A/N: Hey! I'm so sorry for not posting for so long, I've been sick all week :( today is the first day I've even been able to drag myself out of bed, so here you go! Hope you like it :D
Chapter Thirteen
When Winter awoke she was back in the med room, Natalie and Megan standing beside her bed anxiously. Winter groaned, "How long was I out?" "Not too long, about ten minutes." Megan said as she put the back of her hand to Winter's forehead. She sighed, "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened." Natalie answered this time, "It's fine, you put on quite a show though!" Megan laughed, "Yes you did, people are asking questions now, questions we can't answer." Winter cocked her head, confused, "Why?" Natalie sighed, "We're trying to keep everything quiet. We don't want to tell the whole story, only what we absolutely have to admit to. Everyone knows you helped with the Avengers and got injured, but they don't know the extent of the damage done. We don't want this news to reach Hydra, so we're keeping your current status on the down low." Winter nodded slowly, partially understanding. It was quiet for a moment, and she looked around her room, hating being stuck in here. "Uhm," She started, trying to find the right words, "can I have an actual room? I can't stand being stuck in this med room." Natalie and Megan exchanged glances, before Natalie nodded, "I think that can be arranged, I'll go talk with Fury." She stood up and left the room. Megan looked around, "It isn't very cozy, is it?" Winter crinkled her nose, "Not at all, not that where I was staying before was the nicest place." Megan smiled, "The rooms on the helocarrier aren't exactly five-star hotels but they are nice." When Winter looked confused, her face fell. "Oh yeah," she said awkwardly, "You don't remember the helocarrier." It was quiet, and Winter wanted to say something but she didn't know what. "Where were you staying before?" Megan broke the silence. Winter smiled, "In a warehouse, I was waiting for S.H.I.E.L.D. to pick me up," she hesitated, "that's where Phil found me." Megan's face fell, she had probably known Phil too. Before she could respond, the door opened. Natalie walked in, a smile on her face, "Fury approved a transfer back to our old base! We can all move back into our old rooms while Winter heals!" This caused Megan to smile, and Winter forced a smile too. She didn't know what was so special about their old base, but it seemed to excite the other girls. Both Natalie and Megan left to go gather their things, and Winter sat up, trying to get out of the bed. If she laid down while the room was empty, she would fall asleep and visit Loki, which was the last thing she wanted. He was arrogant, unpredictable, and he had put her in this mess. Even if he did claim he could get her out of it, how could she trust him? The answer was simple, she couldn't. But without him, she would never recover the past four years. She would never remember how she met her friends, how she fought for the safety of the world. If she did take up Loki's offer, she could end up dead, but if she didn't take it, could she really just move on and pretend the last four years didn't happen? She didn't know what she wanted, and she didn't want to make the decision yet, so she just had to put off visiting Loki again. The door opened, interrupting her thoughts. Megan and Natalie came into the room with two other agents Winter didn't recognize. Megan had one pack, while Natalie had two. She walked over and gave one to Winter. It was light, and Winter had to force herself not to open it here in front of everyone. "Ready to go?" Natalie asked, and Winter nodded. She would not miss this room, and she could not be happier to leave. One by one they filed out of the room, Winter being the last. She took one last look behind her before closing the door.
They boarded the jet quickly, each girl having very little to bring with them. Once safely on the jet, Winter had opened her pack, recognizing only two items. Her dagger and her USB were at the bottom of the bag. She had almost forgotten about them, but now seeing that they were safe, she clutched them to her chest tightly. The rest of the contents were just two spare uniforms and other basic essentials. She stuck the USB and dagger into the waistband of her sweatpants, which she had been wearing for days now. When she got to her room she promised herself a long shower. She began growing tired, but forced herself to stay awake. Turning to Megan, who sat next to her, she asked, "Is there any form of entertainment available?" Megan smiled and pulled out a tablet, "You can use my port screen, it has internet access so you can do some research! Get a feel for what's happened over the past few years!" Winter smiled and took the port screen, "Thank you." Reviewing all the things she had missed didn't exactly seem like entertainment, but it would keep her awake. It took her a few minutes to figure out the controls, but soon she was reading news articles as the girls napped around her. The flight was fairly short, and Winter was both glad and nervous to finally land. Two agents led them into the facility and down the many hallways that apparently led to their rooms. The whole place had a sense of familiarity to it, but Winter could not place why. It probably had something to do with the fact that this had been her home for four years. Four years she couldn't remember. Four years that would be given back to her if she just gave in and trusted Loki. Oh no, no way. Natalie and Megan squealed, running down the hall and leaving Winter with the two other agents. They both stopped at different doors, pushing them open and entering their room. Winter's heart fell. These girls knew where they belonged, they could remember living here. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Winter turned to one of the agents, "Which one's mine?" They walked a few more steps before the agent gestured to a door, across the hall from Natalie's. Winter mumbled a thank you before pushing the door open and leaving the two agents outside. Looking around, she could find no sign that this was her room. It was completely empty, consisting of only a made bed and a metal cabinet. Upon further inspection she found some clothes in the cabinet and toiletries in the connected washroom, but other than that, no signs of this being home to anybody. She sighed, walking back out to sit on her bed, lasting only a moment before she laid down. She had promised herself a shower to keep her awake, anything to keep her from having to see Loki again. Her body was too tired though, and it seemed like she was destined to fall asleep, whether she wanted to or not. She heard a door open in the hall, but she was already closing her eyes, giving in to the overwhelming drowsiness.
