Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Uncle Phil, are we going to S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ today?!" I asked excitedly.
Ever since I started living with my uncle when I was about 6 years of age, I had always been really fascinated with his work. Being too young, however, I was unable to go with him to work.
On the rare occasions that he let me go, there really wasn't that much action, but it seemed that every day I didn't go, there were tons of things happening.
I always used to joke with Uncle Coleslaw - a nickname that I had given him at the age of 7 which he was none too happy with - that he always told everyone in advance when I was coming, just so I would find everything boring.
But today was one of the rare days that he would allow me to go with him to S.H.I.E.L.D., and I was actually a lot more excited than I was showing at that moment.
"Oh, what happened to Uncle Coleslaw?" He chuckled. "Not that I'm offended."
I smiled.
"Oh, just trying to butter you up into letting me come with you today." I stated, giving him my best pair of puppy dog eyes.
"Today? But I haven't warned everybody to be boring. Maybe you should go tomorrow." He responded, playing along with my joke.
"Aww, no fair! I want to go today. Pleaase?!" I begged looking at him with fake tears in my eyes to try and persuade him to let me go.
He kept his business face on for a few moments, but still couldn't help but crack a smile at my expression.
"I suppose..." He sighed in defeat.
"Yay!" I exclaimed, tackling him in a hug. "You're the best Uncle Coleslaw!" I giggled.
He rolled his eyes.
"If only I could get you to stop calling me that."
"I could have picked a worse name." I pointed out. "Like Psychotic Phil, or Crazy Coulson, or--" He cut me off.
"Or Be Quiet Brandi?" He smirked, making my mouth hang agape.
"Or maybe Cut It Out Coulson." I smirked, challenging him.
"That rings a bell." He stated sarcastically, and I knew he was done with the name games. "We should probably be heading to headquarters unless you want to be late and deal with Fury." He said, looking at me.
I immediately ran to the door and opened it.
"After you, kind sir."

Chapter Text

Uncle Phil chuckled at my sudden change of attitude at the mention of Fury.
"Well that certainly changed your attitude." He remarked, smirking the whole time.
I frowned when I looked at him.
"Director Fury just doesn't know how to have fun. He's always serious and always rude." I stated, before trying to be optimistic and kind, as usual. "But he is only human, I guess. He has just as many feelings as everyone else. Best not complain. Right, Coleslaw?" I smiled widely.
I looked into my uncle's light blue eyes with a happiness in my heart that could only be explained as pure love and devotion to him.
I suddenly gave him a hug.
"I'm so glad that you're safe, too. If what had killed my parents had killed you--"
"We should be going." He interrupted, patting my back before letting go of me and walking out the door.
Uncle Phil never allowed me to talk to him about my parents. What had happened to them had stayed secret between S.H.I.E.L.D. and us for many, many years.
My uncle felt that what had happened to them had been his fault, and to this very day he still blamed himself. . .
"No use getting lost in the past." I thought to myself. "It'll only distract you."
With those thoughts in mind, I quickly followed Uncle Phil outside and into the beautiful sunlight.
Today was actually a fairly beautiful day for New York City. You could actually see the sky, and the sun was shining so brightly that a thousand moons could never compare to it. I smiled, closed my eyes for a moment, and allowed myself to feel the warmth of the sun's rays melt into my skin.
"Come on, Brandi!" Uncle Phil called, walking down the street towards headquarters. "If you're coming you have to keep up!"
I sighed, having half a mind to change my decision and stay outside on such a beautiful day; to just stay and lay out in the sun and allow it's warm blanket of heat to caress my skin.
But I just smiled, shook my head, and broke into a jog to catch up to my uncle, who had only gotten ahead of me by a couple feet.
"I'm coming, I'm coming." I sighed, looking up at the puffy, white clouds every now and then.
Uncle Phil chuckled.
"You've always got your head in the clouds." He paused for a few moments. "You'd make a great author someday, Bri." He stated, using his nickname for me. "Or maybe even a great documentarist for S.H.I.E.L.D." He turned to look at me. "What do you think?"
I smirked and looked at him for a second, before quickly looking forward again.
"I think Fury will have our heads and I won't have a chance at getting in if we're late." I laughed.
But Uncle Phil was being serious.
"I'm serious, Brandi. You're 16-years-old. It's time to start thinking about your career options." He pressed.
I never liked talking about careers. There were too many cool and interesting jobs to have to pick just one.
But I decided to answer honestly either way just to make him happy.
"I have thought about being an author." I admitted, smiling at the thought.
Just think: Author Brandi Coulson.
"And?" Uncle Phil pressed.
"I don't think I'd be good at it." I snorted, looking away, feeling pathetic. My writing was nothing special.
Uncle Phil looked at me for a long time as we continued walking.
"I think you'd make a great author." He smiled. "You have a big imagination."
I just smiled, as we finally reached S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.
"Now, remember, no--"
"No touching anything, no bothering anyone, don't go into places that are set as off-limits, don't go anywhere without you." I chuckled, finishing his sentence for him. "This isn't my first rodeo, Uncle Coleslaw."
He frowned, but led me inside.
Inside was a vast array of different types of people running to and fro with different stacks of papers and other such things.
I almost wasn't sure that it was S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters. As I said, I was usually there when nothing was happening, so being there to see everyone running about was a strange experience indeed for me.
However, I stayed with Uncle Phil, and kept quiet with my hands to myself.
A woman suddenly walked up to my uncle and whispered something - it sounded urgent - in his ear. She wore a black pencil skirt with a white blouse, and wasn't really that tall. I wondered who she was.
"Bri?" My uncle suddenly asked, turning to me. "How would you like to meet the Avengers?"

