Chapter 30

Toni Stark was used to chaos in her life.

It was how she thrived really, watching things come apart and people tried to keep up with the madness that was her life. It wasn't a normal week if she got more than fifteen hours of sleep a night.

If anyone stumbled into her workshop in the middle of one of her work binges, they could find tools everywhere, wires hanging lose, and more than enough to cause any person less capable than herself to be at severe risk. But she wasn't most regular people. She knew how to handle the mess and the chaos. How to navigate without injuring herself, too badly anyways.

But what she didn't expect was to be involved in a chaotic mess when she had nothing to do with the situation.

No, today the chaos in her life involved one Ava Carter-Sousa and another Bruce Banner.

And Toni Stark was enjoying the show.

It started when Ava had accidentally seen some of Bruce's messages to a former flame of his, but the name of Betty Ross, and unfortunately for Bruce, the message in question had been something along the lines of, "I'll always love you, Bruce."

And since then, Ava hadn't been talking to the man. Not that she was ignoring him, but she'd grown far more distant in her responses, much to Bruce's exasperation.

"Ava, can you at least let me explain?" Bruce said, following her cousin into the kitchen where Steve was making breakfast and Toni drinking her third cup of coffee that morning.

"What's there to explain?" Ava said calmly, as she sat down beside Toni, "You and Betty are good for each other. She was there for you in a time before you knew the rest of us. I understand that you still have feelings for her, and honestly, I'm happy for you. You deserve to find someone like her that you want to spend the rest of your life with."

"I'm not seeing her," Bruce said quickly, trying to get a word in. "You're misreading everything.

"I'm not," Ava shrugged, "If you're not with her now, then it's only a matter of time before you get back together with her. She was the love of your life. You were engaged. I'm sure Toni can handle Thaddeus Ross, so there's nothing stopping you from getting back together with her. She'd do that for you, Science Bros and all."

"Do you think we should say something?" Steve asked, as he placed an omelet in front of her.

"I told you I wasn't hungry," she said, looking up at him in surprise.

"When was the last time you ate?" he said, unamused with her, as he waved the spatula at her, "Eat. You need to keep your strength up for all those crazy hours you keep in your lab. One of these days I'm going to walk in there and see you passed out from hunger, just you watch."

"Rude," she pouted, "Are you at least going to make one for yourself? Or are you going to make a girl eat all by herself?"

"You seem to be doing fine on your own," he grinned, "But if it makes you feel better, I'll just finish up making my own and give you some company."

She looked over at her cousin, as Bruce had a flash of green creep up his neck.

"They're fine," she told Steve after a moment, too quiet for either of them to hear. And they looked far too engrossed in their own conversation to even listen to what they were saying.

"Look, I don't know how to prove to you that I'm not getting back together with Betty," Bruce said, as he took a deep breath, the green fading away. She grinned to herself at the control the man was gaining more control over the Other Guy.

"You don't need to prove anything to me, Bruce!" she said, unhappily, "That's the point. It's your life. You can do whatever you want. Why do I care if you get back with your ex? It's your life. And it's not like your relationship ended because of anything that either you or her could control. You broke up because her father wanted to kill you. I'm sure when he backs off the two of you will be very happy together."

"I don't want to date her," he said, annoyed, "Look, can we at least get dinner together? Just the two of us?"

"We don't need to do anything. You don't need to convince me that you don't care for her," she said, taking a deep breath, "I'm your friend, Bruce. I want you to be happy. And she makes you happy."

"For the last time, I don't want to be with her," Bruce raised his hands in the air, "I'm not asking you to dinner to talk about her. She's moved on, and so have I. I'm asking you because I want to go on a date with you, Ava. Because I like you! Not her! And I don't know how to make that anymore clear to you."

"What?" Ava asked, a bit dumbfounded.

"I. Like. You. Ava Carter-Sousa," Bruce enunciated each word clearly. "I've had feelings for you for quite some time now. I even asked Toni if she would give me her blessing to ask you out. But you are making that extremely difficult to do when you won't even talk to me."

"Okay," she said, after a moment.

"Okay?" Bruce asked her, sounding shocked.

"I want to go on a date with you," she confirmed. "Tomorrow at seven?"

"Seven," he confirmed, a bit dazed, "Tomorrow."

She stood then, looking a bit in shock, as she kissed him on the cheek and all but ran out of the room.

"What just happened?" Bruce asked, still looking bewildered.

