Chapter Sixty Five: Strangers

"You are, far and away, the quietest person I've ever met."

Tony was on hold with a popular bakery, and had been for at least eight minutes. He tried sparking up a conversation with Darla in the meantime, but she wasn't biting. She was sitting on his couch with her arms and legs crossed, staring at a work of art he had hanging on the wall opposite her.

"If Pepper were here, she'd say something like, You can't call Empire Cake two days before your event and expect them to cater to you," he said. "I don't know if that's true, that's just the sort of thing she'd say. Then I'd say, I'm Tony Stark and they'll do what I ask." It didn't seem like she was listening until she nodded-as polite and curt a nod as he'd ever seen. "Then again, I would never be the one making these phone calls. That's really what you should be doing." He laughed, though he was trying to urge her to step up and help.

"I don't know anything about cakes, or parties," she said. Varieties of that sentence were the only thing she'd said since he'd pulled her to help him the day before.

He hung up the phone. "No wonder Bruce wanted to get rid of you, Minnie. You're more like a decoration than an assistant."

This got her attention. Her arms fell to her sides, hands pressing into the firm couch cushion as she leaned forward. "What?"

"That certainly got your attention."

"Sorry, I-" She sat back. "Did Br-" She leaned forward again and looked away. "Did Dr. Banner say that?" She crossed her arms and, again, sat back.

"No, of course not. He'd never say that. Not a mean bone in his body." He paused. "You know, usually. When he's people-sized."

Tony had gone to Fury the previous morning, asking for a way out of planning the party. He thought the Director would be overjoyed to cancel it, but he'd changed his tune on it all. No other ideas had come up, and things around Headquarters had calmed considerably. The search for Eve was still their top priority, with no leads except to look for her car. He lamented not putting a tracker on it when they had a chance. Now, with no leads and supernatural activity on the planet at an all time low since Loki's arrival, Fury thought the party was a stroke of genius. He was confident it would bring out their enemy if he was in hiding. Otherwise, it would be a nice reward for the team. Positive reinforcement was a tactic he often forgot about.

Therefore, instead of allowing Tony to forego his planning duties, he doubled down on the plan and applied more pressure. With him already feeling like he was losing control of his relationship-something he'd been fighting for some time that was starting to become real-this responsibility was too much for him. He asked Fury for help from anyone who was available. Someone to keep him on target so he could do this. Thor and Jane and Darcy were all but MIA since Jane was recovered. Bruce had his projects to keep him busy. Nat and Barton were constantly canoodling or running secret missions for the bossman himself. Fury did suggest that he find Steve, but Tony had rejected this, saying all they'd do is argue.

Then Fury told him that he was originally going to have Darla to help him, but when she went to find him, something happened that deterred her and she ended up partnering with Bruce instead. This made Tony feel a pang of guilt. He'd been pretty mean to her that day-not that he'd thought anything of it until now. He didn't often think of things that had no direct affect on him. He went straight to the lab after that to find her. He had no idea he'd be walking in on an intimate moment, and he still didn't know. The two of them had sprung apart like opposing magnets when the door opened, and Tony's eyes were on his cell phone anyway. He was analyzing a short text from Pepper at the time, reading the words over and over. It had him so preoccupied that he didn't notice the awkward tension in the room, or the way neither of them had said much of anything when he pulled her to help him. Nothing more than oh, okay.

Darla hadn't helped him much, but it was nice to have a person there to bounce ideas off of. Ideas she had no input on one way or the other, but she encouraged him if he seemed excited about something, and recognized if he was hesitant. It distracted him, at the very least, and kept him working.

"Are you giving up on the cake, then?" She asked, and as though struck with a sudden desire to stretch her legs, stood and walked to the huge glass windows that overlooked the city. The clouds were grey and upset, and had been all morning, with no rain as of yet. The far away sounds of the cars and people on the street accumulated and blended together into an ominous hiss that mirrored rain. She thought maybe it had started. No such luck. Though glad not to have been caught sharing a moment with Bruce (in the time since, she'd undermined the experience to herself, boiling it down to no sort of moment at all), she was equally bored out of her mind here with Mr. Stark. To the point where she was looking forward to the weather changing.

"Cake makes it feel a little like a birthday party."

