The Marble Fall

Chapter Twelve

Bored

Jason and St. John sat on the old organish-brown couch that had seen better days as they listen to Magneto recount his park excursion. Mystique sat at the communication table facing away from the equipment towards the group as Magneto paced in front of them all.  “That was it?” Mystique questioned Magneto with. “You handed her the bag and let her walk away?”

The helmeted man nodded at the condensed version of events. “The message has been received. My sources within have told me that the sought-after recipients have been made aware.”

None of this sounded good to Mystique. What could possibly be gained by approaching a child and sending her back to Charles with a bunch of chess pieces as proof that he was able to get to the girl? “And what exactly were you trying to convey, and to whom was it directed to?”

“That Xavier’s ‘children’ aren’t protected.” Magneto announced to the group of the message he had sent to his old friend.  Then imparted on them why that particular message needed to be sent by that specific child. “Nothing can unite a group more than the desire to protect its young. He once upon a time told me that ‘I feel a great swell of pity for the poor soul that comes to my school looking for trouble.’ Little does he know, he permitted the entrance of trouble into his school by supporting the human Secretary and her Accords. By using the Secretary’s own child to relay the message, it shows how serious we are in our endeavors and that we can be anywhere with anyone and they are useless in their ‘protection’ to stop us. Charlotte Barton has been a mutant since moments after birth, she knows nothing of a ‘normal’ life. Since she was an infant, she has been honing her abilities, growing more powerful by the day. You have all heard the rumors of what she can do, and that is only at the age of eleven. The mind cannot fathom her powers in years to come. I have been watching that girl from afar waiting until she was old enough to understand our cause before using her, but you know what they say about best laid plans.”

The three members of the audience looked to one another, trying to see where Magneto was coming from and how it would help them. “So you are trying to get them all to come together over the threat you pose to the girl?” Jason questioned trying to find the information he missed because everything he heard sounded very counter productive to what they were trying to do.

“Not at all. You, my three friends, are suspects in an international arms robbery. It is all over the news and provided the government the reason they needed to call for an inquiry into this so-called list the Secretary has.” The man stopped, allowing a few seconds for his mind to contemplate the effects that such information being released on the world would have for their kind. Shaking off the nightmarish vision for the future, he pressed on with his purpose. “Our brothers will look to Charles for an answer to the problem of their names being publicly shared with the government. Hypothetically putting a target on them for harassment and possibly undesired punishment from the humans.  How well received will Xavier’s actions in response be when it is made known that he cannot even protect children that live in his home, how will he be able to protect grown mutant adults?”

“That makes absolutely no sense at all. You are putting everything on that Secretary handing over the list for public distribution.” Mystique stood up and argued. Magneto was diverting from the original goals of their organization. Before the Avengers got involved with their operation and sabotaged it, Erik was very focused on improving the Brotherhood. Both with membership and financial security. It was agreed to by everyone that they would have to improve each of those areas before they waged their war. Magneto’s actions now had them hiding and the fight was coming to them. The focus had shifted to the Department of Mutant Affairs and their allies, a fight they couldn’t possibly be successful and were extremely outnumbered in. It almost sounded as if he wanted this list to get out, so he would have an indisputable reason to attack the humans. “Everything I have read about this Katherine Bishop says differently. She was saved by the X-Men when she was abandoned by her own people to die. Charles took her and her daughter in. Katherine taught at the school under another name. She trusts the mutants more than her own species, not that I blame her after what they did to her and the child. There is no way in hell she would betray her daughter’s people and hand over that list. That being said, I don’t like the fact that she has the list in the first place and now others of her kind know she has it. That needs to be our focus. She may not hand over the list, but that is not to say she won’t use it when the needs suits her as it did the other day. She is too dangerous to our kind. That list is pretty much a weapon that Bishop has aimed at us and can pull the trigger at any time.”

