Chapter 16
Marie was absolutely amazed.
She was flying around her bedroom while her body was on fire.
She'd already gotten a hang of how to control the Phoenix fire and now she was just playing around; creating different objects and animals out of fire when a small knock fell on her door.
Surprised she fell to the floor with a big thump echoing through the room.
Ororo opened the door and saw Marie getting up from the floor.
"Are you all right Rogue?" She asked her.
"Yeah, just peachy." Marie answered. "What can I do for you Ro'?" Marie asked the white haired woman.
"I…" Ororo hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I am glad that you have confided in Hank and I hope that you know you can always confide in me as well. I will not judge you Rogue."
Marie sighed. "It's not that I don't trust you guys Ororo. I just have a lot of baggage and the less who know about it the better."
Ororo nodded understandingly. "I understand. More than you think."
Marie sighed again. "I'll tell, but in my own time." Ororo smiled shortly and was about to say something when Piotr came to the door.
"The professor needs us in his office." He said neutrally and just as fast as he had come he was gone again.
The women shared a look before leaving the bedroom quickly. "I wonder what it is." Marie wondered out loud.
"He probably located Jean." Ororo answered, her voice filled with barely hidden hope and concern. On the way into the office Marie wondered if it was too late or to early to contact Fury about the phoenix. Clearly the being was something that could potentially cause massive damage and probably even start political crises, both national and international.
A fleeting thought made its way into her mind. "But then again, maybe it hadn't gone mad considering it hadn't brought the school down during its escape – maybe it's not all evil." Marie would wait and see how the situation would evolve before she made any final decision.
Once they were all gathered inside the professor's office a tense atmosphere settled over the occupants.
The professor sat with hands folded on his lap and took a deep breath. Marie noticed that Scott had joined them, and wondered where he'd been the whole time.
"Everyone." The professor said gaining the attention of Marie again. "I have located Jean once more."
"The phoenix." Marie mumbled quietly ignoring the dirty looks Scott and Logan sent her.
"This is good news." Ororo said carefully and the professor sighed.
"I'm afraid not." Marie wasn't even close to Scott but she could feel the fury coming off him in waves. "I located Jean to her childhood home, where … where she in a fit of fury and confusion harmed her parents. She is still there, and I want you with me when we retrieve her. I have a feeling that Magneto will be there too, and try to sway her to his side in her confusion." Marie perked up when she heard Magneto might be there.
"I'm going with ya'll." She said determined and to the surprise of some of the occupants in the room. The professor nodded, knowing full well that she would be an asset against the brotherhood.
"Very well." He agreed.
"The hell she is." Scott angrily said.
The professor sighed. "For all we know she's the reason Jean left in the first place." Scott continued attacking Marie in front of the others.
"Wow! Hold your horses!" Marie exclaimed defensively. "It's not my fault that your wife has been taken over by alien life form that's going on murder spree!" Marie told him and Scott was about say something when Marie continued. "Besides! I honestly don't give a damn about Jean! I'm going because of Magneto! If he's going to be there, don't you think that having someone who can control metal too would be an asset in case things go down?!"
"Enough! The both of you!" Ororo angrily intervened.
Thunder rolled outside clearly showing that Ororo was one comment away from frying the both of them.
"Ororo is right." The professor stated tiredly. "And so is Rogue, Scott." He told the angry man. "Logan, Scott, Ororo and Rogue you are all coming with me. The rest of you will hold down the school. It is weekend so I don't expect much trouble from the students." At this Hank, Piotr, Kurt and the junior x-men nodded in understanding. The professor rolled towards the doors of his office. "We leave immediately. Be at the jet in five minutes." And with those final words everyone scattered out of the office either to get ready or to supervise the kids.
Marie checked her phone hoping there was some news from either Steve or Natasha. It was a desperate attempt to ignore the heavy and dark atmosphere that hovered inside the jet.
She sighed when there was nothing on her phone. Marie sent a text message to them, Clint and Coulson explaining the situation – but informing them that it was under control for the moment. Even if it felt like it was going to go to hell in a moment according to her gut.
