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LaGuardia International Airport, New York City, New York, June 3, 2012

+2 Days After Proving Thor Was A God

Author's Note: 14 days. 10 Chapters. 70,000 words. 2,200+ reads. 60+ Fav/Follows. Jennifer Walters: Avenger-in-Law has become my record fastest rising star thanks to all the love and support that I get from you, true believers. Excelsior!

The Challenger Bombardier 300 had already landed and taxi'ed at LaGuardia International Airport as Major Maria Jacoba Hill waited at the tarmac with a 'Blackwater' variant 2011 Cadillac Escalade with bulletproof windows, high-gauge steel chassis and body, and RunFlat tires for operations and missions that required 'hot' deployments. Yes, it was being used to shuffle and shuttle civilians now, but considering that some of those very civilians were extremely important and were likely only to become even more important, the up-armored Escalade had been jokingly called the 'Avenger One' and had the same technical specifications as that as codename Stagecoach; the Presidential Car.

Considering that it was about to be the host of a now-proven God and a woman who was about to become the nominal leader of the Avengers? Yeah, Hill agreed that the car was necessary.

The private jet finally let its passengers disembark after the motorized ramp reached its sealed hatch, five individuals exiting onto the staircase after one of the Stark Industries' flight attendants disembarked as was protocol for such things. The first off was Doctor Erik Stellan Selvig, and then Darcy Katherine Lewis. Thor and Doctor Jane Natalie Foster were practically snuggled into each other as they left as the last one to leave was Jennifer Susan Walters, Esq.

"Were you able to enjoy Oslo?" Maria asked the lawyer as the procession approached, seeing that the group seemed to be in a good mood after a several-hour flight that involved a refueling at Heathrow in London to make the trip over the Atlantic with the necessary fuel. One didn't fly taking chances in case of storms, turbulence, or having to circle an airport due to traffic. That was likely because of the win wrought in Norway by these five individuals to a variety of capacity for each of them. Doctor Foster and Miss Lewis didn't need to testify as much, but as Maria understood it, Doctor Selvig had been damn instrumental and a pro at the stand. Actually, she rather liked Doctor Erik Selvig.

"We got to visit a few things, got a few souvenirs for the boys back at the Tower and the girls back in SoCal." Jenn replied, and Hill had almost forgotten that Walters had three young woman in her life whom she had semi-adopted after her first case involving an injured worker. It wasn't something really tagged in a SHIELD file since there was no paperwork, but if one dug and looked at some purchases or some older MySpace pictures, one could easily see that Jennifer Walters had taken to being a surrogate mother to Jessica, Sarah, and Elizabeth Drew without qualms, and the girls had reciprocated. It was sweet, really. There was a smirk on the lawyers' face as she tossed a white-t-shirt Maria's way, the Major catching it one-handed as everyone made their way to the Cadillac. Maria opened up the shirt to see that it was custom-made print screen shirt that had a picture of a silhouetted hand holding a hammer with an inscription above and below it saying;

I got to touch Thor's Hammer…

…and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt.

"Oh my fucking God…" Maria snorted as she shook her head, chuckling. A lawyer with a sense of humor? Everyone was screwed. It was a campy present, but it was funny and showed that the lawyer actually did care if she went out of her way to do the little things that showed she appreciated others. "Wait, did everyone get shirts?"

"Some got shirts, some got other gag gifts. Didn't seem right to visit a foreign country and not get something that was a little funny and a little caring at the same time." The Esquire said as everyone got into the Escalade, Jenn taking the front seat while Thor and Jane were already snuggling in the back row seat while Darcy and Eric took the middle. More people had wanted to come to pick up the so-called 'Norwegian Chapter' of the Avengers, but getting everyone to come meant a bus. And Tony wasn't allowed to fly in restricted airspaces like airports, which he actually respected. "I seriously got Bruce some dork glasses. I'd thought it be really cheesy to get Tony a snow globe village." That had Maria cracking up as she started the Cadillac and began pulling out of the tarmac area, her credentials letting her into the restricted area with ease.

An NSA badge would do that.

Jennifer Walters spent all ten seconds in what she suspected to be a bulletproof vehicle before she did what just about anyone did when having nothing to do at the moment; pulled out her cell phone.

Her Stark Industries-created iStark (seriously, it needed a better name!) showed that it had blown up during her flight from Norway, having opted to go into airplane mode so she could spend time with the occupants in the plane. Both Doctors Selvig and Foster were interested in working with The Avengers Foundation, which would be an incredible boon, and Darcy Lewis had expressed interests in helping out as well, a PoliSci Major certainly being someone useful to have in keeping abreast with the constantly-shifting political environment. Someone like Darcy would actually be a great public relations officer or a representative towards interests. Jennifer knew that as smart as she was, she was well-versed in the aspects of legal affairs and business operations thanks to her opening and running her own law practice. While Walters and Associates would be nothing like Avengers, Incorporated and The Avengers Foundation, at least she understood the business acumen of it.

