Hello, my last update for this year, have fun with it.

Small warning, this chapter has not been betaed because my Beta Senema won't have time for it until next week. But I really wanted to post a last time this year.

The next time I update this story, this chapter will be replaced with the betaed chapter, so the undoubtedly existing mistakes will only be temporary.

I wish everyone a Happy New Year! Stay healthy and safe! Let us hope everything will be better next year.

Chapter 17

Like every day since their arrival, T'Challa had driven to the plane with Okoye and Tajo Balewa to control the progress of the search for them. With some dismay, he saw that the search grid had arrived in their area. In addition to the more obvious methods such as aircraft and search teams on the ground, he was also able with the technical capabilities of the aircraft to see satellites positioning themselves over the area. "We should warn everyone that they are here."

Okoye nodded and looked at the display. "Yes, and we shouldn't come here for a few days either. The slightest abnormality or malfunction of the aircraft's stealth shield could attract unwelcome attention."

"A good idea. Drive down all systems, Tajo!" T'Challa ordered.

Tajo obeyed wordlessly. He had developed a certain routine in it but this time he proceeded particularly carefully and slowly.

When T'Challa and his two companions got off the plane, one of the guards was waiting for him. "Your Highness, Lord Elijah asks you to return to the manor. His contacts in the nearest town told him that numerous government officials have arrived asking many questions and looking around. He thinks it is better, since you are a very noticeable figure, to not come here for a while."

"Yes I know." T'Challa gave the man a friendly nod. "We won't be coming here for a couple of days until the agents have moved on."

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness." The man nodded respectfully and withdrew into the undergrowth, where he disappeared after a few seconds without a trace.

Tajo sat behind the wheel of the limousine that Elijah had given them for their trips to the plane. T'Challa and Okoye sat in the back of the car, which had darkened windows so that no one could recognize them.

They drove back to the mansion, where Tajo drove straight into the garage that was at the back of the house. The garage had also direct access to the mansion so they needn't to go outside.

As soon as T'Challa walked into the mansion, he saw that he wasn't the only one who had received a request to come back to the mansion. All of the Avengers were present, including Laura and the kids. Clint and Laura stood next to each other, holding hands.

T'Challa was happy to see that. He had noticed that Laura and Clint had argued heavily for the past two days but he didn't know what their argument was about. However, he had seen too that Elijah looked pretty amused every time they argued in his presence.

Elijah stood quietly and watched his guests whispering lively to one another. He cleared his throat and everyone looked at him. "The search teams are here. I assume that there will be lots of overflights by helicopters and I expect that strangers will try to sneak onto the estate undetected." He smiled slightly. "Not that they'll have much luck with this but I can't prevent it either without arousing the government's suspicion."

"I was just by our plane. We are not only dealing with overflights and search teams but also with satellite surveillance", T'Challa said seriously.

"That was to be expected", said Natasha calmly and Clint nodded in agreement.

Steve looked at the two ex-Shield agents. "You two know the most about how government agencies proceeds under such circumstances. What is your advice?"

Clint and Natasha looked at each other, neither of them looking particularly happy.

Natasha sighed. "We should at any rate avoid going outside. Even at night, there are risks involved in leaving the house. Surveillance satellites have long since so sophisticated that they can recognize faces in the dark."

"T'Challa's people should be safe outside, no one knows their faces", Clint continued. He looked at Laura. "But you and the kids have to stay indoors. No doubt the government was in our house and took pictures of your photographs."

Laura smiled when she saw the horrified faces of their children. "Fortunately, the house is big enough."

Elijah looked at the children. "And you don't know all the rooms of this house by a long way because you were mostly outside. For example, there is a swimming pool in the basement. And that's not all, you won't be bored", he promised them.

"Agents will come to this place too, Elijah", Natasha took over again. "You should warn your people."

Elijah nodded. "That has already happened. My people know what they can and can't say. Will the agents have a warrant with which they can force entry?"

"No, but if they get suspicious, they can get one in no time", Clint replied. "And they will definitely try with a pretext to get into the house."

Elijah thought about it. "It would arouse suspicion if I refuse to let them in." He looked at Shana. "Check and clean the Blue Salon to make sure that there are no traces of our guests left there. It is the closest to the entrance and that is the furthest I am willing to let strangers into my house." Elijah looked at his guests. "I would like to ask you not to enter this room for the next few days."

The Avengers nodded gravely. They knew that the next few days would be difficult and that they couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

Elijah looked at Clint and Natasha. "Who will the government send?"

"There'll be at least one spy with them, someone trained to spot lies", said Natasha quietly. "However, it won't be him who asks you the questions; he'll leave that to someone else. He will watch you closely and weigh your every reaction on the gold scales."

Elijah grinned in amusement. "Fortunately, I'm a very good liar."

Natasha scoffed at his words. "There will also be at least two other agents who will look around outside. They will be particularly interested in the school."

