Hey all I've been thinking about how I was going to write the second half of this chapter since chapter 25. I have a feeling this one is going to cause some mixed feelings but please just give it a chance and if that isn't enough just remember we're almost at Winter Soldier. Please let me know what you think. I'd rather get email alerts that someone commented on the story than the emails from school that make me panic. Thank you again. Enjoy :)
I took a chariot to the palace and walked straight to the throne room. Sif was already there and Odin looked in my direction not at all pleased to see me.
"Lady Nora, glad you could finally join us." Odin said.
"Sorry I was in the middle of saving a kid's life." I said.
"As I was telling Lady Sif, you two are to go to Midgard and apprehend Lorelei." Odin said.
"Heimdall explained that what he didn't explain was who she was or why you want her back." I said.
"Lorelei's a which with the power to control any man with just the sound of her voice. She was in the palace dungeon when Dark elves attacked. She took advantage of the chaos to make her escape." SIf explained.
"Dark elves? Asgard was invaded?" I said confused.
"There are many things you have missed in your absence." Odin said.
"It's okay, I'll catch up with Frigga over tea." I said and they both gave each other a look. "What?" I said
"Queen Frigga perished during the attack by the dark Elves." Odin said and I felt cold.
"I-I'm sorry I didn't know." I said.
"She died defending her home, like a true queen." Sif said putting a hand on my shoulder to reassure me.
"Okay so Lorelei, do you have any idea where on Earth she may be?" I said.
"Heimdal said the portal she took sent her to your world's Valley of Death." Odin said.
"Valley of… oh, Death Valley. It's a desert." I explained.
"You are to leave at once." He said dismissing us.
"Lets go." I told Sif.
"This Valley of Death, why is it called that?" Sif asked. "What perils are we facing?"
"Besides Lorelei, A bunch of sand, tumble weeds, maybe a few snakes, and hellish heat." I said.
"That does not sound so deathly." SIf said.
"It's just a name." I said. We rode horses back to the Aesir and Heimdall sent us to Earth we ended up in the middle of a road. I heard cars swerve to avoid hitting us.
"Heimdall's cutting it a bit close."
I heard car doors opening. When the dust settled I could see agents of some sirt pointing guns at us.
"Definitely Asgardian, At least one of them is." I heard one of them say. I knew I should have changed before coming.
"Running facial recognition." I heard another voice say.
"They're of SHIELD." Sif said. As she started approaching.
"Stand down, she's a friendly" An Asian lady answered.
"You are of SHIELD." SIf said
"Yeah," One of them answered Sif.
"I am Lady Sif of Asgard." She introduced herself.
"I'm Doctor Nora Martell. I'm a friend of hers." I said.
"Your world is in grave danger." Sif told them.
"From who Loki?" A man with a Scottish accent asked.
"Loki is dead." Sif answered.
"He is?" I said. "I missed way too much the past few months."
"What is a doctor doing with an Asgardian?" The man from before asked.
"We're old friends and I have Asgardian citizenship." I answered.
"That's a thing?" The Scottish man asked.
"Long story." I said.
"I think we should continue this conversation back at the bus" The Asian lady from before said. I had a hunch she was in charge. "Please come with us."
I turned to look at Sif and she nodded. I guess we were going with SHIELD, I really hope Dad doesn't find out about this.
We got in the car and sat in the back seat.
"Leopold Fitz." The Scottish man said introducing himself. "But every one just calls me Fitz"
"Grant Ward." The other man introduced himself.
"Melinda May" the woman introduced herself.
"Nice to meet you all." I said.
The rest of the car ride was quiet until Fitz said. "Oh my god you're Nora Martell!"
"uh yeah, thought I mentioned that."
"You're paper on the application of Newton's third law on time and space was amazing." He said.
"Thanks…" I said.
"What paper does he speak of?" Sif asked.
"It's an paper, like a short report I wrote a few years ago. That's how I got my Ph. D."
"Great another nerd…" I heard Ward grumble.
"What have you been working on since?" Fitz asked.
"I don't actually do a lot of research. I'm a surgeon." I said.
"What? How old are you?" Ward asked.
"Twenty one." I answered.
"Seriously?" Ward said.
"Look me up." I said. He pulled out a tablet and looked me up.
"Double board certified surgeon, Harvard med. PhD from MIT along with three masters degrees in mechanical engineering, biochemistry and business." Ward read out.
"Wow, and I thought I was smart." Fitz said.
"And survived a Super collider explosion." Ward said showing him a news article.
"Seems like a lifetime ago." I said
"We're here." May said as we pulled into a giant plane. The place was state of the art. There was a fully equipped lab. I walked into the lab and looked around.
I saw some plans for some weapons. "Project of yours?" I asked Fitz.
"Yeah, I actually have the prototype, would you like to take a look?"
"Sure." I said he opened a drawer and pulled out a gun. I took it but it was off. "It's a good start but you need to lose an ounce, it feels off." I handed the gun back to him.
"Does an ounce really make a difference?" Fitz asked.
"Yes." Ward and I answered at the same time.
