Chapter four!
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.
"Ugh what is WRONG with them?!" Steve slammed his head against a brick wall, and Harper winced in sympathy.
"Midlife crisis?" Harper guessed with a shrug.
Steve's eyes widened. "That's exactly it!" He groaned. "They're all of a sudden asked to train up these new younger versions of themselves; and not only are they feeling like they're being replaced, but they're feeling their age!"
"Probably Tony especially." Harper brought up. "You think he'd be ecstatic about sharing the load though, especially with the mini stark being cooked right now."
"And he's getting married." Steve added.
Harper turned to Steve, mouth open in shock, and Steve threw out a hand.
"Kid! Don't point that thing at me, it's loaded!"
Harper rolled her eyes, but lowered the gun in her hand. "The safety is on, butt trumpet, calm down." Steve furrowed his brow, pulling the gun gently out of her hand. "Plus, who even goes to a gun range for "Family bonding?"
"Normal people that's who." Steve checked the gun over. "It's the new thing: I know you missed a few things, doing time as a minion to an evil overlord,"
"WANNABE evil overlord, get the facts straight." Harper rolled her eyes.
Steve grinned. "Right, wannabe evil overlord." He turned towards the target, raising the gun. He fired a few shots, lowered the weapon, and grinned.
Harper crossed her arms and sniffed. "Wow, Captain America's a crack shot; who would've guessed."
"Anyway, as I was saying," Steve handed the weapon over and watched closely as Harper reloaded, "It's totally the new thing. Church, then the shooting range. Obviously."
Harper smirked. "Then why is this place empty?" Steve looked around at the building, brows raised as he examined the range.
"Oh yeah….I own this place."
Harper narrowed her eyes. Steve noticed that her weapon was directed downwards and the safety was on. Good.
"You do NOT own this place." She argued.
Steve shrugged. "I also own a gym." He added, "If that helps.
Harper grunted and raised her weapon. Without looking she fired several times. Steve opened his mouth to chastise her, but then he caught sight of her target.
"Looks like I'm not the only one who's a crack shot." He mentioned, impressed.
Harper curtsied. "I know, I'm amazing." She grinned. "Can we go now? I'm STARVING."
Steve sighed. "I suppose my work here is done." He began tearing down their set up, and humming, Harper helped. Soon enough the duo was ready to leave, and Steve wrapped an arm around his daughter as the two exited the building and began walking the short six blocks to where Harper's favorite diner was.
"So, back to Tony getting MARRIED." Harper crinkled her nose. "Is that a real thing then?"
Steve nodded. "Couple days after the last battle, and he popped the question. Pepper wants to get married before the baby's born; so"
"She's planning a wedding with pregnancy brain?" Harper started laughing. "Poor Tony."
"Poor Tony, psh!" Steve scoffed. "He deserves all the hurdles Pep's making him jump through."
Harper looked up. "Do I sense discord between you two?"
Steve grimaced. "Well it all goes back to what went down last night." He explained.
"Ah yes, the adults acting like children and the children getting butt hurt about it."
"Team Two has put up with a lot of crap," Steve tried to reason, but Harper shook her head.
"I trained them to not be wimps about things. If they expected the Avengers to just accept them, then they're living in crazy land and they need to chill out." Harper argued bluntly.
"Wow." Steve nodded. "Harsh."
Harper grinned. "That's my M.O. Pops, don't act so surprised."
"Yeah, you're a cold-hearted criminal." Steve agreed dryly as the finally reached the diner. He held the door open for Harper and smothered a smile when Harper saw a familiar face seated in a booth.
Harper squealed, and ran forward, pulling the man into a giant hug.
Steve smiled warmly. "Coulson." He greeted.
Coulson gripped Harper tightly. "Captain." He spoke over Harper's head.
Harper pulled away from Coulson only to punch him extremely hard…in the stomach.
Coulson keeled over, and Harper plopped her hands on her hips.
"You punk! How are you even alive?" She retorted.
Coulson grinned. "It's a long story."
Harper slid into the booth and folded her hands primly on top of the table.
"I'm listening."
Steve and Coulson shared a grin, then sat down as well.
"You first." Coulson prodded. So Harper rolled her eyes and told her version of the last few years. Then, when she finished, it was Coulson's turn.
