"Stop it."
"You stop it."
"I swear I'm going to smack you if you keep doing that."
"I would like to see you try."
"Natasha."
"Kari."
Natasha drawing out the vowels in my name grated on the last of the patience I was feeling at the moment. I was tired, hungover and not feeling in the mood for Christmas at all. Which was unfortunate for me because it was Christmas Day. Natasha and I were on our way to Laura's house to surprise the kids. Clint was a nervous wreck this morning so I'd been glad to leave him behind with Jared and Coulson. Unluckily for me, Natasha was also nervous which meant she was fidgeting with everything thing she could get her hands on. Her winding the window up and down 100 times had been the last thing to drive me insane. We were only 15 minutes into the hour drive.
"It's going to turn out fine, Laura will be there for about 5 minutes so stop stressing because you're making me start to stress." I reached up and wearily rubbed my forehead. This all sounded great when I organised it. But now it was here, we were all nervous. It was the reason I was hungover this morning. What started off as a quiet drink to ward off any nerves about today turned into a heavy drinking session that even Coulson joined in. I wanted everything to be perfect. But this morning had us all hungover, tired and snappy at each other.
Natasha grumbled something under her breath at me as she slid down into the seat further. I could barely see her face with the hoodie she had pulled up over her head. I sighed and rubbed my forehead again. My head hurt far too much this morning for this. But I knew how Natasha was feeling. The churning of my stomach wasn't just because of the half a bottle of scotch I drank last night, I was nervous as fuck about this all going off well.
The car was silent for a long time, long enough that I was sure Natasha had fallen asleep. The only sound was the radio playing a weird mix of country and Christmas carols.
"Did you get Laura a present?" Natasha broke the silence, making me jump at the sound of her voice.
"Yeah, why?" I glanced over to Natasha. She was still hidden in her hoodie.
"I got her one too." Natasha's voice was quiet and uncertain. "I'm not sure if she's going to throw it at me or not."
"She's not going to throw it at you," I reassured her. "She'll probably cry in relief that you're not mad at her."
Natasha and Laura hadn't really spoken since everything happened. Natasha was very hurt about the only family she'd known being broken up. It was hard because Natasha understood where Laura was coming from. She just hated that it had all happened. It was a hard thing to balance, so Natasha went for the easy option. She avoided talking to Laura completely.
"I'm past mad." Natasha sounded the saddest I'd ever heard. "Now I just want to try everything to get them back together."
"Me too," I said quietly, glancing over at Natasha with a small smile. "Hopefully this is a good step in the right direction."
"Sam got me a Christmas present."
Natasha's abrupt change of subject made me sit up a little straighter in the driver's seat. She was still hidden in her hoodie, not giving me any clue on what she was really feeling. No wonder she was in a mood this morning.
"What was it?" I asked carefully. Natasha had been adamant that they weren't giving each other presents. Giving presents was getting too much into murky waters of their friends with benefits situation. But I knew about this.
"New sex toy that he can control with his phone." Natasha finally pushed her hoodie back. She was keeping her face blank of all emotion. "I need to stop this, don't I? He's becoming a weakness."
I chewed on my bottom lip contemplating how to respond to this. That present had actually been my suggestion to Sam. He asked me last week if getting Natasha a present was inappropriate. Sam was one of those annoying people who loved Christmas and he got presents for everyone so he really wanted to include Natasha. He'd even gotten me a book on female snipers in World War 2, along with a mini tasting scotch pack. I didn't think Natasha would ever read into the situation like she was now.
"That was my suggestion." I chose my words carefully. Natasha looked over at me with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't think it was inappropriate for a fuck buddy. Gareth and I got each other something as well."
Gareth had gotten me a spa voucher. After I found out he was a huge Star Wars fan, I'd gotten him a Darth Vader helmet decanter with a good bottle of scotch to go with it. I'd gone down for the night a few days ago, tolerating Jared teleporting me there instead of driving. It had been a fun night, despite the teasing I'd gotten from my Jared afterwards for using him to get to my booty call.
"I didn't get him anything." Natasha fiddled with the cord on her hoodie. "It didn't even cross my mind to get him anything."
Poor Natasha. I remember Clint had told me once that Natasha's social skills took a long time to become what was considered normal, or even close to normal by most people's standards. Discovering her own autonomy after the Red Room had been one of the hardest things she had to overcome. This was going to be one of those situations where she was wondering if she'd done something wrong. It was weird to be the one reassuring Natasha of something, not the other way around.
