Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel. I don't own Jason Mraz's song (used below) entitled "Only Human". Only Stella and the plot are mine!
Are you a riddle to solve all along?
Or am I over-thinking thoughts?
I'm human after all,
Only human, made of flesh, made of sand,
Made of human.
Stella followed on the back of Natasha's heels like a lost puppy. The assassin rolled her eyes with a smile and turned around too fast for Stella to anticipate. The tiny star woman ran into the Black Widow's strong frame and stumbled backwards. She grinned bashfully and rubbed the back of her head.
"I apologize, Natasha."
The red head smiled faintly, "It's okay, Stella. Why are you following me though?"
Stella glanced down at the black go-bag Natasha held at her side and immediately her silvery grey eyes filled with tears. Natasha's gaze softened as she watched Stella look to the ground and wring her hands out nervously. The way that Stella mirrored the shyness of Bruce was always endearing to the assassin.
"It's just..." Stella sighed and looked up, "I will miss you."
Natasha set down her bag and held her arms open. Stella rushed forward and clung to her in a very tight, slightly wet hug. She pulled away and frantically tried to wipe the tears off of Natasha's leather jacket.
In the past few months after the attacks on Stark Tower 2.0 and Staten Island, Natasha had begun to realize the importance of the people around her. On the outside she still kept up her cool exterior, but on the inside she found herself feeling things she had never felt before.
All of a sudden Thor was hysterical, Clint was her rock (although maybe she had known that all along), Tony was (slightly more) bearable, and Stella was irreplaceable. She couldn't imagine not seeing Bruce's quirky shyness around everybody including his pink haired sweetheart and not a day went by that she wasn't thankful that Steve was around to keep the team grounded and not at each other's throats too much.
When Natasha had thought Stella had died -sacrificed herself for people who she had always defended and called family- something had changed inside of her. The feeling of loss that had washed over her had been so immense that she hadn't even thought twice about falling to her knees and holding the back of Tony's shirt. She hadn't been able to take her gaze off of the rubble. She had felt herself wishing, praying that somehow some way Stella would be alive, Bruce would be alive.
Natasha had never needed anybody before.
But now she knew that she most certainly did.
And that was why she had taken to allowing Stella to hug her whenever the pink haired woman felt the need...which was more than the assassin had planned for, but again she felt that she didn't really mind. However, Stella was the only person Natasha would permit to hug her, though others had tried ("Come on, just once! No groping or ass-grabbing, I swear." "Tony, I will murder you in your sleep." "It'll be worth it.").
Natasha looked down at her doe eyed friend and gave another semi-smile, "I'll be back before you know it. It's just a small mission. In and out. Easy as pie."
Stella's eyebrows furrowed and Natasha knew exactly what the woman would say next, "Easy as pie? I do not understand how food can be a difficulty level. Unless you are speaking about making it! Because then I understand that very well."
The assassin lightly laughed at the memories of Stella attempting to learn how to cook. She had been deemed by Tony as being unworthy to wield a cooking utensil and had been forbidden from ever operating the stove, microwave, toaster, or coffee maker.
Stella pursed her lips to the side and gave Natasha a pleading look, "Promise me that you will be safe."
Natasha placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "I promise, Stell."
Stella's face lit up, "Wonderful! Then I shall walk you to the door."
The duo made their way to the front door, making small talk as they went.
Yeah, Natasha thought, I could get used to this.
Fury tidied a stack of files in his office and shifted them to the top right corner of his desk. He sighed and rubbed his good eye with the heel of his palm. This was not good; This was not good at all.
"Sir?" Maria peeked her head in. "You wanted to see me?"
He barely even looked up before grabbing the top file of the pile he had just organized and holding it out to her. She stepped into the office and came forward to accept the document. Her gaze was confused but he motioned for her to open the file with an impatient circular motion of his hand. Her eyes barely scanned through the first few lines before she looked up.
"Sir, this is my file," she stated.
"I know that."
"What- Sir?"
"Keep reading."
She brought the file back up and noticed something different on her credentials. Lowering the file she gave him a wide eyed look.
"Sir, this says I have Coulson's job."
Fury nodded, "Because you do."
Maria licked her lips, thoroughly confused, "I'm not following."
Fury turned away from her and stared off at the S.H.I.E.L.D insignia painting on his wall, "I promoted you this morning. Effective immediately."
Maria blinked, surprised and suddenly overwhelmed, "Thank you, sir. But may I ask why?"
