A/N - Practically An Avenger, your review, as always, was amazing and hilarious and we welcome more of it. Please, don't stop. It really is a boon in this pandemic. Sorry not to reply to any specific points ... just ... moving along.

Chapter 70 - Oh, Hello.

As summer started to come to a close, the football team met up for more frequent pre-season practices, and the Summers family began discussions on when it was appropriate to head back into their home in Brooklyn. Scott wasn't quite cleared to go back to just living with the kids, but he was eagerly looking forward to it all the same. He missed the time he had with his family.

Nate was flirting with Kate as they waited for Scott to come pick them up from a joint football and cheerleading practice. Nate had been getting in a lot more driving time with his dad in the Mustang, but he was still just short of what he needed to drive himself, and he was glad for the highway driving available to him going between the city and Westchester.

But at the moment, Nate's focus wasn't on football or driving - and Kate didn't miss the crooked smile on Nate's face when he spotted the team's volunteer waterperson for the day. She came in with a bright smile and a deep Southern accent, cheerfully greeting both staff and students alike when she came to help the varsity team with food, water, and Gatorade for the duration of practice. He didn't even pretend he wasn't peeking into Ms. Hale's mind to see if she was still interested in his dad or not. And from what he saw, she was; she just thought Scott either wasn't ready to date or hadn't noticed that she was interested.

Nate smirked to himself as he realized, too, that Craig Hale, the consummate professional, hadn't given Annie anything to indicate he was working with Scott in a therapeutic capacity. So as far as Nate was concerned, everything was still a go and he was back in the matchmaking business.

It probably helped, too that Kate was already projecting exactly that his way. Along with a Fiddler on the Roof song, because she thought she was funny.

Nate made it a point to stay by the water station when it came time for his dad to pick him up after practice, so Scott had to go to him, smirking when he saw Nate talking with Kate and thinking that was the reason he wasn't waiting at the parking lot like usual.

"Lose track of time?" Scott called out.

Kate smirked and leaned over to kiss Nate before he called out, "Sure."

Scott shook his head but came to stand beside the two of them all the same. "Alright, you're not saying goodbye forever," he said. "Hi, Kate."

"Hi, Scott," she sang out happily. "We're planning and plotting. Give us a minute, okay?"

Scott chuckled and shook his head. "I'm pretty sure you don't need any more plots, Kate."

"Um, of course I do. Like, for example, did you know America finally admitted to having a crush? She's just waiting for the lucky girl to get through some family drama."

Wow, Kate. Way to give it away.

Oh, whatever. You know I'm right. Your sister won't relax enough to even look at dating until you're all on solid ground. Especially now that half the world thinks she and James are doing the deed.

So you're just gonna lay that on my poor dad, huh?

Motivation, Nate. It's called motivation. Here, Scott, your daughter has prospects she's not related to. Please move on with your life so she can move on with hers.

You're insane, you know that?

And yet you still love me. Weirdo.

Scott shook his head, smiling to himself at the familiar silence of telepathic conversation. "Don't mind me," he said as he went to fill up a plastic cup of water - and nearly stopped when he saw Nate's history teacher, Ms. Hale, coming back from a trip to her van where she was putting away some of the coolers to give to the next teacher that would be helping the team.

"Oh!" Ms. Hale stopped and then broke into a smile. "Mr. Mueller. It's good to see you."

Scott barely resisted the urge to look toward Nate, though he did project a quiet, I know what you're doing, his way. Still, he smiled at Ms Hale as he filled one cup and handed it to her and then filled one for himself. "I hope my son isn't giving you a hard time loitering here, Ms. Hale."

"Please, call me Annie," she said, then shook her head, smiling a little more as she hid behind the see-through plastic cup and drank the water in it.

"Then I'm going to have to ask you to call me Scott." He smiled a little to himself before he gave Nate a warning look, hoping he'd go easy and get the hint to gather himself up and get ready to go. But instead, Nate seemed to settle in for the show - pointedly taking a slow drink of his water as he held his father's gaze. "How did you get wrangled into bringing water for these troublemakers?"

"We all volunteer to help. Half of the social studies department are coaches, and the other half chips in where we can." Annie smiled a little more warmly at him.

"Must be a tight group," Scott said, blatantly ignoring the fact that he could see Nate and Kate grinning at whatever they were projecting to each other.

Annie smiled widely. "All the faculty tend to look out for each other."

"Yeah," Scott said. "I know the feeling."

"Oh? What is it that you do?" Annie asked conversationally - not at all prepared for Scott to pause over such a simple question.

"I… haven't worked in a while. Retired early to take care of my kids."

Annie's smile warmed, though she pointed out, "You don't half look old enough to retire."

