La Petite Fleur

Histoire

"Like I said, it is a long story," Antoinette began. "My parents were agents for SHIELD before they even met. They were sent on a rescue mission together 'ere in Paris and eloped without telling Directeur Fury. Phil Coulson was the only person they told about it and when I was born, 'e was like my uncle. No one knew about me except 'im. My parents taught me about SHIELD and the missions and technology and everything that went on that normal people 'ad no knowledge of. They even began to train me once I was old enough. They wanted to appear as an average family so they let me do ballet. And I loved it. When I was ten, my parents were killed in action while in Australia." Here she paused. Steve wanted to tell her he was sorry, but she plunged on. As she spoke, her accent thickened.

"Coulson picked me up from ballet and took me 'ome, 'oping to surprise my parents with a visit but zey weren't zere. 'e contacted Directeur Fury and ze next thing I knew, I was being shipped off to live with a family that 'ad some loose ties to SHIELD. Coulson still visited but..." She trailed away before clearing her throat and starting again. "They were good. They let me continue my training and my ballet. When I was thirteen years, I was asked to join a traveling ballet circuit to spy on a Russian turncoat. At fifteen, Directeur Fury 'ad me become an agent full time. I ran undercover missions for 'im; missions zat didn't take me far from 'ome and still allowed me time to dance. Then...things got différent."

"Different how?" he asked.

"Talk of aliens, otherworldly creatures, gods, different kinds of...existences étranges." At his blank look she amended, "Strange beings."

"And you backed out?" he asked.

"Not at first. I tried to learn as much as I could. Tried to see if the rumors were real. The more I learned, the stranger things became. The final straw was when Fury wanted to send me to New Mexico."

"Why didn't you go?"

"It was too far from 'ome. I would 'ave 'ad to stop dancing and become a part of SHIELD constamment, constantly," she answered, pulling her legs closer under her. He nodded, understanding exactly what she meant.

A long pause went by in which neither of them spoke. The wall clock in the kitchen emitted a quiet tick tick with each stroke of the second hand as it went around. He glanced at his watch and was surprised to see it read half past noon. By now, he was certain Antoinette would be safe at his apartment.

He stood and walked toward the kitchen simply for something to do. "Are you thirsty? Hungry? Anything?" he asked her.

"Non, merci," she answered.

"You sure?" he asked, fetching a glass down from a cupboard. When he turned, she was standing in the doorway.

She stopped to think before answering, "Tea?" He nodded and brought down a mug as well, setting it on the counter and preparing the hot water. As he searched the cabinets for the tea, he watched her lean against the table and stare out the window. Her thoughts were far away so he decided to not interrupt her until the water pot was whistling. The high pitched cry pulled her out of the trance.

The labels were in French, so he did his best and hoped she would understand. "Noir or menthe poivrée?" he asked.

An amused half-smile crossed her face. "Le noir is black. La menthe poivrée is peppermint. I will have the peppermint," she answered.

He handed her the fragrant mug and poured himself a glass of water. She took the seat at the table, and he dragged the chair back from the living room before sliding in across from her. The light breeze from the open window beside them stirred the air and brought the mingled scents of peppermint and roses to him.