Archive of Our Own

"So what you'd decide to tell Sitwell," Tony asked as he came up to Natasha in the hallway.

She was surprised to see him, but she smiled as she shook her head.  "I'm not saying anything unless he asks.  See if I can trip him up and get him to reveal if he already knows anything."

Tony nodded.  "And if he asks?"

Natasha shook her head.  "I'm not sure, I think… we should claim responsibility.  We don't want the Watchers to know there's a second group."

Tony nodded.  "What if it was a rival demon gang?"

"I hadn't thought of that.” Natasha frowned as she considered the possibility. "I feel like there's just one enemy, but there could be something else.  No, we'll tell Sitwell it was us and tell Thor and Fury the whole truth."

"Alright, I just want to make sure we have our story straight. Then everything went according to our plan?"

"Yeah, let Phil know? I was still thinking about it when I left."

"Sure," Tony agreed. "We've got art history in a few.”

"Natasha?" James' voice came from directly behind her.

"James," Natasha said, turning to look at him. "Hi."

"James?" Tony repeated.

"Uh, I guess, I'm a bit early…"

"It's fine," Natasha said, smiling at him.  "This is my friend Tony.  Tony this is James."

"Nice to meet you," Tony said, holding out his hand.

James took it.  "Likewise."

"So, uh, how do you know Tasha?"  Tony asked.

"We're in Stats together," James replied. "She was going to help me with some of the homework."

"Oh, Stats, I didn't know you were taking Stats," Tony said, looking over at her.  "I could help you with stats."

Natasha nodded. "Don't you have art history soon?"

Tony frowned, before looking between them.  "Is this a date?"

Natasha felt herself blush.  "Study date."

"With lunch," James added.

Tony looked between them and grinned. "Is this why you were all secretive smiling, Tasha?"

"Goodbye Tony," Natasha stated with a glare.

Tony merely grinned at them.  "Bye, Tasha, don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Is there anything that you wouldn't do?" Natasha asked.

Tony considered for a moment.  "A few things."  He gave her a big grin.  "I'll see you later."

"Bye, Tony," Natasha called after him, before turning to look at James.  "Shall we get some lunch?"

James nodded.  "Yeah."

Together they made their way over to the food court in the building.  Natasha hadn't been down here too often and James quietly admitted that he'd been own here once during his orientation.  They reviewed their choices, before finding a spot that was slightly out of the way to talk.  It was early enough that there wasn't that much foot traffic, but there was enough.

James nudged her.  "What would you like?"

"The stuff that claims to be Chinese?" Natasha suggested, glancing over at the Chinese space.

James glanced over at it and nodded.  "Works for me."

They made their way through the crowd and got in line, discussing their options for what to get.  They ordered and lingered near the counter for the employees to be dish out their food.  Once they had it, they found a table that would allow them to eat and spread out their homework.

"How was your busy weekend?"

"Tiring," Natasha admitted.

"Get everything done that you wanted?"

Natasha considered the answer, but ultimately went with the truth.  "Not as much as I had planned."  It was, she'd planned on eliminating the demons, but someone else had handled it.

"That sucks," James stated.

"How about you?" Natasha asked.  "How was your weekend?"

"Pretty quiet," James replied.  "I had to work and to try to understand the stats work."

"Oh, where do you work?"

"I…" James hesitated.  "I do odd jobs for a guy with way too much money."

"Odd jobs?"

"I clean his house some weekends, I meet with some of his other employees to pass on messages, sometimes it's as simple as taking out the trash."

"It sounds…" Natasha trailed off, trying to determine the best thing to say.  "Interesting?"

James laughed.  "It's a job that I kind of need and the hours are flexible, so…"

Natasha nodded.  "That seems like a good job for you then."

"It is, plus everyday is different."

Natasha nodded.  "I guess it really does make things interesting."

"Exactly and I like not doing the same thing, day in and day out," James explained.  "This class thing is kind of hard, because of that."

Natasha nodded.  "Yeah, but I think a little consistency is a good thing."

"Well," James started.  "I like that I get to consistently see you."

Natasha smiled, glancing away, before looking back at him. "I… I like talking to you, too."

"Think I could get your phone number?" James asked.

"Only if I can get yours."

James smiled as he reached down to pull his phone out.  "I'd be happy to."

They exchanged their numbers and went back to their food. When it was gone, James took both of their trays to put away as Natasha pulled out her books. James pulled his out when he got back and she went over all of James' notes and work, correcting it when she saw a mistake and then talking it over with James to ensure that he understood what he'd done wrong. From there they went straight to class, chatting along the way.

"I, uh, don't suppose you'd be willing do that again," James asked as they settled in their seats.

"If you think it helps?"

"Yeah, though, can I tell you a secret."

Natasha arched an eyebrow and leaned in.

"I'm going to use it as an excuse to spend more time with you."

"So you don't really need my help?"

"Clearly I need help, but I could go to one of the assistants."

"You could," Natasha agreed. "But… I liked having lunch with you, so I’d be happy to help."

"Thank you," James said.

She smiled at him as the professor began class.  Weekly study dates with James seemed like an excellent way to get to know him.  She made a mental note to talk to Pepper, maybe give her some tips about the whole dating thing.

-

"So all we found was dust," Phil said finishing his tale and looking at the assembled: Fury seated in one of the chairs that was suddenly in the vestibule of the hidden training room, Thor was standing to his left and Melinda was behind him, leaning against the far wall and slightly to the right.  Along with Fury's chair a couch had appeared, which Natasha, Tony, and Phil had claimed for their tale.

Fury glanced back at Thor, who was looking directly at the back of Fury's head.

"So, we've got a mystery on our hands about what who killed the djinn and his flunkies," Fury stated, looking unimpressed as he looked back at them.  "Any ideas?"

"There are people that know about demons," Natasha stated.  "Hawkeye, for instance."

Phil shook his head.  "He couldn't have done that alone and I don't think he teams up very often."

Phil glanced up to see Thor and Fury share a look, before looking back at them.

"It could be someone else," Tony said.  "Another potential ally or maybe the djinn ticked off the wrong person."

"What did your watcher say?" Fury asked, looking at Natasha.

