See You Again - Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth.
"All happy families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." - Leo Tolstoy.
Four months.
Katie and Steve spent four months travelling around America.
Really, Katie was all for staying in New York or D.C. or something. Slowly getting to know her father as they went out for coffee together or walks around the city as Katie did her best to explain everything he missed.
But, when Steve came to her and said that he wanted to see everything with his own eyes, that he wanted to tour America, she wasn't about to let him go off by himself.
So they jumped in Katie's car and started their roadtrip around America, with nothing more than a bag or two of clothes each and a credit card.
Katie did her best to explain everything new to Steve. Because really, when had he had the time to sit down and learn all about cell phones and the internet?
There was only a month long period between the time Steve woke up and the time the Avengers got together, and most - if not all - that time, Steve was too busy wondering about Katie and how his life turned out the way it did. Plus, he may or may not have been wallowing in self-pity once it finally hit him that everyone he knew and cared for was no longer around. And S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't been all that useful at the time, mostly just leaving Steve to his own thoughts and the files they gave him.
They stayed on the edges of society, laying low by staying in shabby hotels for a few nights before moving on to their next stop.
And while Katie explained the ever-changing world to him, she also got to know her father more and more.
Steve told her all about his life before and after the serum. It was the stories that Steve told her about his life growing up before the war that Katie loved the most. All the stories that her mother had were about Steve's time in the war and so on. The stories about skinny Steve were the ones Katie could sit still for hours for to listen to.
After a long day of walking around and exploring the land, the father and daughter would head back to their hotel and Katie would sit on the bed crossed legged as she listened to Steve go on and on about how Bucky would set him up on all these dates, or how his mother - Katie really wish she'd got to meet Grandma Rogers - would also roll her eyes at him when he come in, covered in mud and dirt, because she knew he'd went looking for trouble again.
And in return for these stories, Katie told Steve about her life and what it was like growing up at S.H.I.E.L.D.. She told him all sorts of stories. Like how Howard would let her into his workplace sometime and even let her help him on the easy and safe stuff. She told him how much she loved Jarvis's cooking, how the Commandos would joke about her becoming Mini-America - thank god Nick didn't pick that as her nickname. But she mostly talked about her mother and how Peggy was the one who taught her how to shoot a gun, how her mother would tuck her in at night, how she would make Katie chicken-noodle soup when she was sick. To Katie, they were little things that didn't mean all that much, but she could tell by the look in Steve's eyes that he loved all the stories.
The stories about her life after leaving S.H.I.E.L.D. and really being on her own, those were stories that Katie didn't really like to share, but she was slowly learning and opening up. And Steve was patient and didn't push for them.
It was their life for four months. And to both their relief, they hardly got recognized. They never used their real names when they checked in. Steve was the one who got recognized the most of them. Every now and then someone would recognize Katie, through when they did they only called her Golden Girl - she still didn't know how she felt about that name - and then question if there was any relation between her and Steve.
Katie and Steve never answered these questions though. They were still trying to work things out and get to know each other, and all that was easier to do without the media getting in their faces.
Katie was really liking the way her life was turning out, she was finally opening up and starting to become the real Katherine Rogers again.
Then those four months ended.
"That's so weird to see."
Katie heard Steve let out a light laugh from next to her, before following her gaze.
The father and daughter were sitting on a park bench, and across from them was a playground that had a few kids running around and playing. It was starting to warm up now and summer was just around the corner, so most of the kids were dressed in pants and a t-shirt, besides the few that Katie spotted.
"It's been almost a month," Steve pointed out, causing Katie to turn and give him a look.
"That doesn't mean anything," Katie shot back before turning to look back at the kids. "It's still weird to see."
Turning back to the kids at the playground, Katie watched as a group of kids ran out from behind the jungle gym. There were three of them, one girl and two boys, all looking no older than eight.
One of the little boys was wearing a Captain America hoodie and a pair of jeans. With the hood pulled up, the mask was covering part of his face. The other boy was wearing jeans and a long, red sleeved shirt. He was wearing a plastic Iron Man mask and had an Iron Man glove on one hand. Meanwhile, the little girl was dressed head to toe in black. She had on black pants with a black shirt and black sneakers along with a random belt tied around her waist. She could have been mistaken for dressing as the Black Widow, if it wasn't for the cheap, blonde wing on her head and the gold star pinned on her chest.
