Aly: I'm glad you liked it as much as you did. I'm definitely planning on finishing it, as it's already got the ending worked out. :) I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the others.
SuzanofSouthern: I am so, so, so, so very sorry. I swear I don't intend for it to be so hard to bear, but at least know that I'm having a hard time making everyone go through this. I'm glad you liked the previous chapters, and that you think I did well in the characterization - I certainly tried, and am happy that everything is turning out well. I have the next one half-written, so hopefully everything goes well. :) I hope you enjoy this chapter... and any others which follow as I have no idea when you're going to read it. Ciao :D
DeaththeKidbemine9: Ah, yes she shall. May I just give you a hint of something: Lizzie is paramount in Thanos' death.
E4me100: Unfortunately, I can't say much until I get there. But I will say that she is going to go through quite a bit before everything is well with her, and it's not going to be pleasant. However, losing another child would be too much for her. :\ Yay :D Your review makes me so happy. I agree, they are completely and utterly adorable. I do not have many OTPs in the Marvel world that are canon - but Pepper and Tony are the sole ones. I will always ship them together, and with no one else, because they just complete each other so much. :D Besides, I love writing them.
Spottedivy: I'm sorry, so very very very sorry. I know I had her promise, but let's remember she sometimes thinks with her heart instead of her head. In the words of Molly Hooper "We all do silly things" and right now she's done the silliest thing she will ever do. Needless to say, after this she won't make the same mistake. Again, I apologize for the frustration and disappointment, I Hope the ending makes up for it.
booklover: I'm sorry it's late, but better late than never. :)
DaHybridQueen: Believe me when I say, you aren't the only one. But trust me that she will repent of it in time... after all, we can't expect everything to go as we expect. :\ unfortunately. I hope you like this chapter.
zaredowneyokumura: And here she is :)
Heroherondaletotherescue: I'm glad you liked it so much, and I really wanted that cute scene before the metaphorical shit hit the fan. I couldn't be morose the whole time, and I love them when they're alone. Yeah, I accidentally posted the last one twice, making it 26 & 27. However, THIS is 27 :) haha, sorry.
Katherine Winchester: Haha, yes they are. All good things have a breaking point. :) Thanos' presence is definitely a bad thing, and he'll be making more appearances soon. After all, Earth is his from his point of view.
musician26: I certainly try :)
Sorry for the long wait before the update, but my beta needed a week off, and I was happy to oblige. I hope you enjoy this one, as I saw you guys were somewhat loving and hating the last. This one will be setting the stage, and I promise more answers in the next. I hope you enjoy it :D
Veronica was awoken by the sound of her phone ringing, the incessant chirping making it hard for her to ignore. She'd been up most of the night by Logan, who was insisting on knowing every detail of her life since she'd faked her death fiftteen years earlier. He'd finally gone home... did he ever go home? She distinctly remembered him settling into the couch thanks to her roomate. Reaching over, she looked at the number, and not recognizing it, she set it back down. She didn't have time for people she didn't know, whoever it was could leave a voicemail, and she'd get back to them if it was important. The phone stopped ringing, and she went back to sleep.
A knock on her door roused her next. "Come in." she called out groggily, looking at the door as Farbauti walked in, her already pale face much paler. Veronica was now fully awake. "What is it?"
"Logan wants to talk to you." the other woman said, passing her the phone.
"Oh, I thought Logan was on the couch." Veronica commented, putting the phone to her ear. "Hello?"
"I swear to God, you better have a good reason for not answering your phone." Logan growled over the receiver.
"I didn't recognize the number, I don't answer unrecognized numbers." Veronica answered sharply. "What is it that you're actually 'swearing to God'? Have you suddenly decided that he exists?"
"No... let me ask you something, Veronica, have you had any visions lately?" Logan inquired strangely.
Veronica thought for a moment. "No, I haven't. Why?"
