Hey ya'll, sorry for the confusion, at the end of the last chapter I didn't say Rogue and Betty were going to be in THIS chapter, I said they would be in the chapters leading up to the end. Betty will be in the next chapter, but Rogue, not quite yet. Mind you, she IS coming, but, just not yet. Regardless, I hope you like this chapter, it's a bit of a filler, but I think it's good. Plus it's got more Amanda in it.
Disclaimer: By the end of this weekend I will own Marvel! Or... At least, a pair of Avengers socks... That counts, right?
After getting the girls and hugging the crap out of them like I said I was instantly called to do some damage control. Bruce had gone to get some clothes on so I walked the girls back to the house, but when we got there Amanda wouldn't leave my side. "Please, let me come." she said and I thought about it for a moment before I sighed and nodded.
"Fine, grab a jacket." I said before I lay Kayla down on mine and Bruce's bed. "Stay here with Daddy okay honey?" I asked and she nodded as she stuck her thumb into her mouth and lay there. I went to the bathroom where Bruce was finishing buttoning up a shirt. "I have to go do some damage control." I said to him and he looked at me with a slight frown. "I promise it won't take long."
"Okay." he said with a small nod.
"Amanda is coming with me, she doesn't want to leave my side right now and Kayla is lying in our bed."
"Alright." he said and I smiled before I turned to go. Bruce caught my hand quickly and turned me around before he pressed me up against the door, pinning me between him and the door he leaned down and caught my lips with his in a deep kiss. I moaned gently as I wrapped my arms around his neck, forgetting everything for that moment until he pulled back quickly. He let out a breath and shut his eyes, before pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I'll be back." I said as I put my hands on his arms. He looked back at me and then leaned in to lightly kiss me once more before I slipped out of the bathroom and found Amanda waiting in the living room. We went outside and walked back to the hangar where Phil was waiting for me.
"How many casualties?" I asked and he sighed as he shrugged.
"I'm not sure. Including the Abomination and John Liu, there's been a few." he said and I nodded.
"We need to handle this right, Norman needs to think he's won." I said and Phil nodded.
"So you want me to report casualties?"
"Yeah, but uh, don't say any names, or the number of casualties, just report casualties." I nodded and looked off to the distance where a huge line of police cars and swat teams were driving up. "And can you please send Agent Sitwell to deal with the locals."
"Got it." he nodded. "What's the plan on where to go from here?"
"I want to hit Norman where it hurts. He's done nothing but play dirty. Now it's time for us to get a little dirty." I said and Amanda looked at me curiously. "Norman's got two kids, have the state take them away." I said and Phil raised an eyebrow.
"He will just get them back within 24 hours."
"No he won't." I said and Phil nodded.
"Who do you want me to put on this?"
"Put CPS on it, then take the kids from them." I said simply and he nodded.
"And after that?"
"While that's happening, he'll have Leona come after us, we won't be here anymore; we're going back to New York. Send the kids to Agent Bluefox; she'll take care of them. While that's happening it's a good time to get to Virginia, I want to take out Dr. Fleischer."
"You want me to kill him?"
"No..." I said thoughtfully. "I want to scare him... Have Barton and Widow pick him up, they're the best at these sorts of things, I'm sure Parker will be good at intelligence gathering, he's done so much of it anyway, put him on the case as well."
"You know Stark Mansion will be one of the first places Norman looks."
"Which is why we aren't going there..." I said thoughtfully. "Where can we go, somewhere they don't have jurisdiction..."
"I have an idea." Amanda said suddenly and I looked at her. She was looking at Piotr who was helping Logan bring Blonsky's body into the hangar. "Why not Xavier's?"
"I think they'll be keeping an eye on the school, considering its a school for Mutants." Phil said and she sighed.
"It's a school for mutants, run by mutants who had abilities past what Norman can, and will expect." she said as she put her hands on her hips. Her eyes started to change colors and Phil held his hands up quickly.
"What did you have in mind?" he asked and I smiled lightly as I swatted her shoulder.
"Don't hassle Phil, he's one of our only real friends." I whispered in her ear and she nodded.
"I'm sure if they didn't want us to be found, we wouldn't be found." Amanda said to Phil who nodded.
"Do you think you can get in touch with them?" he asked and she nodded.
"I can figure something out." she said before she walked over to Piotr and Logan.
"She'd make a good agent." Phil said to me and I chuckled lightly.
"You know Felipe has a lot of friends in Manhattan, and a lot of power. I know he'd help us in any way possible."
"More than one safe house is a good idea." he said and I nodded.
"I'll get on that." I said to him.
"It will help when you're going into the party as well." he said and I nodded in agreement.
"Considering it will be in Stark Tower, the best way for us to get in would be through the penthouse. It's been sealed since we left, and it only opens for Tony, Pepper Rhodey, and myself."
"Rhodes is going to fly you into New York." he said and I smiled lightly.
"Good." I said.
"He also says he has a team of soldiers who are willing to help in any way possible."
"What is this, a Quentin Tarantino movie?" I asked softly and Phil grinned.
"Norman will try to make everything appear to be normal, there will be a lot of his police force there considering the event, but I think this is the best way."
"I suppose if Hawk puts an arrow through his eye socket I'll sleep a little better at night." I said and he smiled gently.
"You never were like this." he pointed out and I nodded.
"I never had a reason to be like this." I said to him and he nodded.
