Disclaimer: I still don't own anything to do with Marvel. If I did, I would be writing this from a beach instead of somewhere currently getting a lot of snow.
Enjoy!
Chapter Two:
Waiting for the battle to end was the longest hour of RI's life. She had no idea what was going on above and more than once the police officers had to storm the staircase and take out aliens that had gotten too close. She had no idea what was happening with the super heroes above her, but they had obviously wandered further from their little hideout than they had previously let on. Not that Ri blamed them of course, there were millions of other people in the city that needed saving and they couldn't be everywhere. Her grandfather had taught her that sometimes you had to be your own hero, and if she was being honest with herself that was the only reason she hadn't just stayed in a shop today. Of course that didn't mean he wasn't going to chew her out for risking her life. Hopefully she could gloss over that part, but somehow she didn't think she could get away with that. Her grandfather was a smart man and his old age seemed to have strengthened his mind instead of weakening it. He had been the one to teach her how to survive whatever the world threw at her and today, more than ever before, she was so grateful for that.
Most of the crowd cowered together at the back of the tunnel by where the collapse had happened. However, she stuck closer to the police line and sat on the floor so she could see up the staircase. Ri knew that it was a bit dangerous, but it was worth the minimal risk so that she could see a little bit and breathe the slightly fresher air that occasionally wafted down the stairs from above. It was absolutely stifling in the tunnel. The constant state of adrenaline was wearing her patience thin so she pulled out her phone and tried to call out on it. Of course, because everyone else in the city was trying to do the same thing just then, all circuits were busy. She sighed deeply again and one of the cops that was keeping the civilians back came over to check on her.
"You ok ma'am? No injuries?" he looked down on her in concern. She tried to smile up at him, but she was worn out from the constant state of adrenaline.
"Not anything serious that I can tell; a few bumps and bruises, maybe a sprained wrist. I was pretty lucky. I am exhausted though." He nodded and before he could respond his radio clicked to life.
"This is dispatch, relax your positions. Threat level returning to normal. Standby." Ri smiled a genuine smile and a cheer went up from those that could hear the radios. Word was quickly spreading that this was almost over. The officer offered her a hand up and as he pulled her to her feet the officer in charge of their little group called for quiet.
"Listen up! The situation may be calming down, but until we get an all clear we are going to stay down here. Once there is an all clear, we will be exiting the tunnel and moving to ground level where you will have to exit the blast zone. The last I heard there was a radius of 15 blocks that will be blocked off this afternoon and through the night so that we can get assess the situation and make sure that none of those things survived. Is that clear?" Ri tuned everything else out and knew that she had to get to her job. Grace was probably terrified and lord knew her mother didn't know how to calm her down. Toby was made of stronger stuff, but he was a bit older than his sister was and usually looked out for her. She had followed the family to New York to help the senator and his wife care for their kids during the holiday and was enjoying one of her few afternoons off when this tragedy struck. She wished like hell she had just stayed at the hotel and gone to relax at the pool instead of trying to sight see, but she hadn't. The people in the tunnel got really quiet trying to listen to the dispatch radios and just as people began to relax, the most stunning thing happened. Her phone, which she had discarded into the depths of her bag, started loudly playing her ring tone, which just happened to be "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-A-Lot. Diving into her bag frantically with the people around her staring at her first in shock and then general amusement, Ri felt her face redden considerably. She answered it as soon as she could just to get the embarrassing music to stop.
"Hello?" she snapped into the phone while cowering back against the wall and trying to disappear. A strong voice on the other end of the phone brought made her jaw drop.
"Etta you are in so much trouble young lady!" Ri smacked the back of her head against the wall and groaned.
"Grandpa DD I –" RI started to explain.
"Don't you Grandpa DD me! You are supposed to be following that senator around and watching his two little rascals, not charging into danger with Captain America all over my TV!" Ri gasped in shock.
"That was on TV?! Are you kidding me?!" Her grandfather let out a chuckle.
"You did a fine job Etta, now you need to get back to those kids. The senator has been trying to reach you for an hour. Where are you bug?" Etta sighed at his use of her childhood nickname.