Fury half turned towards Hill and sighed again, his chest rising and falling with a weariness that had been plaguing him for years, "Because something terrible may happen and I won't be around to stop it."
He fully turned to her then, "Melinna Von Vostokoff rubs me the wrong way. She seems too familiar to me. I don't trust her. That's why I need you to fill Coulson's position. I need you to be my eyes from the inside while I'm out."
Maria didn't know what she was going to do without Fury. It had been hard enough without Coulson but not having the both of them around to back her up was going to be damn near impossible. Especially because Fury was right - Melinna Von Vostokoff couldn't be who she said she was. The Council not answering could not have been a coincidence either.
"You have big shoes to fill, Agent Hill," Fury said as he adjusted his trench coat. "Don't let me down."
"I won't, sir," Maria replied with certainty. "Where will you go?"
Fury handed her a slip of paper with a phone number on it, "Use this only, and I mean only, in an emergency. Do not call unless you absolutely have to. Do you understand?"
Maria nodded, a little taken aback by his sternness, "Yes, sir."
He patted her on the shoulder, "Good."
Maria twisted around as Fury rounded his desk and made for the door, "Sir? Your office. Will she...?"
Fury tossed Maria a set of keys, "It's yours now, Agent Hill."
Maria caught the keys and held them to her chest, her eyes slightly widened and her jaw set tight. Fury nodded at her once before surveying his office one last time, his gaze lingering on the painting before averting back to Maria.
"Good luck," he said before disappearing down the hall.
Maria looked around the office which now felt impossibly confining and overwhelming.
"You too," she whispered into the empty room.
Tony made his way over to the U-shaped couch and plopped down next to Stella. He handed her a bowl of popcorn and propped his feet up on the coffee table in front of them. Her eyes were downcast and sad, he noticed as he looked over at her. He slung an arm around her shoulder and pulled her against his side.
"Why so glum, Starburst?"
Stella looked up at her mentor, "I am worried for Natasha."
"You were worried for her when she went away last time too. And Clint. Remember when Clint left? You dragged him back in and made him hug you like twenty times? And don't get me started on when Thor left for Washington. What a nightmare."
"I had those," she mumbled to herself.
"What I mean, Supernova, is that every time they left you were worried about them but each time they came back perfectly fine. They're highly trained assassins," he reminded her. "And a god. They've got everything under control. Romanoff will be just fine."
Stella smiled slightly at his words. Tony glanced over the couch and then looked back down at the pink haired woman leaning against him.
"And speaking of control, here comes out favorite unstable scientist now. Hey, Brucey! Pop a squat. Where have you been all day? I looked everywhere. You almost made me cry. Not very nice of you."
Bruce rolled his eyes and sat down on the other side of Stella. He grabbed her hand automatically and both of them blushed like they always did. She laced their fingers and gave him a shy yet happy smile. He returned the gesture and squeezed her tiny hand in his. Tony rolled his eyes.
"You two make me want to vomit everywhere."
"I'm not cleaning that up," Steve said as he walked into the room pulling a grossed out face.
"You'd do it and you know it," Tony retorted.
Steve sat down in a huff next to Bruce and said nothing. He was exhausted from cleaning the mansion all day. Honestly, you'd think Tony would have hired someone to do it but according to the genius he didn't like people 'snooping through his unmentionables - and I do mean my underwear drawer,' so a maid was out of the question. Steve was a little relieved about that anyway. He didn't really like the idea of servitude.
"I was doing some research," Bruce said to answer Tony's inquiry as to where he'd been all day.
"Research on what? I could have helped. I'm a genius. Do you not want to hang out with me? Stell, you might have to get me some chocolate. I'm upset now."
Stella launched herself off the couch and practically flew into the kitchen to search for chocolate for Tony. The genius blinked.
"I didn't actually mean...okay."
"It's for Stella's gift," Bruce said quietly.
Steve was confused and spoke up, "It's not even Halloween yet. I don't understand."
"Yeah, I don't follow either. I usually just give Pepper my credit card and tell her to buy something nice for herself."
Steve looked at him incredulously, "Why does she even stay with you?"
Tony shrugged, "My dashing good looks might have something to do with it."
Stella returned and dropped a myriad of chocolate bars and sweets onto Tony's lap.
"These are good, yes?"
Tony picked up a Baby Ruth bar, inspected it, and gave Stella an approving look, "You done good, kid."
