a/n: Sorry I spaced updating for a while! Please enjoy!

sycoticprince19: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like Gwen and Paige. This chapter has a bit more Gwen/Loki for you :)

Searece: I absolutely agree! I have PCOS and every doctor says there's nothing to do about it even though I feel like I'm dying about once a month. It's crazy. I'm so glad you're liking it and thanks for the reviews!

Chapter Twenty-three

September 2013

Gwen fell to the floor with an "oof!" of surprise. Natasha smirked down at her. "That's two for me," she bragged before letting Gwen up.

Gwen muttered unintelligibly under her breath. She was supposed to be stronger now, but Natasha could still beat her pretty easily. There had been some improvements, though. Before, Gwen had gone down in a matter of a minute, at most. Now, her sparring sessions with Natasha lasted nearly ten minutes before she went down. Steve was easily impressed, and he complimented her a lot.

Fighting turned out to be about more than just a matter of who was strongest. It was also a matter of who had more experience and whose style was better. Natasha was vastly more experienced than Gwen was, and she was ten times more graceful than Gwen when fighting. Gwen was clumsy and stumbled around, swinging randomly. That was really the whole point of their training now. To make Gwen's punches more effective than they were.

"That's good for today," Steve decided, stepping into the ring and pulling Gwen to her feet.

"I had her," Gwen muttered to him. "Just a bit longer and I might've gotten in a few more solid hits."

Steve smiled a little, remembering a certain moment in Brooklyn long ago. "I had him on the ropes." Steve hadn't had him on the ropes, just as Gwen had not been as close to winning as she imagined. But Steve could relate to her determination. He knew exactly what it was like. "Next time," he told her consolingly. "For now, we should talk about weapons. You're pretty good with guns, and your aim is pretty good, but we should try and train you with other weapons."

"Like what?"

"Nat and I were thinking knives, mostly," he replied. "They're quieter than a gun, and good to have in case you're in close range with an enemy."

"Great," Gwen agreed with a nod. "Who's gonna train me with that? You or Nat? Or Sam?"

Natasha and Steve exchanged looks. "Well, we were actually thinking of someone else," Steve said. "I know what you're going to say, but he has a lot of experience with blades; more than the rest of us. And if you're going to be working together anyway, it might be a good idea to learn about his fighting style."

"Loki," Gwen concluded with a half sigh.

Gwen couldn't decide if the news disappointed her or excited her. Her feelings on Loki were always so confusing. Half the time she wanted to kill him and the other half… Well, he was just a complicated person. He still liked to mess with her a lot, and Gwen had not given up on the game either. It simply wasn't in her nature to give up so easily. And she would be lying if she said that she didn't enjoy the game, just a tiny bit.

"Would that be ok?" Steve asked. "I know you're not fond of the guy. None of us are. But he does have the experience, and it would be good for you to know how to use knives."

"No, no, it's fine," Gwen said. "I can handle being around him for a couple more hours a day. I guess we can start that up tomorrow."

Steve and Natasha nodded, glad that she had agreed without an argument. They had predicted that she might fight against the idea. "Yeah, tomorrow works," Steve agreed. "And maybe soon after we can have Paige give you some tips."

"Good idea," Gwen agreed. "I'm gonna go upstairs. I need something to eat." The two older Avengers let the young girl escape to her floor. While she had had an appetite before, after she received Steve's blood, that had increased by a considerable amount.

There had been other subtle changes in Gwen's appearance since her surgery. For one thing, she was taller, now reaching five foot five. She had also gained a bit of muscle, whereas before she had been a stick figure. She had lost what baby fat had remained and filled out. She looked more like a young woman than a child. Clara and Stephen both agreed that she looked even more like Jessie.

Their little floor was quiet when Gwen stepped off the elevator. It was always quiet, though, and Gwen was used to it. "Jarvis, play my mix," she instructed the AI.

"Of course, miss."

David Bowie started off the playlist and she smiled a little, and hummed along. Outside the window, she could see that it was a sunny day, though fall was starting to set in. The leaves were changing color and the air was getting colder. Since autumn was her favorite season, the thought made her happy.

