As Isabel crawled under her covers her hand instinctively found Snow curled up beside her on the bed and she smiled as her head found her pillow and she began to drift off to sleep. It had been almost a week since she had saved the wolf pup and she had found that Snow's nightly presence at her side had lessened the intensity of her nightmares. Now when her father and grandmother asked her to go with them she found herself smiling as she told them that she couldn't go yet, that she had people she had to make sure were taken care of first. That particular night, however, her dream had changed quite drastically. Rather than the tormented memories of her past Isabel found herself at the little breakfast table in the kitchen of her mothers house. As she looked out the bay window at the river that ran behind the house and the old pavillion by the boat house her father came to sit across from her. Instead of speaking of death they basked in the warm yellow rays of sunlight filtering through the window and Isabel told her father all about her new teammates and her new puppy. With ever sentence her fathers smile would grow a little more until he finally reached across the table to put his hand over hers.
"You seem happy, sweetheart. Maybe being with these people will be good for you." He said and her own smile grew with a warmth she didn't know she coud feel anymore.
"They're all so amazing, daddy. I wish you could meet them." She said with a sad sigh as her smile faltered before fading away completely with his next question.
"Do they know?" He asked taking on a serious tone. Frowning deeply Isabel hung her head and stared at the table.
"Daddy...I-I haven't even told mom and Ty yet. The only ones who know are Clint and Nat, and I think Clint's starting to hate me for making him keep it a secret." She admitted.
"Isabel Nevaeh Tanis," her father spoke her full name which made Isabel's head snap up in attention, "you need to tell them, especially your mother and brother. From what you've told me it sounds like these new friends of yours might be able to help." Her father's tone was still serious, but she could see that his eyes were filled with concern. Her head hung again as tears began to well up behind her eyes and she shook her head.
"I can't. I've tried telling mom and Ty, but every time I freeze. If I can't tell them, how can I tell the team?" She asked.
"What about Loki and Bucky?" Her dad asked. Isabel's head shot up at the mention of the two men and she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks.
"What about them?" She asked, trying to play dumb, but as always her dad easily saw through it and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
"From what you've told me it seems like you're becoming close to them, don't you think they deserve to know?" He clarified. Isabel pulled her hand from his as she quickly sat straight in her seat and frantically shook her head.
"No! They're the last people I want to find out!" she said quickly before calming herself enough to continue, "It's hard enough letting Clint and Nat carry my burden, but I could never put them through that. Loki's already lost so much and Bucky... Bucky's been through enough pain in his life; I never want him to find out." Her eyes were filled with deep sadness as she spoke of Bucky and her dads hand once again found hers.
"He's the one you want to take care of, isn't he?" He asked. As his daughters eyes shifted from his face to her hands he could see her face growing red and knew he had struck a cord.
"I can't let him know; not if it means he'll be hurt when I go." She said almost to herself as the dream began to fade away and she could feel herself starting to wake. Within an hour of waking Isabel was showered, dressed, and headed to the gym with Snow ever present at her side.
"Morning, Wanda. Morning, Viz." She greeted as she stepped into the kitchen to find the couple making themselves breakfast.
"Good morning, Isabel." Vision greeted in return.
"Would you like some breakfast?" Wanda offered, revealing a skillet full of eggs and bacon.
"No thanks, I just stopped by to get a bottle of water before heading to the gym for training." Isabel said with a polite smile, but was confused as the two shared their own look of confusion.
"I'm afraid Captain Rogers forgot to inform you; everyone is gathering in the meeting room before Thor and Loki return to New Asgard." Viz clarified.
"Oh." Isabel said looking down at her gym attire which wasn't exactly suitable for a meeting with the team. Without a word Wanda pulled off her long, off the shoulder sweater leaving her in a tank top as she tossed the sweater to the other woman.
"Go ahead. You can return it to me after." She said as Isabel slipped the sweater on and shot her a quick smile in thanks before rushing to the meeting room.
"Wait here." She told Snow before slipping quietly into the room. She was immediately met with the sound of Thor's booming voice letting her know that her entry had not gone unnoticed.
"Isabel, what do you say to joining us on out trip home?" He asked drawing everyones attention to where she now stood at the door. He eyes widened in surprise at the sudden question and the only response she found herself able to form was a simple 'What?".
"Thor wants to know if you'd like to take a few days off to go with them to New Asgard." Nat clarified as the Asgardian king rose from his seat and made his way over to Isabel.
"It would do our new friend good to expand her knowledge as well as take time to rest from Rogers' endless training." He said putting his arm around her shoulders.
"Wait, you mean I'd be going off world?" Isabel asked, a wide smile spreading across her face.
