Temper in Red *Editing*

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

"Ready to go?" Coulson stood in the open doorway of my room the next morning as I pulled on my shoes.

"Ready to go and kick some ass." I smirked as I tied my laces before getting to my feet. When I looked up at Coulson I saw that he was watching me with a small frown pulling at the corners of his lips, as if something were bothering him. "What's stuck up your ass?"

"You visited Ward yesterday." He didn't say it as a question, but as a statement, a fact. His voice had a sour note to it that caused me to silently wince. His tone reminded me of Bobby or Peter's whenever I did something that I wasn't supposed to, usually cheating in some stupid contest that Peter had invented in attempt to keep all of us entertained. It was like this, but different at the same time. Unlike with Peter and Bobby I didn't feel like I could just shrug this off, it almost felt as though it were a father scolding me, as if I were about to be grounded or something.

"I did." I didn't try to lie my way out of it.

"Why?" He got right to the point.

"He's a HYDRA agent, I wanted to see if he knew anything about the old lab that I'm checking out. If there were any traps set up or something." I tried to just brush it off, not wanting to go into too much detail about Ward and I's conversation.

"If that were all you were asking then why didn't you two just talk? Why did you feel the need to sign?" He raised a brow at me.

"If there was something dangerous there I didn't want you to hear and force someone to come with me." I told him.

"What did he tell you?" He asked.

"Just told me some old stories from the war, how it used to be a big spot for them but that they abandoned it when the Howling Commandos came too close to finding it. It's been abandoned ever since, just collecting dust." I lied easily to him. For a minute he just stood there, trying to find any clue as to if I were lying to him or not. I kept my best poker face in place, not giving anything away.

"Are you sure you don't want someone else to go with you?" He asked, it almost sounded as though he were trying to beg me to change my mind. "Tripp or Hunter could be ready in minutes."

"Fury wanted me to go in alone so that's what I'm going to do." I shook my head.

"Remember, you're not indestructible anymore." He reminded me. "If you get shot in the wrong place you won't just heal like before."

"If I get shot in the wrong place then maybe it'll just be my time to go." I shrugged it off. "I'm supposed to look twenty or thirty years older than I do, I should be an old woman not some chick in her twenties. Besides, I've had an eventful life. I've lived, loved, pissed plenty of people off."

"Just be careful." He sighed, shaking his head. "I don't want to have to be the one to tell Skye and Fitz that you aren't coming back. Jemma's already gone as it is."

"She'll come back." I reminded him as I glanced at my watch, seeing that it was time for me to head out to meet my ride. "Just make sure that Leo doesn't shut down or something and that Skye doesn't get shot. If Ward gets shot though, videotape it for me. And don't go getting stabbed by anymore alien assholes."

"I'll try my best." He chuckled as I tossed my bag over my shoulder and we headed down the hallway together. "Who's meeting you?"

"Fury just said that he'd have a ride for me." I shrugged. "Didn't say who it'd be."

"Well, we'll see you when you finish." He stopped walking and I did the same, turning to look at him.

"I'll see you then." I gave him a small smile. I hesitated for a moment before I leaned in and gave him a small hug. It felt strange, having to say goodbye to the man that had brought me into all of this in the beginning. The man that had made me feel as though I were welcome in all of this chaos. With a sad smile I pulled out of the hug first and headed towards the doors, ready to take on whatever Fury was throwing me into.