She opened the door to Loki's room, where he read his books. "I'm making lunch, if you want it," she offered, before leaving with the door open. Loki joined her in the kitchen shortly after, taking his usual seat while Gwen looked for something to eat. "I should just order Grubhub," said Gwen with a sigh. She was craving Mexican and nothing seemed to fit the bill.

"Grubhub?" Loki echoed.

"Online ordering service," Gwen explained. "I really want some Cafe Rio."

She pulled out her phone and found the Grubhub app and started to order. "What do you want?" she asked Loki before realizing that it was a dumb question. Loki didn't know anything about Cafe Rio. She shook her head. "Never mind. I'll order for you."

After she ordered their food, she put her phone back in her pocket. "Now we wait," she said with a dramatic sigh. "Oh, by the way, I don't know if Steve or Natasha told you, but they want you to start training me in the use of knives. That starts tomorrow if you're up for it."

"They want me to train you?" Loki asked in surprise. Not that he was complaining. In fact, when he thought about it, it seemed like an excellent opportunity to play with the girl even more. He was just surprised that the Avengers trusted him enough to do that. "And you agreed to this?"

"I reluctantly accept the fact that you have a skill," Gwen replied with a repressed smile. "But just one."

"That you know of," he retorted.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," Gwen said, feigning innocence. His tone made it obvious what he was referring to.

Loki's lips curled into a smile. "I suppose you'll learn during training." Gwen bit her lip to stop herself from grinning.

"Why wait till tomorrow?" she asked casually. "Food won't be here for a bit. We've got time."

"So impatient," he said, shaking his head.

"Do you have something better to do, then?" she shot back.

He merely shrugged. "I suppose we could start now," he admitted. Before Gwen could make a move, he held up a finger and smiled. "If you say please, that is."

Gwen stopped. Say please? No, she scoffed to herself. No way in hell am I going to beg. Her pride refused to let her stoop that low. She was not going to be saying please.

Then what to say? She thought hard. If she wouldn't beg, and she wouldn't end the game, what could she say?

An idea popped into her head and she smiled back. "Make me," she shot back at him.

Loki laughed softly to cover his surprise. She was good, he could not deny that. Every time he thought he had her backed into a corner, she somehow found a way out.

"Very well."

Oh.

Loki stood up and moved forward. He was mere inches from her when someone's voice interrupted and killed the moment.

"Miss Strange, your delivery has arrived."

Gwen closed her eyes, somewhat frustrated. Saved by the bell. Or rather, the British AI. "Thank you, Jarvis," she got out, once she had regained control of her breathing.

Loki slowly stepped back, allowing her to pass. "Tomorrow it is, I suppose," he said softly.

"Have you ever used a blade before?" Loki asked. They were in the training room, standing in the middle of the mat that they often used for hand to hand combat.

Gwen shook her head, tossing her blonde ponytail. "No, sir." She was messing with him, as usual. With her words and her dress.

Loki may have been the god of lies, but he knew better than to lie to himself. There was no denying that he found Gwen attractive. That fact was only emphasized by her outfit. Black shorts and a matching t-shirt. She somehow always managed to look flawless in every situation. Especially after her surgery. If she had been pretty before, now… Well, he tried not to think about it much. She was still some silly mortal. Nothing more than a game to him.

"Take this," he instructed, handing her a blade. Gwen took it from him, gripping it tightly. He shook his head. "You're not holding it right. It's more like this." He corrected her hand position and grip.

"If you wanted to hold my hand, all you had to do was ask," she told him in a girlish voice. He rolled his eyes at her ridiculousness.

"It's pretty straightforward from there," he continued, as if she hadn't spoken. "Slash, stab, thrust. The best way to learn from here is to practice. So." He tossed his blade in the air and caught it, then pointed it at her. "Let's begin."

Gwen was used to being thrown to the wolves at this point, and she entirely expected to lose to him. That didn't mean that she wasn't going to put up a good fight.

She lifted her own blade, waiting for him to make the first move. They grapevined around in a circle across from each other for a bit before Loki lunged. Gwen's new blood had increased her speed and she was able to dodge in time. She attempted to go low with the knife, going under his arm, but Loki saw this coming. His hand reached out and snatched her wrist; and while Gwen was stronger than she had been, Loki was still stronger. She could not get loose from his grip. With her hand now in his own, he was able to pull her to her knees. He then moved the blade to her neck.

