Hi Everyone! Yep, this is the start of the sequel to "Power of Persuasion" and "North Star". It's also going to (and yes, I mean it this time) be my final fan fiction. I've been putting off the jump to full original fiction for far too long...it's time to end that. And, as such, I'm throwing everything but the kitchen sink into this one, including the long-awaited Caskett/Guardian wedding. Let's start with the disclaimer:

Technically, the full category for this story should be a Castle/Avengers/Agents of SHIELD/Sentinel crossover. This site, as we all know, will only allow for two categories in a crossover listing, so I'm listing this as a Castle/Avengers crossover to reach the widest possible potentially interested audience. Feel free to promote this story heavily if you think anyone doesn't know about it that should know of its existence.

And this will be no surprise to anyone who's read much of my previous work, but this story is in its own little eccentric alternate universe of the "Guardians of Shangri La". If you haven't read any part of that series to this point, just leave now, go to my author page, look for the story "Four Winds" and start from the beginning. I promise, you won't be disappointed. While there are some parts of the current story arc of Avengers/Agents of SHIELD that I'm enjoying, there are quite a few things that are bugging me (Garrett being the Clairvoyant but *not* being clairvoyant...Agent Ward...grrrr...) and other things that, well, I know would be much more fun in the crazy little world in my head. So welcome! Kick your feet up, relax, and enjoy your adventure into the twilight zone...

This story will be *long* and ongoing (which is why the disclaimer is getting its own chapter), with posts coming at varying levels of frequency at least until I see Avengers: Age of Ultron some time next year (2015). This is how I vent when shows start to tick me off. ;-) If you want to come along for the ride, I highly recommend following me or this story. And as always, more comments will help me write faster, so speak up if you have any questions, comments, praise or snide remarks!

SPOILER ALERT: I tend to cherry pick from the current seasons of my favorite shows as I see fit based on their relevance to my little alternate universe. In the case of this story, that means there will be references to Thor: the Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier (for the 12 or so Marvel fans who are still reading and *haven't* seen the movie yet), and, naturally, the current season of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." So if you haven't seen that stuff and don't want to be spoiled, don't say I didn't warn you...

LEGALESE(ish): I don't own Sentinel, Castle, or Marvel Comics (I know, shocker, right?). I will cooperate with a proper cease and desist order if anyone seems offended enough to write one (and I can prove its validity-no trolls, please!). This is all in good fun and the hopes of telling a rip-roaring adventure yarn, though, so I hope any copyright owners will take this will all the love and affection I have for the characters you've created.

I do, however, claim the rights to the original concepts and characters in this story: The Guardians of Shangri La and their history, Diane McPherson, Ekaterina Petrovich, et al. Please don't use the original characters I've created without my permission. I will probably give it as long as you let me beta the story, though, if you're interested...

Anyway...I doubt I've hit a record even for my long-winded disclaimers, but we're set to go with this one. On with the show!