Hey guys, it's chapter time! Sorry for a day's delay. I've been very busy with college work so didn't really have much time to post anything. But I'm here now, so everything's all good.

Anyways, I don't own Marvel. Unfortunately.

Enjoy.

Trust

The next morning, the Avengers split up into various groups, each heading out on different missions. Clint, Steve, and Natasha are heading Seoul to find Doctor Cho; Tony is going to the NEXUS in Oslo, and Astraea is feeling just a little bit useless. At the moment, her best option seems like heading back to the Tower with Bruce (courtesy of Airline Nick Fury) and do … what exactly? Bruce has hypothesised that Ultron wants to use the cradle and all the vibranium he stole to build a new body. One the Avengers can't hope to beat. Ever. It sounds just as brilliant as it'll be if the trio can't stop him. They'll try to recover the cradle and hopefully destroy Ultron's plan. It's the only move they've got at the moment, coupled with the uncertainty of whoever this 'ally' is, the one who keeps changing the nuclear codes. This 'ally' could be on their side, or merely the enemy of an enemy of the Avengers'. There are no certainties and it's a risky move. If it plays off though, they might have another someone to add to their posse.

Numbers are definitely needed against Ultron and his robot army if nothing else.

For now, though, Astraea is ready to go home with Bruce and set things up for the cradle. Then it's only a matter of trying to convince her ex-SHIELD agent best friend to stay at home, away from the massive fight that's, no doubt, going to happen. Soon.

Still, protecting Madison is just as important to Astraea as stopping Ultron. Her best friend has been through enough fights and rough places to never deserve them again. If fighting a robot hellbent on destroying the Avengers, and maybe even the whole human race, keeps Madison out of it then Astraea will do it in a heartbeat. She'll do anything to keep her friend safe, something she knows Madison will do in return. They have each other's backs, no matter what.

oOo

Laura comes up to Astraea as they leave, enveloping the younger woman in a warm hug. Astraea melts into the embrace; she hasn't had a motherly hug since she was eight years old, over 11 years ago.

"Take care of yourself, and make sure you come back alive, sweetie," Laura says, pulling out of the hug. "You're too young for this, really." She waves away Astraea's protests. "No, listen. You are too young. Astraea – you're just a teenager trying to deal with a problem much bigger than you, than any of the people of that team. This doesn't have to be your job, no matter how much you think it ought to be. I know people like you: brave, idiotic, and caring people. Clint is one of them. Don't forget that you're a person, too, and people get hurt. They bleed when they fall down, and that's okay. There's nothing for you to prove – you don't have to be with the Avengers because you need to show something to the world or because you owe the world. You don't owe anyone.

"Now, remember to come home safe. Or come back here. I know two children who would love to have an older 'sister' to play with." With that, she turns away to give her husband one last embrace. Astraea stands motionless, eyes wide and mouth gaping open. A tear pricks at her left eye, and Astraea has to duck out before anyone watches her cry.

It doesn't take long to find an appropriate hiding spot; the Barton children's treehouse is empty, and it's easy for Astraea to hide in. Her pent-up tears spill out in a messy explosion of emotion. She curls up in a ball, wrapping her arms around her legs, and letting the salty tears run down her face freely.

How could anyone be so free and giving with their love like Laura Barton?

Astraea knows all about giving your affection to people you care about greatly – she's given everything to her family and friends – but to show the same level towards someone you met only yesterday? An utter stranger, who invaded your house alongside another four (okay, technically five but Thor didn't stay) strangers. Then you treat them as your own and give such welcome care. Amazing. Astraea always tries to be friendly and caring to new people – though, admittedly it is very difficult to do all the time – but never to this degree. Laura Barton is an utter treasure, and ought to be treated as such.

But its' not just her warm personality. It's her free-giving of a mother's love that really makes the tears pour down Astraea's cheeks and makes her bawl like a new-born. Older sister. That's how Laura referred to her as, and probably came from what Lila and Copper said. It makes Astraea smile through her tears. It's been a long time since she's been a part of a functioning family. Her older siblings (twin sisters, Eris and Electra) had left 5 years before she was born and only came around for occasional meetings annually. Astraea's younger brother, Castor, died when Astraea was 15, the result of a hit-and-run. A few months later Astraea had gone to university and only returned infrequently for short visits. Her father became even more engrossed in his work, and the family just fell apart. Now Astraea maybe has two families – the one with the Avengers and Madison, and one with the Bartons.

A fresh wave of tears streams down her cheeks as her ears pick-up the pitter-patter of Lila's footsteps, heading towards the treehouse. Astraea sits up, brushing off tears off her cheeks, and trying not to look quite so dishevelled.

