Grace rubbed her burning eyes, not daring to glance at the clock and kept her eyes firmly glued to the computer screen. She knew it was already morning and she hadn't been to sleep yet. 3 days after the first shower incident and Grace had only slept when Barnes slept. That was starting to be less and less as his body caught up on the much needed rest. But Grace wasn't a super soldier. As much as she wanted to, running on 2 hours of sleep and a few cat naps here and there hurt more than she wanted to admit. She hadn't made it to her room yet, despite Sam's heavy protests. But the couch was comfortable enough and the bathroom attached to the room was sufficient to have a quick shower and freshen up. Any second now and Sam would be coming in the door with breakfast. As the thought left her head, the door opened and Grace fought back a smile. Sam was right on time. Grace kept reading some of the new files on Barnes that had been unencrypted a few hours ago.
A cold, wet nose nudging Grace's leg made her jump in surprise. Her laptop hit the floor with a clatter and a small shriek escaped, despite Grace's best efforts not to. She sat on the couch, clutching at her chest willing her pounding heart to stop trying to jump out of her chest. She looked down in surprise at whatever had just touched her.
At her feet sat a dog with a purple collar on his neck. He was holding a matching leash in his mouth, wagging his tail hard as he looked up at Grace. The dog was no discernible breed, just a mixed mutt with a shaggy golden coat. He was also missing an eye.
"Oh hello there," Grace grinned, reaching down to ruffle the dog's head. She loved dogs. If she didn't work so many crazy hours she'd probably be one of those crazy single ladies with 35 dogs. "What's your name?"
"Woof." The dog replied, dropping his leash and coming to rest his head on her lap. Grace spied a tag on his collar and gently moved it around until she could read it.
"Lucky," Grace chuckled, scratching the dogs ears. "Fitting name. Aren't you a beautiful boy?"
Lucky whined a little, pushing his head further into Grace's hand.
"Wanna come help me?" Grace patted the couch next to her. It was a big couch and Lucky wasn't a huge dog. "I promise I won't tell anyone."
Lucky whined again, taking a step back. He picked up his leash in his mouth and dropped it into Grace's lap.
"You want to go for a walk?" Grace asked, feeling very torn. She didn't want to leave Barnes, who was currently sitting on his bed reading 'The Hobbit'. But Lucky was being very cute. He gently nudged her hand again, licking her fingers.
"Gross," Grace giggled, pulling her fingers away from the slobbery tongue. It only took another nudge from Lucky for her to make up her mind.
"Asset, I'm leaving the room," Grace made her voice as firm as possible. "If you need anything JARVIS will assist you. Speak to the ceiling and he'll be there."
For the first time in a few days, Grace got something other than a blank stare from Barnes. Right now he was looking at the glass with a raised eyebrow. It was gone as quickly as it came. Barnes' face turned back to a blank expression and nodded before turning back to his book.
"Ready to go boy?" Grace asked, getting up off the couch. Lucky barked, spinning around in excited circles. As soon as Grace held up his leash, he stayed mostly still. Except his whole body was wriggling with excitement. "You're so cute. Who's a good puppy?"
Lucky barked again as Grace's baby talk. Grace quickly yanked on the pair of sneakers she had close by. She was dressed in a pair of yoga pants and a tank top. No one but Sam was around so she didn't feel to need to stay in a suit all day. Especially when she was doing little more than sitting on the couch, reading or making notes.
She made it 6 feet down the hallway with Lucky before finding Sam. He was leaning against the wall near the elevator, looking very proud of himself.
"Traitor." Grace grumbled, walking right past him. "Its mean of you to use an adorable dog to do your dirty work."
"Hey, it got you out of that room." Sam was not apologetic at all. "Besides, Lucky is very cute. Aren't you boy?"
Sam reached down and ruffled the hair on Lucky's head. Lucky looked up with his eye half closed, tongue hanging out. The look on his face made Grace laugh. She could deal with being dragged away from her work but a cute dog.
"Who's dog?" Grace asked as they walked the rest of the way to the elevator.
"Barton's," Sam explained, hitting the button to take them down to the lobby. "He found him a few years ago on a mission while he was still in SHIELD. It's a running joke that Barton is always bringing home the strays."
