This past week, Natasha had been teaching me that I didn't need to be the strongest person in the room, just the fastest and most agile. One thing that she had insisted on from the very beginning is that no one be allowed to watch while we trained, not even Clint. During the time I spent with her, he was banished from the training room until we finished. She did help him while we practiced different weapons but when it came to sparring, it was always just me and her.

One thing I loved about training with Nat was that she liked to listen to music while we practiced together. After a week, I was to the point now where I actually did better when I had music playing...like my own personal fighting soundtrack.

Today was the first day that she didn't run Clint off and I soon realized why. She intended for him to be my sparring partner for the day. I had smiled wide when she had told me to get ready, excited to show him what I had learned over the past week.

I turned to the CD player Natasha had set up by the mat and pushed play...I grinned when Monster by Skillet came on. I nodded my head that I was ready and Natasha motioned me and Clint towards the mat. She observed me closely as I moved around the mat, circling Clint, and waiting for an opening to attack him. I watched him, keeping my eyes on his so I could wait for him to get distracted or let up his guard.

You have to do something to divert his attention...something small.

A sudden idea popped into my head...it was something I had never considered using to my advantage.

What the hell, it's worth a shot!

I closed my eyes and lowered my head to focus only on thinking of every single thing in my life that had ever made me angry. I thought about Michael. I thought about Deacon Lister. I thought about the monster that was after Bucky. I felt the anger start to rise in me, making my blood boil. I opened my eyes slowly and knew they were now on fire, lit up by pure unaltered fury.

I raised my face to Clint and then tilted my head slowly to the side, enjoying the surprise on his face. I knew the look in my eyes and the wicked smile I was giving probably freaked him out a bit. It was not something he was used to seeing from me and I saw him hesitate for a second...it was just long enough.

I lunged for him, blocking the punch he tried to take and countering with one of my own. My fist making contact with his stomach brought the satisfying sound of a grunt from his mouth and I quickly turned my body to the right to keep him from wrapping his arms around me. I knew if he got ahold of me, he would be able to easily throw me to the ground. I was quicker than Clint but he had strength I didn't possess...he could overcome me if I gave him the chance.

As he turned to face me, I kicked him in the stomach bringing him down to one knee. I quickly launched myself onto his back and heard him groan at the extra weight he suddenly had to carry. As I expected, he lifted himself up on both feet with my arm still firmly gripped around his neck. Before he could throw me off, I raised my leg and wrapped it around his neck. I used my weight and added leverage to flip him to the ground...it was over in seconds. He hit the mat hard and I rolled off him to land on my back. I flipped myself up and then crouched over him with a big smirk; I saw the look of pride surge on his face.

I heard Nat start to clap and looked up to see her smiling down at the two of us...I leaned back and raised myself up from the mat.

"Impressive, isn't she Clint?" She asked, reaching her hand out to him.

He nodded his head and let her help him up from the mat, "Very impressive. Bucky will be pleased" he said.

I smiled at the sound of my boyfriend's name and reached for my water bottle to take a long drink. I had set out to learn how to fight because I had wanted to be able to take care of myself. I knew it wasn't fair for Bucky to always be the one to look after me and if it came down to it, I wanted to be able to protect him too.

For the next hour, Clint and I went back and forth...each time was more and more intense. I realized about half way in that Clint was starting to hold back less and less and it was even more satisfying each time I put him on his ass. Don't get me wrong, I was thrown to the mat quite a bit too but each time I quickly jumped to my feet and went after him again. I had something to prove to myself and by the look on both Natasha and Clint's face, I was succeeding. We finally took a break and I sat on the mat next to Clint as he gave me some pointers on a few things he noticed I could improve on.

I saw Natasha look at the clock on the wall and then glance in my direction, "You ready for an audience Eden?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, standing up from the mat.

"It's time to show everyone what you're made of" she said.

Before I could speak up again, the door to the training room opened and I turned to see who was coming inside.

I swallowed nervously when I saw Director Fury walk in the room. I only calmed slightly when I saw Steve and Bucky following behind him with two men I didn't recognize. Natasha started walking towards the group and when she reached Directory Fury, she shook his hand and motioned him to the side. Steve and the two men I didn't know headed over to where Clint was waiting. I gave Steve a quick wave and then watched as Bucky sauntered over to me...I couldn't help admiring his sexy strut.

When he reached me, I bit my lip and looked around to see if anyone was looking at us before I threw my arms around his neck, kissing him softly on his lips. Bucky didn't seem to care if anyone was watching us. When I tried to discreetly pull away before we attracted any attention, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into his chest. His lips hovered over mine and I saw that damn sexy smirk on his face as he ground his hips against me. Feeling him hard against me made my heart race and the heat in my belly start up.

"Bucky" I said in a warning tone, gripping his arms tightly and closing my eyes to breathe him in.

