Hey all! No, I'm not dead :P So much gratitude to marvxl for the encouragement and getting my mind on this story again and especially to VanillaAshes, my wonderful beta who shoved a list of ideas in my face and basically provided the framework for the next three chapters or so with me throwing in Disney funtimes and pounding out the plot kinks with a large hammer.

To all of my regular reviewers, to all of my occasional reviewers, and to all of my readers whom I don't even know exist other than a view count on a screen, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your continued support of this story.

Also, for any of you who saw the Super Bowl commercial (if you did it without watching the game itself like me I applaud you) for Civil War, I'm Team Iron Man. And you?


Frozen

"Aw, shit." Bobbi blinked. Clint wasn't normally one to swear off-mission—on mission he could have a mouth like a sailor, but what else were you to do when a veritable horde of machine-gun-carrying men came running at you when you were out of arrows? She supposed Laura had whipped that out of him after the kids had been born. She walked around the corner to find him standing alone, holding his phone in his hand.

"What's wrong?"

"Laura just reminded me that we're supposed to be planning Lila's surprise party," Clint sighed. "Fury assured me we'd have this all sorted out by the eighteenth, but I forgot about the planning... Would you mind finding Isabelle? I've got to call Fury, see what the situation is, and how much longer he thinks it'll be before he can give us the all clear."

"Find her?" Bobbi questioned, looking around. "She isn't with Hunter?"

"We were playing hide-and-seek," Clint grinned. At her expression, he quickly added, "Don't worry, I talked to FitzSimmons beforehand, the lab is sealed and locked, and Nat took care of the armory. She's perfectly safe."

"Okay," Bobbi said uncertainly. "How did you manage to get rid of Hunter? Or is he playing too?"

"Eventually he slunk off to go watch her on the security cameras," Clint laughed. "He's very protective." He smiled at Bobbi. "And I don't blame him. She's precious."

"That she is," Bobbi nodded. "I'll find her; don't worry about it. Focus on getting Lila's birthday back on track!"

"Right!" Clint turned around and walked the other direction, tapping into his phone before holding it up to his ear just as he rounded the corner. Bobbi began to search for her daughter or Hunter, whichever she found first, and saw Trip coming into the hallway ahead of her. He called a greeting and then opened a supply closet at the end of the corridor.

"Hey, what are you doing in here, princess?" Trip asked.

The sound of laughter exploded out of the closet, followed by, "Shh! I'm hiding!"

"Hiding from who?" Trip raised an eyebrow as Bobbi approached. "Is it your mom?" he whispered with a glance at her. "Because I think you're about to be found out."

"It's not Mommy," Isabelle told him, shaking her head. She caught sight of her. "Hi, Mommy!" she waved. She grabbed hold of Bobbi and Trip's shirts and attempted to tug them inside the small closet with her. "Quick, we have to hide from Clint!"

"Whoa," Bobbi laughed. "It's okay, he told me to come find you 'cause he had to make a phone call."

"Are you sure?" the girl squinted her eyes. "Maybe he's tricking you."

"I'm sure," Bobbi told her.

"Oh, okay," Isabelle said sadly, stepping out of her hiding place.

"I heard Skye was looking for you though," Trip grinned. "Said she had a great idea for something we all can do this afternoon."

"Really?" Isabelle's face lit up. "What is it?"

"I'm not going to spoil it," Trip shook his head. "But she might have mentioned that it has something to do with Disney."

"DISNEYYYYYYY!" Isabelle burst past them took off down the hallway in a straight-up sprint. Bobbi laughed and jogged with Trip to keep up. "Skye? Skye! Skye? Where are you? I wanna do Disney!"

"Slow down, slow down," Bobbi called. "You're going to run into somebod—"

Isabelle let out a small "Oof!" and a yelp of surprise as she slammed into Natasha, who was coming around the corner, and would have fallen backwards if not for the spy's super-reflexes. Her lower lip trembled at the almost-fall, but Natasha's soft smile down at her seemed to prevent any tears from falling.

