Iinvalidzz: Perhaps. Logan and Lizzie *do* have a history... but what? Ah, that is the question. Though a little competition - even unfounded in his mind - would be good for our favorite villain.
Koryandrs: I know, it probably did, and this one will go a bit as well - however, some of the stuff is essential for later on. Certain clues to Lizzie's past are in those long-winded chapters... although I hope to be getting a little more heated within the next chapter or two :) I'm glad you liked how I brought them together; I simply couldn't pass up an opportunity to have Hulk/Thing confrontations, Reed/Bruce/Tony smart guys working, and Steve/Johnny complications. It was just too good. :D Not to mention, Loki needed a reason to protect Lizzie, and I thought this was good. Hopefully you like the next chapter a bit more. :)
MyLadyAssassin: I'm glad you liked them :D I wanted to give a little Lizzie background and comedic relief. I do too, seeing as they're chemists its kinda inevitable that they will come into the equation later on, that and the fact that Lizzie has no brothers - they will kinda come into a brotherly place there. I'm glad everyone likes Wolverine in there, it makes me very happy. :) Yes, there is a history between them. Lets put it this way: she has won Logan's respect and protection... and you'll find out later how that is. Haha, yeah, well Logan is awesome and I didn't really want any problems between Logan and Loki. Logan's a smart guy, and Loki can appreciate that. Ah, no problem. :) To each his own. Let me know what you think of this chapter, I'm looking forward to your opinion.
Alright, so here ye are. Thank you all for the favs and follows, chip in sometime, I'd like to hear from everyone. :D This chapter has some meaningless stuff, just to kinda flush out some personality points of Lizzie. Fluff for the first half... but not the second. The second is necessary.
"Okay, the recipe says that this needs to go in for an hour... but its still not done." Jane said from her spot by the oven. She had told Darcy that she would do some of the cooking that day, as she thought that Darcy was doing too much in Lizzie's absence.
"Did you turn on the oven?" Darcy asked, though it sounded more like "Diou twern oon 'ven?"
Jane looked at her friend, noting the plate of leftovers in the woman's hands. "Care to try that again, without sounding like a caveman?"
The sound of a new laugh entered the kitchen and Lizzie entered. "She said: 'Did you turn on the oven.'" she translated, "Don't ask how I understood that, as sometimes I wonder."
"Hey!" Darcy exclaimed, her mouth free of all impediment. "Its the girl who can make men naked!"
The other two brunettes just stared at her. Jane had a look of shock on her face, but Lizzie's eyes showed her amusement. "Its nice to see you've decided to finally break into the leftovers. I'm afraid most of the guys here don't like old food, and Thor typically eats anything which may even allow it. I don't know why, but Asgardians are like the human equivalent of hogs."
"Watch it, Liz." Darcy said as Jane's brow lifted at Lizzie's statement. "Jane is protective of her man." Lizzie scoffed as she took the recipe from Jane's hands. "But aren't you supposed to be home with a massive twenty-first hangover?"
"Are you sure you're not Tony's daughter?" Lizzie asked, "'Cause he asked me the same question."
"Great minds think alike." Darcy said simply, washing her plate in the sink.
"Drochrath air!" Lizzie swore, looking at the dial on the oven in comparison to the recipe. "Jane, do you cook much?"
The Thunderer's girlfriend turned red, "No, not much." she admitted. "I'm afraid I've never really had any time for more than takeout, or sandwiches for the last... several years. Since college in fact."
Lizzie and Darcy exchanged a look. "That would explain..." Lizzie began, "Why you let chicken be in an oven that wasn't on for an hour."
"Oh no." Jane said, going to the oven, she took a look at the dials. "Its on..."
"Uh, Jane," Darcy said, her eyes on the little screen at the top. "you set the ovento start for an hour..."
"What?"
Lizzie then explained to the astrophysicist how the oven worked, and that instead of the timer – she had set it to turn on an hour from when she began. As if to prove what she had said, the oven kicked on... exactly an hour after Jane had set the timer. The astrophysicist let out a moan of disappointment as Lizzie declared that the food was no longer edible due to a possible salmonella poisoning. That only seemed to make Jane despair a little more.
"Don't worry, Jane." Lizzie tried to comfort. "Anyone can make that mistake."
