Chapter 16
Maria hugged her arms around herself as Nick Fury led them through the Helicarrier, into the lab full of 'avengers'. She stiffened instantly as four new pairs of eyes locked on her, shrinking into herself at the attention. Not even Thor's reassuring hand at her shoulder could calm her.
"This is Maria Sorin." the director declared to the silent, staring team - albeit, most of them were staring at Thor, still in his armour and carrying his colossal hammer.
The weight of the stares seemed to pin Maria's eyes down to her folded arms, and she focussed on the throng of her heartbeat - anything to distract her from the team of super heroes! Even the one at her shoulder.
She screwed her eyes shut for a minute and tried to block out the world around her long enough to calm herself down. Her thoughts flew to home, to the cottage, to her friends, to sitting with Thor on the couch watching Titanic while she blushed like crazy...a small smile pricked at her lips and she found the courage to flicker her eyes upwards for a moment. Her heart dropped as she met the gazes of four super humans, instinctively turning to the director for help - only to find an empty space and a closed door where he'd once stood. Her mouth was open, eyes wide with panic as she turned front ways again.
"You're just in time for the party." a dark haired man with a bored expression said, as he wondered lazily to one of the high tech monitors. "Jarvis just finished digging up every last one of S.H.I.E.L.D's dirty little secrets."
Maria was still too frozen to react, eyes blinking at the stranger with the light shining though his shirt blankly.
"You are spying on them?" Thor asked for her.
"They're the spies." another dark haired man chipped in, stepping forward towards the couple, unfolding his crossed arms. "We're just cluing up on who we're working for. Bruce Banner," He offered a hand out to Thor, before noting the god's hands were busy with Mjolnir and Maria, moving on quickly. "Wild card of the team. That's Agent Natasha Romanov in the corner," glancing briefly over his shoulder at a red-headed woman sat on one of the table tops, leaning against the wall while she examined the gun in her hands, "Steven Rogers and Tony Stark. Working his magic."
The first man rolled his eyes over his shoulder from the monitor screen. "Like I need an introduction, Banner!" he scoffed. "I'm kind of famous, remember. The big tower with my name on it tends to give it away." His voice dripped with sarcasm.
A frown finally cracked Maria back to life. "Who are you?"
A blonde man that had to be Rogers laughed, rolling his eyes to Stark - who'd froze, snapping his intensely furrowed gaze to Maria. "Not as famous as you thought, huh, Stark?"
"What?" Stark ignored him, speaking directly to Maria. "Don't have civilisation back in England? No weapons? No TV? No newspapers? 'Cos I kind of dominate that here."
"Sorry." Her voice slightly shaky with apology, eyes round imploringly as her shoulders lifted in a stiff shrug. "Never heard of you." Her teeth gnawed anxiously on her lip.
The monitor bleeped, drawing Starks attention back though the frown remained etched in his features. "You know that accent is simply adorable." he said coldly and mockingly, tapping away at the technology that hung in the air. "Say something else, English."
"Watch your tone." Thor warned darkly before Maria could say anything back, his arm tightening protectively around Maria's shoulders, affirming his grip on Mjolnir's handle. "You know not who you speak to."
"Oh yes I do. I've got her profile up."
Maria's frown dug deeper than ever as she stepped clean out of Thor's arm, before catching herself and freezing halfway between him and Stark. "I've got a profile?"
"Seems you're a very important person Miss Sorin."
Maria ignored Banner, staring intensely at the arrogant genius at the monitor as his eyes rolled over the information. "But I'm nobody." She insisted, rather pathetically. "My dad was the important one, not me. I don't know anything."
"S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't see it that way." Stark let out a low, impressed whistle. "Quite the extensive background you have, Miss… Maria, was it?"
"That is none of your concern." Thor took control again, striding forward back to Maria's side, though this time he didn't move to claim her. Even without the contact, Maria could feel the Gods patience waning fast; his anger rolled off him in waves, making even her nervous. She hoped for his own sake that Stark would shut up before he pushed the God of Thunder too far. A fight wouldn't be a good start to her first day.
"I think it's everyone's concern if we're all going to be teammates, Hammer Boy."
Maria reacted fast, turning and flattening her hand on Thor's scaled armoured chest, freezing him as his hammer rose through the air. Her eyes glowered over his gritted teeth and blazing eyes, bearing into Stark murderously.
"Thor." She said quietly, letting out an inward sigh of relief when he tore his burning eyes down to her. He still held some control then, she thought. There was no way he'd hurt her, but it was the listening to her bit that she'd been concerned about. She moved her spare hand to his raised bicep and tried to entice it down, feeling the muscle ripple even through the toughness of his armour. His arm didn't budge. "It's okay." She crooned. "Let it go."
Shut up Stark, she willed desperately in her head, not daring to take her eyes off Thor to say the words aloud. Her body was tense as she waited, the silence in the room sharp and deadly. It felt like a lifetime, but finally Thor's arm slackened slightly under her touch. His chest was still taunt though.
She moved her hand from his chest up to his cheek, stroking the rough hairs of his beard tenderly. "Thor – let it go." She repeated. "He doesn't know what he's talking about. It's just a name."
