So I felt bad leaving you guys with that cliffhanger, so I made sure to update quickly this time! I was reading reviews all day just laughing, you all are hilarious and so nice even when I leave you with that ending, haha! Anyways, once again, sorry for any grammar mistakes.

And as always, I still don't own the avengers or anything to do with Marvel.

**enjoy***

The Avengers minus Tony were on the main deck, a heavy silence shared between them. Thor stood at the railing, gripping the metal so hard an imprint of his hands was forming. Bruce sat at the table, tapping his fingers and taking deep breaths every time his skin started to turn a little green. Steve sat opposite the doctor, holding his head in his hands. Natasha leaned against a wall, arms crossed tightly, glaring at any of the crew that threw the slightest glance towards them. Clint was pacing back and forth, a hand running back and forth through his hair as he tried not to throw up again.

Natasha had assured him it wasn't his fault, he hadn't known, but Clint couldn't help feeling like the biggest asshole in the world. He had shot a kid; a super powered kid that he wasn't sure was entirely human, but a kid none the less. It kept playing back in his mind, the arrow digging into the soft flesh, blood everywhere. He hadn't been able to see the girl's face, but Stark's eyes were wide with terror as he held the bleeding child in his arms. Clint wasn't sure he would ever get that image out of his head.

The sound of the door opening got all of their attention as Fury and Coulson walked up to the table.

"Any of you want to explain what happened?" Silent looks were shared across the table as Fury leaned onto the metal surface and eyed each and everyone of them. Steve swallowed before trying to defend their actions, he still believed the whole situation to be a result of Stark withholding information from his team. If only the man had told them before Loki had shown up, Thor could've gotten the creature to Asgard.

"Sir, we didn't know the Skīr-r wasn't mature," was it considered a child, Steve wasn't sure, "It— "

"SHE!" The director of SHIELD slammed his fists down as he practically growled at America's favorite hero. Roger's mouth hung slightly open as he blinked at the man's unexplained rage.

"…What?"

"She, Captain Rogers. The child who ended your battle with Loki and saved your teammate while you all had your thumbs up your asses, the one who is currently getting an arrow removed from her right lung and upper stomach is a she. Do not refer to her as an it."

Steve splutter out words but they only came out as mumbled gibberish as he turned bright red. Natasha observed the exchange with a careful eye while both Bruce and Clint felt slightly green for very different reasons.

"Sir," Fury turned to glare at her, he wasn't pleased with any of them. Barton and Rogers were at the top of his shit-list, but that didn't mean the others were in the clear, "why did she, the Skīr-r, save Stark? What does she have to do with him?"

"Eleanor Maria Stark." For the first time since coming into the room, Coulson spoke—his tone flat and his face blank. Natasha rose an eyebrow expectantly as Fury snorted a cold laugh, "Her name is Eleanor Maria Stark. She is Stark's daughter."

"Tony adopted a kid? Since when?" Bruce sucked in a breath, he wasn't sure how the whole team missed such an important piece of information.

"Her birthday is next week so about six years. And she isn't technically adopted, she is biologically his." Pepper had called Coulson earlier, desperate for a replacement Captain America plush as the dog had managed to ruin the one he had given the little Stark two years prior. He had promised to find a replacement in time for the party, however, he wasn't sure how he felt giving Elli anything that had to do with Captain America right now.

"Impossible! She is a Skīr-r! How could she have mortal blood in her veins?" Thor had never heard of any Skīr-r mating outside their species.

"Skīr-r or not, Elli has half of Stark's DNA," Fury felt a sick satisfaction at the pale faces of the heroes before him. The realization of what they had done seemed to finally be hitting all of them. Clint looked as green as the Hulk as he practically ran from the room.

"Congratulations team, you managed to shoot Stark's daughter the same day you moved into his tower," with those parting words, Fury turned on his heel, his trench coat fanning out behind him. The Earth's mightiest 'heroes' could stew in their guilt by themselves, he had a grandbaby to check on.

***line break***

Clint sat in an air vent, peeking through the grate into the room where the little Stark was being treated for-the archer swallowed the guilt creeping up his throat-the arrow he had shot into her back. It had been angled just right that it managed to pierce a lung as well as her stomach.

