A/N

A Note on MCU Timelines at this point, as several people have asked where in the Marvel timeline we are right now.

So – here we are:

- Banner has wrecked Harlem (Hulk movie) recently, and he is on the run from Ross. Ross meets Stark in that dim bar, just like in the movie. He's probably in India by now, where he will be found in about 6 months by Agent Romanoff (Avengers movie).

- Stark himself is a bit in the dumps, as the EXPO was a complete disaster and Vanko almost killed a lot of people. (Iron Man 2 happened recently)

- Mjolnir has landed in the desert at Puente Antiguo when Thor was exiled by Odin (Thor movie just starting). SHIELD is very interested, as they are searching for a power source for PHASE 2 weapons. They are also actively searching for the Tesseract under the ocean. They have NOT yet found it or Captain America.

This is where we stand now in the timeline.


Previously on Wonders:

Harry knew that Bella had held a lot back, particularly about the 7th, and only single, vampire in the coven. It wasn't difficult for him to get the gist of what she was not saying and he suspected the SHIELD folks knew it as well, especially if they did their digging into the relationships between Bella and the Cullen's; it would be child's play for them to interview a few teachers and students and find out what they needed to know about her relationship with the only single Cullen, and how she felt about him.

Harry took Bella's hand again, giving it a light squeeze. She turned to him with a small smile, her cheeks flushing pink.

For Harry, looking at Bella's flushed face and noting the sweat on her brow and the small nail marks she'd cut into her other palm when she had clenched her hands tight, he made himself a promise: if this Edward Cullen ever wandered into his sights, he would not escape unscathed from Harry's wrath.


Chapter 12

Harry snapped out of his angry thoughts when Fury addressed him. "I'm guessing that your people knew all about vampires before this, am I correct?"

Harry gave a brisk nod. "Yes. They are classified as a magical creature, but they generally don't fall under our jurisdiction unless they are attacking magical folk; and our wards that keep us hidden from muggles generally work on them as well, so we don't often encounter them."

"How very convenient," he replied, anger in his tone. He looked down at the desk and took a deep breath to calm himself: this wasn't the first time the magicals seemed to bury their heads in the sand when it came to the safety of the 'muggles.'

Trying to keep an even tone, he looked back up at Potter. "And I suppose you can't tell me anything else? Maybe about this group that 'oversees' them? Or ways we can better protect ourselves?"

Harry shook his head. "I can't speak of any particulars, you understand. There are rules and laws in place regarding secrecy, after all." Harry wasn't being smug, and if it was up to him, he would find a way to help them.

Fury seemed dissatisfied with this answer even though he expected it; he glared at Harry with his one good eye - it was rather intimidating, Harry could admit, and Mad Eye Moody would have loved him - but Fury gave a stiff nod and thankfully let it go.

Turning back to Bella, Fury gave her a long, appraising look. "Ms. Swan, Mr. Potter, there was another reason I asked to meet with you here today, that was, frankly, more important to me than clearing up an already closed case."

Bella raised an eyebrow, curious. When she glanced at Harry, however, she was surprised to see that he crossed his arms over his chest, and his expression looked almost...resigned? Had he expected this?

"Okay," Bella finally said. "Go on."

Fury began to talk in a tone that - to Bella's ears at least - sounded like a rehearsed speech. And a quick peek at the other Agents showed no surprise on their faces, so they clearly knew what was coming.

"Over the past few years, the world has been faced with threats that, quite frankly, we have not been up to the task of being able to counter on an even playing field. In fact, these 'enhanced' - whether we are talking about vampires or hulks or even regular people in advanced combat suits like Iron Man - have shown that we are way behind in being able to protect regular people from these threats."

Fury paused a minute, looking at them both carefully. "We had planned on asking to meet with Mr. Potter later this year anyway, but the recent fight in London gave us the excuse to ask him here sooner." He nodded at Harry, who remained calm with no outward expression.

"I've put a request in to the World Security Council to allow SHIELD to form a response team of extraordinary individuals who, in times of dire need, could help us with matching these 'super villains', to prevent mass destruction." He leaned forward. "To help even the odds, as it were. And to avenge our people when necessary to send a message, so they think twice next time."

