For the first time in a long time, Natasha Romanoff had a dreamless sleep. She opened her eyelids slowly, to reveal a pale face, dark eyelashes, and long, swoopy hair which was knotted into a ferocious tangle.
Natasha jumped about five feet off the bed, and screamed so loud she woke the residents staying in the room below them. Her piercing shriek ruptured through Loki's ears, who awoke immediately, to find Natasha standing, looking at him like he had just grown wings. Her chest was heaving, and her eyes held the frozen expression of disbelief.
" Holy. Shit."
Loki realized that he and Natasha had slept in the same bed together. He could scarcely remember last night…his pounding headache was preventing any sort of recollection.
"You…you tricked me!" Natasha said, glaring at him.
Loki rolled his eyes. "Please refrain from using your mortal theatrics. I did not trick you. Do you really think I would be all right with you sharing my bed? It is rather repulsive."
Natasha didn't say a word.
"And besides…" Loki said, raising an eyebrow, "A woman's yell is the worst thing to wake up to."
"Waking up next to a guy who dreams of killing you isn't exactly the best good morning either," Natasha pointed out.
Loki shrugged, and then walked over to the curtain, opening it just a crack. The sunlight coursed through his eyes too fast, and too bright, and he immediately shut it. He rubbed his temples vigorously, shutting his eyes. "What time is it?"
"It's nine thirty. We best get a move on."
The playful ambience from the night before was totally gone. They dressed and showered quickly, and then made their way quietly down to the hotel dining room quietly. The hotel served breakfast every morning, and it was incredibly scrumptious. Natasha practically inhaled an entire croissant, and drank four cups of coffee. Loki dug into the croissants and jelly. "I think that I may like this better than that strange pizza," he confessed, and then stuffed his mouth with bread.
"At least you like something," Natasha said dryly.
"What exactly are we doing here?" Loki asked, and looked at her expectantly.
Natasha put down the knife she was using to butter her croissant, and looked up at him, then around at the dining table. There was no one in sight, and the doors were closed.
"Tonight at seven, there is a ball, and it's located at the Ritz. A man I once was associated with is going to be there, and he is a skilled con artist named Nikolai. He plans to murder a woman tonight to 'send a message', per se. Shield has been on his radar for years… and finally, we have information of his whereabouts."
Loki stared at her for a moment, and then said, "And I am expected to assist you with this endeavor, am I correct?"
"Well, that's why Fury demanded that I bring you. He thought that if you could prove that you're not here to create chaos…then he might slightly be okay with you living with us."
Loki was silent for a while, and focused on stirring cream into his coffee. He had a mixture of emotions simmering under his skin, and he did not know how to deal with them at the present. If he was to prevent a murder, and help Natasha ensnare a person from her past- then what was he, exactly? He knew that Fury was testing him-like he should. And that Thor was probably on board with all of this. He…he did want to be….
Good? Was there such thing as entirely, purely good? Thor is considered a hero, but he had done abysmal things, and he did at some point have a supercilious attitude towards everyone. Was anyone actually good? When heroes saved the world, was it because it would make people rain flowers upon them, and build altars? Or was it really for the common good? Did Stark participate in the festivities he did to increase his fame? It seemed highly probable. But according to research he had done, Stark was already famous, and incredibly wealthy. He didn't need to put on his suit to get more. Thor always thought of himself as a hero when they were children- and Loki would chime in and agree. What the blasted Avengers had in mind of a 'hero' was totally different from what Loki thought of a hero. Loki did think he was some heroic persona, and he did not feel like he was doing something wrong, or even evil at the time of the Chitauri attacks on Midgard. He was saving the Earth from the clutches of pathetic, wimpy rulers…isn't that what heroes do? Save the world? He was trying to be a hero back on Asgard, as well. Loki's entire world had deteriorated from the moment he found out he was a frost giant. He felt like someone had pushed him off the highest cliff-and landed on his stomach, knocking the air straight out of his lungs. It was a horrendous feeling, and suddenly, he wanted to be Odin's hero. To show him that even though he was a frost giant, he was worthy of being his son. He wanted to be worthy just like Thor was- and is. And Loki felt that if he warded off the frost giants, who were enemies of the Asgardians, he would gain the respect and trust that he never had. But everything backfired when his idiotic brother came back, and ruined everything. People called Loki a villain after all the atrocities. He did not know what to think of that. Saving peoples' lives- the good, the honest way…was a feat Loki had never attempted before. He wasn't sure if he could do it.
