It's been months since we've done the mission. Well, the mission of speed dating. Leslie, Miles, Grant, and I all went above and beyond. We kinda ended up in a competition with each other. Nat and Clint finally pushed enough, and Grant moved into the dorm next door.
He shares a dorm with Miles now. Well as of today, anyway. We are moving him in. He is pretty excited. He has crashed at Mile's dorm and Mine and Leslie's for the past few months. But now the move is official. His being horrible and falling apart. Miles didn't have a roommate, so Grant used the spare bed unofficially. We are all walking to his dorm.
"You already packed man?" Miles asks.
"Yeah, it sucks that Natasha and Clint couldn't make it." Grant says.
"They are sad they couldn't make it, but this mission couldn't wait." I tell him.
"I understand that" he says.
We grab his stuff and move it into Mile's dorm. I notice he doesn't have much stuff. I guess it makes sense considering he was brought here from the forest. He didn't have pictures on his walls. Which we all do. Mine is pictures of my friends, Nat, and Clint. I know Miles will want him to feel more at home in the new dorm. I have a picture of all four of us that I put in a frame that I'll gift to him. Hopefully that will help him feel more at home.
I see Garrett walk towards us and tense up. We are walking towards mine and Leslie's dorm after putting Grant's stuff away. Garrett seems upset.
"Can I borrow Grant for some training?" He asks. I know we have no choice in the matter. But I have a really bad feeling.
"Sure," I say with a fake smile trying to act unbothered. We head up to my dorm,
"What's up?" Leslie asks as soon as we get there, seeing right through me. We sit on our beds. Miles sits on Leslie's.
"I think Garrett is abusing Grant." I tell them my suspicions.
"Why do you say that?" she asks Miles looks intrigued as well.
"Well, he's lied to me a few times about Garrett." I say.
"And that means he's being abused?" Leslie asks confused.
"Do you see the way he reacts around Garrett?" I ask.
"Not really, no. I haven't been paying attention to it." Leslie admits.
"He acts a lot more meek," I say. "Nat is even worried about it. What SO would want their student in the dorm he was in? Especially one with sway like Garrett,"
"Alright, I'm starting to see what you mean," Leslie say still not fully convinced.
"I have noticed that." Miles inputs. "He also flinches when I clap him on the back or shoulder."
"He does the with Garrett as well," I say.
"Okay, that's not normal." Leslie finally admits.
We continue to talk for a few more hours. Grant eventually limps in with bruises everywhere.
"Oh my god!" I exclaim running over to him. I help him to my bed.
"Grant, are you okay?" Leslie asks just as concerned.
"Yeah, Garrett just trained me hard," He replies gasping.
"That isn't training Grant. That's beating the shit out of you," I tell him.
"We need to take you to the infirmary." Miles says.
"After you need to come clean to us." I order. "You've been keeping secrets and hiding things from me our entire relationship. I know Garrett left you in the forest for years alone. I know he abuses you and I know you know something about HYDRA."
"How do you know all that?" he asks frozen.
"Because I listen when you talk. I care about what you have to say. I also did some research, concerned about you," I tell him.
"Fine, you want to know the truth. You're going to hate me anyway. Garrett recruited me to HYDRA. He has me infiltrating SHIELD for HYRDA." He admits in anger.
"What?! Isn't HYRDA gone?" Leslie asks.
"No, they went into hiding." Grants tells us. He's now looking at his hands in fear. I'm in complete shock.
"Do you believe in HYDRA's message?" I ask in a small voice.
"No, but I owe Garrett my life." He replies.
"No, you don't. he cashed that in when he left you in the forest alone with only Buddy." I say. "I know. You can act like Garrett is still your SO. I will talk to Clint who can talk to Fury. They can make Clint your actual SO. You will have all the training you need for SHIELD. You won't owe Garrett anything, but you can stay undercover with HYDRA. This way we can take them down from the inside out, when the time comes."
"That's a good plan," Miles agrees.
"That could work if Clint's willing to take me on," Grant says insecurely.
"Just because you've been to juvie doesn't mean Clint thinks anything less of you." I tell him.
"You know that?" He asks surprised.
"I found out when I looked up your family name. Clint will have that erased as well. Besides Garrett could have done that years ago." I reply.
"He could? He told me he couldn't." Grant says getting pissed off.
"No, he completely could. He just isolated you to control you. I now know it was, so you have no where to turn to but him. This way he could recruit you to HYDRA." I explain my thought process.
"We should still take him to the infirmary. He's bleeding all over your bed," Miles interrupts.
"Yeah, you need meds." I agree with Miles.
11 years later.
Grant and I have been married for ten years, now. Leslie and Miles were married two years later. Clint taught Grant so much. He was thrilled to be Grant's SO. Nat obviously helped. We were trained together as a pair. We work flawlessly together and separated. No one but Fury, Nat, Clint, Miles, Leslie, Grant, and I know that Grant's real SO is Clint. Everyone else still thinks it was Garrett.
Grant and I were just invited to be on a new team. Well, I was. Grant was called to agent Maria Hills office.
"What does SHIELD stand for, agent Ward?" agent Hill asks Grant. I still go by agent Thorne, even though my last name is now Ward.
"Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division." He replies.
"And what does that mean to you?" She asks him.
"It means someone really wanted our initials to spell out SHIELD." He says.
"Hey! That's my thing!" I exclaim. Hill looks unimpressed by what was originally my joke. Mind you I told her two years ago.
"It means we're the line, between the world…. And the much weirder world. We protect people from the news they aren't ready to hear. And, when we can't do that, we keep them safe." Grant explains flawlessly. "Something turns up like Chitahuri neural link we get to it before someone bad does." Grant pulls an artifact out from his bag and slides it across Hill's desk. Hill picks it up and studies for a second.
