Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, Disney, ABC or the Avengers.
The next morning, I was thankful for a slight headache, and no nausea. The others weren't' so lucky. Darcy was chugging water like a fish, and Jemma was nursing a migraine from hell. The rest were complaining, but not nearly as bad as the two drunkards.
"Ladies, breakfast is ready," Pepper said and most got up quickly. Food was always good with a hangover, and I was right along with Darcy drinking like a fish.
"We are heading out in an hour. Get ready," May said, smiling at the groans she received in reply.
"I want to die," Wanda said, burying her face in her arms.
"It could have been worse." Daisy moaned.
"Yeah, you could have made out with a stranger," I suggested.
"You promised never to mention that," Nat and Hope said, making everyone turn in confusion.
"Okay, long story on both accounts, and like they said, top secret." I spoke softly, as I wasn't quite up to full noise level yet.
The ride back was short, which I was thankful for. By the time we landed, most of the girls were sort of back to normal.
"I'm gonna go sleep for a week." Darcy groaned.
"Me too," Jemma said, before saying, "I wonder how alcohol affects Pietro's cells. His metabolism is much like Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes."
"Jemma. Sleep then experiments." I said, as she gave a mock salute and walked away.
"Wow, you all look like you had fun," Dad smirked.
"I'm your daughter. Drinking comes easily to me," I said, bumping shoulders with him.
"Okay, you are still drunk." He laughed.
"Yeah, nope." I said, moving to the stairs.
"Wanda," Brock said, walking down the stairs to her. She blushed and smiled politely up at him.
"I'll leave you two," I winked, continuing to walk around them. Making it to my room, I sighed, seeing the bed was made and fresh pair of clothes was laid out for me.
"Even when I'm mad, you two always seem to know how to make me melt." I sighed to myself. Getting changed, I looked around the base to find the twins. Steve and Bucky were with them in the kitchen, making them food.
"Now, how are my two darlings?" I said, walking in.
"Mama's home," Bucky said excitedly to Elijah. Callie was trying to crawl up Steve's torso to see me, recognizing my voice.
"Mamm," Callie gummed out.
"Hey princess," I said, kissing her cheek, and making growling noises into her neck. She loved it so much, she squealed.
"Hey, don't stop on my account," Steve said as I realized my chest was in his face. Raising an eyebrow in challenge, I moved to kiss my little boy's cheek.
"Were they well behaved?" I asked them as I grabbed another bottle of water.
"They always are. A little trouble putting them down last night, but generally happy."
"Why trouble?" I asked, sitting down to feed Callie.
"Elijah was having a tough time falling asleep. We had your father play a recording of you singing, and they were out like a light." Bucky said, sighing in relief.
"Well, you could have sang to them," I suggested as I placed a spoonful of mashed carrots in Callie's mouth.
"And have them cry because a goat was dying? No thank you," Steve joked as Bucky flipped him the bird.
"Steve, you can sing." I said, giving him a look.
"My voice is low and rough. Yours is soft and light," He said, before both zeroed in on my chest.
"What?" I asked looking down.
"That's more cleavage than we've seen in over a month," Bucky said with wide eyes, "Humana humana."
"Cut it out," I said, flashing my eyes at him.
"Sera, we understand we made a mistake, and we are sorry." Steve said, sighing in frustration.
"It's not that guys." I groaned, "I haven't…"
"You haven't felt ready?" Bucky guessed.
"And I'm worried that I'm gonna jump back into it too quickly." I explained.
"It's not something to take lightly. We created a baby and now it's gone. I just don't want to rush back into bed with you because you guys are needing a release."
"It's not us Sera. It's not about the sex, it's about being together."
"Let me think about it okay. While I know what's expected of me as a wife, I'm also still dealing with the miscarriage."
"So are we," Bucky said softly, kissing my temple. I nodded, remembering I wasn't alone anymore.
"I'm gonna make dinner tonight."
