Loki smiled as the agent lead his flower from the room, the door sliding into place and locking behind them, leaving him alone once again.
Loki found it nothing if not precious that they truly believed they could keep him from his flower.
They would try, Odin knows they would try and for a while she would be safe under lock and key. Until he fled Asgard once again.
Despite his acts on earth, Loki knew the All-father would not sentence him to death. The fool still held fast to and tried to perpetrate the delusion that Loki was, in fact, his kin. He'd punish Loki, of course, torture him, perhaps, but he'd be free in the end, as he always was.
Besides, Odin wouldn't dare place death upon Loki if it meant harming an innocent.
Once Loki left Asgard, he'd return for his flower. He tried to imagine how they might "keep her safe", but ultimately nothing could keep him from her. Where he would take her, given his reputation in the nine realms, was more of a mystery, but he'd still have her in the end. His sweet treasure.
He settled himself comfortably back in his seat and returned to his book, curious to learn more about these so called "Tributes" and this "game" the world of this novel forced them to participate in.
Ellie stayed silent as Agent Coulson led her back up to the infirmary, a briefcase in one hand and her arm held lightly in the other. More for precaution than disciplinary action. Quickly- now fully able to use the elevator- they returned to the infirmary and entered quietly. Coulson switched on the light, causing the sleeping nurse to awake with a start. At the sight of Ellie out of bed, her face paled. Coulson stepped forward.
"I'm sorry about that." He said, patting the woman's shoulder. "We were trying to be as quiet as possible."
"Agent Coulson, I-"
"It was my fault for not following procedure," he said, smiling contently. "We would have woken you but you looked exhausted. So I escorted Miss Conner on a walk. Being confined to a bed can make one antsy." His face so kind and still it would have been damned near impossible to spot the lie.
The woman nodded vigorously. "Yes, I… I'm just sorry I-"
"I should have woken you up," Ellie said, taking up her part. "It was my bad."
"Well," the woman said, starting to calm down at the realization that her job was not about to end. "It's all right, just remember it for next time."
"We'll be sure to," Agent Coulson replied. "Actually, I need to speak with Miss Conner in private," He told her, pulling a manilla folder from his briefcase. "Would you mind running these files to Doctor Banner?"
The woman nodded. She made sure Ellie got back into bed and re-attached several monitors to her skin as a precaution before collecting the file and leaving.
"Thanks for covering for me," Ellie said once the nurse left.
"There are some cases where the full truth isn't necessary," Coulson said, taking a chair and moving it closer to the bed. "And I'd prefer to not work with panicked staff."
Ellie stared. "Was it really that bad?"
Phil Coulson smiled. "Miss Conner, four days ago you had an uncontrollable fever and were shaking violently. Quickly getting down several flights of stairs and having a violent encounter with a Demigod would be enough to panic several of our medical staff into standing guard for "relapse" watch. I don't think you'd wanna be poked anymore right now."
Well, he was right about that. Ellie nodded.
"At any rate," The man began. "I know Director Fury mentioned me before, but I don't think we ever had a proper introduction. My name is Phil Coulson, special agent with S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Fury has assigned me as head your case and while some of my colleagues might think otherwise, I have no intention of babysitting you. My job is to keep you safe, though I have ever confidence you are smart enough to keep yourself out of trouble."
Ellie smiled. For a guy clearly- and perhaps overly- dedicated to his job, it was nice to know he had respect for her.
"That being said, however," Coulson continued. "I'm going to have to ask that what happened tonight doesn't occur again. You are free to move around the Helicarrier as you wish but that privilege can be revoked and I personally don't believe antagonizing Mr. Loki will bring about anything good."
Ellie nodded, her gaze never leaving Coulson's. "I understand."
"Good," Coulson smiled.
"I'm sorry," Ellie said, pulling her knees up under the sheets. "I just had to see him."
"I understand," Coulson said. "Given recent events, Your actions are not irrational. It's just for the best you keep your distance from him."
Ellie nodded. For the time being, she knew she'd gotten all she could have out of Loki and she had no desire to see him again for the time being, especially after his less than subtle hints.
" "If those who "saved you" from me even allow for such a thing, It won't take long for the truth to come to light.' "
"Miss Conner?"
Ellie's attention snapped back to the Agent. "Yeah," she said, shaking her head, trying to eradicate Loki's voice from her mind. "Sorry. Just ran off again."
"The apologizes aren't necessary," Coulson said. "However, if you're in the mood for it, I'd like to take some time to de-brief you on what happened these past two months. If you'd prefer to go back to sleep, I can return in the morning but it is important that we do this soon less we lose details."
Ellie had slept most of the day. Even if she hadn't, after what happened with Loki, the last thing she wanted was to go to sleep with his words blazing in her mind.
"Miss Conner, I understand this must be a painful time for you, but-"
"It's fine," Ellie stopped him. "We can talk now."
"Are you sure?" Coulson asked. He'd always been one to follow procedure, but there were certain elements to take into account.
Ellie nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yeah," she said. "It's gonna be a long story though."
