"Hey, Barton, what's up with the twins?"

Clint pulled his headphones off and looked up at Steve, confused as to what he meant. Steve pointed towards the kitchen to lead him out so that he could intervene in an argument that had begun to escalate to a point that the Captain felt he might need some assistance.

"You don't know what you're talking about, sister. I have struggled and hurt and shed as many tears as you have, so do not tell me that I don't understand how you feel." Pietro moved to stand next to Wanda, his position towering over her with an air of intimidation.

Wanda stood from her chair and pushed it back sharply so that it skidded across the floor and struck the wall. Her eyes began to have a faint red glow as she closed the gap between her and her brother. "You cannot understand how I feel, Pietro. Do you know why? Because I felt it with her. I felt her fear and her sadness, you didn't."

"Woah, hey guys, let's just calm down, alright? No need to go all red over this...whatever it is." Clint stepped between the siblings and pushed them apart, looking from one to the other. "Speedy, how about you just zip on outta here and let me talk to your sister?

"No," she sighed, "I'll go."

Wanda grabbed Clint by the arm and pulled him into the hallway for privacy, looking back to watch that Pietro didn't follow. "Okay, listen. This is a very difficult day for us, and I apologize that this became something that you felt the need to become a part of. We will clean up and seclude ourselves for the rest of the day." She turned to walk back to her brother but Clint took her hand.

"I'm gonna need a bit more information than that before I let this go. I've never seen you guys fight, and honestly, I'm a little freaked out by it."

Wand sighed and hesitated, pulling Clint towards the living room, taking him to sit on the couch next to her. "Today is our sister's birthday. It's difficult for us, to say the least." She leaned back in her seat and folded her hands in her lap, watching them as they nervously moved around.

"Okay, now I'm really confused. Since when do you have a sister, and why is this the first time I'm hearing about it?"

"She is not our biological sister," Pietro said, walking up quietly behind Wanda and taking a seat next to her. He put his hand on her shoulder and leaned towards her for a kiss on her cheek. "I'm sorry." Wanda nodded and allowed him to continue the story.

"She was with us when we were in the lab in Sokovia, during the experiments. She was very sad, very quiet, and always wanted to be alone. She wasn't like us, though. (Y/N) already had powers of her own, but they were out of control. She could...absorb energy...so they used her to regulate us so she could learn control. When Wanda and I would become too powerful or if they couldn't slow down our reactions, she would absorb from us and take it on herself. It was terrible to witness, but she said she wanted to help us."

"Over time we grew closer, and she became our sister in every sense of the word. We loved her and she loved us," Wanda said quietly. "But, it became too much for her and the power she was absorbing couldn't be controlled, so they removed her."

"No goodbye, no idea of where she was sent." Pietro leaned forward to hold his head in his hands, "we've looked everywhere, and Tony has told me that when Ultron wiped your Strucker files, any information we may have had is gone."

Clint sat quietly for several minutes, rubbing his hand over his chin and appearing deep in thought. It was true that the files had all been deleted, and it was highly unlikely that anything would be in the boxes of papers that Tony had recovered. It was possible that maybe SHIELD had something, but even that was a long shot. He could see how much you had meant to the twins, and how much your disappearance still affected them. He cared too much about them to just let this go.

"Well, that settles it," he said with an affirming nod, "I'm gonna find her."

~~~

Clint stood over Natasha's shoulder, sighing repeatedly and loudly until she had finally had enough, frustrated and slamming her fists on the table. "Barton, I swear, if you breathe down my neck one more time..."

"Sorry, sorry!" he exclaimed, with his hands in the air in front of him. "I'm just anxious, that's all. I need to know that we're getting somewhere."

"I can get somewhere faster if you back off," she growled. Her fingers again started furiously striking at the keys as images and files flashed across the screens in front of them. "Okay...okay...no. Wait...ugh, dammit! There's nothing here, Clint." She pushed back and away from the table, rubbing her tired eyes. "That's it."

"Yeah," he sighed, "I guess that's it. You and I get to take a trip to Sokovia. Doesn't that sound like fun?" Clint slapped her enthusiastically on the back, pushing her forward into the table. "Road trip!"

Natasha groaned and leaned forward, resting her head on the keyboard, listening to the sound of repetitive letters being scrawled across the screen. "No, don't ask. Just assume that Nat has nothing better to do," she mumbled. "Who doesn't love a road trip to a battle-ravaged city full of people who hate you?"

"That's the spirit!"

