Taking Lives
Kitty Vics had closen to do the first patrol since the bombing on her own. Tony had offered to go with her, but she told him she needed time to think; And she did. She thought about Ashley and how infuriating she found him. Why would she just let him go? Kitty tried to think of an explanation, but she was irritated at her inability to produce one. She was even more frustrated at the lack of crime that night. How could New York be so calm? She needed someone to let out her aggression with. Someone to beat out her inner turmoil on.
Kitty walked to an abandoned alley and leaned her back on the stone. She closed her eyes and took out the ponytail holder before working the braid out with her finger. Her hair fell down her back in long waves and she felt slightly better without the tension on her scalp. She tried taking deep breaths to soothe herself, but warning bells were ringing through her mind.
She whipped her head around just in time to miss the shot. She put her arm out in defense before using her other hand to hit his face. Ashley LeRoux roughly grabbed her face and Kitty thought he was going to snap her neck. He crushed his lips to hers and Kitty found that she couldn't stop herself from reciprocating the kiss. Her arms laced around his neck as their kiss deepened.
After several long moments, Kitty's eyes flew open. "Wait, what the-"
"I know you feel it, too," Ashley murmured, his breath hot on her neck. "I know you want this just as bad as me."
"No," Kitty stepped back and ran her hand through her hair. "No, no. You tried to kill me, you jackass!" A tear escaped from her eye and she pushed his chest back in frustration. "You tried to kill me!"
Ashley pressed his body to her, pinning her against the wall. He softly caressed her face, both of their breathing still ragged from the kiss. "Do you have any idea what I want to do to you right now?"
Kitty kissed him again and she saw a whirl of colors before he pulled her onto a bed. She broke away from the kiss to see that they were in a spacious room with bright light streaming in through the open window. The room smelled of the beach rather than a New York street. "Wait," She put her hand on his shoulder and glanced around. "Where the hell are we?"
"France." He answered breathlessly as he shucked off his suit jacket before he started to kiss her again. Kitty began unbuttoning the front of his blue dress shirt and ran her hands over his tanned, toned chest. She felt his hand creep up her thigh and Kitty quickly drew her gun and pressed the tip of the barrel over his heart. Ashley backed off of her, his hands held up. "Now hold on, cher. I was only followin' your lead."
"The bomb was a trap." She pointed out, not removing the gun from his skin. "How do I know you won't wait until I'm defenseless and vulnerable, then try to kill me?"
"I guess," Ashley took his finger and gently pushed the barrel away. "You'll just have to trust me."
"Trust you?" Kitty asked incredulously. "And why the hell should I trust you?"
"How do I know you won't just kill me when I'm vulnerable?" Ashley smiled. "It works both ways, sweetheart."
Kitty stared him in the eyes before putting the gun on the nightstand closest to her. Without breaking eye contact, she removed her sword and gauntlets, setting them with the gun.
"We'll go back to killin' each other tomorrow." Ashley assured her. He kissed her again before muttering, "Tomorrow afternoon. Let's not be hasty."
"Yeah," Kitty breathed as she unclipped her thigh holster and threw it across the room. "Tomorrow afternoon." He unzipped her corset as she kissed him, their bodies melding together...
Kitty woke up on silky white sheets, her body pressed to Ashley's warm skin. She raised her head and saw that Ashley's face was calm in sleep. The jackass almost looks sweet, she thought as she looked at him. Kitty watched him sleep for a while, finding comfort in the way his chest would rise and fall as he took in breaths. He snored softly and Kitty thought it was entertaining. It occurred to her that she could easily kill him while he was sleeping; Something painless as to not disrupt the serenity of the atmosphere. But then she really thought about it; and I mean really, really thought about it, and decided against it.
She looked over her shoulder and saw that there was a small platter of fruits and cheeses. Typical. Kitty edged herself so she could reach the food. She ate about half the platter, which surprised her since she didn't feel that hungry.
Kitty reached over and brushed a strand of his dirty blond hair off his face. He stirred and threw his arm over Kitty and pulled her closer. She just sat there, watching him with sad eyes.
