Archive of Our Own

"Today were are here in Sinmaga Africa in the village of Kamari in a third world country that has been picked as the village to do the trial run for billionaire Tony Stark’s project Save The World. The first step in this project is to make sure all the villagers are healthy. The examination for all villagers will start today," Kitty Gabaldon reported.

The image disappeared once she pushed the off button. Natasha stood up with the help of the couch arm. It had been six months since they were captured and experimented on. She hoped her children as well as Jillian’s and Lana’s children were okay. There was no telling what would happen with their children since they were a product of the experimental gas they had been given.

After she used the bathroom the next stop would be the Medical Bay. Clint was there with his brother Barney. Barney had rescued them, but not before getting injured. He was now in a coma, and all they could do was wait.

Natasha let out a sigh as she used the bathroom; she knew it wouldn't be long before she had to do it again. She didn't mind it at all; there were two beings growing inside of her. They were Clint's children. Their relationship had deepened since the incident. Things were good for her. The only thing was that Director Fury had put her on desk duty until their children came. It was the right thing to do since she didn't want to lose her children. If she did it would devastate both Clint and herself.

Natasha made her way over to the room where Barney was. When she got there she saw both Clint and Lana at his side. She also saw a bassinet in the corner. She knew Brandon was probably asleep in the bassinet. Natasha could tell Clint and Lana were talking. She decided to go for a little walk to give them time to finish their conversation. She turned around and walked down the hall away from the room.

"Lana, I’m glad you’re taking care of yourself. I feel responsible for what happened to you. If we hadn’t stopped at your place then what happened wouldn't have happened to you." Clint said.

"Clint it's not your fault. Those guys would have gotten to you, one way or another. I am not sure what I am going to do now. I am going to have to find a new job. They have already gave my seat to someone else. This has changed my life. Phil is gone, I am not trying to fall in love again. I have to find a job to support both my children," Lana told him, as she laid a hand on her swollen stomach.

"Lana, you know I am here to help you any way I can," Clint told her. He knew what had been done to them months ago had had a lasting effect for those who were captured. The Winter Soldier had been caught. They were trying to get him to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. So far it was harder than they expected. He knew the Winter Soldier was going to be on their side soon.

Right now, he wanted to be there for his sister and brother. He was the middle child in the family, and Lana was the youngest. He had to admit he hadn’t been there for them for a little while. Of course since this had happened, it would be best if he had more time to spend time with them. Since Natasha was pregnant things were different now. She was stuck on desk duty. She had asked to be put on desk duty because the children were the top priority for her.

“Thank you, Clint. I know it will take time to get through this.” Lana said, as she looked over at Barney.

“You’re welcome. I am going to be spending more time with you. I will help you in any way I can.”

“Thank you ,Clint. I am glad you will be spending more time with your family,” Lana said. Clint nodded. He knew it wasn’t safe for Lana to be anywhere near the Winter Soldier. However which way you looked at it, he had raped her. Against his will and hers, but even so.

“I know. I just needed to get on with my life. I am still seeing a counselor for what happened to me. I am going to face him soon," Lana quietly said.

“I know you will get past this. I am sorry it happened to you. When you do go to see him please let me know, I need to be there to make sure you’re okay,” Clint said. It would be nice if things went better with his life. His life was good, but it would be better if Barney was awake and back to his usual self. Clint knew there was a possibility that it wouldn’t happen and they needed to be ready to accept that if it turned out to be what happened.

Lana nodded her head.

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Directory Fury looked at the Winter Soldier. He looked into the room. They hadn’t made a lot of progress with him. So far there wasn’t anything he could give which would help them. Fury knew the Winter Soldier would be on their side soon, though. It had been six months since the man was captured.

Fury knew things weren’t as good as they could be at the moment. Lana Barton was the one who had been caught up in this whole situation. Now he hoped Lana might help to sway the Winter Soldier to their side. It was a long shot, but they needed to have the Winter Soldier to their side.

James Buchanan Barnes sat on the floor of the bare room. There wasn’t anything he could do. All he really could do was exercise at the moment. Of course he did get visitors at times, but they were there to interrogate him or to try and get them on their side.

Steve stopped by to talk to him, but that was only for a few minutes at each visit. As the time went by Steve stayed longer and longer each visit. They didn’t talk too much, and it was because he didn’t want to talk. Steve understood that and he didn’t push it.

Bucky started to do pushups. He needed to keep up with fitness since it was the only thing he could do at the moment. It was going to keep him active for the moment. Bucky was thinking that it might be a good idea to switch sides. To be on the side of good with Steve would be a good thing. Once he was on the side of good then maybe he could atone for some of the evil deeds he had done but couldn’t remember. Being on the side of good might be a good start. It would come with a clean slate so to speak.

When Fury came in the next time he would talk to him about being on the side of good.

Fury decided to try one more time and sway The Winter Soldier to the side of good. He straightened up and then he headed into the room. He saw the Winter Soldier doing pushups. When Bucky realized who had walked into the room he stopped.

“What do you want?” Bucky asked.

“I am going to give you a chance to join our side and be an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. What is your answer?”

“Yes, I will join. I have conditions, though.”

“What are those conditions?”

“One, I stay at the Avengers Tower. Twol I have a clean slate.”

“That’s all?”

“Yes. Those are the only two conditions I have.”

“How do I know you won’t betray us?”

“You have my word. I am not going to do anything to jeopardize my relationship with my best friend.”

Fury studied him for a minute. He decided to take Bucky’s word for it, for now. If he did break his word then he would be put in a place where no one would find him. The Winter Soldier would be out of action for a very long time.

“Okay, but if you get out of line then I will send you somewhere where no one will find you.”

Bucky looked straight at Fury.

“Understood, sir,” Bucky said, as he stopped with the push ups and stood. He shook Fury’s hand and the deal was made. It was official.

Fury let go of his hand and he left the room. Bucky went back to exercising. He would wait to see if Fury was going to come through or if he wouldn’t. If he did come through then things would be good between them. If Fury didn’t come through then he would know Fury still didn’t trust him.

He needed to get out of there and get some real food. The world had changed and things were not going to be the same as it was before the war. He knew New York had changed. The building his family lived in was torn down and made into a hotel. It was one of the reasons why he wanted to be at the Avengers Tower. One was he had nowhere to go. The other reason was that he wanted to be close to his best friend Steve. He had a feeling Tony Stark would have an issue with him staying in his tower, but he was sure Steve would get him to see reason.

