Chapter 7: The Flowers and the Training

"Oh my God!" came Jane's voice from so far away. "Guys, she's over here!"

My vision swam in and out as I saw Bruce, Thor, and Jane hovering over me. Banner's fingers pressed into my left wrist.

"Her pulse is thready," he said. "We've got to get her back to the tower. Now."

"What's going on?" came another voice, and then I recognized Steve Rogers, again lacking in red, white, and blue. Instead, he wore a running jacket and sweat pants. I thought fleetingly—Of course he doesn't wear the outfit ALL the time. "I just got a call from Stark." Must have been interrupted mid-run.

"Tony made Kaila try the pendant," said Bruce. "It had negative side effects when she took it off."

"Her body reacts to it like a drug," said Thor, as if he had explained this a thousand times to them. "She's going into shock."

"Dammit!" said Steve curtly. "Doesn't Stark ever think before he acts?"

"It was Loki…" whispered Thor. "He upset her. He might have made her condition worse."

"C'MON!" I heard Jane scream, and the rest got suddenly quiet. "Kaila has been used enough for one night, don't you think? All of you are to blame."

There was a pause, then Steve said, somewhat hurt, "Wait—how am I to blame?"

Jane gave Rogers a look that would have made a great white shark start to cry. He backed away slowly. My vision was fading to black, but then I heard another voice.

"I agree with Jane," said Natasha, stepping out of the shadows like a quiet cat. "Kaila needs our help right now. And I know exactly what to do."

Suddenly I felt Jane and Natasha's arms around me, shrugging off assistance from the others and pulling me up.

As I finally succumbed to the darkness at the corners of my vision, I remember Natasha whispering into my ear: "I know this isn't what you want to hear, but that was the best party I have ever been to."

When I woke, my head pounded, and I opened my eyes uncertainly.

"She's up," said a warm female voice, and I rubbed my eyes drowsily. I saw the pale blur of a face with an orange halo surrounding it. As my vision finally cleared, I focused on Pepper Potts sitting beside me.

She smiled kindly at me, leaning forward. "How do you feel?"

I thought for a moment, stretching some of my limbs. Besides the lingering weakness, the shaking had stopped, and I felt relatively normal. Something itched along my arm, and I noticed an IV tube inserted in it, which was attached to a bag holding clear liquid beside the bed.

"Better than the last time this happened," I managed to say.

"I'm afraid our first meeting wasn't the most ideal one, Kaila. It's good to meet you." Pepper extended her hand and introduced herself.

I took her hand, felt its warmth, and managed a smile.

"Tea!" announced Jane cheerfully, and the scientist entered the room balancing four ceramic cups on a wooden tray. "Chamomile, Earl grey, chai, and peppermint."

"I'll take the peppermint," I said softly.

While Ms. Potts helped me up, Natasha came into view as well, so different from the others in her sleek black suit. Her watchful eyes around the room reminded me that I had no idea where we were. There was a large window to my right, but I couldn't see the view outside of it from my angle.

"How is she?" Natasha asked Pepper, picking up a mug from Jane.

"Feeling better," Potts replied. "She looks it too."

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Avengers Headquarters," said Natasha.

"We've staked out a corner of it for ourselves," Jane said, as if it was all a big game. "No boys allowed."

I must have looked somewhat confused, because Pepper added, "We decided that all of us needed some time off from the guys for a day or two. They caused you a lot of grief."

It was then that I remembered the party, the pendant, Loki, and my behavior. The memories made my face go hot and I turned away.

"It was all my fault."

"What do you mean?" asked Jane.

"I didn't mean to flirt with Tony, Ms. Potts," I said. "I feel so ashamed…"

"Call me Pepper, my dear," she said, and took my hand. "And don't blame yourself for what happened. Tony was an idiot for putting that pendant around your neck without knowing how it would affect you. He was asking for disaster. In fact, I'm going to text him that right now." She picked up a smart phone from the side table by my bed and typed onto its screen. "Tony. Stark. You. Are. An. Idiot. Love. Pepper."

I smiled slightly, wiping away a tear that had begun to roll down my cheek. I hated to bring up one other factor, but it was bugging me. "Is Loki all right?"

The entire room exploded with loud groans from all three other women. I was starting to feel sorry that I asked.

"Don't get me started on Loki," said Natasha. "He almost took Clint away from me forever."

I hadn't heard that one yet. Swallowing, my mind raced. What else didn't I know about Loki?

"He threw Tony out of a window," said Pepper, as if reading my thoughts.

I turned towards Jane, sipping my tea slowly. "And is it true that he stabbed Thor?"

Jane nodded. "They were raised as brothers, even though Loki is actually a frost giant. But Thor was meant to have his father's crown, and Loki can't accept that."

"So Loki can't stand to look at him," I whispered.

Jane chuckled. "And Thor's love for Loki seems to grow stronger every day. I just can't figure those two out. Maybe you'll do a better job of it, being closer to Loki."

I shook my head. "We're never going to be close."

Natasha said, "Well, he is an irrational, jealousy-prone, compulsively-lying shape-shifter. You have a point."