Phil Coulson reached into his briefcase, removing a pad of paper and a tape recorder. He pulled a pen from his pocket and clicked it once. "I came prepared."
It was around two in the morning when Ellie started to recount her story. The sun was just barely starting to poke it's head out as she finished. It hadn't been clear cut though, Coulson's countless questions had added at least another hour to their session. Eventually, however, Ellie finished her recount of the past two months.
"Is there anything else you'd like to make note of?" Coulson said once it was clear that Ellie's story was drawing to a close.
She shook her head. "Not that I can think of," She said. "If anything else comes to find, I'll tell you, but for now that's it."
Coulson smiled at her, closing his now completely full note-pad and switching off the tape recorder.
"Thank you very much for your cooperation, Miss Conner." He said, putting both items back in the briefcase. "Myself and S.H.I.E.L.D. appreciate your bravery."
Ellie shrugged. "I didn't really do anything."
"Memories are unpleasant things, Miss Conner," he said. "I appreciate you willingness to recount them for me."
"Will they be of any help?" She asked. "You've already got Loki, I don't know what my memories could do for you."
"Probably a lot more than you think," Coulson said. "At any rate, it's better to be safe than sorry." He held out his hand for her to shake. "Thank you so much for your time, Miss Conner. I'll be back to check on your progress tomorrow."
Ellie smiled a little, shaking his hand. "It's always nice to see a friendly face," she said.
"Have a good…" He looked out a nearby window, catching the sun's first rays coming up. "Get some rest." He said, turning to leave.
"Agent Coulson?"
Coulson stopped, his hand barely on the door knob.
"Will S.H.I.E.L.D. let me go home?"
Coulson turned around. His face was completely still but the small smile that had been there previously had faltered a little.
"Why would you feel you had to ask that?" He said.
"Loki hinted that his little "gift" might keep me from going home," she said softly. "That S.H.I.E.L.D. would keep me here." She looked up at Coulson.
"I've… I've spent two months with a man called "The Trickster" and the "king of lies," she said. "Right now, I'd rather have an honest answer than anything else."
Coulson watched her for a moment, regarding her request. After a moment of silence, he decided, perhaps against his want to give the girl in the bed a few days worth of hope, to give her what she wanted.
"At this point in time," he said, "We're not sure as to the proper course of action. This new discovery about your person has put us in a difficult position. If we can find a safe way to return you home and still keep you from those that might do you or those around you harm, we will do so."
Ellie's eyes never leave his face. "And if you can't?"
"We've yet to decide that as well," he said. "Regardless, any action taken will be in the interest of protecting you and your loved ones."
Ellie's lingers lightly gripped the sheets of her bed. She took her eyes away from Agent Coulson, sitting in silence before talking. "S.H.I.E.L.D. will look after them?"
Coulson nodded. "You have my word."
"Thank you," Ellie looked back up at him, her eyes already starting to shimmer. "Thank you for telling me the truth."
Coulson nods. "We'll need to keep you here for a few more days for medical surveillance. Is there anything I can bring you to make you feel more comfortable? Keep you busy?"
Ellie only half head the question, causing Coulson to repeat it when she didn't answer. She wiped her eyes, considering his question. After a moment, she looked up at him.
"What would be the chances of getting an easel, some pants, some brushes and a few canvases?"
At first, silence followed, Coulson watching Ellie as though trying to decipher wether or not her request was serious. Eventually, however, he recalled his previous meeting with Director Fury. "Oh, right. Visual arts major. You were a painter?"
Ellie smiled. "Still am… I hope. If I haven't lost it. I'm kinda out of practice."
Coulson smiled. "I'll see what I can find. Sleep Well."
Ellie watched Coulson leave, turning over and pulling the covers of the bed up around her as she heard the door close and lock. Though she could vaguely make out the light of the sun coming into the room, she closed her eyes, letting what was left of night lead her into sleep.
When she eventually awoke, she looked over her shoulder to see the halls of the Helicarrier now bustling with people. She rolled over, groaning a little as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
"Afternoon," A familiar voice greeted her. A shadow soon came over her, earning a smile from her as she looked up.
"Hi, Dr. Banner," she said, sitting up. "How late is it?"
"It's Two-Thirty now," Bruce said, looking at his wrist-watch. "But I'm guessing you needed it. From what I heard, you were up late."
Ellie tried to repress the memories of her previous conversation with Loki. She shook off the last remnants of sleep as she stretched a little. "Yeah. Agent Coulson wanted to talk," she said.
Bruce smiled. "He's on a need-to-know-everything… and I do mean everything, basis."
Ellie shrugged. "Can't blame him if he's dedicated." She moved over a little as Dr. Banner came near,m checking her heartbeat and pulse again.
"Everything sounds good," He said. "If you want, you can probably still make the lunch call in the Cafeteria."
The mentioning of the word "lunch" caused the combination of missing light night's dinner and today's breakfast to quickly hit her stomach.
"If I can trust you'll come back on time," Banner looked at her, his tone soft, but serious. Ellie paused, shifting uncomfortably.
