![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ericadawn16Title: Friends to the End: The One with the Cumberbatch
Author: Ericadawn16
Prompt: The wonderful mash-up of Friends and Avengers
Character/Pairing(s): Clint/Jessica Drew, Jessica Drew/Vange Whedon, Tony/Pepper, Phil/Clint, Clint/Natasha, Clint/?, Natasha/?
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Slash, lots of slash, mild language
Spoilers: a few references here and there, nothing big
Summary: Derek Bishop is having one of his annual fundraising galas and the Avengers are there. Kate Bishop meets Cassie Lang and across town, Phil Coulson and others are visiting...a strip club?
Beta: HUGE Thanks to lavendergaia and Valoscope and i_llbedammned
ADDITIONAL WARNING! PTSD, mentions of Rape
I'm also sorry for it taking six months and hope for that never to happen again.
***********************************************************************
The One with the Cumberbatch
March 9, 2018
Sam Wilson watched the numbers light up as they passed each floor. He waited for the silence to be broken before breaking it himself.
"Phil, it's not like I don't enjoy being invited to your apartment. Your X-Box system is second only to Tony," Sam spoke "But I had the impression that this was more of a professional meeting."
"It is. I don't know too many shrinks, much less licensed Psychiatrists-"
Sam opened his mouth to correct him but Phil gave him that look.
"I know how close you are to becoming certified, merely a matter of hours. SHIELD has a few but I don't want this situation on their radar. This is Avengers business," Phil continued. "Romanoff normally does Psych Evals but she's undercover."
Sam was more confused than ever as the elevator stopped at the top floor.
"I need you to talk to Loki and tell me what you think," Phil explained. It felt like there should be a catch except it wasn't coming. The doors opened into an entryway. Phil used his key to let them in. Loki was in an over-sized leather chair, drinking a smoothie. The television was showing MTV. He cringed. The viewing choice alone seemed like a cry for help.
"I'm going to change my shirt." Phil announced before leaving them alone.
"Catching up on quality entertainment?" Sam asked. He wasn't even rewarded with a glare.
"I keep thinking one of them will kill the other but it never happens," Loki spoke in a soft voice.
"Is that what you really want?"
There wasn't a shrug or any reaction. It was if the question never happened.
"I know it's hard being a civilian while everyone else is out there fighting." Sam tried again, "Gets a man to wondering about his worth in life."
"I don't have to wonder. I know that I am the most worthless being on this planet, of no use to anyone," he explained. "And I choose to spend my time watching those who seem to possess very little intelligence hold the thrall of millions in their melodramatic exploits."
Coulson had made it sound almost easy, but now Sam saw that he was in over his depth. This wasn't just a sometimes super villain. It was Loki; galactically known for a tongue that only revealed what he wanted you to know.
"What about if you could do anything? If you could anything right now, what would it be?" Sam asked. For a second, Loki's expression was shrewder. He knew he was calculating how honest to be.
"I would be with them," Loki uttered. Sam didn't know who was "them." Usually, the soldiers that he worked with would be referring to their battalion or other group. It was hard to leave that bond of brotherhood behind even as he tried to replace it with the Avengers. Loki had always seemed like a loner to Sam. Even the other villains didn't appear to like him. Sam wasn't quite sure how to proceed.
"It's hard to accept but they are probably doing their best without you, making do. We all have to accept what we can't change and change what we can to make things better for us," Sam spoke.
It was the wrong thing to say. He knew that in an instant as Loki tensed and threw the smoothie on the hardwood floor.
"They probably think I've abandoned them again. They won't understand why I'm not there," Loki spat. Phil's door opened and he announced, "Almost ready."
There was time for one more question. He could ask what would be better for Loki or he could ask something he'd always wondered. Either way, there was a good chance of Loki lying.
"If you died, did you go to Valhalla?"
"Is this a roundabout way of asking about heaven?" Loki asked. The trace of a smirk began to appear. "Tahiti is such a magical place. You should ask Coulson about it."
What the hell was Loki talking about?
Phil appeared in a fresh suit. He stepped over the spilled smoothie without looking. Sam doubted he had heard anything of their recent conversation.
"I remember this one. He cheated on her while she was pregnant-"
"And once she finds out, I have been promised in the advertising that they fight," Loki interrupted.
"I'll leave you to it then," Phil said with a nod. "Sam."
*********************************************************************
Steve knocked on Peggy's door but her grandson, Paul, answered.
"Steve, I know you came in from New York to see her, but today...it's not a good day for her," Paul tried to explain. Steve wasn't sure what he meant.
A toddler ran up and pulled on Paul's shirt.
"Daddy, play wif me!" she demanded. Sharon was getting so big. Her father looked from her to Steve and back again before giving up and letting Steve in.
Steve made his way to Peggy's bedroom. After a knock on the door, she said he could come in.
"Steve! I wasn't expecting you so soon especially when Howard lost contact with you. Did you do it? Did you rescue Bucky and everyone else?" she asked as though it was 1943 again. Steve was confused, but his expression upset Peggy.
"Steve, did something happen during the rescue?"
"No, no, it went well. Bucky's fine," he said. Between Peggy's oddness and having to mention Bucky, his throat felt filled with thick biscuits.
"I think I must have a touch of something, that's why I'm in bed. Did you see Bradley's girl, little Faith? Isaiah has a handful there," she said with a smile.
Steve didn't know who Isaiah was or why she called Sharon a different name. He was beginning to think Paul was right saying today was not a good day for visiting Peggy.
*********************************************************************
Sam wanted to tell Phil what he'd seen with Loki, but two floors down, the elevator stopped and a blonde woman entered. He liked that the blonde smiled at him yet the waiting was annoying. Loki didn't fit any of the traditional test cases he'd been given or like any of those he'd been around in his internships. It also didn't feel like a normal medical convalescence. Instead, it was more like Loki had given up on everything, but wouldn't he have his magic to do whatever he wanted?
"Still talk with Leila?" Phil asked.
"Yeah, she worries me with her work, but..." Sam trailed off and shrugged.
"What's her article this time?" Phil asked.
"About the orphanage in Latveria," he told him. Sam couldn't help the tone he used. Latveria was one of the poorest countries but it was poor because of Doctor Doom and they couldn't just save her if something went wrong.
"Still the break-up was amicable," Phil spoke and Sam nodded. The blonde perked up. Phil was being a pretty decent wingman.
"Yeah, I think this time is for good," Sam admitted and the woman moved a little closer. In the span it took to reach the ground floor, he had her number, name: Kaylee and a date for lunch the next day.
"Thanks, man," he said as Kaylee walked away. "I'll have to return the favor someday."
Phil shrugged and said, "Tell me about Loki."
Sam sighed.
"What exactly do you want from me?"
"I need to know exactly what we need to do about him. Does he need a babysitter for when I'm not there? Do I have to get his brother and family involved?" Phil asked.
"From what I've seen and heard, that should be the last possible option," Sam retorted and started walking so they looked more normal before getting into Phil's car.
"Are we at that point?"
"Not yet," Sam tried to assure him. "Would you honestly assign him a babysitter? Isn't that above SHIELD pay grade?"
"We used to call it the Stark Special," Phil explained. Sam couldn't laughing and commenting, "Oh, Tony."
"Actually, both of them," Phil corrected him. "But you were telling me about Loki."
"He's not connected with this world. He needs a reason for living, like a hobby or something. In the meantime, a change of scenery would do him good," Sam suggested. It was about as good as he could do after a five minute interview.
Phil nodded.
"He also feels bad about someone he abandoned back home," Sam added. He couldn't tell whether Phil understood it better or not.
**********************************************************************
Bobbi Barton finished zipping up her dress and looked over to check on her husband. She frowned in sympathy at watching him struggle to dress. He could handle his arm cast through his regular t-shirts but evening wear was a totally different story.
"Come on, let me help you," she said and took the sleeve of the white buttoned shirt. Thank goodness his arm muscles required a larger size anyway. However, the lower part of the arm didn't want to budge over his cast. She pulled a couple of times until he hissed. The last thing they needed was for one of them to accidentally break his arm again.
"How about we just undress and forget about the whole thing?" Clint suggested.
"No, we promised Kate. She's expecting us," Bobbi argued. She took out a knife hidden in her dress. Clint smiled at her. Even for one party, she couldn't shake off her SHIELD training. "I'll buy you a new shirt."
She slit up the sleeve so it fit over the cast and rolled it up to fix with the cufflinks.
"Anything else?" she asked.
"The cumberbatch," he said, motioning to the bed.
"Cummerbund," she corrected with a smile.
"Whatever," he said but his hazel eyes were twinkling. She put it around his chest and fastened it. Then, Bobbi let her hands go lower down his back until she was able to squeeze his butt. It was still firm despite still being on probation/medical leave.
"Later," she whispered.
"Not fair," Clint retorted.
**************************************************************
Phil pressed the doorbell once more. They needed to discuss the Loki situation.
"I assure you, Agent Coulson, that Agent Lewis in her living quarters. I can't perceive why she will not come to the door," JARVIS explained.
"I HEARD THAT! PHIL, JUST USE YOUR DAMN KEY!" Darcy yelled from within.
"JARVIS?" Phil asked.
"Fine," JARVIS answered and opened the door. Phil was tempted to make a Marvin joke at how sarcastic the AI sounded but his thoughts were interrupted by Darcy and Jane Foster, especially Jane.
"Darce, I feel weird," she complained. She was wearing a skin tight blue dress with white sparkles that had to be Swarovski crystals. Her hair had been done up in curls that were pinned up to dangle in just the right places.
"Good, you should feel weird, that's the point. You never dress up and I finally got you to say yes," Darcy spoke.
"Come on, I'm trying to get you ready, I'm talking on the phone and now Phil's showed up for something. It's too much to be dealing with your whining."
"Fine, but how am I supposed to walk in these?" Jane asked and held up a foot encased in a stiletto heel to match the dress.
"You don't. You get to a place where the drinks can come to you and you stay there," Darcy explained as she put her own dark hair up in a ponytail. "Phil, why are you here?"
"Loki," he answered. "Wilson seems to think we need to get him a hobby or something to take his mind off things. In the meantime, he suggested a change of scenery. I thought you'd have some ideas."
In the same situation, Phil had been given a bus and his own team. Both were completely out of the question for Loki.
"Well, when my dad was depressed over something or fired again or dumped or that time she bit his penis or what have you, he always went to the strip club," Darcy told him. Phil tried to focus on her actual point instead of that extra, added unnecessary information.
Phil was about to dismiss the idea right off. However, it would be a change of scenery within the city, fairly low cost, used to privacy concerns and plenty of access to alcohol. There were a lot of perks to it.
"It's an idea," he admitted.
"Ooh, are you going to a strip club? I wanna go. I never get to go anywhere," Skye's voice complained. Phil closed his eyes. Darcy had mentioned she was on the phone.
"Skye-"
"Phil, let her come, the more the merrier. She's over twenty-one," Darcy argued. He looked at Jane.
"I'm not involved," Jane said.
"It'll be tonight though. You're probably busy," Phil argued.
"No, I'm not. Can I bring someone with me?" Skye asked.
"Only as long as they won't be a problem around Loki," Phil amended.
"Yes!" Skye exclaimed.
*********************************************************************
Steve studied an old photo of himself, Peggy, Howard and Bucky. Then, he heard the door close behind him. Paul gave him a little smile.
"She's resting now," he said. "We probably should have warned you before, but we've been trying to keep it in the family. We don't want all that public sympathy and press. I just-."
Paul paused and looked away for a moment, before glancing back at Steve. His brown eyes focused on the photo.
"I want people to remember my grandmother the way she should be remembered, not how she is now," Paul complained.
Steve nodded and clasped his shoulder for an instant. He hoped it was reassuring.
"Is it the...Alzheimer's?" Steve asked. There was a nod from the other man. "I feel so...I should have noticed earlier."
"That's something I ask myself every day." Paul explained, "But we wrote off a lot of signs as her just getting older."
