Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Author's Note: Happy reading! Please don't forget to let me know how you feel about this one. We're getting closer to the Avengers timeline!


Chapter 6

Clint was a soldier first, and as a soldier he was used to following orders. Actually, the first thing that brought him to New Mexico was pretty damn interesting. Turned out the blond Viking looking dude was actually an alien, and the hammer was his, even though he couldn't lift it the first time. But babysitting scientists? That was boring. He knew he was getting shafted for taking so much time off. He was happy he took the time off, that he was able to spend time with Laura and get to know the kids, but Natasha was going to be pissed off that he didn't fix the house like he promised. He was nowhere near the timeline he proposed to her, the only thing finished was the kitchen.

"Hawkeye, you need me to take over for your lunch break?" Sitwell called out from the ground. Clint was, as the scientists called it, at his nest. That was where he spent most 18 hours of his working days before the night crew came in and the scientists were forced to sleep (except Selvig because, Clint suspected, he was some sort of super human and didn't need sleep).

Clint nodded, getting on the rope and sliding down, careful to brace for the impact to not blow his kneecap off.

"Need to run some errands," Clint admitted looking at his watch. He had to call and check in with Laura and the kids. Oh – he paused taking out his phone typing a quick message to Natasha that he was fine. She was wrapping up her mission with Tony Stark, assessing whether or not he would be a good pick for Fury's collection of Superheros.

His phone buzzed as he walked back to his quarters.

Natasha: Call you now?

Two hours? He replied to his wife, glancing at the time. He promised Laura and the kids that he would call them in about three minutes. He missed one call because Sitwell did not show up to relieve him for his break. He was not up to breaking his promise twice.

Ok. Miss you, call me when you can.

The text went unanswered as he clicked the screen for Laura's contact information waiting for the video to start.

"Hey Clint!" Laura greeted with a smile.

"Hey!" He smiled back at the screen. He missed her and the kids, desperately. He was only able to say a quick goodbye before SHIELD ushered him from the farm to New York then to New Mexico. He gave them an excuse that he was getting called into work, which was not a lie, but he did not know what kind of work he did.

"You called a little earlier, Coop and Lilla are still in their rooms," she admitted.

"That's okay, I don't only call to check in on them," Clint stated. "How you doing out there? Things with the house going ok?"

"They're great, thanks to you, Mr. Handyman."

He chuckled. "All in a day's work."

"How is your work at…?"

"New Mexico, just a side job doing security," he paused. It wasn't completely a lie he was there to keep the glowing blue orb secure. So, it's a security job, at the very basis of it.

"I won't pretend to understand what you do."

"Kids doing alright in school?"

"They're doing great. Lila's taking to day care really well."

"How's your new job going?"

"It's a lot better than the last."

"That's not saying much," Clint noted, remembering the stories of her last job and how little they paid her. "At least it's something."

"It is, but Clint?"

"Yeah?"

"They miss you. We all do."

Clint opened his mouth to reply but heard the screams of Cooper in the background demanding to talk to him. He saw Cooper run into the room with a big grin on his face.

"Can you say 'please'?" Laura asked blocking him from the computer with a smile on her face. Clint shook his in the background.

"Please! I miss Clint!"

"I miss you all too, kid."

"Clint! You'll never guess what we did in school yesterday!"

"What?"

"We had to do a competition, and I used a bow and arrow! Just like that one time you taught me and Mom how to!" Cooper said going into the shooting stance like Clint had taught him, drawing an imaginary bow and releasing it. Not bad.

"That's great! You get a bullseye?"

"No," the boy admitted sadly. "But I'm going to practice until I'm as good as you!"

"Atta boy!" Clint responded proudly. "You show 'em how it's done, Coop."

"Clint?"

"Yeah?"

"When are you coming back? I miss you."

Clint sighed. "I don't know, Coop. But I promise when I comeback we'll spend lots of time with each other, I'll even help you with your shot."

"And my baseball?"

"And in baseball, it's the same technique."

"That's easy for you to say, you never miss," the little boy pointed out.

"I do sometimes."

"Clint?"

"Yeah Coop?"

"When I grow up, I think I wanna be like Iron Man!"

"Oh yeah?" Clint responded, for a moment thinking about Natasha and her debacle with Iron Man. He needed to give her a call after talking to them.

"I saw him on the TV, and he flies!"

"He does."

"Cooper's got a crush on his new assistant," Laura said in the background as she fiddled with Lilla. He smiled seeing them at the corner of the screen. She was a great mother, and those kids loved her just as much as she loved them.

Clint smirked at that revelation. "She's a looker, that Natalie Rushman."

There was a pause, Laura's surprised look and Cooper trying to bury himself in the hood of his sweater.

"You know her?" Laura asked him.

"I do," Clint admitted, schooling his features to not give anything away. He justified it to himself as protecting his real identity and everyone involved. He would rather not Laura and the kids become involved with SHIELD.

Laura nodded her head, busying herself with Lila. She was avoiding something, and Clint pushed away at the thought of liking the feeling of Laura jealous of Natasha. He was a married man.

"Clint, it's time for dinner, we'll call you next time?" Laura told him before the line went bad.

"Okay," Clint whispered to the nothingness of the screen and sighed. He ran a hand over his face to shake it all off. He really needed to get a hold of himself and his thoughts about Laura, about the kids, and most importantly about Natasha. Natasha; his wife, his partner, and his best friend. Laura was a woman who he met less than six months ago and yet she and the kids consumed his every thought outside of work where Natasha used to occupy. He was slightly thankful for the reprieve he had until Natasha would visit New Mexico because one look at him and she would know. She read everyone like they were a Dr. Seuss book, him especially. While a part of him wanted to stop talking and keeping in touch with Laura and the kids, he didn't have it in him to cut ties when Cooper and Lila looked at him with such hope in their eyes.

He got up from his seated position and headed towards the chow hall. He was a married man, and he loved Natasha – was lucky to have her in his life. Men around the world would die to have an ounce of her as he had.

"Hawkeye, Casper, your break's over," Sitwell stated through the walkie-talkie. (His call sign was Casper, as so many people thought his name was Casper, not Jasper).

"Copy, headed back now."

"Good, coz this shit is boring."

Clint walked back to his post. It's a good thing that he had hours on hours to think about what was going on with his life. One thing was true: he signed a contract with Natasha to be her companion for life. He was not going back on that promise.


Comments and criticisms are desired.