Author's Note
Yeah. So, this happened. . . . Listen, I'll explain later. First things first, as far as this story is concerned, Trip, Mack, and the REAL S.H.I.E.L.D. don't exist. Oh, and Thor was visiting Jane this entire time, so he's not there yet.
Avenger's Tower
Status:
Undetermined
Time:
07:00
Skye's eyes fluttered open, immediately remembering her wonderful time with a certain assassin, and a large grin spread across her face. She looked thoughtfully at the red-headed woman that had both of her arms strung around Skye, her body curled into her taller partner and her head pressed into the brunette's abdomen. Natasha had a small smile on and her eyes were still closed, a sight that was very pleasing to Skye. Unfortunately for Skye, the two had both put pack on their clothes after . . . well, you know . . . because Natasha's room was freaking cold! Even Natasha didn't like it, and it was her room for crying out loud. They were going to need to have a talk with Stark about it; because apparently, they weren't allowed to touch the thermostat, and JARVIS wasn't listening to their incessant demands. Anyway, back to the current situation.
'Wow,'Skye thought, watching the steady rise and fall of Natasha's chest. 'My girlfriend's super-hot. Way to go, Skye! You found a nice one.'
Skye was startled out of her thoughts when an extremely cute, slightly raspy voice reached her ears. "What ya thinkin' 'bout, darlin'?" Skye had to admit. A sleepy Natasha was incredibly adorable.
The brunette glanced down at the redhead, whose eyes were now wide open. Yep. Definitely adorable. "I was just congratulating myself on taste in girlfriends."
Natasha laughed, a beautiful little sound that Skye could probably get high off of. "You're so kind."
Skye rolled her eyes. "I know, right. I'm the best."
Natasha snorted. "I'm feeling so loved."
Skye stared into her girlfriend's dazzling green orbs, the atmosphere immediately changing. "I was thinking of how amazingly beautifully gorgeous you are, inside and out. I was thinking of how much I love you."
In this moment, Skye saw Natasha vulnerable. A woman with a past worse than her own didn't really know what this kind of love was, and Skye knew that Natasha was new to this. She didn't want to mess up. Neither of them did.
Natasha looked slightly concerned as she nodded her head, her brows furrowing. "I love you too, but what's wrong, sweetheart. Tell me."
Skye sighed as Natasha moved up, and they both sat up in the bed, leaning their heads against the backboard. "You remember that nightmare earlier this morning?" Natasha nodded looking slightly confused. "Well, you were in it. We were, uh, we were standing in a forest, and it was kind of nice, just me and you staring at each other. But then, uh, this guy I know, a traitor for HYDRA, his name is Ward. He literally appeared out of nowhere, and he, uh, he shot you, and, god, sorry, I just got to—"
Natasha put her arm around her girlfriend's waste, not knowing exactly how to offer comfort in this situation. "It's okay, Skye. You can stop if you want to."
Skye shook her head, eyes glistening with unshed tears as she stared at the blurry sheets in front of her. "No. I—I have to say this. Ward shot you and you went down. I wanted to—to help you—to do something, but I just—I couldn't move or scream or anything. I just . . . stood there, staring at you. Ward, god that smug Nazi, he was, damnit, uh, he was pointing the pistol at me, talking about how he missed me and about feelings I have for him that don't exist. I was, well, a fucking idiot and decided to be a smart son of a bitch and mouthed off to him. So he, god damnit, he pulled the trigger . . . and s-shot the gun at me. Then you—you woke me up."
As soon as Skye finished Natasha enveloped her into a hug, cradling the girl whom she loved more than she had ever loved anyone before. "Shh, sweetheart, it's going to be okay." The brunette was now openly crying onto the redhead's shoulder, but Natasha didn't mind. A slightly damp sleeve was worth helping her more than slightly distraught girlfriend.
Of course, Natasha knew what it was like to feel useless. She understood Skye's pain. She had felt it herself when Skye had been shot. At that moment in time, there was nothing that she could have done, even though all she wanted was to help, to take away the hurt.
