A/N: {insert standard excuses here because they're all true} Okay! I'm back! Again, many many apologies for the waiting on this story. Thank you to everyone who sticks with it even through the long absences, you guys are the best! As always, feedback is much appreciated and without further ado, a chapter!:-)

You know a dream is like a river
Ever changin' as it flows
And a dreamer's just a vessel
That must follow where it goes
Trying to learn from what's behind you
And never knowing what's in store
Makes each day a constant battle
Just to stay between the shores

Pepper made her way to the common room before Thor. Judging by the grin that she was wearing, she was more than happy to see the two spies back in the tower.

"Clint, Natasha!" she exclaimed. "I feel like we haven't see you two in ages!"

"We were just here for dinner last Tuesday," Natasha reminded her with a smile. Pepper tilted her head conceding the point.

"But it still feels like forever," she said. "And how are you, Kate?"

"Never better." From the smile on Kate's face, it was apparent that she was very fond of whoever this Pepper was. Judging by the look Stark was giving her, I'd say she probably had something to do with him.

"And you lot?" Pepper cocked an eyebrow in the direction of the other three men. Stark made a pouty face at being grouped in with the other two, but Steve tipped his head respectively.

"Quite well, ma'am," he said, Banner echoing him in a somewhat less old-fashioned manner.

"How many times, Steve? Call me Pepper, or at least Miss Potts if your upbringing simply won't let you."

"Call her Miss Potts," muttered Tony under his breath. Pepper fixed him with a glare.

"Watch it, mister," she threatened. "I have the password to all of your bank accounts."

"Hey Pepper," said Kate, interrupting the lovers' squabble. "Do you see a person there?"

Pepper spun around and followed Kate's arm until she was looking at the spot where I was standing. I held my breath, but let it out in a whoosh when I saw the glassy quality of her eyes, a telltale sign that they weren't focused on me. Pepper shook her head and looked back to Kate, confused.

"No. Should I?" Kate shrugged.

"We're not sure. We don't know what it is that makes people see her…or not." Pepper nodded and smiled at what she saw as thin air.

"Well, hello…?"

"Shadow," supplied Kate.

"Hello, Shadow," said Pepper with the same warm smile that she had directed at everyone else. In a flash, she was back in business mode, shooting a glare at everyone else in the room.

"As much as I'd like to stay, I have to get back to work. Companies to run and such. Try not to burn the tower down." She spun on her heel and clicked neatly out of the room.

"Isn't she amazing?" sighed Tony with a smile. Kate and Natasha snorted at the billionaire and I smiled.

I was definitely starting to like the Avengers.

I don't know if any of you have met Thor, or if any of you ever will, but to be completely honest, I was a little nervous. I'd seen the footage from the battle of New York; I knew that this guy could pack a punch. I also knew that the odds were Thor wouldn't even be able to see me, and even if he could, I knew that Clint and Kate wouldn't let him hurt me. Even so, there was still a taste of anxiety in the back of my throat.

As it turned out, I really had nothing to worry about.

Thor thundered into the common room in full Asgardian dress. According to Stark, Banner, and Rodgers, the god had just recently returned from his home planet. His trademark red cape was sweeping behind him and when he caught sight of Clint and Natasha, he broke into a grin more suited to a five-year-old than the god of thunder.

"Clint Barton!" he roared, bounding over to archer, who tensed, obviously already aware of what was about to happen. Thor swung Barton around in a joyful hug. As soon as he set the agent down, he was moving again, this time over to Natasha.

"Lady Natasha!" he boomed, that same grin still plastered across his face as he knelt in front of her, taking her hand and pressing his lips to it with surprising gentleness. As quickly as he had moved from Clint to Natasha, his eyes flew over to Kate, his face finally settling in one emotion longer than a second: confusion.

