A/N: Thanks to anyone reading and leaving reviews you're my life blood, bruh.


Chapter #06:

A Cinderella Story


"You're the one who charged your brother for a Bluth frozen banana. I mean, it's one banana, Micheal. What could it cost? Ten dollars?" - Lucille Bluth (Arrested Development)


I was not the kind of person who needed to be social. Maybe once upon a time I had been, but these days being alone didn't bother me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed talking to people and socializing. Granted, usually that was just me pissing someone off with my smart mouth, but everyone needs a hobby. Because I didn't actively need to be social though meant that over the past five years I never really sought it out. Just let it come to me, and it didn't often come to me. That was probably why I was so out of practice.

Why I was so fucking awkward.

"The weather is…real nice." I said slowly. The moment the words came out of my mouth I wanted to open the passenger door of the car I was in and just throw myself out onto the road.

Steve glanced over at me from the driver's seat, "Yeah, it is. Starting to get much colder."

"Yupp." I agreed and ran my hands against my jeans. "Thanks for coming, you really didn't have to."

"No, it's fine. You should thank Tony it's, uh, his car."

"Do you…not have a…?"

"No, I don't." Steve shook his head. "I have a motorcycle, but we thought that wouldn't be very helpful with moving."

I nodded, but technically I wouldn't need much space. I didn't plan on taking much from my apartment with me. Last night was when I got to see the apartment Tony said I could use, and it really came with everything. Literally everything. To the point that it was kind of overwhelming. So much so, that when Tony suggested I go get my stuff this morning I basically ran out only slowing down for Steve to pick me up.

"It's been a while since I've been out this way." Steve said, clearing his throat.

He was sitting stiff in his seat and I assumed that meant he felt as awkward as I did. I offered him a smile, "You're from Brooklyn, right?"

"Yeah. Born and raised." Steve chuckled. "You?"

"I'm from small town Alabama, moved to NYC for college and haven't looked back." I shrugged.

Steve shook his head, glancing over at me, "You don't have much of an accent." I thought back to when Bucky called me out on my accent. At the memory I felt a cold chill run down my spine. The uncomfortable mattress beneath me. The pain, God, so much pain. "Aj? Aj?"

I snapped back to my senses and the coldness was gone. I was sitting in a warm, expensive car with Captain America driving to Jersey City. With a shaky breath I nodded, "Sorry. Um, I do have one it just only slips out when I'm drunk or…"

Dying, apparently.

"Everything alright, doll?" Steve asked and he meant well but the word put me back into that room. I clenched my fist, the nails of my left hand digging into my palm, and slowly I slipped back to reality. What the hell was happening with me?

"Can you not call me that?" I asked, a little more panicked then I meant.

Steve's cheeks tinted pink and he shifted in his seat, "Sorry, I didn't mean any offense. I know it's an old phrase and a lot of women—"

"No, no." I cut him off reassuringly. "It's not that. I promise, Mr. Captain America, sir." He chuckled and I sighed. "You can honestly call me anything you want. Lord, knows I'm probably never gonna get Tony to stop calling me sunshine or Clint from calling me kid. I just… He used that word and when I hear it…"

Steve took in a sharp breath, "Oh. I understand. It can be tough coming back from something like that."

"Yeah, maybe, but I'm fine. Things like that don't bother me. I'm never bothered." I said more so to convince myself than Steve at this point. Honestly, I was probably just tired. It was hard sleeping in an unfamiliar place last night and by time I did fall asleep it was a restless one.

"If you don't want to talk about it, I understand, but can I ask…?"

"Bucky." I said and he sighed. "Ask away."

"How was he? The last time I saw him he was…troubled."

Troubled was a good word for it. I remembered the quick summary Clint had given me before. The last time Steve saw his best friend, he had tried to kill him. That had to be rough. I couldn't even imagine.

"He was good." I shrugged and looked out the window to the familiar scenery, "I could tell he was reallysad about something, he never told me what, but he was good. He sat beside my bed keeping guard and joking around with me. Tos—um, Bucky made me feel safe." Steve took in a sharp breath. I chuckled sadly, "I was dying in a Russian bunker, but somehow he made me feel safer in those few days than the last five years in Jersey City."

Steve was smiling, but it was a distant one, "Bucky was good at that. He was always looking out for me when we grew up. Can't tell you how many times he drug me out of an alley fight."

"Captain America was picking alley fights?"

"Only the ones worth fighting." He glanced at me. Steve pulled the car onto my street and I motioned for him to just park on the side of the road. When the car pulled to a stop, I reached out to comfort him, but stopped halfway.

"Uh", My hand hesitated before I just tapped his shoulder a few times awkwardly, "I'm sorry." Steve glanced at my hand and I quickly pulled it away. He was smiling in amusement. "We'll find him. Then you and him can catch up on all the good ol' times and I can kick the shit out of him for giving me a fake name."

Steve let out a bark of laughter as we climbed out of the car. It felt a lot less awkward now and I was thankful for that. He stopped and glanced around himself, raising an eyebrow in question. I didn't blame him. This neighborhood was a real shit hole. I was just here because it was close-ish to the ring and affordable. Very affordable.

The issue now was that we both stood out like sore thumbs. Steve had on a t-shirt and jeans with a nice, navy jacket over it. Even me, who usually fit in here, now stood out. My leather jacket looked like money and the clothes that Natasha had loaned me were nice. It was lounge clothes, just a long sleeve shirt and some jeans, but one look and you could tell it cost some money.

