A/N: PHEEEEEEEEEEEEEW! I had this final part in my head for AGES. And still it took THIS LONG to get it typed. I'm so sorry! (winces) BUT, at last, we're about to discover how this story ends.
THANK YOU, so much, for your reviews and love for this story! Without you guys we would've NEVER made it here. (HUGS)
Awkay, before I get all mushy… Let's go! I REALLY hope that you'll enjoy this final chapter.
How it Ends, and Begins
/ Lida – or no, not anymore, Laura – was all alone in the world when she went into labor, three weeks ahead of time. She screamed at the top of her lungs, feeling like she'd been torn to pieces. The thought of what she'd soon have to give up was almost as painful as the birth.
"CLINT!" she cried out in the middle of it all.
She had no idea how long she'd been pushing, fighting and struggling with all her might until the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard filled the room. When the newborn baby-girl was placed gently to her arms she had no idea how she'd be able to let her child go. But she also knew that she'd have to. She was a teenager living under an assumed identity. How would she have been able to look after a child?
"Laura?" The midwife's eyes were full of sympathy, which offered a tiny bit of comfort. "I understand that this is incredibly difficult. You can have all the time you…"
"I don't need time", Laura argued as quickly as she could. Afraid that if she was given the chance she might change her mind. She stared at the baby through blurry eyes, all too aware of the tears running down her cheeks.
Unfair, all of this.
"Alright." It sounded like the midwife understood. The woman gave her a few seconds. "The adoptive parents… They'd like to know if there's a name you'd like."
Fifteen minutes later a young couple that'd been pacing around the waiting room tensed up, grabbing each other's hands tightly, when a smiling midwife approached the room. This was it. Finally, after years of agonizing waiting…
"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Grey. Ten toes and ten fingers. You have a beautiful daughter."
The new mom immediately bolted forward, taking the child tenderly into her arms. The child sighed but didn't stir. "The birth mother… What did she say about the name?"
"She wants you to decide. But, if you don't have another name in mind… She'd like her to be called Jean." /
Clint's eyes opened with great ease. At first everything was a little too bright for him to truly distinguish anything. He blinked once, twice, testing the motions. And breathed. As though he was doing it all for the very first time. Only just learning.
Everything felt brand new. His eyes, his lungs… His fingers, while they curled around someone else's…
Eventually he was able to see a familiar face above him. Why was Laura crying? What was going on? His head was so very fuzzy…
"I…" His throat and tongue felt new, too. Forming words was a challenge. "I just… had a really weird dream."
"In, out… And again. Good." Laura removed the stethoscope and kissed Clint's bare chest, her lips meeting the exact spot where his heart was once again beating. Her legs, which she'd wrapped around him the second she sat down, tightened. "Everything sounds good. How do you feel?"
"Fine." Clint frowned in an absolutely endearing manner. "Are you sure that I… died? I mean… I don't feel like I died."
Laura's mouth opened but someone else was faster. "Trust me, Feathers. You did." Tony's voice was still tense, the terror over what happened lingering. They'd forgotten entirely that the man was there. Instead of a typical witty remark the billionaire shifted, appearing uncharacteristically uncertain. "Are you sure that he's okay? He still seems out of it."
Laura couldn't help but smile, even if her own heart was still racing and breaking at what she almost lost. "He'll be okay. Just needs a little rest."
Tony nodded slowly, clearly uncertain if he could calm down. "Good, good. I'm still keeping the medical team standing by." He gave them a look that was probably supposed to be stern. "Just remember to rest, you two. No… funky business."
Clint unleashed his first chuckle since coming back to life. It sounded incredibly soothing and familiar. "Funky business?"
Tony rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up." The man than seemed to think again and shuddered visibly. "Or… Don't. Just… You know."
Clint seemed to understand. "Stop fussing, Tincan. I'm not going to do anything stupid. For now."
