stormsinafrica | Entries tagged with bingo: edge: 3

"Maggie sweetie, is something bothering you? You've hardly touched your dinner tonight?" Steve Rogers asked, looking at his daughter's face closely.

Jamie and Alexis listened intently as their sister answered.

"Yes, Daddy. My science project is due in three days, and I don't think I will be able to finish it on time!"

Steve didn't ask her how long she has know the project was coming up due but instead he asked her, "Honey, if you worked on it non-stop for the next three nights after right up until you go to bed, would you be able to finish it?"

Maggie thought about it for a second, "Yeah, maybe."

"How about if I help you with whatever it is you need to finish?" he suggested.

"If it is allowed," Sharon said, joining the conversation, "Maggie, sweetie, are either of us allowed to help you?"

"Yes, Mommy, Daddy can help me as long as I do the work of making my project myself," Maggie said with a nod.

"Good. Let's finish up with dinner, and you and I will go see what we can do tonight to help you meet this deadline."

Current Music: 191 words

innitmarvelous_og

Tony had always been a genius when it came to mechanical things, and his creativity with them extended beyond creating things that explode or even his powerful suit of armor. When he had learned he would be a father for the first time, he vowed he would be a loving father, and give his son the best childhood he was capable of giving him. Naturally when Eva was born three and a half years later, his promise extended to her too. With his vow and that desire in mind, he one day decided to create the perfect cyber pet for each of them. He wanted to give them each a pet that could stand the test of time with them, and hopefully one they'd never have to lose to death.

He knew that Ethan, who was now nine years old would be excited at the idea of having his own pet to trained while his little girl Eva at five-and-a-half would love having a furry companion she could snuggle up with at night.

So Tony spent the hours the kids were in school designing the perfect pets for them. He selected the perfect combinations of circuits, metal, and fur to create cyber pets that would be both functional and adorable. Their pets would be demanding - just like real ones - and would require regular attention, that's what Tony is going for. He wants these pets to be as lifelike as possible.

It took almost a month of work before the pets were ready, and on the afternoon he decided to present them to the kids, he took the pets to the garden level of the tower. He put the pets in a cozy enclosure, and then waited. He instructed JARVIS to route the elevator to the garden floor. At the right time of them arriving home from school, the doors opened.

"Dad?" Ethan said, as he stepped out into the garden, "JARVIS said you wanted to see us?"

"Yeah, I did. Put your backpacks down, and come over here," Tony replied, pointing in the direction of the enclosure.

"Okay," his son said, putting his backpack down, as did his sister.

They walked towards their father, and just as they got close to the enclosure, a bark was heard.

"Dad, was that a dog?" Ethan asked.

"I don't know. You'll have to take a look."

They heard another bark.

Eva shared an excited look with her brother, and they ran forward to the enclosure, dropping down to their knees beside the gated opening.

A robotic husky barked, and jumped up the the gate, wagging his tail excitedly as he said Ethan. Ethan reached out a hand to pet him, and the dog licked him. Ethan looked at his Dad, "Is he for me?"

Tony nodded, smiling widely, "He sure is."

He opened the gate, and the dog came out, gazing excitedly at the boy.

"What's his name?" Ethan asked.

"I call him Bolt but you can rename him if you want, Ethan."

Ethan thought for a moment, then shook his head, "No, I like it, Dad. Can I play with him?"

"He's all yours, champ, and you can do whatever you want with him."

Ethan stood up, "Come on, Bolt. Come on, boy!"

Tony watched them for a moment, then turned back to Eva.

There was a smile on her face but it was a sad one.

"Awww, princess, why the long look? Do you really think I'd make something for your brother only and leave you out?" Tony asked before he bent down to reach into the enclosure."Here you go, baby."

He laid a grey furred cybernetic kitten in her arms. The kitten opened its eyes, and when it saw Eva, it began to purr, loudly. Eva petted her head, and the kitten swatted playfully at her hand.

"Oh, Daddy, she's perfect! I love her already!" Eva exclaimed, sitting down to put the kitten down on the ground.

Tony pulled some string from his pocket, "Here you can play with her with this."

Eva took the string, and dangled it in front of the kitten.

