Finally! A new chapter! I hope my readers haven't given up on this. This chapter fought me. I wrote and rewrote, sometimes feeling like I was hitting my head into a brick wall. I think I finally got something I'm satisfied with and I hope you are as well. It ended up being a little long, so hopefully that's consolation for the long wait.

Many thanks to readers, followers, favoriters (is that a word?), and especially, reviewers. I love you all.

Marvel stuff such as the Avengers aren't mine. (duh).

Happy reading.

Risks 28

"Remind me why we have to have these meetings?" Clint asked, propping his feet up on the table.

"Because it was decided that incorporating was the most efficient way to be able to do what we want to do and board meetings are a requirement," Pepper explained.

"And you, as it happens, are all members of the board," Darcy continued.

"Bored is right," Tony grumbled.

"So shut the hell up so we can get it over and done with," Fury growled. "We've all got better things to do with our time."

"Gee, thanks," Darcy spit back, glaring at him.

"Other things," Maria offered, kicking him lightly under the table.

Pepper jumped in again. "It's just that you and Maribel keep everything with the Avengers Initiative, Inc. running so smoothly that our approval seems a mere formality," she told the younger woman.

"But a legally required formality," Maribel reminded them.

"Fine," Natasha grumbled.

Maria fixed each of the others with a glare, then turned back to Darcy.

"What else?" she asked.

The meeting proceeded quickly, everyone anxious to get it wrapped up so they could get back to their other pursuits.

"Final order of business," Darcy stated,

There were several sighs of relief.

"Physicals." She glanced around the table. "Dr. Watkins has requested that each of you stop by the medical center for a consultation. So far, he has had how many responses?" asked Maribel.

The woman looked down at her notes. "Two," she replied. "Ms. Potts and Doctor Banner."

There were numerous mumbled excuses about how busy everyone had been. "Besides," Clint added. "He's treated both of us before back when he was with SHIELD."

"That's been quite a few years," Darcy reminded them, "And I'm sure some things have changed in that time."

"Doesn't he have access to our medical records?" Nat commented. "Surely JARVIS can get whatever information he might need from Dr. Carlyle."

"He could, but he'd really like to meet with each of you. See what might not be in the records. Get familiar with each of you. Let Ms Sanchez get to know your medical issues as well," Maribel told them, "So that they'll have a better idea of when something's really wrong with you,"

"I can simply make it an order for the SHIELD people," Nick growled.

"You can, I'd rather not have to resort to that," Darcy replied. "Besides, who's going to order you?"

"Maria!" everyone suggested.

The brunette grinned at him, then turned her attention back to the head of the table. "I do find it interesting, though," she commented.

"What?"

"If Pepper and Banner are the only ones who have been down to medical..."

Maribel nodded.

"That means that you and Ms Watkins haven't been seen either."

Several of the others around the table turned their own gazes to the two women.

"Oh, but we're not exactly members of the team," Darcy protested.

"Yes, you are."

"The team is the six of you," she said, pointing at the frontline members.

"What about Hill and Fury?" Natasha asked.

"Well, yeah. Them and Coulson. May. Rhodey. They contribute a lot of intel and coordinate operations with other organizations and governments."

"And we wouldn't be nearly as effective without their contributions," Steve added.

"Right."

"And as the CEO of the company that provides our training? Our weapons? Equipment?" He continued. "Doesn't that make you equally valuable?"

While Darcy thought about that, Maribel came up with her own excuse.

"Ezra has made it a policy not to treat family members."

"Exactly why you need to let Jessica get to know you," Bruce countered.

"I just wanted to ask about something for my heartburn," Pepper said. "Other than serving on the board, I'm not really a part of the team."

"The purpose of hiring medical personnel was to look out for the well being of the Avengers," Nick reminded her. "Your well being has a decided affect on his," he said, nodding towards Tony, "So you are included as well." Under the table, he laced his fingers with Maria's.

"Okay. Let's just decide here and now that anyone who lives or works here, part time or full time, may make use of the medical facilities on site," Darcy declared. After a moment, she looked around the table. "If everyone thinks that would be okay?"

