I do plan on this story going on through season 3 of BTVS and the events of Ironman 2, which will happen mostly off camera so to speak. Remember two things as you read this story. I do not read comics or base characters off comics, so Natasha is based off the Avengers and Iron Man movies. Secondly, the teenagers are 17, so they are much younger versions of themselves. They haven't experienced their senior year and other events. I'm trying to keep that in mind as I write each character.

Chapter 12: New Friendships

*****Not Long After We Left off*****

After breakfast was over, Pepper pulled Tony aside. "Since when do you know Dr. Bruce Banner?" she asked.

"Know is kind of a loaded word," Tony said evasively.

"At the very least, it means that you've met him," Pepper said. "When did you meet the Hulk?"

"In my dreams," Tony said with a smirk. "I just know we're going to be the best of buds."

"What? You told the kids you were going to bring him in, but you haven't even met him?" Pepper asked.

"I've tracked him down, and I feel very strongly that I can persuade him to come meet the kids," Tony said.

"Where is he?" Pepper asked.

"JARVIS has been tracking sightings of him the past two weeks. He was down in Brazil, but now he's in the New Orleans area. I'm going to go woo him today—I may not be back in time for dinner," Tony said.

"Well, good luck with that," Pepper said, shaking her head.

"Are you ready?" Cordelia asked Pepper.

"I am," she said, smiling at the girl.

Tony said goodbye and went to the lab to get Willow and Oz started on their project before he left for New Orleans.

Willow was excited as she shared her and Oz's idea with Tony. Even though she knew that Tony wasn't her dad, she liked to pretend he was her bio dad because he was so creatively brilliant and inventive. He didn't make her feel stupid or out of place, but he tried to make her feel good. Since her adopted parents had spent years ignoring her, finding Pepper and then Tony was like the perfect fantasy. Sometimes, she pinched herself because she couldn't believe she was awake.

"I like it," Tony said to her, giving him that smile of approval. "Are you thinking about the mass production potential?"

"Not really," Willow said.

She tried to focus on his words as he began a breakdown of ways their new design could bring in money, but it was hard. Tony Stark knew her by her first name—he smiled at her. Iron Man was her friend. At least she thought he was. Frowning, she wondered and then began to get anxious.

"Okay, what's wrong?" Tony asked, looking at her in concern.

"Nothing!" Willow said quickly.

Tony glanced at Oz, who shrugged. "Something's got you worried. I recognize it in those Pepper-like eyes," he said. "Tell Uncle Tony."

Willow grinned. "Uncle, huh?"

"Well, you already have a dad, so I figure honorary uncle works, right?" Tony asked with a wide grin.

"That's actually pretty great 'cause I was just kind of wondering," she said, her voice trailing off as she looked down, running out of courage.

Tony gave Oz a quizzical look, but he just shrugged and stepped away. Tony flashed the impossibly tight-lipped teenager a disgruntled look, but then he reached out and lifted Willow's chin up. Their eyes met. "What are you wondering?" he prodded gently.

"If you were my friend," she admitted in a low tone, her face flushed red in embarrassment.

"Of course, I'm your friend," Tony assured her. "I don't have very many friends—not real friends. I have Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey—only three. Meeting you and your friends has opened up my world as much as yours."

"But everyone knows you and loves you!" Willow insisted in surprise at his words.

Tony grinned. "No, everyone knows of me, and they want things from me. Of course, Ironman is cool, so they want to know the suit more than the man—if that makes sense," he said. Willow nodded. "But I make people crazy, and I've not always been a very nice man. I have a huge number of enemies, especially when I stopped making weapons. My honorary uncle even tried to kill me 'cause he was so pissed about that."

Willow's eyes widened. "I'm sorry," she said.

"Yes, it sucked, but now my life is great," he said. "I finally got your mom to fall in love with me, and she's been working hard to civilize me." Willow giggled as he hoped. "She and Happy are my only family."

"Until now," Willow said, a hopeful note in her voice.

Tony nodded. "Absolutely. Maybe someday, I can convince Pepper to let me knock her up, but until then—you're it, kid," Tony said. "My mostly grown kid, more than a niece, but not quite a daughter. Do you get what I'm saying? You're my family now."

Willow's eyes filled with tears at his words, and she threw herself in his arms.

Tony hugged her back and felt a moment of contentment that he had never known. When he glanced over at Oz, Oz gave him a thumbs up and an approving smile.

Now why did a teenager's approval mean so much more than any million-dollar deal?

*****SHIELD Headquarters******

Since the teens were staying in, Natasha accompanied Pepper and Cordelia to her work. When Happy okay'd her to take a lunch, she used the opportunity to slip away and check in with Fury.

"Did you get my report?" she asked.

"I got it and have been spending hours trying to verify the things you reported," Fury said, annoyed.

