They ended up staying at the Tower a few days by unspoken agreement. Everyone was waiting to see what the fallout was going to be from SHIELD's collapse.

Congress formally disbanded the organization, which didn't really come as a surprise. Special investigations were opened, and that was another reason they were sticking around. No one was quite sure what was going to come out of those investigations, and Tony had access to the best lawyers around.

Another reason - for Steve at least - was figuring out the next steps of what he should do with Star and James. He hadn't broached the topic of them staying with him again with Star. He needed to, to get an answer about if that was even what she wanted to do. But he hesitated, because it had finally occurred to him that he probably couldn't just show up with kids.

Kids were supposed to come with paperwork; birth certificates, social security numbers, maybe adoption papers or something. They didn't have any of that. And shouldn't Star go to school? Could she go to a school without any records of previous education? Steve wanted to try and get an answer to his questions before he talked to Star, but he didn't know where to begin looking.

The answer - or at least the start of his answers - came from an unexpected source. It wasn't long after all the kids had been put to bed one evening that JARVIS announced a visitor. "Director Fury is on his way up."

"Fury?" Tony repeated with some surprise. "I thought he'd gone underground already or something."

"I'm sure he plans to," Natasha said, her tone mild even as she perked up slightly at the mention of Fury.

The elevator doors opened before anyone else could comment. Fury walked out, and for a second, he looked like someone else. Instead of his trademark black trench coat and all black outfit, he wore jeans and work boots, a flannel shirt, beanie cap, sunglasses instead of an eye patch to cover his eye, and a book bag slung over one shoulder.

"Director," Steve greeted. "That's a new look."

Fury shrugged. "Seemed like a good time to practice blending in."

"For once, we agree," Tony said. "Which begs the question of why you're here? This isn't exactly subtle."

"I needed to have a conversation with all of you," Fury said. "But especially you."

Tony's eyebrows shot up. "Me?"

He wasn't the only one surprised by Fury's words. The two had butted heads often enough in the past, that while there was certainly a level of respect between the two men, there was no reason to expect Fury to seek Tony out specifically. Not unless there was some sort of problem Fury wanted Iron Man for, typically.

"Sounds like this could be a long one," Clint said, standing up from where he'd been lounging on the couch. "I volunteer to make the coffee. Maybe some popcorn. Anyone want some popcorn?"

Natasha raised a hand, Bruce slowly following suit, and Steve rolled his eyes. Fury took a seat while Clint got to work in the kitchen.

"I'm going to be frank," Fury said. "The collapse of SHIELD, while necessary to take out Hydra, has left the world more vulnerable."

"Has it?" Bruce asked, closing the book he'd been reading prior to Fury's arrival. "Seems to me that Hydra probably did a lot of damage with SHIELD resources."

Fury inclined his head. "That's true enough. But it doesn't change the fact that SHIELD did a lot of good too, and defended this world from things the average person isn't prepared to face."

Bruce looked ready to continue arguing, but Tony spoke up first. "Like Marcus Daniels. And the other enhanced you had locked up in the Fridge."

"Them, and others," Fury agreed. "Aliens, for example."

"I don't remember SHIELD being terribly helpful during the Invasion," Steve pointed out, crossing his arms.

Fury smirked. "New York isn't the first time SHIELD has tangled with aliens. And unfortunately, I don't think it's going to be the last time aliens are interested in earth either."

Clint wandered back into the living room, balancing two bowls of popcorn and several mugs of coffee. He paused by Bruce's seat to hand off a mug and a bowl, then dropped down on the couch beside Natasha to pass her a mug and share the larger bowl of popcorn. "So what exactly are you wanting from us?"

"The Avengers."

The room went quiet, and Fury settled his gaze on Tony. "The Avengers don't have to be under the government's thumb. Not with the right backing."

Tony leaned back in his seat. "…You want me to privatize the Avengers."

"I do." He laced his fingers together, looking at each of them in turn. "Earth still needs defenders. The Avengers are the best we've got."

"How would that even work?" Bruce asked. "If we aren't backed by a government agency, wouldn't any actions we'd take be vigilantism? Politicians don't typically approve of that."

"…Not necessarily," Tony said, rubbing his chin as he stared into the middle distance. "Would depend how we set ourselves up. I mean, there would definitely be limits on what we could legally do…but citizens arrests are allowed…and bounty hunters are a legal thing…and private investigators…and neither of those are quite what we'd want, but the fact that they exist give us room to set up something."

"But who would trust us to operate?" Natasha asked. "A couple of disgraced SHIELD agents, a former arms dealer, and a guy who's best known for breaking cities. No offence." Bruce just shrugged, while Tony waved a hand in mild acknowledgement.

