A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but there's a reason. One I'm not to proud of and one I will not divulge. Just know that it included binging on Netflix which is very dangerous to do, trust me. But here you are.
Read it. Enjoy it. Review it.
It was almost like a form of art the way Natasha tortured Kane. It was as if she'd studied it, but in reality it was deeper than that. She'd been exposed to torture for a long time, even long before joining up with SHIELD, so maybe that made her somewhat of an expert. The fact the Kane hadn't done anything but chuckle since he was brought to their secluded location didn't really show that.
Natasha stood above the man's bloody and bruised body, her breaths jagged. She let out an annoyed groan before turning to look over to Mason and Clint who stood on the other side of the room.
"Tough nut to crack, huh?" Mason asked watching as Natasha walked over to a nearby table and grab a damp cloth. She began cleaning the blood off of her hands.
"He's strong." Natasha replied. "We're going to need more if we're going to break him." she turned looking over to Mason who simply nodded.
"On it." and with that the man turned and walked out.
"Are you serious?" Clint asked looking over to Natasha. "You can break him."
"Yeah, I could but he's being an annoying little bitch and I don't know how much restraint I can practice." Natasha said tossing down the towel and walking over to Clint. "We will get answers, it's just gonna have to take some time." Clint scoffed and walked around her to the man and crouched down beside him.
"Who hired you?" Clint asked and the man once again chuckled, even showing his bloody teeth.
"I'm sorry mate, did I hurt your poor little kitty?" Kane asked and Clint thew a punch right into the man's face before standing to his feet and walking toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Natasha asked and Clint stopped and looked over to her. "We're not done."
"Yeah, but I am. I've been gone for hours, I have no fucking signal here and I need to make sure Kat is alright" Clint said before turning toward the door again.
"You can't do both!" Natasha called and he turned back to her. "You can't be the normal guy who runs off to check on his pregnant wife and be the trained killer who kidnaps criminals and helps torture them. Stop pretending you're not who you are."
"And who am I Nat?" Clint asked angrily stalking over to stand right in front of the woman. He was standing so close she could see the anger in every line of his face.
"You know who you are, so stop fighting it" Was all Natasha said. Clint let out a low growl before turning and stalking out of there. He looked down to his phone, still seeing that he had no signal and hoped everything was alright at the tower.
Tony stood at the end of Katie's bed, his arms folded over his chest. He raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.
"She wake up yet?" a voice said from behind him. Tony turned to see Steve walking into the room. "Whoa, what happened to you?" Steve looked over the man to see his hair ruffled and his clothes crumpled.
"She freaked out on the way up here" Tony said with a shake of his head at the memory of her yelling at him on the elevator up to the MU. "And then when we did get up here, she punched one nurse, told off the new doc I hired with words that made me cringe, and then they finally sedated her."
"Is she and the baby alright?" Steve asked walking around to stand beside the bed.
"Yeah, they're fine. We weren't in that room long enough for there to be any severe interaction." Tony said sliding his fingers through the back of his hair and letting out sigh. Steve looked over and noticed an expression he didn't see often with the man. He was upset, but there was something else.
"What's up?" Steve asked and Tony lifted his head over to him.
"She was scared. I've never seen one person so afraid of anything like I saw her today." Tony let out another deep breath. "And I tried to calm her down, tell her that everything was ok, but she wasn't hearing it."
"She was worried about the baby" Steve stated turning back to the woman. "It's her first kid. In that moment fear was a normal reaction. Did you get in contact with Barton?" Tony scoffed at the mention of the archer's name and Steve glanced over to him.
"I called, and then I called again and again and again" Tony said with a shake of his head. "And after all those times, against my better judgment I called again and nothing. Let me ask you Cap, if you had a wife, a pregnant wife at that, would you not answer your phone."
"We can't jump to any conclusions." Steve said with a slight shrug. "We don't know why he didn't answer and until we do, let's not throw him under the bus."
"I was thinking more like throwing him under the other guy." Tony muttered before walking over and taking the seat beside Katie's bed.
"How is Bruce doing?" Steve asked and Tony let out a snort.
"He says he's fine, but I doubt he is." Tony said with a shake of his head. "This device he's trying to build is messing up his Chi or something because he wasn't in control of that transformation."
"Well is it safe for him to be here, for any of us to be here?" Steve asked.
"I built a hulk proof room down in the lab, that's where he is now." Tony replied and looked up to see the uncertainty in the captain's eyes. "At the moment, it's all we have."
A soft murmur escaped Katie's lips and both men turned just as she stirred in her sleep.
"I think she's having a nightmare" Steve said.
"Yeah" Tony said standing to his feet. "Kitten, can you hear me?" he shook her slightly but she didn't open her eyes. "Katie-"
Something was broken. She heard something snap the moment she hit the wooden floor of the basement. Her hands reached for her shoulder as she shrieked in pain. There was no time to dwell in pain, because the moment she lifts her head she sees her father stalking toward her, a wooden baton gripped in his hand.
"Dad, what are you-" she rolled away quickly as he swung the stick to hit her. "What are you doing?" she sat gripping her shoulder, trying to catch her breath as she look into the darkened eyes of her father. "I think my shoulder is broken." he lifted the stick again and Katie jumped to her feet.
