Here's the Revelation Chapter! Well, part one of it anyway...
This one I've been waiting for... Oh, and you guys as well, can't forget about you guys! ;)
This was about 4,895 total words before I finished it.
Okay, just to let you know, there is mention of some pretty heavy stuff. I will put a warning to where it starts and ends in case you wish to skip it.
Other than that, I hope you enjoy this chapter and thephoenixandthedragon4ever, your questions will be answered in the next chapter, I promise :). Just to make sure, this is happening in 2009, not 2015.
If I have used your name in this story, I apologize as I do not want to offend anyone. If you have this name, it is a coincidence and I hope you are not offended.
Warning: slight cussing and mentions of abandonment, malnutrition, bad recovery from malnutrition, inappropriate touching, the slightest mention of child pornography (not hers, just a brief mention), alludes to rape, as well as mentions of physical, emotional, and mental abuse.
Previously
I might be in danger of falling in love with Isabella Bane... And I don't care to stop it now that I've begun.
How strange.
Chapter 11
Friday night; 7:10 P.M
"Meeting Isabella tonight?" Dean asks, leaning in the doorway as Loki he looks in the mirror and finishes buttoning up his shirt.
"Yeah, she text me and bumped our evening up to tonight because she had urgent news to tell me apparently." Loki says stoically, not showing his nervousness in anything but his eyes, which meet Dean's .
"I'm sure everything is okay man, although having not been in a solid relationships since your femme fatale set me up with Cas" -Loki rolls his eyes a the 'femme fatale' part but continues listening nonetheless- "I'm sure that she just wants to tell you something. She seems to like you, as hard that may be to believe, and since she hasn't broken it off yet, you are still in the clear."
"How would you know Mr. One-Night-Stand?" Loki scoffs, not trusting his advice in lieu of his own doubts.
"Samantha has been in tons of relationships and he always knows by the early second month and or about 6 dates in if the girl is worth it or not. It's worked well for him; he has Jess now." Dean says with a shrug, walking over to Loki and standing next to him in support. "You've mellowed her out, man. Before she would have dumped your ass after the second date at the latest, but you've been going strong for a few months now. You're in the clear man. You've got this."
"I don't know, the last relationship I was in produced nothing but manipulation, a sense of absolute failure, and a major case of blue ba-"
"Woah man, TMI! I like you and all, but I didn't need to know that. At all." Dean says, jumping away from him and wiping his hands on his jeans as if to rid him of the information. After a few moments of the shenanigans, both boys laugh and bro hug, both appreciating the fellowship they've found.
Finally, after a long moment, Dean says with the look like he's sucking on a sour lemon, "You and your wonderful girlfriend are a really good fit, and you both deserve to have a little happy. So go get her tiger. Just wait a little while, don't want to be such an eager pansy all the damn time you girl."
Loki snorts at the how totally Dean that last sentence is and nods in thanks for Dean words of advice and note of confidence before going downstairs with him to wait another 10-15 minutes so he isn't a "eager pansy". Ha, after all that petulance and refusal to accept this new twist, I think I'm finally with those I can safely say are my family without choking on my own words.
This is nice. Having a family that consists of my friends. I wonder if Thor realizes what a gift this is, the dunderhead.
Friday night; 7:15 P.M
"Alright Thor, we've zeroed in on the location we believe that Loki will be meeting someone named Isabella Bane, who is the person we have reason to believe is the one who sent the pulses." Coulson says from the front seat of the research van. "Nick Fury says that he will be meeting us there in order to fully analyze the threat he says. We'll be getting there in about an hour and fifteen minutes."
Jane and Thor share looks, Thor dressed in semi-normal clothes in order to blend into the crowd. Both are wondering why the head honcho is coming down for a "simple retrieval job", (Coulson's words), and what that means for both prisoner and perpetrator...
However, Thor is not willing to question Coulson or this Nick Fury on the punishment for the person who has his brother captive as they have only aided him in finding his brother. Oh brother, why have you hidden? It is time to go home and fight the worlds together, be the warriors that Father raised us to be.
"We'll find your brother safe and sound Thor," Jane says, laying a hand on Thor's extremely muscular arm, and squeezing softly. "We get whoever hurt him and then... you can return to Asgard and reunite with your father."
