By the time February had approached, the three had moved into the farm house on the outskirts of the New York State. Annie had spent the entirety of her last pay check on the new windows the house so desperately needed. Clint had done the flooring in the downstairs rooms and Natasha had been working on getting some of the main decoration done. The house still had a long way to go until it looked like how any of them imagined. But it was on the right path. 

The day of Annie's annual review was rapidly approaching. She had yet to change her mind regarding working for SHIELD. She didn't want to work there any longer. The only problem was that she had hinted to her two partners that she was planning to leave. She had just never said those exact words to them. Annie wasn't convinced that they were aware that this was what she was intending to do. After all, a lot of the last few weeks had been spent with different people out of the house all the time. 

Annie had worked out that SHIELD were also aware of her reluctancy to continue working for them. They hadn't sent her on any missions, recon or not, for the last couple months. Since the battle of New York, Annie had been kept on desk duty. Each morning she would travel in, be sat at a desk and asked to read potential recruits profiles. That was it. She was completely fed up of the company. It was almost as if they were suddenly reminded of what they could do and out of fear and panic banned her from doing anything other than desk work. 

Therefore, the night before her review Annie decided it was probably best that she at least tell her partners that she didn't intend to be a SHIELD agent when she walked through those doors tomorrow evening. She had already been offered a position on the staff of the Institute so she didn't have to worry about money or being able to pull her part in the household finances. She would work during the school hours and then be home in the evening, she was only going to be a danger room instructor for the time being and therefore, wasn't required to stay within the school walls during term time. If she was able to focus and get her teaching qualification in another couple years then she would be offered a different position. If she was a teacher she'd have to stay during term times but that would be something for later on. 

She was once again cooking dinner for the three of them, considering Clint could just about manage breakfast and Natasha was great with microwavable meals only, the radio blaring as she worked away. When the tell tale footsteps of someone approaching from the direction of the front door tried to interrupt her groove. Annie intended to ignore them, knowing it was full well someone coming home from work a couple hours after desk duty kicked out. But they were lingering in her kitchen. Not what she wanted at all. 

"What's cooking good looking." Clint greeted the second he decided he had hovered for long enough.

"Nothing if you don't get in the shower, I can smell your stink from over here." Annie had turned around to look at him waving the wooden spoon in her hand. 

"That's not fair, maybe I don't want to shower tonight." Clint huffed.

"Guess you don't want to eat then." 

"I can cook for myself."

"Pancakes, Clint you can make pancakes." Annie watched as he suddenly headed in the direction of the stairs and up to the bathroom. One home, one more to come. 

Annie was nearly finished with dinner and there was still no sign of Natasha. This didn't worry her, she could always plate up Natasha meal and leave it on the side so she could eat when she got in. It just sucked every time that they could do a nice little dinner, someone couldn't be there. But that's what you get when you're dating the two best super spies in the world. It didn't mean it didn't hurt less. All Annie wanted some times was a sibilance of normality in their relationship. Little moments like this that were so ordinary that people took them for granted when they spent every night eating with their partner. Yet Annie was lucky to get this moment with one partner yet alone both. 

And as Annie was plating up thinking that she would have to save one for later the sound of the front door opening again caught her attention. She turned instantly to see a head of red hair stood by the front door. Annie rushed over to greet Natasha by the door, more than happy that she had too made it home in time. The occurrence had become so rare that Annie wasn't sure whether she would explode or not from the overwhelming feeling of joy that was taking over her entire body. The second she was in front of Natasha she had brought the older woman into her arms. 

"Welcome home beautiful. How was work? You'll have to tell us all about it. I've made dinner you're just in time take a seat at the table and I'll bring it to you." Annie wasted no time in letting Natasha really do anything as she took the woman's hand and dragged her over to the dining table, in the kitchen she had focused really hard on making look decent whilst they saved up to replace it. 

