Chapter 1: Arrival

Avengers tower was even bigger than Skye remembered it, its glass visage dominated the Manhattan skyline towering over its surrounds a symbol of freedom, of justice, a guarantee of safety to all those whom looked upon it. And yet its size wasn't what was truly worrying Skye, rather those whom at this moment stood inside. On the one hand she was about to let her friends finally see the real her, but on the other what if they didn't like what they saw, what if they couldn't get past the lies she had told them; Jemma said it would be fine but Skye wasn't so sure, after all it had been the better part of a year since she had seen the love of her life. Alas she could wait no longer lest they come looking for her, she walked past the reporters who as soon as they realised she wasn't particularly famous seemed to lose the ferocity with which they were taking photos parting before her eager to get shots of the more noteworthy people.

The glass doors part before her as she enters the lobby, she carries the few belongings she has after all the events with HYDRA and Afterlife she doesn't really have that many things anymore. Those that she did have were either lost when HYDRA rose from the shadows to strangle SHIELD or destroyed by the uncontrolled outbursts of her powers. As she approaches the group she can see by the elevators she hears talking which unsurprisingly sounds a lot like Pepper Potts berating Coulson for not telling them he was alive, so distracted are they by Peppers irritation that they take a moment for anyone to notice her approach Captain Rogers has barely started saying "Excuse me Ma`am" before Skye finds a mass of red hair flying her way in the form of an excited Natasha Romanoff who without hesitation runs straight to her and wraps her arms around her mashing their lips together.

The looks on everyone's faces was absolutely priceless in Skye's opinion, Cap, Bruce and Fitz all stood blushing attempting to look anywhere but at the display before them, as for Coulson, Stark, May and Bobbi they managed to conceal their surprise a little better than everyone else, everyone else that is but for Barton and Simmons who being Skye and Natasha's best friends had been aware of the relationship they were in and helped them conceal it during Skye's time at SHIELD.

Coulson manages to recover first, looking at the two before him he deadpans "well I can honestly say I never saw this coming."

May is the next to recover asking "And exactly how long has this been going on?"

Skye and Natasha share a look before Skye asks "Actually that's a rather long story, would It be ok if we went inside and sat down to discuss it?"

Cap ever the gentleman says "Of course, where are our manners lets go up to the living room we can discuss it there."

They make their way upstairs to the 32nd floor which the Avengers utilise as a large living room. When everyone has arrived they make their way over to the couches Skye and Natasha taking one of the love seats that faces the couches where the others are seated.

Looking to Skye momentarily Natasha starts explaining "first of all its important to make sure you all understand a few things, neither Skye nor I am what we might seem but what's important is that we love each other more than anything, and nothing will ever change that." this earns her a small smile from Skye as she continues on "What I am about to tell you almost no one knows, for those of you who don't know I was born Natalia Alianovna Romanova, when I was but a small child my parents died and I was taken into the black widow program run by the KGB, this is all true but the one aspect I haven't told you was the date this happened it was July 7th 1926, and yes that means I am over 80 years old. For the next several years they trained me to be the perfect spy to be the perfect weapon to kill without pause without fear to feel nothing, I underwent routine cognitive recalibration to ensure my loyalty. What I didn't know until I had completed my training was that I wasn't the only one being trained in such a way, there were others, we were assigned to work together as needed on whatever the KGB might desire, for years I was the perfect killing machine until it all came unravelled one day. It was a routine mission get in, kill the target, get out, but because of the risks the KGB decided to assign two of us to make sure that the job was done, that other agent was Skye."

Everyone seems shocked at this as Natasha pauses allowing Skye to take over the story asking "What do you all know about soulmate marks?"

It is Thor that answers saying they are marks upon the body that bear the first words that one soulmate says to another, at least that is how it works on earth, in the case of the other realms they appear when two soulmates first touch and can be anything from a rune to a sigil."

Skye nods before saying "in Nat's and my case we were born without soulmate marks and this made us ideal for the Redroom as no soulmate meant no chance at true love therefore we were easier to control, it wasn't until the first mission Natasha and I ever went on together that they appeared. The routine mission ended up not being so routine the SSR ambushed us they trapped us in the building where we thought our target was and gassed us, as we collapsed to the floor waiting for death to overtake us we fell into each other there was a searing pain which we both attributed to the gas, but what we thought at that point to be a hallucination but later discovered wasn't was the formation of a rainbow barrier that surrounded us and protected us from the toxic gas. But the amount we had already breathed in was more than enough to knock us unconscious. When we woke up we were in a bunker like room but surprisingly we were tangled up together in the one double bed, apparently the SSR agents that were examining us came across our soul marks and assumed we were in a relationship"

Natasha laughs slightly as she says "yeah the agent that came in to interrogate us was so awkward he really didn't want to be there or how to handle the idea that two women might be soulmates"

