Author's Note: It's a really long chapter. 15 pages to be exact. Please let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers or any such Marvel characters; it makes me sad on a daily basis.
"Mommy," Philip called as he ran into the room. His backpack thumped against the counter, and his uniform looked as if he had been swimming in mud all day. "Mommy!"
"Yes, Philip," Natasha answered as she entered the kitchen. Amelia was on her heels.
"Why can't I teach the babies to dance," the little girl cried. She tugged on Natasha's yoga pants, trying to get her attention.
"Because the babies can't learn to dance if they can't walk yet," she reminded. "How was school?" Her question was directed at Philip as he rifled through his backpack in search of something. "And why are you so dirty?"
"Murphy and I found mud during recess, and we were playing swamp monsters," he replied. "It was fun but our new teacher wasn't too happy."
"What's your new teacher's name?"
Philip paused and furrowed his brow, trying to remember. "My teacher last year was Mrs. McKinney."
"That was your first grade teacher. Who's your second grade teacher?"
"Umm, I don't know, but Murphy called her mom the other day. It was funny."
"You need to know her name, сынок. Is it in your folder somewhere?"
He shuffled through his paper in his take-home folder. "Mrs. Laster," he pronounced at last.
"There you go. What homework do you have tonight?" She placed a small plate of sliced apples and crackers in front of him. Lifting Amelia onto the counter, Natasha passed her daughter another small plate of chopped bananas and nuts.
"I'm supposed to write a book report on a book. Oh," he exclaimed as he handed her a colorful flyer. "Our teacher says next week is bring your mommy to school day or something. You're supposed to come talk about your job."
"Which book?" She took the flyer and scanned it before taping it to the fridge. She couldn't wait to ask Fury what the protocol was for agents attending their child's school. Natasha made a mental note to have a camera at the ready to catch the large vein in his forehead throbbing angrily when she asked.
"One about dinosaurs. I picked it out from the library today. We're supposed to write something and draw something."
"Looks like you also have math homework," Natasha commented as she glanced over his shoulder at his take-home folder. She kissed the top of his head.
"Can I go shoot arrows?"
"When you're done with your homework," she responded easily. It was a discussion they had frequently. "If you need help, come ask." She lifted Amelia off the counter and walked to the little girl's room to read stories.
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"Run that by me one more time," Fury grumbled. His fingers deeply massaged his forehead in an attempt to abate his oncoming headache.
"I'm going to my son's school for "Parent Day." What is the protocol for what to say when asked about my occupation?"
"Agent Romanov, that is quite honestly the last phrase in the world I would ever expect you to say." The older man looked completely baffled.
"I figured walking in there and saying 'Oh by the way, I'm an assassin and I kill bad people for a living' doesn't fall within the maintaining a low persona." She couldn't help but notice how much she sounded like Clint at that moment.
"Philip will never get invited on a play date again if you walk in and say that," Fury countered. "I'm not particularly sure how the child has friends to begin with."
"Excuse me, sir." Her gaze adopted an angry glare as she stared down the bald man.
"Oh, don't give me that look. He's the perfect mixture of you and Agent Barton. Neither one of you ranks highly on the overtly friendly scale. You don't build relationships with people unless you need information from them. Then, take into consideration the narcissistic tendencies of the Avengers living in his direct vicinity, and it's an honest-to-God surprise that the boy can make friends without subduing them violently."
"He takes after his namesake then," Natasha bit out as she continued to glare at the director.
"As for your question, make something up. I suggest avoiding words like assassin, kill, maim, violent, agent, weapon, gun, arrow, bow, Avengers, thigh choke, combat, or death."
"That's helpful," she deadpanned. As Natasha left the office, she remembered just how distinctly she didn't like that man.
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"Barton! Barton! Barton!" Tony's shrieks were heard before the elevator even reached the appropriate floor. "Damnit, where are you?"
