Chapter 2! I can't believe I'm writing again, it feels so good! Thanks for the wonderful praise, it makes me so giddy whenever I hear the little ding on my phone when I get a new email, hoping its a review, or favorite, or something as equally as awesome. I get so super happy when I see you guys are really enjoying this story. I added a bit of your favorite villain, so enjoy!

Bruce Banner stood firmly planted to the floor and glanced around the central chamber. It was mostly made up of machines he didn't know the purpose of, and a large glass jail cell that had been designed exclusively for the Other Guy. Fury really rolled out the red carpet for him, Bruce had to admit. Fitted with the strongest metal on the face of the planet and a collapsing floor with a deadly drop.

Well, deadly for any other living thing other than him.

But it wasn't pride that filled Bruce at the thought of practical immortality – rather, absolute misery. He couldn't even die correctly. Really, the list of things Bruce Banner could do properly was a very limited list in his mind. He was particularly good at destroying everything he cared for and solving every other problem than his own. Bruce's only purpose was to clean up the mess the Other Guy made. He wasn't a doctor; he was a butler.

"Dr. Banner, glad to see you got my message," Nick Fury interrupted. Bruce looked up to find the intimidating man standing above him, hovering like a god, waiting to strike him down. Slowly and rhythmically, he worked his way down the stairs, never shifting his eyes from Bruce's. Bruce didn't respond and instead remained planted to the floor, one eye on the heart monitor on his watch.

"You probably already know the subject of this meeting, so I won't waste your time. SHIELD has decided to retain your current patient, Lucy Levins, for both a debriefing and study," Nick Fury said, his voice cool and controlled.

Bruce's thick brows knitted together in confusion. Study? What did that mean? She wasn't some rat in a maze. They couldn't just prick and prod her because they felt like it. Dangerous or not, Lucy Levins was a human being – she was practically a kid. She hadn't done anything wrong. Sure, she had been involved with Loki, but she had never killed anyone. Bruce had looked at every document that he could get his hands on – he doubted she could hurt a fly.

"We have a series of tests we would like you to administer-"

"She's a girl, not a monster," Bruce interjected. He gave Fury a look of pure frustration, and he thought he saw a flicker in Fury's eye.

"Yes, and she will be treated like a girl. These tests will not bring any harm to her. You may add any and all tests you think are necessary," Fury ordered him as he slipped a manila folder between Banner's fingers. "And she will be questioned about the Tesseract," Fury told him.

"So I take it that the Tesseract still hasn't been located," Banner murmured as he scanned the tests he was ordered to run.

From what he saw, the tests were pretty simple. Blood tests, urine tests, CAT scans, et cetera. Typical tests yes, but a plethora. He didn't want to do these, but he didn't see much of a choice. Refuse, and Fury would just get some lackey to do it anyway. At least he could make it as painless as possible.

"No, not yet. We would like you to help us locate it, utilizing your skill and knowledge in gamma radiation. The sooner it is found, the better is it for Ms. Levins. Naturally, she will remain here until it is located," Fury informed Banner. Nick Fury turned his back toward Bruce and began to walk back up the stairs to his elusive office space. He paused between a stair and looked back down at Bruce.

"She is dangerous, especially in regards to you Dr. Banner,"

"And what exactly does that mean?" Bruce asked, annoyed at the cryptic message. He felt a small throbbing pain right about his eyebrow.

"I suggest you glance over the case file waiting for you in your lab as soon as possible," Fury hinted. He gave one last parting glance and left Banner alone to drown in a multitude of thoughts. Banner shook his head and made his way to the lab he shared with Stark. He would need to start running searches in order to locate the Tesseract. The sooner he found it, the sooner Lucy would get to leave and return to whatever remained of her life. Bruce guessed it probably wasn't much, but it was better than being locked up like a criminal.

Bruce left the central chamber with heavy, begrudged steps. He headed towards the lab and was relieved the find Tony was off gallivanting somewhere else. Bruce punched in the security code and reveled in the utter silence that filled the lab. With careful, precise fingers he launched the same program he had used before when locating the Tesseract. With a simple click, the computer began to search for possible locations. Bruce glanced at the process bar and realized it would be a while before any viable locations were found.

Leisurely, Bruce sat down in the leather swivel chair and closed his heavy eyes for a few moments. He had been working nonstop for the past three days, monitoring Lucy, checking her vitals, running a few meager tests. He dragged his open palms over his face and rested his fists under his chin. With eyes closed, he saw Lucy's cells mutate and morph, the shapes memorized in his genius brain. They had looked so similar to his when he went under gamma radiation.

But she wasn't being exposed! It didn't make any sense to Bruce. There was absolutely no logical explanation to the evolution of Lucy's DNA. Cells and DNA just don't change because they want to. Something forces evolution. But what was forcing Lucy to change? Had she been previously exposed and not only until recently were the effects starting to show? Perhaps the stress had caused the mutations to rapidly occur.

