Coming Down ➢ Steve Rogers

twenty four

Chapter Twenty-Four

Delaney didn't hesitate to meet the Avengers once again.

After watching a news report, she hadn't been able to keep them off her mind. They were in trouble, and she was miles and miles away from them – almost an entire country apart. They needed her help, and she was currently unable of providing it. That knowledge alone was enough to keep her so agitated that, frustrated, Evan bought her the next available plane ticket and told her to pack her things.

Delaney didn't bother to hide how relieved she was. She loved Evan and Cristina, but they didn't need her right now. The Avengers did. Steve did – Clint, Natasha, Tony, Bruce, Thor.

She barely had any possessions, so it took under ten minutes to pack. Evan assured her that they'd clean the room up the next day as Delaney hugged him farewell; Cristina would be driving her to the airport.

Delaney wore her hood over her head upon arrival. If the Avengers were under such scrutiny, she wished to avoid detection as much as possible. She was not up to dealing with any possible hostility right now.

"They'll be fine," Cristina said lowly, as they pulled up outside the complex. She grinned. "The Avengers. You always find a way out of these messes."

Delaney bit her lip. "That's a track record that can so easily be broken."

How did they defeat an AI system? Delaney was used to fighting physically: humans and aliens were one thing. AI was an entirely different field, and Delaney wasn't comfortable with the idea, especially since she knew knives couldn't be used to tear it apart.

"Hey." Cristina leaned over, resting a hand on Delaney's knee. "Don't be pessimistic. You go out there and cause Ultron serious headaches, okay?" She winked. "We took you're your parents before lunchtime. I'm expecting similar results this time around."

Delaney rolled her eyes and sent a mock, yet weak, salute Cristina's way. "Understood, ma'am."

"Go," Cristina urged softly. "You'll miss your plane otherwise, and you'll really be helpless that way."

Delaney poked her tongue out childishly, but clambered out and moved as fast to the terminal as she could without running.

Hang on guys, I'm coming.

+++

During the journey, Delaney found herself wishing her power was teleportation. She would be by her friend's side in an instant, not cramped up inside an uncomfortable plane interior, eating mass-produced food that she wished she had declined. She felt slightly queasy after her meal, and hadn't finished it.

The journey was agony. With no room to move to relieve her anxiety, Delaney was reduced to tapping her fingers on her leg and watching the available movies on the tiny TV screen, none of which were remotely interesting.

As soon as she was able to move, it took all of Delaney's self-restraint to walk, not sprint, out of the airport. She organised her transportation and soon was on her way to Clint's.

She had driver stop before they reached Clint's and decided to walk the rest of the way. Clint had done so much to keep his home secret, and she wasn't about to bring a total stranger to its doorstep. It was a sign of how dire the times were that Clint would bring the Avengers here.

Delaney ran the rest of the way to the house, a smile spreading across her face when she saw the familiar structure in front of her. Memories rushed to her at once: tea with Laura and Clint late at night by the fire, playing with Cooper and Lila, laughing with Natasha as they watched the two kids get into some new form of mischief, and taking long strolls in the large forest outside.