A/N: PHEW! Christmas (and being away from my laptop) messed up my planned updating schedules a little. (winces) BUT, now I'm back! Hooray?

FIRST, THOUGH…! THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart, for your absolutely amazing reviews, love and support! You have NO IDEA how much they mean to me. (HUGS)

Awkay, because it's REEEEEALLY late already… Let's go! I REALLY hope that this turns out worth the wait.

The Ties That Bind

Clint didn't start hesitating until he was already in the apartment. Mainly because he almost certainly blacked out for a few moments. Leaning a little too heavily on Bobbi to avoid stumbling down ungracefully, he licked his lips. "I… didn't interrupted anything, right?"

Bobbi rolled her eyes and pointed towards the bruising on her face. "Do I look I'm in the middle of a hot date?" She nodded towards the couch. "Let's get you there before you fall down again."

Each step was a war. And it wasn't lost on Bobbi how Clint seemed to tremble more with every passing second. Staying upright and marching on seemed to take absolutely all he had. By the time he finally slumped down his face had a taken a rather interesting, far from healthy shade of gray. He was panting like someone fresh out of a marathon.

It didn't exactly take S.H.I.E.L.D training to figure out that something was WRONG.

Bobbi wanted to demand answers. But she knew, all too well, that she'd need to let Clint pick the pace. There were two sides to Hawkeye – he could be incredibly endearing, and horribly infuriating. The way he shut down like a clam in the face of emotional turmoil was a fine example of the latter. It was also one of the many reasons why…

Clint's barely audible voice ripped her sharply from her thoughts. "You dyed your hair." Which was, quite possibly, the most politically correct way to express 'You've aged'.

Bobbi snorted with genuine amusement. "Well, when I hit my thirties I decided that the goth chick look wasn't working for me anymore." She arched an eyebrow. "We haven't seen each other in… what, ten years or something?" Missions and life always got in the way. "And that's your opening line?"

Clint snorted a laugh. Which sounded like half-a-sob. He rubbed his face roughly with both hands, like someone trying to wake up. Then began to struggle to get back to his feet. "Sorry I… Just… Sorry. I shouldn't have come…"

Bobbi groaned. Those mentioned ten years had made her forget how cautiously she needed to advance with a wounded, hurting Clint Barton. "You're not going anywhere when you look feeble enough to get your ass kicked by a five-year-old. If something happened to you, it'd be on me." Worry colored her voice, but she didn't mind. She wasn't a soulless monster, unlike some people claimed. And while a lot of time had passed from when they knew each other, and while not all of the time they knew each other was pleasant, she still cared. Because even if Clint wasn't necessarily good for her, back then, he was a good person. Just a bit of an idiot on occasion, like now. Bobbi frowned, searching those eyes that hadn't met hers in ages. "What's going on?"

Clint swallowed thickly. That something in his eyes grew to complete, utter panic. He looked like a wild animal that realized there was no escaping from a trap. "I can't… I can't remember, Bobbi."

She frowned, trying to figure this whole thing out. She needed a few more hints. "Remember what?"

True, Clint had… changed, too. But right there, in that moment… The twenty-something-year-old boy she used to know sat beside her. Looked at her with eyes that pleaded for help and radiated hurt. "The last… what, twenty fucking years of my life, apparently."

Well, it wasn't like Bobbi wanted to get any actual sleep that night, anyway.

Elsewhere in the city Laura was also having a sleepless night. After the stunt her parents pulled it was her unfortunate duty to explain the situation to her terrified, confused children. They took the news about as well as could be expected.

Cooper… locked up. Completely and utterly. To a point where the boy wouldn't say a word. Laura knew, on a level of reason, that her son just needed time to process everything. Which didn't make witnessing his obvious distress any easier.

Lila was far more vocal. She asked a lot of questions, and Laura wished that she had answers to more of them than she did. The little girl also cried, which shattered her mommy's heart. For months they all feared that they'd lose Clint altogether. And now that he was awake, now that things were supposed to be getting better… This happened.

"Mommy?" Lila whispered. It was already midnight and far past the girl's bedtime, but there was no way the child would've been able to sleep. Red and puffy eyes sought the comforting ones of the parent. "Daddy will remember, right? Eventually? I mean…" The girl swallowed thickly and clung to her mommy's clothes. "He can't just… just forget about us, forever."