"I'm sure whatever he has planned for you and the new vibrator more than makes up for it," I said tactfully. "If not, make sure you take over a good bottle of bourbon for him when we get home and he can lick it off your body."
Natasha grunted in response, leaning forward to change the radio station. We were in the middle of nowhere so there wasn't much choice. There was miles and miles of nothing but farmland in each direction. But she wasn't arguing, so that was a win for me. I wasn't going to touch the whole Sam being a weakness comment. Natasha was happy with Sam and from what I could see he was happy with their arrangement too. There was no reason to change anything simply because of a Christmas present or lack of in Natasha's case.
The rest of the drive was quiet. It wasn't helping with my nerves sitting in silence. What if all of this was a bad idea? We turned off the highway and took about 20 twists and turns down some back roads barely big enough for our car to fit on. I drove past the letterbox with Laura's maiden name on it twice before we found the driveway. The GPS kept telling me it was 100 feet down the road and on the wrong side.
"Better text Coulson and let him know the GPS is useless." I broke the silence as I turned down the dirt driveway. The car bounced as I hit a rut making both of us curse. Still, Natasha did as she was told as we slowly crawled up the tree-lined driveway. It felt like forever being shadowed by the huge trees before we broke out into the winter sun and the house came into view. The house was huge double story old fashioned style. The barn had seen better days, along with the house. But the scenery more than made up for that. There wasn't anything but fields for miles. The mid-morning sun was weak but set a golden glow around the house and barn. It was beautiful. As I pulled up to the house, the dogs came bolting outside barking like mad. I could see the curtain in the front room open as someone peered out. A few seconds later, the front door flung open and 2 small figures came barreling out. Even with the windows of the car closed, I could hear Lila and Cooper shrieking our names.
It was all the encouragement Natasha needed. She opened the car door open and barely had time to get to her feet before Lila and Cooper barrelled into her. The stress of earlier was gone completely as the sound of the kids being excited we were here. Even Lucky and Lucy were jumping around while barking excitedly, trying to get in for a pat as well. As soon as I was out of the car, both the dogs jumped on me.
"Hello fur kids," I laughed, patting both of their wriggling bodies. "Yes, I missed you both too."
A second later, a little human body was clinging to my legs. I looked down to see Lila hugging me. Cooper was only another second behind her, grabbing onto the other side of me for a hug
"Hey guys." I hugged them both as hard as I dared to. "Merry Christmas. Did you get anything good?"
A movement on the porch caught my eye. Laura had come outside and was watching the scene in front of her with a gentle smile. The kids were talking my ear off about their presents so far. Lila had attached herself to me, while Cooper had gone back to Natasha for another hug while he was trying to talk over his sister. I picked Lila up, hoisting her up on my hip. She was getting way too big to be held like this, but the way she was hugging me was worth it. I'd missed her so much.
"Let Kari and Natasha come inside," Laura raised her voice to be heard over all the noise. "I think there might even some extra chocolate chip pancakes in the oven for them."
Lila wasn't letting me go, so I carried her up the 2 steps onto the porch listening to her excited chattering about everything. My nerves suddenly hit me as I came face to face with Laura.
She'd lost weight was the first thing I noticed. Laura was fairly petite in the first place, but now she looked thin. Despite the smile on her face, the dark circles under her eyes and a tight expression on her face made her look as nervous as I was feeling. Before I could open my mouth to say anything, Natasha came from behind me and grabbed Laura into a tight hug. In a second, Laura's entire posture changed. All the nerves and stress from before melted away from her face and her entire body drooped in relief.
"Honey I'm home." Natasha's voice could barely be heard, but I still caught it. There was a little shakiness in it. "I missed you Senstra."
"I missed you too, both of you." Laura opened her arm so I could squeeze in for a hug too. Natasha's grip was relentless, but I managed to squeeze in for a hug. Lila giggled, wrapping her arms around us as well. The world suddenly felt very right again. "Merry Christmas. Come in before we all freeze."
Laura was such a mom. But she was right. I thought the weather would be a little more pleasant than DC. There wasn't any snow yet but it was still cold. We let her usher us inside. The presents were with Clint, Coulson and Jared so there wasn't anything for us to bring in. The kids hadn't noticed the lack of presents yet, they were both still too excited about Natasha and I being here.
