"Are they really going to end up together?"
Nikki gave her a smile, "I can't tell you that. You'll have to wait and see."
"I don't get why she would stay with the king if she's so unhappy," Douglas muttered, crossing his arms.
The expression which crossed Nikki's face was far from what Steve had expected. It was as though she had been taken away from the present, her eyes unfocused and a
sharp pain etched onto her face.
"Maybe she was happy once, and hopes they can be happy together again."
Something in her words, Steve thought, sounded as though she wasn't talking about Tuptim. On a whim, he reached out for her hand. Her eyes snapped up to his in surprise.
He offered a soft smile, squeezing her hand as if to provide some small form of comfort. Another wave of guilt rippled through him when she smiled back.
Steve sat on the edge of his bed with his elbows propped on his knees, staring down at the cell phone in his hands. It wasn't the phone Tony had given him with contacts for
all of the Avengers and anyone he could possibly need. This was the nondescript, S.H.I.E.L.D. regulation phone with only one number programmed into the speed dial.
Had he been following the plan, he should have contacted and debriefed Clint and Natasha two days ago. The only reason they hadn't checked in was that they probably
figured he was having a hard time getting privacy and wouldn't dare blow his cover. The truth of the matter, which he didn't even truly want to admit to himself, was that he
didn't want to call anymore. He didn't want to tell S.H.I.E.L.D. any more about the little family he had found in the House. He didn't want to potentially put them in danger. He
didn't want to betray Nikki's fragile trust.
With a clenched jaw, he flipped it open and pressed the single button. Natasha answered immediately after the first ring.
"Steve? What is it? Is something wrong?"
She sounded worried. Of course, he hadn't checked in with them in roughly two weeks. He didn't plan to tell her anymore, though, and she would not be pleased with the
discussion about to come. But he had always been someone who stood up for what he believed in. It was about time he started doing so again.
"I'm fine," he reassured. "It's the mission."
"Is that Steve?"
Clint's voice was distant and barely audible through the cell phone. Steve's brows furrowed, as the archer sounded a little groggy as though he had just woken up. He barely
heard Natasha shush him before she got back on.
"What about it?"
He sighed, "This isn't right. These are good people – honest people. We shouldn't be deceiving them, much less working against them."
"And what do you suggest we do, Captain?"
"We should pull out and leave them alone," he said. "None of these kids are dangerous, and neither are the adults."
Natasha sounded almost resigned when she answered, "We can't pull out."
"Why not?"
The words came out harsher than he intended, but he almost didn't care. He had spent the past few months with Nikki and the rest, not Natasha and Clint, and he knew what
they were like. He had grown close to them, not the assassins. They didn't know the mutants like he did.
"Our mission is to determine the House's inhabitants' potential to be dangerous and, if possible, assimilate them into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s allies," she pointed out. "They're all on the
Index as it is. If we leave now, they'll be marked down as unknowns. What will happen then is worse than a little deception."
It was as though the room's temperature dropped several degrees. Steve had been told about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Gifted Persons Index, and he had also heard of what happened to
half of the people on it. With Nikki's gifts, and her slight instability in them, she would likely end up locked in some underground prison on some island without a name. The
thought of any of them ending up like that made him almost see red
"You put them on the Index?"
"Every person with some semblance of superhuman abilities goes on the Index."
"You shouldn't have allowed it!"
"It wasn't my call to make, Steve," she snapped. "What would you have us do? Betray S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"Something, anything!" he hissed, using all his self-control to keep from shouting. "Listen, you tell Fury to cancel the whole mission, to take every one of these people off the
Index, and to rescind all files on the Alchemist. Then you and Clint get out of here. I'll figure something out for myself."
"That's not within Fury's jurisdiction. The World Security Council has been breathing down his neck since the Alchemist started popping up in grainy videos on YouTube. If he
backs out now, it will give them the excuse to remove him from his position as Director."
"Either it gets done, or I tell Nikki everything," he warned.
There was silence for a full minute before Natasha answered, "You've seen the way she reacts to S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. She won't be friendly just because she thinks she knows
you."
"I know. And I'm willing to risk it."
"Steve-"
"Three days," he snapped, cutting her off. "That's how long Fury has before I tell her."
He gave her no time to answer, hanging up abruptly before tossing the phone onto his bed with more force than necessary. It was luck alone that kept it from shattering. He
stared after it, trying to even out his breathing again, when an appreciative whistle grabbed his attention. Remy stood in the doorway, staring at Steve with raised eyebrows.
"What happened?" he asked, a forced playful tone to his words. "Girlfriend decided a long-distance relationship wasn't working for her anymore? Or boyfriend, if you're into the
other team. Seems to be pretty common nowadays."
Steve gave a wan smile, though it was as natural as the mutant's tone, "Yeah, something like that."
"The plus twenty-ones are having a drink now that the minors are all asleep. I thought you might not want to be a stranger."
"Sure," he replied, walking after Remy. "You have anything strong?"
