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Italics=Sign language

Bold/Italics=Lucy's other side

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Chapter 7: Lucy's Nightmare?

Lucy was sitting on the floor in her newly furbished room playing with some of the new toys Pepper let her get. Currently, she was playing with legos which made Tony beyond excited that she would choose such a choice in toys. He was almost on the floor playing with her when Pepper immediately pulled him away to talk about the company. Lucy giggled at the thought of Iron Man playing legos with a ten-year-old girl, but Tony did sometimes tend to act like a child. Maybe one of these days when Pepper wasn't around he could sneak in to play with her.

Now she was left alone to play by herself, which she didn't mind. It gave her the opportunity to think about all that had happened to her in the past few days. It seemed crazy to think about how normal…Well, not as normal, but close to a normal life she had. She had her dad…Lucy breath hitched, she hadn't thought about him and she felt selfish for it. He had died for her. Protected her from Loki, but in the end, Loki had the upper hand. She felt like crying, but she knew it wouldn't do her any good to fix what had happened.

She loved her adopted father very much, and he never made her feel like she wasn't wanted. He was goofy and always knew what would make her happy. He knew more about science than anyone, probably even more than Bruce, and Tony combined. At least, she thought that he always had answers for her why things are as they are. If anything she gives anything to hear one of his lectures on why science is important in all aspect of life, but she wouldn't hear it. He was gone, and Lucy was going to have to move on from it. It was hard though because her father was the one who took her in when she was a baby when no one wanted her. She felt wanted with him, and only him.

She bit down hard on her gums to keep from crying. Grief was hard, especially for a small ten-year-old girl. Maybe she should think of other things than ones that would haunt her forever? Dropping the lego pieces she goes to her bed where the Norse Mythology book lays, the one Loki gave her before the accident. She thought about burning it often, but she couldn't. This book wasn't what the title said it was. This book was one of Loki's spell books. Spells that were dangerous for a ten-year-old to have.

Not only were there spells, but there were clues Loki left her. Clues that would give her answers to her true parentage as he had said when he handed it to her. She didn't dare tell the Avengers about the book, and she still wasn't planning on it. They would immediately take it away from her since it was Loki's, and all they knew was how dangerous Loki was.

Picking up the book she went back to where she left off at. Loki's handwriting was scribbled at the margins of the pages telling her things that she would have to solve. It was tricky there was no denying that, but she had managed to figure where she should be looking for answers which were Asgard, and a place she didn't know about called Jotunheim. That's why she hoped that she could go with Thor to Asgard to see if she could find whatever answers Loki wanted her to look for. Though part of her thought of it as a trick that Loki was playing on her again, the other half of her was curious.

Now though, there was no way that she was going to get to go to Asgard. Thor didn't think it was a good idea for her to be around Loki, which maybe he was right. There was no telling what she might do, or what the other girl might do if she saw him once more. It scared her that there was another part of herself that could cast her aside, and roam free about her life. Trying to push that thought back she went to reading the margins of the spell book for any more answers.

After a few minutes of finding nothing interesting, there was a knocking at her door. She shoved the book under her pillow and goes to answer the door. She opens the door, and to her surprised Thor has managed to visit with her. He looks sadly at her, "I did not know, Lady Lucy, you must forgive me."

Lucy tilts her head at the blond Avenger, "What do you mean, Thor?"

"This morning, I didn't know that it wasn't you. Natasha has finally told me what happen." And sure enough Natasha was with him, but now moving down the corridor to do whatever else the spy needed to do. She sends a wink Lucy's way, and Lucy smiles at her. She was thankful to have Natasha around.

Lucy immediately hugs Thor by his waist, "Thor, it's okay you didn't know! I'm sorry I can't control that part of myself."

Thor picks her up to hug her more properly, and sadly looks at her, "I wish I could spend more time here with you, Lady Lucy."

Lucy looks pleading at him, "You could just stay, or come straight back when you drop Loki off."

Thor puts her down, "Asgard is a part of me it is where I grew up, and I have responsibilities for my people. I can't leave it behind that quickly."

"Then you should take me with you." Lucy counters.

"I do not think that would be wise," Thor says slowly, not admitting that it would be his father that would have the problem of Lucy coming with him.

"Why not?" Lucy huffs, crossing her arms at Thor, "It's not like you couldn't teach me how to control my powers."

