30Summary: Sequel to Downfall Of Us All. As the team try to come to terms with Michelle's death, a new terrifying threat is looming over them. Clint and Grace are forced to confront their darkest fears and enemies, as they prepare for their baby's arrival. Co – Written With snowqueen79. Clint/Grace, Bucky/Sophie and other pairings.
The Cradle Will Fall
Chapter 1
It was raining as Grace Melnychenko Drăgoi sat by Peter Parker's side, as they all struggled to come to terms with what had happened in the last twenty-four hours.
Michelle was dead, she had been found dead in her bedroom, she'd been tortured among other things. Grace had an arm around Peter, and Sophie on the other side, as they and May Parker tried to comfort him.
"This is all my fault, I should have told her to stay here but she wanted to check on her mom. Why didn't I insist?" Peter asked distraught, Grace hugged him tightly and saw Tony enter the room quietly.
"The limos will be here in an hour, I'm so sorry Peter," Tony said sadly, and Peter nodded numbly as he let the man hug him. He looked at Ned, Harry, Gwen and Mary - Jane who were all just as upset.
Steve, Clint and Bucky were silent as the funeral began and Steve helped Natasha sit down, her nine-month baby bump making it difficult for her to be comfortable now. Clint looked at Grace as she held his hand tightly, he placed his left hand protectively over her now six-month baby bump. They were going to find out the sex of the baby in two day's time, with Bobbi Morse, Tomas Calderon, Jane Foster and now Thaddeus Ross were now on the loose.
Michelle didn't have any family aside from her mother, who was in a critical condition in the ICU at Metro - General Hospital. It was all a mess, and who the hell had killed Michelle and why?
He wasn't going to let anyone hurt Grace or Connor, or their family while he was still standing. He stood up with the others, as the priest sang the final hymn.
"The Lord's my shepherd, I'll not want;
He makes me down to lie
In pastures green; he leadeth me
The quiet waters by.
My soul he doth restore again,
And me to walk doth make
Within the paths of righteousness,
E'en for his own name's sake.
Yea, though I walk in death's dark vale,
Yet will I fear no ill:
For thou art with me, and thy rod
And staff me comfort still.
My table thou hast furnished
In presence of my foes;
My head thou dost with oil anoint
And my cup overflows.
Goodness and mercy all my life
Shall surely follow me;
And in God's house for evermore
My dwelling-place shall be."
Father O'Connell sang sadly, and everyone stood up as Peter, Clint, Tony, Ned, Harry, Scott and Steve carried out Michelle's coffin into the cemetery.
Her own mother wasn't even at the funeral, Clint thought disgusted as Michelle's coffin was slowly lowered into the ground. Peter was the first to put down a red rose, then Ned, then May, Sophie, Grace and Harry along with Mary - Jane.
He wrapped an arm around Grace, as he saw a lone tear swim down her face and kissed her hair tenderly. Peter came over with May, and hugged them both, and then Sophie.
"Thanks for coming, you guys didn't have too." He said quietly, his face pale and eyes red from crying.
"Of course, we did," Sophie told, releasing Bucky's hand long enough to pull Peter into her embrace. "Your family, Peter. You and May have always been our family and that means Michelle was too."
Peter's eyes glittered with fresh tears as he let Sophie hold him. His gaze roamed over the sad, concerned faces surrounding him. His Avenger family.
Grace joined their hug and so did May, all holding onto each other and it reminded Sophie of a time when they were younger, and things seemed brighter. They hadn't known back in those days that the darkness had been there all along. Maybe they'd been happy as a result.
Clint stepped forward the moment they broke apart, hugging the young man himself. Bucky did the same while Steve remained still, stone-faced. Clint could almost hear the gears running in his mind.
"They going to be okay?" Clint only meant to draw him out of his head with a little conversation.
Steve's gaze met Clint's with lightning speed, his blue eyes a study in determination. "I'm meeting with Coulson this afternoon. We're going to post SHIELD agents around Peter's friends. We're not going to let anything happen to the others."
Steve's voice wasn't so stable.
"You okay, Cap?" Clint had to ask.
Steve nodded, the mask slipping for just an instance. "She was just a kid. He's just a kid. They're animals. To do that to a small, defenceless young woman."
Their leader's gaze moved to Natasha who stood talking to May quietly with her hand on her swollen tummy. In an instant, Clint understood Steve's upset. If those monsters could do what they did to Michelle, to Zach... What would they do with the child of Captain America and the Black Widow? What, if given the opportunity, would they do to his child with Grace.
Clint knew from experience how nerve-wracking it was to be a new parent. So much excitement and worry when a new baby came home. It was the best thing in the world when that little one smiled up at you as if you were their entire world, when you got to hold them against you safe while they slept. There were moments of terror too. The first time they sleep through the night, the first time they fall down, the first cold they catch.
Clint would remember every one of those moments with Cooper and Lila as long as he would live. He was looking forward to those moments with his child with Grace. And after the losses they both suffered, they both deserved the child that was coming and all of those precious experiences.