"I think Skye's in the lounge," Natasha hinted, stepping deftly out of the way as Isabelle took off again like she'd been loosed from a cannon. Bobbi and Trip followed at a more leisurely pace with Natasha coming along with them.

"She's a lot more independent since you guys have been here," Bobbi commented to her, walking just fast enough to keep Isabelle in sight.

"Clint doesn't treat the Playground as dangerous," Natasha observed. "He takes precautions, of course, but he encourages her to be freer."

"Wish we knew how to do that," Bobbi murmured.

Natasha smirked. "You're doing it right now. Letting her run ahead of you."

Bobbi laughed. "I guess."

They arrived at the lounge to find Skye messing with the Blu-Ray player. When she heard Isabelle shout her name, she quickly hid whatever she had been doing behind her back. "Hey!" she greeted her enthusiastically.

"Trip said you wanna do Disney!" Isabelle grinned. "I want to too!"

"Nice job keeping it a surprise, Trip," Skye teased, making eye contact with him.

"I didn't tell her what kind of Disney you were planning," he pointed out, smiling. "That's all you, girl."

Isabelle's eyes grew wide. "There's a kind?"

"I present to you," Skye pulled a blue disc case from behind her back. "Frozen. Have you seen it?"

"No," Isabelle shook her head.

"Good. It's new. And it's the best Disney movie ever."

"That's Tangled," Isabelle informed her.

"This is better than Tangled," Skye promised seriously.

If possible, Isabelle's eyes got even wider. "Better than Tangled?" She jumped up, making grabby hands for the case. "Let's watch it!"

Skye agreed happily. "Why don't you go tell everyone what we're doing and invite them all to join?"

"Okay!" Isabelle took off towards the door only to run into Hunter.

"What, so is everyone just letting her run around without supervision now? Is that a thing?" Hunter grumbled, looking at Bobbi more than he was Skye, before ruffling Isabelle's hair in greeting.

"Daddydaddydaddywe'regonnawatchFrozenyoushouldwatchwithusSkyesaysit'sawesomebye!" Isabelle shouted all in one big breath before ducking between his legs and running off down the hallway.

"Yeah, basically," Bobbi laughed at the incredulous look on his face as he tried to figure out what the heck Isabelle had said. She turned to Skye. "Have you seen it?"

"Yep," she nodded, walking into the kitchen to find a few bags of microwave popcorn. They followed her. "In the theater, when it first came out and I convinced Coulson to stop for a refuel near one." She grinned, putting the first bag in the microwave and starting it. "I dragged Simmons and Fitz along, and…" She paused. "...Ward, back when he was just a heartless robot and not a psychopath."

Bobbi gave a swift nod, eager to get off the subject of Ward. "What made you think she hadn't seen it before?"

"Well, it only came out last Christmas, and from what you told me about her previous family's financial troubles…" Skye switched out one puffed up bag for another, starting the microwave again.

"Good thinking," Bobbi nodded. "I've never even heard of it, have you?" She looked at Hunter.

"Nope," Hunter shook his head.

"Where have you two been living, under a rock?" Skye nearly exploded. "This movie was HUGE last year...Elsa costumes invaded the stores…everyone was singing the songs… Come on, guys—don't you know let it go, let it go, and I'll rise like the break of daw—" She caught sight of Bobbi's perplexed look and stopped singing. "Really?!"

"I saw it with my niece on one of my vacation days," Trip shrugged as Skye cooked yet another bag of popcorn.

"Even I've heard of it," Natasha told her with a slight smirk of amusement.

Clint walked in, rolling his eyes and stuffing his phone back in his pocket. "More than heard of it, Nat. We watched it." He grinned. "And it was your idea."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Shut up, Barton."

"On Stark's giant screen TV, the day the DV—"

"Or I will shut it for you," Natasha threatened. Clint stopped, looking at them all apologetically and giving a shrug of his shoulders.

