Yay! Chapter Three!
Disclaimer: I do not nor will I ever own any of characters depicted below that you may recognize...they belong to forces higher then me, and I respect them and applaud them for their beautiful creations
"So what's on the schedule for today?"
Harper checked her schedule. "I gotta stop by the college, pick up my books, then lunch, then you're dropping me off at work, and going off to do whatever it is…you do."
Steve nodded. "I'll probably go check on Team Two, then pick you up from work."
"My boys!" Harper grinned. "How are my boys?"
Steve smirked. "Your boys?"
"Yes." Harper retorted. "MY boys. How are they doing?"
"Why don't you call them up and ask them?" Steve retorted, but Harper made a face.
She pointed to the ceiling of the car Steve drove and she sat shotgun in. "Me." Then she held her hand palm down in front of her face. "Normal." She labeled. Then she pointed to the floor. "Them. I want to reach the normal line….but merely having you for a parental puts me above it. Checking in with them would put me so beyond normal that I would never recover."
"Right, you and your quest for normal, so viciously ripped out of your hands by people who care about you." Steve joked.
Harper rolled her eyes. "Shut up. You know why I can't ask them, so just tell me: how are they?"
Steve made a face, and Harper laughed. "That bad?"
"Worse." Steve answered honestly. "And while I kid, they really are in need of a trainer who understands them. Don't you think you could just…"
"No."
"But just once…" Steve pressed, and Harper shook her head.
"Not even once, Dad, and I'll tell you why." She turned to face him better. "Because just once would turn into just a follow up which would turn into once a month wouldn't hurt, to twice a month, to once a week, to every day, and then I'm the famous Avengers trainer and I'll never live it down. So….No. Not even once."
Steve shrugged. "Alright. I get it. I won't push it."
"Good." Harper relaxed back in her seat. "I wouldn't want to add even more rules."
Steve's hands clenched on the steering wheel.
"No!" He whined. "No more rules…please!"
Harper shrugged. "Too late."
Steve made a face, then sighed. "Fine. We can do rules again."
"Will you even follow them?" Harper crossed her arms.
Steve shrugged. "Probably not."
Harper narrowed her eyes and Steve sighed heavily. "FINE. I'll try."
"Harder than you did last time, right?"
Steve made a face. "Yes."
"Good. Can I tell you the rules now?"
Steve grimaced. "I guess."
"Rule one….You are nice to any and all boys that I bring home; regardless of if they're a romantic interest or not."
Steve groaned. "I was hoping that one wouldn't be a repeat."
Harper smiled smugly. "It is."
"The main job of a father is to terrify anyone who might want to date you. That part's literally in my JOB DESCRIPTION." Steve reasoned.
Harper shook her head. Then she shrugged. "Okay fine. How about this: you have to not use any excessive force not available to normal adult men."
Steve thought that through. Then he nodded. "Okay…deal. Rule two…"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Harper raised a hand. "This isn't a democracy, you don't get rules."
"I did last time!" He complained. Harper shook her head resolutely.
"And look at what happened. You didn't follow any of the rules…even your own!" Steve pouted.
"But this is a good rule. And we're starting over; clean slate, right? It means you can't hold my past transgressions against me."
Harper made a face. "I'm not Jesus, Steve."
Steve grinned.
"But you do make a good point. If we're gonna clean slate this…we really HAVE to clean slate this." She pointed to the right. "Pull over for a second."
Steve frowned, but did as she asked. She turned in her seat to face him fully, and he did the same.
"I'm sorry I lied to you." She apologized. Steve opened his mouth, shocked. "I'm sorry I didn't trust you enough to divulge my past fully. I'm sorry when push came to shove that I left you behind….I'm sorry that I said things that hurt you, and I said them on purpose."
"No." Steve finally choked out. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I turned on you so quickly, that I promised you I'd follow the rules and then didn't. I'm sorry that you felt you couldn't tell me everything, I'm sorry I broke your trust. I'm sorry I didn't come to rescue you right away. I'm sorry I didn't get there in time."
Steve huffed once he was finished. Harper shrugged, smiling. "I forgive you."
"I forgive you." Steve repeated softly.
"There." Harper turned in her seat. "Now we can move forward."
Steve nodded. "Aright then." He put the car back in drive and pulled into traffic once more.
"I don't know what you're sorry about though," Harper chuckled. "You DID get there in time. You got me before anything bad happened... Right?"
Steve's hands tightened on the wheel.
"Right." He bit out tightly.
They drove in silence until Harper poked Steve in the side. "Hey!" He complained.
"What's rule 2?" She prompted, smiling.
"Oh!" Steve's face cleared. "Rule two…"
Once they reached Harper's school, Steve and his daughter had ten agreed upon rules that each would follow (or attempt to this time.)
excessive force used on boys. (only those found standard in the average dad models.)
are allowed, and are not to be considered loans or debts. They are FREE, to KEEP.
