AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Dedicated to Joy, who is finding herself haunted by Clint Barton.

This chapter focuses around the boys as well as the girls and makes a time jump in the middle of it. It still has some couply things in it and it's kind of fun, as well as informative.

WARNINGS: Language, Sex, Innuendo, Violence, Blood, Angst

ENJOY!

xxxx

"Ten times, Share…I've changed ten times," Angel informed her friend over the phone. "I mean this is breakfast, it's not exactly a date."

Sharon laughed a little bit. "Why can't breakfast be a date?"

"Because I said so," a very flustered Angela Stark responded. "Alright, I'm going with the side braid, skirt and conservative blouse. He's used to women who actually had standards. Why would he go for a Stark? Why would he want to date the daughter of the guy that couldn't stop talking about him?"

"Because you're Angela Stark," Sharon replied as she brushed her hair, "and any man with half a brain would want to date you—manipulated or not."

"Okay, that was not funny," Angel told her, even though she had a smile on her face as Sharon laughed. "I'm still not entirely convinced that I didn't put the idea in his head."

Sharon shrugged a bit. "So what if you did? He came to you and told you this was what he wanted, so just go and talk to him."

"Fine, I'll tell you how it goes when I see you this afternoon." Angel said as she nodded at the outfit and then slipped on some heels. "Have fun avoiding Clint today."

"Trust me, that's the part of my day that I'm looking the most forward to," Sharon laughed, and then they hung up and Sharon put her shoes on too.

She was going to have breakfast in the cafeteria are that morning and laughed when she saw Tony sitting with Natasha. The two had some chemistry and she was laughing, but she got up when she saw Clint enter and choose a table and wanting to avoid Clint at all costs, Sharon sat down next to Tony. He smiled at her and nodded as she took the seat, not bothered in the slightest by the change of estrogen.

"Where's the brat?" Tony asked Sharon, referring to Angel.

Sharon smiled a little. "Off to breakfast not here."

"So she's dating the guy that our father idolized…that doesn't seem like her." Tony told Sharon as he thought it over. "She hates everything about what our father chose to be and yet she's off banging the super soldier."

"I assure you that they are not banging," Sharon laughed, standing up to grab some food. "Are you still going to be here when I get some food to eat?"

"Barton's staring at you…"

Sharon froze a moment when the words came out of Tony's mouth and then shrugged and went to get food without waiting for his answer. When she came back, she sat down with Tony again and then drank some coffee as Tony looked at her and then at Clint and Natasha. Clint was having a hard time not looking at her and even Natasha knew that something was going on.

"So…when did you kiss her?" Natasha asked him.

Clint gave her a look. "Nat, don't…"

"What? It's a simple question: when did you kiss her?" Natasha asked again.

"Yesterday," he responded. "Something is up with that 'Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters', and I want to know what it is. I want to know what she, Angela and Adrienne are hiding."

Natasha nodded at that and observed Clint as he looked over at Tony and Sharon talking and laughing together and felt that feeling in the pit of his stomach: jealousy. This was, without a doubt, something that he had never thought would come to pass—feelings for Sharon Carver coming to the surface and letting themselves be known.

"Ask Angela," Natasha said after a pause. "If you really want to know what's going on, then ask the one that's most likely to tell you the truth."

Clint nodded slowly. "But what if she doesn't want to tell me the truth?"

"Then you go over her head and you talk to Nick," Natasha explained to him.

Clint nodded again and took in what she was saying, even though his eyes were traveling up and down Sharon's legs and focusing on her face. He was attracted to her and that was why he wanted to know so damn bad: he wanted to know what it was that he was getting into with her should he decide to actually pursue this. If she was intentionally lying to him, though…how could he ever trust her?

xx

Steve didn't quite know what it was that he was going to say or do, but he had picked the café that they had gone to for lunch the first time that they had met. It held fond memories for the two of them and he was trying to get a real handle on all of the feelings that he was feeling right now because he still didn't know what all was going on with him. He still missed Peggy and he still missed what his life had been and what it had the potential to be, and he knew he'd always miss it.