In the other areas, she would need experts. And quickly.

The first people she combed were associates of the members of the Avengers that had stood by their sides before that fateful day when aliens invaded Earth. When Jenn had thrown caution to the wind to help her cousin Doctor Bruce Banner in his darkest day and his time in need, she had unknowingly entered a select fraternity. There were others who were like her, who had stood by the side such titans for whatever reasons they had, but had never faltered.

Doctor Elizabeth Ross was one of them, who had been there for Bruce when he had been attacked at Culver University. Doctors Selvig and Foster, as well as Darcy, were some more. Clinton Barton… had a family, and his wife was a former Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. While most everyone that Captain Steve Rogers knew had passed away, perhaps not so surprisingly one of his compatriots from the Howling Commandos, First Sergeant Timothy 'Dum Dum' Dugan, had a legacy follow in his footsteps. Both of his sons had served in the United States Army, both becoming Green Berets, and a grandson, Lieutenant (j.g.) Nathaniel Dugan, was a Navy SEAL. While perhaps not as personally invested as herself or Betsy Ross, having a lifetime of stories being told that one's grandfather personally served at Captain America's side would likely have Nate Dugan finding out if he had the same grit.

She had that and more looking for those who were willing to join a much higher cause.

Her thumbs were flying over the holographic keyboard as she texted Tony.

Thunder leaves Tuesday, Jenn texted the billionaire industrialist, we need to throw a going-away shindig.

-Certainly, came the reply a moment later. Thankfully, throwing parties is a specialty of mine. I'll contact the caterers. Festivities?

Simple fun, Jenn replied, mulling it over for a moment. Let the boys hang out, a little drinking and roughhousing. I'll take care of the girls. Make time for snuggling for Thunder and Stargazer. Party tonight, Monday for the love birds.

-Oh, I get snuggling time? Pepper would appreciate that, that had the lawyer snort. How many people? Jenn looked over to the driver side of the vehicle, seeing Maria Hill operating the Cadillac with ease.

Anyone that had anything to do with us in a good way. Maybe we can get Pirate shitfaced. That was the codename for Director Nick Fury, Tony's invention. Jenn had met the man once for exactly one minute. She wonder how more fearsome he would be with both eyes.

-Thunder drinking Pirate under the table? Entertainment's covered. That had the Esquire chuckling, getting Hill to look at her askance for a moment. I'll get the caterers, you get the RSVP's.

Better than me asking for Popa Tony's credit card, Jenn typed back with a snort, figuring Stark would get a hoot out of that.

"Hey, Maria, you got anything really important you can ditch tonight?" Jenn asked the SHIELD Agent as they left LaGuardia proper and began heading towards the City.

"Well, between the salon, my nails, my boyfriend, my girlfriend, the rave scene, and practicing my Tokyo Drifting skills on the Avenue of the Americas, I think I can fit something in. Why?"

"You snarked? You snarked!" Jenn faux-shocked by dramatically placing a hand over her heart and gasping theatrically. "Behind that tough feminine exterior is a little badass ready to get into some pranks! Oh, this could be fun." The Agent merely chuckled, but she did look amused. "We're going to hold a party night for Thor's departure. It's for all those who were there in our time of need, and that includes you. So try to wear something other than the Men in Black suit?"

"I saw you in that little cocktail dress the other night, Miss Walters." Hill reminded her, a knowing smile on her lip-glossed lips. "Don't make me upstage you in your own house. That'd be embarrassing."

"Simple casual is fine. This is a fond farewell, and it should be about all of us, not our egos." Jenn replied, seeing the other woman nod her head as a casual look back showed Jenn that Eric and Darcy were discussing something with each other while Thor and Jane were kissing enough to make a bad romcom. "We need some things to cement the team, something that holds them together in times of peace just as much as times of war." That had the driver nodding her head. "Remembering the hard times and honoring those who couldn't be here is one way to do it as much as sharing time with each other with our hair let down."

"That… that would be good." Jennifer remembered that SHIELD had lost a high-level Agent and Maria Hill as close associate in Agent Philip Coulson, a man who had died standing up to a God without fear. Jenn wished she could have met him. Thor spoke quite highly of him, and even Tony admitted that the man was a solid character when solidity and courage had been needed. Remembering the fallen was one way to bring people together, that she remembered from her father, Sheriff Morris Walters. Some police officers spent years with a partner, almost becoming adopted family members due to time spent and situations faced. It was almost impossible not to trust someone when they watched ones' back so long and with such fervor.

"Earth to Walters."

"Yes? Sorry, I was thinking." Jenn looked to Maria, who was driving down towards Manhattan. "I think a good solid party is just what the Doctor ordered. And we have several to choose from."

