The quinjet was silent as Clint operated the aircraft from the driver's seat. Bruce was on the floor, his arms wrapped around his torso and sweat glistening on his skin. The news plastered his attack on the African city on every channel, and he couldn't stand to look at the devastation he caused. VERONICA was able to contain The Hulk's rage by dropping him into a construction building, but the damage had already been done. Bruce refused to talk to anyone, but it wasn't an issue, as the team weren't particularly talkative at the given time.

Ultron had almost affected every member of the team. Clint was lucky enough to avoid Wanda and was successful in planting his electric-charged arrow into the witch's head. But Natasha was shown her childhood as a Black Widow and was reminded of the fact that she was sterilised as a young teenager. Thor was shown his home on Asgard and his friend, Heimdall, said that the demi-god would lead their people to Hel. Steve relived a false memory of Peggy Carter, the woman he loved before he came out of the ice. This was also teamed with the shame of knocking Sue unconscious. Johnny had escaped Wanda's wicked grasp but was affected by the act of having to battle Sue in her possessed state. The two were yet to give details to the rest of the team, but none of them were in the mental state to ask.

Sue laid on the bench that protruded from the right side of the hanger. Steve took the responsibility of carrying her into the quinjet to make up for landing the final blow. He hung his head as he carried Sue past Tony, who waited at the ramp as Clint lowered the aircraft into the street. Johnny followed behind Steve and met eyes with the Stark, who fashioned a large cut under his eye from the destructive battle of Bruce Banner. Tony's fingers squeezed the bar that kept him steady in the hanger, his knuckles whitening at the sight of Sue in Steve's arms. Her arm swung limply as she was brought up the ramp and a large bruise was already forming on her cheek. The cut on her temple had dried to a  large streak of maroon, and her red suit was scuffed and damaged.

'Were you trying to kill her?' Tony glared at Steve as he laid the woman down on the bench in the hanger. He ignored the Stark and gently edged his hand out from under her head, walking away with a fleeting look of guilt.

'Next time, you can beat up my sister, Iron Man,' Johnny pushed his shoulder into Tony as he passed. The Storm dropped to the floor and leaned his elbows on his propped-up knees. He didn't want to look at anyone and pierced his gaze through the helpless floor of the quinjet. Tony held back a retort at the sound of Johnny's stiff and mumbled tone. 

Clint flew the beaten and broken Avengers out of the city. Eveyone was tired and defeated. Ultron had broken the most powerful team on Earth and he barely even touched them. With Wanda and Pietro by his side, Ultron made The Avengers a puddle of traumatic pasts and disconnected friendships. He tied them up in the strings that once held him, and while he roamed free, they tied themselves in knots.

'Until we can find Ultron, I don't have a lot else to offer,' Maria said through the monitor, the Stark tower empty behind her.

'Neither do we,' Tony swiped at the screen and ended the call. He sighed and ran a hand down his face before he looked in Clint's direction.

'Hey, you wanna switch out?'

'No, I'm good,' Clint looked over his shoulder from the driver's seat. 'If you wanna get some kip, now's a good time, cause we're still a few hours out.'

'A few hours from where?'

'A safe house.'

Tony didn't question the Barton. Instead, he walked away from the monitor and stopped beside Sue. Her head fell to the side and exposed the full ferocity of the cut beside her brow. Her lips were parted, and her eyelashes graced over her dirt-ridden cheeks. She looked peaceful in her sleep and Tony hoped it was dreamless. 

He pushed a strand of hair out of Sue's eye, taking in every detail of her face. While he battled Bruce, the uncertainty of Sue's condition ate him alive. In his VERONICA encased suit, Tony wished that he was there to help Steve and Johnny. But he wasn't sure if he could hold his repulsor up at the woman he loved. The light from his armoured hand that would shine on her face would break him inside and Tony realised why Johnny was eerily quiet. Seeing his sister posessed was one thing, fighting her was another.

Hours later, Clint landed the quinjet. The team walk down the extended ramp and were met with a house that sat on a large plot of land. Fields and forests stretched for miles, encircling the farmhouse with peace and serenity. Far from roads, cities, and chaos, the house was secluded and the perfect safe house for the team of superheros.

'What is this place?' Thor questioned, looking high up at the hills of fields.

'A safe house?' Tony tried. He carried Sue bride-style down the ramp and glanced down as she stirred. She wouldn't be far from waking up, and Tony prayed that Clint was confident in his chosen location.

