The peace and quiet of the farm didn't last long.
Four days later, I was rudely awoken by my phone ringing. It was still dark and I had way too much to drink the night before. The annoying blare of the Imperial Death March told me it was Coulson and he'd only call if he really needed something. I had to maneuver around Lila to get to my phone. She'd taken to sleeping in my bed over the last few days. I had no idea why. It was adorable and annoying at the same time. She was a bed hog and had feet like little ice cubes.
"Is the world ending?" I answered the phone grumpily.
"No, but you're officially unsuspended and I need you at the Hub ASAP," Coulson sounded far too cheerful for this time of the night. "Don't grumble at me. You're going to enjoy what I have to give you."
"We drank way too much to be driving yet." I fought back a groan. Now I was more awake, I could feel the impending hangover coming in. Clint had drunk a lot more than me as well.
"Isn't it a good thing Jared has the next hour spare then," Coulson said brightly. "Go get Barton up and I'll see you soon."
The phone hung up before I could protest. I lay in bed for a few more seconds wondering how much longer I could put this off. Coulson did say we were going to enjoy it. At least it meant we weren't getting a complete bullshit mission. I forced myself into a sitting position and blew out a long breath. My head was spinning and my stomach was protesting at the sudden movement. The three of us really shouldn't have shared that bottle of scotch. No matter how good it was going down. It wasn't going to be good coming back up.
Lila didn't move as I got up, even when I turned the lamp on. That child could sleep through a nuclear explosion. Actually getting her to bed some nights was a whole other issue. I pulled on a sweater and blearily padded out of the room. As I went into Clint's room, I flicked the light on, hoping it would be enough to wake him up. Lucky was on the bed with him. He looked up at me, wagging his tail but made no effort to move.
"I know buddy," I said as I scratched him behind the ears. "It's too early for this shit."
Thankfully Lucky wagging his tail was enough to stir Clint from his sleep. He squinted in the light and immediately turned over with a muttered curse. He pulled the pillow over his head. I could see his hearing aids on the bedside table. This was going to be annoying.
"We just went to bed," Clint whined, his voice muffled by the pillow. "You can't be serious. Aren't we meant to be suspended?"
The only reason I'd be waking up Clint would be if we needed to go to work. I reached over and shook his leg, knowing there was no point answering him. He couldn't hear me.
"I don't wanna." Clint uncovered his head and rolled over. "Tell Coulson I quit. He can shove whatever bullshit mission they are putting us on up his ass sideways with no lube."
I snorted with a contained laugh at Clint's statement. I pointed to his hearing aids on the table. I wasn't going to play the game of Clint lip reading when he was grumpy. He'd simply ignore me and look anywhere but at my mouth. Clint swore at me under his breath but did as he was told.
"Jared is coming to pick us up," I explained once Clint's hearing aids were in. "Apparently, we're going to like it."
"I'd like a full eight hours of sleep too," Clint grumbled. His face scrunched up as he sat up. "Who's idea was it to drink last night?"
"Yours."
It had actually been me and Laura who had started drinking. We had gone into town earlier in the day to do food shopping and left the kids at home with Clint. I'd gotten the best bottle of scotch I could find in town and joked to Laura that Clint could cook dinner while we drank. My joke had turned into reality as Clint not only put the groceries away, he also started dinner without being asked. So Laura and I had started drinking. Once Clint had finished, he'd had a few drinks in a row to catch up to us. It had been a very giggly, drunken night and a lot of fun. Clint and Laura were a lot more comfortable around each other now.
Clint grunted at me and swung the covers off him. He sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. At least he was up now. I left him to get dressed and went back to my room.
Lila was sprawled out across the bed, taking up the entire queen sized mattress. I smiled at her adorable occasional snore while I got dressed. She'd be grumpy if I tried to wake her up so I bent over and gave her a kiss goodbye. Hopefully whatever we were doing wasn't going to take long and we'd be back soon. As I came out of the room, Clint was quietly closing the door to Laura's room.
"Cooper's in with Laura," Clint said softly "I'll go give Lila a kiss goodbye."
I nodded and quietly went into Laura room. She was half awake when I came over to the bed.
"Be safe." Laura reached up and gave me a hug. "Come back home soon. We all miss you."
"I will." I hugged her back hard. It had been so good seeing her and the kids. It was easy to forget about the stress of work out here. "Don't work too hard."
Laura laughed at me. She had until after New Year off. She was enjoying being able to spend time with the kids. Me and Clint being there for a bit of her holiday had been perfect timing. I walked around the bed and gave Cooper a kiss goodbye. He grumbled in his sleep, swatting me away. It made me laugh quietly. He hated any sign of affection right now. According to him, he was too old for that baby stuff now. It made us all laugh.
I got downstairs as Jared appeared in the dark lounge room. He was looking very tanned and relaxed. His face split into a wide grin as I stepped into view.
"Hey." I found myself enveloped in a hug before I could say anything else. I grinned as well, no doubt mirroring Jared's. I hugged him back hard. It was so good to see him.
"Hey. I can't stay long so hang on."
A second later we were in an unfamiliar office. I blinked rapidly at the change of scenery. The whiskey in my stomach was not sitting comfortably at all at the sudden trip across the country. Jared let go of me and was gone before I could orientate myself. The office was empty but brightly lit for this time of the morning. Coulson's laptop was sitting on the desk along with a still steaming mug of coffee. In his favourite Grumpy Cat mug me and Natasha had bought as a joke present one day.
Clint and Jared were back before I could sit down in the chair. With a sad smile and a smart salute, he was gone again. When both our missions were over, we all needed a mini holiday together. Again. I would even try and persuade Laura to come away for a few days with the kids. It would be amazing.
