It's been a while. But the recent events have inspired me so... I'm not making any promises though.

It's no secret I'm French and you probably all know what happened in Paris yesterday. It's shocking, unfair and completely horrible. It was drawings and wasn't hurting anyone, it was nothing more than simple idiotic humor supposed to make someone smile or laugh. People getting killed for expressing their thoughts - it's just not right.

So this is basically how I think the Avengers would react to this.

#JeSuisCharlie.

Not Afraid

Natasha didn't know what to think when she entered the living room and found Steve and Tony hunched over something on the ground. She looked around and noticed Bruce, Clint and Thor looking just as baffled as she was. Walking towards them, she tried to see what their two friends were up to, but they were in the way.

She stopped next to Bruce and elbowed slightly. "What's going on?" she whispered.

He turned to her and smiled sheepishly. "Absolutely no idea. Clint and I found them like that a few minutes ago. We tried to ask but…" He shrugged, indicating they hadn't gotten any answer.

Turning back to the two, she narrowed her eyes and looked more carefully at the scene. Steve seemed to be drawing from what she could guess at the movements of his arm – and the fact he was holding a pen. Several pens of all colors were scattered around them. Tony reached for a black one and leaned forward, cap between his teeth.

Whatever it was, it involved drawing and writing on some big white sheet. Really big – much like everything Tony ever felt the need to do. And it was obviously something they were both very invested in because they didn't seem to really notice them standing there.

She was intrigued.

There weren't many things that get both Steve and Tony so enthralled at the same time. For something to have come up so suddenly and without any build up to it…

Frowning, she started forward, ready to get answers.

But she never got to reach them.

They stood up suddenly, taking their sheet with them, and walked to the balcony.

"What the…?" Clint started before shaking his head. "Okay guys, what the hell's going on here? What are you two doing?"

Either they didn't hear him or they didn't want to answer right away. She was leaning towards the latter as she watched Steve open the door leading outside. She exchanged a look with Bruce who was frowning lightly. Thor walked to the place they had both been and grabbed a red felt-tip pen. "What is this?"

"A pen," answered Bruce as he reached him. "They all are."

Natasha looked out the windows and saw Steve and Tony, each standing at one end of the A the Tower now wore for Avengers. They seemed to be hanging the sheet there. She was also starting to think that whatever it was wasn't a simple sheet but more of a poster they made. What for and why were the real questions now.

Sighing, she walked to the balcony as well, stopping at the door to watch Tony put on the suit. Steve was looking down at their poster which was flying up in every direction – and still managing to hide what they had done somehow.

She felt the others join her to watch as Tony flew to catch the poster and straighten it… only for them not to see it because he pulled it towards the balcony a couple of floors below them.

"Is it holding up?" Steve screamed at Tony, looking at him over the railing.

"Yep, it's all good!"

Natasha leaned over the railing, trying to see what that poster was, but she could only catch a glimpse of red and green and blue as it was still flapping with the wind. Mentally groaning she turned back to the duet, which was now walking up to them.

"Care to finally tell what you two were up to?" Clint asked grudgingly, crossing his arms. He was probably a bit miffed that he couldn't participate in whatever it was they had done. Ever the troublemaker.

"We are offering our support," Steve answered, in his most serious and no-nonsense tone. He appeared determined and upset at the same time. It was strange to say the least, thought Natasha. What could have happened?

"Your support? What for?" wondered Bruce, his eyebrows frowning as he pushed his glasses back on his nose.

"A terrorist attack happened in France this morning," answered Tony. He was frowning, eyes dark and shadowed. "They attacked a newspaper room and killed people. Innocent weaponless people," he hissed as he clenched his fist. Terrorists were always a sore spot to him after all – ever since his own unfortunate meeting with them.

"Twelve people. Because of the drawings and things they said in it," explained Steve.

Bruce let out a sigh and closed his eyes. Clint nodded and his expression turned solemn, as did Thor's, as they all took in the news. People dying happened all the time – they were wars all around the world, but this – this felt different. It was closer to home. And it wasn't the same target.

"They wanted to make a statement. To stop people from talking – or writing – about them," she whispered sympathetically. She understood why they both seemed so upset. Rogers, while he sometimes still struggled with some little things, had been very happy to see how much everyone wasn't afraid of talking, of telling their opinions and thoughts. This… This was freedom of thought, of opinion, of speech, something that was so natural to everyone now – in many countries.

And Stark literally lived for his freedom of expression. He didn't let SHIELD control him when Iron Man started. He let everyone know exactly what was on his mind. He didn't care about consequences, because he just spoke his mind.

And this attack was against just that.

"How is France doing?" Bruce wondered.

"United and pretty fantastic considering. It's impressive really how quickly they reacted and all stood up together," Steve said, a little bit of awe in his voice. "They started this thing. I am Charlie."

"Je Suis Charlie," corrected Stark in French. "That's what we did. Everyone is lending their support with this simple sentence." He pushed his fist into his hand. "We won't let them get away with thinking they can shut us up."

On those words, the genius pushed through them and left for his workshop. Clint turned back to Steve. "So what did you do?"

"Ask Jarvis for an image," he answered with a smile. He walked out as well, leaving them to ask the AI for the image of what they had done to show their support to France.

The TV turned on and image live of the poster appeared: big, flashy and impossible to miss in the New York background, surrounding by the metal grey of the buildings.

The six of them were drawn carelessly – a blond big guy for Thor, a little thin red girl for her, a guy with a bow for Clint, Steve wearing his blue, white and red uniform, a green and mean looking Hulk newt to him. Iron Man completed them all in red and yellow at the end. Above all of them in big black letters were written the words "Nous sommes Charlie".

Natasha frowned at the balloons between them and the big slogan.

Thor was saying "We're still standing", her "Not kneeling", Hawkeye "We're still speaking up", Captain America "Freedom of expression", Hulk "Not Afraid." And finally Iron Man was saying "I am Charlie."

Natasha let out a small smile. It was simple, but got the message across. And really now that she was out of both the Red Room and SHIELD (though not completely for the latter), she knew what freedom really felt like and she understood. She was with them.

"I like it," Clint declared, nodding his head once as if it was final. "Freedom – it's important." And didn't he know it after the Loki episode. Even Bruce, freer now than he had been in a long time because of Ross. They all knew how important every little freedom they had was. And no one could take that away.

She smiled. "Guess we're all Charlie then."

There it is. Done. Hope you liked it.

AngelShep