"We've all been running a little on empty ever since Loki first came to Earth." The Agent admitted. "You're right, some proper downtime and bonding is what we need. Just… probably wouldn't bring your boyfriend into it." Jennifer's head snapped towards the suited woman, who was doing her best not to obviously smirk. "I've got a train of thoughts that carry you on home…", Hill began to sing one of A-Bomb's more popular songs, indicating that she knew who Jenn had seen the previous weekend. Rick Jones didn't know about her actual job or whom it was for… yes. She wasn't about to tell some man she had just met, no matter how awesome he was, that she was the Avengers' attorney. Yes, likely the world was probably finding out after the next several days.

"Don't make me file an inquest and an audit, Major."

"So touchy, Counselor." Maria was smirking way too much for her own good.

"Can… we leave the car before you two destroy each other?" Darcy Lewis asked from the seat behind them, the PoliSci student sounding worried.

They came 'home' to a welcome home party. That Jenn hadn't been expecting.

The Stark Tower Penthouse had been spruced up with a bit of a festive atmosphere as a few streamers and a couple banners were introduced to the main gathering room where the Hulk had once pulverized a God by stamping his outline on the floor a few times over as the lawyer understood it. That damage had been fixed, but the room had been an occasion for the team known throughout the world as the Avengers; it was there they had stood together, once to face an alien armada, once to face a fallen God, and finally to come together to fix a broken city filled with too many holes both in structures and in lives.

Jenn hadn't been expecting a bit of a guest list, either.

"Mom!" Came from three feminine voices as three young woman practically rushed to tackle Jennifer Walters as she exited the elevator and onto the eighty-ninth floor of Stark Tower; where the Avengers lived. Jenn was barely out of the conveyance and in the landing when three teenaged figures dashed towards her with glee.

"Kids!" There was no use hiding the smile on her face as she was practically tackled by her informally-adopted daughters, holding all three of them as they found ways to hug her at the same time admist laughter and embraces as Jenn looked further ahead to see the members of the Avengers there as well as others, and the one guilty face responsible for bringing her children from California there for her to enjoy, no shame on that well-photographed face.

Of course. Tony.

"OhmyGodIcan'tbelievewegottomeettheAvengers!" Elizabeth Katherine 'Libby' Drew gushed out, the youngest of the Drew girls holding Jenn around her waist, somewhere around her left hip as a pair of fifteen-year old eyes beamed like a child on Christmas morn. "OhmyGodit'sThor!" She squeaked out excitedly as she saw who else exited the elevator. Those gleeful eyes immediately went to doe-eyed as eyelashes were batted and a sigh escaped her lips.

Fifteen-year olds, Jenn just thought with a sigh.

"Uncle Bruce got to show us around!" Sarah Felicity Drew explained quickly at her right hip, the seventeen-year old young woman all smiles, obviously remembering the man who had been more than a bit touched when he had first been introduced to the Drew girls twelve years prior. Like Jenn, Doctor Bruce Banner had been touched at the thought of children, and would visit when he could, doting on the girls properly and without shame.

When they had been younger, the girls had been told that while 'Mom' and Bruce were cousins, that they had been raised together like brother and sister. That had gotten Bruce the title 'uncle', and Bruce had been touched by it. He did the proper thing by spoiling them whenever he visited. "He showed us his lab and all the things he's doing to help New York!" Neither Libby nor Sarah knew exactly why Uncle Bruce had been gone for nearly nine years, not the real reason. Jenn had told them when they were younger that he had been a part of the Doctors-Without-Borders program, providing humanitarian aid and relief to those without. Technically, that had been true at first.

"Stared at the toys?" Walters asked Sarah, who like all seventeen-year old women from Southern California, possessed the superhuman ability of technological adoration and understanding that stumped adults, especially when it came to cell phones, video game consoles, and the internet.

"Invisible screen TV's! I want one!" The middle Drew girl exclaimed with a giggle, the now-Senior High Schooler gushing. That had Jennifer laugh.

But who occupied the middle of the three girls, whose arms were around Jenn's shoulders was the young woman who had been, as a young child, the one that first stole Jennifer's heart. A seven-year old girl doing her best in a bad situation with a near-crippled father trying to take care of her injured Dad and her sisters, too.

It was she that had earned Jenn's recognition and admiration, and it was she that Jenn had made that promise oh so long ago to actually be there for their family more so than just a lawyer. Those weeks before the lawsuit was finalized and Jonathan Drew was able to walk around the house and help out without being in pain, it was her than Jenn became the surrogate mother to first, more so than just child care. Jenn taught her not only how to cook, but what it meant for a woman who provided to those she loved. It was her that Jenn showed how a woman could show herself with dignity and pride without having to exploit herself. From those days of teaching her how just a careful application of make-up could set a man to drool or stun them into silence, to how to make a man look her in the eyes… and keep them there to take her seriously, it was she that Jenn initially took under her wing, turning that young girl into a woman, an endeavor of years that had always touched the lawyer's heart. When she labeled Jenn 'Mom' and meant it, the younger girls fell right in line. When Jennifer had earned that title, it had been the eldest daughter of Jonathan Drew that had given her final seal of approval, and it had been something that Jennifer had always appreciated as her forehead pressed against her oldest daughters' forehead with love and devotion.

