A/N: Don't own anything...blah, blah blah….Hey everyone…shall we continue…..Still looking for those 25 Reviews.
Big Brothers #13
Report
"Well" Sara starts then pauses for a brief moment watching Agent Coulson closely.
Sara looks down to cut another slice of the apple and continues to eat from around the end of the knife noticing that Agent Coulson does not intimidate easily which she can appreciate, considering who he works for. That Director Fury guy probably has him well trained on how to control his emotions and facial expression as to not to give anything away and Sara can respect that and decides to co-operate with him to a point.
"So, let's start with the easy stuff first Agent Coulson and work our way down, deal" Sara asks.
Phil holds firm, trying not to give himself away but there is something about this woman that makes him twitchy.
"Of course that's perfectly fine" Phil responds easily.
Sara nods her head as she finished eating the apple and tosses the core into the trash, "Jarvis will you please record our conversation for the record….thank you"
"Already being done Miss Sara, Mr. Stark already gave the order since he is currently unable to listen in" Jarvis replies causing Phil and Sara to just blink at each other, then slowly lean over to look into the living room and see all the Avengers fake sleeping except for Tony who is lightly snoring, out cold.
Sara snorts and Phil chuckles at the Team.
"So as you were saying, start at the beginning." Phil asks.
Sara just smiles at the inside joke, "Well in the beginning there was darkness, then a big bag, then really big lizards called dinosaurs chasing around some crazy cave people, then poof here we are" Sara finishes trying so hard to keep a straight face till she and Phil hear chuckling in the living room and once again lean over to look and see Peter's shoulders moving like he's trying hard to be quiet and not laugh out loud. Phil notices that the rest of the Team also have smirks on their faces but their eyes remain closed hoping that they wouldn't be noticed.
"Uh huh, for all of you that are doing a very poor imitation of sleeping, dinner will ready in about an hour" Sara calls out and then turns back to Phil.
"Agent Coulson would like to join us for dinner?" Sara asks.
"This isn't a social visit Ms. Sokolova but I could possibly be persuaded." Phil replies back.
"Alright then, you don't mind if I work while we talk do ya?" Sara asked.
"Not at all"
"Good. There are a lot of hungry stomachs and hollow legs in the other room that would be very disgruntled if they have to wait for their dinner" Sara says with a smile and Phil loosens up a bit and smiles back knowing all about feeding the Team.
"Let's start with my name, I will answer to Sara or Ms. Smith" Sara says as she turns reaching into the refrigerator to pull out several bundles of asparagus, washes them quickly before laying them on the cutting board that is sitting between her and Agent Coulson.
"Understood"
Sara nods her head and grabs several items from the cupboards behind her so she can get the other vegetables cooking, along with some pots and the kettle of water to boil since she's not in the mood to peel potatoes. Once Sara has everything on the stove working she returns to the counter with a sharp kitchen knife which Agent Coulson has learned can be used as a very deadly weapon and begins cleaning and cutting up the asparagus stalks.
"So let's start with Peter. I lived next door to him and his Aunt May, we became really good friends, she…we…" Sara stops to take a breath, "we became close." Sara takes another deep breath remembering her friend, "We talked a lot about stuff and she helped me work through a lot of things. Sometimes I would come over for meals which usually ended up being take-out as May's cooking skills were up there with burning water on a good day even though she continued to try, god bless her. Or I would have her and Peter over to my place for dinner." Sara informs Agent Coulson as she watches him make some notes on his notepad.
Sara grabs a baking pan, lines it with foil and places the asparagus inside along with some butter, salt and lots of pepper before folds up the foil to create a pouch and places it inside the oven next to the meat loaf to start cooking.
"May asked if I would watch over Peter if something happened to her, I said yes and we signed the papers. Her lawyer made sure everything was on the up and up, no loop holes and there you have it" Sara finishes taking the cutting board to the sink to scrub it clean.