"That's your decision to make, Darcy," Maria reminded her. "You're the boss here."

"Right." The younger woman still sounded like there was a question in her voice.

Maribel nodded. "I think that's the way to go with this. Primarily, you wanted someone to be familiar with the...shall we say 'unique' characteristics of certain team members, everyone in general is in good health and will have little need for medical attention, we hope."

Everyone nodded agreement.

"Letting them handle the routine medical needs of the rest of you will be more convenient. Should you wake up feeling puny, rather than having to call your physician, make an appointment and get to it, you can simply stop in, get a quick check, find out if it's something that just needs to run it's course or if you need some medication, and get back to what you need to do."

More nods.

"More patients will also help to keep Ezra busy, which is a good thing. There can be...issues...when my husband gets bored."

"Issues?" Pepper asked. "What sort of issues are you talking about?"

"Nothing serious," Nick assured her. "The good doctor tends to be a bit of a prankster when he has too much time on his hands."

"And I have the feeling Ms Sanchez might be a willing partner in crime," Bruce added.

"Indeed. I have noticed they have very similar senses of humor," Maribel agreed with a smile.

"So I have agreements that everyone will be stopping by the medical center for a once over with Dr Watkins and Nurse Sanchez," Darcy stated.

There were mumbles from the gathered team members.

"I'll take that as affirmatives." She turned to her assistant. "If you would let them know that you and I will be down as soon as the meeting concludes. And the others will be in sometime today."

In spite of the grumbles of protest, Maribel sent off the text, the response coming quickly..

"Says they're looking forward to seeing everyone," she told them.

"I think that's everything," the young CEO said, looking through her notes one last time, then around the table. "Any one else have anything we need to cover?"

"Copies of training schedules have been sent to everyone," Steve called out as everyone stood and started making their way to the door.

"Coming, Maribel?" Darcy asked her assistant.

"In a moment," she answered. "I need a word with Commander Hill."

Maria turned to her with a questioning look.

She pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to the agent. "We've received several messages from a Detective Andrews with the Chicago Police Department. He wants to talk with you about a case he's investigating and gave a case number for you to reference when you call him."

Nick watched as she took the number, thanking the other woman. After everyone except Nick and the Starks had left the room, she eyed her lover curiously. "I wonder what a Chicago police detective needs to talk to me about."

"I can't imagine," he answered her.

"Me either," Tony added.

"Guess there's one way to find out," she commented. "Okay if I call from here?"

"Fine," Pepper replied. "Do you want us to leave?"

Maria shook her head, asking JARVIS to put the call through.

"Detective Abernathy," he answered.

She introduced herself and gave him the case file.

"Ah, yes. Ms. Hill. Thank you for calling. You are a difficult woman to get a hold of."

"Impossible to get ahold of it I want to be," she answered.

He paused a moment, not sure how to respond to that, then continued. "I appreciate you getting back with me. I'm hoping you might be able to help me out with a case I'm investigating. Actually, a series of incidents."

"I'm sorry," Maria told him. "I thought you were in Chicago."

"I am."

"My primary residences are in New York and DC," she told him, puzzlement in her voice. "I don't think I've been to Chicago in several years. I think you have the wrong person."

"Perhaps," he said, though he sounded confident. "Does the name Augustus von Drake mean anything to you?"

She waited a moment, before replying. "No. I don't think so."

"Gavin Walsh?"

Another pause. "Perhaps."

"Perhaps?"

"It sounds vaguely familiar, but I'm not sure. How am I supposed to know these men?"

"Mr. Walsh is a financial advisor. Has a firm here. Von Drake is his right hand man."

"A financial advisor. It's possible..." She paused as though thinking. "I've recently been involved in some meetings with financial firms on behalf of the Avengers. It's possible that his firm was one of those, but I'd have to check to be sure."

"The Avengers?" he asked. "As in THE Avengers?"

Tony smirked.

"As in Captain America and Thor?" he continued.

Tony's grin slipped slightly.

