Trauma was not something new in her cold life, neither was pain. She spent most of her childhood a slave to one of the most feared Demons in any realm. She knew what pain was. Forced herself to get over it, but when she grew attached to someone, she did it with caution, with hesitation, and only if that person could give her something she needed, such as knowledge, or medicine. How she yearend for the medication of Demons, that stuff could heal anything, but she didn't have enough foresight to get it earlier, and now it was too late, she was too far gone.

She struggled against the bonds that held her wrists in place as the demons neared her. They brandished their weapons, not caring that Belasco would torch them if she got hurt. Only the great Demon Lord was allowed to hurt her, and he rarely missed a chance to do that. The first demon approached her and spoke to her in the demon tongue.

"You're his precious bitch." The demon smirked, showing his lack of teeth, scars were visible all over his body, the black marks clearly visible against his black skin.

"The correct term is witch." She replied, spitting in his face. She felt no fear, which was stupid, but she was a product of this realm, the young girl she used to be was long gone. The demon dropped his dagger and slapped her hard across the face, instead of recoiling in pain; she laughed evilly. "Is that the best you have, Demon?" He went to strike her again, but his arm was frozen in place. Such a shame, he seemed like a formidable fighter. "Light 'em up." She mused as he turned to ash, the fires of limbo decimating him in seconds. The other demons around her looked at her in fear and she beckoned them forward with a nod. "Who wants to die next?" She asked with a devious grin. One demon stepped forward, a sword unlike her own was in his hands, his face set in a permanent scowl.

"Tell me mistress, do you plan on killing the Great Lord?" His voice was hoarse, but it took her a second to realize, he was speaking in Russian. The other demons stared at him with contempt; he was obviously something else, not from limbo.

"I do." She replied plainly. He had murdered her mother and father, recaptured her when she escaped to Saint Petersburg, taken away everything she held dear, except the golden ring she hid in the pentagram locket. The Demon did something that startled her, layered Russian and Demonic tongue in the same sentence.

"She is to kill the great demon lord! I will help you. We must take away his precious witch. Use your fire on them mistress." Within seconds the Demons attacked her, cutting her stomach up before she had the chance to call upon the sacred fire. She glared at the Demon that had said he would help her, and then he knew what he had to do. All the other Demons were down on the ground within a second. She nodded at him in thanks and then he cut her down.

"What is your name Demon?" She asked him, abandoning the Russian for another day.

"Focalor Mistress." Focalor, she thought to herself, that's a neat name.

"How did you come by speaking Russian?"

"I know all the languages in the universe." He said, taking out a charm and applying it to her wounds.

"Would you teach them to me?" She asked him and cried out lightly in pain.

"Of course Mistress." She smirked, why not.

"We'll start once I heal." He nodded and her eyes shut against the pain.

Physical pain was easily to master, it was all in your mind of course, along with emotional pain, but there was something about emotional pain that made it more complex. When she felt emotional pain she remembered everything about that person, everything they had done to wrong her, and she cringed. That relationship usually suffered, if not shattered. It was because of that reason that she tried to keep as many people away from her, because in the end where were her friends? The love of her life? The men who had professed their love for her? They were elsewhere.

She sat on the edge of her bed; her thoughts were everywhere as she heard his footsteps on the stairs. His ex-wife, well she wasn't really his ex, was back in town after being declared missing several years before. They never really talked about her, or her ex who died while she was pregnant. When they were ready they could talk about those two people, but not before. No doubt someone had told him of her conversation with Tony the night before. Their wedding was only a few days away and she didn't know if they were going to proceed with it now, the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn't looking made her heart scream out in pain. His fist made contact with the door as he knocked lightly. She used her magic to unlock it and he walked in, looking directly at her.

"Illyana, we need to talk." He said and she sighed softly while nodding.

"Yes we do." He made his way over to the bed and sat down next to her.

"Nothing has changed." She looked him in the eyes, trying not to betray everything she was feeling at that moment.

"It feels like it has." Without hesitation he started explaining himself.

"I was alone and I wanted to get back at those who had stripped everything away from me. The Avengers. I developed my army stronger than its ever been before. I was strong. My mind control powers still worked and I continually used them on people. One of them was Miss Carter." She nodded.

"I see." She said softly, giving him the floor to say more if he wanted to.

"I was merely using her to hurt the soldier. I didn't realize that I-I was capable of feeling something else." She looked him dead in the eyes.

"You loved her."

"I- I don't even know anymore. Did I? I thought I did." He said taking in a deep breath as he continued to explain. "And I was foolish to believe that she would care for me in return." He started to get emotional and she felt like maybe they shouldn't have started talking about her. "She did, but only because she was under my spell. There was no way she could love me." She bit her lip to prevent herself from saying that there was no way anyone could not love him.