"We should hurry." I pointed to my building. "We probably only have half an hour before this car gets stripped or stolen."

"What?" Steve questioned in alarm, but I didn't reply. We both walked down the broken and old sidewalk, ignoring the looks we got from people sitting on their apartment steps or milling about. As we reached my building, a small three-story place that had seen better days, Steve quickened his pace a bit so he could open the door for me. I blinked in surprise and he motioned to the door, "After you, ma'am."

"Thanks." I slid in and the familiar smell of weed and mold hit me. "You don't have to call me ma'am though."

"You did say I could call you whatever I want."

I smirked, not expecting the comment from him. He had a smile of his own and I nodded appreciatively, "Ok, you got me there, Captain."

"How about a deal?" Steve opened the door to the staircase, and I walked in with a nod, "I won't call you ma'am, but you have to start calling me Steve. Not Captain America."

We reached the third floor and again he pulled the door open for me. I could get used to this kind of thing. I smirked and tried to see how he'd react if I pushed a little more, "Ok, Stevie." He chuckled and followed after me in the hall. "Sounds like a fair deal."

Steve was turning out to be a little more laid back than I assumed he'd be. I guess, I just figured Captain America would be a stiff, patriotic, goody-two-shoes kind of guy. It was refreshing to be wrong.

We walked to the end of the hall where my apartment was. Steve glanced around looking at the cracked walls and dirty carpets, "You…lived here?"

"Yupp. Home sweet home." I grabbed the doorknob and swung it open. Steve looked startled that it opened so easily. I nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I don't lock my door. Nothing worth stealing." Steve looked like he wanted to argue about something, but I shifted in place, "Hey, is there any way you can just stay herefor a minute? I just…I kinda want a moment alone."

Steve took a step back, "Yeah, of course. Let me know if you need anything."

I gave him a smile in thanks then stepped into my apartment. Despite being gone for over a week, nothing in my place had been moved or touched. There really wasn't anything in here worth taking, and my neighbors knew if they came in I'd fight them. They knew who I worked for.

With a sigh, I moved into my bedroom and began to shove clothes into a duffel bag I had in my closet. Clothing wise, I really didn't own much. A few jeans, some t-shirts and tank tops, and some jackets for the crisp fall and freezing winter. I actually had more workout clothes than real clothes. Even undergarment wise, I only had one real bra. Everything else was a sports bra for fighting or working out.

It took me three minutes to pack my entire wardrobe into the small, black duffel bag. The only thing that didn't fit was a thick winter coat. How sad was that? I could fit my entire life in one tiny ass duffel bag in under five minutes.

I glanced around the bedroom. My bed was still unmade from the morning the agents woke me up. Only 10 days had passed and yet it felt like a lifetime. I moved back out into the living room and made a beeline to the bookshelf. The collection of books were probably the most expensive thing in this apartment and it was just old books from college that I never threw out. I grabbed the second to last book on the third shelf. The black cover was worn out and peeling. It was a Bible I never read. It was all I had of my mom. I flipped it open to the middle and all four pictures were still there.

One of me and my mom.

Another of Aubrey and I as kids.

The third was a picture of my dad and I at one of my volleyball games.

Lastly, was a picture of me and Granny. The last foster mother I had and the only one who ever gave a damn about me.

"You doing ok?"

I closed the book and glanced over my shoulder. Steve was standing in the doorway with concern on his features. I nodded with a tight-lipped smile, "Yeah. I'm good. Ready to go."

"Already?" Steve questioned. He motioned around the room. "I can help you pack some of this."

"Nope. I don't want it. Clean slate and all that."

I must have sounded more pathetic than I meant to because he stepped into the apartment and crossed the room to me. Steve didn't say anything though and I kind of appreciated that. There was nothing to say. There was nothing here I would miss. I thought I would feel sad about this, but instead I felt nothing.

"You want me to take that from you?" Steve offered his hand. I started to argue that he didn't need to do that, but he just kept his hand there with a smile I could only describe as smug. Who would've known Captain Steve Rogers had a smug bone in his body. I chuckled and slid the duffel bag off my shoulder to put in his hand.

"What a gentleman." I joked.

"Product of my time." He shrugged, then pointed behind him. "Also, there was a man out there who asked me if I wanted to buy a tiger or snake?"

I nodded, "Yeah, that's Python Pete. He runs an exotic zoo in the building, but I think most of the animals are just cats he found on the street." Steve raised an eyebrow at me, and I grinned. "Don't make eye contact with him. He takes it as a challenge."

I gave his arm a pat with my hand and then walked out the door.

I didn't look back.


Clint sat at a desk that was not his own with his feet propped up and an arrow in his hand that he twirled around his fingers. He was bored out of his mind, and he really didn't need to be here. He didn't really like the new base of operations, it wasn't as nice as the old one, but this one also didn't have any HYDRA agents lurking around so that was a plus.

SHIELD was born anew in the aftermath of what happened, but it hadn't been easy and they weren't nearly what they used to be. They had gone from a large, worldwide organization to a small band of misfits. Trusted misfits though. Clint could say that he personally knew most of the official agents still working and those he didn't know were vouched for by the people he did. That was enough for him.

