"Dr. McClain, your presence is requested at an 11 AM meeting in the conference room on the 12th floor," JARVIS informed her.

She looked at the clock on her MacBook. 9:45 AM. She had spent the majority of the morning, since about 6, working on a plan for the suit and helipad that would comply with the law, but fix the issue. She was grateful to have spent the morning inside, away from the incredible cold of Manhattan. She was certainly surprised that, given how well Iron Man's suit was built, how incredibly intelligent Tony Stark was, and SHIELD's ability to recruit any engineer they wanted, that they needed her help to deter a few birds. But she wasn't really given a choice regarding her participation, so she took the project very serious and devoted her time to it. She saved her work and jumped into the shower to prepare for her meeting.

The typical crew was sat around a large, ovular conference table, talking amongst themselves. Natasha and Clint were attempting to shoot miniature arrows at Dr. Banner, who was finding their attempts both futile and annoying, Thor was tossing Mjölnir around as if it were an empty water bottle, Tony was doing something with his StarkWatch and Steve was reading the newspaper. At the head of the table, Nick Fury sat with his hands folded and resting on the tabletop.

Olivia walked in and was embarrassed to find that she was the last to join the party. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at her.

She arrived wearing a black pencil skirt, and a purple blouse that tied around her neck, paired with tall black pumps. Her auburn hair was pulled into a tight topknot on her head, still wet following her shower, which accentuated her high cheekbones.

She gave a small wave as she took the only open seat around the table, between Dr. Banner and Steve.

"Team, this is Dr. McClain. She is a world-renowned wildlife biologist and has been recruited to assist SHIELD with a number of projects," Nick introduced her. "Dr. McClain, this is Natasha, Clint, Steve, Dr. Banner, Thor, and you've already met Tony."

"Hi."


She was a beautiful dame – her hair was tied up on the top of her head and her cheeks were a rosy pink, Steve noticed. She wore heels, which made her legs look long, but he could tell she was only just over five feet tall. She took the open seat next to him and he couldn't help but stare.

"Team, this is Dr. McClain. She is a world-renowned wildlife biologist and has been recruited to assist SHIELD with a number of projects," Nick introduced her. "Dr. McClain, this is Natasha, Clint, Steve, Dr. Banner, Thor, and you've already met Tony."

"Hi."

A wildlife biologist? Steve thought. What use does SHIELD have for a wildlife biologist?

"Dr. McClain, you'll be here in Stark Tower for a while. We hope that you will make yourself at home. The other Avengers also usually reside in the Tower, should you find that you need them," Director Fury said.

"Alright," she responded.

"Once you've finished with your current project, we will have you begin on another."

"Okay. I've started writing a plan to address the issues with Iron Man's suit and should have a first draft by this evening for you, Tony." It was at this point that Steve realized she must have been from the south – the way she drug out the I in "alright" and put two syllabus into the word "draft".

"Oooh, she's quick," Tony smirked. "Admirable quality, one would say, in a number of different settings." Steve shot him a look of annoyance.

"I try," she smiled shyly.

"Great," Director Fury said. "That's all for now. You've met everyone and if you need anything, you know who to ask." Olivia still wasn't sure what she would ask these people for or which person she would ask for what.

The room broke into chatter and Director Fury excused himself. Natasha and Clint were still testing their small bow and arrow when they turned to Olivia.

"Dr. McClain," Clint smiled. "Have you ever done any archery?"

"A very limited amount," she responded. "Mostly with crossbows."

"Crossbows, huh?" He asked. "What does a biologist use a crossbow for?"

"Population management," she answered.

"Ah. Gotcha," Clint said, trying to pretend he knew exactly what she was talking about, despite the fact that he had not a clue.

"And yourself?" She asked.

"I've got some experience with a bow and arrow, if I do say so myself."

Everyone chuckled. Olivia didn't get the joke. Noticing her slight confusion, Steve leaned over and whispered to her.

"The bow and arrow is his weapon. He's Hawkeye, the assassin," he said.

"Oh, wow. I'm a little behind," she laughed at herself. "I didn't realize you were all superheroes!"

