A/N: I am so very, very sorry this took so long to get up! I've been ridiculously busy lately and haven't had time to get much written!

Anyway, I have something of a plot bunny on this one now! Yay! No worries, there will definitely be fluffy moments too…but…hehehe

To those that have reviewed… HUGE BIG HUGS TO ALL OF YOU!

To those that have added me or any of my stories…I LOVES YOU!

Now on with the story!

CHAPTER 6

The trip back to the tower was uneventful for the team. Tony and Bruce were busily discussing their plans on creating another Danger Room and how they could improve upon the already impressive security features of the mansion while Kat rode in silence in the backseat, open text book on her knees as she tried to tune out their conversation and concentrate on studying while Pepper sat beside her, her own focus on the emails she had neglected during the weekend. The rest of the team, riding with Happy again, chattered amongst themselves about random things they had picked up over their visit. Steve and Thor were more than happy to tell them most of what Jubilee had told them about the X-Men.

Once back at the tower, they were only mildly surprised to find that Clint and Natasha had not yet returned but easily shrugged it off. It wasn't uncommon for their missions to take more than a couple of days when they were off without the rest of the team. Kat returned to locking herself in her room to study and the rest of the team very seldom caught a glimpse of her unless they caught her heading out of the gym from training or at meals. Steve was tempted to track her down so that they could talk again, but decided against it when he caught a glimpse of the number of projects and papers she had to get done in the next couple of weeks and after that she had finals to write. No wonder she was locked in her room working away on her computer anytime she wasn't in class.

As the weeks drew on and faded into another Clint and Natasha had yet to return and they hadn't received any word either from them or from SHIELD. When Steve finally contacted Fury he was told that the mission was taking longer than anticipated but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Kat hadn't even realized the tension with the rest of the team increasing the longer they went without hearing a single word about their two teammates. She hadn't been around the tower and the Avengers long enough to know what the normal routine was with them or to have an inkling as to how long an average mission would take the two assassins. In fact even when they were around the tower the first week she had been there, she had hardly ever seen the two of them.

Finally one night when she couldn't sleep and she was cursing her professors for making every major paper and project due the week before finals started, she headed down to the gym with the thought of beating on a heavy bag until she was tired enough to sleep. It was nearly three in the morning so she hadn't thought she'd run into anyone on her trek through the halls. Well, other than maybe Tony since he tended to keep stranger hours than she did. She wasn't too worried about lacking in sleep since she didn't have to head to the university other than to hand in projects and maybe get some studying in at the library assuming she could find a table to work at. She pondered that as she walked and decided it would be easier to just head back to the tower and spread her books out over the floor of her room. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't immediately hear the unmistakable sound of a fist colliding with a punching bag and when she did, she paused in the doorway of the gym.

She raised a brow as she recognized Steve immediately and since he had his back to her, she took a few moments to watch him unable to stop herself from doing so. After admiring the view for a few more seconds she realized that this was more than just a late night training session for the soldier. He was far tenser than he should be for just training to start with, she finally noted as her gaze focused on the back of his shoulders. She shook her head, wondering what the hell she had managed to miss with her new team while she had been so focused on her own stress. Despite years of having lived with Logan, she didn't think as she stepped up behind Steve and laid a hand on his shoulder and he spun around swinging. On instinct she dropped to a couch barely avoiding the punch and a second later he was crouched in front of her, concern and a touch of fear in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, you just…you're okay?"

She nodded with a touch of a grin, "I really should know better than to pull something like that. I should have drawn your attention first before walking up behind a highly trained soldier who's apparently on edge about something already and grabbing his shoulder."

Steve sighed and shook his head, "You're sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine…but you aren't," it wasn't a question but he nodded anyway. "Okay so I think I owe you an apology too. I've been so wrapped up in my classes I kind of haven't been paying attention to what's going on here but now that I'm paying a little more attention…"

"We haven't heard anything from Clint and Natasha and SHIELD won't tell us anything either."

"I'm sure they're alright…" Kat started and Steve sighed.

"But they're teammates…"

She started to say something else to reassure the leader of the Avengers but closed her mouth before she spoke a single word. There had been times in the past when one of the X-Men had been off doing their own thing and the rest of the team had started to worry about them. Or a note had been misplaced and only a friend had been missing with no one knowing where they were or what had happened. It didn't matter how well you knew they were trained or how well they could look after themselves, it didn't stop anyone from worrying when too much time passed with no word.

"Then we find a way to go after them," she finally muttered and he immediately met her gaze.

"Fury forbids it."