"When I was growing up, we just dismissed stuff like that as being old. We didn't realize how wrong it was," Steve spoke and Paul gave him a pat on the back.
"If you don't...," Paul lowered his voice and his glance. "If you don't want to come back after this, I'm sure everyone would understand."
"No, no, I couldn't do that to Peggy, not after everything," Steve said. Paul nodded.
It made him both happy and sad to think of Peggy joining all their old friends in Heaven. He didn't like to think about exactly how long it might for him before he saw his parents and Bucky again.
*****************************************************************
Kate Bishop checked her dress once more and sighed. Her sister wasn't even making an appearance. It was up to her to be her father's hostess for the party which she had never done by herself before. She'd have to thank everyone for coming, laugh at horrible jokes and smile through everything, even the disgusting old men who felt a need to touch her.
The psychiatrist felt she was making a lot of progress since their visits started. She could let those she trusted touch her, but she still hated everyone else doing it. It made her remember that night in Central Park when the man had attacked her.
She touched her dress and smiled. It was purple; a reminder of her new identity. She was no longer just a victim because she was Hawkeye, an Avenger...Young Avenger...in training...maybe?
Either way, she was allowed into Avengers Tower whenever she wanted and everyone there knew her name. Purple highlights streaked her hair, too. This was the first time she had ever done anything to her hair. This was the first time she had ever asked to do anything to her hair. She liked the result.
"You can do this," Kate whispered and strolled towards the stairs. The bedrooms upstairs were off-limits but her father had insisted on having the benefit downstairs in their home. She paused at the top of the stairs and looked down. Then, she spotted her personal guests. Tony Stark was making his way around the room. Pepper was talking with Bruce off to the side. Darcy was nowhere to be found. However, that looked like Jane near the bar. Kate tried not to gape to how gorgeous Jane looked. She'd never seen her dressed that nice before with her hair and everything perfect. Then, she felt kind of bad when she noticed how uncomfortable Jane appeared to be.
She studied the crowd below one more time and noticed who she really wanted to see. A few minutes later and she stopped right in front of them.
"Welcome to our charity gala," she said.
"Just a small little get together," Clint dead-panned. A waiter came up and offered them some of the crab stuffed mushroom.
"But you came, thank you," Kate spoke; trying to sound like she usually did around him instead of the anxiety she'd felt just minutes ago. "And you dressed up, gold star for that."
"Cumberbatch and everything," Clint confirmed.
"Cummerbund," Kate and Bobbi corrected at the same time. Then, they laughed.
"We never should have introduced him to Sherlock," Kate said to Bobbi.
"It seemed like such a good idea at the time since they had canceled Dog Cops and all..."
"La la la," said Clint, using his good arm to cover his ear. "It's not canceled. It's on hiatus while they...decide things. It's coming back."
"Sure it is, honey," his wife spoke, rubbing his back. "Kate, you look beautiful."
She'd heard that a thousand times before yet it meant more coming from Bobbi who didn't have an agenda with her.
"Clint, give me your phone," Bobbi demanded.
"How do you even..."
Kate couldn't help smiling as Clint was cut off with just a glare. He plucked the phone out of a pocket and handed it to her.
"My camera's been acting funny. Now, get in closer, Hawkeyes," Bobbi spoke, pressed something on the phone and let go, immediately giving it back to Clint. Kate glanced around. Everyone else appeared to be oblivious. Only those with a certain clearance level were supposed to know she was the other Hawkeye.
"You look just like your mother," Clint said in a soft voice. Kate couldn't help shaking her head. Susan looked just like their mother. Kate was always just the other one. Bobbi had a quizzical expression as well.
"I should say hi to the other guests," Kate explained and left them.
********************************************************************
Jane had stayed close to the bar as Darcy suggested. However, she was lonely and miserable without anyone to talk to her. It also felt like everything hurt. Her shoes were not comfortable, her dress was tight and her hair felt like she was carrying a twenty-pound bowling ball supported by sharp pins.
She'd let Darcy have her fun by giving her a ticket and dressing her up. Maybe it was time to leave and call it a night. However, her stupid stilettos weren't allowing her a very fast exit. She bent down to take them off.
"You're not leaving, are you?" asked a familiar voice. She looked up to see Bruce and stopped trying to take her shoes off. "I was hoping to find you. You're probably the only other person here who understands what it's like to have your friends insist on dressing you up and force you into social functions."
"This is true," Jane agreed. "But it did make Darcy really happy."
"Tony and Pepper," Bruce explained, holding out his arms. "I hate these things."
"I'm about as comfortable as a Blue Dwarf situated on the edge of an event horizon," Jane joked. To her relief, Bruce laughed.
"You would think us being here would be about as likely as finding Nuclear Pasta at Panera Bread," she continued, hoping she wasn't pressing her luck. His chuckle seemed a little more polite but still counted.
"Why didn't I notice you were funny before?" Bruce asked.
"I usually don't try. When you're always surrounded by Darcy and you and Tony and Clint, what's the point? By the time I have a good one, someone's already said a better one. I'm surrounded by quicker, wittier wits," Jane explained.
There was a hint of blush that came over Bruce's cheeks at the compliment.
******************************************************************
Kate was having a mostly virgin drink concoction when John Perry appeared.
"Want something a little stronger? I could get it for you," the older man suggested. She didn't know much about him except he had dealings with the government and her father had invited him.
"If I wanted, I could get it for myself," she spat. Instead of being persuaded to go away, he came closer.
"Now, now, that's no way for the hostess to talk, is it?" Perry asked, putting his hands on her shoulders.
She wanted to throw him off, punch him and kick him in the groin for good measure. However, she found herself doing nothing. She was frozen, remembering that night again.
"There, there, that's better. Maybe you could even show me around the place," Perry suggested. His brown eyes leered at her while his fingers were caressing her shoulder blades.
"That's not what she wants," Clint's voice spoke in a growl. It broke Kate out of her trance. She slipped away from Perry's grasp and was going up the stairs without even thinking about it.
********************************************************
Clint was happy to see Kate escaping up the stairs. He knew a little bit about how horrible it must be for her.
"And what would you have done with one arm?" the douchebag sneered. "Kill me?"
Clint was about to comment when someone else got there first. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Tony had showed up. He balanced a drink in one hand like it was a natural extension of his appendage.
"He could. There's probably half a dozen different ways he could kill you right now so you're getting off light, Perry," Tony spoke. "However, if you don't want those government contracts to dry up, I'd stop hitting on thirteen year old girls. You did know Kate Bishop is only thirteen, didn't you?"
"She looked older," the man mumbled.
"Right," Tony commented. "Barton and I are going to keep an eye on Ms. Bishop the rest of the night. You might want to let your other pervy friends know that."
The man that Tony had called Perry left for another part of the party and Tony turned back to Clint.
"Now, I know why she was so adamant about us being here," Tony whispered.
"Yeah," Clint agreed. There was a moment of awkwardness and he decided to go back to Bobbi. Then, he noticed Tony smiling at Pepper laughing across the room.
"Did you ask her yet?" Clint asked.
"What?"
Clint rolled his eyes and replied, "Pepper."
"No," Tony answered; not looking at him as he readjusted his jacket.
"Why?"
"Look, I know you've asked the question five million times which makes you an expert but I...I haven't and...I want to make sure I know the answer first," Tony explained.
Clint glared at him before saying, "You know the answer."
"It never hurts to be extra sure. I want everything to be perfect," Tony argued.
"Or unattainably perfect so you don't have to ask her," Clint spoke. He stepped closer to Tony and added, "Just ask her."
Then, he walked away.
****************************************************************
Kate almost ran up the stairs and past her bedroom. She knew where she wanted to go. There was a small room they used for storage. She opened up the closet and found her mom's coat. Kate didn't bother to put it on, just wrapped it around herself as she slid to the floor. The faint smell of her perfume was comforting as she cried.
She didn't know how much time had passed when she heard footsteps. What if it was Perry again? She wrapped herself tighter in her mom's coat so she wasn't very visible. The footsteps came closer but they didn't sound like a man's footsteps. They were softer.
A girl entered, probably about her same age with blonde hair and normal looking clothes. Kate doubted she had been a party guest but how was she here? Did she sneak in? She let the coat loosen around her.
Then, she noticed the book the girl was reading: The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie. She'd never seen anyone else her own age read Agatha Christie. Plus, she was reading an actual paper book and not a Kindle or something.
"Did you already read her Poirot books?" Kate asked without thinking as the coat fell further down, just covering her dress.
"Of course, I've found it's better to read books in the order that the author wrote them. Sometimes, the earlier books are better. Sometimes, the later ones, I wasn't sure if her stuff after getting divorced would be as good," the girl explained. "My parents haven't been the same."
Kate felt odd and wanted to change the subject.
"I also love the name, Agatha. I love all those classic names," she said. "Not like now with Apple and North and stuff like that."
"Are you one of those like Katniss or Renesmee?" the girl asked, followed by a mischievous grin.
"Kate," she replied. As soon as she said it, she wished she had used an alias. What if she figured out who she really was?
"Like Hepburn," the girl said with a smile. "And I would be Cassandra."
"The one who knows everything but gets ignored at every turn," Kate acknowledged. Her right hand sank into the plush carpet.
"But you can call me Cassie," she suggested. "Are you hiding out here?"
Kate nodded.
"I'm not supposed to be here either. My dad's a waiter downstairs. He figured this way I'd get a good meal for free," the girl continued and sat on the floor across from her.
"Mine's working downstairs, too," Kate admitted and technically, it was true. "Did you know that Agatha learned how to surf?"
"I know! That's so awesome," Cassie agreed. Her blue eyes lit up. "Did you know she once went missing for like three days or something and they never found out what happened?"
"I have a friend and she told me that there was this show years ago that claimed it was related to aliens and some sort of wasp thing," Kate said. Bobbi really wanted her to watch Doctor Who.
"It's funny. They used to have all those alien descriptions and pictures and things and they were always weird and ugly and then we get a real alien and he looks like an Australian model," Cassie spoke. Kate had to giggle. She'd never thought of Thor that way before.
"Can you imagine living in a place like this? More money than you know what to do with and you never have to worry about your next meal? I've seen how they treat my dad. Tony Stark wouldn't even give him a job interview," Cassie complained. Kate was very intrigued. Tony had his moments of being an asshole, but he was always nice to her.
"What does your dad do?" Kate asked.
"He's brilliant. He's a scientist. He can do anything, but I got cancer when I was a baby and he had to do some stuff to get us money, illegal stuff. Now no one will hire him," she complained. Kate understood things better. On one hand, if he was brilliant, everyone should want him. On the other hand, she knew from over-hearing adults that her dad was what they usually called "a liability". Still, it was sad he was reduced to working as a waiter.
"Sorry," Kate said in sympathy.
"Yeah, but at least I get to live with him on weekends," Cassie said with a shrug. She knew that shrug. She'd done it herself when she was tired of discussing a topic that made her hurt. Clint and Coulson did the same thing.
*********************************************************************
Phil led the group to a secluded table in the back of the room. Loki sat down as if he was a five year old being grounded. Skye was studying everything. Darcy was smirking at the whole situation and Jemma looked like she expected to be thrown out any minute. When Skye asked to bring someone, he hadn't expected Jemma.
"You can look, but don't touch. Touching is extra and has to be done in a private room," he told the group but it was more for Loki. He didn't want any misunderstandings.
"I'm aware of the rules for these establishments. What I don't understand is why I'm here," Loki complained, crossing his arms.
"You haven't left the apartment since you left medical. You watch MTV literally all day. It's worrying," Phil spoke. He watched Loki glance at everyone and their sympathetic faces. Loki scowled more. An uncomfortable silence grew.
"I've never been to a strip club before, should be exciting!" Jemma announced. It felt like it simply added to the awkwardness.
"I think I'll order a beer," Phil told them.
***************************************************************
Bruce had found a chair for Jane to sit in and take the weight off those stilettos.
"But what about you and Betty? Even Erik's told me how you seemed so perfect together," she spoke. The subject of Betty was still a little sore. At this moment, Jane seemed incredibly young.
