SpaceKatas: Thank you for the kind words!
RYJAN: Thank you for the review. As far as this story goes beyond Endgame will be determined.
jh831: I hope this chapter answers your review with the reunion.
One hour earlier… at the farm.
Clint's eyes' suddenly opened up.
Feeling a breeze against his face, he frowned.
Feeling that something was wrong.
Seeing he was standing in front of the target.
Standing exactly where he was.
Outside in the setting sunlight which he knew wasn't right since they were just about to have lunch…
He glanced around in confusion, not seeing Lila.
"Lila…!" he shouted.
"Clint…" he heard Laura gasp behind him.
Turning around he saw her, Cooper, and Nate by the picnic table.
Exactly where they were moments ago,
"Honey…" he began to fast walk towards her but stopped, feeling the knee high grass brush against his pants.
"What's going on?" Laura managed to say.
He looked around, seeing the farm unkempt.
"I don't know.. Lila!" he called for her.
Not getting a response.
"Sweetie!" Laura shouted.
She and Clint shared a concerned look.
"Honey, what's happening…" she said with unease.
"Dad…" Cooper said while looking down at his phone.
"What Coop?" he turned back to him. He raised his phone to show the date enlarged on it.
It ending in 2023.
"That's not possible…" he frowned.
Pulling his out of his jean pocket only to confirm.
"Lila!" he shouted for her at the top of his lungs in the silence.
"Maybe she's inside." Laura suggested
. "Maybe." Clint said unsure.
He ran ahead of his family to the house as fast as he could.
"C'mon guys…" Laura gestured for her sons to follow behind.
Grabbing Nate.
"Mom what's going on…?" Cooper asked her.
"Oh nothing… everything's fine." she tried to reassure him.
Clint ran up to the porch but stopped in his tracks to a halt.
Seeing the graves in the mulch by the porch Nat made four years ago in the overgrown garden.
Shuddering a breath, he crouched to see the initials on each one.
But not Lila's.
Along with his…
Reaching his stone slowly.
Holding it in his hands.
Laura had her kids while walking calmingly towards them but saw him.
"Alright Cooper can you take Nate inside? I'll get dinner started soon?" she asked, clenching his shoulder.
"Mom…" he showed her videos on social media of the original snap from five years ago.
She gasped, glancing towards her husband.
"It's okay, Cooper. Please take Nate inside. We're gonna figure this out okay?" she said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
He nodded, still looking down at his phone but grabbed his brother and led him inside.
Laura slowly approached her husband and knelt down next to him.
Seeing him go through the news on his phone.
"Honey…" she said soothingly.
"This doesn't make any sense. Please don't tell me it's been five years…" he begged.
She swallowed with unease.
"If it's been five years then Lila…" she said softly but went wide eyed.
Reaching for Clint's phone to call her daughter.
Getting up, she paced nervously while the tones beeped but the call was answered after the third.
"Dad… dad…it's me…" she heard her daughter choke out.
"Lila, sweetie are you okay…?" she asked worryingly but heard her cry out in what seemed to be pain and the call was cut off after an explosion.
"Lila! Lila!" she begged but saw the call ended on the screen.
"Honey, what's wrong?" Clint asked with worry.
"It was Lila but something just happened…" she said with a hitched breath.
Hearing the explosion in the background.
She tried calling her again but it went straight to voicemail.
"She's not answering Clint…" the former SHIELD agent said while beginning to panic.
Clint grabbed her hands reassuringly.
"Hey, it's gonna be okay alright? Let's call Natasha? Maybe she's with her…" he suggested.
She nodded.
"Okay, okay…" she quickly called her, placing the phone to her ear but it also immediately went to voicemail.
"She's not answering her phone either." she frowned.
Clint took a deep breath.
"They must be together. They must be." he deduced, trying to convince himself.
"Clint, if Lila isn't with us and if it's been five years. Does that mean…?" Laura asked quietly.
Fearing the answer, Clint grabbed her hands.
Resting his chin on hers.
"Oh God."
Three hours later.
Lila was piloting a Quinjet in the darkness back to the farm.
Well… FRIDAY was piloting it but she was in the pilot seat.
Slumped in it with her hands on the joysticks.
Exhausted.
She still looked like a wreck.
Half her face was still swollen.
Black, blue, and bloodied with a cut beneath it.