"I guess news travels quick around here," She said.
"Only to those who should know," Banner said. "I just want you to be careful. Besides," He gave her a little smile. "Can't say I can't think of at least two other people on this ship who wouldn't have done the same thing."
Ellie returned the smile, getting up off the bed. "I'll be back in a half-" She stopped, her eyes drawn to sight in a corner of the room. She walked over to it, forgetting for a moment that she'd been talking to Dr. Banner.
The easel and the canvases were piled neatly to the side, a set of fine brushes sat atop a wooden box. Ellie's fingers trembled as she picked up the brushes, examining the bristles. Each one was brand new. Placing them carefully to the side, she opened the wooded box to reveal several tubes of oil paints, a small jar of Linseed Oil and small tub of brush cleaner. Dr. Banner smiled.
"Phil left those for you earlier," he said. "You were still out cold when he arrived."
Ellie closed the box, hugging it tightly to her chest as the tears came to her eyes. Eventually, she placed the box down and turned back to Bruce.
"Dr. Banner," She said softly, rubbing her eyes. "How much do you know about Agent Coulson?"
"'Bout as much as everyone else," he said. "And "Bruce" is fine, Ellie."
Ellie smiled. "Okay, Bruce, what do you know?"
"Level Seven clearance, strangely attached to and unfazed by his job," Bruce chuckled. "And is probably Cap's biggest fan."
"Cap?"
"'Captain America," Bruce told her. "Steve Rogers."
Ellie recalled the young blonde-haired sitting at the table yesterday. The one Mr. Stark had introduced as "The Walking American Flag."
"Rumor has it Phil's got almost every piece of Captain America memorabilia on the planet," Bruce said, double-checking a few computer screens. "You should have seen him on the day Steve arrived. I don't think anyone's ever seen him smile so much. Genuinely, I mean."
Ellie looked back at the painting supplies before going back over to the bed and slipping on her shoes. "Do you know where I could find Mr. Rogers?"
"Eh," Bruce pulled his eyes away from the screen, looking back at his watch. "You might be able to catch him in the Caf, if not, I'd check the gym. Why?"
Ellie smiled. "Just curious. I'll be back in forty-five minutes." She head for the door.
"Forty-Five minutes!" Bruce called back. "I'll have the other guy come get you if you're late."
Ellie waved back to him as she started down the hall.
"Mr. Rogers?"
Steve turned away from his punching bag, eyeing the young woman standing at the other end of the room.
"Miss Conner!" Steve smiled, wiping his brow on a nearby towel. "Good to see you, come on in!"
Ellie walked quickly into the gym, her eyes catching the strangely long row of punching bags set up on the floor.
"How are you doing?" Steve's voice pulled her away from the scene. "I take it Dr. Banner knows you're here?"
Ellie smiled at him. "Yes, he does. I'm doin' better, I guess. Still a little…" Given her unique circumstance, she wasn't sure exactly what the proper word to describe it was.
Steve seemed to understand her silence, accepting her answer. "Right." He nodded. "So, how can I help you."
Ellie's eyes gleamed. "I have a favor to ask."
Steve stared at her, the silence following their conversation doing nothing to help Ellie's uncertainty.
"I don't think I've ever gotten a request like that." He said.
"It'd just be for an hour." She said quickly. "Half an hour, even! I'd just need to do some primary sketches and color matching."
Steve regarded her for a moment. "You really think he'd like it?"
Ellie nodded. "I hope so. If I don't botch it up, at least."
The Captain smiled. "I doubt that." He stood up. "One hour. And I wanna see the finished product before you give it to him."
"Yes, sir!" Ellie nodded. "Thank you so much!"
"When would you like to start?"
"Would now be too soon?"
Since there had been no direct call from Fury about a threat and Selvig still hadn't popped up on the map, Steve decided it could't hurt to give Ellie a little more time to work on her project. He knocked on her door a couple hours later, stepping inside to view a room that looked like it had been split in two. One side had was as clean and spotless as it had been when they had first brought Ellie to stay there. The other side was something of… well mess was too clean a word.
Ellie had laid down several layers of newspapers where she'd set up her easel to catch the drops of paint that had fallen from her brushes. A special stand had been set up, displaying the centerpiece of her painting and several tubes of paint lay here and there along a plastic covering she'd set up over her bed. Ellie herself was dressed in what Steve took to be pant clothes and already had a few good layers of pant building up here and there. She smiled as she saw him, brushing her cheek a little, giving her skin a new shade of blue.
"Hi!" She said, stepping aside to allow Steve to see her almost finished product. "I was getting worried! You hadn't shown up yet."
Steve smiled. "Nothing of immediate threat at the moment, I thought you might like the extra time."
"I really appreciate it," Ellie smiled. "Perfect timing, actually! What do you think so far? Am I getting the color right so far?"
Steve knew almost nothing about painting. Sure, he knew about the famous painters of history, if only by name but other than that, nothing. He stepped forward to get a better look, amazed at what he saw.
