"What do you mean good friend? I just met him today!"

"Why don't we all sit at the table? The chicken pot pie just finished baking." My mom tries to diffuse the tension. Fury looks at me and shrugs before walking into the dining room.

"Mom come on! Talk to me." She ignores my plea and continues to finish dinner.

"LOOK AT ME!" I scream. I can't help it. I'm scared. My eyes are filled with tears. She sighs heavily and stops what she's doing.

"Honey," She's almost whispering. Her eyes meet mine and now I can see how red they are. She had been crying. "I tried to protect you as long as I could. I kept secrets and now it's time you know everything."

I nod and help her bring the food to the table. There was no reason to argue and be mad at her. She has always done everything in her power to help me and would never do something to put me in harms way.

Nick Fury is sitting uncomfortably at the dining room table. His black leather trench coat is in stark contrast to the pink lace doily centerpiece. His fingers drum on the table nervously and I hold back a laugh as I set the food down.

"I'm glad you're getting enjoyment out of this." Nick seethes under his breath so my mother can't hear.

"I'm sorry. It's not very often that I'm not the most out of place person in a room." I chuckle and sit across from him.

"And why do you think that may be Ana?"

I swallow hard and ignore the question. Why was it that I was always uncomfortable? Why was I always the lone wolf? I never had anyone... until Ben.

Ben!

"Mom I have to call Ben. I'll be just a moment."

I rush out the room and out the back door. The cool air calms me slightly and I lean back against our back porch railing. I grab my phone from my back pocket to find I had 2 missed calls from him. I quickly call him.

"Hey beautiful." His deep voice makes my heart flutter.

"Hey Babe. Sorry for not answering your calls. I've been a little preoccupied. This guy that's friends with my mom is at her house having dinner with us and-"

"Wait." Ben interrupts me. Something he rarely does and his voice sounds panicked. "What guy? What's his name?"

"Uhh... Nick. Nick Fury. He's some kind of government agent."

"Shit! Babe I- listen I'm coming over."

"Oh it's fine. You don't have to do that."

"I'll see you in a few minutes." Click. He hangs up. I'm not sure what's causing his worry but I will be happy to see him.

I step back in as my mom places the casserole in the center of the table.She looks like an American housewife with her hair neatly in a bun and apron protecting her sundress. I've always envied the way she kept herself in pristine condition. At the age of 47 she looks maybe 32. No grey hair nor wrinkle in sight.

I look more like her than Dad thankfully. My deep mahogany curls and matching eyes echo hers. I'm slightly taller but our skin hold the same beige sunkiss glow every summer. The only thing I did inherit from my father was my awkwardness.

"Dig in." Mom chimes as she takes a seat.

"Let's talk first." I demand and cross my arms over my chest.

Nick already had a heaping pile on his plate but hands me a large envelope. I grab it and he begins eating uninterested in me. I glance at the envelope.

PROPERTY OF S.H.I.E.L.D.

CLASSIFIED

AVENGER INITIATIVE

"Can I?"

Nick responds with a grunt and nod as he fills his mouth again.

"Ana please. Can we just enjoy the meal first?" Mom thinks I've lost weight since moving out but I haven't told her, I gained five pounds.

"Give me a minute Mom." I move my plate aside and open the envelope. The stack of papers slide on the table.

Stark, Tony

AKA Ironman

Skip.

Rogers, Steve

AKA Captain America

Skip.

Romanoff.

Skip.

Banner.

Skip. Skip. Skip.

"You're skipping over important information." Nick says noticing my skimming. I shrug my shoulders and continue.

Smith, Morana

Location: LEVEL 10 CLEARANCE CLASSIFIED

Powers: UNKOWN

Mortality count: 3

Incidences:

November 13th 2011. James Richardson reported large lacerations to his chest, back and head. Subject was DOA.

I gasp.

My hands are shaking.

I feel sick.

James was my first boyfriend. That date was the last night I had seen him.

*

"Ana we've been together three months. I think we can do more than make out now." James was holding me on his lap in my bed.

"Oh. I don't know if I'm ready for that." I remove myself from his lap.

I had never been intimate before. James was my first boyfriend therefore my first everything. I wasn't about to give up my virginity to a guy I wasn't sure I loved yet.

James was a kind boy. He was smart and athletic. We met in Science class when he borrowed a pencil from me. We quickly became friends, hanging out everyday after school. After a few weeks he shockingly held my hand.