"How many times do I have to tell you to get your ass out of my chair and your feet off my desk?"

Clint dropped his feet to the floor with a grin. Agent Maria Hill stood in front of him. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a bun and there was a look of annoyance radiating from her bright blue eyes. He pointed the arrow at her, "Hill. How's it hanging?"

"Where is Nat? Why did she leave you unsupervised?" Maria asked while motioning for him to get up. Clint popped out of the seat and Maria sat down and immediately began to work on her computer. He had no doubt she was probably the busiest agent in the business. He patiently waited, drumming his fingers on her desk, and she finally rolled her eyes and looked to him. "I gave you a team to break up a fighting ring, I did the paperwork for it all, and I'm working on finding a Training Agent for your new recruit but—"

"Oh, yeah, I don't need that anymore." Clint waved her off. "Stark gave her a job as an assistant."

"Poor woman." Maria mumbled then shook her head, "Isn't the recruit also the one that just popped up on our radar?"

Clint shrugged, "Uh huh, but she's low risk."

Maria clasped her hands on her desk with a tilt of her head, "She's a potential asset. Fury wanted to meet her."

"Fury is running around the world doing God knows what." Clint waved her off. "Any meeting we have with him is through a secure video line. Isn't he a little busy to be bothering a 26-year-old woman from Alabama?"

Maria scoffed, "She's a 26-year-old woman who could potentially be an inhuman."

Clint stiffened but tried not to show it. Being an inhuman in this day and time was definitely better than it was 15 years ago, but it came with its own risks and dangers. A human with powers would be watched for their entire lives. Clint wasn't even 100% positive that's what was going on with Aj.

"I don't think she's an inhuman." Clint argued. "I think she's just…lucky."

"Lucky doesn't survive the wounds she had." Maria shot back. "I saw her file, I saw her medical record. With help or not, that woman should have died after that many blows to the head. Her brain should be pudding."

Clint knew she wasn't wrong, but he didn't like the idea of her being right either. Aj was safer as Tony Stark's personal assistant. Yes, she would spend most days irritated and contemplating the homicide of the billionaire, but she would be safe.

Clint owed her that.

"Hill." Natasha greeted as she walked up to them. She gave Clint a glance, "You ready to go?"

Clint nodded and Maria looked away from him to her, "Knock some common sense into your partner, Romanof?"

"Anything for you, Hill." Natasha joked before pulling Clint away. "Let us know when you need us."

They both walked out of the building to where the quinjet was hidden away. The new base was still in Washington, DC, but they were in the process of moving. At least, they were planning on it. Clint had a suspicion that's what Fury was working on.

"Why am I knocking sense into you this time?"

"Maria thinks Aj is inhuman."

"She probably is." Natasha replied and Clint's head snapped to her in surprise. The red head shrugged, "You've seen what we've seen. She has the inhuman potential. If she goes through terrigenesis it could amplifyher odd skills. It's not often we see the power leak through and show before the change."

"Or we're wrong." Clint said back firmly. "We're wrong and if she tries to go through terrigenesis she'll die, Tash."

Natasha shook her head, "I know. I'm just telling you what you're trying not to think about. It's on the table and it has to be discussed at least once."

They got to the quinjet and Natasha opened the back hatch while also deactivating the cloaking device. Clint walked in first and moved straight to the cockpit to get the jet started. It took him a couple minutes to get them up into the air and then autopilot had it covered from there. Clint got out of his seat and saw Natasha sitting on the floor with her back against the seats. She patted the spot beside her with a quirk of her lips.

Clint sighed and dropped down to the spot. He laid his head in her lap and closed his eyes, "We have the chance to give her a normal, safe life. If we bring up this inhuman stuff it'll just be the opposite. Shit, she only barely trusts us."

Natasha ran her fingers through his dark blond hair, "She's going to be fine."

Clint just enjoyed the sensation of her fingers running across his scalp. After a moment, he opened one eye to look up at her with a smile, "You know, she wants you to teach her how to kill a man with her thighs."

She smirked, "That might be fun. The more she knows the better."

"Maybe I should teach her to shoot."

"Baby steps, lyubimiy."


Tony really had spared no expense when he built these apartments, but I guess that's what you could do if you were a billionaire. Thor's apartment, the one I was crashing in, was the bottom of the chain of apartments. Above this floor was Steve's, then Clint and Natasha's, then Dr. Bruce Banner's, and then Tony's. Apparently above Tony's floor was the penthouse and it was used as an open floor plan with a public kitchen, living room, and some other fancy shit. I hadn't been there yet, but Tony had given me the 5-minute speech.

The elevator opened right into my new apartment's den. There was a white set of couches surrounding a television with décor, past that was a dining room table with seats, and the wall past that was just a large window with the best view of Manhattan I had ever seen. To the left from there was a large, clean kitchen and another small nook area with a table in front of more windows. There was also an office room that I didn't see myself using much, but it was there. To the right was the bedroom and bathroom. The master bedroom was the size of my entire old apartment with a dark wood bedroom set and a king-sized bed. I honestly didn't know beds could get that size. The walk-in closet was bigger than my old bedroom and it looked absolutely hysterical that I had my small wardrobe in it. Finally, there was the bathroom which looked like something you'd find in a rich person spa. Marble floors, gold trim, a walk-in shower I could run laps in.

