Nothing Will Ever Bring Us Back Together
Chapter Fourteen- Arrivals
THE NEXT DAY AT STARK HOUSEHOLD
"Pepper, I need you to pick me up now. They are going through customs." Jane announced in to the phone.
"Of course. I'll be there in a sec." Pepper put on her coat, grabbed her keys and got in to the car. She could not believe that she was picking up Steve Rogers from the airport. The Avengers were getting back together. She picked up Jane and together they went to the airport. The duo stood in arrivals next to all of the taxi men. It was only a few minutes before the Rogers family walked over.
"Steve?" Pepper asked, he hadn't changed much but he did spend almost seventy years in the ice, not changing.
"Pepper... Is it really you?" Pepper laughed. She could not believe that it was him. Steve could not believe that it was her, either.
"Dad, who are these people?" Alice whispered.
"Oh right. This is Pepper and Jane. You remember Jane right? In Florida? Pepper this is Peggy and Alice."
"I remember. Hi Pepper, Jane where's Blaze?" Alice replied.
"Hi guys. At his auntie's house. Should we go?" Jane answered, not wanting to hang around any longer.
"Yep, sure." They all piled in to the car, no one talking much. Steve, Peggy and Alice were tired from their journey, Jane and Pepper didn't have much to talk about. Soon they had dropped Jane off.
When they got to Pepper's house, they all went inside and J.A.R.I.V.S. said, "Is there anything I can do for you, Mrs Stark? Good to see you Mr Rogers."
"No Thanks J." Pepper replied.
"Who was that?" Alice asked.
"J.A.R.V.I.S, the robot butler." Steve replied.
"How do you know? Did you used to live here?"
"No. I used to live with Tony, Pepper and a few others and J.A.R.V.I.S. was installed there."
"Come on guys." Pepper had come back, "The kids are at school, Bruce isn't coming until later, Thor not til tomorrow, and you guys have to convince Natasha and Clint to come. J, tell Tony to come down here."
"He says he is coming." J.A.R.V.I.S. replied in his usual monotone.
"What do you- Steve?" Tony walked in to the room.
"Tony... Hi."
"Hello my old friend. Pepper did say you were coming by the way. What's your name?"
"Alice." Alice squeaked.
"One of my friends who is coming tomorrow night has a little girl just a bit older than you." Tony told her.
"Who's that?" Steve asked.
"Barton and Romanoff. Her name's Katya. It's short for something Russian."
"Defiantly Natasha's kid then." That's when they hit off. Steve and Tony caught up, Alice, Peggy and Pepper getting to know each other. They had lunch and Pepper left to go and pick up Bruce and Betty. Once she dropped them off, she went to pick up the kids from school because she was in a good mood.
"MUM!" Joe shouted as he went to get in to the car, "Why did you come and pick us up?"
"Because I need to talk to you before we get home. Hi Ella and Lilly! I'm Pepper, Ella's mum."
"Hi!" Lilly replied.
They all got in the car and Joe said, "What do you have to say?"
"Lilly won't be the only guest this week, ok? Just be nice to everyone. There's only one kid, Alice, who is nine. Be nice to her Joe." Joe groaned.
When they got back to the Stark mansion, Bruce opened the door. "What are YOU doing here?" Lilly asked. It was supposed to be her special weekend away, with her friends, no parents. But no, her father had to come and ruin it.
"Sorry, Lils, we both had to come." Her mother as well?
"Are you SERIOUS?!" She was angry. They were going to spoil this. She envied Lewis, with no one to watch over him.
"Come on Lilly," Ella said, "Let's go to my room." Ella led the way and they both disappeared. Pepper took Joe and Bruce to the main room where Betty, Peggy, Steve, Tony and Alice were.
"Joe, Alice. Alice this is Joe, my son." Pepper walked back to where Betty and Peggy were talking, leaving Alice and Joe awkwardly with each other.
"So err... Hi..." Joe began.
"Hi... Let's just get this out of the way. How does my dad know your dad and that other girl's dad?" Alice asked.
"I would tell you... If I knew the answer. Why are you here? You're from Britain right?" Joe replied.
"Yeah, yesterday dad just says we're going to LA for a week or two. I asked why and he just said to see some friends. Strange huh?" Alice said.
"Yeah... Strange... Why don't we go closer and try to listen in?" Joe inquired.
"Sure." They shuffled closer to their fathers and heard,
"-Others coming? Clint, Natasha, Thor?" That was Bruce.
"Thor, tomorrow night. Natasha and Clint err... I know where they are-" Tony replied.
"You haven't sorted it have you, Tony?" Bruce asked.
"You try! I went to her house the other day and all I got was a punch from Natasha. She may not be out in the field but she still has all of her old skills." He tried to stand up for himself.
"Come up to my room," Whispered Joe. Once they were there he asked, "Do you know anyone called Thor?"
"No. Actually I do. I saw his wife today. She said to your mum that they were coming round tomorrow. It fits! Do you know anyone called Clint or Natasha?"
"It sounded as if they were connected. Clint and Natasha. Natasha and Clint." He thought for what seemed like ages but was only a minute. "Natasha and... I got it! Katya's mum and dad are called Natasha and Clint! We need to go see Ella and find out exactly what happened yesterday."
"Your call." Alice dragged herself off the bed and in to Ella's room, with Joe.
"Why are they even here?!" Joe guessed that was Lilly, he could also hear her pacing.
He opened the door and Ella said, "What do you want?" Like he was a lower being than her.
"I would like, your highness, for you to tell me about what happened at Katya's yesterday." Joe asked.
"Why should I help you?" Ella replied.
"I might be able to tell you why Lilly's parents are here, why everyone else is here, why dad hates Katya's mum, why Katya's mum hates you."
"Natasha punched dad who couldn't fight back until Clint told her to leave him alone."
"Well that didn't explain much. But it means that it must be them." He paused for a moment. "Can I borrow your laptop for a second, El?"
"Sure." She handed it over to him and Joe decided to load it up in Ella's room so he could tell them all at the same time.
"Do you know Natasha's maiden name?" Joe asked, while it was still loading up. Before Ella could say that she didn't, Pepper called them downstairs and they had stayed downstairs until they all fell asleep, Alice first.