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most likely be in to tell them to 'suit up' at any moment now. They were to jet off to Sokovia today, to face possibly their biggest threat yet.

"Morning, Clint." She said as she walked by the main room.

"Morning to you, too!" Pietro spoke.

"Didn't even see you there, blurry face," She called, smiling when she heard his laugh. She entered the kitchen, where Steve was making himself coffee.

"Tired?"

"Of the fighting, yes." He replied.

"Me, too."

"Stark and I clash too damn much,"

"Tony's ego takes up a lot of space," She laughed. "Hard to have room for two of them."

Steve scoffed. "You think I have a big ego?"

"The serum didn't just make your muscles big, that's for sure."

He gave her a playful shove before walking out of the room. She grabbed a banana, and ate it in silence. She silently prayed that today would go well, and no one would get hurt.

"Alex, can you go down to the training center and grab my hydrotonic receptor? We're gonna test that bad boy out today." Tony's voice came over the earpiece.

"Sure,"

She threw the banana peel away, and left the kitchen. Tony was always leaving his toys around the tower, and sending her on a wild goose chase to find them. She wasn't even sure what a hydrotonic receptor looked like, much less what it does.

She reached the training center, and nostalgia hit her like a truck. She saw her younger self, struggling to run for a long time on the treadmill. Her and Tony would crack jokes her whole training session, and that's what got her through them. When those days would get the hardest, Tony was always there to make her smile.

She looked around the table, spotting what she was looking for. She picked it up, and turned around. She dropped the receptor as she took in what was in front of her.

Loki.

He was looking right at her, not moving a muscle. She never took her eyes off him as she approached him slowly. Then, she reached up, and slapped him across the face.

"...Ouch."

"Had to make sure you weren't a hologram." She gave him a fake smile.

"I am not."

"Good." She slapped him again. "That was for everything you did."

"You've grown stronger since I've seen you." He smirked. "And you've got a suit? I have to say, it looks absolutely--"

"You shouldn't have come." She lifted her fingers to her earpiece.

"You're going to turn me in?" He chuckled.

"You know I have to."

His face slightly dropped. "Your allegiance is to them?"

"Your allegiance was to a shiny stick over me. I'd say you deserve it." She sneered. "Steve, I have eyes on Loki."

"What? Where?" He immediately answered.

"Elevator."

She reached for a pair of cuffs on the table, and slapped them over Loki's wrists. He hissed at the velocity she put them on at, looking at her.

"This seems a bit backwards," He said suggestively.

"Fucking walk." She grunted.

She pushed his shoulder to walk forward, leading him to the elevator that would bring them to the penthouse. They walked in silence until they stepped in the elevator.

"What have I missed?" He spoke nonchalantly.

"Not me, apparently." She muttered.

"I've thought a lot about you,"

"I don't care."

He turned to face her, and she kept her face forward.

"You can't lie to me," His voice was just above a whisper.

Loki grasped her wrist with his cuffed hand, pulling her close. She stumbled a bit, her face lifting up. His eyes flickered to her lips, and she eyed his. Then, still in his grasp, she drained his energy. He collapsed to the floor of the elevator as the doors opened.

"All yours, Cap." She strutted off.

Steve looked down at the dazed villain, picking him up to his feet. He dragged Loki down the hallway to their makeshift cell area, which was designed similarly to the one on the helicarrier. Alex made it to the main room, where everyone was suited and ready to depart.

"Small problem." She spoke.

"What is it?" Bruce asked.

"Alex, you might want to come see this." Steve jogged into the main room. Alex groaned, shaking her head.

"Loki." Was all she said before she turned toward Steve.

"He's here?"

"My brother is here?"

She heard the Avengers' confused chatter as she left the room. She had kept her anger in check, not wanting to have an outburst just yet.

"He's claiming he wants to help." Steve spoke as they looked at the man standing in the middle of the glass box.

"Revenge is what I seek," Loki said. "I was tricked,"

"By whom?" Steve wasn't believing it.

"Hydra."

Steve crossed his arms, looking at Alex. "Do you think he's telling the truth?"

"Unlikely."

Loki narrowed his eyes at Alex. She had been giving him the death stare, and neither of them were about to back down. Several minutes passed as they continued to have a stare down, and Steve grew uncomfortable.

"I'm going to inform the others. We'll have a team meeting in the board room in ten."

Just like that, they were alone.

"Don't pretend you're not happy to see me like this." Loki was the first to break the silence.

"I would've been happy to never see you again."

"I wish you wouldn't look at me with such hatred," He spoke softly.

"How could I not, Loki?"

"You could understand I did what I had to,"

"We're back to this. You always have a choice, and you chose wrong."

"It's not that simple."

She laughed humorlessly. "I can't even believe you, sometimes."

"I can live with that."

