AUTHOR NOTE

I apologize for any major OOC'ness on the part of Natasha.
Apparently her personality undergoes a big change in Avengers 2.

I have not seen it. Shock. Surprise.

There has been times since he first signed up for SHIELD academy, post earlier studies, that Fitz had faced impossible situations. Technology that no one expected to actually exist in the world. Creatures, some evolutionary and others artificially designed in labs that he could not even tell his mother about without her possible committing him. He had met literal, in your face, aliens from another dimension that the ancient Norse worshipped. Somehow all of that seemed secondary when faced with a real-life legend of SHIELD, Avenger, and someone whom Jemma talked about up to twice a day during their time in academy as her idol. This was the woman whom Fitz heard stories about and decided they had to be made up or exaggerated.

...and then she took down a trained Hydra agent and Grant while wearing a white dress.

"I…" His mouth for once worked to catch up to his brain as Fitz looked from Romanova, the Black Widow, to the presumably dead Hydra agent and Grant. His agent who worked to sit up while favoring one of his arms. At a glance Leo would have presumed his shoulder dislocated by how he carried it though it could have been a broken wrist. Jemma would know, she could deal with it better than he could. It would be a problem for them. Looking Natasha Romanova straight in the eye what came out of Fitz's stupor was, "You did not have to injure him. He is my safety."

The woman did not miss a beat, "Then he should have run when he saw me."

That...well...Fitz struggled for a response when Raina spoke from behind him, "That would have been wise." Up until she spoke Fitz had, in the moment, mostly forgotten the woman. He and Romanova both looked at her now. The redhead looked over the flower dress with an indecipherable stare while Leo turned wholly to the other scientist, "You worked with humans." It was putting it lightly (badly even) and Raina's eyes widened fractionally before the woman seemed to catch on as he explained, "Help Ward. Umm, reset his shoulder or...or…" It had been awhile since Fitz had to snap his fingers to get his attentions in line but now he did, once, twice, three times, and Romanova and Raina stared at him as he did so. It felt like everyone was waiting for him to tell them what to do and that helped absolutely nothing. When Fitz finally did get it out, everything came in an angry rush, "Sling it. If you have to. Just do...do something," and he sounded so exasperated that Raina nodded and made her way over to Ward. The agent of course flinched away from her touch as if the devil himself had come down. Grant threw him an angry look for sending Raina but for now, faced with a bigger problem, Fitz ignored him as best he could. Quite difficult considering his senses seemed to be finely tuned to the other man lately.

Instead he had all his attention on the perfect agent in front of him, "By 'ensure my safety' do you mean...are you…" It wasn't working. Nothing was actually, nothing had worked all evening, and that fact was driving him insane. The whole meet up with Raina had been a mistake - his mistake for suggesting it in the first place. Now Ward was injured and he had the flower lady treating him, at Fitz's word. She did not have the obelisk. Most likely Hydra had it and that meant the 0-8-4 was basically beyond his reach. Now Coulson had to send someone to bail them out...and...and...

"Am I going back?"

"Only if you want to. No one asked me to bring you."

"...Oh." Fitz restrained himself from staring agape at her and worried the sleeve of his suit jacket instead. It was odd, having someone of her caliber sent to protect instead of retrieve him. That made no sense at all. He asked nothing else of the woman as she moved towards the presumably dead body while Fitz shuffled his way over to Ward. The agent was shirtless, Raina having helped him remove it, and the garment was a makeshift sling now.

Once Fitz was close Grant pushed Raina aside (the woman actually fell over which would have been hilarious in any other situation) to grab hold of Fitz's arm. The specialist's voice bordered on a quiet hiss, "Don't trust her. No matter what you do, do not trust her. Coulson would not send an assassin to…" He stopped, his eyes looking past Fitz, and when the scientist turned to look over his own shoulder Natasha had returned. The woman rapidly thumbed through the dead man's phone before dropping it and with one stomp, crushed it.

"We need to leave. Chances are good he called for backup." Raina, back on her feet, stepped forward but when neither Ward or Fitz did the woman spoke again, "I have a car waiting in the parking garage, hurry up." It was short, clipped, and the redhead turned and left them with Raina trailing behind her. The flower girl seemed to have invited herself along for the ride and so far, Romanova had said nothing to the contrary. It was all Ward's hesitation as Fitz went to pull him along by the good arm.

"She is going to kill you."

Fitz sighed and walked, Ward's other arm slung over his shoulder. Nothing other than the arm seemed to be damaged but the man looked worse for the wear. The scientist waited till the two women were far enough ahead, neither speaking to the other as they walked with purpose, before responding, "Coulson would not send someone to..to…" It was too difficult to say, much less think of, and so Fitz didn't, "...deal with me. There must be some reason he got…" The 'her' was implied, as Ward and Fitz both watched said person open the parking garage door, peer both ways, then wave them on. Real quick, still at a distance she hopefully would not hear, Fitz whispered to Ward, "I trust her. I know I shouldn't but...I trust Coulson. She didn't kill you."

