Megan relaxed under her blankets, comforted by Clint's presence despite the inherent awkwardness of having him in the same room. She was still rattled from her showdown with General Ross and knowing that a slew of reporters might be gathering outside her apartment added to her vulnerability. It was good to know that she didn't have to face everything by herself. For reasons she still didn't understand, the other Avengers had rallied around her. She hadn't recognized it as a unilateral decision until her trip to New York. She'd never pretended to know Natasha's motivations, but had accepted it was probably due to her being Steve's frequent partner in the field on S.H.I.E.L.D. operations. Clint had been a recent addition. Was it only four days ago that he and Natasha had come to her place for pizza and thrown their support behind her even once they knew the truth? She'd not had any time to really consider why Clint would join the cause. Then in New York, both Tony and Bruce had welcomed her in their own way. The support Jarvis had given her was breathtaking in its own right, but when she stopped to look at the pattern, it was clear that everyone on the Avengers team was trying to help her in a way that seemed to go beyond loyalty to Steve. In fact, the only one who hadn't tried to help her in some way was Thor, and he wasn't even on Earth at the moment.

All of that was humbling, but Clint had moved beyond general support in his efforts to push her into staying with Steve. It was like he'd gotten inside her head and done his best to twist her thinking around. She could understand him standing guard to ease Steve's mind, but his efforts to muddy her clarity of the situation went beyond any reasonable limits of what one teammate would do for another. She didn't understand his motivation and disagreed with his conclusion. How could he really know anything about her when they'd just met a few days ago? Yes, Steve was happy these days. He was adjusting to life in the modern world and reconnecting with his past while building a new support system in the present. The Avengers were a huge part of that, mainly in the way they had made Steve one of their own, clearly liking him and admiring him. It was heartening to see and gave her confidence that Steve would continue to thrive once their charade was over. In time, the rest of the Avengers would see that she was truly doing what was best for Steve, and therefore their team. She'd be the supportive friend and step aside so Steve could find a partner that really deserved him. She'd paste a smile on her face at their wedding and keep them in her prayers at night. She'd find the strength for this like she always did. Right now, she just had to get through the immediate crisis.

Resolved, she finally gave in to the fatigue and let sleep claim her.

When Megan emerged from the shower the next morning, Clint had a pot of coffee brewing and was eating a breakfast of leftover pie and ice cream. He'd already packed his gear and set it by the door.

"Package came for you," he said, nodding to the padded envelope on the counter.

"At this hour?" She didn't ask if it was safe to open. She trusted Clint to know far better than she when it came to security.

"When you're on Tony Time, there is no such thing as 'this hour,'" he said before taking another bite.

"Does your mother know you eat pie for breakfast?"

"It's a balanced diet. Fruit, dairy, and carbs."

She opened the package to find a soft cotton nightgown with grey scale picture of a shirtless Steve taking up most of the front. Across the top it read, "Science!" Beneath the picture, the text continued, "It does a body good." Megan laughed out loud until the tears rolled down her cheeks.

Clint came over and picked up the photo that had fallen to the floor. He chuckled when he saw it and held it up. "What's the story behind this?" Seeing the front of Megan's new nightgown, he grinned. "I take it that's payback?"

Megan nodded and took the picture from him. Pepper was wearing a pale green nightgown over a pair of black leggings and holding the Iron Man helmet under her arm while smiling smugly at the camera while Tony stood to the side, scowling at her. Across the front, her shirt read in black letters:

I'm a female

Fe= iron

Male = man

Therefore, I am Iron Man (1)

Megan took the picture and tucked it into the corner of a frame on an end table to show Steve later. "I found that on a science humor site a few days ago and got it made for Pepper after I met her." She held up her new nightgown again, making a silent promise to send Jarvis more flowers.

She put the kettle on to heat and started her oatmeal. "Have the vultures found me yet?"

Clint nodded. "You need to move to a better apartment."

He must have seen the look on her face, because he immediately followed that with, "Let me take care of it, okay?"

"I don't have a car so I need to be near the metro."

"Time to go car shopping then, so you have more options." He held up a hand to block her protests. "Safety first." Tapping his ear to remind her they were under surveillance, he added, "You're part of the Avengers support staff now, so it's time we put you on the payroll. Let me scout out some options and narrow down your choices. Right now, I want you to tell me what furniture is yours and what stays with the unit. You're probably not coming back here."

"Avengers support staff?" Megan shook her head. "You need a better name because I'm not going to be labeled an ass, no matter how much I might deserve it." She looked around her home and held back tears. She wasn't going to cry, darn it. Never mind that some of the happiest times of her life had been spent here. "How are we going to get me out of here today?"

