I am kind of proud with this one :D
Chapter 9
Joanna jumped of her horse in the middle of the square; letting the horse walk away she looked around and saw that everyone staring at her. She felt her body pull magic to her hand, she didn't know this magic though; this was dark and her energy was used more than usual. She needed to do something. Her hand was lifted, shimmer its usual purple, towards a woman and a child.
"Princess, pull back your magic." A guard said to her. She wanted to answer; she wanted to scream that this wasn't her. She needed to reverse the spell, she needed to do something.
"The princess is possessed." Another guard screamed making everyone run to hide. She thought of a spell that might revers the one her body was about to shoot. She forced herself to think about the spell, feeling it work towards her hand. The pain in her body increased more now that she was fighting whatever it was that had possessed her. Volstagg jumped in front of the woman and child to protect them, Hogun and Fandral at her sides and Sif was beside Volstagg.
"Joanna please, put your hand down." Sif said with a calm voice.
"Where is Loki when you need him?" Fandral muttered from her side.
Her body let the spell go towards Volstagg who stood his ground. She just hoped that it had worked and that it was worth the pain. She saw Volstagg stagger and then fall to the ground, the woman and child had managed to hide behind a pillar. Inwardly she let out a sigh but her body was so tense and even if she didn't know this body; she knew that she was standing in fighting position because the others were ready for her next attack.
"Joanna, stand down." She heard Thor's voice behind her. Couldn't they see the mark on her hand? She needed to show them, but how?
She did what first came in to her mind. She tried to lift her arm; the pain shoot through her again and she was inwardly screaming her lungs out. She saw her arm lifting slightly so she seemed to have some control of her body again. But then she lost it again, her arm going down to her side again.
Her arm lifted again and shoots a purple ball towards Thor who managed to jump to the side. The ball hit a pillar and it chattered and fell to the ground missing Thor slightly.
Joanna took a deep breath and tried to take control again. She saw a green shimmer and her parents were in front of her, looking at her with confusion. She didn't have time to stop it before her arm went up and shoot another purple ball, this time hitting her father in the chest.
Loki flew backwards in to a pillar that cracked by the impact. "Joanna, stop this." Tony screamed to his daughter. This wasn't his daughter; the way she looked at everyone in disgust and hatred just wasn't her. She loved it here, she wouldn't hurt anyone. Joanna was just about to shoot him to but he managed to get around her and pulled her arms up and that's when he saw it. "Loki, it's something in her arm." Tony yelled while struggling with keeping her still.
Everyone looked at the arm that was glowing dark green through her veins. Loki shook his head in hope of clearing his vision. Joanna's body managed to get a grip of Tony and gave him a hard kick in his gut, making him stumble backwards. Her arm lifted and was aiming at Tony but something in her eyes sparkled and just when her body was about to shoot, it turned making the ball hit another pillar. Tony looked in to his daughter's eyes, trying to find her in there. "Joanna, fight it." He yelled at her. He felt somebody take his arm and move him away from her when her body was moving towards him.
Suddenly she screamed and crouched down, clutching her head. "Take it out… take it out." She screamed while trying to get whatever is in her wrist out. But it didn't last long before the pain was too much and she had to stop fighting it. Her body stood up and stared at everyone like nothing happened.
To make sure that his daughter wouldn't do anymore harm, he put up a shield shaped like a ball around her. "We need to do something." He said, his voice shaking by fear and stress.
"Maybe we should knock her out and then take the thing out." Hogun suggested.
"I can kiss her and while she is busy with me; you can take the thing out." Fandral said with a smirk but when he saw Tony's eyes glaring daggers at him he knew this was not the time.
"Hogun's idea is better." Sif answered, keeping her gaze at Joanna who tried to get out of the shield. "Loki, take down the shield and try to occupy her while I knock her out." Sif told him and he nodded in response. Luckily for them Joanna had been too busy of freeing herself from the shield instead of noticing what they were compromising. Everyone moved to where Loki was standing except Sif who moved so she was behind Joanna. When everyone was in place Loki removed the shield and as thought Joanna fixated on the big group and did not see Sif coming closer her from behind.
Joanna knew what they were planning because she couldn't see Sif. So she stopped fighting her body and just waited for the blow that would put her out. But her body seemed to understand her thoughts and immediately turned towards Sif who was very close. Her body had that smile that was extremely similar to Loki's evil grin. A purple ball hit Sif in the stomach and sent her away and hit the already cracked pillar.
While the other people were shocked by this, Tony took the chance. He launched forward before Joanna turned and pushed the spot in the neck that makes her body go limp and she falls in to his arms.
Loki runs up to them and takes her arm and watched the dark green lump. "What is that?" Tony asked while holding his unconscious daughter up.
