Chapter Twenty: Make Her Happy

When Loki realized what was to come, it was already too late. Eve was asleep and clung to his chest while he lay awake. She had been thoroughly exhausted by their escapades and fell into an afternoon slumber easily-after making it perfectly clear how much she'd enjoyed herself, of course. Lounging in her bed with her naked body sprawled around him, he felt at peace. It was a feeling he yearned to replicate, and had been trying to create in the first place for some time. If this mortal girl could start off with the idea that he was a monster-which, by most accounts, he was-and eventually come to cherish his company, that meant hope wasn't entirely lost. He entertained thoughts of mending his relationship with his brother and someday his faux father. While on a completely different plane of thought, all things seemed possible, but only for a transient moment.

As he was nursing notions of simply staying with Eve and growing their bond forever, he felt something troubling. A nagging sensation at the pit of his mind he'd been ignoring. One recording device left behind. And then the floodgates opened, SHIELD was on their way. Mere minutes from the house. He allowed himself a long second to take his lover in, every little thing about her. Hair, lips, shoulders, chest, waist, hips, legs-but there was no time. He kissed her once on the forehead and teleported away, the taste of her still lingering in his mouth.

Eve awoke as her body fell into the space he'd abandoned. She didn't understand at first, not even after her front door opened abruptly, not even after it wasn't Loki who came into the bedroom.

"Where is he?" Barton barked at her, unaffected by her nudity.

She shook the sleep out of her eyes ineffectively. Her mind remained in the euphoria that existed thirty minutes prior. While the situation at hand troubled her, her muddled thoughts kept coming back to asking herself the same question the hawk had just presented. Where was he? "Who are you?" She asked as she pulled the comforter up over herself hastily and yawning.

Barton glared at her as though she weren't taking the situation seriously and repeated, "Where is he?"

"I don't know," she told him honestly as she ran her hand along the space he'd previously occupied. It was still warm.

"What do you mean you don't know?" He snapped as Natasha strolled in the room. Her presence brought a thin ray clarity to Eve's muddled mind. "Search the house," he instructed. She nodded and left. Meanwhile, Barton threw open the closet and rifled through Eve's things. She made no move to stop him as she was equally curious about Loki's whereabouts. It seemed unlikely that he was crouched in the closet next to her spare sheets and winter boots, but not impossible. She'd recently discarded the word impossible from her vocabulary. When his search came up empty, he turned to her again. "Where is he? Where did he go?"

"I told you, I don't know."

He pointed an accusing finger at her. "I don't know if you think I won't hurt a naked woman, but-"

Tony entered the room casually, laughing. "You and Banner should trade skill sets," he chuckled, "because I like you when you're angry." Barton gave him a cold stare until he went on. "There's no one else here," he remarked, "looks like our little magician went poof." He began to leave again, shouting as he went. "Cap! You and the other guys do a sweep of this block and those around it. If you don't find anything, meet us back at HQ."

In the distance, Bruce could be heard snickering. "HQ sounds so goddamn lame, man."

Barton turned back to Eve, who was clutching her comforter to her and looking only mildly alarmed. "Why aren't you more concerned about strangers in your house?" He narrowed his eyes at her, visibly frustrated.

"I guess I'm just accustomed to it."

Elsewhere

Loki was now disguised as another man entirely. He'd let go of Graham's persona when he left and fashioned himself a new cover on the fly. The thought had crossed his mind to change genders or races, but it didn't matter. He kept the protection spell active in an aura around himself. They wouldn't be able to find him if they were in the same room, he was much too strong now. He realized then that he'd been strong enough to leave that morning. He could have threatened her and told her to claim Graham had broken it off suddenly. She would have listened, fear was a powerful thing. He hadn't done that for a few reasons, one of them being that he wasn't even checking his abilities to be certain he could go. He hadn't wanted to go. He knew the SHIELD agents would take Eve, and it bothered him. Not that she could give them much insight to his plans. Hell, he couldn't give them much insight to his plans. He had none to speak of. His only notion resided in convincing Eve he hadn't used her and left, assuring her that he would be back in her life when it became appropriate.