"Yeah, its alright," Darcy added, "You're probably just going to be royalty in the end, what with you getting together with Thor. So you won't have to worry about cooking. After all, I sincerely doubt that you'd be slaving in the kitchens."
"Darcy!" Jane hissed, reaching over to put her hand over Darcy's mouth.
Lizzie just chuckled as Darcy continued her taunts, immediately asking Jarvis for suggestions on takeout food that could be ordered. After a few minutes of debate, Chinese was chosen, and she told him to order 'a bit of everything' as she wasn't sure what people would like.
"Very good, Miss Elizabeth." Jarvis replied.
"You, however," Darcy turned to Lizzie, "Would probably be boasted in Asgard as being a magical cook."
"Oh? And who would give me that review?"
"Thor of course. I heard the way he raved about your cooking the first night, you'll be praised before Odin before you know it... and then summoned to work in the royal kitchens." Darcy continued, but unlike Jane, Lizzie just took it in stride.
"Well then, I suppose he'll boast you as being a fabulous court jester." to which, Darcy laughed.
Half and hour later, Jarvis announced that the takeout had arrived, and Lizzie went to get it. Bringing it back into the kitchen, she found the remaining Avenger women had gathered while she had gone.
"Mmm... smells good." Pepper said, "I'm starving. Business meetings tend to make me a bit hungry."
"Well, nothing fills you up like Chinese in my opinion." Lizzie said, "Except maybe Mexican... but I like Chinese better."
"Well, we all know that you are a reliable source when it comes to great food." Emma said sarcastically, "Oh... wait."
"Painful, Emma, painful." Lizzie quipped, "After all I've done for you, you treat me with such disdain."
Darcy immediately 'ooh'ed. "Speaking of disdain – what happened the other day?"
"Sorry, I'm not following."
"With the Horny One of course!" Darcy exclaimed, "I saw how he looked at you – or rather, how you were looking at each other."
"Darcy... do shut up." Lizzie said lowly.
"I'm just stating the obvious." Darcy replied.
Pepper swallowed a bite before she began. "Tony told me about something regarding you getting burned after Johnny hit on you?" she said, "And Loki helped you?"
"I'm sure he was simply trying to irritate Johnny." Lizzie muttered. "I annoy him too much for him to think anything with regards to me."
"Maybe... maybe not." Darcy sing-songed, "I mean, the two of you were just gazing into each other's eyes like this:" she imitated Lizzie, her large blue eyes wide, and her mouth hanging open.
"I did not!" Lizzie exclaimed. "We don't like each other."
"Sounds half-hearted if you ask me." Justine said, "Though I wasn't there, I've noticed that something is going on between you two."
Lizzie sent glares at the blond. "Wow, I had no idea that slapping people meant you liked them... please inform me of which country this is in?"
The sound of Thor's boisterous tones could be heard from the hallway, stating how proud he was of Jane, and how he was sure that her food would be wonderful.
The women all looked in Jane's direction, and the astrophysicist's panicked face turned toward the ground, red with embarassment. "Oh no, I'm going to disappoint him when he – oh god."
"It's okay, Jane." Pepper comforted, "I'm sure he won't be upset."
"But I told him I'd make something..." she was on the edge of tears, as the other women exchanged glances again.
Lizzie looked around the counter, then up at the clock as she then set down her plate with urgency. "Alright, all hands, we need to clear these boxes away – Jane, you made food."
"But I did-"
"Don't argue! Justine, get some bowls, set them out, and I'll put the food on them. Move!" in a flurry of movement, the six women got all the food into the bowls, and the boxes into the trash. "Jarvis, if anyone asks, Jane made lunch. You can tell Tony otherwise if you wish – oh, and make sure that those boxes get taken care of ASAP."
"Very good, Miss Donovan."
"Darcy keep an eye on that trash can, until Jarvis takes care of it. Don't let anyone look into it – do you hear?"
"Loud and clear, chief!" Darcy replied, slightly surprised by the relatively quiet woman's sudden commanding presence. Yet, she did as she was told.
Lizzie looked up at the clock again, a smirk set on her face.
When the Avengers entered the kitchen, the women were lounging on the counters, plates of food in their hands, while the warmer next to the stove had a flame lit beneath. They were happily chatting away, Jane looking determinedly flustered as Pepper told her something.
