Chapter 13 - Back At The Bunker

Jubilee had been practically climbing the walls since Tony had relayed the message that they'd found the three captured heroes and were coming back — with a few extra people as well. Not that the extras were as important as seeing her Wolvie again — and seeing him happy and with his wife and not totally believing in his stupid curse. Not to mention a certain Kree idiot who had been gone for way too long.

Kate kept half an eye on her friend the whole time. "Jubes, you're making me tired just watching you," she said at last from her spot laid out on the couch.

"Yeah, well, it's been weeks," Jubilee muttered, not really slowing down.

"They're not going to get here any faster just because you're speeding up," Lorna said with a quiet smile. She and Alex had arrived in Tony's bunker a few hours earlier, and as soon as she did, Tyler had hardly left her side.

Because the truth was, Loran was very pregnant. She looked like she was ready to pop any second, and in fact, she was actually a day past her due date, so Tyler and Elin were both watching her — though Elin's gaze was far more curious than anything else.

Of course, having a newcomer had been great for the kids, who were getting sick of being cooped up. But Chance and Charlie knew Aunt Lorna from pictures and seemed pretty comfortable around her — and once she started doing funny tricks with anything metal in the room, the rest of the kids decided they liked her too.

Which really just freed up space for Jubilee to pace some more without worrying about running into little Summers kids who wanted her to "look not sad."

"You gon' wear yo'self out before your sweetheart gets here," Remy pointed out with a smirk.

"Yeah, I thought you wanted to save your energy for the big talk," Jessica Drew said with a little teasing smirk.

"And what would you know about that talk, Jess?" Kate teased. "You chickened out on that one pretty epicly."

Jess pulled a face at Kate and then rolled her eyes. "Come on, Jubilee. You can take the loveseat. I'm going to check on Gerry. He'll want to say hi to his dad when they get here." She slid out of the chair and headed to the back room, where the little boy was taking a nap — or at least pretending to. He was already awake and quietly playing with his plastic bow, which he had been pretty much attached to when he'd figured out that his dad was not visiting for a reason, even if he didn't know why. And since he'd heard people saying Clint was coming, he couldn't sleep. Not even a little bit.

When the group or rescuers and former prisoners finally walked in a short time later, K and Logan were quick to make their way to Elin, who on seeing the two of them turned into a teeny tiny monster for Tyler, who was holding her.

She wriggled and squirmed, half squeaking and squealing until her mother got to her and picked her up. She snuggled right into her and very clearly made it known that she was exactly where she wanted to be, though she kept picking her head up from K's shoulder and grinning at her for a few moments before she'd snuggle right back in. She giggled when K nuzzled her and looked as if she was positively in heaven when the three of them settled into a loveseat with Logan wrapped around his girls.

Gerry was also over the moon when Clint walked in the door, shouting "Daddy!" at the top of his lungs as he tackled the side of Clint's leg. Clint grinned and picked him up with his good arm, and Gerry hugged his neck and gave him several kisses, launching into a half-babbled version of everything he'd been up to while his dad was gone.

As for Noh, his initial greeting was a little less cuddly and a lot more along the lines of an attack when Jubilee ran right to him and smacked him hard. "Don't do that to me!" she nearly shouted at him.

But Noh was so glad to see her that he didn't seem to mind the hitting at all, instead scooping her up in his arms to press a kiss to the very tip of her nose. "I don't mean to do any such thing," he promised. "And I never intended to leave you for any period of time, much less as long as we have been gone."

"Well … the road to me kicking your sparkly moon dusted butt is covered in 'didn't intend to's," Jubilee replied with her hands on her hips.

"I know," he said softly before he kissed her forehead very, very gently. "And I'm truly sorry. Please let me make it up to you."

"Only if you can figure out why I am so royally cheesed," she replied.

He took a slight step back, still holding her in his arms though now looking her over quickly. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I promised I would never be subject to the Kree or their form of justice again, and I've failed to keep my word."

