A/N: Follow-up chapter and a lot of light hearted fluff! Puppies! :) A sort of filler before the next big chapter...

Clint's family stayed for three more days, and then Clint went home for a month to finish his recuperation at his farm.

"See you in a month," Diana said, kissing his cheek and giving him a hug.

"Feel free to come down," Clint offered.

Diana shook her head. "I actually have to schedule in my vacations now. Maybe next time."

Clint nodded in understanding. "Could you do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"Tell Wanda that I don't blame her."

Diana raised an eyebrow. "Tell her yourself."

Clint sighed. "I can't. She won't get near me. She literally ran away from me yesterday. I don't want her to blame herself, poor kid, but I can't tell her anything. Will you take care of her?"

"Yeah." Diana hugged him again. "I'll keep you updated, okay?"

"Okay." He kissed her head. "See you around, soulmate."

Diana watched the Bartons drive away, and turned back to Steve and Natasha. "From a non-soulmate-y point of view, how is Wanda?" Diana asked bluntly.

"Withdrawn," Natasha replied, after a moment. "Scared to use her powers, even more now than before."

Steve nodded. "I'm grounding her until she works through it. I don't want her to hesitate and make a mistake that won't be fixable."

"Which will, of course, give her even more doubts about her powers and her position on the team," Natasha said wryly.

"I'm not sending her out in the field," Steve declared.

"And you're absolutely right," Natasha agreed, patting his arm lightly. "She's just going to have to get over it."

"But how do we help her?" Diana asked.

"By being there for her," Steve said. "encouraging her to use her powers."

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," Diana quoted, and added, "And the unknown. And shadows. And creepy statues. And alien invasions. And clowns. And strange hotels. And monsters under the bed. And-" She frowned when Steve and Natasha started laughing. "What?"

"Were you marathoning Doctor Who again?" Natasha asked knowingly.

Diana blushed. "What? It's Cooper's favorite show right now. I had to show him all the good ones."

Steve wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her lightly. "Don't worry babe, we can leave a light on tonight."

Diana smirked. "We leave that light on anyways, remember?"

Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Anyways," Diana said, "be there for her." She kissed Steve on the cheek and headed inside.

The thing was, Wanda was hiding from everybody. She didn't want to use her powers at all, and she only used the training room when everyone was asleep. So, Diana used her own superpowers and curled up with a five-hundred-page book in the training room to wait for her.

It was one thirty in the morning when Wanda came into the training room and started to beat up a punching bag.

"You're not following through," Diana said quietly, from behind her.

Wanda let out a shriek and turned to face her. "Diana! You startled me."

"Sorry," Diana said gently. "But look at that, you didn't lose out and hurt me."

"But I could have."

"But you didn't." Diana reached for Wanda's hands. "I believe in you, Wanda. We all do. No one blames you for losing control of your powers. You know that right?"

Wanda shook her head.

"It's true," Diana said gently. "I would never lie to you. You know that at least, right?"

Wanda gave a tentative nod.

"Good."

"But I am still off the team," Wanda said sadly.

"Only until you gain your confidence back," Diana said, wrapping her in a hug. "It'll all be okay." She waited until Wanda had calmed down some, and then said quietly, "Clint asked me to tell you that he doesn't blame you."

Wanda stiffened again, but Diana didn't let go of her.

"He doesn't blame you," Diana repeated firmly. "And you know he won't lie to you either."

Wanda relaxed again, and finally, started to cry.

Diana hugged her tightly, and led her to the nearest bench. They sat and talked, and Wanda told her how it felt to be using your powers yet have no control over them. "You should talk to Bucky," Diana suggested, squeezing Wanda's hand. "He knows what it's like to have that happen. And talk to Clint."

"I couldn't."

"Call him," Diana encouraged.

It took Wanda three weeks and ten talks with Bucky and Vision, respectively, before she finally called Clint.

"Hello?" It was Cooper.

"Hi Cooper," Wanda said, "it's Wanda. Is your dad there?"

"Yeah, sure." There was a pause and then a yelled, "Dad it's the twiiiinns on the phone!" Another pause and then, "He'll be here in a second. Nate ate a piece of rubber and he's throwin' up everywhere and mom's with Lila at the store."

