This chapter is for svetlanaabril. I'm sorry it took so long to put it together for you! But I've finally done it. This chapter explains what happened at the range as mentioned in Chapter 54 of Crystallize.
Sam sat in his car, fiddling with the gearstick while impatiently waiting for a reply to his last text message. The person on the other end didn't disappoint, it only took a few more seconds before the answer came through.
La Perla, pink and black lace matching set. You aren't allowed to rip this one off unless you plan on replacing it. It was VERY expensive.
Sam grinned down at the reply from Natasha. The only disappointing thing is that there was no photo attached with the message to see the new lingerie set. The mental image was enough for the moment. Sam's grin only grew wider as another text message came through.
You should come out again this weekend to see it.
If anyone had told him a few months ago he'd be sleeping with Natasha Romanoff, he would have driven them to a psych hospital himself. But taking the chance that night at Barton's birthday drinks had definitely won him a lot of favours. The holding her hair while she threw up for 3 days straight from radiation poisoning didn't hurt either. Sam wasn't an idiot, he knew this wasn't going to last. He suspected that when she left for California on her undercover mission it'd be the end of it all. But she'd surprised him by keeping in touch, and even more by suggesting he flew out for the weekend only a week after she left. Which he happily did, and had done so a handful of times since then as well.
I'll see what happens tomorrow at work. Gotta go, I'm at Evans place. Talk to you later.
Sam locked his phone and made sure it was on silent before climbing out of the car. As much as he wanted to shout from the rooftops and let everyone know about his very gorgeous fuck buddy, he kept things discreet. He and Natasha had a set of rules they were both very strict on. Having dinner at Evans' place tonight meant no looking at his phone every 5 seconds otherwise someone would start getting nosy.
Some of the team were already here as Sam got out of the car and made his way into the house. It was early yet though. With nothing else to do, Sam decided to come over an hour early to give Evans and Abby a spare pair of hands. They definitely needed all the help they could get a newborn and toddler.
Sam only got 2 steps into the house before a high pitched voice called out his name. A few seconds later, Alexi barrelled into his legs, hugging him tightly.
"Kari with you?" Alexi looked up at him, her eyes wide and hopeful. Sam fought back a sigh at the look on her face. He had no doubt every one who walked through the door had been asked that exact same question already.
"Kari's at work, Munchkin." Sam forced a smile on his face. Alexi liked him well enough most of the time she might not have a meltdown at those words. "I have a hug from her though, all for you."
That was a small lie. Kari was god knows where doing an interrogation with Rumlow. But Sam had no doubt, if she could keep in touch she'd tell someone to hug Alexi for her.
"Yay!" Alexi giggled, holding up her arms so she could be picked up. Sam relaxed, glad the toddler meltdown had been averted for now. He picked her up, delivering the promised hug. Alexi hugged him back, her little arms wrapped around Sam's neck. "Come read to me?"
"Sure." Sam couldn't help but smile at the request. It seems he was going to be Kari's replacement tonight. Not that he minded, Alexi was very cute when she wasn't throwing one of her epic tantrums. "What do you want to read?"
Before Alexi could answer, a knock came on the front door.
"I've got it," Sam called out, having no idea where anyone was.
"Thanks Sam," Abby called back from what sounded like the kitchen. "Do you have my little hell spawned demon child?"
"Yep," Sam called back after a quiet chuckle, turning around to open the front door. "Lets see who this is and then we'll get you a book, Sound good?"
Alexi nodded, bouncing in Sam's arms which made him smile. She was being very cute today. As he opened the door, his smile nearly fell away. It was only by sheer politeness that made him try and keep it on his face. It was Cobb and his girlfriend on the other side of the door.
"Hi," Sam forced out, squashing down the urge to punch the younger marksman in the face. Cobb had been grating on his nerves more than usual over the last few weeks. Now he'd settled into the team, he'd grown cockier and his ego was getting out of control. Sam wished he knew Barton or Jared well enough to ask them to take the kid down a few pegs. Cobb's ego was going to get someone killed when they went out in the field. Sam did not want to be burying another team mate this year. Evans had made very little progress with trying to get him to settle down. It was to the point where Evans was ready to take it to someone higher up about Cobb's attitude. Sam knew Maria Hill would have a field day with someone like Cobb. Sam hoped it happened sooner rather than later.
"Samuel," Cobb said through gritted teeth, driving Sam's ire up further. No one called him Samuel, except his own mother when Sam was in a lot of trouble. Yet Cobb seemed to take delight in pushing his buttons. "This is my girlfriend, Isabel."
"Hi, nice to meet you," Isabel said, with a warm smile.
She was pretty. Long and immaculately curled dark brown hair, blue eyes accentuated with flawless make up and full lips. She was toned and fit looking under the long, but clingy soft yellow dress she wore. Sam's first thought went to how much Cobb was paying her to pretend to be his girlfriend. She was certainly leagues above Cobb in terms of looks.
"Hi, I'm Sam." Sam returned the smile, though his was more wary. "This is Alexi. You want to say hi to Ryan and Isabel?"
"No," Alexi said firmly, raising a little eyebrow at the pair in front of her. Sam fought to smother back the laughter that wanted to escape. It seems Natasha might have been a bit of an influence on Alexi's attitude. Cobb gave the toddler a sullen look, but Isabel smiled and held out her arms.
"It's okay, I'm studying early childhood education," Isabel explained, reaching for Alexi. "She'll warm up to me pretty quickly."
Alexi pulled away, clinging onto Sam at the sight of Isabel coming near her.
