Chapter 28: The Truth, Part Two

In the stunned silence that followed I stared at Thera, futilely searching his eyes for any hint of duplicity while I fought to get my whirling thoughts under control. So that was it, then; #273 was gone. The file that had put my unsuspecting family in mortal danger since the instant we'd Blipped back was now just silicon dust, drifting lazily across the Missouri landscape. We were safe, and more importantly our children were safe, so...why didn't I feel anything? Where was the flood of relief, happiness, and gratitude towards our mystical guardian angels? Nowhere, apparently. Instead, I just felt tired; tired, and strangely empty.

Maybe it was just because it felt so... anticlimactic? These past two days had been one earth-shattering event after another, culminating in our panicked flight to St. Louis while the warehouse burned and smouldered in our wake. We'd been run ragged, emotionally savaged, and after all of that...after everything that had happened, to get here and discover that #273 had been simply smashed to pieces was too banal for words. There had to be something else, right? A dramatic rooftop showdown, for instance, or the last-minute intervention of some heavily armoured autonomous killing machine? It was stupid, and I knew it was stupid, but at the same time I couldn't help but feel slightly short-changed...

A strange sound suddenly filled the air, sharp, harsh, with a hysterical edge that sent a chill down my spine. Thera's eyes flickered over my shoulder, and I whipped around to see Clint bent double with paroxysms of laughter, desperately clutching at a monument for support while tears streamed down his face.

"Clint?" I said, and darted to his side, "Hon, are you okay?"

"I...I…" he gasped, and then collapsed in gales of laughter once again, "Oh Christ, this is too much!"

"It's okay," I said, and held him tightly while his shoulders shook with repressed emotion and choked snorts forced their way to the surface, "C'mon, it's all okay…"

Slowly, Clint's laughing fit began to subside, and his gasps gave way to deeper, more regular breathing. After a moment, he wiped the tears out of his eyes and gave me a reassuring smile.

"I'm okay, hon," he said, "It's just…"

"Ridiculous?"

"Yeah," he straightened, took a deep breath and pinned Thera with a Look, "I mean...you're kidding, right? After everythin' you put us through, you're tellin' me that we've been chasin' a ghost this whole damn time?"

"Um... yes?" Thera said, eyeing him warily.

"Keame too?"

"Obviously."

"So what's in that bag, then?" Clint nodded at the hideously glittery bag, still slumped against the water feature, "If it ain't #273-"

"Take a look," Thera scooped it up in a single motion and tossed it casually in our direction. I caught it awkwardly in midair and fumbled for the zip. There was something in there, shining dully in the darkness, and I felt my heart pounding in my chest as I reached in and pulled out...a sandwich, wrapped in cellophane. Another sandwich followed, and at the bottom there was something warm and metallic; it turned out to be a Thermos.

"What, another joke?" Clint growled, turning one of the sandwiches over in his hands, "Your lunch?"

"I've already eaten. That's your lunch, actually," Thera said, as I rooted through the side pockets to see if there was anything else, before handing it to Clint, "I figured you probably wouldn't stop between the warehouse and St. Louis, and...well, I didn't want you driving again until you got some food down you."

"You're a real mother hen, you know," Clint slung the bag across his back, "So what was all that about evidence lockers an' never seein' the inside of a courtroom, then?"

"The truth?" Thera shrugged, "I mean, I have no idea what the police would do if they realised you were mugging me for my lunch, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't see the inside of a courtroom. After all, it's not like I'd be pressing charges."

"Another bluff? You're full of 'em today, aincha."

"It worked, didn't it?" Thera gave him a brittle smile, "Would you rather I'd taken more... direct action?"

"S'pose not. So let me get this straight; you broke into Helix International two days ago an' destroyed #273, right? In the dead of night?"

"About three am, but yeah."

"So by the time we figured out what #273 was, you'd already destroyed it."

"What can I say? We're efficient."

"Unbelievable," Clint shook his head, "You got any idea how much time we spent freakin' out about it?"

"I can imagine."

"So...why?" I said, "Why leave those pictures in the first place? I thought it might've been a contingency, but-"

"It was," Thera said, "After all, we could have failed. We barely beat those goons to the server as it was, and what if we'd been killed or captured instead? We had to leave you something, even if it was only to give you a fighting chance!"

"A fighting chance?" Clint blinked, "Y'know I was this close to killing Keame, right? If Laura hadn't stopped me-"

"Didn't Vi tell you not to do anything stupid?"

"Oh, is that what that text meant? We assumed-"

"Don't. I think by now we've pretty well established the accuracy of your assumptions."

"Okay, fine," I cut in, "But why just not wait and hand it over?"

"Why would we do that? Did you want to hang it over your mantlepiece or something?"

"Don't be absurd," I said, "I was just thinking that if you had it, you wouldn't have had to risk us walking away."

"Yeah, but if we had it, there was always a risk it could've fallen into the hands of Keame or someone just like him. Accidents do happen, Laura."

"But...what if something went wrong?" I said, "What if we walked anyway, or...you didn't get the opportunity to tell us it'd been destroyed? We'd end up believing you guys really were colossal-"

"-arseholes?" Thera finished for me, and I nodded, "We could live with that. What we couldn't live with is the idea of your family being slaughtered 'cause we didn't destroy #273 when we had the chance. Even if the risk was miniscule, it was still too high."

"I...can't argue with that," I admitted, "And I'm so grateful to you guys for putting our kids first; seriously, I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am, but…"

"...the way you went about it was kinda shitty," Clint finished for me, "Scrap that; it was really shitty."

"Unfortunate, but kinda necessary," Thera said, "If you had faith in us, you wouldn't have come."

"And if you had faith in us we could've avoided this whole sorry debacle!" I said, sternly, "You should've trusted us! Why didn't you?"

"Vi did," Thera said, and grimaced, "She felt really guilty about all that stuff at the warehouse, you know. In fact, she made me promise to tell you #273'd been destroyed the instant you got here."

"She did? So why didn't you?"

"Because I...well, I panicked," Thera said, frankly, "I was terrified that you'd just turn around and bugger off if you realised you'd come all this way for nothing, and…"

"You couldn't risk it?"

"No."

"But Vi could," I pressed, "And it's her life on the line, right? Shouldn't she have the final say?"

"Wait a second, hon," Clint said in a soft, suddenly sympathetic tone, "It ain't that easy."

"No, she's right. I should've trusted you, and I'm sorry I messed you around," he sighed, "You and Laura have every right to be angry at me."

"I'm not angry at you!" I said, and realised with some surprise that I meant it, "If anything, I'm angry for you! How dare your goddess-"

"Um, if I were you, I'd cool your jets," he said, but smiled faintly.

"Why? You clearly put in the hours for her! I saw you treat that piece-of-shit torturer far, far better than he deserved, all in her name, and this is the kind of gratitude you get? Vi is everything to you! I mean, even Strange picked up on that and I'm pretty sure he's no wizard when it comes to relationships-"

"-and you'd be surprised," Thera inclined his head, "'Turns out those cheekbones get pretty good mileage."

"But you get my point, right? She has no right to torture you like this!"

"I'm not sure it's really torture, per se," he said, "I mean, my experience of torture generally involves being dangled over things. Snappy things, mostly."

"Don't be flippant, Thera!" I snapped, "This isn't right, and you know it!"