"Uncle Tony," Philip asked as he looked over to the door from his spot on the couch. "Whatcha doin?"
"Looking for your dad. Seen him?"
"The nest," he offered helpfully. Tony turned on his heels and sprinted from the room, still carrying one twin under each arm. The girls squealed as he carted them around.
"Bye-bye, Uncle Tony," Amelia called after him.
"Crazy," Philip laughed as he shook his head. Amelia giggled too and refocused her attention on the animated dancing Macaw on the screen.
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"BARTON," Tony shouted into the open gym.
"Jeez, what," he called as he belayed down. "Everything okay?"
"Yes, everything is just peachy. That's why I'm running around in frantic circles trying to find your stupid ass that can't just be sitting in his damn living room like a normal person. No, you asshat, everything is not okay. I mixed them up!"
"Okay," the archer drawled slowly.
"I mixed them, and Pepper is coming home. I can't remember which is which and she gave me one explicit direction, which was to not mix them up!"
"What am I supposed to do?"
"I don't know! You're Hawkeye! Look at them and tell me which is which!"
"Are you fucking kidding me? They're identical."
"Do I look like I'm kidding," Stark frantically wailed.
"First of all, you shouldn't be carrying 8 month old babies like sacks of flour," Barton chided. He carefully lifted one of the girls from Stark's hold and bounced her in front of him. "Hey there, little one," he said, his voice infinitely softer and more tender than it had been prior. "Your dad is batcrap crazy. I'm sorry." Stark didn't resist the urge to stick his tongue out at his friend. "He's also very mature," Barton teased as he talked to the child in his arms. "Got an idea," he mumbled.
He lifted the baby towards the ceiling, pointing her face towards the nearest camera. He smiled to himself as he realized he looked like a scene straight out of Lion King. Rafiki and Simba, his brain informed him, causing him to conclude that his children watched too much Disney. "JARVIS, could you tell me which twin I'm holding please?"
"Of course, sir. One moment," the AI responded. Barton smirked around the baby towards Stark. "Mr. Barton, you are holding Miss Abigail."
"Thank you, JARVIS. Why didn't you ask the AI you built which was which," he asked Tony with a smirk.
"Shut up. Give me my kid," Stark grumbled.
"Nope, come on. Philip and Amelia can entertain them while you breathe and stop flailing around like an idiot."
"I don't remember you bumbling around this much when you had Philip or Amelia."
"I don't flail in the first place. I'm Hawkeye. The point is that I don't flail."
"Bull," Stark called as he walked along the corridor to the elevator.
"I also didn't have two babies simultaneously. And you flailed with Philip more than I did. You lost him in the air vents numerous times."
"No, I'm sure you just didn't let anyone see you fumbling around with your newborn. You must have fumbled a bit; I mean the only thing you were good at was bow and arrows. A newborn is in no way a bow or an arrow."
"I believe you referred to Philip as a Pepper Shield when he was first born. A shield is a form of a weapon. I'm good with weapons. I don't fumble."
"You seriously have the memory of an elephant. What in the hell?" Stark plopped Sophie down on the floor and Clint set Abby next to her. Amelia clapped happily and slipped off the couch to entertain them. Philip looked at his father and sent him a glare that clearly said you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me.
"Entertain your cousins," Clint instructed, ruffling Philip's hair fondly.
"Can you please stop bringing babies into my space," he huffed, even as he paused the movie and dropped to the floor. "I mean first it was Amelia and then we never took her back to the hospital and she's been here forever. Now these two. Uncle Tony, you should have had a boy."
"We appreciate your help," Clint told him sincerely before shoving Tony towards the kitchen to pour a healthy amount of scotch into a glass. "Seriously, breathe, Stark. Newborns are designed to withstand new parents. You're not going to break them."
"Do I need to tell you just how much he sounds like Romanov when he says things like that about his space? Anyway, they're so tiny. Thor can juggle them in his palms because they're just so damn small."
