Lili twisted around, scanning the white room for any escape plan. Her head snapped to the place where Loki had appeared in.
"Loki. I should have guessed." She sneered. "You captured the wrong Avenger." She told him. He laughed. "I'm sorry if I'm not scared by a thirteen year old girl." He said calmly. She slid two throwing stars out of her sleeves and threw them, something Natasha had taught her. One of them struck Loki in the left bicep, the other missed. Loki's face was priceless as he put his right hand over the cut. Lili commando rolled to the fallen stars and then got away while Loki stood shocked.
"Oh come on! I only grazed you! It should be healed by now! You're a god!" She laughed. "I've gone on full scale action missions with wound worse than that! Buck up!" She told him.
He glowered at her, a screen appearing in the corner of the room; Steve and Tony were sitting supported on a wall in a white room identical to hers. Steve was awake and Tony was out cold. They both had bruises and Tony was cradling his right wrist. Steve looked up at the camera, and said, "Lili! Are you okay?" She nodded, looking worried. "Yerp. How's Tony? He looks bad. Broken wrist? I managed to get Loki." She held up the two throwing stars. One was red, from paint and Loki's blood. "This is my new lucky star." She joked. Steve smiled weakly. "Yeah, Tony's wrist is broken. But that's the worst of it. Remind me to hug you when we get out of this. Good job, kiddo." She grinned. "Only you can call me kiddo." Tony woke up with a cry. He noticed Steve and Lili. "Hey! Baby Snowstar! What's up?" She smiled gently and shook her head. "Oh, nothing, just using my new lucky star to give Loki a tiny scrape that he's treating like a gaping wound. " She told Tony, who started cackling. He then jerked his wrist wrong and whimpered. Steve put his arm around Tony's shoulder. Tony grimaced. "Give Loki another 'scratch' for me, eh? That would be great." Steve nodded, "That would make my day." He added. Lili snapped into a salute. "Yes, sir!" She said, dropping the salute, grinning as she fell into a deceptively easy stance.
She sobered up. "Take care of Tony, Cap. See you." He nodded just as Loki shut the screen down. Lili sighed, flipping the ordinary, steel grey throwing star spinning into the air and caught it again and again.
Loki cocked his head. "Why aren't you taking this seriously?" Lili rolled her eyes.
"I'm waiting. For you to make the wrong move. Showing me my injured teammates was one thing. Now I'm waiting to see how many things it takes until I bust." Loki smiled. "If anyone will be getting hurt because they made the wrong move it won't be me." Lili shook her head sadly. "That's two. So we're gonna need at least three."
"How are you sure you are going to get out?"
"Because I'm alive. I'm the slapping the face of every lullaby. I am going to save my teammates and there is nothing you can ever do to change that." She snapped. Loki disappeared.
"I'm alive, I'm alive well, you're dead inside I'm your wake-up call and you know I'm right." She sang quietly. She continued on with I'm Alive by Shinedown.
The screen returned. Steve was cradling Tony as he cried quietly, cradling his whole right arm. Steve looked up sadly at Lili.
"What happened?! What are they doing to you?!" Lili demanded, she was getting mad, and Loki was making mistakes. Steve sighed.
"He sends in thugs. They restrain me and start… hurting Tony. I can't stop them. I should be able to stop them." Lili starts to feel a burn in her heart. She was furious.
Her last secret formed. Her nails grew into claws, her eyesight sharpened as they turned golden with slit pupils. She growled and Steve could see fangs in place of her canines. Her ears didn't change, but she could hear better than normal. Steve gaped at her, not believing his eyes, and he had been changed from a skinny little kid from Brooklyn to Captain America.
"Loki!" She howled. "Get yourself in here now!" Steve could see the fire in her feline eyes.
Loki was soon in the room. He chuckled. "Well, hello little kitty. You have finally showed." Lili's brown hair had been put up into a bun before Loki had captured them thankfully. She laughed: a harsh, grating sound.
"The little liar," She purred, pretty much literally. "Prince of Asgard, Odin's son. Or are you, Laufeyson? I didn't think so." She sauntered closer, glad she was wearing jeggings and a tank top. "You are misunderstood, you just want to be recognized as to be as good as Thor. You were always treated as less than him." She got close enough to whisper in his ear. "And here and now, all you have made are mistakes." At that she slashed him across the face. Four red lines streaked his face.
