Author's Note: Ok, so here is the time line for the Avenger stories. It however, isn't the writing time line…if that makes sense. The first story you'll want to read is 'Thor's Gift' followed by this story and then 'Just you and me' and then 'Resistance'. It'll make more sense if you do that.

Summary: One month after the alien invasion, the Avengers called together by Fury. But what does it have to do about the man in the suit that brought them all together. The man in the suit that gave them something worth fighting for.

Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers, just Valerie.

The Man in The Suit

It had been almost a month since Thor had taken Loki back to Asgard. Manhattan finally had finished the clean up and everything was almost to what it was like before, however, one thing was different, the Avengers. New Yorkers still fought over whether they should be punished for what had happened or if they should be praised for saving them when no one else would or could. But it seemed that everyone was leaning more towards thanking them as more and more people talk about what they went through that day that New York was attacked by aliens.

Tony and Pepper had finished rebuilding the Stark Tower, with seven floors for the new Shield base, and eight floors for the Avengers. The bottom level of the Avengers section was for training and shooting range, whether it be gun, or archery. The next two were lab and work shop areas for Tony, Banner, and the newly moved in Jane and Darcy. The forth level was what you could consider the common area. It had the kitchen, dining room, living room, along with a conference room and library. The remaining levels were suites with Natasha, Banner, along with a guest room at the bottom. Steve, Thor (when he was going to return) and Jane, Darcy (Fury had asked both of them to move in at the Tower since Thor asked nicely), and then another guest room. After that was Tony and Pepper. But at the very top was Clint and Valerie. Their suite was smaller than the others but its window door opened up onto the roof. And being that both Clint and Valerie liked being up high to watch everyone below it was perfect, and beside who wouldn't want roof access as their balcony.

Banner had moved into the Tower even before the tower was finished with its remodel. And was basically in his lab for about fourteen hours a day, before he was pulled out by Pepper who was also pulling Tony out as well.

Natasha went off to who knows where, not even telling Valerie or Clint where she was going. But she was the secretive type, and still had things that even her closest friends didn't know.

Steve had gotten himself a Harley and had traveled up and down the east coast before also moving into the Stark Tower since he was spending all his time there anyway…Banner convinced him.

And then there were Clint and Valerie. As soon as Clint was allowed by Fury, he had stolen away Valerie and they left. No one knew where…well probably Natasha but she wasn't telling anyone. But they had found themselves up in the Northwest in a little cottage on the beach. No one was around, except for the wildlife and the ocean. They had stayed there, with no human contact until the third week when they decided that they should head back into civilization. But before they left, Clint gave a piece of paper to Valerie to look at. And when she read over the wording, she looked at Clint in shock. It was the title to the piece of land that they had been staying on. It was theirs and no one else's. Their own little piece of heaven for them to go to when they needed to get away.

It was the first week when they had all been together that Fury called, telling them to all be at the conference room in two hours. But when they arrived two hours later, they sat there with no Fury. "Well this is an interesting meeting," Tony said as he sat with his feet propped up on the table. He glanced around the table at everyone, before he stopped, "Clint! Valerie! That's not something you do in public!"

Valerie turned and faced him, as she sat on Clint's lap, "You know we're not going to even listen to you when we've all walked in on you and Pepper at some point or another." She turned back to Clint.

"Yeah…well…I never do that."

She looked back at him, "Your eyes are brown right?"

Tony looked confused at her question, "Urgh, yeah."

"That makes sense then." She said just loud enough for everyone to her before turning her attention back to Clint, who mumbled something causing her to laugh.

"Why does it make sense?" Tony asked now curious.

"It makes sense since you have bullshit all the way up to here," she told with as she pointed to her forehead.

The room went silent, before laughter filled the room. "I can't believe you said that," Darcy she as she tried to stifle her laughter behind her hand. "That was perfect."

"Valerie, I have no idea where you come up with these things," Pepper said, before adding, "But please continue."

"Yes, please do," Fury's voice sounded behind them. But when they all turned around, movement and thought ceased. Sitting in a wheelchair in front of Fury was Coulson.

Clint went to stand causing Valerie to slide off him and then sit in his place. "Coulson?" His voice raw with emotion. Valerie knew that it was because of what happened when he was under Loki's control. That Clint felt that it was his fault that Coulson died.

"Clint," Coulson said looking at him, slowly stood to his feet, having a little trouble Clint reached forward and grasped his left arm. "Now I want you to listen to me." Clint's attention was fully focused on him, "This wasn't your fault. Loki was using mind control, something we can't fight by ourselves. And for the rest…I blame Fury." It was when he said that everyone noticed the way he was holding himself and what he was missing. His right forearm from his elbow down was gone. "Now just because I'm missing part of my arm doesn't mean that I still can't kick your guy's asses."

"Phil, what happened? We thought you were dead." Pepper asked as everyone was still trying to process what they were seeing.

"I was officially died for about ten minutes long enough for skin and muscle tissue to start dying, before the Doctors were able to bring me back. And it's taken me this long to heal enough and to get passed the thought that I won't be able to do everything that I did before—"

"Don't worry about that, Phil," Tony interrupted him as he stood, "I'll make you something that it'll seem like you never even lost an arm."

"Tony—"

"It'll even have a built in taser."

"Deal."

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