Yeah, I updated a day early because I'm just that awesome. Be prepared. This is a REEEEEAAALLLLY long chapter

The title of this chapter is from Fall Out Boy 'Thnks Fr Th Mmrs'

Chapter Sixteen

Get me out of my mind

"Hmmm…." I hold up an extremely fancy watch and give it a quizzical look. Then, I ask in my head, How 'bout a watch? It looks expensive, so he'll like it.

Nah, he probably has a million of those. Madison replies.

I mentally agree and move on. Currently, I'm in Target, searching for Christmas presents. But, holy llamas, stores in New York are HUGE! I'm not kidding- I swear I'm gonna get lost in this place. But, hey, Target is one of the only places you can get quality Christmas presents for both men and women. If only they had a specialized area for your superhero friends.

As I walk through the mall, I come across a very sparkly car. It looks brand new, more so that it shouldn't even have been invented yet, and not to mention priceless. How about a car? It's sparkly!

Did you see how many cars he had in his basement yesterday?

You're not making this easier, Madison. I growl.

I'm just telling you the truth. She replies with fake innocence.

But, I look at the futuristic car, I don't think he had this one in his basement. I didn't see it.

He'll probably buy it himself if he sees someone else with it.

WELL, WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO GET A SUPER GENIUS THAT HAS SO MUCH MONEY THAT HE COULD LITERALLY BUY THE WHOLE WORLD IF HE WANTED TO?! I scream in my head.

I feel a spark of annoyance, but I don't know whether it's from Madison or my own emotions. Yes, yes, I forgot to buy everybody Christmas presents, so I had to drag my stupid butt out of my stupid bed to go to the stupid store with a million stupid things to buy and yet they seem to have nothing because the stupid people I have to buy them for are so stupidly different that I don't even know what to stupidly get them. Of course, the team was stupidly angry at me for stupidly procrastinating the most important part of Christmas so they are stupidly waiting 'till night time to open their stupid presents so I could stupidly go to the stupidly stupid store, which is stupidly packed with stupid idiots like me. In case you haven't stupidly noticed, I stupidly woke up on the stupid wrong side of my stupidly stupid bed so I'm stupidly snappy today.

Ugh!

I hate being in a bad mood.

Especially on Christmas!

Well, at least Uncle Tony let me borrow his credit card. Yes, borrow. I'm sticking with that.

Glancing down at my shopping cart, I take a deep breath and try to calm myself. At least a few of the guys were pretty easy. For Natasha, I simply got her some new, black and red boxing gloves, as well as a necklace with a silver spider. For Bruce, I got a 'Meditation for Dummies' book, some anger-management pills, a stress ball, and a roll of smiley-face stickers. I booked Thor and Jane for a date-night at a really fancy restaurant, and got them tickets to a carnival.

For Darcy, I got her a Forever 21 card and intern to help with all the weird stuff she does. Being the awesome person I am, I made sure it was a dude. I think his name is Ian Boothby or something like that. Poor guy thinks he's actually in for a REAL internship, ya know, with science and stuff.

I didn't really know what to get Betty and Pepper, so I just set up a spa/shopping day for them. As for Steve, I got him a bunch of history movies and a history book to help him catch up to the 21st century. I also found a Snuggy that basically screams America. So, he can go to history class all wrapped up in an American Flag.

For my awesome, funny, fantabulous, and- not to mention- annoying sister, Madison, I got her a bunch of clothes, a new phone case, and a coffee mug that says 'I only date superheroes'. For my mommy, I ordered her a bunch of rare, expensive wines, as well as a 'Cooking for Dummies' book. She really needs to work on her fish.

The second most amusing present I got is for Clint. I thought he needed a new way to shoot, so I picked out every single Angry Birds merchandise there was and just tossed it into the cart. I'm also gonna have Uncle Tony hack into his phone and install the game.

Hmmm… I practically got, or am getting, presents for everyone in my 'family'. Well, besides Mason, 'cause I don't give a damn about him. I even got a few of the agents some small presents! I got stuff for Maria and Coulson, because they're part of this bizarre family tree. And I also got something for Agent Ward… just a little apology thing for sending him to the med bay last week. And for punching him while going koo-koo on Monster Energy Drink.

As for Fury…. well, you'll see his present later.

But, for the life of me, I cannot find something for Uncle Tony! I mean, he can practically buy anything he wants! I would make something special for him, like, actually make something, but I'm too lazy.

Okay, back to reality.

Ughhh, Madison moans inside my head, Do you know how painful it is when you scream in my head?

No! I retort, grudgingly pushing my shopping cart, But I hope it hurts a lot. You're not helping me.

Well, true Christmas presents come from the heart.

I roll my eyes and snort, Yeah, right. More like, from a store.

Ugh, you're so heartless.

Yep.

By the way, Madison's voice gets a weird tone in it, What are you going to get for Faolan?

I stop dead in my tracks. How could I forget about Faolan?! Looking around uncertainly, I reply mentally, I dunno. I'll look in the dog aisle.

Sure, whatever. Suddenly, I feel Madison's excitement and she says in my mind, Got to go. We're going to make hot chocolate! I growl, feeling jealous. Madison apparently feels it and snaps, Well, it's your fault for forgetting their Christmas presents!

Just shut up and go make your stupid hot coco. I snarl. After a moment, I add, I hope you get food poisoning.

Gee, thanks, Zoey.

Rolling my eyes, I force her out of my mind (a neat trick I learned from the Wolf) and focus on gift searching. Hmmm….. you know what? I'll just get Uncle Tony some super expensive alcohol and he'll be happy. Or maybe, like, a lifetime's supply of it. Not that he doesn't have one already.