"It's not...it's not a good time for us to be together," he answered, shaking his head.
"But why? You have a stable home and you can control the Hulk for the most part," Jane argued.
"She's doing too well in her career for me to mess that up."
Jane's brown eyes widened and her mouth gaped open.
"This isn't the 1950s. Women can have a career and a family," she argued.
"That's true for normal folk, but I'm not," Bruce spoke. "I'm an Avenger."
She was about to argue again so he cut her off before she had a chance to speak.
"You gave up a lot to be with Thor, maybe more than you realize. Culver let you go, the same thing they did me, the same thing they did to Erik and who's financing you now?" Bruce asked but answered his own question before she could. "SHIELD. SHIELD is financing your research, but I bet you're finding a hard time getting scientific journals to accept your research. They're probably saying it's too trendy or that you should try an entertainment magazine or NPR. Then, there's the lectures. You probably aren't asked to many and when you do, they only want to ask you questions about us. Am I warm?"
He knew he'd hit his mark by the way she frowned and wouldn't look at him.
"I want better for Betty."
He knew Jane was stubborn and half-expecting the next comment, Bruce braced himself for it.
"But that's deciding it for her. Why not let her decide that for herself?" Jane asked. Her arms were crossed in annoyance but he was pretty sure it was at the situation and not him.
"Jane, Betty knows where I am. I'm not hiding. She could come contact me or visit anytime she wants," he pointed out. "The fact that she doesn't means that she must agree with me."
Of course, there was also the fact that her dad would love to kill him. He didn't like thinking about that either.
He could almost hear her thinking. The expression in those brown eyes was that intense.
"I could get us some more drinks," he offered.
"But why do we have to choose like that? Why can't we have love and science?" Jane asked.
"We're not normal people, but then...it's kind of like...science was my first real love so, can you have both loves in your life at once? Is that possible?" Bruce asked. "With Betty before...before everything happened, we could share science together. It made it easier. She made me love science more, but then, everything got ruined."
"I'd never thought about it in those terms before but yeah, you're right. Science was my first love. Science was always there for me," Jane explained.
"Science always made sense when nothing else did. I could depend on it," Bruce agreed. Jane played with a ring on her finger as she said, "Science was my dad's favorite thing. He wanted so much for me to love it as much he did. He'd wake me up in the middle of the night to come see a meteor shower or Venus or a shuttle launch. Sometimes, when things are going well in an experiment or we find something new, it's like he's with me, like I know he'd be proud of me."
Bruce nodded. Sometimes, he envied those with such idyllic childhoods. It was something he didn't think he'd ever understand himself. He'd had colleagues whose dad had died and he tried to be understanding with them, but he wasn't sure what that was like; to have a dad where you were sad when he died.
"That's nice. It's a nice sentiment," he said. He wasn't sure about his beliefs on the afterlife. It was a pretty story that there would be some sort of reward after all of this and their deceased beloved would meet them. Then, there were times when he kind of hoped there was nothing after this; that it was just over.
Their conversation seemed so incongruent with the drunkenness surrounding them. People were laughing or singing along with the live band. It amused him. Why not make the difference that much greater?
"The fact that my dad loved science so much is what drove me away from it initially. I didn't want to be anything like him. He was a monster," Bruce explained. He laughed at his choice of words. "But I was good at it and everything made more sense there."
He looked down at his hand, making sure it wasn't greenish.
"I still ended up in his same field, studying the same things," he admitted.
He knew from her expression the minute that Jane had made the connection.
"Brian Banner, that's your dad." She spoke, " the one who almost-"
"Almost accidentally blew up Los Alamos, yep, that's the one," he said with a nod.
"Sorry," she apologized.
"That's okay. That's literally the least worst thing he ever did," he told her. The worst thing would definitely be killing Bruce's mom and making Bruce lie about it in court. Betty had been the only one he'd talked about that with.
"Erik just said not to ever mention or ask about your dad." Jane explained, "That it might cause an incident."
"Yeah," Bruce said. "So, when was the last time you spoke to Thor?"
Jane shrugged.
"It's been a couple of weeks which doesn't seem as weird as it did when we first broke up," she spoke. After a pause, she looked at him and asked, "What's going on with Loki?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"It's complicated." Jane explained, "I tried to ask Phil about it earlier, but he wouldn't tell me anything."
"Because it's complicated," he said with a smirk. She gave him a glare.
"Fine, the last time we were in battle together, he saved me and he's saved Thor's life at least twice now," she explained.
"At least it doesn't involve you carrying Loki's love child," Bruce joked. She shoved him with her left hand. As soon as she had done it, she froze as if she had pressed the nuclear bomb button.
"It's okay, I'm not that fragile," Bruce spoke. "Tony actually suggested that I consult you about Loki. This was back when he was still in his coma and we weren't sure if he'd ever wake up."
She shook her head.
"Oh no, I couldn't have helped then. You would have needed a soul forge," Jane spoke.
"What?"
"Oh, I have to tell you all about this. Asgard has a Quantum Field Generator that they call a Soul Forge," Jane explained and Bruce listened as she told him everything.
***********************************************************************
Phil was still nursing his beer at the bar when Darcy appeared.
"Maybe we should have picked a male strip club," she spoke.
"He goes for both," Phil reminded her.
"True," she agreed. Her green eyes became mischievous. "Maybe they have a redhead here?"
Phil cringed.
"That would be this place in Atlantic City. It has stripper doubles for all of the Avengers," he explained.
"Really?" she asked in a very excited tone. "Wouldn't that be copyright infringement or something?"
"Nah, Tony finds it amusing more than anything and the guy playing him is bigger..." Phil continued. Darcy laughed.
"You'll have to take me sometime," she suggested. He felt himself cringe again.
"I don't like seeing-," Phil spoke and trailed off. He had some more beer and added, "Tash and Clint that way."
"Because you're so close," she stated. Then, she had that look like she'd figured something out. "Those rumors were true! You and Clint and Natasha!"
He let himself have a little smile. The three of them had some great times together.
"I need a Mojito," Darcy told the bartender and turned back to Phil. In a whisper, she asked, "What's really going on?"
The question could be accurate for so many things.
"About what?"
"I know Loki isn't why you've been so tense lately or the added meetings with Fury. Something's happening," Darcy continued to whisper. She'd need to know sometime.
"Between the mess in Las Vegas and various other things, World Security Council isn't happy. They want to appoint a co-director of SHIELD," Phil explained. No doubt whoever they picked would be nothing more than a WSC puppet.
"I wish those guys would just go away and leave us alone," she complained.
"Me too," he agreed. Part of him was hoping she'd volunteer information about Kate's party. He knew she'd be checking social media about it and in contact with the guests. However, he didn't want to ask about it or be too eager for information because she'd want to know why. Jasper was the fan of celebrity gossip, not him. He watched her pick up her drink and suggested, "We should get back. Who knows what they've gotten themselves into with us gone."
*****************************************************************************
"If Fury didn't like the fish tank idea, what about a stripper pole for the bus? I bet May would kick ass at it," Skye suggested to Jemma as yet another danced waggled close to them in wardrobe that could barely be called clothes.
"We might have to requisition it as something other than 'stripper pole'. The way Ward's been working you, I'm sure you'd have it mastered in no time," Jemma replied. Skye checked out Loki's face to see if he took it the wrong way but it was impassive as it had been all night.
"Did they up your clearance level yet?" Jemma asked.
"Uh...actually, I'm still not technically...I'm more of what they call...an asset," she explained. It sounded weak even to her own ears. She was working so hard to be more helpful, more than just a hacker to them but she knew Darcy had done so much more work and hoops and tests to become an actual agent.
"Oh, right," Jemma said with a little embarrassed laugh and pushed a strand of hair behind her ears.
"But didn't you get a promotion?" Skye asked to change the subject.
"Yeah, because of all the work I did with Dr. Banner and..." she trailed off while looking at Loki. "Now I have so much more access to technology and files, it's like my first year when I was first given keys to a lab."
"Oh, awesome," Skye exclaimed.
"Actually, SHIELD's knowledge of alien technology has grown so much that it's so exciting," Jemma explained. "Some of the objects are so barbaric. They still insist on blood sacrifice."
Loki scoffed and they both looked at him.
"Is that really so different than your technology for blood sugar diseases? How about how juvenile your security measures are?" Loki asked. "Anyone can guess a combination of letters and numbers. A thumbprint can be worked around. Even I proved a retinal scanner can be defeated and that's one of the main line of defenses at SHIELD, along with the voice identification. Whereas blood is not so easily defeated, not only is your DNA for the most part unique but everyone has particular enzymes, hormones and outside chemicals that would be hard to replicate without the right machinery. Even then, it's a very small window because of how fast blood becomes degraded."
Skye could tell that Jemma was mad and trying to think of the perfect comeback. As for herself, she was trying not to gape. She had never seen this happen to Jemma.
"Some machines even require to blood to perform their functions," Loki explained. "Other cultures, more advanced cultures, have created machines to form body parts, repair defects, babies for those who can't have one or custom modifications."
At this, he stood up.
Jemma's face was red despite not having any alcohol yet. Skye wondered if she'd have to try and separate the two.
"Then, why not help us know what these machines are truly capable of?" she spat at him.
"Maybe if you're going to refer to such machines and their cultures as barbaric, you don't deserve them," Loki retorted back. "I'm taking a piss."
As soon as he was gone from their view, Jemma pitched a sort of fit. She waved her arms and made little teakettle noises.
"Is it more that he insulted your science knowledge or that the guy who tried to take over our planet is trying to teach us about respecting other cultures?" Skye asked. Then, she studied Jemma's face a moment more and added, "It's definitely the science part."
"I haven't been dressed down like that since I was in the academy!" Jemma shrieked. Her face was getting pretty red. "Okay, I'm going to the loo."
"Does no one just call it a toilet?" Skye asked as Jemma walked away. Great, now she was all alone and talking to herself.
********************************************************************************
"Come on, let's dance," Clint suggested and took Bobbi's hand. She was too surprised to argue. Clint didn't like to dance in public. He must have been rattled by something.
"How's Kate?" she asked. There was a moment of hesitation before he answered, "Fine."
"Earlier she looked almost...paralyzed," she spoke. For a few seconds, his grip tightened. Kate was what had him rattled.
"She was reliving something that happened to her," he explained. He made it sound like PTSD but she was only thirteen. What could cause that?
Clint kissed her. Despite it being an obvious distraction, she let him and pulled him closer.
********************************************************************************
Phil wasn't expecting to come back to a table with only Skye at it.
"Where's Loki and Jemma?" he asked.
"They were both going to the restroom," she explained. Then, she added, "But not together."
"So not his type," Darcy commented. Then, she was looking at him like Skye wasn't even there. "Should we believe that he's still there?"
"No, you check on Jemma, make sure she didn't get lost. I'll look for Loki," Phil spoke.
"And me?" Skye asked.
"You tell us if we miss anything good."
"A.C.," she complained.
"Someone needs to stay at the table in case one of them returns," he explained and she nodded, appearing to be satisfied with that reasoning.
*****************************************************************
Tony was picking up two more drinks, one for Pepper, when Derek Bishop approached him. The last time he had seen him, Derek's hair was more salt and pepper but now it had been dyed black all over.
"I wanted to personally thank you for coming. I wasn't sure if my daughter had thanked you. I seem to have lost her for the moment," Derek complained. "Having a nice time?"
Tony nodded as he wondered how much Derek knew about his other guests mistreating Kate. Then, he saw Derek's eyes following a young blonde who didn't look that much older than Kate. Derek grinned like a wolf. Tony felt embarrassed to be next to him. Would he be this bad if he didn't have Pepper?
Derek's disgusting behavior emboldened him to ask something he'd been wondering.
"Pepper had tried to get tickets for her brother and his wife, but I supposed they were lost in the mail," Tony suggested.
"These things can't be helped," Derek replied.
"And Victoria Hand and her wife?" Tony asked.
