Hey ya'll! Here's chapter eight! Also, I'd like to say thank you to the guest who commented without a username mentioning the idea of helping my writer's... Allergies (I refuse to say writer's block) by writing Avengers one shots. You now have a few one shots to look forward to, but I've not finished editing them and polishing them up yet. When I finish that, then you get them. In the meantime, you do get chapter eight which is the reunion chapter. "Together again! Gee it's good to be together again!"- Ahem. Sorry. I'm addicted to the Muppets, what can I say? In the next chapter you get to find out some of what's going on with HYDRA and HAMMER, but for this chapter, I've brought back a fan favorite (Well, two actually)- Da da da da... Dallas! Woo, Dallas! (Does anyone actually even read these memos?) Also, anyone remember Minnie's words of wisdom about who not to start a pillow fight with? That's right, Thor is back! And very adorable. I could see him being really good with children. They're practically on the same wavelength. Well, anyways, enough of me just writing. This could probably be considered a stream of consciousness. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from movies or comic books. I'm making no money, I'm just a fan making other fans happy (Hopefully). I hope you enjoy!
Phil had been right when he said the remaining members of the Avengers were coming and coming soon. Barton arrived at the mansion first, Natasha had arrived a few minutes after Happy and the girls had gotten there. After Natasha and Barton were together Natasha seemed to calm down a little. We decided to grill up some food, Tony sent Happy out to pick up groceries. While he was gone Kayla found the large back yard, and instantly fell in love with the space. I was drinking a glass of white wine when the back door opened. "Minnie!"
"Dallas!" I shrieked, spilling most of the wine from my glass as I shoved it at Pepper who laughed. I jumped into Dallas' arms and he caught me, spinning me in a circle, then losing balance fell down.
"Oh god, I don't even care." he said as I tried to help him up. He pulled me back down and clung to me, I could hear Pepper and Bruce laughing as we both lay there. "Tell me you'll never leave me again."
"I will never leave you again." I said and he hugged me tighter.
"Okay, I'm done, get up." he ordered. I laughed and let go of him and we both got up. I could see Kayla staring at us curiously. "Look at you, oh my god!" he said as he looked me over. "God, you haven't gained a pound!" he pinched my waist making me yelp.
"I'd like to see you try to do that." Tony muttered to Bruce who scoffed.
"Yeah right." he muttered back. "Try doing that to Pepper." Tony snorted and the two shared a small smile.
"Mommy?" Kayla asked as she walked over.
"Oh my god, she's a doll!" he squealed. I picked her up and he cupped her face. "You are just so adorable!" he said. "You know that don't you?"
"Yes." she said and I laughed.
"Kayla." I said and she looked at me.
"He said it Mommy." she said and I rolled my eyes.
"Sweetie, this is my best friend in the whole world." I said and Dallas smiled. "This is Dallas."
"Like our doggy?"
"You named a dog after me?" he asked looking at me.
"It was Bruce's idea." I said pointing at him.
"What color dog?"
"White."
"Like your hair." Kayla said as she reached up and touched his hair.
"What kind of dog?" he asked.
"Cocker Spaniel." he paused and then nodded.
"Yeah okay, I could see that." he said and then looked at Kayla. "I'm going to spoil you rotten, you know that?" he asked and she grinned.
"Dallas-"
"He's her fairy godfather Bruce, I decided that a long time before she was born." I said as Dallas looked over at Bruce.
"Don't think I've forgotten about you Love Bug!" Dallas said before he went over and hugged Bruce tightly. Okay, good to see you too." Bruce said as he patted Dallas' back.
"I'm back." Happy said holding up armloads of groceries. "Oh, hey Dallas."
"Hi cutie." Dallas winked at Happy who blushed. I laughed, and pried Dallas off of Bruce, I handed Kayla to him, and Dallas wrapped his arm around my shoulders, leading me to Pepper.
"Your hair got longer." I said as I tousled his shaggy white blonde hair.
"I haven't cut it since you left Me." he sighed dramatically.
"Lies." I said and he grinned.
"Okay I've totally cut it since you left me, but, now, baby, what is going on with your hair?" he asked as he took a handful of my hair in his hand. "I mean, we're going to have to call Juan and get you an appointment, like, tomorrow." he said as he fingered the ends of my hair.
