AN: Welcome to my rather long TVD/Avengers crossover, posted here from Tumblr. As anyone who reads my TVD fic will expect, this is Caroline-centric. Please enjoy!
I Am Iron Man ('s Daughter)
Caroline had adopted her mother's name rather than her father's simply because it was simpler than being known as Tony Stark's bastard daughter. The result of a one night stand between her sheriff mother and the billionaire, there were only a handful of people that knew of the connection between the Virginia beauty queen and the head of Stark Industries – those being Caroline herself, her mother, Tony, and Tony's assistant/company CEO Pepper Potts. When Caroline told her friends she was spending the summer with her father, they all assumed she meant Bill Forbes, when, in fact, she was referring to summers spent in New York or Malibu with her birth father.
She could still remember the way Elena and Bonnie had rolled their eyes when Caroline had been a wreck after finding out that Tony had gone missing in Afghanistan. They had told her it was ridiculous to be so focused on some celebrity crush, never knowing that Caroline was actually a wreck because her father had gone missing, and the last they had spoken she had been a drama queen and had told him she hated him.
For weeks, she had believed her father had died thinking she hated him.
Then Tony had miraculously risen from the ashes, torn and with shrapnel threatening his heart, but still alive. He had taken on the persona of Iron Man, and Caroline had simultaneously rolled her eyes and been ridiculously proud of him, because Tony Stark was actually growing up and maybe, someday, he'd actually be able to fill the role of father instead of summer time companion and bad influence. He had even begun to take steps towards doing that, mentioning on occasion that maybe it was time the world knew that he had a beautiful daughter he was insanely proud of, and would she maybe like to come to New York and go to one of Pepper's stupidly boring functions with him?
Then she had been turned into a vampire, and Caroline had been forced to break both their hearts by staging the mother of all arguments over something stupid and claiming she would never speak to him again.
Tony had tried to mend fences, calling her daily for three months, before those calls became bi-weekly, then weekly, and now she got the odd monthly call that she let Liz take, where he simply informed them he was still alive, and if Caroline would like, his invitation to New York was still open.
Pepper had called her repeatedly as well, at first, but Caroline was an excellent actress and every bit Tony Stark's daughter, and so the redhead had always ended the calls hanging up angrily, leaving Caroline to cry on the other end, because she just wanted her dad, and why did this have to happen to her? Just when she had been starting to actually have a dad, she'd been forced to let him go, because what kind of a horrible daughter would it make her to drag him right into the middle of the vampire dramatics that made up her life now.
Liz hadn't understood at first, confused as to why Caroline was pushing everyone away. Then she had discovered Caroline's blood-drinking secret and, once the smoke cleared, had been the one to sit next to her while she cried after each of those phone calls, hating that her daughter felt alienated from one parent, and knowing that their own relationship still left a lot to be desired.
But Caroline was nothing if not perseverant, and so she wiped away her tears, put on a bright smile, and proceeded to live her vampire life sans father. There was plenty to keep her distracted, with Elena being the Holy Grail of the supernatural world, and so a year passed. A year in which Caroline faced down doppelgangers and befriended a werewolf, and broke up with Matt and lost Stefan to Klaus. She watched her Dad announce himself as Iron Man and died a little inside every time he was almost killed (and hated Justin Hammer for the despicable douche-bag he was). Then another year passed, and Caroline learned to play the little blonde distraction for Klaus, she lost Tyler then gained him back, then lost him again, she was almost killed by her best friend, and she helped unleash hell on earth. But she survived. She graduated and had plans to go to college. She was finally moving onto the next phase of her life. Everything was finally coming together.
Then she got kidnapped.
XOVER
It was a balmy July evening and Caroline had spent it at the Grill with Elena on one of her rare Damon-free evenings. It had been fun, though the absence of Bonnie had been felt keenly. Thanks to their in with the bartender, they'd been able to down a few tequila shots, and Caroline was feeling just a little tipsy and a lot happy as she wandered home.
She would later blame her lack of observational skill on the alcohol.
One moment she was wandering down the side walk, the next she was staring down the shaft of an arrow into a pair of abnormally blue eyes.
"You're going to have to come with us, Miss Stark," said the owner of those blue eyes (and the arrow), a stalky man with sandy blonde hair dressed entirely in black.
"You have the wrong girl," Caroline replied, meeting the man's gaze head on and concentrating. "You want to put down the arrow and let me walk away."
The man's grip on the bow faltered, his eyes flickering between that odd electric blue and a paler shade. His brow furrowed, as though he were confused, but then the electric blue came back and his grip strengthened once more.
"How interesting" – Caroline jumped at the new voice and would have whirled around toward it, but a set of hands grabbed her upper arms in an incredibly strong grip and held her still, facing the man with the bow – "Barton, you never mentioned that Stark's daughter had a mind control ability all her own."
"I didn't know," the other man, Barton, replied in a monotone. "It's not in her file. She's supposed to be a cheerleader – empty headed for the daughter of a genius."
Caroline bared her teeth at the man at that. It was a common misconception people made; they saw the cheerleader, the bubbly blonde, and never looked past that. If they did, they would see perfect marks – quite the achievement when you considered she had a horrible attendance record – and a natural ability as a leader. But no one wanted to see that.
They just wanted to see the cheerleader.
"Well, I was worried you would bore me," the man at her back said leaning down so his face was next to hers. She couldn't see him clearly, but she managed to get a sense of strong cheekbones, an unhealthy pallor, and dark hair. "I do so love it when my toys turn out to be interesting."
"I'm not your toy," Caroline snarled back, flexing her arms in the man's grip. It was incredibly strong, but so was she. And she had the benefit of surprise.
Caroline stared into the eyes of the man with the bow, and then she closed her eyes, breathing in deep. She let the scent of blood waft into her nostrils, and then she opened herself to her instinct. She let her fangs fall and whirled, sending the man at her back flying. Then she was the man with the bow before he could loose his arrow, her fangs digging into his neck. She drank until she felt the man weaken, his heart beat slow, and then she dropped him – low on blood, but alive – before whirling back to the other man.
He wasn't there.
"Very interesting."
He was at her back again, and Caroline spun once more, only to see nothing. She snarled and spun around, her eyes searching frantically for her would-be kidnapper. He appeared in front of her suddenly – his skin pale and unhealthy, his eyes glowing with a fevered light that Caroline recognized, and it made her take an uncomfortable step back.
Those were the eyes of someone who had been tortured. She knew, because she saw them in the mirror every morning before she put on her bright mask for the day, wiping away the nightmares and invisible scars with make-up and a persona that wasn't really her anymore, but that she still wore, because it was easier than facing those dark dreams.
"A monster," the man mused, taking a step toward her. "I wonder, does Stark know the kind of creature he produced?"
"You don't know anything," Caroline growled, and her hand came up, wiping the archer's blood away from her mouth. She hated to be called a monster, to be faced with the truth of her existence. "Who are you?"
"Who I am is of no matter, Daughter of the Man of Iron. What is of import is who you are… and how you'll assist us in eliminating your father as a threat."
"Try it," Caroline replied, lifting her chin in defiance. "Try it and end up like him."
She nodded at the unconscious archer, and the dark haired man laughed.
"Oh, you foolish little monster. Barton is a useful tool, but he is not powerful. Not as I am, and you stand no chance."
The man disappeared once more and Caroline stiffened, eyes darting about for his reappearance. Even with her heightened senses, his arm wrapping around her from behind took her by surprise, and his strength was even greater than she realized, because he held her still with that one arm, his other hand coming up to run fingers sparking with green down her cheek.
And Caroline knew nothing but black.
XOVER
"His name is Agent," Tony said to Pepper when she spoke to Phil Coulson like he was an old friend and not the government spy who was ruining their moment.
Or at least twelve percent of a moment.
"Tony," Pepper scolded, and Tony would have replied with a sarcastic but charming comment if his mobile hadn't gone off. He wanted to curse, because why did everyone have to interrupt his time with Pepper, but bit it back when he saw the call display.
Elizabeth Forbes.
