"Please step onto the scales, Ms Romero," the doctor droned, looking up from his clipboard. "Quickly now."

Sending the man a bored look, I rolled my eyes; doing as he asked. They enjoy their jobs don't they, look at those damned smiles. Watching as the doctor studied the numbers that settled on a – oh shit, weight gain? – steady number, I sighed inaudibly.

Five minutes in already and we had only covered my height and weight. This was moving along splendidly.

The older male gestured for me to stand off the scales and – being the good girl that I am – I listened; going to stand near the examination table. "Please take a seat Miss Romero, we just need to test your body reactions," he continued tiredly, waving at a nearby nurse.

Giving the man a wary glance, I jumped up onto the table, clearing my throat awkwardly when my gown rode up my legs. Shifting uncomfortably, I tugged it back down as the older male wandered closer; little hammer in hand. After watching him experimentally tap at my knees for a few minutes, my attention wandered and I studied the room surrounding me.

White… White… White…

The interior decorator for this damned carrier had to have won some awards for his work. He had great taste.

The next hour was wasted away as the doctor and nurses looked at my eyes, ears, skin, mouth and about any other body part or function my mind could conjure up. Just as I was about to scream in frustration the door behind us opened, and I quickly turned; begging for a distraction.

A young man came in, sporting dark hair and bright blue eyes. Oddly enough, he looked pretty familiar…

Placing a tray down on the table, he turned towards us with a smile. "You may leave now, I have a few tests to run," he announced.

The doctor frowned, his eyes narrowing. "I'm not finished yet. Who are you exactly –? "

"Fury's orders," the male finished, one hand lifted to silence any arguments.

The graying doctor hesitated before giving a nod and a smile, gesturing for his nurses to join him as he wandered from the room. The new comer watched them go with a smile of his own and I cocked my head, wow, that's one heck of a smile…

Clearing my throat when he looked my way, I offered a smile and watched him walk towards the door. Turning my back on him, I ignored the click and buzzing noise echoing from behind me and instead focused on making my gown longer.

"Have you ever heard of the Chitauri, Miss Romero?" he asked randomly, fiddling with the instruments on the tray he'd brought in.

Looking towards him I frowned, opening my mouth in silent thought and confusion. "Uh, they… tried to invade earth didn't they? New York, I mean… It must have been about five years ago?" I guessed with a small shrug, hands flitting in the air before falling to my side uselessly.

I was rewarded with a blinding smile. "Good girl," he soothed."Now, do you know that Loki was the one to bring him here?" he questioned next.

Freezing, I shifted awkwardly. "Yes… Uh, I did…" I admitted, frowning at the male. The warm voice he'd housed seconds before had turned icy, blue eyes following behind. Why the hell was he so familiar?

"But, he decided that earth was worth saving. I, personally, don't know why he swapped sides and fought alongside humanity, even going so far as too help with the clean up. Closing the portal must have got him some brownie points, because he's been a member ever since," he finished, absently flicking a syringe.

I nodded slowly in confusion, watching as the man stalked forward with a now empty syringe. The needle was jabbed into my arm roughly, red filling the clear plastic rapidly. I opened my mouth to question him but my phone rang across the room, forcing my eyes to snap towards it and my body to move.

A hand on my waist stopped me short. "Let it ring," the man demanded. "I'm almost finished. That phone shouldn't even be on."

Opening my mouth uselessly, I nodded and sat back down, staring at the pinprick on my upper arm. It dribbled blood slowly and sluggishly as the male bustled around the room; continue to putter about with the instruments on the tray. My eyes slipped towards my belongings, and I wondered who called me, itching to check the message left by the caller.

When the man turned back, he held another syringe; this one filled with a darkly coloured liquid. Blinking at it uselessly I ignored him. I knew the procedure well enough; stab this, take that… blah, blah, blah…

"Hey," I argued when the man once again stabbed me with the needle. The substance inside was thick and stung as it entered my body. "What the hell was..?"

"It's just vaccinations Miss Romero," he drawled. "Really nothing to worry about."