Walking over to the drug section, which, with the crowd of fellow procrastinators, takes a good fifteen minutes, I start searching for random rum. But as I do, I see a few people giving me strange looks.

Of course, being in the grumpy mood I'm in, I simply glare at them and they walk away. But the stares don't stop, and then it hits me: I have to be 18 years or older to buy anything with alcohol.

My hands clench around the railing of the shopping cart, gripping so hard that my knuckles turn white. Seething with fury, I can't stop myself from wailing aloud, "I JUST WANNA GO HOME AND EAT COOKIES!"

People stare at me as if I've grown two heads. Letting out a very wolf-like snarl at them, I whirl around and hide in another aisle, my face burning in embarrassment and rage. Sighing, I let out a groan and take out my phone. "Jarvis," I moan pathetically, "Help me find a stupid present for Uncle Tony."

"Certainly," Jarvis's awesomely British voice sounds from my phone. Uncle Tony installed him in my phone, much to my pleasure, "Would you like some suggestions?"

"Yes!"

"Suggestion number one is getting revenge on a person he particularly dislikes." I raise an eyebrow and ask, "Who?"

"The Senator."

I wince. This Senator dude sounds important and…. Fury-like. As much as it tempts me, I would never try to pull a prank on Fury- unless I have a death wish, of course. Or I just get tired of living.

"Uh… Any other suggestions?" I ask.

"Suggestion number two is… well, I shouldn't be telling you this, but Mister Stark and Pepper have been thinking about adopting a child."

My eyes widen. "What?" I exclaim, but then shake my head, "You know what? Nevermind. Move on to suggestion three."

"Suggestion three is buying him Iron Man merchandise. It amuses him."

I frown, thinking. Iron Man merchandise sounds kind of….lame. And hell no am I going to help them get a kid. I shudder at the thought. "Hmmm…." I hum aloud in thought, "Okay, I'll go with the Senator thing. How 'bout…. can you make something be sent to him without anyone else opening or examining it?"

"Possibly." Jarvis says, "It will most likely be illegal, though. But it should be alright with Mister Stark; he always does illegal things."

"Good." I grin, then add, "Well, not about the illegal stuff, but good that you can get the package to him. Okay, I want you to-"

I cut off, looking up at a woman and her husband staring at me suspiciously. Glaring at them, I growl, "Piss off." They look startled, but then scurry away.

Turning back to the phone, I say, "I want you to send one of those exploding confetti boxes to him. And get it on video." Jarvis is silent for a moment, probably setting it up, and then asks politely, "Would you like it to spray slime instead of confetti, Miss Colt?"

My grin widens and I hiss excitedly, "Yes, please!"

A few moments later, Jarvis says, "Alright, it is all set up. Do you need anything else?"

I pause, thinking, and then ask, "Is Fury's gift already on the way to the Helicarrier?"

"Yes, ma'am."

I sigh, feeling accomplished even though Jarvis did all the work and say, "Jarvis, you are a lifesaver."

"I know; Mister Stark has told me that multiple times."

I laugh, and then say goodbye before putting my phone back in my pocket. Now all I have to do is find a present for Faolan and then I can go.

Immediately, I head for the dog aisle. Looking around, I see different kinds of toys of all different sizes. Letting out a huff of amusement, I take a soft duck toy in my hand and squeeze it. The thing lets out the most bizarre quack I have ever heard and I crack up.

Meanwhile, the Wolf growls in my head, Stupid little humans think canines are dumb enough to believe these things? Bah, humans are idiots. Dogs too, if they think these are real.

I roll my eyes and reply, Oh, lighten up. These are just for fun. They're cute.

They are an embarrassment. The Wolf snarls, Do not sink to their level. You are greater than those around you. Greater than those strange humans that you have made your Pack. You should lead them, not that pathetic human Fury. Be the challenger and stand up to the Alpha- put him in his place. He is an Omega, nothing more. Those humans are all Omegas- as useful as newborn pups, they are.

I sigh, feeling a pep talk coming on, Look, I'm not a big fan of Fury either. But he's not a bad guy. He's answering to someone more powerful than him.

He should answer to you. The Wolf retorts. I can't think of a good comeback, so I simply say, Alright, then. Why don't you pick Faolan's present then, if you have such a big problem with chew toys.

The Wolf huffs, clearly not happy, but then orders, Move to the end of this…. 'aisle'.

I sigh, not really having a better idea, so I obey it and push my cart to the end. All around me are rawhide bones and other animal parts. The Wolf demands, Take the one that's third to the left and buy it. And if you really care about your true Pack member, buy him some more natural meat. Nothing here has any blood.

Alright, ya creeper. I snap and look at the bone that it chose. Man, the thing looks like it came out of a horse! It's a leg bone, about two or three feet long, and a good four inches wide. Looking at the tag, I read: Buffalo Femur.

….. Cool.

Putting it in the cart, I hesitate, and then grab a bag and start stuffing a bunch of dried pigs' ears in it. Tossing them next to the rawhide bone, I finally make my way towards the checkout lines.

I can't believe it took so long to get all this stuff! I came here at 10am and now it's 1pm. Three hours of my life wasted. I'm not going to even bother wrapping them all up. Sighing again, I look up as the checkout lines comes in sight. My heart sinks to my stomach and I groan.

Every line has at least 15 to 20 people in it, each with mountains of presents in their carts. Why do so many people procrastinate?

My eye twitches, and then I bang my head on the railing of my cart and let out a long groan/scream.

