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Chapter 10

Buffy made her way into the base quietly and quickly, muttering to herself about how she had opted to climb a mountain instead of getting Tony or Thor to fly her up and drop her off.  No, she just had to be as stealthy as possible and take the hard route.  HYDRA had been taking Slayers along with the other enhanced people and experimenting on them.  The last five raids the Avengers had been on had managed to save the Slayers at those bases.  This was the biggest raid they were on and while Tony and the others were there to retrieve Loki’s staff, Buffy was going in the back way to save Rona.

“Summers, how’s your progress?” Tony’s voice came through the comm in her ear.  Up until that point she’d been doing a bang up job ignoring the chatter in her ear to keep a look out for any HYDRA agents not off fighting her team mates.

“Almost in.” Buffy answered quietly as yet another explosion happened. “Thanks for the distraction.”

“Anytime, sweet cheeks.  Hey, Summers, did you hear your boyfriend go old timer on me?” Tony asked.

“Well, he is kinda old.” Buffy said.

“Does it bother you that you’re dating someone old enough to be your grandpa?”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Considering the fact that at least two of my exes remember the Industrial Revolution, I think I’m doing pretty good with the age gap between Steve and I.”

“Touché, Summers.  It’s still bordering on weird, but touché.”

There was a guard up ahead of her and she hit him with a tranquilizer dart. 

Tony had created her a new suit that was better than her S.H.I.E.L.D. one.  This one was shaped just like her last one, but was dark blue with silver and red seams because she apparently needed to match Steve.  The material was a lot more breathable as well as durable and the breastplate had turned into a flexible, bullet proof corset of sorts.  It zipped up instead of laced up, but the point was that it went all the way around her torso and kept her safe from being shot in the stomach again. 

He’d also installed new hardware in everything.  Her right wrist launcher had tranq darts to knock out her enemy.  Her left wrist launcher had tiny flash bang grenades and a couple of UV bombs that Tony had specially designed for her on the rare occasion when she went hunting vampires.  They were also good flash bombs to startle her enemy.  Her right thigh holster had her throwing knives and at her left hip was a gun and extra clips.  Steve and Natasha had wanted her to have a more modern weapon to use. 

Her scythe was in its holster and once again, it would only come loose for her or Steve.  Tony and Willow had added some extra oomph to the scythe and her gloves by copying the tech he’d given Steve and his shield.  She could now call her weapon back to her if she dropped it or threw it.  Willow had had to step in with some magical assist as Tony had found out the hard way that the scythe didn’t want its mystical energy to be tampered with by modern technology.  Along with calling her scythe to her with her gloves, she could also call Steve’s shield to her if she needed to and vice versa.  They were truly a dynamic duo.

Except for right now, though.  Buffy and Steve were in the middle of an argument and neither of them was backing down.  All the Slayers at Slayer HQ had been given trackers to wear on their wrists and were required to wear them at all times.  Steve was highly opposed to it while Buffy thought it was a good idea to keep the girls safe.  The trackers also functioned as personal panic buttons so if anything was wrong, they could activate an alarm and help would be on the way.  While he agreed with the panic button, he didn’t think they needed to be tracked.  Some of the Slayers agreed with Steve and had refused to wear them, most of them citing that they weren’t slaves to be monitored.  Rona was one of them, of course.

“Seriously, Buff, how are you doing?” Natasha asked.

“Well, I’m in the compound.  They’ve left some guards in here, but my tranq darts are working great.  Hey JARVIS, can you verify Rona is close to my location?”

“There’s a door fifteen feet ahead on your left, Miss Summers.  There are holding cells there five floors down.  Miss Clark should be there.” JARVIS said.

“Should be?”

“I’m sorry, but there’s no tracker on her.  I can’t get her exact location.”

“Now see, if she was wearing one, I could go right to her.”

“Bet she’s regretting that now.” Natasha said.  She was on Buffy’s side of the argument.

“Probably.” The only reason they knew Rona was here was because her partner had seen her get taken and had slipped away before they got her, too.  Willow had managed to magically track Rona to this base.

“So, this radio silence between you and Cap,” Barton said. “How long is this going to last?”

“It is very disconcerting.” Thor said.

“Why is our argument even a topic of conversation?” Steve asked.

“It’s kind of like when mommy and daddy are fighting and the kids are hiding in their rooms waiting for it to blow over.” Tony said. “I don’t want to hide in my room.”

“You invented those trackers….”

Buffy ignored them as she took out two more guards and found the door JARVIS had mentioned.  She walked over to it, but a force field stopped her. “Ow!  Damn it!” She shook her hand where the shield had shocked her. “I can’t get in the door.”

“It must be covered by the shield.” Tony said.

“Stark, we’re going to need to get inside.” Steve said.

“Captain America…. More like Captain Obvious.” Buffy muttered.

“You’re comm’s still on, Buffy.”

“Point proven.”

“I’m closing in, Summers.” Tony appeared in front of Buffy just as more guards appeared around the corner.  Buffy took on two of them as Tony shot them with energy from his gauntlets. “JARVIS, am I closing in?” He said as Buffy kicked the last of the guards over the railing to her left. “Do you see a power source for that shield?”

“I haven’t seen anything beyond trees, snow, and unconscious bodies.” Buffy said.

“There’s a pathway below the north tower.” JARVIS said.

“Great.  I wanna poke it with something.” Tony took off again, leaving Buffy standing there alone.  There was a loud explosion near her and the shield shimmered in front of her. “Drawbridge is down, people!”

Buffy opened the door and headed down the stairs.  She was almost out of tranq darts, so every guard she came across got knocked out the old-fashioned way.  A holding cell finally came into view, but there was no one in it. “Guys, Rona isn’t here.”

“They knew you were coming.” Tony said.

“They knew all of us were coming.  Hence the welcoming party.”

Tony hissed like a cat. “Reel in the claws, kitty.  I’m not the one you’re arguing with.”

Steve appeared behind Buffy and she almost kicked him through a wall. “Whoa!” He backed up, holding his shield in front of him to protect himself.

Buffy let out a breath. “Damn it, Steve, you know you can’t sneak up on me like that.  I almost put you through a wall.”

He took his helmet off. “Any sign of where Rona might be?”

“None.  What do you want to bet that von Strucker has her wherever he is?”

“If he knew we were coming, then I’d bet you’re right.”

“How’d those words taste?”

Steve shot her a glare, but before he could respond, Tony said, “I’m at a computer bank.  You guys find Strucker, I’ll work on finding where they’re hiding Loki’s staff.”

“Divide and conquer.” Buffy said. “Solid plan.”

“We’re locked down out here.” Natasha said.

“Then get to Banner.” Steve said. “Time for a lullaby.” He turned to Buffy, but she was already moving away.  She was headed in the opposite direction that he had come in.  There was a flight of stairs that led up and down.  Buffy stepped into the stairwell and closed her eyes, reaching out with her senses to see if the Slayer in her could find the Slayer in Rona.  Steve joined her a moment later and waited till she opened her eyes. “Anything?”

Buffy shook her head. “I can’t find her.”

“You found the others this way.”

“Again with the Captain Obvious!” Buffy shook her head. “JARVIS, can you call Willow and see if she can get a more accurate position of Rona in this place?”

“Of course, Miss Summers.” JARVIS said.

Buffy spotted two guards coming up behind Steve and she grabbed his shoulder, pushing him down as she shot her last tranq dart into one of them.  Steve shot his leg out from his crouched position and caught the second guard in the shins.  As he fell, Buffy grabbed him and flipped him over herself and Steve, knocking him out.  Just then, Strucker came running up the stairs.

“Baron Strucker.” Steve said, stopping the man in his tracks. “HYDRA’s number one thug.”

“Technically, I’m a thug for S.H.I.E.L.D.” Strucker said.

“Then technically, you’re unemployed.”

Buffy sighed and grabbed Strucker by the neck, lifting him off the ground.  She walked him over to the wall and slammed him against it. “Where’s my Slayer?”

“Honey, anger.” Steve said to her.  Obviously he wanted a united front in front of the enemy.

“Honey, he’s been experimenting on my girls.  I get to show a little anger.”

Steve shrugged. “Ok, but he’s turning red.”

“Oh, we don’t need to start worrying until he turns purple.  He’s not there yet.” Strucker started to hit her arms as he struggled to breathe. “Ok, that’s just annoying.  Stop that.” She used her other hand to slap his hands away from her arm. “Look, I’m going to let you go and you’re going to sing like a pretty little canary.” She let Strucker go, but kept her hand pressed against his chest and pinning him to the wall so he didn’t run. “Where is my Slayer, Strucker?”

He wheezed through his windpipe for a second. “I don’t know what you’re….”

“If you finish that sentence with ‘talking about’, you’re going to have a broken nose.  Where’s Rona?”

Strucker sighed. “Very well.  I know when I’m beat.” Buffy noticed Strucker’s eyes dart behind her quickly.  She slammed him against the wall again and turned just in time to see a young girl with long brown hair throw her hands out.  Mystical red light shot out from them and Steve went flying back down the stairs.  Buffy was thrown into the opposite wall and away from Strucker.  She got up and turned on the girl, but the girl disappeared behind the doors she came in through, slamming them behind her.

“What was that?” Steve asked.

“Definitely not Rona.” Buffy said. “Guys, we’ve got an enhanced girl with magic hands.  Don’t engage.” She turned back to Strucker. “One more time, Sparky.  Where is my Slayer?” Strucker just smiled at her. “Whatever.  Steve, you can have these honors.” She headed down the stairs Strucker had come up.

Steve stomped on his shield.  As it flew up, he kicked it into Strucker’s face, knocking him out cold. “Guys, we got Strucker.” He said.

“Yeah?  I got something bigger.” Tony said.  He was silent for a moment before saying, “Thor, I’ve got eyes on the prize.”

“Good.  Grab it and get back to the jet.” Buffy said. “I’m going to keep looking for Rona.”

“I’ll talk to some of the prisoners out here.  See if they know her location.” Natasha said.

“Thanks, Nat.  JARVIS, any word from Willow?”

“She didn’t answer her phone, Miss Summers.  I left a message.  I could try again.”

“No, that’s ok.  We’re here now and the place is clearing out.  We’ll find her.  Tony, did you find anything that might lead us to Rona?” There was silence on the other end.

“Stark, did you copy?” Steve asked.  He’d followed her down the stairs.

Buffy stopped and held up her hand, listening to something Steve couldn’t hear at first.  Finally, he heard what she heard.  Someone was screaming for help below them.  Buffy continued her run down the stairs, skipping whole flights as she sped up.  After five flights, she rounded a corner to find a large room with lab equipment and a set of twin cells behind thick glass with Rona in one of them.

“Buffy?” Rona cried.

“Steve?” Buffy said, gesturing to the glass.  He motioned for Rona to step back and threw his shield at the glass.  It cracked, but didn’t shatter.  After a couple more throws, the glass finally broke and shards rained down between them and Rona.

“How are you here?” Rona asked as they helped her out of the cell.

“My day job.  Can’t you tell by the outfit?” Buffy shook her head. “I hope this teaches you a lesson.  Those trackers are meant to protect you.  We could’ve saved you a lot sooner if you’d had yours on.”

Steve rolled his eyes, but chose to ignore the comment otherwise. “What did they do to you?”

The younger girl was covered in lacerations and bruises, but no extremities seemed to be missing. “I don’t know.” Rona allowed Buffy to sit her down on a chair they found. “I don’t even know how long I’ve been here, Buffy.  I wasn’t always conscious and I can’t tell if it’s day or night.”

“We need to get you back to the quinjet and get you checked out.  Can you walk?”

“Yeah.” Rona stood up.

“We’ve secured the base, so no one will be trying to stop us.” Buffy said.

“Good.  I don’t feel up to fighting.”

Buffy nodded and slipped an arm around Rona’s waist, helping her to walk. “By the way, Rona, this is Steve.  Steve, Rona.”

“Sorry we’re meeting under these circumstances.” Steve said.

“It’s all good.” Rona said. “I’ll be the envy of the girls back at HQ that Captain America helped rescue me.”

 

 

On the quinjet back to New York, Rona had allowed Natasha to administer a sedative and she was sleeping peacefully in one of the seats.  Barton was laid out on a stretcher.  He’d been hit by an energy bolt in his torso.  Bruce was sitting off in a corner by himself listening to music to keep him calm.  Tony was driving the jet while Natasha wandered between Barton and Bruce.  Buffy and Steve stood with Thor looking at Loki’s staff.

“We’ll get her on a plane back to London HQ as soon as Dr. Cho checks her out.” Buffy said, gesturing at Rona.

“Her injuries seem minor.” Thor said.

“Slayers heal quickly physically, but mentally…. There’s no telling what they did to her.”

“If she is half the Slayer you are, this will be but a passing nightmare.”

“Thanks.  I appreciate that.  And also…. That kind of makes me worried at the same time.”

“You don’t think she’ll be ok?” Steve asked.

“I think Rona has always had a problem dealing.  She has a history of walking away from HQ whenever she doesn’t agree with something.  Like the tracker she should be wearing.”

“Can we not have that argument right now?  If she was tortured as bad as we think, she’ll definitely have a problem dealing with this.  Maybe we should bring Sam in to talk with her.  He’s good with PTSD cases.”

“I think I’ll let Dr. Cho check her out and then talk to Giles.  Maybe a mind wipe is the way to go here.”

“A mind wipe?” Thor asked.

“It’s what we do for the girls who don’t want to be Slayers.  Willow learned how to take the Slayer energy back and wipe the girls’ minds so they don’t remember being Slayers.”

“That’s a bit extreme for Rona.” Steve said. “She’s been an active Slayer since the battle in Sunnydale.  That would be twelve years of her life gone.”

“I know that.  I’ll speak with Giles and see what he thinks is the best option.”

“I don’t think wiping her mind is the way to go.”

“Maybe not.  It was just the first thing that popped into my head.”

“Thor, report on the Hulk.” Natasha said from her seat in front of Bruce, cutting off any more argument between Buffy and Steve.

“The gates of hell are filled with the screams of his victims.” Thor said confidently.  Buffy nudged Thor with her shoulder as Natasha glared at him. “Uh…. But not the screams of the dead, of course.  No, no…. Wounded screams.  Mainly whimpering, uh a great deal of complaining…. Tales of sprained deltoids and, uh, gout….”

“Good job.” Buffy patted Thor’s arm.

“Hey Banner,” Tony said. “Dr. Cho’s on her way in from Seoul.  Is it ok if she sets up in your lab?”

“Uh, yeah.” Bruce said. “She knows her way around.”

“Thanks.  Tell her to prep everything.  Barton’s going to need the full treatment and the little Slayer needs some tending to as well.”

“Very good, sir.” JARVIS said. “Miss Summers, I’ve sent a quinjet to Slayer HQ in London and Mr. Giles is on his way now to retrieve Miss Clark.”

“Thanks, JARVIS.” Buffy said.

“You’re welcome, Miss Summers.”

“JARVIS, take the wheel.” Tony backed out and walked over to join Buffy, Steve, and Thor. “Feels good, yeah?  We’ve been after this thing since S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed.  Not that I haven’t enjoyed our little raiding parties.”

“No, but this brings it to a close.” Thor said.

“As soon as we find out what else this has been used for,” Steve said. “And I don’t just mean weapons.  Since when is Strucker capable of human enhancement.”

“Banner and I’ll give it the once over before it goes back to Asgard.” Tony said. “Is that cool with you?  Just a few days till the farewell party.  You’re staying right?”

“Yes, yes…. Of course.” Thor said. “Victory should be honored with revels.”

“Yeah.  Who doesn’t love revels?  Captain?”

“Hopefully this puts an end to the Chitauri and HYDRA.” Steve said. “So, yes…. Revels.”

“Summers, you down for revels?”

“Who doesn’t love a good party?” Buffy retorted.