"Oh," Wanda said awkwardly, "I can call back later, it's okay-"

"No, no, don't go," Clint's voice interrupted, and a muffled, "Go look after your brother, Coop," before he came back on the line. "Wanda?"

"Yeah. Hi."

Clint's grin was obvious. "Hey. You okay?"

"I'm fine. Vision helped heal me, I, I should be asking you that, how are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm good as new," Clint replied. "Although, a bit tired still. Our dog just had puppies, so it's been all crazy around here."

"Puppies?" Wanda asked wistfully.

"Yeah, little golden retriever balls of fluff. There's like a ton of them, and our barn cats just had kittens, too. Little stinkers. Did Diana give you my message?"

"Yes, she did."

"Good. And I hope you know that it's true. I don't blame you for anything that happened, and I don't want you beating yourself up about it. Nobody's got time or energy for that, okay? Leave the beating up to the bad guys."

Wanda smiled. "Okay."

"Good. I'll be back in a week, so don't let Scott get too comfy in my seat at the dinner table, okay, and-" A muffled clang. "Nate, no! Don't eat that! Oh for- gotta go Wanda, give a hug to the girls for me, Nate no! Spit it out!" He hung up.

Wanda put down the cell phone and laughed.

True to his word, Clint was back in a week. And, he brought with him a very suspicious box with holes in the top. "Hello, everyone," he said, shuffling into the common room with the giant box.

"Clint?" Diana asked, eyeing him strangely. "What's in the box?"

"Presents," Clint replied, grinning.

Since it was breakfast and nobody had near enough caffeine to face the day yet, they all stared at him skeptically.

"No seriously," Clint said, "don't everybody jump up at once. Actually, they're more like, group presents. And there's only 4 of them, so you can pick. And-"

"Clint! What's in the box?"

Clint reached in and pulled out an adorable fluffy yellow ball of fur. "Puppies."

"Oh my goodness!" Diana shrieked, dropping her fork and reaching out for the fur ball. "Oh my goodness he's soo cute!" She picked him up and cuddled him to her chest, letting the puppy lick her face. "Hi, baby, hi, you're so adorable, yes you are..." She kissed the puppy's little head and looked up at Clint. "Roxy finally had her puppies?"

"Yep, these are them." Clint pulled out another one. "Any takers?"

"Seriously, man?" Sam asked.

"What? You should know that having a pet helps a person with a stressful lifestyle calm down. And who has more stress than superheroes?" Clint turned to Wanda and presented her with an armful of fluff. "And this one's yours. You can name him."

"Mine?" Wanda asked hesitantly, petting the golden fur.

"Yeah. If you want it."

She grinned. "Thank you."

"I claim this one," Diana said, holding up her puppy. She looked at Steve. "We can have a puppy, right? You're not allergic?"

Steve groaned. "Two sets of puppy-eyes just might kill me, doll."

"But look at him! He's so cute." She lifted him up to Steve's face. "And we can afford him, you know."

Steve smiled at the puppy and pet a tiny ear. "Well... I've always wanted a dog."

Diana leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "Yay." She looked at Clint. "Thank you."

Clint grinned.

"Hold on, hold on, we're really doing this?" Pietro asked, eyeing the puppy in Wanda's arms with distaste. "We're superheroes. Who's going to take care of these things while we're out?"

"That's what SHIELD lackeys are for," Natasha said, picking up the third butterball with fondness. "So cute." She plopped him in Bucky's arms and he stiffened. "This one's yours," she informed him.

"What? No. No way." Bucky dumped him on the ground. "I'm not getting a dog."

"All right, fine. This one's the team dog." She ruffled the pup's head.

"I think I will name mine Ivan," Wanda said thoughtfully.

"No, no, don't name it," Pietro said despairingly.

"Is that all of them?" Vision asked, inching away from the dogs politely.

"Well, there's one," Clint said, reaching into the box again. He pulled out a sleek black kitten. "We've already got five kittens, and this one is the sixth."

Vision reached out for the kitten. "This one's cute."