"I think that you will learn more with the hands of everyone that is a part of this team rather than relying on one to teach you everything." Thor states, and bends down to Lucy's level, "I am not going away forever, I will be back."

"It'll seem like forever." Lucy mutters, she knew pouting wouldn't get her anywhere, so she moved on to a better angle, "Can't I just go to Asgard for a little while then come straight back? Maybe for just a few days? Or even an hour or two?"

"As I've said before I myself will not just be going on the journey back home, but Loki is as well." Lucy grimaces thinking about seeing him once more, and Thor notices, "And once there he will be faced with his punishment, and I do not wish for you to see him again. He has caused you, and many others too much pain he will only bring more if you see him again."

"You don't know that!" Lucy exclaimed, her eyebrows furrowed down, "I'm not weak!"

"Let me show him how strong you are."The other charmed her in the back of her head thinking of the many ways she could prove herself to Thor, "He'll change his mind after that, Lucy!"

"Lucy," Thor sharply says, seeing her wonder further into her mind, "I would never call you weak, but it seems that your other side would not handle it very well."

"No, you're wrong!" Lucy shouted, and her head started to ache in anger that Thor didn't trust her enough with her own emotions, "Wrong, wrong, wrong." She squeezes her eyes shut trying to rid herself of the voice in her head pushing on her mind.

Thor takes her shoulders trying to calm her down, "You must calm yourself, child."

"I can't." Lucy whimpers, clenching her hands to her unruly blonde hair, "She's too u-upset. I mean I'm upset."

"I just want a little fun, Lucy. Let me out."It whispers at the back part of her brain as if trying to squeeze into the cracks.

"You can't let it overtake you, Lady Lucy!" Thor shakes her, and then gets a better idea, "Lucy, can you hold her back until I get back?"

"W-W-Where are you going?" She wheezes out, as another wave of pain hits her head. She growls at it, and Thor, "Don't leave me!"

"I will not." Thor declares, "I will get help." He immediately leaves the room.

"Stay out, out, out." Lucy chants, as she presses even more with her hands on her head, "I don't want you here."

"Lucy, I can help. Let me help. I can take your pain all away."The voice echoes in a closer part of her mind.

"You'll wreck everything like last time!" Lucy accuses the voice, getting madder at it for trying to help her, "You ruin everything!" She then slaps herself thinking that will help get the other girl away from her, and she precedes to continue on. Because it takes the pain off of the switch that was trying to happen. She slaps harder. She can feel her cheek swelling with each slap that she lands.

Someone grabs her hand, "No."

Lucy looks up at Dr. Banner, and makes a face, "Let me go!"

"No." He says and grabs her other hand before she can get another slap in.

She tries to wiggle her grip away from him, "No, no, no. You're going to let her come out!"

"Lucy, look at me." Dr. Banner commands, and she tries keeping her eyes focused on him, "It won't happen. You can control this."

Lucy howls, "It hurts!" And she squirms trying to get away from the good doctor, and Bruce doesn't let her go. On the contrary, he brings her closer in what seemed like a hug, but really preventing her from escaping, "Hurts, it hurts."

"He's holding you back! They're not letting me out!" The voice screeches trying to break through the wall that Lucy was putting up.

"I know," He whispers in her ear, "I know."

"Out. Out. Out. Let me out!"

"Make it stop." Lucy demands, "Stop. Stop. Talking too much."

"Listen to me then," Bruce calmly says into her small ear.

"No! I won't! I mean-" Lucy winced.

"It's okay," Bruce hushed her, "Just let it pass. It's okay. Just breathe with me. In," He commands her, and she sucks in breath with him, "Out." She lets it out. They continue this pattern for what seems like forever. It helped though, slowly Lucy finds that her head is clear, and away from that dark part of her mind. Exhausted, she continues to listen to Bruce's breath, and heartbeat to calm her.

Slowly she relaxes into him saying, "It's not fair."

Bruce shakes his head, "No, it's not, but it will get easier."

He loosens his grip on her, and she slowly stands to turn around to face him, "Do you think you could teach me more ways on how to control it?"

"We'll start with mediation this week." Bruce nods, and looks at her nervously, "Is that okay with you?"

"Anything is, as long as it's keeping her away." Lucy was determined to keep this part of herself away no matter how much it took.

