Chapter Eleven: Stay Here

Natasha slipped into the driver's seat and waited for her sluggish teammate to get in the car. The second his seat belt was fastened, she pulled swiftly out of the driveway and wasted no time. "Why didn't you tell me this was more than just a friend of yours?"

"It's not...she's not…" Sam failed to explain himself.

"You're lying to me? After what I just saw? Come clean."

"She's a really old friend, I'm just protective."

Natasha turned the car abruptly and precisely, giving the road her attention for just a minute. "I don't buy it." She shook her head.

"What do you want me to say? That I love her? That she doesn't return my feelings? That seeing her kiss that ass hole broke my heart all over again?"

"It's a start," she made no effort to soften her tone. He was hurting, there was no doubt-but there was also no excuse. "You can't let your emotions dictate your actions. In life, sure, roll with with punches. But when you work for SHIELD-"

"I know," Sam wallowed, defeated.

"Let me finish. When you work for SHIELD, you have to check your baggage at the door. I think you knew this was going to be hard for you-and you needed to vocalize that. You can't pretend you're going to be okay if you have even the slightest doubt. When we're partnered up, you share these things. I don't care if you're embarrassed or you think I don't want to know. None of that matters. I have to know what exactly I'm walking into. What happened today was very different from what I was expecting. If you'd told me, I could have found a better angle to-"

"Oh, I see," he interrupted, "so you'd want to use my emotions an an angle."

"There you go again. What has this girl done to you that she shakes you up this bad?" She thought back to the other occasions when they'd been partnered up. He was good at what he did, truly.

"Well, I'm sorry for not being an emotionless drone."

"That's not what I'm saying! I'm saying you need to tell me these things, that's all. And yes, leave your feelings out of your work."

"Maybe it's not that simple, did you ever think of that? Put yourself in my shoes, just for a second. Think about it."

She obliged him and imagined it was Barton there kissing some other woman in front of her. She felt a pang of jealousy mixed with anger. Even so, she knew she would be able to handle it if that ridiculous situation ever arose. "You seem determined to miss my point."

"Don't you have anyone you feel so strongly about?" He pryed.

She turned the car swiftly again and sped ahead. "Not on the job."

Elsewhere

Loki and Eve both heard the front door shut behind their guests, yet they each hesitated to break the contact. When they pulled apart, the silence was thick and heavy. Eve moved her hands off his chest and placed them at her sides. He took his hands away from her face after admiring her befuddled expression. Her mouth hung partway open and her eyes traced his face, searching for some hint of telling emotion in him.

"I'm starving," she challenged the uncomfortable quiet before retreating to the kitchen. Whatever his plan had been, it had worked. They'd left without saying goodbye. She looked back at him quickly, for just a fraction of a second, and he was standing in the same spot. He seemed to be lost in thought. Thoughts of her? She shook her head indignantly. No, of course not, he had to have been thinking about how the meeting had gone. She opened the refrigerator and searched for supplies to make breakfast. Her train of thought kept getting interrupted by the only thing she wanted on her mind. The way he'd taken charge and showed Sam that their relationship was more real than he'd wanted to believe. Yet, it was all a lie. Oh, and Sam. She hung her head, still in front of the open fridge. As much as she wanted to contemplate the consequences of what happened, her mind kept coming back to his lips on hers. The kiss was honestly sensational. Confident and powerful with just the right amount of tenderness. If it wasn't real emotion behind the way he'd touched her, she couldn't fathom how mean spirited he'd have to be inside to fake it like that. Then she recalled who exactly she was dealing with.

Loki sighed and sat down on the couch. Everything had turned out far better than he could have anticipated. As far as he could tell, the widow hadn't suspected anything. That boy had really taken the spotlight from him with his many emotional outbursts. He took a moment to rejoice in this fact, and then let his thoughts wander to what was pressing him the most. What had come over him? There were many ways he could have gotten his point across. He had chosen to kiss his captive. He touched his fingers to his lips. It had been...he struggled to finish the thought. Any enjoyment he felt could be explained by the satisfaction resulting from putting that whiny brat in his place. Still, it had been...no, he'd made the choice based on...well, some form of jealousy. As much as he hated to admit it, he hated the idea of Eve having love for someone else, particularly a man, even more. The thought in itself was ludicrous, as the girl harbored no love for him anyway, and had no right to. As much as he tried to explain the sensation away, what point was there in lying to himself? It had been surprisingly enjoyable. She could never know.

