A/N: I can't believe it's the end, I'm actually gonna cry. Thank you everyone who stuck by me until the bitter end, you all mean so much to me and I love you all. I saw Age of Ultron today (oh my god) and there are spoilers for the movie ahead so beware. This isn't the end of Phoenix, I will continue her story, but that may not happen for a while, I have some ideas. In fact, if you guys have any ideas or prompts for what I should do next, feel free to tell me in the reviews or PM me. For the last time in this story, don't forget to read, review and enjoy.
Natasha entered the infirmary to find Phoenix sitting up in bed reading a book, her covers kicked to the bottom of the bed and about two pillows stacked behind her to give her support as she sat up. The bedside table on her left was piled high with gifts from Steve, Bruce and Clint, but most were from Tony.
Phoenix looked up and smiled as she saw Natasha approach. "Please tell me you've come to set me free?" Phoenix questioned hopefully. "I've been on bed rest for two days and all I have to do is read books. I need something to do, anything."
"Sorry Phoenix, Bruce still thinks you need a couple more days" Natasha apologised. "But for now, you can come and take a walk with me. We've got a few things to discuss."
Phoenix nearly leaped out of bed at the opportunity, but had to swing her legs around and rise to her feet slowly. Despite Hanora's healing abilities, Phoenix still felt the strain of her injury. According to Bruce, there was scarring on her lungs and spleen, and her body still had healing to do on its own.
"I heard that The Experiments have been visiting you," Natasha inquired as she moved to Phoenix's side and helped her.
"Yeah," Phoenix nodded, as if she almost couldn't believe it herself. "They apologised for everything, even Heather. She told me why she did what she did in a very long speech. She was also very surprised when I forgave her. She thought I had a right to be angry at her."
"To be honest you do have a right to be angry, but I'm glad The Experiments came to their senses," Natasha spoke as she guided Phoenix into the lift. "I think you'll make a good team."
Phoenix nodded and smiled to herself. "I hope so," she agreed.
They entered into the living room to find Clint and Maria Hill waiting for them, Maria waited on the couch with a stack of paperwork in front of her. Phoenix was surprised to see Maria, and took hesitant steps in her direction, nervously flicking her eyes between Maria and the paperwork.
"Take a seat Phoenix," Maria motioned to the couch opposite her. Phoenix took a seat at her command, Natasha and Clint sitting on either side of Phoenix as Maria looked at the young girl. "Tony asked me to do this for you, seeing as how you're not a legal citizen, in fact you don't even legally exist. We need to write up all your legal documents."
"What do you need from me?" Phoenix asked, leaning forward. "My date of birth is the fourth of July 1998. My blood type is A positive. I've had all necessary vaccinations."
"I already have that information," Maria held up a hand to silence her before she continued talking. "You're under the age of 18, and that makes you a minor in the eyes of the law. This means that you need legal guardians. We could always generate random names to place on your form, but you do have another option."
Phoenix felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Clint grinning at her. "It's your decision Phoenix, but if you would like, Clint and I are offering to be your legal guardians, which essentially means we would be responsible for looking after you," Natasha explained from next to her.
Phoenix processed what they had said and took a minute to decide. "Would that make you...my parents?" Phoenix asked, her tone of voice indicating confusion as she furrowed her brows.
"Adoptive parents technically," Clint shrugged in response. "You don't have to call us mom or dad or anything like that, it's more of a promise. It's a promise to always look after you."
"Yes," Phoenix snapped her head upwards and nodded to Maria. "I want Natasha and Clint to be my legal guardians."
Natasha smiled and grabbed Phoenix's hand, running a hand over her knuckles comfortingly. Clint put an arm around her and grinned, punching Natasha lightly in the arm as he did so. Phoenix felt something in her chest, an ache, no not an ache, but it was something. A warmth as she looked from Natasha to Clint, a smile spreading across her features. Was this what it was like to have a family?
"Well that's settled then," Maria spoke up, scribbling something down on a piece of paper. "There's another matter we need to discuss. The only name we have for you is Phoenix, you don't have a legal surname and it's important that you have one. You can either pick a random one, or take Barton or Romanoff as your last name, it's your decision."
"Phoenix Barton," Clint mused, suggesting it to Phoenix with a wink. "It's a good name."
"Phoenix Barton is a good name, but Phoenix Romanoff is a great one. It's a name that people will remember, and a name that sparks mystery," Natasha countered, shooting Clint a raised eyebrow and a cocky smirk, before fixing Phoenix with a gentle expression. "It's up to you."
Phoenix thought to herself before deciding. "Romanoff," she told Maria. "I want my name to be Phoenix Romanoff."
Clint shrugged and accepted defeat. "It does sound better than Barton," he shot a look at Natasha from the corner of his eye. "You win this time."
"Just what I need, another Romanoff to deal with," Maria muttered as she scribbled the changes onto her piece of paper. Gathering the paperwork as she rose to her feet, she looked down at Phoenix with a glimmer of a smile. "Good luck, Miss Romanoff."
A week later, things within The Avengers Tower were finally running smoothly, well as smoothly as The Avengers Tower could run. The Experiments having welcomed Phoenix with open arms, there had been no fights, breakdowns or attempted murders.
They had discovered that Doctor Blake had unintentionally given The Experiments a mental link, and once he had discovered its existence, he somehow blocked Phoenix from being able to receive signals from the other five, which is why she never made contact with them, or even knew about the link itself. However the connection was still there, with Phoenix subconsciously sending The Experiments signals.