Darla thought about admitting she hadn't been to a birthday party in a long time. She held back, not wanting to give him any more ammo to judge her with. "Why don't you hire a party planner?"

"Because Nick insists on having the party here at HQ in case something does go down. I suppose it's better than dragging all our weapons and gear and such to Stark Tower. That exercise would feel especially silly if nothing ends up happening."

"Do you think something will?"

"I don't know. Fifty-fifty shot."

"You're not leaning one way or the other?" Darla felt a little sophisticated, talking to him without looking at him, observing the busy streets below.

"Sometimes I do, but, honestly, my mind is elsewhere. That's why you're here. To try and keep me focussed. I've hardly gotten anything done, but if I was alone I wouldn't have done a single thing." She was quiet. "Hey, I'm trying to say thank you over here. I know you'd rather be in the lab."

"You're welcome," she said. "And who says I'd rather be in the lab?"

"It's written all over your face. Doesn't take a genius-but it does help that I am one-to read you. You're not really here, you're wishing you were back there. Were you learning a lot from him?"

She looked back at him. The first raindrop slapped against the glass. "I felt useful."

"And you don't here?"

"Not really." The sky had darkened now, a progression that went unnoticed, and the lights from the streetlamps and cars were blurred by the misty, fresh rain.

"You can try to call the bakery for me if you want. Would that help?"

No answer.

"You're being plenty useful, like I said. At least I'm not sitting in this room alone, spiraling out of control."

Under her breath, she said, "Because your girlfriend doesn't want you anymore." She hadn't realized until those spiteful words passed her lips. She was still a little mad at him.

His mouth hardened. "What did you say?"

They were looking at each other when Jarvis spoke, causing Darla to jump. "Sir, Miss Lewis is here to see you."

"Lewis?" He said.

"Darcy," Jarvis replied, "she's coming in now."

As the AI had stated, Darcy whirled around the corner into the room. "Thank god!" She shouted.

"Thanks for knocking," he said.

"This place is all glass and shit, I didn't want to break anything."

"Darcy. What is it?"

She collapsed back on the couch, tucking her legs beneath her and setting her purse on an end table. "I'm bored." Darla and Tony stared at her for a second. "And I couldn't find Steve. I have his number but, god, I'm just trying not to be clingy. Playing it cool. And he's no good at texting still. Anyway, I was hanging with Thor and Jane for a while but they started getting all touchy-feely and not-so-politely demanded I leave."

"Why did you choose to come here? To your job? To my room?"

"I figured if I'm helping and doing work or whatever they can't fire me."

"Why would they fire you?"

"I don't know. Why would they? Have you heard something?"

Tony squinted at her, ever unsure of where she got all her energy from. "About you getting fired? No." He checked his phone, as he had compulsively every forty-five seconds he was able, and put it back in his pocket. "Anyway, good. You can help us plan for Friday."

"Us?" She looked around the room until she saw Darla. "Oh! Hey! Is that...Pepper?"

"Nope. That's Darla. You can tell she's a SHIELD agent by the uniform."

"Oh. Right. I just thought...Pepper is a redhead, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Tony said. "Jessica Rabbit is a redhead too."

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes and held her hand out to Darla. "I'm Darcy."

"Hi," Darla said, shaking her hand weakly.

"Why haven't we met before?"

"I'm new here."

"Come sit down so I can stop craning my neck." Darla joined her on the couch. "You must be brand new. Either that or, well, I'm not very observant. Might be my own fault."

"No, it's okay. I'm really, really new."

Darcy glanced at Tony. "Then how are you up here with him?"

"How are you?" Darla retorted.

In her most serious tone, Darcy said, "Obviously because we're sleeping together."

Darla went beet red.

"Don't say things like that," Tony chimed in, annoyed.

"Don't act like you haven't thought about it." She waggled her eyebrows. "Besides, I was just trying to figure out if you were sleeping with her."

"Definitely not," Darla assured. The words came out piled on top of each other.

"Don't act like you haven't thought about it," she repeated, eyebrows still going.

"Alright, cut it out. You're scaring her. She's already got one foot out the door."

Darcy took her heels off-something she might have thought to do before sitting-and pressed her toes onto Darla's thighs. She had on sheer black socks with a frilly lace hanging from the top. They covered her ankles. "Why's that?"

Darla moved her lips to say, I don't, but Tony cut her off.

