Chapter 9- Finding strength

Tony look at the woman shooting the targets in the shooting room, hitting every single one of them right in the middle, the loud almost angry flying noises of the knives, clearly visioning the angry blonde pulling the trigger. Steve walked as in as well. She couldn't see them, being on another room, but they could see her train by the glass doors.

"Was he married?" Steve asked Tony as the man was still thinking about Fury's words.

"No. There was a uh...cellist, I think." After some seconds he adds without taking his eyes from the blonde. "There was only her." He says his eyes fixed on Helena as she kept shooting and shooting and shooting.

"I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man."

"He was an idiot."

"Why? For believing?"

"For taking on Loki alone."

"He was doing his job."

"He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have..."

"Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony."

"Right. How did that work for him?"

"Is this the first time you've lost a soldier?"

"WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS!" Tony says sharply. "I am not marching to Fury's fife!"

"Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list..."

"He made it personal." The female voice makes them both turn to see Helena there. She still had the same cargo pants and tank top, a white band air around her left arm from where she was hurt. And blood, lots of blood stained in her core area. Coulson' blood. Her uncle's blood. The woman didn't even clean the blood or at least change the top. It made it somehow more real and dark.

"Helena." Steve says walking to her but she cuts him with a sharp look not wanting people to give her condolence right now.

"He made it personal." She almost spats the words again both man shocked with her anger but understanding her pain.

"That's not the point." Steve tried to say it as softly as he could. She hated it.

"That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why?"

"To tear us apart."

"He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right?" She asks both men, getting their attention and surprise by her well construct thought. "That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience."

"Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard."

"Yeah." Tony says realizing the line of thoughts. "That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered..." then Tony comes to some realization. "Sonofabitch!"

Avengers

She walks to her room, the one Fury told her she could change. Everyone was preparing for battle but she didn't know what to wear really. She was just so tired of losing. That is what happen in the last 10 years of her life. She just lost it, all the time. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." She saw Nick look at her still in her dirty clothes and walk inside. "I'm just getting changed."

"That is why I am here." He says as he walks to a close door and open it with his id card the door open and divides into too and she saw the mannequin with a suit: a different suit.

The charcoal grey acrylic blend wet top of the suit featured a round neck, front concealed zip up and short sleeves. The zip went to her belly allowing some cut that show skin but still cover everything, she also knew it would make it easy to move, more flexible. The bottom part are black knickers shorts with side panels in the same grey of the top, pulled together by a belt with 3 grey daggers each at each side. Next she could see in another mannequin she could see a waterfall black jacket and black over the knee boots personalize: one boot has a gun and the other had a small bag probably with small explosives inside. Next were leather gloves that let the fingers free.

"Phil thought you would like another suit. One of a kind." He says with a ghost smile one that she shares with him.

"Thank you."

"I have something too."He noticed him pulling large case and putting on a table next to them. She walks there and opens as she sees two beautiful swords in grey tones. Amazing art work.

"They beautiful." She can't help but touch them.

"And very old. That is one of the finest work you will find. I know you would prefer it to guns and it's a way to remember them." She smile at him knowing them would be her birth parents. "You also have a present." He says as he point to the small box next to the gloves with a letter next to it. "I will give you privacy."

"Uncle Nick." She calls with a tone that made her look younger than she is, something that never happens, since her voice always carried the things she has seen in her life making her sound much older. "Thank you."

"Always." He says living her. She takes the box and the letter and sit on the bed opening it.

Dear Elizabeth. You have no idea I am writing these to you. Actually you are in the living room dancing in your ballet uniform (I know it's not an uniform, but give your father a little break).

She lets a little smile appear in her face at this as she realizes the letter is not from any of her uncles, like she expected but her father.

You have no idea I am writing these to you and I know your mother will kill me if she finds out I'm writing a goodbye letter, but I know she wrote to one too. I helped her.

Yes she read that letter, the letter that explain to her the truth, about her being adopted and the real jobs her family had and has.

This is different. I just have to tell you something. You're a special girl, I am not saying this just because you're my daughter but because I always knew you were special. You're bright and beautiful and strong. I know you are, your mother and I couldn't be more proud of you.

Last week I watched you in the front seat with your mother, you were the perfect picture of a ballerina, but I know inside of you, you are more than that. You're destiny for greatness. And If I never got a change to tell you this, I am truly sorry and I will forever regret it. I know you once said ballet as your life… but I want you to know you can be anything you want, you don't need to focus your life in just one aspect because you are capable of anything you put your mind into and I hope one day you realize it. And I just wish to be there to see.

You're going to London, and I will miss you, and probably sent undercover agents to live next to you for protecting, I already talk with Nick and he agrees, you are far too precious to get hurt. But I know life. And I know someday, somehow you will get hurt, we all do. I just hope you can move past the hurt and use it as strength, and if it is a boy use that strength on him, punch him right in the nose, just like I taught you baby girl.

She lets out a small laugh as she tastes salty tears for the first time. That was such a thing her father would say.

I love you Helena Elizabeth Coulson. You are the light to your mother and I. Our most precious thing. But I know your mother tells you this every night before you go to sleep. I know that light will always be inside of you no matter what, but I also know that with life darkness tends to come too. But just because you have a little bit of darkness in you doesn't mean your light is gone. The world needs both. Inside the box there is a present that I hope I can give it to you before you go to London, if you reading this it means I never got a change to give it to you in your last performance here.

She opened the box and saw it: a perfect mask. A black swan mask.

I know this isn't the play you're performing this week but I know it is one of your dream roles and when I saw this mask I couldn't help but think if you. I know you won't always be the little girl who asks me to dance with her in the living room on top of my feet so you won't look too little. But that is the memory I will carry of you for the rest of my life.

I love you my little ballerina and I hope one day you get to wear this mask and it allows you to see how strong and amazing you are. No matter how you chose to wear it and no matter the bad choices you make in your life, I will always love you. Because I know that no matter what you always have light inside of you. I hope I get to tell you this next time I see you but I will tell you now: me and your mother, we might have our jobs that might look like something out of normal, but in the end we are ordinary people. You're on the other hand are extraordinary.

With all the love possible.

Your papa.

She used her hands to wash out the tears from her face as she looked up with her lips pressed and close her eyes. the images of them dancing in the living room while her mother smiled from the kitchen warmed her heart and when she open them again, she found the strength that she needed for what was coming next.

She was ready for battle.