Chapter Nine:
Vivian was not going to let bed rest get the better of her, so she was still working which involved making fun new bullets for Alice. Though 'bed rest' was more like 'let's sit on the floor and turn it into a workshop.
"You should be resting." Alice said from the doorway,
"I'm not doing much movement that's resting enough, when you go to shield pick up my notes will you? I can make a start on software but I'll need my work if you'd be so kind."
"Don't blow yourself up"
"I'll try not to"
After Alice left Vivian was consumed by explosives, lycopodium powder was a favourite to include since it makes a bang and also blinds people. The time passed rather quickly, when she heard the apartment door open and close,
"Welcome back!" she hollered adding another finished bullet to a box.
"I could have sworn I told you to rest" that voice sent a shiver down her spine,
"Doctor ... I am resting. See no strenuous movement occurring," she smiled awkwardly, Bruce entered the room closing the door behind him, she noticed a wad of paper in his hand "Ah! Alice did remember my notes, great I can carry on" it took some force to wake her legs up as she struggled to her feet Bruce showed surprising strength to lift her onto the bed,
"You will rest" he said sternly,
"But-"
"NO!" that tone of voice made her quiver "do you not care about your health?"
Vivian shrugged "It's never been an imperative concern"
The doctor arched a brow
"Does anyone else care about your health?"
She shrugged again
"You apparently but heck that's a first"
"Yes I do care about your health" he stated seriously,
"Well yeah, you're a doctor, that's your job though" she waved off his concern with talk of jobs again,
"Outside of my job as a doctor. I do care about you and your safety."
Vivian could feel her cheeks flushing, she was about to reply and Alice fell through the door grinning like a Cheshire cat
"Aw that's cute"
Vivian's temper bubbled again "Christ sake Alice! trying sorting out your own problems before meddling in other peoples love lives"
'o what did I just say?'
Alice sniggered at those words
"Love life you say"
Vivian's face went scarlet
"NO! I didn't mean it like that!"
Bruce looked at her, 'no don't look at me please' she pleaded in her head
"Then how did you mean it?"
Vivian couldn't muster any words and cocooned herself in the covers, rolling off the bed and under it. 'this is why I hate people' she thought pulling the covers tighter around her,
"Viv-"
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" she shouted trembling from a mixture of embarrassment and anger "just leave me alone"
'I'm stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid'
Once I'd managed to get Dr Banner out of the apartment I tried to talk to Vivian but she slammed the door in my face,
"I guess I should have been sneakier with my eavesdropping" I sighed. I noticed Vivian had left some new bullets out so I thought I'd go test them out,
"Back again?" Natasha asked
"Yeah Vivian made me some new bullets and I wanna see what they do"
"Actually I wanted to talk to you. It's so rare I get to talk to another girl who isn't interested in what Justin Bieber is doing"
"I tend to stay away from people like that" I cringed visibly, "So what did you want to talk about?"
"How you seem to have two men running after you when you've only been here a week"
I hung my head and let out a long drawn out sigh,
"Has Steve asked you to talk to me and try to win me round to the ways of monogamy?"
"Nah he's tried talking to Banner and Stark about it though"
"One Stark is knows for being a playboy and two I highly doubt someone who purposfully secludes himself is the person you want to talk to about changing a girls priorities"
"On that rather sour note. Is it true you're hitting our resident deity like the angry fist of said deity?"
"Yeah actually I am"
"I need to know. Professional curiosity and all. What's it like?"
"I've been around a few times and I'm really not ashamed to say my moral compass lies between my legs but damn it's like nothing I've ever experienced before" I said, "the first time my legs didn't work for a good hour after"
"Wow" Natasha fanned herself with her hand,
"Yeah it's that good" I laughed, "you know I've never really talked like this with anyone other than Viv and usually I have to censor the shit out of it. She doesn't like hearing the gory details"
Natasha and I talked for a good hour about my sexual escapades and all the guys she'd beat up for shield until she was called away by her other half.
I decided to head back to the apartment to see if Vivian would talk to me but I got side tracked by Steve, "Look it's really admirable that you want to find a nice 21st Centry gal and settle down and make enough babies to populate a small island but I'm not your girl"
"Just hear me out" Steve said, "I talked to Dr Banner and he said I should let you come around in your own time and if it wasn't to be it wasn't to be. Then I talked to Stark and he said I should make a 'physical presentation'"
"So you want to what! Make a presentation?"
"Yes" and he took off his shirt
Vivian heard Alice and Banner leave the apartment, her stomach started to grumble loudly after checking the cupboards to find them empty "We haven't been food shopping yet" she sighed remembering that the pair had spent most of their time at shield and eating out. Vivian staggered back into her room to change into more suitable street clothes , jeans, platforms and a strap top. Knowing she wouldn't get far with her legs the way they were she decided to play doctor, she opened a box of syringes and filled one with a small dose of unmarked liquid before injecting it into her arm. Needles didn't bother Vivian as they did Alice, she had grown up seen people inject themselves with unknown substances in bizarre places.
"There we go, best take one with me just in case" she placed a needle and the small pot of liquid into a separate small case and put it in her bag before leaving.
The sun beamed down on the New York streets, Vivian hadn't seen much of the weather since she'd been cooped up in the lab for a few days. Tourists you see everywhere, but in this day and age you don't often see them suited and holding a huge paper map in the middle of the high street.
