A/n. big chapter here folks. Lucy is finally going to have some questions answered. Thanks for the reviews, and Thor stuff is coming up pretty soon Violetk, so hang in there. :) love ya peeps, keep reading!

Chapter Twenty

Nick Fury stared at the woman through the two way mirror, from the observation room. He watched as she fiddled with the water bottle Coulson had brought to her moments before. He turned to look at the agent as he entered the room.

"So?"

"So, she seems harmless. I can't say she revealed all her secrets to me or anything, but she seemed to be telling the truth, with what she did tell me."

"So where has she been?"

"She didn't say specifically, she was kind of upset every time she tried to talk about it actually."

"But was she with him?" Fury wanted to believe this was all going to be a non-issue. He had a lot of other things to be worrying about.

Coulson shook his head. "No Sir, I don't think she was. She doesn't seem to know anything about him. Wherever she was, she left someone important behind though. The man she loved, were her words. I can tell you that much. Whoever he was has something to do with a tattoo she has on her forearm. She kept touching it, every time we spoke of where she had been. I don't even think she notices that she does it."

"A tattoo huh? Well she didn't have that before she disappeared. So you are probably right. What does it look like?"

"It's some kind of Celtic knot or something. It's gold and green, with a symbol of some kind in the middle. I didn't get a real close look at it. But I knew it wasn't some ink she got at a dump downtown. The colors are too shiny, I don't really know how to explain it. You will have to see it for yourself."

"So your overall impression is?"

Coulson thought on his response for a moment. "She is smart. And talented. She showed me some of her abilities, and told me of the others. She seems honest, and frankly she is a bit of a smart ass."

"So you are saying you like her then?"

"Yes Sir. I do like her. I think she could be a real asset to SHIELD. Wherever it was she went, she managed to get a handle on her abilities. And the things she is capable of could really come in handy around here."

Fury turned and looked at the agent in surprise, "you want me to give her a job?"

Coulson shrugged. "Why not? What is that saying, keep your friends close, but your enemy, who may or may not be able to read your mind, closer?"

Fury shook his head, and headed toward the interrogation room to meet her for himself.

I sat in the room doing my best to read the men in the observation room. There were two of them. One was Agent Couslon, the other must have been Director Fury. The suspicion and annoyance coming from him were palpable. He did not want to be dealing with me, I was an obstacle he needed to overcome to move on with his day. He was not going to believe me as easy as Phil did, I was sure of that. I started to get more and more nervous as I sat there. That was bad, my abilities were weaker when I was afraid. The fact that I fell from bi-frost was proof of that.

I sat up straighter as he walked into the room. He was tall and imposing. And he was wearing an eyepatch. Are you kidding me?! And eyepatch!? For hell's sake, it was like Odin all over again.

Immediately I was intimidated. He sat across from me, leaning back in the chair. His arms folded across his chest.

"So, Miss Odinson. It is Odinson now, correct? Did you get married while you were away?"

I hated how quickly my eyes filled with tears. I shook my head. "No sir, no I didn't."

He was looking down at my hands. I realized I was absently rubbing my tattoo. Fight the tears Lucy, fight them. I pushed them back as far as I could. And looked back up into his face.

He nodded slowly. "So tell me Lucy, can I call you Lucy?"

"Yes, I would prefer it please."

"Lucy, Agent Coulson tells me that you were not interested in talking about where it is you have been hiding all these months"

"I wasn't hiding Sir. I didn't even know anyone cared where I was. As far I as I knew, no one has ever cared."

"Fair enough. So why are you back?"

I was getting more and more nervous. "I was in an accident. Everyone I left behind thinks I am dead. Coming back here, was not my choice."

"Then who's choice was it exactly?"

I shrugged, "I guess you could say it was fate."

He chuckled. It was terrifying. "Why don't you take that jacket off Lucy, it's a bit warm in here."

I looked at him suspiciously, but slid the jacket from my shoulders, laying it over the back of my chair. I turned and folded my hands together on the table.

Before I could stop him, he reached across the table and grabbed my arm. Pulling it towards him. "That is some interesting ink you have there. You get that while you were away?"

I tried to pull my hand back, but he was too strong. He was memorizing every detail of my mark, and I didn't like it. I covered it with my other hand, willing it away. And when I removed my hand, the mark was gone.

He let go of my arm, and looked up at me. "Impressive. Magic tattoo huh?"

"It's not a tattoo." I whispered.

"I'm sorry, what? I didn't hear that."

I cleared my throat and said more loudly, "It's not a tattoo." I looked up at him, this time not hiding the tears as they ran down my face. "It's sort of an engagement ring. A mark given to me, by the man I love. He was supposed to be my husband."