Remy gave a sharp laugh, "Before he disappeared on us, our friend Dmitri stocked us up with enough vodka from his home to inebriate the population of Liechtenstein. Damned
Russian could drink us all under the table."
Steve laughed as they walked down the stairs. Only the kitchen was fully lit, shadows of Nikki, Hannah, and Bali flitting in and out of view in the strip of light filtering through
the door. Upbeat music, almost folk in genre, could be faintly heard from the bottom of the stairs.
The sight within the kitchen brought a smile to Steve's face. A small iPod was connected to a stereo on the counter, blaring music of fiddles, tambourines, and drums. Hannah
sat on the table, clapping to the beat with a laugh, as she watched Nikki and Bali dance. The two wore broad smiles on their faces as they twirled and stomped to the music in
a dance that almost reminded him of tap and swing mixed together.
He swung her out the second Steve and Remy walked in, causing her to stumble into Steve. Bali then lifted Hannah off the table and the two seemed to forget the others
were there. Remy leaned against a free wall, nodding his head to the beat, and grabbed a beer from the table. From where she stood pressed up against him, Nikki looked up to meet Steve's blue eyes with a sheepish smile.
"Steve," she muttered, her eyes narrowing at him slightly as she took a step back. "Are you alright?"
He took a second to mentally collect himself at the way she saw through his forced expression, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
She gave a shrug, "You look a little out of it. Or like you could use a stiff drink, which I guess is why Remy brought you."
He watched as she sat down in the chair next to the little table, picking up an open bottle and taking a swig. The label was imposs
ible to read from the way she held it.
"What's that?" he asked, taking a seat next to her.
"Bitburger."
Steve raised his eyebrows, "German beer?"
"Das beste," she whispered, leaning in just enough so that only he could here her. "Not a fan, I'm guessing?"
"I always used to drink Ballantine."
Nikki nearly choked on her beer at his words, her hand flying to cover her mouth as she coughed. The ex-soldier looked at her in alarm as she finally stopped and looked up at
him.
"You drink that swill?"
Steve was taken aback by the genuine disgust in her tone, "What's wrong with it?"
"Friends don't let friends drink bad beer," she said emphatically, standing up so that she could walk over to the fridge.
He tried and failed to bite back a laugh at the weight she seemed to place in the situation. She pulled another bottle from the fridge, popping off the top before returning to
the table and giving it to him. Despite the anger he had felt just minutes before coming to the kitchen, much to the help of Nikki and the light atmosphere in the room, Steve
felt happier and more comfortable in that moment than he had in a long time.
She watched him as he took a drink, her eyebrows rising as he choked on it. It was earthy and bitter and certainly not what Steve had been expecting. His nose wrinkled,
though he swallowed it down without complaint, and put the bottle down. The sound of Nikki's laugh brought his attention back to her. Her eyes were scrunched closed, her
lips pulled back in a broad smile as she giggled at his expression. In the faint light of the kitchen, her coppery skin looked a shade darker, her hair and eyelashes almost black.
He couldn't help but smile in reply.
"What?"
"Lightweight," she teased, taking another swig of her own.
Steve's eyes wandered away from Nikki, as he didn't want to be caught staring, and towards the others. Remy stood in the far corner, swaying to the music with a bottle of
wine in his hands. But it was Bali and Hannah dancing across the linoleum to an unfamiliar tune which captured his interest. They seemed completely engrossed with each
other, the world around them apparently not existing. There was something about what he had seen of their relationship that seemed to speak of years of familiarity. The two
acted more like a couple who had been married for years rather than a couple of young lovers.
"How long have they been together?" he asked curiously.
"Four years," she answered. "You'd think it was longer looking at them, wouldn't you?"
The almost longing edge to her voice brought him back to her and he watched the way she looked at her surrogate sister and her boyfriend. Nikki watched them with a happy
expression, but there was something in her gaze that spoke of a time when she had been like Hannah with someone. Erik, Steve guessed, as it seemed to be the name
everyone knew but never spoke of.
"Do you want to dance?" he asked.
"Would if I could," she replied with a sigh. "I used to dance with my mother and my sister when I was young. And then with Anya, when I found she loved music. This is the
first time I've actually danced with anyone since…" – she cut herself off sadly before giving him an unconcerned look – "I guess it's just hard to find the right partner."
Her words struck him, reminding him of his own time, "Yeah, it is."
Silence fell between them, but it wasn't uncomfortable. When the slow song switched off, transitioning to another upbeat tune without lyrics, Nikki seemed to perk up a bit.
Her brown eyes wandered to him and she suddenly offered him her hand.
"Join me?"
He smiled sheepishly, "I don't know how to dance to this music."
She shrugged, "Good thing you don't really need to know how."
Without further ado, she pulled him further into the kitchen and took a step back, "Try to copy me. Then, we'll have the real fun."
