A Love Out of Time

Chapter 24

Clint sat at the desk, his eyes glazing over from hours of watching. He jerked in his chair at the sharp knock on his door.

"Come in."

Natasha stepped in quickly and shut the door.

"What are you still doing up here?" Her eyes turned sour when she saw the dark bags under his eyes. "Did you sleep at all?"

Clint shook his head, unblinking.

"It wasn't worth it to try. She'd be a fool to show herself now that she knows we are on to her, but I keep hoping-"

Natasha glared and sat her butt down hard on the desk.

"I told you, she's gone! Nobody listens to me, but ever since that girl opened her eyes, things went crazy. She freed Loki!"

Clint finally looked away from the screens.

"That doesn't make any sense, and you know it. What have you got so strongly against Agatha? You don't even know the girl!"

"And neither does anyone else! Stark has just opened his arms wide to a potential threat. Now she's out of our surveillance. She could be doing anything!"

Clint gave her the fish eye.

"While I'm certain that at the molecular level she's been very active, the girl is a quadriplegic. She isn't going to just walk out of her bed. She can't."

Natasha sighed bitterly. He just didn't believe what she did, that the girl was an alien, that she could ghost out of her body.

"So, Fury called a meeting downstairs. He said you weren't answering the radio."

"Right." Clint shoved his chair back and stood. "The thing ran out of power hours ago."

Steve's foot wouldn't stop tapping nervously on the floor, and every time he stopped thinking consciously about it, it would start up again. Stark sat across to the left from him, staring morosely into a styrofoam cup of coffee. 

Steve wanted to ask. He wanted to know how Agatha was. But it was as if he could see the wheels turning in Tony's head, and he knew he wasn't allowed to. With Tony taking care of Agatha, the deal was that Steve couldn't interfere. 

Steve put his hand down on his leg for the fifth time, stopping it from madly tapping a hole in the floor. This was going to kill him.

Slowly Tony looked up from his coffee. 

"Ever tried decaf?"

Steve blinked, frowning.

"I'm not-I don't-um, stimulants don't have any effect on me."

Tony raised an eyebrow. 

"So you just have this much energy normally?"

Steve nodded. 

"Yeah, it's an effect of the serum. My cells, they-"

"Nope!" Tony pushed his chair back and stood. "I can't deal with you right now. I'm going back to bed."

He turned for the door, and Fury came striding through it, a folder in his hand.

"Good morning."

"Nope!" Tony chirped, "It is decidedly not a good morning, and I am going back to bed."

Fury gave him a look through his eyebrows. 

"No, you are not. We are having a briefing."

Coulson came through the door, suit impeccable, as Fury took his seat.

"Morning, Gentleman."

Tony just glared.

"Where is the rulebook that says we have to do these things at seven in the morning? I'm going to burn it." Banner came through the door, a yawn on his lips, and Tony almost sighed in relief. "Finally, someone who isn't radiating energy. Don't say good morning, I'll kill you."

Banner looked down at the styrofoam cup in Tony's hand and blinked.

"Didn't you have a coffee cup?"

Tony sighed.  "Yes, I did. I need to have another one made."

"What?"

"It pissed me off, that's all."

The conversation was interrupted by Thor coming through the door, even more chipper than Steve.

"Good day, Tony Stark? How did your journey fare?"

Tony gave him the standard morning glare, then he sighed.

"Well, at least you didn't say good morning."

Thor's brow furrowed. "Have I said something insulting?"

Banner reached up to pat him on the shoulder. 

"It's just the morning. Mornings are an insult to Tony."

Fury had been watching the conversation with growing annoyance.

"Sit down, Stark. We're almost about to start."

Tony obeyed, silently shuffling back to his seat as the last two members of the group strode into the room. Natasha entered first, with Clint right behind her. Steve's nervousness spiked when he saw her.

"Morning!"

Natasha's gaze stayed cold as she sat across from him.

"Hey."

If Fury had caught the tension between them, he didn't show it. His hand came smacking down on the folder as he stood.

"Alright, Avengers! It's time to get serious."