“Good.” Tony and Steve walked off towards the front of the jet leaving Buffy with Thor.

“You and the Captain,” Thor said. “The discord between you two is upsetting.”

“I know.  It is for me too.” 

“What exactly is the argument about?”

“He thinks the trackers on the Slayers are an invasion of privacy, but I don’t see it that way.  I’m just trying to make sure all the girls are safe.  Especially with HYDRA using them for experiments.”

“Can you not come to an agreement?”

“We will eventually.  I get why he’s so cautious about it.  After everything HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D. put us through, it’s completely understandable that he doesn’t want the girls tracked 24/7, but I can’t see any other way.”

“May I be of some service to you both in resolving this matter?”

“How?”

Thor paused. “I’m not certain, but I will think of something.” He gripped her shoulder and smiled reassuringly. “Fear not.”

Buffy shook her head as he walked over to speak with Bruce. “Miss Summers,” JARVIS said in her earpiece. “Your sister left you and Captain Rogers a message.  Would you like me to play it back for you?”

“Sure.”

“Very good.  Playing message.” Hey guys!  I’ve got a couple of days off and I thought maybe the three of us could go out for dinner and drinks one night before the party.  I haven’t seen you guys in a while.  Call me back. “That’s the end of the message.”

“Thanks.” Buffy said.

“Would you like me to return the call?”

“Not right now.  I’ll call her when we land.”

“Very good, Miss Summers.”

Buffy walked to the very back of the jet and sat down on the floor, leaning back against the wall and closing her eyes.  Dawn would be finishing up her residency soon and moving to Chicago.  She’d gotten a job offer there and had decided it was the best course for her to follow.  It was close to family and close to the guy she’d been seeing on and off since college.  It amazed Buffy how much her little sister had grown up.

“We’ll be landing soon.” Steve said, walking over to Buffy.

“Good.” Buffy nodded, not opening her eyes.

He sat down across from her and leaned back, mimicking her position. “I don’t like to fight with you.”

“You don’t like being relegated to the guest bedroom.”

“I don’t like that either, no, but I want this argument over with because I miss you.”

Buffy opened her eyes and sighed.  In all honesty, she was tired of the argument too and wanted it over with. “I miss you, too.”

“Can we sit down and talk without it turning into another yelling match?”

“I’m not promising that it won’t, but I do want to talk.  The rest of the team is getting weirded out by us fighting.”

Steve chuckled. “I noticed.”

She stopped him from getting to his feet. “Oh, hey, uh…. Dawn called.  She wants to have dinner.”

“That would be fun.  I think we’ll have some time while Stark and Banner work on the staff.  Do you want to invite her to the party?”

“I think Tony already did.”

“Oh good.”

“Yeah.”

The quinjet came in for a landing and Steve got to his feet.  He held out his hand to Buffy and she allowed him to help her up.  They got out of the way so Barton and Rona could be transported to the back.  As soon as the back of the jet opened, Helen Cho’s team came and collected the patients.  Maria Hill came on as soon as everyone had cleared out. “Lab’s all set up, boss.” She said to Tony.

“Oh, actually they’re the boss.” Tony said, pointing at Buffy and Steve. “I just pay for everything…. Design everything…. Make everyone look cooler….”

“And we’ve thanked you for that about twelve hundred times, Tony.” Buffy said.

“I thought beating up on bad guys and saving the day was a pick-me-up for you, Summers.  Don’t let Steve bring your mood down.  He’s just a crotchety old man.”

“What’s the word on Strucker?” Steve asked Maria, ignoring Tony.

“NATO’s got him.” Maria said.

“The two enhanced?”

“Wanda and Pietro Maximoff.” She handed Buffy a tablet with a video loaded and ready to watch as they headed out of the jet. “Twins.  Orphaned at 10 when a shell collapsed their apartment building.  Sokovia’s had a rough history.  It’s nowhere special, but it’s on the way to everywhere special.”

“What about their abilities?” Buffy asked.

“He’s got increased metabolism and improved thermo-homeostasis.  Her thing is nuero-electric interfacing, telekinesis, ento-manipulation….”

“And in the English speaking parts of the world that translates too…?”

“He’s fast and she’s weird.”

“Aren’t we all?”

“Well, they’re gonna show up again.” Steve said as the elevator door opened.

“Agreed.  The file says they volunteered for Strucker’s experiments.  That’s nuts.”

“Right.  What kind of monster would let a German scientist experiment on him to protect their country?”

“We’re not at war, Captain.”

“They are.” The elevator doors closed and they began to descend.  Buffy looked over at Steve and he gave her a crooked smile. “Do you think we need our suits, still?”

Buffy laughed slightly. “No.  I think we can go civilian for our sit down.  First, I need to check on Rona and talk to Giles since he’ll be here soon.”

“Ok.  I’ll check on Barton and join you when Giles gets here.” The doors opened and they got off, heading for what Buffy had dubbed The Super Suit Suite.

 

 

Buffy and Steve sat across from each other at their dining room table in their apartment at Stark Tower.  Their search for an apartment together outside of the tower had been halted, so all of the brochures and applications were on the table.  They rarely had a chance to eat here, so the dining room had become their little apartment search hub.

The meeting with Giles hadn’t been very smooth.  Giles had suggested the mind wipe as well as the course of action for Rona’s well being, but Steve had been thoroughly opposed to it.  The whole thing had simmered until it began to boil over.  Giles managed to calm everyone down by leaving the decision up to Rona.  If she felt the mind wipe was what she wanted, then it would be her choice.

Now Buffy and Steve had retreated to their quarters and were going to try to hash out their differences on the trackers.

“We’re not spying on them.” Buffy insisted. “I don’t care what they do in their private life.  We’re just keeping track of where they are to keep them safe.”

“And what happens when someone decides to hunt Slayers again?” Steve asked. “To wipe them out one by one?  It’s happened before and now you’ve got the buffet line open and waiting for the next horrible thing that decides the Slayers need to be eliminated.”

“Tony and Willow worked incredibly hard to make sure that system is safe.  That there were multiple layers of protection to keep the information secret.  They’re the only two people in the entire world along with JARVIS that could hack their way into that information.”

“Nothing is completely safe!”

“Steve….”

He took a breath. “They have personal lives, Buffy.  Families and friends that aren’t a part of being a Slayer.  The girls don’t need to be tracked 24/7.”

“A Slayer is always a Slayer whether or not they’re with their families and friends.  There’s no days off.  Bad guys don’t schedule their plans with the good guys.  If something was to happen to one of them when they’re supposed to be off duty, how would we know to react?  How would we have known about any of the girls that HYDRA took without those trackers?  Rona was incredibly lucky that her partner saw her get taken and was able to escape getting taken herself.”

“What about Willow and her…. Magic?” He was still a little put off by the fact that magic was real and that Willow could do some pretty insane things with it.

Buffy sighed. “Steve, all I want is for those girls to be safe.  Or as safe as being a Slayer can be.  Willow can’t keep track of them magically all the time.  That’s too much on her.  If I can put precautionary measures in to aide me in keeping those girls as safe as possible, I will.”

Steve smacked the table with both hands and stood up. “We just keep going around and around and not getting anywhere!” He walked across the room and stared out the floor to ceiling windows.  The view from here was amazing and they spent a lot of time in front of these windows.

She stood up and moved across the room, standing near him to look out over the city. “I think you think that I don’t understand where you’re coming from.  But you’re wrong.  I know what it’s like to be used and abused by a higher authority.  More times than I should because fool me once….”

“I don’t think that you don’t understand.  I know you do.  I’m upset because I can’t see how you can think it’s a good idea after everything you’ve been through.”

“It’s the best idea I’ve got.” Buffy turned to look up at Steve. “Tony wanted to microchip them so they’d have to always have it on.  Angel, Giles, and Xander thought it was a good idea, too.  Willow was on the fence, but I vetoed that idea.  Adamantly.  It’s not fair to them.  At least with the wrist bands, they can take them off when they want a break and we’ll at least know their last known location if they get taken without it.”

His brows drew together. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“Because as soon as I brought up the trackers, we were in an argument.  I don’t always fight fair and I was so pissed off at you for being so pissed off at me.  I didn’t want you to know that I had been thinking about it all along.”

“I still don’t like the idea of the trackers.”

“I know what can go wrong with it, but it’s the best thing I’ve got until we can come up with something better.”

“Who’s we?”

“Everyone.” Buffy reached out and took Steve’s hand. “Look, I’m sorry that I didn’t include you on the tracker business.  When Tony came up with the idea, he had already started working on it.  He brought Willow in on it and they asked me what I thought.  I may spend more time with the Avengers these days, but those still are my Slayers out there.  My first priority is to keep them as safe as possible.”

“I want them to be safe, too.” He squeezed her hand. “They’re a part of you, Buffy, and believe it or not, I care about them as well.”

“I know you do.”

“And I’m sorry, too.  I shouldn’t have been so angry with you about it.  I know that you’re doing the best you can with them and I don’t want to make that any harder on you.”

“Thank you.”

“Why couldn’t we have had this conversation earlier and saved us weeks of arguing?”

“Because we were in the midst of the HYDRA raids and didn’t really have much of a chance to do anything else to calm us down from everything.  And now that we have Loki’s staff and we shut down one of HYDRA’s biggest bases, a weight has been lifted off our chests and we can breathe again.”

Steve nodded. “Makes sense.” He looked down at her and turned so he could move closer. “So, the party that Tony’s throwing can be a celebration that we’re back on the right track?”

“Yes.  I think it can.”

“Can I take you out for a dinner beforehand?  Just the two us?”

“I would love that.”

“Come here.” Steve pulled on her hand and she fell into his embrace.  She laughed as he lifted her off her feet, swinging her around as he kissed her.

Age of Ultron

Chapter 11

The revels were in full swing at Avengers Tower.  Everyone was dressed up in suits and dresses.  Steve was looking handsome in a blue button up shirt and black pants.  He’d chosen it to match Buffy’s dress that was a blue lace, backless dress with a slightly belled skirt that stopped at her knees.  They’d had a romantic five course dinner at a hard-to-get-into French restaurant courtesy of Pepper Potts.  She had been so happy to hear that Buffy and Steve’s fight was finally resolved that she’d made a few calls to get them the best reunion dinner possible.  Sadly, she wasn’t able to make the party due to a few last minute meetings.

Dawn was attending the party as well while Giles and Rona had gone back to London earlier that day.  Rona had chosen not to do the mind wipe, but get some help dealing with being a Slayer and with what had happened to her while in Strucker’s grasp.  Dawn was standing with Natasha near the bar talking with Angel.  Angel was helping out at the new HQ and had come down for the party.  Dawn’s boyfriend Eric had flown into town for her days off and he was currently standing with her by the bar with his arm around her.  He didn’t notice the daggers Buffy was staring into his back. 

Sam did, though. “Let’s hope you never acquire laser vision.” He said to Buffy as he walked over to her.

“Sorry.” Buffy shrugged. “That’s my little sister.  I don’t deal well with her and boys.”

Sam nodded. “Understandable.  So, how are you doing?  The Cap said you two’ve been at each others’ throats the last couple of weeks.”

“Yeah.  A major disagreement that got out of hand because we’ve both been stressed out and busy and…. Stubborn.  I think it’s sort of settled for now.”

“Sort of?”

“Long story.  We’re finally getting along again, so I’d like to let sleeping animals sleep.  Or however the saying goes.”

“Well, if you two ever need to talk, you know I’m here for you.”

“We know.  Thank you.” Buffy nodded and turned her attention completely on Sam, trying to ignore her sister’s love life. “How’s the search coming?”

“Lots of dead ends.  He’s good at covering his tracks.”

“I asked Willow to do another witchy scan for him, but she still can’t find him.  She said it’s because he’s spent almost 80 years having his mind wiped over and over.  If he doesn’t know who he is, then the magic won’t know who he is either.”

“What a crazy world we live in, huh?  Magic and Slayers and Gods of Thunder….”

Buffy shrugged. “I’ve spent over half my life in this world.  It’s not so bad.  Life is definitely more interesting.”

Steve walked over with three bottles of beers. “I thought you two looked thirsty.”

“Thanks, man.” Sam said.

Buffy watched the guys take sips of their beers, but she didn’t touch hers. “What are you two talking about?” Steve asked.

“I was preventing your girl from melting her sister’s boyfriend with her glare.”

Steve laughed. “He seems to be a nice guy.”

She shrugged. “Nice or not, he’s still got his paws all over my sister right in front of me.  Didn’t his parents teach him any manners?”

Sam laughed. “You’ve been spending too much time with Cap.  You’re starting to sound like my grandma.”

Steve wrapped an arm around her waist and turned her away from Dawn. “Come on, let’s walk.”

“So are you guys done going after HYRDA?” Sam asked, following them.
“For now.  There’s still more out there, but this last one was pretty big.”

“I think my unconscious body count was pretty high by the time I made it up the mountain and into the base.” Buffy said. “And I’m pretty sure there’s a bunch of new clearings in the woods from the Hulk’s smashing.”

“Sounds like a hell of a fight.” Sam said. “Sorry I missed it.”

“If we had known it was going to be a fire fight, we absolutely would have called you.” Steve said.

“I’m not actually sorry.  I’m just trying to sound tough.  I’m very happy chasing cold leads on our missing person case.  Avenging is your world.  Your world is crazy.”

“Be it ever so humble.”

Natasha made her way behind the bar as Dawn and Eric moved across the room.  She caught Buffy’s eye and arched an eyebrow at her. “Excuse me, guys.” Buffy slid past Steve and Sam and headed down to sit at the bar.

“He’s not that bad.” Natasha said, pulling out some martini glasses and a cocktail shaker. “I think I scared him into marrying her so he doesn’t piss off the entire Avengers team.”

“Is that what that was about?” Angel asked.  Natasha smiled at him.

“That’s not exactly what I was hoping for when I sicced you on him.” Buffy said to her friend.

Natasha smiled. “I may have been extra thorough.  At least you know he’ll never hurt her.”

“I appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it.  You’re the only one of us with a sibling….” Natasha caught sight of Thor walking through the crowd and added, “That we like, and we protect our family.”

Angel glanced across the room at Buffy’s little sister. “Is it weird that the only two siblings of the Avengers have both opened portals that could’ve destroyed the world?”

Natasha chuckled. “At this point, nothing is weird.”

Clint walked up and sat down next to Buffy. “Am I interrupting?”

“Not at all.” Buffy said. “How’s your plastic skin working out?”

“I’m good as new.”

“Just stay away from open fires.” Buffy patted him on the back and walked off to catch up with Steve.

Angel followed her. “The new HQ is looking good.”

“Is it?  I’m looking forward to seeing it.” Buffy noticed Natasha staring after Angel and she grinned. “Well….”

“What?”

“Nat likes you.”

“What?” Angel started to turn to look, but Buffy linked her arm in his and kept walking.

“Don’t.  Be cool.”

“Why would she like me?”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “I know you don’t have a reflection, but you do know from your history that you’re good looking, right?  Besides, you’re a good guy.  Nat could use a good guy.”

“Isn’t that against girl code or something?”

“Angel,” She stopped and turned to face him, taking a bicep in each of her hands and looking him in the eye. “You and I haven’t been a thing in a very long time and I am very happy in my current relationship.  If you wanna pursue something with Natasha, then you have my permission.”

“I don’t even know her that well.”

“So get to know her.”

“She doesn’t even know me that well.”

“Oh, she knows plenty about you.”

“How?”

“Really?  She’s a very good friend of mine.  And not to mention, despite her badass exterior, she’s actually a girl on the inside.  We’ve done girls nights in.  We’ve talked.”

“Oh.”

“You should get to know her.  Even if it’s just a fling, it would be good for both of you.  You can’t spend eternity being alone all the time.”