You know, sometimes, I really hate my life.

Madison's POV

Meanwhile…

"Alright, now pass me the Hershey's Syrup." I say to Steve as I try to teach him how to make a modern cup of hot chocolate. The others have already made theirs and are sitting around the couch, arguing whether or not Faolan should drink some. Personally, I don't think he should, but it'll be kinda funny to see what happens.

"Okay," Steve says as he opens the fridge. Looking around, he asks, "What does it look like?"

I sigh and roll my eyes, "Well, it's a brown bottle that says Hershey's Syrup."

"Right." the super soldier then grabs the bottle and takes it out. After a moment, he asks, "Why are we putting syrup in hot chocolate?"

"Because," I drawl, turning to him, "It's chocolate."

Snatching the bottle from him, I flick open the cap and squirt it into both of our cups. He watches silently as I mix the chocolate into the milk with a spoon. Then, I open the microwave and put them inside, setting the timer for a minute.

Turning around, I start cleaning up the mess we made. Steve helps, and as we clean, I get an annoying tune in my head.

Ugh, ever since the trip to the park yesterday I've had this aggravating song stuck in my head and I don't know why. Last night I heard it in my head as I fell asleep and I thought I was going insane.

Mentally groaning, I can't stop myself from humming the tune. After a moment, I notice Steve freeze and feel his gaze on me. Ignoring him, I turn and walk towards the fridge.

Opening the door, I start singing softly to the tune, "The star-spangled man…. with a plan…" Grabbing the whipped cream, I turn back around to see Steve staring at me. He looks startled, sad, horrified, and amazed at the same time.

I knit my eyebrows and ask, "What?"

The super soldier snaps out of his daze and focuses on me. Stuttering a little, he ask quietly, "W-where did you learn that...song?"

I blink and reply, "I heard someone singing it in the park. I think it was an old lady."

He nods slowly and asks, "What….what did she look like?"

I pause, thinking back. Thanks to my 'super' memory, I can remember her clearly and reply, "Old and wrinkly, uh… white and dark russet hair that was thin and faded, but that's probably due to her age. Hmm… she had brown eyes…. aaaaand I think a British accent. Sounded kinda American when she was singing, though."

I see Steve's face pale and ask, "Do you know her?"

Suddenly, the microwave beeps and he turns to take out the hot chocolate mugs. Setting them down on the table, he replies softly, "Maybe…. she sounds familiar…."

Casually squirting whipped cream onto the hot coco, I ask, "Why don't you go talk to her, then? She probably goes to that park a lot, since she must be retired. I saw a lot of old people there."

Shaking his head, he says, "No, nevermind. It….it probably wasn't her."

With that, he grabs his drink and walks back to the living area. I gaze after him, frowning a little. Hmm…. could she have been someone he knew back in- what was it?- World War II? Man, she must be old.

As Steve sits down, I notice the slightly lost look on his face. He seems distant, as if he's remembering a time.

Smiling a little, I grab my mug and make my way over to him. Maybe I can find a way to bring them together again.

Zoey's POV

"Welcome back, Miss Colt."

I sigh, my shoulders sagging with exhaustion, as I drag four bags of gifts into the elevator of Stark Tower. "Thanks, Jarvis." I let out a huff and then press the button to the 'Hang Out' floor, as Uncle Tony calls it. As the elevator starts moving, I check my watch and mentally curse. 4:30 pm.

I really need to work on patience, you know. After half an hour of waiting, I was about to kill everybody in the line. Unfortunately, there were intimidating security guards nearby and I didn't want them to take me away and put my presents back. Of course, by 2pm I was starving. So, Happy, Uncle Tony's awesome driver, drove me around New York City and we ate at a cool restaurant. Then we went to Coldstone for some ice cream and now I'm here. Happy's parking the car…. somehow….

A few moments later, the elevator dings and the doors open. The first thing I notice is how dim the lights are. I mean, I know it gets darker sooner because its winter, but with these it makes it seem like nighttime. The HUGE Christmas tree that Uncle Tony bought yesterday is up, with a bunch of presents in cool wrappers surrounding it at the bottom. All of the Avengers, as well as Darcy, Jane, Mom, and Betty, are around it and putting on ornaments and lights.

My eyes widen, and then I get annoyed. Picking up my bags, I haul them into the room and growl, "Really? You couldn't wait for me to come before decorating the tree? You know that's my favorite part, Madison."

"Hey, you're back!" Mom exclaims, putting down her ornament and walking towards me, "We were wondering when you'd be here. What took you so long?"

She takes two bags and settles them down in the rest of the gifts. "Lines!" I groan, following her, "The lines! They were so long! Then I got hungry so Happy and I went for food."

"Cool." she says, walking to the kitchen. Reaching up, she takes something out of the microwave and hands it to me. I sigh gratefully as the smell of hot chocolate reaches my nose. It's perfectly made with four marshmallows, whipped cream, and cinnamon, just the way I like it.

"Thanks." I take a long sip of the coco, feeling its warmth spread through my cold body. Madison walks over and smiles, "You're so lucky I know you well. You're welcome. Now go put on your PJs and help us decorate."

Just then, I notice that everyone's wearing their pajamas. Kinda looks weird on Thor….. gods shouldn't wear pajamas.

Turning around, I dash towards the elevator and click the level with our rooms. Walking into my room, I start searching through Madison and I's unfolded clothes for a pajama. A couple of minutes later, I'm dressed in red pants with white polkadots and a baby blue longsleeve shirt with a reindeer on it.

I hesitate for a moment, and then grab my Mrs. Claus cloak before heading back to the team.

