Natasha had been given her assignment, and she had to accept it without complaint. Well, at least without any verbalized complaint. She had to admit there was also quite a bit of eye rolling involved. She paced in her room, not bothering to hide her anger with no one around to see it. She seriously could not believe she was going to have to babysit a villain, one they had already defeated. One who had actually condescended to call her a "mewling quim!" Of all the insults…it made her stomach twist in a knot thinking of that encounter. He was a snake, a liar. She didn't cherish the thought of spending 3 days a week with the guy. Those were the orders, anyways. She would have Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, noon to midnight, as watch-dog for the God of Lies.

She paused and turned at the sound of a light knocking on the door. She stomped over and cracked it open, revealing a very uncomfortable looking Steve.

"Hey Nat, guess who's here? Go on, I'll give you your own special Captain America suit if you're right. We can be like twins," he smiled amusedly. She offered a slight smile in return, though still slightly agitated. She felt like her face might be twitching with fury…

"Well, I am just gonna take a shot in the dark here and say…hmmmm…the God of Chaos has arrived?" she replied, playing along. He applauded dramatically, "Ding ding ding!"

"Did you come to collect me then?" she asked, heart filling with dread.

"I sure did, partner. We all have to become familiar with the "rules and regulations" or some crap like that."

Natasha laughed. Steve was such a nice guy; it was surprising to even hear him say the word "crap." She was happy to at least have her friends close by to keep her sane through this whole fiasco. She invited Steve in so she could lace up her boots and grab her gun. Before she knew it they were out the door.

They walked together all the way down to Loki's new quarters. She was surprised to see that when they walked in, it was like his own little apartment. There was a small kitchen, fully equipped, a large sitting room complete with couch and coffee table, and two doors. She was assuming these led to the bedroom and the bathroom. The room was very bare, mostly just dull shades of brown and gray. She supposed he didn't exactly deserve a personal decorator. She also realized it was likely in part to eliminate anything that could be used by Loki as a weapon. A vase of flowers may seem as non-threatening as anything, until a jagged shard of that vase lands in the hands of the God of Mischief…

Everyone other than her and Steve were already present and accounted for. Clint gave her a knowing nod as she walked past him and took a seat on the rather uncomfortable mud brown sofa next to him. Thor and Fury were in front of the T.V.-Loki got a T.V.?—facing everyone who was sitting on or standing behind the ugly couch. Of course all the Avengers couldn't fit on this tiny couch! Loki stood between the two men, looking positively annoyed. Natasha smirked. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all; just reliving the victory. Loki must have seen the spark in her eyes as she gave him a once over because he sneered in her direction.

Fury spoke up, "Okay guys, you all have your assignments; basically Loki does not leave this room. Some of our more privileged employees will bring food to stock the kitchen when needed and take care of that sort of housekeeping. You will stay in this room during your assigned hours, and never leave him unattended. Although he has been stripped of most of his powers, he still poses a threat and he must be treated as such."

Loki grimaced. She could tell this really was the worst punishment for him. How sad, being forced to associate with all of these 'lesser beings.'

Natasha wasn't sure she could handle three 12-hour shifts with Loki. She would definitely need books, lots of books. She silently thanked God that it was Wednesday. She felt sorry for Clint, he had first shift. She reached over and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Alright Clint, I hope you're mentally prepared for this," Natasha whispered. Loki obviously heard her, angling his face to glare daggers in her direction. She smirked. At least she knew she could get to him. She had done it before and surely would be able to do it again.

"Thanks Nat, I feel better already," Clint replied sarcastically.

Fury and Thor left Loki's side to come in closer to the group of Avengers.

"Don't worry your pretty little heads, we have tons of backup if you guys can't handle it," Fury said amusedly. Bruce chuckled, "You may need back up for me if the other guy decides he wants to come out and teach Loki another lesson about humility."

Fury and Thor laughed at that; Loki was livid. His whole body went rigid at the memory. It was hilarious, Natasha thought. She stifled a laugh.