"Because your daughter has done something which could possibly alter everything which you originally saw, and get herself killed." He snarled, his anger evident in his irritated tone. Veronica's heart beat faster.
"What did she do?" she asked, fearing the worst.
"She went back to Alex, like a lamb to the damn slaughter." Logan answered. "And she took Pepper Potts with her."
"What?" Veronica exclaimed. "She doesn't approve of collateral damage."
"Apparently, Pepper was in on it." Logan replied. "Did you know that Lizzie's daughter lived? The one she had while she was back in... the other timeline."
Veronica's brows furrowed. "What are you talking about? That girl was stillborn."
"Nope, Alex has her alive and well, and is using her as leverage against Lizzie. Loki didn't know what she had planned, but he knew that she was planning something, she wants to save Saoirse."
"What? No, no, no, no, no, I was the nurse at the hospital that night. That girl was stillborn, I delivered her." Veronica corrected. The other side was silent, Logan taking in the information. "Oh, God... oh, God, she thinks the girl is alive... Alex tricked her, and now she's made a colossal mistake by turning herself and Pepper in to him.. oh, God."
"Hold on, you were at delivery?" Logan asked.
"Yes." Veronica replied. "One of Charles' people had moved to Germany, and worked at the hospital as a gyno. When she saw Lizzie and Bella, she sent for me, and allowed me to help out in the delivery. Lizzie's daughter was dead, there is no way – unless Alex has found a way to resurrect anyone, which I highly doubt – that she is alive and well now. It's simply not possible. Do you know how he said she lived?"
"Natasha says that Alex told Lizzie that Saoirse went through some kind of portal in time, which did happen for a worker in SHIELD, who somehow brought Lizzie's file over." Logan answered the woman. "We need you here, and you better bring Far—Nell with you. If Lizzie has been tricked into going to Alex's side, he could use her 'daughter' against her to great affect. Remember what Lizzie became when he threatened Bella."
Veronica shuddered. "I remember all too well." She looked at her roommate. "We'll head over there now, you better explain what's going on – leaving out who 'Nell' is – to the Avengers. They're going to want to know."
"Loki and Clint are currently out, but you'll see everyone else. Loki was blowing too much of a gasket at Lizzie's disappearance from the Tower, and Clint took him out to blow off some steam. You'll like the guy, he's like your dad." Logan joked. "Anyway, I'll see you soon. Didn't see this coming, did you?"
"No, Logan. I didn't." Veronica replied, hanging up the phone. "We're going to the Tower." She told Farbauti.
The other woman nodded. "Do you think that Lizzie knows yet? That her daughter isn't alive?"
"I don't know. Probably not, as the ruse wouldn't work if Lizzie knew." Veronica replied. "I'm going to have to tell my father, and we're going to have to pick up Bella on our way to see the Avengers."
"Your other daughter?" Farbauti replied. "So fast? What happened to waiting until the whole Thanos thing blew over?"
Veronica shook her head. "We don't have time. Her sister has thrown my plan completely out of its loop. We have to move now, or we may not be able to get to her in time." she said.
Farbauti's brows furrowed. "In time for what?" she asked, taking back her phone from Veronica.
"Alex wants one thing: revenge." Veronica began explaining. "Revenge against Lizzie and Bella... and my father. Charles is pretty high on the totem pole as well, as the Xavier Mutants were one of his top enemies in the other timeline. If he knew I was alive, it would be revenge against me as well. His revenge is not to get Lizzie back on his side, she's betrayed him, he doesn't trust her and will look for any loophole to prove that he doesn't by throwing her back into the tortures she endured as a child. He'll have her fight against her friends to prove her loyalty to him, while dangling a child who doesn't exist anymore in front of her. When she's lost all of the Avenger's faith, he'll show her that Saoirse is dead, that she always was, and that Lizzie was a fool to believe him. He'll further taunt her that she has lost all of her friends, and that now no one would want her... the punchline being, that he doesn't either, and he's going to send her back where she – quote – belongs. She'll wind up on a table, and give up." she finished, sitting on the bed.