When Isabelle returned a few minutes later with flushed cheeks and heavy breathing, she had Fitz, Simmons, Coulson, and Mack in tow, a few of whom seemed to be silently rethinking their decision to subject themselves to princesses and singing despite the cute little girl leading them. Isabelle ignored all of them and marched straight up to Skye. "I brought Leo, Jemma, Phil, and Mack. Any May said to tell you that she can't come, 'cause she's holding down the four."

"Holding down the fort?" Skye guessed with a smile.

Isabelle grinned. "Yeah, that!"

Everyone laughed and began to pull up seats, with Fitz, Simmons, Skye, and Trip all squished onto the couch with Isabelle in the center and Bobbi, Hunter, and Coulson dragging chairs from the kitchen table to sit in. Mack took one of the armchairs while Natasha and Clint the other, looking perfectly comfortable with the situation with her knees draped over his. Bags of popcorn were distributed by where they were sitting—which meant Isabelle was right in the middle of two bags for the five of the mob that couch. Bobbi had a feeling she wasn't going to eat much dinner tonight, but…what the hell, Clint and Natasha would be leaving soon anyways.

Hunter leaned in close to her, his eyes focused on where Clint was explaining something quietly and intently in Natasha's ear. "The woman Barton has these mystery children with...it's not Romanoff, yeah?" he whispered.

Bobbi smiled, glancing over that them. "It's not Natasha. They're just very close platonically."

"Right," Hunter replied, pulling his eyes away from the pair of them almost forcibly. He shook his head. "I'll take your word for it."

The Disney castle appeared on the screen and she shushed him, only to have Skye leap up from the couch a moment later: "Oh! I forgot!" She ran up to the TV set and pulled out a box of glasses. Shoving her hand into the box, she pulled out a pair and held it out to Isabelle. "Here you go."

The girl made a face. "I don't like sunglasses. And you don't use sunglasses for a movie! They're for outside."

"These aren't sunglasses," Skye smiled. "Put them on, and trust me. They'll make the movie 3D."

Isabelle reluctantly took the glasses but turned to Bobbi. "What's 3D?"

"It means you might see things in front of the screen or closer to you...it won't look flat," Bobbi tried her best to explain.

"But how?"

"Well, the people who film the movie enhance the illusion of depth perception," Simmons explained cheerily. "The most common way they do it is derived from stereoscopic photography in that they use two cameras to get two slightly different perspectives on the scene, like you get because your eyes are set slightly apart from each other on your face."

"That's confusing," Isabelle wrinkled her nose.

"They sprinkle fairy dust—nah, let's make it 'magic-awesome-powder'—on the cameras," Skye told her with a grin and a nudge.

Isabelle smiled widely and nearly jammed the glasses over her face. "I like that better!" Simmons made a small grumbling noise—something about improper education and if Bobbi could read lips correctly Calvin and Hobbes.

Skye finished passing out the 3D glasses and then plopped down again, pressing play on the menu screen. Hunter groaned softly as soon as the singing started and Bobbi jabbed him swiftly in the stomach. "Born of cold and winter air, and mountain rain combining…"


As soon as the movie was over, Skye paused it on the credits and turned to Isabelle. "So, what'd you think?"

"Best movie ever!" Isabelle threw her arms around Skye, wriggling her feet with joy. "I still like Tangled, but Elsa is SO COOL."

"She's not cool, love, she's icy cold," Hunter teased. Everyone looked at him, suddenly silent. Except Isabelle. She giggled.

"Hunter," Bobbi dared break it and voice what was on all their minds. "That sounded dangerously close to a Dad-joke."

"Totally," Skye agreed.

"Sorry, dude," Trip said.

"I am a dad," he said proudly. He looked around at them all. "It wasn't that bad...was it?" They all nodded solemnly, even Isabelle, who appeared to be just copying them for the fun of it though Bobbi doubted she understood what was going on. "But…" He gestured helplessly to Isabelle. "But she laughed."