"I love you." She said quietly. " I love you for who you are Loki." He looked deep into her eyes as a smile came to his lips.

"And that is why our love is real." She couldn't hide a small blush from rising on her cheeks and she smiled from the statement, but as quickly as a smile came to his lips, it was gone. "She became pregnant after my promise to her to be queen when I ruled." That was something Tony had asked her about, if he had said he would make her his queen. She didn't care about that, but Tony had pointed out that Loki had made Peggy his queen, or his soon to be queen, in a short time. This did bother her, but she pushed it away. "Illegitimately, we married. But it didn't even work… or count. She disappeared a few months later." He heaved a heavy sigh. "I never saw her again. Until now." Hesitantly she leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

"I'm sorry." Was all she could manage to say, he swallowed sadly and looked away for a minute.

"And now she does not remember anything. I suppose it is for the better." She shook her head.

"It's not for you. You're upset."

"Of course. She comes back, with my child mind you, and does not remember anything." He sighed and she felt her heart turn to ah. "But I have you now, and that is all that matters. Do not think any differently."

"You're still upset. That doesn't change. And frankly I would be too." He shook his head as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I will be fine. If I didn't have you, I do not know what I would do." Pulled him into a tight hug, never wanting to let him go.

"I'm not going anywhere." She said softly, even though they both knew that this relationship wouldn't last, their love might, but she was human, well mortal, she was going to die no matter what. He hugged her back with a smile.

"Thank you love." She kissed the top of his head.

"Always Loki."

"I don't deserve you." She laughed lightly.

"But you have me, and that's all that matters."

"I honestly couldn't live without you. I love you so much." She thanked her lucky stars that he wasn't reading her mind because she thought that that wasn't true. He could live without her; he just had to find someone else out of the billions of women who made him feel happier than he was with her.

Men always seemed to pick her out of the crowd, it was like a curse. There were times when she wanted to be alone, single, then a handsome man would make his way over and win over her emotions. All they wanted was her body, most of the time. Few stuck around for a very long time, with the exception of three Loki, Barney and Strange. They were always there for her, even after Strange's death. He saved her life numerous times from beyond the grave. Save me now Stephen, she thought to herself.

She sat in a chair as the party went on, the couples dancing with one another as the bride and groom kissed each other, swaying to their own music, lost in the romantic moment. Her blonde hair was braided in a complex manner that even she could not remember how to replicate it, but it went with her customary red dress which was simple but stunning. She had donned black stilettos that matched the black chord she wore around her neck, the gold ring was hidden under the fabric of her dress but she didn't need to worry, the original owner had forgotten about it long ago. The slow dance music dwindled to an end as the couples made their way back to their seats. She paid little attention to the bride and groom, her friend's boyfriend had backed out of the wedding just days before so she was the replacement for her plus one, not that she minded, but it meant she knew next to no one. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the flash of a navy blue suit that had gold embroidery, he might have ditched the red cape and collar, but she knew who he was right away; he whispered something in the ear of one of the band members before walking away. She scanned the room, not knowing why exactly, but found nothing out of the ordinary, he was gone, then it hit her; the scent of his cologne. A smile crept across her lips as she stayed in her seat.

"Ms. Rasputina," He said softly, whispering in her ear, she turned her head slightly.

"Doctor." She said in response, but he wasn't finished, he offered her his hand and smiled.

"May I have this dance?" He asked, and at that moment the band resumed playing music, it was upbeat, but no one got out of his or her seats to dance, their eyes were fixed on her and the good doctor. She took his hand, knowing she could not refuse.

"Of course you can." He kissed her hand as she stood up, leading her to the dance floor. He counted them in mentally; the dancing lessons her mother gave her were finally coming into use.

"Have you ever danced before?" He asked right before they started, she shook her head. "Why?"

"I've been waiting for the right partner." She said as he pulled her close, stepping forward as she stepped back, the drum beat in common time, or 4/4 time. He smirked as the Latin influence came to light as the song progressed, his hand easily slipped from her waist in to the small of her back, easily pulling her flush to him as the moved as one around the dance floor, their steps in perfect sync. She added little flair steps as they danced and in return he spun her. All eyes were on them and people started to whisper, but she blocked them out; for once she didn't care about what people were saying. The song seemed to go on forever, she didn't mind at all though; his electric blue eyes provided enough wonder to keep her enthralled for hours.

The people in the room continued to stare at them as the music slowed down, indicating the end of the song. A smile tickled his lips as he dipped her, she used her outside leg to wrap around his knee, keeping her balance but also ensuring they'd still be close when he pulled her back up, and they were when he did.

