Meeting the Kid

It was as ordinary a day as it could be on the S.H.E.I.L.D. hellicarrier. Or as normal as the hellicarrier could be, with it being a top secret aircraft can be. Everything was running smoothly and Director Nick Fury couldn't help but feel a sense of relief run through him.

The day had gone off without a hitch so far for him. No threat to national security, not a single need for the Avengers to deal with, which of course meant he didn't have to deal with babysitting Tony Stark. Yes, all in all Nick Fury was having a very, very good day. So much so that he had left operations in the capable hands of Agent Maria Hill and had taken a break. A knock on his office door was all it took to bring him out of his rare taste of peace. Ominously the door swung open and a nervous looking rookie agent stepped into his office.

"Yes. What is it Agent?" Fury asked scowling at the agent for interrupting one of his rare breaks.

"Umm, Sir….I have some news about Dr. Andrew Roberts and his w-wife Agent Carin Roberts." The very nervous, male agent said as they tried to keep from staring into Fury's eye.

"And what information would that be?"

"Well…Umm, they were both caught in an explosion during their assignment last week," gulping nervously the agent continued, "Both of them died in the explosion. Reconnaissance retrieved what was left. It's a positive match to both of them."

"You're sure?" Fury asked with a scowl. He was angry to say the least, one of S.H.E.I.L.D.'S best scientist and one of his best agents, and all it took was one explosion.

"Sir, there's more. Um… well they had a child." The agent replied shifting nervously under Fury's angry scowl.

"What does a child have to do with S.H.E. ., Agent?"

"Well, the Roberts' lawyer contacted us and said that the care of their daughter was given to a one, Mr. Nicholas Fury and to the joint care of all the Avengers."

A moment of silence engulfed the room. Fury sat there scowling at the rookie agent for several minutes, and the agent looked like he might faint. Finally, Fury spoke once again.

"Why, am I just hearing of this?"

"Apparently the Roberts' gave you and each of the Avengers papers some time back and they were all signed an agreement to their last will and testament making it completely legal." Looking at the floor the agent continued on. "Oh and…an agent went and retrieved the child…she's waiting outside to bring the child in."

"Fine. Send the Agent and the child in." Once the nervous rookie had left Fury let out a sigh. Things had gone downhill fast. He had been dealing with security problems and now he'd have to deal with child problems. Thankfully, he didn't have much time to ponder on what might happen for at that moment as the door to his office was opened once again.

This time however it was a smaller figure that came into the room followed by one of his agents. The smaller figure was that of a little girl, she had short, curly black hair and her eyes were looking at the ground making it impossible to see their color. Slowly she came to stand in front of Fury's desk, looking like the weight of the world was on her shoulders.

"Agent Starre is this the Roberts' child?" Fury asked as he stared at the little girl in front of his desk.

"Yes Sir. This is Callista Malia Roberts, she is five years old sir." Agent Starre replied looking at her superior calmly. Glancing back from his Agent to the child Fury was struck with how much she resembled her late mother, his late agent. Callista had her mother's black hair and olive skin but her father's curls, it was still hard to grasp that he was a guardian of a child. A five year old none the less, then the fact that the Avengers would have a hand in her upbringing came into the forefront of his mind.

"Prepare a room for Callista, Agent Starre." Fury said in a dismissive tone.

"Before I go sir, let me mention that she hasn't spoken since the news arrived about her parents." With that said the seasoned female agent turned on her heel and left the room.

It was an unusual scene, that of Director Nick Fury setting at his desk scowling at a somber looking five year old. The Director stared at Callista for a long while before he broke the silence.

"So your Andrew and Carin's child?" He asked waiting for an answer. When no reply came he spoke again. "You look just like your parents." That remark made the little girl's head jerk up and look at Fury. Bright, emerald green eyes stared at him with tears brimming in them.

"Y-you knew m-my mommy and d-daddy?" Callista asked looking mournfully at him. Somewhat startled at the sudden speech of the previously silent little girl, Fury remained silent for a moment.

"Yes, Callista. Yes, I did." Fury said in a soft tone as he saw a tear streak down the little girl's face. Warily, Callista inched her way around the desk, fear of the Director slipping from her face, and awe shining through. Ever so carefully she made her way toward him, until finally she was standing right beside him. Tears were still streaming down her face and if you looked carefully at Fury, you might have seen him soften. All at once Callista crawled up into his lap and held onto him for dear life. Slowly, Fury slipped his arms around her and held her as she sobbed silently.

Minutes turned into hours and the Director looked down to find Callista soundly asleep in his arms. His face held a stern look but his one good eye twinkled with an emotion that was not usually there, and one that he himself couldn't quite place yet. Standing he carried the sleeping child out of his office and was starting toward her new room when he thought of the fact that the hellicarrier might not be the best place for a five year old. So a plan to make her new living quarters in Avengers' Tower was made and the hellicarrier was swiftly moving in the correct direction…. Needless to say the Avengers would never know what hit them when they met and fell in love with Callista Roberts.