Turn of events in this chapter with Jane, Darcy, and Erik. Will they help her? Idk wait for other chapters ok. Also, I want to especially thank ForTheLoveOfSalazar who plans on making a comic for my stories. That's an interesting idea and I can't wait to see it! Enjoy xx

Chapter 4

Eleanor sat in the bathtub late that night, the bubbly water up to her nose. Bob Dylan's "Mama, You Been On My Mind" echoed in the large and empty bathroom and lingered in the hallways on the other side of the door. It had been playing for almost an hour. Bruce had endured the nasally voice for sixty long minutes while attempting to read in his bedroom, which happened to be right across from the bathroom.

She would not come out, though. Jane, Darcy, and Erik had mocked her and jeered and poked fun at her. The claimed she was absolutely and completely insane and as Darcy put it – "Loki must have fucked you up." The three of them hooted and hollered until they tired themselves out and retired to their respective bedrooms. Eleanor locked herself in the bathroom and Bruce had taken it upon himself to explain to Tony who the strangers in his house were and what they were doing there. Enraged, Tony banged continuously on the bathroom door for ten minutes before giving up and muttering to himself.

Even though the water was cold, Eleanor did not make any effort to drain it and replace the cold water with hot. Goosebumps formed all over her skin, but she was too emotionally drained to move.

Maybe she was crazy. Maybe Loki did have her under some mind control. She stretched her arms before her and cracked her knuckles. She couldn't have been under some mind control; she felt free. She could think whatever she wanted and she could do whatever she wanted. She had control over herself, she knew that. She had seen what Loki had done to the agents he had brainwashed and she definitely wasn't like that.

There was a knock on the door at one in the morning that was soft and for sure not Tony or Bruce. "Eleanor, honey, come on out and get some sleep." It was Pepper and Eleanor held her breath, pausing the music that was playing and remaining in the bath. She must have had the key because the next thing Eleanor knew, the door was opening and Pepper crossed her arms, smirking at Eleanor. She attempted to cover her naked body, but it was no use; water splashed over the sides of the tub and onto the floor. The younger girl groaned and slicked back her wet hair.

Pepper grabbed a towel off of the rack near the door and walked over to Eleanor, helping her out of the bath while trying to wrap her quickly in the towel. Eleanor held the towel to her body and drained the tub, watching the bubbles go down. She grabbed her clothes off the ground and let Pepper lead her to her bedroom.

When the lights in Eleanor's room flicked on, she closed her eyes and fell into her bed, still wrapped in a towel. Pepper rummaged through her dresser and pulled out pajamas for her to wear. Eleanor did not argue, but slipped them on and then crawled underneath the blankets. Pepper instructed JARVIS to dim the lights and Eleanor felt Pepper's fingers stroking her hair. They were long and skinny and bony, just like Loki's, but more feminine.

"They laughed at me," muttered Eleanor into her pillow. "Laughed and made fun of me and called me crazy."

"That's what Bruce said."

Eleanor moaned. "What have I done...?"

Pepper shushed her and stood up, turning the lights off and leaving Eleanor in the dark. The older lady stood in the doorway for a few seconds, watching Eleanor settle into bed and pull the covers up to her chin.


"She's what?"

"Trying to find Loki," Tony sighed, rubbing his eyes and glancing at Pepper. She was frowning at Tony. He held his mobile phone to his ear with his shoulder as he fixed himself a drink.

"And you said who is over there?" Director Fury continued.

"You remember Erik Selvig, right? He's here with er –" He looked to Pepper for help, but remembered. "Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis."

Director Fury hummed over the phone. "They've all got connections to Thor. That was smart of her, I'll admit that." He seemed deep in thought. "I'll be there as quickly as I can to talk with her. I've got a plan."

"Just don't throw her in a cell, alright?" hissed Tony through his phone, sipping at his drink. "She hasn't done anything dangerous and doesn't need to be punished like she's a criminal."

"Yeah, yeah."

"'Yeah, yeah' my ass."


Amy Russell was an eighteen year old girl named after Amy Bennett. Her parents had dreams that their daughter would make it big in the art industry. She met Eleanor at a small café while she was out to eat with Pepper. The two were discussing plans to renovate Stark Tower when Amy approached Eleanor, explaining that her parents were big fans of her mother's. Flattered, Eleanor left Amy her number and asked if she wanted to hang out the following day.

While Amy had become Eleanor's closest friend, she had told her nothing about her past. Of course Amy knew about Loki kidnapping her and that she lived at Stark Tower with Bruce and Tony, but that was it. Eleanor dodged questions about her current job; she lied to Amy about painting. She told Amy that Tony was supporting her so she didn't have to work. Amy believed it, but no matter how many times she asked to visit Stark Tower, Eleanor always had a different excuse.