"That's for Tony." She slashed his stomach, "That's for Steve." And then she shoved him to the ground.
"There's a china doll in the bullpen now." She told him before telling him. "Tony and Steve, in here, now. Go." And Loki was gone. She panted, calming down, letting all of it go away but the eyes.
Steve and Tony stumbled in, Tony falling on his broken arm. Lili ran over to Tony and inspected his arm. "Got anything to splint his arm?" Steve shook his head. "Shoot." Lili sighed, "Go set him against the wall would you? I think I pulled out a claw." She told him, sitting and letting her claws slide out. Steve nodded, "come on Tony." And then watched as Lili inspected her claws,
"How did you get… those?" He asked, gesturing to the claws. She sighed.
"I caught a claw. F it all." She used her teeth to pull the claw out, hissing as it came out. "Ow. Screwed up. That's how I got these. Was in the wrong place at the wrong freakin' time. Isn't that how everything happens? Tony was in Afghanistan at the wrong time. You were at that recruitment place. Howard and Maria Stark were at the wrong place. Clint's parents, brother, and himself. Bruce. Thor. All of us. Rave got into this mess by being my… friend." Steve sat down next to the she-cat-girl.
"Lili, none of us were in the wrong place at the wrong time. It might seem like that, but if any of us had not been able to be in the Avengers, who know what wouldn't have happened. I don't regret accepting the serum. Natasha and Clint, as much as they probably wish they had had a normal childhood and all of that, they probably are glad that they're here. Tony and Thor as well. I'll bet you that Rave doesn't regret being your friend." Lili sighed. "I guess you guys are going to want to use my name Kiti now. God I have a million freakin names. Do you wanna know how I really got these?" Steve shrugged. "Do you want to tell me?" Lili nodded. "It would be nice to tell someone, not even Rave knows how I got them." She sighed and delved into the story.
"When I was only a little younger than I am now. I was in… Japan. I was there when there was a massive earthquake thing. I wasn't in the area where the tidal wave hit, but the aftershocks made a Lab leak out some gases, I was the only one who was hit by them and survived. I had been out in a field going for a run, alone. I ended up able to half transform into a cat. It was hard to hide it for the first hour. Luckily no one came looking for me until an hour and a half. By then I had gotten a hang of it enough to hide in public." She sighed and curled up in a ball on the floor. Steve could see the tears and hear small snuffles. He put his hand on her shoulder. Tony had woken up and limped over. He sat on her other side and stroked her hair. They could both hear quiet purring. That gas must have really changed her.
"How are you feeling Tony?" She asked quietly. He shrugged, "Okay, broken arm, but otherwise just a bit beaten up. You?" He asked. She shuddered.
"Scared. I'm scared. Not of Loki. Never of Loki. Of myself. Since Japan I'm scared of myself. What are you two doing to me? I have never told anyone any of this!" She stayed curled up for all of that. Steve and Tony chuckled.
"Dunno, maybe you just trust us too much." Lili snorted. "Course I trust you. It's hard not to trust you two, what with you getting all cuddly whenever someone needs help, both of you. Also, after seeing you two asleep on the couch with a movie still running." When Steve and Tony looked surprised and understanding she said. "Yes, the blanket was me and my maternal instinct. Your welcome, I've got one kicker if a mama bear instinct." Kiti uncurled, Lili and Kiti melding and blurring. Her golden eyes glowing with tears, happy mixed with sad. Steve wrapped her in a hug; Tony wrapped his right arm around her shoulders, his left being out of action. She leaned into Steve, wrapping one arm around Tony, and one around Steve. They heard rain. Kiti looked up.
"The rain drops are telling us their stories. Hoping we are listening, hoping we will hear their stories and understand. Love them. They are crying, telling us to hurry, we are running out of time. To see the love around us." Tony asked, "How do you know that?" She smiled gently, almost sadly. "In Japan, while I was learning to control this… in the field, it rained. It felt like tears, soaking me through. I could hear the stories falling from the sky." She told the pair. She pulled her knees to her chest, Steve and Tony having let her free. She looked at the ceiling. "I wish I could see the rain. I used to be terrified of thunder, and then I heard of Thor. Rave would end up on the couch with me curled into him. It was awful for me. I don't know about him." She closed her eyes, leaning back, the pressure of holding her arms around her legs holding her up. She sighed, slipping into sleep.
