Viper's Bite: The Other Rogers

44.

Sally watched as Yelena and Nat danced around the kitchen while Pepper and Wanda sat at the bar watching them. "Oh come on! You two need to have some fun." 

Sally decided to turn to music up and moved to the bar, pulling Wanda up with her and looking back to make sure Pepper was following. With a shake of her head, she did just that. Sally stood between the women and showed them how to sway their hips to the music and feel the rhythm like it was living, breathing, being. Nat and Yelena began whooping and yelling encouragingly. Nat moved to dance behind Pepper, grinding her hips against her. Her hands slipping around her waist to guide her hips in more defined moves. Yelena did the same behind Wanda while Sally put her arms up and giggled as the other four seemed to be more in sync. 

Sally started pouring drinks for the other four when Loki stepped into the room. "Do you want one Lokes?" 

He shook his head no before showing her a bottle of his own. Sally eyed the bottle before her eyes shifted to her friend's. "Is that?" 

"Oh it is. Want some Sunshine?" 

Sally smiled a smile that made him pause. It reminded him of his own smile when he had a mischievous idea that usually ended in Thor getting stabbed. He laughed hard as she walked to the other ladies and asked if any of them wanted an extra kick to their drinks. Pepper declined as she was a lightweight as it was. The other three nodded and gave confused smiles when Sally grabbed a small dropper and only added a drop to each of their drinks before pouring herself a shot. "Here is to all of us getting drunk tonight!" Nat and Yelena shared a look of surprise before tapping glasses and yelling За нашу дружбу (To our friendship)!

Sally laughed and joined them. Before long they were all drinking and getting more and more drunk. Nat and Wanda were dancing in a way that looked like clothed sex while Yelena was holding a very drunk Pepper steady as she tried to dance around the room. Loki and Sally were leaning on each other for balance as they danced. 

"Hey! I know a great little bar if you ladies want to get out of this tower for a bit!" Nat smiled at her sister and hollered a Hell yeah just as Pepper giggled and threw her drink in the air in excitement. Wanda barely caught it with her powers before falling into her own giggle fit. 

"Wait! Loki? Will you please help us look decent enough to go out? Nothing too fancy or crazy but, I don't think we should go out in our booty shorts and baggy hoodies." 

"Of course Sunshine, anything for you." 

With a few waves of his hands, everyone was dressed in various colored and stylized jeans with different tops to match their usual attire. "Hey! I wouldn't usually wear this Lokes!" Sally giggled at the corseted top that sank below her jeans, appearing to be tucked in. Complete with a pair of chucks, Sally threw her hair in a high ponytail and curled it gently by asking Loki. 

Wanda had her hair straightened with a low cut black tank top paired with distressed jeans under  a red leather jacket and matching red ballet flats.

Nat was in a black crop top with a tight blue over shirt and dark wash jeans with combat boots. Pepper was wearing regular jeans and a cute bouse and pretty tennis shoes. Loki opted for a tight black tee shirt and blue jeans over boots with a sports coat thrown over his shoulder. 

Nat wrapped an arm around pepper as Wanda wrapped an arm around Yelena leaving Loki to put his arm around Sally's shoulders. 

"OH! Picture first!" Pepper's sudden shout had everyone giggling before asking Friday to take some pictures of them using the security cameras. They did several silly poses before finally pairing up with Nat, Sally, and Wanda in front and slightly ducked down as Yelena, Pepper, and Loki stood behind them. 

"Alright! Party time!" Yelena laughed at Wanda's excitement before Sally stopped with a squeak. 

"I- I can't. I promised the boys I would stay in. I am always getting into trouble."

"Tonight, you aren't alone Sunshine. Come along. Would you prefer we call and let them know?"

Sally nodded and looked to Nat who was already pulling her phone out. After a few rings, it went to voicemail.

"Hey boys, we are taking Sally to a nearby bar. She needs to not feel trapped so, out we go. All of us are together and nothing will happen to her."

Loki grabbed the phone from Nat before she hung up. "She is safe with us and stopped before leaving to make sure you knew we were going out. Don't be mad at her tomorrow or you will answer to me." He smiled at the five women as he hung up. 

"Shall we ladies?"

After a short walk, they all found themselves at the dive bar. Nat and Loki went to the bar to get drinks and a few snacks, leaving Wanda, Sally, Yelena, and Pepper to find a booth or table. 

"Oh, over there!" Yelena jumped a little in excitement before grabbing Sally's hand and leading her through the bar towards the back corner where there was an empty, nice sized booth. Wanda and Pepper followed closely behind, giggling the entire way. 

It took a few minutes and the ladies were well into their gossiping when Nat and Loki showed up with the drinks as well as some wings and fries. "No, I am serious! I think you two would be great together. Not sure either of you are ready for it yet but try to think it over." Sally was holding Yelena's hands in her own while Pepper looked like she was trying to picture something and Wanda was looking at whatever Pepper was seeing in her mind. 

"Here we are ladies!" Nat and Loki set everything down before scooting into the booth. Nat was seated next to Wanda while Loki scooted in next to Yelena. The rest of the evening consisted of the group dancing, laughing, catching up, and getting to know each other. When the bar called last call, everyone got up and started heading towards the tower. They were soon distracted by a nearby park where Yelena and Wanda ran to the swings and sat down. Nat and Pepper glanced at one another before laughing and following after them. Loki held Sally's hand as they walked the paved path that wrapped around the play area. 

"It is nice to see you so carefree Sunshine. It has been so long."

Sally glanced up at him as she continued walking. "Life happens Lokes. It isn't always the big things that tear you down. They look like they are but that is only because they show the biggest change. It is the daily stuff that wears you down."

Loki watched her face as she spoke. "Judging from your mood and how closely you've held yourself recently, you didn't tell anyone why you were so freaked out after speaking to the filth of humanity."

"Loki, I can't talk about that yet."

"Sunshine, you forget, I know you. I have been inside your head. Why didn't you tell birdbrain while you were with him? I can understand why you didn't tell Bucket or Sir Tight-Ass."

Sally almost smiled at the nicknames as she glanced over at her friends who were racing around the jungle gym now. "I was hoping it wasn't a possibility. I was late by five weeks though. I thought maybe it was because it was my first time. Maybe it threw my body off. Then I considered that maybe my body just didn't know what to do so it finally stopped going through the monthly steps. But the pain while I was in that place, waiting to hear if I was in or not. They, it was not pleasant, to say the least. Then I was bleeding and I was mad that it happened while I was being held captive. The cramping was terrible. Knowing now, that Pierce had resupplied my body during one of his last rounds of experimentation on me before the fall of Hydra. Loki, I- I was- It doesn't matter now." 

Sally gently slid down a small wall that served as a barrier between the path and a ditch and finally let her tears fall. She had been so ready to throw herself into staying busy that she had lost her chance at having her first baby. The tears didn't stop. Loki wrapped his arms around her, picking her up and placing her on his lap as the others walked over. He chuckled gently at how the women all seemed to sense their friend's pain and came to her. 

Loki offered to carry her home and they all made their way back to the tower. Once there, they all collapsed on the floor after Loki turned it into a soft pallet of blankets, pillows, and comfort. 

That was how the boys found them the next morning, Fury standing with them.