Natasha shrugged.  "We claimed responsibility, so he didn't have much to say beyond good work."

Fury and Thor regarded her for a long moment, before Thor nodded once.  "For the best."  He paused.  "So, now what will be your next step?"

Natasha considered the question.  "When it comes to this, hope it was Hawkeye or someone like him, but plan for the possibility of another enemy.  Right now, all we can do is wait and see if they do something."

"Or you can go on a recon mission and to check out three of Thor's friends," Fury said.

"Three?" Thor asked, stepping forward toward them.

"The Lady Sif is missing.  I have, however, located the other three, wandering free. I would expect some sort of spell my spiders that my spider spells can't sense."

"Where are they?" Tony asked, leaning forward.

"Spread across the globe," Fury stated. "Vanuatu, Slovakia, and Oklahoma."

"One of these is not like the other," Tony sing-songed, before grunting when Natasha elbowed him.

Natasha looked at Thor, before sighing.  "I think we have to wait until Sif is found.  We go in and try to get them out, then… They could move her or harm her. Or set a trap."

Fury nodded.  "I'll keep looking."

"It's not fair that you don't give them all the facts," Melinda said, suddenly.

Natasha regarded her.  "What are we missing?"

Melinda's look was directed at Thor.  Their eyes met, before Melinda sighed.  "That Sif is unlikely to be held by the same spells as the Warriors Three."

Phil watched as Thor, Fury, and Melinda seemed to hold a silent conversation. Thor finally nodded.  "She's right. If you can't find her, she's most likely as bound as The Lost One."

Natasha glanced at him, mouthing a question.  'The Lost One?'

Phil shrugged, because he had no clue what they were referring to.  He made a mental note to look it up.

"So we go now, try to free them?" Tony asked.

Natasha shook her head.  "Recon first, we'll all go. If there's something that can be done, we'll do it, but we need to know what we're up against first."  She looked at Tony.  "Think you and Wanda can develop a magical scanner?  I know Hawkeye had these glasses that could pick up spell remnants."

Tony blinked. "If something like that existed, I'm sure we can figure something out."

"We'll also need a way to get there," Phil reminded.

Tony nodded.  "We'll work on that, too."

"Rough stages of a plan, but it's there." Natasha said, before glancing around the room. "Any suggestions?"

"You're missing something," Melinda stated.  "You want to do recon, which is admirable, but think about what you need for that?"

"Caution."

"Flexibility."

"Stealth," Natasha stated.

"Can you be stealthy?" Melinda stated.

"Yes." Natasha murmured.

"Truly? When you came here to find Thor again, did you attempt stealth?" Melinda asked.

Natasha paused, before hesitantly replying.  "Yes? I mean, I wasn't trying to be that stealthy, but I wasn't trying to be obvious."

"And what happened?" Melinda asked.

"I talked to Thor."

"What happened to the other patrons?"

"They knew I was here…"

"Exactly. Any guardian worth their salt is going to recognize the Slayer power and while Stark can hide that mage stone in his chest…"

Tony made a choked sound.

"I know of nothing that can hide the Slayer power. Make a new plan." Melinda stated.

"Tony and I could go, Natasha could hang back," Phil suggested.

"I think it would be wise to recon at the same time or as close to as possible," Fury said. "Communication nowadays is instantaneous without magic."

Natasha nodded. "We can't do anything about that, there's only the three of us, unless…" She gestured toward the three of them and there were brief shakes of their heads.

"I could ask Rhodey," Tony offered.  "He's… he's aware of this stuff. I'm not sure if we will, but he might…"

"Well, they were attempting to kidnap him to get to you," Natasha said, tilting her head back.  She sighed, before tilting back to look at Phil.  "You've got a way to contact Hawkeye?"

Phil nodded.  "He hasn't been answering my emails though."

"I wouldn't count on him," Fury murmured.

Phil arched at an eyebrow at him.  "That sounds… ominous."

Fury stood from his chair. "He went after something big, I haven't heard from him since."

"What?" Phil asked of Fury's retreating back.

"Sorry," Fury said. "He… He deserved better."

One of the doors opened and Wanda stepped though, she glanced between them all.  "Who died?"

-

The old large Victorian house on a hill was something that Rhodey never thought Clint would be able to move into.  At least that's what he was thinking as he climbed up the stairs to the wrap around porch. However, he'd gotten the impression that it had once been owned by something Other and that Clint had long term dealings with. It was something that Rhodey had desperately tried to avoid, but with both Tony and Clint active in it, he was either going to have cut ties with them or jump in. He was starting to realize just why Pepper and Tony had broken up and she'd gone for such a normal guy.  Pepper had clearly realized it sooner than he had.

Rhodey sighed and hit the doorbell. Pepper was definitely the smarter one for looking at this mess and stepping away.  

The door opened and Rhodey blinked, surprised to see Clint standing there.  He glanced at the doorbell.  "You installed a…?"

"Nah, Jess magicked it a bit, so we didn't have rewire the whole house," Clint replied.

Rhodey nodded.  "Can I come in?"

"Yeah," Clint said, stepping back and letting Rhodey in. He gestured to the left and Rhodey followed him out of the foyer into a living room.  Rhodey took a seat on the sofa and Clint a sit across from him.  "What's up? Never thought you'd come find me here."

"Do you have…?"

Clint shook his head.  "They should be in next week."

[Tony wants a favor. Want your thoughts]

Clint's eyes narrowed.  "About what?"

Rhodey gestured to the house, because he definitely didn't know the correct sign for 'magic, Slayers, and whatever the hell that thing that kidnapped Tony was.'

"Yeah, I saw he was spending time with the Slayer."

Rhodey blinked at the serious tone in Clint's voice and nodded.  Clint was all business when it came to this stuff, it was something that Rhodey forgot because Clint tended to be casual most of the time.

"What he'd ask you?"

[Needs help. Complicated.] Rhodey sighed, and pulled out a letter and offered it over to Clint.

Clint smirked as he took it, making the sign for 'lazy'.