After a few moments of just being held, Skye pulled back from Natasha, immediately missing the warmth her girlfriend. She gave her a small smile as wiped at her eyes. Skye looked at a clock that sat on one of the nightstands, and, upon realizing that it was already nine o'clock, she hopped up out of bed, pretending like nothing had happened. She looked around the room a minute before she swore under her breath.
Natasha looked at her confused for a second before she asked, "Skye, what's wrong?"
Skye began tearing off her clothes as she intended to take a shower in the adjoining bathroom to Natasha's room. "Well, the only clothes I have are the ones I wore during the mission, which are a bit bloodied, and a backup tactical suit. I don't know who, but someone left me two changes of clothes both times I woke up in the med-pod. Long story short, I don't have any clean clothes today," Skye finished as she had completed the process of disrobing, leaving Natasha a bit flustered.
The redhead shook her head to rid her mind of the dirty thoughts as she too got out of bed. "JARVIS?" she asked.
The AI responded immediately with a, "Yes, Miss Romanoff. What may I do for you this morning?"
"Could you tell Pepper that we have a female guest in need of a shopping spree?" Natasha smirked a little at Skye's awestruck expression.
"Certainly, Miss Romanoff. Is that all you would like?" JARVIS asked with the most polite attitude Skye had ever heard.
"Yes. Thank you, JARVIS."
"Of course, Miss Romanoff. Have a good morning."
All Skye could do was stare at her girlfriend in shock, slack-jawed. "Why did you do that? I said I needed an outfit, not a wardrobe." she asked rather loudly as Natasha moved over to her dresser and opened one of the drawers. "I'm not about to waste Pepper's slash Stark's money."
"Relax," the redhead said as she threw a bundle of clothes at her girlfriend. "Pepper would love to buy you clothes, especially when she hears you're my girlfriend."
Skye raised an eyebrow as she slipped on the black jeans Natasha had thrown at her. "Seriously?"
Natasha glanced at her, putting on her own clothes. "Do you have a problem with anything, Skye?"
Skye shook her head. "Absolutely nothing."
Fully dressed in jeans and a dark colored t-shirt and her own black combat boots, Skye did a once-over of her girlfriend, who looked particularly beautiful that day. Natasha was wearing black skinny jeans and a deep red t-shirt, complete with brown leather boots.
Natasha smirked. "Sure. C'mon. I'm sure you're hungry. When was the last meal you ate?"
Skye dodged the question entirely and said with a huge unconvincing grin, "Let's go. Lead the way, babe. I have yet to learn my way around this place."
Natasha noticed Skye's shift in attitude, but she decided not to talk about it yet. That would be a topic for another day.
Natasha led Skye through the halls and towards the lounge area, where the Avengers tended to eat their meals, as the island/bar there was more comfortable than the formal dining room.
Upon entering the room, Skye saw that May, FitzSimmons, Steve and Banner were already awake and enjoying various types of breakfasts. Jemma and Banner were both enjoying some light toast and scrambled eggs. Fitz, being ever the childish man he was, was eating a large bowl of Lucky Charms. Steve and May were eating steaming bowls of oatmeal.
When the two entered the room, everyone's head turned to Skye, who held onto Natasha's hand, internally screaming at herself to run away; but Natasha's hand kept her there, kept her grounded.
Clearing her throat slightly, Skye pulled her girlfriend over to where Banner and Steve were sitting next to each other. "Dr. Banner," she said, "I didn't get the chance to formally meet you. Call me Skye."
Banner smiled, which was reciprocated by Skye as they shook hands. "Nice to meet you, Skye. Please, call me Bruce."
Moving to Steve, the captain spoke first, saying with a sweet smile, "It's a pleasure, ma'am. I can't thank you enough for your help during the mission. It's good to see you doing well."
Skye smiled, though her inner screams were growing in volume. "Thanks Captain, but seriously, no 'ma'am'. I'm still in my twenties. You call me 'Skye', and I call you 'Steve'. Deal?"
Steve grinned wider. "It's a deal, Skye."
