Ah, I love watching Thor and the Avengers. Actually, all of those movies. So good! Sorry for the delay, work, life, and writing my own stuff. Oh, so you know I have my own book out on Amazon and Barnes and Noble; it's an ebook I self-published; if you like my writing, please check it out! It's inexpensive and would help a budding author! Check out my profile if you're interested :D

So, not too much of Thor, unfortunately, but more to come in the rest of the chappies! WOO! Please review, lemme know whatcha think!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or anything. Just Maeve! Woo!

Chapter Three: Germany

Coughing slightly, I set the tablet down and slid it across the table toward Fury. He caught it easily and stuffed it in his oversized trench coat, leaning back in his chair, "So? What do you think?"

"If this Loki is anythin' like his brother, I can see why ya got yer panties in a bunch," I mused mildly, earning a frown from the director. Though, I could've sworn I heard a snort from somewhere in Bruce's and Natasha's direction.

Fury offered me a dry smile, unamused but accepting; it was my way of accenting to his unspoken question. Would I help him and the rest of what I'd learned was the Avenger Initiative? And, if I understood his concern, the danger in allowing Loki to continue with whatever convoluted idea he'd concocted, then I agreed to give them all a hand. He leaned back in his seat, a somewhat smug smile on his face as he rested a palm on the table, "Good. I think it goes without saying that we appreciate the help…"

"Aye, but I still like ta hear it," I teased, offering Steve a flirtatious wink. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and cleared his throat, his lips pursed. Leaning back in my own chair, I kicked my feet up on the table, crossing my ankles and taking a moment to study the goings-on around me. The deck was abuzz with activity, agents flitting to and fro, while Hill and Coulson directed orders – probably directly from Fury – from a raised platform.

"So how long will it take 'til we know where he's at?" Steve queried, his tone firm, authoritative. One elbow resting on the table, he looked between Fury and I, shifting his gaze to Bruce even as he typed away at one of the computers Natasha had offered him.

"We're using the spectrometers around the world to locate him now," Bruce announced, spinning slightly in his rolly chair and quirking a brow, "I set up a quick system to scan faces, see if any matches come up close to the one Fu- the director got of him…"

"Took a minute for a photo-op?" I teased, wiggling my feet even as Fury turned his one-eyed scowl on me, "prob'ly not th' best time, eh?"

"We recovered some of the video feed from our… previous… headquarters; we managed to get a relatively good image of Loki before the place went down," Fury replied, scratching absently at his chin before rising quickly from his seat. He strode across the room to Bruce, who immediately tensed at his approach; obviously, he wasn't Nick Fury's biggest fan… "How's it going? Are we getting any closer?"

"We haven't seen any notable matches yet," Bruce admitted, rolling up his sleeves and subtly pushing his chair away from the secretive director, his dark eyes flitting to mine for a brief moment, "I'll let you know when we find something…"

Fury obviously wasn't pleased that we hadn't located him, but, seeing as he had little experience with gamma radiation and the good doctor had, he wasn't going to question him. Still, the idea of sitting around while Loki was off doing whatever it was the god of mischief deemed fun didn't sit well with him. It had me shifting in my seat as it was…

"Should we wait here, then?" I questioned awkwardly, fighting the urge to shrink under Fury's heated gaze; honestly, it was the eye patch. It was so goddamn intimidating… "Cuz I s'pose that's fine, but if ya don't want me ta burn th' place down, I need somethin' ta do…"

"Come give me a hand," Bruce called, a decidedly amused tone to his voice, waving me over with a grin, "better than twiddling your thumbs, right?"

"Aye, it certainly is," I replied with a laugh, "Captain, care ta join? Oh, that sounds rather dirty, doesn't it? You, me, an' Bruce? Not that I'd be opp…"

"I think I'm gonna hit the gym," Steve replied quickly, a furious blush coloring his cheeks as he nearly leapt to his feet. Avoiding my gaze, he turned to the director and queried demandingly, "You'll find me if anything comes up?"

Fury snapped a rather sarcastic salute to the captain, who tensed as I giggled and disappeared from the room.