I was thankful. I had a roof over my head and there were days in my past where that wasn't always guaranteed. The apartment didn't feel like a real home though. It felt like I had walked in on some movie set. Thor hadn't left behind anything personal or any décor so at least it didn't feel like I was taking over his home. It just felt…blank.

Right now, I was sitting on the floor in front of the window just looking out above the world. It felt weird to sit on any of the furniture. Like someone was going to come in and snap at me for putting my unworthy body on something so expensive.

I pulled my knees closer to my chest and rested my chin on them. It was a clear, sunny day and I could see everything. This was probably going to become my favorite spot in this apartment because honestly, I hadn't ever seen anything prettier.

"Getting settled?"

I jumped up, panicked, but my eyes only landed on a smirking Clint. He leaned on the dining room table behind me with one hand. I let the tension roll off me and crossed my arms, "How'd you sneak up on me?"

"I'm a secret agent of SHIELD." He shrugged. "And you're good, but you're not 'Clint and Natasha' good yet."

"I kicked that one secret agent's ass."

Clint nodded, "Which was impressive, but still not at our level."

I rolled my eyes, "Aren't you supposed to be in DC?"

"I was. Just got back."

"Already?"

"Quinjets are quick." He replied and I nodded as if I knew what the fuck a quinjet was. Clint lifted his hand off the table to pull something out of his back pocket and slam it on the table with a grin, "Congrats, kid. You're my kid."

I scoffed and grabbed the papers he had slammed down, "What?"

"I'm adopting you."

"First off, I'm a 26-year-old woman. You can't adopt me. You're about eight years too late, weirdo." I unfolded the paper to see the word 'Adoption' written across the top and also a set of cutely drawn paw prints. "Also, this is the paperwork they give you at an animal shelter when you're looking to adopt a pet!"

Clint shrugged sheepishly, "The idea behind the sentiment is the same, isn't it?"

"You're batshit crazy, Hawkeye." I tossed the papers back onto the table and moved toward the kitchen. The fridge was fully stocked and according to Tony it always would be. He had people for that. Rich people, man. "Anything else I can help you with?"

Clint leaned against the kitchen's island counter while I pulled a water bottle out of the fridge, "Just wanted to check in and see how you're settling into your new home." I snorted in amusement before taking a swig of water. Clint raised an eyebrow at me, "I know I'm hilarious but what was the joke there?"

"This is hardly a home." I shrugged. "Do you guys all really live here?"

Clint looked like he wanted to touch on my first topic, but nodded instead, "This is Avengers headquarters and it was just easy for us to have a place to crash if we needed to. Tash and I have a few other places all over the world."

"Agent thing?"

"Yupp. And then Tony has a house on almost every continent. Some with multiple houses."

"Billionaire thing?"

Clint chuckled, "Banner stays here regularly and so does Steve. I think they both originally planned on finding an apartment in the city, but not much beats this view." He pointed behind him. "Plus, the rent of zero dollars a month is pretty great."

I bobbed my head in agreement. He wasn't wrong there and as someone who had nothing to her name it was very appealing. Tony said he was going to pay me for the assistant job though and I'm sure the paycheck would be exorbitant and ridiculous. After a month or two I could find my own place and move out.

"This could be your home, you know?" I shook myself out of my thoughts and glanced at Clint who had traded his smirk for a sincere smile. Clint knocked on the counter a few times, "Forreal. This could be your home, but you gotta give it a real chance."

I crossed my arms, "We're friends. I get that. I've accepted it. But…why are you and Tony so hell benton bringing me into your weird little group?"

"Tash wants you here too. She said she wouldn't mind teaching you some moves once you heal up." Clint pointed at me. It was the first real tempting offer I had gotten from him. He grinned, "Steve does too because he's gotta take care of you for his best friend."

I shook my head, "I really don't think Bucky meant that literally."

"And when you meet Banner, I'm sure he'll like you too! I see nothing wrong with that."

"Yeah, well what happens in three months when y'all realize I'm an asshole."

Clint shrugged, "I already think you're an asshole."

I held back my laugh, "The point remains. Y'all take me in now but you'll probably end up regretting it and then where does that leave me?" Clint nodded his head slowly and I played with the bottle in my hands nervously. Being out of my element made me uncomfortable. "I'm not good at relationships. I can make you laugh now and it's fun because I'm new and shiny, but… Once that wears off y'all are gonna be left with a realmess."

"I get why you think that. Here's the thing and I know you'll understand exactly what I mean when I say this." Clint had a serious look on his face. "In a fight, it's your gut instinct or nothing, right?"

I nodded, "Of course. You don't have time to think you just have to act."

"Exactly." Clint snapped his fingers. "My gut instinct told me that bringing you into our circle would be a really good thing. Not just for you either. For us too. Don't really know why yet, but I trust that my gut knows what's up." He walked around the counter to stand in front of me. "Did I tell you how I met Natasha?"

"No."

"SHIELD sent me on a mission and my mission was to kill her." He said simply and my eyes widened in surprise. "My gut made a different call. 10 years later and I still don't regret it."

Clint was right in the sense that I understood what he meant. I put a lot of trust in my gut. It had saved my life a hundred times over. Right now, my brain was freaking out and my skin was crawling at being in a place I didn't recognize, but my gut felt fine. There were no alarm bells going off in that sense. My nervous brain wanted to ignore the lack of reaction from my gut, but maybe he was right. I needed to shut my dumb ass brain up and let my gut make the decision.

