Chapter 21 :3

Natasha surveyed her surroundings. They, meaning her, Clint, Bruce and Thor, were somewhere in the Afghan desert, but she wasn't sure exactly where. There had been some rumors lately of some illegal weapon manufacturing and they had spent the last five hours searching to see if the rumors were true.

"We've been downgraded. Normally Fury sends us out on dangerous missions. Not rumors." Clint complained.

"Shush. This could get dangerous. If there really is illegal weapon manufacturing going on, we don't know what we could be up against."

"We need Tony and Steve. Tony, because he actually understands weapons, and Steve because we have been running around like chickens with their head cut off. We need a leader. And plus, Tony might know where to go." Clint said, joking the last part. He understood why Tony had passed this mission. He wouldn't blame Tony if he never came back to Afghanistan for as long as he lived. Too many bad memories.

"Well, we don't have either so we might as well just keep looking." Natasha replied. She too understood why Tony had skipped out. But not Steve. He never missed a chance to do good in the world and now he wants to stay home? There was definably something up about that. She decided she would worry about it later, right now they needed to focus on the matter at hand.

"Thor, Anything?"

"Negative, Lady Natasha." Natasha rolled her eyes at Thor's name for her, but didn't comment on it.

"Has anyone found anything?" She asked, frustrated.

A chorus of No's came her way and she sighed.

"Natasha, we need them. Call Fury and get him to get them in. We're sitting ducks without them." Clint reasoned with her.

She nodded, and pulled out her cell. She dialed an all too familiar number and waited for the deep voice to answer.

"Yes?"

"Nick. We need them. Get them here."

"I'll see what I can do. I'll call you if there's any problems."

"If they're not here in three hours I will personally go back to the tower and drag them out."

Nick was silent for a moment. "They'll be there." he said, hanging up the phone.

Natasha put her phone away and looked at the team. "They'll be here within three hours." she said, "For now, I suggest we all rest and take turns with watch duty. We can't do anything till they get here."

Meanwhile, at the tower, Sarah was still sitting at the piano attempting to put words to her music. She had figured out a basic chorus for it, but words still escaped her. She was playing around with two different themes for her song. She was either going to go with a song, pretty much announcing to the whole world how she felt about Steve, but it seemed risky in her mind, to easy for her to get humiliated. The other idea was really just a hate song towards James. She leaning more towards the second option. The words seemed to flow easy. The minimal words there was, that is. She needed to ask around and see if any of the other girls had experiences that they could share with her.

"Mom!" Sarah called, hoping she was within earshot.

"Ms. Potts is not in right now." JARVIS answered for her.

"Where is she?" She asked.

" She went to the grocery store grumbling about having no suitable food in the house." Sarah rolled her eyes. Her mom was stickler for healthy food, and Tony didn't have one morsel of fruit or vegetables in his house.

"Is Natasha here?"

"No, her and the other four Avengers were called on an important mission in the middle of the benefit."

"Wait, then why are Tony and Steve still here?"

"Both refused to go."

"Why?"

"I do not know Ms. Sttop. I'm guessing they wanted to be here for you."

"But that was before anything happened. Where are they both?"

"Mr. Stark is in his workshop and Mr. Rogers is in the gym."

"Get them both here right now."

"Yes ma'am"

Sarah sat at the piano, waiting for them both to arrive. Steve came first, he carrying a clean shirt in his hand, the sweat from working out gleamed on his ripped chest. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She knew he was ripped but damn! She looked away, she couldn't look at him until he put his shirt back on, she wouldn't be able to concentrate. She stared out the window, counting the windows on the building across the street, pushing the thoughts away.

"Sarah? What did you need?" he asked.

"Is your shirt back on?" she asked, still not looking at him.

"Umm... Yes." he said, confused as to why it mattered if his shirt was on or not. She turned around and looked at him.

"It was distracting." she said, simply. "Where's Tony?" she asked, not letting him react to her earlier comment.

"Still in his workshop, he refuses to leave." JARVIS said and Sarah sighed. She walked over to the steps leading down to the workshop.

"TONY! GET YER BUTT UP HEERE!" she yelled down, she knew he could hear her because there was no music playing. She heard some shuffling and then he was at the bottom of the steps.

"Am I in trouble?" He asked, wondering why she needed him so urgently.

"Yes." she said.

"Oh. Well then I'm definably not coming up there." he said. He didn't want to be in trouble.

"Just get up here." she said, impatiently.

