Hi everyone! Sorry for the long wait. I was vacationing in a place with no Internet. So yeah…sorry about that. I hope this chapter makes up for it.

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Enjoy!

Pietro was quickly beginning to learn that August was generally a hot and sticky month. Almost every day was hot; the twins spent almost every day at the swimming pool just lounging around watching Lila and Cooper play in the water. Every so often the kids would manage to get the Sokovians into the pool for a splash war (Pietro was the undisputed champion) despite whatever their intentions may have been.

"We shouldn't get used to this." Wanda said one night after a day in the pool. They'd both taken showers and were now watching a movie with Clint, Cooper, Lila, and Nathaniel while Laura made a dinner. Out of habit, they'd selected a couch at the back of the room where they could talk without being overheard. "Things like this never last."

Pietro knew what she meant. When he was young, he'd always assumed that he would have a home and a family. He'd never imagined that in just a few short years he'd be fighting for his life on the streets. Everyone he knew, everything he loved could be taken away in the blink of an eye. Nothing was certain. He'd learned that the hard way. "Maybe we can pretend."

"What are you two doing all the way back there?" Clint asked. Pietro had noticed that he often tried to call them back when they went off on their own, as if he didn't trust the direction their thoughts would take them in-which was probably wise, considering the circumstances. "Come and watch the show from up here. You'll be able to see the screen better."

Reluctantly, the twins moved closer to the screen and Pietro tried to concentrate on watching the movie. It seemed like summer was draining away faster than sand in an hourglass-soon enough, it would be September and he'd be going back to the Tower for preliminary training exercises. But that would change soon enough; sooner or later they'd be moving to a base somewhere in upstate New York-apparently, its exact location was classified. In a way, it would be almost like living at the farm-if the farm was as stocked and well maintained as your average military bunker. He couldn't say he wasn't excited-this was what he'd signed up for, after all-but he would miss the laid back and easygoing atmosphere of the farm.

Then again, he would also get his official costume.

The movie was very long and soon Cooper and Lila started to get antsy. As soon as the credits started to roll Cooper couldn't take it anymore and jumped to his feet. "Can we play outside, Pietro? I want to race."

Pietro laughed as he grabbed his running shoes. "Only if you're ready to lose."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Clint replied. "He's been practicing."

"So have I."

They went out into the backyard, brittle dry grass cracking beneath their feet with every step. Cooper glanced up at the cloudless blue sky and sighed. "When's it going to rain?"

"It says we might get some thunderstorms this week."

"Cool. I like storms as long as they don't come at night." He scratched a line in the dirt with the toe of his shoe. "This is the starting line. We'll race around the barn and then come back."

"As you wish."

"On your marks….get set….go!" Cooper took off like a shot, feet pounding across the dirt with a raw ferocity. Pietro gave him a few seconds to get a head start. The kid was really trying, he had to give him that.

But he just wasn't fast enough.

He shifted from foot to foot to gather momentum before he started to run himself. He easily passed Cooper, looping around the barn and coming back to the finish line without so much as breaking a sweat. Cooper ran to join him, breathing heavily. "Was I better that time?"

"Yes. You were very good."

"Do you think I'll be able to beat you soon?"

Pietro pretended to think about it. Sure kid, whenever you decide to volunteer for illegal human experimentation. "I think you might need a little more practice-but not much."

Cooper practically skipped inside for dinner with a smile on his face that Pietro couldn't help being just the tiniest bit proud of.

~IT~

"What do you think he's thinking about?"

Wanda glanced down at Nathaniel, who was playing with a few strands of her dark hair with a happy smile on his face. "I don't know. What do babies think about besides the necessities?"

"Maybe he wants to be a superhero like his dad." Cooper suggested, trying to tempt the baby with a rattle. Nathaniel laughed happily but didn't rise to the bait.

"I don't think he even knows what a superhero is."

"He'll learn soon enough."

That brought up something Wanda had been wondering about for a while. "Cooper, when did you first learn your father was a SHIELD agent?"

He looked thoughtful. "I don't know. At first I thought he was just really busy. Most of my friends had parents like that-they worked all the time because of their jobs. But their dads didn't send them packages and postcards from London one week and Bucharest five days later. Their dads didn't get visited all the time by people in black suits who talked in low voices when they thought we weren't listening. They didn't have a helicopter landing pad in their backyard.

"For a long time, I didn't even know what SHIELD was. Maybe I'd heard of it once or twice, in passing…but I didn't know what it did. Then the Battle of New York happened. I heard about it of course-everyone at school did. For a long time it was all anyone talked about. Everyone had Captain America and Iron Man lunchboxes and plastic hammers designed to look like Thor's. Apparently there had been a new team of superheroes established-the Avengers. And my dad was one of them-my dad who played Legos with me, took me fishing, and read stories to me before I went to sleep. Mom said I couldn't tell anyone else about it. It was easy to keep it a secret-almost all of my friends had never met Dad and it was easy to just pass it off as a coincidence whenever anyone asked about the last name. And I think that made things easier in a way-even though Dad couldn't always come to Open House at school or any of my baseball games, I just remembered that he was a hero-and he would always be one for as long as the world needed him."

