Issue #7

Jack had no choice but to agree with Christian, no matter how reluctant he was.

'Now I understand why some men like the women that are soft and need to be protected. This feels so frustrating.'

Jack spent the rest of the afternoon in Christian's hospital room. He wanted to ask for advice on another matter as well as get the blessing of the only other man in Emma's life whose opinion meant anything to him.

While Jack was at the hospital with Christian, something was going on behind his back at the Avengers Tower.

Tony had gathered all of the available squad leaders which consisted of Wasp, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Clea, and Captain America. Wonder Man and Ghost Rider were also present in the room.

Tony pointed to the holograms of information he displayed in front of each of the Avengers.

"I told you all that there was something fishy about him. And this is it!" Tony declared as he pointed to the information in front of them

"Emma Frost brings in a kid that goes by Jack Smith about 3 months before Jack Frost shows up. He looks pretty similar to a younger Jack Frost if that guy didn't look like a part-time vampire with his pale skin.

Also, when Jack Smith dies, Jack Frost shows up within the next few days. After having no physical sightings of him from anyone for 24 years, he just shows up out of thin air."

"So what? Jack Frost used to be Jack Smith. Why does that matter?" Natasha asked, cutting straight to the point of the matter

"It's because he lied! And he is still lying! He is able to bring in Magneto's daughter? Stay in Latveria without getting killed? He has to have even more secrets than he is letting on and they make me suspicious.

The way he is close to the kids also bothers me. It's like he is trying to groom or mold them into his obedient little servants," Tony retorted

"So what? We are gonna crucify him for not revealing everything about himself?" Clea asked from her seat

"I... I don't think it would be a bad idea to just talk with him," Hawkeye admitted which earned him the glare of the other members. The deaf archer quickly held up his hands in surrender, "I'm not saying he is guilty or evil or anything. But I think having a talk won't do any harm, right?"

"That's where you're wrong, Hawkeye. Sometimes all talk is all it takes to break something beyond repairs. 'The pen is mightier than the sword' and all that," Wasp denied the idea immediately

"And I'm pretty sure Tony doesn't just wanna talk. Do you, Tony?" Natasha asked while gesturing to Ghost Rider and Wonder Man who were sitting near them

"They are just here to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone," Tony quickly defended himself

"So you think that even though he has never shown any such signs of aggression, we should be prepared for it by having someone that produces hellfire and another that manipulates ionic energy on a large scale ready? Even after having two of the best assassins in the world, a super-soldier, one of the most brilliant minds in the world, the sexiest sorceress to ever live, and you present?" Clea asked in a tone that clearly displayed how illogical she thought Tony's idea was.

"We don't know what the real 'Jack' is capable of. I say it is better to be safe than sorry," Tony retorted

Natasha gave up on trying to convince Tony before she turned to Steve.

"Rogers. If we call him out... if we question him about that dark place we all have inside of us, we may be losing one of our most valuable members. Don't do this. It may become the thing you regret the most in the future," Natasha pleaded, truly thinking on behalf of Steve and Jack's relationship

While she cared about his position in the Avengers, she knew that they could survive without him as a member. But the personal relationships that the members had built with him, most of those would be destroyed.

"And if we don't, we have a time-bomb in our midst. Demon magic, most likely the ability to shapeshift, and powers that even Thor found admirable. He has risen up the ranks as squad leader to gain access to our private source of information from SHIELD. He could be a spy or an assassin," Tony countered, unwilling to let Steve simply give up investigating Jack

Steve didn't say anything at first. He just beat on the table with his knuckles as he weighed the pros and cons of each side.

'God. Please let what I'm about to do be the right decision.'

Steve rubbed his temples and closed his eyes before he announced his decision to the rest of the Avenger squad leaders.

"When he gets back, we will question him. It is better to be safe than sorry about this. Just the squad leaders, though. No one else will be present and this info gets out to no one else," Steve finally came to a decision after struggling with his self

Hearing his words, the women at the table all felt disappointed while Tony felt overjoyed that he had finally gotten through to Rogers. The 3 remaining people in the room just looked on indifferently.

The various members left the room one by one until only Natasha and Steve were left in the room.

"You know this is a mistake, right?" Natasha asked

"I do, Nat. But Tony would never give up and it would create even bigger issues down the line. Maybe even to the point where he decides to shoot first and ask questions afterward."

Natasha shook her head.

"Why is he being so stubborn about this?"

"I'm not sure," Steve admitted. "This will surely divide the team. I just hope that we can recover from it."

Natasha got up from her seat before planting a kiss on Steve's forehead and walking out the room, leaving him all alone to think about what his decisions that day would lead to.