The house was still in various stages of being unpacked, but it still felt like home. The house was completely different, but with the same furniture as before made it feel a little like home again. The large Christmas tree in the corner added to the warm atmosphere of the new home. Laura ushered us into the open kitchen area. Like she's said before, there was a huge plate of pancakes waiting in the oven for us. A pot of coffee was waiting on the bench and I'm sure if I looked in the fridge, there'd be a pitcher of orange juice. It felt like pancake Sunday mornings as we all moved in unison getting our brunch out. I got the pancakes out of the oven while Natasha helped the kids set the table. Even though I'm sure they'd already eaten, they were at the table and ready for round 2. Like I'd thought, the pitcher of orange juice came out and sat on the table with the coffee pot.
"Does this mean we don't have to go to Grandma's today?" Cooper asked as we sat down. I looked over at his hopeful expression with a barely concealed smile. Natasha coughed into her hand, no doubt wiping her own smirk off her face. Cooper was like Clint and didn't like his Grandparents too much.
"You don't have to go to Grandma's. Kari and Natasha are staying until I get home from work." Laura confirmed as she dropped a kiss on Cooper's forehead. He wrinkled his nose and squirmed away from his mother's affection. "Can I put you in charge of handing out the presents after I'm gone?"
Any arguments that might have been brewing with Cooper quickly disappeared as he nodded eagerly. He hadn't taken the move very well at all. Laura had said everything was a constant argument with him. But the promise of more presents seemed to keep him happy for now.
"Can you show Kari and Natasha how to feed Princess Penelope later?" Laura turned to Lila, giving her a kiss as well. "Horse food only. No more cookies."
Lila pouted at the restrictions put on what she could feed her pony, but nodded as she gave Laura a hug. Laura looked at her watch and I heard her sigh quietly.
"Be good. All 4 of you." The smile on Laura's face turned a little less genuine as she looked around the table. Before I could say anything to reassure her we'd all be fine, Natasha got up and gave her another hug. I couldn't quite hear what she said to Laura, but I'm sure I heard the word eggnog being mentioned. Laura looked a little happier as she pulled away with a nod to Natasha.
As Natasha sat back down, Lila and Cooper both launched into animated conversations again. Laura barely got a goodbye from both of them as she left. Lucky and Lucy were under our feet, begging for scraps as we ate. I snuck my phone under the table and sent off the text to Coulson that they were clear to head over. Once we were finished brunch, it took every bit of bribery Natasha and I could think of to hold off the presents for the moment. Cooper was instantly suspicious of our intentions. It was the first time I'd ever seen him rush through helping clean up though. I was out of things to keep the kids occupied when both the dogs perked up and started barking. Cooper's suspicious expression instantly turned hopeful as he turned to Natasha and I.
"I wonder who that could be?" Natasha looked out the window, pursing her lips like she was deep in thought. "I guess we should go and see."
The kids and dogs didn't wait for Natasha or I to get to the door first. It was a mini stampede and I winced at the front door got slammed open with a lot more force than necessary. Natasha and I followed at a more sedate pace. Any doubts I had about today working vanished at the sight of Clint on his knees, hugging both his children. I smiled, even though I felt a little teary at the sight. Clint opened his eyes and gave me the most brilliant smile I'd seen in months. The mouthed thank you made every bit of stress over the last few weeks worth it.
Lila didn't want to let go of Clint, but Cooper was more than happy to attach himself to Jared. As we unpacked the car of present and food, it started to feel like Christmas.
"Mom said I'm in charge of presents." Cooper's eyes lit up as lifted up the duffel bag overflowing with presents. "Can we do presents now?"
"Let us get everything in the house first buddy," I said with a chuckle, reaching over to ruffle his hair. I swear he'd grown at least an inch since I'd last saw him. The kid was like a damn weed. "Then presents."
My answer seemed to satisfy him for the moment. Cooper gave me a quick hug before bounding off after Clint. We had way too much food and probably too many presents, so it took another trip to empty the car. By the time we all sat down, both Lila and Cooper were vibrating from the excitement of more presents.
"Cooper, do you want to hand out the presents?" Coulson asked. It was completely unnecessary, Cooper was already up and digging into the piles of presents.
