The Prince and the Sol

Chapter 21

STEVE'S POV

"Nat, stop!" I grab her arm to restrain her. She struggles against me, but I have twice her strength. She doesn't stand a chance.

"No," she snarls. "I want to punch him in his billion-dollar face."

"That's a bit much, Romanoff," Tony says, smiling snarkily. "I bet you'd like to-" He doesn't get to finish his sentence because Loki's fist interrupts it. "Ow," he mutters.

"I don't regret it," Loki says in a cool voice.

"Hey, what'd I miss?" A voice asks, one I haven't heard in years. Clint takes in the scene: Tony holding his already bruising cheek, Loki glaring at him, me restraining Natasha, Bruce trying not to Hulk out in the corner, Thor drinking on the couch, Scott trying to decide if he should get involved, and Rocket and Nebula just watching. "I thought I was showing up for a meeting, not a brawl."

Everything got out of hand way too quickly. "It's a long story," I finally say.

"Well, I don't really want to hear about it. Where's Eliza? It's been too long." I look around and realize she is nowhere to be found. My blood runs cold.

"Where did she go?" I ask, hoping someone has the answer.

"I don't know. Did anyone see her leave?" Nat asks worriedly.

"No," Loki whispers. His green eyes widen with fear. "We need to find her."

"FRIDAY, where is she?" Tony asks. Guilt flashes across his face.

"Your lab, sir. Third floor." Loki automatically teleports in a flash of green, leaving the rest of us to scramble to the third floor.

Tony shoves the door open and bursts into the lab, Bruce and I close on his heels. I draw a sharp breath as I view the scene before us.

Loki is on his knees, cradling her unconscious body, whispering frantically in a different language. Blood drips from her hands. Shattered glass is everywhere. She must have thrown something. I'm by his side in a second, taking her pulse. I'm relieved to find one.

"Tony, what do we do?" I ask, concern in my voice. She's cold, much colder than she should be. I'm good in fights, not the aftermath. That's not what I was trained for.

"Let's get her to my lab, I have medical equipment there," Bruce says. I can see him struggling to stay calm for his sister's sake. Loki nods and leaves without saying anything. Over the counters, Tony and I exchange uneasy glances before moving towards the door.

"There's not going to be space for us all," Bruce says, looking around the large group amassed in front of his lab. "Nat, please explain to Clint what's going on." She nods. "Tony and Steve can come in, the rest of you can't."

Loki gently lays Eliza on a cot, the one Bruce uses when he sleeps in the lab, and starts to heal her hands, maintaining a poker face the entire time. She looks so small. I bite my cheek, knowing I'm going to be completely useless in here. In some ways, I'd rather wait outside. But I know I wouldn't have been able to sit helplessly outside. I brush a bit of hair out of her closed eyes.

Bruce and Tony keep muttering to each other, passing things back and forth, doing all of that scientific stuff I've never really been able to understand. "Is she going to be okay?" I ask. Her chest slowly rises and falls, the only indication that she's still here.

"Yeah, I think so," Bruce says, pushing his glasses up further. "FRIDAY, give me a scan. What's out of the ordinary?"

"Dr. Banner suffered a severe anxiety attack before losing consciousness. The attack was worse than a normal one due to her pregnancy. The baby is perfectly healthy, but her body temperature is unusually low."