Third Person's POV-
Phil Coulson stood on the catwalk watching as Nora Martell and Lady Sif of Asgard walked into the lab below them.
"She's a warrior." Coulson told may referring to Sif. "I saw her fight in New Mexico with Thor – climbed a giant metal killing machine, speared it with her double bladed sword."
"It was pretty bad ass." Coulson said
"And the girl?" May asked.
"Doctor Nora Martell, had Barton shadow her a few years ago when she was still in Med School. Tried recruiting her and she turned me down. Last time I saw her was a few months before New York." Coulson said.
"They said they need S.H.I.E.L.D. to help them find someone. You up for this?" May asked.
"I'm fine." Coulson said giving her a look before walking downstairs.
""Fine" doesn't look like this. Not on you." May said. "You've been gone more often than not. Whatever's bothering you…I'm here."
"I know." He said before walking into the lab.
Nora's POV-
I was in the lab with Fitz, Ward and Sif when May walked in with Coulson?
"What the hell?" I said.
"What dark magic is this?" Sif said going for her sword. "Thor said you perished at the hand of Loki."
"I heard the same thing from Tony." I said.
"And they were right…for awhile anyway." Coulson said confusing me and Sif. "But Loki wasn't the only one with some tricks up his sleeve. Turns out S.H.I.E.L.D. had a few of their own."
"Thor will be pleased to hear it. He considers you a friend." Sif said.
"Tony too." I added.
"I feel the same, which is why I'd prefer if they heard it from me, if that's okay." He said. I nodded if any one could understand the importance of keeping secrets it'd be me. "I understand you're looking for someone."
"I am hunting her. Lorelei. 600 years ago she used her powers to wreak havoc across the nine realms, to command armies, bring down kings, empires." Sif explained.
"What kind of powers we talking about?" Ward asked. "Strength? Speed?"
Sif shook her head and said "Sorcery."
Everyone was not expecting that answer.
"Trust me when I say it's a real thing." I answered.
"She bends and shapes the will of men to her own purpose." Sif elaborated.
"Only men? Her powers don't work on women?" May said.
"No. Men have an inherent weakness we do not share." I couldn't help but smile at that. May smirked and nodded.
"I can't imagine what she's talking about." Fitz said and Ward nodded in agreement.
"The very sound of her voice can ensnare most. For the rare man who can resist, it's her voice joined by her touch that will overpower his will." Sif said.
"So, how do we stop her?" Coulson asked.
Sif grabbed something off her belt and placed it on the table. It was a collar of some sort. "With this. It prevents her from speaking. She wore one like it for centuries while locked in prison. She escaped when the Dark Elves invaded Asgard and came here using one of Loki's secret pathways between worlds."
"Do we know where she is now?" Ward asked.
"All I know is the Bifrost delivered me to her last known location." Sif said.
"It was in the middle of the desert she couldn't have gotten that far." I said.
"Mostly small towns out that way. Let's start looking for unusual activity within a few hundred mile radius. Burglary, theft, assault. If this woman's used to ruling over empires…she's gonna be hard to please." He said.
"You have a computer I can use?" I asked.
"Upstairs follow me." May asked.
I followed her to a computer room. They had an entire table that had been adapter to a giant tablet. I started doing my thing and got to work. I heard someone come in.
"This tech is amazing." I said.
"I did tell you, you would fit in great at SHIELD." Coulson said.
"And like I told you before I want to help people and I do that everyday at the hospital." I answered.
"How've you been? Last time I saw you…"
"I was about to jump off the roof of my apartment building?" I said.
"I was going to say before New York but that too." Coulson said. "Glad you're doing better."
"One day at a time right?" I said with a small smile before the computer starts beeping. "Got a hit, actually multiple hits. I think Sif should look through these. She knows Lorelei best."
"And how long have you known Sif?" Coulson asked.
"Few years. Kind of a long story we don't have time for." I said. I went downstairs and called Sif over.
"These are files of every police report within 100 miles of where you arrived. Everything from the last 48 hours. When you want to sift through the information, you just…" He said trying to explain it but Sif just went ahead. Using holotables is stuff preschoolers learn on Asgard.
"I'm familiar." She said as she waved her arm over the holotable and went through the reports.
"It's an antiquated system we and other realms had ages ago." Sif said making Coulson scoff before sighing.
"You've…visited other realms, seen different species, aliens. Have you ever encountered any that were…blue?" Coulson asked. That's a weird question.
Sif nodded. "Yes, of course."
"Which ones?" Coulson asked.
"Uh, Interdites, Levians, Pheragots, Kree, Sarks, Centaurians. The Frost Giants tried to conquer your Earth a millennia ago, but Asgard drove them away." She said.
"Oh, well, thanks for that. And the others, have any of them been here recently?" Coulson asked.
She looks at him and sighs. "Rest easy, Phillip, son of Coul. None of the others have ever visited Earth." Sif moved something and there's a beep.
"There. A robbery of jewels." Sif pointed out.
"And there. A gun store robbery by guys on Harleys." Coulson said.
