A Blast From the Past Chapter 3: Stand My Ground, a Twilight + Avengers Crossover fanfic

A Blast From the Past

Disclaimer:
As usual, I own absolutely nothing

Rating:
T

Genre:
Romance/Drama

Pairing(s):
ScienceHusbands (Tony Stark/Bruce Banner)
Stevelynn (Steve Rogers/Shaelynn Banner)

Lyrics Used:
Ashley Tisdale "Tell Me Lies"
Within Temptation "Stand My Ground"

Author's Note:
I just thought I'd throw this out there. Something occurred to me and I thought I'd share it with all of you readers. I always think that it enhances the reading experience to listen to the songs that inspire the stories/chapters. So, I recomend you listen to "Stand My Ground" (as well as the other songs I use) while reading the story. If you do, let me know if you enjoyed it or not. I'm kinda curious to see if I'm just an ultra nerd or if it actually does work.

Stand My Ground

Author's POV Author's POV Author's POV Author's POVAuthor's POVAuthor's POVAuthor's POVAuthor's POVAuthor's POVAuthor's POVAuthor's POV

Tony walked into the living room to find Pepper seated on the love seat A quick glance around the room told the billionaire they were alone. As he walked into the room, he watched as she turned to look at him, smiling nervously. Deep down, he hated what he was about to do, but, he knew it had to be done. He knew it would hurt her, but, he also knew that doing nothing-letting things remain status quo-would only hurt her more. Keeping Pepper trapped in a relationship with a man that just wasn't in love with her anymore wasn't fair to either of them. With a steadying breath, he walked into the room and sat beside her on the love seat.

"I got your message." Pepper spoke up. The tone in her voice reflected the anxiety in her cautious smile. "What did you wanna talk to me about?" She asked, tentatively. Looking in her eyes Tony hated what he was about to do-he never wanted to hurt Pepper. He still loved her just...not the way she wanted him to. She was more like the sister he never had. This just wasn't any better for her than keeping her in a relationship with him when his heart belonged to someone else.

"Listen, Pepp. There's something I need to talk to you about." The tone in his voice told Pepper immediately that she was not going to like this conversation. "I think it best if...If we stop seeing each other."

"You're breaking up with me?" Pepper's voice was quiet and shocked. "I don't understand? I thought things were fine between us?" Tony knew Pepper was confused-hell, he hadn't spoken to anyone about this, yet. He knew she should be the first-better she find out from him rather than someone else.

"They are, Pepper." He took her hands in his and looked directly into her eyes as he spoke again. "Look, it's not because I'm unhappy or things are bad between us it's just...Well, to be perfectly honest...I've met someone else." Releasing her hands, Tony couldn't meet her gaze as she processed what he had just told her.

"So...you're leaving me for another woman?" Pepper asked, quietly. She wasn't angry or bitter. She was just confused. None of this was making any sense to her at all. She was even more confused by the expression on Tony's face.

"Well...not exactly..." He replied. When he finally looked back up and caught her gaze, Pepper saw an unreadable expression on his face. It was unlike anything she had ever seen in Tony before. "First of all, it's not another woman. It's another man." Pepper's jaw nearly bounced off the floor when Tony said that. She was about to say something before Tony spoke again. "And, secondly, I'm not leaving because I intend to begin a new relationship with him-not saying that I would turn him down if he ever offered-it's just that...I just don't think it's fair for me to keep you in a relationship with a man that's not in love with you. I still love you, Pepp, just...Just not the way that you want me to. You're more of a sister to me than a lover. But, when I fell in love with this other man, I knew I had to end it with you." Tony paused for a moment when he saw the tears shining in her eyes. Reaching a hand out to her cheek, he gently wiped a few stray ones away. "Pepper Potts, you truly are a remarkable woman-and, I mean that. But, you deserve more than I can give you. You deserve a man that is solely devoted to you and you and I both know that man will never be me. You deserve someone who can love you in the way that you want. You deserve to be someone's entire world. You deserve to be happy, Pepper."

"I honestly don't know what to say, Tony." Pepper just stared down at her hands as she searched for the words. "But, thank you, though." She took Tony's confused expression as a cue to elaborate. "I appreciate you respecting me enough to be honest with me." She managed a small smile, trying to drive her point home.

Offering her a small smile of his own, Tony replied "Pepper, I have always respected you. And, I always will. That's why I felt that this needed to be done." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I just want you to be happy."

