"Yield."
I smirked as I climbed off Clint's back and released his arm from the near dislocating angle I had him pinned at. I was breathing heavily and I could feel the sweat pouring off me, but it'd been worth it to get Clint pinned to the sparring mats. It was even more satisfying to see the slowness in his body as he struggled to get upright. My knuckle hurt probably as much as his lower back did, but I was so proud of myself right now I didn't care.
"Fuck me, when did you get so fast?" Clint said around his labored breathing. He bent over, putting his hands on his knees, visibly wincing at the movement. "This is my payback for leaving you for three weeks isn't it?"
"Yep," I said breathlessly, putting my hands on my head. "What did you think was going to happen when I've been with Natasha for two weeks non stop? Especially after all her pent-up energy after Japan."
It was early February. Right after my training exercise, Clint had left on a mission with Bravo Team. Unluckily for me, no amount of pleading was letting me go with him. While Clint had been correct in telling me that Coulson said the jackass deserved it on the training exercise, he'd also conveniently left out the minor detail about me drawing a knife on Ramirez in my little spit of anger. When Coulson got the official report, he'd been less than amused and grounded me as punishment.
Officially, I was doing lots of flights because I needed the flying time. Unofficially, this was Coulson scolding me for not playing well with others. I'd been by myself for a week before Natasha and Jared came home from their surveillance mission. The only thing that kept me sane that week was Gareth came up and spent a few days at my apartment. Sharpe had been very lenient with him having some extra time off due to his overseas trip coming up. Even though I had to work for a few of the days, Gareth was more than happy to hang around. It hadn't been the sex on every available surface type visit. We'd actually gone out to dinner and done some tourist things since Gareth had never been to DC. It'd been a nice change of pace for us. Gareth had even met Alexi and much to my relief, Alexi loved her new 'uncle'.
Natasha and Jared's mission had been painfully boring for both of them, so there was plenty of pent-up energy to be worked off. Natasha was back to her old form and she had kept me on my toes. Seeing Clint winded and hurting from sparring with me had been worth the bruises and aching muscles from Natasha.
"Wow," Jared's voice made us both look up to the edge of the sparring mats. He was casually standing there surveying the scene in front of him. "I never thought I'd say these words but Kari really kicked your ass, Barton."
I glared daggers at my twin for his backhanded compliment.
"Please, by all means, grow a pair and get in here." Clint still sounded winded as he waved a hand in my direction. "I'd enjoy watching you get your ass handed to you by your sister."
"Sure."
Jared's easy acceptance made both of us look at him. Clint in amusement and me in surprise. I hadn't seen Jared spar with anyone since Pripyat except Natasha. While Natasha and I worked on our sparring, Jared always hit the gym. Occasionally he stand on the side watching, but he seemed to be completely disinterested in getting involved. This was going to be interesting. Natasha was going to regret leaving early for a shower.
"I'll give a nice speech at your funeral." Clint visibly winced as he straightened up."Thanks Kari, I didn't need that kidney."
"You have another one, stop being a crybaby," I said to Clint with an eye roll. He'd always say to me when I complained he'd near broken something of mine that I had more than one of. "If we're doing this, no powers Jared."
"No powers," Jared agreed with a nod as he toed his sneakers off. "Because we all know that will end in tears and a trip to medical."
"Yeah, you really don't need any more time off work," I said nonchalantly, knowing that wasn't what Jared meant. "Unless you really loved your surveillance mission."
Jared flashed me a charming smile as he stepped onto the mats with me. I saw the shift in his posture and barely had time to duck the punch he swung with his right arm. I knew he'd done it on purpose to try and put me off balance to start with. But I wasn't fooled, not yet anyway.
"Gotta be quicker than that bro," I teased as I moved back a few steps to give myself some distance.
"Just checking you were awake," Jared taunted back at me.
His feet moved as he started to circle me. His sharp blue eyes were watching my every movement. I moved with him, keeping my distance for the moment. Jared was quick and brutal with his way of fighting. He was like Natasha and liked to lure people into a false sense of security before making his move. I was feeling bold today, so I made the first move.
I covered the distance between us quickly and went straight for a vulnerable spot. Jared easily deflected my knee I aimed at his stomach, but I didn't miss the flicker of surprise crossing his face at my ballsy movement. This time he wasn't messing around when he went for a snappy right, left hook combination. I absorbed the impact on my arms with a small grunt. There was enough power in the punches to put me on the back foot. It also gave me an opening.
I landed a vicious kick to the inside of Jared's knee before he could pull away from his attack. I felt the muscles buckle under the force, but not enough to completely disable him. I'd made sure to land the kick on his good leg because I was such a nice sister. I smirked as Jared quickly back peddled out of reach again.
"Sneaky." Jared looked mildly impressed at my move, his smirk mirrored my own. "I'm glad you grew out of the kick in the balls and ask questions later fighting style."
My lips twitched from the effort not to laugh at his cheeky comment. I knew he was trying to distract me. If I let my guard down for even a second he'd have me on my ass.
