When Annie awoke the next morning, knowing it was her last day at SHIELD she had mixed emotions. There was the relief regarding the ability to finally leave a job she had become so unhappy in. But then there was also a little bit of fear. This job had brought about her relationship. It had helped to give them all time together, even if there wasn't much of it. And it idea of this possibly changing felt strange. Annie hadn't always been exactly brilliant with change. But she had never hated it either, just like anyone else she took some time to take it all in, everything new that is. 

And she supposed this would be considered her next adventure. Moving on from the life she had built for the last five years, with her job in particular. And onto the next chapter. The chapter of which led her down the same path her parents had ventured on, just at a younger age then she was at current, to teaching at her old school. Annie wasn't sure she had ever really dreamed of teaching, but her recent experiences at SHIELD taught her that she at least wanted others to not be afraid of their mutations, and the only way she was going to obtain that would be through going back to the school to help ensure others weren't scared of who they were. Didn't hold themselves back from what they could do.

For the last time ever, Annie dressed in the SHIELD catsuit she had been given the first time she had joined the agency. It was too tight, way too revealing and barely practical. But here she was, wearing it the one time she actually had to, her appraisal. But she was ready, very early but she was ready to get this over with. 

Annie currently stood in the kitchen, taking her time to make a coffee before she left. Annie didn't see the need to be early today, not like she ever particularly was early. Nevertheless, she wanted to enjoy her morning coffee as much as she could. 

"That creamer is out of date Annie, I wouldn't use it." Clint's voice bounced across the kitchen and for a while Annie was intending to ignore it. She wasn't too bothered about using the out of date product as long as it smelt alright. And she wasn't sure why it was him telling her not to use it considering he frequently ate out of date products. 

"Did it smell bad?" Annie had turned to face him from where she stood cartoon in her hand seconds away from pouring it into her own drink. 

"Nah but my tummy feels funny now." And Annie took a moment to laugh at his words. He had once again used the more child-like version of the words he could have used. But it was what made Clint himself, he was easy going, quite happy to do whatever and he was like this little light of happiness. The child like terminology was doing what it was intended to, keep Annie distracted from what she was going to do. 

"Oh my poorly baby. Sounds like you shouldn't go into work today." Annie's tone was teasing but she also felt as though he shouldn't push himself in today if he had consumed something he should have. Clint had moved over from the doorway of the kitchen and to where Annie was stood, he had slung himself over her back so he was clinging onto her. 

"I don't wanna go to work."Clint whined as he stood there. 

"Call in sick." Annie was doing this partially because she knew he actually deserved a day off and would be rather whiney all day if he didn't feel well. But there was also the fact that she wanted him to be home when she finished her meeting. She wanted Natasha there as well but she had left very late the night prior for a last minute mission so that was not really a possibility. 

"Yeah. I'll do that. Even if I'll be lonely all day." Clint seemed content even if he was upset about being at home alone whilst ill.

"My meeting should only take an hour as I'm not signing any more contracts so I'll be back in about three hours. You can watch a film and I'll be back by then." 

The journey to the SHIELD headquarters was significantly longer from the new house they had moved into. But Annie wasn't too upset by this. She loved the house they had brought, she enjoyed the fixing up work they did as a group on their days off. Making the place their own and bringing a new life to an old farmhouse that had been left to crumble. They had plenty of land, they had plenty of time to get things looking good and maybe in the future there was a chance of starting a family in that home. Annie had thought about a future family, she could see it with the current relationship she was in, the three of them raising a child or two in the future she could really clearly see that. And that was another factor in terms of leaving SHIELD. If she wanted that in the future at least one of them needed to have a bit more of a stable job, a job with more standard working hours. 

Therefore, waiting to enter the office of the director of SHIELD didn't bring Annie the same anxiety she had held the previous times she had been into the room. Unlike the years prior when she had to resign that contract, had to say 'yes I will stay on to work here', that factor was no longer looming over her head. She wasn't resigning anything, she was only going to sign something to say she was leaving the organisation. After all her task of trying to create a bridge between the agency and the mutants hadn't gone as well as she had expected it to. They still had this fear of the unknown something she could never change. There was very little more that she could do until they were willing to allow people like herself to work normally like they were different but in a good way. Nothing was going to change. And she had come to terms with that, slowly, but there was nothing else she could do. 

SHIELD had given her, her relationship. They had introduced her to the two most important people in her life. But that was about all they had done for the mutant. Whereas she had worked incredibly hard to prove she wasn't a threat. To show them that she could be just as good as their other agents. But it was okay. 