"You think that will stop anyone!" he snapped before reaching over and grabbing her broken shoulder causing her to whimper. "A broken shoulder doesn't end the fight, death does. There are no time outs, or do overs. You get hurt, you keep going." he released her shoulder and pointed to her discarded baton. "Pick it up!"
"No" Katie growled and he turned a dangerous glare to her.
"Excuse me"
"I said no!" she snapped taking a step forward. "We are not fighting a war right now. You are my father and instead tending to your injured daughter you're training me for whatever craziness you think is going to happen." she shook her head before turning and heading for the stairs.
"Wait!" Martin yelled and even though she was angry, her feet stopped moving. He walked over, placing himself in front of her and for just a few moments he just stared at her.
"I'm just a kid" Katie said looking up to her father.
"I know" he replied before walking over to a work bench and picking up a pencil. He looked at it before turning and handing it to his young daughter. "Bite down on this" Katie took the pencil skeptically, before looking back to her father. "Trust me, you're going to want to bite down on that darling." he took a step toward her and grabbed her shoulder. Katie looked down to his hands, finally realizing what he was going to do, so she quickly brought the pencil between her teeth. "Alright, on three." she nodded as he extended her arm. "One-" he didn't go to three like he said he would and popped her shoulder back in place causing her to let out cry of pain. He looked down to her eyes as the tears began falling. "It's alright" he brought his arms around her. "I'm right here."
Katie's eyes snapped open wide, and she found herself breathing heavily. It was only the hand on her shoulder that calmed her. She looked up to see Tony and Steve staring down at her, the concern written over their faces. A sudden thought hit her and her hand instantly went to rest on her stomach.
"My baby-"
"Is fine. Both of you are" Tony assure and Katie let out a sigh of relief. "The nurse you decked is also fine." Katie playfully glared over to him before looking over to Steve and then to the door.
"Where's-" she turned to Tony who simply turned away. "Did you call him?"
"He didn't answer and I tried a couple of times-"
"Something's wrong." Katie said flicking the blankets from over her. "He answers. He has a wife and an unborn child and he's ridiculously overprotective. If he didn't answer then something is wrong."
"Hey, we don't know that" Tony said trying to stop her from leaving the bed. "Right now you need to stay in bed."
"Mr. Stark is right" a new voice said and they all turned to see a man standing walking into the room.
"Who are you?" Katie asked her voice not hiding her annoyance with the man.
"Kitten, this is Dr. Franklin Allen. I just hired him to work here in the MU" Tony introduced. He noticed the suspicion in Katie's eyes. "Don't worry, he's been vetted, by me, Pepper and JARVIS before he was compromised."
"How are you feeling Mrs. Barton?" Dr. Allen asked and Katie lifted her eyes to his, her mind drifting back to her husband.
"I'm fine, can I go?"
"I understand the discomfort of hospital rooms." the an said slightly chuckling. "Look all the tests looked good. I don't see any damage or abnormalities with you or your baby." the doctor said as a nurse pushed in a machine. "But I thought you might want a little piece of mind. Would you lay back for me." Katie laid back on the bed as the nurse walked and helped Katie open her gown to expose her three month pregnant belly. Tony hadn't been really paying attention before, actually he'd been avoiding looking in that area of her body, but her gown came up, leaving nothing but her exposed belly, there was no hiding from it even more. There it was.
"We should go" Steve suggested feeling a bit out of place in the room. He looked over to Tony who seemed to be staring as the nurse squeezed a blue gel on her stomach. "Tony-" Tony turned to him and waved him off. "We should go."
"Fine, then go" Tony said walking around to the other side of the bed to get a good look at the screen. "I actually want to see this."
"Tony-"
"It's fine." Katie said looking over to Steve. "You guys can stay." Steve looked unsure for a moment before moving to stand beside Tony.
"Alright, let's see how your baby is doing" Dr. Allen said taking a seat on the stool beside Katie's bed before grabbing the wand and placing it on her belly. All their eyes went to the screen where the the grainy footage appeared.
"Remind me to upgrade all the equipment used in here" Tony muttered and Katie smacked his arm. "I could probably find a better machine at Radioshack."
"I'm only interested in one thing and there-" Dr. Allen smiled the slight silhouette that showed on the screen. "Is your baby."
"Wow" Steve said looking at the image of a tiny baby on the screen. "Technology really has gone above and beyond." Tony tilted his head slightly as he looked to the screen.
"It has a big head, must get that from bird brain" Tony muttered before looking over to Katie who he thought was going to hit him or slap him but she didn't. Actually she didn't say a word as she brought her hands to her lips. She was speechless as she looked at the image on the screen. She'd known that there was a baby, hell she was reminded of the fact practically every day when she would rush to the bathroom. Now though, she could see little him or her. They were real. A smile came to her lips and she couldn't explain the feeling that arose in her chest. She looked over her shoulder to see her friends, but it's who she didn't see that made the smile fall.
"What's wrong?" Tony asked noticing the instant change of emotions in face. She shook her head before turning back to the doctor.
"Can I go back to my apartment?" Katie asked and Franklin looked at her for a moment before looking to Tony.