Maria couldn't resist teasing him slightly. "And Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye. Yeah, those Avengers." When Stark stuck his tongue out at her, she added. "Iron Man."

"You work for the Avengers, then."

"Not exactly," she explained. "It's more in a consultant role."

"So, what do you do?"

"Let's just say it involves international security and leave it at that," she answered.

"And if I don't want to leave it at that?" he asked, sounding irritated.

"Anything else is above your pay grade, detective," she told him, her voice steely.

"You don't even know my pay grade, Ms Hill," he countered.

"No, I don't. But I do know the names of the handful of people who have the right to ask me about my job and you are not one of them."

"Ah," the man at the other end of the line commented.

"Ah?"

"Men in black."

She glanced down at her catsuit, then over at Nick and shrugged, a small smile on her face.

"You know? The black helicopters? Guys in black suits? Show up when weird things happen, hang around for a little while, say nothing happened, then disappear."

She grunted noncommitally. "According to my records, it looks like we did meet with Mr. Walsh and Mr. van Drake." She gave him the meeting details, then continued. "I still don't understand why you're talking to me. It was a one time meeting and it was months ago."

"Actually, I'm not entirely sure myself," he admitted. "Both men have reported a number of odd incidents over the last few months. Being followed. Break ins where things were supposedly moved around, but nothing taken. Phone calls. Home electronics issues. Basically, minor things, for the most part. Until several weeks ago when van Drake was seriously injured."

"Injured how?"

"Beaten," he clarified. "Spent several weeks in a coma. We were finally able to talk to him a few days back. At first, he said he had no ideas who could be responsible. After a few days, though, he gave us your name."

"My name?"

"Wouldn't give us a reason, at first. Walsh said that it could be because the business deal went badly and you were quite upset about it. Would that be accurate?" he asked.

"No, it wouldn't," she told him. "There never was a business deal. We were in discussion with numerous firms about representation. We chose to eliminate some and move forward with others based on how well we felt they would meet out needs. I really had no personal thoughts about any of them."

"What about a personal relationship with Mr. Walsh?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"According to Mr von Drake, Walsh is your father and you've got a major grudge against him over some imagined childhood slights."

Pepper looked over at her with wide eyes while Tony started frantically typing away on his keyboard. Maria waved casually at him.

"My father?" She sounded surprised. "Where would he get an idea like that?"

"So, he's not?"

"No. I never knew my parents. Grew up in the foster care system," she told him. "The only time I even met the man was at our meeting. What did Mr. Walsh have to say about that?"

"Said he had no idea what he was talking about. Funny thing, though. Couple of days later, von Drake changed his story. Claims he doesn't remember telling us that and says it must have been the head injury talking."

"Interesting," Maria replied.

"I thought so, too," the detective told her.

"When did this happen?" she asked. "The assault, specifically," she asked, looking at Nick, then Tony. When he gave her the date, she nodded knowingly.

"I don't suppose you can recall offhand where you were on that day?"

"Actually, I can. That was a few days before Tony Stark's wedding and I spent that entire week with his fiancee and several other friends getting the final preparations made. You can probably confirm that with her social secretary."

She looked questioningly at Pepper, who nodded.

"Stark wedding, huh? Guess that's a pretty good alibi. Sorry to have bothered you, but we have so little to go on here that we pretty well have to follow up on any lead we get, no matter how odd it may seem," he said.

"I understand, and I'm sorry that I can't be of more help," she told him.

"Me, too. Thanks for your time, Ms Hill. I'll be in touch if I have any further questions," he replied, ending the call.

"Seems like he would have checked on that...about Walsh being your father?" Pepper probed.

"I'm sure he did," Maria replied.

"Interestingly enough," Tony told them, looking up from his computer. "There's no record of him ever having had a child. No record of a Maria Walsh ever attending school, receiving medical care, having a passport, or even being born."

"Good," she said with a satisfied nod.

"We had all that information scrubbed when she joined SHIELD, then went back and rechecked and did some more detailing when she moved up to the second chair," Nick explained.