Phil followed him, asking if he needed anyone to spot him. He returned moments later, a crestfallen frown on his face. Aw, ditched by his hero; I waved him toward us and asked if he'd like to join our merry crew of researchers. He pulled up a chair beside me even as Bruce chuckled and returned his attention to the monitor before him, tapping a few keys and wrinkling his nose. Whatever he'd done or read, he didn't bother sharing – I'd told him how anti-science I was the night before and, as much as it amused him, he accepted it – and cast an amused glance in my direction, "I think you drive him nuts with that, Maeve…"

"With what?" I feigned ignorance, my brow pinched upward and a frown painted across my mouth.

He rolled his eyes but played along, "The flirting… He's from the forties; women didn't say things like that…"

"That I know, Doc," I replied, clicking my tongue in mild irritation, "history is my forte, ya know… It's just too much fun. He's a grown man, a soldier, an' I have him blushin' like a child… It's adorable."

"Yeah, well, remember that when you're dangling from a rooftop and he decides you embarrassed him one too many times to pull you back up," he snorted, frowning absently at the screen as another face came and went, not a single match to be had.

"You wound me, Bruce," I scoffed, pressing a hand to my chest and frowning, "what makes ya think I'm gonna be danglin' from a rooftop at any time durin' this whole pleasure cruise?" He shook his head at my word choice, but I nudged him, continuing with a scoff, "And even if he did leave me hangin' there, are ya tellin' me you wouldn't pull me up?"

"I won't be there," Bruce replied, though there was uncertainty, a lack of conviction in his tone that had me believing he would, before the end, join us out in the field. I simply grinned and eyed the screen, fingers crossed that Loki's image would pass through soon enough.

I hated waiting.

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After nearly an hour and a half – I had grabbed a sheet of paper and began doodling, in the end having enough sketches to start my own art exhibit – Steve returned to the room, looking delectably sweaty and masculine. Before I could comment on it, he dropped heavily into his seat, a faraway glint in his eyes that had me shutting my mouth. He looked rather lost and more than a little disheartened.

Patting Bruce's shoulder, I stood and made my way over to the table, plopping into my seat beside him, "What's on yer mind, Captain?"

"Too much," he replied simply, rubbing a hand along his face and sighing heavily. He remained silent, unwilling to continue, and, for once, I wouldn't push him. Instead, I patted his hand and began to tell him about my home back in Kerry, if only to distract him.

"An' one time, my brothers, all four of 'em, decided that they'd gang up on me an' push me in th' stream," I noted cheerily, a small smile on my face as he snorted, arms folded across his chest, "bein' th' youngest, an' th' only girl, they figured they wouldn't have a problem…"

"What'd you do?" he queried, a grin playing across his mouth.

Laughing, I dried my eyes and fondly recalled the moment, "I just shifted; no one knew I could do it at th' time. I shit you not, all four of 'em pissed themselves like th' little babies they were…"

Steve let out a loud laugh, deciding it was pointless to reprimand me; he certainly didn't like my rather potty-ish mouth, especially since I was a 'lovely young lady', but he hadn't been able to stop me yet. Guess he decided to stop trying…

"Sorry to be a party pooper," Bruce announced, pushing away from the desk and rising to his feet – it just amused me that he had said 'pooper', "but we're closing in on him…"

"You know liked my stories, Bruce," I laughed as Steve leaned forward in his seat, his eyes zeroing in on Bruce's monitor. It looked like somewhere over Europe, though people's images were flicking to and fro so quickly that I couldn't quite place where.

Fury appeared suddenly, offering Hill a sharp, pointed nod, and she disappeared off to do God knows what. Was it just me, or was there a little bit of sexual tension between the two? Shuddering at the thought, I stood and strolled over to the monitors myself.

"He's in Struttgart, Germany, sir," a lackey announced, shoving away from his computer to give the rest of us an excellent view, "sixty-five percent… Seventy-nine percent! This is him, Director Fury!"

"Excited little puppy, isn't he?" I leaned toward Bruce, muttering quietly in his ear and earning a light chuckle from the man-turned-monster. Still, I focused on the screen, staring at the frozen image of Loki as he stared off into the distance.

So this was our foe? He looked nothing like his brother, which made sense, seeing as he apparently wasn't actually Thor's blood relative; his shoulder-length black hair was slicked back from his face, his eyes a bright, icy hue. His skin seemed incredibly pale and he had a semi-prominent nose. Well, aside from the eyes, he reminded me of a much cuter Professor Snape…

Fury turned to our merry band of superheroes – since when did I fit into that category? – and eyed Steve and I, "Captain. Miss Brady. Time for you to suit up."