Pepper just smiled as she patted Tony's shoulder briefly before responding. "I know that, Tony. And, I really do appreciate that." Then, a sudden thought occurred to her. "So are you going to tell him?" She asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

That seemed to take the great Tony Stark by surprise. "I'm-I'm sorry?" He asked, uncharacteristically in-eloquent.

Pepper just laughed lightly as she repeated. "Are you gonna tell him?" When Tony continued to look at her completely dumbfounded, she continued on. "This other man that you're in love with...Are you planning on telling him how you feel?" She asked.

Tony blinked several times, processing Pepper's question. "I-...No, I don't think so." He replied. He honestly didn't know if he'd ever have the nerve to tell Bruce how he felt about him. He just knew that now was not the time. Not when he already had so much more on his plate to be dealt with.

Pepper just frowned slightly as she responded. "Why not?" Why on Earth would he go to all the trouble of leaving me because he's in love with someone else if he's not going to confront this person? She briefly wondered.

Tony just shrugged before answering. "I don't know, it's just..." Sighing softly, he added "He's never shown any interest in anything more than friendship with me..." Pausing for a moment, Tony finally decided to just go for broke. "Plus, he's...He's going through a lot, right now...He's got so much on his plate already, I think it's probably best if I just hang back and support him while he deals with it all..."

Smiling sadly, Pepper replied. "Oh, Tony..." She paused for a moment, trying to find the words. "Well, whatever this guy's dealing with, I'm sure he's grateful to have a friend like you to help him through it."

Turning back to face Pepper, Tony managed a small smile at her response before going to his natural defense mechanism. Cracking jokes. "Hey...I thought you were supposed to hate me for dumping you?"

The small laugh that escaped her lips shocked even Pepper as she replied "Oh, Tony...I could never hate you."

Smiling back at her, Tony replied "I know, Pepp. It's one of the many wonderful things about you. You never cease to amaze me."

Stand my ground, I won't give in | No more denying, I gotta face it | Won't close my eyes and hide the truth inside | If I don't make it, someone else will | Stand my ground

Bruce's POV Bruce's POV Bruce's POV Bruce's POV Bruce's POV Bruce's POV Bruce's POV Bruce's POV Bruce's POV Bruce's POV Bruce's POV Bruce's POV

"So, what's goin' on?" Clint asked, looking around the table at all the other Avengers-minus Thor-as they had all gathered around a rather large table in their conference room. "I mean, why are we all here?" He asked, turning to me, given that I was the one to call the meeting in the first place.

"Look, I understand you all must have a million questions, right now..." I began, trying to figure out how to best address everyone's questions. However, before I could get another word out, Barton managed to cut me off at the pass.

"Ya think?" He asked, none too eloquently. I don't blame him-not really. I understand their confusion. I just think it's best to wait until Shaelynn's here to explain everything, herself. Mostly because...well, honestly, I'm really not entirely certain I fully understand the whole situation, myself.

"Clint, with all due respect, I completely understand your confusion." I pause a moment, to make sure I won't be interrupted again. When Clint remains silent, I press onward. "To be perfectly honest, I'm kinda at a loss, myself."

Next to me, Tony places a hand on my shoulder and squeezes it gently in a reassuring manner. I don't know exactly why he does it, but, I definitely appreciate it all the same. I was about to say something when the doors to the conference room suddenly swing open with just slightly too much force before my daughter comes-almost-storming in. There's a determination in her newly golden eyes that I've never seen in her before. It's almost a little frightening Almost. Before she has the chance to say a word, Clint speaks up again.

"Who the hell are you?!" He yelled out. The father in me is highly put off-to say the very least-to see him reacting in such a manner to my own daughter. But, I reminded myself that I'm the only one at the table that actually knows who she is-and, why she's here.

Before she had a chance to explain herself, though, Steve joined in. "And, just exactly how did you get in here?" He asked-though, to his credit, he did keep his voice much more level and calm. Thank you.

And, I had to hand it to my daughter. She took both outbursts in stride and never let them throw her. Shae was always really grounded, that way. No matter what was thrown her way, she never let anything throw her. Rather, she always remained set and steady. I like to think she got at least a little bit of that from me. But, I'm soon pulled from my reverie as Shae begins to speak, finally.

"Agent Barton, I apologize for barging in this way." She began, very diplomatically. I had to admit, I was extremely proud of my little girl, right now. "And, as for your question, Captain Rogers-first of all, I'd just like to point out that it was never my intention to gather you all here, when I first arrived. Second...Well, let's just say this...I have my ways..."