Steve and Natasha deserved no less and it pissed Clint off that this shadow had fallen across their happiness. Their child would be born within the next couple of weeks. They deserved to be decorating the nursery and fighting Tony over which gadgets they'd let him install in there. They shouldn't be at a funeral. They shouldn't be worried about the future of their baby because of the animals who felt they had the right to make their lives hell.
"That's perfect, Steve," Clint told him with a smile, hoping to edge down his concern. "That's a good call. I know Peter and May will really appreciate it, man."
Bucky dropped a hand on Steve's other shoulder.
"It's all going to be okay, Pal." Bucky's smile was warm. "We're not going to let anything happen to your child or theirs. Stark's probably going to have heat-seeking missiles ready to deploy at any perceived threat within fifty miles."
Clint shook his head. That wasn't really a joke. Tony had set up a nursery the likes of which had never been seen for Howard. Despite any differences they'd ever had, Tony wanted no less for Steve's child with Natasha. Not that there hadn't been a fantastic row or two in the process. There had been. At first, Steve didn't want the invasion of privacy or wanted to make changes that weren't feasible. Steve didn't get how a lot of technology worked, it was true.
Still, the day had come when Nat made a final plea of Steve to let Tony outfit the nursery to the nines, set it up so they could see it remotely on missions but with security measures in place, so the remotes couldn't be intercepted and accessed. Nat gave Steve an out. He could say that he'd agreed to "all Tony's nonsense" because he wanted to make Nat happy and it was very clever on their part. Clint had still seen Steve checking out all of the gadgets in the nursery when he'd thought no one was looking, a smile on his face.
Bucky had been the one to tell him after Steve had agreed to it, Tony had walked out after setting it all up with suspiciously shiny eyes. Jesus.
"Anyone tries anything, they'll have to get through Sophie," Bucky said with a laugh, gazing over at his girl with obvious love. "She'd be much worse than any heat-seeking missile."
Clint nodded his agreement. "I know that's right."
Steve blew out an exhale. "I just… we never thought we'd ever have a chance like this…"
Bucky shook his head. "Then look at it as glass is half-full not half-empty and enjoy it. You and Nat will keep him safe. Clint and I will teach him everything we know…"
Steve grinned. "Oh wow…"
"He'll have a set of little Iron Baby suits," Clint added. "I'll get him his own tiny crossbow."
Steve couldn't help but laugh. "You had me at teaching him everything you two know. So not ready for that."
"That's what uncles are for," Bucky informed him. "Spoil 'em rotten and give 'em back."
"He'll be spoiled by everyone, Sam wants to teach him how to use a skateboard, and Bruce wants to teach him chemistry." Steve said amused, he felt slightly more relaxed despite the circumstances.
Clint patted his right shoulder in a sign of comfort, and Steve nodded in thanks as they began to leave the graveyard. They were all driving back to the Avengers facility, and Adrian hugged Peter and spoke to him quietly.
He sighed as he looked at the people that were his family, and god help anyone who tried to hurt his family. He wouldn't let anyone hurt his team, his family, as he walked next to Grace and held her right hand tightly as they got into the limo and began driving back to the compound.
Grace insisted on ordering pizza for everyone, no one was in the mood to cook and Steve had gone to talk with Phil Coulson in the briefing room. The mood was sad, heartbroken and angry. This shouldn't have happened to Michelle, she'd been targeted because of her friendship with them and Peter. Grace vowed then on Michelle's soul, that she wouldn't rest until the people responsible were dead or thrown into the Raft.
She sat down next to Clint and leaned into him tiredly, he wrapped an arm around her as they talked to the others. It had been a long, emotional day and everyone was on edge.
She couldn't help but feel fiercely protective of her unborn child and of Steve and Natasha's baby boy, not to mention the other children and Howard. She wasn't going to let anyone hurt her family, no way in hell or hurt Clint.
She rested her head against Clint's chest, exhausted as she felt Connor kick against her ribs, she smiled. Grace placed a Clint's left hand on the spot where the baby had kicked, Clint was still for a minute and then he felt Connor kick against his hand.
That was his baby boy, he was healthy and kicking. A mixture of emotions ran through him, love, happiness and an overwhelming sense of protection towards his unborn child and wife. He wouldn't let anyone hurt Grace, or their baby.
Sophie was the last one to go to bed, and put the leftover pizzas in the fridge, so they could be eaten tomorrow. She cuddled Raymond who purred affectionately at her, as she stroked him behind the ears and they went to the bedroom that she now shared with Bucky, and heard him in the shower.
She smiled and took off her clothes, before joining him in the shower and he instinctively wrapped his left arm around her as she leaned into his embrace.
"How are you, Sophie?" Bucky asked gently, he knew Sophie had been devastated by Michelle's brutal murder along with Grace. This should never have happened to her.
