LoneWolfOneill and for your nice reviews.
Enjoy the new chapter.
I don't own any of the characters. All rights belong to Marvel.
Frustrated Clint shot his arrows at the small target. It was nothing to his usual training, but he mostly did it because he had to think about something else than his missing family. A few hours ago they landed in Wakanda. Apparently the young king, also known as the Black Panther, changed his mind after their fight in Leipzig, and was now on their side. After their arrival the med team helped Bucky with his broken arm, before he decided to go back in the ice, until someone would find a cure for this brainwash-thing. Steve wasn't happy about it, but he accepted the choice of his best friend.
"How many arrows do you want to split?"
Clint gave the super soldier an angry look, then he shot again, only to halve another arrow. He had stopped counting after the twentieth hit.
"What else do you suggest? I can't sit around in this palace to wait for the bad news to arrive."
"Well, maybe this will help you. Do you have any idea where Natasha is?"
"Nat? Probably with Stark. After all she signed the accords, remember? Although I have to say that she really pulled her punches at the airport. She could have hurt me much more if she wanted to."
"She let me go."
"Yeah, I think that… Wait. What?! Would you repeat that?"
"After the tower almost fell down on Bucky and me, Nat waited at the Quinjet for us. But instead of stopping us, she attacked T'Challa. Only because of her help we could escape."
Clint's eyes widened. For the first time since he found out that his family was gone, his thoughts turned to someone else. Suddenly he realized that his best friend wasn't so safe as he had thought. She was in great danger, if General Ross knew about her betrayal. When she wasn't on Stark's side anymore, it meant that she was somewhere out there. Alone, hiding from the government.
"Why haven't you told me before?! Do you know how much time went by since we had this big fight? We sat in jail for like a day! And now you're telling me that Nat is on her own since then?!"
"You do realize that she can take care of herself, do you? We are talking about the Black Widow. She lived her whole life running away from the government."
Now the archer was angry. The redhead spy was a close friend to him, and he thought that Steve thought the same about her. He couldn't understand why the soldier was so calm.
"Tell me you're joking! We are talking about Natasha, damn it! We have to find her! We have to help her!"
"I would love to help her, Barton. Believe me, I really would. But where do you want to start? She knows how to disappear. If you know a safe house, or a place, only you two know about, please enlighten me. I'm the first, who comes with you to bring her here."
Those words calmed Clint. So Steve still cared about their redhead as much as he did. Clint knew that he and Natasha had become good friends, especially after the whole Winter Soldier-thing, but the soldier didn't know her well enough to know her safe houses. Clint, on the other hand, knew her for years now. He introduced her to his family. His children loved her and called her 'auntie Nat'. If anyone knew the Black Widow, it was him.
"So? Do you know a safe house?"
"Of course I do. The only problem is that she has like a million safe houses. How we are supposed to find the one she stays in?"
"Like I said, she knows how to disappear. I hoped that you would know a place, but since there are too many, I guess we have to wait until she contacts us."
"I don't like this," Clint mumbled "She should be with us."
Steve heard the former shield agent, and instead of an answer he nod. He didn't know him as he knew Natasha, but he saw when someone needed space. Slowly he turned around to leave the grieving archer alone, when suddenly Clint's cell rang.
"What is it?" asked Steve.
Confused Clint furrowed his brow. He got a message, and it said that it came from Natasha's phone. But the message didn't sound like her.
LAST WINTER VACATION. ALL SAFE.
"I… think… Laura… contacts… me."
"Well, those are good news, right? I mean, when she contacts you it means that she is alive, and that she and the kids are free."
"Yeah, It's just… this message is from… ehm Nat's cell."
Surprised Steve came closer. He didn't know much about cell phones, but even he could read the name of the contact, which was connected to the number. The message was from the Black Widow! Or at least from her cell.
"Okay, let's pretend for a second that this is from your wife. Why has she Natasha's cell? She is on the run, and…"
"Because… she is brilliant! She must have gotten Laura and the kids and brought them to a safe house! I have to get there, Cap!"
Clint didn't wait for an answer. Instead he put away his cell, and then he ran back to the palace. Steve needed a second before he realized what the archer did. After that it only took him another second to catch up with him.
"Barton, wait! You can't just fly over there! We have to make a plan!"
"A plan?! Damn it, Cap! This is my family we are talking about! I have to see them!"
"And you will. Just let us talk with the rest of the team. Then we find your family."