"I'm in an entrance to the subway not far from Stark Tower. They won't let us leave just yet. Did Senator Killian say where the children were? His wife is probably freaking out. She can't handle them at the best of times let alone in a crisis."
"They are in the basement of the hotel. I'll have a SHIELD vehicle waiting for you at the entrance to that subway you're in in two minutes. I tracked your phone. Now, hand the phone to the officer in charge please." Ri smiled gratefully even as she rolled her eyes.
"Yes Grandpa." He coughed into the other end of the phone.
"Oh, and Bug?"
"Yeah Grandpa?"
"This isn't the end of that discussion about running into danger. Do your job and call me back when those kids go to sleep tonight." Ri groaned again as he laughed. "Now, get your butt moving. SHIELD is almost there to get you." Ri went up to the officer that seemed to be in charge and explained that she was part of a government agency and one of the founders wanted to talk to him on the phone. He looked annoyed, but took the phone from her anyways. After a short conversation, and argument that made Ri smile at her grandfather's abilities to get anyone to do what he wanted, the officer ended the call. He handed back her phone and motioned her over to the base of the stairs just as two big black SUVs pulled up. A man got out of the passenger side and jogged down the stairs stopping just in front of her.
"Are you Dugan?" She smiled up at him and nodded. "I'll take her from here officers. Thank you." The tall man motioned her to follow and they climbed into one of the waiting vehicles. "Your grandfather is a very powerful man. SHIELD doesn't usually send specialists to play taxi to normal civilians."
"I know. What's your name agent?" he glanced over his shoulder at her appraisingly before he turned fully and stuck out his hand.
"Ward. Grant Ward." Ri laughed softly and shook his hand.
"Like James bond?" Ward gave her a stern look before turning back to the front and scanning out the windows for threats. "You can call me Ri. I'll put in a good word with my grandfather if you don't call me by my whole name." Ward smirked at her, but stayed silent. The drive took longer than she had hoped and the driver had stayed silent most of the time adding to the tension by making the car feel very awkward. Soon enough they were at the entrance to the hotel she had been staying in. It looked mostly intact, but had some minimal damage. "Is the building sound?" she asked worriedly. Ward nodded.
"Yeah, just some outside damage, nothing big. Now, the kids and their mom are with their security detail in the basement of the building, but they are headed up to their room shortly. I will get you to your room and then you are on your own. Their security will take it from there." Ri nodded at him in confirmation making sure she had all of her stuff and slung the bag over her shoulder again. Ward opened the car door and practically drug her to the door to the hotel.
"Jeez Ward you in a hurry or something?" He glared around looking for threats without responding, ushering her inside the building.
"Just eager to get out of the open." They crossed the overly extravagant lobby and waited for the elevator for what seemed like forever. There had been a tense argument when she refused to take the stairs to the top floor. Grant didn't see why she didn't want to walk all 67 flights of stairs. In retaliation, she let him think they had to wait for an empty elevator to be able to get to the top floor. For five minutes, she made him stand there just to see him squirm. Finally, a hotel worker spoiled her fun by pointing out the private elevator to the presidential suite assuming she forgot. He seemed quite annoyed and she kept trying not to laugh at his fidgeting.
"You look like a guy that needs to lighten up a bit. Do you ever let loose?" He looked at her as if she had told him he had to wade through a sewer and she rolled her eyes. "You need to get out more."
"I get out plenty. I spend a lot of time out actually," he said defensively. Ri looked at him in disbelief.
"For fun?" He smirked at her as the elevator finally opened.
"That depends what you think is fun." Ri rolled her eyes as she stepped into the ridiculous elevator. Why fancy hotels thought that elevators should be gold and mirrored with garish carpet was beyond her, but apparently, it made sense to the rich. Ward grimaced at the elevator too and she giggled. However, once she started laughing she just couldn't stop. Ward looked at her uneasily as her laughter turned to tears and she slid down the wall to sit on the floor. He let out a long-suffering sigh as he reached over and stopped the elevator.
