Chapter 16
(DOMESTIC VIOLENCE)
Bucky not having been in town during the alien attack on New York, turned to Steve for answers.
His girlfriend had given him the basics of everything Loki said. Bucky was already pissed the god had managed to get passed Tony's wards in the hopes of getting a moment alone with his wife.
"Loki is bad news." He explained to the couple. "He mind-controlled Barton's, turning him on us. He brought aliens to new york, the downtown area was destroyed and people were killed. He's not someone I would trust O."
"But he knew details about my father's death. He- He said he killed him. How would he know how he died if he wasn't there."
"He's a god O, he's been able to bend time before. Or he may have gotten into your mind for the information or found it another way. I wouldn't put it passed him."
Oakliehg frowned, looking down at her hands. "He said he knew my mother, said he loved her. The crazy thing is, I think I do remember him. But that feels silly to say because I would have been only three or four at the time."
Bucky took her hand, his thumb rubbing soothingly over the skin. "The fact that he caused all that mess in the lobby just to break in and talk to you, that concerns me."
"He said he would have been turned away flat if he'd bothered to come through the front door."
Steve nodded, "He wasn't wrong. We would have arrested him, taken him into custody until Thor could bring him back to Asgard."
"He said he was in love with my mother. How can I believe that? If he left her there to endure my father. If he loved her, shouldn't he have taken her someplace safe?" Feeling overwhelmed, Oakleigh got to her feet. "I'm not going to be able to sleep, I'm going to go run- on the treadmill."
"Give me a second and I'll come with you," Bucky told her.
"You all have to debrief now. The others are waiting. I'll stay in the gym, I won't be able to sleep if I can't run these feelings off."
Both boys nodded in understanding. "I'll come get you once the meeting is over."
Oakleigh nodded and headed into the bedroom to change.
.
Oakleigh ran and ran, feeling her limbs becoming jello as her muscles screamed for a break. So she stepped off the still-moving matt and grabbed a pair of boxing gloves. Walking up to the hanging speed bag Oakleigh copied the moves she remembered seeing Steve do.
She repeated her combos and kept punching, seeing her father's face on the receiving end of her gloves. She hit the bag with Viger, moving fast and breath turning rough. After almost two hours in the gym, Oakleigh was dripping in sweat. Instead of hitting the showers, she decided to head to the training pool.
She had on black panties and a bra, basically a bathing suit. So she disrobed and dove in. She had never been in the pool before but knew the agents practiced drills in here when they had extra time. Other than that it was usually pretty quiet without Peter here.
Instead of swimming laps, Oakleigh decided to float around on the surface for a while. Feeling weightless and giving her muscles time to rest and recover, she had worked herself really hard, harder than she usually went.
Just floating there her mind started to run over Loki's visit and her past with her father. She was happy she had told Bucky about her past, it made her feel closer to him having him know that. But it also meant all those memories were in the front of her mind and they were getting loud.
Taking a deep breath, filling her lungs, Oakleigh arched and kicked swimming down to the bottom of the pool.
She stayed down there for nearly a minute and a half before she had to come back up. While she was down there she focused on her lungs, feeling them tighten and start to burn as she needed more oxygen. Completely taking her mind off of her past and Loki.
Giving herself a couple minutes to catch her breath Oakleigh repeated her drive to the bottom of the pool several times before climbing out of the pool. Bucky would not expect her to be in the pool and she did not want him to worry when he looked in the gym and found it empty.
"FRIDAY, where is Bucky?"
"He is still in his meeting."
"Thank you."
Grabbing her clothes and pulling them over her wet body Oakleigh made her way to their room, wanting to shower and put on something comfortable.
Her shower was mild to cool her heated skin and clean off. She wanted to be out to hear from Bucky what the group had decided to do about Loki.
Grabbing some spandex shorts and a t-shirt Oakleigh curled up on the couch to wait. Thankfully she did not have to wait very long.
"So?" Oakleigh stood. "What happened?"
