Whatever It Takes

Chapter 10

Barton and my mom have been friends for a long time. So it helps me relax, knowing that he is so close to her. 

"Hey, should I be nervous? Meeting him? Because I am staying with his family, what if he decides I'm not appropriate or he thinks I won't be a right fit?" She just smiles. 

"He is going to love you." She rubs my shoulder and leads me down the hall from my room to hers. "Just be yourself, it will be fine. Laura will be there if that's okay." I nod, I just wish I knew earlier. 

As soon as I walk in Laura runs up and hugs me. "It's so nice to finally meet you. Clint has told me stories."  She lets go and just looks at me, a single tear runs down her cheek. But she backs up, Clint wraps his arm around her and kisses the top of her head. 

"I knew Nat had a kid, but when she told me I could see she genuinely cared for you. This was 10-15 years ago though. So I've known about you for a while." Laura looks up at Clint with pain in her eyes, a pain only a mother could have. 

"Clint, you knew and never told me?" Clint looks down at his wife and nods woefully.

Bruce walks in smiling "What's going on in here guys?" He scans the room, realizes that it's a serious conversation, and adjusts his tone. "I mean, what's going on? Is everything okay?"  He gestures towards Natasha and whispers "What. Is. Happening." Natasha laughs softly.

"Nasta is meeting the Bartons." Bruce nods and turns to his daughter. "Hey Nasta, how are you doing?" He rubs her shoulders and she turns and smiles at him. 

"Hey Dad, I'm good." Clint steps forward, kneels in front of me, and grabs my hands and he tears up. 

"I have always wanted to meet you. I listened to your mom talk about you when you were younger. She had pictures. She would stare at them on missions. You were her motivation. Now you're here, and you're grown up." He looks down and puts his face in his hands. Natasha runs over to him. She whispers something in his ear that makes him look at her, she smiles softly.