"Lizzy!" Tony greeted with false cheerfulness, because when the mother of his daughter called, Tony would always answer. Caroline may think he was the worst father ever, and maybe he was, but he loved that girl more than anything, even Pepper, and would never ignore anything that could have to do with her. Pepper looked at him with confusion, because she knew as well as he did how rare it was that he heard from Liz, and Coulson watched with polite curiosity. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Caroline is missing."
"What?" Tony responded, false cheer falling away to be replaced by very real worry. "What do you mean she's missing?"
"I mean that she went out with a friend and she hasn't returned. Elena said Caroline headed home three hours ago. It's a five minute walk to get home, Tony."
Tony felt a bit of relief. It was only three hours. Caroline was probably fine – she was very much his daughter, and had probably just wandered off with a boy, or met some other friends.
"Her boyfriend," Tony said. "She has one, right? You mentioned him… she likely snuck off. To have some time with him."
There was a long pause at that.
"Tyler isn't in the picture anymore," Liz said at last, and there was something in her voice that said Liz was hiding something.
"Liz, why are you so worried?" Tony demanded. "It's only been three hours… you shouldn't be this worried. Not yet."
"I… Caroline… she didn't want you to know, Tony. That's why she had that fight with you, because she wanted you safe from all of this. But Bill is dead, and so is Carol Lockwood, and I don't know who to turn to about this. Caroline isn't a normal girl."
"Of course she's not. She's my daughter; that means she's brilliant. But that doesn't answer my question."
"Look… let's just say that there's more in the world than what you know, and that Caroline got caught up in it. I'm worried that something got to her, something dangerous."
"Liz, you're not making any sense. What could have possibly gotten to Caroline?"
Horrific thoughts were running through Tony's mind. Caroline at the mercy of mutants, or one of the aliens that had turned up in New Mexico. Maybe one of Tony's own enemies had gotten to her. A dozen different scenarios ran through his mind, but none prepared him for the truth.
"She's a vampire, Tony. Caroline is a vampire, and I'm worried that someone who knows that has decided to hurt her."
XOVER
Caroline came to in what appeared to be the love child of a cave and high tech lab. She was in some sort of cage, but the dark haired man had obviously underestimated her, because all it took was a quick jerk of her wrist to break the lock and she was out.
There were several people bustling about the cave, but none of them paid any mind. Their eyes were the same electric blue as Barton's had been, and Caroline found it eerie and creepy. She was careful to keep a safe distance between herself and all of those people as she made her way to what she hoped was the exit.
She didn't get far before the dark haired man was next to her, an arm wrapped around her waist and directing her in the direction he wished her to go. He didn't speak to her, just gave her a condescending smirk, before releasing her when they reached Barton and a man dressed in plaid – a happy relief from all the black – who was studying a glowing cube the same shade as everyone's eyes.
"It's amazing," he said to the dark haired man. "It's knowledge. The things it has to say…"
"I know," the dark haired man agreed before turning to Barton. "What does it tell you?"
"The name of my next victim," Barton replied. His voice was still emotionless, but he gave Caroline a dirty look and she flashed her fangs at him, making him take a step back.
"You look good for someone drained of a third of their blood," she drawled out before licking her lips mockingly, doing her best to channel Damon Salvatore. "It was delicious."
"Now, pet," the dark haired man scolded, his hand wrapping around the back of her neck. "Don't antagonize the Agent. What do you need, Barton?"
"A distraction," he replied grabbing his bow and keeping one eye on Caroline – and eye filled with suspicion. "And an eyeball."
"You shall have them," the dark haired man promised, and Barton nodded.
"An eyeball?" Caroline repeated blankly. "Seriously, an eyeball? What kind of freaks are you people?"
She flashed away from the dark haired man's grip, positioning herself so her back was to the wall of the cave.
"Careful, Caroline Stark. I am Loki of Asgard, and you are a cockroach to me."
"Loki," Caroline repeated blankly staring at him. "As in the Norse God of chaos… or was it lies? Well, the one who was, like, prophesized to bring about the Apocalypse. That Loki?" Caroline felt her knees weaken and she leaned back against the wall and rolled her eyes towards the ceiling. "What even is my life?"
"You speak oddly, Stark," Loki replied coolly.
"She's a teenage girl," Barton said, as though that explained everything. Caroline supposed to him it likely did, but Loki just looked confused.
"It's Forbes," Caroline said softly, and both men turned to look at her, so she shrugged. "My name. It's not Caroline Stark. It's Caroline Forbes. I took my mom's name. I'm proud of that, and her, so use the right one."
"You are proud for such a little cockroach, pet," Loki stated picking up a glowing blue sceptre and stalking towards her slowly. Caroline locked her knees and straightened, refusing to be cowed by him. "I dislike that, so we'll fix it."
He pressed the sceptre to her heart and looked at her expectedly. Caroline just looked back at him, waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, she glanced down, then back up.
"Is that supposed to do something?"
Loki frowned and tapped the sceptre to her chest again, once again getting the response of nothing.
"That makes no sense," he hissed in frustration. "It usually works!"
"What usually – ugh!" she stared down at shock, because Loki had shoved the sceptre through her stomach. She looked up at Loki with shock and pain while Barton cursed.
"We needed her, to use against Stark," the archer pointed out as Loki removed the sceptre and Caroline fell to her knees.
"Her death will ruin him," Loki replied with a shrug. "He'll be rendered useless by sentiment while we… what?"
He looked down at Caroline with surprise, because she had begun to giggle, and then to laugh through the pained tears that had snuck out of her eyes. She fell back onto her butt and sat on the floor laughing, because the sceptre was supposed to control the minds of humans, only it hadn't worked on her.
Because she wasn't human.
"If you want to kill me," she said to Loki, struggling to her feet, while Barton and the man in plaid watched her with shock and Loki's surprise turned to interest, "you'll have to do better than that." She lifted her shirt slightly, revealing her stomach and the unmarred skin there. "I heal fast."
"Well… isn't that most intriguing?" Loki murmured, and Caroline suddenly felt uneasy as his eyes met hers. She had seen that look before, on Klaus' face at a ball, the night she got a picture with the message that started it all – Thank-you for your honesty. She gulped and took a step back from Loki, because she didn't need this. She didn't need another bad guy to think of her as anything more than Elena Gilbert's best friend. She had been there, done that, had the t-shirt.
Loki took another step toward her and reached out his sceptre, using it to raise her chin so she was forced to meet his gaze.
"Most intriguing."
God, she was so screwed.
XOVER
Loki was arrogant. That became very clear to Caroline very quickly by the way he left her alone with the man in plaid – whose name she discovered was Eric Selvig.
"What exactly are you trying to accomplish?" Caroline asked him. She sat cross-legged on a box that was so at odds with the high-tech computers Selvig was using that it was almost laughable.
"It's a portal for Loki. The tesseract wish his army to be here."
Caroline was silent for a moment after that, watching Selvig type away. A portal. For aliens. Because vampires, werewolves, and witches were enough – oh no, now her life needed to be invaded by freaking aliens.
"What if something goes wrong?" Caroline asked slowly, a plan beginning to form in her mind. If Loki was going to leave her all alone with his little scientist, then she was going to take full advantage. She remembered how her compulsion had interfered with Loki's control. She hadn't been able to take over full control… but she didn't need to.
She just needed the power of suggestion.
"Nothing will go wrong. The Tesseract knows all," Selvig replied, smiling up at her. It was such a friendly smile, completely at odds with the man's actions, helping a madman invade the Earth. Caroline smiled back and joined him at the computer.
"Murphy's Law, Doctor. If it can go wrong, it will," she replied, her voice all friendly confidante. She tapped the screen over the Tesseract. "The Tesseract may know all, but it is humans making this machine… and humans err" – she met Selvig's eyes with her own and began to infuse her words with compulsion – "a fail-safe is never a bad idea. Just in case a x goes in the wrong place, or gets mixed up with a y."
Selvig's eyes flickered and he frowned down at his plans.
"The Tesseract has given me such knowledge," he murmured. "Such knowledge."
"What are you whispering in Dr. Selvig's ear, my pet?" Loki drawled. He had changed out of his odd leather outfit and now wore a well-fitted suit with a scarf around his neck.