"Alright, I'll be up." and he walked up. He noticed Steve there, looking just as confused as Tony felt.

"Are you in trouble too?" Tony asked, at least if Steve was also in trouble then he wouldn't be yelled at alone.

"I don't know." Steve said.

"Yes. You are both in trouble." Sarah said, not elaborating anymore on why they were. Sarah sat down on the couch and stared at them, pretty angry with them both. She was a big girl, she could take care of herself, she didn't need babysitters. They both squirmed under her stare.

"Why are we in trouble!" Tony finally said, breaking the silence.

"Would you mind telling me where Natasha is?" Sarah asked.

"On some mission Fury sent her on." Tony said, confused.

"So if Fury only sent her, then where is the rest of the team?"

"No, actually they're with her."

"So the Avengers Team," she said, emphasizing the word team, "Is out in a mission, while two members of the team," emphasis on team again, "Are sitting here staring at me like a deer in headlights. Steve, care to explain why?"

"Okay well I don't know Tony's excuse, but I actually was planning on going."

"Then why didn't you?" she asked.

"Because everything of happened last night! I was worried and I didn't want you to be alone."

"My mom was here."

"I didn't know that."

"You could've asked. You could've said 'Sarah, we have a mission, will you be okay by yourself?' and I would've replied 'Well actually my mom is coming. So yeah. I'll be fine." She stared at him, waiting for some sort of reaction out of him.

"Yeah." he finally said, "I suppose I should've done that."

"Good. Now. Tony, what's your excuse?"

"I have a legit reason for not going. And Fury knows it, so I'm actually not in trouble."

"I still want to hear it, then I'll decide if it's legit or not."

"Okay well I don't know if you know because it happened way before your time, but Stark Industries used to make weapons."

"I knew that." Sarah said.

"Okay well once I had to do a weapons presentation in Afghanistan and well it ended horribly. The Humvee in front of mine was exploded. I was supposed to stay in ours but, I don't know, I was a little stupid back then, but I got out of mine. And I was hit by one of my own missiles, sending shrapnel into my heart. That's why I have this arc reactor. It keeps the shrapnel from entering my heart and keeps me alive. Anyways, after I was hit, some Afghans who called themselves the 10 rings, they held me captive for three months. I really never want to have to go back if it's not necessary." He shuddered at the memory and Sarah felt slightly bad for bringing it up when it was obviously a touchy subject for him.

"Well now I feel bad for bringing it up." Sarah said.

"Don't feel bad, it's not like I have post-traumatic stress or anything. I just don't like talking about it, and I would prefer to never go back. If the team desperately needs me, I'd go, but not on my own will."

"Makes sense. But you," she turned to look at Steve again, "You should be there! You're the captain for crying out loud! Your need to complete the team, like... Chocolate chips are needed for chocolate chip cookies. Without the chips their just... Stupid. And gross." she said, making a face at the idea of plain cookies.

"So your saying that without me the team is stupid? And gross?" Steve said, with a slight smirk.

"What? No! You know what I meant. You've been hanging around Tony too much." she pursed her lips in frustration.

Just then Tony's phone rang. Sarah raised an eyebrow and stuck her hand out for the phone.

"What! No!"

"Tony.." she warned.

"It's my phone, why should you get to answer it?"

"Because your still in trouble."

"What! Why?"

She didn't answer, but she stuck her hand out again. Tony rolled his eyes and sighed, handing her the phone. She flipped it open and answered it.

"Yes?"

"Sarah?" came a surprised voice from the other line.

"Nick?" Sarah said, with just as much surprise, she didn't expect it to be Fury.

"Give the phone to your dad."

"Why?"

"I need to talk to him and Steve."

"Ha!" she laughed, "Do you need them to go on the mission? I knew it. I am so smart. They'll be there soon. Have the coordinates uploaded to Tony's suit." and then she hung up. She had a smug look on her face.

"I so knew it. I am so smart."

"Shut up." Tony said, walking down to get his suit on. She laughed but caught Steve's arm before he too went to get his suit on.

"Be careful, won't you?" she asked, quietly.

"Always am." he said, and he kissed her. She was shocked for a moment, but then

melted into the kiss. it was different than any other kiss she had ever had. Maybe because she had hoped for this one, for a few days now. His lips were soft and gentle on hers, almost hesitant. He broke it, and went downstairs to get ready, without another word.

Sarah is so feisty. She's got the fireshness xD

Anyways reviews are loved :3