Chapter 4 – Where is Home?
Nate and Valkyrie arrived at her apartment block mid-afternoon. The large five storey Victorian building was still in one piece and even some of the glass windows remained unbroken.
Seeing the reasonable condition of the outside of the building, Valkyrie stated optimistically, "I might be in luck," as she opened what was left of the front door. The pair moved tactically through the building and up the stairs to Valkyrie's first floor apartment.
"Door's still locked." Valkyrie whispered as she tried the handle. She then removed the small set of pins Cait had lent her and tried to pick the lock. It took a few attempts, but Valkyrie was finally rewarded by a gentle click and the handle turning. "Bingo." She smiled to herself.
The apartment was a high-ceilinged single-story property, the kitchen directly to the right as you entered and a step-down living area that went all the way to the outside wall. Two bedrooms and the bathroom were off to the left.
"Its huge!" Nate was impressed, "Since when did army work pay for something like this?"
"Oh, this was the company's pad." Valkyrie answered.
"So, you were working for the CIA as well?" Nate was really impressed by that.
"We had been seconded to them, well that was until my regiment's mobilisation screwed that up. We just had to pose as waitresses in the club next door, place a few surveillance devices and we got to live here as a result. I wonder what happened to Vanessa, did she deploy in my place?" Valkyrie asked out loud.
"Shall we take a look around," suggested Nate.
"Yes, sure, you go through there to Vanessa's room, and I'll just check mine." Valkyrie pointed to the first door on the left.
Nate entered the bedroom Valkyrie had indicated was Vanessa's and spotted a terminal on the desk. Looking around he also found a folder with the word classified written on it, on her bedside table. Booting up the terminal there were four files. The first contained notes concerning the surveillance mission the girls had been set. According to the files, the club the girls were watching was owned by a chap called Tommy Whispers who owned the adult magazine title Cat's Paw. Nate didn't know who Tommy was but had heard of the magazine from his army days. The next note simply read 'Where's Valkyrie?' Apparently Vanessa noticed Valkyrie's disappearance after coming back into town from a trip away.
The third was Vanessa pissed at a drugs raid on the club that ruined the two and a half years of surveillance they had been doing. The fourth and final mentioned no sign of V and the fact that her missing persons file had been given to a cop called Valentine. Taking out the holotape containing the files, Nate then went through to Valkyrie's room to find her packing a duffle bag with pieces of body armour.
"I found this; someone been taking classified documents home with them, have they?" Nate teased, knowing that an offence like that in the US military could lead to some serious trouble and even a court-martial.
"Not mine," Valkyrie snapped back, defensively.
"Relax, the army aren't around anymore, and you don't have to hide anything from me, not even on Vanessa's behalf." Nate laughed at Valkyrie's nervousness around him. He sat on her bed. "Can I ask you something?" He watched Valkyrie finish packing her bag with a few items from her set of drawers.
Valkyrie stopped and shouldering the bag looked at Nate apprehensively. Nate, seeing that Valkyrie was ready to leave ushered her into the living room. "Take a seat," he suggested to her, taking the bag from her and placing it at his feet. Nate then sat on the sofa at a right angle to where Valkyrie was. "A very important part of our team is honesty. It was one of the things I got the girls to agree to when they first proposed our new arrangement. Now that you are part of the team, you have to feel comfortable enough to be honest around us all. No hiding things or keeping secrets. No tucking things away and letting them eat you up." Nate smiled to himself, "just ask Piper how it went the last time she bottled something up and let it get on top of her."
"I guess it involved her backside and not being able to sit comfortably for a while?" Valkyrie stated the obvious.
"Exactly. You are now just as much in the team as the others and so whilst you get a temporary pass for the rules you are still learning, I will hold you to the same required standard when it comes to your honesty. That is non-negotiable." Nate sat forward on the other sofa facing towards Valkyrie. "You understand that don't you?"
Valkyrie looked up, tears sparkling at the edges of her eyes, and nodded.
"Just talk to us, about whatever it is that is on your mind, but you cannot carry anything around on your own, ever, that is just not what we do and is liable to get me grumpy."
"Shovely grumpy", Valkyrie managed a weak smile.