"Yeah, 'cause she's little," Skye said. "You laugh at anything at that age."

"That's how you, as the Dad, get hooked," Bobbi added knowledgably.

"And how you end up embarrassing them in the future," Simmons said.

"And can never, ever stop," Skye finished seriously. "It's like a disease. An addiction. A—"

"All right, all right, bloody—I get it," Hunter grumbled. "You can all let it go now." Everyone glared at him. His eyebrows curved downwards for a second before he broke into a smile. "Complete accident, I swear!"

"Riiight," Skye said distrustfully.

The conversation lapsed for a minute or so before Natasha slipped off the armchair and stood up, allowing Clint to stand and stretch as well. "I got a message from Fury during the movie," he explained. "We're good to go."

"You're leaving?" Isabelle asked with a pout.

Natasha nodded. "As soon as I track down Liho."

"Your Quinjet's fueled and ready to go," Mack told them.

"Thank you," Clint said as Natasha slipped away to go find her cat.

"Do you have to? Can't you stay?" Isabelle wriggled off of the couch where she was sandwiched between Skye and Simmons and tugged on his shirt.

"Yes, we do have to," Clint told her apologetically. "We'll see each other soon, though, princess, I'm sure." He glanced up at Bobby. "Your mommy would miss us too much if we didn't."

"Sure, that's exactly who would miss who the most," Bobbi rolled her eyes.

"I'll miss you!" Isabelle bear-hugged his legs. "Can you come back tomorrow?"

Clint laughed and everyone else smiled. "Not tomorrow, princess. You gotta give me time to get home first."

Natasha returned with Liho and Isabelle immediately switched her attention over to her. "Please don't leave," Isabelle begged.

"It's not for forever," Natasha told her, giving her a swift hug before standing back up again.

"But it feels like forever!" Isabelle pressed her face to her front of Liho's carrier. The black cat with its orange eyes gazed back at her. "What if you don't come back?"

"We will," Clint promised. "You have to trust us on that, Isabelle."

The girl's lower lip trembled. "Do you have to take the kitty too?"

Natasha smiled. "He goes wherever I go." She knelt down at Isabelle's level, turning her chin gently so that she could look into her eyes. "I'd be lost without him. Liho is my family. Just like Thor and Hoppity are yours—you wouldn't want to leave them anywhere, would you?"

Isabelle shook her head sadly. "No, they are my best friends."

"And Liho is mine." Barton cleared his throat and Natasha rolled her eyes. "Along with Clint, the needier one of the two." She put her hands on Isabelle's shoulders. "I'll miss you, and I will come and visit you, with Liho—you can count on that."

Isabelle jumped forward, throwing her arms around the assassin.

"Bobbi," May appeared in the doorway.

"Yeah?" she looked up, smile fading at the solemnity she saw on May's face. "What is it?"

"One of our contacts claims he might know where the city we've been searching for is," May announced. Skye and Trip sat up a bit straighter, and Coulson rose from his seat altogether. "But he says he's only willing to talk to you. In person."

"Who is it?" Bobbi asked.

"Diego."

She sighed. "Great."

Releasing Natasha, Isabelle climbed up on Bobbi's lap. "Who's Diego, Mommy? Is he your friend? Can I meet him?" She grinned. "Your friends are awesome."

"Not this time," Bobbi told her, giving her a hug. "Diego's not so much a friend as someone I have to meet with for work."

"Oh, okay," Isabelle said, crestfallen.

"Also, Koenig checked in," May said to Coulson. "HYDRA tried to take Raina. I recommend sending an extraction—she can't be out and about anymore now that we know they want her. And maybe in an interrogation we can find out why that is."

Coulson nodded. "Good. May, take Triplett and Skye in the Bus and bring Raina back here."

"But—" Skye began.