"Yes, it is almost time Miss Foster," Thor rumbles like the very thunder he is ruler over, unconsciously gripping Mjolnir's handle in nervousness at his reunion with his little brother.
"About an hour or so out from Westminster, Kansas and finding your brother Thor." Coulson says cheerfully, "Then you can get some justice."
Justice... What a strange concept. One must have done something very wrong to deserve the just punishment of a god and his helpers. Yet, I don't believe that this Isabella Bane wants to hurt my brother. The magic was too pure and almost protective, like how I feel with Jane. I would blast anyone away who tried to hurt Jane and I would be in the name of the emotion these strange Midgardians call love. That's what the magic felt like, protective and really earthly. Almost like the Dark Elves, only their counterpar-
"Thor, are you alright, you're too silent. Don't be worried, everything will be okay." Jane says, not-so-subtlety leaning on him as she breaks him out of his thoughts.
"Alright Miss Foster, you are right, let us focus on better things like bunnies and other soft fuzzy animals." Thor says with a smile and a happy half shrug at Jane's giggle and continued conversation. He pays the minimum of attention to Jane's talking, responding here and there, most of his attention on the strange lingering thought that there is more than meets the eye with this apparent prisoner-keeping Isabella Bane.
Friday night; 7:20 P.M.
Isabella makes sure that the dinner she made that her and Loki will be sharing is going to take the allotted one hour and ten minutes, I might have made too much, but I'm sure everything will be eaten regardless.
Shadow! Can you stay under the counter and offer silent support? Isabella calls out through their bond as Loki could walk in any minute as she flutters around fixing everything is perfect.
Yes, and calm down Mistress, everything is perfect. You have done a good job appealing to all the senses and creating a calm atmosphere. Shadow jumps up onto the counter and flicks her tail back and forth as she faces her Mistress, Just relax and make sure that you are ready to let go and tell him everything before the sheet hits the fan.. I believe I used that correctly, yes?
I am, and yes you said that correctly, Isabella says with a chuckle as she rigorously scrubs the spotless glasses, I've spent long enough with that man looming over me and besides, I have a feeling that this is the last night I have before our future relationship could be obliterated and if I am truly in this for the long run, I need to be free and recover as best as I can.
Well, that is very mature of you Mistress. Shadow says, tilting her head to the left and swishing her tail, Now please put the glasses down before you break them, they are extremely shiny even by my standards.
Oh, right, Isabella quickly puts them on the table and straightens out already straight plate and silverware arrangements. I'm just really nervous and anxious for this to start and be done with that I just... Have to make sure everything is perfect.
Everything is, now sit down and tell me about this newest vision of yours.
Okay, so basically...
Friday night; 7:25
"Hill, how far away are we and Coulson's group from our location?" Fury barks, standing in the center of the S.H.I.E.L.D plane as they plan to land in a secluded field then grab a car to Westminster, Kansas.
"Once we grab the car, we should only be about an hour and five minutes away, and currently, Coulson's car is approximately one hour and five minutes away sir." Maria hill responds, keeping her eyes on the plane's movement and altitude.
Fury nods and turns to a group of soldiers that are specifically trained for retrieval missions, like the one for the Tesseract and later Steve Rogers, Tony Stark and the part of one he sent to New Mexico for that thunder god.
"Alright, once we get there, this should be a difficult retrieval. We believe from our intelligence that this Isabella Bane is armed and dangerous, trained and ready to kill if necessary. Once you have identified where she is in the building called a Pinch of Happy, a bakery, you will look for a clear shot before shooting her with a tranquilizer and then extracting the brother. After you have done that, you will bring the girl to plane and we will question her here as the two beings go back to wherever the hell the came from understand?"
The group nods and salutes Fury, going to the weapons room to gather their supplies and black civilian clothes.
"Let's see if we can't get this son of a bitch on our side, I imagine he could be useful to us." Fury mumbles to himself, the scar on his eye pinching in thought.
Friday night; 7:29 P.M
Loki knocks lightly on the bakery door, smiling as he sees his little girlfriend flying around like a hummingbird as she flits around the counter and the table she set out for their dinner. He frowns as he sees how loosely her clothes fit her.
