Leanne fidgets nervously in her wheelchair as Mary pushes her towards the conference room, JJ clutched tightly in her arms. "What do you think they are going to say?"

Mary hesitates. "I'm honestly not sure, and I don't want to say anything to get your hopes up. But one thing I can say is that I'm on your side. And if I'm on your side, it's pretty safe to say that some of them will also side with me," she explains, chuckling softly. "I told Nick to create the Avengers back in the 90's," she tells Leanne. "The team is like, no, they are my family."

Leanne nods and takes a deep breath. "Okay."

As they come into the conference room, the six Avengers look up from their seats around a table, Steve smiles at his sits and nods politely at Leanne. Natasha stands and pulls away a chair to make room for Leanne's wheelchair, smiling slightly at the two women, then down at JJ before sitting.

"Thank you," Leanne says softly, shifting a bit uncomfortably with all the eyes on her.

Mary smiles at her brother and godson, then pushes Leanne into the open space Natasha created then moves to sit down between her brother and godson. She smiles and waves at Thor, Clint, Natasha and Bruce, whom she hasn't seen in a long time, before looking back over at Leanne. Steve gently kisses her forehead but regains his composure as the leader of the meeting. Tony is much less formal and kisses her cheek, draping his arm over the back of her chair, crossing his legs and leaning back comfortably.

Steve clears his throat. "So, we're here to talk about how we are going to handle the situation with Leanne and JJ. Our options are, we can either keep them here under different names or hand them over to the authorities. Keeping them here would probably be safer for them since Loki is after them....."

Tony cuts him off. "Or she'll just lead him here. We can't risk that, can we?"

"But their safety relies on us protecting them," Clint says. "If we turn them over to the authorities, JJ is put who knows where and Leanne gets put in prison."

"Isn't that what she deserves?" snaps Tony.

Mary's eyes widen as her head snaps over to her godson. "Anthony!" she whispers loudly. "How can you say something like that?" she questions. "That's like saying Becca deserves to be thrown in prison for what she's done as well."

"But Becca was forced to, Leanne was not. She voluntarily joined Loki and The Wolves and did their bidding," Tony replies.

Mary pinches the bridge of her nose, sighing as her other hand rubs her stomach. "But can you really look me in the eyes and tell me you're okay with breaking up a family?" she asks, looking at her godson's brown eyes.

"But she's literally a representation of Loki. She's his puppet," Tony retorts.

"It would be impossible for him to have been causing problems on Midgard. He is no longer living," Thor says.

Mary looks over at Thor, her heart hurting knowing he's grieving the loss of his brother despite their differences throughout life. "Tony, enough. If Thor says he's passed away then he isn't the one leading the Wolves," Mary states calmly as she turns to her godson, smiling apologetically at her friend then her hazel eyes look back at her godson. "It can't be him."

"But yet his legacy lives on in the Wolves, whoever is leading them is still causing trouble," Tony says.

Mary looks at Tony. "That's true," she agrees. "But Leanne left them to protect herself and her son. You can't negate that fact. She wants to pursue a better life, but she can't go about that normally because of her past choices," she adds, sighing, leaning back in her chair as she rubs her pregnant stomach. "That's why she's here. Because we as Avengers and the allies we have are her only chance at a new life."

"Oh?" Tony asks, looking pointedly at Leanne.

Leanne nods. "Yes, and I would do anything to make what I've done right."

"We also need to remember that Loki, or whoever it was, tried to kill her and JJ," Bruce says.

"But what if he comes back to finish the job?" Tony asks.

Leanne shudders and clutches JJ closer to her chest.

Mary looks at Tony. "They wouldn't risk it right now," she points out. "Not when all the Avengers are together again. Maybe when we were disbanded for a few years, but not now. That's too foolish," she states, then looks at Steve, her mind thinking over certain things briefly. "I can see the good in her, Stevie," she says softly. "Just like I know you can too."

Steve nods. "I don't think we will have any problems. In fact, she may be a good asset to our team once she heals."

Leanne nods in agreement. "I'd be more than willing to fight with you guys."

"She's already as good at hand to hand as I am and as good a shot as Clint," Natasha says.

"Double that with her powers," Clint adds.

"What if she uses that against us?" Tony asks.

"That's the point, Tony," Steve says. "She won't."

"Why would she risk hurting her son? If she used her powers, she'd put her son at risk of being in danger." Mary points out, "Not just from herself but because that would give you cause to make her leave in chains."

The others nod in agreement.

Tony throws up his hands then sighs. "It seems I'm outnumbered."

Steve sighs, after a few moments of quiet he looks up. "May I hold JJ? I could use the precatice, with Winnie on the way."

Leanne hesitates, looking at Mary.

Mary smiles softly. "Steve's a giant teddy bear when it comes to kids, and he does need the practice. JJ'll be okay," she reassures Leanne. "I'll help adjust him in his arms," she offers as she stands slowly.

