February 14th 2012

Clint sat next to Natasha on their bed. Klara had explained this happened every morning, Bella ha locked herself away and Irina was eating breakfast.

"What do we do? We can' tell SHIELD." Natasha said. Clint shook his head.

"We can't have her on the index, that's there for everyone to see."

"But this won't stay quiet, something will happen this could get worse she could become a threat." Natasha said quietly. A threat, like she was.

"What this is, is what we need to focus on. Is it a mutation? Something the red room did? An environmental factor?" he asked. Natasha shrugged.

"Neither of us carry the mutant gene it would be in our file if we did."

Clint frowned "What about Taylor?"

Natasha turned to him "What about her? Klara is ours just because Taylor carried her doesn't mean anything."

Clint sighed "It could though, just because it's our DNA that made Klara doesn't mean they couldn't' be something else, in the womb-"Everything is shared between the carrier and the fetus." Natasha finished the sentence for him.

"If Taylor carried the gene it wouldn't been checked for, it wouldn't be on her medical records she might not even know. She has her own kids now right? How old are they, 7 and 9?" Clint asked.

"Something like that, we'll leave her out of this. Get Marilyn to run some tests off the record." Natasha stated.

"Why wouldn't she tell us?" Clint asked.

"It's not something we ever talked with them. And I thought we'd covered everything when we had the "we'll love you no matter" what speech. Should've known something like this would happen, that's just our lives."

"It's not acceptance from us." Clint huffed "It's herself if she told that would mean she's okay with it."

Natasha rubbed her temples "If Klara is afraid of this that proves she has some common sense."

"Really?" Clint asked.

"I'm just looking for a silver lining, maybe it's SHIELD she's scared of. Think about it she knows we're loyal to them but she doesn't superhuman protocol." Natasha said.

"Superhuman? You're going there? This could be anything. We need to run some tests, this could be fixable." Clint offered. Natasha raised her eyebrows

"Fixable? Like there's something to be fixed here?" she asked raising her voice. "What is that really about, Bella and Klara? I'm trying to make things better between them but it's harder when you're not here!"

Clint shook his head "Nat that's not it. What Fury has me doing right now? It's nothing we've ever dealt with. The last thing we want is a daughter who wants nothing to do with SHIELD wrapped up in it. If there's a way to fix this we should offer it to her." He said, calm as ever. Natasha studied him, he was worried anyone could see that but it wasn't just about his children, his family.

"What does Fury have you on? Just give me a rough idea. Does this have anything to do with New Mexico? Because I know all about that."

Clint nodded "Aliens are real eventually SHIELD won't be able to cover that up."

"Worlds getting to weird too fast for you isn't it? This, our kids our house it's what you come home to." Natasha said, placing her hand on Clint's shoulder.

"I'd hate to have this superhuman BS invaded my kids' lives. They deserve normality. As much as they can get."

Natasha sighed "We'll get on with her birthday the way we planned, we won't talk about this with her until tomorrow. Ake sure Bella knows that. I need to talk with Irina about something." She stood up, Clint grabbed her hand.

"Aliens, men in metal suits, unfrozen super soldiers and guys who turn very angry and very big. We're just spies Nat."

She kissed him "At least Fury scrapped the initiative. Those four might never have to meet each other."

He stood up "God I hope not."

Clint stood in front of his daughter's room "Girls I know you're hiding, its Klara's fifteenth birthday what they hell are you guys doing all alone?"

Klara opened her door, eyebrows raised, she'd showered and changed.

'You've got presents and food downstairs, I need to talk to your sister. Happy Birthday kid." Klara walked warily towards him and hugged him.

"Thanks." She muttered. Clint feigned confusion

"What was I supposed to do not show up for your birthday?" he kissed her forehead "Love you Klara."

She let go of him "Love you to."

As soon as she was down the stairs Bella opened her door

"Yes?"

He pulled his daughter into a hug. "How are you?"

"What do you mean?" she asked cautiously.

"You seem different, haven't seen you smiling as much as you used to. And we never talked about what happened with the boyfriend. I liked him to be honest."

Bella shrugged "I just didn't like him as much as I should have. And we're going different directions anyways and that was a while ago, like months."

He sat down in his daughters desk chair "We just haven't gotten a chance to talk, really talk in those months. I've been busier than usual so have you."

