Raina’sbeen sitting on the steps outside his building for the last five minutes, likeshe thinks he can’t see her out his kitchen window. He can see her fur coat,which doesn’t mean it’s cold. Just that Raina has plans.
He takesthe stairs down to her, opens the front door.
She turns.Strings of pearls clatter together. She’s wearing the red dress he bought herfour years ago, before he broke her out of prison.
‘I thoughtyou were giving up smoking,’ he says. Raina has more secrets that Grant couldever count. Her stress smoking is one of the few she keeps badly. (It’s beenless recently, and he hopes, quietly, that means she’s less stressed.)
‘I don’tsmoke,’ she says. She’s crushing a cigarette under the sole of her shoe. ‘I’venever smoked. It’s terrible for your lungs.’
‘Ofcourse,’ he says. He sits beside her on the step.
‘And I amtrying to quit,’ she says. She gives him a little frown.
‘I know,’he says. ‘So, are you coming inside?’
She hums. ‘No.We’re going out.’
‘Oh?’ Grantsmiles. He tried to get out of the game—the whole “criminal” thing—years ago.He realised that’s not possible when your fiancé is Raina.
‘We’regoing to rob a museum,’ she says, like it’s nothing.
‘Are we?’Grant asks. ‘I thought we could have a quiet night in, maybe watch a movie.’
She pouts.‘Look,’ she says, gesturing to herself. ‘I’m dressed nice. We’re going to rob amuseum. They’re having a benefit, you can wear a suit. It’ll be fun.’
Grantsighs, and Raina prods him in the arm. ‘Please,’ she whines. ‘I’ve beenplanning this since yesterday.’
‘Is thatwhy I didn’t see you?’ he asks.
‘No.’ She smirks.‘Sorry. I got distracted.’
Grantraises an eyebrow, and Raina break into one of her stunning, beautiful smiles. ‘Don’tlook so suspicious,’ she says. ‘It wasn’t thatillegal.’
‘I believeyou,’ he says.
‘So.’Raina draws the word out and shoves him gently in the shoulder. ‘Museum. Romanantiquities. We can give them back afterwards.’
Grantkisses her. Long and deep. ‘Or,’ he tries. ‘We go upstairs.’
Raina letsout a long suffering sort of sigh. ‘This better be worth it.’
‘It willbe,’ Grant says.
‘And we’restill going to rob that museum,’ she says. ‘You’re not getting out of it. Wecan do it next week instead.’
‘Absolutely.’
‘Good.’Raina smiles, satisfied, and gives him another kiss before she gets to herfeet.
grant centric + multiship
sequel to the soulmates au. drabble set post s2 finale // grant learns the dirty, bitter truth about soulmates.
Grant’s learned what they never tell you about soulmates—they mean nothing. They don’t guarantee happiness.
In fact, all they seem to guarantee is pain.
Some of the marks have faded. Skye’s has almost gone completely, and look like white scars over his heart. Simmons’ have faded too, and gone a nasty purple colour, like a bruise. Fitz’s words ached for weeks after Grant dropped the pod in the ocean, but now they’re pale too.
They don’t hurt now. Not physically, anyway. But they haunt him.
Trip’s words, though, have been hurting since San Juan. He didn’t know what it meant, at first. No one ever tells you what happens when a soulmate dies. He didn’t realise until he stumbled across the Shield records of Trip’s death.
Raina’s mark burns on his collarbone. He remembers the moment the pain came, sharp and suffocating, when he knew she was gone.
The pain reminds him of them constantly, trapping him in grief and rendering him unable to move on.
He takes a drink, staring at Kara’s photo on the bar. It does nothing to numb the pain. He understands, now, why her words are on his ribs, right over the scars from where Skye shot him. It’s almost like the universe was trying to be funny.
He remembers tracing his words on her chest, running his thumb over them. He remembers her smiling, whispering “aren’t we lucky?”