"Your forgetting your trump card," Fury said. He gestured towards Steve. "You've got Captain America."

Steve frowned. "Who is also a disgraced SHIELD agent."

Fury scoffed. "Please. Have you paid any attention to the news? Only the most extreme conspiracy theorists are suggesting you worked for Hydra. You might be the only SHIELD operative to have come through this with their reputation completely intact. If Captain America is the face of the Avengers, the public will accept you."

Steve wasn't really comfortable with that thought. He didn't like the public putting him on a pedestal. And being the face of the Avengers sounded an awful lot like the USO tours he'd done back for the war. He hadn't liked being a dancing monkey then, and the idea of it didn't appeal any more now. Besides, he had other considerations to think about.

"I don't know," Steve said.

Fury shrugged. "It's the best chance the world has of staying safe. It's not a question of if another threat will arise; it's a question of when. But what you do now is up to you. I'm past giving orders to anyone." With that uncomfortable declaration, he leaned down and unzipped the book bag resting by his feet. "I do have one other piece of business to take care of while I'm here, though this is specifically for you, Steve."

He tugged a manila envelope out of the bag and held it out. Steve leaned forward and took it. "I don't have a lot of contacts anymore," Fury said, "but I still have enough to pull that off."

Steve wasn't sure what could be in there, but he wasn't expecting what he found. Adoption papers, birth certificates, school transcripts – an entire faked history for Star and James.

"Given Star's biological age and the timeline for how long you've been out of the ice, I had to go with adoption as the cover. Hope you're fine with the names," Fury said. "I was in a bit of a hurry."

The statement made Steve glance at the names listed on the adoption papers; a lump formed in his throat.

"They're fine," Steve managed to get out. "Thank you."

"I also managed to dig up a little information on Dr. James Tate," Fury added. It took a moment for Steve to connect the name; James – the man who'd worked for Hydra but Star claimed had been her friend, the man who might have been killed for planning to rescue Star.

"From what I found, it looks like Hydra didn't kill him after all. At least not then; who knows what's happened to him now? But they moved him to another Hydra base, somewhere in Sokovia. I wasn't able to find the exact location, or figure out what that base was up to before everything went down I'm afraid." Fury shrugged. "That's all I know about him; I'll leave it up to you what you tell the kid."

That was the end of the conversation Fury had for all of them; he asked for a private word with Clint and Natasha, but Steve barely noticed as the three of them left the room. His attention was more focused on the paperwork that Fury had given him; paperwork that declared him legally Star and James's father.

"What names did he pick?" Steve glanced over at Bruce, who was watching him over the rim of his coffee mug. "Just curious. Never really imagined Nick Fury naming kids before."

Steve cleared his throat. "Star Margaret Rogers and James Buchanan Rogers."

Tony's brows drew together. "I get where Margaret comes from, but Buchanan? Why would he do that to an innocent kid?"

"It's Bucky's middle name," Steve said.

"Huh. And the nickname suddenly makes sense." Tony straightened, looking a little more serious. "Think you're going to be good with the whole single dad shtick?"

"I don't know," Steve admitted. "But I'm going to try my best." And now that he had the paperwork making it official, he really needed to talk to Star. He needed to make sure she'd be okay with it.

"You know what every single dad needs?" Tony said, and didn't wait for a response before continuing. "A job. Which you currently don't have, thanks to your employer being disbanded and all."

"Hold on," Bruce said, pointing at Tony. "Are you about to suggest that we go forward with Fury's idea?"

"I am," Tony said. "Because he's right. It's only a matter of time before more threats appear, and someone needs to be positioned to help. But he's also right that this only works if Steve is on board."

"I'm not sure it's the best move for Star and James," Steve said. "They deserve a chance at a normal life."

"I know they do," Tony said. "They do. But regardless of the kind of job you have…the chance of them having a totally normal life is pretty small. Think about it; Star is a thirteen-year-old super soldier with two years of life experience. All of which so far was being raised by Hydra. She's not a normal kid. She probably doesn't even know how to relate to normal kids. She can get there, and we'll help her do it. But whether you're working as Captain America or some nine to five isn't really going to make a difference."

Steve grimaced, glancing back down at the paperwork in his hands. Tony had a point. Given the circumstances, it would be hard for Star to have a normal life. James was luckier than her, in a way. He was only two; no one expected all that much from toddlers. He had more time to adjust and learn.

"A nine to five would at least help keep the kids out of the public eye," Bruce pointed out.

"Would it?" Tony asked. "He'd have to figure out childcare for them after all. Daycare or something for JJ, and a tutor for Star until she was able to go to school. How long will them being Steve Rogers's kids stay secret then? And how long would Steve Rogers having a regular job stay quiet either?"

