I'm writing again! Yeah! I hope people area still interested. I'm going to be aiming to get a new chapter of something posted at least every couple of weeks, though no guarantees, of course. The muse can be a fickle partner. This chapter is a little rough, as it includes evidence of some of the abuse the girls have been through.
Small Packages, Big Problems: Chapter 6
"Have you seen what those two have been through?" Tony asked, pulling up the results of their scans in the air around him. He enlarged two of them, one of each girl's x-rays.
"Almost 30 broken bones in various stages of healing between the two of them." He started pointing.
"Red's got toes, lower leg, fingers, hands, vertebrae, clavicle, ribs. Most of them more than one and more than once."
He focused on the other x-ray. "Hill's got several foot bones, both legs, pelvis, hands, spiral fracture of the arm."
He paused. "That's what they call a fracture caused by twisting the arm until it breaks."
He continued. "She's also got multiple ribs, both clavicles, and multiple skull fractures, Jaw, Cheek."
"I'm aware," Fury growled.
"And the scars." He pulled up pictures. "There are burns. Cigarettes, probably. Some on her back. One on the bottom of her left foot. Can you imagine having to walk on a burn?"
Another picture. "Then there are these scars on her back. I have no idea what caused those."
"Belt," Bruce offered.
"What?"
"Leather belt," he clarified.
"And the buckle, sometimes," Nick added.
Pepper watched, eyes wide.
"And Nat? She looks oddly undamaged at first glance. Other than the cut and scrapes from whatever happened today, Seems like with all the internal damage, there should be more visible damage."
"Red Room," Fury explained.
At their puzzled looks, he continued. "A Widow is to appear physically perfect. Free of blemishes and imperfections. There was a full medical staff, including plastic surgeons to make sure that there were no scars. Physical imperfections were cause for 'dismissal' from the program."
Bruce nodded. "So that's why she said that Maria had 'bad trainers' to have been left with so many scars."
"Exactly."
"Dismissed from the program?"
"You don't want to know."
"And this?" Tony continued, enlarging a shot of her hand. He held up his own, wiggling his fingers.
"She has no fingerprints. I'm hoping that's some kind of weird birth defect or something."
"Again. Red Room. Can't have a Widow leaving behind fingerprints."
"They removed her fingerprints?" Pepper questioned.
"Understand it's a combination of microlasers and acid. The aim is to remove the prints, but still leave the fingertips sensitive enough for important delicate operations such as pick-pocketing, safe-cracking, and lock-picking."
"That's barbaric," Steve commented.
"It gets worse," Tony told them. "They both show signs of repeated sexual trauma. Rape. Sodomy. And what they did to Natasha…"
"What do you mean?" Pepper asked. "What did they do to her?"
"I wasn't sure, at first," Tony admitted. "I had heard of it, but I had never actually seen it."
"Unfortunately, I have," Bruce said. "It's not uncommon in some of the areas I've been."
"What horror was inflicted on the Lady Natasha?" Thor queried.
"She was circumcised," Bruce told them.
"I do not understand," the Asgardian admitted.
"Me, either," Steve added. "I mean, I know what it is, but how would that be done to a woman?" He considered a moment, then held up his hand. "Never mind. I don't think I want to know."
"But why?" the only woman in the room asked. "Wouldn't that be something their marks or victims or whatever would notice?"
Fury sighed heavily. "It was done so that they don't associate sexual intercourse with pleasure. They won't be distracted from their mission by their feelings. They are able to remain in control of the situation.:
He paused, making an effort to tamp down his own emotions.
"Part of their 'graduation' process includes sterilization and physical reconstruction so everything looks normal."
"That seems like an awful lot of damage to be done to such little kids," Steve remarked.
"Who is responsible for this harm to our friends?" Thor asked, his anger clear. "They must pay for their crimes."
"At this point in her life, Natasha had spent 3 or 4 years in the hands of her Red Room trainers. They were not big on the 'positive reinforcement' school of training."
"And Hill?"
"Maria simply had the misfortune to have an abusive rat bastard asshole for a father."
"And what have you done about either situation?" Tony asked.
"The Red Room program was terminated. With extreme prejudice. That was Romanoff's final task before officially joining SHIELD."
"And Hill?"
"I believe the Chicago Police Department has him listed as a missing person. Officially."
"And unofficially?"
