Girl talk was never my forte. I was a tomboy growing up and had preferred to play with boys. I had very few girlfriends in my adolescence and my twenties so I wasn't well practiced at it. Natasha wasn't very good at it either but she tried, probably because she was the only woman here now besides me. Carol was still in a coma. Wearing that gauntlet with those stones and using it to turn Thanos and his army into dust had extracted a heavy price and there was concern that she would never wake up as a result. Wanda had gone off grid several weeks back after being involved in some mess in New Jersey. Okoye and Shuri were in Wakanda. Nebula was off planet. Members of the "fairer sex" were becoming scarce around here.

Since Nat had a need to talk to someone whose brain wasn't attached to a cock, I didn't object when she made herself at home on the other side of my desk and began chatting as I sorted through code and pretended that Sam's email account wasn't loaded with kitten videos. There were worse addiction problems to have.

Nat hadn't been around when I fell to earth, so to speak. She had still been in stasis on Vormir and had only come out of it about two weeks ago. Unlike the others she didn't have prior experience with Crazy Abriel trying to kill her to make her biased against me. Yet. Instead, she had decided she would attempt to take me under her wing as though I didn't already have someone trying to be a damn surrogate parental figure in the form of a self-righteous sorcerer who treated me more like hazardous material than a person. At least Nat wasn't afraid of me. Yet.

"You have never seen a single episode?" She was asking in disbelief.

"No. I'm waiting for all the books to come out first. I might give the series a watch then. If I watch it now before I've read all the books, I'll be constantly comparing the two and it'll ruin my reading."

Nat arced a brow. "The author is very old."

I punched the enter key and let the program run. "He's already lined up someone else to take over in case he croaks before he finishes writing."

"It may be a long time before the rest of the books come out."

I gave Nat an incredulous look.

"Okay, so time isn't much of a factor for you, but the show is really well done. The action scenes are intense and," she waved a hand in front of her face. "The love scenes are really steamy."

I didn't give a flying rat's behind about that last part, and since incest was Not My Kink, I was in no hurry to see Cersei and Jamie's twincestuous relationship in live action. "I have heard the theme song. I liked that." I had it downloaded on my iPhone and used it when sounds were becoming too much for me to deal with.

"I think you'd enjoy it, but if you're not up for that, maybe you'd like the Witcher? We can watch it downstairs in that home theater the boys set up."

Nat kept trying to rope me into spending more time with her and was forever suggesting movie nights or shopping trips. The keys rattled as my hands shook. I could feel the spiral starting. Before I could say or do anything both of us would regret the door opened and a massive green figure walked in. "Finally done! Hello Nat, Abriel."

Nat smiled at Bruce and I closed my eyes, taking deep breaths. They didn't help. It wasn't Bruce's fault. He was a very nice guy and wore his heart on his sleeve. He was honest to a fault. But the Hulk smelled like what I imagined the aftermath of a gorilla having sex with a muskox would smell like. It wasn't a pleasant odor.

Being in the same room as the lovebirds didn't help either. It reminded me too much of how alone I was. I took more breaths and stomped down the impulse to cry, and doubled that effort when I caught the scent of ice and peppermint coming in Bruce's wake. Even the muskox sex stink didn't cover that up.

The ice and peppermint settled on the edge of my desk. I heard it creak under his weight, and he had decided to perch close to me. Almost too close. He was maybe two inches from touching me, and if he did, he was going to have a fight on his hands. I wouldn't be able to stop myself. I couldn't even stop the small noise in my throat as I flinched. I could feel his breath on me. Could feel the weight of his stare and knew those dark eyes were seeing what Nat and Bruce were missing.

"So, what were you two gossiping about?" Bruce was saying. From the sounds of it he had come closer as well. Too many people were too close. I was choking on their scents, their regard, the sudden wariness from both Nat and Bruce as they finally noticed me, and Loki's intense scrutiny.

"We...were just talking about having a Witcher bingeathon after Abriel...gets through with what she's doing..."

There was fear in Nat's voice. Most people wouldn't be able to hear it but I picked it up. There had never been fear in her voice when she spoke to me. I could have handled it if she had been afraid before, but she hadn't been afraid. Damn her, she hadn't been afraid.

I finally opened my eyes and saw my reflection in my screen. My eyes were black. "I need to go," I scooted my chair back and grabbed my purse.