"Well, what am I meant to do about it? File a complaint? Commit apostasy?" he retorted, "Besides, it seemed like a pretty simple job and I wasn't really in a position to object! How was I meant to know it'd be so difficult to keep a single bloody family alive? It's like you guys have the self-preservation instincts of lemmings or-"

He fell silent, but he'd already said way, way too much. Clint and I stared at each other in shock, and I felt my blood run cold. Had he really just said what I'd thought he'd said? We'd come up with theory after theory about what Thera might have been contracted to do; therapy, biowarfare, find a suitable Patient Zero...but never in a million years would I have thought that the Barton clan would be in the hands of a goddess! Not just any goddess, either; from what Vi had said, it sounded like she was the kind of deity who you really didn't want to draw the attention of. What was the trickster up to, exactly, and...how did it involve us?

"Um..." Thera said eventually, "Could I ask you to forget I said that?"

Clint exploded, "What the hell?"

"Mmm. Guess not."

"Are you tellin' us that the entire reason you're here is 'cause a goddess wanted you to keep us safe?"

"Well-"

"An' are you tellin' me that I was right?"

"Wait, what?" I exclaimed, "When'd you say that?"

"Don't you remember? I said that we should chalk what they were doin' up to divine intervention!" he said, and added slyly, "Although considerin' how much Thormite you put away that night, I ain't surprised if you don't recall."

"But…that's…" I sputtered, "Okay, okay; let's just back up here for a second. Thera?"

"...yes?"

"Is that true? Did your goddess really ask you to keep us safe? Us specifically?"

He took a deep breath, and then nodded silently.

"Why? Why is our survival so important to her?"

"She is a goddess of healing and protection," Thera said, "Stopping you and your kids from being brutally murdered is kind of in her wheelhouse."

"But why us?" I said, "People get brutally murdered every day! What makes us so special?"

"That's an excellent question," he said, and added quickly, "I mean, I'm not saying that you're not special, y'know, but…"

"You just can't see why we've drawn the attention of a goddess?"

"Laura, I don't get how she knows you even exist," he said, and his fingers danced briefly across his hat, "Look; there're a lot of stories about her, and they all make it pretty clear that she's not omniscient, omnipotent, or prescient. And yet...she knew you - both of you, inside and out, and she knew that you would be in danger. That's…"

"That's...what?" I said, "What, Thera?"

"Troubling," he said, "I wish I could be more reassuring about this, but…"

"Yeah, I get it," Clint said, "What I jus' don't get is why she's interested in us. I didn't do very much, y'know, not compared to people like Stark or Rogers."

"Really? Stark said 'no' the first time he was asked to help, remember?" Thera said, and I saw Clint's eyes narrow, "You, however? You volunteered to be the first time travel test subject, and she's got a soft spot for people who do things for love."

"Even...y'know, vigilantes?"

"Even vigilantes, Clint," Thera said gently, "She doesn't judge people on their mistakes."

Clint was silent for a long moment, and when I looked he was staring thoughtfully at Thera. While he might protest at being called a genius, when he needed to he could think very quickly indeed, and right now I could hear the cogs whirring away at breakneck speed.

"Interestin' choice of words, there," he said eventually, "She tell you that herself?"

"No! She barely told me anything!"

"So what did she say?"

Thera paused for a second, and then said, "'Bring them back, safe.'"

"That's it?" Clint snorted, "That's all the Pinata Goddess had to say?"

"The 'Pinata Goddess'?" Thera blinked, "Would you care to show her a little more respect than that? She's my deity-"

"Who's got my family in her crosshairs!" Clint retorted, "Seriously, you can't just drop this bomb on us and brush us off with that. We want answers!"

"I don't have-!" Thera began, but then he closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft and carefully measured, "I'm sorry, Clint, but I don't have all the answers. I don't know why my goddess has taken such an interest in you, but she must think you're worth saving. If she didn't, she could just sit back and watch the consequences of your actions inch ever-closer to your door."

"I s'pose that's true."

"It has to be! Otherwise, why did she tear Vi and myself away from everyone we love? Why is she threatening me with Vi's life? Why else would she drag us in to clean up your mess?"

"Now jus' wait a second-"

"What, do you have a problem with that statement?" Thera laughed bitterly, "Clint, the entire reason we're here, the entire reason we got yanked away from our families and ditched in a field in Sodding Nowhere, Missouri, is so you don't have to face the natural consequences of your actions!"

"An' did I ask for that?"

"No...no, I guess you didn't," Thera said, and once again he stopped to collect himself, "It's just...it's hard, you know? Seeing your family laughing and bickering and fighting together, when it's entirely possible that I'll never see my family again. It'd be easier if I'd known what we'd done to deserve this; I mean, what if Vi's right? What if I really did offend her?"

Thera broke off, and stared pensively off into the middle distance. With a crunch of gravel, Clint stepped forward, put his hand firmly on the mystic's shoulder and pinned him with a look.

"Listen," he said, "I know we ain't ever really seen eye-to-eye, but if you reckon that your Goddess sent you 'cause she thought we were worth savin', then I reckon she sent you an' Vi 'cause you were the only ones she trusted to get the job done. Sometimes it's hard bein' the best, y'know."

"Tell me about it."

"We'll get you home, buddy," Clint said, confidently, "Even if I have to go quote Dad-jokes at Strange until he cracks."

"That seems like a good way to get your head blown off," Thera remarked, but smiled nonetheless, "But until then I'm afraid that you're stuck with us. Divine orders."

"Wonderful."

"Look, even if I did find a way to back out, there's no way Vi would've said 'no'," Thera said, quite seriously, "You've seen that drawing, right? For her, this is personal."

"Yeah, I wanted to ask you about that," I said, "In fact, I've been wanting to ask you about a whole bunch of things."

"I figured you might," said Thera, "And if you're going to ask, now's the time. We've got about forty minutes before everything kicks off, and there's something you need to see beforehand."
"The Barton memorial, right?" Clint said, tensely.

"Yeah. It'd be a bit silly to come all this way and not see it, right?" Thera said, and retrieved a few carnations from the bouquet propped up against the monument, "Let's walk and talk."

-LB-

After a brief pause to get his bearings, Thera gestured idly in the direction that we'd come from, gave Clint and the glittery bag an amused look, and then headed out of the circle. As I went to follow suit Clint put a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"Keep him talkin', hon," he said quietly, "'Specially about his goddess."

"Why?" I said, and gave him a sharp look, "What's going on?"

"Some of what he said was...odd," he said, "Call it a hunch."

"A 'hunch'?"

"Yeah," Clint said, "'Sides, if he thinks she's 'troublin'', then we need to learn everythin' we can about her in case we need to get Strange involved. I ain't havin' her breathin' down our necks; not if I can help it."

"Point," I said, and patted his hand, "I'll do my best."

There was a cough from under the dogwood trees and then Thera's voice rang across the memorials, "If you're done whispering conspiratorially can you get your arses over here? We are on the clock, y'know."

"Oh, um, sorry!" I called back, and gave Clint an encouraging smile, "It'll be fine. You'll see."

We followed after Thera and found him waiting on the main footpath, arms folded and foot tapping impatiently. He gazed silently at us as we emerged through the boughs of delicate white dogwood blossoms, but I could see the tension settling in around his eyes. Was he having second thoughts? I hoped not.

"One thing," he said, before I could open my mouth, "I know you're going to ask about it, but I'd really rather not talk about being Snapped or Blipped. Not right now."

"Oh," I said, and felt a faint twinge of disappointment deep inside, "I was hoping-"

"-it's not because I don't want to, Laura," he said, "But...I'm still piecing it all together in my head. Besides, it's Vi's story too; I'm sure she'd want the opportunity to say her bit."

"So what do you want to talk about?"

"Well...since you had a 'whole bunch' of questions, why don't you fire away and I'll answer what I can. C'mon."