Jessica Miriam Drew.

"We've all missed you, Mom." Jessica said as her green eyes closed for a moment to savor reuniting with her mother after several months of being away at college in the University of California (Berkeley). "We got a call from the CEO of Stark Industries with an invite, and you know I still got Dad wrapped around my little finger." Jenn snorted at the declaration. She had been the one to teach Jessica that little lesson; all daughters had their fathers' in the palm of their hand, after all. "School ended for Sara and Libby on Wednesday, and you know I finished up last week," the lawyer had most certainly been keeping track of that, "so getting Dad to say yes wasn't hard, especially since he knew you would be here to keep us mostly out of trouble."

"Mostly." Jenn agreed as she finally let go of the two younger girls to embrace the eldest of the Drew girls, holding onto Jessica fiercely. "It's good to see you, Jess. I swear I turn around and wonder where the hell that little girl went and see this beautiful young woman standing in her place and God it just makes my heart burst in joy." The younger girls had been just young enough not to really remember a time before Jenn had been in their lives. To them, Jenn was the mother they remembered; lawyer during the week, but taking the girls out on the weekends to shop or visit the many things Southern California had to offer. John was a good man and a good father (both knew they were nowhere near compatible, but they were friends), but understood that it really took a woman to raise a woman, and the girls' mother had left them all to become a movie star. That hadn't really worked out all that well for Alicia Drew, who wanted to be a movie star before becoming pregnant with Jessica right out of High School, and left when her oldest daughter was six and her youngest two. Only Jessica knew what happened to their mother, told years later by Jennifer when she was fifteen and actually remembered the woman that abandoned them.

Their mother had wanted to be in the movie industry, but ended up in the adult entertainment industry. No girl wanted to find out that they were the daughter of a small-time porn star.

"Well," Anthony Edward 'Tony' Stark spoke up, with Virginia 'Pepper' Potts by his side as several others stood nearby where the celebration was obviously going to be taking place, "considering that this party is going to be a two-fold one, let's get our travelers settled in so we can get the set-up complete for tonight."

"There will be a celebration?" Thor asked, standing with Doctor Jane Foster by his side, his arm around her casually. His tone was warming up.

"Of course!" Tony replied as it was the most natural thing in the world. "First? Every one of you were responsible for a great, public, visible victory for us all." The billionaire had that world-famous smile that got plastered on many a magazine, the one that said that he was completely in his element. Someone else needed this too, Jenn noted with a smile. "We won against the Chitauri, and that's good. We're helping with clean-up and rescue, and that's good, too. But now we're building steam, showing people that we're here to stay in a good way. We had ourselves another fight, and we tucked in another victory in our belts.

"And it was thanks to our newest member. Our very own Avenger-in-Law."

Everyone in the room began to applaud, twenty-something people clapping as Jenn felt her cheeks heat up, blushing for all to see. When the world was in need, the Avengers had been there. When the Avengers were in need, she had been there. She had proved herself to the members of the Avengers, both in past and present. She had showed the world what she could do. Tony had known of her plan; to prove Thor's Asgardian lineage so that when she brought Avengers, Incorporated and The Avengers Foundation to light, she would be a known quantity when revealing herself its Chief Executive Officer. The others had been informed of the plan, understood its necessity, and had agreed to it; they would agree to her leadership if she could prove her worth.

"Second? Thanks to Jenn," Tony continued, taking center stage with ease, years of practice making him a natural showman, "we are now getting the clout in the publics' eye that we need to be sustainable and accepted. When Avengers, Incorporated is revealed to the world? When The Avengers Foundations announces its intentions that will help us continue at our mission? We now will have someone the world can look to and see that this isn't about being a superhero, a super-powered person, or just sitting up in a tower to lord over all. A very human face will take the helm so that the people understand that we're here to help them, that we are going to be the thing that helps mold the future for a better tomorrow. Showing the world that a human being is valued by their talents is a good thing," Tony was in his prime, the business magnate who led the industry not only from the weight of his inventions but his charisma too, "but showing them that a human being is in charge will show them that we aren't necessarily placing ourselves above them, either. Our job is them, and having a woman who can prove just that sets that standard that people can believe in. Which is why we voted as soon as we heard of Thor's declaration in a Norwegian courtroom." Tony smiled at her, and Jenn felt a little bashful at the announcement. She hadn't set the meeting for herself, having left it to the original members to decide when they felt it was time.

As Thor had done, she had proved herself worthy.

"To Jennifer Walters, Avenger-in-Law and CEO of the Avengers." Tony Stark declared, the Iron Man announcing for one and all.