"A map like that won't help you in New York" she mused to the smartly dressed man, who held the map to one side to see the source of the voice,
"I haven't been here in a few months and I already feel like a stranger" he chuckled folding the map up,
"Where were you heading I can at least point you in the right direction"
"Magnolia bakery"
"I'm heading that way myself, it's not too far from here actually" Vivian helped the lost man to his destination only to regret her good deed of the month. Several familiar faces were gathered at a table,
One of them rose to greet them
"General Ross, I was starting to worry" the red haired woman looked at Vivian "Miss Rose, what are you doing here?"
"Hi miss Romanoff" she greeted back,
"This young lady helped me find my way here. I didn't know who two were acquainted." two other men were sat at the table one she recognised as Clinton Barton and the other she preferred she didn't know,
He stood up with a broad smile and pulled Vivian into a hug
"My little girl it's been far too long" Vivian didn't return the awkward hug,
"Yes, father. It's been about eight years" she mumbled
"This is your daughter Rose? Must have been fate that she helped me"
Vivian ended up sitting at the table between Hawkeye and her father Earl Rose. Seemed her father was in America because he had been invited by Ross to see a new submarine that had been created and he was an old friend of Thaddeus Ross a general in the air force. And as it turned out Ross was a part of Shield, which explained why the two spies were there to escort them to the base were the ship was going to be docked.
Even though Vivian tried to worm her way out of the meeting she ended up back at Shield, since her father insisted since he hadn't seen her in so long.
'I'm dead if Bruce catches me' she sighed walking in tow behind Ross,
"You look pale you okay?" Barton whispered,
She nodded back then quickly shook her head and tried to hide behind him, Doctor Banner, Alice and Thor were walking down the corridor.
'I'm dead'
"Dr Banner, it has been a while" Ross smiled shaking the doctors hand eagerly, he introduced General Rose to the trio,
"Rose. Is that not also the ferret's last name?" Thor enquired,
"Ferret?"
"O he means Vivian. one of the scientists here," Alice chipped in quickly,
General Rose brimmed with pride "Yes she is my daughter." he turned around to see her trying to remain hidden, "You never mentioned that Vivian,"
'Great found' she thought miserable, coming out of Barton's shadow "you didn't ask" she mumbled avoiding Dr Banners angry stare,
"Thank you for looking after my daughter"
"We should get going Rose"
"Ah right so, well Vivian it was good to see you again." He smiled at patting her head like Thor had done some days before "you should come home some time your mother misses you"
'O like hell she does' she replied with a mumbled 'yeah' and watched him walk down the corridor with the two spies and the American general.
"Your father is much taller than you, ferret" Thor chuckled reaching out to pat her again but she slapped his hand away,
"That man is not my father" she hissed turning on her heels to walk away but found herself slumped on the floor her legs oozing with pain, 'good timing legs' she cursed finding her well prepared pick-up solution from her bag injecting it quickly into her arm. 'Ah pain be gone'
"You know if you're trying to shoot up heroine you're doing it wrong" I said leaning against the wall above Vivian
"Yes well being electrocuted with three hundred volts messes with your nerves. Or so I've heard" Vivian said leaning against the wall
"I'm sure. Well yeah three hundred thousand volts would kill a normal person or so I've heard. The Doc seems to think you're a medical marvel. I'm sure he'd like to get his hands all over you" I said sliding down the wall to sit next to Vivian
"Yeah to strap me to a bed and not let me up again" Vivian said
"Oh I've done that before" I said nodding, "What a weekend"
"Your sexual escapades are none of my business" Vivian said
"Well do you want to hear about how Steve is trying to invest me in a life of monogomy?"
"Oh?"
"Yeah he went to Stark of all people for advice"
"He went to a known lothario for advice on how to get a girl to settle down?" Vivian was shocked
"I know! I mean how does that even compute" I said
"I guess he figured Stark knew about wild women" Vivian laughed, "who allow themselves to be strapped to beds for weekends"
"Hey don't knock it till you've tried it. Anyway how about we get out of here?"
"But what about Apocalypse" Vivian said
"I don't mean leave the state and change our names - again. I just meant here the base. Since I want to avoid Steve and you want to avoid Daddy dearest"
"Yeah let's get out of here" Vivian said pushing herself up off the wall - I extended my hand which Vivian took greatfully and leaning on my shouler we made our way through the base
"You'd better be heading home" Dr Banner said as we passed the lab
"Oh don't worry about it" Vivian said, "I won't be around any time soon. Not as long as he's here" she scowled
"Daddy dearest is a bit of a dick" I explained
"So as long as he's around I won't be"
"And you're avoiding Steve?" Dr Banner said to me
"That I am. He's a nice guy but I'm not nor have I ever been nor will I ever be a nice girl. And he deserves a nice girl"
"How about I decide what I deserve" a familiar voice said from behind me
"You can but honestly. It's not me. I'm not the kind of girl you take home to meet Mamma and Daddy claps you on the shoulder and says what a catch your gal is. I'm the one night stand you tell your friends about because she did a freaky thing with her mouth" I said, "I'm not girlfriend material. I'm just not" I shifted Vivian's weight and we headed off leaving both Steve and Doctor Banner behind us