Chapter Twelve

"Tony,"

"Pepper," Mr Stark replied in the exact tone of voice Pepper had used. Pepper cleared her throat and began again.

"Tony, I have some guests over,"

"Oh yeah?" Tony asked. It was early Monday morning, and he stayed late into the night at Stark labs trying to decide what he was going to do. Steve's shield and Clint's bow had both been found, stacked neatly together in a locker in a gym four hours from the camp they had last been spotted at. Whether the two of them had stayed together or split up was a mystery.

Tony had fallen asleep in an empty conference room at around three or four that morning and had been shaken awake by Natasha at around seven. He was tired and had a headache from lack of sleep, and really just wanted to have a proper cup of coffee and escape to a long warm shower.

"Yeah," Pepper continued, "In the living room." Tony glanced up at Pepper, eyebrow cocked. What was she up to?

Tony followed his anxious girlfriend into the living room to be met with the last group of people he would have expected. Thor was seated on the couch in between Jane and Eric Selvig. Across from them, Vision occupied the armchair Tony normally favored. Perched on the arm of the was Wanda.

"What?" Tony's eyes danced across the cast of characters Pepper had collected. "What's going on? Is this some kind of intervention?"

"Kiiind of," Pepper answered, slinking over to the doorway Tony had just walked through, blocking his nearest exit.

"It's too damn early for this," Tony groaned, striding past the living room to the kitchen area of the open-floor plan room. He was pleased to see that someone, probably Pepper, had already brewed a pot of coffee. He fixed himself a cup, feeling eyes on his back the whole time. When he turned, Jane, Thor, Selvig, Vision and Wanda, quickly looked away. Pepper held his gaze and nodded to the open space on the love seat.

Tony obligingly sat down, taking a long sip of hot coffee. He glanced expectantly at Pepper. Jane, however, cleared her throat and began.

"I reviewed your analysis of the radiation from Apex Gold," She began.

"What?!" Tony asked, surprised. "That information wasn't released. How-?" Pepper smiled slyly from the doorway where she still stood.

"I-I'm sorry if you didn't want me to," Jane pressed on, looking to Thor for reassurance. He nodded her on.

"But, I did." Jane continued, leafing through the papers she had stacked on her lap. "And well, it's a good thing, too because, well, uh, you were wrong."

Tony glanced, unimpressed between the faces staring him down.

"I'm pretty sure I'm not," Tony said, reclining into the love seat and sipping his coffee. Was that what this whole thing was about?

"Yes, you are," Selvig chimed in. "I double checked Jane's results, she's right."

"I can see where you overlooked some of the wave patterns," Jane went on, selecting a few papers from her stack and passing them to Tony. "It's a simple mistake, something anyone who isn't well versed in the field would miss," She went on, as if this would make Tony feel better. He accepted the papers from her and stared down at the calculations she had made. He started at the first line and started skimming down the rest, got lost, and started at the top again. This was complicated, even to him. He made it about halfway down the page before he realized he wasn't processing it again.

"It's too early for this," He repeated, setting the papers to the side and taking a deep drink of his coffee. "But if you both have reviewed it-"

"We have." Selvig and Jane said in unison.

"Then, alright, I admit defeat." Tony sighed heavily. Today was going to be a long day.

Alessia woke up snuggled in the crook of Loki's arm. The sky was still pale outside, as the trees flew past the opening in the train car. It was chilly, but not as cold as it had been the night before. More likely, Alessia wasn't as affected by it because she'd slept since sunset. She stretched her legs out in front of her, cramped from the way she'd slept. Loki was still asleep next to her, and although he didn't put off any body heat, the place where she'd been resting against him was still warm, so she leaned back into him.

She was wondering what time it was when she remembered she could just check. She slid the phone out of her pocket, and was surprised to see that there was a new text. Probably advertising an app or something, Alessia thought. But no. The text simply read: "Hey, whats up? :)"

Interesting. It might have been a wrong number. Or possibly someone had managed to find the number of the phone she'd bought after seeing her in mall security footage. Was she being paranoid? What if it was Clint somehow? What if it was aliens, national security, or Tony Stark? Alessia considered everything she knew about tracking phones. In T.V or movies you have to stay talking to someone for a few minutes to trace where the call is coming from, but she knew that some smart phones could be traced if they just had a few bars. Should she ditch the phone?

No, she decided. She wouldn't. If someone were tracing her, it was already too late. If it were Clint, she definitely wanted to keep hold of the phone. If it were a wrong number, which it very likely could have been, then there was no harm.

Alessia punched in the reply: "Nm, you?"

She expected to wait a few minutes, but only a second later, new text arrived.

"Pretty good, but worried about you. :( what happened?"

Alessia thought carefully about what she was going to say, before typing: "I got ditched."