"You can't say that's not weird."
Katie looked up at Steve to find him watching the little kids as they ran around, pretending to shoot bad-guys.
Steve shrugged. "You get used to it."
"Says the showgirl." Katie rolled her eyes, turning back to the kids as she leaned back against the bench.
"Showgirl?" Steve glanced down at Katie with a raised eyebrow. "Who said I was a showgirl?"
"Uncle Howard," Katie answered, not taking her eyes off the kids. "He send you traveled all over too, said it was a big hit."
After Katie said this, she peaked up at Steve and saw a look of realization come over his face. He knew she was talking about the USO shows and that she was joking around.
"Well," Steve spoke up. "I definitely wouldn't call that being a showgirl."
"Obviously not. I'd call it being a showboy if anything, cause you obliviously aren't a girl," Katie glanced up at Steve with a smirk on her face. "Plus, I'm only saying what Uncle Howard told me"
"And what else did 'Uncle Howard' tell you?" Steve smiled as he leaned against the bench, crossing his arms.
"Well," Katie started to smile. "He told me about this one time, when he was showing you some possible shields…"
Present Day
Katie sighed lightly as she crossed one leg over the other, leaning back on the chilly metal of a park bench.
This happened every now and then. A memory would hit Katie hard, causing her to feel her mental age.
She didn't want to think about Steve right now, or about how much her life changed in the past six months.
To distract herself - or try to at least - Katie pulled her winter coat closer as her eyes moved around the small sized park, looking for two heads of light brown hair.
It didn't take her long to spot them. She found the brother pushing his little sister on the swing set. He had a bored look on his face as the little girl squealed for her brother to push her higher. He hadn't even wanted to go to the park in the first place, but Katie promised him that if he did, she'd give him an extra dessert tonight after supper.
Four months ago, the last place Katie thought she'd end up again was back at Tennessee. But yet, here she was. Sitting in the cold, wrapped up in a winter coat and gloves as she watched over two kids.
Because she left Steve.
They didn't notice it on their trip around America, but things moved way to fast. And they were in too deep when they finally realized it.
Then, by month five, they decided to head back to New York. They moved into Steve's apartment together because they thought they were at that father-daughter level.
Spoiler alert, they weren't.
Nick contacted them not long after moving in together and persuaded them to start training. They got into a routine. They would go to gym and started training. Katie was more skilled in her fighting style then Steve was, but she still learned some new skills and moves. Sometimes, Natasha would join and teach them stuff, although it was normally someone assigned from S.H.I.E.L.D..
Some days they would go for runs, maybe out for breakfast or lunch. Katie would do the grocery shopping while Steve educated himself with the times and they would take turns cooking, or do it together.
Then Nick decided to start letting Katie go on missions, sometimes with Natasha, sometimes with other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. He offered to let Steve start going on missions also, but Steve decided against it for now so he could train himself and get to know the world a bit better.
They started out fine at first. They were short missions and Katie was never gone for longer than a day. Then, they started to get worse and Katie would come home with more cuts and bruises. However, it was the night Katie came home with her arm wrapped up that things started to go downhill.
"You should have been more careful!"
"It's not like it's broken. The only reason it's wrapped is because Maria insisted."
"This week it's a wrapped arm. What will it be next week?"
"Stop worrying so much, I can take care of myself!"
After that, the fights happened more often. Steve was just being protective and he didn't mean anything by it, and Katie was used to being on her own and having no one look out for her. Plus, they were both stubborn as hell.
But soon, Katie couldn't take it anymore.
She felt like she was going back to being a disappointment with every little fight they got into. She was hurting her father, and he didn't deserve that. So, seeing no other way, Katie packed up the in the middle of the night and left.
At first, she was just going to move back into her apartment in D.C. But even being there - and being so close to her mother - was a constant reminder of how badly she messed up and how much of a disappointment she was. So, Katie packed up again and moved to the one place she could think of.