"She was helping Bruce in the lab. That was a lot more fun for her."

"What?" Darcy almost sounded disgusted. "With Bill Nye the Science Guy? That can't be true."

"It is true," Darla came in on the defensive. A little too much so. She should've been glad there was a buffer to take all the attention off of her, but Darcy's high-energy approach to everything made her tense.

Darcy and Tony exchanged a knowing look.

"What? Bruce knows a lot. I'm sort of a geek, learning is fun."

Darcy beamed. "You're in love with him."

"Excuse me?" She looked to Tony for backup, not sure what exactly she expected.

"Well," he said, "are you?"

"No!"

Darcy sighed and made a shooing motion at Tony. "Go away."

"What? This is my room."

"Go. Away."

"You can't barge into my room uninvited and then-"

"I swear to god I'll scream. Fifteen minutes. Go get a cheeseburger or something. In fact, get a bunch and bring them back for us."

"Darcy…" Darla tried to object, feeling lumped in with her heavy-handed tone. Then her stomach grumbled.

"I came here to help out of the goodness of my heart! Once we've eaten we'll bang out this planning thing no problem. Scram."

Tony grabbed his raincoat out of the closet. "Fine. But I'm going because I'm hungry-not because you told me to."

"Sure thing!" He was out the door. "Bring fries, too!"

Darla stared at her aggressive new acquaintance.

"Okay," Darcy said. "What happened? Tell me everything."

"What do you mean?" Darla did have a story to tell-but she'd downplayed it so much in her own head that it didn't feel that way anymore. She also wasn't prone to share with complete strangers.

Darcy kicked her feet into Darla's thighs, smiling wide and playful. "Girl, I'm so bored. And stressed. I'm not used to stress. Just, I dunno, gimme something here."

"Who are you?"

"I thought I told you? I'm Darcy!"

"Right, but…"

"Oh! I work here too. I have a badge! Somewhere. Not technically SHIELD, I mean, they never gave me a jumpsuit like yours. I wish they would, though, because man oh man does that do wonders for your figure."

"Thank you…"

"If you don't like Bruce then tell me about another boy you like! Distract me from my own boy drama. I mean, actually, it's not really drama. Things are going too well, it's freaking me out. I'm used to drama. Drama is the only thing I'm good at." Darla watched her, expecting more to come pouring out of her mouth. "I don't want to talk about my relationship. Ugh. Listen to me. Relationship? You talk. You talk." Darla was still hesitant. "Talk!"

"I think I do like Bruce," she blurted under the pressure.

"Perfect! Details!" Nothing. "Details!" Nothing. "Details!"

"I think...uh, you're gonna keep this a secret right? I'm not really comfortable talking about it."

"Did you have sex with him already?"

"No! What? No! We haven't done anything." At least she thought so. Who knows what happened during the brief period of time where Loki stole her body. Neither girl knew that having their form borrowed by the trickster was a shared experience.

Disappointed, Darcy said, "Oh," and frowned.

Darla was overcome by a need to impress this loud, confident girl. "Yesterday I...well, we were working together. Sort of. I was talking to him about something. I thought we might...well, he put his hands on my face. I thought maybe he'd kiss me."

"He didn't?"

"That was when Tony came in."

Darcy was back to being excited. "Yes! This is what I live for. Then what happened? Tell me every single detail. Paint me a picture."

"Tony didn't see anything, and he pulled me to come help him with this party stuff."

"Oh, I'll do that! You should go back to the lab! Tell him how you feel!"

Darla was making the same uncomfortable face she had been since Darcy's arrival. "I don't know how I feel," she said, "and I shouldn't have told you any of that." She was powerless against Darcy's fast talking tactics. "Besides, I feel weird about it now." Bruce's cell number was sitting on her dresser at home. She'd picked it up and looked at it several times the night before, thinking on how she hadn't been touched with such sincerity in a long time. Possibly never had been.

"Embrace the weirdness!"

"I need to sort myself out. And finish helping Tony. Then we'll see, I guess."

"That is so catastrophically boring. Are you going to the party on Friday?"

"I haven't decided."

"Oh, you have to! You have to. It'll be an excuse to look great and feel great and show him how great you are!"

"It's also weird because we work together." Darla had been trying to inch away from Darcy's toes, but she kept extending her legs out more every time.