She's too thin, I need to make sure she eats a little more tonight and during our dates. I'll have to come by more often during lunch and make sure she eats everything. Loki muses, stepping in and bringing out his usual bouquet of flowers, noticing the vase on the table is empty. She is expecting her flowers then. Good. I've done something right.
"May I ask why you are fluttering around in such manner? Are you part hummingbird now or am I missing something?" He teases, catching her around the waist softly and in an easy grip so she can break free if she chooses.
Isabella jumps and smiles softly when she realizes who it is, hugging him in greeting. "You're early."
"Only by a minute or so." He says with a shrug, hugging her back and lacing his hand a little higher than the small of her back. She smiles as she remembers how he's always done that for sake of not overstepping any boundaries. Rather, her boundaries that limit any other type of affection between couples. Her smiles and whole body drops as she remembers why she has those boundaries in the first place.
Misunderstanding her sudden drop in enthusiasm for something he had done himself, he quickly steps back and asks in a slightly concerned voice, "Did I do something wrong? I really didn't mean to."
"No!" Isabella says a bit too loudly, Loki looking at her in slight shock of the change of her usual control. She closes her eyes and shuts her eyes in order to regain control of her highly-raised emotions. "No, you've been so good at everything. Thank you so much. I just need to get some things off my chest before we eat, if you don't mind."
Loki shakes his head, having had some of her banana bread back at the Winchest- his home. "I can wait, don't worry. I'm all ears."
She smiles and grabs his hand, bringing him to the table, sitting across from him after pouring their drinks, taking a deep breathe before starting off. "You know how I suffer from a somewhat mild case Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, right?"
Loki nods, "That's why you go into panic attacks if something reminds you of someone names Cooper?"
Isabella draws in a sharp breath at the name, but nods regardless. "Yes, he was my.. Ex-boyfriend. But that is only part of what I have to tell you."
She looks him dead in the eyes and says, "I'm going to tell you my life story, basically."
[For people who do not want to read what I warned about in the author's note. Skip to the end from this point.]
"There was once a girl born to a very strict and traditional Spanish businessman in the wake of his ascension to the top of the corporate ladder. When he found out his wife, my mother, was expecting twins, he was excited. He could split his business into two eventually bigger and stronger ones, or, if the youngest was a girl, he could negotiate a business merger and expand that way. He was disappointed however, June 21st, 1980." She takes a sip of her drink so she has time to organize her thoughts. Loki has a sinking feeling the girl in question is he bakery owner herself, his fears confirmed by the next sentence.
"I was born first, however, and he was absolutely disgusted. How could his business continue if the firstborn was a girl? Finally, he got an idea. If he could convince the midwife to tell his wife the girl was stillborn and name the boy as the only surviving child and heir to his business, then all his problems would be solved and he would take care of the baby girl.
He bribed the midwife with enough money to shut her up on the details and do as he had told her. He took the baby girl from Spain to a representative American couple who's company he was planning to invest in. He gave them the baby along with promise to support their company and have the husband promoted, as the wife was a housewife." Isabella tenses slightly at this, but continues anyway.
"They agreed, as they were very greedy and ignorant of how badly they were being played. They took the baby girl back to their home in Illinois, and raised her as a practical slave in their household. As soon as she could stand, she was cooking. If she went to school, she was required to fail worse than her idiot "brother" or she would be beaten black and blue and locked in a closet complete with a cot 3 feet long and 3 feet wide.
"At five years old however, I heard of a man who had just moved into the old house down the road. He was single, elderly, and apparently had a collection of exotic animals that were all licensed and the product of generations of domesticated breeding. I went over there whenever my "father" went to work and my "mother" went to gossip with city ladies. I helped him take care of the animals, but felt a deep connection to the pregnant panther. He noticed my preference and encouraged it, all the time watching me for something, I'm not sure what. When the mother had her cubs, he allowed me to pick one.
There were eight of them, all differing in size and color, but all but one shied from me whenever I went near them to pick. One looked at me with these green eyes that had gold flakes, as well as knowledge and wisdom beyond its years, walked up to me and demanded that I pet her. I chose that one. He kept the cub until she was weaned off her mother's milk and asked me to have a name for her in mind.