"To Jennifer!" The other Avengers declared, making Walters blush as she felt her daughters all hug her in celebration as the others in attendance applauded at the announcement.

What they knew now would soon be known to the world.

The Avengers would be here to stay. For the people.

For the world.

Evening had come and the festivities of the celebration had come as thirty-two people shared in the festivities that was both a celebration and a farewell. The boys were doing their own thing that mostly involved beer and baseball, giving them excuse to chatter and gossip in a manly way free from feminine reprisal in one of the dens of Stark Tower while the girls occupied another room on the same level, chattering and gossiping without the guys having to roll their eyes at feminine discourse.

Jessica Miriam Drew found herself in rather august company.

There were several comfortable-yet-expensive couches that had been taken over by the women of the group, her younger sisters Sarah and Libby pulled away by the lull of of an X-Box connected to a screen much better than the one that they had at home so that they could play their imported profiles on Mass Effect 3's multiplayer. Jess knew that the girls were immediately and sufficiently distracted from the adult conversation (in which Sarah and Libby would get bored with in five minutes) playing the Sci Fi-based video game that somehow ended up with a rather crappy ending that had sent both of her sisters to near-tears about some alien guy named Garrus Vakarian. Jessica didn't even bother to pretend to get it.

"So you're getting a degree in Photography?" That was Virgina 'Pepper' Potts, former long-time executive assistant for Tony Stark and current Chief Executive Officer of Stark Industries. One of the richest women in the world, and the second-richest self-made woman in America, talking to her was akin to… well, Jessica had talked to Tony Stark. It was just as impressive. "Berkeley's a good school. A Liberal Arts Degree from there will certainly open doors. I actually went to UC Santa Barbara for Anthropology before changing my degree to business management. Found that I had a real knack for it."

"Well, I… kinda got noticed." Jessica found herself liking Pepper, down-to-earth woman with a great deal of common sense and probably an ungodly amount of patience considering who her former boss was (and technically, she was Tony's boss now!). "I haven't had a chance to tell Mom yet…"

"Tell me what, dear?" Jennifer Walters asked, sitting at a nearby couch and talking to the Black Widow casually. Jessica, probably liked all women her age, found the redhead inspiring as a testament at what a woman could do. Meeting her face-to-face had been something else. Oh, Natasha Romanoff was a very polite woman, but there was something inherently… scary about her. How many options were there for a person with no noticeable superpowers to be included into a group of superheroes? Chatroom rumors said she was an espionage agent, but videos of the Battle of New York showed her engaging Chitauri foot soldiers wit her bare hands… and winning. The darker rumors suggested assassin. Meeting the woman face-to-face? It had certainly been memorable.

"Oh, um…" Great, right in the spotlight of two CEO's, a super assassin, an FBI Agent with the first name of 'Major', a Doctor of Astrophysics, a PoliSci badass that's friends with Thor, and they're all looking at me, Jessica grumped internally as she saw that she had all of their attention. "I… got a job offer. Of sorts."

"You still have a year left for your degree, and someone wants to hire you before?" The Esquire asked curiously, frowning just a little. Thankfully, Mom had been big on letting her make her own decisions. Yes, she would certainly provide guidance and advice to make sure Jessica was making good decisions for herself, but they would be her own decisions. "Must be pretty big to pick up a college kid two-thirds of their way to their degree." God, Mom's going to nuke me, Jessica winced as she said who had made the offer.

"It's… Langley."

Jennifer Walters looked at her, blinked several times, and connected the name of the city in Virginia with its more well-known organization as Natasha Romanoff had a raised eyebrow, obviously having already figured it out. Everyone else was looking at her with either curiosity (they hadn't made the obvious connection yet), or surprise (because they had).

"The… CIA?" The lawyer asked, and the young woman could hear her Mom's voice, the way her heart hit her throat. While there was nothing really 'wrong' with working with the Central Intelligence Agency, their history and reputation wasn't exactly sterling. Neither was some of the employment opportunities they offered.

"Met more than a few kids like you, Art Degree kids going into analysis jobs, satellite imagery, video reconstruction and analysis, and the tried-and-true photographic evidence shot." Major Maria Hill said, nodding. "Wars and bad men have been stopped with cameras alone, Jessica. Heck, your Mom just used photographic evidence to help prove that a God exists in a court of law. Someone has to take those pictures and be considered an expert to give credence to that evidence. Don't knock a trade craft that has showed itself so useful not only in the years before, but today, too."

"That's certainly true." Jennifer nodded, looking a little less uncertain about the idea. "What do you think, honey?"

I practiced this speech a dozen times, even had points I wanted to hit, Jessica thought as her hands went clammy and her throat went dry. Now that I'm looking right at her, that went right out the window. How the heck does she do this with a jury?