Finally moving past all the people, Skye took an empty seat at the square island, pulling her girlfriend to sit at her right hand.
Natasha grabbed two plates, giving one of them to Skye before adding a helping of eggs and toast to each plate, all without letting go of her girlfriend's hand.
As Natasha began to eat, Skye grew uncomfortable in the silence that followed since they had both arrived. "So," the brunette said, directing it to the Avengers that were present and May. "What's Coulson's plan on what we do from here?"
May shook her head. "As far as I can tell, there isn't one."
Steve turned to the senior field agent. "It's likely that he's just waiting for things to calm down a bit more, to let all the changes be made first before deciding something final."
And as everyone talked, Skye casually withdrew from the conversation without anyone noticing. Well, almost everyone. What? Could you blame her? Natasha had to keep an eye on her girlfriend.
So when she saw that Skye wasn't speaking or even touching her food, she worried a little. Damn protectiveness. Natasha leaned over to whisper in her girlfriend's ear. "We will talk about this later. Until then, you should eat your food." Skye nodded weakly as she picked up a piece of toast and slowly began nibbling it, a sour look on her face.
A while after Skye and Natasha had originally entered the lounge, the rest of the team and the Avengers had migrated over to the area, some opting to sit on the couches and chairs around the large flatscreen television where some weird game show was playing.
Skye, who had only eaten half of her toast before discreetly throwing the rest away, tugged Natasha over to an unoccupied loveseat that sat in between Clint's and Stark's armchairs. Of course, just like Steve and Bruce, they had formally introduced themselves to Skye, who was still a bit awestruck at meeting the Avengers, never mind one of them being her girlfriend.
As the group sat in comfortable silence, Natasha held tightly in Skye's arms with the smaller woman sitting on the brunette's lap, Coulson spoke up from his position next to May at the breakfast bar.
"Well," he said, "since we're all here, I think now would be a good time to go over our course of action."
"Sir," said Bobbi, who was standing against one of the walls. "All things considered, I think it would be best to stay here at the Tower for a bit longer, so things can settle down some more."
Coulson nodded. "My thoughts exactly, Agent Morse. Of course, that would only happen if we were invited." He shifted his gaze to Tony. "Stark, care to invite us?"
The billionaire smiled charmingly. "Sure, Phil. You and your team can stay as long as you like. We've got plenty of rooms to spare so you don't all have to sleep on that tiny plane of yours again."
Clint chuckled. "You know, Tony, they didn't all sleep on the plane. In fact, I'm sure Tasha could testify to that one."
Everyone looked at the two girlfriends a bit sheepishly as Natasha glared fiercely at her old partner. "Thanks for that one, jackass."
Clint laughed in his seat before Skye spoke up. "It's all cool. Besides," she said, lowering her voice so only Natasha could hear, "it saves us from future questions when they hear me making love to you."
The voice sent shivers down Natasha's spine as she stole a quick peck on the lips from her girlfriend; but luckily no one noticed, because Pepper had walked in, the ding of the elevator signaling her arrival.
Skye was going to rise to greet her, since it was clear that's why the super busy business lady was there in the first place; but Natasha didn't really feel like getting up off of her girlfriend's lap, so Skye was essentially forced to sit as Pepper made her way over to the couple.
The woman was dressed in a nice, crisp, white pantsuit and black heels that clicked like nobody's tomorrow. She took one look at the ladies and instantly broke out into a grin, which was reciprocated by the two. "So you would be the 'female guest' then? Pepper Potts, but you can call me Pepper. I'm Tony's personal maid and all around caretaker."
Everyone laughed at that, except for Tony who pouted like a three-year-old, mumbling something along the lines of, "I clean up after myself."
Skye shook the offered hand, preferring to keep the other wrapped snug around Natasha. "Great to meet you, Pepper. I'm Skye. I'd get up to formally greet you, but this girlfriend of mine is entirely too stubborn."
Pepper smiled as Natasha playfully slapped Skye in the arm, though she still rose from her very, very comfortable seat, pulling the brunette up with her. "Hey, Pepper," the redhead greeted casually. "Thanks for coming on short notice."