"We're in the middle of renovations."

"Tony is working on something extremely important and doesn't want people bothering him."

"Bruce is experimenting with gamma radiation today and isn't sure how other people would react to it."

"Tony's having some important company people over tonight."

But there she was, walking through the doors of Stark Tower and into a small, white room. There was a keypad and a hand scanner, but Amy did not have a password to type in and she was sure the scanner wouldn't recognize her hand. Beside the scanner was a red button with a speaker drawn below it. The doors to the elevator would not open and there were no buttons beside the doors to open it. Amy pushed the red button.

Eleanor, Jane, Darcy, Erik, and Bruce were sitting around the television in Tony's living room, watching the evening news and eating Chinese food. While at first, the three guests were wary of Eleanor, they realized she wasn't all that crazy and actually very down to Earth. They avoided talking about Thor and Loki and Jane promised to stick it out until the end of the week, when they would catch their flight home.

Bruce had informed Eleanor that Director Fury was coming to visit with a mission in order for her. Although he had lied, he felt no guilt. Fury would set Eleanor straight and hopefully get her mind off of finding Loki.

Eleanor's face popped up on the news when JARVIS interrupted their program. "Miss Bennett, Amy Russell is on line one."

She sat up quickly, slamming her noodles on the coffee table, pursing her lips and thinking of an excuse. Jane, Darcy, and Erik went on eating as if nothing had happened. "Put her on," Eleanor cleared her throat and the high pitched voice of Amy filled the room, making Erik jump and look around quickly at the ceiling. Bruce turned the volume down on the television. "Hello, Amy."

"Hi, Eleanor. May I come up?" asked Amy.

"Er –" she glanced at Bruce. "Tony actually has guests down in the lab. I don't think –"

"He's in the lab – it doesn't matter, does it?" Amy continued and Eleanor began to panic. If Director Fury arrived while Amy was visiting, Eleanor's cover as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent would be blown. "May I?"

"For a little bit, but you've got to leave soon," Eleanor sighed quietly. "Send her up, JARVIS."

"Yes, ma'am."

The line clicked as Amy hung up and Bruce turned the television back up. "She doesn't know I work for S.H.I.E.L.D. She thinks I paint for a living," Eleanor whispered quickly to the scientist beside her. "What if she sees Director Fury?"

"Who is Amy?" Jane asked, slurping her noodles.

"She's Eleanor's best friend," Bruce replied as the doors to the room opened. Eleanor resumed eating, calming herself down as not to look suspicious to Amy. Amy bounced off the elevator, her brown curls up in a loose bun. She looked around in amazement and Bruce chuckled. Her eyes caught Eleanor's and she walked over to her, sitting to her left on the couch. Eleanor took a piece of chicken out of Bruce's cup and ate it.

"Good food," Darcy said quietly, breaking the awkward silence.

Amy, bold as usual, smiled. "Are you two dating?"

Eleanor groaned and covered her face as Bruce choked, his face turning red. Jane and Darcy giggled and Erik even chuckled slightly. "We're watching the news with our friends," said Eleanor. "What about that suggests that we're dating?"

"You were leaning on him and sharing food –" Amy leaned in to whisper in Eleanor's ear. "He's more handsome in person." Amy stood up again and began exploring the kitchen and bar and loving room. Bruce blushed and shook his head. Amy looked at all the alcohol Tony had stored and her eyes widened. Eleanor sat up, making sure there was a good few inches between her and Bruce. "Can I see your art, Eleanor?"

"It's downstairs, actually," Eleanor lied. "I had Tony put it away for now."

"Oh."

"Maybe another time," answered Eleanor, taking Bruce's empty noodle carton and getting up to throw away their trash. Amy walked over to her. "Are you hungry? Want something to drink?"

"No, thank you," Amy said, looking at a giant picture above the bar. It was a painting for Tony's house in Miami that Eleanor's mother had painted. Tony asked her to do it while they were fixing up the tower. "That's lovely."

Eleanor and continued to follow Amy around. "So how are you? What are you doing tonight? Are you going to be with Harry?"

"Harry's with his parents tonight," laughed Amy. "Do you want me to leave or something?"

"You have to forgive her," Bruce called at her over the sound of the news. "She's just got a job modeling and her new manager is coming over to speak with her about the details. She's a little nervous about it."