"Regardless of everything that's happened to you, I think you've handled it all very well. You're a good leader, and a very strong person." he said as he put his hands on my shoulders. I smiled and looked down before looking back at him.
"That's my name." I shrugged. "Might as well live up to it."
"The worst of it is almost over Minnie," he said and I smiled. "Are you sure you're up for it?"
"It doesn't matter if I'm up for it." I said to him. "There's more counting on us than just me. The entire United States is under the rule of a dictator, and I'm not letting that obsessive, psychotic, idiot go without a fight." I said strongly and he smiled.
"After all this is over, Fury will have to make you permanent." I chuckled lightly before he gave my shoulders a slight squeeze. "Go get some sleep." I nodded and got Amanda before going back to the house. Some agents would stop me and either congratulate me or ask me the next plan, but for the most part, people left us alone.
When I woke up the next morning Bruce had his arms wrapped around me and I was clinging to his shirt. "Morning." he said softly as I sat up.
"Where's Kayla?" I asked, letting go of his shirt.
"She ran off to her own bed around three." he said and I sighed before laying back on the bed. "How are your ribs feeling?"
"Good. It doesn't hurt to breathe anymore." I shrugged.
"All the physical contact with the Other guy and the Abomination, lent you some healing powers huh?" he asked and I nodded.
"I guess so." I said and he lay down on his side next to me.
"What's the plan?"
"Back to New York." I sighed and he frowned.
"Beck to New York?"
"Phil released a file stating there were many casualties from the Abomination. He didn't say who was killed, and we're going underground. For all Norman knows, we could all be dead." I shrugged.
"So we attack him when he thinks he's won?" Bruce asked and I nodded with a smile.
"He's not the only one we're getting while we're there. I have an order out to take custody of his children, and force Dr. Fleischer into our custody as well."
"You've got everything figured out." he said and I nodded. "What's Dr. Fleischer for?"
"I want him to reverse this." I said and he nodded slowly "I can't stay like this forever."
"Do you think it can be reversed?" he asked.
"I think he can damn well try." I stated and he sighed as he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me up against him.
"Don't put all your eggs into that basket." he said softly. "I've been trying to cure myself for years. All I've been able to accomplish is finding ways of how not to cure myself. Sometimes things happen to people, things that weren't expected. I never expected to have the other guy living inside of me. But if it weren't for him, I'd never have met Tony, become an Avenger, or met you." he lightly kissed my forehead. "I never expected to be able to be with a woman again, let alone father a beautiful daughter like the one in the other room. Basically what I'm saying is with the bad, there's always something good. If what happened to you can't be reversed, I will do whatever I can to help you cope with it, the way you have helped me cope with the other guy." he said and I smiled before he leaned down and kissed my lips gently. "But I want you to know, if there is no cure, I'll always feel like I did the day I married you." he finished and I smiled before I leaned up and kissed him gently. He deepened our kiss slightly, until I pulled away. He sighed as I did, and opened his eyes.
"The sun's coming up." I said softly and he watched as I stood up and walked to the window. He got off the bed, wrapping a blanket around his shoulders while he walked up behind me, wrapping his arms around me, effectively draping the blanket over both of us while we watched the sun peeking over the horizon. "I'd better get ready." I said softly and he looked down at me. "This is going to be a time Norman will never forget."
When everyone woke up the Avengers met at the house for breakfast. "So what's the plan Minnie?" Tony asked and I looked at him as I sipped my coffee before I put the cup back down and cleared my throat.
"The plan is we go back to New York. Rhodes is on his way here, he'll refuel and take us back to New York, Logan, did you get a hold of Storm and the others at the school?"
"They said that everything would be fine Minnie." he nodded and I nodded.
"Good." I said. "I think the best thing for us to do would be to stay in safe places, Felipe has a house he's offered up, I do think it's best to have a few different places available to us. According to Dallas there's going to be a big party at Stark Tower honoring Norman's guard, and their best operatives, and to be honest, I think that'll be the best time to take him."
"That's clever, we can get in through the penthouse." Tony said and I nodded as I chewed a slice of bacon.
"I was thinking that. With JARVIS it won't be hard to override any security problems and glitches, not to mention silent alarms, and things like that." I shrugged.
"True." Tony nodded.
"I'm also having Norman's kids picked up by CPS, then taken into SHIELD custody." I said and they all looked at me.
"Norman's going to hate you."
"Because until that point he's been Ned Flanders?" I asked and Logan shrugged.
"That will be the one moment Norman knows- at least- you're alive." Barton said. "Are you prepared for that?"
"Yeah, because while that's happening, you and Natasha are going on a little road trip to Virginia where you'll be picking up one Dr. Hans Fleischer." I said as I looked at him.
"What's the point of attacking the party?" Steve asked and I looked down before I looked back at him.
"After last night, I think it's a good idea to let him think we're all gone, to let him think he's won, and to let down his defenses. When he's done that, then we make our presence and our strength known."
"This plan has the room to become foolproof." Thor said and I smiled lightly.
"Thanks Thor." I smiled.
"It has the room, but every room has got to have the right details." Tony said as he sipped his coffee. "Now let's go over the part where Stark Tower is throwing a party that I wasn't invited to..."
Hope ya'll liked the chapter. I couldn't have Minnie and Bruce fight forever, and once she almost has her ribs crushed into an oblivion Bruce and Minnie both realize they didn't care about keeping the fight up any longer when all they wanted was each other and their daughters. I hope that this didn't get too fluffy for you.
Anyways, please don't forget to review!