It wasn't as though he was looking at the start of a photo, there were certain areas where the paint element came through, but it wasn't like looking at a painting ether. It felt like an obscure but comfortable blend, where the painting wasn't so real it seamed fake, but it wasn't fake by any means.
The painting was simple enough. His shield lay on its side, propped up against a stack of books which Ellie had started painting in as World War II history books and Captain America comic books. The backdrop was shimmering light, making the shield appear brighter than it was, like the sun was rising over it.
"Is it okay?" Ellie asked, washing off one of her paint brushes and cleaning her hands . "It's gonna be a little while before its finished but, do you think he'll like it?"
Steve turned around, unsure if he was even aware of how to explain what he thought of this painting.
"Woah, when the hell did we let Picasso on board?"
Both figures turned to see a well-dressed and rather impressed Tony Stark pop into the room, a fairly good sized container of fast food in one hand while he loosened his tie with the other. "Hi honey, how was your day?" He asked Steve, placing the box on Ellie's bed and extracting a few french fries to eat.
Steve rolled his eyes. "You wanna explain where you've-"
"Since Pepper received word that the earth is no longer on the path to complete enslavement, she had Fury drag my sorry ass to a B.O.D. meeting. Pretty sure he got a picture too." Tony started in on a large cheeseburger, causing the room to quickly fill with a pungent to some, if not delicious to others, smell.
"Can you please not eat that in here," Steve asked. "It's a medical bay."
"Perfect timing," Tony said. "If I have a heart attack from this I'm in the right place."
"You're messing up a bed that-"
"Van Gogh!" Tony called over. It took Ellie a moment before he realized he was addressing her. "You mind if I eat in here?"
Ellie blinked, eventually giving a half smile and shaking her head. "Not really."
"There, problem solved," Tony said, smiling, reaching into to the container and tossing Ellie a wrapped up burger. "Figured you might one some home cooking. How long did that take?" Tony asked, taking another bite of his own burger and stepping over the mess of newspapers to get a good look.
"Bout two and a half hours," Ellie said, unwrapping and starting in on her own snack. Ellie did get fast food very often, but every now when she did, it tasted like heaven. This was one of those times. "Just wanted to get a few basic coats down, see if I could start some blending in before it dried and work on some of the details."
"This for Agent?" Tony asked. "He's gonna flip when he sees it. Make sure to have Capsicle sign it when it's done, he'll roll over and-"
"Stark," Steve interrupted him. "Come on. Only the artist-"
"Actually," Ellie said. "That's not half bad an idea!"
"I'd call it more than half-"
"Would you mind signing it once I finish?" Ellie asked Steve, cutting Tony off.
Steve looked from the painter to the painting and back again before shrugging. "Sure, if you'd like me too."
"Make sure to have a camera going when you give it to him," Tony said. "That thing will go viral faster than a cat in a box."
Steve raised an eyebrow.
"Any word on Selvig?" Tony asked, stepping back over to extract a few more fries.
"None," Steve said. "But Dr. Banner's keeping us up-to-date."
"Any word from Scar downstairs?"
Steve stared again, confused.
"What, Fury never showed you "Lion King?" Wow you're behind."
"Nothing really," Ellie said suddenly. She took another bite of her burger. "I heard He's staying quiet for now."
"Well if he's got nothing to say then he can spare us his BS," Tony said. "I'm gonna check in with the big-"
"Stark!" Steve said warningly.
"With Dr. Banner and I'll check back later. Remember. Camera, I want footage of that."
Ellie nodded. "Thanks for the Burger, Mr. Stark."
"Oh, sweetie, please, for you, it's Tony." Tony smiled before nearly vanishing out the door. Ellie smiled, finishing her burger.
"Is he always like that?" She asked.
"Sadly, yes," Steve said. "It does look great though." He gestured back to the painting. "I'm sure Agent Coulson will love it."
Ellie nodded. "Thank you. Once It's dry, I'll have you sign it… if you want to, of course, I-"
Steve stopped her. "Don't worry about it. I'd love to. Do you still need-"
"Oh! Nope," Ellie shook her head, going over and getting the shield off of the make-shift mount she'd set up. "I've got everything I need, thanks a lot again."
"No problem." Steve said, collecting his shield from her. "Will i see you at dinner?"
"If my body can handle the fact that I just ate a burger half the size of my head then yep!" Ellie said.
Steve smiled, giving her a little wave before taking off, leaving her alone to finish her art.
Eventually, the painting was finished and Ellie presented it to an amazed Steve Rodgers and a rather dumbstruck Tony Stark who for once didn't have a witty quip to make about it. A painting and a photo blended almost seamlessly together, if that were possible. Not too fake nor too real, with color that seemed to add an extra layer of life to it, like the joy in the eyes of a puppy being petted. Ellie had experimented with many painting styles in her school years, but this was the one she loved the most. The one she'd really been able to find herself in and produce her best work.
At least she thought so… or hoped so.
"What do you guys think?" She asked.
"Do you charge for this?" Tony eventually asked, finding his voice.