Angel glanced over his shoulder at Natasha talking with Barton at the bar.  She gave him a flirty smile from across the room. “Are you sure?” He asked Buffy.

“I’m positive.” Buffy smiled up at him. “Nat has a lot she’s trying to atone for and you’re the expert on that.  I give you my full permission and blessing.”

“What about my curse?”

“Worry about that if you fall in love.  Now you can stop looking for excuses not to go talk to her.” She waved him away and put her hands on her hips expectantly.

Angel sighed and gave her a nervous look before making his way back to the bar and Natasha.  Buffy turned and saw Thor striding up to her, a big grin on his face. “Good, I’m happy I’ve caught you.” He said.

“Wow, Thor…. You look pretty decent all dressed down out of your flashy armor.” Buffy said, admiring the grey shirt, crimson velvet jacket, dressy jeans, and boots. “I like it.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“As I said, I’m happy I’ve caught you.  I have a solution for the quarrel between you and the Captain.”

“Oh?” Buffy spotted Steve walking up behind Thor and smiled at him. “Ok, tell me what you’ve got.”

“Apologize.”

She lifted an eyebrow at the Norse god. “Apologize?”

“Yes.  I spoke with Jane about how to resolve disputes between companions and she said that one of you should apologize to the other.  According to her, apologizing is always the first step to mending a rift between two people.”

Steve was now standing behind Thor, but Thor’s attention was on Buffy as he waited for her to respond. “That’s solid advice.” She said.

“On Asgard, if the offense was great, the offending party would offer up their weapon and allow the offended to choose their revenge.”

“Oh.  Well…. That’s…. Fair…. I guess.”

“Never fear, Buffy.” Thor reached out and firmly clasped his hand on her upper arm to comfort her. “I do not believe that the Captain would take a heavy price from you.”

“Maybe just a lock of hair.” Steve said, startling Thor slightly. “Your scythe is sharp enough for that, right?” He walked over and wrapped an arm around her waist.

“Probably.” Buffy smiled up at him. “I’ve never used it to cut hair with.”

“Ah, it seems as if my advice comes too late.” Thor said with a smile. “Harmony has been restored between you?”

“Harmony has been restored.” Steve agreed.

“A toast to you both, then, with the finest Asguardian whiskey.” Thor pulled out a tiny silver flask.

“Whiskey?” One of the WWII vets that Steve had invited piped up.  Buffy hadn’t realized they were standing so close to them. “What kind of whiskey?” She believed this one’s name was Charles.

“It’s nothing you would have ever tasted before.”

“I’ve never been a fan of whiskey.” Buffy said, eyeing the tiny flask.

“Hand some over, son.” Another of the vets said.  Buffy was sure his name was Stan. “Whiskey is my favorite vice.”

“No, no, no, no.  Now this?” Thor grabbed a glass and poured a small amount into it, handing it to Buffy. “This was aged for a thousand years.  The barrel built from the wreck of Brunhilde’s fleet.” He handed another sip to Steve. “It is not meant for mortal men.”

“Neither was Omaha Beach, blondie.  Stop trying to scare us.  Come on.”

Thor looked at Steve and Buffy, but they just shrugged. “All right.” Thor took Stan’s shot glass and poured a tiny amount.
“Bottom’s up.” Steve said, saluting Stan with his glass before he and Buffy tossed theirs back.  They had barely tossed the drink back when they heard a loud thump.  Swallowing the liquid, feeling it burn all the way down, they looked down to find Stan on the floor giggling.

“I warned him.” Thor said.

“I still don’t like whiskey.  Even from other realms.” Buffy said, handing the cup to Steve. “We should get your poor friend home.”

“That didn’t affect you at all?” Charles asked her.

“No.” She made a face. “I need something to get this taste out of my mouth.  Sorry, Thor.”

“Allow me to apologize by getting you a proper drink.” Thor held his arm out and Buffy looped hers with his as he escorted her over to the bar.

Steve chuckled as he watched her walk away. “I don’t think you even looked at Peggy Carter like you’re looking at her, Captain.” Charles said.  He’d had the privilege of working with Steve a number of times during the war.  He’d worked on a tank that had accompanied Steve and the Howling Commandos on missions.

Steve smiled slightly. “Peggy said the same thing.”

“How long have you two been together?”

“A few years now.”

Charles nodded in approval. “She can drink fine whiskey without batting an eye, she’s a tough broad that’s kept up with you for a few years now, and she’s got you seeing stars.  I’m surprised you haven’t walked her down an aisle.”

“We haven’t had time, but I want to.” Steve glanced at Buffy laughing with Tony across the room. “You have no idea.”

“You make time for a woman like that, Captain.” Charles patted Steve on the back and turned to help the others get Stan to his feet.

 

 

Buffy waited until the elevator doors opened before walking into her and Steve’s penthouse apartment in Avengers Tower.  Steve had apparently left the party for a moment and he hadn’t been seen in a while.  She knew where he would’ve gone and sure enough, he was standing in front of the windows staring at the building that they’d first lived in when they began working with S.H.I.E.L.D.

“Everything ok?” Buffy asked.

“Yeah.” Steve said, glancing back. “Just needed a moment to breath.  That’s a lot of people up there.”

“It sure is.” She joined him at the window. “So what are you thinking about?”
“Nothing much.”

“You’ve got that little wrinkle between your eyebrows that tells me that’s a lie.” Buffy reached up and smoothed the wrinkle out with her thumb.  It made Steve smile and lit up his face. “So what’s wrong?”

“Actually, nothing’s wrong.  Absolutely nothing.  I just realized that we’ve kind of achieved our goal.  We have Loki’s staff.  HYDRA is almost completely depleted.  The Slayers are safe from being experimented on…. By HYDRA at least.  We’re finally able to slow down and be normal again.” Buffy smirked. “Well, as normal as we can be considering you’re a Slayer and I’ve got the Super Soldier serum coursing through me.”

Buffy laughed and as she turned her head, she saw a folder sitting on the coffee table that hadn’t been there when they’d left earlier. “What’s that?”

Steve turned and looked where she was looking. “Oh.” He walked over to the coffee table and picked up the folder. “I found this a few days ago.  It’s upstate near the new HQ.  I thought we can sell our house in DC and use the money to buy this one.  It needs a little work, but we can make it ours.” He handed her the folder.

Buffy opened it to find an old colonial style home with blue shutters and white siding.  The listing said that it had five bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms with 10 acres of land. “This place is huge.”

“It’s been on the market for a long time.  The price is low for it.” Steve pulled out some pictures from the folder. “Someone started to add a patio on the back, but never finished.  I could start with that.  Give us a nice outdoor space to relax and watch the stars.”

“What would we even do with all that space?”

“Settle down.  Your friends would have a place to stay when they visit.  We could put a training area in the basement.  It’s close to HQ, so we’d be able to get back fast in case of emergencies.  And maybe one day…. We could start a family there.  It’s big enough.” Buffy looked up at Steve and he shrugged, looking embarrassed. “I mean, not any time soon.  We’ve still got to set up the new HQ and get everyone moved over here and settled in and that’ll take a while.”

“Right.  Yeah.  We’ve got time.” She set the folder back down on the table. “I mean, we’ve got living quarters at the new HQ, so that’s a good start.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call those living quarters.”

“It’s a bathroom and a little bedroom off our office.  That’s….”

“No place to live.  That’s just a place in case we end up having to spend the night.”

“What happened to looking at apartments?  And what’s wrong with this apartment?”

“This apartment is right in the middle of Stark everything.  I miss how it was in DC.  Just the two of us in our townhouse.  I thought that something a little more permanent would be better for us since we’re looking at long term.  Are you saying you don’t want to get a place together?”

“No.  I’m not saying that.  And we are long term.  I’m just…. Is now the right time to be looking at buying a house?”

“Why not now?”

“We’ve got Slayer HQ moving from England to upstate New York.  That’s an insane amount of work already and you want to add buying and renovating a house to that list?  In what spare time?”
“We won’t be at HQ all the time.  We’ll have others there to help out so we can have days off.”

“Steve, be realistic.  We can’t manage a house and the Avengers and the Slayers all at the same time.  It’s too much to balance.  It’s why Xander took another job on the other side of the planet from Slayer HQ.”

“He’s coming back.”

“I don’t know if he is.  He sent me an email the other day saying how much he’s enjoying the promotion he just got.”

“Angel will be there to help the Slayers and Nat and Clint are perfectly capable of handling the Avengers when we need a day off.”

“He’s confined to HQ until the sun goes down.  Unless Tony gives him a light tight Iron Man suit, that’s the way it’ll be.  Even then Angel is technologically impaired and would probably end up flying his suit into the side of a mountain or something.”

“What’s going on, Buffy?”
“What do you mean?”

“Why this sudden change of heart?”

“I haven’t changed anything.  I still want to get an apartment together.  I just don’t want to buy a house yet.  We’ve got years before we need to think of that.”

“Are you sure?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know.  I just really thought that you would like this house.”

“It’s a beautiful house, Steve.  I do like it.  I just don’t want it right now.  Right now, I just want to do our jobs and then come home to an apartment that’s all taken care of and not have to worry about how we’re going to pay for the roof leaking or to replace a refrigerator that’s broken suddenly.” She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer to her. “I want to curl up with you on the couch and watch movies while we eat popcorn and then if the day has been good we can….” Steve’s mouth caught hers and he lifted her up off her feet so they were dangling above the floor. “Yeah.  This.” She said between kisses.

“Think anyone will miss us?” He asked as he walked towards the bedroom.

“I doubt they even know we’re gone.” She wrapped her legs around his waist, letting the skirt hike up her thighs.

“Good.” He shut the bedroom door behind them.

 

 

When they got back to the party a little while later, all of the guests were gone except for the Avengers Team, Angel, Maria, Helen Cho, Rhodes, Dawn, and Eric.  Angel was sitting with Natasha and they were talking quietly between themselves.

Tony gave Buffy and Steve a huge grin. “Cap, you’ve got some lipstick just there.” He pointed to just behind Steve’s ear on his neck.

Buffy slapped Tony’s shoulder as she and Steve sat down on the couch beside Thor. “Shut up, Tony.”

“What did we miss?” Steve asked, stealthily wiping the lipstick from his neck.

“We were just trying to figure out how Thor lifts his hammer.” Maria said.

“It’s a trick!” Barton insisted.

“Oh, it’s much more than that.” Thor said as he handed Steve and Buffy beers.

“Whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power!  Whatever, man!  It’s a trick!”

“Well, please…. Be my guest.” Barton didn’t move.

“Come on.” Tony said.
“Really?” Barton asked.

“Yeah.” Thor said.

Barton nodded and stood up. “This is gonna be good.” Rhodes said.

“Clint, you’ve had a tough week.” Tony said. “We won’t hold it against you if you can’t get it up.”

“I think Steve’s gotten it up enough for all of us tonight.” Barton said, winking at Buffy.  The entire team laughed and Buffy and Steve blushed.  Barton looked at Thor. “You know I’ve seen this before, right?” He grabbed the hammer and tried to lift it.  His grunts turned into laughter as he let go. “I still don’t know how you do it.”

“Do you smell the silent judgment?” Tony asked.

“Please, Stark, by all means.”

Tony stood up dramatically and unbuttoned his jacket. “I’m never one to shrink from an honest challenge.” He looped his wrist through the strap. “It’s physics.  So, if I lift it, I then rule Asgard?”

“Yes.” Thor said. “Of course.”

“I will be reinstituting prima nocta.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it.” Buffy said.

Tony grabbed the hammer with both hands, but it didn’t budge. “Be right back.” A few minutes later, he returned with one of his gauntlets on.  The hammer still didn’t move. “Rhodey.”

“What?” Rhodes asked.

“Help me out.”

Rhodes went and got one of his gauntlets from his War Machine armor, but the hammer still didn’t move. “Are you even pulling?” Rhodes asked.

“Are you on my team?”

“Just represent!  Pull!”

“All right, let’s go.”

“Give it up, guys.” Dawn said. “You’re not moving it.”

“You try, pipsqueak.” Tony said.

“You want me to try to lift the hammer?”

“You’re the Key to all the dimensions out there.  That’s gotta mean something, right?”

Dawn looked at Buffy.  The blonde shrugged. “It’s up to you.”

Dawn grinned and stood up.  She walked over to the hammer and pulled on it, but it didn’t move. “Guess I’m not worthy.  And you know what?  I’m ok with that.  Ruling Asgard doesn’t seem like much fun.  No offense, Thor.”

“None taken.” Thor said. “Anyone else?”

Bruce stood up. “Why not?” He walked over and pulled with all his might, growling and threatening to Hulk out.  No one believed his overdramatic display, though. “No?”

“Who’s next?” Tony asked.  He shot a look at Buffy. “How about the big bad Slayer?”

“Sorry, it’s cute and all, Thor, but I don’t think it’ll go with my outfit.” Buffy said. “Besides, I’ve already got a mystical weapon coded to my special DNA.  I don’t need another one.”

“Fair enough.” Tony said. “Come on, Cap.  You’re Mr. Moral High Ground.”

Steve gave Buffy’s knee a squeeze and stood up. “Come on, sweetie.” Buffy said. “Win us a realm to rule over.”

Natasha laughed and shook her head at Buffy. “Don’t you have enough to rule over?”

Buffy shrugged. “Asgard could be our vacation kingdom.”

Steve grabbed the hammer and pulled.  The thing shifted slightly and Thor’s face melted in fear.  Buffy looked at Steve and saw the brief panic in his eyes.  He shifted his weight and tried again, but the hammer stayed.  She was sure that he wasn’t actually trying the second time.

Thor smiled in relief. “Nothing.”

As Steve sat back down with Buffy, Angel gestured at Natasha. “Oh, that’s not a question I need answered.”

“Then I’ll take a turn.” Angel said.  He got up and looked the hammer over.  With a shrug, he grabbed the hilt and tried to lift it.  It didn’t budge. “That’s not at all surprising.”

Angel sat back down with Natasha as Tony said, “All deference to the man who wouldn’t be king, but it’s rigged.”
“You bet your ass.” Barton said.

“Steve, he said a bad language word.” Maria said.

Steve scoffed at Tony. “Did you tell everyone about that?”

“The handle’s imprinted.” Tony said, ignoring Steve. “Like we did for Buffy’s scythe.  ‘Whosoever carries Thor’s fingerprints’ I think is the literal translation?”

“Well, that’s a very, very interesting theory.” Thor said, standing up. “I have a simpler one.” He picked up the hammer with ease and flipped it in his hand. “You’re all not worthy.” Everyone groaned and laughed, but it was cut off by a loud, screeching interference on the speakers.

They heard a strange voice and heavy metallic footfalls from behind them.  Everyone turned to see one of the broken Iron Legion suits walking in. “No.  How could you be worthy?  You’re all killers.”

“Stark.” Steve said, moving closer to Buffy.

“JARVIS….” Tony said.

“I’m sorry, I was asleep.” The suit said. “Or I was a dream.”

“Reboot.” Tony poked at his tablet. “It must be a bug in the system.

“There was a terrible noise…. I was tangled…. In strings.  I had to kill the other guy.  He was a good guy.”

“You killed someone?” Steve asked.

“Wouldn’t have been my first call, but down in the real world we’re faced with ugly choices.”

“Who sent you?” Thor asked.

“I see a suit of armor around the world.” Tony’s voice came from the suit.

“Ultron!” Bruce said, looking over at Tony.

The suit reacted to the name. “In the flesh.  Or, no…. Not yet.  Not this Christmas.  But I’m ready.  I’m on a mission.”

“What mission?” Natasha asked, moving Dawn and Eric behind her and Angel.

“Peace in our time.”