Without waiting for a response, Thera jerked his head down the trail and set off at a slow pace. I followed quickly in his wake, but Clint trailed a little distance behind and made a show of staring at the passing monuments and snowy-white boughs. It was clearly an act; he was obviously hanging on every word, although exactly what words he was looking for was beyond me. It wasn't like him to be this vague, and to be honest it was more than a little frustrating. What did he want to hear? What should I start with? We had a limited amount of time and knowing Thera, I'd probably need wild horses to drag the real answers out of him. Maybe it was best to just take it from the top….

"I guess the obvious one is 'why'?" I said, and his eyebrows jumped, "Why did you decide to post as a therapist? If you were tasked with keeping us safe, then...how would that help?"

"It was a convenient opening," he said, "You and Clint were coming apart at the seams and having your marriage collapse or one of you being sectioned would be... counterproductive, wouldn't you agree? If nothing else, keeping you together meant that we didn't have to divide our attention."

"C'mon, we weren't that bad!"

"It's easy to say that now, but you two were a mess, A total, frazzled mess." Thera said firmly, "I mean, you were a barely restrained ball of rage and denial who publicly assaulted someone in front of your youngest, and Clint here was emotionally disconnected and wallowing in a mixture of guilt and self-pity! We may have gotten there just in time."

"I...suppose that's true."

"And we didn't know what we were keeping you safe from, at least not at first," Thera went on, "Unfortunately, my goddess was a little light on the details. She could've just wanted to make sure that you were able to reintegrate following the Blip."

"Isn't that a bit of a reach?" I said, "Why send two mystics if all we needed was a good talking to?"

"Hey, nobody ever said anything about a good talking to," Thera held up his hands, "Just the right talking too."

"Which is why you were acting so suspicious, right?"

"You already know the answer to that."

"Yeah, but how'd you know it would work?"

"C'mon, Laura, I'm not a bloody rookie!" Thera exhaled slowly, "Okay, when you're in the middle of a crisis, what do you think people want?"

"A warm blanket, hot chocolate, and a cuddle?"

"Well...yes," he agreed, "But what they really want is a purpose. I think it's safe to say that you two were in a crisis, and so the best way to shake you out of that downward spiral was to give you something to do."

"You mean run around Missouri trying to stop you from releasing a fake bioweapon?"

"I mean letting you act out your dreams of being Laura Barton, Super Spy," Thera looked amused, "You know, high-tech satellites, intelligence gathering...whatever the hell it was you were trying to pull with that phone tap. It was fun, right?"

"I…" I smiled at the memories, "Yeah, it was."

"And of course," Thera went on, smoothly avoiding the question, "You got to reconnect with Clint here, who in turn got a massive self-esteem boost by being able to impress you with his Discount Avenger routine."

"Hey!" Clint objected.

"Just making sure you're still paying attention, mate," Thera threw a grin over his shoulder, "It was a work of genius, if I do say so myself."

"But hold on-" I frowned, "-that's not all of it, is it."

"Oh? What makes you think that?"

"Because where you and Vi are concerned, there's always something else."

"I think you might be overestimating us, but...yeah, there was. Two things, actually."

"Like?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Well, let me ask you a question: 'how do you make Clint Barton take his medicine?'"

"What kind of question is that?"

"A really important one. Clint; S.H.I.E.L.D. had a compulsory counselling programme for its top agents, didn't it? Especially after particularly...messy missions, shall we say?"

"Yeah, it did," Clint said, a bit warily.

"And in all your time of service, how many consecutive sessions did you attend?"

"Um...well…" he floundered a bit, and gave me a weak smile, "It wasn't that I didn't think it was a good idea, but-"

"The number, if you please."

"Okay, fine; I only ever went to the first session!" Clint said, and his eyes narrowed, "An' you didn't read about it in any file, did you. Your goddess tell you that?"

"She only said four words, remember? And besides, how do you know what's in your file?" Thera said, "Word on the street is that even the contents of Laura's caught you off guard."
"I still want to read that, you know!" I said, "Honestly, I'm tempted to sue S.H.I.E.L.D. for libel!"

"Go ahead, but I think you'll find that the author's a bit too dead for it to go anywhere," Thera said, "And look, Clint; I'm not judging you. Really, at some point someone should've realised that their normal approach wasn't working and tried something new."

"Like what?"

"Like the approach we took," Thera said, "You make Clint Barton take his medicine by making sure he doesn't know he's taking it."

"Come again?"

"It's like this," Thera said, "One of my friends has a cat called Snuffles. Sometimes Snuffles needs deworming, and if there's one thing that damn feline hates it's being medicated. So...either she can wrap Snuffles in a towel and hope her boyfriend can pop the tablet in before it goes off like a bomb, or she can crush it up and put it in Snuffles' food, maybe with some bacon to sweeten the deal. Snuffles gets dewormed and some free bacon, and she gets to keep her blood. Everyone wins!"

"So you're sayin' I'm a cat?"

"Don't be silly," Thera said, "Cats learn from experience."

"Walked right into that one," Clint said wryly, "So you're really sayin' that you were actin' suspicious to keep me coming back?"

"And you threw yourself into it wholeheartedly, 'cause you didn't want me to know that you were onto me," Thera said, "See where this is going?"

"I gotta admit, that's actually pretty clever," Clint said, "Gettin' me to open up without realisin' I was openin' up."

"You wanted to," Thera shrugged, "That was clear from the moment you walked in the door. You were desperate to rebuild your relationship with Laura, but...it's hard to be vulnerable, especially for blokes. You should be proud of overcoming that."

"Yeah, I guess…"

Clint fell silent, and for a moment we stood there awkwardly while white dogwood blossoms swirled and eddied across the footpath. Had he heard what he'd needed to hear? Maybe he had, maybe he hadn't, but for me Thera's answer had only raised more questions.

"You said there were two things," I ventured, "If one was about Clint, then I'm guessing the other was about, um...me?"

"Good guess," Thera said, "Y'see, after reading your files we kind of assumed that we'd be dealing with a-"

"-complete imbecile?" I said, tartly.

"Basically, yeah," Thera said, and added quickly, "But look, it's very obvious to anyone who meets you that you aren't. When we met I didn't see an imbecile; I saw someone crackling with unrealised potential. So much so, in fact, that it forced us to go back and rethink our entire strategy."

"You mean that whole 'Patient Zero' stuff?"

"Yeah," He nodded, "Actually, we originally thought that Clint would be the best choice."
Clint looked up suddenly, "Really? Me?"

"Well, yeah. The Avengers just saved the universe, and while you might not have the showmanship of Stark, you're...better adjusted," Thera said, "What we didn't realise was quite how controversial the idea of bringing everyone's loved ones back would be. Maybe we're biased, but we kinda figured people'd be less on the fence about it."
"Give 'em time," Clint said, "It's tough all over."

"Sure, but it means that you'd probably have as many people shouting you down for creating this problem as you would actually listening to you."

"Guess you were lucky I was around, eh?" I said archly, and he gave me a long look.

"Yeah, that's the thing about 'divine intervention'," he said, "You can never be quite sure if it's serendipity or if someone throwing the game from behind the scenes. Still, it is what it is."

"Mmm hmm," I said, "So how'd you know? Magic?"
"Don't be absurd," he rolled his eyes, "I use 'magic' for two things: medicine and self-defence. Oh, and sex, I guess. You'd be amazed what you can do with-"

"Too much information, Thera!" I said, sharply, "And aren't there, like, wizard rules against that?"

"Where do you think you get baby wizards from, exactly?" Thera's eyebrows jumped, "I'll bet you fifty quid that Strange's library is full to bursting with books on that exact subject, In fact, I bet that they're the most dog-eared tomes in the entire collection. Assuming you can pry 'em open, that is."

Somewhere behind me, Clint sniggered.

"You're ruining all my favourite children's books, you realise," I said mournfully.