Natasha stood up, "Well, I think I will go and enjoy what free time I have left. Clint, good luck to you comrade," she jested, giving a perfect salute. He just glared at her, obviously not amused.

She felt Loki's icy glare on her back as she left the room; it sent a shiver down her spine. Normally she wouldn't let her adversaries affect her in the slightest, but this guy was intense. She was interested and a bit intimidated to see how her first watch would go tomorrow.

Oh well, no need to worry about it now. Absolutely nothing to worry about…right?

For most of the rest of the day she hung out with Steve and Bruce, playing cards in the dining hall and video chatting with Clint, who was already bored out of his mind.

"Loki has just been in his room the whole time; I haven't even really seen him. All I have is the tiny window on the top of his bedroom door to check on him once in a while, make sure he isn't escaping," Clint said, obviously annoyed. He was a much better assassin than a babysitter. Natasha had managed to get a glimpse into that little widow before she had left earlier. An escape attempt would be nearly impossible given there were no windows and the walls, although looking like normal, everyday walls, were actually plated with steel.

"Cheer up Clint," she offered, holding her hand over her heart. "Maybe you guys can bond over some romantic film. Have you tried putting on The Notebook?" Clint grimaced at the thought.

"No thank you! I'd rather just try to survive this shift, maybe by playing World of Warcraft?"

"Oh Clint please don't tell me you have that on your laptop," Bruce groaned. She and Steve burst out laughing. She was sad to think that would be her tomorrow, playing nerdy games and reading nerdy books just to kill the time. What a waste of life.

"Well Clint, I'm sorry to say this, but I am going to bed. Come see me in the morning and let me know how the rest of the shift goes," Natasha said sleepily. All this excitement had really drained her.

"Alright," he whined, "See you guys tomorrow." With that the screen went black and Natasha got up to head to her room. The guys wished her good night and headed their own separate ways.

8:30 AM

Natasha woke with a kink in her neck; she had fallen asleep reading again. She sauntered over to her tiny bathroom and mustered up the energy to brush her teeth. 'Wake up' she demanded of herself. She heard a knock at the door and wandered over, opening it to reveal a very energetic Clint. "Want to go for a run?" he questioned, not even noticing the zombified look on her face.

"Sure," she replied, just because she needed the fresh air. She hated being cooped up inside all the time. This was not her ideal assignment, that being just one of the cons.

She only took a few moments to get ready, figuring she could shower after the run. She put on a head band, some black yoga pants, red tank top and her favorite blood red running shoes.

Then they were out the door. They ran around a small park located a few blocks away from SHIELD base. It was nice to see normal people walking around, just enjoying the beautiful day.

She decided to strike up a conversation; this run was too quiet and she needed details about what was in store for her today. "So, anything interesting happen last night? Did Loki try to levitate you with his mind?" she laughed.

Clint smiled, "Actually, it was the least interesting night I've had in a while." Not much changed after you went to bed. Oh wait! I did see him go to the bathroom once! Does that count?"

"No, Clint."

He chuckled, "Well I am sorry to disappoint you, but it looks like 'you and Loki' time will be more like 'you' time. Which is always nice I think. Gives you a chance to relax."

"I don't know how I am supposed to relax when there is a crazy person like 10 feet away from me, quite possibly contemplating my demise," she noted sarcastically.

Clint laughed, "I think Loki is harmless right now, I mean, we beat him when he had all of his powers and the Chitauri behind him, what makes you think we can't handle him now?" He did have a point. She felt comforted at the thought. But let's face it, the guy still creeped her out.

They headed back to base after stopping for a bite to eat at a little hole-in-the-wall diner. To her surprise, it was delicious. Although, usually any food she got her hands on right after a run tasted amazing. She had a stack of three fluffy pancakes doused in syrup, scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and a nice side of fruit. She scarfed it down in 5 minutes flat while Clint marveled at the amount of food she could put away. He had commented on how expensive she would be as a girlfriend, ordering more food than even he could finish.