Loki smirked. "You did better than I thought."

Gwen gritted her teeth in frustration. Trying to pull away was useless, but she still had two hands. Moving as quickly as she could, she dropped the blade from her right hand and caught it in her left. Again, she attempted an upward thrust.

Loki dodged it quite easily, though he had been caught off guard by this sudden move. He released her right hand and spun out of the way. Gwen got to her feet as quickly as possible. Foolishly, she attempted to lunge at him.

He sidestepped her lunge, and Gwen stumbled a bit. She turned as quickly as she could, only to find that Loki was right there. He advanced forward, forcing her to take several steps back. Then, as if he were getting impatient, he used his left forearm and pushed her as far back as he could until he hit the wall. With his other hand, he grabbed her right hand and kept it pinned to the wall as well.

Gwen struggled against his grip in vain. She was trapped by his powerful grasp. "You fought dirty," she accused him.

Loki smirked a bit. "I won, didn't I?" he said. "Isn't that what matters?"

"How about two out of three?" she suggested, ignoring his questions because she didn't want to admit that he was right. In fact, if she were strong enough, she probably would've done the same thing. Especially since it ended up like this.

He gave that breathy laugh that drove Gwen crazy. "I prefer winner take all," he replied. With that, he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her jaw.

Gwen felt as though her brain was giving off mere static noise, rather than rational thought. She found it very hard to concentrate when he was so close to her. He had taken away all her senses, leaving blind and breathless. A part of her; that little voice of reason that lingered in the back of her mind; was imploring her to quit while she was ahead. However, reason was easily ignored in the sea of static noise.

"Do you surrender, then?" Loki murmured in her ear. His tone was so smug that it was able to penetrate the static noise. Never, Gwen thought, though she said nothing. The knife was still in her hand, but there was no way she was getting her arm free of his grip. Her legs, however, were another matter. She discreetly snaked her foot nearer to his own.

"Well?"

Gwen smiled, all innocence. "Make me," she replied cockily. Loki barely had time to smirk before he felt her foot on the back of his shin. Gwen pulled back and Loki fell on his backside, caught off guard. Now free, Gwen leapt into action. She had to pin him before he could get back up. She used all her strength to try and keep him down, using her legs to pin down his own.

Loki opened his mouth to make a remark about the position they were in, but someone else beat him to it.

"Good lord, Copperfield, can't this wait till you get back to your floor?"

It seemed that they were always interrupted when they got to the good part.

Gwen looked up at Tony and wrinkled her nose. "You are the most disgusting person I've ever met," she informed him before letting Loki up. Loki hurried to his feet, trying to appear more dignified.

"Come on, I can't be the only one who was sensing the sexual tension here, right?"

"Stop it, Tony," Steve said sharply, appearing behind the billionaire. He did not like what Tony was implying in the slightest.

"What do you want?" Gwen snapped at Tony, annoyed by his implication as well. There was no tension. It was just a game.

Right?

"We came to see how it was going," said Tony, "but if we're interrupting something…"

"You're not," insisted the blonde sharply. She desperately hoped that there was no trace of a lie on her face.

Loki cleared his throat. "Perhaps we could work on throwing knives," he suggested.

Gwen nodded, as did Steve. "Yeah, that works." The two of them wandered over to the targets, blades at the ready.

"Stark may be right," she heard Loki breathe to her. "Maybe it should wait for your floor."

Gwen couldn't help but silently agree. However, she gave a slight shake if her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Loki blinked at her before shaking his head. "You're an awful liar, Guinevere Strange."

"There's nothing happening between us," she insisted. "Sorry if I made you think so, but you're not my type. You're also incredibly annoying."

He smiled, as if her insults were actually compliments. "If you keep saying such sweet things to me, I may decide to stay on Midgard."

"My worst nightmare," Gwen said with a fake shudder. "Now, please, keep this training professional. Teach me to throw knives."

She was all too aware of the lingering presence of Steve and Tony. The last thing she needed was having them sniffing around them in suspicion.

This game of theirs was starting to slip into very dangerous territory. She had to start watching her step before she slid too far.