The white-tinged sand fell between her fingers as Morgan used a small shovel to scoop it into a bucket. Aubrey readjusted on the warm lake shore, listening as Morgan babbled to Aubrey.
"I'm gonna make a castle and you're gonna help me, right?...right Aunty Brie?"
"Of course, Squirt. Just tell me what to do"
"Can you help me shovel sand?" Morgan pushed a loose hair away as she leaned against the shovel.
"How about we take turns? I'll do it for a little bit and you can cool off.-" Aubrey pushed to her feet, taking the shovel as Morgan plopped down on the nearby picnic bench. "-How big is this castle gonna be?
"Huge!-" Morgan threw her arms out wide "- Me, an' you, and momma, and daddy will all fit in it."
"My goodness! That's a big castle, I don't think we will finish it today" Aubrey pushed her hair back into a ponytail before scooping again.
"Okay" Morgan's head bobbed up and down as she gulped water out of a reusable bottle. A sudden vibration on Aubrey's wrist brought her to a pause. She knew what was vibrating...dreaded answering it. But she brought a hand up, tapping the glowing Kimoyo Bead. Okoye appeared, a solemn look on her face.
"Eagle-" she greeted "- Someone has been looking to talk to you but we cannot locate your location."
"Who?" Flashing a glance at Morgan, she sat down beside the girl and whispered into her ear "-I think your momma is making cookies, why don't you go see what she's up to?"
"Okay" Morgan nodded, her eyes lighting up at the mention of a cookie, popping up off of the bench, she scampered inside.
"Who's looking for me, Okoye."
"Natasha Romanoff, she needs you to track someone down."
Aubrey felt her spine stiffen and the next words came out as a growl "I don't do that anymore."
"It is not like what you think. I'm going to transfer you over to her, Aubrey. Just hear her out."
She wanted to hang up but she was curious….and as much as she didn't want to admit it, Aubrey knew that part of her wanted to do something. Okoye flickered away and a moment later Black Widow appeared, lounging on a desk chair. Her hair hung limply and Aubrey could make out the bags under her eyes.
"Natasha" nodding her head once, Aubrey wondered what this woman could want from her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tony on the wrap-around porch, a concerned look on his face. But Romanoff's voice brought her focus back.
"I need your help, Aubrey. You need to track someone down for me"
"I don't do that anymore-" she repeated "- I'm not going to-"
"Clint Barton, I need you to find him" Romanoff met her eyes and Aubrey saw in them the same look she'd seen in her own when Bucky had been captured.
"Okay," the word escaped her lips before she could stop it.
"You'll do it? You'll find him?" shock sounded in her voice.
Aubrey nodded, once. "You have things for me to read through I'm assuming?"
Natasha stood to her feet and pulled a file out of a cabinet. "Not much, but enough...you'll want to come look at it."
"I'll be there soon."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Tony followed Aubrey down the stairs. She heaved a sigh, frustration building up, it was hard to explain why she'd said yes.
"Tony….I owe her. She's hurting and...and if Barton was Bucky and I was in her shoes…-" she trailed off, gulping in a breath and setting down the duffel bag that held her meager belongings. Tony had gone above and beyond when she'd first arrived, ordering clothing and making sure she had everything she needed. But her life with the Starks was different than her life chasing Barton would be.
"Aubrey, Morgan is going to be devastated." he reasoned again, following her out to the garage where her weapons were stashed. Those words made her stop, whirl around, and meet his eyes.
"I'm not going to be gone forever….beside's it'll be good for her to spend some time with just you two….She'll be okay….right Tony?"
"I'd rather not find out-" he murmured "you're safe here Aubrey...why would you leave that"
"Tony-" Aubrey drew out his name, pulling on the Nano rings that formed into a bow. The knives and throwing stars clinked together as she collected them up. "- I'll keep in touch. I'm going to the compound and go from there. I'm sorry."
"It's fine….just be safe and make sure you call a lot and...talk to Morgan before you go."
"I will, you know I don't mean to hurt her"
"I do" he relented, flicking off the garage lights as he followed her back out.
"Hey, Squirt, can you come here for a second?" Aubrey crouched to Morgan's level and gave her a soft smile.
"Okay"
Tucking a loose hair behind the young girl's ear, Aubrey began in a hushed voice. "Y'know how we've talked about your dad and I worked to help people?"
Morgan gave a slight nod, fiddling with a doll.
"Well, someone I know needs help and I've decided to go help her….but that means I have to leave for a while"
"You're gonna miss dinner?" her brows scrunched as Aubrey shook her head
"I'm going to miss a lot of things. It could be a couple of months before I come back. But I really need to help my friend"
"Is she sad?... I'm glad you can help her if she's sad-" Morgan's brown eyes latched onto hers, sparkling with emotion. "-but…-" she paused for a moment, sucking in a breath "- I don't want you to go".
"I know, Squirt-" Aubrey stopped as Morgan leaned into her, she pulled her into a hug. "-I'm gonna miss you too, so, so much."
"But you'll come back...right?...Aunty Brie?" Tony's daughter whispered into her ear.
"I'll come back, Morgan. I promise"