"Discussing Quantum Physics," Caroline replied with a fake smile. She knew it looked fake, but it was meant to be so; all part of the act – an act she had perfected with Klaus and now planned to utilize on Loki.
The Little Blonde Distraction.
"I'm going to University in the fall… assuming there is an university for me to attend," Caroline continued crossing her arms and giving him her best bitch head cheerleader look. "I don't know what my major is, so I'm planning on taking all the sciences. Why waste a chance to get a head start on my work and pick Dr. Selvig's mind, right?"
"Is this true, Selvig?" Loki asked the Doctor.
"She was asking about the portal," Selvig replied. "We hadn't had much of a chance to get to the details before you joined us."
"Is that so?" Loki asked, turning that arrogant smirk to Caroline. "Well, let's not discuss such sensitive matters with her in the future. My Pet is too curious. It could get her into trouble, and we wouldn't want that. You need to get changed."
"Changed?" Caroline repeated, raising a brow with confusion. "Why would I need to do that?"
"You will be accompanying me to a party in Germany. It's very classy. I'm sure Miss Mystic Falls will fit right in" – at her stricken look, Loki chuckled – "I got curious about my pet, and had Barton give me your file. How you kept your unique abilities from SHIELD I'm not quite sure, but I'm glad you did. It makes it more interesting. Now" – he waved his hand a gorgeous red dress appeared there. It was a halter top that showed more back than Caroline usually did, but if she was to play the blonde distraction, then she needed to dress the part – "change."
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Caroline replied arrogantly, looking down her nose at him. she knew not to give into easily; it would make him suspicious.
"Yes, my dear. You will. You will accompany me, and you won't try to run."
"Oh?" Caroline replied with a raised brow. "I'm sure I'll regret asking, but how do you plan on making that happen? I'm not the type to follow orders. I give them."
"Not this time, Pet," Loki replied, and the sceptre appeared in his hand once more. Caroline gulped, remembering how it felt to be impaled by it and she tensed. Loki noticed and smirked, inspecting the end of the sceptre. "The blood is all cleaned off, but if you're desperate, we can paint it red once more. Perhaps with your lovely mother's blood? What was her name… Elizabeth?"
When Caroline dropped fang and snarled at him, it was no act. Memories of Elena feeding on Liz, and her blood covered body after Silas' attack were still too fresh in Caroline's mind for her to accept a threat to Liz's safety. Loki raised a brow and rested the sceptre against Caroline's throat before holding out the dress.
"Sensitive spot?" he asked sardonically as Caroline took the dress out of his hands. "You should really avoid those. Change."
When Caroline rejoined Loki again forty-five minutes later she was dressed in the red dress and a pair of killer heels with her hair and makeup done to perfection.
"Beautiful," Loki murmured in approval, holding her shoulders and surveying her up and down. "Yes, you'll do quite well."
Caroline wanted to hiss at him, but she caught sight of Selvig's screen out of the corner of her eye. It held the logistics of Loki's sceptre on it, next to the plans for the portal, and seeing that gave her strength she needed to give Loki a blandly pleasant look.
"As you said,I am Miss Mystic Falls."
XOVER
"We found him sir," one of the agents declared. Nick Fury joined him to look at the screen. There was Loki, walking into a party in Germany, a beautiful blonde dressed in red on his arm.
"Who is the girl with him?" Steve Rogers asked. "Another Asgardian?"
"No," said Coulson grimly, pulling out a phone. "That's Caroline Forbes."
"Who is Caroline Forbes?" Steve replied in confusion.
"That, Captain, is Tony Stark's daughter," Fury retorted before Coulson could say anything. "You had best suit up. This could get messy."
"Stark won't be happy," Coulson added. "He wanted to keep her out of this."
"He should be relieved," Fury replied, cracking his knuckles as he thought of the Iron Pain in His Ass. "This means she's not being held captive by one of his enemies. Keep her alive, Captain. Miss Forbes is quite possibly the only person alive Stark would die for. She gets hurt, none of us will hear the end of it."
"She's just a kid," Steve replied. "I'd protect her no matter who her father is."
Fury didn't reply as Steve rushed off to change, instead he watched Caroline Forbes where stood regally at Loki's side. She looked peaceful and serene, but Fury was a spy, and that meant he read people better than most. She might be serene on the outside, but the fire burning in her eyes?
That promised someone would burn in hell.
XOVER
"Is there a point to this?" Caroline demanded, looking longingly at the champagne being carted about the room. Loki must have caught the glance, because he grabbed two of the glasses from a passing waiter and handed her one. "This is technically illegal."
"That's what makes it fun, Pet," Loki replied, sipping his champagne. Caroline bristled at the name, but carefully hid it behind a calm expression, something she had mastered while hiding blood lust. She sipped her champagne as well and wished she could be anywhere else. "As to why we're here… well, you just stand here and look lovely. I must get Barton his eye."
"Wait a second" – Caroline reached out and grasped his arm when he moved to walk away – "you're kidding, right? He actually needs a freaking eye? That's disgusting. Like, seriously gross."
The orchestra began to play and Loki sighed, setting aside their glasses and pulling her into his arms, leading her around the dance floor. Caroline wanted to struggle out of his almost too tight hold, but her Miss Mystic training kicked in, refusing to allow her to make a scene in the middle of the dance floor.
"You do dance quite well," Loki mused.
"Miss Mystic Falls, remember?" Caroline replied haughtily. "Although I don't know what your excuse for being able to do this is. I didn't realize aliens got dance lessons."
"I was raised as a prince of Asgard," Loki responded, every bit as haughtily, his eyes flashing with ice. "I know the niceties of society."
"Really? So did you just skip out on the lesson about not invading other planets, or does that not count as a nicety amongst your society?"
"Careful, my Pet. You're sharp tongue amuses me, but that amusement could rapidly fade." His grip tightened further and Caroline fought back a wince, refusing to let him get a response from her.
"Back to the eye, then," she said through clenched teeth. "I stand by my previous statement – ew."
"The perfect little angel, then. Is killing against your morals, Miss Forbes? Such weakness, when you could have been magnificent."
"Killing is against most people's morals," Caroline replied tightly, but she felt like a hypocrite as she said the words. It wasn't that long ago, that she snapped a witch's neck, resulting in the death of elven others. Or the night she turned, when she drained a carnie dry. Her mother's deputies, killed in order to save the Salvatore brothers; yet another stain on her soul. And then there was Tyler's Hybrid friend, who had been sacrificed to save Elena. All deaths she'd played some part in.
"Morals are so plain, Caroline Forbes. They are not meant for beings such as you and I. Beings of power."
"Just because you're powerful doesn't give you the right to play God," Caroline snapped back, her eyes meeting his and holding.
"You forget, Caroline," Loki purred, using her name for the first time. "I am a God."
He released his hold on her as the orchestra's song ended and strode away. Caroline remained behind on the dance floor, wondering how many of the people around her would become Loki's victims before the night was out.
XOVER
His daughter was a vampire.
Liz had dropped the bomb, and Tony had been gobsmacked. He still wasn't sure how he'd managed to hold himself together long enough to give Coulson some bullshit story about his daughter being kidnapped, likely by one of his enemies. But Liz had made it clear that he had to keep it secret, that there were people out there who would kill her for what she was.
Tony would never endanger Caroline, whether she be human, vampire, or sugar plum fairy, so SHIELD wouldn't hear of her secret, at least not from him. He had managed to calm himself, to even feel some relief, because this meant that his daughter didn't hate him, didn't think he was the worst parent to ever attempt parenting. No, she wanted to keep him safe, away from what she was, and that's why she'd fought him, why she had refused to speak to him. It had lightened Tony's heart – they could start again. He knew now, so there was no point in her holding him at a distance. They could be okay again. Then the second bomb dropped.
Caroline hadn't been kidnapped by one of his many enemies, but instead by Loki.
A freaking magical alien had his daughter.
But they had been sighted. They were in Germany, and now, so was Tony.