"I'm still not used to this hustle and bustle," Steve admitted to Angel as he let her lead him to the diner.

She nodded and took his hand to comfort him. "It's going to take some time, but I'm here to help."

"Like a counselor?" Steve asked her. "That was what Director Fury made it sound like."

"I'd rather be like a friend," she responded with a smile on her face.

She was beautiful, she really was, and he couldn't help but smile too at the way she lit up the place. In this new time and place, Steve could really use a friend and what better friend than the daughter of a man he had once known? She would understand things that he talked about and that made him feel a lot more comfortable as he pulled out one of the chairs for her to sit down in.

"I've died and crossed over to another universe where chivalry still exists," Angel had said happily, blushing a bit and smiling as Steve sat down after pushing her into the table. "Sorry, it's just…it's refreshing to meet a real gentleman. So…do you want to talk about the past, or…?"

But this was the here and the now.

He had woken up 70 years later and he was in a new place with new people and he was supposed to still be helping them to make a difference, and then there was Angela. Sure, it was a little weird that she was the daughter of Howard Stark, but in the long run, Steve felt as though that shouldn't matter so much because she was still a beautiful woman and he was still a man. If the two of them thought that they could make something work, then they could—maybe this was going too fast.

Steve and Angela had only known each other for six months and he still barely left the base or integrated himself into anywhere and she was always out and about in the world. She had this grace, beauty and presence that made his whole face light up whenever he saw her and he was convinced that the kiss wasn't in any way just adrenaline…in fact he'd wanted to kiss her once or twice before. They'd been in positions where they were close before and there had always been a spark between them.

"There are so many more books than there used to be," Steve told her, and he knew that was obvious, but he felt like he had to voice it. "Technology is immensely different and I have no idea how to use this."

Angel smiled and sat on the couch rather close to him, taking the cell phone from him. "You just flip it open, and then press the number buttons, like a phone. If you press this button here, it brings up your menu and you just use the arrow key here on the keypad to go to the contact list and press 'ok'…you'll get it. Plus, don't worry about the literature—most of it blows. We've lost the eloquence of the past, that's for sure. I'll bring you some of my favorites though, and we can read them together if you want."

When she looked up at him, Steve smiled at the way she fit right there next to him and loved how close she was. She'd been coming to see him a lot and trying to educate him on the world as it was now and it was hard for him to adjust, but he was doing it. He was still having dreams and nightmares about the past and while he sometimes wished he had never had to make that plane go down, he knew that he was supposed to be able to meet this stunning girl sitting next to him.

"Tonight, maybe, we could go to the theater and catch a movie?" Angel asked him, reaching up and ruffling his hair a little bit. "While the movie and the actors wouldn't be familiar, the setting might be a little more comfortable."

Steve smiled and captured her chin with his thumb and forefingers. "I'd enjoy that very much."

Smiling at the memory, Steve glanced up as the waitress came over and his eyes sparkled when he saw Angel coming toward him. She'd gone for a very feminine look, and yet he could tell that she was trying because she looked…conservative. The blouse was short sleeved and had buttons on it, but it wasn't entirely fitted like some of her other shirts and it had a collar. She looked stunning, she just also seemed a bit nervous to him and his own stomach was doing belly flops—a lot of nervousness going around.

He stood up as she smiled at him and neared the table, the waitress watching as he pulled out Angel's chair for her and seated her before returning to his own. The waitress couldn't help but feel a little envious that such a man still existed and turned to let them be for a moment since it was obvious they didn't have their order ready yet.

"You keep reminding me that chivalry exists," Angel said as she set her purse down at her feet and tucked the longer parts of her growing out bangs behind her ears. "Are you weirded out that Howard is my father?"

Steve chuckled and shook his head. "I've given that a lot of thought, actually…what matters is you."

