Everything feels foggy when she wakes up. The air is warm, which confuses her because she's not used to feeling the temperature of the air so acutely but it doesn't really matter. It doesn't smell like disinfectant and instead smells more like freshly laundered sheets. She opens her eyes slowly, groggy and disoriented and realizes that she doesn't hurt. She's sore, sure, but not the sharp-edged agony she's used to. She's lying on a comfortable bed, dressed in comfortable clothes with medical equipment surrounding her. She almost panics but realizes her wrists and ankles are free of restraints and the monitors are not the testing equipment she's accustomed too. No brainwaves on the screen, just her slightly elevated heart rate.

Where is she? There don't seem to be any immediate threat which is completely throwing her off. She's gotten used to waking up and shifting straight into high adrenaline mode. This is some kind of bedroom with a floor to ceiling window in place of the fourth wall. She gazes out and sees a setting sun over a city skyscape. It's really pretty, she thinks lazily. When was the last time she enjoyed a sunset? She can't remember if she ever has. Since there seem to be no immediate threats, she decides to enjoy it. The rays of the dying sun feel warm on her face and arms, and at least for a moment, she feels drowsy and safe. She tilts her head to the sun and closes her eyes.

She may not get to enjoy this for a long time so she stays there until she hears the whisper of the bedroom door open and close gently. Jay opens her mind and is thrilled to find she can read thoughts. She catches the stray thoughts of the person who just entered. She's looking much better today...healthier... Reluctant to leave the sunlight, Jay tilts her head to see who has arrived.

A tall, willowy woman with strawberry blond hair is walking towards her and gives a quick inhalation when she sees Jay's eyes are open. "How are you feeling?" The lady asks Jay. Jay cocks her head, studying her. She's dressed in a neatly tailored white and grey business suit and her hair is held back in a slick ponytail. She has an air of sophistication about her and although her eyes are gentle, Jay can tell that she is a shrewd observer. "Better today?" Jay nods timidly, eyes wary. She knows not to underestimate people and their motives even if this woman looks kind.

"Oh, I'm sorry, you probably have no idea what's going on or who I am," she says, quietly flustered. "I'm Pepper Potts, the CEO of Stark Industries and Tony Stark's unofficial babysitter." Her attempt at a joke has Jay smiling. "Do you need anything? You've had a rather rough time of it from what I've heard from Tony."

Jay shifts so she's sitting up and is surprised that nothing flares in pain. "How long?" she asks.

"How long for what?" Ms. Potts asks, clearly confused. There is a moment were Jay awkwardly tries to answer but Ms. Potts jumps to the right conclusion. "Oh you mean how long you were unconscious for?" Jay notes that this woman may know Tony and the Avengers but she doesn't understand the lingo yet. She's suspicious of her a little but not enough. An agent from Warren Biochemical might be able to act like this but she doubts it since most of them are thugs and would have understood what she meant. Clearly Ms. Potts doesn't know Jay is testing her. Maybe she doesn't know she's telepathic. And she guesses telekinetic since that seems to be a thing too. She'll keep that as close to herself as she can right now.

"Well, it's been roughly a week since you got here, " Ms. Potts says carefully and Jay sighs, knowing that if it's been a week then there was probably more time somewhere as well. Ms. Potts confirms this. "Tony told me they had you in ICU for three days before that." Well, it's not as bad as she thought it would be, all things considered. Ten days out of the loop. She's been out for longer.

She sits up fully against the back of the bed and Ms. Potts helps her to straighten as she finds some sore spots, mostly around her leg where the bullets had been from the deck of the Helicarrier and in her elbow from the....yeah, from that. She doesn't really want to think about that right now. Not so much because it's painful to her but more because she feels okay right now, safe and oddly comforted by having someone else here with her and for once in her life, she wants that to last. Her throat feels raw and parched. She spots a glass of water on the small table next to her bed. She goes to reach for it but the cords wrapped around her arms and inserted in her veins pull her back. Ms. Potts sees her intention and holds the glass of water out to her.

"Thank you Ms. Potts," she says and her voice comes out scratchy and harsh from disuse.