"We sent word to Thor and Stark is occupying himself trying to ramp up security against Loki. As for you going to meet him, nothing good can come from that."
Oakleigh fiddled with her wedding ring, "I want to meet with him. See what was so important he risked breaking into the compound. I'm not saying I want to go alone, but I do want to go."
Bucky bit his bottom lip, he assumed she was going to say that. Had already talked to Steve and planned for it.
"I have Steve and Sam coming up with a plan to make sure you'll be safe."
Oakleigh pushed up on her toes kissing the corner of Bucky's mouth. "Thank you."
He nodded anything for her. He kissed her cheek and then lead her into the kitchen. "Let's make some popcorn."
"But I'm not hungry."
"You love snacks and you didn't eat today."
"Maybe I'm not hungry." The teasing went away and Bucky frowned.
"Why is that?"
Oakleigh sighed jumping up onto the counter and plucking a singular grape from the fruit bowl. "A girl can not be hungry sometimes babe."
"So you're just going to sit around and wait until your meeting with Loki?"
"No." She popped another grape into her mouth. "We are going to go to the bedroom."
Oakleigh jumped from the counter and grabbed the helm of Bucky's shirt pulling him toward the hallways. Bucky's gaze quickly flicked over her before giving in and slowly following her down the hall.
.
A loud knocking interrupted them before they could get started. Bucky groaned and went to answer the door, pulling his shirt back over his head.
"Stark-"
"Are you an idiot," He barged in and started pacing the living room. "You think Loki can be trusted? You're actually getting Rodgers to set up a meeting with that psychopath."
Bucky rolled his neck, "We are going to be as safe as we can, I trust Steve-"
"Who cares about that? Are you sick of your wife already? I guess you have been together for almost a century, time must have made the heart grow. not. fonder."
"Hey!-"
"Tony?" Oakleigh came out of their room, hearing the shouting.
"Tony!" Steve entered the apartment with a fast knock. "This isn't your business."
"What are you guys talking about?"
They all turned to look at her, Oakleigh raised her eyebrows waiting.
"You going to meet with Loki," Bucky said, catching her up.
"She's not going to meet with the trickster," Tony said clearly aggravated.
Oakleigh cocked her hip and crossed her arms, Bucky spoke up before she could.
"Yes she is and it is not your business, we've got it handled."
Tony shook his head. "You think you can protect her from a god? I know you are used to being top of the food chain winter soldier-"
"Tony!" Steve protested.
"But gods trump cyborgs! He can take her from you with a snap of his fingers, you really willing to risk that."
"It isn't his decision to make." Oakleigh snapped, not happy about the Winter Soldier comment. "I am meeting with Loki."
"So you have a death wish, I saw that little stunt you pulled in the pool earlier. You didn't have the guts to off yourself and figured you'd let Loki do it for you?"
Both Steve and Bucky turned to look at her confused.
Oakleigh scoffed, "You were watching me in the pool?"
"FRIDAY played me the footage, I have war heroes and soldiers living here, you think I don't have someone watching over everyone to keep them from doing something rash and hurting themselves."
"I wasn't hurting myself."
"Oh no? Is that what you call blacking underwater."
"I wasn't dragged from the pool, I swam to the top on my own." Oakleigh shook her head, "Good to know that when I want to end it I'll make sure I do it off the grounds."
"So you admit it's something you want to do."
She laughed throwing her hands up, Tony was impossible and him matching her for turn of phrase really pissed her off.
"Tony we are meeting with Loki, you don't have to like it but it's happening. I've already contacted Thor, he's going to help us." Steve told him.
He glared at the blonde, "Because Thor could control his brother during New York.
Scoffing Tony left with a slam of the door, leaving the three alone in silence.
Steve turned to his best friend, "We're going to make it as safe as possible Buck, I promise."
Bucky and Steve nodded at each other before the Blonde made a quick exit, he had plans to make and the apartment was getting quiet with awkwardness.
"What was Tony talking about?" Bucky asked, his mind racing.
"I went for a swim after going to the gym, you were still in your meeting so I figured I had more time to kill."
