Chapter 12

Melody POV

I avoided James for the next week and always went up to sit on the roof of Stark- well, now Avengers- tower to just watch the clouds. What James told me, it hurt me a lot more than it should. But I guess it's not every day that you find out that your brother killed your once fiancée.

He was brainwashed, that could be the only reason why James would want to kill Howard. Howard was one of James' friends, so he surely wouldn't want to hurt him. Hell, Howard had asked James' permission the day before he died if he could have my hand in marriage.

"I figured I'd find you here." I was snapped out of my trance when another body, someone bigger sat next to me and I looked to see the other Super Soldier's face.

"I wanted to be alone," I looked away and towards the horizon over sky scrapers.

"I've let you be for a week, Mel. It's time to talk about it." The blonde's voice was gentle yet firm.

"Time to talk about what? That my brother killed my ex fiancée? One of his best friends?" I stood up and started walking towards the door that led back into the tower.

I felt his hand grab my bicep and pull me back, "Yes, he killed Howard. Come on, Mels, even Tony forgave him." I pushed against him but he wasn't having it and pulled me to him.

I started crying when he said it, and I fisted his shirt on my hands and started crying into his chest. He pulled his arms around me and just let me cry. That's the best thing about the "mother hen" of the Avengers. If you need to talk, cry, really anything, he'll sense it and just let you do what you gotta do.

"I love you." I said after I got my bawling done and just set my head on his chest. I felt him squeeze me tighter and heard him repeat what I said.

The next day, I sat in my living area catching up on some of the Disney movies we had missed out on with Buster (the puppy Steve had gotten me not too long) on my lap when Clint came into the room.

"Why are you not with Nat?" I asked as the bird-man creature flopped onto the couch next to me and grabbed some of the popcorn in the bowl sat beside me.

"Well, she and your boyfriend went on a mission so I'm down to two people to hang out with, you and Stark. So, I chose you because Stark is mean." He replied after shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth and I rolled my eyes. Of course that's why he was here. "Is this Mulan?"

I nodded, "Yeah, just trying to catch myself up on some of the movies Steve and I missed while I can." Buster was wiggling to get out of my lap and to Clint's so I let him go and he automatically jumped into the man's lap.

"Well you definitely picked a right one." I smiled at the TV. The part where Shang starts teaching them all was great, I loved the music as well.

After watching Pocahontas, Clint and I decided to go on a walk and take Buster with us, as I was still avoiding James and he could come through the door at any moment. So, the archer and I decided to go to Central Park and go jogging- I had to slow down a lot to let him keep up, as well as Buster. Not too long after our jog, Clint decided to grab us some hot dogs from a vendor so we sat in Central Park for a good three hours.

After I got out of the ice, I felt like I only had Steve. Then, we found out Peggs was still alive, then we were recruited for the Avengers. There I met my new family, learned about how my first love had gotten married to a great woman and had a child with her which resulted into Anthony Stark who had become a great addition into the family. Then came Natasha, she had been the only girl I could get along with because she was the only girl with morals still. Then came along Dr. Bruce Banner. He was another great addition in our little family. One, he was genuinely a down to earth guy who cared about people and their safety- the Hulk, not so much. Then came the giant brute of a man that we call the God of Thunder. He came swooping in-literally- and took away out prisoner before we found out that he was on our side and we teamed up.

Next comes Clint. The amazing man that has stood by me even after being brainwashed. If Steve and I had gotten into a fight, he was there to comfort me when I thought my brother was dead when really he was just brainwashed and working for HYDRA. Clint came into my life by blowing a hole in the hellicarrier and making me put some of the brain cells I had gained from Howard to use. Then we needed a pilot, luckily he had some sense knocked back into him by Nat and he saw common sense again. Then we were partnered together so Steve and I didn't have to work together and we could learn to work with other people and the man has saved my ass so many times I can't count, same with me. Then he became my brother in all but blood, and I wouldn't trade the relationship I have with Clint for the world.