Begin Again Chapter 1: Begin Again, a Covert Affairs + Avengers Crossover fanfic

Begin Again

Disclaimer:
I own nothing with the exception of Shaelynn Banner.

Rating:
T (just 'cause God only knows my sick, twisted mind will go with this.)

Genre:
Romance/Drama (and, knowin' me, I'm sure I'll find somewhere to throw a little angst in the mix, too)

Pairing(s):
[past & eventual] ScienceHusbands (Tony Stark/Bruce Banner)
Auggie/OC (Auggie Anderson/Shaelynn Banner)
Breyal (Bruce Banner/Eyal Levine)

Lyrics Used:
Taylor Swift "Begin Again"

Author's Note:
So, first of all, this is going to be a Covert AffairsXAvengers crossover. It is definitely very much AU in that Tony and Bruce slept together when they were 18, yeeeeeeeeeeeears before the Avengers takes place. And, it's also an mpreg. So, that is how Shaelynn Banner comes into play. It's kind of inspired by my Covert Affairs fanfic, "For the Love of A Daughter".

Summary:
Basically, Tony & Bruce slept together when they were 18 and Tony up and disappeared, the next day and Bruce never saw or heard from him again. The reason (unbeknownst to Bruce) for Tony's disappearance is Howard Stark's unwillingness to have a gay son. So, he ships off to military school. However, while Tony is gone, Bruce learns that he is pregnant. After being abandoned by the man that claimed to love him, Bruce decides to never tell Tony about the baby. However, things eventually come to light (as they always do) when Dr. Bruce Banner is recruited into the Avengers Initiative along with-you guessed it-Tony Stark.

The story behind Shaelynn's birth comes to light when the 2 fathers come to live together at Avengers Towers. Tony is still in love with Bruce but, doesn't believe that Bruce reciprocates his feelings so he keeps them quiet. However, Tony is soon heartbroken when Bruce begins dating one of Shaelynn's colleauges-a man by the name of Eyal Levine.

Just when things become serious between Eyal & Bruce, Eyal is shipped off to Russia on assignment where his cover is blown and he is taken prisoner in an infamous underground Russian prison. Shaelynn is assigned to the extraction mission and is tasked with bringing Eyal home, safely. However, things do not go as planned. Eyal & Shaelynn find themselves caught in some pretty nasty crosshairs and Eyal is shot. When Shaelynn returns home, Bruce is devestated to learn that Eyal was killed in the extraction process.

When he learns of Eyal's death, Tony tries to be there for Bruce and tries to comfort him only to be pushed away. Still, Tony never gives up and one night-when he catches Bruce with a pistol in his hand-Tony finally convinces Bruce to let him in. The truth behind his disappearances all those years ago + the truth about his feelings for Bruce finally come to light. Eventually, Tony & Bruce manage to repair their relationship.

Wow! That summary turned out longer than I ever would have thought! Oh, well. On with the show!

Begin Again

"Hey, dad!" Shaelynn Banner walked into her father's lab at Avenger's Towers to be greeted a warm-if not somewhat strained-smile. She was worried about her father, there was no question about that. She knew he had been upset to learn of her other father's-one Tony Stark-new relationship with one Pepper Potts and she had decided to use her vacation week to go to New York to see him and-as every good spy does-she had a few tricks up her sleeve to pick her father's spirits up.

"Shaelynn?" Bruce asked, surprised to see that his daughter had come to see him. Sliding the glasses off of his nose, he looked over to her with what he hoped she would see as just a warm, welcoming smile, and nothing more. "What a pleasant surprise?! To what do I owe the honor?" He asked, trying to keep the mood light-hearted.

"Oh, ya know..." Shaelynn began with a casual sigh as she surveyed the equipment laid out across her father's workstation. "I'm on vacation, this week-and Auggie's tied up at the office-so, I thought I'd come spend some time with my dad." She replied, innocently. "Unless you're busy, too?" She asked, with a mischievous quirk of the eyebrow. She knew full-well, that her father wasn't busy at all. At least not with anything too pressing. She had sweet-talked her lover and self-proclaimed 'God of Technology', August Anderson, into hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database and saw that everything was pretty quiet on the Avengers front.