The others affirmed with bobbing heads.

"No, I mean, I can't get physically close to Loki without draining his powers. We've only held hands briefly… and I was wearing gloves."

There was a pause, and then Jane said, "That could be kind of kinky, right?" The other two gave her weird looks. "What?"

Pepper leaned forward, and I realized how much the other two really paid attention to what she had to say. Her advice was never flippant. Perhaps being with Stark had forced her to become oriented to the now, taking advantage of living in the moment.

"Tony's working on that pendant. Theoretically, the gem would supply you with power and block Loki's energy if he touched you. It might give both of you a chance to see if a relationship would work. But, Kaila, be careful. Loki has a dark side, just like all of the Avengers, but the difference is that his shows up more often and when you least expect it."

I shuddered slightly, setting my cup down.

An electric-guitar thrum emanated from Pepper's phone, and she checked it, laughing out loud.

"It's Tony," she said, "and look what he sent me."

The others gathered around and started giggling. It was a picture of one very grumpy kitty dressed in an Iron Man outfit. It was ridiculous and endearing at the same time.

Kind of like Tony Stark, I thought. No wonder Pepper was in love with him.

Then there was an abrupt knock and Natasha stood up, going to the door and opening it after spying through the peephole.

"She's awake. Thanks for coming."

"I thought men weren't allowed in here," said a soft self-deprecating voice.

"Well, technically, you're also a big green rage monster," said Pepper sweetly, getting up to greet Bruce Banner as he entered the room.

He rifled a hand through his messy hair and gave a small bow at the assembled ladies before turning towards me. I noticed the bouquet of wildflowers in his hands.

"Aw. Are those for me?" I asked.

"Yes," Bruce said, handing them over gently. "They're from Steve."

Shocked gasps came from the ladies, followed by a chorus of "Ooooohs."

"I can't believe it!" said Jane.

"Completely out of character," agreed Pepper.

Natasha smoothly kicked a wastebasket over. "I've been trying to set him up with a nurse for ages."

There was a bit of awkward silence as Bruce watched the others, an expression of pure fear on his face.

"That said," said Jane, "we're all extremely jealous."

"Yeah," said Pepper. "Steve is probably… No, he is the most stable of the Avengers." She glanced briefly at Natasha. "Sorry, Nat."

"None taken," she said.

"Yeah," said Bruce. "None taken!"

"Sorry, Bruce."

I laughed as I gave the flowers to Pepper to put in a vase for me. Meanwhile, Bruce checked my pulse and fiddled with my IV.

"You're going to be just fine," he said with a smile and patted my hand. "You should be back on your feet later today if you feel like it. Just take it easy and get some food." I noticed that when he was taking care of someone was the only time that he wasn't unconsciously wringing his hands.

I took his hand and shook it. "Thanks, Dr. Banner."

He nodded and got up to leave before turning back around shyly, addressing the entire group. "The… the—uh—others wanted me to ask when you all will be opening up your doors to the outside world."

Jane chuckled. "Why?"

"No reason," said Banner quickly, his eyes downcast. Then: "It's… It's just that Thor's a really terrible cook and—"

The others burst into laughter.

"I'm just kidding," said Bruce. "The guys have designated me their official chef."

"Don't worry," said Pepper. "We'll be joining you as soon as Kaila's better."

Natasha touched my arm, winking. "Yes, and we've got some training to do first."

I was feeling much better the next day when Natasha took me downstairs—to the basement of the headquarters—for a little training. She couldn't stop talking about Rogers and how surprised she was about the flowers, but then her expression changed completely, and she was all seriousness.

"Word is that you need some training, and you're gonna get it. Prepare to get angry."

She proceeded to explicate her philosophy of what made an expert fighter.

"Movie-goers have been fooled into believing that the best fighting comes from a place of spiritual peace. Zen Buddhists flying through bamboo forests, 'Crouching Tiger,' wax-on-wax-off shit. As much as I love those movies, it's not correct. Bruce knows the secret better than any of us, and feel free to ask him about it after he's had a warm bath and done his daily yoga routine. The secret is anger. Something that pissed you off once and it's pissing you off again. That's what you have to channel."

I nodded, although I wasn't sure what I was going to visualize. I didn't have any enemies (besides the swampy ones who wanted to kidnap me that one time). I had a relatively normal and happy childhood. I had never suffered any major disappointments in life, so…

Natasha taught me some basic moves slowed down, similar to tai chi, and then she began fighting me with full force and full speed.

I didn't know what hit me. The assault began with three turning kicks. Natasha was as graceful as a dancer, twirling her legs to deliver a solid kick to my waist and bring me down. Next came four blows with her fists. Two were disarming, along my sides, with another one I feebly blocked before she caught me across the jaw. I was on the floor and dizzy in less than thirty seconds.

I brought a hand up to my lip, but there was no blood, nor would there be any bruises, I was sure. Natasha knew exactly how to take me out without actually hurting me. She had the power to control her strength. Romanoff stood over me, her breath even and barely noticeable. She was watching me carefully, then offered a hand to me to get up. I staggered a bit, recovering slowly, giving her a sheepish grin.

