The Amazing Avenger.
A/N-OMG to all my readers if you are still with me, even new ones, which I have had the pleasure of seeing in my inbox since I have returned home, I AM SOOOOOO dreadfully sorry for abandoning you! I cannot explain why without a long story, but I will say it couldn't be helped. I had to leave state for awhile. But now I am back and I intend on finishing this story. Thank you to everyone that is still with me and also thank you to all my new ones as well. Now, where were we…J
This chapter will be small, but I am just getting the ball rolling again now. The next one will be a longer one, I promise. J
(So as you all have already noticed, I have brought in a new character from the comics, and I have decided to make her association with Thor and Loki different for my story. So to all who know the character, I am sorry in advance if I offend anyone, but as Loki would say, "It's my story, I do what I want." ;) But seriously, if you don't like, don't read. Please, no flames. It's all fan fiction.)
Recap: Peter wakes up on the roof where he and Loki fought; A mysterious woman with peculiar powers makes an appearance and seems very interested in Loki. Now on to Chapter 12.
Chapter 12.
The conference room at Stark tower was quiet as the Avengers assembled for the meeting Fury had called. Clint and Natasha arrived first, Natasha nodding to Coulson, who sat at the table with a solemn look on his face, but politely nodded back. The past two days have been troubling for him to say the least. Not only with the fallout between Steve and Tony and Steve leaving, but with his 'killer' returning as well. Although he kept busy ordering various agents around, inside, he felt sick to his stomach. Whether it was anger or fear, or both, he didn't know. For all the years he has devoted his life to SHIELD, he has faced various bad guys, even some who came a just a hair close to killing him many times, but Loki was different. Loki had killed him. He could still see the twisted satisfaction in the god's eyes as he looked down on his dying body, a smirk on his thin lips. But Coulson knew he had to remain straight. So many things were already off balance within the team and they were already on shaky ground, but most of all, his mind was on Steve. He and SHEILD have been searching for him for two days and nothing. Coulson wished he knew where he was, not to just talk him into coming back because although Steve had some personal demons to battle, he belonged here with his team. They needed him. But mostly, Coulson just wanted to know if he was alright.
Bruce arrived a few minutes later, looking as if he hadn't slept a wink since this whole thing started. He nodded to everyone and sat silently. Tony walked in after, he too, looking unkempt and pale. He had a pair of sunglasses on, but everyone could still see much of the hideous dark purple bruise that outlined his upper right cheek. Bruce glared up at him, but said nothing and Clint and Natasha just looked down at the table while Coulson looked up at him, his expression impassive. Tony sat down at a chair farthest away from everyone else, slumped down almost instantly.
Peter came down and stopped by the door. His body hurt and he was extremely worn out, but he straightened up as he exhaled. Here goes nothing. Peter walked into the room and within ten seconds, everyone did a double take simultaneously as they saw the bruise that was splayed on his left eye. The look on Natasha's face was incredulous and Bruce shot up, his face full of questions, but mostly he was concerned for Peter. Clint and Coulson looked at each other confused and even Tony took off his sunglasses and asked the question that was on everyone's mind.
"What in the hell happened to you?"
Peter swallowed. "It's nothing."
Bruce walked over to Peter and took a closer look. "That's gonna be one hell of a black eye."
"It doesn't hurt." Peter protested, waving away Bruce's hand.
"What happened?" Coulson asked as he came to stand next to Bruce.
Peter looked at him and took a few moments to mentally rehearse the story he had concocted in his head upstairs.
He chuckled. "It was stupid. I spent the night at my aunt's house last night and I had tripped over my skateboard and landed face-first into my closet door." He shook his head and pretended to laugh at himself. The looks on everyone's faces were scrunched and he could tell they were trying to decide if they believed him or not. It was a good thing Peter had decided on a turtleneck underneath his T-shirt to hide the abrasion on his neck. That one would've been harder to explain.
"I'm more embarrassed really." Peter said in a reassuring tone.
"Jesus kid…your shiner almost puts mine to shame." Tony quipped.
"Do you feel ok?" Bruce asked.
Peter shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, I feel fine."
Coulson nodded. "Just be more careful, kid. We don't want everyone around here getting themselves knocked around." and with that, he shot a look at Tony's direction, who in turn, rolled his eyes and slumped down in his chair again.
Bruce looked at Peter for a moment. "You sure you're ok?"
"Yeah man, I'm good. Really." Peter nodded.
"Well, I want to take a better look at that when we're done here." he told him.
"Alright." Peter nodded quietly.
Bruce sighed and went back to sit down. Peter let out a breath and sat down, slowly sitting back as his back hurt and tried not to wince. He caught Natasha's gaze that was staring at him intently, but Peter pretended not to notice.
Just then, they all heard Fury's rant down the hall. "You tell her I don't care if she is busy, she better have her ass down here by this afternoon!"
Clint looked at Coulson, who sighed. "Maria's been refusing to cooperate with us."
Clint just nodded and rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Fury as he walked in, his stride a bit rough and a stressed look on his face.
Fury walked to the far end of the table where Coulson, who stood, was, but as he turned, he did a double take in Peter's direction. Peter smiled weakly, but piped, "It was an accident, sir."
Fury just sighed heavily and gave Coulson his 'Do I even want to know?" face and Coulson just shook his head.
