She was getting better at Apparating… teleporting… whatever… over greater distances. Zee's magical energy levels didn't seem to react at all to the strain of instantly moving herself and Jiaying across the entirety of Europe and much of Asia to her apparent home base, somewhere in the mountains if the view was anything to go by. It should have been peaceful, tranquil… but all Zee wanted to do was let the rage out.

"Those demon-damned, nerf-herding, arse-munching losers!" She screamed out to no one. "Lousy excuses for magicians. Hypocrites, the lot of them! Outta go back and teach them about real magic! I hope their Merlin-sucking mirror world collapses on top of them!"

Zee wanted to keep going, her tirade nowhere near finished, but seeing Jiaying giggling over to the left, both hands covering her mouth, but her obvious mirth at listening to Zee complain was enough to bring the shouting to a stop.

"What?"

Jiaying just shook her head as she continued to laugh.

"Fine." Zee conceded. "Just stand over there and make fun of my pain."

Finally getting her giggling under control, the other woman shook her head and gestured for Zee to look around. Following direction, the once heralded Savior took in their beautiful surroundings. Jiaying's home was beautiful. It was a fairly crude village; no signs of electricity or running water (if the ditchers and apparent outhouses were any indication), but the vegetation and surrounding trees and mountain tops leant towards an idyllic paradise. The buildings, basic is design, were lined up along a beaten path that served as the center of the little village. From what Zee could see, the pathway led up the mountainside and into the clouds which weren't that far away.

Her potential ally took an apparent calming breath. "How are we here?"

"Isn't this where you wanted us to go?" Zee asked. "Right?"

"Yes. But how? I expected us to be several days travelling by train and ship, lots of walking, to get to know one another. How are we here now?"

Zee thought about what to say. There were so many opportunities… lies and half-truths that could be offered. She took a moment to consider, when she realized that her demonic companion was strangely silent. For once.

"Those people. The ones that tried to capture us."

"The sorcerers." Jiaying offered. Zee nodded.

"I'm sorta like they are." At Jiaying's look, Zee offered what she hoped was a comforting smile. "I'm not with them. I'm… well, I don't know them. And since I am not from around here, they don't like me. I don't think."

"You didn't make a hole in the world like they do."

"No." She sighed. "You get that there is magic in the world, right?"

"Yes." Jiaying offered in response. "Maybe better than you."

Zee let that response go. "Good. Well, I'm a witch. Maybe the only type of witch of my kind."

"And they didn't like that?"

Zee smiled, a real smile this time. "Apparently not."

Jiaying grinned. "Don't worry, Daisy. I'll help protect you."

"Thanks." She answered drily. "But to kinda answer your question, I teleported us here. No open doorway or anything. I just decided I wanted us here and, well, here we are. And speaking of which, where exactly are we?"

"Welcome, Daisy," Jiaying spoke reverently. "To Afterlife."

"Afterlife?"

"Yes. This is the home that I have created for my people."

Zee considered her companion's words. "Your… people?"

Jiaying nodded as she started walking up the pathway. Zee had no choice but to follow. "Long, long ago…"

"In a galaxy far, far away?"

"What?"

Zee sighed. "Never mind. It won't be funny for several decades from now."

Jiaying gave her a confused look before continuing with her story. "As I was saying, long ago, Angels came to us from the heavens. They bore skin of blue and their chariots gleamed like the stars above and brought with them the rumblings of thunder and brimstone. These Angels sought the lucky few that could carry their divine gifts. The Chosen."

"Gifts?"

"Powers." Jiaying stated. "Abilities unlike anything before. They took so many Chosen into the heavens and shared a piece of their own bodies with them, returning with but a few, but those Chosen that came back were changed. Forever. They were Blessed, and the Blessed could now fly; or call forth the water from the seas; break stones with their own hand – using no tool; even able to call fire from nothing. There was no predicting how the gifts would be bestowed. Together, the Angels and the Blessed built temples where we could carefully examine the people, to determine who could survive the process of Terrigenesis."

Zee took a moment to consider what Jiaying was telling her. In many ways. It sounded an awful lot like the Abominations from the Ancient Ones, but she didn't get any of that type of taint from the woman in front of her. Maybe it was different here.

"Terrigenesis? I don't understand."