"I… want to." Jessica stumbled a little, wondering why it was so difficult. Her mother obvious saw the discomfort as she moved to sit next to her, slipping an easy arm around her to support her figuratively while being closer to her. This was the mother she knew and trusted, the one that had won a young girl's devotion and admiration, to had stood to be a mother figure and kept that promise when there was no other reason to do so other than it being the right thing to do. The young woman rested her head against the taller woman's shoulder and accepted that comfort and support. "I guess it's… just so big of a step. I just worry if I'm mature enough, if it's the right thing for me. I… don't like the idea of failing or jumping into something unprepared." God, she had just unloaded her fears in front of strangers that she had just met that day. Yet these strangers would understand the young woman's concern; each of them had done something similar, hadn't they?

"Those are smart concerns. Mature concerns." That was Doctor Jane Foster, armed with a wine glass and a knowing smile. "I remember the very day I felt that way, too. I was a twenty-five year old Doctor of Astrophysics when I found myself standing in my first classroom with students looking in on me. Normally, you get your Doctorate at around twenty-six, and start getting students in your early thirties, yet I was in my mid-twenties. I realized I was barely older than the kids I was teaching, that they all were depending on me. I… might have thrown up five minutes before the class." That had Darcy Lewis snort. "Still delivered that class in front of about forty students expecting their Professor to stand in front of a class and deliver a lecture. After that, it became a lot easier. Bet Jenn probably felt the same way during a big court case at an opening or closing statement."

"There were those, but the real big one was a settlement with an insurance company where they brought out the big guns and had something like twenty litigators to go over every nuance of an agreement to trip me up back when I was working in the Goodman Office." Her Mom admitted. "Trust me, facing down twenty lawyers pressuring you to make one little mistake on a document will teach you the very word stress." Jenn looked over to her and leaned her head on top of the younger woman's. "But I had good reasons to prove myself."

That's it!

It suddenly made sense to her, something she had known her whole life but evolving as she got older. When she was a child, she had always sought Jenn's approval, the woman who chose to be her mother. It hadn't been out of obligation or rote; Jennifer Walters had done so because she had seen the situation that Jessica could still remember back when she was a little girl and had determined to step up for the sake of children simply because it was the right thing to do. As Jessica got older, those needs of maternal affection had evolved, no longer so dependent on survival as they were social and feminine-related. It had been Jenn who taught what it meant to be a good woman, to hold her head up high and walk her own path, to show that she wasn't just some pretty face or pretty body only meant for coveting, that she had worth. She always had a good eye, and photography had come naturally to her. Jenn had encouraged her talents, never forcing her down a path not of her own choosing. Because of that encouragement and support, Jessica was able to earn her way into a highly-regarded University with a scholarship to her name. That had been a big day for her, and Mom had been the first one Jessica had told.

That whole time Jessica had needed encouragement and support, she never knew she had been doing the same for Jennifer, too.

Mom made me a good woman, and I helped her become a better woman, to show what it meant in the eyes of a child, Jessica realized as she slipped her arms to hold the woman sitting next to her, almost lost in the emotions she felt coursing through her. She wanted to do good with her life, to say that she had succeeded, like everyone else did. Now there was an opportunity right in her lap, a strange one to be sure, but one that spelled that very goal. No one doubted the quality that the CIA brought to its organization; like the FBI, they only got the best in the name of America and the protection of its people.

And like her Mom, she had been selected for something greater.

"I want to be able to prove myself." Jessica whispered to the woman holding her, uncaring that she was doing so in front of strangers. In a strange sort of way, they were like a fraternity; selected individuals who had stood up in the time of need of others, and now were in the very halls of power and prestige, each having gotten there in their own right. Wasn't that something Mom had wished for her? Something that she wished for herself? One day, she could be sitting right here as an equal, a sacred defender for those who defended all, defining the line that must not be crossed.

And the next time some alien jackasses decide to take a crack at Earth, it won't be a last-minute team-up of cobbled-together superheroes, Jessica thought to herself, but a full team of seasoned veterans with a support staff supporting them with the latest and greatest to make sure that something like New York never happens again.

And I want to be one of them.

The party had wound down as most everyone began heading towards something representing a bed or other accommodations. With there being no school for the next day, the Drew girls were engaged in a four-man death match with Tony Stark as a part of their team in some sort of co-op game called Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 involving shooters and terrorists. Of course the teenaged girls weren't about to sit out on the chance of sitting next to a billionaire industrialist with a perchance for tech toys and, evidently, first-person shooters. God forbid Tony might actually call it training or something else as Jennifer Walters checked in on the girls (and Iron Man) to see them snarking and shooting through digital bad guys with ease.

Kids! All of them!