Fury knew it was going to be hard to convince Tony Stark to house The Winter Soldier, but he was going to get him to agree. This would be good. He could keep an eye on Bucky and irritate Stark at the same time. As far as he was concerned it was a win win situation for him.

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Tony and Bruce made sure that they had everything ready for the supplies to head to the village. They were going to make sure everything went to Kamari. They had worked on a project would help Africa grow crops in the weather they had at the moment. If they could help to make the world better it would be great.

“Tony make sure we are sending enough toothbrushes. If we don’t send enough then we will have to send another run there,” Bruce told him as he put an extra five toothbrushes in the box in front of him. Tony had just closed one of the boxes he finished packing. He put it aside so he could send it out with the latest run.

“I think sending two thousand toothbrushes are plenty with the two hundred and fifty we sent earlier,” Tony told Bruce. Bruce looked over at him.

“I just hope it’s enough.”

“If it’s not enough then I can make a run out there myself to deliver them what they need,” Tony assured him.

Pepper walked into the room they were at. Tony looked up to see who had walked in. Once he saw it was Pepper he had a smile on his face. Pepper moved to where Tony was and gave him a kiss.

“So how’s your day going?” Pepper asked Tony.

“It’s going okay, just want to make sure the STW project goes well. If I have to take supplies out there myself I will.”

“I am sure it will be great. I’ll keep an eye on the project if it makes you feel better.”

“Yes, that would be great. Thank you my dear,” Tony replied. He gave her a kiss as a thank you.

Bruce had a feeling there was going to be some PDA so he slipped out of the room and headed for the kitchen. He entered and he saw Jillian and Steve who sat on the couch in the living room area. They were watching a movie, so he was sure the light wouldn’t bother them when he went to get something to eat. He got his answer a second later.

“Hey Bruce.”

Bruce looked towards the couch he saw both Jillian and Steve looking right at him.

“I’m just here to grab something to eat. I will be out of you guys way in a few minutes,” Bruce assured them. He went over and opened the refrigerator.

He took out the ingredients to make a sandwich. It didn’t take him a long time to make two sandwiches. He cleaned up afterwards before he took the plate of the sandwiches back to his floor. When he got to his floor he headed to his study. He decided he would write a letter to Betty, who was working on a military base.

At the moment it would be dangerous to go and see her. The military was still after the Hulk. They wanted him to experiment on and make more soldiers with his strength. Bruce wasn’t going to let it happen. The Avengers weren’t going to let it happen, either. They were a family, even if they were dysfunctional. He wanted to stay as long as he could to help his team out.

Bruce put his plate down next to his laptop. He turned the laptop on and went to Word and started to type his letter to Betty. Bruce was glad he had Tony Stark as a friend. His life couldn’t be considered boring. Bruce decided to get ready to turn in early. You never knew what was going to happen at any moment at the Avengers Tower. Bruce saved the letter and then he turned in without printing his letter to Betty.

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Jillian hadn’t expected to get pregnant, but it was more of a surprise that she was pregnant with Captain America’s child. No one knew exactly who she was or who she had goten pregnant by. This was a good situation which had come out of a bad situation. Then some more good happened. Jillian had fallen in love with Steve over the six month period of knowing him. Jillian sat on the couch in the Avengers Tower common room. She was watching The Rocketeer. It was a good movie. It would be nice if Steve watched it with her.

Steve was in the gym working out. This situation was new for him. Jillian knew Steve had to have time to adjust to the new situation. Steve and Jillian had spent time together. Steve had brought books about pregnancy. He wanted to help Jillian out during her pregnancy. Steve was great trying to help out with her pregnancy.

Jillian finished the movie. She decided to watch something else. She browsed through Netflix movies and TV shows. She decided to watch an episode of Pretty Little Liars since it had been a while since she watched the show. Steve would come and check on her in a little while. He would probably come and watch the show with her. Steve cared about Jillian and he knew she cared about him.

Jillian was halfway through an episode of Pretty Little Liars when Steve came into the room. Jillian gave him a smile as he came and sat down next to her. A few minutes later Bruce came in and headed for the kitchen area. Jillian and Steve watched him make his sandwiches and left the room when he was done cleaning up.

"So about the baby name?"

"I've made a list."

He reached into his pocket and took out a piece of paper and handed it to her. Jillian took the paper and opened it. She studied the list of name in front of her.

"I'll compare this list to mine. The names which are on both lists will go on the final list. When the list is complete we can choose a name from the final list. How does choosing the name my way sound to you?"

"It sounds good to me."

"Good."

Jillian moved next to Steve and leaned against him. Steve moved his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. They had gotten to known one another since they were kidnapped six months ago. Jillian folded the paper he gave her and put it in one of her pockets.

“Would you like me to give you a shoulder massage?”

“Sure, it would be great.”

Jillian moved forward a bit so Steve could get to her shoulders better. Steve put his hands on her shoulders and started to massage them. Jillian let out a sigh. It felt good to get a massage from Steve.Suddenly Jillian felt the baby kick. Jillian grabbed one of Steve’s hands and put it on her stomach. A second later the baby kicked again. Jillian had a smile on her face. She looked over at Steve and he had a smile on his face as well.

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Nick Fury had filled out the paperwork for moving Bucky from the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility to the Avengers Tower. He had talked to the World Council about the decision. Of course the World Council had fought against it, but in time he had been able to make them see it was the right move.

They had reluctantly approved the transfer. Now all he had to deal with was Stark which wouldn’t be an issue since Steve would step in on his behalf. James Barnes aka the Winter Solider was going to be the Avengers problem from now until the foreseeable future. He hoped things ran smoothly. If not then he would go with one of his back-up plans. It would be a problem if he had to go to one of his back-up plans. Nick Fury opened Bucky’s cell door. He found Bucky who looked at him.

“I take it the plan was approved, then,” Bucky quietly said. Fury just nodded and produced handcuffs. Bucky stood up and put his hands in front of him. Fury walked over and place the handcuff on him.

“Let’s go,” Fury said as he turned to leave the room. “It would be wise to come quietly.”

