A/N: Every time I get a review I'm posting a new chapter, if you didn't notice the trend so far, and this story will have MANY chapters. =)

James Barnes had been in love with the same woman for fifty years. Even as his mind was taken from him he had loved her, felt his claim to her even through his mindless anger.

Since the situation with Steve and Tony, things had started to calm down and after the Hulk's rescue things had been virtually boring for the team except for a few incidents he found himself able to spend time with Natasha more than ever before.

But things weren't turning out the way he'd hoped.

He sat in their bedroom, holding her cell phone and staring at the text message she'd received not minutes before leaving 'on a mission'.

5 o'clock. My home. I will take good care of you. –S

He held the phone in his hands, willing the words to change. She had been avoiding his touch for the past week and going 'on missions' that she refused to talk of and now a message that was obviously from a man.

Bucky had never been legitimately faithful the time they had been together back in what felt to be a hundred years ago, though he knew Natasha had been.

Taking a breath he put the phone down and stood, willing himself to walk.

The door opened before he could knock.

Nick Fury's face was a blank slate and he shook his head. "I know why you're here. I can't discuss it."

He narrowed his eyes and growled, "Where is she?"

"Look Buck, it's not my secret to…"

Bucky pushed his way into Nick's office and yelled, "So it WAS A LIE! She said she was doing missions for you and she's got some secret she's keeping from me? Is she seeing someone else? What's going on, Nick?," he pleaded, grabbing the other man's collar, "I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO KNOW!"

Nick shook his head. "I can't, James. She came to me in confidence. It may not even be anything, she just needed to see someone and I pointed her in the right direction."

James let go of him, his eyes wide. "She's sick, isn't she?"

"Buck, I…"

"What is it? How did…is it bad? Nick, tell me," he whispered, his eyes filling with tears.

Nick turned away, letting out a deep sigh and closing his eyes. "She's not…it's…things aren't what they seem. When she's ready to tell you…"

"She could be DEAD by then. Please, I love her. I want to help," he begged.

"It's not…look, it's…"

Suddenly Natasha came charging through the door and up to him, her eyes wild with anger.

"James Barnes, how DARE YOU? Going through my things? Taking my phone? You have NO RIGHT!" she yelled, pushing him back hard enough that he fell to the floor.

Bucky quickly recovered and got close enough to her that their noses were almost touching when he yelled, "I HAVE EVERY RIGHT! You're sneaking around, telling obvious lies, and getting strange messages from some man who you're doing god knows what with…"

She slapped him and he stumbled back, holding his cheek. "How could you even THINK I would betray you? I…I cannot BELIEVE…I," her eyes filled with tears as she whispered, "I have been with no man after Steven, I tried, I wanted to move on but I could not…I…"

Bucky tried to comfort her and she pushed him off.

"DO NOT touch me. You…I…."

"Moĭ Krasnyĭ Tsvetok …" he whispered, "Kak ya lyublyu tebya." (MY RED FLOWER, HOW I LOVE YOU SO)

Natasha looked at him, her face covered in tears and her mouth trembling.

"Lapochka," she whispered, suddenly throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him, sighing in his embrace.

Bucky held her tightly and kissed back just as strongly and when they parted, he pressed his face into her neck, breathing her in.

He paused, looking at her face. "You smell like incense."

Natasha blushed. "I…I went to see a friend of Nicholas's. Stephen Strange."

"Why?" he asked their faces close enough to touch.

She buried her face into his neck. "He is a doctor, as well as a mysticist."

Bucky pulled her face from his neck and took one hand, keeping it under her chin when he asked, "What is it?"

She smiled. "I am with child, my James."

He blinked. "What?"

Natasha laughed. "I expected this response, lapochka, though I had hoped for more enthusiasm."

Bucky stared at her with wide eyes. "A baby? But when you did the tests with Alexi…"

She kissed him softly. "You and I are much more compatible, it seems, my darling."

Bucky laughed, grabbing her tightly and kissing her quite soundly.

Neither of them noticed that Nick had disappeared from the room and neither cared.

The announcement of Natasha and Bucky's child began an impromptu party for the entire team, though this time, Tony joked, "We'll limit the guest list to just us."

