Chapter 22 – Finding Home

Despite the news from the UN it's a very subdued group that fill the quinjet on the return to the States. They'd left just after the Wakandan ship carrying Nakia's body, the day after the Wakandan Accords had finally been agreed and signed.

Natasha had worried that T'Challa might go on a revenge filled mission like he did when his father was killed, but he had been more subdued this time and had followed Okoye's suggestions without comment. Something she knew had worried the King's Guard.

'He's given so much for us,' she hears Bruce sigh as they watch the Wakandan ship disappear into the distance. 'I just hope he feels it is worth it.'

'We'll have to make it worth it,' she says, turning to the rest of the team.

'Home now,' Tony sighs, weariness evident in every line of his body. 'Although I can't imagine they've finished repairs yet so it might be a bit drafty for a while.'

Natasha pauses for a moment, then forces herself to speak. 'Can we not go to the facility?'

More than one confused face turns to look at her. 'Where do you want to go?' Clint asks her.

'Back to the house at Long Island.'

Tony raises both eyebrows so high they nearly disappear into his hairline. 'I'm sorry, what?'

She bites her lip before speaking again. 'It just…it felt more like a home than the facility has and…well it'll be a new start for all of us.'

'Even though it was basically a breeding ground for dust clouds,' Sam adds, 'it did feel more like it was ours than the facility did. The facility always feels like we're about to move on to something. The house felt…'

'Permanent,' she finishes for him. 'Like it was somewhere we could stay and make our own. If…' she pauses, taking in the expression on Tony's face, 'if you don't mind, Tony?'

She can see the inventor looks torn. 'What does everyone else think?' he asks eventually.

'I mean,' Wade shrugs, 'needs a shit ton of cleaning. Not to mention more than one coat of paint. But it was comfy.'

'It was like a family home,' Peter nods, 'rather than somewhere to bunk down while we trained.'

'It would be nice to have a fresh start after everything,' Wanda's voice is quiet, 'where we can rebuild after all we've just been through.'

'And it's somewhere no one associates with us yet,' Sam points out, 'so we'd have some privacy.'

'Be good to exorcise some of those ghosts as well, Tones,' Rhodes points out, 'and it'll just rot away otherwise.'

Tony looks to Steve and the two of them have a silent conversation.

'We'd have to deal with contractors coming in and doing up the place for a few weeks. Wouldn't exactly be peaceful,' the inventor says eventually.

'Let's do it up ourselves,' Steve answers. 'Make it a proper family home.'

Tony looks round at everyone, then he laughs and puts his hands up. 'Alright, alright. Let's do it. Let's go to the house and start our own DIY project. Someone going to tell Scott and Hope to head back there and open it up again?'

'I'll call them now,' Natasha says with a smile.

'And if anyone,' Tony points a mock-threatening finger at each member in turn, 'complains about having to do DIY I will personally put them on cleaning duty for a month.'

Natasha laughs as she presses the call button on Hope's contact, lifting the phone to her ear. The atmosphere in the jet has just got a little lighter. It looks like the team might be able to heal after all.