"You can't fall apart on me. This is the one thing I'm not trained in. I'm an assassin not some touchy feely therapist." He sat down on the floor next to her and she leaned her head to rest on his shoulder. He sat with her while she cried and put his arm around her shoulder awkwardly. He had never been good with crying females, but seeing as she buried her head in his chest and was getting his shirt all soggy, he figured he wasn't doing too horridly. He awkwardly patted her head as her sobs lessened and she sat up a bit straighter looking into his face with her puffy eyes.
"Sorry," she mumbled as she moved away drying her eyes. She took a shaky breath and looked up at him nervously biting her lip as if she expected him to make fun of her. He bumped her shoulder with his making her laugh again while she dried her eyes on the hem of her shirt.
"You ready to go?" Ri nodded at him and he smirked at her. "Good. I've had enough of your silly little girl emotions. I need to get back to work."
"Shut up Ward." He chuckled as he helped her to her feet and he restarted the elevator. She couldn't believe that she had fallen apart on some random agent that she had never met before. She looked at herself in the mirror and tried to make it seem like she wasn't just balling her eyes out so that Gracie and Toby didn't worry about her. Ward watched her speculatively. "Can I help you with something Agent Tight Ass?" His smirk increased and he walked forward with his hand out.
"Give me your phone." She looked at him dumbfounded.
"What?" He rolled his eyes and took her phone from her back pocket of her jeans. "Hey! Give it back!"
"Just a minute! Damn you're a pain in my ass." She smacked him across the arm and he handed the phone back to her. "I put my number in your phone. If you need me, or get yourself into any kind of trouble, text that number. If I'm around I'll come help." She narrowed her eyes at his casual demeanor.
"You're doing this so that I tell my grandfather you were nice to me aren't you." He laughed and pushed her just hard enough to make her sway to the side.
"Partly. That and because you owe me a new shirt. You got snot on this one. Its hazard waste now." Her mouth dropped open in shock and he laughed at her while moving away. She punched him in the arm and he just laughed at her more.
"Jerk," she muttered darkly at him. He just smirked at her.
"That's accurate. Seriously, though. You have my number; use it if you need it." She nodded at him and thought about telling him about the gun tucked safely in her purse, but she decided against it. She wanted to take care of it on her own without involving her grandfather. Involving Ward would involve SHIELD, and if SHIELD knew so would Grandpa DD. The doors opened to the top floor and she noticed that security wasn't on standby. She started to survey the room for damage when a little blonde girl that looked to be just about two came bolting out from behind the couch with her arms in the air. Ri scooped her up like she had done a thousand times before and hugged her close.
"Gracie bean! How's my best girl?" the little girl snuggled in closer as a little boy came running from the room off to the right of the suite and slammed into her side. She wrapped one of her arms around him and knelt to the ground balancing the baby on her knee. Enveloping the older boy into her hug, she closed her eyes for just a second. "Toby! I was so worried about you guys." She moved away far enough to study the boy's face as she talked. "Are you ok?"
"Yes Miss Ri." Toby looked over her shoulder and moved to stand just a bit closer when he spotted Ward. "Who is that man?" Ri stood again and balanced the girl on her hip while she reached for Toby's hand.
"This is my friend Grant Ward. He got me here safely when I was stuck in the city and couldn't get back to you. Would you like to say hi?" The little girl buried her head further into Ri's shoulder while Toby stepped forward just a bit to stand in front of her. Ri gave Ward a pleading look and he sighed and kneeled down to talk to the child.
"Hey buddy, how are you doing?" Toby smiled at him and tilted his head as if evaluating him.
"Are you a police officer?" Ri smiled and Grant felt confused.
"What do you mean?" Toby pointed to Wards waist.
"You have a gun. Maybe two. Can I see your badge?" Ward smiled at the kid genuinely.
"I'm not a policeman. I work for the government, kind of like a spy does." The kid nodded and turned to Ri.
"Can you make lunch? Mommy didn't make lunch." Ri closed her eyes in exasperation and nodded.
"You go play at the table and I'll make lunch after I tell Grant goodbye. Can you say bye?" Toby waved at him before turning and going to the table to color.
