Chapter 31: Broadcasting Live From MonacoNotes:
All rights go to Marvel
Chapter Text
Pepper's POV
"Skye stay put. You hear me?" I said to the girl who I was speaking with only to get no reply. The only sound coming from the speaker let me know that she was standing up and making her way through the crowd. "Skye!" I repeated louder but she just hung up.
"Natalie. Natalie!" I called for Tony's new assistant and she came over quickly.
'Yes, Ms. Potts" her eyes glued on the TV screen which was broadcasting live the events from inside the track.
"I really need to get in there," I said pointing at the screen where the camera had zoomed in on Skye's face who just threw a wave of vibrations to the intruder.
I expected the woman to say that it was not safe for me to go there or something among these lines. However, with her eyes still glued at the same spot, she simply said, "Absolutely, I understand. How can I help you?" I looked at her as if she just grew a second head and she picked up on my reaction. "I'm guessing you have a way to assist Mr. Stark and… this girl. You are too smart to go in there without a plan" she explained, but still, the way that she pronounced 'this girl' didn't strike me quite right. It was as if she was hesitating and wasn't sure what to say exactly.
"Where is Happy?"
"He is waiting outside"
"Okay, get him. I need Happy" I watched as Natalie disappeared into the growing crowd, so I turned back on the TV and hissed as the guy who broke into the racetrack barely missed Skye's head, but found her shoulder. From the angle of the camera, I could see Tony taking shelter behind another sliced car and hoped that Happy would get here soon.
Skye's POV
I went against the crowd that was running away from the fight. I reached the end of the stands, but no stairs were leading to the ground. So I was left at least four meters off the ground and away from where Stark's car was already sliced and with the guy closing in on him.
So, I looked at my hands and took a deep breath. It appeared that I would have to do this the hard way. And with those thoughts I jumped.
For just a few seconds I felt as if time slowed down. But the feeling didn't last for long and the concrete came rushing towards me or, to be more precise, I was falling quickly towards it. I stretched my hands and send a directed wave of vibrations to the ground, slowing my descent and cracking the ground where my powers were concentrated. I still hadn't gotten the hang of it, but I rolled a couple of times and stood up without doing much harm to my body. I was really happy to find no new hairline fractures making their way down my arms.
Sending my powers off me wasn't as hard or painful, but was still quite tricky. I would have to 'extract' them off my body for at least a couple of weeks in a large field or something. If not, I felt like suffocating. Absorbing them inwards was what did most of the damage.
But it appeared that I had just found where to vend the excess power that I was currently withholding.
I lifted my gaze to the sound of electricity slicing a car, Stark's car. I released a breath I didn't know I was holding when I saw him slip out of harm's way. The feeling didn't last long though, as the billionaire walked behind the Whip Reactor guy–that was how I was going to call him for the time being, I decided– and hit his back with a car door. Only the hit did nothing to him and with a backhand slap, Stark was sent flying towards another car wreck.
I started making my way to the track, pushing people and personnel who were trying to prevent me from reaching my destination. Thankfully the Whip Reactor had slowed down on his way to a still dazed Stark. He was hitting his whip on the concrete, in a circular motion, powering the thing up. He probably wanted to hit his enemy full force.
But he never got the chance.
As soon as I stepped foot inside the track, I lifted my hands, similarly as before, and send strong vibration to his back. He was sent flying instantly.
Unfortunately, I didn't consider the direction that he was flying to, which was the same as the one that Stark was at. Thankfully the playboy was alert enough to jump out of the way and behind another sliced car, taking cover.
The Whip Reactor stopped a few feet from where Stark previously was and turned to look at me, clearly not expecting my interruption of his plans. He prepared to attack me and I raised my hands in front of my face, adopting a defensive position. It appeared that the car's fuels, from the wrecks, were leaking and this combined with the electricity coursing through the whips was not a pleasant combination. The moment his whips touched the liquid a great explosion occurred and the guy was sent flying once more. This time towards me.
I didn't even know how the guy was coherent after being hit so many times. However as I ducked to avoid him, he used his elbow and momentum to hit my shoulder and I rolled aggressively many times before coming to a stop.
Pain radiated from the place of impact, which was my shoulder and from the feeling it must have just been dislocated.
I was dizzy from my head hitting the ground but my S.H.I.E.L.D. training kicked in and I automatically placed my dislocated part back to its place. I was now laying on the ground, face-up, and I lifted my gaze to see the angry face of the Whip Reactor who just stood back on his feet.
