Chapter Twenty Nine


"'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops, What if Your healing comes through tears What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near, What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise..." Blessings, Laura Story


"If you ever do anything like this again…." Eventually Fury's voice just droned on as he continued his ranting.

After breaking the rules and laws so many times Natasha had gotten used to just ignoring his rants. She along with what was left of the team stood in front of Fury, which meant it was only her and Clint putting up with the usual crap Fury left on their shoulders. Tony had wandered off before he could get screamed at, and Bruce was helping the nurses clean up Roger's wounds while the super soldier made a swift recovery.

"Cap's in serious condition, yeah, we get that," Clint suddenly stopped Director Fury before he could shout again. A few passing agents had quickly skirted away so they wouldn't be caught in the crossfire. Natasha didn't miss the looks of satisfaction crossing agent Hill's features when she walked past them. "Can we just get past the ranting and move on?"

Fury narrowed his eye and glared at the archer before looking back at Natasha. All the while she had remained professionally quiet throughout the whole ordeal. She knew better than to speak up during a time like this.

"Something's on your mind," the Director said in an accusing tone. Immediately Natasha stiffened when Clint nudged her gently.

"We shouldn't go back to that place," she murmured. Fury rose an eyebrow as she looked at him warily. "There's nothing left to find; everything was destroyed in that explosion."

"You say that now," Fury began, "and yet we were led to believe that she was given a serum, one that ensured she survived anything."

Almost at once Natasha felt her shoulders stiffen. "Look, she stayed behind to make sure that Bruce and Steve got out alive," Clint said before Natasha got herself into trouble. It was rare for that to happen, usually he was the one getting yelled at by the 'good' Director. "I'd say she deserves to at least be left alone and pick up the pieces."

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean? I've got the Council on my ass for letting a fourteen year old serial killer slip right out of my hands." Fury pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to come up with some kind of excuse, any that would let SHIELD apprehend the kid that had caused them so much trouble.

"It means that if she did survive, we should give her some space," Natasha replied. "She'll need time to recover from what they did to her." Natasha knew all too well what it was like to be controlled, and the consequences that followed. It would take more than just time for Valerie to recover. But she didn't say anything out loud. SHIELD would only scare Valerie into running again.

Director Fury gave them both a doubtful look. Natasha would stand firm with her statement, even if she was grounded from any missions once this was all over.

"You really believe that she was a hero?" His question caught them both by surprise.

"She was," they replied in unison. The two exchanged knowing looks before looking back at Fury.

"Alright, fine." Director Fury let out a sigh of frustration before pacing around once again. "I'm not making any promises, but I may be able to convince the Council otherwise. They don't like to make things easy for any of us."

Finally he was finished with his rant, and turned to discuss the issues at hand with the Council.

"Well, that could've gone better," Clint muttered once they were alone.

"It could be worse," Natasha pointed out. She was more relieved than anything else. She had already dealt with Fury's wrath more than once. This was nothing new, but it still stung when they had to convince him not to go after Valerie.

After putting up with that ranting they would both need a break. But when it came to SHIELD, their jobs were never finished. Every day was a battle when it came to keeping the world safe from ongoing threats.

"So I take it your chat with the 'boss' didn't go as planned?" Tony was grinning like an idiot when they reached the lab. Truth be told working in the lab was the perfect way to keep him distracted, especially during times like these.

"We knew the consequences breaking the rules," Natasha replied with a roll of her eyes.

It wasn't anything new to her. She had lost track of how many times she had broken the rules or the law for the matter. Yet every time she had gotten away with it, more or less. It was only a matter of luck that had kept her alive all this time, and all of the years of training she had endured.

"So, what did Fury say about the kid?" Tony followed them to the medical bay where Bruce was still helping out the nurses and doctors. After everything that had happened, he was trying to help those that were hurt during the attack on the Helicarrier. Even though it wasn't much of an attack. Only a few agents had gotten injured this time.

"We managed to convince him not to track her down," Clint explained warily. "The kid's gonna need time to recover from what they did to her." He added the last part with a shrug, as if it was no concern at the moment.

"I still don't get what you two saw in that kid," Tony muttered crossly. "Considering the history behind her–"

Clint cut him off with an icy glare. All the while Natasha had remained oddly quiet throughout the conversation. Her mind was still reeling with thoughts of past events from the last few days. Seeing what Valerie had gone through reminded Natasha so much of herself. And those memories had been kept buried for so long that it made her queasy just thinking about it.