"Bastard got what he had coming." He shrugged. "At some point, they may be able to identify and link certain…parts…that have turned up in various locales, but I'm not holding my breath."
XXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, Clint Barton sat in the pilot seat of the quinjet. Since the vehicle was almost entirely automated and AI controlled, he had little to do and could allow his mind to wander as he headed home.
His real home.
His farm and his family.
HIs wife and kids.
Honestly, four of the people he had left behind he considered family as well. And this trip was about helping some of that part of his family.
When the jet landed in a field near his house, it was early evening. He started the recharging process and headed to the house, thinking he was probably just in time for dinner.
Cooper and Lila saw him coming across the yard and ran out to greet him, throwing themselves in his arms. He easily caught them both and swung them around, allowing the peace of 'home' to fill him.
He listened to their chatter as they crossed the back porch and entered the cozy kitchen. Laura was busy at the stove, Nate sitting in his high chair snacking on cereal puffs.
Clint picked him up, lifting him overhead and listening to him giggle before stopping over to his wife. He warped his free arm around her and pulled her close for a deep kiss.
"What can I do to help, Babe?" he asked.
"Everything is almost ready. The kids were getting the table set before they saw you coming."
"Get that finished up, please," he told them.
"I'll get another place setting," Cooper announced as Lila continued setting out the items already on the table.
Laura looked at the meal she had been preparing and chewed her lip, deep in thought. Clint leaned close.
"Don't worry. I've already eaten."
She kissed him. "Good. That means you're on baby feeding duty."
"Not a problem," he assured her.
He watched her skillfully directing the kids as she finished the meal and got it to the table. He smiled, thinking of how blessed he was to be married to a woman who was so capable.
Settling Nate back in the highchair, he pulled it over next to his chair and took his seat. Grace was said and everyone started eating. He picked up the small bowl and spoon that had been set near him and started spooning food into the mouth of his youngest.
"I thought you weren't going to be back for a few more days, dad," Cooper commented between bites. "Is something wrong?"
He looked up to find them all looking at him.
"No," he assured them. "Everything's fine. We just don't really have anything going on right now and I figured I'd rather be with you than with the guys there."
The kids seemed to accept his answer and went back to their meals. Laura, though, continued to watch him, eyebrow raised in question.
She knew him well.
He gave her a slight nod.
'Later,' it said.
After dinner, Clint and the two older kids cleaned up while Laura nursed the baby. The family enjoyed a board game together, then Clint took his youngest upstairs for his bath and bedtime routine.
"I miss this," he told Laura, who stood at the nursery door watching him.
"I know you do. And I know they miss you. Do you think you'll be able to stay for a while? Or is this visit to tell us you're going to be out on business for a while longer."
"No," he assured her. "It may mean I'll be here more. Or less. Depending on a lot of things."
"Helpful information, that. Thanks," she told him, rolling her eyes.
He walked over to her, glancing down the hallway to be sure Cooper and Lila were out of earshot.
"It's complicated."
"Of course it is." She put her finger over his lips before he could respond. "It's always complicated. But I knew what I was signing up for, marrying a superhero with a heart of gold."
She kissed the head of the dozing baby and walked with him to the crib. Clint gently lowered the little boy to the mattress and stroked his head.
"Is it worth saving the world if I miss out on this?" he asked softly.
"It's a tough balancing act, Babe, but you're doing great."
Soon, Lila and Cooper's bedtime arrived. They were sent up to get ready for bed, then tucked in by both parents.
XXXXXXXXXX
Back at the tower, Phil walked into the common area, a little girl holding on to each hand. They had donned the nightclothes they had chosen earlier and both looked better, though still wary.
Bruce asked to check the wounds on their feet and the gash on Natasha's leg. He told them they had done a good job with the cleaning, then carefully applied an ointment and bandages to the deeper ones.
"Phil says is secure here," Natasha said, looking to the agent for a confirming nod.
"That my father or the Red Room people can't get us here," Maria added, watching Nick.
"That's right," he confirmed. "You're completely safe here."
"Cannot stop Ivan," the Russian told them. "Is expert."
"Stark, can you pull up the schematics to show them the security here?"
"Of course."
The billionaire proceeded to point out how each entrance was secured, as well as the electronic surveillance in the different areas of the tower that would immediately alert them should anyone breach the system.
"Electronics," Natasha sneered. "A child could disarm."
"Layers and backups," Tony countered.