Clint smiled. "That depends on how you want to play it. We can do a decoy operation, or you can face them head on. Nat and Cap are on their way over now. I'll go out the window when they get closer so I can provide cover from the roof and a distraction if necessary. We don't want to give them any more to work with than they already have," he added in anticipation of her protests to that decision. "It's your call."

Megan lifted her chin. "I'm not going to hide like a common criminal." She went to her purse and took her apartment key off the ring and handed it to Clint. "I know you can pick the locks but this will make it easier."

"Attagirl." Clint smiled at her and picked up his phone. "I'll let them know."

Megan nodded and was struck by an idea. Smiling, she dug in her closet for her digital camera and put new batteries in it.

"What are you planning?"

"It's not every day that the paparazzi are camped outside your door. I may as well make the most of it." Megan went to her closet and picked out a simple teal shirt she had recently purchased. If she bought more like it, she could wear the same outfit every day until the interest in her died down. She texted Steve her idea and suggested he do the same. Pictures of them that all appeared to be from the same day wouldn't sell well. A ponytail would be a good signature hairstyle that required little effort to maintain. She might not be able to control the cameras, but she could control her reactions to them. By the time Steve and Natasha were outside her door, she was ready.

"Are you ready for this?" Steve asked her as he put his arm protectively around her.

"No. But I'll deal."

"I'll follow you to the bike and meet up with you later," Natasha said quietly.

Megan nodded, knowing that Natasha would ensure that she wasn't harmed. She wasn't really worried about that, but it was good to know that they weren't taking any chances. In a few days, maybe this would blow over. Until then, she was grateful for the protection.

Steve took her helmet from her and held it in the hand that was looped through his shield. He took her other hand and waited until Megan had her camera turned on. "Let's go."

"Don't forget to smile," Natasha reminded her teasingly as she shut the apartment door behind them.

Steve led her down the stairs and outside to where the photographers lay in wait. Megan held her head high, letting Steve lead her by the hand through the mob of flashbulbs and shouted questions. She just smiled and took lots of pictures of her own, acting as if the attention was a novelty that she didn't mind one bit. Steve was unfailingly polite as he forged a path for them, using his shield to gently move people out of his path.

Once at his bike, he handed Megan her helmet and donned his own before tucking Megan's camera into an inner pocket of his jacket and helping her slip the shield onto her back. He got on the bike and waited for Megan to get settled behind him before he turned on the engine and slowly threaded his way between cars and stray paparazzi who insisted on getting one more photograph.

"You doing okay?"

"It wasn't as bad as I expected it to be," Megan admitted, squeezing him reassuringly and thanking Tony once again for the helmet upgrade. "Getting some sleep helped."

"Good. I expect an uproar at S.H.I.E.L.D. today, too. You ready for that?"

"I don't think one gets ready for this sort of thing, you just cope with it. I'm okay. And it's not your fault, so stop that line of thinking right now. I knew we'd have to deal with the press eventually. You're worth it. The press doesn't have as much power as we sometimes think. General Ross scares me a lot more, to be honest."

Steve huffed in bitter amusement, "You didn't act scared yesterday."

Megan cuffed him lightly. "You're forgetting the part where I lash out when I feel cornered. That man gives me nightmares. Literally. But right now, I'm worried about my attackers. It's Tuesday and I have yet to hear from them."

"They'll find a way to contact you. I'm sure of it."

When they reached S.H.I.E.L.D., both Steve and Megan got a text from Clint telling them to head up to his office. "What do you supposed that is about? And how did they get here before us?" She asked as she handed Steve his shield and took off her helmet.

"They left right after we did, I'm sure, and I took some back roads so we were harder to follow. Let's go find out what he wants."

Steve walked beside her to the elevator bank that would take them up to the wing where Clint's office was located. They both pretended not to notice the significant looks and whispered conversations that changed as they moved past them. Megan tried to hide her relief at being inside Clint's office, but knew she wasn't really fooling anyone.

"Take a seat. Popcorn?" Clint asked, turning his computer monitor around so they could see it. Natasha stood behind him, her face unreadable, as Megan shrugged out of her jacket and put her helmet by her feet. Clint had a bag of popcorn in the microwave and passed them water bottles.

"Nice name plate," Steve said, pointing to the new sign saying "Flint Carton" on Clint's desk as he took the offered water and broke the seal.

Clint just smiled and pointed to the monitor. "Fury's meeting with Ross in about five minutes and left the camera up for us to see the show."

"How do you know that?" Megan asked, brow furrowed.

"Director Fury does everything for a reason," Natasha explained. "Only Clint or I would dare replace his nameplate. Steve could, but he wouldn't. He replaced Clint's to inform him he was aware of the change. He sweeps his office regularly. He's leaving the camera and microphone in place so that we can verify he's ordering that research program shut down. In your new position, you'll be able to monitor the projects and make sure no one tries to keep them going on the sly. The real purpose of today's meeting is to find out the motives and goals, as far as Ross knew about them."