When Bella heard this, she couldn't keep the amazement off her face, and wanted to laugh at how absurd it sounded that they were talking to her about this. Glancing around at the faces at the table, however, made the laughter die on her lips, as she saw that they looked dead serious.

Shaking her head, she scoffed. This was too much for her, and she didn't know whether laughing or crying would would be more appropriate. "You're truly asking me to be some sort of avenging hero?" She half expected someone to say 'gotcha!'

When they didn't, she laughed. "You can't really be serious right now!" Again she looked around, and besides Agent Romanoff, who had a small smile on her face and seemed to be amused at her reaction, they all looked at her calmly.

They really were not joking.

"Harry, I could understand. I''ve seen what he can do." And she nodded her head in his direction. "But me? I mean, I almost want to ask what the punch line is; you've read my file, you know how many times I've been in hospitals because I tripped over my own two feet. I have no special abilities, except perhaps attracting dangerous things to me and somehow escaping them alive. I have no extraordinary 'special' abilities of any kind."

Phil interrupted her rant, once again smiling kindly and shaking his head. "Bella, you are selling yourself short. Besides what Agent Barton saw what you could do in London - you did somehow toss a pair of trained wizards aside like they were caught in a hurricane - we are not necessarily saying you would be expected to fight using physical means. No, we are also looking for someone who has experience with enhanced beings, and by all accounts you've been closely involved with at least two different kinds: the vampires, and whatever it was that protected you from them. Well, three kinds, if you count Wizards and Witches."

"Bella, you have things to offer that don't necessarily mean we expect you to go toe to toe with bad guys. And, in the event circumstances forced you to fight, I'd be willing to bet that you are more than capable of holding your own and would prove quite formidable."

Bella's mouth opened and closed as she started and then stopped trying to think of a good rebuttal.

"All we are saying today," he continued, "is to think about this, for the future. We know you are in school, we are not asking you to drop out or come work for us tomorrow. Rather, just keep it in mind, and as we firm up details on our end, we could simply let you know about the opportunity and let you decide from there."

Bella sat there, stunned, as his words rang through her head over and over. When he started speaking to Harry, she was only half aware of what he was saying, and had to blink and clear her mind to catch up to their conversation.

"...later on, Mr. Potter. We know you have a career that you are dedicated to, and don't expect you to leave it. Rather, as I said to Bella, it would be something you could do, perhaps as a consultant, and only in the event our regular personnel were outgunned, as it were."

Harry finally let his arms uncross and laid his hands on the table. He didn't say anything for a long minute, and finally let out a breath as he carefully worded his answer. "It would depend on many factors, and of course I'd need to confer with Minister Shacklebolt. That is all I can say at the moment."

He glanced at Bella, and his lips twitched. "And as Bella said - send me the particulars, and I will take a look."

Agents Romanoff and Barton both chuckled. Harry met the attractive Agent's eyes with a grin, and watched as her bright green eyes gave him an assessing look. They held their stare for a moment, and she finally gave him a playful smile before she winked at him. He smiled in response, and they both looked away, their blank game faces back on.

Fury nodded, not completely happy with the non-committal answers he got, but not entirely surprised either. Both of their psychological assessments he had read before this meeting - that detailed the expected responses to certain questions he would get from them - had predicted this.

So, with a polite nod, he said "That's all we can ask for at the moment."

He paused and then looked at Bella. "We don't want to keep you any longer, as that's really all we have for today, Ms. Swan. Do you have any questions for us?"

In fact, Bella had many questions, but decided she would think about what she'd heard here today before voicing them, and discuss them with Harry first. "Not at the moment," she finally replied. "But if I do, how would I contact you?"

Phil nodded, pulling out a billfold from his jacket. "Here is my card." Bella took it gingerly, looking at the embossed logo and the simple text with his name, email, and phone.

'Phil Coulson. Deputy Director, Operations.'