There was something Bruce was missing, some variable he had yet to figure out. In his mind he saw Lucy's angelic face, her lips parted slightly, her chest rising and falling. He heard her voice, crystal clear, and sweeter than honey.

He snapped his eyes open and shook his head. She was a kid, no, she was a patient. His job was to administer tests and treatment and that was all. She was to be considered a field of study, not a charming woman. He repeated the mantra until he regained focus. He remembered his objective was to get her the hell out of SHIELD as soon as possible.

From the corner of his eye he spotted a thick manila folder on his desk. He wheeled his chair over and slid the rubber band off the folder. Papers were just about the burst out of the thin folder as they stuck out jagged and unorganized. In the pit of his stomach, Bruce knew what the folder was.

Slowly, Bruce opened the folder and began to read.

Lucy felt a warm, delicate hand encompass her small, petite one. She recognized the feeling of the slender fingers and memorized the way they slipped between hers perfectly. Her eyes fluttered open and she felt an extreme lightness in her head as well as her chest.

Lucy consumed every inch of his supple, flawless skin. She loved the way his thin, pink lips had a smirk played upon them. His green eyes sparkled as though they knew a secret she would never understand, and that brought such ecstasy to her. His ink black hair was swept off his angelic face as usual. She tried to catch her breath, but she knew it was futile. As long as he was next to her, she would never been able to breathe properly.

"Loki," she gasped, her heart about to burst from her chest. A dizzying light blared behind him and highlighted his handsome features. Lucy wanted to stroke his razor sharp cheekbones and kiss his perfectly chiseled jaw. She let her eyes wander to his neck and raptured in the way it connected to his strong, wide shoulders.

"Oh Lucy, my little bird, how beautiful you look," he whispered. Lucy felt his warm lips brush against her ear and she was consumed with an intense wanting that gnawed at her heart. "Please forgive me, little one," he begged in a sultry, sexy voice. Lucy felt her head spin with desire.

"I betrayed you," Lucy squeaked, tears burning her eyes. "But what you did was wrong," she whispered. Loki bowed his head in shame and squeezed Lucy's hand hard. "I will forgive you, if you will do the same," Lucy wagered with him.

Loki's perfectly green eyes bore into Lucy and sucked her lungs of any air she had managed to inhale. She felt herself tumbling in his dark gaze and felt a passionate craving for his kiss, his touch, his gentle voice.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, little bird," Loki said. He rested his forehead against Lucy's but kept his shining eyes on hers. Lucy's felt his warmth radiated against her skin, keeping her warm and safe.

"Please don't hurt anyone else, Loki," Lucy begged. Tears spilled down her cheeks. Lucy could taste the air grow salty and muggy, suffocating her. Loki placed a gentle kiss on her lips, sensual and slow.

"I cannot promise that, my love." He murmured as he tugged on her hand

Lucy jolted forward as sweat dripped down her face. Wildly, she glanced around the room in confusion as she looked for Loki desperately. But just as mysteriously as he came, he had vanished into thin air.

Lucy's fingers were netted to a hand, but it wasn't a familiar one. She didn't recognize the feeling of the supple but strong palms or the warmth that radiated from them. She had never held Steve's hand before and she wondered why she was now.

Lucy studied Steve Rogers' face and found him to look a bit worried. His clear, blue eyes were glimmering in the bright fluorescents and he had a boyish blush on his cheeks. He quickly ripped his hand from Lucy's, the blush a deeper red. He glanced down at the floor tiles and cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Sorry, I just noticed you were getting restless. I figured you were having a nightmare," Steve apologized.

"How long have you been here?" Lucy asked with rapid fire. Her heart felt like a sinking weight, heaving and cold in her chest. Her stomach did what felt like millions of somersaults in her abdomen. Her lips tingled and burned with a gentle warmth.

"I-I'm not sure," Steve stuttered, the look of embarrassment returning to his face.

It was all a dream Lucy though, melancholy. She could've sworn it had been real – it felt real. The way his hand fit just perfect with hers, the velvety warmth of his voice, his soft, lithe lips against hers. Disappointed flooded Lucy's senses.

"Never mind," Lucy whispered.

Her heart plummeted to the cold, tile floor. Absolute heart break filled Lucy to the top, about to spill out all over the place. She had been so sure, so certain that he had come back for her, ready to devote himself to her again, just as before. She knew it was in his power to come back, to sweep Lucy off her feet and take her away to some place no one would ever find them. She felt alone, she felt betrayed, she felt wretched.

He could've killed her nine hundred times and yet her heart would patter miserably even at his name. Lucy still loved him unconditionally, even if he was cold, unfeeling, evil. She ached for his kiss, his touch…the devilish look in his eye. She wondered where he was and if he thought of her as she did him.

The doubt began to eat her alive. Loneliness consumed her weak heart until she no longer wanted to even breathe.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked, his face swooped down to look at Lucy's. Lucy tucked her cheek against her shoulder and reminded herself why she should carry on with her miserable existence.

"No," she muttered, too exhausted to even put on a cheesy smile.