Bruce hands a full box over to Volstagg while Natasha ties her horse;
"Not a bad day's work."
"Well done, Romanoff," Valkyrie jumps off of her animal next and nudges Bruce, "It was a fine fight. The hulk deserves his reward."
Bruce groans, tightening the edges of a blanket draped over his shoulders, "He's tired and cranky. He'll fight you tomorrow."
"You would seem to be in a less than pleasant mood."
Natasha fiddles with the strap on her horse and pets her nose, "He's hungry. He needs tea, a warm meal, and a nap."
Bruce shrugs with a half contorted mouth. Natasha isn't wrong.
Sif follows Volstagg to discuss exactly where the collected stones and Asgardian artifacts they've collected are to be placed. Natasha watches from a distance and mentally takes her notes.
Bruce takes Valkyrie's offered shirt next, laughing over her pouting facial expression;
"Natasha's right, I need food before I pass out. We'll discuss hulk's playtime after."
She grins victoriously.
He moves to roll up his sleeve, taking the water mug Natasha extends to her husband. She fills another for Valkyrie.
"Water?! Where is the Meade?" Brunnhilde remarks shamelessly.
"You're welcome."
"Jane!" Thor's shout practically rattles the ground as Jane steps timidly towards the entrance. The demigod scans the vicinity, "Where are the children?"
"Playing,' she brushes her hair behind her ear, 'We have company."
"How wonderful! From which realm, my love? They shall take the northern quarters. Ensure the west room is left undisturbed. Have you provided them with a tour?"
"Ohhh, they've toured," she tugs at her hair.
Her eyes widen when Thor tries to lift her into a hug. With her feet hovering off the ground, she taps his shoulder to be put back down.
"Jane Foster,' Natasha brushes her hands together, intent on getting Bruce out of work for the day, 'How do I get my husband out of work tomorrow?"
The woman looks up, waving a hand, "You know, I think-! We should all probably take off for a few days. Thor?"
The demigod lifts his hammer with a laugh, "I presume a celebratory feast is in order?"
"Hang on,' Bruce laughs, a hovering hand mid gesture, 'Are you feeling okay Jane? We're not dead, bleeding or dying which are the three rules for time off."
"I can make you bleed," Natasha smirks sarcastically and steps forward, her mind on the stones.
"Tasha,' he groans, 'Hang on. Jane? What's up-."
Jane squirms from Thor's hug in her gray skirt and gold armbands, blocking the entrance to the palace as Natasha tries to lead Bruce inside;
"I really wouldn't go in there if I were you-!"
"Bruce is right; you're being weird," Natasha lifts an eyebrow, her arm still latched under Banner's with her opposite underneath the strap of a bag.
Thor steps forward with a furrowed brow and suddenly the warriors behind him have their interests peaked, "My love? Jane, what has gotten into you?"
Foster tilts her head and taps at her thigh, "It's impossible to explain…"
" Vrach ?"
All eyes suddenly focused on the source of the timid voice. She's kind hearted figure at the gate with her red highlighted hair and olive green top.
The couple freeze without a word, jaws agape. The bag falls from off Natasha's shoulder with a thud.
Romanoff can't feel her torso, her feet, her fingertips all go numb next. The girl in front of them seems to appear like a ghost. Her eyes give her away, a light smile over her features.
Natasha is unsure of how to react, how to respond, unable to find the words. And Bruce is even less inept.
Izabella doesn't know how to feel, unsure if the couple in front of her are even the same people; Romanoff with her long hair and Asgardian warrior outfit, he with his post hulk out exhaustion and loose top that has seen better days.
There's a lump in Izabella's throat when she finally runs forward and forces herself into a hug with Natasha.
Romanoff hugs her back immediately, gasping and breathing heavily over embracing a girl now only an inch or two shorter than she is. All she can manage is a 'bozhe moi' as she tries not to cry in front of her counterparts.
"Is that really you, Izzy?" Bruce asks when Izabella finally lifts her head, looking over Natasha's shoulder.
She nods tearfully and parts from Natasha with a little sarcasm and a brief shoulder lift, "It is me. Why, can you not tell?"
The physicist carefully reaches a finger, trying to brush her hair from off of her face. She's matured so much from his flashbacks, dreams and nightmares. He's tearful when he looks at his 'daughter', not expecting her to be so mature.
The brief contact makes the girl finally erupt into tears wrapping her arms tightly around him. He laughs gently and hugs her back, "Don't cry, kid. It's okay. It's alright."
"I missed you," she sniffles against his chest.
"I missed you too," he whispers.