She waited a moment. The reply took only a few seconds. "Yeah, I heard about that. Are you O.K? What happened after that?"

Alessia almost laughed. No, she really wasn't okay. This situation was super not okay. But she wasn't hurt, and she didn't want Clint to worry about her. If she was even texting Clint. She reviewed the texts. She didn't really get much opportunity to text Clint where they lived, because the signal was such crap in the country, so she didn't know if he was the type to use emoji's or punctuation. She couldn't be sure who she was talking to at all.

Loki shifted a little bit next to her. He would probably wake up soon. Alessia typed a quick response that was vague, misleading, but also true: "I met a guy ;)"

Loki groaned next to her, and Alessia stuffed the phone back into her pocket. Something told her he wouldn't like it if he found out she was texting someone.

"Morning," Alessia said, as Loki groggily stumbled into consciousness.

"Morning," He replied. He yawned and stretched his arms "How long have you been awake?"

"Not long," Alessia said. She got to her feet and walked to the open end of the train car.

"I think we're getting close to a city." She said, squinting into the dawn. She could see the outlines of tall buildings, tall enough to be considered skyscrapers, in the direction they were headed. In her pocket, she felt the phone vibrate. A new text message. She ached to check it, see what the response had been. But Loki's eyes were on her.

"Should we wait until we get there to try and get off?" Loki asked. He had joined her by the entrance, but unlike Alessia, who had a hand on the side of the open door, he was standing inches from the edge holding nothing for support. Alessia was struck with the urge to shove him out of the car. The train had gained speed since they had jumped on yesterday and the ground outside was speeding past them.

"Yeah, I guess so. I need to eat something." Alessia said. She headed back into the depths of the car and sat down against the wall again. She emptied her other pocket, the one filled with the money left over after the phone and the burgers yesterday. Eight dollars and seventy six cents.

"You don't happen to have any money, do you?" She asked, looking up at Loki, bills and change clutched in her hands.

He shook his head. Alessia bit her lip. "This really isn't a lot," She said, carefully folding the bills over the change and tucking them into her pocket again.

"Don't worry about it," Loki said. Alessia looked up at him dubiously. Loki held his hand out, and a shimmering of gold flickered in his palm, leaving behind a roll of money in his hand as it faded.

"Woah!" Alessia reached out to take the bills from Loki. But her hand passed right through the roll of cash and it dissolved, leaving her hand placed in his open palm. Loki closed his hand around hers and pulled her to her feet.

"I'm the god of trickery and mischief, I think I can take care of it."

Alessia was still staring at his hand, now holding hers in a gentle grasp

"Was it real?" Alessia asked.

"An illusion," Loki replied.

"Is that how you fooled that guy? In the parking deck?"

"It is." Loki said, simply. The phone in Alessia's pocket buzzed again. She dropped his hand and crossed her arms, looking back out the train car. Alessia really wanted to get to the city, get out of this car, and eat something. She was also eager to see what the last two texts said. Hopefully there would be some clues about who she was texting. At least she could hope there was some confirmation that she wasn't getting texts from a wrong number, and that it was someone she knew.

"Are you alright?" Loki asked.

No! Alessia wanted to scream. No, you creep, how can I be okay, I'm starving in a train with YOU!

"Yeah," Alessia said with a sigh. "I'm just feeling kind of weak. I'm pretty hungry."

Alessia didn't have to wait too much longer for the train to take them close to the city. They passed under a tunnel and when they came out of it the signs of industry littered the landscape. The scene outside was of a gravelly junkyard full of old cars and computers. The picture was completed with an abandoned warehouse in the distance. Alessia was much more nervous about jumping out than she had been about getting on. For one, the train was moving a lot faster, and for two, the ground they would be landing on was gravel.

Although Loki offered Alessia his hand before they jumped, she denied it. Not because of any personal reason, but she simply thought that it would be safer to jump individually.

"I'll go first then, shall I?" Loki asked. Alessia crossed her arms and took a step back. "Be my guest," she said.

Loki stood apprehensively at the edge of the train car, seemed to take half a moment to prepare, and then dove off the edge.

He's gone. Alessia thought.

I could keep going, stay on the train, stay by myself. Stay safe.

The idea wasn't a bad one, and for a whole three seconds Alessia stood in the zipping train considering it. Then her stomach growled and her vision got cloudy. Eight dollars is not going to feed me for very long.

She stepped back for a running start and ran full speed for the open door.

She realized her mistake immediately. She hadn't checked to see where she would land before she jumped.

The was flashing quickly in front of her. Everything seemed to be made of textures and sensation. She had landed on her hands and knees so hard that they were tingling to the point of numbness, but she could see the shiny, glossy red seeping out of them onto the rusted tangle of razor wire. The gravel was swirling and jumping around, the repeating pattern of the grayish rocks made her feel dizzy and disoriented.