He tries not to think about how her mark is almost exactly where he—
Where he shot her. It makes him want to be sick, but he deserves it. And he deserves it that her marks on him hurt so much he can hardly breathe, more than being shot, more than bleeding out on the concrete.
The universe has a really sick sense of humour.
He knows the pain will never go. He wonders if it will kill him, eventually. Maybe you really can die of a broken heart.
He can’t bear to cover the marks up. The men who work for him can know why he’s like this—because of all he’s lost. He might as well be a warning to others. Don’t let anyone near your heart. It’ll only hurt you. You’ll only lose them.
They tell you how, once you’ve found a soulmate, it’s hard to be apart from them for a long time. They don’t tell you about how it feels like having a piece of yourself ripped out. They don’t tell you about how you’ll never be at peace again.
skye tracks down raina a few years down the road and finds not exactly what she would have expected. ao3.
set a few years post this.
Skye flicks through the pictures laid out on her desk again as she waits for Coulson to pick up.
He answers with, ‘You’re speaking to Director Coulson.’
‘Sir,’ she says. ‘It’s Skye.’
‘Skye!’ He sounds pleased to hear from her at least. ‘Are you heading back to the base soon?’
‘No,’ she says. ‘I needed to check something over with you.’
‘Certainly,’ he says. ‘What do you need?’
She takes a breath. ‘My team has located a confirmed Inhuman and her child.’
She can hear Coulson humming thoughtfully. ‘A child does complicate the process,’ he says.
‘No,’ she cuts in. ‘It’s not just that—we’ve succeeded in the evaluation process before when the gifted has children. This is more complicated.’
‘Oh?’ he asks.
‘It’s Raina,’ Skye says.
There’s a pause on the other end of the line. ‘What’s Raina doing with a child?’
‘From what we can tell, it’s hers,’ Skye says. She glances down at the surveillance photo on the top of the pile—one of the first they captured—which shows Raina holding the hand of a little girl.
‘Huh.’ Skye can understand perfectly how Coulson feels, if she’s honest. ‘Raina’s certainly dangerous,’ he says. ‘She needs to be brought in, but the child could make her more difficult to deal with. What about the rest of her... family?’
Skye smiles. She can’t help herself. There’s just something so ridiculous about the whole thing. ‘You won’t believe this,’ she says. She picks up one of the photos from further down the pile and stares at it because honestly, she can’t quite believe it herself. ‘I think Ward is the father.’
There’s an understandable shocked silence from Coulson. Skye takes the opportunity to continue.
‘And,’ she says, ‘I’m pretty sure they’re still with Agent 33.’
‘Kara Palamas?’ Coulson confirms.
‘Yeah. There’s another girl—younger—we guessed she’s Ward and Palamas’s kid, but maybe she’s Raina’s too,’ Skye says. ‘We’ve not been able to confirm if either of the children have powers yet.’
She thinks she hears Coulson give a frustrated little sigh. ‘So you’re saying that not only are we dealing with a dangerous Inhuman and either one or two children who may or may not also have powers,’ he says, ‘but we’ve also got two dangerous criminals who have been on Shield’s most wanted list for years?’
Skye pauses. ‘Yes,’ she says, ‘pretty much.’
He groans. ‘Okay. I’ll send in backup for you.’
Skye hesitates. He must notice.
‘Skye?’ he asks.
‘No,’ she says, ‘if you want to send in backup, go for it.’
‘Skye,’ he says again, ‘this is your operation. How do you want to play it?’
‘They’ll have an escape plan,’ she says. ‘As soon as they realise we’re here, they’ll run. Sending in backup could reveal us.’
‘True,’ Coulson agrees.
‘Give me a day,’ she decides. ‘I’ll work something out. And if I can’t, you can send in a team to take them in.’
**
Raina sits delicately at a table for two outside a cafe on a busy street, in clear view of Skye’s surveillance van.
‘They know we’re here, don’t they?’ Skye says.
Beside her, Lincoln nods. ‘It looks like it.’
‘I have to go out, don’t I?’ she says.