"I know," Barton reassured. "Looks just like me, but he's got Natasha's personality, except the humor- that's mine." Stark nodded in silent agreement. "Correction: no, Thor can juggle the twins in his palms because Thor's palms are the size of flatbeds on a tow truck. Why are you letting Thor juggle with your children in the first place?"
"Whatever. You let Rogers and Thor play catch with Philip."
"But really," Barton started. "Breathe. Do the best you can. Those girls love you. You've got nothing to worry about."
"Until they start dating," Stark added.
"Until they start dating," Barton agreed.
"I have nightmares. Last night, I dreamt that Abby started dating a teenage version of me."
"Trust me. I have them too. I dream that Amelia dates a teenage version of you too. It never ends well for the boy."
"I would take offense at that," Stark grumbled. "But if Amelia started dating a boy that reminded me of me in any way, shape, or form, I would kill him off before you got a chance."
"If they have to date," Barton started. "Which apparently is key to falling in love and all of that, we should find them teenage versions of Rogers to date. The man is still a virgin 80 years later. If Amelia HAS to date, I want her to date a guy like him who's too damn petrified to touch her much less ask her out. But as it stands, the rule in this house is no dating until marriage."
"Oh I like that," Tony decided. "I really like that. JARVIS, remind me to get that engraved on the wall or something."
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"When did our children have more extensive calendars than we do?" Clint grumbled as he stared down at the ominously color-coordinated Post-It calendar one Sunday night.
"I don't know. I could have sworn they were both in diapers yesterday."
"You blinked," Clint accused humorously.
"I blinked. Okay, we've got to figure this out. Philip has gymnastics and soccer three days a week and piano twice a week. Amelia has dance four days a week, gymnastics three days a week, and piano twice a week."
"In addition to school and play dates," Clint added to the laundry list Natasha described.
"Right. Our work schedule," she groaned dragging an entirely different calendar onto the countertop.
"Looks worst than it did when we were starting out," Clint interrupted, filling in her sentence for her. "There are more and more missions that require the best. I mean this is the first time we've both been in the same room in at least three weeks. It's not working. Something's got to give."
"It can't be their schedule, so it's got to be ours," she pointed out logistically.
"We could hire a nanny."
"No, there's no way to ensure their protection with outside help. It's us or our team."
"Okay, I'll retire," he said it so nonchalantly that she almost didn't catch the full weight of the statement.
"What?"
"I'll retire. I'll be an Avenger when the world needs us. In the off time, Stark Industries can hire me as a security consultant. It can be a new branch. Then their schedules don't have to change, and they'll have a parent at everything. If that doesn't work, I'll train new recruitments and stay grounded in New York."
"Would you be happy?"
"I'm not giving it up completely, Tasha. I mean the team gets called out once or twice a month for international related incidents. That's enough. You're right. What we've got right now isn't working."
"If you retire, SHIELD is going to have me cover the missions they would assign to you. I would barely be here at all," she mused as she thought aloud. "I don't want to miss all of that. If we both retired from SHIELD, this wouldn't be a problem at all." She had to admit now the idea carried some weight. There were definite plusses to that arrangement.
"We could both request inactive duty," Clint offered. "That way, Fury doesn't blow a gasket when he gets wind his best agents are leaving. We can still do missions as favors to him. Whether we like him or not, he's done a lot to keep us alive. We owe him that much. Plus, I think it's going to take awhile for us to live comfortably without the adrenalin rushes we get in the field. We'll do missions as favors to him. We'll still be Avengers; that part doesn't change. We'll talk to Stark about becoming security consultants. We'll be home."
"It's a plan," Natasha pondered quietly.
"It's huge, Tasha. It's such a big part of you. It always has been. Will you be happy not going on so many missions?"
She chewed the question over in her mind, quietly assessing her position and analyzing how she felt. He waited patiently. "Like you said, we wouldn't be giving up missions completely. We would still have the few we accomplish for Fury as a favor, and we would still be in battle with the Avengers. I'd still be using my training for something."