"I only had one. You see, this cub seemed to always watch from the shadows. Whenever he brothers and sisters were playing with each other, she would always hide and make her move whenever she saw the slightest chance of weakness. Whenever one of the other exotic animals children would play, she would do the same for them. If she sensed a threat to either me or the man, she would pounce and fight until she came out the victor. She was the best friend I could ever have, and the fiercest protector as well."
Isabella shakes her head as she chokes on her next words, her hands clenched tightly in her lap. Loki is shocked at this information for more reasons than one, but jumps into action when he see how troubled his little girlfriend is.
He brings his chair so he is sitting next to her, gently unclenching her hands and taking one in his, squeezing it softly in encouragement to continue if she wants. After a moment, she squeezes back and clears her throat, continuing.
"I managed to last until I was eight years old, whenever I started to develop in certain areas. My "father" started to notice and started to... explore those changes. It-it was horrible. At first, it was only a few light brushes here and there, but it gradually got to full on touches and groping whenever my "mother" was not there. I was 12 at the time. That was also the time frame that I started to develop elemental... powers of sorts."
Isabella pauses slightly, gauging Loki's reaction.
Loki frowns to himself, thinking, That can't be possible, the only ones who have such an elemental power are the Light Elves, and they haven't left their home of Alfheim for centuries. Nobody has gone in or out, for Odin's sake, the whole planet has been isolated until about thirty years ago. Wait, that's not possible, unless... No, it can't be.
He is shaken out of his thoughts at Isa's quiet cough, having resorted to biting her lip and thinking that the whole sharing and caring thing was a big mistake. Loki nods and shoves the thought out of the way so he can focus on the matter at hand; learning about his almost four-month girlfriend's past.
"I had always had a strange kinship to plants and the earth, but when I was hiding in a tree whenever my "family" went to the park, my "brother" came looking for me. I prayed and prayed that the tree would protect me, and it did. The branches thick with leaves shifted to cover me completely. I started to explore more, taking more trips to the library and finding out about flower meanings and how to cultivate which ones in different conditions.
"The researching was where I first found out about of the idea of emancipation. Now, Illinois does not allow a child to become emancipated from their parents until they are 16 and can support themselves without their parents help, so I left home as soon as I could and hunted for a low-key job in the closest city."
She stops to make sure Loki is with her so far, encouraged by his nod to continue, doing so a bit more confidently.
"I found a job in a flower shop after a man named Kerwyn took me in. He listened to my story and believed me, even helped me start my emancipation case together as well as starting to educate me in how to control my newfound powers as he claimed that he was a teacher of those with special gifts. He started paying me minimum wage and had me pay rent in a room in his own house.
He enrolled me in a good school after going and talking to my "parents" into giving them partial control over me, which he used as evidence in the emancipation suit. He also taught me many languages and how to shield my emotions from my face and bearing."
Loki can't believe his ears as he tries to process the information when Isabella pauses again to sip her drink, her hands shaking as she prepares for the worst part.
"I eventually got full emancipation after four months. To convince the couple to let complete control of me, Kerwyn had to give away $5,000 of his retirement fund so the couple wouldn't put up a fuss. After going to college and getting my law degree as well as business degree in 6 years, I decided to get revenge. I researched them until I found evidence of bribery and fraud, as well as several other cases of abuse and even child pornography. I was 24 by the time the trial ended. I got the money and then some back for him and he was able to retire, letting me take over control of the flower shop. By that time, I had excellent control over the all the elements; Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Shadow and Light.
"It was about a year later that I met Cooper Jones. He was a successful businessman with his fingers in a lot of pies. At first, he was nice and charming. He opened doors for me, defended my shyness, and was an overall good guy. Or so I thought. After the first week did not yield any willingness to jump right into bed with him, he took what he wanted... Quite forcefully."
Isabella has to stop there as the tears running down her face help to prevent her from speaking any further, her shoulders shaking in sobs. Loki, unable to handle her tears and story, brings her into his lap and holds her tight, feeling himself start to feel an aching sadness for the wonderful girl who has been through too much.
She clutches his shirt in her fists as she tries to regain control. After a moment, she stills her sobs and straightens up, wiggling slightly to indicate she wants to go back into her chair. Loki acquits and gently places her back into her chair.