Skye laughs as well as she says "yeah it was because of that we managed to escape, come to think of it if he wasn't that awkward we wouldn't have escaped and we might never have become a real couple, after all if we hadn't escaped we would never have met Peggy"

"Peggy, Peggy Carter?" Steve asks

"yep, she captured us but rather than give us up to the SSR for execution she took us to meet Mr Jarvis, it was because of that we stopped dancing around each other and accepted that we were destined for each other, one way or another"

Tony looks at Natasha and Skye and says "I suppose that if you knew Jarvis then you know the truth about Peggy and Howard then"

"Yep" they both answer simultaneously

Noticing the perplexed looks on everyone's faces Stark says "well I suppose it can't hurt now there's no way it could make anyone here in any more danger. My name isn't Anthony Edward stark its Anthony Steve carter-stark, my parents were Peggy and Howard they married after the war and had me, no one was ever told because they were worried their enemies might come after me to get to them, and from what little I remember from when I was three Natasha is my adoptive sister"

Everyone barring Skye and Natasha look like they have been slapped in the face with as wet fish at that statement, they are even more surprised when Natasha says "I Honestly didn't think you would remember Skye and I had to leave when you were so little I imagined you had forgotten"

"Of course I remember you Tash, you're my sister. I can't believe I didn't see it sooner, You're pretty distinctive especially when the two of you are together"

Whilst everyone else is still distracted by Tony's revelations Skye is on her phone using a program she has had ready for some time in anticipation of this day. However, the anonymity of her actions is short lived when Tony and Melinda notice her typing away, Melinda is especially suspicious as she knows how skilled Skye is with computers but tony being unaware assumes no one can get past his firewalls. After a few moments more, Tony asks "Skye, what are you doing?"

"Hacking Jarvis"

"Yeah right no way can you do that from your phone"

Moments later Jarvis` voice comes over the speakers "firewalls disengaged, additional software upload complete, initialising new software"

Moments later the stunned look on Tony's face at seeing the hacker bypass his firewalls changes to amazement as a pair of holograms appear showing Ana and Edwin Jarvis whilst Ana Jarvis` voice comes over the speakers "Ahh long time no see Tony"

Tony looks at the holograms and asks "Ana is it really you"

"you better believe it" the hologram replies

Tony leaps from his chair and runs to Skye pulling her into a hug whispering "thank you, thank you, thank you, you have no idea how much this means to me."

The next few hours are spent getting to know each other as very few of the people in the room actually know each other that well apparently eventually it ends up like always in a drinking contest and a game of who can lift Thor`s hammer whilst everyone else is either passed out or in stark, and Rhodey`s case trying to lift Thor`s hammer in tandem Skye and Natasha sit there with Thor and Steve whom just like them can't get drunk, its after one particularly funny attempt on starks part to lift Mjolnir by lifting the table upon which it rests which has Skye Laughing when the gauntlet is thrown down.

Stark apparently having decided he didn't want to continue making a fool of himself and finally realising that neither Natasha nor Skye have even attempted to lift the hammer says "come on Spidey, Quake if you're going to sit there laughing at me you might as well give it a go."

Natasha smiles as she says "unfortunately for you Stark that's not a question I need answered, I'm gonna pass."

Thor looks at Skye and says "What about you lady Skye, care to test your mettle."

Skye is just about to decline when she sees stark doing an imitation of a chicken and decides bugger it, getting up she walks past Tony and right up to the Hammer, looking down at it, it doesn't seem that heavy, I mean surely such a small object can't weigh that much right. As she reaches down to place her hand upon the well-worn leather grip she feels a small electric surge drawn forth from the weapon and up her arm. Then firmly braced Skye pulls and to everyone's surprise especially Thor`s the Hammer lifts from the table and Skye finds herself suddenly clad in a form of strange metal armour and sporting a bright blue cape.

Without even a moments hesitation Skye walks over to Thor then with a flick of her wrist she offers back to him the hammer but to her surprise Thor will not take it he merely looks at her and says "there is much more to you than meets the eye Lady Skye, I first suspected as much when you told me the story of your soul mark, but now I am certain, Mjolnir has named you worthy to bear her into combat, she is yours now."

Skye looks at Thor and says "Thor, Mjolnir may have deemed me worthy to wield her but she still calls for you, I can feel it as surely as I can feel my own breathing, please, take her."

Tony looks incredulously on as Thor says "I shall take her back on one condition three days hence when I return to Asguard you and Natasha must accompany me that we might learn more of your origins."

Looking over to Natasha who despite seeming a little shocked at her girlfriend's ability to lift the hammer is giving her a look saying it's her decision Skye says "agreed" and hands Thor Mjolnir

Tony takes one look at what is happening then in an incredulous voice asks "Just like that, you give it back just like that, no lightning or anything."

Smiling slightly at Tony Skye says "Just like that, and Tony."

"Yeah?"

"Nah nah na na na na." Skye singsongs before walking over to Natasha and taking her girlfriends hand saying "Well as much fun as this was I'm tired g`night."