That got him a look from the man at his side, face tight and frown heavy, but he nodded.

The two men said nothing else as they followed the woman across the garage. Fitz after a point realized he was the only member of the group who kept looking around suspiciously. The scientist, only having a taste of field work, expected for henchmen to lurk in every shadow. Any second a Hydra agent would leap from behind this or that car with a submachine gun and attempt to mow them down. It felt almost lackluster the way everyone else focused ahead, perhaps tuned into senses he simply did not have, as Romanova lead them to her vehicle.

Despite Fitz's multiple degrees in engineering and general love of technology; it was Ward who brought them up short at the car and blurted out, "You drive around in a Lamborghini Aventador?" The man's voice sounded almost reverent and Fitz could not blame him. It was a beautiful, sleek luxury vehicle, and while internally the engineer was more focused on its theoretical horsepower he could still appreciate the deep red paint job over the external plating and…

Raina ran a hand over the roof, "It is quite pretty. I should look into getting one."

Natasha did not seem harried by the attention to her car. As the woman walked to the driver's side and opened the door with a keyfob, she offhandedly threw out, "It was a gift. He insisted."

The flower lady peered over the hood with a raised brow, "He?"

"Tony Stark." Fitz marveled somewhat at how Natasha just said that name as if getting gifts from the head of Stark industries was a commonplace thing. Not the stuff people got magazines dedicated to them for. Considering how much the thing probably cost and the way Grant tilted his head to inspect the vehicle, arm still over Fitz's shoulder, clearly the engineer needed to make friends with the CEO of Stark industries...as if that would happen. Then again considering he apparently deserved the personal protection of Natasha Romanova these days; perhaps it would happen. He could dream.

Something seemed to take Grant's mind off the car. Fitz went to open the door but came up short as the arm over his shoulders tightened, almost around his neck, as Ward pulled him back from the vehicle. He may have yelped out the agent's name at a relatively high pitch as Raina jerked back from the sudden movements, putting distance between them, and Natasha peered over the roof of at them. They had three or four steps back from the vehicle before Grant clipped out, "This is a two seater. How exactly were you planning for this to work?"

Smiling, hand still petting at the hood, Raina dropped a, "I'll gladly ride with-"

Unfortunately for her, Romanova was quick to cut her off. "You won't. Neither of you will. Coulson asked that I watch out for him." She pointed at Fitz and suddenly, with Raina looking at him and Ward glaring at Romanova while she boredly looked back, the scientist felt like a commodity being traded. o one asked his opinion as they made decisions around him. Natasha ducked inside and came back up, tossing a long, slender stick to Raina that after a moment Fitz recognized as a slim jim used for breaking into cars. There was irony in that; having a tool to break into cars conveniently in your own, and Fitz almost started laughing at it. Actually; the mental exhaustion was likely the primary cause of him finding it funny. Too much happened in too short a time and Fitz closed his eyes, breathing, to concentrate

No one seemed to be paying him any mind either as Ward pulled him closer, practically pressed against his side, "He is not getting in that car with you. If we're leaving, he and I are stealing a car or you are handing over the keys." The staring match between the two intensified and Fitz, despite himself, started laughing. He laughed so hard that he almost could not breath and the situation seemed to only get more comedic. Natasha looked at him, head straight, eyes narrowed, through a quirk of her lip looked almost amused. Raina, the woman who thrived on appearing comfortable and in control in any situation, appeared nervous as she clutched the tool in both hands and looked from Natasha to Ward and Fitz. Ward's reaction was immediate and different as he turned, sweeping in to block his view of the woman, and leaned down to put them on level. His voice was quiet, reserved only for Fitz, as the taller man used his unslung arm to grasp the scot's shoulder, "Fitz. I need you to calm down and talk to me-"

Through his laughter, "Gr...Grant."

Ward leaned a bit closer, "Yes?"

Leo kissed him. It was quick, light, a peck more than anything else, and he pulled back before the agent even had time to register. Grant had clearly not expected it judging by his raised eyebrow and still slightly open mouth. Confusion was a funny look on him and that nearly drove Fitz into another fit. Instead he giggled, though the Scot would never admit to giggling, and peered around the broader man in front of him, "Erm...I'm right in that we won't leave here unless I go with you?"

Raina peered at them with a look Fitz was not quite comfortable with (and Ward glared at her when the man looked over his shoulder), but Natasha held the same look of boredom. Apparently part of being a superhero avenger made it perfectly normal to see two men kiss. Then again, there was news footage of the woman fighting aliens, and who knew what agents of her caliber did in their spare time. Unphased by anything going on; she nodded at Fitz's assessment of the situation, "While standing here arguing over it is fun; you will be getting in this car before we go."