She shrugged, "Is expert."
"You are also defended by the strength of the Avengers," Thor told her, kneeling next to her. "The power of Mjolnir. The shield of the mighty Captain. The skill of the Man of Iron. The strength of Hulk. The skill and determination of the Son of Coul and the Commander of Fury. We shall defend you with our very lives, if need be to protect you from harm."
"Yeah," Tony agreed. "What he said."
"We'll take turns keeping watch all night, if you'd like," Steve added.
"I told you I wouldn't lie to you," Nick reminded them. "And I promise you that you are safe here."
Steve had brought out some colored pencils he had and asked if the girls wanted to draw with him. They both hesitated until Phil sat down next to him and took one of the proffered sheets of drawing paper.
The little red head took her time, carefully choosing colors and concentrating deeply on her work. Maria was more hesitant, watching what the others were doing, but making no effort to join.
"Is there something else you'd rather do, Maria?" Nick asked gently.
She shook her head, and picked up a pencil, but still made no marks on her paper.
"I'm not any good at drawing," she whispered.
"I'm sure you do just fine," Steve encouraged.
She just shook her head.
"If you'd rather, we can find you something to read. Or play a game," Pepper offered. "Or watch a movie."
"No, thank you," Maria told her. She continued to sit quietly, simply watching what was going on around her. Finally, her natural curiosity got the better of her and she slid out of the chair and started a slow circuit of the room, hands clasped behind her back so she wouldn't be tempted to touch anything.
That lasted until she got to the piano. She reverently reached out a finger and gently pressed a key. The tone was louder than she expected and she jumped, eyes going wide as she turned to face Tony.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to break it."
His heart broke at the abject fear on her face.
"You didn't break it," he told her, rising slowly. "That's what it's supposed to do. You press the keys and it plays music.'
Recalling how Bruce had moved around the girls, he focused on reigning in his usual quick pace and crossed to the instrument.
"Do you play?" he asked.
She shook her head. "They have one in the music room at school, but we aren't supposed to touch it. It's so pretty, though."
He leaned over and picked out a simple tune, watching her puzzled expression.
"How does it work?" she asked.
Nick smiled, seeing the curiosity that he recognized in his Maria.
"The keys connect to little hammers and when you press the key, the little hammer hits a string in there and it plays the note."
"Hammer?" she asked, glancing over to the device sitting near Thor.
"Different hammer," he told her. "Not so mighty."
"Mighty in a different way," Nick corrected. "'Music has charms to soothe a savage breast,;" he quoted.
"Literary quotes from the Pirate," Tony commented. "Impressive."
"Nick," Natasha told him firmly. "Not Pirate."
"It's a nickname," he told her. "Like calling you 'Red'."
"Yes," she insisted. "Nick is name. Not Pirate. And not Red. Am Natasha."
"Let it go, Tony," Pepper told him.
"Fine," he huffed. "Virginia."
"Pepper," their small visitor corrected.
"Yes, Natasha," he agreed.
She nodded and went back to her project.
After a moment, Tony turned his attention back to Maria.
"Right. Piano."
He thought for a moment, then went into the kitchen returning with a small folding step stool. He set it up next to the body of the grand piano, then motioned for her to climb up. When she did, he sat down at the keyboard and slowly played a tune, one note at a time.
The girl leaned close, watching the inner workings of the instrument, then turning to watch Tony's fingers on the keys. After a few minutes, he moved into a more complex piece, explaining to her about chords and harmonies and the pedals.
She continued watching, enthralled, for several more minutes. When he stopped, she looked over at him.
"Would you like to play?" he asked, patting the bench next to him. "I can teach you something."
Looking at the bench, she considered a moment, then shook her head, climbed down, and scurried over to where Nick was sitting. She whispered something in his ear, then sat down on the floor next to his chair.
"She said no, but thank you for showing her," he told the other man, nodding his own appreciation as well.
"You're welcome. Let me know if you change your mind."
Conversations started up again, about simple, day to day things such as the weather, sports teams, and possible vacation plans. In an unspoken agreement, topics were kept light and friendly for the sake of the girls.
Finally, Natasha put down her pencil and came over to sit next to Maria. Heads together, they whispered softly. Nick could make out the occasional word, some in English, some in Russian.