Clint Barton. Grace didn't need to search far in her memory for the man in question. The ex SHIELD assassin who's primary weapon was a bow and arrow wasn't someone you could forget in a hurry. Along with his partner, the ex KGB spy, Natasha Romanoff. Grace would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous about meeting them. But she was also fascinated. Both were normal people with extraordinary skill sets. Grace had seen the grainy footage of both of them during the Battle of New York. Barton's skill with a bow was nothing she'd ever seen before. Natasha's deadly grace, moving like a ballerina but destroying everything in her path, took Grace's breath away. Along with the nerves of meeting them, she was also a little excited.
"Well, he definitely has good taste in the strays he brings home, doesn't he?" Grace addressed Lucky with the last bit of her sentence. Lucky wagged his tail, looking up at them both with a big doggy grin. "Where are we going?"
"Central Park," Sam said, giving Grace a small grin as she pulled a disgusted face. "Come on, its like a mile walk there. It won't hurt you. The fresh air will do you good. We'll even stop for coffee on the way. My shout."
Grace was blessed with a decent metabolism. She wasn't fat, but she definitely wasn't as toned as she could be. She made an effort to try and get to the gym a few times a week. But with her work schedule, it wasn't always possible. She also wasn't as dedicated as she could be unless she ate pizza for lunch and dinner every day for a week straight.
"Fine, you said the magic word." Grace gave in with a small huff. The elevator doors opened silently, putting them into the main lobby of Stark Tower. No one batted an eyelid at Grace's scruffy dressing, Sam looking equally as casual and walking out with a dog. One of the most technological advanced building in the world and Grace was wearing yoga pants. It was a strange sight amongst the designer suits and immaculate marble interior.
Spring was well and truely in New York. The morning air was warm, verging on the side of hot. The humidity hanging around promised an afternoon storm. It didn't detract from the beautiful day. Grace wouldn't admit it, but the sun and fresh air felt really good. Not that the New York air was that fresh.
"How goes your patient?" Sam wasted no time in asking.
"You could at least buy me that drink before asking such personal questions," Grace teased, sending Sam a grin. He said nothing in return, only grinning back, waiting for her reply. Grace tried not to sigh. To an outside it'd look like there was no progress at all. But at least Sam knew her better than most.
"I'm happy where he's at," Grace sad carefully. "It may not seem like much, but he's eating and sleeping. That's a really good start. I think there was a trace of sass in his face this morning. But it was gone as quickly as it came."
"Really?" Sam looked over at her, eyebrows raised in surprise.
"It might have been my imagination." Grace deflected. "I'm going through all his files and reading all about the Winter Solider. But I have no idea of the man Bucky Barnes is."
"You're gonna have to ask Steve on that one," Sam confirmed what Grace already knew. She nodded in agreement. She'd come to that conclusion herself at 2am this morning. The Avengers still weren't back from their mission yet though. So she'd have to be patient and keep going at the pace she was.
"He picked out his own book this morning though," Grace added, nearly forgetting that one small piece of information. She'd gone to the toilet and when she had come back Barnes was sitting on the bed reading. "The Hobbit."
"That book was released in the 30's." Sam looked thoughtful. "Maybe its something too?"
"Or it's nothing." Grace countered with a shrug. "Hell, I don't even know whats in there."
Judging by the bookcase, Grace's guess was it was full of literary classics. She'd spied Moby Dick and War and Peace in there. But hadn't paid much attention to the rest of the books. The pair fell silent as they walked along the busy New York streets. Lucky bounced along at the end of his leash, sniffing at every crack in the sidewalk. His antics made Grace smile. He was very well behaved, despite his obvious bundle of energy. They stopped at Starbucks for a coffee hit, Sam going inside and Grace waited patiently with Lucky. Grace absently stroked Lucky's ears as she watched Sam flirt with the barista inside. The curly brunette was very pretty and seemed to enjoy Sam's undivided attention while she made their coffee. Grace smiled, but rolled her eyes at her friends very obvious flirting.
Grace wouldn't lie and say Sam was unattractive. She was well aware of her good looking best friend. But her brain never processed that the boy she grew up with was anything but her best friend. Being a superhero made him even more irresistible to the rest of the female population. Falcon might not be a household name like Captain America. But Sam never lacked for followers or female company. Grace wouldn't be surprised if he got an 'Avenger' discount at Starbucks. Or 'My ass is perfection' discount, as Sam told her once when she asked why they got a coffee so cheap.
It was no surprise Sam was in and out within less than 3 minutes, along with a number now written on his hand.
"Find another Hero Humper did you?" Grace asked, taking her extra shot flat white from Sam's hands. She had to ignore Lucky's pleading look at her coffee cup. He was already full of energy.