We circled each other a few more times, throwing playing jabs and kicks to taunt the other person. Jared had the slight advantage over me with his 3 inches. But I was quick enough to get out of the way without losing too much distance between us. In the short time we'd started, a group had started to gather around us.
"Break his pretty face Kari!"
I'm pretty sure it was Sam who called that out. It was hard to tell over the noise of the crowd. In my half a second of distraction at Sam's voice, Jared came at me again full force. I only managed to step around his attack just in time to avoid a fist in the face. I wasn't able to put up a good attack because Jared came at me so damn fast. But I did manage to stop it with a solid fist into Jared's ribs. I heard the whoosh of breath leave his body as he put the distance between us again.
Instead of waiting for him to attack me again, I decided to put him on the back foot this time. I purposely came at him so he'd see it. Jared managed to duck the punch I swung at him, but he wasn't quite quick enough to stop the knee to his stomach this time. He doubled over with a grunt and I drove my elbow into the base of his neck.
In most people, the elbow would drop them instantly. But not my fearless twin. His body crumbled like he was about to drop, but his arms shot out and grabbed me by the waist instead. I quickly twisted the same time Jared yanked us both backwards and off balance. My twist made his grip release on me so I landed on the mat next to him harmlessly. Both of us sprung to our feet at the exact same time. Jared's grin was feral as he looked over at me.
"Slippery little shit," Jared said, cocking an eyebrow up at me. "Come on. Haven't you learned anything from Tasha?"
"I know enough not to be baited by you," I said with a short laugh. "What's your problem? Scared of being bested by your little sister?"
Jared didn't even blink at my taunt. He was too well trained to respond to that line of teasing. But he made the first move again. I didn't want to be on the back foot again, so I met him in the middle. Neither of us were gaining an inch as we punched and kicked each other. I couldn't find an opening to knock Jared down and in return, I wasn't letting him gain any advantage either. I could feel the sweat starting to drip into my eyes as I landed a glancing blow off Jared's arm he'd put up to block me. In the second of the distraction of the stinging sweat in my eye, Jared finally made a move.
He grabbed the arm I'd just punched with and twisted, hard. A jolt of pain ripped up through my arm, making me twist my body in an attempt to free to grip. It was a mistake on my behalf. Jared managed to twist me all the way around and pulled me into a choke hold.
I didn't let that deter me. This time I wasn't a nice sister and went straight for another soft spot. I drove my elbow straight into his groin. All the breath in Jared's body left him in a strangled groan as his grip loosened on me. I squirmed out of his grip as Jared dropped to the ground clutching at his crotch. The collective sounds of sympathy rippled through the crowd as every single male would have flinched. Especially how hard I just hit Jared.
"Yield?" I asked unable to keep the smirk off my face at the sight of Jared rolling on the ground.
Jared's response was to send a small column of flames across the ground to me. Years of sibling roughhousing with our powers made me react quickly. The flames froze a second before reaching me. Jared and I looked at each other with identical accusing expressions. The entire gym went silent as Jared and I watched each other. All it took was a mischievous look on Jared's face and I went invisible. At nearly the same time, flames went down Jared's arm and he teleported out of reach.
It was on.
Jared bounced around a few times, barely standing in one spot long enough for me to catch sight of him. It was dizzying how fast he could teleport. I moved from where I was, making sure to not stay in the one spot too long as Jared tried to distract me.
For as long as I could remember, I could always get this vague feeling of when Jared was about to teleport close to me. There was a slight buzz in the air right before he appeared. Likewise, Jared always said he could vaguely sense my general direction when I was invisible. He described a similar feeling like there was something that would always pull him towards me. No one else had ever described the same feeling from either of our powers. Professor Xavier explained when we were younger than twins often had a special bond that couldn't be explained, that it was a unique thing for Jared and I to share. But right now I was glad for it.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I darted to the left, spinning around to face the spot I'd felt it. True to my instincts, Jared appeared in the exact spot a microsecond later.
"Sneaky, sneaky," Jared said with a smirk, looking around the seemingly empty area. "Come out, come out where ever you are."
I made a ball of ice in my hands trying not to laugh as I did. I threw the ball straight at Jared's face and quickly ran back towards the spot he was in. Instead of teleporting, like I thought he would, Jared sent a small burst of flames at the ball of ice. It became nothing more than a puddle on the floor. Instead of darting out of the way, I kept my course straight for Jared and came up from behind him. He tilted his head as I came to a stop. I couldn't help myself, I blew a freezing breath up his neck before leaning over.
"Boo," I whispered in his ear.
Jared hated anything touching his neck. It was a funny thing he'd always had and I'd quite often used it to my advantage when we were younger. He cursed as he shot forward, clutching at his neck and squirming like someone had put ants down his boxers.