"You didn't want to eat before," Bucky muttered to the room.
Oakleigh face dropped in shock, she approached him, "Ok, I don't want you to spin any more than you already have. I don't want to die, ok? I didn't attempt to kill myself and I don't have a desire to. Tony is pissed and has decided to play 'big brother' for whatever reason."
Bucky's face was blank, he was clearly deciding how he was feeling.
"Then what did he see that would make him think that?"
Oakleigh took his hand and lead Bucky over to the couch, sitting beside him. "I swam to the bottom and it was so nice and quiet I decided to stay down there a little longer and I zoned out, my lungs started burning so I came up for air. There was nothing intentional about it."
"You would talk to me if it was anything more?"
"Of course, I would." Oakleigh cupped his cheek. "It's not."
Bucky nodded, "Ok."
"Good. Now that we've been so rudely interrupted, I would actually kind of like some waffles."
Bucky snorted, patting her knee and nodding. He would make her as many waffles as she wanted. And he did.
"So what are the logistics?"
"For Loki? Thor says he has this device that will keep Loki from taking you anywhere. We'll put you inside the perimeter and he won't be able to get in or release you from it without the second device, which we'll have."
Oakleigh frowned, "We're going to be meeting in a public park, what does this thing look like?"
"You won't be able to see it. Thor says it works kind of like a magnet you set up the prongs and it keeps whoever is in and Loki won't want to cross that barrier. But if he does it will lock him inside with you, unable to get out."
"And he won't enter the barrier because he doesn't want to risk you guys catching him. Which you would given the chance?"
"Loki has committed a lot of crimes on this planet and his own, Thor hasn't seen him in over four years and he risked being caught to come and talk to you. Steve already had to negotiate with Thor to even allow him to talk to you. Thor is pissed but I shared a little and he knows this is important for you and your family. He agreed to not interfere while you two are talking."
"And where will you be? Loki won't come out if he sees you guys."
"Steve, Sam, Loki and I will be nearby. We'll be able to see everything going on."
"What about hearing?" Bucky paused.
"With the ambient noise and if you talk at a normal volume we shouldn't be able to hear you. I promise I won't actively try, I know this is about your parents and it's important to you, I don't want you to feel like we are eavesdropping. If you want to tell me what Loki says great, but if you would rather keep it to yourself, that is ok too."
Oakleigh nodded, "I'll get the blueberries."
"No chocolate chips this time?"
"I threw the rest of those in the muffins I made the other day, plus Blueberries are delicious."
.
Oakleigh phone buzzed on her bedside table, it was just after two in the morning.
"Hello?"
"Oakleigh," A woman whispered her name, "I need you."
Slipping from bed, Oakleigh grabbed one of Bucky's sweatshirts.
"Who is it?" He muttered, waking when she shifted to get out of bed.
"Just a friend, I'll be back in a second, go back to sleep." Once she was in their living room Oakleigh continued the conversation. "Amanda, what's happening?"
"He's going to kill me, he said he's had enough." Amanda's voice was stuttered with laboured breaths. "Please."
Oakleigh slipped on her shoes as fast as she could and ran out of her apartment. She should not have Amanda's phone number, she knew she shouldn't. Oakleigh had been working at the crisis center and had been having a lot of success. Helping people, until Amanda. She was in her mid-twenties, trapped in a marriage with a man who smiled and chatted with neighbours and turned his wife black and blue in the evenings.
A story she knew well, and she knew a restraining order or calling the police was not going to keep Amanda safe. So Oakleigh listened when Amanda called. Let her talk and cry and gave her someone to speak freely with. After a stint in the hospital, Oakleigh had given Amanda her cell, told her she could call at all hours and she would help her, no matter what was happening.
"You said he's used a bat on you before. What other weapons does he have?"
"Nothing, nothing." Amanda cried. "Oakleigh please."
