Your arms feel more like home than any house ever did.

Kate

The early evening air hit Joanna's bruised flesh, as she slunk out of the building, empty handed and completely and utterly terrified. The key ring that her target, Ginny Weasley, had given her was clamped tightly in her fingers and it was with reluctance that she eventually tucked it safely into the corner of her bra. They wouldn't think to look for anything there, she thought darkly, as she made her way along the edge of the dimming street.

She looked further down the road and shivered, as she saw the headlights of the car that was supposed to take her to wherever she was headed to next. They would already know that she had failed in her mission and the realisation sent an icy tremble down her spine.

What would they do to her? Kill her? Worse? Not for the first time, she found herself hoping that Ginny Weasley had been sincere in her promise and that she wasn't going to be walking back into the lion's den for nothing. She pursed her lips. If Ginny had been lying, then she would pay and it wouldn't be pretty.

"So," the driver stated bluntly, as she stumbled into the back seat, "I see that you failed then."

"She was stronger than I was led to believe," Joanna muttered, as she shut the car door with a loud slam. "And older, too."

The driver shrugged and plugged the keys into the ignition. "Oh well. Not everyone passes."

The comment made Joanna look up in grim interest. "You mean that others have had… tests to pass as well?"

"Everyone has to pass a test," the driver scoffed. "The difficulty varies, but the rules are simple. Sometimes, depending on the candidate, my bosses let them take a third test, but I wouldn't get my hopes up for that happening to you. I mean, you passed the first test, but if this one was supposed to be easy… Well, there's not much that you're going to be able to do."

"And, uh," her voice sounded small in the squashed car. "And what if you don't pass?"

"Then, you die."

Joanna breathed in sharply, her heart beginning to thump in her chest. So, they really hadn't been exaggerating. And Ginny had been wrong in her assessment, just like she had thought that she was.

"It's unfortunate, you know– do you think that we enjoy killing all of those talented, gifted people? But it's really that simple. After all, we wouldn't be able to have loose cannons running around the place, now would we."

"Why?" she whispered. "Why kill them in the first place?"

"I just told you why."
She paused, her next question sticking in her throat. "Will I die?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. Like I said earlier, I'm just the driver. No one ever tells me anything, but every now and again, it's not too hard to guess what's going on and seeing as I've been doing this for quite a while now, I've gotten pretty good at reading the cues."

"So, let me clarify a few things," Hermione began flatly. "You want me to track down your friend – who's not only a war hero, but also a fugitive from the law and one of the world's most deadly assassins." Her dubious stare flicked between both Sam and Steve. "Can you remind me of why I should do this again?"

Sam shrugged and held up his hands defensively. "Don't look at me. This is all his idea."

Steve shifted and ran a hand through his short hair, his eyes unusually distressed. "I…" he began, "he's my friend. When I was young, I made it through because of everything that he did for me. He helped me when I got sick, when I was being bullied, when my mum died… He stood up for me when no one else would. He believed in me. You know," he said with a bitter laugh, "when I woke up, I thought that I was the only one left. But Bucky... He's still out there and wherever he is, he needs someone. You don't have to agree to help us, but with or without you, I am going to find him."

Hermione was silent for a moment, as she mulled over his quiet words. Bucky Barnes, in so many ways, sounded just like Harry. He sounded brave and resilient and strong and undeserving of the fate that he had been given. He sounded like he had been to hell and back and the thought made Hermione's brows crease. She could understand what Steve was going through, she realised, because it was exactly what she had gone through when she had followed Harry in their seventh year. The fear, the anxiety, the despair, the desperation…

"Why me?" she wanted to know. "You could have picked any of us, so why did you pick me?"

"Because," he said, "you're the one who I think that I can trust the most."

She raised an eyebrow at his statement. "Not Ginny?"

Steve chuckled awkwardly. "Ginny's great. She really is, but I don't think that she's the one for this. She's in too deep with S.H.I.E.L.D. and-"

"You want someone who's not so S.H.I.E.L.D. orientated," Hermione finished for him.

Steve blew out a breath. "Exactly."

Hermione nodded slowly in understanding. She still thought it was odd, that out of all of the people whom Steve could have gone too, he had gone to her. He barely knew a thing about her, other than the fact that she was a witch. Nonetheless, her agreement to the bizarre request was out of her mouth before she could even register what she had said. "I'll help you."

Steve started at her response. "You will?"

"I… Yes," she said quietly. "I will."

Sam gave her an uncertain look. "Are you sure about this? Because once you're in, you're in. There's no backing out or backing down."

This time, Hermione didn't pause in her answer. "I'm in." And she couldn't help the small spark of excitement that raced through her veins at her admission.

Clara snuck a glance over her shoulder at the blonde, who was still trailing behind her, as they wove their way deeper into the mess of labs. She still couldn't believe that she was doing this, leading a guy – and not a bad looking one at that – into her own personal work space.