"The pleasure's all mine. Seriously. Shopping. How could I deny such a request? Besides, writing up all of Tony's incident reports was getting really boring." She gave a little mischievous smile as she slid her expensive-looking purse back up her arm. "Anyway, I've got Tony's new Jeep® Patriot waiting for us in the garage when you're ready to go."
"I think only Skye is going with you. Is that okay with you, babe?" Natasha glanced at her girlfriend, an eyebrow raised in inquisition. With a nod in return, Natasha turned back to her friend with a smile.
Just before the two entered the elevator, Skye shot a look at Bobbi and Jemma. "Keep an eye on my girlfriend, would ya?" she said. A chuckle and a nod of the head was a sufficient answer for her as she and Pepper went down to the garage.
About fifteen minutes later, the two ladies found themselves in Abercrombie & Fitch, where just about everything was overpriced by at least twenty dollars. But, as Pepper had informed her, Stark had insisted they use his money and as much of it as they wanted since he still felt bad for not being able to really help Skye when she was shot.
"So, what kind of clothes are you looking for? Dresses, suits, casual wear, swimsuits, I'm in the dark here," Pepper said, just as they entered the store, which, to Skye's surprise, had a certain, calm air to it.
Skye laughed and smiled. "I think some everyday clothes and gym-wear is good. Maybe a pair of sneakers, too. Are you sure, Tony doesn't mind spending money on me? I mean, this place looks pretty expensive."
Pepper grinned sweetly. "It is a bit pricey; but, Skye, this is Tony Stark we're talking about. He legitimately has millions of dollars just waiting to be spent. And for a friend, which is what I am positive you are to him, he is willing to spend a few extra bucks. Now, let's hurry up and find clothes before we get too serious."
Skye laughed airily as Pepper pulled her towards the jeans.
As the two were going through the many, many racks of clothes, they spoke a bit in general about their lives and their jobs just to get to know each other. Skye told Pepper all about some of the non-classified missions she had been on; however, she mostly talked about various pranks she and the others had pulled on Hunter. Pepper genuinely laughed at all of her jokes, which was a nice boost for Skye's mood after that depressing breakfast. The red/orange-haired woman told a few stories herself, mainly about the stupid things she'd seen people at Stark Industries do. For example:
"And he was just so angry that he didn't get the promotion, he threw his own birthday cake at his boss! Everyone on the floor saw it!"
Skye laughed, which she noticed she'd been doing a lot ever since she ran into the Avengers. "That's insane. I'm assuming he got fired, right?"
"No! That's the craziest part. Tony appreciated his bravery or something like that and actually let the idiot stay on. Though, in this case, I'm not sure Tony wasn't the idiot."
"I have to admit," Skye said, "that boyfriend of yours looks like a lot of work."
Pepper smirked. "Oh, he is, but he's worth it. I'm sure it's the same for you and Tasha."
Skye smiled fondly. "You know, I have yet to find a problem with her; but, to be fair, I've known her for a few days."
Pepper's expression morphed into that of genuine curiosity. "You really love her, don't you?"
Skye shook her head. "I think so. I mean, we say 'I love you'; but, at this point in my life, I'm not so sure I know what real love is."
Pepper thought about that as the two finally gathered the clothes they had paid for and carried them out to the SUV.
It wasn't until they had begun to drive back to the Tower that she finally came up with an answer. "You know what, Skye, considering everything I think it's amazing you made it so far with Natasha. You both seem to have this tendency to be closed off around others and not show true emotions; yet, you were able to establish this bond that goes beyond anything I could ever hope to have with Tony. It's a kind of trust and friendship and appreciation that most married couples don't even have. So, even if you don't know what love really is, I think you're experiencing it with Natasha."
Skye stared wide-eyed at Pepper from the passenger seat. "You know, I usually don't expect that kind of advice until the fifth hour of friendship. I appreciate it, Pepper."
"The pleasure is all mine. Call it your daily anecdote."