The walls behind Ultron exploded and the rest of the Iron Legion attacked.  The Avengers moved into action.  At Buffy’s signal, Angel grabbed Dawn and Eric and pulled them towards the bar.  He ordered them to get behind it and stay down before running over to join the fight. Buffy dodged around one of the robots and grabbed Steve’s shield by the elevator.  Turning just in time, the robot she’d dodged attacked her.  She managed to get the shield up and block the attack, but the thing was quick.  Buffy shot the shield outward and hit the robot in the torso, knocking it away into the wall.  She swung the shield around and slammed it through the neck, severing the head from the body.

Suddenly Steve was there in front of her.  She tossed the shield to him and he threw it at the last remaining robot, severing it in half.  They realized that the other robots had been stopped and only Ultron was left. 

Ultron shook its head. “That was dramatic.  I’m sorry.  I know you mean well.  You just didn’t think it through.  You want to protect the world, but you don’t want it to change.  How is humanity saved if it’s not allowed to evolve?  Not with these…. These puppets.” Ultron picked up one of the severed robots and tossed it back down. “There’s only one path to peace.  The Avengers’ extinction.”

Thor threw his hammer at Ultron, smashing it against the wall and destroying it.  As its lights went out, it started singing, “I had strings, but now I’m free….”

“What just happened?” Angel asked.

“That’s a very good question.” Buffy said, looking at Tony for answers.

 

 

A little while later, the Avengers minus Thor were convened in the lab.  Buffy had sent Angel to make sure Dawn and Eric got home safely.  Tony had gathered up the suit of armor that Ultron had possessed and was staring at it on a table.  Bruce was busy with the computers.

“All our work is gone.” He announced. “Ultron cleared out.  Used the internet as an escape hatch.”

“Ultron?” Steve said.

“He’s been in everything.  Files, surveillance….” Natasha said. “Probably knows more about us than we know about each other.”

“He’s in your files.” Rhodes said. “He’s in your internet.  What if he decides to access something a little more exiting?”

“Nuclear codes.” Maria said.

“Nuclear codes.  Look, we need to make some calls.  Assuming we still can.”

“Nukes?” Natasha said. “He said he wanted us dead.”

“He didn’t say dead.  He said extinct.” Steve said.

“He also said he killed somebody.” Barton added.

“There wasn’t anyone else in the building.” Maria said.

“Yes there was.” Tony said.  He walked to the middle of the room and activated a hologram.  It was bright orange and broken into pieces.  It was what was left of JARVIS.

“This is insane.” Bruce said.

“JARVIS was the first line of defense.” Steve said. “He would’ve shut Ultron down.  This makes sense.”

“No.  Ultron could have assimilated JARVIS.  This isn’t strategy.  This is…. Rage.”

Thor suddenly appeared and marched across the room.  He headed straight for Tony, picking him up by his neck. “Speaking of rage.” Buffy said.

“Use your words, buddy.” Tony said.

“I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark.” Thor said, not putting Tony down.

“Thor!” Steve snapped. “The Legionnaire?”

“The trail went cold a hundred miles out.  It’s headed north and it has the scepter.  Now we have to retrieve it.  Again.”

“The genie’s out of that bottle.” Natasha said. “Clear and present is Ultron.”

“I don’t understand.” Helen Cho said. “You built this program.  Why is it trying to kill us?”

Tony started to laugh and Bruce shook his head at him. “I’m really not finding the funny in this, Tony.” Buffy said.

“Well, that’s cause it’s probably not…. Right?” Tony said. “Is this really terrible?  Is it so…. Is it…. It is.  It’s so terrible.”

“This could’ve been avoided if you hadn’t played with something you don’t understand.” Thor said.

“No!  I’m sorry.  I’m sorry.  It is funny.  It’s a hoot that you don’t get why we need this….”

“Tony, maybe this might not be the time to….” Bruce started.

“Really?” Tony turned on him. “You just roll over, show your belly, every time somebody snarls.”

“Only when I’ve created a murderbot.”

“We didn’t.  We weren’t even close.  Were we close to an interface?” Bruce’s face said that they were.

“Well, you did something right.” Steve said. “And you did it right here.  The Avengers were supposed to be different than S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“Does anybody even remember when I carried a nuke through a wormhole?”

“No.  It’s never come up.  No.” Rhodes said.

“Saved New York?  Recall that?  A hostile alien army came charging through a hole in space.  We’re standing 300 feet below it.  We’re the Avengers.  We can bust arms dealers all the live long day, but that up there…. That’s…. That’s the A game.  How were you guys planning on beating that?”

Buffy stood up from her position leaning against a table and looked at her teammates and partner. “I say we start with a tried and true method.”

“Oh, you’ve got a plan?”

“Not a fully formed one, but I’ve faced more end of the world scenarios than anyone else in this room and survived.  The first step to beating this one is the same way I’ve beaten those others: We’re going to do it together.”

“We’ll lose.”

“That’s always a chance, but at least we’ll do that together, too.”

“Thor’s right.” Steve said, stepping up next to Buffy. “Ultron’s calling us out.  And I’d like to find him before he’s ready for us.  The world’s a big place.  Let’s start making it smaller.”

Chapter 12

Buffy and Steve moved around the kitchen making themselves a quick breakfast before they headed back upstairs to continue trying to find Ultron.  Steve was in his Under Armor and the bottom of his suit while Buffy was in her suit.  The rest of their suits were in the Super Suit Suite ready to go for whenever they needed them.  Buffy’s scythe was propped against the table next to Steve’s shield.  They were rarely far from their sights.

“What were you and Angel talking about last night?” Steve asked suddenly.

“When?” Buffy asked, turning to grab some butter from the refrigerator.

“Just before Thor came over to talk to you about us.”

“Oh, I think Nat has a crush on him.  I was encouraging him to pursue it.”

“Really?” He chuckled. “Didn’t see that one coming.”

“I did.”

“You did?”

“Yeah.  Why is everyone so surprised that Natasha and I talk men and shopping and all that other girly stuff?”

“I’m not surprised.  You two spend a lot of time together.  I just meant…. How could you tell?”

“After she met him, she always perked up when we talked about him.”

“You’re not upset that she might want a relationship with your ex who was the love of your life?”

Buffy smiled and set down the toast she was working on.  She wrapped her arms around Steve’s waist and looked up at him. “I love you.  Angel was the love of my adolescent life.  I grew up and while yes, I will always have a special place in my heart for him, you are the love for the rest of my life.  We’ve been waiting for each other, remember?”

Steve smiled and leaned down to kiss her, wrapping his arms around her. “I love you, too.” They ate the last bites of their breakfast and he went over to call the elevator. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be to face homicidal software.”

When they walked into the destroyed apartment where they’d first encountered Ultron, Maria Hill greeted them, handing a coffee to Buffy. “You’re the best.” Buffy said. “What have we gotten so far?”

“He’s all over the globe.” Maria said, following them towards the lab. “Robotics labs, weapons facilities, jet propulsion labs, reports of a metal man, or men, coming in and emptying the place.”

“Fatalities?” Steve asked.

“Only when engaged.  Mostly guys left in a fugue state going on about old memories, worst fears, and something too fast to see.”

“The Maximoffs.” Buffy said.

“That makes sense he’d go to them, they have someone in common.” Steve said.

“Not anymore.” Maria handed Steve a tablet showing a photo of Strucker’s dead body with the word PEACE written in blood on the wall next to him.

“That’s kind of a mixed message.” Buffy said.

“Is it?  If it was my mission…. World peace…. I’d probably take out Strucker, too.  Ultron could be in any system.  He could be pulling planes down from the sky.  What if he’s just doing what he’s supposed to?”

Buffy shook her head. “If I thought Ultron were bringing peace, I’d let Steve buy that house he’s been eyeing and we’d start trying for kids tomorrow.”

Maria cocked an eyebrow at her. “Would you?”

Buffy shot her a confused glare. “Just let us know if he leaves anymore messages.” She turned and walked away. 

Steve sighed and went after her. “Hey…. What was that about?”

Before Buffy could answer, they heard Barton say, “That’s a negative.  I answer to you.  Yes, ma’am.” He noticed them standing there. “Gotta go.” He hung up and stuck his phone back in his pocket. “Girlfriend.”

“Didn’t know you had one.” Buffy said. “Any of your old contacts come through?”

“Still waiting.”

“Wait faster.” Buffy kept moving and walked into the lab.  Natasha was on the computer talking to Rhodes who had gone back to Washington.  Thor walked over to join them.

“Any news from on high?” Steve asked him.

“Heimdall is either away from his post or he’s been ordered not to answer.  But Ultron can’t hide forever.  We’ll find him.”

“Well, he’s not exactly hiding.” Steve handed Thor the tablet with the picture of Strucker’s body.

“What’s this?” Tony asked as Thor pushed the tablet into his chest.

“A message.” Buffy said. “Ultron killed Strucker.”

“And he did a Banksy at the crime scene, just for us.”

“This is good.” Natasha said.

“No.  That’s not good.” Bruce argued.

“He’s showing us his hand.  This isn’t his pattern.  This is a smokescreen.  Why send a message when you’ve just given a speech?”

“Strucker knew something that Ultron wanted us to miss.” Buffy said.

“Yeah, I bet he….” Natasha hit some keys on the keyboard. “Yep.  Everything we had on Strucker has been erased.”

“Not everything.” Tony said.  He pointed at Buffy. “Good thinking on your part, Summers.”

Buffy smiled. “Told you printing out those physical files would be a good idea.” 

“They’re at the new HQ.  We can have them down here in less than half an hour.”

“Good.  Get it done.”

A couple of hours later, the team was waist deep in file folders and papers.  There were boxes on every table and the whole room was a cluttered mess. “Known associates.” Steve read. “Well, Strucker had a lot of friends.”

“Well, these people are all horrible.” Bruce said.

“Wait.  Summers, go back.” Tony said.  Buffy flipped back to the last page she’d been looking at with a picture attached. “I know that guy.” She handed him the picture. “From back in the day.  He operates off the African coast, black market arms.” Steve shot Tony an accusing look. “There are conventions, all right?  You meet people.  I didn’t sell him anything.”

“Ulysses Klaue.” Buffy read.

“He was talking about finding something new, a game changer, it was all very ‘Ahab.’”

Thor pointed to the scar on the back of Klaue’s neck. “This.”

“Uh, it’s a tattoo.  I don’t think he had it….”

“No, those are tattoos, this is a brand.”

“Bruce, can you….”  Buffy took the photo and handed it to Bruce.

A few minutes of fast typing and internet searching, Bruce had identified the brand on Klaue’s neck. “Oh, yeah.  It’s a word in an African dialect meaning thief, in a much less friendly way.”

“What dialect?” Steve asked.

“Wakanada…?  Wa…. Wa.… Wakanda.”

Tony looked over at Steve. “If this guy got out of Wakanda with some of their trade goods….”

“I thought your father said he got the last of it?” Steve said.

“I’m not following.” Buffy said. “What comes out of Wakanda?”

Tony looked at Steve’s shield. “The strongest metal on earth.”

“Where is this guy now?” Steve asked.

 

 

Buffy checked her wrist launchers and thigh holsters one more time before stepping off the back of the quinjet.  Her scythe was securely in its holster on her back, ready for her and Steve’s use.  She flexed her fingers in the gloves and made sure they were powered up.

“You ok?” Steve asked as they headed for Klaue’s base of operations.

“Yeah.  Just wondering if we should’ve called in Willow.” Buffy said.

“Why?” Tony asked, all suited up in his Iron Man suit.

“The Maximoff girl has powers.  Willow might be able to counteract her.”

“Little late now.”

“Not necessarily.  She can teleport.  Tony will you notify Willow that she might be needed?”

“On it.”

“I’ll let you know when to send out the signal.”

Tony looked down at Buffy after sending out a call to Willow. “So, you think the Maximoff girl is just a witch?”

“Maybe she started out as a witch and whatever experiments Strucker did on her enhanced certain witchy abilities.  Willow is able can mess with the mind like the girl does and I’ve seen all different colors come from her hands.  Red usually means someone is saying ‘ow’.”

“Been on the receiving end of those powers, huh?” Barton asked.

“Once.”

The entire Avengers team let out a collective yelp and jumped back when Willow suddenly appeared in front of them in a flash of green light.  Buffy’s quick reflexes kept Tony from shooting her. “I didn’t give the signal!” Tony said.

“I know.” Willow smiled. “I came anyway.  Can’t let you guys have all the fun.” She looked at everyone’s Avenger suits and then down at her jeans and bell sleeved blouse. “I am way under dressed.”

“You’re fine.” Buffy looked at the abandoned ship sitting in front of them. “This thing is huge.  We need to fan out.  Willow, you go with Barton and stay close to him.  Sweep the high decks on this side.  Nat, you take the higher decks on that side.  Steve, you and I will take this side of the ship’s lower decks and Tony and Thor, you guys take the lower decks on that side.  Take out any guards you can so no one sounds the alarm that we’re here.  Stun, don’t kill.  We’ll meet in the middle.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Tony saluted and he and Thor took off.  Barton led Willow away and Natasha disappeared around the boat.

Steve pointed to a missing door in the side of the ship about halfway up. “That looks like a good place for us to enter.” They made their way over to the door and Steve crouched down to give Buffy a boost up.  She stepped on the shield with one foot and pushed off with the other.  Steve pushed up and she flew up into the open door.  She looked around for something to help Steve up and found an emergency fire hose.

Steve easily climbed up the hose and they headed into the bowels of the ship.  There weren’t many guards, but the place seemed to be a workshop.  Opting not to take out the workers, they stealthily maneuvered around them while keeping an eye out for Klaue.  As they got closer to the middle of the ship, they heard some workers walk past discussing that Klaue was talking with a “giant metal man” in his office with a couple of kids.

“Ultron is here with the Maximoffs.” Buffy said.

Steve activated his comm unit. “Stark, what’s your location?”

“We’re nearing the rendezvous point.  No sign of Klaue yet.”

“Guys, stay on alert.  Ultron is here with the twins.” Buffy said. “Barton, make sure Willow is ready to go.”

“Copy that.” Barton said.

Steve rounded a corner and they were suddenly in the middle of the old cargo bay.  Ultron was standing on a catwalk with the twins behind him and a man who apparently had just had his arm ripped off. “Don’t compare me with Stark!” Ultron yelled.  He kicked the one armed man down the stairs. “It’s a thing with me.  Stark is…. He’s a sickness!”

Tony and Thor appeared on the other side of the walkway and met up with Buffy and Steve. “Ahh, Junior.  You’re gonna break your old man’s heart.” Tony said.

“If I have to.”

“We don’t have to break anything.” Thor said.

“Clearly you’ve never made an omelet.”

“He beat me by one second.” Tony said.

“Ah, this is funny, Mr. Stark.” Pietro Maximoff said. “It’s what, comfortable?  Like old times?”

“This was never my life.”

“You two can still walk away from this.” Steve said.

“Oh, we will.” Ultron said.

Steve ignored him. “I know you’ve suffered.”

Ultron groaned loudly. “Captain America.  God’s righteous man, pretending you could live without a war.  I can’t physically throw up in my mouth, but….”

“If you believe in peace, then let us keep it.” Buffy said.

“I think you’re confusing peace with quiet.”

“Yuh-huh.  What’s the Vibranium for?” Tony asked.

“I’m glad you asked that, because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan!” Suddenly the Iron Legion was there attacking Tony, Buffy, Steve, and Thor.  Tony ignored them to attack Ultron.

Buffy grabbed her scythe off her back and brought it around in a deadly arc, taking off one of the Legion’s heads.  She dodged another that went after Thor and buried her blade in the back of one that was holding Steve against the railing.  She turned to see Wanda Maximoff standing there with a ball of red ready to throw.  Steve came to block the energy ball with his shield, but Willow, from her standpoint next to Barton up high, saw it.  She threw her hands out and Wanda flew backwards, the ball of energy dissipating.

