CHAPTER 3 - A Midnight Talk
I'm back! I forgot to mention in the previous chapter, Merry Christmas! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and that they got everything they wanted. I know that I got quite lucky with getting the Iron Man movies, so that has consumed a portion of my life right there. I almost have every single one of the Marvel movies now, so that's something to be excited about.
I'm still a little concerned about my characters, so if you guys could please give up like two minutes of your lives and tell me, that would make my life. Seriously. But don't feel like I'm demanding it! I've always hated it when authors do that, and, heh, I've been accused once or twice, and I would hate to be a accused again. So, as always, leave a review if you feel so inclined. :D
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Marvel, including Loki. I've got that thought as a constant reminder so need to tell me! I've cried enough already. ;)
Loki slowly opened his eyes, a brief moment of shock encompassing his angular features as he beheld the woman in his presence. She was currently looking down at her lap, but that wasn't anywhere near the places he had been looking. Her pale skin looked like snow against the shiny, emerald material covering her voluptuous body. Gods, she looked amazing in green. Her long, majestic legs were laid bare for him to gaze upon, infinitely long, even by Asgardian standards, and the sight made him swallow in appreciation. He could see a tiny bit of cream colored silk peeking out shyly from underneath the flashy green, ending mid-thigh. His eyes trailed up to her breasts shamelessly, frowning only a little at how well they were blanketed under the tightness of the robe.
He looked away from her now, anywhere but at her. He was a god, and a powerful one at that. But that didn't mean that for one second, he couldn't be insanely attracted to the redhead in front of him.
"Well?" he croaked, lust oozing out of the singular word.
"Nightmares," she affirmed. "Like you said." If she noticed his attraction, she didn't mention it, which he was grateful for.
"And you thought that being in here with your biggest nightmare would chase the other horrors away?" he supposed, chancing a quick glance at her, noticing how she was staring at him curiously.
"Are you alright?" she asked, standing from her seat and coming to stand close to the glass. Well, there goes that comfort, he mused darkly.
"Why would I not be?" he retorted, still avoiding looking at her as if she were the plague.
"Well, typically you would've insulted twenty different ways by now, but…" she trailed off.
Loki sighed and shook his head, bringing himself to meet her green eyes. It was as he had pointed out to himself. He was a god, and if there was anyone who had control over his emotions and his mask, it was him. "Would you believe me if I said that I am weary and wish to sleep?"
Natasha shrugged. "I guess I could believe that. Too bad I don't care."
"I am not under orders that force me to talk to you," he reminded.
"Yeah, but something tells me that you would have difficulty not listening. Orders or not," she parried with ease, giving him a smug look. He was almost beginning to wonder if she had reserved that look specifically for him; she used it on him so often.
"Are you planning on talking?"
Natasha shrugged once more. "I don't know. Why can't you sleep?" Her sudden change in the subject made him curious, and he only answered her a stare of his own, noticing the blush begin to creep up her chest and neck and into her cheeks. "Right, you're not talking to me."
Loki couldn't stop the chuckle from erupting from his lips, deciding that it wasn't worth the effort to stay quiet with her. He would talk. "Why don't you relay your nightmare, and I will describe why I am unable to sleep?"
"You first," she demanded instantly, sitting back down. He could see excitement fall on her supple features just before suspicion took its place. "I don't trust you to hold up your end of the deal," she explained gently.
Loki smirked at her. "You really do understand me too well, Agent Romanoff."
"Just call me Natasha," she interrupted. "Agent Romanoff is such a mouthful after a while."
He dipped his head in acknowledgment. "As you wish. Natasha." He went silent then, pondering if he should even begin to tell her of his troubles. Troubles that centered mainly on his family, Thor in particular. Thor's general description of his pain probably was exceedingly biased and untrue. How could his adopted brother even begin to comprehend the kind of torment the younger god endured? "Surely, you know well of my tale," he began, deciding that it was worth the risk. If there was anyone who would able to properly understand his pain, it would surely be the woman sitting across from him.
