Anyway, Spencer was a touch odd in the last chapter, I realized. The explanation for that is simple. Around the others from the Abattoir, he relaxes. Not that he didn't around the BAU, but since he now has minions to make do his paperwork, and spends all his time around his fellow survivors, he's loosened up a little. Like coming home after a long time away and discovering you still fit in well.

Darcy knew getting Bruce to the Abattoir would be worth it- she had known he would fit in the moment she met him- but seeing him converse with Tala and Kai about some of the science behind blading, she knew he was theirs.

Theirs, and they wouldn't share. Sooner or later, she would gain status and minions, as the one to bring Bruce to the Council. The Council of Ten were scary, yes, but they were benevolent and protective, and as the Abattoir member Bruce was most familiar with, she would be his contact.

Perched smugly on the roof of the St. Petersburg Abbey where main HQ was, Darcy smiled when she heard Bruce behind her. She knew it was him by his tread. The others moved like the animals they were allied to, but Bruce moved with a human ease, that despite being soft, was neither loud nor silent, just quiet.

"What is all this, Darcy?" Turning to answer him, Darcy's smile deepened when she saw him in the Abbey uniform of cargo pants and t-shirt, with his own button down open over it, as he moved closer to the heated booth that overlooked the entryway. Motioning him to a seat beside her, Darcy explained

"Like the Red Room, where Natasha was trained, the Abattoir is a Russian organization that used to utilise children. After Boris and Voltaire were overthrown, the Russian main branch and the international sub branches asserted that the organization was unneeded, and every child that had been a soldier in their war was free. We were free." the bitterness in Darcy's voice was palpable.

"But we weren't. Biovolt- the Abattoirs' old name- destroyed so many of us, killed so many of our comrades, that none of us were anything resembling okay. Kai Hiwatari, who took over Hiwatari Enterprises after Voltaire's incarceration, asked his best friend, captain and brother in law, Tala Ivanov, to assemble us and offer us the chance to be employed by HE, although we would mostly be the paramilitary arm. I accepted Kai's offer of membership because he promised us our education would be paid for, and he did it. But it was Tala who tracked us down and brought us together, keeps us together, that's why we revere him. He fought for years to topple Boris and Voltaire, was the only one to survive Boris' direct wrath." looking in Bruce's eyes, Darcy told him

"If you let us in, we will fight to keep you, Bruce. Just as Tala almost died for us, all of us will do for you. Because yes, you understand what it is to be the monster, but more than that, you understand the part of us that is afraid of ourselves, the things we could do given half the chance. Give us the chance to help you, please. Even you can't survive forever in the cold." Before Bruce could respond, a voice from the door of the glassed in perch said dryly

"Very eloquently put, Darcy." Tala was lounging in the doorway, kitted out as Bruce was, though he wore battered combat boots and a tactical vest instead of a button down and sneakers.

"Dr. Banner- Bruce- we truly would welcome you to our ranks. We'll help you regain control, and we really will welcome you to convocations, with or without Darcy. I know Spencer wants to compare notes with you, now that he's operating as the Noble Captain of North America."

"Spencer?" Bruce repeated, frowning when Tala elaborated

"Lanky, dark haired, has two younger sidekicks trailing him?" Shaking his head, Bruce asked abruptly

"Why is no one except the Council… romantically involved?" Darcy sighed, waving away Tala before explaining

"Most of the Abattoir who aren't involved with another member or someone they know really well, are infatuated with but will not make moves on someone." At Bruce's raised brow, Darcy scowled

"We have trust issues to begin with, Bruce. We've been battered and abused, to varying degrees of trauma, so most have become infatuated with older persons, or people with see as equals. Zoe, the woman I called when Spence outed me, fell in love with a Navy SEAL but didn't do anything about it until they met again, years later. Derek and Sam, Spence's sidekicks, are respectively in love with his stepsister and her best friend's much older brother."

When Darcy had been silent a few moments, brooding, Bruce asked curiously

"And Spencer?" Darcy smirked

"She's nine years older and far more kick ass. He hasn't said anything to her since he was outed, though."

