It had been almost two hours since they had all arrived at the Barton's farmhouse, and Riley had yet to step a foot inside. It didn't feel right to be in Clint's home, especially not around his family and his little children. In this group, in this arrangement they had, she was the outsider.

Riley wasn't a hero who had fought alongside these people for years, who had risked her life for each and every one of them. She was not a superhero, and she was not going to pretend just for the sake of this mission.

Despite how badly she needed to pee.

"I was starting to think you took off as well," Steve's voice called behind her.

Riley had been sitting among the long grass for a while now, leaning back to look up at the clear sky above. It had been a long time since she had a view like this. No buildings, no planes, no sign of anyone else being around. It felt cruel now to be enjoying such a moment considering Wanda had well and truly tainted the pleasant memory she did have of being among nature with her mother.

But it was calming, and since Riley hadn't brought along a flask of whiskey, she was desperate for anything that could soothe her.

"I don't even know where we are," she told him honestly, turning to see him stepping closer.

Steve had swapped out the top half of his Captain America uniform for a blue t-shirt and was carrying over a small brown bag, holding it out for Riley to take when he got close enough. Cautiously, Riley reached out to take it from him, leaning up from her position.

"Is this a bag of weed? You read my mind," she quipped, knowing Steve would make that usual unimpressed face in response.

Which he did, before letting out a sigh and folding his arms across his chest.

"Laura sent you out some lunch," he explained, watching her open the bag and pull out a sandwich.

"Uh, okay," Riley nodded, looking back up at him. "Thanks,"

"Don't thank me," he shrugged. "There's plenty more inside,"

"I'm good," she insisted, taking a bite of the sandwich a moment later.

It wasn't until food was right in front of her that she realized how hungry she was. She couldn't remember the last time she ate and as she swallowed her first bite, she felt her stomach grumble in response. Hungry.

Steve watched for a moment before he stepped around her, wandering over to a stack of wood that needed to be split. There was an axe lying off to the side, waiting to be used, and Steve would do anything right now rather than sit still and dwell on his thoughts. Memories of the war and Peggy Carter were still fresh in his mind, and he had a feeling they weren't going to leave him anytime soon.

The rest of the team were inside resting, pulling themselves back together. Clint played with his children, took moments with his wife, and almost forgot about the fact they were in the middle of a battle he didn't know how to win. They were all in a lull right now, and Riley could feel that it wasn't going to last long.

As she finished off the last of her sandwich, she could hear the heavy sound of the axe swinging down against blocks of wood, turning to see Steve forming a pile of ready-to-burn pieces. Here was their team leader, minus the stars and stripes, acting like any other ordinary citizen hiding away in the woods.

"When are we heading back out?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"I think everyone needs a bit of a rest," Steve explained. "And we need to figure out what the next move is,"

"Right, so..." Riley trailed off. "Like, a few hours?"

"If you've got any ideas for a plan, I'm all ears," he huffed, lifting the axe up high once again before swinging it down into the wood.

Riley watched on with a tired sigh, wondering how long they were going to be stuck at this farmhouse. It was a peaceful place, she had no doubt about that, but she knew they couldn't stay here too long. It was all well and good to play happy family, but it was far from realistic.

"Thor coming back?" she asked.

"Don't know," Steve shrugged, moving the wood and replacing it with new blocks.

Over and over again, Riley watched as Steve separated the logs of wood and threw them into a pile. She could hear the man's breathing picking up as he hauled block after block of wood into the clearing in front of him, until she finally realized she was simply sitting there staring. When the next few pieces of wood had been split in half, Riley moved her hand out and cleared the way for Steve, sending the logs through the air carefully to sit on top of the rest.

Steve turned to her after they settled on top of the pile, nodding in appreciation.

"You feeling better?" he asked.

"Well, I'm not causing an earthquake right now, so yeah. Better."

"Couldn't have been easy keeping control with what she put in your head," Steve shook his head. "She's powerful."

Riley stared back at him for a moment.

"Wanda doesn't make up scenarios and just slip them into your mind. You know that, don't you?" she asked, shaking her head. "Everything she put in there? It's all real."

"It's a spell,"

"A spell that feeds off memories and thoughts that are already in your head," she continued. "I'll take a guess that whatever she showed you didn't involve a stranger, did it?"