"I didn't lie," Natasha said, giving him a look.

"I didn't think you did," Fury said. "However, deceptions are known to be perpetrated—even on the smartest and best." He looked at his computer. "Vampires, demons? What else?"

"I've been told ghosts and pretty much everything you thought wasn't real, is," she said.

"So now we have to worry about f***ing fairytales?" Fury asked in annoyance.

"I don't know, sir. I didn't get a list," Natasha said. "From what I've been told, the Watcher's Council in Great Britain are the experts, and Buffy Summer's mentor, a Rupert Giles, is officially in charge of training and guiding Buffy."

"The World Council has informed me that I am to stay out of the playing ground of the slayer and her watcher as some of them did know about the players you uncovered," Fury bit out. "I spent an hour arguing with them this morning, but they informed me—in no uncertain terms—that if I violated ancient treaties, I would not only be out of a job, but much worse."

"So they know that there's a portal to hell in California guarded by a bunch of teenagers and a librarian?" Natasha asked. This was hard to believe. Suddenly, the babysitting job seemed a much bigger deal.

Fury looked disgusted as he nodded. "They do. They know everything I do and more. We can only get involved if asked," he said.

"So if Buffy asks for help, it's okay?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yes, so it's important that you continue to work with these teenagers, drawing them close, especially the slayer," Fury said.

Natasha nodded. "Will do," she said. "Tony seems very invested in all of them, so I'm sure he plans on working to keep them safe."

"For once, I am glad that he's involved," Fury said. "It might be good for him, make him learn how to work with a team. Maybe, he'll be ready for my Avengers initiative one day soon."

"What about Buffy? She's an actual superhero. Do you want to recruit her?" Natasha asked.

He shook his head. "No. She needs to finish school and focus on the hell dimension," he said. "I would love, though, to use her town as a training ground for others." He rubbed his hands together as he considered it. He pushed a button on his phone. "Send in Phil."

Natasha grinned and stood to greet a Phil Coulson. "Good to see you, Phil," she said.

"You, too," Phil said.

"I have a new mission for you," Fury said. "I want you to go to Sunnydale, California, and get a job working at that high school."

"Sir?" Phil asked, confused.

"The town is on a hellmouth. I'll send you the file," Fury said.

"What job do you want me to get?" Phil asked.

"Any job that allows you to interact with the vampire slayer, Buffy Summers," Fury said.

Phil gave Natasha a curious look and then turned back to his boss. "Who is she?"

"She is a student at that school. The town is full of demons and vampires," Fury said. "So don't go outside at night until you know how to kill them—Romanoff will catch you up to speed."

"Very good, sir," Phil said. He didn't bother to ask questions because he knew the report will have all the information he needed.

Fury felt better already. "Phil will keep an eye on the hellmouth, and if there's an opportunity for you to extend your employment back to Sunnydale—all the better," Fury said.

"Do you think that's likely?" Natasha added.

"Well, I'm figuring if I had a daughter, who lived on a hellmouth, and I was fully aware of the threats that place posed, I would want to do whatever I could to protect her," Fury said.

"So you're thinking that Pepper will ask me to continue helping the kids?" Natasha said.

Fury nodded. "I'd place money on it," Fury said.

"I will make arrangements," Phil said. "It was good to see you Agent Romanoff."

"Call me, Natasha," Natasha said, smiling at him. "We're going to be working together."

Phil managed to hide his excitement as he'd never had an opportunity to work with one of the agency's most famous agents. "Will Barton be joining us?" he couldn't help but ask.

She shrugged. "He's been on vacation," she said.

"He will be back in circulation in another four weeks," Fury said. "If you need back up, we'll see if he's available."

"Vampires can be killed with anything wooden," Natasha asked.

"I will add that to the file," Fury said. He glanced at Phil, who gave a nod before leaving the room.

Natasha looked at the time. "I better head back," she said.

"Keep me posted," Fury said. "With Coulson in place, we'll at least have intel regardless of how things fall with Stark and Potts."

"Oh, before I forget. Tony says he's going to contact Dr. Bruce Banner to help him with his new experiment," she said with a smile.

"I am afraid to ask," Fury said.

"Werewolves. Daniel Osborne, the boyfriend, is a werewolf," Natasha shared.

Fury shook his head. "Of course, he is. God d*** werewolves," he muttered as his agent laughed and left him alone in his office. "Next, they'll tell me leprechauns are hiding all the gold."

*****New Orleans*****

Tony walked into the clinic where Dr. Banner was working. The man was an enigma. He went from rundown medical clinic to rundown medical clinic.

"JARVIS, did you make me an appointment?" Tony asked.

"Of course, sir," JARVIS said.

Tony walked into the clinic and saw three people waiting even though the clinic was closing in an hour.
"Anthony Potts," he said to the receptionist.

"The doctor will be with you soon," she said, handing him a form to fill out.

