The two women were completely zoned out whilst waiting for Stark and Banner to return. Clint watched as they clung to each other as if the world would end if one of them let go. It was an upsetting thing to see, witnessing his two friends, the most mentally strong people he knew, be reduced to trembling figures. Wanda really did a number on them.

Eleanor had her eyes closed with her face tucked into the crook of Nat's neck, and Nat had laid her cheek on the crown of Eleanor's head. The two fit together like matching puzzle pieces.

Even though they were both still distraught from their minds being plagued with terrors, in each other's embrace they could feel themselves being drawn back into reality. Slowly. Excruciatingly slowly.

Though it took a while, Eleanor's mind eventually came around to the fact that she was actually back in the jet, and was clutching onto Natasha. At the new information that she had accepted, her grip on Nat increased as she somehow shuffled closer, never wanting to let go.

The shifting movement triggered something in Natasha, it dragged her out of her own head and grounded her back into the current reality. Her eyes widened as though she had just woken up from a bad dream and she inhaled a deep, shaky breath.

Sensing Natasha's panic, Eleanor lifted her head off of Nat's collarbone to look at her. She had a frown planted on her face due to the lack of contact, though that soon disappeared meaning that her face was portraying no emotion.

Her eyes told a different story. They were the window into a person's soul. In amongst the green, Eleanor could see the pain, the remorse, and the agonising grief. She felt tears threaten to spill when gazing at her wife. It felt like she was looking at a ghost, the pain of losing Natasha had felt so real, and so raw, that it truly felt as though she would slip from her grasp again.

Knowing that her voice would fail her, she sent Nat a soft smile that spoke a thousand words. That she loved her, that she would never let her go, that they would be okay.

"I love you", Nat murmured with a broken voice as she began nodding weakly yet frantically.

"I love you too", Eleanor whispered back after placing her forehead on Natasha's shoulder, wanting to bring their bodies back together again.

"They can't get you", Nat mumbled to herself whilst accepting the warm embrace from Eleanor again, rubbing small circles between her shoulder blades. Eleanor suspected that those words were to reassure Natasha, but they brought some comfort to her as well regardless. They were safe and they were together.

"I'm not going anywhere", Eleanor shook her head and felt Nat's body tense against her, undoubtedly holding in a sob. Now that their minds were back in the room they were aware that there were other people in the jet as well. Nat already looked vulnerable enough, there was no way that she was going to let tears fall in front of them.

The other Avengers in the jet, other than Clint, were not focused on them though. They were all coming to terms with their own demons as well, but Natasha was still too paranoid to risk it. Eleanor on the other hand, let a few silent sobs wrack through her body, which broke her wife's heart.

Her soft cries subsided after a few minutes due to Nat softly drawing shapes on her arm with the pads of her fingers, it was comforting. Now all that remained was a pounding headache that really didn't help the mood.

"Sorry", she mumbled, feeling bad for having a small outburst when Nat needed comfort too.

"No, don't apologise", Nat pleaded in return. Once again they found each other's gazes and nodded in reassurance. The mood on the jet had shifted into a sombre, yet peaceful aura. People were coming to terms with what had happened and were now left feeling like hollowed shells.

Some of the team had relived memories, some were forced to live ones they knew they could never have, and some had their worst fears mashed together and put into some twisted movie scene that they had to watch play out. It wasn't something that they would get over within minutes.

Everyone in the jet was startled when Stark and Bruce walked into the jet. Tony looked as though all of his energy had been exerted, and Bruce just looked as though he had died and come back to life. Hulk transformations took it out on him without being angered and afraid because of a witch with red wiggly woos. Even though Eleanor was wary of the guy, she couldn't find it in her to send a hateful glare his way when watching his dishevelled, blanket-covered figure walk past them and slump on the floor behind some seats.

"Everyone ready?", Tony asked as he assumed his position in the pilot seat. After receiving blank looks or half-hearted nods, he turned to get the jet flying through the air. He didn't have a particular destination in mind as it was very likely that they wouldn't be able to go back to the Tower after the Hulk stunt.