She wasn't expecting any reply back and was surprised when a text message buzzed on her phone. "I can have back up ready in twenty. Let me know if you need it. Btw. Shit's about to go down in New York. Keep everyone indoors if you can. Stay safe Marie – C." Marie smiled at the quick and efficient answer Phil sent her, but her smile turned into a frown.
Marie went to the back of the jet and dialled Hank.
It rang once.
Then it rang again.
Then it rang a third time before it went to his voicemail.
Marie hit the redial button before the same thing happened.
Marie kept dialling until of her fourth try Hank finally picked up the phone.
"Hank McCoy speaking."
"Hank, it's Marie." She said quietly not wanting the others to overhear her.
"Marie, is something wrong – have you found Jean?" He asked her concerned.
"No, we haven't landed yet. I got some info from a friend of mine inside S.H.I.E.L.D. apparently something big is about to happen downtown. Just make sure no one leaves the institute. Keep a watch on the news."
"Very well. I'll do my best. Keep everyone safe will you?" Hank asked of her.
"Will do. Talk to you soon." She said and hung up just in time for her to hear the Ororo's order to prepare for landing.
Marie found her seat again and buckled up even though she didn't really need to.
The barely noticeable shaking of the jet when they landed showed just how skilled Ororo was at flying the massive blackbird. While the others exited Marie stood back for a moment questioning whether or not she was ready to face the phoenix once more. When she finally gathered her courage and exited the plane she saw the backs of the professor and Magneto walking side by side towards the house.
A deep fury burned inside her at the sight of Magneto.
"You won't get away this time. I'll make sure of it." She said quietly to herself as the angry expression on face deepened.
As she left the jet she did something she'd never attempted to before. She summoned all of her powers. It left a humming sensation under her skin and coursed through her body.
Unknowingly her eyes whitened completely, her body stood straighter and she exhibited power.
With every step she took nearing the house her fury worsened. She wanted to rip Magneto apart. Atom. From. Atom.
She raised her hand towards him preparing her attack and suddenly the professor and Magneto were inside the house the smack of the door closing resounding in the surprisingly empty neighbourhood.
Marie felt like she'd been smacked in the face. Her eyes returned to their normal green colour; part of her fury dampened but her powers remained ready under her skin.
She shook her head lightly and it was only then she noticed Magneto had brought his own arsenal of mutants. The four of Magneto's henchmen faced off Storm, Cyclops and Wolverine. The tension was so thick in the air that you could cut it with a knife.
Marie took a stand next to Storm and before she knew it the fight had broken out.
Logan had fallen for the taunting from the mutant Juggernaut and attacked him dead on. But none of his attacks fazed the giant.
Storm led a succesful attack by rising into the air and twisting herself around with the force of a hurricane. She flew, still twisting, and used the force to knock out two of the henchmen. Storm's upper hand was just as quickly gone when the woman who was left of the henchmen, besides Juggernaut, punched Storm with the force of her superspeed. Storm was out the second the woman's fist connected with her face.
Cyclops decided to step in and attack the woman.
The force of his lasers connecting with the woman's chest sent her flying through the walls of the house, the same way that Juggernaut had just punched Wolverine through the house a moment earlier.
Marie couldn't help but think that Wolverine, in all his animalistic glory, was a bit slow. Mentally.
Juggernaut's entire outfit consisted of metal; his helmet and the plates on his chest and back. With shift of her hand Juggernaut was frozen. He couldn't move.
The more he fought to move the more tightened the metal plates. She didn't stop until he couldn't breathe and his ribs had cracked under the pressure and he blacked out.
It took all of two minutes.
In the mean time Wolverine had joined the professor, Magneto and Jean in the living room.
"Jean no!" It was only his scream that alerted Marie that something was wrong, and she hurried to join them.
When Marie entered the room she saw the sheer power of the Phoenix.
Wolverine and Magneto were unconscious and at the foot of the wall.
Every object inside the room was hurled around in an invisible vortex.
The professor sat across from the Phoenix both so caught up in their telepathic battle for dominance that neither noticed Marie.
It wasn't until the objects that were flying around were being ripped apart that she was getting worried. "Atom by atom…" Marie whispered to herself in horror and realisation. She could tell the professor was losing the fight by his painful grunts.