"Well, my pretties, have you been hard at work?" Tony asked, standing in front of Pepper. "And what's this? What is your name, beautiful?"
"Ginny." Pepper answered sarcastically. "Can't you tell?"
"I am so glad your nickname is Pepper – Ginny just doesn't fit." Tony stated, pecking her on the lips. "Although I can see you as a Weasley"
"Well, she is a redhead." Darcy quipped, earning a slap on the arm from the nearby Lizzie. "Ow!"
Lizzie just smirked, looking over at the group. "Food's in the warmers, gentlemen. Dig in." she said, motioning to the nearby containers. "I take no credit, Thor, its all Jane's doing." which, wasn't a lie – Jane hadn't seen the button which would have cooked the chicken, and had caused for them to eat takeout – it was just a... bending of the truth. A little.
Thor beamed at Jane as he moved toward the food, getting his portion and walking back to lean on the available counter next to her.
Tony walked up, and with a raised eyebrow turned toward Lizzie. Leaning close to her, he lowered his voice: "Wow, Jane's food sure looks like it came from my favorite Chinese venue."
"Play nicely, Stark." Lizzie whispered back, "She already feels bad for disappointing Thor."
"Am I going to know who paid for this?"
"You did, of course –" she paused, "Through my pay check, that is."
Tony chuckled, "Alright, kid. I'll take a look at Jarvis for the rest of my answers later." and getting himself a plate, he went over to Pepper.
Loki had watched the exchange, and looking over at the oblivious Thor, he wondered what had happened that had caused Elizabeth to cover Jane's reputation. He had been hearing Thor's ranting over the last ten minutes of how 'His beautiful Jane was a woman of many talents'. Obviously, he had no idea that the woman had lied to him. Walking over to where the warmer was, he noted Elizabeth giving him a semi-smile. Ignoring her, he got his dish, and walked away as quickly as possible.
"See," Lizzie said in Darcy's ear. "Told you."
Darcy scoffed, "Please. This is the denial stage. First its denial, and then its..." she paused, taking a deep breath to make it more dramatic. "The kind of love that lasts forever."
"God you're annoying." Lizzie quipped, but Darcy just shrugged with a: 'You'll see.' thrown back at her.
It was suggested by Tony at that moment that everyone move into the other room, as the kitchen was quickly getting packed. Everyone followed him, and soon enough they were all comfortably seated elsewhere.
Lizzie looked around the room, doing a mental headcount to make sure everyone had food. In it, she saw Johnny look around for a chair, plate perched in his hand. Knowing there was more food where that came from, a mischievous smirk spread on her face, and she took a seat behind where Johnny stood.
Loki looked up at the sound of a loud clang. The Storm boy had dropped his plate on the ground, and with a swear, he bent down to get it – RRRIIIPP! Johnny's blue eyes widened, a look of shock on his features as the entire room was silenced, and all eyes were on him. Tentatively reaching a hand behind him, he checked the back of his pants to find where the rip had come from.
Unknown to him, Lizzie was silently laughing, reaching her hand up to show everyone the piece of cloth which she had ripped in half to pretend that it was Johnny. Pepper hid her large smile behind her hand, while Tony laughed aloud. Clint and Natasha just shook their heads, large smiles on their faces. Thor and Jane looked completely oblivious as they had been engrossed in their own conversation and had no idea what was going on – while Bruce, Justine, Emma, and Steve all politely hid their laughs behind bites of food.
The Fantastic Four just watched the prankster lean heavily against an equally silent-laughing Darcy, trying to catch her breath. Ben looked as if he was satisfied with the prank; and Logan's eyes glinted with amusement and affection toward the young woman.
Loki raised an eyebrow, slightly amused at her rather simple prank. It wasn't original, but it seemed to do the trick as the mortal reached behind him with slight panic, standing up and trying to see the tear himself. Loki watched her, wondering what other kinds of things that pretty little head of hers cooked up... and whether she did this to everyone, or only those who upset her.
Johnny turned, his body contorting strangely as he tried to see the back of his pants and Lizzie burst out with long-restrained laughter. The Torch turned slightly red as she showed him the cloth, and with a grumble he picked up his plate and headed toward the kitchen.
