Steve looked at Fury for several moments, assessing him, before he shrugged. "What do you want us to do?" he asked. "We're not handing them over to you."

"Then move the research to SHIELD," Fury said. "I can't let this lie, not with everyone having strokes over it. Move all current and future research involving them into the SHIELD labs. That way I can tell the Council I'm keeping my eye on it and not be lying to them, and I can tell the US government to kindly fuck off."

Steve looked at Bruce and Tony and raised his eyebrows at them. Really, it was their call now, since he had no idea how the research was going, really.

Bruce looked at Tony and shrugged. "It's possible," he said, raising an eyebrow and trying to anticipate how much of a fit Tony was going to throw.

"No dice, Jolly Rodger," Tony said stubbornly. "Since when has moving research to SHIELD ever been a good thing? Never, that's when. And apparently you're keeping your eye on us anyways, thank you, thank you for that, I'm going to have to fumigate my lab now because of that, so why shouldn't we just stay planted here?"

"Because if you do, sooner rather than later someone is going to show up demanding to take those two into custody," Fury said. "You won't be able to refuse them, I won't be able to stop them, and everyone will be fucked over. If you move your research to SHIELD no one will bother you."

"Except SHIELD," Tony pointed out. "Deny it all you like, Patchy, but SHIELD has a constant hard-on for my tech and my work."

"SHIELD is also the only thing between you and the US Government right now, Stark," Fury growled. "You're in over your head on this one."

"And I've faced down the government before," Tony said. Bruce, on the other hand, was a bit more reasonable.

"I think we should move," he said Tony looked at him incredulously, but Bruce didn't give him the chance to complain. "No, really. Temporarily. Until the government backs off."

Fury nodded. "We won't try to tell you how to do your research, you just need to move until I can tell the government you're not developing a secret army to try and take over."

That started a snort out of Tony.

"It's adorable how they think we'd need an army to take over," he said. "It's like they don't know us at all."

Fury shot him a warning look. "Yes or no, Stark. You're doing this or you're not. I'd like to know now so I can start working on getting the government to back down if I have to."

"Fine," Tony said. "Only because I don't feel like going after the government myself."

Fury nodded. "Tomorrow I expect you to be in one of the labs," he said. He looked at Lea and Amy for a few moments before he turned and left.

Lea was still shaking just a bit as he left.

Amy was still hiding behind the first person she'd found, which had been Thor. She was trembling as well, trying to make herself less of a target and curling in on herself.

Loki was quick to grab her once Fury was gone, taking them back to his room to give her quiet and space to calm down.

Amy clung to him, still trembling. She was reluctant to let go, even once they got back to his room and he sat her on the bed.

Tony, on the other hand, went over to Lea.

"You okay?" he asked.

Loki sat next to her, keeping his arms around her.

"I won't let them take you anywhere," he said quietly. "Not on my life."

"No." Lea was still shaking, her hands curled into fists. She was so tempted to start running and not stop until she was, quite possibly, on a different continent.

"Listen, nobody's going to get their hands on you," Tony said. "I promise you that, they'll have to get through me first, and nobody wants to go toe-to-toe with Iron Man."

"They'll try," Amy murmured. "They will. And they'll pull out all the stops, try all the dirty tricks if it means getting what they want."

"They won't have to go toe-to-toe with you if they just make me quietly vanish from walking to the book store one day," Lea pointed out, moving over to the stairs to head down to the lab. She didn't want to have that discussion in the living room.

Loki shook his head. "Well, unfortunately for them, I have had much more practice at being underhanded than they," he said. "And if they try to take you from me, Odin's rules be damned, I will stop them."

"You? Vanish quietly?" Tony asked, following her. "Never. You wouldn't let that happen, I know better than that." He gently pulled her into a hug. "And it won't come to that, I promise."

Amy cuddled a little closer to him.

"Don't give them an excuse to lock you up again," she said. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

Lea blinked at that, not having expected it, but hesitantly settled in against him.

"I've tried to avoid the military and the government and all those people my whole life for a reason," she said quietly. "This is why."

Loki shook his head a bit. "If you keep your freedom, it would be worth it," he said quietly.

"The military and government are assclowns that can't be avoided sometimes," Tony said, just holding her. "Lucky for us, I'm used to dealing with them. And look, they haven't gotten one of my suits yet, have they? Rhodey doesn't count."

"Not if it costs you yours," Amy said softly. "Given enough time, I can make them let me go."

Lea shook her head a bit. "Yeah but your suits are securely locked up where only you can get to them. It's a bit easier to grab a person." She shifted a bit and slid her arms around him, getting closer.

Loki shook his head. "I would rather it not become an issue in the first place," he said. "Hopefully they will not be foolish enough to try to take you."

"They won't," Tony said. "I promise, the shitstorm I'll kick up if they try will make them think twice about trying ever again."

Amy just snuggled closer, calming down slowly as she listened to his heartbeat.

Lea nodded, still a bit shaky, but didn't argue any further, instead resting against him and trying to calm down.

Loki didn't let go of her even after she was calm. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her. And maybe he was feeling just a bit overprotective.