"So?" Darcy looked both ways like she was about to cross the street. "I'm sort of seeing Cap."

"Wait-you are?"

"Yeah. I've been working really hard not to bring it up but honestly it's the most interesting thing about me. And it's not a secret. Really. Tell everyone you know. Hey! If you go out with Bruce, we can totally go on double dates and stuff!"

"I guess we could," Darla said with a weak smile. Going on dates with Bruce, give or take other Avengers, felt too heavy and real to her. She didn't want her work life to be so complicated. If Eve hadn't escaped, hell, even if she still had but Glen had been there to see it, Darla would likely still be sitting in the surveillance room day to day, totally quiet, and far less troubled. Now that she thought about it, she wasn't sure she would choose that reality over the current one. Surveillance was boring, and she had no real knack for it anyway. Her mind tended to wander. Instead of being stressed about what would happen next, instead of thinking about how things would go wrong if her secrets were revealed to the wrong people-she decided to accept that maybe things were going exactly as they were supposed to.

Elsewhere

Eve woke up naturally around noon. Having slept for over ten hours, she was feeling a little stiff but well rested. She stretched her limbs before opening her eyes. Her leg brushed against a lump in the bed-Sasha, still sleeping beside her. The puppy whined and woke along with her, happy and sleepy and cute. She let herself sink into the mattress again, relaxing for a few minutes before getting up.

She wanted to look through Dana's closet and find something to wear, now realizing she'd slept in a swimsuit. However, if Loki had chosen to sleep in that room, she didn't want it to seem like she was looking for him, so she went to the kitchen first. She put some water into a bowl for Sasha, and then set to cooking eggs they would share. Relaxed but constantly listening for little sounds, she tried to figure out where Loki was in the house. She couldn't hear anything, so she thought maybe he was still asleep. Then again, it didn't seem at all likely that he'd sleep later than her.

After breakfast, she peeked into the master bedroom. The bed was still in disarray from when the couple had left it the night before. She found the closet and was overwhelmed by the options-none of which suited her in the least. While perusing, she looked at the bras available. They were all much too big for her. The idea of wearing someone else's underwear grossed her out momentarily. Then she was able to get past it, knowing the clothing was clean and temporary. In lieu of a bra, she found a tight tube top, layering a spaghetti strapped purple tank on top of it. She found a grey skirt hanging up on a clipped hanger. It was much too short for her taste, but when she looked at herself in the mirror, she felt good. How long had it been since she'd last done this? Even before Loki came into her life, she didn't often buy clothes because they looked flattering on her. She rarely tried things on. She knew her sizes and would pick out simple things from the sale rack. Shopping was one of her least favorite activities. Now, when she saw her figure in the back of the closet door, she was able to grin and appreciate her own beauty. Her legs were long and smooth, her waist was cinched and gave her a lean hourglass shape.

She grabbed some strappy sandals as well, in case she wanted to go to the beach or something. That thought was quite freeing. If she felt like it, she could stroll to the beach. Then she had a less fun thought-she didn't have any money. She couldn't exactly go to lunch somewhere or go shopping or take a taxi. She could go to the beach, but until she felt comfortable enough to ask Loki to acquire her some spending money, that was all she could do. For a moment, she was disgusted. She wondered if Dana had to ask her husband for spending money. She stashed the thought far into the back of her mind. They'd managed to steal a house and everything in it. What would she need spending money for?

On her way out of the bedroom, her eyes caught the jewelry box. It was open and rifled through, but not everything was gone. She pushed the little doors out and open wide, running her fingers along the necklaces hanging from hooks. One in particular, a silver necklace with a thin chain and a square diamond pendant, caught her eye. She took it off the hook and held the jewel in her palm before hooking it behind her neck. Knowing it wasn't hers, but that the owner wouldn't likely be back for it, gave her a twinge of happiness. Everything in the house, by default, was hers for the taking.

Her curiosity was piqued now. Was Loki still asleep? She wandered through the house under the pretense that she was looking at all the stuff. And she did do that. She admired decorations and paintings and furniture. After checking every bedroom, of which there were five-two downstairs and three upstairs, with one of them turned into an office, Loki was nowhere to be found. Eve walked through the door at the end of the hall on the second floor, into the balcony over the cove. The water in the pool was still and undisturbed. She touched her fingers to the railing and pulled herself in close to it, leaning over and feeling the vertigo. With concern for Loki, she'd jumped from this height into the water below. She couldn't imagine doing that now. The thought made her sick and scared. In the heat of the moment, though, it had been so easy.