The face of Jean Grey Summers slowly burned with black veins and her eyes had turned pitch black. The professor was slowly being lifted from the ground and Marie knew what would happen if she didn't act immediately.
She didn't have plan so she acted by instinct.
She grabbed Wolverine's face for a mere moment.
Marie ran through the vortex; the yell of a warrior she didn't recognize escaping her lips.
It was enough to startle the Phoenix.
The professor fell to the floor unconscious but alive.
The moment Marie's fist, with all her enhanced strength, connected with the face of the Phoenix's host was the same second the Phoenix attacked her with a telekinetic shove.
The Phoenix's eyes turned back to the normal blue of the host and it fell to the floor.
As Marie connected with part of the destroyed wall; a scream resounded as she was impaled on a broken metal pipe.
The Phoenix was breathing hard on the floor and Marie wasn't going to waste the opportunity to get her.
Marie used Magneto's powers to rip out the pipe from her chest and Wolverines powers immediately healed her. Both of them stood and faced one another waiting for the other to attack.
One second.
Two seconds.
The Phoenix sent a stream of fire toward Marie.
Marie foresaw this and summoned the same fire to envelop her body in protection.
The attack was useless now.
The fire only added to the surrounding one on her body.
Marie had used Magnetos powers to summon the same pipe from the wall that had impaled her with out the Phoenix noticing. She hid it behind her back. Marie ran toward the Phoenix, who for the first time let out a scream of frustration and sent out another telekinetic wave.
Marie evaded the attack by jumping to the side and used the momentum and her strength to impale the pipe into the Phoenix's heart.
Both women fell to the floor; the Phoenix in shock, and Marie because she kept pushing until she heard the crack of the ribs and felt it go clean through the heart.
As the Phoenix gasped in pain Marie absorbed the dying entity into herself, and ripped it apart with ease.
The moment Marie felt the last of the Phoenix having left her host Marie pulled out the pipe from Jean Greys heart and again attempted to do something she had never tried to before.
Marie held her hand on the open wound on Jeans chest. She focused Wolverine's healing factor, the last of her own energy and the powers of the Phoenix into the wound.
Nothing happened.
Marie sat there with her hand on the open chest of a dead woman.
"COME ON!" She bit out angrily and in spite.
Marie started to shake and tears of frustration started running down her cheeks.
She could hear Wolverine and the others starting to wake up.
Before she knew it they were all staring at her; some in pity, some in pain and some in anger and confusion.
"Rogue." The professor said carefully as if he spoke to a child. He was about to say something else when Marie interrupted him. "I can save her." She said and focused on the wound again.
"Rogue she is gone." The professor sadly stated with a heavy heart.
"No!" Marie said and then felt a hand on her shoulder. She thought it was Ororo's but it was Logan's.
"Kid." He shook his head. Marie shrugged his hand off and focused her powers on Jeans dead body again.
"I will not… " She cried, "I will not be the cause of another death … not again – I won't – I can't take it!" Marie sobbed.
None of the adults knew how to comfort her. Not even the professor. So they let her cry over the body of a woman she hadn't known. Scott in particular felt saddened by the sight of her. Marie, through her sobbing, focused once again on the wound.
Marie thought her mind might be playing tricks on her, but she thought the wound was a little smaller than before.
And then the wound started closing rapidly.
"My God!" "Charles?" "What the f…?" "Jesus!" They all exclaimed as the morbidly watched the wound disappearing as if it had never been there.
Marie focused through her still running tears. She didn't stop pushing the powers and energy into Jean's body even when the woman herself gasped and woke in fear and confusion.
"Jean!" Scott yelled out in shock and and relief.
It took a moment before Jean had realized what was going on.
"Scott!" Jean exclaimed scared, but the fear was not for herself. None of the adults had realized that Marie was getting paler and paler, a sickly contrast to her normally sun kissed skin.
Her eyes were rolling into the back of her head and her head lulled forwards.
"Scott get her off me! Now! She's killing herself!" Jean yelled out in concern; she was the only on eye level with Marie, and could see the effect of what ever it was Marie was doing to her had on the younger girl.
Jean didn't have the strength to push the girl of her as she lay there on the floor under Marie.
The fear in Jean's voice coupled with her words turned the adults' attention back to the young mutant. Logan acted quicker than Scott and ripped Marie away from Jean. Marie landed with thump on the hardwood floor.
