A/N: I'm BAAAACK!

Chapter 11: "I Only Broke One Nose!"

Sadie had been going to dance in the city, since she'd gotten to the point in her ballet work that she was simply beyond what the teachers at the school in Westchester could give her, and she truly wanted to keep improving. So, Natasha had arranged for her to have a private tutor in the city.

Which was fine and good, except, of course, she'd only been taking the lessons for a few weeks before she needed an upgrade in footwear. She left class that day grumbling to herself about how quickly she was going through pointe shoes. She had already ordered some new ones, but they were going to be out for a few days still, and she was in a mood already from all the drama back home. James was slowly coming out of his depression, but not nearly fast enough for Sadie's tastes, and she was wracking her brain trying to figure out how to help him.

She was nearly to Avenger's Tower, her mind on her brother, when she realized that someone was following her. She straightened up slightly and picked up her pace, but as she passed an alley, two masked men reached out and grabbed her by her arms and pulled her into the alley.

She fought back like her father had taught her to do, and she did alright, but honestly, her musculature was more developed for dancing, not defense. She managed to break one of their noses, but the ones following her blocked off her view to the street and joined in, and in short order, they'd restrained her and ditched her duffel bag with all of her dance gear.

Sadie was furious. On top of everything else, she could tell these idiots were not pros. They took her phone but didn't even think to look for the panic button, though that was hard for her to reach with how they had her hands tied.

They'd taped up her mouth so she couldn't scream or bite them, but even with that, when she growled, one of them took a step back. The next thing she knew, they tossed her into a plain, white panel van, though she couldn't see where they were headed or what was going on beyond that.

She kept growling, which at least kept her captors back as she tried to maneuver herself to reach the panic button. She couldn't wait for these idiots to meet her father.

Howard Stark was supposed to meet up with Sadie after her dance class to take her out for dinner. But when Sadie hadn't made it to Avengers Tower, he was starting to get worried, especially because she had been the one to ask him if he wanted to go out in the first place.

He was pretty sure she'd picked up on the fact that his stomach did flips whenever he was around her, so that might have been a mission of mercy on his account.

But Sadie was too sweet of a girl to leave him waiting like this and not at least text him to let him know she'd left dance late or something. So, after twenty minutes and a phone call to her — just in case something had come up — Howard went back up to grab the first Avenger he could find.

"Hey, Aunt Nat," he said, frowning hard as he handed his phone over to her. "Sadie's not responding. Is something up with James, or is it time to worry?"

Natasha frowned as she read over the text Howard had sent to Sadie — Did you get held up? — before she looked his way and quickly put her own phone up to her ear. "Logan," she said, "have you heard from Sadie? Any panic button activity? She hasn't gotten to the tower, and she was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago."

There was a short pause as Logan clearly seemed to be trying to control his reaction. "No. I'm on my way." He didn't wait for a response and instead simply hung up the phone, but he didn't get all the way to the hangar before Scott called out to let him know that Sadie's panic button had just gone off.

Logan let out a low growl as Scott handed him the little device that showed where to go. The growl didn't want to stop as Logan started down the hall — positively stalking toward the stairs to head down. Of course, Scott had thought of that too, and it wasn't long at all before Kurt appeared in a cloud of brimstone smoke, took a look over Logan's shoulder at the image on the device, took a hold of his best friend, and simply teleported them just outside of the building where Sadie's panic button had been activated.

"I know you want to approach this in your own manner," Kurt said with a troublemaking growl of his own. "I am only here as support to get the captive ballerina out."

Logan nodded at that and started toward the side door, where he quickly picked up Sadie's scent. He didn't even consider trying to be nice about it, and instead, he cut through the heavy lock before he rushed in, ready to take gunfire or whatever else was going on. Clearly, Sadie's captors were not prepared for the trouble they'd pulled down on their heads as Logan let his claws fly with a ringing snikt and a low, rumbling growl.

Sadie finally managed to bite through the tape on her mouth with her sharp canines, glad to see her dad but still furious about how that had gone down. "You did it to yourselves," Sadie said to the nearest kidnapper before she made it worse for them and let out a little scream that had the man nearest her panicking outright and trying to get her to stop.

Not that it was going to do him any good.

Kurt teleported to where the scream had come from but didn't deal with the kidnapper himself more than to hit him hard enough to knock him away from Sadie and then grabbed her and teleported back to the mansion with her, quickly untying the ropes around her wrists.

"Are you alright?" Kurt asked her, pulling her face into his hands as he brushed her hair back, obviously worried.

She was still growling lightly as she leaned into a hug and held on tightly. "I'm okay, just … so mad." She stepped back from him and ran her hand over her face. "I was just … walking to the Tower after class."

"You weren't doing anything wrong," he assured her, though Sadie still looked furious.

"They weren't trying to bait your father," Scott said, announcing his presence as he rolled into the room.

"They really thought that one out," Sadie said, wrapping her arms around her middle. "Idiots."