"You do that for all agents?" Tony asked.

"Not always," the director explained. "Depending on what type of work the agent is doing, we sometimes scrub their pasts to keep their families safe. Sometimes, it's to give them a new start from a bad situation." He shrugged. "Sometimes it's just for the hell of it."

"If Tony's not finding anything, it's a sure sign that Abernathy didn't either."

"Your people did good," the other man acknowledged somewhat reluctantly. Nick walked over to stand next to him, curious about the searches he had conducted.

Pepper stood up, grimacing as she rubbed her expanding stomach.

"You okay?" Maria asked.

"Fine," the other woman replied pulling at her shirt. "I've been resisting going into maternity clothes, but I'm thinking it's time to bite the bullet and do it. I haven't really put on much weight, but nothing fits right anymore. Mostly, it's my boobs that seem to be getting bigger."

"I'm sure Tony doesn't mind that much," Maria commented with a grin.

"Problem is, they're so sore. Wearing a bra hurts, but not wearing a bra hurts, too. And I feel like I'm bumping them and my stomach into everything. I'm tired ALL the time. If I go too long without eating, I start trying to hurl. Then, there's the peeing. It seems like I'm needing to go all the time. And it's only going to get worse. I'm not even half way through yet."

Maria gave her a wry look. "Sounds like fun."

Pepper looked at her, startled. "Oh, it is. Mostly. It's an amazing experience. Especially when we hear the heartbeat or see ultrasound pictures. It has it's trials, but the good stuff more than makes up for the negative. I don't know why I'm complaining."

"It's okay," Maria shrugged. "Sometimes, you just need to vent."

"Thanks." She smiled slyly. "You can vent to me when it's your turn."

She received a loud snort in response. "No worries there. That won't be happening."

"No little HillFurys in the plans?"

Maria shook her head. "Kids are just not a good choice for me. For us. My childhood was so screwed up, I'd probably do even worse than my father did."

"But you turned out to be a pretty amazing person."

"Thanks. Besides, the jobs not only keep us busy pretty much round the clock, they put us at risk and do the same to the people we care about. Then there's the fact that we're both older and set in our ways. I'm not up for that much change. And Nick's already got grown kids and half grown grandkids."

The other woman nodded. "I remember him saying something about you being about the same age as his daughter. How many kids does he have?"

"Two. The daughter and a son who's a couple of years older. He has two girls, Veronica and her husband have a son."

"You've met them?"

"I met his son several months ago. He's a doctor and was here in New York for a conference. Then, we were both on the west coast a few weeks back and stopped in to visit his daughter and her family." She noticed the gleam in Pepper's eyes and rolled her own. "Yeah, I know. Meeting the family is pretty serious stuff."

The SI CEO studied Nick for several moments, then turned back to Maria. She reached out and took her hand with a gentle squeeze and a smile.

"Good. You two deserve it."

Just then, Maria's phone beeped and she pulled it out to check the message.

"Darcy says she and Ms Watkins are just about finished in medical and do we want to head down next?" she asked Nick.

"Not really," he grumbled. "Don't I have something else I need to be doing?"

"Not for a couple of hours."

He sighed. "I suppose we should."

"Should be quick," she told him consolingly. "He's treated us both before and has access to all out medical records." Looping her arm through his, they said their goodbyes to the Starks and headed down to the medical center.

When they arrived Maribel and Darcy were still in the room, talking with Ezra and Jessica. They all turned to greet the couple when they entered.

"Looks like you have new victims...I mean, patients," Darcy commented with a teasing grin.

"We'll leave you to them," Maribel said, nodding in their direction as she started to head out.

"Just a moment," the doctor called to her. When she turned, a question on her face, he took her hand and pulled her close. He leaned in, kissing her gently. After several moments, she laughed lightly and pushed him away.

"Stop that, you ridiculous old goat. Our boss is here," she told him.

"I'll let it go this time," Darcy told them, trying to look stern. That lasted about five seconds until she broke into a huge smile. "You guys are just so adorable. You help me remember what I'm holding out for," she told them.

