Minor references to Sleipnir having telepathic powers in this chapter.

Clint grinned, obediently moving to Lucy's bedside and handing her the baby. He watched her carefully for signs of distress at the infant's looks, but there really were none that he noticed. So long as he was okay with having a half-Jotun daughter, Lucy seemed to be okay with the idea as well.

Hel scrambled eagerly up to sit beside Lucy and ran a finger ever so gently along her sister's cheek.

"Careful," Clint warned under his breath.

The scrawny kid standing next to him explained to him, "We have Jotun blood in us as well; the cold doesn't bother us."

Clint nodded. "Makes sense."

"Who are you?" the same voice who had first spoken – Sleipnir – came up behind Clint and quietly posed the question.

"Agent Clint Barton."

"The child's father?" Fenrir asked him.

Clint nodded.

"Hawkeye…" the one who was obviously Vali's full-blooded brother, Narfi, mused.

Sleipnir raised his eyebrows, asking, "The mind-controlled Hawkeye?"

Clint sighed, saying slowly, "Yes."

"And yet you love her now?"

Here Clint didn't hesitate an instant before answering, "Yes."

Lucy cut into their quiet conversation, suddenly asking, "Clint?"

"Yeah?" he answered, turning to her.

"Did you hear Hel's question?"

"I'm sorry, sweetie; what do you need?"

"What's my sister's name?"

Clint frowned as he looked at Lucy, admitting, "None that we had in mind really fit her, do they?"

"That's what I think too. What do we do about it?"

"Why not… let the kids think up something?" Clint suggested.

Lucy looked at her children with raised eyebrows. "Go ahead. Give us something to work with here… if you want to."

Sleipnir narrowed his eyes as he moved to his mother and gave her a gentle hug before carefully settling down on the edge of the bed and sliding his tiny sister into his arms. "What do you think, little one?" he murmured, a small smile ghosting onto his lips. "What's a name magnificent enough for a girl with blood red eyes, ice blue skin, and raven black hair?"

Sleipnir froze then, a thought coming to mind as his gaze turned slowly to one brother after another and they realized what he was thinking. Whatever it was, it was lost on Clint.

"You can read her better than any of us," Vali said at last. "Is she being treated well?"

"Better than Odin ever thought to treat her," Sleipnir answered.

"I thought I felt something when you hugged me," Lucy told Sleipnir dryly.

"Forgive me, Mother; a son worries."

Lucy nodded without further comment.

"But are we sure that we like him that much?" Narfi asked.

"They like him that much," Sleipnir said, gesturing to the baby in his arms and his mother at his side. "And they are the best point of reference that we have."

"You obviously have a name in mind;" Lucy said. "I would like to know what it is."

Sleipnir sighed and eyed Clint before answering Lucy, "What about Ravn. Anglicized perhaps?"

Lucy eyed her six children, smiling at them all, particularly Hel's eager nod.

"I think they might have accepted the wicked step-witch," Jane said lightly.

Lucy laughed and asked Clint, "What do we think of the name 'Raven'?"

Clint smiled at his daughter in Sleipnir's arms and then at the other six children. "I like it a lot."

Narfi smiled slowly at him, answering, "Us too. Birds can be very admirable when they want to be."

Clint's smile just widened.

One week later, Lucy was back at the tower, and Clint couldn't wait to get there as well. Fury had sent him on a three day mission the day after Lucy had come home, and he was excited to see his girlfriend and daughter again.

Steve met him at headquarters, explaining as the two men headed to his car, "Nat's gone on a mission at the moment – Russia something, I think – and she made me promise to pick you up for her when you got back."

"Cool," Clint answered, sliding into the passenger side seat.

"Hey," Steve asked as he pulled out into the street. "Do you mind if I… make one little stop before we head back? I promise it'll only take a minute; I've got to just pick something up for Natasha."

Clint shrugged begrudgingly. "Sure."

"Thanks."

Clint nodded, but continued to sulk until curiosity overcame his pity party when he realized that Steve had brought them to a jeweler.

"You can stay here; I'll be right back."

Again, Clint nodded and then watched Steve through the storefront window when the man behind the counter produced a ring box from the back of the store and showed the box's contents to the captain. Steve smiled and nodded approvingly, signed for the item, and then walked back to the car with a bag in hand and a secretive smile on his face.

"Rogers," Clint asked once they were going down the road again. "Is that piece of jewelry what I think it is?"

Steve smiled and kept looking straight at the road as he requested, "Don't tell her, okay?"

"I won't ruin it for you, scout's honor," Clint promised.

But two days later when Natasha returned home from her mission already wearing the ring that Steve had given her right when she'd come back to SHIELD base, Clint made sure that there was already a party at the tower to meet them.

"Shh!" Lucy snapped the second Clint stepped onto their level of the house after the party. "Raven's finally asleep, and I swear by all the Norns, if you wake her, you will die."

Clint sat down on the couch beside Lucy and ran his hand over the curls of their nine-day-old daughter in her arms, whispering, "All this time and you're back to threatening to kill me?"

"She just went to sleep because of all the noise coming from that party on Tony's level. Have you checked the clock lately? And I have to be at work tomorrow, birdbrain!"

"Okay, okay, Angel, I get the message. Mama bird needs to go to bed. I'll take baby duty tonight – all week even. You give me a kiss and go to bed."

Lucy obligingly kissed him and transferred Raven into his arms before standing and double-checking with concern, "Are you sure? I bet if we put her to bed now she'll stay asleep for a little while at least and then we can both get some sleep."

"Nah, it's fine," Clint said, waving her off. "I'm too hyped up right now to sleep anyway. We'll be in soon."

"Okay," Lucy said, giving him another peck on the lips before vanishing out of hearing range.

"Jarvis?" Clint said when he was sure Lucy wouldn't hear his question. "Do you mind showing me how to ring shop?"