"Well, I didn't get benefits, so I suppose that wasn't the right …" He shrugged. "I've been lucky. Wealthy extended family and a very generous will…" He let the sentence hang there; usually, that was enough for people. As always, he had a set response to the questions he was used to getting.

"Well, I think it's wonderful that you're raising them," Annie told him. "I already told you last time I saw you: Nate speaks very highly of you." She smirked. "I have nieces and nephews. I know what a full-time job it can be."

"It's not that intensive anymore," Scott said.

"No, Nate's the youngest, isn't he? He speaks highly of his sister and brother as well."

"Yes, he's the youngest," Scott agreed, though he hadn't expected her to have been paying attention to the kids that closely. Most people didn't.

Annie flushed when he looked surprised. "I … well, I like to keep up with what my students are doing."

"I noticed that last year, actually. I just didn't realize it reached that far beyond the classroom. It's refreshing."

Annie's smile lit up. "My family and my students mean the world to me."

"They're lucky to have you."

"Thank you." Annie flushed but tried to cover for it by tucking her hair behind her ear. "So, if you don't mind my asking, what does a stay-at-home father do when he's facing an empty nest?"

"I … have no idea," Scott replied honestly, thinking of his recent conversation with Craig. He somehow wasn't surprised that the man's sister thought along the same lines.

"Don't want to go back to your old job?" she asked sympathetically.

Scott hedged. "Not exactly," he said. "A lot has changed since I was involved at my last job."

"I imagine," Annie said. "If it's anything like teaching, we're always getting new curricula every year, it feels like."

"In some ways, it's very much like that, and in others … it's the same old tune."

Annie nodded, then started to very slowly smile as she set her cup down. "So…mechanic?" she guessed. "I'm not getting very many clues here. But cars are always updating and always the same somehow."

Scott tried and failed to find a reasonable way to answer her - especially since to date, no one had pressed this far into the conversation before. "I … can't really talk about it until things are solidified," he said finally. "I hate to be so vague …"

"Mmm." Annie nodded, losing some of her teasing smile. "It's alright. My daddy was military." She gestured to her own face to mirror his. "I know that heavy look."

"Still, it doesn't help with conversation," Scott said, his hand on the back of his neck for a moment.

"That's alright," Annie assured him. "I'm the opposite. Can't stop talking about the job…" She tucked her hair behind her ears again.

"I don't mind hearing about it."

"Oh." Annie blushed again. "Well, then, that's nice."

"Are you going to be at the next practice?" Nate called out.

Scott shot Nate such a look, especially when Annie turned an even more delicate shade of pink. Still, though, Annie said, "Oh, well, I can stop by…"

"I just … I finished that book you loaned me," Nate said, grinning broadly.

At that, Annie did break out of her nervousness into a smile. "Oh, did you like it?" she asked earnestly. "Hercules Poirot is my favorite."

"Couldn't put it down," Nate answered, still grinning from ear to ear.

"I'll have to recommend more, then. That one's the best known, but honestly, the little one-shots are better mysteries. Less drama, more detective work."

"I don't know if I can handle less drama," Nate said with a quiet laugh. "But I do love putting clues together."

"Oh, well, if you want more drama, same author, I can do that too," Annie said, her eyes twinkling.

"Great," Nate said. "I'll bring it for you next time if you'll be around."

"Perfect. I'll bring And Then There Were None."

Scott shook his head at the pair of them, perfectly aware of what Nate was up to, though he didn't say anything until he'd said a polite goodbye to Annie and dropped Kate off at home. He was even shielding his thoughts from Nate so the kid didn't know what punishment to expect.

The whole way back to Westchester, Scott kept trying to decide where to even start, and several times, he opened his mouth to say something, then got irritated and stopped - sure that if he said what was on his mind just then, he'd have to pull the car over. So it wasn't until they were through the door all the way back in Westchester that Scott turned Nate's way. "You," he said slowly but sharply, "are a terrible liar."

"I … read the book," Nate answered, wide-eyed but grinning in spite of himself.

"One week," Scott said. "One week of home and practices and that's it. No dates - single, double, or group. No visits."

"Does that include Avengers practices?"

"That depends on what Steve says when I tell him you lied to my face," Scott said dryly.

Nate held his arms out wide. "What did I lie about?"

"From the start, I asked why you weren't at the parking lot," Scott said.

"Um … it is hot. I needed water, Dad."

"Uh-huh." Scott shook his head. "Stop trying to set me up, Nate. That poor woman is going to think I'm only talking to her because of you."

"What did you try this time?" James asked as he headed past them to grab some popcorn to go with the movie he and Billy were watching. For as desperate as Nate and Kate were getting to make the very most out of every second, James and Billy were getting downright comfortable. "And how badly did it blow up in your face?"