"Do you ever worry about him while he's on missions?"

"Not really. He can take care of himself. Mom does though. She makes him call her every night if possible and whenever the Avengers are on the news she watches the segments really carefully." He looked down at the puzzle he was working on, trying to mash together two pieces that obviously weren't meant to fit. "I know what happened in Sokovia."

She felt cold water run down her spine. "What do you mean?"

"I know Pietro…died saving my dad's life. I mean, I guess he didn't really die because he came back…but still. That was really, really nice of him. And you too. Dad told me you had to live without him for twelve days when you thought he was dead. That sounds terrible."

"It was, but…Pietro made the right choice. If I would have been in his position I would have done the same thing. Your father is a very good man-and he has a family he has to get back to."

Just then, Nathaniel started coughing loudly-and he didn't stop for a good twenty seconds. Wanda felt his forehead with concern. Did he seem warmer than normal or was it just her imagination? "Cooper, does Nathaniel feel…warm to you?"

Cooper nodded. "Do you think he's sick?" He looked worried and she instantly felt bad for getting him worked up over what was probably nothing.

"I'm sure he's fine-but he should probably rest just in case." She took him up to the bedroom with Cooper following close on her heels and asking her all sorts of questions she couldn't answer.

~IT~

Nathaniel didn't get any better as the day went on. He barely ate anything at dinner and he spent the rest of the day sleeping even more than he normally did. By the time Cooper and Lila went to bed he definitely felt hot.

"I think he's coming down with something." Laura said as he checked on him. "He's so little..."

"Is he going to be okay?" Cooper asked.

"Of course. He'll be fine. He just might be a little sick."

Pietro was still worrying when it came time for his nightly driving lesson. Clint insisted that the twins have American drivers licenses before the summer was through and he alternated nights with each of them. At least driving was one thing that came easily to Pietro-he had a license of course, though he hadn't had much chance to use it in Sokovia-but he did have the tendency to drive fast.

"Slow down." Clint said. "We're taking a pleasure drive. We're not in NASCAR."

"Sorry."

"Is something stressing you out?"

"Maybe."

"Girl troubles?"

Pietro almost had to slam on the brakes because he was so taken aback. "What does that even mean?"

"I don't know. I have no way of knowing if you sneak out to the town at night and have a secret girlfriend you're meeting you just haven't told us about for whatever reason."

"I would never do something like that. Believe me."

"Fine. So, what's the big deal?"

"Nathaniel's sick."

"He's not that sick. I know what you mean, but he could get better. Maybe the virus will miss him."

Pietro couldn't help but think that hope was very far fetched.

~IT~

The next morning Nathaniel was even sicker. His temperature seemed to be rapidly climbing the thermometer and there was nothing anyone could do-no matter what medications they gave him. Clint and Laura didn't act worried around Cooper and Lila, but Pietro knew they were concerned. And the fever didn't go away-it persisted for a long time, longer than was normal.

Finally, when Nathaniel's temperature climbed dangerously high, Clint and Laura made the decision to drive to the hospital-'just in case'. Of course, that set both Cooper and Lila off-because the words 'emergency room' generally never boded well.

"Is Nathaniel going to die?" Lila asked, looking like she was on the verge of tears.

"Of course not, sweetheart." Laura replied. "The doctors are going to prescribe some medicine so Nathaniel will get better faster. That's all."

"But why do we have to go to the emergency room?"

"Because Nathaniel has been sick for a few days and we want him to feel better as soon as possible."

Lila still didn't look convinced.

"I'll pack a few essentials." Wanda said, grabbing Nathaniel's diaper bag off the back counter. She knew from experience that waiting in the emergency room could sometimes take a while, depending on the day. She eventually decided to bring extra diapers and formula for Nathaniel, along with a blanket, thermometer, and washcloths in case he threw up in the backseat. She packed extra books for Cooper and Lila along with the family iPad they shared in case it really became necessary. As an afterthought, she also added a couple books for herself and Pietro on top.

All this was accomplished in about five minutes. After years of having to leave on the fly, she knew to pack quickly, think clearly, and take what was really important.

"The rest of you don't have to come." Laura replied, glancing at the clock above the oven. It was 10:14 at night; Cooper and Lila should have been asleep. Of course, the atmosphere was such that no one felt even remotely tired.

"I don't think you'll be able to keep us back." Pietro replied.

Laura looked torn as she looked from the idling car to Cooper and Lila and back again. "Fine. But we should go soon."

"Already packed." Wanda replied. "Let's go."

~IT~

It took about forty five minutes to reach the nearest hospital. Luckily, there was no traffic this late at night and Nathaniel slept restlessly for the entire drive.

The emergency room was still as busy as ever. While Clint and Laura went to check in, the others found seats in one corner of the room away from most of the other families.