Leanne nods hesitantly. "O..kay."

Mary walks over to Leanne, smiling as she lifts JJ into her arms gently, then looks over at her brother. "Well you can't hold him if you're sitting over there," she teases, motioning with her head for him to come over to her.

Steve stands and comes over, reaching out awkwardly to take him. Leanne can't help but chuckle despite being worried.

Mary chuckles. "You'd have better luck holding newborns when you were skinny," she pokes fun at him then gently hands JJ to Steve, making sure he holds JJ's head gently and his arms are secured gently around him. "There, he fits perfectly," she teases with a smile, looking over at Leanne. "I told you he's a teddy bear."

JJ stares contentedly up at Steve, surprisingly happy in his arms as he hate's being separated from his mom. Leanne smiles a bit at the contrast. A tiny, deformed, black baby against a huge, handsome, American icon.

After a bit, Leanne reaches to take him back. Steve gently sets him in her arms.

"Well," he says. "I think the majority agree that you should stay. That will conclude today's meeting, you're all dismissed."

The others get up and file out of the conference room.

Thor pauses in front of Leanne, a small smile on his face. "Our powers are quite similar," He tells her with a chuckle, "We should spar against one another in the future," he says. "I believe it would be most enjoyable to see how similar they are."

"Of course, that sounds great," she replies with a small smile.

Thor nods in approval and exits the conference room waving farewell at the remaining people in the room.

Steve pulls Mary aside to talk and Leanne frowns as Tony slides into the seat next to her.

"These people are the only family I have," he growls under his breath. "If you tear this team apart, if you hurt any of them, I'll personally see to it you leave here in chains and that JJ is put in the foster system," he threatens.

Leanne freezes, staring straight ahead until he stands, he passes Mary, kissing her cheek as he leaves the room. Once he's out of her line of sight, she starts to tremble, whispering to JJ in Korean and holding him close to her.

Mary smiles at Tony, then chuckles as Steve talks more to Winnie. Her hazel eyes glance over at Leanne, confusion written on her facial features as she watches Leanne before nudging Steve with her hand. "I'll be right back," she whispers to her brother as he helps her stand. The doctor makes her way over to where Leanne is, sitting down beside her. "What's wrong? Shouldn't this be a happy time?" She asks, not understanding why the young woman in front of her is acting like this.

Leanne nods. "Yes, I'm glad you want me here... but not everyone feels the same."

Mary hesitates, then sighs, "My godson say anything to you?" She asks nervously.

Leanne hesitates then nods. "He's disgusting. He threatens a child one moment then kisses you like nothing is wrong."

Mary's eyes widen. "Leanne..." she mutters disapprovingly. "This is my godson you're talking about. He may have said something, but I don't appreciate you talking about him like that," she says. "I raised him. He, in all sense of the word, is my son."

"I'm sorry," she says. "I've never liked him. He.... is everything I do, and very much don't want to be."

Mary nods slowly. "I can understand that," she says. "He and his father never got a long it seemed most days. He didn't want to be anything like Howard, when in fact that's who he's most like, and he hates that," she explains quietly. "But whatever he said to you, he said it because he's been hurt by people he's trusted the most. If I know my godson, he can see himself trusting you, and he doesn't want that to happen because of your past. He pictures all scenarios in his mind and I'm guessing he sees you hurting him or someone he cares about," she tells Leanne.

Leanne shakes her head. "I know, but I'm sorry, I don't like him any more than he likes me, and I don't think that either of us is willing to try, at least not yet."

Mary nods. "I get that," she says. "Tony's still trying to trust Steve in certain aspects, he is with Clint too, really all of the team. He loves us, we all care for each other as if we were family, but everyone has a past, Tony has his reasons."

Leanne nods. "I can stand him threatening me, he wouldn't be the first. But if he so much as touches JJ... I...." she shakes her head, her face contorting in anger.

Mary nods. "I understand that," she says. "I'm the same way with my own babies," she adds. "But he'd have to go through me to get to JJ," Mary promises to Leanne. "And before he can get through me, he'd have to get through America's favorite freedom fighter over there," she says teasingly as she looks over at her brother.

Leanne smiles a bit. "Thanks. I think I want to go back to my room now."

"Alright," Mary says, then looks over at her brother. "Stevie, help," she laughs as she lifts her arms up slightly. "I can't get up," she says, still laughing lightly.

Steve looks over at her sister, chuckling at her antics as he walks over to her. He takes her small hands into his big ones and gently pulls her out of the chair.

Mary smiles, then fixes her shirt as she walks around Leanne's chair. "Ready?" she asks Leanne.

Leanne nods, chuckling. "Yes."

"Bye, Stevie," Mary teases as she and Leanne exit the conference room, making their way back to Leanne's bedroom.

Hey, Y'all! This chapter is important! Hope you enjoy!

- Bucky