54 After Ultron
Oh. Look. A new chapter.
Just a reminder that there is a 5 month time gap between this chapter and last chapter. Age of Ultron has just happened.
Thanks for the favorites and/or follows: heartsarai, Annabella Black-Snape, jackiekitagawa and Winter-Soldier-88
Thanks for the reviews: Princess of Paris (Nope, unfortunately not Fantastic Four. But I see where you got that.), Dreamer558750 (Good! It's all downhill from here so...), Sapphire roz (Don't worry, you are not alone.), Person D (I. Did it? Weird. II. thanks for the imput. III. well... yeah. IV. IT DOES? huh? Like I planned that or something... V. I honestly dont know. Lets pretend he's still dead for now. VI. Will I? VII. No. Lily was no way involved. Stark screwed up on his own. VII. Yeah, I'd call that the truth. IX. I SHALL!) and LokittySupreme (Will it?)
No one found the reference. I understand as it was really hard. It was Carol Danvers. So yeah. She's comming eventually.
WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP ASKING ME ABOUT CIVIL WAR? DO YOU THINK I'M A TERRIBLE PERSON WHO LIKES TO RIP YOU TO SHREDS? WHAT TYPE OF EVIDENCE IS THERE TO SUPPORT THAT? Wait... I have just been given a few examples in which I have ruined lives for characters and readers... never mind. If you wanna know read on!
"So… let me get this straight… my dad built a killer robot…"
"Yes."
"That turned evil and hell-bent on destroy you all…"
"Yes."
"Paired up with HYDRA made super powered twins…"
"Yes."
"Made its own android…"
"Yes."
"The twins turned against him…"
"Yes."
"My dad then put JARVIS into the android…"
"Yes."
"Making him good and worthy to lift Thor's hammer…"
"Yes."
"And then you fought the evil robot and his army…"
"Yes."
"On a flying city…"
"Yes."
"Then Fury brought you a helicarrier…"
"Yes."
"And you were there with bows and arrows?"
"…Yes."
"Makes sense." I nod slowly.
"I call bullshit." Jimmy shook his head beside me.
"Oh c'mon man! You don't believe that's the legit story?" Clint called Jimmy out.
"I saw the city fly and the helicarrier on TV. I know there was a robot because of what happened in South Korea. But the super-twins and AI's and androids… I'm a skeptic."
"Yet you believe in space cowboys…" Clint deadpanned.
"HOW DO WE KNOW CLINT? HOW DO WE KNOW?" Jimmy defended.
"If you two diva's are done… can I talk to the father of my child?"
"I do not know where he is… he might be outside saying goodbye to Thor and Tony… I'll go find him." I could here Clint scurry away.
"So… that's why Pepper said FRIDAY suddenly got online…" I laughed to myself.
"If Tony put JARVIS into an android… did he give JARVIS a body?" Jimmy asked.
"Clint said they call him Vision." I shrug. "Hey, you never told me, how did that date with that guy go? You two have been out a couple of times now yeah?" I throw a peanut into my mouth.
"You mean Dylan? I'm gonna end it." Jimmy shook his head.
"Really? After what four dates?"
"Six months Alyssa."
"What? Where the hell have I been?"
"Raising an infant and occasionally working." Jimmy grabbed a handful of peanuts.
"Oh…"
"I don't hold it against you by the way." Jimmy patted my shoulder. "Parenthood is more important then me. Only now if I have a slew of one-nighters, I can't call you for morning after back up."
"Good thing our friendship doesn't depend on that. Otherwise it would be a very one-sided friendship."
"But it is what our friendship is built on, and that can never be taken from us."
"It sounds like there is a story behind that, but I'll get Aly to tell me later." Steve's voice suddenly comes through the phone.
"GAH! Didn't know you were there Rogers!" Jimmy yelped.
"Kinda figured. How's my baby doing?" Steve laughed.
"Missing her daddy but otherwise good. Your wife is doing okay by the way." I answered.
"Good. I miss you guys so much." Steve sighed and I could hear it in his voice how true it was.
"Me too?" Jimmy asked faking hope.
