So, this is the last chapter where we're going to meet any other OC's. Promise. I just couldn't resist bringing Phil's parents into this. For some reason, I can't image him coming from a normal family; he handles chaos too well. Anyway, I'm going to try not to bring in anymore OC's after this unless I get requests otherwise.
Anyway, enjoy everyone.
- Illusinia
Prompt: unexpected
pairing: Clint/Darcy, Phil/OFC, OMC/OFC
Clint let out an 'omph!' as he landed on his back, lungs constricting for a moment as the air was knocked from his body. Coughing as he regained his breath, he looked up at Natasha with a faint glare. "Cheater."
Natasha just smirked, shaking her head. "One can't cheat when there are no rules."
Groaning (because he knows she's right), he looked towards the back wall where the only clock hung in the S.H.I.E.L.D gym. They had lunch plans at noon and needed to watch the time. Otherwise Darcy would kill him. "It's almost 11:00, right?"
"Yes," confirmed Natasha as she moved towards the edge of the mat. "If we're meeting Darcy for lunch, we need to clean up."
Clint nodded as he rolled to his feet, rolling his head between his shoulders. "The others are still coming, right? The whole point of this was to give us all a break."
"The last I heard, yes." Snagging her towel from a chair at the mat's edge, Natasha slid it around her neck and began rubbing her hair. "Unless you know something I don't."
Clint shook his head, stretching out his muscles in an attempt to stave off the soreness which he knew would settle in otherwise. "Nope, that's what I heard too."
Nodding, Natasha headed towards the woman's locker room. "We're meeting the others in the lobby, correct?"
"Yep," confirmed Clint, snagging his own towel and drying his hair. "15 minutes Natasha!"
The Russian assassin just flipped him off as she disappeared behind the locker room door.
Laughing, Tony slapped Bruce on the back and shook his head. "C'mon Bruce, you can't tell me you don't want to do some kind of genetic research on Darcy, her mom, and Molly."
"I'd really rather not," insisted Bruce, eying Clint wearily.
Clint just ignored Tony and his idiotic ideas. Phil would kill the genius before he'd allow anyone to mess with his family. His boss' protective streak is nearly boundless when it comes to the women close to him. Even a suggestion of treating any of the three women as test subjects would lead Phil down a violent path. Assuming the women in question didn't take care of the matter themselves first.
"What is this 'genetic research' you speak of, shield brother Banner?" questioned Thor curiously.
Jane, who's walking beside Thor with an article in hand, reached out to pat his arm distractedly. Her eyes never left the data pad in her hand. "It's a study of the DNA that makes us who we are."
"DNA? What is this DNA?" pressed Thor curiously, head turning towards Loki who was walking on his other side.
The younger of the two brothers sighed in a put-upon way and, not for the first time, Clint wondered why it is that Jane isn't attracted to the more intelligent Loki. It would make more sense in so many ways. Then again, Clint isn't really in a position to wonder what one person sees in another. He still can't understand what Darcy sees in him.
"DNA is a strand of material that determines how human's form physically, mentally, and emotionally Thor," explained Loki, tone bored. A faint smirk tugged at the edge of the trickster's lips, and he shot a conspiring look at Tony before continuing. "Think of it as a magic scroll of sorts. When two individuals lay together, they write this scroll which in turn becomes a living being after a period of time. And, depending on how they write the scroll, it determines who the individual becomes."
Clint covered his face, just managing to keep from laughing. Leave it to Loki to create an analogy about DNA that contained innuendo. Well, actually, he would expect Tony to do that. Loki's twist is the bit where he implies that position has some factor in what kind of child will be produced. Glancing up, he notes that Tony's trying not to laugh too. Which is hard because, seriously, Thor looks like a lost puppy, head tilted to the side in confusion.
"How do you mean brother?" asked Thor, heavy furrow to his brow.
Focusing ahead as Loki delved into a conversation which compared sexual positions to different types of writing (and ignoring Thor's questions concerning if the type of ink and paper make a difference because he does NOT want to know what Loki is going to delve into on that front), Clint spots Darcy where she's standing in front of the designated restaurant. He starts to raise his hand to wave, but pauses when he notices the two older individuals standing with his bride-to-be. She seemed to be friendly with both, laughing at something the man said while the woman made faces at Molly. He's too far away to hear what they're saying, but there's something very familiar about the older couple.
"Hey Darce! What's with the Q and A on the street? Holding a press conference without me?" Tony's shout carried easily down the street, causing the three people standing halfway down it to turn towards him.
