Woohoo! Finally got to finish chapter four! I worked on it as much as I could in my free time at school, but as I had mentioned earlier, I did have a research paper I needed to do, so free time at home was definitely limited. But, now I have finished that god-awful paper and I can finally write fun things again! As promised, Thor and Steve finally make an appearance! As the chapter title implies, Bruce, Tony, and Natasha are recruiting their teammates to help rescue Mara. You'll get a little info on what Clint has been up to in preparation for Recruits: Part 2, as well as what has been going on in Steve's life. So, to celebrate the completion of my research paper and the recent release of the Iron Man 3 trailer (which looks AMAZING!), here is chapter four! Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 4: Recruits: Part 1

**Natasha**

Natasha awoke bright and early the next morning. She hadn't slept well, but she was grateful for the few winks she had gotten. With a yawn, she shoved herself off the bed and walked over to the dresser, wondering if Pepper had brought her some clothes while she was sleeping. Natasha opened the top drawer and smiled when she saw two stacks of shirts and pants. Once she had changed, she left her room and walked out in to the living area and was about to click the button for the elevator when the doors opened and Pepper, Tony, and Bruce stepped out.

"Oh, Natasha, you're up!" Pepper said surprised. Tony and Bruce both mumbled a tired "good morning."

"Good morning." Natasha nodded. They all went into the kitchen and sat down at the large mahogany table. Tony pulled out two files she hadn't seen him holding earlier and slid one of them over to her while he and Bruce opened the other one.

"I'll go make some coffee." Pepper said as she pushed away from the table.

"Thank you, Pepper." Natasha said gratefully. She could really use a pick-me-up.

"Would you boys like any?" Pepper turned to look at Tony and Bruce.

"Sure Pep, that'd be great." Tony said, slightly more awake at the mention of caffeine. Bruce shook his head.

"None for me." Pepper nodded and went into the kitchen to prepare everyone's beverages. In the meantime, Natasha looked down at the file Tony had given her. The tab had Clint's name on it. Inside was a list of all his personal information, a lot of which she already knew. She flipped through the pages until she found his home address and occupation. He lived in Manhattan, same as her. He was on the opposite side of the island and all, but it was still quite a coincidence. She scanned through the rest of the list until she came to his job. Natasha had to do a double take.

He worked for the NYPD. Clint was a cop? To a lot of people that would seem normal, but to Natasha, who had known him better than anyone, it was downright strange. He wasn't a team player, and he definitely wasn't a people person. That was why he was always hiding in the shadows and avoiding human contact. A lot must have changed in the past three years…

The sudden buzzing of Bruce's phone caused Natasha to look up.

"It's Jane." He said after checking the caller ID.

"Finally!" Tony exclaimed. Bruce shushed him as he answered the phone.

"Hey, Jane?" He said as he got up out of his seat and left the room. Once she could no longer hear him, Natasha continued looking through Clint's file. The next thing she checked was his work hours. He worked weekdays from 8:30-6:00. Today was Friday and it was almost 9:00. She'd have to go to his station. This could get awkward.

"Do you want me to come with you today, Natasha? I don't have anything planned for today." Pepper said as she walked back to the table holding everyone's coffee on a tray.

"No." Natasha answered quickly. "It's okay, I can handle it. And, if Thor comes someone should probably be here waiting for him." Pepper nodded. Bruce walked back in the room putting his phone away.

"Jane just told me that Thor is visiting. She's going to let him know about our situation as soon as he wakes up."

"Great, that makes one down," Tony said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Two to go." Natasha finished. After the files had all been read and the coffee was gone, it was almost 10:00. "We should get a move on. We still need to locate Varkov when we get back." She said as she stood up to get her bag and jacket. Tony and Bruce nodded and shoved away from the table.

"If we aren't back when Thor gets here, call us." Tony told Pepper as he kissed her on the cheek. He then bent down to kiss her bulging stomach and whispered something to it that Natasha couldn't make out. She wished she'd had someone there to do that when she had been pregnant with Mara… Just then, the elevator dinged and Bruce and Natasha stepped in. "Let's get this show on the road." Tony clapped his hands and joined them. Pepper waved goodbye as the doors closed and the elevator started moving.

**Thor**

Thor awoke slowly. The sun hadn't quite risen yet. He reached next to him but was disappointed to find that Jane was not there. He rose from his bed and walked in to the kitchen to find Jane sitting at the table with a cup of coffee and a worried look upon her face. She looked up when he entered the room.

"What troubles you, my lady?" Thor asked. She smiled at him.

"Good Morning." Jane rose and allowed the god to envelope her in a suffocating hug.

"Is there something wrong?" The petite woman looked up in to the god's eyes, concern evident on her face. "What has happened?"

"I got a call from Bruce. He says they need your help." Thor's face was stern.

"My friends do not call upon me for help unless it is important. I shall go to them." He went back into the bedroom to retrieve his hammer. "Will I meet them at the home of the Iron Man?" Thor asked when he reentered the room. Jane nodded, looking solemn. He was saddened that he had to leave his lady, but his friends needed him. "I will return as soon as I can." He went outside into the early morning light and prepared to leave.

"Thor," Jane called after him, "be careful." He nodded and kissed her hand before swinging his hammer and taking off at the speed of light towards New York City.

**Tony**

"So, you said he works in the military?" Bruce asked as Tony weaved his convertible through the busy New York streets. He nodded.

"Yea. The Army to be exact. Pretty well decorated, too. Once a soldier always a soldier I guess." He handed Steve's file to Bruce. They were getting close to his apartment. Tony was getting excited at the thought of seeing their old friend again. Before everything had fallen apart, he and Steve, as well as all the other Avengers, had gotten really close.

