Work Text:
-------------
For a moment, it looked as if everything had gone according to plan. Fury had arrived at Torchwood headquarters and even managed to keep his bag on his shoulder and his feet on the ground when he landed. As he looked around though, things started not adding up. Jack had called him in, but was nowhere in sight, and something about the room was… off. Little things, barely noticeable until he was looking, like a minor alteration to the colour of the walls or a doorway just slightly to the left. “Jack?” Fury called out, reaching for his gun. Before he could pull it, a voice sounded from behind him.
“I wouldn’t if I were you.” The distinctive sound of a safety being switched off followed this statement, and he froze. “Good. Now set down the bag, and the gun. Slowly, please, it’s been a long day and I doubt you want to make me jumpy.” He obeyed carefully, setting down his things and straightening back up. “Right. Now turn around.” He rotated slowly on the spot, arching his eyebrows at the young looking blonde woman.
“Where’s Jack?” Probably not his best plan, demanding answers from a clearly pissed-off woman with a gun pointed at his chest, but then he’d never been one for safe or subtle. “He called me over here to deal with something for him, and I’d prefer to talk to him before you shoot me.”
She rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed. “I’m not going to shoot you. Yet.” She gestured with the gun to the nearest desk. “Sit.” When he complied, she leaned against the wall, keeping the gun aimed at him. “Jack’s not here. Hasn’t been all week. And there’s no way he would have called someone in without telling me first.” She smiled, though entirely without humour. “So how about you tell me what you’re really doing here? Starting with how you got in, please. I know I set the wards on the doors when I got back.”
“Slider.” He held up his wrist to display the leather bracelet that enabled his jump through time and space, still moving slowly.
She frowned. “Really. And just where did you get your hands on that?” She straightened up, taking a step closer to him. “Jack’s the only one who should have one of those. I warn you, I am going to be very displeased if I find out that anything’s happened to him.” Her eyes narrowed, and she glanced briefly over her shoulder as the clanging sound of the door echoed through the room. “Hello?” She called loudly to whomever had opened the door.
“Rose? I thought you went home.” An exhausted and rumpled Jack Harkness walked into view, freezing as he took in the scene. “Well hello there. What’s going on in here, and is it too late to join in?”
Rose rolled her eyes. “He broke in. Said he was looking for you; that you had called him in. He’s got a slider, Jack. Apparently you gave it to him.”
Fury seized his chance as soon as she stopped talking. “Jack, will you do all of us a favour and just tell her that you called me in here?”
Jack raised an eyebrow and strolled over, ignoring Rose’s faint noise of protest. “Jack, huh? Seems you have the advantage of me…” His smile turned to a wide and highly suggestive grin. “Care to press it?”
Fury glanced over at Rose in time to see her bury her face in the palm of her free hand. His lips twitched. “Maybe later. I think you’re upsetting your colleague there…”
Jack glanced back over his shoulder. “Aw. You know you’re always welcome to join in, right?”
She sighed and ignored the question. “Back to the point at hand, please. How on earth did he get a slider, and what are we going to do with him now that he’s made it here?” Correctly interpreting the gleam in Jack’s eye, she shook her head. “Aside from that. Even you can only keep him busy for so long, and we’ll still need a plan for him after that.”
Jack grinned. “If we took turns…” He started, waggling his eyebrows at her.
“No.” She didn’t sound particularly surprised by the suggestion, just slightly annoyed that he was still off on his tangent.
“If I could make a suggestion?” Fury sounded amused by the whole thing. “I’m obviously in the wrong place somehow. And given that I have this-“ He held up his arm, indicating the slider around his wrist. “-maybe I should just go back where I came from. Save you the trouble of sorting out what to do with me.”
Rose and Jack exchanged a glance. “It might be worth it.” She shrugged. “Lord knows he’s more trouble than he’s worth if he sticks around, whoever he is.”
Without waiting to see if there was to be more discussion, Fury tapped a couple buttons on the slider… which promptly emitted a puff of smoke. “Shit.” Fury looked up. “That’s going to be a problem.”
“Understatement.” The quiet voice came from somewhere above them. “Why do you always feel the need to have your little powwows in the middle of the night, Jack?” The speaker stepped into view, dressed in a suit despite the lateness of the hour and his obvious exhaustion.
“Ianto?” Fury stared up in shock, frozen.
The man arched an eyebrow. “Yes? Have we met?”
“Yes. But you died, years ago.”