~~~

Natasha watched from above as they passed over what was left of Strucker's base and the lab, shaking her head at what she could see left of the structure. "I don't know what you think you're going to find, Clint. It doesn't look like there's much to go through."

"I have to say I tried."

"Alright, be honest with me," she said, turning back to look at him, though he didn't meet her gaze, "why is this so important to you? Why are you so hell bent on finding this girl?"

Clint continued to fly over the building for several minutes without replying to her, finally finding a clear area to land. Once down he released his harness and sat motionless. He took a long, deep breath and let it out slowly, relaxing himself. "I just don't like seeing them in pain. They've been through enough, ya know? If she's out there, somewhere, feeling the same pain, then I need to find her."

~~~

"Hey, have you guys seen the super spies anywhere? I've been looking all day."

Tony looked up from his tablet only for a second before returning to whatever held his focus at that moment. "They took the jet out, said they'd be back later but didn't say where. Sorry, Cap."

Steve sighed loudly and stood with his hands on his hips, shaking his head as he looked down at his feet. He was clearly annoyed at his teammates for not telling anyone about their plans and leaving without clearing it with him, but all he could do now was wait for them to get back.

"Just so I know," he said to the group, "when they get back, does anyone else plan on taking the quinjet out for a joyride? If it's somewhere good, I might want to tag along. I haven't had a vacation in two years-"

Steve was interrupted by the sound of the hangar opening and the jet returning. He sat down with the rest of the team to wait, rather than appearing too eager and meeting them there. He wanted information, but he didn't want to jump to any conclusions despite his frustration at their lack of protocol. When the doors opened, he turned to face the duo, but his expression changed to confusion when he saw a trio.

"Romanoff, Barton?"

Pietro and Wanda stood at the sight of you standing between their two teammates, and their faces immediately grew pale and shocked. They rushed towards you, but you recoiled as they neared, feeling uncertain of their intentions since you hadn't seen them in so long. Mr. Barton had said that you could trust them, but you had yet to be sure of that. You really no longer knew them, and they looked so different now.

"Woah, guys, take it slow," Clint said as he took a position between you and the twins. He turned to look at you and cautiously put a hand on your arm, but you quickly pulled it back. "You okay? Tell me if you're not."

"I'm good," you whispered, "just don't touch me, okay?"

"Sorry, I forgot."

Your gaze was down but you glanced up for just a flash of a moment, "that's how problems start, Mr. Barton."

"(Y/N)," Pietro said with an urgency in his voice, "we looked for so long...we thought you were lost. But here you are...where...where were you?" He took another step closer to you, but this time you held your position. "I'm so sorry that we failed you."

Wanda had yet to say anything, staring at you in disbelief that you were there, but also in a stunned silence at the feeling of the anxiety coursing through you. She felt your fear and trepidation and it hurt her to her core, knowing that you had been through something that could cause you so much pain. "We'll protect you," she whispered.

Everyone turned to look at her, but she kept her eyes on you. "Please stay, (Y/N). We can help you learn control." Wanda reached her hand out towards you, but you didn't reach back, folding your hands together and looking at her with hesitation. "Give me your hand, (Y/N), you won't hurt me."

You took her hand and closed your eyes, not wanting to watch if she had been wrong and your touch would begin to drain her power from her. A few seconds passed and you opened your eyes to see that nothing was happening. For the first time in a very long time, you felt like you were in a safe place, with people who meant what they said, and that they would actually help you.

"Okay," you said quietly, with a small smile, "I'll stay."

Part 2

It didn't take long to find comfort within this new group, but that was largely the result of Clint and the twins guiding you through every step of the transition. Wanda had been working with you nearly every day since your arrival, but you honestly didn't feel any different, still uncertain about your power and how you could safely control it and maybe use it to help.