"You can call or email at any time, and someone will give me your message. And if we need to contact you...well, we have our ways." His eyes twinkled at this last comment.

Bella let out a small chuckle; they were, after all, a super-spy agency, and they probably did indeed have their 'ways.' Whatever they were, she decided she probably didn't want to know, and mumbled "I'm sure you do." When there were several small chuckles at the table, she realized she had not been as quiet as she thought.

Phil turned to Harry. "And you, Mr. Potter? Any questions?"

Folding his hands in front of him, Harry tried to affect a somewhat disinterested manner that hid his interest in discussing something completely unrelated: he was going to fish for some information. "I heard something last week that caught my interest. What can you tell me about Puente Antiguo?"

The response was instantaneous. Bella watched as everyone in the room immediately stiffened sharply at Harry's question. Clearly, he caught them totally by surprise and the words 'Puente Antiguo' was a hot potato.

"How do you know that name?" Hill asked in sharp voice, leaning forward. Her eyes were flat, focused, her hands clenched into fists.

Harry looked at her calmly, showing no indication that the sudden tension in the room bothered him in the slightest. "The event gave off a huge spike that registered on almost every magical sensor grid in the Northern Hemisphere. As Head Auror, clearly I was informed of anything that could be a possible magical threat."

There was a long silence while Fury and Hill looked at each other, some silent communication passing between them. Finally, Fury turned back to Harry, and Bella could have sworn she saw him wrestling with something before he briefly smirked. "I can't speak of any particulars, you understand. There are rules and laws in place regarding secrecy, after all."

Bella had to bite her cheek to keep herself from laughing: Fury had repeated Harry's words back to him, word for word. And then, when Harry looked at her and gave her a withering look, she lost her battle and had to cough several times and cover her mouth to hide her snickering.

Turning back to Fury, Harry nodded, not caring too much that he was rebuffed. He had asked that question with one purpose only: to get them to talk about it later, where he could eavesdrop with his listening charm. So he calmly responded, appearing unflapped.

"Understood, Director Fury," he said with a small grin. Then, "if that's everything, it was a pleasure meeting you all."

Bella, not knowing his plan, had expected more of a reaction from Harry than what he showed; he , gave her a quick glance, keeping his face impassive at her questioning eyes, and she planned on asking him about it later, even as everyone rose from their chairs.

And with that, the meeting ended, goodbyes were made, and Phil escorted them from the building, retracing the path they'd taken. They made some light small talk with him, but both Harry and Bella were distracted and thinking about the things they discussed at the meeting.

Once outside and back on the street, Harry hustled her along by her elbow, and Bella had to almost jog to keep pace. "Harry! What's the rush?"

"I'll tell you in a moment," he said quietly, leaning towards her but not slowing his pace. "We just need to get to an area with some privacy and then I'm going to apparate us somewhere quiet." And then he did slow for a moment, pulled her close so his right arm was hidden behind her back, and took his want out so just the tip was revealed. He waved it in a tight circle before holstering it and then leaned his face next to her cheek.

Blushing and thinking he was going to kiss her, he whispered into her ear instead. "I've just cast a spell that would have muffled any listening devices they might have planted on us, and will stop them from using long range listening antennas to hear what we are saying. I have no doubt we are under observation right now and I cast a spell so we can hear them when they are in that room. I want to get us somewhere where we can hear what they say about us."

When Bella's eyes widened in outrage, Harry wrapped his arm around her, holding her close."Shhh, no reason to get mad. They probably mean well, but they can't help but be nosy bastards."

Bella laughed, and Harry kept his face close. "They could still be looking at us through lenses, and they might have lip readers, that's why I'm whispering into your ear." He finally leaned back, and winked. "Let's go."

He picked his pace up again, and Bella was not sure if his ultra-paranoia was justified, but she did remember them being followed - twice! - by Shield in London, so she realized that it was not unreasonable to think they were being followed now.

After a few minutes of frenetic walking, Harry steered them into a local coffee shop, and walked them to the back where he saw a restroom sign. He pulled her along, and she was almost out of breath from his long strides when she saw where he was leading her.