"Would being a full time Avenger be any different?" Steve asked. "I'd still need childcare. Maybe for days at a time, depending on what kind of work we ended up doing."

That gave Tony pause for a moment, a frown flickering over his face. Then he leaned forward, his expression clearly showing an idea had struck him. "Just move in here. That'll solve the childcare issue."

"Move…to the Tower?" Steve repeated, trying to be sure he understood.

Tony clapped his hands together. "Sure; in fact, the whole team could stay. This would already be the base of operations; makes things easier. I've got a couple floors that aren't being used, so everyone could have their own place. And with everyone here, there'd always be someone around to keep an eye on the kids, though if it came down to it, I'm sure JARVIS would do just fine as a babysitter."

"Sir, babysitting is not part of my programming," JARVIS said. Steve wasn't sure that the AI was capable of being worried, but he'd swear he could hear a tinge of it in JARVIS's voice.

"You'd be fine," Tony said, waving a hand in dismissal.

"You actually want us all to move in?" Bruce asked, blinking behind his glasses.

"What, you got a better living arrangement going on?" He pointed at Bruce. "Don't say yes, because I know your current living arrangement is crashing at one of my other labs. You could still work on VERONICA from here."

As the two of them bantered, Steve leaned back, considering. To his surprise, he kind of liked the idea. He'd missed New York; the only reason he was living in D.C. was because that was where he'd needed to be for SHIELD. And, disenchanted as he might be with how things had ended up going with SHIELD, Fury and Tony weren't wrong that the Avengers would be needed. Tony had told them about some of the things he'd seen in the Fridge; the enhanced individuals, the weapons built from alien tech. Not really stuff the average police force was prepared to handle, and without SHIELD to act as a buffer…

What sort of example am I setting for the kids if I can help, but I don't?

He still didn't much like the idea of acting as the face of the Avengers, but everything else…yeah. He kind of liked everything else.

"I'm in."

Tony and Bruce paused in their conversation to look at him. "Really?" Bruce asked.

"Really," Steve said. "I think we can make this work."

Tony grinned. "Well, that's one in." He turned to look at Bruce. "What do you say?"

Bruce didn't answer immediately, munching on some of the popcorn Clint had given him. After a long moment, he shrugged. "I guess I don't have anything better going on."

"Kind of insulting, but I'll take it," Tony replied.

The next step was to see if Natasha and Clint would agree as well. Steve felt sure they would, though whether Clint would want to stay at the Tower was a bigger question, given his family. He might prefer to have them hidden away off the grid again.

And then…then Steve would need to talk to Star.

Star had been up for only minutes when someone knocked on her door. She sent a puzzled look the door's way, wondering who else might be up this early, but she wandered over to answer it.

The answer it turned out was Steve, dressed in sweatpants and t-shirt. "Hey," he said. "You haven't gotten a chance to see the gym here yet, have you?"

Instantly, Star's curiosity was piqued. "No?"

"Want to come try it out?" Steve asked.

"Sure," she agreed. "I'll be ready in a minute." She closed the door and hastened to change. Luckily, during the past couple days, Pepper had taken the time to pick up a few more outfits for Star, including some that would be comfortable for working out. Once she'd changed, Star threw her hair up in a pony tail without bothering to brush it first, then went to meet Steve in the living room.

The gym it turned out, had an entire floor dedicated to it, with every conceivable kind of workout equipment stocked, much of which Star had never even seen before. There were also, Star was delighted to find out, machines designed for people with super strength, to actually challenge them.

They spent an hour on their workout, Steve taking the lead, and patiently showing her how to use some of the machines she'd never seen before. By the end of it, Star was sweaty, and her muscles had that pleasant burn that only came from a good workout.

Steve had had the foresight to bring bottle of water for each of them, and he passed her one after they'd finished. Star said a quick thanks before sipping the water. She wanted to guzzle it, but knew that would be a bad idea.

"Director Fury came to see us last night," Steve said between sips of water.

Star glanced his way, a little surprised by the topic, and unsure where it might be going.

"He had something to give me," Steve continued. He paused a moment. "Adoption papers. For you and James."

She frowned. "I don't know what those are."

That seemed to catch him off guard for a moment, but then he let out a short laugh. "I guess you wouldn't. That topic hasn't exactly come up." He took another drink of water before setting the bottle aside. "The adoption papers are legal documents that mean, as far as anyone else is concerned, I'm...I'm your dad."

She stared, her heart suddenly thudding in her chest, any words she might have spoken stuck in the lump in her throat.

