SOOOOOOOOO... This chapter took me forever to write, and I do apologize for the wait. I've been so busy the last few months with school, work and I MOVED! Whooot! Not to mention the ginormous writer's block. I felt like I had to post something soon. I kind of feel like this is a little rushed, so I do apologize if you all don't feel like it's up to its glorious potential. But I love your opinions and whatnot if you like to express those things. So, enjoy, I hope...

Steve and I reached my reading spot but we stayed on the first floor, leaning against the window panes, looking out at the beautiful cloud-filled sky. I quietly watched him from the corner of my eye, his face concentrated outside with his blue eyes dancing with thought. We had stayed pretty quiet during our walk. I figured he was still worked up about the whole Loki situation and I did say that if he didn't want to talk about it, we didn't have to. I was curious but I wasn't about to pry; I meant what I said.

I lost track of how much time had passed. My neck was stiff. I shifted my position so my back was against the window and stared down the empty hall. Steve finally moved and did the same as me. We looked at each other.

"You should probably get some rest," I muttered, noticing dark circles under his eyes.

He sighed, "Yeah, I don't think I'll be able to get any," and he crossed his arms. He was really bothered by what happened. I had hoped that our walk would have relaxed him, but it seemed to have done nothing.

"Hmm… Do you want my book? You can borrow it," I asked. "Oh! Or you can have my iPod. Or both," I quickly finished.

He just smiled at me.

"I'm serious. You need something to calm you down and reading and music are what calms me down."

"Alright," Steve stood up, "if you think it'll help, I'll try it." I pushed myself off the window and started down the hall.

"I have all kinds of music on my iPod. Everything from 1900 to tomorrow. I'm sure you'll know some stuff. And this way you can experience the different sounds of how music has evolved." I was ranting but I was so excited now to show Steve music. He was now at my side and I looked up at his amused face. "What?!"

"Nothing," he laughed.

"Come on! I'm serious! I have like Scott Joplin on my iPod. And Glenn Miller, of course," I jested. He snorted. "And I have some newer stuff that you've never heard of. You'll love it."

"I'm sure I will, I trust you." I couldn't help but keep that big smile on my face as we walked.

We got to my room and I opened the door. The first thing I noticed was the brown leather jacket on my bed. "Oh! I forgot I had this," I blurted, embarrassed and picked it up. "Here," I handed it to Steve.

"I forgot you had it too," he smiled in response. I laughed a little. I bent down next to the red duffle bag and flipped the top open. On top was the book.

"So here's this," I gave the book to Steve, "and…" I walked to the nightstand in which a small brown purse sat. I unzipped it and dug my hand into it. I moved items around, trying to feel what I was looking for. "This!" I removed my hand from the bag and held a black iPod Classic that had turquoise headphones wrapped around it.

I moved back to Steve, unraveling the ear buds. I was about to hand it to him but stopped, remembering that he's probably never seen something like this. I sheepishly looked at him and asked, "Do you know how to work one of these?" He simply shook his head. "Okay. So," I stood closer to him so I was slightly adjacent to him; my chest barely an inch from his arm.

I held the device in front of him with the one hand, the other on my hip. "To turn it on, just push down anywhere on the circle." I demonstrated this action with my thumb. Steve's sweet cologne filled my nose. The iPod screen lit up. "Hold down the 'menu' part of the circle for a few seconds and let it go and it'll bring you to the main screen. To change the selected item, just move your finger around the circle," I slid my thumb clockwise to scroll down. I inhaled silently. I slid my thumb backwards and the blue bar went to the top and highlighted 'Music'. "To pick what you want click the center circle," I clicked the middle. I felt lightheaded.

I went on more softly, "When you pick the music screen, it'll come up like this. You can look for specific songs, artists, albums. Click on the one you want and it'll bring up the list." I clicked on 'artists' and then scrolled through some of the options. Butterflies started fluttering in my stomach.

"To go back," I stammered, "just click the menu part." I went back to artists and selected one. "Once you have what you want, you can adjust the volume by sliding around the circle, skip a song by pressing the forward arrow, or go back with the backwards arrows, or pause and play with this button," I tapped the bottom of the circle. I straightened up and stepped back. I held the device towards him. My face felt hot. "Questions?"

He took the iPod, "No, I think I got it." He grinned at me and our eyes connected. The pounding of my heart was loud. It made me nervous to think Steve could hear it.

I stuttered, "Um, yeah. It's uh, pretty easy once you get the hang of it." My eyes never leaving his. I was surrounded by blue. I couldn't remember if I was breathing. I looked away suddenly and cleared my throat.

"Right, um, thank you! I will bring them back to you later," Steve sputtered quickly.

"Yeah! No problem! I hope it helps," I smiled at him as he walked to the door. He turned and smiled at me, then took a left out the door. I counted in my head 1…2…3…4…5… Then walked to the door, shut it quietly, and slid my back down it and sat on the ground. "Come on, Emma! What was that?" I scolded myself softly. I took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled.