"That's not a good….." Sam started before being cut off by an ear splitting shriek from Alexi.
"Fuck off!" Alexi shrieked at Isabel, reaching out and batting her hands away. "Make her go away. I want Kari."
Alexi's wails grew in intensity with every word. Sam cringed at how loud she was. Alexi clung around Sam's neck and stared to sob so hard her little body was shaking. Just as his luck would have it, he was dealing with an infamous Alexi meltdown.
"I want Kari! Bring her back," Alexi wailed through her sobs. "Make her come back."
"Shhhhh." Sam felt completely powerless as he tried to soothe the crying toddler. Isabel looked at the pair of them wide eyed and looking very bewildered at what was going on.
"Bring her back!" Alexi cried again. "Bring back my Kari!"
Evans appeared in the entrance and quickly relieved Sam of Alexi, murmuring soothing words to her as he took her out of the room. She was so loud that none of them missed her next hysterical wail, even though Evans was already halfway up the stairs.
"Riley never came back." Alexi sobbed, breaking Sam's heart into a million pieces at the sound of her heart wrenching cry. "Make him come back."
All Sam could hear was his heart hammering after hearing Alexi cry for Riley. He felt like someone punched him in the stomach. He couldn't breath and his limbs felt like lead as he tried to move. He quickly forced his body into submission, not wanting to get emotional in front of the person he hated the most in the world right now.
"Excuse me," Sam muttered, feeling his chest tighten as the emotions threatened to overwhelm him. He ducked off and went straight for the downstairs bathroom, near slamming the door shut behind me. He went to the sink, his grip hard as he struggled to fight back the tears. He missed Riley so much as well as well. Sam would give anything to be the one who shoved Barton out of the way that day. Riley didn't deserve an ending like the one he got. He was meant to be the one who got a happily ever after. Sam and Riley had been friends for a lot of years. He'd never seen Riley so happy as he was with Kari. His best friend deserved someone like her. Only to have it snatched away by a fucking well placed bullet.
"Hey," Abby's voice broke through the haze of his mind. "Come here."
Sam didn't fight, he let Abby reach up and pull him into a tight hug. He took in a few shuddering breaths, willing the tears not to fall. He didn't need this tonight. But hearing Riley's god daughter cry for him like that made all the emotions he kept bottled up snap. His knees gave way as he sank to the bathroom floor, Abby went down with him, cradling him like a child.
"I'm sorry, we have a million photos of him everywhere and she's been asking 'Where's Riley' since Kari isn't around," Abby murmured into Sam's hair, rocking him gently. "She's too young to understand."
"I want him back too," Sam said through his choked voice. "Can I throw an epic tantrum too?"
"As big as you want," Abby chuckled, tightened her grip on Sam for another firm hug. "I don't mind. Just don't fling your dinner at the wall like Alexi does. Then I might get cranky."
Sam chuckled weakly, returning the hug. It took him another few minutes to get himself under control. Abby said nothing, she sat there patiently waiting until Sam spoke.
"I'm sorry," Sam said weakly, reaching up to wipe his face. His hand came away wet with tears he hadn't realised had fallen.
"You are not allowed to apologise for feeling sad your best friend is gone," Abby said, her tone mostly firm. It wavered at the end slightly, her voice sounded a little choked up as well. "We all miss him."
Riley had been well liked by everyone. Sam couldn't think of anyone he didn't get along with, well except Rollins. That day where Riley and Rollins had nearly gotten into a punch up made his lips tug upwards in amusement. It'd been the first and only time Sam had seen Riley lose his temper in such a spectacular way.
"That's better." Abby noticed the small quirk of amusement, kissing Sam on the forehead. "What are you smiling about?"
"When Riley punched Rollins in the face," Sam said, wiping his nose with the sleeve on his shirt.
"That was pretty funny." Abby smiled as well. "Poor Troy was so flabbergasted when he got home. I didn't stop laughing for 5 minutes when he told me the story."
"Riley said he'd burn the world down for Kari." Sam's little bit of amusement fell away from his face, remembering back to that day when he was trying to calm his best friend down after Kari had been knocked off her motorbike by accident. "I had to remind him she was more than capable of burning the world down herself, and if she wasn't he'd have to get in line behind Natasha to help do it."
Saying Natasha's name made Sam want to look down at his phone. Talking to Natasha always put a smile on his face. Maybe mentally picturing that new La Perla underwear set would take his mind off things. Getting away for the weekend was sounding like a very good idea now.
"That she is," Abby let out a small chuckle, giving Sam another small hug. "Come and give William a cuddle. I'll get you a beer. You're welcome to stay the night if you don't want to be alone tonight."
Sam nodded in agreement, wiping his face again. Even if he inclined to argue with Abby, he knew she'd get her own way in the end. Besides, William was a quiet and easy going baby. Sam wouldn't be able to upset him, even if he tried. Staying the night wouldn't be a stupid idea either. His own apartment would be very cold and lonely place to be tonight.
Abby gave Sam one last hug, before getting up off the floor and leaving him in peace. Sam slowly climbed off the bathroom floor, taking his time to wash his face and make sure he was composed enough to leave the room. He went into the kitchen and found the promised beer already on the bench for him. Abby was there with William in her arms, talking to Isabel. Sam noticed straight away how strained Abby's smile was looking. It only took another second for Sam to realise why.
