Lucy woke up and rolled over on the couch. She had stayed the night at Roxie's, just as they used to when they were younger. Lucy was always afraid of sleeping alone, and on particular nights she would sleep at Roxie's.
But that was years ago. Back when Lucy was only eighteen and left with absolutely nothing except her parents' will. She would often have terrible nightmares and was consoled at the thought of someone else sleeping not too far away.
But Lucy had grown up from then. She learned to deal with her grief and stress through painting, which had always been a therapeutic medium for her. She would spend her restless nights in the studio apartment and inhale the smell of turpentine. Immediately, she felt her muscles relax, and she would be lulled back into a sense of security.
The door to the living room from Roxie's bedroom cracked open and Roxie peered out. When she saw Lucy was awake, she opened the door wider and entered the living room.
"Oh, you're awake already. Thought you would've slept in a little," Roxie said. Lucy shrugged and tossed the blanket off her legs.
Lucy was still exhausted, but she no longer wanted to sleep. She was tired of resting and sleeping and daydreaming. She had spent the better part of a month in a fog because of the man in her dreams.
But now he was real.
Lucy wasn't sure why she saw him in her dreams, but she could only assume it was an extension of her powers. Perhaps her body was trying to tell her something or prepare her for the meeting. Lucy was sure if she had met him on any given day and not have seen him in her dreams, she would've rejected him. She didn't even know him, but she had given him her number, she had said yes to a date.
That wasn't like Lucy. It was reckless, it was impulsive, and it was practically idiotic. And even though Lucy didn't know him, her body did. Her subconscious was trying to tell her something, and Lucy decided it was time to listen.
Because the last time she ignored her subconscious, she lost her entire family.
"You want some coffee?" Roxie asked as she held a hot mug up in the air.
"Sure," Lucy said with a smile. Lucy tied her hair up and walked over the kitchen counter. Roxie placed a mug in front of her, and Lucy took a long gulp. The coffee burned her tongue and slipped down her throat, filling her stomach with warmth.
"So what did you think of Steve last night? Really handsome right?" Roxie gushed as she placed her coffee on the counter.
"Yeah, he was nice," Lucy shrugged.
Lucy did think Steve was very handsome as well as kind. And perhaps if she had not met the man of her dreams, literally, last night, she would have been perfectly interested in Steve.
But no one came close to William. He was intriguing and handsome – the most handsome man she ever laid eyes on. There was a peculiar air around him. He seemed to almost glide through the air as if he were from some other planet entirely.
"Nice? All you have to say is that he was nice? Jesus Lucy, if a God came down and asked you on a date, you'd say 'No thank you.' I swear, you are the most pious fucker I've ever meet," Roxie joked.
Lucy chewed on her lip and looked down. Part of her wanted to tell Roxie, but the other part told her to keep it a secret. Roxie would be shocked if she knew Lucy had opened herself up to a man she didn't know.
Roxie's eyes grew into two small slits. She raised one of her blonde eyebrows and gave Lucy a look.
"You're keeping something from me," Roxie said, with a bit of skepticism in her voice. Lucy shook her head in a panic and took another long sip from her coffee mug.
"Lucy, you better spill right now," Roxie commanded her. "Did you meet someone?" Roxie exclaimed.
Lucy snorted a bit of coffee up and tried not to spit all over the place. Lucy coughed a bit and regained her breath. Sheepishly, she nodded her head.
"And you didn't tell me? What's his name? How old is he? What does he look-"
"His name is William. I'm not sure how old he is, but he really is handsome. He has this dark hair, that's always slicked back, but not in a creepy way. And he's so tall, he looms over me…but the best thing about him is he eyes. They're like this really deep green," Lucy gushed. She blushed just thinking about him.
"And how did you meet this guy?" Roxie asked.
Lucy paused for a second, but quickly came up with a lie.
"He's a client of mine. I'm painting a portrait for him," Lucy lied, her tongue stinging with guilt. But Roxie couldn't know about her dreams.
For as long as Lucy had known her, Roxie had been adamantly against the existence of the supernatural. Roxie hated ghost stories or those shows about psychics. She thought it was a "bunch of crap". So Lucy thought it best to keep her abilities to herself.
"So that's why you were spending so much damn time at the studio! Jeez Luce, you should've told me…" Roxie trailed off. Lucy could see Roxie felt a little upset at Lucy's lack of honesty, which made Lucy feel even more guilty than before.
"I'm sorry Rox, but I wasn't really sure if it was even anything to tell you about," Lucy told her.
That had been partially true. The entire ordeal started with her dreams. Lucy never imagined she'd meet William in real life. She still couldn't wholly believe it.
"Well, what made you sure?" Roxie asked.
"He asked me to go out for dinner," Lucy confided, her face growing hot. Roxie squealed and almost fell off the barstool. Roxie giggled like a girl normally did when she found a bit of good gossip.
The rest of the morning followed suit. Lucy told Roxie every fictional detail about how they met and how he asked her for dinner. She felt absolutely wretched, but knew it was for the better.
Lucy left Roxie's apartment and headed to her own. She showered quickly and changed into a blue shirt and jeans. She slipped on a pair of boot with fur on the inside. Winter was really starting to pick up, and Lucy didn't want to get sick. She pulled a jacket over her arms and grabbed her briefcase. She had a new found inspiration in her painting of William, and needed to paint. Her fingers were itching with anticipation.
Lucy eagerly left the apartment and headed toward the studio.
