2.2

IT TOOK LESS THAN THREE HOURS FOR SECTION CHIEF ERIN STRAUSS TO CALL KATHARINE, letting the girl know that she had gotten the job and that they would be seeing her on Monday.


The problem was that it was Tuesday which meant that she still had five days in between now and then. She couldn't fix her broken window as it had been three days since Tony Stark himself had come over and put in a new one as an apology for running off one of her closest friends. Yes, Steve Rogers was on the run, and Tony was a bitter man but he still knew where he had to make amends.


That left one place for her to go.


After the fall of SHIELD, Nina Hayes had officially relocated out of Washington DC and into Quantico, Virginia. She had begun working for a technology company that allowed her to work remotely from home and had decided to settle in Triangle, Virginia. After two months there she began to despise living in a town named after a shape and decided to move into an apartment building in Quantico itself using her father's money and what she earned from her new well-paying job.


So, that's where Katharine went. The neighborhood Nina lived in wasn't a bad one. It was low in noise and relatively safe except for that one time a drunken man had attempted to take advantage of Nina... let's just say that the man never should have messed with one of Katharine's friends.


Upon arriving at the apartment complex, Katharine parked next to a rather ugly 1965 Volvo. She locked her car door and made her way into the building, letting herself in with the security password Nina had given her. Katharine thought Nina was crazy when she first gave Katharine the password, saying that it was something she should never give out even if she knew the person well enough to trust them with her life. There were some crazy people out there, she had told her, as well as some very deranged mind readers and telepaths.


But Nina shrugged her off and told her it was no big deal. So long as they didn't have the key to her actual place, she would be fine.


Katharine knocked on the door twice, waited three seconds, and then knocked again. It was a little childish but they had created knocks that allowed the other person to know who was at the door. A security measure they had developed while Katharine was in hiding.


The door swung open to reveal the bright smile of one Ms. Nina Hayes.


"Kat!" the shorter woman flung herself at her, wrapping her arms around her neck and squeezing tightly. "You didn't tell me you were coming over!"


"It was a last-minute decision," Katharine managed, hugging her friend around the waist just as hard.


Nina let go, lowering herself to the ground. It was almost comical, the height difference between the two. Some would say seven inches wasn't a lot but Katharine would say it was about half the size of a bowling pin between the two.


"I just finished baking those brownies you liked. I was going to bring them over later but you're here now so we can eat them together!" Nina explained, practically skipping away from Katharine and into her little kitchen.


Katharine took the time to look around her friend's place. It had changed in the two weeks she had been away. It was messier due to the fact that Nina's latest fashion project took up the majority of her dining room table. That plus the island full of baking supplies and the paperwork strewn across the coffee table made the apartment look well-lived in and gave Katharine the feeling of home. After all, she had spent the first six weeks of her hiding at Nina's place.


Katharine kicked off her shoes, remembering her friend's no footwear policy, and joined the shorter brunette in the kitchen.


"I didn't put the nuts in this time but I did add chocolate chips because I know you're a chocolate addict," Nina said, pulling the brownies out of the oven. She set the pan on the stovetop and removed her gloves, setting them to the side. "But do tell, how did that interview go?"


Katharine sat at the kitchen island, picking at the bowl of blueberries Nina must have put out shortly before she had arrived. She shrugged, popping a fruit into her mouth. "It went okay, I guess," Katharine played it off.


"Just okay?" Nina asked, poking her side. Katharine squirmed out of the way, hating the fact that she was ticklish and that all her friends used that piece of information in the worst ways possible.


Katharine slapped Nina's hand, laughing a bit as Nina acted as if it had really hurt. "Yes," Katharine said. "It went okay enough that they gave me the job."


Nina blinked, processing the news her friend had just given her. Then, a smile bigger than the last broke out onto her face.


"You got the job!" she cheered. "I think that deserves a brownie."


Katharine frowned. "What? So you weren't going to give me the brownies after all?"


"No," Nina turned away from her and started to cut the desert from the plate. "I was, but that news just means you deserve a brownie now."


Katharine hopped off her stool. "Do you still have vanilla ice cream and whipped cream?"


"You know I do, chica. Check the fridge and the freezer."


Katharine opened both sides of the refrigerator, immediately spotting the toppings as well as a cake that read, 'Congratulations on the Baby!' across the front of it. "Babe," Katharine asked, closing the fridge and setting the ice cream and whipped cream on the counter. "Who's pregnant?"


"Oh, do you remember Jennie?" Nina set out some napkins. "Blonde, about five-five, Level four?"


Katharine thought back to the woman Nina was describing. Jennie Joyce had gone into the academy at the same time as the both of them but didn't advance far while in SHIELD, getting stumped at level four after making several mistakes in the field. It seemed Nina stayed friends with the woman even after leaving the organization.