"You just got a date with my cousin," she grinned, as Steve gave him a wide smile, "Congrats Bruce. Now I have a cousin to go talk to, as I have a feeling she's just as rattled as you are."

"Take your food with you!" Steve said quickly, as she stood to leave.

"Yeah, yeah," she sighed, as she picked up the plate of food to take with her. And with that, she turned to leave the room, wanting to know what her cousin was thinking.

She wasn't all that sure what to expect when she first entered her cousin's lab, but Ava pacing around back and forth muttering to herself was not it. Carefully, she placed the omelet Steve had made for her off to the side,

"Ava?" she asked, looking at her cousin, "Are you doing okay, Sweetheart?"

"Of course I'm not doing okay!" Ava raised her hands in the air, "I just made a fool of myself. I've been avoiding him like a bitch for the last week and turns out he wasn't even seeing Betty anymore. I've been starting fights with him. He had to ask me out by raising his voice to get me to even stop talking and listen to him because I wasn't letting him get a word in otherwise. And when I finally did listen to him, I kissed him! Do you know what he's going to think of me? He's going to think he asked out a crazy person! What if he takes it back? What if he doesn't want to go out with me anymore?"

"Ava," Toni said soothingly as she walked over to the girl and wrapped an arm around her shoulder before leading her to the couch. "Breathe. Just take a moment and breathe okay? Everything's going to be fine. You're overthinking things. I thought that conversation went well, all things considering."

Ava looked at her as if she had suddenly grown a second head and she laughed softly, "Okay maybe it didn't go as smoothly as it could have. But you're overthinking how bad it went. Both you and Bruce are still in once piece. And if anything, it shows how much he likes you. The fact that it bothered him so much that you thought he wasn't into you that he wanted you to know the truth shows that much. If he wasn't serious about you, he would have given up at the first sign of difficulty. Do you know how many guys give up when they realize I won't go out with them simply if they buy me a drink? He's liked you for a while now, and he wouldn't have asked me to date you if he wasn't."

"I'm not property," Ava said somewhat mulishly, "He shouldn't have had to have asked you for permission."

She gave the girl a look, "You and I both know he didn't ask me because he thought he needed permission. He asked me to make sure you would be safe if you started dating the Hulk. And if I thought you would be in danger."

"I'm not in danger!" she insisted, "Bruce would never hurt me. And I've met the other guy. He might be capable of some serious damage, but he's a sweetheart."

"I know that," Toni said soothingly, "I'm right there beside you in saying the Hulk isn't a danger to those he cares about. But Bruce doesn't have as much confidence in himself as you have in him. So be gentle with him okay? He does genuinely have feelings for you, and I know you care about him too. You just need to take a leap of fate and let the cards fall as they choose to."

She snorted, "I didn't think you were one for believing in destiny," she said, "What happened to making your own set of rules to live life by?"

"I stand by that," Toni nodded, "If you like Bruce, then prove it. Fight for him too. And let him know how much you care about him. But no matter how much you try, there are always variables out of your control. You just need to not let it influence your equation."

"You're a nerd," she said, leaning into her, and Toni pulled her in tightly.

"Yes, but we both know you are just as much of a nerd as me," she told her, "You'll always be my girl in the chair, right?"

"Of course," Ava said, offended. "Science Sisters for life."

Toni laughed at that, and Ava let out a sigh.

"I just don't want to mess this up," she said, and Toni rubbed her back gently.

"I know," she told her, "But all you can do is give it your best shot. You and Bruce are good for each other. You just need to trust yourselves."

"Toni?" Ava said, after a moment. "I'm glad I have you in my life. I love Harry, but I couldn't talk to him about stuff like this. And I love Mom more than anything, but things haven't been the same with her recently. Not when she barely remembers who Harry and I are, half the time."

"You're my family," she told the girl firmly, "Your family has been there through the roughest times in my life. And I'm here for all of you too, even if I get lost in my own head sometimes."

"He went to see her," Ava said, "Steve. Dad told me about it later."

She stilled slightly, "Oh?" she said, not sure of what to say. She knew Steve was trying to separate the Peggy Carter he once loved with the woman she'd become, but he'd never talked to her about it. She wondered how he was doing. While Aunt Peggy had moved on, Steve had woken up without having the time to properly process what had happened in the years he was in the ice.

She wondered if the man would ever mention it to her. And if he did, what would she say about it?

"You should talk to him," Ava said softly, "The two of you understand each other, despite how different you are. And I think now more than ever he could use some more friends in his life."