“Please don’t misunderstand me. The last thing I wish for is a list of our brothers and sisters being accessible by humans.” Erik saw the relief in Mystique’s face at that statement. He held out his hand and summoned the chair that she was sitting in over to him and took a seat. “That is not my purpose and I will fight till my dying breath to stop such an act. The very idea that a human, no matter which one, has the list and can hand it over is something that I agree with must be dealt with. Secretary Barton being given that list is an unforgivable act of treason Charles has committed.”

St. John very much liked the idea of Professor Xavier being branded a traitor to their people. It was a label he himself had attached to the X-Men leader in the past and was excited to see his feelings of the man become common thought among their peers. “Your idea is just to let it be known that Charles Xavier put our species in this predicament?” St. John was slowly putting the puzzle of Magneto’s plan together, still unsure of one component, he crossed one leg over the other and requested from his leader, “How does the girl play into it?”

“Charlotte Henrietta Barton is the next step in our species’ evolution. While most of us had to wait until we were older to learn our true identity and shred our human limitations, she has never had to do such.  From day one of her life, she has been who she is, there wasn’t a period of adjustment, or struggle to find one’s own self.” Again, Magneto mentally left the conversation to reflect on a time long ago and confessed, “I am quite envious of her. She can be the savior or destroyer for our kind, and Charles knows it. That is why the child is kept so close. Proving that she isn’t inaccessible proves his ideal future is unsustainable. That if we were able to get to her, the government can as well.”

Mystique still didn’t see his point, or why he had to do all this that had resulted in Charles looking for them. “How does that help our cause?”

“People will see that Professor Charles Xavier’s eutopia for human and mutants coexisting is on shaky ground and seek out something more stable and authentic.  That is where we shall be with arms wide open ready to welcome our brothers and sisters.”

Jason slapped both of his knees and stood up. “Well, I hope they knock on the door, because we can’t go out and meet them. Not with Xavier probably held up in his machine looking for us. ‘Cause you know if he knows you approached ‘his favorite’ he is looking for our asses.” Walking behind the couch and scanning the room, the man known as Mastermind assessed their dilemma. “That and you probably pissed off the Secretary by talking to her kid and will to send down the wrath of all the government agencies she can. Even if she has to hand over her precious list to do it.”

Magneto wasn’t as far off from their original intentions as his teammates thought. Their goals had not changed at all, just the method they utilize to accomplish those goals. A person can never be set in their ways. The world didn’t work like that. One must be constantly watching, ready to adjust to any change that occurs. That is what happened. The plan had changed and now he was accommodating. “You are just as aware as I am that we need to find an alternative route of revenue to fund our endeavors. I can create the means you all would need to block Charles’s mind from locating you, but we lack the resources. You three will need to hold up in here until substitute channels can be procured.”

“Which is another reason I can’t believe you didn’t grab that little girl.” Raven chided. If Erik thought this kid was so important, he should have just taken her. At least then everyone would have a good reason to come after them. The Brotherhood could stand a chance with not only holding the child within their hideout, but the benefits the girl’s abilities offered would be priceless.

“Yeah, I heard she can create anything.” St. John informed the room, not that any of them needed a refresher course on what Charlotte Barton was capable of. Addressing the room for affirmation, St. John explained why the child would be a resourceful person to have around. “That Barton girl could make us all a helmet like yours or even a suit. Then the X-Men would never know where we were.”

Jason stopped walking around and placed both hands on the back of the couch. “That kid could create a lot of things that would help our cause. Let’s not forget that it isn’t only the X-Men we are hiding from.”

“Those guys we were getting the weapons for have to be looking high and low for us. For a group to ask for that many weapons, they have to be up to something down and dirty. Probably people we shouldn’t piss off.” St. John added. He had friends out there, and they had told him that certain people were looking for them all after the explosion.