Ward stiffened in front of him and none of that drained out when Fitz put a hand to the center of the man's chest, the same spot Ward had pushed on earlier in the day on him, and nodded around the man, "Okay. I'll go with you. Just...if you leave them behind I'll jump out...or bite my tongue off. I'll kill myself," Ward's hand curled around the bicep of Fitz's arm, the one the ladies could not see, and his grip was tight enough to likely leave marks. It was tougher than the scientist thought to hide the wince on his face, "I really will...and you'll take me to our-my safe house. Not anywhere else. Not to Coulson or whoever. To my place. Is that...is that clear?" The most bizarre moment of his life had been achieved. Ward seemed shocked at the declaration, probably uncomfortable with Fitz casually talking about killing himself, and the Scot was no more comfortable with the things coming out of his mouth than the man.

The woman's lip twitched, "Crystal."

"I hate this." Ward's voice was quiet as Fitz drew back, their foreheads almost touching.

"I know, I'm sorry all of this turned into such a mess."

The specialist shook his head, "Not your fault. I was sloppy. I should have…"

He was cut off by the sound of a sports car. Natasha had a foot in the car pressing on the gas, revving the engine, to get their attention, "We have about two minutes until we are involved in a shootout with Hydra here." Whatever pleasantries the two men had left to share went on hold as Ward pushed Fitz toward the car. Leo felt the man's eyes as he got into the car with Natasha.

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Watching Fitz get into Natasha Romanova's car, out of his control, felt like a nightmare for Ward.

His appearance must have soured considerably as he turned to her because Raina, upon it just being the two of them, took half a step back. Her expressions were steadied but he could read the fear in the woman as she clutched the tool close to her chest. She wanted to run away. That fear only intensified as Ward, very mindful of it, took a step closer to the woman. In time with him, she moved further away.

Normally he would have found it humorous but she was costing them time.

"Give me that."

Raina thrust the tool forward immediately, held in her open-up palms, like an offering. The reason became clear as she looked him dead in the eye and whispered, "...When are you going to kill me?"

Grant acted as if he were ignoring her while moving to the nearest vehicle, a tan colored jeep not even remotely in the price range of Romanova's ride, and went about breaking in. It was impossible for him to actually ignore the flower girl. The people you do not trust are the ones to pay the most attention to. He watched the woman's face in the driverside review while popping the lock. She may have seemed impassive facing him head on but now, with his back to her, Ward watched the woman chew at her bottom lip and pull her arms tightly around herself. The body language was clear - she wanted to run, hide, and hope he had to leave before finding her. Even without the body language he would know what she wanted. Raina, in her need to remained concealed, was somewhat easier to read when you knew her.

Unfortunately, he suspected himself one of the few people in the world to actually know her.

"He doesn't know...Garrett and you, what you did, what that man had us do. How much did you tell?"

The accusation was all over her voice and Ward tensed, solely across the shoulders, at the reminder. Mindful that Fitz might still be looking at them the specialist's face stayed blank as he turned to address the woman, quietly, so as that only they could hear, "And he will keep not knowing." He jerked open the door to the jeep and held it, starring the wilting flower down, "Get in. You're driving."

She recoiled, "I will not-"

There were things Ward wanted to do to speed this up; methods that he adhered to before. Now, with Leo in range, the agent kept his hands to himself and gripped the door tighter, "Raina, get in the jeep."

Raina wanted to argue, he could see it in her face, but the woman climbed into the vehicle. Ward slammed the door behind her harder than he needed to before rushing to the other side and climbing in. It would have been easier to bust open the panel and hotwire the jeep before she got in but this allowed them a great deal more privacy. Grant took full advantage of that by speaking as he leaned over into her personal space, "He doesn't need to. Garrett had me do a lot of things. I told him the important ones."

If she leaned any more into the corner of her seat, the woman could very well fall out, "Are you sure? He seems sweet. Too sweet for you, surely." She may have been scared but her voice, as ever, held that smooth quality that lured people into trusting her. Ward, knowing the woman best, never would. "You should tell him. He loves you, as I'm sure you know, so he will probably forgive all of it…"

The engine rumbled to life seconds before Ward's good hand closed around her throat and squeezed. Raina's eyes went wide and her hands came up, fingers curled as if to claw at him, but she stopped at the last moment and just held the pose. Terrified, but knowing when she was outmatched in their current situation, and Ward relented quickly enough to barely bate her breath. When he spoke though it was in her face, eyes narrowed, "He might. He shouldn't, but he might. I will tell him about Garrett when the time is right. Raina, if you breath even a word about that to him, I will kill you. If you even survive tonight. I'm still not convinced you didn't sell us out to Hydra." Not speaking, the woman frantically shook her head 'No' until Ward nodded. He took one of her hands in his and pushed it to the steering wheel. He wasn't convinced as he leaned back into his own seat but for now it would due. Raina did not require any more of his attention beyond the minimal. She pulled out quickly after Romanova did.