"Loki plays into this, doesn't he?" Farbauti asked.
Veronica nodded. "Loki plays highest." she said. "Alex knows what happened back at the tower, he knows what Loki would do to defend Elizabeth, and therefore knows that their relationship is the strongest among the Avengers. He'll try to—Oh!" she stopped short, her brown eyes going wide. "Oh, dear God... Clint, Loki and Natasha... this has nothing to do with the Avengers or Thanos... he wanted to know how close Lizzie was to them and who he could target."
"What is it? What?" Farbauti asked urgently.
Veronica ignored her, quickly calling Logan back. "Loki and Clint are not in the tower." she told Farbauti, willing her to understand.
Farbauti tensed as she took in the meaning of those words, her pale complexion going paler. "He wouldn't dare touch Loki." she hissed.
"Loki is close to Lizzie... he would." Veronica replied, the other line going to voicemail. "Damn. We need to go now."
Pepper had been waiting in the car for five minutes, her worry increasing steadily throughout. Had something gone wrong? Did Alex know that Lizzie was only there to try to trick him? Had he even shown up? "Happy, what do you think is going on?" she asked the similarly incapacitated driver.
"I don't know." Happy replied. "But I can't think good things, that's for sure. You might want to prepare yourself in case you have to call Mr. Stark early."
"I'll give her a few more minutes." Pepper replied as the door of the church opened, two burly men walking out. "Let's hope this works." she whispered to herself. The younger man ran around the car to open Pepper's door, and she found herself now able to use her legs. "What is going on?" she asked, filling her role as the clueless exec who had been fooled.
"This way, Miss Potts." he said, helping her out of the car, and placing a hand on her elbow as if in warning her not to try and run. Not that she wanted to, but she could understand how they thought she might. The other man had done the same with Happy, and her eyes met the drivers right before he was led in a different direction. She tried to pull her arm out of his grip, showing a fight when she was really going along willingly. "Now, now, you don't want to do that. I'll just make you move." he warned her.
She glared momentarily before following his instructions and walking into the church without any further problem. Once inside, she could easily see Alex at the far end near the pulpit, and Lizzie standing at the altar. Proverbial, in Pepper's mind. "Ah, Miss Potts! How lovely of you to join us." Alex said from his position, his words prompting Lizzie to turn to face her.
Pepper gave a glare at the woman. "You!" she hissed.
"Yes..." Alex confirmed. "Darling Elizabeth has been planning to bring you here since the day I broke into the Tower. Yesterday, she gave me a location. How fitting that she chose here – although you don't know why – it is the place which made her name, in the last timeline. Shall I tell her, Elizabeth, or shall you?"
Lizzie looked at Alex, her eyes moving differently than Pepper was used to, the gaze more attributed to a cat, or a snake – cunning, devious, deceptive, with a hint of seduction. This, Lizzie had warned her of, the change in personality, the stories she would have to hear. "I burned it down." Lizzie said without emotion, her voice sounding like pure velvet, so different than her regular tone which was more joyful. This was practiced, studied so she could be misleading and seductive; the quality of Hedy Lamarr put into an accent of an American, with a tone which sent chills down one's spine. Pepper then focused on her words. "On Sunday morning mass. We had one target, unfortunately he refused to leave the building, which we knew we couldn't enter due to the fact that it was filled with people, and we wouldn't be able to get in and out secretively. So, the most logical explanation was to fumigate him... so I locked the doors, and burned it down."
Pepper swallowed. Lizzie had told her she'd been rather evil once upon a time, but this she didn't know. "You... killed innocent people just because a man wouldn't come out?" she asked, her horror anything but acted.
"Yes." Lizzie replied simply. "I know it was very cliché, after all... the Patriot. But, it was effective. He didn't survive."
"Neither did a hundred other people." Pepper said.