“He’s right you know.” Mystique supported looking from St. John back to their leader. “Not only are we hiding from the X-Men, the militia that wanted weapons, the Department of Mutant Affairs, but that girl’s father is an Avenger, you know, the group that hijacked our shipment? You spoke to the kid right in front of him, he can’t be happy about that and is probably looking forward to speaking with you again. We have enemies coming at us from all sides. We can’t hold up in here forever. Our enemy list only grows longer if that Mutant Affairs woman hands over that list and more people find out who and what we are. We are powerful mutants, but there is only four of us up against all of them.”

“What do you propose as a solution to that Raven?” Magneto inquired knowing that the woman had always had a tendency to go off on her own, a trait that often ended with the polar opposite results of what she envisioned.

“Well off the top of my head, I would say we need to move. It won’t take Charles long to deduce our whereabouts. Even if he can’t see where we are, he will know where we have been and connect the dots. We need a lot of things, the top two being additional man power and money.”

“I don’t know what can be done about more people in our group. That girl could have helped with the money.” Jason said, piggybacking on Mystique’s analysis on their quandary. At least she wanted to do something, unlike Magneto who was keeping them in some archaic form of house arrest. In an attempt to get the metal manipulating man to see their view, he reminded Magneto of his earlier words. “Didn’t you say earlier that you heard from your people that the kid has her head on straight and already hates humans?  She would join up if asked maybe?”

At the mention of forcefully ‘procuring’ Charlotte to benefit their own cause, Magneto stood up and pushed aside the feeling of unpleasant nostalgia from his past. Addressing everyone, taking time to look each squarely in the eyes, he drew the line in the sand.  “I will make this clear only once, then I will find another way for you to comprehend my intent. No one, and I mean no one is to go near that child. If she comes to us, as sources within Xavier’s school have mentioned, that is one thing, but taking her by force will not happen.”

Mystique threw her hands in the air and walked away. “You’re a fool.”

Magneto called her back. “Raven.”

Turning around sharply on her toes she quickly approached the man again. In a harsh tone she told him exactly what she thought about his threat to his teammates regarding a child who in her mind was being nothing short of abused by those who claimed to ‘love and care’ for the girl. “The kindest thing we can do for that child is remove her from her home. I know I said just minutes ago that the Secretary would never hand over that list, but I suspect her loyalty is more to Xavier then it is to the mutant race. That girl’s mother doesn’t care. She took a job that’s sole purpose is to hunt down and imprison her daughter’s own people. Charlotte will never reach her full potential under Charles’ thumb. You and I have seen this ourselves. He caps a mutant’s potential so that they are never at their full power to unlock all their abilities. All for the reason of protecting the human race from mutant powers. It is beyond reasonable to assume that her human parents don’t want her to either and support Xavier limiting their child. Erik, you said it yourself, she is the next step in our species’ evolution.  So I say let us mold what that next level of development of our people is. You speak about Charles’ future of our people being unstable, so let’s give our people a stable one. Charles can only give them an idea of how the future should be, we can show them through Charlotte what the future is.”

St. John and Jason looked around the room uncomfortably after witnessing Mystique challenging their leader in open defiance. Rubbing the back of his neck in an awkward gesture, St. John tried to make sure he didn’t sound like his was disputing Raven’s statement, or Magneto’s threat of no one going after the girl. “I’m going to bring this back to the fact that her mother is the Secretary and father is an Avenger. They aren’t just going to let us walk away with their kid.”

“And we won’t.” Erik answered the man without breaking eye contact with Raven.

Mystique was the first to blink and look away, “Erik…”

Walking away from her and towards the door that permitted only him outside access to the world, he informed his team of his schedule. “I have a meeting with our weapon seeking friends. I hope to smooth things over with them. I believe some common ground can be found to deescalate whatever ill feelings they have towards us. We did fail them, but that doesn’t mean the relationship cannot be saved and another chance earned.”

Jason was nothing if not a realist, sort of an unusual trait for an illusionist. However, to create his illusions, he had to understand reality. “I don’t know if what we did deserves a second chance, kind of screwed it up big time. What are you going to say to them to convince them?”

