Holy shit, guys! Over thirty of you have listed this as a favorite! I can't even…wow.

The song: Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons.

Little Lion Man

SHIELD Headquarters Interrogation Room #1-New York, New York

48 Hours after

"We have a rogue agent on our hands and you were the last person to see her before she left and you have no clue where she went?"

"I have told you everything that I know, Director Fury. Now, instead of asking me the same questions over and over again; what exactly are you planning to do about this mess?"

"I don't have to answer to you, Loki. You've forgotten who's in charge here."

"Director," Natasha Romanoff rushed forward holding an earpiece. "The specialist want's to talk to you."

Nick Fury gave Loki one last hard, suspicious look before her slipped in his earpiece. Loki, grateful for some sort of break, slumped back in his chair. The chains around his wrists and ankles rattled.

"If she's gone and done what the informant—" The informant was Loki, "has said she's done, we could be dealing with an agent who's been turned!" Fury was saying to God knows who.

Natasha met the gaze of Loki, as if asking him what he thought. Loki shook his head slightly and focused his gaze on the one-way glass. On the other side, Thor and probably Barton were observing. Vanessa has started an uproar at SHIELD.

"I will not take any chances…Yes, I understand that, but if she has in fact been turned, we need to send someone to find her and silence her. Agent Brown knows too much; if we let her live this whole organization could blow…Do you honestly think that with her skill set that we could keep her locked up for very long? If she's been turned, we have to take her down, that is my final decision. Send our best agents out."

Fury ripped the earpiece out and tossed it to Natasha, who looked very uneasy.

"Sir," she said, "I'm sure all Agent Brown is doing is looking for answers. I'm sure she's just trying to help speed things up.

"Without any sort of backup?" Fury turned his angry eye on Natasha. "What kind of agent goes undercover without having a proper supervisor to report to? What kind of agent leaves base with absolutely no trace of her behind?"

"The kind that doesn't want to be followed," Loki kept his eyes on the glass. "If she's trying to stay under the radar why drag more people than is needed?"

"The operative in question is in line to inherit the reigns of the Carver Society. She's a direct descendent of Carver Brown himself and her family wanted her raised here in SHIELD so that when she was old enough, she could take over and bring us down. Now, she's gone missing. No trace of her is left behind. Do not expect me to take this lightly. We're labeling her now as armed and dangerous." Fury put his hands on the table and glared at Loki. "Now, I'm going to ask you one more time: Where is she?"

"I believe I've already answered that," replied Loki coolly. "But she's been followed by this society since birth and they've been tailing her since her very first mission. If you want to find her, you send agents out and station them in every place she's ever carried out a mission. Italy and England should be top priority, Turkey, second."

"Agent Brown's never done a mission in Turkey," Natasha muttered, confused.

"That is the last known location of the Carver Society. If your precious agent has indeed been turned, she'll be going there first."

Paris, France

Jean Carver stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket: his eyes scanning everyone just outside the museum. She was here, somewhere. The Woman was here, or, at least, she had said so.

The Woman whose reputation was known throughout the world of agents. Nobody could ever get a true description of her, she was that good. So anyone around Jean could in fact be The Woman. His second cousin, currently the world's top spy, was five minutes late.

At twenty-three, Jean was higher up in the ranks of the Carver Society than most but he was still kept very much out of the loop. As far as family rankings went, Jean was near the bottom. He was replaceable. But he was well informed. At ten minutes past the hour, Jean checked his watch and huffed impatiently.

"My, my, how sloppy you are," a woman's voice came from behind and Jean turned, startled. "I was sitting on the steps at your three all this time."

No doubt, this was her. Vanessa Brown was stylishly dressed, but looked ready withstand the cold temperatures. She looked like she could have been any other woman living in Paris. Now that Jean could see her, Vanessa stood out. She was very beautiful, but even so, she knew how to blend in.

"My apologies, Mademoiselle," Jean bobbed his head, "I mostly do office work."

"No excuses," said The Woman curtly. "Do you have what I asked for?"

"Oui," Jean pulled a manila envelope out of his bag and handed it to Vanessa. She took it, refusing to break eye contact with him.

"Let's walk, dear cousin," she insisted, "we have much to discuss."

Jean obliged and fell into step with Vanessa.

"I must say, you look exactly like our grandmozzer. She has been most eager for your return to the fold."

"Yes, I was just meeting with her, actually."

"She is here, in Paris?"

"Oui, I'm not surprised you had no knowledge of it, given your standing." The Woman was very condescending.

"Mademoiselle, forgive me, but if you were just with Our Lady not so long ago, why do you require to meet with me?"