She only grinned and raised a brow at him, "Who said we had to go through him? I'm sure Stark can get into SHIELD's computers and find out where they went, I'm pretty sure I can convince the professor to lend us the Blackbird and I have no doubt that the Avengers will go out to find their own and make sure everything is as right as Fury claims it to be."

Steve found himself returning the grin even as he argued, "It's against orders."

Kat rolled her eyes, "For once, take a page out of Logan's book and screw the orders."

Slowly Steve nodded and they both regained their feet, Steve grasping her wrist and pulling her up with him. She shook her head at the action but allowed a slight smile to grace her features before they went their separate ways to put their new plan in action. Steve headed out of the gym in search of Tony who he was pretty sure would be locked in his lab. Kat sighed, knowing she was going to get a chewing out from the professor for calling at this time but she felt she owed it to the Avengers since she had been so blind to their worry and concern for their fellow comrades.

Steve did, in fact, find Tony working in his lab or at least he thought Tony was working. Holographic displayed were lit up in front of the billionaire though it didn't seem that Tony even realized they were there. There was a distant look in his eyes that Steve hadn't seen before as he slipped into the lab and tapped Tony on the shoulder. The genius started, leaping away from the soldier who couldn't help but smirk as Tony spun around to face him one hand pressed to his chest.

"Damn it, Steve, don't sneak up on people like that. It'll get someone killed," Tony snapped.

Steve only smirked and shrugged, "Maybe you should get the hell out of your own head from time to time then people won't be able to sneak up on you so easily."

"What do you want, Capsicle?" Tony sighed, not in the mood for the familiar banter.

"I have a plan…or more accurately Kat and I have a plan to find Clint and Natasha," at Tony's intrigued look, Steve continued, "We need you to find the classified file that'll tell us where they were sent. Kat's going to get the Blackbird from the professor and then we're going to go and find out for ourselves if everything's as fine as Fury claims it is. It wouldn't be the first time that he's hidden crucial information from us."

Tony grinned, "I knew there was a reason why I liked that girl. Well, other than her borderline insanity and completely wild ideas. She's actually managed to get you to ignore orders."

"Well, technically we were never ordered to not look for Clint and Natasha; we were just placated with words saying that they were fine and not to worry about it. There was no order about staying put and not going after them."

Tony's grin widened, "Yep, we are definitely going to have to keep her around! Alright, one classified file on the location of Clint and Natasha coming right up."

While Tony flew back to work now that he had something that would keep his attention for more than five minutes, Steve shook his head and headed back out of the lab. A few floors above the two of them, Kat was tapping her foot with impatience as she waited for someone to answer her call at the mansion. Finally a gruff voice answered and she smirked since it wasn't Logan's voice that said he'd been asleep and was contemplating finding the person who woke him and kill them but rather just his usual gruff voice.

"Logan, its Kat. I need a favor…"

By the following morning Tony had managed to break through SHIELD's security on their highly classified files for the millionth time and had the location of Natasha and Clint's mission; right down to the hotel they were staying in. In Germany. Briefly he wondered how that was going to go over with Steve considering the fact that it seemed every time he went to that particular country things tended to go to hell. The remainder of the Avengers were sitting suiting up; including Kat who had been issued a uniform much like Natasha and Clint's though she had opted for the looser cargo pants that Clint wore rather than the tight leather of Natasha's suit. After she had explained the situation to Logan he had woke the Professor who had then talked to Kat and agreed to send Logan with the Blackbird to pick them up on the roof of the tower in the morning. They were just completing a final check when Fury stormed into the rec room where they were all busy running various checks of equipment one final time as they waited for the X-Men's jet to arrive. Kat glanced up from examining the twin curved blades that had been a gift from Logan a few years earlier. The others were giving the blades odd looks, wondering how she could possibly use the long blades in a fight considering the handles were in the middle of the blade and they would curve around her forearms.

"What the hell do you all think you're doing?" Fury fumed and the rest of the team turned their attention from their equipment and Kat's blades to him; Steve swallowed hard but before he could speak Tony cut him off.

"Well," the billionaire started with a grin, the faceplate raised on his helmet, "it's such a beautiful morning we thought we'd take a ride around in the X-Men's jet; maybe get in some of that team training you've been on our cases about. You know, having our own jet would be really convenient."

"Then why was there a breach of a classified mission file that was traced back to here?"

"What? It's not like it's the first time I've hacked your system. You really should get a better system designer."

If anything Tony's answer only increased his rage, "I have told you time and again that Black Widow and Hawkeye are fine. You are not required on this mission and if there was any reason to think that they needed to be pulled out we would have done so!"

