[IC] Trying to save the world (Xion and Caits)

[MarshiestMallow]

Kalinda smiled, "hi" She said, somewhat lamely, shifting closer to give him a soft kiss, before sitting up. "i think a shower is in order" She said, her words clearer then they had been before, and she her colour seemed better. "And then food. And then checking on the others" She said, thinking.

She looked back over to Michael, and smiled. She knew she was going to be alright now, and it was thanks to him. "I should probably let my mother know I didn't die fighting the aliens and Frost as well" She said, as if only just thinking about that.

[Xion Demente]

Michael dug out his phone from his pocket, holding it out toward Kalinda. "My dad already knows I'm fine luckily I can make calls in the suit. You can borrow my phone to make the phone call, I'm wondering what your mom would say when she finds out that I'm your boyfriend." He sighed at the thought, "I would probably get threatened by her."

He didn't want to move, but he knew he would have to sooner or later. For right now he didn't get out of the bed, he looked up at Kalinda he smiled at her. He was lucky to have her, he didn't know if he deserved her or not.

[MarshiestMallow]

Kalinda accepted the phone, dialing her mother's number as Michael talked. She smiled, laughing, colour flushing her checks, "No, you won't be threatened by her, because she knows I can take care of myself" She said, giving him a smile. "She'll just wish me luck that I've find happiness, I'm sure" She brought the phone to her ear, listening to the ring tone, "Although, she'll probably kill Fury if she can hunt him done" She mused.

Her mother answered, and Kalinda said "Hi, Mum. Um. I thought you should know that I'm okay. We defeated Frost. I didn't get injured beyond some cuts and bruises" She yawned, finishing her sentence, listening as he rmother talked, nodding, making conversation, and general chit chat.

"um. uh" She swallowed, "I have something to tell you...um. I'm kind of with Michael Stark...Love you, Bye!" She said into the silence, hanging up, and leaning back, letting out a breath.

[Xion Demente]

Michael laughed, "now that I would want to see I've never seen fury scared before. One time I brought Natasha up and fury paled never knew he was scared well looks like he is." Michael looked at the ceiling before looking back at her, "I really haven't told my dad about us yet. Since I kinda already know he'll go and hurt fury or something of the rather."

He sighed, he didn't want to get out of the bed. Still he knew they would have to go and check on the others make sure they weren't fighting each other or something. That could wait at least a few more minutes anyway. He yawned, at least he had gotten some rest, not much but some.

[MarshiestMallow]

Kalinda smiled, "Everyone's scared of something. Some people are just better actors" she laid back down, not wanting to get up, wanting to take a few more minutes just here, with Michael, before facing the city again, and checking on the others.

"Won't he already go and hurt Fury for bringing you into this anyway?" She asked, promising herself she wouldn't fall asleep as she closed her eyes. "I'm sure your father has ways of figuring things out anyway" She added, brushing back her hair which fell over her face.

[Xion Demente]

Michael thought for a moment, "dad already knows I have nightmares of the friends I couldn't save. That's why he always told me not to join the new avengers program, he didn't want anything else weighing on me than I've already have on me shoulders." He swallowed, he hadn't told any other person in the team about this, but he knew he didn't know why but he knew he could trust Kalinda not to tell the others.

He just laid there on his side, a few more minutes with her. Before going back and working and helping with the city. It had been awhile since, he had any nightmares and just seeing injured kids and parents along with the dead had brought back those nightmares.

[MarshiestMallow]

Kalinda didn't know what to say to that. She bit her lip, opening her eyes, and looking to him. She didn't say anything. but wrapped her arms around him. and wished she could tae the weight he was carrying for him, but she couldn't. All she could do was jjust be there and be supportive. She laid her head on his shoulder, and just hugged him.

She made no move to get up, no move to even move from where they are. After a few moments, she gave him a soft kiss, "it will all be okay" she said softly, still making no move.

