Alright people. I found time to type this special chapter up. Hope you like it. I *cough* always *cough* love reviews *cough* :) *Cough*
Charlie stayed on the helicarrier for at least two more hours. By the end of the tour, Charlie was all but confused. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't just leave her job at the FBI, could she? She was in such a good position there that she just couldn't up and quit. She couldn't leave Harper or her apartment because she loved living in D.C. She had made no plans to leave either. But now Charlie needed to rethink everything. She left undecided and was taken back to J. Edgar. Clint told Charlie that he would stop by the office at the end of the week to get her answer.
Charlie walked into her office and sat at her desk. She ran her fingers through her hair and let out a long frustrated sigh.
"Well that was a depressing sound." Harper walked in and sat down in a chair in front of the desk. Charlie moaned and put her head down on her desk. "What's wrong, Babe?" When she didn't get an answer, she put a hand on Charlie's shoulder and shook it. "Charlie?" She waited but got no reply. "Charlotte Noel Anderson, what in God's name is wrong with you?" Charlie slowly lifted her head to look at Harper.
"I hate it when you use my full name."
"I know you do. That's why I said it. Now tell me. What's the matter?"
"Don't be mad."
"About what?" Harper said, her voice filled with suspicion.
"Promise?"
"Yes! I promise! Now tell me!"
"I was offered a job. At SHIELD. That's why that agent was here to talk to me."
"What!?" Harper stood up so fast that it didn't even register in Charlie's brain that she had done so.
"You promised you wouldn't get mad!"
"I'm not mad. Just a little shocked."
"Your facial expression reads 'mad'. You're like an open book, Harper."
"Okay maybe I'm a little…irked. Why would they do that? Don't they know that you have a perfectly fine job here? You're like one of the best agent's here!" Harper placed her hands on her hips and started pacing. Charlie smiled up at her friend.
"Thanks for the compliment. And don't worry. They are fully aware of my job here. They just think that I would be a pretty good agent there." Charlie looked down at her hands.
"What aren't you telling me?" Charlie looked up and met Harper's eyes. "Oh come on. You're not the only one that can be read like a book."
"Harper…"
"No 'buts' Charlie. Tell me." She said, placing one hand flat on the desk and leaning towards Charlie. Charlie didn't want to tell her. But she had no choice.
"Harper, there's something that you don't know about me. No one does, really. And up until today, I thought nobody else knew but me."
"Oh God. Charlie, if you're about to tell me that you haven't slept with anyone for so long because you have herpes, you can keep that to yourself. Really, I don't mind." Charlie stared at Harper in horror.
"No! I do not have herpes! Sit down because this is serious shit!" Harper sat down and looked at Charlie expectantly. Charlie took a deep breath and said, "It's easier to just show you and you better not freak out." Charlie reached in her desk drawer and pulled out a pair of scissors. Charlie laid her left hand flat on the desk and brought the scissors down on her hand with her right. Harper let out a short scream and covered her mouth with her hands, wide eyes staring at Charlie in dismay. "Harper. I have a special… ability." Charlie lifted her hand up, still holding the knife where it was.
"Theres… no blood. You're not screaming in pain or… Charlie! You just stabbed yourself! With scissors!" Charlie smiled at Harper and retracted the scissors from her hand and placed them on the desk.
"Well, you're not wrong there. And your freaking out when I asked you not to. Harper, look at my hand." Harper's eyes moved to Charlie's hand. "It's perfectly fine. I can do other things as well. Walk through solid objects, make things go through me and even make other objects pass through each other, if I'm touching it." Harper was silent, still staring at Charlie's hand. Charlie was afraid she had emotionally traumatized her friend. She probably won't be able to use scissors again. "Harper?" Her eyes slowly moved up and met Charlie's concerned ones.
"You bitch! I've known you for how long and you never told me about this?!" Charlie was unsure how to react but when Harper smiled, so did she. Charlie laughed even.
"Uhh, sorry. I think."
"Yeah that's right! I deserve an apology!" Both friends laughed together. Harper wasn't horrified. She was excited. Charlie explained to Harper about her time in the Marines and then why SHIELD offered her a job.
"Charlie. If you think it's a good idea and you might like it, then go for it. Don't worry about me. I have other friends here. They can't walk through walls or anything but I'll make do." Harper and Charlie laughed.
"I don't know, Harp. I just need time to think it over. I have until the end of the week." Charlie looked down at her desk and saw the manila folders that haven't moved since they were placed there. "Damn. I have to get started on this paper work."
"Then I will leave you to it." Harper stood and walked to the door. But before she left, she turned and looked back at Charlie. "Hey, Charles?" Charlie looked up at her friend. "Thanks for trusting me."
Charlie smiled and said, "Always."