How does he always managed to smell so damn manly?

"What?" he said innocently, pulling away to lay a quick kiss on my forehead.

I shook my head at him and stepped back, giving myself some distance so I could learn how to breathe again. I put my hand out when he tried to step forward again and groaned when I felt his muscled chest against the tips of my fingers.

"Stay" I said sharply. He winked at me but did as I asked while I collected myself.

"Please tell me all these people aren't all here to watch me" I said quietly.

"No, we aren't ALL here to watch you" he said and I felt myself relax a little. He gritted his teeth and continued, "Grayson and Marston and here to spar with you. Fury is here to observe you. Steve is here to make sure I don't beat anyone's ass for laying a hand on you" he scowled.

I ignored the last comment and looked over at the two strangers in the room, giving them the once over. Neither was as tall or as muscular as Bucky or Steve but they didn't look incapable either. Natasha had taught me to observe my opponents very carefully before a fight. As I watched the two men, I noticed the darker haired man seemed to be favoring his right leg more than the left. I stored that bit of information in the back of my head to use later. The other man was young and had a cocky look on his face...he caught me looking at him and I saw him smirk at me. Bucky noticed and I felt him tense up next to me...I reached down and took his hand to give it a squeeze.

"Are they any good?" I said, not taking my eyes off the two of them.

He nodded at the cocky little shit who was now winking at me, "Marston is a fairly new agent. He's pretty full of himself, as you can see. Good with weapons but not so great in hand to hand combat" he said, sneering at the agent.

He looked in other man's direction, "I don't know much about Grayson but Fury wouldn't have chosen him to spar with you if he wasn't good"

I nodded my head before looking up at him, "Well, I guess I better go show them what I got" I said, pulling away from him quickly. I didn't look back, not wanting him to see the unsure look on my face. I had only fought one on one before so it was a little daunting to be going up against two people...both of whom were actual SHIELD agents with training.

I put on my most confident look on my face and sauntered over to where Natasha and Fury were talking. He looked up at me and gave me a nod before stepping over to where Grayson and Marston were standing with Clint and Steve.

I turned to Natasha and bit my lip nervously. She gave me a reassuring pat on the back and a small smile, "You got this Eden. I wouldn't have brought them in if I didn't think you could handle it. You're a natural and once you get going, your instincts will kick in"

"I've never fought with two people at the same time" I said, glancing over my shoulder to where the small group had gathered. I noticed that Bucky had joined them and was talking quietly with Steve, throwing dark looks at the two men I was set to fight. Natasha began giving me a quick pep talk...going over everything she had taught me this week and giving me some quick tips.

"You're going to do great. Just pretend that the two of them are members of HYDRA and treat them accordingly" she said assertively.

I looked over at the two men and pictured them hurting Bucky...trying to take him away from me. It didn't take much to feel the rage start to rise and a wave of self-confidence swept through me.

Natasha raised her eyebrows at me and smiled wide, "Ha, there it is! Now come on, let's go show these men how to really fight"

I took a deep breath and turned to follow her over to the group of men. Marston watched me, letting his eyes roam up and down my body. He licked his lips suggestively and I couldn't help but wonder if he had a death wish. Surely he knew who Bucky was and it was obvious that we were together...if he kept that up Bucky would beat the shit out of him before I even had a chance to lay a hand on him. I saw him reach down and adjust himself slightly, grinning when he saw that I noticed. I stopped walking and stood there angrily. If Natasha noticed I stopped, she didn't acknowledge it...she only kept walking until she reached Clint

Fucking pervert!

Bucky was standing nearly behind Marston and as I approached, he stepped up and bumped his shoulder hard against the cocky agent as he passed. I gritted my teeth, concentrating on keeping the fury flowing in me as Bucky reached me. He stood in front of me now, glaring over at where the young man stood.

I heard him let out a low growl, "If he keeps staring at you like that I'm going to rip his fucking eyes out of his head"

I didn't say anything in response...I didn't want to let him distract me because I was in my zone. I patted his shoulder and started to walk past him. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back around, a questioning look on his face. When he looked into my eyes he let go, realizing that I was trying to prepare myself. He started to say something but just nodded his head and let go of my arm.

Before I started to walk away, I heard him whisper, "Make me proud"

I threw a smug smile on my face and strutted the rest of the way to the sparring mat, hearing Bucky only a few steps behind me.

Natasha was still giving the two men instructions when I stepped up beside her, "You're out of there once she gets you on your back. The second man in the ring needs to wait until Clint gives you the word to start fighting again" she said.

Marston snorted, "Who says she's even going to get one of us on our back? No offense Director Fury, but she doesn't look like much of a fighter" he muttered, turning to face the man.