"Yes," Loki said as he too rose and approached her, "I'm certain you would fit in nicely with our people." His smile pulled up at the corners slightly as he took in her appearance, but as she crossed her arms and looked up at him he knew she had something quickwitted to say.
"Oh, but I thought they weren't your people, mister frost giant." She said with a grin. Thor was surprised when, rather than lashing out at the young woman, his brother simply smiled wider and gave a courtious bow of his head acknowlaging that he was indeed correct. From his seat by Steve, Bucky tensed at Isabel and Loki's close proximity to one another which did not go unnoticed by his best friend.
"If she goes, I think someone else should go with her. I think it would be best to have someone there to haave her back if an type of combat situation occurs." Steve said as everyone shared the same understanding look. Most of them still didn't trust Loki entirely and didn't like the idea of their new teammate being alone with him on another planet. Sure Thor would be there, but he had his people to worry about and couldn't afford to spend all of his time looking after Isabel.
"I would love to see New Asgard. I'll go get ready." Isabel said with an excited smile.
"Exellent! We'll meet you on the lawn in thirty minutes." Thor said as she raced out of the room and back to her bedroom to pack her bag. Half an hour later she stepped out the front doors of the compound to find everyone gathered around Thor and Loki, but as she stepped forward to join them at the center of the circle Bucky also stepped forward, a backpack slung over his shoulder.
"Bucky? What are you doing?" She asked as she stood between him and Loki.
"Everyone decided to send me with you. Steve said I needed a break after what happened on our last mission." He said only glancing at her from the corner of his eye, but the wide smile that had found its way to her face made the corners of his lips twitch up into a smile of their own. From her other side Loki scowled at the super soldier and shifted closer to Isabel, but his action went unnoticed by the young woman as she stared up at Bucky still smiling. The tense air of the situation, however, did not go unnoticed by Steve, Clint, or Natasha as she ex-S.H.I.E.L.D agents stepped forward to stand beside Steve.
"I'm not so sure this is such a good idea, Steve." Nat admitted as she watched her life long friend standing between a god and one of the most deadly assassins to ever live.
"That's why I'm sending Buck with her; he'll keep her safe." He said as he too watched the trio.
"Steve, I know you're seeing the same thing I am; what if Loki tries something? I don't think either of them are thinking very clearly. Maybe we should tell Isabel not to go." Nat said, her worry for her friend coming through clearly in her tone.
"Nat, this might be good for them. Clearly there's a lot going on between those three that needs to be resolved." Steve reasoned.
"Don't worry, if anything happens Isabel can handle it." Clint piped up as Nat shot him a warning glare which he opted to ignore.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Isabel said suddenly, drawing everyones attention as she gave a sharp, shrill whistle. Within seconds Snow was at her feet panting and wagging her tail happily. With a smile Isabel picked up the puppy and patted her head before walking over to Nat.
"Can you take care of her till we get back?" She asked, to which her friend simply smiled and nodded taking the pup from the other womans arms.
"We'll see you all in a few days." Steve said passing Bucky a meaningful look before the four of them disappeared into the light of the bifrost created by Thor's axe. It felt as though only a moment had passed before the rainbow of light around them disapated and the four of them looked around at their surroundings.
"Welcome back, your majesty." A darker skinned woman said as she walked over to them.
"Valkerie, it's good to be home. How is everything?" Thor asked giving her a warm hug as they headed toward the village a short distance away. Isabel, Bucky, and Loki followed after the pair and Isabel's widened in excitement as they entered the village.
"The first of the crops have been planted and we've finished diverting the stream to the village, but construction's been slowed considerably. Korg and Meek keep getting distracted playing with the children." Valkerie explained, stopping abruptly as the rock man and his insect friend came in to view ahead of them. She shifted her gaze up to Thor with an exasperated sigh.
"See what I mean?" she asked before turning her attention back to the pair currenty playing with some of the Asgardian children, "Hey, I thought I told you two to get back to work! If you don't stop mucking about we'll never get the houses done and everyone will have to keep living on the ship!" She was about to storm toward them when Thor stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
"Valkerie, I may have a solution to this problem." he said turning her to face the three standing behind him. The woman shot Loki a sharp glare, but as she looked to Isabel and Bucky her expression softened.
"These are two of my friends from Earth; this is Seargent Barnes and Isabel." Thor introduced as Bucky shifted uncomfortably.
"You can just call him Bucky. It's nice to meet you." Isabel said as she shook the other womans hand. Valkerie's eyes flitted from Bucky to Isabel then to Loki and back and you could almost see the wheels in her head turning.