"Yeah Jimmy… you too…" Sarcasm was seeping into Steve's voice.
"Is my dad heading back out west?" I asked.
"Yeah, I just watched him drive off from our new base."
"No news on where Banner is huh?" I frown.
"Not a clue. Fury's looking into it. If he's out there, we'll find him."
"Speaking of finding, any luck on apartments?"
"Getting closer. Pepper sent me a new file of places to check out. When you guys coming out?" Steve whined out the last question.
"Soon honey. Two more days and we'll be in New York with you." I assure him.
"You two are sappy… is this what marriage does to people?" Jimmy groaned.
"No. That's what love does to people." Steve corrected.
"He's the sap." I roll my eyes.
"I hate you both." Jimmy groaned even more.
"Hey Cap… the new recruits are looking good. Barton's with them right now. He might be trying to give an inspirational speech, and most definitely failing." Natasha reported as she walked into Steve's office.
"Let him. Sometimes he has good advice to give."
"He told Jess 'sometimes playing dumb is your best defense against stupid.' Not exactly gold star advice."
"He could be right?" Steve tried to help.
"Who knows anymore?" Natasha sighed. "What's this?" Natasha looked at an unfamiliar file on Steve's desk. The only reason the assassin took notice was because she had no idea what it was for. Natasha not knowing every file on Steve Rogers' desk was unheard of.
Steve did not acknowledge her. This prompted Natasha to open the file.
"These aren't exactly places for a family Rogers…"
Steve sighed at the redhead. "I'm aware Romanoff."
"Then why have 'em?"
"I… I just don't know."
"What do I mean by that?" Natasha knew he was struggling with something.
"Look at how hard Barton had to work to keep his sister Laura and her kids safe. Alyssa is already out there. How can I keep them safe when I have to go do my job? I could go off to some corner of the world and never come home to my baby. I don't remember my father. I don't want my daughter to have no memory of me either. Maybe it's just better if I leave." Steve explained sadly.
Then Steve felt a sharp slap to the side of his face.
"What are you thinking?!" Natasha snarled. "You think that Alyssa would let you get away with that? You think any of us would let you do something so stupid?"
"I need to protect them. Alyssa would never go into hiding and I don't know what I'd do if something would happen to them. It's safer if I'm not there."
"You'd break Alyssa's heart."
"It'd break mine more."
"Where is this even coming from Steve? From the moment you and Alyssa truly got together there hasn't been anything you have been surer of. What changed?"
"You were right. We don't have a place in this world."
"You do. And it's with them. Your family."
"Natasha… I love them with all of my heart. Alyssa and Amelia are everything to me."
"Then explain why you are looking at one bedroom apartments in the shittiest parts of Brooklyn? What did that dream do to you? And don't avoid the question like you did with Stark. The dream affected you. Like it did with everyone else."
"I saw I don't belong here. And that I sure as hell don't deserve Alyssa Stark."
Alyssa was upset. No… that did not even begin to cover what she was feeling. She was pissed. Alyssa marched down the corridor of the new Avengers facility in such a way that Clint felt like the Imperial March should be playing in the background.
Alyssa had arrived to New York expecting a certain ninety something super soldier to greet her and instead got a redheaded Russian assassin. When Natasha had informed the eldest Stark girl of what was happening with the super soldier…
Que the Darth Vader music.
When Alyssa got to Steve's office she all but ripped open the door.
"Hey Alyssa! Sorry I wasn't there when your jet landed. Where's Amelia?" Steve asked innocently.
"She's with Natasha." Alyssa answered icily.
Steve stood up with caution and walked closer to the brunette. "I-is everything okay?"
Alyssa slapped him across the face. Hard.
"Peachy."
"Ow… that was… unexpected."
"Well what exactly were you expecting?" Alyssa's voice spilled with venom.
"You're mad."
"Understatement of the year Captain Rogers."
"And you haven't called me that in… ever. You're upset, what's wrong? Talk to me. You can tell me."
"Really? Because apparently you don't talk to me. But you sure as hell tell Natasha you're problems."
