It took only a few minutes for everyone else to regroup, and Tony immediately claimed the spot next to Kae, glowering briefly at the others.

"Tony," Steve started, "do you mind--?"

"Not at all, Cap," the billionaire said easily, tapping in a few quick commands to JARVIS so there'd be two cars for all of them to fit into. "And everyone's coming back to the Tower for a few days to figure out what the hell just happened."

It didn't take the cars long to get there, and Elaine was quickly ushered in by Steve. She was still trembling; her nerves were shot, but otherwise she wasn't more than a little bruised. She listened to everyone getting into the car around her.

"Hey," Bruce's voice said from somewhere in front of her, "you're not hurt, are you?" He sounded a bit uncertain, and more than a bit concerned and... guilty?

"No," Elaine replied, "no, I'm fine." She let out a breath. "Thank you. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."

"Uh... Don't thank me," Bruce said. "It was all the Other Guy."

"Either way," Elaine said, "I'm still grateful."

Clint snorted, since he was in the car with that group. "I told you she was fine, Bruce," he said with a little grin, looking at the doctor briefly before he started driving. He glanced back at the other car, where Natasha was driving, and Tony was sitting next to Kae. "Although the Big Guy looked pretty awkward saving a lady."

"Don't tease him," Elaine said as Bruce gave an uncertain little chuckle. "Given what happened, I'm glad it was the indestructible one that caught me."

Clint shrugged. "If it wasn't him, it would have been one of us," he said matter-of-factly, glancing back at her as he drove.

"Watch the road, Barton," Steve reminded, tensing a little as Natasha zoomed past them, honking twice, Tony laughing hysterically. "And don't you dare take that as a challenge."

"You take all the fun out of life, Cap," Clint said with a huge grin. And he only accelerated a little.

Elaine snorted slightly. She knew exactly what was going on.

"Flirt on your own time, Clint," she teased. "Not when I'm in the same car."

Clint snorted but took his time driving back to the Tower. He parked and got out, opening the back door for Steve and Elaine.

"We're here," Steve said quietly, unnecessarily, getting out and helping her out. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm standing, I'm conscious, and I'm coherent," Elaine said as she took his hand and got out of the car. "I think, for now, I'm doing okay." But that didn't mean that she didn't want to get a strong drink once she'd gotten inside and taken a long, hot shower.

Steve grimaced and led the way over to the elevator, pulling her into his side for the ride up to the top floor. He stepped off the elevator first, and then blinked at the scene in front of them.

Natasha stood off to the side, a wickedly amused gleam in her eyes as she watched Tony and Kae. Kae had a few little cuts on her arms, and a few bruises, and Tony was currently doing his best impression of a mother hen.

"Dammit, Stark! I'm fine!" Kae scrambled backwards along the length of the couch, seeing as she was still down one limb.

"Just sit down and clean them out!" Tony growled. "Or do you want me to get Bruce to stab you with needles and give you shots for Tetanus and everything else I can think of?"

Kae paused. "You wouldn't." She paused again. "Yes you would. Sonovabitch. Fine. I hate you."

Elaine could hear what was going on, and was biting her lip to keep from snickering even as she let Steve maneuver her into a chair.

"Really, Steve, I'm alright," she said to him. "A little bruised, I think, but nothing worse than that."

Steve nodded after a moment. "Yeah, I see a few bruises. But no cuts." He paused for a moment, his fingers sliding over her wrists. "I'm glad they didn't hurt you."

"Hey, Bruce," Tony called, looking over at the doctor as he wiped Kae's few cuts, ignoring her muttered swearing. "Think she's good or does she need shots?"

"I spent most of the time trying not to be sick," Elaine admitted. "That guy, whoever he was, he was putting out an obscenely strong EMF, and it was bothering me a lot."

"Tony, you can stop worrying," Bruce said with a hint of amusement as he went over. "Leave her be for now, if anything happens, we can take care of it then."

Steve blinked. "Huh. I didn't notice anything. But maybe I wasn't around long enough." He was quiet for a moment. "Other than that, though?"

"Thank you, Bruce," Kae said, shooting him a grateful look. "Told you I'm fine, Tony."

Tony was quiet for a moment, something dark flashing in his eyes, before he shook his head. "Yeah, yeah. Let me see if I have another prosthetic around here for you."

"I'm not surprised you couldn't feel it," Elaine said. "You sounded farther away, so I doubt it was that strong where you were." She waved a hand. "I'm sensitive to them, anyways, I know that. But otherwise, nothing really happened. Before the roof, at least."

Bruce rolled his eyes a bit when Tony went off to rummage in what was affectionately termed his 'project box' and went over to Kae.

"You're sure you're okay, then? I just want to be sure."

Steve nodded. "Even so, it could have been much worse," he said quietly, pulling her a little closer.

Kae looked at him for a moment, looking just a little bit lost, before she nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a few cuts and bruises, nothing I haven't dealt with before."

"I'm glad it wasn't," Elaine said, settling into his arms.

Bruce looked at Kae for a moment and nodded.

"Alright," he said. "Make sure to speak up if anything changes, okay?"

Steve stayed there, just settling his nerves. After a while, though, he glanced down at her again.

"Are you hungry? When was the last time you ate?"

Kae nodded, smiling faintly at him. "Thanks, Bruce. I will. And thanks for telling Tony you don't have to stab me."

Elaine had to think about that one.

"I'm not sure," she said at last. "It's been a while." She shook her head slightly. "I don't think I want anything right now, though."

"No problem," Bruce replied.

"Alright." Steve was quiet for a moment. "Let me know if you want anything. You can use my room if you want to take a nap, or just lay down for a while." He wasn't sure what else to do for her.

"I'm fine here for now," Elaine said. She paused when she realized how that could be taken. "I mean, I appreciate the offer, and I don't want to pin you down here if you have other things you need to do..."

Steve smiled. "It's fine, Elaine," he said quietly, settling his arms around her. "I don't mind. I just want to make sure you're comfortable."

Elaine smiled a bit, turning a bit pink as she settled in next to him.

"Thanks," she said softly.

Steve nodded and settled in there, content to just hold her for a while, reassuring himself that she was whole and alive and safe.

It actually took Thor another day or so to return to the Tower, Loki in tow. He blinked when he walked in and saw Kae there. She wasn't a typical resident of the tower, he knew.

Kae looked up when he walked in, and then hurriedly went back to going through a crossword puzzle with Bruce. She'd taken to him almost as well as Tony had, spending her spare time with him and Tony. Especially since she was still healing and Bruce could keep Tony from doing crazy things with her around.