Clint walked her to her room, all the while talking animatedly about his new bow, he wanted to show it to her this week some time. She said goodbye and went into her room, grateful for a shower. The hot water relaxed her sore muscles, and it even helped soothe her nerves. She couldn't deny that she was anxious about her first watch. She even tried using her new lavender body wash, because apparently the scent was calming. She didn't really know what to expect, but hopefully Loki would just stay in his room like Clint had said. She relaxed in her room on her bed, book in hand, until the time came to head down to Loki's quarters.

Thursday 12:00 PM

Natasha slowly opened the door to the main living area of Loki's living space. She looked around the room. No sign of Loki. Bruce was there on the sofa, looking as if he might have been counting the seconds until she arrived. He jumped at the sight of her "Oh thank God! I really can't get much done without access to my lab. I am so ready to get out of here and do some real Avengers work." Natasha laughed as he practically bolted out the door and down the hall yelling "Good luck!" as he went.

The room was just as bland as it had been the first time she was here with the other Avengers. The T.V. looked like it hadn't been used because the remotes were still in the exact same position. She was grateful to see that Loki was still holed up in his room. She took a quick peek in the window atop the door just to make sure. There he was, just sitting on the edge of his bed. She wondered if he had heard her come in and had maybe just woken up? Oh well. She was thirsty and went straight to the kitchen to see what kind of drinks the employees had been stocking for the god. 'Mmmm' diet coke. She saw one and snatched it. She had to get her caffeine fix if she was going to last any amount of time on this job.

She had only been sitting on the couch a few minutes, planning out the next 12 hours of boredom, when the bedroom door opened up and Loki walked out, looking very displeased with her presence.

"I am very sorry I cannot offer you better hospitality, Ms. Romanoff," he said coldy, "but I am afraid they have offered me very little in the form of entertainment. Do forgive me," his words dripped acid. She smiled at him with the sweetest fake smile she could muster.

"Oh, please don't trouble yourself over my well-being. I am much more interested in how you're doing. Tell me, how is life now that you're a prisoner on the very planet you sought to destroy?" she smirked.

He sneered back at her, "Please do excuse me, but I have some "repenting" to get on with." And with that he walked straight back into the bedroom and closed the door. She couldn't help but wonder why he had come out here in the first place? Maybe he just felt like he could scare her because she was a woman. Well, he was way off on that one. She would not let Loki get in her head, ever.

8:00 PM

Eight hours. Eight hours of nothing to do. She had been through plenty of different forms of torture, but this one felt particularly cruel. Hang out with the guy you just spent all that time and energy defeating. Party! She was about to call Fury and start ranting when the bedroom door creaked open yet again. Loki looked at her, glared, and casually sauntered over to the kitchen.

"If you don't mind Ms. Romanoff, even gods have to eat," he commented. She smirked, "Funny, I don't see any gods around here, just one wannabe king full of broken hopes and dreams."

He was clearly not amused, he slammed the refrigerator door shut and walked right over to her. She poised her hand over her gun. "Don't think that little thing will help you against me Black Widow." He practically spat her name. "And don't you dare mock me ever again. You will regret it."

"I'm really scared now. And how exactly will you make me pay without all your powers?"

"I still have a quite a few tricks up my sleeve. And I am still much stronger than your feeble race," he scoffed.

She grinned, "I'd like to see you try Loki. In a half a second I'd have backup alerted and you would be out of this sweet deal they call a punishment. Be thankful you got off so easy for what you did."

He just stared at her. Finally he said, "I never forgot that moment you know. When you tricked me, of all people. It was truly humbling. Only for a few moments, of course. But still, I knew after that you were extraordinary for your species. So, why waste your time as a glorified babysitter when you could be doing something great?" He knew he really pissed her off with that comment. Was he reading her mind or something?

She remained silent. Not wanting to let her emotions get the better of her. But really all she wanted to do was shoot him in the face. He laughed, "Hit a nerve have I? How tragic it is that all you 'heroes' have to spend your time cooped up here with me. I do get some amusement in that fact." Then he was gone; locked up in his bedroom again.

She could not believe this was her life now.