He meandered into the kitchen and sat down at the island. He watched his detainee move confidently around from the stove to the spice rack and back again. She seemed to be in a calm place, maybe brought on by hunger and her desire to solve that problem. When she noticed him, she jumped back and squealed, alarmed. "You walk so quietly," she commented as she caught her breath.

His gut reaction was to apologize to her. He shook the notion out of his brain and added a scowl for good measure. "Yes, well, you ought to be more aware of your surroundings. You startle so easily."

"I'm used to being here alone. Even though I know you're around, my brain isn't used to keeping track of another body, especially one with ninja-like sneakiness."

"In any case, I'd say this morning went well."

"Oh, uh, yes. Yeah. Definitely."

He paused. He'd expected her to be upset with him. She'd pleaded with him not to antagonize her childhood friend, and yet he had, using her to do so. Was it possible she didn't see it that way? If not, then how did she see it? "I think it's safe to say you won't be hearing from that boy anymore," he chuckled. Her lips formed a small "o" shape as though she were about to speak, and froze there as she appeared to lose track of her own thoughts. "Then again, maybe he'll type you another research paper on The Consequences of Embracing Another Man in Front of Me."

"Maybe," she seemed to speculate, though her body communicated some brand of disappointment.

Loki watched as she shook it off and returned to her cooking. She was either not as upset as he'd expected or was swallowing it, masking it well. "Imagine what he's feeling," he nudged her again, needing to see that his actions brought about some reaction in her. That way, his own reaction would matter less. He could justify everything if she would just crack.

"I have no doubt he's upset," she remarked, her back to him as she sprinkled salt.

"Just think," he continued, "it'll be worse later, when he's alone. He'll do nothing but think on it, replaying the sight in his head over and over. It will be agony for him."

She clicked off the burner and moved the frying pan full of eggs off to the side before breaking down before his eyes. She'd been harboring this crazy thought that he'd kissed her because he'd wanted to. With his words it became clear that it was all a game to him, he'd just wanted to hurt Sam and then her by default. "I get it," she spat between the even breaths that were holding in her tears she didn't want him to see, "he's hurting, I'm hurting, you're the reason why. I get it." She would not cry. She would not give him the satisfaction.

He smiled, but it wasn't genuine. Somewhere deep inside of him, something he'd buried a long time ago was breaking free from its forgotten cell. Remorse? Oh, that just wouldn't do. "That's right," he began, trickling malevolent undertones onto his speech, "you had to know your actions would not go unpunished. I had considered removing your tongue as we'd discussed previously, yet this seemed so much more…" he allowed a brief moment to drink in Eve's vulnerable stance, "personal." She was moments from crumbling, he could taste it. "Physical pain is nothing compared to the way this event will haunt your relationship with him forever-maybe someday ending it."

She took the pan and slammed it onto the table, sliding it toward him with the handle. "I'm not hungry," she contradicted her earlier statement and began to leave the room.

Loki stretched out and grabbed her arm. She hesitated before turning to him. "Well, I am," he stated huskily. Despite her anger, he noticed a softness in her still. She replied to his touch positively, her muscles relaxed and her eyes got this dreamy glaze. He'd just made clear his intentions were to harm her, emotionally, and here she stood gawking at him like she wanted to believe something else. He would have to convince her otherwise, convince her to be afraid again. He pulled her in close and poured the words into her ear with an edge that could cut even the strongest of ties. "I'll need a fork for this."

She broke away from him, startled easily yet again, and fetched him one before trying to shuffle out of the room again. "Oh, no," he spoke sharply, warning her, "you'll stay here." He gestured to the stool across from him and it seemed to come back into her mind that his presence was not a social call. She sat and avoided his glaring eyes, shuddering a bit when he praised her obedience. "Good girl."

A/N:

Another sort of transition chapter, lots of self reflection here. Tons of plot development coming up :D