I could have easily gone back to sleep in the chair. Clint slumped in his chair and closed his eyes while we were waiting. It only took a few minutes before Coulson came into the room. He was like a ninja. I didn't know he was there until he dropped two files down on the desk. One second I was dozing and the next I had jumped three feet out of the chair.
"Good morning my asshole children," Coulson said cheerfully. "I missed you both. Get reading while I sober you both up."
I couldn't do much else except blink at Coulson in confusion. I sluggishly reached over and took the file off the desk. It took me a lot of effort to get my brain to process the words on the page. One, in particular, made me sit up straighter.
Ivanovich.
SHIELD had intel he was going to be at a fancy New Years Eve party in Moscow. I flicked through the pages excitedly, speed reading through the mission plan. It was ingenious really.
Ivanovich was a known womaniser with a very specific type. Tall and thin. He also liked his women who seemed attached, hence why Clint was with me. He'd come in as my husband and we'd stage a fight at the party so Ivanovich could swoop in. I would be wearing a ring and bracelet, both with poison in them. Both the pieces of jewellery had loose stones which could be dropped into a drink and the ring had a hidden compartment which contained a barb. It was extremely toxic and only needed to brush against him once to take effect. He'd simply appear as if he was drunk, in which case his security would step in and escort him off. It was my job to keep the alcohol up to him to make it seem like the case. By morning, it would seem like he'd died of a heart attack overnight. No toxicology screen in the world would pick up this poison. Clint and I would head back to our own room and no one would be any wiser. As soon as we got confirmation of Ivanovich's death, we'd head to a safe house for extraction. It was very simple and straight forward.
Plus I got to wear a pretty dress and drink expensive booze. It was a step up from the last few missions.
"Everything is being put together for you both, right now," Coulson explained as soon as I glanced up from the file. "Get reading on your backstories. You'll be leaving in two hours. I'll get coffee to sober you pair up."
The last thing I needed after a night of drinking was homework. I didn't complain. This was going to give me some closure from missing the shot. Out of all the horrible missions we had to deal with this year, this wasn't too bad at all. The lack of complaining from Clint was always a good thing too. I buried my nose in the file and started reading.
Our backstory was kind of cute. I was Ana and Clint was Frank. High school sweethearts from North Dakota and we were running a small time cattle ranch. Six months ago we struck a huge oil reserve and now had crazy amounts of money. That part made me snort with contained laughter. At least one part of that was right. Ana wasn't used to the wealth yet so I was going to have to act uncomfortable about the lavishness of the party we would be attending. Frank was now a workaholic, so the plan would be to have Clint distracted by his phone which would be the main cause of our argument. It really wasn't hard at all for us to pull this off. I was always whining at Clint about playing on his phone when we were trying to have a conversation. Well, most of the time is because I wanted attention. It was still an easy thing to play though.
By the time I was done, another agent had come in to drop off our belongings for the weekend. Coulson came by as the agent left with coffee and food.
"There are showers down the hall," Coulson explained as he handed us both. "You've got an hour and a half before the Quinjet drops you at New York to catch your flight."
I was not sober or awake enough for this. The first surge of excitement from getting this mission was worn off by now. Even coffee didn't help wake me up enough to do more than trudge down the hall to the showers with a change of clothes. I managed to look like something that resembled a human being in the given time frame. We didn't have much time after I got out of the bathroom. Coulson was herding us towards the Quinjet which was already powered up.
I had only been to The Hub a few times, mostly just flying in. I was disappointed I didn't get to see much more of the infamous place. It was huge and even at this late hour, a hive of activity of people coming and going. No one gave us a second glance as Coulson rushed us through the corridors, giving out last minute instructions. He really didn't need to. This was straight forward enough even for my lack of experience.
"We'll be fine Coulson," Clint sounded exasperated as Coulson asked us for the fifth time if we had everything. Now we had got to the Quinjet, Coulson had his mother hen tendencies coming out in force. "The worst part of this mission will be if I have to kiss Kari."
I lightly smacked Clint over the back of the head for his cheeky remark. He was such a shit. Coulson rolled his eyes and looked between us, a smile tugging on his lips.
"Behave yourselves and there's a two week break at the end of this mission. For all of us." The meaning was clear behind Coulson's bribe to be good. All five of us would be getting a much needed holiday.
"We'll be fine Coulson," I repeated reassuringly. It sounded better coming from me instead of Clint. "In and out, home in a day at most."
If there was a horn on the Quinjet, I'm sure the pilot would have been leaning on it by now. We really had to go. None of us were keen on making the first move. It was a huge reluctance that Clint took the first step. I hesitated before reaching over and pulling Coulson into a quick hug. I was missing him and the rest of our little family terribly right now.
"Be safe." Coulson hugged me back tightly. "Go. You're on a tight schedule."
I did as I was told and jogged up the ramp of the Quinjet. The pilot wasn't wasting any time. As soon as I was in, the ramp closed behind me. We were rolling out of the hanger before I could get myself strapped in.
"When we're in the air, I'm re-doing your eyeliner," Clint said, already rummaging around in my makeup bag. "You look like you were drunk….oh wait, you probably still are."
Someone was far too cheerful for the amount of sleep we had. I grunted in acceptance and got myself comfortable while we got in the air. At least our pilot was competent. I only had a handful of moments where I wanted to push him out of the chair and fly for myself. I let Clint fix up my makeup with no complaint. He was so much better at it than I would ever be. I actually looked the part of a rich man's wife by the time he'd fixed up my mistakes and lack of blending.
"One last thing to complete everything." Clint dug around in my oversized handbag and produced two jewellery boxes. "For my fiance."