"Have you found the right partner now?" He whispered in her ear, a shiver ran up her spine as she started to answer but found his lips on hers. Everyone started clapping at the spectacle but she didn't notice, her arms found their way around his neck and his arms wrapped around her waist. In a flash of magic that resembled her own they were teleported away, his lips were still on her when they arrived at their destination, his master bedroom. He unwrapped his arms from her and she gasped lightly from shock. He was a good kisser.

"I think I have." She said in response to his earlier question as he turned her red dress to shreds. He smirked, wrapping his arms around her again, kissing her passionately. Then laying her down on the bed and climbing in on top of her.

Everything she cared about was gone now; she was all alone, dying in a room in a house that was secluded from all the heroes. In the neighborhood she lived in she was the single Russian woman who didn't own a car or didn't spend much time maintaining the perfect appearance of her house. Her magic took care of that as she dealt with the illness that was now taking her life. They knew nothing of the warrior, the Demon Lord, the fiery spirit that lay beneath her polite appearance, and she hoped they never would.

She seriously couldn't believe herself, she had only been on a blind date once before but in her defense she had no idea it was a date until they got ditched by her best friend and his brother. Yet Peggy claimed he was an old friend of hers, and that he was a real gentleman, so she decided to go for it, she had nothing to lose. She sat down at the bar, trying to clear her head when she felt a pair of eyes on her. She didn't turn around, but as odd as it sounded, she recognized that gaze. The footsteps grew nearer to her seat until a hand reached out and grabbed the one next to her. Dark brown hair along with a dashing smile and a mustache were visible out of the corner of her eye, her lips turned up in a smile.

"Howard Stark." She said with a laugh, of course it was Howard, he was from the 40s originally, as was Peggy.

"Illyana Rasputina. You never called me back after our last little chat." Her eyes widened. Shit, she said to herself in Russian, he laughed and nudged her playfully. "If I was angry at you I wouldn't have agreed to come and meet you." She laughed nervously.

"You knew it was me?" She asked softly. He nodded.

"I did, Peggy told me right up front." She put her head in her hands.

"I had no idea it was going to be you." He ordered some scotch, just like Tony, and she continued drinking her vodka. She was going to need it.

"How have you been Illyana?" He asked as he took the first sip of his drink, she sighed internally. She was a mess, a wreck, mentally unstable.

"I've been good, you?" He looked at her curiously.

"Lonely." He said simply.

"That's never a good thing." She said as she took another sip of her vodka.

"That's why I agreed to go on a 'date' with you. Plus I find you interesting." She laughed at the flattery.

"You are too kind Mr. Stark." She said not knowing what kind of name basis they were on.

"It's Howard, Mr. Stark is Tony." He laughed, and she cracked a small smile. "Well this isn't going well Howard." He muttered to himself and she laughed.

"I'm not a very social person when it comes to one on one, don't worry yourself, you're really nice Howard. I just am more accustomed to, let's say more violent beings." She took another sip while he eyed her curiously.

"'More violent beings' what's that supposed to mean?" She turned the chair to look him in the eyes.

"Demons, it means Demons Howard." His eyes widened and she thought they were going to pop out of his head. "I'll show you." She said, standing up and grabbing his hand, immediately his fingers were laced with hers and she held back a kiss. A portal opened mere inches in front of them. He gasped lightly when she pulled him into the portal.

Limbo materialized around them instantly, the fires close enough to radiate heat. "So this is where you live?" He asked her.

"Most of the time I live in Moscow or New York, but I spend some time down here. Those," she said pointing towards a group of shadows on a ridge in the distance, "are Demons." She began walking towards them and he followed.

"Are the dangerous? I mean, will they kill you?" He asked his curiosity getting the better of him.

"If they get the chance, yes." She said, he stopped her, as they got closer, his arms wrapping around her waist protectively. "I've been dealing with Demons since I was a young girl, I know how to fight them." She said and his arms relaxed somewhat.

"Just be careful." He said as she summoned her sword, walking towards the Demons.

"If you're careful, you get hurt." She said, trying to ease his mind as the first Demon approached her, each hand had a sword at least twice the size of hers, but she was unfazed as she took him down easily, and then the others in quick succession. The adrenaline coursed through her system, rendering her unfazed by the gaping wound on her stomach. When the last of the Demons in that group dropped to the ground she walked back to Howard, each step becoming more and more painful, he saw the gash and ran towards her, catching her as she fell.

"Would you like to go out, on another date sometime?" He asked as she laughed lightly.

"I would love to." He pulled her close as she used her magic to heal the wounds, and found herself kissing him.