"What set you off?" Bruce tilted his head, and pushed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose, "If you don't mind me asking?"

"It was-" Lucy starts, and then Thor steps in.

"It was my fault I brought up a sensitive subject for the little one," Thor admits, sharing a guilt-ridden look to Lucy.

Lucy huffs, "No, I got mad because Thor doesn't think that I could handle seeing Loki again." And she puffs out her chest, "And I know I can."

"What's so important that you have to see him again?" Bruce questioned, tilting his head analyzing her.

Lucy didn't say to talk to him about the book, but this instead, "I want to go to Asgard with Thor, and I have to see Loki do it."

Bruce calculated her, then he went to Thor, "You know, you can't just take her to Asgard?"

"I have no plans for Lucy to come with me." Lucy pouts, "She knows why as to why I feel the way I do. Furthermore, I would always consult the rest of our fellow warriors first before any decision was made."

Bruce nods, "Lucy, you need to be here for right now. Maybe one day you can see Asgard with Thor, but not right now."

"Fine." Lucy says giving up on the matter, "Can I at least get to see you off? Please?" She bats her brown eyes hoping to get her way by being cute.

Thor almost opens his big mouth to say yes to Lucy's precious plead, but Dr. Banner counters, "How about we put this to a vote with the others then we will see if you get to say goodbye to Thor with the rest of us?"

Lucy didn't see how that was fair, but she would take what she would get, "Okay." And she then yawned loudly, "Do you get this tired after the big guy comes out?"

Bruce nods, "I don't think it's near as bad as it was the first few times, but yes it does tire me." Lucy yawns again, and rubs her eyes, "I think a nap might be in order, yeah?"

"Maybe." Lucy says quietly, not wanting to admit that a nap would recharge her, "Can I take my nap in the living room where everyone is?"

Bruce eyes her cheek seeing how swollen it was starting to get, "While we're at it let's get some ice for your cheek too." Lucy touches her cheek feeling how hot it was, "You hit yourself pretty hard it probably doesn't help having super strength either. Don't do that again."

"What if I have to?" Lucy asked, rubbing her cheek now it was starting to sting more now.

"There are other ways to control it, Lucy, promise me you won't hurt yourself to get rid of her." Bruce declared to her, as he winced mentally looking at her swelled cheek.

"What if it's the only way?" Lucy mutters, curling up on herself.

"It's not. I promise, now do you?" Bruce asked.

"I promise." She sighed, looking down not really believe this would be the last time this would happen to her.

"Good, come on let's get some ice on your cheek." Bruce stands up and takes Lucy's hand to lead her to the kitchen.

Thor follows, and as they reach the kitchen she sees everyone is gathered for lunch. Her stomach growled she forgotten how much time she was spending in her room. She decides to take an open seat beside Steve at the countertop. She sits with her knees both tuck under her, and Thor takes an empty seat to the left of her.

Steve sees the swelling immediately, "Lucy, why is your right cheek puffy?"

After he said that everyone around took interest in the girl's sudden appearance. They looked shocked to see she was hurt, but Lucy nervously replied, "My other side was going to come out, so I tried stopping her."

"By hitting yourself? Jesus, kid." Tony says as he inspects her cheek.

Lucy flinches away from his touch, "Can we not talk about it? I just don't want to think about her right now." Bruce hands her a bag of ice for her cheek, and she takes it, "Thank you."

"Why don't you lay down on the couch with it?" Bruce asks her, Lucy nods hoping down from her seat.

She was happy to get away from any more questions about what she did to herself and why she did it. They didn't understand that part of her the way Bruce did. Lucy leans back into the couch cushion and places the ice right onto her cheek to numb the pain. She sighs, it was already calming her down even more. Her eyes fluttered trying to stay awake, but a hand started to brush her hair making her sleepier. She started to fuss, but the hand of the person shushed her.

"Shush, sleep Lucy, you need it."

She huffs, giving into a much-needed nap.

Lucy yawned and blinked. She had a wonderful nap, but she expected to wake up to the sound of the Avengers. It was quiet. It was too quiet. She looked around for anyone, and she gasped. She was in her old room. Her old room where she used to live with her father.

"What's going on?" She said aloud, and she knew she said it aloud….She couldn't hear it though. Was she deaf again? How could that be? She touched her ears….She snapped her fingers near her ears. Nothing. Lucy breathed heavy, as she started to panic. Had she lost her mind?