Eleanor glared at Bruce while Amy wasn't looking and mouthed, "What?" Bruce smiled and turned back around. "Yeah, what he said," smiled Eleanor weakly.

"Oh," Amy grinned, circling around Eleanor several times and examining her body. "A modeling gig? That'd be perfect for you. Awesome!"

"Yeah… that's it."

"Then maybe I should come back tomorrow when you've got all the details?" suggested Amy.

"Maybe we could go out to eat or something. We'll see what's going on."

JARVIS spoke loudly again. "Miss Bennett, I just let your er – manager into the elevator. He's on his way up now."

Eleanor gently pushed Amy towards the elevator doors, her heart racing. "Well, it was great seeing you, Amy. I'll text you tomorrow about plans, okay?"

The elevator doors opened and Director Fury was standing there, looking at Amy with a very confused look. Amy stood up straight. "Oh, you're her modeling manager?" asked Amy, shaking his hand. "Wicked eye patch. Looks good." She waved to all of Eleanor's friends and she sighed. "Nice to meet you all!"

As Amy boarded the elevator and the doors shut, Eleanor ran a hand through her hair, shaking her head and breathing out heavily. "Can you please explain what she was talking about?" inquired Fury. "You could have blown our cover!" He crossed his arms. She heard the others on the couch chuckle, but hush up quickly.

"Bruce came up with it, not me," she explained immediately. "I didn't know Amy was going to come by. Don't worry – she's my best friend and she's rather daft – she doesn't know anything is going on."

"Fine, never mind that," Fury said angrily, waving an impatient hand at her. Bruce stood up and walked over to them. "You three, over here, too. Let's sit down."

Jane, Darcy, and Erik stood and followed Fury, Eleanor, and Bruce to the bar, where Eleanor fixed everyone drinks as fast as she could, handing them out. "What's going on?" Eleanor asked quietly. "What's my mission?"

"Mission?" asked Fury and Bruce held his head in his hands. Eleanor glanced at him. "There is no mission. I'm here to talk to you about something."

"Oh?" Eleanor sat down on a barstool.

"Tony told me you were meeting with these three –" said Fury, pointing to the three guests Eleanor had invited to the tower. "And I know what you're doing. I know what you're planning to use them for. And the media is onto you." Fury held onto his drink glass tightly, but didn't drink it. "The media knows you've been meeting with Jane, Darcy, and Erik. They know that those three have connections with Thor. They're convinced you are trying to open another wormhole for Loki to travel through. They think you're on his side."

"But I'm not!" protested Eleanor. "We have dropped the subject of Thor and anything related to him!"

"You are not convincing enough," said Fury harshly.

"It's true," Erik interrupted. "She tried the first night we got here. We aren't helping her break Loki out of wherever he is on Asgard."

"So that's your plan?" Fury looked at Eleanor with his good eye and she stammered, searching for something to say, but she couldn't think of anything that would sound good.

"No," Jane said, correcting Erik. "He just said that – Eleanor never told us she was trying to break Loki out of prison or anything. She just wants to know where he is."

Eleanor rubbed her temples. They weren't helping her situation.

"Regardless, the people of Manhattan are suspicious of you," Fury continued. "Which is why you'll have to be in the media for a while. You need good press to change their minds about you and I've got the perfect plan."

"Plan?" Bruce shook his head. "She doesn't need to do anything. She's not dangerous –"

"She does," Fury glanced at Bruce. "Since the media and people responded so positively to your date with Stark to the party, you are going to be dating Banner in public."

Eleanor looked at Bruce, whose face was contorted and void of emotion. "I'm sorry?" Eleanor snorted. "How exactly is that going to get me good press? Have you not thought about the issues with this?"

"Humor me."

"For one, the age difference?" suggested Eleanor, holding out her index finger. "I'm twenty years old and he's – well, he's not twenty!"

"You're a celebrity. Things like this happen everyday in that world."

"Because you know all about that world, right?" hissed Eleanor dangerously. "What about my mother?"

"She has no idea. This will come as a shock to her, as well."

"The rest of the Avengers?" said Eleanor desperately.

"They'll know about the plan. In fact, I've already told them. They are supposed to try and make it seem as real as possible. This is my first time informing Banner."

Eleanor was silent as she stared at Director Fury. Darcy, who had been smirking at first, now sounded dead serious as she spoke with attitude. "There's got to be another way," she said, crossing her arms and spinning on her barstool. "You're not a publicist; you're like, a director or something. You can't tell her to do this."

Fury ignored her completely and looked at Eleanor, who looked just as flustered as Bruce.

"What about Loki?" breathed Eleanor.