The kitten started trying to seize it with her paws, and Eva laughed.

"What's her name, Daddy?"

"Pixella," Tony answered.

Eva laughed as the kitten tumbled in her attempt to get the string.

"Over here, Bolt!" Ethan yelled from across the way.

Tony's heart almost burst from the warmth of watching his kids play with their new pets.

Current Music: 744 words

innitmarvelous_og

The sun is shining brightly one morning as the birds sing their happy songs, serenading father and daughter as they sat outside their home, breaking their fast. The aroma of freshly baked bread lingered in the air, and Sigyn's eyes were bright with delight.

"Father, this bread is delectable!" Sigyn exclaimed before taking another bite.

Loki raised his eyebrows, "And where on Midgard did you ever hear that word, my dear?" 

"It wasn't on Midgard I heard it, Father! I heard Uncle Volstagg say it last time we went to see Grandmother and Grandfather!"

Ah yes, the last time they'd visited the Palace, there had been a feast.

"And do you know what delectable means, snowflake?" Loki asked.

Sigyn thought for a moment, "It means it's good right, Father?"

He nodded, "Yes, but more specifically, it means it tastes delicious. And I thank you for saying so, as I made our bread myself."

"Did you use magic to make it, Father?"

Loki laughed, and gave his daughter's vibrant red curls a tousle, "No magic, my snowflake. I just used a bit of love along with a dash of mischief." He winked as he said that last part.

"Well, it is very good, Father! My bread doesn't even need anything upon it!"

Loki smiled at her compliment, and then his eyes wandered a bit until they found their well. The well was quite old having been used by the cottage's former family. The well had served them adequately since he'd first come to live here with his late wife, but of late, Loki had noticed the well was providing less and less water. He knew they would have enough water for two, perhaps three months but they would need to dig a new well soon.

"Sigyn, my love, it seems we have a problem," Loki said, his eyes fixed on the dwindling water supply. "Our well is running dry, and we must dig a new one. Don't worry, little one. We will hire some giants to do the work for us. But first, we must find the perfect spot for the well."

"Sigyn, my little snowflake, it seems that we may have a problem," he said, his eyes locked on their well, "Our well is beginning to run dry, and we will need to dig a new one. But fret not, for as soon as a new fresh water source has been located, we shall ask the giants to dig the well for us."

"Giants, Father?" Sigyn echoed, her eyes wide.

"Yes, my dear, giants."

"I've never seen giants before, Father. Will I get to meet them? the little girl asked.

"Of course, snowflake, you will meet them."

Sigyn cheered and clapped her hands.

Loki felt warmth throughout his being from heart at the sound. Her laughter was the most bright and beautiful he had ever heard in the universe, and he knew he was truly blessed to have it. Still smiling, he rose from the table, "Go fetch your cloak, my little snowflake, and we shall begin the search for the new well."

Sigyn nodded, and hurried back inside of the cottage, and reappeared without delaying her cloak fastened around her shoulders. She grabbed his hand and started tugging his towards the woods, "Come on, Father. Let's go! Let's go!"

With a chuckle, he followed his daughter into the forest.

The search lasted three days, and then Sigyn located a perfect location for their new well. It was a small clearing in a lush, green meadow that sloped gently towards a babbling brook. The little girl danced in celebration when her father declared this was the spot.

The next step was to approach the giants in the right way, something Loki knew what to do.

He'd had many dealings with the giants in the past and he understood their nature as well as their traditions. The key to approaching the giants without offending them right off so they would not help you, was to show them both respect and humility. 

"Listen closely, my snowflake," Loki said, gathering his daughter close to him, "when we meet with the giants, it is very important that we show them not only kindness but respect. They are very powerful beings, but they are also gentle, and they are pleased to help those when they are treated properly."

Sigyn nodded, "But I always try to be respectful and kind to others, Father. You and Grandmother have taught me that."

He kissed the top of her head, "Yes, you do, my snowflake, and I am proud of you. Here, hold onto my hand and keep close."

They walked deeper into the forest, the sound of trees rustling as well as a distant roar of water growing louder. It wasn't long before they came to a large clearing where the massive forms of the giants could be see touching high in the sky. 