Rhodey rolled his eyes.  He didn't have the vocabulary to sign everything that Tony had talked to him about and he didn't want to risk a misunderstanding with Clint's lip reading.  Granted, Clint had exceptional lip reading skills.  They had to be rusty, since Clint had had the Other hearing aid since the middle of senior year of high school.  

"Idiot," Clint muttered.

"Do I want to know?" a new voice said.

Rhodey jumped to see a buff blond, leaning in the doorway behind him.  "Who are you?"

"Could ask the same thing…" He trailed off.  "Well, that namesign is familiar, but I'm blanking on which of your friends goes with it."

Rhodey glanced back at Clint.  "You found a roommate that knows sign."

[Learning] Clint signed back at him.  [Pretty fast though]

Rhodey stood, turning to get a good look at the guy.  "James Rhodes, friends call me Rhodey."

"Steve Rogers, I've heard about you."

"Can't say that I've heard anything about you." Rhodey glanced at Clint, looking for an explanation.

"Other complicated, which if you decide you want to get involved, I'd give you the full story." He held up the letter and Steve just strolled over to take it.  Rhodey felt his eyes widen as Steve started reading it.  He gave a pointed look at Clint.  "How long have you known each other."

"New Year's Day." "Twelfth Night."

"Of this year?"

Clint nodded.  "Told you Other complicated."

"Wouldn't having spent several months in an another dimension while a few days past here sum it up?" Steve asked.

Rhodey glanced between them.  "The hell…?"

Clint turned to look at Steve.  "What did you say?"

"I told him all your secrets," Steve said.

Clint's eyes narrowed.  "Asshole."

Steve shrugged, before looking back at Rhodey.  "What do you need our help with?"

"Both of you?"  Rhodey asked.

Clint nodded.  "Steve and I are working together now along with Bobbi and Jess."

"Your ex-girlfriends that has to be… difficult?"

"Yeah, you do realize they're Hillfolk and us dating was how I was teaching them about our world?"

Rhodey glanced between him and Steve, before sighing.  "Well, that would explain why you seemed to get over Phil so fast." He paused.  "Were you… doing the time thing in high school?"

"Time thing?" Clint repeated, glancing back at Steve who nodded minutely. "I don't understand what you're asking."

[Steve told me when you weren’t looking at him] Rhodey explained.

Clint glanced back at Steve. "I'd spend time in other dimensions, so I could get like a week of training in a weekend in High School."

Rhodey stared at him before shaking his head and signing along. "What do you think I should do about that?"

"She needs help. I can back you up.  Jess and Bobbi can be on follow Tony and Phil at a discreet distance with Steve on standby, if we need him."

"How deep am I going to get?" Rhodey asked

Clint twisted to share a look with Steve, before looking back at Rhodey.  "I have no idea.  Depends on how much trouble you get into."

Steve tapped Clint on his shoulder and Clint turned to look at him.  Rhodey couldn't make out the signs that Steve made.  The angle was wrong and they were unfamiliar.  Rhodey needed to devote sometime to getting back at his ASL.  

Clint turned to look at him.  "It's up to you, but if you want to get involved, you could spy for us?"

"Spy for you?" Rhodey repeated, making sure that Clint could see his lips.  "Why would I do that?"

"Natasha has a history of not recognizing the difference between Jotun and Asgard, if she's going up against Asgard, we'd rather she didn't.  Steve and I are concentrating on finding the Big Bad and letting Natasha handle the small stuff.  We wouldn't need to keep checking up on her to make sure she hasn't gotten in over her head."

"Keep an eye on that Watcher society," Steve muttered.

"The what?" Rhodey asked, before catching Clint's confusion. He fingerspelled 'Watcher' and Clint nodded at him.

"They keep track of the traditional Slayer and, according to Steve, are pretty corrupted. I'd stay away from them."

Rhodey nodded, before looking at Steve. "Sorry, I like his idea of avoiding them."

Steve shrugged.  "Fine."

"How big of a threat is this guy?" Rhodey asked.

"If he can't rule this world, then he'll destroy it," Steve answered, which Rhodey signed to Clint.

"He won't stop with this world either," Clint added.

Rhodey nodded and he realized that this was pretty much exactly what he was hoping for. He knew on the way over that he was going to help Tony, he couldn't say no, but he also knew that Clint was the more experienced of the two. "Let's make a plan."

-

Natasha watched as Tony took Rhodey around to meet everyone.  Phil and her were busily setting up all the tech that Tony and Rhodey had brought in, so that Natasha would be able to monitor everyone.  She'd be able to teleport in and they'd manage to talk Melinda and Thor stepping in, if necessary. Tony hadn’t been able to learn a teleportation spell, but Wanda knew someone that could make one. She hoped it wouldn't happen, but then maybe they were spreading themselves too thin.  

She glanced over at Phil, who had a grim determination.  He'd taken the news about Hawkeye's suspected death with…  Well, Natasha wasn't sure how he was handling it. He wasn't talking about it and she got the impression that Phil was holding onto hope.  Fury and Thor were quiet on the mission they'd sent Hawkeye on, but there was currently something else to focus on.  Natasha fully planned on asking them about it when this was all over.

"You know Wanda?" Tony said, cutting through the silence.  Natasha glanced up to see Rhodey and Tony in front of Wanda.

"Yeah, she works at the bookstore back home," Rhodey said, giving Wanda a smile.  "How's the boss?"

"He's good," Wanda said. "I…" She paused glancing at Rhodey's hands, who was gesturing.  Wanda glanced up to look at Rhodey's face and he nodded.  She smiled at him.  She said something too soft for Natasha to hear.

"Hey Tony," Phil called to him.  "I think everything is hooked up, but you might want to check everything."

"Yeah, sure," Tony said, heading over to them.

Natasha let him and went over to Rhodey.  "You ready for this?"

Rhodey nodded.  "Yeah, he's going to Oklahoma, I get to play tourist on the volcanic island."

"Okay, you know who you're looking for?"

"Got him," Rhodey said with a nod.

"Alright, we have comms," Tony said, coming over handing them both what looked to be bluetooth handsfree headset.

Natasha glanced back to see Phil fitting one into his ear.  

"Use this with the monitors, but if you have to go into the field…" Tony said, handing her a larger headset.