"Fine." I said and his grin grew. "But only because the Black Widow said she'd teach me how to kill a man."

"Hey, I'll take it!" Clint clapped his hands. "Also, I asked her to take you shopping."

"What?" I shook my head. It would be nice to own some real clothes and the thought of shopping to relax rather than shopping because my shirts were too stained with blood was great. Again though, I had nomoney and the thought of shopping with the Black Widow was a little terrifying. She might just be the most intimidating person I've ever met. "She's absolutely the scariest person I've ever met. Which is saying some shit. Also, I have no money? I'll just go shopping after my first paycheck."

"Tash is just a giant dork, you'll see." Clint waved off my concern and I blinked in shock. Did he just call Black Widow, a super assassin of the next level, a giant dork? Clint shook his head while I was still reeling, "Plus, what are you going to wear on your first day of work?"

My face went blank as I realized he was right again. The nicest thing I had was a pair of jeans, with tears at the knees, and a blue blouse that I didn't know how I got. It was a size too big for me and I literally had no idea where it had come from.

"How'd you know I didn't have any clothes?"

"Steve."

"I didn't realize Captain America was a little snitch."


Bruce Banner nodded his head calmly while Tony rambled a million miles an hour about what he had missed. He was a guest lecturer at NYU, Colombia, and Barnard University which kept him pretty busy the last few weeks. According to his manic friend, he had missed a lot.

"Let me get this straight." Bruce said slowly the moment Tony gave him the chance to talk. They were both standing in the upstairs, private 'Avengers' lab that was tucked away in the open floor plan of the penthouse. The walls around him were made of glass and it allowed him to see into the den below and see the quinjet parked out on the landing strip. Clint and Natasha must be back already. Bruce cleared his throat, "While I was gone, you and Clint kidnapped a 26-year-old woman who you now have trapped in the Tower and working as your assistant."

"Our assistant." Tony grinned and motioned to himself, "I mean, mostly mine, but I'll have her keep up with your lectures for you."

Bruce nodded again, thankful that his patience was God-tier, "Can we circle back to the kidnapping part?"

"You misunderstood… the Russians kidnapped her. We saved her. Us and Bucky Barnes. He was there too. Absolutely wild times."

Bruce blinked. He had asked for clarification and all Tony had done was surprise him even more. He couldn't say he was shocked, it was a very Tony Stark thing to do, but it took him a moment to ground himself.

"Bucky Barnes? As in Steve's best friend and attempted murderer?"

"The very one."

"Is she ok?" Bruce asked. They hadn't asked him to look her over at all. He wasn't a medical doctor in any sense but that never stopped the team from roping him into first aid.

Tony waved off his concern, "Oh yeah, he actually saved her before we saved her. Aj and Bucky Barnes are—" He lifted his hand and crossed his fingers, "Thick as thieves."

"Alright." Bruce tried to swallow that information, but he figured he had bigger things to try and handle, "The Russians kidnapped her, which I won't even ask for more clarification on—"

"Good. It was uneventful."

"But then you and Clint kidnapped her immediately after." Bruce said firmly. It wasn't a question.

Tony groaned, "I knew you were gonna be like this. Is it kidnapping if I provide a luxury apartment, a job, and a whole new wardrobe?"

"Yes!" Bruce cried out. Tony rolled his eyes and Bruce continued. "Kidnapping is kidnapping."

"She agreed to it!"

"Did you twist her arm?"

There was a moment where Tony thought to himself while tapping the screwdriver he held against the lab top table. He narrowed his eyes, "Ok, maybe—"

"Jesus Christ, Tony."

"Hey, this is Clint's fault too!" Tony argued.

The lab doors opened and the phrase 'speak of the devil' rang through Bruce's mind. Clint grinned casually, "What's my fault?"

"Bruce says we kidnapped Aj."

Clint shook his head and walked over to them, "No, no, no. Banner, I adopted her."

Bruce buried his face into his hands. He leaves for three weeks and this is what happens. The Avengers were going to get arrested for kidnapping and holding a hostage. He groaned, "Did Nat or Steve not veto this idea? I left them in charge."

Tony held a hand up, "Alright, I don't like that you're inferring that you left the itsy, bitsy spider and Spangles to baby-sit us."

"I wasn't inferring. I said it." Bruce countered.

Clint held his hands up again, "Ok, it sounds sketchy and I know that, but she's got a shitty story, man. Kid's had her back up against the wall for years and had this wanna-be Al Capone making her life a living hell. I don't wanna go into it too much because it's her story to talk about, but the guy chained her to a radiator and left her there for days once." Bruce's face softened at the words. Shit. He knew the world was filled with terrible people, as an Avenger he saw it all too often now but hearing an individual story like this still hurt. Nobody deserved that. Clint continued, "Also, Tash and Steve approve. Sort of. I just got done talking to her again and she's on board. Aj's gonna give this place an actual shot."

Tony glanced at him, "What do you mean she just got on board. I thought she was on board two days ago?"

"Nah, I was 90% sure she was gonna make a run for it and I was right." Clint crossed his arms, "She wouldn't even touch the furniture in her place. Talked it out though and she gets it. She's gonna give it the ol' one-two effort."