"Tony, Tony," Derek spoke, putting his arm around him. "You know how these things work. These parties have to project a certain image especially with the internet. I can't have just anyone and I don't appreciate pity cases being foisted on me. It's bad enough with those scientists there."
Derek pointed at Bruce and Jane having a serious conversation about six feet away.
"But Kate insisted on having her own guests and who am I to deny her that? She's my baby girl and she needs to learn the business," he explained. "How's that tower in L.A. coming?"
"Next year," Tony answered.
"Excellent, I expect to be invited to that party," he said. Then, he squeezed Tony's shoulder and walked away. Tony realized he hadn't seen Kate in over an hour and it began to worry him. He knew he'd seen her going upstairs so he decided he would try there first.
*****************************************************************
Jemma hadn't expected to be giving out medical advice but she'd taken a wrong turn on the way back from the loo. Instead, she'd found one of the strippers grimacing in pain in one of the private rooms.
"You really need to stay off this ankle. You could make it worse," Jemma warned as she felt the swollen body part.
The young woman shook her head.
"I can't. I don't have any paid time and if I call off one more time, I'm fired. I can't lose this job," she complained.
Sometimes, Jemma forgot how good she actually had it. She might be shot at from time to time. She might be placed in a situation where they had twenty minutes to save the world, but at least Phil never questioned any medical leaves or requested time off. Maybe this girl wasn't even eating properly?
"Any lightheadedness?"
The girl shook her head and Jemma felt better.
"Okay, keep off it as much as you can. Keep it elevated. Wrap it when you're working as much as possible," Jemma spoke. "And I'm going to leave my number at the front so you can call me."
There was a knock at the door.
"Am I interrupting anything? Because I could just forget I found you," Phil suggested.
"Not necessary," she replied. She gave a little smile to the woman and went towards him.
"For the moment, we've lost Loki," Phil spoke. In that moment, she realized something and it all made sense.
"But it's not like you really lost him. How can you lose him when he has no powers?" Jemma asked.
She knew from his expression that her guess was correct.
"We can't let anyone know that," he uttered.
"Loki's a matter of national security?"
"No, my security," he argued in a low voice. "If word got out that Loki was without his magic, every enemy he'd ever made would come for him and I'm his roommate."
"Then leave, move into the tower like Darcy and everyone else."
"No," Phil said and shook his head. "I can't do that. I can't leave him alone like this."
Phil wasn't looking at her at this point. He was looking at the black tile with glittered incased in it as he said,
"I know what he's going through and I can't."
Jemma forced herself to remember those first few months knowing Phil and how different he was to the stories told about him. It had been hard to reconcile the two. She heard footsteps and saw the stripper she'd just helped walking towards them.
"Hullo, did you see a man walk through here? Blond curly hair? Tall?" Jemma asked.
"Blue eyes and a smug look? Figured him for a model. I saw him walking that way towards make-up, but I bet a lot of us would give him everything for free. What a hottie," she said.
Jemma resisted the desire to roll her eyes.
"Thanks for your information," Phil spoke and headed in the direction she indicated, farther down the hallway.
*******************************************************************
"Are you sure I don't know you from somewhere? You just seem so familiar," Cassie commented.
Kate shrugged.
"I probably just have one of those faces where everyone thinks they know me already," she said. "Plus, we have so much in common. It's crazy we haven't met sooner."
Could she say anything more stupid? Kate felt like beating her head against the door. She didn't want scare Cassie and she was also worried about her identity being found out. The other girl didn't have a very high opinion of the rich.
"Are you still hungry? I could get something downstairs," Kate offered.
"I don't want you getting caught," Cassie said and shook her head. They heard footsteps and froze.
"Anyone up here? Is everything okay?" called a male voice. Kate recognized it immediately as Tony's voice.
"What do we do?" Cassie asked. It must have been loud enough for Tony to hear because he was in the room a few seconds later.
"This must be the better party then," he commented with a smile.
"Don't turn us in," Cassie spat.
"Turn you in?" Tony asked.
"I don't want my dad fired over this," Cassie complained. Tony laughed which made Cassie stand up and her face redden.
"Even if I wanted to, I think your friend there would have her own complaints about that and the hostess tends to have a bigger say in those things than some guest," Tony spoke.
No, no, no. Kate stood up and saw Cassie's anger turn into disbelief. Her blue eyes widened and her mouth opened.
"You're Kate Bishop," she spat. "No wonder you looked familiar! All this time...I bet I was nothing more than an amusement to you, the poor girl who goes to public school and uses the library for her books."
"Cassie..." Kate started. Cassie shook her head. Her disbelief had turned into either hurt or anger or both. Kate couldn't tell before the other girl started running for the servant's elevator.
"Thanks a lot, Tony!" she growled and ran after her.
**********************************************************************
Phil and Jemma were joined by Darcy just as they reached the room for make-up, hair and everything else from the activity around it. He thought about knocking but the door was constantly opening anyways.
They stepped inside and looked around. Loki was in a corner and they walked over. Most of the other woman kept looking look over at Loki and whispering. It was true how attractive they found him.
"Aren't you beautiful?" he asked in a baby voice. He clutched a very young looking puppy.
"They're for sale. The vet. told me six weeks old was old enough and I can't have all these things in my apartment," a young woman complained. She motioned to a box full of the other puppies who were whining and yelping.
"What are they?" Jemma asked. The puppies did have an odd appearance; large, floppy ears on a small body with tiny tails.
"I own a St. Bernard and she fucked the neighbor's Chihuahua. I didn't even know that was scientifically possible," the woman explained. Phil nodded. However, his gaze was transfixed on Loki.
"So young, far too young to be taken from your mother and now, you'll never see her again." Loki spoke, "Such a cruel fate."
Loki kissed the little face and smiled. It was the first real smile he'd seen from him since last year.
I'm such an idiot, Phil thought.
"Darcy, I have a couple of things to do first, but I think it's time to leave," Phil told her.
"Already?"
"You put that where?!" Jemma asked in shock at another performer.
"Yes," Phil confirmed with even more force. He stepped outside the room to a more private space in the hallway and took out his phone, selecting one of his contacts.
"Son of Coul! What is it?" Thor asked. He usually remembered not to call him that. However, there were more important issues than dwelling on that.
"When was the last time that Loki saw his children?" Phil asked.
"You refer to Sleipnir, Fenrir and Jorgumand? Sif claimed he visited them at least once a month, but there couldn't have been any visits since before he fell in the Battle of Las Vegas," Thor answered.
It'd been four to six months without having seen his children in person.
"Can't we organize an official visit? Maybe you could chaperone him once a month?" Phil suggested.
"Father doesn't want Loki to step forth in Asgard again. He feels the risks are too great," he explained. It was understandable considering the last few times that Loki had been to Asgard other than visiting his kids.
"But what about if you stressed this was simply for Loki to visit his kids and nothing more?" Phil asked.
"If Father were to allow Loki to visit just for pretense of calling on his children, that would mean the All-Father would accept that the children are legitimate and thus, heirs to the throne. He would never do that," Thor spoke.
Phil felt like ripping what little he had left of his hair out. There was no way to win here.
"Thanks," he said, knowing Thor wouldn't grasp the sarcasm. He hung up. Loki's depression was also about how his lack of magic kept him from his children. The devotion unsettled Phil's stomach. He called up Clint.
"Hey, I heard you guys were at a strip club," Clint greeted. Darcy must have texted him.
"Yeah, but we're leaving," Phil spoke. "How's Kate?"
"You should see her...wait..."
His phone chirped and a window popped up that he had a new photo. He clicked and found one of Clint and Kate in party finery. Phil smiled.
"She looks just like her mom, doesn't she?" Clint spoke. Even with Kate's black hair streaked with purple, he had to agree.
"Yeah."
**********************************************************************
Tony walked up to Pepper. She wore a smile until he came closer.
"What happened?"
"Kate's mad at me. I may have temporarily ruined her life," he told her. He used to have females upset with him all the time before he became an Avenger. It wasn't a big deal but with Kate, it felt different. He didn't like having teammates mad at him.
Pepper held him close, asking, "What did you do?"
"Kate made a friend at the party but didn't tell her who she really was. I spilled the beans that she was Derek's daughter," Tony explained.
"I think that this time you're actually off the hook," Pepper said with a smile. It wasn't sarcastic either.
"Really?"
"She's a teenage girl. They do lots of stupid things. She was going to be found out eventually," she said. Her fingers caressed his scalp. The words and actions made him feel better.
"I'm glad I have you, Pep."
"Me, too," she said with a smile. "This feels so right. I can't remember the last time the universe felt so right."
"Like we could stay here forever?"
"Mhmm," Pepper agreed. Tony took that as a yes and decided to start making plans for a more formal proposal. It was such a relief to only have thoughts of Pepper in his head.
******************************************************************
Cassie may have had a head start on Kate, but Kate was an Avenger. She ran, bounced off a wall while narrowly missing the Jackson Pollack and did a sort of somersault that Natasha had taught her.
Cassie's blue eyes narrowed.
"Cassie, I'm sorry. I should have told you but I didn't...I didn't want you mad at me and now you are anyway," Kate apologized.
"But you lied to me and what would you want with me anyway? We have nothing in common," the other complained.
"But that's the thing, we do. We love the same books and music and tastes in names! All my life, people have wanted to know me because of my parents or what I could do for them or they felt they had to. You were the first person who just wanted to know me for me. I've never had that before and I don't want to lose it," Kate pleaded.
Cassie crossed her arms. She frowned.
"I've never really had a friend either," she admitted.
Blue eyes met blue eyes and stared at each other.
"I suppose we could exchange Tumblr and Facebook?"
Kate almost smiled. It was better than nothing.
*********************************************************************
Jemma liked that they had borrowed a limo from Stark. It was much more comfortable for the five of them; almost five. Phil still hadn't showed up. Darcy was on her mobile. Skye was on the verge of making small talk with Loki. Jemma could tell be the way her posture would leans toward Loki, her mouth would open a bit and she'd sink back again, mouth closed. Loki had his eyes shut and his face seemed to be a permanent frown.
Then, the door opened.
Phil was carrying one of those ugly puppies.
"Loki, this puppy is for you," he said. For a moment, Loki looked like he was speechless. He was a prince once. Shouldn't he be used to this? Then again, there was the time where he had killed Phil.
"But why?"
"He made you smile," Phil replied.
Loki took the tiny puppy and held it close to his face. The puppy licked him with a minuscule, pink tongue.
"Oh, you wittle cutie," he said and kissed it back. She could see Skye on the point of snickering and Phil about to say something, but Darcy elbowed her first.
"Shall we go then?" Loki asked, clutching the puppy against his chest like a baby.
*******************************************************************
Author: Ericadawn16
Prompt: The wonderful mash-up of Friends and Avengers
Character/Pairing(s): Clint/Jessica Drew, Jessica Drew/Vange Whedon, Tony/Pepper, Phil/Clint, Clint/Natasha, Clint/?, Natasha/?
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Slash, lots of slash, mild language
Spoilers: a few references here and there, nothing big
Summary: Derek Bishop is having one of his annual fundraising galas and the Avengers are there. Kate Bishop meets Cassie Lang and across town, Phil Coulson and others are visiting...a strip club?
Beta: HUGE Thanks to lavendergaia and Valoscope and i_llbedammned
ADDITIONAL WARNING! PTSD, mentions of Rape
I'm also sorry for it taking six months and hope for that never to happen again.
***********************************************************************
The One with the Cumberbatch
March 9, 2018
Sam Wilson watched the numbers light up as they passed each floor. He waited for the silence to be broken before breaking it himself.
"Phil, it's not like I don't enjoy being invited to your apartment. Your X-Box system is second only to Tony," Sam spoke "But I had the impression that this was more of a professional meeting."
"It is. I don't know too many shrinks, much less licensed Psychiatrists-"
Sam opened his mouth to correct him but Phil gave him that look.
"I know how close you are to becoming certified, merely a matter of hours. SHIELD has a few but I don't want this situation on their radar. This is Avengers business," Phil continued. "Romanoff normally does Psych Evals but she's undercover."
Sam was more confused than ever as the elevator stopped at the top floor.