"Thanks, Tony," Natasha said, sliding it onto her head.  

Tony stepped away and the comm crackled.  "Tony, check."

"Reading you," Natasha stated, going over the computers.

"Phil, test."

"Rhodey, test."

Natasha nodded.  "I've got everyone."

They nodded and Tony came back to hand out…  Natasha shook her head.  "What are those?"

"Scanners," Tony answered.  “They’ll scan the person, but no image, so it needs to get back here.  I couldn't figure out the glasses trick, sorry."

Rhodey looked over at him. ”He's been working on it… a lot."

"Yeah, well my magic and tech goes together.  I haven't played with smart glasses before. I was close, but couldn't get it," Tony sighed.  "So handhelds."

"It'll work," Phil said, taking one and tucking it into an interior pocket.

"And for teleportation…" Wanda said, handing them a bracelet with two plastic looking discs.  "Break the discs and it activates the spell. The chain is to ensure that you don't drop it. If you're holding onto something, you'll be taking it with.  Try to be clear of other magic, it can be disrupted."

"Disrupted how?" Tony asked.

Wanda shook her head.  "All spells can be broken.  Teleportation spells, such as these, are delicate."  She handed a bracelet with more of the tags.  "Yellow for Tony, Silver for Rhodey, and Blue for Phil. Red for back here."

Natasha took it, putting it around her wrist to be ready.  The others nodded and looked at her.

"Be careful," she said. "Get in there, make contact, see if they remember anything while doing a scan, and get out."

Phil, Tony, and Rhodey nodded.

"Let's do this," Tony said, before breaking his first charm.

Natasha glanced at the screen and saw the first screen come alive with Tony's vitals.  "He's good."

Phil nodded and broke his.  Rhodey pulled the sunglasses out of his shirt and slipped them on, before breaking his.  Natasha took a deep breath as took a seat, keeping her eyes on the screen and her ears open.  She was aware of their teachers moving to keep watch over them.

-

"Alright, Machine is online and sending video," Darcy stated, from behind the row of screens.  

Steve glanced at her, before looking at the others. Bobbi and Jess were already moving, pulling their own glasses on and no doubt giving Darcy more things to look at.

Clint, already astride the changling horse shifted to look like a motorcycle, simply pushed his visor down.  Steve and Clint had learned from their adventures in other worlds.  Clint's teleportation spell had gotten disrupted and they'd had to search our gateways between world in order to make it back where they belonged.  With the change-horses, that would never happen.  The beasts had the innate ability to slip between dimensions and would bring them out again on the other side of the world.  

"You know the plan," Steve said, as they finished getting ready. "Don't be seen, if Natasha's allies get in trouble, try to diffuse it.  Locate their guards, because we all know that the Warriors will have guards on them. If you see a chance to take out a guard, do it, They'll have to have information we can use to find the Big Bad.  Call for backup, if you need it."

His own change-horse was ready to go, as was a change-horse for Bruce.  Bruce could certainly be a distraction that might be enough to save Natasha's allies.  His cursed form would also come in handy though.  

The team nodded before disappearing.  Steve moved around to where Darcy was seated and only relaxed when his team had Natasha's allies on screen.

-

Rhodey shook his head as he glanced around the resort.  There was a small restaurant that Hogun was supposed to frequent, which Rhodey figured that meant Hogun was working there or ate there a lot. Fury said that the the spiders had given him the impression that Hogun had been on the island for a while, Rhodey thought it was the former rather than the latter  He stepped into the shop and glanced around and sure enough there was a man that matched the description that Thor and the others had given him.  He was wearing the resort uniform, so clearly an employee.

That made things easier, Rhodey said, watching the area he was in.  He waved off the hostess, saying he was waiting for his friend that was getting cleaned up.  Hogun was definitely on the patio.

Rhodey relaxed slightly when Clint stepped up to him.

"Man, I am starved," Clint announced.  "You could have gotten us a table."

"Decided to wait on you," Rhodey said, catching the hostess' eye again.  "Can we get seated on the patio."

"Of course," the hostess said, grabbing the menu and taking them out and taking them to a table.  "Hibiki will be your waiter."

Both Clint and Rhodey took a seat, glancing over the menu.  Sure enough, it was a Hogun that came up to them and asked if they wanted anything to drink.

"A beer," Clint replied, choosing one off the menu.

"I'll have what he's drinking," Rhodey said, trusting Clint's judgement.

He waited until Hogun had left, before signing to Clint.  [That's him]

Clint nodded.  [Where's the watchdog?]

Rhodey shrugged and together they started scanning the room, looking for something or someone that would be keeping their on Hogun.

-

Tony resisted the urge to start singing Oklahoma as he stepped into the bar in Norman, Oklahoma.  It would probably not go over well with the Sooner football team that frequented the bar.  He slipped into the line and slowly made his way inside.  There was no problem with the bouncer.  Tony had money; he had an excellent fake ID.

Inside the club was loud music and fully packed with people.  Tony found a corner that was out of the way and scanned the club, looking for the big guy.  He sighed when he spotted the man, he was looking for.

He reached up and tapped the comm.  "I've got eyes on Volstagg."

"Good," Natasha answered back.

"It's going to be hard to get him by himself.  He's wearing a Sooner jersey and surrounded by other jersey-wearing Sooners."

Natasha was silent.  "Can you fake being a fan?"

"Maybe," Tony said, reaching out to pull his phone out.  "There's a fourth monitor, have Thor look at the roster, and give me a name, because I doubt it's Volstagg.  I need stats, if I’m playing football fanboy.“

"On it," Natasha said.

Tony sighed and made his way over to the bar to get a drink.  He went and found a table near the section of Sooners.  He settled in and waited for Natasha to come back online with the information he needed.

-

Phil lingered outside the coffeeshop that Fandral frequented, just listening to conversations.  He was getting used to the language.  It was strange to hear another language and just automatically know the meaning.  

He paused as he caught sight of his target.  "No way."

Phil slipped into the shop and was reading over the board when Fandral stepped in.

"Excuse me," Fandral said, stepping past him.  

"My fault," Phil said. "Hey, I don't suppose you have a recommendation for what's good here."