"Ab-"

"I need to go."

Nat was the most vulnerable one here. Bruce was more than capable of dealing with me if it came down to it. Loki...

I looked at his face and his intensity made me shiver. He could see right through me. I couldn't defend myself, not against him.

I headed for the door but it was filled with another Asgardian who started to shout for beer but then clammed up the moment he saw my face. His grip on Storm Breaker tightened.

I was trapped. No way out.

"Abriel...calm down. You're safe..." Thor was saying.

Not safe. Not safe. Never safe.

And who was Abriel? That wasn't my name. My name was—no, don't say it, don't even think it. Names have power, especially true names, that's what all the stories I've read have taught me.

What if these people really didn't exist? What if this was just another delusion, a fantasy to give me a false sense of security and I never truly escaped? The spiral was going faster and the labyrinth beckoned. I would fall, I would fall and I would be lost again, assuming that I had never ceased being lost.

Thunder rumbled.

"Brother..." Loki began to chastise.

Thor shook his head. "That's not me." If I weren't spiraling out of control, I would be able to feel his inner conflict. He knew that backing me into a corner was making things worse yet he also didn't want me loose outside where I could endanger the general populace. I didn't care. I needed out, out, out, OUT RIGHT THE FUCK NOW!

"We need to call Doctor Strange," Bruce was telling Nat in a low voice behind me.

"That second rate children's party magician? Are you mad? You fools clearly have no idea what you're doing. Thor, move aside."

"Are you mad, Loki? You know what she is, we can't have her unleashed upon the unsuspecting citizens-"

"I am not suggesting that, Brother. I can keep an eye on her. Keeping her here is making matters worse. Let her go."

I snarled in response to the anger in the air. Thor was not taking his eyes off me and my hands clenched. I felt my body prime itself to attack.

"Brother...trust me. It will be alright."

Thor glanced over at the spot where the voice was coming from. Somewhere behind me. I didn't dare look, even though I hated having my back to an enemy.

The enemy in front of me finally lowered his weapon, took several steps backward, and then moved out of the doorway.

I bolted.

I ran forever. I wasn't sure how long. I was unaware of the time passing, unaware of the scenery passing, unaware of anyone who came across me. I was too caught up in the labyrinth, that twisted inner landscape that was both a torment and surcease. Every turn in it always ended in a new nightmare, a brand-new horror that they managed to call up to shatter my world and my sense of self. Yet the labyrinth was where I would find some brief respite and I took what I could.

I would be getting eaten alive by my sisters, screaming as they tore and bit at my flesh, then running down a looping path covered in brambles and flowers that bled when they opened. I would be in a classroom on my first day at a new school and nothing would go right. All of my pencils would keep breaking, the other students would find things to laugh about, none of my answers to the teacher were correct, the words in the textbooks were all scrambled so I couldn't read them, and the school day would not end but would just keep going after the clock became stuck at 2. I would be in the ocean, struggling to keep my head above the waves, the water crashing down on me and my lungs burning as they filled while fish swam in to begin picking my bones before I finished drowning. I would be running through the forest, a dark forest, the trees gnarled and twisted and angry, trying to stay ahead of my pursuers, knowing that if they caught up to me, they would kill, torture, rape me. I watched my family burn alive, screaming as the flames took them in a nuclear holocaust. I watched disease ravage my home, the skins of the victims covered in festering boils and mucus coating their noses and mouths.

On and on and on. Their sadistic inventiveness knew no bounds. It was all to punish their Brother, for the crime of having feelings for a human. The Brother who-

I stopped, standing there with my hands on my knees, not winded but emotionally exhausted.

Just thinking about that Brother made me want a shower. A long hot one. If I had anything in my stomach, I would be puking it up. It roiled in anger and disgust now, and I took breaths to attempt to tamp the nausea.

Even before them, before the labyrinth, my life had been a joke. I took a deep shuddering breath and lifted my head.

I was in a clearing in a wooded area. The Appalachian foothills dotted the horizon and the stars were beginning to come out. Fuck, where was I? I patted the black slacks I had worn today. No phone in my pockets. I had no purse and couldn't reme—oh yes. I dropped it when I thought I would be attacking Thor to escape Avengers Manor.