"Thank you for your help Ward." He went to shake her hand and she caught him in a one armed hug. He barely kept the shock from his face before his expression changed to one of carefully placed annoyance.
"I'm not a hugger." She laughed while he glared and the baby peeked shyly at him from her hiding place in Ri's neck.
"Yeah well I am so get used to it." Her expression turned serious for a moment before she spoke again. "You be safe out there. It's a new world now."
"You too, Ma'am." He turned and walked into the elevator and she waved to him as the doors closed. Sighing Ri walked to the small kitchen that the expensive suite boasted and set the baby down on the counter to look her over. The kids seemed okay, yet there was no sighting of either the mother or her security detail present in the loft. Now that they were alone, the little girl seemed a bit more open although she still looked around nervously.
"Where is your stuffy Gracie?" the little girl raised her hands and shoulders in a shrug.
"I no no eider!" Ri smiled at her and then looked over at Toby. "Toby do you have any ideas?" The little boy pointed to over by the couch and she took Grace to see if they could find it. It took a few moments, but they found the little purple bunny under the couch. Depositing her bag on the edge of the couch, she went back to the kitchen and sat Gracie on the counter again.
"What do you want for lunch buddy? We have mac and cheese or pb&j." He thought it over for a second and decided on peanut butter. As she made lunch and sang songs to the little girl on the counter, she wondered where the hell their mother and her security was. Originally, she had assumed they were in the main bedroom, but the longer it went without a response the more skeptical she became. She fed them lunch and had played 'catch the baby' chasing them around the couch. She got them settled into their naptime before their father finally made it back to the penthouse looking exhausted. Ri let him check on the kids while she cleaned knowing he would be right back. He wasn't a bad parent by any stretch of the imagination, but his job with Washington kept him extremely busy. By the time he got back, she had cleaned the kitchen and was tidying up the toys. He sighed and sat down heavily on the couch. Ri hung her bag from the hook on the wall by the closet as she made her way into the kitchen. It was habit now to do that in order to prevent Gracie from dumping it like she usually tried to do after her nap.
"Would you like a cup of coffee, Senator? I just made a pot." He looked up at her with an unreadable expression before nodding.
"I would love some. I can get it if you're busy. And it's just Robert. How many times have I asked you to call me that?" Ri smiled at him sadly while she started making his coffee.
"Probably about a million by now." He smiled tiredly at her.
"Then why aren't you actually doing it? You're practically family now Ri, it's silly that you call me by my title."
"Because your wife glares at me every time I tried and I like my job too much to risk her wrath on purpose." The senator laughed bitterly in response.
"Yeah. Maybe at least when we are alone? You're like a little sister to me; it makes me feel awkward when you can't ever say my name." Ri nodded hesitantly trying to hide the emotion that brought out in her. The senators' family was like her own and she was glad the feeling was mutual. "Speaking of the she witch, she asleep?" Ri brought him his coffee and he took it from her graciously. She sat in the chair next to him.
"I have no idea. When I got here, she wasn't out here and the entrance to your room was closed. I haven't seen the security detail either." Senator Killian froze and slowly set his coffee down on the coffee table his expression turned dark.
"Who was watching the kids when you got here?" His tone was murderous and she bit her lip nervously.
"When the agents brought me back the kids were in the main part of the living room. I didn't check your room because the last time I went in there she tried to fire me." The Senator took a deep breath with his eyes closed before walking to the bedroom and throwing open the door. He swore loudly and opened his cell finding it just as useless as hers had been earlier. His security guard was by the elevator in the chair he usually sat in and the senator walked over to him angrily.
"Where the hell is the rest of the team and my wife? Find them," he demanded. The guard looked just as angry as he did and picked up his walkie-talkie to get answers. Ri let them be and went over to the hook where her purse hung to grab her notebook. When she reached inside, she brushed against the barrel of the small gun and let out a loud gasp in shock.