In his distraction, I decided to finish this. I let go of my invisibility as I charged at him. I landed a perfect knee in the stomach, making Jared double over this time. I pushed off my left foot and held my breath, hoping for the best. As I came up, I hooked my knee around Jared's neck and used the leverage to pull the rest of my body up. With Jared firmly stuck between my thighs, I pulled back body backward with as much strength as I had in me. As I came down, I braced my body with both hands on the ground and let the momentum of the move do the rest. Jared flipped over onto his back with a satisfying thud. I let go with my legs and rolled back up onto my feet smoothly.
Fuck me, I'd finally done it. After all these months of practice, I pulled off Natasha's famous thigh choke. What's more, it was hard enough that Jared was still on the mats breathing heavily.
"Yield?" I asked again. I hadn't realized how out of breath I was until then. Jared wasn't much better. He was dripping with sweat despite the short session and breathing heavily.
"Ouch," Jared said with a grumble. "Yield. But I want a rematch next week."
"How about next month?" I laughed breathlessly, offering him my hand.
Jared grinned at my cheeky reference from Fight Club and took my offered hand. I hauled my twin to his feet, not missing the small wince of pain that crossed his face.
"Did I do that?" I switched to Icelandic knowing Jared would appreciate the small discretion.
"Landed funny," Jared explained in the same language. He smoothed over his face, leaving no trace any sign of pain. He shifted his weight off his bad ankle very subtly. "Don't worry, I'll kick your ass next time."
The last part was spoken in English and loud enough for our crowd to hear. I didn't doubt him at all. Now Jared would be back at it, pushing himself just to kick my ass. But I laughed and clapped Jared on the back. It'd be a bit of fun and good entertainment for the morning gym crowd. Clint was waiting for me with a towel and bottle of water. To my surprise, Natasha was back along with Coulson. Judging by the grin on Coulson's face, we weren't in trouble. For once.
"Nice work guys," Coulson praised us as we went over to them. "How are you feeling Jared?"
Ever since Jared had been cleared for field duties again, Coulson had extended his reach and had been keeping a very careful eye on Jared. There had been no reason for Coulson to be in Japan for such a simple surveillance mission. But him watching over Jared made everyone breath a little easier. There hadn't been a word of complaint from Jared about it either. If anything, he looked relieved to have Coulson there for guidance.
"Besides humiliated?" Jared said, shooting me a disgruntled look. It didn't reach his eyes, they were sparkling with good humor. Natasha had a bottle of water for him which he took with a grateful smile. "I tweaked my ankle a little on landing. Nothing major."
"Get Max to look at it anyway," Coulson said with a nod. "I might have something for you when you're done."
That promise of work was all Jared needed not to argue about having someone look at his ankle. He was gone before I could blink. No doubt to shower and haul his ass to the infirmary.
"What about us?" Clint asked Coulson. "Do we get an exciting mission?"
Clint's mission with Bravo team had been a bust. They'd been tracking a War Lord across South Sudan and all the way to Ethiopia. In the end, they'd lost track of him completely. The guy was like a ghost even with a considerable mercenary army behind him. He was really starting to piss SHIELD off.
"Even better," Coulson looked over at me with a proud smile. "I'm paying for breakfast. Where are we going?"
"Waffles."
The three of us answered together. Natasha and I had stumbled upon a waffle place last week and it'd become a fast favorite. Coulson rolled his eyes and his expression spoke more than words could. He shouldn't have bothered asking. The fond expression he glanced at three of us made up for the minor annoyances we tended to put our handler through.
The three of us headed for the shower as Coulson went the opposite way to his office. Today was a quiet day at work because Clint was heading to see his kids today. Jared was teleporting them down and they'd pick up Lila and Cooper from school as a surprise. Laura was a late shift, so it was giving Clint some much needed time with the kids alone. He hadn't made it down there with the last mission going for as long as it did. The biggest breakthrough had been Laura going directly to Clint to organize it all, instead of going through me. It was a good start to have them at least be able to do that. Even if the timing was a little awkward.
It was Valentines Day today. The reason why Natasha and I weren't going down with the boys was I was watching Alexi and William all weekend. Evans was surprising Abby with a weekend away with just the two of them. Natasha was staying with me tonight for a girls night and moral support. While I had no problems with Alexi, having both her and William was a little nerve-wracking.
I also had a feeling that had been a decision made behind my back about not letting me be alone for Valentines Day. I'm sure I'd be too busy with Alexi to worry about being alone, but I was still grateful for the silent support. The anniversary of Riley's death was creeping up quicker than I wanted it to. I was fine right now but I knew this was the lull before the storm. It wasn't going to be pretty and I was shoving it to the back of my mind for as long as possible.
Even thinking about it now, I hooked my arm through Natasha's as we walked to the locker room and gave her a smile. Natasha's returning smile said more than words ever could. We always had each other back no matter what.
And she was very proud of me kicking Jared's ass.
Walking into the locker room was noisy as usual. It took me a ridiculous amount of time to actually get to my shower. It felt like every second person in the room wanted to stop and congratulate me on kicking Jared's ass. It wasn't an everyday occurrence that I showed my powers openly. I wasn't surprised to hear most of the guys request I do it again, with powers from the start for next time.