"That... was... awesome!" Darcy said as she tried to catch her breath. "He looked so horrified. Damn, girl, you're horrible."
"So I've heard."
"Elizabeth." Emma's voice came from across the room. "I do hope you don't plan on making Johnny your next project."
Lizzie sobered, her eyes still alive with merriment. "Too late, Emma. He should be happy, he did want to be at the top of my list. He just didn't know which one he was applying for."
Emma just shook her head, looking over at Steve and beginning a conversation. Logan just shook his head with a slight chuckle. "Hellraiser." he muttered, "Haven't changed a bit."
Loki, who sat nearby, turned to the man. "Do you know Miss Donovan?" he asked, his curiosity finally getting the better of him."Before, I mean."
Logan snapped his eyes up to Loki's. "Whatever gave you that impression?" he asked in return.
"A hunch." Loki replied.
"Well keep your hunches to yourself. I've got no time for them, unless they have good information." the mutant replied, standing up and moving to sit next to Lizzie and Darcy. Loki watched him go, wondering if Lizzie did know the mutant as she beamed broadly at him and moved aside so that he could sit between she and Darcy. He did so, a protective look sent toward Johnny Storm as he walked back in the room.
There was no doubt in Loki's mind that Logan knew Lizzie. No man protected a woman without knowing her first - well, except the Captain, but Loki doubted that Logan was anything like that man. He watched them interact, familiarity going between the pair of them... however, Elizabeth's eyes strayed – more than once – to his. A small smile on her face as she did so, as if she was trying to be friendly.
His hackles raised, he didn't need this mortal believing that just because he helped her once - which, he decided, had nothing to do with her, but rather with the irritating fire-mutant - he was suddenly had a different opinion of her. Scowling, he returned to his food... trying to block out Thor's incessant praises to his mortal.
Later in the day, Loki searched for a quiet place to read. Another thing which his beloved brother had done in the day was tell Stark's computer to lock his room. Why? Socialization. According to Thor, he wanted Loki to talk to everyone more, and be a little more outgoing. What led Thor to believe such, Loki had no idea, and to be honest he wasn't pleased. But, there was nothing he could do, as Jarvis had informed him that his room would open after dinner – and only after dinner.
Therefore, he was searching for a place where he wouldn't be found by the bumbling Avengers. Jarvis had spoken up about ten minutes into Loki's search for peace of mind, suggesting a little-used room two floors below – a library. Naturally, Loki followed the AI's advice, and was relieved when he found the room. Why Stark had a library, he wasn't sure, as he didn't think that the billionaire ever found the use for books. However, it was there, and the books within seemed to branch a large range of subjects. Looking in a specific area, he found where the book in his hand had come from. He decided then that he would be spending more time in this room. For if there was anything he loved more than himself it was books, for books contained knowledge, and he craved knowledge.
Finding a high-backed chair, he took a seat, opening his book to where he had left off. He had to admit, he found that he found the author's opinion on the criminal mind to be rather fascinating. Yet, he couldn't help but feel disgust toward the protagonist... who allowed his mind to betray him. Still. It was interesting.
"Oh!" a woman's voice came from behind him, he spun to find Lizzie standing there. "I didn't see you at first. You startled me."
"Any startling was of your own accord. I had nothing to do with it." Loki replied, his voice cold and unfeeling. "I was told that there was no one here."
"Well, I wasn't here five minutes ago." she replied, "I came to return a book I just finished. Tony doesn't use these books as much as he should, he depends too much on his toys to give him all the information he needs. A bad habit, I think."
Loki raised his brow. "You don't feel the same way about technology then?"
"I think its got its perks." she said as she walked over to the bookshelf, trying to set the book on the shelf – but finding it too high. "But one shouldn't be dependent upon it." she finished as she stood on her tiptoes, tipping the book to try to slide it onto the shelf. Grunting, she tried again only to have Loki's hand grab the book and slide it in with ease.
She turned to him, suddenly finding herself a little too close to the taller man. She somehow prevented herself from taking a deep breath as she found him smelling rather good. It was a mixture of leather – of course, that was probably his tunic, as he was sans his usual leather jacket – and sandalwood. She couldn't quite understand why she found that combination nice, but she did. She looked up into his eyes, noting his rather condescending look... that snapped her out of her haze.
