emmylou | natasha romanoff

twenty-three.

2015
Barton Homestead, Missouri

After dinner, Kennedy is helping Laura dry off the dishes and they're watching the Avengers team as they all sit in silence. It'd been that way the entire evening.

"Thought of wedding dates?"

Kennedy scoffs, "It's kind of hard to pencil in a wedding when you never know when the world is going to end."

Laura smiles at her, "Welcome to my world."

"How do you do it?" Kennedy asks, "I mean I want to achieve what you have, and I just feel like I won't get there."

"You will," Laura tells her, "The thing is that you're in too deep. You might as well be an Avenger yourself."

Kennedy's jaw clenched because Laura was right. The issue wasn't only with Natasha, but with herself as well. She needed to take a step back just as much as Natasha did. Laura hands her a plate to dry and looks at her. Kennedy takes it and dries it off.

"I didn't really want to come on this one," Kennedy responds, "It's because there are these kids."

"The enhanced," Laura says nodding her head, "Clint told me about them."

"They're not bad," Kennedy says, "I talked to them, and I just feel like they need someone to look out for them. Someone to put their interest first and I want to be that person. I want to take care of those kids."

Kennedy sets the plate down, "I mean they're not really kids, they're in their early twenties."

"They're still kids," Laura tells her, "And I think it's great that you want to help them. But do they want to be helped?"

"I feel like they do," Kennedy says, "Like in my gut I know."

"That's what Clint told me when he first met Nat," Laura says with a small smile, "If your gut tells you that these kids want out, then don't give up."

Kennedy smiles at Laura, "What do you think about me and Natasha just going to the courthouse?"

"I think that Meredith Allen would kill you," Laura tells her and Kennedy laughs.

"Guess that rules out Vegas as well?"

"Oh yeah," Laura tells her, "You and Natasha are going to find the time. Surprisingly, the world isn't always on fire."

"That's what you think," Kennedy says with a smile.

Lila enters the kitchen with a piece of paper and hands it to Kennedy, "Uh oh new drawing alert, let's see what we've got here."

"It's our super-secret mission," Lila tells her, "I wrote it down so you wouldn't forget it."

"Super-secret mission?" Laura asks, "What is it?"

"I can't tell you," Lila says, "It's a super-secret."

Kennedy nods her head, "Yeah Laura, it's super-secret."

"Whatever," Laura says as she heads out of the kitchen. Lila looks up at Kennedy with a smile and Kennedy holds out her hand for a high-five.

That night, Clint makes a bonfire, and they all gather around it. Clint hands out beers and everyone takes one except for Steve.

"Earth's mightiest heroes. We were pulled apart like cotton candy," Steve mutters as he shakes his head.

Tony shrugs, "I don't know, you seemed to walk away alright."

"Is that a problem?" Steve asks.

"I don't trust a guy without a dark side. Call me old-fashioned."

"Well let's just say you haven't seen it yet," Steve retorts.