Chocoegg333: It's fine! I don't mind the questions! Yes, Ashlyn's trances are starting to evolve in a sense now with the super solider serum in her veins and with the extra now with the child. This will actually be explained in a chapter or so.

i-love-tea-and-coffee: omg I love you

ILove2Write13: THANK YOU SO MUCH KJSAHFJNDF.

Tir-Na-nOg-Niamh: I CAN'T SPEAK I LOVE YOIHUIOJDKSGSDNNJKLNSDNGK

Counting Sinful Stars: I know :(

So for the sake of reasonable romance I've de-aged Bruce.

I've just published another Avengers story, Memento Vivere. I hope you can all check it out. I've got two chapters up so far and I think it's going to be a really good fic.

Sorry for the prolonged updates. School is really hectic.

I'm thinking about doing a Guildlines to Living with the Avengers and put it in the one shot series BREATHE (which I just updated as I put this up). I think it would also be cool to put it in it's own story. What do you guys think? I'm going to put a preview of it on BREATHE and a poll up that you can vote on. I need your feedback! You'll finally get to see some stuff from Ashlyn's point of view as I work with writing in first person!

Please Enjoy.

*~WAKE~*

Manhattan, New York

Avengers Tower

April 18th

11:01 AM

"We'll, I'm no doctor, but I can tell you for sure that this didn't happen with Pepper's pregnancy," Tony uttered as he scratched his head in bemusement.

Jane tossed her sweater aside as Thor threw and arm around his wife.

"I'm sorry, Jane, for not listening earlier and giving you such troubles in my absence," Thor apologized. "I hope you can forgive me."

"Of course I can, you big goofball," Jane said. "It's not the end of the world."

Ashlyn couldn't help but smile as she watched the two of them interact. Thor was so sweet around the one he loved.

"So let me get this straight," Tony spoke up. "One: You're both showing early. Oh yeah, and two: you both think that it's enhanced growth? Like a super baby? Like freaking Twilight?"

"I wouldn't go that far to to fangs, werewolves, and carrying around a blood sucking parasite, but in theory," Ashlyn agreed.

"And you two aren't freaked out about it?" Stark questioned.

"Who says we aren't?" Ashlyn asked, her eyebrows shooting up.

"I cried for, like, three days straight," Jane pledged.

Pepper whistled.

"Damn our life is weird," Tony exclaimed.

"And to think I would have lived a partly normal life before I met you guys," Jane groaned as she lead the way into the kitchen to get dinner started.

"Join the club," Ashlyn sighed.

"Ashie, you are the polar opposite of normal," Iron Man said. "There's normal, the opposite of normal, and then there is you."

Ashlyn punched him in the arm a bit harder than she had originally intended. Tony swore and plopped down on a stool.

"That hurt, Ash! Jesus Christ you are almost as bad as Point Break."

"What do I have to do with inflicting pain upon you?"

Tony ignored Thor and went on. "I think you dislocated my shoulder!"

Ashlyn settled down next to her husband who was drawing in his sketchpad and oblivious to his surroundings. Ashlyn rested her hand on his thigh, her fingers drawing small circles on his leg. She watched him draw, the others around her laughing and chatting, bickering here and there, and throwing grapes at one another as they munched on them.

Ashlyn gently kissed the spot under Steve's ear and she spotted the corner of his lip quirking up in a smile.

"You ready to go home for awhile?"she muttered.

Steve stiffened as if he had forgotten her promise and the thought was surprising. He then smiled again, closed his sketch book, and intertwined his fingers with Ashlyn's.

"I guess it's a good thing that we didn't completely pack everything and take it with us," Steve noted quietly.

Ashlyn got off her stool and pulled him to his feet with a laugh and grin. The others were to caught up in their conversation and Tony to busy milking his 'wounded' shoulder to notice when they left the kitchen.

Just when Ashlyn and Steve were heading out the door, someone acknowledged the pair was leaving.

"You are heading out?"

Steve had been playing around by putting on Ashlyn's scarf, coat, and hat when Loki approached them, Ashlyn giggling so hard she thought she was going to burst into tears. Suddenly, Ashlyn's husband was embarrassed to be caught in the "cross dressing" act and froze. Ashlyn only laughed harder.

"Yes, w-we're h-h-heading home for a bit," she managed between laughs.

"So you are leaving." Loki's voice was cool and his face clear of emotion. "When will you return?"

"Tomorrow at the latest," Ashlyn promised. "D-Do you want to go to the library with me when we get back?"

Loki nodded and strode away, his back rigid. Ashlyn tried not to feel bad about leaving him behind, but his broken voice resounded in her ears. Guilt overcame her, fresh and raw, as she thought about Loki alone with everyone.

"No one yearns for me to be in this tower."

Steve put Ashlyn's hat back on her head and rewrapped her scarf around her neck. His face was still flushed as he handed his wife her coat.

"Let's go home," Ashlyn uttered, slipping her hand into Steve's.

"You happen to be my only companion."

Makeshift S.H.I.E.L.D Base

Tallahassee, Florida

April 21st

1:39 PM

"Bruce! Bruce!"