"All true, but would you be happy? If you aren't going to be happy on inactive duty, we will find another way to work the schedules."
Again, Natasha paused. She took tally of her ledger. It was dripping red, yes, but she knew it was pretty even now. For each innocent life she took, she saved another. She never forgot a face or a name; she made sure her ledger was in balance. It wasn't about that anymore. It wasn't about whether or not she deserved to be happy because she knew, without a single doubt, that her children deserved to be happy. After seven years of motherhood, she realized that emotions are contagious. When she's happy, they're happy.
For a moment, she imagined what her life would be like if she didn't fold herself into a cat suit everyday and conduct herself as an agent. She knew she would keep training. It was so ingrained in her character she doubted she could stop even if she wanted to. As she analyzed the different options in her head, she realized that what attracted her to the job after she defected was Clint. He was her partner. He was the reason she stayed, the reason she fought, and the reason she never left. He was her constant, and if he was at SHIELD, if he was loyal to SHIELD, then so was she. After Philip was born, their partnership in the field almost ceased to exist outside of the Avengers team. They refused to increase the chances that taking missions together would orphan their son. The aspect she had always held on to was no longer there.
By retiring, she figured, she would be giving up long, sleepless nights on solo missions. She would leave behind endless stacks of paperwork that demanded her attention and promptness when she was home. She would have her husband, her partner, with her nine times out of ten. They would both be home to read bedtime stories, attend birthday parties and activities, and help with homework. They would still be Avengers. They would still fight, train, and move fluidly in the field as partners and as a team. She would still be fighting for good, but by retiring, she would be home to tuck her children into bed.
"Yes," she whispered. "I could be happy."
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Amelia squealed, and Good God Almighty, it was loud. Rogers nearly dropped her. Too busy trying to juggle the freshly minted four-year-old and a few presents he carried down to the party, it took him a second to fully absorb the explosion of the pink princess theme. Tony really outdid himself. Quite impressive actually, Rogers grinned. He put Amelia down and her bare feet hit the floor almost silently as she ran. He shook his head noticing, and not for the first time, how quietly she moved. He decided it must be genetic.
One of the floors of Avengers Tower that never was put to use had been turned inside out and transformed into something straight out of fairy tale. A bounce castle was set up in the far corner. There were a few tables set up for tea parties, complete with miniature cups and plates. Little cakes and sandwiches sat on tea trays by each of the tables for the kids. Another wall was lined with a rack of every possible dress-up costume imaginable that could possibly be included in any sort of fairy tale. Tony made sure there were a few male dress-up costumes off to the side for Philip and his friend. There was a large table for presents. A Tangled-style cake sat proudly on display. In the open kitchen to the right was food and drinks for the adults.
Rogers finally finished taking in all the decorations and all the pink. Amelia was still squealing and running in circles to look everything. When Tony walked in from a bathroom on the floor, the small child took off and practically catapulted into his arms with a leap that did nothing to convince Rogers that the child had not genetically inherited Natasha's athleticism. He was baffled that a child that small could propel herself that fast or high to reach Tony's neck without needing to be lifted.
"So what do you think, Princess," Tony asked happily as he spun her in a circle. He was clearly proud of himself.
"Thank you," she squealed. He winced as the pitch hurt his eardrums. Rogers knew the feeling. "It's awesome!"
"Happy birthday. I bet you could get Captain to jump in the bounce house with you while we get everything else ready." Rogers sputtered as Tony put the little girl down.
"You want me to go in the what?"
"The bounce house," Tony stated.
"The purple castle," Amelia shrieked.
"What is a bounce house," Rogers asked skeptically.
"You get in and bounce," the fiery redhead explained. "It's easy. Like the trampoline at gymnastics only it's more funner."
