Terribly sorry for the long wait, but hopefully this is worth it! Keep up the reviews, follows and favorites, I truly appreciate every one of them!
Update 12/1: Next chapter should be up within the week; thanks for waiting!
"How did it go, Leah?" Steve asked as they walked away from Dr. Carolyn's room.
She bit her lip and gave a tiny shrug. "Alright." Yeah, except she'd have to do group therapy with a bunch of strangers and she didn't actually feel any better, but other than that, perfectly alright.
"I'm sure it'll get better; Carolyn knows what she's doing," he said kindly. "Are you hungry? We can go to the cafeteria and get some dinner."
"Um, yes please," she blushed, rubbing her stomach. Maybe she would feel stronger if she got some food in her belly, but then again, hunger wasn't the main reason for her weakness. Her indigo eyes lit up suddenly as a thought struck her. "Oh! You have real food here!"
Steve looked at her curiously, a bemused smile on his lips. "Real food?"
Her blush deepened. "I mean…burgers and fries and pizza; that food. It's not very real, really…but it's like…it's like home." She trailed off to a whisper by the time she was done speaking, twisting her fingers in her hair as she stared down at the ground.
"Hey. You don't have to be embarrassed; when I was England, I would've killed for some good American food. Just don't expect too much, okay?" he smiled. "It is a cafeteria, after all."
"Okay," Leah whispered, her eyes darting up to his. The other man would've mocked her for her sentiment, scoffed at how weak and human she was, but Steve was sympathetic and even tried to relate. "You're really…" she stumbled over the long-unspoken words, part of her not even wanting to say them. "Nice." It came out with a sigh. "Really nice." It felt weird to say, but good. But what if he didn't think she was nice, what if he thought she was being too forward, what if –
"I think you're really nice too," Steve said gently. He opened his mouth, looking like he was about to say more, but before he could, they were approached by a group of people. He stepped in front of her protectively. "Hey guys. We're just headed to the cafeteria to get Leah some dinner."
"We're coming with you," said a sharp female voice.
Leah peeked around Steve's side to see who had come, and saw a redheaded woman, a sturdy man with an intense face and a square jaw, and oh no, not him. Not that awful, arrogant man from earlier who made her want to shrivel up into a tiny ball. She ducked back behind Steve; maybe Tony wouldn't notice her.
No such luck. "Hey, Leah, I've been told to apologize, so apology." The shorter man tried to step around Steve, but couldn't get past. "What, is she scared of me, Cap?"
"Yes," he said shortly. "Though she might like you the slightest bit more if you actually did apologize instead of joking around like you always do. Natasha, it might be better if you stayed away for now."
"Fury said to get to know her, so we will," the woman said matter-of-factly.
Steve narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
She shrugged. "Carolyn said something to him and he told us that. It's not up for debate."
He turned around to look at Leah, who frozen behind him. "Is it okay if they come eat with us?" he asked gently. "I'll try to make them behave, but if they don't, I'll tell their boss, and he'll make them stop."
The girl blinked, her eyes flickering around the group. She still didn't like Tony at all, and the man who hadn't spoken yet kind of scared her with his intensity, but at least one of them was a woman. She felt infinitely more comfortable around females, seeing as she'd been with them almost exclusively for the past months. It was clear, too, what Steve wanted her to say, though she was pretty sure if she said no he wouldn't force her to do otherwise. "It's okay I guess," she whispered, rubbing her hand up and down her arm. She wasn't in the business of saying no to people who could hurt her.
"As long as you're fine with it," Steve agreed. He gave the others a warning look. "Don't make any bad choices – I'm looking at you, Tony."
The dark-haired man chuckled as they began to walk down the hallway, Leah still clinging to Steve's shadow. "Me, make bad choices? You must have me confused with some other genius playboy former-billionaire-philanthropist. I won't hold your ridiculously overprotective chivalry against you, Steve, whatever it takes to get in the girl's pants."