Jack and Rose traded another look. “Right. Sorry Rose, but we’re going to have to keep him. This is obviously more than a matter of ill-used stolen tech.”
Rose snapped her fingers and pointed at Jack, and the two spoke in unison. “Alternate universe. Of course!”
“Makes as much sense as anything around here.” Ianto sounded more amused than anything. “Sort this out quickly, would you Jack? It’s bedtime and past, and you know we have to get up obscenely early in the morning.” With a faint smile, he turned and disappeared.
“Fair point…” Jack glanced at Rose. “You can handle this, yes? Good.” Without waiting for an answer, Jack bounded up the stairs and through the doorway after Ianto.
Rose sighed. “Typical.” She studied Fury, her brow furrowed. “You planning to wig out or attack at any point in time?”
He grinned. “Assuming no one attacks me?”
She slid her gun back into the hip holster it had come out of. “Fair enough. Although it’s not entirely unlikely that something or someone will attack in here… it’s that sort of place, I’m afraid.” She held out a hand. “Rose Tyler. Sorry about the gun, but it doesn’t do to take too many chances in this line of work.”
“Right.” He shook her hand. “Nicholas Fury. Nick.” He glanced around. “So I’m assuming this is still Torchwood? What exactly is your role?” At her look of surprise, he elaborated. “I’m assuming you’re fairly high up, since Jack trusts you with the sole care of the… whatever I am.” He flashed a charming grin. “Not prisoner, I hope?”
She rolled her eyes. “Not as of now. Time will tell. As to me…” She shrugged. “Jack’s really only in charge on paper. He’s off with some conquest or another half the time, and it can be really bloody difficult just to find him when he disappears. So mostly I run the place. What do you know of our organization?”
“Not as much as I’d like. Jack has always been pretty tight with the details… I think in memory of Ianto more than anything lately.” He glanced up to where the two men had vanished, frowning. “Hunting down rogue aliens. Containment where possible, basic government bullshit.”
She nodded. “Essentially. And no, I have no intention of giving you any more information. Fun though it would be to circumvent Jack’s authority…” She grinned briefly, then had to stifle a yawn. “Oh, bloody hell. They aren’t the only ones who have to be up in the morning.” She looked at Fury, a trifle wary. “And I’m going to have to take you home with me, I think. Cells are full up at the moment, and I really can’t leave you alone in here… not with everyone else in the building distracted.” She sighed. “Perfect…”
He snorted, recognising the sentiment as one he was all too familiar with from his own line of work, and casually propped his elbow against the desk. He quickly sat upright again when she produced a pair of handcuffs, making a quiet noise of interest.
Ignoring the noise, she summoned him with a wave of her hand. “Let’s go. Some of us need sleep to keep from shooting people like you.”
He rose and preceded her out, calling back over his shoulder. “Safe word is candy corn. And I want it on record that I am very much in favour of the handcuff idea.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine. If you’re very very good tonight and let me sleep, we can discuss it in the morning.”
They’d reached street level by this point, and he turned to stare at her. “Really. You’re just saying that to shut me up, aren’t you.”
She gave him a sly grin. “Probably. But are you willing to take that chance?” She clicked a button on her keys, and a nondescript black car lit up and beeped. “You’ll never know if I was lying unless you abide by the terms, will you?” She opened the passenger side door and waved him in with a wide smile.
-------------
Her apartment was tiny, and cluttered. She switched on the light in the kitchen, effectively illuminating everything but the bedroom, and gave a grand sweeping gesture. “Et voila. My glorious castle. You get the couch.” She grinned at him. “It unfolds into a bed, in theory.”
“Theory?”
“Yep. In actual practice, there wouldn’t be space for it to stretch out... even if the sides weren’t too rusty to move.” She pulled pillows and a blanket out of a closet, tossing them onto the couch. “You need the restroom? I’m chaining you to the couch, so now would be the time.”
He nodded and vanished into the bathroom. A few minutes later he was seated on the couch, docilely holding out his arm to facilitate her connecting it to a bar on the back of the couch. She’d apparently done the same thing before, as the chain connecting the manacles was long enough to allow him to lie down comfortably, and he raised an eyebrow. “Are you in the habit of chaining people to your couch?”
She shrugged. “Sort of. The cells are full as often as they’re not, and Jack would rather send the non-lethals home with me than create a better or more permanent solution. I can deal; it doesn’t happen often enough to be really annoying. And it’s nice, in a sad sort of way, to know that he trusts me to take people like you home.”