Ororo and Scott went to help Jean while Logan and the professor came to Marie's aid.
Logan sniffed and listened to Marie's body before he immediately began CPR on her.
"Her heart stopped!" He growled out in concern and anger.
"Good God no…" The professor exclaimed worried and horrified.
After the first two exhales of air into her lungs nothing happened.
Logan continued viciously.
Another two exhales of air and still nothing happened.
"Come on Marie!" Logan growled at her. The cycle continued for what felt like an eternity and still nothing happened.
"Logan?" the professor asked, "Maybe we cannot save her…" He unwillingly said trying to be the voice of reason.
Logan growled at him angrily.
In the back Jean, who was curled around Scott, was watching with tired but concerned eyes as Logan relentlessly continued the CPR.
Ororo was a silent shadow behind her and Scott's firm grip around her was the only true indication of his concern – his face was unreadable.
"She saved Jean! The least we can do is save her!" He looked down on her. "Come on kid! What the hell am I gonna tell Steve if you die on me now!" he yelled at her hoping the words would have an effect but there was no response.
"Come on!" He yelled out in true fear and frustration before finally after forty minutes of trying he gave up.
Logan got up and kicked at all the furniture and punched the walls in anger.
Outside a violent storm attacked the city of New York. Ororo's had whitened over.
"No." She said calmly; a complete contradiction to the weather outside which reflected her mood.
She struck Marie's body with lightning bolt after lightning bolt screaming "NO!" in between. The sheer display of power was so strong that none of the remaining adults could or dared to stop her.
Suddenly Marie gasped and her eyes opened. Ororo and the others watched with relief as Marie coughed and cried out in pain.
She was alive.
Logan quickly touched her face not knowing the consequence of his action.
Marie's powers were uncontrolled and she unknowingly started to absorb Logan in front of everybody.
Veins appeared where their skin connected; hand to face, and both gasped in pain.
Marie; suddenly bombarded by Logan's powers and memories pushed his hand of her face.
Logan passed out and Marie had regained her strength and energy from his healing factor.
Marie looked at the adults whose faces were covered in shock. It took a moment but Logan grunted and stood again quickly healing.
The professor cleared his throat. "I believe that we should return to the school. We are all in need of some rest." He said not knowing what else would be appropriate at this time.
Marie wanted to say something, anything, but couldn't bring herself to open her mouth. Instead she nodded.
Scott and Ororo both helped Jean towards the jet, while Logan carefully pushed the completely drained professor and his chair.
Marie was still on the floor debating what she should do.
"Move it Marie." Logan told her as he and the professor left the destroyed house.
Marie sighed and got up. She looked around the house and the destructions.
"Something worse is coming for us." Marie mumbled carefully as she got up. "Something much worse." She mumbled as she entered the jet.
She never noticed the figure of Magneto carefully slipping away from the destruction they had left in their wake.
Hank had his hands full in the infirmary.
Every single one of them was stuck in a bed and no one was allowed to leave – not even Logan.
The professor and Ororo were sleeping, Scott and Jean were carefully speaking in hushed tones, and Logan was lying on his bed eyes closed meditating.
Marie was in the bed next to his. She was wide-awake going through her phone for any messages.
There were none.
She tried calling Coulson four times but it kept going to voicemail.
Then she called Steve and the same thing happened.
Then Natasha and then Clint with the same result.
She decided to send Coulson and the others a text message informing them that the situation was handled from her side without going into details.
She had a bad feeling in her gut.
She went to the news site on her phone hoping it was nothing. It was not nothing.
There on the front page was a scrappy live video feed showing down town New York and the Avengers fighting for their lives and the city against some creatures.
"Hank turn on the TV – Now!" she yelled at him scared. Hank and the others turned to her but the TV lit up right away.
"As you can see New York City has been declared to be in a state of emergency" The news anchor explained, "due to the alien attack. We are going live with the emergency services."
The video went split screen showing on one side the Avengers fighting against the aliens and on the other the governor of New York.
"We urge everyone to stay indoors. This is not a test. We are under attack. A special unit – these so called avengers have been sent in to counter the attack alongside military and navy."