Chapter Text

I looked at my uncle like he had just gone insane.
Was asking me that even an actual question? Who wouldn't want to meet the Avengers?!
"Um, who wouldn't want to meet the Avengers, Uncle Coleslaw?!" I squealed with delight, taking his hand and jumping up and down. "Yeah, yeah, yeah! Let's go meet them!"
I could see the excitement in my own dark brown eyes reflected through my uncle's light blue ones.
He smiled at me, but only slightly. After all, I knew all too well the reputation my uncle had here at S.H.I.E.L.D. They all thought him to be serious all the time, and not one of them had seen him geuinely smile.
"Very well. Let's go meet them." He stated, before walking swiftly and silently to a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. that I had never been to before.
As we walked by, I couldn't help but notice all of the fancy equipment in the rooms that we passed.
One particular room we passed held a giant, empty glass dome, and I felt compelled to ask my uncle about it.
"Uncle Phil, why does that room have a giant glass dome?" I inquired, looking back at it.
He seemed reluctant to answer for a few moments, a look of frustration passing over his face. It was almost as though he were trying to think of the best way to explain something extremely complicated to a small child.
"You know the Hulk, don't you, Brandi?"
I nodded.
"Well, let's just say that sometimes he gets a little roudy and can't exactly control himself. We use that glass dome to help him control it." He explained, continuing to walk forward.
I simply let it go after that, still having a ton of questions, yet knowing that they wouldn't be answered.
We finally came to a door where Uncle Phil knocked quietly, and the door was suddenly opened.
"Agent Coulson." I heard a rough voice state, as though simply verifying his presence.
Uncle Phil simply nodded in verification, and he led me in.
I suddenly walked in to come face-to-face with all of the Avengers, and I had to fight to keep my face neutral.
"Coulson! What is that child doing here?!" I heard the familiar voice of Fury exclaim.
"Director Fury, sir, I brought her to meet the Avengers." He stated, gesturing towards them. "Was that a problem?"
Fury didn't even answer. He just glared at Uncle Phil before giving a harsh glare to me. I looked back at him with a happy smile, hoping to win him over.
"It's nice to meet you, Director Fury." I smiled in greeting.
He looked at me hostily, and then gestured to the Avengers, beginning to introduce them.
"Steve Rogers, Bruce Barnes, Natasha, Clint, Thor, and Tony Stark." He stated, gesturing to each of them to introduce them all.
Each of them had slightly different expressions on their faces, letting me in on a little bit of their personalities.
Steve had the facial expression of a gentleman, and smiled welcomingly. He had sandy brown hair, and light blue eyes, like my uncle. He also had a very muscular build.
Bruce looked at me with a gentle gaze, and it gave me the impression that he was a very kind man. He had graying, black hair and hazel eyes.
Natasha just looked at me with a business-like stare. She clearly was the serious type. She had short, curly red hair, and light green eyes.
Clint looked at me with a mixture of kindness and seriousness. I wasn't really sure what to think of him. He had somewhat spiked, dirty blonde hair, and blue eyes.
Thor looked at me with a gleam in his eyes. To be perfectly honest, it was a strange mixture between kindness and hope. I wasn't really sure what he was hoping for, but let it slide nonetheless. He had shoulder-length, blonde hair, and his eyes were more of an ocean blue than the light blue I had seen in the others. He looked to be extremely tall and muscular.
And lastly, there was Tony Stark. He had a look of indifference plastered on his face, almost as though he'd like to be anywhere except there. I had the feeling that he would most likely be the comic relief of the group. He short, black hair, and light blue eyes (everyone had blue eyes here).
"It's very nice to meet all of you." I smiled kindly, and then put my hand on my chest to gesture to me. "My name is Brandi."
Thor was the first to return my greeting.
"It is an honor to meet you, Lady Brandi." He smiled, walking over and gently taking my hand in his, before placing a soft kiss on it.
I wasn't used to that type of affection, and blushed lightly.
"Um...thank you, Thor." I smiled lightly, still unsure of what to think.
"Thor's not from here. He's from a place called Asgard." Bruce suddenly remarked, seeing my state of confusion. "I'm sure you'll be briefed on all of this soon."
"No. She will not." Fury and Uncle Phil suddenly stated simultaneously.
I looked at them with a mixture of sadness and confusion.
"Why not?" I asked in mere curiosity, rather than whining.
"Because our operations are strictly confidential." Fury barked, before turning to Uncle Phil. "Which is why you should have never brought her in here."
I was a bit hurt by that remark, but didn't let it show. Uncle Phil had told me plenty about Director Fury's attitude, which was how I knew how rude he could be.
Thor suddenly looked at Fury with the same look of hope I had seen earlier.
"If I may, Director Fury, she may be of great use to us. She may be able to help tame Loki--" Fury suddenly cut him off.
"Thor we have been through this! You are not to say the name of the villains we are trying to capture when unauthorized people are in here!" He scolded.
"Who's Loki?" I suddenly asked, looking at my uncle curiously. I would have thought he would have brought up such an important villain with me at home.
Thor just looked at me with that same gleam of hope, a smile slowly crossing his face.

Chapter Text

"Loki is--" Thor was cut off by Director Fury.
"Not going to be discussed in front of a child." He snapped, looking at me as though I were his arch nemesis. "Get. Out. Now."
I had a lot of brave scenarios of me marching right up to Fury and slapping the look off his face, telling him that I would not leave until I wanted to.
However, when you have a kind personality, it truly does make it very hard to do bad things. So, while I did not give up, I did not do anything that might get me in trouble later either.
"Please, Director Fury," I began kindly, hoping my pleasant, well-minded words would sway him. "You have my solemn oath that I will not breathe a word about Loki to anyone."
While the Avengers did not know me personally, Uncle Phil did. He knew that me swearing my allegiance was an extremely big deal.
Thor looked at me with pure happiness, then turned to Director Fury.
"Please, sir. I sense she means no harm to our operation." He begged, clearly hoping that Fury would allow him to explain to me who this Loki character was.
Fury pinched the bridge of his nose, took a deep breath, and sighed.
"Fine." He agreed reluctantly. "Go ahead and tell her, Thor."
"Thank you." Thor turned to me and smiled widely. "Loki is my brother. He is the god of mischief and lies, and I am the god of thunder. Loki was recently told by our father that he was taken from the land of the Frost Giants, who are our enemies. He was extremely distraught, and thus has come to Earth to destroy it...or at least, take over it. But the problem is, we do not know where or how to find him."
I had two emotions playing through me at that moment.
Firstly, I was extremely happy that I actually knew what was going on. It made me feel extremely honored to know that Thor seemed to have a sense of trust for me even though he had just met me.
Secondly, I felt a sense of compassion for Loki, as horrifying as it sounded. Yet, at the same time, I hoped nothing bad happened to him once the Avengers caught him.
"You aren't...you aren't going to hurt him or do anything bad to him when you capture him, are you?" I asked, sounding a lot like a child.
Thor looked shocked that I had suggested that, but before he could say anything, Director Fury laughed.
"Coulson, get this naive child out of here." He stated, making me frown.
But apparently Fury had come to his limit with me, and I was led out of the room by Uncle Phil.
"Uncle Coleslaw, you all won't do anything bad to hurt Loki, will you?" I looked at him with tears in my eyes.
He looked at me intently.
"Brandi, you don't even know who this man is. How could you possibly care about his well-being?" He inquired, seeming shocked.
"Because he, like every other person in the world, has feelings! Thor said that he was distraught after he was told of his true heritage, leading me to believe that he was led his whole life to believe he was someone he was not. How would you feel in his shoes?" I replied, looking at him with a hard stare.
Uncle Phil just looked at me for a long time, before smiling gently.
"Bri, it's people like you that keep the world turning." He stated, then continued, "You're just too kind. If there weren't people like you, the world would be fighting all the time."
His compliment made me smile.
"Thanks, Uncle Phil." I suddenly thought back to the Avengers. "Do you think I could see the Avengers again? Or is Director Fury so mad at me that he'll never let me in again?"
My uncle ran his hand through his hair with a sigh, before saying, "I think we'll just have to ask them later." He smirked. "But first, why don't we go get you some lunch?"
My dark brown eyes suddenly lit up in excitement.