The next few seconds are the most terrifying thing that Clint's ever witnessed.
Clearly spooked, the man suddenly grabs Darcy's arm and shoves her into the car they're standing besides with Molly in her arms while the woman, who has already run around the side of the car, slids into the passenger seat. Feeling his heart nearly stop, Clint breaks into a hard run towards the car just as it guns it's way into traffic. Then promptly transforms into some kind of jet and disappears.
Clint's only relief is in the knowledge that he saw the license plate of the car-plane-thing before it disappeared. Prd2BMad.
Tony flew (metaphorically) into Stark Tower, calling out orders to JARVIS as he shot through the living room. "JARVIS, I need to hack into the DMV's central database. Not like that really counts as hacking or anything, but I need access."
"Certainly sir," replied JARVIS calmly. "Would you like me to create a connection to your usual back doors for you?"
"You know it," confirmed Tony as he sped towards the first computer he can reach.
Clint rushed inside not a moment later, followed by the remaining Avengers. He's on the phone in less than a minute, dialing Phil's number yet again. They had contemplated calling Phil from the site of the abduction, but it seemed better to start attempting to track down the kidnappers as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Phil hadn't picked up the phone any of the dozens of times since Clint made the first call.
He listened to the phone ring continuously for close to three minutes before it cut to voice mail yet again, then made sure to disconnect the call before he began cursing. That isn't something his boss should probably hear. Tony's sudden shout interrupts the blue streak he was cursing.
"Got it!"
The mad genius' call sent everyone running into the kitchen, crowding around the counsel there like a mob of information hungry animals. They made sure Clint could get through, though. No one would even entertain the idea of standing in his way at the moment, and he knows it.
"What've you got?" His voice was tighter than he'd like, but he can't help the hope that worms into his mind. Maybe they can find her fast and save them both.
"The vehicle is registered to a David and Martha Coul," explained Tony, fingers flying over the display, "also known as The Mechanic and Dr. Hemlock." An image of a older couple appears, both gray haired and light eyed. That same image appears in contrast with a second one of a significantly younger pair dressed in what could only be called classic mad scientist garb. "It says here that The Mechanic was primarily a weapons developer who sold to other villains and countries looking to purchase some heavy-duty firepower while Dr. Hemlock was responsible for creating a slew of weapons, enhancement drugs, and surgeries which resulted in some of the more grotesque damage we've seen done. S.H.I.E.L.D says they're retired."
Clint scowled, a growl escaping his throat. "Retired or not, they took Darcy and Molly. And I'm going to get them both back."
"What do we know about their hideout?" Natasha asked calmly, the voice of reason in the clamor that's currently the rest of the Avengers. Clint watches as she steadily pilots the shuttle, her hands a mirror of his own. "We can't just rush in there without some kind of plan."
"Natasha's right," agreed Steve. His voice is the same as Natasha's, but with a twist. Clint can hear worry lacing his words. "Tony, were you able to get a blueprint of the property?"
"Easily," confirmed Tony. Clint can hear the genius activate the onboard holographic display. But there's an underlying tone to Tony's voice that worries him.
Clint and Steve voice the same question simultaneously. "How easy?"
"Too easy," replied Tony. His grim tone echoes louder than before. "Part of the public record, too easy."
Natasha shot Clint a worried look. They've definitely seen missions like this before and learned one thing the hard way: if it seems too easy, it's probably a trap. "How much information do you think was left out?"
"A lot," growled Clint, eyes focusing on the sky in front of them.
"What kind of security system do you think is in place?" Steve's voice cut through the spies' discussion easily, drawing both their focus to the planning stage of things.
Tony shrugged slightly, pacing around the holographic display of their destination. "Probably something robotic. I think I've heard of The Mechanic before..."
"Probably," interjected Natasha. "He was a big-time weapons merchant on the black market up until 16 years ago, when he and his wife were arrested by Agent Coulson."
The color drained from Clint's face, his mind making a connection it hadn't before. "Nat, you don't think they took Darcy because she's Phil's kid, do you?"
The grim look on Natasha's face said it all.
"I'm not seeing any defenses," reported Clint from his perch in one of the many trees at the bottom of the mountain-like hill that houses the Coul's castle. Literal castle. It almost goes beyond cliché. Lowering his binoculars, he added: "They could be hidden though. Lots of blind curves on that path."
"So we proceed with caution," advised Steve from his place at the base of the tree. Clint can practically hear the man's brain working. "If we creep up the path, we should be able to avoid triggering any traps."
