The peace couldn't last forever, Mr. sciency robot guy came back again and this time the robots had flamethrowers.

Steve hated that he couldn't help and could only watch as they suited up and went after him, though he seemed impressed she she graved the blue and silver shield she had given him and said she was borrowing it.

She made quite a picture fighting with plasma sword and vibranium shield.

He couldn't help noticing the way when she threw it she copied him perfectly, he remembered all the times he'd felt like someone was watching him when he practiced his throw.

Apparently someone had.

He worried and stressed enough that he nearly gave himself an anxiety and an asthma attack at the same time.

JARVIS seemed worried asking about his heath but he reassured the AI that he was fine even as his chest got tight, it felt like an asthma attack but he knew it wasn't, he was worried, deeply worried, about Beth.

It was almost 20 hours until they returned, the fight itself had only taken about 10 but the debriefing and medical checks took longer.

When Beth came stumbling in armor burned and singed, bruises on different parts of her body that he knew would fade by morning, no one came out of the fight with more than a few scratches and bruises, Clint might have fractured his arm but he'd heal alright.

It was kind of funny when Steve thought about it, the strongest and most protected in the group other than tony, and he was worried about her the most.

She muttered a greeting when she saw him and fell onto the couch with a groan still in full armor.

"You alright?" he questioned worried that maybe she had gotten hurt somehow she just gave a jerking nod "just had a long day at the office babe" she barely seemed able to get up from where she collapsed.

Pressing something on the chest of her suit he watched as it started to retract, the seals hissing as they were relised and finally she stepped out of the boots and she was free, the suit folding itself into what looked like s long luggage case sat on its side, this new design while looking almost the same was stronger and closer to the mark 42 of her brothers while still holding the unmistakable appearance of the 'iron jacket' armor.

Apparently it was also heavier if the way she was rotating her shoulders was anything to go by.

"You have no idea how lucky your suit was made with spandex" he made a face at her when she collapsed back on the couch in just the short sleeve shirt and track pants she wore under it.

The shirt was another one of those captain America ones she seemed to have an endless supply of.

"It's not spandex" he replied indignantly and smiled up at him lying on her back head in his lap "fine very tight form fitting cloth. Jeez" she stretched out toes pointing and touching the other arm of the large couch "you can love something forever until you have to wear it for 20 hours strait. Now I want to set it on fire" he patted her head "but you won't" she sighed as if she was exasperated.

"Yeah I won't that doesn't stop" she cut herself off with a large yawn "doesn't stop me from wanting to" her eyes were closed and fluttered when he started stroking her hair "I'm glad you're alright" she hummed lips turning into a smile.

"Where's the others?" he had to ask "they'll be here eventually. Second I had a chance I ditched that horse and pony show and came here" he snorted "so you cut class basically"

She nodded then sighed relaxing "I need a vacation, I'm taking a vacation, Wanna come?" she opened one eye to glance up at him "sure where we going?"

With a smile she settled back against him being careful not to hurt him, he could always tell the way she adjusted to not hurt his smaller more delicate form and found he didn't mind so much.

"out of the city" then she closed her eyes and refused to answer any of his questions after that no matter how much he needled her so he just sighed and let her go to sleep having JARVIS pull up the movie adaption of a book he'd finished the night before.

It was another hour before everyone else returned and while tony gave his sister a dirty look he just sighed and collapsed into an arm chair, his suit having come apart when he landed.

Clint and Natasha came wandering in from the kitchen and handed out a sandwich to Steve and tony leaving a large one on the coffee table for when Beth woke up then collapsed on the floor on top of each other as was habit for them.

When Bruce wandered in he took the final chair the love seat that sat across from the recliner tony had commandeered.

Somehow it turned into a unconventional movie night that ended with most of them falling asleep where they sat and Beth barely waking up long enough to devour her sandwich before returning to her resting place in his lap.

He didn't mind at all.

Beth's eyes opened sometime late at night, she could hear snoring, more than a little and glanced around, wondering for a moment why everyone was sleeping on the floor then just shrugged it off and sat up.

She discovered her pillow was the tiny sleeping Steve Rogers and had to smile before standing up carefully.

Her muscles ached and yelled at her about being so overworked but they were easy to ignore as she walked to a hall closet and pulled out some blankets.

Returning to the living room she spread the blankets over the pile of Clint and Natasha, the slightly curled up Bruce in the love seat who muttered slightly but just curled tighter with the blanket, then over her brother who let off an amusingly loud snore.

When she turned back to Steve she found he'd curled up on the couch shivering just a little from her lack of body heat, she would never understand how he got cold when he put off enough heat to rival a furnace.

Shaking her head slightly she bent and gently lifted his smaller body into her arms, he muttered something and for a moment she thought he'd woken up but he just turned hand curling into her shirt, seeking out her warmth as she carried him back to their room.

"He's kinda cute isn't he jarv?" she asked quietly then glanced up "never tell him I said that" a moment of silence as she nudged the door open with her foot "of course ma'am" she glanced up as she nudged her door closed behind her "which question was that an answer to?"

"Both ma'am"

She chuckled under her breath and walked to her bed softly setting Steve down on its surface.

He didn't want to let go of her shirt but she managed to uncurl his fingers and tuck him in before walking toured the bathroom to wash the battle sweat off her body then returned to bed and settled in behind him, careful always careful of his smaller more delicate form.

Not that she'd ever let him know that, he might have been small but he was still a wiry little ass and knew how to use his slight frame to hurt.

He said it was too many fights when he was younger, she was inclined to agree.