Chapter Text

I looked at my uncle with a knowing smirk.
"Shwarma?" I suggested.
Suddenly the door to the Avenger's "conference room" opened.
"Did I hear someone say Shwarma?" Tony asked, smirking. "I'm in."
I smiled in anticipation, and turned to Uncle Phil.
"Can they come with us, Uncle Coleslaw?! Can they pleeease?!" I begged, pouting.
"Uncle Coleslaw?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.
Oops.
"You're okay, kid." Tony smirked, nudging my shoulder. He turned to my uncle. "And since when did you have a niece?!"
I didn't even give my uncle time to answer.
"Since I was born." I snorted, causing a chuckle to ring out among the others.
"As for your question, Brandi," My uncle began, turning back to me. "I only heard Tony offer to go. The others never really agreed. But if they'd like to come, they're welcome to come." He smiled.
I squealed, turning towards the others.
"Will you come?" I asked, looking at then with pleading eyes.
"Are you kidding?! It's Shwarma! Obviously!" Clint and Natasha agreed.
"I'll go." Steve smiled.
"I'd be delighted." Bruce agreed kindly.
"I would be honored, Lady Brandi." Thor agreed with the nod of his head.
I squealed in excitement, and then grabbed Uncle Phil's hand, pulling him towards the door.
"Come on, Uncle Coleslaw, come on!!" I pulled, moving him forward a couple of inches.
"Yeah, Coleslaw, come on." Tony snickered.
I giggled.
As we made our way to Shwarma, the others began asking me questions, shocking me slightly.
"So, how old are you, kiddo?" Tony randomly inquired.
"Sixteen." I replied.
"Time for her to start thinking about her career." My uncle chimed in.
I groaned.
"I've already told you, Coleslaw. I'm thinking about it!"
Tony laughed, and then Clint - who had been silent - suddenly asked another question.
"How come we haven't heard about you, Brandi?" He queried.
I shrugged.
"Dunno. That's a question for Uncle Coleslaw." I said, looking at him. "Why didn't you tell them about me?"
My uncle shrugged.
"I just haven't really seen any reason to. Besides, S.H.I.E.L.D. is a confidential institution. People don't even know most of us, much less our families. And anyway, it's not really any of their business. We rarely ever meet." He explained.
I nodded in understanding.
"Well, we've been honored to make your aquaintance." Bruce stated, sounding happy.
"Thank you." I giggled.
It was then that we made it to Shwarma, and we all crammed into a booth, seeing that the other tables were taken.
"No worries, everyone." Tony smiled. "Lunch is on me."

Chapter Text

"Lunch isn't on you." I stated, smirking. "We haven't even ordered the food yet."
He rolled his eyes.
"I meant, I'm paying." He stuck his tongue out at me.
I smiled.
"Well good. Because I need to start thinking more about my careers, according to Coleslaw, and since I have no career yet, I have no money." I stuck my tongue out at Uncle Phil, who just rolled his eyes.
"You interested in any kind of position at S.H.I.E.L.D.?" The others all asked at once, making my head spin slightly.
I thought for a few moments, then shrugged.
"I don't really know. I've been thinking about being an author--"
"Which she would be amazing at. She has an incredible imagination." Uncle Phil boasted.
"--but I'm not sure yet. I might become a documentarist at S.H.I.E.L.D. so I can work by Coleslaw, here." I smiled. "And you guys, of course." I noticed Natasha, then tacked on, "And gal."
Tony looked up at Uncle Phil with interest though.
"Imagination, you say?" He looked at me with a wicked grin. "JARVIS and I have been working on a new program that can read your brain waves, or imagination basically, and then make it a reality around you for a little while. There's been quite a few people suggesting it, since they know I can basically do anything." He rolled his eyes. "But in any case, we haven't been able to find a person with enough brain activity to give us enough power for the neurotransmittors." He smirked. "Think you can help?"
Bruce immediately interjected, clearly not liking the idea.
"No way, Stark. Not on this kid. She isn't going to be a science project for you."
I looked at them both curiously.
"Well, I mean, if it's in the interest of science." I shrugged. "I don't see a problem."
Bruce suddenly got a little upset, and we all got nervous.
"The problem is that something could happen that you don't want to, Brandi." He said, clearly referring to the fact that he had accidentally turned himself into the Hulk, and now regretted it. "It's too dangerous."
"Listen, Brucey. JARVIS and I have everything under control, okay? We would never let her get hurt. We just need strong enough brain waves. That's it!" Tony tried to persuade Bruce.
Bruce still seemed agitated, but calmed down.
I looked at Uncle Phil.
"What do you think, Uncle Phil?" I asked.
He frowned.
"I think that we can let Tony try it, but then you go straight home. It'll probably tire you out, and we have a big mission coming up where we're all going to be gone for a few days. By the time I get back, you'll probably need all the rest you can get." He answered.
I was confused by this response.
What did I have to do with any of this? And why would I need to be rested after he came back? When he came back, wouldn't that mean the mission was complete; that there would be no danger?
"Why would I--" He cut me off.
"Please, just don't ask questions, Beth." Uncle Phil looked at me with pleading eyes. "I'll explain everything later, okay?"
I pressed my lips together into a straight line, a common thing I did when I had to try hard to repress a comment I had, and Uncle Phil noticed.
"Bri, I promise I'll let you know when I get back. But for now, it's for your own safety, okay?" He pleaded with me.
I sighed, and nodded.
"Well, time to order." Tony suddenly said, brightening the mood.

Chapter Text

Once we were through eating, Tony paid for the bill - as promised - and then proceeded to lead me to his lab up at the top of Headquarters.
He had a strange looking device that was connected to a bunch of different tubes, and I immediately felt like backing out of his offer. However, what did I really have to lose? I mean, there was a slight chance that my brain would never work the same again, but at least I wouldn't be dead. . .right?
Tony sat me down on a comfy chair, and started hooking the little tubes to my brain, and I began to grow fidgety and nervous.
"Alright, now I'm going to say a few words. They'll be simple, but I want you to imagine these words in the greatest detail you can possibly imagine, okay?" He queried, and I nodded in understanding. He noticed my nervousness. "You got nothing to worry about, kiddo. I've already tried this out on a few others. They just didn't have enough imagination. And if you have as much as Coleslaw says, this should be a cake walk." He sounded distracted as he tried to comfort me, seeing as he was busy typing on computers. "Alright. You ready, Brandi?" He looked at me for confirmation, and I took a deep breath, and I nodded. "Your first word is 'tree.'"
"Tree. T-R-E-E. Tree." I snickered, making him laugh.
I got serious though, and closed my eyes.
I started the tree by imagining how it would feel. The bark would be rough and worn, and the texture would be just enough to peel skin if I pressed hard enough. I thought about how there might be splinters hanging out in various areas of the wood. The leaves would be very fragile should it be autumn, and if it were summer, they would be strong, and would need a little more pressure to break them. The leaves would be smooth in the summer, but would have a slightly rough texture in their autumn days. I then decided to focus on seeing the tree in my mind's eye. I imagined it being full grown, and imagined it having green leaves, like in the summer. I liked it better that way. I focused on what shade of green I wanted, and settled for a fairly dark green, a color that would best be known in the late of summer, just before fall came. I went into even further detail with it, and imagined what it would smell like. It would smell lime freshly chopped wood, but it would only have a small essence of that smell. I thought it would smell like crisp summer. And finally, I focused on hearing the tree as a small gust of wind made its way through. How it would sound similar to a light rain as the breeze passed by, and as the wind died down, so did the rain.
"Woah, JARVIS, I don't think I've ever seen this much brain activity from anybody, including myself and Dr. Banner." I heard Tony say, knocking me out of my reverie. I opened my eyes to look at him. "This is wicked, kiddo. You've got more imagination than all of the other Avengers combined." He looked at me seriously. "And that's saying something."
I snickered.
"So, do I get another word?" I asked, but before I could answer, a shock filled my brain and I shrieked.
I blacked out for a brief moment, before opening my eyes to a frantic team of Avengers, all looking at me with concern.
"Brandi, you in there?" They all noticed that I was beginning to wake up. "Hey, kiddo." Tony sighed in relief. "You had us worried there for a second, are you alright?"
I swallowed, and looked around at everything, feeling slightly dizzy.
I tried to reassure them I was fine by standing up, and Tony helped me, but as soon as I stood up the shock returned to my brain and I whimpered, leaning on him more dependently.
"Woah, woah, take it easy, kiddo." Tony said, clearly worried about me.
"Sir, it appears that her brain waves allowed the system to malfunction. And the shocks that she is experiencing is actually part of a new upgrade that she has somehow achieved through the malfunction." I heard the voice of JARVIS explain.
An upgrade?
"What do you mean by 'upgrade,' JARVIS?" Tony asked, as the others looked at me with a mixture of concern and amazement.
"What was supposed to happen, was the computer was going to take her brain waves and transfer it to our network so that we might be able to use it to make it reality for a short period of time. However, it somewhat backfired, sir. According to my scan, she will be the one making her imagination a reality, both to her and anyone else around her. You might want to keep someone with her at all time day and night, but especially at night since she will be dreaming." JARVIS explained.
My eyes widened.

