Hey guys, just a heads up. This chapter contains a lot of reference to my previous story: A Heart Torn. If you've read it, great! If you havn't, check it out! It's an Avengers fanfic with my same OC, Halle Rhodes.

Enjoy!

Halle

I retreated to my room again, utterly embarrassed. I hoped Loki would show up again, since I was alone, but my room stayed lonely. That was one of Loki's upsetting features, he never visited. I wasn't over the top furious because I knew he lived in another realm and he had to smooth some things over after the Battle of New York. But still, maybe a call every now and then? He only ever seemed to visit when I was unconscious (he says it's easier for him to transport if it's through the subconscious) which I was a lot when I was with the X-Men. I missed him, more than I had ever missed anyone. More than my parents, more than Steve, more than Coulson after he died. The feeling seemed to be present in my life often, but Loki was different.

I returned to what I was going to do before Skye entered my room: calling Steve. He was going to be thrilled I was working for S.H.I.E.L.D. again and maybe we could even meet up. My laptop chirped as I patiently waited for a connection, and my heart tensed a little bit when I saw the words "connecting." The last time I talked to Steve, I had turned him down in his time of need. The pain I saw in his eyes was something I never wanted to see again. But I couldn't go with him, I had to save my other friends, as well as two other mutants I had met along the way. I never regretted my decision, but the memory plagued me every night since. Coulson told me he was still alive, so that put me at ease a bit, but I no idea anything else that had happened since then.

My face shrunk into the corner of my laptop screen as Steve's perfect, pixelated face smiled at me. I was hit with emotions, and my hand flew to my mouth in surprise of this feeling.

"Halle!" He looked thrilled.

"Steve," I breathed. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"After our last encounter, I would've said the same."

I took a deep breath. I was hoping he didn't bring it up.

"Well I just wanted you to know, I'm back working for S.H.I.E.L.D.! I'm an agent again!" I smiled proudly.

His eyes widened excitedly, "that's great! There's not many people I would actually trust if they said that to me. Where are you?"

I looked around my room, realizing I had no idea. "I'm not exactly sure."

He nodded understandingly. "Typical S.H.I.E.L.D."

I laughed.

"So when can I see you?"

"Soon I hope," I smiled. "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too, Natasha isn't quite as friendly, and Maria's too stone-faced."

Coulson told me when we were on the plane that only a select number of people knew that he was alive. That list consisted of the people that currently lived in the underground bunker, and a handful of others. That handful did not include Steve, or any of the other Avengers. It killed me not to be able to tell him the reason why I was brought back, instead I had to offer up the reason Coulson gave me: "I felt like I was needed here." I had told Coulson it was lame because that was the same thing I said to Steve when I told him I was staying with the X-Men, but Steve apparently didn't think anything of it.

"I'm glad that you're back," commented Steve. He looked to the ground suddenly, as if what he was going to say next was extremely difficult. "Rhodie, about New York…"

"Don't beat yourself up, Steve," I calmed. "Fury was the one who overreacted. I have powers, just like you or Dr. Banner."

"So…" he said slowly," …what can you do, exactly?"

I smiled at his awkwardness. "I can control water.

"Well that makes sense," he said, obviously recalling the Battle of New York.

I shrugged, giving him a what can you do? look.

"Is that why you were gone?" he asked, tentatively.

I swallowed. "Yes, it had to do with my powers."

"Why didn't you just tell me that?"

I looked into the millions and millions of pixels that made up his soft brown eyes and melted. He didn't care that I abandoned him in his time of need, he cared about my well-being. "I don't know, Steve. I don't know." The rest of our conversation continued without any mention of that fateful day, and for that, I was glad.

"You should be getting some rest," Steve commented after we had spent an hour chatting. "First day back is always the most tiring."

I nodded. "Goodnight Cap."

"'night Superstar." His face froze at I ended our connection. I clicked my laptop closed and fell into the first blissful sleep I'd had in a long time.

The sun was shining on the boardwalk of Cony Island. I had only been a few times when I was a child, when my brother, Bjorn, and I had pestered our parents to the point of no end. They reluctantly took us on vacation to New York, what seemed to be a never ending drive from our temporary home in New Jersey. But once we arrived, we were ecstatic, and it was one of the only fond memories I had of my parents.