That woman was his current concern.

His shoulder throbbed, likely dislocated, and would need to be set when they reached the safe house.

He had not expected the woman. There was no reason for her to even be present as far as he knew. The Hydra surveillance team presumably assigned to Raina was one thing. A phone conversation, even with one end of the line untappable, could only hide so much. Grant had expected that level of interference which was why he relented to Fitz going in the first place. Actually, it had been the scientist's idea, to put himself as bait while freeing up Ward to deal with the 'outliers' as he referred to them, as if this were all a complex equation. It had worked as far as the theoretical sense went. Save the part where the Hydra team was a bit better trained than expected and moved as a cohesive unit. Ward had actually been surprised at the fight put up by the one in the skyway before he got the upper hand. The surprise then had not held a candle to what came after. He heard a sound, thinking Fitz and Raina arrived early, to instead find Natasha Romanova running at him in a dress, heels, and a forward tumble with her foot crashing straight into his stomach at a seemingly impossible angle. Even as confident in his fighting skills as Ward was - he stood against Melinda May after-all - he was not delusional. Element of surprise aside the fight would not have lasted long. The fact she dislocated his shoulder less than ten seconds after initially hitting him, with a knee no less, was the surest proof of that. Technically; Ward probably owed it to the woman for saying he 'fought' at all considering how their 'fight' actually went.

"...May I say something?" Ward, pulled from his thoughts, threw the woman a look but said nothing. It was a long moment, two turns and a red light later, before she took it as consent, "I remember how you felt about Skye. Back then, I mean. How you wanted her by your side." She spoke slowly, carefully, and never looked at him. Not once, even as her hands tightened on the steering wheel and she kept speaking things she knew he did not want to hear. He half suspected that Raina would be the one to make good on Fitz's threat and hurl herself from a vehicle tonight. "You never acted like this towards her. After she found out, you never seem determined to hide it. Are you...no. You do feel the same."

She twitched somewhat when Ward shifted in his seat to dig for the phone still in his back pocket, "Out with it Raina. Are you asking me if my feelings for Fitz are stronger than the ones I had for Skye?" It was a conversation that felt bizarre to have with her, of all people, but then again she also knew him.

The woman shot a quick, millisecond, look his way before nodding. The whole time she stayed perfectly on the tail of Romanova's car, so close that if the windows were not tinted on the car Ward would be able to see the time on a dash clock. Each stop came dangerously close to a rear end collision.

Phone in hand, Ward paused with his finger on the number that would speed dial Fitz. They were right in front of them and Romanova had yet to pull anything. He could tell by the street signs they were heading towards the safe house he and Fitz had picked out earlier in the afternoon. It was hardly the caliber of place Ward had picked out for them thus far, four and five star hotels that were hardly his usual bunkers, but those places had never been for his benefit. This safe house - an abandoned house just outside of town - was far more suited to his needs. A part of him was glad for it. If things went wrong the isolation would do well to deal with bodies. Preferably not his or Fitz if things went sour.

For instance that of the woman with him whom nodded, "Do you love him?"

"Why do you care?"

They merged into traffic, Raina almost side swiping a taxi to stay right behind the other car. Ward appreciated her desire to do what he wanted. He did not appreciate, "I'm...pleased, I suppose. Garrett was a horrible man." The fair skinned woman peeked at him quickly to ensure her words were taken well before resuming, "Some of the things he had me do, once Hydra went open, I confess to not being entirely comfortable with. My work felt tainted by his petty cruelty." It was hard for Ward to imagine Raina caring about something other than science but he could almost believe her. The woman took a breath and for once in their whole conversation looked at him fully as a stop came up, "Everyone deserves to be happy. Even those of us who have sacrificed the happiness of so many others." Had it been nearly anyone else Ward would have taken this as a roundabout way of begging for their lives. The fact that it was Raina alone turned his thoughts otherwise. She started again when he shifted, reclining further back into his seat and getting more comfortable, and even turned his head partially away.

"Do you really believe that?"

Her voice was more assured than it had been the entire ride, "We can only hope all of this is worth it."

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Fitz regretted getting into her car. Not because of the woman herself, the Avenger had yet to say anything at all since they left, but because of how low to the ground it was. Grant may have fallen in love with the sports car but the scot felt too low, off center with gravity, and the tight confines of the vehicle kept him bordering on what could at any moment become a panic attack. He had never been claustrophobic before a box on the ocean floor. No, even since then, he had functioned just fine on the Bus and in the Playground. Internally, he attempted to rapidly sort through all of the conflicting messages and feelings his brain generated. All of it was just neurochemistry; technically he should have been able to deal with it on that level. Except attempting to do that also gave him fits of giggle-laughter.

The first words the red headed woman spoke to him on the drive came after one such episode, "May told me you were strange." She said it plain, as if this were a completely obvious observation that everyone should recognize.

