The Other Road
Disclaimer: none of the characters are mine, but belong to Marvel™.
In a smallish, dilapidated building somewhere off the southwest edge of Europe, history was in the making. It was not global history, it was personal history, but it was still in the making, still fluid...
"You aren't going to apologize?" Grant asked Bobbi, his own temper rising behind his metaphorical mask and softly spoken words.
"No," Bobbi said firmly, glaring defiantly at the two ex-agents. "I will not. I have sacrificed few for the sake of the many, and if I could do it, I would do it again!"
Time froze. In many universes, Grant followed this by raising the stakes, so to speak, by torturing Bobbi, by setting a deathtrap for Lance, and eventually – causing Kara Lynn's death, both directly and by accident, something that would finally drive him into darkness. But in this universe, things went differently.
"Very well," was what Grant said instead, and began to unstrap Bobbi to the surprise of both women.
"What are you doing?" Kara Lynn said meekly, but less meekly than how she usually spoke. "She'll get away."
"Kara Lynn," Grant turned away from Bobbi for the moment and faced his new partner (and protégé?). "What would you have us do? You heard her – she isn't going to apologize, so while we could torture her into making an admission, would it be worth it?"
"...No," the scarred woman shook her head. "It won't. It would make us like Hydra, it would make us like...her," the look that she gave Bobbi was anything but friendly, or confused. "I don't like it."
"There you are, then," Grant nodded mildly, as he turned back around and completely released Bobbi. "And there are you. Have a nice day. I suspect that S.H.I.E.L.D. has already sent someone to retrieve you, and I do not feel like fighting anyone lately, you know? Bye."
And he and Kara Lynn promptly turned around and walked for the door.
"...Wait," Bobbi blinked. "You're just letting me go?" In many universes she would try to escape by force shortly afterwards and fail. In this one this was not necessary – Bobbi was being released voluntarily.
"Yes," Grant nodded, "we are. We're done with you."
And then they were gone, though Bobbi could hear them walking down the stairs.
Feeling partially indignant partially discomfited, and entirely off her mental balance, Bobbi decided to follow them. (Plus, it was the closest way out, if not the only one – Bobbi did not really know the layout of this building and did not feel like exploring it either.)
/
...She did not have to go far – Grant and Kara Lynn were downstairs, surrounded by around 20 S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, including her ex-husband and May, with guns trained on them. Well, mostly on Grant, but only because he was standing in front of Kara Lynn as a human shield, right? (Surely S.H.I.E.L.D. considered its two ex-agents to be equal threats, aye?)
"Where is my wife?" Lance growled.
"Upstairs," Grant jabbed one of his thumbs in the direction behind them, just as Bobbi was making her own appearance.
"No, I am already here, actually," she said, feeling suddenly even more uncomfortable at the sight of the cavalry (and the Cavalry) that had come for her. "Hey, Lance."
"Bobbi! You are okay! You are okay. You're okay?" Surprise, happiness and confusion warred on Lance's face. "What has happened?"
"Grant and Kara Lynn brought me here to apologize for getting Kara Lynn captured when I gave up a list of S.H.I.E.L.D. safe houses to Whitehall as part of my cover," the blonde began to explain as she gave the others a sheepish look – even she herself had to admit, the current situation didn't exactly look like a Hydra-level kidnapping. "So yeah, um, Kara Lynn? I'm sorry about that."
...Later Bobbi would curse herself many times in her life for not choosing her timing and her apology better, but a word is not a bird – once it slips it out, it is out there for good. In this particular instance, the word was 'sorry', and once it was out there, an unusual metamorphosis came over Kara Lynn. She jerked, as if she had been zapped with a taser, and straightened out, becoming somehow more taller and more powerful in Bobbi's eyes. Smoke seemed to emerge from her ears and her eyes shot sparks... but maybe it was just Bobbi's imagination, who knows?
What followed, however, was quite real.
"You, fucking, walrus," Kara Lynn snarled, as she walked upstairs, her scar flushing red from all the blood. "You, are, sorry? I asked Grant to bring you here so that you could apologize to me in private for selling me out to Whitehall who made me into a sex toy for his men – a fucking sex toy – and you went all righteous on us? And now that your asshat of a husband is here, and you are suddenly sorry – and in public? Seriously?"
"Yes," Bobbi wheezed, as Kara Lynn grabbed her by the collar simultaneously with asking the last question and squeezed "I am. Sorry!"
Kara Lynn just continued to squeeze, and who knows how things would have ended up, if Grant did not suddenly appear behind her, and quietly and quickly grabbed Kara Lynn across the torso, lifting the smaller woman up. "Drop her, Kara Lynn, please," he said quietly, "this isn't worth it."
"Fine," Kara Lynn's strength had apparently left her as quickly as it had come. "You're right," she continued, finally releasing the other woman. "I shouldn't have been surprised. Lance Hunter is in the building, after all. Bobbi Morse, you dumb blonde, when are you going to learn? He does not like you, he likes dark hair – Isabelle, Coulson, this Skye woman – and you are a blonde. He threw you out – you came to me – then came back to him when he beckoned. He got you pregnant – you came to me, even though you know how I feel about pregnancies, and bitched for most of your trimesters about the child, even though you know how I feel about children – and then came back to him when I offered to adopt the boy and make us a family. We are done, Bobbi Morse. You don't want us to be a family? Then I just do not want you. We're done, from now and for ever on."
And now she sagged in Grant's arms, all fire gone from her. Slowly, still carrying her, Grant turned around and faced (alongside with Kara Lynn) the rescue party. "What?" Kara Lynn spoke up suddenly, startling everyone (except for Melinda, who just could not really be startled, unless you were Phil Coulson). "Never seen a bisexual woman break up with another one?"
"Bisexual?" Grant murmured quietly, (though not that quietly).
"Bisexual," Kara Lynn nodded firmly. "Between your actions and Bobbi's, my faith in men had been restored. Can we go now?" she paused and added. "Oh, and can you put me down now? Or if you want to carry me, can I ride on my back instead?"
Rolling his eyes, Grant put Kara Lynn down – gently, and they began to walk downstairs, only to find Melinda in their path. "Yes?" Kara Lynn gave the older woman a look. "Can we do whatever you want to do sometime else? It has been a long morning-"
"I know, and it is promising to be an even longer day," May replied, looking thoughtful (for her). "There are some Inhumans who are trying to take over the world, or at least – destroy S.H.I.E.L.D. You want to come?"
"Hm." It is Kara Lynn's turn to look thoughtful. "Grant, it's your call. You know that I personally don't owe S.H.I.E.L.D. anything, remember?"
"Kara Lynn," Grant quietly responded, "I want to. If you don't mind, that is?"
Kara Lynn thoughtfully nodded - "Ok," – before turning back to the older woman. "Very well, we'll come. I'm sure that you can use a field medic and her assistant?"
It was Melinda's turn to grow thoughtful. Apparently, their earlier assumption that Grant was calling all the shots in this relationship was not quite correct. Her own assumption – that Grant Ward and S.H.I.E.L.D. should have as little as possible to do with each other – remains largely unshaken, but – the time is running out, they could probably use another medic on field, and she knows that she can handle Grant Ward... hopefully. "Fine," she says, "it's a deal."
"Great," Kara Lynn said in a hard-to-define tone of voice, and together with Grant she followed May to the helicarrier and towards the battle with the Inhumans and Jiaying.
End?