"Come on, Zoey!" Madison says as soon as the elevator doors open. I walk over and pick up an ornament from a box. As we decorate the tree, Uncle Tony asks, "So, Zoey, any hint as to what you got us?"

"Nope."

"He's asked all of us that." Natasha says as she and Clint try to untangle the lights. The billionaire shrugs, "Just curious."

I roll my eyes, and then notice something off. Looking around, I ask in confusion, "Wait, where's Faolan? And Bruce?"

Uncle Tony, Clint, and Darcy smirk while Steve just gives them a disapproving look. Turning to me, he explains, "Well, Darcy made him some hot chocolate and… it didn't agree with his stomach. Bruce is….helping him."

"He's in the bathroom trying to eat a Pepto pill." Pepper adds. Jane wrinkles her nose, "I hate those pills."

"I know, right?" Darcy says, "They, like, crack into a million tiny pieces when you bite and then the bits get stuck between your lip and your teeth."

Madison's eyes widen and she exclaims, "Oh my gosh, that is so annoying! And it leaves such a bad aftertaste."

Darcy nods, "Yeah, I don't know about you, but I don't feel like it helps very much."

"Me neither."

Uncle Tony snorts, "He must be having a helluva hard time, ya know, what with his pointy teeth."

Suddenly, a snarl of disgust sounds from the bathroom, and then Faolan walks out. His lips are curled back, showing his teeth as he walks towards us on four legs. By the way his fur bristles and his ears flatten, I can tell he's pissed.

The wolf mutant flops down on the couch, teeth still bared in a strange way and his tongue swiping over them occasionally. Narrowing my eyes slightly, I can see a few pink dots on his tongue and fangs.

Bruce, who followed him out, sits down next to him, holding a glass of water to Faolan's lips. "Just keep drinking. They'll wash away soon."

Still scowling, Faolan keeps on drinking the water that Bruce offers. As he does, a sour, bittersweet smell enters my sensitive nose and I gag. I really hope they cleaned up that mess in the bathroom. I probably won't be going in there for at least a week, either way.

After a while, Faolan stops drinking and only swipes his tongue over his teeth twice before laying his head on the couch cushion. Bruce smiles, pats his head, and then goes to the kitchen to wash the glass.

Faolan looks up at me and groans, "I don't like chocolate." I grin and laugh, sitting down next to him. "Good thing you threw it up, though." I say, "Who knows what it would have done to you?"

"Alright, alright, don't get too comfortable." Jane says, "We still have to put on the star. How are we going to do that?"

We all stare at the tree, the top branch towering over us. There's barely any ornaments up there, and the few there having been put with the help of a ladder.

"Hmmm…. wait, why can't we use the ladder?" Betty asks, looking at us. Pepper shakes her head, "It can't get very close to the tree. Someone's going to have to have a very long arm to reach that branch."

"Oh."

Uncle Tony looks at me, "Why don't you just climb up the trunk?"

I raise an eyebrow and reply, "We probably should have done that before putting on the ornaments."

"Rrrrright…" All eyes turn to the top branch again. I have to admit. I feel kind of stupid. Well- wait, no! They should feel stupid. I probably would have thought about this situation before putting on the ornaments but noooo they started without me.

Suddenly, Madison snaps her fingers and exclaims, "By golly, I've got it!" We all give her strange looks, slightly disturbed by her eighteenth century accent. She ignores us and says, "Thor, you pick up Faolan, and then he'll stretch up and put the star on with his paw!"

She looks very proud of her stupid idea, and I just grimace and shake my head, "I don't think that would work. If it would, then-"

"No, no, no!" Madison interrupts, "It's a good idea. Look, Thor's tall, right?"

We all nod, though Thor looks a little awkward.

"And so is Faolan. So, since Thor is, like, really strong, he'll pick up Faolan and then Faolan will put on the star because he has long arms. It wouldn't work if, like, Tony picked up Pepper because-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." I interrupt, "We get it. Faolan, grab the star."

The male wolf mutant groans, still weak from vomiting. Grudgingly, he heaves himself to his paws and takes the star from Jane. Then, Thor picks him up by his hips and puts him as close to the tree as possible. With a little bit of difficulty, Faolan manages to slip the star on top of the branch. Thor grunts, and suddenly one of Faolan's leg slips. He falls backwards, sending both him and the thunder god crashing to the ground.

Of course, everybody bursts out laughing.

Faolan grunts, scrambling to his paws, but jabbing Thor's stomach in the process. Standing on his hind legs, he glares at us as the Thunder God stands up, "Are we done now?"

Catching his breath, Uncle Tony wipes a tear from his eye and gasps, "Yep. Do you guys want to eat dinner first or open presents?"

"PRESENTS!" Madison, Mom, and I exclaim immediately. Then, we look at each other and crack up all over again. Pepper smiles, "I guess we're opening presents first. By the way, I hope none of you are allergic to pork, because we ordered a whole pig from an Argentinian restaurant."

"Ooh, yum!" I grin, my mouth already starting to water. Madison leaps over an empty ornament box and darts towards the presents, "Come on, guys!"

The adults laugh a little and I can't help but feel a little childish as I run over to the couch and plop down next to my sister. "Who's going first?" Betty asks as she sits down next to Jane and Darcy.