"I'm just saying that I didn't need magic to spot potential, or that you'd built yourself a cage and threw away the key," Thera said, "A pity, really; for what it's worth, I think you would've been an excellent social worker."

"You really think so?" I smiled weakly, "Thanks."

"Well anyway, it was pretty clear that file was a fake, so Vi went digging and found your ACT results. We had to go and look up what they actually meant, but suffice it to say it was pretty unlikely that you could've gotten the results you did and be the person written about by S.H.I.E.L.D. unless you'd spent the intervening years doing nothing but eating lead paste. Once we'd pulled on that string, the rest started to unravel pretty quickly."

"It was that easy, huh?"

"Maybe I'm making it sound easier than it was," he said, "But the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. had gone to the trouble of faking your file really piqued Vi's interest. She really wanted to meet you; would've done so earlier, in fact, if she wasn't held up watching Clint tap our phone line."

"She was watchin' me?" Clint said, "I didn't see anythin'!"

"Of course not; she can manipulate light, remember? At best, all you'd have seen was a shimmer."

"That's cheatin'," he said sourly.
"And I'm sure she'll be devastated to hear that," Thera said, "But anyway, Laura, you remember when you asked if I could talk to Coop? I was...resistant to the idea."

"Not very," I said, "In fact, you caved almost immediately."

"Only 'cause she was sitting in front of me, staring at me with those enormous puppy dog eyes of hers," he said, "She really wanted to meet you. Practically jumped at the opportunity."

"Literally jumped, too. Two storeys," I said, "You know she nearly blew your cover right there, yeah?"

"What can I say? You must've noticed that she's got a flair for the dramatic."

"I had noticed, actually," I thought, momentarily, of how effortlessly she'd played the crowd in front of the school gates, "She's not like anyone I've ever met."

"People say that a lot."

"But at the same time, it kind of feels like I've known her, well…"

"Forever, right?" he said, and I nodded, "Yeah, Vi said exactly the same thing."

"She did?" I said, with some surprise, "Don't you think that's weird?"

"Weird?" he said, and suddenly fixed me with a piercing gaze, "Like...how?"

"I can't quite explain it," I said, "But she just feels so familiar. It's like when I'm with her it's just like when I used to hang out with Nat."

"I'll admit, I was surprised how attached you two got in such a short period of time," Thera said, "That's not like Vi, but...y'know, strange times, right?"

"Coop thinks I'm using her as a Nat-substitute."

"Maybe he's right."

"Maybe he is, but it feels like more than that," I said, and paused while I tried to put my thoughts into words, "It's like...they're almost blending together in my mind. I swear, if you give it a month I'll be swearing blind that Vi's been around for years, not days."

"Mmm," Thera's gaze bored into me for just a moment more, and then it softened slightly, "Honestly, mate, I'm not that surprised you guys've clicked. If nothing else, you clearly have a type."

"Oh, really?" I raised an eyebrow, "Do go on."

"Well...," he said, "You married a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, had an assassin for a best mate, and hit it off with my empowered fiancee. That's saying nothing about all that 'urban exploration' you did-"

"Did Vi tell you about that?"

"Am I wrong?" he smiled confidently, and I glowered in response.

"Okay then, how about Patti? She's as placid as can be and we got along just fine!"
"You mean the otter woman? Vi told me about her," he said, "So how'd that go? Did you gel with her? I mean really?"

"Well…" my glare faltered under his steady gaze, "She's, um, nice, but…"

"Exactly."

"So what's Vi's type then?" I said, if only to get him off my back, "What does she go for?"

"Safe, trustworthy, reliable people. People she can actually believe in." he said, simply, "Beyond that she doesn't seem to mind, but that's a tough bar to clear. Most people don't."

"Is that because of, um, what happened to her?"

"Listen, Laura, Vi believes in you," yet again, Thera sidestepped my question, "After she met you, she became absolutely convinced that if we could just coax you out of your cage, you'd soar."

"Soar?" Clint said suddenly.

"Yeah, it's a verb. It means 'to rise or fly high'-"

"-I know what it means, buddy," he said, "It's just...you know what? Nevermind. Keep talkin'."

"Sure," Thera took a deep breath, "Listen, the Avengers stopped Thanos, but they didn't save the world; they couldn't save the world, because it was destroyed by the Snap."

"Hey!" Clint scowled, and stamped on the ground for emphasis, "This is lookin' pretty 'saved' here, buddy."

"I didn't mean the physical world, Clint," Thera said, "Look around you! All these monuments? They're not just for the people who died; they're memorials for the survivors too, for those little bits of them that got taken with their loved ones."

"I said part of you Blipped with us," I said gently, "Remember, hon?"

"Yeah," Clint said grimly, "An' what was left was barely human."

"That's exactly my point!" Thera said earnestly, "We're all more than just us. We're the people who raised us, the people who taught us, we're our loved ones, our spouses, our children and our friends! We're all connected, however distant, through this enormous web of relationships filled with love, hate, friendship, compassion, and all those other weird emotions that keep us on our toes. I've always thought that the bonds we share're what actually make us human, and when Thanos Snapped half of us away...he tore it to shreds."

"You're sayin' Thanos Snapped 'humanity'?" Clint snorted, "Don't you think you're bein' overdramatic?"

"Snapped? No. Destroyed," Thera said, firmly, "You may have Blipped us back, but that web's still in tatters. Take you two; were you able to pick up from where you left off? No, because Laura buried her head in 2018 and you learned the hard way that reality is rather more...complex than the fantasy reunion you had dreamt up in your head. You basically had to start from scratch."

"Patti had the same problem," I said, "And you're right. I wanted to connect with Clint, I really wanted to, but...I couldn't."

"I know," Thera said kindly, "And your relationship is as strong as any I've seen. If you two couldn't do it without outside help, despite 'really wanting to', then what hope does the rest of the world have?"

"So what's your point, Thera?" I said, directly, "Because that makes everything sound pretty hopeless."

"Oh, it's not hopeless! You two are proof of that."

"What? Why?"

"Your marriage literally ended when you were murdered," he said bluntly, "But did that stop you two? No! Sure, you had some false starts, but despite all the hardship and all the shit that's been thrown your way, you tried your hardest and you never gave up. Since you kicked in my office door you guys have gone from strength to strength, and...I'm proud of you. Maybe I've no right to be, but I am."

"It does sound kinda condescending when you say it," I said, but grinned regardless, "So what now?"

"Like I said before; the Avengers didn't save the world, because they couldn't save the world," Thera said, "But what they have done is given us the opportunity to build a new world, maybe even a better one, from the ashes of the old. It's going to take nuance, compassion, intelligence, and the ability to accept that even people like Keame aren't completely wrong. It'll be hard, believe me, and if we could just wave our hands and fix it ourselves then we would, but we can't. Maybe you can, though, and we owe it to the sacrifices of everyone who suffered and died to get us here to make sure that happens."

I took a long, deep breath, and exhaled hard as an icy cold ball settled in the pit of my stomach. I wasn't surprised to hear any of that, but hearing it here, surrounded by the monuments to my fellow victims, gave it a degree of gravitas that I hadn't experienced before. They'd deserved better, we'd all deserved better, but he was right; what we'd had before was gone, and it was never coming back. What mattered now was what came next; could we afford to leave the world in the hands of people like Keame? Of course not! Something had to be done; someone had to give an alternative to the poison and fear mongering being spread by power-hungry predators, but was I really ready? If I wasn't, how would I know when I was?

"Maybe you aren't," said the little voice, "But was Clint ready to throw himself through time and space? Was Nat ready to die for you? You could wait a thousand years and not be ready! What matters is what you do now."