"Hiya. Mommy said that you might need a hug so I brought Hawkey with me." The little girl proudly holds up a stuffed toy hawk that looks well-loved and a little battered.

"Aww … he's cute," Astraea murmurs, excepting a sudden hug from Lila. "Thanks for the hug. Do I have to – I mean, is everyone ready to leave now?"

"I think so." Lila rocks backwards and forwards on her toes, chewing absently on one of the hawk's wings. "But I like having a 'nother girl, l cause Coop's boring an' I wanna play and stuff with my toys and he just wanna … just wanna not play with me. An' I'll be sad cause Daddy's gotta go again." A frown crosses her face, and her eyes scrunch up. "I don't want anyone to go cause then they don't come back for ages an' ages an' ages … Dat's why I need 'nother sister," She says it all in a very matter-of-a-fact way, staring at Astraea afterwards, looking for a response.

"Uh … we'll come back. Don't worry." Astraea scoops Lila onto her lap, squeezing the little girl tight. "We'll all be safe and unhurt and come home as fast as we can. You know why?" Lila shakes her head, hugging Hawkey to her chest. "Because we've got your Daddy, that's why. And Thor, and Iron Man, and Captain America, and Black Widow. They're the Avengers and they always come home safe, understand?" A nod this time. "I'll promise to come back quickly and play with you again if you promise to be good and not worry. Do you promise?"

"Uh-huh. I promise."

"Alright then, pinky-promise with me."

"But I already done a promise."

"Ah, but this one is extra special, so it'll make us come back even quicker." They lock pinky fingers together. Astraea shifts Lila off her lap, leading to the ladder. "Come on, kiddo, let's got see everyone off one last time, and then you can go back to your mum." And I'll go help with the next step towards stopping a robot that wants to take over the world.

oOo

There's silence on the jet as Nick Fury and Maria Hill fly Astraea and Bruce back to the Tower. They've got lots of things to do, but the spy-duo aren't staying. Apparently, there's something secret and confidential they need to try and find. That's the end of that conversation. The flight is pretty quick and Astraea almost wishes it had been longer. Maybe that would've given her even more time to sort out the crazy mess of thoughts that is her brain at the moment.

In the few moments it takes them to walk into the Tower, Astraea sends a quick message to Madison, asking her to get her butt upstairs and say hello. Assuming, of course, she's still in the building. It is a Saturday though, the day they used to spend all day working, so they've definitely got no classes. The party deck is just as quiet as the Quinjet was. There's no JARVIS wishing them a 'Good morning', and there's no one around. Just fancy furniture and high-tech gadgets. Astraea's heart aches for the cosy comfort of the Barton farmhouse once more.

Still, there's work to be done.

oOo

Two hours later and there's still no reply from Madison. Astraea and Bruce have managed to set up a considerable part of the tech needed to receive the cradle but there's not a whole lot they can do without actually having the thing with them physically. So, it's back to sitting and waiting. Astraea's been doing too much of that lately, and it's really starting to grate on her.

She starts pacing the front part of the party deck that looks down on New York City. The view is magnificent, but that's not what's occupying her right now. No, Astraea's got billions of different scenarios playing out on why Madison hasn't answered. She could've been captured by an Ultron bot. She broke her phone. She's been mugged. There are way too many thought tracks running through Astraea's brain and she's analysing them all intensely as she nibbles down on her bottom lip and paces the floor.

Then it hits her: this is exactly how Madison must've felt when Astraea had been at the Tower for nearly 3 whole days without even sending a message to say where she was. Okay, so she didn't exactly plan for it to happen and did sleep for like a whole day, but that's beside the point. This nail-biting, nervous tension expanding in her chest like a bubble waiting to burst is exactly the same thing Madison was going through. Astraea never even thought about it before. She knew her best friend was concerned but just how concerned she never figured out. Until now. Now she knows just why Madison had such an extreme reaction to her sudden arrival back home. It's a waiting game; just hopes and prayers that your loved one will return to you safely. That they're okay and you can have them close and safe again.

The weight is threatening to crush her like a rock.

Astraea stands still, biting down on her lip so hard it starts bleeding, the metallic taste fills her mouth, and just stares out the window. There's a soft ahem! from behind her, and she whirls around, battle-ready. It's only Bruce though.

"You may, ah, wear through the floor at that rate." He chuckles slightly, but it's very detached. Almost like Bruce is trying to cheer himself up by making jokes for Astraea.

She narrows her eyes at him. "Hmm … maybe. I don't think I'll get that far."