Lizzie sighed. "Yes, I know. Collateral damage is not really something I approve of, despite my reputation, but sometimes it is necessary." she said.
"And what are you planning on doing with me? Fumigate me and Happy?" Pepper asked.
"Mmm... no." Lizzie replied. "There is a GPS system installed into that vehicle parked outside. Alex has somewhere he's going to take you... your fate is up to him."
Pepper fought back tears. This was not planned in any regard. Lizzie had told her that Alex would most likely put her under Lizzie's watch, to test the girl and see whether she was genuine... but apparently Lizzie had been wrong, and the very thing that both women feared was going to happen. "Why did you take me? Why not Jane, or Justine, or Emma, or Darcy... why me?"
"Because Alex wants Tony Stark." Lizzie answered. "Thor and Steve are too incorruptible. Bruce is too wild. And I don't think Fandral cares for Darcy like you think he does."
"Tony?" Pepper said in shock. Lizzie hadn't told her this... it seemed there was much Lizzie hadn't told her. "What about Tony makes you think you can turn him to your side?"
Alex laughed from his position. "Shall we take a look at Tony Stark's track record?" he asked. "The man believes he's a god, for starters. Follow that up with what he is willing to do to get you back to him, I think he's a prime candidate for joining our cause, despite the fact he isn't a mutant. He is a genius... and I need him, to be frank. I need his genius."
Pepper looked at Lizzie, still meeting that blank look of deceit. Perhaps Clint had been right, perhaps Lizzie was not to be trusted? 'No!' she shouted in her mind. Lizzie had warned her beforehand that not all was as it seemed... but still, did that mean that Lizzie was trying to tell her that the whole plan was a rouse? That Lizzie was on Alex's side? Or was she saying that what would happen between her and Alex was a lie? Pepper didn't know. The whole situation was too confusing.
"We should go." Lizzie told Alex, in that voice that she had been using. "Tony will track that GPS soon, and he'll find us here."
Alex grinned. "Always the one who is worried about getting the job done. Why did you say you'd changed? You haven't." he said.
Lizzie smirked, a breathy chuckle escaping her. "Perhaps I thought that with the several years of not knowing who I was, I would be somehow different." she said. "But it seems you bring the worst out in me." She batted her eyelashes at the pulpit, earning a laugh from Alex before he disappeared from his position, appearing right in front of her.
"Ah, my little Messerschmidt." he purred, leaning in closer to her, his hands cradling her face. "I bring out the best in you." He kissed her, and Pepper's eyes widened. If Loki were there, he'd probably rip the man to shreds just for touching her, let alone kissing her. Still, Pepper was surprised that Lizzie just let him... were they lovers in the previous timeline? Hadn't she said her lover had been someone named Scott? He pulled away, a smirk on his face, which was matched by Lizzie. "You are mine." he continued to say before looking at Pepper and Happy, then to the vaulted ceilings. He sighed. "Well, time to go. Too bad you couldn't burn it down this time, it certainly is an eyesore."
"I can always burn it down, if you like. I still remember what I did." Lizzie purred in reply.
Alex chuckled, kissing her once again, lightly. "Maybe next time. I'm only waging war on the Avengers at present, I'm not ready to take on the X-Men and your grandfather."
"I doubt they'd care." Lizzie replied.
"They would, darling." Alex insisted. "Besides, the time will come." Putting an arm around her waist, he led her out a side door, motioning for the two mutants who had Pepper and Happy to follow.
"Okay, are you calmer now?" Clint asked Loki for the fifth time, since he'd taken Loki out of the Tower to blow some steam off. They were currently in Steve's old gym, the décor reminding Clint very much of the 40s. As it turned out, Clint too was furious, and was punching a gym bag to keep himself calm.
"I am not some ballistic missile, Barton." Loki snapped. "I am fully capable of returning to the Tower and thinking rationally."
"Uh, actually I think ballistic missile is pretty accurate of a description for you right now." Clint commented, hitting the bag again.
