8 – (Ten years old) Puppy? Puppy!

"Alexis," Natasha hissed chasing her daughter through the busy street. They were looking at some store windows when Alexis suddenly released herself from her Mother's grip with a gasp and broke on a sprint. Natasha had been taken by surprise, before following her very quick and sneaky daughter. They were going to have a talk – again – about not running away. In any place! "Alexis, get back here!"

Alexis turned to the alley and stopped. Natasha almost ran into her.

"Alexis, what in the world are you thinking? You can break on a run like that!" Natasha scolded with a stern glare.

"Mom, look," Alexis whispered pointing to the spot, near the garbage can.

"Look where, Alexis? I swear to God…what is that?" Natasha fumed before looking at the spot and blinking.

"Isn't it obvious? He was abandoned," Alexis shook her head, blonde curls dancing with her movements. "I saw a lady walk in here with the puppy and then left, without him. She abandoned him, Mom, how could she be that cruel?" Alexis looked up at her Mom with shining green eyes. "He's so little," she whispered and walked towards the card box that had a two to three month old puppy inside, whining.

"People are cruel, Alexis," Natasha started softly, following her daughter. "Well, some are more than others. He's really little."

"He's probably looking for his Mother," Alexis said rubbing the little head with the point of her finger. "Mom, what are we going to do? We can't leave him here, we're not cruel," Alexis stated.

Natasha chuckled. "Let's get him to a vet, sweetheart, and we go from there!"


"Not many people do what you did, Mrs. Barton," the vet smiled politely.

Natasha shrugged. "Unfortunately, they don't. How's the pup?"

"She's very young, needs attention and to be spoiled, like any other child," the vet chuckled. "But physically she's fine."

"Thank God," Natasha nodded.

"Do you want to leave her here to be adopted?" the vet asked.

Natasha looked from the elderly veterinarian, Dr. White, and to her daughter inside the office, feeding the puppy through a small baby bottle. She sighed and rubbed her temples. Dr. White chuckled.

"Do I look like the kind of Mother that breaks her child's heart like that?"

"You do not," Dr. White replied. "You're taking her, then?"

"Alexis?" Natasha called softly. The little girl looked up with curious green eyes. "That's your Christmas gift!"

Alexis' face broke into a grin and she bounced on her seat as she cuddled the puppy to her chest and finished giving her the bottle.

"She needs a name, by the way," Natasha added, before turning to the vet. "I need a list of things for the youngest member of my family."

"Of course, then, my assistant will help you. We have everything you need here: food, toys, a bed…you are a good person, Mrs. Barton. Until the next appointment," Dr. White smiled and shook Natasha's hand.

Politely she smiled and when the vet turned his back she sighed. Honestly, she killed men in cold blood, she was not a good person. He should thank Alexis for that.

"Mrs. Barton?" The assistant called. "If you follow me, I can get you everything you need for the little puppy," she said.

"Don't leave the office, Alexis," Natasha warned.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Mother," Alexis replied formally with a roll of her eyes. "Don't worry, I'll just stay here with Sasha," she grinned.

"Sasha?" Natasha questioned raising her eyebrows.

"Don't you like it?" Alexis asked with a frown. "I found it cute. It's a Russian name, Mama," she added.

"I love it, sweetheart," Natasha smiled before following Dr. White's assistant out of the office.


As soon as they arrived home, Alexis rushed inside the house looking for her Dad. "Dad? Daddy? Papa?" she called through the foyer and into the living room.

"Kitchen, goldilocks," Clint laughed. He was facing the stove, getting dinner ready, and when he turned around to meet his eldest daughter he tilted his head. "I'm pretty sure we didn't have that when you left the house," he pointed at the ball of fur in Alexis' hands. "Where did it come from?"

"It's not an it, Clint, it's a puppy," Natasha clarified walking into the kitchen, dropping several bag on the kitchen island. "She – both of them apparently – get offended with the 'it' word," she rolled her eyes before gazing at the high chair. "How's my little prince?" she cooed at the seven month old who instead of eating his food, was entertained getting the floor, walls and himself dirty.

"Where did you get it…her," he corrected himself and a flick of irritation crossed his daughter's green orbs.

"A mean lady abandoned Sasha near a trash can. Mom and I took her to the vet and then Mom let me keep her," Alexis explained.

Clint rubbed Sasha's ears amused. "Sasha, huh? And Mom let you keep her?"