Soon they reached the medical bay to see that Steve was finally awake. The super soldier was rubbing the back of his head as Bruce explained what had happened. He left out a few details, such as when the Hulk was forced to drag Steve out of the crumbling building at the last minute.

"So, any idea where she is now?" Steve asked the question everyone else was wondering.

"Does it really matter?" Bruce pointed out. "If it wasn't for that serum she would have died rescuing us. I say she's earned a few days off."

Of all the members on the team, Bruce had surprised Natasha the most when he said that. Then again he knew what it was like to be seen as a monster. He partly understood what Valerie was going through, and wanted to give her time to heal.

"I think we could all use a break," Tony announced after clasping his hands together. "How does that sound?"

"Actually, that's not a bad idea," Clint replied.

"But we didn't do anything worth while," Steve murmured thoughtfully.

"Sometimes you just need to chill out, Steve." Tony laughed as Steve made a face at him. Even Natasha smirked at the joke.

A break would be nice, for all of them. After all it wouldn't be long before a new threat popped up. The team would be ready for it this time, and so would the rest of SHIELD. Nothing would stop them from keeping the world safe. And that was a promise.

. . .

It was early in the morning when Annie turned on the news and grabbed a bowl of cereal. School started in a couple of hours, but she always got an early start. That had been difficult these past few days. Her family had decided to adopt Sophie since she had no other family. And while she was thankful for that, Sophie was making her life even worse. She had lost track of how many times Sophie would wake up in the middle of the night screaming in horror.

If they ever catch that murderer, it can't be too soon, Annie thought. She was exhausted. She needed to get some decent sleep if she wanted to keep up her good grades.

"We've just received word that there were no survivors from the explosion that occurred hours ago," the news reporter announced. Annie swallowed a mouthful of cereal and milk as she turned up the volume.

Apparently last night there had been an explosion in the middle of the Badlands National Park. She had never been there but it was about a three hour drive from the city. At least that was her assumption.

What really made the story so significant was the fact that the Avengers had been involved. Annie had never cared much for them until now. Of course Tony Stark was on right now, looking more exhausted than anything else. But he was giving the news reporter minor details on what had happened at the facility.

"Actually there was one possible survivor, but we can't specify whether or not they are in fact alive," he explained.

"Do you know the name of this possible survivor?" The news reporter seemed less interested in the story now. Annie rolled her eyes when she realized that the news reporter was focusing solely on Mr. Stark. The guy always seemed to be wearing a suit, no matter what the occasion.

For a moment he made a face, as if debating whether or not he should share such information. Annie leaned forward in anticipation. She wasn't even sure why. It's not like this story had anything to do with her. But anything that involved the Avengers might lead her to discovering who the murderer that got away was.

"Valerie," was all he said after giving it some thought. "Valerie H."

All at once Annie's heart started racing with more than just anxiety. She shut off the television, unable to continue watching the news.

It can't be true, she thought bitterly. The 'H' could have stood for anything. But she had a feeling that she already knew what it stood for.

Her sister was dead. She had assumed when returning home that day that Valerie was killed as well. She had not seen any body that would prove such evidence. Yet she kept telling herself that it was the case, for Valerie had not returned home or called.

For the first time since the discovery of her old family's death, she felt tears streaming down her face. She had dropped her spoon and was already cleaning up the table. If her sister truly was alive…. She would try finding Valerie. Even if it meant going down memory lane, and unearthing the memories she had kept hidden for so long.

. . .

For a while I felt nothing.

Darkness enveloped my entire being. It was an oddly welcoming presence compared to the blinding light I had endured earlier.

Part of me knew that I was in limbo. My body was trying to decide whether or not I would wake up again to see a new day. But I knew that I would live. The serum was working already.

I wasn't ready for this. I didn't want to live again. Yet I had no choice. The serum made sure that I survived just about anything that was thrown at me. And that included getting crushed by hundreds of pounds of rock and sand.

All I knew now was one thing: I lived.


AN: I'm sorry this ending was so choppy, but I made it this way on purpose. So yes, Annie now knows that her sister is still alive. And of course Valerie is alive. But I will not be starting a sequel. Not unless people start asking for one. Otherwise this is the ending that I came up with, even if it doesn't seem like one.

Also wanted to say that the song lyrics used for the chapter titles came from the song 'Broken Girl' by Matthew West. And Blessings seems like the perfect song for both Valerie and Annie. such a beautiful song :'(

Big thank you to Spinosa for reviewing almost every chapter! You are an awesome friend, and I really do appreciate the support!