"Any idea who Vanchat was planning to sell it too?" Hill asks. An agent opens a case and carefully puts the artifact into it.
"I'm more interested in how this Rising Tide group found out about it," Grant says. The man closes the case and walks out. "I thought they were just hackers. What changed?"
"Everything's changing." Hill says. "A little while ago, most people went to bed thinking that the craziest think in the world was a billionaire in a flying metal suit. Then aliens invaded New York and were beaten back by, among others, a giant green monster, a costumed hero from the 40s and a god."
"I don't think Thor's technically a god," Grant tells her. Hill looks away, almost as if in thought.
"Well, you haven't been near his arms. Look, the battle of New York was the end of the world. This- now – is the new world. People are different. They have access to tech, the formula's, secrets they're not ready for," Agent Hill says Grant looks at me curiously.
"Why was I pulled out of Paris?" Grant asks.
"That you'll have to ask Agent Coulson," Hill says Grant and I both look confused.
"Uh, yeah, I'm clearance level six. I know that Agent Coulson was killed in action. Before the Battle of New York," Grant says. "Got the full report."
"Welcome to level seven." We both look up and see Coulson step out from the darkness. "Sorry, the corner was really dark, and I couldn't help myself."
"Shit! I went down two levels. This is horrible news." I say putting my head in my hands.
"I think there's a bulb out." Coulson points out. "Don't worry Samantha you're still level nine."
"What about Miles does he know?" I ask worried about him.
"Yes, he knows. I wouldn't let him live with that pain," Coulson says.
"Director Fury faked your death, to motivate the Avengers," Grant says as we walk through the building.
"The death of common ally is a particular effective team builder." Hill says we come to a door. We all flash our badges. The door unlocks and a man holds the door open for us.
"Plus, it wasn't that much of a stretch. I stopped breathing for about forty seconds." Coulson says.
"Eight. It gets longer every time you tell it," Hill says.
"Yeah, well you get shanked by the as guardian Mussolini, you can tell it your way," Coulson tells her. "I was looking at the big white light and it felt like a lot longer then eight seconds."
"Do they know? The Avengers, that Fury played them?" Grant asks.
"They're not level seven," Agent Hill says,
"Barton and Romanoff are both lever nine, like me." I say a little peeved.
"I got out of the ICU; Fury stuck my in a grass shack in Tahiti. Rough gig, mai tai's, Travis McGee novels, and a physical therapist who's command of English was… irrelevant." Coulson says giving way too much information. He ignores me. We enter in a room with computers and monitors.
"But something put you back in the game," Grant says. The monitor starts up with a video of a man jumping of the building. "What's that?"
"That's a superhero, Agent Ward." Coulson says.
"An unregistered gifted. Identity unknown." Hill says.
A woman's voice comes out over the video.
"Your secret is out. For decades your organization." He voice gets drowned out by other voices.
"Another present from the Rising Tide," Coulson says.
"How are they getting this stuff before us?" Grant asks.
"Some way they cracked our RSA implementation." Coulson says. "They're good. So, I need better."
"Agent Coulson has requisitioned a mobile command unit, to which you are both assigned." Hill says.
"Rising Tide is trying to draw us out. I think it's time they succeeded," Coulson says. Coulson grabs a binder.
"You want me to cross them off?" Grant asks, Coulson looks shocked.
"Wow, no." Coulson says. "I want to use them to get to him. this man's world is about to get very weird. He's gonna need some help." Coulson nods towards the screen.
"I'm sorry, I was trained from day one as a specialist. I got in alone, I get it done. Defusing a nuclear bomb- I'm your guy." Grant says. "A welcoming committee? Not my speed," Coulson opens the binder.
"I know it's not what you want. Agent Hill did a very detailed assessment o your last three missions. Combat- top grades. Espionage – she gave you the highest marks since Romanoff and your wife. Under people skills she drew a… I think it's a poop with knives sticking out," he holds the binder our for Grant to see. We both take a closer look. Hill holds up her hands in a surrender.
"What?" she asks.
"That's bad, right? And given your family I'm surprised it's not worse." Coulson says. Grant jaw clenches. I take his hand and squeeze it. Coulson closes the binder and holds it to his chest. "I think you're the guy for this. If I'm wrong, you go straight back to your bombs."
An older man in a lap coat comes in.
"Teams approved. Physicals are all fine." The old man says handing Hill some files. "Fitz-Simmons is not cleared for combat. I'm told that won't be an issue. Agent Ward here. He's almost too fit." Grant takes a step forward.
"That's an issue. That should be an issue. Maybe I can't join the team. Because my-" I interrupt Grant.
"What about me?" I ask.
"Well, I should talk to you privately." He says.
"Fine," I agree.
"God, you're dismissed." Hill says probably sick of Grant and me. We both leave.
"I'll talk to you shortly doc," I say as I walk out the door.
"What do you think he wants to talk to you about?" Grant asks me pulling me in a corner.
"No idea, but I have missed you." I say kissing him.
"I've missed you, too." He replies.
"How was Paris?" I ask.
"Not as good as when we were there together," he says with a smile. "But it was nice to see Miles and Leslie. They are on a team to get her, now."
"No way. Yay, and you and I get to be on a team together. What was with the fighting in there?" I ask.
"Gotta keep up things for Garrett. I love working with you." He says.
"I should go see the doctor," I tell him. He kisses me one more time. I pull away and head to the doctor's office.
"Hey doc. What's the matter?" I ask.
"During one of your tests you come back as positive for pregnancy. You are six weeks along," The doc tells me. My head starts to spin.
"I need to talk with Grant," I say in a far away voice.