AN: Thank you soooo much for all reads and of the votes! It means a lot to me. :) How are you liking the story so far?

"You're just jealous because you cannot lift Mjolnir," Thor retaliated jokingly. Him and Clint were having a light argument about how the lifting trick worked. To put it simply: there was no trick. That's what angered Barton the most.

He grew up in the circus, so he knew almost every con in the book. Magic was really just an allusion. Circuses? Get real. Those places were moving robbers that treated a lot of its members like slaves. Even if there was a miracle which made everyone under equal ruling, there was always one con artist who took advantage of the money. Barton took a sip of his coffee before spouting, "Whatever, man. The first time I saw you, you were crying like a baby because you couldn't lift it."

"It's true. I was there," Coulson added. He took a bite out of his steak and watched the two men settle down. His blue eyes switched back and forth between them. He needed to be ready just in case one of them lashed out on the other. Sometimes, even superheroes didn't get along. Coulson knows that with the Avengers, it's more than sometimes. These people had vast differences, but opposites attract. They all have specific skill sets to bring to the table and makes the team well rounded. He wiped his mouth with a napkin. "We've been talking about Thor's magical hammer for the past half hour. There is always another challenge for all of you to accomplish. I would love to see how many of you could throw Captain America's shield properly."

Everyone leaned back in their chairs and either chuckled or scoffed. Now this was going to be fun.

Natasha got in on the conversation and swayed her fork with her hand motions, "Well, we all know I can do it."

"Yeah, after we practiced with it," Steve declared with a small smirk. Natasha kicked him from underneath the table. He scrunched his nose up when he winced and rubbed his leg. Not all superheroes were naturally talented at everything. Practice makes perfect.

"I don't think it's going to be that hard. It's literally a frisbee," Peter joined in. He buttered the bread that was in his hand and glanced at everyone. No one said anything for a few seconds because they were too busy eating.

Tony finished his food and set the fork down on the plate. He pointed at Steve, "If Capsicle can do it, then I can too."

"Those are some high expectations, Tony," Banner shook his head. He had already finished four full plates of food. I don't know where he puts all of it, but he scarves it down like it's the end of the world. When the day comes where he can't have as much food as he wants, I really hope I'm not there to see it. That will be a day of heartbreak and, of course, him getting angry. I hadn't seen him turn big and green up close and personal, but that was last on my bucket list.

Stark pretended to be offended and put a hand to his chest. His brown eyes widened a bit and focused on Bruce. He scoffed, "If Cupid over there can throw the shield right without any practice, so can I."

"Hey, Cupid is taking it too far," Clint defended himself. His baby blue eyes locked onto Tony's brown ones in slight offense. Tony had a way with nicknames, but seriously, he went overboard sometimes.

I watched the events unfold from my seat. Different conversations started up and soon, it was difficult keeping up with all of it. A few argued, others laughed. Everything was normal, though. That was the odd thing. The Avengers always bickered and joked around. It was just how they were. It really surprised me how well they worked together, even with all of that piled on. Scratch out fun from earlier. This was going to turn out to be an epic argument that will turn out in either blood, sweat, tears, or all three combined. I giggled to myself, "Yeah, Big Bird has feelings, Tony."

Clint glared in my direction and Natasha moved her hand underneath the table. He turned to look at her and nodded subtly. She calmed him down in just a few seconds, which from what I had seen, was a personal record. Nat glanced around and asked, "What about you, Phil? You ever think about trying it?"

Everyone turned to look at Coulson. He cleared his throat and slyly smiled, "I tried it when we first found Rogers in the ice." He paused his story and waited a few seconds. All of us gave him a look of anticipation, like we were waiting for the end of his story. Something terrible had to have happened. "Needless to say...an agent had to go to the emergency room. It bounced off of the wall and hit him right in the neck."

"I really hope it was a Hydra agent undercover," Tony stated bluntly.

Steve nodded in agreement. Hydra infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. after World War II and grew within it. No one even knew until Alexander Pierce sent agents to kill Director Fury. Now, Coulson was in the process of rebuilding the company from the ground up. "How are you doing with being the director?" Steve asked with a slight hint of seriousness. He was still angry that Fury went behind his back and didn't leave S.H.I.E.L.D. in the trash with Hydra.

Then again, he thought Hydra would stay dead this time.

Apparently, that wasn't the case.

"It's difficult, but I can see why Fury kept so many secrets. Hard to trust people nowadays," Coulson started off saying. He glanced at his expensive black watch and raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised May hasn't called me yet. She usually very punctual."

"May? I remember May. She's a really sweet person," Natasha recalled. She moved a strand of red hair out of her face and put it behind her ear. Her emerald green eyes flickered from Barton to Coulson a few times. "She kicks serious ass, too."

Coulson laughed a bit and rubbed his chin. He had to think for a moment before he said anything. "She has her moments. Unfortunately, she's been more serious lately." His phone began to ring in his pocket, which immediately alarmed him. He stumbled to answer the phone as it blared the song "Star Spangled Man."

Steve cringed at the memory that popped into his mind. Those were the days where he was dressed in tights and serving his country in a way that he never expected. I could just see it in his eyes. The hurt. The pain. The agony of not being able to fight alongside his best friend. He looked away while Tony started up a funny conversation about Steve's early days and told stories that his father had passed down to him about it. In my opinion, they were quite funny and adorable. Steve didn't think so.