"And who is this?" His eyes had slid over me without a second glance and I hadn't even realized that my face had crumpled until I saw the sympathetic look that Kate was giving me. I managed a small smile. It was a mystery to me, when I had started caring whether or not people could see me. Heck, I had gone nineteen years without any other contact; I should be happy that one person could see me, let alone two, not disappointed that people couldn't.

"Kate Bishop, at your service," said Kate with a warm smile. Thor bestowed a small bow on her.

"Very nice to meet you, Lady Kate." Kate would probably deny it, but I definitely saw a reddish tinge appear on her ears. Clint loudly cleared his throat and every eye in the room swung back to him.

"This isn't a social call, per say," he reminded everyone. Focusing on Thor, he pointed at me, even though we all pretty much knew the answer to his next question. "Do you see a person there Thor?"

Thor stared hard at me and I shifted uncomfortably. The god squinted as if he could bring me into focus with the right angle before finally giving up and shaking his head.

"I am sorry. I do not see any person."

"It's okay," Natasha assured him, "Most of us can't. It's only these two чудаков." (weirdos)

"But they did prove to us that she exists," interjected Tony, obviously trying to defend his sanity.

"We can have her do it again-" Kate started to say but Thor waved her off.

"No need," he rumbled, "I have seen a great deal that is more far-fetched than this. What is her name?"

"Shadow," replied Clint. He was smiling and it was apparent to me that he was fond of the big Asgardian. Thor nodded and looked right at me, as though he really could see me. It was eerie, knowing that he was looking right into my eyes and also knowing that he was seeing thin air.

"A great pleasure, Lady Shadow." A lump grew in my throat suddenly and inexplicably and for once I was really thankful that he couldn't hear or see me because it saved me from having to make any sort of coherent reply. Thor returned his attention to Clint and Natasha and Kate slipped an arm around my shoulders and giving them a gentle squeeze. The comforting warmth of a friend next to me was the best feeling I had ever known and the precious time I was getting to spend here would most certainly be some of the most cherished in my entire life.

"I assume this is why I was summoned?" asked Thor. Clint and Natasha both nodded.

"We were hoping that you could shed some light on Shadow's condition," said Clint, "She's been this way for as long as she can remember; no one can see, hear, or even really sense her, with the exception of Kate and myself."

Thor frowned in concentration, searching his vast memory and knowledge, but before long he sighed and shook his head.

"I have heard of nothing like this in all my travels across the Nine Realms. It is most unusual."

My shoulders sagged and I saw Clint deflate a little as well. He forced a smile onto his face and clapped Thor on the shoulder, quite a feat given their size differences.

"That's fine. It was a long shot anyway. We'll just have to figure it out another way."

"Perhaps I could-"

But what it was that Thor could possibly be able to do, we weren't going to find out. Who knows, it might have been the solution to every problem that had arisen since I first followed Natasha home. But at the moment, we had more important things to deal with.

Like the fact that bullets were suddenly whizzing over our heads.

I jumped as one flew close enough to blow a breeze through my hair, but before I could react further I was being pushed down into the floor by Kate. Looking up I could see Clint and Natasha, each with a pistol in either hand; Thor, whirling his hammer around, his face void of all previous playfulness; Stark, muttering something, probably to his AI; Banner, fighting something with all of his might-the 'other guy', I realized; and Rodgers, crouching like a little turtle behind his trademark shield.

"Stay here!" shouted Kate over the sound of shattering glass as more bullets rained through the windows. I barely had time to nod before she was gone, nimbly dashing through the confusion to the elevator. I had no idea where she was going and I suddenly felt very exposed. No one else could see me, except for Clint, and they were all at least ten feet from me. But Kate had said to stay here, so here I was staying. Keeping my head low, I pulled my knees up to my chest. I clenched my hands tight enough to turn my knuckles white to stop them shaking.