It was easy coming back to Tennessee. She moved back into her old apartment and it didn't take her long to find an on-the-side low key job.
People recognized her here, too. In Tennessee, however, the people didn't really care who she was related to. They just thanked her for what she and the other Avengers had done. After that they would be on their way.
"Higher!"
Katie smiled to herself slightly as she watched the brother push his sister higher, rolling his eyes as he did so.
Katie ran into their mother one night as the women was running to work. Katie wasn't really sure how to happened, but one moment she was almost knocking the young woman off her feet, the next she's watching her kids in the park. Not that Katie cared. Watching the kids helped keep her mind off other things. Plus, she always did have a soft spot for kids.
"You look like a girl with a lot on her mind."
Katie's head snapped to her right, where she saw an older man sitting down next to her. The top of his head was going bald while the hair he did have was grey. He was wearing glasses that where a little steamed up because of the cold and he was wrapped up in a nice black coat.
Feeling Katie's eyes on him, the old man turning in her direction. And Katie couldn't help but give the man a small smile after seeing the gentleness in his eyes.
"You could say that." Katie replied gently before turning back to watch the kids as silence fell around the two.
"Well," The older man spoke up again as Katie watched the brother and sister leave the swings and head towards the jungle gym. "I hope it isn't a man that's got a pretty young girl like you down."
"No," Katie let out a light, dry laugh before glancing up at the man. "Not a man in that sense."
"Good," The man smiled, before nudging Katie like old men do. "Cause men are trouble."
This time, Katie really did laugh. "I don't know, you don't seem much like trouble,"
"Say that to my wife. She says I'm nothing but trouble." The man smiled. "I'm Kevin."
"Katie," Katie laughed as she smiled back at the man.
"Well, Katie, let me give you a bit of advice." Kevin said. "Don't worry about men or anyone else in this world, you worry about yourself."
"That's good advice." The smile on Katie's face tightened before she turned back to the kids. "But I don't think it's that easy."
"It never is," Kevin replied, and Katie figured he was about to go into one of those deep old-man talks, but he never did.
"Whatever it is," Kevin spoke up after a moment. "You'll fix it."
"I don't know this time," Katie said honestly.
"Trust me. I have five kids and nine grandkids," Kevin looked over at Katie. "Whatever it is, it will work out and life will go back to normal."
Katie gave the older man a small, sad smile. "I wish I could use normal to describe my life."
"Yes, I suppose fighting off aliens isn't exactly normal."
Katie's head snapped towards Kevin, only to find his kind, old eyes sparkling and she couldn't help but laugh.
"And here I thought there was one person out there who wouldn't recognize me."
"Now how can someone forget the Golden Girl," Kevin laughed. "I suppose you're tired of hearing this, but thank-you."
And that was true, Katie was tired of hearing that. People were thanking her for saving the world but what else was she supposed to do? She was part of a small group of people who could actually do something about the problem and she wasn't about to let the world end, she lived here too.
But, for some reason, hearing those words coming out of Kevin's mouth, it made Katie smile. And not the forced smile that she normally gave.
"It was no problem," Katie told him, but she back-tracked. "Actually there were a lot of problems now that I think about it."
Kevin let out a laugh, but before he could comment, a voice calling out Katie's name got her attention.
"Katie! Can we go now!?" Katie looked over at the playground and found the brother walking towards her. "I'm hungry!"
"Well," Kevin started to stand up, causing Katie to shift her gaze to him. "You're busy so I'll leave you to it. It was nice to meet you, Katie."
"You too, Kevin," Katie smiled as she also stood up, shaking his hand.
"And I mean what I said," Kevin told her. "Whatever problems you are having, they will get fixed and you'll go back to living a normal life."
With one final smile and nod, Kevin turned and walked away, leaving Katie at the playground.
The smile on Katie's face slowly fell as the wind picked up a bit, blowing her hair over her shoulder as Kevin's words echoed in her head.
Normal life.
Please. Katie's life was never normal. Never has been and never will be. However, the thought of living a somewhat normal life with friends and family - aka Steve - did cause a warm feeling to swell in the pit of her stomach.
"Katie!"
Sighing, Katie spun around with her hands in her pockets, only to find two dark-haired kids running towards her.