"Or, you know, we can just go bursting in," pointed out Tony, always one for a show. "I mean, come on, these people are, what, 80 something? How much of a fight can they put up?"
"They won't have to be able to put up a fight if they have a bunch of robots that can just vaporize their intruders," rebuked Clint.
"Plus, we don't want them to harm either Darcy or Molly, which they may if they hear us coming," added Natasha. "The Captain's way sounds best."
The words barely left Natasha's mouth when one of the rooms in the castle above suddenly filled with light. The sort of light which only comes from a laser. No corresponding sound followed, but Clint's already out of the tree and running towards the castle doors. He won't leave his lover and daughter in a house with a pair of mad scientists and a laser. He knows how that scenario ends.
Steve called for him to come back and might curse, but everyone's moving forward at that point. Tony shot past Clint, already taking to the sky to scan for threats. Natasha's next to Clint in seconds, her face as grimly determined as his own. He can hear the others scrambling over the rocky terrain, though there are no shouts of rage from the Hulk. They had discussed that coming in though: the Hulk needed to be contained unless absolutely necessary or until they had retrieved Darcy and Molly. Then it could become a free-for-all.
"I'm not seeing anything up here, Captain," reported Tony uneasily. "Are we sure this is the right place?"
"You're the one who looked up the address, Stark," growled Steve over the coms.
"I don't like this," commented Natasha to Clint, her breathing harsh. "Why aren't there any defenses?"
"Don't know," panted Clint, his own breathing labored. "Don't care. Doesn't matter."
He's pretty sure Natasha gave him the 'you are an idiot' look, but he's not stopping to check either. The front doors are in view, just over the edge of the next ridge. In seconds, he's over the ridge and standing in front of a set of large wooden doors that look like something of Dracula's castle. Seriously, these people are way too into the stereotypical mad scientist crap.
The others scramble over the ridge behind him, Steve sizing up the doors. Tony whistled and muttered something about having JARVIS order him a set like that. Clint didn't respond, just pushed against the doors which opened without any resistance. Well, that's not right.
He's inside before anyone else can say a word, bow drawn and feet moving rapidly but silently across the floor. Inside, the faint sound of laughter echoed around the large, immaculate entry way. One of those laughs sounds like Darcy. No screaming or cries of pain could be heard, either. Furrowing his brow, Clint did the one thing he isn't supposed to ever do: gave away his position. "Darcy?"
"Clint?" Darcy's voice called back to him from somewhere off to his right, drawing his attention and focus that way. She didn't sound scared or upset, merely curious.
Clint could see Steve shaking his head and waving his arms in a 'don't respond' motion, but he ignored the Captain. Something about this whole situation felt weird, like they were missing some major piece of the puzzle and had jumped to the wrong conclusion as a result. "It's me, Darce."
"We're in here," she called back. "Go down the hallway on the right side of the room and make a right into the first room you come across."
Natasha's brow furrowed as she glanced at Clint, wordlessly asking him what was going on. He responded with a shrug and headed towards the hallway Darcy indicated. Steve, Natasha, Bruce, Tony, and Thor crowd closely behind him.
Reaching the previously prescribed doorway, Clint paused for a moment and glanced back at the others, all of whom had their weapons at the ready. Nodding, he pushed rapidly into the room followed by the rest of the Avengers, all with weapons drawn. Weapons which clattered to the floor seconds later as the group stared in shock at the scene before them.
Darcy was in the room, as they expected, sitting at one end of an exceptionally long feast table, unbound and unharmed. The older man she'd been speaking with on the street sat next to her, apparently engaged in conversation with the lab assistant-turned-logistics head. The older woman was seated across from her with Molly in her arms, cooing over the infant. Loki, for reasons unknown, sat beside the woman playing with Molly's toes. Darcy and the older couple glanced up as the Avengers entered, Darcy cocking an eyebrow at the clearly battle-ready group.
"Hey guys, what's up?" asked Darcy curiously, one hand reaching for the cup of tea in front of her. "Want some tea?"
"Tea?" repeated Clint, voice managing to work even though it comes out with a touch of squeak. "You're...drinking tea?"
"Uh-huh," confirmed Darcy. "It's really good. Imported directly from England."
"Very good," echoed Loki, eyes still locked on Molly. "Best I've had, actually."
"The company that makes it is several hundred years old," explained the older woman, British accent afflicting her every word. "Very good brand."
