A/N: Hey guys, another chapter.

One of my guest reviewers was suggesting I wrap this story up soon and I can't disagree with them, only I do have still quite a few more scenes to get in before the finale, so it may not be as quickly as they'd like. Sorry about that. :)

I am pushing as hard as I can to get this story finished though and consequently my chapters may be getting longer as I cram all the final details I need for the finale into as few a chapters as I can manage.

The way I've reconciled building up the tension with the Defenders reveal and then slowing down the action again is that you're basically going to be on the same journey as the Avengers. They know there is a threat, and they just want to get to the big showdown, but they have to wait for more intel to come to light. That's pretty much the same boat I've put you all in, gentle reader, so I fully expect some of you to become a bit frustrated, just like the Avengers. But then I figure it'll make the final showdown that much more rewarding when it comes... therein lies the plan, anyway. Whether it will end up just turning you off and getting boring remains to be seen.

I'm really hoping to get to the final showdown in ten chapters or less, hopefully a lot less, but I'm quite bad at underestimating these things, so I'll stick with ten chapters to be on the safe side. I appreciate everyone hanging in there with such a long fic and I'm very humbled and grateful of your continued interest.

Thank you. :D

Chapter Forty-Four

Bruce settles himself more comfortably in his chair as he immersed himself into the complicated chemical formulas in front of him on the screen. Tony had asked him to look at some of his work with trying to understand the nano-technology they'd recovered from the mantis pieces and how they could try and get them out of the Iron Man suit. It was good to have something occupy his mind with as Fury had put them on lockdown since yesterday. Tony had thrown himself into his work, just to have something to occupy his mind with, while Steve and Thor seemed to be more at a loose end. They were like children caught inside on a rainy day and they were driving Bruce crazy. In the end he'd sent them off into the games room next door to find something to do. Bruce went to reach for a pen to write down some notes and accidentally knocked it off the bench. He bent down to retrieve it just as a pool ball whistled by just where his head had been a split second before. The hard ball embedded itself in the nearby wall, sending a fine spray of plaster and paint over everything. Bruce slowly straightened up as Steve and Thor appeared in the doorway, both with concerned looks on their faces.

"Verily," said Thor urgently, "did thy sustain an injury, Bruce Banner?"

"No," said Bruce flatly, "but that was only dumb luck. What the hell are you two doing?"

"I was teaching Thor how to play pool," explained Steve.

Bruce looked at the broken cue in Thor's hand and then past him to the pool table with a huge rip in the red felt down the middle. "I don't think you and I play pool the same way, Steve."

Steve looked back at the table and pulled a regretful face. "Yeah, we had a few teething problems."

"I believe this stick was already broken when I picked it up," said Thor, by way of a defence.

"Of course it was," said Bruce dryly. "Maybe you two could find something to do which has less potential to create lethal missiles?"

"Like what?" asked Steve in frustration. "We're going crazy here thinking about what Hammer might be up to. I'm not designed for all of this inaction. I've already gone through my stock of punching bags."

"Turn the TV on," Bruce advised them. "Nothing will stop you thinking like watching mindless TV." He brushed some dust off his computer screen. "Isn't your soap on about now?"

Thor nodded. "I believe today may be the day Ernesto and Rosalina become bound in wedlock."

"A wedding," said Bruce approvingly, "that'll be mindless enough for you and you can see how people in this realm do that kind of thing. It'll be good research for you and Jane."

Thor nodded. "It would help me to understand your Midgardian customs more."

Bruce waved them away. "Okay, you two do that then and let me get some work done."

"I don't think Rosalina will go through with it," said Steve as they headed off to the media room. "She's still in love with Ernesto's brother, Umberto."

"But Umberto has not laid claim to his lady love," Thor argued. "A man must make his intentions known."

"You shouldn't get married if you're not in love with the other person," Steve shot back. "It makes a mockery of the whole thing."

"Love is not always the reason for marriage in Asgard, Steve Rogers. It can be about alliances and building kingdoms."

Bruce rolled his eyes as they argued back and forth on the subject and then he couldn't hear them any longer as they disappeared into the other room. He was just settling back into his equations when Steve reappeared in the doorway. "The subtitles aren't working. We don't know what they're saying."

"Can't you work it out?" asked Bruce in frustration.

"No, we don't speak Spanish." Steve gave him a pointed look. "Unlike you."

Bruce's eyes widened. "Do you really expect me to come and translate for you?"

"It was your idea in the first place." Steve shrugged. "I guess we could play another round of pool."

Bruce grunted, knowing he wasn't going to get work done either way. "Fine, I'll translate but one episode, that's it. You can get Tony to fix the subtitles after that."

Steve nodded. "Thanks."

And that was how, a few minutes later, Bruce found himself sitting between Thor and Steve on the sofa, translating a Spanish soap opera. There was a burst of dialog from the dark-haired woman on the TV screen, her breasts heaving in the wedding dress as she spat words at the other man on screen. "No," Bruce translated in a monotone, at odds with the emotion of the woman, "I cannot marry you, Ernesto, because I love another, I love your brother, Umberto."