"Wouldn't want your fumbling to knock over the bookshelf." Loki sneered. "Books are, as you said yourself, valuable."
"I could have done it myself." Lizzie snapped. "I was able to get it down, wasn't I?"
"That doesn't stop the fact that the bookshelf threatened to tip over due to your excessive leaning against them." he said, walking away and sitting back down in his chair. He had to get away from her, already she had caused him to speak to her, and help her. To him, it was getting ridiculous.
"What are you reading?" she asked, but Loki didn't answer. Rolling her brown eyes, she leaned down to read the spine. "Dostoyevsky. Crime and Punishment." she read aloud. "Good book."
"Are you going to stand there like a fool, or are you going to leave me be?" she straightened, pursing her lips in slight agitation.
"I was just curious." she replied, turning around to find another book. Loki lifted his eyes from his paper, watching as she purposefully chose a book from a shelf she could reach. As she turned, the returned his eyes to the pages, pretending to be engrossed in its words. "By the way..." she began, "I wanted to thank you... for what you did the other day." he didn't reply. "I never got the chance as you took off before I could say anything." Still, he said nothing. Lizzie let out a huff.
"What makes you think I did it for you?" he asked, his eyes leaving the page to look up at her. "Or at least, because of your idiotic little personality."
Lizzie raised an eyebrow. "Well, I don't know why you did it. I just wanted to thank you is all." she then passed him with a sigh, she knew where she wasn't welcome.
"You're not normal, are you?" he suddenly asked, although his tone was more of a statement. She stopped in her tracks, turning to face him.
"What?"
"In the hallway the other day, you made him stop breathing. Didn't you?" Loki replied, standing up and facing her. "Don't bother lying, you can't... not to me."
She scoffed, "Naturally. Because you'd know all about lying." she muttered, looking up at the wall. "Jarvis, cut the recordings." she said.
"Miss Donovan, I don't think-"
"You're right, you don't. Just do it." she snapped, "Don't worry, I won't tell Tony, and I can take care of myself."
"Mr. Stark actually requested that if this conversation ever came up, that I record it." Jarvis replied. "My apologies."
"Jarvis..." she said slowly, "Cut the recordings, or I'll cut them."
The AI was quiet for a moment. "Very well, Miss Donovan. One moment." Lizzie and Loki stared at each other, waiting for the AI to say – "Alright, I am no longer recording."
"Thank you." Lizzie said, sighing. "Understand something, I can't tell you everything. There are aspects of what I'm about to tell you that could be very dangerous... that, and I don't trust you with most of the information."
Loki narrowed his green eyes. "Reasonable."
"As for what you asked..." she began. "You could say that I made him stop breathing."
"How?" he asked, watching as she bit her lip. He couldn't help but find his eyes drawn to her mouth at that. Mentally chastising himself, his eyes met hers again. "Well?"
"The ability is something which I, myself, am not completely sure about." she answered, "In essence, I suppose you could call it 'temporary paralysis', where, in some way, I am able to paralyze a specific part of the body for as long as I want. Say that someone was trying to attack me, they would find that their hand no longer works. Or their legs will no longer move - or, I can make their hearts stop. Complete paralysis is possible, but it takes a little more concentration."
"So that's how you made him begin to choke." Loki mused aloud. "You shut down his breathing in some capacity."
She shrugged. "I don't know, precisely. It probably was more of a failure in his bronchial tubes, but I can't be certain." she replied simply, casually, as if she were discussing the weather. "Lets put it this way... whenever I am threatened, it turns on. Its – well, I do have some control over it. Although sometimes, like the other day, I can't determine who it affects, or how."
This had Loki's interest, and he took a step closer. "You don't have control over it?"
"No... and yes. Its complicated." she replied, her eyes narrowing. "Why are you so curious about this?" she asked.
"Because your ability is something which I haven't seen in your kind." he answered simply. "It fascinates me."
She chuckled, "Mere mortals fascinate you?"
The statement seemed to snap his curiosity into place, and his original unfeeling mask slipped on. "Not likely, Elizabeth. Do not raise yourself higher than you are. Your abilities, however, are interesting – though not overly so. It is that which I find fascinating, although the word is most likely the wrong one to express what I mean to say."