No one spoke a word in the infirmary; everyone was in deep in shock.
"The United Nation has been called in to find a solution on this attack. The only thing we can do now is to stay safe and pray."
While the others were distracted by news Marie quickly escaped the infirmary. She knew what she had to do.
Luckily she was still dressed to fight in one of the black leather catsuits she'd taken from the Danger Room.
Outside Marie summoned Magneto's power and ripped the hood of one the school cars.
She stepped on metal and used to fly towards the city.
The closer she got to the city the stronger of a hum she could feel in her body and Marie didn't need the hood to fly anymore. She was powered by something else. Magnetism she thought.
She made a small metal mask out of the hood that covered her face enough but didn't feel heavy or limit her sight because she knew they were being filmed.
It didn't take her long to locate the fight. It had centered itself around Stark tower.
Some way ahead she could see Natasha jumping on one flying alien vehicle to another while avoiding gunfire.
"That won't do." Marie muttered as she flew closer.
She held out her hands in a grand gesture and the smacked them together.
All of the aliens and their vehicles smashed together; exploding in a massive fireball.
Marie flew faster and ended up next to Natasha.
Natasha grinned at her. "Nice mask." Before turning her attention ahead of her.
"Fuck." Natasha said casually as they stopped mid air.
In front of them was a horde of aliens and all of their guns were trained in the two of them.
Marie grinned.
She lifted her hands and the guns were ripped from the aliens and turned on them.
She mushed all of the guns into one giant metal ball that fell on the aliens on the ground below. Natasha and Marie both winced at the sounds it created.
"Wanna make some room for us to get through?" Natasha asked her with a lifted eyebrow.
Marie smashed the aliens together again creating another giant explosion.
The two landed on ground with the rest of the avengers.
Marie took in the giant green … guy and the extremely tall blonde man. "Hi." She smiled at them confusing the two. "Marie what are you doing here!" Steve yelled at her. Marie grinned. "Having fun. Fighting Evil. Kicking ass."
Steve sighed but even if he didn't show it he was extremely relived to have her fight by his side.
"And it's Rogue in the field Sugar." Marie sassed him before being alerted moving metal around them.
Marie sent out a giant magnetic wave that threw the incoming wave of aliens into whatever buildings or cars there were; incapacitating them.
An arrow flew past her face killing an alien that had managed to sneak up on them.
Marie smiled as Clint joined them on ground.
"Did I miss the reunion?" He joked as he hugged Marie and twirled her around once.
Marie laughed. "No, but you are getting your ass kicked after this is over." She countered.
Marie heard a voice over the avengers coms.
"Hey I don't wanna miss out on a reunion, so guys I'm bringing the party to you!" The male voice spoke out.
The five of them turned and saw a small red figure in the distance flying towards them. As it blasted faster towards them a giant metal and alien entity the size of a building came at them.
Black Widow shook her head. "I don't see how that's a party."
It came closer and closer Marie noticed.
She wasn't sure that she could stop that even with her powers.
The giant green man Marie noticed ran straight at it and punched it in the face.
The force of the punch slowed the giant alien but not fast enough.
The red robot man fired missiles at it making it explode.
Marie used her powers to stop whatever metal parts were flying towards them from the blast.
Problem was not every part of the alien was metal.
While she deflected the metal parts away she never saw the giant piece of alien flesh and guts coming directly at her.
She was tackled to the side a large arm around her body, and they landed with an "Oomph" and a grunt.
"Thank you." She told the giant blonde man who had saved her from being squished.
"No problem Shield sister." He exclaimed happily and Marie wondered what kind of meds this guy wasn't taking.
Around the city screeching was heard. "Was that the mothership or something?" Marie asked as both she and blonde got to their feet.
The red robot's face drew back, revealing none other than Tony Stark. Natasha exclaimed a "Guys?" as her ever-observant nature caught sight of the giant hole in the sky from where more giant aliens and hordes of foot soldiers were exiting.
"Call it cap." Stark said needing a plan.
"Alright listen up," Steve said.
"Until we close that portal our priority is containment. Barton I want you on that roof. Eyes on everything; Call out patterns and strays." He said before continuing.