With a blush and a shake of her head, Maribel pushed the younger woman towards the door. "We have work to do, Miss Lewis, and so does everyone else."

Ezra watched his wife walk away, then turned to the two agents.

"Fury and Hill. Who's first?" he asked, looking at them over the top of his glasses.

They looked at each other and shrugged. "Guess I'll get it over with," Nick told them, shrugging out of his coat and handing it to Maria. He hopped up onto the table and JARVIS started a complete scan while the doctor pulled up his medical records.

"You want me to wait outside?" Maria asked.

"I don't have a problem with you staying, if you want to," he told her.

Ezra looked from one to the other. "You're both okay with anything that might be said?"

They both nodded.

"Let's see. If memory serves, we touched on several things back in my SHIELD days. Too much stress. Not enough rest. Bad eating habits. Too much coffee. Too many antacids and headache tablets. Too many cigarettes."

"I have stopped smoking," Nick told him. When the doctor looked up at him, he amended. "Mostly. Still enjoy the occasional cigar, but haven't had a cigarette in a couple of years now."

"That's something anyway, I suppose."

He continued studying the scan results, pointing out a few things to Jessica. When he instructed the woman to perform a manual blood pressure check, JARVIS spoke up.

"I assure you, Dr. Watkins, all my systems are checked, rechecked, and calibrated multiple times per second. There is no need for you to resort to technology so primitive it could barely even be considered technology. All readings are entirely accurate."

"No need to get your knickers in a twist, J."

"'I have no need or 'knickers.' Dr. Watkins. Twisted or otherwise."

"Circuits, then."

"Nor do I have circuits in the traditional sense."

"Get your feelings hurt," he tried grinning at the others.

"Also, something I do not possess. My observation was simply to prevent you wasting time by repeating tasks that had already been completed. Time that has now been wasted anyway by this pointless conversation."

"I trust your numbers, J. But I need to trust my hands and my mind and my low tech equipment, too. There are going to be times I don't have access to you and I have to be confident that I'm reading the situation correctly. This lets me 'calibrate' myself, so to speak," he explained to the AI as he put his stethoscope on and motioned for Nick to remove his shirt.

"Wise thought," the AI finally told him.

After spending several moments listening to his heart and breathing, the doctor nodded. "Sounds better now that you're not smoking a pack a day. Or more." He draped the instrument back around his neck, then turned his attention to Nick's chest.

"This is new," he commented, tapping at the scar left by a sniper's bullet.

"Couple of years," Nick told him with a shrug.

"The others are a lot older," Jessica commented.

"Shrapnel," Ezra said.

She nodded. "I know. My dad has a few like that on his back."

Ezra raised an eyebrow.

"Her dad and I served in the same unit. We saw the grenade land and were pushing everyone to cover. He was shoving me down when it went off."

The young woman cocked her head. "Funny. The way he tells it, you were pulling him to safety when it exploded."

Nick shrugged. "Does it really matter?"

"It does to the people he was able to come home to," she told him softly.

"We both made it home. Thanks to the medics who were able to patch us up."

Ezra nodded. "They did well, considering the situation they were in. Unfortunately, they were deep in enemy territory and it was several days before they could get them out. By the time they got them to a proper medical facility, some of the wounds had started to close up. Bones started to heal."

He looked at Nick's scans, pointing a few things out to Jessica.

"Still got the eye?" he asked, looking to the man on the table.

"Still there," Fury replied, sliding the patch off.

The doctor stepped close, examining the ruined orb and running light fingers over the facial bones. "No changes in vision? Pressure? Pain?"

"Nope."

"Most of the supporting bone structure was damaged," he explained to the nurse. "The amount of bone splinters and the scar tissue that had already started forming made surgery a risky proposition, so a decision was made to just keep an eye on things and act if needed."

She nodded her understanding.

"Prostate exam and colonoscopy?" the doctor asked.

Nick's gaze darted over to Maria, then he sighed. "All current," he told them.

