The Widows Daughter

Part eighty-two

(Chloe's POV)

"And then, the big dinosaur got up on the rock and let out a terrifying roar. Roooooaaaarrrrr!! And all the other little dino's ran away because they were scared. Ahhhhhh!!" I narrated while moving the toy dinosaurs around the floor as Nate laughed at me.

"They don't do that!" He told me giggling.

"They don't?!" I gasped and he shook his head laughing harder. "Then what do they do?!"

"They do this, " Nate stood up and ran from the house screaming. I fell back onto the floor laughing at him. I laughed to myself even harder when I heard Laura scolding him.

"Chloe Hayes you get your little butt in here missy!" I sobered up hearing Laura. It was kinda weird hearing her use my last name.

"Yes?" I walked onto the front porch where she was working on dinner.

"I thought you were going to play with him. Not make him run around  screaming at the top of his lungs." She said as she wiped her hands on a towel.

"I was. He was just demonstrating how the dinosaurs would run away screaming." I defended.

"The wha-you know what? I don't even want to know." She laughed and went back to grilling. "While you're not doing anything though, would you go grab the plates and bring them out?"

"Sure." I re-entered the house, grabbing plates, and took them back outside to a picnic table near the barn.

I stiffened feeling someone wrap their arms around my shoulders. "Hey." I turned to see Cooper resting his head between his arms and my head.

"Hi...you okay?" I asked eyeing him from the corner of my eye.

"Yep."

"Okay. You mind?" I shrugged my shoulders and he let his arms drop. "What?"

"What d'you mean, 'what'?" He smiled at me.

"You're staring at me. Why?" I shot him a glare as I set the plates around the table.

"Do you regret not signing?" He asked suddenly. I looked at him from across the table.

"I don't...no. No, I don't. I spent so much of my life being told what to do, how to do it, where to do it, every aspect of my life was controlled. When I joined the Avengers, I was finally free. But with this looming over us now, I can't anymore." I explained to him quietly.

"So...if none of this had happened, what would you have done?" He asked sitting down on a bench.

"Well...I'm fourteen. As hard as that seems. Especially after everything I've been through, " I mumbled the last part. "I have a fairly long life left. But I don't really think I want to be a hero my whole life. I want to be a kid."

"So you're gonna stay for a while then?"

"Yeah. Probably." I smiled and heard Laura yelling at Clint telling him dinner was ready. "Just for a little while." He cracked a smile at me and I was grateful.

Nate jumped up onto the picnic bench and patted the seat next to him. "Sit!" He chirped up at me and I obliged.

We all sat down at the picnic table and ate hamburgers and hot dogs as the sun set behind us. It was like I had a normal family.

It was nice.

————————

I peered at the clock as I unpacked my stuff in the spare room when my phone went off. Glancing at it, I looked at the notification.

It was a new update, which I thought was weird in and of itself since I didn't get them much. I was about to ignore it when I read, 'UN bombed. Who's to blame?'

I felt my heart stop as I read the headline. Grabbing my phone I phased through the floor and into the living room where Laura and Clint sat watching TV. "Chloe! What are you doing?" Clint questioned but I ignored him and grabbed the remote.

I switched to the news and flipped through the channels until I found one. "A few hours ago, in Vienna, the UN was bombed. So far we know that more than seventy people were injured and at least twelve people are dead, including Wakanda's King T'Chaka." I fell back onto the couch between Laura and Clint as I watched the TV.

"It has been confirmed that the culprit of the bombing is none other than James Buchanan Barnes, also known as the Winter Soldier. We urge anyone with knowledge of this man to come forward. Updates will be given as we know more. For now, stay tuned." I stared at the television in shock as I watched a clip of him walk past a van.

There's no way he could have done that.

"Oh my-" Laura placed her hand on my shoulder and Clint stood up with his phone to his ear.

"Comeoncomeoncomeon..." He muttered before groaning. "Dang it, Nat! Answer the phone!"

"Clint!" Laura scolded and I saw her nod her head in my direction before looking at me. "I'm sure she's fine. Probably just helping other people. You know how your mom is."

I nodded solemnly. "Yeah. Probably."

I nearly screamed when my phone rang. "Hello?" I answered quickly.

"Chloe?"

"Mom? Are you okay? What happened?" I asked standing up.

"I'm alright. I got lucky. I want you to stay with Clint and Laura. Do you understand me? Do not leave their farm. I don't want you to get involved with this." She told me. I could tell she was serious.

"Okay. I understand." I nodded.

"Give me the phone." Clint held out his hand and I gave it to him. I sat down next to Laura half-listening to his side of the conversation.

"I told you she would be alright. Didn't I?" She smiled at me.

"Okay. Call when you can. I'll tell her. Bye." He handed me my phone back. "She says she loves you, and she'll call when she can."

"Come on, honey. Why don't we go upstairs?" Laura offered quietly and pulled me off the couch.

Gently, she led me upstairs and opened the door to the spare room I was staying in. "Go to sleep. We'll call her in the morning and she'll be fine." I nodded my head as I climbed into bed.

I nodded off as thoughts of what I saw on the news flooded my mind.

Domestic Chloe!! Yay! Y'all know what's bout to go down right? Enjoy the angst!