"From what Santa Stark told me, that shouldn't be an issue," she replied. "I am mad for a totally different reason."

He looked her over once more and then looked downright concerned. "Jubilee, were you injured while I was gone?" he asked, wide-eyed.

"No," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I got my thunder stolen by a big headed creep."

"Ah," Noh said, nodding quietly. "Yes, I promise, we'll finish our anniversary trip as soon as the Kree are gone."

"No we won't."

"We won't?" He looked alarmed. "Jubilee, I truly am sorry—"

"Yeah you are. More than you realize, because even Kate has it figured out." She tipped her head to one side. "And you're waaaay behind Logan and K."

Noh's eyes widened a bit more at that one, and he looked like he was half holding his breath. "Jubilee," he said, very quietly, "Jubilee ... you are not just a babysitter here, is that what you are saying?"

"I tried to tell you on the beach," she said quietly, almost pouting as she did so.

He was still outright staring at her with wide eyes before he reached up one hand to cup her cheek. "How are you feeling?" he asked openly. "You are human — and my world's genetic advances... Are you alright?"

"I'm a little mad I didn't get to blow Ronan's head off," she said in a lofty tone. "But I guess I'm okay."

He very tenderly leaned down and kissed her, and when the kiss broke, he was grinning. "You have never looked so beautiful," he whispered to her. "And I have never been so… ecstatic."

"You gotta lot more sweet talking to do, mister," she said, poking him in the chest hard.

He reached down and scooped her up into his arms. "My dear, beautiful, wonderful, darling Jubilee... I'll tell you anything you like and more," he promised, kissing her between every other word and holding her gently as she rearranged herself to get comfortable. "And I will do more than talking to make up for my absence."

The others in the room had to grin to themselves watching the interaction as Noh continued to carry Jubilee off so he could tell her more wonderful things — which had more than a few of them shaking their heads at the glittery pair of lovers.

Even Erik, who had come with the group if for no other reason than that they were reluctant to let him out of their sights now that he was taking an active interest in the X-Men again, was watching the entire exchange with an amused sort of smile. But he was distracted by the ever-intrepid Chance, who worked his way over to the newcomer while his best friend was busy peppering his dad with kisses to stare inquisitively at the older man.

When Erik noticed the little boy and smiled his way, that was all the encouragement Chance needed to get a little closer and investigate, wide smile in place as he waved. "Hi!" he said as he stopped just about a foot in front of Erik, staring right up at him.

Erik glanced over at Scott for a second, since the older Chance got, the more it was clear he looked exactly like his father, before the expression stretched into a genuine, warm smile. "Hello there," he said, leaning forward so he could be closer to Chance's height. "And what's your name?"

"Tance," the little boy said with a winning smile as he inched his way a little closer.

Erik's smile only widened at that; it really was impossible not to smile around such a smiling little boy. "It's very nice to meet you, young man," he said, and Chance just grinned wider. "I'm Erik."

Chance giggled delightedly and then very suddenly dashed off again, leaving Erik still smiling as he glanced over at Scott again, who had been watching the entire exchange with one eyebrow raised. "Congratulations, Mr. Summers," Erik said with a bit of a twinkle in his eye. "Your son is already shaping up to be a delightful young man, I see."

"We certainly think so," Scott replied with a subdued sort of smirk before Chance returned, this time with his sister's hand grasped firmly in his as he pulled her along.

"Say hi," Chance directed his sister, to Erik's obvious delight as the slightly shyer little girl opened and closed one hand his way.

"Hi," Charlie said, and Chance beamed beside her.

Erik's smile became even gentler as he leaned that much closer toward her. "Hello there, young lady," he said in a very kind voice. "And who might you be?"

Charlie looked timidly over at her brother, who was giving her his best 'go on' expression and giggling, so she looked back at Erik. "I Tarly," she said.

