As it states in the summary, this was written in response to a challenge a friend posed to me when he found out that I was going to quit writing for a while. I just finished a heinous semester of master courses and I am burnt out from all the attention my thesis required. My plan was to use winter break as a way to recharge my hypothetical batteries so I was ready for next semester. I have a few other active stories on this site and, as unfortunate as it was, the idea of writing, editing, and posting new chapters for them seemed overwhelming and daunting.

My friend posed this challenge to me: Read the SHIELD New Recruit Survival memos and write a small story about one of them and, if that didn't rekindle my love for writing, then he would pay for my plane ticket our summer Las Vegas trip.

Sadly, I will be paying for my own ticket.

Please enjoy!

~Pixie

Dani let out an annoyed huff as a Nerf dart suddenly struck her computer monitor, the foam projectile sticking to the screen. She glanced at the narrow slits of the register vent to her left, "Would you knock it off, Barton?" She plucked the dart from her computer, "Seriously, how did you even make that shot?" An arrogant chuckle above her was the only reply she got. With a roll of her eyes, Dani yanked open her desk drawer, adding the dart to the growing pile the she had accumulated over the last week. Apparently, she had become agent Barton's new favorite target.

"It's an opportunity of a lifetime," She mocked, dropping her voice a few octaves, "A chance to get out and work with real superheroes. They're professionals. You won't have any problems." Dani glared up at the ceiling tiles darkly, allowing her voice to return to normal, "No, they're children trapped in adult bodies and I've become nothing more than a glorified babysitter."

She sighed as she brought her thermos to her lips, frowning when she found it was empty. Dani let out a disgusted noise, pushing herself out of her chair and yanked her office door open. "SHIELD employs some of the brightest people on the planet and yet no one has been able to figure out a way to make a coffee IV. Tony Stark can make a flying metal suit but can't figure out a safe way to simply inject caffeine straight into the bloodstream. Epipens should be standard issue."

Dani stumbled into the nearest break room, her mood darkening considerably when she found the coffee pot empty. "Someone took the regular grounds," An intern muttered, motioning towards the machine. "All that's left is decafe."

"Great, now, I have to kill some poor, misguided idiot. Doesn't the world have enough villains?" She snapped, shoving a hand through her hair; sending the dark waves fly. "Is it really that bad?" A random female agent asked as she picked at her lunch, "It's just coffee."

Dani leaned back against the counter, sparing the bottle-blonde a glance, "What's your security level?" The blonde puffed out her already ample chest, "Level four." Dani laughed, "Yeah that explains it. You'll understand once you've reached level seven, sweetie."

"There's coffee in Doctor Banner's lab." A deep, amused voice gently offered from the doorway. The break room practically erupted in twitters of excitement and barely whispered sexual comments. But Steve Rogers had that effect on the new recruits. "Lead on, Cap," Dani stated, joining him. She glared over her shoulder when the blonde loudly whispered about Steve posing for a centerfold.

Steve blushed darkly as they walked down the hall. "I can file a complaint for you, if you want." Dani offered with a wave of her hand, "You don't have to take that." He shook his head, "No, it's fine. I'm flattered, really; but, I suppose I'm still not use to it. I didn't get many comments like that growing up."

Dani put a hand on his arm, pulling him to a stop, "That doesn't make it right, Steve. They shouldn't get to objectify you like that. If you get sick of it or if it becomes a problem, come and talk to me. I'll take care of it." He laughed, "I will but I have a feeling that Director Fury wouldn't be too happy about the body count."

She smiled up at him as they continued to walk, "Bodies would mean paperwork and, Lord knows, I have enough of that as it is. I'm still fighting my way through the mountain that Tony's little stunt with the vending machines last week left me. No, there wouldn't be any bodies to find."

Steve laughed again, opening the lab door for her. Tony and Bruce were hunched around a screen, muttering at each other; completely oblivious to their presence. "Tony," Dani snapped, causing the man to jump, "Did you dare one of the new recruits to steal the coffee again? Seriously, didn't you learn your lesson with that when the last one ended up in the medic center for a week when he tried to take Coulson's doughnuts?"

"I didn't dare anyone, firecracker," Tony offered with a causal grin. "But he did offer to pay them." Bruce responded, moving forward to take the thermos from Dani, "I just brewed a fresh pot. Cream, right?"

"You are officially my favorite, Bruce." Dani gave the man a bright smile before leveling Tony with a murderous glare, "Stop causing me problems." He raised a challenging brow, "That sounds like a threat, Doc, what are you going to do? Please say that you're going to spank."

"I'll call Pepper." She said smoothly, crossing her arms. Tony looked horrified causing her to laugh, "That's right, Mr. Stark, there's a reason I have her personal cell on speed dial. In fact, I'm meeting up with her tonight for drinks with Jane, Natasha, and Darcy."

Tony sent her a sullen glance, "You fight dirty, Doc." Dani just laughed at him as Bruce handed her the thermos back. She inhaled the steaming liquid, letting out a content sigh, "My synapses thank you, Bruce. I had better get back to my office."

"I'll escort you," Steve offered, his large hand spanning across her lower back as he led her towards the door. She flashed him a smile before thanking Bruce again, allowing him to lead her from the lab. "Oh, Tony," Dani called over her shoulder, "Make sure the coffee is put back or I'll let Barton paint your suit pink."

Steve glanced at her as they walked, "You seem happy." She lifted the thermos, "Caffeine." He smiled, "No, I meant in general. I couldn't help but notice during our first few sessions together that you seemed so cold, so aloof. Now, you're always smiling, even though I know we give you a lot of problems to deal with. We're not the easiest team to deal with."

"You know, I was beyond shocked when I was offered this position." Dani stated, "There's a list a mile long of people far more qualified than me and, I guess, I was so focused on proving myself that I lost sight of the reason I'm here in the first place. It's not about me, it's about you guys, the team. You guys don't need another doctor trying to pull out your feelings and thoughts. You needed someone that you could come to if you wanted to talk, someone who understands everyone on a personal level. "

He paused when they reached her office, "A friend." She nodded, taking a sip, "I've been unofficially promoted to the group's den mother. Yes, there are times that it drives me completely insane but I wouldn't change a moment of it for the world. You guys are my friends."

Steve smiled at her before leaning down to brush a kiss against her cheek; blush creeping up his neck when he pulled away. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his slacks, scuffing at the tiled floor with the toe of his shoes, "We're glad to have you, Danika." He offered her a shy smile before walking away.

She dropped into her office chair, taking another drink before turning towards her computer with a smile. "Not as glad as I am to be here." Dani muttered to herself. She worked for a few minutes, a puff of air breaking the silence, her only warning before another dart suction itself to her screen, "Damn it, Barton!"