He'd had Jarvis hack into the SHIELD system so he could listen to a play by play of the fight through Romanov and Rogers when an alarming message came.
"Cap, watch your ba – holy crap, how did she do that?"
Tony didn't know what had happened, but he would bet money that the she Romanov referred to was blonde haired and blue-eyed with a secret to keep. A secret that may very well now be in the open.
Tony ordered Jarvis to increase the thrusters.
XOVER
He'd used another glowy sceptre thing to get the eye. Judging by the man's screaming, it was a very painful process, but it wasn't nearly as gross as Caroline had expected.
It also caused mass chaos.
And now she stood just outside the doors of the opera house, watching as Loki ordered everyone to kneel. They did – all but one old man, who stood and stared him down defiantly. Caroline thought she might have to interfere, stop whatever Loki was going to do to him, but her interference was needed.
Captain America had come to save the day.
She had to admit, the fight was pretty freaking epic. She had heard stories of the super soldier, of course; her grandfather had even played a pretty major part in the creation of the serum that had… made him. She found herself slowly walking away from the building to get a better view. The super soldier was holding his own very well, until he wasn't.
Loki managed to get the upperhand.
"Kneel," the Asgardian ordered, and hearing him say that to the Captain, seeing Steve Rogers clench his teeth and fight Loki's grip, made Caroline feel furious. She recalled how he'd knocked her out, how he called her pet and acted as though he owned her.
She wanted his blood.
She wasn't even aware she was moving. One moment she was on the steps of the Opera House, the next she was straddling Loki, her fangs dropped and her hands around his neck.
"My little Pet has claws," the Asgardian chuckled. "Oh, you are marvelous."
Caroline snarled, her bared teeth aimed at his throat, and then she was thrown backward, taking the Captain out with her. She felt a burning in her midriff. She struggled to her feet and looked down to see the dress in tatters, damaged by the energy of the sceptre he'd turned against her. Her charred skin was already healing, but her gums ached and she knew that she'd need more blood after this. Barton's wouldn't be enough, not after being stabbed and now this.
"Perhaps I should get your mother, Little Pet. She might make you more inclined to behave."
"You're going to want to leave her alone, Loki," the Captain interjected, placing himself in front of Caroline protectively.
"Or what? She already had to save you, Captain. I think you'd be better off hiding behind her."
"It's not me you have to worry about," Rogers replied, and as though to prove his point, ACDC began to blast loudly over the speakers of the SHIELD jet, accompanied by the appearance of Iron Man.
Her dad.
He took the briefest second to take in the scene in front of him; Rogers standing protectively in front of Caroline in her ruined dress, Loki staring the both of them down, and he blasted Loki without a second thought.
"Stay down, Reindeer Games," Tony ordered, aiming his strongest weapons at the alien. Loki glared up at all of them before the weird helmet and the sceptre disappeared, leaving him in his leather and he held up his hands.
"Well, Pet, it looks like you've been saved," he commented to Caroline. Tony looked ready to shoot him again, but Caroline's gaze was fixated on Loki's.
His glare had faded, leaving him looking oddly satisfied, and Caroline felt her stomach sink at that.
This had been too easy.
XOVER
"Are you okay?" Tony demanded as soon as they had boarded the jet and settled Loki on a seat.
"I'm fine, dad," Caroline replied with a small smile, but she wasn't. She had revealed herself as a vampire in front of an audience. The regular onlookers might be able to write it off as their fear playing tricks on them, or assume she was a mutant with SHIELD, but Captain America wouldn't. her dad wouldn't.
"What was that down there?" demanded the redheaded woman manning the controls of the jets, because apparently she wouldn't assume a trick of the mind either.
"None of your business, Romanov," Tony said before Caroline could say anything. "She's not a SHIELD project, so what she can and cannot do isn't your problem."
Caroline looked at her dad from beneath her lashes, because he didn't seem that surprised. Maybe he hadn't seen…? He smiled down at her and ran a gloved hand over her hair, mouthing I know to her, and Caroline didn't know whether to be worried or elated. Elated because he didn't seem to care, worried because…
Even now, she could still remember the burn form her step dad trying to condition her away from her vampirism. She still sometimes woke up in the middle of the night, Bill's words echoing in her mind.
I just want to fix you, sweetie.
She knew that not everyone would be like Bill, but she had been burned by him, and by Liz plotting with Matt to kill her. She didn't want another parent to hate her, but it was what she had come to expect.
But Tony just smiled at her and hugged her to his side.
"It was impressive," stated Rogers, reading that Caroline was uncomfortable with the scrutiny. "Your dad is right, you're not SHIELD, but you should maybe consider it."
"I'm headed to college in the fall," she quickly. "Off to get a degree in something like journalism or… I dunno accounting. Not espionage."
"A waste of potential," Loki said, and all of them turned to him, Tony with fire in his eyes, because no father would approve of the way Loki was watching Caroline, even if he weren't a psycho bent on world domination.
"How about you stop looking at my daughter. In fact, as far as you're concerned, she doesn't even exist."
"Oh, but she does exist, Stark. I had originally planned to use her against you, as blackmail. But she turned out to be so much more. A monster in a pretty little package. I wonder, Caroline, if they'll give you a cell right next to mine. They won't allow you to walk free, particularly not if I tell them what you did to their Agent Barton."
"Barton?" Romanov asked, and she didn't look back, but her whole body had tensed. "What happened to Barton?"
"Nothing," Caroline interject hastily, and Loki gave a low chuckle that earned him a glare. "I mean, okay, so not nothing, but he's fine. Well, not fine, because he's being mind-controlled, and let me tell you – that sucks – but fine, as in he's alive and all that."
"That sucks?" Romanov repeated. "You make it sound like you know about mind control."
Caroline squirmed at that, because she'd said too much. She didn't talk about her time as Damon's compelled little human; didn't like to think about her time as Damon's compelled little human, because Elena was in love with him, and thinking about that time just made her hate him, made her hate Elena for not hating him, and that wasn't fair. You couldn't help who you loved, and Elena was a good friend, she was… at least, when she wasn't trying to kill Caroline's Mom or Caroline herself and –
No. That was enough. Now was not the time to think about past drama. It was in the past, where it was meant to remain. This whole thing with Loki was bringing up crappy memories that she didn't want to think about.
"I assume it sucks," Caroline replied lamely, and she had to look at the wall, because her eyes had caught Loki's and he looked far too interested in the new conversation. Give him an inch and he would run a mile, and the last thing she needed was for Loki to know all her dirty little insecurities.
"Care-" Tony began, but Caroline shook her head stubbornly.
"How about we talk about what happens next. Do you guys drop me off in Mystic Falls? Do I go with you back to New York? I mean, what happens with me?"
"You come with us back to the Hellicarrier," Romanov replied. "And then Fury decides what happens next."
"I'll send you to the Stark Tower," Tony promised. "You won't be sticking around SHIELD for long."
Caroline smiled thankfully at her dad, knowing that if anyone could go against an undercover spy agency, it was him.
Then lightning flashed and Loki tensed.
"Scared of thunder?" she asked mockingly, unable to stop herself from taking the chance to make him feel a little smaller.
"No, Pet," Loki replied with a smirk. "I'm just not overly fond of what follows."
As if in answer, something landed on the roof of the jet, making it shake.
"What the hell?"
Tony had already opened the back of the jet, planning to fight whatever it was. But in a flash of red and silver and gold something (someone?) had Loki by the neck and had dragged him out of the jet. Tony cursed and made to follow.
"Dad, wait!" Caroline began.
"You can't just go without a plan of attack, Stark," Rogers said at the same time.
Tony closed his mask and turned back.
"I have a plan, Rogers," he replied. "Attack."
Then he left the jet as well.
XOVER
His name was Thor. He was Loki's older (adopted) brother, and also insanely hot.
Like really insanely hot. All long blonde hair and blue eyes with bulging muscles. In fact, she thought his muscles might even have muscles. It was all very impressive. Caroline alternated between watching him and watching the drama going on between Loki and Nick Fury, because her father had stated she would be sitting in on this meeting, or they could deal with Loki sans Iron Man.
