A/N Hi everyone! I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am for how long you had to wait for this. I promise, it will not happen again. The past few weeks just happened to have everything fall apart for me, and everything happen to me all at once. It was too much to handle and this was sadly, the first thing that had to be paused for a bit. But I'm back and life is better now. :)

I want to thank all of the new followers and favorites for jumping on the bandwagon with me. I truly appreciate your support. It's such a great motivator. Special thanks to HawiianChick12, morganville101, soulsisterinaslan, and Iansarmy for the reviews. I know you all have questions and concerns about the story is unfolding so far, mainly whether Steve will ever catch a break. I promise you all that if you stick around, you won't be disappointed. :)

Please review, review, review. I can't fix or change what I don't know so please tell me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. Now...on with the show.

Hugs and kisses! ~Sarah

Laina and Bruce walked into the living room hand in hand. Laina could feel everyone's eyes on her as they made their way to the couch. She wasn't used to everybody looking at her like that; being the center of attention made her uncomfortable.

Laina cleared her throat slightly and turned to Thor, "So, why am I here?"

Thor stood up in front of everybody and started his explanation. "From what I gathered from Loki and other experts on Asgard, this is the first time anything like this has happened. Loki did not know exactly what had happened to you; the most he could hypothesize was that there was some form of cosmic energy spike where the incident had occurred that was strong enough to propel you here, to this Earth. He was given leave to research further into this occurrence and report to me if any more information arises."

They all sat in uncomfortable silence before Clint said, "That's it? We waited all this time for that?"

"I'm sorry I could not be of more help to you, Lady Laina," Thor replied disappointedly.

Laina stood up and made her way towards Thor. "It's fine. Thank you Thor; you did all you could," and she gave him a hug, which he returned immediately and with full-force. Once her feet were back on the ground again, Laina turned to the rest of the group and asked, "Now what?"

Tony stood up. "I hoped that Thor's explanation would have been a bit more thorough, but I'll keep looking into it. In the meantime, I found something this morning that I wanted to share with you while we had the whole group."

Steve asked, "What is it?"

"Well, during all of the initial tests that we ran on Laina, Bruce pulled a blood sample. I extrapolated Laina's DNA sequence from it and ran it through every database available, and some that weren't. Nothing was found until I broadened the search past exact matches. Then, we got a ping from someone named Anna Clark whose genetic sequence was very similar to Laina."

Bruce spoke up, "Anna Clark? Who's Anna Clark?"

No one had noticed that Laina had fallen onto the couch next to Natasha until she spoke up, looking pale and out-of-breath. "I, I think she's my sister."

Clint asked, "You have a sister? And you didn't think to tell us?"

"I, uh, didn't know until Tony said her name. Then it sort of, hit me; small memories of me with Anna when we were kids." Laina turned to Tony. "Do you know where she is? Can I see her?"

"Way ahead of you. I've got her address right here."

Steve stood up. "What are we waiting for then? Let's go." Everyone started making their way to the elevator when they heard Natasha yell, "Wait!"

Everyone turned to face her as she continued, "We can't all storm over to this girl's house just because the tech said she was somehow related to Laina. I'm all for Laina finding out who this girl is, but we can't all go."

Thor turned to Laina and said, "I think it would be more difficult for me to venture out unnoticed so I will wait here for your return. You should choose the others."

Laina turned to the rest of the group, "Umm…. Bruce? And Tony, I guess, since you know where she is."

Laina grabbed Bruce's hand and made her way towards the elevator. As she turned, she could've sworn Steve looked a little disappointed, and it made her chest feel tight for just a moment. But then she felt Bruce squeeze her hand and give her a small smile that made the tightness melt away.

The three of them made their way to Anna Clark's house. The further out from the hub of Manhattan they went, the darker and dirtier they got. Tony asked J.A.R.V.I.S. to reconfirm the address multiple times, not quite trusting where they were heading. Laina stared out the window, getting more wound up and nervous with each minute. Her hands were clenched together, shaking in her lap.

Bruce had no idea what Laina must be going through right now. He wished there was something he could do to help her. He needed to help her. He looked over at her many times, hoping she would notice and talk to him so he wouldn't feel so uncomfortable. However, Bruce saw her shaking hands and reached over quickly, taking hold of them to stop the shaking. Laina looks up into his eyes, and he says, "Relax. Everything is going to be ok. Trust me."

Tony speaks up, "We're here."