Tony clapped Bruce on the shoulder, "You're really gonna like her. Has a good head on her shoulders. Smart, like 'get into Colombia's Medical program' smart, but a terrible decision maker since she decided to, you know, not go."

Bruce's eyes widened. That was a huge deal, and for her to just blow it off sounded insane to him. She must have had her reasons. Clint pulled Tony's attention away from the conversation at hand to ask for a new arrow design and Bruce turned back to his own work. He hoped she at least had some common sense. God knew they needed a little more of it around here.


One time, Boss made me fight an entire marathon series and then in the last fight he put in these two giant fighters I hadn't seen before. That was nine full fights and then a two vs one scenario. It had still been early in my career with him and I remember being terrified. Adrenaline and a cold dread had dumped into my system. Weirdly, it was probably the most scared I had been there while facing off another woman.

Shopping with the Black Widow was a thousand times worse.

She was stupid gorgeous. The kind of woman that made people do a double take when they saw her. I knew this because I saw them do it first-hand. Her bright red hair was slightly curled making her short haircut dramatic and hot. Unlike my short haircut that probably made me look like someone had attacked me with a fucking lawnmower. Natasha had on tight black jeans, a white long-sleeved sheer blouse that cut down into a V-neck, and a dark purple stylish trench coat. Compare that to me who had on torn skinny jeans, a white t-shirt that didn't have blood stains on the front, and my leather jacket. If you put the two of us side by side, it kind of looked like one of those warnings. Like a 'If you do drugs this could happen to you' with Natasha being the before and me being the after.

In fact, I was pretty sure when people glanced our way they thought I was just trying to pick pocket her or some shit. It didn't help that she had taken me to the Upper East Side where the fancy shops were. I had never stepped foot in this area with the fear that store owners would beat me away with a broom.

"This one." Natasha said before leading me into a Versace store.

"Listen, I think the most expensive thing I bought on my own is from Wal-Mart." I said while Natasha shooed away a store clerk who came over to help. "And I really wish that was an exaggeration, but it's not."

Natasha pulled a light blue button up shirt off the rack and held it up in front of me, "You're a size 4, aren't you? We'll get most of this tailored, but I need a base to start on."

Tailored? That was definitely a rich person thing.

"I feel really weird buying a whole new wardrobe with money I didn't earn." I said again in hopes that she would turn around and take us back to the tower in the bright red corvette she had driven us here in.

Natasha shook her head, "When Tony Stark hands you his card and tells you to go crazy he means it literally. If you don't come back with what he thinks is enough he'll just go online and buy things for you."

"That's insane." I blinked and forced her to stop digging through the racks to look at me. "You realize how insane that is, right?"

"That's just Tony. He's got the money to spare and he likes to spend it on anyone who needs it. Especially the people he thinks he's responsible for."

I laughed, "He is not responsible for me." I rubbed the back of my neck. "I told Clint I'd give this 'home' thing a chance, but shit can y'all ease me into this? I went from being a sewer rat to having Iron Man throwing cash at me, Captain America as my self-appointed bodyguard, and Hawkeye just tried to adopt me with papers from an animal shelter." I laughed, a little hysterically I'll admit, "Is the Hulk gonna become my primary physician?"

Natasha smirked and it was terrifying, "Probably. He isn't that kind of doctor, as he constantly reminds us, but he still looks us over after missions." She turned and went back to looking through the rack. "Do you have a color you prefer? Blues and greens would look best on you and with your skin tone gold jewelry would look best on you. Keep that in mind as we look around."

And because she was Black fucking Widow, I did.

We went around the store grabbing things and anytime she told me to try something on I hurried to the room to do exactly that. After thirty minutes, she had picked out a wide selection of business looking clothes and a few dresses. The part of me that loved dressing up was absolutely preening right now, but I shoved that version of Aj down again. Natasha told me to turn around if I didn't want to see the total and I listened. Seeing how much Tony had just spent on me would probably just make me nauseous.

"Send them to the Tower." Natasha said after pocketing the black credit card again. She turned to walk out, and I jogged after her.

That was convenient. Having all our bags of clothes just sent to the Tower like that. Rich people just had everything, didn't they? No wonder the rich wanted to stay rich. If they ever lost that title they'd probably just up and die.

"Well that was a lot of fun!" I clapped my hands once with a tight smile.

Natasha smirked at me again then looped her arm through mine. I tried not to stiffen, but it was really hard not to. She nodded her head forward, "We're not done yet."

My eyes widened in surprise as she pulled me into another clothing store where we did exactly the same thing. How much clothes did one person need? I survived the past five years with almost nothing and I was ok. I looked like a walking trash fire, but I survived. This time around though Natasha let me pick out casual things to wear while she focused more on the dressy stuff and I hated to admit it, but I did like that.

That was half the reason why I felt so guilty.

I loved this.

It was so nice to find something I liked and grab it with no worry. The idea of having a full closet was a luxury I never thought I'd have again. A part of me wanted to just break down and cry. I would've if I hadn't been so terrified of Natasha, I think.

I dragged my hand against the shoulder of a light gray pea coat hanging from the rack. None of these items had a price tag on it. I guess if you were in a store like this the price wasn't really an issue. Guilt gnawed at me again.

"Grab it." Natasha came up behind me and I jumped in surprise, "You need a good winter coat and that will look good on top of a work outfit when you're running errands."

