Safira sent regular updates while they were visiting Clint's family and let slip that Fury visited them. Xander wondered what mischief Fury was making, the man was worse than Loki as far as Xander could tell or Dumbledore with his version of the "Greater Good".

Everything seemed to rest on the top of a bubble and Xander didn't know what would happen when it burst.

"Xander, I have alerts going off," Darcy's voice filtered through the phone. "I'm in Pepper's office. Can you get up here?"

"On my way." Xander was out the door and running up the stairs before he even finished talking. With Jarvis gone he took the stairs more, it hurt too much to get in the elevator and not have Jarvis talking to him. Besides it let him check weapon placements and escape routes.

Three minutes later, he was getting faster and had already dropped three pounds of fat, Xander walked into the hallway towards her office.

"What do you mean someone broke in? I need video proof." Darcy said and it took Xander a minute to realize she was talking to the phone on speaker. Pepper sat behind her desk; eyes narrowed with tension.

"Sending it up now to you and Ms. Potts now ma'am, but it looks like Ultron." Xander didn't recognize the speaker, but the way he spoke made him think it was a SHIELD refuge.

"Crap. I'm watching now." Darcy waved at the screen and Xander moved over to look at it.

"Isn't that the skin doc? The one that can make or repair skin?" He asked at the video of an Asian woman and the insane robot.

"Yes. It looks like Ultron took her fancy sarcophagus."

"Mr. Harris is that you?" The words from the speaker caused Xander to start. He didn't know who this person was, so why in the world did they recognize his voice? Or it was the process of elimination. Maria didn't hire idiots.

"Yes."

"Ms. Hill says to let you know she is going to go do some work to track down what is going on. And to expect Fury to show up. Asks if you'll cover for her if needed."

"Sure. Tell her to watch her back."

"Will do, Sir." Xander cringed at that but didn't say anything as the man hung up. He shifted his attention back the video and wanted to sigh. "I need to make a memo to my slayers to take out any drones or choppers in the area. I really don't want them on TV like this."

"They aren't very low profile are they?" Darcy asked morosely as they watched the car chase across what looked like the lower part of an unfamiliar city.

"I don't see Thor there," he said softly.

"No. He took off, something about needing to follow his visions." Darcy didn't sound excited, just worried. Xander felt the same worry sink into his bones. Following visions rarely worked well or gave happy answers.

Xander phone rang and he answered it without thinking, Safira's ringtone would always get answered by him.

"Are you okay?" were the first words out of his mouth, even as his eyes didn't leave the action below. The train and cars were moving so fast.

"Awesome, I patched you in." Her voice chirped. I'm going in. They're distracting the silver idiot while I get the cradle."

All the word's Xander wanted to say were kept firmly behind his lips. The chatter of the Avengers filled the office and Xander hit mute so he didn't distract them.

"Nat, quit goofing around. Come on. Shit, we're flying. This is new." Safira's voice filled the room.

"I'm in the truck," Natasha said her voice through the room. "Here we come."

"Natasha!" Safira screamed as they saw a casket fly through the air into the quin jet.

Xander's hand hurt, but he couldn't look at it, his eyes were locked on the image of his daughter diving out of a flying semi after Natasha.

"Get it to Stark, now!" Captain America's voice rang in the room, but Xander had his fingers digging into his leg as Safira caught up to Nat, and the picture changed.

"NO!" His cry burst out of him. The picture changed to the image of a train rushing through the city.

"Stark. Stark, come in? Anyone on coms?" Steve's voice didn't have an answer.

No one responded and the picture changed to someone talking rapidly in another language.

Xander looked at his arm, bloodless where Darcy's grip had turned it white. She looked at him, her face as pale as his arm and they both looked at the phone. Her hand snapped loose and she jabbed the mute button before he could.

"Where are they? Steve? Where is Nat and Safira?"

His voice sounded hollow as he replied. "I don't know. But the cradle is headed to the tower." He paused, then his voice got sharper. "Xander? You there?"

"Yes," he managed, surprised his voice didn't crack.

"Don't let Tony do anything stupid. He's still being driven and the witch says he'll do anything to make it right, but that Ultron wants to destroy the world." There was a level of panic in Steve's voice Xander didn't like.

"Got it. Steve? Go find my daughter." His words were an icy command even as he tried to remember if Safira had taken the stake with her.

"I'm headed to the Tower. I've got to trust that Nat and Safira can take care of themselves, but if Tony does something with the creation in that cradle, the world will pay," Cap's voice sounded strained. In the background Xander heard another voice. A woman's with an Eastern European accent.