The duo eventually wandered over to the piano, Maria apparently telling the other girl what Tony had told her. When she looked at him and pointed to the keyboard, he nodded approval and they both climbed onto the bench. They continued whispering softly, one or the other occasionally lightly pressing a key.
Finally, Natasha slid from the bench and stood next to the instrument. She took her robe off and tied the gown up around her waist. After stretching a bit, she leaned close to Maria again.
Carefully, the dark haired girl placed her fingers on the keys and began playing, perfectly copying the piece Tony had played earlier. Natasha stepped away, then started dancing.
The adults in the room watched and listened in awe, Nick holding up a hand to prevent anyone from commenting. When the impromptu performance ended, there was a hearty round of applause. Both girls started, having seemingly forgotten the others were there.
Maria ducked her head, quickly slipping from the bench and grabbing the other girl's robe to help her put it back on. They stood together, neither looking up.
Pepper finally cleared her throat.
"Thank you, Natasha. Maria. That was beautiful."
"You're both very talented," Steve added.
"A fine entertainment," Thor said.
The praise brought shy smiles to both small faces.
"After that, you're probably ready for another snack," Bruce commented, determined to get Maria nourished by encouraging her to eat as often as possible at this time.
She looked over at Nick, very unaccustomed to being offered food.
He nodded. "I think another snack before bedtime is an excellent idea."
When Bruce walked over to them, they both backed away slightly, Natasha positioning herself between him and the other girl.
Though he understood their fear, it broke his heart to know that his mere presence, even as his mild mannered self, was enough to make them fearful. He stepped back and stuck his hands behind his back.
"I'll help you out with that, Bruce," Phil offered
The girls hurried over to him and the four headed to the kitchen.
"I knew Natasha danced, but I didn't know Maria was musical," Pepper commented, looking at Nick.
"She said she didn't play."
"I don't think she does. Did," Nick replied, considering which verb tense would be correct in this situation.
"I shouldn't really be surprised, though. Her memory is nearly perfect. It's why she's so good at picking up languages. She's able to learn to converse in just a few days of hearing people speak. Even pitch and tonal variations. I suppose the same skills can be applied to music. I know she has a good singing voice."
"She sings, too?" Steve probed.
"Not if she knows anyone is listening," Nick answered, "But I've heard her a few times when she didn't know I was there."
"Impressive," Tony commented.
XXXXXXXXXX
After a quick check of the house, Clint and Laura headed outside and took a seat on the front porch swing. They both sipped on coffee, listening to the night sounds of country life and admiring the stars.
Laura could sense Clint struggling to put his thoughts in order and waited patiently, leaning close to offer her support.
"Rough day?" she finally asked.
He snorted. "Rough. Strange. Odd. Unexpected."
"Sounds pretty normal for you," she commented.
"This was a new one though." He kissed her forehead and leaned back.
"SHIELD or Avengers?" she asked.
"SHIELD mission, but both."
"So, it involves you, Nat, Marie, Nick, or Phil."
He nodded and pulled out his phone, activating the 'photo' app and selecting a picture he had taken at the tower earlier. He studied it a moment, then showed Laura.
She looked at it, a puzzled look on her face, then looked up at him.
He nodded.
She looked back at the picture, enlarging it and studying it more closely.
"Are they…"
"Nat and Maria," he confirmed.
"How?"
He shrugged. "Not entirely sure. Fury had them heading up an investigation into some strange dead bodies that had been turning up. Old age deaths."
"Isn't that a pretty normal cause of death?"
"Yeah, but these were physically very advanced old age. Much more advanced than they should have been according to their birthdates. Or recent photos."
"Okay."
"They made a connection to some company that was working on some kind of 'fountain of youth' type cosmetics or skin care or medication or something. Their team was going in this morning and apparently something went really wrong."
"I'll say. You said their team?"
He nodded. "Six man team. Two of them died of old age, one from flying debris, and one from excessive de-aging. They were the only survivors."
Laura continued looking at the picture.
"Where are they now?" she finally asked.
"At the tower. The science guys are running some tests to see if they can figure out what happened and how to fix it."
"Do they know? Adults in child bodies?"
Clint shook his head, then paused, hearing a creak on the porch roof. Laure grinned and rolled her eyes as he rose from the swing and walked to the edge of the porch.
Silently, he climbed up on the rail, then grabbed the edge of the roof and swung himself up to meet the wide eyes of his two older children.
They stared a moment, then Cooper pointed up.