Steve inhaled sharply, offering the director a terse nod; I simply clicked my tongue and rolled my shoulders. Sauntering toward the computer once more, I examined Loki's picture thoroughly, nudging Bruce as he reclaimed his seat, "Don't have too much fun here without me, Bruce."

"I'm sure I won't," he replied dryly, grinning up at me and, as he approached, Steve as well, "good luck. To both of you."

"Ta, Doc," I beamed, standing tall and ruffling his dark, curly hair despite the fact that he was a good fifteen years older than me. He growled under his breath but grinned, swatting me away with a pointed scowl, "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Turning to the captain, who seemed equally amused, I blinked coquettishly, "Don't worry, Cap. I'll be sure ta get yer feathers good an' ruffled, too."

He sighed, pursing his rather nummy lips, and shook his head, "C'mon. Agent Romanoff's coming, too."

"Good," I nodded, teasing the broad soldier, "th' more girl power, th' better chance you have of survivin'…"

Bruce rolled his eyes, but Natasha offered me a thumbs-up as she strode into the room. As the redhead approached, I noticed a bundle of navy fabric in her hands; as she lifted it by the shoulders, I realized it was a suit, similar to the godawful tight one she and the other agents donned. A few minor alterations to it, I noticed that the sleeves and the pant legs had black and white stripes running up the backs of them.

"I hope that's fer Steve an' I ta show up matchin'," I noted, wrinkling my nose, "cuz that looks rather difficult ta get into…"

"No, this is gonna help you when you shift," she explained, shoving the uniform into my arms, ignoring my irritated protests, "it conforms to the body like a second skin. This way, you'll be able to turn back into your human form and still have this on. At least, that's what the man who developed it told me; they didn't have anyone to test it on…"

"Sweet," I cheered, turning ot the captain and sighing, "lemme go put this on an' we'll go…"

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It took about fifteen minutes to dress so, were there any casualties, I reminded myself to take full responsibility for it. Well, whoever designed it should, too…

The flight to Germany was quick, tense, as we formulated our plan. IT wasn't much, but once we were sure it was 85% full-proof, we shared a nod and waited for the plane to descend. We weren't landing directly over the museum he and his cohorts had broken into – didn't want to get Loki's attention just yet, did we? – so we'd have to hurry it up before he hurt anyone else.

Natasha informed us that she would take to the air again, her weaponry pointed on Loki once we reached him, so that left Cap and I to traverse the streets and face off with the Norse god ourselves. The captain gripped his shield and ran for the crowd forming just outside of the museum. They were on their knees and Loki, dressed in green and gold armor, with a massive, horned helmet, stood before them. Actually, he stood all around them.

I didn't think my eyes were deceiving me, but I couldn't be sure. Not until Loki withdrew into himself, returning to the singular god and threatening an old man with his scepter. Ooh, I didn't like the looks of that, not when it glowed an eerie blue identical to the Tesseract.

"Look to your elders, people," Loki announced, shooting a dangerous blast toward the old German man. Suddenly, Cap jumped in front of him, shield raised, and deflected the blast easily. Letting out a sigh of relief, I hurried forward, my navy boot clicking on the ground as I ran. That was too close.

"Ya know," Cap stood, striding forward, "last time I was in German, there was a man ordering people to kneel. He and I didn't get along…"

"And his artwork sucked ass," I announced, drawing the god's attention to myself. He looked between us, an unnerving grin on his face, thoroughly unaffected by the allusion to Hitler. He probably didn't even know who he was…

"The man out of time," Loki inclined his head, "and the shape shifter. This is Earth's best defense?"

"We're not too bad at our jobs," I shrugged, "we can do this th' easy way or th' hard way. I suggest th' easy way…"

"I'm sure you do," he mocked, quirking a brow and pursing his lips.

Oh hell no… did he just insult me? Letting out a snarl, I raised my arms, palms facing the sky, and called for clouds. As Steve lunged for him, more capable at the physical aspect of battling than I was, I quickly conjured up a storm. The wind kicked up, a chilling gust of air engulfing me, though I was hardly affected by it. Waving haphazardly at the crowd with one hand, I cried, "Get inside!" When no one moved, I sneered, growling, "Get yer bloody arses inside now!"