She had to agree with Loki – the cage was impressive. And she'd seen Bruce Banner (and how cool was it, to meet the resident Gamma guru?) wince at Loki's description of the Hulk.
"And then to be reminded what real power is."
"Well, let me know if real power wants a magazine or something."
Caroline fought back a wince at Fury's last statement. It was rather weak, so she'd have to give the point to Loki, damn him.
"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" Banner asked when the screen clicked off.
"Yeah, like cancer," Caroline grumbled, glaring at the blank screen.
"Thor, what's his play?" Rogers asked.
"He has an army, called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard or any world known. He means to lead them against your people, they will win him the Earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract," Thor replied.
"An alien invasion," Caroline repeated blankly, staring around the table. "You're kidding me, right?"
"I do not kid about such serious matters," Thor replied, glancing at her curious, clearly wondering why someone who so obviously didn't belong at this meeting was sitting there.
"Of course not. So, he has Selvig and Barton under his control to build the portal to bring this army here" – when everyone stared at her, she shrugged uneasily – "I was his captive, remember? There wasn't much to do except speak to the mind slaves. Except Barton. He didn't like me much."
"Because of whatever you did to him?" Romanov asked, her expression stony.
"Who knows. Maybe Loki ordered him to hate me," Caroline retorted, but mention of Barton made her remember his blood, which in turn made her gums ache. Because she was hungry, and she wasn't quite sure how to politely ask for a pint of blood.
"I don't think we should focus on Loki," Banner said, nodding at Caroline when she shot him a thankful grin for changing the subject. "His mind is like a bag of cats. You can practically smell the crazy on him."
"Have care how you speak," Thor interjected. "Loki is beyond reason, but he's my brother and he's of Asgard."
"He killed eighty people in two days," Romanov dead-panned.
"He's adopted."
"Banner's right," Caroline replied, running a hand through her hair. "He's batshit."
"He seemed pretty intent on you," Romanov pointed out. "Before Thor made his appearance. Maybe you could tell us why."
"Maybe I could, and maybe you guys could explain why he needs Iridium," Caroline replied, looking at the screen in front of her. "What is Iridium?"
"It's a stabilizing agent," Tony interrupted, appearing in the room with Agent Coulson. "It will stop the portal from collapsing on itself. No hard feelings, Point Break. You have a mean right hook." He walked past Thor and passed by Caroline, dropping a bag in front of her as he moved. She picked it up and looked at it.
Blood.
"Had to explain some stuff to Nicky. If you need more, we'll find you a donor."
"This will be good for now," Caroline replied, but she didn't open the bag, too self-conscious to feed in front of strangers.
"Also, it means the portal can open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants. That man is playing Gattaca – he thought we wouldn't notice, but we did."
Caroline recognized her father's methods of distractions, even if no one else did, so she watched him carefully as he continued to explain the method behind Loki's madness and… there.
He slipped a chip onto the computer, and Caroline hid a grin. Her father; at least she came by her neurotic tendencies honestly enough.
Also, his total lack of tact.
"I'm a hug fan of your work… and how you turn into a giant green rage monster," Tony said, introducing himself to Bruce, who looked torn between discomfort and laughter at Tony's straight forward method of addressing the Hulk.
"Doctor Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you would join him. Maybe your daughter, as well? Did you inherit your father's way with science?"
Caroline smiled pleasantly at Nick Fury and shook her head.
"Not even a little bit. I'm a cheerleader, Director Fury. I plan parties and flirt with boys. Science isn't my forte."
"No, but apparently you're a little more than just a cheerleader."
Fury called up a screen, and Caroline felt the smile slide off her face as she watched herself flash at Loki who was attacking Rogers. She could track her movements, but she knew that to the humans in the room, it appeared as though one second Loki was standing, and the next he was on the ground, her straddling him. Fury watched her, but she refused to respond, so he rewinded the video and played it again, this time slowing it down so everyone could see the way she attacked.
And her face as she did so – fangs down, eyes red and black, veins prominent.
"Loki calls you a monster, Miss Forbes. I would like to know your opinion."
Caroline looked at him, very conscious of everyone's gaze on her. She lifted the blood bag and tore it open with her teeth, using the plastic tube as straw to draw the blood out. She had already downed half the bag when she realized who the blood belonged to.
Her father.
She paused for a moment, her eyes darting over to her, and she just gave her a small smile, the one he wore so often around her since Afghanistan. It was what she called his mature smile, and she knew it was only for her.
"You know what I am, Director. My father told you."
"I know what your father told me, I just didn't believe it."
"Well do" – Caroline finished the blood bag and tossed it to the center of the table – "beasts and witches and walking corpses, all the things that go bump in the night. I'm a vampire, Director." She looked at Romanov, whose poker face was enviable. "That's what I did to Barton. He wanted to kidnap me, so I fed on him. He didn't take kindly to it."
"Why would my brother want you?" Thor asked curiously. "How do you fit into his plans?"
"I was meant for blackmail," Caroline replied. "Then he found out about my condition, and I became more interesting." She flicked the corner of the bag and crossed her arms. "What are we going to do about him? He's here… so what now? Torture him? Kill him? Keep him locked up until he escapes?"
"We will not torture him," Thor thundered angrily.
"Probably a good choice," Caroline replied coolly, causing Thor to calm and watch her with a frown furrowing his brow, and she raised her brow at that. "I can't seriously be the only one who noticed, right? Dr. Banner said he was crazy, but you don't become that brand of crazy without being tortured. It's in his eyes."
"And what does a cheerleading vampire know about torture?" Fury asked, and Caroline stiffened, because she'd given away too much again.
"Care?" Tony asked, taking a step towards her, worry in his eyes. He had that same look, the look that came from torture, and Caroline avoided his gaze, because she didn't want him to see that same look in her eyes.
"You have the same look-"
"Don't lie to me, Caroline," Tony cut her off immediately, his voice stern, and Caroline looked at him.
"We heal fast," she said at last, refusing to look at anyone but Tony. "Very fast. But it's still there, at the end of the day. It leaves it's mark. On Loki it's fresh. Whatever drove him here, it wasn't pleasant. He's still afraid of it. Fear is an incredibly powerful motivator."
"He has an interest in you," Fury mused, his expression intrigued as he considered Caroline. "We could use that."
"No," Tony replied. "We're not using my daughter for anythi-"
"What do you want me to do?" Caroline cut him off. "Play the little blonde distraction? I won't lie, I'm good at it."
"My brother is hundreds of years old," Thor interjected. "He won't be easily distracted by a pretty smile, Caroline."
"Klaus was a thousand years old," Caroline replied looking at Thor. "And he was plenty distracted by my pretty smile. Your brother wants his ego catered to, to believe he's the scariest thing out there. But that's boring, Thor. You know what's not boring? When someone so much younger, so much weaker, refuses to do that. When they look at you like you're nothing. That's intriguing. And I have my bitch face so mastered I might as well copyright it."
"What has been going on in this town of yours, Caroline?" Tony asked resignedly, collapsing into the chair next to Rogers. "What the hell happened that you can do all this stuff? And who is Klaus?"
"Klaus is…" Caroline thought of the Hybrid, and struggled for the words to describe him. Was he a friend? No, not really. He was… he was a lost opportunity. He was symbolic of the world she could have, but was too afraid to grasp. And she had no idea how to describe him to someone who didn't know their history. "Klaus is…incredibly similar to Loki. Only he doesn't want to rule the world; just the vampires in it. Considering he is the oldest and most powerful of us, we tend to let him."
"But you played the, ah… little blonde distraction for him?" Bruce asked. "That had to take some guts."
"Yeah, well, he took an unfortunate liking to me. After he convinced my boyfriend to poison me. On my birthday. That was fun."
"You called me that day," Tony said, his head buried in his hands. "I remember it. It was the last time we had a conversation that didn't turn into you telling me I sucked."
