Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood or the Avengers.

Chapter 4

Steve Rogers wasn't sure what he should be expecting from the new arrivals; people were so different and even a little weird for his taste. 'I've barely adjusted to my teammates, how will I adjust to these newcomers?' It was no secret that Steve was rather awkward when it came to dealing with his fellow teammates and even those from SHIELD. In his opinion, they just emphasised how out-of-touch he really was with the rest of the world.

Entering the living room Tony's gaze zeroed on Pepper like a homing beacon. "So are you ready to meet the son-in-law?"

"Ianto is not my son-in-law because Phil, Clint and I are not married." Pepper pointed out for what felt like the thousandth time since Tony learned about Phil's son. She was really getting tired of stating something that she thought should be perfectly obvious to Tony; after all, it certainly was to everyone else.

Tony waved his hand dismissively. "Still, you are bumping uglies with his father so that does place you in the could-be-future-step-mom role."

"Hey, what have we said about teasing our girl?" Clint's voice cut through the air. All those present turned to the doorway eager to get their first glimpse of Coulson' son.

Clint grinned proudly as he swung an arm around the person standing closest to him. Definitely the youngest of the trio, the young man looked deliciously yummy in a pinstripe three-piece suit with a dark red shirt and an even darker red tie. "Say hello to Ianto Jones, people; son, say hello to everyone."

'Son?' A long-suffering sigh escaped Ianto's lips. "Of course, dad." Sarcasm dripped off the last word but apparently, it went completely over the older man's head because...

Clint's grin grew impossibly wider as he turned to face everyone, his eyes shining brightly. "Did you guys here that? He called me dad!" His grip around Ianto tightened and he pulled his son in close against him; he didn't think he'd ever been prouder of Ianto than he was at that moment.

As one, Ianto, Pepper and Natasha all rolled their eyes. "Ignore him," Ianto smiled politely at the assembled group. "It is a pleasure to meet you all. These are my friends, Toshiko Sato and Doctor Owen Harper."

The instant Tony Stark looked into the sparkling blue eyes of Ianto Jones, he knew he was a goner, and from the hitch in Steve's breath, Tony knew he wasn't the only one.

Smiling broadly, Pepper climbed to her feet and crossed the distance between them to come and stand in front of Ianto, the young man she had only seen on their web chats. "It's so good to finally meet you in person, Ianto," and she reached out to shake his hand.

The warmth of Pepper's smile reminded Ianto of Lisa's and he was happy his father and Clint had found such an amazing woman to share their life with. "And it's nice to finally the woman who can put up with Clint without running for the hills."

The grin fell from Clint's face; he gave Ianto and Pepper a kicked puppy-dog look. The pout he aimed at the two of them reminded Ianto surprisingly of the one Jack used to give him.

Pepper just stared back at Clint, completely unimpressed. "That look won't work on me honey. I work for Tony Stark, remember? I've seen that look every day for years. I'm immune to it."

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "My old boss was a master at using that look as well, so it won't work with me, either," he added casually, causing Clint's pout to grow as he sulked. Only Tosh and Owen saw the deep pain that flashed in Ianto's eyes, and Tosh realised that although he masked it well, that pain hadn't left Ianto's eyes since the day Jack had disappeared.

"What is this, pick on Clint day? Pepper," Clint whined piteously as he released Ianto and curled into Pepper's side. "I thought you loved me?"

"It's always pick on Clint day." Tony added helpfully as he flicked his gaze over the three new arrivals. He was very careful in his perusal, making sure his gaze didn't linger too long on Ianto Jones; no sense in being obvious this early in the game. Only one other man had ever stirred such intense emotions so quickly with just a single glance and that was Captain America. 'You, Ianto Jones, are going to be trouble, I just know it. I can feel it in my bones.'

Tony figured the best way to get away from the delicious temptations that Ianto Jones and Steve Rogers were offering was to get the introductions over with. "Right. I'm Tony Stark, genius billionaire, and I have an awful lot of work to get done. Word of advice, gentlemen, stay out of my lab, except for you, of course Miss Sato. You can stop by any time. " Tony winked at Tosh before turning on his heel and exiting the room as dramatically as he could. He was heading for his lab, already making plans for the next time he'd see Ianto Jones.

A knowing gaze entered Pepper's eyes as she watched Tony leave. 'Oh, Tony, when will you stop denying yourself a chance at love?' It hadn't escaped Pepper's notice how Tony would look at Steve; it was a way he'd never looked at her. Now she saw the same flash of interest when Tony looked at Ianto.

Bruce shook his head. "Don't mind Tony, he's not very social able; he actually prefers his machines to real live humans. I'm Bruce Banner and it's nice to meet the three of you." Bruce smiled at them, welcome in both his voice and his eyes.

Snorting with laughter, Owen nudged Tosh in the side. "Then Tony and ol' Tosh here should get along just fine. They can geek out over the newest science toys together."

