Chapter Fifty

Since the mansion had been destroyed by the Mandarin, Tony decided to move the family back into Avenger's Tower temporarily. Repairs were already underway for the renovation of the mansion, but until they finished, they were stuck in Manhattan for the next few months.

Not that Ada was surprised with that notion. Tony wanted to make sure that the mansion was designed better than it had been before. Once he put his mind on something, there was no turning back. Ada had already learned that the hard way. She had to admit, though, it would be nice to see what the mansion looked like once it was finished.

"Remind me again how this is a good idea?" Clint's question shook her out of her thoughts.

The whole team had been asked to stop by the Tower, minus Thor. Since he was from Asgard, and communication was near-impossible, Tony didn't bother trying to reach out to him. Ada rose an eyebrow curiously when she saw Clint sitting on a couch with his arms outstretched. Natasha leaned against a wall, while Steve and Banner stood nearby with looks of annoyance written across their faces.

Tony wanted everyone together for what he called a 'New Year's Eve/Christmas' party. Ada couldn't help but think of all the disastrous outcomes that would follow. The team was already dysfunctional as it was without him making it worse. Hearing Clint's complaint only added to her list of growing concerns. Besides, he did have family matters to attend with.

"Because the only time we ever seem to get together is when there's an impending disaster," Tony deadpanned with a knowing look. He suddenly clasped his hands together in an attempt of gaining everyone's attention. Since Pepper was standing beside him, Ada suspected this was his way of trying to remain calm in an otherwise uneasy situation. "Besides, this is the best way for everyone to catch up with one another."

"More like you were bored and couldn't think of anything better to do," Ada muttered under her breath.

Tony merely stuck his tongue out at her. It was possibly the most childish reaction he could have had, yet that didn't stop her from returning the gesture. A part of her understood why he wanted the team to spend time together. It meant having some kind of bonding experience that would hopefully dissolve whatever tension they had with each other.

She and Pepper had been planning a Secret Santa gift exchange long before Tony came up with this idea. The only problem was, whatever gifts she bought had been destroyed along with the mansion. Ada tried salvaging what she could, but some of the gifts had been scrapbooks and other irreplaceable oddities.

"Look, I get that everyone has better things to do with their lives, but we need to think of this as a team bonding exercise," Tony tried reassuring them with a meek smile.

Ada suspected that none of this would have been possible in the first place if it wasn't for Pepper's help. She hadn't missed the hopeful look flashing across Tony's eyes. It was the last thing she expected from him. Tony had been infamous for throwing wild parties in the past. She could still remember spending nights at Pepper's place while he threw parties at the mansion. Though she'd grown accustomed to them, the last few New Year's parties had been strangely quiet.

To her surprise, it seemed as if Tony wanted to surround himself with the people he considered his friends and family. They'd stopped by the hospital just a couple of days ago to check on Happy after the Mandarin incident was over. Ada was more than relieved to find out that he had already begun recovering, and would be discharged from the hospital within a few days as long as he took care of himself.

Natasha exchanged a knowing look with Clint. Ada wasn't sure what Natasha did for Christmas or New Year's Eve. The redhead assassin normally kept quiet about what she did during any holiday. Then she noticed that Banner gave a small shrug after realizing there wasn't any point in arguing with Tony's plea.

He even invited Steve of all people, she realized.

The relationship between Tony and Steve was still strained. At least he was willing to try and put aside the resentment he felt towards the Super Soldier.

"A break from every day life might actually be a good idea," Steve finally nodded in agreement.

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly when Tony looked at him in surprise.

Ada couldn't hide the small smile that followed when their eyes met. She knew Tony had a hard time getting along with Steve because of how close they were. Though, he would never admit out loud that it was also Howard Stark's fault. Her adopted grandfather had praised Captain America for everything he did, and it wasn't surprising that Tony felt some resentment towards the fact that Howard preferred him over his own son.

"Great. Everything's already set up; Pepper did most of the planning," Tony clasped his hands together once more before anyone could argue.

"Does he ever think things through?" Banner grumbled with a shake of his head.

