AN: OMG It's been such a long time! Sorry for the wait I've just been so busy lately but I put in a little more time and effort to bring you this! And because you guys had to wait such a long time for this, I hope you enjoy the fact that it's almost 10K words long (also because it might be a while before you get the chapter after this, sorry).

Also I SAW CIVIL WAR AND HOLY FUCK THERE WERE GOOD BITS AND BAD BITS BUT IT WAS AN OVERALL ABSOLUTE FEELS TRIP AND I DIDN'T EVEN PICK A SIDE, EVEN BY THE END OF THE MOVIE! I JUST WATCHED IT AND WENT 'BOTH SIDES KIND OF SUCK', BUT IT WAS STILL SO GOOD THOUGH! I MEAN, THAT ENDING THOUGH! ASDFGHJKL IDK...

HuntedCinders: Thanks for reviewing sweetie! As for your question, there will be a continuation of this fic that will flow into CW, but that won't be for a while.

lizziecats: OMG such an awesome review! It just kept going and going! I appreciate all of your feedback and I really hope to get another review from you!

So now what your all waiting for, and I hope there are some Quicksilver fans out there because there is so much Pietro Maximoff in this chapter!

Pls R&R!

"The universe doesn't give you what you ask for with your thoughts - it gives you what you demand with your actions."

― Steve Maraboli

I had thought earlier that Wanda had given me the most lost and broken look I had ever seen in my life after she apologised for brain-blasting the crap out of me—I was dead wrong.

When the twins and I finally arrived back at the Quinjet, the Avengers were making their way back as well and we met at the jet around the same time. In the film, everyone had first seen the effects of Wanda's powers on the team in the Quinjet when they were on their way to Clint's place. That had been hours after they left Africa, but what was in front of me now was the initial reaction, and it beat Wanda's sad eyes by a few hundred kilometres.

Natasha was being guided by Clint back to the jet. She leant against him with an arm around his shoulders and his around her waist. Her body was stiff and her face blank as she tried to remain strong, but her eyes gave her away. I had never seen them look so frantic. Bruce was the complete opposite. His on the ground and up against the jet with Tony by his side, his arms wound tightly around himself as in curled himself in as far as he could go, as if he was trying to make himself disappear. I had to restrain myself from running and hugging the life out of him.

Steve just looked sad. His arms were folded, his back was turned away from the rest of the group and his blue eyes were a storm. Thor was in a similar stance though he was emotionless. Completely indifferent. It looked like the vision he saw in his mind had sunk in and now he was trying to process it all.

Indifferent; was that how I looked?

We were only a few feet away from them now, and I moved in front of Wanda and shielded her as best I could with my body. Everyone's emotions were running high, and after what Wanda did to them, I wouldn't have been surprised if someone went for her throat the moment they saw an opening. Pietro followed suit and held his sister closer than he did before.

The Avengers had already noticed us all and no one said a thing. I cleared my throat and turned my head to gesture to the twins.

"Um, mission accomplished?"

Wrong thing to say.

"Nope. Nope! Just no." Tony spoke and stormed forward, palm-repulsor raised and charged to fire. I pulled away from the twins and went straight up to Iron Man's raised hand and stood in a position where my face was placed directly in front of it, but he didn't lower his weapon. "Stand down Kate." He commanded, his eyes still trained on the twins.

He wasn't wearing his helmet so I could look him right in the face as I stayed right where I was. "How about 'no'?" I replied as calmly as I could, but I could feel some anger build up in me when Tony didn't move his arm.

"We're not doing this, Kate. Not after what they did." Tony growled at me.

"I know that Tony, trust me, I know." I wondered whether it was the look in my eye or the tremble in my shoulders that told Tony that I knew exactly what the twins did to them, to me. The older man begrudgingly lowered his arm, but the tone of his voice didn't change.

"Then you know what she—" Tony glared heatedly at Wanda. "—Did to Banner, and you show up here holding her hand, expecting us all to sing Kumbaya and let her and Sonic the Hedgehog get away with it?"

"Of course not!" I felt the childish need to stomp my foot to emphasise my point, but I suppressed it. "What Wanda did to Bruce and the rest of us falls onto the top level of the most fucked up things you could do to a person. I'm screaming inside, but I know now is not the time to be angry, and now that you're looking at her? Tell me Wanda hasn't learned her lesson."

I could feel the twin's gazes fixed on the back of my head, and I swore I could feel Wanda's presence in my mind, though it was warmer than before. I thought she was trying to comfort me, in exchange for defending her. Which wasn't a big deal, Wanda knew she screwed up and Pietro was on his way to understanding, so all there was left to do was join the Avengers. Wanda was scared, for her brother, for her home, and helping the Avengers was definitely at the top of her to-do list. I would make sure that the twins could do that.

"I said I would get the twins and I did," I shrunk back a little and tried not to look at Bruce. "I might've done it a later than what would've been preferred, but they're here to help now. Bottom line is the twins are done with Ultron, but if they don't come with us . . ."

I turned back and went to stand beside Wanda, who let me hold her hand in mine.

"Then I'm not going anywhere either."

"No!"

It was Bruce. His whole body had come alive at the notion that I would be left behind, which honestly made me want to cry at the idea of hime caring so much. His big brown eyes met mine and I wanted to do nothing more than rush over and comfort him, but I stood my ground next to the twins. Wanda must have read my thoughts (if she actually did, she really needed to stop) because she let go of my hand and gave me an encouraging nudge forward. I got the message and practically sprinted to Bruce's side, though when I got there I wasn't sure what to do. I wanted to hug him, but I think it might have been better just to stay close but at the same time, give him some space. So I settle for kneeling in the dirt beside him.