Magneto had some ideas of how to repair their facture partnership they had formed with the group that hired them to secure the weaponry. It was all contingent of everyone agreeing that they had a common enemy that needed to be dealt with. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

~~~

It had taken ninety minutes for Natasha and Clint to get into place after departing the quinjet for proper surveillance. The challenge was to be close enough to get quality audio and video but far enough away that they and their equipment wouldn’t be seen. Now over two days into the mission, both former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were becoming restless.

Looking through the sight of his long-range rifle Clint commented, “Is it wrong that I want them to find us, so we can do something?”

Natasha was sitting nearby leaning against a tree and eating a protein bar, before taking a bite, she answered her partner. “Yes.”

“Yes” Sam agreed on the com unit as he was viewing on the jet’s screen the same thing Clint was. What they were currently watching was the changing of the guard patrol. “Is it just me or does it seem they have more men then what we were told?”

“It was your source Sam, so any inaccuracies fall on you.” Natasha informed the man as she moved next to Clint who was laying on the ground with the rifle balanced on a log that overlooked the base. They were far enough and high enough that from their position, no one would be able to see them.

Zooming in on the face of the men patrolling so they could attempt facial recognition later, Clint commented, “Yeah, where is this Schulz guy that was supposed to be here?”

Nat guessed as she also laid down on her belly and pulled out her binoculars. “Probably doesn’t leave the base.”

Leaning back in his chair while saving each face Clint was sending him Sam observed, “Someone important is there, why else would they have so many men posted at the front door?” The scan only brought back one hit. The equipment on board wasn’t as good as the system back at the compound due to the signal strength in their area. They couldn’t run facial recognition through the normal channels, limited to only what the local government had. “Hey, we got a hit guys. The man in the HYDRA uniform.”

Clint and Natasha shared a humorous look between them. Going back to his scope Clint observed the four men in his view, all in HYDRA old-school uniforms. “Oh the one with the HYDRA uniform, that’s great. I guess we can just pack up and go now that we have that information.”

“The thinner one walking away from the door.” Sam specified by reading the information that had come back with the identification, not raising to the bait of the bored agents. “Thomas Becker. Got into some local trouble about three months ago. Started a fight at a bar and was processed by the local police. Released after he slept it off.”

“It’s probably a common problem in this area. People have nothing to do but drink and fight.” Natasha presumed about the small rural area they were currently in that she wouldn’t go as far as call a ‘town’.

“You know, Thomas is a great name.” Sam suggested onto the comm line. They have touched every topic they could think of during this mission to keep from going crazy for the past two days. “In fact, it’s my middle name.”

“Nope.” Was all Clint said as a reply to the name suggestion.

Trying not to sound offended by the total disregard of his submission based on his own name Sam asked, “You know that kid will need a name, right?”

Looking up from the sight, Clint spoke to the sky, “No Sam, I had no idea, it’s only my fifth.”

“You guys have any ideas yet that isn’t a roman numeral?” Natasha butted in with, knowing if allowed, the two would go at it and only get louder and more offensive.

“Of course we have ideas.” Clint retorted to the remark. Kate was eight months pregnant now, did they really think the subject of ‘what do we call the newest tax deduction’ hadn’t come up the whole time? “The problem is that we don’t like the other’s idea.”

Natasha shrugged her shoulders not seeing the problem. “Just do what you did with Cooper.”

“What did you do?” Sam asked.

Rejecting the question, Clint attempted to brush it off as nonsense. “It’s nothing, it was stupid then and its stupid now.”

Natasha was fast to rebuke Clint and fill Sam in on the origins of Cooper’s name. “They played ‘rock, paper, scissors’ after he was born.”

“You did not!”

“Yup.” Nat confirmed remembering right after the first Barton child arrived. “Clint wanted Cooper, and Kate wanted Francis. After the kid was born, they still could not decide, the new parents played to determine which would be the first name and what would be the middle name.”

“And per usual, I won.” Clint said through a smile remembering the day his son was born. Remove the part of Derek Bishop showing up, the day was perfect. There wasn’t any gamma radiation poisoning to worry about, memory wipe, or mutant madmen making threats, or any of the crap they were dealing with this time around. It was just his wife, newborn son, close friends and himself, celebrating the arrival of a new soul in the world.