Bucky knew if he made a commotion then he wouldn’t get to see his best friend. It would be bad for him to start resisting now. Everything had gone smoothly so far. He wanted to have human contact, no matter who it was with. It was lonely being in a cell with no one to talk to. Fury just walked. He didn’t even looked back to see if he was following.

Bucky moved in the direction Fury was moving. It was a little while before they reached their destination. Bucky got into the van’s front seat and sat there quietly. Fury got into the driver’s side, started the van, and they were off. It didn’t take them to long to reach the Avengers Tower. Once there, they got out of the van and headed into the building. They were greeted by Jarvis who was taking them to the floor everyone could be found on.

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After the visit with Barney, which didn’t take too long, Clint, Natasha, Lana, and Brandon headed home. Lana went to lay down and get some sleep. She was glad Brandon was still asleep. Clint and Natasha headed to the common room. Once there, they found somewhere to sit down and relax.

Everything was perfectly when Jarvis interrupted them

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“Nick Fury is here with a guest,” Jarvis said as the door opened to the room they were in. Fury walked in and Bucky followed behind him.

“What’s going on, Fury?” Tony asked as he eyed Bucky. He was assessing if he was a threat or not. He wondered why Fury had brought him to the Avengers Tower.

“James Barnes is now going to be staying in the Avengers Tower,” Fury said as he turned to leave.

“Hold on, I didn’t say he could stay here,” Tony started. Tony moved next to Fury. Fury hoped Steve would come and help out his friend.

“Stark,” Steve said. Tony stopped and turned to look at Steve. “I’ll take responsibility for him. He will stay with me on my floor.”

Tony thought for a minute before he gave his answer.

“Fine, but whatever happens with him is your mess to deal with,” Tony said as he went back to what he was doing before Fury had interrupted them. Fury looked over at Steve and gave him a nod. Steve nodded back and then Fury was gone. Bucky stood there with everyone’s eyes on him but Tony’s.

“Bucky, head to my floor. It’s the one with the shield on the button. I will meet you there in a little while,” Steve told him. Bucky nodded and headed for the elevator. When the elevator got there, he got on and it started to head up. It was a few seconds before the elevator stopped. The door opened and a young pregnant woman carrying a baby stepped into the elevator. For some reason, she was familiar but at the moment she couldn’t place her.

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Lana had woken from her nap and was hungry. Brandon was also up and she fed him before heading to get something herself. This pregnancy was different. For one, she didn’t plan on getting pregnant and for another she was having the weirdest cravings. At this moment she had a craving for a peanut butter, banana, Aji Lemon Drop sandwich. She knew Tony had gotten the ingredients for making the sandwich, he had learned early on to make sure to have the food the pregnant women were craving. If he didn’t he would end up not having a good day.

It was then she recognized who was in the elevator with her. It was the man who had raped her. She tighten her gripped on Brandon and she moved as far away from him as she could. She noted that he was heading for Steve’s floor. Only two more floors to go, then he would be off the elevator. Lana was going to have a word with Stark. There was no way she was going to live in the same building as the man who raped her. If he was staying then she would leave.

Bucky finally recognized who she was. Lana Barton. She was frightened of him. This wasn’t good. He had no idea she was going to be there as well. Bucky knew she was traumatized and it wouldn’t help for him to get close to her. Bucky raised his hand to show he wasn’t going to move at all.

“Lana, I am not here to hurt you. I know what happened wasn’t supposed to happen and I am sorry,” Bucky said quietly.

He just watched her to see what she would do. She just stood there white as a sheet. It looked liked she had stopped breathing but he wasn’t sure.

It was a few seconds before there was a ding from the elevator signalling they had reached Steve’s floor. Bucky moved slowly out of the elevator with his hand raised in a non threatening way. The elevator door closed. Lana let out the breath that she had been holding. The elevator continued to the common area of the tower. Lana got out of the elevator and went to the room.

Steve was talking to the others about Bucky. Clint was the first to see his sister. The way she looked didn’t make him happy. He moved over to her side and took Brandon from her.

“Lana, what happened?” Clint asked in a worried voice.

“He raped me,” Lana quietly said. Clint glared over at Stark.

“It’s going to be okay. What happened?” Clint told his sister.

“He apologized for what happened and then he left. I couldn’t say anything. Clint, why is he here? If he stays here then I am leaving. I thought I was ready to face him, but what just happened today tells me I am not ready to face him yet. I had Brandon with me so I was able to hold it together.”

“It seems he’s going to be living here with us. I’m proud of you for holding it together and I’m sure we can figure something out.” Clint said with a sharp glance Tony’s way.

“We will figure something out. Don’t worry, things will be okay,” Tony told them. He knew he would have to figure something out.

Bruce had figured if Lana came down here then she was hungry, so he fixed her two peanut butter, banana, Aji Lemon Drop sandwiches. He set them in front of her and Lana ate them. By the time she finished it was dark out. Everyone had gone to do their own thing. Clint and Natasha had stayed with Lana. Clint wanted to make sure his sister was alright and spend time with his nephew.

Clint and Natasha sat on the couch. Clint held onto Brandon and played with him. Natasha watched with a smile on her face.

“Hey, Clint.”

“Yeah, Nat?”

“Any baby names?”

“I have a few, do you want to hear them?”

“Sure.”

“If it’s a boy I was thinking Atticus, Emiliano, Bruno, Stephan or Gabriel,” Clint suggested.

“We are not naming our son Bruno, it sounds like a dog name. The others are good names. Do you have any girl’s names picked out?” Natasha ashed.

“Yes. Olivia, Martha, Melinda, Skye, Xena, Jemma, Bobbi.”

“We are not naming our daughter Xena, her name is off of a television show. No to Bobbi it sounds like a boy’s name.”

“Okay. So it’s a no to Bruno, Bobbi and Xena. The rest are possible names. Do you have any you would like to put out there?” Clint ashed her as Brandon made gurgling sounds.

"I was thinking maybe for girls names Cordelia, Reanna, Skye, Hope and Samantha. For boys names I was thinking Jude, Francis, Zhane, Carter, or Jason.”

“If it’s a girl we name her Skye since her name is on the list. If it’s a boy we could go for Stephan or any of the ones you named off.”

