Three hours later; the quin-jet landed in a large green field with grass growing as high up to a person's hips. As soon as the large exit door opened from the plan, the strong whiff of nature hit everyone's noses. It looked so pure, almost calming – over the small hill stood a large farmhouse with a barn several feet away.
It looked like one of those farms every farmer dreamed of owning.
In almost single file; everyone steadily walked towards the two-story house. Clint was taking the lead with Natasha; helping her walk as her coordination was still a little off after the vision she was pulled into. Bucky was doing the same with Percy, but she made sure to carry most of her own weight as she didn't want to be a burden. She knew James would detest to that, so she kept quiet not really wanting to speak anyway – letting him wrap his arm around her waist securely before helping. She hadn't said a word for a while now; the boys were beginning to worry.
The Avengers' were tired and where they were, it was early morning now. They had travelled all night with no sleep – they were too awakened by what had previously happened. Black bags were evident under many of their eyes; Thor was probably the only one who didn't feel as tired as the others, as an Asgardian like him didn't require as much sleep as a regular human. It was one of the advantages of being who he was.
As they came closer to the house; they took note that it was old, but many renovations had been done to make sure it kept standing. New paintwork on the outside looked to be nearly a year old, but it looked as bold as when it was first completed. A rusty pickup truck was parked in the detached garage and no tire marks on the dusty ground told them it hadn't been used in a while. The area was surrounded by trees and grassland; they wouldn't be surprised if the only grocery stores were miles upon miles away. The lot was very secluded; a great place for a 'safe house' as Clint refers it to.
Thor was the first to state his confusion when they stepped up onto the front porch. Clint was about to make his way inside with Natasha leaning against him. "What is this place?" He wondered out loud.
Tony shrugged, "A safe house." He quoted Clint's words.
Clint looked a little hesitant, "Let's hope." He murmured to himself but knew everyone else could hear him too. He opened the front door and the strong scent of chocolate brownies caught everyone's senses. Everyone followed him in; not really sure what to think. This place – it looked more like a ... home than just a safe house.
Clint walked in a little further, peering in towards the kitchen. "Honey?" He called, knowing where and who that smell was being made by. "I'm home."
The living room, kitchen and dining room were compacted into one – the area was wall-less meaning everything was open planned. Suddenly, everyone turned towards the kitchen when a female, in her mid to late 30's appeared in the kitchen. Apart from Clint and Natasha; the other's blinked when they saw her. 'Honey?' They wondered silently. Remembering what Clint had said.
Suddenly, a woman just a bit shorter than Clint walked into the room holding a packet of coloring pens and craft paper. She had long brunette hair that reached just above her breasts, and under her shirt was almost a basketball-sized belly. She was pregnant; at about 5-6 months by the looks of it. At the first sight of seeing Clint standing there, surrounded by the other Avengers' – she was shocked, you could tell just by looking at her. But there was a sense of relief surrounding her aura, she was happy to see him okay and safe. Especially with everything that's being said on the television right now.
Clint gave her a sheepish smile, glancing at everyone standing around him. "We have company." He gestured behind him, taking a step towards her a little. "Sorry, I didn't call ahead."
She didn't care; a full blooming smile appeared on her lips as she stepped towards him, kissing him soundly on the lips. She wrapped him in a large hug, as well as she could with a largely occupied womb under her shirt.
Tony blinked, his brain not able to comprehend what was happening in front of him. And he was a genius. Wasn't Clint supposed to be the lonely one of the team? The one with no girlfriend or love life ... other than Steve? "This is an Agent of some kind." He theorized wrongly.
Clint reluctantly relinquished himself from his wife's hug, turning towards his confused teammates (apart from Natasha). "Gentlemen," He glanced over to Percy who looked as equally puzzled. But he didn't notice that she was staring the woman beside him; or more particularly, her stomach. "Lady. This is Laura." He introduced his other half.
Laura looked a little flustered, waving shyly to everyone. "I know all your names." She said with a light chuckle. She's been wanting to meet her husband's teammates for a very long time, so this visit was a great day for her.
Suddenly, a lot of footprints sounded from upstairs, or more particular, the stairs. Clint knew exactly who was coming. "Ooh. Incoming." He murmured to himself, excited. Two young children appeared from the doorway, heading straight for him, both shouting, 'Daddy' or 'Dad' at the sight of him.