"Hey, three nights in a week, I'm not complaining." Steve said, smiling up at me.
"Don't get too excited. I was thinking lasagna."
"Oh, now my mouth is watering," Steve said, leaning over to attack my neck with kisses. Giggling, I tried pushing him away, "Steeeeeve, stooop!"
"Nope," He mumbled, continuing to nibble my neck and attack me with tickles.
"I will rescue you!" Bucky said, pulling Steve off me and tackling him to the ground. I was laughing at their antics, and the twins babbled along in excitement. Steve managed to pin Bucky to the ground, and give him a sweet kiss.
"Not in the kitchen!" Mack yelled, coming in.
"This is my kitchen Mack," I laughed.
"I thought the purpose of us being Avengers was to be a team. Ergo, our kitchen," Hunter said, strolling in with Daisy and Trip behind him.
"Still mine. But if you think it should be ours, I have no problem not cooking tonight," I said in jest. Trip and Mack jumped to cover Hunter's mouth, and said, "Your kitchen."
"Excellent. Now. Everybody out! I need the whole day. I'll have lunch flown in."
"Or we could finally get off base and visit the little town down the hill." Daisy suggested.
"Sure. There is a little dinner down there that would be thrilled to have the Avengers."
"Yes!" Daisy yelled, dashing out the door to alert the others. She was missing fieldwork that was for sure.
"Is there anything that you need in town babe?" Steve asked, gathering his tablet and papers.
"I'm nearly out of cheese, and the delivery doesn't come until tomorrow. Just grab a couple bags of shredded cheese, and maybe another box of diapers for the kids. I don't want to chance running out before that delivery next week."
"Yes ma'am," Bucky said, kissing my cheek sweetly and taking Elijah out of his chair. Steve picked up Callie, and blew against her cheek, making a fart noise. She squealed as they left the room.
"ARSENAL, you know the playlist," I said, rolling up my sleeves and tying my apron around my waist.
"Yes Ma'am."
Once the music started, I got out my mixing bowls, pasta maker and gathered my ingredients. It was quiet, and I knew every didn't question why I wanted to be alone in the kitchen. The music was upbeat, and kept my mind focused.
I mixed and pressed the dough, and finally I could pre-cook the noodles. As they cooked I browed garlic in olive oil, setting out the whole tomatoes to mash into sauce. I also cooked the ground beef and Italian sausage I was adding. Grating Parmesan and what was left of the shredded cheese, in the processor, I put all the ingredients in the fridge for safe keeping. I stopped to make myself a cup of tea, and then set back to work. I tapped my foot and sang along to the music.
You know I was broke down, I had hit the ground
I was crying out, couldn't make no sound
No one hears silent tears collecting
You know I had lost hope, I was all alone
Never been so low 'til you came along
Teacher, I feel the dots connecting
Beat down on me, beat down like a waterfall
Cause I can take on so much more than I had ever dreamed
So beat down on me, beat down like a waterfall
'Cause baby, I am ready to be free
Now I am invincible
No, I ain't a scared little girl no more
Yeah, I am invincible
What was I running for
I was hiding from the world
I was so afraid, I felt so unsure
Now I am invincible
And I'm a perfect storm
Now I am a warrior, a shooting star
You know I got this far, I had a broken heart
No one hears silent tears collecting
'Cause it's being weak that's strong
In the truth I found
I have courage now, I'm gonna shout it out
Teacher, I feel the dots connecting
Beat down on me, beat down like a waterfall
'Cause I can take on so much more than I had ever dreamed
So beat down on me, beat down like a waterfall
'Cause baby, I am ready to be free
Now I am invincible
No, I ain't a scared little girl no more
Yeah, I am invincible
What was I running for
I was hiding from the world
I was so afraid, I felt so unsure
Now I am invincible
And I'm a perfect storm
I was running from an empty threat
Of emptiness
I was running from an empty threat
That didn't exist
I was running from an empty threat
Of abandonment
I was running from an empty threat
That didn't exist
But now I am invincible
No, I ain't a scared little girl no more
Yeah, I am invincible
What was I running for
I was hiding from the world
I was so afraid, I felt so unsure
Now I am invincible
And I'm a perfect storm
Now I am invincible
No, I ain't a scared little girl no more
Yeah, I am invincible
What was I running for
I was hiding from the world
I was so afraid, I felt so unsure
Now I am invincible
And I'm a perfect storm
"Need some help?" Laura asked as the song ended, and I finished rinsing the noodles.