Fitz started a bit, almost to anger, before letting go of it in a huge heaving sigh, "May talks about me?"

"Neither of us are the type to sit and gossip." More frankness from Natasha Romanova almost threw Fitz into another fit of semi-crazed laughter. The thought of the women sitting together alone and actually conversing was enough for him. She seemed to catch on to his struggle and let some semblance of expression cross her face, the smallest of smiles, "May is the one who called me. She needed a favor and no matter who you are; the Calvary owing you a favor is worth the hassle." There was something so fluid about how the woman existed, in how she drove the manual, spoke, even tilted her head just so to peer at him from the corner of her eyes. If he were not in too deep with his agent or some scaling level of affection for both his ex-lab partners, Fitz may have fallen in love with her on the spot.

He shuffled a bit in his seat at that revelation, face flushed in fullest red, and looked steadily down into his lap, "Good...I mean...my life as a favor. I guess that's good. So May still cares, good." The woman's only response was a 'Hmm' sound that told Fitz absolutely nothing. At the same time, it also made him feel pressed to fill the silence, "I mean, I was worried...no, not worried, terrified that she would want to kill me. I set him free you know, Grant. Though I guess he would have himself. No one died this way. May was shot but I'm sure Jemma fixed her up. I mean, I guess so, someone would have mentioned it. Unless they didn't because she is actually hurt I-"

Natasha interrupted his ramble, "You caused Melinda May to get shot?"

Not liking her tone, Fitz wound his hands together and quietly, "...Yes."

The woman, without missing a beat in her driving, glanced over with a look, "Safe bet she asked me to guard you so she could have you then. May is not known for being forgiving."

Fearful of that, Leo nodded and said nothing. While he would have liked to assume her joking it was nearly impossible to tell. Though, perhaps for his benefit, the sincerity in her next words came across perfectly clear, "I will only ask this once and the decision is yours. If you wish to go back to Coulson, I will take you. I can lose these two and have you back by morning." He jerked upright, staring at her, but his own words died on his tongue as the woman continued, "You are attached to the Hydra agent. If that will be an issue I can deal with him as well. You have until we reach your safe house to decide. I am leaving then if you feel safe with him still." It was said so simply, so matter of fact, that for a moment Fitz waited for a follow up that never came. The exact meaning behind her words clicked in his head after a moment of staring at the woman.

She offered to kill Grant if he wanted her to.

"N...No, I...I don't want…" Somewhere, in the back of his brain, Fitz just pictured the situation as he could only imagine it. Natasha standing over Grant with a pistol had been enough. All at once his hands came up, each covering one of his ears as if to block the woman out. She watched him but did not intervene as Fitz brought himself to a place where their conversation could actually occur. It didn't happen, several minutes later he was still not quite there, but the scientist managed to filter out, "It's...I don't want him like that. Dead, I mean. Ever. I…" His hands were squeezing at his ears and Fitz only realized it when the pain pierced through his thoughts. Somehow, that helped him focus, a wholly unpleasant form of grounding himself, "And he's...Grant's not a Hydra agent. Not anymore. Even then...he wasn't, not really? It was Garrett. Not Hydra. I know it's dumb to believe it just because he told me so but...I do." The situation was so bizarre - telling his personal feelings to an Avenger living legend. He expected her to to tell him to shut up or just ignore him. Lots of people found it easier to ignore him when he got like like.

Nothing prepared him to hear her actually reply, "Red in his ledger."

A pause, Fitz looked over at the woman as she swooped them into another lane, out of traffic. They were close to the safe house now. The houses around them were beginning to thin out, more rustic older buildings popped up that were likely abandoned, and the levels of seclusion amped up to a point the occasional street light did not work. Fitz was still uncomfortable with it.

She elaborated, "You believe in him?"

It was such a simple question to ask yet when Fitz went to speak, his words did not cooperate. His mouth opened and closed several times before the scientist simply nodded, solemn.

She returned his nod as they pulled partially off road onto a gravel driveway leading towards the safe 'house'. At night it was worse than when Fitz saw it last. According to Ward, when they had 'shopped around for it', actual houses did not actually make good safe houses. Abandoned factories with large, partially defaced 'Coca-Cola' labeling apparently did. Only the finest amenities awaited them and by that, Fitz meant nothing, as everything from the air-mattress to few supplies, his laptop included, remained in the car abandoned near the meeting site. Other than his laptop nothing had been left behind of note. Thankfully, or perhaps not depending on how you looked at it, his computer was completely safe. Well, at least in regards to having information about them taken off it. Ward had been insistent about rigging it to burn the harddrive should anyone except Fitz himself try to access it. A win for them, personal disaster for the Scot.

As the car died Fitz went to open the door but was stopped, quite jarringly, by an iron grip over his wrist. He jumped, surprised by the lightning fast movement, as Natasha turned fully.

"You realize he may never be exactly who you want him to be."