The rings SHIELD had given me were stunning. The engagement ring was a simple solitaire princess cut diamond set on top of a platinum band. It was one impressive rock. The wedding band was inlaid with diamond and had a twisted design on the top. It fit together perfectly. Clint made a show of sliding it on my finger as well.
"Wow." I couldn't stop myself admiring the sparkling gems on my finger. "Now that's a ring that says I'm an asshole and don't pay my wife enough attention so I buy her sparkly things."
I tried to ignore the pang of sadness that came out of nowhere seeing those rings on my fingers. It hit me hard though. It made me think if Riley had ever gotten around to buying an engagement ring, what he would have brought. As stunning as these rings were, they weren't me.
"Hey."
I looked back up at Clint. By his gentle tone, I knew he hadn't missed my Riley moment. I was right, he was giving me a gentle smile.
"He would have picked up something much nicer," Clint said, taking my finger and running his thumb over the monstrous rocks. "And it definitely wouldn't be laced with poison."
That made my the side of my lips tug up in a smile. Clint wasn't wrong there. I had no doubt Riley would have picked out something that was perfect for me. It was a good thing it took some pressing down on the tiny button of the ring to get the barb to come out. Clint would be scrambling for the antidote in a big hurry if he accidentally triggered the poison.
"In the meantime." Clint lent back down and retrieved another jewellery box. "Let's put a ring on this finger of mine and we can officially be married for the next day or so."
Clint's ring was a simple flat platinum band. As simple as it was, it still felt it weighed a ton. I slid it onto Clint's offered finger, having to force it on over one of his swollen knuckles. He'd hit it with a hammer the other day while putting Lila's new toy box together. Clint winced and squirmed as I worked it over the swollen joint until it slid into place. It looked odd on his finger. He didn't own a wedding band when he and Laura were together. There had been a token one at their wedding but it had never seen daylight since that day.
"That's going to be annoying," Clint grumbled, flexing his fingers. "Maybe it's a good thing I don't have my bow."
The mission was so straight forward we weren't armed at all. That made me feel twitchy but Coulson knew what he was doing. Clint having a bow was a dead give away to who he was.
The Quinjet began it's descent as Clint tossed the jewellery boxes aside. It was a quick descent and not at all pleasant. I spent most of it gripping the seat in terror. At least we were down on the ground and into the waiting car quickly. It was still dark and the tiny airfield we had landed at had no lights on. I let Clint's better eyesight lead the way while wheeling my bag behind me. I'd gotten my lovely Lois Vuitton luggage again. They were probably the same ones I had with my mission in Paris when I'd been guarding Malick. I hadn't managed to steal them back then.
Although the driver was SHIELD, Clint and I had to start playing the part of our married couple facade. At least it wasn't completely weird. I used Clint as a footrest at home all the time. It wasn't unusual for us to hold hands in public. The way we acted, it was easy enough to see how it fed the rumour of us fucking. The car ride was silent as we sped through the quiet roads. I dozed on and off until we were at JFK Airport. From there it was surprisingly quick and painless. We were travelling First Class so we breezed through check in and customs. There was only time for a quick drink in the airport lounge before we were boarded.
I barely managed to keep my eyes open as we got settled in the luxurious first class seats. It was for the best really. I dozed through take off without my usual white knuckled grip on the chair. Once I was allowed, I put my seat back and slept through the flight, only waking up for food. I don't think Clint was much better. Every time I woke up and glanced over at him, he was fast asleep too.
The landing in Moscow was uneventful. We breezed through customs again and a car was waiting for us. Hand in hand, Clint and I played the adoring couple very well as we carefully walked along the icy paths and into the waiting car. It wasn't hard to be amazed by Moscow. With all the Christmas decorations still up, it was a winter wonderland. There had been recent snowfall making it even prettier.
One of the bonuses on this mission was our accommodation. We were staying in a suite at the Ritz-Carlton. It was right near the Kremlin, Red Square and the Bolshoi Theatre. It's a shame we had to call for our extraction as soon as we had confirmation of Ivanovich's death. It would have been fun to do some sightseeing while we were here. As it was, with the time zones being different I only had a few hours to get ready for tonight. I had to stop myself laughing at Clint's pretend confused expression and his awful imitation of a mangled version of Russian while we checked in. For two people who spoke it fluently, Clint's accent and pronunciation were like nails on a chalkboard. Thankfully the receptionist spoke English extremely well and hurriedly assured us that all the staff spoke English. My amused giggles weren't at all fake as we headed into the elevator and up to our room.
Our room was pure luxury. As soon as the bag boy dropped out luggage off, I went exploring. The bathtub was enormous with spa jets in it. If I wasn't on a time table to get ready tonight I'd be climbing in there. As it was, I was going to have to do a rush job getting ready for tonight.
"I'm having a shower," I called out to Clint. "I need to deforest myself."
Clint responded by singing a terrible version of 'Welcome to the Jungle.' He'd been teasing me about my hairy legs ever since we'd come back from our last mission. It was winter and I was blonde. At least that was my excuse every time he teased me about it. After one last longing look at the bathtub, I got into the shower.
Even the shower was pure luxury. The rainfall overhead jet had a generous spray and the side jets were perfectly positions for massaging away the fatigue. At leasing flying first class the chairs were comfortable. As I got out of the shower, I wrapped myself in a robe and wandered back into the bedroom. Clint was lying face down on the bed in nothing but a pair of boxers.
"Showers free." I gave his foot a shake. "I'm going to dry and straighten my hair. Can you…"
"Do your make-up afterwards?" Clint cut me off with a laugh. "One of these days you're going to learn to do your own."
