It was Thursday and it was raining. Lyn struggled closing her soaking wet umbrella as she walked through the lobby. The old security guard wasn't there. She frowned; it wasn't like him to be late. She balanced the coffees between her knee and the elevator wall as she finally closed her umbrella. Placing it in the stand as she got off, she walked into the lab.
"Jesus Lyn!" Tony shrieked, "These shoes are worth $200!" He retreated from the growing puddle of coffee. But lyn wasn't listening. She was a little preoccupied staring at the gentleman who had been talking with Tony. He was a tall man wearing jeans and a grey-green jumper rolled up to his elbows. As he also retreated from the coffee he raised a hand to his dark hair. He laughed.
"You're certainly a clumsy one!" the corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. Lyn still stared at him. He grabbed some paper towels from the side and began to dab at the puddle. He looked up at Lyn. "Are you okay?" he asked. Lyn felt her knees give way and saw Tony dash towards her as it all went dark.
It was still raining when Lyn finally awoke on the sofa with a note left for her on the table. She read it.
Told Loki you had low blood sugar. Fury's in Tony's office.
Bruce.
She marched into Tony's office, which was separate from the lab, and slammed her hand down hard onto the desk. Fury looked up at her, his eyebrow raised.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"It wasn't important."
"Oh of course, Loki working at Stark tower isn't relevant to the person who has to fill out all of the paperwork. The person who also happened to be married to him."
"That wasn't…"
"OH SHUT UP." Lyn cut him off. She didn't care if this lost her the job, she needed to vent and Fury was at this moment a conveniently placed punching bag. "Don't you think I'm aware it's not the same person, the same mind in there? But it's still his face, his body; he even has the same smell! You can tell me every day of my life that it's not Lucas, and I'll know it, but it doesn't make looking at him any less painful! The only person who has any idea what I feel right now is Thor! The Thor you sent halfway across the world last Monday!" she paced the room as she ranted. Fury just sat there and took it. Eventually Lyn calmed down and fell into a chair; she was completely drained.
"Do you want to take some time off, get used to the idea of working with him. We can't send him back; he's too useful to the work."
"Will I still get paid?" Lyn asked, rubbing her forehead with both hands. There was an audible pause.
"Yes."
"Can you go get me some of Tony's best scotch?" she asked, looking up at her boss. His mouth twitched.
"Go home, Miss Barker."