The Next Avengers

Chapter 6: Years Pass

Clint Barton, Ryker, Viggo, and the girls arrived on his farm, far away from New York.

"I thank Nick Fury for keeping my family safe all these years, and this is also where you'll be living for a while!"

Having never been anywhere other than the mountains, Ari asked slightly hesitantly, "How long does a while mean?" Clint smiled warmly at Ari and reassured her, "Don't worry, Ari. 'A while' means as long as it takes for us to ensure your safety and for things to settle down. We want you all to feel at home here."

"Stephen and Wanda will let you go back when they call it safe, but until then, you will be fine here."

She looked around as she was led into the house where Clint's wife, Laura, and his kids are now all grown up. Cooper, Lila, and Nate were waiting.

Laura went over first to meet them. After hugging Clint, she explained to the future Avengers, "Stephen and Wanda told us... What is happening with all those agents? Nobody can get to us out here. The only ones who knew, apart from Fury and Natasha, were the Avengers themselves; no one knows where you are now. Please feel free to stay here as long as you like, and if there is anything you need, let us know."

Laura told the girls this, and the girls nodded quietly before they walked away with the guys to the garden.

"Before you ask, please understand that I had no idea about this. Okay, I never wanted to leave the city, but if this keeps all of us safe from that guy, I'm in. Ha. I can't stand him."

"It's okay, Rubes..." Ari whispered. "I kind of knew this would happen at some point since things at home have been crazy," she continued.

"No kidding," replied Ruby slightly sarcastically. "I didn't ask for this; neither of us asked for it."

After hearing a little and understanding how these kids were feeling, Clint walked outside to talk to them.

"I know... I know... you were shocked... but Stephen asked the Avengers that week Ruby was injured if anyone knew of any safe areas, so I offered to take all of you into hiding for as long as we needed... Wanda and Stephen will be visiting as often as possible to make sure all is well and to keep us updated." Clint reassured the kids, "We'll do everything we can to keep you safe and make sure you're taken care of. We're a team, and we look out for each other."

Ariana's face lit up as she heard that her mother would be visiting to check up on them. "And here we are!" Clint said as he watched the girls hug both Avengers. Clint smiled, relieved to see the girls' excitement and grateful for the support they were receiving. He knew that having Wanda and Stephen's regular visits would bring a sense of comfort and reassurance during their time in hiding.

With Ari's hair pushed back from her face, Wanda explained, "With everything that's going on back in the city, I don't want to lose any more of my family, okay?"

Ari embraced her mother tightly, as she didn't know when they'd meet again. "I'm afraid we don't know when our next meeting will be... but we'll try and meet as often as possible," Dr. Strange explained as he held Ruby close.

"So... it will be ages before we see you again?" Ruby asked shakily after hearing this.

Wanda spoke up in an attempt to calm down Ruby. "I promise we will see you again!"

The next time we see you, Christine wants to come with us. She misses you too, kid," Stephen said with a smile as he held his student closer. He looked at the boys, who were already looking at the girls, already knowing something was happening between them and the girls.

"Watch over them, okay?"

As Ari, Ruby, and the guys went a hue of pink, Wanda pulled a small smile and looked down at Ari. "You thought we didn't know. It's more or less obvious to all of you. You just don't realise it yet."