Chapter Text

"WHAT THE HECK?!" I started freaking out. "YOU MEAN TO TELL ME, THAT YOU JUST PUT EVERYONE IN DANGER OF MY NIGHTMARES AT NIGHT BECAUSE MY IMAGINATION IS TOO AWESOME FOR YOUR COMPUTER?!"
Tony took me by the shoulders, and looked me straight in the eyes.
"Listen, Brandi. I need you to calm down. Getting angry could make your imagination run wild and hurt, or even kill someone, seeing that when people get angry they sometimes think about things that they would reget in the future." He explained.
I looked at him with tears in my eyes, as Natasha and Bruce walked over to me.
"So. . .I. . ." I couldn't even phrase was I was feeling at this point, and suddenly couldn't help myself as I latched onto Tony and started crying my eyes out.
I could feel Tony tense immediately, clearly not expecting my sudden outbreak, but he eventually relaxed, and settled for rubbing my back in solace.
It wasn't until I pulled away from him that I realized Uncle Phil had left while Tony was conducting the experiment.
When he got back, he was not going to be pleased.
"Hey, Brandi." Bruce began, making me turn to face him with my tear-stained eyes. "I know how you feel. . .about the whole 'not getting angry or killing innocent people.'" We both flinched at that remark, but I swallowed and looked down.
"Yeah, but you at least have a little say in that. You just don't have to get angry or hurt, and the others can lead you away or try and find a way to calm you down. But with me, it's different. One thought of a knife slashing someone's throat, or maybe just one moment wishing that someone was dead, and suddenly they're gone. Poof, just like that." I whimpered, trying hard at that moment not to think.
Funny, how before I had gotten these "upgrades," as JARVIS had put it, I had loved to daydream and think.
Now? Everyone's life was at stake by a simple thought.
I wanted to cry again, but I would feel too much like a baby.
"You have a point, Brandi, but I still know how you feel. And based on what I've learned today, I feel like you've got your thoughts well in check." He smiled, trying to cheer me up.
I smiled back hesitantly, before wrapping my arms around him, too. He was more relaxed in the hug than Tony, and I sniffed a little into his shirt, before I let go of him.
"HE WHAT?!!" I suddenly heard Uncle Phil yell.
I flinched at the sound.
Oh dear. Someone had already told Uncle Phil what had happened. Needless to say, he was very, very angry.
Good thing he didn't have Bruce's problem.
Uncle Phil came rushing over to me, and looked at me, fighting back tears.
"Bri, are you okay? Is it true? You can--" I cut him off.
"Yeah, Coleslaw." I swallowed. "It's true."
He looked at Tony, and pointed his finger at him, getting angry.
"You. It was you!" I immediately jumped between them.
"Stop!" I yelled forcefully, then thought of something. "We haven't even tested to see if what JARVIS said was true! I haven't imagined anything yet. It may have backfired and it was really just an electrical shock." I tried to persuade.
Everyone looked at me.
"Oh, I knew you were okay!" He cried, picking me up and hugging me, before setting me back down.
Bruce called a time out.
"Wait! We don't know yet. There's still a possibility that it's true." Bruce stated, then turned to look at me. "Brandi, I want you to daydream something simple." He thought for a moment. "Daydream up a butterfly." He stated.
I swallowed, not really wanting to think, because I had an eerie feeling that I really was able to make my daydreams reality now; that I really had the capability of killing and harming innocent people by a mere thought.
I looked down, fiddled with my hands, and then took a deep breath, and began imagining a butterfly, just as I had the tree.
The crisp, fragile wings that they usually had fluttered in my mind's eyes, and I decided to make it a lavender color, with darker shades of violet spots on each wing.
When I was brave enough to take a peek, I wasn't surprised to see a lavender spotted butterfly, flying in front of my face. I imagined it fluttering about for a moment before landing on my nose, and it did.
Uncle Phil looked like he was about to pass out, and Steve took him out of the room, while I swallowed and forgot about the butterfly, making it disappear as I looked at the others.

Chapter Text

Thor suddenly spoke up, looking at me sympathetically.
"I am truly sorry that this has happened to you, Lady Brandi." He frowned before smiling brightly. "But I would wish to tell you that we will always be your friends, and we will all stick together, and help you with this new and strange ability."
At the mention of this, Natasha suddenly looked at me with a gleam in her eyes.
I could tell that this gleam meant she had a plan.
"Brandi's new ability could be the key to tracking down Loki." She suddenly said, and I growled in my head.
Rule No. 1 in Operation Imagination) Sounds are also a part of imagination, and will also come out when thought of.
Everyone looked at me with concern at my growling outburst, and I just coughed it off.
"Sorry." I stated, looking at Natasha with a hint of anger in my features. "It's just, you never told me if you were or weren't going to hurt Loki when you captured him. It makes me a little upset, and now you just want to use me as a tool too." My anger suddenly disappated when I saw Natasha's hurt expression. "I'm really sorry, Nat. I just don't want anyone, including Loki, getting hurt. Especially if it's because of me. I don't want to be a part of this if you're going to hurt him. That's the last thing he needs."
Natasha suddenly smiled.
"At least we know you're kind. That means your daydreams can't be too bad. And I respect that you don't want to be used to hurt Loki." She nodded.
I laughed at that.
"As far as dreams go, you'll see how terrible they can get." I stated, beginning to walk away, when Bruce grabbed my shoulder.
"Woah, woah, woah, young lady. Where do you think you're going?"
I snorted.
"I was going to take a nap, but I forgot, I'm forbidden to sleep now." I rolled my eyes, and sighed in dismay.
He sighed, and then let go of me and walked beside me.
"You're not forbidden to sleep." He allowed, as we walked down some of the halls. "But while you're asleep, I would like to stay with you in case you have a nightmare. I'm not completely sure on the details of how your 'upgrade' works, but if I can turn into. . .the other guy, and beat the nightmare then I'm willing to do that." He smiled, looking at me.
I smiled back at him, and he led me into a random room of Headquarters, that had a little bed.
He pulled up a small chair beside the bed and reclined in it, clearly waiting for me to get in bed and sleep.
I just stared at him.
"So. . .you're just gonna sit there?" I asked. "With nothing to do?"
He shrugged.
"I'll be fine. It's better than dealing with Tony all day." He snorted.
I giggled, but got into bed and closed my eyes, trying to keep my mind blank.
. . . . . . . . . .
I looked around the dark space, trying to figure out my surroundings.
Where was I? What was going on? Suddenly, a man entered my sight, and I grew fearful, thinking that he meant me harm.
He walked towards me, his eyes dark. He wore an emerald cloak, with bits of gold in his garb. He looked like he was wearing Asgardian attire like Thor. The only exception was that Thor wore red, silver, and black; this man wore dark green, black, and gold.
His hair was combed back, but went slightly past his ears, almost touching his shoulders, and was a deep, jet black. His eyes were a mesmorizing emerald green color, and it paired nicely with his hair, high cheekbones, and Asgardian attire. He was tall, just as tall as Thor, if not slightly taller, and he was smiling mischievously at me.
I had never met this man, so why did he seem so familiar to me?
He came close to me, closer than I was comfortable, but I looked at him without fear.
"They won't be able to stop me, you know." He smirked, looking at me victoriously.
I looked at him, confused.
"What are you talking about?"
"You're friends. They can't stop me. I have all the power, and soon they will be scattered. Not to mention, I will soon have you as well. There will be nothing they can do."
I looked at him with even greater confusion, not sure what was going on at this point.
"I don't get it. Why do they need to stop you? I've never seen you before." I stated.
He smiled at me eerily.
"It appears you do not realize who I am. I am--" Before he could finish, I could feel something shaking me.
. . . . . . . . . .
"BRANDI!" I heard Bruce's voice pulling me out of my dream.
I woke up, my eyes snapping open, and my breathing labored.
"Wh-What? Is something wrong?" I queried.
He looked at me with great fear.