Still blinded thanks to her swollen shut eye.
Along with her broken nose.
But her injuries were far from her main concern…
She was almost home now.
She hadn't called her parents since that first call before Thanos' attack.
The seventeen year old wasn't sure how much they knew by now.
And that terrified her.
That last time they saw her was… that day five years ago.
She yawned, just realizing how long the day was.
And tired she was.
It beginning with her time travelling back to 2017 early that morning.
Hearing nothing but the roar of the jet engines she sighed.
Trying to calm her nervousness.
"Ms. Barton. We're approaching the destination. I'm going to land the jet now." FRIDAY announced.
"Thanks FRIDAY. Can you land in the side yard?" she asked kindly.
"Yes, Ms."
Inside the farmhouse, Clint and Laura were in the living room, watching the news in shock.
Laura was still trying to call either Lila or Nat to no avail.
"If you're just joining us, we'd like to recap the recent events in upstate New York and around the world…" they watched the news anchor at his desk.
The green screen in the background showing a shaky amateur cell phone video of the Sanctuary ll.
They heard the familiar sounds of an engine become louder and louder and went wide eyed.
Grabbing each other's hands they ran outside.
Lila saw the farmhouse go by low underneath the windshield of the jet as it landed on the lawn.
Spinning the chair around, she got up to grab her bow and sword.
Strapping it to her back while she walked back to the ramp.
Pressing the button to open it.
Revealing her parents at the bottom.
"Mom... Dad…" she rushed down to hug them.
Seeing her mom who was shorter than her now.
Crying happy tears.
"Lila, oh my God!" Laura gasped, hugging her older daughter.
"Look at you…" she managed to say.
Clint cupper her cheeks and brushed her long hair behind her ear.
"You're so big…" he choked out.
Seeing her head reach his chin now.
After what seemed like forever the three stopped hugging each other but saw her injuries. but spotted Lila's injuries.
"Lila what happened?" Clint asked in horror.
She turned to her dad but winced in pain.
Laura gasped, seeing how bad she looked.
"It's kind of a long story…" she said uneasily.
Laura tucked her dirty hair behind her ear to get a better look but Lila heard footsteps from the porch behind her.
She looked over their shoulders to see Cooper and Nate walking down the steps.
"Oh my God!" she exclaimed while running towards them.
Both of them looking confused but she reached down to pick up Nate in her arms.
Hugging Cooper just as tightly.
"Why are you so big Lila?" Nate asked innocently.
She just smiled.
"Oh Nate… I've missed you so much…" she said while crying.
"Hey, What about me?" Cooper joked.
She just smiled.
Once again, seeing she was taller than him now.
"You have no idea…" she hugged him as well.
Clint and Laura smiled at each other, seeing their family reunited but were concerned by their daughters severe injuries.
And they saw her weapons strapped to her back.
"C'mon, we need to get you inside."
Laura and Clint rushed her to the bathroom.
She sat down on the toilet seat, unstrapping her weapons and gun.
Placing the gun on the vanity and bow and sword against the wall.
Clint went downstairs to get icepacks while Laura was reaching for the cabinet to grab her sewing kit.
She turned around but gasped at the weapons.
Lila cringed, seeing the look on her mom's face.
"I can explain…" she began but her mom placed knelt down next to her.
"I don't care right now. Now please lift up your suit. I see a cut bleeding through it." she asked gently.
Lila sighed, lifting her shirt up to see the dried up blood from the deep cut from Thanos' sword.
And more blood began to stream from the gash again over the stains.
Laura reached for a washcloth.
Soaking it, applying pressure before she washed her wound.
Lila relaxed at the cold water against her skin until the bleeding eventually stopped.
She watched her mom place the blood soaked rag in the sink.
She brought out the pin and needle as Clint walked in with an arm full of icepacks.
"Right, uh… these are all the packs we have…" he said while handing two to Lila.
"Thanks, dad." she said, reaching one up to her cheek and the other to her eye.
She winced, feeling the needle pierce her skin as her mom began to work.
Clint spotted her broken nose and frowned
. Kneeling down next to Laura.
"Now I'm gonna have to snap your nose back into place. It's gonna hurt." he warned gently.
She nodded.
"I kinda forgot about the broken nose." she smiled faintly.
He reached his hands up to either side and she cringed, feeling the pain shoot through her.