Everyone shared a laugh at her expense and Tony took it upon himself to re-introduce everyone.

"Okay, okay, Natasha here is Black Widow. She kicks ass and takes names. Clint is Hawkeye, Dr. Banner transforms into the massive green giant known as the Hulk. Thor is, well, he's Thor, God of Thunder, I'm Iron Man, duh, and this here" – he pointed at Steve – "is Captain America."

"Captain America?" She questioned, flabbergasted. "You mean, strong and brave, here to save the American Way, Captain America? The Star Spangled Man with a Plan? That Captain America?"

Steve looked a little embarrassed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Heh heh, yea, that's me."


After providing Tony with a list of supplies, Olivia was ready to test her plan with a few of her deterrents. She spent the following three days on the helipad, testing the different methods she hypothesized. Around early afternoon on the third day, she ventured down to the main kitchen to find something to fill her stomach.

"Hello, Doctor," Captain America was sitting at the bar, sipping what looked like a mug of black coffee. Olivia could certainly go for a hot beverage right about now. Her fingers were slowly regaining their feeling after being frozen over the course of the last several days.

"Captain America," she smiled. "Hello."

He choked on his coffee slightly and tried to play it off with a chuckle.

"Please call me Steve," he offered.

"Will do, Steve," Olivia replied. "I see you like your coffee black. That's how my dad likes it."

"And you?"

"I don't," she answered, switching on the stove range and pulling out some bread. "I'm not a coffee-drinker, but I quite enjoy hot chocolate. Care for a grilled cheese?"

"Sure," he smiled and watched as she prepared their lunch. "So I heard your accent earlier. Where are you from?"

"Oh," she giggled. "I was born and raised in North Carolina. I left after getting my master's and moved to DC to get my PhD. You could hear that Southern twang, huh?"

"Something like that," he smiled.

"Wow, Cap," Tony smirked when he joined the pair in the kitchen. "Already got the woman cooking for you. It's like we're still in the 40s where a woman's place was in the kitchen."

"Easy, Tony," Steve scoffed.

"You mean, where the knives are?" Olivia asked, smirking as she grabbed one of the large chef's knives and threw it at Tony's head. It missed by an inch and embedded itself in the wall directly behind him.

Steve and Tony slowly returned their gaze from the knife to Olivia, as she was nonchalantly flipping one of the grilled cheese sandwiches. This girl was definitely from the South.

"What the hell was that, Doc?" Tony questioned her.

"I don't like sexism," she shrugged.

"Not the comment, the knife slinging," he rolled his eyes.

"Hey, watch your attitude or I'll throw another. And this time, I won't miss," she winked. The two men could not hide their surprise. "It's a hobby. My dad taught me when I was young."

"Hobby, my ass," Tony scoffed.

"Tony, you better stay on her good side, otherwise she'll be making sandwiches out of ya," Steve laughed, sipping his coffee.

Tony scurried out of the kitchen to the safety of his lab.


"Care for a grilled cheese?" She offered with a smile. Steve wasn't about to turn down a free sandwich from a beautiful girl.

"Sure."

Tony had made his way into the kitchen.

"Wow, Cap," He smirked. "Already got the woman cooking for you. It's like we're still in the 40s where a woman's place was in the kitchen."

"Easy, Tony," Steve scoffed. There was no need for such comments.

"You mean, where the knives are?" Olivia asked, smirking as she grabbed one of the large chef's knives. Before they knew it, it was lodged in the wall right next to Tony's ear.

Damn. Steve thought to himself.

"What the hell was that, Doc?" Tony muttered.

"I don't like sexism," she shrugged.

"Not the comment, the knife slinging," he rolled his eyes.

"Hey, watch your attitude or I'll throw another. And this time, I won't miss," she winked. "It's a hobby. My dad taught me when I was young."

"Hobby my ass," Tony scoffed.

"Tony, you better stay on her good side, otherwise she'll be making sandwiches out of ya," Steve laughed, sipping his coffee. He decided he should make an exit.

A doll that was witty, beautiful, and could throw a knife with incredible accuracy? Almost too good to be true. Steve thought to himself.


