Chapter 10 is here! Hope you enjoy it ^^

I don't own the Avengers, only Emma and the alterations to the original story.

Making a Deal with the Devil

Tenth day

"Okay, so this is oven roasted carrots, parsnips, celeriac, potatoes, beetroots and onions. I really hope you like it," I say, handing him the plate. I don't know why I'm so nervous, it's not like his opinion should matter to me. And I like it, that's the important thing. My father, well he doesn't like it, but he doesn't hate it either. So I say that's good.

"It certainly looks better than yesterday's food did," he says smug, and tastes it. I blush slightly; I thought he liked it yesterday? "It tastes good. Yesterday's did too, don't worry."

"I'm not worried!" I blurt out, and realize my mistake as soon as he smirks at me.

"Of course not," he teases. But then he just continues eating, as if nothing out of the ordinary happened. I sit down next to him, and get ready to ask him more questions. But as soon as I open my mouth to ask him a question, he interrupts, "Look, it's not really fair if you get to know everything about me, and I don't know a single thing about you. What about we make a deal?" He looks questioningly at me.

My father's words of Loki being the devil come to my mind. Never make a deal with the devil, hundreds of characters from books and movies whisper to me, but I ignore all of them, and says, "That depends what the deal is about."

He looks somewhat approving at me. "Clever girl. What do you say about taking turns asking questions?"

I think about it for a brief moment, but decide that there's nothing harming about that request. "Okay, who starts then?"

"Ladies first," he smirks. "You can get tomorrow, I get the day after and so on. Sounds good?"

"I guess. What about today?" I didn't fail to notice that he left today out.

He shrugs. "We can both ask today, then we'll start tomorrow." I nod and he takes another bite of the meal. He gestures to me, "I do believe you had a question?"

I smile. "You believed right. I want to get to know you today, not the guy from the myths." He looks up at me surprised, but gestures for me to continue. "Okay, so what's your hobbies?"

He grins. "That was not what I expected. You get a chance to ask me any question, and you ask about hobbies?" He shakes his head, still grinning. "I like to read, actually. I'm not really an active kind of guy." He shrugs, like it's nothing.

I just smile wider. "So do I! Have you read anything I would know?" I know I'm a geek when it comes to books; I just love reading, so what? But of course he hasn't read anything I would know, I don't know what I'm thinking.

As I predicted, he shakes his head. "Probably not. I haven't read anything from Midgard in a while. Most of what I've read is about magic or ancient legends of ours."

"Oh okay. So it wouldn't mean anything to you if I told you what my favorite books are?"

"No." I might have looked disappointed, 'cause he continues, "But that doesn't mean you can't tell me."

I smile at him. "You won't know the books, so why does it matter?" Instead of answering he keeps eating. I sigh. "Okay then. In that case a few of my favorites are Harry Potter, the Lord of the Rings and the Five Ancestors." Of course I have loads more, but these are my Top 3. The Five Ancestors is kind of different from the others, but it's exciting and even though I know it was written for younger kids, I can't help but fall in love with the characters over and over again.

"What are they about?" he pauses his eating to ask.

"The Five Ancestors is about a bunch of warrior monks in China, who are… trying to find their identities, I guess. They are pretty much fighting to save China," I shrug. "The other two series are a bit different; they're fantasy. The Lord of the Rings is about a fellowship, who is trying to defeat a very evil guy called Sauron. He is trying to get back a ring that can give him a lot of power, basically, so that he can get dominance of the world. Frodo and eight others are trying to destroy the ring to stop him."

I take a breath before starting again. "Harry Potter is about a boy named Harry Potter, obviously," I roll my eyes, "who finds out that he's a wizard. He has to destroy the dark wizard to be able to live, basically, 'cause the dark wizard is trying to kill Harry. He gets help, of course."

"Okay, so they're all about adventures and trying to save your world from total domination?" he asks. Oh shit! I hope he doesn't think I'm trying to send him a message, or something. With him kind of trying to do the same thing as the evil guys from the books, I mean.

