#Nate meanwhile is Always a wild card in his own way

[firebirdsdaughter]

Something that occurred to me this time…

… Is that Eliot deliberately brings Hardison w/ him to confront Moreau the first time. He tells Nate that he and Hardison will do it (don't worry, I also Love Hardison taking the moment to be like 'hey, are you okay?' bc those two usually express themselves through bickering so much that it clearly telegraphs just how off Eliot is being that Hardison is dropping the usual banter to be serious).

Which for one thing, says something about Eliot's confidence in Hardison in general, but also, like… Yes, Parker's probably not the choice for that introduction, it's not her style, but Nate or Sophie could also have played the part. He could have tried to go alone. But he pulls Hardison.

Obviously he's not trying to put Hardison in danger, he makes it quite clear in all other scenarios that he does not tolerate Hardison in danger (visual cues in The Gone Fishin' Job my beloveds), the others are well aware of the fact that he's Done Some Shit and are equally unaware of his connection to Moreau. And to be honest, I can't pinpoint an exact reason why I think he might have done it, chosen Hardison to be the one who finds out first. Maybe he suspected Moreau would underestimate Hardison, making him safer (relatively, if course), then someone like Nate or Sophie. Maybe he thought it would be best to have Hardison's tech skills as back up. Maybe he thought Hardison would roll w/ the punches the best. Maybe he just wanted Hardison there for morale.

I don't know, but it's a moment that didn't really occur to me the first time, but I think is actually quite meaningful in a more emotional way.

[theagentsharoncarter]

Promotion || Sharon + Maria

Sharon was hardly going to deny that being around Maria - ever since what had happened with Nate- made her a little uneasy. But the pair of them went a long way back, they were both professionals in a field that wasn’t the easiest to get into, and they at least shared some respect for each other. She could at least put aside her differences with the woman for the sake of work and being civil.

Sitting across from Maria in her office, Sharon looked out at the stunning view of the office. Being deputy director had its perks, of course, but an immense amount of stress. Working under Fury wasn’t an easy job as he was hardly the ideal boss, and Sharon was well aware of that considering she had filled in from time to time.

There was something about the way Maria shuffled the papers on her desk that set a different tone in the room. Sharon didn’t like serious meetings, especially when there was no one else in the room but the pair of them. It was as if she was delivering the worst news she could.

“Fury’s retiring.”

Sharon’s eyes widened at Maria’s statement with the blunt delivery attached. Maria was usually a blunt person, of course, but this was even more so than usual. The dark haired woman had surprised her for once.

“I was not expecting that anytime soon,” Sharon eventually replied with a frown once she processed the news for a moment. It was always on the cards, but Fury was the type of guy to get through anything. SHIELD was an organisation that was built around him, it depended on him more than most agents wanted to admit. SHIELD was his organisation, if anything. He had made it what it was, agents that were feared and loyal.

“Trust me, neither was I,” Maria sighed, running her fingers through her short hair. It was very clear that the other woman was beyond stressed about the situation, considering that it did mean she was the one to take the top job. The next words leaving her lips contradicted that thought directly. “-but I’m not taking the job. I can’t.” There was a hesitation to her tone and Sharon tilted her head slightly.

“It has to be you,” Sharon replied, crossing one leg over the other. She was still a little unsure as to why she was in this office but James and Natasha were both teaching at the Academy, so otherwise they would be in the office as well. They were the most experienced agents in the business, and no decision went past without their knowledge.

Maria shook her head. “I’m more than happy with deputy director, I love the job but I’ve been at it too long. I need to focus on Ava. On Phil.” While she didn’t go on missions herself, there was a lot of stress on the job that took a toll on family life. Her relationship with Ava wasn’t exactly on track at the moment either. “That’s why I asked you here. We’re offering the job to you, if you’ll take it. You’re more than qualified and no one will question the decision.” Sharon was better at balancing family and professional life than Maria. Somehow she managed to keep her image of Steve Roger’s wife, mother of his children and an agent with a body count to be feared all at the same time. Meanwhile Maria was barely holding onto it.