"Natasha told you about our discussion." Steve realized.
"Damn right she did."
"Shit." Steve cursed under his breath.
"Language."
"And Tony told you that." Steve said with a ghost of a smile.
"You think he wouldn't? At least I can count on my father to tell me what's going on. Unlike my husband."
"If it helps… Natasha slapped me too."
"Good for her."
"I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize Rogers. You are just doing your job. Because that's so much more important than me and your daughter."
"Natasha didn't have any right to tell you that."
"I think she did. Because better I have a heads up that you just might up and leave. Better have it hurt now than hurt later."
"Aly… you and Amelia are my everything. You know that."
"Then why would you leave? What type of head injury did you sustain that made you think leaving me was smart?"
"I want to protect you two! And I am trying. I am trying so very hard to keep the people closest to me safe. I saw how hard Clint works to keep his sister-in-law and her children safe. You know where they are? On a farm in the middle of nowhere! Off the grid! Everyone close to me gets hurt! I can't go home. I can't stop being Captain America! And no matter what there will be a job. A mission where I could not come back to you. I was naïve of me to believe otherwise."
"You may have been naïve when we got together but I wasn't. I knew the risk I was taking with my heart in loving you. I knew there was a possibility of another crazy god wanting a war and you not coming back. You had much better things going for you than being with me, I know. And maybe that makes me selfish but I didn't care. And it would really hurt if you didn't coming home. But it would hurt… it does hurt that you would think that leaving me –leaving Amelia- would somehow be better. That you being alone is better. You deserve to truly be happy Steve. If only for a second. And from the look I'm getting from you I know you wouldn't be happy if you left. But you think that it's so… self-righteous of you to give that up for me. Guess what? It's one thing to let me down like that, to hurt me like that. But it's something entirely different to let down our daughter like that."
Steve looked to Alyssa and took in her words. He had been ashamed of himself before Alyssa had walked in. now… the pain he felt crushed him to the core.
"I don't want to. I don't want to leave you. Ever. I want to wake up next to you every day and watch our little baby girl grow up into the amazing woman I know she'll become. But how long until something goes wrong and I lose you or you lose me? This life that I have… It doesn't fit having a family. Being with you is the best thing I could have ever done. Amelia is the best thing we could have ever done together. And I want it. I want it so bad. I jus don't know if the job will allow it. There will always be something where Captain America will get called for duty. I don't get to go home after the war is over. I have to keep fighting."
"You once told me the biggest mistake you made was not fighting for me… why aren't you fighting anymore?" Alyssa said softly.
"Because I don't know how to keep you and keep you safe at the same time." Steve said in a whisper.
"Then you better find a way. Because I'll fight to keep you."
"And I'll fight right along beside you."
"You better."
"Why is everyone leaving me?" Jimmy whined to me over the phone. I was in upstate New York.
"Everyone is moving to New York but me! You are there now, Barnes is moving there, and Jess is joining this 'new avengers' thing…"
"My dad's still there."
"Yeah… my boss is still here… and probably spending more time going to New York!"
"You could move to New York?" I suggest.
"Pfft, yeah… because I could get away with that." Jimmy scoffed.
"I really don't see why not."
"My mother would hate it."
"So?" I really do not understand what the big deal is.
"Right… you have mommy issues. Not a mom with issues. Particularly overprotective ones."
"Is that what it is? I thought it was you are terrified of change?"
"Am not…"
"Lies. All lies. I can read right through you Jimmy. Don't you wanna meet the android? His name is Vision and I think you'd like him."
"I don't know how to respond to that…"
"Wanda is nice too. Once you get over her witchy powers. And you could see Rhodey and Sam again!"
"Tempting… but since I have a job here, I'm going to stay…"
"Don't fear the change Jimmy!"
"I don't fear moving to the east coast Alyssa."
"One day Jimmy. One day you will join us!" I yell as Jimmy hangs up.
After that I turn to the television to turn it off. Some politician was going on about how 'something needed to be done about the avengers.'
It's probably nothing.
Huh... Wonder what's going on there...
So next Chapter: The rest of the team?