Steve's jaw clenched at the memory of his vision.

"And I'll also guess that whatever you saw has already ran through your mind before, hasn't it?" she pushed. "Wanda doesn't make it up, she just makes you see it, whether it's happened or it's going to. And I guess that's what sent Thor into his search."

Riley watched the man stare back at her, obviously planning to argue, but knowing he had nothing to fight back with. Steve didn't want Riley to be right, but she was. Wanda didn't show any of them anything they hadn't already seen or feared before.

"Did she tell you that?" Steve asked.

"You overhear a lot when you're locked in a cell next door," Riley shrugged. "But hey, don't take my word for it, none of you trust me anyway."

"You don't exactly give us a reason to," Steve reasoned. "And you're pretty clear on how you feel about us."

"Am I now?" she bit back. "Is that why I'm sitting here in the middle of nowhere with you all while we play happy farmers?"

Riley turned to the approaching footsteps she could hear behind them, watching as Tony wandered down from the house, eyeing them both cautiously. Even the genius himself looked far from the man Riley was used to seeing.

"Another friendly conversation, I assume?" Tony began.

"Aren't they all?" Riley muttered. "Honestly, I don't know how long I can just sit here at this fu-"

"Excuse me?" a little voice called.

Riley cut herself off immediately, turning to the small child now by her side. The little girl looked no older than five or six, pigtail braids running over her shoulders as she stared up at Riley with a shy grin.

"Um," Riley trailed off, looking to the two men.

"What's up Little Barton?" Tony asked, noticing Riley's obvious discomfort.

"My mama asked if you can come inside please," the girl announced, her eyes still stuck on Riley.

"M-me?" Riley asked softly.

"Uh huh," the girl nodded. "We made you another sandwich. I helped cut it for you."

Riley nervously looked back at Tony, hey eyes screaming out for help. She was never great with children, but she had very little experience with them since gaining her abilities. The last thing she wanted was to send the girl screaming in fear if she lost control of flashed her orange eyes out of panic.

"She'll be right in," Tony assured. "Why don't you run ahead?"

"I gotta show you where to go," the girl shook her head, extending her hand for Riley to take.

"Oh, um...sure," Riley stuttered, slowly taking the girls hand and being tugged along.

Tony and Steve watched as Riley was lead away from them and toward the stairs to the front porch, noticing her nervous body stiffening each time the girl pulled her along. Steve couldn't help grinning in amusement at the sight, turning back to the blocks of wood positioned in front of him. He hadn't even noticed Riley moving them there, and when he looked up at Tony, he was grinning just the same.

Neither of them had really spoken about the fact Riley had joined them on this mission, but it seemed they were both adjusting to it.

"She's not so bad," Tony told him. "Y'know, when you look past her...everything."

Steve watched as Tony picked up the other axe resting by the pile, throwing it around between his hands.

"No, she's not so bad," Steve agreed. "When she wants to be."

"So you piss her off," Tony shrugged. "Hate to break it to you Cap, but you do happen to have that affect sometimes,"

With a sigh of frustration, Steve brought the axe down and split another log of wood in half. Without Riley, he leaned down to pick up each piece and toss them onto the pile he was growing.

"She's unpredictable," Steve argued.

"We all are," Tony shrugged.

Steve sighed, knowing he was right, and it angered him more than it should have. Individually, they were all unpredictable, but as a team they needed to know each other's next move. They needed to work together, better than they already did. There couldn't be any more lies or secrets.

But Steve was sure that bringing up that fact right now would only cause an argument. Again.

Instead he just looked over at Tony, glancing down at the axe in his hands before looking to the eyes staring back at him.

"Are you going to help?"

Riley walked down the halls of the house slowly, being pulled along by the little girl, her eyes scanning the walls of photographs and the floors littered in toys. It looked like happy home, one that any child would love to grow up in. One that she shouldn't be in.

"Mommy," the girl called out as they walked into the kitchen. "I got her,"

Laura turned where she stood by the sink, running her hand over her large baby bump. Clint stood by her side, watching Riley closely, but there was a small grin on his lips. He didn't seem threatened or concerned at all.

