"Hey." I started awake when I felt a nudge. "We've landed."

"Mm," I grumbled. I stretched my limbs and stood up, looking out from the jet. In the distance was a farmhouse. I cocked my head.

The team meandered out, Clint helping Tasha along. The rest of us were able to move on our own account, though Steve hovered beside me.

"What is this place?" Thor asked.

"A safe house?" said Tony. We were on the porch now.

"Let's hope," Clint murmured. He led the team inside. "Honey, I'm home." From the kitchen, a heavily pregnant woman stepped out. "Hi. Company. Sorry I didn't call ahead."

What in the name of Odin? I was taken aback when Clint kissed the pregnant woman. He's got...he's got a girlfriend? No, wife. There's a ring on her finger. And they're expecting.

Well, I certainly didn't see this coming.

"This is an agent of some kind," Tony said, trying to think that was the reason behind being here.

"Gentleman, ladies, this is Laura," Clint introduced us.

"I know all your names," Laura said bashfully. "Except yours, you're new." She pointed towards Aria.

"New recruit, Aria. Ooh, incoming." I watched in amazement as two little kids, a girl and a boy, ran towards Clint. He picked up the little girl and kissed the boy's head. "Hey, buddy! How you guys doing?"

"These are...smaller agents," said Tony in disbelief.

"Look at your face! Oh, my goodness!"

"Did you bring Auntie Nat?" asked the daughter.

"Why don't you hug her and find out?" said Tasha. It was a relief to hear her talk and embrace the little girl.

"Sorry for barging in on you," Steve apologized to Laura.

"Yeah, we would have called ahead, but we were busy having no idea that you existed," said Tony.

"Yeah, well, Fury helped me set this up when I joined," Clint explained. "He kept it off S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files, I'd like to keep it that way. I figure it's a good place to lay low."

I was completely baffled and astounded. Clint Barton had a family, and a third child on the way. And nobody except Fury—and Natasha—ever knew it. I guess as an Avenger you can have a family.

Tasha introduced me and Aria to the Barton daughter, Lila. She commented on how funny we sounded. We were tempted to show our powers to the little girl, but we held off. Granted, Laura knew of us, but did she know what we did? I didn't want to scare Lila, anyway, with my power. Fire could either scare a child or fascinate them.

After a time, we all dispersed around the Barton farm. We took turns getting a shower and being assigned rooms. Steve and I were paired for a room. Thor had decided to disappear on us, Steve told me he was searching for answers. I wasn't sure what that was all about, and I was too tired to begin to think up questions.

When I ended up in the shower, I yelped. The water was ice cold. It was the quickest I ever took in my life. Steve and I switched out, I got dressed while he showered. I sniggered when I heard him make the same noise that I had earlier.

"Don't like the cold either, huh?" I teased him as he came out in nothing but a towel. Hold those thoughts in, Kiara. You're a guest in someone else's house.

"I prefer the warmth."

"I can say the same. If you don't put clothes on, I'll keep staring."

"You stare no matter what."

I snorted. "Can you blame me? I can take time to appreciate what I've got and who I've got it with." I sat on the bed that we were going to have to share. "I didn't even know she bewitched my head until I saw...I saw Loki."

"I saw Peggy."

I swallowed. Peggy was Steve's first love who he never really had a chance with due to being Captain America. I knew Steve had assured me that I was his love now, but my mind couldn't help but think he still had something for her. "I had helped him destroy New York, Steve. You all...I'm just glad I didn't see your bodies. For a second...I thought it was real, Steve. That he had been back."

"You said it yourself from Thor; he's dead."

"He is." I touched my damp hair. Steve sat beside me, and my heart began to race. Damn it, Steve Rogers, please put some clothes on. "It was...I don't know what it was."

"A headache?"

"Definitely." I looked around the room. "How long are we staying here?"

"As long as we have to. Or as long as Laura puts up with us."

I snorted. "Who would've thought it? Clint Barton, Hawkeye, has a family. It's completely possible."

"Yeah, kind of makes you think, huh?"

"It does." I nodded slowly. "You can have a life outside of work, but you gotta keep it under wraps. I'm not sure I could do it, though. Have a family hidden away while I'm out there risking my life."

"I guess as long as you survive and the world keeps turning, you don't worry about not coming back to them, because you've got high hopes that you will."

"Until one day you don't."

"You couldn't let me have the positivity, Kiara?"

"Considering we let Ultron and the Maximoff twins dismantle us how they did, I'm not quite ready to let in some optimism. They knocked us down pretty good, Steve."

"And we'll bounce right back."

"Hmm." I ran my fingers through his damp hair. "Getting our asses handed to us by children and a machine. The idea for the twins to even side with him..." I shook my head. "If they're easily swayed, then we have a chance to get them on our side. But that's if they'll listen to us. Which, judging by our last encounter, they don't seem like they want to sit down and talk."