She began a simple step-dance, her eyes never leaving his as she moved. Steve slowly began to mimic her movements and, though Freyja had somewhat taught him to dance,
he was a bit clumsy for the first few minutes. Nikki quickened her pace as he slowly got the hang of it. Soon she grabbed hold of his hands once more, dancing in circles with
him to no particular style. She laughed at the initial shock on his face.
The song began to play faster and faster, reaching a crescendo of fiddles and drums, and the two sped up their dancing to match. Steve and Nikki spun around each other,
laughing almost breathlessly as the world seemed to fall away around them. It was then that he entirely forgot his earlier anger at Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. Instead, his focus was
on Nikki. Though she had aged well, not to say she was all that old compared to his roughly ninety years, she looked much younger before him. It was as though her stress
and troubles melted away in the music.
As the song reached the end, Steve swung her outward and back towards him. She fell back into him, her hands pressing flat against his chest and her head leaning towards
his shoulder, with a sharp laugh. There was an almost giddy smile on her face when she looked up at him once more.
"Sorry," she breathed, pushing just a few inches away from him. "I got a little carried away."
Steve gave a nonchalant shrug, "It's no trouble."
As the song switched to a song from his era, Steve couldn't help but look up in surprise.
"Is that Falling In Love Again by Marlene Dietrich?"
Nikki nodded, "Bali has interesting tastes in music that range all the way back to Beethoven. You know it?"
"I saw it," he answered, biting his tongue before he could say that he had seen it when it had first come over to the States. "A long time ago.
"My parents used to listen to it every other night," she sighed, a bittersweet edge to her voice. "Before the war, I mean. I still remember a few of the neighbors would play it.
Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt, denn das ist meine Welt."
Though a little off-key, Nikki's voice was soft and pleasant like a lullaby as she sang. He smiled down at her, listening as her voice matched up with that of the singer, and led
them into a slow rocking sort of dance to match the music. She leaned her head against his shoulder once more and closed her eyes. Steve could smell liquor and lemongrass
soap, the latter being a scent he had come to associate with Nikki.
"Can I tell you a secret?" she whispered.
"Of course."
She leaned up on her toes, her breath warm against his ear, "Wenn wir in ein anderes Leben knnengelernt hatte, denke ich, ich könnte dich lieben."
A small smile crossed his lips and he turned to whisper in her ear, "That's alright. Wenn wir in ein anderes Leben knnengelernt hatte, ich weiß, ich könnte dich lieben."
She pulled away, her eyes startled as she looked at him. Whether it was by the fact that he spoke German, something he picked up on the front lines, or by his words, he
wasn't sure.
"I should probably mention that I see loving someone and being in love as two different sentiments," he continued, keeping his voice low. "You can love someone without being
in love with them. And the opposite is equally true."
Her lips parted in surprise, though she didn't look quite so much like a deer in headlights anymore. There was a thoughtful look in her eyes before she glanced down and gave a
rueful smile.
"What is it?"
She shook her head, "I never thought about it like that. But it does explain many things about my relationship with my ex-husband."
"Anya's father?"
"Yes," she said softly, the dull ache coming back into her dark eyes. "It was complicated between us."
Steve shook his head, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I w
on't force you to do anything you don't want to do."
The laugh she gave in response was not one of amusement, "Where have you been all my life, Steve? You're like my own personal Superman."
"I'm not Superman," he assured, his tone softening as she looked shock at the sharpness of his words. "Shove me off a building and I won't fly."
This time, she did laugh out of amusement. She looked away, as if to hide her smile, and noticed something she hadn't before.
"When did the others leave?"
Steve looked up and around the kitchen, realizing that Bali, Hannah, and Remy had disappeared sometime in his distraction. Bali's iPod still played slower-paced music from eras
long since passed. He frowned thoughtfully, looking back at Nikki.
"I'm not sure," he answered. "You could join them, if you want."
Her fingers clung harder to his shirt and Steve's attention snapped back down to Nikki.
"Can we stay here for just a little while longer?"
Steve hesitated before nodding, watching as she smiled back at him as though relieved. She leaned her head back against his shoulder and hummed to the music. They stayed
that way for minutes, perhaps hours, without saying a word to each other. There was something easy about the entire scenario and neither of them wanted to let go.
"We came on this to have adventures, didn't we?" Janey asked. "What's more of an adventure than some haunted tunnels?"
Ash & Pikachu: Trainer/Pokemon
"Is this Boo's Lookout Tower?" Ash asked.
"Boo's Lookout Tower?" The driver asked. "You said Bloo's Cookout Tower…"
"(Bloo's Cookout Tower?)" Pikachu asked. Ash and Pikachu looked at the tall brick tower nearby. Inside a large opening at the tower's base was a large grill, and cooking on the
grill was an unusual looking blue Boo. Scattered around we picnic tables, and various Mushroom Kingdom residents were seated at the tables, eating. The Boo floated over to
the car.
"Yo dudes, welcome to Bloo's Cookout Tower, what can I get ya?" The Boo asked. Ash turned to the cab driver.
A Girl of the Future Page 8