Oakleigh could hear all the slamming and sounds of things breaking in the background. Grabbing the SUV keys off of the hanger and grabbing one of the hunting knives, there was no way JARVIS would open the gun cabinet for her, Oakliehg got in the car and sped off. She hoped to the universe that she would get there in time. That she would get to hug Amanda and just see her breathing and hear her voice in person.
"Ok, what is your address, Amanda? Speak slowly."
Her breath hitched as Amanda pulled herself together enough to give her address and explain that there was a key in the bird feeder out front.
After getting all the information she needed before entering the situation, Oakleigh focused on Amanda, asking her questions and keeping her talking. She thought she had some broken ribs to go along with her black eye and broken fingers.
"Ok. I am thirty minutes away, ok. Just stay as quiet as possible and I will be there as fast as I can. You will be ok Amanda. You are going to walk away from this today."
Bucky's face flashed up on her screen, Oakleigh swore and swiped his call away. He was going to have to worry for a while longer because nothing was more important than this.
"Amanda. Where is Danny right now?"
"Downstairs, I think. I can hear glass breaking." She whimpered.
"Ok, ok. Just keep breathing."
Bucky and now Steve were calling her, and Clint and Natasha were sending her texts.
"I talked back, and I shouldn't have."
"This is not your fault, nothing was ever your fault Amanda, believe that." Because god forbid she does not make it there in time, Oakleigh was not going to let Amanda die without hearing those words.
"He's coming back." The panic rose in Amanda's voice. "Oakleigh he's coming back."
FUCK! She was still 25 minutes away, she wasn't going to make it! All her incoming calls and texts were distracting her and she was not going to make it!
"Amanda! Listen to me. Do you have a bathroom attached to your room?"
"No!" She cried as Danny yelled and hit what Oakleigh assumed was the closed bedroom door.
"Ok, your closet. Get in your closet and shut the door. Grab anything near you that you can use against him. A hanger, a heavy book, something."
There was scurried movement on the other side of the phone as she listened, wood splintering and Amanda screaming.
"Get to your closet Amanda, that is all you have to do." Oakleigh pulled over. "Loki!? I don't know if you can hear me, but please, I need you!"
"Hello, Darling." His face dropped, "Why are you so upset?"
"You are able to teleport right?" It was one of the reasons they were worried about her meeting with him, "I need you to take me somewhere."
"Did the soldier do something to you?" His eyes narrowed
"No, NO. My friend, she's in trouble, she's going to die unless we help her."
"We." He seemed to disappear inside himself for a moment. "What is happening with your friend?"
Oakliehg put her phone on speaker. The sickening sound of flesh hitting flesh and sobs of fear filled the car. Loki grabbed her wrist and suddenly they were in a bedroom, listening to the sounds that moments ago had only been coming from her phone.
"Hey!" Oakleigh stepped toward the altercation, Loki pulled her back and approached the male.
"Take your hands off the lady, now."
Startled out of his rage, Danny turned the blood on his face and hands sickening.
"Who the fuck are you?"
"Who is the ravishing creature you were bludgeoning?" Loki picked up the man and threw him into the hall, stalking out after him.
Oakleigh hands were shaking her heart racing. Her forgotten phone vibrated on the bed as her husband and best friend tried to get in touch with her. She knew there was a tracker on all the cars and had no doubt they were following it, only to find the car still on and abandoned.
"Amanda." Oakleigh kneeled in front of her, hands raised. "It's me, Oakleigh."
The woman frowned, she was clearly concussed, eyes not focusing on anything in particular.
"It's ok. I'm going to take care of you. Let's start by getting you sat up against the wall here, that should make it a little easier for you to breathe."
The hallway was silent, as well as the rest of the house. Oakleigh wondered where Loki was.
Amanda was in bad shape, but she was still alive. She was going to be ok. Taking Amanda's phone from where it had been dropped in the closet, Oakleigh dialled the authorities.
"Hello, what is your emergency."
"Hi, I would like to report a crime and request an ambulance to my friend's home."
.
"I don't know Amanda!" Bucky shouted, "She said a friend was calling her and she'd be right back."