Fitz, unsure of what to say, nodded slowly. The confusion likely appeared clear on his face. She released him slowly, their eyes held, before turning away and slipping out of the car with grace. The Scot, quite unlike her, nearly stumbled getting out of the low-set vehicle. It wasn't just his brain or his words, Fitz entire body felt jerky and foreign to him. It felt like before he left SHIELD, back when he would hide in his lab until Mack came to find him and had to help with the most basic of tasks. Everything, all at once, felt impossible, and while the feeling did not recede it was immensely aided by laying eyes on Grant. He was still shirtless, arm still in a sling, and his face held a look that would have kept Fitz far away not so long ago, but the scientist delighted in seeing him now. Natasha was forgotten and Raina, the flower woman practically leaping from the jeep after parking, went entirely ignored. The Scot literally only had eyes for his agent as he quickly made his way over, the taller man meeting him halfway, and found himself in a tight hug.

The man speaking of his head sounded so distant, "What did you say to him? I will-"

From somewhere behind came, "Calm down-"

Fitz ignored the rest, his face buried in Ward's chest, and shook his head into the other man. No, he would not allow the two to fight. Not after the candid offer made to him. It took more effort than it should have to get his mouth functioning, "Gggr…" The man looked down at him, recognizing the half-sound, half slur for what it was. "Nothing. Did nothing. Tired. Only tired." He could have stopped there, Ward was nodding, the man got the message loud and clear. The follow-up whine of, "Fucked it all up. I'm not...I don't know if I can do this. I fucked it…" His voice was quieter with each word until it culminated into a complete whisper. Ward probably never even heard the last word but the man's one arm around him tightened considerably. Not for the first time in their strange companionship; Fitz felt pathetic, he felt useless, in the way, a hassle.

"You didn't…" Ward cut off when Leo shook his head and they were moving, walking, the taller man directing them into the building. The scientist may have forgotten the women but the specialist watched, over his shoulder, as he talked and they walked, "We will talk about it tomorrow. For now you need to sleep. Everything is okay. Just focus on your control."

Fitz felt as if he did not have any left but the scientist nodded, letting his agent lead the way.

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It took less than twenty minutes for Fitz to fall asleep. Not even the bumpy, highly questionable suede couch kept the scientist awake. Simmons would have likely wanted it burned for safety. A struggle came from extraditing himself from the death grip Leo had on his arm without waking him. The scientist had fallen asleep with his head in Ward's lap, the agent's good arm clutched in both of his, and the position had seemed to do the trick. The man had managed to calm down enough to pass out at least. Grant was sure to pack the engineer's dress jacket under his head as a pillow in place of his thigh before sneaking away. There were things he had to deal with.

Namely the two women in the main room. Romanova held position beside office entrance, arms crossed over her chest, legs in a military rest, and had at some point switched the dress for a pair of jeans and a tank. Having her look fresh from a concert made it easier to deal with the woman than having her in a cocktail dress. Raina had unfortunately not changed from her ridiculous red flower dress before coming in. The woman sat behind a desk in the one good rolling chair left, a finger to her lip, and it felt strange even to Ward to watch the woman do something as normal as chew on a nail from nerves. At some point while he worked Fitz to sleep the biochemist had apparently given up her ruse of absolute calm. No, perhaps it had even been on the ride over, after the two had their conversation and lapsed into silence for a few miles.

Both women looked up when he entered. He could not decide which was more of a hassle. Of all the people in the world Ward would not want sharing a space, it was the two of them. Two women who (in Raina's case most of the time) showed no expression and hid all their intentions. Only having Agent May step through that door and join the dour faces watching him could have made the situation any worse. Actually, she would probably try to kill him, these two hadn't...yet.

Natasha was the first to speak, "What do you plan to do now?"

Ward, from his position leading to Fitz, shot a glare her way, "Nothing you need to know."

Raina, finger dropping from her lip, cut in, "I might need to know. You've successfully kidnapped me. Don't I at least deserve to know why I was taken?" The two specialists shared a look that in some odd way was the closest to comradery they had come yet. All it took was the idea that Raina had done anything other than go along with her own 'kidnapping' quite eagerly. Unperturbed by the doubt she no saw before her, the woman continued, "I do not have what you seek." She had used neither the phrase 0-8-4 or the word obelisk, her gaze never even going to Natasha, and Ward was thankful for that. At least in this the two were on the same page. If Natasha had any questions what they were discussing she did not ask. Either she already knew, did not care, or it was simply outside her professed mission parameters of 'assure Fitz's safety'.

"That depends...why was a trained Hydra recon team there to check an art meeting?"

"They have been tracking me the same reason as you."

It was too close to a real answer. She shared a look with him before Grant turned away, bringing all his attentions to the Black Widow, who remained still as a statue, "And how were you there?"

