First time writing for the avengers, wish me luck!
The boys don't come in just yet, but Tony will be in the next chapter.
Own nadda.
The fire crackled warmly in the old house and Samantha Rosenwell smiled slightly to herself, relaxing in the recliner and propping her feet on the raised stone before the fireplace. It was a nice house, with a nice set up. Wood panels lined the walls, obscured by numerous paintings and very old pictures. The mantel above the fireplace, made entirely of brick and stretching up to the ceiling, had been adorned with pale blue and dark violet vases as well as deer antlers and three clay pheasants no bigger than her hand. To either side of the brick were stacks of books and a decent sized tube of art equipment as well as false and true plant. Coupled with the nice satin furniture and the upright piano in the corner the room was comfortable.
The entire house was comfortable actually. Well-furnished to point of bordering cluttered there were three dining rooms, the living room, a sitting room in the back, a work shop in one basement, four bedrooms in the second basement, a master bedroom, a garage, and an antique shop positioned in a room that sat atop the garage.
A very nice house.
It had come to Sams attention that year the each winter the old couple who lived in the large house left, moving to Arizona until the sun came out in the mountain town of Woodland Park Colorado. And Sam, being broke and having nowhere else to go, had made herself at home this winter. It had been a month, since the beginning of October, since she had moved in, taking up residence in the smallest bedroom in the basement.
The couple had a daughter and a friend that would come in to check that nothing had been broken into or stolen once a week, so Sam avoided doing so, settling for living comfortably in the warmth of the home and eating food out of the neighbors kitchens. It was a good neighborhood, and most of the occupants had children, so there was little surprise when a few things went missing without explanation. It was good, perfect really. And beyond warm.
Sam was pleased with her find in the house, well-built but not very insulated. However it was stocked with blankets and the gas fireplace made up for what heat was lacking. And they had cable.
It was good set up for one such as Sam, who legally didn't exist and never had. With no social security number and no past to speak of there was no way for her to get a legal job, so she took to stealing what she needed to survive. And soon got good enough at that to steal to be comfortable, and eventually good enough to steal professionally.
So yes, she had money, and could have bought her food, but that would have been a waste when there were other people who did that for her. Besides, she was more than happy to stay inside as much as she could.
Samantha relaxed completely, eyes slipping shut and peace settling over her body. The curtains were drawn and lights were dim, no one had any idea she was there. It was nice, peaceful. Sadly, that peace was soon broken by the incessant buzzing of her phone, one of the few things she willingly paid for. Without breaking her posture she picked it up off the side table, unlocking the screen with a few quick taps and glancing at the message.
It seemed she had a job.