"The Angels' gifts to humanity came from sharing a tiny bit of their divinity, and that provided the lucky few the powers from the heavens, but after a time, the Angels found a way for the children of the Blessed to inherit their parents' small part of that divinity. Crystals from the heavens that could awaken the children's' divine powers."

"Okay, so how did these crystals work?"

The other woman continued walking, leading Zee to the upper edge of the village. They both ignored the curious faces that seemed to all be watching them. "The crystals caused the Blessed's children to undergo a process of Terrigenesis. They were transformed."

"Okay. With you so far. Angels created the Blessed. Blessed could now use crystals to make more Blessed, right?

"The Blessed grew in number. One of the first of the Blessed by the Angels was given dominion over the rest to lead. To rule. But he realized that the Angels wanted to take the Blessed away; to fight in the wars of Heaven. He chose instead to drive the Angels away. The Blessed rose up against the Angels, breaking their chariots. Those that could eventually fled back to the heavens."

By Merlin's knobby wand! Wasn't this the plot for the move Katie liked?!

"I'm sure that's not the happy ending everyone thought it would be?"

Jiaying stopped in front of a small cottage-like structure, leading them both in through the door. It was nice, clean, but very basic.

"He had driven the Angels away, but he wanted to rule. He kept the crystals for himself, allowing only those that swore to serve him with the opportunity for Terrigenesis. Those few remaining Blessed joined forces with the humans; those both normal as well as those that were more."

"More?"

She nodded. "Some say it was the sorcerers, believing that is why they hunt us even today. Others claim Demons, those that warred in the heavens with the Angels, sought to help. I don't know. But there was an army that challenged him, and won. He was cast to the lands of Death, defeated, but his followers scattered, swearing to find him and bring him back one day."

"Wow. Good story." See tried to lighten the mood. "And that was good, right?"

"If only. Humanity turned on the Blessed and their children. They said we were evil. Monsters. Inhuman. They hunted us, murdered us. The temples were destroyed, the crystals stolen and hidden. A very few of the Blessed escaped, taking what few crystals were left. They hid, creating safe places to live, exist, wherever they could."

Jiaying sat at the table, gesturing for her to join her. "Afterlife is one such community. One for the few remaining refuges left."

After sitting, Zee considered everything that she had been told. So much of the tale had sounded familiar, a blend of the history (both the truth and the lie) of her Wizarding World. Could this have been the reason why the life she'd led in her reality was the way it was?

"Okay. Great recruitment speech." She mentally patted her own back at Jiaying's blush. "I'm in. I may not be a Blessed or an Inhuman or whatever you guys call yourself now, but I can recognize that the cause is just. How can I help?"

*Nice* Zo-Kalar decided to pop up. Of course. *An army of gifted humans. Perfect.*

Yep.

Perfect.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It seemed like only yesterday that Jiaying had been showing her around the village, introducing her to the Elders that helped her run Afterlife, as well as all of the denizens that made this place their home. She ignored Zo-Kalar's running commentary regarding how each new person could fit within the army Zee would create.

She didn't need to consider how the teacher with the ability to create streams of fire would attack from a distance, while his sister offered cover by creating those invisible shields of hers. Or how the village physician could use his malleable body to infiltrate enemy strongholds, and his best friend who could never pass as normal, but possessed such incredible strength and durability would make the ultimate soldier. And there was the little girl who could change shape at will, the perfect spy, or the old blind woman that raised her, that could see glimpses of the future… one of the people that had insisted Jiaying should find Zee… that the old woman could predict enemy movements. How their neighbor whose appearance reminded Zee of Professor Umbridge, but could jump great distances and would make an excellent scout.

So many various powers and abilities. All of the possibilities of how she could so easily blend these Inhumans into the survivors of Schmidt's HYDRA, a perfect partnership of technology and… well, divinity, according to Jiaying. Zee could save this world, this new reality, by breaking those that would try to destroy it before they ever had a chance to do harm. It was the discussion (not an argument) that she and Jiaying had every night before they went to bed they shared.

Jiaying the Undying. That was her gift as a descendant of one of the Blessed. She had lived for centuries already, finding comfort where she could by leading, saving as many of those that could become Inhuman, as was possible. But alone.

