Friends to the End: Season Three

[ericadawn16]

Title: Friends to the End: Season Two
Author: Ericadawn16
Prompt: The wonderful mash-up of Friends and Avengers
Character/Pairing(s): Phil/Clint, Previous Jessica Drew/Clint, Bobbi Morse/Steve Rogers, Tony/Pepper, Thor/Jane, Peter Parker/Mary Jane, Clint/Wanda, Maria Hill/Bruce Banner, Kurt Wagner/Amanda, Kitty/Bobby Drake, Darcy/Wade Wilson, Natasha/Fandral, Sif/Phil
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Nah, nothing worse than the film...maybe a bit angstier and gorier in this chapter.
Spoilers: Post-Movie AU
Summary: Pepper decides to find her birth parents and it changes everything.
Beta: BIG Thanks to lavendergaia and valoscope

The One with the Baby on the Ceiling
August 10, 2015

"Hi, Ben," Natasha spoke with a little wave. She was pretty sure small children enjoyed waves. Ben began to cry. "You didn't do this last week." Natasha had already made her greetings with everyone else.

"He's probably just being cranky and tired. He's not even using his big boy words," Phil spoke, handing her a piece of pie as they all stood in the kitchen area of the apartment that Phil and Loki shared. Clint was already sharing a piece with the toddler. She took a fork and dug in. Ben was smiling again and declaring, "Pie".

Toddlers were fickle creatures. Clint began coughing.

"If you must be sick, please do so in the toilet," Loki requested from the safe distance of the couch.

"What is it?" Phil asked.

"What's in the pie?" Clint asked between coughs.

"The usual, butter, eggs, flour, lime, kiwi--"

"I'm al...allergic to...kiwi," Clint stuttered.

"What?" Phil asked, "I thought you were allergic to strawberries."

"That's Pepper," Natasha informed them.

"Peanuts?" Phil asked.

"Peter Parker," she said, automatically. Clint mimed a clicking motion with his hand.

"That's at work. I've never needed an Epi pen at home before so we need to go to the hospital," Phil spoke. Clint shook his head.

"No neeb hobital," he argued. Natasha felt really bad for him. His tongue was definitely swelling.
"You're going, even if I have to taser you on top of everything else," Phil threatened. Clint's fight left him. They both knew that tone.

"Daddy?" Ben asked.

"Cat leab 'im," Clint spoke and reached for him.

"We can't take him with us to the hospital. He'll be fine. He has Tasha and..." he started, hesitated and repeated, "Tasha. Go on."

Phil seemed to wait for Clint to reach the door before turning to her, "It's not hard. Just make sure he doesn't kill himself."

"You're leaving me alone with him?" Natasha asked at the wide-eyed toddler watching his dad from the booster seat.

"Not entirely alone, you'll...you'll have Loki and you could call Sue..."

Natasha was relieved at the mention of Sue. She could even take Ben over there. The Baxter Building was just next door.

"They're away on a mission but you could still try," Phil finished. Her spirits sank. He turned to Ben, bending down to his level. "Your daddy's going to be fine and we'll be back before you know it, okay?"

Natasha wasn't sure Ben understood but the boy nodded anyway. Then, Clint and Phil were gone. She'd never been responsible for a child before. He finished his pie. There didn't appear to be any allergic reaction.

"So..." Natasha started. Ben wasn't any help. He rocked his booster seat, trying to break free of the restraints.

"He might be in need of a nap," Loki suggested from behind her. She looked back to see him writing in his journal. Small children did require naps.

"How do I know?"

"You could try asking."

"Ben, are you sleepy?" she asked the toddler.

"NO!" he cried.

"They are also prone to lying," Loki added.

"Great, temperamental and prone to lying. All children are simply you in miniature form," Natasha spat. He sat his pen and journal down to stand up.

"I could leave you alone with him," Loki threatened.

"No," Natasha spoke and realized what she could do. She let Ben out of his booster seat and set him down. Then, he immediately ran for the door. He jumped for the handle. She ran after him and scooped him up.

"No, your daddy was sick and had to go to a doctor. He'll be back soon," Natasha told him.
Please let it be soon, she thought.

"Let's play with your toys," she suggested and set him down near the pile. All the Avengers were there in toy form although her figure didn't really look like her at all and Tony kept teasing Phil about his not having one. Ben seemed appeased and Natasha began cleaning up the kitchen. She was almost finished when there was a tug on her jeans' leg.

"Diaper," Ben announced. No, this was below her pay grade.

"Aunt Tasha doesn't do diapers," she tried to explain.

"Diaper!" Ben screeched. "My diaper!"

"All this time and you've never learned how to change a child," Loki spoke with a smirk.
"Just because I'm a woman..."

"But I thought the illustrious Black Widow prided herself on knowing everything," he chided.

"My life has never depended on knowing that," she argued. Ben was wailing. She supposed she would have to learn.

"Ben, where are your supplies?" Loki asked. The toddler stopped crying and ran to the diaper bag on the floor. "I'd rather not have shit where it doesn't belong or a miniscule banshee in my home."
Natasha assumed she would have to jump in and stop him from using magic or some nefarious plot. Instead, he changed the diaper without much consternation.

"Interesting," he said of the adhesive strips that attached the diaper together. She supposed Asgard wasn't that advanced.

"How?" she asked when he was all done.

"Amazed?" he retorted and laughed. "Thor has a much younger brother by the name of Balder. His servants weren't always on top of his every need as planned."

Natasha had no idea. Thor had never mentioned a second brother before.

"Foals are easier," Loki muttered. Something about that seemed familiar but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Me nap," Ben announced. His verbal skills reminded her of the Hulk and she shook her head.
"Come on," she said, picked him up and took him to Phil's bedroom. When he was on the bed, she turned to leave.

"Sing," he requested. It was so much easier when she could just kill people.

She started to sing the first song that came to mind.

"Now somewhere in the black mining hills of Dakota
There lived a young boy named Rocky Raccoon
And one day his woman ran off with another guy
Hit young Rocky in the eye Rocky didn't like that
He said I'm gonna get that boy
So one day he walked into town
Booked himself a room in the local saloon."

Natasha assumed he had fallen asleep by the last verse and began walking away. Ben shot up.

"More," he said. Natasha opened her mouth, trying to think of something else. "No, he do it."

"You want Loki?" she asked and he nodded. "I'm not even positive he can sing."

Ben crossed his arms, just like his father. Natasha went in search of the god.

There was only one room left. Natasha knocked on the door and braced herself for anything on the other side. Then, she nudged the unlocked door open. Loki was reading on a chair beside the bed.

"Ben requests you to sing for him," she explained. "Or he won't sleep."

"Naturally," Loki spoke and stood up.

"Try not to scare him," she said as they walked back to Phil's bedroom.

"Being Barton's progeny, I doubt that is easily done," Loki remarked.

Ben was still sitting up, waiting for them as they entered. Then, he lay back down. Natasha was curious. Was there such a thing as Asgardian folk songs? However, she wasn't expecting what he started singing.