The start of the journey to nowhere was painfully silent. No one dared make eye contact with each other aside from Natasha and Eleanor who occasionally tilted their heads to look at each other to make sure they were both okay. The answer is they weren't, but they were doing the best that they could in that situation.

Eleanor was enjoying the silence, though, after twenty minutes of it, she and Natasha whipped their heads round to look at the front of the jet, hearing a sudden loud static feedback before Maria's voice came through.

Immediately their bodies stopped tensing and they relaxed in each other's hold again whilst Maria's voice continued through. There was no doubt in Eleanor's mind that Maria was contacting them with bad news, but the older woman's voice was comforting to her.

She leaned her head back on Nat's shoulder whilst they listened and worked on controlling their breathing again after being startled. "The news is loving you guys. Nobody else is". Eleanor's nose scrunched up briefly, it hadn't been that long since they had to clear their names with the SHIELD incident, and now they were all being thrown back onto the hate bandwagon.

"There's been no official call for Banner's arrest but it's in the air".

"The Stark Relief Foundation?".

"Already on the scene", Maria replied to Tony. "How's the team?". Internally Eleanor scoffed and wanted to make a sarcastic reply along the lines of 'Just peachy', but she didn't have the energy to.

"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?". That was the last thing that the team wanted to do. After a hit like this, they all just wanted to be in the comfort of their own rooms to recalibrate and try to come back with strength and dignity. Not be on the run whilst they were at their lowest point. Eleanor found herself absentmindedly tapping her fingers on the side of Nat's arm with the return of the anxious energy.

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

Maria's voice disappeared for a few seconds after Tony hung up on the call, but then it appeared once again in Eleanor's ear a lot louder than before, making the young woman jump out of her skin. "El? You there?".

Nat increased her grip on Eleanor when she tensed, thinking that something was wrong. She frowned as she looked at Eleanor rubbing at her ear in a soothing motion. "Ria?", she spoke quietly so as to not catch the attention of the others too much. Natasha did a slow single nod and loosened her grip again, but still keeping Eleanor tucked into her. All was well.

"How are you doing? I heard Wanda got a good one on you all", Maria asked with worry evident in her tone, it was one that Eleanor had heard all too often in the past when Maria was around her as a kid or when she returned to the Triskelion injured.

"I'm okay, yeah... she's very good at her job", she gave a dry chuckle in a lousy attempt to reassure Maria, though she could see right through her.

A disheartened sigh came through the comms, but Maria didn't push further, "And Nat?".

Eleanor sheepishly raised her eyes to look at Natasha who looked exhausted. "She's doing okay too", she lied through her teeth. Once again Maria was not convinced but just took the answers that she was given. Nat smiled ever so slightly at hearing that Maria was asking about her, it was nice to know that someone was looking out for them.

"I gotta go, but when you're home I'll come and see you straight away, okay? Love you kiddo, keep your head up".

Eleanor smiled and shook her head at the nickname, she was almost thirty, certainly well over the threshold of being called "kiddo", yet Maria continued to do it anyway. "Okay, sounds good, love you too".

"Was nice for her to check in", Nat mumbled as she nuzzled her face onto Eleanor's shoulder too, the effects of the exhaustion starting to hit her like a train. Eleanor hummed in agreement and allowed herself to relax in Natasha's hold once more.

Again they were briefly interrupted by a fleeting visit from Clint who had been piloting. He crouched down next to them and gave a sympathetic smile when they looked down at him. They certainly looked better than they had done, but there was still a haunted look in their eyes.

"You should try and rest, we're a few hours out so there's plenty of time".

Both women's brows furrowed, "Where are we going?", Eleanor spoke as she searched Clint's face for any clues.

"The farm", he sighed, not particularly enthused with heading over there.

Instantly their eyebrows shot up to the tops of their faces and Natasha shook her head, "We can't go there-".

"It's the only place that Ultron doesn't know about, Nat. It's the only option".