She didn't move, she didn't get up. Her knees were stinging. She felt a wetness on her calves that told her her that her legs were bleeding. Her breath was ragged and the noise of the train was grinding in her ears. I can't goddamn believe this. Alessia thought. There are aliens and feds and superheros and I go and screw myself by jumping onto fucking razor wire.

"Alessia!"

Alessia ran her tongue along the roof of her mouth. It was dry. Very dry. The pain in her hands and knees was starting to hit her. Her fingers were throbbing so hard that she could actually see blood gush out each time.

"Oh, Alessia." Loki sucked in air sharply through his teeth.

Alessia squeezed her eyes shut.

"I don't wanna look at it." She said. Her voice was shaky. "Is it bad?"

"It is. Don't worry we'll fix it. Here, just stand up slowly." Loki's hands were gently grasping Alessia by the waist and pulling her to her feet.

Alessia kept her eyes closed. She felt a rush of cold flood her body, and didn't feel like she could stand up very well. She staggered in Loki's grasp, almost falling over. She felt her feet leave the ground in a swift motion.

Alessia blinked. Loki was holding her bridal style, and she could see her knees. Blood soaked through her blue jeans dark and cold. Everything was extremely cold. Her hands felt cold, her lips felt cold, and she was starving to the point of feeling queasy and faint. When Loki started walking, the jostling motion made her feel like she was going to throw up. Her hands hurt the most. She couldn't look at them. She was afraid to move her fingers lest she disturb the skin and make it worse. She was seeing little white flecks in her vision and she wasn't sure if it was from shock, pain, or fatigue.

How long had Loki been carrying her? Could have been seconds or hours. Alessia felt high from the endorphins and lightheaded from hunger. Loki set her down carefully on some grass. He stood to leave and Alessia felt a rush of panic.

"Don't leave me, please don't leave me," She said. She hadn't meant for the words to sound so weak and pathetic.

"I'm not going anywhere," Loki said gently, kneeling beside her. Alessia blinked furiously, trying to see him. She forced her eyes to focus on Loki's figure. He smiled reassuringly to her.

"I have to get some wood, love, to make you better," Loki said softly. I won't be gone long, I promise."

Wood? Better? Alessia's thoughts were scattered. All she could think of was that she didn't want Loki to leave. She was in so much pain that it felt white hot, but her body was shivering cold. She would probably bleed out and die if he left her alone.

"I'll be right back." Loki said. Alessia heard the words and his feet moving on the grass, but they echoed in her head like it wasn't real. This was a dream, it had to be a dream. Footsteps were growing fainter. She was alone.

Alessia had half a thought to take out the phone and call someone. But one twitch of her hands sent piercing daggers of pain through her palms, fingers, even up to her elbow.

"I told you I'm not good for this…" She whispered. She felt like crying, but she was too tired. Her hands hurt so, so much.

"I told you I'm not any good at this." Alessia said. She was standing in Clint's backyard. She was eighteen. She had a raw egg cradled in her hands, a sticky mess.

"I've seen you do it." Clint assured her. "Just before you actually get a flame going, you glow kinda red like your skin is hot."

"Yeah, but-"

"We've made so much progress, don't you want to be able to make the most of your powers?"

"So I can cook eggs?!"

"I don't even like eggs that much."

"Eggs?"

Alessia was laying on the ground. Loki was sitting about two feet away. He was doing something, but had stopped to turn around to look at Alessia.

"Clint. Making me make eggs. I don't even like them. My legs hurt. Do you have any water?"

Loki edged over to Alessia to peer down at her. He felt her forehead with his palm and then put two fingers on her neck for a pulse. Then he squeezed her shoulder and said softly: "We'll get something for you to eat soon, darling. After we fix your cuts. Just give me another moment to start a fire."

Loki moved away again and Alessia looked up to the sky.

It was a whitish grey, because it was overcast, and it was still very early in the morning. A grating, grinding noise filled the air. Alessia squirmed against the grass, trying to feel the ground supporting her body, but she mostly just felt like she was floating.

Actually, eggs aren't so bad. Alessia felt like she was spinning gently from side to side. Eggs are delicious when they are scrambled. Especially when you have them with pancakes. And syrup kinda gets on the eggs. The spinning sped up. Alessia felt dizzy. I'm so hungry.

Alessia sat up, leaned over, and vomited.

There wasn't very much in her stomach, so not much came up. She wiped her mouth on her shoulder because she couldn't use her hands. She shivered. She felt more aware of what was going on now. Loki was lighting a fire with some dry leaves and sticks. The smell of smoke hit her nose. He got a fire going by rubbing two sticks together? Damn.

Alessia would have crawled over to sit next to him, but she couldn't use the front of her calves. She swallowed, smacking her lips and trying to get the taste of stomach acid out of her mouth.

"I'm an idiot."