"The secret life of Arabia
Secret secrets never seen
Secret secrets ever green..."

By the time, he reached the middle, Ben was already asleep.

"The secret life of Arabia
You must see the movie the sand in my eyes
I walk through a desert song when the heroine dies"

"That's an old song," Natasha pointed out.

"I suppose it hasn't come to your attention but I'm not exactly young," Loki retorted. She knew he was right but it was easier to overlook his and Thor's true ages compared with Steve.

While he was sleeping, it was simple to forget that Ben was even there. Instead, Natasha played Phil's X-Box. She had just finished a routine in Zumba when Loki appeared.

"Has your Ben duty been relieved?" he asked. Natasha turned the game off.

"No, he should be sleeping on the bed," she explained.

"But he is not," Loki told her. She ran to the bedroom but he was right.

"Chyort voz'mi."

How had she lost Barton's kid that easily? She was in front of the door the whole time. It never opened. The windows had security sensors. Maybe he was hiding somewhere. She began opening every crevice and door, anything a toddler could possibly get into.

An hour later, she had covered the penthouse apartment and found nothing. She turned to Loki.

"Is there some sort of magic locator spell?" she asked.

"You've been reading Rogers' books," Loki commented although she noticed he didn't deny it.

"I just don't know where Ben could be!" Natasha complained. Clint was going to kill her and it wouldn't be fast. Then, she heard giggling and it wasn't from Loki. "Ben?"

More giggling could be heard. Strangely enough, it sounded like it came from above them. She looked up.

"Are all Midgardian children capable of that?" Loki asked and she shook her head. Ben looked down at them from the ceiling. He was able to crawl on it just as easily as walking on the floor.

"That's cheating," Loki declared. "How is that possible?"

"Well, Barton is normal but his ex-wife...she's what most people would refer to as a mutant. She appears to have passed some of that on," Natasha tried to explain as she took in what she was seeing. She assumed the lack of warning meant that Clint didn't even know yet.

"We should get him down," Natasha spoke. Then, noticed his expression. "Not with magic!"

"You were prepared to use magic to find him," Loki reminded her and she glared at him.

"This is different and why do you have to have such high ceilings anyway? In a normal apartment, you'd be tall enough to grab him," Natasha complained.

"I like the space. Everywhere else is too confining," Loki told her. Then, there was a thump behind her. She turned to see that Ben had fallen onto the couch. For an instant, her heart stopped before Ben giggled and smiled.

"Fun! Do again!" he yelled.

"No," Natasha told him.

"What else can he do?" Loki asked, full of curiosity. She was considering her options when the door opened.

"Daddy!" Ben screamed and ran to Clint. He looked much better and grinned as he picked him up. Phil came over to her.

"You and the apartment appear in one piece. Loki is smiling. I'll find out why later," Phil spoke, looking at him. Then, Natasha caught him glancing upwards. "Why are there handprints on the ceiling?"

"About that..."


The One Where Clint and Phil Take a Break

September 4, 2013

Steve thought he should try and get to know Natasha better. Maybe lunch would be a good idea. However, it meant navigating SHIELD and without the help of Phil who was at his principal duty or Clint who had the day off.

"Steve!" yelled someone behind him. He turned to see Jane and waved. She walked over to him.

"Who are you looking for?" she asked. It probably had been that obvious.

"Natasha," he answered.

"I heard she was working out with Bobbi," Jane told him. "Do you..."

"I do know where the gym is," Steve said with a nod. He walked through the corridors and passed people hard at work until reaching the large gym. He spotted them in the boxing ring. Unfamiliar music came from an electronic device to the side. They stopped at his entrance and Bobbi turned it off. Bobbi Morse had joined in the last couple of months but she was a nice girl.

"Rogers, what are you doing here?" Natasha asked. Her suspicious tone made him realize how much they needed this.

"I thought we could go to lunch as friends," Steve suggested. Natasha seemed to think about this and nodded.

"Let me shower and change first," she said and he nodded. She picked up a towel and headed for the side door.

"Want a go?" Bobbi asked. It was tempting. He had learned how to restrain himself against other people but then, Natasha would have to wait while he showered. He shook his head. The young woman went to the punching bag. He watched her for a moment; enthralled both by her blonde ponytail bouncing around and the way her bottoms were clingy. He wondered if his bottoms fit that way. However, her technique was a bit off.

"Bobbi, excuse me. You should..." Steve started and tried to demonstrate. She attempted what he said but her fists still didn't hit where they should.

"You should mix it up like this," Steve said and helped guide her arms to different levels. They were very close. She smelled like vanilla.

"Thanks," Bobbi said but didn't try to take her arms back.

"I could come back," Natasha suggested behind them. Steve and Bobbi both seemed to jump apart.

"Wanda's having a party tonight. You should come. Natasha knows the address," Bobbi told him with a smile.

"Maybe I will," Steve agreed.

**********************************************************

"We'll work with you, I promise," Coulson said to the girl. She blew her nose again and nodded. He hated seeing a girl cry. "Do you want me to call your parents?"

"No," she said and shook her head. He sighed inwardly. Maybe they didn't even know yet. He couldn't imagine.

"You can always talk to me," Coulson told her. "Do you want a minute?"

She nodded and he let her have a moment to herself. He waited outside, wondering if it was one of the boys at the school that did it. Pregnant girls were not mentioned by Fury when he gave him this assignment.

"Hello, honey," Clint spoke, walking up to him. Normally, Clint would be a welcome sight. However, he was carrying a picnic basket. "I thought we could eat in your office."

"That's really not a good idea right now," Phil told him. Carrie still hadn't left. "I'm dealing with a couple of crises, plus the budget as usual and finding enough teachers."

"You don't have half an hour?" Clint asked.

"I don't even have ten minutes but tonight, maybe I can make it up to you," he whispered and looked into his light brown eyes.

"If nothing else comes up, you've said that before," Clint pointed out. He was right but Phil was very conscious of the students who were starting to watch.

"I can't do this now. We'll talk later," he said and the door opened. As Carrie left, Phil went inside.

*****************************************************************************

Thor opened the door. Then, he closed it. After that, he opened it really, really slowly before starting the process again.

"Is there a point to this?" Tony asked with his arms crossed.

"I don't believe the light stays on when I close it but I cannot watch it come on," Thor complained. Tony had that expression he often directed at himself. Thor didn't like it very much.

"There's a button. It pushes in when you close the door and the light goes off. When you open the door, it pushes out and the light comes on. It's a circuit thing," Tony explained.

"I have learned about circuits," Thor corrected him.

"Then, you can have Jane go into it more," Tony spoke, took out a bottle of water and started to walk out of the room. "Steve, what's this I hear about a party?"

*******************************************************************************

Phil wasn't surprised when Clint was waiting for him at home.

"I'm sorry but the school year just started and this is a rough time of the year," Phil apologized.

"If it's too much, quit. It's not like Fury would fire you. Have someone else be principal for a while, like Hill," Clint suggested.

