"You skipped a lot of stuff." Sam said in shock as we caught him up on everything.
"Not a lot." Wren tried to reassure me.
"Yeah, Just skipping from classic rock to modern alternative." I said trying to play it off.
"That's one way to put it. And hey you got to skip trapt-rock." Aiden said.
"You mean the band?" I asked.
"We'll show you later, you're going to hate it." Connor said. "Uncle Steve and Bucky cringe every time I play it in the lab to stay awake."
"That's why grandpa soundproofed all the labs." Wren said.
"Speaking of parents are Steve and Bucky still up to hosting brunch this weekend?" Aubrey asked.
"They wouldn't miss it for the world." Wren answered.
"You all still have brunch every Saturday?" I asked.
"Yeah, never miss it." Sam said.
"And it's even better now that the kids are over twenty one because we can actually have mimosas." Aiden said.
"Got to love an excuse to day drink." I said.
"Are you joining us Nora?" Aubrey asked.
"Sure…" I said and Aiden shot me a look. Sam tilted his head as he watched Aiden before looking at me. "You know if other me won't be there or any other future people I shouldn't meet."
"Shouldn't be a problem." Wren said. "Mom… other mom's busy with work. Besides she has Friday keep her updated on your location so she won't run into you."
"Well we are a genius." I said as Aubrey started picking up dishes. "Oh, I'll take those." I said getting up and taking them out of her hands.
"Nora…" Aubrey started.
"No, you cooked us breakfast and we woke you up in the middle of the night. It's the least we can do." Aiden said helping out with the rest of the dishes.
"And that's why you're my favorite drunk." Aubrey said.
"We should actually get going. I have rounds in twenty minutes." Wren said. "Need me to drop you off?" He asked Connor and Ellie.
"At my car please." She said.
"Lab, I have a call with Morgan…" Connor said.
"Morgan?" Sam asked.
"Yeah we have a date…" Connor said blushing.
"Aw, way to go sweetie." Aubrey said.
"Thanks" Connor said.
"I should actually get going, I'm meeting up with the girls for coffee." Aubrey said.
"Don't forget their souvenirs they're in the yellow bag." Sam said.
"Already put them in my bag." Aubrey said. "Nora it was great to meet you…" She said before she caught herself. "Before I met the other you…the younger you…"
I laughed it off trying to ease her worry.
"Great meeting you before you met me too Aubrey." I said smiling at how weird that sounded.
"Bye dad." The kids said before they all left. Aubrey said a quick goodbye before heading out. Then it was just the three of us in the house.
"So What's going on guys?" Sam said.
"We pretty much covered everything." I said.
"Been a pretty slow month." Aiden said.
"Oh cut the crap, I saw that look." Sam said.
"What look?" Aiden and I asked at the same time.
"You know the look. I know you two well enough to know when you're having one of your silent conversations and that look was the you just screwed up, do something fast look." Sam said. "What aren't you two saying?"
Aiden and I looked at each other before he turned to look at Sam.
"She knows." Aiden said.
"Knows?" Sam said looking at Aiden and the exchange of looks said it all. "She knows?!"
"She does." I answered.
"Dude what the hell?" Sam asks Aiden.
"I didn't tell her, that bloody idiot Wade did." Aiden said.
"Shit, who else knows?" Sam asked.
"Just us three and Wade." I said.
"H-How long have you known?" Sam said tearing up.
"Found out a day after I got here." I said.
"Over a month?" Sam said. "You've been keeping this from everyone for over a month?"
"What good would it do to tell everyone? I don't know exactly how it happened but the looks on everyone's faces when I walk into a room is bad enough. Connor teared up when I made him his favorite breakfast. Wren finally started talking to me. And don't even get me started on Steve and Bucky. And now you Sammy. I didn't want to put this on you." I said.
"Oh come here." He said hugging me. "You've had it rough sis."
"It's nothing new. Though now I get why Aya's so against spoilers. They really do suck." I answered.
"Wren said if you knew then that would ruin the timeline?" Sam said concerned.
"Guess I'm a fixed a point in time." I said and Aiden and Sam looked at me confused. "One way or another it was going to happen. Me knowing doesn't change anything."
Sam and Aiden just exchanged looks. I was about to ask but considering the gigantic can of worms I was currently dealing with I don't think adding to it would be a good idea.
"But hey it isn't all bad. The world is still standing, Our kids grew up to be the awesome people we always knew they would be, and for as long as I'm stranded here the three amigos are back together." I said.
"Always the optimist." Aiden said before his phone buzzed.
"Well I've had a month to process and mope, all that's left is anger I'm going to bottle up until I see Aya again." I said.
"Or until Steve tries to talk to you again." Aiden retorted making me glare at him.
"What's going on with Steve?" Sam asked.
