Hi everyone!
As you surely noted, I have stopped updating every week. Now I'll just do it every other week, because I'm getting overwhelmed by schoolwork.
Anyway, I hope you'll like that new chapter.
A/N dear friend, this is revenge.
Enjoy!
The water was scalding hot, she was going to get burnt, but she needed to forget what he had done for her. He was on the edge of death right now, while Simmons and the other doctors of SHIELD were trying to reconstruct what had been damaged and bring him back.
She had touched his hands, his wrists and arms, she had wrapped her arm around his waist to support his weight when they made their way from where he had taken the hit to the extraction point. The heat of the water now replaced the warmth of his familiar hand. She knew all its calls and all and all its strength. It almost felt right when she held the weight of a gun in her hand with his fingers around hers. She had been back on the Bus for a flash, before Hydra and Garrett and everything.
She hated the memories she had of him back then. She still remembered the first time she had seen him smile, when they were playing boardgames. That smile tugging on the corners of his lips, showing some teeth, and the little light in his eyes, some twinkle in these pools of darkness? It had warmed her and it had been the first time her heart missed a beat when she saw him.
There was only one step between finding someone handsome and actually falling in love and she had jumped right over the border. She had fell head over heels in his trap and he had seemed to follow.
But now she knew. She knew who he was, what he had done. But the cuts, and the sadness and the sacrifice he had made of his life for hers….That woke up something inside her. You woke up a weakness inside me.
She offered her face to the stream of water as a vain attempt at washing away the thoughts. Her fingers traced in the steam on the walls of the shower the symbols she dreamt of.
The symbols had stopped appearing, as the blue color of her skin. But he was still here, more vivid than ever. His face, his eyes, his light scruff, it seemed so real. God, she hated that.
Couldn't she have killed him when she could? Couldn't she had stayed out of SHIELD's radar in the first place?
She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, the air felt cold on her red skin. Still better than blue. She put on some clothes and walked out of the bathroom, tugging her wet hair into a ponytail.
"I was wondering whether or not you were going to drown yourself, mortal."
She jumped in surprise. The Asgardian warrior _who was supposed to be a prisoner_ was standing here. She looked sad, angry and definitely bitter.
"What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to talk with you. To know how it felt to kill Grant."
That was why she was angry. From what she had caught, Skye had learnt the two psychos had come close the weeks they were together. Would Fitz be jealous about their link once Ward would be awaken? Why was Fitz even able of dealing with that girl so easily and with such trust?
The whole team saw how something was growing between the scientist and the warrior, but Skye couldn't understand how it was even possible. Fitz wasn't the one to get in troubles, he prefered following the rules. She looked over at the woman who was still watching her with her blue eyes.
Skye didn't trust her, had never trusted her. She was cruel and she had seen her fighting her mother with fury and a real want to make blood flow.
"I didn't kill him."
The silence was tensed and surprised. The blue eyes were suspiciously narrowed at her. She could understand how difficult it could be to believe it, after all she had said about the pleasure she would take in killing Grant Ward…
"Don't play games with me, young girl."
How old was the Asgardian? That was a question she wanted to ask to the three of them. Torunn looked just more than 20, and her parents not more than 30. But she knew it wasn't possible.
"I'm not playing games. I didn't kill him. He is in the med bay."
"Why?"
Genuine concern here.
"Your friend Hella armed him. Well she tried to kill me, but that idiot took the blow for me. Sword wound down all his back."
"Oh Odin!"
Again with the concern. One deep sigh, she closed her eyes a moment, shaking her head, visibly blaming herself. But he was going to be ok, right?
"But you didn't kill him."
"No. I couldn't. But I swear to God, if you tell me something in the lines of 'I told you so' I'll get angry."
"Lack of sleep make you aggressive."
Torunn knew what lack of sleep did to one's state of mind, or body. The heavy limbs, the lack of focus, everything that came from the insomnia. She knew that the first couple of days, everything was brighter and you felt more energetic, always running around. But then came the tiredness, weighing on your shoulders. And you went to sleep early, you forced yourself, but you just stayed awake, staring at the ceiling for hours.
Skye sighed. She was sleep deprived, yes. But she wasn't the only one. Nobody on that damn base slept enough.
Fitz was insomniac too, but it wasn't new for him. He could manage it just ok, knew just when to drink coffee for the effect to keep him from falling. He knew what to do, had built a routine around it in the years. May was like that, she never slept. Well she had to, sometimes, but whenever Skye was awake, she would be. Coulson said she had always been like that. Coulson was only sleep deprived because of the work. Being Director kept him from sleeping enough.
She knew from talks with Fitz that the warrior in front of her, wasn't much of a sleeper either. How did she manage? She never seemed tired, never showed one sign of being weakened a little. She was always strong-minded and always kept her head high. She was facing everybody. Even herself.
"How do you do that?"
"What?"
"Staying focused. Never be tired."
A light chuckle came from the warrior. Her blonde hair didn't move when she threw her head back to look at the decorated ceiling. She had a little sad smile. Skye looked at the little sadness in her eyes. She could see there was more behind the rock-hard appearance of the girl. Something that Fitz only could see for now.
"Oh, darling, I have a couple of hundreds of years of training."