[Xion Demente]

Michael nodded, his arm went around Kalinda. He looked at the ceiling, he then turned his gaze to Kalinda. "Dad knows about this he's heard me wake up from the nightmares and mom does to I've....never told anyone about this before. I've gotten the nightmares under control, but dad knew if I accepted to come into the new avengers he knew that the nightmares would come crashing back down on me."

He sighed, "dad knew what it was like to have nightmares get them under control and then them coming back. That's why he didn't really allow shield to come into direct contact with me that's why he always made up stories that I went somewhere else when they showed up. Fury had threatened my dad, about getting into contact with me. He threatened he would bring my dad's world crashing down on him, that's why I don't like fury much I was there when he made that threat."

[MarshiestMallow]

Kalinda swallowed when he spoke, telling her about the nightmares, and what it was like. "Fury shouldn't have done that" she said, feeling like crap, because she had managed to do what Fury couldn't, and track Michael down. She had brought Michael into this, and brought it all back for him. "I'm sorry" She added.

She bit her lip, thinking for a minute or two. "We don't have to do what Fury says. We don't have to work for him, if you don't want to" She said, looking up at him. "We can just...do our own thing. create a base of our own, or, whatever" She said, "We don't have to become the next avengers. We can be anything we want"

[Xion Demente]

Michael shook his head, "dad said the avengers never worked for shield that they did what they wanted went there separate ways when the job was done I don't want that." He smiled a bit, "plus I don't want to leave the team that I get along with well, and I don't want to leave you dad had said that there was the old stark mansion we could use. When ever we wanted to, we can use that as our base since he needs the tower back in a week."

He laughed a little, "just to think of it I think I have my own place to live and that's the stark mansion, will need some fixing up and cleaning. Other than that it'll be a good base since the main base is located under the mansion itself. Never was your fault kali, either or the nightmares would come back, somehow and someway they always do just when I think there gone they hit me again."

[MarshiestMallow]

Kalinda looked up at him, somewhat shocked "really? Can it be fixed up in a week?" She asked, thinking about it. "It seems like it might be a big job, to fix it up, being a mansion and all" she said thoughtfully. "I don't want to leave the team either. Hannah and Tory are practically sisters"

She sighed, "you say that, and yet, you don't believe that it isn't your fault either. The nightmares, why you have then, it isn't your fault" she said, "you can't let it haunt you. Please" she said softly, just wanting him to be alright

[Xion Demente]

Michael sighed, "I'll try not to let them haunt me kali, but I can't make any promises on that." He looked over at her, "you weren't there to prevent it from happening not your fault, I was there hell I was in the same building trying to get to them before they were killed I don't know what the glass was made of but my last team I worked with was killed because of me."

He rolled over onto his side facing away from Kalinda, "that's another reason I didn't want to come. I didn't need to lose another team had one teams death on my shoulders I don't need another on my shoulders kali. I said I didn't have anything to lose well, I knew once I joined the team I would have something to lose now I have someone I don't really want to lose kali you."

[MarshiestMallow]

"And it isn't you fault, either. .you tried to stop it. You shouldn't blame yourself. They wouldn't want that of you" Kalinda said, crawling around so she was facing Michael, "We aren't going to die on you" She said as she did so. "You aren't going to lose me. Never. You're not going to lose the team either" she said in a confident tone.

She lay back down, so she could meet his eyes. "I'm not going to go away, or be killed. Because you're there, and I know with the team, we have each others backs" She said "its all going to be okay"

[Xion Demente]

Michael looked at her, "you can not promise me something that might happen in the futur kali I had my team promise me that and now look what happened to them. That big explosion in an abandoned were house two years back that's how my team died that's what i see every time I got to sleep me flying toward the building and it exploding before I can get there."

Michael buried his face, into one of the pillows. To make sure that kali didn't see the tears that were running down his face. "I know we've got each other's backs, but what if it isn't enough one time." His voice slightly muffled by the pillow his body was slowly starting to shake as he sobbed into the pillow.