Steve watched Lili as she drifted to sleep. He watched in in awe as her claws slid back in and she looked younger than she normally did. All of the stress and pain disappeared; she looked her age, fourteen, not twenty.
Tony poked him. "Hey, Spangles. You okay?" Steve nodded, looking at Tony. Tony was nestled into his boyfriend's side and looked sleepy. "I'm fine, just thinking. Sleep, Tony, you need it." Tony nodded, and promptly fell asleep. Steve smiled gently at the sleeping mechanic. Tony never knew when to sleep, and only occasionally would he listen to Steve. Steve wished he could draw. He had drawn Tony into oblivion, but he wished he could draw the sleeping Lili that was only a foot or two away from him. Suddenly a sketchbook and a mechanical pencil appeared within arm's reach of him. It was scary, because it meant Loki knew what he wanted.
He started to sketch a basic outline of the sleeping girl. The way she curled up like a cat, how smooth her face was. Details included shading and her eyes, nose and mouth. He considered the sketch before adding some shading here and editing her eye and such. The finished sketch was good, but he was going to have to add color at the tower. And see if her could find a time to sketch her awake.
A bout a half an hour later Loki came in. He observed Steve drawing Tony again and the other two asleep.
"I must admit I'm surprised either of them could sleep; what with the lack of furniture." Steve nodded, chuckling. "Yeah, well, Tony hasn't slept in days, and Lili's probably only catnapping." On cue, Lili woke up. She registered Loki and her claws slid out.
"You took a huge risk coming in here with me pissed at you." She growled, fangs showing. Loki watched, showing no fear.
"I am not afraid of a freak show." He told the girl, who proceeded to growl at him. She snorted. "Takes a freak show to know a freak show. Why are you trying to suck up to us? Giving Steve a sketchpad? I'm not ungrateful or anything but really!" She demanded from the demigod. Loki sighed. "Alright. I'm using you for bait. Trying to bring the Avengers h…" there was a crash and a roar. Lili swore. "Hulk! Bring Asha (ah-sha) and Barton!" the far wall caved in; jolting Tony awake. "Wha-! Hulk ol' buddy! Nice of you to join us!" He called sleepily as the huge green form of Bruce's other guy became visible through the dust and everything in the air. Lili's claws slide in and Tony and Steve knew not to mention it to anyone. Loki disappeared. Lili shouted a swear, causing Steve to wince. "Sorry, Steve. It's just, I lost him!" She growled. Punching the wall behind her. "I never lose anyone!" She collapsed on the ground crying. She sobbed, calling Loki some choice names that would have caused Steve to get his mouth washed out if he had ever used them at her age. Rave bolted in.
"Why did you and Barton send me the other wa…? Lili." He whispered, moving over and wrapping his arm around her shaking body. She turned her head into his chest, wrapping her arms around him. The rest of the Avengers crowded in the hallway. Tony had wanted to stay with the pair, but Steve had picked him up and carried him into the hall way.
Lili sobbed. "I had him! I had him and I lost him!" Rave winced. He knew what it was reminding her of. And why she wanted to kill Loki so badly. She had loved Coulson like he was her older brother. He was her closest family. Even though they weren't related. Rave rubbed his hand in circles on her back, making soothing noises in her ear. She pounded gently on his chest for a while before she fell asleep as she does when she gets this worked up.
Rave picked her up bridal style and carried her out into the hall. Tony and Steve saw them first.
"How is she?" Steve asked quietly. Rave smiled gently. "She fell asleep. She'll be mad at herself for a while. She wants to get back at him for Coulson. We need to let her sleep as long as she can."
Lili woke up in her room. She stared at the pale blue walls and the white ceiling. She searched around for Rave's mind. When she found it she asked him to come, but not tell any of the others she was awake. It wouldn't be hard. Their rooms were on the same floor. She then went to find her silver robot dragon that could understand her. The dragon, Silverskye, turned on and flew to her usual perch curled around Lili's neck. The warm metal against her skin comforted Lili as she sat down at her desk, just spinning back and forth in 180 degree turns.