"The espresso," Fandral stated.  "This place uses 100% Arabica beans."

Phil nodded.  "Thanks."

Fandral paused.  "Tourist?"

"Yeah," Phil agreed as the door opened gain.

A dark haired woman stepped inside the building.  She was gorgeous and walked right up to Fandral.  

"Cornelia," Fandral murmured, reaching down and kissing her hand.  

"Frankie," the woman said, reaching out and stroking his beard.

Phil hesitated, before stepping up to order his drink.  Fandral and the Cornelia were behind him. He waited until he took a sip of his drink and then turned to Fandral.  "Hey, thanks for the recommendation."

Fandral smiled.  "No pro..."

"Do I know you?" Cornelia cut Fandral off.

Phil blinked and glanced at the woman.  "I don't think so...."

"You look familiar."

"This is my first time in the area," Phil said.  

Cornelia's eyes bored into him. "Why are you here?"

The excuse that Phil had prepared slipped from his mind as he stared at her. He groped for an excuse, but nothing was coming.  He was dimly aware of motorcycle pulling up.  "I'm sorry, what business is it of yours?"

"You were talking to my boyfriend.  Flirting."

"I was not…" Phil said.

"Phil! There you are," a voice called out.  Phil almost did a double take as Bruce stepped into the shop.  "Couldn't wait for your coffee fix, huh?"

"No," Phil said.

"I got some maps, lemme get a cup and we can get a seat," Bruce said, pulling Phil away from the Cornelia and Fandral and to the counter.  He could feel the set of eyes boring into him.

-

"Phil, talk to me, your heart rate spiked," Natasha said, eyeing the screen.

There was quiet for far too long and Natasha fingered the disk, but waited.  "Sorry, Fandral has a girlfriend, she seemed to recognize me."

"Are you okay?" Natasha asked.

"I'm good. Bruce got me out of there."

"Bruce?" Natasha asked.

"The cursed one?" Fury asked and Natasha caught sight of Thor turning to look at her out of the corner of her eye.

"Yeah," Phil answered.  "We're okay for now."

Natasha sighed.  "Good."  She turned to look at Thor.  "You find it?"

"Vilmar Hall," Thor answered.  "Is everything alright with Phil?"

Natasha nodded.  "Fandral has a girlfriend.  Phil thought she might have recognized him.  Bruce showed up and diffused the situation."

"What's the cursed one doing in Slovakia?" Fury asked from his seat.

"I have no idea, but I'm glad he's there," Natasha said, tapping the line.  "Rhodey, are things okay with you?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Rhodey said.  "Getting some readings on Hogun, since he's the waiter. I'm asking a lot of questions."

"The more data the better," Natasha said.  "Let me know if you need anything."

"Will do."  Rhodey stated.

Natasha switched to Tony's channel.  "Tony? We've got the information."

There wasn't an answer.

"Tony?" Natasha asked again.  She glanced at his vitals, everything seemed normal.  She turned and looked at Wanda.  "Do you think you can get the audio without him activating the mic?"

"I can try," Wanda said, stepping up to help her

Natasha stilled, letting Wanda step up behind her.  She needed to know what was going on, before she went in, especially with Phil still in danger.

-

"Well, hello there," Clint said as we watched a blonde woman in a tiny green bikini top with a gold chain strings and a skirt that barely covered her ass stepped onto the patio.  Clint narrowed his eyes.

He glanced back at Rhodey.  [Do I want to know?]

[Take] S-E-L-F-I-E, Clint signed and finger-spelled to Rhodey.  [Watchdog, blond]

He watched as Rhodey pulled his phone out and positioned himself to snap a few selfies.  Once the phone was back in Rhodey's pocket.

[Get her?]

Rhodey nodded.  [How bad?]

[Big trouble, let] N-A-T [know], Clint said, reaching up for his own comm.  "Steve, watchdog is here."  He made sure to be looking at the blonde and knowing that Steve would pick her up as she hugged Hogun.

Be careful, scrolled across the bottom of his lenses. Bruce in Slovakia

Clint grinned at the warning and then frowned.  Glancing back at Rhodey when the other man waved his hand to get Clint's attention.

[Tony not replying]

"Steve, Tony's not answering his comms," Clint said.

Spider moving in, scrolled across the lenses.

He was about to relay the message, but Rhodey visibly sighed.  Steve must have sent the message to Rhodey as well.  

[Wants us to go], Rhodey signed.  [Trouble elsewhere]

[Too dangerous, draw attention]

Rhodey nodded and undoubtedly relayed that assessment to Natasha.  Right now, they were flying under the radar and Clint was fairly certain he could handle the blonde.

-

"I don't think I've seen you around here before," a red-head said, sliding across the table from Tony.  

"Because it's my first time," Tony admitted. There was something enchanting about her.

"Really?" the woman said.  "What brings you here?"

Tony knew he was supposed to come up with a lie, but he wanted to tell her the truth.  He wanted to tell her everything.  "For them."  He gestured to the football team.

"Football fan?" the woman asked.

"My best friend is," Tony said, smiling.

"I'm Laura," the woman said, extending her hand.

He took it.  "Tony."

"Are you speaking to someone, Tony?" Laura asked.  "Another woman, perhaps?"

"Yeah, but she's just a friend."

"If you wish to please me, you'll have no other women, besides me. And you do wish to please me, don't you?"

Tony reached up and pulled the headset off, setting it on the table.  Laura, beautiful, amazing Laura graced him with a pleased smile.

"Come Tony," she said, holding out her hand.  "Tell me what you can offer to please me."

"I have money," Tony said, taking her hand and helping her up.  "Lots of money."

"Excellent," Laura said, guiding him away from the table and the bluetooth. "I assume you can gain access to this money."

"Of course," Tony agreed, before wrinkling his nose as he suddenly caught a whiff of something.  He glanced back at Laura and started to pull away.  Something wasn't right.

"Tony, where do you think you're going," Laura stated.

There was something compelling about her voice and he leaned forward again, but no that wasn't right.  His head was beginning to ache as Laura talked to him. What she said, sounded so right, but the smell, there was something to that smell that urged him to resist.  It was that realization that was his last as his world went black.