Bella nodded "I guess so, are we not gonna talk about…" she trailed off but she jerked her head towards Klara's room. Clint shook his head

"Not today. This and what I'm doing at work right now, everything is about to get a whole stranger. I want things here to be solid because from what I know about people like Klara or what she might be. It's not gonna be an easy road, for any of us."

Bella sighed "Right, Klara never has it easy. We've always got to worry about her."

Clint frowned "There was a time when I would have let you say that. Not today. Both of you have an interesting year so far and it won't ease up. You're not yourself, maybe its stress. Figuring out where you're gonna go after high school. Maybe it's your sudden distance from your friends. Could be Klara. Something is off kilter with both of my girls and now I know what's up with Klara. All of it, now I've just gotta figure out you."

Bella was suddenly very angry at her father. For being gone more than normal for talking to her like she was someone he could interrogate and pry secrets from.

"Figure me out? Like I'm some enemy spy? You're just watching me, waiting for a tell or me to say something to tip you off to what's going on inside my head? I understand that you're concerned but you need some more tact."

Clint sighed, he knew this act. It was defensive, it meant that Bella was hiding something. But she was right he couldn't treat her like someone he was interrogating. Clint rubbed his eyes he'd been spending far too much time in the field.

"You're right. Talk to me."

Bella frowned, she hadn't expected that. Her parents were so closed off most of the time it was easy to forget they wanted their children to be open.

"I don't have anything to say, not right now."

Clint nodded "Well, when you do I'm a phone call away. And you mother she's around. All you've gotta do is talk about anything you want."

Bella shrugged "I'll be down in a few minutes." She said, he voce was low. Clint stood up

"I love you. Come down soon."

Bella nodded "I love you to."

Bella twirled her hair around in her fingers, it was a new nervous habit. One she wasn't found of considering it was obvious and tangled her hair. Her phone buzzed, it was her new lab partner. She'd switched a few weeks ago after she couldn't take her old friend Gina giving her the silent treatment. Her new partner was a girl named Angela. She was nice, she'd moved from LA at the beginning of the year. Bell had never really noticed her though. She had dark curly hair, olive skin and dark eyes, and she went by Angie. She was shorter then Bella who grown to be taller than her mother who was 5'2. Bella was proud to stand at 5'4 but Klara was already there and wasn't finished growing yet. Angie also spoke fluent Spanish, because it was all her mother spoke. Bella was fluent also considering her attempt at learning Russian failed miserably. She couldn't get the alphabet. Most of Angie and Bella's conversations were in Spanish so that other people couldn't copy off their work in school. Bella picked up her phone.

Hang out later?

Can't, it's my sister birthday. Bella replied.

K cool, see you Monday

Bella put her phone back down. It was nice to have someone again who wanted to hang out and be her friend but Angie's over use of smiley faces in conversation was something Bella found odd. It was similar to the way Kyle had texted her before they broke up. She didn't' dwell on it. Some people were just friendly. Bella slipped her phone into her pocket and made her way downstairs.

"Where's mom and Irina?" she asked, avoiding Klara's prying eyes.

"Talking." Clint said and raised his eyebrows and Bella then jerked his head towards her sister.

"Happy birthday Klara." Bella said with a strangled smile.

"Thanks." She muttered and sipped her orange juice.

Irina and Natasha were not talking. Natasha tried, every morning. Irina was so far the only girl stable enough to be out of the hospital but she either unwilling to talk about how the red room worked or didn't know. Irina kicked out at Natasha. It always ended up like this, they'd fight Natasha would win and Irina would stay utterly silent. It infuriated Natasha because she was different. She'd been a wreck sometimes catatonic other times all she did was scream. Like the other girls, the girls Natasha couldn't care to look at because al she saw was herself. But not Irina, she was together, unfazed and claims she's ready to step back out into the world.

"I you're okay, why do you attack me every time I ask you about them." Natasha said shoving Irina away. The teenager froze, "That's a rhetorical question!" she yelled and ran at Natasha only to be blocked and held against a wall, her back to the Black Widow.

"If I let go are you going to run at me again?"

Irina struggled against Natasha, she screamed.

"I know they programmed you differently I can see it I want to know why!" Natasha yelled over Irina's struggling. "Please Irina. I can't help you id I don't understand what you're going through." She said, her voice softened. Irina stopped and took a breath. Natasha loosened her grip. To her surprise Irina stood still.