“Ok, so let Nat and I weigh in. What are the contenders for a boy?”

Clint shook his head. He had been down this road too many times. Nothing ruined a potential name for a child more than getting opinions about those names from others. It all ends with too many stories about ‘that is an awful name’ or ‘I went to high school with someone by that name and they ended up in prison. “I’m not playing this game.”

“Come on,” Nat said hitting Clint on the back. “We are almost done here, and you know that the anticipation for the mission to be over is the worst part.”

Letting out a sigh that signaled to those who knew Clint he had surrendered to the demand, he went against his best judgement and told them. “Fine, Kate wants James Anthony, and I like Phillip Nicolas.”

Natasha admitted feeling a minor pain in her chest at the prospect of Kate and Clint’s son being named after Coulson, “I am going to have to side with you on that one Clint.”

“Plus, we have too many people named James in our circle.” Sam contributed in support of Clint’s choice.

“That was my point as well.” Clint divulged to the tiny group. Rhodey’s first name was James, as was Bucky’s, a potential sore spot for Tony. “That and I have a sneaking suspicion that Kate is trying to name my kid after Logan.”

Everyone became quiet at that confession. Kate named their daughter Charlotte Henrietta after two mutants, Professor Charles Xavier and Dr. Henry McCoy. So Clint’s inkling wasn’t totally out of line with what could be Kate’s motives for the name.  Sam all of a sudden, came back to life on the communication line, summing up Clint’s feelings. “Ouch.”

Moving on, because Natasha saw nothing good coming from a dialogue about Clint’s son becoming a namesake for the Wolverine, she offered a compromise with the remaining names. “Why not find some middle ground between you two. Phillip Anthony or Nicolas Anthony. You know if you give that kid the first name Anthony, Tony will never let it go. Do you really want to name your kid after Stark?”

“I do not.” The archer professed. “Don’t get me wrong, he is my wife’s father and grandfather to my children. I like the guy and respect his place in my family. However, to me he will always be Tony, the asshole.”

“Girl?” Sam pushed on, feeling that he and Natasha had solved Clint’s naming problem for a boy progeny.

“Kate is floating Caroline Elenore, and I am countering with Leia Emily.”

Natasha had a disgusted look on her face at the selection offered. “I don’t like either of those.”

“Same.” Sam concurred with.

“I know, neither is a winner.” The father admitted. “We had the same problem before Charlie was born. Girl names are hard.”

“Why not just use the name you had originally picked out for Charlie? Lucille Elizabeth.”

Sam cautioned the dangerous road Nat was about to take her best friend down. “Natasha, not the greatest idea.”

“No, it’s cool.” Clint interrupted knowing what Sam was worried about. “It was brought up briefly but, I don’t know. To us it feels weird to give that name to another child. Especially after all the therapy I have gone through to separate Charlie from Lucy. It is almost like…”

“You lost a child.” Sam said for him,

Clint returned to his sight so Natasha couldn’t see the hurt in his eyes of a lost past. “Yeah, I know it sounds morbid and crazy, but for me to process everything that happened, it’s almost like I have to morn Lucy as the daughter I lost in an explosion.”

“It’s not morbid or crazy Clint, you did lose her.” Sam said in a soft understanding tone reserved for his VA group. Deciding to steer them all away from the talk of ‘dead children’, Sam went back to the original problem. “I swear to God you pick either of those girl names, we are all just going to call her Vee still.”

Silently thanking his friend for getting them off the painful topic of Lucy Beth, Clint summed up where they stood now with naming Vee. “Well then I guess we have two choices now. One: hope for a boy, which I seriously am. Please don’t tell Kate, even though I think she is also. Two: get back to the compound so Kate and I can figure this out in case God decides to punish me further by adding another female to yell at me when they learn how to talk.”

The three shared a laugh at Clint’s summary of how it was going to go in order to name the next child. The sun had almost completely set by then. They would again be under the cover of darkness getting back to the quinjet. Natasha stored her binoculars away and asked, “How are we looking on time Sam?”

“You guys can start packing it up at any time. We have, I think, as much as we can get without getting closer and making contact with them.”

Clint smiled at Natasha and started to disassemble his gun, “Let’s go home.”

