They were alive.

That was important.

Of course, they were both knackered as well, barely able to push themselves to their feet. The older one, only older by a year, moaned and hit a button on his side, realising himself from the suit around him.

'You couldn't have got us back to the tower?' He moaned, mock glaring at the other boy. His right hand had been completely crushed when he was caught and if the boy wasn't being held together by adrenaline and magic, he probably would have been screaming.

The younger, practically naked and too tired to care, shrugged. 'I was a bit focused on saving your life, if you didn't notice.'

Howie laughed, a full loud belly laugh. It didn't take long for James to join in the two lying next to each and giggling like maniacs. When a wolf, huge and easily able to eat both of them, landed at their feet, they only laughed more, causing the wolf to grin at them.

'Get up boys, we've got one more person to save.'

The two held their hands up, pulling themselves up by his fur. He bent down so they could climb onto his back, the younger slumped against the older.

'Your dad better be grateful for this, Fen.' James groaned. 'I want to sleep.'

'Shut up.' Fenrir laughed, taking to the air. 'You can sleep as soon as we're done.'

The other boys grinned, holding on for dear life. Kia might make it look easy but they hadn't spent their formative years with Fen. It was a lot harder than it appeared. They headed towards the tower, Howie wincing at the huge gap in the wall and the fallen letters. That would take forever to repair.

An interesting sight met them as they flew closer. Seven people, two of them Asgardians, one a Hulk, stood by the opening in the wall, facing three girls who stood in front of another Asgardian. Sophie noticed them first, raising an eyebrow and grinning.

'I see you're still alive, Stark.'

The adults turned, eyebrows raising as Fen flew into the room.

'Only thanks to your boyfriend, Barton.' Howie smirked as James got off and wobbled over to Sophie. The older boy leant forward, talking to Fen. 'Can I stay on? My leg's beginning to hurt.'

'Of course, just don't pull on my fur.'

Tony raised an eyebrow, looking at his sons bloody left leg. 'What happened?'

'Oh, some dick archer decided to shoot me.'

'In my defence.' Clint frowned, still pointing an arrow at Loki. 'I was under mind control.'

'So was my father.' Fen growled, glancing back at Loki, who didn't meet his eyes. 'That sceptre has only a fraction of true power. The real power was used control Loki.'

'How convenient.' Hel said, rolling her eyes. 'Let's just destroy the sceptre and be done with it.'

'No!' Loki said, shooting forwards. He sat up, eyes frantic. 'If you do that, the energy released would destroy this planet.'

'Good news for you.' Natasha said, eyes on where James was now fully leaning against her daughter. Her lips pursed.

'You don't understand. He's a madman, he'll see it as a challenge. He'll kill and torture everyone on Earth and he'll enjoy it. You can't, you just can't.'

'Who are you talking about?' Steve said, glancing at Hel. Lizzie raised an eyebrow at their almost touching hands. 'Did he torture you?'

Loki shook his head. 'I can't say, don't make me say.'

'Then show us.' Kia said, kneeling in front of him. 'Uncle, show us your pain.'

Loki nodded and the magic he surrounded himself with peeled away. A hundred scars and bruises littered every inch of his skin. His right ear and left hand were missing and one of his eyes was burnt out. Half his hair was missing due to a burn that covered the left of his face.

'Jesus Christ...'

Everyone turned, looking at Bruce propped against the wall. He looked at the others, shaking his head.

'Guys we can't...'

'No.' Thor nodded, smiling slightly at his brother, who looked away again. 'Loki and I will return to Asgard shortly, but until then, we cannot blame him for his actions.'

Loki nodded and everyone grinned, happy with themselves. They had saved the day and didn't have to condemn a man for actions he didn't commit. James, half asleep on Sophie's shoulder looked up, spotting his dad already dozing against the wall.

'Are we done?' At the others' nods, he smiled weakly. 'Thanks.'

He fell backwards, hitting the ground with a thud. Sophie yelped, leaning over him.

'James, are you okay? Are you dead?'

He moaned low in his throat. 'I'm actually trying to sleep.'

'Oh.' Sophie said, blushing slightly. 'Shut up, Stark.'

Howie just kept laughing, falling off Fen's back. It wasn't long until everyone else was smiling, too exhausted to take anything seriously.

The two Banners met around midnight, both holding backpacks full of clothes their host had generously given them and food they had selfishly stolen. Bruce smiled slightly at James.

'You sure you want to go?'

James nodded, his own smile sad. 'Can't exactly stick around, can I? Ross knows I can transform.'

Bruce frowned but said nothing, not wanting to think about his son inheriting his curse. 'Okay. We better go now, before Tony waits up. He seemed very...eager for me to stay.'

'Yeah, Sophie will go mad when she finds out. I half hope she will, anyway.' James grinned, pulling the hood of his coat over his head. 'Where are we headed?'

