Author: closer and closer to Avengers. I realized at work the other night that this story is over 2 dozen chapters and it's still in phase one of MCU. Anyways the Retreat is a location that appears in Agents of SHIELD, though I'm fairly sure it's he cabin that they showed Banner in at end of Incredible Hulk.
Rain stood in one of the corners of the room, watching Fury, Steve and the door.
Coulson had been with her briefly but Fury had made him leave because his ogling had made Steve uncomfortable.
Not that Steve didn't already look uncomfortable enough, seventy years out of time.
"Agent Barton?" Fury asked, swinging his gaze to her.
"Yes sir?" Rain asked, stepping out of the corner and moving to stand next to the table he and Steve were seated at.
"I'd like you to go home, pack a bag and then return here." Fury told her.
"Of course sir.. But why?" She asked.
"You're going to accompany Captain Rogers to the Retreat." He said.
"It's vacant?" She asked.
"Our surveillance shows the last visitor left over six weeks ago and has yet to return." He said.
"What's the Retreat?" Steve asked.
"A safe house. Meant specially for unique individuals." Fury told him.
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And that was how Steve came to be at cabin with a lake practically at the front door.
It was a nice place to get away... Even if his housemate had literally been up to her elbows in blood not long ago.
"How do you feel about venison pot roast?" Rain asked, tossing a bag of deer meat in the freezer.
"It's fine. Sounds great actually. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that you actually know how to slice up that deer." He smirked.
Rain laughed and said, "It helps to know the hunters in the area when you want good meat. And yes I know how to slice up a deer. I can also hunt and field dress one too."
Steve's eyebrows shot up and he stared at her in shock.
A SHIELD agent, a fighter and a hunter... color him impressed.
"My father took me hunting a lot shortly after he adopted me. Also taught me how to shoot a gun and a bow." Rain said, drying her hands.
"Are you close to your father?" Steve asked.
"Very. Dad and I both spend a lot of time working so we see each other when we can." She said, dropping the deer into some sort of a device sitting on the counter.
"What's a crock pot?" Steve asked, coming over to read the name on it.
"This is a crock pot. It's also a brand name. They let you stick meat, vegetables and other stuff in them and they slow cook for hours without you needing to be home. They made wonderful pot roast." She said, tapping the device with a knife.
"Would you like help?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
She cocked her head at the sound of a horn honking and muttered, "Come with me."
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"Miss! I have the supplies you ordered." a man called in French, climbing out of his truck.
"I thought we were alone out here." Steve whispered.
"I went into town before you arrived and gave one of the local grocery stores a list for delivery." Rain hissed before jumping off the porch.
"Fruits, vegetables, baking goods and whatever else your heart desires." the man told her, opening his trunk bed.
"Thank you very much. How much do I owe you for the groceries and the delivery?" Rain asked in his native French as Steve came over.
"It is taken care of. A tall man with dark skin and an eyepatch paid already." he told her.
"Into the house?" Steve asked.
"Yes please." Rain told him.
"Your boyfriend? Husband?" the other man teased.
"Just a friend." Rain smirked.
The man reached into a box and said, "It was not on the list but I thought perhaps it might be enjoyed."
In his hands was a bottle of wine, not terribly expensive but not any of the cheap kind either.
Rain smiled softly and whispered, "Thank you for the thought. But unfortunately it will not be enjoyed here. I do not drink and neither does my companion."
"Such a shame. Forgive me for any offense." He apologized.
"It's forgiven." She assured him, picking up a box as Steve returned to collect a third.
"So you don't drink?" Steve asked as he began putting groceries away.
"Never. My birth parents did a lot... too much in fact." She admitted.
"Is that where...?" He asked, rubbing his cheek where the scars on her's were.
"Yeah. My birth mom. This one too." She muttered, showing him the scar on her forearm for a second.
Steve stared for a moment before dropping his gaze as Rain dumped some cut vegetables into the crockpot.
"It'll be done in about six hours. I'm going to make a video call, think you can amuse yourself for a while?" she asked.
"Sure... Look I'm sorry..." He began.
"You were on ice when my mother did to me what she did. And even if you weren't, odds of you being in the little piece of shit town I was living in at the time were zilch. So don't apologize." She sad sharply.
"Is she in prison?" Steve whispered.
"No... She's dead. Her and her husband both." She told him.