"Getting her tested isn't a bad idea," Isabel said, completely oblivious the Abby's discomfort. "I mean having a child with Autism or Aspergers isn't a terrible thing these days. There's a lot of programs…"
"She's just a high functioning sociopath," Sam quickly cut into the conversation about Alexi. It wasn't the first time this subject had been brought up. But Sam knew how uncomfortable it made both Abby and Evans. They'd had every test in the world done on Alexi, considering how pre-mature and oxygen deprived she was at birth. There was nothing physically or mentally wrong. She was just very picky on who she liked and didn't like. "Isn't she Abby?"
"Very funny Sam," Abby rolled her eyes, but shot him a grateful look. "Here, your turn to hold the baby."
"Gladly," Sam said with a smile, hold his arms out. Abby deposited William into his hold, making Sam smile down at him. "Hey there buddy, hows it going?"
William opened his eyes briefly at the sound of Sam's voice. He yawned, stretching his little fists out before settled back down to sleep. Sam's smile widened looking down at the baby. There was no denying who his father was. William was a miniature version of Troy Evans himself.
"Can I take him outside?" Sam asked, carefully moving the baby in his arms so he didn't disturb him.
"Go for it," Abby said absently, turning back to the salad that was on the bench. "Do you want to introduce Isabel to everyone as well?"
Sam hid a smile at the subtle plea in Abby's voice. Isabel must have been driving her nuts in the small amount of time it'd taken him to get out of the bathroom.
"Sure." Sam indicated his head towards the back of the house to Isabel. "I promise we're all behaved and house trained. The other wives and girlfriends won't be far away either."
Sam had heard people arrived while in the bathroom. There'd have to be another female hanging around he could lump with the girl. Sam wasn't in the mood for pleasantries tonight.
"Oh I'm happy to help in here," Isabel said, completely oblivious to the discomfort she'd caused in the kitchen. "I really don't mind."
"I insist," Abby said firmly, but kindly. "Enjoy getting out of kitchen duty while it lasts though. Next time you'll be roped into something."
"Ok then," Isabel smiled again, this time looking a little unsure before turning back to Sam. "Lead the way?"
Sam didn't need to be told twice. As soon as they were outside, Sam pointed out the names of everyone and went to talk to Marks, Andy and Nick. The other group had Cobb standing there, so Sam wasn't going anywhere near him.
The night went on smoothly. William got passed around to everyone before he went to bed. Alexi came outside, red faced and quiet. She alternated between Sam and her Dad throughout the night before going to bed very early. After his second beer and dessert, Sam went to the guest room as well. As he lay in bed, he checked his phone. It'd vibrated in his pocket a few times during the night. He wasn't surprised to find a few text messages from Natasha.
Have fun. Give Alexi a hug for me.
What will it take for you to come out here for the weekend?
How about this?
In the last message, a picture of Natasha in her new lingerie was attached. She'd kept her face out of the photo. But Sam felt blood rush away from his brain and straight to his groin.
"Damn you woman," Sam muttered under his breath, eyes roving over the phone screen. Natasha was perfection in the lacy and skimpy lingerie set. Sam closed the message and went to his internet banking. What greeted him made him sigh in disappointment. It was the week before he got paid and his bank account was not looking healthy enough to jump on a plane to California for the weekend. It barely looked healthy enough to get through the next week. His credit card looked just as unhealthy as his bank balance.
Sam sighed as flicked back to his messages, trying not to be too disappointed.
The body is very willing, but the bank account is saying no.
It only took a few seconds before a reply came through.
My shout?
Sam chewed on his lip, staring at the screen. As tempting as it was, he wasn't keen on treading down that path of Natasha paying for anything for him. While he contemplated his answer, another message came through.
You can pay me back, but I don't accept cash payment ;) Flesh only.
The thought of exactly how he'd pay Natasha back sent blood rushing straight back to his groin. It took a lot of self control for Sam to not jump at the opportunity to say yes straight away. It was a slippery slope he was about to step onto. He needed to think with his head, not his cock.
I'll think about it.
"Sam?" A quiet voice came through the door. Sam jumped, turning over in bed to see Alexi peering through a crack in the door. He hadn't heard her open it. She was starting to get clever with things like that.
"Hey Munchkin," Sam said quietly. Every naughty thought from before was quickly banished from his mind. "Whats up?
Alexi stuck her thumb in her mouth and pushed the door open enough she could walk in, trailing blanket behind her in one hand and book in the other. She was still red eyed and a little teary looking.
"Read?" Alexi asked, handing the book to Sam.
"Sure." Sam couldn't resist, he took 'The Hungry Caterpillar' off Alexi and patted the bed next to him. Alexi climbed up to him, sticking her thumb back in her mouth and laying her head on his chest.
"Miss Kari," Alexi said quietly around her thumb.
"I know." Sam smiled sadly, pushing her dark curls out of her eyes. "She'll be home soon though. I promise. Ready for your story?"
Alexi nodded, snuggling further into Sam than before. He only got through the first 4 pages before Alexi was fast asleep. Not wanting to disturb her, Sam carefully reached over and flicked off the bedside lamp, leaving the sleeping toddler beside him. Her heavy breathing quickly lulled Sam to sleep.
Sam didn't stir until his alarm on his phone went off at 0545. He groggily reached over, fumbling with the iPhone until he hit the snooze button. Alexi was nowhere to be seen, but judging by the lack of noise last night, Sam was sure she went back to her own bed during the night. Sam picked up his phone, squinting at the bright screen to see what had come in overnight. The last few texts on his screen made him groan. All from Natasha. Instead of reading them, Sam went straight to replying instead of reading them.