Breathing out through my nose, I managed a nod. "Okay, sorry, it just… I wasn't expecting…" I sighed and smiled weakly. "Who are you?"

The man looked up, a wrinkle creasing his brow. "You… You don't recognize me?" he questioned, sounding almost dejected. I shook my head, offering another smile as penance when I noticed how hurt he look. It took a few more seconds but he smiled brightly. "You'll remember, trust me."

The grin took on a feral edge and my heart skipped a terrified beat. He looked – more or less – like an animal… Like the cat with the mouse, or a predator with its prey. I swallowed as he winked at me once before grabbing the tray of vials and stalking from the room, the door managing to slam behind him.

I rubbed absentmindedly at my throbbing arm, looking back towards my lap. That wasn't such a bad view, I thought distractedly.

My head shot up and I blanched, almost falling from the table. A damned familiar view… I did know him. He… He was the one that had been watching me in the street. It was creepy dude.

Creepy dude with the nice butt.

Natasha, Jane, Darcy and Pepper laughed softly as they – somehow – squeezed into the elevator. Admittedly, they were getting home later than they would have liked, but their hands were now full with the others lunch. Hopefully they'd be forgiven if they came bearing gifts.

As long as they didn't notice the other bags they were toting. After it had been revealed to Darcy that a certain soldier was planning on asking her out on a date, they'd stopped to pick up and new dress and shoes for the occasion.

All with Tony's credit card of course.

Entering the kitchen, their chuckles died down. "Lunch!" Darcy screamed at the top of her lungs.

It took almost the span of a second, but the Avenger's came sprinting into the room, excited to hear the mere word relating to food. Natasha shook her head fondly, watching as they all but threw themselves into their usual chairs with excitement.

It took a few seconds longer than they expected, but soon Thor let out a strange noise – the girls honestly didn't know what the hell it was – and stood, hurrying to envelope his true love. Tony stood with small movements and smiled genuinely, walking to embrace the one woman who managed to snag his attention. Pepper smiled and accepted his touch, allowing him to whisper something in her ear.

Darcy looked between the others before shrugging and going to hug the super soldier. "I missed you too," she gushed, ignoring the bright red blush the snaked up his neck.

As the others chuckled, but offered no assistance of course, Loki frowned. "Where's Olivia?" he muttered into the red heads ear.

Natasha opened her mouth to reply, but was beat to the punch. "Wait, Cockroach boy finally got a girlfriend?" Darcy demanded, looking between the members of the group with feigned shock. "As in, one that breathes and isn't attached to his wrist?"

"Cockroach boy?" Loki asked in confusion, turning to stare down the woman.

"Wait," Darcy gasped. "You didn't deny that you have a girlfriend!"

Natasha waved one hand, gesturing for them both to keep their mouths shut. "She's our newest member," she informed the females. "Phil came and got her from the airport," she explained to the green eyed man beside her. "Apparently, good ol' Steve here called in about her nightmare so they have to give her a medical exam."

Steve frowned; blanching at the glares sent his way. "I didn't tell anyone about her nightmare," he defended in confusion.

Natasha managed to frown as well. "Who did then?" she accused.

Nobody spoke up, instead shaking their heads in denial when eyes snapped to their forms. Sighing – somewhat loudly – Tony spoke up. "Hey Jarv, had anyone contacted SHIELD from their phones or Stark Tower in the past twenty four hours?" he asked, shoving both hands in his pockets.

"No sir," Jarvis replied politely. "No one had made any calls. Do you wish for me to call Miss Romero?"

Loki nodded, clearing his throat as though he wanted to announce his presence to the intelligence. "Yes please," he answered. "That would be most helpful."

Darcy cocked a brow at the dark haired god before barking out a laugh. "Are you sure they aren't together?" she asked, pointing towards the man with her thumb.

Loki snorted under his breath, ignoring the woman when she tried to poke fun at him – literally. Darcy pouted when she noticed her jabs going to waste.

"I can't reach her sir," Jarvis suddenly spoke. "She isn't answering her phone."

Loki opened his mouth, closing it quickly as he slapped away the finger poking his arm. "We shouldn't be worried, should we?" he asked, directing the question towards the red headed agent at his side.