"Funner isn't a word," Rogers returned. Amelia gave him a playful pout with her arms crossed across her chest. He couldn't help but see a mini-Natasha glaring at him. Except instead of being maimed by her assassin mother, his eardrums would surely implode with the shrillness of her squeals.
"It's my birthday," she decided. "Come on. It's easy. I'll show you."
"Don't worry, Cap. You can't pop it. The material is extra strength, industrial polymer. Hulk could play on it, and it wouldn't explode," Stark assured him as he walked back to the elevator to help bring everything down.
"How am I supposed to get through that little slot," he grumbled. He watched, perplexed, as Amelia easily wiggled her way through without a problem.
"Just like that. Come on! It's fun! Bounce with me, Uncle Steve!"
"Yeah, okay. Give me a moment to figure out how to get in." He angled himself towards the small hole in the flap. He managed to get his left arm and right shoulder in before he was stuck. Amelia giggled as she bounced. "A long time ago, I would have been able to get in here no problem," he explained to her. "I was scrawny." He untangled himself from the net before tilting his head to analyze the situation. Again, Rogers worked into the hole, but his massive shoulders prevented him from entering the bounce house. He tugged once and twice before groaning. "I think I'm stuck." Amelia jumped around his head, unconcerned.
"You know, Cap, there's a Velcro tape. Just pull," Barton mocked. "Though I'm sure the mothers coming with their children would love to see your ass on display. Come here, birthday girl. Want to put on your princess dress?" As soon as Rogers removed himself from the entrance of the bounce house, Amelia darted over to her father. "Arms," he prompted, helping her out of her shirt. She tugged down her shorts before stepping into the dress he held out for her. She balanced herself on his shoulders before turning around and letting him zip up the dress. "There you go. Give me a kiss," Clint requested. Amelia happily obliged. "Swing me, Daddy!"
Clint laughed and walked into the center of the room. He took her small hands in his and turned in a circle, steadily picking up speed until her feet were off the ground and she was spinning. He slowed down carefully, catching her in his arms when her dizziness affected her steps. "That was fun," she panted. "When are my friends coming?"
"They should be here soon. Stay here with Uncle Steve, okay? I'm going to help Mommy corral Philip and Murphy. God only knows where those two boys have gotten off to."
The elevator opened to reveal Pepper and the twins. Each girl wore a different colored tutu. They had Tony's dark hair and Pepper's pale skin. They toddled forward to Amelia, who hugged them, before taking them to the bounce castle. "Be careful," Pepper called after the girls. Amelia helped each of her little cousins into the structure before bouncing gently. She held Abby's hand in her left hand and Sophie's in her right. "JARVIS, child-appropriate playlist please," Pepper asked the omnipresent AI.
"Stark went all out," Rogers commented as he surveyed the area again.
"He's a big old softie at heart," Pepper laughed. "I mean he wanted to rent out Central Park Zoo when the girls turned one. It took me at least two months to convince him against something that extravagant for a birthday they won't even remember. We could have given them two cardboard boxes and cupcakes; they would have been equally as excited."
"Looks like the Tin Man found a heart," Rogers mused. Pepper chuckled at his classic movie reference.
Through the PA system, Natasha's voice rang out. "Philip Aiden Barton, if you do not come down from whatever nest you're in this instant, you will be playing tea party alone with ten princesses all afternoon as I will be sending Murphy home."
Pepper cocked an eyebrow and laughed. "She's got this whole punishment thing down," she noted to Rogers, who simply grinned.
"Having to play princess all afternoon, that would get me running," he agreed. "That and you know the person behind the voice terrifies me enough to get running in the first place."
"Intimidation is definitely one of her top skills."
"I know nothing about science, but it has to be genetic." Rogers voiced his theory.
"That worries me about what qualities Abby and Sophie will absorb from Tony and me." Pepper winked at him before walking over to the bouncy castle to take photos of the three girls playing inside.