This time with no fuels preventing him from fully attacking me, he sent one of his whips and I only barely managed to roll out of the way. The concrete where my head had just been cracked under the pressure of the weapon and I quickly got up before the second whip had a chance to wrap itself around my ankle.
"Stark, you okay?" I screamed as I ran to where he was.
He just looked at me as if he wasn't sure what he was watching. I peeked from the hiding place and saw the Whip Reactor closing in. I turned back to Stark who was still looking at me with this stupid look on his face. I don't have time for this, I thought.
"Snap out of it!" I yelled at his face and when he wasn't faced by that either, I did all that was left. With no hesitation, I raised my hand and slapped him hard on the face. "Focus!"
But I didn't have time to say anything else as the car that we were hiding behind was pushed, quite easily, by the guy who was looking down at us, fuming.
"Run," I said and quickly tackled the guy with all my strength.
It didn't do much, but it was enough of a kickstart for Stark to get away.
Without slowing down, I started punching him on his torso, but with my hands healed only a couple of days ago, I had yet to get all my strength back. I had decided that keeping the fight in a close-range style would be the most beneficial. Because he wasn't stupid enough to send his whip to me when I was close enough to him and risk hurting himself, would he?
He towered over me, trying to use his strength to his advantage, but I was too fast for him. I ducked out of the way and was behind him in an instant. I kicked the behind of his leg, making him fall on one knee. Quickly I send a roundhouse kick to his neck, hoping to at least daze him a little bit. But the man was a beast.
I felt as if time stopped when my kick did nothing and both his hands wrapped around my ankle. With no hesitation, he used all his strength to lift me off the ground and send me to the wall surrounding the racetrack.
I braced myself for the impact as good as I possibly could, but I hit my back on the wall and the back of my head followed in the same steps. I fell to the ground as if I was a heavy sack and could not find the energy to get back up. I dizzily watched as the Whip Reactor, satisfied with my lack of movement, started making his way to Stark. Just as black spots made their way to the edges of my vision and the pain became greater, I noticed a car making its way fast to where we were and thought I saw Happy on the driver's seat.
I closed my eyes and let the darkness take me, wishing that I had bought enough time for Mark V to get here.
Chapter 32: Inevitable MeetingNotes:
All rights go to Marvel
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Natasha's POV
I watched the live broadcasting of a girl fighting off the intruder, trying to protect Stark. At first, I was not a hundred percent sure whether it actually was Skye or not. I had not seen my surrogate sister for years, but something in my gut told me that this was her. Soon after she went into the racetrack the cameras zoomed in on her face, just as Potts called me over. I heard the CEO talking in the back, giving me instructions but my focus was on the scar on the left eyebrow of the girl.
And this is how there was no doubt in my mind. This was Skye. And on top of everything else she appeared to have gained powers.
Pepper claimed that she wanted to go in there and I immediately agreed. If she had a way of helping Skye out, there was no way I would say no. Because I really wanted to speak with the girl and making the phone call for S.H.I.E.L.D. to come in… well this would not help my plans at all.
I called for Happy and soon turned my attention back on the TV screen. I watched the fight play out, secretly assessing Skye up. She wasn't as sharp as she used to be years ago, but she had kept up with her training, her agility all so present. I felt my stomach twist when she hit the wall and fell to the ground with a *thumb* and the camera didn't turn back to her face, but instead turned to record Stark's fight. Hopefully, it meant that she was just knocked out because I honestly didn't want to think of anything worse.
I had just found out about where she was, there was no way in Hell I could lose her now.
A few hours later I was sitting next to a hospital bed where Skye was laying on top of. Stark and Potts had left to go to the police office where the intruder was held.
I was assigned by Stark to stay by Skye's side at all times and inform him should anything happen. When I was told so, his tone was all so serious and I could see genuine concern in both, Potts and his, eyes. It seemed that Skye had managed to crawl her way into their hearts, in the short amount of time she was around.
I had put two and two together, and Skye finding a new job around the time when Stark Industries security walls grew stronger couldn't be a coincidence.
Potts was the one who appeared to be more concerned about Skye's wellbeing. All the time that she was in the hospital, before leaving for the police department, she was clinging to Skye's hand, her thumb carefully caressing the back of her hand. There was also no surprise on her face when Skye used her powers during the fight, so she must have known. What had Potts that I didn't and she trusted her enough with a secret that even I didn't know about? We were so going to talk when she regained consciousness. Maybe, then, I would even feel angry for keeping such a big part of her life a secret, but the dominant feeling that I had right now, was that of concern.
To my surprise, Skye came to earlier than the doctors expected. Like… hours earlier.