"Are you alright?" I asked quietly.

"Better now," Bruce said weakly before his faced turned dark. "Now that you're away from them." I winced at the low tone of his voice and I could see him glare at Wanda.

"Bruce, please stay calm," I spoke, and took a risk and placed a hand on his shoulder gently. We didn't need him to Hulk out again.

"Oh, I'm way past 'angry'." Bruce continued to glare at Wanda. "I could choke the life out of her and not even change a shade." I shivered. Sometimes, honest to God, Bruce was scarier when he was human than he was when he was the Hulk.

Cap snapped himself out of his sad daze and made his way to the front of the pack, right in front of the twins. "You know, if you join us, what we say goes."

"We know," Wanda replied shakily.

"And if you betray us—"

Pietro cut in, obviously not enjoying the way Steve was speaking to them. Now that I thought about it, he probably just didn't like Steve in general. "We won't."

"They won't Cap," I assured Steve, but Tony didn't agree (surprise-surprise).

He threw the Captain an exasperated look. "Cap—you can't be serious."

"Mella held up her end of the deal, the twins are here, they're willing to cooperate, they're coming," Steve said. There was an acute sense of finality in his voice, so there were not further arguments, even though Tony looked like he was about to explode.

"Well, I ain't sitting next them," Clint said and tried to lighten the mood. His attempt failed miserably.

Cap looked to the twins and I believed he took the archer's word's a little more seriously than intended. He turned his head back to the jet and spoke.

"Then throw them in the brig."

'The brig' happened to be the storage area off to the side of the jet. I tried to laugh at the irony of it. We were on a shipyard but the brig we threw the twins in was on an aircraft. See? Irony. Hilarious.

The twins had been situated in the storage area before the team had entered, and Pietro looked fine with staying as far away from the Avengers as possible. Wanda was also fine being settled down with her brother, though she wanted me to stay with them as well. I couldn't. I needed to be by myself for a while. The visions Wanda made me see still floated around my mind, their presence so constant that I couldn't close my eyes without seeing my father . . . hung from the tree my mother crashed into, or the Avengers laid out in coffins. So despite how tired I was, a nap wasn't an option.

But that wasn't the biggest problem. Besides the foul aftertaste of vomit that lingered in my mouth, the guilt had returned. I sat in the jet, my knees pulled to my chest and stared at Bruce on the floor of the jet in a similar position. I knew it wasn't my fault. I wasn't my fault . . . but I felt like shit anyway. I was so angry—at myself, at Wanda, but more at myself. I knew it wasn't my place to stop Bruce from Hulking-out, but now there was a city in ruins and innocent people were hurt and frightened, and Bruce was suffering. Should I have stopped it? Ugh, I've never felt more conflicted in my entire life.

But since I wore half of my heart on my sleeve (not the whole heart, because that would be foolish, and if someone hadn't noticed yet, I had picked up a knack for lying), I started to cry. Silent tears from a useless girl, for Bruce and the city.

I was so lost in my own feelings I didn't even notice that Bruce had settled in front of me until I felt him use the sleeve of his shirt, which was bunched up in his fist, to wipe away my tears. No words were spoken between us, there hadn't been any since we took off. When he pulled away, he hadn't looked me in the eye, I don't think he could, his own guilt could probably topple my own. His actions were very reassuring either way. So instead of words or eye contact, I cupped his raised hand with both of mine and gave it a squeeze. I hoped it would provide the same comfort he gave me and reminded him that we were all still here for him in this dark time.

He was still for a moment, even his breathing stopped before he relaxed and moved back to his for position on the floor of the jet. I felt much better than before, but the silence that wasn't a problem before became increasingly disconcerting. That's when I remembered the duffle bag I had brought along. I reached under my seat and felt for it until I could feel its rough woven straps and pulled it out. I swung the bag's longest strap over my shoulder and headed for the storage area, the slightest movement of each of the Avengers told me they acknowledged my movements, but not one said a word. When I reached the storage area I found the twins where I had left them, on the floor and leant up against the wall of the jet, the male twin's arm was around his sister as she rested her head on his shoulder. Only this time Wanda had fallen into an uneasy sleep and Pietro's fidgety form was still.

As soon as I entered Pietro's eyes snapped to me and I tried to offer him a smile, a gesture he didn't return. I sat down across from him in spite of that and plopped the duffle between us.

"Hi," I greeted quietly, as I hoped not to wake Wanda. I began to unzip the bag. "I'm sure I'm right in assuming this, but you must be hungry." I pulled out a bag of cheese flavoured Doritos chips. "And this may not be the healthiest stuff, but it is comfort food."

"I'm fine." Pietro refused, and I raised a brow.

"Are you sure? I know about your super speed, so your metabolism must be really fast." I argued. "Plus, when was the last time you ate?"

"I told you: I'm fine." The older boy bit out. I wasn't about to let it go, so I opened the packet and grabbed a chip before I chucked the bag into his lap.

"Liar." I accused and reached into the duffel and pulled out a blue Powerade and offered it to him. "At least have a drink of something, or I tell Wanda you were giving me a hard time."

He glared at me, his brilliant blue eyes blazing, but soon gave up and reluctantly leaned in to grab the bottle with his free hand. Our fingers grazed each others' for a split second and I felt a shiver run down my spine. Why? That hadn't happened when I held Bruce's hand, and I've done that twice now. I hardly touched the Sokovian's hand but suddenly my face grew very hot. Was I blushing? Oh no, that was bad, because when I blushed I could make a very plausible replacement for a red stoplight. I tried not to think about it because now was not the time to develop a crush on a Marvel character. Well, I kind of already had a crush on Pietro (which Marvel character was I not semi-crushing on at this point? Wait-Nick Fury, he's a BAMF but I didn't like him that way) but that was when the entire universe around me was fictional.