She almost smirked at that comment. Banner wasn't one to enjoy stressful company. But even he couldn't turn down the opportunity for a party. She was surprised he'd agreed to meet up at the Tower at all, considering he had been trying to hide from the military just a few weeks ago.

"Just try and play along with it," Ada warned him after Tony left to join Pepper in the kitchen. Truthfully, they had been planning on holding their own celebration since Happy had been discharged from the hospital. She knew that Happy wanted to be there with them, but he was still recovering from his surgery, and wouldn't be back to work for another few weeks. "I think this is his way of making up for being such an ass to everyone."

"You would know that, wouldn't you?" Clint scoffed with a cross of his arms.

One jab in the ribs from Natasha was all it took for him to quiet down before he could complain some more. Ada threw her a thankful look. Though she understood Clint's frustration towards Tony's behavior, it wasn't as if she had any control over what her father did. She was just thankful Tony didn't throw the wild parties he used to, or that he'd settled down with Pepper.

With a sigh, she led the way into the main living area where a table full of food had already been set up. Music played quietly in the background, and a countdown clock had been set up. The best part was the large screen perched above a fireplace. Tony had it set up so that they could watch the ball drop live from the street nearby, where large crowds had clustered in the bitter cold.

"I don't remember New Year's Eve being so exciting," Steve admitted when he noticed how bright and loud it was.

Pepper turned down the volume on the speaker after grimacing at the loud noise. She'd already had enough with the people screaming for attention when the cameras focused on them. Not that Ada couldn't blame her. Those people would never know what it was like constantly having the paparazzi ambushing them.

"It's gotten bigger with each year," Ada explained with a roll of her eyes.

New Year's Eve was a big deal for most people. She only saw it as an excuse for people to get drunk and wild. How people would spend hours on end in Time's Square for the celebration was beyond her. There were over a hundred things she would rather do than spend it out in the bitter cold with a bunch of random strangers.

"Ironically, I was in Switzerland for New Year's Eve when Killian became such a pain in the ass," Tony said when he reached them. Ada eyed him in surprise as he clasped a hand over her shoulder, shooting Steve a look that said it all. The Super Soldier only returned it with an incredulous glare. "Never did admit that that was a mistake."

"That's because you rarely admit when you've made a mistake, Tony," Pepper retorted after joining them.

Ada couldn't help but laugh at the face Tony made when she said that. Not for the first time, she was thankful Leo and Jemma had been able to find a cure for Extremis. With the cure, Pepper had been Extremis free for the last couple of days, now. She was happier now that the effects had worn off. In fact, she and Tony had returned to their playful banter before any of the madness revolving around the Mandarin started.

"She isn't wrong about that," Natasha quipped from where she sat.

"We all make mistakes," Ada pointed out after chewing the bottom of her lip. She knew that everyone had their limits when it came to teasing, and Tony wasn't one to take things lightly. He'd been trying to change his image since the media over portrayed him the last few years as a playboy. It wasn't easy, since everyone just assumed that was how he would act. "It's called being human."

"So, are you all gonna hug it out or am I gonna have to make a run for it?" Clint asked, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the thought.

Tony only shook his head as he looked at Ada in surprise. Then, he had to go around and ruffle her hair just to annoy her. She nearly rolled her eyes again before meeting his gaze. Moments like those were rare between them. Ada realized with a start how much she longed for them, especially since she knew that she was growing up fast. Since she never really had a normal childhood growing up, Ada always acted more maturely than most people her age. Now, she was beginning to wish that things had been slightly different.

She let out a sigh as she reached the table and grabbed a plate. Despite the antics they often found themselves in, this team was really beginning to show the signs of a real family. Ada knew in the back of her mind that while it had never been Fury's intention, these people needed something like that in their lives. She hadn't missed the fact that Banner had opened up a bit more around Natasha, or that he was spending more time with Tony now that they both settled into a routine in the labs. Even Steve had his normal routine where they would meet up in the gym every once in a while, or go on a morning run.

"Something on your mind?"

