CHAPTER ELEVEN
The drive home was unusually silent. Maria was still fuming but had calmed down enough to remotely hack the security footage of the toy store and erase all evidence of Nat and Clint’s adventure.
By the time they arrived back at the base it was half seven, so Maria went to the kitchen to make some tea for the kids while Tom set up a movie for them to watch. In the end he picked out a DVD from the kids movie collection he had picked up while they were out, and he got all the kids comfortable on the sofa before he settled down with them to watch Monsters Inc.
“If they have nightmares after this film, it’s your fault,” Maria said, walking in on the opening credits of the movie while carrying four plates laden with sausages and chips. She handed a plate each to Tony and Thor, who were sitting on the floor in front of the sofa, and the other two to Steve and Bruce who sat on the sofa that wasn’t occupied by Tom, the girls, and Clint.
“It’s a kids film, they’ll be grand,” he replied, cuddled up between Pepper and Clint, with Nat on Clint’s other side.
“Whatever you say,” Maria replied, already returning with the remaining five plates. Sausages and chips for the kids, scrambled eggs and toast for herself and Tom.
“This is nice,” Tom said quietly, thinking about how he, Maria, and all the kids made quite a cute, if crazy, family.
“Definitely one of the highlights of playing babysitter,” she replied, giggling.
“Yea, we make a good family.”
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“Can you check again?” Pepper asked, for the eighth time. While Maria had been worried that a movie about monsters would scar the kids, which could affect their adult selves, she should have been worried about the kids wanting monsters to appear in their closets and do a bit of stand-up comedy.
“Pepper, it was just a movie. No monsters are going to jump out of your closet and do a dance.” Pepper’s lip trembled slightly at the harshness of Maria’s words, but it was nine already and Maria knew she would have to get the kids up, ready and on to a quinjet by seven and Fury had requested everyone’s presence on the helicarier for more test on the kids. Apparently Doctors’ Pym and Richards would be there, and Maria was willing to bend over backward to get the Avengers back to their full sized glory. If that meant having seven small children fed and dressed early in the morning, then so be it.
“Night girls,” Maria said, softer this time, closing the door on her way out.”
“Nigh Mawia.”
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Getting everyone dressed, fed and onto the jet was just as difficult as Maria had imagined it would be, but after only one argument, three bathroom breaks and two tantrums, everyone was strapped in and ready to go.
“Is everyone sure that they don’t need to go to the bathroom again?” Maria asked, for the second time.
She got an unintelligible, but affirmative, response from the still drowsy kids.
“Then let’s go.”
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“It’s great to see you again, Dr Pym,” Maria said, shaking Hank Pym’s hand.
“It’s great to see you too, Agent Hill, but you can call me Hank,” Hank replied distractedly. He was doing some, what Maria assumed were basic tests on Steve, who had completely refused to go in on his own. Maria wasn’t too surprised. He would have had to have gone to the doctor’s a lot as a child the first time around, and she could only imagine that Hank, who was quite tall, scared Steve just a little bit.
VOCÊ ESTÁ LENDO
Adventures of the Littlevengers!
FanficA 'science stuff' gone wrong, seven small children, two SHIELD agents, and a pinch of AIM sticking their noses where they don't belong. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? Have you ever wondered what would happen if Maria Hill had to look aft...
