Wow, thank you guys for your reviews and follows. I was relieved to see that a few of you asking me to update this story. I'll reply to your reviews first, and then I'll put the chapter up - as I am told that's the procedure.

Breannapierson: Thanks for your review, it really made me happy to see your question. as for the answer: I haven't decided yet. There is a debate in my head about giving her powers or not, her past still kinda murky in my head, though a few points are clear. My wording was more metaphoric, though. Yes, they will end up a pair in the end. :) Haha, yeah, I liked that little fact too. I thought it would be cool if Loki had someone to prank with. :D A sense of camaraderie as they get to know each other through what they have in common. However, please tell me what you think of this chapter and the rest to follow - being as this is one of my first stories on Fanfic I am a little nervous. :D

Lithia Sunset: Hi :D Thanks for saying so. I do? Hmm.. I'll have to review it and fix those mistakes, thanks for telling me. :) As for your questions: ask away, I'll be glad to answer anything that you are wondering about I'll be happy to answer. Yay :D I was worried about keeping everyone in character, it is my one pet peeve: reading a story and seeing how they changed a character and pretend that its the same. I hope that I made Loki believable in this chapter, and please tell me if there is anything which should be revised. I probably need some help in that area. They did? Good, I'm glad to have made you laugh. Please let me know what you think of this chapter, I'm looking forward to hearing from you. :D

Am4444: Thank you :D I'm glad you like it.

It wasn't until the following Tuesday that Lizzie found herself once more back in the penthouse, watching every corner she turned to make sure there was no Loki lurking.

Emma had called her that morning, announcing that she was going to need her to watch Andrew when she got in as she had a meeting with some top-secret organization which she was not allowed to tell her about. Not that Lizzie really wanted to know, she was never fond of cloak and dagger transactions, and was slightly worried that Emma was getting involved with such things... but Emma was a big girl, and she knew that any interference would be disliked.

So she dragged her feet on her way to work, not complaining when the traffic was bad, and took the stairs to the fourth floor before getting on the elevator and having Jarvis take her up. "Something wrong, Miss Elizabeth?" the AI asked.

Lizzie scoffed, "Nope, I'm just peachy." she said sarcastically, "Just woke up on the wrong side of the bed is all."

"Oh, I understand that. Mind you, I'm not sure why waking up on one side of a bed makes someone more saucy than usual; but I understand what you mean." Jarvis replied.

She had to laugh, "Yeah, I suppose you wouldn't know." she replied as the elevator stopped.

"I do hope you have a good day, Miss Elizabeth. I know you're probably not very happy with the situation to begin with, but I hope you know I'll keep you updated on anything you need to know." Jarvis informed.

"Thank you, Jarvis. I know." she replied, "Just point me in the direction of wherever Emma is at present."

"Of course, Miss Elizabeth." Jarvis said, giving her instructions. Lizzie followed them, grateful that the AI had made her avoid anywhere that she might run into a certain bastard. As she thought, Emma was running around her room trying to find her shoes.

"Hey there." she greeted, Emma flipped her hair out of her face, smiling in greeting. "Looking for something?"
"My black heels, I know you brought them, but I can't find them at this point... ugh, I need to have Andrew clean his stuff up, this is getting a bit much." Emma replied, looking under the bed for what was probably the fourth time.

Looking in the corner, Lizzie found a pile of Andrews toys... a black heel sticking out. Smiling somewhat mischievously, she went and grabbed the heels, holding them in her hands. "Ahem." she caught Emma's attention, causing the older woman to roll her eyes at herself.

"What would I do without you?" she asked as she slipped them on.

"You'd lose your brain on a regular basis, boss." Lizzie replied, holding out Emma's jacket, which she slipped into. "Speaking of, I have a few proposals that I need you to go over. You want to do that later?"

"Later? Yes, I'm a little too scatterbrained to think of anything else." she replied, "What was that yiddish word for it?"

"Meshuga." Lizzie answered.

"Right... how do you know that again?"

"My mother was Jewish." a knock sounded at the door, and Lizzie went to answer it. Tony Stark stood on the other side.