Moments later, Philip appeared out of breath, clearly having sprinted from wherever he had been hiding. Murphy tumbled through the door connecting to the stairway. "Dude, your mom is fast." Philip just nodded, doubled over with his hands braced on his knees. "I mean she's crazy fast, and she has eyes like a hawk. I don't know how she saw me!"
"If you think she can find you, you never want to hide from my dad. He can see stuff from miles away. His friends call him Hawk sometimes."
"Nuh uh," Murphy shook his head. "There's no way that's true."
Philip glared at him. "You wanna bet. Winner gets two cupcakes." Murphy nodded and stuck his hand out for a shake. "Uncle Steve," Philip called and rushed over to the man, who was leaning against the counter.
"Yeah, bud?"
"Why do you call Daddy Hawk?"
"Because your dad sees much better from a distance," Steve replied easily.
"Like how far," Murphy asked. "Be honest cause a cupcake's on the line."
"Son, I don't lie. My mother taught me better than that. Let's see. I've seen him spot a target from five or six miles away, maybe more."
"Told you," Philip shouted victoriously. "I get your cupcake. I get your cupcake."
"You get nothing if I go back upstairs and see your Legos thrown all over your room. Didn't I ask you to clean those up before Murphy got here," Natasha asked. Philip jumped at the closeness of her voice. Rogers bit back a grin because he knew from first hand experience just how startling it could be to have the assassin appear behind you. It was like a magic trick, he decided to himself.
"We were going to play with them when he got here, so I didn't put them up because I would just have to get them out all over again," Philip told her.
"Well, you both are going to play down here and celebrate Amelia's birthday, so please go put your Legos away in the bin. Remember if I have to come up there and do it myself, the Legos go into hiding. You don't pick up yourself. I will, and you won't know where I put it."
"Yes ma'am," Philip mumbled as he dragged Murphy back towards the elevator.
"Come right back down," she told the boys. "Hey, Cap. I hear you got stuck in the bounce house."
"Stark didn't tell me there was Velcro," he grumbled. Natasha resisted the urge to grin at his boyish pout. "Can I do anything to help set up for the party? Also, I think Stark everything pink and purple in the state."
"It's a little much," Natasha agreed with a shrug. Having been Avengers for so long, they were used to Stark's antics, and both adults knew it could have been much, much worse. The man could have bought an actual castle.
"She's excited though," Rogers pointed out with a nod to the bounce house. Thor appeared on the balcony just outside and grinned widely at the appearance of the party. When he started clapping happily, his loud thunderous applause made Rogers startle a bit.
"Yo Pikachu, don't clap so dang loudly," Stark hollered as the elevator doors opened simultaneously.
"Pikachu is a pokemon. He's a human," Murphy retorted.
"Snarky kid," Stark mumbled as Barton practically shoved him out of the elevator. "It's a nickname," he called after Philip's friend. "Everyone has a nickname."
"Oh yeah?" Murphy challenged. "What's her nickname?" He asked pointing at Natasha.
"Dude, you're going to lose," Philip grumbled. "Uncle Tony doesn't lose, unless it's to Mommy."
"She has many nicknames. For the G-rated ones, there's Red and Spidey."
Murphy frowned. "What about him," he pointed at Clint.
"That one's easy," Stark laughed. "Barton here is Robin Hood, Legolas, Katniss, Green Arrow, or Merida."
"Seriously, dude. You're going to lose," Philip repeated.
"And him," Murphy pointed at Captain.
"Oh, my favorite. That, you annoying child, is Capsicle, my star-spangled Popsicle. Now do you have any more questions?"
"No," Murphy grumbled.
"Uncle Steve, can I call you Capsicle," Philip asked with a shit-eating grin.
"No. Stark isn't even allowed to call me Capsicle," Rogers replied. He glared at Tony.
"I think he just called you Capsicle," Murphy interjected.
"Seriously," Stark turned to Barton. "Where the fuck did you find this irritating kid," he asked in a hushed tone that only Barton and Natasha could hear. "Remind me to build Abby and Sophie less obnoxious friends."