"No, I can't do that to them. Those kids are depending on me, just like you and the Avengers," Phil told him.

"But I'm your boyfriend," Clint complained.

"Which you made abundantly clear today in front of everyone. I don't like having our business in public like that," Phil grumbled. "I'm tired. Maybe we should take a break."

"I could fix dinner. Loki's still off wherever so we have the whole place to ourselves," Clint suggested.

Phil hated what he was about to say next.

"No. A break from us."

Clint gave him the saddest expression and left, shutting the door behind him. For once, the apartment felt too large and too quiet.

********************************************************************

Steve was dancing with Bobbi. He was pleased to find out she knew how to swing and didn't care that they were the only ones dancing that way.

"Isn't that Barton?" Bobbi asked. Clint was supposed to be spending the night with Phil so he found that hard to believe. However, when he looked in the direction she motioned to, there he was.

"You mind?" he asked and she shook her head. They walked over. However, Wanda, the hostess of the party, came to them first. Steve had just met her that night.

"Who's this?" Wanda asked.

"Clint Barton," Clint answered after some hesitation.

"Oh, I've heard all about you but didn't recognize you out of uniform. I'm Wanda Maximoff," she said and stuck out her hand. He shook it.

"I thought you'd be with Phil right now," Steve commented.

"Me, too," Clint agreed. "Yeah, little change in plans. Ahh, we’re going to break-up instead."
Steve couldn't believe his ears. He thought they were a perfect couple. A cat wound between his legs.

*******************************************************************

Phil heard his phone rang and hoped it was Clint despite what he had said. It had been hasty. It had been stupid. The number was Peter instead.

"Mr. Parker, what is it?" Coulson asked.

"I need to talk to someone," Peter explained in his own way. For being able to explain complicated scientific processes, he wasn't very good at the social skills.

"What about your aunt?" Coulson asked.

"I can't. It's about Mary Jane," said Peter. "And everyone else was going to sneak into that party."

"What about Mary Jane?" Coulson asked.

"I want to tell her. She's been really annoyed with me lately because she doesn't get it," Peter complained.

There's a lot of that going on, thought Coulson. He thought about his options: trying to have a heart to heart with a teenager boy over the phone, make him come to an empty school or an empty mansion?

"I suppose I could try calling Tony..."

Coulson cringed at that thought.

"He's at the party, too, anyway," Coulson told him and realized there was only one real option although he hated it. "I'm going to give you my address, you can come over and we can talk."

*************************************************************************

"So, what are you going to do?" Tony asked Clint.

"What can I do? He said it," Clint spoke with a drink in his hand.

"But it's Phil, you're not supposed to actually do what he says," Tony argued.

"That may be part of why he's in this mess," Steve retorted.

"But no, if Pepper was giving her opinion, she'd say something like you should fight for him," Tony told him.

"Yes, that is what I feel," Pepper agreed with her new drink. Shock was giving way to a smile.

"You should call him," Bobbi agreed. When even the new person was pressuring him, perhaps Clint should give it a try. He took out his cellphone.

**********************************************************

"But you're putting her in a lot of danger if you do this," Coulson warned. "No matter how capable, she is still a civilian. She's not like us."

"You don't have any superpowers either," Peter pointed out.

"No, but I've had a lot of training and I've had to make a lot of sacrifices to get where I am," Coulson spoke. "I've tried to impress on you time and time again that this is not an easy calling."
"But what if there was some way of knowing if she was ready or not? Pepper isn't a SHIELD agent either," Peter argued.

Then, his phone rang. It couldn't be Peter since he was sitting across from him. He smiled at the caller ID.

"Hi," he answered.

"Hi," Clint spoke.

"I was hoping you'd call," Phil admitted.

"This is so stupid. Can I come over and we'll talk again?" Clint asked.

"Yeah, I just have to take care of something first..."

"Did I come over at a bad time?" Peter asked.

"Who's that?"

"Nobody," Coulson replied.

"I shouldn't have bothered you," Peter spoke and stood up.

"Barton, I-"

The phone went dead. Coulson gritted his teeth.

"I heard a rumor that Hawkeye was at school today and you guys were arguing but I didn't believe them," Peter spoke in a soft voice.

"Are you going to be okay with getting home?" Coulson asked. He hated being so naked in front of him. First, there was the tightie-whities incident and the science fair incident. Now, all his feelings were laid out there. To think, he was trying to give the teenager advice and it felt like he had barely a clue himself.

"Yeah," Peter agreed and headed toward the door. He was almost there when he turned back to face him. "Coulson?"

"Yeah?" he asked. Peter glanced down at his Converse before looking at him again.

"I know we make fun and all but...it means a lot that you're always there," Peter spoke and hurried out the door. Coulson didn't know to feel. It hurt to think. He sat in his chair.

****************************************************************************

"What's my cousin doing here?" Bruce asked. Natasha thought someone would have told him so she played dumb.

"What are you talking about?" Natasha asked.

"My cousin, Jennifer Walters, is right over there," he said and pointed to the brunette. "I haven't seen her since she nearly died in a car accident. I gave her a blood transfusion."

"I think you two should catch up. Go over and say hello," Natasha suggested and motioned for him to go. She knew she was a coward. The blood transfusion was a way for her to explain why Jennifer was there but Bruce was going to get upset from it and she still had some problems being around the Other Guy. She shot back the glass of Vodka she'd been holding and straightened her dress.

*************************************************************************

"Clint, no matter what has happened, I can't allow such a face at my party," Wanda complained. He didn't care. However, she took him by the arm and pulled him up from the chair. She started dancing. The name escaped him. He never learned the names and he was drunk. Still, she was dancing and very close and there was something about her. Scarlet Witch wasn't just a name, it seemed. Her red dress was skintight. The lights and the alcohol and the situation were giving him a headache and the person that he'd run to was Phil who didn't want him. He wasn't even sure where Tasha was.

"Can we be still a moment? Or the room could stop spinning?" Clint asked and she stopped. Techno music still pounded in his ears.

"Come on, I'll show you somewhere more private," Wanda suggested. Clint knew he should refuse but he didn't.

**************************************************************************

When Loki arrived at the apartment, Coulson was moping. It would be easiest to possess him to find out what the problem was but he reminded himself that he shouldn't care about the mortals and their problems. It was bad enough that Barton's child had reminded him of his past; of what he had left behind. For a moment, he had clenched his hand into a fist. He let go. Someday, they would understand what they had done to him. Then, he disappeared into his bedroom.

***************************************************************************

"You realize he's not the only one out there?" Wanda asked, pouring them drinks from a decanter.

"To me, he was," Clint spoke. He sat down on the plush couch in front of her fireplace and she sat down beside him. They sat in silence and drank their scotch.

"It's still unacceptable to be unhappy at one of my parties," Wanda complained.

"Yeah? And how do you intend to fix that?" Clint asked.

"Like this," Wanda said and kissed him. He pulled away. It was wrong except it wasn't, not technically.

Technically, Phil had broken up with him and she was a really good kisser. He kissed back.

