Agent Raven of S.H.I.E.L.D. (COMPLETE)

Company

"So where were you actually?" Danny asked, narrowing his eyes. "I mean, don't get me wrong: I totally get wanting to put one over Smith, but you were gone for a while."

Deciding to answer with half the truth, Raven said, "Remember when we were in the weight room and I had my leg all banged up?"

"Yeah, you said you got stabbed."

"SHIELD gave me a few days off to recover, so I took a vacation to Africa."

His jaw dropped for a moment. "That's no fair!"

"Look, the next time you get stabbed in the leg, you can go to Africa too. Or Hawai'i, if that's what you prefer," Raven assured him, laughing. There was no need to tell Danny about the FBI trip, so she concluded with: "I just got back this morning."

"Was it a good trip?"

"Amazing, and absolutely beautiful."

He elbowed her in the side. "You'll have to take the unit with you next time."

"I wouldn't hold your breath."

"Worth a shot," Danny shrugged, and they walked into the Point Hub.

It hadn't changed since the last time Raven had been in here. None of the pool tables were open, but some of the booths were, so Danny and Raven grabbed drinks and took a seat near the back of the room, where it was quieter.

Nodding at Raven's smoothie, he asked, "Do you ever get teased for not being able to order a grown-up drink?"

"I haven't been here enough for it to be a problem," she explained. "Double-department agents stay busier than everyone else. I can still get missions in Espionage when our unit gets benched."

"Especially when we've got spies sneaking around SHIELD," he pointed out. "What was that like?"

She thought about it. Everything had moved so fast that she had barely processed her feelings about the whole situation. "I mean... it could have been worse. I only had proof for a few hours before the imposters were exposed."

"Yeah, but you knew right away, didn't you? I assume you knew right from the getgo."

"I didn't know anything," Raven argued, but she was grinning. "I suspected something might be off about those hostages we rescued, but I suspect something about everyone. I just happened to be right this time."

"Spoken like a true Romanoff," he remarked before taking a drink. Sounds a lot like Brooks, Raven thought, except he isn't scared about it.

Taking a drink herself, she looked around the Hub. A group of agents looked over at her table and accidentally made eye contact with her. Their eyes went wide when they noticed her looking back, but Raven nodded good-naturedly (or at least, what she thought was good-naturedly) and that seemed to reassure them. She smirked. She really was getting popular down here. That wasn't necessarily a good thing, but it was an entertaining one.

"Speaking of," Danny started, regaining Raven's attention, "where is Romanoff these days? I never see her around you."

Raven shrugged. "No idea. On a mission, I guess."

"You don't know?"

"She works in Special Forces now," she explained. "If you think Espionage keeps secrets, Special Forces is on a whole other level. Their missions last a lot longer and there's no telling what they're up to. I have no idea when I'll see her again."

Danny tilted his head a little. "And that doesn't... I don't know, scare you?"

"We've all lost someone around here," she reminded him. "It's bound to happen sooner or later. No point in worrying about it. It won't speed it up or slow it down."

"...that's one way to think about it."

"How do you think about it?"

He looked out at all of the agents congregated in the Hub. "We all got lucky enough to exist at the same time in the same place. Gotta make the most of it, you know?"

"The most of... what? Pool?" Raven asked, pointing to the nearest game. As if on cue, someone missed their shot. Half of the spectators cheered while the other half proceeded to stress out.

Smirking, he nodded. "If that's what you're about, sure. Look, all I'm saying is if we're gonna potentially die out here, we might as well enjoy something."

He had a point. Raven thought for a moment, then said, "You know what I enjoy?"

"What?"

"Harassing Smith on a regular basis."

"Okay, that doesn't count. Everyone enjoys that," Danny decided, laughing. "I gotta admit, though, it's fun watching a teenager match him for wit. Did Romanoff teach you that too?"

"Barton, actually," Raven corrected. 

Danny nodded, then realized what she was saying. "I guess you know all about not having time, don't ya?"

"More than I want anyone else to know," she affirmed, "which means we have to stop other people from going through the same thing."

"There you go," he agreed, and he held up his drink for a toast. Raven indulged. They were all here for the same reason, right?