Thor and Doctor Jane Foster had already left for the evening, and most of the Avengers had wandered off to do their own thing; evidently there was a bit of a challenge between Clinton Barton and Steven Rogers in a game of pool that had grabbed a few people at one of the lower floors of the Penthouse that probably wouldn't end up in a disaster. The main room that the boys had occupied looked exactly as it should; a group meeting of empty beer bottles and cans along with their friends popcorn and pretzels for a televised baseball game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Everyone else had vacated save Bruce, who had crashed on one of the couches, dead to the world. Jenn looked at Doctor Banner with a smile, seeing his face finally at peace, no worry or grief etched upon it. Jennifer moved over to him and grabbed his tweed jacket that he had taken off at some point in time, covering his form with it as she gave him a smile as he slept.

"It's good to see you with friends, with people that can see past the flaws and see you." Jennifer told her cousin's slumbering form, tucking him in. He worked as hard as everyone else despite the incredible burden he carried. That said much of the man's resolve and soul that he would continue on despite having the best reason in the world to remove himself from such stress. This was why Jennifer had looked up to Bruce when she was a child; she had always admired his spirit and intelligence. "Get some sleep, Bruce." Jenn leaned over and gave her cousin a light kiss on his forehead before turning away with the intent to going bed herself to get the sleep she needed for the next day when she accidentally kicked something on the ground with her right foot, hearing a clatter on the ground as she sucked in her breath at the feeling of bruised, aching toes.

"Oww. Who hell left… whatever it was on the ground?" Jenn winced at her smarting toes, looking down to see what she had accidentally kicked.

There was a hammer on the ground. With a too-large head. And a too-short shaft.

Jenn looked at it for a moment, then at her foot, then at the hammer that was about a foot away from where she had kicked it.

"Huh. I guess Tony thought a prop would be funny."

The lawyer bent down and scooped up the prop without any difficulty, wondering why Tony would think to make an exact replica out of what appeared to be wood and metal; it felt like the right amount of weight if made out of those materials. Snorting, Jenn moved to the kitchen portion with the intent to keep anyone else from accidentally kicking something they shouldn't…

…and set the Grinder on the island.

Fine - ARC II: The Legal Has Landed

ARC III: Some Assembly Required

200 Park Avenue and East 45th Street, Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York, June 4, 2012

+3 Days After Proving Thor Was A God

In front of a three dozen reporters from three dozen affiliates, a press conference was held in one of the ground floor conference rooms of the world-famous Stark Tower. A small stage and podium with small microphone had been set up in the front, with thirty-six folding chairs placed before it in rows. In the back, ten small-scaled news cameras were also set up, each manned by two to three network personnel to operate the footage, sound, and even connectivity for some of the more distant affiliates.

Jennifer Susan Walters, Esq., stood behind a side door along with Virgina 'Pepper' Potts, waiting for the show to begin, so to speak.

"Nervous?" Pepper asked, the CEO of Stark Industries looking to the lawyer as she consulted her notes and speech. There was an art to press conferences, and she was learning from the best.

"More people than a jury, but the same statistical pool, too." Jenn replied, trying not to fret. She had worn her best Louis Vuitton, a black one-piece short sleeved high neck fitted dress that was both classy and conservative. She didn't want to strike the public as being another suit, but also wanted to look serious. The dress did both at the same time; it was perfect. "I think I'm rather glad I can write a good speech, but you have a point in having another on hand to keep more abreast on things as well as another set of eyes. Lord knows we watch politicians and the rich shove their feet into their mouths to know it can happen to anyone and everyone."

"Trust me, I use to eyeball Tony's disasters until I realize it didn't matter what was written; he always spoke off-the-cuff." The businesswoman scoffed, but there was a hint of a smile there. "Honestly, the public adored it. He always spoke from the heart, and was never apologetic about it. I think they admired the honesty when so many at his level would change and defend their words from day-to-day. Good advice in the days to come, Jenn." That the lawyer had to admit was good advice. "Here comes Tony." Jenn looked out the slightly-opened door to see Anthony Edward 'Tony' Stark decked out in a custom-fitted David Edward double-breasted wool suit that was a black high gloss with an urban digicamo tie over a white buttoned shirt and a pair of Wayfarer tinted glasses, as always setting his own style and everyone else trying to follow.

"Afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the press," Tony began, heralding his own presence as oppose to someone else, something he was wont to do, "you know who I am and what I do. For a change though, I'm not going talk about me." That got a knowing chuckle from the reporter crowd, who just loved Tony's spontaneity. "No, I'm here to talk about you, all of you in fact! From the men and women in this room to the men and women watching at home or logging on. Because everyone deserves a right to know.

"Today, I'm going to talk about a woman." Tony told the crowd (and further). "Insert your 'uh-oh's' here." That got another chuckle. "As I'm sure many of you are learning about if you weren't aware of it over the weekend, there was a rather monumental legal case in Norway. One could say it had rather omnipotent potential.

"I, of course, am referring to the case of Thor versus the Kingdom of Norway," the billionaire continued, "but who I'm really talking about is the woman behind that landmark victory."

Jenn could practically hear the electronic whirs of digital pictures being taken happening at the dozen-per-second.

