Okay, usually I don't put Author's notes up here, but earlier today I received a review from a Guest that made me and my sister laugh so much, I kept looking at it during class before school finished because I absolutely loved the words they used, so thank you Guest user for the review! I was already part way through the chapter, but I finished it with new energy thanks to you. So this chapter and the next are for you! (I've just started the next chapter so please be patient, but it will be from Loki's point of view and I'll try not to leave too many cliffhangers as my sister finds then annoying when I haven't written the next chapter). So anyway to the story! I hope you like it!

Toni

I'm not sure what I ate at Lunch but I'm certain that it's going to come back up. I groan as my stomachs contents threaten to come up, I try to force it down but end up throwing it up anyway. I groan and roll onto my back away from the sick. I can hear someone talking but I'm too tired to open my eyes and my belly feels as though it's been kicked a billion times over. The voice keeps getting louder as I try to block it out, but for some reason it won't leave me alone. I turn my head away from the voice, placing a hand over my stomach as it flips uncomfortably. I groan in again due to the voice that seems to be talking in my ear. I don't want to wake up, just leave me alone!

Another voice enters into the mix, then another and at that point i just can't stand it anymore. My eyes fly open and my hand makes contact with someone's face. I hear a loud cry of pain and I know that I hit my target: the nose. Someone then comes into view, a dark skinned woman with brown eyes and black hair holds my hand and starts speaking to me softly. I relax at her voice, it's comforting almost as though she's my mother singing to me after a nightmare. I watch her lips as I try to figure out what it is she's singing but it's hard to focus when my stomach keeps doing flips. After what I think is a few minutes, my hearing seems to return to its full and I begin to make out what the woman is saying to me.

"-you're alright, don't panic you and your baby are okay, we're not going to hurt you." I stare at her for a moment as I wait for my brain to process the words. Safe? Am I safe? I'm pretty sure I remember someone yelling about a bomber coming up towards the meeting room, but I'm not sure. They're not going to hurt me, so clearly they thought I was panicking instead of being annoyed, so that clearly means that something bad did happen, most likely the thing about a bomber. But baby? I'm okay and the baby is too? I'm not pregnant! I can't get pregnant or I'm not supposed to anyway! I'm not pregnant, am I?

"Wha-What happened?" I mumble as I try to grasp where I am. The woman sighs in relief, and I suddenly recognise her as one of the scientists I was talking to before the... explosion?

"Someone attempted to kill you by having a suicide bomber come in, with a bomb obviously, and set it off outside the meeting room. We were given a warning beforehand and managed to get to the safety room just before it went off. But we think that the building may have had a collapse since some of the ceiling collapsed. Something hit you pretty badly during the explosion, I don't know what it was but you've been unconscious for the past three hours." I stare at her in shock, my brain absorbing what I was just told but not entirely comprehending it. Usually someone wouldn't unload that amount of information onto someone who's been injured, but I can tell that she's scared and I suddenly remember her name being Sarah.

"Loki... where's my husband?" I ask slightly panicked. If Loki's not with me then things could end badly in here. Sarah glances at someone behind me, but I can't see them due to still being laid down on my back.

"He's... not here. He left the room a bout five minutes before we received the warning, don't you remember?" She asks me, worried. I do remember I'd just hoped that that part wasn't true. I feel true panic seize my heart now. Loki had the earpiece that allowed us to communicate with each other, it had been hurting my ear keeping it in for so long that I'd taken it out and given it to him. I'd thought that since we were in the same room it wouldn't become an issue, but then he left and I forgot to take it from him and if I can't contact him...

"Mrs. Stark calm down please, you're safe, I'm sure they're all looking for you. You'll be okay. Your husband wasn't in the building during the collapse. He's fine and so are you and the baby." Sarah says supporting my back as they-her and another woman-help me to sit up so that I can see where we are. That's when I realise what she'd been saying. She'd been saying I was pregnant again.

"I'm not pregnant." I say looking at her. She looks surprised as does the woman next to her who looks at me concerned, she's slightly paler than Sarah and has brown hair and black eyes only slightly different from her.

"You're not pregnant?" Someone behind her asks, a man with white skin, blond hair and green eyes. I feel slightly uncomfortable that he asked me this question and I feel Sarah's hand rest on my upper arm in comfort and support, calming me down slightly.

"No I'm not. I can't get pregnant for medical reasons." I say, not wanting to give too much information to him. He looks suspicious and I now notice the smeared blood on his face and shirt, seemingly coming from his nose, I guess he was the one I hit when I was waking up. The others in the small area-consisting of another two men slightly older than the blond, in their early thirties I think-stare at me surprised and slightly concerned over me.

"Is it... Is it appropriate for us to ask why?" One of the men asks, his hair black and has jade coloured eyes. All the men are wearing suits as well though his is a navy instead of black. I'm sure that there had been more people in the meeting room, but maybe they got out of the building before it collapsed or maybe they're...