The piles of presents in front of everyone grew quickly. Clint's Christmas shopping may have rubbed off a little on me this year. After my initial shop, I found myself buying a heap of little presents for everyone. Lila had been easy this year, anything for her pony was a winner. Luckily for me, everything for little girls and ponies was pink which was Lila's current favourite colour. Unlike last year which was purple. Cooper was into building things and between the 4 of us, I think we got him every Meccano set we could find.
My own pile grew quickly. The homemade presents from Lila and Cooper were especially adorable with their awkward wrappings and painstakingly crayon drawn cards. Lila took about 3 presents before she started helping Cooper. Both of them were too excited and happy to argue about getting in each other's way. It didn't take long for everyone to have a pile in front of them and neither of the kids needed any encouragement to start ripping into their presents.
To be honest, I didn't need any encouragement either. My first present was a handmade snowman Lila had for me. He was a little lopsided and the smile looked more like an evil grin, but it was one of the cutest things I'd ever gotten. Lila was too busy ripping into her presents and squealing over her new pony gear to hear anything I had to say, so I kept opening my presents. We'd gotten each other the most atrocious Christmas sweaters we could find and there was plenty of hysterical laughter as we put them on. Mine was a hideous shade of puke green with what I think were reindeer and dancing snowmen. Nothing quite beat the horrible knitted Santa sweater Coulson had though. He laughed so hard he couldn't breath when he opened it.
I was very spoiled this Christmas. I had so many gifts it was hard to keep track of them all. The standout for this year was Natasha. She did my trick from last year with a pair of red Manolo's that I'd spotted one day. It was the last pair and for some reason, I couldn't buy them right there. When I came back they were gone. The 4-inch heels were so impractical, but I loved them anyway. We'd all gotten each other the standard expensive bottles of our chosen liquor. While I could never top the present I got Coulson last year, one of the Captain America trading cards he'd been looking for years came pretty close. Clint had been one of the easier ones to buy for this year. He came up to me in the shop with a western DVD set and told me he wanted it for Christmas. Along with the Bluetooth headphones I got him, he was a very happy Hawkeye. Jared got his usual Apple vouchers along with a ridiculously priced bottle of vodka that Clint, Natasha, Coulson and I all chipped in for. With the price we paid for it, that bottle of vodka better be the best thing that has ever crossed Jared's lips.
As usual with Clint's cooking there was far too much food. It didn't stop any of us from stuffing ourselves to the point of bursting. I had a feeling Clint was trying to make up for his missed Thanksgiving. I ate too much and after lunch, Natasha brought out the afternoon dwindled away with all of us not doing anything. Lila dragged us outside so she could play with her pony. Laura had been right about it being 100 years old and a cantankerous little shit, but she tolerated Lila's fussing like every good pony should. Some snow started to drift in forcing us back inside after making sure Princess Penelope was tucked into her stable. When we got back inside Cooper had one of his Meccano sets out and was concentrating hard on building the crane. The rest of the afternoon was spent playing with presents and watching movies. I hadn't felt this relaxed in weeks.
Night was starting to fall when I got a few minutes to myself to look at my phone. We'd have to leave soon, Laura would be due home anytime soon. The closer it got to time to leave, the more Clint was starting to look upset. A few hours, even though it was Christmas, was barely enough time to make up for the lost time over the last few weeks. My phone was looking full with Merry Christmas texts. The one that caught my eye instantly was from Pepper. I opened it up and was greeted by a photo of a pretty red and gold bracelet. It was a simple link bracelet, nothing outlandish or gaudy. It was perfect for Pepper.
I have a feeling I have you to thank for this. Merry Christmas Kari. I loved your gift too! If you're not busy for New Year, come out to Malibu. It's a quiet party this year and I'd love to see you again.
I'd sent Pepper a gift box of luxury spa items. It was the same brand she sent me while in hospital so I had a feeling she'd appreciate it. I smiled at the message feeling very glad Tony had either made or found the simple bracelet. I didn't get a chance to reply. A few seconds later my phone lit up with Laura's name on the screen.
"Hey," I answered right away.
"Hey, I'm stuck here at work," Laura sounded stressed on the other end of the line. "I have no idea when I'll be home."
"We're fine here." The question didn't need to be asked. Natasha and I were more than capable of handling the kids until Laura got home. "Don't even worry about it."