The seven teammates sat around the dining room table, drinking and laughing though Thor sat on the far end seemingly away from the rest though he listened.

He did not know much of Black Widow and this Bucky man, though he could see love in their eyes as they gazed on each other. Thor had never known real love, though he continued to long for the man who sat not two chairs away from him, holding hands with the monster man who glared his way.

"Looking lonely over here," came a voice from his left side, and he was surprised to see Nicholas Fury sit down beside him holding a newspaper.

Thor shook his head. "I am content to be in joyful company, though I am out of place amongst such friends."

Nick nodded. "You could try to join in, you know. They're pretty welcoming, though I'm sure Banner might pound you if you continue to stare at his Hawkie that way."

Thor laughed loudly and slapped Nick on the back, nearly pushing the man into the table.

"You are quite funny, Nicholas! I enjoy your company!"

Nick rubbed his back and raised his eyebrow. "Yeah, glad to be of service. I have something I wanted to talk to them about, but seeing as they're…busy, I'll show you."

He pushed a newspaper towards Thor and the Thunder God looked down at the page and read:

LUKE CAGE HERO FOR HIRE

Call 1-823-JUSTICE

He looked up at Nick. "This is at your attention because…it is unlawful?"

Nick shook his head. "Luke Cage was a petty criminal up until three years ago. He did five years in Los Angeles County Jail for armed robbery and now he's peddling as a REAL hero. He got into an accident and has unbreakable skin, and has been not even a dot on my radar since he got out of jail and now this? It's…attention worthy."

Thor looked at it again, then at Nick. "What is it that you want I and the others to do?"

He shook his head. "I don't think this is that big of a deal, and I know you wanted to become more involved with the team so I think….maybe I'll send you alone. Though with your track record of people skills I think maybe I'll send Steve with you, just in case."

Thor frowned. "I do not believe I need an escort, Nicholas. My skills are…"

"I'll go!" Tony yelled out suddenly, causing both men to turn his way.

They had failed to notice that the others at the table had begun listening to them some time before.

Nick sighed. "Stark, you're the last…"

Steve interrupted, "Nick, Tony's actually the best person for this because he's a celebrity. Unless I go in my uniform…"

Nick shook his head. "No. Thor and Steve, that's who goes. End of story. His office is in West Compton, so I'd be careful boys. You might not be welcome."

Both Thor and Steve looked at each other and smiled. "I think we can handle it," Steve joked.

Luke Cage knew trouble when he saw it.

The two white men walking down the streets of West Compton, wearing god awful costumes, were trouble that he had expected much sooner.

He had been out of jail for three years and the second year of his incarceration he'd been the victim of a freak accident that turned his skin indestructible. Rather than use his new powers to break out he'd kept them to himself though he'd made the mistake of showing his power off in front of the warden and the man had contacted SHIELD, who were apparently "keeping a close eye on him."

Since his release the only time had he been in contact with any of the Avengers had been such a brief encounter he knew the other man didn't remember.

Looking at Captain America now, he knew he was correct.

The other man with him, the 'God' was smiling so brightly and looked even more out of place than the star spangled white man did. He heard kids laughing at them as they walked by and saw more people ignore their questions than answer them.

Luke sighed and walked inside his building, setting down his groceries by the fridge and beginning to unload them. Not long after he heard a knock and he called out, "Come in!"

The two men entered and he said, "Not interested in what you have to sell fellas, so you can just turn right back around…."

"We just came to speak to you about…" one of them, Captain America he guessed, said.

"I don't wanna hear it. I haven't done anything." Luke said, turning and glaring at the two men.

"We are aware," Captain America quickly said, "SHIELD sent use here to be sure of your…intentions…in your new vocation."

Luke glared at him still, not answering. He looked at the other man and saw Thor was staring openly at him.

"What're you lookin' at, huh?"

Thor blinked. "Apologies, I was admiring your…attributes."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "My attributes?"

Steve quickly said, "What Thor means is…."

"I was appreciating your muscles, you see, in Asgard we honor strength. I see much strength in you," Thor said, smiling.