She slowly shook her head. "No, we shouldn't," she soothed. "She's in the medical bay, so they probably won't allow her to answer her phone." She patted the man on the arm, turning back towards the others with narrowed eyes. "Now hurry up, I'm hungry."

Everyone knew better than to mess with one Natasha Romanoff.

Olivia

I paced the room, my hands clasped behind my back as I stared towards the door. No one had come back through, no doctor, no nurses… I sighed and continued my quick paced movements, realizing I was more or less pacing a hole into the floor.

Lifting a hand and running it through my hair I winced, hissing as my arm dropped back to my side. The damned man was violent with a needle.

Scratching at my arm, I thought about what to do, teeth worrying my lower lip. I didn't know my way around the carrier, and frankly I wasn't sure if I was allowed to leave yet or not. Sighing, I looked down at my hands, noticing the light tremble going through them. The only thing I wanted to do right now was go home.

I walked over to my phone, picking up the device with a remembering frown. Someone had called… Waking up the idle screen, I frowned at the sentence decorating the wallpaper.

One missed call; Tony Stark

I stared at it for a few seconds longer before shrugging, brushing away the message. It was Tony, so the call was undoubtedly urgent in his mind, but pointless in others and therefore last priority in mine. The call already forgotten, I scrolled through my contacts, pressing my finger against the call button.

"Coulson."

I looked towards the door behind me. "Hey, it's me," I offered as a greeting. "You wouldn't mind coming to get me would you? I would try to find you myself, but getting lost is the only thing I'm really good at."

I heard nothing and was about to repeat myself, when he finally spoke up. "Where are your doctors?"

"Uh, they left about an hour ago," I admitted, swallowing thickly. "Maybe two…"

He was silent – again – but was quicker to speak up this time. "What?" he demanded, the sound of material rubbing against skin echoing. "Why?"

"I dunno," I argued poutily. "They, uh… said something about tests they had to run?" I lied.

I heard him sigh. "Fine, I'm coming," he promised. "Be there shortly."

I said my thanks and quickly hung up, going to grab my clothing before beginning to pull them on in a hurry. My phone was dropped beside me, and I was just tugging my buttons together when the door slid open and a familiar man walked in.

"Are you ready too – Oh, you're shirtless…" Phil spun on the spot quick enough to give himself whiplash, ears already burning. "You could've given me some warning, or better yet changed in the bathroom."

I rolled my eyes, finishing with the last button. "I'm done," I chuckled.

He turned to glare at me. "Congratulations," he drawled. "Here, catch," he threw something towards me and I flustered to catch it.

I let out a yelp when the quick movement caused pain to radiate from the pinprick on my arm. "Damn it," I hissed, gripping my arm and doubling over. I heard the bottle crash against the floor, footsteps hurrying to reach my side.

"Hey, are you alright?" Phil asked carefully, a hand on my back. "What's wrong?"

I closed my eyes, shaking my head. "It's fine, it-it's just my arm," I managed to squeak out.

He nodded and started to lift the sleeve of my shirt, hesitating as he gestured for me to sit down. I happily did – after pacing for an hour, your feet really hurt – and he finished rolling up the sleeve. "Why did they have syringes?" he questioned, confusion thick in his voice.

I shrugged. "Uh, they said that they had some tests to run…" I blinked before once again, shrugging. "And there was something about vaccinations?"

He studied my arm for a few seconds longer. "They're meant to give you them later, usually before your first few mission," he muttered. "That's standard procedure."

"Well, I guess I kind of broke procedure?" I offered. "I mean, I'm already living with the others remember?"

He nodded and seemed to accept it, allowing me to roll my sleeve back down. "Come on, we better leave," he allowed, gesturing for me to follow him down countless halls. It took a few minutes before we emerged back into the outside world, the horizon revealing the setting sun.

"What's the time?" I questioned, jogging slightly to catch up with the man.

