Chapter 12 ~ Night Terror (5)

Broken Inside – Broken Iris

Earlier

The movie ended and Gage was clearly shaken by the horror film. Lithia was disappointed in the movie in general. The monster was creepy at the most but she anticipated every 'scary' action that the spirit took. "Scary movie huh?" Gage asked in a shaking voice.

"Not entirely." Lithia admitted, reaching his dingy car. "There were creepy parts but I would hardly classify it as a horror film."

Gage gave her a confused look as she got into the passenger seat. He turned the sputtering engine on and headed toward her house. They were quiet. Gage tried to place his arm around her shoulders but Lithia kept dodging his actions. Parking at the entrance of the house, he parked and got out. Lithia opened her own door. "Well… I had a good time…" Gage said rather forced.

"Yea…" Lithia said, scratching her neck. "Well… I'll see you Monday." She said, heading toward the front door.

"Lithia, wait a second." Gage said, grabbing her arm, making her freeze. "I really did have a good time tonight babe."

Lithia jerked her arm free. "I am not your babe Gage." She said, gently shaking her head. "I did have fun tonight but… I'm sorry, I just don't share any sort of attraction to you."

Gage gapped at her. "You're saying no to me?" he asked, very confused.

"It appears I am." Lithia replied.

The ensuing silence allowed the sound of a frantic barking of Tiny Hulk to be heard. "Hulk?" Lithia questioned, stepping toward the door open.

"Lithia—" Gage began but she cut him off.

"Gage you better leave." Lithia said, giving him a fleeting look.

Pausing again, Gage bowed his head and returned to his car to drive off. Running her hands through her hair, she threw open the door as the barking suddenly stopped. She stared as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the house to see Thor and Loki along with Tiny Hulk. Loki was all but standing on Thor's shoulders as the Thunder God held out his hammer at a dangling Tiny Hulk. The dog had bitten into Thor's cape and was hanging on firmly all the while growling menacingly. "What the hell is going on here?!" Lithia shouted, making everyone freeze.

Tiny Hulk let go, dropping to the floor and yipping happily at Lithia, his fluffy tail wagging excitingly. Lithia bent and scooped him up, Tiny Hulk licked her chin. Loki descended and took a good, rather long look at Lithia. He couldn't help but feel his heart stop for a moment. She looked beautiful in her golden yellow dress and black shoes. "Fair Maiden, how art thou this evening?" Thor asked, a genuine smile on his face.

"I've had better." Lithia replied, keeping Tiny Hulk in her arms. "Why are you two here? I thought you returned to Asgard for punishment."

"Returning to Midgard is my punishment." Loki retorted rather sarcastically.

Lithia narrowed her eyes at him. "Lights." She said, and the house lit up instantly.

She gently tossed Tiny Hulk onto the couch before stepping out of her shoes. "I'm going to change and you better have an answer as to why two Norse gods are in my living room by the time I get beck." Lithia said, starting toward her room.

The door slammed shut in her wake. Both Thor and Loki winced at the slam. "She seems upset." Thor said, removing his cape and setting it on the couch, being careful to avoid Tiny Hulk's snapping jaws.

Loki nodded, his own mind trying to connect with hers. She was upset, tired and disappointed. He snapped his mind back as her door opened. Lithia had replaced her dress with loose fitting camouflage pants and a black tank top. Her hair was pulled into a messy pony tail and her face was void of all make-up. "Okay, I'll ask again. Why are you two here?" Lithia asked, flopping down onto the couch.

Thor sat in an armchair while Loki remained standing. "Odin, our father—" Thor began.

"Your father." Loki snapped.

"… cast Loki out in punishment for his acts against Jotanheim and Midgard. He also took away his powers and made it so he cannot touch or harm anything." Thor finished explaining.

"How exactly is that punishment?" Lithia asked, confusion in her voice.

"The Allfather does not do anything without a purpose." Thor said, looking to the floor.

Lithia blinked. "Look, I'm beat. I'll get J.A.R.V.I.S. to show you two to a guest room for the night. Then, we'll figure everything out in the morning." She said, standing and taking Tiny Hulk in her arms. "J.A.R.V.I.S., will you show Thor and Loki to some guest rooms? I have a killer headache that may be turning into a migraine and cannot deal with them right now."

"Of course, Lithia," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied, "but may I remind you that, while Mr. Stark may not protest with their presence, Ms. Potts will surely become quite cross."

"I'll deal in the morning." She said through clenched teeth. "Now, you to be dead silent tonight or I will kick your asses to Kingdom Come." Lithia warned before shuffling to her bedroom, cuing the lights to dim at the slam of her door.

J.A.R.V.I.S. showed Loki and Thor to two close, but separate guest rooms. Loki could hear that Thor had instantly fallen asleep due to his thunderous (pardon my pun) snoring. However, he could also hear faint, quiet whimpers coming from Lithia's room. Reaching out to her mind, he felt a searing pain course through his entire body. He almost cried out but grit his teeth and pressed through her migraine into the depths of her mind. He found that she wasn't in a nightmare but rather a very vivid memory. Being an intruder to her mind, he was forced to merely observe the happenings of the dream from her eyes.