It was going to be okay. 

"Agent Summers please enter." Director Fury's voice rang out from the closed steel door. And just like the rest of the high tech organisation, the door opened almost immediately after he spoke. Annie entered the office she had seen only a few times in the past. But that wouldn't matter considering he barely ever changed how the room looked. There was no changes that Annie could clearly see when she sat in the chair opposite him once again. The chair on her left was occupied by Agent Hill, the deputy director and a pretty great woman. 

"It's great to see you again." Agent Hill started the conversation trying to ease into the topic they were going to talk about.

"Yeah sorry about that, been stuck on desk duty for a couple of months." Annie's voice held the distain she had for the task she had been put on for the previous couple of months. 

"You see Agent, we had no choice. Many other agents were scared to see you out in the field following the events of New York." Director Fury was trying to not quite console Annie but make it so that she felt worse for bringing it up than just accepting that they had moved her to desk duty. 

"And who's fault is that Sir? I was brought in as a mutant agent to show everyone that we are not to be feared, that we are like you with some extra qualities. Yet I was told to hide what makes me, me and then when finally allowed to use my mutation, I get sent to desk duty." Annie didn't want to be angry, she didn't think she was an aggressive person but they had ruffled her feathers as of recent. 

"And I understand that agent but the others were not aware of this." Director Fury wasn't one who was known to be soft or nice at approaching situations. This was further evidence of that, his voice was harsh and unpleasant. And there was no evidence that he felt anything but professional need behind making his decision.

"They should have been." Annie felt dejected, it had been the same response she felt that she had received at first from her own partners. Nobody seemed to care that this part of her was being taken in such a way. She wasn't a threat she could control her powers. 

"I understand your frustration but I had to put the majority at ease. They simply do not understand that you are of no harm to them." Annie wished that she had read that contract a little more when she had first joined, ensured there was a clause where it identified her to the rest of them as a mutant. She was proud of who she was, and therefore, had people known she had these powers she would have assumed less of them would have been afraid.

"But I won't be subjected to being kept to desk duty because of fear. That is not what I came here to do." Annie hoped in her own words that they were getting the idea of what she was trying to get across. That she was done with this job, she no longer wanted to do the work they were setting her.

"But that is all I can promise you as of now. Soon enough you'll be back out there." Agent Hill piped in this time, she had taken over as Annie's line manager after the loss of Phil. But her words seemed like an empty promise and Annie wasn't going to let herself get involved in that. She was a lot of things, but she wasn't that blind to power. 

"How long is soon? Another year? What of the avengers initiative? Every time I get called up to help out there I get stuck on desk duty for the months following? Nobody else has that happen to them. I don't want that." Annie's tone got more and more abrupt as she spoke, this time. She knew that if it was to happen again this cycle would continue round and around. 

"Then what do you want Agent?" The director questioned her.

"I just wanted to be treated like everyone else. Like what makes me who I am wasn't a big deal. I'm just a mutant who wants to do work in this agency. Well I used to, I came over at the beginning as a favour, I stayed because I felt accepted here. That is no longer true." 

"Are you saying that you wish to not renew your contract again Annie?" Agent Hill was the one to get the point Annie was hinting at.

"Yes I believe my time in SHIELD has come to an end." Annie was firm, she had made this decision she was comfortable and happy with this decision. It was time to let it go, end this chapter of her life.

"Are you positive Agent?" Director Fury suddenly seemed to show a different emotion, desperation. As if he suddenly realised there was no coming back. Annie wasn't going to be persuaded to stay, there wasn't anything he could do. 

"Very positive director. I no longer believe there is anything I can do for this agency."

"Very well Summers." His words might have made out that he was okay with her leaving. But Annie could tell from his tone that he was anything but. Director Fury was a collector of the strongest people, the most powerful people he could find. He didn't like the idea of letting one of his pawns go. "Before you leave I have one question regarding the Avengers Initiative. Considering they are not technically part of SHIELD I am enquiring if you would be willing to stay on and work with them."

"I will work with the avengers as Hex the X-Man nothing else. Stark has grown on me and it is his team." And with her words Annie stood from the chair she had been sat in to shake the outstretched hand of Director Fury, who she could now call Nick. She then turned to do the same for Agent Hill, who it would probably be more fun to be around when they no longer worked together. And that was it the end of her time as a SHIELD agent. Annie felt as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Like things were going to be much easier this time around. 

She was no longer a SHIELD Agent. She was Annie Summers, Hex, once more.