Tony pulled the car to a stop in front of a small apartment building with Steve's street address on the door. They climbed out of the convertible and walked up the brick stairs. For a minute, they just stood there, both waiting for the other to knock. After a few moments passed, Tony finally reached out and tapped the door a few times. They could hear movement coming from inside. Tony's stomach did an excited flip. The door opened and a familiar, slender woman stood before them.

"Sharon!" Tony exclaimed, immediately recognizing the ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent

"Tony? Bruce? What are you two doing here?" Sharon asked, a surprised smile lighting up her face. She stepped outside and gave them both a friendly hug.

"It's nice to see you, Sharon. It's been awhile." Bruce said politely. She beamed at them.

"It's nice to see you too, Bruce." Sharon turned back towards the door, gesturing for Tony and Bruce to enter. "I'm going to assume that you two want to see Steve. C'mon in and I'll get him." She said, leading them inside.

**Steve**

"Steve!" Sharon called from downstairs. "Come here! There're some guys here to see you!"

"Okay!" Steve called back. He put on his workout shirt and grabbed his gym bag. He was going to the gym, the same place he always went on his days off. Steve walked out of the bedroom and could hear multiple voices emanating from living room once he reached the top of the stairs. He paused, trying to pick out one of the hushed voices, but he couldn't recognize any of them. Curiosity got the best of him and Steve proceeded down the stairs. "Sharon?" He called.

"In here." His wife yelled from the living room. All the voices stopped as they heard him approach.

"Well well, if it isn't the Star-Spangled Man with a Plan!" A familiar, slightly obnoxious, voice said as he came in to view.

"Tony?" Steve said, surprised to see the billionaire sitting on his couch. He noticed another figure in one of the armchairs. "Bruce?"

"Hello, Steve." Bruce said quietly. Tony stood up and shook Steve's hand.

"It's good to see you Cap." He said sincerely. Steve looked at Sharon questioningly.

"They said they needed to talk to you." She told him. He nodded and turned back to Tony and Bruce.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Why does something have to be wrong for us to want to talk to you, buddy?" Steve raised an eyebrow. No way was he buying that. Tony coughed. "Okay, you caught us. We need your help." Steve sighed.

"With what?" Tony smiled and sat back down.

"You remember Natasha, don't you? You know, red hair, crazy intimidating, incapable of showing emotion, scary…" Steve rolled his eyes.

"Get to the point Tony." Bruce said quietly from the corner. Tony glanced at him.

"Well, she needs our help with something. Her daughter has been kidnapped by some crazy Russian guy who…" Steve cut him off.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Natasha has a daughter?" He said in complete shock. Tony laughed.

"I know, right? It's crazy! Anyways, she's been kidnapped by one of Natasha's old bosses, and this guy means business. To make a long story short, we need to find her and get her back in the next six days or he's going to kill her." Steve just stood there, processing everything Tony had told him. It was all so unbelievable. "So, Natasha has enlisted our help and we were hoping you might-"

"I'm in." Steve cut him off. Tony and Bruce stood up.

"Great, I'll call Natasha and let her know." Tony said, pulling out his phone. Before he could begin dialing the number, the device began to ring. "It's Pepper. Hang on… Hey Pep, what's going on?" Tony left the room. Sharon walked up behind Steve and grabbed his hand. He squeezed her hand in return and turned to Bruce.

"How long has it been since she was taken?" Steve asked.

"It happened yesterday morning. Natasha left her with her neighbor while she ran to the store. That's when they got her." Steve nodded. At least it hadn't been too long. Tony reentered the room.

"That was Pepper. Thor just got here." Thor? This must be serious if Natasha needed the God of Thunder for help. Tony saw Steve's concerned look. "It's just a precaution." He told him. "She doesn't want to take any chances."

"I can understand that." Steve said knowingly.

"Yea. Well, we should probably get back to the tower. Don't want Pepper to have to deal with Thor alone for too long." Tony walked over to Sharon and gave her a quick hug. "Thank you, Sharon, for letting us hijack your husband. We promise to return him in one piece."

"I'll hold you to that." She smiled as she turned to Bruce and shook his hand. "Good luck." Finally she looked to Steve. He pulled her into his arms and held her there for a moment.

"I'll call you tonight. Let you know what's going on." He felt her nod. Sharon pulled away and looked him in the eyes.

"Be careful." She said softly. Steve nodded and she leaned in to kiss him.

"C'mon Cap!" Tony shouted. "We really should get back! I've got a wife too ya know!" Steve rolled his eyes and pulled away from Sharon.

"I'll talk to you tonight." He turned and began walking toward the others.

"Steve!" Sharon called after him. He turned to look at her just as he reached the door. "Get her back. For Natasha." Steve smiled and nodded before closing the door and joining Tony and Bruce outside.

Bit of a shorter chapter. Sorry to all you Thor fans that his intro wasn't too long, but I really wanted to get to Steve. There will be more of him in the upcoming chapters. How about Steve though? He's all married and enlisted in the military! I looked in to his and Sharon Carter's relationship and thought it would be good to add in here. They're so cute! The next chapter, which a lot of people have been (im)patiently waiting for, will be called Recruits: Part 2 and will introduce Clint to the story (as promised!). I decided to make him a cop because I recently saw Jeremy Renner in The Unusuals (which was a great show!) and I could just picture him being a police officer. I want to make the next chapter suuuuper good for you guys, so sorry if it takes a little long to write. So, tell me what you thought! Comments, reviews, suggestions, FEEDBACK! Thanks to all my dedicated followers and reviewers! You guys are the best!