A Day In The Life

Evan could hardly believe that he and Natalya had been together for a year. She was like a rare orchid that took a very long time to bloom and only bloomed for a very short time. It had taken months to find the right mix of medications and he had SHIELD’s entire medical section working on that but it appeared that they were helping her more than the side effects hurt her.

Every night he tantalized her senses with an evening meal he shopped for and made just for her. She was always wanting to try something new and it brought Evan pleasure to make something she really liked. During the day he worked as a software security engineer and she worked on integrating herself into a society that can never know what she truly is. That was the agreement SHIELD had made with them. He didn’t know all of what each day held for her and for the most part he didn’t want to know so when they came together they had something to talk about. The key he felt was giving attention to the mundane moments. The little bit of normal in their lives.

It wasn’t a perfect life. Natalya needed space when she needed it and needed him close when she needed him. He had long decided to make her needs a priority and so far, it all just worked. He had a delivery man delivery their every day supplies and a cleaning lady that came in daily to clean and do the laundry while Natalya was out. And they wanted for nothing.His building was a small, converted warehouse with far more space below ground than above it. Three levels above ground and a large basement that he outfitted with exercise equipment and a sound dampened shooting range with a full array of weaponry that SHIELD supplied to them. The house was done in a modern decor, a gray building with darkened windows so no one could look inside. It stood out a little next to the other, older looking buildings on the block but with the CorSec Security Software logo on the front people just took it for a business than a home. In the back of the house on the ground level was a garage where they had vehicles on a large turntable. Natalya’s bike a modified Black MTT Turbine Superbike was for her alone but usually she was content on letting him drive when they needed to go somewhere. The other vehicles were an Audi R8, a Range Rover and a modified Audi A8 with a Titanium body and explosive proof glass.

The floor above was an open space where they bedroom,, office and main bathroom was. The floor above that included the kitchen and dining area and main living space. There were stairs to the roof where there was a small dining area as well as a small garden where Evan spent his free time cultivating. For the most part their lives were happy and uneventful but there was always the Reality Stone.

After the events involving Corvus, one of Thanos’s henchmen, with Natalya’s and his father’s help, Evan designed a shadow trap that kept the Reality Stone inside of a shadow which rendered it completely undetectable by almost any means and only he and Natalya knew where it was kept. Evan and Natalya know that eventually Thanos would come again for the stone but until that time Evan wanted to enjoy the time he had with Natalya. He loves her and at times he feels that she loves him but emotions were always difficult for Natalya and so he just accepted the pieces of her that she felt like giving him. He wasn’t certain if it was enough for him, sometimes but he wanted her with him anyway.

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Back at SHIELD Phil held a SHIELD dossier folder under his right arm and held a cup of black coffee in his left. He shouldered a glass door open and stepped into the briefing room. Inside already seated was; Milinda May, Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons. Phil dropped the dossier packet onto the long, glass table then took a seat at the head of the table. He blew on his coffee as Melinda took the dossier and opened it.

“We’ve detected some unusual activity...we think that Thanos might be using the Space Stone again,” He said as he took a sip of the coffee. Melinda frowned as she read over Corvus’s file. On another page was Evan’s profile and on the opposite page was Natalya’s profile. “You think they are going to make another play for the Reality Stone?” Leo Asked concernedly. And Jemma groaned. Phil grinned but it came off as more of a wince...the coffee was just a bit to bitter. “Well that’s why I’m having this briefing.

Natalya couldn't believe that an entire year had already passed since she had first met Evan. Their relationship had started hot, heavy, and full of passion and desire and those feelings had not diminished in the past year. Natalya owed a lot to Evan. If he had not taken a chance on her and risked his life for her then she would very likely be dead or constantly on the run at the moment. But he had and because of that trust he had ultimately changed her life for the better. The only life she had ever known up until meeting Evan had been the life of an expert assassin and spy. She had been born to and raised by the SSB to be the ultimate killer. The Super Soldier Serum that ran through her veins made her faster and stronger. She had been designed and trained to be the best and had never known any other life until Evan entered hers. Evan had been the first person she had ever known who had told her that what had been done to her was wrong and he had truly believed it. He had also been the first person to ever show her true love and affection. She still didn't understand why he loved her as much as he did, but it was clear that he did.