-

Phil waited until they were seated near a large mirror that Phil could track Fandral and Cornelia without really looking at them.  "What are you doing here?"

"Saving you," Bruce answered, taking a sip of his tea.

"You think I've been made?"

Bruce nodded.  "You've been hanging around the Slayer for a couple of months now.  I think they know you too."

Phil sighed, but he smiled back at his roommate.  "I thought you were…"  

"Some of them have moved back, so I can be around my own kind again. I'm hoping to start taking classes again in the Fall," Bruce said with a shrug.

"So you're not curse free?"

Bruce shook his head.  "No, not by a longshot. In better control, which is why they sent me."

"They?" Phil asked. "The Asgardians Hawkeye knows?"

"Hillfolk," Bruce answered.  "And yeah."

"Could you pass along my condolences to them.  I know they were closer to Hawkeye than I was."

Bruce stared at him.  "Cap, you get that?"

Phil stared at him, realizing that Bruce was also wired into a comm.  

"Hawkeye's alive," Bruce said.

"He hasn't been answering my emails," Phil said softly.

Bruce hesitated.  "He's been busy and… someone betrayed him.  He's not sure who, but he needs to handle that first."

"Fury thinks he's dead." Phil started to explain.

"Probably, because he's not 100% sure about Fury," Bruce said.

Phil nodded.  "Should we stop trusting him?"

Bruce shook his head. "Phil, trust me, Hawkeye has a lot on his plate right now."

Phil started to reply when suddenly Bruce slipped from the booth, growing, and turning green as he moved.  Phil's eyes widened and he quickly thumbed the comm to Natasha.  "We have a big green situation."

-

"Natasha wait!" Wanda yelled as she was about to break the token to go to Oklahoma.  "Phil has a big situation."

"Shit!" Natasha growled and looked at Thor.  "I need one of you too…"

There was a pop of air and a woman in red and black appeared with an unconscious Tony slung over her shoulder.  She glanced around.  "Wasn't expecting this."

"Who the hell are you?" Natasha said, realizing that she was also held a demonic presence.

"Easy Slayer," she replied, setting Tony down.  "He got mind-whammied and when I tried to break her hold, he passed out."

"Whose hold?" Thor asked, rising to his feet.

She paused, head tilting.  "I'm on it, Cap."   She glanced around them.  "Got a lift to Slovakia or am making my own way?"

"Why should we help you?" Natasha asked.  "We don't even know who you are!”

"We're cleaning up your mess," the woman said, before turning.  "This is basically a gateroom, so…"   She made her way over to a doorway and pounded on it.

Natasha felt her jaw drop as a door suddenly appeared, the woman gave them a smirk over her shoulder and disappeared.  

Natasha turned to look at Wanda.  "What just happened?"

"She made a gate, just like that…" Wanda said, staring at the doorway.  "She shouldn't have been able to do that…"

"Do I go?" Natasha asked, unsure of what to do.

Tony groaned and Natasha glanced down at him, before going to check on him.

-

The fight between Bruce's cursed self and Cornelia had moved out into the streets.  She was throwing spells that seemed to bounce off of him or just make him angrier until he broke them. The Slovakians were fleeing from them and Phil absently wondered what they would make of this.

Phil searched the crowds for Fandral, maybe he could get them away.

"Phil, you got more incoming," Wanda said.

"What do you mean?" Phil asked.

"Someone just showed up here and it sounded like she was heading your way."

"Where's Natasha?"

"Checking on Tony, do you need her."

Phil hesitated, remembering their own arguments about Bruce.  "I don't know."

"Duck, Coulson!" someone yelled and Phil dropped, feeling the air flow over his head.  "Roll!"

Phil rolled, turning to find Fandral behind him with a broadsword.  Fandral moved to attack him again, but suddenly there was a blond in white and dark purple between them.  She blocked the attack with a bo-staff.  

"Activate your spell, we got this," she yelled.

Phil hesitated, before snapping the charm and teleporting to Thor's. He slumped to the floor.

"Phil?" Natasha questioned.

"I didn't get any readings," Phil said, looking up.

"It's okay," Natasha said.  "We'll come up with a new plan. Has Rhodey left yet?"

"No," Wanda answered.

Phil pushed himself up and looked at her.  "Do we need to go?"

"His vitals are normal," Wanda said.

-

[Phonecall] Clint signed when he spotted the blonde getting a phone call.  Her manner changed from carefree to serious in a matter of seconds.  Clint's eyes narrowed as he tried to read her lips, but she was moving around too much for him to get an accurate reading.

[Trouble?] Rhodey asked.

Clint nodded.  "Darcy ring Rhodey's phone."

D-A-R-C-Y, Rhodey fingerspelled, giving him a curious look. Clint shook his head as Rhodey sighed, reaching for phone.

Rhodey started talking on the phone, before hanging up and signaling for Hogun to come over.  "I don't suppose we can get our dinners to go, a couple of our friends want us with them now, so we can watch the sunset.  Girls, man."

"Sure," Hogun agreed.  "I'll box them up.”

"Here's our card," Rhodey said, handing the card over.

Clint and Rhodey made conversation, signing to themselves until Hogun brought back them their food and Phil was able to sign the bill.  Together they stood and headed out.  Clint took his box.  "Go."

Rhodey nodded.  "Thanks."  Clint watched as he broke the charm and disappeared.  

Clint glanced back toward the restaurant, but ultimately turned to climb onto his change-horse.  He'd meet the others back at home.

-

"Hey," Rhodey said, when he reappeared, carrying a box.

"Thank goodness," Natasha said, going and hugging him.  

"Everyone's okay?" Rhodey asked, glancing around.

Natasha pulled away and nodded.  "Looks like."

"Should we go help them in Slovakia?" Phil asked.

"We need to know what happened," Natassha said, nodding.  She moved to grab a few weapons and toss them to Phil, who caught them.  "Rhodey?"

She glanced back to find Rhodey checking on Tony and helping him to sit up.  "Rhodey, you coming with us?"

"I agreed to recon, not a fight," Rhodey said.  "I'm not really trained for it."