Chapter Text

Hey guys, I know I haven't updated in FOREVERRRR but its not my fault. My flash drive has all of my stories on it (including this one) and my laptop has been broken since about late summer. So I havent been able to type on ANY of my fanfictions...but hopefully this Christmas I will get a laptop and be able to update for you guys!!!

I'm sorry and I love all of you!!!

Chapter Text

"How did you dream up Loki if you didn't even know what he looked like?" He quickly asked, looking at me intently.
Loki.
That's why he had seemed so familiar.
"That was Loki?!" I shrieked, and before I could ask more Bruce was running out of the room, shouting to the others about how it was all a part of Loki's plan for the electrical shock to give me powers.
I wanted to roll my eyes at that. How could someone do that? It wasn't possible! It had been the malfunction of the machine! Loki hadn't planned any of it! He didn't even know me.
Or. . .or did he?
I quickly began running after Bruce.
"Bruce! Wait! I was dreaming, that doesn't mean any--" I suddenly ran smack into someone, but it felt as though I'd hit a brick wall. "Oof!" I grunted, falling on my back. I scooted back, and looked up to see who I'd hit.
I looked up to see Thor looking down at me, and he looked at me seriously. He offered me his hand, and helped me up. That look of seriousness never left his oceanic, blue eyes, and that worried me, because Thor was almost never serious.
"Lady Brandi, you should know something. My brother is gifted in magic, and there is a possibility that was no normal dream. It is very possible that he could have made his way into your dreams with his magic, especially since you've never met him before." Thor explained to me, looking at me intently.
I stayed focused on Thor, and chose my next words carefully.
"He. . .He told me. . ." I trailed off, suddenly not wanting to tell Thor. I felt like if I told him, then I would be betraying Loki, and although I didn't know him, I knew enough about him from what Thor said about his upbringing to know that Loki had already been betrayed before.
I didn't have the heart to do that again.
"Told you what?" Thor immediately asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"He told me that you wouldn't be able to stop him." I settled for saying. It wasn't a lie. He had said that, and I wasn't about to tell him that Loki was planning on taking me.
There was an intriguing curiosity, and some compassion, inside of me that almost. . .that almost wanted Loki to capture me. Even if it was only to let me see him, and meet him. I wanted to somehow allow him to capture me, just so that I could spread some of my kindness and get him to open up and perhaps be less bitter about whatever had happened in his past.
Not that he would let me ask him about any of that. And I didn't think that he would simply let my kindness get to him, because surely other people had tried the same method. But the kindness inside of me was begging to give it a try, and see if I couldn't somehow tame his bitter and agonized attitude.
Thor noticed my pondering state.
"What are you thinking, Lady Brandi?" He asked, gently.
I immediately remembered my new power, and was glad that none of my thoughts had turned into daydreams, that they might end up giving away my cover.
I simply smiled at Thor.
"I wasn't really thinking, Thor. Just. . .I don't know. . .letting my mind wander." I lied. I hated that I couldn't tell Thor the truth.
Thor had already grown very close to me in a short amount of time, and it was probably due to the fact that he always seemed so cheerful. Not to mention the fact that he had been the first of the Avengers that had trusted me to take the "Loki situation" into my confidences.
I wanted to help Loki, but I didn't want to take the Avenger's approach: try and find Loki so they could beat him up, possibly beating him up emotionally as well as physically.
My heart tugged and I desperately wanted to tell Thor about the plan that I had forming into my mind. I almost wasn't certain that I could keep it a secret from him anyway.
But how, and where would I tell him? S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters had eyes and ears all over the place. So telling Thor my plan would surely lead to chaos if - and probably when - anybody heard about it.
Thor looked at me suspiciously, but let the subject go.
As he walked off, I couldn't help myself. I could practically feel my stomach and heart ready to burst if I didn't tell him, and although my lips were pressed in a tight line, I knew that my secret wouldn't last very long if I didn't tell someone. And Thor knew Loki better than any of the other Avengers. Maybe, if he opened up to my plan, he could give me a few pointers on the way Loki felt about certain things.
"Thor, wait!" I called, not even really having control over my mouth.
He turned back towards me, looking at me with a small smile. His eyes held that little speck of hope that I was growing accustomed to swirling around in his ocean blue-colored irises.
I walked over to him, with a small sigh. I looked around me. There were agents walking around everywhere. This was no place to tell him my plan.
I took his large, rough hand in my own small, delicate one, and pulled on his hand until I got close enough to whisper in his ear.
"Come for a walk with me in the park. I need to tell you a secret." I whispered, hoping the look in my eyes told him it was urgent and important.
"But won't your uncle worry--" I cut him off.
"Coleslaw can deal with me later, but I need to tell you something." I stated, using my new power to my advantage, and imagined that I was strong enough to pull Thor along with me, and succeeded in dragging him. "It's urgent." I added, hoping to get him to move along a little faster.
He chuckled at the fact that I was succeeding in dragging him.
"Stop using your mind powers, I'm coming." He smiled, and walked with me out into the bustling New York streets.
I kept a firm grip on his hand just to make sure he was following me, but I also had found a new fondness for Thor. I thought of him like a big brother to me.
I began taking him as far away from Headquarters as I could, taking him to one of the parks farthest away. I wasn't familiar with it, but it would have to do, because I no longer had Headquarters in my sight, and the park was rather lovely.
There weren't any people at the park at the current moment, mostly due to the fact that it was the middle of the day and everyone was probably out working. The park in itself was stunning, though. Benches were scattered in just the right places for intimacy, but there were also other benches that were crowded around for a large party. Flowers were blooming all over in the grass, and there was one, tall tree that was right in the middle of the entire park. All in all, for being a sectioned off, artificial park, it was quite beautiful.
I pulled Thor over to one of the more intimate benches so that I was certain no one would eavesdrop on our conversation.
That was another thing about being the niece of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. You were always on your guard or paranoid when there was something confidential that you needed to speak about.
I looked at Thor squarely, as I took a deep breath, and got ready to explain my plan to him.
"Thor. . ." I swallowed, hoping that he wouldn't get mad at me. "You have to promise not to tell this to a single soul, okay?" I started off, looking at him seriously. "And I mean the Avengers too, or anyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. for that matter."
He looked at me with that hopeful gleam in his eyes once more, almost as though he knew exactly what I was planning.
"You have my word." He stated, nodding his head.
I took another deep breath.
"Well, back there. . .when I told you about my dream," I stopped, and he looked at me eagerly, letting me know I could continue. "Well, I didn't tell you everything. See, in the dream Loki suggested that he might take me from you guys." Thor was about to protest, but I put my finger to his lips to keep him from talking. "Let me finish." I said, and removed my finger, as he pressed his lips into a hard line, clearly having the same difficulty I had when trying to refrain from speaking. "But, you see, I kind of. . .want him to take me." Thor's eyes widened, and I held up my finger. "Before you say anything, I have good reason." I assured him, and he once again stayed quiet. "You see, from hearing what you've said about Loki. . .he sounds as though he's been through a lot. While I haven't been through as much as he has, I'm sure, I have been through some pretty rough times." I shuddered as I thought of my parents, and then shook those thoughts from my mind. "Well, I was thinking that before all of this fighting came about between him and the Avengers, maybe once he takes me, I could talk to him. Try and appeal to his better nature somehow."
Thor was silent for a long time, and his eyes never strayed from mine, leading me to believe he was sincerely considering my plan, and what I had just offered.
It was in the middle of his pondering that I began to wonder if people at Headquarters would begin to get suspicious if they couldn't find me or Thor. In fact, that might be extremely suspicious, considering Loki was Thor's brother. But I didn't need to think of that now, and looked back at Thor as he contemplated his response.
"Ever since I met you, Lady Brandi," He finally stated, breaking the silence, "You've always appeared to me as a very kind and compassionate person. Someone who knows when to have a bit of fun and jest, but also knows when it's time to get serious. You are a very trustworthy person, and I have no doubt that you're intentions are good. I will agree with you, and not tell anyone anything." I smiled at him, but he held up his hand. "However, if things begin to get out of hand, you must allow us to intervene." He stated, and I nodded in compromise.
