Elizabeth walked through the room of the basement after Steve had been called away by Stark due to the rest of the Avengers moving back into his base and talking through tactics of what was happening to New York. Thor had no idea what was going on and he couldn't find his brother anywhere. It seemed like everyone was stumped.
"I see you went back to Steve," Pepper's voice suddenly spoke up when she saw Elizabeth walk through into the small living area of the basement. It was like a haven for the latest gamer with the new consoles and a large TV sat on the wall. Tony was a typical male and Elizabeth knew it. Pepper folded her arms as she stood in the doorway and Lizzie turned to look at her, a small shrug elicited from her shoulders as she did so.
"It was too hard to stay away from him," she admitted. "As soon as I saw you and Tony on the top of the tower and then Steve was fighting Loki...something stirred inside of me...it was like I couldn't do anything to help him but I knew that I had to get to him somehow. It sounds ridiculous, I know."
"No," Pepper shook her head, walking further into the room and sitting down on the sofa, motioning for the younger woman to join her which she did promptly. She knew that she must have looked a complete mess. She had slept at Steve's the previous night and hadn't managed to change out of her ordinary clothes or have a shower, but, with New York in disarray, nothing seemed to matter too much at the moment in time. "It shows that you love him."
Elizabeth quickly shook her head, refusing to believe in the foolish notion which people called love. She'd never felt love before and she was pretty sure she didn't believe in it. She'd seen what love could do to people and she'd seen it be temperamental. She believed in finding someone to care for her and that she would care for them. She thought that she had found it in Steve.
"Love isn't real," Lizzie said to her and Pepper arched a brow, knowing that the young woman was cynical from what Tony had been telling her. "Does anyone truly know what love is?"
"You know it when you feel it," Pepper declared. "I know that I love Tony."
Lizzie bit down on her tongue at hearing Pepper speak like that and she looked across to the side, a small nod eliciting from her. She wondered how anyone could even find it remotely possible to love Stark. It was a strange matter if they were to ask her.
"I don't know," Lizzie mumbled, not really wanting to pick up on the conversation of stomach flip flopping and heart racing. "I just don't think it is real, that is all."
"So you don't love Steve?" Pepper wondered and Lizzie shrugged, focusing her eyes on the large TV hanging on the wall as she wondered where Steve was and if he had any intention of walking in soon to save her from the CEO's questioning.
"Steve and I are early days into our relationship," Lizzie settled. "Do you know where he is, anyway?"
Pepper sighed, a hand pushing through her hair and she shook her head, her eyes unknowingly looking to the door and wondering what Tony was doing. She knew that Lizzie was thinking the same thing about her soldier. She was worrying about what the meeting was about and what the heroes would do to save the day. Her nervous shaking leg and tapping fingers on her thigh told Pepper as much.
"I've got no idea," Pepper admitted. "Tony just said that he would have to go because they are holding a meeting in the lab room. The rest of the Avengers managed to find their way back here apart from Clint and Natasha. No one knows where they've gone."
"And does anyone know what the darkness is all about?" Lizzie enquired, knowing that Pepper probably didn't have a clue but she guessed it was worth a shot at asking her for some information. Anything to go on would be considerate enough she supposed.
"They don't have a clue," Pepper whispered, lacing her fingers together and resting them onto her knees, her eyes looking downwards as she did so. "Thor is trying to locate Loki but it is like he has vanished off of the face of the Earth. He says that this is something big and something from a different world. What world that is, I have no idea."
"Jesus Christ," Lizzie mumbled, fearing for her safety as she did so. She didn't really know what to expect if she stepped foot outside. She just knew that she wasn't going until it was safe. She was well aware that she was a coward, but, she classed herself as an average human and she doubted anyone else was willing to leave safety for the unknown.
"I know," Pepper simply agreed. "It's weird, I thought that being on top of the Tower was the worst thing to have happened to me...that life couldn't get much scarier..."
"But it has," Lizzie concluded and Pepper nodded.
"What better way to frighten a race than with darkness?" she enquired. "Everyone fears what they can't see."
"Showtime's up, babe," Stark's sudden voice came booming into the room as the automatic door opened in front of him and the woman stood up, looking to the side where Tony and Steve were walking. Steve's blue eyes were cast onto the redness of his boots and his hand was tucking his hair behind his ear as Tony stood in front of Pepper.
"What's going to happen?" Pepper wondered from him, resting her hands onto his upper arms and staring him straight in the eye as he stared back at her. He knew that she was concerned. Pepper was normally a calm and collected person, giving as good as she got, but, he knew different when it came to his safety and it worried him slightly. He worried what would happen to her if anything happened to him.