"I don't see why not" he replied turning back to Katie. He flicked off the machine and gently rubbed off the gel. "Like I said everything looks fine, but I would sleep better tonight if you spent the night here just in case."
"No, uh JARVIS is up an running and he can monitor me while I'm in my apartment" Katie said and the doctor simply nodded.
"Alright" the doctor said standing to his feet before nodding over to Steve and Tony before turning and leaving the room.
"I'm not sure about this" Tony said and Katie turned to him. "I just think-"
"Tony stop." Katie said placing a hand on his arm. "I just really want to be alone so I can try to find my husband." Tony stared for a moment before nodding.
Soon Katie stood in the middle of her apartment, correction her empty apartment. It took a while for her to kick Tony and Steve out, but after some minor arguing and promises that JARVIS would be watching, she was finally able to get rid of them.
At the moment, she looked down to her cell phone. She was hesitant to dial his number. It was fear. She was afraid of the two possibilities. Either something was wrong, or he really just wasn't answering his phone. In the end she didn't have to push a button, because soon he was walking through the door holding two large brown paper bags.
"I brought take out" Clint said smiling over to her before placing a kiss on her cheek and heading to the kitchen. "I didn't know what you were in the mood for so I got a little bit of everything, but I figure with your knew found appetite that means we won't have much left" Katie walked toward the kitchen and stopped and watched as he took the food from the bags. "I went to that bakery too and bought those little-" he looked over his shoulder to her and knew instantly something was wrong. "Kat?" he walked over and reached for her only for her to back away. "Kat, what's wrong?"
"Tony called you" Katie said meeting his eyes.
"Yeah, there wasn't any signal." Clint said reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. "He didn't leave a message, so I figured everything was alright." Katie scoffed before turning her back and walking back into the living room. "Kat, will you talk to me, what's wrong?"
"When I was working with Tony down in the lab I found out that Bruce was testing the device we were working on." Katie turned to face him to see him awaiting for her to continue. "He hulked out and-"
"Wait, what?" Clint moved to close the distance between them. He reached out to her and she once again pulled away. "Kat-"
"I was in a room filled with gamma radiation and I freaked, I-" she shook her head before unconsciously sliding a hand across her abdomen. "I was scared to death and you-" she met his eyes, this time he was met her watery gaze. "You didn't answer your phone."
"Kat, I'm sorry. I had no idea-"
"Right, because you didn't have a signal" Katie replied her temper rising. "Where were you again?" Clint cleared his throat and turned away slightly before turning back to her.
"I told you-"
"And it was a lie then, but I promise you that if you lie to me now I will literally beat you within an inch of your life" she growled taking a step closer to him. "You were not going to be debriefed because you didn't need to be debriefed. Coulson had eyes on us, so he already knows where we've been and who we've seen. Try again."
"Kat, look I'm sorry, you have to know that if I knew what was happening, I would've been here sooner. But you're alright" he said and Katie shook her head. He was doing what he always did when he didn't want to answer a question she asked. "You are alright, aren't you? Wait-" he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Is the baby alright?"
"As if you care" Katie muttered with a shake of her head before stalking past him, now fully prepared to just lock herself in her bedroom. The moment she was within arms reach he once again tried to reach out to her, but she pulled away from him. He hated when she did that. When he could touch he could just make her feel how much he loved her, just from that touch. Now she was so upset with him that she didn't even want close to her.
"Is that really what you think?" he asked and Katie simply shrugged before folding her arms over her chest. "Everything I do I do for you and that baby." she turned away about to go to their bedroom, when his hand caught her off guard, wrapping around her waist and pulling her flush against his chest.. "I love nothing as much as I love you. I fight for nothing as hard as I fight for you and that baby." He didn't have to say it. She knew the words were true. His eyes held a conviction when he said them, leaving no room for her to doubt them.
"Tell me where you were?" Katie asked again. It was the question she'd been asking and had yet to get an answer.
"Kat-" he closed his eyes and sighed. He knew the moment he told her it would be like proving her right. He promised that they wouldn't lose themselves coming back here, but he'd broken that promise the moment he accepted Natasha's invitation. He easily jumped back into the role of the agent and had to admit that it felt good. It felt natural. As he looked down into his wife's eyes, he knew he couldn't tell her that. "I-" there was a knock at the door and he didn't know if he was grateful or annoyed by the interruption. "I'll get it." Clint removed his hands from her waist and walked over to the door. The moment he opened it, Matthew stormed in without an invitation
"Rinny, I just heard what happened, are you alright?" Matthew asked going straight for his sister. The moment he came face to face with her, he saw her puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks. "Rinny, is it the baby?"
"No" Katie said placing a hand on his arm to calm him down. "We're fine." he looked at her for a moment. He knew her very well and knew from the look in her eyes that she definitely was not fine.
"Matt, maybe you should come back some other time" Clint said and Matthew turned to him. There was something going on with him too. He turned back to his sister who tried drying her eyes with the back of her hands.
"Rinny, what's going on?"
"Matt-"
"I'm talking to my sister!" Matthew snapped looking over to the archer. "Not you." he turned back to Katie who looked like she was going to break down any second. "Rinny, tell me what's going on."