"You know, Stark, Murphy kind of reminds me of you," Rogers teased when the two boys ran to the other side of the room to look at the different costumes for them. "I mean he's outspoken, disrespectful, and annoying."
"Shut up," Tony grumbled. "Here have a cupcake." The genius picked up one of the pink cupcakes and smashed it into Rogers' face. Natasha laughed wholeheartedly as Rogers tried unsuccessfully to wipe the icing off his face. Barton grabbed his phone and took a picture before Rogers started chasing Tony around the room, narrowly avoiding toppling over the mini tea sets.
"Anthony Stark," Pepper shouted as the billionaire almost plowed into Philip and Murphy.
"A little busy right now, honey," he called as he dodged around a pillar. No matter how fast he ran Rogers was still faster. He was Captain America after all. Rogers took the cupcake he had grabbed before the chase initiated and smashed it onto Stark's head. The genius managed a weak glare at Rogers before laughing, as he tasted the icing. "Damn, this is good stuff." He sauntered over to where Pepper was watching the bounce house. "Did you need something?"
"No, I just wanted to see Steve throw a cupcake in your face," Pepper laughed. Sophie slid out of the bounce house and wobbled over to her father.
"Dadadadada," she chanted. He hoisted his daughter onto his hip. She wrinkled her nose at his icing-covered face. "Icky."
"It's not my fault," he insisted. "Blame Uncle Steve."
"Cap," Sophie giggled happily.
"Ha," Rogers shouted victoriously. "You got icky and I got a giggle. In case you didn't pick up on it, that means I win."
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The party went off without a hitch. Banner and Pepper sat at one of the miniature tables and played tea party with Amelia and her friends. Abby perched on Banner's lap as he helped her drink the pretend-tea. Sophie sat in a chair between Amelia and Pepper, reaching over to steal bits of Amelia's cupcake. Clint walked in circles, refilling the mini teacups with juice. He too would occasionally steal bites of Amelia's cupcake until the feisty little red head smacked his head away and glared at him. Pepper chuckled at the sight, and Banner offered a soft laugh.
After explaining the concept of pretend to Thor once again, the demi-god dueled in an imaginative battle with small plastic swords against Philip and Murphy. Both boys were decked out in chest plates, shields, and helmets. Rogers eventually jumped in and grabbed Philip for his team before the fight started anew.
Natasha and Tony chatted with a few of the moms, who decided to stay and help keep an eye on everything. The two would weave in and out of activities as needed. It was all fairly normal.
Until the God of Thunder decided he wanted to jump in the bounce house. Pepper was thankful that all the guests, Murphy included, were gone when the urge to bounce struck. Even with the Velcro strap, Thor had difficulty maneuvering his way inside the bounce house.
"You positive about that extra strength industrial mumbo-jumbo you were talking about earlier?" Rogers asked skeptically as he leaned over the counter. Stark grimaced a bit and lifted Amelia onto his hip to prevent her from going to jump with the demi-god.
"This activity brings me much mirth," Thor boomed. "Am I to jump," he asked as he tried to balance himself.
"Yeah, you bounce." Philip encouraged. Barton kept a protective hand on his son's shoulder, waiting to see if the bouncy castle would implode under Thor's massive weight.
"Oh, this is quite enjoyable," Thor chuckled loudly. "Come and bounce," he requested.
"I think we're good on the floor for now, Pikachu. Just bounce yourself out," Stark instructed. Amelia skipped over to Natasha, who swung her daughter up into an embrace.
"Did you have a good birthday party," Natasha asked sweetly.
"Yeah, it was fun."
"Did you tell Uncle Tony thank you for decorating and everything?" Amelia smiled and nodded. "Good." Natasha kissed her daughter's forehead. "So what's next?"
"I want to jump with you!"
"Okay, we can do that," Natasha agreed. "When Thor is done with his turn."