"Mom hates to break her kids' heart," Natasha shrugged, getting Henri from the high chair. "Where's Lara?"

"Living room watching the atrocity that it's My Little Pony," Clint said.

"Oh, the atrocity that I caught you seeing more than one time?" Natasha threw back.

"I was watching because of her," Clint said in a 'duh' voice.

"You were watching My Little Pony and eating popcorn last night before Mom got home," Alexis frowned.

Natasha had to stifle her laughter as Clint's head snapped to his eldest daughter who just shrugged innocently. Clint playfully glared before taking the puppy from her hands. "Go take a shower before dinner is ready. Sasha will stay with me," he said.

Alexis tried to protest but it was useless, she turned around before being tackled down by a four year old with wild red curls and big blue eyes. "Momma, sis!"

"Get her off me," Alexis moaned.

"Now, now, Alexis, Lara is just happy you are home, she's been asking for you all day," Clint said as he looked for a place to stuff the young animal. He couldn't let her run wild, the thing was tiny, and if she bumped her head against a wall she would break her neck.

"Merida, get up," Alexis huffed.

"Lara," the younger girl scrunched her nose.

"I know, doesn't mean that I'll call you that," Alexis rolled her eyes.

"Tony is forbidden of visiting," Clint quipped as he pursed his lips in thought, before tucking the puppy in his apron pocket.

"I second that," Natasha muttered. "Girls, let's go get ready for dinner upstairs. Now, move it!"

Lara crawled back to her feet and Alexis got up. "C'mon, I can take a bath with you, so you won't drown," she said taking her younger sister's hand and climbing the stairs.

"Don't cook it by mistake," Natasha snorted looking at the puppy in her husband's apron.

Clint rolled his eyes before shooing her from the kitchen so he could finish getting dinner ready.


They both fell on the couch exhausted. Kids were fed, kids were entertained, kids were – finally – asleep.

"In what earth did we think that raising kids was easier than going on missions?" Natasha wondered out loud, her fingers intertwined with Clint's. "Tell me why this was good idea again?" She asked laughing.

"One, our ledger stopped dripping," Clint pointed out. "Two, we have a stable home – for once. Three – we've travelled the world three times, I don't think anything's left to see. Four…we always wondered what it would be like to be normal."

"Our family is anything but normal. If there's a thunderstorm during the day, our eldest daughter gets all hyper 'cause Uncle Thor is visiting and he always brings something made of gold for her. I'm still waiting for the time where he brings her a real tiara, made of real gold, and real diamonds," Natasha started and Clint's body shook with laughter. Yes, Alexis had Thor eating from the palm of her hand and the big guy loved to spoil his borrowed niece with the best of Asgard. "Then, for our children, playground is not swings; it's the vents system in the helicarrier. Swings are boring and last…my husband watches My Little Pony," Natasha deadpanned.

"I do not," Clint said offended.

"Sat back, your secret's safe with me. Oh, what would the recruits say if they knew their trainer liked high pitched unicorns," Natasha said dramatically.

"Ponies!"

"Whatever!"

They laughed and then got quiet. Natasha sighed and cuddled into Clint's side.

"Would you change it?" Clint asked.

"Change what?"

"Our life? Would you change any of it? I mean…don't punch me or anything…but in the beginning, you didn't want to exactly keep Alexis. If you could go back…would you have gone the same path or would you, you know, go the other way?"

Natasha stiffed when Clint mentioned her initial thoughts about abortion. Scratch that, about killing her baby girl.

"Alexis is the most important change that had ever happened to me, I would never change it, never," she replied. "I would do the same thing, of course. Sure, our life is much more hectic and noisy than it was before, but I remember, when I was very young, wanting this life."

"I'm very happy where I am right now," Clint smiled.

"Me too," Natasha said. "Can we head to bed?" She yawned. "I'm exhausted! Who knew having a regular job would be this though?"

Clint grinned and shook his head getting up and pulling Natasha up with him.

Their life was normal – weird for a couple of master assassins, huh? Natasha was a ballet dance teacher and Clint still worked with SHIELD but he now trained recruits and directed missions from the facility. They didn't stop being Avengers – of course – they just exchanged guns and ammo for bottles and a family car.


It's over. But I've got two more Clintasha stories ready. :) Thanks for sticking with me through this story. Love you guys. xoxo