Heyo, guys! Been a while since I wrote anything on here, been kind of busy with Tumblr RPing and work and life and a nasty divorce and battling my life circumstances and trying to get myself back on my feet...but I'm feeling creative lately so I felt like starting something new!
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When Heidi Bancroft became a S.H.I.E.L.D agent, she was pretty sure she knew what she was getting into. Covert operations, awesome top notch spy technology, danger, serious bouts of ass-kicing...but what she never counted on was the mission she currently found herself in charge of. Worst of all, she had no back-up on this one, it was all on her.
"Agent Bancroft, of course anything you need will be provided by S.H.I.E.L.D, none of the financial responsibility will fall on you. Your only requirement is to be present and keep your eyes open...it should be a simple job."
Of course, what Director Fury had failed to tell her was how little time she had to prepare...and when the doorbell rang she was in the middle of dusting the living room, dirty blonde hair pulled back in a bandana, clad in baggy pink sweatpants and a gray tanktop. Not at ALL the image she'd hoped to portray when her mission began. So she answered the door grudgingly, forcing a smile onto her face despite the unfortunate circumstances, pulling it open to reveal the start of her mission.
There, on the doorstep of the secluded farmhouse she'd been given specifically for this assignment, stood several individuals, all of whom looked disheveled and tired and in much need of a good shower or meal or both.
"Hello, Mr. Rogers," she greeted the tall, blonde man who stood at the front of the haggard assembly, professionalism heavy in her tone despite her current state of dress, "My name is Agent Heidi Bancroft...welcome to your new home."
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When Heidi had been approached about the assignment at hand, to conceal and protect the former Captain America and his team of fugitives, she'd been less than enthusiastic about it, but Fury had been adament, claiming she was the best suited for the task and her initial refusal was...refused. So here she was, ushering the weary group into the foyer, playing the good host and encouraging them to kick off their shoes and shed their coats and make themselves comfortable.
Some of them did so without hesitation, Clint Barton, Scott Lang and Natasha Romanoff hung their jackets on the coat rack and kicked their boots off on the rag rug next to it, the three of them gave her smiles of thanks and headed for the living room...the other four stood there in silence, three of them keeping their eyes on their leader to ascertain the next move. Only when Rogers' shoulder relaxed and he shrugged off his jacket did Wanda, Sam and Bucky do the same. Only Bucky refused to remove his boots, he was glancing around nervously like he expected to be jumped around every corner...he was ready to run, ready to fight, at any given moment.
But Heidi managed to herd them all into the living room to join the more relaxed members of the group who had already claimed seats and kicked their feet up on the coffee table.
"Please, sit," Heidi ushered vaguely to the entirety of the living room as she leaned against the old upright piano where she could get a good view of all of them. When they'd all sat, she cleared her throat and began her well practiced welcome, "My name is Agent Bancroft, Nick Fury has given me the job of providing you with a safe place to lay low...and this is it. You're welcome to anything and everything you find here and if there's anything more you need, S.H.I.E.L.D will be more than glad to provide. There's a thousand acres of land surrounding this farm and you all are welcome to puruse any hobbies or past-times you feel inclined to as long as they don't draw attention to our location. There are enough bedrooms that no one will be required to share unless you feel inclined to do so, I only request you stay out of my room which is the first room on the left down that hallway there," she gestured to the main hall with her thumb, "Any questions?"
Steve cleared his throat and Heidi acknowledged him with a nod.
"S.H.I.E.L.D...they're not supposed to exist. You mind telling me exactly what's going on?"
"Captain Rogers, did you honestly think Fury was going to let S.H.I.E.L.D die? We're a brand new organization, only those proven loyal to the original intention of it were chosen to continue it. We're all on your side, sir...you can trust us."
"Hydra got in before...who says they won't do it again?" Natasha spoke up, but her tone was honestly curious, not judgemental.
"Because we know what we're looking for this time around," Heidi assured the assassin, "The selection process is ten times as rigorous and detailed, background checks so thorough we'll know every time you picked your nose...no one gets in without Director Fury's specific say so."
Steve still didn't look convinced and Bucky's dark expression made it very clear he wasn't either. Natasha, however, looked placated and she leaned back into the couch with her legs crossed in a relaxed fashion. No further comments about the organization were brought up so Heidi opened the floor for other questions.
There weren't any. Everyone knew the drill, this was their second safe house since Wakanda. Wakanda had been threatened by dozens of countries for harboring them and Steve had decided putting T'Challa in that situation was unacceptable so Bucky had been dragged from cryofreeze despite his concerns against it...the book was still out there and the words could be learned by anyone with a mind to do so, he firmly believed it was unsafe for him to be awake. The team had all assured him it was better for him to be with them then left behind, so he'd unhappily joined in the flight from Wakanda to the first safe house Sharon had set up in France...when that one became compromised, Fury had been contacted and he'd set up their current location.