I smelled the deep fried goods as licked a chocolate peanut butter ice cream cone. My other hand was occupied holding Loki's hand. He looked more casual than I had ever seen before, sporting a loud orange Hawaiian shirt, cargo shorts, and eyes wide with surprise. His other hand carried a half-eaten corn dog practically dripping with grease, but he didn't care. I smiled in spite of myself; he almost seemed human. Suddenly, he stopped walking.

"Halle," he asked. "What is that metal beast?"

I looked in the direction of where he was looking and laughed, "that's not a beast. It's called a roller coaster. You ride it."

"I wish to ride the Roller Coaster beast," he announced. I smiled gleefully and lead him to the line.

As we approached the front of the line, I could see Loki's hand twitching, and his fierce eyes darts around the crowd of people in line. "You're not nervous, right?" I smiled, taking his other hand.

He scoffed. "The rightful King of Asgard is not scared of beasts." I rolled my eyes and we were lead to our seats. The oily carnival worker slid the bar in front of us; Loki never let go of my hand. We took off slowly, building suspense as we climbed the hill we bumped up and down with the clicks of the track, but it was almost a little more than usual. My teeth chattered involuntarily, and I began to question my decision as we reached the climax of the ride.

My heart was racing as I quickly sat up in my bed. The dream was over, but the shaking didn't stop. My first thought turned to an earthquake and I bolted out of my room. I didn't know where I was going as I ran down the concrete hallways. I guessed, rounding multiple corners, but was not able to find anyone. Suddenly, I turned a brick corner and ran straight into Melinda May.

"Rhodie!" she said. "We've been looking for you! It's Skye."

I hardly even understood her as the combat agent side of me kicked in. "We need to get everyone out of here before the building collapses from the quake."

"No, you don't get it," said May forcefully. "Skye is the earthquake."

I paused, taking in what she had just said. But then without hesitation, I answered. "Take me to her."

May lead me back to the lab where I had met Skye. She was sitting criss-cross on her bed with her head in her hands. I pointed at the Scottish scientist and demanded him to open her quarantined room and I sat down next to her.

"Skye," I whispered. She looked up slowly, and the shaking began to ever so slightly subside.

"Halle, I can't stop it," she gasped, tears running down her face.

"What triggered it?" I asked.

Skye swallowed some tears, but she shook her head. I looked at Agent May and Fitz and waved them away. They reluctantly complied. "It's okay Skye, it's just you and me."

She took a breath. "I overheard Coulson talking about...a man I used to know. A man the whole team used to know."

The shaking began to slow more exponentially. "Okay, good," I said, looking up to see the lights above start to flicker. But I continued to coax, "what about him?"

"He blew up a Hydra base."

I looked at her curiously. "Isn't that a good thing?"

She shook her head. "Not for him. He was on Hydra's side, but now feels like he's trying to make right with us," her breathing slowed, "with me."

I nodded. "Did you have a personal relationship with him?"

Her eyes flashed to mine defensively. "Something like that. Now he's a monster."

"I knew a man like that once," I sighed. "He worked for S.H.I.E.L.D., followed orders, and he was fiance." Skye's ears perked. "He also became a mad man."

"What happened?"

I looked at the bed uncomfortably. "I fell in love with another man from another world. It was then that I realized that I wanted so much more than what he was giving me. He caught me cheating on him, but he wouldn't accept breaking of our engagement. He believed that he could make me remember that I loved him, and maybe I would have, if I had loved him in the first place." I took a deep breath. "He went to extreme lengths to make me remember...even hurting me physically. But the difference is that my ex-fiance actually did turn into a monster, he was a mutant just like me, and he let it consume him. I did completely cut him out of the picture in the end, and I've never felt happier."

By the end of my story, the shaking was almost completely gone. I put my hand on Skye's shoulders. "Everything is going to be fine."

Yeah, after I wrote this, I realized it was a lot of filler. Anyways, hope you enjoyed Halle's re-connection with Steve! And as always review, favorite, and follow!