If anyone else had told me that I'd turn them down with a scoff, but instead I just grabbed the coat and followed her to the front where the cashier was. Maybe that was Clint's plan all along. If him or Tony tried to take me shopping, I'd laugh my ass off and demand they take me to Wal-Mart or Target. I couldn't exactly do that with Natasha.

She paid for the items again, requested they be sent to the Tower, and onto the next store we went. This time it was a shoe store. She said I needed heels and boots. Honestly, I couldn't remember the last time I wore high heels. I hoped I remembered how to walk in them.

I glanced over at Natasha who was looking over the selection. The selection of shoes that I couldn't really tell much of a difference between. Steeling myself, I spoke up, "You're without a doubt the scariestperson I've ever met in my entire life." She glanced over her shoulder at me and I held my hands up. "Really it's a compliment. Not too many people intimidate me and the fact that you give off this raw energy of 'I can and will fuck you up' while also looking like a super model is amazing. Nothing but respect."

Natasha's lips quirked up into a smile and she turned to look at me fully, "But?"

"But?"

"You're going somewhere with this. Took you long enough to build up the courage."

At her mocking tone, my eyebrows furrowed together. This wasn't me. Terrifying or not, I was not the kind to cower. I squared my shoulders, "You're not here just to shop with me. I get Clint's gut instinct thing and I also kind of get Tony's weird obsession, but not you. This isn't about welcoming me into the family." As I said the words, it finally dawned on me. They were a family. Her family. My eyebrows raised in surprise, "You're sizing me up."

"Yes, I am." She didn't deny it at all. Natasha was smiling, but it was a dangerous smile. She picked up a heel off a display to look at it while she spoke, "They're idiots, but they're my idiots. The only ones I really have left. You don't necessarily seem like a threat to any of them, but I wouldn't have survived this long without being suspicious."

"I get it." I shrugged. "I'm new and I'm unknown."

"Exactly." Natasha motioned for a woman to box up the bright red heels she was holding before moving onto a boot. "So, here's my little spiel. I respect Clint's instinct. He's my partner, my closest confidant, and if he says you need our help then I trust him." She set down the boot and looked straight in the eyes. "If you take advantage of his kindness, of any of them, you will not live to regret it. Do you understand?"

I nodded and the respect I had for her only grew. With a smirk, I picked up another nude heel, one where the heel of it was razor thin, "Can you teach me how to fight while in heels? That'd seem like a useful skill to have."

Natasha chuckled and the tension between us simmered. It didn't go away, but it lessened significantly. "Fighting with heels is lesson two. Killing a man with your thighs alone is lesson one."

"I love the priority of that." I snapped and shot her a 'finger gun', "Are we nearly done?"

"We're done shopping." Natasha waved toward a few more shoes and the woman worked to get them all packaged. "We have one more errand to run."

She smiled at the woman and asked for it to be sent to the Tower. Looks like I was going to be spending the entire afternoon and evening putting all this away. Natasha pulled me out of the store, and I gave her a curious look. Before I could ask the question that sat on my lips she spoke.

"It's 1:30. Time for your hair appointment."


Steve had seen a lot of weird and worrying things in his life. He was soldier turned super. He fought a man with an entirely red skull. He crashed a plane into the ice. He woke up in a completely different time frame. He fought side by side with a mythical god against said mythical god's brother. He had to watch one of the most important people in his life, if not the most important, try to stab him in the neck with a knife.

The point was, Steve had seen some shit.

It was odd to him though that the idea of Aj going shopping with Natasha made it onto the weird and worried list. When he voiced this concern to Clint, the archer simply waved him off while shoving pizza into his mouth and said, "She probably won't kill Aj." It didn't exactly calm his concerns. Natasha was a good friend and he trusted her with his life, but he also knew how paranoid she could be at new things. Aj was a very new, very questionable part of their lives now. He had no doubt the red head was interrogating the young woman between buying shirts and shoes.

It was his job to worry though. Bucky had been clear headed with Aj. A little lost and depressed, but from what he heard he was himself. The Winter Soldier wouldn't have saved Aj. He wouldn't have made her laugh in a prison or guard her with his life. Bucky very much would though. Steve was even more determined to find his best friend. The trail in Moscow had gone cold, but he wasn't going to relent now. While he waited for the next clue to pop up, he would take care of Aj. Bucky had asked him to. For whatever reason, Bucky had connected with her and if she was important to him then she was important to Steve.

Steve continued to sketch on the notebook resting on his leg while he lounged on one of the den's couches. He could see Tony and Bruce across and above him working in the lab, and he could hear Clint tripping around the kitchen complaining about the type of coffee Tony had stocked up on. The elevator dinged to his left and he sat up slightly in his seat trying not to look to on edge. As the doors opened the sound of laughter spilled out of them.

"—the python was at least 7 feet long and those dumbasses thought they were just gonna pick it up and walk out of my apartment." Aj snickered while Natasha chuckled beside her. "Boss' henchman had one thing in common among them all and it was that they were all as dumb as a bag of hammers."

Natasha was smiling, and he wasn't nearly as good at reading it as Clint, but it seemed sincere rather than just an act. Aj had on a casual outfit, compared to the red head, with her hands shoved into her leather jacket pockets as she smirked. Her brown dark brown hair had been about shoulder length and choppy in its cut. Now though, it was cut a little further, hovering over her shoulders in loose waves, and she had bangs that came down to her eyebrows. It was a good look on her. The cut was balanced and framed her features well.