"Do we have to leave, Katie?" The little girl looked up at Katie with wide, brown eyes.
It was only then that Katie realized how late it was getting, and that in was in fact time for supper.
"Yeah," Katie nodded, looking between the two kids. "Come on. We get stop at the diner on the way and see your mum, if you like."
The little girls eyes lit up as she nodded her head. Katie knew that the two kids wished they could see their mother more, but being a single parent was hard. And sometimes you couldn't be around as much as you liked, as Katie had experienced herself with her mother.
As Katie took one hand out of her pocket and grabbed the girl's hand, her brother put his hands in his pockets, walking ahead of them.
"Just as long as I get a second desert for coming to the park."
"You had fun brother, I know you did." The little girl laughed as she skipped along.
Katie let out a soft laugh when no answer came from the kid in front of her, before sighing.
This was her life at the moment. Watching over these two kids for close to nothing. Helping a single mother out with her problems, because she ran anyway from her own.
Of course, you couldn't outrun who you are. Kevin showed that. All Kate did was sit on a park bench and she got recognized. Hell, even the little kids she watched over knew who she was. Though, they didn't care that much. To them, she was only the coolest babysitter in the world.
No matter where she went, she was always going to be Katherine Stephanie Rogers. Avenger. The Golden Girl. Captain America's daughter.
That was her life. It never was normal, and it never will be.
Katie was not having a good day.
Okay, scratch that. Katie wasn't having a good few weeks.
First off, it was Christmas time. Katie wasn't the biggest fan of Christmas anyways, something to do with the whole 'get together with family and friends' business. But this year was worse, mainly because she did have family now. She had Steve.
The problem was that she couldn't bring herself to talk to him even before Christmas. So she definitely couldn't bring herself to talk to him now. It would just make her feel worse.
Then, about a few weeks ago Katie was cooking lunch for the kids as they watched TV, when the screen suddenly changed and a man came on. A man calling himself The Mandarin.
The moment Katie realized what was happening, she made the kids leave the living room. She didn't want them to hear or see what was going on.
And Katie waited. She waited for days for Nick to call, to call her in. To fill her in with what was going on. Katie knew that she was 'taking time off' or whatever, but this felt big and Katie figured Nick would call. But he never did.
For the next two weeks, Katie hardly let the kids watch the TV. She caught up with everything when she put the kids to bed or went back to her own small apartment. But she still never heard anything from Nick.
She thought about calling him herself, more than once. This wasn't right, letting innocent people die all over the world. And she was amazed that Nick hadn't called the Avengers together yet. But, Katie also trusted Nick and he knew what he was doing. So, she didn't call.
Then, came the damn interview with one Tony Stark.
After lots and lots of begging, Katie finally let the kids watch some TV. However, she quickly realized that was a bad idea as she was making lunch and she heard a voice call her into the living room.
There, on screen, was none other than Iron Man himself. And he gave out his damn home address to the whole damn world.
If Katie could, she would have jumped on a plane just to go to said address and slap him across the face. She had never been more pissed off with Tony then she had been in that moment.
Then that pissed up mood quickly turned to an upset mood.
The next afternoon, when Katie walked into the Keener House to watch the kids as their mother went to her overnight shift at the diner, Harley basically threw the paper at her face.
There, staring Katie right in the face, were five words that made Katie's heart drop.
MANDARIN ATTACK: STARK PRESUMED DEAD
All Katie could do was stare at the paper in her hands, her eyes wide as she read the title over and over again. And the only words that came to her mind made her both want to laugh and cry.
That idiot.
She couldn't help but be pissed with Tony. He was an idiot for giving out his address in the first place. He was the one who threatened a terrorist. But, at the same time, Tony could be gone. She hadn't seen Tony since they all parted ways after the battle in New York, and now she may never see him again.
In that moment, all Katie wanted to do was call Nick and yell at him. Ask him how the hell this was possible and how they let this happen. However, as Katie looked up from the paper, she was met by the faces of Harley and Riley. Both kids were watching her with waiting eyes.