"Doesn't matter. Point is that while things may not have worked out how I wanted too, there are some great things and I'm going to make the most of it." I said. "Help out where I can and save as many people as I can before I kick the bucket."
"Well then its good we just got called in." Aiden said.
"We?" I asked.
"You're my partner, where I go you go." Aiden said.
"So I passed?" I asked.
"Of course you passed, this was just a refresher." Aiden said. "We need to go get briefed at the compound and we head out from there."
"We should get going then." I said slipping on my heels.
"Uh guys… don't you think you two should maybe stop for a shower and a change of clothes?" Sam said. Aiden and I stopped and looked at our clothes and then each other.
"Might have a point." Aiden said.
"Also we don't have a car here…" I said.
"I'll drop you off, it's on the way to the office." Sam said.
We all piled into Sam's car and he dropped us off at the front of the building. The doorman eyed us skeptically as we walked across the lobby and got into the elevator. I quickly showered before getting dressed in a black mini skirt with a black long sleeved high neck top and thigh high boots. I packed a quick bag and we headed out.
. /th?id= 6zWE-ORaNsKc-jm7d-owHaLH&w=190&h=286&c=8&o=5&pid=1.7
"So what's the job?" I asked Aiden.
"There's this arms dealer we've been trying to get for a while. Works in the shadows and only brokers deals through other people. Only a few of them have actually seen him but we have a lead. Which is big because the trail went cold about six months ago." Aiden said.
"You went six months without a lead?" I asked surprised. Aiden was like a bloodhound when it came to looking for people. Even when he was looking for Snow he always had some idea of where to go next.
"I've been a bit occupied with… other stuff." Aiden said not giving anything up.
"That other stuff have anything to do with why you haven't been out on jobs in the last month?" I asked.
"Again I've been busy." Aiden said looking.
"mhm." I hummed. We stayed quiet until we reached the compound.
"Think you can sit through a briefing without picking a fight?" Aiden teased as we walked into the compound.
"I know how to keep my personal issues separate from work. It's what makes me good at my job." I said.
"True but when it comes to them the line tends to blur." Aiden said.
"They aren't the Steve and Bucky from my time. I'm pissed at present day Steve and technically not even pissed at him anymore just confused and annoyed at the fact that the man cannot make up his mind about what he wants. Current day Steve and I are good. I'm not going to die holding grudges so any beef I had with anyone before my expiration date is water under the bridge. I forgive everyone. We're good." I said.
"Does that count for debts because before you did make a bet with me and I won…" Aiden started and couldn't help but laugh as we walked turned down the hall.
"Somehow I seriously doubt that. Never make a bet against a time traveler." I said
"It was never about winning." Aiden said as we reached the conference door.
"Morning." I said as we walked in. Steve was sitting at the head of the table with Bucky on his left.
"Hey doll." Bucky said standing up to greet me but Steve was in the middle and didn't move.
"Hey Nora…" Steve said awkwardly going for a hug before changing his mind and instead offering his hand for a handshake and then changing his mind again and reaching to rub the back of his neck.
"Hi." I said and we all just stood there awkwardly.
"So you have a lead?" Aiden asked.
"Yeah." Steve said moving back to his seat. Aiden pulled out a chair for me just as Steve was about to stop and do the same.
"Thanks." I said quietly before sitting down. "Aiden said something about an arms dealer?"
"More like an organization. They started showing up about two years ago. There were whispers on the black markets until it was flooded with weapons with this emblem." Bucky said pulling up an image of a hexagon with a circle inside and spikes pointing inward. "They call themselves the first order."
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"Rocket launchers, RPG's, Landmines? Shrapnel grenades?" I said confused. "Thought those were banned?"
"It's the black market, nothing about it is legal." Aiden said. "Who's our guy?"
"Stefano Anagnos." Steve said looking at Aiden. "Runs every way in and out of Greece. We got word that he dropped a shipment of weapons last week and that he's personally closing the deal this weekend and the Brit Ball."
"Brit Ball?" I said confused.
"British version of the Met Gala held annually at the British Museum in London. Instead of art being auctioned off the one of a kind dresses designers make for the guests are auctioned off to charity." Aiden said.
"The event's in less than two days. Those weapons can't fall into the wrong hands but the deal has to go through if not we'll loose Anagnos." Bucky said.
"Do we know who the buyer is?" I asked.
"No." Steve said.
"Has Anagnos met the guy?" I asked.
"We don't know." Bucky said.
"Finding out Is our job." Aiden said. "How are we getting in?"
"Normally we'd have you go in as a guest but considering our current situation that might not be the best idea." Steve said.
"You think I can't pull off an undercover job?" I said annoyed.
"No…" Steve and Bucky answered at the same time.
