Rumors and Ghosts

vi. meeting an agent and smaller "agents"

QUINJET

"The news is loving you guys," Hill said. "Nobody else is. There's been no official call for Banner's arrest, but it's in the air."

"Stark Relief Foundation?" Tony asked.

"Already on the scene. How's the team?"

"Everyone's... we took a hit. We'll shake it off."

"Well for now I'd stay in stealth mode, and stay away from here."

"So, run and hide?"

"Until we can find Ultron, I don't have a lot else to offer."

"Neither do we." He ended the call and switched off the monitor before saying to Clint who was flying the Quinjet, "Hey, you wanna switch out?"

"No, I'm good," Clint replied. "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."

---

The Quinjet landed outside a large farmhouse and the group walked towards the house.

"What is this place?" Thor asked.

"A safe house?" Tony questioned.

"Let's hope," Clint replied as they entered the house. "Honey, I'm home." His heavily pregnant wife, Laura, walked in front the kitchen. "Hi. Company. Sorry I didn't call ahead."

"Hey," Laura greeted.

Tony said to Thor as Laura kissed Clint, "This is an agent of some kind."

Clint introduced his wife to the team. "Gentlemen, Anastasia, this is Laura."

"I know all your names," Laura told them.

The group looked at her awkwardly. Anastasia smiled lightly at them before hearing the scuffling feet of children. She'd always dreamt of having a child with the man she adored.

"Ooh, incoming," Clint said as his children, Cooper and Lila ran in.

"Dad!" Lila cried, getting picked up by her father.

"Hi, sweetheart." He kissed the top of his son's head. "Hey, buddy! How you guys doing? Ooh..."

Tony said to the others as they watched with surprise, "These are... smaller agents."

"Look at your face! Oh, my goodness!"

"Did you bring Auntie Nat?" Lila asked.

"Why don't you hug her and find out?" Natasha replied.

Lila rushed towards Natasha, who picked her up in her arms.

"Sorry for barging in on you," Steve apologized.

"Yeah, we would have called ahead, but we were busy having no idea that you existed," Tony added.

"Yeah, well Fury helped me set this up when I joined," Clint explained. "He kept it off S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files, I'd like to keep it that way. I figure it's a good place to lay low."

"Honey," Lila called. "Ah, I missed you."

Natasha touched Laura's stomach and asked, "How's little Natasha, huh?"

"She's... Nathaniel."

Natasha bent towards Laura's stomach. "Traitor."

The hallucinations brought on by Wanda continued to creep up in Thor's mind and he walked out of the house.