"Right," Natasha nodded.  "We have any more charms, Wanda?"  She glanced at Wanda to find her staring in the other opposite direction. Natasha turned to find a man in blue leather armor that there with someone slung over his shoulder.

Tony murmured something that sounded like 'Dorito,' but that didn't make sense.  

He wasn't a demon, that was for sure, but he wasn't entirely human. Natasha didn't know what he was.

"There's one of the Warriors," the armored man said, setting him down and Natasha blinked surprised to find Fandral lying there.

"And his guardian?" Natasha asked.

"She has information we want."

"Who's we?"

The armored man grinned.  "My team and I."  Blue eyes swept the room.

"Who are you?" Natasha asked.  "Are you an ally?"

The man smirked at her.

"I need information from them," Thor said, stepping up.

"Then pick up your hammer and go after the other two," the armored man said.

"You," Fury said, an almost reverent tone to his voice. "How?"

"If you want that story, find out who betrayed Hawkeye," the armored man stated, heading for the door.  He paused as he stood next to Natasha.

"Keep training, and if you get in over your head, let us know," He took her hand and pressed something into it, before striding out of the building.  

She looked at the others,  "Who the hell was that?"

"The missing Slayer," Thor murmured. "Hawkeye succeeded in a way that I never expected him too."

Natasha stared at him, because that was definitely a man.  "Aren't Slayers supposed to be women?"

"Frigga used her power and Odin's," Thor said.  "Two slayers."

Natasha glanced at him.  "Then where the hell has he been?"

"He was captured and the male power was diminished," Fury explained.

Natasha stared at them before shaking her head.

"Tasha," Phil said, softly.  "It's late, let's get some sleep.  We'll figure it all out tomorrow, later today, after some sleep."

Natasha glanced around, before nodding.  Tony was woozy leaning into Rhodey, Phil looked shaken up and she nodded.  "Yeah."

Thor went to one of the doorways and drew a symbol over it.  When he opened the door, it led not to the usual practice room, but to a room with beds.  "There, you do not have to make your way across campus and back tomorrow."

"Thank you," Natasha said, stepping into it.

"There is a door that will lead to a bathing room as well," Thor added.

Natasha nodded, watching as the others followed her in.  Rhodey helped to get Tony settled, before getting ready.  She shook her head, there was too much information to process.  She glanced back out the doorway to see Thor carrying Fandral into another room.  She settled on the bed, wrapping her arms around her legs as she tried to make sense of everything. She glanced at her hand to find a simple necklace of an arrow in her hand.

-

"Coffee," Rhodey announced upon entering.  He carried a large carrier in each hand.  "I didn't know what everyone wanted.  Well, beyond Tony, so there's a bunch of cream and sugar in there."

"Coffee," Tony said, making gimme hands from where he was looking over the data. Rhodey handed over his cup and Tony immediately took it and went back to work.

The entry room had changed again to allow for a large table, which they all sat around.  Natasha had been surprised to see it when she'd woken, but was glad it was there, it would make the conversation easier.  The chairs around it were comfortable and Natasha was grateful to sink into them earlier.

"We'd wondered where you were," Phil noted, picking at the breakfast that Thor had provided.  Natasha had her own plate that she was working on.

Natasha gestured toward the computer.  "Maybe you can get Tony away from that thing."

Tony's middle finger rose up.

"Everyone's here again," Thor noted as he took a seat next to Thor

Natasha nodded, confirming as she glanced around the room.  Wanda and was seated near the computers and was giving advice.  Fury and Melinda were across the table from them and it evened out when Rhodey took a seat next to her.

"Should we get started then?" Fury asked.

"If everyone's ready?" Natasha asked, glancing around for confirmation.  There weren't any objections.

"I'm not quite ready," Tony said. "But if there's something else you want to start with…"

Natasha nodded. "The male Slayer, who is he?"

"And how exactly is Hawkeye involved in this?" Phil added.

"The power of the Slayer was created to defend this world from those from other realms who would do it harm," Thor explained.  "A millenia ago the male Slayer disappeared.  He was kept alive through magic. I know not how, but, without the death, the power could not move onto to the next potential."

"Which is why you told us we need to be prepared to kill Natasha," Phil said, looking down at the food.

"What?" Rhodey asked, looking at them.

"It can't be allowed to happen again," Melinda asked. "All the male powers that were good and true were reduced.  It allowed them to become corrupted, turned against their true natures."

Natasha nodded.  "And why was I never told about this?"

"At some point, it was decreed that none should talk about it," Thor replied. "A geas was placed upon all of us.  He could not mention it, but we could confirm it. With his re-awakaning, it's lessened."

"So, he was the one that was lost?" Natasha asked.

"I believe so," Thor said.

"And Hawkeye?" Phil asked.  "Bruce said he was alive."

"He figured it out," Fury said.  "Made a trade for the story. To not fulfill a bargain, to not tell a story, there are some things even a geas can't prevent."  Fury sighed.  "I know not what he did or how he did it, but the trade was for him to attempt the rescue."

"We knew he'd succeeded in restarting the cycle," Thor said.  "I felt the release of power as did many others."

"I underestimated him, I assumed death."

"It was a suicide mission, but he survived it."

"I have no tales to tell of how for he hasn't shared them," Fury said.

"It did sound like he was betrayed," Melinda asked.  "That's what he tasked you with, Fury, find the traitor."

Fury looked over at him. "Except I have no idea who Hawkeye went to with the information or what happened."

Natasha sighed.  "Fair enough.  So the other slayer has a team, which included Banner, and Hawkeye, which I'm frankly surprised about.  He wasn't exactly a team player."

"The male Slayer comes from a time when Asgard and the Slayers were allies," Melinda stated.  "Just as Hawkeye has been allies with the Hillfolk."

"So if I had questioned the Watchers sooner, we might have been allies?" Natasha asked.

"Stabbing him probably didn't help," Phil pointed out.

"What?" Tony and Rhodey yelled.

"You stabbed him!?" Rhodey asked.  "Why would you do that?"

"Because I thought he was protecting a bunch of demons.  I was wrong and owe him an apology."