They were smart kids. Though Katie hardly let them watch TV when she was over, they knew enough to know what was going on. Especially Harley. They may not understand what was happening, but they knew. They also knew about Katie - Harley was also trying to get her to open up about the Avengers - and they knew Iron Man was part of her team.
But Katie couldn't show them how upset and torn up inside she was. She couldn't show them how pissed off and angry she felt. She couldn't dump that on eleven and six year old kids.
Sighing, Katie placed the paper on the table, face down, before walking into the kitchen.
"What do you two want for supper?"
And so Katie went about her evening like she did every other time she babysat the kids. She made them Mac and Cheese for supper and promised that if they ate it all, they would get dessert.
Of course, the atmosphere in the whole house wasn't as energetic as it normally was.
The kids didn't eat all their supper. But neither did Katie.
She gave them dessert anyways, but they hardly eat that either.
After supper, Harley announced that he was going to the garage, grabbing the paper on his way out while Katie cleaned up and Riley - bless her soul - helped by putting away the drinks and wiping down the table.
This was odd for Katie, doing the dishes right after supper. Normally, she was either helping the kids with their homework, watching a movie with them, or getting them ready for bed. But it wasn't a school night, they were on Christmas break now. Still, Katie would normally be pulled away from cleaning up to play with Riley or admit to help Harley with whatever he was building at the moment. That is, if he wasn't bugging her about the battle of New York.
Katie loved the two kids with her heart, they were good and sweet. However, Harley could be a bit… much. Both kids knew she was the Golden Girl and what she did in New York. When they first found out, the questions where coming at Katie left, right, and center. She never went into any details though. They were only kids after all, they didn't need to know about fighting aliens. After a while, Riley stopped with the questions. Harley, however, still tried to get answers out of Katie, though she now just sent him a light glare and he would go back to whatever he was doing.
Katie took her time as she slowly washed each dirty cup and plate. Riley sat quietly at the kitchen table the whole time, slowly and carefully drawing on pieces of colored paper.
The house was unnaturally quiet.
Katie sighed softly as she pulled the plug and watched as the water started to disappear down the sink, rubbing a hand over her tired face.
She was definitely having a drink tonight once she made sure the kids where in bed and asleep.
"Katie?"
Opening her eyes and turning to her right, Katie looked down and saw Riley looking back up at her with wide-brown eyes.
Katie tried to give the little girl her best smile as she knelled down in front of her. "Yeah sweetie?"
Riley didn't reply or even smile back as she looked down in hands. Katie followed her line of sight and saw a piece of paper in her little hands.
"I made this for you." Riley said softly before handing the paper to Katie.
Slowly taking the paper out of Riley's hands, Katie looked down and felt her heart break.
Drawn in typical six-year-old fashion, in colored pencils on a piece of light blue paper were all the Avengers - in their uniforms - standing around a triangle Christmas tree along with Riley, Harley and their mother.
Katie blinked a few times as she felt her eyes start to wet and a dull pain in her chest. She looked at the picture for a moment longer, afraid that if she looked up she may actually start to cry. And she didn't want Riley to see that.
Smiling and with slightly wet eyes, Katie looking up at Riley and found the six-year-old watching her.
"I love it." Katie told her softly, causing Riley to smile as she suddenly moved forward and into Katie's arms.
Katie took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she hugged Riley back, holding her tightly.
"I don't like it when you're sad." Riley said softly in Katie's ear, causing Katie's heart to break even more.
However, she didn't get a chance to respond because the back door suddenly flew open and Harley came running inside.
"Katie!"
Katie sighed as she let go of Riley, sighing as she stood up and rubbed her eyes, placing the picture of the counter.
"Harley-"
"Can you make a sandwich?"
Katie looked at Harley with narrowed eyes. The boy stood before her looking… happier than he did before he walked out the door.
"A sandwich?" Katie turned back to the dishes and started putting them away. "You should've eaten your dinner. Then you wouldn't be hungry."
"But it's not for me." Harley explained as he stepped further into the house.
"Then who is it for?" Katie questioned as she opened one of the cupboards and started placing the cups inside.
"For me. So it better be good."