A dark blush painted Tosh's cheeks; it was no secret among the Torchwood team that she preferred her devices to humans. 'They don't have the power to hurt you like some other people.' Tosh chanced a glance at Owen, saw the usual condescending look on his face he always had when he talked about her work, and made herself a solemn vow, 'This is a new start, Owen Harper. You never have and never will see me as anything but the geek girl so it's time I found someone who wants me for me.'

"I'm Darcy Lewis and I'm supposed to tell you that Jane and the big hunk we all know as Thor are sorry they missed you but they are looking forward to meeting you when they get back." Darcy had been quietly and unobtrusively studying the newcomers and she'd easily decided that Owen wasn't to her taste, especially given the clear disdain in which he held his Torchwood teammates. However, Tosh and Ianto were another story entirely.

'If I didn't have Natasha, I'd have jumped Mr Looks-Good-in-a-Suit the moment I heard those beautiful Welsh vowels! I have to admit, smart equals sexy in my book, which makes that Toshiko pretty darn cute. Of course, I also saw the way the two others reacted to Mr Jones and there is just not enough boy/boy/boy love on this team to suit me!' Oh yes, a plot was beginning to form in Darcy's mind, one she was quite sure was going to make everyone very happy.

The final member of the welcoming committee stepped forward and held out his hand. "I'm Captain Steve Rogers. It's nice to meet you all." Steve greeted them with a friendly and easy-going smile.

"Bloody hell! You're Captain America!" Owen blurted out the obvious when it dawned on him just exactly who Steve was and the blush that graced Steve's face only proved he was right.

"Grow up, Owen, and stop embarrassing the man," Ianto snorted; he could see the discomfort that being recognized was causing Steve.

Glancing at Steve, Owen could clearly read the discomfort pouring off Steve in waves. "Sorry, mate. It won't happen again." 'Geez, grow a pair, mate!' While he felt no remorse for making the man uncomfortable, Owen knew it would do him no good to get on the wrong side of his new teammates.

Steve just shrugged his shoulders and favoured Owen with a genuine smile. "It's all right you didn't know."

At the lull in the conversation, Pepper decided to speak up. "I'm sure you three have had a long journey and would like to have a chance to get settled in your rooms."

"That sounds wonderful, Miss Potts." Tosh longed for a real bed to lie down in; she'd barely closed her eyes since seeing UNIT soldiers standing around in the Hub; the few times she'd managed to doze off she had been immediately overcome by horrifying nightmares of them dragging her back to a prison cell. Even thinking about it now made her feel queasy.

"Call me Pepper, everyone is on first names here. Bruce, would you mind showing Miss Sato to her room and giving her a tour of the lab Tony has set up for her."

Tosh's eyes went wide with pure delight. "I have my own lab?" Her voice literally squeaked with surprise. 'I didn't even have one at Torchwood!' Suddenly sleep didn't seem all that important anymore.

Grinning, Bruce offered his arm to Tosh. "Tony likes to spoil his guests, it's his way of sucking you in so you never want to leave."

Ianto was pleased to see Tosh finding a friend in Bruce; he'd always tried his best to keep up with Tosh's science talk in the Hub, but after a point, it would just get to complicated and he'd fail. 'It will do Tosh some good to have someone who can not only understand and keep up with her but actually give her some good input.' He caught her eye and winked; she returned a smile that lit up her entire face.

Climbing to her feet, Darcy glanced at Owen. "I'll show Doctor Harper to his room and then the fancy new Medical Bay Tony had set up. Just a word of warning, Doc, I have a Taser and know how to use it, in fact I once tased Thor, the God of Thunder, with it, so it would be in your best health if you kept your hands to yourself." Darcy raised one eyebrow when she saw Owen open his mouth to comment.

As Owen looked into Darcy's eyes, he saw the same scary look that Ianto had in his when he shot him for calling him Jack's part-time shag. 'Yeah, never doing that again.' As his shoulder gave a twinge, Owen gulped back the pithy comment that was on the tip of his tongue, and instead merely said, "Lead on, Miss Lewis."

Pepper and Natasha were having one of their infamous conversations without words and once it ended Pepper turned to Steve with a sweet smile on her face. It was a look he'd seen too many times before and it immediately set Steve on guard; nothing good ever came of it. "Steve, would you be a dear and show Ianto to his room?"

Now, there was something about Pepper Potts that people just couldn't say 'no' to, whether it was her sweet and friendly personality or just the fact she be could downright terrifying. So when she locked that sweet smile onto Steve, he knew he couldn't say no. "It would be my honour," Steve told Ianto.

It wasn't until Steve and Ianto were walking away talking about something that Clint finally understood what the two very scary redheads were up to. "Are you playing matchmaker with our son, Pepper?" He tried to act outraged but he couldn't help agreeing that Ianto would be good for Steve. "But what about the unresolved sexual tension between Tony and Steve? I don't want Ianto to get hurt." There was a clear warning in his words.

Natasha just smirked at Clint. "Who says we're just playing matchmaker between Steve and Ianto?"

'Life with the Avengers is going to get very interesting,' Clint thought with a grin.

TBC...