Rhodey shook his head, muttering to himself as he looked at the table.  Natasha stared at him, before looking back.  "So Banner, Hawkeye, and the dark-haired woman in red and black."

"And another woman blonde, was wearing white and purple or maybe it was a dark blue," Phil shook his head.  "But there was definitely a blonde woman in Slovakia."

She nodded.  "So four others."

"I'm ready to go," Tony said, glancing up.

"Alright, go ahead," Natasha said.

Tony hit a few keys and there was flat picture of what looked to be a restaurant and Rhodey’s face.

“What is this?” Thor asked.

“I realized I had no way of figuring out who or what the guard dog was,” Rhodey explained. “So I took a few selfies to get a some pictures of the crowd.”

Natasha scanned the crowd at the restaurant where Hogun worked. No one appeared to be out of place or looked like anything other than a tourist.

“Tony,” Thor said, leaning into the image. “Can you narrow in on this woman in the green bikini.”

“There’s only so much I can do,” Tony says and the image focused on the woman in question.

“Do you know her?” Phil asked.

“I do,” Thor said. “That is Amora the Enchantress.” He frowned and looked at Tony. “How did the woman gain control over you?”

Tony shrugged. “I’m not sure, she just came over and started talking to me.”

“Lorelei,” Thor stated. “Amora’s younger sister, she is able to hypnotize a man with her voice.”

“Any man?” Phil asked. “Or a man that’s interested in an woman?”

“Any man that can hear her, I do not know if you would be affected or not.”

Phil nodded.

“So you can tell us about them?” Natasha asked.

“I can and will work on preparing what I know of them,” Thor agreed.

“Wait, what about the third one?” Tony asked.

Fury shook his head. “The other Slayer has her, only a threat if she gets away from them, which I don’t know if it is a problem.”

“Though if Thor has any ideas?” Melinda asked.

Thor shook his head. “I’m not sure. I will think on this as well.”

“Alright, do we have any information about the Warriors,” Natasha asked, looking over at Tony.

“We sure do,” Tony said. Suddenly there was a model of both Hogun and Fandral that was slowly rotating.  Fandral's was more detailed, but Hogun's was pretty complete.  "So it's running a couple scans and Fandral's is updating as it go through as many magic scans that Wanda and Thor can think to put it through.  Thor went in and talked to Fandral earlier."

Natasha looked over at Thor.  "What happened?"

"Fandral does not remember me at all," Thor stated.  "He doesn't remember Asgard, Hogun, Volstagg, or Sif."

"So his memories have been tampered with?" Phil asked.

"Not just tampered, but have what makes him Asgard.  He is missing a vital component of himself," Thor said.

"It has to still exist," Fury stated.  "It would take a lot of power to destroy that and keep Fandral alive."

Thor and Melinda nodded their agreement.

"So it has to be out there and we need to find it," Natasha stated, scratching the side of her head.  "Any idea of what it looks like?"

"Uh…" Tony groaned.  "I think I have an idea."  

A few keystrokes later and the image was definitely Fandral, but only the outline of himself.  Natasha peered a little closer at it. "What am I looking at Tony?"

"Fandral's… soul for lack of a better word.  Here's Thor for comparison, that's full Asgardian glory."

"You scanned me?" Thor rumbled.

"Needed to figure out the differences," Tony replied. "So what do we notice right away?"

"Modern wear," Phil stated.

"No… glow, gleam," Rhodey suggested.

"It looks like he's missing something," Melinda said, standing to peer in.  "Here.  Can you remove the outside?"

Tony looked at Wanda, who gestured and it fell away.

Natasha tilted her head.  "That looks like a sword."

"No." Thor's voice was confident.  "Fandral was fond of a rapier, that is a rapier.  His chosen weapon."

"He was using a broadsword in the fight," Phil said.  "A lot thicker."

"He was fighting?" Thor asked, looking at him.

Phil nodded.  "The blond had to save me from him."

"If both Amora and Lorelei have the ability to affect minds," Fury suggested.  "With parts of their soul missing..."

Thor nodded. "It's likely the third one can as well and they're all under control of their guards."

"Which allows the guards to use their captives as shields to protect them," Melinda said.

Natasha rubbed at her her forehead and shook her head. She wondered if she needed to figure out how to contact the other Slayer and give him this information. "This is complicated." 

"Agreed," Thor stated.

"So, was Hogun's preferred weapons mace?" Tony asked.

Thor looked over at him.  "Yes."

A third image and fourth image appeared.  One of Hogun that looked more like Fandral and Thor and a mace.  Tony leaned back in his chair.  "Seem he's missing a mace sized piece.  Anyone want to take any bets on what Volstagg is missing?"

"His chosen weapon," Natasha said, standing up.  "So now the question is, where are they?"

"I'll start searching for them," Fury stated.  If we can find one, the others will be easier."

"And you'll continue looking for Sif," Thor reminded him.

Fury nodded.  "Of course."

Natasha leaned back, eying the differences and cataloguing them. They were going to be busy.  She glanced at Rhodey and hoped that he'd be able to handle things.  Maybe if he worked out, Pepper and Clint might also make decent allies.

-

The Soldier strode through the throne room.  He gave the two sister witches a look of contempt as they shuffled out.  Their display had been disgraceful.  One hadn't even realized that she had an ally of the Slayer in her palm until after he'd escaped and the other hadn't even realized that they'd been there.

His master glared at him, full of rage at having lost a Warrior and a Witch.  "What have you found my soldier?"

"The library is empty.  The Watcher knows nothing," he stated.  The bald man had been weak, though the Soldier had left him unharmed and alive. The Head Watcher preferred this one and for now his Master did not wish for him to die.

"Does she no longer trust the Watcher?" his Master asked.

The soldier shook his head.  "Contact was made with the Disgraced One. My battle with the Slayer stumbled upon the Disgraced One's territory."

"Do you think they've allied with one another?"

The Soldier hesitated, because he knew his master would not approve of the answer.  There was no way it could go unanswered though.  "It's possible,"

"Possible?!" His master yelled, magic knocking him off his feat.  The soldier did not attempt to leave and accepted his punishment for his failure.  He should have been more careful.