"I'm sorry," Thera said, obviously cottoning on to my internal train of thought, "Maybe that was a bit too much-"

"No, " I said, "I've known it was coming for ages, and I've made up my mind. This might be the only universe where Thanos didn't win, and I'm not letting people like Keame prove him right by ditching us straight into some kind of planetwide civil war!"

"It's not going to be easy, you know," he said seriously, "And you might be at this for the rest of your life."

"Fine by me; it's not like I was doing anything with it other than existing!" I said, "And is that really any different from you or Clint? Let's be honest; you're not going to retire until you die!"

Thera exchanged a glance with Clint, who rolled his eyes in wry agreement.

"She ain't wrong," he said, with a sigh.

"But I've got to know," I said, "Why do you think I'm the right person for the job? Why not you?"

"It...can't be me," Thera said, and smiled weakly, "Believe me, I wanted it to be, but…"

"Why not, though?"

"You saw what happened at the Blip Centre, Laura," he said, with a sigh, "It's like Clint said earlier; I'm a...a…"

"Mother hen?" Clint supplied helpfully.

"Right!" Thera snapped his fingers, "I fret about people in my care. Like are they warm enough? Are they comfortable? Are they in pain? Maybe that's okay when it's just my ward, but that Blip Centre? How about all the Blip Centres? Or the country?"

"Or the world?" Clint snorted.

"Don't!" Thera shuddered, and glared at him, "What's the global population? Eight billion?"

"Near enough."

"Well, that's eight billion people I'd be losing sleep over trying to make sure that they're all fed, clothed, watered, educated, and not being shot to ribbons by local warlords or dying of hemorrhagic fever!" Thera grimaced, "By the time you assembled a resistance and burst into my throne room, I'd be begging you to take me out back and just shoot me. I get too involved emotionally to think strategically."

"So you're saying Strange was right?" I said slyly.

"What a horrible thing to say...but yes," he winced, but then his expression turned serious, "What I've learned from all of this is that I need to learn to let go, step back a bit, and say 'no' sometimes without feeling guilty. I think I've spent so much time doing things for other people that they've been taking me for granted, and...that needs to change."

"Vi'll be happy to hear that."

"I hope so," he said, "Heaven knows she deserves a partner who can actually be there for her, and in the future, well...if, um…y'know..."

"If...you have children? Is that what you were going to say?" I smiled, and he looked away shyly, "Do you want to have kids, Thera?"

"I...possibly? It might be nice being a dad," he said, and ran his fingers across his hat, "And, um, Clint looks like he's having fun…"

"Best job I ever had," Clint said proudly, "Probably the hardest, too, an' it's not like my kids have superpowers. If if those abilities of yours're hereditary..."

"They are," Thera said, "Which is why you can't tell anyone! There was enough of a furore when we announced we were getting engaged; if people heard we were thinking of starting a family they'd probably lose it entirely."

"That's insane!" I exclaimed.

"No kidding, but unfortunately we've got a bunch of empowered supremacists swanning around claiming they're the 'next stage in human evolution' despite having all the potential of a three volt battery. Gets people's backs up." Thera shook his head in disgust, "And...while it's not like a mob of chromosonally challenged idiots with half-rusted pitchforks is much of a threat to me, what about my kids? I don't want them to feel like they have to hide who they are or grow up hating their fellow man, so...maybe it's a bad idea. I mean, we don't even know if we can have kids, so-"

"Hold on, buddy," Clint said, "You've got as much right as anyone else to have a family, an' you can't let a bunch of assholes dictate your life like that! You want kids, have kids. Everyone else is just gonna have to make room for you."

"I suppose…" Thera said, "But enough about me! Goddess, you're the ones who're meant to be opening up, and here I am prattling on about my problems! Are you sure you guys haven't missed your true calling as an interrogation team?"

"Jus' getting to know you," Clint said, blandly.

"Well, enough of that!" he said, "Right now we have bigger fish to fry, and...well; we're here."

-LB-

Thera stopped and nodded towards a small cluster of monuments, standing a little way away from the path next to a softly babbling stream. They looked identical to all the ones we'd passed on the way here; tall, glinting memorials to Thanos' callous savagery, but they seemed darker, somehow more ominous than the rest. Clint and I stared at them, awed into silence, and I felt a sudden rush of exhilaration and fear. My blood sang in my ears.

"Um…" I began, and even to me my voice seemed thin and distant, "I've still got some questions to ask you, Thera-"

"I know," he said, "And I promise you that we'll make time for them, but...this is more important. You guys need to see this."

"You sure 'bout that?" Clint said tensely, "'Cause I ain't sure that-"

"Clint," Thera said firmly, and held his gaze while my husband sputtered to a stop, "It'll be okay. You're together, right? That's what matters."

"I just...I ain't-"

"-and you should take these," Thera handed him the carnations he'd picked up from Flora's memorial, "They might help. Flowers have a power all of their own, you know."

"I can't remember the last time someone gave me flowers," Clint took them in a trembling hand and then laughed timorously, "An' I definitely can't remember the last time a guy brought me flowers. You gonna take me out to dinner later?"

Thera gave Clint a long, sympathetic look, and then clasped him gently on the shoulder.

"I'll be over there if you need me," he said, and pointed to the shade of a nearby tree, "It'll be fine, okay?"

With a final, encouraging smile Thera left, leaving in his wake an atmosphere suffused with tension and trepidation. Clint's breathing was short, sharp, and intense, and when I reached out to take his free hand I found it cold and clammy to the touch.

"I'm so not ready for this," he muttered. Sweat was beading on his brow, "'Spent three years avoidin' this place. After everythin' I did, I figured I didn't have the right to come talk to you."

"Then you figured wrong," I said, "You can always talk to me; you know that."

"I know," he said, "An' I think I knew that. I was just...I wasn't ready to say goodbye. I couldn't say goodbye."

"Well, I think it's time," I said, and gently ushered him towards the monument, "Let's go and say goodbye together. Not to me, not to the kids, but to those five shitty years you had to live through without us. You deserve that much, at least."

As we drew closer, Clint's face became fixed in a grim rictus, and he periodically took deep, shuddering breaths as he fought to keep his breath under control. His grip tightened steadily on my hand, clutching at it for comfort until my fingers went white under the pressure. Pain shot up and down my arm, but I paid it no heed and kept speaking softly as I pulled him across the marble ring and into the memorial itself.

Somehow, the monuments seemed taller than the others I'd seen, and loomed over us with dark, shadowy names cut deep into their faces. A brisk, brief gust of wind sighed mournfully through the memorial as we stood there, and I suppressed a shudder as I looked around for what I knew had to be here.

"Monument 522," Clint said, in a voice that was almost a whisper, "Third face."

"I'll find it, hon," I said, and pulled my hand free with a grunt of effort, "You wait here."

Clint nodded, and waited tensely as I circled the memorial looking for our monument. As I searched I felt the tension ratchet up to almost unbearable levels and found myself calling out the numbers on the monuments as I went past, if only to break the oppressive, cloying silence that filled the air.

"520...521…found it!" I said, and looked up at the tall, metal structure. It looked like all the others; just like all the others, in fact, and part of me felt that that was a little unfair. Didn't we deserve something special? Something extra? The thought was gone as quickly as it came, and with a shake of my head, I worked my way around the base until I found the side marked 'III'.

"Clint?" I called, as I looked up and down the list of names for any sign of our family, "I think I've found it."

