AN: Hi :) This is my very first publication! I've written stories before but haven't had the nerve to post any. I figured I'd just give it a shot with this. Enjoy! And reviews would be lovely. Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Sydney. All credit goes to Marvel.

Prologue

Of course her first day at Pearson Hardman was the day those stupid alien motherfuckers tried to take over the world, starting with Manhattan. That was just her luck.

"My apartment better exist still when this is over, I swear to god," Sydney muttered as she stared up at the ceiling.

She was perched atop Jessica Pearson's desk, glock held loosely in her right hand, when she heard a crash and subsequent string on curses from down the hall. She jumped gracefully off the desk and landed in a crouch. Sydney quietly made her way out into the hall and lithely ran towards the source of the noise. Holding her gun up with both hands, she crept out into the open. Just as she was about to stand up straight, Sydney saw movement and squeezed the trigger. The person – a guy, she realized belatedly – expertly dodged the bullet and raised his hands.

"Whoa, lady. I'm a good guy," He said evenly, staring her down.

Sydney looked him over quickly. The quiver slung across his back was empty but he looked like he would have no qualms with snapping her like a twig. I mean, come on. Those arms! She licked her lips without realizing it, and he chuckled quietly.

She turned her gaze back to his face sharply. "Got a name?"

"Uh… Clint," he answered as he scratched the back of his neck. "Can you put the gun away now?"

"Not yet. And you're a good guy, you say?" She questioned as she pulled her cell – the latest and still unreleased from Stark Industries – out of her back pocket, still aiming her gun at him. She saw him eye the phone and furrow his brow. He glanced back up to her face, curiosity plain in his eyes. She rolled her eyes and hit speed dial #1.

"Hey, Syd. Can't really chat at the moment. I've got aliens on my ass," he said, sounding out of breath.

"Tone, I'm aiming a gun at Legolas. Says he's a good guy. Is he cool, or do I pop a cap in his ass?"

Tony let out a booming laugh and Sydney smiled slightly. "Clint?" She replied in the affirmative. "Yeah, Syd. Legolas is part of the fellowship. Keep him alive, would ya? You should head over to the Tower. I'll make sure JARVIS lets you in to the safe room. Be careful. I'll find you after all these shit pieces are dead," He instructed and hung up.

Clint was just staring at her, eyebrow quirked and arms crossed over his chest. She lowered her gun and pocketed the phone. "What?" She snapped, mimicking his stance.

"You a friend of Stark's or something?" Legolas asked.

"Yeah, or something. I need to get to Stark Tower. You coming?" Syd headed towards the stairwell. He nodded and slung his bow across his back. "Wait. My bag. 2 seconds, Katniss."

She heard him sigh loudly and she snickered as she ran back to Jessica's office. Sydney snatched up her bag and threw it over her head. She pulled out a second glock and tossed it at Clint as she passed.

"Why would you have two guns on you?" He asked as he gripped the firearm.

"When you associate with people like Tony Stark, you tend to be prepared for anything. I also have nun-chuks, pepper spray, and a taser in my bag," She replied smartly and entered the stairwell.

The two silently rushed down the stairs. When they reached the main floor, Clint deftly maneuvered ahead of her gave her the "Stay here" eyes, and disappeared out the door into the main lobby. After a few minutes, Sydney was getting antsy. Just as she was about to bust out and make a run for it, he opened the door.

"All clear. C'mon." He held the door open and she brushed past him. "What's your name, anyways?"

"Sydney," She replied as she allowed him to lead her towards the doors. She was busy staring open mouthed at his backside (That ass!) so she didn't realize he had stopped in front of the doors until she ran smack into his back. All the aliens outside had collapsed. Sydney gave a loud whoop of joy as they exited the building. He laughed as he turned to say something to her.

He stopped abruptly, spinning to stare up at the portal, and held his breath.

"What's up, Katniss?"

"C'mon, Stark," He mumbled, jaw clenched.

Sydney stared at the rapidly closing portal and spotted something falling out of it just as it closed completely. It shone red in the sun. "Clint… Is that Tony?" Clint nodded.

Sydney took off in the general direction of Tony at full speed. She heard Clint curse and follow her. As she got closer, the Hulk snatched Tony out of mid-air and disappeared behind the buildings in front of her. She pumped her legs even harder and lost Clint as she rounded the corner. Tony was flat on his back with the Hulk and a pair of big blonde guys staring down at him.

"Tony!" She screeched as she skidded to his side. She ignored the questioning glances from the blondes as she attempted to find his pulse. Before she had a chance to locate it, the Hulk let out a loud as fuck roar.

Tony jumped awake. "What happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me," Tony breathed, his eyes settling on Sydney. "Thought I told you to keep Legolas alive," he smirked, glancing around for Clint.

"I'm here," He panted as he joined the group. She watched him wipe sweat from his forehead. Clint caught her gaze and smirked.

"Glad you were able to catch up, old man," Sydney smirked back at him. "Don't have a heart attack."

Clint's smirk turned into a glare at Sydney's jibe. Tony laughed. "Couldn't keep up with her, huh? Don't take it personally, Katniss. Everyone has trouble keeping up with Starks," Tony shot Syndey a sly grin and wink.

"You're a Stark?" Clint asked, dumbfounded. Sydney nodded.

"So what happened?" Tony spoke up, ignoring the shocked faces around him.

Spangly man answered first. "We won."

"Alright, yay. Alright. Good job, guys. Let's just take a day," He suggested and winced as he tried to move. "Have you ever tried shawarma? There's a great shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I wanna try it," He rambled.

"Tone, it's mediocre," Sydney protested.

"I don't care, Syd. I wanna try it," He argued.

"We're not finished yet," Big, blonde and muscled said.

Tony looked at him, "And then shawarma after."

Sydney watched as the Blondes helped Tony up. Clint silently appeared beside her and she jumped. "Are you normally this quiet?"

"Yeah, usually," He answered brusquely and walked ahead to follow the Blondes and Hulk.

"Man, that ass," Sydney moaned quietly to herself.