"Can…" Laura paused, taking in a deep breath. It took a few seconds before she finally got out what she needed to say. "I have a feeling I'm going to be really late. Everyone is welcome to crash there the night. There's a snowstorm on the way and I don't want anyone driving in it."
"Are you sure?" I peeked outside. Sure enough, the snow flurries were starting to come in thick and fast now. It was probably the most snow this part of the country had seen in years. So much for the light dusting of snow that was forecast.
"No." Laura's voice came across as timid and unsure. "I may hide in my room all morning until Clint leaves. But I've already seen one car accident tonight. As much as I'm hurt, I don't want to see him or any of you in here. There have been enough injuries for the year."
"Tell me about it." My hand went up to unconsciously rub my jaw. The car accident aftermath at Laura's work must have been bad for her to worry about any of us out in it. "Same goes for you. If you need to, send a photo and get Jared to teleport you home. You don't need to be driving in it either."
"Thanks, Kari." Laura sounded so tired. I felt a stab of guilt for her having to work on Christmas Day. "I'll see you in the morning."
"I'll make sure Coulson makes pancakes and bacon for breakfast." My little jibe got a small laugh out of Laura before she hung up. It was something at least. This could be a step in the right direction for Clint and Laura. If they could become amicable, things would be a lot smoother. Hell, it might even be a step in the right direction for them patching things up. I went back to the living room where everyone was sprawled in front of the TV. Polar Express was playing and everyone except Lila looked like they were having a hard time staying awake.
"Laura has to work late and there's a snowstorm coming," I announced, making everyone look in my direction. "So we're all staying here the night."
It was like giving the kids and Clint a second Christmas. It also gave the kids a second wind, causing minor chaos over dinner. Not that anyone was too hungry after the huge lunch Clint had put on. But Lila and Cooper were both far too excited to even think about going to bed at a respectable hour. It felt like an impossible task, but Coulson was the ultimate Uncle and probably the only adult amongst us. He managed to get them both into their pyjamas, teeth brushed and under the blankets on the couch while we all watched Home Alone. Once 2130 hit, not even the half a dozen sugar cookies could keep Lila awake. She was asleep on Clint's chest, her mouth hanging open and little snores coming from her every so often. Cooper valiantly hung on for another 15 minutes, but he fell asleep pressed up against Clint. It was an adorable sight to see them both cuddled up to him.
My phone buzzing in my pocket jerked me awake from the nap I didn't realise I was having. The home screen of the DVD was playing. Around me, everyone else was asleep. Cooper and Lila were still cuddled up to Clint. Coulson was reclined in his chair snoring lightly. Natasha and Jared were squished together on the couch beside Clint. Natasha was asleep with her head on Jared's shoulder. I had the other recliner chair. I smothered back a yawn as I pulled my phone out of my pocket. It was well after midnight. The text was from Laura. It was a photo of a deserted break room.
If Jared doesn't mind?
"Jared." I reached over and gently shook my twin awake. He took a few seconds to open his eyes, looking at me blearily. I held the phone up so he could see the picture. I'd mentioned earlier that Laura might need a lift.
"Yep." Jared squinted at the picture for a few more seconds before carefully moving so he didn't disturb Natasha. He took great care to lower her onto the couch slowly and gently. I was impressed that he managed to get her off him without even a twitch from Natasha. Jared handed the phone back to me once he was back on his feet. In the blink of an eye, he was gone. I barely had time to get out of my chair before he and Laura were both back. Laura wobbled on her feet, looking a little green at the sudden teleporting.
"Oh." Laura froze at the scene in front of her. There was a long tense moment before she let out a breath, her shoulders slumping.
"I saved you some eggnog." Despite the sleep clouding my brain still, I managed to think quickly on my feet. I gently took Laura's arm and tugged her in the direction of the kitchen. "There's leftovers too. Come and get some dinner."
Jared shot me a grateful look as we both left the room. At least I'd avoided a meltdown for the next few minutes. Keeping Laura in the kitchen would let Clint get the kids and himself to bed. Natasha and I had one of the spare bedrooms. Clint and Coulson were taking the one with the 2 single beds and Jared had the pullout couch. The house was huge with 5 bedrooms upstairs, so there was no shortage of room for us all.
Laura was quiet while she fixed herself a plate of leftovers. I poured an extra shot of rum into our eggnog, it felt like it was going to be needed.
"Thanks," Laura said quietly as I handed her the glass.
