not like you → c . barton

[8]

I'll admit, the looks I got from my friends had me squirm a bit, but I stuck to what I had said. Sure, the team was going to try and get them back, but....

"Who would expect a bunch of wimpy teenagers? Not our parents, that's for fucking sure," Hank said, and I rolled my eyes.

"Hell, they'd expect the Avengers more than they would us. That's what we've got on our side," I tried to explain, but Diamond shook her head.

"Alex, think about this: We're a bunch of fourteen year olds who have almost no special skills, aside from Hank, who hijack his brother's car. We've got nothing," she looked at me.

"But we could be all they have. Who knows, maybe they're torturing our parents for info on the Avengers, or SHIELD. Then the Avengers would fall into a trap, and who would save them?" I asked.

"Alex, you're crazy. This is a great plan to get us grounded, or killed," Jeb argued. I looked from my friends to the sky, and then back in the direction of my house. So, I wiped my eyes and stood, and they all looked up at me.

"Fine then, I'll go alone. These are our families we're talking about. I'd risk my life for my dad, and I know you guys would do the same for yours," I knew I was crazy for this, and I didn't care.

"Alex..." Jeb sighed, and I looked at him.

"Not a word. I'm doing this, and you can't stop me. I want my dad back, and the Avengers are too damn slow for my liking. We're smart kids, we can get it done as our own team, but you guys choose not to," I said, and Diamond stood as well.

"I'll go with you," she said softly, and I looked at her. Why she changed her mind, I won't even ask. After she stood to stand by me, Jeb groaned.

"If my baby sister is going, then so am I," he nodded, and he joined us. We all turned to face Hank, and he looked away.

"Fine, I'll go. But if I get grounded..." he said, but we shook our heads.

"And Jeb, you're only twelve minutes older. I'm not your baby sister," Diamond complained, and Jeb laughed.

"It's baby enough for me. Now, we need to come up with a plan," Jeb looked at us, and we sat back down on the grass.

***

So by the end of that afternoon, we had formulated a 'Beginner's Guide to Saving a Team of Superheroes and Three SHIELD Agents', and things were looking up, a bit. The hard part would be sneaking out, that's for sure.

"So, we each pack a bag tonight. I say about two outfits, a hat, glasses if you have them, definitely money, a bit of food, water, and anything else you think we'll need. Jeb, don't your mom and dad have a few watch communicators left, so we can use those in case we need to split up? If they do, bring them. We'll meet back up here at midnight, where Hank will be waiting with the car," I said, and the others nodded. From that point on, we would be on our way to Seattle. Sure, it sounded easy, but we all knew that it so totally wouldn't be. We all stood up, nodded, and made our way back to our separate homes. I took the long way back, and I didn't even go home right away. In our backyard, we have this huge tree that I climb onto whenever I want to just get away from the house, so that's where I went. I pulled myself into the tree and climbed up pretty far, letting my mind wander as I did so.

"Alex? you up there?" I heard Steve call. I hooked my legs onto the branch I was on, and I hung upside down, kinda looking at him.

"Yeah, I'm right here. Why?" I asked, and he held out his hands for me.

"You've been gone all day. It's time for dinner now," he said gently. I nodded, sat up from my tree branch, and stood on said branch. I jumped down, and Steve caught me, then set me on the ground. I started off to the house, and Steve followed, his hand on my back, guiding me. I sighed as we entered the house, and my mom looked at me. She motioned for me to sit at the table, and I did so, not looking at anyone. Steve sat to my right, and Tony to my left, and the others were seated around the table. I looked to where my dad would sit, his chair vacant. Tears welled in my eyes again, and I felt a hand on my back. I ignored it, and when mom served dinner, I couldn't eat. I seriously just stabbed at whatever was on my plate, and no one bothered me.

"The team will be heading out in two days, Laura. We need to make sure we have enough supplies," Fury said. My mom nodded, and I pushed back from the table. All eyes were on me, but I needed to get upstairs. I needed to contact my friends and tell them about the leg up we had on the Avengers. We were leaving tonight, and they needed forty eight hours. I went to my room, shut my door, and dug out my bag. I started to pack clothes, my glasses from my Halloween costume, and I slipped about a hundred dollars into the bag. Then, I walked to my keepsake box, opened it, and dug out my most prized possession: my swiss army knife. I know it sounds silly, but my dad gave it to me, and I knew that if anything, this could help me the most. All I had to do now was wait for nightfall, so I could sneak out, through the window, and make it to the rendezvous point, where Hank would be waiting, along with Jeb and Diamond. We were going to get our parents back, and we had a bit of a head start.