Clint grinned, "Hey, sweetheart." His said to his daughter, hauling her up into his arms securely. He brought his son into his side, kissing the top of his head before ruffling the growing hair on his head.
Everyone's reactions were pretty similar. Steve and Bucky were gaping like fish – Tony was having an even harder time coming up with an explanation that would suit his overexerted mind – Thor was just staring, shocked – Bruce looked a little uncomfortable, he loved kids, but they was a dreadful reminder of something he could never have. As for Percy; she swallowed hard especially when she looked at the little girl. Everything started to feel closed in like she couldn't breathe – she couldn't handle this, she needed to get out of here before she snapped.
The little girl looked like the one that reminded her of the past. Her first mission that went south.
Unaware of the turmoil Percy was experiencing; Tony relayed the same theory as before. "These are smaller agents."
The little girl looked up to Clint, "Did you bring Auntie Nat?"
To the side, a large smile lifted on Natasha's face, already feeling better. She caught the little girl's attention quite easily. "Why don't you hug her and find out."
The girl squealed with happiness, jumping out of her father's arms before rushing into Natasha's awaiting arms. Natasha sat Clint's daughter on her hip, bouncing slightly within a hug.
Steve felt the need to say something, to apologize for barging in their home without prior knowledge. "Sorry for barging in on you." He said towards Laura when Clint wrapped his arms around her again, but from behind this time.
Tony also felt the need to say something, words that were between sarcastic but with an indication of hurt. How come they didn't know about this secret life Clint was living? "Yes, we would have called ahead. But, we were too busy having no idea you actually existed."
Clint sent everyone an apologetic look, obviously knowing that they would be hurt when something this big was kept under the rug. But he needed to, to protect his family. He didn't know what he'd do if something happened to Laura or his children because of anything he's done. "Yeah, well, Fury helped set this up when I joined." He explained, being truthful. "He kept it off S.H.I.E.L.D's files and I'd like to keep it that way." He shrugged, "And I figure it's a good place to lay low."
Percy felt herself swallow hard; she felt Bucky move away from her slightly to murmur something into Steve's ear. The two of them were still clearly having trouble with the news that Clint actually had a secret family. And not just a secret girlfriend; but a whole wife and kids wad been hidden away. It wasn't until she felt a small tap on her right human arm that made her body tense; she looked down and saw the young boy, Clint's son. He looked up at her with awe in his eyes, his eyes constantly going to her metal arm with wonder.
"You have a metal arm." He said, a childish grin on his lips. "That is so cool. I'm Cooper." But Percy didn't even smile in greeting, her mind turning a mile a minute once again. When she looked down at the boy; all she could see were the children she killed; the ones she maimed and tortured. Her heart clenched in agony so hard that her breathing began to heave, not even realizing that the others could actually hear her either.
Children ... the one hurdle she didn't want to jump just yet...
Cooper was tilting his head with confusion, but also concern when he noticed the older woman start to act weirdly.
Bucky just moved to touch Percy's back and immediately at the feeling, she flinched away. She noticed the hurt appeal in his orbs but she just couldn't concentrate, it felt like she wasn't really in her body anymore. She couldn't figure out what was happening or going on; she felt the fear for everyone and herself the longer she stayed in this atmosphere.
It was then she noticed all the worried looks; even some measures of pity she was really despising at this moment, and every time she saw it. "I'm sorry." She swallowed once more, her eyes darted around the room to everyone standing there. She probably looked like a complete freak but she didn't seem to care. "I-I can't." She shook her head frantically, trying to keep her mind less muddled while trying to find the right words to use. "I can't be here - it's not safe with me here." And with that, she backed out of the room in a hurried pace and went right outside the door, bumping into one of the corner tables as she went.
She just needed to get out of here; she needed space. Somewhere peaceful that she could connect to nature; someplace like Central Park would've been good. But even she knew that being around children right now was a big no, and she wouldn't even be able to get there anyway at this point in time. They were clearly very far away from the park.
Persephone was glad to hear that no one was rushing after her. She needed time to process everything that's happened today; and even everything that's happened before that.
Right now it just felt like layers upon layers of shit was ganging up on her – and she deserves it, she knew that. But it was beginning to become a lot to handle.