Maria grinned. "No more embarrassing than when I'll get asked about my pap smear and mammogram," she told him. "Both done in the last six months, by the way," she added.

His exam complete, he hopped off the table, pulling his shirt back on as his fiancee removed her jacket and moved to take his place. While JARVIS ran his scans, the doctor looked at her records.

"We have a lot of similar issues with our Deputy Director as we do with the Director. High stress. A lot of bad habits about eating, sleeping, and exercise."

"I'm not smoking any more, either," she told him.

"You never did, did you?" he asked.

"No. But I'm still not."

He watched her a moment, then shook his head.

"How are you dealing with the claustrophobia issues?"

Nick gave her a curious look, which she ignored.

"I deal with what I need to deal with," she told him.

"Menstrual cramping? I notice you still haven't had surgery."

"Fine. No problem."

"Really?" Nick commented, and Ezra looked up.

"Not much," she amended. "It's only bad every 6 or 8 months or so and only for a day or two. I don't thinks it's bad enough to want to commit to all that surgery would involve."

The doctor motioned Jessica close. He pointed to an area of her scan.

"The patient experienced long term sexual abuse starting from an early age."

Maria noted his switch to using 'the patient' instead of her name, allowing her to distance herself from what he was saying. Nick stepped close, lifting her chin until she looked him in the eye. He kissed her gently, the held her gaze, hoping she knew that none of that mattered to him.

"That included a forced abortion under unsanitary conditions resulting in a severe infection that has left extensive scarring of the reproductive system. Due to the scarring, patient experiences painful pms symptoms and irregular cycles. Getting pregnant is highly unlikely. Surgical options have been discussed, but patient has chosen to manage symptoms with medication and has stated no intention to have children."

Nick kept his forehead pressed against Maria's, her hands wrapped in his.

"Then, we have the scar tissue on the back. Have you had any problems there, Agent Hill?" Dr Watkins asked, clearly relieved to be moving to a less sensitive subject.

"No," she replied. "Maybe a couple of spots where it pulls a little, but I don't even think about it most of the time."

"May I look?"

With a shrug, she pulled her shirt over her head. She head Jessica gasp slightly as she reached back and unfastened her bra.

"Like me to hold those for you?" Nick asked, eyeing her breasts with a leer.

He got the laugh he was looking for as the doctor gently ran his fingers over the scars, his face grim.

"Looks a whole lot better than the first time you saw it, Ezra," Nick told him.

"I suppose," he agreed. "Though I wish I had been able to do a better job of it."

"You did the best you could with what you had to work with," Maria reminded him.

"Was that a whip?" Jess asked.

"It was," Nick told her. "Bastard considered himself something of an expert." He pulled Maria's hand to his mouth, brushing a kiss across her knuckles. "We had finally tracked down a particularly nasty weapons dealer we had been trying to following."

"He had been moving his compound, always seeming to be one step ahead of us," Maria contributed.

"There were also a number of disappearances from some of the nearby villages. Primarily young women and children," Ezra said. "The ones that were found...let's just say even some hardened operatives had to avert their eyes."

Nick picked up the tale again. "We finally found them and managed to get a team inside. They were laying charges so we could blow the whole thing. One of our guys got captured. A couple of threats and he was ready to give up our whole team. Agent Hill took him out, even though she knew it would probably mean capture and torture for herself."

"I just needed to keep them distracted long enough for our team to finish their work," she said.

"After Malik let his men...have their fun...he had her strung up from the roof and pulled out his whip. It was a game for him, apparently, to see how long he make someone suffer. She kept his attention long enough for the others to finish up before they were discovered," Nick continued. "The scum started scattering like the cockroaches they were, trying to escape. Our main focus was getting their leader taken down. Except for Phil. Once he knew the guy was trapped, he shifted his focus to getting Maria out."

"Even though it meant going against orders," the doctor told his nurse.

Nick nodded. "Yeah. Orders were to get in, complete the mission, and get out. Take no unnecessary risks. Those two could never seem to remember that. Neither would leave the other behind."