Many seemed to think that Sharon worked in Steve’s shadow, that her work at SHIELD wasn’t anything compared to Steve’s dedication, but she had been an Avenger back in the day as well. She had had her fair share of work cut out for her, and the offer was at least an honour and a testament to her hard work and dedication. “So you didn’t think to ask James or Natasha first?” Sharon managed to tease Maria who just laughed. She was trying to buy time to think about was really being asked of her.

“Barnes wouldn’t leave SHIELD standing after a week if he was in charge,” Maria pointed out and Sharon not disagreeing one bit. “And Nat? We both know she would never take it.” Natasha and James were unconventional. They were spies and assassins before they were agents, and while they were dedicated to SHIELD just as Sharon was if not more, their techniques pushed the boundaries more often than not. Half the time SHIELD were covering up their techniques because it wasn’t technically legal under some international conventions. They were trouble but they were irreplaceable.

“I’m honoured, I really am…” Sharon began to say, thinking over it a million times a minute. The first thought that had come to mind was her kids. Maria had Ava, but Sharon had four times as many kids to think about. While being Director meant no physical missions and in that sense it was good, but there was a lot of responsibility with it. Nate, Lee, Lily and Amber had to be on board with it before she could ever agree. And Steve too.

Maria seemed to have read Sharon’s mind. “Steve already knows. We asked him if we could ask you, and he said to go right ahead.” Before Sharon could say anything else, Maria put everything onto the table for her to consider. “I’m not trying to sell it to you. I think you’re the only one who suits the job. Half the idiots want it for the insane pay grade, the others the power, and you don’t need either of those things.” The Rogers were practically royalty, after all. There was nothing that they didn’t have. “Plus, we can’t pass up on SHIELD being run by two women. We’ll get Nat as the United Nations ambassador and put everyone in their place.”

Sharon couldn’t help but laugh at that. No, she didn’t need the money nor the power of such a position, it was more about doing the right thing by SHIELD and the responsibilities that came with the job. “She’s too Russian for that. She doesn’t play nicely,” Sharon pointed out to Maria. “I need to speak to my kids and see what they think, I don’t want to make anything awkward for them.” They were all involved with SHIELD and having their mother as the Director of the whole organisation would mean accusations of special treatment left, right and centre. “But I want to do it.”

Maria smiled. “Fury’s holding a meeting in three days about the resignation, we’re telling everyone that a new Director will be announced the next day.” Fury was popular, but Sharon had a gentle yet stern touch that he didn’t. She was certainly a lot more approachable than a mysterious man with an eyepatch. Besides, there were a lot of Peggy Carter fans out there. “It does mean you’ll give up Agent 13, though.” Maria pointed out, only just thinking about it. “Director Rogers does have a certain ring to it.”

Agent 13 was a title Sharon had kept to herself for a very long time. She had been an Avenger with it, but like Steve had given up Captain America for Nate, Sharon knew that she had kept her hands on it for too long. While it wasn’t exactly a legacy like the shield or the red, white and blue…it was a part of her identity. She wasn’t just Peggy’s niece. “I’ll keep it for Lee, Lily or Amber.” There was nothing stopping Lee from having it, and she knew Lily would love the idea. Amber was more of a wild card, but Sharon couldn’t imagine her doing anything other than being an agent. That attitude was too much like her own.

Maria slid over a document folder to Sharon from her side of the desk, the blonde taking it. “Read over these, talk to your kids and then come back to me and let me know. Otherwise I will have to offer it to James, so you better accept the offer if you want an organisation to work for in a month,” Maria teased.

Sharon quickly flicked through the files before closing it and standing up after she checked what time it was. There were plenty of meetings today and she was going to be running late at this rate. Having planned a handful of missions this week meant she was a busy woman. “I’ll let you know,” she promised. “Thank you.”

“Thank me by taking the job,” Maria rolled her eyes, watching as Sharon left the office and closed the door behind her. She would be back with a signed contract, that Maria was sure of.