I don't think he paid my blushing face any mind as he went on to pop the top of the Powerade bottle with his teeth and take a long sip. I decided to do the same and felt great relief when the sports drink washed the old acidic taste of puke from my mouth.

I set down my drink when I heard a soft moan. It was Wanda. The poor thing stirred gently against Pietro, obviously uncomfortable in her current resting position. I racked my brain for a way to help her. I examined my surroundings, the storage area was pretty big, maybe I could lay some blankets out on the floor or—

A stretcher!

Behind me, folded up against the wall amongst other medical supplies was a stretcher that looked similar to the one Clint was placed on when he was injured at the beginning of the film. My friend Liz's older sister, Bec, was a paramedic and once during my school's career day, Bec came and told us all about her life being a paramedic. Why this was significant to my current dilemma was that during Bec's demonstration she showed us the ins and outs of an ambulance. So I worked from memory and went to set up the stretcher as best as I could. I fumbled around a little, but I got it eventually and adjusted it so it was the right height and secured it against the wall adjacent to where the twins were sitting. I grabbed some blankets as well: one to cover Wanda with, and the other I rolled up to create a makeshift pillow.

I turned to Pietro, who had been watching me with a raised eyebrow, and patted the stretcher. "Place Wanda up here, I'm sure she'll be more comfortable."

There was a moment of hesitation before Pietro gently manoeuvred his sister so he had her cradled in his arms. He lifted her up with ease and gently placed her on the stretcher. Of course, being moved woke her up, and she sat up in quite a panic. She was still half-asleep so I completely understood why she was confused, and her brother managed to grab her by the shoulders and gently guided back down.

"P-Pietro? Mella? W-where—" Wanda began, disoriented.

"You're fine Honey. Calm. Down." I said soothingly and draped the blanket over her. "You're safe."

Wanda stared at me with wide eyes, but she did calm down. She grabbed onto her brother's hand and asked quietly. "How long have I . . . ?"

"Been asleep? Not too long Hon'," I replied, and I could here Tony at the head of the ship, speaking with Maria. I knew what that meant. "We have a few hours more to go before we land."

"Where are we going?"

"A safe house, of sorts. We need to lay for a while." I tucked the blanket under the chin and brushed the hair that had fallen into her face away. "Just sleep, we'll be right here." Wanda nodded and reluctantly let go of her brother's hand and buried herself under the blanket. Soon her breathing evened out, and she was asleep.

I smiled and began adjusting the blanket around her to make sure it wouldn't slide off. If Lana was here she would laugh and tell me that I was being to much of a 'Mother Hen', always taking care of people. I didn't mind the title, making sure people were okay was like second nature to me, but I stopped my actions when I felt Pietro staring at me again. I looked up and rather than scepticism in his eyes there was confusion and . . . wonder?

"Why are you doing this?" He asked quietly, looking utterly hopeless. "After what we did, you forgave us. You defended us against the Avengers—you were willing to leave them if they refused to bring us! And now—now you take care of us. You smile down on my sister, so gently, like the nightmare she created in your head didn't hurt you. Why?"

The words were caught in my throat. Pietro had such a raw look in his eyes. So many emotions were rolling off him: confusion, fear, hope, it was a lot to take in. So I made my words simple.

"Because you're not bad people," I said quietly and tried not to wake Wanda. "Though you've made bad decisions, I would never hold the hurt you feel against you, plus," I gave him a knowing smile.

"I know you better than you think." And we didn't say anything else for a few minutes.

"I guess I'll just be . . . going then." I said and started to head back, but I was stopped when I felt Pietro grab my wrist.

"Stay." I heard him say, and I after a moment, I complied and sat down where Wanda had been previously seated. I grabbed the Doritos and began to eat while I tried to ignore the blush that stained my cheeks again. Pietro sat next to me and leaned back, his head tilted back so it to rested against the metal interior of the jet.

"So . . ." I began awkwardly. What was I supposed to say? To talk about?

"So . . ." He repeated and turned to look at me. "Tell me, are you really from a different dimension?"

"Well you're tactful, aren't you?" I said with a breathy laugh. "But yeah, I am."

Pietro shook his head, a disbelieving smile stretching across his face. "That's . . . so strange."

I agreed. "Like you wouldn't believe."

"And what did Ultron mean when he said that we—" The Sokovian gestured to his surroundings. "—Exist in a 'fictional reality'?"

"Well . . ." I trailed off, thinking of a way to explain it, and I kept my voice low—I didn't need the others listening in. "What would you say if I told that this entire universe, your entire world, was a figment of someone else's imagination?"

"I would say you were crazy, but we live in a world where men can fly in metal suits or turn into monsters," I glared at him and actually leaned away from me a little. I knew he was talking about Bruce, and I was not in the mood to deal with that type of bullshit. "And aliens are real and they invaded New York. So at this point, I don't think it should surprise me."

"Well, then it shouldn't surprise you then when I say that this universe actually a part of a film, a series of films actually," I explained further. "It's called 'Avengers: Age of Ultron', it's the second Avengers film, the first one was just called 'Avengers' and it was about the invasion in New York."

"So we're in a superhero movie?" Pietro summed up turning his head to stare at the roof of the Quinjet. "That's . . . crazy." I don't think Pietro could find any better words to describe his thoughts.

"How do you think I feel? I'm the one who landed here."

"How did you get here then?"

"My dad did something stupid and as a consequence, I ended up here and got my powers." I put down the Doritos and pulled my knees closer to me chest. "I don't really want to talk about it." And Pietro was kind enough not to push any further.