"Why did she leave?" Loki asked aloud, not expecting an answer.
"I don't know." Clint replied, punching particularly hard at the bag. "I've known her for nearly a year, and I don't know. Jane said that she and Pepper worked this out for some kind of daughter that she was wanting to save."
"I know about Saoirse." Loki replied. "It's complicated."
"Then don't ask me questions you don't expect me to be able to answer." Clint said.
Loki looked up. "I wasn't really asking you to begin with." he said quietly. "I just want to know why she promised to stay... why would she pretend she would abandon her little plan, just to lie to me? I gave—" he stopped. "And no, Barton, I'm not asking you to answer. Forget I'm here."
Clint sighed, stopping the bag from swinging before looking over at Loki. "Loki... I need to know about Lizzie's past."
Loki tensed, his green eyes glaring at the former assassin. "No."
"Why not?"
"Because you already have a predisposed opinion of her, thanks to Fury, about who she is. You made that clear yesterday when you spurned her ideas at every turn." Loki defended.
"And was I right? Did she have something other than the women's safety in mind?" Clint snapped.
Loki didn't answer, returning his gaze to the floor.
"Look..." Clint began, trying to figure out what he was going to say. "She's my friend, Loki."
"Yes, you've made that painfully obvious since the moment I arrived." Loki shot back acerbically. "Why did you even bring me here? You despise me."
Clint shook his head. "You proved to me that you aren't what you seem. You are on our side – and Lizzie trusts you." he said.
Loki scoffed. "You don't trust Elizabeth, how can you trust her judgment?"
"Do you want to start a fight? Cause I will fight you tooth and nail if that's what you want." Clint snarled. Loki shook his head. "Then shut up and let me talk." He waited a moment to see if Loki was going to reply, but he didn't. "Now, I need to know her past."
"No you do not." Loki snapped.
"I said: shut up." Silence followed, and Loki went back to brooding. "Alright, let's do this a different way. Why is she hiding from me?"
"Because you would hate her if you knew her past." Loki answered.
"You don't. Natasha doesn't."
"Natasha is a woman who has a similar story, and therefore sympathizes. I, lo—care about her."
"I care about her, and you know how I accepted Natasha." Clint defended himself.
"You would still hate Elizabeth." Loki said.
"What makes me so different than you in her eyes? Why would she tell you, and keep me in the dark?" Clint exclaimed.
"Simple enough to answer, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out: I am me, and you are you." Loki retorted.
"That makes no difference." Clint replied.
"Think about that statement for a moment, will you?" Loki asked. "You were so quickly willing to distrust her the moment you found out she was not what she seemed, whereas I did not care once I heard about her past, in fact I—" he stopped himself cold. "The point is, she knows your nature, she knows mine. I will accept her in the same manner that you accept Romanoff. But you will never accept Elizabeth in that manner, because you would view her as betraying you."
Clint scoffed. "In case you haven't noticed, I've known her longer."
"Did you know she had something planned today?" Loki snapped back.
"No... did you?"
Loki sighed, nodding.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?!"
"Because I thought she was going to change her mind last night! I thought I had convinced her to stay!" Loki shouted.
"Well obviously your tactic didn't work." Clint mocked.
"No, it didn't." Loki said sourly. "Now be quiet, you're bothering my mind."
"Should I call you 'master' while I'm at it?" Clint asked, his tone filled with venom.
Loki's eyes filled with hatred. How dare he bring that up at this time? "Why you—" he didn't finish as they both heard something banging against a wall. Senses alerted, Clint reached for his gun while Loki reached for his dagger. From what Steve had said, almost no one visited the gym, and never at nine o'clock in the morning.
"You don't think it's Alex, do you?" Clint asked.
"Not him specifically, no." Loki replied as a man stepped out from the back, shades covering his eyes. "Like I said, not Shaw."
Clint aimed his gun at the hulking man. "Who are you?" he asked. Instead of answering, the man took his glasses off, looking Clint dead in the eyes. "What the—?" Clint tried to say before he suddenly felt as if he was no longer in control of his mind.