Erik looked surprised for a moment, though he didn't let it show too obviously as he introduced himself to the shy little girl, who was half hiding behind her brother and trying to decide if this stranger was worth her interest. Charlie was quickly distracted speaking to her brother in their own babbled twin language, which gave Erik the opportunity to glance over his shoulder with such an open expression, obviously questioning if he'd heard the little girl correctly, that there was no way that Scott could possibly miss it.

"Chance, why don't you and Charlie go play with Spidey for a while? He hasn't played with you yet," Scott suggested, half an eye on Erik as the older man's expression only became more open on hearing Charlie's name.

For a long moment, Erik watched the twins giggling and playing with Spidey, who was of course only too happy to start playing "floor monster" with them. He pretended to roar and chase after them — and their game quickly attracted the attention of Gerry and Dani as well until everyone was involved, including Anton and the Hale kids.

Scott took a seat close by Erik, and there was silence between them for some time as they watched the kids squealing with delight. Finally, without looking Erik's way, Scott said, "We named her Charlotte."

Erik nodded very slowly, as if he was considering this, before he let out a long breath. "It's a fitting name," he said at last in a voice choked with hidden emotion. "And one that, I trust, she will learn the legacy of and preserve well."

"I hope so," Scott agreed quietly, and the two men fell into what could almost be called companionable silence.

Across the room, Clint was watching with a quiet grin as Gerry was playing with the other kids. The little boy was more concerned with trying to make sure that the "floor monster" didn't get to the twins because they were the "littlest" in the group than he was with actually playing the game, so he kept getting caught and tickled by Spidey, though he didn't seem to mind that part much, either, to be honest.

Clint felt tired — and he had every right to feel that way, after the past few weeks — and he hadn't realized just how tired he was until he was no longer playing with Gerry, or helping drop off those kids somewhere safe, or escaping from bases… Now, he just wanted to sleep.

He leaned over and put his head on Natasha's shoulder, and he was a bit surprised when instead of giving him the usual, quiet smile and quickly squeezed hand in response, she outright rearranged herself in a clear invitation to slide down with her and nestle into the couch together. Not that he was complaining.

He lay down with his back against the couch as she turned to face him and pulled his arms around her middle, though she paused in mid-movement at the way he was gasping in a breath when she pulled at his left arm.

She sat up quickly, her gaze raking over him more sharply than before. She raised her hand to very slowly and gently pull back the fabric of Clint's shirt from his neck to stretch over his shoulder so she could see the badly scarred and poorly healed results of his time with the Kree. Her eyes widened the slightest bit, and she ran the very tips of her fingers over his shoulder for a long moment.

"That hit I took — back when they first grabbed me," he tried to explain, his voice obviously subdued as she just watched him with an entirely open expression. "It shattered my shoulder — and it's not like they were that interested in putting it back together."

"Clint," she whispered out, still trailing her fingertips over his skin until he grabbed her hand and held it in his for a moment.

"Hey, it's fine," he told her, lying through his teeth. "I'll just break out the old Ronin suit, right?"

But neither of them had noticed Kate watching from nearby, her eyes slightly narrowed as she saw the attention Natasha was giving Clint's shoulder, and from the look on both of their faces, it wasn't hard for Kate to piece together what had happened. She felt her own throat constricting at the thought of an injury like that, and her expression settled into something a bit more determined as she gently pushed off of Kurt's chest where she had been curled up with a whispered, "I'll be right back."

Kurt helped her get to her feet before she made her way over to Tyler, who was enjoying a little time to himself now that Elin was perfectly content to curl up with both of her parents. And just like that, Kate grabbed hold of his arm and started to tug. "I need to borrow you," she told him.

He turned to her with a look of slight alarm as he warily watched her. "Are you alright?" he asked — and she had to laugh at the concern in his expression.

"No, no, I'm fine. I just… I think Clint might have skipped over the whole having someone look him over, and his two inmate buddies have healing abilities, so he thinks he can get away with it," Kate explained.

