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givin' you a jingle

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The phone felt heavy in her hands, although it was surely less than half a pound. It sat open in her hand, a silent, impartial device, yet intimidating at the same time.

"I'll stay here if you want," Steve offered, taking her hand in his own. "We'll all stay if you'd like."

She smiled softly, then took her hand away from his. "I'll be fine on my own, I think," she said quietly, "it's not like she can hurt me on the other end of the line."

They left, but Steve still looked unsure, only moving when she nudged him off the couch. "Okay, just...holler if you need me," he wrung his hands against one another, nervousness creating a line in the middle of his forehead.

Cara stood up, tilted her head towards him, and eased the worry line out of his skin with her soft lips pressed against the spot. "I'm sure it'll be fine. I can take care of myself."

"Yeah," he agreed, "but the thing is, you don't have to." He rubbed the pad of his thumb against her cheek, and she leaned into him for a beat, savoring the feeling of security. She could have that all the time if she'd let him. But she didn't want to be a whiny teenager. She wanted to be strong. So she released herself from his embrace and smiled.

"I can do this on my own," she reassured him, and after he pressed his lips against her cheek, he stepped out of the living room.

Cara didn't miss the wolf whistles that filled the air the second he'd exited the space. She rolled her eyes, the light-hearted gesture breaking through the tension that had appeared.

"J.A.R.V.I.S.?" She called out, waiting for his response. She'd begun to get used to his presence, and rather enjoyed small, meaningless conversations with him. He was like a much more accurate version of Siri. And someone she could easily call a friend.

"Your wish is my command, Cara," he replied.

"I'm ready for the phone number."

"Ah," he said, and recited her Aunt May's cell phone number.

She dialed as he spoke, but before she hit "talk," she talked to the program again. "J.A.R.V.I.S., you'll listen to the conversation, right?"

If he were real, she was sure he'd nod firmly. "Of course."

She took a deep breath. Everyone who was here would protect her, would help her do what she needed to do.

And what she needed to do now was tie up loose ends with the aunt that had fallen out of her life after her mother's death day.

The phone rang four times before it was answered by a woman who seemed in her mid-thirties due to the mature, sultry voice that hummed, "Hello?"

"Hi," Cara's voice shook. She couldn't tell if it was out of excitement or nervousness. Probably both, she thought. "Is this May?"

"It is," the woman answered, "may I ask who you are?"

"I--it's me," she breathed, unable to say anything else even though she knew "it's me" was a vague response. She was talking to her aunt, the only family she knew she had left.

"Sorry, who are you? I'm a bit busy at the moment--"

"It's Cara," she burst out, and used her last name when she repeated, "it's Cara Jansen."

"Car--Cara? Cara, is that you?" Her Aunt May seemed shocked. "It's been so long, I--no, honey, I'm on the phone," she said to someone else, obviously with her.

"Am I interrupting something important?" Cara rushed out. She wanted to talk to her aunt of course, but she still would grab at any chance to get herself out of the situation.

"Oh no, we're at home, you're fine," she waved away.

"Who's 'we'?" She asked hesitantly.

"I--um, I'll tell you in a little bit. I just want to know about you!" She covered, and Cara knew it was crap. There was something up, and she wanted to get to the bottom of it, but knew how to take social queues. May didn't want to talk about the mysterious voice on the other line. Not yet, at least.

"Um, okay," Cara gave in. "I've been...good. I just recently found people I'm gonna be living with for awhile."

She could hear the smile in May's voice. "Oh, that's wonderful." Then her voice became small. "I'm sorry I didn't do more, Cara, I'm so sorry. I tried to find you, but your father had overridden everything, and I couldn't even find out where he'd put you. If I could have done more, I want you to know that I would've done it. In a heartbeat." Her words were filled with something Cara hadn't been exposed to since she was nine: a maternal love.

"It's--it's okay," she reassured her, "if you'd have found me, I wouldn't have ever met all the great friends I have now."

"What are their names?" She asked curiously.

Cara grinned and recited each Avengers' name. "Steve, Bruce, Tony, Clint, Natasha, and uh, Thor."

"Honey, are you sure you haven't been drinking lately?"

"No, why?" Cara understood that Thor was a bit of a strange name, but many people knew of the Avengers' existence, so didn't they know who they all were?

"Because you're living with five men and only one other girl." She paused. "Isn't that a lot to handle?"

Cara smiled, remembering the moments she'd felt the exact same way. "It can be, but I don't mind. They're like family to me."

Silence over the phone.

"Aunt May?"

"Yes, I'm here, I'm still here. I have to tell you something." Her voice was traced with worry.

"What is it?"

"Cara, honey, your mother never told you this, and I wasn't supposed to either, but considering the situation we're in, I think it proves to be helpful information."

"What do you mean?"

"Your grandmother told both your mother and I that we were the only daughters in the family. But there was a third, born years after me, after I'd moved out."

"You're saying..."

"You have another aunt. But she...had a bit of trouble fitting in with the family quota."

"Did she...like Mom?" Cara asked hesitantly, a familiar pain in her chest growing. She'd already gone through it once, but twice...

"No, but she didn't want to live with us anymore, I guess. So she left the family and changed her name. I hadn't heard of her until I found a little baby boy wrapped in blankets left outside my apartment door." May took a breath. "It was like Harry Potter," she said, a small chuckle cutting through to Cara's ear. "But real."

"I...I have a cousin?" Cara breathed, hardly able to believe it.

"You have a cousin." There was another pause. "Do you two want to meet?"

"Yes," Cara answered right away. Tears welled up in her eyes. Not only had she gotten back her aunt whom she thought she'd lost forever, but she'd gained the knowledge of another family member: a cousin.

And then a new voice came over the receiver, and Cara was speaking to her cousin for the first time in her life.

I'M GETTING MY WISDOM TEETH OUT TOMORROW PRAY FOR ME