Having spent an hour and a half and around two hundred dollars, Pepper returned to the Tower with about three bags of clothes all for Skye, and nothing bad had happened, which was an accomplishment when you were even associated with S.H.I.E.L.D. Skye said goodbye to Pepper in the elevator, promising to talk later, etc., etc. Skye wasn't really paying attention anymore. She was just really anxious to see Natasha, especially since she remembered that she and Natasha were going to talk about her eating or lack thereof.
Entering what was officially their shared room until further notice, Skye saw Natasha sitting on the bed, reading what looked like War and Peace. The brunette dropped the bags by the door and climbed onto the bed to sit next to her girlfriend, who had yet to look up from her book.
Skye groaned as she tried to follow along in the redhead's reading. "Damnit. I forgot that I hate books."
"Are the words too much for your pretty little brain to handle?" Natasha asked playfully with a smirk as she continued to scan the pages at a rapid pace, absorbing all kinds of information.
"No, I just—Hey! My brain is not little!"
"It is, but notice I called it pretty, too. Does that make up for it?"
Skye snorted. "Of course it does." She leaned into Natasha's side, kissing her just at the corner of her mouth.
At this, Natasha finally put down her book, opting for a lengthy make-out session with her girlfriend. However, as soon as she deepened the kiss, Skye pulled back, a smirk on her lips.
"Now that I've finally got your attention," Skye said, the smile audible in her voice. "I wanted to talk to you about something Pepper brought up while we were out. Oh, by the way, Pepper is my new favorite chick to hang out with, other than you, babe."
Natasha smiled briefly before it faded. "How about I talk first? Then we can get what I assume would be the worst out of the way."
Skye sighed as she lay on her back, stretched out on her back and staring up at the ceiling. "All right. Ask what you want. I can't guarantee an answer."
Natasha positioned herself in the same manner next to her girlfriend. "I hope you know that I don't want to bring up bad memories for you, sweetheart."
"No. It's fine. It was bound to happen sometime."
After a silent moment, Natasha asked her first question. "How often do you skip meals?"
"I usually eat only dinner since that's when we're all together eating whatever Coulson or Simmons made. I really only eat the minimum, to keep up appearances. And it's not uncommon for me to not eat for days straight."
"How long?"
"It started when I was ten, but I stopped at sixteen. It came off and on between seventeen and twenty. Then I was good again. Up until . . . stuff."
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Stuff?"
"Yeah. That's what I said."
"Is that all I'm going to get on that one?"
Skye sat up quickly. "Look, Ward had just betrayed us. S.H.I.E.L.D. fell. HYDRA came out of the shadows. I just imploded! What was I supposed to do?!"
Natasha also sat up when she heard Skye breathing heavily. She put a hand on the brunette's forearm, watching as her breathing gradually steadied out. Skye glanced at the redhead's hand that was still on her arm. "Sorry," she mumbled.
"Hey," Natasha said, holding Skye's face in her hand, forcing the girl to look at her. "What did I tell you about apologizing?"
Skye choked down a sob, making Natasha's heart snap in two. The redhead pulled the younger girl into her arms, whispering soothing words and running her fingers through her hair. "It's okay, darling. I've got you."
Skye pulled back from the embrace a bit shakily. She searched Natasha's eyes for something. She wasn't sure what exactly, but she would know when she found it.
"Don't you think it's strange?" Skye finally asked with a blank stare in her eyes.
"Skye?" Natasha asked; because as great a spy as she was, she had no idea what her girlfriend was talking about.
"I mean, it's got to be right, because you want it. At least, I think you do. But that means that I shouldn't be able to have it then. I'm not supposed to be happy. Right?"
"What is 'it', Skye? Talk to me."
Skye breathed deeply as the clouded look faded from her eyes and she focused intently on the redhead.