"I hope you invited her instead of dragging her," the woman sighed, looking to Riley. "Hi, I'm Laura. The little usher there is Lila. Noticed you weren't at the table for lunch,"

"Steve bought me a sandwich," Riley nodded. "Thank you...for that,"

"Thought you might be a little hungry," Laura smiled, gesturing to the plate on the table and the glass of lemonade right beside it.

Riley looked at the setting in front of her, then at the little girl at her side, and finally back at the couple.

"You can sit, you know?" Clint chuckled lightly. "Don't look so scared,"

Laura nudged her husband, giving him a frown.

"Everyone else has had a chance to sit and get their energy back, now you go ahead," she encouraged. "But if you'd rather not be here, that's okay. I do have way too much lemonade though, so if you stay here, you can get quite a few refills."

Riley let a small smirk crawl onto her lips as she eyed the sandwich again, slowly moving to take her seat at their table. Laura smiled and continued to arrange what looked like a tray of vegetables, busying herself as if she hadn't cooked for guests in a very long time. Which was probably true, considering this whole place was off the grid.

It could have been the whole 'nesting' thing kicking in also. With so many people in her house right now, Laura wanted them all to be comfortable and cared for. Clint knew better than to argue with his heavily pregnant wife, and to be honest, he was liking the idea of sharing this part of his life with the team. Which is why it felt so odd to Riley that she was in this house right now, with his family.

"Is it good?" Lila asked, watching Riley take a bite of the sandwich.

Clint watched Riley look to his daughter with a nervous smile, nodding as she continued to eat. He could see she was uncomfortable, but there was no need to be. Riley was just a kid, really. She didn't ask for any of this to happen, and she didn't ask to be the person it made her. After explaining the girl to his wife, Laura couldn't stand the idea of Riley isolating herself.

"Really good," Riley assured the little girl, smiling to herself as she watched Lila nod shyly.

"Honey, let her eat," Laura instructed, beginning to prepare yet another sandwich.

"Oh, no it's fine-" Riley began, shaking her head as she stuffed the rest of the sandwich into her mouth.

"There's plenty," Laura assured. "Believe me, with these two kids and his appetite? There's no shortage of food."

Riley watched as the couple began to lovingly bicker among themselves, reaching out to grab her lemonade and take a few sips. It felt like she had stepped into a different reality. One where nothing bad ever happened, there was no fight they had to march into, nothing but peace and quiet. This whole house was full of love and family, and as out of place as Riley felt, it was all so comforting.

"There you go," Laura slid another plate in front of Riley, sighing as she lowered herself down to sit across the table.

Clint began to tickle Lila over by the side, chasing her out of the room and around the house. All they could hear was delighted squeals and giggling, and Riley could see the content smile on Laura's lips as she poured them both a fresh glass of lemonade.

Riley began to eat the new sandwich, now her third serving, as Laura gulped down half a glass of the lemonade.

"I hope he's not being too...Clint," Laura laughed.

"No, he's been fine," Riley assured with a smile.

"And the rest of them?" she continued. "Clint said you aren't really on board with the whole Avengers thing."

"I'm not really on board with any sort of team," Riley shrugged, finishing her bite.

"I think they really appreciate your help. Clint said you had their backs in Sokovia, and you had plenty of chances on this mission to go against them, and you haven't."

Riley considered her words for a moment, taking another bite and washing it down with some lemonade. Sure, there were chances to leaven them behind and go off on her own, but she wouldn't really get far without a plan. And she had nothing.

Never in her life did she ever have to sort out a plan of attack or a way to win a battle. Before all of this, she was a twenty year old student cramming lecture notes the hour before an exam. She wasn't meant for this world of heroes and wars.

"I'm more of a distraction," she explained quietly. "Wanda and Pietro, the...the other two, they can't focus well when I'm around. They hate me more than they want to help Ultron, all because I'm part of all this."

"You're more than a distraction," Laura shook her head. "Is that what you think you are to them?"

You are their bait.

"They don't trust me," Riley shook her head. "Which is fine, because I'm not exactly their biggest fan."

Laura frowned.

"You wouldn't be here if they didn't trust you,"

"Well, maybe not everyone feels that way," Riley sighed. "Thank you for the sandwiches. I'll um, I can clean these."