"Like you teaching me how to cook?" I teased. Clint had tried and mostly failed with that. Though I had baked a cake from a packet mix without it being a complete disaster with Lila the other day. We had eaten more cake mix than what went into the tin.
"Your spaghetti bolognese was edible," Clint pointed out as he rolled over. He looked tired and mildly hungover. "With a lot of help."
I'd forgotten about that. The sauce had come from a bottle and it had been Clint's suggestions to add things to make it better. I had been so proud of myself when Clint had eaten the entire bowl and gone back for seconds.
Clint sat up with a groan. We didn't have a lot of time to waste so I moved to dry my hair off. Clint got up after another few minutes and went to the bathroom. The shower turned on a moment later. I was nearly finished straightening my hair when Clint came out of the bathroom looking a lot fresher and cleanly shaven. He also smelt really good. Whatever he was wearing wasn't his usual cologne.
"Come on, let's get you looking acceptable. Have you looked at what you're wearing?"
I hadn't yet. The garnet bag holding my dress was hanging off the cupboard door. On my way back to the bathroom, I had a quick peek in the bag. It was slinky, red and I'm sure very revealing.
"Red and sexy," I called out. "Make me even more gorgeous than I already am."
I could practically hear Clint's eyes rolling at me being a smart ass as I walked back into the bathroom. He already had the make-up case out and was rummaging around in it. I was also impressed by the people who put everything together for these missions. They always had perfect make-up for my fair complexion, along with every little thing a woman would need. I sat up on the bathroom sink as Clint got out what he needed.
"I love how they give you Chanel makeup and you still buy stuff from a drug store," Clint said as he laid some brushes out. "The perfume is new though."
I glanced at the perfume bottle on the bench. Clint was still fiddling with something in the case so I gave it a quick sniff. It was very different. Spicy, musky and alluring. I instantly loved it, even if it lent more towards masculine kind of scent. Musc Ravaguer. I was going to have to buy a bottle for myself when we were done here.
"That's different." Clint nodded towards the perfume bottle. "What's your dress like?"
"Red and sexy. Think of a long version of what I wore after the F-35 demo."
"Got it."
We were both mostly quiet while Clint worked his magic. Like the F-35 demo, he went for a vintage look with a bold eye and lip colour. It worked perfectly with my dress. The only problem was someone forgot to pack decent underwear for this type of figure hugging dress. It was easy enough to forgo the underwear. Thanks to Clint's handiwork, we were five minutes early for happy hour.
One thing I had to admit was that Clint looked damn fine in a proper tuxedo. I'm sure SHIELD kept a few bespoke ones around just for him because the way this one was cut, there was no way it was off the shelf. He smelt as good as he looked as well. The cologne he'd put on earlier had faded to woody and earthen undertones. Whatever he was wearing made it easier to cling onto him as we made our way down to the foyer and into the bar. As we got there, Clint started to glance at his phone. It was my cue to start with my pleading.
"Frank, come on it's New Year's Eve and we're in Moscow." I put on a heavy pout. "Please don't."
"It's fine Ana." Clint waved me off. "I'm just checking something."
"You always say that." This time I didn't have to fake the whine in my tone. I used this exact tone all the time when Clint was playing games on his phone and I decided I wanted his attention.
"I promise." Clint took my hand and brought it up to his lips. Even as he did, he still glanced down at his phone that was in his other hand. "Come on, let's get a drink."
I played the obedient housewife and let Clint lead me to the bar. He ordered me a glass of fancy sounding champagne and an expensive whiskey for himself. I eyed off the nice 18 year old blend he got. I could smell the smokey blend of scotch as the bartender poured it. I wasn't familiar with the brand but it smelt exceptional.
"You better give me one of them next," I murmured low enough for only Clint to hear. "Champagne and me are not friends."
"Sure." Clint reached over and kissed the side of my head. It was a show so Clint could drop his voice. "Our man is over there and can't take his eyes off you."
I glanced over at where Clint's line of sight had just been. Ivanovich was standing with a group of men. He wasn't being discreet about looking in my direction. I glanced away a second before we made eye contact. It was a good way of seemingly being shy.
"Good." I turned to face Clint. To anyone on the outside, we were just an adoring couple having a moment together. "You better get to playing Angry Birds or whatever it is you plan on doing."
"You're just jealous you can't beat my Angry Birds score." Clint's smirk was not forced at all. This was our normal everyday banter. "Come on, let's chase some food around."
There were some appetisers starting to come out already. Clint paid for our drinks and we did exactly that. A few curious people had some small talk with us. It wasn't a terrible way to pass the time. Out of the corner of my eye, I kept snatching glances over at Ivanovich. A few times we nearly made eye contact again but I managed to keep avoiding it. The entire time, Clint kept fiddling on his phone. I kept shooting him more and more exasperated looks over time. It got to the point where one of the ladies who I was talking to gave me a sympathetic look.
"Can you please get off your phone?" I asked, making sure I could sound as exasperated as possible. "You promised."
"Just one phone call." That was Clint's cue that he was going to disappear so Ivanovich could approach me. "Trust me."
"Frank…" I started, but Clint already had the phone to his ear and was walking away. I stared after him, making my shoulders slump in defeat.
My champagne glass was empty so I made my way to the bar to get a refill. It was terrible champagne and I was getting myself a scotch this time. I ordered the same one Clint had gotten. As the drink was handed to me I felt someone come right into my personal space.
"A beautiful lady who knows her whiskey is a rare jewel," an accented voice came up behind me. "And a man who leaves her alone is a fool."
I turned to come face to face with Ivanovich. It was strange seeing him so up close and personal. Seeing him through a sniper scope was a lot different than seeing him in person.