Steve watched her, a frown flicking across his face. "I know we talked about you and James staying with me, when everything was done. That's still on the table, and the papers will let us do that. If you want to."

He hadn't changed his mind about that then; he still wanted to keep them. And he wouldn't just be their caretaker or guardian or whatever. He'd be their dad...as far as anyone else was concerned.

"Do you," Star asked, the words tumbling out of her in a rush, "do you think you're our dad?"

His expression softened, and his voice was gentle when he answered. "Yeah. I do."

The answer was thrilling and terrifying and relieving all at once, and Star didn't quite know what to do with it. She fiddled with her water bottle, trying to determine an appropriate response. "Oh…does this mean I'm supposed to call you Dad now?"

"If you want," Steve said. "You don't have to, if it makes you uncomfortable."

She considered for a moment. Her face warmed as she whispered, "I want to."

"Okay then," Steve said.

Star didn't know what to do next, so she blurted out the first question that came to mind. "Does this mean we're going to Washington D.C.?" She remembered from their conversation at Clint's place that that was where Steve lived.

"Actually," Steve said, "I talked to Tony and the others last night, and we've decided to make the Avengers our own thing here. So, that means we'll be staying here."

"All of us?" Star asked in surprise.

Steve waved his hand in a so-so motion. "Eh, maybe not the Bartons; Clint and Laura are still talking it over, so I'm not sure about them. But everyone else, yes."

She couldn't stop the smile that spread over her face. This was better than anything she could have dreamed of.

The collapse of Hydra and death of Alexander Pierce had probably saved Leslie's life. In the chaos that followed, there was no one left to care about the failure of Project Stars and Stripes.

But even if Hydra wasn't after her now, Leslie knew she couldn't risk staying in the country. The feds were on the hunt for Hydra operatives, and that made staying too risky. So she utilized her contacts and backup plans to get out, and over the course of several days, made it to her destination in Sokovia.

"Dr. Miller!" Baron Von Strucker greeted in accented English, spreading his arms wide as he walked down the steps that led to the old castle he worked out of. "Welcome! I am so pleased you have decided to join out work here."

Leslie smiled, though in truth she felt his greeting was over the top and unnecessary. "Thank you for having me." She held out a hand for him to shake, and he clasped it between both of his.

"But of course," he said. "I would be a fool to deny myself one of the greatest minds in genetics. I am only saddened that it took the collapse of our American bases to get you out here."

"It was a blow," Leslie agreed, but then skimmed past it before Baron Von Strucker could ask questions. He didn't need to know the asset she'd created was partially responsible for instigating the mess. "Do I get a tour of the facility?"

"Certainly," he agreed. "I'd be pleased to show you around myself."

The upper levels of the castle were as old and worn as the outside; it didn't get truly interesting until they made it to the lower levels. The lower levels were where they housed the labs, stocked with state-of-the-art equipment, and carried on fascinating projects. It was in one of the labs that Leslie ran into a familiar person.

"Dr. Tate."

His head snapped up from the computer screen he was studying, eyes wide behind his glasses. He looked ill; he'd lost weight in the year since Leslie had seen him, and he hadn't had much to lose in the first place. His cheeks were sunken in, his skin sallow, and he had dark circles under his eyes.

"Dr. Miller," he stammered. "How – what are you doing here?"

"Oh, that's right," Baron Von Strucker said. "I forgot that Dr. Tate worked on Project Stars and Stripes with you before he was relocated here." He gestured towards Leslie. "Dr. Miller is joining us now as well."

Dr. Tate's face creased in confusion. "But what about Star?"

Leslie shrugged dispassionately. "Unfortunately, the asset didn't live up to Hydra's standards. She was decommissioned."

He wasn't any better at guarding his emotions now than he had been when he'd worked on Project Stars and Stripes. Leslie saw the grief that swept through him at her statement.

Good.

As far as she was concerned, much of this mess was Dr. Tate's fault in the first place. He'd encouraged Star's independent streak by treating her as a person instead of the weapon she was; naming her, talking to her, playing games with her, arguing for gentler testing measures. Leslie had seen his betrayal coming a mile away. Though the fact that he was still alive meant the consequences of his attempted betrayal must have taught him how futile such actions were.

"Now, come, Dr. Miller," Baron Von Strucker said. "Our tour is nearly complete, and I have saved the best for last. You must see the twins."

AN: So, this is the official end of Part 1! I can hardly believe we've made it to this point. A huge THANK YOU to everyone who's taken time to read and support this fic in any way! I appreciate y'all so much!

I mentioned this in my last AN, but to reiterate, I will continue to upload Part 2 here to make it easy to find. I'm curious, y'all got any guesses about what's going to happen in Part 2?