"Stark; you got perimeter. Anything get more than three blocks away you turn it away or turn it to ash." Clint looked at Stark. "Give me lift." Stark nodded. "Better clench up Legolas." Marie couldn't contain her snort and Clint rolled his eyes at her before he was violently flown upwards.
Steve continued. "Thor you and Rogue gotta try and bottle that portal. Slow 'em down." He received an affirmative nod before the man flew off.
Rogue grabbed Steve by the neck and kissed him. "We are getting married after this. If we survive that is." She told him smiling; not knowing where the statement came from.
She'd never before considered marriage even if Marie knew she wanted to spend her life with Steve.
She flew off before she could hear his response but she could see his shock clearly. She also saw Natasha snapping him out of it.
As Marie neared the giant hole in the sky she could see that Thor was already smashing through the aliens.
She decided to focus on the giant ones.
She quickly learned that without the metal armor the giant aliens couldn't actually fly.
From that moment she and Thor fell in to a good rhythm. Marie would rip the armor off the aliens and Thor would fry all of them.
It felt like they'd been in the air forever and Marie was starting wear out. She flew over to Thor.
"I don't know how much longer I'll be able to last." She ripped another alien from its amour. Thor fried it.
"Aye. We need to end this once and for all. Captain is there any news on the Man of Iron and this bomb you speak of." Thor said into his com.
"What bomb?" Marie asked concerned and hating being left out of the loop.
"Aye." Thor said into com.
Thor grabbed Marie by the arm. "We must leave and regroup with the others." He told her firmly and Marie nodded.
The flew away from the hole and as the landed among the others she could see Tony Stark flying into the hole.
"What is he doing!" Marie exclaimed horrified. "Saving all of us." Natasha said calmly but Marie could tell her friend was also concerned for Stark.
The hole was starting to close.
Stark fell from it seconds before it closed off.
"He's crashing!" Clint exclaimed.
Thor and Marie prepared to catch him but Hulk was eager and jumped from building to building catching him.
They landed and Hulk placed Stark on the ground. "Is he dead?" Clint asked while the others took in the bloody and beaten face of Tony Stark.
Hulk suddenly roared into Tony's face shocking him awake.
"Please tell me nobody kissed me. Unless it was widow or the other gal." They all shook their heads in relief.
Steve looked at him. "We won."
Thor looked at them tightly. "We are not finished yet. We must apprehend my brother."
Marie levitated several metal plates together. Steve helped Tony stand.
Marie grinned. "Your carriage awaits." They all stood on the plates and Marie lifted them up to the top of Stark tower.
Tension would have been greater on the ride up had Tony not been mumbling something about Shawarma. Marie shook her head.
They were clearly all partially crazy, but it suited the team dynamics she thought while happy that the fight was finally over.
Marie was surprised that the man who'd stood behind this alien attack was Thor's brother. "He's quite handsome." She thought to herself and yet there was something about him that seemed familiar in a way.
Like Marie had seen him before and she knew this was impossible.
As Thor handcuffed his brother in the asgardian chains Marie searched the corners of her mind for any piece of information.
"The answer is nearer than you think…" a memory whispered to her.
Marie frowned and was shocked when she was suddenly pulled into her own mind.
Marie stood in front of a small village. The weather was a dull grey and the air was thick. Soon the rain would fall.
All around her she could hear chatter from the people as they worked; blacksmiths forging in the distance, Farmers handling their livestock and women singing.
Marie took a few steps forward and saw a young woman with blonde hair down to her waist.
For some reason runes were being drawn on her body by other women. The linen and make of her dress told Marie that this had happened many thousand years ago.
Once in a while a blacksmith would come with jewellery made from the purest gold and place it at the woman's feet. The women finished their drawings of the runes and left the woman to her own device. Marie was surprised that the woman didn't leave or even moved.
She stood perfectly still.
Marie wanted a closer look of the woman and walked up to her.
When Marie saw the face of the woman she froze.
The woman's eyes were pitch black.
Just like those of the Phoenix.
Marie heard someone walking up to the woman and turned.
It was Loki brother of Thor.
He grabbed a hold of the woman's face in his own.
"Sigyn, I know that you are in there somewhere. Come back to me." Loki begged and Marie's heart broke at the sincerity.