"It's happening faster than I feared. She's amassing men, gold, weaponry. Lorelei is building an army." Sif said.
"Where is she?" I asked.
"Small town bar… The Rosie Desert Oasis." Coulson said.
"Time to go then." I said.
"I think it'd be better if you stayed." Coulson said.
"Nora is a mighty and valiant warrior of Asgard. Her assistance will be needed." Sif said.
"I'm going." I said before following Sif downstairs.
"If you're going you can't do it in scrubs." May said handing me a change of clothes. I got dressed in the fitted cargo pants and a black t-shirt. I got dressed and went to meet everyone downstairs.
Everyone was at the table looking at the weapons.
"Do you know how to use one?" Ward asked.
I picked up one of the guns. Unloaded the clip and reloaded and emptied the chamber.
"I think I'll manage." I answered.
We got in the car and drove to the bar Lorelei was at.
"Lorelei's tastes run toward palaces, castles." Sif said as she took out her sword. "This is far more humble than her usual abode."
"The draw wasn't the place, it was the manpower." Ward said.
Coulson walked toward the police officers to figure out the logistics. "How many men does she have in there? Have you seen the suspect?"
"Yes, we have." The officer answered. Suddenly he pulls his gun up and points it up at Coulson. "And she's beautiful." The officer cocked his gun and fired.
Coulson ducked out of the way and we started firing back at them. I hid behind one of the SUV's doors while Coulson and Ward hid behind one of the police cars. Sif on the other hand was using her shield to block the bullets.
"They're on us from both sides." Ward yelled out as he fired one way as Coulson fired over the hood. "It's gonna be hard to get off a clean shot."
Coulson called over to Sif. "Your ladyship, can you give us a little cover?"
Sif looked around and saw a camper. She kicked it over to give Coulson the cover they asked for.
"A very literal interpretation." Coulson said after shooting the officers. "Thank you."
"All clear." Ward says.
"Men, stay outside. Let Sif take Lorelei." Coulson said.
"Nora." SIf said.
"Right behind you." I said.
Sif kicked the door in and we went inside.
"Lorelei. Still manipulating men to do your dirty work, I see." Sif said.
"And I see you're still a step or two behind." Lorelei said taunting her.
The men around the bar started slowly moving to surround us.
"You know how this ends, Lorelei. So come willingly." Sif said tightening her grip on her sword.
"You mistake me for someone who fears you. I've bested you before. Or have you forgotten?" Lorelei said. This has happened before? Lorelei's been locked up for six hundred years, must've been when I wasn't around. "Tear her apart."
The men started fighting us. Sif shielded us from a shock gun and I took advantage of that to fire back at him knocking him out. The men started aiming specifically at Sif. I fired at them and when I was out of ammo I resorted to my powers.
"You brought a sorceress with you?" Lorelei said.
I pushed one of them up to the ceiling and letting them fall to the ground.
"Sif go get her." I said blocking more gunshots before throwing them out the windows. Then I used my powers to give myself a lift to do a roundabout on the last one. Coulson walked in and saw me flip the guy.
"Wow." He said.
"Sif went to follow Lorelei." I said.
"Let's go." He said. I followed him out to the back but we were too late. Lorelei got away and took Ward with her.
We lost them so we went back to the Bus. Sif was staying in one of the holding cells that had been converted into a room. Sif was punching walls and walking in circles angry.
"Lorelei's treachery remains unchanged, no matter the world." Sif said.
"We'll find them. Every agent in the area is out looking." Coulson reassured her.
"To what end, hmm? The collar…" Sif said slamming down the collar on the table. "Has been broken. Short of death we have no means to end her enchantment." Okay she was right things were pretty grim.
Coulson picked up the collar and looked at the bullet hole. "Let me worry about that." He said. He got the collar and walked out of the cell. "Stay here, and try not to punch a hole in my airplane."
"I'll go see if I could track them down. Hack cameras and cellphones if I have to." I said walking back to the computer room.
Cut to inside the holding cell, Sif is sitting in there sharpening her weapon as May enters. May looks at her weapon with a smile.
I was in the middle of hacking into the California-Nevada surveillance cameras when my phone started ringing.
"Hello" I answered.
"Nora you're back." Wren said.
"Not exactly,"
"What do you mean?" Wren said.
"One of the prisoners escaped from Asgard and they're on Earth. Odin assigned me to help Sif track her down and bring her back."
"So you're on Earth?" Wren said. "Need me to come and help.
"NO! That's not a good idea. Lorelei can control men just by talking to them. I don't even want to think about what a nightmare it'd be if she got control over you." I said.
"Staying away it is. Just let me know if you need me to come and get you or when you get back."
"I will thanks Wren. Oh wait how's everything at work." I said.
Wren sighed, "We'll talk when you get back."
"Wren…"
"Nora, just do what you have to do, I'll hold down the fort." Wren said.
"Okay, thank you." I said.
"Be careful" he said before hanging up. Why am I more worried about what's going on back home instead of what Lorelei might do?
Just then I got a hit. Out of all the places she could have picked why am I not surprised.
I went to go find Coulson but instead I found May.