Angel opened up her mouth to say something, but just blushed and then smiled and closed her mouth because now was not the time. He had brought her to their café, he had told her that she mattered to him, and talking was just going to ruin the way that he was looking at her. Still, she knew a lot about him and about his feelings for Peggy and she knew they'd never go away…could she handle that?

"I'm willing to give this a shot, if that's what you really want…" Angel told him with a smile on her face.

Steve smiled back. "That's what I really want, Angel."

xx

Four months without Andy actually dragged on along more than Sharon and Angel thought would be possible. They missed her like crazy and they still couldn't pinpoint the location of Anex—the mutant that they were looking for, so it was time to go and see Charles and try and figure out what in the world was going on. Nodding at each other as they got to the steps, Sharon and Angel went up to the big door and they knocked on it, standing their grand in their jackets, their hair pulled back: Sharon's into a ponytail and Angel's into a braid that hung over her shoulder.

"That's your phone," Sharon said laughing. "Ten bucks it's Steve."

Angel smiled and fished her cell phone out of her pocket, smiling at the text. "Yep—he wants to know if we made it safely or not. You know, he rarely uses his phone…"

"Because it's a daunting piece of equipment," Sharon responded before the door opened. "ANDY!"

Andy beamed at them and hugged them both tightly. "I am so glad you guys are here! Charles pinpointed Anex's location, but he keeps moving. He's not staying put long enough for us to actually get to him at the moment. Still, I want to gossip and tease Logan and ask about Nick."

"As always, Nick Fury's life is better with you in it," Angel said as Andy let them into the mansion.

It always felt like coming home, stepping foot into this place, and Angel couldn't help but run her fingertips along the wall. She missed every hole, crevice, molding, tapestry…this was where she had met Sharon and Andy and it had been her home away from home in a time where her older brother had gone from being her older brother, to being the head of Stark Industries. There were so many memories here and she kind of wished she wasn't lying to Steve about what it really was—about who she really was…it hurt her to think about how upset he'd be when he found out.

"I can't believe that my brother has the audacity to send this to me!" Angel exclaimed that night in the mansion, Sharon and Andy listening to her as she looked over the paper in her hand. "It's basically a list of rules telling me what I can and can't say and do in the house that still has my name on the lease!"

Andy nodded slowly. "A lease he could buy you out of."

"True, but he hasn't yet," Sharon reminded her. "It actually says you can't talk to or be seen by the girls he brings home?"

"Yes!" Angel said angrily. "Just in case he drunkenly brought home a reporter, he doesn't want there to be any press about him bringing ladies home when his 'young, impressionable sister' is home from school. Wow, because the real world doesn't think I know my brother is a whore…"

"Everyone knows your brother is a whore," Andy laughed loudly.

"You guys need to pipe down…" Logan said, having opened their door with a stern look on his face. "I can hear you down the hall."

Angel nodded a little bit even though she wanted to yell at him too, putting the letter down on her bedside table and crawling into bed. Logan nodded and told them to sleep, leaving their room and letting the three whisper about Tony and how he was just being obnoxious.

"Careful there, Changer—I want the drapes to stay the same," Logan said with a smirk.

Angel looked up at him and grinned. "Logan! Come give me a hug."

Logan rolled his eyes, but he hugged Angel and Sharon and then led them to Charles' office, Charles smiling when he saw them standing there and then he nodded at Logan. Logan let them all have their privacy and closed the door, wondering for a moment what in the world it was that they were talking about—then again, it was probably about S.H.I.E.L.D. He had been doing his homework on the organization and he had been keeping tabs on his girls—they were close friends of his.

"It seems that Clint is onto us," Andy said sighing loudly. "He's visited the website several times and is continually looking for ways to hack into it. We need a course of action."

"I could always just kick his ass…" Sharon offered, shrugging her shoulders and sighing when Charles shook his head. "Then what?"

Charles took a deep breath. "Tell your team the truth."