"Thor said that you aren't Asgardian. You're something called a Frost Giant," she supplied, looking more and more curious and almost relieved that he was actually talking with her.
Loki scoffed with a smile. "And what more am I than that?"
"I don't follow." She frowned.
"Were those the only words that Thor used to describe my unnatural situation to you and your team?" he rephrased.
Natasha's brows furrowed for a moment as she continued to stare at him. "Is there more?"
Here, Loki actually laughed, a sound that had once been so foreign to his body that the sound shocked him as much as it did her. "Is it so hard to believe that gods are capable of emotion? That perhaps, I once acknowledged my difference to my home before I knew the truth? That I knew that I could never be like the others. I didn't have what the others did." His laughter died away, his throat closing tightly instead, trying to choke him. "But I was Odinson. I was Asgardian."
Realization dawned on her becoming face, and she slowly nodded. "Your whole life was a lie," she breathed. "You felt… betrayed."
"That's not even half of it. Not only was I not of the realm, but I was a prince of monsters, creatures that terrorized every other realm in the universe. Asgardian children running in the streets, pretending to be slaying my kind, and babes crying out at the mere thought of giant blue beings no doubt coming to eat them for breakfast. A God of Lies, and my whole life was a sham. Tell me, how would you consider your self-worth after learning of such information?"
"I don't have to imagine my reaction," she murmured. "I know what that feels like." She paused, and he could see how desperately she tried to mask the anguish she was experiencing. "Is that why you can't sleep?" she finally asked.
"Pondering all of life's greatest mysteries, yes," he agreed with a swift nod.
"You are to return to Asgard by the end of the week. With Thor," she mentioned. "And the Tesseract," she added after a moment.
"Why so long?"
"Seems that Thor has grown a certain fondness to a particular woman here," she explained lightly with the tiniest trace of a smile, as if the thought of "childish" love gave her joy. "He wished to spend some quality time with her before he had to leave. Apparently, coming and going to and from Earth is not a very easy trip, as he explained to me."
"With the Tesseract's energy, they will be able to reconstruct the Bifrost, I assume. And then Thor can come and go as he pleases."
"And that means that you will be able to do that too?"
Loki chuckled. "I highly doubt that my punishment will spare that much free will. I suspect that I will never be able to return to Midgard."
"Is that sadness I'm hearing?" she teased, her happy grin suddenly turning wicked in nature.
"You trust me around the Tesseract?" he repeated, unwilling to truly share that he did indeed feel the slightest bit of sadness at the thought of leaving. Before, he hadn't given a care about Midgard and all of their measly forms of science. However, after seeing the strength and determination that these Avengers carried, stupidly going up against such a formidable force with the thought that there could be no possible victory… It was refreshing to see that kind of passion resurface. Asgardians had grown old and weary of grand adventures, simply living through the ancient stories instead of creating new ones.
Then there was also the matter that there wasn't a Natasha Romanoff in Asgard, and he had regrettably found her company rather stimulating, if not enjoyable. But he would never admit that aloud to her. He couldn't give her that kind of satisfaction.
"Your brother seems certain that you will feel remorse," she muttered.
"I did not ask regarding my brother's beliefs. I asked of yours," he chimed, watching her carefully as he saw her trying to construct a good response to his question.
"I doubt that someone like you would feel remorse this soon after the attack," she started bravely. She had to know that she was treading on dangerous ground, yet she answered with her honest opinion anyways. He almost had to respect her for that. "It took me years to even acknowledge the blood on my hands. And even more years to begin to feel guilt over the lives that I ended. And I'm human. More or less. For someone like you, my years could take a century."
"A very diplomatic answer, but again, not addressing the question."
"For someone like you, someone who enjoys theatrics," she paused. "I don't think that you would reuse the same material for your next world domination performance."
"And why would you think this? You do not think that I fear the Cube's power, do you?"
"Of course not," she hurried. "It's just not what I would do if I were you."
Loki arched an eyebrow. "A threat?"