"Uh, Darcy?" prompts Steve, brow furrowed below his cowl. "What's going-"
"Mum, Dad, are you home?" called out a very familiar voice, drawing the attention of everyone in the room except for Loki.
"In here, Philip!" replied the older woman, her voice raising to be heard outside the room.
Footsteps echoed down the hall for a few seconds before Phil Coulson appeared in the doorway, eyes scanning the room wearily. Deciding everything was apparently as okay as it was gonna get, he casually entered the room, walking over to Darcy and dropping a kiss on her head. "Hello Darcy." Glancing up at the older couple, he nodded to them in turn. "Mum, Dad."
"Hello Philip, how lovely to see you," greeted the older woman with a smile. "Please, sit. All of you." She added the last bit with a pointed look at the Avengers.
Darcy didn't wait for anyone to start moving, just moved over one chair so her father could take her previous seat next to the older man. Clint sat uneasily next to her, subtly taking her hand under the table. She apparently sensed his unease (like always), because she leaned over and kissed his cheek to reassure him. Thor dropped into the chair next to Loki, giving his brother a confused look which the younger god chose to ignore. Steve wearily eyed the chair beside Thor before Natasha grabbed his hand and forced him into a chair one down from Clint's, taking the empty seat for herself. Tony exchanged a look with Banner, who shrugged and opted to sit next to Thor. Shrugging, the genius deactivated his armor into the briefcase he'd designed it to fit into and dropped into the chair beside Bruce.
"So, someone want to explain what the tea party is about?" asked Tony curiously, one eyebrow raised. "Also, who are you two?" His index finger moved back and forth between the two older individuals, his 'okay, I'm interested' look plastered across his face for the moment.
"My name is Martha Coul," replied the older woman with a smile. She looked more like a grandma than a mad scientist, dressed in a plain black shirt with her gray hair pulled back into a bun.
"And I'm David Coul," added the man. He looked a bit more mischievous than the woman, his eyes twinkling in a way that said he knows exactly what's going through your head. There was still nothing threatening about him though. "You're Tony Stark, if memory serves."
"The one and only," confirmed Tony with a grin. "Fan of my work?"
"Some of it," replied David. His eyes turned to Clint then, narrowing slightly. One of his hands gestured in the archer's direction. "And I'm going to guess that you're Clint."
"Yes, sir," confirmed Clint wearily.
David nodded, but it was Martha that spoke. "Don't look so nervous, dear. Darcy's told us so much about you that it's lovely to finally meet you in person. Well, you and Molly of course. So sorry we couldn't make it down when she was born, but we were too busy."
"Should I dare ask what you were busy with?" asked Phil, his own voice uneasy. A touch of an accent no one had ever heard him use, save maybe Darcy, started to leak back into his voice.
"Nothing dangerous, I assure you," replied Martha with a smile. "If you must know, that S.H.I.E.L.D organization of yours asked for our help in determining the origin of a few bioweapons. Your father and I were simply assisting them."
"Father?!" exclaimed Steve, eyes shooting towards the man who had at one point in time (and possibly still did) practically worship him.
Phil just raised an eyebrow in return. "Yes."
Thor's eyes narrowed slightly, moving between Phil, David, and Martha. "Son of Coul, your parents are bringers of evil?"
"We prefer the term 'villain' dear," corrected Martha gently, still smiling. "And we got out of that game years ago, after Phil was forced to arrest us in front of Darcy."
"We decided being able to see our granddaughter outside of prison was preferable to our careers," explained David. "Besides, we were more suppliers than 'take over the world' types anyway."
Tony grinned, his look a touch smug. "So Agent is literally the 'son of Coul'? Looks like the big guy was right all along."
"So it would seem," replied Phil, eyebrow still raised. "Is that a problem, Mr. Stark? Because I'm quite certain that Miss Potts will be more than happy to-"
"Wait, Pep knows?" exclaimed Tony, eyes going wide. "And she didn't tell me?!"
Martha's brow furrowed slightly, head tilting a touch to the side. "Potts, Potts...is that the pretty red-headed woman you invited to have tea with us once, Philip?"
"Yes, Mum," confirmed Phil. "She's Mr. Stark's assistant."
"Well what's a beautiful, smart young girl like her doing as an assistant?" questioned Martha. "She could be a CEO with that brain of hers."
"She was for a while," cut in Darcy. "But she left the position because she started dating Tony."
Martha's smile softened as she sighed slightly. "Ah, young love. Such a potent thing. I tried to bottle it once. Didn't work as I'd hoped though."