There was a slight pause.
"There are a few things that I would have you know about my brother, Lady Brandi." Thor suddenly continued, looking down at me straight on. "He will very likely cover up his emotions by using banter and jabs at your own personal life and/or experiences. Do not let it get to you, as that is what he wants. Also, it is not very wise to talk to him about his own problems head on. That will only anger him more."
I nodded.
"I understand, Thor. I will try my best to tame your brother. Most people just need reassurance that they're loved and accepted." I admitted, before looking back to the tower. "But we should probably get back. I wouldn't want to make everyone worry about where we've gone off to."
Thor agreed, and in order to get there quicker, he put his arm around my waist, and used his hammer to quickly fly us safely to the tower.
The ride back to the tower was thrilling, but also gave me the sensation that my stomach was no longer inside of my body. It was very similar to the sensation you get whenever you run over railroad tracks or when your foot misses a step on the stairway and you almost trip. Only the sensation didn't stop until we were actually on land, on the doorstep in front of the tower.
Thor and I walked swiftly back to the room that I had been sleeping in, only to find the rest of the Avengers and Uncle Phil standing around the doorway. Clearly, they had been worried about where Thor and I had wondered off to, as expected.
Uncle Phil abruptly grabbed my hand.
"Come on, Bri. I told you that you were going straight home." He stated, his voice tight. "I should have taken you home even before you went to sleep but that's all in the past now. There's nothing I can do about it. But, I've got a mission with these people, and we can't delay. We must find Loki."
"Wait a second, Coleslaw." I stated, taking my hand out of his grip and turning to the others, looking at them shyly. "Um. . .maybe I'm just an affectionate and sensitive person, but could I give you all a hug before I leave?"
Natasha was the first one to accept my offer, which surprised me greatly.
To me Natasha had seemed like the serious type, and I didn't think that she would even consider my offer. So, I was shocked greatly when I immediately felt her arms wrapped tightly around me in delight.
"It makes me happy to know that I won't be the only girl on the team." She smirked. "I think you're on your way to becoming an Avenger, kid." She smiled. "Not to mention, you're kind of like the little sister I never had."
Uncle Phil gave her a hard look that I knew was meant for the comment she had made about me becoming an Avenger. Although, I honestly wasn't sure why it bothered him so much.
Clint was the next in line, but he didn't really say anything.
He was welcoming in the hug, but I also felt like he was a man of few words. It would be interesting to get to know him a little better and see if I could break through that tough, quiet shell that he seemed to be wearing. His hug was warm, inviting, and overall somewhat reminded me of the types of hugs Uncle Phil gave me. While I could never really tell what he was thinking, I could always know that I was loved and cared for through a simple hug.
When I let go of Clint, I gave him a big smile, and managed to get him to smile back.
Then there was Steve, and he was fairly enthusiastic about giving me a hug as well.
"Don't ever be afraid to show a little affection, Bri. It just shows that you're more caring than most people." He chuckled.
Steve's hug was exactly what I expected of him, but perhaps that was just because I thought of Steve as a very caring person in general. Not to mention, I already held him in very high esteem, since Uncle Phil held the Captain in such high regards.
Tony was next, and I wasn't really sure how he would react to me being all affectionate and such, but he actually seemed to welcome the hug. His hug wasn't as warm and inviting as Clint or Steve, but it did manage to make me feel safe from all harm, and I couldn't help but smile.
"See ya on the team soon, kiddo. I know you'll be a great addition." He broke the embrace, before giving me a little wink in encouragement about being an Avenger.
Uncle Phil finally spoke up.
"Can we please not, right now?" He queried, his voice tight and business-like, a sign that he was having a hard time keeping composure.
My smile faltered slightly at my uncle's negative attitude, and Tony notice my slightly pouty expression. He smirked, and leaned down next to my ear, whispering, "He'll get used to the idea soon enough."
Bruce was next on the list for a hug, and I practically tackled him.
Though I had only known him such a short time, Bruce had become a very special person to me. Almost like another father, next to Coleslaw, of course. He always seemed to want my best interest, and had just grown on me with his kind demeanor as of late. It showed me that it didn't matter if he had turned into the Hulk. He still chose to be kind, and knew how to treat people with respect.
I buried my face in his chest, squeezing my arms tightly around him, as I let a few farewell tears drip silently down my face and onto his shirt.
"I'll definitely miss you, Bruce." I sniffed slightly, hugging him even tighter.
He seemed to be moved by my obvious attachment, and hugged me back just as tightly.
"I'll miss you too, Brandi." He pulled back, and looked at me intently, his hands on my shoulders. "If you want tips on controlling your imagination, my best advice to you would just be to meditate. For me, it's to always be angry, but keep it at balance. Unfortunately, for you it's a little different, and for now I think you're safest bet would be to meditate and keep your emotions in check." He smiled.
I smiled back at him and gave him one last hug, before turning to Thor.
Thor smiled, put his hammer on his belt, and held his arms open. It was clear to him that I had grown attached to him, and I giggled as I ran to him, like a little child and ran into his arms.
While Bruce could have been considered another father to me, I saw Thor as an older brother to me. He had the right balance of banter and seriousness that an older brother might have. As well as acting like a father sometimes, but acting as though we were siblings the next.
I wrapped my arms around Thor in sisterly fondness, and stayed in his arms the longest, seeing that I had honestly grown more attached to him as of late, and would also be aiding in trying to help his brother. I felt Thor rest his head on top of mine, as he clearly also felt a sisterly love for me, and he rubbed his hands up and down my back.
"I'll miss you too, Thor." I whispered, tears on the edges of my eyes as I thought about being unable to see them for the next few days, and being all by myself.
Not to mention that while I would be alone at the house, it was possible that sometime in between, Loki would come and kidnap me without warning. That being said, it made it just a bit harder to leave them, knowing that while I hadn't lied to them about anything, I was keeping what Loki had said about taking me a secret. Although technically, Bruce knew about it as well, since he was there in the dream with us, he must have forgotten, because no one mentioned it. In either case, I was keeping valuable information from them.
Thor squeezed me tightly, clearly just as disappointed to leave me as I was, and when he let go of me, he took my delicate hand in his, before placing a soft kiss on my hand.
"Until we meet again, Lady Brandi."
I had tears threatening to roll down my face as I faced all of them, but I knew I had to be strong, and I held back my tears courageously.
"All of you be careful." I swallowed, putting on a brave face as I looked at each of them.
They all smiled back at me, and I gratefully took Uncle Phil's hand, letting him lead me out of Headquarters as we made our way back to the house.
When we arrived there, Uncle Phil immediately began laying down the rules for me while he was gone on his mission.
And I had no inclination as to what kind of mission he was going on, either.
"Now. I don't want you setting foot out of this house for the next few days, okay? There's sure to be a lot of danger, and I don't want you getting hurt. Don't open the door to strangers. Ask who it is before opening the door to anyone. I have a few agents who may want to come by and check on you, but they'll have the code phrase: 'Daughter of Cole.'"
I looked at him curiously.
Why on Earth was the code phrase, 'Daughter of Cole?' What inside joke was I missing out on this time?
"Daughter of Cole?"
"Don't ask." Uncle Phil chuckled, as though reminiscing.
I shrugged, and plopped on the couch, my head suddenly beginning to pound.
"I'll be fine, Coleslaw, I promise." I assured him, my eyes closed.
I heard him walk over to me, and he wrapped me in a giant hug. It was a bit awkward since I was laying on the couch, and then he planted a loving kiss on my forehead.
"Stay safe." He whispered, before saying, "Now, I have to leave. When I come back in the next few days, I want the house in tip-top condition. And I don't want to find any secret boyfriends in here either." He looked at me seriously, as I opened my eyes.
I smacked his arm in aggravation, but giggled.
"Sure thing, Coleslaw, but you know I don't have boyfriends." I giggled once more, and the last thing I said was, "I love you, Uncle Phil. You stay safe too, and I'll buy you a whole tub of coleslaw when it's all over."

