"Well the fact you didn't manage to get killed was… impressive." Tony shrugged his shoulders as we walked down the hallway of the abandoned building.

"I guess you can't make fun of me anymore, huh?"

"Watch it Mother Nature; you'll mess up sometime soon and I'll have another thing to hang over your head until you want to kill me."

"I don't doubt that." I looked over at Steve to see a contemplative frown on his face. This made me frown in turn, wondering if I'd done anything to upset him. I was about to ask him when a few fearful Agents came running from the Helicarrier. Something was wrong.

I ran without a thought, Steve and Tony quickly following my lead. I looked around the Helicarrier to find it in complete dismay. Computers were smashed, papers were everywhere, and a very annoyed look Maria Hill was holding her arm and trying to regain control.

"What happened?" I asked curiously, eyeing everything around me.

"She's awake." She replied simply. "Go down and help her before Fury kills her." I nodded, but Steve was ahead of me. Tony stated something about checking on Bruce before disappearing, leaving me alone with the injured Maria. She let out an unhappy sigh at the burn wound. "You people are dangerous, you know." She walked away without another word, heading down towards the infirmary where she would probably bandage herself up.

Her words bothered me.

I realized I would never been seen as a normal girl by these people; not by Fury or any of the Agents. All they knew me as was a super human freak who could control the elements. I scared people; people were naturally intimidated by me because they thought I could burn them into a crisp before they could reach their guns. They thought I had it in my heart to actually kill when it wasn't true. That wasn't who I am, I shouldn't have to be defined by these powers I was forced to have. It wasn't my choice.

I didn't want to be scary; I didn't want people to hate me because of something I couldn't control.

I sighed, deciding I'd save the identity crisis until after Brianna was handled. I worried about Steve, hoping that Brianna didn't hurt him. The thought of her having a chance to touch him got under my skin; she wasn't going to take away two important men in my life. With that on my mind, I ran faster than I had before down the halls of the Helicarrier in an attempt to find her.

Her fists through the air easily; it was obvious how skilled she was. She had been trained in a lab her whole life where she'd done nothing but target practice and martial arts. Of course she'd be talented and strong; but they kept her limits low to the point she'd never be able to rebel without being beaten. Loki had shown her the light, he had shown her the strength she possesses and how strong she could be if she pushed herself.

And she would use that opportunity to show she wasn't weak.

Oh no, she wasn't weak.

Brianna easily ducked to avoid the shield thrown at her; her eyes narrowed as she spotted the Captain approaching her. Fury still had his gun trained on her; the old bastard would never let her live her life. He would bring her back to this hellhole over and over again. And she couldn't have that.

She'd rather be dead.

As Brianna was about to aim another blast towards the Captain, a certain anger rose up in my chest. You could even call it being 'protective'. The thought of her hurting him sent me into a rage I had felt hours before; maybe Tony's playful comment to Bruce about me going green was becoming true. All I knew was that she wasn't touching him, and that I would die if it meant he'd live.

I would die for my father, too, if I had had the chance to. Because no matter what he does, no matter how angry he makes me, he's still my father. He's still one of the most important people that I held close to my heart. I could never wish death on him, maybe a few punches to the face, but nothing like what he received for simply… doing his job.

I sent a blast of fire between Steve and Brianna, sending her cart-wheeling backwards. Steve looked at me with a shocked face, but didn't have time to react as I ran past him. Brianna glared at me, standing in a position and ready as I tackled her to ground. We rolled over the rubble, with me doing my best to aim well placed punches to her face while her hands burned my arms. I gritted my teeth through the pain, finally stopping as I was on top of her and she was staring at me from below.

She simply smiled.

"Are you going to kill me? Do you want revenge?"

"No." I stood up, offering her my hand. She gave me a look that made it clear that the only thought running through her head was if I was mentally handicapped or not. She stood on her own, once more getting into a fighting position. "Revenge will only create a big circle of hatred that'll never end; I'll stop it here." Before she could attack, I grabbed her hair, slamming her head hard against the wall and knocking her out cold again.

Fury and Steve looked at me with open mouths as I dragged her over to them, before looking at them in frustration.

"Going to help?" I growled as I tugged her along the floor, towards the large cell just waiting to make her acquaintance. Steve walked over, helping me carefully place her down into the cell before it was locked. I watched with a frown on my face as I realized she was back in captivity; she was back in the life she ran away from in the first place.

"Look at you." Tony commented as he stepped into the room, followed by Banner and Thor. "Taking lessons from a certain spy, are we?"

"I feel bad." I muttered. "She's trapped like a rat in a cage, which is the thing that turned her like this in the first place."

"You feel bad for a girl who just burned the skin from your arm?" Fury scoffed.

"I don't like you but I feel bad you lost your eye." I tauntingly stuck my tongue out at him before he whipped around. I'd rather him not catch me doing that, seeing as he'd probably rip my tongue at and celebrate the fact I'd never be able to speak again. Tony chuckled from behind me while Thor continued to look baffled.

"You humans are confusing." The attention turned to Thor, whose attention was focused on me. "You say these taunts with spite yet your eyes remain kind. You have compassion unlike any other."

"Thank you?" I smiled at Thor. "I try to be as empathetic as possible, so I guess that's a good thing." I turned back to look at Brianna, before shivering. The pain in my arms was beginning to hurt full force.

"You should get that checked out."

"I'll take her to the infirmary-"

"Don't worry Captain, I got this one." Tony grabbed the upper part of my arm, leaving me confused as he was pulling me away. Steve was about to argue with him when I turned to look at him and smiled.

"You shouldn't worry about me, Steve; get yourself checked out, okay? I'll be fine!" He smiled back at me weakly before I was escorted away by Tony. They'd been fighting more than usual lately; it was actually pretty irritating to listen to. I liked both of them but their arguments were caused by such petty things.

"You better watch it, Mother Nature, or Fury might actually start respecting you." Tony commented with a smirk. I laughed in response; the thought of Fury seeing me as anything but some annoying superhero he had to babysit was a ridiculous one.

"That'll be the day, Tony." I winced as my arm accidentally rubbed against his, since we were walking so close together. Tony frowned as he glanced down at my arms, before he looked up at the ceiling.

"So… You and Captain America, huh? Not many girls can say that." Tony commented with a shrug. "I mean, I saw it coming."

"Oh, did you?"

"The guy basically worships the ground you walk on. He never stops talking about you for one; he's like a lovesick puppy, actually." Tony sighed. "I guess if there's anyone that'll appreciate you, it'd be him."

"You look sad." I frowned. "Are you alright?"

"You know me, just women trouble." He shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing to worry your pretty little head about."

"Is it that one girl… you know, the one that works for you that you've liked for a long time? Pepper was her name, right?"

"Yeah…" He smirked, but his eyes shifted down and away mine. "It's Pepper."