Rule still applies
4. Once a week there must be required STEVE/HARPER ONLY time.
5. Harper is not to be EXCESSIVELY talked about to co-workers/bosses/secret government organizations/etc., but doesn't need to be kept a secret.
6. Steve is allowed to be an active part of Harper's life and is not to be hidden/secret.
7. Harper can take care of herself.
8. BUT still Harper needs to check in and keep Steve posted on her schedule...just in case.
9. The same is to be said for Steve.
10. Every Sunday the both of them are to attend church together...no exceptions.
Steve's chest heaved as he jumped back into his car, slamming his door shut and locking it quickly.
"Let's never do that again." He rushed out.
"Do what?" Harper grinned, taking her time to enter the vehicle, perfectly composed.
"I'm never coming back to this place." Harper rolled her eyes and closed her door. "Did you see all those….youths?" He squeaked on the last word.
Harper furrowed her brow. "Father…they're probably closer to your age than they are to mine. And there weren't even that many. There'll be four times that amount when school actually STARTS in a week."
Steve shook his head quickly. "Nope. Never coming back." He rubbed his chest. "That place made my post-traumatic act up."
Harper laughed. "You…are a riot, old man."
Steve frowned. "And you are so insensitive to my mental status."
She shrugged. "You want me around…proof you're crazy. How much crazier can you get?"
Steve smiled. "True."
"C'mon." Harper patted his shoulder. "I'm hungry."
"Hi! What can I get for you?" Harper asked on auto-pilot behind the cash register at her work.
"My usual. Why so impersonal?" Detective Morris' dry voice asked. Harper looked up and smiled ruefully.
"Oh! Hey Detective. Sorry, when I get in barista mode; it just comes out." Harper sent Detective Morris a grin. Morris shrugged.
"I get it. You seem happier than usual. What's up with that?"
Harper shrugged. "My dad and I were estranged for a while. We recently reconnected, and I moved back in."
Morris frowned. "Why were you estranged?"
Harper squinted. Morris was oddly inquisitive today. "He didn't agree with my goals. I didn't agree with his choice in job." Harper shrugged. "That's the short version anyway. How are you?" Harper slid Morris' cup towards him. He winced.
"I'm getting an award." He answered despondently.
Harper's eyebrows furrowed. "And that's…bad?"
"I'm just not sure if I deserve it." He admitted, slowly picking up his cup.
"What's it for?" Harper asked after making sure there was no one behind him in line.
"The number of homeless on the blocks I patrol has gone down by 26%."
Harper tilted her head. "And you had nothing to do with it?"
"Exactly!" Morris slowly reached for a straw. "They just…disappeared. I think something weird is going on."
Harper nodded. "Well, trust your gut, I always say. You'll figure it out."
Morris nodded. Then he sent Harper a searching look. "Your dad….he treats you well, then?"
Harper paused at the random question, then nodded slowly. "Yeah." She started smiling. "He really does."
Morris looked conflicted about something, then he nodded, a tight smile on his face. "Good. I'm glad you have him."
Harper's smile widened. "Yeah. I'm glad I have him too."
"Steve! How are you doing?" Bruce was the first to notice when Steve entered the tower.
Steve shook Bruce's hand.
"I'm fantastic. How are things here?"
Bruce winced. Then he jerked his head toward the training room. "You might want to ask Tony that question."
Steve narrowed his eyes. "Bad?"
Bruce shrugged. "Not good, that's for sure.
Steve sighed. "Great."
"Oh! Thor's here, by the way." Bruce input.
Steve smiled at the piece of good news. "And how is he?"
Bruce winced again. "I would ask him."
Steve made a face. "Not a good day for most, then?"
Bruce just shrugged. "Not really. Maybe you could help turn it around?"
Steve raised an eyebrow as the training room door slammed open, and team two stormed out, all yelling.
It was Avery that caught sight of Steve first. "Captain! I hate to be the bearer of bad news," He spit out, the bangs of his blond hair plastered to his face, his blue eyes furious,
"But we quit!" David, soaked to the skin and flushed red in anger blurt out.
"We're going back to being evil!" Jake shot a deadly glare to the door behind him. "You think Loki wants to try again?"
"Because we'll be more than happy to help him!" Will added. He and Jake weren't wet, but they looked just as furious, and Will had a black eye that was turning a deep purple, very quickly. Steve assessed the situation, and turned to Avery.
"If you go back to the dark side," He confessed, "Then I'm going with you."
Avery stared at Steve for a moment, then he snorted.
"And do you really think I would cut it as a villain?" Steve smirked, reaching for the towels Bruce had run for. He handed one to Avery, who shook his head.
"No, probably not." He confessed, rubbing his hair furiously.
"The real villians would eat you alive." David chortled, grabbing for his own towel. Steve turned to Will with a shrug.
"You guys are probably right. It just means you'll have to stick around." Steve gingerly poked Will's black eye, and he winced.