"And don't forget about the company gathering tomorrow night at the Botanic Garden!" Harper left her office and Charlie stared after her. She had totally forgotten about that! She had a dress and everything picked out but Charlie didn't feel much like dressing up. Oh well. Charlie pushed it to the back of her mind and got to work.
Charlie was halfway done with her work when she glanced at her clock and it was 10:13. You know what they say: time fly's when you're having fun. Not. Charlie sighed and decided to do the rest of it at home. Charlie shoved the folders into her messenger bag along with her laptop and left the building. Charlie stripped her feet of her heals and walked barefoot. It was a beautiful night and Charlie tilted her head back to look at the stars. Charlie usually sat out on the fire escape outside her bedroom window and looked at the stars if it was a nice night. Sometimes she would even fall asleep outside. She loved the outdoors.
When Charlie got into her apartment, she checked her mail and went to see if she had any messages on her message machine. Her apartment was nice because she kept it that way. Right when you walk in, the apartment's living area is there with a kitchenette to the left. Her separate bedroom with a connecting bathroom was back and to the right.
Charlie dropped her stuff on the small dining table and went to go take a shower. The hot water soothed all of the knots in her shoulders, due to bending over her desk all day. Charlie dried herself off and dressed in black yoga pants and a grey tank top. She put her damp hair up into a bun. She took her contacts out and put her square thick black rimmed glasses on. Charlie liked wearing her glasses because she thought she could pull them off without looking like too much of a squint.
When Charlie got out of the bathroom, the French window was open. Charlie stopped in the doorway of the bathroom and stared at the window, trying to remember if she'd opened it or not. She hadn't. Charlie slowly walked to her bed and opened the bedside drawer and took out her extra semiautomatic handgun. She cautiously walked over to the window, gun at the ready. Charlie peered out of the window and looked up and down the fire escape. There was no one there. Charlie lowered her gun and closed the window and latched it. Charlie turned and went to put her gun away.
"Hey, there." A voice said from behind her. Charlie whirled around and raised her gun in the direction of the voice. Charlie was not expecting what she saw and had a hard time believing it too. Barton sat on the window sill; one leg bent the other hanging outside, his back resting against the frame and the window was open. He was dressed all in black gear. He grinned at her and she lowered her gun.
"How did you…"
"Get the window open? I have my ways." He said still grinning. "Paranoid?" He said indicating the gun in her hands.
"Cautious." She said. Charlie put the gun back in the drawer and walked over leaning her shoulder against the wall by the window. "What are you doing here?"
"Got done with my mission pretty early and I had nothing better to do." He said looking up at her. "I didn't know you wore glasses."
"That would be because we only met this morning." Charlie reminded him.
"Yes but SHIELD has a whole file on you full of interesting things." Charlie raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.
"Oh really? Like…"
"Like date of birth, parents names', what school's you attended, first relationship, last relationship…" he trailed off as he read the expression on her face, which was of horror.
"Are you serious? You're not serious." All he did was smile at her.
"Say yes and you can check out your own file."
"Clint, I told you. I need time to make up my mind."
"Well in that case, I lied. I am here for a reason. Fury has something to add to his offer. Once a month for one weekend, you'll be able to leave and live a normal life. If you decide to leave SHIELD, your job at the FBI will be waiting for you and you will be reinstated as a Special Agent." Charlie let this sink in for a while.
"I'll sleep on it." Charlie said pushing herself off of the wall and headed towards her bed. She starts to unmake the bed but feels a little uncomfortable with Barton watching her. She stops what she's doing and turns to look at him. "Yes?"
"What's that for?" He said pointing with a black fingerless gloved hand. Charlie looked and saw he pointed at the dress she had picked out for the company gathering.
"Oh. The FBI's having some special gathering tomorrow at the Botanic Gardens. And unfortunately, we have to dress up."
"You don't like dressing up?" It wasn't that Charlie hated dressing up it was more like she hated how time consuming it was to get ready for those types of things.
"I don't hate it, if that's what you're trying to get at." Charlie said looking at the dress.
"I think you'll look beautiful in that." He said. He turned his head and his eyes scanned her but not in a creepy way. More like he was admiring her.
"Thanks. You like to give compliments don't you?" She crossed her arms across her chest.
"Especially to beautiful women." He said with a smile playing on his lips. Charlie smiled and turned away from him mostly because she didn't want him to see her blushing.
She waited until her cheeks stopped burning to say something. "Will that be all, Agent Barton?" She turned around to look at him but he was gone. The window was shut and latched. Charlie was somewhat disappointed and she sat on the edge of her bed staring at the window. Then she laughed to herself. He called me beautiful. Charlie shook her head and got up to turn off the lights. She went to sleep, replaying the words Especially to beautiful women over and over in her head.