"Is Nathaniel going to be okay?" Lila asked.

"He'll be fine." Pietro said calmly. "Remember we went to the hospital before? It's not a bad place. Everything is going to be fine."

"What if he's really sick?" Cooper said. "What if he has to go through surgery?"

Lila looked close to terrified now.

"He's going to be fine." Pietro said. "Really. I promise." He reached into the bag and dug out a book. "Here. Do you want to read a book?" The book he had randomly chosen happened to be The Secret Language of Cats. Never mind that Lila didn't have a cat.

"Can you read it to me?" she asked.

Pietro briefly wondered what it would do to his reputation if he refused. But he wouldn't do that to her. Right now, Lila was probably terrified out of her mind. He had to at least try and make her feel better. "Sure." He waited for her to get settled on his lap before he started to read in as calm a voice as he could manage.

He could see Clint and Laura talking to Wanda for a while before they took Nathaniel into a back room followed by a nurse in blue scrubs. Once the book was finished and Lila seemed relatively sated, he went to convene with his sister. "What happened?"

"Clint pulled his I'm-an-Avenger-and-I-saved-the-world-twice card and they managed to get in right away. The doctor says they might have to try a couple of things before they know what to prescribe Nathaniel so we might be here for a while."

"That's fine. We can handle it."

And so they settled in to wait however long it might take.

Wanda had been worried she'd over packed-but as it turned out she had nothing to worry about. Both Cooper and Lila had very short attention spans but she'd luckily brought just enough to keep them entertained. Occasionally they went for walks outside under the starry, starry sky or bought snacks (and coffee, in the twins' case) from the vending machines, but they never strayed too far from their base.

Eventually Cooper and Lila began to get tired despite their best intentions. This was far later than they'd ever stayed up-the last time Wanda checked her phone it had been close to one in the morning.

"I'm tired." Lila said after a while, curling up in her chair. It was covered in a stiff fabric that couldn't possibly be comfortable for sleeping in but after a while Wanda supposed it wouldn't matter anymore if you were that exhausted.

"Get some sleep."

"But what if something happened?"

"I'll wake you up. Don't worry. In a couple days, Nathaniel will be back to normal."

Lila yawned and closed her eyes. Wanda rummaged through the bag and tried to find something that would make the chair more comfortable. She wished she'd brought a pillow-she knew she'd forgotten something. At best she had to settle for the blanket which she handed to Lila as some protection against the hospital's blaring air conditioning.

"Thank you." Lila said.

"Anytime."

"Why do you and Pietro never freak out about anything? You're always so calm and collected, no matter what."

"We've both faced our worst fears. When you've done that, nothing scares you anymore. Besides, we always try to be brave for you and Cooper. That way it's easy for us be brave even when inside we're nervous."

Lila fell asleep soon after and Cooper wasn't far behind. Pietro was listening to music on his new iPad as he read a book, like he was just trying to block everything out.

"Are you all right?" she asked, tracing a finger down the side of his arm.

He nodded. "I just want to leave as soon as we can."

"I know what you mean." Hospitals held too many memories for both of them. "But Nathaniel will be fine."

"Yes. He's so lucky. More lucky than he'll probably ever know-to have such a loving family and a beautiful home…Wanda, do you ever think that maybe we brought it all on ourselves? Do you think the universe, even before we were born, knew that we would do bad things? Is it our fault? Our parents, Sokovia, HYDRA…could we have prevented it somehow?"

"Bad things happen to good people." But Wanda knew what he meant. Even after all of that, she still sometimes had a hard time thinking of herself as a good person.

Good people didn't almost cause the apocalypse.

Just then, Clint and Laura came back out with Nathaniel. The baby was sleeping peacefully for once. "He'll be fine." Laura explained. "The doctors gave us some medication that is supposed to work wonders."

"Looks like you guys managed to hold your own." Clint observed.

The twins exchanged a glance. We always do.

~IT~

Within four days Nathaniel was back to his usual happy, bubbly, and healthy self. It finally rained and Cooper and Lila spent five hours playing in the little droplets falling from the sky. It seemed like the whole hospital ordeal had never happened.

"Thanks for watching the kids that night." Laura said as she finished salting the green beans for dinner a couple nights later.

"It was our pleasure." Wanda said, meticulously setting the table.

"You know, sometimes I wonder how…even after everything that happened to you and Pietro you can still being so kind and caring. I know the two of you don't think like that-but I know for a fact that you don't give yourself enough credit where it's worth. What happened in Sokovia wasn't your fault. You know that, don't you?"

"Of course."
"Sometimes I'm not so sure. You know, only a good person would make sure that Cooper and Lila weren't worrying that much back in the hospital waiting room. You and Pietro both have goodness in you-and a lot of it."

Wanda ducked her head so Laura wouldn't see her smile. Yes, they'd made mistakes…

…but maybe, just maybe, they could get a second chance.

All she could do was try.

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