Darcy just grinned. "Love's a little hard to bottle, Grandma." One of her hands slipped into Clint's drawing his attention to their joined fingers.
Smirking slightly, he squeezed Darcy's hand in return and looked back at his fiencee's grandparents. "So, gotta ask Darce, does your mom-"
"Phil, Darcy, are you here?" Pen's voice broke into the room, drawing everyone's attention again.
"Never mind," muttered Clint as he leaned back in his chair.
"In here, dear," called back Martha once more, eyes drawing towards the room's entrance.
Pen steps inside a moment later, gaze taking in the gathered group. "Well, this looks like some party."
"Hello Pen," greeted Phil with a smile, standing to meet his wife. "You got my message?"
"You only left it three times," replied Pen with a grin. "And kidnapping? Really, Phil?"
Phil just shrugged. "It seemed like the best descriptor."
"Well please never use that word again unless Darcy has actually been kidnapped," scolded Pen. "I nearly had a panic attack before I saw your parent's names."
"Sorry, Pen," apologized Phil, drawing her into a hug. "I wasn't trying to scare you."
"Apology accepted," assured Pen before she pulled away from Phil. She rounded the table to offer Martha a hug and shake David's hand. "Martha, David, it's good to see you both again."
"It's good to see you dear," replied Martha with a smile. "Phil just hasn't been the same since the accident. We thought we were going to loose him for a while after."
"Mother," groaned Phil, one hand rising to cover his eyes.
Pen's brow furrowed slightly, eyes turning on Phil worriedly. "I'm sorry about that, Martha, but I assure you the decision to leave wasn't mine."
"We know, Penelope," assured David. "Don't worry about it. We're both just glad you're back."
"Indeed," agreed Martha. "Philip is never as happy as when you're in his life. I knew the second I spoke to him after your memory returned that you were back. There's a tone."
"I'm sure," replied Pen, chuckling slightly at Phil's clear embarrassment. "But, I've got to ask, could someone please explain why I got a text from my husband saying our daughter and granddaughter had been kidnapped by their grandparents?"
"That would be our mistake, actually," admitted David a bit sheepishly. "We ran into Darcy on our way back from brunch and stopped to talk for a moment. Just to check in."
"But when Mr. Stark shouted to her, our former instincts towards kicked in and we may have misinterpreted the situation," continued Martha, though her tone was completely unapologetic. "As soon as Darcy explained they were her friends though, we immediately wanted to take her back."
"However, I didn't think that would do any good, 'cause Clint alone tends to over-react to some things, and he'd have a good reason to in this case," cut in Darcy, squeezing Clint's hand under the table. "So I told them to just bring Molly and I back here. I called Dad and explained what had happened, so he could take care of things from the S.H.I.E.L.D. end of it. But when he said the Avenger's hadn't checked in, I figured they were probably tracking us down. And probably knew where we were already. Loki confirmed that when he popped in." She nodded towards Loki, who finally looked up and acknowledged the others before refocusing on Molly. "So, Grandma and Grandpa just disabled the security system and left the door unlocked. We figured they'd get something wasn't 'right' with the situation, and actually exhibit more caution, which would hopefully mean less fighting."
"Of course, we were ready in case they got rowdy," added Martha with a touch of a smile. The smile made Clint shutter. It said she had not doubt they could have taken down the Avenger's had the need arisen.
Across the table, Tony looked more than a little uneasy. "That's...kinda scary. Okay, I'm seeing the similarity between Agent and the baddies now."
Phil offered Tony the same slight smile. "I had to learn from someone."
"You mean you weren't born like that?" joked Clint, attempting to ease the tension in the room a touch. The blank looks everyone shot at him said his point completely missed the mark. Natasha smacking him in the back of the head did the trick though.
Shaking his head, David took another sip of tea and elaborated. "Hardly. Phil always was our better behaved son. Though his interest in Captain America was worrying."
"Billy liked hero's too," pointed out Phil.
Martha made a strange sound, nodding slightly. "Yes, but Billy went on to be evil once he realized they were rather worthless as human beings."
"He also lives in a city protected by 'Captain Hammer'," reminded Phil. "Who isn't exactly a model hero."
"He's a jackass is what he is," grumbled Pen. "I would have turned evil too if I had to deal with people like that."
Phil shook his head slightly, giving his wife an adoring but exasperated look. "Pen, there are people who think you are evil."
"Eh, only sometimes," dismissed Pen. "Besides, as far as villains go, I like Billy. He's respectful."
Clint glanced at Darcy with a furrowed brow, clearly confused. "Who's Billy?"