"Crude," Sam chastised her with a shake of his finger. "You better watch your mouth or both our Mama's will wash it out with soap."
"Only if you tattle on me," Grace scolded. "And if I recall, you were the one getting your mouth washed out with soap. Not me. Don't change the subject."
"No, she has no idea about my superhero identity, which is nice," Sam said with a small smirk, as they continued walking down the street as a leisurely pace. "What do you think about a lunch date?"
"You mean sidekick identity?" Grace teased, knowing exactly how much that irked Sam. Especially coming from her. "And lunch sounds nice. It's not as formal as dinner and for someone who works in a coffee shop, she wouldn't want to go for coffee. Pick somewhere that you can go for a walk afterwards."
"Thank you for being somewhat helpful." Sam ignored Grace's jibe about being a sidekick. "Speaking of dates, do I need to ask how your love life is?"
"Run on batteries," Grace admitted with a small laugh, knowing that was not what Sam would want to hear. Sam pulled a disgusted face at her answer. "Hey, you asked."
"No, I tried poking a reaction out of you and it didn't work," Sam grumbled, but the corners of his lips kept pulling up into a smile. "Don't pull your psychiatrist shit with me."
"The only difference between you and me is, well, was my horrendous student debt, and I can prescribe and administer drugs. You can't." Grace reminded Sam for the millionth time. "And I sound way cooler being Dr Anderson. You still have to do your PhD to be Dr Wilson."
"I'm the Falcon, can't get any cooler than that." Sam teased back straight away, his face stretching into a grin.
"Hawkeye sounds cooler than Falcon, he's the original bird boy in your boy band anyway." Grace grinned with Sam, her teasing nothing but good humour between close friends.
"If you call me a sidekick again, I'll kick your ass," Sam cut in with the playful threat. "And I dare you to call Barton that. Make sure you let me know what kind of a funeral you want first."
"I'll just tell him it was your idea, laugh when you get your ass beaten," Grace said with a sweet smile. "I'll even tape it and send it back to everyone at home. Might even send it to a few of your loud mouthed buddies at the VA. I'm sure it'd do the rounds there too."
"Yeah you would too," Sam grumbled, but he was still grinning. "Aren't you lucky that drunken striptease you did on Riley never got recorded."
Grace laughed. She couldn't help it. Her wilder, party days were short lived, but she made very good use of her limited time. That had been just before Sam and Riley had gone on their first tour. There had been a going away party which had very quickly turned into a drunken mess early on in the night. Grace didn't remember much after the strip tease she was dared to do. She'd never forget the hangover the next day though.
"Poor Riley," Grace said through her laughter. "He was so embarrassed about it too. He thought you were going to kick his ass for it."
All of Sam's friends in the Army were quickly told Grace was an absolute no-go area for any of them. Riley's strip tease had been the closest any of them had come to ever touching Grace.
"I might have pushed him off the plane before he was ready for it a few times," Sam admitted, not looking the least bit embarrassed. "He hated that."
Grace couldn't think of an answer, but she smiled at Sam. It'd taken him a long time to be able to speak about his other best friend so openly. For a while after Riley's death, she didn't think Sam would ever get over his loss. But little by little, Grace slowly helped put the pieces of Sam's life back together. She couldn't be prouder of the man standing next to her today.
"Here we are," Sam announced, opening the gate to the dog park they'd arrived at. Grace had barely noticed the walk there. She'd been too wrapped up in their easy conversation. It'd been far too long since they'd had a quiet moment like this together. Lucky wriggled with impatience as Grace unclipped the leash from his collar. As soon as the leash was free, Lucky bounded off with an excited bark, heading straight for the small group of dogs already there.
Sam and Grace found a bench to sit on while they both enjoyed their coffee. Grace watched Lucky bound around like a fool, barking at the other dogs and quite often stealing the ball that was being thrown around. He was at least a good boy and always brought it straight back to the owner of the ball.
"He's such a dork," Grace laughed as Lucky went to catch the ball. Only to miss it entirely and nearly face-plant into the fence.
"Takes after his owner," Sam laughed with her. "For someone who has breath taking archery skills, Barton is a bit of a walking disaster."
"I'm a bit nervous about meeting everyone," Grace admitted a few moments of silence.
"You'll be fine." Sam was quick to reassure her. "You don't take anyone's shit. Be yourself and you'll find you fit in better than you realise. Be mindful of Thor though. He likes to hug."
"He what?" Grace wasn't sure she heard correctly.
