"Katherine Elizabeth Bishop!" Wanda and Natasha shared looks with Melina and Alexei.

At that moment Kate ran into the house laughing only to trip on the mat in the hall. That was probably the best part right until Yelena landed on top of her and shoved a handful of snow down the back of Kate's shirt. Cassie followed them in with snow in her hair and a look of utter annoyance on her face. Kate squealed trying to get out from under Yelena who pinned her as the snow melted across Kate's warm skin.

"I'm not going out with them ever again. They're worse than children." Cassie grumbled.

Melina laughed and opened her arms and the teen walked over and climbed into her lap immediately. Natasha watched them with a small smile on her face, she remembered those three years with Melina at her mother here in Ohio. She had been hesitant at first but Alexei and Melina had really played their part as good parents well. She remembered and would always remember the last thing Melina had said to her when she was taken. To not let them have her heart.

"It's ok baby, they're going back to New York on Boxing Day then we will have a little peace and quiet again." Melina gently played with the soft short hair around Cassie's ear, she'd refused to have it cut since the snow started claiming it was too cold right now.

"But I'll miss them." Cassie pouted with this reminder.

"Only for a little while. We will be back after the new year." Yelena looked over at the teenager being cuddled by their mother.

"Promise?" Cassie asks warmly.

"Definitely." Yelena grinned and finally let Kate get up.

"I'm going for a shower." Kate huffed at Yelena who grinned suddenly.

"I'm coming." The blonde spoke brightly and Kate's frown turned into a grin as they made their way to the bathroom.

"Ew." Cassie and Alexei spoke at the same time.

"Don't even. They're only going to shower." Natasha wrinkled her nose at her father and sister.

"How do you know that? Most of the time when people shower together there is more involved." Alexei points out with an almost smug expression.

"Because we've lived with them for the last 9 months. They don't do that in the shower." Wanda speaks up.

"And because I know more about my sisters sex life than I ever thought I'd know." Natasha's nose wrinkled again.

"I'm sure that goes both ways." Melina looked pointedly at the other couple.

"I feel like we don't need to be talking about sex, there are children present." Cassie speaks up then looking appalled. Wanda chuckles at her.

"Say, when are you two getting married?" Alexei spoke up changing the subject.

"What?" Natasha and Wanda spoke at the same time.

"Well Kate and Yelena didn't really take all that long and you two have known each other longer than they have. So…" Alexei trailed off with a shrug.

"That's not something we've talked about. Nor is it really the right time. This is about them not us." Natasha frowns at her parents.

"It could be about both of you is all. I don't think they'd mind." Melina smiled gently as she always seemed to.

"We haven't talked about it. We're happy with how things are." Natasha was frowning a little deeper now.

"It just seems like a natural next step, dorogoy." Alexei hums nodding like this is a thing.

"Yeah… well it's not. Can we not talk about it. I need a drink." Natasha got up then without looking at Wanda and went for the kitchen.

"Did I say something wrong?" Alexei looked confused.

"Yes." Cassie huffed at him and took it upon herself to follow Natasha.

Wanda watched the teen go and then sighed softly. Melina looked over at Wanda for a moment before she moved from the armchair to the love seat and sat beside the witch. Wanda still wasn't really used to how affectionate and gentle Melina could be, she was used to people being just a little afraid of her, anyone who wasn't part of her immediate family.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset her." Wanda just shook her head with a small smile.

"It's not you I promise. I actually think it's more my fault." Wanda explains gently.

"How can it be your fault?" Alexei looked confused.

"She's been burned by love before. We all know that. Is that what you mean?" Melina asks curiously.

"Sort of. We didn't exactly rush into a relationship as you know. We dated and it was casual until it wasn't and that was fine because those feelings are all really mutual. But there was a moment there where I got really cold feet. When we were looking at places with Kate and Lenny. We had a big argument." Wanda admits softly because yes she and Nat were really happy together but they were both really stubborn women with pasts less than desirable and a wealth of issues. They definitely fought and argued sometimes.

"Why would you get cold feet?" Alexei asks a little confused.

"The last time I made those sorts of plans with anyone I killed him, watched a tyrant reset time to claim the stone I'd just destroyed only to then watch the man I loved be killed again. It scares me to feel the way I do for her, especially since she's shown she's so willing to sacrifice herself for her loved ones and maybe I'm just too selfish because I don't ever want her to leave me and it's… it's terrifying." Wanda rambled and it was clear she was getting emotional.

"Wands?" It was Yelena's soft voice and the now very casually dressed woman, who was wearing Kate's favourite purple sweats and sweatshirt, came over and gently took Wanda's hand.

"I'm ok." Wanda spoke immediately but also seemed to calm down right away when Yelena took her hand.

"You don't have to be. We were gone ten minutes. What happened?" Kate asks gently placing her hand on Wanda's shoulder.

"We upset Nat." Alexei admits lightly.

"I'll go check on her." Kate says giving Wanda's shoulder a squeeze before heading for the kitchen.

"She's right though. You don't have to be ok all the time." Yelena smiles gently at Wanda.