With much caution, Loki approached the giants, being ever careful to make sure Sigyn was close to his side. He held his hand out in a gesture of peace, and called to them, making his voice as loud as he could.

"Noble and mighty giants, I, Loki of Asgard, and my daughter Sigyn, have come before you to petition for your assistance. Our well is running dry, and we seek your great strength as well as your great expertise in digging a new one."

The giants gave their attention to the trickster and his daughter, so tiny to them in comparison. The eyes of the giants shone with curiosity and interest. Then one of the giants stepped forward, shaking the ground with his steps. When he spoke, his voice was like a clap of thunder.

"We have heard your petition, Loki of Asgard and Sigyn of both Asgard and Midgard. We will consider what you ask of us, but first, you must prove your worthiness."

Loki nodded, knowing the giants would often test those who seek their help. With confidence, he accepted their test.

"What task do you require of us to prove that we are worthy of your help?" 

The giant pointed to towering tree in the distance, and said, "Bring us a leaf from the highest branch upon the tree. If you succeed, it is then and **only** then, we shall grant our aid."

With a soft bow, Loki looked at his daughter, and he saw a determined look in her eyes. With a nod, they started towards the colossal tree.

Even while they were still walking towards it, Loki used his magic to conjure a staircase that encircled the tree's trunk that reached the highest branches. Sigyn did not hesitate to start climbing towards their prize with her father following close behind her.

They ascended the staircase around tree for minutes until they finally reached its top. Loki lifted his daughter up, and Sigyn reached out to pluck one of the shimmering, vibrant leaves from its branch. After setting her back down on the staircase, father and daughter descended together.

Once they had reached the ground, Loki held aloft the leaf, and he called out to the giants, "We have completed the task that you requested of us. Here is the leaf plucked from the highest branch."

The giants all nodded their approval, their faces showing signs of their respect for the completion of their assigned task. The one who spoke to them earlier stepped forward and said, "You have proven your worthiness, Loki of Asgard, and Sigyn of Asgard and Midgard. In turn, you shall have our help in digging your new well. Show us the spot, and we shall dig for you."

"You have proven your worthiness, Loki of Asgard. We shall assist you in digging your new well. Choose the spot, and we shall make it so."

***
It was evening two days later, and Sigyn sat snuggled into her father's side, listening as the giants labored to fulfill their promise to them.  Soon, they woulf have a replacement for their well that was indeed drying up.

Loki played with her silken locks as he softly told her, "You are so much like your mother, my little snowflake. She could be no prouder of you than am I."

Once more the girl wished she had known her mother, but even so, she is grateful for how much her father loves her.

The giants' continued work digging had been a constant noise in the background. so when the moment they'd been waiting for happened, they almost missed it. But they heard the giants give a shot, and when they did so, Sigyn bolted. She ran towards the meadow, and stopped as she beheld the sight of the new well.

"They did it, Father! We have a new well! See?" she said as her father joined her.

Loko grinned, and nodded, "I see, my snowflake. I see. Come, let us take our first drink of the new cool water."

Current Music: 1489 words

innitmarvelous_og

Laura Barton sat alone on the porch of her farmhouse, unable to bear being inside a moment longer today as she could see all her husband's unfinished projects. It had been three long and excruciating weeks since Clint's execution, a shocking event that still seemed surreal yet there was no denying it had been all too real. When the order had been given for the shots to be fired, her world and her heart had been shattered along with his. The pain of losing Clint in such a way was almost unbearable, and she wondered if she would ever find solace again.

As she stared out into the distance really seeing nothing, and lost in her thoughts, the glare of an approaching car captured her attention. She sighed, and prayed that the media had not at last found her family's home as she was sure they'd been looking since before Clint's execution. She thought about going inside the house and locking the door before whoever it was got too close, but then she realized she didn't care. If it were the media, then she'd finally have a chance to tell the world about the man she knew and loved. However, when the car stopped, and the occupant got out, she was surprised to see the familiar face of Pepper Potts Stark.

Why was she here? Pepper of all people was only a few feet away from her, and Laura couldn't understand why she would come to see her. But then when Pepper was only a few feet away, Laura could see that her eyes were both red and weary, mirroring the pain she also felt inside. The truth was, their lives had been forever changed by the actions and the loss of the two men they had loved.