"It's nothing" she said with a shake of her head. "I really just want to be alone right now." he stared at her for a moment before simply nodding and heading for the door. He stopped at her next words. "I think you should go too." He knew that bastard had done something to upset her.
"Kat-" Clint said taking a step toward her and something inside of Matt snapped and he walked over to stand in front of the man, blocking his path. "Matt, move out of my way." his voice was laced with idle threats he was ready to back up if the man if front of him didn't move out of his way of getting to his wife.
"She told you to leave." Matthew said his voice uncharacteristically serious. Clint tried to look over to Katie who simply turned and stalked into the bedroom, slamming the door closed behind her. "What the hell did you do to my sister?"
"For once in your life Matt, how about you mind your own business and stay out of ours" Clint said trying to sidestep the man. He needed to get to Katie. He needed to tell her that he wasn't leaving because he knew that's what she was afraid of. People always left her and he needed her to know that he wasn't going to be one of those people. Clint took a step forward and to his surprise, Matthew pushed him back hard. In that moment, something snapped in the archer's head. He as about to attack, when the British voice of the AI interrupted.
"Sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Stark is requesting your presence in the upper level conference room"
"Why?" Clint asks.
"He says he wishes to speak with everyone except for Mrs. Barton who he knows is suppose to be resting." JARVIS answered. "I will be monitoring her condition and will inform you if there are any issues." Clint and Matthew bring their eyes back to each other, the glares set firmly in place. Clint took another step to get to the bedroom, but Matthew moved to block him.
"Matt, look I get you don't like me, but-"
"This has nothing to do with you. This is about my sister who is pregnant. So yes, if you're upsetting her, then I'm not letting you no where near her. Let her calm down and if she wants to see you then that's when you do, but not before."
"I"m sorry, Mr. Stark, says the matter is urgent." JARVIS interrupted again. Matthew and Clint stood there for a moment before the pair both turned and head out the door.
Katie laid on their bed, sobbing into her pillow. This was something she didn't do. She didn't cry over things like this. She tried to save her tears for when it really counted, for deaths, not hurt feelings. She knew that being pregnant warped your insides, she just didn't know it would turn her into a big baby. The tears fell for a while, until they just stopped. She laid on her side, just staring at the bare wall in front of her. Her head was filled with the events of the day and she needed something else. A distraction.
"JARVIS-" her voice was slightly hoarse, so she cleared her throat and tried again. "JARVIS, pull up the encrypted files from Flash 0012" soon a holographic screen appeared on the bare wall and Katie sat up slightly from the bed.
"Katie, I think it would be best if you got some rest. Your blood pressure is higher than normal and giving these reasons I should inform Dr. Allen." JARVIS said.
"Probably, but I just had a fight with my husband, so that probably explains that, but I'm fine. Do not inform anyone." Katie replied. Part of imputing her own codes into JARVIS' files made giving him orders that much easier. "Open file marked Initial Interview C. L."
Soon a grainy film footage appeared on the wall. The SHIELD emblem appeared on the screen, and then flicked off quickly and appeared a woman. Katie sat up from the bed fully, sliding to the floor, but never taking her eyes from the screen. It was the woman in her dreams, the woman she only remembers from her dreams. She was young, just like her father. Her hair was dark and curly, pulled from her face in a pony tail.
"Please state your name for the record." the familiar female voice spoke from somewhere outside the frame of the video. It was the same interviewer who spoke with her father.
"Which one?" she answered, her German accent thick. Katie eye brows furrowed in confusion. In her dreams there wasn't an accent.
"I want your name" the interviewer said, stressing the last word as if trying to imply something. "You came here for a new life, we're here to give it to you. We just need to know if you can handle it. If when asked the simple question of what's your name, you answer quickly without hesitation or snarky remarks."
"I'm sorry, I just didn't realize this new life came with the contingency that I must erase everything I am" the woman replied glancing down to her fingers. "I came here for sanctuary, not to be acculturated."
"No you came here for freedom" the interviewer replied and the woman rose her head. "Freedom has a price and if you want it then you will pay that price. Now please, to the camera, state your name." the woman lets out a deep breath before looking to the camera and it was as if she were looking right to Katie.
"My name is Cynthia Olivia Lawrence" the woman said her accented voice now gone and replaced with an American one.
"Now tell me, why are you here?" the interviewer asked and Cynthia turned to her with a slight frown. "Recount the events that lead you here."
"It's simple, I thought I was doing something good. I thought I was making a difference and it turned out I was apart of something horrible." Cynthia replied dropping her head once again. "I thought-" she swallowed hard before lifting her head back to the camera. "I was foolish and I found out just in time."
"Care to elaborate?" the interviewer asked and Cynthia gave a slight chuckle.
"It's so backwards here. One person says say one thing while the other tells me to say another" she mutters with a shake of her head. "You Americans are a very frustratingly annoying people." she looks over to interviewer. "I do not know if you hold the clearance for that information and so no I do not care to elaborate." the interviewer was quiet for a moment before once again speaking.