"I am ok though. Cause I have you and Nat and Kate and Cassie and your mom and dad. But Nat and I just don't talk about some things and now I'm thinking maybe we should have talked about it cause I think I've been pretty selfish." Wanda looked sadly at Yelena.

"What exactly are we talking about? What triggered all this?" Yelena was curious.

"I asked if they'd be tying the knot." Alexei supplied looking apologetic.

"And she got upset?" Yelena frowns not understanding.

"Like I said it's not something we talk about, I think she avoids it because of when I freaked out when we were house hunting. She's never bought anything like that up again since but now I'm starting to wonder if maybe she does want all of that as well and I've just been a jerk by ignoring it." Wanda sighs heavily.

"Not really though. Not if you're both ignoring it. Just sounds like you're as bad as one another." Yelena nudged her with a little smile.

"Is that something you might want with her?" Melina asks gently and Wanda frowns but she was clearly thinking about it.

"I think so, yeah. I love her so much. I want everything with her." Wanda smiles fondly.

"Well then… we got some planning to do." Yelena was grinning brightly now. Melina and Alexei both smiled when Wanda lit up brighter than their little Christmas tree in the corner.

It had surprised the Russian spies to see how not just Kate and Yelena and Wanda and Nat got along as couples but how the four of them got along as a family. Yelena and Wanda had been close from the start, it had been Wanda as much as Nat who had talked the blonde into going to Kate. Natasha and Kate were, as Wanda and Yelena often called them, complete nerds. And they seemed to get along really well with training and gaming and just genuinely being fond of each other. They all got along so well.


"Natty." Cassie and Natasha were sitting in the kitchen, or Cassie was sitting down at the small table and Natasha was leaning on the counter looking upset.

"I'm an idiot." Natasha grumbled immediately but she leaned into Kate when the teller woman pulled her into a hug.

"No you're not. But what happened? Me and Lenny hate it when you guys are out of sorts. No pressure." Kate was usually always the lighter one.

"I just… Alexei asked why Wanda and I aren't getting married and I just never thought about it before her. But it's something I'd love to do. Marry her and adopt kids, or even IVF, imagine if we could have little witches like her. Amazing. But… we don't talk about it cause she's kind of had it and lost it all once and I don't want to be stressing her out thinking that that's what I want or even need. Cause I'm happy with her. I really am. I don't need all of that." Natasha explained to her sister and sister in law.

"Yeah but… you want it. And you should be allowed to want these things." Cassie says gently.

"She's got many points." Kate offered nodding, she was stood beside Nat with her arm around the older woman's shoulders.

"I guess but what if it just upsets her? What if I bring it up and she gets upset and thinks these things are deal breakers. Cause they're not. Not really. I love her." Natasha was rambling and this only happened when she was on the verge of a panic attack which was highly rare for her even after she woke from stasis on Vormir and was having nightmares for weeks afterwards.

"This is Wanda we are talking about. She'd sooner cut out her own heart than never be able to love you again." Kate explains gently yet seriously.

"She's right. You guys are my second favourite couple. No pressure." Cassie offered the lightness this time with a little grin and Natasha couldn't help but laugh.

"Ok but what do I do?" Natasha looked between the two younger women. Cassie was in her jeans and a flannel shirt and Kate had on some lounge pants and a long sleeve tee, clearly intent on staying in for the rest of today.

"Well that's obvious." Cassie spoke up as Kate's phone pinged.

"Shut your mouth and keep loving her apparently." Kate finished showing Nat the text from Yelena.

'Tell her to shut up and keep doing everything she's doing. We will sort the rest out.' That was all she got but then Wanda and Yelena walked past the kitchen both women casting their respective partners and the teen a smile before heading for Wanda and Nat's room.

"Who wants to help me with dinner?" Melina walked in happily.

"I guess I will." Nat huffed a small roll to her eyes.

"Why don't you just sit with Cass and I'll help Melina." Kate wrinkled her nose, despite Wanda's best efforts, Nat was not the best cook. Usually when Wanda tried to teach the Widow it ended with Natasha distracting Wanda and the pair making out for several minutes before Wanda banished Nat from the kitchen.

"That's rude." Nat huffed but probably wouldn't deny it. She'd put water on to make pasta once and boiled it dry and ruined the pot at the same time.


The next day, or more the next two days was spent with things pretty much back to normal. Wanda and Nat had a small quiet chat that mostly consisted of them both apologising and then promising to be more open to talking about things like the future of their relationship. It resulted in them back to being their happy selves. Everything was right in the world.

Christmas Day came around and they all ate too much, Cassie's favourite gift had been from Melina and Alexei which had been official adoption certificate. Her parents were now listed as Alexei and Melina and not the parents who had orphaned her years before. Parents who had made a lot of the wrong choices, a father who had been shot and killed by police because he tried to rob the wrong place and got caught. Or more refused to get caught. Her mother had over dosed on drugs a couple of years later.