"Uh," Ellie paused. "I, uh, no one's ever asked me that before." Ellie had competed in art competitions in college, but painting commissions, especially for college students were one in infinity at best. Ellie hadn't even met a painter who'd gotten a commission. "No… I'm not sure?"
"Stark, I believe Miss Conner has better things to do with her time and efforts than painting a picture of you to hang over your mantle."
"At any rate…" Ellie smiled nervously, trying to cut off the tension before an unwanted argument broke out. "I'm glad it turned out okay. I really wanted the colors to pop."
"Mission accomplished," Steve said, earning a smile from her. Elle turned back to her pallet, dipping a small paintbrush into a tiny dollop of black paint.
"Would you still up for signing it?" Ellie asked, looking back at the Captain.
Steve shook off his annoyance with Tony and reached for the brush. "If you think he'll like it that much."
Ellie nodded excitedly. "I think so."
"And you're feeling well?"
"Yep," Ellie nodded.
"Nothing of any change I should note to Director Fury?"
"Nothing that I can think of," Ellie said. "You might wanna check with Bruce when he gets back, though."
"I'll be sure to do that," Phil Coulson smiled at her. "Any side trips?"
Ellie managed a little smile, shaking her head. "No."
"Good," Coulson nodded. "I'm glad to see Mr. Stark hasn't rubbed off on you too much."
Ellie snorted. "No, not yet."
Coulson rose to go. "Then I guess I will see you tomorrow, Miss Conner."
Ellie nodded. "Yeah, I- OH WAIT!" Ellie scrambled out of bed, amazed that her sudden act had caused no change in the agent's facial expression. "I have something for you!" Ellie made her way over the bed, picking up the now dry canvas. She held it behind her back.
"I just wanted to say thank you for the paint set… and for having my back a few days ago." She held the painting out to him. "And for just being sweet.
Both Ellie and Tony's assumptions had not been wrong. Coulson's face, as Tony had captured it on his camera phone, resembled that of a five-year old boy being given a pet dinosaur on his birthday. For a second, his calm demeanor seemed to melt away into that of a happy human being… with a great love, of course. He took it in his hands, staring at it.
I hope you like it," Ellie said softly. "I heard you were a fan of Captain America."
Phil didn't say anything. He didn't have to. For that one moment, the joy in his eyes could have rivaled the power of the sun.
The happy moment passed however, once Phil caught sight of Tony texting the photos to everyone in the S.H.I. . helicarrier and for the following half hour, Tony had to flee for his life from a heavily armed… though still strangely smiling Phil Coulson.
The following days for Ellie aboard the Helicarrier were pleasant, if uneventful. Bruce and Phil came by every few hours just to check on how she was fairing and if her health was looking good, though even Bruce admitted the medical checks were almost unnecessary now since she seemed to be back to normal on all health accounts. Still, Phil insisted, since no one was certain on exactly what effects Loki's "gift" would have on her physical body.
Apart from the thought of Loki, though, Ellie didn't mind. It was always nice to have someone to talk to and even when they were quiet, having another presence in the room just put her in a contented and comfortable state.
Not to mention every time she saw Bruce he gave her a certain smile. One that seemed to come from both him and the big guy.
"It'll all be fine."
Part from them, Ellie had a couple visitors, but not many. Steve Rogers stopped by every now and then to say hello, but didn't stick around to chat much. Tony Stark was the complete opposite, of course. When he wasn't with Bruce looking for the Tesseract he was with Ellie, ether talking about some kind of entertainment event or constantly asking her when the rest of the Avengers were gonna receive their "Thank you" gifts for rescuing her.
Phil made Stark apologize for the comment shortly after her caught Ellie starting to paint Iron Man in mid flight. As Phil dragged him from the room, Tony could make out the "thumbs-up" Ellie was giving him, a promise she'd finish it eventually.
Other than that, Ellie spent most of her time ether painting, resting, reading, exploring the open levels of the Helicarrier, or eating in the caf. Sometimes she'd go down to the gymnasium to walk around the track for a bit, but other than that, there wasn't much else to do.
Well, no. That technically wasn't true. Ellie did have one other visitor. Someone who always brought a smile to her face.
Ellie was grateful for Agent Barton's visits. He's stop by at least once a day, sometimes twice for a quick hello if there wasn't anything of dire importance happening. Normally they'd just sit and talk to each other themselves, about their lives before Loki. Clint talked about his circus days and when he first joined S.H.I.E.L.D. Ellie talked about her years at college and her family. Sometimes they'd talk about what went on down in Loki's lair, but mostly their talks were focused on themselves. For the first few days, Clint came to visit Ellie in her room, but soon after, Ellie saw Clint in the Helicarrier's gymnasium, practicing his shooting. On his eighth bulls eye, Ellie clapped. Clint heard the noise and turned to her. He smiled, shaking his head a little as he watched her approach.
"You're easily impressed," he said.
Ellie shrugged a little. "I'm pretty sure a bulls eye eight times in a row isn't easy."
"Is for me," Clint said simply.
