I took every single scrap of willpower left within me to not push in his eye until my thumb hit brain. Slowly, I ground out, through gritted teeth and a headache building behind my eyes. "Where. Is. My. Husband."

"He has been called. He will be here within the hour."

"I hate you, Nick Fury. I should have killed you while I had the chance. What, exactly is stopping me from killing you right now?"

"And could you survive the melee afterwards?"

"Probably not, but you would be dead, as well as a good number of your agents until they secured me in Hulk's playroom."

"How do you know about that?"

"How do you know about me?"

"We are a spy organization."

"And I am an assassin. It is both of our jobs to know things we aren't supposed to."

"Indeed."

I settled in my chair carefully, still prepared to launch myself at Director Fury and gouge his remaining eye out with my thumb.

"Are you not at all curious at why Braydon disappeared?"

"I know why."

"Do, enlighten me."

"I would rather not, that is my information to harbor and for my husband to confirm. You have not right to any of the information that I have."

"We have an arrangement."

"Yes, we do. You also have my husband. And my sister. You do not require any information from me, it seems. So, answer me this, Director Fury, why do you need me?"

The man leant forward, resting his elbow on his knees. "You, Anastasia Romanova-Kirdan, or whatever the hell your last name is, are an asset we cannot afford to lose. You are the only assassin to come out of your organization alive, and that, makes you invaluable."

"I hope you know that I do not know anything about my organization, despite the years I spent doing their dirty work."

"Oh, you know something, you simply aren't telling us."

"Who will be the judge of that?"

"I will, Ms. Romanova."

"Sadly, I don't trust your judgment, Nicholas Fury."

"I would call you a terrible assassin if you trusted anyone."

"You can only trust family. And even then, only slightly. It's a pity my family is so large."

"And speaking of family, here comes your loving husband."

I turned with a scowl on my face to Braydon, as handsome as he was the day I met him. Blonde. His hair color was either dyed or it was his real hair color. He never told me his real hair color. He looked hopeful as he entered the room and nodded to the Director, who left, obviously seeing that I was going to erupt into something he did not want to witness. If I was a normal woman, I would have slapped Braydon, but I was different. I was an assassin. I grabbed his hair and kicked out his knees harder than truly necessary before pinning him down, letting him fall to the floor, once more with more force than truly necessary. I straddled his back, holding his hands together with both of mine, bending his hands back to the point of pain. He grunted before speaking to me in Russian, as if we were still there, in Russia, in our little house.

"At least I know you're in a good mood."

"Actually, I'm in a terrible mood, love."

"Really? You haven't broken any bones yet?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Not especially."

"I thought so."

I tightened my grip on his wrists.

"I suppose I owe you some answers."

"Yes, I suppose you do."

"Let me make it clear that I was to keep tabs on you, and the marrying part was something I did of my own volition, it was not in the itinerary."

"I'm sure it wasn't. Now, did you know that you were going to disappear before you left?"

"Of course I did, why do you think I had sex with you?"

"Well, I was slightly drunk and you are a man, so I assumed it was simply your biology kicking in."

"Slightly drunk," He chuckled from his position on the floor, "love, you were all over me, there was nothing I could do, I really couldn't help myself."

"You arrogant ублюдок!" (The Russian means a child born of wedlock. Just so you know)

"I love it when you talk dirty to me."

"I'm sure you do, love. Now answers. I want the truth."

"Just like you gave me the truth?"

"I told you what I could to protect you, but what you told me was nothing but a bunch of lies, a made up backstory. You lied to me about your life."

"I never told you a lie. I told you I worked for a similar organization. That I was an assassin. I am an assassin, love. I am Russian. And yes, my hair is naturally this color. You have dyed yours recently though, I can smell it on you, why did you dye your lovely hair?"

"You are avoiding the subject, love, now why were you sent to keep tabs on me?"

"Anastasia, you are the sister to one of the most lethal assassins in the world, and not to mention you yourself have body count that was increasing constantly, did you really think that the connection would not be made, that you would not be noticed? The second your sister knew about the connection, I was dispatched, deep cover. Keep tabs on you, a killing here and there, for the sake of my sanity and S.H.E.I.L.D.'s."

"I'm still angry with you." I stood up, letting go of his wrists and crossing my arms over my chests. He got up with a groan, muttering about bruises and how abusive I was.

"Why are you angry with me now?"

"Because I'm pregnant, you тупой ублюдок!" (The Russian means stupid child born of wedlock)I shoved him, hard, and he just stood there shocked before I punched him in the face and the solar plexus before kicking his shin and kneeing him in the groin hard. He recovered fairly quickly as I began to strike again, and successfully pinned me down.