Loki, seeing what was happening, switched to his Jotun form, sending an icy blast toward the creature with the strange eyes. The mutant turned toward him, his red eyes narrowing on Loki, who made it a point not to look at him. "Well, well, aren't you a little charmer. My boss said you might be a little more of a problem." the mutant said. "But you should know what happens when Agent Barton is put under someone's control."
As if on cue, Loki was forced to duck as Clint shot at him, now understanding how Natasha or Fury felt back when he invaded earth. Taking a quick peek at the mutant, Loki formed an icy spear to try to hit him, earning a loud laugh for his troubles. Avoiding being seen by either man, he tried to leave the building, hoping that he could make it back to Stark Tower. Suddenly, he heard a cry from Clint, and he turned... he wasn't sure the Avengers would be pleased with him if he left Clint behind.
"LOKI!"
Turning around, he prepared to try to help Clint to get out from under the mutant's power. However, he found himself looking straight into the very red eyes he'd been avoiding. "Time to sleep, little prince."
His world went out of focus, and he lost all control.
Bella woke to the sound of the doorbell ringing. Groaning, she sat up from the couch, wondering when it was she had fallen asleep the night before... and why on earth had she been stupid enough to sleep there? It was damned uncomfortable, no one slept on it as long as they could avoid it. The doorbell rang again, and she sighed, standing up and trudging down the hall to the door.
"Shut up, I'm coming." she mumbled.
"You gunna answer that door, or am I?" Anna-Marie's groggy voice asked.
"I'll get it." Bella replied, reaching the door and looking through the peephole. "Who is it?" she called to the raven-haired woman on the other side. She vaguely recognized her, but not enough to actually answer the door.
"Hi, is Kathleen in?" the woman asked, her accent clearly denoting where she was from.
"Uh..." Bella looked at Anna-Marie, who nodded and looked at the kitchen. Of course. She could smell the food from here. "Yeah, she is. One minute." Unbolting the locks, Bella tentatively opened the door, Anna-Marie right behind her in case it was someone who shouldn't be there. "Who are you?" she asked as soon as there was a crack enough to see the woman clearly.
"Nell Shiffer. I'm Lizzie's boss." Farbauti said.
Bella smiled, opening the door wider. "Now I know where I've seen you. You get lunch down at the Starbucks close to Stark Tower."
Farbauti smiled, nodding as she got inside. "Yes, and you're Lizzie's sister. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." she said, noticing Anna-Marie. "It's good to see you again, Anna."
"Is it really? That's awful nice of you, Miss Shiffer." Rogue replied. "I'll go get your grandmother." She left as Bella began to shut the door.
"Wait!" Farbauti exclaimed. "I have a friend waiting outside, we didn't know if you were here."
Bella nodded as 'Nell' went to wave to the taxi which was outside. A woman emerged and paid the taxi, her long brown hair obscuring her face for the most part until she reached the door and went in, finally lifting her head to look at Bella. The blonde stiffened, her blue eyes widening and her mouth dropping. "You..."
"Hello, Bella." Veronica said, feeling as if her heart would beat out of her chest. "You've grown."
Bella just blinked, the information processing through her mind. "Mom?"
"They're gone." Steve shouted as he ran into the Tower's main room. "I went to the gym, the manager said that they were never there."
"Maybe they went somewhere else?" Tony offered. "After all, you haven't got the best of hangouts."
Steve clenched his jaw. "I dropped them off there, myself, remember?"
"Then that means that Veronica is right." Natasha said.
"Veronica? Who's Veronica?" Steve asked.
As if on cue, the woman in question stepped forward, her brown eyes taking in Steve, her appearance reminding him strongly of Lizzie as she walked up to him. "Veronica Lehnsherr-Donovan. Pleasure to meet you, Captain Rogers." she said, her accent betraying her as English, and reminding him strongly of Peggy – she stretching her hand out in greeting.
