Author's Note: I do not own any of the lovely Avengers, but I do own the OCs and the plot, so stealing them would be quite unwise. This has been in my head for. . . I don't know, a few months? So I finally decided to write it out and I'm hoping for the best. This does contain femmeslash and het, so if you don't like, don't read. Read and review, darlings. 3

An Instance Of Fire

Prologue

It seemed predictable Antonia Stark would need a bodyguard, especially after becoming an Avenger. And since she was all about strong women, she told Fury she wanted a female bodyguard if she had to have one at all. She specified military experience, a college education, and enough common sense to live in the shadows. Someone who could step out of their current life and enter hers seamlessly, and if it was available, she wanted tolerance. Toni was not shy around men or women, and her bodyguard needed to know how to live with that. Those qualifications had been passed to Fury three days ago, but S.H.I.E.L.D. had always worked rapidly. On the walk to Fury's office, Toni could only hope the woman she had been called about would fit at least some of her standards. Strict though they were, she considered them necessary.

She combed her fingers through her hair as she pushed open the door to Fury's office. The rest of the team was already there, waiting, and a small group of people were positioned behind Fury's desk. Half of them were dressed in civilian clothing while the other half appeared to be S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Toni hoped one of the civilians was slated to shadow her since she was not fond of having an agent near her at all times. Besides, she had very little reason to believe an agent would protect her at any cost. She barely trusted Nicole Fury, so why would she trust someone who worked for Fury?

"Nice to see you could find time in your schedule to fetch your bodyguard," Fury said, her tone clearly betraying her irritation. As if Toni could somehow avoid the traffic that had made her thirty minutes late. "Come stand with the other so we can get this ordeal over with. I think you will be happy with the choice we made for you, Stark."

Sarcasm made her eyes narrow, but Toni moved to stand between Stephanie and Brie without a word. As soon as she had her guard, she was back on her plane so she could relax at home. She was tired, considering she had been on a work jag for two days and had slept very little on the flight. Stifling a yawn against the palm of her hand, she stood straight and tried to appear interested in what Fury had to say.

"You seven know the rules. If you're going to do your jobs, you need bodyguards to keep you from getting killed. Each of them has signed a legally binding contract that states the nature of their responsibilities and how much they will be paid for their services. Understood?" Fury asked.

The seven heroes muttered affirmations while Toni wondered why Lokie was now one of them. Last she checked, the princess hated humans.

Fury pointed to the princess and beckoned her forward, and one of the agents stepped forward. He was a man with hair so straight it could have been ironed, dark red with the barest hint of gold and long enough to rest on his broad shoulders. Dark blue eyes the color of blue rubies combed down Lokie's body, Adam's apple bobbing under skin darkly tanned either by genetics or the sun. Roman coin face, broad shoulders, lips lifted into a hint of a half-smirk. He looked like trouble, which meant he would be perfect for the Jotun princess. And from the way he was appreciating Lokie in her green satin gown, it was unlikely he would allow any harm to come to her. Be hard to fuck her if she was dead.

Before Lokie could speak, the agent swept into a bow and took her hand in his. "Agent Ramsey Glass, ma'am. Honored to be your bodyguard."

"What would make you feel such honor, Agent Glass?" Lokie asked, clearly not impressed with the gentleman attitude. "Surely you were briefed on my history. Monster. Traitress. Murderess. Does beauty truly make up for that in the eyes of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent?"

"It would seem so," Glass said with a knowing smile.

Toni rolled her eyes, then stilled when she was gestured forward as well. She sauntered to Lokie's side and grinned when one of the civilians detached herself from the group. Like Glass, she looked like trouble. She wore a leather jacket open over a black shirt and white linen slacks, stark colors in comparison to the rest of her. Golden curls shot through with bronze tumbled around a face that was arrogantly pretty with glass-cutting cheekbones and full lips. Her eyes, ocean blue, were flecked with amber and shone vividly against her gold-kissed skin. When Toni stretched out one of her hands, she was pleased to have it shaken firmly, then released. At least Fury had found her a bodyguard she was enjoying looking at. She wondered if she had the time to plan a way to seduce the attractive woman in front of her and made a mental note to draw one up.

"I was told you wanted military training, college education, common sense, and tolerance aimed in the direction of your sexuality," the woman stated as she folded her arms behind her back. "Former Navy SEAL. Bachelor's in the Fine Arts from UCLA. I'm odd, so tolerance is nothing to worry about. At least, not from me. My name is Erica Powers."

Perfect credentials, then, though Toni was curious about what "odd" meant to her guard. "Excellent. In that case, let's go. I have work to do, and it can't wait until we introduce ourselves like it's lab partner day in science class. I'll be in Malibu if you need me, Fury."

She turned to leave the room and was pleased when she felt Erica fall in step behind her. Quiet loyalty was a hard quality to come by, one so rare she had not bothered requesting it, but her guard had it. It would be useful when she started to work on a private project and did not want anyone else to know. It would also help when she needed someone to carry her multitude of shopping bags since she promised Pepper they would go to the mall once she had a bodyguard. Had S.H.I.E.L.D. not forbid her from spending more than an hour outside at a time, they would have gone already. A ball was coming up over the weekend, and Pepper insisted on finding her a new gown for it.

Toni preferred suits with pants and heavy jackets to remind the men she worked with she was not a piece of meat for them to drool over. But Pepper insisted on a dress, and Toni was not in the mood to argue. Besides, modeling gowns in front of Erica might allow her to plant the lovely seeds of seduction. She wanted her guard in her bed one way or another, and a Stark always accomplished a set goal. It was the one lesson her father had ingrained in her when she was younger and showed signs of being a scientific prodigy. Failure was not an option.