11

For this chapter, I request that you listen to Get Down On Your Knees And Tell Me You Love Me by All Time Low. This song actually inspired me to write this sequel, and without it, I probably wouldn't know where I was going in terms of a plot.

This chapter contains both Natasha and Lily POV, but I think we'll be back to Loki before long. Please review, I'm always opened to constructive criticism and suggestions! Speaking of reviews...you do know I reply to all the signed reviews I get, right? I barely got any for the last chapter, and it's an arrogant truth that I've come to expect more than three for this story! Please let me know you're still there! Also, I had a request for some fluff in this chapter...but I love torturing my characters too much for that!

It's not quite Christmas where I am – another hour or so – but I'm sure some of you are reading this in between opening presents etc, so Merry Christmas everyone!

Saskia xxx

~Natasha POV~

"That's odd." I turned around from my post at the window and looked at Bruce to see his forehead crinkling in a frown as he studied his laptop.

"What?" I asked, crossing the room to him.

"I lost the signal."

"What, you mean you've lost Loki?" I clarified, tensing as he nodded.

"It happened a couple of times out at the site, maybe it's a glitch in the software...he should reappear in a minute." We both watched the monitor intently for any sign of a magical trace, but after five minutes, I straightened up.

"He's done a runner. Goddammit!" I threw a mug against the wall in frustration, causing Bruce to duck out of the way in alarm. "We fucking lost him, Fury's gonna murder us and I'm going to be stuck on a desk job for the rest of forever!" I grabbed a handgun from within my bag and headed for the door. "Where was he last?" I asked Bruce.

"Head down the road about four hundred metres, turn left, and then there's a small alleyway about a hundred metres down on your right." The doctor was cleaning his glasses, an action that seemed to be almost some sort of comfort blanket to him. I ran out of our room and into the street, sprinting towards his last location as fast as I could. Several people shouted after me, and parents pulled their children towards them protectively, out of the way of the redhead with a gun. I skidded round the corner into the alleyway, calling out uselessly.

"Loki! Loki, I swear to God...Loki!" My voice was hoarse, already strained from the four days of nearly continuous shouting to the sky, and my chest was heaving with the sudden exertion. I moved down the small enclosed space gun first, stopping as I saw the graffiti on the brickwork.

You were foolish to have trusted me. I have joined your enemies, and I will destroy you. I will rip you limb from limb, and when I have done that, my allies will bathe in your lifeblood.

This graffiti wasn't just spray paint. It was gauged into the wall, and I knew it had been put there by magic. There was no need for a signature. Loki had betrayed us in the worst way possible.

Lily was going to be heartbroken.

~X~

I returned to the room reluctantly, knowing that I was going to have to report to Fury the moment I arrived, and found there a very tense Bruce accompanied by Thor, who had clearly just arrived.

"Lady Natasha, it is good to see you again. I only wish it were in more favourable circumstances." He smiled at me, his blonde hair falling down across his arms. "Where is my brother? I was told that he would be waiting for me here."

"You didn't tell him?" I addressed Bruce, but he shrugged, the tendons in his forearms bulging out as his fists clenched. Apparently the big guy had noticed the blonde guy's presence and was making hum edgy. "We lost him." Thor's face was like thunder. Ha ha. Thor like thunder. I felt a sudden urge to burst into hysterical laughter. "He went out to get food, we were tracking him but the signal cut out. He must have masked his power somehow and ran." I pulled my phone out of my pocket and clicked onto the picture I had taken in the alley. "I found this on the wall. He's joined the Valkyris." While Bruce and Thor studied the photo, I picked up the S.H.I.E.L.D issue communicator and spoke into it. "This is Agent Romanoff. Loki has escaped. I repeat, Loki has escaped. He's joined the enemy, do not trust him under any circumstances."

