Hey ya'll! Well, one chapter left, I have loved writing this story so much. Well, in this chapter it kind of earns it's M rating (At the end if you want to skip over it.)
Disclaimer: I totally own the Avengers. I own an Avenger cup, I own an Avenger lunchbox, I own a Hulk bobble head, and I own no life. I spend my time writing. And I love it.
Time went by. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months. Kayla turned four, Amanda turned seventeen, I didn't talk about how old I was about to turn. I stepped down as the director of SHIELD and Fury took it back, while I went back to work at Stark Industries. It was funny, the way some of the partners looked at me, seeing as most of them went along with Norman Osborn. I would just smile, do my job and report back to Tony. It was like none of it ever happened, which was an interesting thought.
"I thought I might find you here." I looked up from my desk at Nick Fury who was currently standing in my doorway.
"Well it is my office." I said as I stood up. He walked into the office and I shook his hand. "How are you Director?" I asked and he nodded.
"I'm not going to lie-"
"That's a first." I said and he shot me a look. "Sorry, been working with Tony a lot today, it's hard to get out of that mind set." I shrugged and he nodded. "Do you want a cup of coffee?"
"Lots of cream lots of sugar please." he said and I nodded as I went to the coffee pot in my office and poured him a cup of coffee and mixed it up for him, and brought it back.
"So, what's going on?" I asked.
"I'm stepping down." he said and I raised my eyebrows.
"Excuse me?" I asked in surprise.
"I think it's time, I need to step down." he nodded.
"Wow, uh... Wow." I laughed and shook my head. "That's... Is it good?" I asked and he nodded with a small smile.
"It's right." he said and I nodded.
"So, you want me to tell Tony, or break it to my MeeMaw, or what?" I asked.
"I want you to take over." he said and for a moment I thanked whatever deity told me not to drink my coffee, because if I had been drinking I'd have either;
A, spit it all over myself,
B, choked; or
C, all of the above.
Probably C.
"What, you want me to- What?!" I asked and he nodded.
"You were a good leader when I was gone, a good wartime leader is hard to find, and you kept your head, even when keeping your head was damn near impossible."
"Nothing is impossible, the word itself says, I'm Possible; having said that, I find myself wondering if it's possible you've suffered from a stroke?" I asked and he shook his head. "Are you sure? You don't smell anything burning or something, do you?" I asked and he rolled his- Eye.
"You're a natural leader, you know what you're doing, you know who you can trust, and most of all; they listen to you." he said and I nodded dumbly as I listened to him. "I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's in your blood." he told me and I just stared at the desk.
"I agreed last time because we were in war, but, uh, we're not at war anymore. I have no idea what it is you do when we aren't at war, what- how- Are you going to train me?" I asked and he waited until I finished freaking out.
"Coulson is staying on, Hill is staying on, you will not be alone." he promised me.
"Can I think about it?" I asked and he nodded.
"I'd think quickly though, Agent Hardwell is pushing for Jerome Winters to take over."
"Agent Hardwell is extorting the financial department." I muttered and Fury raised his eyebrow.
"And Winters knows about it?"
"Winters is taking a cut, yeah, but he's a fall guy, Hardwell is the brains behind the operation, Winters just does whatever Hardwell says." I replied. "I put Agents Bricker and Issacs on the case, they're keeping a pretty close eye on the two of them, they should be reporting back sometime soon." I explained as I ran a hand through my hair. "If not, call one of them into your office and ask them about Operation Snowflake."
"Operation Snowflake?" he asked and I smiled lightly. "See, that's proof, you're good at this job." he said and I nodded softly.
"Can I tell you like... Tomorrow?" I asked and he nodded. "Should I go down to SHIELD?" I asked.
"SHIELD, tomorrow, three o'clock." he said and I nodded.
"I'll see you then." I told him and he left. After he left I sighed deeply before going to Lab 12. Dallas was doing his usual answering the phone and putting people on hold until I walked in.
"What's up Buttercup?" he asked with a smile.
"The boys in the lab?"
"Actually, they're in the basement lab, testing phases." he said and I nodded.
"Thanks." I said before I walked to the elevator and took it down to the second basement. I stepped out of the elevator and smiled as I saw Tony holding out a repulsar, the wires connecting to the Arc Reactor in his chest, before shooting out a pulse blast, shattering the target he had set up.
"Hey!" I called to him and he turned around. "Have you seen my husband?"
"Have I seen him? Once or twice." he shrugged and I rolled my eyes.
"Where is he?" I asked and he smirked lightly.
"Does this have to do with your little meeting with Nick Fury?" he asked. "Did you piss him off? Please tell me he's furious." he pleaded and I shook my head with a smile.