“Sounds good to me,” Natasha said as Lana came to pick up Brandon.
“Thank you for watching him. I better get him to bed,” Lana said as she headed to the door. When she was about to go out the door she turned back towards them.

“Clint, I will be fine,” Lana assured her older brother. He had other things to worry about that were a bit more important than her at the moment. Clint nodded, then she was gone. Clint and Natasha spent a few more minutes before they headed off to bed.

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Steve got back to his room and then he went in search for Bucky. He found him in the gym. Bucky was hitting the punching bag that was hanging up in the corner of the room. Steve went over to where Bucky was at. Bucky stopped and looked at him.

“Are you okay?” Steve asked him.

“Yes. I wasn’t expecting to see Lana again. I am not sure if she will ever get over what I did to her. Even if it wasn’t of my own free will, I should have never let it happen. I should have resisted it instead of giving into it.” Bucky told him.

"It wasn't your fault. You had no control over what happened. You were raped as well. Don't forget that," Steve told him. Bucky moved over to where he could sit down on a bench. They both took a seat.

"I’m not sure what I am going to do. I don't want to cause her pain or discomfort, but I do want to live in the Avengers Tower with my best friend," Bucky confessed.

"We will work something out, don't worry. Everything will work out for the best," Steve told him. It was a few minutes before they started back with the punching bag.

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Tony and Pepper were in his office discussing the latest development for a new building they were going to build. Tony had the schmatic out. It was the 3D version. If they wanted to make some changes to the building they first made it to their 3D version and if they were satisfied with the design then they would approve the construction of the building.

At the moment the building they were going to build was an apartment building for low income families. There were going to be 24 apartments in the building. Of course each unit was going to have their own washer and dryer in them. Tony wanted the best for others. He had a good heart after you get past everything else about him.

Pepper knew she would end up with Tony. Her life was a nice one. She had a good home, but working for Tony she got to see the other side. Tony had money and he liked to spend it. It didn't take her long to give Tony a push in the right direction. She convinced him it would be great for him to help those who are less fortunate.

It took a little while, but she got Tony onto her way of thinking. Tony had launched Save The World campaign all on his own. Pepper was happy when she heard Tony was taking this task on all on his own. Of course others had decided to help with the project to make sure it was successful.

Pepper looked over at the schematic. So far she was happy with what was being designed. She looked over at Tony.

“So Tony.”

“Yes Pepper, dear?”

“So what percent am I getting with this building?” Pepper asked.

“Twelve percent.” Tony said automatically.

“Seriously?” Pepper asked. One of her eyebrows rose up. Tony looked up and noticed the look on her face. It was then he decided to give her more.

“How about your name on the title?” Tony asked.

“Much better,” Pepper said giving him a smile. Tony let out a sigh of relief. He never liked being in trouble with Pepper. They got back to work.

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Jillian wanted to go and get some fresh air. A short walk around the block would do her some good. Jillian saw Steve and Bucky who were busy. She didn’t want to disturb them so she wrote a note and left it on the refrigerator in their kitchen. Then she got her coat and headed out the door. When she got outside it was getting dark. She would have to make this walk a short one. Unknown to her there was a van across the street watching her exit the Tower.

“Hector, we should grab her now,” a voice said.

“Not right now, Philip. If we grab her now then we could have any one of the Avengers on our tail. It would not be good for our plan,” Hector told him.

They followed Jillian until she turned the corner, and as soon as she was halfway down the block they pulled her into their van. A chloroform-soaked rag was placed over her nose and mouth and was held there until she stopped struggling. When her body went limp her coat fell open.

“Ahh… shit she’s pregnant,” Philip’s worried voice said.

“Don’t worry about it. She will be fine. We need to get back to our hideout and get the ransom demand ready.”

"I don’t feel right about this. Maybe we should let her go and try for someone else,” Philip suggested as he looked down at the form that wasn’t moving at the moment. Hector didn’t say anything to him, he just kept on driving. It was a little while before the got to their hideout, that was, after switching cars a few times. They wanted to make sure they weren’t being followed or tracked. They left Jillian’s wallet in the first vehicle they drove. It took them about an hour to get back to their hideout. Things were already stepped up for their return. All they needed was for her to wake up now.

As they waited Hector went to the table in the room and sat down to read the newspaper. It was after he had blindfolded Jillian. Philip went to watch tv in the next room. He did know chloroform was to knock people out, but he wasn't sure of the effect it would have on a pregnant woman.

If he could find his laptop then he could google it. Whatever might happen to the baby was going to be their fault. He wasn't like his partner.Kidnapping a pregnant woman was a low blow. If there was anything wrong with the child it would be his fault because he was the one who used chloroform on her. He was going to see if there was a way to sneak her out of here and get her back to the building she came from.

For him, money wasn't everything. His situation hadn’t really changed. Philip owed a couple of thousand dollars for student loans and had a mortgage to pay, but other then that he was fine. His partner on the other hand, he had no idea how his finances were and he wasn't about to ask him, either.

He started to look around to find his laptop. He knew he had left it in his backpack next to the table, but his backpack wasn't where he’d left out. He went back to where Hector was. There on the table was his laptop with Hector's newspaper sitting on top of it.

"What are you doing with my laptop?"

"I am making sure you don't do anything stupid while you’re here. I do know how you get, especially with women and children. So I will be interacting with her while you set everything up. I suggest you go and set up now before sleeping beauty awakes from her sleep." Hector growled.

Philip knew Hector was in one of his moods. When he got like this, it was best to do as he said and not try and fight him. If you did you would end up the one in pain. If Philip had any chance of getting her out alive and back to the building she came from then he would have to act smart about this.

"Fine," Philip shot back as he turned and left the room.

Philip made sure the room where they were going to do the ransom video was ready to use once she got up. When she did wake Hector and Philip would be wearing masks. When Hector wasn't looking was when Philip would help Jillian escape back to where she came from. If they got caught and went to prison it would serve them right. What they did was harm another human being and no law would deem the fact of harming an innocent human being just to get money would be okay in their eyes.

There was a groan from the other room. Philip took his mask out from his pocket and put it on. He knew he would bring her in here in a few minutes.The camera was ready to roll once Hector got into the room.