Leah flinched at that and stepped further away from Tony. She didn't think Steve wanted to do anything to her, but it was unsettling how much Tony reminded her of him. The more distant she could put between them the better.
"Tony, keep it up and you won't be able to get into anyone's pants," Steve cautioned.
"What, it's joke, you people don't know how to have fun," he said, rolling his eyes.
"I haven't had fun in a long time," Leah said softly.
Tony cleared his throat awkwardly, but that was all he had for a response. He turned back and seemed to be looking at her in a new light, his smooth self-confidence absent from his face. Was it bad that she felt good about wiping that smug look off his face with nothing but a hard truth?
Steve looked oddly angry about what she'd said, but she'd drawn a small, impressed smile from Natasha. "Don't hesitate to put him in his place again," she said, eyebrow raised.
"I didn't mean to," she mumbled. The last thing she wanted was for them to think her cruel; he had enjoyed 'putting people in their place', and she didn't want to be similar to him in the least. "I'm not mean…"
"We know that," Steve nodded. He pushed open a door, which led to a room that looked very much like the cafeteria of her high school, just more metallic and professional, and smaller too. "You're in luck, looks like hamburgers today."
Several of the tables had small groups of people already sitting at them, but Steve chose to take a place at an empty one. Leah sat in between Steve and Natasha, with the quiet man right across from her and Tony next to him.
"How is it?" Steve grinned as she took a bite.
"Delicious," she said as the flavors hit her tongue.
"I've had better," Tony shrugged. "You'll have to taste my personal chef's cooking after all this is over."
"Will it all be over?" Leah murmured. She hoped it would, but what did she know? She just wanted to see that awful man gone, and for the world to go back to how it was, as much as it could, at least.
"Sooner or later, yes," the woman affirmed. "He'll make a mistake, and we're always working. We'll be there when he does."
"What do you all, um, do?" she asked with a swallow, making herself talk. These people were trying to be friendly to her, something few people had done in a long time; she had to make herself talk back to them, unfamiliar as it felt for her to do so.
"Mostly boring things," Natasha smiled, and though her smile was good, Leah had practice seeing through them and could tell that it wasn't genuine. "Clint and I do a lot of surveillance outside of the base, and there are plenty of agents to help with that as well."
"I do a lot of surveillance too," Tony nodded. "I've gotten quite good at scoping things out on a much...smaller scale. I'll show you how I do it sometime, if Steve doesn't beat me to it."
Leah bit her lip and looked away, her eyes darkening. His constant little innuendos weren't as bad as they could be, but they still made her uneasy. She didn't know what to say to them, either; she'd just suffer in silence, but what was new there?
"Tony," Nat said, her voice sharp. "We shouldn't even have to tell you to stop anymore; you're acting like a child."
"Children are kinder than he is," Steve said. "Can you not have a normal conversation? Fury won't let you be around her if you keep this up."
"Well what can I ask her?" Tony challenged. "Are you dating? Where do you work? What've you been doing with your life?"
"For starters, you could actually ask her what she's okay to talk about," Steve suggested, his eyebrows raised. "She might have an opinion on that."
Tony turned to her. "Well?"
She swallowed. What could she talk about? Good question. "Um...before. Before is okay. It's sad but, well, maybe there's a chance things could be like that again. Someday. So before is good. I was good, before. I was in school, I majored in political science...I was going to be a lobbyist; my professor said I would be good at it since I was so stubborn…" she trailed off, blushing, as soon as she realized that she talked about herself. No one on Asgard cared to hear about her life, and she didn't expect it to be any different here.
"No, go on," the redhead encouraged with a small smile. "We want to hear about it."
Leah wrapped her chestnut hair around her fingers, still unsure. "What do you want to hear about?" she asked shyly.
"All your wild frat parties and late-night hookups," Tony answered immediately, and before any of them knew what had happened, a fist collided with his face and sent his head whirling.
There was a pause as they all looked around, trying to see who had thrown the punch-with surprise, they saw that it was Steve who had stood and stretched across the table with his arm.