"Not a threat. A fact. You'll use something else the next time you want to take over a planet. Because the old stuff has officially bored you, and you are all about the new methods, right?"
Loki pondered the thought, rather how easily she was able to come up with the conclusion that he and the Tesseract would no longer be a part of hostile relations. It was true, too. He had never intended to recycle the Cube. Too predictable. And too easily fought against apparently.
"What was your nightmare?" Loki asked nervously, eager to change the subject. He could not have her know that she had been correct in her assumptions. She was quiet for a while, debating on telling him, it seemed, afraid of his reaction. "Come now, I told you my troubles. It seems only fair that you hold up your end of the bargain and speak of yours."
She glared at him in response, something that made him grin wickedly. That was the Natasha he had met, the ruthless one who so vehemently despised him. "It was you, actually," she finally stated. Even he could not have predicted her words, and upon hearing them, his blue eyes widened in surprise, and he stared imploringly at her. It didn't shock him necessarily that she had nightmares of him and his tyranny, but it did astound him that she would actually venture to go into detail with him, her tormentor, about the horrors she had experienced at his dream hands.
"I never would have assumed that you would so willingly divulge my dream me's methods of torture. Could come in handy one day," he mocked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"If you have already been inside of Barton's mind, then it doesn't matter," she excused. "You already know what I fear. You said that you would make Barton kill me this way, don't you remember?" She paused. "And I didn't even tell you anything about what you did." Loki said nothing, wondering if he had pushed too far.
Every time she visited him, he had to constantly remind himself that he truly hated this woman, the woman who ruined practically everything for him. He wanted to kill her, gut her, torture her. Everything remotely evil he could imagine, he wanted to happen to her at his hand. It didn't matter that they had built a bond of some sort. As soon as he got out of this cage, he would have her. She would trust him, and then he would kill her. And it would be fair. Because she had said that he could. Or so the mantra insisted on repeating in his skull.
"And I don't plan on telling you what you did, either. So don't get any ideas. That wasn't really the nightmare, anyways," she carried on. She surprised him yet again. "You think that I've never been in pain before? That I haven't been tortured? I've been tortured many times; pain is basically one of the only things that I can truly count on anymore. Been more loyal to me than Clint has occasionally." The last sentence was hushed, something that he could barely hear through the thick glass.
"Then what was the nightmare aspect of it, if I may ask?" he returned, eyeing her reaction.
"I realized that I had given you permission to be my executioner," she stated obviously. "In a moment of weakness, I gave you my life. And it kills me more than you know. So much so that I'm considering putting a bullet in my mouth and not giving you the chance." She let out a shaky breath, and it was the first time that he had ever seen her truly scared of something. Her controlled green eyes were wild and hectic, flicking to everything in the room but him. Her pale fingers twitched on her lap; her pulse flew under his eyes in the vein of her neck.
Loki shrugged as if her pain didn't stir emotion in him. But it did. Seeing someone as cool and calculating as her not in control, it almost made him worried. Because if she didn't feel confident, then there was nothing there to make him feel confident right back. "Would it please you if I gave you - what did you call it? - exclusive rights to be my executioner?" The words escaped through his lips before he had a chance to recognize what they were, and upon exit, he wished that he could take them back and make her forget entirely about his words. What had he done? He gave the only person ever capable of defeating him permission to end him!
Her breathing slowed as she stared thoroughly at him, as if she was gazing into the depths of his Frost Giant soul. Her voice sounded as cool as ice as she made her reply, and he had to stifle a shiver, "You do realize that even if that is one of your lies, that will not matter to me?"
"Still intent on killing me?" he mocked lamely.
"Just as intent as you are on killing me," she answered. He grinned, enticed with the new aspect of the game. It could be interesting, he supposed. And undeniably fun and entertaining as well.
"What a game of cat and mouse this will be," he purred, drumming his fingers on his knee as he watched her, mesmerized by the way she tilted her head back in arrogance, staring right back at him. Even without the cat suit, she was intimidating, not to mention quite… arousing.
