Six
Sarah squints at her phone, trying to make sense of the picture Cliff has just sent her.
S: What is this?
She stares at the photo, turning it this way and that. It's not one of those meme things he's taken to sending her recently, that's for certain. It sort of looks like lots of blobs and stick figures scribbled in black biro.
C: a drawin.
She rolls her eyes.
S: A drawing of what?
C: us.
She squints at the photo again. He cannot be serious.
S: How?
The reply pings back a second later.
C: us coffee van. On the hill. C?
No, she didn't see.
S: You are awful at drawing.
C: rude.
She drops her phone back onto the desk, picking up her book again. It buzzes again a second later and she lifts it up almost reluctantly. Another picture appears on her screen, this time of a stick figure with scribbles for hair holding a cylinder and a thumbs up.
C: u drinking fraps.
S: Why are you sending me this?
C: :shrug emoji: bored.
S: Find someone else to annoy.
C: but im boooooored.
S: And I'm working.
C: *sigh*
Sarah snorts, about to place her phone down next to her noisy monitor when it buzzes.
C: Nd to pull a double 2nite. Raincheck for dinner?
Disappointment pools in Sarah's stomach - Cliff has been working longer, harder shifts as of late. She worries for him, but mostly, she worries for his family. What his wife must go through every time he extends out one of his trips…she exhales.
S: I suppose I could let it slide this time. But food's on you.
C: deal
"I need this one."
Sarah glances up over the information desk to the small hands that are pushing the large book towards her. On the front cover, Tony Stark smirks out from underneath a bold font, 'Anyone Can Science' and she instantly grimaces.
"That title is awful."
"Saraaah," the voice cracks mid-note as mournful brown eyes peer up at her. "I need it."
Her eyes narrow playfully at the boy in front of her, "I do believe, good sir, that you are already at your capacity for lending."
The boy pouts.
"You could always exchange one, Pete."
"But I need them too."
Sarah glances at the large pile of tomes the boy has been hoarding on his library table like a very small and adorable book dragon, and raises an eyebrow, "What for?"
She almost immediately regrets the question as soon as it leaves her mouth, as Pete starts to launch a torrent of information at her in one very long sentence she can't make head nor tail of for several moments. But then she catches the sparkle in his eyes, the little bounces on the balls of his scuffed sneakers and her heart softens.
"Woah, woah," she halts him mid-word. "Breathe, little man, then tell me again. Slower this time and in Layman's."
He scowls, completely unaware of how much more adorable it makes him look.
"I need it for the science fair."
"The science fair?"
"Hm," he nods. "I'm going to make my own arc reactor. But little, obviously."
"Arc reactor?" She blinks, "What, do you mean the thingy that is powering the big ugly tower?"
"It's the Avengers Tower."
"The what?"
Pete stares at her like she's grown another head, "The Avengers." She stares at him blankly, and he huffs, "You know, the heroes that saved New York."
Sarah shrugs, "I was a bit preoccupied during the whole New York invasion to really pay that much attention to what was going on."
"But what about after?"
After? Sarah spent the after holed up in her apartment trying to get a handle on her flashbacks and the anxiety that clutched so tightly at her chest it made it hard to breathe; fighting off nightmares, and a near constant confusion every time she awoke to find an empty bed. The invasion of New York was not easy for anyone, but for Sarah, it stuck its claws deep into not quite healed wounds and ripped them open once again.
She shakes her head mutely.
Pete's big eyes wash over her face, no doubt seeing the trauma that lingers in the depths of her eyes and then starts to babble on about the Avengers and how cool they are and how him and Ned have been arguing about who is the best and once again she finds herself softening towards an eleven-year-old boy who shouldn't understand the pain she's carrying but does. Better than most other adults, and if that doesn't just break her heart a little more.
"Okay!" She grins, halting him mid-ramble. His mouth closes with quiet snap, "I understand, big heroes, you love them and Tony Stark is one of them. I still don't quite follow what this has to do with a Science Fair."
"The winner gets a tour of the Avengers Tower!" Pete grins wildly, "and I absolutely must win, for me and Ned."
"Of course," she nods solemnly.
"These books will be really helpful, and I used up all my pocket money this month so I can't buy them."
Sarah stares into those big brown eyes and feels her resolve crack, just a little. Just a teensy wee bit.
A much smaller part of her sees him in Pete's eyes, remembers how excited he was to tell her about everything he saw at the Stark Expo before he was deployed, the sheer joy as he outlined conversations he shared with Howard Stark, and she cannot deny the thrill it brings her. (Another smaller part of her likes to wonder what he would think about this new-fangled technology).
"Fine," she exhales, trying and failing to continue looking stern as Pete's eyes light up. "But just this once okay."