~~~

“Well Tony, I guess your ‘watch has ended’, Clint is almost home. He just called and should be here in about two hours.” Kate announced coming down the stairs to the living room of hers and Clint’s compound apartment. Looking into the room, she stopped four steps up from the bottom. Instead of seeing her father laid out on the couch, she found Peter Parker sitting on the end seat playing with his cell phone. “Mr. Parker.” Kate greeted as she resumed her descent. “Since when are you on the rotation list? I thought this was Tony’s shift.”

“Um, good morning Madam Secretary.” Peter said as he quickly stood up at attention of the woman’s entrance. “Mr. Stark had me come in so he could help filter through the information Clint…Agent…Mr. Hawkeye got on his surveillance. I am to call him immediately if I saw you.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that Mr. Parker. I’m sure FRIDAY notified him as soon as my feet touched the floor and didn’t go in the direction of the bathroom.” Kate predicted as she walked into the kitchen. “Where are my rugrats?”

“Mrs. Potts, I mean Stark, took Nate and Lila to Stark Industries to play at the daycare while she caught up on work. Don’t worry Mrs. Secretary, they took a lot of guards. Cooper is downstairs messing around in Mr. Stark’s lab for his engineering club project and Charlie is as Mr. Stark put it ‘running off her mutant energy’ in the gym.”

“Seems like you have a decent handle on the situation.” Kate summarized reaching up into the cabinet to retrieve a coffee mug. Leaning across the kitchen island, as much as her condition would allow, that separated the living room and kitchen she gave the teenager her approval. “I am impressed Mr. Parker.” Rubbing the mug between her hands, she challenged him, “Now the hard question. Where is Jade?” Seeing the confused look on the boy’s face, Kate clarified. “My nurse. Where is she?”

Peter looked terrified of his answer. “I haven’t seen her ma’am.”

Sending the child a warm smile that was truly concealing a sly one, “That could be the greatest news I have heard yet. Thank you Mr. Parker.” With that information, Kate was able to pour herself a cup of coffee without fear of it being taken away from her. “This is a good thing. I actually wanted to speak with you. You know, follow up on our meeting earlier this week.”

“No one has questioned me if that is what you wanted to know.”

“That’s good, but no that is not what we are going to be discussing.” She informed while sitting down. “I saw that you received a C on your quarterly project.”

“How did you?”

“I am a Secretary, there is little information I cannot obtain.” Kate warned him, then dropped the scare tactic. “Also, your aunt told me.”

“I would actually prefer you to find out through sneaky channels than from her.” The teenager admitted sinking into the couch as if trying to hide.

“I can understand that, but we are both concerned. I was amazed to learn that prior to taking on the Spiderman persona you had a three point six grade point average. Currently your GPA stands at two point four. You are a very smart person Mr. Parker, with your previous GPA you could have had the pick of colleges and universities. You need to start thinking about the future. You won’t be Spiderman forever.”

Peter jumped up and sat on the edge of his seat. “With the right training, and support from the Avengers, I could.”

“I’m sorry, you misunderstood me. I meant, you WON’T be Spiderman forever. You will go to college, you will get a decent job, you will not be living with your aunt forever.”

“After I graduate, I will move in here and be a full-time member of the team.”

“Who said that?” Kate interrogated while staring at the liquid in her mug.

“Well, Mr. Stark was going to have me move in after I defeated the Vulture. I declined at the time, knowing that I needed to finish high school.”

