"Daddy... Daddy... Daddy... Wake up!"
Clint opened his eyes to see Evie bouncing on his bed, and judging by what she was wearing she'd dressed herself. She had brightly colored, stripy tights on, one pink shoe and one black boot, her ballet skirt and a woolly Christmas jumper. She'd put her long curly hair up in lob-sided pigtails and had missed a section at the back. To top it off she'd found Natasha's SHIELD jacket and pulled it on over her jumper. Clint couldn't help but smile at the sight of her and snap a picture on his phone
"Come on Daddy, it's time for ballet!"
"Calm down Лингпаука, we'll get you dressed and then we'll go"
"But I am dressed Daddy!"
"Sweetheart, I don't think you're allowed to wear stripy tights to ballet"
"Oh okay" she sighed, leading her father down the hallway and into her bedroom to get dressed properly.
Once dressed, Clint left Evie to play in her room for ten minutes while he went to check on Natasha and the twins; all three were fast asleep in the living room. It occurred to Clint it was the first time he'd seen both twins were asleep at the same time. He knew how tired Natasha was and the fact she was finally getting some rest made Clint somewhat relieved.
Clint promised Evie they'd get breakfast from the cafe on the way seeing as how they were ready so early and he didn't want to disturb Natasha, Elijah and Henry.
"I'll go wake Mommy!" Evie informed Clint excitedly
"Wait Лингпаука, I think Mommy is too tired"
"But she promised!" Evie said, pulling her best sad face and pouting her lips. She gave Clint the exact look Natasha gave him when she wanted something from him
"I know Eve, but Mommy was up all night with the boys"
"So! It's my turn to play with Mommy!" she said defiantly
Clint knew Evie had been struggling to accept that she had to share her time with her parents with two new babies.
Especially seeing as they were baby boys; she'd been insistent she wanted sisters, she'd even named them (Jodie and Annabelle) and it had taken a lot of persuasion to convince her she was happy to have two brothers, she'd even gotten Clint to promise her she'd have a sister one day (Natasha didn't know about that promise).
"How about we go to ballet, and then when we get back you and your Mom can spend some time together and I'll take the boys out"
"No! I don't want to go to ballet if Mommy isn't coming!"
"Oh come on Evelyn, you can show your Mom what you learnt after the lesson"
"No!" she stormed off back to her bedroom and slammed the door
"Evelyn Irina Barton don't slam your door!" Clint called after her, but it was too late. The bang woke Henry up, who in turn woke Elijah and Natasha
When Natasha looked at the time she was less than pleased to discover she'd been asleep the whole of 30 minutes. Last night had not been pleasant; every time she settled Elijah, Henry woke, and by the time he'd gone back off to sleep, Elijah was awake again. Clint had only just returned from a 48 hour training program for the new recruits and she'd agreed to get up with the boys so he could get some rest, she hadn't realised they'd be this restless when she'd made the deal
"Sorry Nat" Clint said, scooping up one of the boys "Evie was a little upset"
"A little?"
"Okay, a lot. She's still having difficulty adjusting"
Natasha sighed, they'd tried everything they could think of to help her adapt, she loved her brothers and enjoyed helping take care of them, but she didn't like not having her parents full attention all of the time
Pepper entered the floor at that moment, pausing to take in the scene before her; Natasha looked exhausted, both boys were crying, and Evie was nowhere to be seen
"Everything alright?"
"We're still having a few issues" Clint told her, heating up two bottles
Pepper took the boys from the two assassins and told them to take their daughter out for the day. It was a short term solution but hopefully they could get through to her.
The three of them went to the cafe for breakfast and then to the ballet class, they went shopping and got ice cream before going back to the tower. Clint and Natasha sat Evie down on the sofa and took their time explaining to her what it meant to be a sister. They told her how important her job was, and how much the boys needed her. They explained that they'd have to share their time, but promised they'd always make time to spend with her. And lastly, they gave her a present. It was a photo frame, inside was a photo of the five of them taken the day Natasha and the twins came home from the hospital, Clint and Natasha told Evie it was a present off Elijah and Henry to say thank you for being their big sister.
She hugged the frame tightly and burst into tears, Clint looked helplessly to Natasha; completely at a loss as to what to do.
Natasha pulled her daughter onto her lap and quietly whispered "What's up ребенок?"
"I'm sorry for being selfish мама"
Natasha felt herself getting tearful; it hadn't been their intent to make her feel guilty, they'd meant to make her feel important and settled in her new role within the family
Clint knelt down so he was at eye level with his daughter sat on Natasha's knee; "дорогая we know" Evie wrapped an arm round each of her parents and hugged them tightly before climbing down from Natasha's knee and running to her room.
"Well that didn't go to plan" Clint sighed, climbing onto the sofa next to Natasha
She agreed, tiredly shaking her head.
Pepper dropped the boys off shortly after, and Evie came running out of her room
"Are they awake? Are they awake?" she asked excitedly
"Yeah, why?" Clint asked, not hiding the confusion from his voice
"Good. I made them presents too!" she announced proudly, producing two pictures she'd made. They depicted stick images of their family; Evie, Elijah and Henry at the center, surrounded by their mom and dad, Tony, Thor, Bruce, Steve, Pepper, Jane, Darcy, Phil and Maria.
Evie insisted on putting the pictures up above the boys cribs in their room.
The next morning Clint and Natasha found Evie asleep on the floor between the two cribs; now they had a new problem. The three of them were inseparable.