Hello again! Updates might be sporadic on this because a) I have no internet at home and b) I don't have this one written in advance. Just a warning.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers, Jeremy Renner, or Andrew Garfield. Dangit.

Steve walked into the medical bay to find half his team screaming at the personnel. Natasha was standing in front of Clint, yelling at a nurse about brainwashing while Clint stared at the floor, arms folded and shoulders hunched. Tony was denouncing the facilities as inadequate while Bruce, tired and still a little green, quietly agreed with him. Thor simply demanded, loudly and repeatedly, to see the Son of Coul.

Lucy was in a shouting match with the head nurse, who didn't seem to believe that she was in fact Phil's mother. Her fists were clenched and Steve could see her shifting her weight, preparing to start throwing punches.

"Enough." Fury didn't yell, but there was an authority in his voice that shut everyone up. "Nurse Dowsett, this woman is in fact Coulson's mother and is therefore authorized to see him, unless his doctor says otherwise."

The doctor in question slipped out of Phil's room, probably drawn by the sudden quiet. He looked at Lucy. "You're his mother?"

She nodded.

"To be honest, I haven't worked with many mutants. What can you tell me, what are his powers?"

"He's actually only got one. His healing factor is impressive even to other mutants. Not as good as Wolverine's but good enough to keep him alive when he should be dead."

"Yes, there isn't much for me to do except medicate him." He frowned. "Will the painkillers work, or –"

"They work." She confirmed. "Can I see him?"

"He's asleep."

"I don't care."

Phil was asleep for the next week and there was always at least one Avenger in the room. There was some concern about Clint at first, but Lucy informed SHIELD at large and medical in particular that even though she had left the agency, she still retained both her authority and her clearance and Barton was now her asset so back off.

When he wasn't working on his armour or the Carrier, Tony spent a lot of his time in medical with Lucy, making sure she ate and slept and catching up on a few decades of lost time.

"I didn't even know you had a kid. Never made the connection to Agent, either."

"I'm not sure I ever told you my last name. And Philip is three years older than you, what nine year old wants to hang out with a six year old, no matter how smart they are?"

"Still." Tony grumbled, looking at Phil's still face. "Seems like a waste."

Steve found himself in the med bay more often than he was anywhere else. Eventually he stopped leaving whenever Tony came in and starting sketching instead, trying to capture the side of Tony that only Lucy seemed able to bring out. When Steve asked her about it, she smiled sadly.

"You can blame Howard for that."

"Howard?"

"He was a friend of yours, wasn't he."

"Wasn't he yours too?"

"No, not really. I didn't actually know him well." She bit her lip. "He was a brilliant man."

"I know."

"But a lousy father." Lucy gave him a sad smile. "I don't think he meant to be, I doubt he ever deliberately…" She sighed. "Just, don't expect Tony to be like Howard. And don't try to bond with him over Howard either. It's…well it's complicated. There are a lot of feelings involved there. Some of them aren't exactly good."

Steve nodded and turned back to his drawing.

"I understand you were an art student?"

"Well. Art kind of went out the window when the war started."

"A lot of things did." She was giving him a measuring look. "It hasn't clicked yet, has it."

"What?"

"How old I must be." She nodded at the bed, at the son that looked older than her.

Steve paused and looked up at her. "Now that you mention it. But then, I'm a lot older than I look myself."

Lucy smiled. "Sixteen." She blinked, surprised at what she had said. "I mean, I was sixteen. When – when you crashed. I remember the war." She looked away. "I remember you."

He opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a groan.

Lucy darted to Phil's side and took his hand. "Philip?"

Phil slowly opened his eyes. "Mom?"

"Morning, Baby."

He groaned again.

"Hey, you died on me. I get to call you whatever I want. In front of whoever I want."

"Who – " He turned his head and saw Steve. "Captain?"

"Hi, Phil." Steve grinned. "I, uh…I watched you while you were sleeping."