"You can be the mouse," she suggested, approaching the glass and putting her hand on it.
Loki sniggered. "Making you the kitten?" her drawled, coming to his side of the glass, putting his hand against hers. "Even I know Midgardian euphemisms to understand that reference." Through the green of his cage, he briefly saw red hasten through the revealed skin, but she continued to meet his gaze unflinchingly. "A woman with a skill set such as yours should be able to control her blushing moments better than that," he mused, allowing his gaze to shamelessly wander over her body, making sure that she was aware of it.
"How do you know that I'm not controlling it?" she retorted. "I could be wanting you to think that I'm that easy." She laughed, withdrawing her hand and returning to her chair, crossing her long legs flauntingly, smirking at the sight of him swallowing nervously. "You wouldn't know what to do with me if you got your hands on me."
"I highly doubt that theory," he retorted quietly, glad that she hadn't heard the comment. "So what now?" he questioned lightly.
Natasha stared back at him. "I don't know," she admitted.
"Why did you come to speak with me about this nightmare?" Loki wondered aloud. "When obviously, Agent Barton is infatuated with you entirely, and I'm sure that he would be more than willing to hear of your troubles."
She let out a dark giggle at the suggestion. "He'd come in here to threaten you without thinking twice about it." She shifted uneasily in her chair. "And he and I seem to be at an impasse currently and aren't exactly seeing things eye to eye."
"For what reason?" Loki continued, finding that he was actually interested in the conversation and wanted to know.
She furiously shook her head. "I've given up enough information tonight. Don't suspect anymore coming out of me. You would just pounce on the opportunity to divide the team up. Make it easier for you, I should think."
"And the last time I tried with such a venture, I ended up failing quite miserably at it," he reminded. "And that was when I had an army under my command, unlike now where I have no one. My current end of the world plans are nonexistent."
"Do you regret what you did?"
"Now, you already said that I wouldn't feel regret until centuries have passed," he mocked.
Natasha nodded in agreement. "Well, then do you feel as if you have acquired the intelligence to not attack our planet anymore? Since you failed so miserably at it the last time."
He scoffed in response. "A wise man bides his time after being beaten. It makes no sense to lash out in defeat; it simply makes one weaker and more desperate. And desperation is not always an advantage, rather a downfall."
"Fury was desperate when you attacked," she mentioned. "And we won."
"Fury had the proper resources."
"You had the Tesseract."
"Fury had the knowledge that I could not win."
"And you had enough arrogance to think that you would."
"Knowledge and arrogance are no where near the same thing."
"So, you admit that you were arrogant?"
"I admit that I was desperate," he snapped, glaring harshly at her, smirking ever so slightly at the sight of her recoiling in her seat from his tongue lashing. "I had just lost everything, and I was filled with rage and anger regarding my situation. I had been cast out from the only home that I had ever known and betrayed by those who had professed to love me. I just wanted vengeance, and I was willing to do whatever was necessary to achieve it. I wanted to hurt Thor where it hurt, and I knew that he was enamored with this puny little waste of space, so this is where I chose to make myself known." He paused. "This is how I know now that lashing out after defeat is unwise."
"I, um. I read your file," she stated nervously, suddenly looking ashamed. "You kinda betrayed your brother just as much as he betrayed you. Didn't you once profess to love him as well? You lied to him just to ensure that you would remain the King of Asgard. You cast him out, and you convinced him that he was no longer loved by his family." He was about to retort when she continued, "And that was before your whole dismissal from your home." Loki fell silent at this, unable to think of a proper response that would benefit him. How was it that this woman was able to render him speechless, his once silver tongue feeling like lead in his mouth. "Thor says that he tried to save you. From the rainbow bridge. That he never wanted you to die, or fall, I guess. He was willing to forgive to you for treating him the way that you did. Why, I don't really understand. I mean, if I was him, I think that I would have killed you myself. But he has such a fondness for the idea of family. He still thinks that you all can be one big happy family. He just wants his little brother back."