Dr. Banner had been making his way to his room to pack up his stuff to head back to Manhattan when a familiar voice caused him to stop and turn. Kaitlin was rushing up behind him at high speed with a few papers in her hand and a huge smile on her face.

"Kaitlin, Kaitlin!" he mimicked playfully. "What's up?"

"I got in! S.H.I.E.L.D hired me!" Kaitlin announced as she grinned from ear to ear. Bruce's heart stuttered and skipped a beat when she threw her arms around him in a tight hug.

"That's great, Kate!" he exclaimed. "You've got a job!"

"I'm gonna get paid!" Kaitlin cheered in his ear. "I'm getting a bonus! I get to move out of my apartment where my stupid roommates live! I get to travel!"

Bruce's insides grew even warmed when he realized Kaitlin would finally get her dream. She had told him countless times how she had always wanted to leave Tallahassee and see the world and now her dream would finally be coming true.

"We should celebrate," Bruce responded with a rather serious nod. "This is a cause for celebration."

"A wild celebration," Kaitlin corrected even more gravely. "How dare we even believe it is cause for a party."

"How does champagne sound?"

Kaitlin's humorless facade shattered as she beamed. She then held out her arm and said, "May I have the honor, Dr. Banner?"

"The pleasure is all mine, Dr. Chapelle," Bruce answered as he to offered his arm and she looped hers through it, snuggling right up to him. Together they walked in sync back to Banner's room, butterflies rocketing crazily around in his stomach at the close contact between them.

Bruce held open the door for her and gestured for her to enter first. She curtsied and entered, plopping down on the only piece of furniture in the tiny room: Bruce's cot.

On the tiny dresser was a bottle of champagne and two glasses. He had made sure Kaitlin had gotten the job, personally recommending her and fighting for her to be accepted. When he had heard the news shortly before Kaitlin had found out, he had gotten the bottle and glasses so they could drink.

"Cheers," Bruce said once he had poured them both a glass.

"Cheers!"

They drank, Bruce watching her sip with that dumb, cute, and little smile still plastered on her face.

Kaitlin ran a hand through her mop of curls and smirked. "How long have you been working with S.H.I.E.L.D now?"

Bruce shrugged. "I've lost count."

"Ah, so you admit you might be getting old."

Bruce's eyebrows flew up. "I'm only thirty!"

She laughed as light and as rich as the bubbly.

"Where is this all coming from?" he inquired.

"It's just...life is so precious, you know?" Kaitlin elucidated. "Being with you and this new job and my whole...it has made me really realize that."

"Your whole what?"

Kaitlin blushed. "Nothing. I'm a rambling mess sometimes. I don't know when to stop talking."

Bruce watched as her eyes flew down to his packed suitcase below, a few piles of clothes still waiting to be set in.

"You're leaving?"

His throat tightened. "Yes. I have to return to Manhattan. I need to..."

Bruce was at a loss for words. He had Skyped many times with Ashlyn, her talking about how she missed him, the accelerated growth of the baby, how she wasn't sleeping properly, how Tony was lonely in the lab, and how the others couldn't wait until he got home. He had promised Ashlyn that they would figure the ordeal together and he couldn't do that hundreds of miles away.

"My friend needs me," he finished.

"Oh." Kaitlin's face fell. "I'm staying here for a few more days and then I'm being stationed on the Helicarrier and other places. They were talking about needing me in Vienna way out in Austria."

"So far away, huh?" His heart felt like it was falling and failing all in one swoop. "How many days?"

Kaitlin shrugged. "Maybe a week or two until then?"

"Maybe–" He choked slightly on his words. The idea felt crazy to him but he felt utterly compelled to ask. "Maybe you could come to Manhattan with me."

"Manhattan?" Kaitlin's eyes glowed. "You want me to go to New York with you?"

"Y-yeah," he stuttered with a dip of his head. "You can meet the others and we can hang out more before you have to go to Vienna."

"I've always wanted to go to Manhattan," Kate replied. "Since I was a kid."

"So, you'll come?"

"Yes, of course!" Kaitlin declared joyfully. "I'd love to."

They clinked their glasses together and drunk again, all smiles and laughs.

Bruce could then feel himself slowly falling in love, floundering, drowning in her beam and gorgeous green eyes, and he didn't know how or whether or not he could ever stop.

Manhattan, New York

Avengers Tower

April 22nd

4:02 PM

"You're really not so bad, you know that?"

Loki's dark green eyes looked up from the checkerboard with the hint of a smirk on his face.

"Oh, really?"

"Y-Yeah," Ashlyn confirmed as she double jumped over two of his pieces and turned her piece into a king. "Besides the whole ego and commanding people to kneel thing."

"Hmph."

The two of them sat in Ashlyn and Steve's room playing checkers, Loki in a blue shirt and jeans while Ashlyn wore a dark blue shirt that displayed her round and ever growing baby bump off to the world. Using comparison charts, Natasha and Pepper's knowledge, and the world wide web, she had estimated she had just hit the three month mark. She was quite proud that it was now obvious that she was showing.