Leaning back into the chair and savoring a mouthful of coffee Kate admitted to the fact that she had little to no control over what the boy did once he graduated and turned eighteen. “That will be up to you of course. I hope you choose differently but at that point, you will be an adult. As the case stands right now you are a minor. I understand Captain Rogers has taken the lead on your training and the guidelines on how, and if, you are added to the roster so to speak.”

“Yes ma’am. I am not allowed on my own to do anything like what I did Monday.”

“I am very happy to hear that. That was very dangerous as you know. However, there is no need for us to continuously rehashed those events. I will be adding to those guidelines.”

“Like what?” Peter requested with absolute dread in his voice. There was probably nothing the woman could add to the already intense list of demands placed upon him that could be good.

“You are to increase your GPA by the semester’s end. If it is not at least a two point seven, then I will halt your training until it is. You will be sending me both your mid quarter and quarter grades. Again, failure to do this will cause you to stop training. I am not asking for the moon, just a star or two Peter.”

With relief clear on his face, Peter accepted the stipulations the Secretary had encompassed on his enrollment into the Avengers. “I can do that.”

“Great, now on to how you can live up to your end. Your quarter project was due on Tuesday. As I previously told you, I am aware the teacher had graded it and passed out the next quarter project. How are you doing with that?”

“She just handed it out.”

Kate was bored. So very bored. Normally she would have just laid out the rules and moved on to the next item on the agenda. It spoke volumes of how desperate she was to hold a conversation that was with someone older than fourteen. “So, I take that to mean that you don’t have an outline yet or anything?”

“No madame Secretary, I don’t.” He admitted, then repeated, “It was just handed out.”

“You are to stay here and watch me for what four, six hours?”

“I will be relieved at noon or when Agent Barton arrives and dismisses me. Then I will get to train in the gym.” The second part of Peter’s schedule was what he was waiting for. He had been to the compound numerous times before but had never made it to the state-of-the-art training facility within the building.

Kate glanced up to the clock, it was eight thirty. “Well, you have at least two hours until Clint arrives. That is plenty of time to research and compile an outline on the Canterbury Tales I believe.”

“How did you know that was the topic?” Kate only looked at him silently, refusing to repeat how she obtain the information. “Alright, I will do an outline.”

“Beautiful. I expect to be able to look over it by the time you leave.” Both turned quickly to the door as they heard someone being granted access. Kate gulped down the remainder of her coffee and directed to Peter, “Think fast Spiderman”, and threw the empty coffee cup at him. Without even thinking about it, Peter caught the projectile. Staring at Kate for her actions, all she did was wink at him and bring her finger up to her lips.

The two waited in silence for whoever had been allowed to enter the apartment to appear. Just as Kate thought, Jade walked in. It being her fourth day on the job, the professional suit had been replaced by the standard black scrubs with a red S and I embroiled onto the top’s pocket showing where the nurse’s true allegiance was. Jade carried with her a shoulder bag that contained all the portable medical equipment the nurse would need to do her job properly. Kate couldn’t help but compare it to a nightmare version of Mary Poppin’s bag. Instead of helpful gadgets and treats for her charges, Jade’s contained torture devices. “Good morning Secretary Barton. Are you again baffled about what bedrest means? Imagine my surprise when Mr. Stark informed me that you had left your bed to come downstairs and converse with Mr. Parker.”

“Told you.” Kate bragged to the teenager before responding to the nurse’s insulting entrance. “Good morning Satan. In answer to your question, I have a pretty solid idea about the concept, the problem I have is the substance I need is in the kitchen, downstairs.”

Ignoring the name calling, Jade got about her work and approached the patient. Kate knew what was coming and silently lifted her right arm for the blood pressure cuff to be wrapped around. As Nurse Conner readied the equipment and attached an oxygen reader to Kate’s left index finger, she reminded the Secretary, “You could have called me or notified FRIDAY of your needs, and someone would have seen to it.”

Everyone was being so calm and nice to Kate. It was really getting old. It was almost nauseating how people were ensuring she didn’t get upset or stressed. In reality it was having the opposite effect on her. She needed a fight, and the Parker boy wasn’t giving it to her. Next on the list…Nurse Conner. “You know, even inmates get an hour out in the yard for exercise.”