"The truth?" Sharon asked him before shaking her head. "They can't handle the truth."

"Nick could and Charles and I talked about this already—we shouldn't be lying to our team." Andy told her. "They might all freak out a little bit, but I think that we need to consider telling them what we are and why Nick hired us."

Sharon was vigorously shaking her head while Angel remained silent. Angel was thinking about how Steve would react to knowing what she was because while they might not all freak out about what they were, their powers were another things completely. What if Steve understood now why she was trying to push him away? Why sometimes she reacted oddly to a situation? It was all because she had to be extremely careful with him so she didn't accidentally manipulate him.

"We'll think about it," Angel told Charles with a gentle nod.

Charles smiled at her. "He'll understand in time."

"Yeah…maybe," she responded.

With that, she got up and hugged him and then the three girls went to have some lunch and watch the mutant kids play with each other. Basketball, tag, practicing powers—it was like the olden days. They smiled and their moods were better seeing all of the other mutants around and so they decided to spend some time gossiping a bit. They could talk about serious things later until they were blue in the face, but right now the three of them were together.

"So how's your boyfriend?" Andy asked Angel as she bit into her sandwich.

Angel smiled at her. "He's good. We've been taking things slow: seeing each other at meals, eying each other across the room, sparring more often…its been really good."

"Four months and no sex," Sharon told Andy, pointing at her.

"He's Captain America—I believe his virtue is just as intact as hers." Andy smiled, shrugging a bit. "I'm glad it's going well. Did you tell Tony, or did someone else?"

Angel laughed a bit. "Oh, he figured it out all for himself."

"Yeah, we were in a briefing with Nick and Angel and Steve kept eying each other across the table, smiling to each other like smitten little kittens and suddenly Tony stands up and goes, 'when were you going to tell me that you were seeing each other?' and then Angel said, 'wow…we are in a meeting, Paranoid Man'. It was priceless," Sharon recalled through giggles. "I have never seen Tony so offended in my life. Not because they're dating, but because the rest of us knew that it was happening—in fact after the two of us, Angel told Coulson and then Natasha, who told Clint. Thor has been away, Bruce is still being kept from all of us and after the meeting, Tony went back home."

"He wanted to spend time with Pepper because she's been developing feelings for Happy," Angel explained to her. "It's no big deal, Tony just wanted to be near the company and actually feel like he was doing something other than babysitting me."

Andy nodded at that, wondering in all of this what had all been happening exactly at S.H.I.E.L.D., because while they certainly had their off days, they were always doing something. They had their hands in all sorts of little things just like Charles did, and sometimes Andy was pretty certain that that was why Charles and Nick got along so well. Even so, this was about Sharon and Angel.

"No more kissing Clint?" Andy asked Sharon.

Sharon shook her head. "Nope…I'm just as likely to kiss Clint again as you are to kiss Nick again—so basically: let's not get any hopes up."

xx

Clint was closer than ever at finding out what it was about the girls that really made them tick. In fact, he was going over some surveillance footage of them as Steve came into the room and looked around. He and Tony were both aware that Clint was rather obsessed with what the girls were hiding and while he didn't think that Angel would ever lie to him, he was curious as to why they were hired too.

"You planted all these cameras?" Steve asked Clint.

Clint turned to look at him and shook his head. "Not all of them. Some of them are simply in the facility, but these two screens are mine. I just want to know—they're lying to us and I want to know why."

"What if they're protecting us?" Steve mused, but he was curious too.

"We'll cross that bridge if we get there," Clint responded, "I just think that they were hired for a reason that no one is sharing with us."

Steve nodded slowly. "Fury does have his secrets…"

"Everyone has secrets, Cap, even you." Clint told him shrugging. "All I want to know is whether or not their secret is harmful. Don't you want to know what your girlfriend isn't telling you?"

Note: Next chapter has some action and leads up to the movie. Mwahaha. Feedback is always appreciated!