I didn't mind the closeness but it felt weird. He began being more affectionate and constantly began seeking more intimacy. It never bothered me but deep down it wasn't what I wanted. I felt like I was just cruising down the typical dating scenarios. This however was further than I was willing to go.

"Ana we don't have to have sex. We can just take a few clothes off and touch a little." He tried to pull me back to his lap.

"James it's not really what I want to do."

I stood up from the bed but his grip tightened on my arm. His face became angry and I became scared. That's all I can remember from the night. I assumed he left and I remember getting a breakup text with a crazy story of moving across the country the next day.

*

I blink back a few tears and look to my mom but she isn't there. A charred wooden chair is in her place. Frantically I look to Nick Fury but he too is replaced with a charred seat. The entire table is smoking with scorched food remnants. I jump from the table and meet the eyes of at least a dozen men in SWAT gear.

"Ana. Ana please calm down." I lock eyes with the soothing voice. A woman with breathtaking scarlet hair steps forward. Unlike the SWAT team her hands hold no weapon, she keeps them up as if I'm pointing a weapon at her. She waves the men to lower their large assault rifles and they hesitantly do.

"M-my mom?" I nervously ask.

"Outside. No harm done." She smiles and I return it slowly.

"Did I...?" I can't finish the question. The entire dining room is destroyed and burnt. Everything expect me.

"Ana. I need to put these on you." The woman pulls large metal handcuffs from behind her.

I nod and she slowly steps forward. She quickly snaps them on my wrist. She lets out a large sigh and the SWAT team leave the room.

"I hope these work. Just stay calm and we won't have to find out." She winks playfully. "I'm Natasha Romanoff."

Natasha leads me through the house and I'm happy to see everything else seems untouched. We make our way through the front door and I'm almost tackled to the ground.

"Oh Ana!" My moms arms tighten around me as she sobs into my shoulder.

Nick Fury is standing next to one of several large black SUVs talking loudly to someone. Natasha leaves me to join him.

"Mom. Mom I'm alright." Her grip doesn't loosen. I drop my voice to a whisper, "I don't know what happened and- and James. I didn't know."

"Shh. It's going to be alright. You didn't mean any of it. Look at me Morana." My eyes meet hers and she has a determined look. "You are a good person."

I can tell she really believes what she's telling me. I just don't know if I believe it.

"They are going to take you to their headquarters and help you. Don't worry Nick promised me he would take care of you."

"Mom tomorrow go to the book store and tell Jess she is co-owner. I trust her to give herself a raise and put my salary back in the safe. Tell her-"

"Don't worry. I'll be there to help her."

"Thanks mom."

"I think they're ready honey. I love you." She kisses me lightly on the cheek before nudging me towards the agents.

I walk to Fury with my hands still chained in front of me. He's arguing with someone.

"You are out of line Bailey! You have no right-"

"She's a person! A real person! Not an experiment or an asset!"

That voice. The bright red hair.

Now as I'm only a few feet away I can see in the moonlight that it's Ben. My Ben. He's arguing with Fury. He's dressed like the rest of them. Like an agent.

"Ben." I've already been through a lot of shit in the past 8 hours and now this? Ben looks at me and his angry expression fades to worry. He rushes to me but I step back.

"Ana... baby. Let me talk to you. Let me explain." His voice is soft and sincere.

"Bailey! If you don't want to be shipped off to Ukraine you better get in the vehicle now." Fury calls to Ben.

"Bailey?" My voice is barely audible.

"Caleb Bailey is my name. I was undercover. I wasn't supposed to..."

"BAILEY! GET IN THE DAMN CAR!" Fury yells and Caleb follows orders. I watch as he climbs into one of the SUVs without another word.

"You're mother's house will be repaired before the end of the week. All expenses paid. Nothing you need to worry about." Fury says to me.

"Ben... uhh Caleb."

"An agent keeping an eye on you but strayed from the mission." He waves his hand dismissing the subject.

"What about the fire inside? What exactly happened?"

Natasha and Nick look at each other. I'm worried by their bewildered expressions. Natasha grabs a phone from her pocket, dials a number and hops in the back of the closest SUV. Nick looks back to me with wide eyes.

"You mean to tell me that you don't remember turning into a DAMN INFERNO AND TORCHING THE PLACE?!"

Thanks for reading!!