Loki had been scoping out SHIELD for the better part of a day. He knew he needed a way to infiltrate the headquarters without physically being present. Seldom, mortals would enter and exit the building. But Loki wasn't sure who they were, or what their standing in SHIELD was. He needed someone who had direct contact with information. There was no time to make a mistake.
Loki thought back to the previous night. He had seen with his own eyes one of those "Avengers". Those miserable wretches intent on ruining his plan. Didn't those idiots understand Loki was here to serve a glorious purpose? That without him the Earth would crumble from plagues, from wars…
And even though he had only spotted one, he could bet the rest were hidden throughout the city.
And then Loki thought of Lucy. How he had almost lost her to SHIELD. He was certain if the organization had found out about Lucy, they would be quick to seize her. Even they weren't moronic enough to ignore the possibilities his little bird had. She could be molded into the world's greatest hero, or its biggest threat. She had an uncanny purity in her heart, and the naiveté to blindly trust. She could be tainted just as easily as she could be cleansed. Because how could anything destroy her if she could devoid them of all power? If she could control what they felt - make them feel destitute, powerless, alone. And not only, take away their strength, but absorb it, make it her own…
Conversely, she could give power to whomever she wished. She could extract her own power, or power she had absorbed from other. In other words, she was a vessel of power. Similar to another creation that many beings vied for; the Tesseract.
Her body was a shell for her soul, and that was all. And Loki felt at liberty to treat it in such a way.
If Loki could get his hands on both Lucy and the Tesseract, not a single damned soul could stop him. Loki was also aware that without Lucy, he had a much smaller chance of getting the Tesseract. And so, he would call upon her tonight. He would put on the face of William Eccleston; an honest gentleman intent on making Lucy happy. To please her in any and every way possible. And even though he would grit his teeth the entire duration of the night, he would be reminded of its worth.
Loki was about to give up on his surveillance when a man exited the building. Quickly, many others followed him with an air of urgency. He walked with a sense of pride and an air of importance. Loki grinned with mischief and decided that man would be the one he would infiltrate.
With a swipe of his hand, Loki planted a little seed in the man's head. Whenever he would come near the SHIELD headquarters, Loki would have an exclusive look into whatever he was seeing, and whatever information he came in contact with.
Quickly, it was all coming together. Loki stepped off the roof of the building and began to walk back to the apartment. He felt powerful, looming over all the mortals around him. Soon, he would control each and every one of them, and they didn't even know as they walked right by him. They were blind sheep, and they needed their shepard.
Loki rounded the corner and approached the apartment building. H felt his chest grow warm and light and knew he little bird must be close. Loki turned his head, and just as his soul had told him, there she was, looking down at her open briefcase.
Loki sauntered across the street. Fate truly was on his side today.
"Lucy darling!" Lucy heard. Her head shot up and glanced around.
And then she saw him, jogging across the street toward her. Her entire body iced over with fear, her heart beat with adrenaline. Once again, he had found her in the most random way.
It was almost has though Fate was somehow interfering with their relationship.
William smiled at her brilliantly and glanced down at her briefcase. He then looked up at her, his green eyes brimming with joy. But Lucy could feel his body radiating something else entirely. Suddenly, she felt uneasy.
But he had called her "darling". And that was enough for her heart to shut up her mind, at least for a little.
"How funny it is to meet again this way again!" William exclaimed, his brilliant smile lighting up all of New York. It really was pretty dismal, with the slush from a bad snowstorm plaguing the streets. Big, dirty puddles flooded the streets.
"Yes, it is pretty odd, isn't it?" Lucy giggled. She hadn't giggled like that in a while. But William's very presence made her feel giddy.
"I was going to call you and ask if you'd like to go get a bit of coffee," William grinned. Lucy nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Here she was, dressed in a tied blue shirt, boots, jeans, and her trust winter jacket. And William was handsomely dressed in a crisp suit and tie. She felt like a moron in front of him.
"Right now?" Lucy panicked. William laughed a throaty laugh at her squeak of a voice and placed his hand on her lower back.
"Of course, darling. Don't worry, it's only a spot of coffee," He told her with a wink.
Lucy felt her heart pitter hard, so hard she thought he could hear it. She nodded and let his hand rest on the small of her back, her legs moving mechanically. There was something magnetic about his touch. Something that sent her entire body in a frenzy. Her fingers burned with a white hot intensity. Even nerve in her body was tingling with excitement. She looked up at William and met his gaze.
And then, she felt a splash of cold slush hit her. Lucy looked down at her jacket and found it to be completely soaked with dirty water. A truck zoomed down the street.
Lucy's face grew hot with embarrassment.
"What a careless fool. Doesn't that man know he just disrespected one of the most beautiful women in New York?" William exclaimed. "Come darling, my apartment is just across the way. We can't have you walking through the city all cold and wet. You'll catch something," William told her, his face close to hers.
"No!" Lucy exclaimed, panicking. She didn't even know this man, and she was going to his apartment? What if he tried to…
William's face fell, but then he regained his composure.
"Perhaps I'll call a taxi then," he said with a strained smile. "We can't have you getting sick in this cold weather."
Lucy's heart fell. His eyes lost a bit of sparkle, and his smile faded a bit. Her entire body sagged with disappointment. No, she didn't want to leave him. She wanted to be by his side as long as possible.
"No its fine, we'll go to your apartment. I just…overreacted," Lucy apologized. Once again, William smiled a luminous smile.
"Wonderful," he purred.