"Shana, warn the teachers again to not allow any conversation with the children." Elijah gave a fleeting smile. "It shouldn't arouse suspicion if they don't want strangers to talk to children."

Shana inclined her head. "I'll talk to everyone again. And I will step up my personal protective measures around the plane too."

"Good idea, do that." Elijah looked thoughtful. "Is there something else we should consider?"

Natasha hesitated. "It could be that they are sending a 084 or a mutant. I have no doubt that you can deceive a normal spy but depending on the ability of this possible 084, they could become dangerous to you."

"Thanks for the hint." Elijah twisted his mouth. "However, I don't see how to prepare for a case like this either." He shrugged. "We will see." He looked at Shana. She nodded, she and the other witches of her coven would prepare themselves for every eventuality.

They discussed a few more safety precautions and warning signs so that everyone knew what he or she had to do. Then they separated to carry out their various assigned tasks.

When T'Challa was about to leave, Clint stopped him by putting a hand on his arm. "Do you have a moment for Laura and me?"

"Sure, Clint. What can I do for you and Laura?" It looked like T'Challa was going to find out, what the couple had been discussing the last two days.

"I wanted to know if your offer is still on the table, T'Challa", Clint asked seriously. "That you want to give the Avengers sanctuary in Wakanda?"

T'Challa blinked in confusion. "Yes of course."

Clint and Laura looked at each other. Laura nodded vigorously. Clint sighed in resignation and turned back to T'Challa. "Would you also extend this sanctuary to my wife and children?"

T'Challa raised an eyebrow inwardly, while outwardly he didn't show his surprise. He really hadn't expected this question. He'd assumed that Clint, like Scott, would decline his offer because he didn't want his family to leave everything behind.

T'Challa smiled warmly at Laura. "Clint, you, your wife and your children are very welcome in Wakanda. I promise your family shelter and my protection." He got serious. "I know I have a lot to make up to you."

Laura returned the smile. "Thank you, T'Challa. We gladly accept your generous offer."

T'Challa cleared his throat, embarrassed. "Just to satisfy my curiosity, what was your argument about?"

Clint and Laura grinned at each other before Laura answered for both of them. "We had different interpretations of what our home really is. Fortunately, Clint may be stubborn, but he also knows when he's beaten and when to better back down."

"No wonder, after all I've plenty of practice with backing down against you and Natasha." Clint winked at his wife.

"So was it your idea?" T'Challa asked Laura amused.

"Yes, of course. That idiot would have sacrificed himself for us without hesitation, so that we don't need to leave our farm." Laura rolled her eyes.

T'Challa smiled. With a respectful nod to Laura, he left the room.

Kevin was frustrated. Why did he have the glorious idea of working for the government? Oh yeah, his then-alpha had thought it a good plan to have an insider in the government. But none of them could have expected that a secret government organization like SHIELD would get interested in him and recruit him. In the last years, he had survived an alien invasion and Hydra. Now he was an agent of SHIELD 2.0 and worked under Coulson as the new director, which he liked very much.

His current assignment on the other hand made him very unhappy. It had been difficult enough to keep his secret before the Accords, but now it was even more dangerous for him. He shuddered at the thought of what would happen if someone like Ross ever learned of the supernatural and of his true nature.

The last week had been exhausting. The hunt and search for the Avengers was well underway and virtually every government agent was involved. The fact that he was partnered up with Collins once again didn't exactly cheer him up either. That man was an arrogant idiot, who believed himself to be smarter and better than anybody else.

Kevin sometimes had fantasies about kidnapping him shortly before the full moon, then transforming before his eyes only to tear him apart. He sighed; unfortunately, this had to remain an unfulfilled fantasy.

Because Collins was Collins, he had chosen the most posh area for himself. Kevin felt more than uncomfortable here. Most of the landowners they spoke to were reluctant to let them into their homes and were even more reluctant to answer their questions.

In the end, only the largest property remained. The owner lived very withdrawn, nobody knew what he looked like.

"What do we know about the owner of this property?" Collins asked arrogantly.

"Not much", replied Kevin. "It seems to be just one of many properties he owns but he visits it quite regularly. When he's not here, his housekeeper Shana, last name unknown, appears to be his second-in-command. His employees are very discreet and loyal to a fault to him." He shrugged.

"What's his name?" Collins asked, bored.

"Elijah Brendon", Kevin replied. "We couldn't find out anything about him."

Kevin saw a large gate ahead, locked and guarded by two men. He stopped his car and the car with their escort team stopped right behind him.

Kevin rolled down the window. "FBI Agent Kevin Bender." He held out the ID card he had received for this assignment. One of the guards picked it up and checked it before handing it back. "We are looking for fugitive criminals and would like to take a look around at this property. We'd also like to ask Mr. Brendon a few questions if possible."

The guard who checked the ID hesitated visibly. "I have to ask for permission before I can let you in. Please wait a moment!"