"I thought I was going to die," Caroline replied with a shrug. "It turns out I was just collateral damage, but that was the unfortunate beginning to that. Look, Klaus isn't important, okay. All you guys need to know is that I can do this. I can figure out Loki's game. Because you know he has one" – she looked at Fury – "I fought Loki. He's strong, he's fast, and he can teleport. The only reason he's on this helicarrier right now is because he wants to be. So let me play the little blonde distraction. Worst case scenario, it doesn't work and we seem desperate. Considering that we are desperate, I don't think that's too big of a problem."
Fury nodded.
"Let's get you down to that cell."
XOVER
"So, they send in my Pet. Or did you volunteer? Miss me already?"
"You're adopted," Caroline said, sitting on a chair and ignoring the question. "Is that was this is about? Daddy issues? Or maybe it's mommy issues? I didn't actually ask Thor."
"I have no such issues-"
"Because I could tell you a thing or two about parental issues," Caroline continued, speaking over Loki. "My mom plotted to kill me with my boyfriend… well, ex-boyfriend. He just wasn't ex at the time. My dad is Iron Man, and just when our relationship was actually starting to get good, I acted like a brat because I didn't want him to know about my little fang problem. Oooh, and my stepdad? Totally tortured me."
Caroline hadn't wanted to let him know about her issues – something he could use against her- but she had come to the conclusion as she walked with Fury to the cell that she needed to give him something. Family issues were something they shared, so family issues it would be.
"I'll bite, Little Pet," Loki took a seat as well, though he had to use the floor. "Why would your step father torture you?"
"He wanted to fix me," Caroline replied with a shrug. "You know, show me blood, let me turn all fangy, then apply pain. Condition me not to respond to blood and voila, fixed!"
"Did it work? I would assume not, as I've seen you turn… fangy on multiple occasions."
"I can't be fixed. I'm a vampire. I will always be a vampire. And I'm better like this. I like who I am now. I'm strong, ageless, fearless," Caroline smirked lightly, recalling Klaus' words to her, the night she'd begged for Tyler's life. "He wasn't the first to torture me. Have you ever taken a bullet to the brain?"
"I can't say I've ever had the pleasure," Loki admitted, his eyes narrowing, obviously intrigued by this new conversation.
"I have. God, I screamed. That was the first time, you see. I'd never felt pain like that before, and I remember thinking that it wasn't fair. That I hadn't done anything to deserve it. How long did the Chitauri torture you, before you agreed to lead their army?"
Loki froze at the sudden turn of subject, his face becoming emotionless and he got to his feet, turning his back to her.
"A fact finding mission. You wish to know my plans. I'm not so easily fooled, Caroline Forbes."
"Hey, I'm showing you mine. The least you can do is show me yours," Caroline replied.
"You speak of being strong, ageless, and fearless, yet you're not," Loki replied, spinning back around with a calculative expression. "Not fearless, at least. You've been tortured since you became what you are, you've been weak. And you know it. Yet you've taken no steps to repair that. I could, you know. I could make you a queen. I could give you the world."
"Paris, Rome, and Tokyo?" Caroline replied, and she knew her expression probably confused Loki, the reminiscing expression she knew she wore.
"All of them and more," Loki agreed, stepping closer to the glass of the cage. "True power."
"True beauty," Caroline murmured lowly, causing Loki to frown in confusion, and she laughed, shaking her head. "God, I could write a script for this. It's always the same, isn't it? You offer me the world, never considering that I could find it for myself."
"You act as if we've had this conversation before."
"We haven't. But I have. With someone just like you. He didn't realize it, either. That he had no hope of winning. You don't get to have the world, Loki. Not when we already own it."
"I offer you everything and you scoff. Then you can burn with them all – your Man of Iron and Captain America. I'll render all you love to dust, and you'll beg me to grant you mercy. Maybe it will be over the corpse of your mother."
"I turn you down, so you play the part of monster, Loki?" Caroline leaned forward smirking. "It doesn't suit you."
"Oh, I'm not the monster. He's already been invited in."
"Bruce," Caroline murmured, rocking back in realization. "That's your plan… Bruce. But why let yourself be taken? Why play with me? Why not just skip over this all together and take the Earth?"
"I have no idea what you speak of," Loki snarled, but she could read the frustration in his eyes, the anger that she had discovered his play, even if she didn't have all the details.
"Yes, you do, but I don't need you to spell your endgame out for me. I'm good at puzzles." She stood and headed for the door, lifting the radio Fury had given her to her mouth as she did so.
"You don't see your own potential!" Loki called after her, making her pause at the door. "You will forever be hidden behind the image of the good child, so determined to play human, and all the potential will just wither away, never utilized. You could have them all – all those who hurt you – kneeling at your feet in submission, yet instead you let them walk all over you."
Caroline allowed herself a brief moment to picture it, Damon and Elena and anyone who had ever hurt her, kneeling before her in submission. It would be sweet, she knew. As sweet as when she had surprised Damon with her new strength and told him you suck. She'd felt powerful in that moment… then she had killed a Carnie and turned into a sobbing, uncontrolled mess.
Power was a fleeting illusion, she knew that firsthand. But other things – friendship, family, love – those weren't fleeting, nor were they illusion.
"Maybe," she agreed. "But I do break a few ankles when they do that walking." She pressed the comm button on the radio and spoke into it. "His play is the Hulk. He wants to use Bruce to get the hell out of dodge and take out as many agents as he can while doing so."
XOVER
When she walked into the lab her dad and Bruce were using, she walked into the middle of an explosive argument.
"You plan on using the tesseract to make weapons!" her dad snarled.
"Did you forget how you made your fortune?"
"I thought you mortals were above such petty thing!"
The argument was such that everyone was speaking over everyone else, and even with her superior sense, she couldn't keep up.
"We did it because of him," Fury stated, pointing at Thor. "And to prepare, because things like her pop up" – this time, he pointed at her – "we have aliens taking out small towns, and blood drinking monsters on the loose, and you wonder why we want superior weapons?"
"It wouldn't work on me," Caroline said dryly, rolling her eyes at Fury's dramatic proclamations. "Vampires aren't that easy to kill. And doesn't Thor there come in peace?"
"His brother doesn't," Romanov interjected. "Can you really be so naïve, as to think that these weapons aren't necessary."
Caroline thought of a bag full of white oak stakes and how they had all nearly died because of them.
"I think the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Make these weapons, and they'll be used against us. Because human, vampire or alien, the one thing we can be counted on is to come up with new ways to kill each other."
"Caroline is right," Bruce agreed, and Caroline felt nervous, because he looked angry, and she didn't think she could take on the Hulk. "This isn't what I signed on for."
"You need to calm down, Banner," Fury said. "Romanov, take him-"
"Where?" Bruce scoffed. "In case you've forgotten, my room is rented out – and you'll want to take your hand off that gun, Agent Romanov. It won't kill me. I know, because I've tried."
The room went silent at that, everyone looking at Bruce in shock. Everyone but Caroline, because she could sympathize with Bruce and feeling completely out of control.
"I was low," he said as an explanation. "So I put a bullet between my teeth. The other guy spat it out."
"Bruce-" Rogers began, but Bruce cut him off.
"You don't get it, Cap. What that's like-"
"I killed a carnie," Caroline said suddenly, and everyone turned their eyes to her, shock still prominent from Bruce's revelation made sharper by hers, but she kept her gaze on Bruce. "The day I first turned. I was alone. I didn't even know vampires existed. My friends did, though. I'd been in a car accident, so they had another friend, a vampire, heal me with his blood. We can do that. So, I had vampire blood in my system and I got smothered. I woke up as a vampire, had no idea what I was doing, and I ended up killing a Carnie. I couldn't stop myself – I didn't want to stop myself. I liked it. The blood, the death. So yeah, I know what it's like."
"You can control it though-"
"Because I'm a neurotic control freak on crack," Caroline agreed, cutting Bruce off again. "But I can't always. In Germany… I was so angry. I had been taken from my home, from my friends, and here was this guy calling me Pet and making me feel helpless, and I got pissed. That's why I attacked him. Not because I wanted to save the innocent, but because he made me mad. I'm not always in control, Bruce. And sometimes… sometimes it's so tempting to just give in. To be the monster. So I get it, and I get why all of this would piss you off. But you need to put down the sceptre, because I've been stabbed by it once before, and I'd rather not be again."