"I was just quoting you, even if the word was... insufficient to express your true opinions." she retorted, a smirk on her face. Loki longed to retort with something hateful, but for the moment his mind seemed to only have one question:
"Were you born with your abilities?" he asked, watching as she suddenly froze, the smirk immediately fading away to a cold mask of indifference; her usually warm eyes turning to a frigid black, an anger boiling beneath their depths. The transformation caused Loki to second guess his question, and yet fuel his need to know more.
For a few moments, she was silent, as if debating what to say. "No." her voice breaking the silence surprised him. "I was not born with that particular ability." she spat.
"Oh?" Loki said, slightly more intrigued than he had been. "How did you acquire it then?"
Her eyes narrowed. "That, my dear Prince, is none of your business." she said, "My life is of no consequence to you. You've said it yourself."
"True, its not." Loki replied. "I'm just curious." he watched as her lips curved into a sinister smile. Against his proper judgement, he worried about her. This was not the woman he'd seen over the last week and a half, this was someone He took a step forward, checking her eyes just to make sure they were their correct color, and mentally sighed in relief. They were still the dark brown he was used to, so he couldn't blame anything outside of her.
"Curiosity killed the cat, Loki." Lizzie said, her voice sickeningly sweet, looking at his feet."Keep back."
"You are not yourself." Loki replied, taking another step toward her. There was definitely something wrong, and he feared that his words had been the catalyst.
An eyebrow rose. "You don't know me." she said. "All you know is that which has been done to you - which I might add is a cake walk. You may be a thousand years old, but you've got no clue on what reality is. Nor do you know what people like you do to others."
"And how would you know?" he asked, "Has not your life been sheltered? Raised by a grandmother who loves you, you have a sister - so I hear - who is your equal. What do you know?" Her head tilted as his legs suddenly gave out from under him. He landed on the ground in a heap, and from his vantage point he looked up at her.
"I know all too well." she replied, "How does it feel, Loki?" she asked in return. "How does it feel to kneel in the manner that you demanded all of us to kneel?"
His eyes locked onto hers, and he wondered just what kind of woman she was. Or rather, what she was. She came down to his height, her face inches from his. "Let me up." he ordered her.
"Why? Give me one good reason, Real Power."
"Do not mock me, chit."
"Why not? You don't mind mocking me." she retorted, her tone unsettling him - not that he would admit it.
"You have changed the subject again Elizabeth." Loki retorted, "Is it possible that you don't like talking about your past, and therefore use diversions to avoid the subject?"
She smiled, this time a little more genuinely. "You mean like you do?" she asked, watching Loki's eyes flicker from her eyes to her lips. "I suppose it takes one to know one."
"You are nothing like me." he stated, trying to ignore the impulse to cross the distance between them, her lips so close to his own. He found himself wondering what it would be like to kiss her, although he immediately dismissed the idea. She was a mortal, a surprising mortal, but a mortal all the same. To kiss her would be... excruciating.
Her chuckle sounded rather pleasant. "On the contrary, Loki," she said, her head going a little closer to his, her lips now centimeters from his ear when she whispered. "We are very much alike." he suppressed a shiver, her breath tickling his ear in a way that made him angry with himself. He was no young virginal boy, who got excited at the slightest attention from a woman. She backed her head up again, once more having it a few inches from his own, her own eyes flickered between his lips and his eyes.
A few tense moments transpired between them, just taking a moment to breathe each other's air. The fire which Loki had lit within Lizzie's eyes seemed extinguished, replaced by something a little more like what he was used to, mingled with some kind of anticipation. On one hand, it made him breathe in relief; on the other, it made me all the more curious. He had seen her switch between anger and contentment in the past, but never like today. And never had he found himself worried for her... nor had he ever wondered if she would allow him to kiss her. His head unconsciously moved a millimeter closer, and she took a sharp intake of breath. However, Loki realized in that second what was happening - and knew he had to put an end to it.
"Are you intending to leave me on the floor for the rest of the day, Elizabeth?" he asked, though his voice was not as condescending as he would have liked.
"Maybe." she replied, "It would certainly teach you a lesson in humility." her eyes sparkled in mischief, and Loki sneered.
"Yes, because that's all you mortals think of, teaching others their place. Yet, you don't know your own." he spat.