"And that's the Big Dipper."
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Lila responded, nodding her head. "Thanks for confirming for me."
She turned to look at her dad. "Cooper and I were just talking about constellations and their positions at this time of year," she told him.
"Really?"
They both nodded.
"Not trying to listen in on me and your mom?"
"Of course not. We didn't know you were there?"
"You and mom are out there? Wow. We definitely didn't know that and definitely couldn't hear anything since you were talking so quietly."
"We'll just…head back inside now,: Coop said, pointing towards the open window they had come through.
Clint glared at them for a moment, then grinned.
"Why don't you come down this way and join us. There's something we need to talk to you about."
They looked at each other nervously.
"You're not, like…getting a divorce or something, are you?" Lila queried in a small voice.
"Absolutely not," Clint told them, squatting to look her in the eye. "Your mom is stuck with me for the rest of our lives, okay?"
She finally nodded, and he turned, grabbing the edge of the roof again to flip off and land back on the porch railing.
He stood waiting as Lila followed suit, reaching to catch her, since she wasn't quite tall enough to reach the railing. He caught her and pivoted to lower her to the porch before turning back to guide Cooper's landing.
"Circus people," Laura muttered under her breath, a grin belying her annoyed tone.
The kids settled on the swing next to their mother while Clint pulled up a chair so he could sit and face them.
"Is everyone alright?" Cooper asked. "Has something happened?"
"Something has happened," Clint told them. "You know in my work a lot of bad things happen. Strange things. Sometimes, sad things."
They nodded.
"Well, today, a strange and sad thing happened. Nick found a couple of kids who are not in a safe place right now. They're alone and sad and scared and don't have anyone to really take care of them."
"That is sad," Lila agreed.
"I thought that, since your mom is the best mom in the whole world, that maybe they could come and stay with us for a while."
He looked at Laura, hoping she would agree, since he hadn't gotten around to actually asking her.
She nodded.
"How old are they?" Cooper asked. "Are they boys?"
"Both girls. Probably about the same age as your sister," he told them.
Cooper groaned.
"We don't need any more girls around here. One pesky sister is more than enough."
"We most certainly do need more girls here," his sister disagreed. "There are three of you and only two of us,"
"But if we bring two more girls, then there'll be four of you."
"Good math skills," Lila countered.
He leaned past his mother to glare at her, but she just stuck her tongue out at him.
"KIds," Laura warned.
"See," the boy commented. "You've already got your hands full with a baby and that brat. Do you really want to take in two more?"
"And where would they sleep?" he continued.
"We have plenty of room."
"But the rooms we don't use are for Nick and Phil and Maria and Nat. We can't take their rooms away. We told them this was their home, too,"
"It is. But I think they would agree to this," Clint told them.
"Surely there's another place they can go. A better place for them."
"These girls are special," Clint told him. "They need us and they're already part of our family."
When they looked puzzled, Clint pulled up the picture to show them.
The puzzlement deepened as they studied it.
"I didn't know Maria and Nat had kids," Lila said.
"They don't."
The silence was broken only by crickets chirping in the distance.
"Is that…them?" Cooper ventured.
"It is," their father confirmed. "Something happened when they were working today. We're not sure what, but they ended up getting turned into little girls again."
"They look sad," Lila whispered. "And scared."
"They are."
"Do they remember us? Being our aunts?"
"They don't. As far as we can tell, they only remember what they already knew up until they got to this age."
"Why are they so sad?"
"Well, they didn't have good places to grow up in. They were with people who weren't very nice to them."
"People who hurt them?" Cooper asked.
Clint looked at Laura. "Yeah. People who hurt them."
"They didn't have a great mom like yours, to take care of them and make sure they got enough to eat and sleep and had clean clothes to wear and got tucked in at night," Clint said.
"And they didn't have a dad to make them feel safe and loved and protected, no matter what," his wife added.
Lila suddenly sat up straight and glared at her father.
"Where are they now? You said that they weren't in a safe place."
He held up his hands to calm her. "They're at the tower. Nick and Phil are protecting them. And you know how protective they are of the people that they love."
Both kids nodded.
"And the rest of the Avengers are there, too. They are probably safer than anyone in the whole world right now," he assured them.
"Good," Cooper said. "Leaving a helpless kid in a bad situation doesn't sound like you, dad."