Guns started shooting and Steve turned the shield to block the bullets from hitting him and Buffy.  They realized that the crew was now shooting at them along with the Iron Legion trying to bash their brains in.  Buffy and Steve moved back to back, taking out robots and dodging bullets.  A blur whizzed past her and her scythe was nearly yanked out of her hands by Pietro.  She was much stronger than him and managed to hold on, but she went flying over the railing from the speed and landed hard in a large group of men.  They turned and were ready to shoot, but Willow had thrown a magical force field around her and the bullets just bounced off.  They ricocheted into the crowd, taking out some of the men. 

Buffy got up and put her scythe back.  Willow dropped the magical force field and Buffy started throwing punches, knocking the guys out.  Some of them were knocked out with her tranquilizer darts.  The crowd around her thinned and the rest of the men ran off.  Pietro suddenly appeared at her feet, crashing into a large stack of containers.  He tried to get up, but Buffy turned and punched him in the head, disorienting him.

 “Stay down!” Buffy ordered, turning back to the rest of the fight.  Two large men showed up with guns and she rolled out of the way, popping up behind them.  Just for fun, she knocked their heads together and watched them go down with a giggle.  She heard Steve laugh above her and as she looked up to smile at him, Pietro suddenly rammed into her with all his speed and threw her across the room.  She landed hard against some metal barrels and saw stars for a moment.

Wanda appeared above her and threw her red magic at Buffy’s head.  She disappeared with Pietro and Buffy got painfully to her feet.  Her head swam and her vision blurred.  She blinked a few times to clear it and found herself standing in the kitchen of a house she didn’t recognize.  Somewhere in the house kids were screaming and things were banging around.

“Are you even listening?” Steve asked behind her.

Buffy turned to him, confused, and realized she was in a vintage dress with a full skirt and she had an apron on. “What?”

Steve continued to have an argument with her, but she was only half listening as she inspected her dress and the kitchen around her. “The boys need a bath, the kitchen is a wreck, the rest of the house isn’t far behind, Fido needs to be taken out for a walk…. You’re acting like this is all too much for you!” She realized he was in old fashioned clothing and the kitchen looked straight out of the early 50s.  There was a large spot of blood on her shoulder and a bruise was forming on her arm. “How can you still go out and be the Slayer?  How could you go back on your word to me that our fighting days were done?  You wanted this life and now you hate it!  You’d rather go out and get killed than be here with your family!”

Buffy looked up at Steve, ready to defend herself, but the house around them had changed and they were standing in their townhouse’s kitchen in the modern world.

“This is nice.” Steve was saying as he poured them drinks from the Sprite bottle. “No missions to go on.  No enemies knocking down our door.  It’s just the two of us.”

“We’ve had this conversation already.” Buffy said, confused.  She remembered wearing the same pink flannel pajama bottoms and black tank top.  They were getting ready to watch Casablanca again.  Buffy tried to beat Steve to what he was about to say, but he didn’t seem to hear her.

“We could do it, I think.  Give up the fight.  Put down our weapons.  Stop ending up in hospitals.” He chuckled. “I’d like that last part the most.”

“What about Bucky?” She hadn’t meant to continue the conversation, but apparently whatever Wanda Maximoff did to her prevented her from going off script too much.

“Sam’s still on it.  We don’t have to join the Avengers again in New York.”

“And when he finds him?”

“Then we’ll bring him back here and we’ll make him better.  We’ll be a family.  We can finally start settling down and maybe even work on that subtle hint Giles gave us when he bought the townhouse with the biggest backyard.” He laughed as he handed her one of the glasses. “Buck always wanted to be an uncle.”

Buffy chuckled. “I’m not sure he’d be ready for that.”

“And what about you?” Buffy turned to see herself in her Avengers suit standing with her arms crossed. “Are you ready for that, Buffy?”

Buffy gasped awake and looked around her.  She shook her head to clear the cobwebs and found Willow and Steve kneeling in front of her.  She was still laying among the scattered metal barrels. “Buffy?” Steve asked.

“The Maximoffs….”

“They’re gone.” Willow said. “The girl got everyone with her witchy woo.  She tried to get me and Clint, but I stunned her with a little mind spell of my own.” Buffy looked up at Steve and he gave her a tight smile.  Whatever he’d seen, it had shaken him. “Are you ok?”

Buffy got to her feet with some help and shook her head again. “I don’t know.”

“What did you see?” Steve asked.

“I, uh…. I’m not sure.” Buffy looked over at Willow. “Everyone?”

“Clint’s got Natasha.  He’s taking her back to the quinjet.  Thor is still roaming around, I think.  I’m not sure I want to try and bring him back from whatever he’s seeing.”

Buffy’s eyes widened. “Bruce.”

Willow followed behind Buffy and Steve as they made their way out of the boat and back to the Quinjet.  Natasha was sitting in one of the chairs staring off into space and Barton was watching something on a tablet. “We’ve got a serious problem.” He handed the tablet over to show them a news channel streaming video of the Hulk fighting with the Hulkbuster that Bruce and Tony had created.  They were completely destroying the city.

“Is this now?” Willow asked.

“Stark’s bringing Banner in now.  He finally knocked out the Hulk by completely destroying a skyscraper that was under construction.” Buffy and Steve exchanged worried looks. “We just got our asses handed to us.  I think it would be a good idea to go into stealth mode once we take off.”

“Yeah.  That is a good idea.” Buffy said, looking at the destruction being played on the screen.  She turned away and looked at Willow.

“Who is Ultron?” Willow asked.  “What did you guys do to him to make him so angry?”

“Tony and Bruce…. Created him…. It.” 

“They were trying to make it a sentient being to protect the world so we wouldn’t have to.” Steve said.

“But Ultron’s idea of peace on earth is destroying all of humanity.  Starting with the Avengers.”

“What are we going to do about it?” Willow asked.

Buffy smiled. “Ultron is in the Internet.  Can you go to New York and work with Maria Hill on tracking Ultron?  You know computers as well as Tony does.  If anyone can keep tabs on Ultron, it’s you.”

“Yeah.  What about the girl?” Willow gestured behind her at the boat where they’d battled the Maximoff twins.

“I’ll call you back in when she shows back up.”

“Gotcha.” Willow smiled at Buffy and Steve before disappearing in the same green light she’d appeared in.

“Still can’t get used to that.” Steve said.  He turned to Barton. “Is Nat going to be ok?”

“I’m fine.” Natasha said quietly.

Buffy looked up at Steve. “Let’s get this bird in the air and get the hell out of here.”

 

 

Night had fallen and Barton was flying the quinjet.  They didn’t have a destination in mind since everyone was quiet and not willing to speak up just yet.  The entire team was spread out in the jet.  Steve and Buffy were sitting all the way in the back on opposite walls and avoiding eye contact with each other.  Barton was flying the jet while Natasha sat staring at the floor behind him.  Bruce was back to normal and curled up on the floor of the jet wrapped in a blanket.  Thor was standing off to the side standing like a hunched over statue.  Tony was sitting on the other side of the jet talking to Hill and Willow on his tablet.

“The news is loving you guys.” Maria was saying. “Nobody else is.  There’s been no official call for Banner’s arrest, but it’s in the air.”

“Stark Relief Foundation?” Tony asked.

“Already on the scene.”

“How’s the team?” Willow asked.

“Everyone’s…. we took a hit.  We’ll shake it off.”

“Well for now I’d stay in stealth mode, and stay away from here.” Maria said.

“So, run and hide?”

“Until we can find Ultron, there’s not a lot else we can offer you.” Willow said.

“Thanks.” Tony switched off the tablet and went over to Barton. “Hey, you wanna switch out?”

“No, I’m good.” Barton said. “If you wanna get some kip, now’s a good time, cause we’re still a few hours out.”

“A few hours from where?”

“A safe house.”

Chapter 13

Barton landed the quinjet behind some trees in a field in front of a large farmhouse.  He helped Natasha down and they led the way across the field. “What is this place?” Thor asked as they made their way up the stairs onto the porch.

“A safe house?” Tony guessed.

“Let’s hope.” Barton said, opening the front door. “Honey, I’m home.” He called out, letting Natasha wander over to a chair near Steve.  A heavily pregnant woman walked in from the kitchen looking confused.  Her face lit up with a very large grin when she spotted Barton. “Hi.  Company.  Sorry I didn’t call ahead.”

“Hey.” The woman kissed Barton familiarly, hugging him tightly.

Tony exchanged glances with Buffy. “This is an agent of some kind.” He said.

“Gentleman and Buffy, this is Laura.” Barton said.

“I know all your names.” Laura said with a small wave.

The sound of happy children running in came from the foyer. “Ooh, incoming.” A little girl and little boy came running in yelling for dad and attacked Barton.  He picked up the little girl and the boy hugged him tightly around the waist. “Hey, buddy!  How you guys doing?  Ooh….” He was the picture of father and husband as he stood with his family.

“These are…. smaller agents.” Tony said.

“Look at your face!  Oh, my goodness!” Barton laughed at his kids.

“Did you bring Auntie Nat?” The little girl asked.

“Why don’t you hug her and find out?” Natasha said, moving out from behind Steve.  The little girl met Natasha in the middle and the red head picked her up in her arms.

“Sorry for barging in on you.” Steve said to Laura.

“Yeah, we would have called ahead, but we were busy having no idea that you existed.” Tony said.

“Yeah, well Fury helped me set this up when I joined.” Barton said. “He kept it off S.H.I.E.L.D.’s files.  I’d like to keep it that way.  I figure it’s a good place to lay low.”

“Honey.” Laura said, wrapping her arms around Barton’s waist. “Ah, I missed you.”

Something crunched under Thor’s foot and he, Buffy, and Steve looked down to see he’d stepped on a toy.  He shoved it under a nearby table, looking up at Steve with a slightly embarrassed look.

“How’s little Natasha, huh?” Natasha asked Laura, gently touching her protruding stomach.

“She’s…. Nathaniel.” Laura said.

Natasha bent down towards Laura’s belly. “Traitor.”

Barton’s little girl walked over and looked up at Thor.  She must’ve decided he was scary, so she looked over at Buffy and smiled.  Buffy squatted down to be eye level. “Hi.”

“Hi.  I’m Lila.  You’re Buffy.  Auntie Nat and daddy have told me about you.”

“Have they?” Buffy shot a look at the aunt and father in question, but they were talking with Laura.

“Yup.  Daddy said that you’ve saved the world a lot.”

“I have.” She heard Natasha chuckle slightly and looked up to see her standing behind Lila.

“That’s really cool.  Will you tell me about it?”

“Uh….” Buffy looked up at Natasha for help.

“I think maybe you should ask your daddy if it’s ok.” Natasha said.

Lila nodded. “Ok.” She bounced back over to Clint and Buffy stood up.

Thor suddenly turned and headed out of the house.  Steve followed him out to talk to him, not saying anything to Buffy and avoiding touching her.  Buffy looked away from his retreating form with a disturbed look on her face. 

Natasha reached out of took Buffy’s hand. “Come on.  You can bunk in my room.”

“You have a room here?” Buffy asked, following Natasha through the house towards the back.

“Yeah.  Of course.  I visit a lot.” She opened a door and led Buffy into a small mother-in-law suite. “Even have my own bathroom thanks to Clint.”

“Wow.  Who knew an Avenger could have such a normal life?”

Natasha sat down on the bed and watched Buffy as she stared out the window. “What was your vision about?”

“What was yours about?”

“I asked you first.”

“What are we, in fourth grade?”

“With the amount of testosterone flying around this group, we might as well be.” Buffy chuckled. “Seriously, Buff.  You and Steve were avoiding eye contact like you were whenever anyone tried to get you to acknowledge your feelings for each other.  You both must’ve had some serious stuff going on in whatever that girl showed you.”

“I’m still not even sure what it all meant.” Buffy glanced at the bathroom. “Mind if I take a shower and get my thoughts together?”

“Go ahead.  I’ll go get you some clothes to wear.  And a couple of towels.” Natasha smiled and headed out of the room.

 

 

When Buffy stepped out of the shower, there was a fluffy robe waiting for her along with two towels.  She thought she’d heard Natasha come in at some point during the 45 minute shower.  She’d been so deep in thought that she’d forgotten that she’d washed her hair already and shampooed it four times.  Her hair was going to be extremely silky since she’d also fallen into her thoughts after putting on the conditioner and hadn’t rinsed it out until the water had started getting cold.

With a sigh, she decided to take her time to dry off and brush out her wet hair.  Eventually she slipped on the robe and exited the bathroom.  Natasha was sitting on the bed in a matching fluffy robe.

“Thought I could go next.” She said.

“I think I ran out the hot water.” Buffy replied.

“It’ll heat back up by the time I get in.” Natasha patted the bed in front of her and Buffy relented, climbing on and sitting cross-legged in front of the red head. “Steve told me his vision while you were in the shower.”

“Where is Steve?”

“He’s out being manly with Stark.”

Buffy could hear the sounds of an ax being swung into blocks of wood with brute force. “What was his?”

“That’s his vision to tell, not mine.” Natasha reached over and squeezed Buffy’s hand. “Talk.  I’ll just listen.”

The blonde sighed. “My vision was telling me that I’m ready to give this up…. Being an Avenger.  That if I tried, I would only make Steve and I miserable.  And I think it was right.  For years, all I wanted was to fit in and be…. Normal.  Then I got my wish and Willow made all of those Slayers but somehow I was still alone.  Somehow I was still the most powerful and I was definitely the only one with my experiences.  Those girls…. They didn’t understand the burden.  What it’s like to be the one everyone relies on the save the day.  They’ve got each other, I’ve only had myself.  Even my friends never understood it.” Natasha nodded, waiting for Buffy to continue. “Then I became part of the Avengers and somehow I really did fit in.  I wasn’t alone anymore.  I had a partner who got what it was like to be the only one of his kind.  He accepted me for who I am and didn’t try to compete or dictate how I should do things.  I really started to enjoy who I am…. What I am.  What that girl showed me…. Nat, I love being an Avenger.  And I’m scared that settling down and having kids and being that perfect little housewife will force me to give that all up.  I don’t want to give that up.”

Natasha nodded knowingly. “Do you think that’s what Steve wants?  To settle down and have kids and you to be a perfect little housewife?”

Buffy glanced out the window, but couldn’t see the source of the wood chopping. “Yes.”

“I swear, it’s like you two were made from the exact some ball of clay.  It’s almost creepy.  Talk to him.” Natasha held her hand up to stop Buffy’s line of questioning. “I’m not going to tell you what he told me.  Like I said, that’s his to tell.  But you need to talk to Steve.”

Buffy nodded. “What about you?  What was your vision?”

The red head shrugged nonchalantly.  “I revisited my training.  I was reminded that I can’t have a family of my own.”
“God!  And here I am complaining about not wanting one yet.  I’m sorry, Nat.”

Natasha laughed. “It’s ok, Buff.  You’ve got the possibility and you’re willing to use it someday.”

“I didn’t know you were even thinking about it.” 

“I wasn’t exactly thinking about it, but it’s always at the back of my mind.  I live vicariously thought Clint and Laura and one day, you and Steve will join that list.  I’m an awesome aunt.  Kids love me.”

“You may not be able to have kids, but that kind of works out.  You could still settle down.  I mean, the other night at the party, you and Angel seemed pretty cozy.”

“Yeah.  I like him.”

“He’d be good for you.  Tortured soul seeking redemption….”

“Plus he’s easy on the eyes.” Natasha laughed. “But I think the best part is he can give as good as he gets.  I hate guys that I can easily break.”

Buffy laughed. “He is definitely not breakable.”

“You sure it’s ok?  Me and him?”

“I’m positive.  It would be nice to see him happy.”

To Buffy’s utter surprise, Natasha did something that she never did.  She blushed and looked away. “What about his curse?”