"You ok Ri?" the senator asked concerned. Ri closed her eyes and swallowed heavily trying not to panic at the thought of one of the kids finding it when her purse had been sitting on the couch earlier. What if she hadn't hung it up before the kids woke up? Gracie always tried to dig through her purse to find candy and Toby was always looking for gum. She hated herself for putting them in danger like this, but knew she had to turn around and answer the senator. He couldn't know how badly she messed up. She didn't want to lose her time with the kids, or her job. She took a deep breath and turned around smiling at the senator and his guard whom were both staring at her in concern.
"Just fine. I think I twisted my wrist earlier and it just panged when I lifted my bag." The men nodded and went back to their discussion. Ri moved her bag to the top shelf of the closet in the main room and wondered what the hell she was going to do with the gun. She had no idea who that woman was in her normal life. The Captain was pretty much the same. They had learned about him when she was in school, but that didn't tell her who he was now. Just when she was starting to give up hope, she remembered. Stark! Tony Stark was Iron Man and he had been talking to the redhead through the high tech coms they were using. If she wanted to give the gun back to her savior, she was just going to have to get a meeting with Stark. Which shouldn't be insanely impossible. They were here for a week after all. The senator called over to her and she rejoined him in the kitchen.
"I'm going to take you and the kids back to D.C with me the day after tomorrow." Ri looked at him in shock.
'So, not a week then, shit,' Ri thought in panic.
"Are you sure? The kids and I can stay in the hotel. We don't have to go out." He looked at her like she was crazy.
"You're usually with me on these types of things. I want my kids out of this city. Who the hell knows what is going to come out of the sky next and I want you home." Ri closed her eyes and nodded trying to think rationally. Opening them, she smiled at him tightly.
"Of course, you're right. You'll have time to get done with your meetings?" He shook his head.
"No. The meetings have been postponed until next week and they will take place in D.C. this time. We would leave tonight if I could get the jet back, but unfortunately my wife seems to have taken it to Europe." Ri's mouth dropped open in absolute shock.
"EUROPE?!" she said loudly. The senator rubbed his face hard and then leaned his body on the counter tiredly.
"That was pretty much what I thought too. I'm going to hang out here in the room with you guys until we can get the jet back here. She refuses to come back and I can't just leave her stranded, as much as that thought is tempting. We should be okay for a couple nights." Ri nodded thinking seriously. That woman was an absolute horror as a parent, but she may have just saved Ri's ass.
"Do you think I could take a couple of hours tomorrow?" The senator eyed her suspiciously.
"What are you going to do in the city the day after an alien invasion? I doubt anything will be open." She smiled at him innocently.
"I just need to see someone. It shouldn't take long. I promise to be safe." The senator nodded still looking at her funny.
"If you're sure…" Ri nodded. "Then that's fine. Help me get through breakfast and then you can take as much time as you need. We leave in the morning day after tomorrow though so do it fast." Ri promised and sent the Senator to lay down and change while the kids were still napping. When the door to his room closed, Ri went to make sure the little ones were still asleep and change out of her grimy clothes. She walked over to the bed Toby had taken and smoothed his hair back. He looked like an angel when he was asleep. She tucked the blankets in around him and moved over to his sister in her portable crib. Grace was basically a miracle. Ri had started working for the Senator and his family just before she had been conceived, and their mother was a holy terror back then, too. She was angry and belligerent saying that she felt no connection to Toby and felt that she needed a second child so that she could feel like she was a real mother. Whatever the hell that meant. It was a shame she couldn't see how brilliant Toby was. By the time, that they found out Grace had been conceived the doctors were worried about her being born with birth defects due to the levels of alcohol her mother had been drinking. She had been shipped off to rehab the second the baby was born and Ri had been taking care of the little girl from day one. Ri tucked the blankets around Grace as well and watched as she snuggled into her pillow and her favorite stuffed animal. Smiling at how adorable the little girl was Ri went out to the kitchen to plan dinner and an evening in room activity for the kids. It wasn't fair that they had to be cooped up here, but at least she had the forethought to bring movies and games just in case.
By the time she got the kids into bed that night she was exhausted. The senator had slept a bit longer than the kids, but not by much. They had been so excited daddy was home that they rushed in to wake him up the second Ri thought the senator had napped enough. The kids played with their father while Ri cooked a passable spaghetti and meatballs in the tiny kitchen and got dinner on the table. The senator insisted that she eat with them and afterwards he cleaned up the kitchen while she played a math learning game with Toby and Grace played a matching game to work on color recognition and motor skills. When the game was over the Senator came over to the table to help clean up.