"No, I wouldn't. I just meant that they had not been in a safe place before. They're safe at the tower and would be okay there, Nick and Phil and I just think it would be better for them to be here. The people there are great and would take great care of them, but they don't really have any experience with children."
"That's true," Cooper commented. "Last time we were there, Tony asked me about my thoughts on an upcoming stock split or something."
"I think they would be better here, where they'd have all this space and fresh air and experienced parents who will love them and help them maybe not be scared and other kids who can help them learn about how to be kids."
"How to be kids?" Lila asked. "How do you teach someone how to be a kid? Isn't that just something you do?"
Laura looked at her daughter, glad that this was something her children couldn't understand. Maria and Natasha had both been very tight-lipped about their own childhoods, but she knew they had been ugly.
"When they were little girls, they didn't get to do the things you do. They didn't get to play and have fun. You can help them learn to do that by showing them."
"Neither one of them had a good childhood, so we would like to give them another chance at that," Clint said. "If you're okay with sharing us with them."
"Are they going to be like this forever?" Coop asked.
"We really don't know," Clint told him. "They may stay like this forever, they may just grow up from this point, or they could change back to their old selves tomorrow."
Cooper and Lila looked at each other, seemingly having a silent discussion on the matter. Finally they both nodded and jumped to their feet. Cooper grabbed his dad's hand and Lila her mother's.
"Come on, then."
"Let's go!"
"Go where?" Laura asked.
"We need to go get them now," Lila told her.
Cooper piped up. "If we don't know how long we have to give them a good childhood, we need to get started now!"
"We need to get our bags packed," Lila said, tugging at Laura.
"And we'll get the quinjet ready to go," Cooper told Clint.
"I guess we have our answer," Laura told her husband, heading into the house with their daughter.
"Apparently so," he replied, being dragged down the porch steps toward the landing pad.
XXXXXXXXXX
Back at the tower, Nick let the two little girls into the bedroom that had been prepared for them. After a quiet discussion, they had both climbed into one of the twin beds, settling back to back.
"You don't each want your own bed?" Pepper asked.
"Or we could push them together so you can share one bigger bed," Steve suggested.
They looked at each other and shook their heads.
"No. Is good," Natasha told them.
"We like it like this," Maria echoed.
Bruce brought in a tray and set it on the table by the bed.
"There's some crackers and peanut butter and juice if you get hungry during the night," he told them.
He had been thrilled when Maria had willingly slid her hand into his earlier when they were leaving the kitchen.
'Protect' the voice in his head told him.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"And if you need more, I'll be sitting right outside your door all night," Nick told them. "Just in case anyone gets up here."
"And I'll take his place if he has to go to the bathroom or something," Phil told them. He picked up the two stuffies that Clint had brought. "Who wants which?" he asked.
The girls gave him a confused look.
"For what?" Maria asked.
"No need," Natasha told him. "Keep knife under pillow."
"Just something to hold on to," he explained. "Something soft to snuggle with."
"So you don't feel lonely," Pepper explained.
Phil finally handed the rabbit to Maria and the monkey to Nat. Though they still seemed a bit confused, they accepted the toys, studying them closely. The agent looked at the Avengers, nodding for them to leave.
"I shall be guarding the elevators," Thor assured them, raising Mjolnir. "You may rest well, warrior maidens. None shall pass."
"And I'll be watching the stairwell," Steve told them. "No one is going to get to you from there, either."
Tony offered his assurance. "And I'll be alerted if any of the alarms or cameras detect anything suspicious."
"And I'll offer backup wherever needed," Bruce added.
"Seems like you'll be pretty safe with everyone watching out for you," Pepper told them.
"And knife," Natasha added, reaching under her pillow to touch the knife she had stowed there.
"And your knives," Nick affirmed.
The rest of the team said their 'good nights' and left the room, leaving Nick and Phil with the two deaged agents.
Tony would have been surprised that the two men were more than capable of getting the girls settled in and tucked under the covers. Phil patted them each on the head, then headed to the doorway. He stood, watching his boss, a man considered hardened, ruthless, and heartless by many, remind them that he would be right outside if they needed anything, then gently kiss them on the tops of their heads before following him out to the hallway.
He pulled the door almost closed and sighed.
"Hell of a thing, Phil."
"Hell of a thing, Fury."
And another chapter complete. Thank you for taking the time to read. I hope you enjoyed and would really love your feedback.