"Oh, if it isn't the lost puppy." he greeted in his eccentric way.

"Mr. Stark." Lizzie replied.

"I'm coming Tony, just hold on." Emma called from inside.

"You better not say that in front of Pepper, she might get the wrong idea." Tony teased, watching with amusement as Lizzie's face flushed. "So you found your way up here alright?"

She nodded, "Yes sir."

"Good." he replied, "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name?"

"Elizabeth Donovan."

"You related to Bella Donovan?" he asked.

"She's my sister."

"That'll work." he looked past her as Emma ran back to the bed to grab her bag and went to the door. "Whew, that was a total of..." he looked at his watch, "Forty-five minutes when you said fifteen."

"Don't you know never to ask how long its going to take a woman? And if you do to multiply it by threes?" Emma asked rhetorically.

Tony smirked, "Maybe."

Emma rolled her brown eyes, turning back to Lizzie. "Alright, so Andrew is in the living room at the moment. Don't allow him to play his nintendo for any longer than an hour. There's dvds and a few board games which Tony got for him which are in there – they should be next to the couch – and as for lunch."
"Just tell me where the kitchen is." Lizzie said. "I can make lunch."

"There probably isn't any food in the kitchen, is there?" Emma turned to Tony.

"Just tell Jarvis what you need, he'll take care of it." he answered, "We need to get going."

Emma nodded, "I should be back by one at the latest... if not... then put him to bed by eight."

"You're staying out till eight?" Lizzie asked surprised.

"You never know with who we're visiting, Puppy" Tony retorted, "Just prepare for the worst."
Lizzie shrugged, "Alright..."

It wasn't long before Tony and Emma were descending in the elevator with Lizzie waving goodbye. "Oh crap!" Emma swore.

"What?" Tony asked concerned, "What did you forget? I'll have Happy get it to you."

"No, I didn't forget anything..." she moaned, "Lizzie doesn't know that Loki is still in the apartment."

Tony's eyes filled with mirth. "Oh, is that all? Jarvis, make sure Miss Donovan doesn't kill Reindeer Games – and if he gets close hurting her, let me know. Or better yet, just activate one of the bots and sic them on him."

"Yes, sir." Jarvis replied. "Do you want me to tell her that Prince Loki is in the apartment, sir?"
"No need." Tony replied.

"You're not going to tell her?" Emma asked incredulously, "Tony!"

He chuckled, "Don't worry about it, I'm sure they'll be fine. Remember, she did slap him. Give the girl a little credit, she's got guts... question is whether that's a good thing with someone like her and someone like him."

"She's not going to be happy." Emma muttered.

"Well then she can slap me – or you can slap me – when we get back." Tony replied, "Jarvis, record anything that happens between Puppy and Reindeer Games okay?" he added as an afterthought, ignoring Emma's withering glare.

"As you wish, sir."

Lizzie looked around for a moment, the silence of the apartment somewhat deafening as she walked into the living room. Andrew was on the floor, playing with some toy trucks when she came in.

"Lizzie!" he shouted, running up to her and latching himself to her middle. "Are you going to babysit me today?"

"Yes I am, any objections." he shook his head vigorously, "Good, cause you have no one else to watch you in that case."

They soon settled themselves with a game of Chutes and Ladders, as Lizzie was not particularly fond of video games. After letting Andrew win one game, she then won one herself trying to teach him how to play and win for himself. An hour passed before Andrew loudly proclaimed he was hungry. Looking at the clock, Lizzie saw that it was time for a snack, and taking Andrew by the hand, she asked Jarvis where the kitchen was.

After making a few pb&j sandwiches, Andrew suddenly declared that he had something in his room that he wanted to get, and left Lizzie to clean up and start planning what to make for lunch. Jarvis was all too willing to get a shopping list together.

"Miss Elizabeth, may I recommend you leave the kitchen?" the AI suggested.

"Yeah, sure let me just finish this stuff up." she replied, as she made some extra sandwiches to take back into the living room. Turning toward the door, she found herself face to face with Loki.

"Well, well, well... what have we here?" he taunted, she narrowed her eyes as he walked forward. "I do believe I missed your name last time."