Lincoln doesn’t exactly look thrilled with the idea. ‘Probably,’ he says. ‘She could want a deal.’
Skye nods. She turns her earpiece on. ‘Make sure our team is prepped in case I need to call them in.’
‘Sure,’ he says. ‘Stay safe.’
‘I’ll try,’ she says as she leaves the van.
Skye sits opposite Raina, who smiles like she was expecting to see Skye.
‘Skye,’ she says, ‘it’s been a long time.’
‘Not long enough,’ Skye says. ‘You know why I’m here.’
Raina smiles. ‘To take me in, I assume. But let’s not rush, we have so much catching up to do.’
‘Sure,’ Skye says. ‘Let’s catch up. How about we start with your family?’
Raina’s smile becomes a little more dangerous, but she doesn’t say anything.
‘You have two daughters, right?’ Skye asks. ‘What are their names?’
‘So you know what to put them down as on your wanted list for Shield?’ Raina asks.
‘You didn’t answer my question,’ Skye says. ‘We’re just catching up. I’m just interested in your family.’
Raina tilts her head, and Skye feels like she’s being calculated, examined. ‘Iris and April,’ Raina tells her.
‘How pretty,’ Skye says.
Through her earpiece Lincoln adds, ‘They are, actually.’ Which, while true, is not helpful.
‘You’re not going to touch them,’ Raina says. ‘Not while any of us are still breathing.’
‘And "any of you" being... you, Ward and 33?’ Skye confirms.
‘Kara,’ Raina corrects, and Skye nods, conceding.
‘How did you end up with those two anyway?’ Skye asks.
Raina shrugs lightly. ‘It’s a long story.’
‘One that ends in happy families,’ Skye says.
Raina smiles. She leans forward against the table between them. ‘It’s funny, isn’t it?’ she says. ‘To you, we were the monsters, the criminals. And yet we’re the ones with the family.’ Skye knows Raina’s just trying to get a rise out of her, just like Skye’s been doing to her.
‘Do you wish it was you?’ Raina continues. ‘Do you wish you were the one with the family? You were so close.’ Her expression shifts to faux sympathy. ‘And then you lost it.’
‘Skye,’ Lincoln says in her ear, ‘don’t let her get to you.’
‘I have a family,’ Skye says, but she realises that must have been the wrong answer, because Raina’s smiling like she’s winning.
‘Yes,’ Raina muses. ‘Shield. They’re the kind of family that abandoned Kara. Is that right?’
Skye’s pretty sure this isn’t a conversation she wants to have, but she also knows it could anger Raina enough for her to let something slip. ‘They don’t stand for traitors.’
‘No,’ Raina agrees. ‘They hunt them down years later.’
‘We protect people,’ Skye says, ‘from threats.’
‘So my children are a threat?’ Raina asks, and there’s poison in her voice.
Skye has to admit, the thought of dragging children into this mess makes her feel a little sick, but she just shrugs. ‘They need evaluated,’ she replies. ‘You know why.’
Raina smiles dangerously. ‘I know you have the power to level this entire street,’ she says. ‘But so do we.’
‘But you wouldn’t,’ Skye says. ‘Not if your children are nearby. You wouldn’t risk anything happening to them. So does that mean they’re already escaping with Ward and Kara? Should we be putting out an APB?’
Raina stays silent, giving nothing away.
‘Why did they leave you?’ Skye goes on. ‘Let me guess—you’re the distraction. They’re taking your kids to safety, then one of them will come back for you.’
Still, Raina remains impassive, giving Skye nothing to work with.
‘Unless,’ Skye says, ‘it’s one of your daughters that has the power to—what was it—level the entire street?’ She frowns. ‘Would you really send them through the mist this young? Would you use them that way?’
Something dangerous flashes in Raina’s eyes. ‘Don’t you dare suggest I’d ever let my daughter be harmed,’ she hisses.