Pepper's voice was laden with sorrow when she said, "Mrs. Barton, I am so very sorry for your loss."

Laura nodded in response, tears shining in her eyes, "Thank you for coming, Mrs. Stark—"

"Pepper. Please call me Pepper."

"Then I am Laura. As I was saying, thank you for coming. I... I don't know how to cope with this."

Pepper gestured as the chair to her asking permission to sit, and Laura nodded.

Pepper's smile was a sad. sympathetic one as she seated herself, "I understand, Laura. I know losing Tony was the hardest thing I've ever faced. When he died... after he died,,, the sun didn't just stop shining. There was no sun for me anymore. And, with Clint..."

Her voice trailed off, the unspoken words left hanging heavily between them. Both of them knew just how far Clint had gone during those Five Years in his quest for revenge. SHIELD's decision to actually honor the world's request to execute him had been unexpected, but it seemed even Fury thought he needed to be held accountable.

"Tony's funeral was beautiful... peaceful," Laura said softly, adding when Pepper raised an eyebrow, "I came to the funeral with Clint and our kids. I think you were in the same fog then as the one I've been in since they... oh our kids. Lila and Cooper are old enough to understand what happened to their father but they still can't understand it., Neither can I! I know what Clint did to all those people was wrong, but he wasn't a monster, Pepper! He wasn't! He just got lost in all his anger and pain and he just lashed out!"

Pepper nodded, "And I regret that we didn't do anything to try to help him." She did too, because maybe if they'd tried to help him, he wouldn't have gone on such a bloody crusade, and he would still be here with his family.

Laura laughed sardonically, "Thank you for saying that, but I know you couldn't have helped him if you'd tried. He still had Nat then. And if she couldn't help him, then any attempt you may have made would've been even more hopeless."

"Even so, I am sorry that we didn't at least try to help him."

"Thank you for saying that."

Pepper nodded her eyes were, filled with kinship as she said, "You know you said you don't know how to explain this to your kids in a way they can finally understand what's happened?"

Laura nodded, "Yes?"

"Oh, Laura, there's no easy way to explain or even understand something like this. I wish there were but even after three months, I am still finding myself struggling what to say to Morgan in the moments when all she wants is her Daddy, and that's very often. She and Tony were so close and I'm not sure she still understands that he will never come home again."

"Then what kind of light can there possibly be, Pepper?" Laura asked, wiping away tear, her voice breaking with grief. "Tell me, what's left for us without him? What's left for my kids and me without Clint there with us?"

Pepper took a deep breath, and when she spoke her voice was one of grief and hope, "There is very little, if I am honest. But the sun has started to come out a little for me. I see the sunlight the most when I am looking into my daughter's eyes. I see so much of Tony in her. I see his spirit and his determination. And I am reminded that even in life's darkest times, there's still a flicker of hope. It might be a tiny one, but it is there. You have a daughter and a son right?"

"A daughter and two sons," Laura corrected.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I should have remembered."

"No, don't apologize. There's no way you could have. Not with what you were going through at that time."

Pepper nodded, and continued with what she was going to say, "I have Morgan but you were... blessed to have three children with Clint. They're three chances and places to look for signs of him whenever you're really missing him. Clint lives on through them, just like Tony lives on in Morgan."

She sighed, and went on, "I know this is going to sound like a tired, old cliché but with every day that's passing I am learning it's truth. Time heals all wounds. It may not feel like it right now, but eventually the pain will lessen, and you'll find a way to move on."

"Move on? How can you say that, Pepper? Clint is gone, and my kids will never see their father again!"

"I'm not saying you have to forget him, Laura. But you need to try to focus on the good memories and the life and the love you shared with him. You have to keep going, for both you and your kids. I know I don't know you well yet, but I believe you are a strong woman. You would have to be, to have been married to someone who was an agent a long time before he became an Avenger. So I believe you can do this."

"I'm not feeling particularly strong, Pepper. Instead, I feel like a hollowed out shell of who used to be Laura Barton. Everything, everywhere I look I am reminded of him, and I don't how to make the flood turn off."