"He has work to do," I said lamely, turning my eyes downwards into my scotch glass. I added quietly. "He always has work to do."
"I don't believe we have met." Ivanovich flashed me a charming smile. Judging by the triumphant look that crossed his face a moment earlier, he'd bought my little act hook, line and sinker. "Pavel."
"Ana." I held out my hand in greeting. Ivanovich took my hand and kissed the back of it. His lips lingered for far too long. Instead of smacking him across the face like I was tempted to, I pretended to fight back a giggle. It was very hard to be charmed when you knew someone was responsible for so much death.
"Would you like to join me until your husband comes back?" Ivanovich asked, gesturing towards a table in the back corner. He made no move to drop my hand after kissing it. "You seem a little lost."
"In a strange country where I don't speak the language," I said with an embarrassed brief laugh. "I feel extremely lost. Thank you for the offer."
I let Ivanovich keep a hold of my hand as we walked over to the private table. My reading of Cyrillic wasn't the best but I could make it the table was reserved for Ivanovich. He had some thugs lurking in the corners of the room. They all looked bored and relaxed. As if it was just another day at the office. My surveying the surroundings was more obvious than I would have liked. I gave Ivanovich a timid smile as if I was unsure of what was happening.
"Don't mind them," Ivanovich's smooth voice interrupted my looking around. "Security for me. Nothing more."
Ivanovich caught the eye of the closest thug. He waved a dismissive hand. The men immediately obeyed, retreating out of sight. This was playing out far too easily. Natasha was right when she said men were easily led astray by a pretty woman. It was just the trick of finding the right way to play the woman they needed. Some men liked their woman bold and upfront. Others, like Ivanovich, like his women meek and unsure so they could feel power over them.
"Tell me, what brings you to Moscow?" Ivanovich asked as we sat down.
"Frank promised me something amazing for Christmas and ended up spending the time working." I went for an honest response. It seemed like Ivanovich would enjoy me being upset at my pretend husband. "I've always wanted to come to Moscow, so he organised a last minute trip for us to make up for it."
I was so glad for all of Natasha's help in acting. The hurt look I managed to flash across my face didn't feel forced. Ivanovich ate it up so quickly. He had no qualms in openly wearing the smug expression dancing across his face. I was an easy target for him.
"I don't know how any man can leave a woman such as yourself," Ivanovich said smoothly. He was lounging back in his chair as if he didn't have a care in the world. Ivanovich wasn't my type of man but he was still handsome in his own way. "What could possibly be so important thank his wife's happiness?"
There was a snarky part of me that wanted to list off all the things SHIELD wanted Ivanovich for. I shrugged looking embarrassed instead.
"Oh the usual with business," I said, keeping my tone unsure and timid. "To be honest, I have no idea what he gets up to most of the day."
There was plenty of insinuation behind those words. It could be taken as I had no idea about my husband's business or that he was having an affair. I had a fairly good idea which scenario Ivanovich would latch onto. It was too easy really. Almost on cue, Ivanovich took my hand with the bracelet on it, gently twisting it to catch the light. As he'd done so, my wrist was positioned over his drink.
"It was a gift," I said with a nervous laugh as Ivanovich examined the bracelet. "Frank gave it to me when he replaced our wedding rings."
"This is a gift of a guilty man," Ivanovich said with a snort of disgust.
Boom. Ivanovich went for the worst case scenario as I hoped he would. He really was making this far too easy for me.
"He could have at least made it a better set of diamonds." Ivanovich let go of my wrist, his eyes meeting mine. "I'm guessing he went to some American store and simply brought the most expensive one?"
"Tiffany's." I pushed the bracelet down as if I was fiddling with it because I was uncomfortable. While I did it, my thumb went to the closest diamond in the link and quickly popped it out. My wrist was perfectly positioned over his glass. There was no way the diamond could miss his glass. "He has no idea really. Frank would have simply waved his new Black Amex around and the salesperson would have wet their pants in excitement at some clueless male wanting something pretty for his wife."
That story had come from Pepper telling me not too long ago about Tony's way of making up things to her. Apparently, he'd paid for several girls college tuitions from sale commissions at places such as La Perla and Tiffany's. The story made Ivanovich laugh at least, this time without any disgust in it.
"I'm sorry, my mouth tends to run away on me," I quickly apologised, though I wasn't sorry in the slightest. "Under the designer dress and big diamonds I'm still just a small town country girl who has no idea what she's gotten into."
"Please, you think too little of yourself," Ivanovich's tone was silky smooth. "Even I can tell you are the brains behind your business."
I wondered if Ivanovich had done some digging when he saw us this evening. I trusted SHIELD enough that any of our backstories would be solid. We even had fake social media accounts made up to appear genuine. Ana had quite the following on Instagram with her pictures from around their ranch. Some of them were actually pictures I'd taken on my phone at Grams' from my last visit.
"Someone has to be." I picked up my glass and took a good sip of the expensive whiskey. It tasted incredible. Ivanovich sat back in his chair watching me drink with an amused expression. He took a long sip of his own drink, much to my delight. Though it was a sin to watch him drink good scotch like a frat boy having a shot. "This is incredible. Frank doesn't like me drinking spirits in public. He doesn't think it's very ladylike."
"Frank is not here right now." A coy smile played on Ivanovich's lips. "How about I get us a bottle?"
My stomach rebelled at the thought of drinking so much again. I put a charming smile on my face and nodded eagerly. With any luck, the poison would kick in sooner rather than later and I wouldn't make a drunken mess of myself.
Despite being the scum of the earth, Ivanovich was quite charming and funny after a few more drinks. He was slurring his words halfway through our fourth drink. His English was breaking down a little as well and he was mixing Russian words in his sentences. It had been how we'd gotten onto the current topic of Ivanovich trying to teach me a few Russian phrases.