‘Daughter,’ Lincoln repeats through Skye’s comm. ‘Singular. Skye, which could mean just one of them is Inhuman.’
‘Does that mean you’ve not let them transform?’ Skye asks.
Raina sighs. ‘You know,’ she says, ‘I’m tired of talking.’ She glances across the cafe and then back at Skye. ‘We want a deal.’
Skye almost laughs. ‘Of course you do,’ she says. ‘What are your terms, then?’
‘For a start,’ Raina says, ‘we won’t kill you.’
Skye blinks. Then, there’s the click of a gun cocking. A woman two tables away is holding a gun to her under the table. She raises a hand to her temple, and her face flickers, revealing Kara.
‘So I have to take two of you?’ Skye says.
Raina smiles, and points a finger at Skye’s heart. She looks down to see the red laser dot of a sniper rifle. Ward must be somewhere in the buildings around them.
‘I’m listening,’ Skye says.
‘It’s simple,’ Raina says. ‘Leave us alone. You can name your price, and we’ll let you walk away afterwards.’
Skye’s starting to regret not taking Coulson’s backup and just sending in a strike team; then again, though, if they knew Shield were coming that could just have ended in a bloodbath.
She holds a finger to her earpiece. ‘Lincoln,’ she says, noticing the way Raina’s eyes immediately flicker to Shield’s van. ‘Talk to me.’
‘The team is ready, and we know which building Ward is watching you from with Iris and April,’ he says. ‘But I can’t guarantee that we can capture any of them without you being harmed.’
Skye grimaces. ‘Understood.’
This is the kind of hard call she’s learned to make over the years of running her team. It’s still difficult, though, and more difficult given how personal the situation is.
‘Fine,’ Skye says. ‘We want any information you’ve got that’s relevant to Shield’s interests, and we want to evaluate and index anyone in your family with powers. After that, you’re free to go.’
Raina looks at Kara, and Skye feels like there’s a conversation she’s missing. ‘We won’t go anywhere with you,’ she says. ‘If you evaluate us, it’s on our terms.’
Skye nods. It could be worse. ‘Sure,’ she says.
Raina and Kara stand. Kara’s still got a gun trained on Skye. ‘We’ll take this up to Grant,’ Raina says. She turns to Skye. ‘You can take two agents up.’
Skye nods, standing slowly. ‘Lincoln,’ she says into her earpiece, ‘you and Sebastian are with me.’
‘Got it,’ he says. ‘We’ll be with you in a second.’
By the time she’s crossed the street with Kara and Raina, Lincoln and Sebastian are waiting. They’re led into the building opposite the cafe, and up to a fifth floor apartment.
Kara opens the door. Skye’s greeted with a sight she’d never expected to see: Ward’s got a baby in one arm, a gun in his other hand, and his other daughter is hiding behind his leg.
‘What happened?’ he asks. ‘Why are they here?’
Raina’s mouth twists into a frown. ‘We had to compromise. They’ll be gone soon, and we can start to back up.’
‘Pack up?’ Skye repeats.
Raina laughs. ‘Did you think we’d stay here?’ she asks. ‘It’s useless now that you’ve found it.’
Skye doesn’t answer, instead taking a moment to take in the apartment. She’s not sure why she’s so surprised to realise it’s their home, complete with mismatched furniture and their daughter’s toys and drawings.
Lincoln’s explaining to everyone what they need to do. Usually they’d to this together, but this time Skye knows it’s better him than her—there’s less bad blood.
She watches Grant squeeze Kara’s arm comfortingly and hand over the baby to her. Kara moves through towards the kitchen with her, passing Skye as she goes.
She gives Skye a slightly pitying look. ‘Give me a hand making tea?’ she asks, and Skye can see her ignoring the glare Ward, who is now holding the older daughter, is shooting their way.
Skye nods and shuffles after her. She’s got a nasty feeling of being utterly useless and out of place. She stands a little awkwardly by the wall, watching as Kara takes mugs and packs of tea from cupboards.
