I was sick yesterday...and kind of today so I didn't get the chance to update yesterday, but here I am! This story, I realize is fast-paced, but it works. Action-y sequence in this chapter! Thanks so much to animeotaku4life for the review and thanks to everyone who is reading and adding this fic to alerts! I do not own the Avengers. Enjoy!

Chapter Nine

Loki slammed his fist down on the wooden table in front of him. Ethan had become useless and there was no time. Willow had to be taken from the Avengers. Perhaps, if the Avengers were meeting they would be on the flying aircraft carrier once again. Destroying it for good would be satisfying.

Willow sat up in her small bed and sighed. Her cell phone started to ring and she groaned as she reached for it. Mimi was frantically talking.

"What is going on?" Willow demanded and Mimi stopped suddenly.

"You need to get down here. Maureen is going crazy without you and something crazy is happening in New York that is making everyone in the building crazy," Mimi explained and Willow changed her clothes while Mimi described everything. As soon as Willow was ready, she went to the bridge to ask Fury. When she got there, Fury's eye was on the screen in front of him. Something was going on in New York…again.

"I'll have to call you back, Mims," Willow said and hung up.

"Ms. Crecy, you will go with the Avengers to investigate what's occurring in New York," Fury commanded and Willow nodded.

Tony, garbed in his Iron Man suit, smiled at Willow as she sat down in the quinjet. Natasha and Clint were driving down to New York and Bruce was sitting across from Willow. Thor was speaking with Clint in the front of the jet.

"What exactly is your superpower?" Tony wondered and Willow looked up at him with a smile.

"It's a secret. I'm not going to tell you until it's absolutely necessary," Willow replied evenly. Steve gave Tony a look and the billionaire walked over to Bruce to discuss what he thought was happening. In his hands, he held a touch screen that showed the footage of New York.

"You seem nervous," Steve mentioned and Willow shook her head.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's adrenaline kicking in right now. Hopefully I'll be able to keep it in check until we get there," Willow explained and folded her hands in her lap as if nothing was wrong.

"Why don't you change now?" Steve whispered and Willow shook her head. "

"I'd rather be outside and I don't need everyone to worry about me." Willow gave Steve a quick smile and then continued to control her breathing.

"Are you okay?' Bruce asked Willow and she nodded. Everyone was looking at her like she was going to hulk out.

"Don't worry, I don't turn into a green rage monster," Willow said with a laugh. The jet suddenly jolted and Willow grabbed something; it turned out to be Steve's hand. Steve smiled at her and she released his hand with a smile.

The landing wasn't as nice as Willow imagined it would be, but when they got out, Willow looked around to find the pavement broken up and cars piled high. New York was still on the mend from the attack last year and now there was something else.

"Stark, scout the area; Banner, hulk up; Thor and Willow break off with Stark; the rest of us will check for civilians," Steve directed and Willow walked a bit farther away from everyone to unfurl her wings. This time, it was less painful, but at least she could help. When she joined the team, everyone was in shock.

"So, this is the elusive superpower you have. You're an angel," Tony pointed out, but Willow shook her head.

"Sorry, I don't know what it's like to be an angel and I'm pretty sure they have white wings for purity," Willow pointed out and Tony shrugged.

"You're a Valkyrie," Thor observed, but Willow shook her head.

"I'm just a girl who happens to have wings. Let's go see what's going on," Willow figured and shot into the air like a rocket. Thor swung his hammer and followed after her.

The skies showed so much more than going on foot. Steve had given her an earpiece to contact then and she clicked it instantly.

"There is some serious damage from up here. It looks like someone is drilling into the ground over here," Willow stated and saw something heading toward them in the sky. She flew down and landed in a pile of rocks and debris. Whatever was following them landed and suddenly, the ground rumbled. Steve, Natasha, Clint, and Bruce who was now Hulk, were at the site where Willow had found the digging. As Willow began to walk, she heard footsteps behind her. Turning slightly, she noticed Loki. Ethan stood with him and Willow cursed.

Willow turned around and placed her hands on her hips. Loki looked at her strangely and then smiled.

"It turns out I'm actually capable of flying," Willow said and Loki nodded.

"Thanos is here," Loki stated outright and Willow turned around to see if she could see Thor or Tony flying around.

"What are you doing here? Have you come to force me back?" Willow wondered, meeting Loki's gaze.

"In exchange for coming with me, I'll help you get the Infinity gems and defeat Thanos," Loki bargained and Willow's brow furrowed.

"Are you sure you want to make this agreement? What if I somehow died?" Willow inquired. There was no way Willow would let Thanos kill her.

"You won't be fighting. That is part of the deal. I will help the Avengers destroy Thanos while you stay behind," Loki explained and Willow shook her head.

"I couldn't do that." Loki smirked.

"Then, I will have to take you back now while the Avengers are busy," Loki figured and Willow groaned in frustration.

"Fine, I'll agree to the deal, but I get to stay right now," Willow said, not wanting to leave. Loki nodded and disappeared. Willow hurled her body into the sky and watched as Skrulls attacked the Avengers. Loki was in the fray, battling them off as well. Suddenly, Willow felt her nails sharpen and she dropped down to slice at the Skrulls. Their alien blood stained her hands and at some point, she switched over to picking them up and dropping them to the ground high in the air.

The ground below began to shake and Willow stopped to search for the cause. She zeroed in on the spot where there was a big gaping hole. Willow flew over there and was suddenly blasted away. Her body landed on top of a car and she had to pull herself out of the indent she made. Running, Willow made her way back to the hole and watched as something emerged from it. More Skrulls came from it, but something struck Willow instantly. It was Thanos. Steeling herself, Willow made ready to attack and she grinned showing her teeth, sporting fangs.