"I need you to talk to Loki and tell me what you think," Phil explained. It felt like there should be a catch except it wasn't coming. The doors opened into an entryway. Phil used his key to let them in. Loki was in an over-sized leather chair, drinking a smoothie. The television was showing MTV. He cringed. The viewing choice alone seemed like a cry for help.
"I'm going to change my shirt." Phil announced before leaving them alone.
"Catching up on quality entertainment?" Sam asked. He wasn't even rewarded with a glare.
"I keep thinking one of them will kill the other but it never happens," Loki spoke in a soft voice.
"Is that what you really want?"
There wasn't a shrug or any reaction. It was if the question never happened.
"I know it's hard being a civilian while everyone else is out there fighting." Sam tried again, "Gets a man to wondering about his worth in life."
"I don't have to wonder. I know that I am the most worthless being on this planet, of no use to anyone," he explained. "And I choose to spend my time watching those who seem to possess very little intelligence hold the thrall of millions in their melodramatic exploits."
Coulson had made it sound almost easy, but now Sam saw that he was in over his depth. This wasn't just a sometimes super villain. It was Loki; galactically known for a tongue that only revealed what he wanted you to know.
"What about if you could do anything? If you could anything right now, what would it be?" Sam asked. For a second, Loki's expression was shrewder. He knew he was calculating how honest to be.
"I would be with them," Loki uttered. Sam didn't know who was "them." Usually, the soldiers that he worked with would be referring to their battalion or other group. It was hard to leave that bond of brotherhood behind even as he tried to replace it with the Avengers. Loki had always seemed like a loner to Sam. Even the other villains didn't appear to like him. Sam wasn't quite sure how to proceed.
"It's hard to accept but they are probably doing their best without you, making do. We all have to accept what we can't change and change what we can to make things better for us," Sam spoke.
It was the wrong thing to say. He knew that in an instant as Loki tensed and threw the smoothie on the hardwood floor.
"They probably think I've abandoned them again. They won't understand why I'm not there," Loki spat. Phil's door opened and he announced, "Almost ready."
There was time for one more question. He could ask what would be better for Loki or he could ask something he'd always wondered. Either way, there was a good chance of Loki lying.
"If you died, did you go to Valhalla?"
"Is this a roundabout way of asking about heaven?" Loki asked. The trace of a smirk began to appear. "Tahiti is such a magical place. You should ask Coulson about it."
What the hell was Loki talking about?
Phil appeared in a fresh suit. He stepped over the spilled smoothie without looking. Sam doubted he had heard anything of their recent conversation.
"I remember this one. He cheated on her while she was pregnant-"
"And once she finds out, I have been promised in the advertising that they fight," Loki interrupted.
"I'll leave you to it then," Phil said with a nod. "Sam."
*********************************************************************
Steve knocked on Peggy's door but her grandson, Paul, answered.
"Steve, I know you came in from New York to see her, but today...it's not a good day for her," Paul tried to explain. Steve wasn't sure what he meant.
A toddler ran up and pulled on Paul's shirt.
"Daddy, play wif me!" she demanded. Sharon was getting so big. Her father looked from her to Steve and back again before giving up and letting Steve in.
Steve made his way to Peggy's bedroom. After a knock on the door, she said he could come in.
"Steve! I wasn't expecting you so soon especially when Howard lost contact with you. Did you do it? Did you rescue Bucky and everyone else?" she asked as though it was 1943 again. Steve was confused, but his expression upset Peggy.
"Steve, did something happen during the rescue?"
"No, no, it went well. Bucky's fine," he said. Between Peggy's oddness and having to mention Bucky, his throat felt filled with thick biscuits.
"I think I must have a touch of something, that's why I'm in bed. Did you see Bradley's girl, little Faith? Isaiah has a handful there," she said with a smile.
Steve didn't know who Isaiah was or why she called Sharon a different name. He was beginning to think Paul was right saying today was not a good day for visiting Peggy.
*********************************************************************
Sam wanted to tell Phil what he'd seen with Loki, but two floors down, the elevator stopped and a blonde woman entered. He liked that the blonde smiled at him yet the waiting was annoying. Loki didn't fit any of the traditional test cases he'd been given or like any of those he'd been around in his internships. It also didn't feel like a normal medical convalescence. Instead, it was more like Loki had given up on everything, but wouldn't he have his magic to do whatever he wanted?
"Still talk with Leila?" Phil asked.
"Yeah, she worries me with her work, but..." Sam trailed off and shrugged.
"What's her article this time?" Phil asked.
"About the orphanage in Latveria," he told him. Sam couldn't help the tone he used. Latveria was one of the poorest countries but it was poor because of Doctor Doom and they couldn't just save her if something went wrong.
"Still the break-up was amicable," Phil spoke and Sam nodded. The blonde perked up. Phil was being a pretty decent wingman.
"Yeah, I think this time is for good," Sam admitted and the woman moved a little closer. In the span it took to reach the ground floor, he had her number, name: Kaylee and a date for lunch the next day.
"Thanks, man," he said as Kaylee walked away. "I'll have to return the favor someday."
Phil shrugged and said, "Tell me about Loki."
Sam sighed.
"What exactly do you want from me?"
"I need to know exactly what we need to do about him. Does he need a babysitter for when I'm not there? Do I have to get his brother and family involved?" Phil asked.
"From what I've seen and heard, that should be the last possible option," Sam retorted and started walking so they looked more normal before getting into Phil's car.
"Are we at that point?"
"Not yet," Sam tried to assure him. "Would you honestly assign him a babysitter? Isn't that above SHIELD pay grade?"
"We used to call it the Stark Special," Phil explained. Sam couldn't laughing and commenting, "Oh, Tony."
"Actually, both of them," Phil corrected him. "But you were telling me about Loki."
"He's not connected with this world. He needs a reason for living, like a hobby or something. In the meantime, a change of scenery would do him good," Sam suggested. It was about as good as he could do after a five minute interview.
Phil nodded.
"He also feels bad about someone he abandoned back home," Sam added. He couldn't tell whether Phil understood it better or not.
**********************************************************************
Bobbi Barton finished zipping up her dress and looked over to check on her husband. She frowned in sympathy at watching him struggle to dress. He could handle his arm cast through his regular t-shirts but evening wear was a totally different story.
"Come on, let me help you," she said and took the sleeve of the white buttoned shirt. Thank goodness his arm muscles required a larger size anyway. However, the lower part of the arm didn't want to budge over his cast. She pulled a couple of times until he hissed. The last thing they needed was for one of them to accidentally break his arm again.
"How about we just undress and forget about the whole thing?" Clint suggested.
"No, we promised Kate. She's expecting us," Bobbi argued. She took out a knife hidden in her dress. Clint smiled at her. Even for one party, she couldn't shake off her SHIELD training. "I'll buy you a new shirt."
She slit up the sleeve so it fit over the cast and rolled it up to fix with the cufflinks.
"Anything else?" she asked.
"The cumberbatch," he said, motioning to the bed.
"Cummerbund," she corrected with a smile.
"Whatever," he said but his hazel eyes were twinkling. She put it around his chest and fastened it. Then, Bobbi let her hands go lower down his back until she was able to squeeze his butt. It was still firm despite still being on probation/medical leave.
"Later," she whispered.
"Not fair," Clint retorted.
**************************************************************
Phil pressed the doorbell once more. They needed to discuss the Loki situation.
"I assure you, Agent Coulson, that Agent Lewis in her living quarters. I can't perceive why she will not come to the door," JARVIS explained.
"I HEARD THAT! PHIL, JUST USE YOUR DAMN KEY!" Darcy yelled from within.
"JARVIS?" Phil asked.
"Fine," JARVIS answered and opened the door. Phil was tempted to make a Marvin joke at how sarcastic the AI sounded but his thoughts were interrupted by Darcy and Jane Foster, especially Jane.
"Darce, I feel weird," she complained. She was wearing a skin tight blue dress with white sparkles that had to be Swarovski crystals. Her hair had been done up in curls that were pinned up to dangle in just the right places.
"Good, you should feel weird, that's the point. You never dress up and I finally got you to say yes," Darcy spoke.
"Come on, I'm trying to get you ready, I'm talking on the phone and now Phil's showed up for something. It's too much to be dealing with your whining."
"Fine, but how am I supposed to walk in these?" Jane asked and held up a foot encased in a stiletto heel to match the dress.
"You don't. You get to a place where the drinks can come to you and you stay there," Darcy explained as she put her own dark hair up in a ponytail. "Phil, why are you here?"
"Loki," he answered. "Wilson seems to think we need to get him a hobby or something to take his mind off things. In the meantime, he suggested a change of scenery. I thought you'd have some ideas."
In the same situation, Phil had been given a bus and his own team. Both were completely out of the question for Loki.
"Well, when my dad was depressed over something or fired again or dumped or that time she bit his penis or what have you, he always went to the strip club," Darcy told him. Phil tried to focus on her actual point instead of that extra, added unnecessary information.
Phil was about to dismiss the idea right off. However, it would be a change of scenery within the city, fairly low cost, used to privacy concerns and plenty of access to alcohol. There were a lot of perks to it.
"It's an idea," he admitted.
"Ooh, are you going to a strip club? I wanna go. I never get to go anywhere," Skye's voice complained. Phil closed his eyes. Darcy had mentioned she was on the phone.
"Skye-"
"Phil, let her come, the more the merrier. She's over twenty-one," Darcy argued. He looked at Jane.
"I'm not involved," Jane said.
"It'll be tonight though. You're probably busy," Phil argued.
"No, I'm not. Can I bring someone with me?" Skye asked.
"Only as long as they won't be a problem around Loki," Phil amended.
"Yes!" Skye exclaimed.
*********************************************************************
Steve studied an old photo of himself, Peggy, Howard and Bucky. Then, he heard the door close behind him. Paul gave him a little smile.
"She's resting now," he said. "We probably should have warned you before, but we've been trying to keep it in the family. We don't want all that public sympathy and press. I just-."
Paul paused and looked away for a moment, before glancing back at Steve. His brown eyes focused on the photo.
"I want people to remember my grandmother the way she should be remembered, not how she is now," Paul complained.
Steve nodded and clasped his shoulder for an instant. He hoped it was reassuring.
"Is it the...Alzheimer's?" Steve asked. There was a nod from the other man. "I feel so...I should have noticed earlier."
"That's something I ask myself every day." Paul explained, "But we wrote off a lot of signs as her just getting older."
"When I was growing up, we just dismissed stuff like that as being old. We didn't realize how wrong it was," Steve spoke and Paul gave him a pat on the back.
"If you don't...," Paul lowered his voice and his glance. "If you don't want to come back after this, I'm sure everyone would understand."
"No, no, I couldn't do that to Peggy, not after everything," Steve said. Paul nodded.
It made him both happy and sad to think of Peggy joining all their old friends in Heaven. He didn't like to think about exactly how long it might for him before he saw his parents and Bucky again.
*****************************************************************
Kate Bishop checked her dress once more and sighed. Her sister wasn't even making an appearance. It was up to her to be her father's hostess for the party which she had never done by herself before. She'd have to thank everyone for coming, laugh at horrible jokes and smile through everything, even the disgusting old men who felt a need to touch her.
The psychiatrist felt she was making a lot of progress since their visits started. She could let those she trusted touch her, but she still hated everyone else doing it. It made her remember that night in Central Park when the man had attacked her.
She touched her dress and smiled. It was purple; a reminder of her new identity. She was no longer just a victim because she was Hawkeye, an Avenger...Young Avenger...in training...maybe?
Either way, she was allowed into Avengers Tower whenever she wanted and everyone there knew her name. Purple highlights streaked her hair, too. This was the first time she had ever done anything to her hair. This was the first time she had ever asked to do anything to her hair. She liked the result.