‘Do you need any help?’ Skye asks. ‘I can hold the baby if you want.’
Kara turns. Skye doesn’t miss the momentary look of fear in her eyes as she looks between the baby and Skye, before she nods slowly. ‘Sure,’ she says, passing her gently over.
‘So is this April or Iris?’ Skye asks, shifting the baby in her arms.
‘April,’ Kara says, and Skye can see her smiling. ‘She’s a year and a half old. Iris is three.’ She glances out the kitchen door, looking worried again, to where Ward’s holding Iris and talking to Lincoln.
‘And it’s Iris that’s...’ Skye begins.
‘Inhuman,’ Kara finishes. ‘Yes. She’s biologically Raina’s.’
‘Does she have her powers?’ Skye asks.
Kara frowns. ‘She’s three.’
‘So no?’
Kara gives her an appraising sort of look, and April takes the opportunity to make a little whimpering sound, grab a handful of Skye’s hair and tug.
Skye thinks Kara’s probably laughing at her, and she doesn’t offer any kind of help as she finishes off the tea. Skye gently attempts to pry April’s fist off, but only succeeds in ending up with the baby holding her finger instead.
She doesn’t try to make April let go this time. For a start, she’s not going to come into Kara, Ward and Raina’s house and make their baby cry. But April’s also looking up at her with big dark eyes, and it feels cruel.
When the tea’s done, Skye follows Kara back through to the others. Ward’s still shooting her glares, but it’s not like she ever expected anything else from him. She did shoot him last time she saw him, and maybe that was over three years ago, but she can’t really blame him for holding a grudge. She’s got a few of her own.
Raina’s sitting rigidly, having blood taken, and she reaches out for Kara with her free hand. Kara takes it and wraps an arm around Raina’s shoulders, so Raina can rest her head on Kara’s stomach.
‘What’s she doing with April?’ Raina asks. Skye sees her gripping Kara’s hand tighter as the needle goes in.
‘It’s okay,’ Kara says. ‘She won’t hurt her.’ It sounds a little like a threat, and Skye can feel their eyes on her. She sips her tea and focusses on April instead, pointedly not looking up.
‘No,’ Raina agrees. She sighs gently. ‘We’ll be safe again soon.’
Skye knows it’s wrong—these people are terrible—but she feels suddenly guilty. Like she’s reopened a healing wound.
April babbles at her and smiles in that wonderful, innocent way children do. Skye softens. At least someone here likes her.
‘Hiya,’ she whispers to the baby. She wonders if April will remember any of this. She wonders if she’ll just be a bitter story told to April, or if she’ll never be mentioned at all. Not that she should be anything more. Not that she should want to be.
April gurgles something like "hello" back, and Skye can’t stop herself from smiling—she’s not been children in a long time, maybe not properly since the orphanage. She’s forgotten how lovely they can be.
She moves over to where Lincoln is with Ward and Iris.
‘Thinking of stealing her?’ Lincoln asks, nodding towards April in Skye’s arms.
‘Oh god,’ Skye hisses, ‘don’t even joke about that. If they think I’ve even considered it they’ll have my head.’
Lincoln laughs. ‘True,’ he agrees. ‘She’s sweet, though.’
Skye hums in agreement. ‘Are you done?’ she asks.
Lincoln nods. He takes a step away from Ward and Iris so they can talk a little more privately. ‘We’re just finishing up, but they cooperated,’ he says. ‘Grudgingly, but they cooperated.’
Skye almost laughs. ‘Grudgingly is better than I’d hoped for,’ she says. ‘No one was seriously injured, so I’m going to consider it a success.’
‘Especially considering we’ve invaded their home and tested their child,’ Lincoln says.
‘You’re making us sound like monsters,’ she complains.
Ward, who had been quietly talking to Iris, snorts. Skye raises an eyebrow, but Lincoln cuts in before she can say anything.
He kneels down so that he’s on level with Iris. ‘We’ve just got one more little test to do,’ he says.
