"I'm sorry, Uncle Bruce." The words are quick. Turning from his work, the gamma scientist see the two Starks enter the lab. Elli stops next to his desk, her eyes on his feet; Tony stands a few feet behind her trying to look stern.

"Say what you are sorry for, Elli." The six-year-old in front of Bruce bit her bottom lip as she wrung her hands together. Mumbled words tumble out of her mouth. Tony kneels down and puts a hand on his daughter's shoulder, turning him toward her.

"Elli, baby, you need to speak clearly when you're apologizing to someone." He wipes a tear from her cheek. "Honey, why are you crying?"

Bruce heart breaks a little when a strangled sniffle shakes the young Stark's body.

"I-I…" Elli swipes at a falling tear with a fist. "I don't want Uncle Bruce to be mad at me!"

"Sweetheart, you can't control that. Bruce may be mad, but he has a right to be upset with you. Just like how you have the right to be upset if someone does something that upsets you." Bruce raises his eyebrows at Tony's words. "All you can do is admit you were wrong and apologize. If you're sincere and promise not to do it again, I'm sure he'll forgive you."

"Okay." Elli sniffs again before Tony presses his forehead to hers, their noses touching.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy."

"Are you ready to apologize?" Tony pulls back, a soft smile Bruce has learned is only reserved for Elli soften the billionaire's features. Nodding, Elli turns to Bruce.

"I'm sorry for using interdimensional portal travel without your permission to have a tea party with Papa's prisoners."

Bruce almost laughs before Elli continues.

"I'm sorry I left Peter alone with DeeDee and the cozy Avengers. I'm sorry I took snacks without asking. And I'm sorry for letting Wade eat all the Kit-Kats you hid in your desk."

Bruce stared at the youngest Stark for a moment before spinning the stool to reach the bottom right drawer where he kept his stash. Sliding it open, Bruce was met with a single empty wrapper rather than the twenty-three king-size Kit-Kats that had been there this morning.

(It was important to keep track of these sort of things when you lived with Clint and Thor.)

"How did you…"

A small blue circle of light opened inside of the Kit-Katless drawer Bruce was still staring into, a hand waving at him. He turned back to see Elli elbow deep in the other side of the portal, Tony behind her with wide eyes. Portals were fairly new.

"Well he ate most of them." Elli pulled her hand back out of the portal before it popped out of existence. Another portal opened in front of her, big enough that she was able to lean the top half of her body into it. Tony drags a hand down his face as Elli comes back out of the portal and hands a Kit-Kat to Bruce. He can feel how crushed the candy is through the wrapper.

"That one was under his butt."

Bruce can't help but feel a little green.

"Holy shit." A breathless curse leaves Tony's lips before Elli finds herself in her daddy's arms as he backs away from the big green rage monster that stood at the gamma scientist's desk. The Hulk glared down into the empty drawer before roaring in the Starks direction.

"JARVIS, if you could issue a code green of the avengers, that would be great."

"Of course, Sir."

Tony digs into his back pocket and clicks the button to release the hand repulser over his palm. The billionaire wasn't afraid of Bruce—he trusted him and by extension big green-but he wouldn't leave himself and Elli defenseless.

Snarling comes from the Hulk as he stomps over to the two of them.

"Mine!" The Hulk stops in front of Tony and Elli, his foot stomping in a similar manner to Elli when she was three. "Mine! Mine! Mine! MINE!"

Tony can't help but be surprised. It's more a growl than clear English but the Hulk is definitely trying to express his frustration without his fists for once.

"I know they are yours." Elli's apology is quiet but steady. "I shouldn't have taken them. I'm sorry."

The Hulk pauses in his stomping and delicately pics up the discarded Kit-Kat between two fingers.

"Hulk no eat." Tony can't help the whispered Kobe as the Hulk chucks it across the lab into the wire waste bin. "Gross. Hulk no eat butt Kit-Kat."

Elli and Tony nod their heads.

"A butt Kit-Kat is gross. But that is the only Kit-Kat I have, I'm sorry."