"They were trying to bait your brother," Scott told them, his eyes narrowed. "They wanted him to come out as Death to save you. His name has been in the news so often; they wanted to enact their own twisted justice, from what the intel says."

She froze as she realized what Scott was saying and then looked near tears as she started to growl again. "Well, looks like they pushed the wrong button. Not the death they were expecting, but they'll get it all the same."

Kurt pulled her into a tight hug. "Well, clearly, they had no idea what they were doing. And they'll pay for their stupidity and cowardice."

"What kind of idiot would think that my father wouldn't come after me?" she asked, her head tipped slightly to the side and her bun totally coming apart.

"I can only tell you that they are ignorant fools," Kurt said gently. "And that some people simply don't understand."

She was biting her lip before she looked down at herself. "Thank you for coming to get me," she said quietly. "But I just want to wash the stink of failure off now. And order new dance gear."

Kurt smiled at her gently and kissed her forehead. "Alright. But if you need anything at all, you know where to find me."

She nodded. "They took my phone, and I'm pretty sure my Dad is going to need a ride," she said. "And I'm going to need to give him a hug when he gets back, so could you please come get me?"

"Absolutely," Kurt promised.

Sadie turned to Scott. "I don't know how this is supposed to work. Do I need to talk to you first, or can I go?"

"If you can, I'd like to hear what happened," Scott said.

Sadie nodded and walked over to sit down next to Scott. "So … they yanked me into an alley, and I only broke one of their noses. They took my phone but didn't know to look for the button."

Scott nodded. "Then they're far more amateurish than we're used to dealing with," he said. "That's a good thing; if they were part of a bigger group, there would be more to it."

"They startled when I growled," she said, crossing her arms and looking sullen.

"Then that's the one smart thing they did," Scott said with a smirk.

Sadie looked a little weary as she got to her feet again. "I'll find a better way to carry my button so I can reach it faster," she promised. "Maybe I'll just hold it when I'm walking down the street."

"You did exactly what you needed to do."

She didn't look convinced of it but she nodded all the same. "Alright. I need to burn these clothes. Thank you, again."

Scott nodded and was sure to give her a squeeze before she went upstairs, though she'd hardly finished showering and changing her clothes before there was a knock at her bedroom door.

She opened the door with a little frown, not expecting anyone to come get her like this. "Yes?"

In an instant, Kaleb had wrapped her up in a solid hug and outright kissed her before he could consider what he was doing. "Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Disappointed in myself, but fine," she replied, though she did return the hug, too.

"Disappointed?" Kaleb repeated, frowning hard. "What for? For being too cute?"

She let out a frustrated sort of sound. "No, I just … I only broke one of their noses, and … Malin probably would have done better fighting her way out."

Kaleb shook his head. "It's okay. I'm pretty sure your dad needed to let out some frustration," he pointed out.

She couldn't help but smirk wickedly at that. "I know. And I got them back when Dad got there."

"Yeah?" Kaleb grinned at her. "What did you do?"

The smirk turned into a smile, and she shot one eyebrow up for just an instant. "Oh, I screamed."

Kaleb burst into a laugh. "Oh yeah. You totally screwed those guys."

"They so had it coming," she told him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Who was it, anyway?" Kaleb asked. "I'm an X-Man now. I can go hit 'em."

"Just some rando creeps," she said. "They took my phone but didn't look for the button. Got scared when I growled … totally out of their depth."

"Oh yeah. We could take them on ourselves. You and me. With one hand tied behind our backs. They just got the jump on you is all," Kaleb said with a smile.

"But that's just it," she said, as the two of them started to walk out. "They were rank amateurs and they got me."

"Yeah, and?" Kaleb shrugged. "Even rank amateurs can get lucky. I mean, look at my mom and the people she had issues with when she wasn't an X-Man. You've heard the tracksuit jokes, right?"

She frowned and took his arm. "I know. It's just not right. I have a family reputation to hold up, and I'm totally blowing it."

Kaleb waved his hand and then rested it on top of hers. "No way. You shouldn't have to do anything just because of your family. I like that you're a ballerina."

"I just meant I should be able to defend myself better," she said softly.

He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I think you're perfect just the way you are."

She smiled lightly and then returned the kiss. "You are the sweetest little Elf, too. You know that right? You got all the dashing charm from your father."

He straightened up a little more. "I'd like to think so," he said, obviously grinning at the compliment.

"Want to join me for a bite?" she asked. "It's been a long afternoon. I lost all my gear …"

"Why not?" Kaleb said with a smile, teleporting them both down to the kitchen in an instant.

The two of them had just gotten into some food when there was another visitor at the mansion, and Howard came rushing over, his eyes wide, before he froze where he stood in the doorway when he saw her. "Are you… are you okay?" he asked, still panting a bit from running and the sheer panic of not knowing if she was okay or not.

Sadie took just a moment to take in his appearance and drew in a sharp breath. "Oh, I'm so sorry. These jerks — they grabbed me — and I lost my phone and my gear — Uncle Kurt brought Dad in to fix it — but I'm fine, Howard."