"I've just been informed that you are right" the interviewer replied her voice portraying a slight annoyance. "How about you tell me about how it is you came to be here?" Cynthia turned away, a ghost of a smile gracing her lips.
"Martin" she said the smile making it's way to her voice. She suddenly seems to remember where she was and the smile is suddenly gone and she's sitting up straight in her seat. "I mean Agent Chambers found me and he offered me a way out."
"And you took it?" the interviewer asked. "Do you understand what we are asking of you Ms. Lawrence? Once you go to the other side of the curtain, there is no going back, no calling friends or family. The life you had before dies and this one must live. Can you do that?"
"Can I walk away from everything?" Cynthia asked looking over to the interviewer. "Could you?"
"Ms. Lawrence-"
"Yes. At the moment I have no other choice, do I?" she said. "I can never go back, because if I do I figure terrible things will happen. Terrible things I wouldn't be able to live with." she shook her head. "I just wish I could've said goodbye to-" she stopped talking and looked back down to her hands.
"Friend?" the interviewer asked and the woman lifted her head and there was that soft smile again.
"More like brother or that's what I like to think of him." Cynthia said with a slight shrug. "He worked on the base, I never knew under what circumstances. He never told me. He'd just tell me that it was a secret."
"What was his name?" the interviewer asked and Cynthia turned away slightly frowning.
"You know for a second I thought you were human, but you really are the heartless bitch people call you" Cynthia snapped glaring over to the woman.
"That may be true, but I'm still going to need that name" the interviewer replied her voice annoyingly flat.
"Erik Lehnsherr" said Cynthia before standing to her feet. "I wish to leave now."
"We're not done-"
"I think we are." Cynthia replied before storming out of the room. The footage just showed her empty chair for a few moment before the screen flicked off.
Katie sat there for a few moments, playing back the video in her head. It was strange seeing her mother. She'd gotten used to thinking of the woman as simply a ghost. A woman who she made up stories about. It was another to see her in real life.
Katie shook her head before standing to her feet and sliding back into the bed. Right now there was a lot on her mind and she didn't know were to start. She was tucked under the covers, her eyes closed trying to force herself to just go to sleep and hope the next day was better. She was almost there, almost in the land of dreams when her eyes snap open and she shoots up from the bed.
"Erik Lehnsher" she whispers with a furrowed brow. "Where have I heard that name?
Matthew and Clint rode the elevator in utter silence. The only sound came from the distinct sound of Black Sabbath playing softly around them from the elevator.
"Is that-" Clint lifted his head as he listened to the lyrics. "Please tell me he doesn't have Iron Man by Black Sabbath playing" he looked over to Matthew who just shook his head.
"Have you not met the narcissist that is Tony Stark?" Matthew asked glancing over to Clint with a slight chuckle. Clint let out a laugh as well, but both stopped when they realized what was happening. Clint assumed they would just drop it, but he forgot who he was on the elevator with. "Were we just bonding?" asked Matthew and Clint looked over to see the man's face scrunched in confusion.
"I told you I'm a pretty likable guy" said Clint as the elevator slid open. They both stepped off, Clint mostly following Matthew because he honestly had no idea where he was going. When they entered they found Tony, Steve and Thor standing around, but they turned when they entered.
"Finally, I thought I was going to have to send out a search party" Tony bit as he watched the two men enter the room.
"Cut the crap Stark, what is this about?" It was Clint who spoke, and he just had to make it obvious how much he didn't want to be here.
"This is about Bruce and the fact that he's not controlling the other guy as good as he used to." Tony said and everyone in the room silently thought of all those implications. They were stuck in a building with a person who couldn't control his giant rage monster.
"Where is he now?" Matthew asked taking a step forward. He wasn't even sure why he was invited to this little meeting since it seemed he was the only one here who wasn't an Avenger.
"Down in the safe room in the lab?"
"Well how safe is your safe room?" Clint asked . "Should I be getting my wife out of here or what?"
"That room was built to withstand a giant green monster so yes it is safe." Tony informed him, pride shining through every word.
"Where is the issue?" Thor asked. He'd been informed of what had happened when he arrived, but he was still unsure of why he was here if the situation was basically handled.
"The issue is my friend-our friend can't spend the rest of his life in a room" Tony sighed slipping his fingers through his hair. "Which is why I called you guys here. I'm thinking about making a call, one I'm not really sure about" he looked up to their faces . "Dr. Betty Ross?"
"Are you serious?" Matthew asked.
"Ok, I'm a little lost. Who is Betty Ross?" Steve asked and Tony shifted his gaze to the Captain.
"Old girlfriend of Bruce's, but she does have an extensive background in all things gamma. If there is some sort of imbalance going on with him, she's the only person I know who might be able to help"
"Then what is the hesitation, if this maiden can help then I say we call on her right away to help our comrade" Thor spoke, his voice always seemed to be booming and commanding.
"The problem isn't her, it's her father" Clint spoke not even want to think of General Ross buzzing around.
"I can deal with Ross, I'm not sure I will be able to deal with Bruce once I call his ex" Tony said with a shake of his head.