Fury nodded and then went straight to business. "I'm not gonna begin to tell any of you just how much crap I have just had to take from my superiors over just what the hell has gone on here in the last two days!" he boomed, staring intently at everyone who was in the room, but mainly parking his angry gaze at Tony, who was still in his slumped position with his sunglasses on.
"I don't care just what any of you have to say. My primary concern right now is finding Loki before he causes any more damage. That will be your job lady (looking at Natasha) and gentlemen (looking at the rest of them)."
Suddenly, Fury's phone goes off. He lets out an exasperated sigh and flips it open, turning his back to the rest of them. The look he then displays to Coulson tells the ones who can still see him that the call wasn't good. The one good eye that Fury had opened and turned cold.
With that, Fury motioned for Coulson to follow him and the two hastily exited the room, leaving everyone to stare at each other in confusion, even Tony even took off his sunglasses and was staring at the door.
"That didn't look very good." Bruce said meekly.
Clint and Natasha glanced at each other. "It never is." Clint muttered.
"Well, maybe we should go find out what happened." Peter offered, hating to just sit helpless, adrenaline now pumping into his tired and beaten body.
"I agree." Natasha replied, already getting up and heading for the door, but then Coulson came in with a controlled, but a slightly pale look on his face.
"There's been a murder in a bar downtown."
"So what?" Clint said.
"Doesn't look like it was done by…us."
Steve had been walking for what seemed like forever. He had found himself in Rhode Island, with a purpose, but for some reason, too afraid to follow through.
Now sitting in a small coffee shop nursing a cup of black coffee, he stared blankly at the file sitting in front of him. It had belonged to SHIELD, but Steve had never returned it. He had practically memorized it's entire contents, but he found himself reading it again, as if it contained new information suddenly.
Steve couldn't make out why he was so afraid, and it was bothering him bad. He had felt like he always did before the experiment. Small, defenseless, and alone. As much as Stark had angered him and the punch he had thrown him was a long time coming, a part of him had really considered since then that Stark had been right. He was a coward.
"Can I get you anything else, sir?" A waitress appeared, waking Steve from his thoughts.
"Uh, no maam. Thank you." he replied politely as he closed the file and reached into his pockets and slapped a few bills on the table. Just then, his attention was turned to the commotion going on at the table in front of him.
"This conversation is over. I'm leaving." A woman had stated and she got up to leave, but the man sitting across from her had grabbed her arm.
"I'm not done talking to you yet!" The man's voice spewed.
"You're drunk David-again!" the woman retorted, pulling her arm away. "I hate it when you act like this!"
"Amy, please don't go." David's voice was pleading this time, but how his words slurred, he appeared to be very intoxicated indeed.
Amy looked around, her eyes apologetic to the other customers. "I can't do this anymore." she said, and she had tears welling in her eyes.
She then turned to leave, but David stumbled to his feet and went to grab her again, but Steve's hand grabbed his shoulder. The grip was strong and seemed to startle the man so much, he jumped a little as he whipped around and stared angrily at him.
"Who the hell are you?" the man roared and Amy had come around and tried to tame down the situation, afraid of what David was going to do.
"It-It's ok." she told Steve, but Steve was unconvinced. He could see the fear in her eyes, but she was quietly pleading with David to calm down and trying to lead him away, but David pushed her out of the way with a force that sent her landing hard against the counter.
Steve moved to go to her aid, but was stopped when David slapped a hard hand to his chest. He locked his eyes to the bloodshot ones staring back at him. The man was taller than him by a couple inches. "I'm gonna ask you one more time, who the hell are you?"
Steve stared down at the hand on his chest and then back up at the drunken man's face. "Son, I suggest you take your hand off me, leave the lady alone, and go take a walk." His voice was calm, but Steve could feel the familiar heat boiling up within him.
David gave him a look like he had grown another head. "Are you freaking kidding me, asshole?" He chuckled a bit, but Steve kept his stance and his dead stare.
The guy then took his hand away and held up a mock defense stance. "I guess not. Well, fine. I'll leave then." He turned halfway mid-sentence, but then, moved quickly to turn and take a swing at Steve.
Amy screamed, but Steve ducked and caught David's other fist mid-air with so much force that you literally heard it crack under the hold. David cried out in pain and Steve grabbed his shirt with his other hand and slammed him onto an unoccupied table. Keeping his hold on David's fist and his shirt, Steve looked dead into the man's painfully contorted face.
Looking him straight in the eyes, he stated, "Like I said before, you leave the lady alone and go for a walk. Right now, it's pretty obvious she wants nothing to do with you. So you take that and never bother her again. If you come near her or here ever again, I will find out, and I will come looking for you."
Then with more force, he tightened his grip, causing David to just about scream in anguish. Trickles of blood slowly ran down the man's arm from under Steve's hand. "You want to know who I am? You really want to know? Then go and do what I told you not to do and believe me, you'll find out."
Then something happened.
By the time Steve had finished his sentence, he saw that he was no longer looking at David, a drunken man with rage issues, but rather at Tony Stark. The way he looked when Steve had lost control and sent him flying across the room with just one swing of his fist.
Steve blinked, as if coming out of a trance. His eyes went from the anguished and fearful look on the man's face to his now broken hand underneath his tightened grip. He then heard Amy's sobbing voice behind him.
"Please. Please let him go. You're hurting him."
Steve immediately let go and backed away as Amy rushed to David's side. Steve was oblivious to anyone's looks because all he could look at were his hands.
"I-I'm sorry." he stammered, then turned and grabbed his jacket and made a mad dash out of the diner and ran down the street.