"You were grabbed?" Howard stared at her, still frozen in the doorway — partly because it looked like she was totally settled in with Kaleb.

Sadie nodded and got up to go to him. She didn't really warn him either before she put her arms around his neck and gave him a hug so she could tell him the story quickly and quietly in his ear while giving him the chance to hold onto her.

He was sure to hug her tightly the more he heard, though when she got to the part about not being able to reach her panic button, he seemed to pay closer attention. "I can help with that," he offered. "We can figure something out ... a handless option… maybe something with a chip or a sensor…"

She stopped, smiled at him, and then kissed his cheek. "Are you sure it wouldn't be too much trouble?"

He couldn't help but smile at her. "For you? No trouble at all," he promised.

Sadie gave him a brilliant smile and bit her lip. "I kinda screwed up our dinner date. Want to come and nibble with me now anyhow?"

"As long as I'm not interrupting something," he said, glancing Kaleb's way.

She frowned at that and shook her head. "What would you be interrupting?"

Howard paused and considered everyone there for a long moment, belatedly turning his full focus to her. "Nothing, I guess."

"Kaleb is my best friend," she said, taking his hand and leading the way beyond the door. "He heard about what happened because his dad came to get me out. The Elves are terrible gossips, you know."

"We are," Kaleb agreed with a smile, though he gave Sadie a raised eyebrow look when he saw that they were holding hands. "We are terrible gossips," he said, the tone and smile turning even more impish before he disappeared in a poof of blue.

"See? He's off to start trouble already," she said.

Howard smirked and shook his head. "Are you sure you don't want to go out somewhere? We can ... I can use my dad's name and get someplace private if you don't want to be in the public eye…"

She gestured down at herself; she was still standing with her feet in fifth position, since she was unable to stand without posing at least a little. "I'm not really presentable to go anywhere, I don't think. And it would take me time to get presentable."

"I think you look great," Howard said with a smile.

She gave him another smile for that and shook her head. "How about we plan on that — and tonight, if you have time, we can just … popcorn and a movie?"

"That sounds great," Howard said, his smile widening. "I've got time."

"Perfect," she said, crossing the kitchen to get the popcorn. "I should stay close until I see my dad again anyhow. It's not smart to have him help and then rush off." She set the bowl down and straightened up her shirt. "So. You pick the movie. I'll get the blanket."

"Sounds like a plan," Howard said with a grin, heading off to get things set up.

And while Howard was in the next room, there was a cloud of smoke in the kitchen as Kurt brought Logan to Sadie, freshly cleaned up himself. He let out a breath and gave her a hug. "You alright, sweetheart?" Logan asked quietly, doing his best to ignore all the scents she was already wearing — and the fact that he could smell that the Stark kid was around.

"I'm fine now," she promised. "I didn't mean to startle anyone, and I think … if you have time? Maybe you can get me back up to snuff? I only broke one nose. And I know they were amateurs."

Logan let his shoulders relax and nodded his head at that before he kissed her forehead. "We'll talk about it in the mornin'." He glanced up and fixed Howard with a glare for just long enough to make his point when Howard stopped dead in the doorway, but Logan didn't say a word before Kurt held up a six pack with a look and the two of them disappeared to play some pool.

Sadie didn't miss a beat, and she simply picked up the popcorn bowl before the smoke even cleared. "So. What are we watching?"

"Singing in the Rain," Howard said. "My mom got me hooked on it, and the dancing's pretty good."

She tipped her head lightly to one side. "Okay. That sounds nice."

He grinned at her as the movie started up. "Mom loves old movies. Dad does too, but he likes to pretend he prefers horror and action movies," he told her with a little laugh.

"That's fine; I like Gene Kelly," she said. "The title song dance was genius."

He grinned at that. "I think so too," he agreed. "And, I mean, I guess when you've got parents as old as yours, you'd have some old classics too," he teased.

"That's entirely true," she agreed. "And the two of them do a fine Fred and Ginger impression when the mood strikes," she laughed.

"Maybe I should learn a little of that," he said with a smile as he rested his arm on the couch behind her.

"Mom would teach you; your dad would have to come and be obnoxious," she said, then she looked over at him appraisingly before she scooted closer and snuggled in.

"Yeah, I'd rather not bring Dad. He and your mom are just... "

"They're pretty hilarious," she said.

"Yeah, that's one word for it," Howard said, shaking his head as he rested his hand on her shoulder and made himself more comfortable.

They weren't long into the movie before Sadie picked her head up off of his shoulder. "So, does this count as a date, then?"

He glanced at her and thought about it for a moment. "If I say no, does that mean you owe me another first date?" he decided at last with a teasing smile.

She sat up a little straighter and leaned closer just to set him back. "Let's get one thing straight right now. I don't owe you anything. Ever. I just want to know if I should kiss you or not, so don't wreck that by saying something I'll have to make you regret."

Howard blinked at her, wide-eyed at her reaction, before he quickly nodded. "Yes. Yeah, this is a date," he said.

She tipped her chin up just a bit to watch him, then smiled and leaned in to kiss the sense out of him.