Harper narrowed her eyes at Coulson, who'd just finished his story and was now waiting patiently for her reaction.
"I can't believe you're off saving the world, and you don't even think to tell me that you're still kicking."
Coulson shrugged. "I thought you could do with a few years of without spies and bad guys and super heroes."
Harper snorted and sent Steve a look. Coulson frowned. "That isn't what happened?"
"Try I became THE evil genius and accidentally created an entire genetically accurate junior avengers on for size."
Coulson's eyes widened, and he choked. "What?"
Harper nodded.
"That was you?" Coulson turned to Steve and he shrugged.
"Wow." Coulson shook his head. "So that definitely didn't go the way it was supposed to."
"I kinda guessed that when I showed up to surprise you and Fury had to instead inform me you were dead." Harper brought up dryly.
Coulson placed a hand over his heart. "You came up to surprise me?"
Harper nodded. "I missed my cello recital and everything."
Steve snorted. "SHE was the cello player?!" He connected the dots, and Coulson grinned.
"I had to explain my abrupt departures to Portland SOMEHOW." He shrugged.
Steve shook his head. "I can't believe this."
"I can't believe THIS!" Harper gestured to Coulson. "And I'm a little butt hurt that you don't tell me you're alive, and its been over four YEARS."
Coulson winced. "I thought you were in good hands."
Harper snorted. "Not for a while there. But now?" Harper sent Steve a smile. "I'm in good hands now." She turned back to Coulson.
"I switched to Allstate."
"Hey!" Steve nudged Harper lightly, and she laughed.
"Sorry Dad, saw the opportunity, and had to take it." Her phone went off and she read her screen with a wince. "The coffee shop needs me to come down and pick something up, I gotta run over there." She looked to Steve. "I'll be back in ten minutes?" Steve sighed, but then nodded, and stood so she could leave. Harper grinned, waited until Steve sat back down, then kissed his forehead and rushed off.
The second the door to the diner closed behind Harper, Coulson turned serious eyes towards Steve.
"Alright. Tell me the real story."
And so Steve took his turn.
"And she doesn't remember that part?" Coulson asked, shocked.
Steve shook his head. "She doesn't remember any part of being injected, going feral, and taking out all those guys. And she shows no symptoms; no eye change, no unexplainable strength or speed or,"
"Thor's hammer showing up out of nowhere?" Coulson asked dryly.
Steve smirked, but shook his head. "None of that. She's normal."
Coulson nodded slowly. "And that's what she's always wanted, so who are you to burst her bubble?" Coulson shrugged. "I get it."
"So…I don't tell her?" Steve clarified.
Coulson thought for a moment. Then he nodded. "Don't tell her."
"Y'all are keeping secrets and I don't like it." Steve stood as Harper suddenly appeared. She shook her head sadly. "Secrets are bad."
"But sometimes necessary." Coulson added, and Harper grimaced, then nodded.
"True. Anyway, Dad, you remember Morris?" Steve nodded and shook the detective's hand, who greeted Steve warmly. Harper turned to Coulson and explained. "Detective Morris is a regular at the coffee shop I work at, and he said something about craving pie. I thought he could join us." She turned to Morris.
"This is Phil Coulson, my…" Harper narrowed her eyes. "Other…." She grimaced. "…Dad?"
Morris frowned and then widened as he turned to Steve.
"Not like that!" Steve hastened to explain.
"I just have a lot of men in my life that are father figures." Harper explained. She grinned. "I have a lot of dads."
Morris narrowed his eyes.
"That you do, kid. That you do." Steve slid into the booth so Morris could sit next to him, and Harper sat across from him. Once everyone was seated, Harper beamed.
"Alright!" She crowed, clapping her hands.
"Bring on the pie!"
Shorter chapter, but lots of important things! COULSON! More Morris (Any idea on who he could be?) (I'm pretty sure he's a bad guy...but who knows?)
CONFLICT BETWEEN THE TEAMS! HARPER...WHY YOU NO SEE THEY NEED YOU?!
Did I mention that Steve has a plan? Well he does... Heheheh.
Next two chapters up next Wednesday! (P.S. Hit me up on my tumblr to chat with me in between!)
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LLAP, (Live Long and Prosper!)
~CLC~