"Tony, I - " Steve swallowed, his face beet red as he slowly sat back down. With an exhale, he composed himself. "I didn't mean to punch you, but that doesn't mean I'm sorry about it. Your rudeness has got to stop."
Leah breathed in sharply, looking at Steve in wonder and admiration. Had he simply been furious and punched Tony because of his anger, she would've shrunk away in fear, but that wasn't Steve; it looked like he'd just lost control for a second. He even apologized. And he'd done that for her; he had done something just for her.
Tony was silent as he touched his cheek, rolling his tongue around in his mouth. At first he looked genuinely shocked that Steve would do something like that, but as the seconds ticked past she could see a fuming anger form on his face. He was trying to hide it, but the other man had been far better at keeping his emotions under wrap, so, for Leah, Tony's face was like an open book. She waited for him to say something, but for once he was silent. If his goal was to make things as awkward as possible, he was succeeding marvelously.
"Leah, do you know how to fight?" Natasha asked suddenly.
She shook her head slowly. "I know you should kick them in the balls...but that's all. He didn't want us to know how to fight him."
"I'll have to give you a few lessons sometime," the woman smiled. "Every woman should know how to defend herself."
"That would be fun." A little scary, but it would be nice to know how to protect herself. A yawn formed unbidden on her lips. "Excuse me. I'm just a little worn out."
"Do you need to go back to your room?" Steve asked immediately, ever the gentleman.
She nodded. "If that's okay."
"Of course it is," he smiled, rising. "I'll take you to it; the compound's pretty confusing at first."
The other three remained at the table as Leah and Steve headed through the halls. When they were out of earshot, she asked him softly, "Does that other guy just not like me, or is he always so quiet?"
"He's just the quiet type, it's not you," he assured her. "I think you would like him, if you got to know him. Clint's a pretty great guy, and he knows a little about what you've been through."
That caught her interest. "What do you mean?"
"When...that man came here, he used magic to make Clint his slave; Clint was forced to do awful things for him, but we got him out of the trance and back into his own mind. He hasn't talked about it much, though."
"No," she murmured, shaking her head. "He wouldn't. Remembering hurts too much." Maybe he would tell her how he kept going; he seemed so strong and put together, if silent. She felt like she was constantly on the edge of falling apart.
They stopped outside of a plain door that looked vaguely familiar, though that might've been because it looked like every other door in the compound. "This one's your room," Steve said. He pointed a little ways down the hall. "The lady's room is over there; it's got showers, and there should be a towel in your closet."
"Thank you," she said in a soft voice, looking up at him with open eyes. "You've been...you've been really nice to me. So...thank you."
"Don't mention it, Leah; you deserve to be treated nicely," he said gently.
"So, um...see you tomorrow?" she whispered, biting her lip.
"Of course. Sleep well."
Then he turned and walked back down the hallway, leaving her with the strangest feeling. It was like there was a place inside of her that was empty when he left; she wanted him to stay with her. She shook her head slightly at that. No, no, she couldn't feel that way; she couldn't be dependent on someone else for her happiness. Other people let her down; at least when she let herself down there was no one else to blame. With a sigh, she went into her plain room, throwing the towel and the soft t-shirt and sweats that were on her bed over her shoulder and walking down to the bathroom.
There was no one else in the bathroom, so she took her time in the shower, trying to wash away her worries. She wasn't fully relaxed, but some of the tension and stress was thankfully gone. The clothes they'd given her were soft and comfy, wrapping around her body like a warm embrace.
Leah stepped out of the bathroom and turned to walk down the hall back to her room, jumping when she saw the man coming in her direction.
"Leah!" Tony called with an easy grin as he walked over to her, completely ignoring the wide-eyed look on her face. "Have a nice shower?"
She gave a small nod, wrapping her arms around her waist. "Yes."
"I bet it was lonely, though," he smirked, raising an eyebrow.
Her cheeks flushed as she took a step back, shaking her head. "No." Her voice was a whisper.
"You sure about that? You know you can always call on me when you're lonely." He took a step closer, much to her dismay.