"It sounds like Klingon," I said through my giggles. They weren't faked at all right now. The alcohol has loosened me up. I had to pace myself now with the drinking. One wrong move and this perfectly run mission could all go to shit.
"The fact you know what Klingon sounds like is surprising," Ivanovich said, laughing around his words.
"When you live in the middle of nowhere with very limited TV you watch what you can." I laughed with him. "Okay, I'll try this again."
It was very hard to fuck up a language I could speak fluently. Especially after a few drinks. I managed to completely fuck up saying Hello in Russian though. I dissolved into giggles at my horrid attempt.
"It is a good thing I invited you over for drinks," Ivanovich looked so proud of himself. There was no missing the lust filled looks he was shooting me now. "There is no way you would be able to see the best of Moscow without my help."
"And where in Moscow are we going?" I decided to play dumb to the heated looks Ivanovich kept giving me.
"My suite would be a good start," Ivanovich said smoothly. "Your husband seems to have forgotten about you this evening."
"Not an uncommon occurrence," I said, taking another drink. It had stopped burning all the way down half a glass ago. Ivanovich was wrong about Clint though. He was doing what he did best. Lurking in corners and being overlooked by everyone. "Does your suite have a spa, like mine does?"
"I'm sure mine is bigger," Ivanovich's tone was clear that he wasn't talking about his spa in the terms of size. "Would you like to find out?"
I bit my lip and looked around the room, pretending I was looking for Clint. I knew where he was already. He'd been in the same spot near the bar for the last hour, sipping his own drink and watching for me to make my move.
"Can we bring the bottle?" I asked shyly like this was taking all the courage I had to make the decision. "It's too good to waste."
"Of course." Ivanovich was on his feet in an instant. He looked so damn proud of himself right now. In his drunken state, he nearly fell over his own feet. He cursed in Russian at his own clumsiness before holding his hand out to me. "We can finish the bottle in the spa."
One advantage of being as white as I was made blushing very easy to do. Right now I was more flushed from the copious amounts of alcohol than anything else. But Ivanovich was drunker than me, the poison slowly working its way through his body.
"Lead the way." I took Ivanovich's hand and let myself be pulled up from the seat.
Ivanovich was very clumsy on his feet. Even he seemed surprised by his apparent drunken stumbling. His security thugs materialised out from where there had been all night. As I predicted, Clint had noticed the whole thing. He made his play as we got to the door of the bar.
"Ana!" Clint grabbed my arm. "Where have you been all evening? I couldn't find you anywhere."
"You didn't look hard enough Frank," I scolded him. I let go of Ivanovich's hand and gave Clint half hearted shove. "I've been in the corner all evening with Pavel."
I watched Ivanovich's expression out of the corner of my eye. Despite the drink and poison affecting him, he was no fool. He backed off immediately from my personal space looking guilty. Ivanovich was no fighter. He let his thugs do his work for him. He was simply the brains behind his operation. He never got his hands dirty for any reason.
"I believe it's time for me to retire," Ivanovich said quickly. He handed the bottle of scotch to me. "It's been a pleasure, Ana."
"Likewise," I said, not holding back my flirty tone. "Perhaps we will see each other tomorrow?"
Clint's face was marred by a heavy scowl. He glared over at Ivanovich with enough heat to make most sane men reconsider whatever it was they were doing. Ivanovich was no different. He staggered away without so much as a glance back at me.
"What were you doing with him, Ana?" Clint's scowl turned to me. This was all part of the plan to get pissy at each other in public.
"Drinking." I held up the bottle that Ivanovich handed me. "You promised you wouldn't work. This trip was meant to be for us."
My raised voice got some attention from the people close by. A few people were watching us with interest now. Clint pretended to just notice it and gently took my arm, taking me away from the peering eyes.
"I was getting you this." Clint dropped his voice and handed me his phone. As he did, he took the bottle from my hand. There was nothing of importance on the screen. It was tilted so no one else could see it. "I'm sorry. The time differences were screwing up with me organising it."
"Oh."
I'd had a bit too much to drink to really get my mind working. Instead, I flung myself at Clint and hugged him.
"Thank you." I hugged him tightly. It wasn't hard to cling onto him for a few seconds longer than I needed to. The new cologne he was wearing smelt so good. Not to mention he looked incredibly good in his sharply cut tuxedo. I'd really had far too much to drink for those kinds of thoughts to be swirling around my head.
"I think your husband deserves a kiss for that one," Clint said lowly, his breath tickling my ear. "We still have far too much attention on us."
The last part came out as a hushed whisper. I had drunk enough that I wasn't completely grossed out by the suggestion. Natasha had once told me public displays of affection were the quickest way to get people's attention off you. I pulled back and pressed my lips against's Clint's.
It was very odd kissing Clint. Especially since neither of us were being shy about it. Clint's hand came up to the back of my head to pull me in closer. I was pushed right against him, close enough to feel his heart hammering against his chest. He tasted like expensive whiskey making it easy to get lost in our little make out session. It was enjoyable when I forgot who I was actually kissing. Clint pulled away first.
"Thank you, dearest," I said sweetly to cover any awkwardness. "Want to go back to our room and I can thank you properly?"
"Lead the way." Clint had a playful smirk on his face.
There was a sashay in my walk as we left the bar. I was wiggling my ass on purpose, throwing playful looks over my shoulder at Clint. To anyone observing we were simply a couple in love and off to do what married couples did by themselves. As we got to the elevator, Clint closed the distance between us and cheekily grabbed my ass.
"You look amazing in this dress," Clint said lowly. "And that perfume has been driving me crazy every time I get a whiff of it."