Evan had done everything possible to ensure that she was comfortable moving into his place and together they had turned it into their ultimate home. The basement was specially designed just for her and contained a shooting range and every piece of exercise equipment she could ever want. Natalya needed to keep busy and this was where she spent a majority of her time. Despite the medications that she was on she continued to have severe nightmares of the horrible things the SSB had done to her that she had long suppressed. Evan was always there to hold her if she wanted to be held or to give her her space. He always understood without questioning and that made her love him even more. And she did love him...even if it was hard for her to express. She was working on that though as she wanted him to hear those words from her.

SHIELD had them both lying low for now. Even though the Reality Stone was safe there were still plenty of people out there who wanted her dead and would kill Evan just as quickly. Needless to say they were also worried about Natalya's mental health. She was still slightly unhinged and what Evan didn't know was that they had a contingency plan in place just in case she were to become even more...dangerous.

That morning Natalya collapsed back onto the bed after a vigorous love making session. They made love all the time, but the morning seemed to be one of their favorite times of day. She grinned as she felt Evan begin to kiss her neck. "Hmmm...I love you." She didn't even realize she had said it.

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Tatiana was beyond furious that Natalya was still missing. She had put all of their best agents on her scent, but she remained out of their grasp. She wanted her back. She had put too much time and effort into designing and training her. She was a very expensive weapon that had gone missing and Tatiana was going to get her back. It would take time to re-program her, but she would do it.

She heard a knock at her door and sighed as she lit a cigarette. "Come in!"

Torbin Richards was a weasel as people went. He had few scruples and cared only for himself and his money. He was a fixer who lived in New York’s east side and he worked for whomever had the money to pay him. Weapons, explosives, vehicles, mercenaries and assassins. If it was needed, it was said, he could find it. He had never met Corvus but one of his associates had given him the specifics of what they were after. He had look at the two dossiers he had been given front to back. A Evan Cullen and a Natalya Sokolova. Apparently this Evan was a super and had some powers that revolved around Darkness generation but the true specifics of what he could do, to his dislike, were not really known. That and he, along with this Sokolova, had literally disappeared. Obviously SHIELD had had a hand in that but his mole there was not successful in establishing their location or even if they were together or in different locations. With the dossier’s under his arm he strolled into Tatiana’s office. He was a fairly short man with short brown hair, a bad toupee and wire framed glasses. He wore a gray Armani tailored suit with a matching fedora and shoes and he had an ‘irritated’ look in his eyes.

With some force he slapped down the folder in front of Tatiana then leaned down toward her with his hands on her desk. “My ‘client’ is still waiting for what you promised him weeks ago. Where is Evan Cullen and Natalya Sokolova!” He snapped peevishly and reached up and pushed his glasses back onto his nose. “You’ve been compensated for results, not failures and my client does not like it when people fail him,” He said the stood up straight and took off his hat. He smoothed out his ‘hair’ then moved over to look out the window.

“You know I’ve been in this business for nearly 30 years. I’ve seen outfits like this one come and go. The ones that fail me...are no longer here,” he said then turned back to face her. “I love New York, ya know? I really do,” he said then moved over and took one of the plush, leather chairs in front of her. “The Yankees, the Knicks, the food and the women,” He said then removed his glasses as he pulled a white handkerchief from his pocket and began to clean them. “And I never miss a game…” He said as he breathed on one of the lenses and continued to wipe them. “There’s a knicks game happening right now and what am I doing right now? Am I there...watching it?” he said as he placed the glasses back on his puggish face. “No...I’m here wondering why an entire organization of agents with their ‘fancy’ tech gadgets and ‘highly’ trained operatives can’t find the people I’m looking for. Perhaps I came to the wrong place? I thought I hired the Soviet Special Branch, not the Soviet Stupid Branch,” he said dryly. “Well, are you going to talk or just sit there like some, old statue!” he growled insultingly.