Fury nodded. “Makes sense. Very Jack…”
She glanced at her watch, shrugged, and sat on the couch beside him. “So what’s your Jack like?”
He looked at her in surprise. “Bit of a flirt. Smart. Has a tendency to wander off at random. Can’t die. Something happened shortly before Torchwood was founded, no one knows what, but he’s immortal now. I’ve seen him come back from death a time or two myself. It’s the damnedest thing.”
She huffed a quiet laugh. “Yeah, that was me. This version, as far as we know, is just as mortal as you or I.” At his look, she elaborated. “I’m from your universe, assuming there’s only one immortal Jack. And it was me that made him that way, essentially. And no. I have no intention of explaining how or why. Not my story to tell, I’m afraid.” She stretched, rising from the couch with a yawn. “Sleep well. We’ll figure out what to do with you in the morning; I’m too tired to think anymore.”
She went back into her bedroom, shutting the door on his quiet “Good night.” With a groan, he worked around the chain to find a comfortable position and fell asleep rather faster than he’d feared.
-------------
“Good morning, sleepyhead!” Rose sounded obscenely cheerful, particularly given that a glance out the window would indicate that the sun was not yet up.
“The hell time is it?” His words came out as a croak, and he cleared his throat as he sat up. “And why on earth are we awake to see it, whatever it is?”
She grinned at him. “Four thirty. And we are awake-“ She handed him a steaming cup of coffee. “-because our illustrious leader needs me. And I’m not about to leave you in my apartment alone, so.” She took a long swallow from her own cup. “Good morning to everyone!” She unclipped the chain and finished off her coffee while he used the facilities and splashed cold water on his face in an attempt to wake up.
-------------
“Good morning!” Jack, naturally, was just as awake as Rose. “Everyone sleep well? Great! So here’s the problem.”
Fury tuned him out, choosing instead to half doze, half worry about how he was getting back to his own universe. He was startled out of his reverie by Rose’s hand on his shoulder. “Jack and Ianto are taking off. He says he doesn’t want you out on assignment, for obvious reasons, so I get to stay here and deal with paperwork...” She looked fairly unthrilled with the prospect, and he couldn’t blame her.
“In short, he forgot I was here and now he has to justify calling you in at all.”
She shrugged. “Could be worse. It is definitely your fault, though. Which means you get to help me. C’mon, they’ve left already. Time to quit daydreaming and get to work.”
He sighed. “Yes ma’am.”
She parked him at one of the desks, first logging out of the computer, and dropped a very large stack of paper in front of him. “Invoices, mostly. Plus whatever random bits of paper have gotten stuck in there along the way. I need ‘em alphabetized, by customer last name.” She grinned as his face fell. “Anything that doesn’t look like it belongs, set to one side. I’ll go through it at some point.”
She moved back to her own desk, switching on the computer and promptly immersing herself in whatever she was working on. He took a moment to watch her, her features lit by the glow of the screen and her face softer than he’d yet seen it. She glanced over at him before he could get too lost, raising her eyebrows. “You do know the alphabet, yes?”
He chuckled. “Too early to think about anything but pretty girls and dimension hopping. In that order.” He turned back to his papers with a grin, and she good-naturedly rolled her eyes.
“Right. Of course. Well, in the grand tradition of government facilities nowhere... paperwork before pretty girls.”
He sighed dramatically. “If you insist.”
-------------
He was barely halfway through the stack when she stretched and declared a lunch break. “I’m going to go blind if I keep staring at this screen. C’mon, there’s a good pizza place ‘round the corner.”
“No arguments here. Why on earth are there so many unsorted invoices lying around? Shouldn’t they be filed or something?”
“Yeah, that’s your next job.” She led him up and out of the building and headed across the parking lot. “As for why it’s not been done already?” She shrugged. “We get busy. And no one wants that particular job; it’s just not as much fun as most of what we do.” She pushed the door of the restaurant open, inhaling deeply as she stepped in. “That’s what we have people like you for, right? General unpleasant grunt work?”
He laughed, following her in. “Work in exchange for passage home, eh?”
“Precisely. Now, the important question. How do you feel about peppers?”
-------------
Between them they consumed an entire large pie, and they returned to their respective tasks feeling rather better for the sustenance. A few hours later, he leaned back in his chair, stretching and wincing as his spine popped. “Well, that’s done it. One enormous pile of alphabetized papers for you, ma’am.” He waved a small handful of oddly sized and coloured papers. “And the miscellaneous extras, as per your instructions.”