"May I found them, they're in Vegas." I said.
"Are you sure?"
"Positive they're staying in a suite at Caesar's palace, Fits Lorelei." I said.
"I'll go tell Coulson you go tell Sif." May said.
After everyone was alerted and we regrouped.
"Security cameras just caught sight of them. If Lorelei wants an army of wealthy, pliable men, I think she just hit the jackpot." Coulson said.
"We're landing in twenty minutes." May said.
We arrived at the hotel in a team made up of all women. Sif kicked the door down. We went inside and checked every room.
"Clear" one of the agents said.
"Clear," an other called out.
"Clear."
"Back room's secure."
"Bathroom's clear."
"Kitchen clear."
"Clear." May said.
"Sweep complete." One of the agents called out.
"She's gone." Sif said.
We went back to the bus to start the search again.
"No sign of them on any surveillance around the city." Fitz said.
"It was a long shot. Ward knows how we work, knows to avoid cameras." Coulson said.
"Well, I expanded my search, got satellite support running. We'll find them. I do have a bit of good news. I fixed Lorelei's neck collar." Sif said.
"Let me inspect it to be sure. Asgardian metal is much different from the ore of this planet." Sif said wanting to see for herself.
"Sure, but I think you'll find it's up to snuff. It's in your room." Fitz said.
"I'll check on the satellite feeds and start checking footage from nearby pit stops and towns." I said.
I went into the computer room and started checking the feeds Fitz was looking at but I didn't see them. I hacked into the planes systems and feeds and rewinded them to see if there was anything I missed. That's when I saw it, Ward and Lorelei.
"Shit." Then the doors to the room were shut and locked.
"No" I went to back on the door.
"Don't worry we'll be back for you" Ward said.
"Let me out." I said banging on the glass door. "Fuck"
"Aya…" I whispered.
'You want to get out but you don't trust SHIELD to know about you.' Aya said
Keeping the secret. I said.
'Okay do it.' She said. 'Break the glass and save your friend."
Thank you.
I closed my eyes and focused the energy to push through the window. The doors and windows shattered. I walked through it and found May and Ward fighting. He had a gun pointed to May's head I took advantage of that moment to kick him behind the knees knocking him down. May punched him but Ward got back up again and fought back. He kicked me to the side and then went to May.
"Ward, I think we may have a big problem!" Fitz called out. May took advantage of the distraction and took the gun out of his hands and punched him.
"Nora stay out of this go help Sif." May yelled out.
"I can't." I said.
"Go!" May said.
I ran to the cell Sif was in and caught her in the middle of a fight with Lorelei. Lorelei tried swinging her sword at me but I put up a forcefield to block the hit. Then I used the moment of surprise to throw her against the wall. Sif swung her sword at her and Lorelei blocks it. Sif maneuvers the sword out of her hands. Lorelei avoids all the hits but I manage to trip her and she hits her head on the table making her fall on the ground where Sif pinned her down.
"Kill me. I'd rather die than go back to that place." Lorelei says. Sif kneeled down next to her.
"You will not get off that easy." Sif says.
"Why? It's what you want. I can see it in your eyes." Lorelei taunted. "Or would you rather hear about how the man you loved followed me around like a dog…hear of his touch, his kiss, the look in his eyes when I – "
Sif had had enough. She shut Lorelei up by putting the collar around her neck. The collar stretched up and covered Lorelei's neck.
"You were saying?" Sif said.
"I can see why Odin makes most prisoners wear that thing." I said.
"The taunting and complaining becomes very aggravating." Sif said.
"At least it's finally over." I said
"We need to return to Asgard." Sif said.
"Let's check on everyone else first." I said.
We walked over and we Saw Ward May and Coulson standing around.
"May it's over." Coulson said.
"Okay? I'm back." Ward said and May just stared at him.
"He speaks the truth." SIf said as we appeared behind him.
Ward dropped his hands and gives May a little smile, she answered with a punch to his face.
"Good to know." May said.
After May managed to get control of the plane again, she flew us back to the hanger. It was dark when we finally landed.
"My apologies. " Sif said as we walked onto the ramp to get off the plane. "The damage caused to your flying boat was unfortunate."
"It's seen worse." May said.
"Either way, some of it could have been avoided." I said thinking about all the shattered glass.
"I assure you, Lorelei will be punished severely for the crimes against your people." Sif said.
"It must've been hard for you…after everything she's did, to move past it, to let it go." Coulson said.
"Probably as hard as it was for you to move past what Loki did to you." I said.
"Odin ordered her back alive. As one of his warriors, I bow to his will." Sif said.
"Regardless of what it cost you?" Coulson asked.
"Much like your S.H.I.E.L.D., we are bound by our code." Sif said before clasping a fist over her heart and looking at them. "I am honored to have fought by your side."
"Thank you for everything." I said.
We all nodded and then we got off the Bus.
"I can't wait to get home." I said. Wren's phone call had left me concerned. What was I returning home to?
"Heimdall open the Bifrost!" Sif called out. A second later we we're taken to Asgard.
"Welcome back." Heimdall said.