Her eyes opened a second later, and she didn't even have to guess where she was. She was laying on the ground, and she slowly sat up, making eye contact with Loki, who was watching her calmly from the sofa. He didn't speak, only stared at her, and she quickly grew uncomfortable, "Uhm can you not?" He raised an eyebrow, "Can I not…. What?" Winter glared, "Not stare at me!" He smiled, "You keep showing up without explanation, I think I have the right to examine you." She didn't answer, only looked away angry. "Now, my patience is running thin, have you decided whether or not you want my help?" Winter didn't answer right away, staring at the wall of his cell, contemplating. Finally she looked back at him, "I want one more thing from you before I agree to all of this." He leaned forward, "And what is that?" She smiled, hoping it didn't show how nervous she was, "I want you to show me what happened to me, how I lost my memory. The others were very vague and I want to see it from your perspective. Don't give me a body like last time, I want to see it from your eyes." He didn't answer, only stared at her, expression unreadable. "If that's possible…" She added, growing nervous. His expression hardened slightly, "Of course it's possible. I am not sure how wise it would be-" She cut him off, "I don't care how wise you think it is, I want to see what happened from your perspective." He was silent another moment, before he set his jaw, nodding, "As you wish." He stood up from the sofa and walked over to her, bringing his hand up to her face. He used his fingers to softly brush her eyelids closed, and she felt a shiver course through her. His touch was gone before she had the chance to revel in it, and when she opened her eyes she was no longer in his cell. She was on the edge of a roof, very high in the air. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't move. She recognized the city around her as New York, but she didn't recognize the scene in front of her. There were… things everywhere. She didn't know what they were, but figured they must have been the aliens that the other agents had told her about. She heard a scream, a very familiar voice, "LOKI!" The call was drawn out, and her view shifted as Loki turned to face the girl slowly. She looked deranged, her hair blowing messy in the wind, and an intense amount of hope on her terrified face. It was disorienting, seeing herself from his perspective. Loki began to walk over to her, and once he reached her, she heard her name spoken, barely a whisper, "Winter." She watched as her face became, if possible, more hopeful. How had she looked at this man with that much compassion? She looked as if she actually cared for him. She heard herself speak, watching the desperation on her own face, "Loki you can stop this! It's not too late... I know it isn't what you want. You hate that this is what you've come to... But this doesn't have to be you, you don't have to hit rock bottom before you ask for help, you can turn around now, find your way back to the light." There was silence, long and drawn out. Winter stared up at her, at Loki, searching his eyes, silently pleading for him to find truth in her words. She was forced to look up at the mirror, movement having caught Loki's eye. She saw the reflection of a man, a weapon raised. Loki moved to the side to get out of the way, looking back to Winter as he did so. He reached out for her, about to grab her arm when an object slammed into her chest, throwing her back through the glass and into the concrete wall behind. She watched, unable to do anything as her body slumped to the ground. Loki was still for only a moment before he ran after her falling to his knees and attempting to remove the object, a hammer, from Winter's lap. A large hand reached past him to grasp the handle, lifting the hammer with ease. Loki pulled her body into his lap, cradling it, and Winter felt herself leave the memory as the world faded back to darkness.
When she opened her eyes, Winter was back in the cell, Loki still standing in front of her. He was looking at her, trying to read her expression. She didn't know what to say, his memory had made it seem like she had really cared about him. Was that possible? She didn't know, but she wanted to find out. A rush of determination coursed through her, and she looked up at Loki, "What do I need to do?" His face lit up, though he tried to cover it with a confident smirk, "Well, to start, you need to help me get out of this pathetic cell." "If it's so pathetic, get out of it yourself. Next?" He growled, which caused Winter to laugh, "Okay, okay! Lets start with the first step of this plan. How the HECK am I supposed to get you out? You aren't even on Earth!" He rolled his eyes, as if the answer was obvious and she was too dull to see it, "You would have to teleport here-" She interrupted, "TELEPORT HERE!?" He glared, waiting for her to calm down a moment before continuing, "Once you are here, you can get me out of this cell and I can shield us both from Heimdal's watch," "Who's Heimdal? If you can use your magic to 'hide us' why can't you get yourself out of this mess?" Loki's patience was growing thin, "Be quiet and listen! I want you to aim for this cell when you travel, concentration is eminent. It is more than likely you will not land here, but to not let that deter you in any way. If you don't land here, try again, a closer proximity should make it possible." She went to speak but the intensity that flashed in his eyes kept her quiet, "Once you are here you will teleport both of us just outside the cell walls, not any further. When I am out, my magic will no longer be restricted, and I will bring us both back to Earth." Winter waited a few moments, making sure he was finished, "Okay… and what happens when we get back to Earth?" "We will work that out later. Let's first focus on you actually getting here." Winter bit her lip, "About that… I'm not very good at teleporting, my aim is good enough short range… but long range?" Loki smiled, "I'm confident that you can make it all the way to Asgard without problem." "And what happens if I don't make it?" His face was set, "You will make it." He said it without doubt, how did he have this much confidence in her? She nodded slowly, "Alright. I can do this." He nodded too, "You can, now next time I see you I expect it to be in the flesh, not in my mind. Take time to prepare, but remember, the longer you wait, the harder this is going to be." She nodded, and quickly began to feel the telltale signs that she was waking up. As the world faded dark, she reached out to touch Loki's arm, but her hand passed right through him. She was gone before she could see the shocked pain on his face, or the anger that followed. The anger at himself for allowing this to happen. She didn't hear him promise to himself that he would protect her, that he would never let anything happen to her again. The mess of emotions battled inside of Loki as he took a seat on the sofa, leaning back to wait for her to come.