Past to Present and Back Again

Part 14

Over the next few days I had fallen back into my regular schedule. I got up at 4 am and worked out. I was starting to feel almost like a prisoner in the Avengers Compound. I had barely been outside since we had landed back on Earth. I know I was allowed outside but it seemed every time I went out into the real world things went to shit. I mean the world was still not over the LMD thing.

So I spent my day prowling around the Avengers Compound. I found a laser tag room, which I was so going to get Mack to play with me when he wasn't busy, as long as they weren't real lasers. I think I would be disowned if I shot the Director of Shield with a real laser even if it were an accident. I also found like four more kitchens, I mean who needs that many kitchens?

Eventually, the wandering got boring too. I then spent the rest of my days hanging out with Alya, I mean she was my goddaughter after all and I hadn't really had much bonding time in the past year unless over framework video chats count. But those only happened when we stopped back in the present time to drop people or ideas off every so often. So I wanted to make up for lost time. I made her do arts and crafts with me. I showed her a couple of fun things she can do with a computer that will drive FitzSimmons nuts, and will probably end up with me being separated from my goddaughter if they found out it was me who taught Alya those things.

We started to have group dinners, you know like family dinners but with the whole group, including the Avengers. If they hadn't been joining us I would have called it family dinners. I mean I didn't hate the Avengers, but I didn't trust them either. Tony kept bugging me to help him decrypt this drive he came across a little while ago. He had bought it at an auction because it was rumored to be uncrackable. Natasha and Clint kept sneaking looks at me when they thought I wouldn't notice. But I sure did. Bruce and Steve were usually busy talking to others at the table so at least I didn't have to worry about making small talk with them. And Thor was usually in his own world, kinda zoned out at all times.

I was about to lose my mind by the time Friday came around. I wanted out of the compound and I needed a break from everyone around me. Of course this didn't include Sousa because I barely ever saw him, even though we lived in the same room. He always seemed to be off with Mack and or Fitz, or he would be talking with Steve. Which don't get me wrong, I loved that he had someone to help him adjust to the world he had only been in for a couple of years, and even then not always in that world. It's just that he always seemed to be gone. And I missed him.

So when I woke up at 4 am on Friday morning I had more energy than my daily coffee could provide me with. That is how I came to the decision that I would change up my routine a little bit. Instead of going to do a HIIT workout and then train by myself or with Bobbi, I decided to do my workout by swimming laps. I hadn't been to the pool since the day that Clint had seen me there. But I was ready and pumped up enough to try and chance the pool again. I mean it was 4 am and usually nobody else gets up till 5 am or later if I'm lucky.

I slid out of bed, changed into my bathing suit. Ready for the swim. I walked quietly down the halls, my feet not making a noise. I made it to the pool in a matter of minutes without seeing anybody. I didn't even bother turning on the lights before I jumped into the pool. As soon as I hit the water I could feel the tension in my muscles and the restlessness I had felt earlier leave my body. I started to swim and everything melted away. The vibrations to the world were muted and there was a nice silence.

I swam for about an hour before the lights turned on. I didn't need to look up to know it was Kora that had walked into the room. I could always sense when she was in the same room as me. I slowed my pace and eventually got out of the water so that Kora would know she wasn't alone in the room. She wasn't as skilled as I was and I didn't want to scare her.