I was in the room, of course, with my computer open, filling in the latest report to send to the director. I was typing through the events of today's disaster when I heard a ruffle coming from the bed. My computer was instantly switched off and I was by Skye's shoulder, watching her face as she came to. My hand found its way to hers, which was just laying next to her body. I remained silent as her eyes blinked a handful of times, probably because the lights in the room were too bright for her. Turned out, she had a concussion from the head injury. Just as silently I went to turn the lights off and was by her side once more, my fingers wrapped around hers.
The girl was about to move her slanged arm and I squeezed so that her attention was turned on me.
Really slowly, mainly because of the drugs running through her system, she turned her head and her eyes rested on my form. Her eyebrows furrowed a little bit, as if not sure what was happening. "Nat?", she said with a voice so hoarse, but so small and vulnerable at the same time.
I crouched to her level and brushed a lock of hair gently behind her ear. "Hello little one. How do you feel?", my tone ever so gentle.
"Like I got hit by a truck" she turned back and made a move to lift her left hand on her face, having not realised that it was bandaged up. A hiss escaped her lips from the movement, probably because sharp pain went through her system. Her head turned to search for the reason for pain and her eyes rested on the slang. "What…?"
"Your shoulder got dislocated when you hit the wall. Worse than the first time and because of the short span between one dislocation and the other the doctors wanted to take precautions" I replied not sure how much of what I just said would get processed by her dazed brain.
To my surprise, she grasped all the info as if she was wide awake, though she didn't look the part at all. "Let me guess, I also have a concussion and a couple of broken ribs, right?", which was actually everything the doctors had diagnosed. "And I should be up and about tomorrow, taking it easy of course, and that my injuries would still be annoying for about 2 weeks, especially the ribs?" I decided to hide my surprise for the accuracy of the information that had just left her mouth and put on my neutral facial expression with a simple raised eyebrow. Skye smirked at my reaction and was about to laugh when a wave of coughing hit her and her good hand flew from mine and grasped her tormented ribs, not being able to mask a wince from appearing on her face.
Immediately I reached the nightstand on the side and grabbed the glass of water which was patiently waiting to be used. "Here" I urged, holding the straw to her lips. "Slow and small sips". For once in her life, she listened to me, not a really good sign if I were honest.
"Give me half the time the doctors foresaw. I should have fully recovered by then" she spoke after having drank a good portion of the water.
"How do you–"
"I just do, okay?" She interrupted me, in a stronger voice than I expected. I knew that tone… she did not want to talk about it.
I straightened my back, my mask never leaving my face. She didn't want to talk? Fine. We weren't going to talk. "I'm gonna inform Stark and Potts of your awakening, they were really worried for you. They care about you and you obviously share the feeling" I didn't let any emotion slip in my voice. I moved and grabbed a bag that I had brought with me and took out of it a laptop. "It's a standard Stark Industries laptop," I said as I placed the item close to her feet. "It should have any software you may need to erase your tracks from the internet. The live broadcasting should not stand a chance against your skills, should it?" Without looking back, I left the room while placing my phone to my ear, calling the CEO.
"Natasha…" I faintly heard Skye call, but I kept walking until I was out of the building, my emotionless mask net slipping even once.
Notes:I mean, it had to happen at some point, right?
Chapter 33: Taking A Brak, Or NotNotes:
All rights go to Marvel
Chapter Text
Skye's POV
After Natasha left me alone in the room, I sighed and closed my eyes, leaning my head even further into the pillow. I knew that I would eventually bump into her but this was not how I expected our reunion to go.
Trying to push those thoughts out of my mind I decided that I needed to do something to keep myself from thinking about the disaster that just occurred. Switching on the laptop I started working on what Natasha had brought the computer for, erasing my tracks. It was quite trickier than the other times that I had done the same, keeping my identity in the shadows. One reason was that I could only use one hand, given that the shoulder on the other one was pretty beat up. The other reason would be the sheer amount of pictures with me that existed on the internet only hours after the event. I was hoping that any pictures had yet to be printed out for the next day's newspapers and I was really glad that I had come to when I did. So getting to work, I started making my way through the dark web, coding as fast as I could, deleting everything I could find. The trickiest parts were the news stations that had the live broadcasting already up and running, so I would have to hack into the system of every news agency in the nearby area, as well as in America where Stark-related news was sure to make an appearance.
I finished quicker than I expected, or Stark and Pepper came in the hospital late. With no clock in the room, I had lost track of time, especially since I had not stopped working on the computer. I could see Natasha looking at me from the door window but she made no move to stop me, or even come into the room for that matter.