"Don't even get me started, the town we were in was freaking Pleasantville, without a decent hairdresser, the woman had no idea what she was doing." I rolled my eyes. "I had dreams about Juan and his scissors."
"You mean Mrs. Hope?" Amanda asked from where she was sitting, drinking a Coke.
"Pepper did you adopt a child?" he asked.
"No, she belongs to Minnie." she shook her head.
"Okay, number one, you're adorable, and number two, men cut hair better." he shook his head. "Everyone knows that." he looked at Amanda's hair. "You're getting an appointment too."
"Oh sure, and when I brought it up, everyone stared at me like I was some sort of communist enabling wannabe Unabomber." I said and he shook his head before he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "Oh, hey, I love this nail color." I said as I took his hand and looked at the nail polish he was wearing.
"Oh, cool, remember Diego?"
"Diego...?"
"That little bi boy Bruce believed you bumped."
"Try saying that five times fast." Natasha said to Amanda who grinned and I laughed.
"What about him?" I asked.
"His sister works for MAC." he said. "Like, cooperate, so she gives boxes of this stuff to Felipe, who gives it to me, and I put it in a closet of stuff I've been holding onto, so I can get it to you when you get home." he said. I laughed lightly and he nodded. "Oh, and, by the way. I got you an apartment."
"You What!" I asked and he threw his arms up.
"Well, what was I supposed to do? SHIELD burnt down your old one! Oh, speaking of which, total shame, your parents went there, it was rough." he shook his head.
"Yeah, it was pretty hard on them. Thank god you didn't tell them about the baby." Pepper sighed.
"And actually, I didn't so much buy the apartment for you as I just told Felipe not to rent it out." he shrugged. "Because he owns a bunch of apartments in this building on the upper west side, and we live in the penthouse, so there's this adorable apartment beneath us, and I just knew it was perfect." he said as he clasped his hands together. "Don't hate me, say you'll at least look at it!" he pleaded. "It's two stories and it has these gorgeous hardwood floors, and you're going to love it."
"You really were sure I was coming home, weren't you?" I asked and he smiled.
"Well Duh!" he said throwing his hands in the air.
"Minnie!" a familiar voice said and a moment later I was pulled into a very familiar bone crushing, rib dislocating hug.
"Thor, it's good to see you too." I groaned before he put me down.
"Your family has flourished." he said as he looked from me to Bruce, and Kayla who was running from person to person. "By the powers of my father, is this your child?" he asked and I nodded. Bruce walked over and shook Thor's hand, and winced as Thor gave him a hearty slap on the shoulder.
"Your daughter has grown!" he said as he gestured to Mykala. "She will soon be as tall as Yggdrasill!"
"Uh, thanks." Bruce smiled. Thor bent down and picked her up.
"What is your name, daughter of Banner?" he asked and she looked at him with wide, curious eyes.
"My name is Makayla Antonia Roberts, except my Daddy says it's Makayla Antonia Banner, but my Mommy and Daddy call me Kayla." she said. "What's your name?"
"I am Thor Odinson." he said. "God of Thunder."
"My Mommy told me about you!" she said getting excited. "She says when there's thunder that I shouldn't be scared because it's just you coming to Earth." she said. "Except Stevie Monroe in Ms. Molly class says that there's no such things as gods, and that Mommy's going to hell." she said and nodded.
"What? When did he say that?" Bruce asked moving to Kayla. He looked at me with a frown and I rolled my eyes. "Did you know that kid was saying things like that?" he asked.
"Ophelia Monroe is an impossible woman." I shook my head.
"This young man sounds like the son of a Bilchsteim." Thor said and Kayla nodded.
"Exactly!" she said sounding relieved. "That's what I said!" She shook her head and I laughed.
"Thor, we're doing your favorite thing." Barton said walking over. "Firing up the grill."
"Have any others offered to prepare our feast upon the grill?" he asked and Barton shook his head.
"No, it's all yours man." he said.
"Come My-Kayla!" Thor said, holding her in one arm. "We shall prepare the feast!"