"Hey kiddos, what about a movie night huh?" Toby smiled up at his dad like he just solved world hunger.
"A whole movie night?" he asked excitedly.
"A whole movie night. Gracie picks first then your pick." He seemed to be disappointed at first and the senator looked at her for help. Ri smiled at him and leaned in close to Toby so she could whisper to him.
"Problem solve buddy. Why would Gracie get first pick of a movie at night?" His little face screwed up in concentration while he looked at his sister. Then all at once his face cleared and he smiled up at her.
"Because she is still little and she won't make it through two movies." He said with confidence. RI smiled at him and hugged him close.
"Good job buddy! You are too smart for a 6 year old." Toby giggled and tried to get away when she tickled him.
"Miss Ri! No! I'm not 6, I'm 4!" Ri kissed his head and sent him to go get his pajamas on before turning and scooping up the baby. Toby turned around to look at his father when he got to his bedroom door. "Daddy are you makin popcorn?"
"Of course buddy! Can't have a movie night without popcorn." The senator smiled at his son before heading into the kitchen. Ri got the kids ready for bed and pulled out some extra pillows and the blankets from her own bed to make a small nest for the munchkins. Gracie was asleep before the end of her movie and Toby didn't make it through his either. Ri carried Gracie to bed and tucked her in while the senator tucked in his son. Then she put her bed back together and tidied up the living room. Sitting down with her sketchpad, she continued the drawing she started during the second movie. She liked to sketch and was practicing faces at the moment. The picture she was drawing was of the senator and his two children snuggled up at the end of the couch with all of the blankets and pillows around them. The kids were fast asleep and the senator looked at them as if they were the most precious things in the world. A soft cough to her left made her look up at the senator.
"Were you going to bed right away? We could watch a movie or have some tea if you wanted." She nodded and sat up a bit on the couch.
"Some tea would be nice. Want me to start the kettle?" He shook his head.
"I'll do it. Finish what you're working on then come join me." She nodded and put the last finishing touches on the sketch until she heard the kettle whistle. She stood up quickly and stretched before heading into the kitchen. He looked up when she padded close in her fuzzy socks and flannel pajama bottoms. "Drawing from memory again?"
Instead of answering Ri slid the sketchbook across to him and he handed her a cup with just the right amount of sugar in it before looking at the book. She studied his face while he studied the drawing and the raw emotion she saw there was moving. He loved his kids, and after today, she couldn't just keep her mouth shut anymore.
"Your kids adore you. I have filled sketchbooks with drawings of you and them together. Do you have any idea how many pictures like that I have of them with their mother?" He looked up at her with so much emotion in his eyes she had to look away. He opened his mouth to speak and she held up her hand to pause him. "It's not my place, and if you let me get this out we never have to mention it again. After what happened this afternoon, I can't keep my mouth shut anymore. I know it makes you look better to your constituents if you don't get divorced, but she is damaging them. She left them alone today when it could have taken me hours to get back not just minutes. You are a great father, and you can do this without her. Think about it."
She turned without looking at him and went to drink her tea in the room she shared with the kids. Looking back at the kitchen through the crack in the door, she saw a tear slip out of his eyes as he looked through the sketchbook she had handed him. Knowing she did the right thing, she made sure the kids were asleep and then lay down herself. Tomorrow was going to be one hell of a complicated day. As she snuggled beneath the unfamiliar blanket and listened to the even breathing of the children that meant so much to her, Ri started to get a nagging feeling that she forgot something. With the stress of the day that wasn't a surprise, yet this seemed rather important. Brushing it off as just her paranoia after the alien invasion Ri let her body relax as she drifted off to sleep.
Author's Note:
This one was a bit longer, but if you read it, thank you! I wanted to focus on Ri this chapter but dont worry, youll see a lot more super heroes next chapter! I am so excited that I got my first review. I would love some feedback! If you read it please review!