Rave came in, Lili smiled, her eyes were closed but she could hear him. She knew he was smiling. He sat on the edge of her desk. The huge pile of notebooks and binders on the other side would keep it from tipping. She socked him in the shoulder smiling with her eyes still closed. When he chuckled, she opened her eyes.
"Hey, how's Tony doing? He lost an arm to a break." Rave rolled his eyes. "Whining because Steve made JARVIS lock him out of his lab and he's not allowed in until his arm heals." Lili smile and chuckled quietly.
"Oh, and Steve asked me to ask you if he could draw you sometime. " Lili nodded, "Today at lunch, in what, a half an hour? I'm going to walk in. But I'm gonna need your help JARVIS!" She called. JARVIS' voice drifted from the ceiling.
"Hello, Miss. Snowstar. It's nice to see you awake again. Sir was worried, even though he would deny it now." Lili laughed. "He'll live. Anyway. When I tell you too, I need you to play Blown Away by Carrie Underwood. Just loud enough. Not Tony-working loud, but me-blocking-out-the-world-and-sulking loud." She told the AI who responded, "Of course Miss. Snowstar." She sighed, "And please, JARVIS! Call me Lili!" You could hear the smile in JARVIS' voice. "Thank you Lili." The girl had a dire urge to hug the voice. "How do I hug you? Would hugging Dummy count?" the reply came as an, "Of course." Lili smiled. "Mmkay, I'll hug Dummy soon."
A half an hour later, the Avengers minus Lili were eating lunch in the kitchen. A silver dragon robot glided into the kitchen, landing on Rave's head. Rave sighed and rolled his eyes. Blown Away by Carrie Underwood blasted through the kitchen, loud enough to make a few people jump, but nothing too bad.
"Dry lightning cracks across the skies. Those storm clouds gather in her eyes." Lili's voice sang in almost perfect sync with the words filtering through the room from JARVIS. "Her daddy was a mean old mister. Mama was an angel in the ground. The weather man called for a twister. She prayed 'blow it down'." She took a silent breath to start singing the chorus. A screen showed up behind her, causing it to look like she was in front of a window showing a twister and thunder and lightning. "There's not enough rain in Oklahoma. To wash the sins out of that house. There's not enough wind in Oklahoma to rip the nails out of the past. Shatter every window 'til it's all blown away. Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away 'til there's nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday. Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away, blown away." She sang with her whole heart. All of the Avengers caught in the whirlwind of her entrance. "She heard those sirens screaming out. Her daddy laid there passed out on the couch. She locked herself in the cellar. Listened to the screaming of the wind. Some people called it taking shelter. She called it sweet revenge." She adopted a slightly evil grin at the last bit. "Shatter every window 'til it's all blown away, every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away 'til there's nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away, blown away. There's not enough rain in Oklahoma to wash the sins out of that house. There's not enough wind in Oklahoma to rip the nails out of the past. Shatter every window 'til it's all blown away. Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away 'til there's nothing left standing. Nothing left of yesterday. Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away. Blown away, blown away, blown away, blown away." She held the last note until she couldn't, a tear escaping from her eyes before she wiped it away.
Silverskye, the dragon, launched and curled around her neck, Lili rubbed in between the small horns. A little smoke came out of the automon's nostrils as she snorted in contentment, purring as well. Lili made a note to check on that once she got access to someone's lab.
Tony walked over, his right arm in a cast and held to his chest with a sling. He clapped her gently over the shoulder. "Hey! Baby Snowstar! You're alive!" She smiled, punching him in his good shoulder. "Heard you were locked out of the lab. Am I?" She asked. Steve walked up and responded, smiling happily, Lili had always been the adopted little sister, while he and Tony were the parents; "No, you aren't. JARVIS will let you in." She grinned, "Great! Cause Silverskye is leaking smoke and I don't think you guys want me fixing her in my room." She told the group. Steve nodded. She grinned wider. "Anyway, food. I'm starving!" She said. Rave tossed her an apple while Steve went into the kitchen to make her a grilled cheese sandwich.
While she was eating, JARVIS announced, "Sir, there is a package in the lobby addressed to you. It says urgent." Tony sighed, "What else is on it?" Jarvis hesitated, when he spoke he sounded confused. "It asks if you like cats." Lili froze, Steve and Tony stiffening up and sharing a quick look before relaxing slightly.