"Precisely," Nate offered a reassuring one in return.
Valkyrie looked down at her hands and took a deep breath, "I am just so overwhelmed with all of this," She raised her head indicating the space around her. "I thought I could just swan out of Parsons and be fine with my new life. And don't get me wrong, I am so grateful for the chance you guys have taken on me and just how welcoming you have been," she paused, looking down at her hands again, "it's just that it is all so much in such a short time."
"Of course it is," Nate gave Valkyrie a genuine and warm smile. "You are allowed to be overwhelmed; you are allowed to be a bit unsteady on your feet. I meant it when I said we are amazed at just how 'with it' you are given your circumstances." Nate nodded. "We are all here to help you learn your new environment, to navigate your way through this new, erm, normal that we live in, and we are here to listen to your worries, your concerns and all your questions. That's what part of being a team is all about."
"But I am being so high maintenance, its just …" Valkyrie paused and rubbed her face with her hands.
"Do you want a spanking?" Nate asked firmly, "right now, over my knee with that hairbrush I just saw you put into your kit bag."
Valkyrie looked up, a puzzled expression on her face.
"No?" Nate offered a questioning look, "then stop apologizing," he continued. "That's what you were just about to do wasn't it?" He looked knowingly at his companion.
Valkyrie blushed and then smiled, "Yes, yes I was… again, I know … but it is just …"
Nate held his finger up, "It will be on the bare, from the beginning and it will be hard." He looked at the now silent Valkyrie.
"You do have a way of being quite persuasive when you want to be." Valkyrie smirked.
"I mean it, young lady, when you are in this team we share, we talk, and we believe each other. It's that simple. We have told you that we want you in our team and that we want to help in what ever way we need to, in order to make your entry into this new life manageable. Whatever it takes. We have patience and we have all the love you will need to make a success of this new life. But for as long as you are with us in this team, you are not doing it alone," he paused, "So, you will stop apologising, ok?" He grinned. Nate then stood and held out a hand. Valkyrie took it and let him pull her up. Just as she was on her feet Valkyrie reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck pulling herself in for a hug.
Nate smiled and hummed a small appreciative sound, "That's better." He tightened his arms around his newest companion. "First hug in a while yeah?" Nate asked softly.
"Yeah," Valkyrie responded tightening her grip, "first in two hundred years."
Getting back to Home Plate, Nate and Valkyrie walked in just as Curie was taking her freshly baked pie out of the oven.
"This is something you will fall in love with." Nate turned to Valkyrie.
"That smells incredible!" she exclaimed.
"Welcome home," Nate grinned as he moved into the entrance way and closed the door behind him. He rested his weapon and Valkyrie's against the wall and slipped off his webbing. The two of them had dressed in civvies for the trip but took ammo and weapons just in case they ran into any trouble.
"Find anything?" Cait asked as she came through from the armoury.
Piper appeared from downstairs holding a glass of wine and once Valkyrie had taken her own tactical vest off, Piper handed her the drink, "here."
"Thanks." Valkyrie smiled at Piper and turning to Cait, looked at her bag she had just put on the floor, "I have some army gear which I can use for the moment," she said quietly.
"You alright, sweetie?" Cait asked, spotting Valkyrie's hesitation to come into the house fully and her shaking hand holding the wine glass. As soon as Cait asked that question the flood gates opened. Piper quickly grabbed the glass she had just handed to Valkyrie as Cait stepped forward and collected the sobbing girl into her arms. "Hey, hey, you are all safe now, you are all safe." Not really knowing what else to say, Cait just held Valkyrie as she cried.
Nate collected Valkyrie's bag and put it onto his bed, alongside her tactical vest whilst Piper returned downstairs indicating the rest should follow. Cait, having given Valkyrie a few moments to cry out her tears gently ushered her to the stairs down to the basement.
Valkyrie laughed through her tears as she started down the stairs, "Oh my god, I am such an embarrassment."
"You are nothing of the sort," Cait gently scolded, "although I bet Curie has never had a reaction like that to her cooking before." Cait led her to the table and sat her down.
Curie, hearing her name and seeing the state Valkyrie was in, grabbed a cloth and ran it under the tap. Squeezing it out she offered the cloth up to Valkyrie, "welcome home." She said softly.