By the time I finished talking to everyone I only had a few minutes to shower and get changed. I was still drying my hair when I walked back into the locker room to grab my wallet and phone. I closed my locker door and found Rumlow on the other side of it.
"Yes?" I asked, arching an eyebrow at Rumlow leaning on Clint's locker.
"Nice fight," Rumlow said with a chuckle. He held up a small wad of folded bills. "My shout tonight. Where are we drinking?"
"Save it for another night." There was no wiping the grin off my face. At least Rumlow had to brains to bet on me. Why was I not surprised to find out someone had starting bets while the fight was going. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence. "Alexi, Natasha and I are having a wine, cheese and Disney night."
"I know she's a little shit to get to sleep, but are you really letting Evans' toddler drink?" Rumlow teased as he pushed himself off the locker. "If you change your mind, let me know. We can throw peanuts at all the couples who are going to be having inappropriate displays of public affection."
I looked at Rumlow again. He gave me a small smile that didn't match his teasing tone. This wasn't just a friendly offer to go out drinking because I won. I'd never call him out on it, but Rumlow was asking to make sure I wasn't alone today. If it the locker room wasn't full, I'd hug him for being so thoughtful. I settled on giving him a genuine smile instead.
"I'm fine," I dropped my voice down so I couldn't easily be heard. "But thank you."
"Call if you need anything." Rumlow nodded and reached over to give my shoulder a squeeze. "I'll even tolerate Alexi glaring at me."
That made me laugh. Alexi wasn't the biggest fan of Rumlow. Most of the time she'd just glare at him from afar, or stuck her tongue out at him. I had no idea why she didn't like him.
"I will. If you wear a skirt you're welcome to come over for girls night." The serious mood was gone as my smart ass comment. "You have to sing along to Disney with us though."
"I'm good." Rumlow visibly shuddered, shaking his head rapidly. "Have fun. I'll keep this for bail money for when the neighbors make a noise complaint."
Rumlow moved too quickly for me to smack him for the comment. But he made me laugh again. It had made our exchange look like nothing out of the ordinary. The unspoken part between us would stay between us.
It was more brunch rather than breakfast by the time we got to the waffle place. Jared came with us, sporting a wrapped ankle but gleeful expression over whatever he and Coulson had talked about. In true Jared style, he was tight-lipped about what they'd discussed and unluckily for us, Coulson was in a tormenting mood and not sharing either. What started a serious guessing game quickly dissolved into the most ridiculous things we could think of. No one was in the mood to take anything seriously today.
After brunch, Clint and Jared took Clint's car back to our apartment to get ready to go. Coulson had his girlfriend, Audrey, flying into the airport in an hour so it was just Natasha and I for the afternoon. It was easy to pass the hours by with some aimless wandering around shops. Besides some cheese and wine for tonight, there was nothing we needed. But both of us were very bad at finding things we wanted. I found some more Little Miss books to add to Alexi's collection and a few baby books for William. Armed with cheese and wine, we made our way over to Evans' place.
It was perfect timing. Abby was pulling out of the street as we were arriving. She didn't know Natasha's car so we passed by without a second glance. Natasha dropped me off at the curb so she could park further down the street. The front door opened with Evans and William both smiling at me.
"You couldn't have timed it better," Evans said with a smile. William gurgled up at me, waving his chubby fists in my direction. Even though I saw him at least twice a week, I was always amazed at how quickly he was growing.
"I know, we just passed Abby." I held out of arms to see if William wanted to come over for a hug. He smiled and instantly complied. Unlike his sister, he was the easiest going baby. He'd go to nearly anyone for a hug and slept like the dead. "Hey little man, you looking forward to your coolest Aunt's ever babysitting for the weekend?"
"Where's Natasha?" Evans asked as he opened the door a little wider so I could come inside.
"Parking down the street so Abby doesn't get suspicious when she comes home." I bopped William on the nose, getting a laugh from the baby. He waved his hands around trying to grab my finger as I stepped inside. "Are you packed and ready to go?"
It was a bit of a stupid question on my behalf. Evans was one of the most organized people I knew. As I stepped into the house, there was already 2 bags sitting beside the door. Evans looked down at them and back up at me with a smirk.
"Now do you have everything you need?" I shifted Willian up on my hip a little higher. "Chocolate, flowers, a good bottle of wine, condoms unless you're going to see if you can have another accident?"
My last one made Evans roll his eyes at me.
"2 is more than enough, thank you," Evans said dryly. "As you're about to find out. Alexi was an asshole this morning."
"Isn't that a little incorrect to call your toddler an asshole?" I teased. "What did she do this time?"
"Incorrect but not untrue," Evans' dry tone continued. "She wanted her toast cut into triangles, then cried and pitched a tantrum because they were triangles. I told her she wasn't leaving her chair until she finished them. I swear I turned my back for one second and she's gotten herself out of her chair and was trying to feed her toast to William. Her excuse was 'William said he was hungry'."