So, when the duo of Stark Industries came in, I had completely no idea what time it was. Especially since I dozed off a little bit and woke up with silent whispers happening in the room.
I took a deep breath, releasing it heavily and making my awakening known to the people surrounding me. All whispers seized instantly and I heard someone walk across the room, standing on my right before I felt a hand on my shoulder. I slowly opened my eyes, finding that I was more tired than I thought I was. Probably I was more heavily injured than I first assessed and my system was trying to recover as quickly as possible. "Skye" I heard Pepper say with a small voice close to my ear as if she didn't want to disturb me.
I turned my face in her direction and gave her a tired smile. "Hey," I said with my, once again, sore throat.
"Hey" she smiled back. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired" I saw Pepper's eyebrows furrow at that and so I added, "Don't worry. It must be the drugs" I lied swiftly. "I should be good to go back to the US today. You have stuff that you need to do at the Industries and I can't be the reason for you not being there". Emphasising my words, I sit up on the bed, resting by back on the wall behind me, trying really hard not to flinch from my still sore ribs. "See, I'm good," I told her with a genuine smile on my face.
"Oh, Skye. You don't have to worry about that, we will take a day off. The doctor said that he would give you the okay to leave the hospital tomorrow. And we are not leaving before that" her hand squeezing my shoulder as she spoke.
"But I'm fine, call the doctor in. He can run any tests he wants to. I may not be feeling great but I can still rest on the plane on the way back" I told her, mimicking her business voice.
"Natalie?" I heard Stark's voice from the other side of the room.
"Right away Mr. Stark," Natasha said and left the room to get the doctor.
"You sure you are okay?" Stark asked as he came in closer. When I nodded my head the concern left his face and what came up was something similar to anger. But why in Hell would he be angry with me? But my question was answered soon as he opened his mouth before I got a chance to express my inner thoughts. "What the Hell were you thinking?" He asked, while his tone picked up a lot.
"Tony" Pepper warned.
"No. Let him speak" I but Pepper off, giving Stark the chance to vent off.
He didn't lose a second. "What were you thinking, huh? Coming in there when a mad man was loose, with a clear agenda against me, and let me not mention the electric whips he had. I had to sit and watch helplessly as you beat each other up and as you somehow sent him flying towards me without even touching him? Wanna tell me what that was about? Huh? Do you have any idea how worried everyone was when you hit that wall and didn't get back up? You were helplessly laying inside a battlefield and the guy could easily turn against you and I didn't know if I would be fast enough to intervene. Do you have any idea how worried sick Pepper was?" He finished and pointed at the woman who was still standing by my side.
His angry face oh-so-present as he punched the wall with all his strength and let out, "Gosh Skye! I told you that I would not stand anything happening to you. I told you to be careful!", he exclaimed and I was sure that even people from outside the room would be able to hear him talking.
"You finished?" I asked after he remained quiet for a long time. He didn't answer and I took his silence as a yes. "What I was thinking, Stark, was that I could not stand and watch a guy who clearly had the upper hand beat you up. What I was thinking, was that I could buy enough time for Pepper and Happy to bring you Mark V. That I had more chances of making it out of this fight alive than you had, had you gone against him without your suit. And I did.
"Am I beaten up? Sure. But am I alive? Definitely. Don't pretend that if something similar happened to someone you cared about…" my eyes moving to Pepper's direction without her knowing, but Stark got the memo "… that you would do nothing about it. So yeah, I think that I was thinking pretty clearly when I entered that racetrack"
I would say more, but a knock on the door prevented me from continuing.
"Come in," said Pepper, obviously glad for the interruption.
Natasha's face appeared through the door. "The doctor is here".
"Great, send him in," Pepper said, once again really glad for the doctor's arrival. As a guy with a white robe came in I knew that the conversation that I had with Stark was over for now. But it was far from over in general…
Pepper's POV
The hospital doctor was actually quite impressed with Skye's recovery and allowed her to travel that day, only if she would still be monitored for at least a week more by the Industries doctor's. So here we were, on the way back to Malibu.
Tony had disappeared for the last few hours, God knows where, and I was tired of sitting alone in the jet, so I went to check up on Skye. Happy had disappeared into the cockpit, giving Skye the whole of the back of the plane and some privacy. I knocked gently on the door that led to her seat and when I got no reply I, just as gently, opened it to see the girl sleeping on the seat.
