Clint loves Christmas.

It's been a long time since he'd had the chance to celebrate it, and he'd begun to forget in those five years of despair just how precious this time of year can be. And though a part of him wishes he could have spent the last week with his family, he wouldn't change this for the world. Christmas feels just a little more special with Kate Bishop here.

As the day comes to a close, the whole family is gathered in the living room. The fireplace is roaring, not that it's that cold outside, and they've already gone through a small handful of Christmas movies. They've blasted their way through Rudolph and Frosty, and now they're onto A Year Without A Santa Claus (now that Nathaniel's finally old enough that Heat Miser doesn't scare him).

It's getting to be time for yet another hot chocolate and cookies break when the doorbell rings.

"Oh, did you guys invite someone else over?" Kate asks with a grin, doubtless eager to further integrate herself into her newfound family.

Clint looks up at Laura questioningly, hoping that she'll know who's bothering them this late at night. She gives him the same look right back. It seems they're both equally as clueless.

"You have no idea," Kate says slowly, "do you?"

Clint sighs and pushes himself to his feet. "You guys stay here. I'll be right back."

Lila frowns. "You don't think it's someone bad, do you?"

Clint forces a smile. "Of course not," he says. "But if they're really bad Christmas carolers, I want to save your ears."

She giggles at that, and Clint's smile grows a little more genuine. He presses a kiss to the top of her head. How he survived five years without the sound of her laughter, he couldn't say, but he's damn glad to have it back.

As he walks out of the room, he hears someone scramble for the remote. He debates telling them that they can keep watching – it's not like he's never seen this movie before – but if they want to wait for him, he's okay with that. He'd be more than happy to prolong their movie night, even just by a few minutes.

Clint must admit, of all the things he's changed in the makeup of this house, one design flaw he probably should have paid more attention to is the lack of windows next to the door. He glances through the windows throughout the kitchen, but while he can see the car parked out front, he can't see who's waiting for him outside the front door.

It's probably unnecessary, but after this week's debacle, he can't be sure, so, just in case, he grabs an arrow from his quiver and grips it tightly in his hand. He doesn't expect to use it, but he's not taking any chances with his kids in the house.

One hand holds the arrow behind his back, and the other reaches for the doorknob. This is it. One... Two... Three.

It's...

Yelena?

She still wears the same clothes she wore the day before. Her hair is falling out of its braid, and her makeup is smudged, with traces of mascara running down her cheeks. As she looks up at him, he can see the tears welling up in her eyes, and in an instant, last night's fight is forgotten.

His fatherly instincts kick in, and he finds himself tossing his arrow aside and spreading his arms before he even knows what he's doing. Yelena wastes no time barreling into him, burying her face against his chest. She chokes out a sob, and Clint has to squeeze his eyes shut to keep his own tears from forming. He wraps his arms around her, gently rubbing her back as she sobs.

"I'm sorry," she chokes out. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey, it's okay," he whispers. "You're okay."

"I'm so sorry," she sobs. "I'm so, so sorry."

"I know," he says quietly. "It's okay."

For what feels like ages, they just stand there, embracing each other as though there was nothing else left in the world.

Finally, Clint takes a step back, but he keeps his hands on her shoulders, keeping that connection he doesn't want to lose. "Do you want to come in?"

Yelena sniffles. "I have a dog in the car."

Clint huffs at that, a quiet laugh he can't fight back. "You can bring your dog, too."

Yelena gives him a small smile. She walks over to her car, and Clint follows her, keeping a careful eye on her — not out of fear that she'll do something harsh, but out of concern that she'll break down again.

She opens the door to the back seat, and a big, fluffy dog jumps out. The dog looks around eagerly, and when she catches sight of Clint, she barrels into him, shoving her side against his legs and begging for pets. Clint chuckles and scratches her side.

"Nat never told me you had a dog," Clint remarks. Not that he thinks her sister's dog would be a major topic of conversation, but still. He'd like to think it would have come up once or twice.

"I got her after the Blip," Yelena says. "I thought she could keep me company now that Natasha's..."

Clint nods sympathetically. "Let's get her inside. I think Kate's dog could use some company."

"Kate Bishop?" Yelena repeats. "Kate Bishop is here?"

"Mm," Clint hums. "It's a big Christmas."

"Is there room for one more?"

"There's always room for Nat's family," Clint assures her. "Come on."

He puts her arm around her back and gently leads her into the house. Fanny trots after them, occasionally sticking her face between them just to draw attention to herself.

When they reach the living room, Fanny takes off, barreling into Lucky across the room. Lucky hops to her feet, growing playfully, and thus, the doggy tussle begins.

When the Bartons see Clint and Yelena, they look pleasantly confused. Kate, meanwhile, looks mildly terrified – at least until she processes Yelena's broken state; then, her expression shifts to one of sympathy.

Yelena forces a small smile. "Hi."

"Hi?" Laura looks at Clint questioningly.