"Where's my husband?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"Because we're planning on having another child and I'm ovulating right now." I said and he stared at me for a long moment.
"Well, the cat's out of the bag." Bruce said from the doorway.
"Oh, there you are, come on, ovulating, let's go." I said as I walked over and grabbed his hand, before pulling him into the elevator.
"Not in the elevator!" Tony shouted.
"More children?" Bruce asked with a raised eyebrow, and then leaned down to kiss me deeply.
"You really want more kids?" I asked and he chuckled as he moved his lips down to kiss my neck.
"Well I wouldn't mind trying a couple of times." he said and I laughed before cupping his face, and pushing him back slightly. "So why do you need me?" he asked and the elevator stopped at my floor.
"Come with me." I said as I took his hand and led him to my office. "Nick Fury was just here." I told him and he nodded.
"Yeah, Jarvis told us. Tony tried to shove me into a secret room." he rolled his eyes. "What, was he bugging you?"
"Well, uh, he offered me a job." I said with a small laugh.
"What job?"
"His job." I replied and he stared down at me for a moment.
"Did you take it?" he asked finally and I shook my head.
"Not yet, no." I said.
"But you're going to?"
"I'm not sure what I'm going to do honey." I said. "That's why I'm here, talking to you."
"What do you want to do?" he asked.
"I don't know Bruce," I said slightly exasperated. "I mean, I can't just be a personal assistant for the rest of my life!"
"You love this job." he pointed out and I nodded.
"That's true, but SHIELD, it's my family's company."
"No, Minnie, it's not just some family company, it's not like your family started a restaurant back in the day and now you've got to take it or it's going to go under, this is a branch of the government, a very secret branch that exists to make people's lives hell."
"But it wasn't always like that. When we were in trouble, SHIELD was there, and knowing the people that are up to take Fury's job aside from me, I know that they would run it into the ground."
"So, what, you take over so that someone else won't?" he asked.
"No... I don't know." I replied. "Maybe."
"Well whatever you decide, make sure you let me know." he said and I shook my head.
"Honey, I want you to help me decide." I said as I wrapped my arms around his middle. "I can't do it alone." I looked up at him and he sighed as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and put his other hand on my hip. He dipped his head down and gently caught my lips between his. I moaned lightly into the kiss and continued to kiss him, lifting my hand to run through his thick curls.
"Mrs. Banner?" Jarvis suddenly asked.
"Yeah?" I asked as I broke away from Bruce.
"I apologize, but Mr. Franklin is here."
"Oh right, him." I muttered.
"Who?" Bruce asked and I shook my head.
"Just a development meeting Tony asked me to get rid of, this guy used to work for Hammer Industries and the idiot, Shelby, made him a meeting."
"We don't hire anyone who worked with Justin Hammer?" he asked.
"We don't want anyone who worked for Justin Hammer." I corrected him. "Nothing Hammer developed worked, and that's not what we need at Stark Industries." I explained.
"Well, have fun getting out of the meeting." he replied.
"Have fun blowing stuff up with the repulsar." I said and he chuckled before he kissed me again and left, letting me straighten my shirt and get ready to talk Tony out of a meeting.
That night we had dinner with Tony and Pepper at the mansion when Pepper brought up something. "You two never had a honeymoon, did you?" she asked and Bruce and I looked at each other before he shook his head.
"Uh, no, we didn't." he replied.
"We didn't really have clearance to leave Nadine much." I explained as I lifted my glass of wine to my lips.
"Clearance?" Tony asked and I nodded.
"Yeah, if um, if we left, Coulson would usually call me flipping out about how I needed to clear these things so they could keep a better eye on us, that sort of thing." I explained.
"Not that there was much outside of Nadine."
"Or in it." I sighed and he chuckled.
"Well Minnie, your birthday is coming up, what are you guys doing?"
"It's a surprise." Bruce said and I looked at him curiously.
"What surprise?" I asked and he smiled.
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise." he said and I frowned lightly, but smiled. After dinner the boys were off in the basement or something while I helped clear up the table with Pepper.
"What could he be planning?" Pepper asked and I shrugged.
"I don't know. Oh, maybe we're going to my favorite Italian place in the village." I said with a grin.
"Which one?"
"Angelo's." I replied with a sigh.
"Oh man." she nodded in agreement. "That tomato sauce." we both sighed at the thought of it and then snapped out of it, finishing clearing up.
"Bruce," Tony said saying to his friend- arguably, his best friend, as they worked on an idea Tony had for his new suit. "What's the one thing Minnie wants in the world?"
"Uh, aside from never getting split ends?" he asked and sighed. "To travel more."
