Not as shocked as I should be
The cold and pain slowly dissolved, Ava opened her eyes to the ceiling of the Quinjet. She let out a shaky breath, trying to dispel the images still rolling through her mind. She thought her nightmares were bad, they were so much blurrier, with only the large details coming in. In the vision everything was crystal clear. Details that Ava hadn’t realized made it so much worse. Like the all encompassing silence of the morgue, her breaths reverberating off the metal making the small space seem like it was closing in on her. Or how the staples in her chest were slowly being pushed out of her skin as it regenerated, frost forming on the newly revealed metal as it came in contact with the frigid air.
“Hey kid, you back with us?”
Ava was pulled out of her spiraling thoughts by Tony who was kneeling in front of her.
“I,” she thought back to what happened just before she was lost to her vision, “Bruce! Is Bruce okay?”
Tony gave her a tiny dismal smile, “Physically he’s fine, but he’s not going to forgive himself for a long time.” He looked over to the doctor curled up against the seats on the floor wrapped in a blanket.
Ava glanced from him to the others, Clint was flying the jet, Thor, Steve, and Natasha all sat lost in their own thoughts. Probably still somewhat lost in what Wanda showed them, Ava certainly was having trouble shaking the phantom pains of injuries long since healed.
“Where’re we going?”
Tony patted her shoulder and stood to take his own seat to get some rest, “Safe house.”
Ava stayed to the back of the group only Bruce behind her, as the team walked through a grassy field towards a two story farm house. It was off white with green shutters on the windows, and a wrap around porch facing them. The warm breeze that swept through the field and trees that surrounded the house was incredibly calming. With everything that just transpired, the serenity and seclusion of the landscape helped everyone calm down. As they climbed the steps to the porch Thor asked what all this was.
“Safe house?” Tony glanced around the porch, it was well lived in for a safe house.
Clint opened the front door, “Let’s hope.” After a few steps in Clint called out, “Honey, I’m home.”
A very pregnant woman stepped into view from the kitchen, she looked surprised to see so many people in her living room, but as she took them all in she smiled warmly.
“I have company, sorry I didn’t call ahead,” Clint and the woman kissed and hugged.
“This is some kind of Agent,” Tony quickly tried to reason out what he was seeing, looking to Thor who glanced back disbelieving his deduction. Still Clint had never mentioned a wife, let alone a pregnant one.
“Everyone, this is Laura,” Clint keep his arm around her waist as she gave the group a small wave.
She smiled bashfully, “I know all your names.” She laughed a little to try and disperse some of the tension. Ava was reminded of her own mother, with her warm smile and always trying to make everyone comfortable.
Everyone stayed still but Tony and Ava who gave her a small wave in return. The team’s attention was drawn to the sound of two pairs of feet running down the flight of stairs, a girl and a boy rounded the corner. Clint was ready to pick the little girl up and bring the boy to his side.
“Hey sweetheart, hey buddy!” He kissed their heads.
As he raved over his kids Tony pointed at them, still in disbelief, “Those are smaller agents.”
The little girl, now on her own two feel again asked, “Did you bring Auntie Nat?”
Natasha instantly changed her demeanor from her haunted look to a lighthearted one, “Why don’t you hug her and find out?” She picked up the mini Barton hugging her tightly. Ava was glad Nat had let her heal her bruised ribs before they landed or else that would’ve seriously hurt.
Steve spoke up in the ruckus, “Sorry for barging in on you-,”
Tony cut him off sounding irked, “Yeah, we would’ve called ahead but we were busy having no idea you existed.”
Clint smiled apologetically, “Yeah, well Fury helped me set this up when I joined. Kept it off Shield’s files, like to keep it that way. Figured it was a good place to lay low.”
Everyone broke into small groups with their own conversations. Clint, his family, and Nat in one. Tony and Bruce in another and Thor, Steve, and Ava remained where they had been standing, silently taking everything in.
After a moment Thor broke off, stepping out of the house with Steve hot on his heels. Laura quickly sensed the tension and offered anyone showers, Bruce gladly took the chance. Clint called over his shoulder as he and Laura made their way upstairs that Tony and Steve could chop some fire wood to entertain themselves, and left them to their own devices.
Natasha made her way upstairs as well to get a shower in after Bruce, Ava followed Tony outside and sat on the porch steps as Tony met Steve at a pile of logs, who’d changed out of his suit.
Ava quickly got lost in the soft breeze and rhythmic sound of the two swinging their axes. She wasn’t pulled out of her trance until the man who was the reason she had been pulled into this mess stood on the steps beside her.
“Good to see you Ms. Caine, and under slightly better circumstances.” Nick glanced down to her.
Ava smiled, shaking off the shock that the sun had mostly disappeared behind the horizon, “I wouldn’t say it’s much better.”
Nick snorted out a chuckle before growing stoic, “I wanted to apologize for dragging you into this. You could’ve been spared a lot of suffering.”
Ava laughed dryly, “You wouldn’t be here breathing on your own without me.” She stood giving Fury a small smile, “My powers were going to get me wrapped in something sooner or later. I’m just glad I can help the good guys.”
He nodded with his lips turned up in an almost smile and gestured for her to head into the house first to join the rest to discuss their next move.