"Dad's cousin," replied Darcy with a shrug. "Grandma and Grandpa come from a long line of villains and mad scientists/inventors."
"It's a very proud heritage too," stated Martha with a smile. "So many new avenues of research to explore, so little time. Nothing is closed to the so-called mad, so there are so many directions we can choose to research in."
"I'm sorry, but how does someone like Agent Coulson come out of a family of villains?" asked Steve, clearly beyond confused. "I mean, it's great that he chose the side of good, don't get me wrong. But, just, how?"
Martha shrugged, sipping her tea. "Philip has always been a quick thinker, finding solutions to all sorts of problems with a frightening efficiency. He just never had that passion for evil though. Personally, I blame Stephen."
"And Stephen would be...?" questioned Bruce, apparently deciding to come in on the conversation.
Phil broke in before either of his parents could respond. "Stephen would be my brother."
"Younger, older, or twin?" asked Stark curiously. "Because I could really see the whole 'evil twin' thing working well with this family-"
"Stephen is Dad's older brother," replied Darcy, cutting Tony off easily. "He's not really considered part of the family anymore though."
"Not since the kidnapping fiasco he tried to pull," elaborated Pen with a shake of her head. "Idiot."
"Agreed," muttered Darcy. "What kind of idiot tries to kidnap their brother's wife?"
"Kidnap!" exclaimed Thor, eyes going wide. "The brother of the Son of Coul attempted to forcefully take you from your love?"
Phil's face darkened rapidly, one knuckle turning white. "He tried to kill her."
"He wasn't trying to kill me," assured Pen quickly, one of her hands reaching out to cover Phil's. "It was an accident."
"Pushing someone off the top of a building isn't an accident, Pen," objected Phil. "Especially not when someone does so while attempting to get back at someone else."
Pen sighed, but didn't argue. Instead, she squeezed Phil's hand gently and turned back to Tony. "Stephen tormented Phil when they were kids. He also went so far off the deep end that most of the family doesn't even acknowledge him."
"It's one thing to get mixed up with someone like Dr. Doom but it's an entirely different story when you work for a group like Hydra," growled David. "I didn't approve of their goals during World War II and I don't approve of them now."
"David, calm down," soothed Martha gently. "Remember what the doctor said about your blood pressure."
"Of course, dear," assured David sheepishly. "I didn't mean to get so upset."
Martha just offered him a smile and returned her focus to the group. "I'm sorry. These younger groups and some of the older ones have such irrational goals sometimes that we wonder what the world is coming to."
One of Steve's eyebrows rose, but he decided not to ask. There was a more pressing question on his mind. "If you don't mind me asking Mr. and Mrs. Coul, did you always support Agent Coulson?"
"Of course!" exclaimed Martha, shock in her voice. "Why wouldn't we? He's our son and, well we weren't ecstatic when he decided to join the army, we've always supported his decisions. David and I recognized that Philip is not like us a long time ago. We're just happy he's happy."
"Seriously?" challenged Tony. "You're seriously okay with the fact that your own son works for an agency that arrested you? Multiple times?"
"Why not?" replied David with a shrug. "Phil's always been his own person. Sure, we weren't thrilled when he started collecting Captain America posters or when he began trying to track down those trading cards of his, but it helped to shape him. He had a role model, someone to look up to. And if that was a hero, we weren't going to stop him."
Phil, who was almost as red as a tomato at this point, cleared his throat loudly. "Could we not discuss this?"
"Of course dear," assured Martha, apparently taking pity on her son. "We can discuss Darcy's up-coming wedding instead, particularly the guest list. We don't want any fighting at this little party." Turning her attention to Darcy, the elder woman pushed a button, causing a holographic display much like the ones in Stark Tower to appear. Words scrolled across the screen, clearly names, most of which were highlighted in one color or another. "Now, assuming all present will be attending, I'd recommend leaving anyone in red off the list. Yellow should be alright, but you must warn them that there will be S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel present and obtain a signed message from S.H.I.E.L.D. assuring no guests will be arrested..."
Beside Darcy, Clint groaned quietly. "This is going to be a nightmare isn't it?"
"Don't worry," muttered Darcy. "I've already taken care of this. Just let her rambled for a bit, then we can leave."
"Promise?" whispered Clint, hope in his eyes.
"Promise," assured Darcy with a soft smile. "You've had enough insanity for today."
"Enough for today?" muttered Clint. "Darce, this is enough insanity to last me the rest of the year."