Aww, man. I have never had such an awesome Christmas in my life. We open Darcy's presents first, and guess what she got me? A fluffy wolf hat with little ears and paws, a mug in the shape of a wolf's head/face, and to top it all off, a bag of six medium-sized rawhide bones. I don't know whether to be happy or mad about that. Next goes Natasha, and I'm surprised at how well she knows Madison and I. The former assassin got us the game we've been dying for: Assassin's Creed. When Madison and I open it, we stare at the game for a few seconds, gaping, and then look at each other with idiotic grins before attacking Natasha with hugs. She seems surprised, and afterwards Clint looks at us as if we'd just died and came back to life. His present to me is pretty cool; its a near-exact replica of Nightlock, the bow that District 13 gave Katniss in the third book of the Hunger Games, Mockingjay. It even hums and responds to my voice! But, man, what he got Madison will make her happy for the rest of her life. He got her a bow as well, but it's black and white, with a shiny, jet-black, beak-like thing in the middle, and the wood is carved in a strange way…. kind of like-

"Feathers!" Madison screams, "OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGod! ITS A JABBERJAY BOW!"

My eyes widen as I stare at the bow. Oooooohhhh, now I see it! Madison, who is mentally dying, shakes it in my face, jabbering like, well, a Jabberjay.

"It's black and white like the bird and it has the feathers carved in and at the edges and its so cool and it has the beak and EVERYTHING!" she yaps on and on excitedly, stroking and fumbling with the bow as if it is the most important thing in the world.

Clint, looking taken aback, and slightly flustered, says awkwardly, "Yeah… I, uh, made it myself. See, the arrow goes there, in the beak part." He reaches down and picks up the arrows. They're a soft black, with white feathers on the end and another jet-black beak thing on the front. Madison, who looks as if she is on the verge of tears, gazes at the arrows with the happiest expression I have ever seen on her face.

"Of course, the tip can be taken off while you're playing and there's a softer part underneath- uhh!" Clint grunts as Madison launches herself off the couch and tackles him in a hug. "Thankyousomuch!" she sobs into his shoulder. I see him give an embarrassed smile and awkwardly pats her back. Despite his awkwardness, I can tell he's really glad that she likes it. And she does; her joy is so strong that it kinda hurts.

Mom smiles and coos, "Aww!"

I laugh. "What a good dad." I snort, grinning.

As soon as we manage to pry Madison off of Clint, who now has a wet shoulder, the gift giving continues. Pepper gives me a bunch of gift cards to various girl stores, as well as a fluffy, multicolored monster diary with a sparkly green bow. Betty gives Madison and I a sort-of-not-really-cool chemistry set, which we probably will never use but accept politely anyways. Mom's gift is, since she knows I love equestrian things, a rentable trailer and entry tickets for a competition in April, which I'm super excited/nervous for. Madison got me a stuffed wolf, a scarf, and a box of tapeffiti.

Steve gives me an awesome painting of a black wolf walking towards the focus on a snowy mountain with the night sky above it. It takes a few moments, but then I realize that the wolf is me. It has my green and amber eyes, and also my scar. Geez, I didn't know he was that good at art. I give him a hug, to which he blushes to, and thank him.

Thor's present is really interesting. He gives Madison and I each a locket that we put around our necks. Madison's is silver and looks vine-like while mine is gold and has jagged, lightning-like metal and markings. But when I open it, I see a smooth, glassy, oval-shaped stone wedged in the golden rods. Painted on it (or inside of it, I'm not sure. The glassiness seems to be on the outside of the paint) are two figures: One is the head of a black wolf and the other is the head of a black and white bird. Me and Madison. They're facing each other, and there's a white line in between them. The background of the wolf is the night sky with a full moon, and the background of the Jabberjay is a smooth, creamy-white color, but little black dots splatter on it. They look like little black raindrops rolling off of the bird's head.

My sister and I just stare at them for a moment, and then look at Thor with wide-eyes. He looks very proud of himself. Is this is first Christmas? If so, then he's got this thing down.

"H-how?" Madison stutters, "How did you get these?"

"I made them."

We gawk at him and the thunder god laughs, "You young Midgardians would be surprised at how extravagant Asgardian artwork can be."

We nod numbly and I close my locket.

Then comes Bruce. He gives Madison and I cool headphones, mine zebra-striped and hers cheetah-print, and he also gives me an abstract wolf pillow. But then, the scientist quietly passes me a small, slightly old-looking notebook while Madison is paying attention to the other present he gave her. Clint, Natasha, Steve, and Darcy notice and gaze at it curiously as I open it.

The first page says: Keeping the Other Guy under control.

Underneath the words, in darker black ink, is: Just in case the Wolf bothers you. I've pretty much memorized this, and you need it more than I do. Merry Christmas!

- Bruce

My eyes widen and I shut the book with a soft clap. I look at Bruce and he gives me a small smile and a nod. I return the smile and tuck the notebook away quickly, noticing Natasha and Clint's suspicious looks. Pretend parents or not, they're still SHIELD agents, which means they'll be a bit more than curious.

"Zoey!"

I jump in surprise, jerking my head around to see Faolan with a bag in his jaws. Madison nudges me in the ribs, "Pay attention."

Faolan puts the bag down and pulls something out with his mouth. Looking closer, I realize that it's…. Aww, man.

Well….. it is his first Christmas, so we can't go too hard on him.

But…. oh my God…

I can't help but grimace a little as the male wolf mutant puts a dead duck on Pepper's lap. She looks at it in shock, but then tries to cover it up and gives him a forced smile, "Thank you, Faolan. This is very nice."

Faolan, who looked nervous, lets out a sigh of relief and wags his tail. Then, he goes and gets his presents for everyone else. Once his back is turned, Pepper widens her eyes at Uncle Tony, who is trying hard not to burst out laughing. Then, she picks the duck up using two fingers and drags it to an empty space on the couch.