“Oh good.” Jack strolled in, his hair a wild mess and a large gash in his coat sleeve. “I had hoped you’d get some use out of him.” He plunked himself down on Rose’s desk. “And how was your day, kids?”
Nick rolled his eyes and muttered indistinctly under his breath.
Rose grinned. “Progress made, obviously. How’d the raid go?”
Jack held out his arm, pouting. “They got my coat.” Seeing that he wasn’t getting any sympathy, he dropped his arm and said more seriously “We dealt with the problem. Turned out to just be the fish people again.” He shook his head. “I really wish they’d stop popping up... more trouble than they’re worth.” He gave Nick a long look. “Have you tried the slider again?”
Nick shook his head. “Given the smoke the first time? Hell no. I like my limbs attached.”
Jack held out a hand. “May I see?” Nick handed it over, and Jack held it up to the light, frowning. “Looks okay.” He frowned. “D’you mind if I poke at it a bit? I may have some ideas to make it work.” He glanced at Rose. “If you don’t mind him staying with you another night, I’ll futz with it in the morning, see what I can do.”
She shrugged. “It’s fine. That mean you’re calling it a night?”
He grinned. “Certainly heading to bed now, yes.”
She sighed and rose from her chair, patting him on the shoulder. “Don’t need to know more, thanks. C’mon, Nick. Let’s go find dinner. Trust me when I say that we do not want to be in the building when those two get going.”
-------------
They picked up Chinese takeout, eating on a bench in a nearby park, then walked back to her apartment. At one point she yawned and stumbled a little, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She glared at him and he shrugged, not letting go. “Jack's a 'shoot first, questions second' guy when it comes to people he loves getting hurt. Not risking my limbs.”
She looked up at him, surprisingly vulnerable. “He doesn’t love me.” She laughed bitterly. “Story of my life, really. Everyone likes me, no one likes me enough, and sooner or later everyone leaves.” She shook her head, frustrated. “Sorry. Pent up, I guess.”
He squeezed her shoulders, sympathy in his eyes. “It’s okay. We’ve all been there.”
She leaned against him with a sigh. “I suppose. Still sucks sometimes, though.” She unlocked the apartment and followed him in.
He pulled her down to sit beside him on the couch, keeping his arm around her. “That it does. And it doesn’t really help that the sort of work we do makes it damn near impossible to date, or even to just share a bed with someone.”
She looked up at him, her brow furrowed. “We? What exactly is it you do?”
“I work for SHIELD.”
She shook her head. “Nothing I’ve heard of. What’s it do?”
“We’re a government agency, technically. Our main function is to deal with, and clean up after, superheroes.” His lips twitched. “Mostly the latter, actually. You’d be amazed what the collateral damage costs are for keeping one superhero around... and we’ve got a whole team of them in New York.”
She smiled. “Sounds like fun? At least you get to hang about with heroes, though, yeah? Has to count for something.”
“I’ve found that the reality tends to outweigh the romance of thing.”
“That’s a pity.” She stared at the wall opposite for a long moment, then looked sharply at him. “Though honestly, there can be something to be said for practicality over romance. Less likelihood of missing out on chances that way.”
His eyes met hers, and he raised his eyebrows. “Got a specific example in mind?”
She grinned, having made up her mind. “Yep.”
Without further ado, she wrapped her fingers around the back of his neck and tugged him down, planting a soft kiss on his lips. He froze in surprise for a moment, but when she went to pull back he slid a hand around the back of her neck, keeping her in place and deepening the kiss. He slid his other hand down to her hip and shifted them over so she was laying along the couch with him bent over her. The kiss lasted a few more moments before he pulled back and stared at her, their breathing ragged.
“Are you planning to tie me to the couch again?” Nick brushed hair out of her face, a look of amusement on his face.
Rose laughed softly. “Perhaps to the bed, if you’d like. Fun though this is-“ She shifted her hips, coming into intimate contact with him and causing his breath to hitch. “-the bed’s going to be much better.”
He chuckled and levered himself up, holding his hand out to her. “Don’t have to tell me twice. Come along.”
They crossed into the bedroom and she dropped down onto the bed, pulling him with her and kissing him again. He stretched full length against her, wrapping his arm around the small of her back and holding her to him as he returned the kiss, sliding his free hand through her hair. Rose wrapped her leg around his, pressing closer, and Nick slipped his hand beneath her shirt to caress her bare back. She purred and broke the kiss, pushing him aside so she could sit up and tug his shirt off. He reached back under her shirt, deftly unhooking her bra one-handed. She arched an eyebrow as she lifted her arms for him to remove her top, taking the bra with it. “That was remarkably practised...”