"They didn't. They weren't the ones who programmed me."

Natasha furrowed her eyebrows "Then who did?"

Irina shook her head "I don't know, I don't know! Somebody else!" she sobbed, tears welling in her eyes. Natasha stepped back. "Okay. Thank you Irina."

Irina looked away from Natasha and headed for the stairs "I'm going to shower. I'll come downstairs later."

Natasha stood for a moment in the middle of the training room, clearing her thoughts. Who else could have brainwashed Irina? She wondered, she racked her memory but came up with nothing. She pushed the thoughts from her mind and buried them to come back to later and went upstairs to her daughter.

The table had an air of awkwardness and it didn't get any better when Irina came downstairs glowering at Natasha. Klara thanked her family for what they'd gotten her.

"Coulson and Marilyn say they have things for you." Clint said through his waffles. Klara suppressed a smile

"What time do you leave again?" Bella asked, not bothering to hide her worry. She wished she knew more about what her father was doing and what he meant by "everything is about to get a whole lot stranger" did he know about Klara earlier then he was letting on? How long had this been happening anyway. She glanced at her younger sister who was twirling an explosive tipped arrow in her fingers while she ate. Bella's eyes widened.

"Maybe you shouldn't twirl explosives at breakfast." She said quietly, Klara stopped and set it back down carefully on the table.

"Why'd you give this to me?" she asked Clint, who smirked.

"I started using trick arrows when I as fifteen why not you? And I have to be at base at 8."

Natasha looked up from her coffee "An explosive is not the same as a stink bomb." She stated absentmindedly, not fazed by the presence of a deadly weapon on the kitchen table. Irina didn't care either, she was too busy staring down her eggs. Bella bit into her toast, three ex assassins and a possible mutant were eating breakfast with her and this was normal. Bella wanted to hang out with somebody normal, maybe that was what Kyle was for. She thought still not sure why she stayed with him so long.

"What are your plans for today?" she asked her sister. Klara looked around the table.

"Uhhh I don't know." She said. Clint nudged her shoulder

"Hanging out with me, until 6 which is when I'm taking you" he pointed at Bella "Out for dinner."

Bella held her phone in her pocket "So if I wanted to work on my science project with my partner later I can?" she asked looking at Klara, who shrugged.

"Whatever. I'm going shopping online." She said glancing at the gift card from Clint she'd gotten for amazon and the one form Natasha for ITunes. Clint raised his eyebrows.

"But not after shooting stuff!" she with a thumbs up and an over exaggerated smile. Bella laughed slightly. Despite the hostility coming off of Irina who had said nothing the entire meal breakfast was almost ordinary. And afterwards Bella texted Angie saying he could in fact hang out. Bella stood in her bedroom getting organized for the day while Irina could be heard beating a pillow and Klara was leaning arrows to practice with. She smiled for once an ordinary person to hand out with.

The Next Morning

Klara awoke to what she'd now come to expect park in her hands and buzzing in her eyes only this time her mother stood over her with a black backpack.

"Brush your teeth put on what's inside and bring the rest with you. Meet me in my car in 15 minutes. Bring your laptop, wear the SHIELD boots."

Klara looked at her clock "It's 430 in the morning. On Sunday. Where are we going?"

"It's not your birthday anymore, so it's time to talk." She sad on her way out of the room. Klara sat up

"Shit." She muttered.

Klara pulled her hair into a mess of a French braid and brushed her teeth she opened the bag and dumped its contents out onto her floor. Black socks, jeans, sports bra, tank top, sweater and jacket. She nodded, all black, 430 in the morning. Klara sighed, typical. She put another elastic around the end of her hair and looked at what else had been inside. A bag labelled food, gloves (also black), three knives and most exciting an IPhone and charger with a note stuck to it Has plan, sync to your computer on way.

"Well that's nice." Klara muttered while she put everything back into the bag and her laptop. She pulled her hood up put the bag on and crept downstairs and into the garage where her mother was waiting in her car. It was a SHIELD vehicle for high level agents (seven and up) which meant it could fly. It didn't stand out as much as Coulson's car. Natasha's was a black jeep. Klara settled into the front of it while Natasha pulled out of the driveway.

"Thanks for the phone, where are we going?"

Her mother didn't answer.