The woman's poker face was excellent but something he could not see, hidden in the depths, just felt like smugness to Ward, "I've been tracking the two of you going on four days now. Based on the dossier I was given on you; I'm surprised you did not notice." There was a taunt there and Ward ground his teeth as she went on, "I only intervened when I realized the risk you were taking. I needed to verify that your actions did not contradict with my mission." It sounded pleasant enough but Ward knew the statement for what it truly was. She felt he had played fast and loose with Fitz's life and put him in unnecessary danger. Once again, the dark haired man wished he knew what had been said in the car. Whatever it was had rattled Fitz and while the woman barely glanced at him before she had a look about her now. That combined with the rib at his countersurveillance it felt as if he were being taunted. It hardly fit what he knew of her.

Something had definitely been said in that car.

"Are you planning to stick around and guard Fitz then?"

Stepping away from the wall Natasha stood in front of him, arms crossed, face set, "Convince me that he will be safe if left solely in your care." A pause and wave of the hand, "If you can't even do that then I will be taking him back to Coulson tomorrow, his personal wishes aside."

Never one to back down from a challenge Ward nodded, "Understood."

Then he lunged.

The sound of a chair scraping the floor, Raina panicking no doubt, was the backdrop. Rather than throw a punch with his fully functional arm, the obvious course, Ward instead charged into a shoulder tackle with his slung arm up. He'd set it in the jeep and kept the sling for support. Now sling went forgotten, pain racing down from his abused shoulder, as he attempted to take Romanova down in a single hit. Optimistic, he knew it would not work even before the woman's head swung back and down in nearly a full limbo. The first strike nearly went to him but after that it was a fully defensive fight. He threw his good arm up to block a chop at his neck from her right hand. A feint, one he saw coming but was not fast enough to dodge as her foot collided with the side of his knee. From there it was touch and go as Ward attempted to use his greater size to grab the woman only to have her dance away. It was like fighting May except, if such a thing were possible, a faster May who broadcasted even less of her moves. Natasha's face was made of stone as she gripped his wrist and pulled it to her while twisting away, practically twirling around him. Ballerina moves did not stop her from delivering a vicious backhand to his jaw.

His follow up punch almost landed. She only had one foot on the ground, the other going for another takedown on his kneecap. Everything seemed perfect save the part where the woman pulled a leap back that should have been impossible on her center of gravity. When he swung she was right in his face and afterwards, as his fist passed through thin air, three quick moves took her across the room. Not enough to call an end to their fight but enough to let Ward breath.

"So they are not exaggerating when they talk about you."

Unperturbed, she eyed him for a moment before dropping her stance, "Good attempt at catching me off guard. Why not go for the knife?" While speaking her eyes trailed down to his leg. It was impressive really considering the small size of the knife. Ward tugged up his pants leg to reveal the sheath strapped to his calf. The answer was obvious, even without him speaking, with two button straps holding the small blade in place. Natasha was the type who would understand.

"If I had you would have crippled me before I freed it."

She flicked a bit of hair back from her face, "Not very helpful."

"Hadn't planned on using it to take down an assassin."

"Apparently I'm an Avenger these days. May I?"

Ward did not question it. In one movement slowed a bit by his hurt arm, the specialist drew, flicked, and underhand tossed the knife. He did start a bit however when Natasha caught it mid-spin and advanced on Raina. No one was more surprised than Raina herself who flew from the chair, knocking it over completely, and backed away. The desk separated the two women and soon Ward did as well though he stayed to the side, beside and not between the bizarre play acting itself out before him. Whatever point Natasha was aiming for, she made it.

"Is it the bracelet you are wearing?"

Ward, somewhat confused, started to ask what she meant but Raina spoke first, head shaking.

"They put something in my hand. It...hurt, when they did it?"

He understood now, "A tracker? If you had told me about that before I would have-"

"Cut my hand off." Raina spoke slowly, gravely as she cut him off, her eyes glued to Natasha instead of Ward. As always the woman was accessing threats and felt him lacking in this situation. Funny, really, as Ward felt like doing a great deal more than threatening her now.

Natasha nodded, "Implant. I've seen it before. Has it been itching?" Her expression did not slip a fraction as the flower arched a brow and nodded. Things were peaceful and silent for a moment as the woman stared each other down and Ward simmered, on the verge of exploding, fueled by the thought of Fitz sleeping only a room away. He was ready to choke the woman when the situation exploded. Natasha with almost inhuman speed grabbed Raina's wrist, slammed her hand to the desk as the other woman started, and drove the blade of the knife straight through the center of her hand. No slow preparation, no warning, just in and with a sharp tug straight up back out. It was nearly surgical and for a moment Raina stared wide eyed with Ward, who was equally surprised, before the red dressed woman started to scream in agony.

Ignoring the sound, Natasha wiped the mostly clean knife on the side of her pants before offering it back to Ward handle first, "That should take care of the tracker. We're compromised."