I knew this was all still just a show for the people around us. Despite the late hour, there were people everywhere. It would be midnight soon and everyone was waiting to see the New Year in.
"I'm going to enjoy peeling you out of that tux." I tilted my head back at Clint and gave him a sultry smile. The alcohol had made me bold in this little game for everyone to see.
"Oh really?" Clint challenged me, quirking an eyebrow. "What's the say I won't rip that dress off you first and have the neighbours know my name by the time I'm done with you?"
The way my body responded to Clint's words was not an act. I felt myself flush and the blood ran from my brain in a big hurry. Mercifully, the elevator doors opened with a loud ding, starling us both. I used the moment of distraction to my advantage.
"You'll have to catch me first."
Even in heels and half drunk, I was quick enough to dart out of Clint's reach. Unluckily for me, Clint was also quick enough to catch onto what I was doing. I only just managed to hit the close button for the elevator doors when Clint jumped in after me. I managed to dodge him grabbing for me and backed into the corner. It wasn't the smartest move on my behalf. The grin Clint had on his face was almost predatory. He hit the close button for the door and stayed there with his finger on the button until the doors slid shut.
"It seems I've caught you. What am I going to do with you?" Clint said with his voice low and husky.
I swallowed hard, though I was still smiling. I had to remind myself this was all an act. A very sexy act. I was going to need some serious alone time with my vibrator when we got home.
"What do you want to do with me?" I asked with a coy smile this time.
Clint said nothing. He hit the button for our floor before stepping towards me. I moved away from him until my back hit the cool metal surface of the elevator wall. Before I could move again, Clint had me pinned against the wall between his arms and strong body pushed up against me. The playful smirk on his face, combined with the intoxicating smell of his new cologne and the well cut suit was making my brain shut off. Something in the back of my mind was trying to tell me this was a really bad idea and going beyond some playful mission banter. All alone in an elevator, there was no need to keep up the act.
I silenced that voice by leaning forward and kissing Clint.
There was a small jerk of surprise as our lips met. I thought I'd crossed a line and went to move away, ready to apologise for it. Clint kissed me back, one hand moving up to pull me in even closer.
It was hot and demanding. Clint's free hand wandered down my body, coming to rest on my ass. He gripped it hard enough that I knew I'd have some faint marks tomorrow. My own arms snaked around Clint's neck as we kissed.
The elevator doors opened with a chime that sounded far too loud. We both jumped apart guiltily as the group of people all stopped talking and stared at us. It seemed to stretch on for hours as people looked either amused or disgusted by our public display of affection. In reality, it was only a few seconds before they all got into the elevator.
Clint and I stood next to each other. He managed to catch my eye and pulled a face at the back of the older lady's head who was in front of us. She'd been one of the people giving us the stink eye before getting in. I covered my mouth to smother my giggles which ending up with me snorting in the most undignified manner. As soon as I snorted, Clint started to laugh. It was a good thing our floor was next because everyone was giving us very strange looks.
As soon as the elevator door opened again, Clint took my hand and we walked as fast as we could out of there. We were both giggling like a pair of school kids who just got caught by a teacher. We got halfway down the hallway before Clint abruptly stopped. Before I could ask him what was going on, he had me against the wall again.
"That whiskey tastes better on your lips," Clint murmured. I didn't have a chance to respond before he kissed me again. I didn't hesitate in kissing him back.
It was turning me on far too much than it should have. It felt so unbelievably forbidden in what we were doing. Inbetween kissing, we managed to somehow stagger into our room. It took Clint four goes to get the swipe card to work on the door. As it opened we both staggered in. Clint kicked the door closed behind him and pulled me into him again. This time his lips found my jawline and he kissed down my neck. His teeth gently sank into a sensitive point, making me shudder and gaps against him.
"Clint."
His name came out as a breathy moan. Clint froze against my skin. The moment of hesitation was enough to feel like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over both of us. I nearly tripped over my heels as I pulled away from Clint. He'd moved back so fast he was up against the door. Both of us looked at each other with a bewildered expression.
What the fuck were we just doing?
Horror quickly gave way to humour. I burst out laughing at the absurdity of the whole situation. Clint visibly relaxed and joined in the laughter with me.
"We are fucking idiots," Clint said between his laughter. "I'm sorry. I got bored and drank too much."
"I drank way too much as well." Tomorrow was going to be an awful hangover. At least we were laughing about this. Otherwise, things could have gotten extremely awkward. "All the people in the elevator thought it was genuine."
I forced myself to keep my eyes firmly above Clint's next. There was no hiding his physical reaction to us kissing. I was flushed and feeling uncomfortably turned on as well. With Gareth out of the picture, my sex life had gone back to being run by batteries. Clint had been a surprisingly good kisser.
"I'm going to have a shower." My abruption declaration made Clint give me an odd look. One that my alcohol soaked brain couldn't quite place. "We should have confirmation in a few hours."
Clint nodded and I turned and made my way to the bathroom. Even though I'd said shower, the large bathtub was calling my name again. I turned the taps on and dumped every bottle of shower gel I could find in the bathroom into it. While it was filling, I scrubbed the make-up off my face. The person staring back in the reflection was all me again. Being undercover was very odd. An entire story was made up for you to act out and you have to make it feel real. Every look, every tiny little motion can either make or break a mission. I had no idea how Natasha could do it so easily all the time. To be an entirely different person at the drop of a hat. It was weird. At least mission was a success so far.