Together, they had grown so close so fast. Once Zee (as Daisy) had joined Afterlife and become acquainted with the villagers that made up their tiny community, she had to do something about their living conditions. Zee so loved magic. Homes were expanded upon, as well as magical plumbing, at first, before they could eventually begin putting in actual plumbing in many of the newer homes being built.

Zee had laughed when Jiaying had started dragging her all over Afterlife, creating natural barriers around the cliffs – she'd learned they were somewhere in the mountains of China – and then helping the crops grow even the harsh climate. Together, they turned the rustic little village into a thriving community. Wards were set up, runes carved into the unyielding stone, ensuring that the wards would always remain, even if Zee was no longer there… an impossibility, when Jiaying kissed her like she did, offering to love her even as "Daisy" grew old.

The smile of Jiaying's face when Zee explained how old she was, counting both realities… well, it had been a celebration that neither woman would forget for a very, very long time.

The village was becoming everything that Jiayine had ever dreamed. It was safe. Secure. Hidden. But for Zee, well… the Dark Enchantress hidden within wanted more. How could she not when there were literally a couple of hundred super-powered beings all around her.

Sure, they wouldn't take the woman who seemed only able to make plants grow wherever she walked. Or the young boy that could read and translate any language (Zee had tested that by writing down a few words that came from the Book of Albion that she had never really gotten right. That he had translated it AND explained the context was enough to never speak to him again.). And what would she do with the kid that had a face like a bird? He couldn't fly, he just had a bird face.

But she wanted her army. Even when Zo-Kalar was silent, which was not very often, Zee kept planning how they could wipe out any that opposed them. With the magic stopping today's technology, Afterlife could meet up with the other Inhuman safe havens and together, they'd be unstoppable.

Jiaying refused.

The elders of Afterlife refused.

Even after Zee explained it to them, how humanity and technology were going to start jumping further and further in advances soon. Very soon. About cellular phones and computers; how information would be instantaneous; that hiding in isolation would become their only option, essentially trapping them in Afterlife forever. Zee compared it to being stuck on the moon, with nowhere to go. But they were fine with the little Eden that Zee had helped them create.

It couldn't last…

And Zee couldn't just wait for the inevitable.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Please, Jay." She knew that if the fight was lost again, there would be no reconciliation this time. "I know you've talked your oracles. They've told you about the coming threats. If we strike now, we can prevent it from happening."

"Or be the reason it happens, Daisy."

"I hate prophecies." Zee tried again. "I've told you why. But their visions have to be so we can change things. We won't cause them, but we can stop it from happening."

"By declaring war? On who? Everyone?"

"Yes. No. Maybe. And not war, per se, but… surgical strikes. I know of a group out there that's just begging for leadership. Together, you and me, we can make the world safe."

"Safe for who?" Jiaying threw her hands up in the air. "War isn't safe."

"War's not. But the result afterwards will be." Zee's voice was getting loud. "You see how the War against Hitler is going? The Allied Forces are stopping a lot of death."

"They are. And now you want to add another war on top of this one? Maybe cause it to keep going? Daisy, I appreciate you wanting to help save my people…"

"My people, too."

Jay had the decency to look apologetic. "Right. Our people, Daisy. But you're wanting to take untrained villagers, powerful for sure, but they are not soldiers."

"They don't have to be." Zee shot back. "But we can take the time to train them. To get them used to working together towards a common cause. They wouldn't have to hide who they were any longer. No longer being trapped in the mountains."

"And what's wrong with Afterlife?"

"Nothing, Jay. It's great here. I love Afterlife. I love you. But we're growing. Half of the village is either pregnant or trying to get pregnant. And with my teleportation, you've bene able to bring dozens of potential Inhumans here."

"You can make more space."

"True." Zee acknowledged. "The Expansion Charms can give us more indoor space, but the area within the Wards I've created is limited. There's only so much room."

"You can make more."

Zee shook her head in the negative. "It only goes so far. If I try to layer the Charms on top of one another, they might collapse. That would be bad."

Jiaying crossed her arms across her chest. "Then we can make another Afterlife. We'll find a new spot to create a new community."

"Or we force the Muggles to accept us."

"Muggles?" Had she said that? "Daisy, what's a Muggle?"

There was absolutely no safe answer. "Nothing. An old term from where I'm from. Never mind."