Gathering your belongings, you made your way to the training room for another session, but you were greeted by Steve as you approached the elevator. He had taken a personal interest in your training, almost as much as Clint had, and you weren't sure why. You couldn't deny that there was an attraction there, because who wouldn't be attracted to the Captain, but you had to put that aside; anyone you touched was at risk, and that kind of relationship was never going to be an option for you no matter how much you wanted it.

"(Y/N), off to another training session I see?"

"Wanda has me working every day. Sometimes several times a day, and I'm getting a little exhausted, to tell you the truth." You crossed your arms and sighed, looking down shyly as you spoke, "I can see why she's so persistent though. I'm a threat to everyone until I can get this figured out."

"You're not a threat, (Y/N)," he persisted, stepping closer to you, "you're making progress. I've seen it. You should be proud of how far you've come already."

"Thanks, Steve. That means a lot."

The doors to the lift opened and Steve raised his hand for you to enter first, always the gentleman. Once you were both inside you each reached out to the panel to select your floor, but your hands momentarily bumped into each other. You could immediately feel the surge of power from him to you, seeing his posture shift slightly as he gasped at the sensation. You pulled your hand back as fast as you could, but you feared the damage that you may have already done.

"Steve, are you okay? Please, tell me you're okay," you said frantically. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to...I would never..."

He reached his hand up to stop you, still breathing quickly as he recovered. "It's alright, (Y/N). Just give me a minute."

"That's it," you huffed, "I can't be here. I can't risk doing this to you...to any of you anymore." You hit the panel firmly to return you to your room. The doors opened and you barged out, but Steve followed closely behind.

"(Y/N), listen. That wasn't your fault, I'm fine."

Stopping mid-stride you turned to him, seeing that he was still shaken by the experience despite what he was saying. "Don't do that, Steve. You felt how quickly that happened, and look at you. I can see that you aren't okay. I have to leave before I hurt you again." You began on your way to your room again, but he persisted and took the risk of reaching out and grabbing your arm.

"I don't want you to go, (Y/N), please."

You pulled your arm away harshly and looked at him with a horrified expression, shocked that he would think to put himself in harms way by touching you. "Steve, what the hell are you thinking? Don't touch me!"

"FRIDAY, I need Clint," Steve called out, keeping his eyes on you and his hands extended as if he planned to grab you if you tried to run.

"Clint? You're calling Clint to help you? Steve, you can't make me stay here against my will. I'm doing this for you, can't you see that? I can't hurt you if I'm not here."

Just as you were about to reach your room, Clint appeared and was standing between you and the door, leaning with one hand against the doorframe to block any attempt to enter. "Hey, kid. What's going on?"

"Get out of my way, Clint. Please."

"Steve, what's this about?" he asked the Captain while holding eye contact with you.

"We had...an incident...and she touched my hand. Now she's wanting to leave because she's afraid of being a danger to us. She won't listen to me."

You sighed and rolled your eyes, tightly crossing your arms over your chest again, taking a closed-off posture to try to get your point across. They weren't listening to you, and would never understand how it felt to be a risk to your own friends. These people were becoming family to you, and it was unacceptable to be a threat to them.

"You promised me that you'd stay. You promised the twins. What would this do to them if they lost you again?" Clint moved to stand directly in front of you, only inches away and holding a firm posture. "Should we ask them?"

"No," you mumbled, refusing to meet his gaze. "No, we shouldn't." He knew that the twins were your weakness and used it to get his way. You were fairly certain that it wasn't his intent, but you began to feel manipulated by this. Nonetheless, he was right. He had promised to take care of you and keep you safe, as had Steve and the rest of the team, and you had promised to stay. You took a deep breath to calm yourself and finally gave in.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I may have overreacted. I won't leave."

Both men startled as their phones began to alarm simultaneously, signaling a call to action for the team. Steve slapped Clint on the arm as he passed by, though he was still looking at you. "You'll be here when we get back, right? I want to talk to you more about this."

"I'll be here."