"It doesn't matter" Steve concluded after hearing everything. "Right now Bruce needs help and if this Dr. Ross can give it to him, then there isn't a question of what to do. Whatever feelings Bruce has or doesn't have won't matter. We have enough crap to deal with and the other guy isn't going to be one of them. Make the call Tony." Tony simply nodded before Steve turned and headed out of the room.
"He's really letting that Captain thing get to his head" Tony muttered before turning to the others. "But he's right, I got to call Betty and hope Bruce understands why."
"I'm sure he will" Thor said before turning to look out the window. "If you will excuse me friend, I must return to Asgard."
"Hey, wait" Clint said walking over to the man. "I've been meaning to as you about this whole seer thing. Have you heard anymore about it?"
"I'm sorry my friend. We have the seer kept in the castle, but she is refusing to speak. It's strange how she just sits in her cell not uttering a word" Thor's gaze turned away from Clint, but the concern wasn't lost in his expression. "We're still not sure what to make of her or her visions."
"Is it possible that this is some kind of trick, I mean Katie was right before. The woman didn't mention her by name or anything, so this really could be some kind of hoax" mused Clint who tried not to think of the information shared by Thor the last time they were here.
"It is possible, but I really must make sure." Thor said turning back to the window.
"Wait!" Tony called after him and they all turned to the man. "Doors, Thor. Use the door. Pepper will kill me if I tell her we need another window repaired." Thor smiled slightly before picking up his hammer and heading for the door.
"Well then I guess I should-"
"Hold it there Chachi" Tony said stopping Matthew before he could escape. "I know we're friends and all, but I think your little vacation may have warped your memory or something. You still are my PA. You don't get paid to just laze around and do what you want."
"I was just living by example" Matthew replied with a bright smile to which Tony simply glared. "Fine, what do you need boss?"
"Find out where Betty is, make sure she's not doing anything special and give her a call" Tony said and Matthew rose an eyebrow in confusion. "Yes, I want you to call her. Apparently I'm not as charming as I believe or so Pepper tells me."
"Understatement" Matthew muttered, but the look on Tony's face let him know that he should probably shut up.
"You know if you're not careful, I might actually fire you" Tony shot with a pointed look that only made Matthew laugh.
"That's cute" Matthew said with a shake of his head that made Tony think Pepper had really taught him way to much. "But fine, I'll call, but I don't think I'm much better in the charming department. I mean I'm better with the ladies face to face. Once they look at me, they don't even care about what comes out of my mouth." And that made Tony's lips curl into a smile. He was rubbing off on the man as well. "That's a good idea, I'll video chat her" Matthew mused as he turned and started toward the door.
"Sir, there is a guest down at the front desk who is requesting to meet with you." JARVIS said and Matthew stopped at the door.
"Do they have an appointment?" Tony asked slightly annoyed. It was later and the last thing he wanted was to be stuck in some meeting.
"No sir, but-"
"No buts JARVIS" Tony replied. "No appointment, no meeting."
"I understand, but Agent David Jackson is pretty insistent about meeting with you" JARVIS said and Matthew's jaw clenched. He cleared his throat before turning back to Tony.
"I'll handle it." Matthew said with a nod. "I'll just tell him to come back later"
"Or not at all. Not at all works better for me" Tony replied and Matthew nodded before stalking out of the room. Tony turned to see Clint still standing there with his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets. "She's pissed at you, isn't she?" Clint rolled his eyes before stalking toward the door. "Wait, stop!" Against his better judgment, Clint stopped and turned back to the man. "You fucked up, you know that right?"
"I am fully aware of that, but thanks for telling me!" Clint snapped turning back to leave once again.
"It wasn't even the lie though" Tony said and Clint once again stopped. "She's probably used to you lying, I would assume."
"Stark-"
"You missed it, man" Tony said walking over to the man with a shake of his head. "You. Missed. It." Clint looked slight confused and Tony let out a dry laugh. "It was a moment. It was supposed to be your moment with her, but you missed it and that's why she's angry. Hell that's why I'm angry. You have a lot of jobs when it comes to her, but your most important one was to just be there and you weren't" Clint shook his head, turning away from the man. "I know I'm the last person you want to hear this from, and I'm the last person who wants to say it because a part of me was happy you screwed up." Clint turned back to him with a darkened glare. "I knew you would. At some point you would show her your spots and you did and I always imagined how happy I would be in that moment. But as it was happening and I saw that look in her eyes-" Tony shook his head and met the man's gaze. "One simple job you idiot and you couldn't do it. So you pissed her off and you missed it."
"Missed what?" Clint asked annoyed at how cryptic he was being.
"JARVIS, play the file I downloaded from the MU" Tony ordered and soon a holographic screen appeared in front of them and both men turned. Tony had JARVIS clean up the grainy image of the baby's footage, making it clearer than before. The baby's features seemed much more defined. Clint seemed to gravitate toward the image, everything in the room seeming to disappear in that moment. He couldn't even form coherent thoughts as he look at his baby. His baby. No, they're baby. He saw the subtle movement the baby made with it's arms and legs and a smile couldn't help but form. That image on the wall-he could stare at it all day without interruption and be a very happy man. In a lapse of judgment, he looked over to Tony and the smile instantly fell. Tony wasn't the one he was looking for, he wasn't the one he wanted this moment with and then it became so clear. Tony was right.