***************************************************************************



The One with the Morning After

September 5, 2013

Clint's first thoughts were that he didn't recognize the bed. Then, he saw the naked brunette beside him...Wanda.

Phil wasn't going to like this.

Except he and Phil had broken up.

He groaned. The entire thing was stupid. Bits and pieces came back to him. Wanda had been amazing.
Still, it had been a mistake; a horrible mistake. What was he going to do?

*******************************************************************************

"Anyone talk to Phil?" Pepper asked.

"No, I don't think so," said Tony before shaking his head.

"I'll talk to him later-"

"Not at school," Tony reminded her.

"I'm not an idiot," she complained.

"Barton apparently is," Tony spoke.

"Are we sure he hasn't been switched with an alien?" Pepper asked.

"No, but we could always cut him and see what color his blood is to be sure," Tony teased.

"Depending on my mood after talking to Phil, I might take you up on that offer," Pepper said with a smile.

"What are your lunch plans?" Tony asked.

"Rae," she answered. "I think they're trying for a baby."

"So soon?" Tony asked.

"It's been seven months," Pepper answered with a shrug.

*********************************************************************

Bruce wanted to talk to Phil. He knew it wasn't the best time but he just found out about Jennifer and that wasn't something they should have kept from him. After knocking, he simply went inside the unlocked door before being surprised at who was behind the desk.

"Yeah, I don't like this either, but Coulson is off with Peter and his gang so here I am. What did you need, Banner?" Maria Hill asked.

"Jennifer, my cousin. You never saw fit to...to tell me? Were you ever planning on telling me?" Bruce asked.

"It's a delicate situation. Obviously, we didn't want to upset you..."

"Yes, me finding out at a party was so much better. If something had gone wrong, I'm sure the Scarlet Witch would have appreciated your planning," Bruce retorted. "I thought I was saving her life, not dooming her."

"Yes, your blood infected your cousin but it's not the same. Her body mass increase isn't as great and she remains in more control. She can even speak full sentences. It's really not so bad," Maria tried to tell him. He didn't want to believe her but Jennifer hadn't seemed that angry or upset with him last night.

"Look, I'm sorry we didn't tell you. There are a lot of things I'd do differently but in the end, it's the Director's call," Maria spoke. "Honestly, I feel like the third wheel sometimes. I think they have their secret language."

"In 'sirs' and 'yeps'," Bruce joked and she smiled. He wasn't about to let her off the hook but he did understand being the third wheel. Then, he noticed the dress hanging up. "What's that for?"

"I'm supposed to be attending a state dinner tonight but my boyfriend dumped me this morning, his loss," she explained although he could tell that it still hurt. Part of him wanted to stop him from what he did next.

"I happen to not be doing anything tonight," he told her. Her blue eyes were intrigued, then confused.

"Do you have a suit?" she asked.

"I can borrow one from Tony. He likes dressing me up," Bruce answered and she laughed.

"Fine, come back here after the last bell."

***************************************************************************

Clint had tried Phil's cell all day to no avail so he had decided to do the direct approach of going to his apartment building. Just a couple of minutes later, he arrived and Clint walked over to him.

"No, not right now," Phil told him. He had never heard him use such a cold tone to him before.

"Please-."

"Please? You should have thought of that last night at the party," Phil told him. A shiver ran through Clint.

"You know?"

"Yeah, teenager girls don't keep secrets well and Ava was very upset about seeing you go into a private room with the hostess," Phil spoke. "I guess she felt some sort of loyalty."

It was his normal quiet form of speaking that was really getting to Clint. He wanted to get yelled at. He wanted Phil to be angry at him. He deserved it.

"I slept with her," he admitted. "I'm sorry."

Phil turned around without another word and went for the front doors. Clint followed after him.

******************************************************************************

Pepper knocked on the door although it might be too early for Phil to be back yet. The door opened and she saw Natasha there. Thor and Jane were also there.

"I've only just arrived. He's not here yet," she said and Pepper came in.

"I wanted to see how Son of Coul was," Thor spoke.

"Have you talked to him yet?" she asked. Natasha shook her head.

"He hasn't been at SHIELD all day," she told Pepper and then, her phone vibrated. She took it out and read the message. It was strange.

"Peter sent Tony a text message and now he wants me to call him back," Pepper explained. Natasha's phone chirped and she took it out.

"Text message from Fury. Phil and Clint are heading this way," Natasha explained.

"Both of them?" Pepper asked. Then, they could hear them through the door.

"Come on, Phil! Talk to me! Please!" Clint begged.

"I can’t talk to you. I can’t even look at you right now," Phil spat.

"Bathroom!" Pepper announced and they all ran for the door that was ajar. In her hurry, she ran straight into a body that was already there as Jane shut the door.

Loki tried to say something with a mouth full of toothpaste that Pepper couldn't understand.

"Brother, you've returned!" Thor exclaimed and went to embrace him. Loki pushed him away, spat out the toothpaste and rinsed his mouth.

"Why is everyone invading my personal bathroom time?" Loki asked.

"Just get away from me," Phil said through the door. Even Loki appeared to be listening.

"No, it was a mistake! I made a mistake! Okay?" Clint argued.

"A mistake?! Clint, you had sex with a woman," Phil announced and everyone in the bathroom gasped.

"Please not Wanda, please not Wanda," Natasha whispered.

"But she's the Scarlet Witch, she has powers..."

Natasha didn't even hide her cringe.

"Spill," Pepper demanded.

"I like Wanda, or I did...not sure now but she is very powerful and she's the daughter of Magneto..."
Pepper felt like she should know the name. Jane, Thor and Loki were complete blanks.

"He's one of the most powerful mutants in the world," Natasha told them.

"I thought Charles was," Pepper spoke.

"They used to be an item once upon a time," Natasha answered and held up her hand. Phil was speaking again.

"So, she was a better lover?" he asked.

"Tell him no," Jane whispered.

"No, she was just...different," Clint answered. "She meant nothing to me."

"What were you even thinking?" Phil asked.

"I don't know; that you didn't want me anymore?" Clint suggested. "Peter sees you more than I do."

"Because that's my JOB. You knew that from Day One. You knew how much I care about my work, that's what I am. Who convinced them you should be part of the Initiative? Who saved your asses over Budapest? Who backed up your decision about Natasha? I did. That's what I do." Phil spoke, "But right now, I can barely look at you."

"Phil, please..."

"No, Clint, you ruined it," Phil spoke so low they could barely hear it. Pepper kept waiting for some magic moment when they would make up and remember how much they loved each other. She hated the fighting.

"I made a mistake."

"We both did but your mistake can't just be undone," Phil pointed out.

"Just tell me what to do. You're right, always getting me out of messes," Clint spoke. Pepper wasn't sure what to do so she put an arm around Natasha. The other woman didn't shrug it off.

"Not this time," Phil told him.

"I could possess him again," Loki whispered. Pepper was a little ashamed at how slow they were to admonish the idea. The realization hung heavy in the air that they had all considered it.

"If I had access to the time machine at SHIELD, I'd go back and fix it. I'd do anything," Clint pleaded.