"I'm just waiting for the lasagna noodles to dry," I smiled as I set the sauce to simmer.
"Nathaniel could use some Auntie Sera cuddles," She said, as Clint came in with said baby. I sighed and nodded. Pouring a cup of coffee for Clint, I noticed Laura leave, giving him a look. Time for our session, I thought to myself.
"He's getting big," I said politely, handing him the cup and taking Nathaniel out of the carrier. I sat down beside Clint, holding Nathaniel close.
"There really are no words to describe how I'm feeling. I feel sick to my stomach knowing what I did… And I don't think it's going to go away anytime soon."
"But you don't want it to go away," Looking at his face. He nodded, "Because I don't ever want to forget. The reason I let that arrow fly was because I felt hurt and betrayed. And my actions caused a life to end. It's unacceptable."
"Clint, you had no way of knowing. I wasn't even positive myself, because I was going to test my blood later."
"But you were. And that was my niece or nephew I killed," He said, clenching his fist.
"Clint," I said, making him look at me, "You weren't yourself on the Helicarrier before New York. What did Natasha say when you came around?"
"Don't do that to myself." He said, "But this isn't like that."
"I like to think that when we are angry, there is a little Loki in all of us. It takes over our brain, and makes us do things we normally wouldn't."
"It was that damn scepter that did it," He groaned.
"I know how you felt. I predicted everyone reactions because I know everyone of those agents, our teammates. I knew my Dad wasn't going to believe a word I said to be a lie, because he loves me. I knew Steve would get his Angry Captain face on, and Bucky would be the first to cave. Out of the two, he's more forgiving."
"I knew that you would be coming by that night. You weren't a wild card Clint. We've known each other for just about 7 years now. You aren't someone that gets angry for something small. When you get angry, you rival Dr. Banner's angry."
"Not that bad." He joked.
"No, but you are someone that takes action rather than count to 10." I pointed out.
"True," He said, taking a large gulp of coffee.
"Clint, you know I do, but if you need to hear it, I will always forgive you." I said, smiling softly.
"You just need to forgive yourself." I said, resting my head on his shoulder.
"Thank you," He whispered, reaching around to hug my shoulders closer. Nathaniel was quite content in my arms, not having made a sound at the movement.
"He's so good," I said, smiling at him.
"That he is, little sister," He chuckled, kissing the top of my head.
"Are you going to town with the team?"
"No, Laura needed me to watch the kids while she napped. They left about ten minutes ago," He said as Lila and Cooper came running in.
"Auntie Nat said to find you," Cooper said, panting, "It took awhile."
"Were you two running by the labs?" I asked sternly.
"No Auntie," They said sweetly.
"Okay then. We are going to make sandwiches for our lunch. Who wants to help?" I asked.
"Me!" Both kids said excitedly. Nathaniel barely registered the sound, and I hushed them.
"Quietly," I said, making a funny face. Lila giggled and I told them to grab what they could from the fridge, while I grabbed the bread and plates. Clint was grabbing cups and juice when Wanda walked in with the twins.
"You got stuck with them." I smirked.
"I'm hiding from Brock," She said blushing.
"Oh," I said, giving her a look.
"He… tried to corner me on the stairs, but I managed to evade him by… running the other direction."
"How elementary school," Clint said, before I flicked his head.
