"Stop me?" The Lizard chuckled again. "Do you really think you can do that?"

"Well, duh," I replied, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. I even threw in a little shrug as a something extra. "I'm not about to let a giant Lizard push me around."

"We'll see about that." He charged and I fired a double blast at him. Ducking, he ran on all fours and pounced at me before I could fire another. He held both my hands in a tight grip. I tried to break free and when it became clear he as too strong for me I head-butted him. With a screech he released my hands and I fired another double blast at him blew him off me. The room spun as I got to my feet. Swinging his tail around I was hit in the solar plexus as he knocked me over the desk and I struggled to regain my breath as he stalked over.

"You have an interesting ability," commented the Lizard. "But you can't even use it properly."

"Wanna bet?" I jumped to my feet, swinging my arm around as my magic spread out in a curving line to hit the Lizard in the chest and cut him. He barely even glanced at it though and it quickly healed.

"All the tricks in the world aren't going to help you," he hissed, swinging a clawed at me. Slicing through the chest, he watched with surprise as it flickered and vanished and chuckled as he turned around to face me. I held up my arms as I prepared for him to attack me again. "Very good. But you can't keep it up forever."

"I'll refer you to the earlier question." I fired another blast. He dodged the right and I swung another arc at him. Jumping to the roof he crawled rapidly across, swinging his tail down at me, wrapping it around my neck and squeezing tightly. I pulled at it fruitlessly for a few moments, stars crossing my vision and my chest aching. My oxygen starved brain struggling to come up with a plan.

My chest was burning and I could imagine a fire racing through my body as the aching spread to my muscles with a fierce intensity. The Lizard screeched and I was dropped to the ground, lying there as I struggled to breath- my throat still feeling like it was locked in vice. I brought my hands up as I heard the Lizards footsteps head in the direction of the device. For a few moments I imagined I saw a flame flickering across them before I brought them to my throat and healed the damage he had gone.

Time was of the essence as I took several deep breaths, rolling over and climbing to my feet. I wasn't going to get the Lizard get away with the device. But my body didn't seem quite to care so much and I fell against the counter as my tortured muscles protested against the movement. I couldn't let that stop me. I couldn't stand around and let this happen. I was going to stop him.

Pushing clear of the table, I held my hand up and pointed it towards to device, firing a blast that skimmed just past it. The Lizard turned to look at me with a snarl on his face. He knew what I was planning.

"Try anything and I'll just blow that damn thing up," I informed him coolly. He stared at me, assessing the situation. I waited to see what he would do and felt a little unnerved when he chuckled. "Something you'd like to share?"

"If you blow up the device," he began, taking step towards me. "Then the person hiding in the closet over there will die."

I'd forgotten about Gwen. I quickly glanced over, hoping she wouldn't burst out and try anything stupid. I had my hands full at the moment.

"Over my dead body."

"That's the plan." He lunged at me, reaching out to claw me. I jumped out of the way and he swung his tail at me. Holding out my hand I formed a mini-shield and using my other fired another blast. Jumping to the roof, he dodged my blasts as I repeatedly tried to hit him. My communicator began to beep again. I made the mistake of looking at it and the Lizard used the opportunity to lunge at me again, claws swiping across my face.

I panicked. The Lizards claws had hit there target. My eyes. For a moment I panicked, my sight gone and the heavy flow of blood leaking from the scratches had me panicking. Pain distracting me mind and making me forget I could heal and my the time I remembered and started to heal the wounds it was too late. The Lizard had taken the device and left. Gwen was kneeling by my side and she sounded as shaken as I felt.

"We need to get you a doctor," she said, voice shaking.

"I'm fine," I replied breathlessly, calming slightly as the pain receded and my sight returned. "It wasn't that bad."

"You were screaming your head off."

"I was? I don't remember that." Wiping blood away from my eyes I took a breath as I leant against the counter. "Bet I look a sight though."

"You've got blood all over your face," Gwen confirmed, looking a bit- well, very – concerned. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," I repeated, shaking the memories of my few moments of blindness away- that was going to give me nightmares. "I need to stop the Lizard- that's the priority."

"I'm sure Peter's on his way." She disappeared from my view, coming back with the antidote in one hand and a towel in the other. Holding out the antidote she looked at me solemnly. "Will you make sure he doesn't get hurt?"

"I'll try my best," I replied, taking the antidote and clipping it next to the Lizard formula as she began to wipe the blood away from my face. "He's a good kid- I think he'll be able handle himself."

"Will you?" she asked, and I looked at her questioningly. "Be able to look after yourself. You look pretty tired."

I felt it too- I wasn't used to using my magic like this for so long, and the repeated healings were really taking it out of me. My body was at the point where it just wanted to pack it up and call it a day.

"Well I'll have to if I'm to make sure your boyfriend gets back to you," I replied, taking the towel from her and rubbing at my hands. It didn't matter if it was all gone, just so long as I didn't have to worry about it getting in my eyes.

"What about the other two who were with you at the school- where are they?"

"I have no idea," I replied honestly, looking down at the communicator. "But whoever called me is going to have hell to pay."

Chucking the towel down, I got to my feet. Gwen grabbed my arm to support me as I did so and I stretched my arms over my head when I felt I could stand on my own feet. Then with a stubborn determination I walked out of the lab and prepared to go up to the roof.

"Thank you."

I paused, turning back to where Gwen stood. My blood (was that all my blood?) spread about the area.

"For what?" I asked. "I didn't stop the Lizard."

"For protecting me," she replied. I didn't say anything. There wasn't anything I could say.

"Just get out of the building," I said to her, exhausted. Making to go on, I paused and turned back to her. "If you see the two idiots I was with tell them I could use some back up."

She nodded and then went on her way. I turned my back on her and continued walking on towards the roof. Legs aching and screaming, back protesting and the feeling of ghost pain spreading across my face. I automatically clapped a hand over my mouth in case I screamed, falling back against the wall as tears formed. Who was I kidding, I was not fine. It didn't just take my magic healing to make that sort of fear and horror go away.

I tried to go on, nausea descending and whatever food had been inside me now coated the hallway. The coppery smell of blood filled my nose. It was a harsh reminder and I had to mentally scream at myself to calm down. Stop acting like a baby! I told myself. The Lizard is going to turn the city of New York and I needed to be there to help Peter.

No I didn't though, Peter managed it by himself and the only reason I was getting involved was because I just couldn't keep my nose out of this business. I didn't want to save Captain Stacey because I felt the need to- I didn't even know the guy! I just wanted to save the guy to change it and make play I'm a hero. Just like the only reason I ever put up with Loki in the goddamn first place was because I was just a stupid little fangirl pretending I could do something that not even Thor could. Loki knew that- he knows that. That's why he used me like that.

The whole point of being a hero is that you go out and save the world- not for the glory or the fame, but because you don't want to see people suffer and die. Was that why I'm doing this right now? Fighting giant lizards and aliens? Because I wanted to save people? Or was I just doing this because I wanted to be a brat who can't give up on childish dreams. I gave my real world- my family, my friends and every other person who ever thought about just for a childish dream. What kid doesn't want to be a superhero at some point? I was just never able to give that up.

Sinking to the floor I clasped my hands over my face as the nausea resurfaced. Cold sweat dripping from my forehead and the sound of beeping as my communicator was contacted again.

Do you still want to play hero?