"I think Kayla just made a new best friend." Bruce said crossing his arms as Thor took her over to the barbeque.
"Are you kidding, it'd take a three year old to understand him sometimes." I shook my head. Bruce laughed, and then kissed me. "Are you happy?" I asked, cupping his face. I loved the feeling of his unshaven stubble under my fingers.
"We're surrounded by the greatest heroes in the nine realms," he said. "You and Makayla-"
"No Honey, My-Kayla, remember?" I asked and he grinned.
"You two are the safest women in the world right now." he said. "I couldn't be happier." I laughed and then kissed him again.
"Get a room!" Dallas shouted and I grinned, pulling back from Bruce.
"Only when you get me the keys." I said and he laughed. "Oh, by the way, Dallas got us an apartment." I said making Bruce stand there for a minute.
"Remember how I wasn't sure about how I felt about Dallas knowing your underwear size?" he asked and I nodded slowly. "I'm getting that feeling again."
"Oh come on Bruce," I said as I wrapped my arms around his middle. I rested my chin on his chest as I looked up at him. I lightly kissed his chin. "Tell me we can at least look at it." I pleaded. He smiled and I kissed him again. "Please?" I pleaded, before I kissed down across his Adam's apple, and lower, closer to his collarbone.
"Okay, okay." he said quickly. "We can go look at it. Tomorrow." he said pointedly.
"Thank you baby." I smiled and kissed him deeply. He groaned into the kiss, either because he was getting into it, or because he knew he just lost the argument about the apartment, and would most likely be moving in the next day. I think it was more the second one.
"Way to hold your ground man." Tony said after I went back to Dallas and Bruce looked at him pointedly.
"Like Pepper's never won an argument that way before."
"I know Nat has." Barton muttered as he tipped his beer bottle back, drinking some of it.
"Huh, you and Window, never woulda guessed." Tony said sarcastically.
About twenty minutes later Steve Rogers walked through the house holding a tray of raw meat. "Thor, Happy asked me to give this to you..." he said and Thor turned around, Kayla was hanging off of one of his arms like a monkey.
"My-Kayla, the feast has arrived!"
"Yaay!" she said letting go of his arm. She landed on the ground with an 'oof'. She ran over to Steve and threw her arms around his legs. "Hi, I'm Makayla Antonia Roberts, except my Daddy says it's really Makayla Antonia Banner, and my Mommy calls me Kayla. What's your name?" she asked looking up at him with a large grin.
"I'm Steve Rogers." he said as Thor walked over and picked up the little girl in one hand and took the tray of raw meat in the other. "You look just like your mother." he said and looked at me. I smiled and he gave me a small smile before looking back at Kayla.
"Are you really Captain America?" she asked and he nodded. "You're on my big girl pajamas." she said and I let out a small laugh. Thor laughed and took Kayla over to the grill, I watched as he let her pick up a hamburger and drop it onto the grill.
"Dr. Banner," Steve said shaking his hand. "It's good to see you again."
"You too Cap." Bruce nodded. "How's life been treating you?"
"You didn't hear huh? Our dear Captain got himself an apartment, outside of the SHIELD base." Tony said giving Steve a proud grin. "Even had himself a girlfriend for a second there."
"She wasn't my girlfriend Tony." Steve sighed. "She was just... A friend."
"What happened to her Steve?" I asked and he shook his head with a small smile.
"Nothing." he said. "Nothing happened, she- We weren't together." he laughed, then looked at me. "You look great." he said before he stuck his hand out. I shot him a look and he smiled before he hugged me.
"Mommy, Mommy!" I heard Kayla call. "Look, I'm a warrior!" she was standing on the counter next to the barbeque, holding the tongs and trying to look fierce. I laughed and shook my head.
"Don't move!" I laughed as Dallas came running over with my iPhone. I took a picture and then Thor got into the picture, pretending to have been defeated. I laughed at the two as I took another picture.
"New best friend." Bruce said and I nodded.
"I know." I shook my head as I went back to where Pepper, Dallas, Amanda and Natasha were sitting.
"She is just too precious." Pepper laughed.
"Yeah and she knows it. That girl is going to be a menace when she grows up." Dallas shook his head. "I can't wait to spoil her!" he squealed.