Loki turned around. "Are you feeling better?" He asked.

"There's even a saying 'look before you leap.'" Alessia said. "I'm such a fucking idiot."

Loki smiled kindly to her from over his shoulder. "I should have made you come with me. Muspelians don't do well when they haven't eaten, and I know that. This is really my fault."

"Oh, shut up." Alessia said. "I am really hungry, and I think I'm gonna need stitches or something." Loki was carefully adding bigger sticks to the small fire he had made.

"Stitches?" Loki asked.

"Yeah, for the cuts." Alessia said. She risked a quick look at her hands. They were too covered in blood for her to see much, which was actually better for her. Alessia didn't mind seeing blood, but torn up flesh? That was hard to look at.

"No, Alessia, that's what the fire's for." Loki said. He turned around again to give Alessia a confused look. Alessia just blinked at him.

"To heal you. Did.. did you not know that fire heals you?"

Alessia furrowed her brow. "No, but it doesn't." She said. The fire Loki was working on was starting to burn properly. "I had a twisted ankle one time, even after I set my whole body on fire."

"You mean, you used your powers to set yourself aflame?" Loki asked. He had turned back to the fire, adding the biggest logs he had gathered.

"Well, yeah-"

"It doesn't work like that. It has to be a foreign fire. Not one from your own body. Here."

Loki stood up and lifted Alessia again, this time setting her inches away from the fire. He took her forearm gently in his grasp and led her hand into the flames.

The fire felt soothing. The pain in her hand ebbed away. Alessia flexed her fingers. They were still coated in blood, but when she drew her hand back, it seemed to indeed be healed. She immediately stuck her other hand in, and shifted herself to put her lower legs in. Her jeans went up in flames, but the sickening pain in her legs drained away.

Alessia patted the singed denim with her now-healed hands. Thank god I met him. Alessia thought. I would never have known.

"Thank you." Alessia said. Turning her eyes to Loki. "Now, can we try and find some food please?"

It took them half an hour to walk, but only because Alessia was still lightheaded and woozy from hunger. The first place they arrived was a gas station, but Alessia didn't even care that they didn't really serve food. Alessia wanted to go pick out all the bear claws and funyuns she could carry, but Loki softly said: "Perhaps you should get cleaned up?"

Alessia's hands were still bloody, and her pants were burnt off from the knee down. She grudgingly obeyed his wish, even though upon entering the gas station she looked down to see herself clean and clothes intact.

"Just buy all the snacks. All of them." She said to Loki, heading over to the restrooms. "And water," She called over her shoulder. Loki smiled and bowed his head. Alessia pushed the bathroom door open with her shoulder, and once she was inside, the illusion wore off.

First she had to scrub her hands. She also splashed water on her face and the back of her neck for good measure. Then she wet some paper towels and started cleaning up her legs. That was much harder. Bloody water started leaking into her socks. Once most of the blood and soot was gone she patted them dry. Then she wiped down the bathroom, even more thoroughly than she had her hands. She might be faint and queasy, but she did not need to be leaving a trail of blood in random gas stations.

Alessia was about to return to the gas station to eat whatever Loki had bought, when she remembered: the texts.

She slipped the phone out of her pocket. There were two new texts, the ones she couldn't check from earlier. The first one said: "Whats he like? Is he nice?" And the next one said: "Do I know him?"

It took Alessia a minute to remember what she had last texted. Right, that I met a guy. What IS Loki like?

After a moment of consideration, remembering that she had no idea who she was talking to, she punched in a reply. It said: "I think you probs know him, but youve def heard of him. nICE is one way to describe him. He's like doctor who :P"

There. Alessia thought. Simple. Frost giant, Alien, British accent. Perfect.

When Alessia left the bathroom, Loki was already at the checkout. Alessia let out a snort.

"Oh, Jesus, I didn't mean literally."

The poor cashier was dolefully scanning the mountain of snackfoods Loki had collected. Alessia joined him at the register. "You can go ahead and stop," She said. The woman listlessly dropped her hands. Alessia giggled as Loki artfully gave the cashier the forty dollars and some odd cents the bill had come to. She almost couldn't resist tearing into the little debbies, which sat on the top of the pile, but Alessia made herself wait until she and Loki had exited the gas station to stuff her face.

"You know, we can go to a real restaurant." Loki said. Alessia was sitting on the pavement, back leaned against the bricks of the gas station they had just left. The clouds overhead had grown dark, and threatened rain. She knew she was eating embarrassingly fast and that it was all junk, but it tasted so good. She chugged water and threw the wrappers on the ground and pulled the next item out.

"You bet your ass we are," She said through a mouth of cheetos. "You're gonna take me somewhere with pancakes and eggs."

"I thought- oh nevermind." Loki said with a sigh, sitting beside Alessia. He pulled a packed of teddy grahams from the bag. "May I?"