"Okay… one… two…" he said but instantly snapped it back into place. Hearing the bone pop.
She closed her eyes, bringing the icepack from her cheek to it.
Her dad grabbed one to place the other one in its place.
One against her nose.
She felt the last of her gash being sewn up.
"This may scar Lila. I wish I could have gotten to it sooner." her mom said regretfully.
"It's okay. I got lucky I guess…" she sighed, leaning back against the toilet.
Watching her mom pack away the sewing kit.
"Lila, what happened five years ago?" Clint asked quietly
. Laura placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Well if you remember it was my thirteenth birthday…" she began.
"I do." he nodded.
"You gave me my first bow." She smiled fondly.
"I remember. All of us were outside" Clint replied.
"We were gonna have lunch but then you guys disappeared just like that…" she said with a snap of her fingers.
Both of them nodded sadly.
"We reappeared in the same spot earlier today but you weren't there. What happened then?" Laura asked with worry.
"I wasn't snapped. But at the time I didn't know what was going on. So I called Auntie…" she said but caught her breath at the end.
But then the recent memories of Vormir came flooding back.
"Auntie Nat…" she said while beginning to cry hysterically.
Clint and Laura shared a worried look.
"What about Auntie Nat Lila?" Laura asked concerned.
Hugging and holding her tightly.
"Vormir I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. It's all my fault…" she begged.
"It's alright sweetie. It's alright sweetie…" Laura tried her best to calm her.
Hugging her while she cried into her shoulder.
Her parents tried calming her down but it was to no avail as she told them the long story of what happened the past five years.
After their daughter told them the long story of what happened while they were gone.
And what she just fought with the Avengers they had her take a shower to calm down and wash all the dirt and grime off her.
Then they tucked her in her bed.
They only had to wait three minutes before she was out cold underneath the blankets.
Silently, Laura leaned down to kiss her on her forehead before turning off the lights.
Joining her husband who was holding her weapons in the hallway.
Quietly making their way to their bedroom.
Clint closed the door behind them, placing his sword and her bow against the wall. Her gun on the night stand.
Tears in his eyes along with Laura's.
"Natasha…" Clint choked out.
Laura hugged him tightly, allowing him to cry and grief over the loss.
"I'm so sorry, Clint" she said as he leaned on her.
"She adopted her." he said softly.
"They thought we died. They buried us." Laura whispered.
"We did? Didn't we?" he asked.
She looked up to him, not sure if he was right.
"It's been five years. We were gone for five years. And not we're back." she said with regret.
"I know. I know." was all Clint could say. His mind racing.
"Natasha came for her that night. Adopted her. Took her to school. Raised her herself because we couldn't… Our daughter is seventeen now. We missed our daughter grow up." Laura began to sob.
The couple held each other tightly.
"Trained her." Clint added.
Laura frowned.
"She fought in that battle… like you did before." she said sadly.
"No. She fought in something worse. If I didn't give her that bow maybe…" he said regretfully but Laura shushed him soothingly.
"She would have found a way around you. Even Natasha couldn't say no to her." she said fondly.
Clint just shook his head.
"She watched her sacrifice herself." he said in disbelief.
"Today. Everything just happened today." Laura said, still in disbelief.
"Lila is going to have so much guilt. Trauma. More than I had to deal with because she's still a child." he said seriously.
She managed to nod.
"We failed as parents." she said, wiping more tears from her eyes.
"We didn't fail Laura. It wasn't our fault But we're here for her now. We won't leave her again." Clint said firmly, she nodded.
"We're gonna have to tell Cooper and Nate about Natasha." she said gently.
"We will. We're here now." he managed to nod.
The couple leaned their heads on each other.
"I'm thankful it was Natasha who adopted her." Laura said softly.
The two stared into each other's eyes.
"Me too. Natasha loved her. At least they had each other."
Down the hall, Lila was sound asleep, snoring loudly.
Not hearing the door open and Nate walking in.
She did wake up when she felt her little brother crawl into her bed to snuggle up next to her.
She smiled, opening up her eye.
"Hi, Nate." she said grouchily.
"I'm gon sleep in here." was all he said before he crawled underneath the blankets.
She wrapped her arm around him.
"That's alright. I've missed you so much."
Early the next morning, the alarm clock woke Laura up.