He smirked. “Yep.” Before she could question further, he captured her lips again, bearing her back against the pillows and pressing himself against her. She wrapped her arms around him, returning the kiss.
Several long moments later, they’d managed to remove each other’s pants, and she was clinging to him, her head tossed back as he kissed his way along her neck. “Hey.” She cupped his cheek and lifted his head, smiling breathlessly, her eyes dark with desire. “Condoms, top drawer of the bedside table.”
He smiled slowly, trailing his fingers lightly across her collarbone. “In good time.” He grinned wickedly at her and began to kiss a line down her body. She whimpered softly when he paused at her breasts, and he took an extra moment there before continuing down. She yelped when he reached the junction between her thighs, and she reached down to press a hand to his head to hold him in place. He slid a finger into her, curling it at just the right angle to make her arch her back and moan, her legs wrapping around his shoulders and heels digging into his back. He held her hip firmly with his free hand, keeping her as still as he could, and added a second finger. Finding her clit with his tongue, he stroked her to a surprisingly quick orgasm, and she shrieked his name as she clung to his shoulder and the bedclothes.
Panting, she looked down at him, and he smirked at the look on her face. Caressing her with lips and hands, he slid back up to kiss her thoroughly, reaching for the bedside table as he did. He slid the condom on and pulled back enough to see her face. “You’re sure about this?”
She rolled her eyes and wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him into intimate contact with her. “Entirely sure, yes. Now shut up and kiss me.” With a grin, he complied.
-------------
He stretched languidly as he woke up the next morning, a smile on his face as he looked down at her still-sleeping form. He pulled her in against him, tucking his face against her hair and preparing to drift back off to sleep. Naturally, that was the exact moment her phone went off. “Shit.” Rose came awake instantly, snatching up the phone. “Hello?” She slid out of bed, grinning at Nick as she strolled toward the living room entirely naked. “Wait, what?... I don’t... Yes, but... Right. Okay. We’ll be in as soon’s we can. Bye, Ianto.” She turned to look back at Nick. “Sadly, no chance of an encore just now. Jack’s having a crisis apparently, wants us both in.”
Nick shrugged good-naturedly and rose, stretching. “If you insist. There’s always tonight, after all...” He grinned suggestively and disappeared into the bathroom, grabbing his pants from the corner they’d ended up in.
-------------
They arrived at Torchwood to find chaos. Two versions of Jack circled each other, both snarling. Ianto stood by, his arms folded and his brow furrowed.
“What the ever-loving hell?” Rose glanced at Nick, her eyes wide.
Both Jacks looked up and one immediately looked relieved. “Director Fury, thank god. We weren’t sure we were ever going to get you back.”
Nick raised an eyebrow. “How the hell did you find me?”
Jack #2 shrugged. “Basically been universe-hopping since you didn’t show up. The Doctor turned up pretty early on, so that made things easier.”
Rose looked at him sharply. “The Doctor? The Doctor can’t come here, though. Something something paradox, yeah?”
Jack #2 shook his head. “No, he can’t. But once we eliminated the rest of the list, I jumped through here on my own.” He turned to glare at Jack #1. “So I’m taking you, and Ianto, and going home.”
Jack #1 glared right back. “No, you’re bloody well not. His home is here. And frankly, if Nick wants to stick around, I will fight for him as well.” He glanced over at Rose and Nick, grinning when he took in their appearance. “And I get the feeling he’s gonna want to stay...”
Ianto sighed loudly and stalked over to Rose. “They’ve been at this all bloody morning.” Seeing Nick was about to intervene, he shook his head. “I wouldn’t waste my breath. I tried explaining to them that I am in fact an adult human with opinions, but neither of them want to hear it. Typical Jack...”
Rose growled. “I was having a nice morning, bugger them.” She stomped over in between the Jacks. “Will the pair of you please knock it the hell off?”
Her actions sparked a sudden flurry of motion. Jack #2 pulled a gun, aiming at Rose. Jack #1 retaliated, pulling his own weapon and firing at Jack #2. Ianto, apparently acting on instinct, dove across and tackled Jack #2, pulling him out of the trajectory of the bullet.