There was a crunch of gravel and then Clint was at my side, carnations clenched tightly in his hand almost a favourite toy. A moment later, he pointed soundlessly towards the top of the monument, where five names were engraved deeply in the shining metal surface:

BARTON, CLINT

BARTON, COOPER

BARTON, LAURA

BARTON, LILA

BARTON, NATHANIEL

From beside me there came a sharp inhalation, and then I heard Clint's breath catch in his throat. Moving slowly and carefully, I put my hands around his back and pulled him into a deep, loving embrace. Under my fingertips, I could feel him quivering, the tension thrumming through his shoulders, and tears came unbidden to my eyes.

"Well, there we all are," I said, with a bright, watery smile, "Together forever, like we're meant to be."

Clint smiled back, but then his face twisted in anguish and the quivering suddenly gave way to deep, wracking sobs as he collapsed into my arms, weeping like a child. I caught him and held him close, standing strong against the sudden storm of emotions, and as I lowered him carefully to the ground I murmured gentle, comforting nothings in his ear. This outpouring of grief had been months in coming, slowly building with every bittersweet memory and painful reminder of his unimaginable loss, and sitting there, with his head cradled in my lap, I knew that he needed me now more than he'd ever needed me before.

"Oh, hon," I said sadly, as I stroked his hair, "C'mon, let it all out. It's okay. It's okay."

"No, it ain't," he gasped, as tears streamed down his face, "I'm sorry, Laura. I'm so sorry; I...I should've come, I should've, but I was such a coward. I was such a goddamn coward."

"You're no coward, Clint," I said, "You're one of the bravest people I've ever met."

"No I ain't," he said, "After the Snap I hid away from everyone who wanted to help me, cut myself off from everyone who tried to help, an' became a monster 'cause I couldn't face the truth. I let Nat kill herself 'cause I couldn't...I couldn't…"

His words dissolved into choking sobs, and I cradled for what seemed like forever while his cries slowly subsided and the shaking died away.

"I...I failed," he said eventually, "That's the truth of it. I failed you, I failed the kids, an' then I went and spat on your memories by killin' in the name of 'justice'. Now you're all payin' the price for what I did-"

"Clint, stop!" I said, in a voice that was stern, yet compassionate, "You're not a failure. You're an amazing husband and a great Dad; you're kind, attentive, loving, and ever since I met you I've felt like I've been walking on air. You've lifted me higher than I ever could've dreamed was possible, and if you could've talked to me the only thing I would've said is that I loved my life and when I died, I died painlessly and without regrets. Who could ask for more?"

"I was thinkin', though...that if I'd come here, maybe listened to Nat, then…"

"...we wouldn't be here now," I said, "The Clints that listened to Nat, got help, moved on...they didn't have the drive needed to beat Thanos. What if they refused to help, or screwed up the mission because they didn't have your laser-like focus on bringing us back? The only reason me and the kids get to be with you now is because of your loyalty and bravery, and if helping you slap down some refinery magnate is the price I have to pay to spend another thirty years with the love of my life, then I think that's a bargain."

"Really?"

"Really really," I smiled down at him, "Now, Thera went to all the trouble to make us lunch, so I say we eat it. You know he'll be on your case about it if you don't."

"Damn mother hen," Clint muttered, but there was no malice in it, "I suppose we'd better humour him, right?"

Slowly, Clint lifted himself off my lap and fished around inside the now rather-crumpled bag, before handing me one of the cellophane-wrapped sandwiches. It was badly flattened, and the bread seemed a little stale, but breakfast was now a distant memory and being dragged from pillar to post had worked up an appetite. My stomach, at the very least, growled appreciatively as I took a large bite and leaned back on the ground, staring contemplatively at the monument while I ate. As far as final resting places went, I supposed this wasn't too bad. It was peaceful, tranquil even, and the gentle sigh of the wind brought with it the sounds of birdsong and the burble of the nearby stream. With a smile I closed my eyes, leaned back against the monument - my monument, I supposed - and let the world pass on by. Just five minutes, that's all I needed. Just five minutes...

After a little while I heard the quiet 'clank' of metal and then a telltale 'glug-glug-glug' of liquid, and then Clint nudged me gently on the knee.

"Here," he whispered, and I cracked open an eye to see him holding out the Thermos lid, filled with tea, "Before you fall asleep."

"Thanks, hon," I gratefully accepted the cup and inhaled deeply, enjoying the warm, smoky aroma, "How're you feeling?"

"Like an enormous weight's been lifted off my shoulders," he said, as he settled down next to me, "It ain't closure, not by a long shot, but maybe it's a start."

"I'm guessing that's what Thera wanted you to find."
"I ain't so sure about that," he said, "I reckon that he really wanted me to face my fears."

"You think he knew you were avoiding this place?"

"Let's just say that I don't reckon it's a coincidence we're here," Clint said, darkly, "Thera an' Vi could've lured us an' Keame to anywhere in Missouri, an' they picked here. Why?"

"Mmm, point," I said, "But how'd he know?"

"The same way he knows about all those other things he shouldn't know about?"

"His goddess? Those files?"

"Those're the magical answers, hon," he said scornfully, "An' you know how I feel about 'magical' answers."

"Why can't there be a magical answer? They're literally wizards!"

"'Cause it don't feel right!"

"What? Something doesn't add up?"

"That's just it; it does!" he said frustratedly, "It feels like there's this thread, connectin' everything, an' I can almost see what it is, but I just can't quite grasp it! I'm gettin' close, though. Real close."

"Anything I can do?"

"Jus' keep talking, I guess," he said, "Helps me think."

"Well, you said you spent three years avoiding this place…?"

"Yeah," he nodded grimly, "Three years ago, Nat left a message on one of our burner phones sayin' that this place'd opened, and your names showed up when she did a search. She offered to come with me for support, but…"

"You refused?"

"Didn't answer. Tossed the phone in case she'd use it to find me," he said regretfully, "That was the last time she reached out until she found me in Japan."

"And so you just...tried not to think about it?"

"Exactly," he said, "Didn't help, though; jus' knowin' that you an' the kids were remembered on some damn plinth-" he rapped the monument hard with his knuckles, "-ate away at me, little by little. I knew I had to come, an' I knew I was goin' to come one day, but I just couldn't face it at the time."

"I know, and I don't blame you," I frowned, "But I kinda figured that Nat'd made sure our names were here. You're saying she didn't?"

"If she had, why is my name up there?" Clint twisted to look, "She knew I didn't Snap."

"Then who would've...oh, wait!" my mind drifted back to Maisie standing in Lila's room, eyes shut and fists clenched, and her voice echoed in my mind;

"I lost you. That was the worst bit. I lost you and there wasn't even a damn memorial. I had to do it myself."

"It must have been Maisie," I said, "After the Snap she found the house empty, so she must've assumed that all of us'd been taken by Thanos. She didn't want to forget about Lila, so..."

"She's a good kid," Clint said, "There were a lot of people who really rose to the occasion. Jus' wish I could've been one of them."

"You were; it just took you time to get up to steam," I said, and got to my feet, "We'd better go. We did promise to help Thera, after all, and time's wasting. I'd imagine they'd be very upset if we left them in the lurch now."

"Just a moment, hon," Clint said, and with some care he placed the slightly crushed carnations directly in front of the monument, out of the wind, "These're for you, the kids, an' the time we spent apart. I ain't never going to let that happen again. No matter what."

"Me either," I said, firmly. For a moment we stood side by side in solemn silence, staring down at the blood red petals, and then Clint turned away with a shuddering sigh.

"Alright," he said, and squared his shoulders, "Let's go pay the piper."

We found Thera sat crosslegged beneath the dogwood tree, bolt upright, staring intently at a space directly in front of him. His fingers were tracing a series of complex shapes through the air, and judging from his irritated expression and the litany of muttered swearwords drifting across the path, it was apparent that whatever he wasn't best pleased with whatever he was seeing.

"What d'ya think he's doin'?" Clint said.