Steve seemed to lose his original resolve in going after their teammates in Fury's rage and it was Kat who stood and met Fury's glare evenly, "Required or not, they are our teammates. You want to create a team that works as one and always has one another's backs and yet you are essentially telling us that we shouldn't worry about members of said team. We aren't doing this to run in and blow their mission to hell. We probably won't even talk to them and they won't know we're there if what you're telling us about the mission is correct; we're going in to ensure that our teammates, whom we've heard nothing from in weeks, are as fine as you keep trying to reassure us that they are. You're emotional state, however, tells me a very different story. And before you start, I'm not reading you intentionally, you're broadcasting. THIS is what a team does for missing teammates. When was the last time that even SHIELD has heard from its agents?"

Fury only glared at her and it was Tony who answered her question, "Four days."

"And that doesn't raise any kind of red flag with you guys? It doesn't concern you in the least, Director?"

"No and it shouldn't concern any of you either. This is a classified…"

"Yeah, yeah; too bad I'm a human lie detector, Director. You wanted to create a top team, well you got it. Whether or not SHIELD approves this, whether or not YOU approve this, we are going after our teammates. Hell I even go after Logan if he takes off and doesn't at least check in for four days!"

Steve shifted nervously, not really wanting to go against Fury and yet knowing that Kat was right. Four days was a very long time for a team to not check in, but then again there may be a very logical and rational reason for it, yet he couldn't quite shake the feeling that something had gone very badly wrong for the two spies. Fury and Kat continued to glare at one another as he shifted through his loyalties, finally deciding that the welfare of his teammates trumped Fury; he'd deal with whatever punishment the Director saw fit when they returned if it came to that. He needed to know that his teammates and friends were alright. Even Thor was unusually quiet as Fury and Kat had a battle of wills and glares and he gained a new respect for the small woman who was easily and unflinchingly holding the glare of a man that even he had backed down from on occasion. He decided that he would find out how she could do so later. He was intrigued by her conviction and courage to defend her teammates, even if she barely knew them; it was an admirable trait. Tony and Bruce shared a shocked look that it had been Kat who had stood up to Fury before turning back to the blonde haired woman and stared in astonishment.

"Fine," Fury finally snapped, "but so help me if you blow this operation!"

"Good. Logan should be here in a couple of minutes."

Steve nodded, "Right, let's go!"

A few minutes later, the group was standing in a loose circle, completely silent as they watched the Blackbird approach and once the ramp had dropped, the jet hovering steadily just above the roof where they stood, the group stepped on board. Tony was the first on board and immediately headed towards the front of the jet to tell Logan their destination. Bruce followed Tony, then Thor, Kat and finally Steve.

They were each greeted to the smiling face of Beast, "Welcome to the Blackbird, Friends."

"Beast? I thought it was only Logan coming," Kat couldn't help but smile however, at least this way if they walked into the worst they would have someone who could patch them up.

"Well, it is you that is going off on this mission and both myself and the professor decided it would be a remarkably good idea to have a doctor present," Beast chuckled.

"Wait, are you saying that Kat tends to get hurt on EVERY mission she's on?" Bruce asked, eyeing up the woman again warily.

"No…it is merely a long running joke within the X-Men because when she isn't in a fight she tends to end up with odd injuries with even odder stories behind how they happened," Beast replied and Kat groaned.

"Can we not talk about this right now?"

Bruce chuckled, "Fine, but eventually I want the story there."

Tony had returned to where they were dropping to sit in the seats for the trip, "Me too…just try not to bleed on the expensive rugs huh?"

Kat shot him a glare as she dropped into a seat behind the co-pilot's seat and sighed, "Storm, you're here too?"

"I needed a co-pilot, Runt," Logan grumbled.

"And the professor thought it a good idea to have someone here to make sure he didn't go off and help your team. We are merely here if you have need of us and to fly you there and back," Storm added.

"Good, because I don't want to have to explain to Fury why the team that I just bragged up had to add three X-Men to its ranks just to find a couple of spies and make sure they were alright."

"Speaking of that…" Thor started and Kat twisted in her seat to look back at him across the small walk space between the seats. "How is it that he is unable to intimidate you as he does others? I am nearly certain you would stand even against the All-Father."

Kat smirked and jerked a thumb at Logan, "You haven't seen Logan ready to slice and dice. Now that's intimidating!"

Logan grumbled under his breath but when she twisted back around she caught a grin on his face. Thor pondered over her answer and decided that he really didn't want to see Logan ready to 'slice and dice'. Steve had claimed the seat directly beside Kat while Bruce was sitting next to Beast behind them. Tony was behind Logan with Thor behind him.

