"Grant," said Nat, "I have to say it, I have truly missed your lasagnas," she grinned as she shoveled another forkful into her mouth.

"I didn't even know that you cooked!" exclaimed Skye.

"Like I said a while ago Skye, there are plenty of things you don't know about me," he smirked over his shoulder as he grabbed another piece of lasagna for Simmons, who thanked him with a smile.

"Do you make cake too? Because then, you would be my most favorite person in the world," she remarked casually as she ate her lasagna.

He laughed, "never tried before."

"Guess we should try later, then," she grinned. She picked up her plate and set it down in the sink in the Academy's cafeteria. She ran to go talk to Hawkeye with Jemma and Rose, and Coulson and May left to go oversee something for the Director, leaving Natasha alone with Grant.

"You know," she started, "you're a lot different than the last time I saw you."

"Well it's been a while, people change," he shrugged, absentmindedly playing with the napkin in front of him.

"Yeah, so what made you change? You're a lot more open. And you smile more," she raised an eyebrow.

"I got an awesome team."

She laughed, "they are pretty great."

"I'm also an SO now."

"So I've gathered," she chuckled, "what IS going on between you two?"

"Seriously, you too?" He rolled his eyes.

"What?" she put her hands up in surrender, "it's a fair question."

"So many people have been asking what's going on between me and Skye."

"Because it's quite obvious," she rolled her eyes at him and gave him a pointed look.

"Rose said that too."

"Well she was right. You were never scared of girls before, why now?"

"It's different now," he avoided her eyes.

"How so?" She waited a moment before it clicked, "oh my gosh, you're in love. You don't just like her, you're in love!"

"Honestly would've thought you'd have caught on to that sooner. You can read me like an open book."

"Well... Only sometimes."

"But speaking of being different, what's different with you? Because something is."

"Nothing," she answered almost too quickly.

"Nope! Not buying it, what's really going on?"

"Nothing, it's just... Fury wants me to go back to Russia on a long term undercover op. He says it may last about a year."

"So? You and Barton have done those all the time," he asked, not understanding.

"Yeah but this time there'll be two things that are different. One, it's a solo op. Two, Russia. Russia Ward. I can't go back there."

"Because you're afraid that someone will recognize you and you'll be dragged back to the Red Room," Grant nodded understandingly.

"I'm just trying to figure out what to do," she said into his shoulder as he held her.

"You'll figure it out," he reassured her, "just like you always do."

Coulson and May joined the group later to find Ward, FitzSimmons, and Clint at the bar, while Skye was trying to interrogate Nat about all of the pranks she's played on Ward over the years.

"Come on, just tell me one!"

"What's in it for me?" Nat said with a smirk.

"Humiliation for your best friend."

"He already was humiliated when I pulled the pranks, why would I humiliate him again?"

Skye sighed and shrugged as she realized she wasn't going to win this one, "fun?"

"Nope," Nat said, popping the p, "I will tell you one if you do something for me, though."

"Depends on what it is."

"You have to do a dare," the Russian smirked slyly.

"That's all?" Skye asked, suddenly suspicious.

"Yep."

"Okay," Skye said cautiously, "what's the dare?"

Nat leaned across the table and whispered something in her ear. Skye's eyes went wide.

"That's the dare, now you have to decide if the stories are really worth it."