He moved away from the car until it was out of earshot of any normal person. Only because Kevin was a werewolf could he hear what the guard was saying. "They are here! Two cars, with six people. An FBI agent named Kevin Bender showed me his ID, looks legit. They want to take a look at the property and for alleged fugitive criminals." He sounded rather mocking when he pronounced the word criminals.

Kevin didn't show a reaction, not even to Collins. That was a very interesting exchange, even if he couldn't hear the other speaker.

The guard came back. "Please drive directly to the mansion, just follow the street. Mr. Brendon will receive you." At his gesture, the other guard opened the gate.

Kevin started the car. As he drove through the gate, he felt something he knew. He had just triggered a witch's warning spell. It really looked like the last visit would be the most interesting.

But it didn't mean it had anything to do with the Avengers, though. With an established coven living here and the Sokovia Accords in place, witches would be very vigilant when suddenly visited by government agents. Without doubts, they had contacts in the town, who had alerted them beforehand.

Collins whistled in awe as they drove towards the mansion fifteen minutes later. "Well, that's what I call an estate. I'm looking forward to meeting this Mr. Brendon."

Kevin wasn't that excited about this meeting. Brendon was probably the leader of the witches and the way this mansion looked, it was a powerful coven. Witches might not hate werewolves as much as they did vampires, but the only reason for that was that they weren't as powerful as vampires. An elderly woman was waiting for them on the stairs. "That must be this Shana", he said softly.

All six agents left their cars.

The woman came down the steps. "Agents, my name is Shana. Mr. Brendon has given his permission that you can look around. However, he asks that you observe the commandments of courtesy. He won't allow you to harass his employees. If they ask to be left alone you will accept their wishes. If you don't…" Shana shrugged meaningful.

"Thank you, Miss Shana", Collins said politely. He nodded to the other four agents, who immediately dispersed. "I'm FBI agent Collins, this is my subordinate Agent Bender", he introduced them both.

Shana smiled thinly. "Please follow me."

As soon as Kevin entered the house, he smelled that at least two vampires lived here. His eyes glanced at Shana, who smirked at him knowingly. She had to know what he was. She wasn't a vampire, but Kevin was sure she was a witch, maybe even the one who created the warning spell. Vampires and witches living together in the same house was more than unusual.

But that wasn't the only smell he had recognized. He had met both Barton and Romanoff when they and Coulson were Strike Team Delta. Kevin remembered their smell very well, they both had a unique one and now he smelled them. What should he do now? Telling Collins? How could he explain his knowledge?

Shana led them into a salon. "Mr. Brendon will be with you in a few minutes. Can I offer you coffee or something else?"

"Coffee for me, please", said Collins, looking around curiously.

"Water for me, please", said Kevin. Even witches would have a hard time smuggling anything in there that he couldn't smell or taste.

Shana smiled again and left.

"What do you think?" Collins asked and went to the window to look out.

"So far, I haven't noticed anything suspicious", Kevin lied evenly. He had no desire to make a powerful coven from witches his enemies and even less desire to tell Collins what he was.

Shana came back with a tray with a pot of coffee, two cups, a bottle of water, a glass, and a plate of pastries on it. She brought it to the table and put it on it before distributing the dishes. She placed one cup and the water with the glass so that they could sit next to each other on a sofa, while she positioned the other cup in front of a single armchair. "Please help yourself."

Collins and Kevin sat down while Shana left again the room. A few minutes later, both heard footsteps and Kevin could smell the vampire smell growing stronger. The two SHIELD agents got up and turned to face the door.

A relatively young man entered the room, wearing an expensive and well-fitting suit. He had brown hair and brown calm eyes that examined them carefully before giving them a polite smile. "I'm Elijah Brendon, welcome to Sunnydale Manor."

"Thank you for seeing us on such short notice, Mr. Brendon", Collins said politely.

"You're welcome. Please sit down." Mr. Brendon also sat down and looked at them curiously. "How can I help you?"

Kevin turned the following conversation out and focused his attention only on the vampire, who seemed not to have the slightest problem whatsoever that a werewolf sat across from him. From the vampire's serenity, Kevin concluded that he must be old and, judging by this house, very rich. Also, he had a witch coven working for him and their loyalty as well, which was quite rare and unusual.

Kevin looked at the vampire's hands and noticed the ring, almost certainly his Daylight ring. It was a silver signet ring embedded with blue lapis lazuli stones and a protruding large silver M.

Kevin swallowed hard as the pieces of the puzzle came together for him. An old and wealthy vampire for whom a powerful coven of witches worked. That striking serenity and equanimity, with which he handled being in a room with a werewolf. And if this werewolf recognised the smells of his targets, he knew for sure that the real Avengers were in his house. Then of course the expensive suit, the signet ring with the conspicuous M and finally the first name Elijah.

Kevin's gaze slowly crept up to the vampire's face and knew that his now racing pulse had given him away. When he finally made eye contact with the vampire, there was knowledge and amusement in his brown eyes. Kevin swallowed again and Elijah Mikaelson smiled.