"I've fixed my suit and we've had a hit on Loki in California. The fire from the sky seems to have stopped but the city is full of darkness. Power's been restored and everyone is under emergency lockdown, but, the bad news is that the darkness is moving on."
"What do you mean moving on?" Lizzie was the one to ask and Stark's eyes moved onto hers as Steve looked up, watching her as her small features scrunched up into wonder and he folded his arms over his stomach.
"I mean that it is spreading, like the plague," Tony said. "But just without the horrible warts and phlegm."
"It has reached Washington D.C. and is still going strong," Steve said and Lizzie turned to look at him. "Power's being cut and people are running scared. We need to go and find Loki before the blackout hits California."
"So you're saying that there is no way to stop this?" Pepper checked with Tony, a slender brow arching on her forehead and the Iron Man sighed and shrugged dejectedly. He didn't know what to do. Despite being a billionaire genius, there were something's which he just couldn't explain.
"I've searched all the databases with Banner," he assured them. "We've come up with nothing."
"That's why we need to go and find Loki and get some answers to this madness," Steve declared, his hands balled into fists by his sides and Elizabeth glanced onto him, feeling deeply worried at what could happen and he nodded at Tony who nodded back at him.
"And what?" Pepper asked. "This darkness just keeps on spreading through the States?"
"We don't think it will stop then," Steve whispered and Lizzie's eyes widened. "Loki has always wanted to control us. Now is his chance...the attack on NY was just the start, wasn't it?"
"I don't know," Tony said again. "But, we'll stop him."
After that Tony seemed to go into his little bubble, his arms wrapped around Pepper with the two of them resting their foreheads against each other, too wrapped up in their own company to pay any attention to Steve and Lizzie.
Steve awkwardly coughed but he did move closer to Lizzie, the two of them standing a few feet away as he looked down to her.
"You'll stay here whilst I go," Steve said and she arched a brow, folding her arms and Steve noted the stubborn set of her jaw and sighed, not needing her to argue with him at the moment in time.
"Will I?" she wondered, not too keen on being bossed around.
"Yes," Steve declared. "It's not up for negotiation, Lizzie."
"You're definitely in Captain America mode," she complained, meaning that he had become bossy like a leader and he chuckled, his hands pushing through his hair as he did so and she smirked softly at the sound.
"It's the safest place in the city and Pepper will be here too so you're not alone. Promise me that you won't go outside."
"Promise me that you won't get yourself hurt," Lizzie counteracted and Steve nodded stiffly, his hand moving out to pick hers up as he drew her closer to him. "I mean it, Steve Rogers."
"I will do my best," he promised her. "Besides, I have something worth coming home for."
"Do you know how cheesy you sound?"
"It's only cheesy because of your pessimistic and cynical attitude," Steve retorted and she hit him lightly on the chest, her mouth agape as she wondered how Steve Rogers could talk so negatively about her. He never said a bar word against anyone even in a joking sense. Steve smiled softly and placed his lips onto her forehead.
"You know how you said that you don't believe in a happy fairy tale ending with love?" Steve asked her and she cocked her head to the side, intrigued as to where this was going. She certainly didn't believe in that myth when the country was in a state of dystopia. "Hold on to the belief that it will happen."
"Why?" Lizzie wondered from him and he shook his head.
"Just do it for me?" he pleaded and she continued to look puzzled, but, she did nod and Steve wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I'll do my upmost to come back to you."
"In one piece would be nice," Lizzie whispered and Steve inhaled sharply, thinking about what could happen to him. He quickly kicked the thought aside, realising that he had to be going. Time wasn't on their side.
"Stay safe," he urged her, gently swooping down to catch her lips against his, his finger curled under her chin and she pressed back, her mouth slowly moving against his until they heard Tony suddenly whistle at them and Steve gritted his teeth together as he pecked her on the lips one more time.
"Put her down, lover boy," Tony urged him. "We've got a God to go and catch and a world to save."
"Look after yourself," Steve implored Lizzie one more time, his hand slowly moving from her as coldness seemed to move over her body.
"Only as long as you do," she called out to him as he turned on his heel and walked away, Tony by his side and Pepper moved to stand next to Elizabeth.
"No matter how many times he walks off, it never gets easier," she whispered and Lizzie gulped, realising that she was right.
...
A/N: Totally crazy times at uni at the moment! But, thanks to X-PoisonCherry-X, kukuioPunk, stinkysox, H. E. Vaughn, miller330, Jade Bottle, Guest and Pickle1994 for reviewing the previous chapter!
Come on guys, do let me know what you think!