"You can do this," Kate whispered and strolled towards the stairs. The bedrooms upstairs were off-limits but her father had insisted on having the benefit downstairs in their home. She paused at the top of the stairs and looked down. Then, she spotted her personal guests. Tony Stark was making his way around the room. Pepper was talking with Bruce off to the side. Darcy was nowhere to be found. However, that looked like Jane near the bar. Kate tried not to gape to how gorgeous Jane looked. She'd never seen her dressed that nice before with her hair and everything perfect. Then, she felt kind of bad when she noticed how uncomfortable Jane appeared to be.
She studied the crowd below one more time and noticed who she really wanted to see. A few minutes later and she stopped right in front of them.
"Welcome to our charity gala," she said.
"Just a small little get together," Clint dead-panned. A waiter came up and offered them some of the crab stuffed mushroom.
"But you came, thank you," Kate spoke; trying to sound like she usually did around him instead of the anxiety she'd felt just minutes ago. "And you dressed up, gold star for that."
"Cumberbatch and everything," Clint confirmed.
"Cummerbund," Kate and Bobbi corrected at the same time. Then, they laughed.
"We never should have introduced him to Sherlock," Kate said to Bobbi.
"It seemed like such a good idea at the time since they had canceled Dog Cops and all..."
"La la la," said Clint, using his good arm to cover his ear. "It's not canceled. It's on hiatus while they...decide things. It's coming back."
"Sure it is, honey," his wife spoke, rubbing his back. "Kate, you look beautiful."
She'd heard that a thousand times before yet it meant more coming from Bobbi who didn't have an agenda with her.
"Clint, give me your phone," Bobbi demanded.
"How do you even..."
Kate couldn't help smiling as Clint was cut off with just a glare. He plucked the phone out of a pocket and handed it to her.
"My camera's been acting funny. Now, get in closer, Hawkeyes," Bobbi spoke, pressed something on the phone and let go, immediately giving it back to Clint. Kate glanced around. Everyone else appeared to be oblivious. Only those with a certain clearance level were supposed to know she was the other Hawkeye.
"You look just like your mother," Clint said in a soft voice. Kate couldn't help shaking her head. Susan looked just like their mother. Kate was always just the other one. Bobbi had a quizzical expression as well.
"I should say hi to the other guests," Kate explained and left them.
********************************************************************
Jane had stayed close to the bar as Darcy suggested. However, she was lonely and miserable without anyone to talk to her. It also felt like everything hurt. Her shoes were not comfortable, her dress was tight and her hair felt like she was carrying a twenty-pound bowling ball supported by sharp pins.
She'd let Darcy have her fun by giving her a ticket and dressing her up. Maybe it was time to leave and call it a night. However, her stupid stilettos weren't allowing her a very fast exit. She bent down to take them off.
"You're not leaving, are you?" asked a familiar voice. She looked up to see Bruce and stopped trying to take her shoes off. "I was hoping to find you. You're probably the only other person here who understands what it's like to have your friends insist on dressing you up and force you into social functions."
"This is true," Jane agreed. "But it did make Darcy really happy."
"Tony and Pepper," Bruce explained, holding out his arms. "I hate these things."
"I'm about as comfortable as a Blue Dwarf situated on the edge of an event horizon," Jane joked. To her relief, Bruce laughed.
"You would think us being here would be about as likely as finding Nuclear Pasta at Panera Bread," she continued, hoping she wasn't pressing her luck. His chuckle seemed a little more polite but still counted.
"Why didn't I notice you were funny before?" Bruce asked.
"I usually don't try. When you're always surrounded by Darcy and you and Tony and Clint, what's the point? By the time I have a good one, someone's already said a better one. I'm surrounded by quicker, wittier wits," Jane explained.
There was a hint of blush that came over Bruce's cheeks at the compliment.
******************************************************************
Kate was having a mostly virgin drink concoction when John Perry appeared.
"Want something a little stronger? I could get it for you," the older man suggested. She didn't know much about him except he had dealings with the government and her father had invited him.
"If I wanted, I could get it for myself," she spat. Instead of being persuaded to go away, he came closer.
"Now, now, that's no way for the hostess to talk, is it?" Perry asked, putting his hands on her shoulders.
She wanted to throw him off, punch him and kick him in the groin for good measure. However, she found herself doing nothing. She was frozen, remembering that night again.
"There, there, that's better. Maybe you could even show me around the place," Perry suggested. His brown eyes leered at her while his fingers were caressing her shoulder blades.
"That's not what she wants," Clint's voice spoke in a growl. It broke Kate out of her trance. She slipped away from Perry's grasp and was going up the stairs without even thinking about it.
********************************************************
Clint was happy to see Kate escaping up the stairs. He knew a little bit about how horrible it must be for her.
"And what would you have done with one arm?" the douchebag sneered. "Kill me?"
Clint was about to comment when someone else got there first. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Tony had showed up. He balanced a drink in one hand like it was a natural extension of his appendage.
"He could. There's probably half a dozen different ways he could kill you right now so you're getting off light, Perry," Tony spoke. "However, if you don't want those government contracts to dry up, I'd stop hitting on thirteen year old girls. You did know Kate Bishop is only thirteen, didn't you?"
"She looked older," the man mumbled.
"Right," Tony commented. "Barton and I are going to keep an eye on Ms. Bishop the rest of the night. You might want to let your other pervy friends know that."
The man that Tony had called Perry left for another part of the party and Tony turned back to Clint.
"Now, I know why she was so adamant about us being here," Tony whispered.
"Yeah," Clint agreed. There was a moment of awkwardness and he decided to go back to Bobbi. Then, he noticed Tony smiling at Pepper laughing across the room.
"Did you ask her yet?" Clint asked.
"What?"
Clint rolled his eyes and replied, "Pepper."
"No," Tony answered; not looking at him as he readjusted his jacket.
"Why?"
"Look, I know you've asked the question five million times which makes you an expert but I...I haven't and...I want to make sure I know the answer first," Tony explained.
Clint glared at him before saying, "You know the answer."
"It never hurts to be extra sure. I want everything to be perfect," Tony argued.
"Or unattainably perfect so you don't have to ask her," Clint spoke. He stepped closer to Tony and added, "Just ask her."
Then, he walked away.
****************************************************************
Kate almost ran up the stairs and past her bedroom. She knew where she wanted to go. There was a small room they used for storage. She opened up the closet and found her mom's coat. Kate didn't bother to put it on, just wrapped it around herself as she slid to the floor. The faint smell of her perfume was comforting as she cried.
She didn't know how much time had passed when she heard footsteps. What if it was Perry again? She wrapped herself tighter in her mom's coat so she wasn't very visible. The footsteps came closer but they didn't sound like a man's footsteps. They were softer.
A girl entered, probably about her same age with blonde hair and normal looking clothes. Kate doubted she had been a party guest but how was she here? Did she sneak in? She let the coat loosen around her.
Then, she noticed the book the girl was reading: The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie. She'd never seen anyone else her own age read Agatha Christie. Plus, she was reading an actual paper book and not a Kindle or something.
"Did you already read her Poirot books?" Kate asked without thinking as the coat fell further down, just covering her dress.
"Of course, I've found it's better to read books in the order that the author wrote them. Sometimes, the earlier books are better. Sometimes, the later ones, I wasn't sure if her stuff after getting divorced would be as good," the girl explained. "My parents haven't been the same."
Kate felt odd and wanted to change the subject.
"I also love the name, Agatha. I love all those classic names," she said. "Not like now with Apple and North and stuff like that."
"Are you one of those like Katniss or Renesmee?" the girl asked, followed by a mischievous grin.
"Kate," she replied. As soon as she said it, she wished she had used an alias. What if she figured out who she really was?
"Like Hepburn," the girl said with a smile. "And I would be Cassandra."
"The one who knows everything but gets ignored at every turn," Kate acknowledged. Her right hand sank into the plush carpet.
"But you can call me Cassie," she suggested. "Are you hiding out here?"
Kate nodded.
"I'm not supposed to be here either. My dad's a waiter downstairs. He figured this way I'd get a good meal for free," the girl continued and sat on the floor across from her.
"Mine's working downstairs, too," Kate admitted and technically, it was true. "Did you know that Agatha learned how to surf?"
"I know! That's so awesome," Cassie agreed. Her blue eyes lit up. "Did you know she once went missing for like three days or something and they never found out what happened?"
"I have a friend and she told me that there was this show years ago that claimed it was related to aliens and some sort of wasp thing," Kate said. Bobbi really wanted her to watch Doctor Who.
"It's funny. They used to have all those alien descriptions and pictures and things and they were always weird and ugly and then we get a real alien and he looks like an Australian model," Cassie spoke. Kate had to giggle. She'd never thought of Thor that way before.
"Can you imagine living in a place like this? More money than you know what to do with and you never have to worry about your next meal? I've seen how they treat my dad. Tony Stark wouldn't even give him a job interview," Cassie complained. Kate was very intrigued. Tony had his moments of being an asshole, but he was always nice to her.
"What does your dad do?" Kate asked.
"He's brilliant. He's a scientist. He can do anything, but I got cancer when I was a baby and he had to do some stuff to get us money, illegal stuff. Now no one will hire him," she complained. Kate understood things better. On one hand, if he was brilliant, everyone should want him. On the other hand, she knew from over-hearing adults that her dad was what they usually called "a liability". Still, it was sad he was reduced to working as a waiter.
"Sorry," Kate said in sympathy.
"Yeah, but at least I get to live with him on weekends," Cassie said with a shrug. She knew that shrug. She'd done it herself when she was tired of discussing a topic that made her hurt. Clint and Coulson did the same thing.
*********************************************************************
Phil led the group to a secluded table in the back of the room. Loki sat down as if he was a five year old being grounded. Skye was studying everything. Darcy was smirking at the whole situation and Jemma looked like she expected to be thrown out any minute. When Skye asked to bring someone, he hadn't expected Jemma.
"You can look, but don't touch. Touching is extra and has to be done in a private room," he told the group but it was more for Loki. He didn't want any misunderstandings.
"I'm aware of the rules for these establishments. What I don't understand is why I'm here," Loki complained, crossing his arms.
"You haven't left the apartment since you left medical. You watch MTV literally all day. It's worrying," Phil spoke. He watched Loki glance at everyone and their sympathetic faces. Loki scowled more. An uncomfortable silence grew.
"I've never been to a strip club before, should be exciting!" Jemma announced. It felt like it simply added to the awkwardness.
"I think I'll order a beer," Phil told them.
***************************************************************
Bruce had found a chair for Jane to sit in and take the weight off those stilettos.
"But what about you and Betty? Even Erik's told me how you seemed so perfect together," she spoke. The subject of Betty was still a little sore. At this moment, Jane seemed incredibly young.
"It's not...it's not a good time for us to be together," he answered, shaking his head.
"But why? You have a stable home and you can control the Hulk for the most part," Jane argued.
"She's doing too well in her career for me to mess that up."
Jane's brown eyes widened and her mouth gaped open.
"This isn't the 1950s. Women can have a career and a family," she argued.
"That's true for normal folk, but I'm not," Bruce spoke. "I'm an Avenger."
She was about to argue again so he cut her off before she had a chance to speak.
"You gave up a lot to be with Thor, maybe more than you realize. Culver let you go, the same thing they did me, the same thing they did to Erik and who's financing you now?" Bruce asked but answered his own question before she could. "SHIELD. SHIELD is financing your research, but I bet you're finding a hard time getting scientific journals to accept your research. They're probably saying it's too trendy or that you should try an entertainment magazine or NPR. Then, there's the lectures. You probably aren't asked to many and when you do, they only want to ask you questions about us. Am I warm?"
He knew he'd hit his mark by the way she frowned and wouldn't look at him.
"I want better for Betty."
He knew Jane was stubborn and half-expecting the next comment, Bruce braced himself for it.
"But that's deciding it for her. Why not let her decide that for herself?" Jane asked. Her arms were crossed in annoyance but he was pretty sure it was at the situation and not him.
"Jane, Betty knows where I am. I'm not hiding. She could come contact me or visit anytime she wants," he pointed out. "The fact that she doesn't means that she must agree with me."
Of course, there was also the fact that her dad would love to kill him. He didn't like thinking about that either.