"And yourself, do you have papers set up as well for Mr. Parker?" Phil asks.
Sara looks over her shoulder at Agent Coulson, "Yes…May insisted that I write one up for myself and Peter with her lawyer and I added Mr. Stark as next in line in case something happened to me….but I'm thinking of added a few more people if they agree as back up and no it will not be Director Fury" Sara stated firmly.
Phil just nods and makes a note again.
"And Peter is attending school, keeping up with his grades and how did you find out about his extracurricular activates?"
"Yes to school and grades, he's a bright and gifted young man Agent Coulson so there is no slacking when it comes to school and as I told the Team how I found out about his outside activities, I was coming home from work late and saw my little love bug climbing down the side of our building and into Peter's room through his window and put two and two together" Sara shrugs her shoulders.
Phil hums and jots down another note.
"And her death, any thoughts on that?" Phil asks.
Sara freezes for a brief moment taking a deep breath and stares at Agent Coulson before she relaxes her muscles, "It's being looked into"
"SHIELD would like to…." Phil begins but Sara stops him with a look.
"No…Mr. Stark will receive the files Agent Coulson and if he decides to share them with SHIELD it is at his discretion"
"But…"
"Sir, please don't make me have to throw you out of the tower and miss dinner" Sara says trying to look harmless.
"Fine for now, how about we talk about Hydra, your parents and the flash drives" Phil decides to move on.
"Yes let's talk about my parents and how they, long devout supporters of Hydra ended up on your pay roll and in a SHIELD Lab, hmm?" Sara fires back at Phil who squirms a bit in his chair before he settles again, his mask firmly in place.
"I'm afraid that's classified Ms. Smith"
"Ah….well then the flash drives were destroyed in a freak accident on the way over to the Tower this afternoon, sorry not sorry" Sara says with a flat tone before turning around to check the pots on the stove giving everything a good stir, tasting and seasoning things as she goes.
"Ms. Smith I don't believe it's wise to lie right now in your position" Phil states causing Sara to slowly turn around and look at him.
"Is that a threat I heard Agent Coulson, you know I still have some of that ground up glass from breakfast earlier that I could easily just slip into your dinner" Sara states with a very innocent grin.
"SARA" Everyone calls out from the living room startling Tony awake causing him to roll off the chair and fall on the floor.
"What….what'd I miss?" Tony asks rubbing his head trying to figure out why he's on the floor while everyone else is now sitting up very much awake and chuckling at Tony's antics.
"I'm sorry to interrupt Sir, but Dr. Banner has entered the building and is asking permission to come up to the Avenger floors" Jarvis calls out perking everyone up when Tony lets out a squeal of excitement making him sound like a little girl.
"Yea….my science bro is back….yes yes yes Jarvis get him up here asap" Tony calls out hopping up onto his feet making his way through the kitchen heading towards the elevator to greet Bruce.
"Add a plate to the table little chief, Doc B is back in the house from his worldly travels" Tony calls out with a big smile.
Everyone is shaking their heads at Tony as they gather in the kitchen waiting for the elevator doors to open leaving Agent Coulson unsure if he should proceed with his questions or come back tomorrow.
"Um…"
"We can continue after dinner if you are willing to stay Agent Coulson, but if you do you will need to lose the jacket and loosen up the tie and just be Phil for a while….deal" Sara says.
Phil looks around at the Team as Clint and Peter begin setting the table making sure there are enough plates and chairs, Bucky and Steve stand together watching and laughing at Tony as he bounces on his toes waiting for Bruce to arrive and Natasha standing back watching it all. Phil catches Natasha eyes briefly and she gives a small nod of confirmation.
"Alright I'll stay, thank you for the invitation Ms. Smith" Phil says with an easy smile that Sara returns as she begins prepping a large salad bowl with greens, cheese and croutons while Phil puts his papers away and removes his suit jacket and tie placing them on the back of one of the over-stuffed sofas in the living room before coming to stand next to Natasha to observe everyone's interactions, he will just add this into his report back to Director Fury as well plus a home cooked meal never hurts.