Alexi's new found dexterity was sending Evans grey. She had an uncanny knack for getting out of anything she could. Alexi had also discovered climbing. Abby found her halfway over their 8 foot backyard fence the other day because Alexi said she wanted to play with the neighbors new puppy. I took her to the park earlier this week and she started climbing on the outside of the play equipment. Thankfully she was always as good as getting down as she was getting up. But she gave me a few minor heart attacks along the way.
"I swear she's just like Hawk for talking herself out of trouble." I gave Evans a sympathetic look. "Besides her being a little monkey and escape artist, is there anything new in the last 3 days?"
"Thankfully no." Evans scrubbed a hand over his face. He looked tired. The three week mission had been rough on him. He was grumbling more and more about being too old for this shit these days. "I've left all the numbers for the weekend on the fridge. We won't have any cell reception so you'll have to call the front desk. Alexi's pediatrician is…."
"Dr Elms at Fairfax Hospital and if she isn't available, then it's Dr Gordon who is William's doctor. Abby's mom lives 40 minutes away and I have your entire team's numbers in my cell in case I need someone to help." I finished for Evans. "I've got this. We'll be fine."
"You forgot there's plenty of frozen meals in the freezer so you don't starve to death," Evans continued with a small chuckle. "And.."
"Abby froze a weeks supply of breastmilk for William," I cut in again. "If that runs out there's formula in the cupboard. He's allowed to have his rice cereal and there's a year worth of pureed stuff in the freezer for him too. Alexi is an asshole and she'll probably throw most of her food on the floor but we'll try to get her to eat whatever I'm eating. As long as she eats something it's a win. William has his last feed at 1915 and he's asleep by 1935 at the absolute latest. He's awake at 0620 and has his naps at 1030 and 1445. Alexi will sleep when we're all dead. Have I missed anything?"
"You spend too much time here," Evans grumbled. There wasn't a lot of force behind it, especially as he pulled me into a hug a second later. William grumbled a little as he got wedged between us. "You have no idea how much Abby and I appreciate everything you do."
"I do." I hugged Evans back. While Evans had been away I'd made sure I went around every day to give Abby a hand. Having a toddler and 6 month old was exhausting enough without throwing in Alexi's crazy energy levels. For a kid who slept an average of 5 hours every night, she could go all day without stopping.
"Are you sure you didn't cancel any plans for this?" Evans asked, giving me one final squeeze before letting go. He watched my face carefully like he was trying to see if I was lying. William took the opportunity to hold out his arms for Evans. He was definitely daddy's boy. Evans reached over and took him from me with a smile.
"Well, Rumlow offered to take me drinking from the money he won this morning by betting on my fight with Jared," I said, trying to stay as nonchalant as possible. The corners of my lips quirked up at my unsuccessful attempt. "I offered for him to come over and watch Disney with us but he declined that invitation very rapidly."
"Who won the fight?" Evans raised an eyebrow at my explanation. He hadn't been in at work this morning, at least I hadn't seen him. "Never mind. The smug look all over your face tells me everything I need to know. Hey Natasha."
I glanced over my shoulder to see Natasha coming in the door. She nodded in greeting as she kicked her shoes off. She had our bags from shopping which Evans was eyeing off apprehensively.
"I only bought books," I said defensively as he gaze shifted to me. "They can never have enough books. I didn't buy any more books that sing or dance for William either."
I'm sure the farmyard animal book I bought for William had been hidden somewhere well out of reach. Alexi loved to 'read' it to her brother and drove both her parents nuts by constantly pressing the animal sound buttons.
"I'll make a coffee while we wait for Abby," Evans seemed to trust me this time. "You know where everything is."
I took the duffel bag off Natasha and went up to the spare room. It was becoming my second bedroom more than a spare room these days. I even had a few changes of clothes here these days. Evans was right in that I spent a lot of time here. But I wouldn't have it any other way. As I went back downstairs, Evans was just pouring the coffee and Natasha was entertaining William in his high chair. It always amused me to see one of the deadliest assassins in the world cooing in Russian while playing with William. The baby was particularly fascinated with Natasha's long red hair and he was always making a grab for it. There was a game of it now seeing Natasha dodge his chubby fingers and encourage him to be quicker.
The three of us settled around the table with our coffee chatting about nothing in particular. It only felt like minutes before I heard Abby's car pull into the driveway. In less than a minute, the door to the garage opened and I could hear Alexi thumping down the hallway. She missed seeing us sitting in the kitchen and beelined for the lounge room. There was a second of silence as we all waited patiently for Alexi to realize where we were.
"Dad?" Alexi hollered. Evans and Abby had been trying to teach her an inside voice. It wasn't working judging by the volume of her voice.
"In the kitchen Munchkin," Evans called back. "Inside voice please baby."
A few seconds later, Alexi came running into the kitchen. Her face lighting up as soon as she laid eyes on me.
"Kari!" Alexi ran at me. I caught her mid-stride, scooping her up for a hug. She laughed and hugged me tightly. "Tasha's here too!"
"Troy?" Abby's voice came from down the hallway. "Why are there bags packed in the hallway?"