"Thank you." I said.
"A carriage awaits." He said. We rode back to the palace.
We entered the throne room and handed Lorelei over to the guards so they could take her back to her cell.
"We owe you both a great debt." Odin said.
"I owe you a great debt. You welcomed me into your kingdom and your home. You could have left Lorelei on Earth away from Asgard but you chose to send us instead. For that I am grateful but now I must ask to be dismissed. I don't know why but I have a feeling something is going on back home and I need to return at once." I said.
"Are you sure you would not rather rest?" Sif asked.
"I'm afraid that isn't an option. But before I leave I would like to ask if I could visit Queen Frigga's grave so I could pay my respects." I asked.
"The queen rests with the stars, she has no grave on Asgard just like all other Asgardians before her." Odin said.
"Oh, I guess that's not going to happen."
"This may not be much but know this Lady Nora, Frigga was very fond of you and spoke of you as if you were her own daughter. She wished for me to give you this." He said handing me a book. "It is a collection of all the spells and potions among all her knowledge that may help you with your abilities."
"Thank you." I said.
"Safe travels." He said.
I shook Sif's hand and gave her a short hug before taking a horse to the Aesir.
"Are you ready?" Heimdall asked.
"Yes," I said before I was sent down.
I got to the back yard right on the spot I was taken. I walked inside and I was greeted by a very excited Axl.
"Hi buddy," I said petting him. "I better call Wren huh?"
Axl just barked.
I pulled my phone out and dialed Wren.
"Spencer," he answered.
"Hey it's me I'm back at the ranch." I said. A second later he was right in front of me.
"About damn time, you have to get to the hospital now." Wren said.
"What's going on?"
"You remember the patient, the one you were operating on right before you left? There were complications." Wren answered.
"What do you mean? It was routine valve replacement. The surgery went perfectly." I said.
"It did until this morning when he started coding." Wren said.
"What?"
"One of the screws that secured the ribcage back in started pulling the stitched you put in." Wren stated.
"What the hell? That's impossible, those stitched were perfect." I said.
"I did the operation myself Nora, it wasn't your work, it was the screws Ames placed but since he's a resident and you were the attending…"
"The blame goes to me." I said.
"We need to go now come on." Wren said. He put a hand on my shoulder and we were back at the hospital.
Wren led me to Doctor Matthews office.
"Doctor Martell Where the fuck have you been?" he said.
"Dealing with some personal business that couldn't wait." I said. "Can I see the patient's chart?"
"You can see his autopsy report." Doctor Matthews said.
"Autopsy?" I said.
"Patient died on the table this morning. We have a meeting with a lawyer tomorrow morning. The patient's parents are suing you for medical malpractice."
"How bad?" I asked.
"We're a teaching hospital we have insurance for these things." Doctor Matthews said. "But, considering how young you are and how recently you got your cardio thoracic certification, there's a chance you may lose your license."
"It won't come to that." Wren said trying to reassure me.
"Uhuh," I said panting.
"Nora?" Wren said.
"I-I ca-can lose it." I said having a hard time breathing.
"Nora calm down." Wren said. "It's going to be okay. I promise. I'm with you. I've got your six…"
"And I have yours." I said.
"You good?" He asked.
"Yeah, think so." I said.
"Okay, you two go home get some sleep and be here at nine am tomorrow." Doctor Matthews said. "Oh and Nora, next time you have an emergency call so we know you're okay."
"I will chief." I said before walking out with Wren.
Wren teleported me home and I sat down on the couch.
"I killed a kid." I said.
"Nora, you didn't kill anyone. You did your job and you taught your resident. He made a mistake and the judge will read the file and see that." He said.
"I let a fourth year resident screw the chest cavity back on by himself and that sixteen year old kid paid the price." I said tearing up.
"He was actually fifteen…."
"AH, I killed a fifteen year old. What the hell is wrong with me?!" I said crying.
"Nora calm down, you can't go into that meeting saying these things okay? People die and yes he was a kid and it could have been avoided but that's life you better than anyone should know that by now."
"What do I do if I lose my license? Being a doctor is my life. The stress, the chaos the making the impossible possible." I said.
"You're not going to lose your license and even if you do you have a PhD and three or four other masters degrees. You're a genius and no matter what you do you'll be amazing." He said.
"But I already am amazing as a surgeon."
"Nora, stop crying. You're just going to talk to the lawyer, you'll end up in mediation and you'll settle. Sure you're insurance is going to go through the roof but it's not the end."
"Should I get my own attorney?" I said.
"Just go to the meeting and figure it out." Wren said.
"Sam did just pass the BAR." I said.
"Go to the meeting. I'll be back tomorrow to take you to work." Wren said. "Get some sleep."
"I'll try."
"Do you need me to stay?"
"No go, you've done more than you had to and you look beat." I said.
"Fine but if you need anything…"
"I'll call."
"Good. Night."
"Night." I said before he teleported away.
Third Person's POV-
Steve had just gotten back from a mission and Sharon had surprised him with a home cooked meal. Steve didn't like Sharon's cooking but it was the intention that counted.
