Cat and mouse (part 1) Revised version!

Chapter 1

I was zoning out more than usual today, and when I pushed my glasses farther onto the bridge of my nose it was more out of habit than the need to keep them in place.
Lilly, my closest friend was always smacking my hands away when she saw it coming but at this point it was a borderline nervous tick.
I was lost in thought, pretending to read the email on my computer screen when I realized someone was standing in front of my desk, polished nails dancing along the the top of it agitatedly.
"I'm sorry, how can I help you?" I asked mustering some professionalism into my voice.
"I'm here to meet with director Fury." The young woman replied with haughty authority.
She was beautiful, curly auburn hair but mean eyes.
I fumbled in the appoitment book looking for today's date. My receptionist skills were currently less than stellar and it only became more evident when my planner was open three days behind.
"Are you going to call up to let me in, or not?"
My lips pursed into a straight line to stop myself from telling her exactly where she could go with that attitude, instead I busied myself with the phone and dialed the number for Fury's office.
It only rang once before an impatient 'what!' was yelled in my ear.
"There's a young woman who's here to see you.." I paused and looked at her. "What did you say your name was?"
"Karla."
"Bring her up." He groaned after I'd recounted the name to him.
"Follow me please." I said standing and smoothing the wrinkles from my slacks.
She stayed silent but I could feel her eyes digging into my back as I pulled a keycard from around my neck and swiped it on the keypad unlocking the door with a soft beeping noise.
The hallway was bare, only the white walls and fluorescent lights greeted us.
I pressed the button to call the elevator as we stood in awkward silence, shoving my glasses back onto my nose once again and glancing sideways at the young woman.
She was eyeing me as well, only she looked less than impressed. I tried to keep my hands still as they wanted to wipe themselves self consciously on my pants. The elevator dinged and I let her step inside first, my manners not completely forgotten.
"What did you say your name was?"
"I didn't." I said avoiding her eyes, not wanting to see the her mentally scrutinizing me.
"Shouldn't you wear a name tag or something?"
The elevator lurched letting us know we'd arrived three floors up and I was saved from having to answer.
The noise from the main floor of SHEILD flooded my senses as the door opened. Everyone bustled around the floor; some on the phone, some gathered around a white board working on a case or current world event. My heart gave a familiar squeeze of longing to join them.
I didn't even care which specialty, I just wanted to be up here with everyone else, helping to make the world safe and protecting people.
I saw a familiar brunette in the middle of a heated conversation with one of the agents, but when her eyes caught mine her face lit up and she sent a wave in my direction.
Jane was back, and she looked back to her usual self arguing semantics with the field agents.
I had just lifted my hand to wave back and ended up smacking a pile of papers from someone's arms.
"I am so sorry!" I apologized trying to pluck papers from the air as fast as I could.
A man was kneeled on the ground gathering the ones splayed across the floor. When he stood I thrusted my messy pile at him apologizing again. His hazel eyes were encircled with black glasses, they looked at me curiously, not a hint of anger that I'd just messed up what was probably hours worth of organization.
"It was an accident, don't worry about it." He said giving me a small smile and shuffling the papers to lie flat together. "I haven't seen you around, are you new to?"
"No..not at all actually I just-"
"She's just the secretary, and she's supposed to be helping me get to my appointment with director Fury." Karla snapped from behind me, crossing her arms over her beige blazer and giving me a pointed look.
I willed my face to corporate but I felt it flush anyway.
"Right..Excuse me." I said turning away from him and leading her to the hallway.
I would smack my forehead if it wasn't so cliche.
Whoever the new handsome agent was, miss bad attitude just dashed every hope I had at not looking like some blubbering pencil pusher.
I knocked on Fury's door and heard a muffled yell for me to come in.
"Director Fury, Karla is here to see you." I said standing aside as she all but shoved past me.
"You really should think about getting a new secretary, the one you have would be fired in an instant if she worked for me."
I bit the sides of my cheeks and glanced at Fury, my ears burning in embarrassment and anger.
I'd been slacking lately and he knew it, she might have been a grade A pain, but she was right..anywhere else and I'd have been fired months ago.
My fingers fisted up the sleeves of my shirt nervously as she yanked out a chair and sat down, crossing her heeled feet at the ankles.
He laughed, a quick and boisterous laugh and I wasn't sure if it was sleep deprivation or to much caffeine but it sounded dangerous either way.
"You know, I'd have to agree with you. If she isn't the most scatterbrained, smart mouth thing on this whole rock I don't know who is.." He said leaning back in his chair and crossing his hands on his lap. 
Karla gave me an icy smirk over her shoulder.
"But I'll tell you what, that girl can take down a fully trained agent as good as any of my guys."
I should have known Fury wasn't about to can me right in front of her, but part of me had wondered if this would be the last straw for him.
"Even more, she happens to be one of the few people I actually like."
He chuckled before his face grew serious and he leveled her with his good eye.
"I'll be damned if I were to ever let her leave this organization."
I gave him a small smile and nodded in silent thanks as he glanced back at me. I'd say he looked to be enjoying putting her in her place as much as I was watching it.
"She's not to bad of a shot either." He said smirking again.
This time when Karla looked back at me, her smirk was replaced with annoyed curiosity and it was everything I had not to rub her perfect nose in it.
"Not bad at all." I agreed before closing the door and leaving them to their meeting.
I turned around to see Jane jogging up with a smile on her face.
"Anna! How are you?"
I shrugged and tucked some stray hair behind my ear.
"I'm doing alright, better these days." I said smiling, but I had the feeling it came out more like a grimace.
"That bad huh..if it makes you feel any better it's been pretty crappy on my end to." she sighed wrapping an arm around my shoulder as we made our way back down the hall.
"How could galavanting around Europe looking for inter-dimensional rifts be worse than being stuck at a desk?"
"I don't galavant, I'm a scientist. I roam." she teased gently shoving into me with her shoulder.
"Well, I have my own mini fridge, so I guess we're both making it big, aren't we." I said smirking at her.
She smiled at me, a warm kind smile that was entirely Jane.
"You could always come with me."
"Ha! Could you imagine what Fury would say if I even insinuated going into the field?"
"We don't have to ask him." She said lowering her voice.
I frowned and poured coffee into a paper cup as we stopped by a drink cart.
"You know he won't let me go into the field, that's why you won't ask. Hell, it's why I won't ask." I muttered.
I glanced out the window looking at the repairs that were still being done to the city.
Buildings still half collapsed, roads still blocked with debris and trapped cars.
It was a mess out there.
"Besides, I promised Devin that I wouldn't rush into any field work until Fury thinks I'm ready."
Jane watched me, conflicting emotions dancing across her face.
"Anna, you know that Devin could still wake up."
"Yea, maybe." I said wishing I could keep that look of sorrow out of her eyes, that look like she wanted to assure me without upsetting me or raising my hopes.
If only she knew she couldn't give me any false hope, not anymore. If he was going to wake up, he would have already.
"Tell me about your trip, have you heard from Thor since he went back to the kingdom of make believe?"
She snorted.
"The guy literally left the universe, it's not like he went on a business trip..but still, you'd think inter-planet communication would have been an easy one when you've got magic weapons but maybe I'm just not taking the hint."
I smirked at her pinched eyebrows and annoyed brown eyes.
"He'd be an idiot not to call." I said handing her a cup with more creamer than coffee, just the way she liked it.
"Here's to idiots, seems like it doesn't matter where in the universe you go, they're everywhere." She joked tapping her rim with mine.