Chapter 9
Disclaimer: I don't own anything
It has been two weeks since Melinda was realised from Medical and in that time she has been slowly healing. On Dr Cho's orders Melinda is still not allowed to go on missions but she was given the okay, the day before to go back to training, on the condition that it is only light.
It is about lunchtime and Steve and Melinda are sitting down at a table in the cafeteria with Tony, Natasha, Maria, Rhodey, Sam and the twins.
"Finally decided to leave the gym did you?" Tony asks when he sees Melinda and Steve sit down as they have spent most of the morning there.
"Yeah, we needed food." Melinda says with a shrug.
"I'll bet." Tony says with a smirk, it being clear exactly what he is thinking.
"Please say that the air con can work better than it has been the last few days." Clint says as he sits down with a tray, which mainly consists of coffee, it being clear that he has just woken up.
"Why?" Sam asks confused.
"Have you not seen the weather forecast, it's meant to be really hot the next few days." Clint explains.
"Oh yeah, I saw that, it's perfect beach weather." Tony says as he noticed that when he was online doing other things.
"I'll take your word for that." Maria comments.
"Right, you're super agents, have any of you ever even been to the beach when not on a mission?" Tony asks as he seriously doubts that.
"I was planning on going to the beach when I left the Playground." Melinda says and everyone turns and looks at her surprised.
"Why didn't you?" Steve asks curious.
"I decided to call Nat for a drink instead." Melinda explains, "And I'm really glad I made that decision." Melinda says and at that Natasha starts to get an idea.
"See, that's my point. You Agents don't know how to relax." Tony says.
"Actually we do, you just don't know it." Clint says and the group drift into an amused silence. As they do Natasha locks eyes with Wanda who gives her a nod, it being clear that Wanda knows exactly what she is thinking and that she approves of it greatly.
It has been hours since lunch and everyone is spread out throughout the facility. Ever since Lunch Natasha has been thinking about her idea and she has come to the conclusion that to achieve what she wants then she needs help, so she goes in search of Tony.
Being completely unsurprised Natasha finds Tony in one of the labs.
"Don't you ever go home anymore?" Natasha asks when she walks in.
"What? You getting sick of me?" Tony asks, clearly deflecting.
"What's going on, Tony?" Natasha asks, ignoring his comment, "For three weeks you've been here, have you even been back to the Tower?" Natasha says more interested in what is going on than her plan.
"No, I haven't." Tony answers, answering as vague as possible as he knows that he is talking to someone who is basically a human lie detector.
"And what does Pepper think about this?" Natasha says and Tony avoids looking at Natasha all together, "Tony, what's going on?"
"Things between Pepper and I are rocky right now." Tony says, realising that Natasha isn't going to let him lie, "We're talking some time. She's going to be away for a while on business so when she gets back we're going to re-evaluate."
"I'm sorry." Natasha says, truly meaning that as she has seen for herself how much Pepper means to Tony.
"Yeah." Tony says going back to what he was doing, "Did you need something, Romanoff?"
"I do actually. You gave me an idea earlier." Natasha informs Tony.
"Really?" Tony asks shocked.
"Yeah, I know, it surprised me to." Natasha admits.
"What's the idea?" Tony asks curious.
"Well as Clint pointed out it's going to be hot for the next few days, and as you pointed out it's going to be great beach weather." Natasha explains.
"Are you going where I think you're going?" Tony asks, sounding happy.
"Yeah, I am." Natasha confirms, "I think a trip to the beach could be great." Natasha says, telling the truth but leaving out the fact that she knows what Melinda's beach wear is like and Steve's reaction to that could be highly amusing to her, "But I'm going to need some help convince the others."
"What do you need me to do?" Tony asks.
"Well, we're going to need somewhere to go." Natasha says, "And convincing the others is going to be hard. I know Wanda is in, which means Pietro will be fine with going, but the others, that's going to be slightly more difficult."
"I can get somewhere for us to go easily, but how are you going to get everyone okay with going? There is a job to do." Tony points out.
"Once I explain the idea to Nick he will make it clear that he can handle things here." Natasha tells Tony.
"How do you know?"
"I know because Nick is always saying that we should take more time off." Natasha explains, telling the truth.
"Okay. Who do you need me to convince?" Tony asks curious.
"Well I know ways to get Mel, Maria and Clint to agree. That leaves Sam, Rhodey and Steve." Natasha says, being pretty sure that she could probably get them to agree to, but that it will be simpler with Tony's help.
