Falling for the Captain

Suit Up

I arrive at the tower first, obviously, and land on the walkway with ease. While making my way into the tower, Tony's machines take off the suit. Shit, I feel like a model doing this. I could get used to this kind of pampering. Halfway down the walkway, I'm completely free of the suit and I can hear the tapping of my heels. Once I enter, I'm swept off my feet, engulfed in a hug, and was spun.

"Okay, maybe I did miss you a lot," Tony says. I let out the biggest smile and return his hug with an even tighter hug.

"I missed you too, big guy."

"No, no, I'm not the big guy. You are yet to meet him. By the way, when are you going to introduce yourself to everyone else? You know, I'm honored and all about knowing your true identity, but I think the rest of the team would like to know a name and a face, not just the letters 'LC'."

"Relax, Tony, she'll do it when she's ready," I hear a voice behind me and see the red head making her way towards me.

"Nat! Oh my god I missed you SO MUCH!" I exclaim. I engulf her in a hug and she does the same. Nat has been one of my best friends since I began my work with SHIELD. She was my rock when I thought I lost everything. I owe her my life... It's kind of weird knowing that SHIELD doesn't exist anymore, but it's slowly being mended. In the meantime, I have the Avengers.

"Hey beautiful. It's so great having a familiar face around here again!" Nat says.

"Wait why didn't I get a big of a hug like that? I did lend you my suit and got you to HQ on time!" Tony says with slight frustration in his voice. I can't help but laugh at his comment.

"Because they're girls, Tony! You don't want their cooties," Sam says as he and the rest of my family enter the same way I did.

"Can't argue with that one. Good to see you guys again," Tony replies and gives all of them a high five. Tony isn't as close to them as he is with me, but their relationships are still great. Like I said, Tony is the father figure in my life. My cousins have stable families and parents and whatever, but for me, it's just me. I don't have much. I shake the thought off before delving too far into my feelings.

"Nat and I know about the mission tonight, so we have everything set up for you. I told Fury he could either tell me about this mission or I wouldn't pay for anything anymore. Obviously, that gave him reason to do so." Tony says. We all roll our eyes at him, while someone coughs out "show off". I don't know who it was, but the rest of us laugh.

"Alright kids, go get ready! And Faye, I picked out your dress. I hope you enjoy it," Nat says with a wink. I send her a questionable face, but she sends a laugh back. Me, Grace, Kris, Sam, and Griffin make our way to our individual rooms, where our outfits for tonight would be. I remember every single hallway, door, and escape route. You know, for being out of the game for a while, I'm still pretty damn good. I smile at the thought and enter my old room. It's still the same way as I left it: a couple of frames sitting on my dresser, the neatly made bed, and the few clothing items I left in the closet. I walk to my desk and see a note sitting on top.

"Faye, I hope you're doing okay. I made sure your room was always prepared for you, in case you needed to come home. Hopefully Tony isn't giving you a hard time. He has a weird way of expressing his feelings. I can't wait to see you. It's great to have you back! Love, Pepper."

Not gonna lie, I may have teared up. Pepper is a mother figure to me, honestly, the closest thing I ever had to a mother. I didn't open up to her at first, but she was so patient with me and understood where I was coming from. Tony and Pepper really treated me like their own. I hope one day they'll have a kid of their own. I know that kid will be the luckiest bitch on earth.

I noticed a zipped up clothing item hanging off my chair. I open it to see a beautiful maroon dress. It's an off-the-shoulder dress, with a very, VERY high slit on the left leg. Of course Nat would choose this. She wants me to show off the gigantic tattoo on my left thigh: a dragon. I take the dress out and look at the back. Shit, is all I can think. The dress has a very low cut. Again, to show off my other huge tattoo on my spine: a lion. A sticky note falls out of the bag and I grab it before it touches the floor. Super ninja skills and what not.

"Faye, hope you like it. Maybe bring a nice guy back 2nite ;) -Nat"

I chuckle at her note and make my way to my old bed. I fall backwards and look at the very high ceiling. I take a deep breath in and sigh it out. Sometimes I wonder how different my life would be if I didn't join SHIELD. I probably would have been a typical broke 24 year old with mommy and daddy issues, wait, reverse, I am that. Okay well, at least I'm a super cool assassin, I think to myself. After what seemed like 5 minutes, I get up from my bed and head to my bathroom. I can't wallow in my thoughts for too long. After all, I am the Captain's security. I take a nice, hot shower, do my hair and makeup, and finally slip on my dress and heels. I look at the mirror and sigh. Am I ready for this? I force myself out of my thoughts and exit my room. Coincidentally, my cousins come out at the same time. We make our way down to weapons, trailing with heels hitting the floor and the boys complaining about their ties. Very typical of them.

I always try to prepare myself for anything and everything, but my heart wasn't ready for what was about to happen.