Deep breath in…and out…

I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing. I didn't get stressed often, which was a relief for me, but when I did, my body didn't handle it well. Nausea rolled through my stomach and despite my best efforts my hands were still shaking ever so slightly. I tried to tune out the sounds of the fight raging around me; I dulled my hearing and-for lack of a better word-curled up inside my own head. I thought that I was doing well, that I might be okay until this was through.

But then, a hand closed around my wrist.

"I got somethin'!" shouted a rough male voice. My eyes flew open and I lost all semblance of control. Stomach in rebellion, I pitched forward and left the contents of my last meal on the floor amid glass shards.

"Gross," muttered the man who had a death grip on my wrist. My hand was already pounding from the lack of blood, but I forced myself to look at my captor. He was short with a shadow of stubble over his face and brooding black eyes. I sat there in shock for a few seconds until he started to drag me toward the broken window. My senses flooded back in and suddenly I could hear everything again and I screamed as loud as I could, at the top of my lungs. The man pulling me gave no sign that he heard my anguish, but that might have been because he literally couldn't. I knew now that I had one chance, seeing as Kate still hadn't returned from wherever she had run off to. A glance over my shoulder told me that Clint had five assailants on him and was somehow managing to fight them all off. I didn't want to distract him for fear it would cost him his life, but it was really starting to look like I had no other choice.

"CLINT!" I yelled for all I was worth, projecting the word around the room. The sound filled every space for me, echoed from every corner. Of course, only one other person could say the same. Clint's eyes flicked to me for half a second and they grew wide with terror and anger. He slashed at two more of his assailants but they were simply replaced by fresh ones that kept pouring in. Desperately, he looked around, somehow thinking of a way to save me and also defending himself at the same time. I felt a cool breeze across my cheeks and when I looked toward the window my heart nearly stopped. We couldn't have been more than ten feet from the opening. I looked frantically back to Clint. He was watching me, unable to spare a shot for my kidnapper without sacrificing himself. I could see it in his eyes; he was going to do it, he was going to save me. But I couldn't let him do that.

"No!" I cried, shaking my head emphatically at him. Clint's face was steeled, but at my word he hesitated. We were about five feet from the window now and I was hysterically kicking, pulling, fighting with every ounce of strength I had. Unfortunately, I didn't exactly have the most muscular frame. I looked back to Clint, just to make sure that he wasn't thinking about giving himself up again, and I saw him look to his left, to where Natasha was.

"Natasha-by the window!" The redhead looked up, her arms and hands continuing to fire her weapons even as she looked away. I knew that she couldn't see me, but she couldn't miss the assailant who was just three feet from the window and about to pull me over the edge. There was no hesitation on her part and no way for me to tell her that I wasn't worth a sacrifice. Natasha swung one of her guns toward the man holding onto me and fired once, twice, three times. I watched, horrified as the thug that she had previously been battling with that gun brought his knife down in a deadly arc, far too quickly for even Natasha to react. My breath caught in my throat when, all of a sudden, the man stopped and dropped to the ground, arrow protruding from his back.

Ten paces behind him stood Kate Bishop, bow in one hand, quiver on her back, and one more of each lying on the floor.

I slumped in relief even as she yelled out to Clint.

"Hey, Hawkeye!"

Clint slammed the barrel of his gun down on one of the men's head and swung around to look at Kate.

"Oh thank god," he muttered, "took you long enough."

"Next time, you can go get the weapons. Or, we could just bring them with us, like I suggested." Kate zoned in on the place where she had left me and I saw panic leap in her face. "Where's Shadow?!"

"Here," I called, lifting my good arm for a moment before returning it to cradle the arm that the man had been clenching. Kate's eyes widened and she ran to me. Clint slung his quiver on and returned to the fight swinging around just in time to whack one thug upside the head with his bow.

Kate had an arrow loaded and was watching for attackers even as she checked me over. She eyed my arm with concern, but I just shook my head. There were more important things to deal with right now. Conceding the point, Kate turned to the fight and began to shoot, arrow after arrow, picking off men one by one from her position guarding me, making life just a tiny bit easier for the other Avengers. But it seemed like the men dressed in black just kept coming. They had to have a plane or something over the edge.