There was a slight tremble in Abby's voice. Not a happy tremble either. I didn't doubt her mind went to another scenario instead of the one planned. It looked like Evans was going away again.
"I'm in the kitchen," Evans kept his voice neutral. "Come here, I've got to tell you something."
I heard Abby's heavy sigh from the kitchen. I felt a stab of sympathy for her as she walked into the kitchen looking upset. She'd never openly voice it, but it was hard having 2 young children and a husband that could be gone in the blink of an eye. Evans had only been back a week this time.
"What?" Abby walked into the kitchen and did a double take seeing Natasha and I sitting at the table. "Oh, company. Hey guys."
Evans handed Abby an envelope wordlessly. Her expression turned from weary to suspicious in an instant. Abby looked at Natasha and I before opening the envelope. She pulled out the folded piece of paper, her eyes scanning the letter inside. I knew it was their reservation confirmation for the retreat Evans booked for them. A few seconds later, Abby's hand flew to her mouth and she looked suspiciously teary as she looked over at Evans again.
"So, I thought we could do with a weekend away." Evans gave her a charming smile. "Kari and Natasha are here to watch the kids. Happy Valentines Day."
Evans barely had time to get out of his chair before Abby threw herself into his arms, laughing as she hugged him hard. Evans lifted her up a little, spinning her around. In my arms, Alexi laughed and clapped at her parent's antics.
"I thought you were going away again," Abby sniffed. She gave Evans a small shove as she laughed again. "You sneaky shit. How did you manage to sneak this by me?"
Evans had given me the money and I'd paid for it on my credit card so Abby wouldn't see it in their bank account. He'd been planning this for a few months now.
"I'll explain in the car, let's get going," Evans gave Abby a gentle push in the direction of the door. "We have a dinner reservation tonight."
"Thank you." Abby ignored Evans' attempt to get her out the door. She came over and gave me a quick hug. "There's…"
"Don't worry, Kari knows the kids routine better than I do," Evans cut Abby off before she could start to rattle off instructions.
"Of course she does." Abby hugged me again."Thank you as well, Natasha."
Abby's extra hug was for Natasha. Though Natasha was quite often with me, Abby still wasn't sure how to act around her.
"Be good Munchkin." Abby gave Alexi a quick kiss. She turned to William and did the same. "You too little man."
"Bye." Alexi waved in my arms. She was completely unconcerned about her parents leaving. She waited until Evans and Abby were out of earshot before turning to me with a cheeky grin. "Ice cream?"
I'm sure we'd regret this later but I couldn't say no to her adorable grin.
"Let's go to the park and get some ice cream then." Natasha beat me to it.
It was cold and not ice cream weather at all. But a smiling and happy Alexi and William for what was left of the afternoon was worth the minor discomfort. We got home later than we probably should have with 2 small children. Alexi was showing no signs of slowing down as William went to bed, as expected. She was more than happy to sit on the couch eating cheese with us while watching Pocahontas. We had just gotten to the part where John Smith and Pocahontas meet for the first time as the front door opened. Natasha and I both looked down the hallway in suspicion. There weren't many people who'd come over and let themselves in unannounced.
"Hello ladies," Sam's voice traveled down the hallway. "I come bearing gifts."
"Sam!" Alexi was off my lap in a flash and running down the hallway.
"Hey Munchkin." Sam met her in the door of the lounge room, picking her up and swinging her around. Alexi giggled as she got spun around. She got down from his grasp just as quick, making a beeline back to my lap. "How are my favorite ladies?"
I don't think Natasha's eyebrows could climb any higher on her face. She was staring at Sam with a mixture of confusion and apprehension. It was no coincidence he was here. I had a funny feeling this was going to end in tears.
"Having a girls night," Natasha said briskly. "What are you doing here Sam?"
"Like I said, I came to see my favorite girls." His charming grin at Natasha couldn't hide the nerves clearly on his face. "So, Munchkin I got you something."
With a flourish, Sam produced something from behind his back. It was a box of Belgium chocolates. I knew that box well because it was Natasha's favorite chocolate. At the promise of chocolate, Alexi was off my lap again and went up to Sam. Her grin was adorable as she took the box from Sam.
"Now, I think these are Aunty Nat's favorite chocolate." Sam crouched down to Alexi's eye level. His stage whisper was clearly meant to be heard. "Can you share them with her for me?"
"And Kari too," Alexi instantly protested with a pout. I shot Sam a smirk, he should have known better than to leave me out of it.
"And Kari too," Sam confirmed. "Is that okay?"
Alexi nodded furiously as she came back over to the couch. I had to hide my smile behind my hand as Alexi very proudly presented the box to Natasha.
"We share?"
Clever boy Sam. There was no way Natasha would refuse the chocolates from Alexi. The look of apprehension fell away from Natasha's face and it was replaced by a genuine smile. I felt myself relax at the smile on her face. Sam had done very well to get around a potential minefield that was nearly guaranteed to blow up in his face. A second later, Natasha reached down and took the box from Alexi.