Tatiana hated answering to this...rat. She was not used to answering to anyone except herself. She didn't know who Torbin Richards was working for, but Torbin had walked in with so much dirt on the SSB that she had no other choice but to give in to the blackmail. Tatiana eyed the man in front of her and seemed un-phased by his threat and insults. She had worked her entire life to get into the position she was in now and she was not intimated by him.

Tatiana was a tall, thin woman of pure Russian blood. Her hair had once been blonde, but was now completely grey. She kept it in a sophisticated chin length cut that accented her high cheek bones and highlighted her blue eyes. She had helped form the SSB and had quickly risen to the Director position through her special talents. She was a Queen being ordered around by a peasant and she did not like it.

She took a long drag of her cigarette and blew the smoke out in Torbin's face before stamping it out in the gold ashtray that sat on her desk. She gave him an unsettling smile before suddenly reaching over and grabbing his tie and pulling him towards her. She then slammed his head down onto her desk and held it there."I want you to understand something Mr. Richards...I don't like you and the only reason I am even working with you is because you somehow hacked into the SSB and are threatening to expose us. Natalya Sokolova was designed from birth to be the best field agent in the world. She was trained and raised by me and I did not accept failure or anything less than perfection. She knows how to disappear and long ago discarded her tracking device. Furthermore, I suspect SHIELD and that Evan Cullen is helping her. I have all my agents out looking for them. There is little more I can do. So you will get them when you get them." She reached over and grabbed her sharp letter opener. She ran the blade down his cheek and then stabbed it into her desk. "Threatening me will get you nowhere." With that she released him.

It still took real effort on his part to get her to orgasm. Natalya was not an easy person to please sometimes but it certainly gave him a feeling of accomplishment when it did happen and it didn’t always and she wasn’t one to fake it if it didn’t which he appreciated. This morning, they seemed to be in a morning kick these days, she had...loudly and she pulled the sheet over her as she backed into his arms which she knew he liked her to do after they had sex. Her back, neck and hair were damp from sweat and he leaned forward, took in her scent and kissed the back of her neck. ‘Hmm...I love you,’ He heard but her words hadn’t registered for him immediately. It took a moment and his kisses stopped abruptly and he lifted up his head in surprise.

“Um...what did you say?” he asked as he couldn’t believe his own ears and his heart skipped a beat. ‘Oh i had to have heard her wrong, right?’ He thought. He had told her he loved her several times but she had never said it in return...never. In truth he wasn’t certain if it would happen but he always hoped it would...some day.

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Torbin squinted and coughed as the smoke she blew form her cigarette assaulted his senses. He opened his mouth to tell her to put it out when he suddenly felt pulled and then the pain of a sudden impact on his forehead against something cold and hard. He hadn’t had time even to be outraged before fear quickly grew into his mind. He quieted his breathing though it was difficult so he could hear her words to him. Dark words from a voice so cold the chill ran up and down his spine, or would have had he had one to begin with. He tried to speak but there was something choking his windpipe and only a croak came out as he tried to struggle feebly to get loose. He felt the blade of something sharp on his cheek as he listened then jerked back when he felt the pressure of what held him release. Now he knew that if he ‘did’ release what he had to the authorities that he’d likely not live very long after. Still choking he stood and hurried out of her office.

Sergei Hashok’s desk was the nearest to Tatiana’s office. When he saw the little man exit in a rush he stood, straightened his suit coat then moved to lean into her office to see if Tatiana was alright. Sergai was one of SSBs top agents and also one of the most attractive with slicked back black hair, large brown eyes, somewhat dark complected with an extremely handsome face. “Mum...everything alright?” He asked and placed his hand on the door handle to close it again quickly if she nodded as he expected her to.