Simultaneously, Nick reached over and grabbed Rose by the collar, hauling her out of the line of fire. Having reacted to the gunfire, she had her own gun in her hand and had been making her way toward the nearest wall to assess the situation, and when Nick grabbed her from behind, she spun, automatically bringing the gun to bear. He caught her wrist, holding her immobile and calling to her.
There was a scream of “NO!” from behind them, a second gunshot went off, shattering a light above them, and Rose screamed and fell back from him, her face suddenly covered in blood.
He grabbed desperately for her, but someone caught him from behind, tackling him to the ground. He yelled “Rose!”, reaching out for her, but the person who’d grabbed him was Jack #2, and he slapped a button on the slider he was wearing. The last thing Nick saw was Rose staring at him in shock, her hand covering the right side of her face and blood oozing through her fingers.
-------------
Two years later, Nick was in his office, glaring at a stack of papers on the desk in front of him. He looked up when Jack walked in, the glare not diminishing. “Explain to me why I have to file an incident report? And why the hell you waited this long to decide that it was necessary?”
Jack sighed. “It’s probably nothing. But it’s possible Rose has been sighted in the city.”
Nick looked up sharply. “Excuse me? I was under the impression that she was stuck in that universe.”
Jack nodded. “She was, as far as we knew. But it’s been suggested that she was angry enough and motivated enough to actively look for a way through. And apparently, she found it. And since she almost certainly lost an eye, at the very least, in that fight, it’s possible that what she’s after is revenge.” He looked sympathetic as he studied Nick. “She’s not going to be the same girl you had a fling with. You must not, under any circumstances, seek her out until we know why she’s here.”
Nick nodded slowly, then slid the stack of papers across the desk. “That’s all of it. I’m going home now.”
Jack’s eyes narrowed. “Right. We’ve set you up a protection detail, just so you know. Do us all a favour and don’t do anything stupid, okay?”
-------------
Nick sat on his bed, his head in his hands. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been there when a soft voice came from the corner of the room. “Hello Nick.”
He looked up, unsurprised. “Rose.”
She smiled coldly. “Some protection squad. I didn’t even have to try to get around them; they left the entire west side of the building open.” She stepped into the light, revealing thinner features than he remembered and an eye patch covering the lack of a right eye. She waited as he took in the sight of her, hand resting casually on the gun at her hip. “Well? Anything you wanted to say?”
“You here to kill me?” He sounded weary. “I didn’t want to leave, you know. If I’d been given a choice? I’d have stayed.”
She smiled again, mocking. “Of course you would.” She shrugged. “I suppose we’ll never know, really. It’s not important.”
Before she could speak further, an agent dove through the open door, gun in hand. Rose threw herself backwards as the agent fired and the shot went wide, hitting the lamp on the bedside table, which exploded. Nick was knocked backwards, a pain blooming in his left eye as he fell. Rose swore and reached for the slider on her wrist. “I’ll be back for you, love.” She glared at the agent and smacked the button. The agent reached out to stop her leaving, but her fingers closed on air as Rose vanished.
-------------
Afterwards:
Nearly four years had passed. The shrapnel from the lamp had gradually cost Nick the use of his left eye, and he’d been relegated to deskwork for a frustratingly long time as he learned to compensate for the loss of depth perception. Eventually, though, he adapted enough to get back out into the field. It was on one such mission that he spotted the woman in the eye patch. He assumed he’d been seeing things, given that the smile she'd thrown him had looked kind; a far cry from the furious Rose he'd last seen.
When they got back to base, though, Clint was laughing. “Anyone else notice Nick’s perfect woman out there?” At Nick’s Look, he explained. “Between you, you’ve got a full set of eyes.”
Nick rolled his eye and headed back for his office. “Real mature, Barton. I want reports on my desk by tomorrow morning, all of you.” And he slammed the door behind him. He was seated behind his desk, reaching for the whiskey he kept locked in the bottom drawer when he spotted the envelope propped against his lamp. It had ‘Fury’ typed on the outside in generic typewriter-produced font, and he was certain it hadn’t been there when he’d left the office earlier.
He picked up the phone, using the intercom to speak to his secretary. “Did we have any visitors while I was gone?” She responded that there hadn’t been anyone in the building that day, sounding puzzled. He didn’t explain, simply hung up and stared at the envelope. Finally he shrugged and pulled out a letter opener, half expecting the contents to be deadly but not finding it in himself to care. However, there was only an index card with eleven words written on it: “An eye for an eye, love. Catch me if you can.” The other side had a simple drawing of a rose, and he began to laugh softly.