"It won't, Laura, or at least not entirely. But with time, and taking it day day, you'll start to feel like yourself again. Or as much as you can with someone you loved so much being gone. And, in the meantime, if I am not too much of a stranger to be saying this... but I want to be here for you, if I can. If you want me too. I know the circumstances of our husbands deaths were not quite the same, but we're in the same boat, and I just want you to know you are not alone in this, okay?"

Tears streamed down her face and Laura wiped them before she reached out to take Pepper's hand, "Thank you, Pepper. I really appreciate you reaching out to me like this. We don't really know each other, but I would like to get to know you. It would be nice to have someone to be able to talk to and cry with when one or both of us need it."

A sad smile graced Pepper's lips, "We'll get through this. Together."

Current Music: 1395 words

innitmarvelous_og

When Clint's eyes fluttered open, his surroundings were a distortion of blurred shapes and colors. He felt as though someone were banging on his head with Thor's hammer, with every beat of his heart sending a jolt of pain through his temples. He struggled to make sense in his disoriented state, to find his way through the fog that had wrapped itself around his thoughts.

Little by little, tiny fragments of memories pierced through the fog. He recalled the cold, rigid touch of the metal pole against his back, the din of the SHIELD STRIKE team readying their weapons, and the deafening shots that still echoed in his ears.

"What the..." His voice came out as a raspy murmur, barely heard above the muted ache that pulsed through his body when he made an attempt to sit up. He clenched his teeth, then he yielded to the protesting of his enervated form, his muscles refusing to comply.

With a renewal of determination, he forced his eyes to open once more, striving to understand his surroundings. The room, saturated in sterile white, enlightened his blurred vision. The unforgiving glare from the lights overhead penetrated through his fogginess, magnifying the pounding in his head. As he took a deep breath, the sharp of disinfectants seized his nostrils, flooding his senses and leaving an almost metallic taste in his mouth.

At that moment, a door swung open on the other end of the room, revealing Nick Fury, the Director of SHIELD, clad in his customary black attire. Clint's heart, which shouldn't have been beating at all, skipped a beat in his chest. As he watched Fury approach, conflicting emotions swelled within him. This was the man who had betrayed him, the one who had carried out the order for Clint's execution. In the moments leading up to his supposed death by firing squad, Clint had told Fury he had understood why he had to be the one to give the order. But that'd had been a lie. The truth was, he couldn't comprehend how Fury, the Director, could have been the one who ordered his own agents to kill one of their brothers.

Fury's face was as stern as it ever was when he approached Clint, but also he got closer, Clint could also see a tiny bit of kindness. He wasted no time with a preamble but told Clint simply in a low, steady voice, "You're alive now because I arranged for your death to be faked at your execution. There was no way I could let the world take you away from your family forever."

Clint's emotions were a tangled web while his mind raced. All he'd wanted to be with his family again through those five long years they were dead. He'd literally had two weeks with them following Tony's funeral, and then he'd been arrested. He doesn't know how the world learned about what he'd done so quickly because even when he'd been consumed by his rage, he concealed his identity. He doesn't know how the world found out... unless one of the Avengers who had known of his Ronin identity had given the media their anonymous tip.

"How long have I been here, sir? How long since my exe.."

"It's been eighteen hours since you stood in front of the firing squad."

"So the world thinks I'm dead?" Clint asked.

"Yes, they do. We made sure we staged your execution so convincingly that every person who tuned into the broadcast now believes they watched a SHIELD firing squad shoot you through the heart," Fury replied.

"Okay, I'm dead to the world. What now? Am I going to have to spend the rest of my life in some hideout somewhere, where I'll never see my family again? Is that what I've been saved for?" Clint countered, his anger and despair rising with every word.

Fury frowned, as it was his turn to get angry, "You are not listening to me, Barton!"

"I told you he wouldn't be able to listen to you," a new voice contributed.

Clint whipped his head towards the door, "Laura? What the..."

His heart, his perfectly whole not shot through with bullets, heart skipped a beat when he saw his wife standing in the doorway. She looked so weary, her eyes betraying all the anguish and pain she had to endure during this entire ordeal. Her presence was both a comfort and a bewildering mystery.

