☆.｡.:* i.ii .｡.:*☆
PREPARATIONS

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GETTING TO GO ON THE MISSION was something that Lexi counted as a win. She'd never been able to convince her father to let her go into danger with his Avenger buddies or even join them on missions where there was no danger. So the fact alone that she was getting to go with them this time was a major win. What made it even more of a win was that she was going to get to be there when they rescued Juliet.

The one downside to all of this was that it wasn't planned. It mostly came out of nowhere. And that meant that there were a few people who needed to be notified that she was definitely not going to be available for the next several hours at least. And that meant that she definitely needed to find a more quiet corner where she could call her mom.

It rang a few times before Kimberly answered the phone.

"So, you know how I texted you, telling you that I went to go see my dad?"

"I don't think I like where this is going," Kimberly said.

"Yeah, you probably won't like it... So, the reason he called and picked me up was because they are like ninety-nine percent sure that they've found where Juliet is and he wanted to tell me in person and so I convinced them to let me come with them," she finished hesitantly.

"You did what?" she questioned, voice eerily calm.

Lexi gulped. "I convinced them to let me go with them to rescue my sister. But, and I think you'll agree that this is the good part, they're gonna make me stay in the quinjet - which I agreed to - and help run comms."

"I really shouldn't be surprised anymore, should I?"

"Hey, you're the one that wanted to raise me knowing my dad. Not that I'm complaining, but, you know, you kind of brought this on yourself. What did you think was going to happen when you had a kid with Tony Stark?"

"I was hoping you'd take after me."

"We both know that ship sailed a long time ago."

Kimberly sighed. "You said you'd stay in the jet and help run comms?"

"Yes! But that's just to keep me there, not that I was planning on running off. I just want to be there when they do rescue her so she has a familiar face with her while everyone else is off kicking the collective ass of the people that did this to her," Lexi explained.

Kimberly sighed again and was silent for a minute. Lexi could see her mother at her desk at work, pinching her nose, eyes closed, probably questioning all her life choices up to this point. Both mother and daughter had long since accepted that Lexi was going to be the reason that Kimberly went prematurely grey.

"Not to doubt your abilities, but at this point, I don't think you really have time to stop me from doing this. And I do, technically, have parental permission."

"I know."

"Are you mad?"

"No," Kimberly admitted. "I know that Juliet means a lot to you. But you have to promise that you'll be careful. And stay on the jet."

"Of course! I'm not gonna leave that ship until we're back at the tower, I promise."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you, too, Mom."

They said their goodbyes and Lexi hung up the phone. Before getting up or putting her phone away, she opened her texts and sent one to her boyfriend, Bobby, to let him know what was going on. She knew that not only would he get a kick out of her going on a mission with the Avengers, but he knew how much Juliet meant to her.

Bobby and Lexi had been dating for almost four months, but they'd been friends for years, ever since they met in school. Bobby was one of her two friends, the other being Finn Walker, who she'd been friends with since elementary school. Just under four months prior, Bobby had gone all out for Valentine's Day, which also happened to be Lexi's birthday, and it was the longest she'd been happy and smiling since her sister was kidnapped.

lex-mex
dont come over tonite

donald duck
what did i do?

lex-mex
nothing, doofus, but i wont be there
they found jules and im going with them to get her

donald duck
them?

lex-mex
the avengers

donald duck
can you get me perseus' autograph

lex-mex
might be a little busy with my recently rescued sister
why

donald duck
his superhero name is the coolest so he's my fav avenger

lex-mex
your standards are astonishing

donald duck
i got you didnt i

lex-mex
smooth
will text you after we get her

donald duck
will bring her fav chocolate and stuffed animal

lex-mex
that would be ghiradelli caramel filled dark chocolate and a cat

donald duck
i know

lex-mex
ur the best

donald duck
knew that too

Rolling her eyes but smiling, Lexi put her phone away and wandered back to where everyone was. Everyone was suiting up in their armours, costumes or suits, getting their weapons together and all of a sudden Lexi felt out of place. She was standing there in her leather jacket and combat boots with her purse while everyone else was wearing armour and catsuits, wielding some kind of weapon and looking thoroughly prepared for the situation.

But she wasn't going to let that deter her. Juliet was her little sister and she would need Lexi once they rescued her. She would be there for her sister, no matter how unprepared she felt standing amongst the Avengers.

"You okay, kid?" Steve Rogers asked, wandering over to her.

"I'm ready to get my sister back," she told him. "That's all that matters."

"Jarvis will help you with everything you need to do, okay? You'll mostly just be maintaining comms and helping Jarvis relay any information to us. Simple enough, right?"

"Sounds like a piece of cake. Which would be really great right now, actually," Lexi admitted.

Steve laughed. "Maybe once we finish the mission."

Someone called his name so he wandered over to them and Lexi decided enough was enough and she wasn't going to keep standing around. So she entered the quinjet, familiarizing herself with the area. There was only one pilot's seat, but she knew that Jarvis was wired in, so the A.I. could pilot it as well. There was enough seating for at least the entire team and slick cupboards that, at a guess, contained any kind of supplies they'd need.

She was close. So close to getting her sister back. There was no way that she'd be entirely fine after four months of torture but getting her away from them was better than just leaving her to her fate. And, of course, it meant that she could start to recover. It meant that she could force her to watch The Princess Bride with her again and take her out for fast food and to the arcade. All sorts of places that people without an endless stream of money went to entertain or feed themselves.

Lexi couldn't wait for that day. Even if it would be a while before Juliet was well enough to do it. She could wait, she could funnel all her considerably low well of patience into that. And if Hydra managed to persist after this, Lexi would find some way to burn them to the ground for daring to hurt her baby sister.

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an. so next chapter will be the start of age of ulton, promise. I intended to have this chapter end with them leaving on the quinjet but then the conversation with her mom went on for longer than I had predicted and then the conversation with Johnny, of course. So next chapter we start the movie for sure. Hope you enjoyed!