It crossed her mind momentarily that Loki was gone for good. Never coming back. He'd left her alone to deal with the aftermath, all because she'd spurned him the night before. At this point she felt she knew him better than that. This was nothing more than a tantrum, and he'd be back when he calmed down. In the meantime, she had some well-deserved peace and quiet. If he really didn't come back, she'd deal with it that night.

She decided to go to the beach after the quiet house began to annoy her. Sasha under her arm, she walked out the back double doors and across the wide, covered patio. There was a path along the back grass that led to the sand. She followed it for a second before doubling back inside to find a floppy hat and some sunglasses.

The beach was smattered with people, all lazy in the fresh afternoon sun. Children built sandcastles up by the wet, moldable sand. Topless women were tanning here and there, face down and up with no care in the world. She'd taken a rolled up beach towel on her trip back inside, and scoped out a spot to set up.

To her right, there were fewer people. In fact, as she made her way down past the third couple she saw, there was no one left. She kept going until she felt secluded and calm. She set up her towel and laid down, closing her eyes and enjoying the heat. Every so often she'd open her eyes to make sure Sasha was still nearby. She entertained herself with small bits of driftwood and seaweed, occasionally climbing over Eve and begging to be played with. She was hard to say no to, so the fourth or fifth time those paws dug into her thighs, she relented at last.

"The midday sun may be too much for your skin, I hope you've brought sunscreen," said a voice behind her.

She turned, knowing she didn't recognize the voice but still hopeful. The man was tall, handsome and well dressed in tailored shorts and a collared tee. His dark hair curled into his eyes but was cut meticulously short on the back and sides. He was tan and muscular. She sat up and lowered her sunglasses, honestly taken aback.

"Is that why you wandered all the way over here?" She searched the beach in her general vicinity, still no one nearby. She hadn't seen him coming. In fact it made her suspicious. "To tell me that?"

"No, I'm taking a walk, that's all. I live up there." He pointed at the line of houses where Eve had come from.

"That's close," she said, not wanting to reveal she lived on that strip as well.

"It's a blessing," he said. "I'm serious, though, did you use any lotion or anything at all? I can tell you're not from around here, and-"

"Says who?"

"Well, your spanish is excellent, but it's obvious. You have no idea how to relax. Your muscles are all tight. If you were from here, you would be plenty relaxed."

She pursed her lips and looked out to the water. "You're right. I didn't use any sunscreen."

He took a tube out of the square bag that hung across his shoulders. "Allow me?"

"I'm not gonna let you put sunscreen on me." She glared at him, alarmed by this forward remark.

He laughed. "It's a spray. Stand up." She did and he coated her in a layer, telling her to close her eyes so he could do her face, and then spin around-at which point she hesitated. "I promise I'm not going to be leering at you, miss. You're not the only beautiful woman on this beach. Not to mention, you're wearing more clothes than most of them are." She spun around with an embarrassed smile and he finished spraying, taking extra time on her legs-at least that's how it felt. She rubbed the coating into her skin.

"Thank you," she said. "I always forget about that. I don't burn too easily."

"The sun here is unforgiving. It's a blessing and a curse. Do you mind if I sit with you?"

She thought about it. He was friendly and good-looking and the temptation was strong. She thought, however, she could benefit more from time alone. "No, thank you."

He looked disappointed. "Perhaps we'll run into each other again."

Loki had woken up hours before. He stopped by her room, looking in the open door to see her sleeping soundly with their puppy. Sleep had given him no comfort, and it hadn't come easy at that. He tried to be angry. Tried to curse her in his mind for turning him away. Even though rooted in his trademark quick temper and selfishness, those things were not enough to mask the fact that she was right. Had the time finally come that she wasn't scared of him? He no longer felt the need to threaten her. Now that they'd spent so much time together, done so much, it didn't feel appropriate to do away with her in a quick burst of anger. If he chose to end her life, which was still and would always be an option to him, he would want it to be personal now. Even in his pain-which he hated her for giving him-his thoughts hadn't quite come to that.