I helped myself to a few sugar cookies before we sat down. The kitchen table was the same one from DC. It felt familiar, even if the settings were all different. We were silent, the only sound was Laura digging into her food. Judging by the way she was eating, she didn't get a break today. There were some muffled sounds from upstairs, but they soon stopped leaving the house quiet.
"Busy day?" I asked once Laura was mostly through her dinner.
"Shit day," Laura said with a small sigh. "There was a horrible car crash, only the youngest child survived."
No wonder Laura didn't want us driving anywhere. What a horrible thing to happen on Christmas day. I reached over and squeezed Laura hand in a small measure of comfort. It wasn't much, but I got a more genuine smile out of her as she squeezed back.
"Thank you for this." I couldn't think of much else to say. Laura looked dead on her feet and ready to collapse into bed. "You've made all of us very happy to see the kids again. I'm sorry to make it awkward for you."
"I'm sorry to be such a bitch about it." Laura reached up to rub her eyes. "I'm not proud of how I've been acting. This is all one big fucking mess."
"Little steps." I gave Laura an encouraging smile. "After Riley died, you were the one who kept telling me that. Little steps may not feel like much but they all go towards big progress."
"Ugh, don't use my own words against me," Laura said with a barely amused snort. "Speaking of big progress, I want to hear all about that in the morning. You've been a bit vague on the details."
"I promise all the juicy gossip in the morning." I hadn't wanted to talk about what Gareth and I while all of this was going on. It felt like it would be a bit of an insult to Laura if I did. But if she wanted to hear about it, I'd happily share all the details. Natasha had been the same when I came back. We'd even ditched training on Tuesday morning afterwards in favour of gossiping over breakfast
"Good." Laura smothered back a yawn. "As much as I want to sit up and catch up over a drink or 5, I don't think I can keep my eyes open anymore."
"Go to bed." The yawning was contagious, except I didn't manage to smother mine. "Tasha and I will keep the kids quiet in the morning so you can get some sleep."
I nearly added she looked like she needed it, but managed to keep my mouth shut. I don't know how she was juggling the kids and work. It was hard enough when Clint and the rest of us were around, let alone trying to do it at a single mother with her job.
"Goodnight." Laura reached over and gave me a quick hug. "Thank you for everything again."
"We're family, its what we do." I hugged Laura back. "No matter what."
Laura's eyes looked suspiciously bright when she pulled away. But she didn't comment except for a tired smile. We put our dishes in the sink and quietly made our way out of the kitchen. Laura went upstairs first and I popped my head into the lounge room to check on Jared. In the dim reflection of the light from the hallway, I could see him fast asleep on the pullout couch. He wasn't alone. Natasha was asleep, curled up to his side with her head on his chest. They both looked so peaceful in their sleep. I didn't have the heart to disturb Natasha to come upstairs with me. A peaceful night sleep was something we all deserved as much as possible. I turned the hallway light off and used my phone as a guide up to the spare room. I got changed, curled up in bed, enjoying that I was smart enough to turn the electric blanket on a few hours ago when I made the bed. In the dead silence of the world around me, it was easy to fall asleep.
I was rudely woken up by two bodies jumping on me. One second I was asleep and the next I couldn't breathe from Lila and Cooper launching themselves on the bed and using me as a trampoline.
"Wake up Kari!" Even Cooper was giggling as they bounced on the bed. "Dad is making waffles."
"I'm awake," I groaned, narrowly avoiding a foot in the face as Lila flopped down on me again. "I'm awake. Get off me you little monsters before I tickle you both."
The shrieks were near ear-splitting as I sat up to grab the nearest child. I was purposely too slow so they both got off the bed. All it took was me pretending I was about to leap out of bed and they were both running out of the room. I flopped back down in bed with a sigh. The clock next to the bed read 0645. I should have known there was no chance in hell I'd get a sleep in today. If I stayed in bed they'd be back, probably with reinforcements this time. With a lot of effort, I got out of bed, got dressed and headed downstairs. Surely enough, Clint was standing in the kitchen with a pile of waffles on the bench already. Natasha, Jared and Coulson were sitting at the table. I glanced out the window to see Lila and Cooper outside bundled up in their winter coats feeding Princess Penelope. There was a good dump of snow on the ground. It was still grey outside, looking like there could be more snow on the way.
