Avengers - Part 3 - From Time to Time

by theicemenace

Clint comes back in contact with a woman from his past. But that past brings more trouble with it as they try to figure out what they are to each other. Will history repeat itself leaving them both alone and wary of possible relationships? What price is Clint willing to pay to get back the woman he loves?

21. Chapter 21

A/N: 2012 winner of NaNoWriMo contest and exclusively Beta'd by the wonderful ladygris.

Thanks,

~Sandy

Avengers

From Time to Time

Chapter 21

Clint held the basket out his eyes pleading for someone to say something, anything. "Made them myself, right out of the can."

To fill the awkward silence that had fallen over the room, several people took his offering and returned to their conversations. Eventually, the jittery atmosphere eased and talk flowed more easily…until Jared said, "Gina, love, I heard about your friend, Phil. I'm sorry for your loss."

Sadness came over Gina's expression, her eyes dropping to her plate as she reached for her wine. "Thank you, Jared, but Phil and I hadn't been together for over a year. Not since he met that cellist. And don't feel sorry for me. It's not like he and I were in love. We just had a friends-with-benefits thing going on."

Thankfully no one noticed that Clint, Naomi and Fury had stopped eating. Clint carefully set his fork on the edge of his plate as did Naomi, and together they drained their wine glasses. At the same time, they reached for the Shiraz, Naomi just a little ahead of Clint. She refilled her glass, handed the bottle to Clint and drank her glass dry again.

At a more sedate pace, Clint did the same, chancing a quick glance at Fury only to find the SHIELD director looking back at him. Clint shrugged sheepishly giving Fury a quick shake of his head. After a long moment, Fury resumed eating, the conversation between Jared and Gina flowing around them.

"Still, it must've broken your heart to hear the news."

"I was sad to lose a friend, yes, but he died trying to stop the alien invasion. That makes him a hero in my book."

Jared refilled his glass with the Riesling and held it up. "In everyone's book. A toast to Gina's friend, Phil Coulson. And may we all remember that heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with."

The unease that had settled over Clint lessened somewhat at the poignant tribute to his friend. He echoed the "hear, hear" of the other guests, and a touch on his arm drew his eyes to Naomi's, concern bright in her brown eyes. With a sad smile, he tapped his glass against hers. Surprising them, Fury's glass clinked against theirs. "To Phil."

The rest of the meal passed quicker than Clint would've liked to go by the occasional glances Fury sent his and Naomi's way. You didn't have to be a psychologist or a profiler to know that Fury would be cornering them later. With their personal relationship changing from non-existent to related-by-marriage, Clint hoped this incident didn't irrevocably damage the connection between the three of them. He wanted Naomi to know her father, not be alienated from him before it ever got off the ground. And no, he didn't miss the pun his mind supplied.

When he was done eating, Clint carried his plate to the kitchen where Naomi was already getting the water ready to wash the dishes. Moments later, they both felt the presence of Fury though they didn't say anything. He reached around Clint to put a stack of dishes on the counter.

Apparently deciding to take the bull by the horns, Naomi said, "Nick, the reason we didn't tell you was…"

"Whatever relationship Agent Coulson had with your mother is none of my business." He pushed up the sleeves of his black turtleneck. "I understand that it's a tradition to play games after dinner then watch a Christmas movie while we have coffee and dessert."

"Yes, it is."

"In that case, I'll clear the table so Gina can attend to her guests while the two of you wash and put away. That work for you?"

Mentally sagging in relief, Clint nodded. "Yes, it does, Nick."

~~O~~

The Monday after Thanksgiving, Naomi and Clint drove out to Washington Heights to see Serene, Donny and their kids. The Warfield family had been displaced when their home was damaged during the invasion and they'd only been back in it for two months. When Naomi had called Serene to firm up their plans, she made sure that Donny understood all had been forgiven so he wouldn't try to beat the crap out of Clint. Not that the ADA would stand a chance against the agent. She would rather just nip any difficulties in the bud now to keep the men from causing a scene in front of Elyse and Matthew. That didn't mean there wouldn't be a scene, but hopefully this would mitigate the inherent aggressiveness from both men.