Rejection had always been a difficult thing for him to deal with. That was what came with growing up alongside a goldenboy. Adult life, and the maturity that should have come with it, proved no easier. To be born a prince but always treated differently was a discomfort he thought was resigned to his childhood. Maybe Odin never realized he was doing it. As an adult, he was able to make peace with a lot of the things he thought he deserved and wasn't getting. He was still far luckier than most others in his realm. In those days he would even admit that Thor was, though hot-headed and short-sighted, a more suitable choice to bear the responsibilities that currently belonged to Odin. Then he learned the truth about himself. Not really royalty. Not even the same race as his family, all he'd ever known. Since that day the thought had plagued him. How could anyone from his realm ever respect him? He was a member of a race they hated, were raised to despise and rival with. He came to this realm to feel in charge. To be respected. He couldn't even manage to earn the respect of a single mortal girl.

He found himself wanting to punish her for being so blind. For not being able to see that she should worship the very ground he walked on. He recalled her panic in the library when she'd woken up without him, and left the house. Of course he put up an aura around the place so that no one would disturb her. Before leaving, he took a tour through Dana's closet. Finding a dark grey suit he liked, he put it on and altered it to fit his figure. After allowing a few moments to admire himself looking dapper, he left.

In order to make it seem like he hadn't disappeared specifically to get a reaction out of her, he went out to close some loose ends. This way, he could come back claiming he'd gone out with a mission. He went to see Alicia, marching into her office despite Patricia's objections. She was with a client at the time, but her face lit up when she saw him.

"Mr. Howl! Oh, wonderful, yes! I was hoping you'd be back! Would you mind waiting just a few while I finish up here?"

"I would mind." He wasn't in a hurry, but he liked to be prioritized more than anything. He looked at the client, a stout man in a navy suit, and shooed him.

"Alicia, this is most inappropriate," said the man.

"Please, Mr. Howl, a few minutes, that's all," she extended her arm to the door in the hopes that he'd go out it.

"If I walk out that door, I'll be walking out the front door as well."

"Who died and made you king?" The man spat.

"No one," Loki said, "yet."

Alicia's mouth was pressed into an uncomfortable trying-to-be-pleasant smile. "Mr. Fenner, I'll set you up with my associate Linda. She can finish these contracts for you in no time, I promise. So sorry about that." She gathered up the papers and led him to another room in the building as he grumbled. He bumped his shoulder into Loki on his way out, earning a smile from the god.

Loki sat where he'd been until she returned moments later.

"I assure you we'd have only been a minute," she said on her way through the door, annoyed but trying to hide it.

"I'm sure. This way, though, I'm even more sure that you value my time."

She sat behind her desk and a smile broke through her cheeks. "I'm so glad to see you, honestly."

"Is that so?"

"I'm pleased to say that the house your wife took a liking to is back on the market." She flipped through her home binder, finding the page. It had a bright green post-it stuck to the side. "The previous buyers backed out days before they would have been locked into staying there."

"They did?"

"Yes! Isn't that wonderful?"

"I suppose," Loki said, playing it cool. "Though I can't help but wonder why."

Alicia's face hardened. She glared at her desk, trying to figure out the best way to phrase it. "They weren't satisfied."

"Yes. I would assume. Why not?"

"I can tell you, Mr. Howl, though it sounds worse than it is, I assure you. No previous owners of this home have complained of similar experiences."

"Experiences such as?"

She bit the inside of her cheek and fidgeted with the pen in her hand. "They claim the property is haunted. I suspect it's fabricated, honestly, and they were experiencing cold feet. In more ways than one. Rumor has it they're currently at the Cotton House Hotel," she paused for dramatic effect, "in separate rooms."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said. That was the other loose end he wanted to look into, but since he knew the couple had already made other living arrangements, he wasn't worried. His spell would keep them away from the house if they decided to come back for their things.

"Would you like me to set up a tour for you and Mrs. Howl? I have to get in there and clean it up a bit, but I'm sure I can arrange a walkthrough within the week."

"That won't be necessary."

She dropped her pen on the desk. "Why not? I thought you'd be pleased. Are you interested in looking for another property? Your wife might want to be here, she seemed quite...particular." Her hands flicked through the laminated pages, long nails tapping on the slick surfaces. Eventually she stopped and left it open to the page with the post-it. "I can find you something wonderful."

