A/N: This is a prequel to Between Past and Present where Clint and Natasha first meet their daughter, and does not take into account the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. There is a small mention of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD. It's all AU of course.

Thanks to ladygris for the Beta. I forgot to mention that the conversation between Clint and Natasha regarding Annabelle in chapter 2 was written entirely by her. Many thanks.

If you haven't read Between Past and Present, the prologue won't make sense.

Namaste,

~Sandy

Avengers

Annabelle

A Tag to Between Past and Present

Prologue

Three Years and Six Months Later

The Barton-Romanoff Home

Clint swooped in to kiss Natasha again just as Ainsley called out, "Mum! Dad! It's time fer th' movie!"

Clint stood, holding out his hand. Natasha put hers in it and together they went downstairs to join their daughter. Peeking into the living room watching Ainsley talking to her new friends, Natasha placed her hand over Clint's heart and her head on his shoulder. "We are the two luckiest people in the world."

He tilted her head up, dropping a kiss on her lips. "Yes, we are."

The doorbell rang, sending Clint and Natasha for two of the weapons hidden in the foyer. Taking out her phone, Natasha accessed the video feed from the hidden cameras on the front porch, surprised to see their daughter's former caretaker, Grady Tyler. She showed Clint, they replaced the weapons, and quickly opened the door. Clint put a finger to his lips for quiet. Natasha motioned and they all went into the workout room across the hall and shut the doors.

Natasha threw her arms around Grady's neck and hugged him tight. "It's so good to see you again, Grady."

The manny and Clint gave each other a manly back-slapping hug. "Welcome back."

"Thanks. I've been out of the country for over a year. Just heard Annabelle was home." Grady sat on the end of the bench press and Clint leaned on the side of the treadmill leaving the only chair for Natasha. "I wonder if she remembers me."

Clint rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "You can ask her yourself in a few minutes. Before you go in, there's something we have to tell you."

Grady looked from Clint to Natasha, his expression betraying a slight measure of fear. "What happened? She's not…"

"She's in perfect health, Grady," Natasha assured him. "The short version is Annabelle didn't end up in 1974 Iowa as planned."

Clint touched Natasha on the shoulder. "It took over three years, but Selvig and his team finally found her in Scotland near Loch Lomond in the late 1600s. Nat and I went and brought her back. However, we arrived later than we'd planned and…"

The door opened and Ainsley stuck her head in. "Mum, Dad? What's takin' so…" The girl's eyes fell on Grady. "Hullo. Mum 'n Dad dinnae say there be company comin' t'night."

Natasha held out her hand and Ainsley took it, her eyes not leaving Grady's face. "He surprised us too, malyshka." Giving her daughter a tentative smile, Natasha slanted her eyes at Grady and back. "Before you went to Laomainn, you had a caretaker. Do you remember him?"

"Aye. I mean yes. He were called…" Ainsley's forehead pinched in thought then, she shook her head. "I dinnae remember. Just that he cared greatly fer all o' us."

"Yes, he did, and we for him. His name's Grady."

~~O~~

Though she was nearly as tall as her mother, Annabelle was still much shorter than Grady's six-one. So she wouldn't feel intimidated, he got down on one knee bringing his head just a little below hers. "Hello, Annabelle."

Grady's former charge inhaled sharply, her eyes very wide. "Th' sound o' yer voice. Talkin' 'n singin' 'n such. I remember now."

To Grady's surprise, Annabelle eyes filled with tears. She let go of her mother's hand and threw herself into his arms, hugging him tight. He touched her long red hair. "I've missed you, sweetie. And I'm sorry. It's my fault you were separated from your parents. It was my job…"

Annabelle's arms tightened fractionally, and over her shoulder Grady saw Natasha and Clint exchange a glance. The girl pushed out of his arms, keeping hold of one hand.

Natasha smiled sadly. "It wasn't anyone's fault, Grady. Just a series of unfortunate accidents. She's home now, and you're here so let's just leave it."

"We're not saying don't talk about it. Just avoid placing blame," Clint added to his wife's mandate.

Reluctantly, Grady nodded. "So, Annabelle, did you ever get a cat?"

The girl's eyes lit up. She grabbed his hand and tugged. "Aye! Come see. They've just come today."

As Grady passed Clint and Natasha, he whispered, "They?"

In the living room, Annabelle was talking a mile a minute. "…'n that's why I'm called Ainsley now. Dad still calls me Rosie 'n ye can use Annabelle, if ye care to."

"Up to you, munchkin. They're all good names." He listened closely as she told him the names of all the cats, doing his best to remember who was who. "What about that one?"