I walked up to her, gently lowering the back of the seat so that she was laying instead of sitting and threw a blanket over her sleeping form. She seemed so innocent and at peace when she was asleep that it broke my heart a little bit. I didn't think that I had ever seen her so relaxed ever since I met her. I was sure that she wanted to stay awake for the journey back to the mansion, but it seemed that her system had shut down without her permission. I carefully tucked the blanket around her shoulders, making sure that she was warm while not touching her dislocated shoulder. I straightened my back, but I couldn't find the strength to leave. Bending down, I placed a small kiss on her forehead whispering for her to get well soon.
The calmness that I had when I went back to my seat was shattered in moments when I opened the TV and saw Senator Stern making a speech about the events on Monaco. Quite soon Tony came in and muted the television.
"He should be giving me a medal. That's the truth" he said as he sat down opposite to me and placed a tray with a fork and knife next to it.
"He should be giving Skye a medal" I replied, my eyes focusing on the tray, whose contents I could not see. "What is that?"
"This is your in-flight meal" he declared as he revealed a weirdly made omelette, looking at me in the eyes.
Wha– I thought and looked around, not sure where that came from. "Did you just make that?"
"Yeah," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Where do you think I've been for three hours" and he sat back, looking out of the window.
"Tony," I said carefully, trying to draw his attention back at me. "What are you not telling me?" I had a feeling that he was hiding stuff from me for quite a while now. And with the whole speech to Skye and the omelette, he could not cook to save his life. So something was definitely off here. He did turn to look at me, with one of the most genuine expressions that I had ever seen him wear. These wide eyes looking straight at mine let me know that what came next would be the truth and only the truth.
"I don't wanna go home… at all," he said exacerbated. "Let's cancel my birthday party and… We're in Europe. Let's go to Venice, Cipriani. Remember?" How could I not? "It's a great place to… to… be healthy" he concluded.
"I don't think this is the right time" I answered back, shaking my head. My tone never rising about normal. "We're in kind of a mess. What about Skye? She needs to get back to the mansion and get better" I tried reasoning with him.
"Exactly," he said as if I just affirmed his words. "Maybe that's why it's the best time. I am thinking about Skye, she will have the time to relax, get away from the needs of the company".
"Well, I think as a CEO, I need to show up. And don't try to bring Skye into this. She will have generous time-off when we go back until she is ready to start working again. We both know she earned it". He made a move to open his mouth and for some reason, I knew exactly what he was going to say, so I spoke before he managed to. "No… I cannot take a leave at a time like this, not now" this was Stark's way to get away from problems and how I, as his assistant, would end up cleaning after him.
"Well, I'm just saying, to recharge our batteries and figure it all out" he tried again.
I let out a sigh looking out of the window and at the setting sun. "Not everyone runs out of batteries Tony" and this was something that he didn't have an answer to.
Skye's POV
The moment we stepped into the mansion it was as if all Hell broke loose. The quiet of the plane was instantly replaced with the sound of phones ringing all over the place, and TV screens displaying the news of several channels being open in the living room. Because of the time difference with Monaco, plus the hours spent on the flight, we had basically lost almost a whole day and it seemed that a lot had happened that day.
"Natalie, could you please take Skye to her room and make sure she doesn't overwork herself?" Pepper asked Natasha kindly.
It seemed that during some part of the flight or the events that occurred in Monaco, Natasha had become more of Pepper's assistant instead of Stark's. "Of course, Ms. Potts," the agent said with a forced smile, that only I could detect. "I will take your bag for you. Please, this way Ms. Skye" she said to me with the same tone, as she pointed up the stairs for me to go.
The second her form had passed my room door I closed the door and locked it. Natasha didn't even seem phased by that, since it must have been something that she was expecting to happen.
I moved to my desk and opened the several computers that I was provided with for my work in the Industries. "Jar, we are not to be disturbed unless Pepper or Stark asks for either of us. Also, disable the recording equipment for this room. I shall switch it back on once we have finished here"
"Of course, Ms. Skye" came J.A.R.V.I.S.' immediate reply.
After making sure that everything was in order I moved to my bed and sat down. I made a gesture for Natasha to take the desk chair, since I figured that she would be more comfortable there, mostly because of the distance that this would create between us. When she didn't do as much as blink I let out a sigh. "We need to talk, right?"
Chapter 34: Sisters By ChoiceNotes:
All rights go to Marvel
Chapter Text
Skye's POV
"We need to talk, right?" I said and could see that Natasha was wearing her famous "Assassin Mask". I was one of the few people, alongside Clint, Phil and May, that could see behind it. "Am I gonna do the talking or are you?" I prompted, hoping to get a reply. Of course, I got none, not that I had high hopes for the opposite.