'Let's hope,' Clint mumbled as he led them up the porch steps and into the house. 'Honey, I'm home!'

The team gathered into the quaint living room that was attached to a large kitchen. They looked out of their element with their brightly coloured suits and powerful weapons. The farmhouse was made from old-fashioned wood and nails, grounding the team to the roots of what was once the standard of infrastructure. Johnny didn't want to touch anything in fear of setting it alite, so he kept close to Natasha who smiled as a heavily pregnant woman walked out from the kitchen.

'Hi,' Clint walked over and planted a kiss on the woman's lips. 'Company. Sorry I didn't call ahead.'

'Hey...' the woman smiled, looking to the large group that stood confused in her living room.

'This is an agent of some kind,' Johnny pinched his eyebrows together at the sight of the curly-haired brunette.

'Gentlemen, this is Laura,' Clint introduced.

'I know all your names,' Laura said sheepishly, and the team noticed Clint's arm around her shoulders. They realised that Laura was Clint Barton's pregnant wife. They looked between each other, questioning if any of them knew that the man was married.

Children pounded down the stairs at the sound of the front door and piled into the room. A young boy and a young girl ran to their father, who crouched to embrace them with a grin on his face. Clint pressed kisses into their foreheads and Laura stood beside them, her hands on her leaning back to support her unborn baby's weight.

'These are... smaller agents?' Johnny mumbled, Tony rolling his head to look at him with narrowed eyes.

'Sorry for barging in on you, ma'am,' Steve decided to say to Laura, who looked up at the man.

'Yeah, we would have called ahead, but we were busy having no idea that you existed,' Tony shrugged. Laura went to wave off his comment with a laugh but saw the unconscious blonde woman in his arms. She knew that she was Susan Storm, and her figure that hung low in Tony's grasp worried her.

'Does she need somewhere to lie down?' Laura pointed and Tony was relieved that he didn't have to ask.

'That would be very helpful, yes, please.'

While Laura showed Tony to the stairs, Clint explained that Nick Fury kept his growing family a secret. The house in the fields was left off the files and Laura and her children, Lila and Cooper, were known by no one. No corporation, scientist or alien could bring harm to them, and Clint wanted to keep it that way.

Laura hobbled up the stairs and Tony followed, unsure on whether to find his own way. The woman was obviously in her last trimester, and climbing stairs was a difficult task. But he saw the way her large stomach edged past the barrister of the staircase, and how a small sigh left her lips in relief. Laura was independent and would know if she was pushing herself too hard. It was her house, afterall. Tony was only an uninvited guest.

 Tony did a small jump to hoist Sue back up into his arms. The battle with Bruce had tired him and Sue's weight, although light, was draining him further. He trailed behind Laura as she turned to the second door on her right, the brass doorknob turning with a creak.

'I hope this okay,' Laura said as she opened the door to a bedroom. She stood aside to allow Tony to walk in. The man tried not to appear eager to lower Sue onto the bed, the beige duvet dipping from her added weight. He was relieved from the ache in his joints and he sighed loudly, leaning one hand against the side table.

'Nice place, you have,' Tony gestured out the window. The forest outside was plush, its green flourishing from the heavy rainfall in the secluded part of the country. The bedroom held a wardrobe in the corner and a nightstand beside the bed. Its walls were painted with a light wash of blue, the wood underneath peaking through to match the bronze in the bedsheets.

'Thank you,' Laura hummed, her hands clasped together on top of her stomach. 'Clint built it all himself.'

'What a guy,' Tony turned to her and sent her a half-lipped smile, his eyes settling on her large belly. 'When's junior arriving?'

'Hopefully in the next month. Don't tell Nat, but Natasha is now going to be Nathaniel.'

Tony let out a small laugh before looking down to Sue. She sunk into the pillow that sat under her head and he thought about the idea of starting a family like Clint's. The beautiful, warm house in the middle of nowhere was something surprisingly appealing to Tony. His homes were always filled with the latest tech and the modern trends that favourited greys and whites, but the soft browns and rustic furniture was a fresh change. It made him feel like he was away from the technical world of fighting aliens and chasing bad guys. Like he wasn't Iron Man, but was Tony Stark, husband to Susan Storm, father to children, retired from herowork. It was a dream that Tony didn't know he had.

'I'll call you down when dinner's ready. I'll lay out some of my clothes for Susan- I mean, Miss Storm. C-Can I call her Susan?' Laura looked panicked and Tony waved her off.

'Thank you, Laura.'