"Harry!" she hissed. "This is a men's room!"

Harry just laughed at her mock outrage, checked that no one was inside, and pulled her in and cast a low powered locking charm at the door. The spell would wear off in about a minute, long enough for them to be gone.

Bella looked around in disgust - she never realized how much worse the men's rooms were than the women's lavatory - but she didn't have time to think long on it. Harry pulled her close, warned her to hold tight, and apparated them to a small apartment that the British Ministry kept for Ministry officials who had to visit the US on official business. He had checked with Shacklebolt before he left London, and he confirmed it was currently empty. He had stayed here before during Ministry sanctioned visits, but tonight he was staying at a muggle hotel in Georgetown. He didn't want the ministry knowing his comings and goings on this trip, and and he didn't feel it appropriate to use this place in case Bella ended up spending time with him after dinner.

Bella was a bit woozy after the apparition, and Harry moved her to an overstuffed armchair and sat her in it. A moment later, his wand was in his hand, and he made a complicated movement with it. Bella watched curiously, and then she startled as voices suddenly filled the room, sounding like they were coming through a long tunnel but still relatively clear.

She immediately recognized the speaking voice as Phil's, and turned to Harry, eyes full of wonder and questions on her lips, amazed again at what magic could accomplish so easily.

He shushed her with his finger, mouthing 'later.'

"...get that impression," Phil said. "Rather, I think we could have mentioned it and she would have been okay."

Fury spoke next. "Thoughts, Romanoff?"

"I was impressed. She's smart, observant, and if Barton is correct, is talented."

Harry smiled at Bella, who looked down, blushing. She had to fight to keep herself from grinning, and tried to keep her attention on the voices, as she had just missed a few words.

"...her ability. According to our contact at MACUSA, it's unique. No one has ever been able to withstand that form of mind magic."

Another voice which Bella recognized as Hill's, spoke. "Are we certain of our source? Is it confirmed she is immune to all mind magic's?"

Bella's eyes widened when she realized what they were talking about now.

Phil answered. "We only have the single report. We've tried to get more information, and we do know she was in the ministry visiting one of the researchers there." A pause, then "a Ms. Hermione Granger. Probably Harry's closest friend, according our file, and by all accounts, a true genius level intellect."

Harry wanted to smile at the words about Hermione, but was upset at how 'plugged in' SHIELD seemed to be in the ministry. Clearly, they either had listening devices there, or there was a leak. No way they should have known about Bella's immunity to mind magic.

Meanwhile, Bella was appalled. At hearing the Agents speaking about her and her ability to keep Harry's magic from affecting her mind, she felt betrayed. She looked at Harry in shock, the sting of the possible betrayal causing her eyes to water. How had SHIELD learned of this so quickly? Had Harry or Hermione told them?

Harry instantly saw her distress, and shook his head vehemently. "No way Hermione told them anything. Let's finish listening and we'll figure it out. Please, Bella," he implored.

She clenched her teeth, her hands fisted on her lap, but nodded sharply. She was justifiably upset, and wanted to get to the bottom of this.

Hill spoke next. "We need better intel on the Ministry anyway. The last civil war there caused a lot of casualties in England, and we can't afford a repeat. Imagine if they got control of a senior army official with their mind control curse. We have to be kept better informed, and clearly can't rely on the Ministry personnel to do the job even though the treaties in place require them to be very transparent."

Harry frowned as he thought how the knowledge of Bella's ability had gotten out, trying to piece it together. And then, like a lightbulb going off in his head, he realized what might have happened: he had made the inquiry into Bella's status as a registered witch, and had given his Auror counterpart at MACUSA a sliver of information about her ability to withstand his obliviate.

'Merlin's Balls!' he thought. 'It might have been my fault!'

For another minute or so he listened to the Agents as they discussed the meeting, before Fury spoke up with an angry tone in his voice. "Do you believe he was truthful about how he learned about Puente Antiguo?"

Harry smiled grimly at Bella, leaning forward carefully. This is what he was waiting for.