Tony nodded in approval when Laura smacked Clint's shoulder with a fist and glared at her husband. "Thanks, Laura. Spared me from having to do that." The inventor turned to leave until remembering something. "Oh yeah, Pigeon? For all our sakes, cover your naked bits already."
The blush and especially the mortified expression which appeared to Clint's face positively melted Laura's heart. "Breathe, honey", she advised. "Pass out and I'll tease you about it for the rest of your life."
Clint blinked once, twice. Still blushing gloriously. "So… Naked, huh?"
"Your clothes… didn't exactly do well with the flames you unleashed when you faced Barney. And the blanket I got for you didn't survive you… coming back." It might've all been incredibly amusing if it hadn't gone way over Laura's head. If it hadn't almost shattered her.
Clint frowned, his nose wrinkling a little. Processing. Trying to get a grip on everything. "I feel a bit cold."
Well. At least the humiliation had been forgotten. Laura bit her lip to hold back a laugh and kissed his forehead. "You have some clothes here. I'll go and find something." She kissed him again, this time on the lips, and it felt incredibly good to discover that they were getting warm. "Don't go anywhere." Her chest constricted at the sudden, panicked thought of coming back and finding him dead. Again. She never, ever wanted to see him like that again.
Clint rolled his eyes. Then yawned gloriously. "I'm naked", he mumbled around a second yawn. "Where would I go?"
That comment earned Clint a hug, and it took all Laura had to hold back a sob as she silently thanked whatever higher power might be listening for giving him back.
Clint barely managed to get dressed with Laura's help before he fell asleep. Highly unlike his usual this sleep was so deep that nothing would've disturbed him. When Wanda walked into the room twenty-one hours later the archer was still slumbering.
She frowned, worry spiking like a flame. "Is he still asleep? Is he…?"
Laura's fond and exhausted smile interrupted her. "Coming back like he did takes a huge toll on even someone as strong as him. He needs some time to gather his strength."
Wanda nodded, folding her arms. She understood, even if she didn't like it. "Tony said that he hasn't been… himself."
Laura kissed the side of her sleeping husband's cheek and he hummed happily at the contact, not waking up. "His brain needs a little time, too." Seeing her continuing concern the older woman gave her a look of gentle admonishment. "Enough with that worrying. You know how thick his skull is. It takes a lot more than that to cause permanent damage."
Wanda couldn't wondering what might be 'a lot more' in comparison to actually dying and getting brought back. But still she smiled, the joking easing her fried nerves a fraction. A wave of compassion and understanding went through her as she saw how Laura held her husband's hand, so tightly that the woman's knuckles had turned white. "You've almost lost him too many times", she murmured.
Laura sighed heavily and nodded, finally letting the mask-like smile to grumble. "Yeah." The woman refused to meet her eyes. "But this… This is the first time I actually did." A few tears rolled as adrenaline faded and the aftermath of all the terror, grief, agony and stress crashed down. Along with the fatigue over several days without sleep.
"Why don't you take a little break? I'll stay right here for a bit", Wanda suggested. Because neither of them felt comfortable with trusting only the Tower's security system.
It was easy to tell that Laura didn't want to leave her husband out of sight. The woman sighed. "I need to call Natasha, to see how long it'll take before she gets here with the kids." The smile was small but genuine. "Thanks."
Wanda shrugged. "Out of all the big kids running around here, I think he's the easiest to keep an eye on." And she needed to convince to herself that her friend was truly back.
A minute or two after Laura left the room Wanda was watching TV when she sensed a change. Exactly a second later there was a groan. "Barney…?"
She turned her head to discover that Clint's eyes were halfway open. Bleary but alert, full of worry. "Barney… is gone, remember? Everyone's safe."
It took a few moments before those words sunk in. When they did the amount of relief on Clint's face nearly broke her heart. A crack formed when the relief was joined by remorse and grief. No matter what, killing his own brother…
She wanted to offer comfort. But she knew that she'd have to let Clint ponder over thing for a while first. After a painfully long while he finally sighed. "It's over."