Laura kissed her daughter's hair, mainly because she didn't want to see her facial expression at that very moment. "I… don't know", she admitted. And hated it. She pulled the little girl closer when the child started to cry again. "I know that he wants to, so much that it makes his heart hurt. We just have to give him time. And whatever happens… We'll help him. We're still a family." No matter how messed up things were, no matter how difficult it was to be together.

"Because families stick together."

Laura nodded, blinking back tears. She kissed her daughter's hair again, and wondered how her child managed to be more mature than her grandparents. "That's right, sweetheart."

Lila sniffled and buried her face to her chest. It took some time before the whispered words came. "I miss daddy a lot."

Laura closed her eyes and wished that she didn't have to stay so strong. The longing clawed at her heart mercilessly. "I know. I miss him, too." More than any words could say.

Clint talked until he was hoarse. Told Bobbi everything he understood about his current… predicament. Then he slept. And slept. He woke up dizzy, with a headache and even more confused than before. But at least some of the weight that crashed onto his shoulders when he found out how many people he let down was gone. At least here he wasn't disappointing everyone. Still, he knew that running away indefinitely wasn't any sort of a solution. He needed to think. He had to start coping.

Sink or swim, wasn't that what his dad taught him?

"Hey, sleepy head." Bobbi's voice startled him out of his thoughts. She darted a look towards him while flopping to the sofa with a mug of coffee. He wondered if it was spiked in the manner she used to spike her coffee. "You slept for…" She checked the time. "… fifteen hours. You've gotta be hungry."

He wasn't, really. But shrugged. At least chewing down something might keep his mind occupied for a while. It'd probably help with the headache, too.

Functioning on autopilot, he made a slice of toast. He felt a hint of amusement at how similar to 'back then' her fridge looked. Apparently Bobbi still couldn't cook to save her life, if the couple of remains of charred attempts and few ingredients were anything to go by.

He must've taken at least ten bites of the toast before he froze, tasting it.

"You do pickles, now?" Bobbi's voice startled him. She shrugged at the questioning look on his face. "It's been half an hour, Barton. I was starting to worry that you choked on the toast or something."

Clint… had no idea that such a long time passed. Nor did he quite know how he ended up sitting on the floor. Well. Perhaps leaving the Tower's medical wing so soon after waking up wasn't one of his smartest ideas. Some things never change, it seemed – he was still full of absolutely horrible ideas.

Bobbi snorted. "You're telling me that? I was one of your bad ideas." He hadn't realized that he spoke out loud before her comment.

Oh, that he remembered. They were very young and very stupid when they first met. Brats. Fire burned between them brightly and blazingly, only to die out quickly as they grew up. They were a mistake, for sure, but not such that should be looked back on with regret. With how many regrettable things Clint had done in his life, he refused to add something that made him genuinely happy for a while to that list.

The sound of fingers snapping brought him out of those thoughts. There was a frown he knew far too well on Bobbi's face. "You just zoned out on me. And in case your thick skull isn't willing to accept as much, that's not exactly a good thing."

Clint shrugged, feeling uncomfortably lot like he was being examined with a microscope. "Sorry. Just… thinking."

Bobbi's eyebrow twitched. She clearly wanted to start yelling and growling but decided to have mercy on him. "For fifteen minutes?" She gritted her teeth so hard that it made a sound. "You should be in bedrest, you moron. Or even better, in a hospital. What the hell are you doing here?" To most that might've sounded harsh, but he knew her well enough to catch the undertones.

Clint shrugged. It didn't matter how old he actually was now, under her intense glare he felt every bit like the kid he remembered himself as. "Just… needed something I remember." Someone I remember.

Bobbi groaned and shook her head. "See? This is why we never worked out. You keep making me want to hug you and punch you in the face at the same time." She sighed, coming to a decision. "C'mon, let's get you to bed."

"Couch", Clint insisted with as much conviction as he could muster, because there was no way he'd kick Bobbi out of her own bed.

Bobbi clearly wanted to protest, but rolled her eyes instead. "Fine, couch. At least it's better than the floor."

Clint didn't quite remember how he made it to the couch. Just that he needed far more support than he would've liked. In seconds he was fast asleep.