Steve nodded dumbly, taking her hand. "Donovan?"
"Elizabeth's mother." Veronica clarified. "I'm back from the dead... hello!" she smiled brightly, reminding him of her daughter. "Shall we sit down, I suppose I have a lot to explain."
"Damn right you do." a voice snarled from behind her, and Steve looked over Veronica's head, sighting a strawberry blonde who sat pouting on the couch, Kathleen next to her.
"My daughter, Isabella – or Bella, if you want to get technical. I think you know my mother-in-law." Veronica said.
"Johnny's girlfriend?" Steve asked, looking at Bella. She looked up at him, her blue eyes widening comically.
"Yeah... hot damn, you're like his more-buff twin." she commented. "No wonder he didn't want me to meet you."
Veronica laughed. "I approve wholeheartedly if this is what your boyfriend looks like." she commented. "Let's just hope he has the manners."
"I'm not interested in whether you approve." Bella spat. "After all, I don't even know you."
Tony interrupted before the mother and daughter had a spat. "This other person is Nell—"
"No, if Loki is missing, there is no need to pretend I am anyone other than who I am." Farbauti interrupted. "My apologies, Mr. Stark, and the rest of you. I am Farbauti, Queen of Jotunheim. I'm Loki's mother."
Silence reigned as the Asgardians took in who she was. It was Darcy who broke the silence with a well placed: "Oooh, Fanny... you're in trouble."
Lizzie stared at the bed which had been provided for her, the outfit which was stretched out on it being that of her old uniform. Apparently Alex had gotten it made while he was waiting for her, and had it waiting for when she finally showed up to fill it. Still, she couldn't help but be hesitant. It had been fifteen years since she had worn it, the memories of who she used to be rising to the surface.
So far things were going well – Alex had loaded Pepper and her onto the ship which he used as headquarters, sending the redhead off somewhere else while she was escorted to her own room. She was to meet his new group of mutants as soon as she got dressed in her uniform, so that he could introduce her to them all. But now, she felt as if the world was crashing around her ears. She knew that if she put that uniform on, she would never be the same; but it wasn't the copious amounts of leather, the buckles, or the corset that caused her to pause, it was the persona that came with the uniform of Elizabeth Donovan. The persona which scared Lizzie more than anything. A knock brought her out of her thoughts. "Yes?" she called out.
"Herr Schmidt sent me to see if you were ready yet." a male voice called from the other side. Taking a deep breath, Lizzie knew she had no other choice, and wished for just one moment that she hadn't left Stark Tower... she missed Loki already.
"One moment." she called back, pausing time long enough for her to put on the uniform, tying the laces of the corset up before she allowed time to relapse. Looking in the mirror, she gasped, trying to keep herself from crying as she saw the other woman in the mirror. She didn't recognize herself, thinking about how much she appeared like a specter, the total black ensemble being something she wasn't used to anymore. It made her pale skin much paler, her dark eyes appear blacker, while the long overcoat left her walking to a dramatic affect, and the corset reminded everyone that she was willing to use her wiles if need be. Still, that was not who she was anymore, and it was strange.
It was one mission, she assured herself, and she could return to the girl she had been. One last time of being a killer, of putting on the facade of hatred and cold-heartedness. When Saoirse was in her grasp, she would return to the wide-eyed Lizzie Donovan that she'd been, leaving her past completely behind her. She could only hope that Loki wouldn't hate her, and be willing to let her come back.
She cleared her mind of such thoughts, focusing on the mission at hand. She wouldn't do Pepper any good if she focused on what might happen when she saw Loki again, she had to get this done or else. Pulling her hair up into a tight ponytail, she watched with fascination as she took on that which she needed to complete her job.
She opened the door, stepping once more out of the room, her persona completely in place as she went to the meeting of Shaw's Army, unable to stop comparing herself to Bellatrix Black.
Well?