Fury did not know what to expect when his PA buzzed his office early the next morning and told him that Hermione Granger was there to see him. In fact, he even ran his hand over his smooth head nervously as he experienced a rather unexpected and uncharacteristic moment of uncertainty.

What the hell is wrong with me! he chastised himself. He had faced down monsters and aliens...so why would he be worried about meeting with the woman?

He blamed Stark and the others. It was their fault for making him think so much lately about the lovely little witch on the other side of the door. To be sure that was the only reason that he felt…awkward…about seeing her.

She was an Avenger, after all, and he met with them all of the time. He had been alone with her before and had even engaged in some very interesting conversations with her, too. In fact, he could remember practically every word the woman had ever said to him, as well as how attractive she looked, and how intelligent she sounded while she said it. Therefore, there was absolutely no reason that this meeting should be any different than those had been.

Fury tried to convince himself of that as he put on his no-nonsense Director face…and told his man to send her in.

...

"Are you alright, Ms. Granger?" Fury's PA asked, when fifteen minutes later, Hermione exited the office with a dazed look.

"Wha...what?" Hermione asked blankly while she struggled to regain control of her rampant thoughts. What in Merlin's name happened in there? she wondered. She had gone in to apologize to Director Fury for the actions of her friends…and had somehow left with a date for the wedding! Her eyes refocused on the man in front of her and she realized that he was waiting for an answer.

"Oh yes…I'm perfectly fine. Thank you," she mumbled, still in a bit of shock. The man just nodded. As Fury's personal assistant and secretary, he had a seen a lot of people leave the Director's office with that exact same expression on their faces. However, what the PA did not realize was that the man himself was leaning up against the other side of the door to his office in a similar state.

What in the hell just happened? Fury asked himself once the little witch had left his office. She had stormed in, eyes blazing and hair crackling with power - and he thought that he had never seen anything so mesmerizing. Then she started to rant about her genius friends who just happened to be the biggest idiots that she knew - and he recognized just how brilliant she was, as well. Then, she seemed to realize what she had done, stammered an embarrassed apology, and turned an appealing pink color. He thought she looked lovely.

First, he had made sure that she knew her apology was completely unnecessary. She had done nothing wrong - just because her teammates were interfering pains-in-his-damn-ass. Then, at the delightful sound of her laughter over his description of Tony and the others, the question just practically fell out of his mouth - much to the surprise of them both. He asked her if she still needed an escort for the wedding and he offered himself up as a willing companion. Before she even had time to think about it, she found that she had somehow already accepted. They agreed to meet later in the week for coffee to discuss the details further…and then he walked with her to the door. She was back in the outer office before either of them had time to really process what had happened…and neither one of them knew exactly how to feel about it.

Unfortunately, however, it turned out to be a very busy week due to a lost alien, a dark wizard, a mad scientist, and one very confused herd of elephants that had suddenly appeared on the streets of New York due to some strange dimensional shift that they finally had to get Doctor Strange, the sorcerer from the nearby Sanctum, to sort out. Therefore, even though Hermione and Fury saw each other in passing, they never found the time to do more than greet each other with a bit of awkward formality.

This was especially true since the rest of the team was always there…watching them gleefully. After all, Phase One of "Operation Dark Heart" had evidently worked since the involved parties were going to attend the wedding together…and neither one of them had sought revenge…at least not yet. Therefore, it was obviously time to focus on Phase Two.

Nevertheless, Fury and Hermione did manage to have several late night conversations away from the prying eyes and ears of the rest of the nosy Avengers. The first time it happened Fury had caught her just before she retired for the night, not realizing quite how late it was since he was still sitting at his desk with his constant companion - paperwork. Very little work was actually being accomplished, however, because his mind kept returning to a certain witch.

Earlier in the day, after he and the Avengers had taken out the group of undead minions that Hermione had called Inferi, he watched her duel the dark wizard who had created them, hating the helpless feeling that came from knowing that none of the rest of them had the skills to interfere in the magical battle and help her. He felt equal parts of worry at every volley of spells that came her way and pride at those that she deflected, shielded against, and returned with obvious skill. The feeling of pride won out in the end, however, when she had finally wore down her opponent enough to finish him off with a simple Stupefy and an Incarcerus.

Then they had to wait for the local Aurors to collect the stunned and bound wizard, as well as the remains of his ungodly creations. Fury, fully aware of their audience (especially that damnable Stark who kept winking at him and sending thumbs up signals) tried to satisfy himself by giving her a "Well done, Granger!" instead of embracing the exhausted witch with sheer relief like Barton and the newly-retransformed and half-naked Banner had done.

Regardless, the quiet "Thank you" and the shy smile that she sent his way in return somehow felt like it reached down into his very soul and warmed something that had laid cold and barren there before. He found himself returning the affectionate look automatically until he realized that the rest of the team was staring at him in a mixture of shock and awe. That caused the smile to quickly drop from his face, only to be replaced by his usual scowl. However, this time the change in expression did not actually fool anyone...and the team continued to send smug smirks his way.