I sat on the floor for a good ten minutes, at least, before I got up. I glanced around the room, not really sure what to do next. I looked at myself in the mirror that hung on the wall, making sure my eyeliner hadn't smudged. There were creases in the browns of eye shadow; I dabbed a small brush in a copper eye shadow and ran it over the tops of my eyes.

I left the room a little dismayed from earlier. I stuck to the wall as I walked, and stuck my hands in my coat's pockets. I glanced quickly over everyone who passed me, not making eye contact. A ways up ahead, I saw Phil who was smiling at me. I grinned back.

The thin haired man waited for me as I approached, "I was hoping I ran into you soon. I have something for you." From his pocket, he pulled out a small, black device. "It's a communicator that goes in your ear. It'll let you hear others over the radio and let you talk to them. You can turn it on by pushing on it." He handed the small ear bud to me. I looked it over and carefully put in my coat. "I wasn't going to give you one, but I think in light of everything, it'll be good to have."

I looked at him, a little worried by his words. "Thanks, Phil… What do you think of all of this?"

He sighed and shook his head, "I've had some experience with these Asgardians before; Thor is an ally, but Loki is quite destructive and unstable. And now that he has an army, I'm not sure what's going to happen. Where were you headed?"

"To the lab. I thought I'd check up on Bruce," I said. Phil extended his arm down the hall and we began walking. "Are you nervous about this?"

Phil's grey eyes shone bright, "We have the Avengers. I'm confident they can fix this."

I smiled, "The Avengers. Right."

Phil had told me a while ago about the Avengers Initiative; a group of people who could become functional together to save the world, essentially. It never got off the ground because some world defense council denied it or something like that.

"How are you?" he asked more softly.

"I'm…alright. A lot better than I thought I would be," I honestly replied. "I mean, Steve and I get along so well. And I like to be around Bruce. I haven't talk to Tony or Thor that much, but I think I like them."

"That's good to hear. I told you, you had nothing to worry about." He hesitated before continuing, "I'm sorry we haven't found Agent Barton."

I stared ahead and I began playing with my sleeves. I felt pressure on my shoulders and realized Phil had placed his arm around me. He gently squeezed before letting go. "Thank you," I gratefully whispered. Phil wasn't one to show his affections for anyone much, but I considered him a close friend. Every now and then if I was in need of a hug or some wise words, he was there.

We entered the lab and was greeted by Tony whining, "Phil, you can't be here. There's too many guys now and only one girl, I'm not comfortable with the ratio. One of you have to leave," he pointed between Phil and Bruce, "then we can start the party." I placed my hand on my cheek and tried not to laugh.

"Don't worry, I wasn't planning on staying," said Phil. He whispered to me, "I think you'll have another friend at the end of today."

"Thanks, Phil," I giggled.

The thin-haired man addressed the two scientists, "I just stopped by to get an update."

Bruce looked up from a computer as he answered, "We're hooking up the energy given off by the scepter to the monitor hoping to pick up any similar patterns. We're just starting, so it's not far along." I watched Tony pull down one of the floating screens and mess around with it. "When we get something, we'll let you know."

"That's good to hear. I'll let you get to work then." He shifted back to me and continued, "I should have time for a quick dinner tonight at 7. Would you care to join me to catch up on everything?"

"Yeah, that'd be great!" I enthusiastically said. We hadn't had our monthly lunch at all, so it was time we did.

Phil turned and left, leaving me with the two odd men tinkering on metal objects. Unsure of what to do, I took a seat at the desk that wasn't occupied. On the back of the chair was Tony's coal suit jacket. I leaned my elbows on the desk so my back wouldn't touch the fabric, which was probably costly seeing as it belonged to a billionaire.

"So, Bright Eyes," I looked up at Tony as he addressed me, "How long have you been working with SHIELD?" He didn't look away from the computer screens.

"Unofficially for about a year," I informed, but it sounded more like a question.

"And what was it that caused you to become a human fire hydrant? It's not clear on your profile." My eyes went wide at his statement. I stared at Tony and realized that the monitor he was using had a picture of myself on it.

"Where'd you get that?" I exclaimed, jumping off my chair towards him. He turned his head at me as I approached him. I was next to him, my eyes taking in every inch of the screen. Tony positioned it so it was in front of both of us.

"Well, it's not that hard to hack into a top secret agencies' computer files," mischief in his voice. He ran his finger over the screen and the contents rolled to the top. At the very beginning of the page was the SHIELD symbol of an eagle in a circle in the middle. On one side, my name and apartment address. On the other, my birthday and social security number. I frowned when I saw 'STATUS: TO BE DETERMINED'. What the hell does that mean? Underneath that was a picture of me in my black pea-coat. I recognized it as the one Phil had when I first met him.

"Emma Anne Blaser. Alias: Vapor. Height: 5'7". Hair: Brunette. Hhmm, well that's disappointing you're not a natural redhead," the billionaire next to me disapproved.