"Morning." I walked to the bench and poured myself a coffee and dumped a slightly obscene amount of vanilla creamer into it. I got various grunts of acknowledgement from everyone. The second my ass hit the chair a loud scream came from upstairs. It wasn't a childish shriek, it was a grown woman screaming.
Clint was the first one to bolt upstairs, the rest of us only a second after him. As I got up the stairs, Laura came running out of one of the rooms with a towel around her and her hair dripping wet.
"The fucking shower head just exploded," Laura said through chattering teeth. "I just got drenched in ice cold water and now it won't turn off."
Any kind of awkwardness from Clint and Laura seeing each other for the first time was quickly thrown out the window. Clint was all business as he went into the ensuite in the main bedroom. A few seconds later, there was a very undignified yelp from Clint and some colourful cursing.
"Someone turn the water off!"
It was minor chaos for about 5 minutes. None of us could find the main water switch while the ensuite was slowly flooding. I was the one to finally find it half-buried near the electricity box. By the time we got the water turned off, there was an inch of water covering the ensuite. As bad luck would have it, the drains were clogged as well so none of it was draining away.
Laura, Natasha and I were surveying the damage from the doorway while the men attempted to get the drain unclogged so they weren't kneeling in an inch of ice cold water.
"I suppose I better find a plumber who will come out." Laura sighed heavily as she looked over the mess in her bathroom. "This is going to cost a fortune."
"Don't be silly," Jared spoke up, he paused as he reached down into the water again looking thoughtful. A triumphant smirk appeared on his face as Jared gave something a solid yank. A second later, he was holding up what looked to be about 40 years worth of hairballs. Jared pulled a disgusted face as he realised what he was holding. "We've totally got this."
"There's a hardware store in town, isn't there?" Clint asked as he stood up. He was shivering and completely drenched.
"Towels." Laura pointed to a small cupboard next to the sink. "I doubt it'll be open. You'll have to head into Covington."
I looked between the two of them, watching for any signs of awkwardness. Right now both of them seemed to be too intent on the job at hand to worry about anything else.
"We'll head to Covington then." Clint went to the cupboard and pulled out towels for all of them while he spoke. "It's a burst water pipe from the cold. It's an easy fix. I can have it done in a few hours if you want."
Clint was doing well to choose his words carefully. He was leaving everything up to Laura to decide right now. It felt like an eternity while the two of them locked gazes. Clint looked perfectly calm, but Laura wasn't doing so well at hiding her emotions. She looked so torn right now. The earlier calm of before was long gone as both of them tried to keep their emotions in check in front of each other.
"Take Cooper with you," Laura finally spoke, she attempted to put a small smile on her face. It wasn't quite genuine, but at least she tried. "He'll die if you go to Home Depot without him."
Clint looked like someone who had just gotten every wish of his come true. The elation on his face couldn't be hidden. I caught a glimpse of Coulson's smile just before he used to towel to wipe his face. Jared was actively avoiding looking in this direction as he dried his hair. His hair that hadn't gotten wet. I was glad I was standing behind Laura because there's no chance I could have hidden my triumphant grin.
"We'll get this cleaned up and then head to Covington." Clint cleared his throat, the look on his face switching from elated to uncertain. "I made some waffles and blueberry sauce for breakfast. There's plenty there."
Waffles with blueberry sauce was one of Laura's favourite things for breakfast. Clint always made it for breakfast after he'd been away. I'm not sure if it'd been a subconscious move on his behalf, or he was doing something nice for Laura. Either way, it made Laura smile a little more.
"I'll get the kids fed while you clean up." Laura was all business now. "And put another pot of coffee on."
Natasha and I exchanged a gleeful look behind Laura's back. Maybe an exploding shower head might not be such a bad thing after all.
Authors Note.
Sorry for the wait on this everyone. I had some diagnostic surgery earlier this month and didn't quite bounce back from it like I wanted to. But the chapter is here at last! I hope everyone enjoys it.
Happy (Late) Thanksgiving to all of my readers who celebrate it. I hope you all had a wonderful time. This year is flying by and before we all know it, Black Panther and Infinity War will be here. I swear it was March last time I looked and now it's 5 weeks until Christmas.
To all of my wonderful reviewers, thank you for taking the time to let me know if you enjoy it (or not). Getting reviews makes my day and always make me smile. You have no idea how appreciative I am of them all.
Until next time.