"Rhodey is no problem, I can get him to agree in seconds." Tony says, "And Sam will agree once everyone else does."
"That he will." Natasha says with a nod.
"So that leaves Steve." Tony realises, "Do you want to try or do you want me to?"
"Huh, you try first." Natasha says, feeling like it would be less obvious that it was her idea if convincing Steve came from Tony rather than her.
"Can do, let me make the call about the place then I'll go talk to him."
"Make the call while I'm talking to Fury, but don't do anything else until I come back." Natasha instructs.
"Will do." Tony says and Natasha leaves without another word while Tony pulls out his phone.
After leaving the lab Natasha heads straight up to Fury's office.
"You busy?" Natasha asks as she opens the door.
"No, come in." Fury tells Natasha, "What's going on, Natasha?" Fury asks curious.
"I need your help with something." Natasha tells Nick.
"What kind of help?" Fury asks, not sure whether he is going to like it.
"Tony is currently on the phone getting a beach house for a few days." Natasha explains, "Do you think you'll be okay managing things here, and make it clear to everyone else that you will be?"
"Sure." Fury says, "But why? What are you up to, Natasha?" Fury asks, realising that there is something that Natasha isn't saying.
"I just think that a few days at the beach could be good for everyone. After everything that has happened in the past few months we could all use a break." Natasha admits, telling the truth, "It could be good for us." She says as with everything that has happened lately she thinks that some time away could do all of them some good.
"Okay. I'll tell everyone to take some time off, but you're going to have to convince everyone else to agree." Fury tells Natasha.
"I've got that handled, thanks Nick." Natasha says before leaving the room.
After leaving the office Natasha heads straight back down to the lab.
"So?" Natasha asks as she walks in.
"Starting tomorrow we've got a five bedroom beach house, on the north shore of Long Island, for three days." Tony tells Natasha.
"Great."
"And what did Fury say?"
"He's on board."
"Awesome." Tony says, "So, now we just got to convince eight incredibly stubborn people that the ten of us in a beach house for a three days is a good idea." Tony realises, "Should be easy." Tony says sarcastically.
"You're not giving up, are you?" Natasha asks.
"Nah." Tony says with a smirk.
"Good." Natasha tells him, "We've both got work to do so I'll see you later." Natasha says and she once more leaves the lab.
Within half an hour of Natasha leaving the lab she and Tony have managed to convince everyone to spend the three days at the beach.
"So Tony and Nat worked together to organize this, are you as worried as I am?" Clint asks Melinda as the two of them walk to the living area where everyone is meeting to talk about what they have to organize before leaving.
"Oh yeah, they're up to something." Melinda tells Clint.
"Any idea what?" Clint asks.
"Nope, you?"
"Nope."
At about lunch time the next day the group of ten arrive at the beach house that Tony booked for them.
"Not bad Stark, not bad." Clint says as he looks around.
"Thanks Birdbrain." Tony says, "So, there is five bedrooms, two to a room." He explains.
"How are we going to figure out who will share?" Pietro asks.
"Well can we decide like adults or do we have to draw names out of a hat?" Natasha asks as with this group of people either option is a real possibility.
"Or I can suggest who will be best rooming together." Wanda tells everyone.
"Does anyone have any problem with that?" Tony asks and no one says no, "Okay, Wanda, take it away."
"Me and Maria, Natasha and Melinda, Pietro and Clint, Sam and Rhodey, Steve and Tony." Wanda tells everyone.
"Okay, does anyone have any serious issue with that?" Natasha asks and everyone shakes their heads.
"Great. Beach in ten, last one is getting thrown in the water." Tony tells everyone.
"I would love to see you try, Stark." Maria says as she heads to the stairs.
"Don't tempt me, Hill.'" Tony says with a smirk.
"Really, not even ten minutes in and a war starting, why am I not surprised." Clint comments, being amused.
"What's surprising is that it's not you and Mel." Natasha comments as everyone starts to head upstairs.
"I would be insulted…" Clint starts to say.
"But it's true." Melinda adds.
"Yep." Natasha says and everyone picks different bedrooms.
"What are you up to, Nat?" Melinda asks when she and Natasha walk into their bedroom.
"I don't know what you are talking about." Natasha lies.