"We?"
"Have you thought that we would let you leave on your own? We are a team, Barton. We go together."
Natasha rubbed her wet hair with a towel. After hours of thinking she had decided to take a shower to clear her mind. It had been good news that Clint and Sam and this other guy, whoever he was, were free now, and yes, she was really happy to hear this. But none of them knew what she did. The last thing they remember is her being on Tony's side. Fighting against them. Of course she wanted her best friend to be reunited with his family, but she wasn't sure what he would do to her, if he would find her. Normally he wouldn't hurt her, but because of the accords he was in jail. She didn't come to rescue him, nor did she prevent it. Would saving his family be enough?
Sighing the redhead walked to the window, and let her gaze fly over the landscape. What should she do? Should she risk it, and contact Clint, so that he could come here? But would there be enough time for her to escape? Or should she drive to the nearest town, and send him a message then? But then the Barton's would be on their own, and she promised to keep them safe. Hell, why couldn't this be easy? Just when she turned away from the window, her eyes saw something coming out of the woods. Surprised she took a closer look. They were somewhere in the middle of nowhere. The nearest house was miles away. Her eyes widened, when she finally recognized the small figure. It was Clint!
"Shit!"
Quickly she threw the towel on her bed, grabbed her stuff and pushed it in the small bag. How did he find them so fast? She had been so careful. They all had used fake passports. There was no way that he could have found them that easily. And her phone was untrace…
"My phone!"
Quickly she took two steps at a time. Laura was in the kitchen, and was definitely alarmed with Natasha's appearance.
"Natasha, what's wrong? Do we have to run? Did they found us?"
"Where is my cell, Laura?"
"What?"
"My cell!"
"Ehm… On the table. Why do you…?"
The redhead didn't wait for her to finish. Instead she grabbed the small device, and switched through the message. She didn't need long until she found the one she searched for.
"You wrote him."
At least Laura didn't deny it. Maybe because she knew that it was useless. After all she was talking to a former SHIELD agent.
"I'm sorry, Nat. I know you told me to wait, and I don't know what's going on between you guys, but I had to. He is my husband, and he is out of jail. My children need their father."
"What is with daddy?"
Natasha shrugged. Lila and Cooper stood in the door, and looked with worried eyes at their mother. This had been the first time that the children were able to sneak up on her. And it was a bad sign, because it meant that she let down her shields. Fine, now she had to act quickly. Clint was here, and he should be at the door any minute. What she needed was a distraction, and who could be a better distraction than his own children?
"Lila, Cooper. I have some good news for you. Your dad is outside. Why don't you go and welcome him?"
The eyes of the small kids glow happy. Before Laura could stop them, they already opened the door and ran outside.
"DADDY!"
Natasha turned to the shocked mother. She hadn't noticed her husband, other than the ex-spy. Slowly she understood why her friend was in such a hurry.
"He is here? Honestly?"
"Yes, now take Nathaniel and go to him."
"Nat…"
"Laura, please. I don't have the time to explain it to you. Go to your husband. He'll be happy to see you."
"You don't have to…"
"Yes I do."
Laura took her baby boy out of his chair, then she gave Natasha a hug. She felt bad for what she did, although she knew that she had to do it for her children.
"Stay," she whispered in the ear of her friend "We'll find a way. We always do."
"Not this time Laura."
It was hard for her to push her friend like that, but she had no choice. She pulled Laura's arm away, and grabbed her bag. Sadly the young mother watched how Natasha walked to the backdoor of the house without turning around. Then she made her way to the front. It wasn't a lie. Her beautiful husband was hugging their children, and it looked as if he wasn't hurt. He must have gotten her cryptic message, and found them. Hopefully he could help Natasha, before she disappeared for good.
Clint smiled when he saw his wife and his baby son. Finally he was home. He released Lila and Cooper, and went over to Laura. He gave Nathaniel a soft kiss on his small head, then he kissed his wife.
"I'm so sorry, honey. I didn't know that… that it would…"
"Clint, you can explain it to me later. She wants to run."
The archer needed a few seconds, before he understood what she meant. Natasha was here, and she ran away. He couldn't let this happen.
"Where is she?"
"She used the backdoor. Please, you have to stop her."
"Cap, did you hear that?"
We are on our way, Barton. Stay with your family. We get Natasha.
Clint sighed, then he pulled Laura in his arms. It had been a good plan that he didn't come alone.