"You know these two are silently fighting over you, right?" She said abruptly causing Isabel's breath to catch in her throat as she quickly looked between the two men. Loki's entire body tensed and Bucky had begun nervously shifting his weight from one foot to the other as they both avoided looking at her, but what really surprised Isabel and Thor alike was that neither of them denied Valkerie's claim. Isabel felt her face flush as she realized that the other woman may actually be right, but as she considered how flattering that would be another thought rose in her mind making her heart sink as she shook her head.
"I'm afraid you're mistaken, Bucky and Loki are just my friends." She said with a sad smile as all four of her companions gave her a surprised and mildly concerned look. Valkerie understood the young womans look all too well and changed the topic to showing them where they would be staying deciding it best to leave their previous subject alone. With the last few hours of daylight Thor, Valkerie, and Loki showed them around the village before they all settled in to their rooms for the night. Isabel had been so excited to see New Asgard that she had forgotten about her nightmares until she was alone in the dark and she hoped desperately that she would be able to make it through the nights alright as she drifted off to sleep. Loki on the other hand had remembered her nightmares and slipped in to the room almost as soon as she was asleep. For the first hours or so everything seemed fine, but as more time passed Isabel became restless and Loki considered leaving. Just as he reached the door Isabel shot up in bed with a terrefied scream, her eyes clouded with panic as Loki raced back to her side.
"Isabel, it's alright." He said softly, his hands folding around hers as she slowly calmed, but Isabel didn't have time to question his presence in her room as another scream sounded from down the hall. As the sound of objects breaking reached them a sudden realization struck Isabel causing her to leap from the bed and race from the room, leaving Loki in a confused daze to follow a few moments later. She ducked as she threw the door to Bucky's room open and rushed toward him as he continued to throw things and slam his fists into the walls. Thor and Loki filled the doorway as she reached the super soldier who instinctively lashed out at her in his terrified haze, but Isabel easily dodged his swing and held up her hand letting the two Asgardians know to stay where they were as they prepared to intervine. Finally close enough, Isabel reached out to cup Bucky's face in her hands feeling him still almost instantly at the contact.
"Bucky! Bucky, look at me! It's alright; it's Isabel! I'm right here just calm down!" Her words were panicked as she tried desperately to calm him before he hurt himself, the danger to herself not even registering in her mind at the moment. She could see the fearful look in the mans eyes as they darted frantically around the room in a look she knew all too well; he was searching for a way out, something to ground him. Rising onto her toes she placed her forehead against his and peered deep into the blue pools of his eyes.
"Stop, Bucky, please stop." She whispered softly as she watched the fear slowly fade from his eyes as tears began to well in the corners of her own.
"Isabel?" He asked quietly as his eyes finally found hers. As he finally came back to himself he noticed the tears at the edged of Isabel's eyes and drew back suddenly to look around the room he had recently destroyed. His eyes widened at the broken furniture scattered around him and his hands went up to tangle in his hair as Isabel watched him carefully to make sure he wasn't about to start lashing out again. Bucky's mind was a blur as his thoughts raced, but one thought rang through clear as a bell. She saw all of it! His mind screamed as he collapsed to his knees and covered him face as quiet sobs began to wrack his body. Stepping forward Isabel knelt before him and drew him forward, cradling his head against her shoulder as she hugged him tightly. For a moment Bucky considered running away and hiding somewhere that Isabel would never have to see his violent side again, but the fact that the woman was there at all rooted him to the spot as his hands fell away from his face to wrap securely around her. Back in the doorway Thor and Loki watched the scene unfolding and Loki's face fell into a deep frown.
"Why do you frown brother? Isabel has just proven how strong she truly is, to handle Seargent Barnes so calmly..." Thor said enthusiastically, but was cut off by his brother who watched the pair in the room with sad eyes.
"Valkerie was right, he has feelings for her...and she shares his affections, though she won't admit it." He said softly. Thor's own expression fell slightly as realization dawned in his eyes.
"And you love her as well." He stated, half expecting Loki to deny it or lash out at him, but as the other man remained silently watching their friends Thor knew that he was correct. Meanwhile, Bucky's mind continued to race, but now the thoughts were clear as if his mind were screaming at him. Isabel just saw the remnants of the Winter Soldier! She was in the room! I could have hurt her! I could have killed her! The last thought caused his grip on her to tighten slightly as he began to tremble in fear.
"Maybe coming here was a bad idea." Isabel spoke only to him, but Loki felt a knot of jealousy form in his stomach as the true meaning of her words struck him. She was talking about going home to Midgard, but more importantly she was talking about going home with Bucky.
"Thor, is there any way you could put another bed in my room?" Isabel asked to their surprise. Bucky was the only one who didn't give her look of confusion as he had fallen into a numbed state in her arms.