Natasha cleared her throat, "Ok, well clearly something was wrong. She wouldn't have just left like that that otherwise."
They had all seen the video footage of Oakleigh leaving, she was in a hurry and she was talking to someone, Amanda, on the phone.
"Without telling anyone?" Bucky scoffed, she wouldn't, not after everything. "She wouldn't do that."
"I'm worried about the knife she took with her." Sam said, "That blade is meant to do damage."
"I found the car, it's been in one location for ten minutes now and hasn't moved. It's 5 minutes away from here."
Everyone was on their feet they moved as a unit as they got into one vehicle, Steve and Bucky getting on their bikes in order to get there faster. Bucky's heart stopped when they find the car empty.
"O! Oakleigh!" The men called out for her.
"You guys got to hear this," Sam called to the two soldiers when they pulled up behind them.
Tony held out his tablet, playing a recording, "This just came in over the police scanner."
"Hi, I would like to report a crime and request an ambulance to my friend's home."
"What happened ma'am?"
"She has been badly beaten, she has a concussion, cracked ribs, maybe they are broken, a lot of contusions, she's losing blood so the sooner you can get here the better."
"Was there an attack?" The operator asked while the Avengers listened.
"Yes, her husband attacked her."
"and who are you ma am."
"Oakleigh Blake, I'm a friend. Things had been escalating for a while, when Amanda called me tonight, I knew things were going to end badly so I came to be with her."
"Is your friend's husband still in the house?"
There was a long pause, "I fought him off, he fled."
"Do you think he'll be back?"
Again, another pause, "I don't think so."
"We have units on the way to the home now, stay on the line with me and keep your friend awake and talking."
"I will, the front door is open, we are on the second floor of the house."
The sound cut out.
"You have the address?" Steve asked Tony.
He nodded, pulling it up on maps and showing the guys. The home was over 20 minutes away, and the call only just came in.
"The police are going to be there before us," Sam advised, "Only Steve and Bucky should go. It's an easier cover story than the group of us showing up in the middle of the night."
Bucky was already mounting his bike, wanting to get to Oakleigh as fast as possible. She only had a knife with her when she left the compound. She said she scared off the guy. While she was fierce, Oakliegh's physique was not intimidating. And no man that hits his wife is going to back down from a female.
Bucky took off like a rocket with Steve behind him. Oakleigh did not sound hurt on the call and had only mentioned her friend needing medical attention, not herself. Which only gave Bucky minimum relief, Oakleigh was always one to downplay her injuries.
(FLASHBACK)
"You ok? You seem a little off today." Bucky asked as they and the commandos convened around the fire they made.
Oakleigh nodded, "Yea, I'm just tired I guess, like everyone else."
Bucky frowned at her, " You sure that's it, it didn't have anything to do with the blast yesterday?"
"I told you, I was far enough away from it that all I was worried about was you guys." Oakleigh looked away to Steve and Dum Dum who were chatting animatedly. "You're all in a lot more danger than I am."
"We're all out here taking risks. Even you." Bucky handed her some hot water to fight off the chill the evening brought. "You don't have to take care of everyone all the time."
Oakleigh shrugged, "It'll be worth it when this is all over."
He smiled at her and she smiled back at him. Though her eyes did not shine like they usually would, instead they were dull with the lie she had just told. She had been closer than she was supposed to be, keeping an eye on everyone and when the blast went off Oakleigh was thrown and landed on a falling tree. Her back and side were bruised, she was just lucky she did not crack or break a rib.
Bucky found out she lied two days later when Dum Dum ran up and Hugged Oakleigh from behind and she'd stiffened in his hold and held her breath. At first Bucky had thought the soldier had hugged her too tightly, until he realized her face remained scrunched up even after she was released. He caused a scene in front of the boy, demanding to know what was up.
She rolled her eyes and said it was no big deal. He took her arm and lead her just beyond the tree line and tugged her shirt from her waistband.
"They can still see us." She grumbled pulling away.
"Let me see, you wouldn't be acting like this if nothing was wrong with you. I saw you favouring your side earlier. It was the blast, wasn't it? I saw you favouring your left side and Steve noticed it too."