"Have fun?" Clint asked with a mouthful of food as he wandered out of the kitchen.

"Nat made a guy who wolf whistled at her piss his pants." Aj grinned with a nod, "So, yes. We had a lot of fun."

"And we got Aj an entire new wardrobe." Natasha smirked at the woman who was a few inches shorter than her, "Maybe now she won't dress like a hobo."

Aj walked over to the den while Natasha moved toward Clint, "Ha ha, Black Widow's a comedian."

"A very cute hobo." Natasha comforted her before looking to Clint. She set her hand briefly on his chest as she passed him into the kitchen and Clint followed after her.

Aj dropped down onto the couch diagonal to him, "Howdy, Steve. What'cha doing?"

"Nothing." Steve closed up the notebook and held it up slightly, "It's a notebook of things I'm supposed to catch up on."

Her warm blue eyes widened, "Oh yeah? Star Wars?"

"It's there."

"Jurassic Parks."

"Watched them."

Aj nodded, "The second one is shit, ain't it?" Steve chuckled and she went on, "Er, Lord of the Rings? Wasn't really my thing, but you gotta know the references."

"Working through it."

Aj hummed, her lips twisting in thought, "The Walking Dead? It's newer than the others, but it's good."

Steve shook his head and opened the notebook to write it down, "Thanks for the tip."

"Of course. Daryl Dixon's one of the only rednecks to give us a good name." Aj winked at him and he chuckled and closed the small notebook again. Steve glanced over at her to see she seemed a little twitchy. Aj didn't lounge in her seat. She was sitting straight up with her hands drumming on her thighs.

Steve nodded to her, "How's the hand?"

Aj held up the splinted hand, "It's honestly fine. I would've taken it off already, but Natasha says if I do Clint will have a stroke."

"She's not wrong. It's important to keep it on. You want your hand to heal right."

"Not my first cracked knuckle, but thanks Stevie." She smirked with a chuckle.

Steve motioned to her with the notebook in his hand, "I like your hair. It looks real good on you, ddarling."

Her face tinted pink and he was glad she was distracted by her own embarrassment to not notice his slip up. Steve had been so close to calling her 'doll'. It was a habit he picked up from Bucky when they were kids and he never shook it.

"Er, thanks." Aj replied awkwardly and ran her left hand through it. "Natasha said I couldn't wear the nice clothes she picked out with a shitty haircut."

Steve barked out a laugh, "Your hair wasn't that bad before."

"You're a real sweet talker, ain't you?" Aj commented.

Steve hadn't noticed before, but she had a spray of barely noticeable freckles across the bridge of her nose. The fading bruises must have distracted him from them. Her right eye still had a dark ring of purple, but her left looked back to normal. The gash on her right cheekbone was mostly healed up, but it looked like it might scar.

"Hey, you haven't met Bruce yet, have you?" Steve pushed himself up. Aj looked surprised and quickly stood up. She followed his lead as he walked across the den toward the open staircase. The lab was on the second level of the room and it was next door to their small infirmary. Steve pulled the door open and motioned for her to step in.

Aj walked past him without hesitation and he watched as Tony and Bruce both glanced over at her. Tony let out a loud wolf whistle and Steve had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at his antics.

"Look at you, sunshine." Tony grinned. "Pretty as a picture. I'm keeping your caller ID as the hospital pic though."

"Now I wish I had flipped you off instead of throwing a peace sign." Aj replied and his grin grew. She turned to Bruce and took a step toward him. "Hi, I'm Aj. I'd offer to shake your hand, but…" She lifted her splint. "You're Dr. Banner?"

"I am." Bruce gave her a warm smile. "You can just call me Bruce though. I'm sorry you've had to deal with Tony and Clint these past few days."

"I'm sorry you've had to deal with them for this long."

Tony paused what he was doing to point at her, "Rude."

Bruce chuckled, "You get used to it very quickly."

"Yeah, I have a feeling working for Tony's gonna be a 'learn quick or die' situation."

"Oh, very much so."

Tony scoffed again, "Is it pick on Tony day or something?"

Aj shrugged, "I don't really need a specific day for that. Guys?" She glanced at Bruce and him who shook their heads to support the young woman. "See."

"Absolute traitors, the lot of you." Tony replied. "Did you get some clothes?"

Steve crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway to watch her interact with the scientists. Clint had said she didn't seem to handle new surroundings well, but she looked perfectly at ease here chatting happily with Bruce and snarking at Tony when he cut in. It didn't seem to faze her that they were the Avengers. Bruce was just a friendly face to get to know and Tony was just another guy looking for a battle of wits. Even her day with Natasha had ended differently than he thought it would. He hadn't actually thought she would murder Aj, but he also hadn't expected them to come up to the penthouse laughing.

Maybe that's what pulled Bucky in.

He watched as Aj laughed alongside Bruce at Tony's expense. Despite the trauma, despite the worry she might have, her personality was inviting when she wanted it to be. It made you want to talk to her more. Make her laugh. Bucky had been in a cold, concrete Russian bunker with a dying stranger, but that dying stranger still managed to break that sad shell and pull him in. Steve understood it a little better now. Aj was refreshing. He had no doubt she'd be a good addition around the Tower, and until they found Bucky, Steve would make sure she stayed safe.