Natasha unzipped her suitcase, and started to sort out all of the weapons she had brought with her. As she adjusting her ankle sheath, which had gotten loose, she looked around, and realized she didn't see Loki anywhere. "Loki?" she called.
No response. Where the hell did he go? She then noticed a slight breeze float through the room, and saw the curtains at the other end flap. She walked over to the curtains to discover the balcony door was slightly open. Loki sat on a lawn chair on the balcony, and peered out at the Parisian sky. Natasha joined him, and shut the door.
"Loki, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"You may be an expert liar, but I can see through this charade."
"Do you think I'm a hero?" he said, faintly. His gaze remained fixated on a single puffy cloud.
"No," answered Natasha honestly. "But I'm not either."
"You are attempting to redeem yourself. Why is that?" Loki asked.
"I was once an assassin. I remember vividly things that I had done. I used to be injected with serum by the Red Room. It was not the kind that Captain America had. It was one that affected the mind. I used to be my own person. I used to fight the resistance. I had a sister once. Her name was Anna. She was very beautiful. I was always jealous of her growing up. But she took care of me. The family we were living with worked with the mafia. One day, I guess I was of age, and ready to train to become one of them. I was trained in how to kill people. I learned how to snap a man's neck with my bare hands. My real skillset however, was my mind. I started to play games with people's heads, Loki. I used to be able to pry the mafia's victims' secrets out of their skulls. I got good. When I started to grow weary of the antics, and feel remorse for my deeds, they gave me the serum. I was brainwashed into thinking I was doing the right thing."
Natasha's eyes were distant, and she was focusing on her worst memory now.
"Anna got confused. They had no use for her, they said. They would place her in different 'expert categories'. She'd return to the house very tired, and usually around midnight. Anna became really depressed, and stopped laughing or smiling. She would never tell me what was wrong. I started to play mind games with her too, because that's the only way I knew to interact with people. I'd yell at her when she wouldn't respond. I never yelled before. But I would just unleash all my anger on her, as if it was her fault. And she'd start to cry, and I would start crying too. They put me back in the hospital because the serum was not giving me a strong effect. They gave me too much, then. I had the effect of someone who underwent a lobotomy. The head doctor came to talk to me that night. They told me Anna was beaten viciously by a man, and was in the hospital as well. I did not react at all. I was completely cut off from my emotions; they were foreign. I-I remember, at that point, it was all a blur. An experiment went very wrong at the hospital, in the basement. They were experimenting on one of the people that didn't cooperate with the mafia. The hospital became enflamed. The serum broke its hold on me- I could think again. I ran to go find my sister, I remember, and she was strapped to her bed. And the flames started-they poured in, I remember, and it was really hot, I- I broke a window in her room, and outside there was a fire escape. I picked her up. She was very light. I made my way onto the escape with her. But then, then the serum came back strong again, I felt like my mind was some voodoo doll, and a voice in my head told me to drop her. The voices got louder and louder in my head, and I was trying to fight it- but it took over me. I-I let go-of her, and she fell so hard. I can always remember her screams. After that, I was on the serum constantly, of my own free will. I didn't know what I was doing, but I secretly did. I thought that killing people would bring me back my sister. I was wrong. People just ended up dead. And when Clint came to kill me- I guess he didn't see a murderer. He saw someone who was gravely hurt. And because of my sister, and because of the killings…
I want to prevent others from making the same mistake. You're not past the point of no return, Loki. No one is, until their soul leaves their body."
Natasha finished with a sharp exhale, and then stared at the ground. She did not cry. She hadn't cried in God knows how long.
Loki glanced over at her, and when he did, his eyes appeared to be full of tears. He then looked away. But when he rested his gaze on her again, they were dry. "I'm…I'm sorry about-"
"Don't," said Natasha. "The past is the past."