Reaching to turn it off on the nightstand, she looked over to see Clint not on his side of the bed.
Frowning, she put on her bathrobe and walked down the darkened hallway but stopped at the closet doors where Lila's weapons were against them.
Seeing her quiver completely empty.
And her sword blade covered in a blueish nonhuman alien blood.
She frowned.
Still in horror about what her daughter was forced to go through.
She picked up the Glock and unloaded the clip to see it empty.
Shuddering a breath she placed it back down with her shaking hands before walking out.
Approaching Lila's door, she opened it softly to peak inside, seeing her passed out with Nate sleeping on the other side of the bed.
Smiling, she walked in so the floor boards would only silently creak, she reached down to pick up her son.
Carrying him back to his room to tuck him in.
After that, she walked downstairs right as Clint walked in.
Seeing the sun beginning to rise.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." he apologized.
"It's alright. I was already up. What were you doing?" she asked, seeing his fingers covered in dirt.
"Removing the uh… graves outside…" he said carefully while scratching his head.
She nodded sadly.
"I didn't want the boys to see it." he added.
"Thank you. Did you sleep at all?" she asked concerned.
"A little." he answered with a hand gesture.
"I'll put coffee on. I don't think the kids will be going to school today or anytime soon while they figure everything out with all of us being back." Laura stated.
"How's Lila?" he asked with worry.
"Sleeping. I suspect for most of the day. She's exhausted. Nate snuck in after we went to be so I put him back to bed." Laura told him.
"Okay. I'll get started on the yard. It's a mess out there." he said while nodding out to the farm.
"You don't have to honey. It's only been a day." Laura said gently.
"Gonna have to at some point. The kids are still sleeping. I won't be long." he kissed her before walking back outside.
She frowned at the old habits but chose not to push it any farther.
After everything that happened she knew he was coping… along with her.
Cooper and Nate eventually woke up and joined their dad outside to help out with the yard work after Laura made their breakfast.
It was late in the morning now.
The sun high in the blue sky.
Laura was sitting on a rocking chair in Lila's room in the corner by the window.
An opened book was in her lap but she wasn't focused on reading it.
Her attention was on her soft snoring daughter.
Still out after going to sleep over thirteen hours ago.
She told Clint she didn't want her to be alone when she woke up.
And she just couldn't stop staring at her.
Seeing how she aged from the little girl she last knew her into a young woman she was now.
And seeing the red highlights in her long brunette hair.
Knowing what inspired that.
She had five years to make up for.
But for now she let her sleep.
Not imagining the pain and hardship Lila went through the past five years.
She looked out the window to see Clint mowing the vast lawn with the tractor by the tree line.
Looking down to see Cooper and Nate picking up the cleared brush and sticks around the mulched garden by the porch.
But she heard Lila's calm breathing become hitched.
Turning her head back to her to see her beginning to shuffle, clench the pillow tighter.
"No… Auntie Nat… no…" she heard her daughter beg in her sleep.
Going wide eyed she rushed over to crouch down next to her.
"Lila… Lila sweetie it's alright…" she said soothingly.
Stroking her hair gently.
Seeing sweat stream down her forehead but she woke up with a bolt instantly.
Panting heavily but her mom caught her by her shoulders.
"It's okay sweetie. You're home. Safe. We're all still here." she said comfortingly.
Lila looked to her wide eyed, gripping the blankets tightly but managed to nod.
"I'm sorry…" she choked out.
Her mom just embraced her.
Holding her tightly.
"It's alright. It's okay…" she soothed her.
Sitting on the bed, Lila enjoying her mom holding her.
After a few moments, they heard the sound of a tractor engine going into the barn across the driveway.
"Your dad and brothers are outside. The yard is a bit of mess." Laura explained.
She nodded.
"Auntie Nat and I came by often as much as we could." Lila said.
"Well, you know how your father is." she said and Lila smiled back.
She yawned and Laura got up to let her up.
Reaching her hand up to feel her bruises and swelling on her face.
Along with the bruises on the top of her head she was just feeling.
"How are you feeling?" she asked concerned.
"Sore. Tired." she answered honestly.
Laura nodded in understanding.
"Well I would offer breakfast but it's almost noon so how does lunch sound after I change the bandages on your waist?" she asked.
Lila nodded while reaching down to feel her wound on the side of her waist.