"Yeah you do." Melinda says as she opens her bag, "You're up to something Nat, we wouldn't be at the beach right now if you weren't." Melinda says, knowing her friend, "So I ask again, what are you up to?"
"Nothing bad, promise." Natasha says as she opens her own bag, "It's just we've all had a long few months, I thought we could use a break, sometime away." Natasha explains, "That's all this is Mel, really." Natasha says, looking right at her friend.
"Okay, I believe you, and I think you're right." Melinda says, knowing that Natasha isn't lying.
"I always am." Natasha says and before either of them can say anything there is a knock on the door.
"It's Maria."
"Come in." Melinda and Natasha says and Maria walks in wearing board shorts and a bikini top.
"Wow you get changed quickly." Melinda tells her friend.
"What? Like that's hard." Maria says with a shrug, to tell the truth she had her bikini on underneath her clothes.
"What's up Maria?" Natasha asks curious.
"I need help."
"Tor….teaching Tony?" Melinda asks.
"Yeah, I want to show him just what happens when he starts something with me, interested?" Maria asks.
"Of course." Natasha says and Melinda nods.
"Great." Maria says, "Tony's going to have no idea what hit him." Maria says as she throws herself down on the bed while Natasha and Melinda continue to search for what they are looking for.
A few minutes later Melinda, Natasha and Maria are walking down the stairs, all three of them wearing shorts and bikini tops in different colours, Melinda's is red, Maria is blue and Natasha's is black. Even though all three of them have various scars from wounds sustained in the field Melinda, Natasha and Maria all attempt to act like the aren't self-conscious about it, even though they all have their insecurities.
"Whatever you three are planning on doing to Tony I want in." Clint, who is only wearing shorts, says from the bottom of the stairs. Like Natasha, Melinda and Maria Clint also has quite a few scars over his torso and arms.
"What makes you think we're planning on doing something to, Tony?" Maria asks.
"Because I know you." Clint says like it's the most obvious thing in the world, "And whatever you're planning I want in." Clint says, "It can be like the old days." Clint says as the group of four former agents walk to the door.
"We need a plan first." Natasha comments.
"That won't be hard." Melinda says and the other three nod in agreement as they continue walk to the beach.
After a few minutes Melinda, Natasha, Clint and Maria arrive at the beach where they find Tony, Steve, Sam, Rhodey, Pietro and Wanda waiting. Wanda is wearing a one piece bathing suit while the rest of the guys, like Clint, are just wearing shorts.
"About time." Tony says when he sees Melinda, Maria, Natasha and Clint.
"Just keep digging yourself in further Tony." Maria tells him.
"I'm not afraid of you." Tony tells her.
"You really should be." Clint says.
"Bring it on." Tony says, "Race to the water? If Captain America can stop staring long enough to pay attention that is." He comments, amusement clear in his voice as Steve has been looking at Melinda in amazement since she walked onto the beach.
"What?" Steve asks confused, looking away from Melinda for the first time.
"Race, to, the, water." Tony says, sounding it out for him.
"Sure, okay." Steve says in response.
"Great, last one to the water is a rotten egg." Tony says.
"What are you twelve?" Natasha asks but that doesn't stop her from running to.
"See something you like, Captain?" Melinda asks with a smile as she walks over to Steve, the two of them being the only ones who didn't run.
"Um… yeah. You look amazing, Agent May." Steve says, it being clear that he is nervous and not really sure what to say.
"Thanks." Melinda comments, "Looks like we're going to lose the race." She comments.
"Not necessarily." Steve comments and as he and Melinda lock eyes Melinda realises exactly what he is thinking.
"I do hate to lose, I'm in." Melinda says with a smirk and after returning that Steve picks up Melinda and runs towards the water as fast as he can.
"THAT' CHEATING!" Sam calls as Steve runs past.
Even though they were at a disadvantage Steve and Melinda manage to get to the water second, right after Pietro. Once they are in the water Melinda jumps down from Steve's arms.
"That was pretty great." Melinda says smiling up at Steve.
"I'm glad." Steve says in response.
"I'm with Sam that was cheating all three of you." Clint says as the others, slowly start to arrive in the water.
"You knew what you were getting into when you challenged us." Pietro comments.
"I…. don't have a response to that." Clint realises and he is about to dive into the water when Natasha stops him, "Nat, what?" Clint asks confused.
"You still have your hearing aids in." Natasha remind him.
"It's okay. Tony made these, they're waterproof." Clint explains.