Loki saw Natasha in a different light now. Clint told him that Natasha had killed someone who meant something to her in a hospital fire. He did not know that Natasha had a sister. Loki felt sudden sentiment, and it was an odd feeling for him. He did not like it. As the day went on, he and Natasha went to eat, and walked in the gardens, which were very beautiful. They sat on a fountain's edge and fed the birds nearby. Neither of them mentioned anything Natasha had said that morning. Obviously, Natasha told him this for a reason. Loki hated to admit it, but when Natasha told him how she dropped her sister over the fire escape, he immediately visualized that time he sent the Destroyer to kill his brother. What would have happened if Loki had actually killed Thor?
Loki pushed these thoughts out of his mind as evening settled. Natasha went into the bathroom to change into her dress. He quickly slipped on a nice suit, and then settled onto the couch. He turned on the TV, to find some French reality show. He had absolutely no idea what the hell they were saying, but he figured out some of it. This woman was kissing a man. Another man walked in on them, and started yelling at the woman. Surprisingly, Loki started to snicker. It reminded him of the time where Thor was courting this woman named Celia. They seemed pretty in love , and all of that nonsense, but Loki could see through it. Every time Celia would tell Thor she loved him, her eyes narrowed very slightly, and tips of her tiny ears glowed red. To show his exaggerated love, Thor had granted Celia an apartment in the royal palace. He even bought her a fancy futon, crafted with silks that appeared to have come from Valhalla, when really they came from Alfheim. One morning, Thor decided to surprise Celia with flowers he had selected. He had invited Loki to come with him for some reason. When they got to Celia's apartment, he turned the knob, and walked right in-
To find Fandral on top of Celia, with her legs splayed over the fancy futon from Alfheim.
So that French reality TV show was actually pretty realistic.
Loki heard the bathroom door click open, and turned his head to see Natasha. His jaw almost dropped, and he visibly had to contain his composure. She wore a champagne colored evening gown that clung to her sinuous body in such an appealing, attractive way. The swell of her breasts peeked over the top of her dress, and the fabric glided smoothly over he supple hips. Her hair was in a bun, accentuating the lily pallor of her throat.
Now, don't get him wrong. Loki was in no way attracted to mortal women- well, not mentally at least. But physically, he couldn't help but stare.
Natasha cleared her throat, and Loki snapped back to reality.
"Are you finally ready to depart? By the gods, women spend eternity fixing how they look."
Natasha shrugged. "It's the sine qua non of being a female, Loki." She stuffed her Shield suit in her backpack, and they left.
They took the metro, and then carefully walked to the pagoda that encased the Ritz. Natasha almost tripped over her long dress, and the five inch heels she was wearing weren't exactly helping. Surprisingly, Loki gave her his arm, and told her to hang on.
"We apparently have quite a bit to do tonight," he said, and winked. "It will do to have you delivered in one piece."
She rolled her eyes, but latched on to his arm, which was surprisingly strong.
They crossed the cobbled walkway, went past a statue, and finally arrived at the elegant Ritz. They went straight through the revolving doors, to reveal a beautiful lobby that had cream colored wallpaper and a tiled floor. After showing the receptionist the ball ticket, they walked down a long hallway, and eventually stopped at two glass doors.
Loki's watch had an embedded walkie-talkie and a little tube that when activated, let out a stream of pepper spray. Natasha adjusted it for him, and then subtly ran her hand over her thigh, feeling the slight ride of the gun in its strap.
"Ready?" she asked, looking at Loki.
"More than ever," he said, and grinned.
She pushed open the door with both hands, and scanned the crowd. A man was playing the piano in the corner. A gilded chandelier swung from the painted ceiling, and radiated a wholesome light over the crowd. People were dancing together, and whoever wasn't dancing was tasting the fine French champagne over by the buffet table.
"Loki, come dance with me," Natasha said, and gave him a pointed stare. He understood her logic immediately, and accepted her outstretched hand. As they made their way onto the dance floor, she tilted her head back slightly, and peered over at the people.
"I can't really see too much," she admitted. So, Loki placed his hand on her bare back, and she pressed one of her hands to his hip. Her other hand remained clasped in Loki's. He had this scent, this masculine scent that smelled like soap and the woods- it was refreshing, and delirious. She looked up at him, and he stared down at her, smirking.
