We all got ready to leave after our talk about Ultron. I teleported back to the jet to get my suit and gear. As I was changing, I felt the familiar tingle of Loki's magic at my back.

"You don't have to check up on me, you know." I said and clipped my belt into place.

"Apparently, I do." He commented dryly. "You promised me." He told me. I turned to the illusion of him and sighed.

"And I'm keeping that promise." I explained. "I'm not fighting."

"Then why put on the suit?" He asked skeptically.

"You'll be back before anything significant happens." I told him. "Don't you trust me?"

Loki was quiet for a moment as he looked at me. I furrowed my brow at his silence.

"Oh." I huffed and looked away from him, refocusing on clipping my weapons back into place.

"Sammee..."

"No, whatever." I cut him off.

"Sammee, look at me." Loki told me. I shook my head and continued doing what I was doing. "Look. At. Me." He demanded. I took a deep breath and lifted my head. "I trust you." He said. "It's just that you tend to push yourself too hard in these situations, but you have nothing to prove to anybody, Dearheart."

"You don't get it." I shook my head. "I constantly have to prove myself."

"To who?" Loki questioned. "The Avengers? Me?"

"Yes!" I challenged.

"No! You have nothing to prove to them, nothing to prove to me. The only person you're trying to prove yourself to, is you." Loki said. "Kitten," Loki sighed. "You're carrying too much. You're trying to do this alone again, when I can help. I want to help." He told me.

In that moment, I had an overwhelming urge to tell him about my little secret. I wanted him to know so badly, but it wasn't the right time. This wasn't the right time...

"I know." I said instead. "I'm working on it." I nodded. "How's your trip with Thor?" I asked. Loki scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"We met up with that... scientist." He told me. "We're on our way to the cave system that houses the 'Water of Sight'."

"That 'scientist', is Dr. Selvig." I laughed softly as I scolded him. "Be nice."

"I'm being as nice as I can be." Loki said annoyedly.

"Loki..." I warned.

"Yes, yes, I'm playing nice." He waved off sarcastically with a slightly mischievous smile. His smile turned real and softened when he looked at me. "I wish I could kiss you right now. Touch you..." he said, knowing that he couldn't because he was just a projection of himself.

"I'll jump you first thing when you get back." I told him with a teasing smile.

"Promise?" He asked with a smirk and held out his pinky finger. I laughed and held up my own but didn't touch him, yet.

"I promise." I said. "Hurry back, my prince."

"As you wish." He told me before I moved to hook my pinky with his. As soon as my finger touched his illusion, he shimmered and vanished.

I teleported back to the house just as everyone was coming down from getting dressed.

"There you are. I was getting ready to send a search party." Tony teased and clapped me on the shoulder.

"I wasn't gone that long." I protested.

"Long enough, we gotta get moving if we're going to stop Ultron." Steve said and grabbed his shield. "I'll take Natasha and Clint. Sammee, who are you going with?"

"Fury." I told them.

"All right. Strictly recon." Tony said. "I'll hit the Nexus. I'll join you as soon as I can." Tony told Steve. He was going to get J.A.R.V.I.S. while Steve went with the others to get the regeneration cradle.

"If Ultron's really building a body..."

"Which he is." I interrupted Steve as we made our way to the doorway. He looked at me with a look that said 'really?'.

"He'll be more powerful than any of us. Maybe all of us." Tony finished for him. "An android designed by a robot."

"You know, I really miss the days when the weirdest thing science ever created was me." Steve sighed.

"I don't." I muttered.

"I'll drop Banner off at the tower." Fury said as he walked into the entryway and grabbed his coat.

"And me." I told him.

"And Ms. Smith, evidently." Fury said. "You mind if I borrow Ms. Hill?" He asked Tony.

"She's all yours. Apparently." Tony sarcastically agreed.

"What are you going to do?" Steve asked Fury.

"I don't know. Something dramatic, I hope." Fury answered.

"With a whole hell of a lot of flair." I said in my girliest voice. Tony gasped.

"We don't use language like that in front of the Captain, Skydive. For shame." Tony teased.

"Oh, how terrible of me. I do hope you'll forgive me for being out of line, Captain Rogers." I continued teasing in an old English accent.

"I hate you both." Steve frowned and walked out the door to get away from us.

"Hey," I yelled after him. "It's not nice to walk away from a lady when she's talking to you!"

"I know." Steve called back. "But you're not a lady."

I gasped and placed a hand to my chest in faux hurt, but I couldn't keep from laughing.

"Rogers just insulted me." I laughed.

"And I'd do it again." Steve yelled from outside.

"You think we're bad influences on him?" I muttered to Tony.

"I think he's a bad influence on us." Tony told me. I snorted a laugh and turned to go find Laura before we left.

I found her in the kitchen with Clint. He was finishing up his goodbyes. I smiled as I watched him sway back and forth with her. I sighed and glanced around the house, wondering if I could ever have this... a simple life.

When Clint and Laura broke apart, she saw me and smiled. Clint glanced over his shoulder to see what she was looking at.

"I'll, uh," Clint cleared his throat. "I'll leave you two to your girl talk." He said and left us alone. I smiled and walked to Laura with my arms up for a hug.

"Thank you." I told her as I hugged her.

"Anytime, Sammee." She responded and squeezed me, making me laugh. "I expect updates." She pulled back to tell me. I knew she meant pregnancy updates.

"Promise." I chuckled.

"Oh, and don't forget these." Laura whispered and walked to the cabinet to pull out the prenatal vitamins. I looked behind me to make sure no one was watching before taking them from her.

"Thanks." I told her. "Seriously."

"You can thank me by coming to visit." She smiled. "Lila would love to see you again."

I sighed sadly and glanced at the fridge to see all Lila's drawings.

"I don't know if this life is in the cards for me." I mentioned and wrapped my arms around myself. "I hope it is, but..."

"You can't see it." Laura finished for me. "It just takes time." She told me.

"You think?" I asked.

"Ya, I do." Laura nodded and hugged me again. "It was good to finally meet you, Sammee. Stay safe."