"That doesn't make it any less awesome." Ellie pointed out with a child-like smile.
"You keep talking' like that, little lady, you're gonna give me an ego," Clint gave her a little grin and returned to his shooting, the room falling silent for a moment.
This hadn't been the first time Ellie had watched Clint practice. She'd seen it several times when he'd still been under Loki's power. When Clint had been asked to watch her, he'd sometimes bring her to the training room Loki had designated for him to practice in. She'd watch him shoot bullseye after bullseye until one day he offered to let her try her luck. He'd shown her the proper way to hold a bow, fire an arrow and while her first lesson had been going well- she lacked the skills of her mentor but had still been able to hit the target - it soon became her only lesson. Loki had walked in on them, infuriated that Clint would even think of such an idea.
"FOOLISH MORTAL!" Loki's voice rang in Clint's head. "You were to watch her, not arm her! What if she'd harmed herself or you?"
Clint could still feel Loki's hand sharply crack across his cheek.
Ellie looked down at her feet for a second. "You know," she said after a minute. "I never thanked you."
Clint released another arrow before looking back at her, he shook his head, believing he knew what was to come. "You've thanked us plenty of times."
Ellie shook her head, "No, Not for the rescue. For you. For looking after me down there."
Clint paused, letting the silence pass between them before he took up another arrow. "You took pretty damn good care of yourself, I think. You didn't need me."
Now it was Ellie's turn to look confused. "You were there for me down there. You were the only person I could talk to."
"I was dead weight, I only stood in your way." Another bulls eye. "You kept yourself going, it didn't matter what I did. You survived on your own."
"You were still there for me." Ellie said.
"What was there for you was a shell," Clint said, pulling out another arrow. "And I still helped cause all this.
Ellie's confusion melted into sadness. "Agent…. Clint, You know I don't blame you."
"It doesn't matter." Clint's voice was sharp, sharper than he would have liked. He took a deep breath, trying to quell the fire in him. He lowered his bow, turning to look at the young woman.
"Ellie, I was trained by S.H.I.E.L.D's best. Expected to be one of S.H.I.E.L.D's best. We endured every torture, every technique under the sun to train our minds to stay sharp. I don't want you to take this the wrong way," He turned, keeping his gaze locked with hers. "But out of the two of us, I should have been the one with a clear mind. I should have been able to help you, get you out of that place." Clint swallowed. "I should have been able to keep him from giving you that potion."
Though she didn't take offense, the comment disturbed her.
"I wouldn't have expected you to do that. Under Loki we could only do so much."
Clint closed his eyes. "I should have been able to do more."
Clint seemed inconsolable. He truly blamed himself for all this. But Ellie wondered, perhaps, if she hadn't been there, would he still be this hard on himself? If an innocent had not been involved, would he be willing to let go? Everything he'd done was by Loki's command.
Still, Ellie knew if she'd been in the same place, she'd never have been able to forgive herself.
Still, she wasn't going to let Clint beat himself up about this. Or, at the very, very least, she could try to make him feel better.
"If it makes you feel any better," she started. "I don't think S.H.I.E.L.D holds "being able to resist intense supernatural magic" on its expectation for its agents list."
Clint smirked a little, laughing under his breath. She sounded just like Natasha.
"If that's the case," He said. "You'd have made a good agent," he said.
Ellie shook her head. "I don't think I have the physical prowess S.H.I.E.L.D is looking for."
"Nah," Clint said. "You should have seen Natasha when she first came in. Swizzle Stick."
Ellie shook her head, now smiling with him. "I'm gonna say that's a lie."
Clint shrugged. "Fine," he strung another arrow. "Think what you want." Another bulls eye. To play it up, he yawned dramatically as though board already. Ellie gave him a playful shove which Clint happily returned.
They both froze.
It was the first time Ellie had touched Clint without the fear of Loki's wrath coming down on them. The first time they'd been able to stand in each others company and laugh, feel contented.
They first time they could really look at each other as allies. As friends.
Clint looked down at his bow, regarding it as he recalled the sting of Loki's palm on his face.
Funny. It didn't feel that bad anymore.
He held out his bow to Ellie, watching her instinctively step back.
"Come on," Clint said. "Let's pick up where we left off."
Ellie stared at the bow, the memory of that day obviously still fresh in her mind as well. She looked it over, reaching out to let her fingers feel the curve again. She looked up at Clint.
"You're sure?"
Clint gave a smile. "We're not living under his shadow anymore. And if nothing else, I feel I owe you this."
"You don't-"
"Stop," Clint stepped forward. His face was still, though there was a hint of a smile on his lips. "Let me do this for you, Ellie. If there was anything that might make me feel better, it's this."
Trapped. Ellie knew he knew she wanted to make him feel better. Giving him a smile, she picked up the bow."
"Nice," Clint smiled, watching the arrow hit right outside of the bulls eye. "You didn't loose what I taught ya."
"You're a great teacher," Ellie said, going over to collect the arrows.
"Fury wants me to give classes, but-" A buzzing noise made him pause in his sentence. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, flipping it open. "Yeah?"
