SIX
She felt eyes on her again and she looked up from the book in her hands to find the tall and muscular blond male watching her intently, a look of curiosity in his blue eyes as he did so. Catherine went to look back down at the book she was reading but for a second, her gaze lingered in his and again, she could not shake the feeling of nostalgia and of deja vu that overcame her every single time she happened to be around him. She could tell by the tension in the room that he felt it too, even if he never mentioned it.
"What's that look for?" she broke the silence between them by finally asking the question. Pietro's eyes fixed on her again, he'd looked away a second, at the tv set, and he coughed a little, answering quietly, "Nothing."
"Oh." Catherine bit her lower lip, the feeling of disappointment and embarassment at herself for even asking in the first place because why would he be looking at her in a certain way? She shook her head at herself and pulled the throw blanket on the couch around herself and to her shock, she looked over to find him sitting right next to her, looking at his hands, he'd literally used his super speed to move and she hadn't even seen the usual blue silver blur that occurred when he did that.
"Pietro?"
The blanket was wrapped around her tightly and she wondered for a second how he guessed that she liked it wrapped the way he had, but instead of asking, she managed to quietly mumble a thank you and then he grabbed the remote, turning on the television set. The door banged shut and she heard her father in the kitchen, she turned slightly to look back an d see what he was doing, and all Pietro could do was sit there, watch her and think about what he was becoming more and more certain of by the day; that he was remembering her from before the Sokovian Incident and that she may very well be having his baby.
He forced himself to look back at the tv set and Catherine took the remote from his hands, her hands lingering over them as she sort of looked at him a second or two. "You don't mind, right?" she asked, licking her lips as he shook his head. "No."
"Good because Scream is on and I love that show."
The room fell silent again and while she was caught up in watching Scream, Pietro watched her, quietly, trying to figure out whether he needed to address this tension between them or the fact that he felt like he knew her from before. The words weren't coming as usual.
Clint cleared his throat, shooting Pietro a look and Pietro scooted over a little. Clint spoke up from the doorway, "How'd it go enrolling today, Cat?"
"It went. I wound up having to sign up for more courses than I thought I would. But I'm back in college and I'll be in their nursing program by next fall."
"Just don't work yourself too hard, kiddo." Clint ruffled his daughter's hair and then said quietly, "It's getting kinda late." as he gave Pietro a look and then asked, "Is Wanda coming back out here tonight or is she staying at the compound with Vision?"
"I think she is staying there tonight." Pietro answered, looking up at Clint but not moving an inch closer to or away from Catherine. If what he suspected were true, things were going to be complicated enough when they did finally come out and he might as well stand his ground now.. Not that he was trying to alienate the man or anything, he wasn't, but he was going to prove that he was not like this Baron guy she'd talked about a lot recently had been… To her father and stepmother and to Catherine herself.
Clint eyed Pietro but after grumbling he told them both, "Don't stay up all night watching tv. Some of us have training starting tomorrow." as he gave a pointed look to Pietro who nodded. As Clint left the room, Catherine turned to Pietro and asked quietly, "So you're going to join the team too?"
"Yes, my sister and I."
"Be careful. It's dangerous work." Catherine puzzled over the moment of fear and panic she felt at his answer, but she pushed it to the bottom of her mind and tried to go back to her book again. When she looked up, their eyes met again and he looked like he wanted to say something.
"What?"
"Just thinking about how stupid this Baron person was." Pietro blurted, watching her eyes and then her lips as he spoke. She raised a brow and then asked, "Why?"
"Because he just walk out."
"Trust me, I'm not that great. And he's not the first one.. There's the other guy, my baby's actual father, remember me telling you about him? If I were so great, one or the other would've stuck around.. Hell, my mom wouldn't have run out either. Or gotten killed when she was about to leave my dad and I."
"Why do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Blame yourself for other people and their obvious stupidity." Pietro asked, holding her gaze as he waited on an answer.
"Because it just seems to fit."
"It is stupid." Pietro muttered, shaking his head as he found himself moving closer, tilting her chin up so that she had to put down her book and look at him. Catherine raised a brow again and then said quietly, "It's not if I actually feel like it's true, okay?"
"It is not true.. At least not in one case.. Maybe this other guy, maybe he had no choice.. Maybe he would have much rather been with you than where he went." Pietro muttered, his eyes locked on hers. Catherine raised a brow but she found herself leaning in, hesitantly.
"Yeah, well, I could argue that he could have stayed, that there's always a choice but.. We weren't officially a thing to begin with, and I have no right to be upset about it.. It's what whirlwind relationships are.. They're great, they make you feel alive, make you crave this one person on this whole other level, maybe even make you fall in love and then they're gone."
She went to get off the couch because the show had just ended but Pietro grabbed her wrist carefully and then stood, asked quietly, "Do you want to go for a walk around outside?"
"It's late? And dark?"
" I want to look at the stars." he muttered, taking her, leading her out the back door of the farmhouse. They walked around the yard quietly, Pietro telling her quietly, "There is something.. I feel like we've met before.. The doctors tell me my memory will return and lately, it has.."
"That's great."
"I keep remembering things about you.. And me.. But I can't have met you until now.. I mean I don't think I could have." Pietro blurted it out, stopping their walk to look at her, gauge the expression on her face.
Catherine considered what he said and then answered quietly, "You feel familiar to me.. I've said it before and I keep telling myself that there's no way it's possible but.. You remind me so much of the guy I think might be my baby's father, I just… And I had this dream one night.." as she stopped herself from saying too much.
She felt the ripple across her abdomen and out of reflex, she grabbed his hand, putting it against her rounded tummy, looking up at him for a few quiet seconds. "They're active tonight.. I swear it feels like he or she is running a marathon in there tonight.."
She kept quiet on the part that the baby seemed to get more active when she was around him lately, because that would just be strange to tell someone and between the two of them, especially after everything that had just been said, things didn't need to be stranger at the moment..
Okay, so.. I've had 2 reviews and quite a few favorites and follows and all of you are dear to my heart for continuing to read my cliche and crappy little attempt at bringing Pietro back and giving him fluff; albeit in a weird sort of way. Things are sort of revealed in this chapter, and there was a little bit of Clintasha as well as a fluffy moment or two between Pietro and Catherine.
But... there could possibly be dramatic things around the corner for these two. And angst far off in the future, because he kept things and... we all know what happens when secrets come out, yeah? Anyway, I LOVE YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING, FAVORITING AND FOLLOWING. MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW.