The kitten purred happily in Vision's hands and arched its back.

"You should keep it," Diana suggested, reaching over to let the kitten sniff her hand. "Cats are low-maintenance and if she scratches you wouldn't get hurt. This one's a sweet kitty though."

"What is it about small animals that turns people into gooey puddles of baby talk?" Pietro asked, as the three women and most of the guys played with the puppies and kitten.

"It's the cuteness factor," Clint said matter-of-factly as he unpacked the starter kit of food and collars. "It's the same way people respond to babies. And don't tell me some light-hearted floof wouldn't be nice around here? Besides, your sister's already half in love with the little guy."

"Well, I suppose, for Wanda," Pietro said grudgingly.

"Good man." Clint clapped him on the shoulder.

After some discussion, the pets were named. "How about Abe?" Steve said, letting the puppy sprawl on his chest. "You like that, bud?"

Diana laughed. "It's a girl, Steve."

"Oh." He grinned sheepishly. "I just thought..."

"Abraham?" Diana asked knowingly.

"Yeah."

"Well, what about Abby?" Diana suggested.

"Short for what?" Sam asked. "Abrahamina? That's a cruel thing to name your poor child."

"No!" Diana said indignantly. "Abby short for Abigail."

"Sounds good," Steve said. He looked over at Bucky, who had a lapful of Golden Retriever and did not look happy. "What about you Buck?"

"It's not mine," Bucky said insistently. "It won't get off my lap."

"He wants to be yours," Diana said persuasively, "Look at that little face. Could you deny that little face?"

"Yes," Bucky said flatly. "Get off, stupid."

The puppy rolled over on its back and waved its paws.

"Awww," Natasha said, coming over to pick him up. "Is the big ole dope being mean to the poor little puppy?" She looked down at an annoyed Bucky. "You're not going to hurt him, Barnes. You should trust yourself more. And don't call him stupid."

"Fine then," Barnes said. "You name him."

Natasha eyed the puppy in her arms thoughtfully, and smiled. "Sarge," she decided. "Your name will be Sarge."

"Good name," Steve said, and everyone else agreed.

"What about you, Vision?" Rhodey asked, looking at the android playing with the tiny kitten.

"I think I will name her Spot," Vision replied.

Everyone shared a glance, silently wondering if he'd gotten his wires crossed somewhere, and then they all stared at Diana when she burst out laughing. "Spot!" she said, getting up to give Vision a hug. "That's a great name."

Vision smiled smugly. "I knew you'd get it."

"Get what?" Clint asked, bewildered.

"Just a reference," Diana said smugly.

"Okay..."

The puppies (and kitten) were a huge success, and completely changed life during off-duty hours. Bucky, Steve, Sam, and Natasha trained the puppies in three languages: English for common commands like sit, shake, play dead. German for differentiating friend from foe. And two commands in Russian. One for 'sic 'em', and the other for 'protect Diana.' The commands in German and Russian were shared only with Avengers, Maria, and Pepper.

Surprisingly, these commands all worked for Spot, as well. She learned to shake hands, give kisses with a little bump of her nose, and play dead. When a suspicious person was encountered, her fur would start to bristle and her tail would poof up. And if the 'sic 'em' command was given, she'd go straight for the eyeballs with her little kitten claws.

The cutest thing that happened, though, was around the second month post-pet. It was a Friday, and the team was all there, even Tony and Peter, and they were all outside the Avengers facility, having beers and hanging out.

"Where's the dogs?" Diana asked, leaning against Steve's shoulder.

Steve whistled loudly, once, and all three dogs came running, little tails wagging and tongues flapping. "Hey, there's Abby," Steve cooed, reaching out to bring Abby closer.

"Where's Spot?" Tony asked cautiously. For some reason, the cat hated Tony, and delighted in sneaking up to him and pouncing.

"Spot," Vision called.

There was a 'woof' from Sarge, who came trotting over proudly, and everybody froze. Spot was sitting on Sarge's back, little claws dug into the top layer of fur, not the skin, and looking perfectly at ease.

"Mrow?" Spot inquired, jumping off of Sarge's back and slinking over to Vision.

