See Chapter One for Disclaimer
The diner Maddie had marched her intrigued audience to was only two blocks away, the storefront bright and cheery despite the late hour, and Maddie threw the double doors open and strode towards a large table in the corner, not waiting for the hostess to seat them.
The hostess, a brunette with a thin nose and a wide smile, didn't seem fazed by Maddie's rudeness.
"Bad day?" She sympathized, and Maddie just shot her a look.
"It's the end of the world," she said seriously, and the woman smiled.
"It's a slow night, I've got you," she winked. "Hey Winchester."
"Kacey," Dean tried to smile, but failed. "We're gonna need one of everything tonight."
"Oh." The woman's eyebrows rose. "So it IS bad." She nodded. "I'll get right on it."
As the woman strode off, Maddie slid into the booth, expression black. Bucky slid in to sit on one side, and Dean flopped next to her. The rest of the group made to grab chairs, seating themselves silently, watching Maddie warily.
One side of the table, Maddie had commandeered. Bucky and Clint sat on one side of her, Dean and Sam on the other. Cas started the next side of the table, John seated to his left and Sam on his right. Sherlock, and three of the BAU team completed that side of the table. Starting the opposite side of the table was Laura, seated next to her husband, Nat to her left and the rest of the BAU team on that side. Across from Maddie sat the rest of the Avengers: and the newcomer. Steve and Pietro had manhandled "Theo" to sit in between them, directly across from Maddie, and the handsome young man was the recipient of several glares.
"So," Theo seemed impervious to the glares. "Are you going to tell them, or should I?"
Maddie's eyes narrowed. "We slept together years ago," She snapped. "I hardly think it's their business NOW."
And Theo choked. "What?" He shook his head quickly, running a hand through his hair. "No! I wasn't talking about – of COURSE it's nobody's – I'm talking about why you were freaking out!"
Maddie tilted her head. "Oh – so the fact that my ex showed up out of the blue when he should've been happily married to one of my sisters in an alternate reality isn't enough of a reason to freak out?"
Theo sputtered again, and eyebrows raised around the table.
For the BAU team, they assumed "alternate reality" was a code for something.
For the others? Well, Maddie had had to come from SOMEWHERE. But she was supposed to have been a one-time thing.
The mere presence of the blonde man seated across from Maddie said otherwise.
"Sisters?" He grimaced. "Your sisters are five and ten."
"Meg is 17," Maddie argued. "That's only a seven-year difference: perfectly doable."
"Well, I'll keep that in mind," Theo rolled his eyes. "If I ever get back to that dimension."
"Pause." Pietro held up a hand. "I hate to interrupt this riveting conversation but," He frowned. "You were serious before? Steve is actually the father of your child?"
"Yes," Maddie said firmly. At the same time as she spoke, Clint and Bucky answered Pietro's question as well.
"Hopefully." Clint shot the newcomer a glare.
"Unlikely." Bucky added brightly.
Maddie whipped her head to glare at Clint, then whirled to turn her glare on Bucky.
"I hate both of you," she muttered, her arms crossing angrily.
"So you were dating this guy?" Tasha leaned forward eagerly.
"Wait." Steve made a face, a horrible thought occurring to him. "Was I a rebound?"
"Hold on." Laura shook her head. "I don't think this is why Maddie called us together,"
"But this is more interesting!" Scott grinned.
Theo snorted. "You won't say that when you find out why we're here."
"Why are we here?" Aaron Hotchner asked, eyebrow raised.
Despite his cool exterior, Hotch loved drama when it didn't involve him.
"Internet!" Penelope Garcia raised a hand, smiling.
She knew what the internet was.
"I believe," Sherlock drawled, observing Garcia with interest, "that it might be a bit more complicated than just the internet. And hopefully I am somehow involved, I wouldn't want to be wasting my time." He said pointedly, and Maddie rolled her eyes.
"If you really want to leave Sherlock, there's the door. Although," her head tilted slightly. "You are potentially involved. As the night drags on, I'm more and more convinced that I'm NOT a murderer."
"Of COURSE you're not a murderer!" Sam Winchester chuckled. "You wouldn't hurt a fly!" The rest of the table nodded in agreement. Only Dean and Theo made a face.
Sherlock snorted. "So I should not bring up the man you electrocuted to death?"
"He electrocuted himself!" Maddie said hotly. "It just so happened that I was standing there at that exact moment and that the sparks started flying right after he threatened to blackmail me and then I said I would end him."
Sherlock raised an eyebrow and Bucky slowly scooted his chair away from Maddie and everyone else looked slightly stunned. Maddie sighed. "Besides," She continued slowly. "I don't think I did that anymore. Apparently," she grimaced. "I have a friend hiding out on the internet: other than Garcia, that is."
Garcia beamed and Maddie looked directly at Steve. "And also apparently, he's found a way out."
"Who exactly," Steve asked, eyes narrowing, "are we talking about?"
"Waffles!" The waitress from before appeared, plates piled high with waffles and butter and syrup, and the sudden tension around the table dissipated as Maddie clapped her hands and imperiously reached for her fork.
Dean smiled as he watched Maddie wiggle excitedly, waiting for her plate to reach her. "Waffles," she muttered under her breath as a plate appeared in front of her.
Other plates were distributed around the table, some surprised by the breakfast foods in front of her, some digging into the food without complaint, and others looking distastefully down at the syrup-covered waffles.
A plate of French toast was placed in front of Sherlock, and he sniffed.
"I'm glad you remembered," he said in his snotty voice, and the waitress grinned.
"I spit in it," she said cheerily, breezing by Sherlock, who was now staring worriedly at the food in front of him.