Fighting the bad memories that threatened to flood her mind.
After Laura helped her daughter attend to her injuries, Lila changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t shirt before joining her mom in the kitchen.
Spotting the stack of steaming grilled cheese sandwiches at the set table.
Laura was pouring glasses of water for everyone but heard Lila walk in.
"Just in time. What do you want for drink?" she asked.
"Coffee. Please." Lila asked politely.
Laura opened her mouth to say something but Nate came barging through the door.
"Lila! Lila! Look what I found!" he shouted while holding up a toad trying to squirm in his mud covered hands.
She smiled widely
. "Whoa! Did you guys find that by the creek?" she asked while walking up to him.
"Yeah, there's tons of them!" he said excitedly as Lila crouched down to him.
"That's awesome! But I don't think mom wants him in the house. Why don't you put him back with his family and let Cooper and Dad know lunch is ready? Hmm?" she asked kindly.
"Okay!" he said before running back aside.
Laura watched them happily before pouring Lila her cup of coffee.
Lila smiled, seeing her brother rush out.
But felt a tear come to her eyes she wiped it away.
"Are you okay sweetie?" Laura asked as she walked up behind her.
Handing her mug from behind her.
"Yeah it's just… you have no idea how much I missed all of you. For years I never thought I would get all of this back." she said while gesturing around her.
"I don't know how to make this better for you sweetie. But this is real. We're all here now." her mom reassured her with another hug.
She hugged her back but her dad and brother walked in.
"Something smells good." Clint said with a smile but saw Lila already up.
"Hey, honey." he greeted with a hug and kissed her on the forehead.
"Hi dad. Hey Cooper." she greeted them with hugs but Clint spotted her coffee mug.
"You drinking coffee now?" he smiled amused.
"Among other things." she grinned back before taking a sip of the hot beverage.
"No boyfriends already I hope." he joked.
"No boyfriends." she replied with a smile.
"Alright guys, go wash up. Especially you Nate, I know where your hands have been." Laura asked with a smile to Nate's disappointment.
He pouted but followed his older brother upstairs.
"How are you feeling honey?" Clint asked her seriously.
"I'm okay. Physically, at least." she again answered truthfully.
Clint nodded in understanding.
With the recent loss hanging silently over everyone's heads.
"When you're ready to talk about anything… Lila I'll be here for you. Your mom and I will both be here. We won't leave you again." Clint promised while hugging her.
"I know. I just want to make sure this is real first. I don't want this to be a dream." Lila said, still unsure about her reality.
"It's real sweetie." Laura reassured her.
Lila still not wanting to believe this was real.
"We're all here. You won't be alone again."
After lunch, Lila grabbed a dusty book from the bookshelf in her room.
The house was still a bit dirty since her and Nat haven't been to it in a few weeks.
It was an old Russian novel that Nat gave her last Christmas.
Deciding to read it on one of the rocking chairs on the porch out front alone.
Enjoying the warm spring afternoon.
She was glad to have her family back but the new reality was overwhelming.
And still hard to believe it was real.
So she asked her parents for some time alone.
And the memories of her Aunt were haunting her mind.
Reading the Russian lettering on the page she turned it but heard the screen door creak open.
Turning her head to see Cooper walking out to join her in the chair next to her.
"Hey Cooper." she smiled. He smiled back.
"Hey Lila. I just couldn't help but notice that you're…" he began, gesturing his finger up and down her.
Not wanting to say the word but she smiled
. "Older and taller than you now." she said smugly.
Closing the book in her lap.
"I wasn't going to say older." he argued.
"I am though. I'm seventeen now. You're still sixteen. Little brother.." she said smugly.
He opened his mouth but closed it. Trying to come up with an argument.
"I was still born before you so I'm still technically the oldest sibling." he said while crossing his arms, looking proud.
"I'm a senior in high school Cooper. I'm going to MIT next year while you're still a sophomore." she countered.
He raised his finger to argue but she just reached over to hug him.
He hugged her back.
"I did miss you. Every day." she said seriously.
"We're you involved… in the uh battle?" he asked, just seeing amateur video's Thanos ship on YouTube.
She swallowed uneasily but nodded yes.
"You're kinda a badass now then." he complimented.
"Kinda a badass?" she asked back, seeing how careful he was with her.
He smiled.
"Okay. You are a bad ass… little sister."