Phil looked down to his wrist, cheek twitching. "Half past seven," he murmured, allowing us to fall into silence for the rest of the trip. The jet ramp was the first thing I noticed outside of my thoughts, and I smiled when the man gestured for me to go first. "I'm sorry for stressing back there," he apologized as we sat down, one hand lifting to rub his neck.

Chuckling, I waved away his apology. "It's fine," I promised. "If you felt it, trust me, you would've been worried as well."

I felt him tense beside me. "Why? What was it like?" he asked nervously.

I shuddered helplessly, already rubbing the wound. "Cold. Like snowball cold…" I explained before frowning. "And very thick, you know? It stung a lot when it was injected, which wasn't very pleasant."

Phil slowly turned towards me, eyes unblinking. "None of our vaccinations are like that," he muttered with a frown, mouth snapping close. "If they're thick they don't get absorbed into the blood stream as well. The thinner the liquid the better…"

I shrugged and left him to his musings, watching him continue to frown out of the corner of my eye. Something nagged at the back of my mind, but I pushed it aside, refusing to succumb to my worry. There was no use mentioning the creepy guy – with the cute butt – because the likelihood that I would ever see him again was extremely low.

Sadly…

The plane jolted as it landed, and I felt my eyes widen in shock. Had I honestly been thinking about a stranger with a noticeable asset the entire ride?

Feeling my cheeks burn, I tapped my foot impatiently as the ramp opened, allowing me to run into the cool air. I begged for the heat to ease, breathing deeply to avoid thinking about anything other than the sun setting over the horizon.

"What's the rush?" Phil asked, catching up to me.

I shook my head, swallowing. "Where's our car?"

He waved towards the black car across the lot, already moving towards it. I all but ran after him, throwing the door open and dropping myself in the overly plush seat. Sprouting out the directions to Stark Tower, I settled back, blinking owlishly when Phil finally slid into the seat next to me.

"I forgot to get your uniform," he murmured, sighing as he looked towards the front of the vehicle. "Fury's going to kill me."

I sighed before chuckling, licking my lips. "I honestly don't mind," I revealed. "Those things are like a… a second skin," I mumbled, closing my eyes and waving his further response away. Being poked and prodded had stolen all the energy I'd gained after the nightmare, and my eyes all but closed on their own accord, the sound of the city giving way to silence.

I was more or less bouncing on my feet as I waited in the elevator; watching the number slowly climb as I rode up. The events of the day had unsettled me, and admittedly I longed to be around what my mind called normal now – whether it was socially acceptable as normal or not.

When the elevator let out a loud chime, signaling my arrival I all but fell out the door, managing to catch myself on my hands before colliding with the plush carpet. Frowning, I pulled myself off the floor, looking around with curious eyes.

Stark Tower was cold and seemingly empty. I shuddered as I began to walk forward, wrapping my arms around my middle as I called out hesitantly.

"Jarvis?" I called.

No answer.

"Jarvis? Come on, are you there?" I tried again, chuckling nervously as one hand lifted to comb through my hair.

I walked out into the main part of the penthouse, sparing the bar and balcony a mere glance as I entered. My eyes looked out the window next, but quickly switched to scanning the room again. Then I noticed it. The image burned in my brain and with a gasp, I spun racing over to the window separating me from the outside world.

I stared out and felt my lips move soundlessly as a burnt and broken New York stared back.

"My god… oh my god," I whimpered, one hand lifting to press against my lips. "J-Jarvis, goddamn it, Jarvis!" I screamed, the other's names slipping from my tongue as well. A rustling echoed one of my cries and I rushed into the lounge, certain the others were there.

I was right; they were all there… But not amongst the living.

A sound similar to a sob left my lips and I almost collapsed, but two arms wrapped around my waist stopping my descent. The touch was oddly familiar and I leant back, shaking my head at the sight before me. A hand clasped my chin, turning me and I meet bright blue eyes.

"A job well done," the male purred, smiling at me warmly. "My mortal, I'm so proud of you."

Choking on a gasp, I struggled to sit up; the words burning a path through my mind. My eyes refocused and I turned, swallowing thickly as I locked eyes with a frowning Phil.

"We're here," he whispered, tugging gently on my arm and gesturing out the window.