She took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Yeah. It's over." She hesitated, not wanting to cross any lines. "I'm sorry that there was no hope for Barney."
Clint was silent for so long that she was sure he wouldn't respond. Eventually his fingers curled around hers. "Me too."
It wasn't much. Overcoming the grief and shock was still in early stages, waiting for when Clint's mind was clearer. But it was a start. When Clint fell asleep she kept watch, prepared to face any nightmare with him.
Laura made the mistake of sitting in the kitchen. Just until the tea was ready. She woke up two hours later with a blanket draped around her shoulders, to sounds that made her heart sing.
"Mommy!" And before she knew it her two oldest were in her arms, hugging her with all their might. She held back with at least the same fervor, trembling to the core of her being. After fearing that she'd never see them again… That she'd lost them…
"Sorry that it took us this long to get back." Natasha walked into the room, carrying a soundly sleeping baby Nate. "But the weather was horrible and we had to take some extra precautions, just in case."
Laura barely comprehended her friend's words. All that made sense to her was that all her kids were alive and unharmed. Right there with her. She laughed through tears of relief. "Thank you", she murmured. "Thank you."
A little later Natasha had a frown on her face as she helped Clint with his unsteady yet determined steps. She didn't know the full story of what happened during her time away but she did know that this was the first time he was up and about since… "Are you sure that you can do this? You'd better not pass out on me."
Clint gritted his teeth. "I'm not meeting my kids lay in a bed." Which seemed to be the final verdict.
Fortunately it didn't take more than ten steps before they reached the kitchen area, where Laura was with the kids. At first Clint and his two oldest simply stared at each other. Then, with speed no one would've known to expect, the children bolted to their dad and embraced him with enough force to tackle him to the floor. No words were needed. The group-embrace and the tears of joy spoke loudly enough.
And if a few tears shimmered in Natasha's eyes as well no one would ever have to know.
Or so she thought. Because of course Tony had sneaked in at some point. "I never thought I'd see the day when the famous Black Widow…"
"Before finishing that sentence, remember that I know fifty-three ways to kill you in your sleep", she hissed, making sure that the Barton family didn't hear. Then thought again. "Or no, make that fifty-four."
Tony chose wisely and kept his mouth shut.
As far as anyone but the team and his family knew, Clint Barton was dead. It was the only safe option until they knew how Barney received the information he did. Two days later found Clint stood in front of his home that his brother turned to ice.
Leaning against Steve's shoulder, Clint took a couple of deep breaths, then activated his powers. He'd expected using them to be a challenge but they pulsed through him with great ease, rejoicing the feel of becoming unleashed. Ten endless minutes passed by until the ice was finally gone and he gasped, leaning a little more heavily against his friend.
Repair work would have to be done but at least the building looked like the place he'd remembered and missed.
"Clint?" Steve sounded as relieved as he felt. "Welcome home."
Two more days later, with the repairs completed, Clint stood in the barn, staring intently at a target board. And then, with a deep breath that finally came easily, he unleashed an arrow. When it hit the center of the board he began to feel like he was truly back home. Like he was truly alive.
While the friends relaxed and caught their breaths two men stood in the building where Barney died, observing the damage with grim eyes while a small army of people snatched pictures and gathered evidence.
"Do you see how dangerous they are?" Stryker demanded. "We can't let them just walk around freely with powers like this! They must be controlled!"
"And they will be." Thaddeus Ross lifted his chin, dark satisfaction in his eyes. "Thank you. Once I've presented all the evidence gathered from here nothing is going to stop the Sokovia Accords."
The dream was the same it had often been since Clint's… return.
A purple face sneering at him. A massive battle. And then…
Clint blinked, twice. Observing with the detachment of someone dreaming, of someone to whom this wasn't reality. Yet. "So that's how I die."