A small gray and white cat sat watching the door slightly apart from the others. Ainsley smiled as she stroked Shadow between the eyes making her purr. "That's Mum's cat, Trouble. She stays with her when she be workin' at home. Scooter follows m' da all over, gettin' under his feet, watchin' when he's doin' his exercisin' 'n lyin' in his lap. Th' others just roam around 'n sleep wherever they wish."

Trouble meowed excitedly when Natasha and Clint joined them. She sat down, and the cat immediately jumped into her lap. "Would you like to stay for the movie, Grady?"

Purrcival, Jasper, Ichabod, Elliot and Dagwood vied for Grady's attention with the younger cats changing allegiances every few seconds. When she was small, Ainsley had wanted a cat and had been put off numerous times by her parents who were obviously hesitant to take on the responsibility of a pet. From what Natasha had said-and not said-she'd never had an animal companion as a child. Clint had grown up around tigers, bears, lions, chimpanzees, elephants, llamas, horses, ponies, and the occasional gorilla, but they could hardly be counted as pets as they were working animals. Maybe that's why Clint had given in so easily when he and Ainsley had gone to the shelter.

From the corner of his eye, Grady saw the affection that Ainsley's parents had for each other and were glad they had finally admitted to being in love. He'd seen it that first day, despite their protests otherwise. And now that their daughter had been returned to them, their family was complete. They didn't need the services of a manny, and to keep coming back would just be prolonging the inevitable. He would enjoy this time with them, and when the night was over, he would go and not look back, content with knowing they'd been reunited.

Ainsley finally stopped chattering and started the movie Tangled. Her parents left and returned a few minutes later with snacks and drinks for everyone, cats included. After the movie, Ainsley challenged Grady to a game on Wii. She won, but not because he let her. He made her fight for every inch, and she rewarded him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. It reminded him of the wet sloppy kisses she used to bestow on him before he left at the end of the day or at bedtime when Clint and Natasha were out of town, and made his decision that much harder.

Thankfully, Ainsley wound down and she was sent off to bed followed by the cats. Grady said his good-byes to her parents, got in his car and drove to his small apartment an hour's drive from the Barton-Romanoff home.

Without turning the lights on, Grady tossed his keys and wallet on the coffee table. He yawned while taking off his jacket then flopped down on the sofa, almost jumping out of his skin when a lamp flicked on and a voice said, "Good evening, Mr. Tyler. Agent Phil Coulson with SHIELD."

Grady stared at Coulson sitting in the armchair at right angles to the sofa. "How'd you get past the alarm?"

The man wore a plain dark blue suit, a matching striped tie and a light blue shirt, all well made. "That's not important. I'll knock next time."

"Is there going to be a next time?"

The balding man looked completely at ease, his legs crossed at the knees and hands clasped together in front of him. "Depends."

"On?"

"Your answer."

Grady went into the kitchen and brought back two bottles of beer. Twisting the top off the first bottle, he offered it to Coulson. The agent accepted it and took a sip. Grady took a long drink from his bottle and made a face. "What's the question?"

Getting to his feet, Grady carried the empty bottles to the kitchen and returned with refills, handing one to Coulson.

"I've been tasked with putting together a special team. We could use someone with your talents."

With a wry chuckle, Grady sat down on the far end of the sofa, one arm hanging over the side, keeping his features blandly curious. "Why would a clandestine government agency need a nanny?"

"We're looking for people who have certain qualities."

"My marksmanship was good, but nothing worth writing home about. Same with hand-to-hand. I haven't trained in almost a decade. Probably couldn't hit the side of a barn now. What more could you want?"

"You have conviction. You won't compromise your principals just because they don't mesh with someone else's. And you love America." Coulson turned from looking out the window that had a lovely view of the parking lot. "When you left the Army, you were approached by the FBI, but turned them down to attend New York Central University where you received a dual Master's degree in Child Care and Early Childhood Education. Upon graduating, you took a position with the TLC Nanny Agency where you've been employed ever since. Your most recent position was as nanny to Sarah and David Summerfeld, the children of Darius Summerfeld, ambassador to Malcoria who recently resigned to help his wife care for her seriously ill mother. Though you offered assistance, the family preferred that you get on with your life."

Having Coulson list his so-called good qualities embarrassed Grady. "I know what happened. What, exactly, is your point in bringing it all up?"

"I want you on my team. The position comes with perks, paid vacations, sick leave, a comprehensive medical/dental/vision plan, and a really cool hat." Coulson shifted his feet. "So what do you say, Mr. Tyler? Are you in?"

The End