The Traitor, The Avenger, And The Killer

We Are Gathered Here At A Moment's Notice

With everyone home, safe and sound at last, and with SHIELD and a few others batting cleanup on the last few stubborn pockets of Kree, it was apparent Nate and Hope had done what they set out to do — and they had other places to be.

Not that the rest of their family was happy about it. Especially since Annie had honestly been enjoying getting to know this part of Scott's family outside of a passing introduction at their wedding. It was clear to anyone watching her with them that she had firmly adopted them into the fold, and she was sure to tell them as much.

"You'll be coming by again soon, won't you?" she asked, though it wasn't so much a request as it was a declaration of how things were going to be, and there was no way the two time travelers could miss that fact.

Nate opened his mouth to respond, but Hope beat him to the punch. "I'm sure we will," she said quickly, earning a dry look from Nate.

Oh, don't give me that look, she said. You're absolutely wrapped around your step-siblings' fingers, and it's the best thing I've seen in months.

Oh, so we're coming back for your entertainment?

Yes, obviously, she replied in a tone that said he really should have seen it coming. Keep up.

Nate couldn't help but smirk at that before he made sure to return the warm hug that Annie gave him — shortly before he was tackled by both of the twins, one on either leg.

"No go, Nate!" Chance said, trying to climb up him until Nate really had no choice but to reach down and pick him up. And once he had Chance, there was no other option but to pick up Charlie, too, until he had a twin in each arm giving him baby kisses — all while Hope gave him a look that she didn't even have to project her thoughts to get across.

"We'll be back," Nate said.

Really soon, Hope added, projecting it to the twins and getting them to giggle like they always did when she'd get in their heads — which they still thought was the coolest thing in the world.

"Pwomise?" Charlie asked, wide-eyed.

"Yeah," Nate said, nodding seriously as he met her gaze. "You'll see us around plenty."

You're such a softie, Hope projected to him, which earned her another dry look.

It took a bit more cajoling to get the twins to let go again, but when they finally did, Hope suggested to them that they go play with Logan and K, giving Nate the chance to say a quick goodbye to his dad — the two Summers men sharing a quick but warm embrace with very few words spoken outside of a promise that Nate would be back.

"Wouldn't want to disappoint the twins," Nate said with a smirk before he and Hope waved and simply stepped into the usual wash of blue, off to the next crisis in another dimension somewhere.

It was another few days before the last of the Kree had cleared out — and before they figured it was safe to go back to the mansion, at any rate. Even so, Kate was surprised when they arrived on the grounds to find that it looked... shockingly familiar.

None of the rubble had been cleared, so it still looked exactly as it had when the Kree levelled it, and she could have sworn it was the exact same scene from the sim Logan had used ages ago when she asked him to start training her, right down to the brick wall lying in the middle of the yard.

"Watch your step, Chicken Hawk," Logan teased as he walked past her.

"That's not my name," she replied with a glare.

"Figure I better work on somethin'," he told her. "Seeing as everyone is solidly in the camp of keeping Clint as Hawkeye now."

"I don't mind sharing and you know it," Kate pointed out, shaking her head. "Especially because it means he's got his shooting arm all in one piece."