When the elevator dings and the doors open up, out steps Dr. Bruce Banner to the entire Team staring at him like he's the second coming.
Bruce runs his hand through his hair and down his unshaved face then gives everyone a shy smile, "Hey guys"
"My science bro…" Tony calls out and tackles Bruce with a bear hug which Bruce returns.
"It's good to see you to Tony" Bruce chuckles as he pats Tony on the back.
When Bruce and Tony finally separate Tony pulls him further into the kitchen so he can greet everyone else with hugs or handshakes including Agent Coulson.
"Dr. Banner it's good to see you again, how was your trip, no issues?" Phil asks.
"It was good, there's a lot of data to work through now that I'm back and hopefully Tony will let me back into the labs and no….no issues" Bruce says quietly.
"Good to hear and I'm sure Tony will be happy to let you back into your lab" Phil replies.
Bruce sniffs the air in the kitchen making his mouth water "Tony did you finally hire a chief so you guys would stop poisoning yourselves, god it smell so good and after what I've been eating the last month...god am I drooling" Bruce asks with a smirk causing Sara to cough trying not to laugh.
"HA. This coming from the man who turns something as simple as oatmeal into a glue type substance that you can lay bricks with" Bucky comments.
"Hey, it's not that bad…..okay never mind it is that bad but at least I didn't start the kitchen on fire….twice" Bruce laughs along with everyone else.
"It was only once, hot shot" Clint says crossing his arms and pouting causing everyone one to call out, "TWICE"
Clint huffs giving Sara some serious puppy dog eyes, "Don't believe a word they say Sara…it was only once"
Sara smiles at Clint chuckling under her breath as she finishes up the vegetables laying them out on the counter, then pulls out the meatloaf and asparagus along with the instant mash potatoes, salad and a loaf of bread and butter.
"Okay everyone it's ready. Grab a plate and help yourself" Sara calls out as she steps to the side watching Clint, Peter, Bucky and Steve line up, probably because they're the hungriest at the moment. While everyone waits to take their turn, Bruce came over to introduce himself to Sara.
"Hi your new…um Bruce Banner" Bruce says shyly holding his hand out to Sara noticing the bruises and how she was holding her ribs and body stiffly trying to hide her discomfort.
Sara smiles kindly, "Hello, Sara Smith, it's nice to meet you Dr. Banner"
"Bruce please"
Tony comes over to drag Bruce into line to get dinner, "Bruce this is Sara Smith she is Peter's current guardian and master of this wonderful feast"
Bruce looks between Tony, Sara and Peter who is talking with Clint and Bucky then back to Sara and Tony.
"I guess I missed a few things while I was gone huh" Bruce comments.
Tony pats Bruce on the back, "Don't worry we'll get you caught up, now come get some food before its all devoured by the four bottomless pits over there" Tony says causing Bruce to smile knowing full well who Tony is referring to and causing Sara to chuckle again.
"Um..Dr. Banner if you like I can show you a few tricks with the oatmeal in the morning for breakfast" Sara tells Bruce shyly.
Bruce smiles, "Bruce please and yes I would like that" before finishing loading up his plate and having Tony drag him over to the table.
Phil and Natasha also make their way through the line and join the others at the table with Sara bringing up the rear noticing that there won't be much left to pack up for left overs but that's ok.
"This is very good little chief, I can't believe all this has been hiding in my kitchen the whole time" Tony moans out around his fork full of meatloaf and potatoes.
Sara smiles down at her plate, "Thanks" as she receives praise from everyone around the table.