Nate appeared at the top of the stairs with a bottle of whisky and three glasses. Reaching the table he poured a decent measure into one and handed it to Valkyrie. "Have this, it will help."
Taking a few deep breaths and calming down her sobbing reflexes, Valkyrie took a sip. "Bottoms up," she smiled.
"Yeah, you'll fit in here just fine." Piper came up to Valkyrie and gave her a squeeze on her shoulder.
As Valkyrie took a sip of her drink, Nate poured himself and Cait a glass and Piper placed glasses of wine at every setting.
"Come on, or it will get cold," Curie instructed as she carried the pie over to the table and the team all sat down and tucked in.
"It's good, isn't it?" Piper smiled at Valkyrie.
Valkyrie looked up and grinning said, "the place or the food?"
"Hmm," Cait hummed in appreciation, "you've got that right. Now you can see why we were so desperate to keep it," she indicated the room.
Finishing a mouthful Piper nodded, "Curies cooking alone was worth the hiding but here," Piper pointed to the floor, "it is safe, it is warm, it is…. away from all the shit, a little oasis of calm, you know."
"Most of the time," Cait beamed.
"It is so important to me now that I honestly don't know what I would do without this, oh and them." Piper hiked a thumb at her team.
Laughing through her tears Valkyrie said, "I am not allowed to say I am sorry again, but …."
"You don't have to apologise, sweetie, we get it completely." Cait reassured her new team member.
"But I think," Valkyrie wiped her eyes, "I am going to a few more times before the week is done, so why don't we get the spanking over and done with now and then Nate doesn't have to be on high alert for anymore apologies that might slip out." The team all laughed.
"Yeah, can't be good for the old man's blood pressure to have him on this level of constant vigilance." Cait teased.
"That will be two of you getting a spanking then," Nate teased back as he leant over and kissed his girlfriend.
"It will take time for you to get used to this new normal. You have been imprisoned for such a long time that all sorts of things you would have previously not even given any thought to, may now give rise to hypersensitive reactions." Curie stated in as reassuring a voice as she could. "You may well experience mood swings, anxiety, anger …. Yes, that you will definitely feel, but we are here, and you are strong."
"And we have whisky," Valkyrie offered a stronger smile.
"I'll drink to that," Cait lifted her own glass.
The team all raised their glasses laughing as Piper spilt a little of her wine, trying to catch it with her hand.
"And I am not even drunk yet," she exclaimed.
Looking over to Valkyrie, Nate could see that she was smiling and joking, back to her usual self. He knew her transition would encounter bumps along the way, but he was so incredibly proud of how she had handled herself up to this moment, that he was sure he and the rest of the team would be able to get her through this.
"So, I have our next task, ladies." Nate interjected. "V wants to go to the old satellite station up north and Olivia happens to be where I found our Sirius Suits."
"So, we might be able to find some more?" Curie asked excitedly.
"Yes, well maybe." Nate didn't sound totally convinced. "There were a few areas of the underground bunker that I couldn't access so who knows. Not only will we be able to find out what happened to V's roommate, but it will also be a great opportunity to stretch our legs and to get back to operating." Nate looked at Valkyrie who nodded and smiled at that, "and if we find another suit all the better."
"And when are we leaving?" Cait asked conspiratorially.
"You are absolutely fine, we need another day to get the kit ready, but don't go crazy tonight, I still need you here and with me tomorrow." Nate attempted a not very convincing stern look towards Cait.
"Well in that case, we have complete license to get drunk tonight then." Cait clapped her hands and immediately reached for her glass. "You up for that?" she turned to look at all three girls.
"I'm in," Piper raised hers, spilling a small bit of her wine. "If I can keep any in my glass," she laughed.
"So, we are letting our hair down." Curie announced as she pulled out her ponytail and shook her long hair. All the team laughed at Curies dishevelled look as she was usually immaculately turned out first thing every morning.
"So that just leaves Mr Grumpy," Valkyrie turned to face Nate. Pausing for just a few seconds, Nate took his glass of whisky and knocked it back in one.
"It's Mr Bossy to you, young lady."