He had hopped in the shower and had just gotten out. He looked around his room and saw that Sharon had cleaned up. They didn't live together but she spent more time in his apartment than she did in his. He looked over at his nightstand and didn't see his compass. He looked over at the other nightstand and didn't see it either.
"Sharon!" Steve called out.
"Yes honey?" She said as she walked in.
"Have you seen my green compass? The one on my nightstand?"
"Yes I took it I was going to surprise you and give it to you. I went to have it professionally cleaned." She said grabbing her purse and pulling out a small box.
Steve opened it and saw that the picture was no longer there. "Where's the picture?"
"What picture?" Sharon said.
"The one inside of it?" Steve said becoming anxious.
"Oh that torn up old thing, I thought it would be better to have t replaced." Sharon said.
"Why did you do that?!"
"Steve I was…"
"Do you know what you just did? That was the copy of that picture. The only picture I had of Nora and Bucky together. What the hell is wrong with you!?"
"Steve I was just trying…"
"I don't care. You just destroyed one of the last things I had of my soulmates, the loves of my life… I have told you so many times not to touch it!"
"Steve please…"Sharon said tearing up.
"Get out…" Steve said tearing up and looking away.
"Honey."
"Sharon! Please just go." Steve said not even looking at her.
She ran out of the apartment and into hers.
She reached into her purse and pulled out the old picture that was in the compass.
"Damn you two corpses. She's not even pretty." She said scoffing. She wiped her tears and calmed down. Her plan was going well. She had just gotten Steve upset so she could get him to open up and she could console him.
"I'm going to make him forget about you two." Sharon said.
Next Morning- Nora's POV
I woke up the next morning from the most restless sleep I had ever had. I was in bed staring at the ceiling when wren teleported in.
"Rise and shine." He said opening the blinds.
"Ah, it burns." I groaned.
"Well too bad, shower and get dressed. Time to fight for your future." He said.
"My future is a train wreck, I'm going to go live under a rock, I deserve it."
"That's it." He said. He pulled off the covers and pulled me off the bed.
"No giving up, the fight hasn't even started and we don't even know if the fights going to happen. This is the weigh in. you're not going to qualify and this lawsuit is going to go away now go put yourself together while I go get breakfast." Wren said.
"Fine" I said picking myself up
I got up and showered. I blow dried my hair and straighten it. I got dressed in a black pencil skirt with a white button down. I wore diamond studs and my reactor necklace. My pocket watch necklace was staying in my purse. I wore a pair of black heels and went down stairs.
"How do I look?" I asked Wren.
"As a doctor that did nothing wrong and was only trying to teach the next generation of doctors." Wren said.
"You watched law and order didn't you?"
"No Kate's sleep schedule is off so she's been watching Scandal."
"Good show." I said.
"It isn't when you're trying to get some sleep." Wren said.
"True."
"I got your favorite crepes." Wren said.
"Sweet or savory?" I asked.
"Both."
"You're the best."
After breakfast we got to the hospital and met the Chief in the conference room. We went over everything and things were going good. Chances were we wouldn't even go to court we would just settle out of court or the case would get thrown out in the preliminary hearings.
Everything was going to be okay…At least that's what I thought.
March 2014-
Things with the lawsuit were going good. We had a meeting with a mediator in a week and according to the hospital's lawyer my perfect record spoke for itself. I was good. That didn't mean I wasn't freaking out.
"Morning." Wren said.
"Morning, You spent the night?" I asked.
"Yeah got off work late and Kate's working the night shift." He said. 'Also there was a fight and you're TV makes me feel like I'm right there."
"I got your mail." Wren said putting a cup of coffee in front of me.
"Thanks." I said. I started looking through the envelopes until I found one that was Wren's.
'This one's actually yours." I said handing it to Wren.
"Oh, I wasn't expecting anything." Wren said. He opened the envelope and as he started reading his eyebrows slowly started rising. "Fuck." He muttered.
"Everything okay?" I asked.
"Not exactly, apparently I'm getting deported." Wren said.
"What?!" I said almost spitting out my coffee. "How? I thought your lawyer had it taken care of."
"Apparently not. Damn it, I don't want to move back to London, I'm too tan now." Wren complained.
"You're not getting deported, we're going to go see your lawyer and we're going to go work it out." I said.
"Give me ten minutes to get dressed and I'll go with you." I said.
I went upstairs and wore a flower print body con dress with black-heeled sandals. I left my hair down and grabbed a black leather clutch.
I went downstairs and grabbed my keys and sunglasses.
"Okay I'm ready." I said.
One car ride where multiple traffic violations occurred we arrived at the offices of Wolfram and Hart.
"Hello how can I help you?" the receptionist greeted us.
"Hello I'm here to see my attorney, Alex Miller." Wren said.
"Oh um, please wait a moment." She said looking nervous and sad all of a sudden. We waited there until another attorney came over and asked us to follow him.
"I'm Warren Smith, I've taken over all of Alex's cases." Warren said.
"Took over his cases?" I asked. "Did he get another job or…"
"Um, he was killed in his office a few months ago." Wren suddenly looked very pale.