Without any warning the whole building started to shake. Everyone in the fight froze, friend and foe alike.
"What the hell?" I heard Natasha mutter. Clint's sharp eyes were staying around and I saw the exact moment when they widened in realization.

"Duck!" he yelled and I suddenly found myself on the floor with a face full of Kate's hair.

"What the..." I started to mutter, and then I saw the blue light flash and crackle all around us. I tensed, expecting the electricity to fry us to a crisp, but for some reason it made a neat path around all of the Avengers.

The thugs who were attacking us weren't so lucky.

Caught somewhere between fascinated and horrified, I watched as they dropped to the ground, motionless with the effects of electrocution.

"That really wasn't necessary, Legolas." Kate helped me to my feet and we all turned to look at Tony, who had just reentered the room. "I had it programmed to avoid all of you."

"How was I supposed to know that?" grumbled Clint. "The last time you ditched a fight scene, it was to activate a bomb."

"Are these guys all dead?" asked Steve, interrupting before the pair could launch into one of their infamous arguments. Tony shook his head.

"I figured you'd want to question some of them so I set it to non-lethal."

"So we should move them somewhere, tie them up," said Banner, looking around for confirmation, "right?"

"Yeah." Clint nodded. "At least we know what they were after." Amid the questioning looks from his teammates, Barton looked over at Kate and me. "You two alright?"

"Just peachy," muttered Kate sarcastically. I stuck with a simple nod. My brain still wasn't quite up to the task of processing the insanity that had become my life and I didn't know if speaking was the best option at the moment. Satisfied, Clint turned away from us to face his partner who, oddly enough, hadn't said a word since Stark's electrifying finish. It wasn't until Clint drew everyone's attention to the redhead that I realized that Natasha was staring in my general direction. That in and of itself didn't strike me at odd; this wasn't the first time that she had looked at something through me. I glanced over my shoulder to see what had caught her interest, but I found nothing there except some unconscious thugs and a lot of broken glass.

"Nat, what's wrong?" I could hear the concern in Clint's voice as I turned back around and it was obvious that he was worried that she had been injured in some way during the battle. Something felt off, I realized. The way that she was staring was different than the other times that she had seen things through me. All through it she maintained that stare and, despite the fact that I knew she couldn't see me, it was starting to put me on edge.

"Nothing I just…" Natasha shook her head as if trying to clear it and blinked fast like she had to refocus her vision.

That was when I realized what was different. Normally, when people looked through me they weren't quite in line with me and their eyes were out of focus, at least to me. But Natasha didn't fit either of those qualities. She wasn't looking through me at all.

She was looking at me.

I gasped and a hand flew up to cover my mouth. Clint and Kate both instinctively looked at me but I just shook my head at them. This wasn't my secret to tell, so to speak. This was for Natasha to reveal.

"C'mon guys, this isn't funny." Clint was looking back and forth between us like we were a very concerning frustrating match.

"What's happening?" whispered Steve, caught in a storm of confusion, probably because he could only see one half of the conversation. Kate rolled her eyes.

"That's what we're trying to figure out Uncle Sam." Steve blushed deep crimson but fell silent.

"Natasha, what the hell is going on?!" Clint's frustration leaked into his words, but for the entire world Natasha wouldn't take her eyes off of me. She gently shrugged Clint's hand off of her shoulder and walked, one slow step at a time, until she was standing right in front of me. Kate echoed my earlier gasp as she understood what I had figured out. Natasha, face expressionless, stared down at me with those unreadable emerald eyes.

"I don't believe we've met," she said softly and behind her I heard Clint's breath catch in his throat. "My name is Natasha."

I was unable to keep a small smile from creeping across my face. "Shadow."

Natasha nodded. "It's nice to meet you, Shadow."