"Doll you're more than capable of handling it but with how high profile the even is, the press…" Bucky started.
"We can't risk you being seen. The less people that know you're here the better." Steve said.
"She practically unrecognizable. You two couldn't tell it was her when you first saw her as a blonde." Aiden said.
"I have experience with undercover work. I've spent most of my life hiding who my father was. I have more experience than anyone else in this room, I'll be fine." I said.
"That's not your call." Steve said.
"You're right it's mine." Aiden said. "You gave me the job, My partner and I will handle it as we see fit."
"And are you ready to make that call?" Steve asked.
"Steve…" Bucky said.
"It's your first mission in over six months," Steve started and Aiden glared at him. I turned to Aiden and he just avoided looking at me. "And there's a lot more on the line now." Steve said looking at me.
"What Steve," Bucky said giving Steve a stern look "is trying to say is if you or Nora want more time to train before going on a mission we could make it work."
"We're fine." Aiden said annoyed.
"I have his six, he has mine. Its handled. We'll go and be back in time for Saturday Brunch." I said.
"Are you…" Steve started.
"Yes." We said at the same time before Aiden got up and pulled my chair out.
"I already have a fake passport set up for Nora. The rest we can figure out in London." Aiden said.
"See you in a few days." I said standing up.
"Nora can we…" Steve started.
"Gotta go." I said running after Aiden. I found him in the armory packing guns and ammo.
"Grab anything you need, preferably something you can hide." He said.
"Ok." I said walking around the armory. I grabbed a gun and a pack of ammo before finding the cabinet with all the knives. "Oh hello beautiful."
"Figured you'd go for the knives." Aiden said.
"The precision and versatility." I said picking up a knife and twirling it a bit before balancing it on a finger. "It can kill your or it can save you."
"You ever use boomerang knives before?" Aiden said picking up a disk from one of the drawers before pressing on the center and two blades popped out.
"No, but I really want to now." I said.
"Grab a few and some of these. And ring daggers for close quarter combat." Aiden said before zipping up the bag. "Let's move."
"You okay?" I asked.
"Fine, just want to get to work." Aiden said before walking out and heading to an office. He walked behind a desk to open a cabinet and then scanned his thumb to open a safe. Aiden fumbled through some papers before he found an envelope. He threw everything on his desk before he handed me a passport and grabbed one for himself. "We're taking a jet to save time."
"You know how to fly one?" I asked.
"Auto pilot does most of the work." He said leading me out to the hanger. We went straight into one of the jets and started preflight checks.
"This is your first mission in over six months?" I said addressing the elephant in the room.
"I was on leave." Aiden said.
"By choice or…" I said.
"Nora," Aiden said raising his voice. "I'm good at what I do, I've been doing it my entire life. I trust you to watch my six, do you trust me to do the same?"
"You know I do." I said without a hint of hesitation.
"Then that's all that matters." Aiden said.
"Okay." I said and it was quiet for a minute. Before Aiden moved and pulled out a deck of cards and started shuffling before splitting the deck and putting a card down.
"Ace." He said.
"Two." I said putting another down.
We went back and forth for a few hours before it was time to land.
"Wow, it's gotten… taller." I said looking at the giant skyscrapers.
"Rapid urbanization, population growth, and overcrowding had to move somewhere." Aiden said. "Better up than down like Venice."
"Guess I should go ride a gondola while I still can." I said.
"You still can, you'll just be a few hundred meters above the city." He said.
"Did James Cameron get in a submarine and make a tragic love story out of it?" I asked.
"Still too soon." Aiden said as we landed. He shut the jet off before opening the door. We were at a private runway outside of London. There was a car with the keys in the glove compartment waiting for us outside of the hanger.
"It's still early, think we should scope out the place?" I asked.
"Friday can do that for us. We're going on a stake out. We need to figure out who this guy is meeting with. See if he drops any hints." He said.
"I'll start looking through the guest list see if any one raises any flags." I said.
A Few Hours Later-
We waited outside the guy's hotel for about an hour before he got into his SUV with his entourage and went out for dinner.
"Find anything?" Aiden asked.
"Everyone on the invite list is clear. So I'm looking up Anagnos' entourage, see if any of them has any contact with potential buyers." I said looking at the restaurant entrance where the group had just walked out.
"Don't think you're going to find anything on there. It'd be too sloppy and the first order isn't sloppy." He said.
"Then maybe it's time to change tactics." I said. "They're not going back to the hotel."
"Probably going to a night club or at least a bar." He said with a smirk.
"We can work with that." I said smirking back before Aiden started the car and we followed them.
We parked the car in an alley across the street.
"Wait." I said before rolling up my sleeves halfway and tucking my top up a bit so it looked like a crop top. I took out some eyeliner and traced my eyes before messing my hair up a bit. "Okay, lets go."