"It's just Pepper, " she says back with affection and caring in her voice and the suspicion rears its head in the back of Jay's mind but she tamps it down. Sometimes she wishes she could just accept people at face value even if experience tells her she can't. She wishes she could be sure of Pepper. Then a thought strikes her. She could....read her mind. She doesn't want to invade Pepper's privacy, especially since she's being so nice to her but wouldn't it be worth it to know if she's going to be in serious danger? She wars with herself. She doesn't want to, doesn't really want to surrender to that urge to do something that invades someone's privacy. She can't tell herself that it would be okay just once because she knows she could justify it again that way and it could escalate. Once, twice, three times... it could get out of control so fast. But what if this woman is a plant, someone sent to bring her screaming back to Bradlich? Can she risk that?

She's saved from having to decide when Tony enters the room in his normal flamboyant style.

"Xena!" He exclaims and runs across the room. "You're awake!" She gasps in surprise as Tony gathers her into a bear hug. She's rigid in his arms in shock and she catches Pepper covering a smile with her hand over Tony's shoulder.

He releases her as suddenly as he hugged her. "Ummm...," he mutters, scratching the back of his head. Jay has never seen Tony Stark embarrassed and it's funny. "That didn't happen," he says and points an accusing finger at her, "If you ever tell anyone then..." he comes up short on his threat and Jay smiles and the smile feels real for once and it makes her so happy that she keeps smiling. Tony turns to Pepper helplessly and she just shrugs with a grin on her face. "Oh, I see how it is," he says, "You two are in cahoots already. How did you manage that so fast, kid?" Jay shrugs, unable to stop the smirk from stealing across her face.

"So, how are you feeling, kiddo?" Tony asks, getting slightly more serious. "No broken bones, bullets pulled out, you should be feeling like a million dollars." Jay shifts herself so she can hit him and gives him a playful backhand across the biceps. "She's perfectly fine," Tony says to Pepper as if Jay isn't even there. Pepper winks at her. Jay feels like she's watching a set of parents arguing and she likes it at the same time it gives her a pang of nostalgia. She likes how it feels like she's part of a family for once but it hurts because they aren't hers. But hey, ya know what, she decides, that's okay, she's okay with Tony and Pepper as her pseudo parents in her mind.

"You okay, Xena, you got this peaceful zoned out look on your face," Tony says, "Kinda freaky when I'm used to Miss Little Warrior Princess."

She meets his eyes and he sees that she does look truly content and that she had been thinking about something deep. "I'm good, Tony, " she says softly and her smile is true and he returns it with a true one of his own. He really is happy she's safe, she'd looked so far gone when Steve had rescued her. It's good to see her healthy and strong for once.

The moment of quiet reflection is broken when Thor bursts into the room, followed by Steve, Bruce, Clint and Natasha.

Jay looks slightly scared as the five other Avengers descend down on to her in a flurry of exclamations and Thor has her in a choke-hold and Clint is messing up her hair and she's getting the riot act from Steve and Natasha at the same time. "Hey, hey!" Tony yells, "You're overwhelming the kid!" Abashed, the Avengers back up to give Jay a little breathing room. Thor releases her last, chucking her chin up a bit like a big brother would. Pepper is beaming behind the crowd of superhumans and Jay looks to her for support and gets the thumbs up. Still looking like she's going to faint or throw-up, Jay tries to tune in to what the Avengers are babbling about.

"We thought you were gonna die!"

"Thank goodness you're tough, girl."

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Is there anything we can get you?"

She holds her hand up to stop the onslaught of questions and amazingly a pack of six incredibly powerful beings stops talking immediately. "Wow, wish I could do that when Fury's talking, " Tony mumbles and Natasha gives him an elbow to the ribs. Pepper is sneaking out of the room and Jay looks at her like she's her lifeline but Pepper shakes her head and Jay hears her think, not my place kiddo, but don't worry, you've got it under control. Slightly surprised that Pepper directed her thought, but glad all the same, Jay nods and Pepper gives her a wink before slipping out of the room.

The Avengers are crowded around her bed and Jay lets this soak in for a moment. When did life become this strange? It was strange before... but seriously, this is kinda... cool.

"You feeling okay?" Steve asks, genuine concern in his voice at her silence. She meets his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm good, " she says, "Just a lot to take in. Ten days is pushing my record, ya know?"

