Too Little Too Late

Laura Barton

At first, she wondered if she should contact Clint again. Especially when alone at night, the kids already asleep. She wasn't feeling lonely. Clint had been away often enough during their married time for her not to feel the loss. Whether she was feeling something for him or not anymore, he had the right to know about his children. That would have been the right thing to do. Even criminals were allowed to see their children. Then again, Clint left them behind like that. Just a quick message scribbled on some piece of paper that was lying there on the kitchen table. That actually was written on the back of their electricity bill. A bill she still had to pay at that time. There was the summary of their relationship. It a was sad confusion to make. Clint never really cared about the daily routine, always preferring the excitation of the outside world. She had been a Shield agent before. She understood better than most. The farm didn't run itself though. Some help from him would have been welcomed.

Somewhere along the line she had wanted normality. They had children now. They couldn't carry on with the dangerous life like before. She had that now. No thanks to Clint though. She actually owed her life and more importantly her children's lives to Tony Stark. That had been a surprise to say the least. The billionaire was just back from Europe when he materialised on her front porch. Laura slapped him with all her might. He looked tired, bruised and sad but he didn't comment. Her voice stayed even when she told him that everything was his fault. The children were watching television behind her, she didn't want her screaming scaring them. Tony didn't deny any of it. He just looked resigned at that point. They didn't know each other that well. Clint had brought them some time ago to hide during the Ultron debacle. They didn't talk that much. The tensions had been too high. They were all fighters deep down. The Tony in front of her was anything but the guy she remembered. He told her she was in danger and that they needed to leave.

Thinking about it now, she had seen something broken in him. Her own husband had helped hurting him and still he was there for Clint's family. It was almost surprising that he came to save then anyway. He owed them nothing. Clint should had warned her. They had put plans in place for circumstances just like that. Now that she knew more about the whole situation, she was a bit ashamed of herself. She wasn't impulsive like Clint but she didn't think straight at that moment. Laura was already worried. The Bartons had watched TV like everybody else. The civil war was all over the news. Still, Tony had provided them for everything. New life, new identities, new home, new everything. He didn't ask for anything in return. All her thank you were hollow and met with a sad smile. He didn't stay more than necessary. They were living in Montana now. Lila loved the snow. Cooper felt a lot safer. They were going to school nearby and were making new friends. Nathanael was going to preschool so she could work in a small library. The children were growing up so fast. They never asked about their father.

Should she bring back Clint now? She was torn. Lila, Cooper didn't want to see their father now but they might regret it later. They deserved some answers but Laura was scared that her husband wouldn't have good ones to tell. It could get worse. When the videos hit the internet, she felt embarrassed at first. Angry after. THAT was the famous Avengers? Clint left them behind for that. Laura wanted to scream at her husband. How could have he been so blind? What was with Captain America that made everybody follow him like that? She wanted to contact Tony and apologise profusely. Real thank you and real feelings behind the words. For her attitude when she didn't know what was going on. For Clint's more than stupid behaviour. Even for the entire world that was too hasty to judge him when they has never even met him. They didn't deserve such a gentle soul. She had no phone number or anything to contact the billionaire again. It felt like Stark never existed now that everything of him has been sold. If he had decided to let the world deal with the mess, she couldn't really blame him. The Bartons were possibly the last people that had seen him alive. Was he still... alive? She didn't know. Nobody did.