"Nailed it," said Steve in satisfaction.

"And I am pregnant with his child," continued on the Bruce.

Thor and Steve made startled noises at this newest bit of information just as a matronly woman burst into the room and started to shout at the woman. "You cannot be pregnant with Umberto's child," Bruce deadpanned, "because Umberto is your brother." Thor and Steve gave gasps of shock at this unexpected turn while Bruce sighed heavily at the over the top melodrama, regretting his decision. "I should have taken my chances with the pool balls," he lamented.

oooOOOOooo

Clint stepped out of the elevator and readjusted the pack on his back which contained most of his clothing. In his line of work he tended to travel light. His injuries from yesterday were still sore but Clint had already dispensed with the crutches. The metal had missed all the major muscle groups in his leg, so there had been minimal damage, which was a good thing. The rest was just bumps and bruises which would settle down over the next couple of days. Like everyone else in the team he was finding it hard to wait on further intel, so Clint had decided to move into the Avenger's Tower, just to have something to occupy his time with. Of course, it didn't hurt that Natasha had already moved in last night. They'd told each other the news of them moving into the Tower together and had caught each other out. Clint had teased Natasha that it must have been fate, a concept she hadn't been overly receptive about. He liked pushing her buttons, mainly because he was one of the few people in the world who knew Natasha had buttons, let alone what they were. Clint walked by the open door of the media room on the way to seeing Tony and glanced in. Steve, Bruce and Thor were sitting on the sofa together, watching TV.

"But I love you," said Bruce in a thoroughly underwhelmed voice, "I did not know you were my brother when we slept together. This child was made out of love and we cannot be condemned for that-"

Clint stopped walking and arched an eyebrow as he took in what was on screen and the fact that Bruce was translating a Spanish soap opera for some reason. He shook his head and kept on walking, not sure what to make of that. He kept on down the hall until he was at a locked glass door, through which he could see Tony bent over his work bench. Clint tapped on the glass to get his attention.

Tony looked up to see him standing there. "Let him in, Jarvis," he ordered the computer controlling the whole building.

The door slid open and Clint limped in. "Thought I should let you know I'm here."

Tony nodded. "Sure, you're on level eighteen, is that okay?"

"I've come from living in a metal tube with five other guys," said Clint dryly. "I think it'll be fine." He paused and looked back over his shoulder. "Do you know that Steve, Thor and Bruce are watching soap operas together?"

Tony went back to the circuitry he was working on. "Yup."

Clint arched an eyebrow. "It's kind of surprising to me that you haven't been making that information public and ragging on them."

"If I walked up to you and told you that Captain America, Thor and the Hulk liked to watch soap operas, would you have believed me?"

"No," said Clint without hesitation.

Tony shrugged. "There you go. Although, B doesn't usually watch the soaps, so I'm not sure what that is about."

"I think he was translating for them," said Clint and hesitated. "Or else he's pregnant with his brother's child."

"Hey, boss, can I get out now?"

Clint started at the sound of Happy's voice and looked over to his left to where Happy was strapped to a chair in some kind of pod thing and hanging upside down. "Happy," he said in surprise, "what are you doing?"

"He's helping me with a project I'm working on," said Tony. "And no, you can't get out yet. I've got a few more adjustments to do to get the balance right."

"I'm pretty sure the Geneva Convention would have something to say about this," protested the red-faced Happy.

"Probably that it was awesome," agreed Tony.

"Why can't you do this yourself?" he complained.

"I need a certain weight to buoyancy ratio."

"Is that a fat joke?" asked Happy indignantly.

Clint tilted his head to get a better look at Happy. "Happy is pretty red in the face, Tony, are you sure you shouldn't flip him upright?"

"He's fine," said Tony dismissively, still working on the circuitry.

"No, I'm not."

"Ignore him."

"What are you making?" asked Clint curiously.

"It's my All Terrain Stealth Pod," said Tony, "it'll allow anyone inside it to move about undetected while protecting them from everything up to a nuclear strike."

Clint scratched his cheek and took in the clear dome with the upside down Happy strapped into the middle of it. "It kind of looks like a giant hamster ball."

"It's not," said Tony quickly, "especially if Pepper asks, it's definitely not a hamster ball."

"Okay, it's not a hamster ball, but I don't know about the stealth part of it. Happy is pretty obvious in it."

"I'm working on a type of shielding that will make it invisible to the naked eye and other spectrums," said Tony.

"I can see stars before my eyes," fretted Happy. "Doesn't that happen before blood vessels start bursting?"

Tony shook his head. "I can't work with these kinds of distraction."

"Then release me back into the wild!" declared Happy. "I didn't ask for this."

"I'm creating history, don't you want to be a part of that?"

"No!"

"Who doesn't want to be a part of history?"

"The guy whose part involves his head exploding," said Happy in annoyance.

Clint backed up. "I'll leave you to it, guys. This feels like a scenario that shouldn't have any witnesses."