Philip was going to film everything. He had a couple of cameras around the room. Hector was going to let him put together the ransom video. Philip was going to make sure they heard he was trying to help her escape, in hopes to get a shorter sentence.

Hector was half dragging half pulling her into the room.

"If you keep pulling her that way you're going to hurt her more. I am sure the people who want her back aren't going to be too pleased with the way you’re treating her right now," Philip said.

"I don't care what they want. Stark owes me a lot of money and I intend to collect it. Even if I have to hurt his employees in the end," Hector told Philip.

"If you’re going to keep doing that maybe I should take over handling her for a little while." Philip said. He looked over at Jillian who had a frightened look on her face -- but her eyes said something completely different.

"I suggest you let me go right now or you will be sorry," Jillian demanded. Hector didn't like anyone giving him suggestions. He turned around and slapped her.

"Bitch, stay quiet until we need you," Hector said as he turned back towards Philip only to be met with his fist. Hector fell to the ground hard. He looked at Philip and he had fire in his eyes.

"Don't you ever do that again or I'll kill you," Hector snarled.

"You need to treat a woman with respect, especially a pregnant woman., Philip fired back.

The talk was about to turn into a fight. Jillian didn't need to be there for a fight. This whole situation wasn't good for the baby. Jillian stood there and a second later there was the sensation of water going down her legs. It was then she knew her water broke. She needed to get back to the Avengers Tower or to a hospital. To have the baby here was not ideal. If she did have her baby here she was sure neither of the men in front of her knew how to deliver a baby.

"Excuse me, we have a situation here," Jillian said as she tried to get their attention, but without any success. Hector and Philip were still glaring at one another. "Do either of you guys know how to deliver a baby?"

She asked that one question and it did the trick. Philip looked at her and was at her side. Hector left the room and came back with a gun.

"She's not going anywhere,"

"Hector, knock it off. We need to get her to the hospital. There is a life on the line here."

"Well, Philip," Hector started. Since Philip said his first name it was only fair to say his. If they got caught for this he wasn't going to fall alone. "No one is going anywhere until I get what I want."

It would do him no good to try and get past him. In his hand was a gun and he wasn't about to find out if it was real or not. Jillian lunged forward and grabbed her stomach. Her face was contorted. It was a good bet she was in a lot of pain.

In those few seconds Philip reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a knife he carried on him just in case he got mugged. He threw it at Hector. The knife hit his right shoulder. The shock from Hector's wound had him on the ground. Philip saw Jillian was okay, grabbed her hand, and led her out to the car. The keys were in his pocket. As soon as they were in the car they headed to the nearest hospital.

Philip led her inside and went straight to the desk a few feet inside the hospital entrance.

"I need some help here, I have a woman who is in labor," Philip said as one of the nurses came to Jillian’s side with a wheelchair in front of her. Jillian sat down and looked at the nurse.

"My name is Jillian Van Dien. Ma'am I need you to get in contact with Captain Steve Rogers at the Avengers Tower. Let him know it's time," Jillian said. The nurse looked at her, not sure if she was setting her up for a joke or not. Jillian wasn't really in the mood to wait. Jillian looked over to Philip.

"Do you have a cellphone?" Jillian asked. Philip fished out his cellphone and gave it to her. Jillian took it and dialed 212 555-9750. She handed the phone to the nurse, and a contraction hit at that very moment. Jillian was breathing through it.

"The Avengers Tower, this is Jarvis speaking. How may I direct your call?" Jarvis asked. The nurse looked down at Jillian for a second before realizing there was someone on the other line.

"This is nurse Jackie Tyler with NY downtown hospital. I would like to pass on a message to Steve Rogers. The message is it's time."

"I will relay the message to him," Jarvis said. It was a minute with music, then a voice came back on the line.

"Hello."

"Yes, is this Captain Steve Rogers?" Jackie asked. She hoped it was indeed Captain America. Her kids wouldn’t believe she had talked to Captain America.

“Yes this is, may I ask what this is in regard to?” Steve asked her. He hoped it wasn’t any bad news. Jarvis told him there was a Jackie Tyler on the phone with the message it’s time. He had no idea what it meant at the moment.

"I have Jillian Van Dien here and she wants me to tell you it's time." Jackie told him.

"She’s there with you?" Steve asked. Jillian waved to Jackie to give her the phone and then the phone was handed to her.

"Steve, dear, get your ass down here right now. I will explain everything to you. Yes, I will also answer how I got here. You might want to tell S.H.I.E.L.D. they need to get their doctor here soon. The baby is coming now," Jillian said as she hung the phone up and gave it back to Philip.

"Thank you for helping me. You better go before they show up," Jillian said. Philip looked at her.

"No, what I did was wrong I need to answer for the crimes I have committed. If I end up getting beat up to a bloody pulp by Captain America, it would be my honor for him to serve me my punishment," Philip said quietly. Jillian nodded as Nurse Tyler rolled her off to a room in the maternity ward.

Nurse Tyler made sure Jillian was as comfortable as she could be until her doctors arrived. Philip ended up staying in the room with her. He had given his hand for her to squeeze when a contraction hit. On one of her contractions she held his hand so hard they heard cracking sounds. He knew he had a broken hand. Jillian was strong if she could break his hand with just one contraction. Philip didn't know how long it was before he heard a commotion outside. He looked over at Jillian.

""I'll be right back after I see what the commotion is about." Philip said. Jillian just nodded her head, glad she could get some rest before another contraction hit. Philip made his way outside.

What he saw made him believe Jillian indeed knew The Avengers...well she knew three out of the five of them. Three headed towards her door. When he saw this he knew it means he was in trouble. If you mess with one Avenger then you're messing with all the Avengers. He was going to figure out some way to get out of the situation without getting harmed too badly. Hector had decided to mess with Captain America's girl and now he would pay the price for what Hector's decision.

Of course Philip was ready to accept any punishment that the Avengers gave him. If he ended up in jail then so be it. He watched as the S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel came in and took over Jillian’s care. The doctors and nurses of the hospital let the S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel take over, but it was under protest. Once it was sorted out, the Avengers turned their attention to Philip.

Steve walked up to Philip and grabbed him by the collar.

“What did you do to my gal?”

Philip swallowed before he answered.

“It wasn’t my idea, but I do admit that I did have a part in how she ended up here,” Philip said, as Steve tightened his grip on his shirt. “Hector told me to get her and I did. I didn’t realize she was pregnant when I chloroformed her.