"They have a time machine?" Loki asked.

"No," Thor told him and Natasha groaned along with a Russian curse under her breath. There was the sound of a scuffle.

"No, you can't just kiss me and make it all better. It doesn't work like that. I look at you and I see her," Phil complained. "I think you should go."

"Phil-"

"Please, please just go," Phil pleaded. Pepper could tell they were crying by their voices and she closed her eyes. She felt Natasha put an arm around her and draw her closer.

"I'm sorry," Clint sobbed and they heard the door shut.

"I'm sorry, too," Phil agreed and they heard a different door shut.

"We should probably wait, make it seem like we didn't listen to all of it," Jane suggested. A couple of uncomfortable minutes passed.

"Brother, is it true that you went to Asgard disguised in a cloak and visited no one? It is what Sif claims," Thor spoke.

"She told you then? I saw her following me," Loki acknowledged. "She did get one detail wrong. There were two I visited in Asgard."

"Who?" Thor asked and Pepper wondered if he'd even answer. Loki wore his twisted smile.

"Sleipnir and Fenrir," he replied and Thor looked away. Pepper tried to hide her surprise. She knew that certain aspects of the mythology were real but she wouldn't have guessed those.

"Being that I live here, I am going to leave and the rest of you can follow suit," Loki suggested and opened the door. Pepper rushed for the hallway and the security of the elevator. When the others didn't follow soon enough, she closed the door. Everything felt like too much. The elevator was barely on its way when it stopped again and Nick Fury entered. Pepper wasn't sure what to say. How much had he heard since he lived below them?

Halfway through the ride, Fury coughed.

"I know I have a reputation for being insensitive but I really did think they'd make it," Fury spoke. "I was hoping they would."

They rode to the ground floor and went their separate ways. Pepper headed for the closest bench and sat on it. The day was overwhelming and she wanted a moment to collect her thoughts. A toad hopped past.

*******************************************************************************

"You neglected to mention the fact that the dinner was in Washington," Bruce pointed out as they sat surrounded by various people recognizable from C-SPAN.

"Oops," Maria said with a smile. "There comes a point where you just don't notice anymore. I just accept that I'm in Washington tonight. I'll be back in New York tomorrow and probably in London or someplace the day after that."

"And you enjoy that? I always wanted stability. I wanted roots," Bruce spoke.

"Wanted?" Maria asked.

"Doesn't really matter anymore what I wanted, I just have to live one day at a time. No planning...and I hate it," Bruce complained.

"I was always goal oriented. As long as I got what I wanted in the end, it was worth it. I still think that way. It's just a little harder to visualize. I'm already number two. My main problem right now is respect since Fury doesn't always treat me like his number two," Maria explained.

"Because he has Phil," Bruce stated.

"Right, and you don't even know the half of it. I've been here thirteen years. Phil's been here eleven, but Nick's been grooming Phil since he joined the Army over thirty years ago. Phil just didn't know it at first," Maria spoke. Bruce shook his head. It sounded absolutely crazy and completely believable from Nick Fury.

"What are you going to do?" Bruce asked.

"Not sure, I need something big. Something that will get me noticed and make everyone respect me," Maria spoke. Bruce picked up his wine and drank some.

******************************************************************************

Natasha exited the building and spotted Pepper on a bench. She assumed that she'd left long ago so it was a little odd. Natasha sat down beside her.

"Did you talk to him?" Pepper asked.

"He was pretty out of it. There was a drinking contest, or it turned into a drinking contest. Jane's passed out on the couch. With any luck, he'll forget we overheard anything or not care," Natasha told her.

"Are you going to talk to Clint?" Pepper asked.

"If I talk to Clint now, one of us will end up with a bodily injury," Natasha answered.

"It'd be him," Pepper spoke. She couldn't imagine any other outcome. When Natasha was about to leave, she stopped her. "It's been a rough day; Phil and my lunch about baby things and everything else but there is one thing it made me realize. I want you to find them."

It took a moment for Natasha to remember since their conversation had been a year and a half ago.

"You want me to find your real parents?" Natasha asked. Pepper nodded.

"And don't let anyone else know about it. I'll tell them when or if there's something to tell," Pepper told her.

"Call Tony. He's texted me twice asking about you," Natasha complained. "And I can't promise you anything soon even with all the databases we have."

Pepper understood. It was a long shot but it was the best chance she had.


The One at the Beach

September 7, 2015

Natasha tried to encrypt and disguise her DNA search for Pepper with false names. It still made her a little paranoid. If Coulson caught her, it would be fine. If Fury or Hill caught her, there'd be problems. There was also no telling how long it would take for-

Chyort voz'mi

It was too quick to find results already. She wasn't even sure she had finished searching the SHIELD files. Natasha read the name and cringed. She called Pepper up.

"I have some news. Are you free for lunch?" she asked and Pepper agreed to see her.

********************************************************************************

Pepper couldn't believe there was news so soon. She had only just asked her a couple of days ago. After placing her purse, she sat at the table and tried to be patient. Natasha ended up being late but she was used to it from years of practice with Tony.

"Tell me," Pepper said as soon as she came within earshot.

"You have a half-brother," Natasha told her as she sat down.

The words replayed themselves in Pepper's mind.

"I have a brother? I've never had a brother before. What's he like?" she asked.

"Well, I could set up a meeting between the two of you if you want," Natasha offered.

"Yes, as soon as possible. This is great," Pepper exclaimed.

"But he does look very different from you. I don't you to be surprised. He's a really nice guy. I've worked with him before," Natasha told her. Pepper became more excited.

"I don't care what he looks like. He's my brother. I want to meet him," Pepper assured her. "I'm going to explain everything to Tony. This is so exciting."

******************************************************************

It took a week to coordinate schedules but Natasha pulled it off. She also kept heading off questions about Pepper's parents. She never found any possibility for her dad and her mom was in a file only accessible to Level 9 and up. Phil and Clint were on what could be best described as speaking terms. They could speak to each other although they tried their best not to unless there was no other choice. Natasha hated being in the middle. Neither was forcing her to choose between them but it meant that she was their preferred intermediary. Plus, Hill seemed to suspect that Natasha was up to something. With the brother seated beside her, she waited for Pepper to appear.

*********************************************************************

Pepper strode over to Natasha and a man beside her. It was a man yet his skin was blue. Was this her brother? She walked faster. The man looked a little shocked although it passed. Was it something about her expression?

"Pepper Potts, this is Kurt Wagner. Kurt Wagner, this is Pepper Potts. You have the same mother," Natasha told them.

"Yes," Kurt agreed with an odd expression on his face. Pepper wasn't sure whether to go for a hug or what was expected of her. She held out her hand and Kurt took it. Natasha was right about his looking different. He was blue with yellow eyes and sharp teeth.

"Sit," Natasha suggested and Pepper felt odd for not thinking of it. She sat down.

"Where were you born? When?" Pepper asked.