There's a pregnant pause, both of them unsure of how to continue. Astraea's never really spent that much time with Bruce, despite her science degrees. Most of her time at the Tower has been spent training with either Clint, Natasha, or Steve. Tony helped her set-up a lab and occasionally pops in to see if she's done any good 'sciencing'. At the moment she'd been working on crafting a katana for more effective attacks if aliens ever came again. But not much time in the company of one Bruce Banner, excluding team dinners and movie nights.

In the moment of indecision, Bruce steps away and disappear into the shadows of the room. Astraea remains at the window, staring out through the glass, wishing Madison would just come home.

oOo

Another hour slowly ticks by, and Astraea's seen nothing of Bruce since he disappeared. She's about to ask JARVIS to locate the wayward scientist when she remembers. The Tower seems much quieter without the AI.

Still, Astraea reckons it's about time she goes and finds Bruce. Armed with two mugs of tea and a plate of biscuits (not the kind Americans have, but rather a plate of Bourbons and digestives) and goes on the hunt. It's only a few floors down that she discovers him, leaning against a leather sofa in the near dark, with only a trickle of light coming through the windows.

She pads over to him, offering the mug, and setting the plate on the floor. Bruce accepts the mug, wrapping his fingers around it and sucks in the heat like it's his lifeline. Astraea joins him on the floor, but he shifts slightly away from her.

"You shouldn't sit so close to a monster." Bruce makes the heavy statement in a monotone voice.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm not sitting next to a monster then, isn't it?" Astraea says breezily, offering a bright grin.

Bruce laughs, but it's hollow and empty, like an already dead man being sentenced to death. "I wouldn't be so sure. Didn't you see what happened? The news certainly did. And they're right to call me a monster. Who else turns into a giant green freak and goes on a mad rampage through a city?"

"That wasn't your fault. You weren't in control because your mind had been warped by Sabrina the teenage witch." Astraea shuffles slightly closer and munches slowly on a biscuit. "I don't agree with the news. They like to show only half of the story, and sometimes show people in a far worse light than they ought to. I mean, I guess some people are as bad as the news paints them but not everyone. Probably barely anyone. People wrap facts all the time, and newspapers and shows need to make everything more interesting, even if that means embellishing the story a bit … shouldn't always trust the news."

"Or me."

"Or what? Or anyone in the world who has the ability to kill people? A lorry driver could decide to plough into a crowd of shoppers and kill 20 people. Someone could decide to murder their family. A teenager can decide to take a gun to school and massacre their classmates. They've all had a lot more choice than you. We just need to change laws to make it more difficult for people to get guns, to get weapons, to have the equipment to do evil things.

"You have a bit of a different problem, but when you lost control, you did exactly that. Bruce, you had no control over your actions, so you shouldn't be held accountable for them. It's saying it's the knife's fault for stabbing someone. It was the person who controlled the knife, not the weapon itself. In the end, it's the people who gave Sabrina her witchy powers who are at fault for it. That destruction is on them, not you."

"Isn't it?" There's more heat to Bruce's voice, and … is that a flash of green in his eyes? "At any moment I could be triggered and kill people. I'm a danger to everyone in the building, and particularly those who are too close."

"I don't think you'll kill me. Maybe I'll get hurt accidentally, but nothing more than that. I trust you."

"How?" He ran a hand through his hair, dropping the mug on the floor so hot tea soaked into the carpet. "How could anyone trust me?"

"I wasn't finished yet. Natasha trusts you, and so does Clint. That's two superspies on your side who probably don't trust easily. Steve, Thor, and Tony all trust you. I trust you. All you need know is trust yourself. Trust that you'll be okay and that not everything is your fault."

"I don't think I can do that. Trust me? No. I can't do that."

"Yet. You can't do it yet." Astraea pushes gently. "At least trust that we trust you."

"Okay. I think I can do that."

"Great!" Astraea stands up, offering a hand to Bruce. "Let's leave this dark place and let Tony discover that tea stain later. I've got a sword to find, and there's a cradle to receive."

"The Cradle, you mean. There's only one."

Astraea bumps Bruce's shoulder gently with her own, like a friendly cat. "Yeah, yeah. Technicalities. Whatever."

They arrive back on the party deck as the Quinjet lands. A harried-looking Steve and worried Clint clamber out. There's no sign of Natasha. What on earth happened in Seoul?!

There you go. A nice bit of fluff with Laura and Lila, and a one-to-one chat with Bruce. Don't worry Madison fans, she will be back in the next chapter. Or will she? *evil laughter*

I hope you guys enjoyed this. Lot's of emotion, and we'll be getting back into lot's of action next time.

Until the next time,

Look-for-the-miracles