"Laura, wha... how?" Clint's voice trailed off, as he was unable to form a coherent question.

Laura walked over to his bedside, then instead of answering him with words, she seated herself beside him, and she kissed him like she had in his cell in the SHIELD facility. Fury looked away to allow them a moment of privacy in their reunion, but he finally cleared his throat when Clint's heart rate shot up. Laura pulled away from him but didn't stand up. Instead, she intertwined her fingers with his, and kept her eyes on him as Fury spoke.

"You want to know what is going on, Clint," the older, gruffer man began, "and how it is you're here, not dead, instead of being buried six feet in the ground actually dead?"

Clint nodded, "Yes, sir, I do," Everything had happened so fast that he can't figure out a way the Director had been able to save his life instead of letting the execution actually succeed.

"To begin, I had gotten wind that your identity as Ronin had been exposed a very short time before your arrest. There wasn't enough time to warn you, so I had to settle with ensuring your survival, regardless of whatever happened next or whatever punishment the world deemed to be the right one for your actions.

"Needless to say, convincing the world of your death seemed like the best course of action since they were so thirsty for your blood, and wouldn't settle for anything less. So we orchestrated what the world thought to be your execution to be just that, an execution in which you were shot through the heart by a SHIELD firing squad."

Clint didn't miss he said we, not just him, but he knows it would be pointless to ask who else was involved. Fury would never tell him, and anyway, he could guess that Maria Hill had been one of those involved. In the end it didn't matter, and maybe it was better that he didn't know who else was involved. Instead, he squeezed his wife's hand so she'd look at him.

"You knew?" he asked.

Laura nodded.

"Did you know when you and the kids came to... when you came to see me before the..." Clint couldn't finish the sentence.

Laura nodded once again, "Yes, I knew Nick had arranged to save your life. I knew that you wouldn't actually die when they fired."

He couldn't help but marvel at his wife's acting skills during their goodbye. When he had looked into her eyes during their goodbye, he'd a depth of grief and pain that he'd never seen there before. Laura had looked and acted the part of a woman whose husband was about to be executed and she was helpless to stop it. It'd been over a decade since she'd been an active agent in SHIELD herself, but it seemed it was just like riding a bicycle for her. He marveled until an awful realization dawned on him.

"Lila and Cooper, they... they thought I was going to die."

Tears glistened in Laura's eyes as she nodded, her voice choked with emotion, "Yes, they believed you were going to die, Clint. They're kids and not trained agents. They had to believe you were going to die in order for anyone who might be watching for signs of deception to believe that you were actually executed. Looking my children in the eyes and tell them you were going to die, that they were saying goodbye to you, was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life."

Clint squeezed his eyes shut when he heard this, the weight of the revelation weighing down on him like a ton of bricks. Learning that his oldest two children had suffered such anguish because of the level of deception that had to be used to save his life, hurt him in a way nothing else had before. He hated him too in that moment because Lila and Cooper didn't deserve to know that kind of pain, and now they had, all because of him.

When he felt tears well up in the corner of his closed eyes, Clint squeezed them even more tightly shut. When he spoke, his voice trembled, the words barely finding their way past his lips, "I... I can't... what they've been feeling since... I'm their father, and they were never supposed to know this kind of pain! I was supposed to keep them for it! I will hate myself for putting them through this for the rest of my life!"

Laura reached out and grabbed his chin, turning his face towards hers, "Clint, look at me!"

He opened his eyes, and looked into hers.

"I want you to listen to me, Clint. We can't change what happened or what we had to do to keep you alive. Lila and Cooper, they'll understand all of this, in time. You love them, and they now that. They know how much you love them, and in the end all that will matter is they will have their father with them to still love them."

Fury, who had been silent in the corner, took a step forward to remind them that he was still in the room. "Look, I understand your regrets over the pain you've caused them, but dwelling on the past isn't going to change anything. You've got to find a way to focus on the future because in order for this to work, you've got to have your head completely in the game, Barton."

"In order for what to work, sir?"

"In order for you to have a life with your family."