‘Will it hurt too?’ Iris asks, and Skye can feel her chest tighten.
‘No,’ Lincoln promises. ‘It won’t hurt a bit.’ He holds out a tablet. ‘I just need you to put your hand on the screen,’ he says.
Iris looks to Ward for confirmation then spreads her little palm out against the screen.
‘All done,’ Lincoln says when it beeps, and he turns away to study the information collected.
Iris smiles. She turns her attention up to her sister and to Skye. ‘Who’re you?’ she asks.
‘That’s Skye,’ Ward says, before she can answer. ‘She’s a Shield agent too.’
Iris nods, frowning slightly. ‘Are you bad?’ she asks.
Skye blinks. ‘No,’ she says, a little taken aback. ‘I mean, I try to do my best.’
Iris looks unconvinced. ‘Okay,’ she says. She hops off her dad’s knee, curls bouncing, and heads for Kara and Raina.
Ward watches her go. He stands, turning to Skye.
‘I can take April off you,’ he says. Skye hands her over, a little reluctantly.
The soft look on Ward’s face when April says "daddy" is hard to connect to the Ward that Skye last knew.
‘It’s been a while,’ Skye says. She feels utterly out of her depth; standing with Ward in his home feels wrong.
He doesn’t look at her. ‘It must be about four years,’ he says. ‘How is everyone?’
Skye’s not sure if he’s really asking, but if he is, she can’t really answer—with her own team, she hardly sees their old teammates any more. ‘Good,’ she says. ‘I think.’
He nods, but doesn’t ask her to go into detail. She can feel that they’re gently skirting round all of the multitude of sore subjects between them.
‘Have you been doing well?’ Skye asks. ‘I mean obviously you have been—you’ve got this.’
‘Yes,’ he agrees, and the soft look is back along with a small smile. ‘I’ve got this.’
Lincoln returns to her side. ‘We’re all packed up,’ he tells her.
‘Right,’ Skye says. She glances at Ward again. ‘We’ll get out of your house, then.’
Just as she’s leaving, Kara passes her a piece of paper with a mobile number. ‘Just in case,’ she says. ‘And Skye, don’t take this the wrong way, but I hope we never meet again.’
Skye nods. ‘I hope we don’t have to bother you,’ she says.
‘Being around Shield never ends well for us,’ Kara says. ‘We just want what’s best for our family.’
‘Of course,’ Skye says. ‘I understand.’
She follows Lincoln and Sebastian out. April’s waving from Ward’s arms.
Skye waves back. ‘Bye!’ she calls.
‘Bye,’ Iris says. She’s holding her mothers’ hands, and Kara gives a slightly half-hearted wave.
She turns to glance back at the apartment once she’s outside. By tomorrow, she knows Kara, Raina, Ward and their daughters won’t live there anymore. She wonders, briefly, if she’s made a mistake and she should have left them alone.
She was just doing her job. It could have been worse. She could have taken Coulson’s backup. And now they can all go their separate ways.
Except that Iris is on Shield’s system now, and can never get off. Skye panics suddenly that her first memory will be of the agents who threatened her parents and took her blood.
Lincoln comes back down the street, catching her hand. ‘Are you okay?’ he asks
‘Yeah,’ Skye says, and then, ‘did we do something wrong?’
He gives her the sort of look that makes Skye think he understands. ‘We did the same as ever,’ he says. ‘And it went better than half the cases we’ve handled.’