Turns out, Faolan got everyone different kinds of dead animals. And apparently they reflect their personalities. Mom got a chipmunk, Steve got a robin, Bruce got a mouse, Uncle Tony got a weasel, Darcy got a coyote, Jane got an owl, Betty got a turtle, Madison got a magpie (she almost had a heart-attack when she saw it's black and white feathers), Natasha got a stoat, and Thor got a squirrel.

Poor, poor Clint is given a beautiful dead hawk. Uncle Tony almost wets his pants trying not to laugh.

But, I have to say, mine is the worst.

Faolan digs deeper into his bag, and what he pulls out makes my heart skip a beat. A small, black dog is dropped on my lap. The others stare at it, wide-eyed and gaping. Meanwhile, I'm covering my mouth with my hands, and I can feel tears forming in the back of my eyes.

Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, OH MY GOD!

Who's dog is this?!

I gently take the small body in my hands and lift up its collar. His name is Trixie, and he belongs to-

"Do you like it?"

I blink, shaking away the shock, and look at Faolan who is gazing at me with a hopeful, almost desperate, look in his eyes. His tongue is out and lolling, and his tail is wagging.

"I found it in the park yesterday. Strange little creature, isn't it? It kind of looks like a mini wolf, but it didn't act like one. It was playing with other strange-looking creatures, but then it and one of its packmates wandered into the forest, playing and stuff. Its curiosity and love for its packmate reminded me of you. Do you like it?" he asks again.

I stare at him, wide-eyed. The poor little dog…. And the fact that he killed something that reminded him of me is kind of disturbing.

But, summoning all of my acting skills, I smile and say as happily as I can, "This is a fantastic present Faolan. Thank you very much."

I quickly jump off the couch and dash to the bag of presents that I got for the others. Behind me, I hear Uncle Tony's barely stifled laughs. Man, I take my eyes off of Faolan for one second yesterday and he goes and kills half of the park's animals.

Sighing, I flip a tuft of hair out of my eyes with a jerk of my head and bring the first bag over to the couch.

Reaching inside of it, I find Bruce's presents. Taking out one of them, I hand "Meditation for Dummies" to the scientist. He looks at it, and then gives me a smile, although I can see a disapproving look in his eyes. Darcy laughs and Uncle Tony pats his back. Reaching into the bag, I take out his next present: the stress ball. Bruce looks at it in confusion for a moment, and I explain, "It's a stress ball. Ya know… I just thought it would be…. useful, sort of."

He smiles and nods, putting it down on the stack of gifts that were given to him. When I give him the anger-management pills, he lets out a short laugh and says, "Trust me, Zoey. I've tried about every single type of anger-management pills."

I grin sheepishly and then blush at the next present. The roll of smiley face stickers. Everybody laughs when they see it, and Bruce even puts one on his forehead. It looks so weird on him- maybe all this Hulk-related stuff wasn't such a good idea.

Eh, whatever.

I reach in the bag and find Steve's presents. Giggling, I haul out the five history books I bought him and put them on his lap, since he's next to me. The super soldier looks taken aback, and then opens the book on the top of the pile. He laughs, and says, "Thanks Zoey. I needed to catch up."

"And while you study…" I then take out the American Flag Snuggy. Everyone bursts out laughing. Steve grins at it, a look of disbelief on his face as he takes it in his hands.

"What… what is…?" he stutters and I laugh, "It's a very American Snuggy for my very American friend."

He chuckles and puts it on.

Yep.

He is now the ultimate American.

At the bottom of the bag is Natasha's presents. She smiles when she sees the combat stuff and adds it to her pile, thanking me. "You can be the first person I use them on." she jokes and I laugh.

Meanwhile, Mom frowns at us, "What?"

My eyes widen in a oh-shoot-my-mom-found-out way and I reply, grinning sheepishly, "Oh yeah. Uhh, she and I, like, did a combat thing against each other. Once!" I add quickly at her outraged look. She whips her head to Natasha and exclaims, "What were you thinking? She's just a kid!"

Teen, Madison mutters in my head. I inwardly snort, Why do we keep making such a statement about that?

Natasha keeps her cool against Mom and replies smoothly, "I was going easy on her. And anyway, I think her being a mutant helped her put up a surprisingly good fight."

I smile, feeling proud that a top-notch assassin thinks I fight well. Mom doesn't look happy, but says nothing and lets me continue with the gift giving.

Madison loves all the presents that I give her, especially the coffee mug. Mom is excited to receive her wines back in California, and when I give her the "Cooking for Dummies" book, she gives me a 'really?' look, to which I laugh. Clint's presents are in the second bag, and as I reach into it again, I pull out a plush, red Angry Bird. Everyone looks at it in confusion, except for Uncle Tony, who smirks knowingly.

Smiling, I pull the sling-shot out of the bag and load the bird into it. Then, I quickly aim at Clint and shoot. The bird flies through the air and smacks into his face before bouncing onto his lap.

The archer picks it up and raises an eyebrow at me, "Seriously? Seriously?"

I laugh, "Oh, it gets better."

And thus, he is soon covered with Angry Birds merchandise. As he tries to push the stuff into a pile, Uncle Tony snatches his phone, somehow hacks into it, and clicks the Angry Birds app that he had Jarvis install. Then, he just drops it on Clint. The archer, looking disheveled, picks up his phone and mutters, "Well, I guess I have a new hobby now."

I giggle, then reach for the third bag and pull out Faolan's gifts. "Faolan!" I call, "These are for you."