Natalya was breathing hard still and her body was glistening with sweat. She felt completely and utterly satisfied and content to just lie in Evan's arms for a while. She snuggled up against him and felt his arms wrap around her from behind. She felt she could just lie in his arms forever. She felt safe and secure in them...and loved...something she had never felt before. She hadn't realized she had said anything at first until Evan asked her what she had just said. His voice had a sense of disbelief in it and Natalya opened her eyes as she suddenly remembered what she had said. It had just rolled off her tongue so easily that she hadn't even realized she had said those words. It had been a struggle to even imagine being able to say them up until now. She suddenly felt more human than she ever had.

She turned over in Evan's arms so she was facing him and looked into his eyes. Her own were filled with tears of happiness. "I love you Evan."

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It gave Tatiana a great feeling of satisfaction to watch Torbin scamper quickly out of her office with fear in his eyes. She knew he would think twice before trying to threaten her again. She looked up to see Sergei Hashok standing in her doorway after Torbin left to be sure she was alright. Her eyes visibly looked him up and down. Sergei was incredibly handsome and an efficient agent. She often took him as a lover when it was convenient for her or she desired to...and she desired to now. "Please come in and...make yourself comfortable.”

There was no such thing as a ‘job description’ in this business. Not when one of the benefits was that you got to kill and hurt people. Sergei closed the door behind him as he began to loosen his tie as he stepped in further toward where Tatiana sat behind her desk. He knew what would be happening next for he had fucked his boss several times before. Among other things he had been taught, making love was one of the things he was best at and Tatiana obviously needed that part of him right now. He continued to undress as he moved around her desk and planted himself right in front of her between her and her desk. Her cool eyes never left his, not even after his pants dropped to the floor and his largeness was free for her to take…

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Evan readjusted as Natalya turned around to face him. She confirmed what she said as if it wasn’t difficult at all but the moisture in her eyes gave him the lie. It did mean something and she could not have given him a better gift if she tried. He leaned forward and kissed her soft, flush lips and pulled her close into him. Her soft, firm breasts felt wonderful against his chest and their legs mingled as she pressed him to her as well. “And I love you,” he whispered into her ear then pulled back to see her smile at him. “I love you and feel as if I can never get enough of you,” he added as he looked longingly into her eyes then rolled them over so we was on top of her. He wasn’t at all ready to make love to her again but he wanted to feel her beneath him anyway.

In their relationship Evan asked for very little from Natalya. Perhaps that was why she had stayed with him he had thought at least. But now...now...maybe she did love him and that was why she stayed he decided. He smiled down at her and kissed her lips again. “You are so...beautiful Natalya,” he said even though her hair was a mass of damp tangles and she wore no makeup right then. He still thought it though and looked at her with that loving light in his eyes that told her all she needed to know about what he was thinking and feeling. Her abilities were designed to know a man’s thoughts so she could manipulate them. Now she knew his thoughts and feelings without even trying. Evan was a good man who was willing to take the risks to be with her and all for just a hope that eventually she’d feel love for him. If ownership was a thing then she’d know that he ‘was’ hers in every way that mattered. “I am yours...Natalaya,” he whispered as if he could sense what she was thinking.

Tatiana had never had a husband, though she had had plenty of lovers, most of which worked for her. She rather enjoyed that arrangement because then she remained in control and in charge. Tatiana has always been beautiful and though she was older now she wasn’t a slouch in the bedroom department. Her maturity meant experience and she had a lot of it. Though Sergei was there to please her he never left feeling unsatisfied.

A short time later she began to redress. She sighed as she zipped up her skirt. “How am I going to find her Sergei? I’ve tried everything I can think of and that bastardized Torbin is breathing down my neck.”

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After lying lovingly in one another’s arms basking in the glow of their love, Evan and Natalya finally got up and showered together. Natalya had worked up quite an appetite that morning and was rather hungry by the time they began to dress. She had a high metabolism and therefore needed to consume more calories than the average person.

“What’s for breakfast?”

Sergai dabbed at the sweat that beaded up on his forehead then wiped his member off before he raised up his pants and buckled his belt. “We continue as we are and watch the police and news feeds. I’ve hacked into several cameras around the city and our new facial recognition software is running 24/7. Many agents do not believe they are still in new York but I do. Call it a feeling...call it whatever you want but I believe they are still here and I will find them for you. I will and it will not be much longer, I am certain of it,” he said confidently as he tightened back up his tie. He looked at his watch without expression and stuffed one arm into his suit coat then the other. He flushed out his sleeve cuffs and shrugged into his coat. Once more he was dressed as he had entered and he looked over at her and smiled.