"Outed?" Bruce's clear confusion would've irritated another woman, maybe, but Darcy simply explained

"The Abattoir is ready for those closest to us to know who we are, what we can do, but we know most of us will never get up the nerve. So, those of us who aren't involved in the Heartbreak Heroes Tour will be outed by our commanders coming to us and demanding battles, since we all beyblade."

They sat in silence until someone else was in the doorway, calling

"Dr. Banner, Lieutenant Lewis? It's dinner time, the Council is announcing a promotion." Darcy whipped around to come face to face with Kalina Hiwatari, grinning when the younger woman smiled gently at Bruce and added

"My husband is quite impatient to adopt you, Doctor, so I plead you to accept sooner, rather than later." Walking away in a swish of her skirt, the young woman was oblivious to Bruce's gaping.

Taking Bruce's arm, Darcy led him to the dining room, shooting thankful looks at the rest of her cohort when they greet her and Bruce with smiles and waves, no comments because they are military of a sort.

Bruce, for his part, is quite relieved when Darcy seats him at the very end of the table, sitting beside him and the person across from him is older than most of the others, a male in his thirties. Spencer?

From the table on the dais at the side of the room opposite the door, Tala Ivanov is standing, the slightest impatience bleeding into his stoic features. When everyone is seated and gazing expectantly at Tala, the redhead begins orating

"When we began drawing together the remnants of Biovolt to us for the Abattoir, there was one person who persisted in helping us, and I would like to thank that person. Spencer Reid, Noble Captain of North America, please step forward to accept my gratitude and your appointment to the Council's Vanguard." The man across from Bruce stood and strode forward, shaking Tala's hand before accepting a slim silver band that he slipped onto his wrist. Spencer himself stepped back, ready to make his own announcement.

"As the Noble Captain of North America, and acting Captain of South America, and now a member of the Vanguard, I have many duties. I formally accede all but the most formal duties in the corresponding territory to Sentinel Zoe Plummer Wolfe of the State of California, Deputy Sentinel Derek Venturi of the Province of Ontario, Lieutenant Darcianne Lewis of the State of New York, and Lieutenant Samantha Puckett of Washington State. My help I offer you, if you need it, but my faith goes with you regardless."

Bruce clapped with everyone else at Spencer's announcement, impulsively dropping a lightning fast kiss on Darcy's cheek before pulling away.

Darcy, of course, was mightily pleased about that bit of affection. Because it meant he cared.

Returning to Stark Tower, not directly after convocation, but after a week long detour through Brazil to help Spencer with something, meant that both Darcy and the first Major-Doctor of the Abattoir returned with slightly bronzed cheeks and lightened hair.

Darcy and Bruce, as befit their status as the ranking members of the Abattoir in the area (with the discreet directive to work out their partnership to their liking) were greeted not by Happy Hogan, but an auburn haired young man in loose jeans and a muscle shirt, wide shoulders protected by a very nicely cut leather jacket.

One thing Bruce had noticed since signing on with the Abattoir (which he did reluctantly) was that everything was subtly better quality without being ostentatious.

The clothing bill of the entire Abattoir alone, Darcy had informed him, reached the several thousand threshold somewhere between June and August every year.

Derek Venturi gripped Darcy in a fierce hug before shaking Bruce's hand, which, in a roundabout way reminded Bruce that the Abattoir was built on a friendly-touch-for-touch-starved-people policy. It was nice, knowing that Derek wouldn't freak out because he was shaking hands with the Hulk. In fact, when someone asked straight up if Derek knew, that he'd just shaken the Hulk's hand, the young athlete snorted and bit out

"DOCTOR Banner is a Major of the Abattoir, dimwit. Be pretty stupid of me to be afraid of the Second of New York. Lieutenant Lewis would gut me, one." Darcy's feral smirk promised divine retribution, so Bruce stepped in

"Derek, enough, we have business to attend anyway." With a theatrical sigh, knowing that due either to his hockey prowess or recent coming-out as high up in the North American branch of the Abattoir, his words were being recorded, Derek shrugged and replied

"That we do, Bruce. But I have to get my bro time in before you get back to the Avengers, yeah? Spence flew in to Virginia, so I'm your ride to the Tower."