Raft escapee Samuel Sterns, adopting the moniker of "Leader," builds an army of enhanced individuals to challenge the forces of S.H.I.E.L.D., Helix, and whoever else stands in the way of his quest for global domination. Ciciley Livingston is brought...
"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, dear Sean! Happy Birthday to youuuuuuuu!"
Among a multitude of friends and family from both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers, Sean Livingston officiated his twenty-seventh birthday, blowing out the "2" and "7" candles of a birthday cake designed after the Avengers emblem to congratulatory applause.
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The party was held in Tony Stark's cliff-side mansion.
It was an event courtesy of a successful collaboration between Stark and Elendriel.
"Kudos on the arrangements," she told the billionaire Avenger. "I don't think I've seen my brother this happy since his tenth birthday."
"Glad to be of assistance," Stark said, as he handed a slip of paper to Elendriel.
She accepted it with a questionable frown. "What's this?"
"Let's just call it what it is: the bill."
Her eyes burnt infuriatingly. "Are you kidding me?!"
Despite what was the start of a rocky relationship between Elendriel and Tony, all of the attendees were having a wonderful time mingling and catching up. Most of the guests included other Avengers, such as Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, and even Thor. As far as fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Maria Hill and Nick Fury certainly would not have missed out.
Sean's birthday was the perfect time for all of them to reunite, having not seen much of each other since the Project Geo incident; in fact, that excursion was the topic of many conversations during the celebration.
There was only one guest missing: Ciciley.
It was not that she wasn't invited.
What happened at Project Geo changed her emotionally as it had physically, yet no one knew to what extent.
Through most of the evening, Elendriel doubted she would ever come.
Ciciley had not been there for either of her children's birthdays since 1996.
And then the doorbell rang over the music and conversing guests.
Elendriel answered the door; she was comforted by the sight of her mother standing at the porch of Stark's mansion with a beautifully wrapped gift in hand and a humbled expression on her face.
"Hey, Elle," she softly said. "Can I come in?"
Elendriel could hardly believe she had to muster the courage to ask permission for such a thing. "Certainly, Moms," she permitted. "Come right in."