The waitress paused behind Steve and Theo. "Who're the blonde guys?" She asked, head tilted.
Maddie rolled her eyes, and pointed, introducing them with her mouth full.
"Baby daddy," she explained, pointing first at Steve. "Ex," she pointed at Theo next.
"Oh." The waitress blinked dumbly. Then she winked at Dean. "You moved up in the world."
"Back off, he's mine!" Maddie snapped, but she smiled at the waitress. "Take one of the other ones."
"Hmm." The brunette stared appraisingly at Steve, then at Theo. "I'll think about it."
As the waitress moved away, Maddie shoved another bite into her mouth, and the others slowly dug into their food, all except for Theo.
"Uh," he said after a moment. "So – when are you going to bring up the fact that Ultron just pretty much possessed your boss?"
Utensils froze and eyes widened, and Maddie made a face.
"Look at what you've done." She said coldly.
"You've ruined my appetite."
The table descended into chaos after Theo spoke, and Maddie let the idiots talk over themselves.
"This is an Avenger issue," Tasha pushed,
"Well, your ISSUE is under investigation for a murder I was going to commit, so I think I have a say in this,"
"I know what the internet is!" Garcia insisted,
Dean looked at his brother and best friend and they shrugged. Dean sighed, rolled his eyes, and whistled, and the table finally went quiet.
Dean looked down at Maddie. "You spoke to the guy. Ultron was really in control?"
"Yep." Maddie locked eyes with Dean, preferring to look at him than at anyone else.
"And? What was his demeanor? He didn't try to hurt you?"
Maddie's eyebrows furrowed. "No – it was weird. He seemed like he just wanted to say hi – said I was smart, congratulated me on my success. He was super friendly actually."
"So he's no immediate threat?" Dean pressed. "You don't think he's got any crazy schemes up his sleeves? He's not going to do anything drastic?"
"Honestly?" Maddie shrugged. "He was kind of acting like a tourist; wanted to take in the sights, or whatever. He knew a lot about everything, but he has been living in the internet, so that's not much of a surprise." She finally turned to the rest of the table. "I mean, I wouldn't let him stay as he is, but there's no reason to go in guns blazing."
"So I'll take him in gently," Steve tried.
"You're an enemy, Rogers," Theo shook his head. "Best it be someone who hasn't blatantly tried to murder him."
"But still someone the public will trust." Tasha raised an eyebrow and turned to her date. "Someone with authority."
"Like the BAU, perhaps?" Hotch surmised. "We'll bring him in peacefully."
"Thanks," Maddie shot the man a genuine smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to take my boyfriend home and go kiss my son." She nodded resolutely.
"Bradley?" Theo straightened when she said his name. "Do me a favor - get out of my sight."
"Cold." Theo observed, but he smiled wistfully.
"I'm trying to UN-complicate my life," Maddie huffed, pushing her chair back. "Not make everything weird."
"Too late," Cas said seriously, and grimaced in agreement.
"Well, hopefully I can stop it before it gets worse. See you guys."
The rest of the table watched as Dean and Maddie moved to the exit, one of Dean's hands possessively resting on Maddie's back, his green eyes shooting one last glare towards the two blonde men who'd upended his life that day.
The short walk back to Maddie's house was awkward.
Maddie blamed the awkwardness on Dean.
He was just being too quiet!
"You're pissed, aren't you?" She finally spoke. Dean grunted and she rolled her eyes, nudging him slightly. "Come on, babe, I know you're mad. Just tell me why you're pissed."
"You're kidding right?" Dean shot Maddie a wide-eyed look. "You told me your ex was dead!"
"Well, I thought he was dead." Maddie explained quickly. "Dead to me, anyway. How did I know he time jumped too?"
Dean continued speaking, his voice raising as he got angrier. "Did you ever actually break up with him, or did you just time-jump?"
"Dean," Maddie tried to interrupt, but the stubborn Winchester was on a roll,
"SO technically you're still dating right now!"
"Yes," Maddie interrupted quickly, "- I'm dating YOU."
"Yeah," Dean snorted disbelievingly. "For how long?"
Maddie stared dumbly up at her boyfriend, the two of them now standing on her front stoop. "What the crap, Winchester?" She finally asked.
"Now that your perfect boyfriend is back, when are you going to dump me so you can get with him?"
"Dean – " Maddie snorted,
"Or are you going to throw me over for the baby daddy? Or are they the same guy, perhaps?"
And Maddie had had enough. She knew Dean had a right to be angry – but now she was angry too.
"You're an idiot," she huffed shoving open her front door angrily.
"Well which one is it?" Dean called after her. "Me, or the super-hero, or the ex?"
"Right now? None of you!" Maddie opened her mouth to continue explaining, but she froze at the sight in front of her.
"Oh, I see how it is, you're just going to play all of us at the same time!" Dean continued to bluster as he moved forward, only going silent when he caught sight of what Maddie was staring at.
The woman they'd left Orie with, the babysitter?
She was sprawled unconscious on the kitchen floor.
Her chest moved, so she was still breathing.
The front door had been unlocked – Maddie had locked it when they'd left.
The door was unlocked. The babysitter was unconscious.
And Ultron had shown up out of the blue and asked about Maddie's son.
Suddenly Maddie's world was dropping away.
And even as Dean dropped to the ground to check on the woman, before rushing off to check Orie's room, Maddie stood frozen.
She didn't have to look in her son's room or search the house to know what had happened.
Orie wasn't there.
Someone had taken him.
And Maddie knew exactly who it was.
Plot Twists abound.
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~CLC~