"Oh, I just need to know if I can trust you. And you know grandmamma, the only person who knows all the secrets, is herself. She still doesn't trust me, I've been with SHIELD a long time, Jean Carver."

Jean narrowed his eyes, "Why do you need the list of SHIELD leaks?"

"Obviously, I need their help to complete the initiation mission grandmamma has laid before me. If I am to take over the Society, I must prove myself, no?"

"Oui, you are correct. My apologies. May I ask, cousin, what is your mission?"

The Woman was regarding Jean with a blank stare. It made him uncomfortable.

"To kill Nick Fury. And I'm sorry, Jean Carver. I really am. But your journey ends here."

For the first time, Jean noticed he had been lead to a deserted alley. She had held him by the hand to his death.

"What—No—!"

SHIELD Headquarters Interrogation Room #1-New York, New York

She had been there. She had been lying next to him in his bed just waiting for him to fall asleep. Vanessa had Loki fooled, wrapped around her finger. She had his trust and had made him to believe that they were in this fight together. And then she left. Not even with a proper goodbye.

Loki was livid. Now he was chained to some desk sitting and enduring abuse from Nick Fury who believed Loki was behind some sort of master plan to take SHIELD down. That may have been his aims once before, but now; Loki had no desire to orchestrate such madness. And he had been helping. And she had left. Loki had no idea if Vanessa was alive or dead because she left without taking any precautions. What if she had been a double agent the whole time? Then she had made a complete fool out of Loki. Loki hated her and he missed her at the same time. How was that possible?

The door creaked open and Thor, who looked worried, wandered in. Loki had no idea if he should be grateful for company at the moment or not. He was seething. Thor kicked an empty chair, moving it so that it was right next to Loki. He sat down and stared at Loki.

"Brother, I am so—"

"Please don't. Do not apologize. You didn't do anything."

"I'm sure that Lady Brown means no harm."

Loki shot his brother a contemptuous look and laughed harshly. "She is a trained killer, Thor. Wherever she's off to, she is most definitely causing her fair share of harm."

"I only meant, she is on our side, surly. She is good."

"I'm sorry, is there a point to all of this?"

"Loki, I mean to offer my support. I can see how much you love her and—"

"We're done," spat Loki. "Leave, now."

Defeated, Thor stood and left Loki alone again once more. But his words rang true. Loki did love her. But right now, Loki didn't want to love her. He wanted to yell at her and ask her what she was thinking and how she could be so stupid. Loki had no idea if he would ever see her alive again.

Once again, the door was pushed open and Agent Romanoff stalked in. She looked very upset; there was clearly more than one thing on her mind.

"Over forty hours in here, it's time for you to go back to Stark Tower and rest," she said. Natasha began to undo the chains.

"By whose orders?"

Natasha looked up. "Mine."

"Excuse me?"

"Look I may not like you very much, but she trusted you. And I think she knows what she's doing."

Curious, Loki gazed at Natasha. "What makes you say that?"

There was a hint of a smile on Natasha's face. "She faxed me a list of all the agents at SHIELD who are secretly working with Carver. She's alive."

"For now."

On a train, Europe

How long could she put it off? How long could she last, running around Europe, hunting down Carver members and killing them before the top dogs got personally involved? Not long, Vanessa wagered. She had just killed a family member hours ago. The emotions running through Vanessa's mind were so scattered and different. Jean would've died either way.

Not only had Vanessa tricked Jean into thinking that she had met with the infamous grandmother and that her mission was to kill Fury, but she had gotten the list of SHIELD leaks without incident. Carver Society would have killed Jean without hesitating. He would have died an awful gruesome death no doubt. Vanessa did him a favor.

But that still did nothing to stop the guilt from seeping into Vanessa's mind. Her hands began to tremble and images of his family ran through her mind. Would they be sad, angry, and vengeful? Would they even care at all? This was the Carver Society, everyone was replaceable. Members were sent to kill other members all the time. How many members were there? How deep was this?

And then there was the very real threat of Thanos and whatever it was he was planning. As Vanessa train hopped across Europe closer to Turkey with each passing second, fear spread deeper into her heart. The only thing that kept her from going crazy was the knowledge that SHIELD now had the list of the leaks. While she was gathering answers, her base could start getting rid of those who saw no problem with causing madness.

There was no question; Vanessa had to go into Carver headquarters alone. She was probably one of the only people in the world that could walk in and have her life not be at risk. Anyone else at SHIELD would've been killed on the spot. And then there was Loki.