Bruce looked at her with confusion for a moment, before looking down at the sceptre he'd grabbed in his anger. He stared at it, as if he didn't understand what he was seeing, then one of the monitors began to beep.
"The Tesseract," Bruce said, setting down the sceptre and moving to the monitor. "I don't believe th-"
Then the world exploded.
XOVER
Caroline came to with a crick in her neck that said it had been snapped in the explosion. She hated having her neck snapped – it was the worst possible feeling, and the waking up was always so disorienting. It took her a moment to realize that the blue she saw above her was the sky.
Only it wasn't, not really, because there was more blue – electric, unnatural blue, tearing the sky open into a black abyss that was letting monsters through.
Loki's portal.
He had opened the portal. That meant she needed the sceptre. Now.
Caroline struggled to her feet and looked around. She recognized New York and, when she looked over the edge of the roof, realized she recognized the building she was on top of as well. It was Stark Tower. Caroline glanced over at the portal. She saw Selvig sprawled next to it, and rushed over, checking for a pulse.
It was there; he was just unconscious.
Caroline felt relief at that, and she left Selvig to return to the edge of the roof. It was a long drop, down to the balcony where she could access the living quarters.
Lucky for her she was a vampire.
Taking a deep breath, Caroline let herself drop.
XOVER
Loki walked into Stark Tower, his gaze never wavering from the man himself as he rid himself of his suit and sauntered up to the bar. This was Caroline's father, and how such an intriguing creature – a girl who had the capability to be magnificent – could come from a simple human, Loki would never know.
Then again, as far as humans went, Stark was intelligent, almost worthy, so perhaps it did make sense.
"I have to wonder," Loki mused, "if your daughter takes after you or her mother."
"It depends on who you're talking to," Stark replied with his typical arrogance. "I'd say me… actually, Liz would likely say me as well, so I guess it's me. Looks like her mom, though. Now, I hate to be the cliché father, but what exactly do you want with my daughter?"
"She's quite exceptional. And her strength… have you had the chance to witness it firsthand yet, Stark? I could sense the untapped potential in her. Give her time, a few more years, and her strength will be exceptional. All that potential… someone needs to be there to mould it."
"And you plan on it being you?" Tony asked. He held up a decanter of alcohol and held it toward Loki. "Drink?"
"Is this your way of trying to appeal to my humanity?"
"No, this is me being polite. Now, this is me threatening you: stay away from my daughter. She's better than you could ever hope to be."
"Stalling won't work on me."
"No, threatening," Stark corrected, pouring himself a drink.
"The Chitauri are coming. What do I have to fear? You really should hope for your daughter to join me; at least then you'll be assured of her survival."
"You have the Avengers to fear… it's what we call ourselves. Earth's mightiest heroes."
"I've heard of them," Loki agreed, smirking at the thought of the fools, and did Stark really think they could stop him? They could hardly stand to be in a room together. "They leave much to be desired. No, your daughter is far more interesting. Let's talk about her instead."
"I told you, stay away from her."
"Playing the part of protective father, Stark?" Loki asked with a mocking smirk, approaching the shorter man. "Perhaps I'll let you be her bodyguard, once you've helped me destroy your fellow Avengers."
Loki tapped the staff against Stark's chest. There was a dull chink, and nothing happened. Loki frowned, reminded of when he'd tried this on Caroline and gotten the same response. Was Stark a creature like her, simply better at keeping it hidden?
No, Caroline hadn't wanted her father to know about her, which meant it couldn't be a genetic condition. Loki tapped his chest again. Nothing.
"That usually works."
"Well, you know. Performance issues-"
Loki had never met a man as infuriating as Stark. He made that decision a split second before he made the decision to lift Stark and toss him – and his insubordinate tongue – out the window of his own tower.
Let the man fall to his death.
Loki smiled in satisfaction, right before he was nearly knocked off his feet by an object flying by him.
Another suit.
No matter, Loki decided as he watched Stark fly back up, covered in the armour once more. The Man of Iron would be eliminated soon enough, along with Thor and the other do-gooders.
All of them but Caroline, who would come to see things Loki's way. Because what was the point of potential, if you didn't realize it? And Loki would make her realize it.
"There's someone else you pissed off," Stark stated, ever the gnat in Loki's side. "His name is Phil."
Loki lifted his sceptre, but Stark reacted first, shooting Loki in the chest and sending him flying back. Loki mentally cursed, but Stark flew off, the portal above them opening. Loki stood and dusted himself off, smiling in satisfaction. He walked out onto the balcony to see the portal and the destruction it brought with it, but he came up short as a figure landed in front of him, knees bent.
Caroline.
The portal could wait.
XOVER
He dad was fighting aliens above her, but Caroline was staring down Loki. He was dressed in his armour and helmet once more, sceptre held in his hand.
The sceptre Caroline needed to steal. Because that's what Selvig used as the failsafe. She remembered the images on the screen, before they'd left the high-tech cave for Germany. Her compulsion had snuck through enough, she was sure of it, just as she was sure that the sceptre was the secret to closing the portal that was currently allowing any alien floating in another world into theirs.
"You've awakened. I'll admit, I felt some worry when I found you. Necks weren't meant to be bent at that angle, I'm quite positive, and I almost feared you may actually be dead."
"I am dead," Caroline replied stonily. "It's how you become a vampire. You die."
"Vampire?" Loki mused, walking slowly around Caroline. She tensed, prepared for an attack and searching for her own opportunity to do so. "Is that what they call it?"
"It's the polite term. Blood sucking monster is also a pretty common one," Caroline replied pertly, and Loki chuckled.
"Yes, monster. I saw it in your eyes, when you attacked Barton, and every time you dropped your fangs after that. Do you wish for my blood, Caroline? You look a little pale… perhaps your healing took more out of you than expected? Would you like a donation?"
Loki took the sceptre and slashed a shallow cut across his wrist. The scent of blood hit Caroline, and she felt her fangs drop. His blood smelled divine – fresh and full of power. She closed her eyes, inhaling, and she knew that when she opened them again she was fully vamped out.
"There it is… the monster beneath the beauty. Such a juxtaposition. It's intriguing. Shall I let you drink of me, Caroline?"
She spun away from him, closing her eyes and fighting back the bloodlust. She could do this. She was stronger than this and…
God, it smelled so good.
"I must admit. Your self-control is impressive. Are all of your species this good at denying their instincts, or is it just-"
Caroline spun around with a hiss, grabbing his wrist and sinking her fangs in. His blood hit her tongue and burst with flavour, and she almost moaned it tasted so good.
"Yes, drink up my dear," Loki murmured, smirking over her head. She drank deeply, ignoring the chaos of the aliens around them, caught up in the taste Loki and his blood.
"Loki!" Thor shouted angrily, and it was like cold water had been tossed over Caroline's head. She dropped Loki's wrist, as though burned, and flashed back from, wiping the blood from her lips.
"You have horrible timing, Thor," Loki said with rolled eyes. "I am otherwise engaged, in case you didn't notice."
"Leave her alone, Loki. Stark's daughter is not for you! Look around, instead, and see the chaos you are causing! Do you really see this ending with you as a King?"
Loki sneered at Thor, and rapidly attacked. Thor blocked the strike with his hammer, and then swung back. Caroline stepped back, watching the brothers fight and allowing herself to regain control over her blood lust. Loki's blood had gone a long way towards sating it, but she was almost afraid that his had ruined her for any other blood. Not even Klaus' had tasted that good. Oh, the Hybrid's had been powerful, but Loki's? Loki's had been pure magic, and she thought that it would be very easy to get addicted to that taste.
She shook her head hard once, determined to forget about that. She knew how this worked – let herself lust for his blood and it was a slippery slope to actually feeling torn over him. She'd been there, done that, owned the t-shirt, and didn't need a repeat performance.
The brothers moved with fluid grace. Their fight was impressive, almost like dancing, in a hard, brutal way. Thor was an offensive fighter, using his strength and power. Loki was more subtle, more graceful with leaps and spins designed to throw Thor off and get under his guard. Caroline found herself entranced by the pair, until the finally seemed to come to a deadlock, weapons and bodies pressed close together, each trying to out muscle the other.