"So if we're in a movie, you knew what Ultron was planning . . ." The Sokovian boy looked to his sister. "He's really going to destroy the earth?"

"He's going to try." I corrected.

"But we're going to stop him." It wasn't a question this time.

I acknowledged the statement by bumping his shoulder with mine, trying not to remember the consequences of the Battle at Sokovia. "We're going to kick his arse."

"Do they know that?" Pietro tilted his head to the jet's seating area, to where the Avengers were.

"No," I answered even more quietly that before. "I just told them I knew what was going to happen and it was safer if I didn't tell them anything. They'll find out eventually, but they don't need to deal with the knowledge that they were fictional in my universe now with everything that's going on."

Pietro looked bewildered. "Then why did you tell me?"

"Because you kind of already knew, thanks to Ultron, and . . . because I think I can trust you, and I really want to." I admitted and hung my head. "Don't make me regret saying that."

" . . . I won't." I peeked at him through peripheral vision, he was staring down at me, a light smirk graced his features and I blushed even harder than I did before. Why did he have to be so handsome!?

"So in your universe, am I—"

"Nope!" I stopped him right there. "I trusted you with the truth, but I'm not giving you details; the less you know the better."

Pietro took a swig from his Powerade bottle. "Alright, what do you suggest we talk about?"

What could we have talked about? Oh! "Let's play twenty questions."

"What's that?"

"It's a really simple ice-breaker game," I explained. "Back and forth, we ask each other one question until we get to twenty. We can't repeat each other's questions and they can't be too closely related—what do you think?"

Pietro shrugged. "Let's play, you first."

I was elated that he wanted to play. I didn't know much about his character, and this was like getting a backstage pass! I bit my lip and thought of a question, I had so many! But I started with the obvious. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen," He replied. "But we turn twenty this year."

"Really?" I looked Pietro up and down. "You both look older, I guess."

"I know." Pietro sighed and touched his white blond hair thoughtfully. "Okay, my turn. Where do you come from? As in country."

"Australia."

"Explains your accent."

"Speaking of accents," I started. "Do you speak any other language besides English?"

"Romanian." I wanted to ask more, like if everyone spoke different languages in Sokovia and is that why people spoke English so well over there, but I had to abide by the rules. "Hmm, what's your favourite food?"

"Oh, that's harder question than you think it is." I tapped my chin in thought. "But since I have to pick, I love a good apple pie. Okay, next question—have you ever gotten arrested?"

Pietro's jaw dropped slightly. "Really? That's your question?"

I giggled. "Yes, now answer it. That's usually how this goes."

The blonde shook his head and replied. "Yes, once. During one of the protest rallies me and Wanda would join, sometimes fights broke out and the authorities would arrest anyone that had been near the fight, even if they hadn't been involved in it." He must have recognised the look on my face like I was holding back. "And yes I was involved in the fight, but I didn't start it."

"Because that's so much better." I mock-scolded. "But it must've been tough afterwards."

"I was in jail for the night, Wanda and some friends had come to get me in the morning," Pietro said with a shrug. "My turn. What is your home like?"

It was a good question, but thinking of a simple answer that could recount the beauty of my home might be hard. "Well, I live near Perth in Western Australia, in a suburb called City Beach, and it's exactly how it sounds. It's only a few minutes walk to the beach and it's only a twenty-minute ride into the city. There are so many things to see and do in the city, but the beach it the best part. It's so lovely—beautiful white sand and the blue ocean stretches on and on. I've got the most amazing view, so I sit out on my balcony every other night, just to see the sun sink below the horizon, and the sky turns the most brilliant shades. From reds to pink and purples, it's the like the heavens would open up at dusk and spill some of their beauty into the sky, just for us, before the dark comes." My mother would have loved it there, she had always wanted the ocean to be her backyard.

It didn't take me long to realise I had started to cry. Sneaky tears had slipped down my face and dripped off my chin. Maybe talking about my home reminded me I might not be able to see again. I swiped at my tears and gave Pietro a watery smile. "Sorry, I was rambling and-"

"No no, it's fine," Pietro reassured. "Your home sounds amazing, I mean you live right next to a beach! We've never been outside Sokovia, or our own city before Ultron came for us. We had never seen the ocean until then. One day, I want to take Wanda to a place like your home."

My heart ached because I knew what was coming for Pietro, but I smiled anyway and offered, "I'm sure one day when all of this is over, you guys can go to Perth and see the heavens open up too."

The blond gave me a cheeky look. "Only if you're our tour guide."

I nodded, and I didn't mind the hot blush slipped into my cheeks at the older boy's words. "Okay, next question . . ."

After that first game of twenty questions, we began another, then another, before we forgot it was a game altogether and spoke for the rest of the trip like we were just a boy and just a girl. It served as a welcomed distraction from the circumstances that had brought us together. Wanda slept soundly for the rest of the trip, but Pietro and I hadn't slept a wink. Pietro was adamant about keeping an eye on his sister though I reassured no one would do anything to harm her, but Tony was still in the area and Pietro didn't want to risk it. I was still afraid to close my eyes, for obvious reasons.

But because of the continued lack of sleep, both Pietro and I had the darkest circles under our eyes, and combined with the day old sweat and dirt that clung to our skin as well as our disheveled clothing—we looked absolutely wrecked.

I could see the bright light of slowly filling the jet, and it wasn't long before Clint announced, "Prepare for landing."

I tried to stand but after being seated for so long my body didn't want to agree with me, and my legs turned to noodles. It didn't help that the jet began to lower at the exact same time I decided to get up. I stumbled and began to fall, but as quick as bullet Pietro was up, one arm around my waist and the other on my shoulder why he steadied me.