"I don't know." Loki said. His hand started to glow and he moved it over her wrist. Something like a tiny little capsule came out and float in the air in front of them. Thor took it in to his hand and looked closer at it while his brother cleaned his daughter veins and the closed the skin. Tony held her close and picked her up bridal style. "We'll talk about that later when she has awakened." Loki told Thor who nodded and then Loki teleported his family to their bedroom.
Tony put Joanna on the bed, pulled out her hair of the band that held her hair in a ponytail and then pulled the sheet over her body. He sat down on the edge and stroked her cheek, feeling his husband's hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" Loki asked him and came in to his view, crouched down and put a hand on his stomach that had got a good kick from his daughter possessed body.
He put a hand on his husband's hand and smiled at him when he looked in to his eyes. "I could ask you the same question. I only got a punch that is going to leave a good bruise but you were launched in to a pillar." He leaned down and kissed Loki's lips softly. "Seriously, are you okay?" Tony asked with a serious voice.
Loki gave him a wicked grin. "I've been through worse." He said. Feeling his legs go numb so he stood up but didn't get to go anyway because Tony wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him close so he stood between his legs.
"I can imagine that the Hulk was worst then that." Tony said with a grin.
He got a tweak from Loki but he didn't let go of him. Loki's hands went in to Tony's hair and massaged his scalp, hearing a pleasant moan from him. "We should get some food in here. It's almost dinner time and Joanna is going to be hungry." Tony nodded against his stomach and let his husband go. "I'll be back soon." Loki said and kissed his husband softly on the lips before leaving the room.
Tony sat there and just watched his daughter breathe calmly. She shouldn't have gone through this; she should live a happy life. But he had failed her; she has gone through torture and had now been possessed by something. She doesn't open up to anyone and he fears that she never will and he knows that it will be her downfall. His daughter, the apple of his life as some people call their children, his star, his flower and he can go on and on with names to explain how much he loved his daughter and that he would do anything to keep her safe. But he had failed her.
"Why are you crying?" The voice was small and sounded confused. He looked at his daughter and was met by dark chocolate brown eyes. He didn't even know that he was crying until she asked him. He dried the tears away and stroked her cheek again.
"How are you feeling?" He asked her with a warm and soft voice that he only used to her and sometimes Loki.
"It doesn't itch anymore." She whispered and looked down at her wrist. The lump was gone and her skin was as pale as usual. She looked up at her dad and saw the worry in his eyes. "I'm sorry." She said and pushed herself up and hugged him. He embraced her and held her close, letting her cry in to his shirt.
"It wasn't your fault… never blame yourself." Tony said to her and kissed her on the head. "How long did you have it?" Tony asked in to her hair.
Joanna took a few breaths. "It appeared the day after the kidnapping." She told him truthfully.
Tony pulled her away from him to look in to her red swollen eyes. "Why didn't you tell us?" He asked with a serious voice.
Joanna looked away from him. "I thought it was a mosquito bite." She said and dried away her tears.
"It didn't look like a mosquito bite." Tony said confused.
"It looked like one in the beginning. It turned green a few hours ago and then it was too late." She said and looked down to her wrist.
The door opened and Loki walked in, a smile appeared when he noticed that his daughter was awakened. He got on to the bed and sat on Joanna's other side and stroked her long thick hair. "Feeling better?" He asked and looked in to her eyes.
She nodded. "Did I hurt Volstagg?" She needed to know if the spell she had fought so hard for to reverse the first spell.
"You sent a sleeping spell on him and I have woken him up now so he is fine." Loki said answered with a smile. Joanna nodded and lied down on the bed and closed her eyes; she was drained of energy because of the dark magic her body had used she didn't even know she had. Her body hurt a bit from when she tried to take over her own body again. Who would have thought that her own body would be her own enemy?
"Are you hungry or do you want to sleep?" Tony asked his daughter but he already knew the answer.
"I want to sleep." She said and crawled in under the covers again. Her parents smiled at her and Loki stroked away some of her hair that were in her face. "Can you stay here with me?" She has just been through something that had pained her for the second time this week and she just needed to feel that she wasn't alone.
Loki nodded, crawled over her and lied down next to her and pulled her in to his arms. He needed this, he needed to hold his daughter to make her feel safe and that he will always be there. He had failed her twice now and he didn't want it to be a third time. His husband joined them on his other side, holding both of them in his arms.
They went home the next day because Joanna didn't like how everyone stared at her with fear. Odin said that he would explain to his people what happened but Joanna wanted to go home anyway so her parents gave in to her.
When they got home; Joanna took the dogs out on a walk in Central park. She loved the colors that the fall brought to the park; yellow, brown and red. She watched the kids playing in leaf piles, and parents watching them closely with warm smiles on their faces. It reminded her of when she was younger and her parents took her to the park or to a big field where the dogs could run free and play with her.
Tony was drawn from his phone when he heard his daughter cry. He looked up and saw his five year old girl sitting on her but, tears streaming down her blushed cheeks and the dogs stood around her looking worried and whined to get Tony's attention. He walked over to her with a small smile on his face. "What happened sweet cheeks?" He asked his daughter and pulled her up to her feet's and brushed the dirt of her cloths.