This time he wasn't watching it alone. A tall, brown haired man in a red cape nodded, a grim expression on his face. "Yes."
Clint frowned. "Why am I seeing this?" It clicked after a second. "Are you showing me this?"
"No", the man who'd refused to introduce himself denied instantly. "I'm here in your dream because I… slipped." And admitting such a failure clearly stung. Horribly. "When I brought you back I left behind something."
Well. That did make hell a lot more sense than someone showing up in his dream to torment him with the knowledge of how he'd die. Also, now he knew who his companion was. Assuming that this really wasn't just a stupid dream.
"So you're here to take away this… memory?" Was it a memory? Really?
Apparently yes. Because his companion nodded, and seemed to hold back a roll of eyes. "Wasn't what I've told you earlier a clear enough indication?"
Clint shot a half-hearted glare at the doctor. "Hey! I'm not the one who messed up and left someone with a memory they're not supposed to have. So I'm the one who should be doing the eyerolling." He looked towards the sight of his own death, still feeling out of touch, far away from it all. "So… The next time we meet… Or well, when we actually meet… And fight together… I'm going to…" He nodded forward.
"Yes." Doctor Strange offered no words of sympathy. Good.
Clint sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. "Well. At least it's a good death. But I'm glad you're taking it away. This isn't something I appreciate knowing in beforehand." Around then a thought struck him and he felt cold. "The others… They'll be okay, right?"
This time Doctor Strange did roll his eyes. "I'm not a fortune teller." Then, after a second, the man relented with a glance at his pleading look. "Fine. Yes."
Clint's eyes narrowed. There was something about this… "You're hiding something." He scoffed at the other's warning glare. "Fine. Just do your… hocus pocus and get this over with."
Despite everything the other's annoyed look was amusing. A bizarre, purple glow appeared to the sorcerer's hands. "I wish there was something I could do to change things." It didn't sound like something the other admitted easily.
Clint sighed heavily. "Yeah, well… Me too, Doc." It was the last thing he uttered before the purple glow swallowed him up.
"Clint?" That voice… "Clint? We're back from the store, and I've got pizza." Which might explain the sounds of World War Three echoing from the kitchen.
Well, weren't that voice and those words a pleasant combination to wake up to… Clint yawned and stretched, his head still incredibly fuzzy, and opened one eye.
Laura smiled down at him. "Good nap?"
Clint grinned. "Yup." It'd been a week from… Well. And he still needed more sleep than before. But at least he was feeling better every day. And he was himself once more. He yawned again. "I had a weird dream."
They exchanged a quick but tender kiss. She then helped him sit up, despite knowing perfectly well that he didn't need help anymore. "What was it about?"
Clint tried to think. But no matter how hard he tried… He shook his head. "No idea." He shrugged. "Couldn't be anything important." Not having a nightmare was a nice change alone and he didn't want to question it. "Did you say something about pizza?"
When they made it to the kitchen they discovered that most of the pizza was already gone, along with Cooper and Lila. Beside the nearly empty box there was another, far smaller one, with his name written on it. Curiosity chasing him forward, he approached and gently moved aside the lid. What he encountered made his head and heart spin in the absolutely best way.
A positive pregnancy test looked up at him.
Baby Nate, safely in his carrier on a table, roused at the shout of complete, utter joy. If it was possible for a child of his age to roll his eyes he did. Then smiled, going back to sleep.
End
A/N: And so it ends. There are still HUGE shadows in the future. But also hope.
Sooooo… Was that a worthy closure? At all? Finishing fics is almost as nerve-wrecking as starting them, so it'd mean A LOT to hear from you.
In any case, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for all your reviews, listings and love! It's been a LONG ride, and I'm incredibly happy that you've seen it all the way through with me. (HUGS)
Awkay, because it's REALLY late I've gotta go. Who knows. Maybe I'll see ya again one day?
Take care!
