"How'd it go at the mall?" Steve greeted them, watching in slight disbelief at the amount of shopping bags the four of them carried

"Clint, Natasha; will you guys get the other bags while me and Pepper talk to Steve?"

It was a test Tony had purposely set up, to see if Natasha would leave them alone long enough to talk. After a moments deliberation, Natasha followed Clint back to the elevator and Tony internally celebrated a victory; progress.

"More bags?!" Steve asked, shocked

Tony ignored him and moved on to more important issues; "What did Shield have to say?"

"Nothing much; they're still working on the bloods and Hydra haven't cracked yet. Though we didn't really leave them much to work with; only 3 Hydra agents survived the attack, and one died shortly after following complications from a ruptured spleen"

"Great"

"Yeah, so I'm assuming you got enough clothes judging by the amount of shopping you brought back"

"Oh Steve, don't be fooled. They're all bags from the toy shop" Pepper told him, heading towards the coffee machine. Tony grinned and Steve shook his head.

The kids reappeared and the remaining bags were added to the others.

"I think we're going to have to be careful out and about as well. The paparazzi almost made us twice today" Pepper warned as Clint and Natasha dug through the bags in search of something in particular. (Clint was after his bow and arrows while Natasha wanted her new books)

Steve and Tony instead convinced the kids to join them in a game of risk (which Tony had insisted on buying at the store as it had been one of his childhood favourites) while Pepper started unpacking the rest of the shopping.

Entering the kids bedroom to find somewhere to put their new clothes, she smiled when she saw the photo she'd given to Natasha placed by her bedside.

Unpacking the toys was less fun. Tony needed teaching what is classed as 'appropriate' for two mini-assassins. He'd bought all sorts, probably largely influenced by Clint. Nerf guns, walkie talkies, binoculars, a plastic bow and arrow set, a home laser tag set, night vision goggles... He'd got assassin's creed and various shooting/spy games for the PS4 and then he'd gone overboard buying scooters, roller blades, board games, card sets, a dart board... How they'd even got all of this in the car was beyond her.
Pepper sighed; she suspected most of this stuff was Tony's idea anyway...

After Natasha successfully beat the others at a game of Risk (and then a game of Rummikub and Clue); Pepper called an end to game night because Clint was sulking. They had dinner and watched one of the new DVDs together before Clint and Natasha went to bed with their new books.

"They seem to have settled in really well" Steve observed as the two children walked to their bedroom, chatting away down the hall.

"Thanks for all your help Pepper" he added a few minutes later, watching the woman smiling fondly at the security footage of the kids in their room which Jarvis was displaying for them on Tony's tablet. Clint had fallen almost instantly asleep, barely having finished the first page of his book. They watched as Natasha climbed from her bed to pull his comforter up over him and took his book from his slackened grip. Turning off the light, she curled back into her own bed, reading her own book by torch light; not wanting to disturb the peaceful sleep Clint was enjoying.

She wouldn't let herself sleep yet, she was too scared the nightmares would return as they did most nights. Or even worse; that when she woke up, she wouldn't be here in the tower; safe, and with friends, she feared she'd wake up back there, where each day was a fight for survival. She didn't ever want to go back there.

"You know, you surprised me today Tony. You're better with kids than I'd ever have imagined" Pepper told her boyfriend, leaning into his embrace once she was happy the kids had settled.

"Yeah well, don't get any ideas" he warned her, kissing her on the top of the head as she leant on his shoulder.

"Well, goodnight" Steve excused himself from Tony and Pepper's floor for an early night. Something told him that tomorrow would be a long day.