"Not that it matters to you." she grit out, hoping that Andrew wouldn't come back anytime soon.

Loki clucked, "Ooh, fiesty." however, he hadn't anticipated just how close he had come to her, and a loud smack was the sound which filled the room as his head spun yet again. His green eyes narrowed on her, "Tell me, is this little slapping ritual going to happen every time you see me?"

"Hopefully I'll never see you again." Lizzie retorted, "But considering that reality and expectation often clash, it is very likely that I will see you again. As for why I slap you? I'm sorry, has your brain forgotten that you did destroy half of Manhattan, affecting the lives of probably millions of people in one form or another; I consider it my duty to slap you for their sakes. After all, none of them will have the chance, and I do. Statistically speaking, that's several times an hour... so I have a lot of catching up to do."

His brows raised, he had to admit, he didn't think that would be her reply. He smirked, he liked her. Sure, she was mortal, and annoying; but he had to admire her spirit. He watched then as she went to slap him again, but this time he caught her hand. "Tell me, firebird, are none of the slaps for yourself?" he mused.

"If I could control fire, jackass, you would be ashes by this time. As for the question, the answer is that I slapped you for myself the first time." she spat, "Let me go."

"Why should I do that?"

"Because I don't want your murderous hands touching me."

"Why not? Surely you can't mind considering you've already slapped me thrice, and I'm sure would do it again. Is that not a form of touching?"

She laughed, "No, that is a form of venting frustration. Slapping is not touching."

"Could be. It depends on the context." his voice turned sultry.

"Eww... what is it between you and Stark?" she wailed, "Guys really do only think about that stuff."

His eyebrow raised, "I beg your pardon?"

"Not likely, snake, now let me go." she ordered.

Looking at her for a fraction longer, he let her go, crossing the room backwards with his hands up. "Distance to keep me from further injury."

She scoffed, "Yeah, well you should have thought of that before." she hissed, grabbing the plate of sandwiches. "Come near me again, and I swear to you, I will do more than slap."
"Oh? And what makes you think you can?" he asked, enjoying her fire a bit.

She shook her head, throwing the dishes in the sink. "Because you're a man. You're more vulnerable."

"To what?" he asked.

With a smirk, she walked up to him, bring her knee right to where she'd strike. "Much more painful than a slap I've heard." he simply stared at her, watching as she turned back around and picked up the plates. Her eyes widened as she turned from him, surprised in her own sudden bravery – maybe it was bravado instead. Whatever it was, she needed to get her anger under control... that knife in the block looked too tempting to touch.

"You have a lot of gall mortal." he stated simply. She shrugged.

"Takes one to know one, I suppose. I hear you've got more ego than Narcissus. Somehow it wouldn't surprise me if you were in love with your own reflection." she replied, "But lets face it, you have no idea what to do with me."

He laughed, "Oh, I don't eh? I could snap your neck with my little finger. You're nothing to me mortal."

"Sure, sure." she replied, "But I think in some sick, twisted, perverted, masochistic way you enjoy the fact that I insist on slapping you."

"Is that so?"

"Yes... that is so." she mimicked his tone.

"This is truly fascinating." he said in slight awe, "You are here, having a conversation with me when you should be running in fear – but you don't fear me, do you?"

She scoffed, "Why should I?" she asked.

He laughed, "I thought you said that I had forgotten that I had tried to destroy New York? It seems you are the one with the faulty memory."

"Au contrairemonamie, I have not forgotten." she replied, "You just remind me of a child throwing an adult-sized temper tantrum... like every other tyrant out there. Trying to prove yourself in one way or another, to someone. Be it daddy, or your big brother, or something along those lines – I'm not a psychologist but I got the idea. You didn't feel loved as a child, and so you decided to rebel so that you could get attention... am I close?"

Loki's green eyes hardened, wondering how she had gotten so close without knowing anything. He stalked up to her, towering over her much smaller frame as he said: "That doesn't mean that I am not dangerous."

"I didn't say that." she quipped lightly, squashing whatever fear was rising up. She needed to be level headed, and to let him know that she was afraid would be a bad thing."I said I wasn't scared because you reminded me of a two year old. Those are two... very... different things."