I just nod, hoping he won't get angry. Instead he laughs, I look at him shocked. "I thought you said the last ones were different from the first? They're all about fighting for what you believe in." He keeps grinning, even after he stopped laughing, and I can't help but smile too.

"I guess you're right," I say, still smiling. "Changing the subject, did you teach yourself magic, or did you have a teacher?"

(Loki's POV)

"Both. My mother taught me a lot and then I read a lot of books about magic to teach myself. I know some things she doesn't, and she of course knows some things I don't. So you can say that she started it, but I continued my training."

She looks thoughtful for a moment. "Why do you call Frigga "mother" and Odin "Odin"?" Oh, honestly I didn't even realize I was doing that.

"That was a mistake. She's not my mother," I say determined, even though I can't help but notice a pang in my heart as I say it.

She looks at me calculating, but apparently decides that it's not important or realizes that I don't want to talk about it. Should that be the case, she's right. "Oh, okay. Shouldn't you ask me questions, too, Loki?" she asks hesitantly.

She's right. I haven't really asked her anything yet. I just don't know what to ask her. "Well, you already told me about the books."

She just looks patiently at me. "Okay, do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No. I only have my father. We're not a very big family."

This gets me thinking. "Your father isn't married?"

"No. He has a girlfriend though. Her name's Pepper."

"Is she your mother?" She suddenly pales; that's interesting.

She doesn't even answer, just shakes her head. Maybe I shouldn't have asked. I'm desperately trying to think of something else to ask her, besides the obvious.

"Do you like this Pepper, then?" I finally ask. She looks gratefully at me. Guess I asked the right thing.

"A lot. She's really nice. And my father loves her a lot, they fit together. Even though my father sometimes says stupid things, they're still together. So yes, I like her." The small smile is back on her lips.

Suddenly she stands up. "This was really nice, but I've been in here for quite a long time. I think I should go, before anyone becomes suspicious or something." With that she smiles and leaves me in the glass cage.

(Emma's POV)

"Hey, Emma!" Natasha says before placing her arm around my shoulders and pulling me with her towards Steve.

"Hi guys," I respond awkwardly. I don't really know what's going on here. I just arrived at the meeting room, where Natasha and Steve are. I was hoping to find someone to talk with. And luckily I did. Natasha's reaction to seeing me is a bit weird, though. She is not really the type of person to get excited when someone shows up.

Steve doesn't look very comfortable either. He just waves slightly at me, before Natasha starts talking again. Usually she doesn't talk a lot, so this comes as quite a shock for me.

"So, Emma," she says. I look expectantly at her, with her arm still around me. "Do you have any friends who would like Steve?"

"What?" I just look confused at her. I think all my friends would like him. He's nice, clever, handsome, not to mention famous. And he looks like he's around 25 years old, which for some of the girls I know is a perfect age; they like their boyfriends to be a bit older than themselves.

"You see, Steve needs a date. So do you know anyone?"

Here he stops her. "Natasha, I don't need a date! You have got to stop this! Besides I'm too old for any of Emma's friends."

"Come on, Steve, you're not too old. What's stopping you? Rejection?"

"No. I don't have time for dating." He looks kind of guilty; he's being honest, of course, but there's also something else.

Natasha lets go of me and places her arm around Steve instead. "Of course you have the time, you just have to find the right girl," she looks calculating at him, "or boy."

Steve is a hilarious sight; he widens his eyes and looks like he wants to run away. "Girl, definitely girl."

She grins. "Okay, girl. When this is all over, I'm gonna find you someone."

I chuckle. "Good luck with getting him to agree on that, Natasha."

"That's why I've got you, sweetie," she theater whispers to me. Steve pales.

"I've got to go now," he says before running out of the room.

Natasha starts laughing. "See, Emma, that's how you make him scared."

I grin at her. "Thanks for the lesson."

"Dad, do you think Steve needs a girlfriend?" I ask my father. He's working with Bruce. Bruce pauses for a second, before continuing his work, so it's obvious that he's listening.

"Huh?" I guess he didn't hear the question, but then he answers it. "I think everyone needs a girlfriend, Em'," he smirks, "except you."

I laugh. "So what do I need? A boyfriend?"