When the sun shifted its position and the light drifting into the room dimmed, she sighed softly. Kitty gently lifted his arm off her, holding her breath as she did. When his arm was cleared, she worked on untangling their legs. He groaned and pressed his face into her shoulder. Kitty thought he was still asleep until she felt him kiss her shoulder.
"Ashley." Kitty whispered as he continued lazily kissing up her neck. "Ashley, I've got to go."
"Whatever happened…To...Tomorrow afternoon?" He asked, brushing some of her hair off her face so he could kiss her cheek.
"It is the afternoon." She said gently. Kitty raised her hand to his face and ran her thumb over his cheek bone.
"Just a bit longer." He pled, staring her in the eyes. "Until tomorrow mornin'." Ashley kissed her on the lips again and he felt her sigh.
"We're not staying in bed all day." Kitty tried to get up but Ashley wrapped his arms around her so she couldn't.
"Well, why the hell not?" He asked, pulling her closer.
"Because," Kitty flipped their positions so she was over him with her arms on each side of his head. She took his bottom lip between her teeth, making Ashley moan. His eyes slid shut and Kitty smiled. "It's not productive." She whispered in his ear.
"It could be." Ashley ran his hand over her bare back before moving her onto her back so he could kiss down her chest. "We should go for round four. Three is an uneven number," Kitty's eyes closed as Ashley continued his ministrations. "Don't want bad luck."
"One more time," Kitty pushed his face up with her index finger and kissed him again. "Then I'll have to go."
"Come work with me." Ashley's breath was hot on her throat as he looked at her through his eyelashes. "Then you wouldn't ever have to leave."
Kitty blinked rapidly before she sat up and pushed Ashley off her. She moved to the edge of the bed and ran her hands over her face. He started kissing her shoulder blades, obviously not realizing that he said something wrong. "Stop, Ashley."
Ashley paused before he moved beside her so he could see Kitty's face. "Guessin' that's a no…"
She reached down and started to retrieve her clothing. When she had on her underwear and bra, she got off the bed. "Is that why you slept with me?" Kitty demanded as she stepped into her suit and zipped it up. "To get me to work with you?"
Ashley's eyebrows drew together and he shook his head. "No, that's not-"
"Then why?" She slid her feet into her boots and threw on her corset. "Why sleep with someone you tried to kill multiple times?"
"Are you actually lookin' for an answer," He watched her hook the thigh holster on and replace her gun and sword. "Or is everythin' I say from this point on wrong?"
Kitty closed her eyes and laughed quietly. "I can't believe I fucking fell for it. Oldest trick in the fucking book. I fucking wrote that chapter." She picked up her gauntlets and clipped them on before pausing. She drew her gun and looked him in the eyes before coldly saying, "Give me my knife before I shoot you."
He looked resigned as he pulled the comforter over his lap, having realized that their time together was officially over.
"Give me the knife, Ashley." Kitty growled.
Ashley took a deep breath and nodded his head to the corner of the room. "You threw it over there last night."
Kitty's eyes flicked to the corner to see that he was right; Her knife was sticking out of the wall. She vaguely remembered throwing something over there in the rush to take off each other's clothing. She look a deep breath and holstered her gun. "I'm-"
"Don't." Ashley said softly. "I was just as worried you'd do the same to me last night."
"Then why?" Kitty sat down next to him on the bed. "Why show up in that alley and bring me here? To France?"
"I didn't think you'd like my place in Louisiana."
Kitty blinked several times, obviously taken aback. "Why wouldn't I?"
"I know you hadn't been back there in some time." Ashley looked her in the eyes. "I have a lot of money. Money buys information." He paused. "Like the kind found in hospital records."
"You already knew what 'Kitty' was short for." She bit her lip. "You knew I lied."
"I pieced everythin' together. All of the medical records, child protective service paperwork, police reports." Ashley moved to look at her better, since her eyes were focused on the floor. "I know everythin' 'bout you."