Clint laughed, without mirth, and when Fury glared at him he said, "A life with my family/ How? I'm supposed to be dead, sir. Dead! The moment I step out of this facility into public, whichever one I'm in, facial recognition will have me made in a split second, and they'll just kill me again. And my kids are not going to live out their lives in SHIELD facilities or safe houses, isolated away from the rest of the world."

"And they're not going to have to do that," Fury in a firm voice, "I will say it again, we have a plan that is going to allow you to be with your family, and you'll all be safe. Unfortunately the plan isn't one that is going to happen over night or even over several nights. It won't be quick because of what we must do to ensure you won't be ID'd the second you step out into public with your family."

"What does that mean exactly?" Clint asked, trying to understand the gravity of the situation.

"What it means is through both surgery and technology we're going to create an entirely new identity for you, that no one on the world is aware of. We are going to give you a completely new face that even the facial recognition scans won't be able to ID you as being Clint Barton. You will have a new name to go with the new face, and a new personal history that you will have memorized frontwards and backwards. Clint Barton is dead in the eyes of the world, and that's exactly how he'll stay. When you are finally ready to step back into the world in general, you'll be someone else completely, and the world will never know you were not, in fact, executed like they wanted you to be."

Laura squeezed his hand in support because she knew what Fury was about to say next would be the most difficult part for her husband to hear.

"Now here is the bad part—"

"You mean besides me being erased from existence, and looking into the mirror to see a stranger staring back?" Clint quipped.

"Clint!" Laura murmured, "This is the only way forward for you to stay alive and be with us at the same time!"

He nodded, and looked at the other man, "Sorry, I know this is going to be a lot of trouble, and already has been. I don't mean to sound ungrateful you did and are doing all of this to keep me alive."

Fury gave a curt nod, then continued, "Fifteen months. Fifteen months is the bare minimum is the estimate as to how long it is going to take to completely change your identity, and get you reintroduced into the world."

"Fifteen months? And I'll have to be away from them the entire time," Clint surmised.

"Correct. I'm sorry that it will take so long after the five years you spent without them but this is a painstaking process, and one we can't afford to make any mistakes on as your life quite literally depends on it. We get one shot to get this right, because if the world learns you didn't die at your execution, then I believe they would simply have you taken out this time. With extreme prejudice."

Extreme prejudice.

Clint knows those two words are just another way of saying that they would come after him without any regard for any innocents that might be around him at the time. His heart sank when in that moment he realized fully the gravity of the situation, and that in order to keep everyone he loves safe, things would have to done this way. They couldn't risk the lives of his wife and children just so he could be with them sooner.

"I understand," Clint finally said aloud, resignation in his voice, "If this is what it takes to keep my family safe, and allow me to be with them, then I will do whatever I have to for it to make it happen." The fifteen months would be a long time, but he could do it because unlike before, he has the hope of knowing they're alive, and well, and that he will be with them again.

"Good," Fury said, nodding in acknowledgement to Clint's commitment to the plan, "We'll start the preparations immediately. I've put together a team of experts who will handle the entire process, from the surgical procedures to the creation of your new identity. When they're done, Clint Barton will truly be dead, and a new man will be in his place."

"How do we know that none of them will tell the world who I really am?" Clint asked, "There's a lot riding on this, sir. and just for me." He looked at his wife, and thought of their children.

"Because I know each of the team members personally, and I know they can be trusted to keep your secret for as long as you live. They will take this with them to their own graves. We need to get started on this ASAP, so I'm afraid you both need to say your farewells now because it is going to be a long time before you're able to see each other again."

"Could we have a—"

Fury walked towards the door, "I'll leave you two alone."

Laura touched his face, her voice steadied as she told him, "We'll be waiting for you, Clint. No matter what name they give you, or the face you are going to have, you are always going to be the man we love."

Clint opened his arms, "Come here, honey. I need to hold you,"

Laura scooted up closer to him, and let him wrap his arms around her as she wrapped her arms around him. They didn't talk, just held onto each other, and finally she laid her head on his chest to listen to the sound of his heart beating.

When the ten minutes were up, Fury returned, but stopped at the door without speaking. There was much they still needed to talk about such as the logistics and the security protocols for the next fifteen months. But looking at them now, he knew what they needed to talk about could wait a little longer, and so he let them have it.

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