"Yeah, apparently you can. You can live with the fact you just tossed me like garbage? Did you know what they had planned for me, Loki? I was an experiment to them!"

"I had no idea what they intended for you--but I was tricked."

"It doesn't even matter. I don't need you anymore," She turned away.

"You never needed me," His voice made her look over her shoulder.

"I was starting to." Her voice whispered.

He felt a punch to his gut at these words. How could he have hurt her so badly, considering how he felt toward her?

"Time for the board meeting. Try anything, and I'll stop you. Simple as that." Her voice was emotionless as she opened the cage.

She walked behind him on the way to the board room, and he didn't dare say anything. Once they reached the board room, Loki instantly felt the hostility toward him. Everyone was seated at the table, shooting daggers with their eyes.

"I see we've got new recruits," Loki looked condescendingly at the twins.

"Let's do this quickly, we got a country to save." Tony spoke. "Reindeer Games wants to help us take down Ultron, yay or nay."

"Hold on, Stark, let him say his piece." Thor argued.

"What piece? His piece was giving Alex to fucking Neo-Nazis. Now, my piece will be giving him a piece of my fist."

"I was wronged by the organization I made the trade with, and I would like them to pay. From what I've seen, you've got a very powerful foe on your hands. I can help, and I don't expect any reward in return," Everyone looked at Loki in disbelief.

"You want to help us for nothing in return. Why do I not believe you?" Bruce asked.

"I've got nothing left to lose." Loki replied. His eyes flickered to Alex, who didn't say anything.

"How do we know you won't just help Ultron?" Clint asked.

"If I do, you can kill me."

"I don't know, Stark." Steve said. "He's a liability."

"I'm flattered." Loki spoke smugly.

"His ego is so visible, I can almost watch it grow." Alex said to Wanda, who just smirked.

"We'll just make it a vote, okay? Hands up for him to help,"

Thor, Wanda, and Pietro raised their hands. Loki locked eyes with Alex, who contemplated raising her hand. But, she kept it at her side.

"That settles it. Put him back in his cell, we'll travel first thing tomorrow morning." Tony said.

Steve took Loki back to his cell alone, and everyone left the board room. Alex remained in her chair, her mind thinking a million miles a minute. Seeing him, being so close to him--it was driving her crazy.

Her mind wanted to grab him and embrace him, but it also wanted to drive a knife through his stomach. Her feelings were so conflicted, she couldn't handle it. That, on top of the nerves from the mission, she couldn't sleep a wink.

She tossed and turned in her room that she once stayed in when she left her apartment. She looked at the door, and remembered when Loki had stepped in. She had been locked in there by Tony for her safety, but look what happened to her.

So much.

She stood up, putting her slippers on. She was only in a tank top and sleep shorts, but she didn't mind. She quietly left her room, careful not to wake the twins who were peacefully sleeping on the couches. On the way, she passed Tony, who was still sitting by the fire.

"You already know how this one ends." He said, not looking up at her.

"I know."

She walked down the hall, to where she promised herself she wouldn't go. She opened the door, and of course, he was awake.

"You look awful," He spoke once he saw her enter.

"Thanks."

He chuckled. "I only meant you look troubled. I should've known you'd be up late due to that overworking mind of yours."

"Or I wanted to come kill you before the others do."

"You couldn't."

"You have no idea how many times I've wanted to."

"You're cute when you're violent." He marveled.

"Do not test me right now. So help me God, I will turn all the lights off." She snapped.

His laughter filled the air.

"Why'd you do it?" She suddenly asked.

He shifted his position against the wall he was leaning on to look more clearly at her. "Would you like the real answer?"

"That's all I've ever wanted,"

"I thought--"

"Well, that was your first mistake."

"I knew you could handle it." His eyes bored into hers. "I knew you'd be able to escape that laboratory the minute you found the scepter,"

"What?"

"You're one of the strongest beings I've ever met, of course you could handle some imbecile with a scepter he didn't know how to use. And you escaped, didn't you?"

She shook her hand. "That's too big of a chance to take."

"I'm always taking chances, Alexandra."

She didn't say anything. He stood up, walking over to the wall that separated them, pressing his hand against the glass.

"I regret so much," He whispered.

"Loki.." She was almost touching the glass. "I don't know if I'll make it through tomorrow."

"Don't doubt yourself. You know what you're capable of,"

She let her lips form the smallest smile. "You should get some sleep,"

"I'm not human, therefore, I do not require sleep."

She rolled her eyes, turning to walk out of the room. She couldn't bare to keep looking at him, or she might just let him out of the cage. The effect he had on her was absolutely frustrating, but intoxicating.

Alex shut the door, sliding down the wall in the hallway.

Oh, god, she thought, what are you doing to me?

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𝙵𝚄𝙲𝙺 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚏𝚊𝚟 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚏𝚊𝚛 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢'𝚜 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚠𝚘𝚘