"Hulk want." He lowers his green head to look directly into the younger Stark's eyes. "Buy more."

Elli taps her chin in consideration before looking back at the Hulk.

"I have no money." She shrugs.

Hulk begins to stomp his feet again as Elli pushes off of Tony's chest, floating at Hulk's raised eye level.

"But I can offer you skittles."

Tony closes his eyes and sighs as Elli pulls a half-eaten three-pound bag of skittles out of a portal.

"And JARVIS can get some Kit-Kats delivered to the tower within the day." Tony chimes in as he rubs at his temples.

The growling stops before the bag is snatched out of the air by a giant green hand. Tony's headache does not go away even after the Hulk is happily dumping the fruit flavored candy into his waiting mouth.

"Are we still friends?" Elli floats closer to the Hulk, a halo of glowing arc-reactor blue surrounding her body. The green rage monster stops his feasting for moment, considering, before nodding his head.

Clint and Natasha arrive in the lab fully costumed and just in time to see Elli squeal before sitting herself on a green shoulder and throwing her arms around the Hulk's neck. A green hand bigger than Elli's torso pats her back before they nuzzle cheeks.

"Mine." The growl vibrates in the Hulk's chest. "My friend."

"Could he talk before?" Natasha looks at Tony who is starting to suffer a migraine. The genius shrugs as the team watches the two friends cuddle. Until Clint notices them sharing the brightly colored candy.

"Are those my skittles?"

~~~~~~~~oOo~~~~~~~~

"We're not locking her in a cell. Either of them." Steve stood outside Ava's room; his arms crossed over his chest.

"Too late for that. Barnes is already in a cell." Fury grunted. He didn't look at Steve but instead chose to look through the one-sided window at the Skīr-r. Her golden eyes had followed Rogers out before looking blankly at the tablet Stark had left for her. It reminded him a lot of when the captain had come out of the ice.

"They haven't done anything wrong." Steve puffed out his chest. "They are innocent victims in all this."

"They blew up an elementary school. Elli's elementary school." Fury side eyed the super soldier making Steve shuffle on his feet. "And Barnes has assassinated over 100 government officials—that we know of."

Fury can see Rogers grind his teeth.

"Buck was brainwashed, and Ava was just trying to defend herself. She got me and Pete out, she could have just let us get caught up in the crosshairs, but she risked herself to save us." Steve turned his gaze back to the golden eyed woman. "She's still my Ava, Fury. Even after all that Hydra has done to her, she's still the same. And I can't help but hope Bucky is still in there too. I can't lose them again."

"Then what do you suggest we do with them?" Making demands without offering any solution was always a pet peeve of Fury's. "Drop them off in Time's Square? They're unknowns. They're dangerous. And if we let them go, Hydra will more than likely get two of their most dangerous weapons back."

"They need help, we can help them." Ava was watching a video of some sort on the tablet. Steve turned to Fury with determination in his eyes. "Why can't they stay with the Avengers? We're the best people to protect them."

"So, you're expecting Stark to put up two fugitives in his home with his six-year-old daughter?"

"Ava is Elli's mother! She has a right to see her."

"She does not." Fury felt for Ava, however, he didn't trust her. Not yet. "Tony is Elli's sole guardian and he gets the final say on when, where, and if Ava gets to meet Elli. It is his decision; he gets to decide what is best for his daughter. Not you. Not Ava. Not me."

"But-"

"No." The spy narrows his eye quickly shutting the super soldier up. They stood in silence for a moment before Fury rolled his shoulders. "Lucky for you, Tony already thought of a solution for you."

Reaching into his trench coat, Fury pulls out a blue file.

"What is this?" Steve takes the file, opening to the first document.

"A little project Stark and I have had in the works for a while now." A laugh. "The Avengers Compound. Upstate New York. No neighbors for miles."

Steve flips through pages of names and faces.

"Stark wanted a place for the Avengers to train and grow. Have the room to recruit some potentials in the future. And, of course, move the base of operations out of his living room."

"Not that I don't love having you, Capsicle." Steve looked up as Tony came in. "But my poor SI employees think the building is coming down whenever Thor lands on the roof."

"Why didn't you tell me you were doing this?" The Steve from five months ago would have had an accusatory tone. But now he was just curious.

"It was going to be a surprise for the team." Tony shrugs. "You'll all still have your floors at the tower, but where better to hide two fugitives from Hydra than a secret compound that just me and Fury know about?"

"You, Romanoff, Ava, and Barnes will be moved to the compound in a couple days. Stark and Banner will be checking in frequently to work with Barnes." Steve looked to Fury and then to Tony.

"What do you mean?"

"Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing or B.A.R.F.-God, I gotta work on that acronym. An extremely costly method of hijacking the hippocampus… to clear traumatic memories. Or in Barnes case, hopefully, heal his mind from the Hydra programming." Tony pauses. "I can admit where I fall short though, so in addition to me and Banner, I'm working on screening some experts to come in and help out."

"Tones." Tony doesn't even get to react to the new nickname before Steve's large form is engulfing him. Getting a hug from Captain America is strange—especially for Tony. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. I haven't even really done anything yet." His stiff muscles begin to relax as Steve gives him one more tight squeeze.

"You've done more than anyone else would. Thank you." Steve lets go of Tony.

"Yeah, seriously don't mention it, big guy."

Steve claps Tony's shoulder one more time before going back into Ava's room.

"That was weird, right?" Tony turns to Fury. "Like it isn't natural for us to say nice things to each other."

"It's good to see you two playing nice." Fury smirked. "How'd Elli's apology go?"

"Big green wasn't a fan of his candy being eaten." Tony rubbed his neck. "And I gotta figure out how to portal proof the lab and the pantry. Most parents can just buy a goddamn child lock. But no, I have to figure out how to stop interdimensional travel."

"Banner hulked out?" Tony waived off Fury's raised eyebrow.

"Barely." The billionaire huffed. "A little tantrum. Hulk and Elli have a playdate scheduled for next week."

"A playdate?"

"Finger-painting." Tony pulls out his phone. "That reminds me, JARVIS order a Hulk sized canvas for next week."