"Even if we never get them on our side, we can still beat them. We can still stop Ultron and whatever he plans to do."

"Which we have no idea what that is." I put my chin on his shoulder. It was still a little wet, I could feel the water droplets on his skin. "We're being holed up here on a farm with Clint's secret family."

"Things will work themselves out."

I sighed. "Let's hope they work soon, because I don't like the idea of hiding. I don't like not being out there when the world's fate is at risk."

"Well, for now, you have to deal with that," he told me softly.

"If anyone else but you told me that, I would probably punch them."

"That's because you tolerate me."

"No, it's because I love you. There's a difference, Steve."

"Mm." He kissed me softly. "I love you, too."

It was strange, to see the Avengers so domesticated, all under one roof, give or take. Clint spent most of his time with his children, Tasha did too when she wasn't with Bruce. (I still didn't understand their dynamic.) Aria found herself bonding with Laura, which surprised her as much as it surprised me.

It was a weird sight to see all of us sitting down at one table that was too small to handle such a big crowd. The silence over food was uncomfortable. Us Avengers were suffering right now from a humiliating beat down.

Everyone dispersed after dinner. I went out onto the porch, looking out into the night. Thor, where did you go? What are you trying to find? We're one short without you. Be safe. I could hear chickens clucking in the far distance. It was strange to associate Hawkeye with a farm and a family.

"Thinking about fleeing?"

I smiled ruefully. "And leave the Avengers? No way." I looked out from the corner of my eye to have Tony at my side. "It just doesn't seem possible, does it? All of this?"

"You mean having an actual life? Barton seems to have made it possible."

"He had a lot of help from Fury." I sniffed.

"You ever consider it, Kia?"

"Consider what?" I looked at him.

"This." He gestured to the house and the farm. "Not exactly this, but just a second life. One where you don't venture out in a superhero suit and just be normal."

"My life doesn't really allow that, Tony. I'm fortunate to have Steve as it is. Just like you're fortunate enough to have Pepper, and how Thor is fortunate to have Jane...who I don't think any of us have ever met." I crossed my arms, pulling them tight together.

I noticed I'd hit a nerve mentioning Pepper Potts; I saw the subtle change in Tony's expression. It quickly got wiped away, but not fast enough for me to not notice. "Seems like your childhood friend is holding her own," he said conversationally.

I nodded. "She wanted this, to help, ever since the Sokovia base raid. She's got a lot to learn still, but so far, she seems alright."

"She reminds me of you, firefly."

"Oh?"

"Just her shiny newness to all of this. She wasn't recruited, she threw herself into the mix. Learning to interact with all of us. Her power is wind manipulation, right?"

I nodded again. "Yes, it is."

"If she's hanging around, she's gonna need a name."

"Then you take that up with her." I chuckled. "It's going to be her name after all."

"Mm, good point. But, hey, knowing that this exists," he put a hand on my shoulder, "if you think it's possible, go for it. If you can juggle both, then by all means juggle. Just don't choose one over the other. We all deserve our slice of happiness, and you seem the closest to that besides Barton."

I quirked my mouth into a smile. "Thanks, Tony."

"You gonna turn in? Seems like it's getting later every minute."

"Well, that is what time does."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Come on, Girl on Fire. Inside we go."

"Fine, but you're not giving me a bedtime. I'm grown, I know when I'm tired. You on the other hand—"

"Am also grown and don't need a designated bedtime."

"I was going to say you sometimes revert to a child, but I'll let you have that for tonight."

I turned in early, navigating to my shared room with Steve. He took up a good portion of the bed. I sighed, approaching the least occupied side from his body and shuffled in. He felt the movement and adjusted accordingly.

"This is the most rest we've gotten in a while," he muttered into the pillow.

"Not true. We had a lot more in D.C., in our apartment. Gods, I miss that place. We didn't have to worry about anyone not knocking on our bedroom door. Didn't have to worry about rude awakenings from Tony."

"You wanted to move into the Tower because it wasn't safe in the apartment anymore."

"I guess the Barton farm is the only safe place now that the Tower isn't."

Steve shifted to put his head on my chest. I put my arms around him. "Mm, I'd just listen to your heartbeat all the time if I could."

I chuckled. "You're loopy. Sleep, Steve."

"I'm trying, you're still talking to me."

I rolled my eyes, pulling his face up to give him a kiss goodnight. He sighed deep in his chest, and his body visibly relaxed. Since I didn't sleep as fast as he did, I combed through his hair until sleep took me for the night.

**I don't know, Stiara shippers. Could y'all see our ship having something like Clint has? (I'm not saying they have to own a farm, but could you imagine, though?)**