After Infinity War

Part 33

CLINT

'We can't stay here.' I say after a moment longer. We sit on the wall of the hotel where we met, Budapest exactly as we knew it fifteen years ago.
'I know.' Laura says, taking my hand and interlocking our fingers, 'it's just scary to think about what'll happen when we go back. There's going to be a fight. People will die. You could die.'
'This is the last time. I promise you. I need to make sure our kids stay home.'
'I understand. I get that you need to fight. But it doesn't make it any easier to walk back to that other world.' She says, gesturing to the distance. 'This is safe, I know this.'
'Lila's quite the sharp shooter.' I say after a while, 'I might have taught her a few things.'
'God, she must be a nightmare. Smart and a good aim. She better not follow in your footsteps.'
'No, of course not, Nat's encouraging her with her ballet dream right now. It came straight after becoming a chef. She seems quite taken with dancing.'
'I can't believe I missed a year.' She says quietly.
'We struggled, but I think we both saw it as temporary. We knew you'd come back. We knew Cooper and Nathaniel would come back.'
'I missed two of her birthdays. She must be ten.' She says.
'She was quite excited to go into double digits. But birthdays weren't really celebrated too much. We just sat and she'd ask me to tell her stories. About you, about Cooper and Nathaniel, about Nat, about work. We'd just talk a lot.'
'Is she...will she be there when we go through?' She asks.
'She'll be there.' I reassure her.
'Okay. Okay let's go.'
'You ready?' I double check with her.
'Yes. I'm ready. I want to see my girl.'
I take her hand and she leads me to the exit. It's quite a simple way to leave this world, the hotel door leading straight to the city. But it doesn't lead to the city, it leads us to a black abyss and then I shoot up from where I was lying and take a gasp of air.
'Clint!' Natasha shouts as she sees me. She runs up to me and kneels down, 'Did it work? Did you find her?'
'Daddy!' Lila asks running from where she stood with Thor to my side.
'Is she here?' I ask, distracted. I hear a commotion behind the sofa and I stand up, looking past the crowd of people I don't know and see my wife sitting on the floor. 'Laura?' I ask.
'Mummy!' Lila shouts running towards her. Lila is sobbing and clutching onto Laura and I fall to my knees beside them. Laura is crying too, stroking Lila's hair and hugging her tight.
'Oh Lila, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I won't leave you I promise. Never again.' She says, rocking Lila in her arms, 'you've gotten so big!' She says, attempting to lighten the situation, 'Daddy was telling me you've gotten good with a bow?'
'It's a slingshot.' Lila says, still crying but smiling too. She wipes her eyes and holds onto Laura.
'Even better.' Laura says. She looks to me and takes my arm. She doesn't say anything and the group surrounding us disperses slightly to give us space. They move over to the other side of the room and discuss things I'm not too interested in.
I notice them start to lift Tony up along with Steve. 'What's going on?' I ask.
'We're moving them to the bunker. We need to prepare to fight. Lila and Laura can go down there with Piper and Peter.'
'Peter?' Laura asks, confused.
'Tony's son.' I say in response.
'Tony has a son?!' She looks over to Pepper who holds Peter in her arms, 'congratulations.' She says, smiling and standing up, Lila still clinging to her.
'We don't have much time.' Shuri says, standing apart from the group, an unlikely leader but a natural one. In the last year and a half she had gotten used to being in charge and did so without question. 'Our backup is landing now, we don't have A force field on our side now so we need to circle round. Even power, no one left to fight alone; the four corners, on North, Thor and Rocket-Peter, Drax, Groot, you take take North East. My brother and I'll take East, with South East help from Bruce and Natasha. South, we'll have Carol, backed up by Wakandan soldiers who'll also take care of the South West and North West as well as supporting any side who needs it. Clint and Wanda will take to West, outside the door so when Tony and Steve wake up they can join ranks. Rhodey will take the skies. And if the offer from Nebula was sincere she can go wherever needs backup.' There is silence for a moment where everyone thinks about her formation, but no one finds flaw in it.
'Alright,' I say looking briefly at my daughter before looking back at Shuri, 'Let's suit up.'