This is my first Avengers fanfic. I do not own the characters from the Avengers. I only own Charlie! Enjoy and review. And I don't mind good or bad criticism. If anything, it makes me try harder to become a better writer!
It was a day like any other for Charlotte Anderson. She woke to the annoying sound of her alarm and did her morning ritual before heading off to the J, Edgar Hoover building in downtown D.C. She scraped her curly dark brown hair in a messy bun with curls falling out and laying against her temples. Charlotte, Charlie for short, dressed in a white blouse, black pant suit and 4 inch black heals. When you've worked for the FBI for as long as Charlie has, you learn how to chase down the bad guys in heals.
She stuffed her laptop and other items into her messenger bag, grabbed her portable coffee cup and left her apartment on time. It was a beautiful day in D.C. so Charlie decided to walk to work instead of taking her Silver 2010 Mazda 3. She also had a motorcycle but that stayed tucked away for nights of much needed stress relief. She walked to work wondering what new case awaited her. She got to J. Edgar around nine thirty.
She took the elevator to the fourth floor and made her way to her office. The familiar sounds of ringing phones, shuffling of papers and FBI chatter filled the air around her. She maneuvered through the many agents and their desks.
Charlie reached her office and plopped down on the comfy leather chair behind her desk. She set her coffee down and set her laptop up. She looked up just as Harper, her go-to and sometimes partner in the field, walked through the door. She had a couple manila folders in her hand and Charlie knew that meant only one thing. Paper work. Charlie frowned and Harper gave a small laugh.
"I know. I'm sorry to do this to you but I'm not the one calling the shots." She said placing the folders on Charlie's desk. Charlie sneered at them, hoping they would burst into flames if she just stared at them. Harper laughed again.
"Charlie. Staring at them won't make them magically disappear."
"Actually, I was hoping that they would combust into flames." She said in a less than enthusiastic voice.
"Oh my. Do you think horrible thoughts like that every day?"
"My dreams are even worse." Harper grinned and took a seat on the corner of Charlie's desk.
"So," she began. "Have any good hook-ups this weekend?"
"Harper!" Charlie exclaimed, eyes widening.
"What? You have been so cranky ever since that recent case you worked on. That Daniel Crane case." Charlie shuddered at the mention of the name. That case had been less than successful. "You need to loosen up. You need to get laid." Charlie almost choked on her coffee.
"Harper!" She exclaimed again and began coughing uncontrollably. She got it under control and cleared her throat. "What I need is to start this paper work and for you to leave my love life alone." Charlie glared at Harper who only grinned right back. Finally Harper rolled her eyes and stood.
"Okay fine! No problem, Boss. But I mean, I know some guys that would definitely…"
"Oh God, Harper!" Charlie said with an exasperated look. Harper put her hands up in defeat. There was a light knock on the open door and both women looked over.
"Excuse me, Special Agent Anderson?" Agent Ralph Smith stood in the doorway.
"Yes?" Charlie replied, looking up at him with chocolate brown eyes, folding her hands on her desk.
"There are two men here to see you. They said they are here to talk to you about urgent matters." Charlie raised an eyebrow.
"Did they say what kind of 'urgent matters'?"
"Uhh, no."
Charlie sighed. "Okay. Then send them in." Charlie looked down and opened one of the manila folders. The familiar face of a young boy stared back at her. Charlie closed the folder, unable to look at his face any longer.
"Well actually, they insisted on talking to you in an interrogation room." Charlie looked at Agent Smith and furrowed her eyebrows at him.
"Are you serious?"
"Very."
"Well then, take me to these mysterious men." Charlie got up and followed Smith, leaving Harper in her office.
"I should warn you," Smith said. "The one guy's quite a character. Guess he didn't get the memo that pirates have swapped eye patches out for machine guns." They stopped outside of interrogation room 3.
"I can take it from here. Thank you Agent Smith." He gave her a small nod and then walked away. Charlie smoothed out the wrinkles in her suit and walked into the room. The first thing she saw was the eye patch. Smith wasn't kidding.
