Chapter Eighteen

Bruce stood at the bar, looking at the vast array of oddly named drinks Tony had on offer.

"Is there anything without alcohol in?" he asked no one in particular.

"Tea?" Juliette offered from her spot on the sofa where Natasha had placed her firmly, having only been allowed out of the medical bay that morning. She held up her mug with a grin. "The kettle just boiled." Bruce laughed but shook his head. He could find some fruit juice.

It wasn't a party, Tony wasn't there and there wasn't the atmosphere or something to celebrate. The only thing Bruce could sense around the room was the sort of mixture of relief and disappointment when a game was won but the team stayed in the bottom league. He wondered briefly when he had started making sports analogies.

He found some juice, sitting opposite the girls. Clint was somewhere out of his line of sight by the window, his conversation with Phil was just below audible for Bruce. He waited; they were all waiting, passing the time before the door opened. Natasha and Juliette were alternating between reading each other a paragraph of Shakespeare. Bruce lost track of who exactly was playing whom, and they appeared to have as well. So he half listened to a much annotated reading of Hamlet, glancing at the door every so often.

"We do it wrong, being so majestical," Natasha read softly. "To offer it the show of violence; for it is, as the air, invulnerable, and our vain blow malicious mockery."

Tony was the first to walk in, a while later. Bruce looked up immediately and watched as Tony went straight for the bar.

No one actually asked the burning question in all their minds, like the elephant in the room. The Shakespeare carried on as they waited for whatever outburst Tony was about to give.

"Ay, that incestuous, that aduterate beast, with witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts,-" Juliette was cut off mid-sentence.

"You'll be pleased, Agent," Tony said suddenly. They all knew he was talking to Phil. "Your little list has worked out." Bruce didn't know whether to smile or scowl. Adam, after turning up to help in the middle of Miami, was back at the tower with them. Bruce had stuck to his side, to fend the others off if necessary. Natasha and Clint hadn't said two words to Greyhound, neither had Tony. It was Steve who was in the conference room with him now, talking.

"He's not you," Maria had half whispered just as Bruce got off the jet in New York. "Just remember that." She had been called away before they could say anything else.

There was a moment of silence following Tony's announcement. Bruce saw Coulson give a little nod, but the other three said nothing.

"And-" Tony sighed, taking a gulp of drink before he continued. "I've joined the we hate Hornet club."

"Smashing, we've got little stickers and a motto and everything," Juliette answered. Bruce couldn't tell if that was sarcasm or not. "Occidunt vesparum."

The door opened again, Steve's tall frame entered followed by Adam. Bruce gave the only reassuring expression in the room to the small blond man.

"Do I really need to tell you?" Steve asked, looking at each of their faces. Bruce didn't know what to think, he had tried to get Adam away from the Avengers, to let him back out instead of being called upon, yet he had shown up in Miami, when he had so obviously managed to get free.

"They deserve an explanation," Tony muttered from the side of the room, half into his scotch glass.

"No, no it's fine," Adam said quickly as Steve cleared his throat. "Hornet came and attacked the agents who were holding me in the airport. She wanted me to help her, but I don't know if you've heard one of her speeches, she's crazy. I said no and ran for it, straight into the trouble she had made. I've got to do something, and none of you seem like psychopaths." Bruce smiled at the snort that came from Clint's direction.

Slowly, Juliette stood up. She was the only one there who had managed to get attacked by both Greyhound and Hornet.

"Adam is going to work with SHIELD, and if we need help with Hornet, or anything else he'll be around," Steve added.

"A semi-Avenger," said Clint. "Like Juliette."

"I can live with that." They all turned to Tony. "England being a semi-Avenger, that is. And, well Rover can stay too." The scotch glass was raised slightly before Tony ignored them and went back to looking out at the city.

"Smashing, we have little stickers and everything." Bruce couldn't help but wonder at what the stickers were about.

"That- that sounds great." Adam glanced around for what to do faced with the super spy he had maimed a few days before. "Uh, about your arm, I'm sorry. It wasn't personal."

"I say that to a lot of dead people too." Only the girls managed to keep a straight face at that, Bruce smirked at how badly Clint was trying not to laugh. Coulson just looked proud of her.

"Right. Sorry."

"Bruce," Tony came suddenly back into the conversation, this time holding two glasses of scotch. "He's like you, make him stop apologising." One he handed to Adam. "Note, unlike you he drinks. He has suddenly gotten more interesting." That was about as close to acceptance as Tony was likely to get.

Bruce pulled his vibrating phone out of his pocket.

Greyhound chose to stay despite what you told him, Maria had typed.

I'm fine, he answered.

Good, he had accepted the offer SHIELD made him before Hornet arrived. Bruce was surprised at that, but apparently Adam had given them the short version of the story.

No coercion, Maria added moments later.

And Hornet? Bruce had sat down in a corner, only half listening to Tony's bad ice breakers. Somewhere in the background, Hamlet had started again.

Nothing... There's Hemlock though. Bruce looked at his phone, then up at the others. He had forgotten about the remaining two missing Avengers.

… …

Greyhound has finished. The next one will be Hemlock. Thank you all for reading, I hoped you enjoyed it.

P.S. Juliette's motto means kill the wasp.