"Okay," she sighed to herself. "Just promise me you'll tell me how your date with Bruce goes."

"Of course," Ava said solemnly, "You'll be the first I tell."

"Good," Toni said, as she leaned back, "Now, do you want to watch something mind numbing, like The Bachelor? Rumour has it that Justin Hammer's on it, trying to redeem his image after the whole Stark Expo disaster, and I want to see him make a fool of himself on national television."

"I'm in," Ava beamed, as JARVIS lowered began streaming the show.


As often as Clint Barton snuck into the Tower in the dead of the night, he snuck out of it too. And when he was gone, it would be weeks before any of them saw the man again.

It didn't bother her, not really. Avenger or not, he was still a SHIELD agent and agents were often given missions that they were unable to talk to the rest of them about. If he vanished to go on those secret missions, then really, what could she do about it?

Except she knew the look of someone hiding things all too well. Half her life she'd hid things from the world. She'd hid her feelings, certain inconvenient truths, or things she'd rather keep close to home for her own sanity. And if there was one thing she knew, it was that whatever Clint Barton was keeping from them, it wasn't about any particular SHIELD mission.

"Hi Darling," Clint called out as he slid next to her on the couch, "Missed me?"

He wrapped an arm around her as she shushed him carefully. They were just getting to Peter's favourite part of Back to the Future, and she wouldn't have the boy miss the part of the movie he liked. Not when he'd make them rewind too far back and watch it from that point again.

She could see Steve glance over at them tentatively and she tried not to make eye contact with him.

"Barton you smell," she complained, without moving away from his hug.

"Awww, didn't you miss me Sweetheart?" he asked her giving her a teasing look.

"Don't let your wife hear you say that," Toni warned him jokingly, "Or she might skin you alive."

"My wife?" he asked her, trying his best to sound confused. But there was a slight hitch in his voice. A hitch that let her know that despite the cool demeanour he was wearing, there was more to it than that. And if there was one thing Toni knew all too well, it was the look of a person trying to keep something from her. It was the same look a few of the older board members had given her when she'd metaphorically caught their hands in the cookie jar of Stark Industries, as they tried to pretend that they weren't embezzling from the company.

And she knew then in that moment, she'd caught him.

Wife.

"Why Natasha of course," Toni said innocently, and Clint relaxed, "I don't think she'd be too pleased to know you're still trying to put the moves on me, even though we all know you failed the first time."

"Well if at first you don't succeed," he said giving her a lazy smile. "Gotta keep trying right?"

"Pretty sure that's harassment," Rhodey said as he joined them on the couch. She grinned up at the man who had been given leave for a week and had decided to join her and the others in the tower.

"It is," Toni nodded solemnly, as Rhodey offered her some of the popcorn he'd gotten. He passed around the other bowls to Peter, Ava, and Bruce, who were still intently trying to watch the movie, Steve, and kept one for them as she leaned over and popped a few kernels into her mouth.

"Hey what about me?" Clint asked, pouting.

"No popcorn for you," she grinned as Rhodey shoved a handful into his mouth.

"You can share with me, Clint," Steve rolled his eyes, and the archer quickly sat up as he moved over to where Steve was.

"This is why Steve is the best Avenger," Clint stuck his tongue out at her and she flipped him off.

"Steve's the best Avenger because he has a heart of gold and buns of steel," she shot back, as Steve turned slightly red.

"Guys!" Peter whined as the Doc explained the consequences of Marty being erased from the future.

"Sorry Petey," Toni grinned as she mock glared at the rest of the occupants in the room.

"Thank you," Peter said, as he turned his focus back onto the movie in question.

She leaned into Rhodey as he protectively wrapped an arm around her.

"You doing okay Baby Girl?" he asked her gently.

"Just fine," she said, "I'm glad you're here Rhodey Bear."

"Yeah well, Mama wasn't too happy about it," Rhodey sighed, "So I told her we'd spend Christmas down with her. She wants the entire family over, just you wait. It's going to be an absolutely madhouse there."

"The entire family?" Toni raised a brow.

She knew Mama Rhodes loved hosting family gatherings.

But surely he didn't mean what she thought he was saying.

Rhodey waved his hand around the room, "Yep," he laughed, and she groaned to herself lightly.

That would definitely be something else. The movie continued to play on the screen in front of them, and she tried to immerse herself into it, without looking over too often at Steve.

