We Are Operation Animal (Avengers/X-Men Crossover)

Chapter 30

"Why aren't you in bed, kid?"

I jumped at the sound of Logan's voice coming from down the hallway. I was just sitting outside my room, thinking.

He was walking with Natasha.

I shook my head at his question and looked back down at my hands. I was slumped down against the wall with my knees loosely pulled to my chest.

"Come on." Logan held his hand out for me with a sigh.

I took his hand and let him pull me to my feet.

"Walk with us." Natasha said.

Silence fell between the three of us as we started walking along the nearly empty halls of the Helicarrier.

"What's wrong with you, Jasmine?" Logan glanced over to me.

"Me and Alex are just.... just having a rough time."

"Wanna talk about it?" Natasha asked.

"Alex said.... I have to pick between S.H.I.E.L.D. and him and the kids. He wants a divorce if we can't work this out, Nat." My voice cracked and I stopped walking for a moment to look back down the hallway in the direction we had just come from.

"You're picking those kids right?" Logan asked with crinkled brows.

"He doesn't have a damn right to make you pick, Jasmine." Natasha shook her head as she faced me. "Where the hell is he?"

"He's in our room. But Natasha, he can and he did."

"I'm going to go get him. You take her to the rec. room." Natasha told Logan before she left.

•*•*•

I sat on the couch while Logan stood behind the couch, waiting for Natasha and Alex.

I was worried about who would be staying with my kids.

I nervously tapping my foot against the floor, biting the inside of my cheek.

The doors to the rec. room opened and closed behind Natasha and Alex. I looked over my shoulder to them, my eyes falling on Alex.

"Sit." Natasha pointed to the chair across from the couch.

Alex didn't object. He knew better than to talk back to her.

"Who's with Tellan and Addie?" I asked Natasha.

"Clint." She replied. "They're safe with him."

"I know."

"What's this I hear about a divorce being tossed between the parents of niece and nephew?" Natasha stood with her arms crossed, eyes shifting from me to Alex.

Neither of us said a word.

"Alex. Talk to me." Natasha sat down on the coffee table that basically separated me from my husband.

Alex kept his eyes on me as he spoke.

"I told Jasmine that she needed to pick between our family and S.H.I.E.L.D."

"What do you have to say about that, Jasmine?" Natasha looked over her shoulder to me.

"It's not fair." I replied quietly.

"It's not fair to Tellan and Addalynn if they grow up without you if you die, Jasmine." Alex spoke directly to me, which actually surprised me.

"You're overreacting-,"

"I've almost lost you too many times before." He cut me off sternly, shaking his head. "It's S.H.I.E.L.D. or your family."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. is her family, Alex." Natasha spoke up for me. "You can't make her choose between her family and something she loves doing."

"She's got two kids to worry about."

"You knew what this was going to be like when we agreed to having kids, Alex." I tried to defend my own case, but apparently my words weren't making it through his thick skull.

He was mad but clearly a little anxious. His knee was bouncing and his once furious eyes were a little less tense.

"Listen to me, Alex." Natasha got his attention with the snap of her fingers. He looked from me to her and straightened up a little. "What you're asking her to do is like asking a cop to leave their job to be a parent. It would be different if you were in the X-Men or a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent but you agreed to being a stay at home dad when Tellan was born. I know how it feels to worry about someone, Alex, and I can see it in your eyes that you worry about her constantly. I worry about her too. But I've got her back when we're out there."

Natasha fell silent for a moment and looked over to Logan. They exchanged some kind of look and then Logan left.

"I'll let you two talk this out. If you need me, just call." Natasha gave me a smile and squeezed my shoulder before leaving.

I sat back on the couch and brought my knees up to my chest.

"I don't want to give up S.H.I.E.L.D., Alex." I said quietly. "But I love you with all my heart and I love the family we've made for ourselves."

"I don't want to lose you." Alex ran a hand over his face and stood up before he came over to sit next to me. "I know I was rough with it all, but I'm serious."

"Then you need to get a job." I looked up at him through my eyelashes. "A real job. Because without S.H.I.E.L.D., we wouldn't be bringing in anything. And I'm not working anywhere other than S.H.I.E.L.D."

Alex was silent for a while, his arm sliding around my shoulders so he could pull me closer. Soft kisses were pressed to my head as he brushed his hand up and down my arm.

This was his way of silently apologizing to me for getting mad. He didn't like getting mad at me and I didn't like getting mad at him. That's why I had walked away.

"It's still early. We can get some more sleep if you want."  He spoke gently into my ear.

"I haven't slept much at all tonight." I nodded my head in reply.

The topic of me quitting S.H.I.E.L.D. was left in the rec. room as we went back to bed.

Super short chapter but a little one is better than nothing right?

I'm sorry. :(

Have I told you about my new Pietro Maximoff story titled Ready To Run? You should check it out!!! Tell me how it's going. I'm only to the second chapter but still!!!!!!!

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<3 Kacey <3