"No, thank you." He kept his mouth poised in an arrogant half-smile.

"Mr. Howl, I interrupted closing a deal to meet with you. I'll have to share my commission with Linda now. I thought you came here because you were interested in buying a house. Please, tell me how I can help you."

"You can help me by forgetting about this property. Don't sell it to anyone."

She laughed. "So you're saying you are interested in it?"

He leaned forward in his seat and took the house's detail sheet out of the binder. It came free of the metal rings as easily as if he'd been ripping a piece of loose-leaf paper out. "I won't be buying anything from you. And this property is going to stay off the market."

"Excuse me, sir," she moved to snatch the page back, but Loki held it away from her. "Mr. Howl, I don't understand why you're being this way. I'm afraid I don't have patience for it."

"Fair enough." He folded the page and put it in his pocket. "I'll see myself out. Before I do, though," he stood, "I want you to understand that I'm not joking. If you attempt to sell that property to anyone, I will destroy your business. I will tarnish your name and set fire to all these precious beauties," he held a tulip between his fingers, "one by one while you watch."

"You can't be serious. I have no reason to be afraid of you."

"Oh, that's not true. In any case, I'll take my leave now. Choose not to take me seriously and, well," he plucked the tulip and dropped it to the carpet, "you'll see."

He cast a spell on her that wouldn't take effect until much later. For the time being, she would be upset and consider calling the police. Later that night, she would have a nightmare, starring Loki and all of the things he threatened. As a result, she would listen to his warning and the house would remain off the market.

He made his way home then, feeling pleased that he'd have a place to be undisturbed indefinitely. Was that true, though? Could he plot and plan and scheme? Or were the distractions he'd brought with him too great?

Eve wasn't in her room, or in the house at all. Sasha was gone too. He panicked for a moment before fighting it down. He'd put a protection spell around the house, but not one that would stop her from leaving it. If he could find something of hers, he could cast a locator spell on it and find her no matter where she was. He struggled to think of anything in the house that belonged to her.

His thoughts spiraled through the possibilities. When she realized he was gone, maybe she'd run off. What was her plan if that was the case? Why had she gone along with stealing the house if she had no intention of staying? He wondered if her guilt regarding the incident ended up being too much for her to bear. Her performance the night before had been exemplary, but for some reason she refused to accept his praise. She didn't want to be herself in the way that he admired. Her execution of the haunting was better than he could have planned himself. Not only had she succeeded, she'd made it personal. She'd sought the destroy their union in the process. In her head, she may have justified that in thinking that they weren't right for each other. In one night with the couple, they couldn't really know if that was true. He thought that if he told her the couple were staying in separate rooms now, she may be sad about it. Her remorse and empathy would be the death of her-it was one huge thing they didn't have in common. She respected humans.

Suddenly he thought of the clothes he'd taken off her on the diving board last night. He went to them, taking the crumpled cloth in his hands and casting the spell right away. They glowed warmly, growing brighter and brighter to show she was close. He closed his eyes and saw her, on the beach-and she wasn't alone.

He teleported onto the sand past their backyard and headed onto the beach, still in his suit. The sun was blazing but he hardly noticed it, making his way across the sand until the pair were in sight. The man speaking to her was an impressive mortal specimen, it was easy to see even from a distance.

"I don't burn too easily." He heard her say this and honed in on her body language. It was guarded, but not as much as he would have liked to see. She was making a lot of eye contact.

"The sun here is unforgiving. It's a blessing and a curse. Do you mind if I sit with you?" The man was bold. Loki hated him, had already decided to hate him before he'd heard him speak a word, but it solidified now.

"No, thank you," she said. Good girl.

His disappointment was palpable. "Perhaps we'll run into each other again."

"I don't think so," Loki called out, still yards away from them.

They both turned to look. The man covered his eyes with his hand like a visor. His sunglasses were perched in his hair. Eve's mouth hung open in surprise, but she didn't say anything. Sasha scampered between Loki's legs.

"What are you doing talking to him?" Loki glared at the stranger.

"He let me borrow his sunscreen," she said.

"I didn't realize you had a boyfriend," the man offered.

"He's not my boyfriend."

"That's not the point," Loki said.

"I was just leaving anyway." The man held his hand out in a brief wave goodbye to Eve. "Nice to meet you."