"Now, just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Tony chimed in at that comment. "Who the hell are you and just what the hell are you doing here?" I tried not to, but, I just couldn't help taking offense at the anger in Tony's voice.

I couldn't help noticing the way the captain was just staring at Shaelynn. Watching his face, I could tell he seemed almost mesmerized by her appearance. I had to mentally chuckle at the sight. But, my attention was soon diverted when I saw Shae pinching the bridge of her nose again.

It was at that point that I could tell that Shaelynn was thoroughly annoyed. Though, it was evident that she was trying to be patient with everyone. Though, I could tell that her patience was wearing thin. "If everyone is finished interrupting, I will answer all of your questions." Pausing for a moment, Shae proceeded to glance around the table, waiting to see if anyone else would interrupt. When nobody did, she pressed onward. "First of all, my name..." Shae paused for a moment, her eyes sliding closed for a few seconds, before she looked back up at the table. "My name is Shaelynn Banner." Shae paused again as she took in all of the befuddled expressions surrounding the table-save for mine and Tony's-which seemed to be taking on an increasingly furious expression. "And, yes...Dr. Banner is my father..."

Just then, Tony stood from his seat with a force that sent his chair flying several inches behind him as he spoke in an intimidating, dangerous, voice "I've heard enough! I think you need to leave!" To her credit, Tony's threat didn't even seem to phase Shaelynn. That's my girl. Shae's never really been one to let others push her around. I was then pulled from my thoughts when Tony began stalking up toward Shaelynn. "Just who the hell do you think you are, anyway?! Messing with a man's head like you are?! Do you have any idea-"

That was it. The father in me had heard enough. "Tony, that's enough!" I hadn't meant to shout. But, it seemed to do the job as Tony's head-along with all the others surrounding the conference table-snapped around to look at me. I cautiously rose from my seat to approach where Tony and Shaelynn stood toe-to-toe. "Look, I understand your disinclination to believe her-trust me-I almost didn't believe it, myself." I paused as I took my place next to my daughter and my best friend. "I know it sounds crazy-believe me, I do-But, she really is my daughter." I added, resting a hand on Shaelynn's shoulder as I turned to look straight in Tony's eyes. I could tell Tony still had his doubts, so, I pressed on. "Listen to me, Tony...You could show me Shaelynn's exact double...Completely identical in every way-same voice, same eye color, same hair color, same mannerisms-everything...And, I'd know-I'd know in my gut-that it wasn't her. So, when this young woman tells you she's my daughter, you can take that to the bank."

A storm of emotions and expressions flashed across Tony's face before it finally settled on a combination of bewilderment and confusion as he finally spoke. "But...I thought you said..."

Tony's eyes just darted back and forth between Shae and myself as I spoke. "I know what I said. But, just trust me..." My hand slid from its resting place on my daughter's shoulder as the opposite hand rested on Tony's arm while his gaze finally rested on me. "If you just sit down, everything will be explained to you and the rest of the team."

After a moment's deliberation, Tony finally nodded to me before returning to his seat. Releasing a small sigh of relief, I returned to my seat, as well. Just after we both returned to our seats, Natasha softly spoke up. "What's going on, here?" She asked, before turning to me. "Why didn't you ever tell us you had a daughter?"

I was about to answer before Shaelynn beat me to the punch. "Well, in my father's defense, he's believed me to be dead for almost six years, now." She stated, bluntly, with no warning whatsoever. She just took the confused expressions all around the table as a cue to explain herself. "Look, the last time my dad and I saw each other was Christmas Eve two thousand six. I had left for a Christmas party with some of my friends and on the way home...I hit a patch of black ice...spun out of control...and wrapped my car around a tree..." Shae paused a moment, allowing everything she had said to sink in. Finally, she spoke again. "The night of my accident, there was another man at the scene...His name was Dr. Carlisle Cullen. He came over to see if there was anything he could do for me-medically. But, one look at the wreckage and he knew there was nothing anyone could do to save me. I would have died before I ever would have made it to a hospital." I couldn't stop the involuntary shivers as my daughter spoke. "So, instead, Carlisle took me home with him and...he turned me."

"I'm sorry." Captain Rogers finally spoke up for the first time. "Turned you into...What exactly?"

I noticed a heaviness in Shae's brilliant golden eyes as she looked straight at Rogers before she spoke again. "He turned me into a vampire, Captain."