"Go ahead and have someone bring it up." He told JARVIS, it was delivered a little while later. It contained a DVD and a note. The note read, 'I hope the Avengers like kiti cats." Natasha snorted. "The idiot spelled kitty wrong." Lili swore. When the whole team looked at her, alarmed as she only swore when she was scared, like a cat's fur poofs up. "I'll be down in Tony's lab fixing Silverskye and tinkering. Tony, I'll ask JARVIS what is off limits and what isn't. I'll be back up when you aren't mad at me." And with that she bolted down the stairs, telling JARVIS to lock everyone else out of the lab.
Upstairs the Avengers exchanged looks, confused. Steve sighed, "Come on, let's watch this." Even though he knew what it was. The team assembled in the living room, Tony putting the DVD in.
"He sends in thugs. They restrain me and start… hurting Tony. I can't stop them. I should be able to stop them." Steve's voice drifted from the hidden speakers. The team watched in confused horror as Lili morphed, claws forming, teeth elongating and eyes changing. "Loki! Get yourself in here now!" The howl was audible a few floors down, But Lili blocked it out, playing loud music, Evanescence, as she worked on Silverskye.
The seven heroes were stricken, Steve and Tony less than the others. Tony was furious. Steve was sad. Lili explaining how she got her claws, and her speech about the rain drifted down to them, making Steve want to cry. Natasha was. It had started raining again. And down in Tony's lab Lili was listening to it, and watching the security camera feed of it that JARVIS had pulled up for her. Silverskye lay curled in her lap, Dummy brought her a glass of water, she hugged him and whispered, "Thank you." After setting the glass down safely, before picking it back up and drinking it. She heard the team coming before they got down. Steve over rode the lock and came in, locking the rest of them out. He found her on the far side of the lab on Tony's rolling chair, watching the video of the rain and chewing on a claw.
"Lili, they accept you. Barton thinks it epic, Thor is fine with it. Natasha wishes you had told us, but understands why you didn't, Rave knew to some extent. Banner is actually kind of glad he isn't the only shape shifter any more. We're fine with you, Kiti." He told her. She sighed. He told her one last thing, "We came down here to tell you that." She nodded, "JARVIS, you can let them in." The door swing open and the male Avengers minus Bruce tumbled in ungracefully, Natasha stepping over them. The assassin walked up behind Lili and watched the security feed with her, putting a gentle hand on the young girl's shoulder. They stayed there in silence for a bit, just until Clint couldn't help himself and called, "Does this mean you're gonna hunt me?" Kiti rolled her eyes, "Maybe. If you annoy me too much. Better watch yourself!" She called quietly and gently over her shoulder. Natasha laughed, Lili smiling a small little smile.
"I love the rain. Which is weird, saying as I'm part cat. But I've always loved it. I had a few month stretch where I was petrified of thunder. But now I know the god who controls it is a gigantic teddy bear I'm not scared of it anymore." She told Natasha, the last bit louder so Thor heard it. Thor laughed and put a hand on the back of Lili's chair. "I am glad you are not afraid of thunder, little one. It shall never hurt you as long as you are and Avenger." Lili smiled up at Thor. "I know. And I thank you." She told him. Bruce came up from the other side of the screen. "Rain watching, huh?" She nodded, smile growing. Tony plopped his hand on her head, she shook her head to dislodge him. He ruffled her hair and then lifted his hand off of her. Steve inspected the silver dragon in her lap. Silverskye looked up at him with button camera eyes. The little dragon lifted her head and then launched onto Steve's shoulder. Steve jerked into an upright position, startled, then relaxed as the automon poked her nose in his ear, Lili told him, "Scratch her in between the horn stubs. She loves it when I do that." Steve nodded and rubbed his finger over the top of Silverskye's head.
An hour or so later, the team, minus Lili, Tony, and Steve, went back upstairs to sleep. Lili spun to face the two behind her. "So," Steve and Tony both looked at her warily She grinned, "you two gonna tell the team about the relationship update?" she asked, looking slightly evil as she grinned. They groaned. Steve blushed, and Tony simple said, "Seriously? Really, Kiti? You had better not-" Kiti shook her head. "I'm not going to! It's your call as to when they find out. Just please do it soon." She started to walk out. When she reached the door she told them over her shoulder, "I am NOT telling Fury!"