In the melee, someone heard me and began herding the crowd back into the museum. It was far safer than being in the midst of a violent blizzard and a fist-fight between a super soldier and a Norse god, that's for damn sure.

Suddenly, though, a scream sounded from the museum itself and I let out a frustrated growl. Peering over my shoulder, I caught sight of Clint Barton taking aim at one of the civilians; a few other cronies were doing their best to corral the group for God knows what. Probably to make them part of Loki's band of miscreants.

Making certain that the blizzard was still in full force around me – I sent a sweeping arm toward Loki, sending a burst of sharpened icicles toward the wannabe – I raced toward the building. Skipping through the now foot-deep snow, I easily made my way toward the innocent civilians. Leaping over a few of them as they cowered in fear, I managed to dropkick Barton before he could get off a single shot. Landing easily on my feet, I smirked as he hauled himself back up from the ground.

Scowling darkly at me, with startlingly blue eyes – I began referring to the shade as Tesseract-Blue – he dropped the bow to the ground and made to swing at me. Bending backwards, I narrowly avoided an incredibly powerful punch, tossing my hands behind me and effectively landing a backflip; I had made absolutely certain to get a good kick to his face in the process. He stumbled, but Loki's hold over his seemed impossibly strong. He never relented and I was forced to fight the agent; it wasn't something I wanted to do and I certainly never wanted Natasha to find out. They were like two peas in a pod…

Barton landed a hard punch to my jaw; I found myself stumbling backward toward the crowd. Someone was helpful enough to push me back toward the SHIELD agent, never once stopping to consider if I was ready for another assault.

"Goddamnit," I cursed, ducking quickly as he tried to backhand me. From my position, my fist easily connected with his side, earning a pained grunt from the otherwise emotionless agent. Kicking him hard in the knee, I managed to get him down to the ground once more. The other mercenaries had disappeared; probably off to help Loki.

With Barton so distracted, though, the civilians managed to get back into the museum. Hopefully they locked the damned door this time…

"Loki, drop your weapon." Romanoff's voice caught me off guard, but it seemed to have no effect on Barton. Yeah, Loki's hold is damned strong if he doesn't even notice Natasha… Dodging another swing, I let out a growl and just wished Loki would freakin' surrender already.

Just as Romanoff's arrival caught me off guard, so did the sound of ACDC's Shoot to Thrill came bursting through the air. Over the roar of my storm, I heard the sound of a jet approaching; upon further inspection – while trying to avoid Clint's deathly punches – I noticed a flash of gold and red. Iron Man.

"I love that song," I muttered to no one in particular, kicking Clint in the stomach once more; it seemed to do him in, at least for the moment. Before I could consider attacking again, someone hit the back of my legs hard with something akin to a metal pipe. Dropping to my knees, I winced as I watched some former SHIELD agents drag Barton off to safety.

Turning, I managed to haul myself to my feet and stalk over to where the Iron Man had numerous weapons drawn, "Make your move, Reindeer Games."

Snorting, I watched as Loki's metal armor dissolved back into a snazzy looking suit, his hands raised in innocent surrender.

Point one – us.

"Good move," Iron Man noted, lowering his glowing palms and withdrawing his weaponry, "Captain."

"Mr. Stark," Captain America replied, his eyes narrowed as the wind and snow whipped at his face.

With a casual flick of my wrist, I ended my hailstorm, "Iron Man."

"Stripes," he replied, a cheesy grin probably dancing under that mask of his, "let's go."

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On board the jet, now on our way back to the headquarters with Loki in toe, I stood, dwarfed, between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. I was drowning in delicious, expensive cologne and, honestly, I wasn't too upset about it.

"I don't like this," Steve growled under his breath, his arms folded tightly across his broad chest.

"What? Th' fact that Snape, here, is grinnin' like th' Cheshire Cat?" I snorted, eyeing Loki warily as he smirked to himself, strapped down to the seat with locks and chains.

