The ride back to the Tower was mostly silent, but as they landed Clint cursed softly.
"What's wrong now?" Xander asked even as his hand clenched a bit tighter around Darcy's. She hadn't let go of his hand once during the long ride.
"Nat's gone to ground. Sent me a coded message. Stupid woman," he muttered.
"Probably went with Steve. Safira will go too. I'm going to trust that Safira can take care of herself, and make sure both Steve and Nat don't bite off more than they can chew." Xander said, fighting to keep his voice steady.
She's a smart young woman. She's a slayer. And you have to trust her to take care of herself.
The reminder helped, barely. They landed and he took a deep breath. "I need to go let Jolie and Hulk know everything is okay. My place in about thirty? Maybe by then I'll have an idea of what I can make."
"Sure. I'll go change and give Pepper an update. She asked to be kept informed."
"Thanks." He leaned forward and lightly kissed her lips. She smiled under the kiss, then headed out. He needed to work off some pent up energy, so he took the stairs down.
"Xander," Jarvis said as the door to the penthouse closed behind him.
"Yeah, J?" Xander asked, his mind still worried for his daughter. Vampires and demons were one thing, politics were a whole different boat.
"I took the liberty of ordering dinner from one of Miss Potts favorite restaurants and the ingredients to make a chocolate mousse pie."
Xander sagged a bit. "Thank you. I was stressing, I wanted something nice, but my energy level is low. And a mousse sounds perfect."
"You are welcome, Xander." There was a long pause. "I will let you know if I find anything that may indicate the whereabouts of Safira."
"You mean our three lost ducklings? Oh I know Steve and Nat, even Safira can take care of themselves. Doesn't mean I don't worry."
"Understood." Jarvis fell silent and Xander went into Bruce's lab. The door was locked and no amount of knocking brought anyone to the lab door.
"Jarvis, can you tell them I am out here. They are in here, right?"
"They are. One moment."
Five minutes later a sheepish Bruce, looking very rumpled and his clothes a bit worse for wear opened the door. "Sorry. Umm…"
Xander looked him up and down and smiled a long slow smile, in what felt like the first one since that morning. "She talked you into bringing Hulk out to play. So what did she con you into doing?"
Bruce rubbed his head with one hand not looking at Xander. Before he managed to reply Jolie came up and peered around him. "Is everything okay?"
Xander thought for a moment. "I don't know. Safira went with Steve and someone attacked Steve's boss. I think something bad is happening."
She gave him a long look. "Is Safira okay?"
"I hope so. She knows she can reach me if she needs me. But right now she is going to help watch Steve's back."
Jolie chewed on her lip for a minute then nodded slowly. "Understood." A smiled flashed across her face. "Hulk came out and we talked about mass versus strength. He's really strong. And then," for the first time in a long time she sounded like a young girl. "I told him the story I'd been working on. He listened!"
"You're writing a story?" Xander asked and Jolie froze.
"Yes, she is." Bruce put in, his hand resting on her back lightly. "A very creative one from what I heard through Hulk. She is not only a brilliant scientist, but has the makings of a brilliant author."
"Wonderful," Xander said and paused trying to work through this minefield. Too much encouragement would push her away, too little would crush her. "I'd be really excited to read it when you're ready to share. If you need help and want to publish it, I bet you could ask Jarvis."
"Publish? Really?" She lit up as she looked at him.
"Well, Hulk liked it, and he only likes really good things," Xander pointed out. Bruce gave him a dubious look at that, but didn't say anything.
"I'll think about it."
"Excellent. Want to have dinner with Darcy and me? It's a surprise."
Jolie gave him a suspicious stare. "What is? Me having dinner when the two of you are supposed to be on a date?"
"No, it's a surprise what we are having for dinner because Jarvis ordered for us. But you can help me make chocolate mousse for dessert."
"Do I get to lick the bowl?"
"Absolutely."
"Darn," Bruce muttered. "Now I want chocolate mousse."
"If there is some left, I can bring you some? I bet they'll be doing lovey dovey stuff," Jolie offered, laying heaps of contempt on the lovey dovey words.
Bruce granted her a slight smile. "I bet they will, and I'd love to have some chocolate mousse with you. Then we can look at the specs for the next experiment you wanted to run on your cells?"
"Great! Thanks!" Jolie burbled while Xander looked at Bruce askance.
"Her cells?" He managed to not squeak out the words while visions of a green Jolie flashed through his mind.
Bruce laughed, it was deep and rich and Xander realized he hadn't heard Bruce laugh like that in a very long time. "In a petri dish. She is running an experiment between cells of algae to see how various infrared light levels change the growth and chlorophyll generation levels."
Jolie rolled her eyes at Xander. "Please, I'm not about to experiment on myself, that's stupid."
A green tinted blush raced up Bruce's neck, then faded as he cleared his throat. "Yes, yes it is."
Xander blew out a sigh of relief. "Come on, Jolie. Let's see what we are having for dinner."
Jolie rolled her eyes but traipsed after him. "I really don't want to see any kissy stuff between you two."
The elevator doors slid closed and Xander stared at the top of the elevator. "Why not?" He knew her childhood had soured her on a lot of things, but he didn't want her to spend her life avoiding relationships. Though they sometimes drove him to violence, he'd never give up the people in his life.
"Cause that's gross. I don't understand why adults think anyone would ever want to do that." She had an odd tremor in her voice that Xander didn't like.