Focus on the mission.
They circulated the dance floor, like cells in a bloodstream. They swept every crevice and corner, but did not find a trace of Nikolai. "Are you positive he is making an appearance here?" Loki whispered. "What does he look like?"
Natasha whispered back, "He had curly brown hair, and black eyes. Last time I saw him he had a goatee, and he always carried a polka-dot handkerchief in his shirt pocket."
"So far, I do not believe we have seen him," Loki said.
"He'll come," Natasha said.
They continued dancing slowly, to the rhythm of the piano tune, and Natasha perched her chin on Loki's shoulder, her eyes half shut somnolently. In her peripherals, she saw the glass door swing open, to reveal a tall man with curly brown hair, and a bright polka dot handkerchief spilling out of his shirt pocket. On his arm was a robust woman with platinum blonde hair, and breasts that were practically popping out of her tight ivory v-neck dress.
Natasha squeezed Loki's arm, and whispered, "It's them."
Loki turned slightly, and caught the appearance of the man and woman. Nikolai was gesticulating wildly, and then released a smile that reminded Loki of a wolf before it ate its prey.
"What is the course of action?" Loki asked.
"We will track their whereabouts for the rest of the evening. For now, we have to stay put."
"Do you think that woman's his target?"
"Maybe," said Natasha. "But she doesn't appear to poise any threat."
Nikolai and the woman attached to his hip moved gracefully throughout the room; chattering, and talking to people. The woman that he was with appeared rather naïve, and frankly, sort of stupid. Loki overheard a tidbit of a conversation she exchanged with another male, and she had laughed hysterically at every comment the male said, and most were not even that humorous. The worst was that some Asgardian women resembled some of the behaviors of human women. It irritated Loki to no end.
He separated from Natasha briefly to collect a drink. As he was pouring rich merlot into a glass, he saw the women with the white dress stop by the drink table as well.
"Enjoyer le party?" she giggled, and then swooned. She positively reeked of alcohol; the pungent smell had assaulted Loki's senses before he even saw her. He was also positive that what she said was not correct French, either, considering that it was spoken in a heavy American accent. Also, the fact that her eyes were bloodshot, and the fact that her speech was affected heavily by heavy drinking, did not help with coherence.
"Sure," Loki said, and smiled thinly at her. "Are you enjoying the party? Quite lovely, I think."
She giggled, and slurred, "Yes, I-a luhhhve perties. Soo nicccce." She then started mumbling something about how it was a shame the party did not serve cantaloupe, because cantaloupe was her favorite… Loki only stuck around to see if he could pry any useful information out of her.
"I can't seem to find my dance partner…" Loki said, although he could clearly see Natasha's figure amongst the crowd. "Do you have one?" He then winced internally, and hoped she wouldn't take it as an opportunity to dance.
Thankfully, she didn't.
"I came with Ben-Ben-Benjamin-" she keeled over in laughter, and Loki glared at her. What a blithering idiot; a complete drunken fool. "He's-" she hiccupped, and then continued, "He's taking me out on a tour of le France, and- and get this, he used to work for my dad, but he fired him-dunno why, but he's so amazing, and-and yes. My daddy says that I-" She then raised her voice slightly, "Yes, I CAN TAKE OVER THE COMPANY!" She then downed the rest of her drink in one gulp.
Loki froze. His earlier suspicions were suddenly deemed true. In the woman's drunken state, she had confessed a motive for Nikolai to kill her, or at least hold her hostage to receive ransom money. He had to get to Natasha right away. He made eye contact with Natasha, who widened her eyes, and beckoned him to come over to her straight away. He said his goodbyes to the incredibly intoxicated female, and then wove his way through the crowd to find Natasha.
"Hello."
"Well, hello yourself. What did she tell you?"
"That is Nikolai's murder victim. Apparently, her father fired him from the company he once worked at-"
"Oh God," Natasha said, opening her mouth slightly. "I know all about the company…and why he got fired. It's a long story though, so please continue."