"Understood. Thank you, Agent Romanoff, please make your way back to base with Banner and Thor." Maria Hill's voice had an uncanny ability to sound virtually calm in any situation – she was one person who I could never get a read on. I relayed our orders to the two men and they nodded, Thor sitting on the small sofa (that looked as though it would give out under his weight) while Bruce collected together his things. He went into the room he and Loki had been sharing and came out with both of their bags. I stepped into the bathroom and used the facilities quickly, shaking my hands off as I went from there to my bedroom in order to pick up my things. I swung the small holdall over my shoulder and met Bruce and Thor in the living area.

"Ready to go?" I asked.

"Lead the way." Bruce gestured towards the door, and I did one quick visual sweep of the area to check we hadn't left anything behind.

"I am famished." Thor announced, and I rolled my eyes.

"We'll stop at a drive through on the way. Bruce, do you and Thor want to take our stuff while I check out?" He murmured an affirmative. Half an hour later we were on the highway, Thor sat in the backseat with half of McDonalds as I speeded down the tarmac at twice the limit. I was not looking forward to reporting to the Director – I didn't even want to imagine his reaction – and I knew I wasn't going to be able to look Lily in the eye for...well, years most likely. While all of us were now threatened by him, it was only going to be an emotional blow to her. I remembered how I felt when Clint had been compromised; having to fight against him was one of the hardest things I'd ever done, and I'd been going on assassination missions since I was ten. My knuckles turned white as I tightened my hands on the steering wheel, and I promised myself that I wouldn't leave Lily in the position of having to take down – or even face – Loki unless she specifically said she wanted to. Somehow, I doubted that she would.

~Lily POV~

I woke up from my corner of the room to the sound of a phone ringing. As all the boys were clearly far too unconscious to register it, I dragged myself to my feet and padded over to the shelf unit where the S.H.I.E.L.D issue communicator had been thrown. I picked it up.

"Agent Lazarus." I yawned, covering my mouth with a hand.

"You will return to base. A situation has arisen." I frowned.

"Why, what's the situation?" I asked as I nudged Clint (who was closest) with my foot.

"You'll be informed when you arrive. Leave as soon as possible, and don't leave any trace of you presence behind." Hill's tone was very short, and I could tell she was holding out on me.

"Well, the Valkyris know we're onto them, we apprehended one a few nights ago, but I think Steve and Tony found their main headquarters..." She cut me off.

"You can report when you're here, just hurry up." She hung up and Clint looked at my blearily from his position at my feet.

"We've got the summons back to base, something's come up." His ability to wake up quickly was astonishing, he was on his feet within seconds. S.H.I.E.L.D training really was admirable. "Do you wanna pack up while I wake up the others?" He nodded.

"Did she say what happened?" He asked as he began throwing used paper plates in a black bin bag.

"No, she just said a 'situation had arisen'." I shook Steve by the shoulder, trying my hardest to ignore how adorable he looked while he slept (he was all rosy cheeks and messy blonde hair, so cute...stop it Lily). "Get up, we're leaving." He nodded, sitting up and running a hand through his hair. I woke Tony up in the same way, and within the hour, we were making our way up to the roof to the helicopter. I caught Clint massaging his temples as we jogged up the stairs and pulled ahead of Steve so I was level with him. "You alright to fly, Clint?"

"I'm fine, just got a headache." He dismissed my question shortly, but I couldn't help but remember how many times I'd seen him with his head in his hands ever since our first encounter with the Valkyris. We arrived back at Stark Tower at sunrise without incident (though I did fall asleep on Steve shoulder during the journey...I tried to ignore the bag he was holding over his lap when I woke up). While I slept, I had had a dream, and it was a very strange dream. In it, Loki and I were sat on the edge of Tony's roof, like we had on the morning before we went our separate ways. He looked sad, and I asked him why. He turned my face to his, and when I looked at him, I could almost see right through him, as if he wasn't really there at all.

"Don't believe what they say about me, Lily." As he spoke, he disappeared, and I woke up seriously confused. My brain was so weird. I put the dream out of mind as Fury met us on the roof when we disembarked.