"He placed all of these thoughts in your mind," Loki growled, avoiding her gaze determinedly now. "If you honestly expect me to believe that my brother wishes to forgive me for what I have done -"
"Well, you know him better than anyone, right?" she countered. "You've spent your entire life with him by your side. I think you'd be pretty stupid if you haven't realized by now that he looks at you like a blood brother. Not an adopted brother."
"This conversation is over, Agent Romanoff," he snarled. "Stay if you wish, but do not expect me to speak with you."
Natasha frowned and stood. "Now you're just throwing a tantrum."
"Do not accuse a god of being a child. I am hundreds of years older than yourself."
"By Earthen standards, you're being what we call a cry-baby," she mocked. "Good night, Loki," she finished, leaving the room.
Her bed was cold by the time she returned to it, the pillows even reshaping themselves to their natural state. The digital clock on the bedside table read that it was three in the morning, two hours from the time her alarm would go off. Though the conversation with the god had seemed incredibly short lived, she had spent three hours in his room, talking with him.
Hanging her robe back on its stand, she climbed back into the bed, leaving the blankets at the foot of the bed. She didn't mind the chilliness of the atmosphere.
Her hand immediately traveled underneath her pillow, sighing with relief as she felt the cold metal of her gun greet her lithe fingers. The safety was on, as there had been occasions where she had accidentally pulled the trigger in the middle of a dream. Her index finger twisted around the crescent shape of the trigger, stroking it mechanically.
Her mind was elsewhere however, staring out at the door blankly. She saw the hurt flash across Loki's pale face as she berated him as if he was directly in front of her now. A part of him still wished for the approval of his family. For someone who so strongly loathed sentiment, he must feel it constantly when thinking of his family. Which, she ventured, was probably the majority of the time when he was left alone with his thoughts.
So, did that mean that she really was being a balm to him? Distracting him from thinking those destructive thoughts and giving him a reason to smile? The idea itself repulsed her, but at the same time, it brought her a sense of achievement. Her head disliked the fact that she was healing his mental scars. He should be left to be tortured by his past actions. He should be left to rot in his cell without the company of others and without the love that his brother so stupidly bestows upon him. Loki didn't deserve that. He didn't deserve anything by death, and her head felt giddy at the thought that he had given her permission to finish him off, even if it meant that he had the same permission. It was a game of chess, and she had lost her queen. But her sacrifice had made it so that he also lost his own queen, evening the board once again.
But her heart said something different. A muscle that she didn't normally involve in her missions, it was pleased by her charity. True, he didn't deserve her company, but she didn't deserve company either. They both had so much blood on their hands, and it was wrong to think that she was worthy of compassion. Being by Loki's side, even for a while, was a small way to repay the kindness that Clint showed her when she was locked away.
Clint had been the only person to give her a chance, to look beyond the red on her ledger and to comfort her when her emotions became too much to handle. Though the two agents were in the same profession, killing people for a living, he never suffered the anguish that she had. He had never been so brutally used that he had lost himself in the blood of his victims. He had pretended to understand, but he never could. Just like Thor would never be able to fully comprehend all of Loki's actions and feelings. But Natasha could. She could see past the mask that Loki insisted on wearing, and she could see the hurt and betrayal shining brightly in his eyes even at the mention of his brother.
For once, she was going to listen to the rhythmic thumping of her heart's advice. She would hate the God of Lies for all of her life, definitely, but she would be there for him. Because it was the only way to wipe the red out of her ledger.
A vicious knocking at her door startled Natasha out of her sleep, nearly making her fall out of her bed with surprise. The clock said 04:57. Three more minutes and the buzzing of her alarm would have sounded. Gritting her teeth, she climbed out of the bed, threw on her robe and approached the door, opening it swiftly to meet the Director.
Fury's one eye was calm, but the rest of his body suggested otherwise. He shifted to and fro on his feet, arms unsure if they wished to be crossed or at his side or on his hips.