Ellie watched him quietly as she returned with the arrows.
"I'll be there, sir," Clint said, closing the phone. He gave Ellie a half smile. "Duty calls. Can I count on you same time tomorrow?"
Surprise crossed Ellie's face.
"What?" Clint asked, taking his bow from her. "You didn't think this was a one time deal, did you?" He picked up his duffle bag and quiver. "Work on your posture and arm position. Tomorrow at three, yeah?"
After a moment of silence, Ellie smiled, nodding at the offer. Clint gave her a wave and headed for the door. Ellie turned back to collect and put away the arrows.
"He's a great teacher."
Ellie nearly jumped a foot in the air at the voice, seeming to have come from nowhere. Eventually, collecting herself and making sure her heart had not exploded, she turned to see her addresser coming in from another door, passing through to meet up with her companions.
"Can't stay awake during one of Coulson's presentations to save his life, but he can help anyone handle a bow."
Ellie stared at the beautiful, red-haired woman, almost in awe of her. Beauty, intelligence, cunning, danger, it radiated off of her like a perfectly mixed perfume. This was not a woman to mess with.
Ellie thought back to the previous times she'd seen Natasha Romanov in the Helicarrier. Now that she thought about it, she had seen her hanging out a lot with-
Uh Oh.
Ellie's face turned a bright shade of red as she dropped all of the arrows, recalling that she was standing before a woman who had taken Agent Barton down with a pretty nasty kick to the head.
"Ms. Romanov," Ellie said, quickly, fearing the worst, "I swear what you just saw-"
"Slow down or you'll pass out," Natasha said, giving her a small grin, going over and picking up a few of the arrows. She handed them to Ellie.
"I know what I saw," She said, simply. "A good archery Lesson."
Ellie blinked, still uncertain if she was on rocky terms or not.
"Make sure he stays next time," she said. "You shouldn't be picking up his stuff." She turned to go.
'MIss Romanov," Ellie started, "I-"
"Natasha is fine," She said back.
"I wasn't-"
"I never thought you were."
Ellie paused as Natasha turned back to her.
"You're a nice girl, but you know what they say about "assuming"." She said with a smile. "I owe Clint my life. He's my partner and my friend… and I'm out to think you feel the same way."
After a moment, Ellie nodded.
"If I'd thought you'd posed any harm of any kind to Clint, I'd have kicked you off the Helicarrier myself." She said. "That's what I worry about. Make sure to keep your elbow a little lower, you're raising it too high." She turned to go. "I'll see you around."
Ellie remained still for a moment. An hour later, she still wasn't sure what had just happened.
Three days later, the news arrived. The Tesseract, Dr. Selvig and the rest of Loki's men had ben located. The spell had been lifted and they were being flown to the Helicarrier. A war against humanity had been avoided, and while everyone celebrated, at least nine people onboard the Helicarrier had a separate question running through their minds.
What would happen to Ellie Conner?
Director Furry had called a meeting to take place around seven that evening; he knew the celebration over the Tesseract's retrieval would have finished by then. A meeting strictly for the Avengers and those closest to Ellie. An unsettling consensus fell over the team.
No one had come to Ellie's aid. Those who cam forward ultimately had been too scared or too shady to be trusted. The only one who had come close to truly aiding her was Professor Charles Xavier, but he had his school to think of and his with Mutant abilities still aged and even those who didn't had a form of protection or were careful enough to make their way through the world completely unnoticed. Ellie was smart but an unchanging physicality would always be noticeable one way or another. Unless Ellie became a master of masks and make-up.
No. S.H.I.E.L.D. already had one problem like that on their hands, they didn't need another.
Any way presented, Ellie was on her own.
Thor had been sitting in his given chambers when he received the news, an uneasiness settling over him. The fate of this young woman weighed heavily on him, seeing how his brother had brought it upon her. The options for her were few and far between. Even if she had been able to walk the earth freely and in safety… who wished to see everyone and everything around them age and die while they remained young?
Why did his brother wish to torture her so? What joy did to bring him?
Thor gritted his teeth, he would not allow his brother's act upon this young woman to bring her nothing but misery. There had to be-
A thought crossed his mind. He'd considered it before but had pushed it aside at it's absurdity. There was no way she would…
Still, it was an option. And they needed quite a few of those now.
Sitting down at a near-by desk, Thor drew out two pieces of paper and a pen. He spent a good hour or so writing before he folded up the pieces of paper and placed them separately in two individual envelopes. Then, he sat quietly, focusing on the though of the roots of Yggdrasil linking the nine realms.
A soft sound brought him from his trace. Before him, on the desk, sat a beautiful, large black raven. Thor smiled, stroking the bird's glorious feathers before tying the two envelops to the bird's leg. Then, just as quickly as the bird had appeared, it vanished.
It returned eventually before Thor knew he had to report to the meeting with Director Fury. It held two large envelopes in its mighty beak. Thor took them from him, giving him a few pieces of bread to peck at while he read the contents of his delivery.
A smile came to his face.
