The Sparrow (Soul Mate)

6.

Tony finds Jack sat in the communal room in front of the huge floor to ceiling window looking out over the city. Her forehead pressed to the glass, an empty glass at her side, the ice in it slowly melting. He watches her a moment, knowing now that she's his other soul mate, it's different, he really sees her now, and he hates that that's how it works. They're drawn to each other before, and yeah, there was something about Jack before but now he knows.....it's like there is a beacon over her head, lighting her up. He moves tot he couch behind her and runs his hand over the fabric.

"Tell me, Jack" Tony starts, she hums a little. "Do you believe in soul mates?" her hand touches her arm where her sparrows sit.

"No one believes that hogwash" Jack comments not looking around from the window in front of her, she clutches to her arm before releasing it.

"No one in your day" Tony points out sitting on the back of the couch behind her. "Now finding your soul mate is as easy as...putting a post online and waiting for a reply" she glances to him. "I'll explain the internet later" he offers with a small smile, his eyes lingering on her face, now she's showered, clean, run a brush through her hair, she is rather beautiful, in an old fashioned kind of way. He almost snorts, yeah, old fashioned. "You never met a matched pair?" he asks her. She shrugs.

"Just Will and Elizabeth" she offers. "But I wouldn't exactly call them role models for the whole....soul mate thing" he raises an eyebrow at her, she waves it off and turns back to look out the window. He watches her, the set of her shoulders, the tick in her jaw, her eyes lingering outside on the sky. She misses her home. She misses the sea and her ship. Tony glances to Pietro as he joins him, raises an eyebrow, Pietro didn't think he had it in him to tell her without getting over excited or without crying. Tony shakes his head and wraps his arm around Pietro's back.

"Hey" he states getting her attention. "Why don't we go out?" he asks. "The three of us..." he offers, Pietro raises an eyebrow but trusts Tony.

"Where?" Jack asks glancing back at them under her hat.

"Where ever you want" Tony answers. "No where you want to see; see how it's changed?" she shrugs and turns forward. She is feeling trapped here. She always feels trapped when she is away from the sea.

"The sea" she answers almost subconsciously, Tony nods a little, he figured she would suggest something like that, he looks to Pietro who gives him a small smile reaching around to scratch at the back of his head.

....................

Tony takes Pietro and Jack to a private Island in the Caribbean. Of course he does. It's his and Pietro's island, somewhere for them to escape too after a bad mission or a rough week. Jack looks at home where she stands. She stares down at her toes which wiggle in the sand beneath her. Behind her Tony sits at the bar beside Pietro, both watching her. This is the calmest she's felt in days. With the water that close to her. So close she can smell it and taste the salt in the air. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes.

"We can't keep her" Tony whispers to Pietro who turns to him. "She doesn't belong here....we have to find a way to send her home"

"But.." Pietro starts. "She's ours" Tony nods, knowing this, he places his hand on Pietro's thigh and squeezes trying to comfort him. It's been days. Only days. But knowing that Jack is their third. Their other soul mate. It invokes things inside of them, that protective feeling, that feeling of needing them close.

"She wants to go home" Tony argues nodding across at Jack, the wind blowing through her hair, giving her an almost ethereal visage, her brown almost red hair catching the light, she looks stunning. "This is what we can do for her" Pietro shakes his head, he can't....and he knows it is bothering Tony just as much, the thought of loosing her already. "Pietro" Tony whispers, Pietro stands sharply and gives Tony a look before he is walking away, Tony sighs and looks to Jack who's eyes are on Pietro's retreating form. She turns her head to Tony who shrugs and shakes his head. She places her hand on her hat as it almost flies away, before she turns back to the sea pulling it off of her head.

................

"Hey" Pietro states approaching Jack where she sits on the beach now, the sun setting beyond her, she hasn't moved all day, she shivers slightly and it's got nothing to do to with the weather. Reality is setting in. Pietro shrugs out of his light jacket though, and then wraps it around her shoulders.

"Thanks" she whispers pulling it closer to her body, protecting herself from her own mind, with everything going on around her, the changes, she may well be starting to freak out.

"Can I sit with you?" he asks, she nods and he takes a pew on the sand at her side. "Jack" he starts, she cocks her head. "You know Tony talked to you about Soul mates?" she nods. "Do you know why?" she stares at him a moment.

"No" she answers. "No, I don't know why he brought that up" she turns to look at the sea.

"Pietro!" Tony snaps storming across the beach towards them, Pietro turns to Jack.

"We're your soul mates" he rushes out, telling her before Tony can stop him. They'd argued about telling her. And Tony decided that they wouldn't tell her at all, that they'd keep it to themselves and get her home. Pietro disagreed. Jack stares at him a little and then her eyes move to Tony who stops, knowing what Pietro has done.

"Jack" Tony starts softly.