Katie froze in the middle of closing the cupboard. She knew that voice. She would know that voice anywhere. The only problem was, the person who owned that voice was presumed dead. Dead, that was the only world ringing in Katie's head as she slowly turned around, no one speaking and the only sound coming from the cupboard slamming shut.
Before her, beat and banged up, covered in dirt with the glow of that damn arc reactor showing through his t-shirt was Tony bloody Stark himself. Very much alive.
"Let me tell you," Tony spoke up, his eyes on Katie. "I either have the worse luck, or the best."
This seemed to snap Katie out of it a bit, seen that she rolled her eyes and snorted lightly. "You have a death wish, that s what you have."
"It would seem so."
"You're Iron Man." Riley spoke up, feeling the ice break around the room as a smile lit up on her face. However, she did take a step or two closer to Katie, shyness mixing in with her excitement.
"Iron Man is actually resting in the garage at the moment," Tony replied before taking his eyes off Katie and turning to Riley. "I'm Tony."
"Riley," The little girl replied shyly.
"Harley, Riley," Katie spoke up, turning to the two kids. "Why don't you two go upstairs for a bit. I need to talk to Tony for a moment."
"But-"
"Katie!"
The two kids started to argue, but one look at Katie's face made them stop and think better of it. They still didn't move from their spots though.
"You kids go," Tony spoke up. "The superheroes need to talk for a moment."
Katie gave Tony a look of disbelief before rolling her eyes and returning to putting away the dishes as the two kids slowly started to move towards the stairs.
"And kid," Katie glanced over her shoulder and saw Harley stop and turn towards Tony, who spoke to him. "Don't forget what I told you."
Harley gave Tony a nodded before he followed his sister up the stairs and Katie heard the sound of a door closing shut. Neither Katie or Tony spoke up for a while. After some time it was Tony who finally broke the silence.
"So," Tony said as he leaned against the counter and Katie put away the last of the dishes. "You going to make me that sandwich?"
"You're supposed to be dead." Katie spun away and gave Tony a light glare, not in the mood to put up with any of his crap.
"And you're supposed to be with Cap, last I checked." Tony shot back, causing Katie to glare at him hard.
"Things got complicated." Katie crossed her arms.
"Well, same goes for me." Tony copied the blonde woman.
The two stood on either side of the small kitchen, staring each other down. And through her tight stare, Katie actually got a good look at Tony.
He had a thin sheet of dirt all over his face, along with cuts and scrapes that also made their way up and down his arms. He was only sporting a t-shirt and jeans, making him look every more out of place in the Tennessee winter then he already looked. But what really caught Katie's attention and made her soften her gaze was the haunted look behind his dark eyes along with the dark shadows that seemed to take over his face, making it look like he hadn't slept in months.
Sighing, Katie uncrossed her arms and leaned back against the counter.
"What's wrong, Tony?"
The softness in her voice caused Tony's eyes to widen slightly before he shrugged and also leaned against the counter, not answering right away.
"What makes you think there's something wrong?" Tony said after some time, but there was no humor or sarcasm in his voice.
Katie raised an eyebrow. "Because you look like hell."
Tony let out a dark laugh, but a smile didn't even start to crack on Katie's face as a concerned look took over her features. She was about to push Tony again when he suddenly sighed, running a tired hand over his face.
"New York," Tony threw his hands down in defeat before he lift his eyes to meet Katie's. "New York screwed me up. Let's just, leave it at that." Tony stopped to take a breath, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "I tried to go back to normal, I tried. But instead, I ended up almost losing Pepper and now I'm standing here, in Tennessee, instead of with her."
Katie watched as the man before her started to crumple. She'd never seen Tony like this, and sure, she hasn't really known him for that long. But everything she'd even heard of Tony Stark, everything she'd read, this man in front of her wasn't that. This man was looking incredibly vulnerable, something Katie she'd never see Tony Stark show.
"Tony," Katie spoke up softly as he crossed his arms and looked down at his feet. "You, you died, Tony. And you were brought back to life by the Hulk. If anyone has a right-"
"But none of us have that right, do we?" Tony cut Katie off, looking up suddenly. "We're The Avengers. We're the world s superheroes. If we show them that we can't handle what we do, then what?"