“Wow.  You must be pretty serious about Angel.” Buffy smiled. “Honestly, Nat, I think you’re safe from that for a while.  If you’re worried about it, you could always talk to Willow and see what she can do.”

“If it comes to it, then I’ll think about it.”

“Good.”

“Go.  Go talk to Steve.”

“Can I get dressed first?”

Natasha chuckled. “Sure.  I’m getting in the shower.”

 

 

Buffy walked out onto the porch dressed in tight jeans and a blue plaid, button up shirt.  Apparently Laura had pulled the clothes out for her from her pre-family wardrobe she had stashed in the attic.  Her brown knee high boots were supplied from that stash as well.  She watched Steve and Tony chopping wood side by side for a while, listening to them argue.

“You think one of these days they’ll manage to get along for more than ten minutes at a time?” Clint asked.  He and his son were working on a section of railing along the porch.

Buffy chuckled. “Probably not.”

“Thor didn’t say where he was going for answers?” Tony asked.

“Sometimes my teammates don’t tell me things.” Steve said. “I was kind of hoping Thor would be the exception.”

“Yeah, give him time.  We don’t know what the Maximoff kid showed him.”

“‘Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.’  Pulled us apart like cotton candy.”

“Seems like you walked away all right.”

“Is that a problem?”

“I don’t trust a guy without a dark side.  Call me old fashioned.”

“Well let’s just say you haven’t seen it yet.”

“You know Ultron is trying to tear us apart, right?”

“Well I guess you’d know.  Whether you tell us is a bit of a question.”

“Banner and I were doing research.”

“That would affect the team.”

“That would end the team.  Isn’t that the mission?  Isn’t that why we fight?  So we can end the fight?  So we get to go home?”

Steve ripped the log he was holding in half with his bare hands and threw the pieces aside. “Every time someone tries to win a war before it starts, innocent people die.  Every time.”

“I think that’s my cue to separate them.” Buffy said.

“Good luck,” Laura said, walking up next to Buffy. “I can hear them all the way in the kitchen.”
“They’ve always butted heads.” Buffy said.

“You take Captain Defensive, I’ll deal with Iron Hot Head?”

The blonde smiled at Mrs. Barton.  So far, she liked Clint’s wife. “Deal.”

Laura walked over to the stairs with Buffy.  She stopped on the middle step and called, “I’m sorry.  Mr. Stark, uh, Clint said you wouldn’t mind, but, our tractor, it doesn’t seem to want to start at all.  I thought maybe you might….”

“Yeah, I’ll give her a kick.” Tony turned to Steve as he was walking away. “Don’t take from my pile.” He passed Buffy on her way over to Steve and nodded appreciatively at her attire. “Yeehaw, Summers.  All you’re missing is a cowgirl hat.”

“Go away, Tony.” Buffy stuck her tongue out at him and he chuckled. 

Steve set down his axe and leaned against it as he waited for Buffy to make it to him.  He was in his blue Under Armor shirt and a pair of very tight fitting jeans.  They must’ve been Clint’s, but Buffy was not going to complain about the view she was getting. “Feeling any better after your shower?” He asked.

“Yeah.  A little bit.  Did Clint put you to work?”

“I asked him if there was anything I could do to help out.”

“So, then you’re free to go for a walk with me?”

Steve smiled. “Of course.” He set aside the axe, propping it against the tree stump he’d been chopping wood on, and dusted himself off.  They headed away from the house towards the open field.  Eventually the field gave way to woods and the house was miniature scale. “What if I’m not right for you?” He suddenly said.

“What?” Buffy looked up at him, confused.

“What the Maximoff girl showed me…. I made you miserable, Buffy.”

“How?”

“I wanted to make a life with you.  I wanted kids and a house and maybe a dog, but in that vision…. We were trying so hard for that perfect life, but I couldn’t give Captain America up and I couldn’t get you to give up being the Slayer.  I punished you for my misery by making you just as miserable as me.  I know we’ve talked about life afterwards and we enjoyed our break from it after everything that happened with S.H.I.E.L.D.  I know that I was looking at that house near the new HQ and pushing for the perfect normal life, but I know now that I can’t give that to you.  Not if it means that I make you miserable.” Buffy laughed and Steve looked at her sharply. “What?”

“Sorry.  I wasn’t laughing at your vision.  I was laughing at what Nat said to me earlier.” She looked back at the house and realized they were on a slight incline.  If they sat down, they would be hidden from view.  So, she sat down and waited for Steve to do the same.

“What did she say to you that was so funny?”

“That it’s almost creepy how similar we are.” He obviously wasn’t connecting the dots. “In my vision, the first part of it, we were in this perfect little 1950s home and I had on the perfect little 50s housewife dress, but I was covered in blood and grass stains and bruises.  We were standing in the kitchen and you were yelling at me about going back on my word that I was ready to give up being an Avenger.  I couldn’t bring myself to care how mad you were because I was just as angry that you expected me to just stop.” She took his hand. “I love being an Avenger.  I love going on missions with you and fighting the good fight.  I’m not ready to give that up either.  And I’m not sure if I’ll ever be.  I thought you were going to hate me for not wanting the house with the kids and the dog and the white picket fence.”

Steve smiled. “I could never hate you.”

“Vision you sure seemed like he did.”

“Well, he was an idiot.” He pulled her hand up to his lips to kiss her knuckles. “I love you, Buffy.  I don’t want to ever make you miserable.  We’ll get around to having what Barton has someday.  When we’re both ready for it.” She leaned in and kissed him gently, but he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss.

As he pulled her on top of him, she laughed and pulled back. “We’re out in the open.”

“Then we’ll be quiet so no one comes looking.”

“Captain, you animal.”

He laughed and pulled her lips back to his, laying back and bringing her with him.

 

 

Barton was sitting on the porch when Buffy and Steve made their way back to the house.  They had their arms wrapped around each other as they walked and seemed to be back in perfect harmony.  The sun was setting in the sky and it bathed the couple in a happy glow.

“You guys look happy again.” Barton said.

“We talked.” Buffy said.

“And then some.” Barton laughed as he wiggled his eyebrows at them.  At their embarrassed expressions, he added, “Laura and I sometimes hide on that hill when we need time to ourselves.”

“Lovely.”

“We have a visitor.”

Buffy and Steve tensed. “Who?” Steve asked.

Barton stood up and nodded his head towards the house. “Our old boss.” He led them inside where Nick Fury was helping Laura cook dinner.  Bruce and Tony were setting the table while the kids were in the living room watching cartoons and coloring with Natasha.

Fury turned around. “Captain.  Miss Summers.”

“What are you doing here?” Steve asked.
“Right now I’m showing Mrs. Barton how to make chicken spaghetti.”

“We haven’t heard from you in months and you just happen to show up the day after we get torn apart by a psychotic robot?”

“We have a certain woman who shall remain nameless to thank for that.” Tony said. “Her initials are Maria Hill.”

“Can’t say I’m shocked that she’s been working for Fury this whole time.” Buffy said.

“She hasn’t.” Fury said. “I can’t pay her.  But she has been working for S.H.I.E.L.D. while they’ve been rebuilding.”

“Are you saying you’re a freelance spy now?”

“Something like that.”

 

 

 After dinner, Barton was doing the dishes while Tony was playing darts by himself.  Steve stood leaning his shoulder against the doorframe while Buffy stood in front of him leaning back on his chest.  He had an arm around her shoulders and his free hand was playing with her hand.  Natasha was sitting at the table listening to the conversation around her.  Bruce stood off to the side trying to melt into the wall.

Lila ran over to Natasha and handed her a drawing before rushing off to be put to bed with her brother Cooper. “Ultron took you folks out of play to buy himself time.” Fury was saying as he poured himself a glass of tea. “My contacts all say he’s building something.  The amount of Vibranium he made off with, I don’t think it’s just one thing.”

“What about Ultron himself?” Steve asked.

“Ah.  He’s easy to track, he’s everywhere.  Guy’s multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit.  Still doesn’t help us get an angle on any of his plans though.”

“He still going after launch codes?” Tony asked.

“Yes, he is, but he’s not making any headway.”

“I cracked the Pentagon’s firewall in high school on a dare.”

“Yeah, well, I contacted our friends at the NEXUS about that.”

“NEXUS?” Buffy asked.

“It’s the world internet hub in Oslo.  Every byte of data flows through there.  Fastest access on earth.”

“So what’d they say?” Barton asked.

“He’s fixated on the missiles, but the codes are constantly being changed.”

“By whom?” Tony asked.

“A red headed computer witch.”

“Willow.” Buffy said with a smile.

“She’s been tracking him and keeping those launch codes out of his reach.” Fury looked over at Tony. “She might need some help with that, though.”

“I might need to visit Oslo, then.” Tony said.

“What about the trackers on the Slayers?” Buffy asked. “Are they still safe?”

“He’s made a few attempts, but Willow’s got that blocked.  She’s used magic on both the trackers and the codes.”

“Ultron isn’t immune to a techno-witch.  Good to know.” Tony said.

“Well, this is good times, boss, but I was kind of hoping when I saw you, you’d have more than that.” Natasha said.

“I do.  I have you.” Fury gestured at the gather Avengers. “Back in the day, I had eyes everywhere, ears everywhere else.  Here we all are, back on earth, with nothing but our wit, and our will to save the world.  So stand.  Outwit the platinum bastard.”

“Steve doesn’t like that kind of talk.” Natasha said, shooting a playful look over at Steve.

Steve chuckled. “You know what, Romanoff?”

“So what does he want?” Fury asked.

“To become better.  Better than us.” Steve said. “He keeps building bodies.”

“Not just any type of body…. People bodies.” Buffy said.

“The human form is inefficient.  Biologically speaking, we’re outmoded.”

“But he keeps coming back to it.”

“When you two programmed him to protect the human race, you amazingly failed.” Natasha said.

Bruce, who had wandered from his corner, was staring at the picture that Lila had given Natasha. “They don’t need to be protected.” He said. “They need to evolve.  Ultron’s going to evolve.”

“How?” Fury asked.

“Has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho?”

 

 

 

 

Steve and Tony followed Buffy down the hallway towards the front door.  Buffy and Steve were back in their suits and ready for a fight.  They had a mission now.  They knew where Ultron was going to be and they were going after him again. “We’ll take Natasha and Clint.” Buffy said.

“All right.  Strictly recon, though, Summers.” Tony said. “I know you like that smash and crash fun, but let’s try to keep it at a minimum.”

“You just don’t want to miss the fun.”

Tony smirked. “I’ll hit the NEXUS and give Willow a hand.  Then I’ll join you as soon as I can.”

“If Ultron is really building a body….” Steve said.

“He’ll be more powerful than any of us.  Maybe all of us.  An android designed by a robot.”

“You know I really miss the days when the weirdest thing science ever created was me.”

Fury joined them in the hallway. “I’ll drop Banner off at the tower.  Do you mind if I borrow Ms. Hill?”

“She’s all yours, apparently.  What are you gonna do?”

Fury gave them a rare smile. “I don’t know.  Something dramatic, I hope.”

As he walked off, Buffy look up at Steve and Tony. “I don’t know about you boys, but it is kinda scary when Fury smiles.” She gave a dramatic shudder and walked down the hallway.

Tony stopped Steve from following her. “Hey, I just wanted to tell you…. I’m glad you two are ok.”

“Thanks.” Steve said.

“Things always seem better when you two are together.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more on that.”

Tony nodded and Steve gave him a grin before following Buffy out to the quinjet. “Have we heard from Thor?” Buffy was asking Natasha when he caught up.

“Nothing.” Natasha said.

“He’ll show.  He always does.” Steve said.

Chapter 14

Buffy and Steve hopped out of the quinjet onto the roof of U-Gin Genetic Research Labs in Seoul, South Korea.  They headed towards the roof access door as Barton flew the jet away. “Two minutes.  Stay close.” Steve said.

As they made their way down the stairs and got closer to Dr. Cho’s floor, Buffy cocked her head to the side. “I smell blood.  A lot of it.” They picked up their pace and rushed out of the stairwell.  Bodies were scattered throughout the hallway and they followed the trail to Dr. Cho’s lab.  They found her laying on the floor, propped up on a machine and bleeding heavily. “Dr. Cho!”

“He’s uploading himself into the body.” Helen said.

“Where?” Steve asked.

“The real power is inside the cradle.  The gem…. Its power is uncontainable.  You can’t just blow it up.  You have to get the cradle to Stark.”

“First we have to find it.”

“Go.”

“Did you guys copy that?” Buffy asked as she and Steve made their way out of the building.

“We did.” Barton answered. “Working on it.”

“I got a private jet taking off, across town, no manifest.  That could be him.” Natasha said.

“There.  It’s the truck from the lab.  Right above you guys.  On the loop by the bridge.  It’s them.  I got three with the cradle, one in the cab.  I could take out the driver.”

“Negative!” Steve said as he and Buffy climbed up the ladder to the overpass. “If that truck crashes, the gem could level the city.  We need to draw out Ultron.”

“Steve.” Buffy pointed to the truck getting ready to drive under them.  He nodded and they turned together, running across and jumping.  They landed on the roof of the truck and tumbled off the back.  Luckily they each caught a bar and were dangling off the back doors.  A blast of energy sent the doors outward and Buffy and Steve were sent outward in opposite directions.

Buffy grunted when the door crushed her against the side of the truck, but she didn’t let go.  Her door was stuck open, so she shimmied up the side of the truck and climbed on the roof again.  Steve had managed to swing his door back, but Ultron blasted it again and it flew off.  Steve held on as the door fell against the road and was dragged behind the truck.

“He’s definitely unhappy!  We need to try and keep him that way.” Steve said.

“You guys are no a match for him, Cap.” Barton said.

“Thanks, Barton.” Buffy said.  She jumped down into the truck, but Ultron blasted her and sent her flying.  She landed hard on a car’s windshield, shattering it.  The driver slammed on the brakes and Buffy flew off, rolling painfully to a stop.  She shook it off and stood up, ignoring the honking traffic behind her.  The truck was too far away from her now, so she looked around for transportation.  A motorcycle was parked on the side of the road and the owner was staring at her.  She marched over to him. “Hi.  Can I borrow this?” The guy blinked at her and she gave him a charming smile. “My boyfriend is fighting a crazy robot and I need to go help him.  So, I need your bike.” She mimed everything she had just said to the best of her abilities and smiled again.  He handed the keys over to her and she hopped on.  On impulse, she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, guy.” Revving the engine, Buffy took off after the truck and Steve.

“You know what’s in that cradle?” Ultron could be heard from Steve’s comm. “The power to make real change, and that terrifies you.”

“I wouldn’t call it a comfort.” Steve responded.

“Barton, where are they?” Buffy asked.

“Are you mobile?” Barton responded.

“Borrowed a bike.”

“I see you.  Keep on your heading.  I’ll direct you.” 

“I don’t see them.  Did they turn?” Buffy spotted Steve’s shield lying in the street.  She activated her gloves and called it to her as she rode past it.  She caught it with one hand and attached it to her scythe’s harness on her back. “Steve, what have I told you about leaving your shield just laying around?”

“They’re heading under the overpass.” Barton said. “I’ve got no shot.”

“Which way?”

“Hard right…. Now.”

Buffy took the hard right, cutting off multiple cars. “Sorry!” She yelled over her shoulder as she dodged pedestrians and finally came out next to the truck. “Hi honey!  I brought you something.” She tossed Steve his shield and Ultron blasted the street in front of her.  She hit the brakes hard and swerved to a stop, thanking Steve for his lessons.  Turns out she was a better driver on a motorcycle than she was in a car.

“Coming through!” Buffy looked over to see Natasha zoom past her on her motorcycle from the quinjet.  Turning the bike, Buffy revved it and took off after them. “Thought you could use some backup down here.”

“Thanks.” They both started dodging out of the way of cars and the two guards in the back of the truck shooting energy at them.  Ultron tackled Steve and the two of them flew off into a train that was speeding past next to the road.