"What?" His face still resembled that of a dazed puppy. I adored that stupid face. I hated that I adored that stupid face, especially when I was trying to be angry with him.

"You heard me the first time, ублюдок." (The Russian, once again, means a child born of wedlock.)

"You're pregnant?"

I didn't even merit the question with a verbal answer and shrugged my shoulders, pushing him off me, but not before getting another good punch in. I shook my hand slightly after I punched him. My knuckles would be bruised tomorrow. I took the satisfaction in knowing that there would be brilliantly colored bruises on his face in a little while.

"Alright, I suppose I deserved that." He straightened himself and rotated his jaw carefully, wincing slightly at the pain.

"You bet you did. And I want you to stay away from me for the time being."

"Why?"

"Because I can't trust you anymore, Braydon. Do you understand that? I cannot trust a single word that comes from your mouth. If you come near me again, without my invitation, I will not hold back this time. I may not have my knives on me, but you know that I do not require any sort of blade to remove the eyes of a man. So stay away from us."

"Us?"

"You're a smart boy, you'll figure it out." I once more knocked his feet out from under him and as he fell, pushed him down so he collided to with the floor at a faster rate. I walked out of the office, ignoring his footsteps behind me, calling "Ana, wait!" After he realized I wasn't listening anymore, he stopped. I continued walking, running my fingers through my hair and putting it to rights before pulling it back into a ponytail. I wanted to cry, but I pushed back the emotions and left the field office. I knew agents were following me. I let them as I walked back to Stark Tower. I wanted to be alone, and the bathroom of the room I was given was the safest place I could think of at that moment. I stepped into the tower, then walked past the desk to the elevator, ignoring the words of the receptionist, who was fussing since I entered without identification. I stopped and turned to him. He looked at me, and his face slowly turned frightened as I gave him the glare I give to people I don't particularly like. He walked away, muttering apologies. I entered the elevator.

"JARVIS, take me to my floor."

"Of course, Mrs. Kirdan."

"Don't call me that, JARVIS."

"Of course Mrs. Romanova."

"Thank you." The doors opened to the floor and I found my room easily. I walked to the bathroom and scrubbed off the cosmetics before walking to the kitchen and getting two bowls and filling them with ice. I turned on the television and stuck my hands into the bowls of ice, sighing as I felt the cold bring down the swelling in my knuckles. I heard footsteps behind me.

"I take it the meeting didn't go well."

"Next time I meet up with my supposedly-dead husband, remind me to wrap my hands."

"He told you then."

"Yes. If he ever comes here when I'm further along in the pregnancy, you're going to have to beat him up for me. A huge stomach is going to be quite cumbersome."

"You are in a lovely mood today."

"Actually, I'm not really in any sort of mood."

"Your knuckles seem to say otherwise."

"You should see the other guy. He is going to have a few hairline fractures. Well, at least, hopefully he will."

"That bad, huh?"

"I should have hurt him worse."

"I would have killed him."

"Of course you would do that, Nova."

"Or at least put him in a body cast."

"The damage I did was more emotional than physical."

"How?"

"I told him to stay away."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well, he didn't listen. He's downstairs, asking for you."

I closed my eyes and sighed and withdrew my hands from the bowls of melted ice. I stood, turned off the television and dumped the water out of the bowls. I rubbed my hands together to get circulation back into my fingers. "Thank you for telling me Nova. I take it you still won't let me near my knives."

"Sadly, you are not allowed anywhere near your knives."

I scowled and leaned against the counter. "Do you have any suggestions on how to deal with this situation, Nova?"

"You want my advice, Casca?"

"Yes."

"Hear him out. I sent him back to Russia to watch over you, to make sure you were safe. S.H.E.I.L.D. didn't get involved until later. Most of the reports in the file were sent directly to me. I had to hand them all over once Fury decided you could be an asset. As far as I know, he loves you. And telling him you were pregnant only makes him more attached to you. Anyway, he can keep you safer than I can."

"How exactly can he do that?"

"You love him back, and you trust him more than you trust me."

"I'm sorry I can't trust you more, Nova."

"I wouldn't trust me either if I was in your position."

"What position am I in exactly?"

Natasha smiled. "You, Casca, are stuck between a rock and a hard place. S.H.E.I.L.D., and a soon to be over inflated stomach that happens to be a package deal with a blonde buffoon."

I laughed. "Thank you, Nova. I'm sorry we never got to be sisters."

"So am I, Casca."