Sigyn enveloped in the Phoenix fire and burned his hands. Loki let out grunt of pain but refused to give up.
"This vessel is mine. Leave or die." The Phoenix told him simply.
Loki growled. "That is my wife! Be gone before I curse you out!" He threatened.
The Phoenix laughed at him. "You have no power that can harm me little mortal."
"I shall bring Ragnarok upon you!" he screamed at her.
The Phoenix quieted. "You live in your brother's shadow. Know this mortal; your jealousy and hatred will be your downfall."
Loki froze. "You know the future?"
The phoenix smirked.
"Born in the ashes of time I see everything. Do you wish to know yours mortal?" Loki stilled. He was clearly swayed by the desire for knowledge.
"At what cost?" He asked carefully.
"This vessel."
Loki thought long and hard before deciding.
"Very well, tell me my destiny."
The Phoenix held a hand toward him and spoke.
Marie had a feeling that whatever it was it was going to tell him was going to be a bad thing.
"You shall betray your brother three times and you shall be punished by his hand. The first time he will forgive you and chain you. The second time he will no longer trust you and incarcerate you. The third time he shall kill you. Your destiny is to die by your brother's hand."
Loki froze. "It cannot be! My brother would never harm me!" Loki exclaimed angrily.
"Heed my warning. Now be gone." Loki began to protest but with the wave of a hand he was teleported away.
When Marie was pulled out of the memory again she found no time had passed on the outside.
"Weird…" She shook her head.
Thor turned to Tony. "Is there anywhere we can keep him locked so that he may cause no further harm?" Tony nodded after short moment.
"We can keep him locked up here in one the spare rooms. I can redesign the lock so that no one but you or I can get in." Tony answered and Thor nodded.
"Let's go I can do in the room." Tony said.
"I'll go as backup – just in case." Marie said as she lifted Loki of the floor and into the air by his chains before putting him down again.
Thor agreed. The three of them made their way to the spare room; Tony and Thor walking ahead discussing the technology and magic in the chains Thor had brought.
Marie walked next to Loki who merely sighed.
Marie smiled at him.
It made Loki weary. "What are you smiling about mortal? My demise? Worry not I shall soon be back to wreak chaos and havoc once more." Loki told Marie quietly not wanting the to men to overhear.
Marie shook her head still smiling. "The first time he will forgive you and chain you. Mortal." She told him doing her best Phoenix impersonation.
"This is your first punishment. Heed my warning." Loki froze and all colour disappeared from his face.
"It. It. It cannot be…" He mumbled putting as much distance between them he could.
"You should have chosen your wife instead if your destiny when you had the chance." She informed him and Loki stopped.
Marie yanked his chain with magneto's powers forcing him to walk again.
They didn't talk again – Loki was too shocked and scared, and Marie didn't feel like it.
Soon he was locked behind doors that no one could get into. "But I totally could."
Later they found themselves at the sharwarma joint Tony had been mumbling about.
No one said anything. Everyone was both emotionally and physically exhausted.
They took the rest of the food to go and returned clean up and rest in the tower.
Marie and Steve showered and slept.
Neither wanted to talk only sleep. So they slept for twenty-four hours, Marie a bit longer than the others.
She didn't leave their bed until she felt hunger attacking her like a starved cat.
Steve came like a god sent angel with homemade breakfast in bed for her.
"Have I told you that I love you recently? Cause I do. Very much so." She said and kissed his lips when he'd placed food in front of her.
Steve kissed her back. "It's always nice to be appreciated." He grinned.
Marie attacked the waffle on her plate. "This is the best. Your are the best." She sighed happily to him.
"I love you Marie." Steve told her and Marie looked at him. He rubbed her ring finger and when she looked down at it again a beautiful engagement ring was on.
It was vintage in the design; square cut, simple silver band and small stones around the square cut stone.
"Steve." Marie said her brain not really catching up to her at the moment. "It's beautiful." "
Like you said. If we survived the attack we were to get married." Marie pushed the tray away and straddled him. She kissed him with all her might.
"I'll take that as a yes?" Marie nodded happily and grinned widely. "YES! YES! YES!" she yelled out loud before kissing him again. Steve laughed happily. They didn't leave the room the rest of that day.
...