Finally, she gauged a rational response from the god: "He insulted you also." He growled throatily.
English, Maria recapped in her head, thinking fast. "I don't care." She rushed. "Look at me, Thor, I don't care. Let it go. It's just a name. Please," she leaned her body in closer, glistening her gaze up at him. "For me."
That was it – her last card. Beyond that, she didn't think she'd be able to control him. She held his eye insistently, until – mercifully! – the fiery rage started to slip and his body began to relax. His arm lowered back to his side, his free hand moving up to claim Maria's at his cheek, peeling it down to his lips as his crystal blue orbs lost their stony edge. They were still far from happy though, a cold tint warning her that he wasn't going to simply forget what Stark said.
"For you." He eventually conceded, pressing her knuckles to his mouth one last time before he lowered it to his side (still holding it tightly) and opened up the to the rest of the room again. His eyes glowered over Stark. "Have care how you speak." His voice was low and dangerous. "I do not favour those who insult all I care about."
Stark simply arched a mischievous eyebrow, and Maria rolled her eyes. Did this guy have no sense at all?
Thankfully, he turned his attention back to the screen. "Hammer Boy know all this?"
Maria's hand tightened around Thor's, although the pressure from his grip was already crushing her fingers. "I'd be careful with the names if I were you. And yes, he knows. I don't have anything to hide."
"Sure about that?" Stark raised an arrogant eyebrow. "Parents?"
"Common knowledge."
"Abusive brother?"
"Dealt with." she thudded her head against Thor's hard arm.
"Are you done yet?" Thor snapped angrily, his face like thunder as he advanced a dangerous step, pulling Maria with him.
Maria's mind flashed warningly; Thor was losing his last strings of patience fast. His vice like grip around her hand told her that! She could see the knuckles on the hand clutching Mjolnir gleaming a dangerous white. She hoped for Stark's sake he ended his little game fast.
Stark didn't even glance at him. "Not quite." his blue eyes glinted in Maria's direction. "2003? 2005?"
Maria's mouth opened instinctively to dismiss it, but she froze as she actually listened. 2003. Her mind remembered, thinking back with dread. 2005. Her heart dropped to the floor, the colour draining from her face as she realised exactly what Stark was referring to. "No!" she blurted recklessly. She checked her voice as Thor's sharp eyes finally tore from Stark to her. Her cheeks flushed slightly, refusing to take her eyes off of Stark. "Not that."
"I thought you said Lover Boy knew everything?"
Thor didn't even seem to hear the name, his frowning gaze riveted to Maria. "Not that." She breathed urgently, praying Stark could read the seriousness in her eyes and tone.
"What is it?" Thor demanded.
Maria could feel his gaze on her but she didn't trust herself to answer it. Don't tell him, she urged Stark in her head. Don't say it. I don't want him to know. Thor was angry as it was, and now she was pushing her own boundaries by frustrating him more, denying him what he wanted to know. She didn't care; she'd rather he be mad at her than know the truth.
"Please." She pleaded when Stark showed no sign of letting up.
"Stark." Rogers glanced at Maria, and then to Thor, nervously. Maria hoped Stark would listen to his team mate.
"Well, why not?" the arrogant man eventually shrugged, making Maria feel sick. "Well you trust him, right, and he knows everything, but you won't tell him this. Bit odd don't you think?" He flickered his gaze up to Thor. "Why do you think she's keeping secrets from you?"
Thor simply gritted his teeth in response.
Maria's heart raced, her breaths heaving slightly with panic. Stark was pushing Thor again; that wasn't good. Her round eyes gleamed imploringly as Stark jabbed a finger at the monitor.
"You don't think he deserves to know?"
"It's not that-" Maria started urgently, feeling Thor tense beside her.
"You don't trust him?"
"No, I just-"
"'Cos if my girlfriend had this lurking in her past, I'd want to know about it."
Maria rambled, desperate to say anything that might deter Stark: "It wasn't a big deal! I didn't mean it!"
"Maria?" Thor's voice was hard.
"Didn't mean it?" Stark raised his voice accusingly. "That's not what the records say."
Maria's eyes flickered terrified to Thor, catching his frowning blue gaze for half a heart stopping second. Oh god, she gasped in her head, feeling her body start to tremble slightly. Her head span sickeningly, but she clung to consciousness with everything she had. Fainting wouldn't protect her past. He was going to find out, she realised with knee weakening horror.
Stark turned back to the monitor. "You wanna know what happened in 2003 and 2005, Lover Boy?"
"Stark!" Maria shrieked frantically.
He ignored her: "Your little Maria tried to kill herself!" he declared loudly, stopping Maria's breaths and silent sobbing instantly. "Your precious little Maria tried to take her own life, twice, and damn near succeeded!"
The world froze for a pain staking moment, Maria's heart stopping harshly as if Starks revelation had shut it down. She felt like ice inside as her wide eyes rolled tantalizingly slow over to Thor. His face was ashen, his crystal blue orbs absolutely rigid with shock. His jaw dropped open, and Maria could feel his gaze scour over her body, feeling every touch of disbelief, hurt and betrayal stab into her with a fury.
She couldn't take it.
A whimper escaping her lips, she tore her hand from Thor's numb grip and ran to the door.