"Oh, in sea?" Natasha asks looking at Tony.
"Yep." Tony says with a proud smile, "He could be in water all day and night and be fine." Tony explains.
"Oh good." Natasha say and because Tony is focused on Natasha and Clint Melinda and Maria swim under water and over to Tony, because he doesn't see them coming he screams when they pull his legs and dunks him.
"I should have seen that coming." Tony says when he swims back to the surface, not looking angry, just disappointed with himself.
"You really should have." Maria tells him.
"So are we even?" Tony asks curious.
"Not even close." Maria says and even though he would never admit it Tony is beginning to think that maybe challenging Maria wasn't the best idea he ever had.
"Mel, Nat, Maria, race to the beacon?" Clint asks, pointing to a beacon that is about a mile away.
"Oh yeah." Melinda says and Natasha and Maria nod.
"Anyone else in?" Clint asks Sam, Rhodey, Steve, Wanda, Pietro and Tony nod, "Okay, ready, set go." Clint says and everyone dives into the water and starts to swim. After a few meters Melinda starts to feel pain with every stroke but she doesn't let that stop her, she just keeps swimming.
Hours later, after spending most of the day and night in the ocean Clint, Melinda, Steve, Maria, Sam, Rhodey, Wanda, Pietro and Tony are sitting around a fire making s'mores, everyone now dressed in clothes warmer than the bathes they spend the day in.
"Is this right?" Pietro asks, "It doesn't seem right to me." He says worried as he looks at what he is making.
"It's right." Clint says, "Don't worry kid, you're doing it perfectly." He assures him.
"Is it meant to be so sticky?" Wanda says as she looks at the s'more with a look of confusion on her face.
"Yes." Everyone else around the fire tells her.
"Is this your first time making s'mores?" Rhodey asks the twins curious as it definitely seems like it.
"Yes." Pietro says and Wand nods, "You're not pranking right? This is something you eat?" he asks, it being like he doesn't believe them.
"Yeah, don't worry kid, you'll love it." Sam tells him and hesitantly Pietro takes a bite and as soon as he does his eyes widen in amazement.
"You have to try this." Pietro tells his sister and less hesitant than her brother was Wanda takes a bite, and as a look of amazement appears on her face too, seeing the looks everyone else around the circle can't help but smile.
"Wait. Where is Romanoff?" Tony asks looking around the circle and not seeing her.
"She's getting something." Melinda says, knowing exactly what she is doing.
"What?" Sam asks curious.
"You'll see." Melinda tells him.
"Okay, what is she doing?" Tony asks, looking worried.
"You're not afraid are you, Stark?" Maria asks amused.
"No, of course not." Tony says quickly.
"Really? Because it sounds like to me." Natasha's voice says and everyone looks to see Natasha walking towards them holding a guitar.
"That wasn't fear." Tony says.
"It was." Rhodey says as he takes a drink of his beer and Natasha sits down next to Clint.
"Why do you have a guitar?" Sam asks.
"For a very good reason." Natasha says as she hands the guitar to Clint which causes both Melinda and Maria to grin as they both know what is going to happen.
"You can play?" Tony asks surprised.
"Yeah. I can." Clint confirms as he plays a few notes, "Did you tune it?" He asks Natasha surprised.
"Yep."
"Thanks." Clint says gratefully as an un-tuned guitar always annoys him.
"Why don't you play something, Clint? I'm sure that we would all like to hear something." Steve says as he had no idea that Clint knew how to play so he would be interested in hearing.
"Sure. I think I have the perfect song." Clint says as he starts to play, as soon as Clint starts to play most of the group recognize it and after about eleven seconds Clint starts to sing to;
"Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right,
I hope you had the time of your life."
As Melinda watches her friend the person she considers a brother sing and play the guitar, something which she has always liked, she leans against Steve and after a few seconds Steve puts his arm around her which allows Melinda to lean into him more so that she is resting on his chest.
"So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos and memories and dead skin on trial
For what it's worth it was worth all the while
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right,
I hope you had the time of your life."
As she continues to listen to Clint and while leaning into Steve's chest Melinda finds herself looking around the circle and as she does Melinda finds herself smiling and she realises that it is exactly where she wants to be, with exactly who she wants to be with, and that deciding to call Natasha instead of returning to The Playground was a great decision, the best decision she could have made.
AN2: The song is Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) by Greenday and I don't own it.