“Not when they are in solitary confinement Secretary.” Jade informed her offhandedly, not even looking at Kate as she sent the latest vital readings to the doctors.

“I don’t think that’s right.” Kate disputed trying to get a rise out of the woman. “I looked it up online. There is a whole thing called ‘Inmate’s Rights’ that you are violating.” Still nothing from the woman. “You know I could get a blood clot laying in bed all day.”

Jade couldn’t be flustered, she knew the game that was being played. Kate wasn’t the first patient of hers to try this method of entertaining themselves. She took comfort in the fact that Kate wasn’t just trying to pick fights with her but everyone she had come into contact with since her husband left. It was understandable, the woman lacked companionship. Everyone was going out of their way to keep the children occupied and away from Kate, and the toll was becoming apparent.  “That is a risk with bedrest, however you receive air compression therapy on your legs twice a day for just that reason.”

“Is that what that is for?” Kate came back to that with, “I thought Tony went cheap on the massages around here.” With the tests done, she got up and went back to the kitchen.

“What do you need Mrs. Secretary?” The nurse called after her.

“It’s called breakfast, am I not allowed three meals a day?”

Jade followed Kate into the kitchen. “I will have someone bring you up something, what would you like?”

She really wasn’t hungry but would need to eat something if for no other reason than to follow through on what she previously stated. “Coffee and a bagel please, light on the cream cheese. And at some point, I would like to see my children.”

 “I will send the order out and bring it up to you. I will make arrangements for visitation with the children.”

“Time out! That is it!” Kate screamed so loud Peter thought the security system would go off. Kate walked right up to the nurse and stood only inches from her face. “You will not arrange ‘visitation’ for my children and myself to see each other. I am not a prisoner despite how you and everyone in this building is treating me. I put up with you and them because it got my husband out of here, and he really needed to get out. I will even concede to a degree that perhaps I need to be on bedrest. The line that you just crossed by telling me when I can see my children and when they can see me, was too far.”

Peter’s eyes darted between the two women, he was ashamed to admit he was scared and at a loss for what to do. Maintaining a calm and smooth voice, void of any intonation that could be misinterpreted and give Kate a reason to become upset further, Jade explained herself. “I can assure you Secretary, that was not my meaning. Mrs. Potts-Stark has the children’s schedule relatively packed with activities to avoid ‘cabin fever’ from being moved here. I merely was going to suggest that I contact her and ask her to make them available to spend some time here with you. What time would you like them back?”

Kate wanted to be mad, but how could she be if she was getting her way. It had been the same conundrum since her forced bedrest had started. No one would argue with her and was being within reason, flexible with her demands. “I would like them here for when their father returns. That will be anywhere from ten thirty to eleven. Tony will be able to provide a more precise time.”

“I agree with you; the children should be present for Agent Barton’s return. He has probably missed them as well as yourself. I will relay that to your step-mother after I put in your breakfast order.”

Kate put her right hand on the kitchen island and assessed the woman. Drumming her fingers on the surface, she grasped that there was nothing else to do. “Well then, you do that and let me know.”

Nurse Conner turned so she wasn’t blocking the pathway out of the kitchen into the living room and motioned for Kate to leave. “Of course Secretary Barton. Is it safe to assume that I can bring your breakfast and the answer from Mrs. Potts-Stark to your bedroom?”

Kate had nicknamed the woman correctly, because she felt like she was about to make a deal with the devil. “If I rest in bed all morning until Clint comes back, can I have a guilt and nurse free afternoon in the living room with my family?”

“It will depend on your vitals, but I do believe that can be arranged as well. It would only be for a short time though.”

It was better than nothing. Maybe with Clint around, Kate could have a tiny bit more freedom. Walking past the nurse and over to head upstairs again, Kate called behind her, “Then yes, bring it all to my room please.”