In a rush of adrenaline, Willow charged at him. He didn't notice her until she was a few feet away from him. The alien grinned and grabbed her neck easily. Willow flapped her wings, hoping to get away, but Thanos' other hand grabbed a hold of her left wing. Instantly, Willow froze. He suddenly pulled and Willow bit back a scream. She could feel blood run down her back and when Thanos pulled harder, Willow screamed out. That was when Thanos dropped her and Willow didn't even register what was happening. Her vision was blurry and she felt numb.

Steve rushed to Willow's side and her injured wing was twitching. Blood seeped through her shirt and matted on her injured wing. Thanos had disappeared and left Willow for dead. Looking around, Steve gazed at Thor and Clint. The two were surprised that Thanos had gone, but Clint didn't see his cousin. When he jogged over, his expression fell.

"Why did she take Thanos on alone?" Clint asked, mainly to himself.

"I doubt she was thinking," Natasha commented and Steve gave her a look. Hulk came and leaned over Willow. He then lifted her carefully and Willow's brow furrowed in pain.

Loki made his way over and shook his head upon seeing Willow in such a state. Hulk narrowed his eyes at the god of mischief and put Willow back down as carefully as he could.

"She can't die," Clint stated sadly and Natasha placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Brother," Thor said quietly and Loki nodded, knowing exactly what Thor was insinuating.

"I can heal her, but not here," Loki spoke up and Steve glared at him.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Steve demanded, rising to his feet to face Loki.

"I swear no harm will befall Willow. Before she jumped into the fight, we made a deal. I will help you find the Infinity gems and defeat Thanos if Willow stayed behind and refrained from fighting," Loki explained and Clint wasn't too happy.

"Where will she be?" Clint wondered, standing a foot behind Steve.

"As part of the bargain, she will remain with me," Loki pointed out and Clint almost decked Loki, had Steve not held him back.

"Just help her," Steve insisted and Loki nodded.

Willow groaned as she opened her eyes. She was lying on her side and could feel her wings unfurled. Looking back, Willow confirmed it and sighed. Her left felt much heavier and she realized she was lying on her right side so that her wing could be looked at. The door creaked open and Willow instantly closed her eyes as if she was asleep, but cracked her lids in order to see. Loki entered the room and gazed at her wing. He leaned toward the left wing, but looked at Willow's face. Willow watched inconspicuously as Loki moved a strand of hair behind her ear and his finger ran down her jaw. Something drew him from his thoughts because he looked over at the door and then left. Willow opened her eyes and smiled a bit. Suddenly, the door opened again and this time it was Mimi. It seemed useless to pretend to be asleep anymore, so Willow yawned and saw Mimi sit down in a chair next to the bed.

"So…you have wings. When were you going to tell me?" Mimi asked calmly.

"I didn't think it would have ever come to this, Mimi, I'm so sorry," Willow said quietly.

"Ethan said you were bleeding badly when they got you back here." It made Willow swallow hard.

"I'm getting better, though," Willow pointed out and Mimi nodded.

"Loki came in a few times to check on you. I thought it was creepy, but apparently he knows what he's doing when it comes to being a 'doctor' or whatever," Mimi mentioned with a shrug. Willow pushed herself up and attempted to sit on her knees, but she couldn't seem to furl her wings.

"Mims, could you take this bandage off my wing? I can't furl them without doing so." Willow turned around and Mimi was hesitant.

"Are you sure you want me to do this? I might hurt you," Mimi figure, but Willow didn't turn back around. Slowly, Mimi peeled away the bandage and then presented it to Willow.

"How does my wing look?" Willow was a bit worried.

"It's matted down with a bit of blood, but I think it looks fine," Mimi said honestly. With that, Willow sat on the edge of the bed and stood upright. Mimi reached out to help her and Willow directed them to the bathroom. With Mimi's help, Willow stripped and got into the shower. She needed to wash the blood out of her wing.

The hot water felt good on Willow's back and once she had finished cleaning herself off, she got out of the shower to find Mimi with some clothes and a towel. Willow gave her best friend a grin and Mimi helped Willow dry off. With a deep breath, Willow retracted her wings and winced in pain.

"Does it hurt to have wings?" Mimi wondered as she helped Willow get dressed.

"It's getting better." Willow would rather not say how much pain she was in when she'd unfurl her wings. As soon as the girls got out of the bathroom, Mimi helped Willow back to bed.

"Get some rest. I'll come back again. Ethan said I can stay here, so they're getting me a room of my own." A smile graced Willow's lips as she closed her eyes.

Mimi left Willow to sleep and noticed Ethan and Loki nearby. She met Ethan's gaze and he stood, walking toward her.

"How's Willow doing?" he asked with concern.

"She woke up when I took a seat and I helped her get into the bathroom to shower. She's back to sleep now, but her wings are retracted," Mimi explained and out of the corner of her eye, Loki stood.

"Your room is ready," Ethan said, off topic, and guided Mimi down the hall. Loki watched them leave and then ventured into Willow's room.

The covers were pulled up to her shoulder and she was sleeping on her side again. When Loki shut the door, she moved a bit and then let out a sigh. Smiling, Loki decided to invade her dreams.

Dream next chapter...obviously. I must say, it's my favorite chapter so far! Do you think Loki is going to honor the agreement or not?