Hey all! Sorry for such a delay, life gets in the way sometimes. As I've mentioned before, the dots in the middle of two paragraphs mean a change in character. Happy reading!

Stark Tower (Avengers HQ)

Bruce Banner looked up from his work in slight annoyance. He was in the middle of a rather intriguing experiment, and wanted to finish it before lunch. "Can I help you Steve?" He asked, rather briskly. Steve sat down in one of the chairs, eyeing the beakers and chemicals on the table warily. "Sorry to interrupt you Dr. Banner, looks like I caught you at a bad time," Steve said sheepishly.

Bruce sighed and sat down opposite of Steve. He had always liked the Captain. He was quiet and polite, a born leader. He was also a calming presence when Bruce turned into... The Other Guy. Bruce smiled and gestured to Steve, permitting him to continue. "Well Bruce, as you know Christmastime is upon us," Steve started, trying to gage a reaction from the scientist. Bruce nodded, his expression unreadable. Steve sighed and plodded on. "Well, Ms. Potts and I concocted this scheme in which we got all the Avengers, some of our favorite SHEILD agents, and a few other mutual friends to participate in a family Christmas. So far, we have everyone we've asked on board; me, Pepper, Tony, Jane, Darcy, Thor, Reed Richards and Sue Richards. I know Christmas may not be your cup of tea exactly, for most everyone participating it isn't, but I was really hoping you'd participate. It's a great time for a break Bruce, and I think it will help the team to become a little closer. So, what do you think?" Steve finished, rather impressed with his own speech.

Bruce's expression didn't change for a moment, but then he broke into a huge grin. "You got TONY on board?" He asked, trying not to laugh. Steve grinned wickedly. "Actually, I left that one to Pepper. She has to deal with Director Fury and Logan as well," he said. Bruce laughed, shaking his head at the wonder that was Pepper Potts. "God bless her, Tony doesn't know what's coming to him," he thought, knowing that his friend couldn't have picked a more formidable fiancé. "She's good for him," Steve added, thinking fondly on his two friend's relationship. Bruce nodded, a small smile remaining on his face. "Well Steve, I think it's a great idea. I don't really put much stock in celebrating Christmas myself, but I do think it will make us all a little closer. Besides, I could use a break from the lab. But I do have to warn you, the other guy..." Bruce trailed off, eyeing Steve.

Steve placed a comforting hand on Bruce's shoulder. "He will be just as welcome as you. You've gotten a lot more control on him Bruce, he's part of the family too," Steve said, putting the other man's fears at rest. "Well then, I'll be happy to attend," Bruce responded formally. Steve grinned and clapped him on the back. "That's the spirit! Well, I won't take up more of your time. See you later Doctor," Steve called out as he walked out of the lab. Bruce watched him leave with a small smile. "This is going to be interesting..." He muttered to himself, before going back to work.

...,,...

Erik Selvig's house, New York

"Blast it!" Erik Selvig shouted, rubbing his head. The doorbell had startled him, and he had just whacked his head on the open cabinet door. "Dr. Selvig... Is everything okay?" A female voice called out from the other side of the door. "Fine... Everything's fine. Come on in, the door's open," he yelled back, shaking off his annoyance and pain. In stepped Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries... And the scariest woman alive. Erik Selvig had dealt with his fair share of driven, stubborn, and persuasive women... After all, hadn't he been a mentor to Jane Foster? But this woman was something else entirely. The last thing anyone wanted to do was to get on her bad side.

"Good afternoon Ms. Potts, Jane told me you were coming," Erik said cordially, eyeing her person for a weapon. Pepper, seeing Selvig's discomfort, held out her hand in a gesture of peace. "Good afternoon Doctor. There's no need for all the formalities. Any member of Jane's family is a member of mine," she responded. Erik relaxed somewhat, accepting Pepper's words for truth. "Thank you Pepper, I appreciate that. Jane also told me why you were coming as well," he added, unsure of how to proceed. Pepper nodded we head, and looked at him expectedly. "Blast! She wants me to have an answer already," Erik thought. He wasn't necessarily apposed to the idea itself, it was just that he still felt horribly guilty about all that had happened with Loki and the destruction he had helped to cause. Pepper noticed his expression and she softened. "Erik, I know these past few months have been hard for you. I know you blame yourself, but you shouldn't. There was no way you could have resisted Loki's control. Not a single person he touched with that staff was able to resist him, with the exception of Tony," she said. Noticing Erik's quizzical look, Pepper smiled. "Loki placed the staff on his arc reactor. Needless to say, it didn't work," she explained, prompting a small smile from Selvig. "Anyways, I know you're still uncomfortable facing us, but you shouldn't be. We're all on your side. In the end, everything worked out, and certainly no one blames you," she finished softly.

Erik Selvig turned his head away, struggling to maintain composure. His personal demons kept him up at night, telling him it was his fault, that he should've resisted it, that he didn't belong with the heroes. And now, here was one of the heroes herself, telling him not to be afraid, that no one blames him. "How's Agent Barton?" He choked out, trying to change the subject. "He's just fine. He blamed himself for a long while, just like you're doing, but he's accepted that it wasn't in his control, and once he was himself again he saved countless lives," she informed him, hoping to get the point across. Erik nodded, understanding what she was trying to tell him. "You know, he lives with us... In the Avengers tower," Pepper said softly. Erik turned to look at her, surprised. "What are you saying Ms. Potts?" He asked. Pepper sighed and looked up at him, trying to make him understand. "I'm just saying, he is at peace with what happened. I'm not saying it isn't hard to live with, and I can't imagine what you two went through, but he was able to look past the guilt and realize that we are his family, and no one blames him for something that wasn't under his control. He is able to live with us guilt free, because in the end, he saved countless lives once he returned to his normal self again," Pepper finished, smiling kindly at Erik.

Erik smiled back, relief coursing through his body. It was still going to take some time before the guilt would go away completely, but he knew that with the Avengers's help, he'd be able to put the past in its place. "Well, in that case Ms. Potts, I'd be happy to attend. It will be great to see Jane and Darcy," he replied. Pepper broke into a happy grin and leaped up, pulling the shocked doctor into a hug. "Oh Dr. Selvig, that's great!" She squealed, causing Erik to grimace slightly. When she pulled away from him however, she was a little bit more serious. "I think it's only fair that I tell you, Director Fury and the Coulsons will be there," she sighed, watching the doctor's face morph into a frown. "But, you've talked to the Coulsons since everything happened, and you know they don't blame..." She started, before Erik held up a hand. "I know Ms. Potts, it's not them that concern me, it's Director Fury. But... As long as the rest of you are there, i don't see any reason why that would be an issue," he finished, putting Pepper at ease. Pepper smiled again and held out her hand. "Well Dr. Selvig, I'll see you soon then," she said happily. "Looking forward to it Ms. Potts," he replied, showing Pepper the door. As he watched Pepper walk back to her car, he sighed and ran a hand through his thinning hair. "I think I need a drink," he muttered, before sitting back down at his counter.

Well, that's the next chapter. Again sorry for the long delay. Hopefully the next chapter will be up much sooner. Please review!