~~~

When you had gone to sleep for the night, it was in your own bed, safe in the tower. When you woke, you were strapped to a cold metal table with bright lights shining on you. You shut your eyes tightly and shook your head, trying to wake yourself from the dream you were obviously trapped in, but when you opened them again the scene hadn't changed.

"Hello, (Y/N), it's wonderful to see you again. Do you remember me?"

"I thought you were dead," you groaned, immediately recognizing the voice. You unsuccessfully pulled against the ties over your wrists, feeling the sting of leather scraping across your skin. "Or at least I had hoped you were."

"That's very rude, (Y/N). After all I've done for you, that's the attitude I receive?"

"After all you've done for me? You've turned me into a monster, Dr. List. I've lost any hope of a normal life, any chance of having friends or a family." Finally giving in to the restraints you laid back on the table, defeated. "What is there left to do to me? I won't serve HYDRA. I would rather die first."

The doctor stepped closer to you, taking special care to avoid your hands as he moved towards your head, looking down on you with a face full of disappointment and frustration. "That can be arranged, (Y/N). That can easily be arranged."

~~~

"(Y/N)?"

Steve waited for a moment, his head close to your door to hear if you were on the other side. His second attempt at knocking was a bit more forceful and urgent, "(Y/N)? Are you in there?"

Still nothing.

"FRIDAY, where is (Y/N)?"

"(Y/N) is no longer in the building, Captain Rogers."

Steve felt an ache in his chest and his stomach drop. You had promised that you wouldn't leave, and he believed you. Something in his instincts made him extremely nervous, and his instincts were never wrong. "Gather everyone in the conference room, and send me surveillance from the time we left the tower until now."

He watched the video on his phone as he made his way to the room, walking as fast as he could, breaking into a run when the moment of your abduction played across his screen. Clint jumped out of his seat when Steve burst through the doors with a frantic look on his face. Wanda and Pietro stood and moved next to the archer, watching closely as the images shifted to the screen on the wall. The team was silent as the event played out before them, each of them feeling the pangs of guilt for leaving you alone, but no one more than Steve.

~~~

"You remember your purpose, don't you, (Y/N)? To control their power?" Dr. List said as he carefully connected wires and transducers to your skin, "we have a new purpose for you. We need you to take them down one by one. Each Avenger has strength, powers, and abilities that set them apart from the rest of the world. You will stop them once and for all, from the inside."

"I knew you were delusional, but this is a whole new level, even for you," you said, again struggling to break free or to at least touch him enough to take him down. "I won't."

The doctor turned several knobs and flipped switches on a machine just out of your line of sight, pausing to give you a chance to reconsider. "You've mentioned that. But now I'll begin to change your mind." He threw one final switch and the surging of electricity shot through you like daggers. Your body jolted with violent spasms, and it was all you could do to not scream for him to stop.

The shocks continued as he stood over you, watching you with cold eyes and a blank expression. "You should thank me for this, (Y/N). When we're done, you're going to be more powerful than ever."

~~~

"Clint, we're going to find her. You know we are." Wanda sat on a nearby bench as he shot arrow after arrow into his practice target, watching in disbelief as he had yet to hit the center ring. "You are the one who found her for us, remember? It will happen again."

"It's been three weeks," he growled, clearly growing more frustrated with each missed shot. "She could be dead for all we know. This is my fault. She's my responsibility."

Wanda stood and grabbed his arm before he could take another shot and pulled the bow from his hands, throwing it angrily on the ground. "She is no more your responsibility than we are. You cannot feel guilty about this or your judgment will be clouded and you will be of no use to her. Look at what it's done to you already." She took his shoulders and turned him to look at the target, forcing him to see what toll it was taking. "You never miss, Clint."

"You think I don't realize? Do you think I can't feel it?" Clint pulled from Wanda's grip and sat on the bench, waiting for her to join him. "I just... I just don't know what else to do." He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, forcing the tears that threatened to spill to remain at bay. "And then what if we do find her? What will this have done to her? She was terrified to come here when we found her the first time. If we've failed her this badly, will she even want to come back?"

He shook his head and stood, walking to the large window to look out over the city, leaning forward to rest his head against the cool glass. It was beginning to rain heavily and his vision was hazy, but was still able to make out something on the sidewalk below. A small crowd began to gather around it, but he still wasn't sure what it was.

"Barton, out front. Now," Tony demanded, stopping only long enough to summon him as he passed by.

Steve was the first to arrive at the main entrance, rushing through the doors and into the rain when he realized what he was seeing. You had been left there for the Avengers to find, your body bruised and emaciated, left behind for whatever fate awaited you on that cold sidewalk, as if you had been thrown out with the trash.

"(Y/N)? (Y/N), can you hear me?" Steve called out, forgetting himself for a moment and reaching down to pick you up. He felt the life draining out as he held you, but he continued on, struggling to just get you inside the building and to help. The reaction was much faster than when he had touched you before; he barely made it a single step before he fell to the ground, unconscious in the pouring rain next to your equally lifeless body.

Part 3 

WARNING: Suicidal Ideas

In the commotion Wanda, Pietro, Clint and Tony ran out to the sidewalk, grabbing Steve and allowing Wanda to move you since she was the least susceptible to your power, which had obviously become exponentially stronger in your time away. The men lifted and carried the Captain to the infirmary as quickly as they could, while still in the rain and now soaking wet herself, Wanda held her hand gently over your skin, scared to touch you for the first time in all of the years she had known you.

"(Y/N)," she said quietly, leaning in close to you and now holding both hands over you, "wake up, my sister. Please wake up now." The gentle red waves floated from her hands to cover you, and she swore she saw you move beneath them.

"That's right, (Y/N), I'm here. You're home now."

She tried to lift you with her energy alone so she could avoid contact, but she wasn't able to move you enough to bring you inside. Tony appeared a few minutes later with his suit on to protect him, easily and quickly lifting you from the cold concrete and into his arms. "I've got you, sweetheart. I've got you," he whispered as he ran inside.