"I'm sorry." I said.
"Yes well, were you a client of his?" He asked Wren.
"Yes, he was handling my case and I just received this notice that I'm going to be deported back to England at the end of the month." Wren said.
"Oh give me a minute and I'll go find your case file." He said.
Wren and I sat in that conference room for twenty minutes before Warren finally came back.
"Mr Spencer are you sure Alex Miller was your attorney?" Warren asked.
"It's Doctor Spencer and yes, he has been handling my immigration paperwork since I moved to the States." Wren said.
"Doctor Spencer we have no records of you ever being a client." Warren said.
"What!?" Wren and I said at the same time
"There are not records of your case or even that you were a client." Warren said.
"That's impossible. I came here a year ago and I saw my file." Wren said.
"I'm sorry Doctor Spencer but we don't have it. We can however take your case but from that notice I can tell you there isn't much we can do. I would recommend getting your affairs in order and applying again once you return to England." Warren said.
"I don't want to return to England that's the problem!" Wren said.
"Wren, calm down." I said.
'How can I calm down Nora, I can't return to England. There's nothing there for me. My job, My family, my girlfriend are all here." He said.
"I'm sorry but there is nothing we can do." Warren said. "We can start the process but other than that…"
"Thank you for your time." Wren said before standing up. "Come on Nora"
We walked to the car in silence and once we were in there Wren started hyperventilating.
"Wren, hey, hey look at me. It's okay we're going to find a way out of this okay. There are thousands of lawyers in Dallas and we happen to be friends with a law genius. We'll find a way out of this." I said.
"You don't understand Nora, I can't go back to England." He said.
"You won't go back unless you want to, we'll find a way now buckle up we both have to go to work and we should probably tell Chief Matthews, he might know someone that can help." I said.
"All right," Wren said
One Week Later-
We had decided to keep our legal troubles from Jess and Sam so when Wren and I both showed up at their house for brunch in the middle of the week they were a bit surprised.
"Not that we don't love having you two over because we do, it's just that you guys never stop by so early." Sam said.
"Nora you look really dressed up today, something going on you two aren't telling us?" Jess asked.
"Sam you remember how a few years ago I said there might come a day I need a lawyer and you'd be my go to guy?" I said.
"Yeah…" He answered.
"Well here's a dollar you're hired." I said.
"And another from me mate." Wren said.
"What did you two do?" Sam asked.
"Who do you want to hear first?" I asked.
"It's two separate cases?" Sam said.
"Yes." Wren said.
"okay, Nora you go first." Sam said.
"I'm being sued for medical malpractice and the preliminary hearing is in about two hours." I said.
"What?!" Sam and jess said at the same time.
"Don't freak out, the hospital lawyer says I have a good chance of it getting thrown out." I said. "Or settling but fingers crossed." I said.
"Jesus fucking Christ Nora!" Jess said. "What happened?" I told them about me having to leave abruptly because my special skills and how I left the resident in charge of finishing and how the patient had died. They freaked out.
"But it wasn't your fault." Sam said.
"Yeah but the resident was working under me so I take the blame." I said.
"It sounds like the hospital lawyer has it under control." Sam said. "Wren what's up with you?"
"I'm getting deported." Wren said.
"What?!" They both said shocked.
"I thought you said your lawyer had it handled?" Jess said.
"Lawyer got murdered in his office and all files of my case or the fact that I was even a client disappeared. You're the third lawyer I've seen and they all say I'm screwed." Wren said.
"You could just get married." Sam said making Wren laugh.
"Wren I'm serious, if you marry an American citizen you won't be deported and your citizenship would be expedited." Sam said.
"So my options are either get married or get deported back to England?"
"In a nutshell." Sam answered.
"Fuck." Wren said.
"Well Wren its time to go ring shopping." I said.
"Nora would you…" Wren said.
"Uh, Wren how about you ask your girlfriend first?" I said.
"I don't think now's the best time." Wren said.
"Why not?" Jess asked
"We've been, arguing a lot." Wren said.
"Doesn't mean you guys can't work it out." I said
"I guess I could try." He said.
"I should probably get going." I said. "Don't want to be late for court."
"Good luck Nora.' Jess said.
"And next time you two need legal advice don't wait until two hours before your hearing." Sam said.
"We won't we just knew you two had a lot going on this week." I said.
"None of that matters, Connor and you two are our priorities." Jess said.
"We know." Wren and I said at the same time.
Dallas Courthouse-
"We are here to discuss the case of Walters versus Martell." The judge said. "The defendant has offered a settlement of half a million dollars for emotional distress caused by this incident."
"My client is denying this settlement. Mrs. Rivers lost her only son as a result of a surgical nail that caused a tear in the victims heart. Money cannot bring Mrs. Rivers son back." The attorney said.
"Objection your honor, Doctor Martell is a surgeon with stellar career. She has been called a surgical prodigy and her near perfect record speaks for itself. She has received many commendations from her time in the service that prove how capable a surgeon she is even in the most extenuating of circumstances. The victim's death was a result of a resident making a mistake." The hospital attorney said.