"Ow?"

She flashed a smile. "All right?"

I nodded meekly. "You don't look angry."

"I'm not angry at you. I just tap into it, for motivation."

She delivered another punch that I hardly dodged before her knee came up and crunched into my stomach. I sank down again, the wind temporarily knocked out of me.

"Hmm," floated her voice from above. "We're going to have to do some serious brainstorming, Kaila."

She helped me up again. I wanted to thank her, but all I could get out was a wheeze.

Nat set me up with some boxing gloves and worked me through several types of punches. Then she left me alone to practice while she went to another part of the gym to continue her own training.

At that moment, Steve Rogers entered the room. He was too busy wrapping his hands to notice us, but when he saw me, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Afternoon, Steve," called Natasha, rather coyly, from the other side of the room.

"Nat," he acknowledged, averting his eyes from me and heading over to his own corner of the gym.

I continued with the punching bag, trying to pinpoint a specific memory or a figure that made me angry. With the shame of Tony's party came a kernel of anger. Anger at Tony for giving me the pendant in the first place. Anger at Thor and Jane for being the perfect couple and forgetting about me. Anger at myself for not being able to control the magic—to know what the hell I was doing in the first place. And anger at Loki for not being there, then being jealous. Why hadn't he told me about Manhattan and the Chitauri? Why? Why? Why?

I smashed the punching bag so hard that it flung back and violently forward, clipping me on the lip. I flung my glove off angrily, backing into the nearest wall and slowly sliding down it. I was panting and sweaty and exhausted, but I wouldn't ever be a fighter.

"Yeah, I know how that feels," said a man's voice, as if he could read my mind. I looked up wearily to see Steve Rogers standing above me, wearing a white undershirt and grey sweatpants. He slid down the wall to sit next to me, and I saw the sweat shining from his temples. "Feeling like it's hopeless—like you can't go on." He chuckled softly. "I mean, I used to be physically smaller than you."

I had heard the stories of Captain America—had even seen the traveling exhibit of his life at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, but even displays of Rogers' old school American charm did not prepare me for the real deal.

"You okay?"

I snapped back to reality and found him looking at me closely, concerned. Then I felt a small trickle of blood running from my lower lip, and I wiped it away, a bit embarrassed. How unladylike of me.

"I'm fine," I said, forcing a smile, my mind still consumed with the aftermath of Tony's party. My anger was building.

"Ready for round two?" he whispered.

I bit my lip, feeling the sting, determined. "Absolutely."

Steve helped me up and gave me some pointers on boxing. Not everyday you get to have one-on-one lessons with the Captain, I thought.

He taught one technique at a time, and I practiced them slowly. He would frequently stop me, correct my approach, and I would try again. This process went on for at least twenty minutes before I began to get into what Rogers called "the flow."

"Sometimes you can lose yourself in here." His voice echoed around me, as if reaching me from far away. I was so focused on the rhythm of hits, solid and fluid, one right after the other. The anger was building, and it all focused on one green-eyed trickster who hadn't told me the truth.

"Hey."

Steve held the punching bag still and I stopped, chest heaving from the work out, sweat pouring down my face. It felt wonderfully freeing—the feeling of growing stronger.

Rogers eyed me warily. "You can't use this as an escape forever. I'll let you in on a little secret of my own: Natasha and Bruce's obsession with anger only takes you so far."

"I heard that!" came Nat's yell from the other end of the gym.

The Cap threw up his hands. "What? Did you put a bug in the punching bag?" He turned back to me, serious once more. "Sooner or later, the true motivator is what's right and what's wrong. But you gotta nice cross. Keep it up."

Before I could say anything, he walked away. I took off the boxing gloves, unwrapping my hands, and the thought popped into my mind: I hadn't thanked Steve for the flowers he sent me. I'd have to catch him in the common rooms later. Ready to depart, I noticed a figure standing in the shadows.

Loki approached me, wearing all black. His face was expressionless, but there was a thin line of interest on his lips, as if he had been watching me for some time.

"Did someone get hurt?" he said, half in concern, half amusement.

He didn't even have time to flinch before my leg had kicked his out from under him, and I punched him once—twice in the midsection and jaw. Loki went down before you could say "god of lies."

"Yes," I said and finished unwrapping my hands.

The only possible reason that it had happened was that he had never expected it.

Natasha was right behind me on the way out and gave me a fist-bump.

"I think we've found what makes you angry," she said.

"I concur."

We left to the noise of Loki's soft whimper and confused grimace from the floor. I'd feel sorry for him later, but at that moment, it was the most satisfying sound in the world.

A/N: A lot of girl power going on in this one, and finally some Steve! Poor Loki. Let's hope that Kaila can forgive him for his appalling behavior at the party. I wanted Kaila to have some fun and finally kick some butt, rather than being the victim all the time. Get ready for the chapter after this one, 'cause it's pretty epic. Thanks for the lovely reviews and feedback, and (as always) I hope you enjoy reading.