"I didn't try anything," Nate said, though James snorted out a laugh at that. "It's not my fault that Dad actually kept talking to her. On his own. Without prompting."

James frowned at Nate, then turned toward Scott for confirmation. He didn't say anything as he looked between them, but Scott wasn't confirming or denying squat.

"She kept asking questions; he kept answering … and complimenting her," Nate said. "Polite adult flirting. Seriously."

Again, James looked between them, and when he saw the look on Scott's face, he shook his head and reached into his pocket to hand Nate a fifty with a sigh and not a word spoken.

"James." Scott said sharply as he looked between his two boys. "Really?"

"Hey, I said you wouldn't carry on with the pretty history teacher," James said.

"I wasn't carrying-" Scott passed a hand over his face. "I have one friendly conversation…"

"Hey Dad?" James said, and he waited just long enough for Scott to look up at him. "Nate's not the only bad liar."

Scott shot James the driest look he could manage. "Shut up."

"Love you too," James called back, simply headed back to the living room, popcorn in hand where Billy was trying hard to keep from laughing too loudly while still thoroughly enjoying getting more comfortable with the Summers family.

Nate was sure to have the book Ms. Hale had loaned out to him ready to go at the next practice - even before he'd gotten ready to go all the way. He had set it down and picked it up at least half a dozen times in the course of prepping to go, and then he went out of his way to show Scott that he had the book. He threw his pads in the trunk of the car, and tried hard to keep his foot from jiggling all the way there - constantly checking the clock and watching traffic as he drove.

Scott watched him with a hint of amusement, even if he still wasn't happy with the little trick he'd tried to pull last time. But when they finally got to the field, Nate hopped out and grabbed his bag from the backseat - then ran back to grab the book - then ran back again to hand the keys to his dad.

"I'll see you after practice," Scott said, shaking his head as Nate grinned and rushed for the field. Scott shook his head and got in the car to head off. He wasn't about to sit around and watch practice when he knew Nate was trying to keep him there to make Ms Hale uncomfortable, so instead, since he had a little time on his hands, he headed back to the house in Brooklyn. He'd needed to spend some time there anyhow - make sure everything was still in order and that nothing was tampered with. It was still their home, after all.

He parked the Mustang out front and walked into the house, thoroughly scanning it the whole while, and when he looked around, there was plenty that needed to be picked up. It wasn't that they'd left the place a mess when they left at the beginning of summer … they just hadn't been as meticulous as Scott would have liked in the big rush to go to Westchester.

So, to ease his mind and give himself something to do while Nate was at practice, he started to clean up the kitchen. He needed the time to think anyhow. Rachel was coping well enough with nosy reporters, though Scott wondered if she'd simply redirected some of them telepathically - which would be trouble if that was the case. On top of that, for as cozy as Billy and James were when both boys were in Westchester, James was in the middle of prepping for his trip with Tony to go overseas. So much was changing … and with everyone preoccupied with their own lives, he found himself thinking over all that his therapist had been suggesting.

He was partway through scrubbing down the sink - just to do it - when he got a text from Rabbi Cohen asking if he had time for coffee. With a smirk, Scott agreed and started prepping for a nice, long coffee talk. He'd given himself exactly half an hour to clean up before Toby said he'd be coming over.

He really should have expected the phone call from Nate.

"Dad, I forgot my knee pads. Can you please bring them for me? I don't have time to come back for them and-"

"Nate, you're not subtle."

"Dad, I'm not kidding! I was so busy making sure I had the book, and focusing on my freeway driving on the way and just … anxious about this practice … I forgot my pads! I'm serious - and I'm okay without them for warm ups, but I can't be late to practice."

Scott sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he listened to Nate plead. "Where are they?"

"In the trunk. I know I put them in the trunk before we left Westchester. I'm … 95% sure."

There was a shrill whistle in the background before Scott could hear the coach shouting at Nate to get in line for warmups. "Alright," Scott said. "I'll be there as quick as I can."

"Thanks, Dad!" Nate called back before he hung up, leaving Scott grimly looking at the phone. There was no way that this wasn't intentional. He turned toward the entry, half grumbling to himself already. If he was wrong, the kid would have earned the laps the coach would press for.

Scott headed down the front stoop and popped the trunk to the Mustang, where, lo and behold - the pads were there in Nate's big mesh bag. Scott shook his head, double-checked that they were all there, then pulled it out of the trunk. There was no way he'd make it through traffic at this time of day.

He checked his watch, and as it turned out, he met up with Toby at the corner. He gestured to the bag and shrugged. "I have to get this to Nate," he said with a shrug. "Raincheck?"