She could see that Jay wanted to press the issue of the word, but they were already too far into the current discussion. Any deviation might derail the whole thing, and Jay knew that.

"Daisy. The Elders don't want to start a fight… and I agree with them." She held her hand up. "I know that you have some possible insight to the future, but we are not going to be a part of your crusade. We've all talked it over, and while there were a few that wanted to explore a more aggressive stance towards the rest of the world, the majority opposes it."

"But, Jay…"

"It's not going to happen, Daisy."

"I can't stay, Jiaying." Zee offered into the silence that had followed the pronouncement. "I've fought too long to just try to wait it all out. To hope for peace through avoidance."

Zee ignored the tears that fell from her lover's eyes, tears that matched the ones falling down her own cheeks. They'd been together less than a year, but the two of them had rarely been apart since meeting in London. The sorcerers had been given a pass, as well, since Jay had convinced her that letting it go was the smarter option; a choice that Zee didn't actually agree with then or now, but she wasn't going to have her ire at this world's magic users make things difficult for Jiaying and Afterlife.

She could go after them now, however.

"I don't want you to go, Daisy. I love you."

Zee nodded. "I love you, too."

*I'm going to be sick.*

She ignored Zo-Kalar. "I wish I could stay, but everything in me says that to do so is a mistake. It's always been bad when I ignored my gut instincts, you know?"

"Where will you go?"

"I don't really know for sure. Probably the United States." She answered quietly, her voice rough. "From my memories of history from my Earth, that's where a lot of the bigger changes coming happen. This war will be over soon. I'll start looking into how I can prevent what I can on my own."

Jiaying wiped at her face. Goddess, but she was beautiful, even when sad. "Do you need anything? Supplies? Or money?"

"I'll be fine. I know you were planning on looking for those people that went missing from the village at the base of the mountain. I can still help, if you'd like."

"No. I can handle it."

Zee stood there, trying to figure out exactly what her next move should be.

"I'm going to go, then." Jiaying said. "I guess that I'll stay with Casey tonight. Let you pack." When Zee only nodded, Jiaying seemed to break a little. "Will you come back? Back to me?"

"Maybe. Hopefully." Zee's own voice shook. "After all, being that we two might be the only two immortals around, I'm sure that we will find a way back to one another."

Zee wasn't sure if it was Jay or herself that moved first, but suddenly they were in each other's arms, kissing like it might be their last. She hoped that it wouldn't be the final time they saw one another, got the chance to hold each other. To kiss and be loved. Zee thought that maybe she didn't have to leave just yet… and then Jiaying was gone. The door to their home, now just Jiaying's home once again, swung shut.

With a negligent wave of her hand, Zee's possessions (those few things that she had accumulated since coming to Afterlife) were packed in the satchel Jay had had made for her. So easy that she was ready to go; but there was really no other choice…

*We could force them. It's within your power to change her mind. The Elders' minds.*

"No." Zinnia offered to the empty room. A witch and her Demonic overlord. "This isn't the army we need. They have power, but not the drive to do what we need them to do. Besides… we've got time."

Zo-Kalar sighed within her mind. *Agreed.*

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"The what, exactly?"

Howard Stark smiled that smarmy grin of his, as he took another sip at the expensive scotch he'd ordered to go along with their dinner. That it was maybe the fourth one of the night would have worried her if she cared one whit whether he died from alcohol poisoning or not. He was a means to an end, though Zinnia was seriously wishing that she'd tried to seduce the Carter woman instead.

"We're calling it the Strategic Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division. S.H.I.E.L.D. for short." Howard offered, his voice full of mirth. "Or was it Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate? I can't really remember at the moment. It'll probably change again before we're done."

"But, S.H.I.E.L.D., you say? No matter what the words mean?" She offered as he took another swallow. Maybe she should have added some poison herself.

"Yeah. We kinda all wanted to honor Rogers' memory. Captain America. His thing was that shield of his. If we can keep his dreams alive, protecting the little guy from bullies, shielding them, as it were, then my legacy can live on alongside his."

"That's very noble of you, Mister Stark."

His grin at her calling him 'noble' ensured that she had him hooked. Sitting across from Howard Stark, acting as if his pitiful attempts at wooing her made Zinnia wish not for the millionth time that it was Jiaying that she was on a date with. That it was her Jay that she was smiling at, possibly going to bed with after this farce of a dinner was ended. But she needed to make sure that he invited her into this organization that he was creating. This Shield.

