The One with the Morning After

September 5, 2013

Clint's first thoughts were that he didn't recognize the bed. Then, he saw the naked brunette beside him...Wanda.

Phil wasn't going to like this.

Except he and Phil had broken up.

He groaned. The entire thing was stupid. Bits and pieces came back to him. Wanda had been amazing.

Still, it had been a mistake; a horrible mistake. What was he going to do?

"Anyone talk to Phil?" Pepper asked while she rolled up her pantyhose over her legs. It hid the fact that she didn't feel like shaving today.

"No, I don't think so," said Tony before shaking his head and buttoning up his shirt.

"I'll talk to him later-"

"Not at school," Tony reminded her.

"I'm not an idiot," she complained.

"Barton apparently is," Tony spoke.

"Are we sure he hasn't been switched with an alien?" Pepper asked.

"No, but we could always cut him and see what color his blood is to be sure," Tony teased.

"Depending on my mood after talking to Phil, I might take you up on that offer," Pepper said with a smile.

"What are your lunch plans?" Tony asked.

"Rae," she answered. "I think they're trying for a baby."

"So soon?" Tony asked.

"It's been seven months," Pepper answered with a shrug.

Bruce wanted to talk to Phil. He knew it wasn't the best time but he just found out about Jennifer and that wasn't something they should have kept from him. After knocking, he simply went inside the unlocked door before being surprised at who was behind the desk.

"Yeah, I don't like this either, but Coulson is off with Peter and his gang so here I am. What did you need, Banner?" Maria Hill asked.

"Jennifer, my cousin. You never saw fit to...to tell me? Were you ever planning on telling me?" Bruce asked.

"It's a delicate situation. Obviously, we didn't want to upset you..."

"Yes, me finding out at a party was so much better. If something had gone wrong, I'm sure the Scarlet Witch would have appreciated your planning," Bruce retorted. "I thought I was saving her life, not dooming her."

"Yes, your blood infected your cousin but it's not the same. Her body mass increase isn't as great and she remains in more control. She can even speak full sentences. It's really not so bad," Maria tried to tell him. He didn't want to believe her but Jennifer hadn't seemed that angry or upset with him last night.

"Look, I'm sorry we didn't tell you. There are a lot of things I'd do differently but in the end, it's the Director's call," Maria spoke. "Honestly, I feel like the third wheel sometimes. I think they have their secret language."

"In 'sirs' and 'yeps'," Bruce joked and she smiled. He wasn't about to let her off the hook but he did understand being the third wheel. Then, he noticed the dress hanging up. "What's that for?"

"I'm supposed to be attending a state dinner tonight but my boyfriend dumped me this morning, his loss," she explained although he could tell that it still hurt. Part of him wanted to stop him from what he did next.

"I happen to not be doing anything tonight," he told her. Her blue eyes were intrigued, then confused.

"Do you have a suit?" she asked.

"I can borrow one from Tony. He likes dressing me up," Bruce answered and she laughed.

"Fine, come back here after the last bell."

Clint had tried Phil's cell all day to no avail so he had decided to do the direct approach of going to his apartment building. Just a couple of minutes later, Phil arrived and Clint walked over to him.

"No, not right now," Phil told him. He had never heard him use such a cold tone to him before.

"Please-."

"Please? You should have thought of that last night at the party," Phil told him. A shiver ran through Clint.

"You know?"

"Yeah, teenager girls don't keep secrets well and Ava was very upset about seeing you go into a private room with the hostess," Phil spoke. "I guess she felt some sort of loyalty."

It was his normal quiet form of speaking that was really getting to Clint. He wanted to get yelled at. He wanted Phil to be angry at him. He deserved it.

"I slept with her," he admitted. "I'm sorry."

Phil turned around without another word and went for the front doors. Clint followed after him.

Pepper knocked on the door although it might be too early for Phil to be back yet. The door opened and she saw Natasha there as well as Thor and Jane.