Sombre nods were shared around the trio, they hated to admit that Clint was right. Eleanor just hoped that they didn't draw attention to the place, the last thing she wanted was the kids to be affected.

---

A three-hour nap later, the two women were gently woken up by Clint shaking their shoulders. "We're here", he smiled.

They yawned and stood up to stretch. When the hatch opened, the corners of Eleanor's lips tugged up briefly at seeing the field that she had been in many times but was broken out of her thoughts when Natasha took hold of her again whilst Clint held her.

It was a lot easier to walk on the regular ground compared to the muddy coast, so Clint didn't have to work so hard with the logistics of keeping both of them fully upright in their fragile states.

Clint assumed the position at the front with the two women to guide the rest of the Avengers to his house. Being outside in the open air was helping Eleanor's mind and body wake up more, feeling some strength return to her muscles. She inhaled the country air with a small smile on her face, the familiar scent was comforting.

When they reached the front steps Eleanor heard Thor speak from behind them, "What is this place?".

"Safehouse", Stark responded with a sense of uncertainty. Clearly, Clint had not told them that it was his family home.

"Let's hope", Clint replied whilst helping the two into the house. Eleanor shook her head subtly, it was unnoticeable to everyone else. He knew that there was safe refuge here.

"Honey?", Clint shouted through the house when they entered the living room, the familiarity once again bringing comfort to both Natasha and Eleanor. "I'm home!".

Eleanor smiled at a very pregnant Laura as she walked through holding some paintings that Cooper and Lila must have done recently. She looked incredibly confused which Eleanor felt guilty about, there was a big group of people now invading her home, whilst she had two young kids to look after.

"Company. Sorry, didn't call ahead", Clint moved forward to hug his wife.

"This is an agent of some kind". Eleanor turned her head to face Stark and smirked at his confusion before facing Laura again.

"Gentleman, this is Laura".

She gave a small, awkward wave at her introduction, "I know all of your names". Eleanor and Nat smiled at her from the corner where they idly stood, not knowing if they were supposed to make it clear that they had been in the family home many times previously.

Both of their eyes lit up as they heard the thundering footsteps of the tiny Barton's running down the stairs and into the living room, to greet their Dad. The looks from the other Avengers at learning that Clint was a father were priceless, Eleanor wished she had a camera, though it would probably be inappropriate to take photos in their current state.

"These are smaller agents", Tony hesitantly concluded.

"Did you bring Auntie Nat and Auntie El?", Lila adorably asked, prompting the two women to walk forward, no longer worried about their 'cover'. They had expected to have to show some rehearsed smiles to keep the kids from asking what was wrong, but at seeing them in person both smiles were completely genuine.

"Why don't you come here and find out?", Nat smiled and rushed forward faster to pick up a grinning Lila. Cooper also rushed forward at noticing them and barrelled into Eleanor's side as he did during every visit, as he got older it was getting harder and harder for her not to lose her balance.

"Hey little man, wow you've grown!", she gave him a tight squeeze and lifted him up to follow Nat over to the side of the room as they were currently right in the middle. She could feel the confused gazes of the Avengers next to them, Eleanor found it quite funny. Clint and Laura just beamed at seeing how happy their kids were with a surprise visit from the two.

"Sorry for barging in on you", Steve started, the gentleman as always.

"Yeah, we would have called ahead, but we were busy having no idea that you existed", Stark piled on.

"Yeah, well, Fury helped me set this up when I joined. Kept it off SHIELD's files, I'd like to keep it that way".

When both kids were placed on the floor they both rushed over to their dad again, having obviously missed him during the months that he had been away. With Tony and Steve being the ones in charge, it was a lot harder to get time away than it had been with Fury letting him have decent holiday time, but Clint still made an effort.

Nat and Eleanor moved closer to be in front of Laura when different conversations started. They hadn't seen each other since their stay at the farm when they got married.

"I missed you both", Laura started off, earning more smiles, family was the best medicine.

"How's little Natasha, huh?", Nat gently placed her hands on Laura's bump and quickly smirked at Eleanor, the name competition in full swing.

