Yay. Another chapter! I hope you enjoy it. So this is major late, but you know, life. I've had a few interesting developments in my life and with working 6 days for 10-12 hours, I barely have time to write. I will try to be more regular with my updates though. Just don't hold me to that until the new year. Anyways, onto the chapter.

The air in the apartment remained tense in the weeks since the night Maj had told Clint of her feelings. The young woman spent most of her time out of the house, returning home only when she felt Clint would be in bed. Their easy relationship had changed so drastically that she didn't know how to be around him.

Majalia spent most of her time out with Alec. Her drunken night had caused Weasel and the guys to agree that she should take time off. She couldn't be mad at them for it. They had voiced their concerns on more than one occasion. Instead, Maj only went in so they'd see she's alive.

While waiting for Alec to meet her at a cafe, Majalia was approached by a young man around her age. At first, she was confused. Yet his intentions soon became the more he spoke. Kyrell showered her with compliments, something that made her uncomfortable.

"You know, I've given you my name. Would it be presumptuous of me to want yours?"

"Yes."

"My bad. You're just so gorgeous. I couldn't help myself."

"Yeah. The lack of control is creepy." She rolled her eyes at the man's surprised expression. "Flowery words are just that. You're wasting your time."

"Didn't mean to offend. Look, I know I came off strong, but I would like to get to know you. How about this," he grabbed a napkin and pulled out a pen, writing his number down, "I'll leave you with this. If you'd like to hang one of these days, shoot me a text." He gave her a small smile and walked off.

Maj glared at the napkin, wanting to toss it. Really, she planned to. She wasn't exactly waiting for her soulmate, but she didn't feel the need to actively seek out a partner. She was in no way looking for a relationship, nor had she found his persistence attractive. Unfortunately, once Alec heard of the encounter, he snatched her phone and texted Kyrell.

A week or so had passed with her talking to Kyrell. She still wasn't interested in dating him, but he was funny. In an effort to see how he acted in tense situations, Maj decided to bring him to Sr Margarets. Kyrell spent most of the evening bombarded with snide comments and being ignored. Wade and Weasel were the biggest perpetrators. At first, Weasel planned to throw him out, but Maj intervened and the man was stuck with Shirley Temples all night. Maj was surprised that he kept his head though. Not many people would have been able to. It got him some brownie points.

It was Kyrell who called her about the news. Apparently, he was a huge Iron Man fan. Immediately, Maj called Tony's phone only to get voicemail. Her next option was Pepper. The woman thankfully answered. Though the call was short, Maj gleaned as much info she could before she began to look up flights. She hadn't been particularly silent so she wasn't surprised Clint asked her what was going on.

"Tony's in trouble."

"And what do you plan to do?"

"Be a friend."

"Stay out of whatever it is. Tony can handle himself."

Maj stared at the man for a moment before she shut her laptop and stormed into her room. Depositing in on the bed, she returned to the living room, walking up to Clint. "Yeah, he can handle himself just fine. But he shouldn't have to do anything alone. He has people who care about him if you've forgotten."

"Maj. You aren't trained. Don't get involved."

The young woman snorted. "Of course you would say something like that. Do you even care?" The glare Clint shot her would have sent others cowering but Maj was too angry to care. She watched as he turned heel and stalked into his room. "I thought so." With nothing else, Maj went to her room and began to pack.

There were a few times Maj enjoyed the perks of growing up monied. First-class seating was a plus. Having a driver for with her was a bonus. The first place Maj went when she landed in Malibu was to Tony's mansion. While she knew the place had been destroyed, she hadn't expected to see just the foundation. The sight brought tears to her eyes, which she wiped away.

Her next stop was to visit Happy. The nurses were reluctant to let her into the room, but they eventually saw reason. Maj sat with him for a while, hoping to get any kind of response, but got nothing. She wasn't sure where she was to go next and it bugged her to no end. Pepper wasn't answering her phone and Tony was off the grid. While everyone thought and acted as if he were dead, Maj knew better. He wasn't going to go that easily. She felt it in her heart that he was out there fighting.

It wasn't until she was in her hotel room the next day that Maj realised how much of an idiot she was. She thanked her lucky stars that Tony had the forethought to add Rhodey's number to her contacts. Maj nearly cried when he answered the phone. When she learned Tony was still kicking but Pepper had been taken, Maj let a few tears fall. They ended the call with Maj begging him to call if anything happened.