Loki stood in the man's way.

"Look, friend, I was leaving before you showed up. I asked to join her, she said no. She doesn't even know my name, and I don't know hers."

"I'm not your friend."

"I can see that. I'm not too sure you're her friend, either."

"Hey." Eve got between them and pushed Loki away. He didn't fight her. "He's telling the truth, let him go." Loki's gaze was smoldering. She turned to the beautiful Spanish man and said, "Alright, move along, would you?" He left, and she distanced herself. She looked Loki up an down. "Don't you look nice."

"What are you doing out here? You left me no indication of where you were."

"You're one to talk, aren't you?"

Loki picked her towel up off the ground and started walking back toward the house. Sasha followed him.

"What are you doing?" She stood her ground.

"Let's talk at the house."

"No."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I came here to relax. I'll be damned if you're going to ruin that for me."

He laughed, annoyed, and picked up the dog, advancing on Eve then. She backed away from him until her ankles hit the foamy tide, where she stopped for a moment in surprise. This got him close enough to catch her wrist and teleport them into the kitchen.

"Damn it, Loki, god fucking damn it! Why is everything a power struggle? You're allowed to vanish into thin air, but I so much as go to the beach behind our house and you lose your mind! Sometimes I think you're even more of a control freak than I am."

He set the dog and towel down on the counter. Sasha promptly hopped in the sink. "I left to go to the realtor's office and keep this house off the market. I was doing it for us."

"I don't think I've ever heard you say that word before."

"Impossible."

"Either way, it's bull shit. You didn't do that for us. We could've done it together. You wanted to me worry about you. Guess I know you too well, now, because I knew better." He struggled to keep his emotions off of his face. "And if an attractive man on the beach wants to talk to me-what fucking business is that of yours?"

"It's my business because we're on the run. Or did you forget? Do you think we're in the clear yet? We've put space between us but one slip up and we're on their radar again. Do you think SHIELD is ignorant of happenings outside their home country? For god's sake, one of their top agents is Russian. Not to mention my brother and I aren't from this planet. They will be looking everywhere. That's why I don't want you talking to strangers."

Eve put her hands on her hips. "Oh, so it had nothing to do with the fact that that guy was a hunk? Or that he was interested in me?"

"He was only interested because of what you've got on. That skirt isn't any longer than a belt."

Eve smiled at this. "Oh."

"What?"

"You're jealous."

"I have no reason to be."

"Please! You got so territorial. At the speed of light."

"I was upset with you. I still am."

"Because I was talking to him? Because I left the house?" She tugged at the hem of Dana's skirt. "Because my skirt is too short?" He didn't answer. She hooked her thumbs into the waist of it and slipped it off her hips. She stepped out of it and handed it to him. Taken aback, he took it from her.

"Here's an idea. If you don't want me to go to the beach or talk to other guys, maybe you should say those things. And maybe you should be here when I wake up." She took her towel off the counter and turned to leave. "I'll be in the pool," she said.

His plan had failed him. Backfired in the most frustrating way possible. Not only had she not fallen for it, but she'd left him worried about her, even if it was just for a little while. He'd gotten brash and emotional and territorial-just like she said. He thought is was impossible that she knew him better than he knew himself-and it was. But she was learning. She was perceptive. Another thing he noticed-her confidence was growing. If he worked with her, he might be able to unlock a more permanent version of the aggressive girl he desired. He could mold her into more of a partner than a prisoner. She was already trying to do that herself.

Despite himself, he watched her walk away. The lacey, intricate underwear she'd put on caught his eye. The swing in her hips was deliberate. Regardless of his internal battle, he found himself thinking, Don't you look nice.

A/N:

Alright so I have no idea how I managed to write even more than the last chapter. I thought 6500 words was a complete fluke. But here you go, a 7500 word chapter. Just to put that in perspective, my earlier chapters were no more than 2500 words. 2500 was hard for me to hit, my goal was between 1700 and 2200 usually, so if they managed to be 2500 words I'd be ecstatic. After the fiftieth chapter, I bumped it up a bit. Anyway, the fact that I've uploaded two monster chapters (as far as my own work is concerned) this week is the equivalent of me uploading 6 chapters within a single week. Just saying :D The next chapter is going to have a scene I've been planning on for a long time. I know you guys will absolutely love it!