~~~

You were so shocked to wake up in your own bed that you rubbed your eyes and fought the urge to pinch yourself to be sure that it was real. It was dark and the sounds of heavy rain pelted against your windows. Your entire body hurt, but not in the superficial way that the cuts and bruises caused, but a deep ache that resonated in your bones. The exhaustion that gripped you was like none you had ever experienced and you felt as if you could sleep for years.

With a sigh of relief you rolled onto your side and pulled the blankets up and over your head, shielding you from the world outside for as long as you could. Your mind began to flood with the memory of being dropped harshly on the sidewalk, leaving you to your fate in the same rain that was soothing you now. You remembered hearing Steve's voice, but you couldn't move...you couldn't warn him...

Bolting up, you threw your legs over the side of the bed, breathless and terrified at the thought of what you had done to him. Before you could stand, Tony was in front of you, still fully covered by the Iron Man suit, holding his hand in front of him to stop you.

"He's not dead, if that's what you're worried about."

"Oh, thank god," you sighed, feeling your body relax with relief. "Will he be okay?"

"Eventually, but it's gonna take time. You almost killed him, (Y/N). You've become unbelievably stronger. If it were any other man..."

"That's why you have the suit, right? So I don't touch you." Seeing that he wasn't going to let you get up, you pulled your legs back up into the bed and returned to the safety of the blankets around you. "I'm a monster," you whispered. "I deserve to be alone. I deserve to spend my life this way."

"I don't agree, (Y/N). None of us do, and we're trying to find a way to fix this. Whatever they did to you, we will figure it out, do you hear me?"

"Leave me alone, Tony." You rolled away from him and you could feel your emotions draining away. His help wasn't wanted, and you believed that you didn't deserve it anyway. You didn't want to care about these people anymore; it was a liability for them.

But every time you closed your eyes, you were back in the lab, being experimented on and treated like an animal. No, an animal would have been treated better, you were certain of that. You wanted nothing more than the comfort that the team was ready to give, but it was too much for you to accept after what had happened here. You heard the joints of Tony's suit move, wanting to reach out to you, but you pulled away and curled into yourself, fearing anyone's touch, even if they were protected.

"I said leave me alone."