"Of course; brother, come help me with this." Thor said pulling Loki away from the doorway. A few minutes later they stood outside Isabel's room watching as she helped Bucky down the hall.
"I don't like this." Loki mumbled and crossed his arms as they drew closer.
"Of course not; you're jealous." Thor replied with a grin that only grew as he saw his brother twitch uncomfortably. They fell silent as Isabel guided Bucky into her room and over to the newly added bed.
"Sit." She gently instructed. He never said a word as he sat and she lifted his legs up onto the bed, guiding him to lay down before pulling the blanket up over him. A flicker of panic sparked in his eyes as she turned back toward the door and his fingers curled cautiously around her wrist. She turned back to him with a soft smile and placed her hand over the one at her wrist.
"It's alight, I just need to talk to Thor. I'll be right at the door. Try to go back to sleep." She said as he slowly let go of her wrist, his eyes never leaving her as she made her way back to the door.
"Thank you." She said looking up at Thor.
"Thank you for handling the situation; I'm afraid I would not have handled it as well as you did. I trust you can take care of it should another instance like this arise, so I'll bid you all goodnight." He replied before headding back to his own room. Loki and Isabel watched him go until he had turned the corner at the end of the hall before either of them spoke.
"Loki, how were you in my room so quickly when I woke up?" Isabel finally asked shifting her gaze back tothe raven haired man beside her, "You were already in my room weren't you?" He remained silent unsure if she was angry with him or not.
"Ever since I arrived at the compound I've felt like someone was watching over me while I slept. It was you wasn't it?" She asked giving a heavy sigh when he still refused to speak.
"I don't know what I've said in my sleep, but, anything that you've heard, please don't tell anyone. i have enough people worrying about me as it is; I don't need any more." She said, giving him a pleading look. The look in her eyes made his chest clench in anguish as it told him the truth behind her lie. She was hiding something, something that made people worry about her and, though she denied it, she knew their worry was justified. He could see how heavily the weight of this secret weighed on her and how desperately she wanted to tell others, but, as he had just witnessed, she would willingly protect others over herself. Instinctively he reached out to cup her warm cheek in his cool hand and was surprised when she didn't pull away.
"Why do you worry so much for others, yet never for yourself?" He asked giving her a sad look as he slowly leaned closer. They were only inches apart when Isabel finally lifted her hand between them, covering his lips with her fingers.
"Loki...I'm not very old, but my short life I've learned some of the greatest truths of the universe. Once thing I know above all else is that there are some things that should be protected and some things that should be forgotten. Our friends, Bucky, our families they should all be protected, but me...I'm one of the things that's best left forgotten." She spoke with such onviction that Loki's hand fell away from her face and he stared at her in shock as she turned and returned to her room.
"That's not how I see it." He said softly to the closed door before walking back to his room. Just inside Isabel let out a heavy sigh and made her war to her bed, surprised to find a gun lying on her pillow.
"Just to be safe." Bucky said from the other bed as she picked it up and inspected it. After a moments contemplation she pulled the clip and removed the bullet from the chamber before pulling a lock box from her beg and placing the clip inside.
"What are you doing?" Bucky asked sitting up in bed.
"I'm not going to shoot you." She said turning to face him as the lock on the box clicked closed.
"Isabel..."He began warily, but she cut him off with a stern look.
"No matter what." She insisted as she climbed into her bed and sat the gun on the stand beside her. Bucky was quiet as he laid back down and the silence seemed to envelope them until he spoke again.
"Thank you." he said drawing her attention as he rolled onto his side to face her, "It's been a while since I've had any nightmares; I guess it's tge stress of being on a different planet."
"We could always go home if you want." Isabel replied. Bucky felt his chest tighten as the word 'we' escaped her lips, but he pushed the feeling aside.
"You know...you're not the only one who has nightmares." She said and he could almost see the sad look on her face even in the dim light of the room. He knew that she must have nightmares about her dads death and the thought of her beautiful face twisted and contorted in fear made him frown; he wasn't sure he coukd bear seeing her like that. Briefly he had the thought of waiting until she was asleep then finding Thor and asking for another room if only to avoid the possibility of hurting her, but, as if he had spoken his thoughts aloud, he felt Isabel's hand find his in the dark and his eyes quickly shifted to her face. The room wasn't very large and the beds were close enough together that their hands now rested over the two inch gap between their mattresses.
"Please don't go." Isabel asked barely above a whisper as her eyes slowly slid shut. Although part of him still feared for her safety Bucky found himself unable to deny her request and carefulky laced his fingers with hers resigning to watch over her until he too drifted off into a deep sleep.