Chapter 3

"Darcy, surrender the IPod!"

"No! My baby! Nooo!" Darcy wails dramatically.

I roll my eyes and tug again. Darcy and I were currently engaged in a fierce battle for her IPod, which was traceable and sort of defeated the purpose of hiding.

I glance at Jane for help, and she nods as she pokes Darcy between the shoulder blades, causing Darcy to let go and me to go flying into the back of Steve's seat. I eventually uncurl myself and hand the IPod to my dad in the passenger seat, who takes it and puts it in a lead lined bag with all the other electronics.

I wiggle back into my seat. I had quickly found out that minivans were not made for ten people, two of which were bigger than your average bodybuilder. Currently, Steve was driving, my dad was in the passenger seat, I was in the middle row behind Steve, Jane was behind my dad, and Darcy was between Jane and I. Luckily for us, the van's back row curved to make a u-shaped bench, fitting the remainder of the team. Clint was directly behind Jane, Thor was near the center, and Bruce was directly behind me with Betty in between Bruce and Thor, asleep on Bruce's shoulder. Natasha was curled at Clint's feet against the seat, a duffel bag being used as a pillow.

"Here, guys." my dad grabs a few boxes from underneath his seat. "Burn phones."

I take a box and pass the rest to the back, opening the cardboard to be greeted with a dinosaur of a phone, with a slide out keyboard and everything. I make a noise of vague disgust and look up at my dad, who sends me a sympathetic look but shrugs and holds up his own brick – ahem, phone.

I sigh as Thor's voice booms from behind me. "I do not understand your Midgardian terms. Is one supposed to put the beeping device in a fire to activate its magical properties?"

Everybody groans quietly as Jane is the one to speak up in a gentle tone, the likes of which are probably used ninety nine percent of the time on toddlers. "No, Thor, you don't literally burn the phone. It's only called that because nobody can trace it to us and we can get rid of it easily."

A look of dim comprehension spreads over Thor's face and his phone disappears into his shorts pocket.

"Um, guys?"

"Yes, Darcy?" Steve glances in the rear view mirror.

"Where are we going?"

The car falls silent. It looks like nobody had really considered where, exactly we were headed, we all just knew we needed to leave, and quickly.

My dad is the first to offer a solution, however uncertain. "Um, I have houses in-"

"No." Bruce cuts him off. "If there's one thing I learned from my time running from Special Forces, it's never go back to where you've been already. You only have so many houses, Tony, and the one we used last year, before Utah, has been discovered."

My dad looks mildly put out. "Brucey, I have houses everywhere, we could-"

"No, Tony." Natasha speaks up, and I glance back to see her fully awake and alert, sitting cross legged at Betty's feet. "One of the first rules S.H.I.E.L.D. teaches a spy is to never go back to a place that you've been to in the past. Before you say anything, yes I know we split and they currently want our heads, but we – Clint and I – still follow a few guidelines, and they have a valid point here."

My dad sighs and nods resignedly.

"So where do we go?" Steve sighs quietly from the driver's seat.

"Well," Clint's voice is quiet and slightly shaky, "we could go to Naomi and Chester's house."

I shoot my boyfriend a confused glance as Natasha is the only one to reply. "Clint…are you sure?" She lays a hesitant hand on his knee.

"Yes." Clint's answer is short and clipped and final.

I frown because this is one of those things keeps close to the vest that even I am clueless about. Not that I'm upset about that, I just don't like it because those subjects usually involve someone who hurt him in some way.

"Okay then. Steve, at the next rest area, let me drive please."

Steve nods slowly and glances at Clint in the rear view mirror as the team trades confused glances.

Just where, exactly, were we headed?

A~A~A

"Taylor, wake up."

I shrug off the hand gently rubbing my shoulder and burrow my face back into my hoodie.

"Come on, get up, we're here."

I crack open an eye to be met with brown eyes I know very well. "Dad?"

"Yeah, come on."

I stretch and yawn as I hop out of the van, pulling my hoodie over my head just in case.

My dad hands me Beta IV. "Clint has your weapons pack, but I figured you would want to watch this."

I nod and yawn again as I take in our destination. I was looking at a house that was big but not quite mansion sized, surrounded by thick trees, leaves scraping the ground under my sneakers. I fail to see a drive way of any sort, so either there is one but it's well hidden, really long, of there isn't one.

The short walk up to the house ends on a classic front porch, peeling wooden railing included. Clint shifts the bags in his hands and knocks four times, quick and precise, on the wooden door, pausing and knocking two more times before the door swings open.

We all shuffle inside to be met with a modest living room, nothing spectacular. Just a dimly lit room with a few ratty couches and a tiny T.V.

To the left of the living room lies a kitchen/dining room, a half wall separating it from the living room. In between the living room and kitchen, a staircase leads to the second floor, presumably containing a few bedrooms and bathrooms.

"Well, I guess there are worse places to be running from the law." I surmise as I take in the quaint house.

The rest of the team nods as Clint claps his hand to get everyone's attention. "Does anyone mind me assigning rooms?" Everybody shrugs, so Clint takes that as a no and goes ahead. "Taylor, Natasha, and Darcy are in the left front bedroom upstairs. Bruce and Betty are in the back left bedroom. Thor and Jane, back right. I'm getting the front left and Steve and Tony are sharing the one down here. Sound good?"

Everyone nods and goes to put their bags down.

About half an hour later, we're all sitting around the grainy T.V. watching an eighties movie with horrible audio, weapons primed, as a thought crosses my mind.

"Clint, Tasha?"

"Yeah?"

"Do I want to know why this place stood out?"

Clint and Natasha sigh as someone mutes the show and we all turn to the two spies.

Clint glances at Natasha, his expression unreadable, and she nods and begins the story.

"Well, it's sort of a failsafe. Clint and I have never been here before, but it was on a list of safe places in case of emergencies, given to us by…um…"

"By who, Tasha?" Steve gently asks.

"Coulson." Sharp breaths are sucked in all around the room. "He knew we would eventually do something insane enough to warrant a list of safe places, or at least as safe as we can get."

Clint smirks. "He was always thinking ahead. Naomi and Chester are aliases, fake names used to dissolve any connections to Black Widow and Hawkeye."

"And the media." my dad adds, and I nod in agreement.

"Right." Clint nods. "Proves my point. We're currently in an undisclosed location that not even Fury himself knows about, in what is supposedly 'Chester's' grandpa's-uncle's-father's inherited home."

I smile a little and lean over to peck Clint on the cheek. "Well, thank god for Coulson."

Everyone nods.

Darcy yawns. "Can we go to sleep now? You won't…like me when I'm cranky."

We all nod, and I sway on my feet as the adrenaline from the day fades and I realize how tired I am. Natasha helps Darcy and I up the stairs and towards our bedroom.

I'm out before my head hits the pillow, not even bothering to change.

First day as a wanted criminal: success.