"I've only just arrived. He's not here yet," she said and Pepper came in.

"I wanted to see how Son of Coul was," Thor spoke.

"Have you talked to him yet?" she asked. Natasha shook her head.

"He hasn't been at SHIELD all day," she told Pepper and then, her phone vibrated. She took it out and read the message. It was strange.

"Peter sent Tony a text message and now he wants me to call him back," Pepper explained. Natasha's phone chirped and she took it out.

"Text message from Fury. Phil and Clint are heading this way," Natasha explained.

"Both of them?" Pepper asked. Then, they could hear them through the door.

"Come on, Phil! Talk to me! Please!" Clint begged.

"I can't talk to you. I can't even look at you right now," Phil spat.

"Bathroom!" Pepper announced and they all ran for the door that was ajar. In her hurry, she ran straight into a body that was already there as Jane shut the door.

Loki tried to say something with a mouth full of toothpaste that Pepper couldn't understand.

"Brother, you've returned!" Thor exclaimed and went to embrace him. Loki pushed him away, spat out the toothpaste and rinsed his mouth.

"Why is everyone invading my personal bathroom time?" Loki asked.

"Just get away from me," Phil said through the door. Even Loki appeared to be listening.

"No, it was a mistake! I made a mistake! Okay?" Clint argued.

"A mistake? You had sex with someone else," Phil announced and everyone in the bathroom gasped.

"Please not Wanda, please not Wanda," Natasha whispered.

"But she's the Scarlet Witch, she has powers..."

Natasha didn't even hide her cringe.

"Spill," Pepper demanded.

"I like Wanda, or I did...not sure now but she is very powerful and she's the daughter of Magneto..."

Pepper felt like she should know the name. Jane, Thor and Loki were complete blanks.

"He's one of the most powerful mutants in the world," Natasha told them.

"I thought Charles was," Pepper spoke.

"They used to be an item once upon a time," Natasha answered and held up her hand. Phil was speaking again.

"So, she was a better lover?" he asked.

"Tell him no," Jane whispered.

"No, she was just...different," Clint answered. "She meant nothing to me."

"So it was your usual upset fuck?" Phil asked.

"You broke up with me," Clint suggested. "Peter sees you more than I do."

"Because that's my JOB. You knew that from Day One. You knew how much I care about my work, that's what I am. Who convinced them you should be part of the Initiative? Who saved your asses over Budapest? Who backed up your decision about Natasha? I did. That's what I do." Phil spoke, "I suggested a break. I didn't say a permanent one but maybe...maybe that's what needs to happen."

"Phil, please..."

"No, Clint, you ruined it," Phil spoke so low they could barely hear it. Pepper kept waiting for some magic moment when they would make up and remember how much they loved each other. She hated the fighting.

"I made a mistake."

"We both did but your mistake can't just be undone," Phil pointed out.

"Just tell me what to do. You're right, you're always getting me out of messes," Clint spoke. Pepper wasn't sure what to do so she put an arm around Natasha. The other woman didn't shrug it off.

"Not this time," Phil told him.

"I could possess him again," Loki whispered. Pepper was a little ashamed at how slow they were to admonish the idea. The realization hung heavy in the air that they had all considered it.

"If I had access to the time machine at SHIELD, I'd go back and fix it. I'd do anything," Clint pleaded.

"They have a time machine?" Loki asked.

"No," Thor told him and Natasha groaned along with a Russian curse under her breath. There was the sound of a scuffle.

"No, you can't just kiss me and make it all better. It doesn't work like that. I just keep thinking about it," Phil complained. "I think you should go."

"Phil-"

"Please, please just go," Phil pleaded. Pepper could tell they were crying by their voices and she closed her eyes. She felt Natasha put an arm around her and draw her closer.

"I'm sorry," Clint sobbed and they heard the door shut.

"I'm sorry, too," Phil agreed and they heard a different door shut.