Annie went to finish plating up the food she had made hearing a pair of footsteps come down the stairs as Clint rejoined the group. She could tell from the moment she turned around with two plates in her hand that he had showered and changed into more comfortable clothing. She sent him the biggest smile she had possibly ever produced as she put a plate down in front of them both. She went to get her own plate allowing the pair to greet each other for the first time since the morning. 

"Annie, why does Nat not have to shower and change before dinner. I thought you didn't have favourites." Clint whined at her the instant Annie was also sat at the table. 

"It's because I'm the prettier one Barton." Natasha was settled alright, considering she was already taunting Clint. 

"You said I was the prettiest one." Clint had turned his focus back to Natasha for a moment as he protested her words. Annie and Natasha shared a look, this was a normal occurrence for the man child they were dating but neither of them would change a thing. Or so they thought. 

"Oh Clint you are very pretty." Annie went to boost his confidence. For a while at least. "But Nat is stunning and even after a long day at work looks like she never lifted a finger. You smell like a high school locker room when you get in." She finished her comment listening for the sound of protest she knew Clint was about to make. 

The evening soon progressed to the point when they were sat together watching a film. Cars 3 by Clint's insistence. Annie was currently sat leaning into Natasha as the older woman played with her hair, Annie went to hold Natasha's free hand. 

"Your yearly review is in the morning right?" Natasha asked her and Annie realised it was time to share with them about her wish to leave SHIELD. 

"Yeah its with both Hill and Fury this year as my official contract is over." Annie agreed her words finally tearing Clint's attention away from the TV.

"Are you renewing?" Clint asked this time his attention was no longer focused on the TV and it probably wouldn't go back following what he was about to be told. 

"I've been thinking. And well... SHIELD doesn't value me. Not really, I've been on desk duty since New York. And people they make these comments, comments about me being a freak amongst other things. I don't want to be in that work environment anymore. New York was great in one way but I wish it hadn't happened, then things would have remained the same." Annie wasn't sure her words were landing at this point considering she was rambling on a little bit.

"Annie take a second yeah, we're not going to be mad." Clint had moved from his position on the arm chair to beside Annie on the sofa squashing the mutant between the two super spys. He took her free hand to lace their fingers together so she held onto one of each of their hands. 

"I'm going to not sign another contract. The professor has offered me a position at the school. It's week days only and I don't have to stay overnight. I can go to college and get a teaching degree and then he said I could teach at the school." Annie didn't know why she felt so nervous in that moment in time. She had already made her mind up and had no intent of changing it. 

"But how will you get there every day, it's even further than the drive to the nearest SHIELD base." Natasha was onto the logical questions as she tightened the hold she had on Annie's hand. 

"I'm going to drive for a little while but whilst I'm there and neither me or the professor have students we're going to work on the teleportation thing. Remember in New York when I suddenly appeared next to you?" Annie felt as though she had an answer to every question they could throw at her.

"You want to go to college?" Clint seemed to be caught up on that aspect. After all Annie was nearly 26 and in the time they've been together she had never mentioned wanting to go to college. Not that he could recall. 

"My mom always wanted me to go. I had a couple offers before SHIELD but I thought that it was more important. And then the longer I stayed the more I kinda just moved past that idea. I forgot how much I wanted to go until I was reminded by the Professor." Annie shrugged as she spoke. 

"Plus it would be pretty cool that one of us has a degree. The teacher and her two super spies." Annie hoped that joking would help ease the situation. She hadn't mean to not tell them about her original plans to go to College it just never came up. She never really thought about it after joining SHIELD it had been something asked of her to do by the Professor and considering how much he had helped her when her parents both passed away, she wouldn't have said no to him. He had an ulterior motive definitely by sending her there and Annie was convinced it was to help her cope with her parents passing, giving her something else to focus on. 

"I can't wait to one day marry someone with a degree." Clint spoke his next words and Annie heard the sharp intake of air Natasha took on her other side. Annie knew what her and Clint saw for this relationship but she wasn't sure for Natasha. The other woman couldn't mutter the words 'I love you' or text them so she was sure Natasha had never thought that far forwards. 

"Someday Clinton."