"Cool that's fine. I'll just set up my phone then, or something." She said, staring at her mother. Natasha reached over to the glove compartment and pulled out a heart rate monitor for Klara's wrist.

"Put this on." She ordered.

"I'm not the hulk." Klara said, confused. But she put it on anyway.

"How often do you have nightmare?" Natasha asked. Klara tightened the monitor and stay quiet.

"Klara." Her mother said.

"Every night." She said quietly. Every night, something different. The first time was kidnapped, the second. What could have happened to her or Bella? Dreams about her parents on their missions, Klara never thought about what the injuries they came home with meant they'd gone through. But her subconscious mind loved to create situations that the Black Widow and Hawkeye had probably experienced. It terrified her. Every night something invaded her dreams but she slept still until her alarm and she'd snap awake thankful the dreams were over.

"When you get scared your heart rate goes up. You wake up every morning to what, sparks?"

Klara nodded "So I don't have control."

Natasha's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Not yet."

Klara watched as they drove to the edge of the city and the sun rose over the river. When the car finally stopped they were in an old abandoned shipping yard.

"This used to be a jump off point into the Atlantic for SHIELD. Before the Helicarriers now it's empty." Natasha explained. Klara looked around, the freezing air bit into her face and the steely blue ocean reminded Klara of her father and sisters eyes. She looked up to the sky, over cast and grey. Maybe it would snow later. Natasha pointed to a warehouse near the edge of the water.

"That's where we're going? Why?"

Natasha started walking, her boots crunching on the snowy ground.

"Okay." Klara said and ran to catch up. The cold air burned in her lungs.

Marilyn was waiting inside dressed very similarly to Natasha and Klara. She'd set up a miniature lab and a treadmill.

"What the hell." Klara said.

"We're running to few tests so we can figure out what you are then we're going to figure out what to do."

Klara scowled "You say 'we' like you have some huge say in what happens next. Let's find out what's going on with me fine, but I get to decide what to do about it." She said with a bitter edge to her voice. Marilyn looked from Klara to Natasha "That's what I was saying." She muttered.

"You aren't able to make a decision without all the information." Natasha responded. She had no idea what SHIELD would do if they found out, the protocol on super humans is fuzzy. Something different happens to everyone depending on how SHIELD feels about them. Klara huffed

"I know about the index. I know that SHIELD wants to be in control and that if I become a threat someone will take me out. I'm not stupid. Why do you think I never mentioned this whole waking up to lightning in my hands thing?" Her voice was raising. Natasha stepped back from her daughter.

"You don't know everything Klara, even I don't. This choice isn't all yours Clint and I agree. You're still a kid."

Klara crossed her arms and her glare intensified. She was angry now, and defensive.

"Did you seriously just say that to me?!" she shouted. Coming from someone who had no say in what they became I would have thought you'd let me make my own choices!"

Natasha froze. She had never expected Klara to say something about her past. About who she was. Marilyn backed away from the two woman. Blood pounded in Klara's ears. Natasha took a breath, her daughter had no idea what she could be getting into. She had to change tactics, play off what she knew about her daughter. Which these days didn't seem like much.

"As soon as you turn 17 SHIELD could try to hire you. You never wanted to make that choice."

Klara clenched her fists. Her hands were shaking with rage. How dare her mother use that against her? Make it seemed like she cared so much about what Klara wanted. The teenager thought to herself.

"WELL IT'S MY CHOICE TO MAKE! THIS IS JUST ANOTHER PROBLEM ISN'T IT? SOMETHING ELSE I'VE GOTTEN MYSELF INTO YOU HAVE TO FIX? 'KLARA WANTS TO GO TO BOARDING SCHOOL BETTER FIX TAT AND MAKE HER STAY HERE!' 'OH NO LOOKS LIKE SHE'S NOT HAPPY AND DOESN'T HAVE ANY FRIENDS BETTER MAKE HER STAY!' 'LOOK AT THAT KLARA MAKE A MISTAKE AND GOT HERSELF KIDNAPPED'. I FEEL LIKE THATS YOUR THOUGHT PROCESS. 'KLARA IS HOLDING LIGHTNING IN HER HANDS I GUESS I BETTER FIX THIS!' IS THAT HOW YOUR BRAIN WORKS?" she screamed. Natasha was about to say something but she didn't get the chance as every light bulb in the room burst.