"Please," Toby laughed, though the sparkle in his eyes betrayed the rabbi's amusement all the same. But Scott honestly didn't have time to get involved in Toby Cohen's teasing, even if he missed it more than he'd admit to. He actually did have to get the gear to Nate. Especially when he knew he was on a timer, too. He just wondered if Nate had managed to convince his teacher to show up at the start of practice or not.

After a short trip on the subway and a few blocks of rushing to get to the football field, Scott found himself running to meet Nate at the sidelines - and Nate did look believably relieved as he took the gear and quickly started putting it on - with Scott helping him just to rush it along before the coach could start getting after Nate. He would have earned it for letting something so big slip his mind …

"Hello, Mr. Meuller," a now familiar voice rang out.

Then again … Scott knew now for sure that it was no slip of the mind, and he took a moment to project to Nate, An extra week - and no date this weekend.

It really was an honest mistake, Nate argued.

Focus on your game, Summers, Scott countered, though he was smirking for more than one reason - and their exchange had only taken less than a second. "Hello, Ms. Hale. I hope you're not being held up too much by my son's antics."

"I only just got here," Annie replied, smiling to herself. "It's nice to see you still dropping everything to help him out."

"It's my job," Scott replied with an easy smirk. "I thought he'd grown out of forgetting vital things though."

"Not if he was worried about his sweetheart waitin' on him," she shot back. "I did happen to notice that the cheerleaders are havin' a practice of their own this mornin'."

"Yeah, I noticed that too," Scott said, shaking his head.

"They really are sweet, if you're concerned. I know the other teachers will complain about the physicality, and honestly, they are a bit young by most folks' standards to be that involved, but they are very sweet with each other," Annie said.

"His sister would have put him in the ground by now if he was thinking about her in the wrong way," Scott said, smirking at his own joke.

"Well, I don't think he'd be stupid enough to say anything, even if he was off base. But it's pretty clear it's not just a physical thing. He's smitten. He doesn't have that look, you know? LIke he's waiting for the next new thing?"

"Believe me, I know," Scott said. "Any of my old friends who knew me at his age have been helpfully comparing us."

"Oh, have they, now?" Annie asked with a little smile. "Were you a quarterback, too?"

"Ah, no. But I met his mother when we were in high school." He shrugged softly. "I know what that look means."

"That's sweet."

Scott nodded quietly, not sure what to make of how genuinely Annie cared about the kids she taught, down to their personal lives. "Yes, well, it would be sweeter if I didn't have to come down here after they got caught under the bleachers again."

"Honestly. I thought they'd have found a new spot by now. That's just askin' for trouble." She tipped her chin up and gave him a side-long glance. "Or attention."

"Knowing Kate, it's probably a little bit of both. She's just as likely to find trouble on purpose as he is."

"Her parents seemed involved," Annie said. "I didn't think she'd be the one to ask for trouble with them."

"She walks a fine line between being in trouble with her mother and making her father turn purple," Scott said, smirking.

"Her favorite color for a few reasons then."

"I used to live in the same apartment building as her parents. I heard every one of the excuses." He shook his head, smiling. "That does make it easier, though - knowing her family. She won't cross the red lines in the sand, even if she'll joyfully waltz as close to them as she can."

"And Nate?" Annie asked with a smile.

"Like I said - his sister would kill him before I did. Her first serious date went home with a limp when she realized what he was thinking." He smirked. "My kids know how to give and demand respect."

"Sounds like they had a strong example to learn from. Maybe a few." Annie smiled warmly but didn't mention the fact that she recognized Kate's parents. Both of them. She'd just kept that little nugget to herself, even from the other teachers that hadn't been invested enough to pay attention once their tenure was in. Those kids deserved a normal life, no matter who their parents were, and she was glad to see that at least one of them had found a way to do that with Scott's family. "Lucky kids."

Scott nodded his agreement, letting the conversation lull long enough that he could feel Nate giving him a telepathic side-eye. He responded with a dry look, but on the other hand, he knew for a fact Nate would keep this up until there was at least some movement one way or another. And considering that Scott didn't want to shut her down, he decided on his direction and let out a quiet breath. "I don't suppose you'd be open to coming to the first game of the season with me."

"Well, Mr. Meuller, that's just right around the corner. Are you sure you won't be making it a family affair instead?"

"His brother and sister both have plans, though I'm not sure if they'll both be going to the game. At any rate, if they do, I'm very sure they'll be relieved not to have a chaperone," Scott said dryly.

"I suppose if you're advocating contributing to delinquency, I might have to think it over, but if it's not just that … I'd like to see the game with you."

Scott couldn't help but chuckle. "Then I look forward to watching our team trump the Knights."

Annie was smiling brightly. "They sure will." She looked over her shoulder, clearly looking for a way to exit gracefully. "I suppose I can leave that book for Nate with you, can't I?"