"How could I possibly say no to my little girl?" He asked, sincerely. It was true. Bruce Banner had been wrapped around his daughter's little finger ever since the day she was born. He could never say no to her-well...within reason, of course. Setting his clipboard and notes aside, Bruce crossed the lab to lean against the table next to Shaelynn. "What did you have in mind?"

It was then that he noticed Shaelynn's face take on a slightly more serious note. "Okay...So, I wasn't...completely honest..." She began. The introduction of this statement put Bruce slightly on edge.

"So, you're not just here on vacation?" He asked, uneasily, as he unconsciously started slowly backing away from Shaelynn. "You're here on business, aren't you?"

Shaelynn immediately noticed her father's warning lights systematically flickering to life and set to work placating him. "No-no, of course not. I am on vacation and, no, Langley did not send me here." She insisted, hoping beyond hope that the look in her eyes conveyed her honesty. Langley had no interest in the Hulk and she had to help her dad see this, whatever means necessary.

Bruce surveyed Shaelynn's body language carefully. He knew his daughter was a covert operative for the CIA and knew she was damn good at what she did. But, deep down, he knew he would know his daughter better than anyone and he would know if she were lying to him. Looking into her soft doe eyes, he knew she was telling the truth. Plus, in his heart, he knew that-if Langley ever did want to get their hands on him, she would be his first line of defense. Sighing softly in relief, he replied "I know...I believe you, Shae."

Shaelynn breathed her own sigh of relief when she saw her father's body language slowly relax. "Thank you." She replied as her warm, friendly, smile returned to her face. "But, I did have just one small ulterior motive in coming here." Shae watched as her father quirked an eyebrow at her curiously.

"Really?" He asked, returning to his former spot next to her. "And just what might that have been?" He wondered, curiously.

Sighing softly, Shaelynn looked directly into her father's tortured brown eyes as she spoke. "Look, dad...I know you've been down ever since Stark started dating that...woman-What's her name? Salt? Cayenne? Oh, right. Pepper!" Bruce tried to brush his daughter's concerns of with an amused wrinkling of his nose at her catty remark. "And, don't even try to deny it. You know I can always see right through your masks-hell, it's part of what makes so damn good at what I do. And, well, to be perfectly honest, I've been kind of worried about you so I came to offer a solution of sorts..."

"A solution?" He asked, curiously. "What makes you think I even have a problem?" He wondered, off-handedly. Deep down, he knew she was right. He just didn't want to admit it. Not even to himself. But, it was true. Bruce Banner was jealous of Pepper Potts. Pepper had everything he had ever wanted. Well, everything he had once wanted. Not anymore. He told himself. Not after what he did to you. I mean, sure, he gave you one hell of an amazing daughter, but, that's the only good that ever came from being with Anthony Howard Stark. No, he would never let himself go through that, again. If Pepper wanted Tony, she could have him. He was her problem, now.

"Please, dad..." Shaelynn began, as if the answer were obvious. "Look, you know that nobody knows you like I do. Every little thing about you tells me that you've been depressed. I can see it in your eyes. I've heard it in your voice during our most recent phone conversations. Your body language, right now, is a dead give-away, too-Oh, yeah! I noticed the way you immediately tensed up when I said Potts's name." Shaelynn explained, outlining each and every exhibit in her lineup of evidence. Then, she shook her head lightly, getting back to her point. "Look, my point is you've been down aaaand...a friend of mine would like to help get you out of your funk and just...Give you the chance to just be happy, again."

Bruce just nodded and pursed his lips together as he pondered everything his daughter had just told him. "And, this...friend...of yours? How exactly do you know them?"

Shaelynn chuckled lightly. "We're colleauges, we've worked together on several occasions." She began as she pulled her phone from her pocket. Her fingers glided over the touch-screen as she flipped through the pictures until she loaded one on the screen before handing it over to her dad. Slipping his glasses back on, Bruce took the phone from Shaelynn and studied the picture on the screen for a moment. He had to admit...He certainly is quite attractive...He thought to himself, off-handedly as Shaelynn spoke again. "His name is Eyal Levine. He just moved to the states when he transferred from the Mossad to Langley. He's smart-hell, the man speaks as many languages as I do, if not more. He's funny, sensitive...And, yes, dad...I even told him about 'the Other Guy'..."