'Brazil.' Bruce muttered, stepping into the elevator. He didn't want JARVIS to be listening in. 'They're trying to repeat my experiment there.'

'So we're going to stop it.' James grinned. 'Awesome.'

Bruce smiled back, wrapping an arm around his son's shoulders. He lent in, speaking under his breath. 'There'll be cameras in the lobby and I don't doubt Tony will try and get us when JARVIS says we're leaving.'

James nodded. 'There's a garage under the lobby. I can hotwire a car and we can-'

'No, do a bike. Bikes are harder to find.'

'We can't both fit on a bike. Not easily anyway.'

'I know.'

He stepped away, James' face pinching slightly. It took him a while to understand and his father held his gaze until he nodded. Bruce winked as the elevator stopped, doors opening.

'Mr Banner, where are you going?'

Bruce grabbed James' shoulder the two of them picking up the pace and ignoring the AI.

'Sir, I believe the Banners are running away. I thought you would like to be informed.'

James grabbed a motorbike as soon as they got into the garage, pulling out the wiring and pressing the correct leads together. As soon as it had started, the two jumped on and sped away. Once they were out of the building, James jumped off and rolling away. Bruce kept going and James ran to the nearest car, watching the Stark Building. Seconds later another car came out, Tony driving and Steve in the passenger seat. James rolled his eyes, waiting until they were out of sight before breaking into the car, jumping below the wheel to hotwire it.

'Done?'

He looked, grinning at his dad. He never knew how Bruce did that, how he had gotten so good at getting away from people.

'Yep.' He grinned, getting into the drivers seat and throwing his bag behind him. 'Get in.'

Bruce grinned and took the passenger seat, glancing back at the tower as James drove them away.

Two Months Later.

June 13, 2012. SHIELD Helicarrier.

'This is getting ridiculous.'

Sophie glared down at the physician taking her blood and glanced across at Lizzie. The older girl rolled her eyes as her own doctor tested her blood pressure. On Sophie's other side, Howie scoffed trying to push the lady away from his new leg.

'Tell me about it.' He said, flinching the metal away from her touch. 'I can give you the blueprints, you don't have to tinker.'

'I still don't know why you got rid of your hand.' Lizzie said, leaning forward so the doctor could check her heartbeat through her back.

Howie scratched his face with his right hand, recently replaced with a mechanical prosthetic. The wiring from his arm and leg spread under his skin, connecting to his nerve endings and the arc reactor.

'James wrecked the bones when he caught me. I had the choice of months in agony or a cool robot arm. Easy choice really, I might replace my eye as well.'

'Don't you dare.' Lizzie said, half seriously.

'Yes, dear.' Howie replied, half joking.

Sophie rolled her eyes, ignoring the medic tapping a pen against her leg. 'My parents got me tested every year, you know. You could just ask them for the reports.'

'And all my records from before the fire still stand.' Lizzie pointed out. 'I'm sure it...wait...I need to speak to Fury!'

The other two jumped, heads whipping to look at her. She glanced over at them, winking quickly and almost unnoticeably. Lizzie turned back to the doctors, eyes wide.

'The fire...before, my dad was saying about Hydra, I have to speak to Fury...'

'Okay, okay.' The oldest doctor said, looking at his colleagues. 'We need to give our results in anyway.'

Lizzie stood, following the three doctors out the door. As she passed through, her watch fell from her wrist, jamming the door. Sophie and Howie glanced at each other, grinning. They waited two seconds before standing and walking out, Howie grabbing the watch on the way.

'Where to?' He said, tapping a few buttons on his arm. His hand, having began to creak, powered up properly, Howie flexing his fingers.

'The hanger.' Sophie said as they walked along. 'Dad'll meet us there.'

'We're going the wrong way, though.' He pointed out, wishing his leg didn't make so much noise. 'And they'll be loads of people.'

'I know, Stark, its part of the plan.'

Sophie stopped outside her father's room and, with a smirk at Howie, opened the door. The person on the bed looked up, grinning.

'Shall we go then?' Loki said, stepping forward. His illusion was back in place, only the injuries the Hulk gave him left. 'Trust me, no one will see us. Or even hear us.'

He placed a hand on each of their shoulders, pushing them in front of them. Howie glanced at Sophie with a frown.

'Did you plan this? Why didn't you tell me?'

Sophie shrugged her free shoulder. 'You were in surgery.'

Howie's face froze for a second then he shrugged. 'Worth it.'

'How is the new hand?' Loki said, smirking.

'Better than yours, I bet.'

The Asgardian laughed, letting go of their shoulders as they made it too the hanger. Sophie pulled on Howie's arm trying him towards a nearby plane. Howie looked back but Loki merely winked, several alarms suddenly sounding as he disappeared. Howie grinned, letting Sophie pull him along. They climbed into the jet, Howie grinning when he saw his father.