"I was born on January 27, 1965 in Austria. Like you, I was adopted but I was raised in the circus," Kurt explained in a German accent. Pepper felt awful. Had he been treated well? She knew Clint had some history with the circus that caused him not to like it. Her feelings must have been transparent. "No, I look fondly on my time there. People were more kind than not to me. I only had problems as I grew older. What about you?"

"Uh, September 27, 1973 in New York City if that's to be believed. They never told me I was adopted. I just found out a few years ago," Pepper explained.

"Is Pepper your given name?" Kurt asked and she laughed.

"No, it's Virginia but the last person I told that to...he tried to call me Ginny and I don't like that at all. Now, Steve knows better," she said with a laugh.

"Is Steve your boyfriend? Why Pepper?" Kurt asked.

"No, he's a colleague. Tony's my boyfriend. It's Pepper because of the freckles," she said and pointed at her face.

"I am glad no one calls me Blue," Kurt replied with a laugh.

"When I came up, you looked surprised. Why?" she asked. Kurt took a moment.

"At first, all I could see was that you were tall and blond. You looked very much like someone from my past that I do not want to ever come across again," Kurt spoke in a way that scared her a little bit. "But Tony is your boyfriend? I would like to meet this Tony and you should meet Amanda. She can't wait to meet you."

"Amanda?"

"Amanda is my wife," Kurt explained. Pepper felt a huge grin come over her face. She had a sister-in-law, too.

"Really? Any kids?" Pepper asked.

"Not yet," Kurt answered and shook his head. The smile seemed forced and she chastised herself for asking what seemed to be a sore point.

"Have you ever met our mom? What about your dad?" Pepper asked. Kurt frowned at this.

"I have met both. I don't want to meet them again. I know she is our mother but she is not worth it. She is a bad person. You're better off not knowing her," Kurt told her. She was shocked. It had never crossed her mind that their mother wasn't someone she wanted to know especially when she and Kurt seemed to have turned out so well.

***************************************************************************

"I like this," Sif proclaimed and held up her glass. "The Midgardians certainly know how to bring in a new year."

"I'm glad you were able to come," Thor told her. Jane clenched his hand tighter.

"Where is Loki?" Sif asked.

"I don't believe he is coming tonight," Thor spoke. He and Son of Coul had tried to convince him to come even though it was at the Tower. There was no telling what mischief Loki might be up to. Thor held up his glass to Kurt. Kurt was Pepper's brother and blue like the Jotun but he was of Midgard.

"Look at Ben," Clint spoke and showed his phone. He certainly wasn't a baby anymore and was adorned with a large festive hat. Sif smiled at the picture.

"2016 is just around the corner so find that person you want to be with. The countdown begins now. 10!" yelled the man on the television. Thor saw Kitty embrace the man who could make drinks cold like Loki could at home.

"9!"

Darcy was already kissing her date; some guy named Wade.

"8!"

Not far from Coulson were Peter and Mary Jane.

"7!"

Fandral suddenly picked Natasha up. She shrieked and slapped him but not very hard.

"6!"

Kurt took his wife into his arms.

"5!"

Steve was already kissing Bobbi.

"4!"

Maria was sitting on Bruce's lap.

"3!"

Tony and Pepper were walking up the stairs towards the bedrooms.

"2!"

Sif walked over to Coulson and offered her hand.

"1!"

Thor looked down at Jane and held her close.

"0! HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAPPY 2014!" shouted everyone from the television. He kissed her long and hard, not stopping until there was the sound of someone being shoved into a table.

"Don't kiss me!" Clint spat and Thor saw his brother in his female disguise. He had to laugh.

**********************************************************************************

Pepper knew what Kurt had said and that he must have very good reasons for doing so. However, as the months went by, it still gnawed at her. She wanted to know who her mother was and whether she could tell her anything about her father. They were at a restaurant in March. It was the four of them: she, Tony, Kurt and Amanda. She waited until both their partners were away.

"Kurt, do you know how to contact her at all?" she asked.

"Pepper, Pepper...you should not do this," Kurt warned.

"I know, but it's my mistake. I need to know," Pepper pleaded. "Please?"
He swirled his drink before speaking again.

"She works with Magneto. None of them will help you but there's one on our side that might be able to help you. Go see Charles and ask to speak to Rogue," Kurt told her and she nodded.

************************************************************************

"Daddy! Daddy! Watch me!" Ben yelled as Clint came to pick him up.

"Be careful!" Jessica told him. She whispered at Clint, "I really hate it inside the house but it's not like he can do it outside."

Clint became nervous at what his son's newest trick could be especially when he climbed onto the dining room table.

"Watch! Watch!" Ben yelled and jumped. Instead of falling, he started to fly over to them. Clint caught him in his arms.

"That was awesome, Ben!" he praised and kissed him. Then, he turned to Jessica. "Now, you know how I felt when you flew while we were married."

"Talk to Phil lately?" she asked. She did that at least once a month. He shook his head.

"Nothing but work," he replied. He accepted this except for that little part that would love him forever. There was a little part of him that would always love Jessica, too.

*************************************************************************

Pepper was expecting someone older, more her age or Kurt's age. Instead, Rogue was just a few years older than Natasha despite the white streak in her hair and the worn look in her green eyes.

"Why did you ask for me?" she asked in a southern accent.

"Kurt said you might be able to contact our mother but why you?" Pepper asked.

"Our mother?" she repeated and seemed to scrutinize her. "Yes, I can see it- the resemblance."
She looked like their mother? She had heard that Kurt took after their mother.

"I go by Rogue these days but my adopted name is Anna Marie Darkholme. Raven Darkholme took me in. She raised me when no one else wanted me. I know what Kurt says, but there's not all bad in her. It's just really buried," Rogue told her.

"I just want to talk to her. I want to know who my father is," Pepper told her.

"She doesn't speak to me anymore but I'll see what I can do. Chances are, she knows what you're up to and if she wants, she'll come to you," Rogue spoke. It almost sounded like a warning.

*****************************************************************************

It turned out that Rogue was right. A few weeks later, a courier bought a package. Inside the packages were coordinates along with a fate and time.

"I don't like it," Tony declared.

"I don't like it either," Pepper agreed. "But I don't have much choice. This is the only way I'm going to know."

"Is there any way I could come with you?" Tony asked. Pepper shook her head.

"Maybe if you weren't Iron Man?" Pepper suggested.

"Phil then," Tony offered.

"Tempting but I think I have to go alone," Pepper told him. He took her hand and kissed her cheek.

"I'm not going to like it," Tony stated.

"That's fine, there's a lot of things you do that I don't like either," Pepper retorted. "If I tell Phil, then SHIELD knows and I don't want them to know."

Tony's phone rang.

*****************************************************************

"I've had it confirmed that Pepper Potts is her daughter. Agent Romanov used our equipment to find this out last fall and I had it tested again recently. Potts has begun a sibling relationship with Kurt Wagner and also contacted Anne Marie. Then, yesterday, this came to her," Maria Hill explained and used her phone to project an image on the wall of a short note with coordinates, time and a date. She also had all the evidence to back up her other claims. Phil felt horrible for Pepper. Over the years, he had tried to get over the fact that he would have to spy on friends and loved ones but it never got any easier. He hadn't been personally involved here. Still, Pepper's privacy had been violated and it hadn't been because of Tony. This was different.