I'm sorry, Alexi came in and wanted a bedtime story. I fell asleep with her straight afterwards. She really misses Kari. Tugs on my heartstrings way too much.
Sam felt another pang of sadness, reading over the text message again as he sent it. Kari wasn't the only person Alexi was missing. He'd honestly thought she'd be far too young to remember Riley. But Abby was right in saying that there was a lot of photos of Riley in their house. He'd been a major part of Alexi's life and not even death could erase those memories. She wasn't the only one missing Riley though. Sam rolled over, burying his head into the pillow. This was definitely going to be one of his rougher days. Still, he forced himself out of bed, got dressed and downstairs for coffee. Bravo team were hitting the range today and he needed to be at work by 0630 at the very latest.
Evans was already there, dressed and ready to go. Alexi was sitting in her chair, flinging cereal around more than she was eating it.
"Morning." Evans said through a yawn, handing Sam a cup of coffee. "Sleep well?"
"Surprisingly enough, yes. Thanks for letting me stay the night." Sam took a cautious sip of coffee. Evans liked his coffee strong enough to strip paint. Sam was more partial to having taste buds left after a cup of coffee. Thankfully it was a normal strength one.
"Anytime, especially if it keeps certain people quiet all night," Evans chuckled, looking at his daughter. "Alexi, please can we keep your cereal in the bowl and not on the floor?"
"This is why you need a dog," Sam chuckled. Especially as Alexi looked at Evans before deliberately pushing more cereal out of the bowl and onto the floor.
"Alexi," Evans huffed a sigh. "Seriously? And I want a dog. Try talking Abby into it though."
"Seriously?" Alexi mimicked, laughing at she stuck her spoon in her bowl again. This time she ate the spoonful instead of shoving it on the floor.
"Brat," Evans laughed, moving to grab a broom to clean up the mess. "Want a lift in this morning?"
"Sure." Sam had a change of uniform in his locker, so there was no real need for him to go home.
Abby came down in the kitchen, carrying a gurgling, smiling William. Evans face lit up as he reached out for his son.
"Hey little man," Evans said with a grin. "Hows my happy boy?"
Sam stood back and watched the scene with a small smile of his own. He hoped one day he'd get a happy scene like this. But he wasn't in a hurry to settle down and get married. Hell, he wasn't even in a hurry to have a relationship. What he and Natasha had at the moment suited him just fine.
Sam grabbed some cereal, scoffing it down while Evans finished cleaning up Alexi's mess and made his wife a coffee and breakfast while she fed William. With a kiss goodbye to all his kids and wife, Sam and Evans got in the car and headed they were on their way to the Triskelion.
The morning traffic was shit, as normal in DC. Sam and Evans pulled up at 0622. Sam barely had time to get dressed and was the last one on the bus. The drive to the range was quiet, everyone was still in the process of waking up. Sam had a seat to himself, so he pulled him phone out, impatiently for Natasha's reply. Her last few messages were more of the same trying to persuade Sam to say yes to going to California for the weekend. The bus had just pulled up at the range by the time her reply came through.
Did you have to read The Hungry Caterpillar? That would have been a cute sight. So, come on. Please come out for the weekend? I really want to see you.
Sam smiled at the message, but closed it without replying. He was so close to saying yes. There was a small part of him that was enjoying Natasha asking for him. It was an incredible ego boost to have a gorgeous woman like that begging for his attention. Especially with her definitely not being the type to do such a thing.
Still, he pushed it out of his mind and got his head back into his work. Thinking of Natasha while trying to shoot would be far too much of a distraction.
The quiet atmosphere from the bus was quickly transformed into the usual noise that came with everyone getting ready for a day of shooting. Everyone except the few who needed to do a sidearm qualification shoot, Sam included, would peel off and do what they wanted to practice for the day. Sam picked out the favoured Glock 19 of most STRIKE agents and a few magazines to go with it. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Cobb going for the P30.
"Use the Glock," Sam said to him gruffly. "The P30 kicks up to the left if you aren't used to it."
"Barton uses the P30, so I'll use the P30," Cobb said, rolling his eyes. "You aren't a marksman, you wouldn't understand these things."
Sam felt a rush of anger at Cobb's words. Cobb was even staring at Sam like he was the dumbest person alive, making the situation even worse. Evans heard their little exchange, looking up and keeping a steady eye contact with Sam.
"Breathe," Andy muttered behind him as he loaded his own weapon. "Don't punch him. It's too early in the day for that."
Sam gritted his teeth, but said nothing. He shook his head a little at Evans, who backed off straight away. It was no skin off his nose if Cobb didn't pass his sidearm qualification. No one would miss him if he got grounded.
"You know, Kari uses a P30 too," Andy spoke up. "Last time she was at the range, she dumped 100 rounds into the same hole trying to beat Barton's record. If she can do that, surely you should be able to as well?"
Sam bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself laughing. They had all found out very quickly Cobb did not like being compared to Kari. At all. He had a major bug up his ass about a skinny girl being able to outshoot nearly everyone, except for Barton. Cobb was determined to make himself look good by doing anything she could.
Cobb looked between Sam and Andy, almost definitely while still loading the P30. He snapped the magazine in a lot harder than necessary, while picking up a few extras.
"Knock yourself out kid," Andy said with a smirk. "Good luck out there."
Sam hid his own smile, getting his weapon ready pretending nothing was amiss at all. He was very glad he wasn't alone in his dislike for Cobb. While the team tolerated him, no one actually liked him. He was only invited to everything out of politeness.