By the time they reached Washington Heights, snow was falling heavily. There was already six inches on the ground when they pulled up in front of the house. Running to the front door, Naomi knocked while Clint stood back until he was certain of the reception he'd receive.

Elyse, eleven going on twenty-five, opened the door, squealing in delight and throwing herself at Naomi. "Mom! Aunt Naomi's here!" Looking past Naomi, she saw Clint. "And she's got some guy with her!"

"There's no need to yell. I'm right here." Serene gathered her into a hug just as Matthew came running. He skidded to a stop at seeing Clint, looking at him with wide curious eyes. Both kids had Donny's black hair, Elyse having blue eyes while Matthew's were brown.

Clint helped Naomi off with her coat then took his off, shaking the snow out the front door before closing it. He hung the coats in the hall closet then was surprised by Serene hugging him. Naomi smiled as he hugged back. "It's good to see you again, Serene."

"And I'm so glad that you've found each other again."

Naomi took Clint's arm and drew him into the living room. "Clint, this is Elyse and Matthew. My Godchildren."

Hooking his arm around her neck, he kissed her temple. In front of everyone! "Our Godchildren."

"Yes." To Serene she said, "Where's Donny?"

Serene gestured for them to follow her to the kitchen where she took down cups and poured them each a cup of coffee. "In his office in the basement. He's about to try a big case and he's going over witness statements. Should be done soon." Crossing her arms, she looked Clint in the eye, her expression serious. "I told him what happened, at least as much as Naomi was able to tell me so he's willing to cut you some slack considering the circumstances."

"I'll talk to him myself, if that'll help."

Muffled footsteps sounded on the basement stairs just before the door opened and Donny joined them in the kitchen. "Honey, look who's here."

The dark-haired man came forward to hug Naomi. "Hey. How you been?"

"Good. Donny, you remember Clint."

Just for a moment, Donny's blue eyes narrowed then he offered his hand. "Clint."

"Donny." One of Clint's most charming smiles crossed his face.

Before Donny could start an argument or say something to upset the kids, Naomi waved her left hand under the ADA's nose. "We're getting married."

"It's about time." Turning to Serene, Donny smiled. "If you don't mind, Clint and I are going in the den for a few minutes to talk."

~~O~~

Clint followed Donny into the den where the moment the door closed, Donny got in Clint's face. "I understand why you left Naomi high and dry, really, and I'm glad you're here now. However, if you break her heart again, I will take you down. And when you wake up, the first thing you'll see is me standin' over you reloadin' my shotgun. Got it?"

When Donny got excited, upset or angry, his Texas accent was more pronounced making Clint want to laugh because that particular accent was seldom heard in New York. But he didn't. He took Donny's words for what they were. A sincere wish for Naomi to be happy. "I have no intention of ever hurting her like that again, but the nature of my work is such that at any time I could be injured or even killed. That I didn't die twelve years ago was nothing short of a miracle."

Donny gave him an assessing stare. One that Clint could easily see intimidating a witness on the stand though Clint had seen worse. Had used worse on others. Now it was time for the hostility to end.

"Glad you didn't."

Clint looked down at his feet then back up. "Thank you for looking after Naomi when I couldn't."

Hands in his pockets, Donny shrugged then brought his eyes from the floor up to Clint's face. "You really had amnesia?"

"The docs kept telling me the memories might never come back, but they did a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, with all the good memories came the bad ones as well."

"Rough." The light pattering against the window suddenly got worse. Both men went to the window. "It's really coming down. You might have to stay the night."

Though Donny was genuinely sincere in wanting to let the past go, Clint could still see some wariness in his eyes, and if he and Naomi had to stay the night, he hoped they could come to a truce or this would be a very uncomfortable twenty-four hours. But Clint had a plan.