“You what?”

“He had me chloroform her. He was going to ransom her off. Tony Stark destroyed his life and he wanted payback. This was the way he was going to get it. Once her water broke I got her out of there and brought her here. I didn’t really think she knew the Avengers. I guess I was wrong.”

Clint put a hand on Steve’s arm.

“Steve,” Clint started. Steve looked at him. “he brought her in. It has to count for something.”

It took Steve a few moment to think about what had happened and then he let Philip go.

“If anything happens to her or my child you will pay dearly. Either way you will get what you deserve with Captain America or no Captain America, got it?” Steve asked in a calm but dangerous tone.

Right now his mind was completely on Jillian and his child. If they didn’t make it then there would be hell to pay for anyone around him…..or it would be that he would go into depression. Neither one of those option sounded good to him at the moment. He really did hope Jillian and his child were going to be okay. Steve walked away from Philip and went to sit on a chair in the Maternity Ward waiting room. Clint and Natasha had followed him and sat down by his side.

“Steve, I am sure everything will be fine,” Natasha said to him. She put a hand on his arm. Steve looked up at her. Tears threatened to fall, but Steve wiped them away.

“I want to be in there with them, but the doctors are in there now and I am sure they won’t let me in to see her,” Steve said. Clint disappeared from his side. Natasha wondered what Clint was up to. She also worried about Jillian. They were all six months pregnant and it was too early for the babies to come. The child Jillian carried, she did hope it was all right.

This wasn’t something which happened often, the whole someone getting kidnapped part. Natasha would have a talk with Jarvis later on about security. Jarvis was nothing like Tony Stark, which was great. If he was, they they would have a problem. It was good that everything was close to being back to normal. This past year for all of them had had excitement, as well as fear, worry, and relief. It seemed like the Avengers were always into something, never really getting a moment of peace. Natasha hoped it would change for them soon.

It would be nice to spend time with her family without a crisis looming over their heads. One day they would have to retire from being Avengers. Children did change your mindset. You aren’t thinking for just yourself, you’re thinking for yourself and your children. If you want to decide something you have to think about if it is also a good choice for the children as well as a spouse or partner.

This was a blessing for Natasha and Clint. The Red Room had destroyed Natasha’s chance to have kids, but now that was no longer true. Natasha was indeed happy about her situation right now. They only thing she missed was being the Black Widow. Of course she knew once her children were born she would take a little time to take care of them before getting back to work. Clint had been a real trooper during all this and Natasha was grateful for him. Things were going well. She hoped it stayed that way for at least a little while. It was nice to get a little rest in between fights.

Being a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent as well as an Avenger was a full time job. Now she and Clint had to add being parents on top of those jobs. Natasha knew it wasn’t going to be fun all the time, but she was ready for it. She knew Clint was ready for it, but they both feared they weren’t going to be good parents to their kids. All that they could hope was that they managed to make it through until the kids were grown.

A little time had gone by before Clint reappeared by their side. He had a smile on his face when Natasha looked up at him.

“Clint, what did you do?” Natasha asked him.

“Steve you are able to go and stay with Jillian now,” Clint told them both. Steve looked up and then stood up. He hugged Clint before he rushed off towards Jillian’s room.

“Thank you.”

“It’s no problem. I was able to sweet talk Doctor Lawrinch into letting Steve stay with Jillian.” Natasha raised an eyebrow. The doc wasn’t an easy man to get along with. He was really strict.

“How did you get him to agree to that?” Natasha asked curiously.

“He and I have an understanding,” Clint simply said. Natasha knew better than to try and get more out of him. Clint sat back down and leaned back in his chair. Natasha leaned back and wrapped her arm around his waist. They sat there in silene.

^^^^^^^^^^ ********** ^^^^^^^^^^ **********

Steve made it to Jillian’s room. He passed the guard by her door. Steve did wondered how Clint was able to get Doctor Lawrinch to let him stay with Jillian. He would thank Clint properly once he got time alone with him, when it wasn’t all crazy.

Jillian looked over at the door and let out a sigh, having a feeling it was either Doctor Lawrinch or one of his assistants. She was surprised when Steve came through the door.

“Steve, boy am I glad to see you.”

“I am glad to see you, as well.”

“I have been tested on since they got here. I haven’t really rested any since they got here. I am glad at least I get to see someone other than these damn doctors and assistants,” Jillian complained. Steve moved over to her side. Jillian took one of his hands when a contraction hit. Jillian squeezed Steve’s hand hard. It was a couple of minutes before the contraction stopped. When it was over Steve kissed Jillian’s forehead.

“I am glad you’re here.”

“I am glad I am here, too, darling.”

Steve took a seat next to Jillian’s bed without letting go of her hand. Steve did wonder what was going on with Jillian’s labor. He was going to ask to talk to Doctor Lawrinch when he or one of the assistants showed up.

^^^^^^^^^^ ********** ^^^^^^^^^^ **********

Tony was having quiet time with Pepper. He told Jarvis not to disturb him at all. The only way he was to be contacted was if the earth was in danger. Pepper was the woman he loved and it was time to give his full attention to her, everything else could wait. Jarvis said he would do as Tony said. After all Tony had made him to help him out with things. Tony couldn’t do everything all by himself. That was why Jarvis was created, to help him with some of the thing he could not handle. It tended to be a lot more than usual. Jarvis of course didn’t mind at all.

“So my dear, you have my full undivided attention,” Tony told Pepper. Pepper had a smile on her face. This was as good of a time of any to talk about what had been on her mind for a while now. She did have a feeling he would be surprised by what they were about to talk about.

“Good,” Pepper started. They both sat down on the couch in his office. Once settled Pepper was ready to say what had been on her mind for awhile. “I want to marry you.”

Tony looked over at Pepper with a shocked look on his face. This was a surprise to him. He knew they would get married sometime in the near future, but he had thought it would still be a little while before they got engaged. This was going to accelerate his plans a few month ahead of schedule.

“Pepper my dear, I know you want to get married, but…” Tony started.

“So you don’t want to marry me. Okay, I get it. It’s not part of your plan. Fine.” Pepper said as she stood up and stormed out of the room.