I had been ready to claw his eyes out. Or attempt to at least. Thank God he was more than a match for me. I was stronger than Steve or Bucky but nowhere near Thor or Bruce's level. I was also still training and learning to fight while he had centuries of fighting experience. He would have wiped the floor with me. I would have deserved it.

Too bad my new powers didn't stop me from losing body heat. It was getting dark and it was early enough in the spring that the nights were still cold. I had no jacket and no phone. I had no idea where I was. I was fucked.

Ice and peppermint.

I whipped my head around and there he was.

"Finally. I thought you would never stop. Are you quite through now?"

"How-"

"You aren't that difficult to track."

"You ran after me?"

Loki smirked. "Heavens, no. I watched you from afar while using my own transportation." Behind him was a black Rolls Royce. 1959 if I were any judge. It was only then I noticed his attire matched the car, a trim black suit that hugged his frame and fitted him perfectly. He probably had it custom-made. There was no way a suit off the rack would fit him like that.

I brushed my disheveled bangs out of my eyes and paced, still feeling wound up but not enough to extend my marathon. A marathon was 26 miles though, and this area felt like it was a lot farther from the manor than 26 miles. "Where are we?"

"I have no idea. You ran one hundred and eighty-six miles without slowing down once. Your endurance is quite impressive but it really could be put to better use." I glared at him since that last bit was stated very suggestively. He returned my glare with an unrepentant grin. "I can tell you that we are no longer in New York. We are somewhere in Pennsylvania."

I felt myself pale. "Near Pittsburgh?" My voice was almost a squeak.

"I am uncertain. You were headed west."

Fuck. I was headed to my birthplace, or what was my birthplace back on my earth. I shivered again.

"We really should get you out of the cold. Come, I am in the mood for a drink after that drive. I will buy."

"I don't drink." I hadn't even when I was human. Alcohol and empathy did not mix well.

"I will buy anyway." He opened the passenger side door of the Rolls and held out his hand. I froze but he didn't react while my body stiffened. "Very well then, you have had a hard day so I will let it go. I am not giving up however." He pulled his hand back and waited. I was very careful not to accidentally brush the hands holding the door open as I got into the warm car that smelled of leather and him. He shut the door and I was surrounded by his scent.

It should not have been comforting.

My braid was a mess and I didn't have a comb with me so I opted to leave my hair loose and finger combed it as best as I could. A little soap and water were useful to clean the sweat and dirt off my face. There wasn't much I could do for the shirt I was wearing, the little makeup I had been wearing was gone, and I would need to get new shoes, but at least I was somewhat presentable. If the expression on the bargirl's face had been any indication, I had looked like I'd seen better days. The poor woman gave me the impression that she'd been ready to call the cops on Loki. He hadn't look particularly bothered—I had no doubt he was used to that response—but the least I could do was ease matters some and look less like I'd been dragged down a mountain path. Or ran 186 miles across three states during a panic attack.

Loki had grabbed a booth in the far corner for privacy. He was drinking a Cosmo. I noticed he had ordered one for me as well. Damn it, I told him I didn't drink.

The place was upscale for York, Pennsylvania. The booth had red vinyl covered benches and I slid into the one across from Loki, ignoring the drink. The fumes from the alcohol were irritating to my nose and my eyes watered. At least the lighting was dim. "Mmmm...much better. You should leave your hair down. The plait may be practical but your hair really is too lovely to leave it that way all the time."

"Just finish your drink so we can get back before Steve decides to hunt me down with a tranquilizer gun." I flicked the lime wedge on the edge of my glass.

"What's the hurry? I've already called and let the Avengers know that you were safe and in my capable hands while you were freshening up..."

"I'm sure that made them feel a lot better," I muttered.

"...and the evening is still young. Just relax and have a sip."

I took a sip without thinking. Later I would be humiliated that I had instantly obeyed him.

My mouth burned and my tongue was on fire, overwhelmed not just by the alcohol but the tartness of cranberry and the overwhelming sweetness of lime. I coughed and tears blurred my vision.

"First time tasting anything after your transformation?" Loki asked as he watched me struggle to regain my composure. Fucking hell, that cleared my sinuses. "I'm certain that it's been an adjustment. All those strange sounds, and the smells have to be overwhelming. I cannot begin to imagine how overwhelming it must be working in that building with all of those bodies. I know when Thor and I would get a drink after a battle the stench was overpowering, so you have my sympathies. How does he smell anyway?"