"Uh, thanks." I sputtered because the way he held me had me shoved up against him, chest to chest. I was blushing like mad (dammit!) but Pietro looked like he hadn't minded.

Not. One. Bit.

I detangled myself from the speedster and straightened myself out (as best I could in the state I was in). "You should, uh, probably wake your sister." And as if on cue, Wanda began to stir and open her eyes.

I grabbed the duffel bag and snatched up any rubbish we had left behind and left Pietro to wake his sister. I walked out into the main area of the Quintet to find everyone preparing to leave, and I was greeted by Steve.

"Hey," I greeted quietly.

He smiled in return, though it was one of those worn out smiles, like the ones that really didn't reach their eyes. "You get any sleep?" Cap asked.

"Nope," I replied almost immediately. He probably already knew that by looking at my (wrecked) face, but as alway Cap was polite as ever.

Steve's eyes darted to the storage area where we could here the twins speak softly. "And did they behave themselves?"

"Wanda was asleep for most of the trips and Pietro and I played played a few rounds of twenty questions," I reported. "There as docile as they're going to get, though their still going to be a little anxious around you guys, Tony especially."

"That doesn't surprise me," Steve replied and Clint approached us.

The archer's face was tight and grim. "Kid, do you know where we are?" He asked.

Clint's home. "Yes."

"Then you know who's here."

Clint's family. "Yes."

Steve looked back and forth between us, as he had no clue what we were talking about.

Clint looked to the twins who had just emerged. "If they try anything—"

"They won't Clint—look at them." I looked back to the twins. "Just look at them."

Wanda leaned against her brother once again, the blanket I used to cover her was now wrapped around her shoulders. He eyes wide as she stared the Avengers, who had stopped what they were doing to stare at the twins. Pietro held onto his sister, his stiff form told me he was still afraid that the Avengers might harm her, but he also looked so tired.

Together they looked like lost children.

"I see you point." The older man muttered. "Just needed to be sure."

"Of course." After that, Clint went over to help Nat, and the jet door dropped and everyone began to exit.

The twins and I were the last to leave, and the bright light of the world outside of the jet almost blinded us, but we continued one, a few steps behind the rest of the group. The scenery was calming to look up, and there was a chill in the air that was so refreshing compared the weather in Africa. Clint's house was so much bigger in actual reality than it looked on the cinema screen. It reminded me of the country house that my father and I stayed at when we went for a vacation over in the Hunter Valley in NSW. My dad was a big wine fan and I loved gelato so it was the perfect destination. There was even porch swing! How nostalgic.

It was only a short walk before we reached the front door, and of course, the twins and I entered last.

The excitement began to bubble up inside me. "Doesn't it look cozy?" I whispered to Wanda just before we walked it.

"I suppose," Wand replied, not really sure of what to make of the place.

An incredibly homey atmosphere washed over us as we clustered ourselves into the house's living room. The living room was filled with traces of the archer's children, from toys to drawings, but these items must have been mystifying to the Avengers who were clueless of Clint's life outside the team.

Clint called out. "Honey? I'm home!"

A second later, a pregnant Laura Barton (a.k.a. Velma from the live action Scooby Doo movies—'Jinkies!') came around the corner from the dining area with a surprised smile and went to kiss her husband.

"Hi, I have company," Clint spoke and kissed her back. "Sorry, we didn't call ahead."

"This is an agent of some kind." Tony assumed.

I giggled and set the duffel bag down. "No, she's not."

"Gentlemen, ladies." Hawkeye addressed us with an arm around his wife. "This is Laura."

"I know all your names," Laura spoke kindly albeit nervously to all the Avengers before she turned to the twins and me.

"Hi Laura, I'm Mella." I introduced myself eagerly and shook the older woman's hand before I motioned to the twins. "And this is Pietro and Wanda."

Laura smiled."You're the portal girl, right?"

I looked back in surprise; she knew who I was? It was Laura's turned to giggle. "Clint told me, another dimension, huh?"

I scratched my neck sheepishly. Of course, Clint would have told her everything. "Uh, yeah."

There was a familiar rumble in the ground and Clint grinned. "Ooh, incoming." Clint's children, Cooper, and Lila rushed around the corner.

"Daddy!" The little girl squealed as she was lifted into her father's arms while the boy wrapped his arms around the Avenger's waist.

"These are smaller agents." Tony tried to explain again as his mind tried to process the touching scene while I just stood there and cupped my cheeks while I cooed at the fluffiness of it.

Once Clint placed his daughter down, she spoke. "Did you bring Auntie Nat?"

"Well, why don't you hug her and find out, hmm?" Natasha smiled and Clint's daughter ran over and jumped into her arms.

Steve, being the gracious gentleman that he was, apologised. "Sorry for barging in on you."

Tony followed. "Yeah, we would've called ahead but were busy having no idea you existed."

"Yeah," Clint admitted. "Fury helped me set this up when I joined. Kept it off S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files, I'd like to keep it that way."

I quickly turned to see the awkward eye contact between Natasha and Bruce and tried not to squeal.

"I figured it would a good place to lay low."

At that line, I remembered something and quickly pulled on Thor's arm before he could step on a Lego block house. Natasha had gone off to have a chat with Laura and Clint's daughter then came up to me and stared up at me after taking all the new people that stood in her home.

I couldn't help but coo at her beautiful little face and crouched down so we were at eye level. "Hi sweetie, what's you name?" I asked, despite knowing what it was.

"I'm Lila." She answered cheerfully.

"Nice to meet you, Lila, I'm Mella." I introduced again. I adored children of every shape and size, and Lila Barton was hands down one of the most precious little girls I had ever seen.