"Guys," Clint says, "this is Auntie Nat's sister, Yelena."

"Auntie Nat has a sister?" Cooper repeats incredulously.

"How come we never knew that?" Nathaniel whines.

When Yelena looks at Clint, there are tears in her eyes once more. "Auntie?"

"The kids loved their Auntie Nat," he tells her. "She was part of the family."

Yelena squeezes her eyes shut, and a tear slips down her cheek. Clint sighs and pulls her in for a hug once more. He wishes there was more he could do. He wishes he could bring her back. He'd do anything to bring her back.

The kids all look at each other uncomfortably. Laura stands up, and as she walks up to them, Clint lets Yelena go.

Laura puts her hand on Yelena's shoulder. "It's so nice to finally meet you."

Yelena chokes out a sob. "Thank you," she whispers. "For watching out for her when I couldn't "

"That's what family does," Laura says.

Yelena pulls her in for a hug, and Laura doesn't hesitate to hug her back. They may have just met, but they're still family. Laura knows that all too well.

Cooper nudges Lila's shoulder and whispers, "Why's she crying?"

"I think she misses Auntie Nat," Lila whispers back.

"I miss Auntie Nat, too," Nathaniel cuts in, "and I'm not crying."

"Well, maybe she misses Auntie Nat more," Lila says.

As Yelena sobs into her shoulder, Laura looks at her husband helplessly. Clint just shakes his head. He doesn't know what to do, either. He just knows that he can't just leave her to fend for herself. Laura seems to agree.

When Yelena begins to calm down, Laura asks quietly, "Do you want to watch a movie with us?"

Yelena nods into her shoulder. "I'd like that."

"Do you want me to get you some hot chocolate?" Laura offers.

Yelena sniffles. "Would you?"

"Of course," Laura says. She kisses the side of Yelena's head before pulling away. "You go get settled. I'll get you a mug."

Yelena gives her a small smile. "Thank you."

Laura reaches over and squeezes her hand, then walks out of the room, off on a hot chocolate mission.

Kate shoves herself against the edge of the couch and pats the space next to her. "Yelena, you wanna sit here?"

Yelena nods and crosses the room, taking the spot she made for her. Clint sits down on her other side, and there should be just enough space for Laura when she comes back.

"Are you okay?" Kate asks quietly.

"I think so," Yelena says.

"You know," she says, nudging her shoulder playfully, "we could totally still get drinks later."

Yelena smiles. "I'd like that."

Nathaniel scooches across the floor until he's seated in front of the couch, legs crossed in front of him as he looks up at her. "You're Auntie Nat's sister?"

Yelena nods. "Yeah, I am."

"Does that make you our Auntie, too?" he asks.

Yelena laughs quietly. "Stop making me feel old."

"You're not old," Lila says. "You're, what, 20? 21?"

"Of course she's 21," Cooper remarks. "She said she was gonna go out and drink."

"You don't have to be 21 to drink," Lila protests. "You've never heard of fake IDs?"

Yelena and Kate share a look, amused.

"The Blip de-aged you," Kate says teasingly.

Lucky barks then, and immediately, Kate and all three kids shush her. Yelena just laughs, and that gets Fanny's attention, because she runs over and jumps up on the couch, lying across all three of them. They all start laughing, and Fanny wags her tail excitedly.

Laura chooses that moment to come back, and she watches them for a few moments, amused. Through her laughter, Yelena tells Fanny to get down, though it takes about half a dozen attempts until the dog finally listens. She sits down in front of them, her tail still wagging as she looks up at her owner.

Laura hands Yelena her new mug of hot chocolate. "For you," she says. "And..." She holds up the plate of a dozen or so chocolate chip cookies. "Take as many as you want."

Yelena thanks her as she picks up three cookies, and Laura doles the rest out among the kids, fortunately leaving just enough for Clint and Laura to each have one.

Lucky runs up, nuzzles Fanny out of the way, and rests her chin on Yelena's legs. Fanny whimpers and lays down at their feet. Yelena's shoulders shake with silent laughter, and she moves her cookies further away so the dogs can't steal them.

"Have you seen A Year Without a Santa Claus before?" Laura asks her.

Yelena shakes her head. "We never watched Christmas movies."

Nathaniel gasps. "You've never seen a Christmas movie?" he says in disbelief.

She shakes her head. "I don't think so."

Nathaniel looks up at his parents. "We need to start it over."

"You don't need to—"

"We're gonna start it over."

"There's no use in arguing," Clint tells her. "Nathaniel always gets his way."

Yelena cracks a smile at that. "Thank you," she says quietly. "For everything."

"Any time," Clint says, and he means it. She's family, whether she knows it or not, and this is what family is for.

Kate holds out her cookie and clinks it against Yelena's in a cheers motion. They both take a bite in unison, and they share a smile.

Clint can't help but smile, too.

It may be too late to save Nat, but he can help Yelena, and maybe that's enough.