Not waiting for anyone, Sam finished grabbing the last of his ammo and headed for the short range. The range master, a semi retired STRIKE operator known only as Sarge. was already there. Clipboard in hand, he was the one ready to pass or fail everyone today. Sam quickly rattled off his name and service number, wanting to get done as soon as possible. An M4 with a big box of ammo was calling his name for after this.
"20, 30 and 40 yard line," Sarge said, pointing towards the nearest shooting lane. "10 rounds in each, non stop. Don't take all fucking day to get ready."
Though Cobb was right about Sam being no marksman, he was still a good shot. Being Riley's spotter for years had given Sam an appreciation and skill into the finer points of shooting. Standing in his lane, Sam took aim and gently squeezed the trigger. The first 10 rounds hit their mark easily, as did the next 10 and the 10 after that. Sam only faltered at the 40 yard target, his last few shots going off mark due to carelessness on his behalf. Sam frowned at the target after he finished his final shot. He should have taken more care and time on the last one. Still, it would be an easy pass.
"Strip." Sarge commanded.
Sam quickly disassembled his weapon, his fingers moving with years of muscle memory. In 15 seconds, he had the weapon completely stripped down and laid out.
"Reassemble."
Sam had the Glock 19 back together within 20 seconds, proudly handing the weapon over to the range master for inspection. As always, Sarge took his time inspecting the weapon for a thorough job. Sam wasn't nervous though. He knew it was part of the game to get guys nervous and prone to saying or doing something stupid.
"You want to do the 40 yard one again, or are you happy with it?" Sarge asked after a long few minutes, handing the sidearm back.
"I'll do it again." Sam said quickly. He wasn't stupid enough to say he was happy with it. Sarge would rip him a new asshole if he didn't try again. He made that mistake as a rookie once. He'd never do it again.
This time Sam took his time lining up his 40 yard shot. The 10 rounds hit the target exactly where he wanted them to this time. Sarge nodded his head in approval as soon as the last round hit the target.
"Pass. Next!"
Sam winced at how loud the man could holler. But nodded his thanks anyway. To his amusement, Cobb was the next one waiting to go.
Sam hung back as discreetly as he could, making it look like he was fiddling with his Glock. He wasn't the only one. A few of the other team members were discreetly watching, while pretending to wait their turn for qualifications.
Cobb's first shots went wild. He didn't manage to hit the target at all. He stopped, cursed a few times and checked the weapon before reloading. Sarge stood to the side, arms crossed frowning Cobb as he tried again. This time he managed to graze the target once and hit the one next to him twice.
"Do you know how to shoot one of those son?" Sarge asked, raising an eyebrow at Cobb in mild disgust. "I'm pretty sure that's a STRIKE patch on your uniform, but I've seen officer workers shoot better than that."
"Must be a wonky weapon," Cobb said, red faced with embarrassment. "I'll go change it."
"Give it here." Sarge held his hand out for the P30. He checked it over before aiming down the range. A sharp crack and the bullet from the shot head dead centre of the target. "Works good for me."
Sam couldn't help but snicker in amusement. Cobb shot him a dark look and mouthed fuck off. Sam only cheerfully waved and stood his ground. This was too good for him to pass up watching.
"Can you tell them all to fuck off?" Cobb turned to Sarge. "I don't need an audience."
"And what are you going to do if you have an audience out in the field one day?" Sarge gave Cobb a grim look. "Ask them to turn around so you can shoot at them? Grow some balls and hurry the fuck up. I don't have all day."
Cobb's face turned even redder than before. He cleared his throat and turned back to the targets. This time he managed to hit at the 20 yard target, but completely missed the 30. All of his shots were going left, yet Cobb seemed to be adjusting his aim for a weapon that kicked to the right.
"Jesus fucking christ on a cracker," Sam muttered under his breath before raising his voice. "Left Cobb, left. The arm you don't jerk off with. It kicks up to the left."
"Fuck off Parsons," Cobb snapped, using Sam's last name. "I don't need your help."
"Whatever." Sam couldn't watch anymore. He didn't hear whatever Sarge snapped at Cobb. He simply turned on his heel and marched away. He only got a dozen paces away before someone grabbed his shoulder, jerking him back around. Sam came nearly face to face with a very angry looking Cobb.
"Careful there Cobb, you'll start to turn into popcorn if you get any angrier," Sam snarked at him, feeling his hand tighten around the Glock in his hand.
"What's your fucking problem Parsons?" Cobb ignored the jab. He shoved Sam roughly, causing him to stagger back a few steps. Cobb was bigger than Sam, but not by much. Sam dimly heard for someone calling at them to back off, but the rush of anger made all the background noise dim to nothing.
"You, you're my fucking problem." Sam's temper started to fray. "You're a smart ass little shit who has a big mouth and ego for no fucking reason. What I want to know is who's cock did you suck to pass at the Academy?"
"Hey!" Evans appeared out of nowhere, pulling Sam away from Cobb. Andy was doing the same with Cobb, pulling him out of Sam's reach. "That's enough. Back off, both of you."
"You're just being a pissy little bitch because your friend was too fucking stupid and got himself killed," Cobb snarled back at Sam, straining to pull away from Andy. "You know what I think?"
"Cobb, shut your fucking mouth right this instant," Evans snapped. "No one wants to hear what you think. Back the fuck off."
"I think that Riley found out his dirty slut of a girlfriend was fucking Barton. He meant to shove Barton into the line of fire but got hit instead. Dumb fucking cunt he was." Cobb ignored Evans, throwing his taunt directly at Sam. "He deserves to be rotting in a fucking grave."
