Mrs. Captain America (A Steve Rogers love story)

We Need A Plan

I sat in the living room, staring off at nothing again, unsure whether I was useful or not. 

"Alexx, it's been a while." 

I turned toward the voice. "Fury?" I ran over and hugged him. 

"I didn't realize you liked me that much."

"Shut up." 

Nick chuckled and hugged me back. 

"Alright, everyone wash up for dinner." Clint ordered. 

***

I was full from the delicious dinner Laura and Clint had made. I had tried to help, but I got so distracted by my vision that I nearly chopped off a few fingers.

As Fury stood up to refill his glass, he spoke. "We need to talk. All of us. We need a plan."

"Agreed." Tony said.

Night had fallen quickly, the sun setting. I stood by a window, staring out at the fields and the trees, expecting the giant purple man to come and make me kill my family. 

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around. "Steve."

"Are you alright?" Steve asked.

I nodded, lying. 

Steve took my hand and walked me toward the kitchen, having me stand in front of him as he hugged me against him, my back against his chest, his arms around me. He rested his chin gently on top of my head and I held his arms with my hands as we watched everyone else.

Nat sat at the dining table, watching Nick walk toward Tony at the counter throwing darts. Laura and Clint sat in the living room with their kids, Cooper, and Lila, who was painting. Bruce stood behind Nat, a little off to the side.

"Ultron took you folks out of play to buy himself time." Nick informed. 

Lila ran by me and Steve toward Nat, a paper in her hand.

"My contacts all say he's building something. The amount of vibranium he made off with, I don't think it's just one thing."

"What about Ultron himself?" Steve asked. I could feel his voice vibrate from his chest to my back. It was comforting.

Lila ran back past me and Steve, having given her project to Nat. I watched as Laura took Cooper and Lila out of the room. Clint joined us as she did.

"Oh, he's easy to track. He's everywhere. The guy is multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit. It still doesn't help us get an angle on any of his plans, though." Nick said.

"Is he still going after the launch codes?" Tony asked, throwing a dart.

"Yes, he is. But he's not making any headway."

Tony turned toward Nick. "I cracked the Pentagon's firewall in high school on a dare."

"Well, I contacted our friends at the Nexus about that." Nick said, tearing apart a piece of bread.

"Nexus?" Steve asked. 

"It's the world Internet hub in Oslo." Bruce explained. "Every byte of data flows through there. Fastest access on Earth."

"So, what did they say?" Clint asked. I looked at him as he fiddled with a dart.

Tony went to the dart board and started removing his darts.

"He's fixated on the missiles. But the codes are constantly being changed." Nick said.

"By whom?" Tony asked as three darts flew past his face. 

I looked at Clint, who had thrown them, and he shrugged at Tony with a smug smile on his face.

"Parties unknown." Nick continued.

"Do we have an ally?" Nat asked.

"Ultron's got an enemy. That's not the same thing. Still, I'd pay folding money to know who it is."

"I might need to visit Oslo." Tony said. "Find our unknown."

"Well, this is good times, boss, but I was kind of hoping when I saw you, you'd have more than that." Nat sighed.

"I do. I have you." Nick said confidently, motioning to all of us. "Back in the day, I had eyes everywhere. Ears, everywhere else. You kids had all the tech you could dream up. Here we all are, back on Earth, with nothing but our wit, and our will to save the world." I looked at him as he walked from the counter to the table. "Ultron says the Avengers are the only thing between him and his mission. And whether or not he admits it, his mission is global destruction. All this, laid in a grave. So stand. Out wit the platinum bastard." Nick sat down.

"Steve doesn't like that kind of talk." Nat said with a serious face.

"You know what, Romanoff?" Steve said, a smile in his voice.

Nat smirked and winked at me.

"So, what does he want?" Nick asked.

"To become better." Steve replied. "Better than us. He keeps building bodies."

"Person bodies." Tony added as he walked toward the table. "The human form is inefficient. Biologically speaking, we're outmoded. But he keeps coming back to it."

"When you two programmed him to protect the human race, you amazingly failed." Nat said, looking at Bruce, who stood beside her now, and then Tony.

"They don't need to be protected." Bruce said quietly, looking at the painting Lila had given Nat. "They need to evolve. Ultron's going to evolve."

"How?" Nick asked.

"Has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho?" Bruce asked.

***

Steve and I had slept for a couple hours before Nat came into the room. 

"Hey, it's time." she said.

"Alright, let's suit up." Steve said, getting out of bed.

"Man, I wish I could sleep in again." I sighed as Nat left the room with a chuckle.

Steve and I got into our suits and readied ourselves before heading downstairs.

I tightened my gloves as Steve grabbed his shield off of a chair in the living room and put it on his back. 

"I'll take Natasha, Clint and Alexx." Steve announced.

"All right. Strictly recon. I'll hit the Nexus. I'll join you as soon as I can." Tony said, messing with his watch as we walked toward the front door.

"If Ultron's really building a body..." Steve trailed off.

"He'll be more powerful than any of us. Maybe all of us. An android designed by a robot." 

"You know, I really miss the days when the weirdest thing science ever created was me." 

I smiled and shook my head. 

Nick walked by, putting on a coat. "I'll drop Banner off at the tower. You mind if I borrow Ms. Hill?" he asked Tony.

"She's all yours. Apparently." Tony retorted.

"What are you gonna do?" I asked Nick.

"I don't know. Something dramatic, I hope." Nick smiled.

"I'd expect nothing less." I smiled back.

Steve, Nat, Clint and I walked to the quinjet and boarded. 

"Buckle up, kids." Clint said as he sat in the pilot seat.

We're coming for you, Ultron.