"I thought you would have tried to have killed me and the others by now."

"I told you, I do not spill unnecessary blood," Loki said. "That doesn't mean I haven't dreamed of it."

"...I-I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Ashlyn muttered as Loki took a piece of hers.

"While you were gone Thor was especially getting on my nerves," Loki uttered. "I do hope you aren't planning to leave again."

"Haven't you ever wanted alone time, Loki?" the brunette questioned.

"Everyday."

"You can w-want it, but I can't?"

Loki was silent, taking in her words with an impassive expression.

"I see," he acknowledged after a minute when Ashlyn had taken one of his kings. "You're trying to say I can be selfish, which is true. Aren't we all selfish at one point or another?"

"Some more than others."

Loki chuckled. "Yes, I suppose so."

"I hate you," she teased.

Loki grinned. To her surprise, he replied in the same joking tone, "Reciprocal loathing to you too."

Ashlyn scooped up Loki's last piece when her king conquered his last checker piece. Loki stared at the board for a long moment. They had been neck and neck the whole game and the dark haired exiled Asgardian had been growing competitive as the game became more heated. Teaching him had been easy; he had picked it up right as if he had been playing his whole life. He had learned chess as easily as one learned to breathe.

Loki's eyes narrowed at the sight of her triumphant win. His frown broke into a smile and breathy snicker (the infamous Loki laugh according to Tony), his head turning slightly to the side and his eyes widening.

"Good match, although my detestation for you just doubled."

"You're so mean to me!"

"And you have the misfortune of being all too nice, sjenert jente."

They both chortled, Ashlyn's laugh suddenly breaking off as her body felt as if it had been drenched in ice. Ashlyn shivered, the back of her mind tingling as her body grew numb. She could feel her jaw dropping and breathing picking up as black spots crept into her vision. Loki was staring at her, forehead creased and green eyes zeroed in on her as his figure swam. Her heartbeat accelerated as one hand slipped over her stomach in fear while the other wrenched out her notebook and pen in her back pocket. Her fingers were quivering beyond control as she stumbled up from the table and fought to leave the room before Loki witnessed her slip into a trance. She collapsed, a pair of hands catching her in the free fall, and fell into darkness.

Numbers spun in and out of focus like bubbles as she was forced underwater, her eyes longing to open and oxygen pumped in and out of her lungs, a machine breathing for her. There was nothing but darkness and numbers, muffled voices, and sleep.

And then her surroundings splintered into a trillion shards of glass, her blood gushing on the tile, skin hot, mind pounding, and noises overwhelming. In the distance a voice was calling her name, dragging her back to reality like the whisper of a faint breeze. Her hands were fumbling and she could feel the vibrations of the trance ending as ink was written on paper.

The seer emerged as if she was being dragged out from the depths of the deep end of a pool. It felt like she had left her eyes open underwater in the chlorine too long as her head pounded and felt as if it had split down the middle. Her knees nearly gave out on her once again but arms kept her close, her forehead pressing into a chest.

Loki felt strange holding the Midgardian as close to him as he did, and he felt even more odd that he was genuinely concerned for the brunette he had come to know and grow somewhat fond of. His heart was beating in his throat and ears as cupped the back of her head with one hand to his chest and the other steady on her spine incase she tried to take a tumble again. The male guided her to the bed and sat her down upon it so she was leaning against the headboard and nestled in the pillows. Loki crossed his legs and gripped her arms tight to keep her upward.

"Are you alright?"

Ashlyn seemed to come to as her eyes became a little less glazed. Her stare found the crumpled piece of paper in her hands and the numbers that were upon it.

4 27 5 35ca93

The brunette gave him a shaky nod and a wince, groaning in pain.

"I'm going to get the Captain, alright?"

Ashlyn didn't see or hear him leave. The next thing she knew was that she was sinking into a pair of arms she knew all too well and was molding to him like a glove; her face in the crook of his neck and hands balled up in the chest of his shirt as she tried not to scream. The glass was digging under her skin and taking her life, her blood was spilling, and maybe she was wailing against her will while the world was a blur of colors and sounds.

Steve was comforting her, shushing her like a baby, holding her close, laying her down under the covers as their legs were in a tangle and his arms were around her, desperately trying to bring her back to the world, to remind her that he would be there when she finally awoke from her dazed and agonizing reverie. Everything was jumbled and didn't make sense but she could smell him and that glorious scent of his skin and his arms around her and the tangle that was their legs and his fingers in her hair and the blankets around the two of them like a cocoon while the worst of the vision passed. People were in the doorway as they came and went, a confused and wayward spirit constant in presence as Loki did not leave from the chair by the window by the checkerboard.

And Steve was humming some forties tune in her ear as the blood stopped and glass turned to sand and his scent became more profound and his grip around her and hand brushing and resting on the skin of her stomach where their child lie in worry. He was her only grasp on reality in a world gone wild, in a world of trances, of colors, and of sounds.

I completely understand if you were a little confused (or a lot). This is all going to make sense in a chapter or so. I was trying to show the utter confusion that trances can bring and the impact they are starting to have on Ashlyn.

~Illumini