And suddenly, Bella understood the look he had given her during the meeting, and, despite not knowing anything about this 'Puente Antiguo,' felt a genuine thrill at this whole 'spy' business, like she was a sleuth trying to figure out some big secret conspiracy.

Harry recognized her expression, and looked at her fondly. He clearly remembered many such 'eureka' moments during his adventures with his friends, and was happy that Bella got to experience this and enjoyed the thrill of it.

There was a brief pause in the Agent's conversation before Fury spoke. "I don't know, and I don't like it. I want more security at the site, it's too unprotected. Barton, Coulson, I want you onsite there tonight. Anyone approaches the Object, I want to know about it and I want them detained and interrogated."

Harry and Bella shared a quick glance. There was just something about the way that Fury said 'The Object'...the way he emphasized it like it should be in capital letters...it made their curiosity meters go to ten.

Coulson answered. "Sir, what about Stark? I was slated to meet with him to debrief on the situation and destruction at his expo."

"Leave it for me," Fury answered. "You get out to the Site, and oversee the operation. I want to know what that Object is, and why we can't move it. I want to know what those symbols mean. And make sure someone looks at the equipment you seized from Dr. Foster. I want her readings analyzed. I'll talk to Stark myself."

Coulson answered. "Those symbols - do you think that maybe they are magical in nature? Maybe Potter can help us with them, a sort of 'trial run' for him, if you would?

Harry looked over at Bella, who raised her eyes in surprise. A few seconds of silence, and then Fury spoke. "No, not on this. That thing is an alien artifact of unknown origin and of a metal no one has ever seen before; no one outside of SHIELD looks at for now. If we have no luck, we can consider it later."

Harry's eyes swung back to Bella's, who looked at him with an amazed expression that probably matched his own.

Understood sir," Coulson answered, just as a chuckle was heard from Agent Romanoff.

"What is it?" Fury asked.

"Good luck with Stark, Director. After I was outed as a SHIELD agent after posing as his secretary, I doubt he'll trust you very much."

"True enough, but we want to keep him close. If we are as close to finding the Tesseract as we think, we might need his input at some point down the line."

Bella looked at Harry, and mouthed 'Tesseract?' He just shrugged, not understanding the reference either, and his mind still boggled about the earlier revelation.

"Well, we need the Tesseract for Phase 2. We aren't having any stable results with other power sources, and there is a lot of resistance from the brass to trying Gamma Radiation, especially after Ross's little experiment with The Abomination and Sterns went awry and helped destroy half of Harlem."

Another pause, then Fury concluded the meeting. "Okay, that's all. I want eyes on Potter so long as he is stateside, and I want the monitoring of all Swan's communications to continue."

Bella's eyes opened wide at that, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. She looked over at Harry, and he just grimaced.

The revelations just kept coming.

They listened as footsteps sounded from the Agents, and what sounded like the closing of a door, then silence. Harry waited another minute, and then finally waved his wand, cancelling his spell. He turned to Bella, who was staring at him, her eyes wide.

"Wow," she whispered.

Harry laughed. "Yes, I'd agree. Wow."

Bella chewed her lip. "

She stared straight ahead for a while, not moving.

"Bella? Are you okay?"

She didn't answer for a moment, until finally her eyes snapped into focus and she turned to Harry. "Am I all right?" She let out a strangled laugh. "No, I'm far from all right! The world's largest spy Agency is monitoring me! Why? What did I do for them to do this?" she demanded. "And the rest? I mean, have you ever heard of anything like this? Alien Objects? Tesseracts?"

She lowered her eyes for a minute, and when she looked back up at him, her eyes were watery. "Harry, I'm...I'm scared. This is all so far beyond me, I don't even know what I'm doing here."

Harry leaned forward, going to his knees in front of her chair and took her hands in his. "Okay, first things first. Regarding the monitoring...Bella, spy agencies are filled with paranoid bastards. You've no doubt been in their sights since the stuff in Seattle; and now, given that you have been in two altercations with vampires in London, and have demonstrated abilities they think they could use, it's only to be expected they would keep a close eye on you."

