Hello, y'all!

Life... is life... But I'm back! I received a prompt from forsakenfoxshadow, who said they could imagine one where Steve bakes really good cookies. I was like, YES! And I apologize it took this long to get it out. The idea has been rolling around, but actually finding time to post it? My schedule laughed at me.

Anyway, it's basically 5 times the team didn't know who made the cookies, and the 1 time they did.

Please read and review!

Enjoy!

~TeamCapForever

#1.

Tony walked into his bedroom and stopped. There, on his nightstand, was a plate of cookies.

"JARVIS? Where'd these come from?"

"They were delivered a couple of hours ago, sir, after you exclaimed that you were giving up on experimenting, due to the fact that nothing was working."

The genius billionaire raised an eyebrow and took one. Biting into it, moaned and closed his eyes. These were the best cookies he had ever had. Maybe he needed to take a break and eat a couple... Or the whole plate. The tension in his shoulders eased and he relaxed. After Cookie #6, Tony sat up.

"Who made these, JARVIS?"

"I have been asked not to say anything, sir."

At this point, Tony didn't care. Later he would check the security cameras. Right now, he was going to enjoy them.

#2.

Bruce stormed out of the lab he shared with Tony. Calm down, calm down. Deep breaths. Don't get angry. The man inside the lab had taken every opportunity to poke and pester the doctor and Bruce had very little sleep the night before. Needless to say, it was a recipe for disaster.

As he entered the living room, he noticed a stack of cookies on the table. Bruce was intrigued. He didn't know any of his teammates could bake. Taking a bite, he edited that statement. He didn't know any of his teammates could bake such delicious cookies. And it was just what he needed to calm down.

After downing several, along with a glass of milk, he lay back on the couch. He'd have to find out who made them. They were something that both he and Hulk could agree on. These cookies were good.

#3.

Clint and Natasha drug themselves through the newly christened "Avengers Tower." The mission that Fury had sent them on had been a rough one. They just wanted to shower and collapse into bed. However, as they entered the kitchen, Clint stopped.

"Come on, Clint, I want to sleep."

Her friend didn't answer. Peeking around him, she realized why. On the counter was a plate of cookies. Right now, neither agent cared who had made them or left them out. They knew that JARVIS would have warned them not to eat them if anything was wrong. As they each swallowed one, they relaxed. After such a taxing mission, this is what they needed. Fresh, still warm, homemade cookies.

#4.

Coulson rubbed a hand over his face as he entered the Avengers Tower. Nothing today had gone right. The recruits weren't doing well, training had ended with several agents in the medical ward, and Fury was in a bad mood. Well, a worse mood than usual, anyway.

He was certain that as soon as his agents caught sight of him, they'd want him for something, and he'd have another mess to clean up. When Coulson exited the elevator, he was surprised. The room was clean. And there on the table, sat a plate of cookies. Taking a bite, he sighed. They were good. Snagging a couple more on his way to the bathroom shower, he decided that maybe it wasn't such a bad day after all.

#5.

Sam entered his apartment, sighing. Being a hero wasn't all sunshine and glory. Cleaning up after the disasters was one of the worst parts. Finding the bodies of the people he couldn't save, the children he couldn't save. It was awful and dampened his spirits.

Pushing the door open, he smiled. There, on the counter, was a stack of cookies. One of the others must have left some to offer a sort of comfort. Around a mouthful of cookie, Sam thanked whoever had been thoughtful enough to leave them. They were delicious, and they accomplished their goal.

+1.

The Avengers trudged into their common living room, exhausted after the latest fight. Spirits soon lifted once they saw the cookies piled high on the coffee table. They all reached for one, with the exception of Steve. He lay on couch, trying to shift his ribs as little as possible. He was pretty sure several of them were cracked. Seeing his teammates plowing through the cookies made him smile, even as he threw an arm over his eyes to block out the light. He probably has a concussion as well, if the headache and sensitivity to light are anything to go buy.

The rest of the team glanced at their Captain and locked eyes with one another. Suddenly, the, what they thought were, random plates of cookies that seemed to appear when they were stressed, worried, or tired, made sense. Their leader was looking after them. He was giving comfort where he could, without making it known that it was him.

Bruce walked over to Steve. "Hey, Big Guy, let's check you out."

Steve waved a hand at him. "Check the others. Clint fell off a building and had a rough landing. I'm pretty sure Natasha has a sprained ankle. Tony got his arm smashed by a block of concrete. I think Thor is ok, though. He left soon after the battle to answer his father's summons. And you need to rest. I'm fine."

The others chuckled, in varying degrees of surprise. They hadn't been aware that he was watching. They allowed themselves to be checked over, if only to make sure Steve did too.

"I'll offer a deal. Once I look over them, it's your turn."

The super soldier just waved his hand again, a noncommittal answer. The other Avengers were soon taken care of, and Bruce headed for Steve again. He could see his chest rise and fall slowly, but shallowly. It was obvious to the doctor that his ribs took a beating. Bruce pressed around his ribs, waking the solider, who held still, regardless of the pain.

"I don't think any of them are broken, but a few are bruised and cracked. I'll have to bind them."

Steve nodded in understanding, then braced himself to sit up. He swung up, letting out a breath through clenched teeth as he did so. Clint pressed a cookie into his hand. At the raised eyebrow, he said, "You've been helping the rest of us, even when you weren't there."

"The homemade cookies help you reground yourself when you're coming back from a hard mission," Natasha added.

"And when you're lab partner insists on pestering you when you haven't slept." Bruce glanced at Tony, who grinned sheepishly.

"And when you feel like giving up, because nothing is working, taking a break with some cookies always help."

Steve smiled at his teammates. No, his family. Shrugging, the super soldier said, "It wasn't much."

"But it was enough. Especially when I was being crushed with guilt about not being able to save everyone," Sam said, entering the room.

"And when you have a bad day, and you arrive home to a clean room and plate, just for you. The bad day gets a little better." Coulson entered behind Sam.

Clint pushed the cookie into his hand again. "So, we are going to be there for you as well."

That night, Steve went to sleep content. His family cared for him as he did them.