Wires and tubes extended from all over her body as a woman Fury had greeted as Dr. Clemmons sat down with Tony at the side of the little girl's bed. He'd never seen the man this way, the genius was always snarky and full of life, but now he was silent, holding his daughter's hand tightly.

His teammate's daughter. He speared Tony Freaking Stark's secret kid while the man was holding the her in his arms. Dammit he might be sick again.

He crawled away, guilt eating at him as Pepper burst into the room with Coulson, tears streaming down her face.

***line break***

Elli blinked her eyes at the bright light shining over head. A beeping made her look over to the heart monitor next to her bed, eyes trailing to the wire connected to the clip on the pointer finger of the hand that wasn't prosthetic. Her daddy's fist held the other fingers making them feel pleasantly warm. Coughing as a giggle escaped her, Elli struggled to lift her other arm to poke her daddy's head.

"Daaadddyyyyy," her voice was slightly hoarse and a few coughs escaping her as she continued to poke him. Her daddy swatted at her hand in a sleepy manner before sitting straight up, his hair sticking straight up on one side, eyes impossibly wide. She couldn't help laughing at her daddy before her body shuddered and went into a coughing fit.

"Oh baby girl, I'm so sorry," Tony tried to smooth his daughter strangled breaths by gently rubbing her back, careful to avoid the area where the arrow went through. He wanted to hold her tightly in his arms, but feared damaging her even more.

"She's up!" Dr. Clemmons strolled into the makeshift hospital room as Elli's coughs died down.

"Yeah she just woke up now. But shouldn't her body have healed more?" Every other cut, scrape, and bruise in her life had healed in minutes. Hell, when she broke her wrist one afternoon, it was completely healed by her bedtime.

"Usually I would say yes, but I have a theory. She's burnt out, Tony," a big yawn escaped the white haired child as she rubbed her eyes, solidifying Clemmons claim, a few coughs following after, "Has she ever used her powers that much in such a short amount of time?"

"No," Clemmons was right, Elli had flown from Fury's apartment, healed him, created a wind storm, and gotten hurt in the span of a couple hours, it had been a lot for the almost seven-year-old, "I don't think she has. So you're saying her body doesn't have enough energy to heal her?"

"Her wounds are still healing quickly, which of course made taking the arrow out difficult," Clemmons grumbled, "she just isn't healing as fast as usual. Her body is playing catch up right now. Elli, sweetie, do you think you could lean forward for me?"

Coming around the bed with her stethoscope, Clemmons untied the back of Elli's nightgown as Tony helped his daughter sit up. Used to her check-ups, Elli breathed deeply without the older woman having to instruct her.

"Her lung is still healing, but it is better than yesterday, that's for sure. She should be fine to move around in two weeks, but until then she has to stay in bed," Clemmons braced herself for the objections she knew both Starks would have.

"But next week is," a couple coughs disrupted the child, "my birthday! I don't wanna stay in bed!"

"She doesn't have to stay here, right? Can I move her back to the tower?" Tony wanted his daughter as far away from the Avengers as soon as possible.

"She should stay put a couple days just to be safe. And I'm sorry Elli, but your lungs can't handle it, though, I'm sure everyone will be happy to have your party in your bedroom," both pouted slightly, their resemblance as clear as ever. Even their hair matched having been messed with sleep.

Clemmons smiled gently before leaving the room.

**boop**

Elli scowled at the ceiling, bored with the room she would be confined to for the next few days. Her daddy had left with her Papa when she had fallen asleep earlier and had yet to come back. It was boring now being able to do anything but lay there. Her throat felt better and she didn't cough as much as she did yesterday, but Dr. Clemmons still wouldn't let her get out of this stupid bed! In a fit of rebellion, Elli kicked her legs furiously under the covers while squeezing the Hulk Teddy Pepper had brought her from home. A snicker made her stop as she followed the sound to the air vent.

"Hello?"

No one answered.

**boopdaboop**

The next day Elli was alone again. This time her daddy had left her with a Starkpad to play games on, but she quickly grew tired of it. She was much more interested in the man who was in the vent. Now that she was aware of it, she couldn't help but notice each time the man returned to watch over her.