And he dreamt. Of Laura. Of them exchanging kisses in the dark, both drowsy and sated. Of them dancing, arms wrapped around each other and the rest of the world somewhere far away. He also dreamt of a boy who seemed far too solemn. Of a little girl who shone like the sun as she ran towards him. ('Daddy!') Of a baby who yawned and opened his eyes, looking at him with a heartbreaking amount of trust. He woke up with tears in his eyes, and felt like his whole world had been torn away from him.

Bobbi wasn't entirely sure what roused her. Her eyebrows furrowed before she yawned and crawled reluctantly out of the comfort of her bed. It wasn't a surprise that Clint wasn't on the couch. Nor was it the first time she saw the expression he wore as he sat on the floor, staring through the window towards the starlit sky. "Bad dreams?"

Clint's jawline tightened. The look on his face suggested that his mind was somewhere very far away. "Not… exactly. I'm just… trying to wrap my head around… everything." He frowned, obviously deep in thought. "Before… all this… I had just Coulson. And you. When I woke up… There were so many people around me. People who care." He shook his head. "Now I have a wife. And kids." He wiped his eyes so swiftly that she nearly missed it. "I know that I'm a shitty dad. You know how crappy I am at being a husband. Horrible enough to make my in-laws willing to pay to get me away from my family. But… I think I was happy. Happier than ever. And now…" He knocked on his temple with a fist so hard that it made her want to wince. "… now it's just… gone. All gone." This time he wasn't able to hide the tears shimmering in his eyes. "And apparently Coulson's gone, too." He gritted his teeth. "The whole world has changed, and… I'm still… there. Or… My head is." He seemed frustrated, like he couldn't quite express what he wanted.

Bobbi… felt several all-consuming urges at the same time. She wanted to strangle Fury with her own two hands for the lie about Phil. She wanted to embrace the lost and heartbroken man in front of her, which was bizarre enough to make her shiver. More than anything she wanted to promise him that soon he'd regain his memories. That soon everything would work out, he'd just need to have faith and stay strong. But neither of them had ever been much for sugarcoating. "You're gonna listen to me now, Barton. Got that?" As much as she wanted to tell him the truth about Phil, she could see that he had far too much to deal with already. "We were married for… what, eight months and a few days, when we were still in our teens and morons. It didn't fall apart because you were a bad husband. It fell apart because we clicked well as friends but terribly as lovers. I don't think we ever saw the same things in our future." She tried to offer him a smile, but he wasn't looking towards her. "I always saw you as a father, no matter how ridiculous and horrifying you found that idea. And it terrified me, because I don't think I'll ever want… that for myself." She took a deep breath, looking back on days she hadn't thought about in a very long time. "Yeah, it was pretty horrible at times. We fought, a lot. But it wasn't all bad. I just wasn't the one you were looking for." She sighed, wishing that he would've met her eyes to ensure that he believed her. "But I think you found the one you were looking for. So fight for her." She gave him a moment. "You said it yourself. You have a lot of people willing to support you. Stop running away from those who care about you."

Clint swallowed thickly, vacant eyes staring at something only he could see. "They haven't known… this version of me. They want me to remember. What if I… can't? What if they're stuck with…" He gestured towards himself, his nose wrinkling. "… this?"

"You're still you, deep down", Bobbi pointed out. "Whatever happens next… You'll all figure it out. They won't give up on you, so I'm not letting you give up on them."

Finally Clint looked towards her. There was a heartwarming, innocent look of pure shock in his eyes. "Holy shit… We're adults now, aren't we?"

Bobbi wanted to laugh and wince. So she did both. "I know. It sucks, doesn't it?"

It was early in the morning when Tony's phone rang but the billionaire was awake. It hadn't been exactly easy to sleep lately. Despite the text-message updates from Bobbi he couldn't help being… concerned. He didn't do worrying, of course, but… He just almost lost one of his best friends, and the said friend still wasn't alright. So, some concern was allowed.

Tony picked up embarrassingly quickly when he noticed the caller ID. "Hey." That had to be the worst forced cheery tone he'd ever used. "How's Feathers?"