"I'll make sure he gets it," Scott promised, glad for the polite excuse as well.

"Hey. Come on, kid, we're on vacation," Tony said, reaching over to close James' textbook, and then went so far as to pull the laptop away from him too.

"I thought this was a tech conference," James countered, to which Tony more or less waved him off.

"Same thing," he said. "But your papers are almost finished anyhow, and you have plenty of time to get them in to beat me out, age wise." Tony blew out a breath and tried to get James to follow his example. "Take a break."

James smirked. "I think I'd rather finish my paper when it's relatively quiet."

"And I think that's the wrong attitude to go into your first international tech conference with me after our big announcement."

"And I'm telling you that working on something that feels concrete will have me much further away from a panic attack than ruminating on the fact that I'm going to be with you in the spotlight the whole time."

"Learn to strut," Tony said. "It'll make your life easier."

"I highly doubt that."

Tony reached over to absently pat his arm as he looked out the window of the jet. "It's alright. You're allowed to be wrong sometimes. Like now."

"I'll keep that in mind for when I am wrong," James replied, though he did acquiesce simply because he trusted Tony and knew that the only times he'd ever asked James to stop studying was when James was in danger of getting more tense than he should be.

Pepper and Happy were just across the aisle from the two of them, not far from where Jan was working on some design work … and near her was Peter Parker, who had fallen asleep within the first ten minutes of the flight. But James … wasn't relaxed enough to do the same.

"Kid. It's a long flight. Try to relax for it," Tony advised. "Plenty of time to be a stress ball later."

"Sure, I'll just turn it off," James said thickly, which at least got Tony to laugh.

"Your Dad's rubbing off on you," Tony said as he settled in, loosening up his tie. "You'll be alright though. You're my kid too. I got your back."

"I know," James said, then let out a breath as he did as Tony advised and put his laptop and books away. A few moments later, after a little more joking and teasing from Tony, James had his feet kicked up in the chair next to him as he twisted himself sideways in his seat with his back against the fuselage. "Happy now?"

"More happy, yeah," Tony agreed, then reached over to clap a hand on James' shoulder as he took out his phone to text Billy.

Tony smirked to himself after he saw that James was finally relaxing after a little while and he got up to sit with Jan while the kid was doing alright. He knew James didn't want to feel like he was being watched all the time, but … he was going to need to get used to it. Even if he hadn't been on deck to step into Tony's shoes until well down the line, he'd stepped out as an X-Man and an Avenger … it was just a matter of time. And that was without factoring in that he was involved with Genoshan royalty- which … that was going to be a massive headline when that finally broke. Especially after the incredibly off-base articles of speculation ran regarding James and Rachel. Tony was also happy that the kid had fallen into the wise habit of trusting him when it mattered and had learned how to handle the press like Tony and Jan had taught him.

He was, however, grateful that James had the paranoia that Scott had fostered in those kids down to a science, though for how far James took it, he wondered if some of that wasn't genetic as well. Tony himself had never had much use for anything close to propriety when he was James' age, and to be honest, Tony still wasn't sure how it was that the kid had kept his actual love life under wraps for the press. Both of those boys seemed to be naturals at knowing when to keep it professional - mostly.

If anyone in the paparazzi had seen the display Tony had heard about from the other X-Men when Billy got bent out of shape over Tyler Creed or if they had any idea of what was going on during the failed kidnapping … that would have made the papers in a heartbeat. But they were lucky there. They wouldn't be the next time something threatened one or the other. And Tony knew James would get just as riled up if it was Billy in danger.

But until then, Tony planned to continue quietly teaching the kid how to handle the press and the public, and everything that went with it. He thought James was doing pretty good, all things considered. Especially when he factored in that James had been, in fact, doing the exact opposite for his whole life.

But Tony had faith that the kid could adjust. He just hoped he adjusted quickly before the news picked up on his involvement with Billy because that … he knew that was going to be something to draw public interest. He also knew that eventually, it was coming, and both boys better be ready when it hit.

For now, though … the weekend was looming with a tech conference, and though Tony was sure most of it would be a little boring for both of them, it was also something that needed to be done - get him out there, get him talking to other geniuses and people at the top of their fields … and get the buzz on his favorite genius rattling around the science community. Jan gave Tony's knee a little squeeze, silently telling him it was going to be great. It was just one weekend - they could do one weekend.

And while James was in Europe working the tech circuit and making headlines with Tony, Billy turned his attention toward Kate and America. America was always up for a good time, and in their own way the three of them formed a little support group … even if America didn't want to admit it. She was entirely preoccupied with trying to get Rachel to see sense, after all.