"She's...", Laura hesitated and grimaced slightly, "Nathaniel". Natasha's smile instantly dropped in faux-offence and she crouched down to be eye level with the bump.

"Traitor", she spoke lowly. Those sentiments were shared by Eleanor, but she laughed at Natasha's reaction.

"What about if he was a lil' Eleanor?".

"We decided on Elliott in that case", Laura shrugged, pursing her lips at the women who felt deeply betrayed by the unborn.

"Nah, he's gonna be a little Nathaniel", Natasha smirked again. Before Eleanor could get her rebuttal in, they turned to see Thor and Steve marching out of the house. With Lila standing right next to them and her mother, they turned back with smiles on their faces to not stress the young girl out. This time, they were the rehearsed smiles.

---

The two women were sent up to the bedroom that they always stay in when visiting the Barton's. It was always known as "Nat and El's room". It had an en suite so they were told to go and freshen up and take a nap before dinner. The order was happily accepted by both who rushed off to the bedroom, desperately wanting to get into some clean clothes.

Eleanor was going to let Natasha shower first, so whilst Nat was getting herself ready in the bathroom, Eleanor began rummaging through drawers for some spare clothes that they keep in the house.

She was interrupted though at seeing Natasha standing in the en suite doorway in a towel, looking as though she was waiting for something. "You okay?", Eleanor slowly stood from her crouched position from looking in a bottom drawer.

"Yeah...", Nat sucked in a breath and pressed her lips together as she looked to the floor. When she looked back up and saw Eleanor's concerned gaze as she waited for her to elaborate so as to not push her, she found herself smiling. "Care to join me?".

Eleanor's breath hitched at the request, but Natasha's delicate smile showed that there was nothing sexual about it. Just pure affection. She could see that Natasha didn't want to be left alone, not even for a few minutes, so she gave an understanding nod to her wife and followed her back into the bathroom.

Natasha hopped into the shower whilst waiting for Eleanor to get ready, and immediately latched onto her when she joined. "Hey", Eleanor whispered whilst rubbing Nat's back in soothing circles, "Want me to do your hair?".

She nodded and turned to pass the shampoo bottle over. Eleanor promptly pressed a kiss to Nat's shoulder when she turned her back to her to allow access to her hair, which sent a ripple of adoration through Natasha's chest.

Eleanor made sure to be soft with her movements whilst massaging the shampoo into Nat's hair, who was leaning into the touch, thoroughly enjoying the experience. She turned to face her when Eleanor began rinsing the shampoo out, taking note of how her tongue was sticking out in concentration to avoid getting shampoo in her wife's eyes.

Eleanor was trying so hard to keep her comfortable and make her feel safe in such a vulnerable situation. Nat felt so loved and cared for, it was overwhelming.

Eleanor watched as tears slowly started filling Nat's eyes once she finished with the rinsing and hung the shower head back up, "Hey, hey what's wrong?", she softly ran her hands up and down Nat's arms. That was enough to start the waterworks as heartwrenching sobs began wracking through her. Eleanor found herself tearing up too at seeing her wife look so distressed, and had to capture her in a hug to stop Nat from falling when her knees buckled.

It had been an emotionally taxing day.

"I'm sorry", Nat repeated over and over as she clung to Eleanor as though her life depended on it.

"Honey, why are you sorry?", Eleanor moved her hands to cup Nat's cheeks so that they could look at each other.

"She made me see the graduation", Nat just about managed to choke out between her cries. Eleanor felt her heart shatter. The graduation had been explained by a teary Natasha when Eleanor first saw the scar from the surgery. It was something that Nat carried around with a heavy heart. Having that choice ripped away from her was a pain that Eleanor just couldn't imagine.

"I'm so sorry you had to live through that again. You're safe here, you're with me, yeah?", she tried to soothe her whilst the water continued hammering down on them, but there was no way that she would turn the shower off. It was likely that Nat was only allowing herself to cry now due to the noise being muffled by the shower.