Tony scribbled something on it, and then gave the woman a few hundred-dollar bills. The woman's eyes widened. "I just need to speak to a doctor. I don't want this on my insurance," he said.

When he finally sees Dr. Bruce Banner, the man stared at Tony a full minute before speaking. Then he put down the clipboard he was holding and faced Tony. "Why is Tony Stark giving fake names at my clinic?" he asked.

"Because he really wanted to meet you," Tony said. He held out his hand, and Dr. Banner stepped forward to shake it.

"What can I help you with, Mr. Stark?" he asked, eying Tony warily.

"Call me Tony. I just know we're going to be the best of friends," Tony said.

"Oh, yeah? Why is that?" Dr. Banner asked.

"Well, I have recently discovered that the world is full of true evil like demons and vampires, and my girlfriend's daughter Willow has been living on a hellmouth in Southern California," Tony shared.

"Excuse me?" Dr. Banner asked, not sure he was serious.

"It's true. I've seen vampires turn to dust when staked with a piece of wood," Tony said. He pulled out the stake he now kept in his pocket.

"Okay. Why are you telling me this?" Dr. Banner asked.

"Because Willow—that's the name of my girlfriend's daughter—has a boyfriend named Oz who is a werewolf," Tony said. "Before you dismiss it as crazy, keep in mind your own Hulk transformation would seem crazy to others, too."

"All right," Dr. Banner said, not arguing.

"I was wanting to observe his transformation tonight and then start working on a possible cure," Tony said. "I was wondering if you would be interested in assisting me?"

"You've got to be joking!" Dr. Banner said in disbelief.

"No, I'm entirely serious," Tony said. "You have a science background different than my own. My kids are very brilliant, Willow and her boyfriend are geniuses. However, they don't know anything about gene manipulation or DNA. I know you've probably been trying to find a cure for the Hulk."

"There is no cure," Dr. Banner said flatly.

"Well, then you can understand more than anyone how this kid might feel," Tony said. "Three days a month, he transforms into a mindless monster that will kill anything it sees."

Bruce kept his eyes on Tony, looking for signs that the man was trying to con him. However, he didn't see any.

"Look, I know you don't know me—at least not the real me," Tony said. "I'm more than the media portrays. I really want to help these kids. There so incredible—the things they've survived and they things they've done will blow your mind. It'd mean a lot to Willow and Oz if you came with me and tried to help them."

"You know it's not safe, Tony," Dr. Banner said. "I could hurt them."

"Well, they've been hurt before," he said. "And they'll be hurt in the future since they fight monsters back in their hometown. They don't care about the risks, but I have taken some precautions."

"What kind of precautions?"

"I've created a safe room made of titanium that we can take you to if you start to transform or lure you to if you do," Tony said. "I've also put knock out gas in all my rooms through the sprinkler system, so we can knock you out if something happens."

"That's a good idea," Dr. Banner said, impressed.

"Thank you," Tony said, grinning. "What do you say? Will you come with me, Bruce? I'm calling you Bruce 'cause I just know we're going to be pals."

Bruce shook his head, not sure this was a good idea. However, he was intrigued and needed to see for himself if Tony was telling the truth.

"Fine. I'll go with you," he said.

"Great. I have the jet waiting and a car out front," Tony said.

"Of course, you do," Bruce muttered. "I have to finish up my shift here. I hate leaving them short-handed."

"I figured you'd say that, so I have rented a doctor for you," Tony said with a smirk.

"Huh?"

"I got a doctor—a highly qualified doctor—who has a practice in New Orleans. He's going to volunteer for the next five days," Tony said.

"That's amazing," Bruce said, finally relaxing. "They need so much help. Too many uninsured in this area."

"Yes," Tony said. "I'm working on getting a rotation of doctors to come in here and volunteer one day a week. I figure that would relieve your mind."

"It does," Bruce said. "Thanks."

"I'll get out of here, so you can finish up. I'll be waiting in my car out front," Tony said.

Bruce nodded and followed him out. "I can see the last patient," he told his nurse as Tony left.

A few hours later, he couldn't believe he was in New York. Then he was facing a group of teenagers, not just the two Tony mentioned.

"Hi," Buffy said. "Don't worry. I promised Tony that if you turn into the Hulk, I won't try to slay you."

Bruce looked at Tony, puzzled at her remarks.

"Oh, did I forget to mention Buffy? She's Willow's best friend and a superpowered vampire slayer, called to fight the forces of darkness," Tony said with a smug smile.

Bruce had a feeling he was in over his head.

*****Chapter End*****

So I didn't see Fury just leaving a hellmouth alone. I had no plans to bring in Phil, but I could totally see this. I hope you think it fits. No, there's no Agents of SHIELD as this is way before that, but Phil is too great a character to not use if an opportunity comes up.