"You guys never had a honeymoon, as Pepper pointed out tonight. That's no fun, that's where a couple is supposed to have all the fun in the world."
"Minnie and I have plenty of fun."
"Yeah, in New York. Or California, or Canada, or wherever else you guys are hiding from the world. Look buddy, I just want you two to have a good time together. Take some time, have a little R&R and recharge your batteries." Tony said as he put down the screwdriver he was using and looked Bruce in the eye.
"What are you suggesting?"
"I am not suggesting anything." Tony said. "I am telling you that you two are taking the jet to Paris, where you'll stay in my apartment on the West Bake for two weeks, and then for Minnie's birthday you'll take the jet to Dubai where we'll have a party and stay for another two weeks." Tony explained simply and Bruce stared at him blankly. "This is the part where you agree."
"I thought you needed me at the tower."
"Yeah I need you there, because it keeps you from going elsewhere. I don't want you running off to Calcutta, or Guadalajara, or Mallawi or something." Tony said and Bruce chuckled lightly.
"I'm not running off anymore Tony." he promised.
"Yeah, that's what you said after Loki, but what did you do, you ran off for nine months." Tony muttered.
"Tony, I'm not going anywhere." Bruce said and Tony nodded.
"Course not. Except for Paris and Dubai of course, no use saying no, I've already planned the party, and Minnie's always wanted to go to Paris." Tony said and Bruce smiled lightly. "I know that smile, that's your, "I'm about to go along with what Tony says" smile."
"For once Tony's got something that makes sense to go along with." Bruce replied and Tony grinned. "Do I tell her?"
"Well if you don't, she may figure it out on the way there." Tony shrugged and Bruce nodded in agreement.
"Are you taking the job?" Bruce asked me later that night as we lay in bed together. I was laying my head on his shoulder like I normally did, and looked up at him when he asked.
"I think so." I replied. "At least until I can find someone better to replace me." I told him and he nodded as he looked down at me.
"When do you start?"
"I don't know. Soon probably."
"I think you should wait." Bruce replied and I sighed as I rested my chin on his chest, still looking at him. He lightly started to run his fingers through my hair before he cleared his throat, I could feel his chest rumble slightly under my chin when he did. "Because Two weeks before your birthday, we're flying to Paris, and staying in Tony's apartment on the West Bank, before going to Dubai, where we'll spend another two weeks." he informed me and I stared at him in shock. "Babe? Did you hear m-" he was cut off by me pressing my lips to his quickly, he laughed through the kiss as I climbed on top of him, straddling his hips as I leaned over him, kissing him feverishly.
"You're serious?" I asked him a moment later and he nodded.
"I know you've always wanted to go to France. And now that you're cured, what better time than now?" he told me and I smiled, biting my lip, before I bent down and kissed him again.
He sat up, continuing to kiss me as my fingers found the bottom of his shirt, I pulled it up, and he broke the kiss momentarily to pull his shirt over his head, and then do the same to mine, he grabbed his EpiPen and plunged it into his arm, and pressed the release and then put it back on the bedside table, before pulling me back over him, his lips traced down my neck, he planted small kisses as he went, his hands slid down my body easily, before catching the waistband of my pajama shorts.
I straightened up and let him slide them down my legs before lying back, and pulling him down on top of me. He slid his hands up my thighs, before pushing them apart slowly, I ran a hand through his thick hair as he kicked off his pajama pants and then met my lips with his again before slowly making his way down my body, planting small kisses all the way down.
My breathing deepened as I gripped the sheets in my hands, arching my hips and moaning his name. He paused for a moment, resting his forehead against my right thigh, before he kissed it, I looked down at him and he smiled at me. "You getting a little too excited?" I asked and he nodded, making me reach out for him. He took my hands in his and I pulled him back up, before pushing him back on the bed.
I got on top of him and continued to hold his hands as I slid down onto him. He let out an involuntary shutter and moan as I did, raising his hips as I pulled back. It took us a minute to get a steady rhythm going, but when we did I felt him let go of my hands, slide his hands onto my things to keep me in place.
It wasn't long before I threw my head back in ecstasy, moaning his name loudly, before he pulled me down against his chest, I kissed him as he rolled us both over, and continued to move until he buried his face in my neck, moaning into my shoulder. We both lay there for a moment, held tightly in each others arms before he moved off of me and I looked at him, running my fingers through his hair again. I drew his face to mine and kissed him once more before letting him wrap his arms around me and holding me close.
"I love you so much." I whispered as he stroked my hair.
"I love you too." he replied softly.
I laid my head over his heard and smiled as I listened to it beating away, the constant rhythm lulling me to sleep.
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