"A-after that happened, he started to stop being so charming. He threatened to beat me into submission if I didn't follow his every command. I couldn't fight back no matter what I did. First it was letting my friends believe that I hated them, all of them except for Samantha who stuck to my side, but was silent about her support. Then he forced me to leave Kerwyn and my job at the flower shop, which was the hardest part. I couldn't use my powers without having to explain everything, and I actually cared too much to hurt him at the time. After that, I had to stick to only using my powers in the flower shop, much to his disapproval and anger.
"Actually, on what turned out to be my last day at the flower, I helped out a man who was getting flowers for his late wife. I put together a bouquet of.. no, yes, a pink and white Carnation, two Forget-Me-Nots, a gardenia, a Heather, a Jasmine, a Larkspur, a Lilac, a red Rose, a yellow Tulip, and a Wisteria."
Loki freezes, although he knew the story, this just helped him connect the dots and send him into roller coaster of emotions. Strange how that simple bouquet of flowers was enough to cement everything his bakery owner had said and make it real.
Isabella continues, noticing his sudden tensing, filing the information away for later, "After becoming his own little housewife, I started to research more and more about my family tree after I ended up in the hospital for the first time and my blood type was completely different than theirs. I visited my "parents" and promised to get them a shorter sentence if they gave me the information I needed. That was when I found out that I was born to a successful businessman and had a younger twin brother, named Sebastian."
Isabella takes a last sip of her drink and shows him the picture she has of her brother, Loki nodded and noticing the differences and similarities of the siblings, particularly the brown hair she has and the black hair he has; the eye color difference she has green and gold and he has blue; the facial structure being completely different as well, hers being more regal and his plainer, not as sharp.
"I contacted him and we talked about what had happened in the years we had been apart. I was 27 at the time. I knew that I was in a bad place and it was only getting worse, so I told him. Sebastian didn't believe me. He said that he had met Cooper, and he would never do such a thing. Cooper had started drinking and smoking, which lead to him being ever more possessive and abusive than ever. He started beating me for the slightest thing and there was nothing I could do about it. My last hope of escape didn't believe me and I had no friends. Only Cooper.
"Finally, he had come home high and drunk, accusing me of cheating on him with a business friend of his. He beat me with everything he could reach which happened to be a glass vase, a chair, and a knife. I was almost dead, bleeding on the floor when I heard Sebastian on the phone telling me to hold on as he called an ambulance. The neighbor had heard from her yard, is what the police said, but I knew it was Shadow. She had saved my life by going to the door and making the neighbor see what was being done to me."
Isabella pauses for a minute as she wiped away the tears that started trailing down again, these of release and the start of finally healing completely as she lets everything out.
Loki is silent, thoughtful, and supportive, knowing this is good for her and not being scared away in the slightest, instead feeling protective and more in love than ever for how strong she is despite everything thrown in her face.
"I spent about 9 months recovering, and another month regaining my strength back, but Shadow and the elements helped me. I have no scars except for the ones in my mind."
That last sentence is clearly a lie as she almost never goes sleeveless and Loki knows she's lying because he has seen a couple on her shoulder and hip. Letting it slide, he refocuses on her words.
"I moved here and started over. Kerwyn helped me get the bakery started and I reunited with my old friend Samantha who had realized something was wrong and had tried to help me. And that's about it."
[End of heavy stuff, if you have skipped, sorry for making this so short, but it had to be done]
When she finishes, there is a heavy silence between the two. Loki has his forehead in his hands as he processes the information, making connections and feeling anger, sadness, protectiveness, surprise, and so many others with each new realization.
Isabella shakes and wipes her tears, fixing her appearance so she doesn't look as if she's been crying and waits for him to say something.
After a long moment, Loki straightens up and starts, "You are the most-"
"Freeze! Put your hands where I can see you and you will not get shot. I repeat, put your hands up and you will not get shot!"
The couple freezes as they hear the men shout and the cocking of the guns. Both share a look, Loki's confused and Isabella resigned.
Slowly, she gets up with her hands raised to prove she won't lunge for any weapons. She walks slowly to the door and opens it, calling out, "Officers, would you like to come in and join us for our meal?"
There you go, part one of the Revelation Chapter. Please let me know if you have any questions, thephoenixandthedragon4ever, I promise you will get your answer to your review question will be in the next chapter.
Like I said last chapter, please let me know if there's anything you want to see from this couple and any others, or if you have any questions about anything, just let me know by reviewing.