:: As you'll see, I've taken liberties with the layout of their apartment/tower. I like the idea of a double-story penthouse sort of layout, so it doesn't match as it looks in the movies. ::

:: Also, I'm going to post regularly from now on. You can expect a new chapter every Monday. Hopefully around the same time. Question for anyone who reads regularly- would you prefer to get longer chapters? How do you feel about the length? ::

Natasha was half-asleep on the sofa when Thor and Rogue came back. The girl was visibly happier, even smiling a little when Thor said something to her and went off, presumably to his room. He spent most of his time working out or cooking or reading and having someone to share his interests with, even if for only a few minutes, must have been nice. She watched the girl closely as she came into the room, standing awkwardly at the end of the couch and crossing her arms over herself. Self-conscious. Anxious. Afraid. No. Not afraid. Just apprehensive.

"I-" the girl began, and paused. "It's been a long time since I've met anyone like him." She jerked a thumb back to the hallway. Natasha nodded.

"Thor's one-of-a-kind," she said.

"You're the Avengers," the girl said.

"Yes," Natasha said, more slowly.

"Ah." The girl looked down at her feet. Natasha waited. Finally she muttered something to herself and looked up. "I'm sorry, but- could I-" She hugged her elbows and glanced away. It wouldn't take a mind reader to see what she wanted.

"Of course."

Her eyes could not have gotten any bigger. Natasha's heart ached at the bruising beneath them, only made darker by the sudden paling of relief. If anyone needed food, and rest, and a huge Norse god-boy shoving magazines in their face, it was this girl. She looked and acted like she'd never been loved, or if she had, perhaps had been wronged in some way. And Natasha understood being wronged.

It's okay, baby. I know.

"Is there anyone you need to call?" she asked, gently. "To let them know you're not coming home?"

"No." Her voice was small, but harsh. Natasha didn't press further.

"Well… let me show you around," she said, rising off the couch.

The girl was an attentive enough listener, following a few steps behind Natasha as they circled the apartment. The lower floor was small enough that she hung back in the hall as each room was pointed out. The foyer and living room, the kitchen, the full bathroom under the stairs, her room right next to it, Banner's after hers, and Thor's on the end beside another half-bath. The wide, windowed stairwell made her eyes go round, and Natasha paused halfway up to let her get her fill of the view. She had had the same expression, more or less, the first time she was here. It was incredible what humans were able to make- how they were able to suspend themselves so far above the ground. And get water all the way up- practically magic.

When the girl was done looking, they continued up. There was another bathroom right at the top of the stairs, and a hallway running the length of the upper floor. At one end, past the bathroom, was Steve's room, and Barnes' was beside it, across from Wanda and Petros'. Petro and Wanda had been gone for a month, presumably overseas, with no intention of returning anytime soon. Barnes was off on his own, as usual, or had tagged along- she didn't quite know, or keep close enough track to tell half the time. Their rooms served as guest bedrooms or storage space.

At the other end of the hall were two more empty rooms, and then Tony's- the largest, of course, and the most opulent, though neither could be seen at the moment- the door was closed.

Between the two ends was an open sitting area and office nook, where a couple laptops were stacked on a dusty table among a mess of loose papers and the occasional sketch- Steve had basically adopted that corner.

When the tour was over, she led the girl into the sitting area, what they collectively called the game room, where the most impressive window was. It was enormous and curved slightly outward, and had a comfortable bench set into the sill. This had been filled with pillows and throw blankets so that it was almost too much work just to sit down. The girl seemed not to mind though, and adjusted the blankets around quickly in order to kneel on the bench and look out. Her gloved fingers gripped the edge of the window firmly- not afraid of heights, clearly, but cognizant of the danger all the same.

"Who owns this place?" she asked, in a voice much stronger than before.

"Tony does."

She nodded. This wasn't a surprise, obviously- Tony made none of his spending habits private. "And you live here too?"

"We all do."

"All the Avengers?"

"Well, most of us. Some of us don't come back very often, or live elsewhere."

"Don't you get tired of sharing?"

Natasha smiled. The girl didn't smile back. "Sometimes." When she didn't say anything else, but returned to looking out the window, Natasha turned and went to one of the hall closets. She came back with an armful of blankets and sheets, which she dumped into the girl's arms the moment she turned around. "Here. You can have the room at the end, on the left." The twins kept the least decorations, and she expected the room would feel least like a stranger's.

The girl took the pile hesitantly, and when it became clear Natasha wasn't moving, she headed off down the hall. The door clicked open faintly, then closed.

Natasha waited.

The door opened again and the girl came back out. "Just one more question," she said, her eyebrows furrowed together like she was deep in thought. "Last night, in the alley- what, um- what all did you see?"