Olivia handed Steve his plate with two grilled cheese sandwiches and took a seat next to him at the bar. She didn't say anything, but took a bite of her sandwich. After a couple minutes of silence she spoke, without looking up.

"Did you know the modern grilled cheese sandwich was thought to have started in the 1920s?"

"I did not," Steve stifled a chuckle.

"What's funny about that? The Great Depression was in the 1920s! That's a serious American historical event!" She defended her comment as she felt the heat rise to the tops of her ears from embarrassment.

"I just thought it was random, is all," Steve said and he couldn't help but notice the tips of her ears getting red. He felt bad for saying anything. "I didn't realize grilled cheese sandwiches were so serious." He nudged her arm with his elbow. "Just ragging on you, Dr. McClain."

It took a minute, but when she responded she was quiet. "Call me Olivia." It was the last thing she said before she placed her empty plate in the sink and went back to her suite. When she left, Steve let out an exasperated sigh.

"You'd think," Jarvis butted in, "you'd have a better way with words for a 90 year old."

Steve rolled his eyes.


The next morning, Olivia was back in her usual spot, bundled up to the best of her abilities on the helipad. She'd tested three of her ideas and, while they did deter the birds, they didn't work as wonderfully as she had hoped. Her next idea was to use the sound of a bird of prey, which would scare away the songbirds. It seemed like big birds were only a problem during flight. As if on cue, the archer known as Hawkeye made his way onto the helipad.

"Morning Olivia," he smiled, zipping his coat. "Have you been here every morning? It's kind of cold."

"Good morning, Clint. Yes, I have. And yes, it is," she answered. "I usually stay until the early afternoon."

He shuddered, and Olivia wasn't sure if it was because of the cold or because of the idea of staying in the cold for 7 or so hours a day.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked.

"Not at all, as long as you're quiet. We don't want to scare the birds away. That's what the deterrent is supposed to do."

He nodded and took a seat next to her while she was observing the small sound machine, waiting for the birds to flock toward it before engaging it. A large number of various little birds had gathered across the helipad and Olivia was about to press the remote for the deterrent to engage when the helipad door swung open, scaring all the birds and causing them to quickly retreat to a safer area.

"Olivia, I wanted to –" Steve was oddly patriotically dressed in a red, white, and blue wind breaker and carrying two mugs. He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed Clint sitting on the ground next to Olivia. "What are you doing here?"

"Well Olivia is bird-watching….and I am Hawkeye, if you will," Clint smirked. Steve rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Before he could answer, Olivia cut in.

"I hope it's important because you just scared away all of the birds and now I'll have to wait at least another hour to test this deterrent." She was definitely annoyed.

"Oh, uh, well, I…" Steve stammered. He dropped his voice lower so Clint couldn't hear. He felt like this should be a private conversation. "I came to apologize for embarrassing you yesterday, about the grilled cheese fun fact."

Olivia's face suddenly softened. She placed her hand on Steve's upper arm (not without noticing how fucking chiseled it was) and guided him away from Clint so they could talk.

"I wasn't trying to bust your chops last night. I was just trying to get some kicks," he said, looking down nervously. "I came to apologize."

"I should be the one apologizing," she said quietly. I'm such a bitch, she thought to herself. She took her work incredibly serious and her first thought was that her sample size had disappeared and that meant more time before she'd have a solution to the problem.

"What for?"

"For yelling at you like that. I – I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I just, my work is really important to me." She was twisting her braided hair around her hand nervously.

"It's okay. You're sorry, I'm sorry, we're both sorry," Steve smiled as he handed her the mug of hot chocolate. "I hope you like extra marshmallows."

Olivia smiled shyly. I sure do, she thought to herself.


Author's Note: Thank you guys so so much to those of you guys who are following and have favorited Wild Encounters thus far. It means a lot. If you have feedback (what you like, what you don't like), please let me know! I will be updating weekly on every Friday as of right now. So be prepared for that. Thanks again, and I hope you like chapter 2!

As usual, thanks to my beta - wantfanfics!

-LBD