"Then you are a fool." Loki spat.

Lizzie laughed, "Is that your elegant way of saying that you have no reply and I've – metaphorically speaking – hit the nail on the head?" she asked, wondering internally if she had completely lost her mind. She was talking to a criminal who was towering threateningly over her, one who was responsible for near-takeover of her planet, as if they were simply having a merry-hearted debate. She made a mental note to check her meds when she got home.

"No." he said simply, backing off slightly, "I simply do not wish to correct you at this time. Your immaturity has reached new depths, Milady."

She snorted, "My immaturity. Hmm... how kind of you." she picked up the plate of food and walked to the door of the kitchen. She stopped in the doorway "I'll be coming back at about twelve, do me a favor and keep out of the kitchen. Oh, and don't go near the living room, I'm there with my little charge for the day."

"Or what?"

She just smiled, "Or you underestimate my ability to make you sing my vocal range." and with that, she flounced out of the room, her nerves slightly frazzled with the fact that she had just talked to him without just screaming his ears off. Not that she didn't want to, she just wasn't sure what she'd say without taking one of Tony Stark's kitchen knives and stabbing him. "Jarvis, please inform me if he is in the kitchen when I go to make lunch. If he is, just order Chinese."

"Very good, Miss Elizabeth."

Meanwhile, Loki stood in the kitchen. His super-sensitive hearing picking up her statement and Jarvis' answer. Elizabeth. So that was the firebird's name. He had to chuckle, it suit her, and yet didn't. She was obviously hot tempered, but was polite about it, obviously wanting to do nothing more than to do something rather heinous to him – but keeping her emotions in check. He vaguely wondered if she had been in Manhattan when he tried to invade it, and if that was the source of her animosity. After all, he had met the woman named Emma a few days earlier, and she had not been so violent as to threaten him. But he knew she had not been in New York at the time...

"Prince Loki." Jarvis addressed him, and he had to smile – Stark may be rude, but at least he'd programmed his AI to be polite. "I must inform you that what Miss Donovan said is correct. The Avengers have made it clear that you are not allowed in the rooms where she will be, or I will have to inform Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff that you are somewhere off-limits."

Loki sighed and after getting an apple, he walked out of the room. Hearing laughter coming from the living room, he headed in that direction. "Prince Loki, I do believe I said-"

"I'm not going in." he said, just watching as the woman who had just been so forward, looking absolutely at ease with the blond boy in front of her. He exclaimed in victory, jumping up and dancing quite ridiculously around her before stooping down and throwing his arms around her neck to kiss her cheek.

Though he would never admit it to her, nor wanted to admit it to himself, he knew she had been right. Although he wanted to just end her life right there when she spoke of his supposed 'temper tantrum'. She would, in time, learn not to be so loose with her tongue. However, he would admit that he found her somewhat fascinating, and had – reluctantly so – since he had first met her. He had watched her eyes as she recognized her fear of him, and then overcame it – resulting in a slap. The girl whose name he didn't even know, usually he knew a woman a bit before she slapped him.

Elizabeth Donovan. That is what Jarvis had said. He chuckled to himself as he thought of how she'd react when he used her name next time. Though it probably wouldn't be very fun.

She didn't fear him now, he could see it in her eyes the first time she slapped him; and that was what made him stay the moment he'd seen her making her strange sandwiches. Yet, the fact that she was a different person when she was with the boy also made him curious. Was the threat an act? Did she put it up to make him leave her alone? If so, it wasn't working. In fact, it made him want to have her around a bit more...

She got up, walking over to Stark's audio center and putting something in. At that moment, some song began pumping out of the speakers, and they began dancing around together like small children. She was fascinating, but obviously was lacking in his eyes.

Immature mortals. He thought as he rolled his eyes at them before walking away. Oh yes, she was going to be interesting.