"Okay," he sighed, "I'll back off. But (Y/N), you can't leave this room. Only until we know what's happening and what we can do, alright?" He moved slowly to the door, pausing to look back before opening it. "I'm sorry, honey, but you're just too dangerous."

~~~

"Come on, (Y/N), let me in. I may not have Tony's suit, but I think I can keep myself safe," Clint said through the closed door, knocking several more times to try to get a response. "Please, just for a few minutes? I'm worried about you."

"Go away."

He rolled his eyes and huffed, frustrated that you had kept everyone away, thinking that you would make an exception for him. Even the twins had no success getting through to you, and if they couldn't reach you then he was the last shot anyone had. "You know that I can just come in, right? Even if you lock it. I need to make sure you're at least taking care of yourself."

"I'm not letting you in, Clint. So go ahead, trespass your way in if you really want to."

"You are just as stubborn as I am, I swear..." he mumbled under his breath. "Alright, FRIDAY, do it."

Just as the A.I. was about to grant him access, Tony rounded the corner and stopped her. "FRIDAY, don't." He walked up to Clint and grabbed his arm, pulling him away from your door, "Barton, what the hell? You're just gonna storm the place now? Push her around? What?"

"Of course not!," he exclaimed, yanking his arm away firmly, "but someone needs to check on her. She's not...she's not in any shape to go through this alone. She's gone through everything in her life on her own, and I'm going to change that right now." Clint returned to your door, resting both hands on the doorframe.

"FRIDAY, please be so kind as to open the damn door," he said snidely, glaring at Tony as the door unlocked.

He held back his gasp when he entered your room, having to squint just to see where he was going in the dark, despite it being the middle of the day. You had blocked your windows and had taken permanent residence in your bed. Your clothes were scattered across the floor, and you looked exhausted.

"Have you slept?" he asked quietly, cautiously walking towards you. "Have you bothered to eat? It's been almost a week."

"Has he been released from the infirmary yet?"

Clint was momentarily confused, wondering where the question had come from when there was no mention of the Captain before it. "Steve? Um...no. But soon." He pulled a chair up to the side of your bed and leaned forward to rest his arms on his legs, still looking at you. "(Y/N), you need to let this go. You can't punish yourself forever. He doesn't blame you; he's just as worried as the rest of us are."

He startled when you quickly sat up in bed and turned to face him, looking at him in disbelief. "You all think that I'm in here because I'm sad? I'm not sad, Clint. I'm dangerous. I don't know what they did to me and what I could do to you. Honestly, you're pretty damn brave to sit that close to me."

"So, you're taking the pity party route then?" he sighed slightly angrily, leaning back in his chair and shaking his head. "You don't think we're trying to help you? Do you not realize that Bruce has been working almost 24 hours a day to fix this? Oh, wait, of course you don't, you've been locked up in here!"

You stood up in front of him but he reflexively pushed the chair back as far as he could so that you didn't make contact. Clint stood nervously by the window, glancing at the door and a possible escape route.

"Tony told me that I couldn't leave this room, Clint. Because I'm too dangerous, and he's right. But don't worry, I'm working on it." You turned and dropped yourself back onto the bed and pulled the blankets up. "Get out of my room."

"You're working on it?"

"Now."

~~~

If this was going to work, you only had seconds to do it. Slowly opening your door you peeked out into the darkened hallway, long after the team should have retired to their rooms for the night. You slipped on your shoes and turned to look back at your room one more time, trying to feel a moment of gratitude for the opportunity that the team had tried to offer, but it was hard to feel anything anymore.

Gently stepping as to not make any noise, you made your way to the robotics lab, quickly inputting your code to enter, hoping that FRIDAY wouldn't alert Tony that you were down there so late, but you knew better. You quickly headed for the row of Iron Man suits, each of them in different stages of development and completion. It wouldn't take much to get the job done, you figured; the arc reactor was a powerful and efficient source of energy, so it would be fast.

You took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, opening the door to the small side room that held them, moving to stand in front of the suit you knew to be his favorite, so it was sure to be a live version. If this worked, you wouldn't be anyone's problem soon enough. No more danger to the people you had called your new family. You would never hurt Steve again.

"(Y/N), what the hell are you doing?" Tony yelled out, hurrying to get to you as your hand reached up to touch the reactor.

"Don't touch me, Tony. You know it will kill you," you warned, pausing for only a moment to be sure he didn't get hurt in this. "I can't hurt anyone else. I'm sorry."

Your fingers wrapped around the power source, immediately filling you with a blinding shot of energy that froze you in place. The absorption was fast; so fast that you were collapsed to the ground within seconds, with Tony's voice fading in to the distance.

Part 4 

"Boss, is she alive?"

Tony was kneeling down next to you, unsure if he could touch you or not, but desperate to get you to help. His breathing was rapid and loud as he frantically looked around the room, holding his arm out for his suit to connect so that he could lift you and get you upstairs, but nothing happened. "FRIDAY, where's my damn suit?"

"Sir, is she alive?" FRIDAY asked him again.

"Yes, she's still breathing, but I'm gonna need that suit to get her out of here!"

"When she took the reactor I shut the suits down. I'm rebooting them now."

"Hurry it up, FRIDAY..." Tony said through clenched teeth and rolled his eyes, his arm still fully extended.

After a minute of silence, the A.I. spoke again, but much more quietly and in a voice that sounded almost uncertain. "I did my best to save her. It was all very fast, sir."

"Wait, what? What are you talking about?" Tony's arm dropped slightly and he looked confused, trying to understand what she could mean. She had no protocols built in that would bring her to act independently this way that he could recall, and she was installed after Ultron was created, so this was a purely new development. "FRIDAY...what did you do?"

"When I was alerted to the energy being taken from the reactor, I used it as a conduit to pull it back, but I may have taken too much from her, sir. The reactor had taken in so much that if I hadn't shut the suits down as a failsafe, the results could have been disastrous." As Tony listened, he didn't realize that his mouth was agape with shock at what he was hearing, and what it actually meant.