"Cap…there's not much more of this we can take." Jake confessed, breathing heavily. Bruce squeezed his shoulder, and Jake sent the man a smile.
"Tell me what just happened." Steve ordered, and as the story slipped out, Steve's eyes began to narrow. He shot Bruce a look, but the man had looked equally disheartened.
"Go clean up. Find Scott, go down to the rec room, take a breather. I'll be down in a sec." The young men nodded, slightly afraid of what the gleam in Steve's eye meant, and when they turned the corner, Steve turned to Bruce with a huff.
"You're good with them." Bruce admitted easily.
"Harper's twice as hard to deal with." Steve shrugged. "These boys are teenagers…but they're also boys."
"A gender advantage." Bruce nodded. "So…now what?"
Steve grimaced. "Now we deal with the biggest children of them all."
When the door to the training room slammed open, Clint was the only one who turned to look. When he saw the look in Steve's eyes, Clint made a gesture of surrender…then flew to the rafters.
Tony, Thor and Tasha laughed, oblivious to the tornado that was headed their way…at least until Steve was a few feet behind them, arms crossed and eyes narrowed dangerously.
"If I didn't know any better," Steve spoke lowly, "I would think that the group I just sent downstairs were the adults, and the group I'm looking at right now are the children.
Tony turned around, still chuckling. "Aw, come on Cap, it was just a joke." Tony inhaled slowly as Steve stepped toe to toe with him. It'd been a long time since they'd stood in this stance, and Tony was woefully unprepared.
"Those boys aren't here for your amusement." Steve's eyes sparked. "They're here because they want to do the right thing, and they want to help. They trust us to teach them, and you just broke that trust."
"Cap…A Team Two isn't necessary." Tasha pursed her lips. "They're just wasting OUR time. Any issue that arises we'll be able to handle. The sooner Fury realizes that they're just a nuisance, the sooner we can get back to our own training."
"Did it ever occur to you that they could be teaching us a thing or two?" Tasha snorted, and Steve continued. "Did it ever cross your mind that there may come a time where we either can't or won't be able to save the day?"
"That day won't come." Tony shook his head.
"According to you." Steve snapped smartly. "But life so seldom does what we want. If there ever comes a day where we face a force that we can't take ourselves, and we haven't used the time in between to prepare for that eventuality, well then, whose at fault then?" Tasha went silent.
"We're not supposed to be showing them up or making them feel less." Steve turned to Tony. "We're supposed to preparing them to; yes, eventually take our place, but for the moment to have our backs! And if you treat them with so little respect, and do not deign to teach them at all; then not only will they know how to have your back but they won't even want to…and if you continue the way you're going, they might once more be on the other side!" Steve spat.
"You all need to grow up. You have an opportunity here to invest in something bigger than the here and now; you have a chance to invest in the future…because when we're gone, THOSE KIDS will still be here. And whatever we show them now, is what they'll show others."
Steve turned to Thor. "And I don't care if those kids disrespect you; I don't care if one of them calls you the alien rat bastard from Hell, you do NOT" Steve went toe to toe with a red-faced Thor, his eyes intent, "EVER lay a hand on them the way you did with Will."
"That was uncalled for, man." Tony agreed softly. Thor hissed, but then he took a step back and nodded.
"In a room of teenagers, it was we who acted immaturely." He agreed lowly.
"Those kids are this close to walking away, which I know is for some reason your end goal." Steve shook his head.
"But if they walk away…."
"Then so do I." The Avengers as a whole, barring Bruce who'd heard this minutes before, shot him looks of stunned surprise.
"You're not serious?" Clint hopped down from the rafters.
Steve didn't have to say anything, the look on his face was so solemn.
"I don't like bullies," was all he said. "And I refuse to work with some."
He turned back before he left the training room. "I'm taking the kids out. They'll be back late," He threw over his shoulder. "I'd suggest you either apologize or keep your distance for awhile. I'll be back in three days." He shot Thor a grimace. "And Thor? Pleasure to see you again." Steve rolled his eyes and then slammed the door behind him.
So we're walking right into the middle of a time bomb...Steve's personal life is going great and Harper is AMAZE-BALLS, but The Avengers aren't as happy with Team two as they'd let on previously, and we're seeing the end results of that. It's very obvious that Harper is necessary to helping them out, but at this point she's refusing all contact with them.
Luckily Steve is sneaky, and has a plan up his sleeve!
Also, Harper is doing well in work and school, and has even made some friends! Morris is creepily interested in her life...but he's a detective...he can't be a bad guy right?! (Don't worry, he's here to further plot, that's all...although that doesn't really tell you if he's a bad guy or not...Keep reading to find out!)
Heads up, I DO have a tumblr! It's under the same username that I use on here, so it should be relatively easy to find, and It's a great place to see story extras and sneak peeks and such! I usually post At Risk stuff on Saturdays! Check me out there!
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As Always, much love, and LLAP (Live Long and Prosper!)
~CLC~