Natasha rubs her back, grinning through her own glassy eyed stare. She reaches gently for Izabella's necklace, "Those look very familiar."
Mikhailov lifts the small stones around her neck to show them off proudly, "I kept you both with me- I couldn't let you go- Do you want them back, they're yours."
Natasha spares a smile, "Keep them. My things would've- gone to you and the girls anyways."
Natasha touches Izabella's cheek, thumb stroking her skin gently to brush away her tears. They all have million questions, interrupted by the loud voice that suddenly arrives in between Alex's barking;
"Uncle, Bruce," Lucy sinks into a hip, crosses her arms, and leans against one of the gates. Her attempt at being stoic fails when the corner of her mouth shifts upward over a thought, "Mom is gonna kill you."
"Oh my god,' he whispers and steps away from the girls to head towards his niece with a smile, "Will you get over here you grownup?! What have you been up to?"
She laughs and returns his hug with tears in her eyes, "You you don't want to know."
"You look just like your mother."
"You look...the same if I'm being honest. Shorter than I remember. You know, if you went full time hulk-."
"Tread carefully."
"Nobody's got hair coloring in Asgard? Got some Gray coming in there, Uncle B."
He squints a bit when she points to the side of his head, "Watch it, kid."
"Aunt Nat got the glow up. What's in your water?"
"Are you still chugging 24 coffees a day?"
Lucy pats his shoulder with a laugh, "I'm twenty-one, I've moved onto other things."
"Geez,' he tugs at his hair, soft eyes focused on hers, 'you look just like Jen, it's unreal."
"Why'd you stay away for so long?" She pokes at his chest, nudging his shoulder for the fourth time in a row.
He tilts his head, "That's a long story."
"I bet,' she nods slowly, poking at him again, 'Six years...that's a lot to catch up on."
"You keep pushing me-what's on your hand..Can I...?" Bruce carefully takes her wrist to investigate the patch of ink.
"I have to push you to make sure you're real."
"Eighteen times? Is this a tiger?"
"Tigress," she corrects him with a laugh, "My soul sisters, my spirit animal. They have my eyes. My ambition-."
"They stand for courage, personal strength. Transforming anger into wisdom and insight…"
She rolls her eyes, of course he understands the significance behind her choice of tattoo on her wrist, "Yeah, exactly. THANK YOU! My dad was so mad at me for getting it. That and the nose ring."
He scoffs, releases her wrist and rubs at his eye, "Uh huh."
"Mom likes it. One of the things I've done we're not fighting over,' she leans a bit, trying to read his tearful eyes and give him a side hug, 'Hey; I'm glad you're okay. You. And Aunt Nat...and my puppy cousin. We thought we lost you."
Bruce gives her a hug back, his thoughts on Jen, "How is she? How is your mom?"
"Alive. Fine," Lucy snorts. She starts to nervously pick at her fingers and bites a cuticle.
Bruce squints a bit over her avoidance, prying cautiously, "How did you get here?"
She throws her thumb over her shoulder, "The Izzy special."
"On purpose?"
"That's a question I'm sure Riley would love to answer."
"Riley,' he squints, 'How many-."
"Me, Izzy, Riley and Antonia."
His eyes light up, "Antonia?"
"Were you guys on a hunt?"
Bruce crosses his arms, "A mission. I can't believe you're here-."
"A hulk mission? Can I ask him? Can I talk to the hulk?"
He glares, "You're here for ten minutes-."
She lifts a finger, "Twelve hours actually. I've been here, twelve hours. Sweet apartment upgrade, by the way. Love the balcony. Do you and Aunt Nat need a roommate? We could split the rent, err, 80/20? 90/10?"
There's a colder figure at the door, beyond expressionless, waiting with her head low and her dark black hair falling over an eye.
"Riley," Natasha slowly steps forward and abandons the group. She gingerly reaches for the girl's chin and lifts it up.
Riley refuses to budge, solid in her stare down - or as much of a stare down as she can muster.
Natasha points to the woman's top, "Is that my jacket?"
Riley finally breaks vocally and cocks her head, "I need a word with Thor."
Natasha narrows her focus over a firm girl, "Riley…"
"Clint is on your mind…He's fine."
Natasha's smile disappears over Riley's unbreakingly stoic expression, watching Riley tug off the jacket and purposefully drop it on the ground in a symbolic gesture.
Romanoff feels her heart sink as she watches the action. Her molars are tightening;
"Thor? A minute?"
The demigod addresses her with open arms, "Riley! My young friend. I have more than a minute to spare for you."
Riley turns when she senses Thor at her side and accepts his aide;
"Thank you."