“You take Steve.” Natasha said. “I’ll work on these guys.”

“Check.” Buffy said, moving closer to the train.  She kept her eyes peeled for a way onto the train without effectively making herself a pancake. 

An opportunity provided itself with an overpass right next to the train.  She rode up it then jumped off the bike and over the concrete barrier on the side.  Landing hard, she began to roll until the blade of her scythe caught on the metal and changed her direction.  Her reflexes kicked in and she caught the bar just as she went over the side of the train, stopping herself from flying off the train completely.

Shimming over to a door, she let go with one hand and worked to pry the door open.  People on the train came over and helped to open the doors completely.  They pulled Buffy safely into the car and the doors shut behind her.  She thanked them as they pointed her towards where Steve and Ultron were battling it out.  Running through the train, she finally found the combatants.  Ultron’s back was to her as he faced off against Steve.

Buffy reached up and grabbed the handles above her and swung forward, kicking Ultron in the back and sending him flying past Steve and into the next car. “You made it!” Steve said with a grin.

“Sorry it took me so long.” Buffy said.  Steve grabbed her and shoved her behind him as he brought his shield up.  The energy blast from Ultron sent them skidding back. “I need to get around him.  If we can keep his attention divided, we might stand a chance.” Ultron grabbed Steve’s shield and threw him backwards.

“Got it!” Steve called, landing in a roll and popping to his feet behind Ultron.

“It always surprises me how tiny you actually are.” Ultron said to her.

“That’s what you focus on?” Buffy asked. “Not the hair or the outfit?” She didn’t give him a chance to answer as she attacked.  Ultron caught on quick to Buffy and Steve’s game and shot energy out of each hand at them.  As they fell back, Pietro Maximoff showed up and knocked Ultron back.  As Ultron went to attack, Wanda Maximoff pulled the bars down from the roof and blocked him using her powers.

“Please.  Don’t do this.” Ultron begged Wanda.

“What choice do we have?” Wanda asked.

Ultron turned and shot energy at Pietro and Buffy.  Pietro grabbed Buffy and moved her out of the way as Ultron flew out of the hole that he and Steve had created in the side of the train.  Buffy turned and followed the large hole through the train that Ultron’s energy blast had made.  Steve was right behind her.  They found the conductor sitting in his seat, dead.

“We lost him!” Steve said. “He’s headed your way!”

“You guys see Nat?” Barton asked.

“If you have the package, get it to Stark!  Go!”

“Do you have eyes on Nat?”

“Go!” Buffy and Steve yelled.

The train was headed for the end of the line and easily smashed through the barrier.  Buffy turned to look at Pietro. “There’s civilians in our path.” Pietro sped off and Buffy turned to Wanda. “Can you stop this thing?”
They barreled into a warehouse and Steve threw his shield up to block the incoming debris, grabbing Buffy around the waist and pulling her tight against him.  Wanda threw her hands down towards the floor and the train began to slow.  Pietro kept the people out of the way of the train as it finally ground to a halt in a street it was never meant to be on.
Steve finally put the shield down and looked at Buffy. “You ok?” She had a cut on her forehead and cheek, but beyond that she looked ok.

“Yeah.  You?” Buffy asked, still holding onto him.

He hefted the shield. “Trusty shield.”

“Trusty witch with a super fast brother.” Buffy said, looking out the window and where Wanda had joined her brother.

“I’m fine.  I just need to take a minute.” He was saying as Buffy and Steve stepped out to join them.

“I’m very tempted not to give you one.” Steve said.

“The cradle, did you get it?” Wanda asked them.

“Stark will take care of it.”

“No, he won’t.”

“Tony’s not crazy.” Buffy said. “Entirely.” She added to herself.

“He will do anything to make things right.”

Steve sighed. “Stark, come in.  Stark?  Anyone on comms?”

“Ultron can’t tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it.  Where do you think he gets that?”

Buffy and Steve exchanged looks before she sighed. “We need to call Willow.”

 

 

Buffy, Steve, Pietro, and Wanda all shook their heads as the world came back into focus.  Willow had teleported them from Korea to New York. “Sorry.  It’s a little disorienting.” Willow said to them.

“A little?” Buffy asked.

“Give it a minute.”

“We don’t have a minute.” Buffy stood up and shook herself again.  They could hear Bruce and Tony in the lab.

“This framework is not compatible.” Tony said.

“The genetic coding tower’s at ninety-seven percent.” Bruce said. “You have got to upload that schematic in the next three minutes.”

“I’m gonna say this once.” Steve said as he, Buffy, Wanda, Pietro, and Willow entered the lab.

“How about ‘nonce’?” Tony said.
“Shut it down.”

“Nope, not gonna happen.”

“You don’t know what you’re doing.” Buffy said.

“And you do?  She’s not in your head?” Bruce asked.

“I know you’re angry….” Wanda said.

“Oh, we’re way past that.  I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade.”

“Banner, after everything that’s happened….” Steve started.

“That’s nothing compared to what’s coming!” Tony snapped.

“You don’t know what’s in there!” Wanda yelled.

“This isn’t a game!” Buffy said.

“The creature….”

Willow suddenly turned white and when she shot her hands out, all of the power circuits connected to the cradle snapped in half.  Tony went to one of the computers to check the backup system.  Steve threw his shield and it bounced off every computer in the room, frying the circuits.  Tony called on his suit’s arm and shot energy at Steve, sending him flying back.  Pietro fell through the glass of the floor.  Barton had shot the glass out from below and kicked Pietro after he landed.

Buffy moved over to Tony and he turned to blast her.  She ducked under and turned, grabbing his arm and slamming her elbow into his face.  While he was disoriented, she ripped the Iron Man arm off of Tony’s hand.  The pieces of it fell to the floor and Buffy flipped Tony over her.  He landed hard on his back, the wind flying out of him, and she pinned him with her foot.

Bruce had grabbed Wanda in a head lock and was holding her back. “Go ahead, piss me off.”

Suddenly, Thor appeared on top of the cradle.  He used his hammer to call down lightning and hit the cradle with his hammer.  Bolts of lightning surged through the cradle and it exploded, sending Thor flying backwards.  Buffy covered Tony from the debris and looked back to see a body emerge from the remnants of the cradle.

Thor got to his feet and the purple and metal body attacked him.  They flew through the window down into the apartment below.  Buffy and Steve were the first ones to react and jumped through the window after them.  Thor held his hand up to stop them as the body from the cradle hovered in front of the window.  A suit suddenly appeared on the body and it flew over to stand by Thor.

“I’m sorry, that was…. Odd.” The thing said with JARVIS’s voice. “Thank you.” It grew a gold cape after studying Thor’s cape.

“Thor, you helped create this?” Steve asked.

“I had a vision.” Thor said as everyone one else made their way into the apartment. “A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life and at its center is that.” He pointed to the gem inside the thing’s head.

“What, the gem?” Bruce asked.

“It’s the Mind Stone.  It’s one of the six Infinity Stones, the greatest power in the universe, unparalleled in its destructive capabilities.”

“Then why would you bring it to….” Buffy started.

“Because Stark is right.”

“Oh, it’s definitely the end times.” Bruce said.

“The Avengers cannot defeat Ultron.”

“Not alone.” The thing said.

“Why does your ‘vision’ sound like JARVIS?” Buffy asked.

“We reconfigured JARVIS’s matrix to create something new.” Tony said.

“I think I’ve had my fill of new.” Steve said.

“You think I’m a child of Ultron?” The vision asked Steve.

“You’re not?” Willow asked.

“I’m not Ultron.  I’m not JARVIS.  I am…. I am.”

Wanda stepped towards the vision. “I looked in your head and saw annihilation.”

“Look again.”

“Yeah.  Her seal of approval means jack to me.” Barton said.

“Their powers, the horrors in our heads, Ultron himself, they all came from the Mind Stone, and they’re nothing compared to what it can unleash.” Thor said. “But with it on our side….”

“Is it?” Buffy asked.  She turned to the vision. “Are you on our side?”

“I don’t think it’s that simple.” The vision said.

“Well it better get real simple real soon.” Barton said.

“I am on the side of life.  Ultron isn’t.  He will end it all.”

“What’s he waiting for?” Tony asked.

“You.”

“Where?” Bruce asked.

“Sokovia.  He’s got Nat there too.” Barton said.

“If we’re wrong about you…. If you’re the monster that Ultron made you to be….”

“What will you do?” The vision asked, genuinely confused. “I don’t want to kill Ultron.  He’s unique, and he’s in pain.  But that pain will roll over the earth, so he must be destroyed.  Every form he’s built, every trace of his presence on the net…. We have to act now.  And not one of us can do it without the others.  Maybe I am a monster.  I don’t think I’d know if I were one.  I’m not what you are and not what you intended.  So there may be no way to make you trust me.  But we need to go.” He held up Thor’s hammer and handed it to Thor before walking off.

Everyone stared in shock.  It was Thor that came to first. “Right.” He said. “Well done.”

“Five minutes.  Get what you need.” Steve said.

 

 

Buffy stood out on the balcony staring out over the city.  She’d fixed her hair back into her long ponytail and had replenished all of her ammo and tranq darts.  Steve walked up behind her and stood next to her. “You ready for this?” Buffy asked him.

“There’s just one thing I need to do before we leave.” Steve said.

“What’s that?” She turned to him to find that he was down on one knee and holding a diamond ring.  It was small, maybe a half carat, princess cut on a simple white gold band.

“When I first wanted to tell you that I loved you, you told me to wait until after we made it through the battle at the Triskelion.  You said it would give us something to fight for.  I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a while, and now may not be the best time for it, but I thought it would give us something to fight for.” Buffy blinked and tears fell down her cheeks.  Instead of asking the question, Steve shook his head. “That wasn’t very romantic.  And we just talked about how we’re not ready to settle down.  I should’ve waited….” He stood up, but she grabbed his arm before he could walk off.

“Ask me.”

A corner of his mouth twitched. “Buffy, will you marry me?”

She reached up and kissed him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck saying “yes” over and over.  They laughed between kisses and Steve picked her up off her feet for a moment.  He finally managed to take her glove off and slip the ring on her left ring finger.

“I’m sorry it’s not bigger or prettier or….” Steve started.
“It’s perfect.  This is perfect.  You’re perfect.” She laughed and kissed him again.

“I love you.”

“I love you.” She kissed him again and he lifted her off her feet. “You know, all of our major relationship milestones center around battles.”

“So we should plan the wedding around the next major battle, then?”

Buffy shook her head and laughed as he kissed her again. “And just so we’re clear, getting married isn’t settling down.  We can be married and still be Captain America and the Slayer.  Maybe I’ll change my name to Mrs. America.  Ha!  Suck it beauty queens.”

“They don’t hold a candle to you.”

“You’re bias.”

He chuckled as he watched her admire the ring. “Are you sure the ring is ok?  You don’t want anything…. More?”

“It’s perfect, Steve.  I love it.” She looked up at him and he couldn’t help but kiss her again.

Finally they made their way back into the apartment where Tony was waiting with Willow. “I get first crack at the big guy.” He said. “Iron Man’s the one he’s waiting for.”

The vision walked by saying, “That’s true.  He hates you the most.”

Buffy grinned at Tony’s agitated face. “You know, I’m really starting to like him.” She turned to look at Willow as Tony and Steve made their way to the quinjet. “You in on this?”

“Yeah.” Willow shrugged. “Sounds like fun…. Being an Avenger for a day.”

The blonde shrugged. “It’s not that exciting.  Just Steve or myself giving inspirational speeches and us kicking ass and taking names.”

“Well, I haven’t helped stop an apocalypse in a while.  It’ll be like old times.” Willow looked around at Steve and Buffy’s suits. “I feel like I should probably be dressed in something a little more badass.” She snapped her fingers and her long skirt and blue T-shirt turned into a superhero costume worthy of a Halloween store.  It even had a little cape on it.  Buffy laughed and Willow shook her head. “Nope.  It’s just not me.” She snapped her fingers again and dark jeans, knee high boots, a dark green sweater, and a brown leather coat appeared in the costume’s place.

“Better.” Buffy linked her arm with Willow’s and they headed for the quinjet.

“Ultron knows we’re coming.” Steve said when the two women joined them. “Odds are we’ll be riding into heavy fire and that’s what we signed up for.  But the people of Sokovia, they didn’t.  So our priority is getting them out.  All they want is to live their lives in peace and that’s not going to happen today.  But we can do our best to protect them.  And we can get the job done and find out what Ultron’s been building.  We find Romanoff and we clear the field.  Keep the fight between us.  Ultron thinks we’re monsters and we’re what’s wrong with the world.  This isn’t just about beating him.  It’s about whether he’s right.”

“You’re right.” Willow said quietly to Buffy as Barton sent the quinjet into the air. “That was very inspirational.”

“Do me a favor?” Buffy asked her. “Talk to Wanda and see what you two can do together?  Maybe give her some advice since you’re the big bad witch on this ride?” Willow nodded and walked over to talk with Wanda.

Buffy moved up to stand behind Barton and watch the scenery whip by.  Tony appeared next to her and he nudged her with his shoulder. “Is that a new ring on a very important finger I see, Summers?”

“Maybe.” Buffy said, putting her gloves on.

“Bout time.” Barton said without looking away from the controls.

“Congratulations.” Tony said sincerely.

Buffy looked up at him. “Thank you.  Hey, sorry about….” She reached up and gently touched the place on his jaw where she’d elbowed him.

Tony shrugged. “It was fair.  I shouldn’t have tried to shoot you.  You were just trying to prevent any more damage from happening.”

“Yeah.  Testosterone poisoning is a deadly thing.” She smiled up at him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze.

“Don’t ever change, Summers.”

“You getting fresh with my fiancée, Stark?” Steve asked, appearing behind Tony.
Tony turned to look at him, dropping his arm from Buffy’s shoulders. “You know, it is seriously about time you put a ring on it.  I was starting to get worried that she was going to have to ask you.” He grinned. “Congratulations, you two.  If we make it through this, I’m throwing you an engagement party.”

“That’s the only party you get to throw.” Buffy retorted. “I don’t trust you with anything else.”

 

 

Buffy and Steve took the bridge out of Sokovia, helping pedestrians to cross over.  The cars had jammed the bridge and traffic was at a crawl, but they were still moving at least.  Willow and Wanda were using their combined powers to get the residents of Sokovia to evacuate their city.  Tony was looking for Ultron while Bruce was looking for Natasha.  Thor was working on finding whatever Ultron was using the vibranium for.  Things seemed to be going fairly smoothly, which meant that something was going to happen soon. 

Suddenly, pandemonium ensued as the Iron Legion began to attack.  They crawled up from the river and through the streets.  People screamed and tried to run.  Buffy and Steve worked to get past them to defend not only themselves, but the fleeing people.  The ground below them began to shake and lift upwards.  The bridge broke in half and the cars that had been idling there fell.

The Iron Legion was still coming, though, so they had no time to think about what was happening with the city.  Steve picked one of the robots up and tossed it towards Buffy.  She turned, using her scythe to cut it in two before impaling another with the wooden end.  They had a break in attacks and walked over to the edge of the broken bridge.

“That’s new.” Buffy said.

“You’ve never seen a city take flight?” Steve asked.

“Nope.  I’ve literally been to hell and back twice and I’ve fought Dracula himself, but a flying city is a first for me.”

Suddenly one of the Iron Legion tackled Steve and threw him back about 300 yards where he smashed into a car. “Cap, you guys got incoming.”

“Incoming already came in.” Buffy said, running to help Steve.

“Stark, you worry about bringing the city back down safely.” Steve said. “The rest of us have one job: tear these things apart.  You get hurt, hurt ’em back.  You get killed, follow Buffy’s lead and walk it off.”