Natasha just stood there, her arms folded at her chest, which was rising steadily with each breath as she kept her heart rate steady. "How have you been?" I tried with a bit of a playful tone, only to get the same lack of response. We stayed like that, engulfed in silence that was getting more awkward by the second. My eyes couldn't meet hers and finally rested on the ground, not looking anything in particular. I knew that she wasn't going to talk, I knew that she was angry, but I never had this problem of her shutting me out and it had an uneasy feeling rise to my chest. Close to my heart, as if someone had grabbed it and was slowly squeezing. We might have been only a few feet apart, but I felt like I had lost her already.
"What do you want me to say?" I finally gave in. "That I am sorry I left without leaving a trace behind? I cannot lie to you and say that I am, because I am not. I know I did what I had to protect you guys and I will always do that". The memories of the nightmare that had caused an earthquake in New York, as well as many similar ones that I had had during my alone time, came rushing through my mind, but I pushed them aside. No, this is different, I said to myself.
"I kept tabs on everyone, you know? Kept hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D. just to make sure that everyone was okay. I read about all the missions that you and Clint went together, about Phil's missions that Fury sends him all over the world as his second in command. And about May… well, you know, her transferring to Admin. And other people as well" she knew who I was talking about, so there was no need for any explanations. "By the way the room is soundproof, you can yell at me all you want. I know that you are angry so please, go ahead. Anything will be better than the cold shoulder that I am getting from you right now" I whispered the last part, my voice going smaller than I would have liked.
It was a few goods and far-stretched minutes before Natasha spoke. "We could have helped you".
At that moment I lifted my eyes and met hers. "Helped me? We both know that that's bullshit, Natasha. S.H.I.E.L.D. would take the first opportunity to put me in a lab and make me their pet lab. See how my powers worked after tons of experiments. And seriously now? We? When did you become so indulged into the agent part, so loyal to them?"
What came next took me completely by surprise. She came in close, faster than I had expected, and slapped me hard on the cheek, not caring for the concussion that I had earned myself only the previous day.
It took me a few moments to get my bearing, and she waited patiently for me to do so before she spoke. "How can you think that I meant S.H.I.E.L.D.? I would never let them get their hands on you had I known about your powers. You know very well the people that I am referring to. Because we all care about you just as much as you care about us. Maybe more, considering all the energy and time that we put into trying to track you down when you obviously didn't want to be found. And you do, what? Leave without leaving a trace, disappearing altogether and all any of us get are you sending me a message four freaking years later?"
"You have every right to be angry," I told her.
"I am not angry" she countered. "I am disappointed and… hurt. You know how hard it is for me to let people in. And yet I allow you, time after time when you clearly don't share the same feelings for me" every word was emotionless.
My heart rate was spiking up after hearing her words. "What are you–?"
"It seems that your new best pal, Potts, knows more stuff about your life in the past few years than me. She knew about your powers, didn't she?" She asked, but her tone let me know that she knew the answer already. She scoffed when I didn't reply and just dropped my head. I could feel the sting in my eye growing by the minute. "I thought so. So, what? You've been with her for how long? Two weeks max? And still, you told her. I know you for way longer, I have particularly raised you. And yet you trust her more than me? Or were you not trusting me enough to keep your secret from Fury? So, yeah, I may be a little hurt but I believe that I have every right to be".
I could not help it. Her words were too similar to the nightmares, our relationship was practically destroyed and I had only myself to blame. My hands wrapped around my bent knees, not caring about the protests that my left shoulder was sending me. I rested my head on top of my knees and let the tears fall free, not being able to hold them in for any longer.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry" I kept repeating in between sobs. "I know that this is all my fault. I wanted to tell you but didn't know how" I was not sure if she could understand what I was saying, but I just wanted to take this off my chest. After not getting any reaction from Natasha I added, "I can understand if you don't want to be sisters anymore".
The last part was only a whisper. Inner fears finally materialising in the form of words.
I did not hear anything after that. My heart beating loudly in my ears, and that along with my sobs was the only things that I could hear. I did not get any reply for quite some time, or even if I did I was not sure I would be able to hear it in the state that I was in. It must have been minutes since I spoke, and the silence let me guess that Natasha had just agreed and left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I startled and flinched when a hand landed on my shoulder. I didn't think that I could stand it if she just wanted me to look at her so that she could agree with me.
Her hand, which had been retrieved when I first flinched, landed once more on my good shoulder and I couldn't find the energy to move it away. "Skye" Natasha's voice was soft, not the robotic one that she previously had. "Skye, look at me" she continued only for me to shake my head.