Stella sat down happily and snuggled up to Bruce who blushed deeply and awkwardly put his arm around her. The smell of rain tickled his nose and he pressed his lips against her hair in a gentle kiss. The woman sighed in contentment beneath him, letting out a small giggle when he squeezed her shoulder.
Tony stuck out his tongue, "Bleh. I need a bucket."
Stella quickly stood up but Bruce pulled her down by her waist, "No, no. He was joking, Stell."
Stella looked over at Tony with a cocked eyebrow (something she definitely adopted from Natasha) and shook her head, "How was a bucket a joke? I do not understand."
Tony sighed and patted her head, "Don't worry about it."
"Worry about what?" Clint asked as he walked in. "Why is your lap filled with candy bars?"
Tony held up a Nestle's Crunch Bar, "Want one?"
Clint was suspicious but took it anyway and seated himself cross legged on the floor in front of the couch.
"Do not start the moving pictures without- oh, good. I have not missed a thing! What relief!"
Thor bounded in and Tony automatically held up another candy bar. The god accepted the chocolate with a large smile and proceeded to inspect the label.
"A Milky Way?" He looked puzzled. "I have seen this with my own eyes and it is not made of chocolate nor does it look like it would be beneficial to ingest."
"Thor," Tony pointed to a spot on the couch, "Sit. Eat. Watch moving pictures."
"Yes, of course. Splendid idea. My search for Jane has yielded no results still. I miss her more than I can bear."
Stella looked at the Asgardian, her eyes big and sad, "We will find your Jane, Thor. You should not be without the one you care so much for."
She looked at Bruce and smiled at him, squeezing his hand. He scratched his head and smiled back, giving a nervous chuckle before planting a soft kiss against her temple. He knew she understood the concept of romance and relationships (unfortunately Tony refused to teach her about the birds and the bees and literally shooed Pepper away whenever he caught wind that she was attempting to inform his little star woman) but Bruce was always so awed at how much she cared for him. It amazed him that such a beautiful creation could love someone like him. He supposed he would never get used to how lucky he was.
"Thank you, Stella," Thor said with a warm smile. "Now, what moving picture are we to watch tonight?"
Clint picked a DVD case up off the coffee table and held it in the air.
"Shutter Island?" Bruce asked. "I don't think I've seen this one."
"That's why we're watching it, you hermit," Tony said. "Also, the one guy in it totally looks like you."
Bruce furrowed his eyebrows, "He does?"
When the movie began everyone in the room's eyebrows shot up to their hairlines. Except for Tony. He had seen it coming and was smirking uncontrollably.
"That does look like you," Stella whispered.
Tony smiled to himself but, among the goodhearted cheer, he couldn't help but feel anxious for something to go wrong incredibly soon.
Happiness never seemed to last around him.
Fury approached a door that he had had to basically jump through hoops of fire to learn the location of. It had taken him years to track this place down but recently he had come across its whereabouts. He straightened his jacket and worked up the nerve to bust down the door. If he had to, that is.
He knocked three times.
There was no answer.
"Come on, you bastards," Fury called. "I know you're in there. I want to know why you didn't answer my call. Do you know how hard I've worked to be where I am? You think you can just kick me out after what I've seen?"
He stared angrily at the door but his shoulders tensed as the feeling that something wasn't quite right crept up on him.
Why had it been so easy to get into this place?
Why didn't they answer their call?
Fury lifted his boot and gave a swift, powerful kick to the hinge. The door flew open and he paused, staring in disbelief at the room before him.
The computers mounted in an arc around the room were sparking wildly. Chairs were overturned, the big conference table was coated with an unmistakable red liquid.
Fury felt his hand shake as he surveyed the bodies littered around the room, brutally murdered. He made a move to pull out his gun, but remembered that S.H.I.E.L.D had taken all of his weapons upon his leaving.
As Nick Fury looked upon the bodies of the dead Council members, he realized why it had been so easy to get into this place.
It was a trap.
"You…" was the last thing he said as realization flooded through him before he felt a taser press against his neck.
His world went black.
:D hehe...yep. Things are going to get mysterious and crazy. Sorry for the wait. Finals week is this week and I've been slowly chipping away at this chapter for the past couple of weeks since the first one came out. I have very little time to even breathe. But! It is soon going to be over! Yay! Regular updates, here we come!
This story will have more character exploration than Can You Save Me? did, if you can imagine that. I'm really excited for it and for y'all to read on! Big plans, my friends. Big plans!
As always, your reviews are so wonderful and I will never be able to thank y'all enough for your endless and continuous support!
Stay tuned :D
Nikki xx