"Please stop," she whispered, panic-stricken. "You're...you're scaring me." He was getting too close to her, and he wouldn't stop being suggestive, which only made it worse.
He sighed and rolled his eyes, holding his hands up in surrender. "No need to be scared of me, it's not like I'm Loki."
She froze, her eyes turning glassy, then turned on her heel and dashed back to her room leaving a confused Tony standing alone. Loki Loki Loki. His name was a pounding drum in her mind, beating away all of the strength she'd so carefully layered up. But she had to stop, she couldn't let herself think about anything that had to do with him, she was safe here - she was safe with Steve. Just thinking about his kind blue eyes and warm face made her racing heartbeat slow. Steve would protect her.
xXx
A dryness in her throat drove her groggily out of her sleep. Licking her lips, she kicked off the blankets and rose with a sigh. She missed the peacefulness of not being awake; all of her worries faded away, her mind free to rest. But her body was determined not to let her slumber, so she headed out the door for the bathroom.
Being nighttime, only one flickering light was left on. She stood in the doorway for a moment, looking out into the blackness, allowing her eyes to adjust. She couldn't tell if it was the nearly overwhelming darkness or her own half-asleep mind, but the hallway looked sinister, much different than it had when she'd first gone to bed. Shadows crawled along the walls in many forms. Putting her hand on the wall to help guide her, she walked slowly down the hall. With each step she thought they would bring her closer to the bathroom, but after a few minutes, she started becoming confused. She should've reached it by now, but her hand hadn't brushed past a doorway yet.
Part of her, scared of getting lost, wanted to just go back to her room, but the persistent thirst in her throat made that impossible. Her eyes flickered to the side, catching a glimpse of...something. Leah turned her head in the direction where she had seen the movement and squinted. Nothing. She shook her head; it was the tiredness, and the darkness. She'd ask someone to leave lights on, or better yet, a flashlight for her tomorrow, and she wouldn't have this problem with seeing things again.
But then it happened again. The (movement) and rustling noise, only this time, her eyes were fast enough to catch the whole shadow. It was a man's silhouette, and it shot a bolt of terror through her heart. She stood stock still waiting for the shadow to either disappear into the others or move. It did neither. She needed to go somewhere else, somewhere with light where she could see and reassure herself that it was all her imagination. Slowly she turned away, her legs quivering and her hands shaking uncontrollably. With her hand against the dark wall, she worked her way back to the light, but when she glanced behind she noticed the shadow was following her. The hairs on the back of her neck began to tingle and grow cold.
She quickened her pace, heading for the nearly-out light at the end of the hall. She then heard footsteps behind her. They were growing louder, which means nearer, she thought. She began to panic, her breathing becoming, for the first time since she left her room, audible. She began to run. If it was all in her head, then fine; there was no one there to see her running like an idiot. If it wasn't in her head, then maybe it would save her life.
With a burst of adrenaline pulsing through her veins, Leah ran towards the light, but no matter how hard she ran the light seemed to never grow closer. And she could now hear the breathing of the man behind her. With one final surge of energy, she reached for the light and was suddenly at the wall.
Her hands scrambled across the wall for the lightswitch and by luck managed to flick it as firm hands grabbed her shoulders, flipping her around. She let out a slight shriek.
"Leah. Are you okay?"
Her eyes were squinted, taken aback by the sudden brightness, but she could gratefully see with enough clarity to tell that it was not the man of her nightmares who had hold of her.
"Clint," she exhaled loudly, relieved at seeing a man who was a stranger, but had never hurt her. Still, though, she wasn't thankful enough to want his hands on her. Shrugging out of his grip, she sighed, "It's you."
He raised an eyebrow and asked her slowly, "Are you okay?" She would've felt inclined to say yes, but she didn't. She only nodded. Though Clint sounded concerned, his eyes, his piercing blue eyes, held an empty almost ghost devoid of all feeling in them. And she kept getting chills.
She stepped away from him, out of his eyes, away from his stare.