She noted the popcorn ran out shortly after, and she stood carefully, as she gathered the bowls. It would be a more than one movie kind of night, and it was early enough that she didn't have to worry about Peter's bedtime, so she went to the kitchen to make more popcorn.

"Let me help," Steve said when she tried to take his.

"Ever the gentleman," she teased, and he shot her a grin. They made their way over to her kitchen where the popcorn machine had been setup and she refilled the kernels as she turned it back on.

He leaned against her countertop and crossed his arms, and she was suddenly aware of how little space was between them.

She wondered then what her father would think to know that she was busy lusting over the man he'd wasted his entire life trying to find.

Her father would have hated it if he knew the truth, and part of her wanted to smile knowing at the end of the day the man who looked he over in favour of the man across from her would never get to know that Steve Rogers was alive, after all these years.

What would their relationship have been like in another life, if Steve was found back when her parents were still alive? Back before her world had gone to hell when Jarvis and her mother had passed away and the company thrown at her when she was far too young?

Would he have hated her, because her father could barely stand the sight of her?

"You're thinking too hard," he commented after a moment.

"I'm always thinking," she shot back without a bite, "Genius remember."

He moved closer to her slightly and she took a deep breath.

"You're allowed to unwind too, Toni," he said gently, "I know you think you're responsible for everything, but you don't need to be. the world won't fall apart if Clint doesn't have new arrows that explode, or if you make Nat's suit tear proof. Take a break every now and then and eat a proper meal."

"If I ate properly then who would you fuss over?" she teased as she turned carefully to turn on the stove so she could melt the butter.

"Clint sure gives you a run for your money," Steve said, glancing back at the man who had taken over the entire section that the two of them had been sharing.

"Clint is something else," she said fondly.

"I don't know if I ever said thank you," he said suddenly, and she found herself looking back over at the man in confusion.

"What for?" she asked as she looked up at him in surprise.

"All of this," he waved his hand around. "You gave us a home, Toni, and even if all of us aren't always around, we do appreciate all that you've done for us. I appreciate all that you've done for us."

He took a deep breath then, "When I woke up and they told me decades had passed, I didn't know how to keep living. I didn't understand anything about this new world that I was in. I didn't understand what had happened and how the world had gotten to this place. It was like I skipped quite a few chapters in a book and the story didn't make sense to me anymore. I thought my life was over, or at least the way I knew it."

She looked up at him and he continued, "Before the Avengers, I was living on a SHIELD base, eating meals on a military standard, and just trying to make the most out of a bad situation. But you gave me something else, Toni. Something that I thought I'd lost the chance to have when I woke up in the future. You have me a home. And you let me join the family you have here, with Bruce, the Carter-Sousas, Peter, and the others. And I can't thank you enough for giving me something I never thought I'd be able to have again."

"I know what it's like to feel like you have no one," she said, gently taking his hand. "Family doesn't always have to just be the people who are related to you by blood. In our lives we come across people who can be those people for us. And I want to give you that. I know how much you lost and I want you to have a chance to have a life here. My father always said you were a good man, and I wanted him to be wrong about that. But he was right. You're a good man Steve Rogers, and you deserve this much."

He smiled back at her sadly and she wondered what it was that was going through his mind.

"I went to see Peg," he said softly, and she gave him an encouraging look. It wasn't a surprise to her, she'd already known from Ava that he had. But she hadn't brought it up, unsure of what to say about the situation.

"Oh?" she asked, looking at him curiously.

"She's still the same person I knew back then," he said after a moment, "Older and wiser, yes, but the same fiery woman who never let anything stand in her way."

"She always was an inspiration," Toni grinned, "Mom once tried to make me wear a dress to a formal dinner with poofs and I hated the entire thing. Peggy snuck me a nice set of tailored pants before the party. Mom was furious but she saw how happy it made me and gave in eventually."

"Sounds like something she'd do," he said with a laugh as the popcorn finished popping.

"Steve?" she said after a moment, "You can talk to me too, you know. You carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, but you don't have to. If you ever want to talk to me about what you're going through, or how it was seeing Aunt Peggy, then you can. None of us might understand exactly what you're going through, but we're still here for you."

He took a deep breathe, "Thanks Toni," he told her softly, "There are some things Peggy said that I want to ask you about, but I think I need some time. If that's okay with you."

She gave his arm another squeeze, "Anytime you need me, I'm here." She turned back to the popcorn, divvying it up between the bowls, before pouring the butter over it. She handed him two of the bowls as they made their way back to the room, just in time for the climax of the movie.