They both know it won't just be this once. In fact, this has happened twice already this month, but she won't say anything if he won't.
"Okay! Thank you!" He chirps as he scoops up the book and skips back to his adult-sized table, his head buried in the book before she can finish counting to ten.
Sarah shakes her head with a smile and returns to the growing pile of library books that need to be sorted through. Despite what she tells Cliff, Pete is in fact her favourite Library patron - and not just because he's her neighbour.
She scans through the last book, places it into her cart and pulls out from behind the desk, one eye on Pete and the other on the children's shelves. The library is quiet for a weekend, but that's hardly surprising given the Autumn sunshine blazing outside. Save for Pete, there's only a few other patrons lingering, and only one other person in the Children's Section. The man's been here a few hours now, his dark head buried behind a newspaper. She didn't see him come in with a kid which is slightly unnerving, but she knows Jim has been keeping an eye on him.
"Little Miss Kinnon, shouldn't you have finished your shift by now?" Speak of the devil.
Sarah looks up to see Jim smiling down at her. His eyes linger a little too long as he casts a glance up and down and she quickly has to swallow a shudder. It's not that there's something unpleasant about the security guard, it's just that there is something about him that's…not right.
"Hello, Jim," she smiles. "I'm just finishing up actually."
His smile grows even wider and she has to stifle her wince, "Great! I'm actually just about to finish my shift too."
"Uh, cool."
She turns away from him, continuing to push the cart back towards her final few bookshelves, hoping he'll take the hint and not-
"So, since we're both finishing at the same time…"
Shit.
"...I was wondering if you wanted to grab some dinner and maybe a drink together?" He moves closer, his heat radiating at her back. She grits her teeth, trying to focus on returning the books to the correct place. It would irk Polly if she came in to find everything in a strange order; the older librarian is very particular about organisation.
"I know this really great bourbon bar around the corner…" And he's still going. Sarah exhales, pushing the last book onto the shelf, calling on her I'm-being-patient-but-don't-push-me smile that used to work so well against persistent soldiers back in the day and turning to Jim-
"She's my babysitter."
-only to find Pete planted in front of her, a wedge between her and the annoyingly incessant security guard. She blinks as Jim's smile dims at the sight of the boy.
"Hey there, buddy. We're having a grown-up conversation right now-"
"Sarah's my babysitter," Pete repeats. "She's gotta take me home when she's finished work."
Sarah can see the irritation brewing behind Jim's eyes and quickly steps in to grasp Pete's shoulders tightly, "Sorry, Jim. I promised Pete's aunt I would watch him tonight."
Something dark flickers across Jim's face before he can quite stop it. It vanishes as quickly as it appeared, but Sarah sees it and it only solidifies her concerns about the man, "Maybe some other time?"
The smile on her face grows wider as she nods, "Yeah, maybe. Come along, Pete, can you push the cart back to the desk for me?"
She wraps a guiding arm around the boy and starts to lead him back to the information desk, the weight of Jim's stare heavy on the back of her neck. She releases a little sigh as they park the cart behind the desk and she closes her systems down. Pete grasps her bag, sliding whatever books don't fit in his backpack into hers.
The man has vanished from the Children's Section by the time they head out to leave. She tries to ignore the trickle of worry about that, instead grinning at Pete and sparing a brief wave at Jim as they pass on their way out.
"I don't like him," Pete grumbles.
Sarah tries not to laugh at his words. The cold air rushes over them as they step out into the bright daylight. Despite the warmth, a few clouds loom above them. They're not quite the dark, thunderous clouds she is used to seeing at this time of year back home, but it warms her heart to see the passing of Autumn across the city.
"You don't like anyone," she teases the boy, taking his hand and swinging it between them. This is not quite true. Pete has a somewhat freaky ability to befriend anyone - and the fact he doesn't like Jim does give her further cause for concern.
Maybe she would speak to Polly about switching up the rota.
"I like you."
She snorts, lingering briefly on the amusing thought of her mother rolling over in her grave at the unladylike sound, "That is because I'm partially responsible for looking out for you."
"It is not," Pete pouts. "It's 'cause you're smart and nice. He's not smart or nice."
"Pete-"
"Besides, you've got James, right?"
Sarah's heart sputters at Pete's words. The boy looks up at her with his big brown eyes, shining with happiness for her and for…James. She sighs, a small smile crossing her face, as she wraps a comforting arm around him.
"Yes," she says quietly, "I've got James."
"He's gonna come back," Pete says. "I know it."
Ah shit, she thinks, swallowing roughly. She's gonna cry in front of the kid, and isn't that the last thing she wants to do.
"Hm," she says noncommittally, and squeezes Pete's shoulder. "I hope so."