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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟓
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐓-𝐆𝐔𝐘

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When she finally arrived back at the farmhouse after everything that's occurred, Charlie followed her father up the stairs of the porch. A mixture of emotions washed over the Barton girl as they walked through the front door and into the living room. Silence greeted the two heroes as the young archer took in her home that she hadn't seen in months. Her eyes continued to scan over her childhood memories until they landed on Laura, who was staring back at her husband and stepdaughter from the entryway of the kitchen with shock in her eyes. The next thing Charlie knew, the brunette woman rushed towards her and pulled the blonde girl in for a hug.

"I'm glad you're okay, Charlie," the brunette woman whispered into the girl's ear then took a step back to study her until her eyes landed on the third sparrow tattoo on Charlie's collarbone, "you got another sparrow."

The Barton girl didn't say a word as her stepmother looked up at her with a knowing look in her eyes. However, before Laura could say another word, the sound of tiny feet against the wooden floor cut through the silence. While Clint pulled his wife in for a long hug, Charlie looked towards the source of the sound to find Cooper and Lila running straight at her. The first genuine smile appeared on her face since she left Sokovia as she pulled her younger siblings in for a group hug and places a kiss on the top of each of their heads.

"We thought we'd never see you again, Charlie," Cooper mumbled just loud enough for his older sister to hear before he looked back up at her with relief in his eyes.

"We're so scared," Lila added while tightening her grip around Charlie's waist.

The smile on the eldest Barton sibling grew as she squatted down to be at eye-level with them. Her gaze went between Cooper to Lila before she took their hands into hers and gave them a gentle squeeze. "I'm okay and I will always do everything in my power to remain that way."

"Are you gonna stay here?" the Barton boy asked with a hint of hope in his eyes.

"Only until the baby is born then I'm gonna move to New York for a little while," Charlie told them, earning curious yet sad looks from both of them, "I just need a little time away from everything. Kinda like a vacation. But I'll be back here before you know it."

The three siblings shared another smile before Charlie watched Lila's eyes travel down to the jewelry hanging from her neck. She just stared at her sister for a moment as she studied the dog tags until her eyes flashed up to meet her sister's once again. "Who's Pietro?"

The Barton girl instinctively closed her eyes for a moment before she felt a hand on her shoulder. A shaky breath passed over her lips as she looked up to find her father staring down at her with a small smile on his face. Charlie just stared at him with no emotion on her face for a moment then turned her attention back to her younger siblings. "He was a boy I met during my adventures. He saved my life on more than one occasion...he was a hero."

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A month had passed since Charlie and Clint returned home and while the Barton man enjoyed being with his family again, his daughter couldn't say the same. Despite enjoying the time she was spending with her siblings and parents, the young archer was plagued by constant panic attacks and nightmares of what happened in Sokovia. She was haunted with guilt and couldn't stop blaming herself for what happened no matter how many times she heard it wasn't her fault.

The one good thing that had come out of the Barton girl returning home with her father was meeting the newest addition to their family. Her baby brother was born a few weeks after they got back to the farmhouse and he was one of the only things that could take Charlie's mind off of what happened only weeks ago.

His name was Nathaniel Pietro Barton.

At that moment, Charlie sat with her family in the living room while Laura held Nathaniel in her arms. While the Barton girl admired her brother with a smile on her face, Clint called Natasha on FaceTime to show her the giggling baby. The grin on the young archer's face slightly grew as she read the name on his clothing. After her father ended the call with his redheaded partner, Charlie moved over to allow him to sit next to Laura while Cooper and Lila played with their toys on the rug in front of them.

"How long until you go to New York?" Clint asked his eldest daughter while he stared down at his youngest son with a smile on his face.

"I'll stay for a few more weeks," Charlie answered as she began to fiddle with her sparrow charm and Pietro's dog tags, a habit she developed over the last month when she started feeling anxious, "S.H.I.E.L.D. found a nice place for me. According to Fury, it has an amazing view that'll make you jealous."

"I'm sure it will," the Barton man said with a laugh before finally tearing his gaze away from Nathaniel to look at his daughter, "what part is it in?"

"Queens."

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Two more weeks went by before Charlie finally felt she needed to begin her "vacation" in Queens. Despite not wanting her to go, her entire family helped her pack all her belongings and drove with her to her new home. Wanda also came to visit her a few times and to help the Barton girl settle in, leaving behind an old picture of her and Pietro for the Barton girl to keep safe. It was now framed and hanging on the wall in the living room.

Everything was starting to feel normal to Charlie again. Well, almost normal. The young archer was still fighting against the constant nightmares involving everything that happened during her time working with the Avengers. Every time she closed her eyes, the Barton girl relived the last moments of her time in Sokovia. Each time she looked down the street, the blonde girl thought she saw Pietro standing there...but she knew he wasn't really there. That was the main reason why she wanted to leave the farmhouse. Her constant screaming and reliving one of the most scarring moments of her life would have terrified Cooper, Lila, and Nathaniel. It was also why S.H.I.E.L.D. soundproofed her apartment before they left her to live a civilian life.

A few weeks passed when Charlie finally decided to go for a run around the city to explore her new home and try to take her mind off of everything. After running three miles around her neighborhood, she slowed to a walking pace for a bit to take in some of her new surroundings. Everything was much larger and brighter compared to the farm she grew up on, but that was to be expected. Despite all the feelings building up inside her, a small smile formed on her face. Charlie could see herself starting over here, no matter how long it took her to forget what happened.

Soon Charlie turned around another corner and walked past the local high school, Midtown School of Science and Technology. It wasn't much longer after that when a brunette boy came out of nowhere and ran straight into the Barton girl, sending his papers and books through the air and onto the sidewalk.

"Sorry," he muttered just loud enough for Charlie to hear before he bent down to pick up his belongings.

The small smile on the Barton girl's face slightly grew as she squatted down to help him gather his things. A short moment passed before they finally got all of his papers and stood back up to their full heights. After Charlie handed him what was in her hands, she noticed him staring back at her in awe.

"You're Sparrow!" he exclaimed, making the blonde girl freeze as she took a small step away from the boy. After seeing her reaction, he quickly apologized again before he continued speaking. "I'm a huge fan of the Avengers. You were awesome in the fight against Ultron."

"Thank you," Charlie responded then let out a forced laugh while her eyes continued to study the boy in front of her. It wasn't long after that when the smile returned to her face.

"I'm trying to become a hero too," he quickly and quietly told the girl in front of him after taking a small step closer to her.

The Barton girl just stared at him with confusion in her eyes before realization began to flow through her veins. "You're that Insect-Guy, aren't you?"

"It's...it's Spider-Man...and, uh, maybe."

"What's your name?"

"Peter Parker."

"Well, Peter," Charlie said before taking one of his papers and a pen and writing down her email, "if you ever need advice, just let me know."

"Thank you so much," he told her then looked down at the piece of paper with a smile on his face then back up at the girl in front of him, "you know, most people use phones to communicate."

"Only close friends and family have my number. You gotta earn it," the Barton girl responded with a smirk then began to walk away from the brunette boy before calling over her shoulder, "good luck, Peter Parker. I'll see you around."

When she reached the end of the block, Charlie glanced back one last time to see a boy in blue sweatpants and a red hoodie flying through the air. Her eyes stayed glued to him until he disappeared around the corner then she continued her run throughout the city with the sound of her sparrow charm and dog tags ringing in her ears.

It was time for her new life to begin.

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