"You are officially a SHIELD agent" Hill said formally as Veronica exited the medical room.
"You sure you don't need to take any more tests? Want to check my spleen for a foreign disease or chop off a toe for extra DNA?" She rolled her eyes as she zipped up her new jumpsuit with The Avengers emblem on the left side of her chest. "This is a little much, don't you think?" She asked.
Hill smirked. "Time to meet your teammates"
"That was quick" Veronica sighed.
"Just remember Veronica, you're not here to make friends. Just be quiet and stare straight ahead…" Her mind said.
Hill escorted Veronica to a room down the hallway. Slowly opening the door, Veronica took a deep breath, peeking inside. Gracefully, she swayed inside the room just as Fury spoke her name.
"This is your new team member, Agent Veronica Grace" Fury smiled and pulled out a hand to introduce her as Veronica entered the room, all eyes laid on her.
Veronica stood tall and proud beside Fury with curiosity planted on her face. She gave a curt nod towards the team with a smile that came and went faster than the wind.
Everyone sat in silence, analyzing the girl that stood before them.
"Nice to meet you" Natasha spoke first, standing up and extending a hand.
At first, Veronica hesitated, but she slowly grasped Natasha's hand and gave it a firm shake.
As Natasha broke the ice, each member began standing up and giving a warm welcome in their own little way. Natasha's hand shake was friendly as she gave a warm smile. Steve gave a strict and short handshake with a ma'am introduction and a respectful nod. Bruce didn't extend his hand at all as he just smiled. Thor had his arms crossed over his chest, a grin planted upon his face as he spoke in old English. Clint gave a long handshake with a grimace. Finally, Tony stood as he fixed his collar. He clasped his hands over hers and smiled. "Refreshing to have someone new on the team. I was getting tired of Mr. Red White and Blue, over there" He chuckled as Veronica let a smirk slip.
Veronica found herself losing her hard façade. She couldn't pretend to be someone she wasn't. Besides, these guys didn't look too bad…
Steve shot Tony an annoying look. "Isn't it a little early for your remarks, Tony?" He sighed.
"Just playing with ya, old man" Tony chuckled and finally let go of Veronica's hands.
Fury rolled his eyes and dismissed everyone.
"Tony, come back here" Fury scowled as Tony stopped in his track, a roll of the eyes coming next.
"Yes, sweetheart?" He asked, glancing at Veronica to see another smirk. This time a cute scoff was attached to it.
"As you know, because of your little endeavor with your suits: you know, blowing them all up" Fury sighed. "You are now just a consultant for The Avengers, and you pretty much do whatever I ask you to"
Tony put a hand up, stopping him. "Wow, that's a no" He sighed quickly. "You're taking advantage of my good nature. Ever since I had my life changing moment, you've been using me. It hurts, really it does" Tony pouted as Fury rolled his eyes.
"Don't pull that crap, Tony. I need you to work with me without any snide remarks…just for once" He rubbed his temples as a raging headache erupted in his skull.
Tony looked at Fury, waiting for his request.
"Aren't you going to say anything?" Fury asked impatiently.
"You told me not to say any snide remark, which is basically impossible with me, so I stopped talking" Tony smirked playfully.
Fury grimaced. "I need you to house Agent Grace"
Veronica quickly looked at him with a shocked expression "Sir, that's not necessary, I don't want to be a bother…" She began.
"It's no trouble at all, really. You don't have any other place to stay and my home is completely protected with 24 hour security and a talking computer that does whatever you want. By the way, his name is Jarvis. You'll love it" He chuckled as Fury frowned.
"Just keep her safe" Agent Fury warned. "Good luck, Agent Grace…You'll need it" Fury shook his head and exited the room.
Veronica bit her lip as silence filled the room. Tony began stroking his goatee as he stared at the girl.
"Should we be going?" Veronica asked.
"Oh, yea, sure. I was just wondering…are those the only clothes you own?" He questioned, sharing eye contact with her.
Veronica looked down at her SHIELD uniform and gently touched the collar, stroking the fabric. "My other clothes are in North Carolina…" She trailed off.
Suddenly, she felt a warm grasp take her hand.
"I'll get you more clothes, don't even worry about it" Tony looked at her seriously. "Well, I suppose we should get you home" Tony led her outside. "Oh, and please don't be all awkward, my house is your house. Mi casa es su casa" He smiled as they stepped in his beautiful sports car.
They traveled quietly, until Tony could no longer take the five minutes of silence.
"Okay, awkward" He grinned, looking at her.
"So…what's up? How's life?" He asked nonchalantly, hearing a chuckle escape her.
"Ah, a noise!" He grinned, making her chuckle with a smile.
He gave a fake gasped. "And you smile, too! It's a miracle" He spoke sarcastically as Veronica rolled her eyes with a smile still growing from her lips.
"How old are you?" He questioned.
"26" She cleared her throat, then spoke as she fidgeted with the sleeves of her uniform. "You?" She finally asked.
"38" He chuckled and looked at her. "I'm older, I win" He winked.
Veronica chuckled and watched him drive as silence developed once more.
"Alright…let's play twenty questions. I'll go first" He cleared his throat.
"What's your favorite animal?" He asked.
Veronica looked at him, her large brown orbs soaking in his kind image. This wasn't the horrid Tony Stark she had heard of or expected. He really had changed…
"Panda bear" She said with a gentle smile.
Tony smirked. "I'm trying to get sentences out of you" He laughed. "Favorite food?"
"My favorite food is cheese pizza" She snidely remarked with a chuckle.
Tony rolled his eyes. "Ha, ha. Very funny" He smirked. "Favorite color?
"Pink. Specifically, hot pink"
"Those are plain answers, not gonna lie" He chuckled.
"I'm a plain girl" She shrugged, looking out the window.
"You don't seem all that plain…" He began, cautiously looking at her.
Veronica looked at him with a curve of her lips. "If you say so"
Tony looked her up and down and smiled. "Do you have a hobby? I spend all my hours creating Iron Man suits…well, I used to. I'm kind of rebuilding my lab since some terrorists blew up my old house, but whatever!" He shrugged.
"Music" She smiled once more.
"Music? What do you do?"
"Sing…play…create" She smiled as she traced the edges of his car with her finger.
Tony watched her, mesmerized by her every little notion. A few minutes later, Veronica caught him. "What?" She asked, a blush appearing on her face.
"I…I'd like to hear you one day, ya know, your singing" He gave a curt nod and looked back at the road, clearing his throat.
Veronica smiled as the car ride continued in a comfortable silence.