Laura watched as Riley stood from the table, walking over to the sink and beginning to scrub the plate with soap as if she were one of Laura's children. A smile crept onto Laura's face as she watched on quietly, noticing how young Riley really was.

"You've got lovely manners," Laura chuckled as Riley began to wipe the dishes with a towel. "Your parents raised you well."

Riley let a small smile break onto her lips.

"My mom always said if I'm someone's guest, I need to eat every bite they serve and clean up every crumb,"

"She sounds like an impressive woman. I still have to tell my kids to at least take their plates to the sink after dinner before running off. I try to be strict, but I want them to enjoy being kids. Clint's actually more strict than I am about some things, believe it or not. Was your mom the strict one?"

Riley continued to wipe down the dishes, moving her glance from Laura to concentrate on every soap bubble she could see.

"She was the only one," Riley told her softly, shrugging.

"Oh," Laura's eyes widened. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't be. He's out there somewhere, not that I give a sh-..." she trailed off, remembering the 'no swearing' rule.

"You've never met him?"

"Never needed to,"

"But you'd always be wondering, wouldn't you?"

"I'm always wondering a lot of things," Riley sighed, beginning to lift the plates back into their shelves.

"Mom!" Lila squealed, running into the room out of nowhere.

At the sudden noise, the plates slipped from Riley's hands and shattered against the ground. The little girl let out a scream in fear, and Riley crouched down against the kitchen bench and scrambled to contain the sharp pieces that spread around the floor.

"Hey, it's okay!" Laura soothed, holding her daughter close.

"I'm sorry!" Riley pleaded, moving to gather all the pieces of the plates, cutting herself in the process.

Clint rushed into the room a moment later, followed by Natasha and Steve rushing through the door, becoming an audience to the less-than-threatening moment.

"It's fine, they aren't exactly fine China," Laura shook her head, a smile on her lips.

"Been in here five minutes and tearing it apart, huh?" Clint joked, earning himself another frown from his wife.

"I-I didn't..." Riley stuttered, feeling her adrenaline rise.

They watched on as the house began to rattle, the glasses in the cupboards beginning to clink against one another. Riley swore at herself, begging to gain control, but her hands were balled into fists by her side and her body had gone with stiff. She could feel it now. They were looking back into her glowing eyes.

Lila ran over to Natasha, jumping into her arms as the red-haired woman stared back at Riley warningly. There was only one person in this world that was equally as protective of this family as Clint, and that was Natasha.

"Take a deep breath," she instructed.

Riley could hear her words, but it did nothing. Not with the eyes on her, not with the panic in her body. She shouldn't have stepped into this house, she shouldn't have let Laura think she was safe to be around.

"I'll clean-"

"I've got it," Clint called back, grabbing a dust pan. "Go walk it off,"

There was no threat or ice in the archer's words, but the urgency was clear to Riley. She was unstable, and that was dangerous to have in the house. She couldn't be here.

Riley rushed out of the room a moment later, running out onto the porch and jumping down the stairs to the grass. The ground was shaking beneath her as she marched away from the house, trying to get as much distance as possible as her chest heaved.

"Riley!" Steve called out, stepping out into the porch.

"I'm going," Riley nodded, putting her hands up. "I'm going,"

"Slow down!" he continued, following her footsteps down into the field. "You haven't done anything wr-"

Riley began running along the grassy field now, picking up an alarming pace before shooting up into the sky, soaring up over the stretch of trees that surrounded the property. The ground rattled and moaned in response, the trees creaking loudly as they swayed in her wake. Steve stopped where he was, hands on his hips, and his head hung low in disappointment.

A moment later, he turned to the sound of footsteps approaching on the dirt path.

"Please tell me she's gone to pick up some takeout," Tony sighed, looking up into the sky where Riley had now disappeared.

But Steve's couldn't say a word in response. Instead, he stood there with his mouth hanging open at the sight of the man by his side who was dressed in his usual black attire, sans leather jacket.

"There's a reason we had a a screening process in place for any new recruits, Captain."

Steve just shook his head, a small and somewhat relieved smile creeping onto his lips.

"Fury."

Thanks for reading guys! And thank you for your kind reviews! Please do let me know what you think xx