A/N: Hello! I'm not dead, just busy. I've been working on some original fiction, and in the ff world, a massive story that I want to complete before I start posting it online. I've also been working on my art portfolio, so... anyway, RL's not important.
On with the story! Another time jump, plenty of fluff.
The day Allie graduated from MIT with a degree in Bio-mechanical Engineering, the world was on high alert. Literally. The Avengers threatened upon pain of we'll-let-Hulk-loose-on-Capitol-Hill that nothing was going to call them away from Allie's graduation, not even another alien invasion, so somebody had better be on call.
They had Black Panther on standby for the UN, the Fantastic Four for New York, and Spider-man for the Avengers base.
The Avengers all came in civilian clothes, but Allie noticed that all of them were wearing armored underlayers and most of them were carrying "not-weapons". Like Steve's backpack was fooling anybody. None of them looked particularly apologetic, either.
"It's always best to be prepared," Bruce said philosophically, and bought her an ice cream bar from the vending machine.
"Yeah, I know." Allie grinned. "And with our history, I bet-"
Sam put a hand over her mouth. Even though she was now a dignified eighteen years of age, she'd ended up a very average 5'3" and everyone on the team was taller than her. "Don't finish that thought, kiddo. Trust me. Don't."
Allie grinned at him. "What thought?"
"Girl, c'mon."
She laughed and hugged him. "Okay, okay. Sorry. Hey, where's everyone else?"
Being mobbed by Tony Stark's fans, was the answer. He catered to the crowd for a bit, Steve at his side for reinforcements, before shooing them off. "We're here for a graduation, not for me," he said.
"So much character development," Natasha teased him.
Tony looked at her oddly. "What are you, Deadpool? Go find your kid."
Allie came up to them at that moment. "Hey, it's gonna be starting, so I'd better go find Eden..."
"Okay." Natasha gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Be careful but have fun, okay? We'll be front row."
"Okay." Allie hugged her mom, and then Steve. "Don't let dad do anything super embarrassing," she warned him.
"You're not gonna warn me to behave?" Tony asked, giving her a fake pout.
Allie giggled. "Nope. I've given up hope."
Tony put a hand over his arc reactor. "Ouch. That one hurt." He ruffled her hair, messing up her free-swinging curls. "Go get 'em."
She waved, and vanished into the crowd of graduates.
"I feel old," Tony murmured, after a second.
"Tell me about it," Clint said, appearing at their sides. "My baby's gonna be a doctor."
"All right, senior citizens, let's go," Steve said, ushering everyone along.
"You're one to talk, gramps."
With a lot of hemming and hawing, the graduation ceremony got underway. Forever later, Allie crossed the stage and received her diploma. She could hear the whoops and hollers of her parents and family, and beamed at one and all in spite of the nerves. She was the youngest graduate this year and the only one going into a Stark Industries job straight off the bat. Lots of people stared at her, even once she retook her seat.
The Avengers cheered a lot when Eden got her diploma, too. She blushed fire-truck red and retook her seat.
Allie grinned. She hadn't told Eden yet that Tony was going to offer the older girl a paid internship, too.
Thirty seconds later, an explosion went off in the distance.
Clint groaned. "You've got to be kidding me."
"FRIDAY," Tony ordered, as his nano-tech suit formed around part of his arm and face.
"I'm reading massive explosions coming from the farthest building," FRIDAY said.
Steve put a comm in his ear. "All right, people, spread out, we-"
The dean of the school strode onto the stage. "And now for the half-time show, brought to you by our favorite band of pyromaniacs from the chemical sciences department!"
Fireworks lit the air a moment later.
All the Avengers heaved a sigh and relaxed into their chairs. Clint's phone buzzed and he checked it. It was a text from Allie. 'Gotcha, didn't they?' "Brat," he replied fondly.
The rest of the graduation went off without a hitch, and hundreds of hats flew into the air.
The Avengers waited in loose formation till Allie came and found them. She hugged each of them.
"I'm so proud of you, malyshka," Natasha told her, kissing Allie's cheek.
Allie kissed her back. "I couldn't have done it without you. I love you, mom." She turned to Clint and threw her arms around his neck. "Love you, too, dad."
He kissed her hair, blinking rapidly to keep the tears out of his eyes. "Super proud of you, baby."
She wiped her own eyes and stepped back. "Okay, superheroes aren't crying in public, let's go."
"Go where, Dr. Barton-Romanoff?" Tony asked, grinning at her new title.
Allie smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "Wherever you booked for our great dinner," she replied innocently.
He smirked at her. "And you're so sure I made a reservation, peanut?"
"Yup. When Peter's not here, I'm your favorite."
Tony laughed. "All right, all right, come on, graduate, let's go eat."
A~A~A~A
Two days later, Allie started her first day on the official Stark Industries payroll.
"Welcome to R&D, Dr. Barton," Tony said, throwing his arms out grandly.
"This is the lab next to yours," Allie said blankly.
"Yup."
"R&D is at Stark Tower," Allie pointed out.
"The main division is," Tony said. "But biomimetics is a new division, and it's located here."
Allie stared at him. "You created a whole new division, for me?"
"Well, yeah." Tony gave her an offended look. "You thought I was going to make you work anywhere that's not home?"
Allie pushed her hair behind her ear. "I don't know, I've never had a job before."
He laughed. "Welcome to the workforce. I'm going to tell you now, superheroes and scientists don't do nine to five."
"I guessed that," she said dryly.
A/N 2: This story is actually coming to an end, folks. We're gonna do a few more chapters to launch Allie into the world of adulting and superheroing, and then it'll be it. I just wanted to give you a heads-up. Thanks so much for reading, and for your reviews.