"Barton, I've been told to inform you that your family is safe and secure, but they're still under heavy surveillance so you're not allowed to visit them yet."
Clint's face fell slightly in disappointment, but he nodded in acceptance of the information, Natasha squeezed his hand in sympathy.
"Alright, well, I'm gonna be the first one to claim the shower," Sam's voice cut through the silence and he stood abruptly, "You guys can sit here and sulk and feel bad about life all you want but I'm tired of smelling like a homeless guy. Falcon, out!"
A few amused chuckles followed his exit and even Bucky's lips tilted slightly into a small smile and Heidi felt the nervousness of the akward first encounter of her houseful of fugitives melt off her shoulders. She picked up the dust rag she'd been using earlier and commenced her cleaning while the rogue superhumans filed out to claim their rooms and gather their bags from the quinjet they'd arrived in. Captain America never was known for being inconspicuous...a quinjet wasn't exactly covert, but it was quick and they all fit in it so it was somewhat practical, she supposed.
"I'm so tired I could sleep right here in this pile of shoes..." Scott mumbled as he dragged a faded orange duffle bag over the threshold of the front door.
"Just make sure everyone knows you're in there or you might get squished," Clint teased as he followed with a bag half the size of Scott's, looking amused by the struggles of his friend and his overstuffed duffle.
"I meant THIS size," Scott replied with a roll of his eyes, "I can't just shrink anytime I want, those RAFT bastards took my suit."
"Must suck to have to rely on a suit to be special," Clint chuckled and nudged Scott's arm as he passed by and headed for the staircase, "Don't worry, I'll take care of you guys if anything happens. I can make a rubber band-paper clip launcher lethal if I need to."
Heidi actually believed Clint could do exactly that...a paperclip to the jugular could probably kill someone, but she smiled at the banter none-the-less, appreciating the humor instead of the deadly implications.
The sound of a throat clearing behind her made Heidi jump slightly in surprise and she spun around to come face to face (or face to chest, rather) with the Winter Soldier.
No, Heidi, that's wrong. That's not who he is anymore...James Barnes. BUCKY Barnes. He's an ally, not a threat. She forced the lump of fear in her throat down with a hard swallow and she raised her eyes to meet his as she willed her pounding heart to calm down. His expression was unreadable, but the set of his mouth seemed to say "nervous" and she knew she'd read that minute cue right when he took a step back from their unexpectedly close proximity and dropped his gaze to the hardwood floor.
"Thank you," he said quietly, his gentle voice was a major contrast to his unkempt, rough appearance, "For the risk you're taking. Thanks."
And, with that, he turned and walked out of the room, moving almost soundlessly despite the combination of heavy combat boots and wood flooring...it was almost disconcerting. Heidi took a deep breath and exhaled over the course of several seconds, calming down and chiding herself for being so paranoid when his only intention had been to thank her.
She returned to her dusting and hummed quietly to herself as she listened to the sounds of footsteps on the floor above her and the running water of the shower. Occassionally, someone's voice would reach a level that allowed her to make out what was being said.
"Hey, Terminator, this is my room! I ain't bunking with you if you were the last human on earth." That was Sam, most likely addressing Bucky.
"You think this door frame is solid enough to hand a pullup bar?" Clint.
"I get the shower next when Steve is done!" Wanda.
The agent smiled slightly to herself and was beginning to think maybe it wouldn't be so bad living in a house with these people...they all seemed to be pretty normal, aside from obvious things like Bucky's metal arm and Steve's larger than life biceps and Natasha's electrified bracelets...
"Excuse me."
Speaking of Natasha, the unexpected female voice behind her made Heidi jump yet again...this was becoming a pattern, wasn't it?
"Yes, Ms. Romanoff? Is there something you need?"
Natasha looked like she wanted to laugh at the agent's surprise, but she simply smiled winningly and nodded towards the window that looked out on the front lawn.
"Where should I park the jet? It's a bit obvious sitting out there in the yard, don't you think?"
"Actually...yeah, I was thinking earlier that Steve Rogers needs to look up the word 'unobtrusive' in a dictionary. The barn closest to the house."
She handed the assassin a remote control and pointed out the button at the top.
"The whole side will slide open, it's big enough to conceal the jet inside."
Natasha gave a small salute with the remote and spun on her heels to saunter out of the house to the jet to put it away. Always cleaning up after her boys, it would seem.
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A few hours later, everyone was clean and good smelling and milling around the house now that they'd settled in their various rooms. Clint had taken off towards the woods after muttering something about making a new bow, Natasha had followed after him a few moments later with a small smile on her face, Steve and Bucky sat together in silence in the living room, Scott was passed out in his room, Sam was on the front porch scanning the horizon for potential threats, and Wanda was seated on a stool against the kitchen island with a potato in one hand and a peeler in the other as she assisted Heidi in putting together a meal for all the hungry mouths that would be searching the kitchen for sustenance soon enough.