"Your Honor how can we trust Doctor Martell's integrity when Martell isn't even her real name." the attorney said.
What the hell?
"I'd like to present to the court, file C-15. The disclosure form Doctor Martell filled out before starting to work at Dallas Presbyterian." The attorney said. "When asked if she had ever gone by any other name or will go by any other name in the foreseeable future she put Nora S. What does the S stand for?"
"Doctor Martell, would you care to explain." The judge said.
"Objection your honor." My attorney said.
"Sustained." The Judge said. "Doctor Martell."
"I'd like to plead the fifth." I said. My lawyer looked at me like he wanted to kill me.
"Elaborate?"
"My client would not like to continue to be interrogated unless her own private attorney is present. If you have any questions for her a summons would have to be requested. Furthermore we are straying from the real matter at hand."
"If that is what you wish then you leave me no option but to take this case further, We reconvene in one week for jury selection and a week after that for the trial. You're dismissed."
"What just happened?" I asked my attorney.
"We're going to trial," My attorney said. "We'll meet again tomorrow morning." He said before standing up. I walked out of the courthouse and got into my car. I have no idea how I got home but I sat in my couch staring off into space thinking about how I even got myself into this mess.
I don't know how long I was sitting there but it wasn't until Wren appeared that I snapped out of my trance.
"I'm gonna lose my license." I said.
"What happened?" Wren asked.
"Somehow the opposition got their hands on the form I gave Matthews with my real name. Well, my real last initial. I couldn't tell them my real name so I pleaded the fifth and we're going to trial." I said.
"Fuck." Wren said.
"How about you? Are you getting married?" I asked.
"No, Kate broke up with me." Wren said.
"What? Why?" I said.
"We couldn't work things out and when I asked her to marry me she said that she wouldn't marry anyone that wasn't her soul mate so I guess now's a good a time as any to ask if I could move back in well at least until I have to move back to England." Wren said.
"You don't have to ask, it's your home too." I said.
"Thanks." Wren said.
"I still can't believe this is happening." I said.
"We need drinks," he said before teleporting to the kitchen and coming back with two hard ciders.
"Well you still have a few degrees to fall back on." Wren said trying to lighten the mood.
"If this goes badly and the dual Identity comes up I don't just lose my license I go to jail." I said.
"Oh fuck." Wren said.
"Yeah, Time traveling in and out of my cell is going to be hard to explain." I said.
"The name on the file just says Nora S.?" Wren asked.
"Yeah, not a lot but if they start digging, it'll get messy." I said.
"So not Stark? And the question on the form was names you've gone by or will in the foreseeable future?"
"Yeah..." I said confused as to where he was going.
"I think I just thought of a way to solve both of our problems." Wren said.
"Wren what are you talking about?"
"They only have an initial for your real last name and that's the only thing that caused the judge to send your case to trial right?" He asked.
"Right" I said. "Oh."
"Uhuh."
"That's insane. Would it even hold up in front of a judge?" I said.
"They could ask anyone and they would say its true because they think it is." Wren said,
"You do realize what this entails right?" I said.
"It's nothing we don't already do." Wren said.
"We'd have to make it look convincing." I said.
"Shouldn't be a problem we're both well off." Wren said. 'Think about it Nora."
"Husband and wife can't be forced to testify against each other so we wouldn't run the risk of perjuring ourselves." I said. I can't believe I'm actually considering this.
"So what do you say Nora, Will you marry me?" He said.
The Next Morning-
We went to Sam and Jess's house for breakfast seeing as we were both hungover from all the wine and hard cider we drank but that wasn't the only reason we were there.
"Two days in a row, three and I might just start getting used to it." Jess said.
"How's everything going guys?" Sam asked.
"We need to talk." I said.
"Oh god what happened?" Sam said.
"We found a solution but we need to make sure it would actually stand up in court." I said.
"What is it?" Sam asked.
"Jess cover your ears and start singing." She looks at me like I'm crazy but does it any way.
"The opposition found a file that shows my real name and turned down the settlement. I go to trial in two weeks." I said.
"I'm so sorry." Sam said. "Wait real Name?"
"Martell isn't my real last name. They found a form where I submitted Nora S. as one of the names I might go as. Meaning…"
"You can be charged with a felony for using a false identity and treating patients under a false name." Sam finished.
"But I think I found a solution. What if Nora took my name?" Wren said.
"You mean…"
"Yeah." I said.
"Uh yeah that could work but you'd have to make it look convincing, no courthouse wedding, you'd have to actually have a ceremony and reception. Engagement Party or at least photos. You'd both have to wear rings…"
"Would it work?" I asked Sam.
"Yeah I mean only the three of us would know what's truly going on. You two wouldn't be forced to testify against each other since you'd be married and I'm bound by attorney client privilege so yeah. It would." Sam answered.
"It's our best bet." Wren said.
"Better start shopping for rings" I told Wren.
"I got that covered" He took a ring box out of his pocket and got down on one knee.
"Nora Eliana Martell, Will you marry me?" Wren asked.