Now, it was Barton's turn to leap from his seat. "You're telling us you're a vampire?" He asked, accusingly. I didn't like the tone he was using, but, I knew Shae could fend for herself.

"Yes, Agent Barton." She replied, coolly, as she redirected her attention to the archer. "That is exactly what I'm saying."

"So, you mean to tell us that we were all gathered here just so you could what...Kill us all at once?" He asked, a dark and sarcastic bite to his voice. In just microseconds, Shaelynn had crossed the room and was standing mere inches from his face.

Shaelynn's voice was dark and dangerous as she spoke. "If I wanted to kill you, Barton...I wouldn't have to bring you to me...I'm faster than any of your arrows...Stronger than the Hulk...You'd be dead before you ever even knew what hit you." I shuddered at the sickening smile twisting Shae's lips as she took in the look on Barton's face as he looked like he might well soil himself. "But, you can thank your lucky stars that my adopted family and I are vegetarians." She stated, quirking an eyebrow as she spoke.

"Meaning what, exactly?" Steve asked, working to keep his voice level and calm. I was rather surprised to see Shae's face soften considerably as she redirected her attention to the captain.

"Meaning, Captain...That I feed on the blood of animals, rather than humans." She explained, her voice returning to its usual warm tone as I breathed a sigh of relief. She then redirected her focus to the door to the conference room as a smile graced her face.

"Took you guys long enough." She stated, causing us all to look around the room as a new group of people entered the room each of them taking a stand behind each of our chairs. A tall blonde man appearing to be roughly my age and a woman appearing to be of equal age with long auburn hair came to stand behind me as a tall blonde woman appearing to Shaelynn's age moved stand behind Tony alongside a man with short jet black hair and a broad muscular build. I turned to see a man with curly blonde hair standing behind Captain Rogers with a small young woman with short dark brown hair while a young woman with long chestnut brown hair moved to stand behind Barton, next to a young man with shaggy brown hair. Finally a young woman-seemingly the youngest of the bunch-stood alone behind Natasha. They all had the same golden eyes as Shaelynn, so, I assumed they all must be vampires as well. Though, I couldn't help noticing that the young one, behind Natasha, seemed to have slightly more color to her complexion as opposed to the rest who were all as pale as alabaster, just like Shaelynn.

"We got lucky..." The black haired man behind Tony replied, smirking mischievously. Shaelynn simply shook her head, slightly amused.

"Before we go any further, I'd like to introduce my...new...family..." Shae began, with a somewhat apologetic smile aimed at me. I just gave a reassuring one of my own in return, showing her I was not upset by the comment. "First off, behind my dad, we have Dr. Carlisle Cullen with his lovely wife, Esme." She stated, warmly, as she gestured toward the couple behind me. "As I said, before, Carlisle was the one to turn me, the night of my accident. After that, he and Esme graciously welcomed me into their family as if I were their own daughter." After that, I saw the one named Carlisle smiling at me apologetically. I just gave him the same reassuring smile I gave my daughter. I was glad to know that-when I couldn't be there-Shae still had someone who could be there for her, in my place. "And, behind Mr. Stark, we have my beautiful sister, Rosalie Hale, and her mate, Emmett Cullen." Shae then gestured to the younger couple behind Tony. "Moving along, behind Captain Rogers, we have my brother, Jasper Whitlock-Hale, and his beautiful mate-my sister-Alice Cullen. And, behind Agent Barton, we have my brother Edward Cullen and his beautiful wife, Isabella Cullen-though, she prefers just 'Bella'." Shaelynn smiled warmly at the young couple behind Clint. "And, last but most certainly not least...Behind Agent Romanov, we have Edward and Bella's beautiful daughter, Renesmee Cullen." Shaelynn paused as the new group greeted everyone at the table. "As I'm sure you all have figured out, by now, they are all vampires as well."

Natasha chimed in, then. "Wait a minute..." She began, trying to figure out how to voice her question. "You said that they're all vampires..." She stated, gesturing to the group behind us. "If that's true, then...How, exactly, did..." She paused, trying to recall the names of the people she wanted to inquire about. "Edward and...Bella...manage to have a daughter?" She asked, her face clearly confused for the first time that I had ever seen.

"Yeah, since when did vampires start breeding?" Barton asked, vulgarly.