Chapter Text

I hadn't realized I had fallen asleep until I opened my eyes to find that it was getting dark, and I was happy to say that I had had a dreamless sleep.
Speaking of dreams, what would happen if I dreamt while Uncle Phil was gone? Would I stay stuck in the dream, or would it be like a normal dream and I would wake up when I was ready to?
I just sighed, and let out a yawn as I looked around the empty house.
I walked to my room, and did a double-take when I passed the mirror.
"Really, Brandi? Can you really not sleep without your hair turning into a hay stack?" I muttered to myself, before sighing and grabbing a brush from my dresser.
I wished I could say that I was patient with the tangles I encountered, and gently ran the brush through each one until my hair was tangle free. But to say that would have been a lie. I grew frustrated with the first knot I came to, and it didn't help that my hair was really wavy. I hastily pulled the brush through my dark brown waves in order to conserve time.
Once my long, dark brown hair was finally tangle free, I looked over at my clock: 6:30 a.m.
This was actually a normal time for me to wake up, seeing that I was a fairly early riser.
I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard - what sounded like - scratching on the front door. I immediately ran to the front door, grabbed the baseball bat beside it, and held it on my shoulder, my heart racing with fear.
"Who is it?" I called, trying to keep my voice neutral.
There was more scratching on the door, followed by two, loud barks.
I put the bat down and sighed in relief.
A dog. It was just a dog.
I opened the door, not wanting to let the poor pup sit out there if it was lost or something, and it immediately bolted inside, pushing me onto my back as it began licking my face.
I giggled as I struggled to get up.
"Okay, okay, boy! Calm down! Let me see who you're owner is!" I chuckled, finally getting up and managing to keep the dog still as I looked at his tag. "Hmm, you're name is Lucky." The dog barked in approval. "But there's no address or number." I muttered to myself, as my brow furrowed in confusion.
Lucky was a black-furred dog, that looked more like a wolf than anything. He had light green eyes that sparkled with excitement, and he suddenly took off towards my room.
Something about those green eyes triggered a memory inside me, but I decided to throw that to the side. There was nothing out of the ordinary with a dog having green eyes.
I opened the front door a bit wider to look outside and see if anyone was around that may have been walking Lucky, but there was no sign of anyone, and I closed the front door, locking it so that no random stranger would come barging in.
I walked back to my room to go get Lucky, because I didn't want him sniffing around and marking his territory everywhere. Not to mention, Coleslaw would slap me into next month for letting a dog inside when he had been very strict on not opening the door for anyone.
"Lucky, come here, boy. My room's off-limi--" I cut myself off when I walked into my room, and immediately took a step back. "What are you doing here?"
I couldn't believe my eyes. Yet, at the same time, I now knew why Lucky's green eyes had seemed so familiar to me.
I wasn't really expecting him to come so quickly though. Sure, I had told Thor that I would allow him to take me so I could talk to him, but he couldn't just spring up on me like this.
Standing nonchalantly in my room, was Loki.
He chuckled, as those emerald green eyes looked at me with intrigue.
"How did you get in here?!" I suddenly exclaimed, not even giving him a chance to answer my previous question, as I backed up against a wall just outside of my room.
Loki took calculating steps towards me, his eyes analyzing me.
Wait a second. That's right. Loki was a master of magic. He could have easily transformed into Lucky.
Luh-kee. Low-kee.
I shuddered as I realized what had happened, and he smirked as I figured it out.
"How did I get in here? You let me in, my dear." He chuckled, the sound sending tremors throughout my body. His eyes suddenly turned serious. "Now, you can come with me without causing a fuss, or we can let everyone in New York know that I am kidnapping you. You're choice." He stated bluntly.
I suddenly remembered what I told Thor. That I would go with him willingly and try and talk to him. I had to give it a shot. If I didn't try, the Avengers would physically - not to mention emotionally - hurt him, and I didn't want that to happen if it didn't have to. Loki would end up going to prison when all he would have needed was someone to confide in, and if this plan of mine didn't work, well. . .at least I could say that I tried.
So, I looked at him straight in the eyes, and swallowed back my fear.
"I'll come quietly." I agreed.
His eyes held shock and amusement for the briefest moment before it quickly disappeared into an indifferent mask, and he grabbed my forearm.
"Very well." He pulled me closer to him, and I was mere centimeters away from him, making my breath catch. "Now, listen closely. I'm going to turn into Lucky once more. You will take me out for a walk, and if those mewling quims that are of S.H.I.E.L.D. see you, you are to tell them that your uncle authorized you to walk your dog. Once we get rid of them, I will lead you to where we need to go." He commanded, before letting go of me and suddenly shifting back into Lucky.
I just stared at him for a few moments in utter shock at what had just insinuated in those few five minutes. Lucky suddenly growled lowly, and I swallowed nervously, opening the door and letting him out.
I walked with him, and he kept pace.
I was having a hard time bringing myself to act naturally, and Lucky noticed that.
He barked happily at me, clearly playing up the act so that I would feel better about it.
I couldn't help it. I needed to take a moment to pull it together, so I dropped to my knees and wrapped my arms around his furry body, and felt him tense in shock when I did so. I had thought I would be ready for Loki when he came, but he had just come so quickly that I was having a hard time digesting it.
"I'm sorry, Lucky." I whispered, using the dog name to let him know that I was still going through with the act. "I just need a moment to pull myself together. I hope you don't mind."
I was surprised that Lucky really didn't seem to mind, and even nuzzled his furry face into my shoulder. It shocked me slighty, but I focused on trying to act natural. I took a few deep breaths, and finally calmed myself down, before taking a deep breath in and beginning to walk with Lucky again.
"Sorry about that." I said as I began walking. "I usually don't get very emotional. I guess I've just bottled it in for so long that it was bound to happen sometime." I admitted, yet at the same time subliminally messaging him that if he was bottling it up, the same would happen to him.
Lucky barked, clearly in acceptance of my apology.
I couldn't help but think as we were walking just how different Loki was when he was acting as Lucky.
When he was being a dog, he genuinely acted as a dog: playful, happy, and always full of excitement for his owner. He was actually a companion that I could count on and was very lovable and sweet.
When he was in his normal state as a human, no not a human, as an Asgardian, he was practically the exact opposite from what I gathered so far. His eyes held yours with such intensity that it was almost as though he was your king, waiting for you to fulfill his every command, and you were the servant. And it was when he acted this way that he seemed most comfortable, even though he put on a very convincing act as Lucky.
I suppose that's why Thor said he was the god of mischief and lies. He could do almost anything and it seemed natural for him, even if it wasn't.