Skye nods. She can’t help thinking that he didn’t answer her question.
raina’s this teeny tiny kid who mostly keeps to herself. but if you wanna know the good gossip you ask her. no one knows how she knows it. but she does.
she’s kind of weird?? and scary?? but she’s maaybe kind cute and really smart.
bobbi’s never gonna let grant forget that he once called raina scary. (“she’s literally a foot smaller than you, grant.”)
anyway grant looks like he’s doing pretty well in school. his grades are good, he’s got a neat little circle of friends and he’s got a future nicely set out for him by his family.
but the thing is it’s kind of. fake. his life at home is getting gradually worse and he’s just been keeping it all qiet.
anyway.
his biology grades have been starting to slip and if his parents find out they’ll be unbearable. so he asks raina if she’ll give him a hand because honestly. what’s the harm??
turns out she’s sort of wonderful and sweet and funny. but you know. whatever.
is grant developing a huge, terrible crush on her? maybe. will he ever tell anyone? not if he can help it. and does he, according to bobbi, talk about raina waay too much? yes. yes he does.
there’s been those rumours for a few weeks that there’s Something between them. and then suddenly they just seem to be sort of together?
it’s one of those huge school scandals that no one can stop talking about even if they’ve never spoke to either raina or grant because no one believed they’d ever actually be together and how did it even happen?
skye says she saw them making out in the garden at bobbi’s birthday party.
naturally, there was alcohol involved.
it doesn’t take long for grant’s family to find out and obviously, they hate raina. is she from a respectable family? no. so they want her gone. and grant’s kept away from from people he’s liked before because he knew his parents would hate them but… not this time.
they make it work for a while they try to keep it quiet for a while but it’s just not working. his family are making his life miserable.
and raina doesn’t want him to get hurt for her.
then it all gets worse and grant’s parents decide that the best way to get grant away from raina and out of the public eye is to try and send him off to military camp which raina is not here for.
see the thing is – raina’s lost a lot of people. she’s been through a lot of shit already. and she’s not losing grant.
she quietly moves him in with her and her grandmother (who loves him) until they can sort something else out. they hide him from his parents and look – it’s scary, definitely. but it’s the happiest grant’s been in a while.
It’sbeen maybe twenty-four hours since the word came round the Fridge that Hydra’srisen. Raina’s heard celebration amongst the other inmates – they think Hydrawill free them. Maybe Raina should be celebrating too. Soon, hopefully, she’llbe free again.
It’shard to celebrate when she has no idea if Grant made it out. She hasn’t seenhim since his team captured her, and she has no idea if he’s okay.
Herfingers shake slightly as she finishes another delicate origami flower. Shecloses her eyes for a second, attempting to calm herself. She’s been apart fromhim before, since they were first thrown together by Garrett in the woods. Butthere’s something different about this time. There’s a feeling of finality andof danger that she can’t shake.
Thistime, everything is going to change.
She’son her feet the second she hears gunfire. She almost doesn’t want to letherself hope that he’s come for her, because she’s not sure she’ll be able tostand the disappointment—
Sheclose to throws herself at him the second he opens the door. His arms tightenaround her immediately.
‘Ithought you were dead,’ she whispers,unable to stop herself.
‘I’msorry,’ he says, ‘I’m so sorry I let them take you. I should have stopped them.’
Sheshifts back so she can look at him, one hand moving to his jaw. ‘You did whatyou had to,’ she says. ‘We all have to make sacrifices.’
Somethingflashes through his eyes, dark and angry. He catches her hand, holding slightlytoo tight. ‘I’d never sacrifice you for anything,’he says. ‘You know that.’
There’ssomething unspoken there—they are more loyal to each other than they could everbe to Hydra, Shield, Centipede or even Garrett. He is hers to the end.
Shekisses him, presses herself against him, and god, she’s missed him so much. He finally breaks away, giving hera regretful look.
‘Iimagine there’s a time pressure,’ she says.
Healmost smiles, in that hard, twisted way she loves. ‘I have something for you,’he says. He swings his bag off shoulder and reaches inside. He hands over a box—tiedwith a bow—and she opens it gently.
Shepicks out the flower dress, breaking into a smile. ‘Did you buy this for me?’she asks.
Hemoves closer, so he can wrap an arm around her waist again. ‘Anything for you.’
‘DoI have time to change now?’ she asks, raising an eyebrow.
Hereaches across to push the door closed. There’s still the sounds of gunfire andfighting in the distance. ‘I’m sure we can make time,’ he says.