I nodded numbly and opened my car door, sliding out and all but stumbling across the pavement. I bent at the waist and pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes, muttering under my breath. Blinking hard, I stood to my full height once more, blocking out the images of my second nightmare as my companion looked to me in concern. I smiled and waved him away, gesturing to the building and the elevator that would take us up.

"I'm fine," I murmured, wrinkling my nose and entering the building. "Don't worry about it, okay?" I finished, nodding for him to close the elevators door.

We were both silent as we travelled up at heart breakingly slow speed, my breathing and heart rate climbing with every floor we past. I fought to regain control of my own body, swallowing back any fears that managed to claw their way up my throat.

It was only a dream, dammit, only a dream. A dream. A dream. A dream. Dream. Dream. Dream.

The door made a startling loud chime and I started back, blinking quickly as the doors opened. Multiple frowns were the picture I received and I stalked past the group of super humans, heading straight for the window.

I let out a loud breath when I saw the whole and happy city staring back at me, the streets quietly buzzing with life. While the image from the nightmare was still burning brightly in my mind, the truth shone even brighter before me and I sighed happily, already beginning to turn around. I gazed into the faces of my friends, completing a mental checklist in my mind.

My heart rate sped up again when I noticed someone missing. "Where's Steve?" I asked, managing to repress the panic building in my chest.

"He's downstairs, I think," Natasha frowned, shrugging one shoulder. "You okay?"

I felt anger flare briefly and didn't bother analyzing the source. "You think?" I repeated coldly, narrowing my eyes before storming back towards the elevator. "I'm surprised you even managed that."

My arm burnt and I clenched my hand with a wince. The pain escalated when Loki grabbed my arms, concern shining in his green eyes. "Olivia? What happened, your aura is – "

"Back off," I hissed, snatching my arm back and protectively covering the injured area. "Don't touch me Jotun," I commanded next, eyes narrowing almost violently.

Loki paled, lips moving soundlessly as the others made small murmuring noises of surprise. Realizing it was my time to escape – Steve – I turned sharply and continued on towards the elevator, but a blonde male stopped me short. Thor stared down at me, his features a mixture of surprise and anger. "How did you find out?" he demanded.

I ground my teeth together, going from protectively cupping my arm to scratching it as it burnt. Liquid gathered under my nails but I ignored it, pushing past the lightening welding god and finally entering the elevator. Blue eyes fell to my arm.

"Brother…" Thor muttered.

I jammed my finger against the button for the level the gym was located on. I would start looking there, and if he wasn't on that level – I would check every other one in this tower. Anger continued to thrum in my chest and I licked my teeth, digging my nails into my arm with a groan.

"What the hell vaccination was that?" I growled, not sparing the limb another look as I stormed into the gym. I slammed the door open and saw the blonde soldier spin around, gloved hands lifted in defense.

He smiled and relaxed his posture when he saw who it was. "Oh hey Olivia, everything okay?"

I watched him pant, absently scrubbing the sweat from his brow before I nodded. "I'm fine," I growled lowly, the angry breaths slowing in my chest. "I'm fine, thanks…"

The anger dissipated and I shook my head, spinning on my heel and going back into the elevator for the third time. As I travelled up, I leant against the glass behind me, smiling weakly. Steve was fine, the others were fine, and New York was fine.

The dream was only that; a dream.

The doors opened again and I yawned into my hand as I wandered into the room, smiling as the others stared at me dumbly. "Uh, Olivia?" Natasha muttered nervously, cautiously moving closer.

I smiled, sparing her a small look over my shoulder before continuing to dig through the pantry. "Yeah? Something up?" I asked, pursing my lips as I brought out a packet of pop-tarts.

She looked around her, nodding to the others before finally answering me. "What is a Jotun, if you don't mind me asking?"

I frowned, pulling a face. "Uh, a French pasta dish?" I offered with a small chuckle, pulling out a chocolate treat and sniffing it cautiously. "I have no idea sorry, but it sounds strange and weird, so the resident gods would be your best bet."

She furrowed her brow, shaking her head and taking another step forward. "But, you called Loki one," she reminded me, talking slowly and carefully.