“Why’d you have to name drop me on that last one?” Buffy asked, helping him down off the car before decapitating a robot behind her.

“You’re the one that’s died twice.” He smirked at her as he threw his shield, bouncing it off three oncoming robots.  They took those out quickly and ran back to the bridge where a scream for help could be heard. 

A woman in a red, topless car and two guys in a green car were about to fall off the crumbling bridge.  Steve went after the red car, grabbing the bumper, while Buffy jumped up onto the green car and shattered the back window.  One guy managed to climb out before the car fell.  Buffy threw the other guy and Steve caught him, helping him climb up as he watched Buffy fall with the green car.  She wasn’t quite sure how she was going to survive until Thor suddenly showed up.  He saved the woman from the red car first, throwing her up to Steve, before flying down to Buffy.  He snatched her up against his side and flew her back up to the bridge and Steve.

Steve pulled her to him in a tight hug.  She could feel his heart racing against her cheek even through his suit. “Sorry.” Buffy said. “I thought I would have time to jump off before it fell too far.” She looked at Thor. “Nice timing.”

“Try not to fall off again.” Thor said as they got back to work taking out the Iron Legion.

“Do my best.” Buffy twirled her scythe in a deadly ballet, taking off arms, legs, heads, and pieces of robot torso.  Every so often, she and Steve would switch.  He would call her scythe to him after she threw it and she would call his shield.  They switched back just before Thor blew up a fuel truck, sending robot parts everywhere.  Buffy rolled into Steve and he blocked the debris from hitting them with the shield.  Suddenly Ultron showed up and took off with Thor.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Buffy said, dodging another robot.

“Romanoff!” Steve spotted Natasha running up to them and threw his shield at her.  She threw it up in front of her to protect herself from the attacking robot before Buffy swooped in and cut it in half.

“Thanks.”

“All right, we’re all clear here.” Barton said in their earpieces.

“We are not clear!” Steve retorted. “We are very not clear!”

“All right, coming to you.”

“Where are you guys?” Willow asked.  She’d been given a comm unit for her ear and it was the first time she’d used it.

“Still near the bridge.” Buffy said.  A moment later, Willow appeared above them bathed in white.  She threw out her arms and the robots around them fell apart.

“Nice!” Natasha said. “Why doesn’t she hang out with us more often?”

“I’ve been a little busy.” Willow said, landing next to them.

They started working on escorting the people still stuck in the city into a nearby school building.  Buffy and Steve stopped for a minute out in the playground to catch their breaths and realized that they were in the clouds. “The next wave’s gonna hit any minute.” Steve said. “What have you got, Stark?”

“Well, nothing great.” Tony responded. “Maybe a way to blow up the city.  That’ll keep it from impacting the surface if you guys can get clear.”

“I asked for a solution, not an escape plan.”

“Impact radius is getting bigger every second.  We’re going to have to make a choice.”

Buffy sighed. “These people are going nowhere.  If Tony finds a way to blow the city….”

“Not till everyone’s safe.” Steve said.

“Everyone up here versus everyone down there?  It’s a no brainer.”

“I’m not leaving this rock with one civilian on it.”

“I didn’t say we should leave.” Buffy slipped her hand into his. “There’s worse ways to go.  I’m surrounded by friends.  I’ve got you at my side.  And where else am I gonna get a view like this?”

“Glad you like the view, Summers.” Fury’s voice sounded in their coms. “It’s about to get better.” Just then a Helicarrier showed up in front of them. “Nice, right?  I pulled her out of mothballs with a couple of old friends.  She’s dusty, but she’ll do.”

“Fury, you son of a bitch.” Steve said.

“Oooh!  You kiss your mother with that mouth?”

“Altitude is eighteen thousand and climbing.” Maria Hill said.

“Lifeboats secure to deploy.” Another familiar voice said. “Disengage in three, two…. Take ’em out.”

“Hello Riley Finn.” Buffy said. “Good to see you back in action.”

“Couldn’t let you have all the fun.” Riley responded.

Pietro showed up next to Buffy and Steve and looked at the Helicarrier deploying ships to rescue the civilians. “This is SHIELD?” He asked.

“This is what SHIELD’s supposed to be.” Steve said.

“This is not so bad.”

“Let’s load ’em up.”

Pietro moved off to start loading people into one of the landing life boats as Buffy and Steve started loading them into a second ship.  Willow was with Natasha loading people onto a ship further down.  They moved quickly to get everyone safely on before sending the ship back to the Helicarrier.

“I got it!” Tony said. “Create a heat seal.  I can…. I can supercharge the spire from below.”

“Running numbers.” FRIDAY said.  He’d uploaded a new AI to replace JARVIS since JARVIS was now the Vision. “A heat seal could work with enough power.”

“Thor, I got a plan!”

“We’re out of time.” Thor said. “They’re coming for the core.”

“Rhodey, get the rest of the people on board that carrier.”

“On it.” Rhodes said.

“Apparently Rhodes joined the party.” Buffy said to Steve.

“Avengers, time to work for a living.” Tony said.

“Guess that’s our cue to join Thor.” Steve said.  They made sure the last of the people from the school were loaded onto the ship before taking off to join Thor and the Vision at the church in the center of town.

Natasha and Barton were the only ones missing. “Romanoff?  You and Banner better not be playing hide the zucchini.” Tony said.

“Relax, shell-head.  Not all of us can fly.” Natasha said.  She and Barton appeared a few moments later riding in a large snow plow truck with robot parts piled up around it. “What’s the drill?”

Tony pointed to the Vibranium core. “This is the drill.  If Ultron gets a hand on the core, we lose.”

Buffy looked at the core and Willow joined her. “I can create a protection spell around it, but I can’t divide my attention from it.  I need to be focused on the protection spell to keep it in tact.” Willow said.

Buffy looked around, but there weren’t any Iron Legion to be fight quite yet.  They’d either made a serious impact, or the worst was yet to come.  The Hulk showed up, ripping a robot in half.  Ultron appeared behind him, floating down from the sky.

“Is that the best you can do?” Thor yelled at him.

Ultron just held up a hand and a very large army of robots began swarming in behind him.  Steve sighed and shot a glare at Thor. “You had to ask.”

“This is the best I can do.  This is exactly what I wanted, all of you against all of me.  How can you possibly hope to stop me?”

“Well, like the old man said.” Tony said. “Together.” The Hulk roared as the Iron Legion attacked.

“Hate to lose you, but that needs protection.” Buffy said to Willow. “Do it.”

Willow stepped in to stand next to the core and her eyes went milky white.  Her hair changed from red to white and a crackling bubble of energy went up around her. “Neat.” Tony said appreciatively before turning to the oncoming swarm.

Buffy and Steve moved back to back and began their deadly dance.  Robot parts began flying around them.  The horde was beginning to thin out and finally Tony, Thor, and the Vision brought Ultron to his knees.

“You know, with the benefit of hindsight….” Ultron said.

Suddenly the Hulk smashed his fist into Ultron and sent him flying into the sun.  He turned to look at the Iron Legion that had been at the back of the fray and they turned and ran.

“They’ll try to leave the city.” Thor said.

“We can’t let them.” Tony said. “Not even one.  Rhodey!”

“I’m on it.”

The Vision flew off to help and Steve turned to the others as Willow dropped her protection spell. “We gotta move out.  Even I can tell the air is getting thin.  You guys get to the boats, Buffy and I’ll sweep for stragglers, be right behind you.”

“What about the core?” Barton asked.

“I’ve got it.” Willow said. “I’ll put the spell back up and when you guys give me the all clear, I’ll teleport out of here.”

“Nat, let’s go.” Barton and Natasha turned and headed out.

“Are you sure, Will?” Buffy asked, moving up to her best friend.

“Yeah.  This has been super exciting and I wanna finish it.” Willow said. “I’ll meet you afterwards.”

“I’ll stay.” Wanda said, stepping up when Buffy looked hesitant to leave. “No one will get near her.”

“She’s pretty awesome with her powers.”

“You two better be on that Helicarrier when this goes down.” Buffy warned.

“We definitely will.” Willow said. “And by the way, next time your boyfriend pops the question, you better make sure I’m the first person you tell.  Not Tony.”

“Sorry.  I was planning on telling everyone after we got out of this mess.  Tony noticed the ring before I could get my gloves on.”

Willow smiled. “We’ll talk about it later.  Go!”

Buffy sighed and she and Steve ran off to check all of the buildings.  They split up and finally met near the school.  Thor was waiting there for them.  Tony requested Thor’s presence back at the church, but Thor decided to wait.

“Is this the last of them?” Thor asked.

“Yeah.” Steve said. “Everyone else is on the carrier.”

“You know, if this works, we maybe don’t walk away.” Tony’s voice said over their comms.

“Maybe not.” Thor said.

“I vote you all get your asses to the carrier.” Buffy said.

Suddenly the quinjet flew overheard and bullets started flying.  Steve grabbed Buffy to him and threw the shield up.  She growled as she felt one of the bullets slide across her shin.  Her leg automatically drew up and she kneed Steve in the ribs by accident.  He yelped, but kept her close until the shooting stopped.  Thor took off and Steve looked down at Buffy.

“Why do I always end up shot?” She asked.

Steve leaned down, wincing slightly at his bruised ribs, and examined her shin. “It’s a deep graze.”

“It was still from a bullet and I’m still bleeding from it.”

“Can you walk?”

“Let’s find out.” Steve helped her to her feet and they turned to see Pietro lying on the ground with Barton kneeling next to him. “Oh no….” She allowed Steve to half carry her over.  There was a little boy coming to behind them. “I can walk.” Steve let her go and she limped over to the little boy. “Hey buddy.” She smiled at him. “Let’s get you on that boat, huh?” The little boy nodded and Buffy lifted him up in her arms.  Steve picked Pietro’s body up and Barton limped behind them as they made their way towards a boat.  Buffy handed the little boy over to his mother, who was crying his name, and turned to Barton. “You’ve been hit.”

“I’m fine.” Barton said, sitting down heavily. “You’ve been hit, too.” He pointed at her shin and scooted over.

“Don’t worry about it.” Buffy waved him away. “Get some rest, Clint.” She limped over to Steve who was standing at the edge of the landing gear.  There were no more people loading on the ship.  Everyone was off the rock.  Which was great because somehow the core was activated and the rock began to fall.  Buffy managed to catch Steve and haul him up on ship.  His weight hit her and her injured leg refused to hold both their weights, so they tumbled backwards.  Steve quickly rolled off her and Buffy took a moment to get air back in her lungs.  Then she remembered that her best friend was still on the now falling rock. “Willow, come in!” She said into her com.

“Don’t worry.  I’m on the Helicarrier.” Willow said. “What happened?  Do you have Wanda?”

“You don’t have her?”

“She screamed and ran off suddenly.  Tony told me to get off the rock just before it started falling.”
“I’ve got her.” The Vision said in their ears.

Buffy laid her head down on Steve’s chest, letting out a relieved sigh, and he wrapped his arms around her. “I wanna sleep for, like, three months.”

“Sounds like a great plan.” Steve said.

Suddenly the rock that was Sokovia exploded.  Steve’s grip tightened on her as the ship rocked with the force of the explosion down below.  When it steadied, both Buffy and Steve moved to the edge to see if they could see Thor or Tony.  There was a lot of debris, but no sign of either man.

“Tony?  Thor?” Buffy said into her com. “Both of you better answer me.”

“Don’t worry, Summers.” Tony’s voice finally said. “I’m alive, so you two’ll get your engagement party.”

“Did Rogers finally get the nerve to pop the question?” Fury asked. “About damn time.”

“Tony, where’s Thor?” Buffy asked, ignoring Fury.

“I’m looking for him now.” It felt like hours before Tony finally found Thor. “Heading your way.”

The rescue ship docked inside the Helicarrier and Steve helped Buffy up. “Let’s get your leg patched up.”

 

 

Buffy met up with Steve, Thor, and Tony as they walked past her office at the new HQ.  Thor was getting ready to leave and Tony had come to say goodbye.  Steve and Buffy were in their Avengers uniforms since they were getting ready to take the new Avengers team out for some training.

“Maria, make sure when group C arrives this afternoon, they gets down to Willow ASAP.” Buffy said into her phone as she fell into step next to Steve. “She’s got their bunk assignments.” She hung up. “What are we talking about?”

“The Vision.” Tony said.

“The rules have changed.” Steve said, continuing the conversation.

“We’re dealing with something new.”

“Well, the Vision’s artificial intelligence.”

“A machine.”

“So it doesn’t count.”

“No.  It’s not like a person lifting the hammer.”

“Right.  Different rules for us.”

“Nice guy, but artificial.”

“Thank you.”

“If he can wield the hammer, he can keep the Mind Stone.” Thor said. “It’s safe with the Vision and these days, safe is in short supply.”

“But if you put the hammer in an elevator….”

“It would still go up.” Tony said.

“Elevator’s not worthy.”

Buffy looked up at Thor. “How long have they been arguing about this?”

“They were arguing about it when I joined them.” Thor said. “How do you manage to put up with these two?”

“Skill.”

“I’m going to miss these little talks of ours.”

“Not if you don’t leave.”

“I have no choice.  The Mind Stone is the fourth of the Infinity Stones to show up in the last few years.  That’s not a coincidence.  Someone has been playing an intricate game and has made pawns of us.  But once all these pieces are in position….”

“Triple Yahtzee?” Tony asked.

“You think you can find out what’s coming?” Steve asked.

“I do.  Besides this one,” Thor patted Tony’s chest with a chuckle. “There’s nothing that can’t be explained.” He took Buffy’s hand and kissed her knuckles, nodded to Tony and Steve, and called down the rainbow bridge to return to Asgard, leaving a burnt circle in the grass he’d been standing on.

“That man has no regard for lawn maintenance.” Tony said. “I’m gonna miss him though.  And you two are gonna miss me.”

“Who says?” Buffy asked as she and Steve followed Tony to his car.

“I says.”

She nodded. “And what will you be doing while we’re missing you?”

“Well, it’s time for me to tap out.  Maybe I’ll take a page out of Barton’s book and build Pepper a farm, hope nobody blows it up.”

“The simple life.” Steve said.

“You two’ll get there one day.”

Buffy and Steve exchanged looks. “I don’t know…. Family, stability, a normal life…. The guy who wanted all that went in the ice seventy-five years ago.  I think someone else came out.”

“Well, I personally like that someone else.” Buffy said.

“You two going to be all right?” Tony asked.

“That’s one thing I do know for sure.  Our lives are never going to be simple, but we’ll be all right.” 

“We’ve got plenty of time to figure out what our version of normal life is and we’ll do it together.” Steve said. “For now….” A group of Slayers jogged by with a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives. “We’re home.”

“Call me when you’re ready for that engagement party.” Tony said, hugging Buffy tightly before getting in his car and driving off.

“Don’t tell him I said this, but I’m going to miss him.” Steve said, wrapping an arm around Buffy’s shoulders as they turned to head back into HQ.

She smiled. “I know.”

They headed towards the aircraft hanger and found Natasha standing outside of it. “You want to keep staring at the wall, or do you want to go to work?” Steve asked. “I mean, it’s a pretty interesting wall.”

“I thought you and Tony were still gazing into each other’s eyes while Buffy was rolling hers.” Natasha retorted. “How do we look?”

“Well, we’re not the ’27 Yankees.”

“We’ve got some hitters.”

“They’re good.  They’re not a team yet.”

“Let’s beat ’em into shape.” Buffy said as they walked through the doors into the hanger.  Rhodes was there in his War Machine suit, Sam was in his Falcon gear flying around, Wanda had red energy crackling around her hands as she practiced levitating, and the Vision floated down to stand next to her.

“Avengers…!” Steve started.

All stories are written by BuffyL. I don't own any of the Buffy/Angel/Marvel characters. If you want to use my work, please ask me.

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