A touch on her shoulder made her skin crawl. She jumps a foot away from her bed. She turned to see her father the father she thought was dead because of Loki. He smiled at her with a crooked grin signing at her, "I thought you would sleep all day long!"

Lucy shook her, and gulped, "You were dead."

"Dead?" He looked at her concerned, "Have you been having nightmares again, Lucy?"

"This isn't real." She said aloud, and once again she couldn't even hear a muffle of what she was saying. So how could this not be real? She was in her normal life again with her father. It couldn't be. It had to be a dream. But how could a dream be this real?She pressed on her ears she was so confused.

She felt her father's very real touch pulling her hands away from her ears, "Lucy, you know those nightmares make you do some scary stuff….Tell me what you saw this time?"

Wait, her nightmares told her things? Made her do things? She didn't remember that. That never happened back in her old life….Did it? Lucy shakes her head violently. This wasn't real. She presses on her ears, and tears at them with her nails hoping the pain would wake her up. She screams as she feels her fingernails dig into her skin. Real sharp pain. She screams louder. Any hope that she might hear something or wake up. Neither comes.

She takes her hand away from her ears and sees that her fingers are drench in blood. Lucy looks up to look for her father, and he is nowhere in sight until he slams into her room with a needle.

And finally, she can hear him say, "This will put you right to sleep and I can work on you in the lab." Work on her? No. Her father never did that. No…no. Lucy shakes her head, but he plunges the needle into her neck. And she slips away into sleep once more.

When Lucy wakes up this time. She is strapped to a table with Loki standing over her. She tries to bring all the super strength she has to be free and attack him. The straps don't bulge for her and her body smacks back down onto the metal examination table. She could hear once more then, but her powers were gone? What? She narrows her eyes at Loki, "Get away from me! Get away!" She thrashes.

Loki shushes her, "Hold still, I'm trying to free you."

"Why are you helping me?" She looks at his dark eyes for answers, it was getting more confusing the minute she was in this horrible nightmare, "You're the bad guy."

Loki rips the straps with his scepter and helps her up into a sitting position, "I am not the bad guy here, remember? Your father is, I mean look at what he's done with his 'experiments'."

Loki gestures behind her, and Lucy gasps. There were four medical pods lined up against the way with four unconscious children around Lucy's age swimming in bright blue water. Lucy hops down to get a closer look at them, "Why are they here? Why am I here?"

"Why don't you remember?" Loki narrows his eyes at her.

Lucy snapped, "Because you took my memories from me! This whole thing is just one of your tricks, isn't it?"

Loki lays his scepter down and took both his hands and cupped her face. He looked deeply concerned in Lucy's eyes, "What did he do to you?"

Lucy retreats back to medical pods to get away from Loki, "He? Who are you talking about? You're the person who did this to me!"

Loki shook his head, "Lucy, you must remember! Your father has done something to your memories."

"No, no, no, my father was a good man, and you killed him!" Lucy accuses him.

Loki's face was furious, but she could till it wasn't with her, "You're right, I would kill your father if I had the chance. You are not meant to be in this hellish place."

Lucy shakes her head, "This is all a dream created by you! Why can't you leave me alone?" She curls up putting her head on her knees, "Someone wake me up! Thor! Nat-"

Loki squeezes her shoulders, "How do you know that name?" Lucy sees his eyes rage with fury, "Answer me, Lucy!"

"Let. Go." Lucy hisses at him.

"Tell me right now how you know Thor!" Loki commands.

"Get off me, Loki!" Lucy squirms out of his tight grip.

"You are playing a dangerous game with me right now, Lucy, now tell me how you know him!" Loki demands, and his eyes glimmer with mischief, "You know I have other ways of finding out…" He eyes his scepter from a few feet away.

Lucy cringes, eyeing the scepter as well, "Thor has been helping me, they all have. The Avengers."

Loki looks hurt by her words, but then his face turns into malice. Loki swiftly grabs his scepter and places it over Lucy's heart. His words are harsh, "Thor will not have my weapon." Slowly Lucy loses control of her mind and does as Loki says like a good little puppet.

Suddenly then Lucy wakes up for real and she's not sure if it was a nightmare that she just had...or rather was it a memory?