"Do you want to go back to your room?" he asked flatly.
"Yes, please."
Clint turned to Leah, who was standing with her back to him now, clutching her sides. "Do you know where to go?"
Silence followed. He walked up behind her. Her ribcage seemed to collapse in on itself when she felt his body heat on her back. Her hands gripped her sides tighter.
"Do you know where to go, Leah?" he asked again, this time in a whisper. His breath made her shudder. She swallowed, unable to find words, and so shook her head instead.
"Would you like me to take you b-"
"Yes!" she cried sharply. Either Clint was in a bad mood or Steve had lied to her; Clint didn't seem like that nice of a guy at all. He came around her and gave a small smile.
"This way."
Uneasily, she went with him; she'd get lost if she tried to find her way back by herself, and the last thing she wanted was to be wandering the halls alone again. Her eyes kept darting around as she tried to distract herself. She wouldn't -couldn't- look at Clint. His eyes were so cold. They reminded her too much - too much -
"We're here."
She jumped and mumbled out a 'thank you'. She slid through the door and tried to close it, but Clint's hand held it open.
"Oh, um, Clint..." Leah was at a loss at what to do and he was beginning to make her feel more and more uncomfortable the longer he stayed with her. "I- I'm going to bed, could you-..."
But before she could finish, Clint turned on the light and her mouth fell open. This was not her room. Her breaths became shorter and quicker as she kept looking around. Gray walls, gone. They were-. . . marble. No. Small bed, gone. Other furniture, that was gone too. It was all replaced with ornate gold furniture and green accents. No. No, no, no, she thought, I'm- I can't-. . . I-. . . She began to spin around, looking at what was now before her. But that was her mistake. As she turned away from Clint he walked up behind her, his hands latching themselves onto her arms, pinning them at her side, and he brought her body closer to his. She found her voice was lost.
She struggled to free herself from his grasp, but to no avail. A black shadow began to grow, elongating across the room. She held still as she watched it grow. Then he emerged. His wicked green eyes, and cruel smile.
"No. No! No, no, no, no!" she began to cry and sob. "Clint, please," she wailed, "let me go. Please, let go!" She pulled at her arms, trying to free them, but it was useless.
The green eyed man's smile widened, but he still make no noise. He sat on the bed. His smile dwindled down to a smirk and he gave a slight nod. Clint began to move closer to him with Leah.
"Clint, wait. Wait, what are you doing?!" He didn't respond, only moved closer. Leah began to scream for help, but when they had reached the bedside she became silent. The green eyed man stood up, his chest nearly brushing against hers. He reached a hand up to her face and she flinched, but he only brushed the back of his hand across her face. To her though, it felt like a cold fire burning across her skin and a soft whimper left her throat. All that did was bring an awful smile to his lips as he leaned in, his face only a breath away from her ear, and whispered in his smooth serpent's voice, "Did you think you could leave me?"
Of course she had, she'd left him, she'd left him. She twisted in Clint's arms, struggling to break free and pleading with him desperately. "Clint, stop, he used you too, I know he did, Steve told me, don't let him hurt me again...Steve!" She jerked her arms away with all of her strength, but Clint's grasp didn't loosen in the slightest. "Steve!" she cried out, tears starting to slip down her cheeks.
The leering smile on the man's face grew, and he began to chuckle, laughing at her pathetic struggle.
"Steve," she cried one last time, sinking to her knees in defeat.
The floor rose up to meet her, and she landed with a thud. Disbelievingly, Leah looked around. She was in her room, her actual room, on the floor by her bed. Clint wasn't anywhere to be seen, nor was the man whose laughter still echoed in her ears. Her cheeks became even wetter as she began to cry again, though this time her tears were halting and conflicted. She was here, yes...but she wasn't safe like she thought she was. Even here he could get to her, if only in her mind. But in her mind, there was no one to protect her but herself.
Next time will (most likely) be a Carmen chapter; how do all feel about Leah? Do you want more of her? Less? Let me know :)