Natasha huffs over the encounter with her arms fallen to her sides. Alex comes charging out last, barking and jumping up on his mother's leg for attention.
Izabella acknowledges Alex for Natasha and picks up the jacket from the ground. She folds it over her arm, taking in the more tense atmosphere.
Valkyrie speaks first, "Since no one plans to introduce me, you can call me Valkyrie or Brunnhilde. This is Sif."
The warrior lifts her shoulders, "Welcome to Asgard…?"
"I see a line of cars and they're all painted black, poor Izzy and your love both never to come back,' Rick freezes when he makes eye contact with an unimpressed and borderline raging Garrett, 'Sorry...the cars were black."
The Barton boy talks through his teeth, clenching a fist. He points to the guitar, "Strum that thing one more time and I'll smash it."
"Darcy here will send me to my own time where I'm ACTUALLY wanted. I'll be gone soon."
"Yeahhh. I don't want you gone, I just want you to shut up."
Rick chuckles and tosses his guitar in the back of the van, ready to brawl, ready to test his powers, "You wanna go? Let's go!"
Garrett tugs at his short hair and whips around with a bite on his tongue, ready to fight, "Fine! Let's go!"
Darcy stretches her neck from the driver's seat, checking the rear view mirror, "Don't make me climb back there! No blood in the car! I have a taser and I'm not afraid to use it! You two will look like a bunch of unhinged screaming goats when I throw your bodies from the car and I won't stop to check on you after hurling you from the car. Don't think I don't know how to bury a body and hide the evidence either!"
"Sorry doc," Rick mumbles, terrified.
"Sorry Dr. Lewis," Garrett follows suit, she's too nice to piss off- after the coffee purchases and the real talk she's offered about losing a significant other from that morning. Understanding and kind, she's earned their respect.
"You better be...The whole reason I'm driving across the country is to save your parents- sheesh!" she shakes her head with a pitiful pout.
"Selvig, right?" Brody points outside his window, tapping with a knuckle.
"Yeah, why," Darcy sighs, fed up with the boys and wishing this road trip were over.
She leans over and pumps the brakes over a building mid demolition with a sign that reads 'Selvig Laboratories' out in front.
"Well shit. That's just great. No contact info and the one lead takes us to a wrecking crew,' she puts her car in park and reaches for a phone, 'Does anyone else have any bright ideas? I'd talk to the crew but they look like a bunch of old geezers I do not have the patience for."
The Barton boy sighs, "I guess...even if we can't find help. There's no point avoiding the fight. My problem is that this whole trip was a waste."
Brody optimistically grips Darcy's shoulder, "We found Dr. Lewis."
"And lost your sister."
"I'm telling ya, Izzy's not gone. I can feel it. She's never been one to share the details of a plan- but she's definitely got one. And by the time we get to New York, I feel like she could potentially have a mob there waiting."
Darcy nods proudly, "Alright! Look at you, Brody. Being all positive. I knew I liked you! One thing? I'm not here to fight battles. I'm just the chauffeur."
"Fine by me."
Garret laughs and nudges his friend in the passenger seat, "Bro, if I didn't spend 3 years on the streets of Boston with you I'd believe you and Izabella actually shared a brain cell."
Brody laughs dramatically and adjusts the seatbelt, breaking his laugh to narrow a fixating glare on Garrett, "Sit down. And don't ever bring up Boston again."
"Noted."
Darcy has wide eyes and she puts her truck in reverse, "Alllrrriighhttyyy! Welp! To New York we go? To pick up more strays?"
"Darcy!" The boys yell in unison jolting forward when the truck bumps into something...halfway solid…
"Sugar honey iced tea with lemon and raspberry,' Lewis cringes, scrambling to get out of the car with the boys that try to beat her to it, 'Erik?! Are you okay?! You totally came out of nowhere and I had a Jane moment!"
The doctor waves from the ground, accepting help from the boys with a dizzy expression, "Darcy?! What are you doing here?"
"Welp! You seeee...I need some help. And Jane's not around...that's kinda been the problem."
"Jane?"
She tugs her hair, "She took off with Thor? And her twins?"
Brody checks Erik's head, offering brief input he's learned from the army and from his sister, "He might be concussed."
Darcy claps, "WELL! Clock is ticking. Just throw him in the back of the truck."
"That's not- This feels unsafe," Rick looks concerned.
Darcy shrugs, "Well! That's how it works around here buddy; unsafe is our middle name. We need people right? We're getting people! So! Get back in the car, let's get to New York."
"But!"
"My car, my rules."