Director Fury gave him a look and cleared his throat, "Trust me, she is very capable"

Fury's word was final and after that nothing else was said. The two agents each took a corner of the large mat and waited for Clint to give the word to begin. Natasha came up behind me and whispered in my ear, "I got $50 on you...whip their asses"

I nodded my head, "Not a problem...turn on my music" I said, keeping my head to the ground.

I saw Natasha walk over to the small CD player and push a button. Let the Bodies Hit the Floor by Drowning Pool started playing, Clint gave the signal and the fight was on. I raised my eyes and smiled at how appropriate the song playing was for this situation. Grayson and Marston both stepped forward at the same time.

Here we go EDEN!

I didn't focus on anything but the two men in front of me, trying to gage which one to go for first. Grayson may be the older of the two but I had a feeling he was also the smartest too. I needed to put him down quickly, at least for a moment while I dealt with Marston. I don't think either of them expected me to actually make the first move. I faked a move like I was going for Marston and he froze for a second in preparation. Before they could realize what I was doing, I turned to Grayson and kicked him as hard as I could in the left leg. He immediately went down on his right knee and I gave him a swift kick across the face.

I knew he was at least out of the picture for a moment so I turned on the other agent. He was looking down at Grayson with a surprised look on his face. He noticed me turn to him and instantly I saw his body stiffen. He didn't see the left hook coming until it was too late...the right punch and the swift kick to his stomach that followed were just as much of a surprise. He got up from the mat and threw me a dirty look before lunging at me. I dodged out of the way in time but then quickly realized that Grayson had recovered and was back on his feet.

I turned to block the older man's punch and knee him in the stomach. Before I could turn around, I felt someone wrap their hand in my hair and jerk my head back. I let out a yelp at the sudden pain in my neck but quickly bit my tongue to keep from yelling out again...I would not give him the satisfaction.

"You're a wild little thing" I heard Marston pant into my ear, "I like that in my women"

"Too bad for you...I'm not your fucking woman!" I mumbled angrily so only he could hear.

I threw my elbow back into his stomach, causing him to pull my hair even harder as he doubled over in pain. He finally let go of my ponytail but gave me a swift punch in the side before pushing me away from him. I got up on my feet quickly, ignoring the commotion I heard coming from the direction of my spectators.

I had landed on all fours when he pushed me down and I heard someone coming up behind me. I lifted my leg up and kicked back...my foot landed directly in the middle of Grayson's stomach. I rolled forward and got to my feet. The man was already rising from the mat and I ran at him, using his knee to launch myself up and kick him hard in the face. I was on top of him the moment his back hit the floor, my fist raised and ready to attack.

"You're out of their Grayson" I heard Clint say. I lowered my fist and gave the man a nod, which he returned. I stepped up and faced my last opponent as Grayson made his way off the mat. Marston was standing behind me, poised and ready to go again...the arrogant look still on his face. I glanced over to see Bucky with a furious look on his face...I knew watching this had to be tough on him.

Tough on him?! I'm the one getting my ass pummeled on by two men who outweigh me by at least 100 pounds.

I was waiting for Clint to give us the signal to go again but Marston had other plans...the asshole ran at me before Clint gave the signal and threw a cheap shot to my ribs. He backhanded me across the face which caused me to bite my tongue so hard I tasted blood. I was stumbling back when he threw the right hook so luckily for me, he didn't make full contact. I managed to recover fast enough to block the second punch that he tried to nail me with. I side stepped him and gave a quick jab directly to his nose. He let out an angry yell and I moved back even further from him. The metallic taste in my mouth made me furious and I turned to Marston angrily. He was hunched over trying to catch his breath and scowled when he swiped the back of his hand across his nose to see it come away covered in blood.

Movement off to the side of the mat drew my attention away from my fighting partner. I saw Bucky was being held back by Steve and Clint, struggling hard against them with his eyes focused entirely on Marston. I knew what had happened...he was pissed that the jerk had gone before Clint had said to go. Bucky noticed me turn in his direction and I gave him a little shake of my head. I saw his face relax a little and he stopped struggling against his friends, holding up his hands in surrender. I was still watching him carefully when I saw eyes widen... I knew why as soon as I felt strong arms wrap around my middle, squeezing me too tightly. I saw Clint and Steve reach for him again as he took a step towards the mat. I didn't have a chance to see what happened after that...the fight was back on.

"Are you this rough in the sack? I have to say it's definitely a turn on" Marston panted in my ear. He removed one arm from my waist long enough to punch me hard in my right side. I squinted my eyes closed at the pain and felt him wrap the arm back around my waist to squeeze. I could hear Bucky cursing off to the side, yelling for Steve and Clint to let him go.

I heard Marston chuckle and felt his hot breath on my neck again, "I don't think the Winter Soldier likes me touching his girl. I bet he would love to get his hands on me"

I had my head down so I he didn't hear what I mumbled and he angrily asked me to repeat what I said. When I didn't answer him immediately, he tightened his hold on me, crushing me until it felt like he was going to break a rib.