I sighed as I climbed into the warm water. The tension I'd held in my body ever since Coulson called slowly melted away in the warmth. I turned the jets on and slid down into the water until only my head was above it. The piles of bubbles covered my entire body. I could have easily fallen asleep in here. I may have even nodded off for a few moments because when I opened my eyes, Clint was standing in the doorway. He was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, a curious expression on his face as he looked over at me. He was in nothing but a pair of boxers now. After a year of living together, I thought I was immune to seeing him shirtless. Tonight seemed to be a different matter. I really needed to get laid if Clint was suddenly looking very appealing.
"You know that tub is big enough for two," Clint said as I looked over at him. He had that playful expression back on his face. Even from a distance I could see the smile ghosting across his lips.
"Mine. Don't even think about it," I warned him.
"Where's the fun in that" Clint stalked over to the tub.
I sank down even lower in the tub. I was suddenly very aware of how naked I was under these bubbles. It felt like a barrier between me and that playful expression on Clint's face which I was finding very hot right now.
"Get. Out." Despite saying it through gritted teeth, there was no strength behind those words. I really didn't want Clint to get out right now. Getting in was a much more appealing idea right now.
"Why?" Clint challenged me. Instead of getting in the tub with me, he bent down beside it. Clint's fingers trailed through the water coming dangerously close to the bare skin on my legs. If I moved my legs an inch he'd be caressing them. That thought wasn't an unpleasant one at all.
"Because I'm naked." It wasn't the most clever come back I had ever thought of. Usually, it was enough to disgust Clint. Tonight it seemed to be adding fuel to a fire both of us were going to get burnt by.
"Isn't that half the fun though?"
Playful and flirty Clint was going to be the death of me. A voice in my head was screaming at me that this was a really dumb idea and it needed to be stopped. Unluckily for that voice, the one where I was craving touch and attention right now was doing a very good job at drowning it out.
"Only half the fun?" The tease slipped out before I could stop it. "Is that why you don't have girls come back a second time?"
"Would you like to find out?"
The heat behind those words turned me on far more than I ever thought a simple sentence could. My heart was hammering in my chest so loudly I'm sure Clint could hear it. I felt like Icarus right before he flew too close to the sun right now. If I stayed low enough I would be fine. But if I climbed any higher, the thrill would be there. I knew it would crash and burn very spectacularly though.
I was also unbelievably horny right now. Alcohol was making any shred of common sense disappear.
Fuck it.
I bent forward, ready to kiss Clint again. Right before our lips met a loud sound made us both jump apart. It was our phones in the next room.
"Shit."
Clint and I both swore together. Either something had gone wrong or the mission was a success. Either way, we were going to have to get our asses moving to the safe house for extraction. Whatever spell we were currently under was gone in an instant. I jumped out of the tub, grabbing a towel as Clint jogged out of the room. He didn't even sneak a glance back.
"Mission is a success," Clint announced as I walked into the bedroom, still adjusting my towel so my ass wasn't hanging out. "We need to move. Paramedics have just been called to Ivanovich's room."
Just like that, everything was normal again. I quickly got dressed while Clint threw all of our belongings into a bag. Outside there was a loud bang, startling us both. I had instantly gone from my thigh holster, even though I didn't have one on. A second later, the sky burst into brilliant colours as fireworks exploded. A quick glance at the clock revealed it to be midnight. Clint and I both relaxed, sharing a brief laugh at our jumpiness.
"Happy New Year, Kari." Clint reached over and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Happy New Year, Clint." Before he could pull away, I hugged him.
It was like a switch had flipped. Everything was back to being completely normal between us. There wasn't a hint of what had occurred earlier. Clint was relaxed in my arms, squeezing me tightly.
We didn't have time to waste. As soon as I let go, we were moving again. The safe house was only a mile and a half away and we were going on foot. Clint took my hand when we were ready and I let the invisibility slide over us.
Getting out of the hotel was so simple. The elevators were constantly going so no one looked suspicious when the doors opened and it seemed like no one was there. Clint and I squished into the corner of the crowded elevator, trying not to move or breath too much. As we got off at the lobby, paramedics were rushing in with a stretcher. I didn't let myself stop and ponder what I'd done. We breezed out into the freezing night air and when we were clear of the hotel, I let go of the invisibility.
We were silent as we jogged towards the safe house. Jogging in the freezing cold was a good way of sobering up. As we got there, I was the one to put in my codes because Clint had his hands full with our bags. The door flung open before I finished putting my security code in. I let out a little scream of fright, jumping backwards into Clint.
It was Jared.
My fright was quickly forgotten as I flung myself into Jared's arms with a laugh. Natasha came from beside Jared and latched herself onto me. I became the meat in a human sandwich as Clint joined in the group hug.
A successful mission and Jared and Natasha finally being done with their mission was the best way to bring in the new year.
Authors Note.
Whew, that was a long time between chapters. Sorry, everyone, life is a bit crazy between starting a new job, Uni and cramming riding back in as well. One of my horses had surgery at the same time as I did to remove what we thought was a cancerous lump on her leg. It wasn't cancerous but it did cause a bit of damage to the surrounding tendons so it's a long slow process in her rehab. She is now back under saddle though which makes me so very happy.
I promised myself I'd get this chapter out before Endgame. I see it at 8am on the 24th of April, as it's released earlier here in Australia. I hope the long chapter makes up for the wait. I was pretty nervous about posting the one and ended up changing a fair amount of it from some of the original stuff I had written. So I hope everyone enjoys it as we make the steady march into Steve's arrival and the Avengers. I know a few of you will be very happy in the direction things are starting to go in. It still makes me a bit anxious though! Being a writer has a lot of ups and downs and second guessing sometimes. But, it's here and off we go on a whole new chapter of everyone's lives unfurling.
Again, no promises when the next chapter will be out. One a month is about what I'm capable of right now.
Until next time.