"While we were out," she started, "Pepper asked me if I really love you. I wanted to say yes a million times over, but I'm just—we—" Skye sighed. "If we're being honest here, we're both broken. Neither of us really knows the entire effect love has. Sure, we said 'I love you', and what I think we have is amazing. I'm just not sure what it is we have. Pepper said that it was this bond. You know, it's the type of thing that takes years to form: the silent communication, the ease around each other, the attentiveness towards the other. Don't get me wrong. I am grateful for everything you've done for me. I just—I want to know what this means."
Natasha stayed quiet for a moment, letting everything sink in. Once she finally spoke, she looked directly into Skye's eyes, showing her how strongly she truly felt. "Skye, sweetheart, I know you're right. I don't know what it is we have. However, if you'd let me, I'd love to figure it out with you. What do you say, darling? Are you up for a challenge?"
Skye nodded her head with a small, but genuine smile on her face. "I'd like that a lot." She leaned forward and kissed Natasha, slow and steady but with more meaning than ever before. As the exchange lengthened, each caress and embrace was performed with the utmost care, neither wanting to lose the integrity of the moment.
After their conversation, Skye and Natasha chose to spend the rest of the morning in the privacy of their room. At least, that was the plan until JARVIS came in over the PA.
"Miss Romanoff, both you and Miss Skye are requested in Conference Hall B."
Skye groaned as she got up from the bed. "Do you know why?"
"Agent Coulson informed me that there is a meeting to be held there about recent events. If I am correct, it may have something to do with your latest mission."
Natasha stood as well, stretching as she clasped hands with her girlfriend and made her way over to the elevator in the hallway. "Thanks, JARVIS. Please tell Phil we'll be there in a few minutes."
"Of course, Miss Romanoff. Enjoy your day."
Skye laughed as they took off in the elevator. "I swear JARVIS is the most polite guy I've ever met!"
Natasha chuckled. "Wouldn't surprise me. Tony programmed him to be the best AI butler in this universe and the next."
When Natasha and Skye entered Conference Hall B, they noticed that everyone else was already there.
"Well, you certainly took your time, ladies," Clint said as the redhead went and sat next to him, Skye on her left side.
"Sorry, Hawkguy," Skye joked. "We would have been here sooner, but unlike you, we actually had things to do."
Everyone laughed at that while Coulson just shook his head. The things his agents said! "Anyway," the director cleared his throat. "It's time we actually talk about that mission."
The atmosphere in the room immediately shifted, everyone taking on a somber look, except Skye, who was just tracing the grain patterns on the table. "Well," she said. "On mine and May's side everything was going mostly smooth. There were a few guards here and there, but nothing I couldn't handle. . . ." And Skye proceeded to tell the director the entire mission up until she had woken up in a foreign med-pod.
"Sir," Jemma said. "Skye's ability to heal herself is a very rare if not unheard of anomaly. I'm certain that Dr. Banner would agree with me when I say that it would be an interesting thing to investigate."
"Spit it out, Simmons," Coulson said.
"Well, I suppose the question would be: what do we tell the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D.? There are certain procedures for these types of situations."
"Agreed," Coulson said, turning to Skye. "Skye, with your consent, Banner and Simmons can perform tests to try and determine the extent of your . . . abilities. But, we are not informing the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. about this. If anyone knows, it puts Skye at risk, which is the last thing we want."
"Which is why I have a plan to keep her safe."
Everyone's attention was drawn to the man who had just entered the conference hall. There, dressed in leather coat and eyepatch with a smirk on his face, was Nicholas Joseph Fury, also known as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s former director.
"I guess I'm a little late to the party."
Author's Note
Alright. Now that the chapter's out, I owe you an explanation. My inspiration keeps coming up at all the wrong times, and I never have a chance to put pen to paper, or in this case, key to document. Yes, I realize how stupid that sounds. Anyway, I stopped this story because I didn't think I would ever be able to write for it again, not because I didn't want to. But, now that it's summer, I have the chance. I can't give you a definitive answer of how long or how often I'm going to be updating, but it will happen again. Maybe in 2017. I truly do appreciate every single one of you who reads, favorites, or comments. It really does keep me motivated to post new chapters. I love you all so much. Thank you for staying with me. I'll see you at the next chapter. Until then, my friends!