It had taken nearly a year after leaving Afterlife before there had been any headway into finding where Armin Zola was located. Her memories stolen from Johann Schmidt had led to the various safe houses and hidden bunkers that contained so much stolen wealth and weaponry, but so many of the soldiers and spies and resources that had been a part of HYDRA had been discovered and eliminated by the Allied Forces at the end of the World War… some of them even hunting down HYDRA after the war was declared over. She'd been close to getting to Reinhardt in Austria, but had ultimately gotten there too late, having missed his great find, whatever it had been. Instead, she'd learned that a paramilitary group funded by the Strategic Scientific Reserve of the United States had taken possession of the warehouse's inventory, as well as taken the HYDRA leadership into custody. Tracking the S.S.R. down had not been easy, but names like Stark and Carter had kept coming up, which gave her the lead she needed.

Which led her to now, posing as a Senator's Aide named Lillian Potter. That said Senator was on the Department of Finance's committee that worked alongside the Department of Defense, and therefore had a say in the funding for Stark's spy organization's funding, well so much the better. Stark was male and had a pulse; and Zinnia was female and single and attractive… he really never had a chance.

So, it was an introductory meeting in Washington, D.C., then following Stark and Carter and the others to New York, which led to several one-on-one meetings, and finally moving into this dinner where Stark would lay out everything and then, if all went well, offer her a position within S.H.I.E.L.D., giving her access to its resources, both legally and illegally obtained, as well as its roster of scientists… or, in other words, access to Zola. And then HYDRA, under her control, would own S.H.I.E.L.D.

"… o you say?"

She cursed at herself that she'd missed what Stark had asked.

*He wants to know if you wanted to order dessert. Something about maybe baking the State of Alaska or some other type of strange human confection.*

"I'm a girl, Mister Stark," she answered provocatively. "I want what every girl wants at the end of the meal."

She enjoyed watching him swallow. Twice. "And what would that be, Miss Potter?"

"Chocolate, of course."

He laughed. Howard Stark, for all of his obvious faults, did have a wonderful laugh. It reminded her of poor Cedric Diggory. She watched as he gestured for the waiter, ordering something that screamed decadent and entirely chocolate. It was amusing to witness the poor server trying to explain that what he'd requested wasn't available, not being on the menu. It took so little for Stark to pull out a wad of bills from his wallet, throwing it the flustered young man and telling him to make it happen. As Stark smiled at her, she found herself suddenly unable to resist sharing the humor of the situation.

"Chocolate you shall have, my dear."

"Why, Mister Stark. Are you trying to seduce me, sir?" Gotta go with the classic, Katie would always say.

"And if I were?"

*How much of his money have you siphoned from his accounts? You should just go ahead and kill him. You can take his place and name yourself to this shield board and just make it HYDRA from the beginning.*

She ignored Zo-Kalar, purposefully not looking around the dining area; the walls were covered in mirrors. Even the ceiling. Everywhere she Zee looked, her not-reflection was there, egging her on to do darker and darker choices. To simply take what she wanted in order to get to their final goal, rather than the slow, methodical approach that she felt was best. She'd held Him off so far, but the temptation to use the magical powers flowing through her veins was getting harder and harder to resist. She felt the magic forming under her fingertips, chaos waiting to be unleashed…

"I'm not too late for dessert, am I?" A melodic voice came from over her shoulder.

The power forgotten momentarily, she looked up to see Peggy Carter standing at the table, the off shoulder gown definitely fitting in with the rest of this establishment's patrons. Miss Carter's ensemble in deep red might have been a touch more daring than Zee's own sequined black, although their shoes matched in height. Zee tried to ignore the thought of the two of them in bed wearing only the heels.

"Peggy." Howard Stark nearly vibrated in his seat, at the other woman's presence. Zee would have been offended if she had actually wanted to spend the rest of the evening alone in his company. Carter was a much better choice. "Sit down. Sit down. What brings you here tonight?"

The agent's smile as she sat at the empty chair to Zee's right was anything but polite. "Howard, you know that you're not supposed to be talking about… things… without me or Colonel Phillips along." Her smile was almost all teeth.