I didn't know how, I really didn't, but she somehow managed to grab my chin and lift my head. Hers was just centimetres from mine, but I still looked down unable to face her in such a close range. "Look at me," she said once more and with her other hand brushed a tear that was running down my cheek. The moment I looked up she spoke.
"You will always be my sister, okay? Always and nothing is going to change that. I might be hurt by you pushing me away, but I will always come looking for you. No matter what. This is what families do. We protect and take care of each other" both her smile and soft tone was genuine to the bone. "I will always be your sister" she leaned in and rested her forehead to mine. "Always"
I let my legs unwrap and fall of the bed, as I hugged Nat. Holding her like a lifeline, she returned the gesture. The silence that the room was now in was not an uncomfortable one.
"I missed you so much" I whispered in her ear.
"I missed you too," she said back. The smile on my face was not a forced one and I had a feeling that she had the same expression as me.
Chapter 35: Insecurities Coming OutNotes:Very much a filler chapter, but we get some more bonding between Nat and Skye. Sorry if I missed any mistakes, hope you enjoy!
All rights go to Marvel
Chapter Text
Skye's POV
The night was not as long as I thought it would be. Since I had slept on the way back, on the jet, I was waiting for my batteries to be fully charged when we arrived at the mansion. I didn't know whether it was the talk with Natasha that exhausted me, or if it was my system trying to heal up as quickly as possible.
I continued talking with my sister, but I dozed off. I had dozed off now at least 3 times in the last couple of days and I didn't want to make a habit out of it. But, as tiredness took over, I didn't even try to fight it off. I closed my eyes, while I was leaning back on the wall next to my bed. When I woke I was tucked in my blankets and lay down on the bed, with a pillow under my head. This brought a small smile to my face and it reminded me of the way that I had woken up in the Starks jet. Pepper must have been the one who did that. I should really thank her for that.
I got out of the bed, changed with quite a bit of difficulty because of my slanged arm and broken ribs, which protested whenever I lifted my hand above my shoulder's length. Finally, after what seems forever, I made my way downstairs.
The previous day's chaos still existed, only on a much smaller scale.
Pepper and Natasha were in the living room, sitting on opposite sofas, as papers were spread all around them. They would occasionally speak to one another and continue their work in silence. The tips of my mouth titled up while I was looking at them. They were really good partners. And with Natasha taking undercover as seriously as she did, I had no doubt that she was helping Pepper as much as possible, which was way more than any other assistant would have.
"Hey, you're up" Pepper's voice echoed through the room, making me focus back on the present. "How are you feeling?" She asked as she got up and made her way to where I was standing.
"I'm feeling fine, thanks for asking. I also wanted to thank you for taking care of me in the jet" I said with genuine words.
"Please" she waved my thanks off with a wave of her hand. "It was nothing you should thank me for. It was the least that I could do" she carefully and hesitantly wrapped her arms around me. Just as hesitantly I placed my right hand on her back. "I'm just really glad that you are okay. If you need anything, and I mean anything, don't hesitate to ask" she quietly said in my ear so that Natasha wouldn't hear.
My gaze darted to my sister's direction who was still working on her papers, but I could see that she was watching us from the corner of her eye. "I've got everything I need, don't worry" I replied a little louder than the tone that Pepper previously used. The brief smile on Natasha's lips was all I needed to see. I moved back, letting Pepper know that she could unwrap her hands from around me.
"Any plans for today?" She asked as she walked back to the sofa that she was previously sitting on.
"It's Stark birthday party tonight, isn't it?"
"Exactly, so are you gonna go shopping? Wear something nice for a change tonight?" She had a playful tone in her voice that I had to hear since before she became CEO.
However, I shook my head as I said, "I wouldn't feel comfortable going out in the public so soon after the incident. Maybe you could arrange something for me and I'll give you the money?" I asked, knowing that she wouldn't leave such an opportunity to escape her grasps. I saw a huge smile that was reaching her ears appear on her face and it warmed my heart. After all, that was going on ever since she became in charge she deserved something more relaxing that would brighten up her day a little bit. And since she would never lose time to go for a massage, this would have to do.
"I will definitely do so" she declared. "And don't worry about the bill, I'll take care of it".
"No, please. I cannot accept you paying for it as well. You've done enough" I told her, with a stern voice and pleading eyes to not pressure the subject more.
"Fine" she ended up giving in with a long sigh. "But, if not for the shopping, what are you going to do until the time for the party arrives?"
I rubbed my neck with my good hand in this question. I had really not thought about what I was going to do all day and I was not allowed to go back to work just yet. There were also some things that I would like to discuss with Natasha, but I could not in front of Pepper. As if hit by lightning, my eyes sparkled with the fresh idea that came to my mind.