Sam saw nothing but red. All of a sudden the grip on his gun was far too tempting. His body reacted before his brain caught up. Sam pointed the Glock at Cobb's foot and pulled the trigger. The bullet seemed to travel in slow motion, sinking into the leather of Cobb's foot before a spray of blood came gushing out. Sam didn't get to see anything else, he hit the dirt hard as someone tackled him to the ground. Another kicked the Glock out of his hand, sending it spinning out of reach into the grass.
"Stay down Sam." Evans hissed at him. "Fuck me, this is not how I needed my first week at work to go."
"Staying down." Sam said automatically, feeling like he wasn't really in his body. Cobb was on the ground, clutching at his foot screaming bloody murder. There was a good puddle of blood forming under his shot foot. Sam felt a very grim satisfaction at the sounds Cobb was making. In his mind, he deserved what he just got.
The next few minutes happened in a blur. Cobb was carried away as an ambulance came tearing down the driveway to the range. Sam was hauled to his feet and marched to the bus by 2 of his teammates and Evans. It was Evans who roughly shoved him down in a seat.
"Am I going to have to cuff you?" Evans asked firmly.
Sam shook his head, his eyes dropping to look at the ground. Now his anger had faded down, Sam knew he was fucked in so many ways. Looking for a new job was about to be the least of his worries.
"Good." Evans looked the most angry Sam had ever seen him. "Sit here and do not move a fucking muscle."
"Sir," Sam murmured in confirmation of his order.
"This is not how I imagined my day was going to pan out," Evans huffed out an irritable sigh before storming off.
Sam sat in on the bus seat, willing his hammering heart to slow back down to a normal pace. He'd never lost his temper like that before. But combined with Alexi crying for Riley yesterday, the comments were too much for him. Sam closed his eyes, leaning his head against the seat in front of him. His throat closed and he felt like he was ready to start crying. Sam swallowed back the lump in his throat and rubbed his face, hard, hoping the distraction would be enough to stop any tears happening. He managed to keep his emotions under control. But Sam felt like he could lose it at at moment.
Time dragged on for Sam as he sat in the bus by himself. There wasn't even one of the guys at the door guarding to make sure he didn't escape or do something stupid. Evans had even turned the bus on so the air conditioner was on. Otherwise Sam would have been baking in the August sun by now. He wasn't surprised when Evans came back on the bus and motioned for him to get up.
"Go sit in the car," Evans said gruffly, the anger gone from his voice as he pointed to a standard SHIELD SUV parked outside. "I'll be with you in a minute."
Sam nodded, not trusting his voice to speak. As he walked past Evans, he reached up and gave Sam's shoulder a small, but reassuring squeeze. Sam felt like it was the longest 9 steps he'd ever done in his life. He wondered if this walk was what people felt like walking to their own execution. Sam was pretty sure he wasn't going to see daylight anytime soon. The Fridge would have a cell with his name on it.
As he slid into the car, Sam was very surprised that there were no armed guards waiting for him. There was only Andrew Garner, SHIELD's head psychologist sitting in the passenger seat.
"Sam is it?" Andrew asked, turning around in his seat to face him. Sam nodded, feeling very wary all of a sudden. "I'm Andrew, SHIELD's head psychologist. Nice to meet you."
Sam's tongue felt too heavy to speak as he numbly shook the other man's hand.
"I understand you've had a bit of a shitty morning," Andrew said kindly. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Everything came crashing down on Sam in an instant. He fought to control his emotions but they boiled over before he could stop it.
"I miss him so fucking much," Sam managed to choke out before breaking down into tears. Sam felt like his heart was physically breaking. It hurt just as bad as the day he watched his best friend get carried out of the Quinjet in a bodybag.
The door next to him opened again and a weight slid in next to Sam. Evans wrapped an arm around Sam's shoulder, pulling him in close.
"Lets get you back," Evans said gently. All previous traces of anger were gone from his voice. Right now, he was worried about Sam more than anything else in the world. A driver got in the front seat and within seconds they were pulling away from the range.
The drive back to the Triskelion was fairly quiet as Sam pulled himself back together. Andrew didn't speak much, beyond asking a few personal questions once Sam calmed down. Sam answered everything truthfully, not spinning any bullshit that would only get him into further trouble. He knew he fucked up, in a very serious way. Right now speaking to a psychologist instead of sitting in a holding cell was a better way to spend his morning. Back at the Triskelion, Sam went straight to Evans office to wait his fate.
It didn't take long for Evans to come back. Sam wasn't surprised to see Coulson with him either. Although Coulson was STRIKE Team Delta's handler, he was also the most senior agent within Enforcement. Coulson would be the one giving the final decision on Sam's fate. He only hoped Coulson would make this as swift and painless as possible.
"Samuel Parsons," Coulson said as he slid into Evans chair. "I hear you've had a busy morning."
"Yes Sir," Sam said quietly, not daring to make eye contact. He knew this was it. He was about to be unemployed, possibly thrown in jail.
"I spoke with Andrew and Troy about what happened." Coulson didn't waste time, jumping straight to the point. "First up, I'm really disappointed a STRIKE member with your service record would lose his temper in such a spectacular way."
"You and me both Sir," Sam said, being as honest as possible. "I accept full responsibility for my actions."
Coulson looked at Sam with a strained smile. Sam closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath.
"You are suspended until further notice, with pay." Coulson's words made Sam's eyes snap back open in surprise. "There will be an internal investigation into this, obviously, but once thats concluded you'll be on office duties and psych appointments 3 times a week until Andrew is happy enough to let you resume normal duties. You're dismissed."