"We should probably wait, make it seem like we didn't listen to all of it," Jane suggested. A couple of uncomfortable minutes passed.

"Brother, is it true that you went to Asgard disguised in a cloak and visited no one? It is what Sif claims," Thor spoke.

"She told you then? I saw her following me," Loki acknowledged. "She did get one detail wrong. There were two I visited in Asgard."

"Who?" Thor asked and Pepper wondered if he'd even answer. Loki wore his twisted smile.

"Sleipnir and Fenrir," he replied and Thor looked away. Pepper tried to hide her surprise. She knew that certain aspects of the mythology were real but she wouldn't have guessed those.

"Being that I live here, I am going to leave and the rest of you can follow suit," Loki suggested and opened the door. Pepper rushed for the hallway and the security of the elevator. When the others didn't follow soon enough, she closed the door. Everything felt like too much. The elevator was barely on its way when it stopped again and Nick Fury entered. Pepper wasn't sure what to say. How much had he heard since he lived below them?

Halfway through the ride, Fury coughed.

"I know I have a reputation for being insensitive but I really did think they'd make it," Fury spoke. "I was hoping they would."

They rode to the ground floor and went their separate ways. Pepper headed for the closest bench and sat on it. The day was overwhelming and she wanted a moment to collect her thoughts. A toad hopped past.

"You neglected to mention the fact that the dinner was in Washington," Bruce pointed out as they sat surrounded by various people recognizable from C-SPAN.

"Oops," Maria said with a smile. "There comes a point where you just don't notice anymore. I just accept that I'm in Washington tonight. I'll be back in New York tomorrow and probably in London or someplace the day after that."

"And you enjoy that? I always wanted stability. I wanted roots," Bruce spoke.

"Wanted?" Maria asked.

"Doesn't really matter anymore what I wanted, I just have to live one day at a time. No planning...and I hate it," Bruce complained.

"I was always goal oriented. As long as I got what I wanted in the end, it was worth it. I still think that way. It's just a little harder to visualize. I'm already number two. My main problem right now is respect since Fury doesn't always treat me like his number two," Maria explained.

"Because he has Phil," Bruce stated.

"Right, and you don't even know the half of it. I've been here thirteen years. Phil's been here eleven, but Nick's been grooming Phil since he joined the Army over thirty years ago. Phil just didn't know it at first," Maria spoke. Bruce shook his head. It sounded absolutely crazy and completely believable from Nick Fury.

"What are you going to do?" Bruce asked.

"Not sure, I need something big. Something that will get me noticed and make everyone respect me," Maria spoke. Bruce picked up his wine and drank some.

Natasha exited the building and spotted Pepper on a bench. She assumed that she'd left long ago so it was a little odd. Natasha sat down beside her.

"Did you talk to him?" Pepper asked.

"He was pretty out of it. There was a drinking contest, or it turned into a drinking contest. Jane's passed out on the couch. With any luck, he'll forget we overheard anything or not care," Natasha told her.

"Are you going to talk to Clint?" Pepper asked.

"Maybe, they're both being stubborn," Natasha answered. "It's what Clint typically does when something bad happens. Find someone and have sex with them."

"You think there's something else?"

"I think things were getting serious and Phil got scared," Natasha uttered.

Pepper knew very few things could scare Phil but maybe the other woman was right. When Natasha was about to leave, she stopped her. "It's been a rough day; Phil and my lunch about baby things and everything else but there is one thing it made me realize. I want you to find them."

It took a moment for Natasha to remember since their conversation had been a year and a half ago.

"You want me to find your real parents?" Natasha asked. Pepper nodded.

"And don't let anyone else know about it. I'll tell them when or if there's something to tell," Pepper told her.

"Call Tony. He's texted me twice asking about you," Natasha complained. "And I can't promise you anything soon even with all the databases we have."

Pepper understood. It was a long shot but it was the best chance she had.