Spencer looked at her friends, wondering how she was supposed to tell them what she had done. There was no turning back now; she had used the infamous 'we need to talk' line. They knew there was something up, and she wasn't going to leave this room without telling them what she did behind all of their backs. Hopefully they would forgive her, and this chat wouldn't go as horribly as the one that ended moments ago.

"So what do we need to talk about?" Anja asked. Her face was still red from crying, and she had only barely lifted her head from Loki's chest to look at her.

"Alright, so the first rule is that none of you can get mad at me for this," Spencer started, running a hand over the back of her hair.

"And the second rule?" Layla asked, unable to hide the confusion in her voice.

"I don't know. Just... just hear me out," Spencer replied. When the others remained silent, she continued. "I really wanted to have this talk with just you girls, but because of the injuries you all sustained, I don't have much choice but to include Loki and Bruce in on this too. What I'm about to tell you is probably going to ruffle some feathers."

Bruce raised an eyebrow, definitely confused. "Um, alright. So what is it?"

Spencer sighed. Here goes nothing. "So I texted Steve."

"Rogers, I presume?" Loki asked.

Spencer nodded. "Yup."

The room was silent for a moment as her friends took that bit of information in. Spencer glanced around at her four friends, wondering exactly what they all were thinking. The silence was deafening, and this wasn't the reaction she thought she would've gotten, especially not with the explosive meeting with Tony only minutes ago.

"Take it you must've told him what was happening," Layla finally responded.

Spencer sighed. "I didn't feel like I had much of a choice, and now that we know Thanos has three stones, I feel like telling him was the right thing to do." She paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to best word her thoughts. "I know the three of us girls all have our own reasons for why we don't really want to work with the old team again, but... we need all the help we can get."

Layla sighed. "I hate to admit it, but you're right," she relented. "We're out-gunned, out-manned, out-numbered-"

"This isn't Hamilton," Anja cut her off.

Layla sighed. "Always taking the fun out of things. Anyway, without a bigger team, we're screwed."
   
"Exactly!" Bruce interjected. "Thor and Tony are more confident about this, but... they just didn't get pummeled like the three of us did." He gestured at himself, Loki, and Anja. "We know what we're fighting against, and I think I can speak for all of us when I say this small group we have now cannot do it alone."

Spencer was glad Layla and Bruce were at least seeing reason. She looked to Anja and Loki, who were both uncharacteristically silent thus far. "What do you guys think?"

"Banner is right," Loki answered. He took a deep breath. "Thanos is a madman and needs to be stopped." He paused for a moment, thinking over his next words carefully. "Many of the old team may not welcome working with me, however."

"They'll have to get over it," Spencer replied. "You're an Avenger now."

Loki didn't say anything to that; he didn't need to. His face said it all. A mix of shock and acceptance was plastered to his features. He hadn't been expecting her to say that. Spencer didn't know a whole lot about him, but from what she did know, it was likely one of the few times someone had come to his defense, let alone consider him a part of a heroic team.

With Loki on board, that just left Anja. Spencer looked to her friend, hoping this didn't get as explosive as the talk with the rest of the group. Anja had always been an emotional girl, and with her blood likely still boiling after dealing with Tony, Spencer was expecting the worst.

"So, we knew this was going to be an issue, and Steve told me that there was a good chance Clint wouldn't get involved," Spencer started, hoping that was enough for Anja to see reason. "He said he hadn't heard from him in some time, and that even if he relayed the message that he didn't think Clint would come out of retirement for this."
   
Anja was silent for a moment. "So there is still a chance he gets involved."
   
Spencer frowned. "Just a small one."
   
Anja shook her head and sighed. "Fine. But if he shows up, I'm not liable if I punch him in the face," she muttered.
   
"You won't have to," Loki assured, gently kissing the top of her head.
   
Spencer smiled at her friends. Honestly she hoped Clint did show up now, only so she could see Loki slaughter him. Karma was a beautiful thing, and Spencer would be more than happy to see the man suffer for the hell he put her best friend through. And if anyone was capable of making someone's life hell, it was Loki.
   
"Well, that settles it then. So I'll let him know the six of us are on board with it," Spencer concluded. "I've already talked to Brunnhilde, and she's cool with it too. So really we just need to get Thor and Tony to be okay with it too."
   
"Thor will be easier to deal with," Layla replied. "It's Tony's stubborn ass who is going to be the real issue. And I don't necessarily blame him for that. I mean, your sad trash hobo killed his parents and Steve knew and didn't say anything."
   
Spencer knew someone was going to bring that up. They always did. She hated it, but this time she didn't have to defend Bucky.
   
"He was brainwashed!" Anja snapped. "Bucky didn't even remember doing it. He's a victim in all of this too. If Steve had just fessed up from the start, things could've gone differently. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at Steve."
   
The silence in the room was deafening. Spencer hadn't been expecting Anja to defend Bucky. She hadn't really before, mostly out of taking Tony's side in that whole debacle with the Accords. She hadn't even voiced how she felt about Bucky's involvement in Tony's parents' murder. Spencer supposed given the circumstances now, Anja probably didn't have a choice but to understand Bucky's brainwashing. After all, Anja loved a man whose brain was controlled too. Excusing Loki's actions while condemning Bucky's would just look bad on her part. Both committed inexcusably gruesome acts while under the control of Hydra and Thanos, and Spencer was glad Anja was smart enough to realize that their situations weren't much different.
   
"I am mad at Steve," Layla eventually stated, taking a deep breath. "I was merely stating facts. Tony isn't going to care about whether or not Bucky meant to do it or not. We already know that thanks to that fight the three of them had in Siberia."
   
"Well, it looks like to me Tony's going to be outnumbered in terms of wanting to join forces," Bruce chimed in. "It's already six to one. If we get Thor on board, Tony doesn't really have a choice but try to get along for a minute."
   
"I'd rather have him on board, but if that's what it comes down to, so be it," Spencer replied, sighing. "Thanos decimated you guys, and I don't think we're going to fare any better without additional hands. We need the old team, even though it's going to open some old wounds."
   
"I can try to speak to Thor," Loki decided. "He's likely going to want to chat with me privately about what just happened anyway. May as well kill two birds with one stone."
   
"Is now really the time to be making stone references?" Bruce asked.
   
Loki smirked a little. "Maybe not."
   
"And if for whatever reason you can't get through to him, I will," Layla said, bringing the conversation back on track.
   
"Once we get Thor cool with this, we'll focus on Tony," Spencer concluded. "We'll probably all have to talk to him, so be ready for another messy chat."
   
The room was silent for a moment while everyone took in the weight of the situation. Working with their estranged friends- family- was a necessary evil.
   
Anja was the one to break the silence, muttering quietly, "Whatever it takes."
   
Spencer looked to her friend once again. To hear Anja was willing to set her personal grudges aside was a huge step in the right direction. She wasn't sure if Anja would end up having to work with Clint again or not, but it was certainly a possibility Anja was seemingly preparing for. Spencer was proud of her. This wasn't the time to be selfish, and it seemed Anja definitely understood that. Spencer only hoped that the sentiment carried over to Thor, and especially Tony, or she didn't know what was going to happen. For now, all she could do was be happy she had a few more people on board with the plan, and hope that she could get the rest of the team to follow suit.
   
"Whatever it takes," Spencer repeated.

*****

Hello everyone! Nothing to really report here. I meant to post this chapter the other day, but I got distracted dealing with my daughter's birthday and all that entailed. September is looking like it will be an average month here, so I should be able to get some more chapters up relatively soon.

Hope all is well with you!

~arty_writes