Two days later, Maj got the call she'd been waiting for. Not caring for her appearance, she booked it out of the hotel and went to the hospital. It was a media frenzy, but Maj eventually made her way inside. No one would listen to her so she resorted to calling Rhodey. The man made quick work of getting her through and the moment Maj spotted Tony and Pepper, she enveloped them in crushing hugs.

"I'm so glad you're both okay."

"What are you doing here?"

"What do you think? I wasn't just going to sit around. I mean I kind of did, but I was trying to track you down. I stayed with Happy and I just needed to be here."

"Thank you for coming. Even if you didn't help."

Maj rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Tony. What are you going to do now?"

"Pep needs to get the Extremis out and I was thinking… maybe it's time I got rid of the shrapnel."

"Holy shit. Extremis! Oh my god, Pepper. How do you feel?"

"Maj-"

"No seriously? I was bored last night so after looking into everything I just… Sorry."

"It's fine. I'm okay. Unlike many others, I survived. I'm due to go in later today."

"Oh. Okay. And you, T?"

"Tomorrow morning, bright and early."

"It's going to be weird you not having it embedded in you, but that doesn't make you a superhero," Maj said as she pulled the man into another hug. "What about your place?"

"That can be rebuilt."

Maj went to reply but her phone went off. "One second." She stepped away, a groan making its way out her mouth. It was Kyrell. Maj shot him a quick text saying she was busy before she returned to Tony, Pepper, and Rhodey. Her explanation was met with comments from Tony but she couldn't find it within herself to be annoyed. She was too happy to care.

The next few days were really for recovery. Tony had bought a smaller place and that's where the four spent the holiday. Maj, happy to be around people who seemed to want her around, cooked a five-course meal.

"How would you like to be my chef?"

"No way," Maj laughed. "There's no way I could cook that much food."

"Cap and Thor aren't at the Tower."

"No, but Bruce enjoys eating when he remembers. Had him over for Thanksgiving and I swear he was giving Steve a run for his money. It was great."

"Huh. Who knew Jolly Green had it in him."

"Keep the chef you have. I'll cook the times I visit the Tower, promise."

"Deal." With that, Tony scampered off to do whatever it was he decided.

"You do know what you signed up for, right?"

Maj rested her chin on her palms, a frown beginning to form. "Yeah. I do, Pepper. It'll be nice to cook for someone who'll appreciate it, is all."

"Are Clint and Natasha still gone?"

"Kind of. Thanksgiving didn't end very well. Haven't seen Nat since then. Clint showed up a few weeks ago and we got into a pretty big argument. Things haven't been the same."

"Maybe not. If you don't mind my asking, what exactly did you argue about?"

With a sigh, Maj told Pepper everything following New York. She didn't particularly regret how reckless she'd grown, but she did know she was being stupid. She told the strawberry-blonde about her new abilities and what happened on Thanksgiving. Pepper tutted but remained silent. Eventually, the story came to an end, and Maj was nervous to hear the older woman's opinion.

"Well, that's quite a lot to happen."

"Tell me about it."

"If you really want my opinion-" Maj nodded. "You both weren't very forthcoming. Yes, Clint's actions were hurtful, but lashing out the way you did, caused more worry than needed. As for your abilities, you can't just dive headfirst into things without looking at all the variables. Things can change and from what you've told me, what you can do is dangerous if not focused on the intended target. In this case, Natasha's anger is justified. While you were able to protect yourself in those instances, your friends and family were in the firing range. You could have killed them."

"I just wanted to help."

"I know you did. Have you thought of training?"

"Bruce was going to help but then Thanksgiving and I couldn't bring myself to visit him after that."

"Maybe you can talk to Tony about it. I'm sure he'd be glad to help."

Maj nodded. Pepper wasn't particularly wrong in her assessments. She was the reason things had escalated. In a sense, she couldn't blame anyone but herself. It was her own reactions that caused some of this mess. But as Pepper suggested, Tony would be a good route to go. He would be able to make a containment area so he could practice without hurting anyone. She hoped he would be willing to help her. Forming a plan, Maj hugged Pepper in thanks and went to her room. She was determined to get started on her training.

So what are your thoughts? I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

PrettyRecklessLaura:I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Cassie-011:I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far.

TimeLordsRule: So glad you enjoyed that bit. I honestly found it a little difficult to write as I have this thought of them two barely arguing. But that's just how I look at their relationship. Then again, even friends who rarely argue have their spats every blue moon.