"I called Loki a French pasta dish?" I parroted, blinking numbly as placing the box down. Blue flashed through my mind and I frowned, rubbing at my temples. "I don't… I don't think I did."

She nodded again. "You weren't exactly happy with him. Or us," she answered honestly.

My mouth moved wordlessly and I turned to face the aforementioned god, cocking my head at his expressionless features. "I'm sorry then?" I offered in confusion, shrugging my shoulder. "I don't remember doing it, but I'm sorry Lokes."

He only continued to stare, green eyes taking on an angered glare before he left the room. I looked after him with a pained expression, already moving to go after him when a large hand stopped me short. "I think its best that you leave him, Miss Romero."

I frowned, looking down at the hand holding my arm. "It's Olivia," I murmured. "Thor."

He worked his jaw before sighing and leaving the room himself, a smaller woman following behind him. The pop tart in my hand was quickly dropped in the rubbish, my stomach churning uncomfortably as I watched everyone leave.

I put my head in my hands, feeling the familiar flash of anger hit me in the confusion. "What's…" I turned to look to Bruce. "What the hell is going on?"I demanded.

Bruce didn't answer me; instead he just pinched the bridge of his nose before storming from the room. His best friend, Tony, only had to look after him before following, offering me a weak smile as the door closed behind him. My throat moved in a swallow as I faced the remaining occupants of the room; Natasha, Clint and two women I didn't recognize.

Before I could even move my lips and speak; they walked out. Once again my confusion and fear faded into anger and my face contorted in annoyance. "The hell…"

Glaring ahead of me, I gave into the temptation and headed towards the green eyed gods room, forgoing knocking and instead barging in. His head snapped up, aforementioned eyes narrowing. "Get out," he demanded.

"How about no?" I answered, folding my arms. "How about, you tell me what the hell is going on right now?"

Loki studied me, eyes roving over my figure. "Who do you really work for?" he asked slowly, voice dangerously low as he took a few steps forward. "Olivia Romero."

Thrown off balance, I only managed a frown. "SHIELD," I replied.

He bared his teeth, an animalistic growl leaving his lips as one hand went to throw a picture frame across the room. It shattered on impact. "Answer me damn it," he commanded. "You owe me the truth if anything."

Once again my emotion fell into anger. "Do you really wanna know the answer?" I asked, crossing my arms against my chest. "God of lies…"

His eyes flashed at the name before hardening again. "Yes," he snarled.

Smiling, I leant up so I could whisper in his ears. "Monsters like you don't deserve the truth," I muttered, leaning back and smiling even brighter. His hands lifted and I almost imagined him pushing me across the room. I warned him against the action with a small growl, and felt a cool heat surrounding my eyes.

His expression of anger dropped. "How… Olivia, are you alright?" he stammered. "Olivia, is everything okay?"

I huffed before storming from the room, feeling the cold in my chest ease with his concern. All thoughts and words exchanged left my memories as I moved back into the kitchen, absently trying to figure out when I left in the first place.

Loki

Something cold had curled in my chest when she called me a monster. It was a low blow – as Midgardians would say – and it stung more than I cared to admit.

I lifted my hands, ready to do what, I wasn't sure but she seemed to see it coming. Her lips lifted, curling up and baring her teeth as she let out a rabid sound. It wasn't the strange behavior that tipped me off though, but the colour of her eyes.

Black, with shadows littered with veins running underneath them.

"How… Olivia, are you alright?" I asked slowly, mind flitting with reasons and explanations. "Olivia, is everything okay?"

She studied me for a few seconds before stalking out, her shoulders relaxing as she left the room. I stood there in confusion for a few seconds before rushing out to find my brother. There was no doubt about it now. When Thor had pointed out she'd been all but clawing her arm to pieces I'd honestly been confused, but now with her shadow infested eyes…

I was certain.

Our foe was Thanos.

Edited; 23rd August 2015

There we go, have fun with this chapter!She seems to be infected by cute guy with the nice butt. Well, I've heard of worse happening from getting noticed by Senpai

Taila xx