Fury found that he continued to think about that smile…and the small farewell touch that she left on his shoulder as they parted ways (him back to the office to file the paperwork…her to Medical for the usual post-mission checkup) until he just could not take it anymore. Without giving himself a chance to second guess his actions, he pulled up the video call app on his screen and used its version of speed-dial when he told it to call Rune. That was the code name the witch, once she had joined the team, had chosen to use in public in order to help maintain her anonymity and the wizarding world's Statute of Secrecy.

...

Hermione was quite embarrassed when she unknowingly answered his video call on the tricked-out StarkPad, complete with all of the bells and whistles, that Tony had given to her – especially since she was still learning how to use the complicated thing. In fact, she had been reading a book on it in bed while dressed only in a simple night gown when the call came through.

In retrospect, that turned out to be a very good thing, however, because the sight of her with a pink flush and her loose bedtime braid slung over one creamy shoulder while the strap of her gown kept slipping off of the other one, enchanted Fury, and his hardened lifelong bachelor heart, much more than he thought was possible.

Consequently, as he asked about her well-being after the intense battle, he spoke softer, was less aloof, and much more personable with the woman than he had ever been before. In return, his concerned demeanor charmed Hermione and she felt more at ease with him, and the entire awkward situation, than she would have been otherwise.

Since they were completely alone without the attention of the rest of the team on them, they felt comfortable enough that their greetings soon segued into a very pleasant conversation that had absolutely nothing to do with work…or the wedding…whatsoever. In fact, they had an intelligent discussion about literature after Hermione told him that she had just been reading when he called. In the process, she was pleasantly surprised to learn that the man was much more well-read than she would have ever given him credit for being. That knowledge only added to her attraction for him since Merlin knew how much she liked a man who valued a good book!

In fact, she enjoyed their conversation so much that she returned the favor the next night and contacted him. Fury had actually returned home to his modest brownstone early in the evening for once and this time she was the one who caught him in a very casual state as he lounged by his fire with a drink in one hand and some mellow jazz playing in the background. Hermione's heart fluttered at the sight and thought that he looked like a man very much in his element. She found that she longed to be in that cozy scene with him, sipping her own glass of wine while she casually draped her legs over his as they relaxed together.

It was obviously just an unrealistic dream on her part - especially since she knew that he was just being uncharacteristically kind about the whole wedding issue and did not really think of her in any romantic sort of way. However, the thought of such peaceful intimate interaction with the man was so appealing to her that she immediately started a discussion of music to get her mind off of it. She had to reluctantly admit her lack of knowledge in that particular area, though, because it was simply not a discipline that was considered very important in the wizarding world.

Far from being disappointed in Hermione, however, Fury found himself thinking that he would not mind teaching her a bit about it…maybe they could even make a night of it with dinner and a visit to his favorite little jazz club in Harlem. That seductively pleasant thought was interrupted, however, when she mentioned that it might be prudent to actually make their plans for the upcoming weekend. He readily agreed because he knew that any ideas about actually dating the pretty little witch were unrealistic - no matter what nonsense the others had said about it. After all, he realized that she could not possibly want him like that, even though she was apparently desperate enough to accept his company to her friend's wedding. Nevertheless, he knew that he would still probably revisit that little fantasy later when he was alone in bed - especially since he could clearly picture the sexy little number that she would probably wear for such a night out.

Both of them placed their secrets thoughts aside, however, in order to finish making their real plans. They eventually decided that Hermione would make arrangements for an international portkey for the two of them on the morning of the ceremony in order to handle the international time difference. She also invited him to spend the night of the wedding with her at the small cottage that she owned in England and kept for her personal use – even though she currently spent most of her time at the Tower in New York. That way they would not have to rush right back to the States technically within the same day they left. Such an action was bound to create some serious magical jetless lag…at the very least.

He agreed easily and even commended her foresight. His approval pleased her, but it also left her in a state of nervous anticipation - especially when she finally realized that she would not only get to spend the day of the wedding with him…but also the entire night, as well…and have breakfast with him the next morning.

Merlin, what have I done? I am never going to be able to hide my attraction from him for that long! she thought anxiously.

She had thoroughly enjoyed their private conversations…and the fact that they were obviously becoming more than just work acquaintances. Therefore, she did not want to make things more awkward between them - especially since she was still positive that any other kind of feelings were completely one-sided on her part. After all, she knew that his offer to accompany her to the wedding was simply that of a kind…friend…much like Bruce's had been.

She would never have guessed that similar thoughts of uncertainty ran through Fury's head, as well. The idea of spending so much time, one on one, with the fascinating woman was tantalizing. He only hoped that he could continue to pull off his usual calm exterior around her…no matter how much she made his previously well-disciplined thoughts and emotions misbehave.