"Um, Stark, the castle," Rogers pointed out quickly. He sounded a bit panicked.
"Pikachu, out you go. The castle is going to collapse in on itself. You're too big," Stark shouted. "Here, come have a cupcake!" The demi god grinned and wrestled himself out of the plastic and mesh material of the bounce house.
Amelia dragged Natasha towards the bounce house. "Come on, Mommy. Bounce!" The agent appeased her daughter and jumped lightly, landing on the balls of her feet. "Look! I can do a flip. I learned in gymnastics. Ready?" Natasha nodded with a smile. Amelia jumped in the air and landed on her butt, bouncing back up to her feet. "See! Can you do a flip?"
"Can she do a flip," Tony scoffed from right outside the house. Natasha sent him a glare, which quieted him quickly.
"I don't know, love. I can try. It won't be as good as yours though."
"It's okay. Just try," Amelia declared. Of course, Natasha knew how to flip. She landed more gracefully than physics should allow on the lumpy floor of the castle.
"Cool! I want to try," Philip cried as he climbed inside as well. Barton leaned against the counter and enjoyed watching the scene unfold.
"Sir, Director Fury requests an audience," JARVIS announced.
"Tell him we're all dead," Stark countered. "There is no room for Fury in our lives today."
"He says it is an urgent manner."
"Grow a spine, JARVIS," Stark grumbled.
"My protocols are being overwritten, sir."
Stark stalked over to the elevator. The moment it opened, he started bombarding the director. "If you have ever wondered why I cause so much chaos on your helicarrier, it's because you insist on overwriting the security protocols I have set. You, Nick Fury, are not a rock star. You do not get free reign of Avengers Tower just because you have some fancy program that can override my fancy program. Please return to your little minions. No one is available to speak to you at present as we all have more important things to be concerned with. You're welcome to return during normal business hours."
"Tony," Pepper chided. "Director, to what do we owe the pleasure?"
"I need to speak with Agent Romanov and Barton," he announced formally.
"Now," Pepper asked. "It's Amelia's birthday party."
"They're not here," Tony interjected.
"I can see them," Fury countered.
"Holograms," Tony explained. "You see I find the actual people to be quite infuriating. They mock my genius. Agent Romanov throws cutlery at me. Agent Barton makes a mockery of me and encourages me to drink. I find that creating holograms is much less annoying, as the holograms don't talk. I've developed a way to have social contact without having to be annoyed by their actual personalities."
"As entertaining as that was to hear you whip out of your ass, I need to see my agents in the conference room immediately."
Barton pushed himself off the counter and walked towards the elevator. He could see Natasha trying to untangle herself from Philip and Amelia. It wasn't going smoothly. Amelia gripped the agent's leg tightly. "No Mommy. Don't go. The party's not over. We have to read stories. Remember? The princess?"
"I'll be back. I just need to go talk to Fury. Rogers can come in and jump with you. I bet he can do a flip. You wanted Uncle Steve to jump with you before the party, remember?" Natasha tried again to extract herself from the bounce house.
"No, Mommy," Amelia cried.
"You said if I played nicely at 'Melia's party you would play video games with me," Philip pouted. "I was good! And you just got back. Why do you have to go now?"
Clearly neither child wanted to let Natasha leave the bounce house. Barton grimaced, realizing again just how much their careers affected their children.
"Sir, we'll be glad to talk with you first thing on Monday morning about our requests for inactive duty." Barton addressed the director respectfully. "We filed the appropriate paperwork in the proper time to our handler to ensure we had this weekend off. Thus, any matter you're here to discuss can and will wait until Monday." At his words, Natasha relaxed into the mesh-netted wall of the bounce house. Amelia clamored onto her lap quickly, and Philip curled into her side. She kissed their temples and wrapped her arms around them.
She would deal with Monday when it arrived. Until then, she was determined to enjoy quality time with her children and their crazy family.