[MarshiestMallow]

Kalinda sighed softly, "I can promise it. Because you died today, and yet, here you are. Alive. Because Zack got the arc reacter from the suit that was frozen, and I knew how to change it. Because you survived a fall that you shouldn't have, I insisted on helping with repairing the suit. It' always going to be enough, the team." She said

She fell silent, shifting closer, she wrapped her arms around him, "We can't tell what tomorrow will bring...but for today, we have each other" She said softly after a minute. "And if I have my way, it will stay that way"

[Xion Demente]

Michael slowly stopped shaking, he sighed. "I just don't know what to think anymore kali it's been hard on me just don't tell the others about this I want to keep the nightmares and all that under the radar." He faced her again, tear tracks wear still visible on his face as he looked at her, "I don't need more then one person worrying about me on this team."

[MarshiestMallow]

Kalinda nodded, not saying anything else. She used a sleeve of her suit to dry his face, gentle and caring. "Okay. Then lets get moving, and find the team, so they don't start worrying that we got crushed by a building or something" She said, giving him a smile, as she reluctantly sat up. Her stomach growled, demanding the attention she had neglected for hours.

"And lets find food, or my stomach's going to start eating itself" She added, tying her hair back up, out of her face. What she really wanted was a long hot shower, and a soft bed to crawl into, but the city still needed them.

[Xion Demente]

Michael nodded, as he slowly got to his feet calling one of his suits to him. He popped his back, his back protesting in response to the sudden movement he ignored it cracking whatever bones that needed to be put back into place before getting into the suit itself.

A few weeks had passed, they had finished up the repairs in Washington three weeks ago. Most of the team went there desperate ways still keeping in contact with each other. He still wondered what would be thrown at them, Michael was on the balcony of the stark tower over looking the city it had been a few days since Kalinda and him had seen each other in person he wouldn't say it aloud but he was worried.

[MarshiestMallow]

"Mother, you can't do this to me! This is my life, and I'll live it how I see fit! I know you want to stop me from making mistakes, the same ones as you did, but its my life. They're my mistakes to make, and i'm fully prepared for the consequences. I'm not a little kid anymore. And I haven't been for a long time!" Kalinda yelled at her mother, "You're so obsessed about keeping me safe, that you don't see that I can look after myself. I know what I'm doing!"

Before giving her mother a chance to reply, kalinda pulled up the hood of her suit, which she wore all the time now, and disappeared. She fled the house, running down the street, tears filling her eyes. She flinched at a sound, , and perhaps that's what distracted her, tore her attention away from the road, the street, and she didn't notice the hand grabbing her, until it was too late, until she felt the pin prick of a needle, and then all thought was gone, everything fading to black.

---

That was two days ago, and now, Natasha called Fury, with the message "Kalinda is missing".Natasha had tried to find Kalinda, but had failed on her own. "You better find her, or I swear to the gods, I will come there, and shove your eye patch down your throat" She didn't give him a chance to reply, hanging up.

[Xion Demente]

Michael heard the beeping on his computer, he ran into the tower itself. Clicking on the message he quickly read it his eyes widening. He quickly located the others locations and flew there telling them the exact same thing fury had told him over the message that Kalinda was missing. The others had agreed finding there teammate was more important than just sitting around doing nothing.

"JARVIS I need a entire scan over all the contries she could be anywhere by now." "Yes sir I'll get right on that," Michael was back in New York within minutes, he was hovering over the city. He looked down at the streets, that's when the built in phone went off showing Kali's number. He answered it, "so your the one that survived death." He recognized the voice almost instantly, "Rhino."

He could almost feel that smile on his face, "good you remember me after all these years I was the one who killed your old team." Michael's jaw clenched, "don't worry will make her suffer." With that Rhino hung up looking at Kalinda, "once pretty boy gets here make sure you capture him and make him suffer for stopping my last project you were just the bait sweet heart I was after your boy."