"We're also human," Katie shot back. "Granted we're humans with… weird weird abilities but, we're still humans. Most of us anyways."
Tony just shrugged from his spot against the counter when something suddenly clicked in Katie's mind.
"Is that what all this is about?" Katie asked. "You giving the Mandarin your address. Is all that so you can prove yourself to the world?"
"He put Happy in the hospital, almost killed him," Tony stated, and Katie didn't really know who Happy was, but he must have been someone important to Tony.
Katie sighed, suddenly exhausted from everything that had been happening the past few days as she ran a hand through her hair.
"Why weren't we called?" Katie questioned before she looked up and her eyes meet Tony's. "How come we weren't called in?"
Katie didn't know why she asked Tony this. She knew he was just as clueless as she was. Because really, who knew what went on inside of Nick Fury's head. But, a terrorist attack on the whole world seemed like as good a time as any to call in the Avengers.
"I can call him," Katie said. "Nick, I can call him. We can get Natasha and Clint here. And Bruce. And… we can help you-"
"No," Tony stopped Katie. "No, I need to do this. By myself."
Katie shook her head. "You don't have to do anything by yourself, Tony."
Tony and Katie shared a look for a long moment, before Tony's gaze softened slightly.
"Sometimes, we need to fight our own battles."
Katie didn't like this. She didn't like the idea of Tony facing the Mandarin on his own, not when he had a whole team behind him. She disliked that idea almost as much as she hated the thought of the strongest man she knew (and no, Katie would never tell Tony that to his face) crumbling under the pressure and trying to deal with it by himself.
But, Katie knew Tony well enough to know that that was how he dealt with his problems. Anything he thought was his fault, Tony would try and fix it by himself. So she could stand here and argue with him until she was blue in the face, it was no good in the end.
"And speaking of battles," Tony spoke up, a bit of the old Tony in his voice. "It's your turn for story time. What happened between you and Cap?"
Katie sighed, closing her eyes for a moment before pushing herself off the counter.
"Nothing," Katie said as she made her way to the fridge, because she was actually going to make Tony his damn sandwich.
"Yes well, I don't believe you." Tony said as she slammed the fridge down shut.
All Katie could do was roll her eyes, placing the ham slices and mayor on the counter as she reached for the bread. She knew it wasn't fair. Tony just opened up to her and now she wouldn't do the same to him, but talking about Steve was the last thing she wanted to do right now.
"Seriously Katie," Tony pushed on as Katie stood with her back to him, buttering the bread. "What happened after New York?"
Katie placed the knife on the counter as she sighed, running a hand through her hair as she turned around to face Tony. She knew he wasn't going to leave her alone until she told him. And besides, it wouldn't be fair if Tony opened up to her and she didn't do the same in return.
"We traveled," Katie spoke up. "For four mouths. We traveled across America."
"And what? You had a horrible time so you left?"
"No." Katie shock her head, a faraway look on her face. "It… It was great actually."
Tony raised an eyebrow as he shot Katie a confused look. "Then how did you end up here on Christmas instead of putting up Christmas lights with your old man?"
"Because…" Katie sighed, placing her hands on the counter behind her. "After four months, we went back to New York, I moved into Steve's apartment and then Nick called, requested we started training up for the next attack or something, I don't know. Anyways, after a while Nick started sending me on missions while Steve educated himself a bit more." Katie explained and Tony listened on with slightly narrowed eyes. "The missions started out fine, but then they got longer and I'd come home with more buries and cuts, and Steve… He didn't like that."
"So what?" Tony crossed his arms. "You packed up and left because of a few little fights?"
"No." Katie shot Tony a sharp glare. "I left because…" I'm a disappointment.
"Okay, I get it." Tony said when he realized Katie wasn't going to finish her sentences. "You're a sixty odd year old women who doesn't need anyone to watch out for you-"
"Watch it."
"And I'm probably the last person on this Earth who knows anything about good parenting." Tony continued on. "But I do know what a bad parent is like. And they way Cap's acting seems far from a bad parent."
"I didn't say he was a bad parent." Katie argued.
"Then we did you leave?" Tony pushed. "Because isn't it a father's job to worry about their kid when they come home beaten up?"