"I usually spend a couple hours with the kids, but with someone new to torment, I might get off easy tonight."

With a glint in his eyes, Clint said, "Doubt it. I've got a few ideas though."

They rejoined the rest of the family in the living room, Elyse and Matthew playing video games. Serene and Naomi were talking quietly in between cheering the kids on. As soon as she saw Donny, Serene stood. "Naomi and I are gonna have some girl talk in our room."

By the look on Naomi's face, "girl talk" was code for "planning the wedding." As soon as the women had gone, Donny clapped his hands. "How about we play teams? Clint and Elyse against Matthew and me."

The kids began arguing. Each of them wanted to be on Clint's team. Donny gave Clint a "what did I tell you" glance. Clint shrugged sheepishly. "I have a better idea. Let's turn off the video games." He waited while the kids did as he asked. "Now we need the following items…" With each item on the list, the kids became more and more bewildered, though willing to go along with his suggestions, at least for now.

~~O~~

Serene and Naomi were propped up in the king sized bed with cups of hot coffee and laptops. The door was open and they watched in puzzlement as the kids ran down the hall then ran back toward the living room dragging blankets and carrying flashlights. A few minutes later they came back and returned to the front of the house carrying their pillows and more blankets. The scent of burning wood drifted in telling them that a fire had been started in the fireplace.

"What are they doing?" Naomi asked.

Shrugging, Serene pointed to the screen. "What about this one?"

Naomi wrinkled her nose. "I know its old fashioned, but I want a traditional white dress. And that would make me look like a giant bottle of Pepto Bismol. I don't want anything too showy. It's just going to be family and friends. No more than fifty people total."

The kids excited voices reached them next, but the women still didn't feel the need to investigate.

"What d'you think about lavender and white for the colors?" Serene suggested.

"Maybe. Is it just me or are you more into planning this wedding than I am?"

Chuckling, Serene clicked through to the next page. "My wedding was planned and executed in under five days so I'm going to enjoy myself while I can. What about peach or begonia? Oh! Guava!"

The women looked up when from the other room they heard Donny say, "On three. One, two, three."

They heard the front closet door open then close. The voices got a quieter after that and they went back to their planning. About fifteen minutes later, Serene looked up, her head turned to the side listening.

"What's wrong?"

Holding up her hand, Serene said, "Hear that?"

"I don't hear anything."

"That's just it. Two kids and two adult men should not be this quiet. When they are, something's wrong." Setting the laptop aside, Serene led the way out into the living room finding it empty. "I've got a bad feeling…"

Naomi held up a hand for quiet. Someone was talking in a whisper. The women followed the voice into the dining room, taken aback by what they saw.

Using blankets, the dining room table had been made into a fort. Something Naomi recognized, but had never done as a child except when staying overnight at friends' houses.

Kneeling beside the table, Serene parted the blankets and the women were blinded by four flashlights. Through the light, they could see that Clint, Elyse, Matthew and Donny were all wearing knit caps with animal faces and long tassels.

Frowning, Donny demanded, "Halt! Who dares enter the lair of the Silly Hat Society?"

"Uh…" was all Serene could say.

Clint peered at them with greatly overplayed mistrust. "What's the password?"

Elyse and Matthew chorused, "Yeah! What's the password?"

Naomi echoed, "Password?"

"Wrong!" said the four under the table together then Donny yanked the "fort" opening closed.

In a deep, eerie voice, Clint asked, "Where was I?"

Matthew piped up, "The evil sorcerer had just used his magic staff to turn the handsome prince into his slave."

"Right. Then the evil sorcerer turned the king's wizard and the captain of the guard into slaves as well, and together, the four of them stole the sacred Cube of Chaos and rode off into the sunset. They stopped on the way to their lair to build their evil army with which they would rule all of Midgard!" At the end, Clint's voice deepened, his booming laughter echoing from under the table. "Mwahahahaha!"

"What was the evil sorcerer's name?" Elyse inquired with awe in her voice.