She smiles to soften the meaning behind her words but Steve looks worried so she gives him a gentle punch in the shoulder. "Seriously, Capt. I'm good. You're acting like that's a bad thing."

"Well, I guess, I just don't expect people to be cheerful after a traumatic experience," Steve says harshly and Jay is shocked by the venom in his tone. It must show on her face but Steve looks upset and mad and she doesn't understand why.

"Steve, it's okay, really, I'm alright," she says, trying to look at his face but his head whips around and suddenly she's looking at two mean eyes.

"Fine?" he demands, his voice rising. "Fine?!?! You should be upset and traumatized and in pain and not sitting there acting as if everything is peaches and cream!!" He explodes. Jay pulls back in shock. Rogers never loses it like this. Clint grabs Steve's arm in warning and pulls him up and propels him out the door when Steve angrily tries to shake him off.

There is an electric kind of silence in the room after the two men leave. Jay hesitantly tries, "I'm sorry... I.... I'm sorry...," trying to get the words out but Natasha shakes her head.

"It's nothing to deal with you, Jay, he's just...protective. He cares about you a lot and seeing you looking like a skeletal nightmare in that cell... well it kind of snapped something inside him. If it had been me, I would have already castrated Bradlich so just be glad that the good captain isn't prone to violent tendencies." Natasha wants to get rid of that guilty look in Jay's eyes but Banner beats her to it.

"Jay," he says quietly and she looks up at him because his voice is soft but strangely commanding. "Not one bit of this is your fault. Don't you go blaming yourself for the way Rogers feels. You haven't exactly had it easy lately and none of that, absolutely none of it is your fault." Natasha watches as the lines in Jay's face soften a bit at his words and silently thanks him. She isn't as good with words, she grudgingly admits so it was good that Banner stepped in when he did.

"Well... sorry I'm causing such a ruckus around here," Jay says sheepishly. But Banner is shaking his head and Tony snorts in derision.

"Are you kidding, Xena?" He asks incredulously. "This is the most fun I've had in ages. You liven it up in the Avengers, kiddo. We're glad to have you."

The meaning of Tony's words takes a moment to sink in. "Wait...," Jay says slowly. "You can't be serious. I'm not an Avenger, I'm not even that powerful. I can barely keep it together."

"How do you think we all were when we joined this rodeo?" Tony asks. "We're not exactly the most put-together group of freaks, but we can get the job done when we need to."

"Speak for yourself, Playboy," Natasha says, almost playfully and Jay has that funny feeling of belonging again. Jaycee Strong, an Avenger? The thought seems so laughable to her but... at the same time she kind of likes it. She still can't herself in tights though. Her hesitation is more from practice than from lack of wanting to have this connection. Fury does still technically run this shindig and she's not sure if she likes that. But where else could she possibly belong if not here? Natasha is like her older sister and Steve and Thor are like brothers. Clint and Banner are excellent mentors and Tony and Pepper could be her adopted parents. She doesn't want to fall in love with the ideal version of her fantasy but she can't help wanting it.

"Fine," she says, "But no tights for me. Not even that catsuit thing that Natasha prefers. You are not getting me into one of those." Tony snorts.

"You are so getting a costume. Everyone has one." She sticks her tongue out at him. "What are you, five?" He asks. "We'll find you something. Skintight. Maybe pink, I'm thinking pink," he says, pacing, in thought. Jay goes to get out of bed to give him a good punch but can't do to the tangled wires and tubes running from her to the machines. She winces as the soreness in her ribs flares up and Banner gently pushes her back down.

"No antagonizing the patient, Stark," he says, looking down over his glasses at Tony. Tony winks mischievously at her and she rolls her eyes.

"She at least needs a new nickname or code name or something, am I right?" Tony asks. Banner rolls his eyes so only Jay can see and she pokes him in the arm to make him smile.

"No, no code names," she says.

"Let her rest," Banner says. "She may be well enough to banter with us but she's still healing." He gives her a critical doctor's look and assesses her condition. She gives him the "I'm fine" look which he ignores. "You need to relax for a while. You're safe for the time being so enjoy it."

Banner ushers the other Avengers out the door so she can rest but not before Tony yells, "Eureka! I've got it!" Jay thinks she'll regret whatever comes next. "Our newest Avenger....Psych!"

Oh man, that's worse than she thought.