"Thank you Munchkin," Natasha said with a smile. "Should we make some room for Sam?"
I smiled into my wine glass, scooting across so there was more room for Sam.
"Oh, Kari." Sam looked ridiculously pleased with himself as he sat down next to Natasha. "There's something outside for you too. Someone must have dropped it off earlier."
That was weird. There hadn't been anything outside when we got back. I'd told Gareth when he broached the subject that I thought Valentines Day was a stupid holiday. He agreed with me wholeheartedly and the subject was dropped afterward. So I wasn't expecting anything from him or anyone else. Frowning, I got up and made my way to the front door.
I opened the door, glancing down to see what was on the steps. My eyes fell on a pair of Air Force blue trousers instead of a gift on the doorstep. My eyes snapped back up and I was met with Gareth's slightly nervous but smiling face. He had a pizza in one hand and a 6 pack of beer in the other that he held up to me. He was still dressed in uniform meaning he'd come straight from work.
"I know I'm supposed to be naked, but it's a bit cold for that," Gareth joked. "We agreed that Valentines Day is stupid so, happy Friday?"
I couldn't stop myself. I threw myself into Gareth and hugged him tightly as I laughed. I wasn't expecting to see him again until he was due to leave for Iraq. He'd done well to surprise me and to remember my quip about bring beer, pizza and be naked.
"Happy Friday," I was a little breathless as I pulled away from our hug. A sudden thought hit me, poor Gareth would have been out here with Sam. That could have been very awkward. I didn't see any blood and Sam did tell me he was out there. "I hope Sam wasn't too much of an asshole to you."
"There were words, I'm not going to lie," Gareth said with a grimace as he came in the door. "But I'm relatively unscathed."
"Sorry," I apologized as I took the beer off him. "The boys can't help themselves even though they know I could kick their asses with one hand behind my back. We're watching Pocahontas. Care to join the sing-along?"
One thing I'd noticed about Gareth is that he never pushed about why I'd change subjects abruptly. He was very good at leaving topics alone that I wasn't ready to talk about.
"Lead the way."
After seeing Natasha surprised for the second time tonight, Gareth settled in as we played the movie again. There was no room on the couch for both Gareth and I so we shared one of the reclining chairs. It was cold enough that we both snuggled under a blanket. I expected Gareth to be trying to get some sneaky groping in. He didn't. Gareth seemed perfectly content with me on his lap while we watched the movie. Alexi took turns in alternating between Natasha and me as she shared the chocolates around. I even got her to eat an entire piece of pizza between all the chocolate without a fuss. By the time Pocahontas was finished Alexi was showing no signs of slowing down.
"One more," Alexi begged, tugging on the blanket covering Gareth and I. "Please, please, please Kari."
"One more and then bed," I promised. Sometimes it was easier to let Alexi stay up and wear herself out rather than deal with a bedtime tantrum. "How about Mulan?"
Alexi wrinkled her nose and shook her head rapidly, much to my disappointment and Natasha's amusement.
"Lion King," Alexi said firmly, bouncing a little on my lap.
Why did I not see that one coming? The Lion King was one of Alexi's favorites. I fought back a sigh as I untangled myself from Gareth and Alexi to get up to put the movie on. I knew this movie off by heart thanks to Lila's obsession with it last year.
"How about Finding Nemo?" I turned to ask Alexi, hoping she might change her mind. I faltered a little at the sight in front of me.
In my absence, Alexi had cuddled up to Gareth. She was sprawled across his chest with her thumb in her mouth. It was odd to see her take to someone else so quickly. Normally she'd make a fuss and scream if she was with someone new. Despite only meeting Gareth once, she seemed perfectly happy in his company. It made me happy and my heart ache all at once. It's how she used to sleep when Riley was around, sprawled over his chest. It was adorable and annoying all in one glimpse. Riley wouldn't be able to move for fear of waking her up and causing one of her famous tantrums.
Alexi shaking her head furiously at my suggestion brought me back from the memory. Her little face scrunching up in disgust told me where I could shove my movie suggestion. I sighed outwardly this time and got out the DVD of her choice.
"Fine. Lion King it is."
Alexi lasted until Hakuna Matata. Despite her best efforts, her little eyes weren't able to stay open any longer. It had been a long day for her. First, she was at playgroup all morning, then our park visit in the afternoon. It was a little after 2200 which could be classified as an early night for Alexi. She didn't stir when I picked her up off my lap. I was tired myself. The bottle of wine along with a few beers was making it hard to stifle my own yawns.
"I'm heading to bed too," I announced, shifting Alexi's dead weight in my arms. "Are you two taking the spare room or am I?"
Sam and Natasha had been the most open I'd ever seen them together. Natasha was lounging across the couch with her feet in Sam's lap. They'd put a blanket over Natasha's legs but I'm sure there'd been some subtle teasing under it. I'd caught Natasha looking a little flushed a few times and the small amount of wine we'd drunk wasn't enough to put color on her cheeks. Whatever was said outside stayed between Gareth and Sam as both of them were polite to each other throughout the movies.