"He's a hugger," Sam repeated with a small chuckle. "He also acts like someone from Shakespeare. Expect to be called Lady Grace."
"Lady Grace sounds pretty awesome." Grace looked over to Sam with a smile. "I could get used to that actually. It's not every day I get hugged by a Norse God either."
"There ain't nothing lady like about you though." Sam elbowed Grace playfully. She winced as he hit his mark a little too firmly. "Oh the stories I could tell."
"Right back at you Sammy," Grace said with a wink, elbowing him back. She hit him hard enough that Sam grunted. "I'll even get your Mama to send over all the baby photos if you want to start bringing out the stories about me. Who else do I need to watch out for?"
"Natasha," Sam's quick reply wasn't a surprise to Grace. "She will get you so drunk you'll be hungover for a week. Pepper, Jane and Natasha have a ladies club happening. Its become a rite of passage for the ladies to get trashed when they feel the need to. There's no escaping from them either. Just smile, nod and accept your fate."
"I can't even remember the last time I drank so much I got drunk," Grace said with a small frown, trying to stretch her memory back. It would have been back while she was still in med school. "It probably wouldn't take much. But I will take your advice and enjoy myself while I'm at it."
Extending her small social circle wasn't a bad thing in Grace's mind. The Avengers seemed like a very close knit family. Trying to work with them without being part of their social structure would be like trying to break down a concrete wall with a toothpick.
"Good plan." Sam nodded his approval, draining the last of his coffee. "Do you think the crazy dog is all run out by now?"
Lucky was rolling in a patch of grass, tongue hanging out of his mouth looking like he was the happiest dog in the world right now. When he got up, his gold coat had grass stains all over it.
"Dibs on not giving him bath," Grace laughed at the green stained dog. Lucky looked so pleased with himself as he trotted back to Sam and Grace. He obediently plonked himself down at Grace's feet, looking at up her with a big doggy grin. "Awww, you're so damn cute."
Grace reached down and ruffled Lucky's ears. Despite not wanting to leave the room, Grace was enjoying the fresh air and having a few moments to decompress with Sam. They hadn't been able to sit and banter with each other for what seemed like a very long time. The sun was warm without being overly hot. Still, Grace's mind couldn't help but to turn back to the work waiting for her back at Stark Tower. There had been another thought in the early hours of the morning. It was one Sam probably wasn't going to like.
"I'm going to have to go in there very soon," Grace started carefully. Sam looked over at her, cocking an eyebrow but remained silent. "Sooner rather than later."
"Well you don't go in there by yourself," Sam said firmly. His good mood quickly gone, replaced by a hard stare. "You wait until Cap is here, or Thor. They're the only 2 who can deal with Barnes if shit goes wrong."
"I'm not dumb Sammy." Grace resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her best friend's instant protectiveness. She'd been doing this job long enough to know when she needed muscle to back her up. She wasn't afraid to admit or ask for it either. "I'll wait for my muscle before I go in."
"Good." Sam relaxed instantly. "You don't need to be getting hurt. Come on, we should head back."
Lucky looked up between them at his words, like he understand what was being said. Grace smiled down at the dog, clipping his leash back onto his collar. Sam and Grace got up, leaving the park in comfortable silence. Lucky's energy seemed to had run out, he was no longer bounding on the end of his leash. He walked quietly beside Grace, occasionally nudging her hand with his nose for a pat. Grace was more than happy to scratch his nose, or ruffle his ears as they walked along. The morning quickly growing uncomfortably warm and muggy. Grace was relieved when they came back to the tower. The air conditioning was a blast of cool relief of her face.
As soon as they stepped into the elevator, JARVIS crisp voice came from above.
"Captain Rogers wishes to let you know they are on their way home from the mission. All the team are accounted for and uninjured."
"Thanks JARVIS," Sam said, the relief clear in his voice. "ETA?"
"1500 local time," JARVIS replied promptly. There was a slight pause before the AI spoke again. "Captain Rogers also wishes to know how Sergeant Barnes is doing."
"Eating, sleeping and right where I expect him to be at this point in time," Grace's reply was careful, she wasn't sure exactly what JARVIS would say back to Steve. But her assessment was true. She was prepared to stand her ground if Steve didn't like the answer.
"Captain Rogers says thank you." JARVIS' words surprised Grace a little. "He appreciates your patience with this matter. Agent Barton is also asking if Lucky's been to the park since he's been away?"
"Wouldn't it be easier just to open a communication line with them?" Grace asked with a quiet murmur. Sam rolled his eyes, nodded in agreement before responding to JARVIS' question.