I stop myself there, I can't think of them being dead, shaking my head to clear my thoughts I look back up and answer the man's question. "I guess, I can tell you some of it." I start, sparing a small wary glance at the other man who seems to stand out from the others. "My Arc Reactor... caused some shifts to happen with my organs when it was out in my chest, and as you'll all know, when a woman is pregnant her organs tend to shift to different places in the body as the baby grows and her heart rate will increase." I pause, making sure I'm not going to reveal too much about it that could be used against me. "When I returned from Afghanistan and my doctor examined me, he-he told me that I wouldn't be able to have children as a baby could cause more problems with my health and with my heart how it is... I would have a high chance of dying when I went into labour. It's not safe for me to get pregnant, I'm not even sure if I was able to have children before Afghanistan, so either way I can't have any. As to why I look like this, it is unknown. We have no idea what's going on with me at the moment."

It's incredibly silent after I finish my little medical speech. Sarah and her twin-I'm certain now that they are twins but I can't remember her name-are looking at me with understanding and I'm glad it's not pity. Pity is the one thing I can't stand. The men look sad-except the blond. He seems to be annoyed at something.

"Darn it." He whispers angrily and everyone turns to look at him. Noticing the attention he quickly changes his expression to one of disgruntlement, so fast that I'm sure I'm the only one that saw it. "I had a bet going on saying that you were pregnant, seems I've now just lost." He explains, but I don't trust him. The fact that he felt he had to change his expression feels somewhat off to me. I make a mental note not to let him get too close to me.

I look around, observing what's left of the room we're in. The corner of the wall next to the door has completely caved in, unfortunately blocking the exit with rubble that came down with it and into the room. Fortunately that seemed to be the only misfortune in the room other than all the dust that came in with it. I'm in the middle of the room and I know that directly behind me are the 72 hour packs hidden behind the wall that I store in all the emergency rooms just in case and I have no doubt that we're going to be in here for a few days minimum.

Slowly I pull my legs closer to my chest and start to push myself up with my hands. Sarah, seeing what I'm trying to do, takes my hand and pulls me up with her twin supporting my back with her hand. They don't question what I'm doing which I'm thankful for. Once my balance returns, I turn around and walk straight towards the wall, one arm resting on my stomach which feels more uncomfortable than it was before but I blame that from when I fell over after being knocked out.

Once at the wall I allow my hands to search for the manual release button to push it open. After a few minutes I manage to find the latch and pull it up before leaning with my left shoulder and pushing against it. Sarah and her twin come to help me as do the others when they see the wall move slightly outwards. It's exhausting and the pain in my stomach isn't helping either, causing my body to start shaking and sweat to appear on my skin. When we finally push the wall into the new space I'm relieved to see that all of the gear I stored-which is still up to date as I restocked it a few weeks ago-is still there and seemingly undamaged. I almost collapse in my relief, but thankfully the two men that I do sort of trust, catch me before I can hit the floor. The one that spoke asks permission to carry me and I give a small nod, suddenly too tired to do much else, and he carried me to one of the cots lining the wall that I'd almost forgotten were there. He lays me down gently, almost as good as when Loki does it, then steps back to allow Sarah and her twin-I seriously need to remember her name or at least ask-to pull a curtain around the bed and help me to undress out of my ruined, long black dress, and take off my shoes too leaving me in a singlet and pants. I tell them where to find the clothes in the 72 hour bags and Sarah goes to find some. I take this opportunity to ask her sisters name. It's Kate, she tells me and smiles. It's the first time someone's offered me a genuine smile when we're officially introduced and I smile back in response.

Sarah returns and helps me into some sweats as Kate supports me then they move onto the shirt-they'd had to get one of the men's ones since the women's ones most certainly won't fit me now. Neither of them spare my Arc Reactor a glance, which I'm very thankful for as I don't like people staring at it. Once I'm changed they help me lay back down on the bed, I give brief instructions about what's in the 72 hour bags and what they should and shouldn't use. They both listen closely before Kate goes and retrieves a small flask of water for me to drink and a small bag of raisins to eat. I take both gratefully and finish the raisins almost as quickly as the water, not realising how hungry and thirsty I was. Although my stomach doesn't seem to be satisfied I manage to relax more than before.

My eyelids begin to droop my exhausted body making itself clear. Sarah and Kate place a warm blanket over me before going outside the curtain and allowing me some privacy as I fall asleep. I immediately miss Loki and I want him with me to help me to sleep like he always does with his presence. I feel tears fall from my eyes, "Loki." I whisper to myself and I don't care that I'm crying, I've gotten used to my sudden mood swings over the past few months but I know that this one isn't a mood swing. This is desperation and fear and exhaustion over the situation. I eventually feel my consciousness to slide away and sleep over come my body.