Conversation flows easily as Tony and Bruce catch up and Steve tries not to be jealous, Bucky and Clint keep Peter engaged in the conversation about school and what homework assignments he has to get done tonight and if he needs to study for any of the tests Sara had mentioned earlier, making him huff and pout much to their amusement. Sara and Steve talk quietly about how Peter is handling everything since he and Bucky helped him pack his room and once again Natasha and Phil sit quietly and observe, watching all the different interactions, body language, any tells or ticks. It's what makes them very good at what they do.
"Excuse me sir, there is an unlisted call for Ms. Sara, should I patch it through?" Jarvis asks causing all conversation to halt and the room to go very still.
Sara looks over to Tony then to Peter and Bucky, "Mr. Stark may I burrow a phone?"
Still no one speaks as Tony pulls out his Stark Phone and passes it to Bruce, then to Steve and finally to Sara.
Sara takes a deep breath, "Um…can Jarvis record both sides of the conversation?" Sara asks.
"J?" Tony simply replies.
"Of course sir, I will also begin a tracer on the call to narrow down their location" Jarvis responds.
"Thank you…..put them through" Sara says as she gets up from the table and walks into the living room to stand in front of the vast windows looking out onto the city.
"Hello" Sara answers cautiously.
"Вы думаете, вы могли бы уйти так легко девушка" (Did you think you could get away so easily girl)
"Нет" (No)
"Они знают, что вы взяли, они хотят его обратно" (They know what you took, they want it back)
Sara did not respond, frozen in fear, while at the table Peter is whimpering as his Spidey senses are pinging, he goes to stand up but Bucky and Clint place their hands on his shoulders to keep him in place.
"Stay put Peter" Bucky whispers.
Bruce leans over to Tony, "What's the rumpus?" Not liking how everyone is so still except Peter who is still trying to get up from his chair.
"Sir I have been able to pin point the location of the caller" Jarvis calls out.
"And...don't just leave me hanging here J"
"The call is coming from a secure line at SHEILD Headquarters, 4th Floor, Lab 18" Jarvis replies.
"WHAT!?" the Team hollers.
Phil pulls out his phone, dials and speaks to head of security, "Security breach 4th Floor, Lab 18, detain both Doctors and put them into holding, inform Director Fury that I'm on my way into the office now" Phil hangs up.
"Stark have your AI down load the phone call to my phone, this may be what we need to get them out of SHIELD for good" Phil says getting up to grab his papers and suit jacket but stops when he hears Sara's response to something said on the other end of the conversation.
"Возьмем мальчика, хороший эксперимент" (We take the boy, good experiment)
"Прикоснитесь к одному волосу на голове, вы даже не увидите меня ближайшие ничего не говорить о TEAM" (Touch one hair on his head, you will not even see me coming to say nothing about the TEAM)
"Shit" Bucky says under his breath still holding on to Peter.
"What?" Tony asks.
"They threaten to take the kid" Natasha answers before Bucky has a chance to and watches as Peter's breathing picks up and accidently bends his table knife in half. Clint sees the knife and slowly tries to pry Peter's hand loose as Bucky begins whispering calm words to him trying to get him to relax.
"Отрежьте одну голову, две отрасти" (Cut off one head, two grow back)
Then the line goes dead as they disconnect from the call, leaving Sara standing in shock and feeling very much alone. Silence once again reins over the room till it is broken by Phil's phone ringing startling everyone.
"Yeah" Phil answers.
"Subjects have been detained and Director Fury has been informed and is waiting your call sir"
"Very good, I'll be there in twenty" Phil answered then hung up, "We got them" Phil informed the Team then looks at Natasha.
"Agent Romanoff we will need your expertise" Phil tells her.
Natasha looks around the table and finally lands on Peter who looks so tired for a kid his age, "Yes sir" as she gives a silent nod to the table, gets up and follows Agent Coulson to the elevator to head to SHIELD Headquarters.
"Well that was dramatic" Bruce whispers causing Peter to snort.
"You have no idea, it's been a weekend full of dramatics" Steve tells Bruce as Peter finally gets free of Bucky and Clint's hands, gets up from the table and walks over to Sara as the remaining members watch from the table.