It was just so … obvious that she was hooked. Which was all kinds of good teasing material for Kate and Billy. Even if America didn't find the humor in the t-shirt Kate had printed for her with a star-spangled Phoenix. Or the insistence that she join their little clique group-therapy style and state her name and how long she'd been hung up on a Summers before she was allowed to grab a slice of pizza.

But Kate's little siblings thought it was hilarious. And so did Clint. So in the spirit of teasing, the kids were cleared out to give the support group room to air their grievances. Or pine. One or the other.

"If you two are just going to be loco all night, then I'm going to find better things to do," America said, not at all appreciating the effort that her friends had gone through to tease her.

"Better things like Rachel Summers?" Billy asked with a straight face that only lasted as long as it took Kate to break down laughing.

"She's had a breakthrough! She's going to go for it!" Kate laughed along with Billy - the two of them holding each other up for support as America glowered at them.

"I'll just go-"

"Please don't," Billy said, smiling as he wiped a tear from the corner of his eyes. "You can't go because I have to and then you'll leave Kate here … all alone and sad since her Summers is still grounded."

"Wait, I thought we were going to do a thing," Kate said, losing some of her smile. "What happened? Did you crack and decide to magically appear in James' room?"

Billy pointed her way with his eyebrows raised. "Not a bad idea. Don't tempt me. No. I promised my parents that I'd come see them before the semester started. They've been really busy with everything … new head of government and all that … but they don't have time to leave, even if Mom made it clear she thought we were better off here for now."

"There an uprising?" America asked, suddenly interested in the politics of the tiny island nation.

"More like a few vocal people who are surprisingly charismatic that want to keep with my Grandfather's outlook," Billy said. "They don't have anywhere near the following my mother has, though … and if they tiptoe any closer to that line, I'm sure she'll handle it. But right now, after we screwed up their kidnapping, she wants us to be where they are not."

"Hate to break it to you, but they tried to capture you here," America pointed out.

"Yeah, but now they're being monitored and most of them are trying to win Genosha first," Billy said, then shrugged. "As much as I hate to admit it, it's right back to a very big, high stakes game of chess."

He'd barely gotten the words out of his mouth before the front door rattled with the force of a gust of wind. A muted giggle followed the shave and a haircut knock and Billy pointed to the door. "Tommy and Mia."

"She was who I was waiting for," Kate said before she popped up from her spot on the couch and headed for the door. "I didn't realize that meant our support group was being broken up."

Billy smiled her way and gestured widely. "Well … technically, I don't know if I qualify for the group … my guy isn't an actual Summers, after all." He grinned at America. "He totally is for the purposes of getting you to admit your big fat giant neon sign crush though. And most other things … but …"

"But we have places to be," Tommy finished, then smiled at America tightly. "You can get Mia home later, right?"

"Oh sure," America said, rolling her eyes.

"Mia doesn't neeeeeeed your charity, Miss America," Mia said before she kissed Tommy then teleported over to drape her arm over America's shoulders. "But I appreciate the offer."

The twins shared a look and after a silent countdown, both of them disappeared - one by zipping out of the door and the other with a spell that left the three girls alone with a large pizza and the living room to themselves.

"So," Mia said, tipping her chin up and looking more like her mother as she drew upon her most regal expression. "How tight is your babysitters schedule? Or am I too young and not powerful enough to throw my hat in the ring to save you from Hydra guys … or girls? Whatever. I didn't ask that part." By the time she'd finished her teasing question, she'd dropped onto the couch and grinned up at Kate like the honest troublemaker she was.

"I don't need a babysitter," Kate replied, rolling her eyes, though she did drop down next to Mia.

"Could have fooled me," America teased, glad to have some footing to pick on - finally.

"It's not like it's the first time Hydra has tried and failed to kidnap me," Kate said, tipping her nose in the air and doing her best to look entirely above it all. "And honestly Nate probably over reacted a little bit but … can we please talk about what's important?"

"More important than protecting your virtue?" Mia asked. "Because by the way you and Nate talk about me and my romantic life, you'd think that chastity and virtue are the most important things in your whole world."

"That's because you're a sophomore this year," Kate said. "And he's with me in our senior year. What happens if he decides to go to college?"

Mia looked irritated as Kate started her argument, but by the time she'd finished, she broke down laughing after just a beat or two. "Then I should say the same thing to you about your innocent little Summers that you're corrupting! He's got another year left, cradle robber!"

"Not even close to the same thing. But nice try," America said with a smirk before she turned back to Kate and grabbed another slice of pizza. "You excited about your last year in school?"

"Ohmygosh. So ready for this year," Kate said with a grin, shifting gears in an instant - at least for the time being. America always seemed to intuit how best to direct Kate so she could gush about what she had on her mind. " This is going to be the best year ever, and even though I am totally looking forward to my last season cheerleading, and watching my hunk of a sweetheart be amazing, I am even more ready to just … graduate already and go fight Hydra full time."

