Family Matters CHAPTER 11

They were back on the quin jet heading for home when Maria called them warning them of the backlash they were getting from what happened in Rio. She advised them to find somewhere safe and lay low and to let SHIELD handle it, she didn't mention why they were in Rio or asked who it was that they had grabbed but footage of the fight was all over the news.

"I know somewhere safe." Clint said looking at Natasha who gave him a nod thinking the same thing.

"Did not take you as the country type?" Tony remarked when they landed at the farm.

"Where are we Natasha?" Steve asked, between him and Thor they were carrying Bucky towards the house.

"Home." Clint replied smiling with Natasha. "Yeye Nǐ zài zhèlǐ? Clint asked as he opened the door.

"Clinton Huānyíng huí dào wǒ de háizi. Are you alright?"

"I have brought some friends Yeye." Clint said as William May came out of the kitchen looking over the company his grandson had brought back with him. "So I see."

"Is she here?" Clint asked

"Yes, arrived back a few hours ago."

"This is some sort of agent." Tony remarks

"Tony, Steve, Bruce, Thor, Wanda and Pietro this is my Yeye William May." Clint said

"May as in Agent's ninja badass partner?" Tony asked

"Yes." Clint said looking at Natasha who nodded leaving the room as Steve and Thor held Bucky Clint led them to a room that he could stay in. As he did Tony looked around the room, he saw kids drawings on the walls and a book shelf up against the wall in the lounge.

"You all look hungry, you can wash up in there I will make something for you to eat, I may not be like my granddaughter head chef but I did teach her."

'You will always be head chef in this family.'

"You…" Tony was shocked to see her, Steve and Thor also stopped (Thor because he was walking behind Steve)

"You know this maiden?" Thor asked

"Grace?"

'Steve, Mr Stark.' Grace greeted before going and hugging Clint before stepping back and looking at him.

"I am all in one piece." Clint reassured

'Good.' Grace said once again looking at him. 'You should go in for a shower. You stink.' Grace said pushing him towards the bathroom only for him to stop and turn on her.

"What no hug for your big brother?" He asked

'You hug me you end up in the lake.' Grace threatened and he stopped in his tracks as Grace ended up smirking at him. 'Wise choice brother.' Grace signed at him only to stop as the others were looking at them.

"Right, Grace is my sister.

"We gathered that legalos from the whole brother comment." Tony remarked

"Why didn't you share this with us before?" Steve asked

"We have always kept our family a secret, only a select few know about us. Our jobs are dangerous I did not want to draw attention to her." Clint shrugged, "I am going to take a shower, or she will put me in the lake. Not again." Clint said shaking his head pushing away the memory.

'So I know Stark, Steve, Bruce and I know of Thor but who are they?' Grace signed to Natasha as Clint had left for his shower.

"Wanda and Pietro, helped us out in Sokovia. Enhanced…experimented on. Your brother has taken them under his wing." Nat replied watching Grace closely she seemed to tense when she told they were experimented on.

'Clint has gone to use the upstairs bathroom there is another down the hall if you want to clean up. I know you all had a big fight but you're still covered in grim? Make yourself at home I might go help Yeye in the kitchen. Nat you have some clothes in Clint's room still or did you need to borrow some?' Grace signed

"You knew about his secret family?" Steve asked

"Yes." Natasha replied watching Wanda move over to Grace stopping her before she made it to the kitchen.

"Thank you for saving my brother." Wanda said looking at her Grace stood there for a few seconds just looking at her.

'What is your powers?'

"They called me a witch. I make energy…" She said making her hands glow red

'You can enter people's minds yes?'

"Yes."

'Do you know sign or are you hearing me?'

"I am sorry, I sometimes cannot control it."

'It is fine. Just keep it to yourself yes?' she thought looking at Wanda who nodded 'I can help you with your powers if you would like?'

"Does your brother know?"

'No, don't tell him.' Grace asked to which Wanda agreed so she went into the kitchen and helped cook them some food. Natasha ended up going into Grace's room to get a pair of pants when she came back down she saw Wanda standing on the other side of the bench talking with Grace as she cooked. Natasha was making her way up over to her when Grace looked up and saw her she placed the knife down on the bench and moved over to her.

"One chance to tell me the truth where did this come from?" Natasha asked holding up a bullet from a quin jet.

'Found it.' Grace signed back, but Natasha knew she was lying and gave her a pointed look that made her shuffle on her feet and looked down.

"You were there? You stopped those bullets from hurting Clint?" Natasha guessed

'Last time aliens attacked we lost Phil, I am not losing anyone else.' Grace signed and Natasha tensed. 'Nobody saw me, and you can't tell Clint…or mom…or Ria. Please Nat.'

"We trained you so you could defend yourself, you are not trained for combat."

'But I am, it is programmed into me.' Grace signed and Natasha tensed at that, when Grace was younger they had discovered that certain things she would pick up with ease like self-defense training, different languages, her memory was really good and was detailed oriented.

"You do not have to fight. That does not define you Grace, what they did…it is not you."

'I can make a difference why shouldn't I?'

"If you want to do this, I will train you but not behind your families back. You need to tell them."

'Sure thing go up to them and say what, hey guys you know that fight the avengers fought I was there how is your day?'

"You did what?" Clint asked making Grace freeze and turn to look at Clint.

'I was being sarcastic.' Grace signed looking up at him.

"So you were not there?"

'I didn't say that.' Grace signed taking a step away from him, looking at the door off to the side, she knew that he would catch her before she could reach it so the back door it was. She bolted for the back door feeling how Clint gave chase she made it to the door ignoring the looks from the avengers.

