||25||

239 6 2
                                    

•Chapter Twenty-Five•
Meeting the Other Squad
(NEW AVENGERS FACILITY, UP-STATE NEW YORK)

It was still down pouring by the time the Avenger's compound came into view—but I could care less.  The sight of safety was heaven sent and the sight of the perfectly intact second quin-jet sent joy through me. 

The others were safe.

Voices parading through the sheets of rain met us.  I spotted two figures come barreling towards us—one, a white haired girl and the other, a giant amber eyed wolf.

"Never again," Käro hissed, " I leave you alone and you almost die.  Never again."  There was a wild, panic look in his eyes—one that he shared with Tove.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

***

A shower never felt better in my entire life.  The hot water washing away the cold and awful stench of the draugar blood.  I would have given anything to stay there forever but I had questions.

I hadn't gotten the chance to speak with the others before Käro had basically corralled me into a room and told me to shower.  I hadn't really objected.

Shutting off the water, a grabbed my towel and stepped out into the rest of the gigantic bathroom.  I suppose I shouldn't be surprised—Tony did most of the interior designing.

The mirror was fogged and I lifted my hand to clear it away.  I focused on my features in the mirror; as well as the faint but still evident smears of draugar blood splattered on my face.  My cheekbones, my jawline, my forehead.  It hadn't mattered how hard I scrubbed, it didn't completely fade.

I sighed, pushing away from the sink to dry my hair with a second towel.  It was still damp when I finished but I didn't care.  I slowly creeped open the bathroom door when I realized that I didn't have any clothes to change into—all of my stuff in my bag was completely soaked. 

And I definitely wasn't going to change back into my other clothes.

The room was colder than the bathroom so I wrapped my towel tighter as I walked farther into the room.  My gaze took in the room in search of a dresser of some sorts but it stopped on the neatly stacked pile of clothes on my bed.  My curious peaked and I went to investigate.

The pile contained a pair of black athletic leggings and a soft, scarlet long sleeve shirt.  I lifted the shirt—who ever the belonged to seemed to almost my size and they didn't look like anything Natasha would wear.  That left me clueless—and beyond thankful—to whoever had loaned me their clothes. 

I changed quickly and pulled my hair back into a messy bun.  Satisfied, I snuck out into the hallway, barefoot, in search of the others.

***

It didn't take me long to find the rest of the group.  It seemed that the compound was a lot easier to navigate than Stark Tower.  Or maybe it was the heavenly smell of chocolate drifting through the building that led my way.  Either way, I ended up in a large open room that looked to be both a living room and a kitchen.

"There she is."  Tony chirped from his spot on one of the couches.  "It's good to see you again, when, you know, somethings not trying to kill you—again."

Spaces BetweenWhere stories live. Discover now