"Pardon?" Sam couldn't believe his ears. The look both Coulson and Evans gave him let him know he hadn't heard them wrong.
"Get your ass out of here until I say otherwise," Evans said firmly. "Dismissed."
Sam quickly got out of the chair and left the room before anyone could change their minds. As he walked down the hallway, he let out a shaky breath and disbelieving bark of laughter. He had no idea how he just avoided being thrown in the Fridge. Sam felt a little numb as his shaking fingers hit the elevator button. It had all be over and done with far quicker than he ever though. The fact he was able to walk out of Evans office was nothing short of a miracle. While waiting for the elevator, he pulled his phone out, trying to pull his thoughts back together. It'd been quiet since Natasha's last message. It wasn't hard to decide what Sam was now doing for the weekend. Pressing Natasha's name, he put the phone to his ear. Natasha answered halfway through the second ring.
"Whats up?" her sharp tone hid none of the concern in her voice.
"You've persuaded me to come out for the weekend," Sam said, his voice still a little hoarse from crying. "I can kind of leave right now."
"Sam, what happened?" Natasha's voice softened straight away. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah I'm fine," Sam half lied, running a hand through his hair. "I may, kind of be suspended though."
There was silence on the other end of the phone except for the faint sound of Natasha tapping on the keyboard.
"The next flight to LA leaves in 55 minutes, Delta Airlines, you have a ticket," Natasha said after half a minute. "Get your ass over here now."
"Yes Ma'am," Sam chuckled wearily. "Are pants required?"
"Only in pubic," Natasha's soft sigh of relief was clear to Sam's ears. "See you in a few hours."
"Bye," Sam said softly, hanging up before Natasha could ask anymore questions. It was half an hour drive from the Triskelion to the airport, so he needed to get his ass into gear. The elevator finally opened, letting Sam head to the locker room and shove his spare civilian clothes into his gym bag. He was halfway out the locker room door before realising he didn't have his car here.
"Need a lift?" Evans' voice made Sam jump. He whirled around to see his STRIKE leader leaning against the wall next to the door.
"Yeah, airport if that's okay?" Sam asked, feeling cautious. He'd been doing a good job of keeping his relationship secret with Natasha. Saying he was flying to California was a dead give away. "Thought I'd head back home to Detroit while I'm grounded."
"Sure." Evans pushed himself off the wall. "Flying via LA is one hell of a detour though."
Sam fumbled for an excuse. When he couldn't think of one, he shrugged helplessly. He had no way of explaining this off as anything but what it really was. He wasn't that surprised Evans would have found out. With Natasha being undercover, Coulson has full access to her phone records. Sam cringed, really hoping that Coulson didn't read any of her messages. There were plenty of dirty ones in there.
"She'll have my balls for telling anyone," Sam said, his shoulders slumping a little. This day was not going to plan for him at all.
"I already knew," Evans said, his face relaxing into a gentle smile. "Coulson sent me a picture of you doing the walk of shame out of Jared's apartment. Come on, I'll get you to the airport."
Sam felt his cheeks warm up at the memory of that night. Doing a walk of shame was bad enough. Having all of Natasha's friends and handler watching had been near mortifying. The night before was worth the embarrassment though.
"Thanks," Sam felt a weight lift of his shoulders as they began a brisk walk to the carpark. "And thanks for not sending my ass to jail."
"Well, it's not like he didn't provoke you." Evans shrugged, brushing off the thanks. "Besides, when I told Coulson what he said, he was more than happy to grant a little bit of leniency. We're both grateful Barton wasn't at the range like he was meant to be this morning."
Sam shuddered, trying not to dwell too much on what would have happened if Barton was there. Or Natasha. Cobb would be dead and there wouldn't be enough pieces left of him to bury. Sam hated that rumour that got thrown around, for both Barton and Kari's sake. He'd briefly met Clint's girlfriend while they were all still in hospital after Pripyat. Anyone who had at least 2 brain cells and eyes could tell that there was nothing but friendship between Kari and Barton.
"Still, I'm sorry and I'm really grateful for the second chance," Sam said as they reached Evans' car. "Thanks Troy."
"You're welcome."
Thanks to Evans superior driving skills and a lucky run of traffic, Sam made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. When he got to the checkin desk, he found a very nice surprise waiting for him.
"Your first class tickets Mr Parsons," the lady behind the desk smiled, handing them over to him. "Please enjoy our first class lounge before your flight takes off. Enjoy your trip."
Sam smiled back, mentally sending Natasha a very big thank you. He'd definitely have to pay her back in a big way tonight.
The first class trip was the most comfortable plane trip Sam ever had. He was feeling completely relaxed and the shitty morning had slowly faded from the front of his mind. Checking his watch, it was only 1300 in LA. He'd have plenty of time to catch a cab to Natasha's apartment and have something on for dinner by the time she got home from work.
As he disembarked the plane, he saw a familiar flash of red hair below him. Sam did a double take to make sure he wasn't seeing things. But there she was, Natasha Romanoff herself, dressed in a pretty green sundress, hair loose and minimal make up. She looked like a goddess, standing there in a patch of afternoon sunlight. Men looked at her as they passed. But she didn't glance at any of them.