"What's wrong?" she grumbled, blinking at the light from the hallway.
"The Cube has been stolen," he breathed. Her mouth fell open, looking for a response that simply would not come. "Agent!" he barked, snapping her out of her stupor. The alarm behind her started its daily buzzing, and she swept into action.
She turned around rapidly, shutting off the alarm and grabbing her suit, heading to bathroom and closing the door behind her.
"When?" she yelled through the door as she dressed.
"We're not sure. All we know is that the cameras went dark at 01:00 hours this morning and didn't come back on until 01:34. We had cameras trained on the Tesseract, but when the cameras came back on, it was gone. And none of the others cameras picked up anything that would suggest who the thief is."
"A S.H.I.E.L.D agent maybe?" she questioned, throwing open the door, running her fingers through her hair while also retrieving her gun from under her pillow, sheathing it at her side and grabbing the other gun from one of the drawers in her dresser.
"Like I said, we aren't sure."
"Have the others been informed?" she continued to ask.
"Agent Hill is rounding up Cap and Barton. You go get Thor and Banner. I've got Stark," he ordered, exiting the room.
Natasha nodded to the empty space and left to find Thor, intercepting him just as he left his room. "Lady Romanoff," he addressed, surprised. "Whatever is the matter?" The wide smile quickly disappeared from his face as she described the robbery to him. "Can never have one moment's peace, can I?" he spoke softly, mostly to himself.
"Go to the conference room. I'm getting Banner," she ordered, seeing him nod and head back into his room, soon coming out in his proper Asgardian garb with Mjolnir, giving her another nod before leaving for the conference room.
She breathed deeply as she came up on Banner's room, knocking as politely and as urgently as she could. Natasha had no idea how he could react, and she did not want to upset him and have another catastrophe like the last time he transformed on the Helicarrier.
"I know," he started as he opened the door with a small smile. "I kinda have a receiver in here that I hooked up to Fury when he wasn't looking."
"Well then, you should be in the conference room with everybody else," she commanded, feeling relieved that she wasn't going to have to be the one to break the news to him.
"So, it's really gone?" he asked as they walked swiftly to the room, Banner almost having to jog to keep up with her longer strides. "The Tesseract?"
Natasha nodded. "I don't have all of the facts yet, but yes. That's what Fury told me."
"Do you think that it could be Loki?" Banner suggested meekly.
She stopped abruptly in her stride, Banner charging ahead of her until he realized she had stopped. He turned back to her, looking confused and concerned. "No," she stated with finality. "No, he wouldn't go for the Cube again. He likes theatrics," she informed. But even now, there was a slight feeling of weightlessness as she pondered the notion. Could he have done it? No, that was impossible.
Banner appeared to be sympathetic, his warm brown eyes soothing and comforting her. "We should get there before they get too angry without us."
Natasha nodded in compliance and quickly took the lead again to the room, throwing open the door and taking her regular seat. Everyone was already seated, except Director Fury, who stood at the head of table, filled with importance.
"We don't know who could have done it. This is one of the most secure places on Earth most likely, and we had a break-in," Fury stated, continuing from a previous thread no doubt.
"In the fucking air to boot," Clint growled. "But then, I was able to break in here with little trouble when I was possessed."
"We've upped the security since then," Agent Hill commented, stepping closer to the table from her reserved corner.
"Apparently not enough," Steve bantered. "What do we know?" he started, taking a moment to look at each of the Avengers. "We know that it was stolen between 01:00 and 01:34. All of the cameras were down between that time. Do we have any footage of someone possibly tampering with the system before the cameras went black?"
"No, it was a wireless command. No manual involvement," Fury sighed.
"Alright, well, we have 24 hour surveillance, right? By other agents?" Steve continued.
"Yes, but only at customary entry and exit points. This person was either already inside of the boat or snuck in where there isn't anyone."
"What an astute observation, thank you," Clint muttered sarcastically.
"Agent Barton, if you aren't going to positively contribute to locating the Tesseract, you may as well not be amongst us," Thor condescended.