"You throwing her a party?" Katharine asked, reaching over to accept a spoon from the woman. Nina stayed silent, her own spoon hanging halfway out of her mouth and the can of whipped cream in hand.


"No," Nina said. "Jennie just asked me to get the cake, the party's tomorrow if you wanna come."


Katharine pursed her lips. She had never really been friends with Jennie and besides a hello once or twice in the hallways at SHIELD, she didn't know the woman. She shook her head. "I don't think I'll go. I don't wanna intrude."


Nina waved her off. "Nonsense. Jennie said that she'd be happy to see you again. Surprising considering you never really talked to her but..."


Katharine took a bite of brownie. She chewed through the chocolatey goodness and nearly moaned at the taste. She couldn't help it, Nina's brownies were a gift sent from God. They were amazing. She swallowed. "I'll think about it," Katharine decided, taking the can of whipped cream from Nina. "I'll call you tomorrow if I end up coming."


"Well, the party's at noon so don't take too long to think." Nina picked up the plate of brownies, motioning over to the ice cream and whipped cream. "C'mon, we're watching a movie or two while I have you here."


Katharine smiled and obliged, picking up the toppings from the counter and following Nina over to her couch. The Puerto Rican cleared off her coffee table, setting the brownies on the surface before kicking back and relaxing into the extremely comfortable piece of furniture.


"So," Katharine flopped onto the couch next to her best friend, the ice cream still in hand, "The Princess Diaries or Little Miss Sunshine?"








BEFORE KATHARINE KNEW IT, nearly six hours had gone by and it was nearing eight o'clock at night. Katharine removed herself from the ridiculous comfy piece of furniture and started to collect her things. She found her bag by the door along with her shoes and retraced her phone to the kitchen. Nina wrapped up the last remaining brownies for Katharine to take home, kissing her on both cheeks before sending the girl on her way.


Halfway down the hallway, Katharine decided to check her phone for any missed calls or messages she might have received while watching movies with Nina.


Two missed calls from Derek and one message left by her mom, who she had recently reconnected with. The first thing Katharine did after she signed the accords was to call her mom, promising that she'd visit home soon and saying that she couldn't wait to see her again.


Katharine smiled at the thought. It had been nearly a full eight years since she'd seen her mother. Grace Morgan was a patient woman and Katharine was thankful for that. A person would think that eight years of no contact, her mother would have been angry with her but no. Grace Morgan told Katharine to take all the time she needed because no matter what, she'd be there to welcome her home.


Something dropped onto the floor in front of her, causing her to look up from her phone. Traveling upward, she saw a bag on the floor which led to a pair of legs that seemed to go on forever. Then those legs met a vest clad torso which then led to the charming face of one Dr. Spencer Reid.


In his hands were a set of keys, one of the many having been inserted into the lock on the door. The door to his apartment, she guessed. It became clearer to her that it was, in fact, his apartment when she took note of the way he had dropped his bag in front of the door and by the groceries he held in his arms.


Katharine motioned to his general situation. "Need some help?"


Spencer flushed a light pink, looking from the groceries in his hands to his bag on the floor and then finally back up at her. He shook his head. "No, I'm good," he lied, turning the key and opening his door. He awkwardly kicked his bag through the threshold and readjusted his grip on the groceries.


"I didn't know you lived here," he said, looking around in mild confusion.


Katharine smiled. "No, I don't live here but my friend does. She'd 3D, just down the hall."


"You know Nina?" Spencer asked, ultimately deciding to set his groceries on the floor rather than continue to struggle with them.


"Yeah," Katharine giggled. "Even lived with her for about six weeks two months ago."


Spencer nodded slowly as if he were putting together the fact that she lived so close to him while she was in hiding. Like, she was right there the entire time but it wasn't his fault he didn't recognize her. SHIELD disguise technology could be a powerful thing when it came to disappearing.


Katharine pursed her lips slightly. "But hey, now that I know where you live, maybe I could come get you for breakfast tomorrow? Providing you don't get called away on a case. It can be a little sorry for disappearing for six months."


Spencer laughed a little, a rather beautiful smile spreading across his face. He nodded. He used his left hand to tuck some of the hair that had fallen into his vision behind his ear. "Breakfast sounds good."


Katharine clapped lightly, a smile of her own making an appearance on her face. "Great! Is seven okay? I know you usually have to be in the office around nine and--"


"Seven is perfect," he said, cutting her off. "I'll see you tomorrow?"


"Tomorrow," Katharine agreed. "It's a date!"


And with that, she bounded past the man and disappeared down the stairs. 

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