“Thank you for that mum, but I wish you’d let me follow the rat to his hole. I could make it look like an accident or leave him in pieces as you desire,” he said as if he was telling her the weather outside.

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Evan loved taking a shower with Natalya and there was no where on her body she did not let him wash her. Doing so had made him excited again but he would be very late to his meeting at work and so he denied himself that pleasure in favor of another which was to make her breakfast.

“I believe this morning is cinnamon creme crepes, sausages and sliced strawberries and bananas with a mango black tea,” He said as he opened up his large, mirrored closet. He chose the black, leather Rolex watch, his favorite and decided to go simple today with a white shirt, and dark gray Brioni pinstripe suit. He had a difficult time choosing a tie though. He didn’t really have one that he liked with this suit and so he decided, after trying 8 different ones, that he’d just go without today. After a quick buff of his black Salvatore Farragamo shoes he glanced in her direction briefly before he left the bedroom area and stepped up the stairs into the kitchen where he began preparing their breakfast. He wore an apron to spare his clothes and before long delicious smells of cooking meat and sweet spices wafted down to where Natalay was getting ready for her day. Cooking for Evan was always a big deal as if he were an artist except instead of paints he used spices, vegetables, fruits and meats to create with. The tea was already steeping when he finally saw her emerge and he plated the sausages carefully then began on the crepes themselves.

“I should be home at the usual time unless Sergeo doesn’t have what I need at the market for supper,” He said as he began to gently spread out the crepe batter onto the large, round crepe iron. After a few seconds he added the cinnamon creme and then rolled it up and plated it and began another. In less than 3 minutes they each had 2 stuffed crepes on their plates and he brought them to the table then went back for the tea and the small bowls of sliced fruit. He set them down then sat across from her. “Kronos, windows up please,” He said and the blackout window covers all began to raise up silently. As they did the sun began to shine through the windows and brightened up the dining room. Evan took a sip of his tea and smiled over at Natalya. “Are you staying in or going out today m’love?” he asked as he took a bite of his crepe.

Tatiana tucked her shirt into her skirt and slipped back on her heels. She then walked over to the mirror and fluffed up her hair and began to reapply her lipstick. She looked at Sergei in the mirror and gave him a little smile. "As much as I would have appreciated that I don't think it is necessary...yet. I do wonder who he is working for though."

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Natalya rough dried her hair with a towel and then left it to air dry. Her hair was thick and had a lot of natural texture to it. She put on her black jeans, black leather knee high boots, a grey tee-shirt and then took out the black leather jacket that had once belonged to Evan, but now belonged to her. It still smelled like him and that was what she liked most about it. She only wore a little makeup which consisted of black liquid eyeliner, mascara and lipstick. She spritzed on the perfume Evan had bought for her one day at Neiman Marcus before heading up stairs to the kitchen. The smells of sweet and savory were already hitting her nose and making her mouth water. Before meeting Evan food had just been sustenance...fuel to keep her going and she had been very mindful of everything she put in her body. But Evan loved food and cooking and he had turned her on to what an experience eating could actually be. She was not a picky eater and was extremely adventurous, like Evan. She ate everything he had ever made for her.

They took their plates and sat down at the table. As the windows automatically rolled up the windows she looked out over the street and then took a sip of her tea. "I'm going to go out today. I need to go pick up my medications."