He could almost hear her thinking. The expression in those brown eyes was that intense.
"I could get us some more drinks," he offered.
"But why do we have to choose like that? Why can't we have love and science?" Jane asked.
"We're not normal people, but then...it's kind of like...science was my first real love so, can you have both loves in your life at once? Is that possible?" Bruce asked. "With Betty before...before everything happened, we could share science together. It made it easier. She made me love science more, but then, everything got ruined."
"I'd never thought about it in those terms before but yeah, you're right. Science was my first love. Science was always there for me," Jane explained.
"Science always made sense when nothing else did. I could depend on it," Bruce agreed. Jane played with a ring on her finger as she said, "Science was my dad's favorite thing. He wanted so much for me to love it as much he did. He'd wake me up in the middle of the night to come see a meteor shower or Venus or a shuttle launch. Sometimes, when things are going well in an experiment or we find something new, it's like he's with me, like I know he'd be proud of me."
Bruce nodded. Sometimes, he envied those with such idyllic childhoods. It was something he didn't think he'd ever understand himself. He'd had colleagues whose dad had died and he tried to be understanding with them, but he wasn't sure what that was like; to have a dad where you were sad when he died.
"That's nice. It's a nice sentiment," he said. He wasn't sure about his beliefs on the afterlife. It was a pretty story that there would be some sort of reward after all of this and their deceased beloved would meet them. Then, there were times when he kind of hoped there was nothing after this; that it was just over.
Their conversation seemed so incongruent with the drunkenness surrounding them. People were laughing or singing along with the live band. It amused him. Why not make the difference that much greater?
"The fact that my dad loved science so much is what drove me away from it initially. I didn't want to be anything like him. He was a monster," Bruce explained. He laughed at his choice of words. "But I was good at it and everything made more sense there."
He looked down at his hand, making sure it wasn't greenish.
"I still ended up in his same field, studying the same things," he admitted.
He knew from her expression the minute that Jane had made the connection.
"Brian Banner, that's your dad." She spoke, " the one who almost-"
"Almost accidentally blew up Los Alamos, yep, that's the one," he said with a nod.
"Sorry," she apologized.
"That's okay. That's literally the least worst thing he ever did," he told her. The worst thing would definitely be killing Bruce's mom and making Bruce lie about it in court. Betty had been the only one he'd talked about that with.
"Erik just said not to ever mention or ask about your dad." Jane explained, "That it might cause an incident."
"Yeah," Bruce said. "So, when was the last time you spoke to Thor?"
Jane shrugged.
"It's been a couple of weeks which doesn't seem as weird as it did when we first broke up," she spoke. After a pause, she looked at him and asked, "What's going on with Loki?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"It's complicated." Jane explained, "I tried to ask Phil about it earlier, but he wouldn't tell me anything."
"Because it's complicated," he said with a smirk. She gave him a glare.
"Fine, the last time we were in battle together, he saved me and he's saved Thor's life at least twice now," she explained.
"At least it doesn't involve you carrying Loki's love child," Bruce joked. She shoved him with her left hand. As soon as she had done it, she froze as if she had pressed the nuclear bomb button.
"It's okay, I'm not that fragile," Bruce spoke. "Tony actually suggested that I consult you about Loki. This was back when he was still in his coma and we weren't sure if he'd ever wake up."
She shook her head.
"Oh no, I couldn't have helped then. You would have needed a soul forge," Jane spoke.
"What?"
"Oh, I have to tell you all about this. Asgard has a Quantum Field Generator that they call a Soul Forge," Jane explained and Bruce listened as she told him everything.
***********************************************************************
Phil was still nursing his beer at the bar when Darcy appeared.
"Maybe we should have picked a male strip club," she spoke.
"He goes for both," Phil reminded her.
"True," she agreed. Her green eyes became mischievous. "Maybe they have a redhead here?"
Phil cringed.
"That would be this place in Atlantic City. It has stripper doubles for all of the Avengers," he explained.
"Really?" she asked in a very excited tone. "Wouldn't that be copyright infringement or something?"
"Nah, Tony finds it amusing more than anything and the guy playing him is bigger..." Phil continued. Darcy laughed.
"You'll have to take me sometime," she suggested. He felt himself cringe again.
"I don't like seeing-," Phil spoke and trailed off. He had some more beer and added, "Tash and Clint that way."
"Because you're so close," she stated. Then, she had that look like she'd figured something out. "Those rumors were true! You and Clint and Natasha!"
He let himself have a little smile. The three of them had some great times together.
"I need a Mojito," Darcy told the bartender and turned back to Phil. In a whisper, she asked, "What's really going on?"
The question could be accurate for so many things.
"About what?"
"I know Loki isn't why you've been so tense lately or the added meetings with Fury. Something's happening," Darcy continued to whisper. She'd need to know sometime.
"Between the mess in Las Vegas and various other things, World Security Council isn't happy. They want to appoint a co-director of SHIELD," Phil explained. No doubt whoever they picked would be nothing more than a WSC puppet.
"I wish those guys would just go away and leave us alone," she complained.
"Me too," he agreed. Part of him was hoping she'd volunteer information about Kate's party. He knew she'd be checking social media about it and in contact with the guests. However, he didn't want to ask about it or be too eager for information because she'd want to know why. Jasper was the fan of celebrity gossip, not him. He watched her pick up her drink and suggested, "We should get back. Who knows what they've gotten themselves into with us gone."
*****************************************************************************
"If Fury didn't like the fish tank idea, what about a stripper pole for the bus? I bet May would kick ass at it," Skye suggested to Jemma as yet another danced waggled close to them in wardrobe that could barely be called clothes.
"We might have to requisition it as something other than 'stripper pole'. The way Ward's been working you, I'm sure you'd have it mastered in no time," Jemma replied. Skye checked out Loki's face to see if he took it the wrong way but it was impassive as it had been all night.
"Did they up your clearance level yet?" Jemma asked.
"Uh...actually, I'm still not technically...I'm more of what they call...an asset," she explained. It sounded weak even to her own ears. She was working so hard to be more helpful, more than just a hacker to them but she knew Darcy had done so much more work and hoops and tests to become an actual agent.
"Oh, right," Jemma said with a little embarrassed laugh and pushed a strand of hair behind her ears.
"But didn't you get a promotion?" Skye asked to change the subject.
"Yeah, because of all the work I did with Dr. Banner and..." she trailed off while looking at Loki. "Now I have so much more access to technology and files, it's like my first year when I was first given keys to a lab."
"Oh, awesome," Skye exclaimed.
"Actually, SHIELD's knowledge of alien technology has grown so much that it's so exciting," Jemma explained. "Some of the objects are so barbaric. They still insist on blood sacrifice."
Loki scoffed and they both looked at him.
"Is that really so different than your technology for blood sugar diseases? How about how juvenile your security measures are?" Loki asked. "Anyone can guess a combination of letters and numbers. A thumbprint can be worked around. Even I proved a retinal scanner can be defeated and that's one of the main line of defenses at SHIELD, along with the voice identification. Whereas blood is not so easily defeated, not only is your DNA for the most part unique but everyone has particular enzymes, hormones and outside chemicals that would be hard to replicate without the right machinery. Even then, it's a very small window because of how fast blood becomes degraded."
Skye could tell that Jemma was mad and trying to think of the perfect comeback. As for herself, she was trying not to gape. She had never seen this happen to Jemma.
"Some machines even require to blood to perform their functions," Loki explained. "Other cultures, more advanced cultures, have created machines to form body parts, repair defects, babies for those who can't have one or custom modifications."
At this, he stood up.
Jemma's face was red despite not having any alcohol yet. Skye wondered if she'd have to try and separate the two.
"Then, why not help us know what these machines are truly capable of?" she spat at him.
"Maybe if you're going to refer to such machines and their cultures as barbaric, you don't deserve them," Loki retorted back. "I'm taking a piss."
As soon as he was gone from their view, Jemma pitched a sort of fit. She waved her arms and made little teakettle noises.
"Is it more that he insulted your science knowledge or that the guy who tried to take over our planet is trying to teach us about respecting other cultures?" Skye asked. Then, she studied Jemma's face a moment more and added, "It's definitely the science part."
"I haven't been dressed down like that since I was in the academy!" Jemma shrieked. Her face was getting pretty red. "Okay, I'm going to the loo."
"Does no one just call it a toilet?" Skye asked as Jemma walked away. Great, now she was all alone and talking to herself.
********************************************************************************
"Come on, let's dance," Clint suggested and took Bobbi's hand. She was too surprised to argue. Clint didn't like to dance in public. He must have been rattled by something.
"How's Kate?" she asked. There was a moment of hesitation before he answered, "Fine."
"Earlier she looked almost...paralyzed," she spoke. For a few seconds, his grip tightened. Kate was what had him rattled.
"She was reliving something that happened to her," he explained. He made it sound like PTSD but she was only thirteen. What could cause that?
Clint kissed her. Despite it being an obvious distraction, she let him and pulled him closer.
********************************************************************************
Phil wasn't expecting to come back to a table with only Skye at it.
"Where's Loki and Jemma?" he asked.
"They were both going to the restroom," she explained. Then, she added, "But not together."
"So not his type," Darcy commented. Then, she was looking at him like Skye wasn't even there. "Should we believe that he's still there?"
"No, you check on Jemma, make sure she didn't get lost. I'll look for Loki," Phil spoke.
"And me?" Skye asked.
"You tell us if we miss anything good."
"A.C.," she complained.
"Someone needs to stay at the table in case one of them returns," he explained and she nodded, appearing to be satisfied with that reasoning.
*****************************************************************
Tony was picking up two more drinks, one for Pepper, when Derek Bishop approached him. The last time he had seen him, Derek's hair was more salt and pepper but now it had been dyed black all over.
"I wanted to personally thank you for coming. I wasn't sure if my daughter had thanked you. I seem to have lost her for the moment," Derek complained. "Having a nice time?"
Tony nodded as he wondered how much Derek knew about his other guests mistreating Kate. Then, he saw Derek's eyes following a young blonde who didn't look that much older than Kate. Derek grinned like a wolf. Tony felt embarrassed to be next to him. Would he be this bad if he didn't have Pepper?
Derek's disgusting behavior emboldened him to ask something he'd been wondering.
"Pepper had tried to get tickets for her brother and his wife, but I supposed they were lost in the mail," Tony suggested.
"These things can't be helped," Derek replied.
"And Victoria Hand and her wife?" Tony asked.
"Tony, Tony," Derek spoke, putting his arm around him. "You know how these things work. These parties have to project a certain image especially with the internet. I can't have just anyone and I don't appreciate pity cases being foisted on me. It's bad enough with those scientists there."
Derek pointed at Bruce and Jane having a serious conversation about six feet away.
"But Kate insisted on having her own guests and who am I to deny her that? She's my baby girl and she needs to learn the business," he explained. "How's that tower in L.A. coming?"
"Next year," Tony answered.
"Excellent, I expect to be invited to that party," he said. Then, he squeezed Tony's shoulder and walked away. Tony realized he hadn't seen Kate in over an hour and it began to worry him. He knew he'd seen her going upstairs so he decided he would try there first.
*****************************************************************
Jemma hadn't expected to be giving out medical advice but she'd taken a wrong turn on the way back from the loo. Instead, she'd found one of the strippers grimacing in pain in one of the private rooms.
"You really need to stay off this ankle. You could make it worse," Jemma warned as she felt the swollen body part.
The young woman shook her head.
"I can't. I don't have any paid time and if I call off one more time, I'm fired. I can't lose this job," she complained.
Sometimes, Jemma forgot how good she actually had it. She might be shot at from time to time. She might be placed in a situation where they had twenty minutes to save the world, but at least Phil never questioned any medical leaves or requested time off. Maybe this girl wasn't even eating properly?
"Any lightheadedness?"
The girl shook her head and Jemma felt better.
"Okay, keep off it as much as you can. Keep it elevated. Wrap it when you're working as much as possible," Jemma spoke. "And I'm going to leave my number at the front so you can call me."
There was a knock at the door.