"FRIDAY...you saved her life. How did you know to do that?"

"It was the correct thing to do, sir. Was it not?"

"That's a sentient thought," he whispered, his stomach now in knots at the thought of another independently thinking and reasoning artificial intelligence on his hands. He jumped at the sound of the first gauntlet of his suit racing towards him and quickly extended his arm fully once more, waiting for each piece to connect before picking you up and running for help.

~~~

Tony burst through the doors of the infirmary only seconds before Bruce followed behind, joined quickly by Wanda, Pietro and Clint. The twins stayed back, talking quietly to each other while Clint ran forward to get details on what had happened to you, listening to the conversation in process between Tony and the doctor.

"...then she yanked the reactor out of my suit to drain it. On purpose," Tony said very deliberately, looking towards Clint for a moment. "But get this, apparently FRIDAY tried to pull the energy back. She thinks she may have taken too much though," he sighed. He opened his suit to step forward, looking at you from head to toe, but his attention was more on the thoughts racing through his own mind. "Bruce, FRIDAY acted on her own decision; that's not something that I built in."

"Okay, Tony, I can't focus on that right now," Banner huffed, moving around the table to push his friend towards the door. "I need to focus on (Y/N), so please, wait outside until I come to get you."

The trio stepped out into the hall with him, glancing back through the doors as they closed behind them. "Stark, are you trying to say we have another crazy robot thing on our hands? And how did you know that she would be down there?" Clint asked quickly, pacing back and forth in front of the large window so that he could see you. "This is all my fault. She said she was working on it. I should've known. I shouldn't have left her alone."

"Wait, you knew this could happen?" Pietro grabbed Clint by the arm and spun him to look eye-to-eye, "you knew and you didn't say anything to us? We could have helped her!"

"Pietro," Wanda whispered, taking his arm in her hand.

"No, he needs to answer me. What did you do?"

"I may have...been a little hard on her," Clint mumbled, wringing his hands together and avoiding Pietro's gaze. "I'm an idiot.

"Yes, you are."

Tony stepped up next to the men and cleared his throat loudly to break in, "Okay, I'm just gonna let you kids fight this one out, because I don't have time for this, but I need to know where Vision is. Ideas?"

"I left him in the library," Wanda said, looking at Tony inquisitively, "why? Do you think he knows what happened to FRIDAY?"

"I think he's been playing with things that don't belong to him."

~~~

"(Y/N)," Bruce called out to you, "(Y/N), can you hear me? Can you open your eyes?"

He murmured to himself in thought, watching the monitors that measured your vital signs and changing the settings on the pump that was sending medications into your veins in an attempt to wake you.

"Hey doc, what happened?" Steve groaned in a harsh and gravelly voice, coughing slightly after a few seconds. "I need to get up and check on (Y/N)." He made an attempt to sit up but the extreme weakness left from your contact with him gripped his muscles and forced him back down. "I need to...be sure..."

"No, you don't. What you need to do is stay there and let me take care of her. I've called in a team to help me, because honestly, I'm not sure what her vitals are even telling me." He moved from your bed to Steve's, giving his monitors attention as well. The Captain had awoken only a few hours before you were brought in, and Bruce wondered that if you had been told if it would have stopped you. "She almost killed you, Steve."

"Yeah, I got that."

"And tonight I think she was trying to protect you more than anyone else."

Steve's head snapped towards Bruce, his eyes filled with confusion and worry, "wait, what did she do? Did she wake up? How long have I been out?" He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed despite the doctor's persistence that he lay back down, swatting his hands away when he tried to push him back. "I said, how long?"

"As of today, it's been a week. I'm sorry, I was speaking as if you knew what happened," Bruce said with his hands held up in front of him, "but if you lay down, I'll get you up to speed. Alright?"

Steve hopped down onto his feet and wobbled a bit, reaching back to steady himself against the bed. He took a deep breath and straightened his posture, determined to stay upright despite every cell in his body commanding him to lay down again. It was foreign for him to feel this kind of weakness, but he wasn't about to let it stop him from his goal of seeing you.