"I missed it." Clint spoke turning back to the image on the screen. This was the first time either one of them would have seen the baby this clearly and he wasn't there with her. He wasn't there to squeeze her hand or to kiss her feverishly as they marveled at what they made.
"There's sound too" Tony said. "But you may want to sit, because I don't think you'll be able to handle it." and with that Tony turned and walked out of the room.
Clint looked up to the screen, his hands wanting so badly to just reach out and touch it, but he knows it just a video.
"JARVIS, could you-" he hesitates for a moment unsure if he should take Tony's advice and find that chair. He shook away the thought before looking back up to the screen. "Play the sound." Soon the room was filled with the soft, but fast thumping of the baby's heart beat and Clint felt the lump in his throat. He doesn't know when it happened, but he'd fallen on his butt, staring up to the image and listening to the sound of their baby's heart beating.
"Are you alright, Mr. Barton?" JARVIS asked .
"I'm-" words were failing him at the moment. There weren't any words coming to mind that could truly express what he was feeling. "I'm-" he was truly speechless. His phone vibrated in his pocket and Clint snaked it out never turning away from the screen. For just a second he looked down to see who it was. It was a text, from Katie. He quickly opened it and read words that just soured his whole mood. "Fuck." he jumped to his feet and nearly ran out of the room.
Matthew spotted the man as soon as he stepped off of the elevator. He stalked over to see Jackson talking to the receptionist behind the desk, flashing his badge.
"Do you see this, this says I don't have to wait until-" he stopped when he spotted Matthew coming toward him. "Finally. Are you here to take me up?"
"No, I'm here to show you to the door" Matthew replied grabbing the man's arm and nearly pushing him to the door. Jack pulled from his grasps and turned and dangerous glare to the young man.
"I know you've been gone for a while, but I thought you were smarter than that!" Jackson snapped closing the distance between the two. "I may be old, but I can still break you in half boy."
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Matthew asked angrily. "We had a deal. I collect the info and you keep your distance."
"Well our deals sort of went to shit when someone waltzed into my agency and stole my promotion." Jack replied and Matthew turned away. It was a tell. One Jack recognized instantly. "You know something."
"I don't know what you're talking about, just leave" Matthew said about to turned for the elevators when the man caught his shoulder, stopping him. He felt the pressure Jack was putting on his shoulder and was forced to turn back to him.
"Did you have something to do with Kane's disappearance?" Jack asked his voice dangerously low.
"I said I didn't know what you were talking about" Matthew said jerking from the man's grasp. "But you being here doesn't help anything. You want my help, then you got to play by my rules and that means you do not get to be in a room with my sister."
"You're really afraid, huh?" Jack asked. "You really don't want her to find out who you really are?" Jack chuckled to himself with a shake of his head. "I'm sorry to say this, but a lie is only as good as the acting ability of it's speaker and you my friend are a terrible actor."
"I've made it this far, so I think I'm doing alright" Matthew muttered. Jack opened his mouth to speak when his phone rang. He reached inside his jacket, pulling it out and looking down to the number before bringing it to his ear.
"Tell me you got something, Calder" Jack said and Matthew watched curiously as a smile came to the man's lips. "Good job, get Interpol working on cranking up the satellite facial recognition programs, I want her found ASAP." he ended the call and looked back to Matthew. "Natalia Romanoff, doesn't ring any bells, does it?" Matthew simply stared at the man and Jack just shook his head. "Actually don't answer that, tell your friend I'm coming for her and when I find her she better pray Kane is with her." and with that the man turned and sauntered off leaving Matthew with an uneasy feeling in his gut.
Tony walked into his penthouse, letting out a long tired sigh. He looked around for any indication that Pepper was there, but he knew she was working hard with this whole PR nightmare. He shook his head because he knew he probably was going to have to do that press conference. He'd been dreaming of a glass of Scotch for the past couple of hours and glad that it was now within walking distance.
"Any messages, JARVIS?" Tony asked as he poured himself a glass.
"A few sir, but there was one marked urgent that I think you should see" JARVIS replied and Tony lifted his head with curiosity as he turned to the holographic image that appeared. The glass had only touched his lips, but he didn't drink. He froze actually.
"Don't be mad" Katie said, her face filling the screen. "I know saying that is pointless, because you will be mad, all of you will and I'm sorry about that, but I found something. Or at least I think I found something-" she shook her head and turned away slightly. "I hope I found something." she let out a breath, turning back to the screen. "It's about my mother. I think I found something and I'm going to go check it out. And before you all go bat shit crazy, please, please, please just don't come looking for me, because where I'm going doesn't take well to strangers and I'm not looking to start any fight. I'm not going anywhere dangerous, actually I will be relatively safe. Just please give me a little time to see where this leads me, I promise I will be back tomorrow. Ok, bye, love you, don't come looking for me." she narrowed her eyes at the screen. "I'm serious." she smiled before shaking her head and then he video was off.
"JARVIS, I want a location on Katie's tracking device, now!" Tony yelled slamming the glass in his hand on the table.