[AN: Super quick. This dream is going to be through Lithia's POV so First Person. It will also be in italics so the note about Lithia speaking via Jenna is out the window until the dream stops. Sorry to interrupt. Keep reading and shoot me a review on what you think. K, bye! ~CH]

He woke me up in the dead of the night. Grabbing my hair, he hauled me down into his basement. He stripped me of all my clothing and tied me to a metal chair. I couldn't breathe. He had already beaten me with his fists and hands. What next? What other torture was in store for me? I already tasted blood from my split lip and my eye started swelling. I cringed as he returned and twisted his fingers painfully in my hair, practically ripping the strands from my scalp. He threw me to the cold concrete floor, making me see stars as my head collided with the floor. I heard him moving some of his tools around. The clanging made me lay still. "Here we are." He said with a sickening laugh.

"Get up." His voice dropped an octave as he grabbed my hair again and pulled me up.

I saw, through swollen eyes that he had a crowbar in his bloody fist. I must have raised my chin because he swung underhand, catching the very point, sending me back to the ground. I did yelp in pain but instantly regretted it. Enraged by my cry, he beat the crowbar into my ribs, shattering them. One punctured a lung but I could still breathe… barely… Using the hook of the crowbar, he hooked my neck, snapping me back into a sitting position, making it even harder to breathe.

He paused and looked down at me. The only thing heard over my labored breathed was a dripping sound… It was my blood from his crowbar. Grabbing my fractured jaw, he jerked my head up and pressed a hard kiss to my lips. I couldn't fight back. I was too tired. Pulling back, he rapt my ribs again, breaking more of the bones. Tipping me over onto my battered side, I was once again was on the cool floor. He brought the crowbar down onto my legs and hips, fracturing more bones.

He paused again, letting the cold of the floor make my blood stop flowing and stick to the floor. Cutting me free, he left me there for the rest of the night until I could pull my clothing back on and creep back to my room. The constant abuse had made me numb to the pain but, as I lay there, bleeding into my clothes and sheets, the pain hurt all the more. Darkness consumed me. Whether it was sleep or sheer passing out from blood loss… I'll never really know.

(End Dream)

Loki felt himself being pulled from the dream. "Brother! Loki, wake up!" Thor shouted, shaking his shoulder.

Loki bolted up, breathing hard and in a cold sweat. "Wh-what happened?" Loki asked, a shake in his voice.

"You were yelling…" Thor said, sitting on the edge of his bed. "As if in pain."

Loki looked down before throwing the sheets off him and rising. Walking stiffly from the bedroom, Loki strode toward Lithia's bedroom. "Loki!" Thor said, grabbing his arm and spinning him. "What are you thinking?"

"I have to check something." Loki said, shoving Thor's hands off him.

Turning again, Loki approached the bedroom door to hear the whimpering again along with concerned whines from Tiny Hulk. He opened the door to see Lithia tangled in her sheets. However, it wasn't the sheets or the way Lithia was in them that made Loki stare and Thor inhale in shock. It was the once white sheets stained with red splatter and a pool of red gathering on the floor. "Lithia!" Thor shouted, shoving passed his brother to grapple at Lithia.

His actions were met by Tiny Hulk sinking his teeth into his thick forearm. Thor tried to shake him off but the dog held strong. His grunt in frustration woke Lithia and she moaned in pain. Using Thor's distraction, Loki snaked over to Lithia. "Lithia…" he said softly.

"Get away from me…" she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"I want to—" Loki said but Lithia roared.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed, knocking Loki away and into the wall.

Sagging lightly, Loki blinked, taking in the sight of barely standing Lithia. She was panting, her lip split and one eye swollen. Her fists were balled and her bare legs were wide apart, barely supporting her. Thor and Tiny Hulk continued to make noise. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Lithia shouted, throwing her hands over her ears. As she did, Thor was blown into the floor while Tiny Hulk was unharmed. "EVERYONE just shut up…" she said, her voice fading as she sagged to her knees. "Shut up and get away from me…"

Loki pulled himself from the wall and slowly approached her. She was whimpering under her breath as he crouched to her level. He hesitantly took a very gentle hold of her wrists and pulled them from her ears. She shrieked as he held her wrists into one hand. He hushed gently, pressing the barest tips of his fingers to her temple. She flinched harshly. Tapping into her mind, Loki slipped comfort and peace into her mind, prompting her to pass out. Lithia fell forward and he caught her. Loki scooped her up in his arms bridal style and took her from the blood soaked room to the couch. Checking to make sure she was completely out, Loki proceeded to remove her clothing to check for bleeding wounds.

Thor had pulled himself from the floor and joined Loki. "What happened?" he asked, shaking some floor from his hair.

Loki shook his head, concentrating at tracing his fingers over her torso and legs, feeling for any breaks or fractures. Finding none, Loki sighed a relief before returning to her room to grab some clean clothing before dressing her in them. Lithia remained asleep, breathing shallowly and both Loki and Thor watched as her split lip and swollen eye dwindled down back to normal. Thor looked bewildered down at the fragile girl while Loki sunk to the floor next to the couch.

The front door opened, prompting Thor to look away from Lithia. "Welcome home Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark." J.A.R.V.I.S. said.

"Thor? What are you doing here?" Tony asked, dropping his bags to the floor after Pepper entered.