"Grace get back here!" Clint shouted as Grace made it outside she started running. Getting distance from the house just as she was about to jump into the air Clint tackled her to the ground. "Oh, no not getting away that easily. We are going to talk this out or I am going to call the big guns and you will have to deal with her." Clint said making Grace nod her head he let her up so they were facing each other. Grace still looked like she wanted to run but she remained standing looking up at her older brother waiting for him to start talking. "How long?" he asked

'How long for what?'

"How long have you been using your gifts like that?"

'Been practicing since Phil died. I could not lose anyone else.'

"You were in Sokovia? You stopped those bullets?"

'Had to save you. Besides it…'

"It?"

'It felt natural. Like how I feel when I cook, but better… I felt complete.'

"Grace…"

'There is another quinjet coming.' Grace said looking up she felt the vibrations in the air as felt the familiar presence on the jet. 'It's mom.' Grace said looking at Clint with a glare.

"I didn't call her." He said looking up as he saw it land the two of them ran over to the jet noticing that the others came out of the house when they saw the jet land. May came off the jet looking from her kids to their guests she looked at Clint and indicated for him to follow her inside she led him up to her office. As he walked passed Natasha he shared a look with her and she nodded in understanding she will watch Grace.

'Right well it was lovely meeting you all but I should be leaving.' Grace signed but Natasha was standing in front of her not letting her go. 'Seriously Nat? I will be back in New York.'

'No, you will be staying here, we need to finish our conversation and I would really hate it if I had to track you down.' Natasha signed back

"Grace come help me in the kitchen." William called out to his granddaughter who sighed before moving inside.

Clint followed his mother into the house, he was still reeling with the fact that Grace was in Sokovia. She didn't know Phil was alive, he really needed to tell her. He was curious to know what his mother wanted but also dreading it that was why he was walking slowly did she know?

"I had an interesting call from Maria." Melinda stated after several moments of silence had passed between them. "How are you?" She asked giving him a look over making sure he was in one piece.

"A bit bruised, but otherwise fine. What did Ria say?" he asked having a feeling where this conversation was going.

"You have taken on two teenagers."

"They need someone, I can be that someone for them. You taught me that." Clint said

"It is a big responsibility."

"They are 17 almost 18, I can do this mom." Clint said "You don't need to worry about me." He added

"I always worry about you, I worry about all of my kids its part of being a parent." Melinda responded

"Grace has been fighting." Clint blurted out

"What?"

"Phil really needs to tell her."

"What do you mean she has been fighting?" May asked

"Using her powers…"

"In Sokovia?" May guessed, making Clint look down.

"I didn't know she was there if I did I would have…"

"I know…I can't stay long I have to get back to Skye…I will take her with me." May said looking at Clint who was still looking down. "You did not do anything wrong, So I see you told the others."

"Yeah, sorry, they know about Grace and Yeye and You. I didn't tell them about Skye or Ria. We have Bucky and Maria said it was better if we found a place to lay low for a while and this place is the safest place I know."

"Clint it is fine. You trust them, Nat trusts them. I guess we can turn the office and the gym into rooms." She added

"Pietro and Wanda I think I can do that."

"Yes, if you need anything I am just a phone call a way." Melinda said hugging him before going out of the room and back down to the dining room where the others were now all seated at the table eating. Grace was sitting next to Natasha and looked up when her mother entered the room ignoring the comments Tony was making she made the signal for Grace to follow her she looked down and sighed before walking after her mother not before sending her brother a glare he looked at her apologetically but she moved on before he could talk.

'Mom I can explain.'

"You can explain on the way." May said after kissing her father's cheek before walking out of the house and back to the quinjet.

'Where are we going?' she moved over to the storage container and grabbed two bags Grace recognized one as her own the others as Skye's.

"Skye needs you." May said getting onto the quinjet where she ended up heading for the cock pit, Grace sat at the copilots seat looking at her as she took off.

'Why does Skye need me?'

"We had a problem in Puerto Rico, Skye's biological father turned up. There was an alien artefact and Skye was exposed to it."

'Is she alright?' Grace asked worried for her sister.

"Physically she is fine, emotionally she is in a rough place. She is now gifted. I have her at the cabin, I need you to help her."

'Gifted how?'

"She causes earthquakes."

'Earthquakes…right. Why take her to the cabin and not the farm?'

"It was her choice."

'I will help her.'

"I knew you would." May replied they flew on in silence Grace looking out the window "Did you want to talk about it?" she asked after 20 minutes of silence.

'What?'

"You know your brother told me, it is why you have not met my eyes since getting on the jet."

'I do not want you to be disappointed in me.'

"I could never be disappointed in you."

'I don't know what to do? Fighting, saving Clint it felt right…more right than cooking even. I know they wanted me to be their weapon, it feels as though by doing so I am accepting what they did to me. Like I am turning my back on everything you taught me…it is why I never wanted to join SHIELD. Why I was scared of fighting but now…now it is like I can't do anything else but do that… it feels right. What if I turn bad?'

"What makes you think you will turn bad?" May asked as she digested what she had said.

'I like the fight, I relish it. It feels like I was made for it.'

"You fought to protect your family yes?"

'Yes, I did not want to lose anyone else.'

"That is how I know you won't turn bad, you fight to protect, for the right reasons for family, friends…You are a good person Grace, I know this, your family knows this. You like to help, always have. If it be with homework, cooking, chores or having your brothers back in a fight." May said looking at her daughter who was looking down at her hands her fingers tracing over the scar on her arm MUTE. May really disliked seeing that on her skin, it was a reminder that they had hurt her. It was also a reminder that she would do whatever she could to keep her safe that is why hearing her out there in danger had her feeling conflicted.