The tone didn't seem to phase Shaelynn as she replied. "Well, Agents...Bella was human when she first met Edward. And, she was still human when they got married and for their honeymoon...When, they obviously slept together for the first time...A few days after that, Bella learned that-although none of us ever thought it was possible-she was pregnant. None of us ever knew how it happened. Several weeks later, Renesmee was born. Yes, I know the time-frame isn't what you all are used to, but, the vampire DNA from Edward apparently sped up the process. Regardless, Renesmee is an extremely rare individual-one of only two of her kind in history. She is actually half vampire and half human."

"How is that even possible?" I looked over to see a rather confused look on Tony's face. I could almost see the gears turning inside his head as he tried to wrap his mind around everything Shaelynn had just told us.

"Believe me, Mr. Stark..." Shaelynn began, simply. "If I knew, I'd tell you." Shrugging causally, she added "Personally, I really don't fully understand it, myself." Shaelynn was about to speak again, when I noticed her nose twitch as if she smelled something putrid. I hadn't smelled anything. "The mutts are here." She spoke with a disgusted tone in her voice.

"'The mutts'?" Natasha asked, clearly as confused as I was. I had been meaning to ask about that.

"It's always nice to see you, too, Shaelynn." The others and I all turned to the doorway to where a group of young men and one young woman walked in. They were all tall with a deep tan complexion.

"Shut up, Fido." Shaelynn snapped at the one that had addressed her. Clearly, she didn't care for these people that had just walked in. Then, why would she invite them here if she can't stand them? I briefly wondered.

"You guys, these are the Quileute Indians. Also known as werewolves." Shaelynn explained, as though it should have been plain to see.

"I'm sorry..." Captain Rogers spoke up. "Did you just say...'werewolves'?" He asked, obviously hoping he had heard Shaelynn wrong.

"Yes, Captain, that's exactly what I said." I couldn't believe how matter-of-fact Shaelynn's voice was. "You guys, this is Jacob Black..." She paused to gesture to the tall, muscular young man that had addressed her as he came to stand next to the young girl Shaelynn had introduced as Renesmee. I noticed that the group of them all had the same characteristic deep tan complexion and jet black hair. "Seth and Leah Clearwater..." We all followed Shaelynn's hand as she indicated a young pair in the corner of the room. Taking in the sight of the two young Native Americans, I could tell the two of them were clearly siblings. "Next, we have Embry Call..." Shaelynn then gestured to a young man also with the same muscular build and dark hair with a strong, intense, angular face. "Quil Ateara..." Next, Shaelynn pointed to a young, native-american man with a softer countenance. "And, finally...Paul." The remaining young man bore the same resemblance as all the others with angled facial features. Shaelynn then smirked at the werewolves. "Mutts...meet the Avengers." If she saw the medley of daggers being glared at her, she certainly showed no signs of their effects. "My father, Dr. Bruce Banner, also known as 'Hulk'..." Pausing to gesture toward me, she continued on down the line. "Tony Stark, aka 'Iron Man', Agent Clint Barton, aka 'Hawkeye', Captain Steve Rogers also known as 'Captain America', and last but definitely not least...Agent Natasha Romanov, more commonly known as 'the Black Widow'." Shaelynn paused to flash a warm smile around our table as she finished her introduction. "Collectively, they are a group of people fighting to protect the human race as a whole." Shaelynn's face then took on a more serious expression as she explained "But, now, one of them needs protection..."

"Protection from what, exactly?" The young native-american man introduced to us as Jacob asked.

"And, exactly who are we protecting?" That particular question came from the only native-american woman in the room.

"Who cares?" I turned to the young man named Quil asked, a sick grin plastered all over his face.

"Yeah!" I turned over to the young man next to Quil-Paul, I believe, was his name. "As long as we get to kill some vampires!" Those particular words chilled me to the core. I didn't want to know what I would do if one of those animals ever even laid a hand on Shaelynn.

"Oh, can it, Rover!" Shaelynn snapped before reverting her attention back to the conference table before her. She was about to say something else before Tony beat her to the punch.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, concern evident both on his face and in his voice. "Who needs protection? And, protection from what?"

"I can show you better than I can tell you." Shae began rather cryptically. Then, I noticed she activated the screen behind and loaded a photo of the drawing that she had shown me earlier. "This picture was drawn by my sister, Alice, a few hours ago. You see...all vampires have a unique, special ability...Alice happens to be a psychic, of sorts."

"I'm sorry..." Steve interjected, slightly confused. "Did you just say...'psychic'?"