"Lucky has been out to the park and a run every single day," Sam confirmed for Barton. "He now has Grace wrapped around his paws, so expect to find him sleeping on the couch with her when you get home."
Grace opened her mouth to deny it. But she looked down and found her hand gently running through Lucky's fur on top of his head. She'd been stroking him the entire time in the elevator. Grace wrinkled her nose but smiled. Sam was right. There was no denying it. As the elevator door opened, Lucky trotted out, his leash trailing behind him. He went straight for the door of the viewing room, sat and waited for the door the open. When the barely audible click was heard, Lucky nudged the door and went inside.
"Smart dog," Grace laughed as she turned to Sam. "Thanks for the coffee. Getting out for some fresh air was a good idea."
"I'm the king of good ideas," Sam said smugly. "I'll get breakfast sent up for both of you. "If you need-"
"I will call out," Grace finished for Sam, knowing exactly what he was going to say. "Lucky and I will be fine."
It was 9am now. 6 hours to kill until the team got back. Grace went into the room, finding Lucky on the couch. His head resting on one of the cushions and he was fast asleep. Grace smiled again and settled down next to him. In front of her, Barnes was still on the bed, reading his book. This entire he had a small frown on his face as he flipped the pages.
"Something wrong?" Grace asked, watching his movements. She purposely left off addressing him as Asset to see the reaction she'd get from him.
"I know this book," Barnes' gruff voice held a hint of emotion in it. To Grace's ear, he sounded strained, almost wary to be speaking what was on his mind. "Why do I know this book?"
Grace felt her heart leap in excitement as Barnes' asked her the question.
"It was released back in the 1930's," Grace said, picking her words carefully. "And has become a classic over the years. Its 2015, so the book has been around as long as you have. It also has a sequel, of sorts, called Lord of the Rings."
Barnes watched the glass, looking straight at Grace for the longest time. Even though he couldn't see her, Grace kept her own firm gaze at him too. She felt like he could see something behind those thick layers of glass. Finally, Barnes nodded and turned back to his book without another word. Grace blew out a small sigh of relief. Another tiny step of progress in his very long road to recovery.
Breakfast came, an employee of Stark Industries kitchen, bearing them instead of Sam. Grace thanked the young Stark Industries employee, shutting the door before his curious looking around the room could get him a glance at Barnes. Lucky woke up at the smell of bacon, which Grace happily shared with him. The scrambled eggs she kept for herself, despite Lucky's begging eyes. Barnes scoffed his breakfast with his usual speed, though this morning he didn't put the book down while he ate. Grace looked at him with a glimmer of hope stretching in her body. A few days of food and solid sleep made Barnes look healthy again. His handsome face didn't look so gaunt, there was colour in his cheeks again. Even in the simple clothes he wore, he looked more filled out. Grace noticed, with small amusement, that he could do with a shave. But there was no way he would be trusted with a razor just yet. Happy with the morning progress, Grace turned back to going over the slowly increasing decrypted files on Barnes. Lucky curled up next to her and went back to sleep while Grace and Barnes both read the morning away. Though Barnes seemed to be enjoying his book far more than Grace was reading his files. Lunch came and went, Grace even put down her computer to enjoy the beautiful sushi platter brought up for her. Lucky managed to score the pieces that she didn't want. She was going to need to ask Sam where the gym was if they kept feeding her so well. Even Barnes ate his sushi, though he was wary at first.
Grace got so caught up in her reading that she didn't notice Barnes laying down for a sleep until a gentle snore made her look up. Barnes was on his back, book on his chest with his mouth open in a quiet snore. She smiled, taking in the sight of the terrifying assassin completely at ease in his surroundings. It made him look exactly the photos from his WW2 days. Young and carefree. Unlike the files she was currently reading. They were the start of his mission reports, dating back to the late 40's and 50's. They held nothing back and were all there in horrifying and somewhat gory detail. The Winter Soldier has methodical in his mission debriefs and whoever wrote them for him didn't skimp on the details. Grace found herself sinking her hand into Lucky's fur a little tighter as she swallowed her the bile rising in her throat. None of it was pleasant, but she needed to know exactly what he'd done to help him best. Lucky snuggled in closer to her, putting her head on her leg but being mindful of her laptop. He was a comforting presence Grace needed.