"I passed the alley in the dark, I didn't see too much. Just you passed out on the ground. There were some footprints around, and some drag marks- like maybe someone was pulled away. But not much more." Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Is there anything you wanted to talk about?"

The girl shook her head. "No. That was it." She turned quickly and went back to her room. The soft click of the door eased Natasha's mind. Giving the big window one last glance, she put her hands in her pockets and headed back down the stairs.

###

Around eight o'clock, Natasha heard keys in the door, and soon voices filled the other end of the apartment. She was in the middle of hand-mixing a bowl of meatloaf, and was therefore caught off guard when Steve, Banner and Barnes came into the living room, laughing uproariously about something. Steve and Banner were laden with bags and swag from the convention, dressed all in brilliant colors with logos on them, while Barnes wore a ball cap pulled low over his eyes and a dark jacket, and carried nothing but a McDonald's bag. All three paused seconds after each other, seeing the newcomer sitting at the bar.

"Hey Nat," Steve said, juggling his bags around and nodding to her. He glanced at the girl at the bar, but didn't say anything, only gestured toward the stairs and headed off to put his bags down. Barnes didn't seem to notice the girl at all, just slipped into the kitchen and around Natasha to stick his bag in the fridge. Banner was the only one who lacked any social awareness, and so he was the one standing and staring long after what was acceptable. And therefore when the girl finally turned around to see if there was anyone else, he was there, awkwardly smiling in greeting.

"Hi," he said, to the girl and then to Natasha he said, "Who's this?"

"This is Rogue," Natasha said, shifting over a step as Barnes leaned past her to get a cup. "She's going to be staying with us for a little while."

"Ah." Banner hesitated.

"She's harmless."

The girl's head jerked up, and the two women exchanged a glance. The girl looked back down at her hands.

"I found her passed out in an alley," Natasha continued. "And I brought her back to recuperate."

"Ah-huh.."

"How was the convention?"

"Oh!" His face lit up and he came up to the bar. The girl shifted away but he paid no mind as he laid out a few things on the laminated wood. Natasha recognized the figurines as miniatures of the others- a tiny blue-and-white shield-wielding Cap; a bright green and purple-shorted, slightly larger, statuette of Banner in his other form; a flowing-haired, caped Thor mid-hammer smash. He lined them up proudly and dug around in his bags until he found another, a scarlet-haired and black-suited plastic figure of her. That one she didn't look at.

"I couldn't find the whole set," he said, "but that's okay. I have a couple from the last one."

"Good job," she said. Behind her, Barnes took a quiet sip of his water. She could feel the heaviness of his curiosity, and she cleared her throat loudly before looking at Banner again. "I'm making dinner. If you don't want to help, I'd suggest going to put those away."

"I don't mind helping."

"I'll make you cut the onions."

He shrugged and began gathering up his toys.

The girl was staring behind her, and she glanced back to see that she and Barnes had locked eyes. His gaze slid off her to pierce Natasha. She was struck, as always, by just how dead his expression could be without his indicating any expression at all. "Your name is Rogue?" he asked the girl, without moving his eyes from Natasha's.

"Yes," she said.

"This is-" Natasha began.

"I know who he is."

Barnes pushed off the counter and moved around Natasha to the counter before the bar. She returned to kneading the meat, but slower than before, both ears trained on their conversation.

"Who am I?" he asked her.

"You're the broken Avenger." There was anger and a test in the words.

A stiff moment passed. "Where she'd dig you up?" Barnes asked. His voice was even and cool.

The girl murmured something. He coughed- it could have been a laugh. "Yeah, she does that," he replied dryly. "You okay?"

"Yeah."

They stood in silence for minute. The tension slowly evaporated. Natasha moved to the sink and washed off her hands and wrists. The water was cold and it sluiced the blood, spices and ketchup from her skin easily.

"Where you staying?"

The girl told him the room. He nodded. "Good one." He came to the sink and put his cup down in the side Natasha wasn't using. She could feel him staring at the back of her head as he went by. Then he was gone, and she stood still, listening to the sound of footsteps moving around above her head. Steve shouted something, and Barnes shouted back, sounding as though nothing had happened.

"Is that everyone?" the girl asked. The question was unexpected, and Natasha shook herself out of her thoughts.

"Yes," she said, "it should be. That's everyone who's regularly here, anyway."

The girl stared down at the bar. "I don't think I can do this." Her voice was quiet, and Natasha knew the sentence wasn't meant to be heard. She didn't say anything about it, but went back to preparing the meatloaf.

:: As always, any questions, comments, critiques and criticisms are greatly appreciated! ::