That caught Bruce's attention. "Really?" He asked curiously. "And...What did he have to say to that?"

Shaelynn laughed lightly as she replied. "He couldn't care less. He knows all about the Hulk, yes. But, he also knows all about Dr. Bruce Banner. The brilliant physicist...Expert in gamma radiation...Loving and devoted father..." She finished with a knowing smirk. "And, trust me when I say this, dad...He just sees the Hulk as one of the many many individual facets that make you the remarkable man that you are. And, yes...He is very interested in getting to know you better." She replied, with a suggestive wink.

Bruce thought about his daughter's offer for a moment. He had to admit. This...Eyal...He really did sound like a nice guy. Certainly someone Bruce could see himself being attracted to-hell, he hadn't even met the man, and he was already attracted. But, could he really risk it? What if he ever lost control with this guy? He's just a regular, normal, human man. He wouldn't stand a chance against the Hulk. With a resigned sigh, Bruce replied "Shaelynn...I appreciate the offer-I really do. And, this Eyal sounds like a wonderful man. But, I just don't think it's a good idea for me to try and date someone, not with the Other Guy. I mean you and I both know how unpredictable his triggers can be. What if I ever lost control around him?"

"You wouldn't! Dad, you raised me for years after the accident! And you never hurt me-not once! You are far more in control of the Hulk than you give yourself credit for! And, quite frankly, it's kinda starting to piss me off a little!" She half shouted before calming herself with a slow breath. "Look, dad...You've worked so hard for so many years...You've been through so much-betweeen Stark and your accident...You've sacrificed so much in the name of the 'greater good'...You've done so much for so many other people...It's time you did something for yourself. Eyal is a great guy, dad. He would be so good to you-he would take care of you. He would be there for you. Just...Give him a chance. Please? You deserve to be happy." Shaelynn was all but begging by the end of her monologue.

To say that Bruce was touched by his daughter's passion would have been a vast understatement. But, it was just too dangerous. He couldn't put an innocent man in harm's way like that. Eyal's life could be in danger, just by being in the same room with him. Bruce just couldn't take that chance. He was about to explain all this to Shaelynn when they both turned to the entrance to the lab as they heard voices approaching.

Before either of them could say or do anything, they both saw Tony Stark and Pepper Potts strolling down the hall, arm-in-arm, laughing and leaning in close to whisper in each other's ears-the way lovers do. Bruce couldn't deny the jealous burning in his blood. He had to mentally will the Other Guy back into submission before he spoke again. In his heart of hearts, Bruce knew Shaelynn only had his best interests at heart. And, he knew she had a point. Maybe it was time he did something for himself. Afterall...He could just take things slow with Eyal. Feel the waters. See how everything feels. If it all checks out, then, he could consider the next level. "Okay." He replied, finally.

"Okay?" Shaelynn asked, tentatively, turning away from the entrance to look back at her father.

"Yeah." Bruce added, nodding. "Tell you what...Why don't you set up a time and place for Eyal and I to meet...And, we'll just take it from there..." He suggested, casually.

Shaelynn smiled her trademark million-watt smile that Bruce liked to think she reserved only for him as she spoke again. "Great! Hey, how 'bout this? Why don't you and Eyal double with me and Auggie, tomorrow night?" She suggested.

"Tomorrow?" He asked, curiously. "I thought you said Auggie was tied up at the office, this week?" He asked.

"Not the whole week. He's flying in tomorrow morning to meet up with me. So? How 'bout it?" She asked, hopefully.

"Sure. It sounds like fun." He replied, smiling his first genuine smile in months.

"Great!" Shaelynn exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her father briefly before backing away again. "I'll give Eyal a call and set the whole thing up!"

Bruce loved the way Shaelynn's eyes lit up and even danced when she smiled that true, brilliant smile of hers as she threw her arms around his neck. He held her in his arms for a moment before releasing her. He couldn't help smiling, himself, as he watched her all but dance out of the lab, her phone already in her hand-presumably dialing Eyal's number. This could get veeeery interesting...He thought to himself as he slid his glasses back on and resumed his work where he had left off.