A pained groan made Grace's head snap up back to the glass. Barnes was still asleep, but his flesh hand was fisted in the sheets. His face contorted in a grimace. Grace waited to see if whatever he was dreaming about would pass. But his knuckles only grew whiter as he gripped the sheets harder and harder. Grace could see the metal plates of his other arm flexing as well, she thought she could hear the grinding of the mechanics as well. Suddenly, Barnes lashed out with his metal arm and it slammed into the wall. The loud thud made Grace cringe as the vibration seemed to echo around the room.
"Stay here," she murmured to Lucky, getting off the couch. Grace cautiously walked up to the glass separating them, watching carefully. She knew better than to try and wake Barnes from his nightmare. But it was still tough to watch. Barnes groaned, words that Grace didn't understand falling out of his mouth in an endless plea. His twisted, as if writhing in agony on his bed, his pleas becoming more forceful and louder. Grace winced at the tone, it was almost like Barnes was pleading to die from something. She'd heard that many times from her suicidal patients. Her heart twisted, hearing the raw agony in Barnes' voice.
She acted before thinking it through. Pulling the door open, she stepped into Barnes' room. Lucky was right behind her, a silent shadow at the back of her legs.
"Asset." Grace tried first, in a firm and loud voice. "Wake up."
There was no response from Barnes. Only another pained moaned, his legs twisting around his blanket. As soon as the fabric pulled taunt around his legs, Barnes panicked even further. Grace quickly moved to the bed, yanking the blanket away from his body before he could hurt himself.
The motion woke Barnes up. His eyes snapped open and zeroed in on Grace. She felt a small curl of nerves staring into those blue eyes. Right now he did not look to be within his full mental capacity.
"You had a nightmare," Grace said firmly, hoping her voice didn't betray her nerves. "You're in New York, it's 2015. What you were seeing wasn't real Asset."
Before Grace could blink, Barnes was off the bed. His flesh hand closed around her throat, choking away any cry of surprise that might have escaped. Grace's back slammed against the wall, pushing out any air she might have left in her lungs.
"I am not HYDRA's Asset," Barnes growled, spitting out the word Asset like it left a bad taste in his mouth. "I killed every single last HYDRA agent I found."
His hand closed around Grace's throat tighter every with word. Grace gasped, but didn't struggle against the iron grip. It would have been useless anyway. She knew staying calm was the only way out of her situation.
"My name is Dr Grace Anderson," Grace managed to wheeze out with the little air she had in her lungs. "Steve Rogers asked me to help you."
"Steve." The name brought a look of confusion on Barnes' face, his grip on Grace's throat relaxing a fraction, allowing her to suck in a much needed lungful of air. It tightened again, just as quickly, leaving Grave squirming against his grip this time. "Why did you call me Asset?"
"Because I haven't had a chance to ask what you want to be called," Grace's voice came out as a squeak. She tried to keep her rising panic in check. Panic wouldn't help her right now. "You needed to eat and sleep first."
Grace was dimly aware of Lucky barking in the background. But all she could focus on was the desperate need for air in her body and remaining calm.
"My name is Bucky," Barnes growled out. "I don't work for HYDRA anymore."
"Nice to meet you Bucky," Grace wheezed, holding out her hand to shake with his, despite the black spots starting to swim in her vision. Barnes was starting to look very fuzzy in front of her. "You can call me Grace."
Grace suddenly found herself on the floor, her neck free of the grip and he body shuddering to get air back into it. Dimly she could hear voices shouting, but everything felt like white noise. All she could do is focus on breathing in and out, gasping like a pack a day smoker who'd just ran a marathon. Strong arms picked up her and carried her from the room. Grace felt rather than saw the couch underneath her as she was placed down on it. A weight settled next to her with a wet nose nudging her arm.
"Gracie." Sam's face floated in front of her vision. Grace could feel his hands gently gripping the side of her face. "Breathe Gracie, breathe."
Grace nodded obediently, sucking in a few big breaths. The more air she got the clearer everything came into focus. Sam was kneeling in front of her looking calm and collected. Lucky was beside her, nudging her arm with his nose and occasionally licking it. It took Grace a few more seconds to realise the room was a lot more crowded with more than Sam and Lucky. The entire time of the Avengers was crowded around her, all looking down on her.
Grace fought back a sigh. This was not how she wanted to meet the Avengers.
"Hi everyone," she said weakly, her voice hoarse and strained. "It's lovely to meet you all."
Authors Note
Poor Grace, things didnt quite turn out for her did they?
I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story so far. As always, I love reviews, so feel free to drop a line.
Until next time.