"We can end this, brother!" Thor shouted.
"It can't be stopped!" Loki shouted back, and Caroline thought he almost looked regretful as his eyes took in the damage being done to the city around them. Caroline took the opportunity to look around herself. It was chaos. Chaos and destruction.
Like Loki… God of Chaos, God of Lies, God of fooling his older brother.
Caroline spun back, ready to shout a warning at Thor, to tell him to keep his guard up, but it was too late. Loki had already stabbed a knife deep into his side. Thor pulled back with a pained roar, and Loki took the chance to get a way, leaping over the side of the balcony onto one of the Chitauri.
"We'll speak again soon, Caroline!" he called. "Before this is over. I suggest you contemplate your options."
Caroline knelt at Thor's side, checking the wound.
"My blood heals," she said, meeting Thor's gaze. "I can…"
"Thank-you, Lady Caroline," Thor replied, bowing his head respectfully. "But Asgardians heal quickly. I will be fine."
Caroline helped him regain his feet, and they both looked out over the destruction of the city.
"You were drinking his blood," Thor said.
"I snapped my neck… I'm always hungry, after I am injured. Loki must have figured that out. I would like to say that he took advantage of me, but I can't. I lost control."
"As you spoke of with Banner."
"Yes," Caroline agreed. "We have to get the sceptre back from him Thor. I managed to compel Selvig – it's a form of mind control – I managed to use it, to get him to build a failsafe into the portal. But we need the sceptre to activate it."
"You can control minds?" Thor asked with surprise.
"I can plant thoughts, make people do things. It's not like the sceptre, not really, and it's not as strong… but I think Selvig wanted to fight, so the compulsion stuck. I don't like using it. I… it sucks, not knowing why you do things, being a victim like that. But it was all I could think to do."
"Someday, Lady Caroline, you will have to sit with us and tell us your story. You carry many secrets. Heavy ones, I think; the kind that could destroy you, or set you down a path like my brother's. Best you air them, before they destroy you. I will get the sceptre. You should stay here. Unless you can assist…?"
"In this kind of fight? I wouldn't know how," Caroline admitted. "I'll stay here. Go back to the roof and check on Selvig. He was knocked unconscious when I woke up. He may be awake by now. Good luck, Thor."
"You as well, Lady Caroline."
Thor took to the air, and Caroline watched him go, considering his words. She did have many dark secrets – Damon and Elena and her feelings about them both, memories of Tyler allowing her to be tortured, a burning anger towards Alaric, that she had never quite been able to shed, and now she didn't feel she had the right to, because who would speak badly of the dead? – but she wasn't sure she was ready to speak of them just yet.
Then again, they would have to survive the day, or it would be a moot point anyway.
XOVER
Selvig had been awake, and he had confirmed her theory – he had indeed built in a failsafe. Her compulsion, put together with his gut instinct that it needed to be done, had been enough to grant him that small act of rebellion against Loki.
"I thank you for that."
"Don't thank me yet," Caroline replied. "We still need to get that staff back."
Outside the battle raged. She had gone out briefly and had nearly been shot by a Chitauri for her troubles, but it had been long enough to see that the Hulk had joined the other Avengers and was successfully smashing Chitauri… but for every one destroyed, three more came out of the portal to replace it.
They needed the sceptre.
That's when Loki came flying through the window. Followed shortly by the Hulk himself.
"Enough!" Loki roared. "I will not be defeated by some mindless bea-"
"Holy shit," Caroline murmured, watching as the Hulk grabbed Loki by his leg and proceeded to lay the fastest, most brutal beat down on the Asgardian that Caroline had ever seen. By the time the Hulk left once more with an arrogan puny God, Loki was lying prone in an indent in the floor, a pained squeaking the only noise he made.
Caroline and Selvig looked at each other, shocked by how quickly that had been over and done with. Then Caroline looked outside and saw the sceptre.
"Let's end this," she said grimly to Selvig. He nodded and led the way outside. Caroline paused once, to look back at Loki. He looked up at her from the floor, his expression pained and tired. Caroline thought she should say something, but he looked so very pitiful that instead she simply walked outside, leaving him behind to wallow.
XOVER
They closed the portal, but her dad almost died. SHIELD, in its infinite wisdom, had decided trying to blow up New York was a good idea. Tony had carried the nuke up into the portal. Caroline had been forced to close it, not knowing if he would make it out successfully. When he did, it had been unconscious and unable to fly.
Caroline would be eternally grateful to the Hulk for saving him.
She was still holding tightly onto Tony's arm when they went into the penthouse to retrieve Loki. He had managed to pull himself out of his hole to sit on step.
"If it's all the same to you," he said, looking up at the Avengers and Caroline, who towered above his reclined form. "I'll take that drink now."
It had seemed to anti-climatic to Caroline, that all it took to defeat the Chitauri was a green rage monster and a sceptre… okay, an a nuke, although that was unplanned. But it didn't seem to be a properly epic end, not after all the damage the Chitauri had wrought in their short time on Earth.
Still, it was done. She could breathe again and not worry about alien princes breathing down her neck. Loki was being taken back to Asgard, out of her life. She stood with her father as Thor led his brother to prepare to leave. They had put a muzzle on him; Thor claimed it was so he couldn't use his silver tongue. Caroline thought it was just for the added humiliation. His gaze wandered over all of them – Barton (who had been on the good side in final fight), Romanov, Bruce, Rogers, Tony – before they finally settled on Caroline. She stared back and he quirked his head.
She felt a shiver run down her spine, because she swore that he was smirking at her behind his muzzle. His eyes darted down, to the wrist where she could see the faint remnants of her bite, and she felt her gums ache and the veins around her eyes grow thick as she remembered the taste of him – full of magic and potential. She looked down and swallowed rapidly, looking up only once she was sure she had her features under control.
Loki's eyes were full of knowledge- he knew she struggled, and he enjoyed it. His eyes said we're not done yet.
Caroline flipped her hair over shoulder and spun away.
Yes. We are.
XOVER
Caroline returned to Mystic Falls and fell back into the rhythm of life. Summer ended and she started college. Tyler came back, then left again in pursuit of revenge. She found out Bonnie was dead, then Bonnie was brought back as the anchor. Katherine returned as a human, and then died as a human, and Klaus came to gloat, but instead he fucked her against a tree.
Throughout it all, Caroline put on a good face. She smiled and tried to act normal… but it wasn't normal. Because she drank blood from blood bags and it was tasteless. She had tasted nirvana, then watched it walk away – gone to another world where she would never taste it again. And his words had haunted her as well, wasted potential.
She tried to pretend she was normal, but she wasn't. She had been changed by her experience with Loki and the Avengers, and whispers of potential, and despite her best attempts, she just couldn't quite fit into her old life.
She'd fucked Klaus against a tree, for God's sake. There was nothing normal in that action.
So, she made a call. She didn't want to be wasted potential anymore. She wanted to fulfill her promise, and she wouldn't do that as a drama major at Whitmore College chasing after Travellers. No, she wanted to learn to fight, to be useful, and to save the whole world instead of just Elena Gilbert.
To her friends, her decision to transfer schools seemed sudden.
To Tony Stark, the decision made him shake his head in false shame.
To SHIELD, she was their newest trainee.
And when, exactly eighteen months after she entered the academy, she graduated with highest distinction and the best marks since Natasha Romanov and Grant Ward, she returned to her apartment to see a blood bag on the table, a not written in an elegant scrawl next to it.
This was not quite what I had in mind, when I spoke of wasted potential, but I am glad to see you took my words to heart. Congratulation on your success, and do enjoy my gift. I will see you soon.
It wasn't signed, but it didn't need a signature. The words and the sweet scent from the blood bag were all she needed.
Apparently she wasn't done with Loki after all.
AN: And there it is. It was meant to be some light Caroline-as-Tony's-daughter fluff… then it turned into a sort-of LokixCaroline thing. But it was fun to write. And I left it open so I could return to it, because I do so love to revisit my stories.
Let me know what you think!