"Upset, and angry. But I'm getting there as long as I have you, Grace, Adrian, Wanda, Clint, Peter, May and our family." Sophie confided finally, as Bucky started washing her blonde wavy hair and she did the same for him.
Bucky's heart ached for Sophie, she'd been through so much and it had made her strong but also broken her heart. Then there was the upcoming trial of Thaddeus Ross, and they all had to go and testify at the International Criminal Court, at the Hague in the Netherlands.
He kissed her tenderly on the lips, and she held onto him tightly as they washed each other and rinsed their hair. Bucky turned off the shower, and wrapped a towel around his waist, and they went into their bedroom and got ready for bed.
Sophie pulled on a pair of black sweatpants, and a grey t - shirt, Bucky just put on a black t - shirt, and black sweatpants. He held her close, as they got under the sheets.
"I love you, Bucky," Sophie whispered softly, Bucky held her tightly and buried his face into her hair. This woman made him feel alive.
"I love you too, Sophie. I can't live without you." He confessed emotionally, and she kissed his stubbly cheek tenderly.
Grace woke up in the middle of the night to see it was snowing lightly outside, as it was after all just after Christmas. She felt nervous at the thought of going to the Netherlands, to testify against Ross, and Pietro Maximoff.
"Grace, what's wrong?" Clint asked quietly, he'd woken up and seen the worried expression on her face. She tried to smile, but he could see that she was nervous.
"I'm worried about the trial, I have to tell everyone what Rumlow, Pietro, Misha and Alexei did to me. And to hear, what happened to my Zach, what they did to your Cooper and Lila," she admitted finally, and Clint held her close.
"Hey," he rolled to face her, propping himself up on an elbow. "It will be okay. It won't be as hard as it was the first time. Right? And you've learned in the months that have passed since the last testimony that you're so much stronger than you thought you were. You're amazing, Grace. They should write a song about you."
She snorted out a laugh at the pun. "Funny. But you know what I'm saying. It's still, at least for a period of time, reliving it all, revisiting that pain."
"Just makes you stronger." Clint brushed a lock of hair off her forehead as he gazed down at her, pressing a gentle kiss to her mouth. "And if we can stop this from happening to another family, to me, it will all be worth it."
Grace's heart sank when she considered that the losses Clint had experienced were just as painful. When his hand slid down her body to rest over top of Connor, she had to smile. The child wouldn't fill the hole left in her heart by Zach nor would he ever take the place of Cooper or Lila. But it would be a new start, something she could give to Clint to make his life happier and brighter.
"What are you thinking?" Clint smirked at her in the darkness.
Grace swallowed hard, trying to think of how she wanted to frame her words.
"I'm grateful for our baby," she finally said.
Clint nodded. "So am I, Gracie. I can't wait to meet him. I can't wait to share his life with you, watch him grow."
Grace couldn't help the fear that crept into her mind. Yes, the child was a new start for happiness. But if the dark forces that they couldn't seem to push out of their lives took him away from them too. How would she ever survive it?
"No, none of that," Clint said gently.
"What?"
"I know that look," Clint's tone was calm. "No one will touch him. Or you."
It was Grace's turn to smile. "I love you."
"I love you," he murmured. "It was just a miracle that I even found you, Grace, in all of these games Ross has played with us."
How she and Sophie had come to be part of their lives was odd but like him, she was grateful for that. At this point, she struggled to remember life before Clint was in it.
"But we can't allow them to pick us apart as they have been," Clint whispered in the darkness. "Going after that girl… Shouldn't have happened. Peter's a good kid. I'm worried about the impact of this on him moving forward."
"I am too," Grace admitted. "He's already been through so much at his age and to add this on top of it… I'm just so grateful Tony moved May here into the compound."
Clint snorted. "If Tony didn't have Lilia, I'd swear he had ulterior motives. Aunt May's nice looking."
Grace grinned, raised her eyebrows at him. "You think so?"
"Not like you," Clint was backtracking, "I mean she's cute for an older woman… Yeah, cute… don't you dare…"
Grace started tickling his sides mercilessly, knowing all of his weak points and causing him to try and fend her off, rolling onto his back with her on top of him, the baby bump a gentle press against him. Then Connor kicked him.
"See? You woke him up," Clint grinned up at her, so handsome and all hers.
"He's always awake, always ready to go," Grace informed him. "I guess he's just like his father in that way."
"What are you trying to say exactly?" Clint pulled her closer, pressing his hips up against her so she could feel how ready he was to go at the moment. He was a hard, hot press against her, and it had her catching her breath.
"I just said it," Grace leaned down to press a heated kiss to his mouth, Clint groaned beneath her. "You're always ready to go."
"Is this a serious an offer?"
Her heart melted when he smiled at her like that. "Maybe."
"You have to admit, it's better than worrying about testifying, right?"
Oh, it was. Clint always did know how to make her feel better, to make her happy. Grace nodded.
"Then come back down here and kiss me," Clint invited, his eyes glittering in the dim light of their bedroom. "I'm all yours."
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