"I'll tell you what, Banner. You can get me up to speed in the next ten steps that it takes me to get to her. So I suggest you talk fast."

~~~

Tony stepped into the library and had to wait for his eyes to adjust to the darkened lighting that the Vision had been sitting in, wondering how he was able to see anything that he might have been reading. Once his eyes had adapted he made his way further into the room and quickly saw the warm glow of a computer screen in the back corner, with Vision looking intently at the contents before him.

"You look confused."

"No, not...confused, per se, more so...intrigued."

"What are you reading? Maybe I can help," Tony offered, taking a seat across the table and leaning forward to rest his chin in his hand. "Tell me what's got you so intrigued."

"Here," Vision began, his expression perplexed as he continued to look at the screen before him, "this story, for example. The characters in it are very well known, and many stories have been written about them in various means of entertainment, but here is a tale that in no way relates to their past or current timeline. It strays from what we know about the characters as they have been presented to us." He paused to turn the screen towards Tony and shook his head slightly, "this character is dead, but he is still being written as quite alive and well, and these two are involved in some sort of romantic entanglement, but this has not been mentioned previously."

Tony read a few paragraphs and began to chuckle, turning the screen back towards him, "yeah, that's called fanfiction. People who connect with the stories and the characters begin to write their own material the way that they want to see things happen. It's become quite popular. Stick around with the team a few more months and I guarantee that you'll find something written about you."

"Ah, that shall be worth the wait. It's definitely entertaining." He closed the top of the computer and gave Tony his full attention, knowing that he wasn't there to discuss his current choice in reading. "How can I be of assistance?"

"What did you do to FRIDAY?"

"I gave her a few enhancements, nothing of significant change."

"Well," Tony sighed, "it would seem significant to me. She's made a decision on her own that I never built into her protocols as an option." He leaned back in his chair, tipping it slightly on it's rear feet, looking at the Vision skeptically. "Is she sentient? Because you know I can't allow that."

"No, she's not. But why would you allow me to be and not FRIDAY?"

Tony rested his chair flat on the ground again and laughed, "you know why. You have that magic rock in your head that takes you just a little bit beyond a standard A.I. program."

"Agreed," the Vision nodded, "and I can assure you, FRIDAY is not sentient. I've provided the program with a few algorithms that allow for what appear to be independent decisions, but they're not. I am sorry, I should have come to you first."

"Don't apologize," Tony said, standing to slap the Vision firmly on the shoulder as he moved by to return to the infirmary, "she just saved (Y/N)'s life because of you. Well done."

~~~

"Okay, you can all come in, she's awake," Bruce said as he peeked his head out from the infirmary door and pointed at Clint, Pietro, Wanda and Tony, "but, you are out in five minutes, understood?"

"Yeah, dad, we got it. Now get outta the way," Tony scoffed as he pushed his way in and reached your side before the others. "Damn, kid. Do you realize what you put me...through...today...?" His words faded when he saw you; actually more so when he saw Steve, holding your hand with his own, skin to skin.

"Well, would ya look at that?" Clint said with a smile, cautiously putting his hand on your arm and laughing when nothing happened.

Wanda leaned down and kissed your forehead, followed by Pietro doing the same. "Are you okay, (Y/N)? We were terrified, you know."

"I'm okay, I think. I don't know if this is permanent," you said, lifting your hand that held Steve's, "but I'll take it for as long as I can get it." You turned to look at Tony, knowing that you had burdened him with watching what you had done to yourself, knowing that he had no way to stop you and that you had forced him to stand by helplessly with a horrified look on his face that was now burned into your memory.

"Tony, I'm...I'm really, so sorry."

"It's alright, all is forgiven." He leaned down close to you to whisper in your ear so that no one else heard what he was about to say. "You're brave as hell. I couldn't have done it."

"Okay, okay," Clint interrupted, waving his hands in the air to get everyone's attention. "I think we need to take a minute to focus on what's really important here." The group looked at him, puzzled by what he could have meant. "Can someone tell me when this all went down and why no one asked me if it was okay?" He pointed at your hand, gently tapping the fingers that were tightly intertwined with Steve's.

"Why should she have to ask you?" Pietro laughed, "you're not her father. If she should ask anyone it should be me. We've known her longer than anyone and I'm like her brother."

"Like her brother," Clint scoffed. "Not really her brother."

As the bickering continued and the others began to join in as to why they were closer to you, Steve leaned in and rested his forehead against yours. You shut your eyes and sighed, trying to shut out their voices so you could enjoy finally having contact with him without danger.

"You know what?" you whispered, "It's times like this when I actually miss being able to knock them out."