Two men stood as she walked into the room. The man who seemed to have more authority was the one with the eye patch. The other man was young, maybe a bit older than herself, with sandy blonde hair cut short and dressed in black like his predecessor. He was also quite handsome. Charlie kept it professional and looked at Patchy. She extended her hand and he shook it.
"Special Agent Charlotte Anderson. Word is you need help with some urgent matters Mr…"
"Fury. Nick Fury. This is Agent Clint Barton." He said, indicating the other man. Charlie acknowledged him with a slight nod of her head which was returned. "I am the director of SHIELD or otherwise known as,"
"The Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division." Charlie said finishing his sentence. "Yeah, I know. Everyone does, ever since your team, The Avengers, helped with the," Charlie had trouble saying the last few words. She cleared her throat. "alien invasion in New York."
"Yes, that's correct."
"Well I hope you're not here to ask me to help you dissect E.T.'s body or anything." Charlie thought she heard a low chuckle come from the other agent in the room. Director Fury frowned and Charlie realized she was being unprofessional. "I'm sorry. That was rude. Let's sit." They all sat at the table in the middle of the room. Charlie leaned back in her chair, hands folded neatly in her lap. "So, let's get down to business."
"Yes, let's." Fury said. He stared at her with his one eye but it didn't unnerve her. "We, at SHIELD, have been keeping a close eye on you for a while now."
"Oh? Why's that?" Charlie asked, her interest officially peaked.
"You've worked for the FBI for almost seven years now and have proven to be exceptional at what you do. You have earned many medals and honors when you served your time as a Marine. You had a special skill set while you served, deep infiltration. Every mission successful. Quite remarkable." The mention of her time in the military made Charlie uneasy.
Could he know? How could he know? Stop it, Charlie! He doesn't know! You're just being paranoid.
"Thank you, sir. But what is the point to all of this?"
"I would like you to come work for SHIELD, as an agent. You will be assigned to missions that pertain to your level of skill and if you come work for us, you will be fully protected." A red flag went up in Charlie's head.
"Excuse me?" Charlie asked but before she could let him answer, she continued. "I have been fully trained and am capable of protecting myself, Director." She sat up straighter.
"Agent Anderson," Fury leaned over the table and stared at her intensely. "We believe, because of your, special skill, that you could be in danger. More than you know."
"Did you just threaten me? Because that's a federal offense, Director." She said, also leaning on the table. Charlie put on the tough act but really, her heart was beating a mile a minute. He knows! "Besides I have no idea what you are talking about when you keep mentioning my special 'skill'."
Charlie caught a glimpse of something in the corner of her eye. Something shiney. As realization dawned on her, the switch blade was already thrown. And it was aimed right at her heart. Charlie squeezed her eyes shut as her heart skipped a beat. She felt a tingly sensation in her chest and then heard a small thwunk as the knife wedged itself in the wall behind her.
Charlie opened her eyes and whirled around to stare at the knife now stuck in the interrogation room's wall. Then she spun around to look at Director Fury, with wide and furious eyes. He did know.
"How dare you." She growled.
"It was necessary." Fury said nonchalantly.
"How is throwing knives at people necessary?!" She stood up, slamming her hand on the table top. Charlie looked over at Agent Barton and realized that he threw the knife. He wasn't looking at her. He was avoiding her gaze.
"But," Fury began, "that skill is why we would like you to come with us." A flabbergasted Charlie couldn't believe her ears. She looked between Barton and Fury. Then she closed her eyes and smiled dryly. Charlie straightened and ran a hand over her suit.
"I'm sorry boys. But I must decline the offer." It felt like acid when she said those words so politely, when all she wanted to do was shoot them both.
"I highly recommend you rethink your hasty decision." Fury said. Charlie took the knife out of the wall and placed it on the table.
"I highly recommend you take my decision like a man and leave me alone." Charlie walked to the door but when she reached for the door handle, her hand went right through it. Frustrated, Charlie grabbed for the handle again, this time with much more success, and slammed the door behind her. She walked as fast as she could to her office, leaving the two SHIELD men behind.