He leaned down again, "Now...what was it you said?"

I sucked in a small breath, "I said he'll have to wait in line" I quickly threw my elbow back, catching Marston in the nose and smiling when I heard him grunt in pain. His strong grip on me lessened and I reached both hands above me to grab the back of his head before kicking my feet up. I used my momentum to flip him over onto the mat. I immediately flipped myself up off my back and kicked him in the face. I staggered back and my hand shot to my side...it was tender where he had punched me.

I heard Clint call out for us to stop but that didn't keep Marston from making another move towards me. He lunged at me once again and I ducked his punch before slamming my fist in his midsection. He kicked out at me and I rolled myself back and out of the way. I was on my feet as he recovered from my blow to his stomach. We faced each other again and before he could take a step, I threw myself at him. My arm curled around his neck and I threw myself on his back. I raised my leg and hooked it over his shoulder before throwing my weight forward. I rolled off of him as I flipped him onto the mat and was instantly on top of him, digging my knee into his chest.

Marston was glaring up at me angrily and when he tried to make a move, I put even more pressure on him. I felt a hand on my shoulder and heard Clint say, "It's over Eden...you got him"

I was still staring at the man flat on his back and he scowled when he heard Clint's words. He threw his head back on the mat in defeat. I was probably the only one who heard him mumble under his breath the word, "Bitch"

I gave him a quick jab and his hands immediately went to his already bloody nose. I leaned down to whisper, "Who's the bitch now?" I didn't even wait for his retort; I simply lifted myself up and stepped over his body. Clint was the first person I laid eyes on and he chuckled when I said, "Now it's over"

Grayson was directly behind Clint and he gave me a nod of respect before he reached down to help his fellow agent up off the mat. Marston let him help him up but then shrugged out of his grasp. He threw me a murderous look before stomping towards the exit. I heard Grayson let out a deep sigh as he watched his friend go.

"He's not a bad guy I swear. He's just not use to getting his ass kicked so badly...by a girl no less" he said softly.

I nodded my head at him and gave him a small smile, "I'll take that as a compliment"

Grayson laughed lightly, "You should" He sighed again, "I guess I better go check on the fool. Nice job Ms. Page" he said, before walking off towards the exit.

I looked around and noticed Clint and Natasha had wandered over to speak with Fury. Nat caught me looking and gave me a big smile and a thumb up before settling her attention back on the Director.

I really only wanted to see one person at this moment and I scanned the room in search of him. I spotted him in the corner with Steve having a heated discussion. I approached them slowly and caught snippets of their conversation as I approached.

"You shouldn't have held me back..."

"They were only sparring Bucky..."

"...I'll kill the fucker..."

"...he was following orders..."

"He hit HER"

"...and she hit him back"

I was chuckling at Steve's comment when I came up behind them and they both turned when they heard me. I saw Bucky shake his head angrily and turn around the face the opposite direction. I gave Steve a confused look and he just rolled his eyes and waved a hand at Bucky, "Ignore him. That wasn't easy to sit back and watch...for either of us" He came up and gave me a small hug, pulling away when he felt me tense up a little at the pain.

I noticed Bucky turn slightly to watch us and I gave him a long deliberate look before responding to Steve, "Believe me, I had it a little rougher than you guys did"

Steve nodded in understanding, "You did great by the way" He glanced over at Bucky and then back at me, "I'll give you two some time alone"

As soon as Steve had stepped far enough away, I walked over to stand next to Bucky. He had his head down and was now sitting in one of the fold up chairs...he ran his fingers through his brown hair and let out a deep sigh. He only looked up at me when he felt my hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?" I asked him softly with a smile.

He stared at me like I was crazy for a full 10 seconds before he snorted, "You're asking me if I'm okay? You're the one who just went at it with not one, but two experienced SHIELD agents"

I shrugged my shoulders, "Piece of cake"

He reached out and poked me in the right side where Marston had punched me. It was still tender and I jumped at his touch. He raised his eyebrows at me, "Piece of cake, huh?"

I stuck out my tongue before giving me a smug smile. Seeing me joking about what had just happened seemed to relax him a little more. I gave him a smile and then sat on his lap...he wrapped his arm gently around me as I laid my head on his shoulder.

"Did I make you proud?" I asked after we had sat there for a few moments in silence.

I felt him chuckle and then brush his lips against my forehead, "Absolutey!"

I raised my head long enough to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before nuzzling back up to him.

"...and I won $100" he added. I looked up at him questioningly and he continued, "What? Marston's cocky ass was throwing bets around left and right. He's owes Natasha and Clint both $50 each"

"Nat and Clint have been the one's training me. Why did you bet more than they did? You haven't even seen me spar all week" I asked.

He laughed softly, "Because you're my girl...and because I know you're always full of surprises"