Little Star // a Steve Rogers, Captain America, Avengers story

The Paperwork Here Is Ludicrous

They left for the compound that afternoon and were settled in their room before dinner. Tony had pizza and shawarma and what looked like an entire salad bar brought in from the city. He and Pepper sat at a table with green Bruce and Jim. A dark haired and frightened man looked as though he was being interrogated by Nat out on the terrace. Rocket was playing Pac Man in the corner.

Pepper jumped up when she saw them and ran to Ellie, "Look at you! It's been a month and you've doubled in size! How are you? Can I touch?"

Tony and Steve looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

Nat had left the dazed man outside and come in to say hello. Before greeting Ellie or Steve, she leaned over to say, "Hello little Rogers, what's going on in there? Say hello to Auntie Nat." Ellie was astounded by the often cold and intimidating woman's eagerness to be Auntie Nat. She knew that Natasha couldn't have children of her own and was certain that seeing Pepper and now herself as mothers hurt her, but nonetheless she was genuinely happy for her friends. Such a complicated person.

To the room in general she asked, "Who's that man on the terrace who's afraid to come in?"

"Ant Man," they all said at once. Then Pepper added, "Scott Lang. He has a suit that lets him shrink and grow and go places where you can time travel. He's kind of our last hope."

"Well he's not going to be much good to us if he bolts, and I'm pretty sure that's what he's about to do." Her gifts had increased, as had her control over them, in the past twelve months. The pregnancy seemed to have given them a boost as well. "Let me go talk him off the ledge."

They all looked outside and were shocked to find that Ellie had been speaking literally.

She walked out the terrace door and calmed him before she spoke. "Scott? I'm Ellie Rogers. Please don't do that. You won't get away, you'll get dead."

He turned, the panicked look leaving his face. "Look, I'm small and pregnant and there's no way in hell I'm going to hurt you. Right?" Sending him maternal feelings, safe feelings.

"You're Mrs. America?"

She'd gotten used to that as well. "I am."

"Dude, he's huge, and you're tiny. How the hell does that work?"

This was good. Completely off topic. "Just fine, from the look of me."

"Oh my god, that was so rude of me." He got down from the railing and walked towards her. Cheerful, safe, comfortable.

"It's ok, you wouldn't believe the people who have asked us that question. Like the Pope." He smiled. Excellent. She held out her hand and he took it, shaking it enthusiastically. He was ok now. It had been Natasha. Ellie needed to have another talk with her about intimidating enemies, not friends.

Suddenly Scott took a step back. "You just did your thing on me."

"I did, and I'm not going to apologize. I don't ever do it if there's a chance I might have to apologize. Does that make sense?" He nodded. "And I didn't want to have to write up an incident report if you did a nosedive. The paperwork here is ludicrous." She heard chuckles from the common room. "Sit with me? Baby Rogers is being a bit feisty."

Everyone inside had been watching and listening. Bruce said, "It's eerie because you can't see when she's doing it. I used to worry that she'd get in my head and change what I was thinking, but she only changes how you feel, lets you think about things with a cleared head. Somehow that's different, less intrusive. But eerie. Tony, can't you make her eyes glow or her hands vibrate or something?"

Nat snorted from behind a magazine, "Bet Rogers would be on board for some vibrating hands."

Steve chuckled and Natasha thought that a year ago he would have been upset at the suggestive comment. Ellie was doing well with him.

Out on the terrace Ellie had helped Lang settle down and, as her stomach was growling incessantly, she suggested they go in for dinner.

"Oh," said Scott, "I figured that was the baby growling. Kidding. Yeah, so let's go eat."

Nervous, so nervous. A very light mantle of confidence should do the trick, just to get him through the door. And there we go. Ellie was now off duty.

She sat down in an easy chair and let Steve bring her a plate. The pizza was divine, and the spinach salad was healthy. There was strawberry rhubarb pie for dessert. She ate two pieces.