"What are we making exactly?"
Heidi held up a bag of frozen salmon steaks with a sheepish look on her face.
"I, uh, didn't know you guys were coming today," she admitted, "Fury said tomorrow. So it's kind of slim pickings tonight. I've got these, potatoes and a bag of fresh picked green beans. Not much but I'll head into town tomorrow for more. Anything you want to add to the list?"
Wanda let out a little laugh, but there was no amusement in it at all, and she set aside the first fully peeled potato with a far away look in her eyes.
"Not many people know how to cook the kind of food I'm used to," she said quietly, "And the only one who cared to try is...not here."
Heidi made a mental note to search for some Sokovian dishes and practice making them, a little bit of home comforts might be the thing Wanda needed to find some peace. The blonde pulled a second stool up to the island next to te redhead and grabbed a potato and a knife to assist in the potato peeling.
"I know what you all are going through right now is tough...but I know things will work out in time. The world needs to cool off for a while and everyone needs to be apart for a bit. Sometimes absence makes the heart grow fonder."
"Is that an American saying?" Wanda asked with a half smile, "It sounds like something an American would come up with."
"I have no idea, actually," Heidi laughed lightly as she focused on peeling the potato and not her knuckles, "But it's true."
"Perhaps."
Most of the meal preparations continued in silence from then on until the smell of salmon and boiled potatoes and grilled green beans filled the house, drawing the two super soldiers from the living room and Scott from his snooze upstairs.
"Something smells awesome!" he mumbled as he plodded down the steps and into the kitchen to inspect the pot of now mashed potatoes. The sound of his stomach rumbling made Steve clutch his own in sympathy hunger as he and Bucky came around the corner into the kitchen.
"Hey, someone wanna tell bird boy and the two master asassins it's dinner time and we're not gonna wait for them?" Scott asked as he pulled down a plate from the cupboard and started dishing potatoes onto it. Wanda rolled her eyes at the newest team member's lack of manners, but she turned on her heels to go spread the news nonetheless.
A few minutes later found them all seated at the large oak table with their plates piled high, matching looks of delight on every face as they practically devoured the meal. Scott and Clint were done in record time, both leaning back on two legs of their chairs and patting their overstuffed bellies dramatically.
"Stuuuuffed," Clint groaned.
"I could eat more," Scott challenged half-heartedly.
"Put your dicks away, boys, this is no time for a measuring contest," Natasha stated dully as she set her fork aside, the comment earned her matching looks of shocked disgust from the two 90-something year old super soldiers from across the table. Steve choked on his mouthful of green beans and Bucky slapped him on the back...with his left arm, which only succeeded in turning Steve's choking into a yelp of pain and a coughing fit.
Heidi shook her head as she poured Steve a glass of tea and handed it to him in an attempt to calm down his coughing. Natasha was looking like the cat who swallowed the canary at the way these events had unfolded...and the reason was obvious. Steve and Bucky had momentarily forgotten the misunderstood comment and were laughing loudly, both sporting bright smiles that made the corners of their eyes crinkle from the sheer force of them. Steve had his arm draped over Bucky's shoulder and Bucky's right hand was clutching his own stomach as if he was holding himself together. It was a sight that stopped everyone's forks on the way to their mouths, caused Clint to set all four legs of his chair back down and a silence to fall over all present except the two life-long friends having a good time over Steve's momentary misfortune.
But it wasn't long until Bucky realized all eyes had landed on him and the laughter stopped immediately, the joy in his eyes replaced in a split second with alarm and self-consciousness, the smile melted off his face and turned down into a frown, brows furrowed in a way that expressed something akin to pain.
The mood was effectively killed and Steve looked as if his heart would break at any moment. Thankfully, Clint was there to save the day.
"Natasha, look what you did! You and your dick jokes almost cost us our brave leader!"
Scott giggled, Wanda snoted into her drink, Steve rolled his eyes, Natasha gave her best friend a wink of approval, Sam flat out guffawed and Heidi stifled her laugh with a mouthful of potatoes. Natasha went into a long explaination to Steve and Bucky about the figure of speech and, by the time dinner was over, even Bucky was relaxed again.
Bellies full for the first time since they fled from France, the others retired to their rooms, yawning and looking comfortable and relaxed...most of them anyway. Sam, Steve and Bucky still looked stiff and poised for anything.
All in all, though, Heidi felt like the first night of her new assignment had been successful. She'd report to Fury in the morning, for now she'd follow her housemates' leads and head for bed.
Maybe this assignment wasn't so bad after all.
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Well, there's the beginning, let me know what you all think! :D