With that information in hand, The Experiments strove to establish a stable connection with Phoenix. No one understood how or why the mental link worked, but after days of trying, Phoenix's walls were broken down, and the link was repaired. With the mental link fully operational, The Experiments were closer than ever.
Natasha knew the week wouldn't last long, and one night she received a message she knew meant a big change. She explained it to Clint, and together the two of them devised a plan for what to do with The Experiments. They couldn't stay in the tower, it was too dangerous for them, they needed some semblance of a normal life.
Natasha and Clint met Phoenix in the living area that night, by the large windows that looked down onto the New York City streets. She seemed to realise, even before Natasha and Clint said anything, that something was coming.
"I can't stay can I?" Phoenix asked as she approached, her hands stuffed into the pockets of her jeans, she looked disappointed but unsurprised.
"This isn't the best place for you," Natasha said as she handed her a folder. "We've found a place for you and all of The Experiments, in Charlotte, Michigan. You'll be staying with Jorge Louis, an old friend of SHIELD. Your story is that you're foster kids who Jorge has taken in. You'll go to school went it starts up next semester, and you'll live normal lives."
Phoenix looked ready to argue the point, but Clint held up a finger. "You'll like this next part," he promised her. "You'll also be going on missions and ops. It'll be trivial things like gathering information and dealing with some stuff that SHIELD has abandoned since the uprising of Hydra. You and The Experiments will work as a team, if you're up for that of course.
Phoenix grinned. "Of course we're up for that," she responded, looking down at the folder with an unsure look. "I'll be able to keep in touch with you right?"
"Definitely," Clint answered. "I expect constant updates if you're going to be doing missions for us."
"This isn't permanent," Natasha assured her, placing a hand on the folder. "When Thor was here last week, we decided to reform The Avengers to take down Hydra. While you stay here with us, you'll be in danger. We got word on Loki's sceptre, and we're going to lay waste to Hydra bases until we get our hands on it. Once everything is resolved, you'll come back to us, I promise you that."
Phoenix nodded. "In that case I think I can handle some undercover living," she joked. "The Experiments will be ok with this, I think they were all getting tired of this tower anyway. Besides, Charlotte sounds like a thrilling town. Can't wait to live there."
"There's something else you should probably know," Clint said as he put a hand in his pocket and retrieved a photograph that he handed to Phoenix. "You're not an only child," he joked as Phoenix examined the photograph of a woman and two children, a boy and a girl. "Lila and Cooper, my kids."
"You have children? And a wife?" Phoenix questioned in disbelief as she looked at the woman in the photograph. "You're sleeping with Natasha and you have a wife?"
Clint wasn't expecting that question. Clearing his throat he looked at the stunned, and slightly disappointed face of Phoenix. "Natasha and I aren't continuing that arrangement," he informed her with a lowered voice. "And Laura was aware of the fact that it was no-strings attached kind of relationship. She was...ok with it."
Natasha scoffed. "I remember her exact words," she said as she looked to Phoenix, a joking smile on her face. "Everyone fools around Clint, and Nat is extremely pretty. If you refuse to sleep with her, then I'll do it myself. Just remember your dedication is to me first and foremost."
Phoenix didn't quite understand the humour behind what Natasha had said, but she laughed anyway as Clint groaned and looked away. Phoenix smiled to herself as she looked at the picture of Lila and Cooper, picking out parts of their appearance that reminded her of Clint.
She handed the photograph back to Clint. "I'd love to meet them someday."
"You can," he told her. "They live ten minutes from Charlotte, that's why I picked the place out for you. I've already told Laura, and while she's a little bit surprised that Natasha and I spontaneously adopted a teenager without any warning, she and the kids want to meet you."
Phoenix smiled. "I'd like that," she nodded.
Natasha put a hand on Phoenix's shoulder, and together the three of them stared down at the specks of light that made up Manhattan. Phoenix remembered with a rush to the head, something that had wanted to confess to them ever since they took her in, only now could she muster the courage and the will.
"I was Hydra," Phoenix admitted. "He was Hydra from the beginning, which is why he wanted so desperately to take down SHIELD. I thought I was working for a good organisation, I had no idea who they really were. Once I found out Hydra were the ones who took down SHIELD, I wanted to tell you but I couldn't. That's how they know I exist, about a month or so before you found me in the basement, I gave a demonstration to Hydra's leaders. They know everything about me, but Doctor Blake never told them about the others."
Clint and Natasha were stunned at Phoenix's sudden confession, but after a second of hesitation, Natasha nodded to Phoenix warmly. "You didn't know what you were doing," Natasha reassured her. "I know you would never dream of joining Hydra now, and that's what's important."
"Natasha's right," Clint agreed. "We don't think any less of you because of it Phoenix. I've never seen anyone try as hard to fix their mistakes and try and make themself better, except maybe Natasha. We made you a promise Phoenix, and we're never backing out of it, no matter what happens."
Clint offered a hand and Phoenix took it, turning to Natasha, she saw her take her other hand as well. Phoenix nearly sobbed in relief. Finally she understood. This was what family was. And it was her's.
A/N: SEQUEL IS UP! I've written the sequel and it's called Monsters and Fire. Find it by going to my profile page and scroll down until you find it underneath my works. I'm so excited, make sure you go over and read it right now, it continues Phoenix's story in a massive way. Go read it! Go!