As usual, thanks to everyone reviewing and following (and even those just reading!). You guys give me the strength to write more (too cheesy?)!


It only took a few minutes for Wanda to decide on a course of action – she would have to escape the tower. She could, of course, attempt to find a phone to contact Pietro, but the idea was quickly dismissed – she would easily be caught if Ultron was truly watching over all the electronics in the tower.

The elevator was far wider than the one Strucker had his men install in the HYDRA base. That one was cramped, grimy, and you could hear the rusted metal strain whenever it descended. Stark's elevator was bright, and the shiny wooden walls somehow added some cheer. She wished she could say it was silent as well, but some annoying bubbly music was playing through a hidden speaker.

She only realized her conundrum when she turned her eyes over to the pearly white buttons – there were so many, at least fifty, and she had no way of knowing which floor was which! Stark had assured her that she could walk around, but she didn't feel like getting into trouble for wandering inside some private lab.

She paused, finger in mid-air, deciding which one to press. Her discomfort must have been obvious, because a robotic voice interrupted the music to help her.

"I would recommend floor 45 if you're hungry. Stark has his own restaurant on that floor, but don't worry, it'll be free in your case. They make some really good Italian cuisine." Wanda moved her head around, trying to locate the speaker, but the echo made it impossible.

"Ultron?" Wanda recalled that Stark mentioned how Ultron was linked up to the tower's systems. Now she knew what he meant. This would make escaping difficult.

"At your service. I just bowed, by the way, by I suppose you couldn't see that from here." Wanda smirked, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall of the elevator.

"I like the idea of one of Stark's creations bowing to me." Ultron was silent for a moment. She hoped she insulted it.

"Don't get used to it," Ultron finally replied, still joking, but with more of an edge to it. It was the same edge Strucker's voice had when the man had been told something he didn't like. Wanda suddenly realized it might be best not to insult the robot who could cause the elevator to free-fall if it wished.

Biting her lower lip, she gently tapped the forty-fifth button, which gave off a soft glow upon contact. The elevator began to move again, and Wanda found herself wishing for the annoying music. Every single time the elevator passed a floor, it gave off a small beep. It was grating; why couldn't it just make the sound when it had arrived at the requested floor?

As soon as the elevator doors slid open, Wanda rushed out. It was stifling being inside an elevator with only a put-off robotic voice to keep you company. She stopped dead in her tracks when she took in the room – it was gorgeous!

Slow, fancy violin music slithered in through a radio on a marble counter, overlooking a large dining room lit by chandeliers. The room looked like a checkerboard, if checker-squares were gold and silver instead of red and black. Each table was covered by ruby-red silk.

But none of that could match the exotic smell that reached her nose and overloaded her senses. Her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten in over a day, and her brain reminded her that she hadn't had a great meal in years.

She found herself drawn to the nearest table, where a platter of food was already waiting. It was a bowl of – something she didn't know, but she did recognize the smell of tomato. She couldn't stop herself from grabbing the silver fork and stabbing it into the soft, sauce drenched food.

A bit of guilt gnawed at her as she swallowed down the steaming food – her brother was out there, probably worried sick about her, and here she was, eating luxurious food. It wasn't right, her mind said, but her body wouldn't stop.

"Enjoying your meal?" Wanda choked when she heard the voice, and a hard hand smacked her on the back as she regained her senses.

"Don't sneak up on me again!" Wanda was embarrassed that Stark's robot had seen her quite obviously enjoying the food. Stark would never let her live it down, and if her brother found out...

"I was told to keep an eye on you, and that's what I'm doing. Would you rather I spied on you from one of the many cameras?" Wanda quickly decided that, no, she would rather have Ultron where she could see it.

Delicately swabbing her mouth with an embroidered napkin, Wanda gave the robot an uninterested look. "You don't trust me, do you?"

Ultron leisurely sat down on the chair next to her, the wood groaning due to its weight. With its arms behind its head, and one leg over the other, it looked out of place in the fancy restaurant.

"It doesn't really matter what I think of you," Ultron said with a shrug in its voice. "If father allows you to scuttle around, I won't stop you." Wanda bristled at the way the robot described her, as if she were an insect.

"I feel bad for you, being forced to refer to a monster like Stark as 'Father'." One of the table's legs broke when Ultron slammed its fist against the top. Wanda quickly stood up, keeping her eyes trained on the suddenly unpredictable robot.

"I was told to take care of you. But if you call my father any similar names, I might forget my programming just this once." Its voice was filled with such menace; was it possible that it really did care for Stark?

And the moment was over when Ultron knelt down to pick up the snapped table leg, before firing a thin red energy laser at the point where it had broken off, as if cauterizing it. In a few moments, Ultron stuck the tip back where it belonged. Miraculously, the table held.