"Who knows? Wizard stuff, I guess," I said, and raised my voice, "Hey, Thera!"

Thera looked up and fixed me with an annoyed look, "What, are we fresh out of decorum or something? This is a memorial, you know. Show some respect!"

"Yeah, 'cause you're practically the poster boy for 'showin' respect'," Clint pointed out, "What's eating you all of a sudden?"

"Nothing important. Sorry for snapping," Thera swiped both his hands left in an emphatic gesture and sprang to his feet, "So, did you find what you were looking for?"
"I think we found what you were lookin' for."

"Even better. In any case, we'd better be making tracks; Keame's world isn't going to upend itself-"

"Hold on," Clint said, and took a deep breath, "I...just wanted to say somethin'."

Thera inclined his head, curiously, "Go on."

"Earlier...what you said about bein' dragged in to clean up my mess? You were right," Clint said, "'Cause of me, you've been taken away from your family an' friends and ditched in the middle of nowhere to protect a bunch of people you ain't never met before. I know that we ain't ever really seen eye-to-eye, but you an' Vi've given everything you've got to keep my family safe, and I ain't sure that I've been properly grateful. I jus' wanted you to know that I am. No matter what happens next, I'm real thankful for everythin' you've done."

Thera blinked a couple of times in surprise.

"Wow," he cracked a brief smile, "I've gotta admit, I didn't expect that."

"Well-"

"That was very nearly coherent! Well done, Clint!"

"...an' we're back in the room," Clint sighed, "You don't give an inch, do you."

"Vi might beg to differ," Thera said coyly, "But...look, I know I was harsh earlier, but please don't think I regret any of this. My goddess believes your family is worth saving, and for what it's worth? I agree with her. The world is brighter with you guys in it. Maybe not always safer, but definitely brighter."

"So that's it?" Clint said, and I could see from the look in his eyes that he was fishing for information, "You're willin' to step up to save us 'cause we make the world a little 'brighter'?"

"Do I need a better reason?" Thera asked, "I mean, I know for a fact that there're Avengers who're stronger, smarter, better looking, better dressed, more charismatic, confident, talented, housebroken-"

"Where're you goin' with this, buddy?"

"-well coiffed, versed in etiquette-"

"Thera!"

"What? Oh, sorry; kinda lost my train of thought," Thera said, and grinned, "The point is that despite all your…myriad flaws, you still played a semi-important role in bringing me and my loved ones back from the dead. Even if I never see them again, I can feel that they're alive, and that's worth more to me than you can possibly imagine."

"...huh."

"I know I can't ever repay you for what you've done," Thera went on, "But I can make sure that you're able to live out the rest of your life peacefully, happily, and surrounded by your loved ones, like you deserve. That's gotta be better than a statue or a ticker-tape parade, right?"

Clint stared at Thera, clearly stunned into silence, but eventually found enough of his voice to croak out a thick 'Much better.'.

"'Thought so."

"But...I've got this horrible feelin' that I know what you guys're gonna do next," Clint said, "I saw the drawings at the warehouse, and we heard about what happened over in Marshfield."

"I'm not surprised; it was kind of all over the news," Thera said, "What's your point?"

"Don't go through with it; you've done enough," Clint said, "I've got a better idea."

"I doubt it, but go on."

"How about you an' Vi jus' come back with us? We could make up Nat's old room an' give you a place to stay until another warehouse opens up, or somethin'. It's just…"

"Just what?"

"If there's a price to be paid, or somethin' left that needs doin' then I should be the one doin' it," Clint said, "I can't let more people sacrifice themselves. Not for me."

"Let? Let?" Thera's sudden laugh was more like a bark, "Sorry, Clint, but the idea that you can choose to 'let' us do anything is, to use the local vernacular, 'totes adorbs'. When was the last time you let someone sacrifice themselves, for you or anyone else?"

"Well-"

"I mean...Stark? Snapped himself right off the mortal coil serving Thanos a heaping helping of poetic justice. Banner? Didn't die, but badly hurt Blipping us all back to life. Did you have anything to say in either case? Did you have to give them the nod? No!"

"That's not what I meant!"

"Then...what? Are you referring to Agent Romanov?" Thera frowned, "Because you didn't 'let' her sacrifice herself either, you know. She chose to lob herself off that cliff; she knew what she had to do for you to win and she did it without hesitation or regrets. The idea that you 'let' her sacrifice herself not only diminishes her actions, it diminishes yours."

"...what do you mean by that?"

"I mean that you two beat the living tar out of each other, Clint!" he said, "You think you threw that fight? Don't be ridiculous; you gave it everything you had, but in the end it had to be her. If she'd survived there, Thanos would've won in the end."

"What? Why?"

"Because fourteen-million-to-one odds don't leave a whole lot of room for deviation," Thera said, "Either you did something she didn't or you didn't do something she did, and that made all the difference. I don't know why. Maybe Strange does."

"Maybe," Clint stared unwaveringly at Thera, "So what now?"

"Now? We head over to the rally. Separately," he said, "I'll go first, but when you follow don't let people know that you're together, okay? It might not come to anything but it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Great. Any other advice?"

"Yeah, actually. At some point, someone is probably going to tell you to do something that'll sound absolutely bananas. Don't ask questions; just do it. It's kind of important."

"If it's important, don't you think you should be tellin' me what it is?"

"Probably," Thera said, "But genuine surprise is hard to fake, and you're too honest for your own good. I'd rather not hinge everything on you becoming a world-class actor in the next ten minutes."

"You ain't exactly bein' reassurin', you know," Clint said, "Any other, other advice?"

"Yeah. Make sure you're seen."

-LB-

Thera turned on his heel and walked briskly down the path, whistling tunelessly as he went. We watched him go, and then Clint turned back to me with an intense, almost wild expression on his face.

"Jesus Christ," he muttered, "Jesus Christ!"

"What, Clint?" I said, "What is it?"

"Hold on," Clint said, and leaned in, "Is he gone? Is he out of sight?"

I craned to look, "Um...yeah."

"An' those Wisps of his? Any of 'em around?"

"Can't see them," I said, "Clint, what's going on?"

"I've got it!" he said, "I worked it out! I know who's behind, uh, everythin'!"

"'Everything?'" I frowned, "You're not making a whole lot of sense here, hon."

"I mean who sent Thera an' Vi. Who wants to keep our family safe! It's mad, but...there's only one person it can be!"

I gave him a suspicious look, "I get the feeling that this is the point when I say 'It's' their goddess, right?' and you prove me wrong with your brilliant deductive reasoning, yeah?"

He smiled winsomely, "Could you, hon?"

"Fine," I sighed, "It's their goddess, right?"

"No! That's the point!" he said, and lowered his voice again, "An it's why I wanted to wait until he'd gone. Didn't want him freakin' out on us, 'cause it ain't their goddess. It can't be."

"You seem pretty certain about this," I said, and gave him an appraising look, "Alright, Hawkeye, pony up. Wow me."

"Gladly," he said, with a roguish wink, "I gotta admit it's all just kinda fallen into place, though, so my theory might have a couple of rough edges."

"I said 'wow me', not 'come up with excuses'!" I said sharply, "Out with it!"

"Okay, okay," he held up his hands, "You remember how I was sayin' that we needed to think more like Fury? Y'know, always askin' 'why?', instead of jus' acceptin' things as they were?"

"You mean when we were looking over Vi's drawing, right?" I shivered at the memory, "Yeah."

"Well, we screwed up. Again," Clint said, "Sure, we worked out all that stuff about #273, but we just accepted that they knew about Ronin. We never stopped to think about 'why', at least not really."