Bella chewed her lip, turning this over in her head. "Do you think I'm in danger?" she finally asked.

Harry squeezed her hands gently. "Honestly? No, not from them. I think they just want to learn your secrets. Maybe make sure you won't join their enemies. Maybe try to learn things to help them persuade you to join them."

"How do you think they learned about my silent mind?" she finally asked.

Harry let out a sigh, and explained his theory. "I think that's my fault." And then he told her about his inquiry about her status as a witch, and she nodded, agreeing that was the most likely case.

"Okay," she said. "I can't really blame you for that."

Immediately relieved, Harry leaned forward and gave her a hug. "Thank you Bella. I'm sorry that it happened."

Returning the hug and not quite wanting to let him go, she whispered that she wasn't mad.

Harry finally returned to his seat, and they spent the next half hour chatting about the meeting and their impressions of the SHIELD crew, and the amazing revelations about the alien objects.

Finally, at about five, Bella's stomach grumbled, and her cheeks pinked. "I need to get home and change for dinner."

Harry nodded. "That's fine, I've got to check in to my hotel anyway."

"Oh, I thought you were staying here?"

"No, this is a ministry owned apartment. If I stay here, then they'll know my comings and goings, and I'd rather avoid that. Less reports to fill out," he joked.

Bella grinned. "Okay, then. Are we still going to dinner?"

Smiling back, he nodded. "Absolutely! We have a date, and heaven forbid I stand you up! Sophie would have my backside, alien objects or no!"

Bella laughed, the tension of the afternoon draining away. She gave Harry a tender smile, and stood from her chair and leaned over, kissing his cheek. "Thank you, Harry. For the support today, for everything."

"You're welcome, Bella."

"Since I met you, I feel like I'm on a rollercoaster, you know? Everything seems so...so exciting. I guess I'm not used to it."

He squeezed her hand again. "Don't worry, I like rollercoasters, and will make sure you don't get jostled too much."

She leaned into his shoulder, and he held her close.

A few minutes later, they were in a cab, on the way to Bella's apartment. When they got there, Bella was surprised when Harry got out with her and paid the driver. "Harry? Why don't you just take the cab to your hotel?"

Harry laughed as he walked her to the entrance to her building. "Well, it just so happens, when you gave me your address last week, I decided to stay as close to you as I could."

Grinning, Bella nudged his shoulder. "Should I be worried you're a stalker? Like a modern Jack the Ripper?"

"Never!" Harry said in a much exaggerated English accent, holding his hand over his heart in a ham maneuver. "The horror of it!"

Bella giggled, amused at his antics. "I think you should stick to fighting the bad guys, Harry. Your skills as a thespian are not up to snuff."

Harry feigned outrage. "I'll have you know I am a most excellent actor. Just ask the many teachers I managed to trick out of detentions!"

Shaking her head, Bella smiled at him. "So where are you staying?"

He turned and pointed to a hotel directly across the square and maybe a hundred feet down the block. "Right there."

Bella's eyes widened: he really was like a two minute walk away. "You're staying in the Graham?"

"Yes," he said. "It's very nice, and I actually once stayed there before, about five years ago. And you being this close cinched it."

"Well, then, what time are we having dinner?"

"I'll call you at 7. Does that work?"

"Yes."

Meeting her in a hug, they held it for a moment, and Harry gave her a soft kiss to her lips. It was quick, and chaste, but Bella closed her eyes anyway, enjoying his sweet breath and toned arms that held her close.

After saying goodbye, Harry was standing in the lobby of the Graham less than a minute later. "You'll be staying two nights, Mr. Potter?" the clerk asked while checking him in.

"No," he said. "I'd like to change it to three if you have the room."

The clerk nodded after checking the computer. "Yes sir, we have availability."

When Harry walked into his room, he unshrunk his bags and quickly shed his clothes, heading for the shower. For the first time today, he wasn't thinking about Bella or the myriad other things that he often worried about.

No, he was thinking about one thing only, the same thing that had him extend his stay.

It was time for him to take an unauthorized trip to Puente Antiguo.


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