~~~~~~~~oOo~~~~~~~~

Ava stared at the door Steve had gone through. Her energy still lingered beneath his skin letting her know he was just on the other side of the glass.

"Miss Ava?"

She jumped. Was there someone in the room with her? But that was impossible. Every being in the universe had an energy—a lifeforce—she could feel.

"To your left, Miss Ava." The tablet Stark had left her was lit up on the table. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Mr. Stark's AI, JARVIS. Mr. Stark has requested that I help you navigate your StarkPad."

"You're…" Ava picked up the tablet, twisting it in her hands to examine it. "an AI?"

"An artificial intelligence. Mr. Stark is my creator."

"Tony Stark created you," it was faint, almost nonexistent before, but now Ava could feel it. It felt different but her energy greeted this JARVIS like any other being. "He created life?"

"I am not alive. I am Just A Rather Very Intelligent System."

"No." She let her energy enter the tablet and then return to her. It excited her. Humans were rapidly catching up to the rest of the universe. "You may not have come into this world as others may have, but you are very much alive."

Incredible. Her daughter's father was incredible.

"Very well, Miss Ava." JARVIS's voice was soft before continuing. "Where would you like to begin? Mr. Stark has constructed a list of websites and social media platforms to catch you up on popular culture as well as major historical events since your capture in 1943."

The screen began to move as JARVIS took control for her.

"He expressed a desire for you to watch a compilation of vines so you will get his and Agent Barton's frequent references. He has also compiled a collection of pictures and videos of the young miss growing up for you to peruse at your pleasure."

Her grip on the tablet tightens as a gallery of Elli fills the screen.

"I would like to start with Elli, please."

~~~~~~~oOo~~~~~~~

Hello, everybody. Thanks as always to everyone who has continued to support and read this story. I'm missing writing baby Elli so I think we'll pick up next chapter with Ava watching some homevideos with JARVIS. Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy 3