"So," Draco pointed at one of the microscopes that lined the lab benches, "what's that?"

Clara turned around and huffed a surprised laugh. "Are you serious?"

Draco stared at her, looking vaguely affronted, and she felt her cheeks flush red. "Perfectly."

Clara's mouth dropped open in the shape of an 'o'. Hadn't he taken science in school? "Well, um, it's a light microscope. It makes… small things appear much larger through both the focused reflection of light and through different types of lenses." She hesitated slightly. "I, uh, would you like to see how it works?"

Malfoy shrugged, but the curiosity that gleamed in his eyes couldn't be hidden and she felt a spark of satisfaction. At least he wasn't bored. Yet. "Sure."

"In that case then," Clara murmured, rifling through a few of the slides that were sitting next to it, "let me pick out something… Ah, here we go." She picked up a small glass slide and slid it gently onto the stage. "This is quite a famous little bacteria, this one, but it can be quite nasty when it ends up in the wrong place. It's called Escherichia coli or E. coli for short." She gestured for him to come and have a look. "It can actually be found in our intestines and is generally quite happy there, but every now and again, it can cause a few nasty infections."

Malfoy peered into the lens and squinted. "What, those pink blobs there? Those are bacteria?"

"Yes," Clara replied, amused, "those pink blobs there are bacteria."

"And those things cause infection?" Draco asked sceptically.

"Yes, they can."
"But they're so small."
"They doesn't have to be large," Clara said with a shrug, still not quite believing that Draco was still listening to her. "They only have to be strong and, in their own unique way, they are."

"And we all have these?"

"Every single one of us," she confirmed. "And, I mean, the E. coli there, that's only one type."

Draco looked back up from the microscope. "How many more types are there?"
"Millions," she grinned. "Millions and millions. And we're still discovering more all the time, especially after the introduction of Inhumans. I swear to God, my job has never been more exciting."

"Well," Draco said slowly, "it sounds interesting."
Clara's eyes lit up. "You really think so?"

Draco tilted his head, his blonde hair shining under the harsh lab lights. "Why wouldn't it be interesting when it has relevance to the way that we live our lives today?"

Clara, right then and there, almost melted into a puddle on the floor and it was only with some effort that she managed to turn around and keep walking to where her own set of bacteria were waiting for her.

"So," May said, glaring as Simmons poked the needle through the damaged skin of her upper arm, "do we get an explanation as to what happened out there today?"

"Uh," Ginny muttered, pressing the icepack that Daisy handed to her against her head, "not really. Sorry."
Daisy grimaced wryly. "Don't worry, we get it. Probably more than you think."

"It wasn't supposed to be like that, though." Ginny frowned, her thoughts still cloudy and her vision still blurring around the edges. The events of the last hour almost seemed dreamlike, like she had imagined them. "What happened today… It never should have happened."
May snorted. "It's never supposed to, but it always does."

"Has that happened often to you, then?" Ginny asked curiously. "Mission's going south like that?"
"It's happened enough."

A brief silence fell throughout the small medical bay of the plane and Ginny leaned her head against the cold steel, closing her eyes with a quiet sigh of relief. According to Simmons, she had several broken ribs, a severe concussion, and minor cuts and bruises; Ginny was thankful that it wasn't more. The incident at the lab could have been worse, much worse, especially after finding out that the girl – Joanna – had been given very specific magical potions for the very purpose of blowing things up.

Ginny's hazy thoughts turned to the frightened, thin girl. She couldn't have been more than twenty-two, twenty-three at most, and her lips pursed tightly. So, why had TEPHRA chosen her? Was it just because of her gift?

A part of Ginny didn't think so, not when there were so many other valuable and volatile Inhumans out there, too many other wild cards to choose from. She glanced briefly at the screen of her phone. Still nothing. Either Joanna hadn't been picked up yet or she had left the device behind.

"All right," Simmons voice cut through the stillness, and Ginny eyes snapped open as she heard the final snip of the scissors. "You're all finished."

May flexed her arm experimentally and got to her feet. "It'll be fine. Thanks." She jerked her head in the direction of where Fitz was sleeping. "How's he doing?"

Simmons turned to him, an expression of worry flitting across her features. "He's… he's going to be okay. He has a slight concussion, but given how close he was to the blast…" She took a deep breath and stared back at May. "Let's just say that he's very lucky and keep it at that, shall we?"

May nodded. "You got it," she replied, her eyes softening fleetingly. "You need anything, you just let me know. I'll be upstairs with Coulson."

Simmons nodded stiffly, not saying anything in response, as May slowly retreated out of the bay.

"Right." Simmons peeled off her gloves with a loud snap, and dumped them in the bin with a faux bright smile on her face. "So, who's next?"

Daisy grimaced and shared a sidelong glance with Ginny. "You don't need any stitches, do you?"
Ginny shook her head in amusement, as Daisy groaned. "Look's like it's just gonna be me then."
"All right, then," Jemma said, already pulling on a new pair of gloves. "You know the drill."