"Ok, Ok." Oakleigh rolled her eyes, "Yes I got a little banged up from the blast and yes I was closer than I was told to be, but I'm fine and my ribs will fully heal in a week or two."
"You can't lie about things like this." Bucky shook his head, "Not out here. We are all on our own and all it takes is a split second, a wrong decision and you're dead."
.
Seeing the boys pull up Oakleigh left Amanda with the paramedics, she was going to ride with her to the hospital, but she needed to see Bucky first.
Greyblue eyes tracked her as she walk across the front lawn, she smiled at him and Steve who was also talking in the situation.
"Everythings ok. I'm assuming you guys know what happened if you knew where to find me."
"Stark pulled up your 911 call but we were tracking down your car before that," Bucky told her. "You girls ok?"
Oakleigh looked back to the ambulance, "Amanda's going to need some help, and she'll be in the hospital overnight. The centre has options for her, and ways to help her depending on what she wants her next move to be. I'm going to go be with her at the hospital-"
"I'll come with you, make sure her husband isn't going to come looking for her." Oakleigh shook her head stepping closer to them.
"I think he's gone, dead."
Bucky's face hardened, eyes never leaving her while Steve looked around, making sure no one was close enough to hear.
"Where's the body?" Bucky asked her.
"I didn't- I don't know. I checked the house after I called 911 and-"
"What happened, O," Steve asked.
"I was on the phone with Amanda, she was so panicked I got in the car and drove. I didn't want her to feel alone and if Danny was going to kill her, I wasn't going to let him get away with it like my- I wasn't going to let him walk free. But I was so far away and he found her hiding and I- I called out to Loki. He brought me here and while I was checking on Amanda, he took her husband."
"Where?" Steve pressed.
Oakleigh shrugged, "He wasn't really my priority, but I haven't seen either of them since. Look I'm sorry for this whole thing, Amanda needs to get to the hospital and I'm not going to let her get through this alone. I'm going to offer to stay with her once she's out of the hospital, at least for a few days."
Bucky huffed, his adrenaline washing out of his body. "Keep your phone on you and call me if Loki shows up."
Oakleigh nodded, "Ok. You two should get outta here before people notice you're you." Bucky looks her over, "I'll call you tomorrow."
.
"She still hasn't called?" Steve asked Bucky, watching his best friend check his phone for the eighth time that hour.
"She texted last night to say they were going to keep Amanda overnight, nothing this morning."
Throwing his phone down Bucky went back to punching bags, he already had two ruined ones near his feet.
"She's always had a soft heart, Buck, it's not like this is out of character, for her to help."
"You and O are both pains in my ass, I know she just wanted to help her friend. It's not like I don't understand it. But going over there alone, to face off against some guy who beats his wife and would have no problem doing the same to her." Bucky scoffed. "Look who I'm talking to, the punk who picked on everyone bigger than him, and still does."
"Ever stop to think maybe you are the pain in our asses, trying to jump in and take our glory."
Bucky rolled his eyes, "She just doesn't think. Unlike you, Hydra didn't give her a superhuman upgrade. She could have been killed."
"Maybe she could have gone about it a little better, brought us along." Bucky side-eyed him. "Fine, she wasn't thinking, she had tunnel vision because her friend was in danger and she wanted to save her. Maybe we are the same, which is how I know I should just stop talking before I help you make your point."
Sam jogged into the gym, "O's pulling up outside if you interested."
Bucky was very much interested, he whipped his face off and made his way to the garage.
"Hey." Oakleigh sighed, falling into his hug. "I'm not staying long, I just wanted to grab some clothes. I'm going to stay at Amanda's till the end of the week, help pack and get things in order. They have an apartment that will be ready for her, just not till Monday."
Bucky swallowed down the uncomfortable feeling in his chest. He did not want Oakleigh sleeping in another bed across town, especially with Loki out there still wanting a face-to-face with her. But as Steve said, his wife did have a big bleeding heart.