With eating too much food met with most of them all laid out somewhere around the house napping. Yelena and Cassie were cuddled snoozing on the couch while Nat and Wanda were on the floor. Alexei was laying on the bed and when Melina was done in the kitchen she'd relaxed on the armchair. Kate how ever had gone out for a walk with the dogs, she always had too much energy. Of course that hadn't been the only reason she had gone out either. She had wanted to make a phone call.

It had been a year now since she had put her mother in prison and Eleanor hadn't really made any effort to contact her at all. Kate had been hoping to find out how she was going but aside from a few conversations with guards she hadn't been able to get much information at all. So as she walked down the street with Fanny and Lucky she attempted to call her mother.

"Bedford Hills Correctional."

"Yeah hi, it's Kate Bishop I was wondering if I could-"

"She doesn't want to talk to you still, sorry kid." The woman on the phone sounded sympathetic.

"Can… can I set up a visitation? Please?" Kate swallowed away the lump forming in her throat.

"Visitation is Tuesdays and Thursdays. Which one would you prefer?"

"Thursday please. What time?" Kate asks gently.

"2:30 in the afternoon. Good luck, Kid." The voice sounded sceptical.

"Thanks." Kate murmured before the line went dead and she looked down at the dogs.

Kate had, for the most part, tried really hard to talk with her mother. Not quite as much before she and Natasha were taken but definitely after. She had been so close to dying that the doctor admitted that if Wanda hadn't been able to bring her to the hospital she likely would have died. It had scared Kate and she had wanted to try and get her mothers forgiveness ever since but it seemed Eleanor wanted little to do with her daughter.

It bothered Kate much more than she would let on, especially given that she was due to be married in a few short months. The beginning of Spring they had settled on and while she didn't expect Eleanor to be there she had wanted to tell the woman about her pending nuptials, maybe even have Eleanor actually want to meet Yelena but she couldn't even get through to the woman.

Before Kate could pocket her phone again though it started ringing, the caller ID made her smile when it flashed up and said 'Hawkguy'.

"Hey kid. Merry Christmas." Clint offered before Kate could even speak.

"Hey! Merry Christmas! How are you and the others?" Kate asks happily.

"We're all good. I called Nat but she said you weren't there so I decided to call you instead of waiting for you to call me." Clint chuckles when he heard Kate's light laugh.

"I forgot one time." She defended lightly.

"Once was enough. Where are you?" Clint asked fondly.

"Oh I couldn't lay about like the rest of them so I took the dogs for a walk. Only a couple of blocks away." Kate explains easily.

"Still haven't heard from her?" This question had that lump forming all over again. Clint knew her too well sometimes.

"She refuses to take my calls. I'm going to go and see her on Thursday. She can't avoid me in person right?" Kate tried to laugh it off.

"Kate… it's been a year." Clint's tone was patient.

"I know but… but she's my mum. She can't hate me forever can she?" Kate bites her lip as she asks the question.

"Kate… she shouldn't hate you at all." Clint frowns, she knew he was frowning, his tone got a little extra depth when he was frowning.

"I sent her to prison, man." Kate scoffs.

"She's known you your whole life, Kate. She should never have given you reason to send her there in the first place." Clint was back to patience.

"But I could have just… I don't know. I could have not." Kate frowns deeply herself now.

"Yeah but that's what I'm saying. That's not who you are and she knows that." Clint sighs gently.

"Can we just… can we talk about something else? Please? You bought Laura that colt." Kate just wanted to talk about anything else.

"Yeah she loves it. And I got Lila her own bow, she'll be the next Hawkeye when she's older. I'll be able to pawn her off to you so I can properly retire." Clint grinned and Kate chuckled hearing and eager 'yes please' in the background.

"It's because I'm nicer." Kate chuckles softly.

"Maybe. I think she just doesn't like her old dad cramping her style, you're not so old you don't remember being a teenager." Clint spoke fondly.

"I'm getting married! To an assassin! That puts decades on me!" Kate huffed playfully indignant.

"I'm glad you're ok, Kate. And have I mentioned I'm happy for you?" Clint speaks up after the laughing died down.

"What? Not still trying to convince me it's a bad idea getting involved with a Widow?" Kate's tone was teasing.

"No. Figured I probably had to give that up when Laura told me you were engaged to Yelena EVERYTIME I looked at her. She had this smug little expression too." Clint huffed but Kate could hear the sound of Laura pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Hey Sweetie, I hope you're doing alright." Laura could be heard then.

"Hi Aunty Kate!" Came then before Kate could speak. All three kids had chimed from the living room.

"Hey guys! I'm great! I hope you had a good Christmas and I hope you all got the gifts I sent." Kate chimed brightly.

"Yeah we did, thank you sweetie." Laura spoke up affectionately and Kate smiled happily her spirits lifting, she adored the Barton's.

"Awesome. I'm glad." Kate cooed fondly as she walked along the street.

"We will let you go, Hawkeye. See you in a few weeks yeah? And call me Thursday night." Clint said the last firmly.

"Yeah I will. See you later. Merry Christmas Barton's." Kate smiled gently.

"Merry Christmas!" Came back at her before Kate hung up the phone. She felt better having spoken to Clint and Co.