Tony chuckled, a handsome grin brightening his face, and nudged me, "I agree with Stripes, here… Rock of Ages gave up way too easily…"

"I have no idea what you two are talking about," Steve muttered, exasperated, running a hand through his thick blond hair.

The plane rocked suddenly, cutting off Tony's old guy remark, and causing Natasha to rather quickly push a bunch of buttons in the co-pilot's seat. While I didn't really like the idea of a sudden storm springing up on us either – unless, of course, I created it – it didn't have me as anxious as Loki seemed to be.

"Is this you, Maeve?" Natasha questioned, shooting me a curious glance. At my negative nod, she pursed her lips and fidgeted with the buttons again. She was still upset about Clint; I'd filled her in on what happened and she almost pitched a fit there…

"Scared of a little lightning?" Steve taunted suddenly, glancing amusedly at the Norse god as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows," he admitted, staring anxiously at the ceiling as though something monstrous would burst through at any second.

There was a loud thud above us, rocking the jet, as a rumble of thunder crashed. I absently latched onto Tony's arm, staring, aghast, above me. "What th' bloody…"

"Oh, you do say bloody," Tony grinned childishly, almost smug as I clung to his armor, "that's bloody smash…"

Suddenly, the door was ripped away, the wind bursting in and whipping about my face almost painfully. Lightning burst and thunder crashed, silhouetting Thor in all his armored, muscular glory as he landed easily at the back of the plane. Striding forward, he grasped Loki by the lapels, yanking him to his feet and freeing him of his chains rather easily.

The wind whipped his long, blond hair about his face, and his cape at his back, but he seemed otherwise unaffected by it. His jaw set, his deep, sapphire eyes flashing, he looked dangerously beautiful, and Loki seemed more than terrified of being in his presence. He barely spared us a passing glance, too concerned at getting his brother out of our presence to even speak, it seemed.

Still, that man didn't need to say a word to be intimidatingly gorgeous. He was taller than me by at least a foot, though that didn't surprise me. He was far broader than me, obviously, but even Steve. And that guy was pretty ripped. If Thor's bulging biceps told me anything, it was that he could easily crush any one of us in a fight.

As if to prove my point, he took Iron Man down in two seconds flat.

Eyes wide, I found myself being yanked away from Tony, Steve pulling me to his chest, as Iron Man flew back through the plane. Thor's hammer had hit him hard in the chest, though it almost immediately returned to his hand, despite the fact that he wasn't even looking. Dragging Loki toward the door, he ignored me as I yelled out, "Thor! Don't!"

The two disappeared into the darkness, leaving the superheroes and I to gape and try to figure out what had happened. Tony flipped his mask over his face, stalking toward the open sky, informing us tersely that his only plan was to attack, before diving out of the plane.

Steve grumbled, donning a parachute and, as Natasha informed them that Thor and Loki were Norse gods, he shook his head, "There's only one God, ma'am, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that." With that, he was gone.

Sighing, I ran a hand through my wild hair and turned to the redhead, "Boys can't handle 'emselves…"

"I'll circle around," Romanoff nodded, offering me a grin, "show 'em who's boss…"

Saluting, I raced for the opening, leaping and shifting in mid-air. The wind whipped through my fur, my heart in my throat. If I could've laughed, I certainly would have; exhilarated, I thought of Bruce. He had no idea what he was missing…

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So, brief intro to Thor! YAY! I can't wait for their first meeting; it's gonna be great =D Please review if you like it; reviews are like food, I need them. Lol. Lemme know what you think s'il vous plait!

Fantasy-Mania31: Thank you so much! Glad you think so!

The Fool Arcana: I hope this was better!

SiriuslyAddictedtoReading: Here ya go! Brief, but yummy…

Iforgiveyou: Ooh, I love Hawkeye too! And Bruce lol… She'll be great friends with him, that's for sure. Aw sorry haha! I hate when that happens! I love Phil too; he's gonna be a big part of this story haha

Techflow96: haha me too! XD Glad you liked it!

Ali: Yeah, they're gonna be great friends ha

Ivyslade: I'm so glad you like it! I love Irish accents, those and Scottish are my faves haha. I know, I thought it'd be funny; the idea of Bruce being afraid of her was too amusing to pass up… Thank ya!

Bambi Nyla-Rose: Thanks! I'm so glad you like it and sorry it took so long haha