Kitty's eyes flashed and she looked furious. "How fucking dare you!" She stood up, obviously shocking Ashley. "Who gave you the goddamn right to look into my past?"
"I thought you would like someone knowin'..." Ashley's eyebrows knit together. "Someone you could talk to bout it."
"Take me back to New York, Ashley." Kitty said quietly.
"Come on, cher-"
"Fine." Kitty picked up the knife and slid it into her gauntlet. "I'll take a flight."
"You don't have a passport." Ashley reminded her as he stood up and grabbed his underwear. "I'll take you home. Just let me get dressed." He buttoned up his pants and slipped on a shirt, his eyes cast downwards the entire time. He walked up to Kitty and finally met her eyes. "I'm sorry for everythin'."
"You don't have to be a villain." She whispered, her voice thick. "You could stop. If you disappear, I'll make sure the Avengers won't come for you-"
Ashley gently wiped away a tear from Kitty's cheek. "You don't have to be a hero."
"I'm not a hero." Kitty smiled slightly.
"But I'll always be a villain." Ashley pulled her face to his and kissed her, bringing her back to the New York street. "Until next time, cher." Ashley said before disappearing.
Kitty sighed as she hailed a cab to take her back to the Tower. She strolled through the lobby to the elevators and pressed the button marked 'Three'. Kitty numbly walked into the kitchen, only to stop at the gathering of people. Tony, Steve, Logan, Bruce, Clint, and Natasha were scattered around the room. A holographic map of New York took up the entire dining room table, with colored lines criss-crossing the streets.
"Kitty." Tony sighed and rubbed his forehead. "You're okay."
Bruce stood up from the table in frustration, his eyes locked on Kitty. "Where the hell have you been?"
"What?" Kitty asked defensively. "It's not like this is the first time I've disappeared for a night."
"You've been gone three days." Natasha told her with a straight face.
"Really? Three?" Kitty shrugged and started towards the kitchen. "Guess that explains why I'm so hungry. Who wants pancakes?"
"Are you not going to tell us where you were?" Clint asked suspiciously as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Kitty narrowed her eyes in suspicion and shifted her weight to her left foot. "Why're you so concerned?"
"Well, after what happened with Ashley…" Steve's voice trailed off.
Kitty tried to keep her face straight, but the memories from last night popped into her head. "What about him?"
"Uh," Clint looked at her like she had a screw loose. "He blew you up?"
"And poisoned both of us." Logan reminded her.
"Well, I'm obviously fine." Kitty said.
"Where the hell were you then?"
"I met a supermodel at a bar," Kitty lied seamlessly. "Went home with her. Lost track of time."
"Why didn't you answer your phone? Or text me?" Tony asked.
"What part of supermodel didn't you hear?" Kitty walked into the kitchen and grabbed a green apple. "Besides, I didn't know I needed your permission to disappear for a night."
"Three." Logan reminded her.
"Or even a week!" Kitty argued. "It's none of y'alls damn business what the fuck I do with my life!" She took a bite of the apple as she strolled out of the room.
The elevator in the living room dinged and Kitty glanced over to see who it was. Logan was covered in an obscene amount of blood, almost completely drenched. He staggered him, tired and slow.
"Oh, god," Kitty ran over to him and started pressing her hand to the large wound on his chest. "Logan, what the hell happened?"
"LeRoux." He sat down in a chair and Kitty quickly damped a washcloth to clean off the blood.
"Ashley?" Kitty asked, her eyebrows drawn together. She grabbed one of Logan's hands and gently started cleaning off his knuckles. "Ashley did this?"
"You sound surprised."
Kitty paused, her eyes still focused on Logan's wounds. "Did you kill him?" She asked quietly.
"No." Logan watched as she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "He kept disappearing."
"Well, I hope he looks worse than you do." Kitty set down his hand so she could clean the other one.
"Do you?"
Kitty's head shot up at the same words Ashley had once said to her. "Do I what?"
"Hope he looks worse than me."
"Of course I do.