"Oh, right, because we must be ruled... correct?" she reiterated.
"You all kill each other if you are left to your own devices." he replied. "Unless someone guides you, you are blind. Yet, you think yourselves so damn wise, believing that you are above everyone else."
She snorted. "Says the man who believes that he is above everyone else." she replied, then let out a laugh. "But you know what I think?"
"Why should I give half a damn what you think?" he asked.
"Glad you asked." she retorted, "I think that your self-importance is a mask." she whispered.
"A mask." he repeated. "A mask of what?"
"A mask to hide your true self-loathing." she replied simply.
He scoffed. "What have I to loathe?"
"You don't know? I think you do."
He leaned ever closer, whispering in her ear as she had done to him a few minutes before. "I am above you in every respect, Elizabeth Donovan. What have I to loathe?" he pulled away, noting her smirk as he did so. She was mocking him, he was sure of it.
She paused, as if considering what to say next. "The wretch," she finally began. "centered all in self, living shall forfeit fair renown and doubly dying shall go down to the vile dust from whence he sprung. Unwept. Unhonored. Unsung." he furrowed his brows, not understanding just what it was she was saying. "Have a good day, Loki."
He had no chance to respond as she stood up and marched out without a backward glance.
Loki regained control of his legs, but didn't get himself off the floor for a few moments. His emotions were turbulent. Anger, confusion, disappointment in himself, curiosity and - as much as he was ashamed of it - lust, swirled together in a truly dizzying manner. She was obviously not who he'd thought she was. She was someone who obviously had a lot more to hide, something which may prove to be the opposite of what she put forward as her true nature - but what? What happened in her very short life that caused her to act how she had? How did she acquire her powers, when she made it obvious she wasn't born with them?
He picked himself off the floor, standing to his full height, still looking in the direction that she had left. He wanted answers, and he was determined now that he would get them. At all costs.
Tony watched Loki and Lizzie that evening, confused to say the least. The pair were currently staring rather intently at their plates of food, as if the food had somehow harmed them in some manner. Jarvis had informed him that the pair had had a discussion earlier in the day, although the AI would not reveal his secrets of just what the topic had been. Whatever it was, it had caused the typically-perky Lizzie to clam up, sitting next to their newest recruit, a sour expression marring her pretty features. He looked over at Loki, noting the mischievous man was also rather quiet as he sat next to the boisterous Thor – although, that particular scene was nothing new.
"What do you think happened?" Pepper asked him. "After all, you told me that they seemed to have made some kind of a connection the other day."
Tony shrugged, "Jarvis won't tell me, he said that Vitalii preferred to keep their conversation confidential. Apparently she told Jarvis to cut the recordings, though why he obeyed her orders he won't say either." he answered, pouting slightly. He didn't like it when he didn't know what was going on.
"Have you tried asking her?" Pepper inquired.
"Eh, I told Puppy to get on it – apparently she's Miss Ice right now." Tony replied. "I don't know why, but I have a feeling that whatever was said was pretty important."
"Or," Pepper began. "She tried to get an answer of why he did what he did the other day, and he wasn't exactly nice about it."
"Since when is Reindeer Games nice?" Tony asked rhetorically. "Well, I guess you were wrong."
Pepper scoffed. "Since when have I been wrong?"
"Since you assumed there was something going on between The Ice Queen and Mr. Snow." Tony retorted, a smile on his face as he inwardly laughed at his own joke. "Cause they seem pretty frosty toward one another."
"Maybe."
"Pep, they took two steps forward, and three steps back. Oh yes, that's progress at its finest."
She chuckled lightly. "Never judge off of appearances, Tony. There is something going on between them, otherwise they wouldn't look so murderously at the poor chicken."
"What makes you so sure?" Tony asked.
"I don't know..." Pepper seemed to contemplate the question before suddenly went: "Oh, right, yeah... cause I'm a woman."
Tony snickered, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pressing a kiss to her temple. "That you are. Thank God she goes back to work tomorrow... I don't think I can take anymore of this glaring."
Pepper just laughed, kissing him before taking a bowl of ice cream that Darcy offered everyone.
Okay... how was that. If there is anything that you think should be changed, please, please let me know. I am a bit worried about this one due to the content. Just let me know - other than that... reviews?