"I tripped." She said and sniffled.
Tony had to bite his lower lip to not laugh at that. "You know what to do when you fall?" He asked her and dried away some tears from her cheeks. She just shook her head and stroked one of Lola's soft ears. "You sit there and feel if you are hurt and if you're not you get back on your feet's again." He told her and his smiled grew bigger.
"But what if you are hurt?" She then asked and looked at him with sad eyes.
"Then you call someone for help. And that also include when you feel sad as well." He said and poked her nose which made her giggle.
Joanna chuckled by the memory, she sure was a crybaby sometimes when she was younger. She walked along the small pond by the famous restaurant, looking at the turtles that lived there.
"Look father, Tyra caught a turtle" Joanna yelled happily to her father with Tyra and Lola beside her. "Can we keep it?" The seven year old little girl jumped around Tyra who still had the poor turtle in her mouth.
"Give it to me, Tyra." Loki said and put a hand on the turtle. Tyra let the turtle go and got a pat on the head. "Joanna, come here." Loki said and his daughter who came closer and watched the animal with curiousness. He crouched down so he was in eyelevel with her. "This little turtle lives here, it has a family here. Would it be nice to take it home with us?" Loki asked her with a calm voice.
Joanna's happy face turned in to a sad face. "But we can be its new family." She tried to convince her father.
Loki shook his head and looked at the little turtle that was hiding inside its shell. "Wouldn't you be sad if someone came and took you away from us and said that they were your new family?" He knew that it was an extreme example but his daughter wasn't stupid. And he was right because she shook her head frantically. "You want to put it back where it belongs?" He asked with a smile.
Joanna took the turtle gently in to her small hands and walked slowly to the edge of the pond and placed the turtle in the water and let it go. Loki came up to her and put a hand on her back. "I'm proud of you." He said and kissed her on her head.
Joanna wondered if her father felt for the turtle that day. She had heard the story, she knew what her father had done before he met dad. But no, he couldn't have felt for it that day because the turtle was kidnap, while her father was left to die.
"Joanna Stark?" Joanna sighed; she really didn't need the press to ask her question right now. But she put on a false smile like her dad's and turned around. She was shocked to see the girl she had saved in the toilet just a few days ago. Her light brown hair was curly and she had no make-up on. She wore sweat pants and a thick black leather jacket and a thick knitted green scarf. Not as fancy as Joanna in her black trench coat and blue tight jeans. "It is you. Where have you been I haven't seen you for days?" She surely was happier now than in the bathroom and she didn't seem to fear her either. The dogs greeted her with waging tails and her smile brightened when she patted them.
"Ehm… I got suspended for attacking the girls." Joanna said and fixed her own black knitted scarf when a cold breeze came over them.
"You weren't attacking them, you simply defended yourself." She said with a frown. A guy, older than them came up behind Jenny. Joanna was struck by how hot he was. Long brown hair that ended just above his shoulders and stub that cowered his jawline and around his mouth. But what struck her the most were his very light brown, almost yellow eyes that showed a bit of cockiness. But he was dressed differently from Jenny; he looked like he could be a model or something with his fancy grey wool jacket, black jeans and a dark blue scarf tucked in under the jacket.
"Hey, who's this?" The guy asked with a grin to her. Joanna raised her perfectly picked eyebrow towards him. He really didn't know who she was, what stone had he been living under for 14 years.
"This is the girl that saved me from those girls. This is Joanna Stark." She said with a warm smile towards her.
"Oh so you saved my sister." He stated with a big smile. "I'm Damien." The guy said and reached out a hand that was cowered with a black leather glow. Joanna put the leashes in her other hand and took the hand that was reached out to her and shook it.
"Hi." Joanna simply answered and smiled back at him.
"Now that's a real smile." He said with a grin. Joanna's looked at him with a confused look. "When you first turned around you had this false smile on your face." He explained and let his hands go in to his pockets.
"There aren't many that can see that." Joanna stated with a wicked grin. This guy was something alright; to be able to see her false face when she had the genes and training from the masters of masks.
"Yeah well, I'm special." He said with a wicked grin. Jenny looked at her brother and then at her hero and smiled.
"We were planning on getting some coffee; do you want to join us?" Jenny asked with a smile.
"I don't have my wallet with me." Joanna said; quite surprised of herself because she always had her wallet with her, in case she saw something she wanted. One of the perks of being a Stark.
"My treat." Damien said with a warm smile. "You did save my sister after all." He said and patted his sister on the shoulder.
"You really don't have to." Joanna resisted, she hated it when people bought her stuff when she already had the money herself.
"But I want to." He said, took her hand and dragged her towards the little café.
Somebody wanted Joanna to meet someone so there you go. Oh and Damien looks pretty much like Eion Macken D