"I have to go. Urgent business back at the base."

The group stood up and hugged Coulson individually. He made a few comments here and there accompanied by some inside jokes. The energy in the room flowed at a smooth pace with the calm and love that spread about. I could literally feel the joy. Experiences like that are...indescribable.

By the time Coulson got to me, he hooked his arms underneath my arms in a gentle hug and whispered in my ear, "I hope you forgive me for my past actions. I..."

I cut him off, "You had your orders. I get it." I was surprised he hugged me in the first place. We weren't on good terms, but he ended up being a really great guy. Natasha saw my surprise and genuinely smiled at the fact hat I was getting along with everyone.

He backed away and put one hand on my shoulder. His blue eyes looked straight into mine through my glasses. His tone was very reassuring, "You're part of the family now. Just don't forget your roots. You were raised in a pretty special place."

I simply nodded and watched him leave. What he said meant he kept a watch on me until he knew where I went. I didn't know if I should feel safe because of that, or completely spied on in case I was needed for future use. I had heard terrible stories where S.H.I.E.L.D. would take some blood and catalog every mutant with a number in their database. When they were needed, they were called up and asked to be of help. 

I walked into my room and sat down. I contemplated about Xavier's School for the Gifted and sighed. My hands ran over the sides of my phone and tapped at the dark blank screen. Should I call Logan? I haven't talked to him in a while... I shook my head and set my phone on the nightstand. No. Not until Loki and Red Skull are put away. I don't want to put them in harm's way. I rubbed my eyes and groaned. We needed a battle plan. We needed to take them out before they ruined another city. Were the Avengers not worried about this possibility?

Natasha relaxed against the door frame. She smiled a bit and asked, "May I come in?" I nodded. I was too busy thinking of a plan to say anything. Tasha sat down on my bed next to me and leaned against the wall. She stayed silent for a few moments and got lost in her memories. She linked her hands together in a neat fashion and played around with her nails. "Did Peter tell you how we first met him?"

I hesitated for a second and searched my memories. Once I came up with nothing, I declared, "No, but I would love to hear about it." Story time was always fun. No matter whether it was sad or happy, I loved hearing stories. I guess it was the child on the inside that got excited by it.

"We got a call about some distress in another city, so of course we went to go check it out. When we got there, he was broken. He held his head in his hands and tears streamed down his face. He yelled in agony, and seeing a child so broken just hurt my heart. I knew how that felt. It was...painful." She bit her lip, but continued, "We asked if he worked for anyone or if he just fought to save people on a regular basis. He said he just wanted to finish college and get out into the real world. Start a new life. One without Spider-Man. And in this line of work...that seems impossible. That's merely a dream that none of us will ever achieve. Our job is never done."

Natasha hung her head for a few seconds and looked up at me. The gleam in her eyes showed...hope. That was something I didn't see in her eyes everyday. "We couldn't deny him his right to go to college, but he was a valuable hero that we needed on the team. We convinced him not to give up. That's why you see him studying almost every day. He goes to college online with the best professors that S.H.I.E.L.D. could offer. He's a really driven kid that wants to succeed with his own name and not just Spider-Man. Peter is one of the smartest people I know." Natasha broke out into a full blown smile and made one dimple show up on the side of her face. "He's going to graduate soon with his Bachelor's degree. I'm really proud of him."

Wow...she really cares about him. I never thought Natasha would be attached to him, but I guess it was a motherly side to her that hardly anyone sees. I got a warm feeling blossom in the middle of my chest. My cousin was loved by his team and the people around him. It was something he had always wanted. "At least he's making a difference everywhere. All I've ever wanted for him was to make a family of his own and live happily. I see he's already found that."

She put her hand on mine and tenderly stated, "So have you. You just got to learn how to put up with the boys."

I laughed at that. The boys were definitely something else. Too many words described them, and some of them weren't good. "I don't know how you do it." I yawned and closed my eyes for long seconds at a time.

Somehow, after a few minutes, I ended up with my head on Nat's lap. She played with my curly brown hair and ran her fingers through it. I felt like a dog, but damn, did it feel good. She sang softly in Russian. I gladly listened and smiled from time to time. She was a beautiful singer. Why hasn't she sang professionally? She would make a kick ass singer. I thought to myself. When she finished, I applauded softly. "I didn't know you could sing."

"Gotta have something to calm me down when I'm alone."

"Yeah," I yawned. I wanted to stay up and talk with her, but after a day of yelling, bickering, and fighting with Steve, I wanted to just sleep. Sleep sounded better than anything else on the planet. My eyelids were drooping and my attention span was lowering.

Nat whispered, "I'm really glad you joined the team. It gets really lonely being the only girl sometimes."

"What about Pepper? Jane? Anyone else?"

She sighed and shook her head slightly. "They're always away. Don't really get to have girl time. They have businesses to run or science to do." She patted my shoulder and stopped playing with my hair. "Alright. Time to sleep, Lilly."

I moved so she could get up and set my glasses on the nightstand. I turned off the light, but before she left, I said, "Make sure Barton gets some sleep. He really needs it, Nat."

Natasha gave me a weird look for a second before walking out of the room and closing the door. Maybe she was confused about how I knew that and she didn't. Either way, I didn't care at the moment. My head hit the pillow and I was out like a light.