I simply smirked at his words. He swiped down a ways on the monitor, making me miss whatever else was written about me. "Blah blah blah. Here we go. 'Emma Blaser is a mutant under the protection/ is currently a member of the X-Men. Slight training in hand-to-hand combat. Possesses the ability to manipulate water. Mutation activated in 2008. Cause: unknown. Considered highly dangerous due to ability and lack of control. Well, now that's interesting…" Tony cooed flopping his head towards me.

"What the hell?" I whined in frustration. I grabbed the monitor with both of my hands and pulled the screen down in front of me. I stared at the words 'dangerous' and 'lack of control'. "This is ridiculous," and pushed the screen away. I set my hands on my hips and watched a corner of the room intensely.

"Brush it off," Tony advised nonchalantly, "That describes most of us here. I have a suit of armor that I blow things up with, especially when I'm drunk." I turned back to him, trying to decipher the light in his brown eyes. "There's the Green Machine right over there," and he pointed to Bruce, who merely shrugged in response. "I think his deal is pretty explanatory. Not to mention Barbie who gives new meaning to 'Hammer Time'. No telling what mess he'll make. I think that's the requirement to gain access to this place." He grinned at me. I couldn't help but snort.

His words would have been comforting if I could just let it go, but the report made me angry. "I just… I don't get," I swung my hand at the monitor. "Does this mean that this, since SHIELD happened to me, that all of this was just their way to keep tabs on me?" I stammered. "And seriously, 'lack of control'? I call bullshit."

Tony patted my shoulder. "Don't worry about it, kid. They have other things to worry about besides you. And I'll know all of those once JARVIS hacks the rest of SHIELD's files."

I blinked at him for a moment, trying to decide if I heard him right. Unfortunately, the most intelligent phrase that came out of my mouth was, "Wait, what?"

"It doesn't concern you, Bright Eyes. At least not yet. SHIELD is up to something and I'm going to find out."

"Oh, no, I don't care about that. Do what you want. I was just confused as to who Jarvis is," I replied bluntly.

Tony gave a short snort, "My artificial intelligence system. Does whatever I want him to. Comes in handy," he trailed off as he was swiping through the monitors again.

"Huh," I replied. I couldn't deny it; Tony was quickly growing on me. He just made things a lot more interesting. I definitely wasn't leaving anytime soon.

Bruce, who had been quiet this whole time, finally spoke up, "Emma, why don't you come over here and help me with this."

I nodded and carefully stepped to the scientist. I smiled a little as the man handed me a pliers. As much as I wanted it to, helping Bruce wasn't going to get my mind off the report.

"Have you talked with Natasha at all?" Phil was trying to keep a conversation up with me as I moved a piece of broccoli around on the white plate.

"Not since we first got here," I lazily replied, not removing my sight from the green plant.

Phil had been late, fashionably late of course, but late none the less. Which was actually pretty unusual for the agent, but he explained he had some business that took longer than expected. I was upset with him for that, but what could I do about it. Not to mention the SHIELD report was still turning pages in my head. It was bad; I couldn't focus on what Bruce and Tony asked me to do. I stopped and reread the damn report a thousand times. It was killing me. I wanted to ask Phil about it. At the same time, I knew better. That bit of information wasn't meant for my eyes. I had a feeling in my gut that the man across from me wrote it, to my distaste. For the last twenty or so minutes, the poor guy had been attempting to get a discussion going, but my mind was in another place.

"Emma," exasperated Phil, setting down his coffee cup, "I can only come to the conclusion Mr. Stark was dumb enough to actually try to assault you, or you're upset with me for something you saw that you weren't supposed to see."

My hand went down on the table with a shushed clank from the fork. Shaking my head slightly at the man, amazed by his assumption, I confessed, "How do you do that? You know exactly what's wrong and I can't figure out how you know. Do you have a camera that watches me? That wouldn't surprise me, really."

The man across from me sighed. "The report…Emma, you have to believe me when I say everything I do that concerns you, is to protect you. I wrote that when we first met. It might not make sense on how it keeps you out of trouble; you have to trust me that it does. I wasn't exactly counting on you getting your hands on that so soon…"

I didn't know what to do. I sat with my hands in my lap, searching his grey, trusting eyes. "Phil…" before I could say anything else, a ringing from the man's cellphone interrupted my voice. I sullenly watched him look at the object in his hands. I knew that meant our dinner time was up. "I'm sorry!" I blurted before he could mutter he had to leave. Phil gazed at me with a slight smile on his face. I rubbed my cheek, slightly embarrassed, "I- it caught me off guard and I took it as an attack at me. But I'm not mad at you. Just confused…"

Phil's expression was gentle which matched his voice, "As long as you understand that, Emma. Now if you excuse me, it doesn't look like I'll sleep tonight. I do hope we can continue our dinner, in a lighter mood, soon." And with that, he gave me one last smile, stood up and left me alone at the table with only my thoughts. I stared at the single piece of broccoli on the plate before me.