Between Time- MCU

The meeting room is dim, most of the lights off except for the soft glow of the screens lining the far wall. The usual urgency in the air is missing, this isn't about a world-ending threat. Not technically.

Natasha sits at the head of the table, arms crossed tightly, her expression unreadable. Sam leans back in his chair, arms folded, quietly listening. Bruce flips through a file on his tablet. Wanda lingers near the window, looking out over the city but clearly listening. And Tony....Tony stands near the coffee machine, tapping it impatiently even though his attention is on the conversation.

Clint finally walks in, coat slung over one shoulder. He looks tired. Not in a mission-weary kind of way, more like the kind of tired that comes from watching a kid make the same mistakes you once did.

He tosses his coat over a chair and exhales. "Found her."

Natasha's head snaps up instantly. "Where?"

"Near 8th. Diner on Bleeker," Clint says. "She was hiding out behind a dumpster before that."

Tony arches a brow. "That's... oddly specific."

"She's good at disappearing," Clint says, ignoring the jab. "Really good. I wouldn't have found her if she didn't want to be found. She didn't say it, but... she was waiting for someone."

Wanda turns from the window. "How did she seem?"

Clint hesitates. "Worn down. Smart. Still guarded. But not angry. Not like before."

Natasha's fingers tighten on her arm. "Did she say anything about me?"

"Not directly," Clint says. "But she talked. A little. About her parents. About surviving. She's been through more than we thought."

"She doesn't trust us," Sam says softly.

"She doesn't trust herself," Clint corrects. "She left again after we talked."

Bruce glances up. "Left like... gone?"

"She's back out there, yeah," Clint says, nodding. "But she didn't ditch the comm. Still has it on her. She could've destroyed it, but she didn't."

"So she wants to be found," Natasha says, her voice quiet.

"She doesn't know how to be found," Clint replies. "That's different."

Tony finally stops fiddling with the machine. "So what's the plan? We just sit around until she decides to hit the button?"

Clint looks around the table, then lets out a tired breath.

"We give her space. We keep the lines open. No drones, no pressure, no S.H.I.E.L.D. sweep teams. Just... patience."

Tony raises an eyebrow. "You sure that's the smart play?"

"No," Clint says. "But it's the right one."

Silence settles over the room. Natasha leans back in her chair, her gaze far away now.

"She asked me, once," she says quietly. "If I'd still be there if she ran. I told her yes. No matter how many times it takes."

Wanda finally speaks again, her voice soft. "Then she'll come back. When she's ready."

Clint nods slowly. "Yeah. And when she does, we make damn sure she knows this time... we're not letting her face the world alone."