Red Line

Part 3- Best Years

"I'm home." I announce as I walk through the front door.
Laura pokes her head around the corner and smiles at me, "Lila waited for you."
We look over at the couch where she is fast asleep.
Laura laughs, "well she tried"
I laugh along, "she rarely makes it past 9:00."

Laura stares at me with something resembling pride, although how could it be? I'm not really her daughter . They tell me it's all the same to them, but I can't help wondering how different things would be if I was really theirs. How different I would be. My hands and conscious could have been clean.
"What?" I ask
"I'm just so happy that you're starting to make friends."
I nod, I'm rather unsure of how to respond to that.

Lila stirs on the couch.
"I'll put her to bed now."
Laura smiles, "thank you"

I lift Lila off the couch and her eyes open a little, "Y/n?"
I smile down at her, "hey kiddo, ready for bed?"
"I waited for you"
"I know."
I set her down on her bed and pull the blanket around her.
"Hey Y/n?" She says groggily
"Yes?"
"Why weren't you always here?"
I consider it for a moment, it's not like I can tell her the truth. "I lived with my mom and dad."
"Why don't you anymore?"
"Because your mom and dad were better and they wanted me to be happier." I lie.
She nods approvingly, "that makes sense"

"Are you going to tell me a story?" She asks
I sigh with exhaustion, "how about you tell me a story tonight."
She smiles brightly, "Really?"
I sit down on the edge of her bed, "Any story you want."
"Can I make one up?"
"If you want."

"Once upon a time there was a princess named Lila." She starts, "and she lived with her parents and her brothers."
I chuckle, "sounds familiar."
"And they were happy, but the princess didn't always feel like they were much of a family. The king was always away fighting wars and the queen worried about him a lot and was always busy. They didn't have much time to play with the princess and prince."
I rest my hand on her leg sympathetically.

"But one day a beautiful fairy named Y/n showed up and made their family really happy. The king was home more, and the fairy helped the queen around the castle with magic, and they all had time together to be a family again." Lila finishes happily
I smile. I don't ever want to ruin the perception she has of me. "That's a beautiful story."
"Can you stay until I fall asleep?" She asks as I move to stand up, "In case you have to get the Boogyman spray."
I smile, "Ah yes, my specialty."
The boogyman spray was a concoction I had come up with shortly after I moved in. Really it was just lavender and lemon diluted with some water, but to Lila it was my potion that kept the boogyman at bay.
Like a fairy would protect the princess, she had remarked.

Clint's POV

I open the door to check on Lila and see Y/n curled up on the end of her bed fast asleep. The two of them got so close so fast. I'm happy that Y/n was able to form a connection, she needed it. I'm glad she's here, she's a good kid. Nobody should have to go through what she did. I'll make sure nothing else happens to her, she's a Barton now.
"What are you doing Clint?" Laura asks
I motion into the room with my head.
She comes to my side and glances in, "aw."
"The kids are crazy about her, huh?"
She smiles, "I think we all are."

I grab a blanket off the shelf in the hall and creep into Lila's room.
"It's Clint." I whisper, knowing she had probably woken up.
Then I place the blanket over her to make her feel warm and safe.
She mutters a thank you, and something else that I couldn't quite catch.

A/n: sorry this chapter is short, I promise they'll get longer.