The look on his face softened a bit. "I'm sorry Lucy. It sounds like you left a lot behind."

My voice choked, "I left EVERYTHING behind. I have nothing to give you Agent Fury. No information, that will be helpful to you in any way."

I was breaking down right in front of him. I hated that he was seeing me so weak. I could feel sympathy coming from the observation room. I suddenly wanted Agent Coulson at my side, I was surprised to realize that I trusted him.

"Can Agent Coulson join us in here, rather than watching from in there, please?" I pointed to the observation room as the tears were flowing freely now.

Fury looked a bit surprised. He nodded, "Agent Coulson, feel free to join us. And please bring Lucy's file with you."

I heard a click, and then Coulson's voice over an intercom. "The whole file sir?"

Fury sighed, "yep, bring it all. It's time for her to know the truth."

The door opened a moment later and Agent Coulson entered carrying a file that had to be at least two inches thick.

He sat the file in front of Agent Fury. He walked to the wall behind him, and leaned against it. He faced me, his arms crossed over his chest. And gave me a small smile. I immediately felt better. He didn't have the waves of suspicion and frustration coming off of him. It almost felt like I had an ally.

"How old are you Lucy?" Fury asked, bringing my attention back to him.

"Well I don't know what the date is, but if I have been gone as long as you say, I will be turning 32 soon."

"And how old do people think you are?" I had no idea where he was going with this.

"Always younger, usually in my early twenties. I am confused as to what this has to do with anything."

"We'll come back to that." He opened the huge file to the very first page.

He cleared his throat and started again. "Years ago there was a man that appeared from nowhere like you did earlier today. Now this has been known to happen before. We aren't sure where they come from, but usually by the time we track them down, they are gone. Poof, like magic. Sounding familiar yet?"

I said nothing. "Anyway, this guy was different. He caused trouble from the moment he appeared. Like it was his job. He seemed to think laws were just suggestions, he stole everything from cars, to food. He went from city to city causing any kind of havoc he could convince people to cause with him. Cause you see, that is what he did. He had some sort of power over people. He took ordinary citizens, and convinced them to commit crimes they would never have committed before. It was kind of like he could change people."

He paused again, like he was waiting for me to respond. But I had no idea what he was talking about. Although for a second, my mind did go to Loki. I could totally see him causing all kinds of trouble here. But I didn't think he would manipulate people to do anything illegal. So again, I just stayed silent.

"So this guy, didn't really seem concerned by the fact that he was being pursued by the law. SHIELD tracked him through 16 different cities, in almost as many days. And then he stopped. For a few months it was quiet. It was strange, and at first they assumed he had gone back to wherever he had come from. But he was still here. Turned out he had gone and fallen in love with a human. He ended up coming to us to ask if he could stay. You see, this woman he had fallen love with, she was going to have his baby."

"SHIELD held him for days. They interrogated him as to where it was he had come from. He told them, and I quote, 'it doesn't matter where I am from. What matters is that I would like to stay here in Midgard.'"

Okay, now he had my attention. My head snapped up, and he raised his eyebrow in question.

"Have you heard Earth referred to in that way Miss Odinson?"

I slowly nodded my head. "Yes, I thought so. Anyway, so as they interrogated this man, he refused to give the name of wherever it was he was from. But he looked a bit strange. And he claimed to be more than 300 years old, despite the fact he didn't look a day over thirty. He was pretty short, had spiky hair that was the craziest shade of red you have ever seen. And his ears, that was the weirdest part Lucy, he had these ears that were pointy on the top. Like Spock, ya know what I mean?"

I swallowed, as I suddenly realized where this conversation was headed.

"And he may have looked strange, but that wasn't even the weird part about it. He seemed to be able to read minds. No, not seemed to. The man COULD read. Freaking. Minds. And make people do or say stuff. He was dangerous, he couldn't be allowed to stay here unless he was locked away. And they gave him the option. Stay, but be incarcerated for the safety of the public. Or leave, and never come back. He escaped and left Earth the next day."

"But that woman he loved, she carried that baby. And when she gave birth, it was said that it was the most beautiful baby girl anyone had laid eyes on. And that she had her father's crazy red hair. Unfortunately there was a car accident just a week after the girl was born. The mother didn't make it, and the girl having no one, went straight into the system."

I had tears streaming down my face now. He handed me a picture. "Tell me Lucy, have you ever seen this man before?"

He was exactly as Fury had described, crazy red hair and all. I knew instantly what he was. He was and elf from Alfheim. And apparently, he was also my father.