Evan used to ask if she wanted a ride but she had been refusing his offers for months now. Her time alone was important to Natalya and it allowed her to adjust to the world at her own pace and on her own terms. “Well, it certainly looks like it will be a good day, We’re launching the new software platform for the new micromagnets based partly on Tony Stark’s repulsor technology. It ought to be...completely droll,” He mused and chuckled as he watched her eat. He was happy that she took her time about it as if savoring everything. The texture, the taste, the smell and the feel of it on the way down. He smiled delightedly then sighed and looked at his watch again. He did not have a visible clock on the wall anywhere in their house by her request. He took one more sip of tea then pushed his plate with one uneaten crepe on it toward her then stood. He moved over to her and she leaned up her head for him to kiss her cheek. He did so and licked his finger when he tasted some of the creme in the kiss. “Mmmm...delicious, save some for me later,” He said and winked slyly at her though she knew what he was referring to. He put his cup in the sink then hit the stairs down to the garage level. She heard the R8 start up and the turn table motor moving the cars AND the garage door opening. Once he was clear of the garage the door opened and the turn table shifted again so the next time he drove into it the car would be able to exit again after it turned again.

Natalya sat at the table and finished her crepes and then Evan's unfinished one in silence. Sometimes she would listen to music, but today she felt like just being in a quiet space. She hadn't told Evan, but she had had another nightmare last night. Most of her nightmares were about her distant past, but this was about a much more recent event. In her nightmare Corvus stood between Evan and herself and she could see Evan was dying. She was trying to defeat Corvus to get to him, but she was weak and slow. She was forced to watch the man she now knew she loved die before her eyes.

Deep in her gut Natalya felt that something was about to happen, but she did not want to worry Evan and so she had said nothing. She also wasn't sure if what she was feeling was simply paranoia. She knew that the SSB was out there looking for her and she didn't know how close they were to finding her.

After she finished eating, she put the dishes in the dishwasher and cleaned up the kitchen. She then took her tea and went out onto the rooftop to sit for a while in the sun. When she had finished her cup of tea she rinsed out the cup and put it away before grabbing Evan's leather jacket. She put it on before heading out deeper into the neighborhood. She enjoyed walking. It was nice out and she liked the feeling of the sun on her face. She also needed lots of exercise and the opportunity to stretch her legs.

She ran a few errands before deciding to get some ice cream. The shop was a local small business run by a family of three generations. She went there so often that they knew her face now. She smiled at the grandfather as she walked in. "Could I get a single scoop of strawberry in a cone?"

Martin Kelwinn who had originally been from Ireland had opened up Kelwinn’s Ice cream and Fudge almost 55 years ago. His son James and his grandchildren Lewis and Gina had been learning the business and Lewis had gotten very good at making the fudge that came in over 20 different flavors. Martin was behind the counter and smiled when he saw her come in. His son was in the back taking inventory and Gina was at the register tallying up what an older woman had bought just now.

“Well Natalya, what are ya havin taday?” He asked and when she told him he nodded. “Strawberry...good choice,” He said and went to work getting her her cone. “We missed ya yesterday, I was beginning ta think that you were gettin tired of ice cream but there you go, provin me wrong!” He said with a chuckle as he handed her a generously scooped cone. “Anythin else?” He asked. “We got some chocolate peanut butter fudge just made fresh? He offered.

It turned out that Natalya had a bit of sweet tooth. She had never had sweets before meeting Evan and now she couldn't get enough, particularly of ice cream. She could easily eat an entire gallon herself. However, she was quite fond of Kelwinn's and had tried all of their flavors multiple times over. She smiled at Martin when he pointed out that she hadn't stopped by yesterday. "Unfortunately, I was busy." Evan had been off and they had gone to the movies and then out to dinner. "But I was looking forward to coming today," she added as she accepted the cone. She looked into the case at the fudge and knew Evan would like some. "Yes, why don't you wrap up some of the chocolate peanut butter fudge as well."

Martin nodded and smiled and went to wrap up her fudge. Gina was 17 and had long, wavy blonde hair and hazel eyes. She idolized Natalya though it was always difficult for her to talk to her. She smiled when Natalya approached the register and began to ring up her orders.

“Your..very...uh..pretty..I mean..your hair and you barely need to wear makeup..I mean...they call that a natural beauty,” Gina said all flustered and red cheeked. “That’ll be $8.75,” she said and smiled at her.