"Under the permanent ozone he smells like a bagel that couldn't decide if it wanted to be blueberry, cinnamon, or onion, so it went with all three. And you're right, when he's exerted himself, the onion overwhelms everything and it does make my eyes water." I plucked the lime wedge off the rim and began to fiddle with it.

Loki pressed a fist to his mouth so he wouldn't spit out the sip he just took. His shoulders were shaking and he didn't swallow until he felt it was safe to do so. How about that, I made the God of Mischief laugh. "Please tell me you haven't told him that."

"Not yet. I was saving it for a rainy day."

"Do not tell him unless I am present. I must witness the expression on his face when you inform him you smell baked goods when you smell him."

"That's nothing. You smell like a candy cane that the elves dropped in the snow while they were loading the sleigh." Yes, that was snarky but I didn't like being ordered around. I liked it even less that it made me tingle when the orders came from him.

"Ouch." He was amused though. Amused and intrigued. I was glad I was an empath and not a telepath. I was certain I would not want to know what he was thinking at that moment.

"How do you know about my...'transformation', anyway?" I twisted the piece of lime.

"I read the file the Avengers have on you. You should see what it says."

No. No I shouldn't. Neither should he but I couldn't control what he did. I was just happy that I wasn't' around when Tony or Bruce had a fit when they discovered Loki hacked into the secure files. I was not going to think about how someone from Asgard knew his way around Earth technology either. "You're stalking me," I accused.

"I wished to know more about you. You are an empath. I have been making no effort to hide my intentions for you."

That was for damn sure. Even now desire was radiating off him and I was fighting not to squirm. I couldn't hear his thoughts but I didn't need to. I knew what he wanted. "And you know that isn't going to happen."

"Oh, my dear. You are so very wrong. It may take some time, but you will come to not only welcome my touch but crave it. Your aversion to any contact is but a temporary annoyance." He purred the words in that deep voice that felt like satin and fur stroking my skin. I felt my face heat.

"I don't like sex." I just blurted it out. It caught Loki off guard as well, because he froze in the act of bringing his glass to his lips and stared at me. "I wasn't a fan before—well, before." It was really hard to enjoy sex when you could feel your partner's disappointment that your breasts weren't bigger, your ass not firmer, your tummy not flatter, and then feel more disappointment and anger when you lost interest in the middle of the act and became a dead fish. "And after...everything...I sure as hell am not interested now."

Most men would have given up and run away screaming after that. Loki placed his glass down and ran the tip of one delicate finger up and down the stem. "Well, that most certainly puts me in my place. I see I have more work cut out for me than I first thought." He grinned. "I assure you, after I get through with you, you will enjoy making love with me."

Okay, addendum to previous statement: Most men who aren't Jotun maniacs who would take what I said as a challenge that they would tackle with the enthusiasm and giddiness of a Viking.

"In the meantime, there are plenty of other ways I can be intimate with you."

"You are not getting into my mind!" I snapped. No one, and I meant no one, was getting inside my head ever again.

"Such hostility." He shrugged. "Well, I suppose that's understandable, given what happened to you." I didn't respond to that so he raised a shapely brow. "Still refuse to speak of it?"

I glared at him in silence.

"Hmm. I do not suppose you are willing to share why you were abducted by those fallen angels, or why their Brother chose to give you those powers?"

Oh, fuck no. I grabbed the Cosmo.

"That bad? I mean, I have my suspicions, but it would be nice to hear it from you."

I would have preferred being chained down to a chair in a closet with both Thor and Hulk present after they'd both had heavy workouts. "Drop it," I muttered.

"No." His eyes held mine in a way that wouldn't let me hide. Fuck, please don't make me say it. The only reason Stephen knew was because he had needed to know what he had to work with as far as teaching me to control my new powers went.

I sweated as he continued to gaze at me. He wasn't going to let it drop. I lifted the martini glass to my lips and mumbled, "He fell in love with me and then couldn't bear to see me die."

"I'm sorry?" Loki turned his head so his right ear was facing me and then leaned over the table. "I didn't quite catch that."

"He fell in love with me and then couldn't bear to see me die, happy now?" I snapped, thumping the glass down. It sounded worse out loud than I imagined it would. My face was hot and I knew I had to be red. It was humiliating.