"Did somebody get a picture of that?" Diana asked, stunned. "That was awesome."

Peter held up his phone. "I got it! That was so cool!"

"Send it to me," Diana requested, but before she could get her phone out of her pocket, she was bowled over by an enthusiastic puppy. "Hey, baby girl, you want to play?" She stroked the puppy's ears fondly. "Pretty soon you're going to be too big to be climbing all over people."

"Have you seen these guys?" Scott asked, pointing to the extremely muscular complement.

Diana nodded. "Good point."

The pets were lifesavers during missions. They kept Diana company, and kept her distracted from worrying about her soulmates while they saved the world. She would take Abby with her to work if she had to go in to the city, and half the time Spot would hide in Diana's bag and jump into a bookshelf in her office in the tower. She really liked the bird's eye view from the tower. Really liked the whole tower, except Tony. Spot loved Pepper, but did not like Tony. It was very strange.

Abby, of course, loved Diana and Steve best, but her third favorite was Clint. Sarge's all-time favorite was Bucky, and even though he pretended to dislike him, Sarge and Bucky could be found sprawled side-by-side throughout the facility just hanging out. Sarge loved Natasha second, almost as much as Bucky, and didn't like anybody but Diana or Bucky sitting next to Tasha. He tolerated Clint, but that was only because of treats. And Ivan loved Pietro. Pietro, frankly, did not love Ivan. The speedster hated the puppy, but the more he ran away from him, the more determined Ivan was to find Pietro. Pietro might have been fast, but Ivan was a good hunter. The puppy would patiently, so patiently, track the speedster by the smell of his sneakers, and when he found the blond twin, he would sit and wag his tail joyfully, waiting for cuddles. Pietro, annoyed, would pet him and get it over with, or dump him into Wanda's care. "It's your dog, you take care of it. Ivan the Terrible, that's his name, isn't it, slobber face? You're a terror! You ate my Nike shoe!"

And it was Abby, the only girl pup, who was the leader of the pack. Vision was actually developing a thesis on the development of leadership and team roles within a pack structure based on the pets' behavior, and realized halfway through that the dogs and kitten were mirroring the Avengers. Abby was the leader, Sarge was the right hand enforcer, Ivan was the distraction, and Spot was the sneak attack.

"Diana, I think our pets might be aliens."

Diana choked on her raspberry Danish. "What?" she coughed, and gulped down her coffee, trying to dislodge the jam from her windpipe. "What did you say, Vision?"

"I believe our pets might be either aliens or self-conscious sentient beings."

Diana stared, open-mouthed, at her android soulmate. "Why...?" Her sentence trailed off. "What led you to that conclusion?"

He handed her the thesis he'd prepared. Vision knew that Diana dealt better with the written word, and he waited patiently till she read it. He knew she'd finished her comprehensive analysis when she took a long sip of her coffee. "Well?" he asked.

Diana took a larger sip of her coffee. "Well," she said slowly, "I understand how you came to that conclusion, but, it's literally just a coincidence, Vision."

"Are you sure? Maybe I should have Dr. Cho run some tests."

Diana pressed her lips together tightly, trying not to laugh. "Has Clint been showing you B-rated sci-fi movies again?"

"Yes."

Diana nodded. "Uh-huh. I thought so." She gestured to the chair. "Did you know that dogs match their owners' personality traits? It's nature and nurture. Golden retrievers are friendly - Avengers are mostly friendly. Abby spends most of her time with Steve and I, we're leaders. Ergo, she's the Alpha. And so on and so forth. They're just copying us, because they live with us. They're not aliens, and they're not a strange mutant super-dog breed." She frowned. "Although, if you want to go ahead and check for that, that would be good. You never know nowadays."

Vision nodded. "All right. I'll look into it."

"Good." She grinned. "But publish that paper, Vision. It's really interesting."

"I will."

Having puppies that were full of energy was also good training for all the agents, trying to keep up with the energetic floofs when it was their turn to walk the dogs. It became an entire rookie training segment titled "K-9 Survival Unit". Anybody who survived without being clawed by Spot was given a gold star.