The line was a bit long but moved fast. The club was crowded but still possible to move around. The VIP section was on the floor above and there was a good view of the entire place from there.
"We need to split." Aiden said slipping a com into my hand.
"Yup." I said before I headed to the dance floor. Benefit of mirror walls… its so easy to keep an eye on the target. I started dancing around a bit, flirting a bit.
"You got his attention. At your four o'clock." Aiden said.
I leaned against a guy and grinded a bit before looking up and noticing who Aiden was talking about. Classic power move. He had just signaled to his body guard and he was going to talk to the bouncer.
"I'll be up in a minute." I said.
"Don't drink anything they give you and…" Aiden started.
"Don't follow them anywhere alone or back to their hotel." I said just as I saw a bouncer walk over to me.
"Miss, one of our guests would like to extend an invitation to our VIP section." He said.
"That's very kind of them." I said faking an accent.
"If you'll follow me." He said leading me to the stairs. I went up and was greeted by the body guard that led me to the group's table.
"Well hello." Stefano Anagnos greeted.
"Hi." I said flashing my most charming smile while batting my eyelashes at him.
"I'm Stefano." He introduced himself.
"Lexi." I said offering my hand which of course instead of shaking it he kissed. Somethings never change. "Thanks for the invite."
"I thought you might like a chance to catch your breath from all the dancing." He said.
"Oh I was just getting started." I teased.
"I bet you were." He said.
"I've never seen you around here before." I commented.
"I travel for business." He said. "Only here for a few days, to close a business deal but thought I should make some time for pleasure."
"Work hard play hard." I said.
"I do play hard." He said with a smirk as he put a hand on my knee. I felt a bit of bile in my mouth.
"Nora get him back on topic." Aiden said.
"So you like what you do?" I asked.
"It's an adventure. I get to travel, meet a lot of interesting people. I'm good at what I do and I get paid extremely well to do it." He bragged.
"Sounds like my kind of job." I said and he chuckled.
"Well I would love to work with you." Anagnos said tracing patterns on my arm.
"What are the job requirements?" I asked.
"Good with people, work well under pressure. Don't scare easily." He said.
"What's so scary about your job?" I asked.
"The fear of getting fired." He said.
"Stefano." A tall man with dark features and a brand on his neck said.
"Max!" He said getting out of his seat to go greet the man.
"Enjoying yourself I see." Max said looking at me.
"Just enjoying some company." Anagnos said.
"Well you think you can spare a minute to talk about the deal you still have not finalized? You made Alec promises and we have concerns." Max said.
"I will talk to Alec tomorrow, it will be fine." Anagnos said.
Max sighed before turning to me. "Can you give us a minute?"
"Uh sure." I said standing up. "I'll just go freshen up."
"Don't go to far." Anagnos said and I laughed a bit.
"Outside now." I said into the comm. I worked my way through the crowd and made sure the guards would lose sight of me before meeting Aiden outside. "We got what we needed."
"How do you always get people to talk?" Aiden said.
"Booze helps." I said as we got in the car. "Okay looking for an Alec."
"Alec Kushnir." Aiden said pointing it out.
"Ukrainian, runs a freighter shipping company." I said. "He's the guy."
"Yes he is." Aiden said in better spirits than when we arrived.
Two Days Later-
We intercepted the deal, got our guy, and got him to talk before turning him in. Yet Aiden had been quiet all morning, lost in thought.
"So I know it's probably a bad idea to ask, because of spoilers but I don't think that really matters anymore. I've got your six and you've got mine. Nothing will ever change that. You've been my rock through everything the past couple of years and the past couple of weeks, so whatever happened, I'm here for you when you're ready." I said.
It was quiet for a few minutes while we reached cruising altitude and as soon as we did he turned on the autopilot and moved his seat back.
"I started to notice that I wasn't aging years ago. But six months we finally figured out what caused it, an incident from years ago. I was okay but I wasn't and I made mistakes. I got sloppy and work followed me home. I was still living with Abby and she came home to me stabbing a guy through the heart with my bare hand in our living room." Aiden said. "I never lied to her about the job. She knew and she accepted me for me but I almost got her killed. I've lost a lot Nora but losing her… I couldn't go through that again."
"You walked away." I said.
"I did. I got put on leave until this came up." He said and we were quiet again. Didn't really know what the right thing to say was.
"Steve was wrong to bring it up the way he did but he only does that when he's trying to look after someone he cares about." I said. "You'd think after almost thirty years he'd be better at it."
"He's had a lot on his plate." Aiden said.
"Raised a kid, kept the world safe…grew a beard." I said.
"Among other things." Aiden said.
"Which I wasn't there for." I said.
"You okay?" Aiden asked.
"Yeah." I said smiling. "Just looking forward to brunch."