"Anyone care to explain why there's a smoking heap of bricks where there used to be a warehouse and I didn't get to help blow it up?" Tony asked petulantly, throwing himself unceremoniously onto the couch.
"You couldn't have handled it." Lyvia winked at him.
"Seriously, though, what the hell went down?" Sam asked, perching on the arm of Lyvia's chair.
"We eliminated a threat." Nat said tersely.
"Eliminated a… you mean you killed her?" Sam asked, sounding a little disbelieving.
"She means I killed her." Lyvia said clearly.
Sam looked down at her in shock. She couldn't even bring herself to look at Rogue. Silence rang across the room. When Lyvia couldn't stand it anymore, she shoved to her feet and darted toward the nearest exit.
Rogue's voice stopped her, "Good."
Lyvia turned slowly, "Good?"
Rogue nodded, "I heard what she said same as you. And… I don't know how much you know about my powers, but… I don't just pull energy. When it's another mutant I pull their power too. And whoever it is… it's almost like I get a peek into their head. Hers scared me. She wouldn't have stopped. And we couldn't have helped her if she'd wanted to stop."
Lyvia had been so focused on Rogue she didn't notice Sam had come up to her until he took her hand, "I'm with the kid. That bitch had to go. I was just surprised… and kinda pissed I didn't get to do it myself."
Lyvia shook her head vehemently, "I'm not under any impression that you don't have blood on your hands… you're a soldier. But I don't ever want to see you kill like that. You're better than that. The heat of battle is one thing. But this… I had the option to bring her back alive. I decided not to. You're better than that. Promise me."
Sam smiled and leaned down to kiss her gently, "I promise."
Clint's wolf whistle broke the moment.
Lyvia spun toward the couch where he was perched, "Nat, how do you feel about actually being a widow?"
Clint's eyes went wide, and he made the wise choice to run before Lyvia could get any closer. He spent a week hiding out in air vents and rafters after that.
Logan and Rogue were settled into a room on Sam and Lyvia's floor, and Rogue was very, very slowly making progress with controlling her power.
"You want to get married?!" Lyvia asked, not even caring how shocked she sounded, "Now? We could be dead tomorrow. Incoming massive alien invasion, remember?"
Sam grinned and shrugged, "Seize the day, right?"