The male wolf mutant gets up from his seat next to Darcy and walks over. I hand him the huge buffalo bone and he sniffs it, looking unsure. He gives me a confused look, and I explain, "It's food. You can chew on it for as many days as you want and it doesn't spoil. Well, for a while, at least. And, hey, it's from a buffalo, sooo…." I wave the bone tauntingly in front of his nose.

Faolan frowns at it, and then asks, "But there's no blood." Sighing, I roll my eyes and say, "That's because, if it has blood, it will spoil."

"Ohhh. Okay." Faolan takes the bone in his jaws and says, his voice muffled, "Tanks Ootain."

"Wait!" I stop him before he can walk away. Reaching into the bag, I take out the small sack of pig ears. "I got you these too."

His nose twitches and he takes the bag, giving another muffled 'thanks'. He settles back down next to Darcy, and she stares at the buffalo bone with wide eyes. "That's huge!" she exclaims. I snort, "I know, right?"

Faolan starts gnawing on the bone as I get up to grab the fourth and final bag. "Dis ish predy good!" he comments, his mouth watering as he continues teething.

See? Of course, my secret source of annoyance, the Wolf, decides to pop in my head, You can make your real packmates happy if you listen to me. If we work together, we can-

I interrupt it, Hey, can you shut up now? I bring the bag back to the couch and take out the first present; Jane and Thor's tickets to the carnival and date night. It's Christmas, I add, and I'm trying to enjoy myself before I have to go back to hell and free the Pack.

I hear the Wolf growl inside of my head as I give Jane the tickets. "Oh, wow!" she exclaims, "This'll be fun!" I nod, my smile feeling kind of forced, and say, "I also booked you guys a date night at a really fancy restaurant." The Wolf's retort drowns out her response, If you would listen to me more, the Pack would already be free and you could be celebrating this 'Christmas' with them, not this pathetic excuse for a pack.

I feel a flame of annoyance spark up inside of me, but try to stick to reality and nod to Jane even though I didn't hear what she said. Then, I take out the two envelopes for Betty and Pepper that contain the stuff for their shopping day and their spa. Their voices sound like they're underwater and the Wolf says, Did I not teach you to run faster when your leader was chasing you? Did I not try to tell you to run away from the Lab, because I knew that Cathal and the other Cat Traps were there and would smell you? Did I not teach you how to force your 'so-called' sister out of your mind when she annoys you?

Madison is my sister, I snarl at it.

"Zoey!" Next to me Madison nudges me in the ribs, "They thanked you."

I blink, snapping out of my daze, and say, my voice sounding strangely hollow, "Oh, yeah, uh, you're welcome."

Betty and Pepper smile, and I sneak a quick glance at Bruce. He's gazing at me, looking slightly concerned. I give him a slightly desperate look, and then reach in the bag for Darcy's present, hoping that the Wolf will leave me alone.

I jinxed it.

Both of us know that's not true, it snarls. I try to ignore it as I give Darcy her Forever 21 card and the sheet of paper that the intern signed. She grins when she sees the card, but when she reads the paper, she exclaims, "You got me an intern?!" Her voice sounds faint, as if there we're outside on a windy day.

As the others around her look at the paper, the Wolf continues, Madison is not your real sister, not by blood. Neither is that 'Luna'. Or Mason. Or any of these humans that you consider your kin.

Blood isn't important, I growl at it.

The Wolf snarls back so intensely that it takes me by surprise, Blood is everything! It is more important than you think, Guitain.

I feel my heartbeat quicken as I ask, What's that supposed to mean? Do you know anything about my real family? My eyes widen when it doesn't reply right away and I hiss, Tell me!

Why don't you find out about that yourself? the Wolf retorts, Order those two 'science' packmates of yours to get that information. They must be able to, if they actually 'hacked' into the Lab's computers as they have claimed. They should have all the information, including your file.

I rub my head as it starts to ache and try to come up with a comeback, If they had found out about my family, they would have told me.

Would they? the Wolf challenges, How can you be so sure of that? SHIELD has many secrets, and since you haven't taken the lead on them or your strange human pack, they don't have to tell you anything.

My eyes narrow slightly. No, I won't let it put me against SHIELD or the Avengers. An image of Uncle Tony and Bruce working in their science lab dances across my eyes. They crowd around a tablet, and I catch a glimpse of my name on it.

They would tell me if they found anything! That's what friends do. When they find something, they will tell me….

…. won't they?

I suck in a quick breath, getting annoyed with the Wolf. Leave me alone! I snarl, Go back to your imaginary den, or wherever you go when you're not annoying me to tears!

Don't deny the truth, the Wolf persists, They aren't loyal to you, they're loyal to Fury. And he's the rival Alpha.

In case you haven't noticed, I'm not entirely a wolf. Now leave me alone!

Your ignorance will be your death, The Wolf growls.

Leave me alone!

Keep up with what you're doing and you will be alone. Completely alone. No Pack with you, not even your human friends for you to grieve with. It'll just be you… well, and me, of course.

"Get out of my head!" I accidently cry aloud.

"Zoey!" a voice calls me, sounding as if its underwater, "Zoey!"

You can run, but you can't hide, the Wolf hisses, I'll always be here. You can never escape me!

"Shut up!" I snarl, feeling jabs and shoves all around me.

"Zoey!"

Zoey! Suddenly, I feel Madison's presence in my mind. Something pushes against my conscience, and unexpectedly, I'm forced out of my mind and back into reality.

