Little Winged One

By Raveneyestar

Disclaimer: I own nothing! It all belongs to Marvel and Disney(when mentioned)

I only own Akilina (Lina) Barton

Chapter 2

"MOMMY!" Lina cried out happily running towards Natasha. Natasha smiled and knelt down and wrapped her little girl, who was in an over-size T-Shirt making her look like a Red-Headed-Stormy-Blue-Eyed Boo from Monster's Inc., into a hug. There had been several close calls on this mission, and nothing had scared her more than the possibility of her daughter growing up without her. Natasha had obeyed orders when one of the Rookies that were with her, told her everything was compromised and that she had better get her ass out of there quick. She didn't hesitate, because seconds later she had seen her target's (for lack of a better word) Henchmen start moving towards her. She got the hell out of there.

Natasha wasn't like Clint, so lifting Lina wasn't an option. Any normal day, where she wouldn't be bruised and battered she would pick Lina up. But not today. Everything hurt. It hurt to walk, but she would never let Lina or the other Avengers know how much pain she was in. She had a small limp, but nothing that she couldn't deal with, and it was clear that when Tony looked at her he looked slightly concerned but with a glare from Natasha he didn't say anything.

"Hey, Bug." Natasha whispered, as she held her daughter tightly.

"Daddy okay?" She heard Lina ask when she pulled away from Lina.

"Your father would do anything to make sure he turns to us, okay?" Natasha said as she held out her hand as she added, "Let's go, Bug, time for bed." Lina grinned and held onto Natasha's hand as Natasha led her off to their floor. When Natasha returned, after reading 'The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear' by Don and Audrey Wood to Lina, she saw the Avengers had already put on a scary movie. She shook her head smiling at them as she sat down on the couch. She had the Baby Monitor turned on and next to her on the side-table, just in case Lina needed her. But Natasha knew Lina was like Clint. Once asleep, it took everything to wake the two of them up.

"AKILINA ALETA BARTON! THOR ODINSON!" Natasha yelled, when she walked into the Common Kitchen the following morning, seeing Thor and Lina sharing a tub of chocolate ice-cream. Lina's eyes were as big as saucers and Thor looked like a little kid who was caught with his hand in a cookie jar. The two looked guiltily up at Natasha. "Thor, no ice-cream for breakfast! And you, Miss Barton, are not having your afternoon Ice-Cream Treat, got it?" Natasha scolded the two before looking at Thor and adding, "Thor, where's Jane?"

"Jane went out to a place known as Macy's. She told me that after last time, I was not allowed to go with her." Thor looked slightly confused as he told Natasha this and Natasha rolled her eyes at the Thunder God before starting the breakfast making. She knew how to make French Toast, Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, and an Omelet Anything else would have to wait for Steve or Pepper to get up. So she made as much bacon as was in the freezer, which was maybe two pounds. The smell seemed to somehow attract Bruce, who was four floors down and Steve, who was two floors down. Once Steve started on Pancakes and Waffles, while Bruce worked on Omelets and French Toast, Tony started to show himself and not long after Tony came Pepper. Loki showed up maybe twenty minutes after Pepper, and about two minutes before Jane got back. Darcy was the last one up in the Common Area, and by the time Darcy even got to the Common Area Jane had returned, and handed Thor a bag of clothing telling him to go try it all on, and not take any tags off. So Thor disappeared for a while.

Lina sat so her legs were tucked under her and she drew in her Aladdin Coloring Book. It wasn't the best coloring but Tony was also coloring, making the four-year old yell at him whenever he didn't color something in the color she wanted it to be in. He smirked at Natasha saying, "You know, Natasha, Akilina is a mini-assassin."

Natasha rolled her eyes and responded by saying, "Lina, put the coloring book away for now, okay? Why don't you eat something?" Lina seemed to hesitated before closing the book and pointing to a pancake. Natasha picked it up, and cut it up, before 'drowning' the innocent pancake in syrup. Natasha looked up when she heard the elevator ding and it opened. But when she didn't see Clint her heart sank. She motioned to Pepper to keep Lina at the table as she walked over to where Fury stood by the Elevator.

"DADDY!" Lina cried out happily, throwing herself into Clint's arms, the day he returned. She had been at Pre-School that day, and no one had said anything about her dad coming home. So it was an entire surprise to her. Clint wrapped her into a tight hug, not wanting to let her go. Natasha walked over after Clint pulled away from Lina.

"You were off the grid for months." Natasha crossed her arms.

"I had too." Clint replied calmly. Natasha glared at him.

"And what if you didn't come back? What if you died out there, and we had no idea where you were?" Natasha angrily said to him.

"Lina, go find Uncle Steve, okay?" Clint said and Lina nodded and left their floor, looking for her godfather.

"I thought you were dead!" Natasha growled at him as soon as they heard the Elevator doors close.

"I'm not. And I'm here now." Clint remarked, motioning around them with his arms. The death glare he got from Natasha would have made Tony back down from this fight. But not Clint. Clint wasn't afraid of Natasha's glares, threats, or anything like that. He knew his limits of teasing and arguments with her before she went physical. He knew the slightest of signs that signaled to him his partner was ready to attack him.

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!" Natasha yelled at him.

"I'm not! I'm here." Clint calmly replied, clearly trying to tell her everything was alright.

"But what if you didn't return!?" Natasha asked, and Clint saw in her face she was upset and scared. It may not have shone in her voice though, but he could see it, something that only a partner of years of working together in Life and Death Situations could see. "How could I have told Lina that her father wasn't coming home without making me look like the bad guy? Clint, we told her what our job was and explained it to her in detail. She knows that every time we leave, there is a chance we won't be coming home. She knows that! She is FOUR, Clint... FOUR! I was six when I was thrown into the Red Room. Spies... they were bedtime stories, that everyone told their children. Not for Akilina. For her, it's real. And every time we leave, Pepper, Jane, Darcy, Loki, and the others have to mentally prepare for that possibility that it is the last time they will see us. That the next time they do... We will be in a box. And They will have to break the news to Akilina. Do you have any idea how terrified she is sometimes, Clint?"

Clint remained silent now, but shook his head. He didn't know how terrified Lina was at times. He knew their job could affect Lina, he knew that if he didn't return the Avengers would take care of her, with SHIELD looking out for her if needed. But he didn't know how scared his daughter was.

"Clint, Pepper told me that Lina cries in the night for us when we are on missions. It takes her and Tony to get Lina to realize that we are coming home. That no matter what we are coming home. I heard her, Clint. Three months of you being on that mission and I heard Lina crying in the next room in the middle of the night for you. I would go in, and have to shake her awake... no four-year old should have to think that." Natasha looked distraught, and Clint also saw that Natasha was also extremely tired.

"What do you suppose we do? Quit SHIELD, that will go over really well with Fury."

"I'm not saying we quit SHIELD, I'm just saying that we need to find a way to help Lina when we are on missions. Also, she has been itching to go fishing. Steve took her last month after you didn't return but she didn't come back animatedly talking about her trip, like she does with you. Clint, we need a couple months of just the three of us. No Avengers. No SHIELD. No Pepper, Jane, or Darcy. Just the three of us. Like an average family would go on vacation."

"Then let's take Lina to Tony's Malibu home. She's never been, and we can probably get to a beach from there. Plus his home is hooked up into JARVIS, so we can tell them if we need something sent over." Clint suggested.

"Alright... but I want Steve to know were we are just in case something happens." Natasha nodded. And Clint agreed.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it! Sorry for it being shorter than the first two. I want the Summer vacation to be one chapter. :) Also it's currently around the end of May, early June in the story.