Chapter 36
I'm currently in my office, that by my request is on the lower levels of the headquarters, going through some paper work and preparing for my meeting with fury and the medical staff in a few minutes.
"Steve, get a life, go somewhere. As I've said before, I don't need a babysitter!" I said, without even looking up.
"Ha ha very funny. I do have a life." He answers, without looking up from his book.
"Really now? Girlfriend treating you good?" I asked, stopping and looking at him, smiling.
"Stop it." He orders me, this time looking me in the eye. I giggle.
"What? You thought I didn't know? I know everything!"
"Is that a good thing?" He asks, quietly.
"Sometimes." I answer after a while. We stay silent for while before I start looking at my papers again. "Steve, I'm sorry." I apologise.
"For what?" He questions me curiously.
"I've already apologised to Tony, and I feel like I should apologise to you too." I begin. "As you all know, I do know most things that will happen, but I can't tell them, and I know it hurts you and everyone when something I knew would happen does happen and I didn't tell anyone."
"It's a very big burden to bare Sofia, but I do understand, as do the others." He explains, getting up and coming to stand in front of my desk.
"I know. But it doesn't stop the look of betrayal that goes through your face when it happens." I whisper, regretting bringing up the topic. Steve stays silent, just looking at me with intense eyes, as if he was trying to figure out what I was trying to say.
"What aren't you telling me?" He asks.
"I can't. I'm sorry. But perhaps I can say…" I hesitate, not knowing if I should say something.
"What?" He asks, anxiously. I look him in the eye and say.
"He's coming Steve, and with him very big problems." I finally say, after a while.
"Who's co-" He starts but he's interrupted by one of my nurses coming in the office.
"I'm sorry to interrupt Doc, Captain, but we're ready to start the meeting ma'am. Director Fury has already been notified and is on his way."
"Thanks Tim, I'll be right there. Would you mind taking these with you?" I tell him, handing over some papers.
"Of course, Doc." He takes the papers and gets promptly out of the room. I look over at Steve and get up, taking a few things and my tablet.
"Guess we'll have to finish this conversation later." I tell him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for the company, but I think the two agents outside my door can protect me just fine for now. I'll call you if something happens." I say while walking out the door.
While in the meeting, while Fury was giving me a run down of everything that had happened over the last few months and my second in command was informing me of all the medical support that had been necessary for each thing, my phone buzzed over 10 times.
The first one was Pepper. I quickly rejected her call and sent her a text asking if everything was alright, that I couldn't talk right now. She answered with a "Call me as soon as you can", which worried me, but she assured me that nothing was wrong. So I continued with the meeting. The next two calls were from T'Challa and those I ignored immediately. Eventually I just turned my phone face down and put him on silent mode. When the meeting was over, while walking towards my office with my second in command, talking about a few changes that I think are in order, and the two SHIELD agents that apparently will follow me, even to the bathroom, I was stopped by Agent Maria.
"Doc, I'm sorry to bother you, but we have a Virginia Potts on the phone, asking to talk to you. She has called many times. We also don't know how she has access to our phone lines." She tells me quietly. As if Pepper was the most dangerous and classified person ever.
"Oh probably Tony gave her the number, and of course access to all lines. You see, it's Pepper that's calling. It's okay." I said, taking my phone out of the pocket of my lab coat and clicking on the missed call to call her back. "I'm sorry for the worry Maria. Noah, I'll call you when I finish this call and we can continue!" I said as I walk faster to my office, the two agents still following me.
Once inside, Pepper finally answered.
"Sof, I've been trying to call you all morning!" She starts, almost yelling.
"I'm sorry Pepps, I was in a meeting, couldn't answer the phone."
"It's okay, God knows how I hate those type of meetings." She complains, making me chuckle.
"So, what's up?" I ask, login into my computer and opening a few files.
"I don't know if he called you, but he called me." She says and I immediately knew who she was talking about.
"Yeah he called me. Why did he call you though?" I asked, my voice with an annoyed tone.
"Well, he wanted to know if you were with Tony and if you were safe. Thank god he didn't call Tony." She explains, chuckling at the end.
"Well, that's something I for sure don't want to see." I laugh. "At this point, I think Tony's more pissed than I am."
"It is true. He has been an annoying piece of shit since you've left. Always complaining about how he can protect you just fine." I laugh.
"Tell him I'll FaceTime him tonight." I answer, chuckling fondly.
"Will do." She answers, and stays quiet for a few seconds. "Are you going to call him back?"
"Maybe. Don't know. I mean, I should right?" I ask.
"Yeah, I think you should."
"I think I will." I answer.
"Good! I'll go then! I'll join the FaceTime call tonight, so we can catch up! Love you!" She says so quickly that I didn't even have the time to answer.
"Wait Pepps, I-" By the time I said this she had already hung up. "I love you too." I say chuckling.
I looked at my missed calls list, and after taking a deep breath, decided to finally click.
It rung twice before he picked up.
"Sofia." He said, his voice deep and tired.
"T'Challa." I greeted him back.
"Where are you?" He asked, I could hear noises in the background.
"Why?" I defied him, testing the waters.
"Love, we have to talk. Tell me where you are, I can go to you." He begged.
"It isn't that easy. As much as I want to see you and figure things out, I can't tell you where I am." I say.
"Why Sofia, I'm very lost, I don't know what is happening and I don't like it." He says sternly.
"T'Challa, I am not safe with you right now. And for the time being, I will stay where I am." We stay for a few moments silent.
"Okay. I'll still call you everyday." He states.
"I wouldn't want it any other way." I say, sighing happily, finally feeling some confort from him.
"Me and my father are back. Arrived today. Thought you would be back when I arrived." He says. I stay quiet.
"How was the diplomatic trip?" I asked, quietly trying to change the subjet.
"Awfully long and didn't come to a conclusion. We will have to go back in a few months."
"Well, that's unfortunate." I say, knowing what will happen in that trip. "After that trip, I think I'll go back." I could hear him inhale deeply.
"Only after that?" He asked.
"I have a few matters to deal with here." I explained. "Listen, I'll tell you now because otherwise I won't do it. Be careful on that future trip, okay? Something will happen, and I can't tell you because it will affect you directly." He stayed silent for some time after this, probably trying to think of what could happen.
"Okay." He said after sometime.
"I'm sorry." I apologised for not being able to tell him more.
"No, don't. I know you can't tell me." He understood.
"Okay, so… maybe we could Video Chat tomorrow?" I asked him, hopefully.
"Tomorrow? Why not tonight?" He demanded, confused. I laughed.
"I'm FaceTiming with Tony tonight." I responded.
"So you're not with Tony?" He asked curiously.
"No, I'm not, but you already knew that since you called Pepper!" I teased him, chuckling. He groaned from embarrassment.
