Author's Note: Roo's name is pronounced like the way it is in kangaroo, but without the kanga part.

When Pepper, Natasha, and Roo came back, they were met with Bruce and Betty, both bustling around the kitchen, making dinner for the others.

"Hi, Natasha, Pepper! Bruce and I are making spaghetti-" Betty started saying, but stopped when she saw Roo.

Not again! Thought was getting tired of people staring at her, and asking who she was.

"Um. Hi, are you a SHEILD agent?" Asked Betty. Bruce just stared at Roo.

"I'm going to be, soon. Apparently, you can't join top secret organizations right after you reverse brainwashing." Said Roo.


Bruce was making spaghetti with Betty, when Natasha and Pepper walked in.

Betty greeted them, and started telling them what was for dinner, when she stopped in the middle of the sentence.

Curious, and slightly alarmed, Bruce turned around to she what had surprised Betty. Next to Natasha and Pepper, was a Asian girl, who was looking at him with an unreadable expression.

"Um. Hi, are you a SHEILD agent?" Asked Betty.

"I'm going to be, soon. Apparently, you can't join top secret organizations right after you reverse brainwashing." Said the girl.

What? Thought Bruce.

"This is Roo." said Natasha, "Clint and I adopted her." She added.

"Oh." said Brice quietly. Living with the Avengers makes you used to surprises, but he never thought the two assassins would go to the domestic side of life.

"We got to put away these things," said Pepper, speaking for the first time, as she waved a hand down to the bag she was holding.

"See you at dinner," Betty called, as Natasha, Pepper and Roo got on the elevator.


When Roo and the two other women went shopping, she had expected them to take her to a thrift shop, or something. She didn't expect them to take her to some really, really expensive stores.

Roo had looked at a couple of the price tags, and her jaw dropped. She was sure that the leather jacket in the window was the same price as a flat-screen TV.

"Isn't this store too expensive?" She asked Pepper.

Pepper smiled at her. "I'm married to a billionaire. Nothing here is to expensive."

"Yeah, but you don't need to spend a lot on me."

"Well, I think we already are."

Roo was confused. The only people who bothered to spend a lot of money on her was her parents; Hydra never really spent a lot on her. When she was with Hydra, all she ever wore was T-shirts and sweat pants. The only time she wore other clothes, was when she was on a mission.

Now, in the guest room, she looked at the clothes they had bought.

Roo had tried to get the cheapest clothes possible, but now that she took all the shirts and pants out of the bags, she found other clothes she was certain she didn't pick out, like a dark blue dress, or a pair of flats.

"Excuse me, Miss Roo, but I have a message for you from Ms. Romanoff." Said JARVIS.

"Thank you, Mr. JARVIS. What is it?"

"Ms. Romanoff says to change into something that isn't from SHIELD, and to come to the dining room for dinner."

"Ok, sure."

Roo turned back to the clothes spread around the room.

Now, what should I wear?


The dining room was noisy, like always. Pepper had dragged Tony from his lab, and he was now arguing with Bruce over something. Thor was telling (though it was more like booming) a story about Asgard to Jane, Steve and Sharon (Who came back from where ever she was) and Betty was handing out plates full of spaghetti and meatballs with the help of Natasha and Clint.

It was actually pretty rare to have dinner like this, without over half the group gone. No one was worrying about the two resident assassins getting killed on a mission, no Tony or Pepper at some boring meeting, no alien army coming to take over the world.

Jane smiled. If only the kids were here, this would be perfect. I wish everyday was like this.

"Nat, where is she?" Asked Clint.

Who? Thought Jane.

"I told JARVIS to tell her to come." Replied Natasha.

"Hmm. JARVIS? Where's Roo?" Asked Clint.

"Ms. Roo is currently next to the refrigerator."

Everyone turned around to look at the kitchen, and Jane was surprised to see a girl standing there, looking uncomfortable from all the attention.

"Um, hi. You can stop staring now." She said.

The girl walked towards them slowly, and carefully, as of they were going to attack her.

"You can sit here, Roo." Natasha said, patting the seat next to her. It was on the edge of the table, close to the stairs.

Jane was confused. What is she doing here?

"Sorry, Thor, Jane, Sharon. You must be confused; everyone else met her. This is Roo. We're not sure what her last name is, but it was Kipellum. Nat and I kinda adopted her." Explained Clint to Thor, Jane and Sharon.

Thor looked at Jane, then turned to Clint. "That is wonderful news, friend. Does this mean you and Lady Natasha are parents?"

"Well, I guess."


Natasha was worried. She wasn't sure how Thor, Jane and Sharon would take the news about Clint and her adopting, and she knew she needed to explain Roo's story to the others.

"Excuse me?" Asked Roo.

Natasha turned and smiled. "Yes?"

"Well, I'm not trying to be rude, but who are they?" She asked, pointing to Thor, Jane and Sharon.

"The big tall blonde guy is Thor. He's a god. Jane is his wife. She's technically going to become Queen of Asgard. That's the place Thor's from. And Sharon is Steve's wife."

"Queen of Asgard?" Roo asked to no one.

"Eat up, everyone!" Called Betty. Everyone started eating their spaghetti, except Roo.

She was staring at her plate suspiciously, and Natasha couldn't help but feel sad. No twelve year old should think their food is poisoned.

"It's ok. The food isn't poisoned, see?" Natasha took some spaghetti, and ate it.

"What if the other side is poisoned? What if the poison takes time to go into effect, and you have an antidote somewhere you can take later?"

"But it's not."

Roo gave it another suspicious glance, than looked at everyone else eating spaghetti. She then looked at the kitchen, where one big pot that was used to cook the noodles was sitting. Using her fork, she picked up a strand, and sniffed it.

"It's not poisoned, I swear on my name."

"If I die, it's your fault."

"You not going to die."

Roo took a bite. Than another. "Well, if I die, at least I got to taste something good."


"Hey, Natasha, why was your kid sniffing the food?" Asked Tony.

"She was being smart."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you never know what's in you food..."

"She was looking for poison?" asked Bruce.

"I would have done the same."

All the adults were gathered in the living room. Roo had gone to bed a couple hours ago, and JARVIS had assured them that she was asleep, and wasn't trying to escape.

"So, what's Roo's story?" Jane asked.

"Yeah, why's she an assassin?" Asked Pepper.

"And why did she mention reversing brainwashing?" Asked Betty.

Why are people asking so many questions all of a sudden? Thought Natasha.

"JARVIS, can you pull up Roo's file?" Asked Clint.

"Certainly, Mr. Clint. Would you like me to include newspaper articles?"

"Sure."

In the air around them, holographic newspaper clips appeared, and a folder appeared in front of Clint.

"Thank you, JARVIS."

"'Family of five killed in fire'?" Steve asked, while reading the heading of a paper.

"'Alina, David, Liana, Roo, and Ty Kippellum were killed in a fire at their house.' What? She's dead? So she's a zombie?" Tony asked, wide eyed.

"Can I read from this file before you guys start thinking something stupid?"

Everyone turned towards Clint.

"Ok, here is Roo's story. 'Parents: Alina and David Kippellum. Siblings: Older sister: Liana Kippellum. Younger brother: Ty Kippellum. Kidnapped by Hydra, and brainwashed..."