Natalya took the paperbag that the fudge was put into and put it into here purse before taking out her wallet. She only carried cash with her because it wasn't traceable like a debit or credit card could be. She pulled out a $10 bill and handed it to her with a little smile. "Thank you. I think you're very pretty too."

After receiving her change she left the shop the began to eat her ice cream as she headed to the drug store. She walked in and saw there was a line so she got into it to wait.

The drug store was much like any other. Not a chain like CVS by any means. But is was fairly large and had just about anything anyone might need. There was a separate window for picking up prescriptions and for dropping them off. There were 2 registers at the prescription counter and Chen Anoko, a Chinese college student was almost always there helping people get their prescriptions. The pharmacists was an Indian man named Nissan and he saw her waiting in line and came up to the counter.

“Natalya,” He said and gestured for her to come to the other window. When she did he leans out to talk to her. “We’re waiting on a shipment that was supposed to be here today but it’s delayed. I’d normally give you a days supply but I gave out my last one,” he said. “You could try another pharmacy,” he said. But Natalya knew that that would have to wait until Evan came home. She had no ID nor any idea of how to do that. Evan handled all of her needs like these.

Natalya had been looking at a magazine when she suddenly heard Nissan call her forward. She put the magazine away and stepped up to the window. She was rather upset to learn that her medication wasn't there. She was almost out and she needed to be on it. She began to feel almost panicked at the thought of not having it. It was one of the few things that was holding her together. She knew she would need to call Evan. "Let me make a call," she told Nissan as she stepped away from the window.

She pulled out her cell phone and turned it on. She only used it for emergencies as a cell tower could potentially be used to find her location. She dialed Evan's number and waited for him to pick up.

Evan was in the meeting and he was very displeased to see SHIELD agents there. The company he was working for had a contract it came out, to SHIELD for this software package. His algorithms were going to be used for new tech involving Tony Stark’s Repulsor technologies. They showed the prototypes to the engineering team of a new kind of protective vest. At that moment his cell phone went off and he quickly canceled the call. He saw whonit was from and a twinge of panic entered into his mind when he saw it was Natalya. She would never call him unless it was important and so he texted her.

‘Hi darling, is everything ok?’

Natalya didn’t like to bother Evan at work and she rarely did. However she did feel that this was important. When she heard the call ring once and then go to voicemail she winced and remembered Evan’s meeting. She was about to put her phone away when she received a text from him instead. “I’m trying to pick up my medication but the shipment has been delayed and they are out of samples to give me. Should I have the prescription sent to another pharmacy?”

Evan thought about this a moment and knew that he had hacked this particular pharmacy and implanted her scripts and her real first name with a fake last name and fake address. He was getting her a new license soon but Nissan was a former friend of his, someone he trusted. Going somewhere else with the specific drugs she was taking would likely be a red flag that a clever person who knew Natalya might become suspicious from.

‘I’m sorry Natalya...we can’t risk another pharmacy. Can you hold out ? Tell me true and if not I will leave and come find you if you need me. You are my priority..always.

Natalya felt a few tears come to her eyes as she thought about how much Evan loved her. She didn’t feel she deserved him. He was an incredible man. “No. I’ll be fine. Thank you though. I’ll see you tonight. I love you.”

She approached Nissan again at the window. “I’ll just wait for the shipment to arrive.”

The day was still fairly early and the sun was not quite at its zenith. There was a slight breeze in the air but only a little bit of humidity today which made the rising temperature quite bearable. The street bustled with activity, most New York streets did and it was very easy to become swallowed up by the abundance of people that were coming and going in both directions and on both sides of the street. Natalya was bumped several times and met by kind faces, disgruntled faces and emotionless faces as she moved around men and women who were not paying attention while they texted or talked on their cell phones. Or people so rude they plainly refused to move aside or even halfway to allow for an easier passage beyond them. That was New York too though and she encountered that every day.