"Zoey!" Bruce's voice sounds oddly loud, now, as if my ears had popped. Wearily, I blink my eyes open, which I didn't notice were closed. To my surprise, I'm laying on my side, leaning heavily on the couch with my knees tucked up to my torso. My hands are clasped around my head, which is throbbing faintly. All around me, the Avengers, Jane, Darcy, Pepper, Betty, and Mom are staring at me, either looking worried or horrified.

I blink in confusion, and then look at Bruce, who's next to me instead of Steve. Then, all the weariness crashes down on me and I groan, slumping against him in exhaustion. The scientist wraps his arms around me and mutters, "It's alright, it's alright." as I let silent tears fall down my cheeks.

"It's getting so hard…" I mumble into his shirt, "The Wolf keeps trying to control me, and it won't leave me alone, and I…I… I don't know what to do!" Bruce just nods and continues to comfort me.

After a few moments, Mom exclaims, "What just happened?!"

I sniffle, and then peek out at her from underneath Bruce's arm. The scientist explains, "She has a voice in her head, called the Wolf. It's like the wolf blood in her, if it could talk. It's basically a natural wolf's instincts, but intensified because of her human blood. It makes it smarter, so its stronger against her."

"...wh...why…?" Mom stutters in shock, and then asks warily, "What does it…. what does it tell you? What was that that you said about it trying to control you?"

I sigh and nuzzle into Bruce's side, only finding comfort in the one person who can relate to me. My voice sounds weak as I whimper, "It… it… the Wolf keeps on trying to make me turn against you guys. Against SHIELD and the Avengers…."

I can see the looks on Natasha and Clint's faces, and I don't like them. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, I continue, "It tries to make me doubt…. well… it just thinks I should be the leader. It wants me to challenge Fury and take over SHIELD and the Avengers and make it-"

I cut off abruptly, knowing I've already said too much. That's going to get me into trouble. Clint and Natasha are going to be extra sensitive around me now. Hopefully they don't tell Fury…

"What does it want you to do with SHIELD?" Natasha asks suspiciously. I hesitate, and then shake my head. "Nevermind." I say, sitting upright. I wipe my face, and then turn to Darcy, "So… I, uh, got you an intern…"

"Yeah," she says, brightening up a bit, but I can still see uncertainty in her eyes, "Thanks for that. It'll be fun!" I give a forced smile, my Christmas spirit totally down the toilet.

The wary, awkward mood is still in the air, and the two SHIELD agents look suspicious, but we try to forget it and continue on with the gift giving.

Jarvis the Awesome plays the video, 'Revenge on the Senator' as he calls it, on the huge TV. We all watch as the Senator opens a cardboard packaging box, only to be blasted by a disgusting green goo. Uncle Tony bursts out laughing, for like, two good minutes. It cheers me up a little, but only a little…

Eventually, as Uncle Tony begins passing out his presents, which are AWESOME, I lean against Bruce again, feeling fagitude in my bones. Man, arguing with a wolf inside of your mind really takes a lot out of you.

At some point I fall into a daydream, still a little dazed from my ordeal, and then snap back into attention as Uncle Tony faces me.

There's nothing in his hands, only a huge grin on his face.

"Oh, no." I say, looking up at him, "What did you do?"

"I just solved a huge problem that nobody thought about." he replies, squeezing in rudely between Madison and I. He swings an arm around my shoulders and begins casually, "So, a few days ago, I got to thinking, 'hey, where are all the mutants going to go once we've freed them?'"

I blink, and then say, "I thought you mentioned something about turning them back to full hu-"

The billionaire interrupts me, "So, then, I started looking into many things, and went through many possibilities before I came to a conclusion. I, your fantastic uncle, just did you an awesome favor."

"What did you do?" I ask again, feeling a little excited.

He turns to face me fully and looks deep into my eyes.

"I got you and your little pack a place to live in. It's a big, beautiful place that's not too cold and not too hot. No one will find them there, because a) they have my protection and b) its in the middle of the ocean."

My eyes widen. Wait, did he-?

"Yes, I, Tony Stark, bought a whole island in the Pacific Ocean for a bunch of mutants."

Back at the Helicarrier….

"Sir?" an agent, holding a couple of packages, calls the Director Fury, "One of Stark's planes dropped these off."

"Oh, great." Fury mutters under his breath, walking down the bridge towards the agent. He takes the packages and the agent retreats. The first one is addressed to Maria Hill and Phil Coulson.

Getting a bad feeling about it, Fury turns to the agents on the computers and barks, "Hill, Coulson."

A few moments later, said two are standing in front of him. He simply hands them the box and starts opening the one addressed to him.

Maria and Phil glance at each other, and then open the package. Inside, on the left side, is a small box of chocolates, and a little stuffed bear with a card that says "To Maria, from your favorite wolf mutant." On the right side lays a flashy watch and a star-bangled coffee mug with a sticky note on it that says "To Phil, may or may not be from Steve but could also be from Zoey."

The two take out their gifts, looking skeptical.

Meanwhile, Fury, who's back on the bridge, opens his package, feeling a faint sense of dread.

Inside of it is a fat, harmless-looking book.

For a moment, he almost thinks that Zoey actually got him something not mischievous.

That is, until he reads the title of the book, as well as the note attached to it.

"Parenting for Dummies"

Just incase you and Maria ever have kids.

Because if I know anything about you,

It's that you're gonna need it.

-Zoey ;)

Holy Llamas, that was a long chapter! I updated a day early to give you guys some time to read this chapter with *looks at Doc Manager* 9,056 WORDS?! I'M SO PROUD OF MYSELF! Thank you, thank you very much! If you love me, leave a review. If not, well, I hate you too.

Just kidding

Maybe

-Periwinkle Skittles