"You're our best shot at interrogation," Coulson told her. "She connects with you more than the rest of us." Skye nodded reluctantly. "Bobbi, Mack, and FitzSimmons, you'll be with me. We're going to destroy that city before HYDRA can get the Diviner anywhere near it." He looked at Bobbi. "You're needed on this one, Agent Morse."

"I know," she said. Turning away from him, Bobbi exchanged a long look with Hunter. "Clint, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course," he nodded. Bobbi motioned Hunter to come with, stopping just out of earshot of the lounge.

"Lila's birthday," she began. "Is that a good enough reason for Isabelle to visit?"

Hunter picked up her line of thinking immediately. "It'd be better somewhere other than here, in case there's emergencies. We don't want her to accidentally get caught up in anything, or slow down the team as they try to mobilize…"

"Or see someone injured and get in the way of treatment," Bobbi added. She looked at Hunter. "I know you could probably take care of her and have it all turn out fine, but…"

He nodded. "I know, Bob. I'd feel better if it wasn't here either. Not while everyone but the two of us will be out risking life and limb. I'm glad Coulson thought to not give me an assignments, but…"

"It'll be full mission-mode," Bobbi said. "The way it has to be."

"But would that mean I would...go with her?" Hunter asked. "She wouldn't like going staying with strangers." He glanced at Clint. "You know what I mean."

"As Isabelle's father, you're welcome at my home," Clint told him sincerely. "If that's what works best for you, then yes, we can arrange it like that. Call it a pre-birthday sleepover. I'm sure both Cooper and Lila would love that. They don't often get to have other kids over while I'm there in case they or their parents recognize me."

"Plus it'll be good for her to socialize with other kids," Bobbi said.

"How old are they?" Hunter questioned.

Clint grinned. "Cooper's ten and Lila's turning seven."

"Trust me, they'll be great with Isabelle," Bobbi said.

"If they don't crush her with excitement," Clint joked, then caught sight of Hunter's expression. "Just kidding, Hunter."

"So that's the plan then," Bobbi nodded. "What do you want us to tell the team?"

"We're taking her to a safehouse," Clint said. "Isabelle shouldn't put up much of a fight; she was so distraught to see us leaving anyway."

"Yeah, she really must love you guys," she smiled.

"Or she's just upset the kitty's leaving," Hunter muttered cynically. The three of them laughed but sobered quickly. Heading back to the lounge, Bobbi explained the new plan—leaving Lila and Cooper out of it—to Coulson, who readily agreed to meeting Bobbi in Puerto Rico and having her take a commercial flight from wherever 'the safehouse' was if it made Isabelle safer and barely cost them any travel time. May said her goodbyes to Clint and Natasha quickly and then went to book Bobbi a last minute flight out of Des Moines.

"We get to go with them?" Isabelle asked excitedly when Bobbi told her. "Yay! Are you sure Trip and Skye and Jemma and Leo can't come too?"

"They've got work to do, love," Hunter told her.

"We'll be right here waiting for you when you get back from your vacation, kiddo," Trip promised.

"Yep," Skye grinned, tickling her. "Nothing's gonna change. You are the lucky duckling that gets to go with Clint and Natasha!"

"Go and get your backpack and Thor and Hoppity," Hunter directed her with a smile. That backpack had become the equivalent of a go-bag for Isabelle.

"Okay!" She ran off. Natasha lifted Liho's cage.

Bobbi looked at Fitz and Simmons. "See you in Puerto Rico." Skye and Trip, "See you when that city is a pile of rubble."

Trip smiled. "You said it, girl."


I truly hate some of the lines I stuck in here - not because they're bad, but because they're foreshadowing the awful things about the happen in the worst way possible and- In other words, if you noticed them, my apologies. I assure you mental anguish was not my intent. 2x09 and 2x10, here we come!

Also, Gong Hey Fat Choy or Gong Xi Fa Cai for any of you celebrating Chinese New Year tomorrow! I will be :)