Nina was very bored and after a phone call with her son and adoptive father, she realised she just really wanted out of the base. She hadn't been outside since Wisconsin, which was a few days ago and since she was off field duty, she knew there wouldn't be an opportunity to leave anytime soon.

Unless she made one.

Which was exactly what she was planning to do when she moved through the base and found Mack and May.

"I thought you were off base," Nina said as she strolled up to Mack at the same time May did.

"I just got back," Mack said as he looked at Nina weary. He didn't expect her to be friendly considering what the last thing she'd heard him say was.

"You want to tell me what's going on?" May asked, ignoring the pleasantries. Nina took a step back to physically remove herself from the conversation and hopefully avoid May's wrath.

"I'm sorry?" Mack asked confused.

"You've been off base several days babysitting Hunter. Yet here you are," May said and at the mention of her brother, Nina took a small step forward.

"What? Oh, and no Hunter, yeah. Well, I mean what can I say? I spent the last 48 hours in Athens, Georgia keeping the guy out of bar fights," Nina winced slightly as Mack recounted Hunter's adventures. They looked out for each other and yet here she was failing to look out for him, "I mean, the guy's in no shape to return."

"I should call him," she stated quietly to which Mack turned to her, almost panicked, before shaking his head.

"Might want to give it a few hours," he said calmly, "he was knocked out when I left."

Nina nodded with a pout and turned back to May, missing Mack's reaction to her action. His eyes dropped down to her lips and the moment he realised what he'd done, he looked back up focusing on the wall just passed her head.

"Well, then we've got a problem," May said, pulling the man out of his inappropriate thoughts.

"We do?" He asked, confused as to what May was referring to.

"Hunter didn't resign or take a leave of absence. He went AWOL."

"Yeah, a broken heart will make a guy do dumb things."

Nina cocked her head slightly at the mention of a broken heart. Last she'd heard from Hunter, he was talking about staying at SHIELD to further things with Bobbi. Nina was under the impression things were going well for them and although they'd broken up more times than she'd 'died', this one felt weird to her.

"So will money and opportunity," May stated.

"Do you really think Hunter would sell SHIELD secrets?" Nina spoke up, the look May gave her told her that was exactly what she was thinking, "he's not like that. He'll steal you beer sure, but he isn't the kind of man who leaves without a reason or who would sell government secrets. That's just not my brother."

May simply nodded after staring at Nina for a moment. She trusted her and if Nina trusted Hunter, May would too... for the time being at least.

"Was Bobbi there when you left?" She asked, focusing her attention back on Mack. Nina perked up at the mention of Bobbi, she'd wanted to speak to the woman for a while but she was never to be found.

[2] An Executioner's Requiem | Leo FitzWhere stories live. Discover now