Tony’s expression turned from surprise to shock then to worried. Pepper had become moody lately. Tony was going to get to the bottom of why she was acting the way she was. There was a lot going on with all of the Avengers with the exception of Bruce and Thor. Thor was at home. Bruce on the other hand was keeping to himself lately. Tony knew he was lonely. He was going to surprise Bruce by bringing Betty to the Avengers Tower for a visit. Everyone deserved to be happy, even Bruce

^^^^^^^^^^ ********** ^^^^^^^^^^ **********

Bruce had gone back to his room after he made the sandwiches for Lana. He wanted to do some light reading before he headed to bed. Bruce did wonder where Jillian was at. He hadn’t seen her much today. He thought about asking Jarvis where she was at but thought better of it. Jillian might be resting and he didn’t want to end up waking her.

Bruce had his laptop out and he had the microsoft word program open. He had a blank page open and he was going to write another letter to Betty. He did miss her and he wanted to be with her, but at the same time he didn’t know if it was safe for her to join him at the Avengers Tower. Who knew what would happen? The thing was, he was getting close to going to where she was no matter what danger followed him. He could handle whatever came after him, he just didn’t want Betty to be collateral damage. He would not risk seeing her if she ended up being collateral damage. He couldn’t bear it if he was the reason why she died.

Bruce started to type his letter. Every so often he deleted his words and changed them. It took him about half an hour to finish writing the letter, and then he printed it out. He put the letter in an envelope and addressed in to Betty Ross. Once it was done then he went to bed.

Clint and Natasha had headed back to Clint’s floor; they were sure Lana had picked a room and settled in. Now they had to figure out how either she was going stay at the Avengers Tower or where she would move to away from the Avengers Tower. It took one meeting with Bucky for Lana to realized she wasn’t ready to face him. Clint wished he was able to stop them from meeting, but he was busy at the time when they ran into one another.

Clint wasn’t sure how he felt about Bucky living at the tower. Tomorrow he would talk to Stark about the security, since he wanted his sister nearby. After what happened, he wanted to make sure his family was safe. Barney was in a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility medical Bay and would be guarded twenty four seven. So he needn't worry about his brother’s safety at the moment.

His sister's safety on the other hand had to be dealt with, but he would deal with keeping her safe when morning came. Natasha and Clint headed to bed as soon as they got home after they checked on Lana first. She was sound asleep in her bed. Brandon was asleep in the bassinet next to her bed. Clint had a smile on his face as he closed the door to her room. Then Clint and Natasha got ready bed. They fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

Jillian had tried to get some sleep, but the contractions kept her away. It was no fun for her. Steve on the other hand didn’t mind staying up with her. They talked throughout the night into early the next morning. They had decided on the name of their child when they were born. The S.H.I.E.L.D. doctors and doctor’s assistants were there as well the whole time. Jillian wondered if they ever went home to rest, or did they have their own lives to live.

Philip knew it would do no good to leave. He was sure the Avengers would track him down if he decided to run, but he wasn’t going to do that. He was a man who didn’t run from his mistakes. This was a mistake he made getting in business with Hector. Now he was going to pay for his mistake.

He laid down on the seats in the waiting room of the Maternity ward. They were uncomfortable, but he wasn’t about to ask for a cot or to sleep in a bed. He didn’t deserve that. He had caused a family to be in pain. He would punish himself until they punished him for the crime he had committed.

Nurse Jackie Tyler looked at the young man in the waiting room of the Maternity Ward who was trying to get some sleep. She knew for a fact those chairs were not comfortable chairs to sleep on. She made her way to him. He looked up at her.

“Do you want me to bring you a cot or do you want to be moved into a room with a bed?” Jackie asked him.

“No, I am quite alright here,” Phillip told her. It was a nice offer, but he didn’t deserve to be treated nicely. Not with what he had done to Jillian.

“Are you sure?” Jackie asked.

“Yes I am. Don’t worry about me. I will be fine.”

“Okay,” Jackie said as she headed to go and make her last round for the night before she got off work and headed home.

Today was was interesting, to say the least. She got to talk to Captain America. Her kids wanted proof she had seen him, for her there was no proof so to speak. She thought she could ask for a picture so she could have proof, but she didn’t want to bother Steve Rogers. It wouldn’t be right, so she left work without getting proof.

The pain hit around 4am. The room became busy and crowded. It took a little time, but at 5:25 am Daisy Katherine Rogers was born. It was then did they realize there was another baby about to be born. At 5:35 am Steve Nathan Rogers Jr. was born. They both were both full term. After being in labour for fifteen hours they made their appearance. The doctor was sort of surprised at how this had happened. Jillian, on the other hand, decided to get some sleep after giving birth to two healthy children. Steve sat in the seat next to her and rested his eyes.

He thought about exactly what they were going to do with Philip. He was part of why Jillian ended up this way, but Philip had helped her out when things got rough, plus he wasn’t running away from what was going to come to him for the crimes he had committed. Steve thought he deserved some leniency since he was facing what he and his friend had done. Steve had made sure the cops knew of what had happened. There was a warrant out for the arrest of Hector. Everything would be taken care of in the morning. Right now he wanted to make sure the woman he loved was going to be okay.

Morning time arrived. It wasn’t the best day for Tony Stark. Pepper had decided to sleep in another room. Plus she was giving him the cold shoulder. On top of that, he had to deal with with the Winter Soldier issue. Once he got that figured out Clint came and talked to him about the arrangement for Lana. They got it figured out.

Jarvis was going to keep Lana and Bucky away from each other until Lana was ready to see him. Bucky stayed in Steve’s spare bedroom. He kept to himself. He knew he wasn’t welcome there. Steve was the only one who really wanted him there for now. He was sure after time he would be part of the team.

Once all that was settled it was time to settle the issue with Philip. Tony Stark was able to get a judge to try his case. Money did talk. At the moment he needed to get Philip before a judge. He needed to pay for his crime. At least this was one of the good things that were happening for him. He was going to have to get back into Pepper’s good graces somehow.

Tony headed to the hospital that he knew where Steve, Clint and Natasha were at. Steve had told him that Philip had stayed there and waited for his punishment. Tony was sure Philip would have run by now but he hadn’t. Maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all. Tony entered the hospital. He just hoped everyone would go about their business and not make a fuss about him. Right now he was here to deal with the man who tried to hurt someone close to him.