He was undoubtedly livid. He wanted to end this as much as Vanessa did. Loki wanted to make Thanos feel everything that he had felt. Loki wanted to kill Thanos and find a way to break that being. That was too risky. Vanessa could not run the risk of bringing a loose cannon into this, especially when it was unclear what she was facing. And she couldn't loose him. With a shudder, Vanessa curled up, her head resting on the window and tried to sleep.

Carver Society Headquarters-The Caves, Turkey

Maria Carver had learned to be a patient woman. You would think that training your entire life as a spy would mean that patience came naturally. That was not the case with Maria. No, Maria really started learning patience the day her granddaughter was born.

Vanessa Elizabeth Maria Brown. The woman who needed to be turned. Maria was getting old. She hated to admit it, but her body was not as it used to be. She needed her granddaughter to be loyal to her family and The Cause. SHIELD was a constant and bitter threat to the world. Vanessa could wipe it from the world and bring the organization to justice. If only she could be persuaded.

SHIELD had trained their operative well. Vanessa Brown was one of the few agents who had never been brainwashed. Any attempts had all been for naught. But finally, the means to make The Woman's mind right were here. Extraterrestrial technology was at hand.

"Madam," came a voice.

"Yes, what is it?"

Paul, one of Maria's grandsons, entered carrying a sheet of paper. He looked shifty and scared. "The body of Jean Carver was recovered in an alleyway in Paris last night. His neck was snapped. "

"And I care why?" Maria pursed her lips. She was sick of people boring her with worthless information. Paul seemed to flinch, his eyes hurt. Ah, yes. Paul and Jean were half brothers, stuck with their whore of a mother. Out of the two, Paul was more competent. Jean was a fool.

"Madam," Paul gathered himself. "He told his assistant that he was going to be meeting with The Woman before he was last seen."

Maria found her lips curving into a smirk. "I want to know the moment the dear gets here."

"Sources say that she is within the nearby town as we speak."

"Excellent."

Stark Tower, Tony's Office-New York, New York

"So how has follow up with the list been, Agent Romanoff?" Tony stuck his feet onto his desk. Pepper glared at him, but still Tony didn't remove his feet.

"All agents have been taken into custody, but none of them have confessed yet. It's only a matter of time though. Fury's not going to go easy on them."

"That's all fine and good but do we have any idea where Agent Brown is? Paris was two weeks ago and we've not had anything since," Steve was leaning against a bookshelf his blonde hair was in need of a wash.

"Well," Natasha let her eyes flicker to Loki, who hadn't spoken much since his interrogation. "Clint left the Paris safe house. He's being sent to one in Turkey. We'll find her soon enough."

"Has it even occurred to anyone to let her be?" Banner frowned thoughtfully. "She's been off the radar, nobody knows where she is. Looking for her will only draw attention to what it is she's doing. If she needs to keep her head down, we need to stay out of it."

"Yeah, that would be fine and dandy but what if she's playing for the other side?" Tony cocked an eyebrow.

"Then we have to find her and take her down, right?" Steve glared around the room.

"I cannot believe I'm hearing this," Pepper slammed her coffee mug on the desk. "You're all talking about Vanessa like she's some target. She's a person, she's been a friend and she's been helpful for months. How dare you talk about her like she's nothing!"

"Pepper the circumstances—"

"No! Damn you, Tony! You all know what she's like. She's a good person!" abruptly, Pepper stalked her way across the room and left. Seconds later, Loki stood and made to follow.

"Brother, where are you going?"

"Fuck off, Thor," Loki snarled. He left the office and quickened his pace to catch up with Pepper. "Ms. Potts, how about I make us some tea?"

Pepper blinked, obviously surprised. But she nodded. "I didn't know Asgard had tea."

"We don't. Nessa taught me before she…"

"She's great," Pepper started up. She needed to talk. She needed to offer words of comfort. "She never made you apologize for being yourself."

"No," said Loki in agreement. "But she'd try and kill you if you so much as stepped on her feet when dancing."

Pepper laughed. "She's spirited, that's for sure. Why are you the only one not mad that she left?"

Loki considered the question. The first two days had been about Loki directing his anger at Vanessa. There had been little room for much else. But after a few hours of sleep, Loki was knocked back into perspective. "Right now, all I care about is seeing her back safe and sound. Once that happens, then maybe I can be angry with her."

"She'll turn up," Pepper said reassuringly.

As they entered the kitchen Loki set to putting the kettle on. Pepper flicked on the TV and sat watching the news. Loki bustled around the kitchen getting mugs and everything else. When Loki was done making the tea he handed Pepper a mug and sat down on the sofa.

Midgardian news was rarely positive and often times just downright depressing. One day there was a kid who'd been killed, the next a woman raped and beaten, and always there was war. Young men and woman who were dutifully serving their country met a gruesome end.