Thor landed on Tony's pad, stomping inside with a thunderstorm raging. It was infuriating what SHIELD was trying to do, their flippant attitudes something which made him want to simply destroy them. They were not doing this meeting for the good of Midgard, and were not taking the threat seriously enough. Had it been Asgard, every person of influence would be up in arms, ready to fight their foe... but these people just bickered, arguing that the Avengers were the cause of the whole mess.

As he passed through the living room, he briefly saw the woman who had slapped his brother. She was currently playing a game with the young son of the Captain's woman – even though the Captain would never admit that she was his. Upon his entrance, her brown eyes flickered up to him. She smiled, nodding slightly in his direction and he returned the favor, approaching the pair. She nudged the boy, pointing to Thor, watching as he stood up and ran to him.

"Thor! Is mommy coming home yet?" Andrew asked first, already warmed to the Asgardian over the last few days.

"What?" the woman exclaimed indignantly, "Am I not fun enough that you're so eager to get your mother back? Am I such a bore?"

Andrew rolled his blue eyes, "Lizzie, I didn't mean it like that. You know I like you."

Lizzie raised an eyebrow, "Mmhmm."

Thor turned to the woman with a smile, "I'm sure he doesn't mean it in that way, Lady Lizzie. He seemed to be having fun before I came in."

She chuckled, shaking her head. "Just Lizzie, thanks – but if you insist on the whole 'lady' prefix then call me Elizabeth. Lady Lizzie is kinda awkward." she corrected, "But I know, I'm just messing with him."

"Very well, Lady Elizabeth." Thor replied, getting down to the boy's size as much as possible with his enormous height. "I'm sorry to say that your mother is probably not coming home for a while longer. In the meantime, I believe I disrupted a game that you and Lady Elizabeth were playing."

"Ack, its not a big deal. We were almost done anyways." Lizzie replied, "Would you like to join us... or..."

Thor smiled widely, "Thank you for your offer Lady Elizabeth, but I'm afraid I have a matter to discuss with my brother." he said, she took a sharp breath, nodding. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?... Oh, yeah totally."

"I am aware that you are not particularly fond of Loki. He hasn't bothered you at all today, has he?" he inquired, hoping that his brother had not tried to harm the woman.

She snickered, "Yeah... nah... he didn't... bother me much." she said vaguely, "Nothing to worry about, at any rate."

"I'm sorry, I don't understand. Did he bother you, or did he not?" Thor repeated.

"He came and... talked to me in the kitchen when I went to get Andrews snack, but I haven't seen him since." Lizzie replied, telling Andrew to clean up the game and pick out a movie.

Thor nodded in understanding, "I only hope he has not offended you. Loki is not known for his first impressions, especially not as of late. If he does do anything which makes you uncomfortable, please do not hesitate to inform me." he told her.

A scoff slipped past her lips. "His being here is making me uncomfortable. I don't think there's anything you can do about that." she admitted.

He nodded, "I understand. There is probably very little I can do to make you feel at ease with him in the same room. I take it you were in the city when the Chitauri tried to invade?"

"The Chi-whatta?"

"Chitauri. The... aliens, I believe you call them." he replied.

"Ah, got it. Weird name." she muttered, "But yeah, I was. I was working that day, actually."

"I am sorry. I hope you did not lose anyone?"

"Nah, I haven't lost anyone for ten years." she replied.

"Just..." Thor tried to begin, "I hope you do not take Loki the way which he has presented himself. He was not always the way he is now."

She pursed her lips, "Oh? Was he not always a murdering sociopath?"

"No, Lady Elizabeth. He was not." Thor retorted, keeping himself from correcting how she spoke of Loki. If she was in Manhattan at the attack, she would not take his defense of his brother very kindly.

"Hmm... yet another thing to add to the list of strangeness." she replied as Andrew ran up to her, a dvd in his hands.

"Well, I shall leave you, Lady Elizabeth. May you have a good day." Thor announced, bowing slightly and walking out.

"Goodbye Thor, I hope to see you again sometime." Lizzie called as the door shut. Andrew suddenly began whining, "Alright, alright... lets put this in."

It wasn't until eight-thirty that Emma finally came back to the apartment to see Lizzie curled up on the couch asleep... Beauty and the Beast playing on Tony Stark's 60" screen. She watched the last scene as Lizzie slept, telling Jarvis to turn it off as the credits rolled. She then shook Lizzie awake.