"Anyways," I said, gesturing for her to continue.
"Vision helped me hide and redirected Brock to the group."
"That was nice of him." I said.
"Brock went with the others, and I took the twins from Steve and Bucky saying I would watch them, running out of sight." She said, making me laugh as we strapped the kids into their highchairs.
"Oh boy," I laughed. Clint was giggling too, but chose to keep it quieter than I did.
"You cannot possibly think that was a great idea. He's going to find you again, and trust me, while my cousin would never grab a lady, he may just want to sit down and talk to you. Meaning he's gonna make you." I said, giving her a look to say I was serious.
"It would have been better if I hadn't drunk dialed him."
"Amen. I wouldn't have to diffuse the bomb," I teased.
"Thank you for taking the phone before I said something really bad. I had a feeling I was going to," She shuddered as I set the kids up to choose their own condiments.
"Auntie Sera, what does drunk dial mean?" Lila said and Clint grimaced.
"Something I hope you never do when you are older." I whispered under my breath. Wanda guffawed and said, "I want to see how you explain this."
"You know how Mommy and Daddy have adult drinks?" I asked, and they nodded.
"Well, when you have too many, you aren't able to think clearly. Your brain goes fuzzy and you get very emotional sometimes. Some people have been known to phone people when they are drunk, and tell them all their deepest darkest secrets. And then the next day you regret ever having too many adult drinks. You get very sick and then your head pounds like someone's hitting you over the head repeatedly with a hammer. It's not something I wish either of you would do."
"Okay Auntie," Lila said, putting the lunchmeat on her sandwich.
"You just saved my butt. Thank you," Clint said, laughing.
"Anyways, I was going to… телл хим хоw муч И wантед то wрап мы легс ароунд хим." She said in hushed tones. I couldn't control my giggles as I sat down next to Lila.
"I'm glad I caught you when I did." I said, still laughing.
"Why?" Clint asked.
"She was speaking in Cyrillic over the phone, and said, "Brock vous êtes un bel homme , et je aimerait mieux vous connaître . Vos muscles sont si grand et je veux être enveloppé dans les." Then I grabbed it from her before she could say, "Je veux terminer mes jambes autour de vous."" I explained, making Clint howl while Wanda blushed.
"Hey, no languages at the table." Lila said, making a grumpy face.
"Sweetie, we are taking about grown up stuff that you guys shouldn't hear. Do you trust us when we say that it's not good for you to hear?" Clint said, noticing how suspicious Cooper looked.
"Fine," She sighed.
"Well, now that we nearly scarred them for life, I need to finish the lasagnas." I said, getting up and starting to layer.
"Mmm, I'm hungry again," Clint said, still chewing his sandwich.
"Then have another sandwich," I said, narrowing my eyes playfully.
Two hours later, the rest of the team returned, smiles and laughter filling the hangar. I had set the lasagnas in the oven on low for the next four hours.
"Slow cooking them seals in the flavor," I told Wanda, "Lets it marinate in its own sauce longer."
"Sounds delicious," she said, before ducking behind a wall.
"What the-" I said, wondering where she went.
"Have you seen Wanda?" Brock said coming down the hall. I clued in, saying, "No, not for about an hour now."
"You're covering for her, aren't you?" He smirked.
"Brock, she's embarrassed by the phone call. Let her come to you when she can explain."
"I'm not looking to get mad at her. Can you tell her that?" He sighed.
"Where are you going?" I asked as he grabbed his bag.
"I've got to reveal at least 20 of those guns to Hydra tomorrow. I can't stay here much longer."
"Stay for dinner at least." I said, and he stopped walking.
"Okay. Just dinner, and then I've got to leave for another few weeks." He sighed.
"Steve was saying he had a plan for the Monolith rocks on the flight back." Brock mentioned.
"That's my Captain," I chuckled as we walked away, so Wanda could escape again.