"I'm bored," she talked at the grate covering the vent and the grate refused to answer. Elli blew a raspberry at it, "come on! I know you're there!"

The grate remained silent.

"Fine, I'll talk to myself then! Bet I am better company," Clint had to hold his nose from laughing, she had sounded just like Stark right there. The girl kicked her legs a few times before reaching for a green Teddy bear that looked strangely like Banner. She bounced it on her lap before whispering something in its fuzzy green ear. She then held its embroidered mouth to her ear before nodding.

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers so I'll introduce myself. I'm Elli, this is Hulkie," she held the bear up toward the vent, so it was supposed to be Banner, "Now you gotta tell me your name."

Clint remained silent but raised an eyebrow as the girl stared intently at the vent.

"I'll call you Venty then, cause you're in a vent. There, now we aren't strangers," Clint couldn't help the snort that escaped him at her obviously flawed logic. Elli could only grin at the tiny victory.

**bleh**

"Venty!" A soft whisper caused Clint stirred slightly before turning over in the nest he had created, "Venty! Wake up!"

Elli heard a snore erupt from the vent causing her to giggle slightly.

"VENTY!" Clint jumped, hitting his head on the top of the vent, and eruption of giggles coming from the tiny Stark floating outside the vent. His eyes widened as she peeked in at him.

"Hi!" His jaw hung open at the glowing child, before he pushed open the vent.

"You're supposed to be asleep! Not to mention out of your bed!" Elli gave him a lopsided grin that was missing her front tooth, she had lost it yesterday during lunch. He finally said something back! Grinning from ear to ear, she held out a single dollar bill.

"But I had to show you! Look! The Tooth Fairy left me money!" Clint's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, when had Stark come in here?

"…wow," Clint supposed it was amazing to a child, but he was kind of disappointed. He would've thought Stark would leave diamonds or something under his kid's pillow.

"Here!" She shoved the dollar into his chest, "I'm giving it to you."

"Kid," Clint tried to give it back to her but she evaded him easily, "I can't take this. You earned it…with your, uh, tooth."

"Yeah, but I want you to have it. I figure you're probably homeless since you're living in a vent." It was so genuine that Clint could only gape at the child before he burst into muffled laughter. The kid was probably right! There was no way Stark was going to let him stay in his tower after he had shot his daughter in the back.

Elli tilted her head and stared intently at Venty as he wheezed into his knees. After a few minutes he hopped down from the vent and landed softly on the floor. His hand hooked around her ankle bringing her into his arms. He held her gently as she dimmed, then tucked her back into her bed.

"Kid, life woulda been so much easier if you were a brat," Clint smiled fondly at Elli as her eyes fluttered close, his heart clenched slightly in regret. He would have loved to see her grow up, too bad after tomorrow, Tony would most likely never let any of the Avengers see her again.

**heh**

Early the next morning, Tony burst into the room with balloons and a giant stuffed bunny.

"Munchkin! Ready to go home?" Elli blinked sleepily at her daddy before nodding and going back under her covers. Seeing an opportunity for revenger, Tony dropped the bunny and let go of the balloons before tearing the blankets off of his daughter, laughing as she threw Hulkie at him. Scooping her up into his arms, she nuzzled her forehead into his neck, still desperately trying to sleep.

"Did the Tooth Fairy come?" Tony lifted the pillow expecting money to be there but saw nothing. Did it fall under the bed? About to crouch down and look, Tony stops as Elli mumbles a yes into his shirt.

"What'd she leave you?" Balancing her in one arm, Tony set about packing her toys into a duffle bag.

"A dollar," Elli yawned and lifted her head, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, "but I gave it to the homeless man living in the air vent."

Tony stopped packing to stare at his daughter and process what she just told him. She sneezed before looking up at him with pleading eyes.

"Can he come to my party?"

Clint had started to slowly back further into the ventilation system as soon as Elli had mentioned him. He paused as Tony narrowed his eyes at the vent.

"Shit."

**and done**

Better than yesterday right? I hope all your broken hearts are a little mended. Poor Clint needed a little love. Next update, I'll explain what Tony was up to and where the rest of the team was.

BTW, I caught like, six drowzees today :D