"I'm sorry sir, I can't complete that request. "JARVIS replied and Tony lifted his head and just closed his eyes letting out a frustrated growled. He should've figured that when she reprogrammed JARVIS that she would make some adjustments.
"Master override" Tony muttered, knowing an attempt to override was probably futile.
"I'm sorry sir, all my functions are now being controlled by Katie. That power only relinquishes under one circumstance" the AI informed and Tony furrowed his brow in confusion.
"What circumstance?"
"I'm not allowed to disclose that information, but if said circumstance should arise I would be required to pass the reigns of my mainframe back to you sir." replied JARVIS as Tony turned and grabbed his glass, and downing all the liquid.
"Can you tell me if she's safe?" Tony asked.
"Yes sir, I am required by Katie to report her health status upon request at any time."
Tony had found the bottle, about to pour himself another glass when the door to his penthouse swung open. He didn't have to turn to know who it was. If Katie was flying the coup, there were two people she was definitely going to tell. He was one of them and the other was standing behind him, breathing very heavily.
"Where is she?!" Clint asked as Tony turned back to him, simply taking a drink in response.
The drive probably should've taken her more than an hour, but the way she was driving, Katie wasn't surprise at her record time. She pulled up in front of the gate, looking to the mansion that seemed just as she remembered it. There was a slight itch of hesitation nagging her. It's how she always felt when she returned to a place she'd ran from. Facing her past was always hard and she had a feeling this wouldn't be different. She was about to reach out to press the call button, but to her surprise the gate simply parted for her. A smile came to her lips, because the act wasn't too surprising. It was actually a bit of deja vu.
She'd been running furiously. They were behind her, chasing her to no avail. But they would't stop, she knew they wouldn't stop and the only way she won was if she didn't stop either. Katie tried her best to concentrate on where she was, because at least then she would know where she had to go. She'd been running so long that she'd long forgotten where her feet were running. All that mattered was that they kept moving. That was the plan, until she ran upon a tall gate. She stopped, breathlessly walking over and grabbing the bars of the gate and looking through to the mansion on the other side. There was a rattling from behind her and she was about to take off again when she also heard a clicking sound. She stepped back and watched as the gates parted as if welcoming her in. She was hesitant, unsure what do, when something happened she didn't expect. It was a voice in her head , that wasn't hers and it wasn't her father's, but she heard it as clear as day.
"Run" the man said and as if not of her own free will, Katie complied and she was running.
She parked the car right in front of the front doors of the mansion, glancing up for a moment before finally stepping out. The moment she closed the car door, she heard the front door open and she quickly lifted her head. She stared for a moment, and soon a bright smile graced her lips.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in."
"You're the welcoming committee now, Logan?" Katie asked as she stepped around the car and leaned on it's side. She seemed unready to make that journey up the stairs into the mansion. He must've noticed her hesitation, because he quirked an eyebrow as he walked down the stairs closing the distance between them. It wasn't until he was standing right in front of her did she see just how unchanged he looked and that only made her smile even more. He leaned in a little closer and sniffed the air between them before stepping back.
"What, I showered this time." Katie said sniffing her shirt. She met his eyes to see him studying her.
"It's cold, you should come in" he said the lightness in his voice gone. There was that over protectiveness she recognized. she glanced up to the mansion and turned back to him.
"I'm mentally preparing myself for that" she said nudging her head to the building.
"Well then mentally prepare yourself in there" Logan replied bringing an arm around her and nearly pushing her toward the door.
"You're still so bossy."
"And you're sill so annoying. I thought you would've grown out of that." he bit back as they walked through the doors and Katie was immediately hit with the faces of friends she didn't think she would see again. It was the man who sat in his wheel chair smiling at her did she see first. She held his gaze as he rolled over to her.
"Professor" she greeted with a nod and a smile. She stood there before doing something no one in the room expected. She wrapped her arms around the man and hugged him tight. "I missed you Chuckie."
"I didn't miss that nick name." Xavier chuckle as he hugged her back. Once she pulled back looked down to him. "Your life has been adventurous I see."
"You have no idea" Katie said smiling up to the faces of Scott Summer, Jean Gray and Ororo Monroe. "But I'm guessing I'm not the only one." she looked down to the professor. "I'm going to assume you know why I'm here." the professor nodded. "Erik Lehnsherr, I need to know where he is."
"I don't think you know what you're asking." Xavier replied and Katie's brow furrowed in confusion.
"What does that mean?"
"It means kid, save your self the trouble" Logan interrupted and Katie turned back to him. "You're staying as far away from Erik as humanly possible."
"And if I refuse?" she asked and Logan chuckled, and Katie wasn't sure where the joke lied in her question.
"Aw kid" Logan said before reaching up and mussing her hair. "You're still a hoot."
A/N: Yep, so what did you think? Don't worry, we're going see much more of our X-men friends and maybe they'll meet one or two of our Avengers friends. That should be interesting. Our seer hasn't gone away, and now she's suspiciously quiet. Maybe a unprecedented visit from the All father could change that.
PS. I'm so close to my 100 review mark and I'm getting excited. So please don't forget to hit that little button down there and share with me your hopes, dreams and aspirations for the story. Maybe even some predictions or fears. I want to hear it all!
Until next time!
~DWH~