"No college?" Mia asked, looking disappointed.

"Um … not at first anyhow." Kate looked up to see her dad giving her a look in the kitchen. This had been an ongoing light argument and on seeing that he was eavesdropping or at the least, lipreading, she had to straighten up and pull together her best, most hard to fight argument. "I mean ... it's not like colleges are going to have classes that will be useful when I'm a full time superhero anyhow. I don't remember seeing anywhere that lets you major in being Awesome." Clint gave her a dry look from the kitchen. "But … maybe I'll take a class or two here and there or just … go online for them, but I've been waiting forever to be able to train full time with my parents and bust bad guys and hunt down the Head of Hydra so I can stick an arrow in places." She drew in a deep breath and grinned with her eyes closed just before letting her breath back out in a big woosh. "… I need this, America."

"My mom says there's a college for everyone if you want it," Mia opined. "You just have to find it."

'Oooh, hey, maybe that's what those Hydra creeps were really trying to do," America teased. "Maybe they want you for Hydra Technical College. You can major in Creepin' and falling in dumpsters."

Kate gasped and hit her in the shoulder. Hard. "You are so not funny!"

"You love me, princess," America teased, laughing as Kate smacked her. "In that case, you're right. You can't major in being an Avenger if you're in Hydra." America grinned wider. "Probably why they wanted you. So you can't be awesome against them."

"That's more like it," Kate said, crossing her arms.

"So … are you staying to be an Avenger," Mia said slowly, "or are you just using that as an excuse to be close to Nate until he graduates?"

"You … don't even get to try to pick that fight," Kate said, pointing a finger her way even as America chuckled. "You are entirely too serious about your prince charming."

"As if you're not just waiting for yours to turn eighteen and propose," Mia shot back.

"Don't project on me!" Kate shot back, then shifted focus again.

"I'm just reading the room," Mia said, her tail swaying as she and Kate prepared to play verbal volleyball.

"As long as no one has a reason to need to get married at eighteen, how about both of you maybe not be so stupid, hm?" America said. "You're both young! Live before you get yourself tied down to some drama factory."

"What's that supposed to-" Mia started, but America cut her off.

"How long you think your boy gonna live if you end up pregnant before you even graduate, chica?" America challenged, and when Kate looked delighted at the jibe, she turned on her too. "Same goes for you. How long you think this would last if you got yourself all stuck with a Summers before he's even tested out for his driver's license?"

"He's sixteen, he just hasn't finished-"

"Not my point," America said. "Just don't get pregnant. Either one of you."

Mia was silent for a long moment, and when she had nothing more clever to say, she shrunk in on herself. "Well that escalated quickly."

Kate had already waved America off in favor of offering Mia some big-sisterly advice. "You don't have to worry about me," she said dismissively. "I'm covered. But you … I mean … serious moment before we pelt America with pillows and get some frozen yogurt … the twins do have a crazy amount of drama around them … and considering that I am seeing a Summers, that's really saying something that I can admit it's a lot of drama."

"It's not that bad," Mia defended.

"Okay, yeah, but … they are literally dealing with global level political drama. Are you okay with that? It's a lot. Like a lot a lot. And even James is a little wary of stepping in it and he's out there on the daily news with Tony."

"Most of the time. Sometimes it's about him stepping out with America's sweetheart," Mia said, just to rib America.

"And still … he's cautious," Kate said, keeping on track. "I'm serious. Those boys pull down so much drama. Dating a prince looks like some pretty complicated and enhaced drama."

Mia drew herself up importantly. "Yes. But I'm a goddess, so it balances out," she said, smirking in a way that had America nodding along with her.

"She has a point, chica."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Fine. Then maybe you can tell me more about Tommy's super secret spy work that he did for your mom…"

"Because -"

"For reasons related to me single handedly defeating Hydra for Uncle Steve! Think of how happy that would make him!"

Mia fell to pieces laughing at that, though. "Well okay, but first I have to tell you how he even got recruited to be a double agent," she said, settling in on the arm of the couch for what already looked to be a dramatic retelling.

Scott's counseling sessions had tapered off to a much more relaxed and reasonable level … from daily sessions (except for Sundays) down to twice a week and though Scott knew he'd been moving forward, he had to wonder what it would be that would get the official green light from Craig to move out of Westchester so he didn't have to worry about his two teenage sons making the two-hour drive every day.

School was just around the corner for Nate, and for a moment, Scott thought maybe that would help his case before he waved it away mentally, knowing that unless it was something that was likely to be entirely detrimental to his mental health that he'd move the family back anyhow. He felt as if he'd inconvenienced everyone more than enough already.