A block and a bit from the drug store there was the screech of tires as a SUV sped around the corner just up ahead and the sound of gunshots. Soon after people screamed and began to run to get away from the street as the chase came into view and the SUV pulling a far to wide turn careened into a parked sedan and came to a violent stop. As if the car was an ant hill that was kicked men poured out the dark SUV as the police car pulled up short and began to rain shots at the men who existed the SUV. Some men looked to be hobbling away while others returned fire back at the police. Two others looked as if they had been shot and fell prone on the street near the sedan that they hit. Another police care drove up behind the first one and two more police officers filed out of it and drew their weapons. The scene had the makings of a shoot out and the two men that ran away from the SUV began knocking people down and waved their guns threateningly as they charged down the sidewalk in Natalya’s general direction.

Natalya was a little nervous about not having her medication, but she hoped that being off of it for just a few days would be alright. She knew that Evan was already going to great lengths to help her and ensure that she remained hidden from the SSB, and she didn't want him to put himself at even greater risk. She would be fine without it...at least that's what she was telling herself and would tell Evan. She didn't want him to worry about her more than he already seemed to. After leaving the pharmacy she decided to head to the park to walk around and maybe find a quiet place to sit. She was used to the crowded streets of New York and they both made her feel safer, and yet made her anxious at the same time. She liked being able to disappear into a sea of people, but she also hated not being able to easily tell if she was in immediate danger.

As she was nearing one of the intersections she suddenly heard the screeching of tires and the all too familiar sound of gunshots. Looking behind her she spotted an SUV that came flying up past her. People were screaming and running in all directions as a police car followed behind the SUV that had now crashed into a parked car. Natalya's training and instincts told her to fight and to help the police, but she could hear Evan's voice in her head warning her to stay out of trouble and to not get involved in situations like this. She saw some of the criminals fleeing the scene and running towards her. She took a few steps back into a doorway to get out of the way and watched as they ran past. The sound of the gunshots triggered a flood of various memories from her past and she had to forced herself to relax and remain calm.

With the police firing at the criminals and giving chase and some of the criminals firing back Natalya noticed that a few innocent bystanders had been shot and were down. One in the street and two on the sidewalk not 20 feet away from her. The one closest to her, a dark haired woman with a spilled, brown grocery bag next to her was on her back and stared lifelessly into the sky. A dark red pool of blood expanded slowly beneath her and Natalya knew she was dead and would not be revived. The chase drew further away from her as did the gunshots and before long the police and the criminals had turned a corner and the screams, shouts and gunshots quickly became muffled as the buildings dampened the sound.

If Evan were there he likely would have tried to stop them though be circumspect about it. Natalya’s abilities required a more...hands on approach. One that would mark her out as someone other than just a law-abiding citizen who tried to help the men and women in blue. When natalya had first met Evan he was a man who worked and things for himself. He was neither really a good man nor an evil man. Just a man trying to make his way in this fucked up world the best way he knew how. By using his powers and skills he had made himself a very wealthy man with a great job, women’s numbers on his cell phone and not a care at all. Until he met her ofcourse.

Natalya had come into his life as an enemy. A foe with a mission. An agenda that, like him, was neither good nor bad in its own right. The SSB did not want to use the stone, they only intended to sell it to those that paid them to get it for them. Evan had been hired to harness the dark energy from it and so he opposed her attempts to take the dark matter filament which would have allowed the SSB to find the stone. Never before had she had such difficulty defeating someone. Evan had powers certainly but he was otherwise just a human and yet he managed to stop her...twice! They were both being used, he by SHIELD and herself by the SSB. Understanding that brought them together to team up against those that tried to use the stone for their own ends and the rest was history. Natalya was unlike any woman Evan had ever met and Evan was unlike any man she had ever met. His dark sense of compassion toward her had drawn her to him and he loved her ‘because’ she was different. Part of that was do to the fact that he was a man. He saw beauty as other men did but sometimes, when he did look at her she felt him looking into her not just at her face or her breasts or her butt though he did that to, sometimes. What was inside her, what she thought, what she felt was important to him and yet he never once tried to control her. He just had this way of getting under her skin and into her thoughts. So much so that the thought of disappointing him made her heart lurch just thinking about it. He gave her all of himself and only took what she was willing to give him in return. Evan was a generous lover though she had taught him a few things.