Lila twirled here skirt side to side. "Mella's a pretty name."

"Thank you, Honeybunch! Lila's a pretty name, too." I replied and turned to the twins. "That over there is Pietro and his twin sister Wanda."

Pietro waved awkwardly while Wanda looked very uncomfortable under the little girl's wide-eyed gaze.

Lila tilted her head in a questioning manner. "They don't look like twins."

"That's because they're fraternal twins, darling," I explained slowly.

"Fra-fraternal?" Lila stumbled over her words.

Ooh, this child was going to kill me with her cuteness. I elaborated, "It means when they're born they don't look like each other, and there's one boy and one girl sometimes. The ones that look alike are identical twins."

"Oh," Lila spoke and turned to the twins. With a smile she went up to Wanda and tugged on her jacket, motioning her to bend down to her level. With hesitance, Wanda did so and Lila cupped her hands around her mouth and leaned into the Sokovian girl's ear and whispered but was still loud enough for me to hear. "You're really pretty."

Wanda pulled back, stunned before her expression softened and she brushed a strand of hair of in the little girl's face and tucked it behind her ear. "Thank you." She spoke softly, and I could see Pietro behind them with an unreadable expression on his face.

That was when the toaster decided to pop and Thor decided to storm out, just as before. The Captain went after him, but before he could get out the door I ran after them.

I stopped Steve at the door. "Let me talk to him."

The older man gave me a questioning look but I didn't give him any time to answer before I ran down the porch steps and chased after Thor.

"Thor!—"

"I saw something in that dream." He began, hammer gripped tight and his cape fluttered lightly in the breeze. "I need answers—"

"-And you won't find them here, I know." I finished and touched his arm. "Just hurry back, yeah? Everyone'll be back at the tower when you're done, and tell Dr. Selvig I said 'hi'. "

The God looked down at the at me, surprised, but gave me a firm nod anyway. I backed up as he swung his hammer and shot up into the sky, but the whole action felt useless when the force of his jump caused me to lose my balance and fall on my butt.

"Where is he headed?" I heard Steve ask as he came down the steps and helped me up.

Trying not to faint at the fact that Captain America was holding my hand, I turned away and looked back to the skies in the direction Thor had left in. "To find some answers. He'll be back, nothing to worry about."

At least I hoped not.

"So, Mella, is that an Australian accent I hear?" Laura asked as she put way some dishes in a cupboard on the other side of the sink. The Avengers and the rest of us had eaten brunch together quietly, and the meal mainly consisted of toast and a lot of coffee. I was still full of Doritos a Powerade, so I didn't eat much. Everyone had gone to shower and freshen up, so I stayed behind in the kitchen with Laura because I was sure as hell that Tony wasn't going to help with anything. I didn't mind at all, and it also felt good, to do something mundane and normal after everything that had happened so far.

"Oh, yeah," I replied while she did the rest of the dishes that were in the sink. "Australian-born and raised."

"Where in Australia?"

"Perth, in Western Australia."

"Oh." Laura thought for a moment. "Isn't it really isolated?"

"Oh yeah." I nodded and looked away from the sink, trying to not become too giddy—I was doing the dishes and making small talk with Clint Barton's a.k.a. Hawkeye's wife! "It's a big city, but it's the most isolated one in the world."

"What's it like?"

"Hmm." I hummed as I recalled some of the things I had told Pietro. "Well, the people are nice enough. It's a pretty rich city, there are a lot of millionaires living over there. And for some reason, the people are obsessed with custom license plates. I'm not even kidding, they're everywhere."

Laura laughed and came back over to the sink. "Let me finish here, you should go up and check if one of the showers are free."

"Ok." I agreed and finished washing the glass I was holding. I was still dirty, and I didn't the B.O. that was starting to make its presence known on me stink up the Bartons' lovely home. I jogged up the stairs and turned, I passed by the kids playroom where one of the bathrooms were located (for some strange reason) when I overheard someone talking.

I could hear Bruce mutter in disbelief. "What are doing?"

"I'm running with it; with you." I heard Natasha speak gently. "If running's the plan, then as far as you want."

Oh shit. Bruce and Natasha were having their moment! I wasn't about to fuck with my otp, so as quickly and quietly as I could I tiptoed past the open door and ran to the end of the hall to Lila's bedroom where I had stashed the duffel bag for the time being.

I had looked around at the room in fondness. Clint's children had given up coming and going from their rooms for the next few hours, just to let us use them for changing. The twins and I were using Lila's room, which was themed with pinks, greens, and purples. It reminded me of the room I had when I was around her age, well, actually I was more around Clint's son's age when I first got a room to make my own.

When my father had enough to actually get us a house, he made sure I had huge room as well as another in which we called the "Art Cave", like the Bat Cave but instead of being used to fight crime it was used for me to practice my art skills and study for school. When my father and I were still living in a studio apartment on the outskirts of the city, the only separate room was the bathroom and my bed and my father's were separated by a thick curtain that my mother had bought and strung up. Having two rooms of my own was one of the best things I had ever received.

Oh great, I had just made myself homesick, but not only that but a realisation hit me. My father was so desperate to get his job back that he'd break the law to do it. His project's funding plus wages was good money, it provided with everything we could have wanted. Everything I could've wanted. Now that I had finally gotten over my shock and overall anger, I could understand my father's reasoning behind his uncharacteristic actions.

I pushed those thoughts away and rummaged through for the clothes I had packed and noticed some of its' contents missing and replaced with plastic bags filled with dirty clothes. Huh. The twins must have already showered and changed. I grabbed out my stuff when I heard the door open, so I turned to greet whoever had walked it.

All the breath in my body left at the sight.