"Anyway," said Loki, "They plan on leaving the ball soon- and making their way out for some adventure. One that probably involves him wearing her skin as a coat."
Natasha was about to retort, when suddenly she saw Nikolai grab the woman's arm, and started to pull her near the doors.
"Loki, they're leaving. We need to go. now."
Loki and Natasha opened the doors slightly, and saw the couple descending down the hallway. "Take the back route," Natasha said, and pointed to a hallway the opposite way. Either way, it would lead to the exit. They ran out the doors, and for a moment, could not see Nikolai or the woman. But then Loki caught a hint of white farther down the passage way, and he motioned to Natasha. She started to hurry after them, but almost tripped over hem of her dress.
Natasha unzipped her dress then, revealing a tank-top and spandex shorts. Loki did his best not to stare at her. She changed into her catsuit, and placed her heels in her bag.
"That was the fastest I've ever seen you change," Loki said, smirking.
"Oh, shut up."
They ran after them, and finally caught the couple on a side street, holding hands. The woman was so intoxicated that she kept stumbling, and laughing wildly. Nikolai and the woman were surprisingly easy to follow, and she and Loki saw them stagger into a dark alleyway that was boarded by a wooden fence. Nikolai and his female companion headed in, and Loki and Natasha pressed their backs to the fence, and listened. They both had guns ready to shoot.
The air had a crisp chill to it, and it stung their skin. The wait seemed to go on forever. They heard the sticky sound of a kiss, and then the woman said,
"I am jus sooo happ-happy to be heeeyur." They heard a wild laugh, which was immediately cut short.
"Do you want people to hear you? Is that it?" Nikolai hissed, with a slight Russian accent.
"Our love is…is forever," she responded, and they heard the faint sound of a zipper being pulled down.
"Show me then," Nikolai grunted.
Natasha and Loki exchanged uneasy glances.
"Fuck that," Natasha said, and promptly strode into the clearing, gun raised. Nikolai's pant zipper was undone, and the woman's hands were wrapped around his neck. On notice of Natasha he swiftly pulled a gun out from his pocket, and pointed it at her.
"I know your scheme, Nikolai," she hissed, and pointed the gun at him.
"That's right," he said, and then brought the butt of the gun down hard on top of the woman's head. She collapsed on the ground, and her blonde hair lay around her face like a halo.
"You're outnumbered," she said, narrowing her eyes.
"Not quite."
Natasha heard the rustling in the bushes behind the fence in the back, and decided she needed to act now. Nikolai shot at her, but she dodged the bullet, did a somersault, and hit him straight in the solar plexus. He wheezed, clutching his middle, and she pinned his right arm against his back, effectively cutting off any movement.
In the meantime, Loki decided to grab the female, who was surprisingly light. He hoisted her over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes.
Unfortunately for them, Nikolai's sniper team swung over the fence, with heavy, military-esque guns. Natasha held Nikolai in a headlock, and she pressed her gun to the side of his head.
Loki felt immense frustration. If he had his strength and magic back, he could defeat all of these puny humans and go back to Asgard.
Guns on every side were pointed at them, and the men who held them did not say a single word.
"Well, what are we going to do now?" Loki whispered in Natasha's ear, and then tightened his grip on the unconscious female.
Natasha whispered, "I have a plan."
Author's note:
Muahahaha. Okay, that was pretty evil of me to give you a cliffhanger. But what happens next is a whole mix of action and emotions- so I thought I'd save it for the next chapter. I'll try to update it sooner, so not to keep you guys waiting. Anyways, I really love Loki's character...and Tom Hiddleston portrays him perfectly. In one of Hiddles's interviews, he said that every villain is a hero in his own mind, and also that he doesn't believe anyone is past the point of no return until their soul leaves their body. I really felt like that went along perfectly with this story. And I feel that Natasha is opening up to Loki- well, of course, because she said was pretty personal. Clint told Loki that Natasha killed someone important to her in a hospital fire- but he never told Loki it was Anna. Anyway, in some other chapter I'll give Natasha's memories more depth, and also...I'll make sure Loki talks more. He was a tad bit laconic in this chapter.
As usual, thank you for the follows, favorites, and reviews...you guys are the best.
Love you all!
xoxo