"Well, I'm guessing that if they came in from the outside, they would have needed plane," Banner speculated helpfully.
"Unless they had a suit that could fly," Steve remarked pointedly, everyone turning to look at Tony who had remained mysteriously silent throughout. "A flying suit would have been hard to spot, I'd imagine."
"Hey, I was asleep!" Stark shouted, standing from his chair and looking at Steve. "You better watch who you're threatening right now, or I swear to God -"
"We are not going to play the blame game again," Natasha interrupted.
"Pepper Potts was an eye-witness," Fury agreed. "She was with Stark the entire night."
"So, we're back to square one," Clint added.
"Would you have preferred for one of our own to be a traitor?" Thor argued.
"Speaking of traitors, what about Loki? He is in the boat, wants the Cube, is pure evil."
"Shut up, Stark," Natasha and Thor growled in unison.
"I don't see how we can rule him out," Fury acknowledged. "He has a history with the Cube."
"He didn't take it," Natasha retorted fiercely.
"And what makes you so sure?" Banner inquired, not looking on her side so much now as he had been in the middle of the hallway.
"Oh, didn't you hear? Loki is her lover-boy," Clint drabbled.
"That's not true, Clint!" she yelled, standing and glaring at the other agent across the table.
"Then prove that he didn't do this!" Stark demanded.
Natasha floundered for a moment, looking to Thor for any kind of help, but he seemed just as interested in her explanation as everyone else was at the table. "I…" she sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "He can't do any kind of magic inside the cage," she exclaimed, trying to hide the fact that she had been with him during that time. With a quick glance at Fury, she knew that he was already aware of her midnight presence with the god, along with Agent Hill, but both remained silent, as if baiting her to speak the truth. "How could he have gotten it?"
"Well, someone opened the cage for him before, but I'm sure that he's had time to find a loophole," Stark pressed.
"I was with him," she murmured, looking down at the table. "I know that he didn't take it, because I was with him the entire time that the cameras were off."
Everyone fell silent, and she couldn't even hear her comrades breathing.
"From what time were you there with him?" Banner asked softly.
"Why, because you think that I was the one to let him out?" she snapped, glaring at him. She knew that at any moment, he could become the Hulk, but she was didn't care. She would not be accused of treason. Out of all of her faulty qualities, loyalty was not one of them. She would lay down her life for any of the people in that room, including Clint, even if she wanted to strangle him at the moment. "I was there from midnight to 03:00."
"Doing what?" Thor questioned, looking more curious than accusatory.
"Yeah, what were you doing there, Tasha? Little midnight sex?" Clint bated.
"I never opened the doors," she argued. "He was in the cage when I arrived, and he was in the cage when I left."
"You didn't answer the question," Steve reminded, gaining up on her as well.
"I was just talking with him," she admitted.
"Ooh, about what?" Clint mocked.
"That doesn't matter," she finalized. "The fact of the matter is that he didn't do it. I was an eye-witness, and if you are going to honor Potts' testimony, you might as well honor mine."
She was met with silence.
There's the chapter. Muhahaha! Can't have peace and quiet for forever, can we? That would just be boring. So many accusations flying around… hmm… wonder who it could be?
Send me a review and let me know your guesses! I would love to hear from you! Heck, I'll even give you a shout out in the next chapter if that is anymore reason to send me a review.
Oh, and like the length? Longest chapter ever, people. This actually may be the longest chapter I have ever written for a story, period. Feel the love, guys! Everyone who kindly reviewed for the last chapter said that they like the longer chapters, so that's what I'm going off of. But I would still love to hear your opinion on the issue!
Unfortunately though, this also means that it may take me a little longer to update. Add in the fact that I'm on the beloved Christmas Break, (which ends on Wednesday for me - frowny face) and I have nothing to do right now. School work can be a bitch, and I have finals coming up practically as soon as I return. I'm hoping to update at least once more before school starts back up again. After that, it may be a while, but I will try to update as soon as possible!
Love you all lots!
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