"Ultron can't tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it, where do you think he gets that?" It was a snide female voice, then the sound cut off.

Xander took a deep breath and forced a smile for both Pepper and Darcy. I think we should plan on meeting people. I have a feeling …. " he trailed off. "I need to go get something from my room. I'll meet you at the lab?"

Both women looked at him a bit confused but nodded.

"I need to get started on managing what ever happened and spin it better. They probably won't be here for another hour or more," Darcy said, prying her fingers off of Xander's arm.

He gave her a smile. "They're the Avengers. All we can do is help." Xander glanced at Pepper. "You okay?"

She nodded, though her face was pale. "I've got these powers; I might as well use them occasionally. I'll meet you down there."

Xander dropped a quick kiss on Darcy's head then turned and headed for his apartment. Jolie would be at school for another hour, then he'd be juggling her too. He stopped in his room and grabbed a small charm bracelet. Something Willow had given him when he left for Africa. He'd never used it then, but something was niggling at the back of his mind. Holding it he stepped out on the balcony and closed the door, then called Willow.

"Xander! How are you? How are the girls?"

He took a steadying breath. "Not sure. Safira's being captured by that lunatic robot. And we don't know where she is."

Willow's voice changed timbre slightly. "Need me to find her?"

"Not yet. I'm thinking she has the stake in her hair and will break it if she needs us. She's with Natasha, so I'm going to have faith them." He fought back the lump that formed in his throat at the idea of something going wrong.

"Okay," her voice went back to normal, but still worried. "So can I help?"

Xander looked at the charms and sighed. "I've got the charm bracelet. If I break the tree of the bracelet can you come to my location?"

"Of course, but what's up? And are you going to warn Jarvis?"

"Jarvis might be dead. And I think we have a powerful rogue witch. Maybe. But if so, you're the only one that can deal with her."

"Ah," she murmured. "Darth Willow bad?"

"She's the one you made the talismans against, so hopefully nothing my red headed Willow can't handle. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think I'm not."

"Your feelings were always pretty dead on. I'll make sure I'm free the rest of the night and come prepared for war."

"Thank you. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't want another Darth Willow look alike."

"That would be bad, very bad. I'll be here Xander."

He hung up, fiddling with the bracelet in his hand. The jet wasn't here, so he kept himself busy until Jolie showed up, oddly about the same time as the quin jet was docking. Automated notices were great.

She walked in looking at the book in her hand, dropping it on the table, along with her backpack. It made a thud on the floor and he wondered just how many pounds it was. Her head was bent over, not even looking up. It was horrible situational awareness. "Jolie?"

She looked up from the table where the book looked like it was written in a language made of numbers, not English. "Yes?"

"Remembered how I promised to treat you as an adult?"

Her face went shuttered and she looked at him warily. "Yes," the word escaped in a slow hiss.

"We think Nat and Safira were captured. Tony and Bruce and probably others are here with something Ultron wants. Do you want to come talk to them and find out what is going on, or do you want to wait here until we know more?"

The wary look faded and she chewed on her lip for a minute. The dirty blonde hair fell into her eyes and he made a note to see if she would like a pixie cut or something. Slayers didn't have to have long hair just because Buffy and Faith did.

"Can I help?" Her eyes were dark and Xander took a deep breath.

"As a slayer? Probably not. As a brilliant scientist? Maybe."

Something filled Jolie and her body straightened up. "Then yes. I want to help."

A mixture of sorrow and pride stabbed into Xander's heart. "Then get into jeans, running shoes, and a shirt you can move in."

Jolie tilted her head. "I thought this wasn't a slayer thing?"

Xander smiled, a crooked grin that hurt. "It isn't, but experience has taught me it can go sideways fast and I'd rather have you capable of running if you need to."

She looked down at her shorts and sandals. "Practical. Give me ten."

He nodded as she got up and darted to her room. He figured they should all be there by the time he and Jolie arrived and they were definitely going by the stairs. Knowing Darcy and Pepper it would be a bit longer before they showed up, as he had no doubt people were already calling them.

"I'm ready," Jolie announced. He looked up to find her in jeans, running shoes, a t-shirt, and her hair in a pony tail, the ever-present tablet clutched to her chest.

"Okay. We're climbing stairs."

She just shrugged. Together they headed to the stairs and started climbing to Tony's work shop. The charm bracelet clutched in his left hand.

My mother died November 27, 2022 after almost 2 months of hospital stays and almost 24/7 care. I'm still in a state of shock, but we're getting there. It's sobering to realize at this point I've buried my husband, my father, my mother, my two best friends in high school, all of my grandparents, all my aunts, and all but 2 uncles. Adulting sucks.