"There's no easy way to say this." He said as we stood in front of him, the genius billionnaire playboy philanthropist, the soldier out of his time, the bow-and-arrow wielding assassin and me, the short still-a-teenager with a few hidden talents; a motley crew to say the least. Fury's eye settled on me, and my smile faded. "Loki has betrayed us. He defected to the Valkyris' cause a few hours ago." My heart dropped, and blood rushed to my head. I swayed on my feet and I felt a hand steady my elbow – Steve.

"You got it wrong." I muttered, trying to convince myself as much as anything.

"Unfortunately, we have not. Briefing in the conference room in five minutes." He turned around, disappearing down the stairs with his black coat swishing behind him. I stared after him blankly.

"Breathe, Lily." Tony murmured and I exhaled suddenly, realising that in my shock, I had inadvertently held my breath. My legs gave out and I sat down in the shadow of the helicopter.

"They're wrong, they're wrong." I whispered like a mantra, feeling the angry tears prick at my eyes.

"Come on sunshine, let's go find out what happened so we can work out where they've gone wrong, right love?" Tony wrapped and arm around my waist and pulled me back to my feet, guiding me towards the stairs. It was a mistake. It had to be.

~X~

It wasn't a mistake. Even I couldn't deny it, not after hearing Natasha recount what had happened. The writing in the alley was projected onto Stark's wall, and I recognised his handwriting at first glance. He really had done it. He had joined the Valkyris. Everything had been a lie.

I don't know who I hated more, him or myself.

Natasha followed me as I ran out of the room, up to the roof where I had last seen him, unable to sit in the same room as people plotting against the guy I loved. I sat where I had sat in my dream, not bothering to stop the tears streaking down my cheeks. I sensed her sitting a little way down from me, and glared at her.

"Why didn't you stop him?" I screamed at her, the wind taking away most of the volume from my words. "He was your responsibility, why did you let him out on his own?"

"I didn't think." She replied softly, avoiding my eyes. "I thought I could rely on technology to keep him within our sights, but I've learnt my lesson. I can rely my own two eyes and my instincts, nothing else." She sighed. "I'm sorry. It must be so hard for you." I laughed bitterly.

"Hard is right. I don't know why I ever trusted him. Koli was right – I am blind to him playing me. Every single damn time, I follow my heart and not my head, and this is the result. Why do I bother? Why did I think for one second that his feelings for me were real? He makes such a fool of me, and yet still I can't help but cry because he's left me. He played on my feelings, used them like a weapon...fuck it!" I punched the ground next to me, feeling the gravel cutting into my skin but not caring. As I buried my face in my hands, Natasha stood up quietly and placed a hand on my shoulder for a second before leaving me. I was stupid, stupid, for loving him. I knew this, and yet, my heart felt like it was literally breaking in two. I wasn't sure if I would be able to fight him again, but what choice did I have? I'd done it before, I'd have to do it again.

His words from my dream floated into my mind...Don't believe what they say about me, Lily. For a moment, my heart lifted – perhaps it was a message, perhaps the situation was being misinterpreted, perhaps...no, stop being ridiculous, Lily. The God of Mischief and Lies...of course I would believe his affections for me were real; of course he could convince me (unjustly) that there was still hope for him. He was going to be the death of me (again), I knew it. I never should have expected anything better of him.

I've been played a fool four, three, too many times and
When did lust for you become an organised crime?
I tried to keep you honest, babe, but I was just a pawn
You played the part so well, it hurts to know you're gone...

Did you mean it? Could you feel it
When you broke into my head?
Did you fake it just to break another stranger in your bed?
Was it worth it? Was it perfect
When you up and left me cynical?
Like you planned it, you're a bandit
Just a no-good, two-bit, filthy, rotten criminal.

Song is from ATL's 2011 album Dirty Work (DCG Records). No copyright infringement intended.

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