"The evil sorcerer's name…was Loki."

Naomi followed Serene to the kitchen where they refilled their cups, added a generous amount of Bailey's Irish Cream and sipped quietly for a while then Naomi asked, "How many kids do you have?"

"Um, three?"

"And I have one so that make us…" she pointed at herself and her best friend, "…the only adults."

Serene took another sip and nodded. "Yup."

They quieted as they listened to Clint tell the story of Loki as an evil sorcerer, Naomi shaking her head. She'd promised not to psychoanalyze him, but she couldn't help it. To her psychologist's brain, it sounded as if he'd finally gotten over the incidents surrounding the invasion. He might still have the occasional bad dream and would continue to mourn the loss of Phil Coulson and other agents who'd died, but the worst was over. Now they really could start their new life together.

"Think the members of the Silly Hat Society would like some hot cocoa?"

"Yup."

Dinner time came around and the four refused to come from under the table so the women made sandwiches and gave them bags of chips to go with them. Eventually, bed time rolled through and Serene insisted that the kids get ready for bed. There was moaning and groaning from all four, but they did as they were told.

Naomi helped Serene carry baskets of dirty laundry down to the basement leaving the men watching something sports related on television. When they returned to the first floor, the television was still going and the men were gone.

Elyse screeched sending the women running down the hall. They stopped in front of Matthew's room hearing muffled thumps and laughter.

"Pillow fight," Serene hypothesized.

And Naomi agreed. "Yup."

~~O~~

Clint was awakened abruptly when someone kicked him in the back of the head. Not hard enough to hurt, but it did startle him. Remembering in time that he was in Serene and Donny's home and they had two young children, he managed to just roll over and sit up without almost killing someone. A good thing too, because it had been Matthew who'd bumped into him.

Scratching his chest and yawning, Clint looked around at the huge mess they'd made the night before. Donny was still asleep, cocooned in a heavy blanket and using a stuffed alligator for a pillow. Matthew had apparently slept on his bed and Clint was on the floor about six feet from Donny. Elyse had gone to her own room at some point because there was no evidence that she'd slept here.

Matthew was picking his way over and around the two men occupying his floor. He quietly opened the door and slipped out. Making as little noise as possible, Clint got to his feet and followed. The boy had gone into the bathroom so Clint stood beside the door until he came out then took his turn, and that's when he realized that his shoes were missing. He flushed and while he was washing his hands, he chanced a look in the mirror wondering how he could possibly have gotten an Oreo cookie stuck to his cheek. Carefully peeling it off, he dropped it into the trash. When the water got warm, he used the liquid soap to wash his face then ran wet hands through his hair sticking up all over the place trying to make it lay down. I wasn't even drunk and can't remember what happened. So not fair!

The smell of coffee drew him to the kitchen where he found Naomi and Serene sipping coffee and eating bowls of hot cereal and fresh fruit. Matthew was sitting next to his mother devouring a bowl of Lucky Charms.

Clint poured himself a cup of coffee as Elyse came out to join them looking as if she gotten the best night's sleep ever. "Uncle Clint?"

"Yeah?"

The girl hugged him around the waist releasing him after just a few seconds. "I had fun last night."

Behind him, Clint knew that Naomi and Serene were watching and listening. "Me too, kiddo."

"I'm glad you're gonna marry my Aunt Naomi."

He hooked an arm around the girl's neck and pulled her close to kiss the top of her head, his heart melting. "I'm glad I'm gonna marry your Aunt Naomi too."

The soft padding of feet on the carpet came toward them and stopped. Everyone looked at Donny yawning and scratching his head. He looked at something in his hand, confused. "How'd I get gummy bears in my hair?"

Clint rolled his eyes. "The same way I had an Oreo stuck to my cheek."

The two women blinked at their men, met one another's eyes, and burst into laughter as Matthew and Elyse ate their cereal as if nothing had gone wrong.