Everyone hops out of the car, and looks at their surroundings. The neighborhood is incredibly run down, with boarded up windows and graffiti covering the buildings. My sister lives here? Laina thinks worriedly.

Tony makes his way up to the correct door and knocks. After a few moments of silence, he knocks again…and again.

"Will you stop with the knocking already?! She ain't home, alright?" A disgruntled looking woman sticks her head out of the window next door. Tony plasters on his signature smirk and says, "Hello. We're looking for Anna Clark. Do you know where we can find her?"

The woman sizes them up, taking her time as her eyes crawl over Tony's, and then Bruce's bodies. She locks eyes with Laina for a moment. Something in her eyes that Laina can't quite place made the hairs on the back of Laina's neck stand on edge. The woman returned her gaze to Tony before replying, "She's workin' the day shift this week. Check out the XXX Factory. It's three blocks that way." And with one more look toward Laina, the woman shuts her window.

"The XXX Factory? My sister works in a strip club?" Laina asks, not truly wanting to know the answer.

Bruce squeezes her hand. "We've come this far. We might as well check it out and see if she's there."

Tony pats Bruce on the back, "Now, now Brucie. Don't get too excited." He makes his way down the stairs and toward the direction the woman indicated. "Your girlfriend's right there."

With a small laugh, the three of them left.

The XXX Factory was the dirtiest, grungiest, most worn-down place Laina had ever seen. Just inside the door, the haze of smoke and too much vodka made it hard to navigate, not to mention the dim lighting. The three had to stumble their way through to the bar, avoiding every depraved man and gyrating woman they came across. When they finally reached the bar, the bartender clearly checked out Laina and came right over.

"Hiya, honey. What can I do for you?" He said, a gross sneer crossing his face. Beside her, Laina could feel more than hear Bruce growl at the man. Mostly blocking Bruce from the bartender, Laina steps forward and says, "I'm looking for my sister. Can you help me?"

The creepy bartender grabs Laina's hand and replies, "Course I can, sweetheart. What's her name?" He leaned in closer to Laina while pulling on her hand to bring her closer as well. Tony stepped between them quickly.

"Her name is Anna Clark. I'm not sure if she uses a different stage name, but it's vitally important that we talk to her now."

"Yeah, yeah. I know Anna. But you can't talk to her right now; she's still on the clock."

"Is there a manager or someone we can speak to? It really is important that we see her now," Bruce says as he grabs hold of Laina's hand again.

"Hey, buddy. I ain't just the bartender. I own this place, and I'm not letting you take Anna unless you pay for her. She's one of my best girls."

Tony sighs as he pulls out a hundred, "Fine, then. Private room please, and have Anna meet us there."

The bartender grumbles as he grabs the money and leads them to a room that is even more disgusting than the rest of the bar. He leaves them there, and returns a few minutes later with a woman in tow.

"Here she is. You have half an hour." And with that he left.

The woman had come in staring at the floor.

"I haven't really done group stuff before, definitely not with a girl, but why not. I mean, you paid, right? I just need to set some ground rules fir… Oh my god!" The woman gasped as she finally looked up at the group. "You're…you're…"

Tony spoke up first, "Yes, yes. I know; I'm Tony Stark. I always seem to have this effect on women."

The woman spoke up. "No, no. Not you. You're Dr. Bruce Banner right? The Bruce Banner?"

"Yes." Bruce replied hesitantly.

"Oh, wow! I am a huge fan! I read your paper on gamma radiation. It was inspiring. You're the reason I'm studying to be a physicist. I have always wanted to meet you." The woman rambled in a way that was all too familiar to Bruce.

"It's nice to meet a fan. Most people don't mention the science anymore."

"Well, they should. You're brilliant!"

Tony chimes in, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Bruce has a fangirl. Can we move on please?"

The woman stopped suddenly, "Oh, sorry. When I get nervous, I tend to babble. I'm Anna. Anna Clark. And if you don't mind my asking, why are you here? And why did you want me?"

Laina, who had stayed silent behind the two men, stepped forward.

Anna gasped. "Laina?" And with that, both women fell to the floor unconscious.

The woman could not believe her luck. She could finally leave this hellhole they call a planet and return to her one true master. Before departing ,though, she had to submit her findings. She called out telepathically, "Sir. I have found the other one, just as you said I would. She was looking for Anna. I sent them to the club. They should find her soon. Then, all of the pieces will be in place, and you can finally take your rightful place as ruler of the universe as we know it. Is there anything more you require of me?"

Loki smiles from his prison cell. "No, that is all. You may return."