"Peggy." He responded to her admonishment like a scolded teenage. More like Ron than Cedric now, to her consideration. "Miss Potter and I were just going over…"

"Ah, yes. Miss Potter." The former Agent Carter turned her gaze towards her. "How is Senator Brandt?"

*She's trying to catch you in a lie." Zo-Kalar whispered… like she couldn't have figured that out all on her own.

"I'm sure Senator Brandt is fine I'm sure, although I rarely see him as I stay quite busy in Senator Neill's office." She smiled back at the other English born woman. "But it's an easy mistake to make, as there are so many upstanding American men willing to govern this great nation. Unless it wasn't a simple error and you're trying to make a point?"

She sipped at her wine. Miss Carter had obviously not considered that she might be called out for the attempt at subterfuge, if that was what she had intended. Stark's partner eyed her a little more carefully now.

"Fine. I don't like you. And your references are too perfect." Carter finally stated. "All my contacts either sing your praises or have absolutely no idea who you are. That screams bad news to me. I want to know what's going on, and you letting Howard seduce you isn't going to work."

"Hey." Howard jumped into their little showdown. "Nobody's letting me do anything."

Zinnia laughed. "I'm sorry, Howard. Miss Carter is somewhat correct."

"Aha!" Carter cried suddenly. It was loud enough that it startled the poor waiter that was carrying their chocolate dessert to the table. Luckily, while it was a close thing, he was able to safely set the platter down onto the table. He ran away before anyone could ask for anything further.

"I've read the reports of what was really going down at the end of the War and right after. The things that HYDRA had apparently been up to. I begged Senator Neill for the chance to help. To be a part of making the Earth safe."

"You? A Senator's Aide?" Peggy Carter scoffed. Howard Stark just looked as if he just realized how badly she had been playing him. She almost wanted to admit how it had required several Confundus Charms and quite a few low level sweeps using Legilimency to get as close as she had, but that would require revealing way more than Zee was prepared to offer.

"Of course not." She retorted. "I'm a quiet, independent operative. I've seen the writing on the wall, and I understand the need for something like S.H.I.E.L.D. And I want in. You can see that I have the skills and abilities to be an asset, rather than a potential enemy down the road."

"You think you could be a threat?"

Zinnia let her happy face drop. "There are now six people here tonight watching Mister Stark and I have dinner for reasons other than they might want to sleep with me. The gentleman in the dark coat in the corner is one of yours, as is the couple three tables to the left. The last is the bartender.

"Not one of your people is the prickly little fellow against the far left wall. I'm pretty sure he's Russian, but as I haven't heard his accent up close, I'm not one hundred percent sure."

Both of her companions at the table had gone still at her pronouncement. Peggy got over it first. "That's five. You said six."

"I did. There's the pretty blonde female that actually followed you in. She's watching you more than either Mister Stark or me, although she could have just been late to the party." Zee was impressed that neither immediately looked over to confirm who was where she had reported them to be, but at reporting the blonde woman shadowing Agent Carter. "Do you recognize her?"

"Dottie Underwood."

At the venom in the other woman's voice, Zee spooned a healthy piece of the chocolate cake into her mouth.

Delicious.

"Do you want any of them detained? Killed?"

At her question, Stark looked carefully at her. "That's a dangerous woman. And I would know. You really think you're good enough to kill her?"

Zee ignored Stark and watched Carter. "Well?"

"A test, then." Peggy finally said. "If you can capture her, then you're in. Probationary status until I .m convinced you're on our side."

"Done." She spooned a second spoonful of the cake into her mouth. Zee ignored how the entire room suddenly broke out into a cacophony of broken glass and exclamations of shock and surprise, with several diners calling for a doctor or some other type of help as the blonde woman – Dottie Underwood, according to Agent Carter – suddenly collapsed to the marble floor of the restaurant, unable to be roused successfully.

Zinnia could have tried explaining that the woman wouldn't wake from the Sleeping Beauty Curse without the proper counter spell, but the explanation wouldn't really do anyone else any good. Magic was so much fun.

"So," One last spoonful of chocolate. So, so good. She quietly enjoyed the twin looks of shock on their faces as she daintily laid her spoon down and dabbed at lips with napkin. "When do I start?"

HYDRA would be hers. And maybe S.H.I.E.L.D., too.

So easy.