Suddenly, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent - Agent Hill to be exact - walked up to me.
I remembered Loki saying something about how one of them might be coming to check on me, and that I would have to tell her that Uncle Phil gave me permission to walk our dog in order to get her to leave.
"Brandi, Agent Coulson has required that you stay in the house, and--" I cut her off, not wanting to be rude, but wanting to get this over with. I didn't feel like dealing with her right now, seeing that I would have to be extremely observant of Loki - currently Lucky - in order to try and become his confidant.
I did, however, keep my usual, happy demeanor about myself so I wouldn't cause suspicion.
"Coleslaw said that I could take Lucky here out for a walk if I felt like it." I smiled, and scratched behind Lucky's ears, who barked in happiness and nuzzled my leg. "I won't be gone long." I lied, hoping that my lying skills were up to par as they had been with Thor earlier.
However, contrary to Loki's plan, Agent Hill didn't slack off like he thought.
"I'm sorry, Brandi, but you really have no idea how much danger will be out here. You need to stay inside." She pressed, clearly not going away without an extremely clever excuse.
Lucky had a low growl building in his throat, and I put a hand at the back of his neck to let him know that I would find a way out of this, and there would be no reason to hurt - much less, kill - anyone.
I frowned at her though, before an idea suddenly came to mind.
"I mean, if you want to be the agent that comes in the house and cleans after him since he can't be walked, be my guest." I stated, beginning to walk back, knowing Agent Hill was a bit of a germaphobe.
"Wait, wait, wait!" She stated quickly, chuckling nervously.
Brandi: 1, Hill: 0.
"Go ahead and walk him. I'll just wait until you get back and walk you in." She complied, looking at Lucky with a bit of a disgusted face, before smiling back up at me. "I'll stay here just to make sure no one gets in. If someone gets you, I trust you enough to call for help."
I smiled, but on the inside I also felt a little guilty for lying to her since she had just admitted her trust for me.
"Thanks." I stated, and continued on, with the fake Lucky by my side.
After a while of randomly walking, Lucky suddenly took lead, and I had to jog to keep up. Almost as though playing a game, Lucky took off full speed, and I immediately broke into a sprint, but I was still trailing behind him.
"Lucky!" I shrieked, chasing him, knowing that he was leading me somewhere but also wishing he would slow down. I absolutely detested running.
He didn't slow down, but I was suddenly reminded that I could make my daydream a reality for however long I wanted. I could easily make myself capable of running any distance at any speed.
I immediately thought of my self being able to run faster, and opened my eyes while keeping that thought in mind, and suddenly felt myself flying to catch up with Lucky, and was soon by his side.
He stopped in a dark alley, and I immediately stopped, and had to catch my breath, letting my imagination simmer down too, just in case it took a turn for the worse.
Loki was soon back to his normal form, and I looked at him with a glare.
"What. . .was that. . .for?!" I panted, leaning dependently against the alley wall as a wave of dizziness began to overcome me.
Next time I needed to imagine myself having more stamina as well.
Loki chuckled.
"I wanted to see if you were capable of thinking you're way out of something in a dangerous situation. You'll have to be prepared to do that around me." He smirked.
I rolled my eyes and after a few moments my breathing returned to normal, but I was still dizzy, and when I tried to walk over to Loki, I lost my balance and stayed still, trying desparately not to fall over and make a fool of myself.
"Are you alright?" Loki asked, although I doubted he actually cared.
"I'll be fine after a few moments." I stated, although I doubted the dizziness was leaving anytime soon. "Where are you taking me?"
Loki had an evil look about him, and waved his hand. A green light emitted from the brick alley wall, and a tall, wooden door suddenly appeared that was embedded into it.
"We will hide out here for a few days. It is a place where I have scientists working for me with confidential business." He stated, and began to lead me inside as my dizziness finally passed.
I walked in, looking around in interest.
"Woah." I said, looking around with absolute fascination at all of the interesting laboratory equiptment. Bruce and Tony would have a field day if they were here.
Thinking about my friends hit me with a wave of sadness, since I knew I wouldn't be seeing them for a few days. Not to mention I had basically lied to them all by keeping Loki's kidnapping a secret.
Loki suddenly grabbed my forearm again, making my body shiver. His hands weren't as rough as Thor's, but neither were they gentle. He was rather brisk and tough when he pulled on me to follow him to wherever it was he wanted to take me. So, I followed him as he pulled me along, leading me through a group of scientists and taking me to a different room: a regular bedroom that was apparently where I was going to stay for these next few days.
"This will be your room. You'll be staying with us for some time." He stated curtly, about to walk out when I grabbed his wrist, deciding I may as well use every opportunity to try and help tame him as I had promised his brother.
"Wait, Loki?" I called, holding onto his wrist, making him look at me with a raised eyebrow. He seemed to be fairly curious as to why I was so eager to keep him around. "Um, thank you."
This really seemed to shock him.
"For kidnapping you?" He retorted.
I rolled my eyes and chuckled.
"Well, no. But thank you for allowing me a moment to collect myself." I began, and then added, "And for giving me a room with fairly nice conditions."
He looked at me for a long moment, seeming to try and figure me out.
Then, he smirked.
"Perhaps I should make the conditions less manageable then? After all, you're a hostage. You shouldn't be happy here." He responded.
I stood my ground against his banter, remembering that Thor had told me he would resort to banter and such to cover his emotions. I decided to use this information to my advantage.
"Ooo! Witty banter. I must have struck a soft spot." I giggled light-heartedly. Before he could respond to that, I tried to make it seem like I was joking. "I'm just kidding, Loki. But remember I can do pretty much anything with my imagination. Even if you threw me in a shack with no food and treated me like a real hostage, it wouldn't really do much." I reminded him.
He chuckled, looking at me with intrigue.
"You are a curious and clever mortal. I'll give you that." He began to walk out of the room finally, and before I could mope at the fact that he hadn't accepted my thanks, he turned to me and said, with a gentler light in his eyes, "And you are welcome." And then he walked out, closing the door to my room behind him.
I couldn't stop my racing heart, and I wasn't even sure why it was beating so fast. Loki had done absolutely nothing threatening to me, except maybe growling at me when I hadn't moved fast enough for him earlier.
So why did I feel like I had just run five miles in a marathon? Not to mention, I could still feel the grip of his hand on my forearm though it was no longer there. Why?
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, taking Bruce's advice and deciding to meditate. Maybe it would help me clear my mind with all these raging emotions and feelings.
I sat cross-legged on the rough carpet and rested my elbows and wrists on my legs. I kept my eyes closed, and regulated my breathing, taking deep breaths in and out, focusing my ears on my breathing and heart rate.