A/n update: Hi everyone, I know the first 15 chapters suck big time, but this was my first fanfiction and it took a while to get the hang of writing. Please give it a chance, and I promise it gets better

Chapter 1: Meet and greet

The team crowded round the meeting table on the Helicarrier, talking quietly. Fury had called them in saying he needed to have a special meeting. On the way there Clint and Tony had placed bets on what the meeting was about and like always the stakes were high. Natasha had just rolled her eyes; they were nowhere near. Agent Hill had told her the day before because she wanted someone on the team to know, and she trusted Natasha to deal with the situation best. Tony was going to hate it, they'd agreed. It was a pity that Thor was back in Asgard, because this was his kind of thing.

When Fury finally walked into the room, they all hushed down and all looked expectantly at the man, although it took a patient glare to shut Stark up.

"This meeting is extremely important as it addresses the recent problems within the dynamic of the team..." Fury began.

While Fury started rambling on about how the team wasn't functioning at its best, Natasha slipped out the room without anyone noticing. When Steve noticed, he just brushed it off and didn't say anything. It wouldn't be the first time she's done it, he thought. She often left meeting halfway through, normally because she already knew what was happening, or had to go retrieve something for Fury.

Half way through Fury's rant, Stark piped up. "Get to the point, I've got a press conference in Miami in 4 hours, and we're in the middle of the Atlantic. Come on, big man." He didn't actually have a meeting, but he wanted to get off.

"Fine then Stark, here's the point. The team is failing, and we've decided to take drastic measures. As of today, the Avengers will have 2 more members. Natasha, please bring in The Elementals."

Natasha came in, bringing with her two teenagers, a boy and a girl. The boy looked around with a sense of wonder, like he couldn't believe where he was. He was Caucasian with blue eye; his sandy hair was ruffled, and he was about 4 inches taller than Natasha. He had his hands stuck in his jeans, and his dip-dyed t-shirt hung off his skinny frame. He obviously hadn't fed well for a while but he still had a glow healthy glow. The girl was the complete opposite. She was petite, with jet black hair, with the occasional red streak, and was tense and defensive, obviously ready for problems. She wore all black, and her clothes were simple and easy to move in. She was clearly a fighter and eyed up each member of the room, assessing the team structure and who would be easiest to defeat. She continuously flicked her eyes towards Fury and Natasha, disgust and distrust clear in her eyes, and kept her fists clenched while muttering under her breath, however no one could understand what she was saying, even Natasha. Fury left the room, leaving the Avengers to sort the situation out. He knew that if it situation started going badly that Natasha would be able to sort it out.

"Hey Red, she's like a Goth version of you!" said Clint with glee. He quite liked children, and thought of himself as an annoying older brother. His eyes settled on the boy, and found that he was very similar to himself, in stature at least. Bruce realised that the situation wasn't going to go well and left the room to avoid a confrontation with the Big Guy. Steve and Tony shared a look, wondering which teen was most dangerous, and what the hell Fury was thinking. The Avengers wasn't a place for children; that was one thing they both agreed on.

At Clint's comment, the girl turned around. "What did you just say?" As she spoke, the temperature of the room suddenly rose 10 degrees, seemingly radiating from the girl. "I am NOT a Goth version of anyone so just shut up so we can get this stupid meet and greet over and done with." She clenched her fists even tighter and the muttering became even more frantic.

Steve saw that friction was beginning to form between the girl and the team so tried to diffuse the situation while getting more information on the newcomers. "Well then, let's get on with it. Let's start with what's your names, and why did Fury call you The Elementals? Also, do you have codenames yet that we should know about?"

The boy piped up, after staying silent while standing by Natasha. He seemed a lot perkier than his friend, and a lot more open. "Well, I'm Luke, and the moody cow over there is Alexis. The reason we're called The Elementals is self-explanatory. I control earth and water, and Alexis controls fire and air along with-"

Alexis glared at him and he trailed off; there were obviously some secrets between them that they didn't want to reveal.

"Put us together and we have limited control over ice, although we haven't had chance to folly experiment with what our combined powers can do. We've had to look out for each other over the years so we work well as partners; I'd be in Switzerland right now if it wasn't for the fact that we work a lot better together because we know our fighting styles and we have….other advantages."

He smiled slightly at Alexis, proud at himself for self-editing his speech, but she just rolled her eyes and motioned for him to get on with it.

"We've done stuff we're not proud of and in the process we've gained the interest of a lot of people. We reached a compromise with Shield that benefits both parties and allows us to redeem ourselves." Alexis glared at him in disbelief; she didn't understand that he was just trying to help her integrate.

Alexis muttered under her breath, audibly this time, "You're the one who wants redemption, all I want is to be left alone and fit in." Tony felt sorry for her; he knew from his talks with Bruce that he felt a similar way.

"We're all to be involved in training them, although Clint and I will be the main liaison between Shield and them. If there are any problems, please speak to me or Agent Hill so they can be sorted out." announced Natasha to the team.

"Fine then, if we have no choice in this we might as well get on and accept that they're part of the team. Shall we get back to the tower then and let Merlin and Willow Rosenberg choose their rooms?" Tony said, making for the door, but was abruptly stopped by the fact that he'd just received a fire ball to the back. Alexis stalked up behind him, hands glowing slightly along with her eyes, and crouched down, placing her hands just behind his head.

"Never call me that or I will slowly and painfully end your existence, understand Stark? There may be a likeness between me and that stupid fictional witch, but this is something that I was born with, and would give anything to get rid of." Alexis whispered in his ear, while taking all the air from his lungs using her magic. He nodded in understanding. She stood up and turned to the rest of the room, who were all standing with their hands on their weapons, ready to intervene if required, all except Luke. He was looking at her with a look of amusement, but still took a step forward, ready to step in if he had to.

"Anyone else got a problem?" They all shook their heads slightly, weary of the small girl. She wasn't Good. Now are we going, or do I have to learn to fly the Quinjets?" Alexis asked rhetorically, one hand on her hip and an expectant look on her face. Luke laughed, a rich baritone, and Alexis smirked. Natasha shook her head in exasperation at their childish behaviour, and led the team, along with their new recruits, to the Quinjet so they could return to the Avengers Tower.

None of them noticed a shadow in the corner in the shape of a human figure, although Alexis had looked over there a few time with a confused look, as if she sensed something. Once they'd all left the room, the shadow solidified into the shape of Loki. A wide Cheshire cat smile spread across the demigod's face. "Well then, what have we got here?" Loki said to himself, amused because he knew perfectly well what it was, and then picked the folder on the table. "They shall make good minions; well at least the girl should." The god started to laugh, but by the time an agent followed the sound to the room, he'd gone. The agent didn't notice that the file was missing so continued on their way.