It was Pietro. He was fresh out of the shower. He was wearing the pants I had packed for him (they looked like a perfect fit, pat on the back for me) but was barefoot as well as shirtless. He was drying his wet hair with a towel and carried the rest of his clothes in his free hand. His torso was still a little wet from the shower, small droplets clung to his skin in the most ridiculously sexy fashion. He had these broad shoulders that we breathtaking, beautifully formed biceps that made me bite my lip, and I had a great urge to run my fingers over his stubbled jaw. I tried so hard not to stare, but he was so tall and lean, and I bet that sculpted abdomen of his (ooooohmyyyyyygaaaaawd) could compete with any greek statue.

Scrap that, he was Adonis come to torture me.

My face was burning when Pietro noticed me in the room, and his surprise only lasted a second before a smirk crawled across his handsome face. Damn! Where was Geo when I needed her?

"Uh, s-sorry." I stuttered, mentally slapping myself for the way her words fell out. "I-I'll just get out of your hair so you can get changed."

Pietro's smirk widened into a grin and he sauntered over to me. "Hey hey, why are you so nervous?" He asked, feigning innocence.

I blushed furiously. He knew exactly why! What cocky bastard! I wasn't angry at him, though, not really. I got the feeling that he might've been flirting with me towards the end of our conversation on the jet, but then again I couldn't tell if it was flirting or just teasing. But this . . . I think he really was flirting with me. I wasn't going to let him have the satisfaction of knowing how his words and looks affected me, so I played it off. "I'm not nervous. I just, um, I'm fine, really!"

He was directly in front of me now, so close I had to tilt my head up to look at him. Why was he looking at me that way? I turned my head to look away as he asked, "Are you sure? You are all red in the face."

I didn't respond, and when the silence stretched on I felt Pietro's rough fingers take my chin and turn my head until I faced him again. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

His spoke slowly and so intensely that I couldn't help but shiver. I stared up at him, about to respond, but as soon as I met his eyes I knew something was wrong. He didn't look all there, like a part of his mind was focused on something else. There was also this tenseness in his shoulders that I didn't notice before, and suddenly my nervousness turned to concern.

I reach up to touch Pietro's cheek. "Are you okay?"

His eyes widened and tried to pull away. "I'm fine-"

"No, you're not." I threw my fresh clothes onto Lila's bed and used my other hand to cup the other side of the blond's face. "Now, what's wrong? You can tell me."

Pietro let out a sigh through his nose. "It's just that-"

"Pietro."

Pietro and I whipped around to see Wanda, dressed in the black leggings and long red shirt I had packed for her in the doorway, arms crossed with an eyebrow raised.

My hands fell away from Pietro's face. From the looks of things, Wanda needed to speak with her brother. Not just 'I want to talk with you 'cause you're my bro' kind of talk, but a 'shit needs to be said and sorted' kind of talk.

"I think I'm just gonna go." I grabbed her clothes and headed out of the room towards the bathroom. As I was leaving she could hear a resounding 'slap' noise, Pietro yelping in pain and Wanda began to scold him in their native tongue.

I walked faster.

I breathed deeply as I continued to glide my pencil over the paper absentmindedly. Of all the things I had brought with me, it shouldn't surprise anyone that my sketchbook was amongst those items. It helped me relax, especially after my last encounter with Pietro. He was also the reason I decided to stay outside of the house.

I had gone out and sat around the side of the house on the grass with my sketchbook in my lap. It was almost one in the afternoon and even now I was still worried about Pietro. I hoped whatever the matter was he was sorting it out with his sister.

I looked up and saw Cap staring at me. I wasn't the only one outside of course. Clint was on the porch with his children and Steve and Tony were in the front yard chopping would. Steve's pile of wood was still comically larger than Tony's. I waved at the older man and he offered me smile that would have made me weak in the knees if I were standing before he went back to chopping wood. God, why did the universe decide it was a good idea to put me in a place where I would be surrounded by so many attractive people!?

Some inspiration suddenly struck me then and I flipped onto a new page and began to sketch away. Basic shapes to begin with before building up towards strong and permanent lines and smaller details.

"Hey." I looked up from my sketch to see Wanda approach and sit down one the grass with me. It looked like my hopes were wasted as Wanda felt more upset than Pietro had been. "Wanda, what's the matter?" She didn't respond.

"It's just . . . " Wanda trailed off. "There are just so many things on my mind."

"Then tell me, Honey, I'm right here." I soothed. I shuffled closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You can tell me anything, I'm you friend aren't I?"

Her eyes widened. "I'm . . . your friend?"

I nodded quickly. "Of course! Unless you don't want to be friends?"

"No! Being friends sound . . . wonderful." The older girl admitted. "But after what I did . . . how could you possibly want to be friends with me?"

"I forgave you already didn't I? What more do you want from me?" I said jokingly, but Wanda almost looked scared. "Hey, I really want you to be my friend, and you know what friends do? They tell each other everything and either comfort the other or call the other out on their bullshit, and I can't read minds like you so spill it."

Wanda looked down, her long brown hair fell and shielded her face from my view. "I feel guilty."

"About what?"

"About everything!" She burst. "For using my powers on Stark and creating Ultron, for using my powers on the Avengers, for nearly destroying this-" The Sokovian stared up at the house painfully. "He has children, Mella! I nearly turned into the man I hate, and took a father away from his family! What kind of monster would I be if I had-?"

"Oh Darling-shhh." I held her close as Wanda as she struggled to keep herself together. Both Tony and Steve were now paying attention but with a quick look, I told them I had it covered. "Wanda, Hon', you can't do this to yourself. We all make mistakes out of anger and hatred, but you're with us now, trying to make up for everything. That's all the matters."