He walked over to where Jillian’s room was and poked his head inside. He saw Jillian sleeping and Steve sitting in one of those uncomfortable hospital chairs.

“Steve,” Tony whispered. Steve looked over at him, then he looked over at Jillian to make sure Tony hadn’t woken her. He hadn’t. Steve then got up and walked out of the room.

“What’s up Tony?”

“Well I got a judge who will try this guy’s case. He needs to pay for what he did to Jillian,” Tony told him. If need be he would have Jarvis find the guy and he would personally bring him in. Steve’s brows furrowed

“What is it, Steve?”

“I am just thinking we could lighten the punishment a bit,” Steve started. He then raised his hand to stop Tony from interrupting him. “After all, if Philip hadn’t gotten Jillian away from this Hector person, then she wouldn’t be here with my daughter and son.”

Tony stopped and thought about the information he was just told. Steve did have a point, but the punishment wouldn’t be completely brutal for him. It would however, be hard enough to make him think about what the consequences would be if he decided to do this again.

Clint and Natasha walked up to them.

“What’s going on?” Clint asked them.

“Well Tony got a judge to give out Philip’s punishment for what he did,” Steve told them. Clint was quiet. He knew it could have easily had been Natasha in the position Jillian was in now. He was thankful it wasn’t.

“Okay. Let’s get going,” Natasha said, as she grabbed Clint’s hand and started to walk to the entrance of the hospital.

“Okay, first we need to find Philip,” Tony said, about to call Jarvis when Steve pointed to the waiting room in the maternity ward. There on the uncomfortable chair sat a snoozing Philip.
Tony marched right up to Philip and shook him until he woke up.

“What?” Philip asked as he rubbed his eyes and then looked up to see who woke him. It was Tony Stark. So what had happened to him wasn’t a dream. Oh...well it was now time to face the music, so to speak. He stood up and followed them to the car. They got in and were driven to the Judge's office building. They then made their way inside and were able to get through security without any problem. They made it to Judge Glau’s office without any trouble.

When they got into the the office they saw a young woman who looked to be in her mid twenties, but they knew she was older then that. The judge looked up to see who had stepped into the room. When she saw who had came in. Her eyes widened and a smile appeared on her face.

“Teddy Bear, it nice of you visit me.” Judge Glau said. Tony looked at her and rolled his eyes.

“I am not here for a visit. The file which you looked at is why I am here,” Tony replied . He saw the raised eyebrows he got from both Natasha and Clint. He shrugged and hoped they would let it go. He had a feeling he would have to explain it to them later. Once the judge heard what he had said she straightened up and took the paper on her desk and looked over them. Then she looked up at Philip.

“You are the one who is to be sentenced?”

“Yes your honor.”

“Okay. Is there anything anyone would like to say in his defense?” Glau asked as she looked at each person in the room.

Steve cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"Ma'am I would like to say something in his defense,” Steve started as he straightened up.

"I would like to say that if he did not stay with Jillian then I would not have her and my baby girl and baby boy safe and sound. I know that what he did was wrong, but I feel like he has realized exactly how his actions had consequences. He could have run but he stayed with her and made sure that they were okay. There were a couple of times when he could have disappeared, but he stayed in the hospital until we came to get him and bring him here."

Judge Glau looked Steve then at Philip and back again at Steve. Natasha, who stood by Clint, had her eyes on Philip as Steve talked. Just by the way he stood and how he looked Natasha thought it might be a good idea to speak on his behalf. When it was quiet then Natasha spoke up.

"Judge Glau, my name is Natasha Romanoff. I'm going to be speaking on behalf of Philip,” Natasha started as she paused to collect her thoughts. " I do not know Philip all that well, but his actions at this moment tell me that it might be pertinent to give him a second chance if you could consider me in your decision about his sentence, to consider him being able to this sentence reduced for good behavior."

Clint glanced over at Natasha with an eyebrow raised. Tasha back at him and gave him a look that said that it was the right thing to do. Clint knew that look he just shrugged and continued to watch what was around him. The judge lifts Philip and then her eyes move to each one of the occupants in the room.

"I have heard all that I need. So now I'm going to debate exactly what his sentence will be. If you guys could wait outside, as I make my decision I would greatly appreciate it." Glau said.

Everyone filed out of the room the judge's door was closed. Philip went to sit down on a bench right next to her door he didn't want to go far he was ready for whatever consequences for his actions were.

Tony, Steve, Clint, and Natasha good in a circle a little ways away from Phillip. No one said anything as we waited for Tony to make a decision. Time went by then the door opened. Tony looked down at his watch to see ten minutes had passed by. They are file back into the room. Fill up went and stood in front of the judge's desk. His hands hung down by his side then he moved them in front of him and made a v-shaped with his arms. He waited patiently for the judge to speak.

"I have reached my decision. I have taken into consideration what everyone has said." Judge Glau said as she looked over at Steve and Natasha. "I hereby find the defendant Philip James Morrison guilty for kidnapping, and using chemicals on a pregnant young woman. His sentence will be three years in jail, with the privilege of his sentence being reduced for good behavior." Glau said as she brought her gavel down onto the desk to make the decision final.

A bailiff came and took Philip away. Steve sunk in the chair which was behind him. It was finally over everything was taken care of, now he could go back and be with Jillian and his son and daughter. Steve put his hand in his pocket his hands laid on a box, in it was an engagement ring. Steve planned on asking Julian to marry him. He had fallen in love with her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. When he got back to the hospital then he would propose to her. This incident that happened, it showed him that life was short and it was best to to do whatever he wanted in the moment.

It was a few minutes after he sat down did he get back up and head out with the rest of the group. They went back to the hospital.

Tony had to admit that everything had worked out well for them. At that moment, he knew he was in the doghouse with Pepper. He wasn't sure exactly what he had done or said to make her upset at him. He would have to figure it out soon. He knew Bruce had written the letter to Betty, which he had a feeling he wouldn't send to her. Tony had taken the liberty of sending the letter to Betty. The letter would get to her the next day. Bruce had worked hard and he deserved to be happy like the rest of them. Tony knew that it wasn't going to stay quiet. He hoped that it would stay quiet for a little while longer.