He checked his phone on the way into his appointment … still no word back on when Nate could finish his final driving test. He'd more than logged in enough hours. A message from Rachel to remind him to come to the tower afterward … a photo from James to let him know he was boarding the plane to come home … and an email that Storm had sent to make sure Scott had it as proof of the offered jobs available at Xavier's school. As he opened the door to Craig's waiting room, he silenced his phone and put it in his pocket. As usual, Craig was at the reception desk double checking his roster for the day ahead as coffee brewed in his office.

"Good morning, Scott," Craig said, looking up at him with a pleasant smile. "I take it the kids are busy with their own schedules?"

"Yeah. As usual," Scott agreed, falling into his usual small talk with Craig just because it was easy for him to remember to open up when he had a way to start talking. "Rachel's at the tower and Nate's at practice already. I'm sure the press is reporting on James if you're curious."

"I may have seen the tech and entertainment section of the news this morning, yes," Craig said with a smile. "Hard to tell when one ends and the other begins lately."

"Pretty sure it's always been like that with anything regarding Tony Stark," Scott pointed out, drawing a quiet laugh out of Craig.

With a silent gesture for Scott to lead the way, the two of them disappeared into Craig's office, and within a few minutes, the two of them were seated and settling in for the session. The two of them did their usual run down as Craig arranged his notebook and got comfortable, and once they'd discussed the kids - which was a given subject - and how Scott's extended family was handling things, he finally dove in to the matter at hand before Scott could drop another hint on how much he wanted to get moved back to where life was easier on the kids.

"So, before we can discuss going back to you alone with the kids, I need to ask what your plans for yourself are. Have you put any thought into what we discussed last time?"

"Quite a bit, actually," Scott said with a sigh. "I know there are a few options - and they all involve going back to what I used to do … in some capacity or another." Craig nodded, and Scott spoke up again before he could pose another question. "I'm considering everything, but to be perfectly honest, I can't decide in a few days what I'm going to do for the rest of my life. I'm looking at things to try, I'm keeping an open mind, and I'm not rushing into anything. I want to be sure about what I'm doing before I commit to a half-plan."

"That's a reasonable response," Craig said. "But can you tell me, for my own peace of mind what one or two of those options are - so far?"

Scott sighed, but he'd been expecting this. "Believe it or not, I was considering the possibility of getting a teaching certificate. I taught before, but it would be nice to have the official credentials rather than just life experience."

"Well that's a good start," Craig said, looking surprised. "Would you be going back to Xavier's, then?"

"Most likely," Scott admitted. "There will always be a need for someone to walk those kids through how to handle their reactions to friendly and unfriendly non-mutants just like they'll need math class."

"That is a needed position,' Craig said. "But I wonder if other schools might benefit from having someone on staff that had that kind of first hand knowledge."

"I think you're a little optimistic on how far we've come," Scott replied with a rueful smile, then gave Craig one more thing to consider. "In the meantime, while I try to figure it out, I'll be doing some guest lectures at the school over the course of the year. To see if I can still handle it."

"That's a good intermediate step," Craig said, smiling a little to himself. "So … I know the new school year is about to start, and I can only imagine that things will get to be a little busier for you and your family."

"In some ways, yes, and in others -"

"You'll need to be closer to school for their own safety," Craig said. "And I have to say, you've been making leaps and bounds in your progress … but we're not done yet and this transition - going back to the place you lived before when everything went south on you while stepping back from living with your chosen family… you can't miss any of our appointments."

"Am I going back to daily sessions?" Scott asked, unsure how much progress he was making if Craig was upping his time in the office.

"Of course not - unless you find yourself needing it. You have been making progress. And you need to move forward with your life, I just don't want to see you backslide from being in the same situation you were when it all started to really slide."

"So … we keep on our same schedule," Scott said slowly.

"Yes. Unless you need more time," Craig said, then paused as he closed his notebook. "Oh, and Scott … I'd like to meet your other children before they get too lost in the school year."

"I'll bring Nate with me next time," Scott promised.

"Perfect. Then it seems as if we're done for the day. Are you filling your time waiting for football to end?"

"He needs an appointment to take his final driving test," Scott said. "And I'm going to start prepping the house."

"Good. Then I'll see you in a few days - Thursday look good for you?"

"I'll be here - with Nate," Scott said before he got to his feet and left Craig's office behind him. When he left the office and took a seat in the car, he had to let out a breath. He was both relieved to hear things were going according to plan and freshly-stressed with the task of moving. Again.

But before he let himself get lost in the self-imposed, yet necessary to-do list, he headed for the house in Brooklyn to take stock and make a few phone calls while Nate was at practice. That kid was going to need his license soon enough.