'Where we headed?'

A voice came over the intercom as Sophie joined Clint in the cockpit. 'I'd like to know that myself.'

'Ah, Director.' Tony said, eyes flashing. He held up his phone, the word Brazil written across it. Howie nodded, sitting down and fiddling with his leg. 'That's really none of your business.'

'Have a good time, sweetheart.' Lizzie, clearly enjoying herself, said over the system and Howie laughed.

'I'll bring you a postcard.'

'Stark, don't you dare leave. I will ground your-'

Tony waved a hand and Fury cut off, Howie laughing even more. Tony sat down next to him as the jet took off, pulling out a screwdriver.

'Gimme.'

Howie rolled his eyes, pulling up his shirt and hitting some buttons of his left hip. His leg detached and he handed it over, letting Tony check it.

'What's in Brazil?' He said, once he was sure they were away from the Helicarrier.

'Your new buddy.' Tony said, handing the leg back. The helicarrier had been over Texas when they left so the trip wasn't going to be too long, especially with Barton flying. 'JARVIS managed to find Bruce.'

Sophie lent around the doorway, eyebrows raised. 'What if they don't want to come home? We can't exactly fight them.'

The jet started to descend and Howie shrugged, clicking his leg back into place. 'We'll have to figure that out when we get there.'

The ramp lowered and they walked out, Clint leaving his bow behind as he went. Sophie nodded at her dad, nudging his arm with hers as they headed out into the forest.

'The computer said he's only a couple miles east.' Clint said, looking down at his phone. 'We should be able to see the shack soon enough. We should stick together.'

A roar made them all stop. Clint closed his eyes briefly, shaking his head. Sophie grinned up at him, walking ahead of the group.

'Or we could go wondering off, that's always smart.'

Tony glanced at the archer, rolling his eyes and turning to follow their kids, Howie having already caught up with Sophie. The two fathers came to a stop when they saw their children, stood in front of two massive Hulks.

'Hey there.' Sophie grinned, not moving an inch. The taller Hulk, stood in front of the smaller, huffed, glaring at her. 'Its great to see you, but could I talk to James please? It's rather important.'

The taller Hulk turned, looking at his son. Within seconds, James stood there and, with a tilt of the head from the boy, so did Bruce, both only covered by shredded trousers.

'What?' James said, eyebrows raised. 'We're a little busy.'

Sophie smiled, glancing at her dad as he made it to her side. 'We've come to take you home.'

Bruce rolled his eyes slightly, sitting down. 'This is our new home now, hardly anyone around to hurt.'

'You saved my life, buddy.' Tony said with an eye roll. 'You helped save the planet. You're not a danger to anyone.'

Bruce went to open his mouth but Clint cut him off. Howie looked around at the others and wondering if they had rehearsed what they were saying.

'You don't have to stay forever.' Clint pointed out, putting a hand on Sophie's shoulder. 'Just don't sneak out next time.'

'Or steal one of our bikes.' Howie pointed out, winking at the Banners, who both blushed.

Sophie stared past Bruce, to look James right in the eye. 'We're not leaving without you.'

Bruce looked back at James, both of them scowling just a bit. Finally James shrugged and Bruce turned back to the rest.

'Fine.' He grumbled. 'But if we break anything, you're paying for everything.'

One Month Later.

July 7, 2012. New York City.

Lizzie leant forward to adjust Howie's tie, flatting it against the boy's chest. Over her shoulder, Tony winked and pulled on his cufflinks. Behind Tony, Steve was stood with Hel, the Asgardians' sole representative for the press.

'Ready to go?' Lizzie grinned and Howie nodded, taking her hand in his. She gave the metal a squeeze, following her grandfather out into the hall. Dozens of cameras flashed and Howie made sure to grin for them, trying to copy with father's bravado. The five of them sat down, Hel furthest along, then Steve, Lizzie, Howie and finally Tony.

'Any questions?' Lizzie said, smiling slightly. Like Hel, she was dressed in the poshest dress she had, though the Goddess' was much more detailed.

The reporters all started talking at once so Tony raised a hand, pointing at someone at random.

'Mr Stark, the older Mr Stark that is, why have you taken so long to give a statement.'

Tony pursed his lips slightly, glancing down the table. 'A lot of things happened recently. My goddaughter returned from the dead, my son had to lose his leg and Captain Rogers down there has began dating the Queen of the dead.'

It wasn't quite true but Steve and Hel both turned bright red, glaring at Tony. The billionaire laughed, winking at them.

'I made that up but look at them blush. We've been busy, basically. Next question.'

'What's going to happen to Loki? When are we getting justice?'