"I understand, but it's not just that." Wanda let out a shaky breath and her eyes were glassy. "I'm scared out of my mind Mella. I saw what Ultron is planning. So much destruction and death, and Pietro . . ."

I rubbed the older girl's upper arm. "I know Wanda, and I'm sorry you had to see that."

"But how do we stop it?" Wanda asked frantically. "There must be a way."

I looked over her desperate face and tried to answer. " . . . I don't know if we can. Sometimes . . . sometimes things are inevitable. Since I've come here I have changed things with what I know, and we might be able to stop Ultron, but death is an absolute thing. As much as I hate to say it, I don't know if we can truly change what this universe has planned for Pietro."

Wanda's expression blanked for a moment before slowly forming one of determination.

"Then we're just going to have to go against the universe."

I felt the corners of my mouth turn up. "Hon', I like the way you think." From that moment, I made the silent vow that I would do my best to protect Pietro and speaking of Pietro-

"Wanda."

Pietro had appeared in front of us in a rush, fully dressed, and really he resembled his sister in the way he stood, with his arms folded and hip slightly cocked to the side. Even his glare was the same as Wanda's.

"What did you two talk about when I left the room?" I squeaked.

Wanda just turned her head away, showcasing her current feelings of annoyance towards her brother. "We got into an argument, it wasn't resolved. I'll be right back." She got up and dragged her brother towards the back of the house.

I could faintly hear Tony and Steve having their own argument, but my focus was on the twins. I didn't like the looks of it. I couldn't hear a thing they were saying, but there was a lot of fist clenching and head shaking, and I could see Wanda grow more distraught by the second. I've seen Geo and Lana get into many arguments like this, and when those happened I stepped in (whether they wanted me to or not) and played mediator. It looks I was going to do it again.

I hoped I wouldn't regret this.

I walked up to the twins and pulled them apart so I could stand between them. "Okay, what's the matter? I hate seeing you both like this and I've been left in the dark for too long about this tension you guys have going."

Pietro turned to me, a shocked on his face. "You think you've been left in that dark!?" I stepped back a step. Where did flirty Pietro go?

Wanda growled at her brother. "Pietro, don't be angry with her—"

"Why shouldn't I be?" Pietro shot back. "After all, you just told me she's the reason you've been keeping things from me."

I was so confused. "I did what now?"

"You heard me." Pietro snarled. "Wanda saw something in your mind that was so devastating that she won't talk to me about!"

My whole body stiffened. This was all about Pietro's death, that's what she saw, what she won't talk about. Oh boy, how were we going to get out of this one?

"Because of what she saw in your head—" Pietro clenched his fists so hard that I thought his fingers might break through his palms. "—No only is my sister keeping secrets from me, but for some reason she can stand here, being this close to the man that murdered our parents and be completely fine with it!"

Wanda looked as if she had been slapped across the face, and I was pissed.

Shit was about to go down.

"Okay, listen here arsehole because you obviously didn't when we were in Africa." I started, trying to stay composed because knowing me, I'd probably start yelling. "Tony did not kill your family. He may have sold the weapons that did, but he didn't kill them."

Pietro shook his head. "What difference is there between the who dropped the bomb and who made it-"

"Uh, there is a huge difference!" I corrected. "And for Pete's sake, he's Iron Man! A bloody Avenger! He's been trying to make amends for his part in fuelling the violence and war in places like Sokovia because he saw what his weapons were truly being used for! I'm not saying you need to forgive him right now and forget all your pain, but you need to acknowledge that he's trying!"

Pietro didn't want to listen. "You just don't understand-"

"What is that supposed to mean!?" I yelled. Oh no, I'd lost it. "You think you're the only one who has ever lost a parent? The only one to ever see a parent die in front of them and be traumatised by that? You think you and your sister are the only one's who have ever suffered? Well, I'll tell you now—you're not!" I was pretty sure I was about to cry, but I pushed on and pointed to Wanda. "And your sister here? Has been nothing but understanding, and has been trying so hard to be strong for you! So don't you dare undermine her! Not after what she saw-"

"And what did she see? In your head? What brought us here!?" Pietro nearly roared.

"You wanna fucking know!? Your death, Pietro! Your death!" I revealed with tears in my eyes to a very confused Pietro. "That's what she saw in my head. Ultron tried to destroy the earth, you died in the process, and now we don't know what to do."

The cat was out the bag, and I tried to storm away, but Pietro tried to stop me by blocking my path. He probably had questions, but I was in no mood to answer them. I simply created a portal and transported myself further down the yard.

"Pietro, that is enough!" I could here Wanda try to calm her brother, but I didn't look back when I broke out into a jog to get even further away from them.

"Mella!" Steve pulled away from chopping wood and tried to stop me before I passed. "Are you-"

"I'm fine," I muttered as I dodged the older man and kept going. I made it over to the barn and ran behind it before I collapsed on the grass and I let grief take over. Damn me and my emotions! I had really made a mess of things. Pietro must be so confused, and Wanda wasn't ready to talk openly about her brother's death. I thought maybe I should return and talk things out. Everything was out in the open anyway. Yeah, that sounded like a good plan. I'd go back as soon as I calmed down.

To my left, I heard the crack of a stick and I rolled her eyes before I looked up. "Steve I said I was fine-" I froze.

I almost stopped breathing.

"I may not be the Captain," The man said, and his familiar eye patch caught my attention. "But I thought it was high time we met, Miss Kate."

I began to stutter. "You're-you're—"

"Nick Fury, but I was told you'd know who am," Nick spoke. "And boy have I heard a lot about you."

And just when I thought nothing else about this universe could surprise me, I fainted.