It had been for a mission. Clint had had to go under as a single dad who worked from home as a customer service agent. It wasn't fun. These people complained more than he did. And that was saying a bit. It was even worse since he had to take care of a six-month-old baby. Kathryn was adorable, sure. She was fun to play with, sure. She was a distraction from the idiots on the other side of the phone, sure. But she was also loud and fussy, and she kept Clint up at all hours.

This was the third time that night that Kathryn was waking Clint up, and he was almost out of patience. He stalked into her room, ready to see what was going on this time.

"Alright, kid. What the hell could it possibly be now."

He picked her up out of the crib and cradled her, just like he knew he should. But when he did, she stopped crying. She wasn't hungry, or she'd still be crying. She wasn't sleepy, or she wouldn't have woken up. Clint sniffed, and she definitely hadn't soiled her diaper. Clint laid her back down and she began to cry again. Clint picked her back up, and she stopped crying to snuggle into his chest.

"Separation anxiety?" Clint wondered aloud. "No, you were fine the first couple weeks."

Kathryn's fingers tangled in Clint's shirt and he knew he was lost. He carried her back to his room and laid her on his chest so that they could both sleep.

**

Clint carried Kathryn into the debriefing room with him. She was happily gnawing with the teething ring he'd had to buy her. He sat in the chair as he and Fury discussed the mission. Kathryn was just content to be near the man who had cared for her the past month. As the two men finished their discussion and Kathryn was falling asleep, a couple of agents walked in and asked for Kathryn so that they could take her back to the adoption center.

"No," Clint said, a little too loudly. It woke Kathryn up. "I want to keep her."

"Agent Barton," Nick said, "she is not your daughter. She is accessory to the mission."

Clint's anger bubbled up, "She is a human baby, and I want to adopt her. She hates it when I leave her, and I hate it when I leave her. I'm not giving her up. I'll fill out the papers."

Fury sighed and turned to the agents, "Get her papers."

Clint smiled down at Kathryn, "I'm gonna take you home, baby girl."

Kathryn cooed around her teething ring.