"Lizzie... Lizzie..." the girl simply mumbled, "Elizabeth, wake up!"

Olive-toned lids snapped back as brown eyes widened in surprise. "What – where's the – why am I – ? Oh." she looked around the room, closing her eyes for just a moment longer. "Hello, you're back late."

"Sorry, the meeting didn't go as I expected." Emma replied, "How was watching Andrew?"

Lizzie smirked, "It went good. Your son is quite the little energizer bunny. He had me chasing him all over Bryant Park after lunch, I was exhausted by the end of it – as was he, he went to bed with very little protest." she said as she got up and stretched.

Emma looked around the room for a moment, trying to figure out what to say next. "So, uh... Tony didn't tell you, but there was someone here when we left –"

"Yeah, I saw him." Lizzie replied before Emma finished. "Conniving little bastard. Found me in the kitchen while I was making a snack. We had a little... tête a tête."

"Did it go well?" Emma asked nervously.

Lizzie chuckled, "You mean did I stab the guy? Nah. Though about it... resisted the impulse. Too much blood, didn't want the cleanup." she joked.
Emma rolled her eyes, "God, Lizzie, you're a closet psycho, you know that?"

"Its just a joke, Lizzie... I had no thought of the blood."

"Stop it."

"Yes, ma'am." Lizzie swore, "Though I like the other guy. Mr. Tall-Buff-and-Blond."

"Thor?" Lizzie nodded, "Yeah, he's great. He's like a giant kid, likes to be friendly to everyone. Real sweetheart."

Lizzie's brown eyes filled with mischief, "Hmm... sounds like your description of a certain Captain... hmm... what was his name again?" Emma threw a pillow at her, causing Lizzie to stumble back a step.

"I'm married."
"True. I would never condone a relationship, you know that. I just like to mess with you, you give a good reaction." Lizzie replied, "Well, I should probably head home before seanmhatháir begins wondering if I've been mugged."

After saying her goodbyes to Emma, Lizzie headed toward the elevator. As she waited for it to come up, she noticed a shadowy figure standing out of the corner of her eye. Looking up, she saw the tail ends of a green coat disappear behind the corner.

The doors of the elevator opened, and she stepped inside.

When Pepper found Tony in their room later that evening, he was laughing at something which he had playing on his i-pad. "Pep, Pep, come here." he called, turning the screen so that she could see it.

The view was the kitchen, and she could easily see one of their houseguests towering over a young woman who was at their counter. "Who is that?" she asked him.

"Emma's assistant, just listen." he shushed, turning up the volume.

"You just remind me of a child throwing an adult-sized temper tantrum..."

"That doesn't mean that I am not dangerous."

"I didn't say that. I said I wasn't scared because you reminded me of a two year old."
Tony started laughing again, watching as one of the other camera angles caught Loki's seething look. "Oh, oh, listen to this."

"Oh, and don't go near the living room."

"Or what?"

"You underestimate my ability to make you sing my vocal range
"I like this girl." Tony suddenly announced as he turned the screen back to himself and shut off the pad.

"Well, she's either really brave or really stupid." Pepper replied, "Who is she?"

"Emma's assistant. Lizzie I think is her name." Tony answered, "I'm almost glad I upped Puppy's security clearance."

"Who's?"

"Puppy. The girl. She got lost the first time she came here, so I named her 'Puppy'." Tony replied as he turned off the lights.

"Lets hope she doesn't decide to slap you for it." Pepper quipped, settling into bed as far away from Tony as possible.

"I don't think she will." Tony replied, "Pep, you don't have to worry about it."

"Tony, I don't want to burn you." Pepper replied softly.

Tony snuggled in anyways, ignoring her protests. "Don't worry hon. You have plenty of self control, besides I have Bruce and Blondie working on a remedy - well, as much as the two of them can work together without jumping each other's bones." Pepper smacked his thigh.

"Be nice."

"Never."

Well? I hope that went well. Please leave a review, it really boosts my morale and keeps me going :D