He handed the woman he stood before several bills, currency he'd stolen effortlessly from a man on the street before ducking into a restroom and teleporting to where he was now. He counted the notes he had left, more than enough for clothing and sustenance.

"Thank you," she said with a kind smile.

"You are most welcome," he responded as he picked up his prize. He chuckled heartily. "Gotta keep my girl happy," he joked, "and this will certainly make her happy."

Agent Romanov's Car

Eve rode in the backseat, her hands cuffed behind her. Natasha drove and Barton pouted in the passenger seat. She felt as though she were in a dream, everything was happening too quickly for her to keep up. They'd packed a suitcase for her and thrown an outfit her way so she could clothe herself. Then it was all handcuffs and being led out to the car. But of all the things she'd imagined coming of her time with the God of Mischief, this was oddly not one of them. The scenario at hand was still more likely than her sleeping with him, though, and that had happened first. She had considered the repercussions involving her relationship with Sam, and that was as far as her thoughts outside her own home had gone. Even though other people had been involved, looking for Loki from the start, it had never factored in. She'd assumed Loki would leave eventually and her life would drift back into normalcy. As silly as it seemed now, how could she anticipate an end to an unpredictable, unbelievable turn of events? The next time an Asgardian descended into her midst uninvited, she would be prepared. "Am I under arrest?" She asked as calmly as she could manage.

"If you don't cooperate, you're going to wish you were," Barton spoke seriously.

"I'm flattered you felt the need to handcuff me when freaking Iron Man is in the car behind us. Wait. Is he in the car or is he the car?"

Natasha held back a smile and Barton glared at her. "We know you're a trained fighter," she went on to say, "so we're not taking any chances."

The ride continued in silence, forcing Eve to face her fears. Forget the trouble she was potentially in, forget the upcoming interrogations, she'd take them as they came. At her center, she felt betrayed. Cast aside. Deserted. She didn't want to believe that Loki had fled with no concern for her, but it seemed all too plausible. As the scenery rolled by her window, mostly buildings and cars, she sunk into a sullen sadness. She had grown to care for him during their time, and in hindsight, without his captivating eyes on her, it seemed foolish. She had been gullible to the point of embarrassment. She had been a pawn in his plan. An accessory to whatever dastardly deeds he would go on to do. Not that she could have stopped him, but she didn't have to make his stay so pleasurable. The more she thought on it, the more her heart sank.

They led her inside the tower, and one long elevator ride later out into a long hallway. "You will stay here until we have no further use for you," Natasha stated as they walked. "You're going to tell us all you know, everything you've learned about him. You're going to help us find him."

"I don't know where he went," she sighed and her voice reflected her grief.

"That may be true, but any little thing you know could help us. We're going to drop your belongings in your room and get started right away," Natasha said.

"Plus, I get the feeling he may not be too thrilled about the fact that we're holding you here," Barton scoffed, mocking.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Eve bit, already not a fan of his.

"Clearly he developed some sort of weird attachment to you, either that or he really played you big time."

Eve scowled at him. What hurt the most was that it echoed her own internal battle, the negative side of which was currently racing to victory. "He won't care, he never cared. He told me nothing, he trusted me with nothing. I doubt he'll bat an eye or even care enough to know where I am."

Natasha looked sad for her for a fleeting moment. Her expression returned to its classic stoicism before long. They stopped in front of a door with the word SUSPECT on the name plate. "Hold on," Barton flared as he threw his ear against it. Natasha mimicked him. "What is that?" He asked. "It's sort of like a yipping sound." Natasha drew her gun and nodded for him to proceed. He swept his key card across the sensor and threw the door open. What they found required no gunshots or harsh measures. Eve squealed in delight, unable to hold back. She crouched down and the collie puppy ran to her. She cooed at it sweetly, unable to pet it. She swung her legs underneath her and the pup ran around her in rapid circles, producing more yip's. Natasha holstered her weapon, knelt down beside her and giggled, helpless against the animal's charm. She pet it and felt for any abnormalities. All she found was a green velvet collar that graced its neck, and the bone-shaped name tag that hung from it which read Sasha.