Coulson looked tensed and restless. She knew he hadn't been sleeping a lot these days. But she didn't know it was at the point he stood up only because of caffeine. They had been having quite a talk about Skye and Ward and everything going on in the Playground. And it was quite the number of unpredicted events considering the state of the SHIELD organization, and the supposedly secret location of the base.
"Phil you'll do the same thing"
Her voice was almost slightly bored.
"Right... But still..."
She rolled her eyes at that. He was so damn stubborn!
"Still what?"
"He's a traitor."
"Said the man who changed his termination order for a 'bring him in' one..."
It was his time to roll his eyes.
"Did you heard the record of that mission?"
"Not yet."
"Do it. Quick."
"I don't a minute free, May!"
He had a deep sigh. Their relationship was more and more difficult with the kids around and the Asgardians. The sleep deprivation made him grumpy and aggressive. But he still didn't have one minute.
"Find one"
"Should I cut on the time we spend together?"
It was not a funny comment as he usually did. this one was biting and almost mean and she looked at him strangely.
"Don't try to be smart with me, just call the archives and make them send these records to you."
"You can still debrief me about it."
Why was he so stubborn? She unwillingly started to tell what it was about. Because if she wanted to have some reactions from him, she had to do it now.
"Better you heard some parts for yourself, but, Ward was severely injured during his time with that psycho."
He frowned at her. What had the traitor done again? It wouldn't be the first time he injured himself.
"How severely?"
"According to Simmons report, he got around 20 new scars on his neck, face and torso. All are from sword cuts, deep enough to hurt considerably."
"He was tortured?"
He asked. Hella had made him escape. She was supposed to be his partner in crime, not his torturer. This didn't make any sense.
"He's still out from the anesthetic. We'll know more once he's been interrogated. According to the recording, when Skye talked to him, he said it was some kind of punishment from Hella."
"Punishment? "
That was the last thing he was expecting. Punishment for what? What was going on?
"Please, call home and make them send that audio records to me"
"On is going on. And we don't know what. But I think we accused some people too quickly."
"You think?"
He said, looking at her, knowing perfectly she was damn right. But he had never trusted easily and, after the betrayal from Ward, his trust was even harder to give. And the Asgardian girl wasn't the kind of person who gained trust at first sight.
"You know how much I hate saying that but we should have listened to that girl."
That was a lot coming from May. He sighed. She was right.
" We will talk to her again soon"
May winced. He almost smiled at her protective look suddenly. She muttered a string of words.
"I don't like you being down there alone with her."
He chuckled.
"She's not going to hurt me..."
"You'd bring Fitz with you... cheater!"
He laughed this time, openly.
"True. That's one way of doing it."
He saw her closed off look and untrusty eyes. He took a step forward, touching her shoulder lightly.
"Stop worrying..."
She moved away, walking to the door. Her eyes only left his face to find the knob of the door.
"I'll be back"
She said, leaving him alone.
She needed to find Skye before he did, with all those angry thoughts in both their minds, a fight between them is the last thing that needed to happen.
The heels of her armored boots resounded against the marble floor. Sif hadn't really miss the pump and ceremonies of Asgard after all. The corridor wasn't empty, at the contrary. She had already seen dozens of courtiers, who all knew her and wanted to talk with her, alas. She managed to avoid most of them. They were all wearing dresses, were perfumed and their hair were styled perfectly. She felt self-conscious and awkward with her battle armor and simple hairdo.
The walls were shining, as usual, glittering spears. She had gone through the main corridor, in front of the five hundred and forty doors, wide enough to allow the passage of eight hundred warriors abreast, and she faced the principal gate where were a boar's head and an eagle whose piercing glance penetrated to the far corners of the world watching from above. The roof was of golden shields, and the benches were decorated with fine armor, Odin's gifts to his guests.
From the high windows, she caught a glimpse of the quivering rainbow bridge, the Bifröst. She turned her head again, and the sight this time wasn't as charming. In the blink of an eye, her jaw was set, fists clenched. Before her was Lorelei.
The Goddess was free of any restraint, using her enchanted voice and its power of control over a couple of tall warriors. She looked at Sif right in the eyes and left her sighing suitors with a smile.
"Sif! Isn't it a pleasure to see you in here?"
"Unrequited, if I may."
Sif grumbled between closed teeth.
"Oh, darling, believe me. You'll see me in these parts, oftener than you wish."
"Weren't you imprisoned?"
"I caught the eye of a certain high-placed gentleman, you know how it is… Well, what am I saying, of course you don't. No man would want such a brute… They see enough of armor on the battlefield."
She touched the shining metal of Sif's armor and sighed contemptuously.
"They want more femininity… When was the last time you dressed as a lady, Sif? Was it when the Prince himself thought you were desirable enough? But his tastes are highly questionable… He seems to have a thing for the muddy type, or the Midgardians… Maybe saw he in you the most Midgardian of the Asynjur?"
The slap made the whole corridor go silent. Lorelei looked at her over her reddened cheek, at the hand still in the air. Pure fury was readable in her gaze.
"You'll regret that, Sif. I promise you, when I am Queen, I'll make you pay."
Here you are!
Little note; Asynjur means Asgardian ladies in Old Norse.
Hope you enjoyed that!
Don't forget to review!
Until next time,
The Queen of Heart