When the lasagnas were done, I rang the alarm for dinner, and everyone came running. Settling down with everyone, I noticed Steve had his thinking face on as he fed Elijah. Everyone was moaning in delight with each bite of food, and I smirked to myself. I should have become a chef, I thought to myself. Looking around, I knew I wouldn't trade this for anything.
As everyone finished, Steve stood up. He waited until we were all settled around the table before he said, "Hydra thinks it has the upper hand."
"Nope, they stink." Daisy joked quietly, making us all chuckle.
"They think we don't know their ultimate plan, but we do. We know they plan to use these Monolith pieces to open a portal. We have the 8 possible locations of the rocks. We are sending in teams of 3 for each vault. You get in, find it and get out."
"What if they realize we are looking?"
"Well, they won't, because we are going to time it. Everyone will be going in at the same time, no matter the location."
"If it's 2pm in D.C, it will be 8pm in the remaining seven locations." Bucky said, explaining.
"Scott, Trip and Daisy will take the Zepkow vault in Germany. Natasha, Clint and myself take Amsterdam. Hope, Rhodey and May take Bern. Bucky, Sam and Sharon will be in Prague. Tony, Bobby and Coulson are taking Vienna. Mack, Lance and Fitz are taking Budapest," He said, making Clint, Nat and I glance at each other.
"We don't talk about Budapest," Clint said to me, making me giggle.
"You know the story too?" Dad asked, confused, "What happened?"
"Sera, no!" Clint said sternly as Natasha punched his arm in jest.
"But it was so funny," I chuckled.
"Wanda, Pietro and Jemma will take Paris." Steve said after we finished talking, "Vision, Maria and Sera will take DC."
"We are prosecuting Carson within the next week and the public knows about Gideon Malick. He's been listed as a terrorist, and last seen taking off in a helicopter with armed guards."
"He's running." Coulson said.
"Tomorrow we execute. Get a good sleep tonight, tomorrow is gonna be a long day."
"Yes sir," The agents said, while the Avengers just nodded.
"You can tell half have manners," I teased to Steve in hushed tones.
"I heard that!" Wanda said, flinging a piece of lettuce at me. Laughing, I got up to start washing dishes.
"Nope, you cooked all day. It's our turn," Bucky said as Steve took the cleared dishes from my hands.
"We are putting the kids to bed tonight," Steve said, kissing my forehead.
"Oh-kay," I said confused. Regardless, I walked back to my room, spotting Wanda approaching Brock. I smiled to myself and thought about a bubble bath for myself. It was quick but luxurious, and just what I needed with the bottle of wine I had stashed in our little living room.
I was just about to get ready for bed when Bucky and Steve came in with the twins. They barely said hi to me before taking the kids to bathe the sauce off of them. I smiled to myself, as I got ready for bed. I brushed my teeth and brushed my hair, taking the time to subtly flip it over one shoulder as I stood there in a towel.
"Yes, those are your toes," I heard Bucky say to one of the twins, as I walked back out to change.
"Buck," I heard Steve whisper, as I changed into my lingerie nightwear. Seeing that they were watching me, I winked over at them and they were quick to finish the twins' bath. Drying the twins and changing them into pajamas, they were in their cribs and half asleep when Steve started a CD player. It was the recording of the lullaby I sang them. Closing the door silently, the guys were out of their clothes and under the covers.
"Guys," I laughed at their eagerness. I was happy they left their boxers on, or things would have escalated.
"We haven't been in the same bed for over a month. All we are doing is sleeping." I said, as they pressed themselves up against me.
"Whatever you want Angel," Steve sighed.
"We just missed you," Bucky said sleepily.
"Can you sing it?" They said in unison a second later. Chuckling, I softly sang along to the recording in the other room.
They were both snoring within minutes and I felt content as I drifted off as well.
A/N: There it is. A large update for my absence. :( Hope you all aren't mad at me for being late.