Jessica gave him a knowing smile. "And yet, you continued to send them on jobs together."

"You noticed that, too," Ezra commented.

"Anyway," Nick continued, ignoring their interruption, "he managed to get to her in the confusion, got her down, took Malik out, and got her back to medical where Doc got her patched up."

"Like trying to sew together pieces of raw meat in some places," he mumbled.

"It may not be pretty, but it kept me alive," Maria told him.

He nodded for her to get dressed. "So you could go back for more."

"It's what we do."

After pulling her shirt on, Maria let her hair down so she could collect the loose strands back into her usual neat bun. A tendril snagged on her necklace and Jessica reached over to help untangle it. While the deputy director took care of her task, the other woman stepped close to study the slender chain.

Feeling the other woman watching her, she glanced up. "Sorry. Do you mind?"

Maria shrugged and she continued her examination, her hand sliding down to lift the ring that the chain supported as well.

"My mom came from a long line of jewelry artists. I didn't inherit the talent, but I can still appreciate a nice piece when I see it. And those are really nice," she said with a smile.

Hill looked down at the ring. "I suppose. I don't really even remember where it came from."

"Bull," Jessica answered with a snort. "A woman doesn't just select a random ring out of her jewelry box, thread a chain through it, and put it around her neck. When you do something like that...and a chain clearly designed to match the ring...it's pretty special." Her considering gaze slid from Maria to Nick, then back. "One might even speculate that it could be an engagement ring."

Maria dropped it down her shirt, staring coolly at the other woman. "One may speculate whatever one wishes, as long as one is careful to keep such speculations to oneself."

Jessica laughed. "I usually do. I'm just saying...someone has a really good eye for jewelry. Even if he only has one eye."

The agent laughed. "Agreed."

Exams complete, Nick and Maria returned to their quarters to collect their belongings before heading to headquarters for the day. She noted his rigid posture and clenched jaw and walked over, running a gentle hand down his arm.

"What's wrong?"

He looked at her a moment, then shook his head. "Nothing."

"Liar."

The corner of his lip twitched slightly.

"Yeah. I suppose so. But I can't really say much when you're so calm and collected."

"About what?"

"All that stuff this morning," he finally said, anger tingeing his voice. "Your father. Von Drake. Malik. All the memories that had to drag up for you. It just gets to me, thinking about all the horrible things they put you through, Maria. I just wish that I could do something. Fix it. Wipe it all away."

"But you can't," she told him, sliding her arms around him. "The past is done. We can't change it. Besides, if I hadn't gone through that, I wouldn't be who I am or be able to do the things I have to do. I suppose it may be a bit arrogant, but I like to think that I'm where I am for a reason. It wasn't pleasant getting here, but maybe I can do some good that I wouldn't have been able to if my life had been different."

"I know," he replied, his arms tightening around her. "I love who you are. I just hate what it took to get you here."

"And I love that about you," she answered, stretching up to kiss him.

"I just feel bad. I'm ready to hit something, and you're standing strong and going on."

"I have to, Nick. I have no choice. There are things that I have to do, so that means not thinking about all that stuff right now."

He nodded. "Just shove it in the closet and lock it away."

He felt her tremble and looked down at her.

"Box. I shove it in a box. No closet."

"Okay," he agreed. "No closets."

She sighed, then looked up at him. "Closets are for punishment. Dark closets. That lock from the outside," she whispered.

She felt him tense again, briefly, before he gently pulled her close again and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"I'm sorry. Sorry that you've had to overcome so much. You amaze me, Maria Hill."

She relaxed for a few moments, then pushed away.

"Not really so amazing. I can push it all away for now, but it's all going to be waiting. The next time I go to sleep, it will all be there."

He leaned forward to kiss her.

"Then, so will I."

And that's another one done. Thank you so much for taking the time to read. I'd love to know what you thought. Did I break through my block on this one or just get a concussion from hitting my head on it so much? Feedback welcomed with open arms.

Off to see what the Muse has in store for me next. Stroll? Complications? More Extras from anything? Guess we'll just have to see.

Until next time...