He turns to look at me. "No. You have me, isn't that enough?"

Bruce coughs, it sounds suspiciously like a laugh. "Dad, think about what you say, before you say it."

"What do you mean?" He frowns confused. Then he pauses to think about what he just said, and grimaces. "Come on, you know I didn't mean it like that!"

"Yes, of course I do. But still. Think before you speak! What if you said something like that around people who didn't know?" I raise my eyebrows suggestively. "Just think about it."

He raises his hands like he's giving up. "Fine fine. What would I do without you?"

I smirk. "Get in a lot more trouble than you are now."

At this Bruce chuckles. "I can only imagine that to be true."

"Hey! You're supposed to be on my side," my father pouts. I roll my eyes at him, sometimes it's like he's the child and I'm the adult.

"Back to the subject. Why does everyone but me need a girlfriend or boyfriend?"

"Everyone needs someone to love and be loved by, Em'. I thought that was obvious," he teases.

"That doesn't explain why I don't need a boyfriend, Dad. Don't you think I deserve to be loved?" I pout at him.

"Of course you do! But you're still my baby girl, and you don't need to have… you don't need anyone but me right now." He looks away, pretending that he didn't slip up.

I frown. "I don't need to have what? Sex? That's what this is about?" I laugh. Judging by the way my father's face turns red, I'm right. "I'm not a baby, dad, I know what sex is."

"That doesn't mean you should have it right now, though," he says.

I just keep looking at him. "Okay okay, if that's what you're saying." I turn around to leave and it's only because my father stops me that I don't get to walk entirely out the door.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing," I say with my best innocent voice. Like I really am still a little girl.

"Come on, Emma, you meant something by it." I know he's not going to give it up. The thing about my father is, if he thinks he's onto something he remembers it and keeps nagging you about it, until he finds out what it is.

I sigh. "I'm just saying that I had a boyfriend for almost a year, who I loved and trusted." I shrug like it's not important.

But of course he thinks it's important, and he's clearly not going to give it up before he gets a straight answer. "You mean you…?" He looks kind of angry; I didn't think he'd react that way. It's not like I really am a little girl. I'm 18, for god's sake. And I was then too.

I just nod. "No!" he exclaims.

"Yes, Dad. It's really not a big deal. Everyone does it." I try with a careful smile.

Thankfully Bruce comes to my aid. "Tony, you've got to realize that she's not a little kid anymore. She's 18 years old. You probably did it when you were around her age, too." I smile at him gratefully.

"That's not the same!" he argues almost yelling. It seems like he's just refusing to believe that his baby daughter is almost a grown woman.

"It's exactly the same, Dad. The only difference is that I'm your daughter, and that apparently means that I can't grow up," I end it teasingly, and really try to make sure that it doesn't sound like I'm angry or something. When my father is behaving like this, I have to be the adult. That's just the way it works.

His shoulders slump down, he's realizing that I'm right. He can't pretend that I'm still a little girl, and he can't protect me from growing up. That's just the way life works. You get born, you live, you grow and you die.

"I guess you're right. It's just a little hard for me to cope with; that I'm not always gonna have you here with me. Someday someone will take you away from me."

I smile at him. "Nothing can take me away from you, dad. You've got to know that. I will never just disappear, and you know I love spending time with you. That's not gonna stop just 'cause I grow up."

"It better not," he says playfully.

"Of course not, Dad. Someone has to make sure you don't do anything too dangerous." He responds by sticking his tongue out at me. And just like that, there's no arguing or discussing anymore. I guess that's how it is when you're a family; you will always be able to talk it out and forgive each other.

"So am I allowed to go now?" I ask.

He nods and goes back to his work, which I kind of interrupted. So I smile at Bruce and leave the room.

How did you like it? Thank you for the lovely reviews and the favourites and follows ^^ And by the way I haven't forgotten about Clint, the reason why he's not here yet is that he won't be reunited with the team until he attacks the Helicarrier, just like in the movie. In my version the period from where Loki is captured to the attack on the Helicarrier where Loki escapes is longer than it is in the movie. Hope that clears up any confusion. Please review, favourite and follow. See you next monday!