Luke blinked, and then smiled. "Oh…kay…look fellas, the spooks sent you to be sure I wasn't screwing folks out of money. Well, I'm not. I was in prison for somethin' I didn't do, got into a fucking accident that made me into some kinda mutant and now I'm trying to fix things around here. That's it. That good enough for you and your buddy here?"

Captain America nodded. "We…if you're ever considering branching out, we could always use another…"

Luke put up his hand. "I'm good here. You can go now."

Captain America held out his hand and Luke shook it. "My name is Steve Rogers," he said, then looked at Thor, "And this is Thor. We appreciate your time."

Luke looked at Thor, who continued to stare at him. He had been used to being admired in jail, the accident had accelerated his muscle growth and he didn't need much to keep in shape, but this was a bit excessive. It was making him a bit self-conscious. "Lucas Cage, though people call me Luke," he introduced himself, then leaned in to Steve and said, "Next time leave the God at home okay?"

Steve laughed. "I'm not sure that will be possible, but I'll try. I…" he began, but was interrupted when something crashed through the side of the building sending brick and mortar everywhere.

"LUKE!" Steve yelled, coughing through the dust.

Thor quickly ran at the pile of rubble that had covered Luke and was surprised when the human emerged from the wreckage himself unharmed. He coughed and Thor held out his hand, which Luke took and said, "Well that was…."

"Unforeseen, my friend," Thor finished, helping him up.

Steve emerged next to them and asked, coughing still, "Everyone okay?"

Luke nodded, cracking a joint back into place and realized Thor was still holding his hand. He quickly took it back, glaring at the other man who just continued to smile.

"What was it?" he asked, his voice thick with dust.

"I do not know, it seems to have disappeared whatever it was," Steve said.

Thor was staring at him with worry. "You are okay, Lucas? If you have need of medical attention…"

Luke rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, would you shut up already?"

Thor looked away and Steve looked around at the wreckage. "I would guess someone doesn't want you operating in the neighborhood. Think of anyone who'd want you out of business?"

Luke's eyes narrowed and he whispered, "Only one person. He runs all the drugs operating out of Compton. Moses Magnum. Real tough guy, I put a few of his cronies in the hospital back in county."

Steve sighed. "I believe it would be safer for you to come to Avengers mansion and…"

"I'm not leaving! That's what they want me to do, Steve!" he looked around, noticing the people on the street staring at them, "These are my people and they need me to take this bastard down! They deserve justice for what this man is putting out on their street!"

"Where will you rest? Your home has been destroyed." Thor said.

Luke stared at him and said, "I'll find some place. Now go. I have things I gotta do."

Steve put his hands on Luke's shoulders. "We want to help you, Luke. Let us."

He pushed him away. "I can do this myself, CAPTAIN. Now fuck off."

Steve sighed and motioned to Thor, who reluctantly began walking away with him. "If you need us Luke, you know where to find us."

Luke continued to ignore them, and started looking through the rubble. He didn't need the Avengers or anyone else to do his dirty work for him. He could take care of this. He had to.

They returned and reported their encounter to Nick, who listened before saying, "You did good, though it seems Luke has more on his plate than he's telling you," he brought up a vid screen and they saw a picture of a large black man, "Moses Magnum is big time. He used to be an arms dealer out of Guatemala till he moved here and was the first and last subject to an experimental procedure dubbed 'Magnum Force' which gave him the ability to cause earthquakes and superhuman strength. The guy is virtually unstoppable, though Hulk could give him a run for his money. Luke is pretty much guaranteed to be okay due to his skin though there are…other ways to kill the unkillable man. Right Steve?"

Steve glared at him. "So what do you want us to do? Go back?"

Nick shook his head. "I don't see any problems coming out of this as of yet. Luke will be okay as long as he doesn't do anything stupid and Magnum is virtually harmless…for now. Go eat something and get some sleep. You did good. Both of you."

"You want us to leave Lucas for this man to SLAUGHTER? We are HEROES, Nicholas! We protect those of Midgard who need us and you…"

Nick stood and came chest to chest with Thor. "Stand down, soldier. Get to bed. In the morning things will all be put right. Goodnight GENTLEMEN."

Both men left with glares, Thor slamming the door as he did so.