"Because some adults do enjoy it. And when adults enjoying sharing that kissy stuff, it can be a lot of fun. But remember this is adults both agreeing, not what happened to you." He dropped his gaze and looked at her, trying to impress upon her that there was a difference.
"I'm never going to want anyone of that," she stated crossing her arms.
Go slow, be sensitive.
"If you don't, you don't, and that's okay. But you might change your mind someday. And that's okay too. But just because you don't like it," he paused as the doors slide open. They walked out, as Xander tried to think of a way to get her to not make life choices now. "Think of it like dark chocolate, you don't like it but Safira does, but when she was younger she hated dark chocolate. Maybe when you grow up you'll like it too."
Jolie crossed her arms, staring at him with narrowed eyes. "Are you using that as a euphuism for sex? Because Safira has dark colored skin?"
Xander almost choked, spinning to look at her. "No! You don't like dark chocolate, right?" She nodded slowly. And he sped up his babble. "Well neither did she when I first found her. Now she does. I'm just saying tastes and what you like change. Maybe when you get older, you'll feel the same way about the so called kissy stuff." He dropped into a crouched before her, fastening his eye son her. "I know that sex was used as a way to hurt and threaten you, but do you really think Steve would ever hurt Safira, or that she would let him? Do you think I'd hurt Darcy?"
Jolie dropped her eyes and scuffed the toes of her sneakers on the carpet. "She isn't strong like you. You could. She couldn't stop you."
"Possibly. I think she's meaner and sneakier than you know. But how about this, do you think Jarvis would let me hurt Darcy?"
Jolie looked up at that, then up at the ceiling. "No," her voice absolutely assured. "He'd let someone know and would make sure that you were stopped."
Xander's emotions waged a war between relief she trusted Jarvis so absolutely and sorrow that she could even imagine him hurting Darcy.
"Well there you go. So you think you can handle a teeny bit of kissy stuff and have dinner with us? And then you can take chocolate mousse to Bruce?"
"No nudity?"
"Swear!" Xander put his hand on his heart. "No nudity."
Murphy don't jinx me now.
She nodded and they headed into the kitchen where three insulated coolers waited for them. He checked his phone before digging in, maybe there was a text from Safira, Steve, or even Nat this point. But his phone remained silent.
Xander slipped it back into his pocket and smiled down at Jolie. "Let's see what Jarvis ordered for us."
Together they unpacked the coolers revealing a variety of Thai foods, Pad Thai, shrimp wraps, yum tom, red curry beef and veggies , and mango pork. Plus, tucked inside was an extra packet with little flames drawn on it. "Awww, you remembered Jarvis, thank you."
"Your predilection to attempt to incinerate your taste buds has been noted."
Jolie gave him a wary look. "I don't want any of that on mine. Even smelling it burns."
"I know. I learned to eat it this way in Africa. The spice helped kill other things that thought I would make a good host. And I'm not just talking demons."
Jolie frowned then nodded slowly. "The capsicum in the spices you prefer would have a destructive effect on many parasites or other bacteria. It does have sound science to back it up."
"Why thank you. Now want to help me make chocolate mousse?" Xander waggled his eyebrow at her as he held up the ingredients. Jolie giggled and he couldn't blame her. Wiggling your eyebrows when a patch covered up one eyebrow must look pretty silly.
Xander showed her how to make the worlds best chocolate mousse, and from the amount that was on her face by the time they finished, Jolie wholeheartedly agreed. It had been put in the refrigerator to finish setting when Jarvis spoke.
"Miss Darcy is on her way up."
"Excellent timing," Xander said as Jolie helped him slip the mousse coups into the fridge. He'd wisely made enough for everyone remaining in the tower, even Jane.
The door opened for Darcy, courtesy of Jarvis and she came in looking grim and tired. Just looking at her brought everything back into the forefront of his mind with grim reality.
Not now. She will let you know if she needs help. She's a big girl.
He walked over to Darcy and took her hands, holding them in both of this gazing at her. She paused looking unsure of herself.
"Get everything straightened out?"
"Tony wants to run to the rescue, but we don't know where there is. And SHIELD is locked down so tight even Maria won't talk to me. Steve had disappeared and with him Safira and Natasha." She bit her lip and looked at him. "I can't do anything to help her."
Xander blinked at her and then broke into a laugh, surprising himself.
"Why are you laughing?" Darcy asked and he could see Jolie seeking up and looking at him with a worried glance.
"Both of you, and me for that matter, listen up. Safira is a slayer. She is strong, smart, and deadly. And she knows, and I mean knows to the bottom of her soul, if she needs me, not only will I be there, but so will Willow, and Buffy and Faith and Giles and everyone else. Until she says she needs my help, she's and adult and I'm going to trust her." He put every bit of belief he had into that statement and saw both Darcy and Jolie relax. "Good. Now come on, we have dinner to eat, then you Miss Darcy and I, have a date on the deck, while Jolie will be delivering dessert to our favorite doctor. Alright?"
They nodded and him and he chivvied them to the table, keeping the smile and the relaxed muscles at the forefront.
And I swear to the gods, if anyone hurts my daughter Halfrek herself will take notes on what I do to that person.
Hey everyone. I hope you enjoyed that bit. If you are looking for some free books I have a give away going where you will get physical books. Sign up here - davidjohnbutler dot com/giveaways/five-novels-march-giveaway/
I've finished this story and will be posting slowly - trying to get my next book published. And starting on the Age of Ultron.