"If you don't see me for a couple of days, go ahead and assume Tony has killed me," said Happy morosely.

"Stop being such a drama queen," Tony ordered him.

"Stop making me into your lab monkey," he shot back.

"You said you didn't want to be a ladder anymore," Tony argued. "Well, good news, Hap, you're not a ladder."

"This feels like a sideways move at best," said Happy dourly. "And Pepper is going to be pissed if she finds out about this hamster ball project."

"It's not a hamster ball," said Tony hastily, "stop saying that."

"Or what, you'll hang me upside down until I pass out?"

Clint shook his head as the two bickered like an old married couple and let himself out of the lab, neither men noticing. Apparently he'd moved into a mad house. That was good to know. Clint headed towards level eighteen and stepped off into a floor with an apartment which had been decorated in understated elegance. Clint half-smiled, suspecting he was seeing Pepper's handiwork here. He threw his duffle bag onto the bed. "Guess that's me moved in," he declared and promptly headed off to find Natasha. Clint found her on level twenty, also moved into her stylish apartment. "Nice," he observed as he stepped off the elevator.

Natasha was cleaning her guns at the kitchen table, all the pieces laid out neatly. "It's definitely a step up," she agreed.

"I've just come from talking with Tony."

"How is he handling the waiting?"

Clint thought about that. "Currently he's torturing Happy, so I'm going to say not good but plenty of room for things to get worse."

"Agreed, there are definitely worse things Tony could be doing," said Natasha philosophically.

"Not if you're Happy," said Clint in amusement. "I don't know how he puts up with what Tony does to him."

"Tony was indirectly responsible for setting you alight and ending up in jail a couple of days ago," Natasha noted, "and now you're moving into his place."

Clint considered that. "Yeah, the guy has a way about him. I don't know what it is, but you kind of get over things quickly with him."

Natasha looked him over. "How are you feeling?"

"Like we should be doing something other than talking about interior decorating," he said dryly, taking a seat across from her.

"The waiting is always the worst bit in a mission," she said quietly, "but it can be the most important path. Timing can be everything." Natasha looked up from her gun cleaning. "I've made a decision."

Clint didn't have to ask about what. He unconsciously held his breath, waiting for Natasha to continue.

"I'm going to have the operation," she said with no emotion, "but not until this business with Hammer and the Defenders is done and dusted."

Clint tried not to blow out his relieved breath. "I'm glad, I think it's the right thing to do."

Natasha shrugged, typically not being effusive. "I've never run from a fight in my life. I don't suppose there is any point in starting now."

Clint reached out and put his hand over hers. "You're not alone, Nat, whatever happens, you're not alone."

Natasha just half-smiled and didn't comment but she also didn't take her hand away and that was all Clint needed to know that she was alright with him being there for her.

oooOOOOooo

Steve stood with his arms folded in front of him as he watched the news on the TV. Senator Kidston was front and centre, delivering a scathing attack on the Avengers.

"-these so-called heroes were unable to stop these attacks on our cities, no doubt because they are more intent on rebel rousing then actually doing good." Video footage was inserted of the melee at the Carnaval des Lumières from two nights ago.

Steve's lips thinned in annoyance at how they were being portrayed.

"Are we meant to be putting our trust and faith in these men who seem more intent on raising hell then saving the innocent?" Kidston demanded to know. "These Avengers who refuse to be accountable to anyone, are these the people who are going to save us and-"

"Mute," said Bruce tersely behind him. "Ignore him, Cap, that guy has an agenda so big you can see it from space."

Steve could feel the tension in his body mounting. "I'm going for a walk," he said shortly, grabbing his jacket and heading towards the elevator.

"Director Fury wished us to remain out of sight for the time being," Thor reminded him.

"Not my problem," said Steve shortly as the elevator doors closed on him. The elevator quickly transported him to the ground floor and he was stepping briskly through the foyer and out the front entrance of the Avenger Tower into the throng of New York pedestrians. Steve shoved his hands into his pockets, mind filled with dark thoughts. What was the point of being woken up from all of that ice if all he could do was sit on his hands and wait? Steve felt like he'd been waiting for seventy years and he was sick of it. There was a direct threat to not only the Avengers, but to the whole world and he was stuck inside like a grounded child. He knew he wasn't the only one feeling this way but it didn't make it any easier. The feeling that something truly awful was heading their way wouldn't leave Steve and he just wanted to feel like he was doing something to stop whatever it was from happening. Even though he tried not to do it anymore, Steve couldn't help but wish for how things were back in the forties. He knew his place there, his role in fighting the good fight and everything just seemed so much simpler. They pointed him at the bad guy and he did his thing. In this world it was becoming harder to know who the bad guy was and how to take them down. In that moment Steve had never felt more out of place and time.

"Captain, Captain Rogers?"

Steve heard his name being called behind him and he turned around reluctantly, not really wanting to talk to anyone right then. When Steve saw who was calling his name the breath left his body in a shocked rasp as his whole world tilted, stomach tightening into a knot…

A/N: Any guesses as to who it might be?