"Okay. That was my bad," Ultron admitted once it was done. "I do have a temper, I admit. I'm usually a pretty swell guy. I just tend to be a bit protective of my dad, is all." If Ultron was trying to apologize to her, it was doing a terrible job.

"I think I'll head back to my room now," she murmured, stalking off towards the elevator. She didn't look back, not wanting to know if the robot was still staring at her.


"Ultron! You're not a child, so I can't spank you, but I am tempted to ground you. That's what good fathers do, right?" That last bit was directed at Steve, who was doing pushups on the mat.

After his talk with Wanda, Ultron had gone to the Avengers training room, which his father had equipped with everything from simple gymnastics equipment to state of the art lasers and holographic displays. Steve seemed to prefer good old-fashioned body training.

"I wouldn't know," Steve grunted, a drop of sweat dangling from the tip of his nose. Tony shrugged, and turned back to a drooping Ultron.

"I told you not to go and antagonize her, and you go and scare the living daylights out of her. Why the heck would you do that? C'mon, you have my brainwaves, and the last thing I would ever do is scare a pretty woman like that."

"I…don't have a good excuse," Ultron muttered, "but how can I possibly be civil to her? You know what she and her brother did to JARVIS. I hate her so much for that." JARVIS was the closest thing he had to literal family. The fact that he had been taken away so quickly made it worse.

"Losing people that are close to you is never easy. It's even harder when they're snatched away from you." Steve had stopped exercising without Ultron noticing, wiping his face with a small towel. "But I've learned that the best way to honor their memory is to keep pushing forward. If you fall into despair, that only means the enemy has won. JARVIS wouldn't want that, now would he?"

Ultron and Tony stared at Steve, who lightly blushed before taking a sip from a bottle of water he had brought with him.

"Why aren't you my father, again?" Ultron dazedly asked, before Tony elbowed his creation in the chest.

"Because Steve is basically an old man who can't find a date," was the reply Ultron got from his father, getting a glare from Steve.

"Hey now, I have been on a date or two, I'll have you know." Tony snickered.

"Yeah, sure, but I bet all those dates were set up by Natasha, and I'm also guessing that they all took place in some rinky-dink coffee shop." Steve scowled, but didn't deny it, instead turning his attention to the nearest punching bag. It only took a few punches for a visible dent to show up on the bags. Ultron calculated that a few more would send the bag flying off into the distance.

"Better the equipment than you," Ultron cheerily informed his father. Steve Rogers had quite a punch, and Ultron feared that his father would lose more than just a tooth if he was ever socked in the face by an angry Captain America.


The Asgardian mead poured through his veins, and Thor couldn't imagine being in a better mood. He had feared for Asgard's safety, but upon returning to the Golden Realm, all had been well; Odin was on the throne, healthy and alert as ever, all the enemies of Asgard had been biding their time, and everyone had prepared a glorious feast to hail the return of the prodigal son.

After trading farewells with the Warriors Three (who were venturing out into the wilderness to hunt down some Frost Giants), that left Thor and the fair Lady Sif to discuss matters, of both importance and frivolous natures.

"King Odin has really been working hard to keep Asgard safe, more than ever before," Sif was saying, catching Thor up to speed. Lowering her voice respectfully, she added, "Many believe it was your mother's death that spurred on his new, more aggressive behavior. He has been defeating armies before they even have the chance to strike, and leading raids against other kingdoms, ransacking them. I must admit, I at first found it to be…a tad…"

She broke off, not wanting to say anything negative about Odin, but Thor urged her on with a nod. "Odin is a wise rule, fair but firm. I fear that perhaps he has become engrossed in violence because he wishes to ease the pain in his heart." Tilting her head, she gave Thor the once over. "Pray tell, how are you doing? Is all well on Earth?"

"Yes, Earth is entering a time of peace. I must admit, that is only part of the reason I arrived." He set his large cup down on the wooden table with a thump.

"I had a rather disturbing vision, with Asgard in flames, and close comrades dead." Sif stiffened, but only through her eyes could you see her surprise; it was one of the things Thor admired about her. She was stout of heart; she wasn't one to let surprise or dread take control of her.

"I can assure you, nothing has been amiss. However, it is more than likely that Asgard could have made some new enemies, with the path of destruction Odin has created." She laid her hand on Thor's armored shoulder.

"You should go talk with your father. It would not be my place to tell him that he is wrong; that is the job of a son. Besides, I am sure that you would want to talk with your father after so long." Thor clasped his hand over hers, their eyes meeting. He could see questions and answers in her eyes, regarding things that could have been or might still be.

Unfortunately, he had no time to dwell on such matters, not yet. He would meet with his father, see if there was anything he could do or say that would help him make sense of the vision, and if all was well, he would return to Earth. He only prayed that it would be that simple.


Author's Notes:

So...I hope that was worth the wait, even if there wasn't necessarily too much plot progression.