Well, to say I'm sick doesn't really cover how I am feeling. I'm just glad it is summer and not the winter. Because of my….condition, I can't stay in the cold for too long. It's like meeting face to face with death, but not as extreme in this case.

It's been a lot warmer this week than it usually is on the roof, so when I had to cool down, the weather was bearable, but it just meant that I had to stay out there for more than a couple of hours. This wasn't one of those times.

Lately I was able to keep my emotions controlled, so there was no need to really go up there. If the others noticed a change in my behavior, they didn't seem to comment on it.

I walked into the front room where I saw Clint, Steve, Thor, and Loki watching the news. I saw a news reporter on the screen with smoke behind her, but I wasn't exactly sure what was happening. Was this an actual forest fire? I thought to myself.

I walked up behind the couch that Steve and Clint were sitting on. "What's going on?" I asked, still looking at the TV.

Steve must not have heard me because it looked like he jumped about three feet. "Oh, Maddie, I didn't know you were there." Everyone else snickered at Steve's scare, but I still just looked at the screen. "Um, it looks like there was a forest fire started by the weather in Arizona." Steve said.

I just nodded and looked at the screen. "Do you wanna watch with us?" Clint asked hesitantly.

I just shook my head 'no' and looked at the screen one last time before I left the room. I saw everyone give me a weird look and exchange glances out of the corner of my eye, but I just ignored it.

I wandered down the halls, thinking about what I would be doing now if I didn't have to stay in this boring tower. I thought about Lindsey, and the rest of the staff at where I worked. Did they think I was dead because Lindsey saw me drown in the rubble Loki blasted? Or were they wondering where I went after they cleaned up the rubble?

"Rocky? Hello, are you there?" Tony said as he was waving his arms in front of me. I shook the thoughts away and just looked at him and he laughed. "Space case much?" He joked. I just smiled and shrugged my shoulders. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Just roaming around, thinking about where I used to work before all of this." I said as I motioned around the tower when I said 'this.'

"I didn't know you had a job!" Tony exclaimed.

"The world is full of surprises." I shrugged.

"Where did you work, if you don't mind me asking?" Tony said.

"At the TKP building in Midtown. I just swept and vacuumed floors. Nothing special."

"You were a janitor? Gross." Tony joked. I just shrugged. "You've been awfully quiet lately, are you doing okay?" He asked. I just nodded 'yes.' "Well, if you're ever bored, you know where to find me and Bruce."

"Ok." I said before I walked away. Tony looked at me a little longer before he went back into the lab where Bruce was.

I decided to walk down the hallway to the rooms and just sit and read something. I saw Natasha walk by. "Hi," Natasha said.

"Uh, hi." I responded.

"Did you feel like doing some training today?" She asked.

"Uh, no thanks, not today." I said.

"Well, just let me know if you change your mind." Natasha said before she walked off.

After she left I thought for a minute. Something about our conversation seemed…fake. Stop Maddie, you just need to get used to the fact that Natasha can tolerate you now. I smiled to myself as I entered my room and read one of the textbooks Tony had laying around.

-0-

After my nerd session, I decided to go see what Bruce and Tony were up to. I walked up to the living room and heard Natasha and Clint talking. "How long do I have to go on with this charade?" Natasha said.

I stayed out of view so they couldn't see me. "Tasha…" Clint began.

"Am I the only one that is being cautious? Isn't there a slight chance that she is Kylie and she could be dangerous?" Natasha asked.

"Well, there's always the possibility, but…" Clint started as the rest of the Avengers walked in. Were they scheduling a meeting or something?

"But nothing! We were trained to always look at the possibilities. She could leave here at any time she pleased and cause chaos somewhere else, and by the time we figured it out, she would be miles away." Natasha said.

"Is this really why you called us in? I'm pretty sure everyone is convinced except you." Tony said.

"Am I wrong to be cautious?" Natasha asked.

"Well, no, but…" Steve began.

"She said she had secrets that she couldn't tell us when we all arrived here. Am I the only one that remembers that?" Natasha asked and everyone was silent, but realization had hit them that I did say that when we all got to Stark Tower.

"How long have you been standing behind me?" I said quietly to Loki.

"A while." He simply responded.

"She never did trust me did she? And now no one will, because I have secrets." I said, more to myself than to Loki as I started to get annoyed and heat up. I could feel Loki take a step back at the sudden change in temperature.

"She just needs to gain our trust, is all. Then she will open up." Bruce said.

"It's been a few weeks. How much time does she need?" Natasha snarled.

"What other option is there?" Steve asked, not expecting to get a response.

"I say we put her in the cell and scan her. Keep her in there until we are all sure. You all know she is hiding something!" Natasha exclaimed.

When no one answered, I got angrier, and my body took over without a me even thinking. "Then do it." I said as I stepped into view and everyone froze as they looked at me. "If you are so convinced, Natasha, then do it." I snarked. "Or would that ruin your plan of gaining my trust?" I angrily asked. No one responded; they were too shocked that I had heard the whole conversation. I turned to face Tony. "Pretty sure she's not like this to everyone she meets." I said, referring to the conversation we had a while ago when I had my suspicions about Natasha.

When no one spoke, I turned around and walked off. As I passed Loki, he spoke up. "What are you going to do now?" He asked innocently.

"What I should have done a long time ago." I said as I made my way to the door that led to the roof. I'm finally getting out of here.