"Okay yes," Katie threw her hands in the air before crossing them over her chest. "But he knew what I was doing and that there was a chance I would get hurt."
"But he's still your father," Tony pointed out. "Of course he's going to be worried."
Katie let out a frustrating sigh as she spun back around and started to finish making Tony his god damn bloody sandwich.
She was so concentrated on the two pieces of bread and trying to stop her mind from racing the way it was, that she almost missed Tony as he mumbled under his breath.
"Good fathers worry."
Katie's hands froze just as she finished the sandwich as her eyes snapped up. She suddenly felt a wave of guilt wash over her as she spun back around to face Tony, only to see Tony holding the drawing that Riley made.
Katie felt like an idiot. Here she was, running away from her father for basically being a father when there were people out there who barely knew what it was like to have a parent. People like Tony, and Harley and Riley.
Sure, Katie and Steve had their problems, but who wouldn't? If you spent sixty odd years of your live without your father only to have him come into your live seventy years after he died… And yes, everything happened too fast, but they could have just slowed down instead of Katie running around like she did.
Running a hand through her hair, Katie started to take a few steps forward.
"Tony. Listen-"
"Mr. Stark."
Katie and Tony looked towards the stairs and Katie couldn't stop her eyebrows from pinching together at the sight of Harley standing at the foot of the steps. He was dressed to go outside, with a bag by his side and a very upset looking Riley standing just slightly behind him.
"Got everything." Harley nodded towards Tony, causing Katie to shift her confused glare from the kids to Tony.
"Great." Tony said, placing to drawing back on the counter before turning back to Harley. "Let's get going, kid."
"What?" Katie watched as Tony grabbed his sandwich off the counter before he made his way towards Harley, who handed him a winter coat.
"Katie!" Riley ran towards her babysitter, looking up at her with angry and upset eyes. "Harley took my Dora watch."
"Hold on." Katie took a few steps towards Tony and Harley as Riley stayed behind her. "What the hell's going on here?"
"Babysitter." Tony pointed a figure at her. "You shouldn't be swearing around the kids."
"I'm showing him around." Harley told Katie with a little shrugged.
But Katie knew better. She could tell by the look on Tony's face that this wasn't just about getting a tour of the small town. This was about the Mandarin. Tony was looking for something, and he was using Harley to help him find it.
Tony and Harley started to make their way towards the front door when Katie didn't say anything. But seeing them walk away and feeling Riley tug on her arm made Katie snap out of it and she followed about the two boys.
"Tony. You can't drag a ten year old into this!" Katie all but yelled at the older man. "If you want help, then let me call Nick-"
"We don't have time."
"Then let me show you around," Katie grabbed Tony by the shoulder, spinning him around. "He's just a kid Tony."
"So you're going to show me around and leave the two kids here by themselves?" Tony questioned. "I'm keep him safe. However many cuts and buries he comes home with, you can return on me. Deal?"
No deal. Katie didn't want to make any deal that involved the kids getting hurt, or even just the possibility of them getting hurt. But, Tony was right. She couldn't leave Riley and Harley here by themselves. She could let Tony go off by himself, but one look at Harley's face told her that he wasn't having it. This was every ten-year-old's dream, working alongside an Avenger. And, as much as she hated to say it, she could tell from looking between all three of their faces that this wasn't a battle she was going to win.
Sighing, Katie ran a hand through her hair before shooting Tony a glare.
"Anything happens to him, you're going to wish you were dealing with the Mandarin instead of me. Got it?"
"Yes ma'am." Tony nodded, before turning to Harley and nodding towards the door.
"Thanks Katie!" Harley quickly gave his babysitter a hug before running after Tony, who held the door open for the little boy.
Katie's eyes caught Tony's just before he closed the door, and all he did was give her a small nod - which she returned - before closing the door behind him.
Katie sighed once more before spinning around and finding Riley watching her with her big eyes.
Katie walked over to the little girl before bending down and picking her up, holding her close as she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
They were in for a long night.
Note, this use to be chapters 13 and 14 before I decided to combine them.
Big thank you to my beta and to you guys for reading this story and sending all the love/reviews, you guys are awesome :)