"Feathers?" Clint sounded unimpressed. The archer then took a deep breath. "Look, I've… done some thinking. And… It's time to come back. To try and sort out this whole mess. I mean, if…"

"Hey!" Tony hoped that he didn't sound insulted. "You can always come back. No matter what." It was the easiest pledge he'd ever made. "What friends are for."

There was a suspicious moment of silence. Then an unidentifiable sound. "Look, Stark…"

"Let's just… not turn this into a chick-flick moment, okay?"

Minutes later Tony headed to where Laura, Wanda and Steve were watching over the Barton kids. Once he could be sure the kids wouldn't notice, he mouthed to the adults staring at him demandingly. 'He's coming back.'

Steve's whole being slumped from relief. Wanda smiled radiantly. And the look that appeared to Laura's face… It could've rivaled the sun itself.

Things would be far from easy, but at that very moment it felt like everything would work out.

It was one of the most terrifying things Clint had ever experienced in his life. Or well, in the part of his life he actually remembered. He stood, as much as it could be called standing with both Tony and Bobbi supporting him, in front of the Tower. And wondered if he was completely out of his mind or if he'd been tossed to some alternative reality.

"Hey." Tony aimed for a light tone but didn't quite manage it. The billionaire nudged at him. "You're not gonna pass out on me, are you?"

"Nah. Just…" Clint blinked twice. "… thinking."

"You don't do thinking", Tony and Bobbi pointed out as one.

Clint rolled his eyes. He wasn't quite able to disguise the start of a grin tugging at the corner of his lips. "Great… You're already ganging up on me." If he was fully honest it was sort of heartwarming, in some bittersweet way, to see how the life he remembered and the life he couldn't remember began to blend together. To see how willing the people from his future were to accept everything and everyone from his past. The man he grew up to be must've done something right to find friends like these.

Together, his two escorts giving him the time he needed, they entered and began to make their way onwards. A long elevator-ride later Clint faced the biggest shock he'd had since waking up. For a long time he wondered if he was dreaming again.

As soon as the elevator's doors opened he saw the far too serious boy he dreamt of. Along with the little girl. For a long, stilled moment the three of them stared at each other. Then, faster than Clint could comprehend what was happening, the kids were running. The force with which they slammed at him would've tackled him down even if he wasn't still infuriatingly feeble from recovery. They embraced him with all their might, as though fearing that he'd fade away if they didn't hold on tightly enough. It felt incredibly good. And filled him with guilt. What he was putting these kids through…!

"Daddy!" The girl squeezed hard enough to make it hurt. "You came back! I told Coop you'd come back!"

The boy, Coop apparently, just held him. Unable to produce a sound. The child's frame shook gently from silent sobs.

To them it didn't seem to matter that he'd shown no sign of having recognized them. They just wanted their dad, no matter how unwell and confused he was. They trusted him to be the parent they needed. At first Clint froze. Until slowly and ridiculously cautiously – as though fearing that he'd cause them even more pain – he wrapped his arms around them. And prayed to whatever deity might be listening that he'd somehow be enough. Even if he had absolutely no idea what to do.

Clint was so emotionally preoccupied that he barely even noticed how Laura rushed to the scene, carrying a baby. There was a mortified expression on her face. "Hey, you two, what did I tell you about running off…!" Her eyes spotted Bobbi, and both women tensed up.

It was impossible to estimate how long the uncomfortable silence lingered until Tony cleared his throat. "So, ah… Why am I getting the feeling that you two know each other?"

Laura nodded slowly. "Yeah… We do." She seemed dazed, among a lot of other things. "Bobbi's my sister."

TBC

A/N: Yup. That's right. Clint's succeeded in being married to sisters! Only Clint Barton… (chuckles and shakes head) OH, the drama…! HOW, will things continue from here? What happened between the sisters? Will their parents cause even more trouble? AND, of course… Will Clint regain his memories?

Then, to the most important question of all… Was that any good, at all? PLEASE, do let me know!

Awkay, I need to head to bed. (chuckles) Until next time, folks! I REALLY hope that you'll all join in for that one.

TAKE CARE, AND HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Carry692: Me too! (hisses) Let's hope that they'll just fade away, before they cause even more trouble.

Heh, we'll see just what comes out of this. One thing's for sure. There'll be DRAMA. (winces)

Colossal thank yous for the review! Until next time.