"I guess it didn't really matter at the time,"

"Of course not; our family was in danger!" Clint said, "But somethin' Thera said got my attention; if their goddess ain't all-powerful or all-knowin', then how did any of this happen? Why are they even here?"

"Well...she must've known somehow."

"How?"

"Um…" I stopped, "Why do I get the feeling you're about to lay down a royal flush?"

"'Cause maybe I am," he smirked, "When he said that, it really got me thinkin' about this 'goddess' of theirs, an' you know what? There's definitely an M.O. there."

"There is?" I frowned, "Then why haven't I seen it?"

"'Cause you ain't spent your life workin' for a shady intelligence organisation, an' your boss ain't a paranoid cyclops," Clint said, "This stuff's my bread an' butter; I just never thought to look for it in a 'goddess'."

"So you're saying that their goddess is a spy?"

"There's real similarities there, when you think about it," he said, "One of the hardest parts of a job is gettin' in without arousin' suspicion. Those two? They got inserted into a nice, quiet area durin' the Blip, an' were able to use all that chaos to hide themselves amongst the Blip Centre population."

"Not very well," I pointed out.

"Well enough," he said, "They flew under the radars of both Strange an' Fury, an' nobody at the Blip Centre raised the alarm either."

"C'mon; Thera was practically running the place!"

"'Cause that's in his nature," Clint shrugged, "Sometimes the best disguise is being yourself."

"Cute," I remarked, "You should get Coop to post that on the Internet."

"It's true, though, an' it worked!" He said, "You can't argue with the results."

"I suppose not," I said, "What else?"

"Those files, of course," he said, "How'd they get their hands on them?"

"I…" I hesitated, "...don't know."

"Neither do I, 'cause we never thought to think about it," Clint sighed, "But I'll bet you a month's pay that they just 'happened' to find their way into a box of files, or were waitin' for Thera an' Vi at the Blip Centre."

"Like a...um…" I snapped my fingers, "What do you call them again?"

"Dead drop?" He said, "Yeah, Nat an' I used to use 'em all the time. More secure than phone or e-mail, as long as you know what you're lookin' for."

"I bet Vi does."

"An' she's another piece of the puzzle," he said, "You're right, you know."

"About what?"

"About his goddess. It doesn't make any sense for her to punish someone like him by threatenin' Vi, but...what if it ain't a punishment?"

"Then what is it?"

"A distraction, like what they were doin' to us," he said, "Thera ain't an idiot, an' you can tell that he wasn't happy with the performance of his Goddess. Puttin' a loved one's life in the balance is a great way to get someone to knuckle down an' really focus. Hell, I'm proof of that."

"Yes you are," I said, with a smile, "So if their goddess is an impostor…that means that Thera and Vi have been played this entire time. Just like they were playing us!"

"If that ain't karma, I don't know what is," Clint grinned evilly, "But that ain't everythin'. If all Thera an' Vi really had to do was keep us safe, why choose them? Bodyguards should be unobtrusive, detached, and shouldn't ever drag their clients into danger! Instead, these two've interfered in almost every part of our lives, Vi's attached to you like a limpet, an' we both almost got blown to bits!"

"You think she made the wrong choice?"

"No. Those two're a lot of things, but they ain't incompetent," he said, "I reckon that she wanted them to get involved an' emotionally attached, so they'd go that extra mile for us."

"Like breaking into Helix International?"

"Right. That ain't the job of a bodyguard," he said, "It also ain't the job of a bodyguard to kick our asses into gear, but they did that too. As much as I kinda hate to say it, Vi's been good for you."

"Well I've been good for her as well!" I objected, "It hasn't been all one way!"

"I know that," he said, "But I don't reckon it was by chance. She was sent to help you 'soar', like Thera said, an' that means that their 'goddess' knows you well enough to find exactly the right person for the job."

"A spy who knows me, eh?" I smiled wryly, and then I froze, "Wait, Clint, you don't mean-"

"You see where I'm goin' with this, right?"

"But that's insane!"

"It's the only thing that makes sense!"

"It makes no sense!" I said, but then stopped. Something about this argument seemed strangely familiar…

"No? Think about what Thera said earlier," he said, "Do you really reckon he knows Stark said 'no' 'cause he read about it in a report?"

"I guess not, but-"

"Right! The people who know about that're the people who were there, and they ain't exactly the report writing type! It ain't the only thing, either; he shouldn't have known that I'd skipped out on counselling, he shouldn't have known that I was avoidin' this place, and he definitely shouldn't have known about what happened on Vormir! How could he?"

"Well, if you didn't tell him, then that only leaves...well..." I paused. It was insane to say it, much less think it, but she was the only option left, "Nat."

"Yeah."

"That's crazy. You know that, right?" I said, "She's dead! You saw her die!""

"That's what I thought, but now I don't know what I saw!" Clint said, "Honestly, we ain't really got a clue what happened to her, an' Banner wasn't able to bring her back with the rest of you. If she was someplace even the Infinity Gauntlet couldn't reach then who knows what was goin' on?"

"That's...I…" I paused, struggling to find the right words.

"I know it sounds ridiculous, but it also answers everythin'! How they know who we are, where we live, why we're in danger, an' why some random goddess is interested in us!" he said, "Nat knows all of it, and she's part of the family! There you go; now you've got motive and intent!"

"But no actual proof," I said, "It's all circumstantial!"

"No?" Clint said, "Think about what that 'goddess' told Thera. What were those four words?"

"'Bring them back, safe'?"

"Right! That's exactly what Stark asked Banner to do!" He said, "What if…"

"What if what?"

"Well, the Soul Stone was the only stone that required a trade," he said, "The other stones? Practically lyin' around. So what if it's not a trade; what if it needs a soul to actually work? Maybe instead of dyin', she...became part of the Gauntlet itself? Like its consciousness?"

"That's a lot of power," I said, "She really would be a...a...-"

"Goddess," he finished, "Yeah."

"But if she's really that powerful, why involve Thera and Vi at all? Why not just dust Keame instead?"

"Maybe there's more to this then we realise," he said, "Or maybe it's because she had to bring him back, safe. Banner made the wish, an' she just had to act on it as best she could. So…"

"...she roped in Thera and Vi to protect us," I said, "And to help me 'soar'? Why? I was happy at the farmstead!"

"Sometimes it ain't about bein' happy," Clint said softly, "Sometimes it's about doin' the job you were born to do," Clint said softly, "An' she always believed in you, y'know."

"I know, and- oh my God!"

"What?"

"I've just thought of something!" I said, "You were upstairs with Lila at the time, but when Coop showed Thera the pictures of Nat at her birthday party he damn near choked to death. You know, the party with the hog roast and the fireworks and-"

"The pinata! Holy shit, the blindfold!" Clint gasped, and then laughed shortly, "Is that proof enough for you? That must've been a bit of a shock."

"What, seeing his goddess in a family photo album?" I said, "That's what he and Vi were talking about in the hall!"

"Christ," he said, "I'd feel more sorry for them if they hadn't just spent the last two days jerkin' us around."

"We've got to tell them," I said, "We've got to tell them that Vi's not in any danger!"

"Sure, but let's wait until after they've done everything they need to do," he said, and exhaled slowly, "Are you ready for this? I know what Thera said, but it could get messy."

"Are you?" I said pointedly, "I'm not the one who has to be 'seen'."

"I'll be fine," he said, and gave me a weak smile, "I reckon this is gonna fall on deaf ears, but try to stay out of trouble, hon. We're so close now; it'd be really stupid for us to fall at the last hurdle."

"I'll be good," I promised, "Now you'd better get going, or you're going to miss the surprise."

"Oh, it ain't a surprise. 'Least not to me," he said, and added darkly, "I jus' hope they realise what they're gettin' themselves into."