Neither man spoke as they went to their rooms and when Thor got into his he was so angry that he knew what he needed to do. He changed out of his uniform and into what the others called "civilian clothing," which consisted of a shirt and jeans. He opened up his window and flew off towards Compton with Mjolnir at his side.

Thor landed at Luke's office and found him on his computer, working even with debris around him.

"Lucas, I have returned to offer my services," he declared proudly, sticking out his chest.

Luke turned to look at him and said, "So? I told you I didn't need help. Now get the hell away from me."

The blonde man frowned, not moving. "I desire to protect you from this Moses Magnum. He is a great threat to you; I have been informed of this."

Luke turned away and sighed. "They're not gonna kill me, okay Goldilocks? They want me out of business and they won't be able to get rid of me that easy. Magnum…"

Thor walked to Luke and put his hand on the black man's shoulder, causing him to jump and look up at the blonde. Thor frowned. "I was informed this man has considerable power, more than you alone can fight. I want to…help. I will not get in the way, I assure you."

Luke looked at the hand on his shoulder, then up at Thor again. "Do you have a thing for me, Goldilocks?"

Thor pulled his hand back, surprised. "I…do not know what your meaning is," he stammered, his face reddening.

The other man smiled, running a hand over his bald head and laughing nervously. "I know what it's like when someone digs me, Goldy. You dig me, I can tell."

The Thunder God looked at him, his face still red. "I…admire your strength. That is all. "

Luke laughed again. "Well, when you're ready to admit you're here for less than honorable reasons, I'll tell you why I'm not breaking your jaw."

The black man stood, walking past Thor and up the stairs. He paused and raised an eyebrow. "You comin?"

Thor smiled. "I live to serve, Lucas."

Luke laughed again, shaking his head and mumbled, "You have no idea."

"Deep breaths," came the whispered voice from his left ear, making him shiver.

"I don't think this is going to be a good idea," he whispered, opening one eye.

A chuckle and a small kiss on his temple.

"Trust me."

Bruce Banner was caught between the two people inside of him: the mild mannered, smart, geeky guy and the monster deep within who wanted total destruction. The two parts of him were complete opposites, though they both had one thing in common.

They were in love with the man whispering in his ear.

Clint was the only thing keeping his demon at bay for the moment and the one thing that could cause it to rampage, though Bruce was loathe letting him know it. They were trying to get him into a calm state and the way his Hawkeye was breathing in his ear, siting so close to him in his own bed, he knew the technique was not going to work.

Especially at two thirty in the morning.

He opened one eye and looked at Clint again. "Tell me again why this is so important to do right this second? Not say, tomorrow at a decent hour?"

Clint sighed, rolling his eyes. "If we do this tomorrow The Hulk will be fully charged again. If we do it late like this it's tired we can…"

Bruce caught his lips in a kiss, pushing Clint back down on the mattress and gripping the other man tightly to him. He explored the inside of his lover's mouth with his tongue, swallowing Clint's moans and growling as he felt the monster push for dominance.

He pulled back, gasping, and Clint fought to catch his breath. The eyes looking back at him were full of concern.

"Bruce?"

He sighed, sitting up and holding a hand over his face. "Damnitt," he whispered, the frustration in his voice obvious.

Bruce felt Clint's arms come around him and the blonde laid his head on Bruce's shoulder. He sighed. "Well…the calming technique definitely did NOT work," he said, his voice full of mirth.

Bruce laughed, looking over his shoulder. "No, not really. Can I go to bed now?"

Clint sighed, "Fine. We'll try again at a DECENT hour since DOCTOR Banner needs his beauty sleep," he said sarcastically, moving to get off the bed.

Bruce caught his arm as he did and Clint looked at him in surprise.

"Stay," the dark haired man said, his eyes serious.

Clint grinned. "Whatever you say, Doctor," he whispered.

Bruce grumbled, "I've got to find an equally annoying nickname for you."

Clint leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I kinda like Hawkie. You can share that one with the jolly green giant inside of you," he whispered, leaning in close and kissing Bruce lightly.

Bruce sighed.

"I think we already share enough," he whispered, kissing Clint back and hugging him tightly.