Tyler glanced over at Clint and Natasha and nodded his quick understanding. "Right," he said. "I'll take a look."

"I'll bring him here," Kate said, motioning for Tyler to stay put. "If it's what I think it is, we might need to take him to the back so Gerry doesn't see anything."

Tyler raised both eyebrows high at that but responded with a quiet, "Okay then."

With that, Kate went straight to the, couch where Natasha and Clint were engaged in silent conversation, signing to each other, tucked into a corner together, both looking concerned for each other.

"Clint, I need to borrow you," Kate said, tapping on his arm to get his attention as she said it.

Both Natasha and Clint looked up at her as Clint asked, "What for, Katie Kate?"

"You spent, like, weeks being captured and tortured and who knows what else, so you're going to talk with my friend the resident doctor," she said in a no-nonsense tone.

"Katie—"

"Are you gonna argue with me, Clint?" she asked, both eyebrows raised and her hands on her hips in a way that only accentuated how far along she was.

Clint glanced over at Natasha, who was smirking despite herself at the predicament he was in, before he let out a breath. "Well, no — I guess I can't fight you on this," he muttered as he extricated himself from behind Natasha and followed Kate back into the kitchen, where Tyler was leaned against the counter with a bottle of root beer as he waited.

"Hey, Hawkeye," Tyler said with an easy smile as he motioned Clint over. "It's good to have you back."

"Good to be back," Clint told him earnestly before he glanced at Kate and let out a sigh. "This is your doctor? C'mon, Katie. Osborn's goons already patched me up good enough to fight. I don't need—"

"Clint." Kate cut him off with the most withering look she could manage, and he fell silent.

"How about I just take a look first?" Tyler offered, extending his hand, though he couldn't help but shoot a smirk Kate's way. "If you really want to stay in the bandages, I'll only fix up the worst stuff and leave the nicks and cuts."

Clint looked at Kate with an obviously over-exaggerated expression of betrayal. "Katie, you're corrupting the kids in this place."

"Just think how awful I'll be when I have my own," Kate said, resting her hand easily on her stomach as she jerked her head to indicate to Clint that he should take Tyler's hand.

Clint let out a breath and did exactly that, and the young man's brows furrowed in concentration as he started to scan Clint, a deep frown crossing his face as he did so. When he looked back up at Clint, he tried to start out with, "Your shoulder—"

Clint cut him off with a wave. "Yeah, I know. Docs already told me after the whole Kree thing," he said, though even Tyler could see the desolation behind his easy tone, and he hadn't known Clint for nearly as long as Kate had.

Tyler glanced over at Kate before he frowned a bit deeper and shook his head. "I can try to fix it for you," he offered.

Clint looked him over for a moment. "Yeah?" His tone was equal parts apprehensive and hopeful and had Kate leaning over to put a hand on Clint's arm.

"When we first met, Tyler put my arm back together after it was completely crushed and shattered," she said. "Granted, I hadn't healed up all incorrectly like you have, but he's been able to do some pretty impressive stuff. He can even fix scars and brain damage."

Clint turned toward Tyler with a new look, much more open, half-holding his breath. "Couldn't hurt to try, I guess," he said.

Tyler smiled at that and nodded, though he gestured toward the hall leading back to the rooms they were staying in. "Maybe we should go somewhere a little more private," he suggested. "I can fix you up, but it will probably hurt."

"Yeah, I can tell you from experience that the bones snapping back into place thing? Not fun," Kate put in, and Clint gave her a little look before he softened his expression the slightest bit and sighed out a breath.

"Yeah, don't want Gerry to see that," he said with a little nod, and he followed Kate and Tyler back to Kate's room — though none of them were surprised when Natasha slipped into the room shortly after they entered it and closed the door behind her, sitting in the nearest chair as she watched Tyler with Clint almost possessively.