"At least stay for lunch, Tony is actually cooking today."
"You mean ordering in."
Bucky smirked, "He's wearing a chef's hat and apron."
Oakleigh laughed, she definitely needed a front-row seat to this.
.
"What are you doing!? You are supposed to be resting, I told you I would pack that up in the morning."
Amanda was on strict orders with her cracked ribs, if she strained herself she could end up popping a lung. But here the woman was purple and blue packing up her kitchen.
"I can do something other than sit around and watch you pack up my house."
Oakleigh smirked. "Really? Hand me that toaster."
Amanda twisted a little too fast and hissed. "Fine! I will pack throw pillows and blankets, or do you object to that too?"
"The actual movers are going to be here in two days, we only need to pack up the special stuff you wanna keep. The rest will go in storage or you can sell it."
Sitting at her kitchen table Amanda looked around, Oakleigh recognized the look. She was recalling memories, good and bad of the life she lived in this house, the life with her husband.
"Where did he take him, Logan?"
During the night of the altercation, Amanda luckily hadn't seen much, so Oakleigh told her that her friend Logan Took care of Danny. Amanda had been too high on painkillers to question it, until now.
"Honestly I'm not sure. Logan hasn't contacted me since."
"Did he hurt him?"
"I think he's gone out of your life and that he won't ever bother you again."
Amanda frowned, it was clear she was not really cool with that, but it was the only answer Oakleigh was about to give right now.
"Are you in trouble?"
"I didn't exactly follow protocol, but no. I'm not in trouble." Only half a lie, she had a phone call with her boss and a warning, but that was all. "It doesn't matter though, I would do it all again the exact same way."
.
"Carla will take you and get you settled, the movers will take your stuff in and put it away before you get there."
The two women hugged each other, "Thank you Oakleigh, for what you've done for me."
"I'm only a text away if you want someone to spend the night in your new place with."
"Thanks, but I think it's important I do this on my own. I also called my sister last night and told her everything. She's going to fly out here on the weekend, stay with me for a couple of days."
"I'm glad, I'll get out of your hair then, leave you to it."
Breaking apart, Oaklieh walked over to the black SUV that had pulled up five minutes ago. Bucky, Steve and Clint had been called away on assignment on Friday, so Sam was here to bring her back home.
"Good morning Pretty lady."
"Hey Sam, how are the guys doing?"
"Good, they are already finished up, 48 hours and done, Should be back tonight."
"That means we have time to waste right?"
"Actually Darling, we have a date to make up."
Both Sam and Oakleigh jumped, Loki appeared in the back seat.
"Fucking aliens man," Sam complained, his heart hammering in his chest.
"I'm a god, boy. The Lady and I were speaking."
Oakleigh turned in her seat, sure she had called on the trickster to help her in a time of dire need, but it doesn't mean she fully trusted his intentions. She had read up on 'new york' and a couple of other incidents he was a part of.
"What did you do with Danny?"
"He's paying for his sins on my world." Oakleigh licked her bottom lip.
"So he's alive."
"He is. I did not come here to talk about him, I came to talk about you and I."
"Woah woah, slow your roll." Sam raised his hand, "That's my friend's wife you're flirting with."
"I am not flirting. Let's go somewhere so we can talk alone." Loki reached for her but Sam grabbed his wrist.
"I don't think so thunder dome. If you want to have your chat you can do it here in front of me."
Loki looked exasperated, "It's a private conversation. I'll return her to the compound before the sun sets."
The uneven sand under her feet was the first thing Oakleigh recognized. Loki had taken her to a beach.
"He's going to worry, you shouldn't have done that."
"How is your friend, Amanda?"
Oakleigh crossed her arms over her chest, "She's ok. It's going to take her some time but she'll get to live out her life. Is Danny really alive?"
"He is, although I am not sure why that is a comfort. I understand you've had your own troubles as of late. Owen Ozwald as an example."
"He's locked away, he's not my problem anymore."
Loki waved his hand and a man materialized before her, "And what of him?"