Peter walks over to stand next to Sara, quietly waiting for her to notice him.
"Hey love bug" Sara says quietly.
"Hey"
"I really miss May" Sara says quietly to Peter
"Yeah"
"Did you receive a lot of homework?" Sara asks her voice quiet.
"Yeah but nothing that I can't finish tonight" Peter responds.
"Mmmm…I …I think if you're okay with it I'm going to call you in for the rest of the week, I'll just make something up….just till I feel a little better about you being safe" Sara tells Peter still not looking at him directly.
"No, we start jumping through their hoops and dance to their tune, they win, besides I don't want to miss anymore school than we have already called off for."
Sara reaches out for Peter's fingers giving them a quick squeeze which he returns as they remain standing at the window looking out into the city, both wondering what else could be thrown at them.
Faintly heard in the back ground the boys decide to start picking up the dishes, putting away the left overs and filling the dish washer so Sara can relax and rest. Bucky slowly makes his way over to them and stands next to Peter.
"Dishes are done and the left overs are put away. Peter bud, why don't you go grab your books and homework and bring it back here to work on it while Sara takes a load on and relaxes on the couch, I'm sure those ribs have got to be hurting"
"Mmmm….just a twinge every so often" Sara confirms playing down the discomfort.
Both Peter and Bucky look at her causing Sara to just roll her eyes at them, "It's nothing more than I'm used to, but since the clean-up is done, I think I will crash on the couch for a bit. Go on Peter, go grab your books and we can go over your assignments"
"M'kay" Peter says quietly as he gives Sara a gentle hug and heads for the elevator to get his books and lap top so he can get started on his homework leaving Bucky standing next to Sara, being a quiet sentry.
Back at the table; Tony, Steve and Clint are giving Bruce a quick rundown on what has happened the last few days. Finding out Peter's Aunt May passed away a month ago, finding him here at the Tower, meeting Sara and how she's involved with Peter, the attack in her apartment, finding out her parents are high level scientist of Hydra and are working at SHIELD and their verbal assault of her at the facility, the Team helping them both move out of the apartment building and move into the Tower.
"Now you're up to speed" Tony tells Bruce with a sad smile.
"Damn" Bruce exclaims.
"Yeah" Clint sighs and Steve just looks at Tony longingly, desperate to just hold the man and still trying so hard not to be jealous of his close friendship with Bruce.
Peter finally returns with his school items and sets up in the living room, sitting on the floor and using the coffee table as his desk as Bucky leads Sara over to the couch behind Peter so she can lie down and rest, but before she does Sara drops a kiss on Peter's head of curls. Bucky joins her, sitting at the other end with her feet in his lap as he grabs the blanket from the back and throws it over Sara for warmth.
"Alright bud, what's first on the list" Sara asks.
Peter leans back on the couch and looks over at Sara, giving her a big cheesy smile, "Spanish"
Sara groans and huffs, "¿de verdad?" (Really)
Peter chuckles, "Sí. Tengo una prueba el jueves" (Yes. I have a test on Thursday)
Bucky notices that Sara gets a look in her eyes along with a shit eatin' grin making him wonder what she's up to.
"Bueno, será mejor que saques los Principios Prácticos de Peter Parker de Pronunciación Simple y Perfecta" (Well you better get out the Peter Parker Practical Principles of Plain and Perfect Pronunciation)
Peter just stares up at Sara with wide eyes as he runs the words over in his mind when he hears Clint bark out a loud laugh along with a chuckle from Bruce as they relay what Sara said, which in turn causes Tony, Steve and Bucky to snort.
"Why you" Peter huffs and turns back to his lap top with a pout.
"Ah…my work here is now complete, carry on love bug" Sara says with a smirk as she gets comfortable on the couch as the Team looks on with hope and protectiveness for their two newest members.
A/N: Don't forget to REVIEW….still looking for 25...