"Am I interrupting anything? Because I could just forget I found you," Phil suggested.
"Not necessary," she replied. She gave a little smile to the woman and went towards him.
"For the moment, we've lost Loki," Phil spoke. In that moment, she realized something and it all made sense.
"But it's not like you really lost him. How can you lose him when he has no powers?" Jemma asked.
She knew from his expression that her guess was correct.
"We can't let anyone know that," he uttered.
"Loki's a matter of national security?"
"No, my security," he argued in a low voice. "If word got out that Loki was without his magic, every enemy he'd ever made would come for him and I'm his roommate."
"Then leave, move into the tower like Darcy and everyone else."
"No," Phil said and shook his head. "I can't do that. I can't leave him alone like this."
Phil wasn't looking at her at this point. He was looking at the black tile with glittered incased in it as he said,
"I know what he's going through and I can't."
Jemma forced herself to remember those first few months knowing Phil and how different he was to the stories told about him. It had been hard to reconcile the two. She heard footsteps and saw the stripper she'd just helped walking towards them.
"Hullo, did you see a man walk through here? Blond curly hair? Tall?" Jemma asked.
"Blue eyes and a smug look? Figured him for a model. I saw him walking that way towards make-up, but I bet a lot of us would give him everything for free. What a hottie," she said.
Jemma resisted the desire to roll her eyes.
"Thanks for your information," Phil spoke and headed in the direction she indicated, farther down the hallway.
*******************************************************************
"Are you sure I don't know you from somewhere? You just seem so familiar," Cassie commented.
Kate shrugged.
"I probably just have one of those faces where everyone thinks they know me already," she said. "Plus, we have so much in common. It's crazy we haven't met sooner."
Could she say anything more stupid? Kate felt like beating her head against the door. She didn't want scare Cassie and she was also worried about her identity being found out. The other girl didn't have a very high opinion of the rich.
"Are you still hungry? I could get something downstairs," Kate offered.
"I don't want you getting caught," Cassie said and shook her head. They heard footsteps and froze.
"Anyone up here? Is everything okay?" called a male voice. Kate recognized it immediately as Tony's voice.
"What do we do?" Cassie asked. It must have been loud enough for Tony to hear because he was in the room a few seconds later.
"This must be the better party then," he commented with a smile.
"Don't turn us in," Cassie spat.
"Turn you in?" Tony asked.
"I don't want my dad fired over this," Cassie complained. Tony laughed which made Cassie stand up and her face redden.
"Even if I wanted to, I think your friend there would have her own complaints about that and the hostess tends to have a bigger say in those things than some guest," Tony spoke.
No, no, no. Kate stood up and saw Cassie's anger turn into disbelief. Her blue eyes widened and her mouth opened.
"You're Kate Bishop," she spat. "No wonder you looked familiar! All this time...I bet I was nothing more than an amusement to you, the poor girl who goes to public school and uses the library for her books."
"Cassie..." Kate started. Cassie shook her head. Her disbelief had turned into either hurt or anger or both. Kate couldn't tell before the other girl started running for the servant's elevator.
"Thanks a lot, Tony!" she growled and ran after her.
**********************************************************************
Phil and Jemma were joined by Darcy just as they reached the room for make-up, hair and everything else from the activity around it. He thought about knocking but the door was constantly opening anyways.
They stepped inside and looked around. Loki was in a corner and they walked over. Most of the other woman kept looking look over at Loki and whispering. It was true how attractive they found him.
"Aren't you beautiful?" he asked in a baby voice. He clutched a very young looking puppy.
"They're for sale. The vet. told me six weeks old was old enough and I can't have all these things in my apartment," a young woman complained. She motioned to a box full of the other puppies who were whining and yelping.
"What are they?" Jemma asked. The puppies did have an odd appearance; large, floppy ears on a small body with tiny tails.
"I own a St. Bernard and she fucked the neighbor's Chihuahua. I didn't even know that was scientifically possible," the woman explained. Phil nodded. However, his gaze was transfixed on Loki.
"So young, far too young to be taken from your mother and now, you'll never see her again." Loki spoke, "Such a cruel fate."
Loki kissed the little face and smiled. It was the first real smile he'd seen from him since last year.
I'm such an idiot, Phil thought.
"Darcy, I have a couple of things to do first, but I think it's time to leave," Phil told her.
"Already?"
"You put that where?!" Jemma asked in shock at another performer.
"Yes," Phil confirmed with even more force. He stepped outside the room to a more private space in the hallway and took out his phone, selecting one of his contacts.
"Son of Coul! What is it?" Thor asked. He usually remembered not to call him that. However, there were more important issues than dwelling on that.
"When was the last time that Loki saw his children?" Phil asked.
"You refer to Sleipnir, Fenrir and Jorgumand? Sif claimed he visited them at least once a month, but there couldn't have been any visits since before he fell in the Battle of Las Vegas," Thor answered.
It'd been four to six months without having seen his children in person.
"Can't we organize an official visit? Maybe you could chaperone him once a month?" Phil suggested.
"Father doesn't want Loki to step forth in Asgard again. He feels the risks are too great," he explained. It was understandable considering the last few times that Loki had been to Asgard other than visiting his kids.
"But what about if you stressed this was simply for Loki to visit his kids and nothing more?" Phil asked.
"If Father were to allow Loki to visit just for pretense of calling on his children, that would mean the All-Father would accept that the children are legitimate and thus, heirs to the throne. He would never do that," Thor spoke.
Phil felt like ripping what little he had left of his hair out. There was no way to win here.
"Thanks," he said, knowing Thor wouldn't grasp the sarcasm. He hung up. Loki's depression was also about how his lack of magic kept him from his children. The devotion unsettled Phil's stomach. He called up Clint.
"Hey, I heard you guys were at a strip club," Clint greeted. Darcy must have texted him.
"Yeah, but we're leaving," Phil spoke. "How's Kate?"
"You should see her...wait..."
His phone chirped and a window popped up that he had a new photo. He clicked and found one of Clint and Kate in party finery. Phil smiled.
"She looks just like her mom, doesn't she?" Clint spoke. Even with Kate's black hair streaked with purple, he had to agree.
"Yeah."
**********************************************************************
Tony walked up to Pepper. She wore a smile until he came closer.
"What happened?"
"Kate's mad at me. I may have temporarily ruined her life," he told her. He used to have females upset with him all the time before he became an Avenger. It wasn't a big deal but with Kate, it felt different. He didn't like having teammates mad at him.
Pepper held him close, asking, "What did you do?"
"Kate made a friend at the party but didn't tell her who she really was. I spilled the beans that she was Derek's daughter," Tony explained.
"I think that this time you're actually off the hook," Pepper said with a smile. It wasn't sarcastic either.
"Really?"
"She's a teenage girl. They do lots of stupid things. She was going to be found out eventually," she said. Her fingers caressed his scalp. The words and actions made him feel better.
"I'm glad I have you, Pep."
"Me, too," she said with a smile. "This feels so right. I can't remember the last time the universe felt so right."
"Like we could stay here forever?"
"Mhmm," Pepper agreed. Tony took that as a yes and decided to start making plans for a more formal proposal. It was such a relief to only have thoughts of Pepper in his head.
******************************************************************
Cassie may have had a head start on Kate, but Kate was an Avenger. She ran, bounced off a wall while narrowly missing the Jackson Pollack and did a sort of somersault that Natasha had taught her.
Cassie's blue eyes narrowed.
"Cassie, I'm sorry. I should have told you but I didn't...I didn't want you mad at me and now you are anyway," Kate apologized.
"But you lied to me and what would you want with me anyway? We have nothing in common," the other complained.
"But that's the thing, we do. We love the same books and music and tastes in names! All my life, people have wanted to know me because of my parents or what I could do for them or they felt they had to. You were the first person who just wanted to know me for me. I've never had that before and I don't want to lose it," Kate pleaded.
Cassie crossed her arms. She frowned.
"I've never really had a friend either," she admitted.
Blue eyes met blue eyes and stared at each other.
"I suppose we could exchange Tumblr and Facebook?"
Kate almost smiled. It was better than nothing.
*********************************************************************
Jemma liked that they had borrowed a limo from Stark. It was much more comfortable for the five of them; almost five. Phil still hadn't showed up. Darcy was on her mobile. Skye was on the verge of making small talk with Loki. Jemma could tell be the way her posture would leans toward Loki, her mouth would open a bit and she'd sink back again, mouth closed. Loki had his eyes shut and his face seemed to be a permanent frown.
Then, the door opened.
Phil was carrying one of those ugly puppies.
"Loki, this puppy is for you," he said. For a moment, Loki looked like he was speechless. He was a prince once. Shouldn't he be used to this? Then again, there was the time where he had killed Phil.
"But why?"
"He made you smile," Phil replied.
Loki took the tiny puppy and held it close to his face. The puppy licked him with a minuscule, pink tongue.
"Oh, you wittle cutie," he said and kissed it back. She could see Skye on the point of snickering and Phil about to say something, but Darcy elbowed her first.
"Shall we go then?" Loki asked, clutching the puppy against his chest like a baby.
*******************************************************************
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2014-10-03 05:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-03 09:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-04 09:47 pm (UTC)Depressed Loki seems very in character, persuasive even when dismal. And I loved his comment about Tahiti.
I like how you did the Peggy scene that they did for Captain America II, but you did it in a very different way.
Why is Clint turning to Darcy for advice on what to do with Loki? It is not a poor choice, I am just curious abotu why he picked her.
I love the idea of Skye being able to meet Loki. The girl is incredibly empathic so it is a nice contrast to him. Also I like the idea of Skye being friends with Darcy.
Jane's thoughts about the dress seem to suit her a lot. Jane and Bruce laughing at nerd jokes makes me smile.
You handle the perspective shifts very well.
Go Clint and Tony taking on the douchebag!
Cassie and Kate fangirling over Agatha Christie made me smile.
The most awkward of strip club meetings amuses me more than it probably should have.
Their reasonings on science makes a lot of sense.
Darcy is a wonderful little gossip.
I like you playing upon Loki and his children. People often overlook that aspect of him. Also Loki with a puppy is just too adorable!
no subject
Date: 2014-11-06 06:00 am (UTC)Yep, I definitely agree with the dialogue. It's a fight between both sides of me: one wants long conversations between the characters where everything is fleshed out while the other side feels that we still have four more seasons and sequels so that's not very feasible.
I had been toying with Peggy having Alzheimer's since that's what they did in the comics. I had already decided to do it before seeing the film but hoped my scene would be different enough that it wouldn't seem like I ripped it off. Plus, my Sharon Carter is very different, lol.
Ah, Phil...
His turning to Darcy for help with Loki seemed logical to me. First of all, Darcy is his right hand man/assistant. She handles anything he's not around for or can't do himself.
Then, Darcy has that history with everything. Thor trusts her. He even had her watch over Loki in his coma when he wasn't around. Plus, Frigga talked to Darcy personally when she came to see him during the coma and Phil knows about that.
I first outlined everything in April 2012 so I keep revising as more things happen. I'm glad that Skye and everyone are fitting in nicely.
I was very relieved that you liked at least some of Kate and Cassie since it's been a while for me since reading them together so I think you've read them more recently.
The original idea for this chapter was it didn't feel right to jump from Loki waking up to the giant shit fest/epic battle/season finale of next chapter. I felt like I needed some more time to show how well he wasn't adjusting and I needed to have Kate meet Cassie sooner than I originally planned...I toyed with having them meet in the last chapter, but it was so full as it was.
So, I tried to think of some of the funny episodes I hadn't used yet and I remembered how to cheer Chandler up once, the girls took him to a strip club. This was too funny not to use for Loki and I'd already established in a previous chapter that Derek Bishop has a charity gala every March.
Loki and his children has been a really fun evolution. At first, I was writing him as more stand-offish and traditional but then, I realized that he would take after Frigga more. As I was writing him, he became more and more affectionate although he still has that different sort of moral code.
Hehe, wait until you see what he names the puppy!
Thank you again, your responses are always one of my favorite parts of finally posting a chapter.