Hel leant forward, easily making the room silent. 'My father is not a criminal, he is a victim. I believe Anthony's company has already released a statement explaining that. I will be taking my father home, give him proper medical care and then personally track down the true culprit myself.'

Lizzie could see why Hel had been made a queen. The whole room went still as she spoke, hanging in to her every word. As she finished, Lizzie watched several of them nodding, as if easily agreeing with her. Lizzie turned back to the crowd, eyebrows raised. It took a while for the crowd to come out of their stupor, blinking as if waking from a trance.

'Mr Rogers, how are you enjoying the future?'

'Well, no rationing is great.' Steve smirked, getting a few laughs. 'And everything's so shiny. But, no, its good, things are easier, life is good.'

'So you don't miss the past? Don't miss your friends?'

Lizzie calmly took Steve's hand under the table as his jaw set. She tried not to roll her eyes when she noticed Hel holding his other hand, leaning slightly towards him.

'Of course I do, how could I not? But now is good. I've got my granddaughter, my friends, my...' He coughed, looking down. 'It's good.'

Lizzie nudged Howie, who looked up at the crowd, an easy smile on his face. 'No questions for me? I'm feeling left out.'

Someone laughed, standing. 'Sorry Mr Stark. How're the prosthetics?'

'Both are fine thanks. Anything else?'

'Of course.' The reported grinned, typing on her phone. 'Why stay secret? Have you got something you didn't want the world to know about?'

Tony tensed ever so slightly, but Howie answered before his father could snap at the reporter. 'Nothing that interesting. I was born only a couple months after my grandparents died. My dad was worried and didn't want me to get hurt. It just never seemed like a right time to tell people.'

'So you don't find it upsetting at all?' She continued, not sitting down. Hel, Tony and Lizzie were staring her down but she didn't seem to notice. 'That your father didn't want the world to know about you?'

'Probably.' Howie admitted, gripping both Lizzie and Tony's arms when they went to rise. 'When I was little, at least. But I like my life, I like my room in Malibu, I like hiding in the vents, I did like no one knowing who I was. So, no miss...'

'Everheart. Christine Everheart.'

'Oh yeah.' Howie smirked. 'You shagged my dad. Anyway, I'm happy with my life and I wouldn't change it. Thank you for the question.'

'But Mr Stark...' Christine floundered, clearly embarrassed now.

'I said thank you. Sit down Miss Everheart.'

She did, blushing furiously. Another reporter tentatively rose their hand and Lizzie nodded at them.

'Thanks Miss Rogers. I was wondering about the fire and the circumstances that allowed you to survive it? You don't have to answer.'

Howie face furrowed and he went to stand up. Lizzie rolled her eyes, hitting her hand against his hip and releasing his leg. He swore, diving under the table to grab it. She smiled to herself, nodding to the reporter.

'No, I will answer, but thank you for giving me the option. I recently met the people that set my house on fire and they...well, they died. Not my fault, before you say anything.'

Under the table, Howie clicked his leg back into place and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He grinned at the photo Natasha had sent him; Sophie sat on top of James' back, having clearly easily beaten him in a sparring match. He scrambled up, showing Lizzie the photo before she continued.

'As to how I got out, that's not very interesting. We had a steel bunker below the house and I hid there. When the fire stopped, I pushed away all the rubble and ran.'

The reporter nodded sympathetically and sat down. Tony pointed another reporter but Lizzie drowned out the questions, leaning over to Howie.

'What to go somewhere?'

His brow furrowed. 'Go where?'

'I dunno.' She shrugged, smiling. 'Wanna see a movie?'

He raised his eyebrows, ignoring his dad's tap on his shoulder. 'What, like a date?'

She nodded, tilting her head slightly. 'Yeah, like a date.'

He grinned back, his whole face lighting up. The two of them stood, Lizzie patting Steve's shoulder as she walked away. Tony grabbed Howie's arm as he walked past, gesturing to one of the stunned reporters.

'Sorry.' Howie blushed slightly. 'You were saying?'

'Umm...yes, just a quick question before you go, Mr Stark.' The reporter said, clearly a bit thrown off by the children deciding to leave. 'People have been wondering why you children have become Avengers and were chosen to save the world. What makes you so special?'

Lizzie raised an eyebrow but Howie rolled his eyes and stared the reporter right in the eye. 'We weren't chosen to save the world because we are Avengers. We're Avengers because we saved the world. And as to what makes us special...the same things that make our parents special. We're just like regular heroes, just smaller.'

He smiled and walked out with Lizzie, both of them ignoring the reporters that shouted after them.

AN: And that's all folks, for now anyway. There will be a couple of one/two shots coming out over a few months, then the proper 'sequel'. Basically it'll be Iron Man 3 with Howie (and possibly others). Hope to see you then, for the next story in the Avenglings series (I need a better name for this).