Hey all, sorry updating is taking so long. This snippet is for rule #15 (see below), it will likely end up being 2-3 installments. As always thanks for the support; please read and review.

15. Do not tell Director Fury about Agent Barton's cat. She's as sharp as her owner, will do serious damage if she doesn't like you but is the best therapy in the world if she does.

Snippet #6:

Agent Aiden Matthews shuffled into the kitchenette, his entire demeanor screaming 'must have coffee!' He grabbed for a mug with half closed eyes, managing to catch one on the third pass and poured himself a cup from the luke-warm pot. It was then that he noticed the small grey mouse sitting on the counter next to the coffee pot.

"Bah!"

He swept the mouse off the counter top with the mug, succeeding in spilling coffee everywhere and promptly stomped on the animal. The comically high-pitched squeak finally registered after his third stomp. "What the hell?" He muttered quietly, stooping to pick up what he now realized was obviously a toy. Matthews gave it an experimental squeeze and was rewarded with another small squeak. What in the hell was a cat's toy doing aboard the helicarrier?

Aiden was still staring at the small toy when a solid weight landed on his shoulder and immediately sank it's claws in. For the second time that morning, Matthews found himself dancing around the kitchenette and screaming like a teenaged girl.

Maria Hill watched with extreme amusement from the doorway; Artemis always did have a way of announcing her presence. The little black and white furball hung determinedly to Matthews's shoulder despite his best efforts to dislodge her. The epic battle might have continued indefinitely had Agent Hill not heard Director Fury's voice floating down the hallway. Maria reacted on instinct, launching herself into the room, she grabbed Artemis with one protective hand and threw a shoulder into Aiden's midsection propelling him into the pantry she had just opened with her other hand. She pulled the door shut behind them and slapped a hand over the other agent's mouth to muffle his shout of protest.

Only when she was sure that Fury was well past the kitchenette did she remove her hand from Aiden's mouth and her forearm from his chest. "Agent Matthews, meet Artemis," she gestured to the kitten who was now demurely perched on her shoulder, giving herself a bath. "She belongs to Agent Barton and under absolutely no circumstances is Director Fury to know of her existence. Understood?"

Aiden was still trying to figure out how his nice quite cup of coffee had ended up with him shoved into a closet with Fury's right-hand women. Finally his eyes were drawn to the small- and as much as he hated to admit it, adorable, kitten glaring at him from Hill's shoulder. That calculating, detached look clicked when he registered Maria telling him that the cat belonged to Barton.

"How…" shaking his head Matthews quickly decided he didn't want to know how Barton had managed to sneak the kitten onto the helicarrier without Fury finding out; it was called plausible deniability. He tried again, "how in the hell does Fury not know about her?"

Hill graced him with a genuine smile as she tickled Artemis's chin, "she's as elusive as her owner, likes high places, and she usually uses the air ducts to move around. Plus, I think she knows Fury means trouble; I've seen her actively avoid the Director several times."

Matthews reached a tentative hand toward the small cat, jerking it back quickly as she quietly hissed at him. "Yeah, Barton doesn't like me much either. So what, she followed him home or something?"

"Yeah, from Prague. Barton had completed the mission but it completely blew up in his face…

Next installment will contain how Barton met Artemis...