"And what do you propose to do with this?" asked Fury.

"We know exactly where Raven Darkholme is going to be. We can arrest her and remove a very violent criminal from the world as well as one of Magneto's best weapons," Maria spoke.

"What are these coordinates?" Fury asked.

"It's an island off Virginia. There's an estate but it's uninhabited," Maria explained. It was too simple. Something was wrong.

"I don't like it," Fury spoke.
"We can't afford to let this opportunity go by," Maria argued. Phil wanted Fury to make her let this go. There was too much that could go wrong even without a civilian element.
"If you insist on doing this, it has to be Avengers only. Don't take any of the SHIELD Agents except Coulson, Romanov and Barton," Fury told her. Not only had he agreed to it, but he'd volunteered Phil. Could it get any worse?
"Fine, I'll start planning," Maria agreed and left the room. Phil was left with a number of questions. He started with the most important.
"Raven Darkholme's file is a Level Nine. I shouldn't have even been at this meeting, sir," Phil pointed out.
"Consider it a promotion then," Fury stated.
"You can't let her go through with this. It's not going to end well and it's not nice to Pepper," Phil spoke.
"We can't let our personal feelings get in the way. Let Maria have her setback. Let her learn from her mistakes and she'll have the Avengers to cover her ass," Fury told him.
"I'm not sure this really qualifies under their job description," Phil spoke.
"They're under SHIELD. We decide what they qualify for," Fury said. "Dismissed."
Phil walked out of the room. He didn't like any of this. It would require a lot of thought.
****************************************************************
Phil decided to add a Plan B that Nick wouldn't approve of. He stood in the living room and let himself appear nervous.
"There's nothing I should know about? You aren't having something done to the apartment?" Loki asked, right on cue.
"No, no, it's just...it's a tough case today. Your brother will be there but she's a mutant and she's pretty strong," Phil spoke. Loki was intrigued.
"You claim that she's a match for an Asgardian? Better than Sif?" Loki questioned.
"Possibly," Phil said since he couldn't remember if he had seen Sif in action. The response was immediate. Loki changed into his battle armour.
"It's been too long since I've had a good fight," he stated. Phil had his Plan B.
*********************************************************************
Pepper jumped down from the rope attached to a Stark helicopter. Her mother was somewhere on this island and she was going to find her. She was also going to enjoy being away from Tony who was being more weird than normal. Pepper was struck by the urge to call out her name but wasn't sure if that would be Raven or Mystique.
There was a creek and she followed that until she reached a mansion. She knocked on the door although it made her feel kind of silly. It was unlocked and she went inside.
"Hello Virginia," called a voice and Pepper walked into a side room where a woman was sitting down. She had blond hair, blue eyes and was very gorgeous.
"I prefer Pepper, actually," Pepper spoke. "I thought Kurt said he took after you."
"The real me? Is that what you want, Pepper?" she asked. Pepper nodded. She was starting to feel a little afraid. "Then call me Mystique."
Mystique stood up and changed form. Now, she was blue from head to toe except for bright yellow eyes like Kurt and red hair. Pepper couldn't help touching her own hair; strawberry blonde that always acted like it couldn't decide between red or blonde. They were also the same height.
"I thought Kurt was dead, but I knew when I gave you up, I knew where you were. I watched you as you started being in the papers and on TV. I wanted to make sure you didn't change like Graydon," Mystique explained except Pepper didn't know who Graydon was. Still, she watched her? She cared?
"For not being a mutant, you've done pretty well," Mystique told her. There seemed to be a veiled insult in that. Then, the front door slammed open.
"Who came with you?" Mystique spat.
"No one," Pepper told her. It was plain that she didn't believe her. Pepper watched as Mystique revealed a gun and grabbed her by the wrist, dragging her into the main room. Five of the Avengers, Maria Hill and Loki were there. Tony and Phil were missing. She hoped they'd stayed home rather than participate in this.
"Raven, you're going to come up with us," Maria told her.
"That's not my name, not anymore," Mystique spoke. "I'm not going anywhere."
She cocked her gun. The safety was off and she had it pointed at Maria. Pepper didn't like this. Kurt was right. Before she could pull the trigger, Pepper grabbed for the gun. It went off.
*********************************************************************
Phil just wanted to postpone that look of betrayal on Pepper's face, same as Tony. Maria was an apt leader. He would wait and see before following in after them. Then, he heard the gun shot.
He didn't even look at Tony. They both ran inside to find a horrible sight. Mystique was smirking in triumph. Pepper was slumped to the floor with an expression that tore at Phil's insides. When he saw what she was looking at, he wanted to throw up.
The bullet had hit Maria. He ran to her but with that kind of head wound, she was already gone. Phil tried to take control and do what she would have wanted him to. It didn't work this time. His knees buckled and he fell down beside her.
"I heard you were a great warrior. Shouldn't such contraptions be beneath you?" asked Loki. Phil looked up to see Loki standing in front of Mystique. Tony had reached Pepper and was pulling her into his arms. Bruce just stared without a word.
"Every one of you is beneath me, human," Mystique told him.
"Ah...your mistake," Loki spoke and his skin color changed to blue similar to her own. His breath could be seen in the air. Phil had never seen Loki's Frost Giant form before. While she was still surprised, Loki took the time to throw several knives. One hit the target while she dodged the others.
"Interesting," she said and changed into his duplicate. Phil hadn't warned him about that part. Still, it didn't change the fact that Maria was dead. A comforting hand was on his shoulder. He looked up to see Clint who nodded at him. Maria would have to wait. Phil had to decide what they were going to do. He knew he didn't want anyone else hurt by her. Loki had countered Mystique's move by making his own duplicates. There was no way she could know the real one. Natasha bent down to close Maria's eyes.
"We stand down," Phil whispered. He felt like he was betraying Maria. "Let Loki, Thor and Bruce handle it."
However, Thor seemed to be concerned about injuring the real Loki and he could tell Bruce didn't want to change in the enclosed environment. The ceiling did look low. Plus, Bruce had been with Maria. On the other hand, Mystique was slower and she looked to be bleeding from a combination of Loki's assaults and her failed hits on the decoys. For a moment, he forgot and thought how Maria must be enjoying this. He rested his hand on top of Clint's. Then, Loki's duplicates disappeared and he staggered. Mystique began to laugh. Phil took Clint's hand so he helped Phil to his feet. They were steadier now. He didn't want Mystique to get away with it.
"Brother?" Thor asked and came closer. He threw Mjolnir but Mystique ducked. Another woman came out of a different room. She had black hair that was obviously dyed and a large grin. Between that and the tendrils of her costume, Phil knew who this was: Sybil Dvorak. Able to manipulate body tissue, there was no telling what she was doing to him.
She could manipulate body tissue...