"We'll take the spare bed," Natasha said, getting up and stretching. "I'll clean up if you want to put Munchkin to bed."
"Night." I wasn't going to argue. There wasn't a big mess anyway. It'd probably take Natasha and Sam less time to clean up than it would for me to put Alexi to bed.
"Nice to see you again Gareth," Natasha said with a smirk on her face. "Don't keep us up all night."
"Same for you Romanoff." Gareth had plenty of warning about Natasha's teasing last time he visited. "Please don't make me need earplugs for the night."
I grinned at his easy response and tilted my head towards the direction of the stairs. Gareth followed me without complaint. He seemed perfectly happy with how the evening was panning out even though we hadn't done anything. Gareth helped me tuck Alexi into bed and even though I knew he'd be asleep, I checked on William as well. I couldn't be bothered to do much more than change into my pajamas and crawl into bed. Gareth stripped down to his boxers and got in beside me. I rolled onto my side as Gareth clicked the bedside light off. A second later, his warm body was cuddled up to me from behind.
"Sorry if this wasn't the exciting night you were planning," I apologized, squeezing his hand that had found mine. "Thank you for the surprise though. I'll have to really show my gratitude in the morning."
The mind was willing for sex but my body was saying no. Alexi had really worn me out today.
"It was a perfect night." Gareth pressed a kiss on the back of my neck. "You know I don't visit just because I want sex?"
"I know." I quickly reassured Gareth. I remember him saying that in our phone conversation before I went down for the dining in night. His last visit was proof of that too. There felt like there was something else to his statement. It only took a second before I worked out where that had come from. "What did Sam say to you?"
"Oh, the usual." Gareth kept his tone light. "If I hurt you or use you in any way, shape or form, there won't be enough of me left to identify. That being if they ever found my body in the first place."
"I'm sorry," I said with a groan. I rolled over so I was facing Gareth. "I can have a word with him if you want."
I was torn between wanting to punch Sam for being an overprotective asshole and wanting to hug him for watching out for me. This was hard for him too. Knowing I was sleeping with someone and meeting that person were big leaps from each other. I was never going to introduce Gareth and Sam. It was bad timing for both of them to be here tonight.
"No, it's fine. I must have said the right thing because I'm not dead," Gareth said with a small laugh. I gave Gareth a curious look and he answered the question before I could voice it. "I told him I was whatever you wanted me to be, nothing more and nothing less."
"Good answer." I smiled. Things with Gareth were easy. We could hang out like a pair of old friends with the added bonus of good sex. Natasha had been right in what she'd told me before Pripyat. I always knew where I stood with Gareth. There was no miscommunication and we could simply enjoy each others company. It was exactly what I needed right now.
"I thought so too." Gareth pressed a soft kiss on my lips. "Happy Friday."
"Happy Friday." I kissed him back with a small chuckle. "Good night."
Gareth rolled onto his back, opening his arm so I could move over to him. I put my head on his chest, closing my eyes with a contented sigh. Today was a good day. I really hoped the good days kept coming. I'd had more than enough of shitty ones.
Authors Note
A shout out to Kitsune Kayls for the suggestion of having Kari and Jared spar together. I hope it met your expectations because it was a lot of fun to write. Especially with Kari's new found confidence. Suggestions like that always give me a fresh burst of inspiration so please don't be shy anyone if you have something you want to see. I try and work things into the story as much as I can. In saying that too, I know I've been a bit slack with any one shots attached to this. A few people have requested them, so I'm sorry I haven't been able to get to any of them lately.
So Asexual Potato asked me about story recommendations. I thought I'd put them out so if anyone is looking for something to read. I'm very fussy with my stories, so I don't have a huge list of favorites, but there's a few that stand out.
One of my all time favourites on here is The Hawkeye Initiative by Ezra Cross is an epic read, as are most of the one shots she has written from Avengers. If you need to kill a lot of time, I definately reccomend starting at the first story.
Another series I've really enjoyed is the Vantage Point universe written by Aggie2011. It's another Clint based series and one to read from the start.
The Mess We Will Become and it's sequel Metanoia are a good read. It's a Steve/OC storyline.
The Sky is Falling and it's 2 sequels by xXfireXflyXx are a great Loki/OC series.
Happily Ever After Just Took Time by bookworm1517 is a great Clintasha origin story.
On ArchiveOfOurOwn I have 2 that stand out above all others.
Echo by EonAO3 is another story about a female STRIKE member with a difference.
Stay by thegraytigress is a Steve/Natasha AU where Steve is a disabled war vet and Natasha is on the run.
Thank you to all of my reviewers and new favorites/followers. You guys have no idea how much reviews make my day and keep me going. I always knew this would be a long slog of a story, but I was sure I'd be finished before Infinity Wars. Nope, definitely not going to happen. But I hope we WILL be well and truly at the Avengers timeline of things before Infinity Wars hit cinemas. On the bright side, I have so much material I can play with starting from scratch. It's a long and epic journey and I'm glad you're all with me on it.
Until next time.