"Well, sort of..." Shae began, clearly searching for the right words to convey her message. "You see, Captain...Alice sees the future...However...Her visions are based on people's decisions. So, as people change their minds, her visions change. And, her latest vision-as you can see in this drawing-pertains to my father."

As I looked to my right, I noticed that Tony's face had become visibly more concerned and even...a little fearful? I didn't have time to ponder that observation as he spoke up again. "Just what the hell's goin' on, here?!"

To her credit, though, Shaelynn's voice never faltered. She merely kept up the same calm, business-like, tone she had been using at the start. "Mr. Stark-believe me-no one is more concerned with my father's safety than I. But, I'm going to need you to calm down and sit back down before I continue on. We're going to need everyone to remain level-headed during this situation." Tony seemed to accept what Shaelynn was saying and silently agreed as he reclaimed his seat. "Thank you." She replied coolly "Now, to answer all of your questions...The reason we are all gathered here to protect my dad is because there is a coven of vampires based out of Volterra, Italy, known as the Volturi. Ordinarily, they act only as...well, vampire police-for lack of better words. They enforce our laws."

Clint snorted at that comment. "Vampires have laws?" He chuckled, sarcastically.

"As a matter of fact, Barton, we do." Shaelynn replied, coolly "And, violation of any one of them is punishable by death-" Shaelynn was about to say something else when Steve interjected.

"But, I thought that vampires were supposed to be immortal?" He asked, confusion clearly evident on his face.

To that, Shaelynn simply explained "We, Captain Rogers." She began, pausing as she looked for just the right words to explain herself "But, that immortality does have certain limitations." All of the confused faces around the table cued her to elaborate. "The only way to destroy a vampire is to-one, dismember them. Two, be-head them. And, three...burn the pieces." She paused, once more to allow the shivers to die down all around the table. "That is why, according to Alice's vision...They are after my dad."

"Why would they be after your father?" Natasha questioned, cool and calm as ever. "He's not even a vampire. That, alone, puts him outside of the...Volturi's...Jurisdiction. But, even all that aside...How could he possibly violate any of their laws?" She asked, looking as though she were trying desperately to put the pieces together.

"Well, Agent Romanov...To answer your question, first of all...I have to explain that they're not after my dad because they believe him to have broken any of our laws." She began, carefully searching for just the right words. "They're after him because they plan to provoke Hulk in order to turn him."

"Can they actually do that?" Steve asked, clearly shocked by what he had just heard. "Can they actually turn the Hulk into a...vampire Hulk?!"

"Captain Rogers, to be perfectly honest..." Shaelynn began, sighing heavily. "There is not one thing in the entire world that I would put past the Volturi."

"But, why?" Clint asked, a serious tone suddenly taking over him. "Why would they want to turn the Hulk?" I still couldn't stop the tremors rolling down my spine as I thought of the Hulk turned into a vampire.

"Well, if I may be perfectly frank..." Shaelynn began, looking each of us in the eyes, as she spoke. "They plan to weaponize the Hulk." That thought chilled me to the bone. "They plan to use him as their Executioner." All of us around the table just stared at each other in utter shock.

Finally, Natasha looked up at Shaelynn and asked "If all of that does happen...If the Volturi were to turn the Hulk.." She paused, almost looking like she were gathering her courage. "Then...What happens to your father?"

Tony looked over to Natasha and nodded in agreement. "Yeah...What happens to Bruce if the Hulk is turned?" I couldn't help noticing the almost imperceptible tremor of fear in Tony's voice.

"I'm...not gonna lie to you guys..." Shaelynn began, darkly, casting her gaze downward. She remained silent a moment longer before her eyes returned to their original position and stare each of us in the eye as she spoke again. "If the Hulk were to be turned...My father...My dad...would cease to exist...All that would be left would be the Hulk. And, without my dad in the background...The Hulk would left completely vulnerable to the Volturi's wills."

The entire room fell into a heavy silence. Everyone's eyes were downcast-none of us daring to glance up at the others. Finally, I chanced a glance at Tony. His eyes were squeezed shut and his entire body was shaking almost imperceptibly. I couldn't take it, anymore. Reaching over, I wrapped an arm around his shoulders, turning him to face me. When he finally opened his eyes, I pulled his chair closer to mine, as I pulled him into an awkward hug. Finally, Natasha spoke up. "So...What's our play?"

Authors Note:

Whew! Wow, that was my longest chapter I have ever written! EVER! But, I hope you all enjoyed it! I promise to keep the rest of the chapters to a length that's easier to sit with and read all the way through.