Natasha's question cut through her thoughts. Ada blinked in surprise when she realized she'd been staring at nothing in particular for the last couple of minutes. The redhead watched her curiously as she stabbed a fork into her salad, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"I couldn't help but think how much this reminds me of being surrounded by family," she admitted sheepishly. "I mean, we all sort of look out for one another."

Which was true, in a way. She hadn't realized until then just how much that meant to her, to know that there would always be someone she could rely on. Natasha rose an eyebrow in surprise before taking a sip of the wine she'd taken from Tony's stash.

"No matter what they say, you and Stark are nothing alike," she remarked. Ada looked at Natasha warily. She couldn't hide the small smile that followed. She certainly hadn't been expecting that comment, especially from someone like Natasha. Then again, they had all learned to tolerate one another in some way or another. "So, what about you and Steve? I know he's been giving you the 'look' since we got here."

That was enough for cheeks to rise to her cheeks. The sudden change in subject wasn't something Ada had been prepared for. And of course, the moment Natasha brought it up was when she caught Steve looking in their direction. He was sitting across the table between Pepper and Banner, having given her a wide berth. Not that Ada couldn't blame him after the way Tony had been acting about them getting to know each other.

"I don't think there's anything that needs to be said," she muttered under her breath, this time hoping to hide the flush of embarrassment that swept through her. The last thing she wanted to admit was that she did have feelings for Steve. Not only was he three years older than her, but she suspected the feelings were anything but mutual. "Look, I've been focusing on my SHIELD training and finding out more about my people… I'd rather keep it that way, for everyone's sake."

The smirk that followed was just another reminder of why Ada had kept her feelings at bay. If anything, the incident revolving around Killian had only reminded her of why she wasn't in any hurry to start a relationship. If anything happened between them, it would only make things incredibly awkward for everyone else.

"Your eyes say differently," Natasha whispered, though it was loud enough for Ada to hear loud and clear.

She couldn't help but glance away warily. Not for the first time, she found herself wondering why it had been such a big deal in the first place. It wasn't as if anyone else had focused on relationships. Sure, Tony had Pepper, and even Clint had a secret family no one knew about. But, that wasn't her life, as much as she wanted it to be.

…

"We're only a few minutes away from the countdown until the ball drops," the reporter informed everyone after reaching the main stage.

The performer had finished with a grand finale song and left just as the crowd went wild. Ada crossed her arms, feeling squished as she sat wedged between Banner and Steve on the couch. Tony sat on Banner's other side, while Clint sat on Steve's other side. Natasha and Pepper were the smart ones, who managed to wriggle out of using a couch that was meant for two. How they managed to squeeze in four people was something she would never understand.

"I'm beginning to feel like a hotdog," she complained when Pepper handed her a glass of champagne.

"Well, it was your idea to sit with the boys, so don't go complaining to me about it," Pepper reminded her with a wink.

Ada merely rolled her eyes and was about to stick her tongue out when she thought better of it. She was the first one to sit on the couch, soon followed by the others as if to prove some point. With a sigh of frustration, she tried ignoring the smug look Tony threw her as they turned up the volume. The countdown clock had already begun as the crowd chanted from ten to one.

"Three… two… one… Happy New Year!"

The cheer came almost all at once from everyone, even Banner. The sound of explosive fireworks echoed around the Tower as the ball dropped and confetti filled the streets. Just like any other New Year's Eve party, their glasses clanked seconds later as everyone took their sip.

By the time everyone finished, Ada soon found herself leaning into Steve. Tony had already left the couch after having his share of drinks, while Banner was beginning to fall asleep on his side of the couch. Despite her protests from earlier, Ada couldn't help but feel more relaxed than ever after everything that happened. The last thing she remembered before drifting off to sleep was the feeling of his warm arms wrapped around her.

AN: Hopefully FF has resolved the issue that has been going on with their website over the last few weeks, more specifically, with email alerts and such. Had trouble logging into the site the other night and even this morning. Aside from that, the next couple of chapters will be a little shorter than I would like, but they're also filler chapters. Hopefully this chapter wasn't too boring as far as filler chapters go :)