Reina sat down on the couch, pulling the first aid kit open on the table. She grasped the antiseptic spray, spraying it on the gauze. She reached over, pressing it gently to the cut under Tony's eye. He winced, hissing gently at the sharp pain.
"Here, hold it there for a moment" Reina stood as he held the gauze in place, walking to the front door.
She peeked out, looking to Steve standing there staring into the house.
"Steve?" She caught his attention. "Where's Thor?"
"He went searching for answers" Steve looked behind him to the forest, walking inside.
"Go change out of your suit, wash up" Reina patted his shoulder, watching him trudge up the stairs.
She peeked into the kitchen to Clint pouring himself a glass of tea.
"Clint? You doing alright?"
He lifted his gaze to her, giving her his signature smirk.
"Considering everyone else, yea. I got out a lot better" Clint nodded his head, taking a drink.
She nodded, walking back into the living room. She sat back beside Tony, pulling the gauze off his cheek.
"So, the Maximoff twins?" Reina asked him.
"They're a force to be reckoned with…" Tony shifted, giving a grunt then propped his legs up on the coffee table.
Reina watched him for a moment, seeing the way his eyes seemed to glaze over as his thoughts engulfed him.
"Tony?"
Reina's voice snapped him back, his head turning to look at her. She watched his eye fill with silent tears that refused to fall. Reina gently patted his leg.
"Go wash up before the others use all the hot water" Reina knew not to push him, knowing all too well herself that it took time to talk about these things. Whatever that Maximoff girl made him see, it downright broke him.
She watched him trudge off down the small hallway towards her bedroom. She sighed to herself, relaxing slightly while her team showered and changed. She walked back into the kitchen, looking to Clint talking on his cell phone. He hung up, looking back to her as she smiled.
"How's Laura?" She asked, walking to the table to sit.
"Good. She saw the news too"
"I hope she's not stressing too much. That's not good for the baby"
Clint nodded, laughing slightly. "She just found out the gender. It's a boy"
Reina leaned forward. "That's wonderful! Nat will be disappointed though. She was hoping for a Natasha"
"Well, She got a Nathaniel" Clint shrugged.
A few hours went by, Reina keeping an eye on everything. Natasha and Bruce were sleeping off their trauma. Clint was keeping himself busy playing darts. Steve and Tony on the other hand, they decided to unwind in a different way. Copping wood.
Reina sat at the kitchen table, watching the two as they conversed between chops. She tried to tell them she had more than enough wood already, and that it wasn't even near winter. But, ultimately she left them to blow off their steam.
When Steve split the log of wood with his bare hands, Reina was on her way out the door. She stepped out onto the porch.
"Hey, Tony?" Reina called.
The two looked back at her, Steve quickly turning away.
"Come look at the lawn mower for me. Broke down a few weeks ago. Been meaning to ask you to come fix it" Reina turned, walking towards the barn without waiting for him.
She stepped into the barn, looking back to Tony. He glanced around, gesturing around.
"So the mower?"
"Tony" Reina crossed her arms.
"Oh god, the arm cross" Tony hunched his shoulders, sitting on the stool. "I'm about to get a lecture, aren't I?"
Reina gave an exasperated sigh, bringing her hand up to massage her forehead.
"Tony" She pleaded, looking at him. "I'm worried about you. That look you have in your eyes now. I know it all too well. It's fear, guilt. Regret"
Tony watched her, standing as he paced. "I saw it, Reina"
"Saw what?"
"I killed the Avengers. I saw them all dead. Even you. I felt it. The whole world, too. Because of me, because I wasn't ready. I didn't do all I could" He stopped, looking at her.
"Tony, that Maximoff girl-" Reina started.
"No" He cut her off, walking away from her outstretched hand. "No she showed me. She showed my legacy. The end of the path I started us on"
Tony heaved in a breath, looking to Reina again with tears in his eyes.
"I watched all my friends die. And you'd think that's be as bad as it gets, right?" Tony gave a short laugh. "Nope. It wasn't the worst part…"
Reina was silent for a moment, watching him.
"The worst part is that you didn't" Reina watched his head snap to her. She gave him a sad smile. "I know all too well, Tony…"
"She's playing on your deepest fears"
The two turned, watching Fury emerge from the dark back of the barn.
"Fury?" Reina asked.
"Maria Hill called you, right? Was she ever not working for you?" Tony scoffed.
"It wouldn't take a spy to figure out you'd run home to Reina" Fury gave Tony a droll look.
"Hey, Steve was the one that first suggested it"
Reina watched the two, laughing gently. She gestured the two.
"Come on, we can talk over dinner"
!
Reina busied herself making sandwiches, one ear on the team's conversation. She picked up the plates, walking around the kitchen to hand them off.
"The missile code are constantly being changed" Fury grasped the plate as Reina handed it to him, nodding in thanks.
"Who's changing them?" Tony asked, taking a drink of the tea.
"Parties currently unknown" Fury took a bite of the sandwich.
"So we have an ally then?" Natasha asked.
"Ultron's got an enemy…not the same thing" Reina glanced over.
"Still, I'd pay folding money to know who it is" Fury wiped his mouth.
"I might need to visit Oslo…find our unknown" Tony took the plate from Reina, taking a bite of his sandwich.
"Well this is a good time, boss. But I was kind of hoping when I saw you, you'd have more than that" Natasha gave a short laugh.
"I do. I have you. I used to have eyes everywhere, ears everywhere else. But here we all are. On earth, with nothing but our wit and our will to save the world" Fury looked around the room to them. "Outwit that platinum bastard"
"Steve doesn't like that kind of talk" Natasha shot Steve a glance.
Steve glared over to her. "You know what, Romanoff…"
Natasha grinned.
"So, what does he want?" Fury asked.
"To become better than us" Reina leaned against the counter, taking a bite of her own sandwich.
"He keeps coming back to person bodies" Tony chimed in.
"…Ultron's evolving" Bruce tapped the table.
"How?" Fury asked, all eyes on Bruce now.
"Has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho?" He asked.
!
"You're not going Nat" Reina suited up, having dug her uniform from the back of her closet. "You need more time to rest"
"I'm fine" Natasha paced the bedroom. "I'm fine"
"No, you're not. You're going to the tower with Bruce and Fury" Reina laced up her boots, standing as she looked back. "That's an order"
She turned, walking from the bedroom as Natasha followed quickly behind her.
"Steve, tell her I'm alright" Natasha gestured to Reina.
"Nat, you're not going" Steve didn't even look up.
"Clint!" Natasha glared over to the man as he quickly ducked out the door to start up the quinjet.
"I'll hit the NEXUS, I'll join you guys as soon as I can" Tony walked past them.
"I'll drop Banner and Romanoff off at the tower. Do you mind if I borrow Ms. Hill?" Fury looked to Tony.
"She's all yours, apparently"
"What are you gonna do?" Steve asked.
"I don't know. Something dramatic I hope" Fury looked to them, giving a wink.