"What did you mean about Fury's emotional state telling a different story?" Steve finally asked, absently running a finger along the edge of his shield on his legs.

"Kat…" Logan's tone held a warning as he turned a brief glare on her and she shrugged.

"I didn't read him intentionally, Logan! He's worried, but he's going by protocol and regulation. I'm guessing four days isn't enough for them to get panicky but he knows that something's not right with the situation but he can't make an exception."

Tony rolled his eyes and Steve nodded, "So we're breaking regulation…"

Kat sighed, "When it comes to the welfare of your team and your friends…regulations don't exist. Relax, Cap."

The rest of the trip faded into silence and the closer they got to their destination the tenser the entire group became; and that included the X-Men present as well. Finally the jet descended and the team pushed to their feet, heading for the ramp. Tony gave them the location of the hotel that would be the first place they checked out. They had managed to get the jet relatively close considering the small size of the town that they needed to head into; which also meant that blending in was going to be an issue. Kat surveyed their immediate surroundings along with Steve and it seemed they both decided on the same course of action as Steve motioned for the team to follow him to the same side alley that Kat had been about to tell him was their best choice.

Before she started out behind Steve, Logan grasped her shoulder and handed her a communicator that the X-Men usually always had on them, "Just in case. Watch your back."

Kat nodded and flashed him a brief grin before she jogged off after the team who had paused when they realized she'd stopped. Within a few minutes they had managed to make it through the relatively small town using back alleys and keeping quiet. So far, it appeared, they hadn't been spotted by anyone and they all breathed a sigh of relief as they stopped in the alley that ran along one wall of the run down hotel Clint and Natasha were registered at.

"So how do we do this?" Tony muttered, conscious of the fact that he, at least, couldn't just walk through the front door of the place being in his Iron Man suit.

"You guys are all way too recognizable…" Kat muttered and glanced at Bruce. "Well, maybe not you. Look, we can't just head through the front door and ask if they're here. It would raise questions; however I can get up the fire escape there and through the window."

Steve nodded, "Alright that sounds like the best plan so far. We'll stay here and make sure that there's nothing happening out here. If anyone asks why you're coming in from the fire escape…"

Kat shrugged and grinned, "I'll think of something…needed some air or something. Tony what room?"

"According to the file they're in room 302."

Flashing the team another reassuring grin, she stepped back to where the fire escape should drop to the street. However the bottom of it was well above the ground and Steve doubted even he'd be able to reach it without causing a scene. It didn't even cause Kat to pause as she leapt and caught the bottom rung. Before the ladder even started to drop, she had flipped her body up and onto the first floor landing of it. The team merely stared at her as she half jogged up to the third floor and paused. The window was well and truly closed and it appeared could only be opened from the inside. Shrugging, she pulled one of her blades from her back and slid the edge under the bottom of the window. With a bit of pressure, the window slide open and she ducked into the hall.

Replacing her blade, she hurried down the hall until she found room 302. She was exceedingly grateful that this particular roach motel hadn't upgraded to magnetic locks if she needed to break into the room. She rapped her knuckles on the door quickly, her gaze continuing to sweep the hall and listen for anyone who may be approaching. While her senses were nowhere near as acute as Logan's she caught the low, pain-filled moan that came from the room and without hesitation turned the one razor thin tip of her blade into a crude way to pick a lock. Seconds later she pushed the door open even as Steve's voice entered her ear.

"We may have a problem…"

"Scrap that, we have a very large problem…" Kat answered as she stepped in the room only to be greeted by the metallic scent of blood and another pain filled groan from the bed.

Agent Clint Barton, her new teammate was lying on a blood soaked bed, in blood soaked clothes, but still had a gun trained on her as she stood at the end of his bed though his hand was shaky. Finally he seemed to recognize her and lowered the gun, well actually his arm dropped like dead weight and she bolted to his side.

"Nat…they…took…Nat…" he groaned.

A/N: And there we have it! I tried to describe the blades, but I'm not sure how well it turned out…I fell in love with the twin blades from Dragon Age 2 that you get to use at the very beginning of the game when you play as a rogue. I had to add them!

For those who want fun and funny…it will come, I promise! In fact…I has plans *evil laugh*

I will definitely try to post more regularly…but I have a couple of ponies to get trained up leaving me less time to write. Anyway…

Next chapter will be the great rescue of Natasha and the team will find out if Kat's empathic abilities are going to work as they hope they will on THE OTHER GUY! ehehehe