Tyler motioned for Clint to sit down, and he took the archer's hand again, putting his other hand on Clint's left shoulder. Kate grabbed one of her gloves from the nearby dresser and tossed it to Clint so he could bite down on it in case this was anything like the rough healing she'd endured when she first met Tyler. After all, it probably wouldn't be good for Gerry to hear his dad screaming in the other room after he'd been gone for so long.

Tyler took a good grip on Clint's shoulder and closed his eyes to concentrate, though Kate could tell that something was a little different this time about the healing just from watching the little frown on Tyler's face deepen.

It was definitely working, though. She and Natasha both could see and hear Clint's shoulder snapping back into place as the bones and joints and muscles were healed correctly, but it seemed to be taking longer than it had taken with Kate or with anyone else. Clint was wide-eyed and pale and obviously hurting through the long ordeal, but to his credit, he wasn't screaming either.

Finally, after what seemed like way too long, Tyler sat back, and Clint let out all his breath at once, rolling his shoulder several times and looking absolutely and completely relieved when he found that he had full range of motion.

"Thanks," he all but breathed out Tyler's way, though he frowned the slightest when he saw the look the young man was giving him. "You okay?"

Tyler nodded. "Yeah, just a little worn out," he admitted, tipping his head to one side as he seemed to be trying to work something out. "If you'd told me you have some healing abilities, I probably would have asked Henry for help just in case." He smiled sheepishly. "I have a hard time healing healers."

All three of the others in the room stared at Tyler openly. "I… don't have healing abilities," Clint said at last. "I'm just ... you know ... the normal guy on the team. Not a mutant, no alien whatever… unless the Kree did something I don't know about?"

Tyler thought about it for a second. "Maybe," he conceded. "But even if they didn't, I know a healing ability when I run into one." He leaned back in his seat and looked a bit tired. "Lucky for you, it's a minor one. When I try to heal K or Logan, it's like trying to fight the ocean — but for you, it was more like… swimming in a wave pool."

"Oh great," Clint tried to joke. "I got the defective power."

Tyler had to smirk at that as the two women in the room both gave Clint withering looks. "I don't know about that," he said. "But maybe when you get a chance, you should ask Henry or someone to look into it. No matter where you get it from, it's a gift, right?"

Clint shook his head, still obviously in a bit of disbelief as he let out half a laugh. "Yeah, maybe I'll look into it," he said at last. "Can't be much of a healing power, though, considering my track record."

"Well, you get what you get," Tyler said with a small shrug.

"Yeah, no kidding." Clint stood up and rolled his shoulder a few more times, the grin returning as he pulled his arm back in an archer's stance and experimented with a few more poses before he had apparently decided his shoulder was back to good working order and didn't hesitate to celebrate by wrapping Tyler in a warm, grateful hug. "Thanks," he said when he released the young man. "Really. You — you have no idea."

"I took Kate's archery class for a semester," Tyler said. "And I live in the same house. I might have some idea. But… you're right. I really can't imagine…"

Clint clapped a hand on Tyler's shoulder. "Good thing neither of us have to," he said quietly enough that he wasn't loud enough to drown out the sound of Gerry in the living room loudly asking where his daddy went.

Natasha glanced toward Clint with a small smile. "He's probably anxious about you being gone, all things considered."

"Yeah, what was I thinking leaving his sight?" Clint agreed with a smile to match. He turned to Tyler and pulled him into one more grateful hug before he dashed out of the room to go find his little boy.

Notes : Before you ask, the slight healing factor for Clint is our interpretation of some interesting canon comic things. Things like Clint sometimes being affected by power dampeners that make his aim off. We decided that there had to be something the dampener was messing with, but we didn't want to belittle Clint's achievements by tying any kind of powers to archery. No supervision, no precognitive abilities, none of that. Instead, we figured a little healing power would explain things. After all, if Clint was hurting, his aim would be affected, right?

Besides, this also sets up some things down the line, but those are spoilers ;)