"I could help Ms. Rushman get used to the Industries' technology. Walk her through the several servers so that she is more used to our systems and the way they work. It will make both your lives much easier if she can fill paperwork and find archives as fast as possible?" I tried, not sure how convincing I would be.
"Skye…" Pepper glared with her look that let me know she was serious.
"Hear me out. I will not work, I promise. And Ms. Rushman can make sure that I stay well away from the computers. I will just guide her and show her how everything works" I turned to look to Natasha, nodding and hoping that she got my message.
"I will make sure that she doesn't strain herself. Truth is I could use some help learning how exactly the system is running in the company" Natasha's voice seemed so ill and faked in my ears. But Pepper seemed satisfied with the answer and seemed to trust Natasha, or should I say, Natalie, enough to keep an eye on me, so she nodded. "Lead the way Ms. Skye" came the assistant's next words.
"Please, call me Skye," I said back and started heading to the main computer room of the mansion, where I had more freedom in working with multiple computers at the same time.
"Then please, feel free to call me Natalie" she instantly replied, making sure that we were within Pepper's hearing range so that she knew what was going on. It would be really awkward if we started talking to each other in the first person with no explanation to the CEO. Presumably, we had only met the previous day when she waited for me to wake up at the hospital.
The moment we stepped into the desired location the door behind us was closed and the recording system switched off just like the previous night.
After neither of us spoke for a few minutes, Nat broke the silence. "We both know that I am an expert with the computers" that I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Fine. Maybe a little less of an expert than you are. So, what do you want to talk about? You know, I really need to do some of the paperwork because otherwise, my position as Potts' assistant won't last long and if you haven't figured it out already, Stark needs monitoring" she said all with one breath.
After a couple of moments contemplating how I should start, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You know I was expecting more questions from you, right?"
"We both know that you weren't going to answer any of them if you didn't want to. So what's the point of even asking?" She scoffed and leaned on the wall with her arms wrapped against her chest. "You can ask away though. Unless it's classified I don't see a reason why I wouldn't be able to answer your questions" she pointed at a rolling chair for me to seat, since my ribs had started to hurt. I gladly did as I was told, which brought a concerning look wash over Natasha's features. "You okay? Need me to get some ice?" She had already moved from the wall and was next to the door, ready to exit instantly if need be.
"No, no, I'm fine. Just sit" I tried to reassure her. I knew that she wasn't convinced but she didn't argue, though she stayed by the door, just in case.
There were a million questions and alternatives going through my mind at that point. What could happen in the future, what happened in the past, as well as what was going on right now. I knew that many of my choices had affected the people around me and I didn't want that to happen to the people that I cared for again. Not if it was something that I could control.
"What's going on Skye? What's wrong?" Natasha had come close to me and was crouching down, placing a hand on my knee. To my credit, I didn't flinch or show how lost I was in my own thoughts. It was a habit that both she and Hill had tried to make disappear but neither had succeeded. Without thinking about it too much, I placed my hand on top of hers and smiled sadly. "I don't want to lose you again" was all I said and Nat understood right away.
"You are not–"
"You cannot promise that" I interrupted before she even formed a sentence that I knew would be her immediate answer. "You cannot promise that once S.H.I.E.L.D. learns about me that they won't separate us. And I know that you won't tell them about me until I allow you to, which is why they have yet to run through the doors" at that I squeezed my hand and my sister did the same. "But I cannot make you keep such a secret when it would mean endangering your position. So, we will go together to the director for me to explain myself once all of this is over. But not before I make sure that Pepper is fine, because in case you haven't noticed Stark is quite a handful, wouldn't you think?" I smirked and was glad to receive a laugh as a reply.
"Of course" Nat reassured and stroked my knee with her thumb. Then she moved in her position a little bit and I knew that a question was coming. "Why do you care about her so much?"
I contemplated the answer for quite a while. Not really sure how to put the feelings that I had for Pepper into words. It was a more complicated situation than I had initially thought it would be. Plus, I had never imagined meeting someone like her after all the years I had spent alone. "I don't know" I started absent-mindedly. I let out a small laugh and leaned further back into my chair. "I honestly don't. I just know that I do"
I was relieved to see Natasha wearing a smile on her face and not being hurt by this statement. "I guess she reminds me of Mel sometimes".
With that, a pair of laughter echoed through the room. "Yeah," Nat said between breaths. "Ι guess you could say that", she added only I didn't hear the strain in her voice.