She hated him, that was clear, and what was also clear was that she was lying to him. Lies, lies and more lies, it seemed to be his entire life, and why in the hell was she revealing all sorts of highly irrelevant personal information to him? This rat smelled a rat.

Bella was cooking; something, some sort of human delicacy, with a towel over her left shoulder and shadows were playing in the corners of his eyes. They were SHIELD agents, armed SHIELD agents. After a while he probably wouldn't notice them, which was a little more frightening.

"What do you want, Loki?" She snapped, wiping her hands on the towel. He wasn't even that close to her, and that was a little shocking. Either she was far better than he thought or his own skills were slipping

"To know why you have been lying to me," he countered, standing behind her stoically.

She turned, "and what's my motivation again?" she bit back sarcastically, dropping the spoon back into the saucepan.

"Why are you telling me so much about yourself, if not to lull me into a false sense of security?"

"Who says it's false?" Bella quipped.

"Stop lying to me!" he shouted at her. He tried to summon up a fireball in his hand, he was just so angry, but no spark came. Then he tried a little ice, and his hand didn't even get slightly cold. His mood only became worse.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you," Bella turned back to her cooking, "Odin had you neutered," she tapped her earpiece, "yo, stand down, Bird."

And that was when he noticed a sniper positioned on the alternate rooftop with a composite bow made of carbon fiber, dressed entirely in black.

"So, you were ready to pick me off," he sneered, "how very human of you." She scowled but otherwise said nothing.

"Are you trying to make me feel guilty?" she asked, her voice was completely flat and honest, "because if you are, it will never work."

"Why are you lying to me?" he demanded to know again.

She never faced him, "It must be hard, to be the Devil," she sighed, "to know nothing but lies. No truth ever gets through, and so you do not know how to recognize it."

"What?"

She turned to face him again, "what I told you about New York, and my Purple Heart, that wasn't a lie," she sighed, "I'm going out on a limb, trusting you. Do you know why? It is because I need someone to talk to about it," she looked him in the eye for a second, "you haven't noticed how freaking mental I am? I act like a kid one minute and then I act like me again. Sure, I was over exaggerating the other day about Fury, but that was just my way of trying to say . . . something, I dunno." She spread her arms self-importantly, "We've gotta learn to trust each other, or one of these armed guys may end up shooting you in the face, and I will be responsible for that. It could start a war."

"Good," he said bluntly.

"No! I could just smack you," she tossed the towel to the floor, "when will you get it through your thick head that I am trying my best to help you? You're the dumbest smart person I have ever met! Sit down," she demanded.

"Not until I know-."

"You can't handle the truth!" she bit at him, "now sit down before I shoot you myself." The fiery glaze of her eyes told him he had better do it, and so he sat at the kitchen table in stunned silence.

She gave him a bowl of the soup she had prepared, "I'm trusting you, Loki. There are only a few people that know why I joined SHIELD, and only a few people I have ever shown that damn medal to. I trust you not to go ape shit and kill me. Trust me back."

"So says the woman surrounded by armed guards," he replied cynically.

"Who called off the Bird?" she asked, an eyebrow arched.

"If you really do trust me, why am I always stuck here?" Loki asked, a note of skepticism in his voice, "Could I go outside once in a while?"

"Eat your food," Bella sighed, "I'll think about it . . ."