Okay, I'm on a roll today! Then again, I have been lying in bed sick all day…. Oh well, here we go!

I woke up to bright lights in my face and pain everywhere. I don't know what happened to me or anyone else. I struggled to sit up in the bed. I had an IV in my arm and a white hospital gown on.

"Britney?" a soft voice called. I turned to see Bruce with a clipboard in his hand.

"Dr. Banner, what happened?" I asked pleadingly.

He sighed and looked at me sadly. "When we were getting you out," he stopped not knowing if he should say. I put a hand on his shoulder to tell him to continue. "Justin hit the base's self-destruct button. The explosion knock you and everyone but me out. Tony, Steve, Natasha, and Thor are fine."

"What about Tiffany, Loki, and Clint?" I asked quietly. I didn't want to know, but I had to.

"Loki is unconscious, Clint is in a coma, and Tiffany, well, I'm so sorry Britney," he told me. The tears welled in my eyes and poured down my face. My best friend was gone.

Bruce put a hand on my shoulder and said he'd give me some space.

I'm an idiot! I never should have taken this job, I never should have gone to the tower with The Avengers, I never should have gone on that dumb mission! I'm an idiot and I got my best friend killed! I yelled at myself as the tears kept pouring down my face. I'm a screw-up. It should have been me! I should've died, not her!

I yanked all the wires off me and climbed out of bed. I ran over to the door and locked it. I looked at the window. One jump and I'll be with her again. I went over to the window. I opened it cautiously.

"Britney No!" someone screamed. I looked over and saw Tiffany pulling on my arm. I looked down at her hand. I could see my skin through her pale hands.

"Tiffany?" I asked the ghostly figure. She gave me a small smile and nodded.

"Britney, I may be dead, but I'll protect you. I don't have to leave," she told me.

I stepped back from the window and back to the bed. I sat down on the edge and the ghost followed in suit. "I guess all those ghost books paid off, huh?" Tiffany laughed at my joke and hit me in the arm. Her hand vanished for minute and reappeared on the other side of my arm. Tiffany shrugged and laid back on the bed. "Didn't you say ghost's need energy to manifest or whatever?"

"Brit, we're in a room filled with machines, I think we're good," she replied rolling her now pale brown eyes. I frowned at how everything about her wasn't the same. Her tan skin now sickly white, red lips now a bisque color, and her once deep brown eyes now beige. She looked so different now, even in her New Orleans Saints jersey I got her for her birthday.

"Have you been watching me?" I asked dumbly.

"You mean for the week you were unconscious? Yeah, I have. I died on impact of the explosion though," she said the last part softly.

I gave her a sympathetic look. "So, a week huh?" I asked attempting to change the subject.

"Yeah, you may have over done your Winter Break Brit," she said, making me laugh. She was always good at that. I guess even in the afterlife she is.

"I don't think I'll be going back to school anyway," I confessed.

Tiffany looked at me shocked. She knew my dream was to go to college and get a good job. "But, why, how?" she asked perplexed.

"I'm gonna work fulltime for SHIELD," I answered keeping my eyes on the ground. I refused to meet Tiffany's eyes right now.

She started stumbling her words and finally said, "Britney, are you sure about this?"

"I'm positive," I replied. "I don't want any more deaths in this world or any other because of stupid villains. I want to protect people, make up for the fact that I couldn't protect you."

She didn't say anything, knowing if she retorted we get into an argument and I'd feel worse about myself.

"Why else do you need to work for SHIELD?" she asked me.

I sighed and replied, "Because I feel torn right now and don't have anything else to do anymore."

"I understand," she said.

"Are you gonna leave me because of this?" I asked.

She looked at me like I was crazy. The only answer I needed. I grinned at her.

"Lady Britney, who are you talking to?" Thor's voice boomed through the door.

"Nobody Thor," I replied. "If you want to come in you can."

Thor walked in and Tiffany vanished. In tow of Thor was Loki. "I thought he was," I started.

"He woke up and said he wanted to see you immediately when Dr. Banner said you had awoken," Thor declared. I looked at Loki and smiled. He returned it with a very, very small smile.

"Thank you Brother," Loki told him through clenched teeth. I put a hand over my mouth to keep myself from. I didn't need laughter to put me through more pain. "You can go."

Thor left the room and Loki came over to me. I saw the scars and bruises on him. He had stiches on his cheek, a black eye, a broken arm, and little bites covering him. And that was what only what I could see. "Oh my god, are you okay?" I asked worried.

"I am fine, just some scratches," he assured me.

I shook my head and said, "No, Loki, you're really hurt."

"Britney, do not worry," he told me. "Besides, you are in a much worse state then I." I pushed away a piece of my hair. I moved my hand up and felt stiches. I looked down and saw I was covered in bites to. There were probably worse things covering me though. "I'm guessing Banner told you?"

"Yes," I said hurriedly. I knew that Tiffany was right there, thing is, I couldn't bear to here that she's dead again. Loki took me over to the bed and we sat down. I put my head on his shoulder. I could hear the words 'Kodak picture moment' being said in my ear. Tiffany.

"Will you be alright?" I nodded against his shoulder. "Good. I suppose you will be returning home and to school."

"Home maybe, school, no," I answered. I got off his shoulder to see him giving me a puzzled look. "I'm gonna work fulltime for SHIELD." His eyes widened and I saw many different emotions in them.

"Are you," I cut him off with a nod. "Well, that seems reasonable. Shall I tell the others?"

"Not yet. I have to come to, but I'm not going out there in a hospital gown that barely covers my butt," I told him.

I started looking for my clothes and Loki said, "I found them." I turned to see him holding my clothes. I reached to grab them and he yanked them out of my reach.

"Loki!" I yelled as he started walking backwards with a grin on his face. "Give me my clothes!"

"Oh no, this is much to fun," he retorted. I glared at him and tackled him to the ground. "You do realize you are laying on top of me in a very revealing dress." I blushed and got off him and he handed my clothes. As he walked out the door he added, "Though, I never said I did not enjoy it."

"Pervert!" I yelled. I heard him laugh outside the door. I shook my head and put on the clothes. Something told me Nat picked them out. I was wearing a red, long-sleeved, skin-tight shirt, black skinny jeans, and black leather boots. Good thing Nat has good taste, I thought happily. I opened the door and I heard a yelp and someone crashing to the floor. Loki was lying on the ground glaring up at me. "And this is why we don't lean against automatic doors."

"Thank you, I had absolutely no clue," he replied dryly. I smiled and helped him up.

We walked down the hall and into the control room of the Helicarrier. Is it bad that I just now realized I was on the Helicarrier. Yeah, it is. Everyone turned when they saw me.

"It's Alive!" Tony declared in shock. I walked over and slapped him upside the head.

"Agent Prichard, I'm supposing that-" he started.

I immediately cut him off by stating, "You can be supposing that you'll need more missions for your newest full time SHIELD agent." I smirked as his eye widened in shock. I turned to see all the Avengers with dropped jaws and wide-eyes.

"Well then, let's try this over from the last time we did this," Fury said regaining himself. He held out a hand and I shook it. "Welcome to SHIELD Agent Prichard."