~~O~~

Lunch was over, the dishes done and all the clean clothes put away. Clint and Naomi had planned on leaving by noon, but the snow hadn't stopped yet and the roads were impassible. The kids had worn him out last night and again this morning, but it was a good kind of exhaustion. Serene had finally sent them to their rooms for some quiet time. One of the things he and the kids had done was to clean up the messes they'd made the night before. And he'd personally washed and dried all the blankets that had been used to make the table fort as well as changed the sheets on Matthew's bed to make up for it.

Now he was on the sofa clicking through the sports channels looking for a game that would hold his interest. He shut the television off and tossed the remote on the coffee table when Naomi came to sit next to him. Without a word, she held his hand. He draped an arm around her shoulders to pull her close. She swung her legs over his lap, his free hand dropping to her hip. She tilted her face up to his and kissed him. "Missed you last night."

"Missed you too. Where'd you sleep?"

"You and Donny fell asleep on the floor in Matthew's room so I slept in with Serene." Her left hand rubbed over the softness of the sweatshirt he'd borrowed from Donny while his clothes were being washed. "You know, we've never discussed having kids."

"I know. Do you want kids?"

Naomi rolled her eyes to the ceiling giving the question thought. "I used to think so. And in some ways I still do, but we don't have to make a decision just yet." Her hand smoothed down his chest and back up. "We do need to at least start thinking about a wedding date."

Clint felt himself grinning. "That anxious to have it over with?"

"Don't want you to change your mind."

He chuckled and pulled her even closer. "Not a chance. What about spring break so the kids at the community center can come?"

"They may not get one this year. School's only just started back up in some places and there's talk of shorter school year with only a month of summer vacation."

"Yeah, so Elyse and Matthew said. They're not happy, but they understand."

They sat there just like that, trying to figure out the best weekend to get married. Naomi suggested the anniversary of the day they met, but Clint nixed that. He didn't want to wait that long. Naomi rejected her birthday in March and Easter weekend for obvious reasons, and Memorial Day because it was too close to the anniversary of the invasion. Eventually they settled on June and made a note to call Gina with the news.

~~O~~

Leaving her room, Serene headed for the basement to put Clint and Naomi's clothes in the dryer, stopping at the end of the hallway. Clint and Naomi were on the sofa together talking quietly, and occasionally giggling together. Donny came up beside her and she held up a hand for silence. One look in his eyes and she knew he'd seen the same thing.

No matter what had happened in the past, Clint and Naomi loved each other with all their hearts. It was there in the way they looked at each other, the sound of their voice when they spoke, whether to each other or to another about their mate. Knowing that Clint wasn't one to share his feelings openly, seeing him do so now meant more than anything he could ever say.

They stopped talking and Serene pulled Donny away so her best friend and her fiancé could spend some time alone.

~~O~~

"Did you know Clint plays guitar and piano?" Naomi outted her fiancé with a twinkle in her eye. Now he wouldn't have a good reason not to play a few songs for them because she knew he wouldn't deny the kids' request to hear Christmas songs. So, after dinner, Donny took the cover off the baby grand and checked that it was properly tuned before stepping out of the way and letting Clint take center stage.

Clint sat down, played an arpeggio up and down the scales then started with one of her favorite Christmas tunes. The pride she had in him swelled that he would do this for Serene and her family, and it made her love him even more. That love went off the charts when he asked Elyse and Matthew to sit on either side of him and sing along.

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring
Snowin' and blowin' up bushels of fun
Now the jingle hop has begunJingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time
Dancin' and prancin' in Jingle Bell Square
In the frosty airWhat a bright time, it's the right time
To rock the night away
Jingle bell time is a swell time
To go glidin' in a one-horse sleigh

TBC

A/N: "Jingle Bell Rock" is a popular Christmas song first released by Bobby Helms in 1957. It has received frequent airplay in the United States during every Christmas time since then. "Jingle Bell Rock" was composed by Joseph Carleton Beal (1900–1967), and James Ross Boothe (1917–1976).