He folded the letters up carefully and, after turning to see that the beautiful bird had vanished once again, left his room to see Director Fury.
The room was strangely silent as Nick Fury entered, even lacking the quips and jabs of Tony Stark. Only the director's footsteps could be heard, clicking on the steel floor. He made eye contact with every one of them, a silent greeting. Eventually, he stood before the eight people gathered in the room. He gave a heavy sigh; every one of them was hoping for a different answer than the one he was about to give them. But Nick Fury had never been one to perpetrate false hope.
"Well," he said, "I have nothing. Every lead came to a dead end. Even Xavier is out." He cleared his throat. "At this point in time, I think-"
"I think you need to keep looking." Tony Stark piped up, sick of the silence. "You've spent, what, a week looking? Nick, you can't pick out a car in a week, how the hell do you think you're gonna find a place to put her."
"With the Tesseract found-"
"Oh, so because we find some magic rubix cube suddenly we gotta ship her off to a cell?" Tony asked.
"Mr. Stark, you know-"
"You know what, Phil, I really don't give a crap right now!" Tony stood up. "This girl just went through hell and you're telling me she's gotta live in an isolation tank for the rest of her life?"
"She wouldn't be isolated, Mr. Stark," Natasha said, though she didn't sound to thrilled about it either. "We have to consider the possible safety-"
"Key word, Agent romanoff, 'possible'." Tony said. "We're talking about something that might never happen! She should be free to go!"
"And what happens if it becomes a reality, Stark?" Director Fury asked. "What happens if those people out there who would give their souls to discover the secret of her power get ahold of her. Sure, they might not be able to tap it, but what happens to her? Torture, blackmail? And what happens if they do crack the secret. You want an immortal Obadiah Stane walking around, Stark?"
The rage in Tony's eyes doubled.
"You think I like this?" Fury pushed. "You think I LIKE having to make this call? Putting her away to keep her safe you don't think I KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!?"
The room fell even more silent that before, everyone staring at the two men up front.
"I'd give my other eye to see her walk out of here today, right now." Fury said. "But I can't. Not for her sake. We're all out of options."
"No, we are not."
Everyone turned to Thor, watching him stand up, holding out two letters.
"We have one more option."
"Come in!" Ellie called, adding a touch of light pink to the side of the painting as the knock sounded. She heard the door open and close and she wiped off her paint brush.
"How's it-" Ellie stopped as she turned around, seeing a man a good ten to eleven feet taller than her. His long golden hair spread out over his shoulders. He stood without his long red cape on, but just looking at him made Ellie feel as big as a mouse. Still, she smiled.
"Oh… Hi," She said.
He gave a slightly bow. "A good evening to you, Miss Ellie."
Ellie blushed a little. "Oh, Um… you cam just call me Ellie."
"As you wish," he said. "Am I interrupting anything?"
"Oh!" Ellie shook her head. "No, no, I was just… working for a bit."
Thor nodded, looking over towards the easel that had been set up, a canvas sitting on top of it. A half-finished painting caught his eye. He stepped forward a little, regarding it. Eventually, he smiled back at her.
"It's a very good likeness." He said. "I'm impressed."
Ellie stared at him, mouth agape. "How did you…"
Sir Fury showed us his picture. You captured him very well from memory."
Ellie closed her mouth, looking back at the picture. Her eyes softened a little and she lost a part of her smile. "I didn't wanna forget what he looked like."
"Were you two close?" Thor asked, gently.
Ellie shook her head. "Not really. But he was willing to risk his safety… risk everything so he could know who I was. Not just a girl in a pretty dress." She smiled. "I guess he kinda reminded me that I had a real name."
"He must of been a man of honor," Thor said.
"Yeah," Ellie said, looking at the painting, "I think he was." She looked back up at Thor. "So… I take it this is about… Where I'm heading next, right?"
"You would be right." Thor said, gesturing for her to have a seat. Ellie put her brushes down and removed her smock before sitting on the edge of her bed. She offered Thor a chair, but he declined politely.
"Director Fury has searched for someone willing and reliable enough for you to live under given your situation."
Ellie sighed, bracing herself. "Did he find someone?" She asked, holding onto whatever thread of hope she could.
"No, I am afraid not."
Ellie lowered her head, reality starting to sink back in. She thought about living the rest of her life in one place, never being allowed to go outside. She'd be in another cell. True, it would be a better cell and she'd have more respect as a human being… but it was still a cell. She couldn't go home, couldn't communicate with anyone.
For a moment, she wondered if it would have been better if they'd never found her. Then, she recalled Henry, struggling to get to her as she collapsed into Loki's arms. No… even another cell would be better than a life with Loki.
"However…"
Ellie's eyes snapped open, lifting her head to meet Thor's gaze.
"There is a matter I wish to speak to you of," He said. "In a few days, my brother and I shall be returning home, to my own world of Asgard."
Ellie nodded. She'd heard Loki speak of Asgard once. It sounded so beautiful, she had no idea why he'd ever want-"
"You are welcome to come with us."
Ellie's heart stopped.