Tony and Rhodey had cool technologically advanced suits of armor. Cap and Bucky had the super soldier serum. Bruce had been bombarded by gamma rays. That kid I met a few weeks ago had been bitten by a spider.

Me? I got my abilities because some overpowered pigeon had a crush on me. Worst. Origin. Story. Ever.

Loki was smiling. "There now, do you feel better?"

"Hell, no. I need a shower." Most people, people who had watched City Of Angels and other 90s Meg Ryan movies or read the Twilight books one too many times, would think it was romantic. An angel had been watching me and fell in love. He had always been there with every breath I took, every move I made.

It wasn't romantic. It was creepy. He stalked me. He made himself at home to witness my most private moments or listen to me voice secrets that I never told anyone outside of my best friend. My life had been his movie, with me as the unwitting star and screen crush. It was sick. There was nothing romantic about it.

And it was because of him that I ended up-

"Are you redecorating the table for this establishment?"

I looked down at Loki's words. Sure enough, my fingers had scored the table. There was a nice pile of curled wood shavings. My nails were broken down to the quick and the fingertips were bloody. The table looked like a large cat had gotten ahold of it.

Loki made no move to touch my hands. He wanted to, but even though he was unhappy that I had just hurt myself he wisely restrained himself. I pulled my hands back and tucked them between my thighs. "That is a sore spot," he observed. "I must say, I cannot blame him. I am not overly fond of his chosen actions. He did not even bother to introduce himself. We can arrange for a bath if you still desire one, although I must warn you that I may want to watch."

I'm sure the look I gave him should have flayed his flesh from his bones. This was not the time, not when my skin was still crawling. He just chuckled. "You are a fun date." He waved the waitress over for the check. Only someone of questionable sanity would consider this a date.

He insisted that I put on his jacket before going outside since the temperature had dropped. He didn't let me put it on myself though. That would have made too much sense. Instead, I tensed up as he draped it over my shoulders and came way too close to brushing his hands over my arms. He gazed at me as he let a hand hover close to my face and I came close to hyperventilating.

His finger touched a small lock of my hair before he pulled away. The jacket was warm, which was a surprise considering his low body temperature. He was a Frost Giant after all. But then it wasn't about keeping me warm, or at least that wasn't the only reason. I was going to have his scent all over me, embedded into my skin, without him having laid a finger on me. I looked up into his face, which was wearing a smile that said he was pleased with himself. He knew exactly what he was doing. The smarmy prick.

We arrived in New York close to midnight. He insisted on escorting me to my door. Since the Rabbit was at Avengers Manor, I was going to have to walk in the morning unless I could find a cab driver who was brave enough to drive me to work.

I didn't have my keys so I went to Bucky's door, pausing to reach out mentally to make sure he was awake before I knocked. "So, you and Mr. Barnes are... close?"

I blinked. Was that jealously I was feeling coming from Loki? "We're neighbors. We help each other out. It's either get his copy of my apartment key or get a very early start on the antivirus scans on the manor's systems." Steve had forbidden me from putting in more than the normal number of hours a person of US nationality would work.

I leaned against the end of the hall to wait. Loki stepped over, holding my gaze again. "I should warn you, pet...I am very possessive."

"James and I don't have that type of relationship." I didn't see him in that light and I knew the feeling was mutual. James saw me as a safe space, was even starting to think of me as a friend (which was scary, especially since we'd said all of three sentences to each other since meeting), but he harbored no romantic or sexual feelings for me. "And even if we did, it's none of your business. I am not yours."

Loki leaned in so his face was close and his breath whispered across my ear. I froze, my heart in my throat. "That's where you're wrong, pet. You're already mine, it's just the physical..." His hand came up and his fingers once again brushed my hair lightly. "...union that will have to wait."

I trembled and felt wetness trickle between my thighs.

Then James opened his door and handed my key over without taking his eyes off the Trickster. "You alright?" The question was directed at me, but his death stare never left Loki. I was getting heavy protective "I'll kill you if you lay one finger on her" vibes off him. Loki bristled.

I so did not need this type of alpha male posturing after the day I'd had. "I'm grabbing that shower now. Thanks for the ride, Loki, and thank you for the key," I said to James, and not-quite-fled into my apartment.