"The news, the media, and the public have their rumors and guesses, and I'm here to dispel them all." The industrialist continued. "While some were amusing, none came close to the woman that we of the Avengers had brought in for our time of need, to be there for us when we needed it. We needed a champion, an Avenger of our own. And today I'm going to introduce you to her.

"I would like for you to meet the Chief Executive Officer of the Avengers, the Avengers, Incorporated Non-Profit Organization, and The Avengers Foundation, Jennifer Susan Walters."

Jenn took a deep breath, looked to Pepper, who gave her a confident smile and a nod, before walking out through that door to take center stage.

And introduced herself the world.

Author's Note: One of the things I try to hit upon this story is the fact that it's in 2012. I might have forgotten some of the troupes and smaller aspects of that year (like it's most popular song and artist, or some of the news), but I wanted it to feel like 2012, mentioning things during that year in our world and putting it into the MCU. The one thing I do avoid mentioning is (obviously) Marvel Comic references and anything pertaining to it; TV shows (including the cartoons and the TV Hulk), 80's movies (don't bother, they all pretty much sucked), 90's movies (like Blade), and even the pre-MCU movies (X-Men, Spider-Man, and Daredevil/Electra). The only thing that got a nod was 2003 Hulk for obvious reasons.

Stagecoach is the callsign for 'Cadillac One', and its specifications are intentionally left unknown. Publicly, it has been released that it can survive a hit from an RPG egg.

Did… I reference MySpace? SRSLY!? Facebook was really gaining steam in the years just before this, but MySpace was still around. But the reference I made was in the past, in the 2000's when MySpace was the social media king.

I Easter Egg-dropped the Drew girls in The Legal Has Landed, I when Happy and Jenn were in the Chinese restaurant and Jenn explained her informal adoption of the kids of her first case involving Jonathan Drew when he was injured during a work-related accident, never 'tying' their names together; Libby, Sarah, and Jessica. I teased you this way so that when I introduced a character that will be involved in the next movie (CA:WS), I didn't just drop someone in mid-term; there's establishment involved. You were taking notes, right?

But yes. It's that Jessica Miriam Drew.

Funny enough, I've had a few people who read this story not knowing who Jennifer Walters was, obviously fans of the movies and TV shows (or at least pulled in by my summary). So there might be a few of you whom don't know of Jessica Drew and her rather convoluted history (really, it's rather confusing). But for those who know of Jessica Drew from the Marvel Comics, yes…

…this is the yet-to-be Spider-Woman.

Not Spider-Gwen, Silk, or Spider-Girl; the original Spider-Woman who had her own cartoon in the 80's (which sucked). Like the She-Hulk, Spider-Woman was created to 'keep' the idea from DC making a female version of a popular character. Obviously, like Jenn of this story, her Origins are different (as I mentioned, Jess has a very convoluted origin and history that I will utterly avoid), to be changed into something more in line with the movies/MCU (which fans of Spider-Woman probably won't mind considering said confusing comic history). Like Jenn, she is human…

…for now.

I tease myself a little bit in the chapter with the inclusion of Mass Effect; almost all of my FanFic stories are Mass Effect-based ones, and the third installment of the trilogy came out on March 4, 2012, as the games Halo 4, Dishonored, Far Cry 3, and Telltale Series' The Walking Dead came out that year as well. To me, teenage women who play video games would likely be more interested in a game with a bit more to a story than just a pure shooting game (blood-soaked rampages would likely draw the guys), so I picked Mass Effect out of that belief… plus there really were a slue of female gamers that loved the FemShep/Garrus ship. I also mention the horrible original ending; the Extended Cut DLC didn't come out until June 6, 2012.

Generally, Executive Assistants get a degree (Associates, usually), but I couldn't find anything on Virginia Potts, who was created in 1963 when a female secretary probably didn't need a college degree for this caliber job. Pepper's mentioning of going to UCSB is actually a nod to Gweneth Paltrow, who went to Santa Barbara to take Anthropology before going into acting. Paltrow's father Bruce Paltrow is, btw, a producer/director best known for the television series St. Elsewhere. Her mother is Blythe Danner, an actress who has a great many awards for plays, television, and movies. She plays the mother in the Meet The Parents series.

Wait! Did Jenn just…?

Well, I did just pretty much describe what most would consider an act of selfless love; raising children in need not out of obligation or marriage, but by choice out of the goodness of her heart, unable to walk away from a situation, not even when the situation improved. Jenn and John Drew never dated or got married. Jenn did it because she saw something wrong and made it into something right.

Most would consider that rather pretty… worthy.

The Louis Vuitton black one-piece short sleeved high neck fitted dress is a real dress (I thought it was the classiest out of the rest) that costs… USD $1,730.00.

I mention that Tony wears David Edward, who makes custom-made suits and whose name can be found in the credits of the Iron Man movies showing Robert Downey Jr. in luxury business suits.