More for Fitz sake than his own ears, Ward pressed down on Raina's wrist and held her hand to the table. With his other hand, he grabbed her by the jaw and held, "Shut up and I'll handle it." She didn't, at first, though when Ward jerked her chin to face him the woman fell silent. Raina bit her bottom lip and clenched her free hand into a tight fist as Ward, giving up on his sling, used it as best he could to bandage up her hand. It felt like returning the favor for slinging his arm before.

Though the real favor he offered was not just killing her on the spot. That was a favor.

"How long do you think we have?"

Natasha, the mighty avenger, shrugged from her place by a cracked window, "No way to know."

Ward tied off the field dress on Raina's hand tightly as he replied, "We're leaving then. This location is not set up to hold off a Hydra strike team." Raina ripped her hand away as soon as he let go, clutching it close to her chest, and Ward eyed her warily for a moment before turning his attentions back to the red headed woman, "Fitz is coming with me this time. Whatever you said to him set off his…" Ward paused, eyes going to the doorway, checking for Fitz. It was telling that Raina screaming had not woken him. Still, the man dropped his voice to practically a hiss, "I don't know what you did but it screwed with him. So, he'll be leaving with me, understood?"

Romanova eyed him before tossing her head in Raina's direction, "What about her?"

"What about her?"

Raina snapped off something in another language and both SHIELD ex-specialists looked her way. Natasha, apparently speaking the dialect of 'Chinese' that Raina did, looked almost impressed. The flower girl went on in English, "I'm going with him. That boy," At Ward's look she backtracked, "Fitz. That scientist is the only one who can ensure my safety." Her injured hand still clutched close, Raina pointed at Natasha, "You are apathetic to what happens to me." and then to Ward, "You have probably already planned my demise. No, if I leave, I leave with Fitz." It was true, though Ward had not progressed past methods yet, and Natasha seemed to confirm her bit by walking away like the discussion was over. While Raina and him may have held a conversation of note on the way to the safe house, Ward still considered just getting rid of her. He suspected the Black Widow would not lift a finger to stop him. He could kill her, hide the body, and get Fitz out before the scientist even started asking questions about Raina's disappearance. It was tempting really save the part where Fitz would likely not forgive him. Killing Hydra was apparently 'one thing' under his new 'handlers' ideals, killing someone Fitz knew even in a tertiary sense like Raina was likely overstepping the boundaries of their...thing. No, it would ruin things.

Grant was already working his best to not ruin this thing.

"Fine. Deal with that," Ward waved, indicating her hand, "and don't let Fitz see it till he's safe."

Raina looked at him, aghast, "I do not even have a first aid kit."

Ward shrugged, repeating himself, "Deal with it."

He heard Natasha speaking to Raina as he left. Probably a med kit in her car. Ward did not care. The two women were forgotten as he left the room and returned to Fitz. At some point the scientist must have moved as his dress jacket hung half on the couch and half off, an arm thrown wildly over his head. Grant went to shake him and paused, hand hovering over Fitz's shoulder, and took a moment. It was a tired thought. Natasha was just in the other room and Ward knew, if he gave the word, she would return Fitz to Coulson. The Team would see to the scientist's safety. Were it anyone else they would be locked up in Ward's old cell in the playground but Fitz, no, Skye and Jemma would never let it happen. The scientist could integrate directly back into his old life. The one he did not want, granted, but one that was far safer than… Ward shook his head sharply. The internal argument always ended the same way; he did not want to let Fitz go back. Not even if it meant keeping him safe. Not even if it meant that Ward apparently had to deal with Raina tagging along with them for now. Fitz was what mattered.

He owed him that much.

Ward gripped Fitz by the shoulder and shook him, "Leo. You need to get up." The engineer made a noise and went to grab Ward's arm. The specialist shook again, "Get up now. We're in-"

"I've been awake."

Ward froze, hand still on Fitz, as the engineer's hand closed over Ward's on his shoulder.

"I heard Raina screa..." He paused, taking in a deep breath, and the agent waited for it. For an accusation, some form of shot at his character. Instead what came at the end of Fitz hesitation was a quiet, "Tell me it was necessary?" as the engineer's fingers wove themselves into Ward's.

Necessary and collateral damaged sounded the exact same to Ward.

"It was."

Fitz nodded, still looking away, "Then is she…?"

Ward's hand tightened over the engineers, "No, she is alive. We're taking her with us." The tension in Fitz's shoulders melted but Ward still paused, considering if he should explain about the tracker, how it had been Natasha who injured the flower woman. The realization that if Natasha had not handled it, he would have, kept him from speaking on the subject further. Fitz did not need to know how he would have handled it, "We need to leave. Hydra is coming."

"How long?"

Ward shrugged and Fitz, understanding, used the agent's hand to pull up from the couch.

Author Note

So I know some of you are probably like 'What, thats it? wtf?"

This chapter was the struggle of the ages for some reason.

I just kind of wanted it over to start fresh.