"What about him?" repeated Fury. Eleanor did not answer him. "You will not be searching for him any longer, understood? If you do not agree to this plan, we have another idea. Currently, Stark is fixing up something that will completely wipe your memory of him. We began the project last year while you were being held captive by Loki. We planned to use it, but you proved to be able to think for yourself without being influenced by him, so we refrained."

"That's impossible," Erik countered. "To wipe her memory could cause horrible brain damage."

"To have her date me is one thing, but you can't mess with her mind," Bruce said, not raising his voice. Eleanor was afraid that his heart rate would speed up, but maybe it was just her's that was going faster than normal. "That's cruel. It's not right. Right?"

Jane nodded. "The people around her would still remember. You can't wipe all their minds, too. She'd get her memory back through the people around her. She'd eventually piece everything together again."

Eleanor was trembling. How could he do that? How could Fury think it was actually moral to wipe her memory of him? After how much she had endured? After all that had happened? And what if they hurt her? What if they erased more than they planned? She looked at Bruce with watery eyes.

"Fine," she replied. "I'll date him. That – that's okay, right?" Eleanor's eyes met Bruce's.

Bruce, who didn't want Eleanor's memory to be wiped, nodded. It wasn't fair to him or her.

"Tell Tony the memory machine won't be necessary," whispered Eleanor.

Fury did not nod or shake his head. "We don't know that for sure."

"I'm agreeing to date Bruce in the public, so you don't need the machine! I was given a choice!" Eleanor argued. "I don't know why you view me as such a threat when I haven't done anything to hurt S.H.I.E.L.D. and you know that!"

"Again, Miss Bennett," said Fury slowly. "We don't know that."


Eleanor had gone to bed long before Bruce or any of the guests. The four sat up in the living room, the television off. Bruce kept nervously running his fingers through his hair and sighing.

"Maybe we could help her?" Darcy suggested. "We were a little harsh on her when she suggested it at first, but…"

"Help her how? If we don't do this, Fury's just going to do something to hurt her," Bruce replied quite calmly. He had certainly learned to control his anger. "He could have other things in mind that he doesn't want to tell us. He's hidden things from us before, who's to say he won't do it again?"

"Loki's imprisoned," Jane shrugged. "We know that because he hasn't attacked in a year. Someone – most likely Thor since we haven't seen him either – is probably guarding him."

"Where are you going with this?" Bruce asked, looking up at her.

"If we get Thor back down here to Earth, he could take Eleanor up to Asgard briefly to see Loki – just to see him. So she knows he's alive and okay."

"Fury will just see her as a bigger threat," Bruce said, waving a hand at her and shaking his head.

"She's not a threat, though," Erik said firmly. "She closed the portal last year. She was fighting against Loki, not with him."

"Fury doesn't want her on good terms with Loki," Bruce told them all. "Even if she speaks to him, Fury will probably have her thrown in a cell for the rest of her life."

"I think there's a different motive behind Fury's making you two date," Darcy nodded, leaning back in her chair and putting her hands behind her head. "I think he's trying to make Eleanor fall in love with you so he won't have to worry about her loving Loki."

"Then why doesn't he have Steve do that? He's younger than me. He's the youngest and he's normal," Bruce sighed. "He probably hopes that I'll go crazy and turn into the 'other guy' and kill her."

Everyone's eyes widened as Bruce's dark statement. "Er –" Erik began, but he didn't quite know what to say. Finally, after a long and heavy silence, he spoke. "They can't really have that machine… It's impossible to wipe her memory of one thing. He was most likely just making that up."

"I don't think so," Bruce answered. "You haven't seen all the toys Tony's created." Bruce paused. "I could tell Fury about Harry – he's Eleanor other good friend. He could have them date – I just don't understand what it's got to be me. He doesn't explain himself very well… He's too vague…"

"He's like that on purpose," Darcy scoffed. "He's a spy, man! Of course he's going to keep shit to himself!"

"Regardless," said Bruce, standing up and stretching. "I've got to do this or else Fury's going to use that damn machine on her. How is this fair at all?"

"I don't see why you're the one complaining," Jane frowned. "Eleanor's got two choices: date you or become the lab rat for a machine they've never used before. You can either date her or not. There's no consequence if you decide not to do this."

"Yeah, because that wouldn't haunt me forever if I caused Eleanor's mind to be wiped," Bruce retorted. As the three guests shuffled past him to head towards their bedrooms, he looked up at the ceiling.

"Not a very good situation, hm?" said JARVIS and Bruce jumped, forgetting that JARVIS had heard everything.

"Oh, shut up."