On Asgard, children were taught that war was glorious and that if you did your duty, you were honorable. Loki was beginning to see that there was nothing glorious about war. It was a necessary evil.

"You look awful," Pepper commented when the ever annoying and constant commercials started up.

"Yeah, well it's not exactly been a good few nights rest."

"No, and I suppose the recent events haven't exactly been the easiest for you. It's been one shock after another."

Loki nodded but didn't say anything. He didn't know how long he could handle being in this place without her. She'd been the breath of fresh air, the only good thing going in Loki's life. But then, just like everything and everyone else, she'd left.

A little town-Middle of Nowhere, Turkey

Night had settled upon the country. Soon, Vanessa would be making the trek up the The Caves. It was amazing just how much the people of this very small town knew about The Caves, or what they thought they knew.

To the townspeople, the Caves played host to members of a very secret religion. The Caves were man-made and had been there for over one hundred years. Nobody went up to The Caves. The people living there didn't come down either. Or, that's what the citizens thought.

In a town as simple as this one, any sort of agent stuck out like a sore thumb. And Vanessa had spotted two of them tailing her for a few hours. She let them because they had to have been working for Carver. But then, like shadows they were gone when the night had settled.

So Vanessa sat alone at a table of a small café having her last meal and gazing up at the sky. The stars that were so often hidden from light pollution in New York shone so brightly here. Out in the universe there was so much life and mystery and even terrors. Yet from where Vanessa was, it was all beautiful.

Lesson number one: Looks can be deceiving.

Carver Society Headquarters-The Caves, Turkey

Vanessa removed her rucksack and shifted some rocks. She stashed the bag behind there and adjusted the rocks again so her belongings were hidden from view. Then wiping the dirt from her hands, Vanessa stood wearing her SHIELD uniform for possibly the last time.

Right, one foot in front of the other, Nessa. That's it. This is just like any other mission.

So Vanessa walked. No sneaking. She walked right through the hidden main entrance. They were waiting for her. The agents in town had gone back and reported that the long lost Vanessa Brown had come at last. But she didn't come as a friend. Vanessa would rather die than join the family business.

The air was sticky, not humidity, it was as though the air was dripping with evil. Still, Vanessa kept gathering all her courage. The halls were dark and empty, just like they were at MI6. It was eerie, it was forbidden.

Still, Vanessa kept walking. She had no idea where she was going, but she figured if she kept going straight, she would find someone. She was sure that if she went off the path the people of Carver wanted her on; someone would show up and lead her to wherever they wanted her.

As she walked, Vanessa's thoughts turned to Loki. She hoped that he was okay, that he was not enduring any negativity back in New York. Vanessa could almost feel his lips on hers and his hands caressing her face. She could almost hear his rare laugh and see the way his eyes lit up.

No, stop it Vanessa. They'll use it all against you.

So down the twisting corridor she went. Vanessa was getting closer. She could feel it. Her heart was hammering madly in her chest, surly everyone could hear it. At last a heavy looking door came into view. It was made of metal and the edges were rusty. The air was humming. Taking a deep breath, Vanessa pulled open the door and stepped inside.

There was a woman standing in the center of the room behind a table. There was no doubt that this was Vanessa's grandmother. Her grey hair was pulled back into a bun, but the all the bobby pins in the world could not tame the curls. Her face was the same kind one Vanessa had. There were a few minor differences though. The wrinkles were one, but as Vanessa got closer, she saw that her grandmother had piercing blue eyes. She was not being possessed though. Those eyes were too focused.

"Ah, we were beginning to think you were just visiting the village. But I'm glad you decided to come home." There was a harshness that the woman was trying to hide in her voice.

"Yes, well I don't plan on staying long," replied Vanessa.

"Come here, darling, let me look at you."

Hesitantly, Vanessa walked forward. Her grandmother took Vanessa's face into her hands and studied her carefully. Her hands were cold.

"Yes, once you take over, the Society will both respect and fear you."

Vanessa wrenched herself away. "That won't happen," she spat.

"I'm glad you're going to need persuasion. Every leader should be broken first, don't you think so?"

"I don't—"

"Vanessa, my dear, I don't think you've met my friend, The Other."

Author's Note

Yeah, I had to. I'm sorry. Actually, no. I'm sorry I'm not sorry.

I made a tumblr account for this fic. It's seven-devils-fiction. You can submit fan art and shit if you want. I'll be posting the fan art if I get any. Also, every song that has a chapter named for it will be posted, so you can listen there. I'll probably have a few fangirl things there too. Feel free to check it out.

As always, pretty please leave a review? I love them so much!