"Bruce, go after the new one," he ordered as Mystique and Sybil made their way for the door. Loki was even bluer than before. Bruce Hulked out. Pieces of ceiling fell down on them. He leaped for the two making their exit when he changed back without warning. He fell against the threshold and Phil ran to see the women leave in a small jet. Tony had his suit on and aimed to shoot while Steve held his shield at the ready. Lightning struck a tree nearby. The ground shook and rain was pelting down. Phil knew it was sunny when they had heard the gunshot. Steve threw his shield anyway but it was no use. The jet was too far away. They went back inside.
"Pepper..." Natasha started. Pepper was kneeling by Maria's body. "Don't do this."
Bruce was checking out a lethargic Loki. Tony headed for Pepper while Phil went to see what Sybil had managed to do to an Asgardian. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen Thor this upset. However, Loki's eyes were completely red and dark liquid was dried on his nose and ears.
"What happened?"
"She tried to kill his brain from the inside out. Blown blood vessels from the looks of it," Bruce spoke.
"My head hurts," Loki mumbled.
"Brother, be still," Thor told him.
"He's going to be okay then?" Phil asked.
"I think so," Bruce agreed. It was one less worry. "I've never seen this before. I've never experienced what she did to me. She forced me to change back. Who is she?"
"Someone we'll probably run across again," Phil spoke and turned back to the rest. Tony had Pepper on a couch while Natasha and Clint were both sitting near Maria. Steve just stood there. There was no need in postponing the inevitable. He took out his cell phone and punched buttons.
"Director Fury, we- we lost Hill," he stated. "It was Mystique, sir. We'll be on our way."
"You can't. There's a storm over your location, only your location. Unless Thor can dispatch it, you're stuck until it improves or we can locate Ororo. She's following some lead in Africa," Fury explained. It wasn't what he wanted to hear.
"Okay, sir," he acknowledged and hung up. "Thor, unless you can clean up that storm out there, we can't leave."
Thor hesitated. Phil noticed that Loki's skin color had turned back to the same as color as Thor. Bruce nodded at him and Thor called his hammer before venturing outside. The rain sounded worse and lightning struck nearby again. Thor came back in and shook his head.
"It is enchanted," he spoke with disgust. "Perhaps once Loki is well."
There was nothing else to be done. They were stuck here. Phil didn't like leaving her on the floor. He picked her although she felt so much heavier now. On a large coffee table, he placed her body, folding her arms. She could have almost passed for a Snow White waiting for her prince if you didn't look at her head.
It was a private room connected to the main room where everyone else was.
"I'm sorry, Maria. I'm sorry," Phil apologized. Every SHIELD agent accepted that they probably weren't going to retire. Peggy Carter was the rare exception. They were going to die in the line of duty and it was going to hurt. At least with Maria, it was quick. Phil couldn't help tracing the scar on his chest given to him by Loki.
Phil took a chair for himself. He turned his back to the doorway so they couldn't see him cry. His dulled senses missed the approaching figure until the arms were around him. He smelled Clint's familiar scent.
"Remember when we finished training and she was such a hard-ass on you?" Clint asked. "I wanted to put a snake in her quarters but you convinced me not to? Instead, you found out her favorite bottle of wine and chocolates. Then, she stopped."
"I'm glad she did that though. It made me better," Phil argued. "What are we going to do?"
"You're going to agonize about the change in power structure, how SHIELD will be affected and what you could have done differently," Clint spoke. "So, I'm here to stop you for the time being."
"Stop me?" asked Phil although he liked the sound of that plan. He wanted something else to distract him from everything inside.
"Like this," Clint said and started kissing him. Yesterday, Phil would have pushed him away; still hurt from the betrayal all those months ago. Today, none of it mattered. He just wanted to feel alive. Phil kissed him back and held him close.
********************************************************************************
Steve had wandered the full extent of the house. It was almost like something out of Gatsby. Once upon a time, it must have been very expensive to build and keep. Now, it was beginning to fall apart; crumbling paint here and decaying fabric there. He walked down the stairs into the main room. Bruce, Natasha, Thor and Loki sat in the middle with playing cards. Loki was only half-clothed and Bruce was in his boxers while Thor was also in a state of undress, just not as much.
"But for round twelve, the winner has the lowest score," Bruce explained. He shared a glance with Natasha. "So, the one with the highest points has to remove another article."
"Me again?" Loki asked.
"Yes," Bruce confirmed. Loki removed his leggings so just his underwear remained.
"Bruce, I want a word," Steve spoke and motioned for him to come over.
"I thought you were supposed to watch him, not take advantage," Steve reminded him.
"It's Loki. How many times does this opportunity come up? His cognitive skills are slowly improving; just let us have this fun," Bruce said. Then Steve realized how Bruce was in his boxers.
"If you're making up the rules, how come you lost a round?" he asked.
"Natasha does some of the rounds and she can be very persuasive," Bruce explained. "Join in."
Steve didn't have anything else to do so he asked for some cards.
"Whoever has the most hearts is the loser," Natasha declared after they all noticed Loki's full hand of them.
"But I only have my undergarment," Loki pointed out.
"It's the rules," Natasha said with a shrug.
"If he remembers any of this, he will kill us," Steve pointed out.
"Still worth it," Natasha argued. Loki slid off the fabric and Steve was glad he wasn't drinking anything. Even Natasha was freely gaping in surprise.
"What? Am I deformed?" Loki asked, looking down.
"No!" Bruce, Steve and Natasha all agreed.
"You people can be very strange sometimes," Thor commented.
"He is a Frost Giant. Maybe that's the 'giant' part," Steve theorized.
"Literally," Bruce retorted.
"We could have a comparison," Natasha suggested and nodded at Thor.
In a louder voice, Bruce announced, "We'll play until only one person is still clothed."
A phone rang and Thor reached into his armor.
"Jane, this is not the best time," Thor spoke into the device and walked away from them. A live comparison would have to wait.
**************************************************************************
"You can't blame yourself," Tony told Pepper.
"How could I not? I wanted to meet her. I'm the reason Maria came here. I'm the one that fought with the gun," Pepper spoke. "And she was wearing a vest. I didn't know that. Maybe if I just let Mystique shoot, she would have shot her chest and she'd still be alive right now."
"Pepper, you know how many times I've gone through this. My actions have caused a lot of pain and suffering, I admit. I used to wonder how many deaths I enabled to happen through Stark weapons, but it eats at you," Tony admitted. In a softer voice as he looked away from her, he added, "It's why I felt I had to do Iron Man."
"So, this is what you feel like? Day after day?" Pepper asked. Tony nodded.
"Yep," he replied. Pepper's insides felt like a bottomless pit and while she saw how much it had all hurt Tony, it was overwhelming feeling it.
"I...I don't want to be you," Pepper spoke. "I should have just stuck with being an average assistant and nothing special."
"Pepper-"
She couldn't look at him anymore. Instead, she walked over to the window and looked out. Tony tried to put his hands on her shoulder but she shrugged out of it. She didn't want to feel better. This was all her fault.