Sam's step faltered. Natasha never picked him up from the airport. He always caught a cab to her apartment and back. Despite being on the other side of the country, they still kept things discreet. It was one of their rules. But he wasn't going to complain about Natasha picking him up. Especially when she looked so gorgeous, standing there scanning the crowd impatiently. Sam quickly picked up the pace, walking down the escalator at a brisk pace. Sam came up behind Natasha, wrapped his arms around her shoulders and lent forward.
"Hi gorgeous."
"Hi yourself." Natasha craned her head back, smiling at him. "I faked being sick at work so I could come pick you up."
"Thanks. I appreciate your sacrifice." Sam chuckled, brushing a kiss against her lips. To his surprise and delight, she didn't pull back of chastise him for a public display of affection.
Instead, Natasha turned around, threw her arms around his neck and gave him a very public inappropriate kiss. Sam grinned against her lips, kissing her back, pulling her in closer to his body. She was going to have to walk in front of Sam after a kiss like that.
"Lets go." Natasha pulled back, looking as breathless as Sam felt. "I'm going to take you back to my apartment and ride you until I can't walk properly tomorrow."
Sam groaned, feeling the blood rush away from his head and straight to his groin.
"You can get me started in the car." Natasha's smile was mischievous and full of laughter. "I'm not wearing any panties."
Sam had no idea how he got so lucky.
Hours later, Sam lay back on Natasha bed, still breathless even though they'd stopped 5 minutes ago. Natasha lay against his side, her head on his chest as she idly traced random patterns on Sam's skin. The morning felt like it happened years ago. Natasha had made every trouble in his head slip away with her amazing body.
"So, you gonna tell me what you got suspended over?" Natasha asked quietly, breaking the peaceful silence.
"I'm impressed you lasted this long without asking," Sam said with a small chuckle, stalling for a bit of time to compose himself. The last thing he wanted to do was break down in front of Natasha. Though she continually surprised him by how open and affectionate she could be. Sam was sure she didn't want to see him an emotional wreck.
"Well, I did keep your tongue very busy," Natasha said, looking up at him with a smirk. "I think you paid me back sufficiently well. So, spill."
"I kind of…" Sam trailed off, reaching up to scratch the stubble on his chin. Natasha nudging him with her elbow made him blurt the confession out. "I shot Cobb in the foot at the range. With a live round."
"Sam." Natasha drew out his name over a few syllables. "What the fuck? And how are you not in the Fridge right now?"
"It's a bit of a long story," Sam sighed.
"We have all night," Natasha pointed out, looking up at him with a firm gaze. Sam knew he wasn't getting out of telling her the whole thing.
Sam started with what happened with Alexi and him getting emotional in the bathroom. He noticed Natasha looking away when he told her about Alexi's meltdown and crying for Riley. Sam hugged Natasha a little tighter after that. He knew she missed Riley a lot as well. Though Riley was quite terrified of the Russian assassin, they both had a lot of mutual respect for each other which had blossomed into a friendship over the last few months of his life. Sam had a sneaking suspicion that Riley took Natasha engagement ring shopping once, but Riley refused to confirm or deny it. Though he'd been awfully smug about something just before he died and it wasn't just the house he brought in secret either. Since no one found any evidence of an engagement ring anywhere, Sam put it down to his over active imagination. Or Riley had the best hide and seek skills out of any of them. Natasha promised Sam she knew nothing about it either.
"Poor little Munchkin," Natasha sounded sad, speaking into Sam's chest rather than look up at him. "I thought she'd be too young to remember. Kari said she always points to his photos and says his name. But she's never asked her where Riley is."
Sam agreed, going on with what happened at the range this morning. As he got to the part about what Cobb said about Riley, Natasha's entire body went stiff with anger. She muttered something under her breath in Russian, which Sam didn't speak.
"So, I shot him in the foot." Sam finished with a sigh. "Lucky for me, Evans heard the whole thing and I only got off because Cobb started it. Though I'm suspended until further notice, on office duties forever and seeing Andrew Garner until he clears me for the field again. Which will probably take the rest of the year. But its better than the Fridge."
"Andrew is good." Natasha wiggled up a bit until she was resting on Sam's shoulder, her bare leg draped over his body. Despite their numerous rounds of sex, Sam felt himself stir as her smooth leg brushed him in a very purposeful way. "We see Andrew. I like him a lot. Don't bullshit him and you'll be back in the field before you know it."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Sam said, feeling a lot better now he had it all off his chest. He was very glad he didn't break down in front of Natasha either. But it felt good to talk it all out. "I hated the psych I had to see after Riley died. If you think highly of Andrew, I'll behave myself."
"In the meantime." Natasha suddenly moved, swiftly straddling Sam. His smile turned into a grin as he looked up at the gorgeous woman above him. "How about you not behave yourself and if you're a naughty enough boy, I'll treat you to a nice steak dinner."
"How about," Sam countered, shifting his weight and easily flipping Natasha over onto her back, Sam hovered over her, deliberately rubbing up against her how she liked it. She squirmed underneath him, trying to add more friction between them. "I pin you to this bed, fuck you as hard as I want. Then you still buy me that steak dinner."
"Handcuffs are under the bed if you want them," Natasha sultry purr and words had Sam ready to go again. He could only grin, thanking his lucky stars that he was bold enough to take a chance that night. Natasha had made a really shitty day disappear from his mind completely.
Authors note.
So, did I tear out anyone's heart and stomp it into the dust with what Alexi said?
I kind of wrote this instead of studying. Naughty me. But I hope everyone enjoyed it. As always, I'm more than happy to take requests. Sometimes it takes me a while to write them, but I find its an awesome way of keeping the creativity going.
Enjoy everyone!