"Here we go, kids." Clint said, as he pulled the popcorn out of the microwave and started a new bag. He passed the first bag to Steve to open. "Talk to us, Ross, and tell us what you're up to," he told the screen.

"Good morning, Thaddeus," they watched Nick say as he gestured the General to a chair. "Coffee?"

"Cut the crap, Nick. Do you have any idea how much damage you'll do to this nation's defense system if you let Buchwald railroad that program?"

"I expect you're here to tell me just that."

"We need that program. You've seen the enemies we're up against. We're not trying to recreate Project Rebirth. We're just trying to give our boys in the field faster healing. They'd be able to take a shot and keep going as their body compensated for the damage. Stronger muscles, better connective tissue. They'd have robust immune systems to protect them from biological agents. Have you forgotten that last anthrax attack? No one should die like that. Afghanistan's a hot mess. We need boys who can carry their gear farther without wearing themselves out or dying from their injuries before we can get them to a treatment center. Buchwald's work was to lay the groundwork for keeping our troops healthy and strong, nothing more."

"Captain Rogers sees it differently."

"Then you need to do a better job of controlling him! If you can't do that, maybe he needs to go back under army supervision so I can remind him about chain of command."

Nick shook his head and even smiled a little. "You think anyone controls Rogers? Haven't you read the reports from Colonel Phillips back in the day? Rogers has never followed orders if they got in the way of what he though was right. The best any of us can do is aim him in the right direction and help him see the targets we want him to see."

Megan put a restraining hand on Steve's arm when she saw him gripping his chair so tightly that the armrest was in danger of breaking. "He knows you're watching, Steve. That was for Ross's sake, not yours." She heard Steve take a deep breath and felt his forearm relax under her touch.

"Then you haven't found out the right buttons to push," Ross continued. "Maybe Buchwald is our angle. Use her to control him."

Nick shook his head. "You're underestimating, him, Thaddeus. Are you forgetting the lengths Rogers went to when he heard Sargent Barnes was trapped behind enemy lines? If he thinks he's being controlled, he'll walk. I have to shut your program down in order to keep him at S.H.I.E.L.D. He'll never go back to the army. Yesterday, he made it very clear that either your program ends or he's out. What do you want me to do?"

"Move the program off the grid. Buchwald can be replaced. Put someone else in charge and this time, find someone who won't ask questions. We have boys dying in a dozen hot spots all over the world, Nick, even without the new threats Thor and his intergalactic buddies brought with them. If you try to shut this down, I'm going to the Council myself!"

Nick shook his head. "I already spoke to them. Captain Rogers' continued participation with S.H.I.E.L.D. is more important to them than your project." He stood up. "I'm sorry, Thaddeus. You know how it goes."

"You're making a mistake, Nick. We can't rely on one uncontrollable super-soldier to keep this country safe. You know as well as I do that we're not ready with Project—"

"I know that, Thaddeus," Nick cut him off. "But my hands are tied here. Don't make this harder than it has to be."

"What project didn't he want Ross to name?" Clint murmured to them as they watched Nick usher Ross out the door.

"I don't know," Natasha said as she put her hand on Clint's shoulder. "But he certainly didn't want Ross to finish that sentence."

"Are you satisfied?" Nick asked them directly before he ripped the camera and microphone from their cables. The screen went blank and Clint turned off the program.

"What now?" Megan asked into the silence. "What do you want me to do?"

"Learn to use a gun," Steve said as he stood up. "I'm going for a run. I'll check in later."

Megan watched him storm from the office in quiet fury.

"Let him go," Natasha warned. "He needs to clear his head."

Megan nodded mutely, hating how helpless she felt.

"This isn't your fault," Clint told her. "You didn't come up with the program; you shut it down."

"Steve's hurting and he wouldn't be if I'd kept my mouth shut."

"He needed to know, Megan. This isn't your fault. Now get down the firing range with Clint and put your anger into hitting the targets."

Her surprise must have shown because Natasha smiled at her. "Steve wants you to learn from the best. Clint's even better with arrows, but when it comes to firearms, he's the best distance marksman we have. I'll work with you on close proximity approaches once you're better at hand-to-hand. Hill won't have your clearances ready until this afternoon, so this is a good use of your time until then.

(1) I saw this on an internet meme and couldn't resist putting it into the story. I cannot claim credit for the Iron Man/ Periodic table word play.

AN: I'll reply to comments and notes when I update next. Right now, I want to get this out to you. But the feedback is greatly appreciated!