"Yes," Daisy said, trailing over to the bed where May had been sitting on a minute before. "Yes, unfortunately, I do." She sat down with a huff of annoyance, watching as Jemma prepared her small workstation. "So," Daisy said slowly, relaxing back onto the bed, "I guess that today was kind of pointless then, huh. I mean, the lab was blown up and we didn't even manage to catch whoever it was that decided to crash our little party."

Ginny chuckled grimly and regretted a moment later, her ribs aching in sudden protest. "You could say that." She hadn't told them about Joanna, not wanting to compromise the girl and not wanting to lead Coulson's team any deeper into her investigation. Merlin, they were already in deep enough, she thought grimly, and it was only a by a stroke of luck that they hadn't discovered anything more.

"Well," Daisy said slowly, "I'm sorry."

"Yeah," Ginny muttered in response. "So am I. But it can't be helped."

"Have you got any other leads to follow?"
"At this point," she lied, "no. But we'll figure something out. We're going to have to or otherwise, a lot of people are going to die."

The rest of the flight back to the ruined town went surprisingly quickly and was spent mostly in solemn silence with Daisy asking the occasional, odd question like what her favourite food was, when her Birthday was, and who her favourite Avenger was. Every now and again, Ginny would receive updates on her phone that let her know that Joanna was on the move, a fact that both comforted and made Ginny increasingly more nervous. At this stage, she was headed in the same direction that Ginny was – New Mexico – but she had zigzagged so much that Ginny had no idea whether or not it was going to be the girl's final destination, and from the looks of it, Ginny didn't think that it would be.

"We're only ten minutes out, now," Simmons said, walking back into the medical bay with a small smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Ginny said with a painful shrug. Her head was still spinning, but at least the pain in her ribs was no longer as sharp as it had been.

Simmons gave her a sympathetic stare. "I would give you something stronger, but I don't want to risk any secondary bleeding."

Ginny nodded absently, as she made to move off the bed. "It's fine. I get it. I really do. And you've already done so much already."

"I only wish that I could do more."

The town was swathed in darkness by the time that they returned and it was with promises that she would keep in touch, that she waved goodbye to Coulson's team. They were an interesting group of people, Ginny mused to herself, as she walked slowly back to the plane that had dropped her off earlier that day. She only wished that she had been able to spend a little more time with them before having to say goodbye.

It was several hours later that Ginny strode off the second plane and back into the familiar hallways of the Avengers compound. Her eyes were swollen from fatigue, her body now black and blue from the aftermath of the explosion, and even though the desire to sleep was weighing down her limbs, she still had several things to worry about before she could even think about lying down and sleeping.

She didn't know how Natasha did it.

"Ginny?" Pietro said, the grin on his face slowly fading as he jogged up to her.

Ginny's head gave a sharp throb and she gave a half-hearted attempt at a smile. "Hey, Pietro."

His stare was accusing. "What happened to you?"

"Mission went south," she said, stifling a yawn. "I'm concussed and have a few broken ribs that still need healing, but other than that, I'm okay. I need to go and see Fury, tho-"

Pietro gave an exasperated groan and before she could object, he placed an arm under her knees and another supportively under her back. "Why do you always get yourself into trouble?" he muttered irritably, lifting her gently upwards. "You always go out on these missions and always come back with another scar or three more bruises."

She could feel the warmth of his body against her flesh and, before Ginny could even register what she was doing, she allowed her head to fall sleepily against his chest. Warm. Comforting. Reassuring. That's what he felt like, she thought, and she curled into his body, choosing to ignore the rational thoughts that were now screaming through her mind. She would savour this, she promised herself. Even if it were only for a little while, she would savour this.

"I don't know," she murmured finally, as Pietro stilled momentarily. She could hear the comforting thud of his heartbeat, slightly elevated, through the thin fabric of his shirt. "Trouble just seems to find me, I suppose."
"I know," he said, unimpressed, as he started walking once again. "That is why I worry. And I'm taking you to the medical wing, not to Fury. Fury can wait. And so can your information."

"But-"

"No buts."

She squirmed in his arms. "I really do have to see Fury," she protested weakly. "It's important."

"Not as important as you," he replied simply. "So, Fury can wait."

Hey everyone! I hope that you enjoyed this week's chapter (I know it was a bit quieter again) and if you spotted any grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, or any other thing, then please let me know and I will fix it ASAP.

Fun fact: The end of this chapter was a first in writing for me - I've never written fluff or romance before (probably a reason why the romance in this story is taking forever).

Huge thanks to all of my reviewers, followers, favouriters, and silent readers. You're all amazing. And a special shout out to this week's lovely guest: Becca! Your review made me grin and I'm so glad that you enjoyed the last chapter!

Anyway, I hope that you all have a wonderful week and I will see you all next Sunday!

HC