Viper's Bite: The Other Rogers

28.

"Pepper, it has been months. She won't return phone calls and I can't track her. If she didn't show up to work everyday like she does, I might think she was dead!" Tony was yelling and angry but deep down, he was jealous. Pepper got to see and speak to her every day while he and Steve had to wait until the end of the day. Pepper would come in and get changed, shower, relax, unwind, then tell the boys about Sally over dinner. She and Tony were back together and there hadn't been any further threats from the crazy person. Pepper had noticed how stiff and sore her assistant had been recently though and wondered if she was the reason they hadn't heard from him again. She hoped Sally wasn't taking on everything by herself again. It was something she noticed she did whenever there was a particularly difficult contract or company they needed to jump through hoops for. Sally would take the brunt of the work but still be polite enough to incorporate good ideas and give the person credit. She wasn't trying to gain attention or power, she just seemed to think that the weight of the world was on her shoulders and tended to help others when asked. Pepper was proud to have her in her employment. Nat had noticed similar concerns and wanted to discuss them with Sally but nobody seemed to know where to find her before or after work. 

Nat came in and stormed into Pepper's room after Tony's blow up. "Where has she been staying Pep? I know you have to know. You are her boss and nobody has heard from Loki since he and Thor left the last time. Thor has come back a time or two but even he is being cagey. What the hell is going on?"

Pepper looked up at the assassain with concern read clear as day in her eyes. "I don't actually know. I know that she is coming in stiff and sore, some days wearing more make-up than others. I think that she has been neutralizing the threat without us and that worries me. I need her to be okay but she seems to think she has something to prove. I don't know what to do or how to help. Today she put in her two week resignation notice. Nat, I think we are losing her but I don't know to what."

"Shit!" Nat stormed out and went to Tony and Bruce's lab, calling Fury from there. She knew Steve would be in their shared room and didn't want to be the one to tell him that his sister was conducting missions without their knowledge. If there was one good thing that came from Sally and Bucky leaving, it was that it pulled herself and Steve closer together. They officially began sharing a room in the last month and she didn't want to ruin it without proof. Fury finally answered.

"Stark."

"Not Stark sir. I just needed this to take place where Steve was sure not to be."

Tony and Bruce moved closer to her, letting Nat know that they were listening. Clint suddenly dropped from the vents making the science bros give him odd looks before turning back to Nat and Fury. 

"What seems to be the issue Agent Romanoff?"

"Have you been employing Miss Rogers to assist with any of the threats?"

"Not employing, no. She volunteered and has gotten closer the leader than any of the agents we had sent in prior. She has done amazingly well and I am honestly shocked that nobody told me what an asset she could have been. Not to mention the skillset this woman has. I am impressed and I don't say that easily."

Tony immediately started being his usual snarky self and showed just how angry he was. Nat was trying to keep her emotions in check because it wouldn't benefit the situation if she lost her cool. Banner was trying not to be in the way and physically took two steps back. Clint was trying to tell Tony to calm down and remember that Fury was technically a leader of an organization. 

"This was completely reckless Fury. Keeping it from us could have cost her, her life. She is an amazing agent, I have never said otherwise Fury. She and Barnes trained my si- myself and an elite few others. However, this was a stupid decision. Stark isn't saying it correctly but that doesn't make him wrong. If either of the super soldiers hear about this, someone could end up dead. Be glad the Winter Soldier isn't-"