Ave Maria

Twenty One

(A/N Before, you jump on in. If you read this, I just wanted to thank each and everyone of you for following me, and supporting me on this. Yes, its over. This is the finale. My wifi broke down so uploading it was a challange, but I'm back and here it is. Please vote and leave you opinion on the ending. I love you guys so much!)

Chapter 21

"Where is she?" Thor demanded, striding into the lab with Mjolnir clutched tightly in his hand, his voice echoing like the thunder he controlled.

Maria was gone.

He'd returned to her room, expecting to find her there, either still asleep or waiting for him – it'd been neither, the room completely empty of human presence. At that point, he hadn't been that bothered, still certain he'd find her. The bed had been made and her folded night clothes on the pillow told him she had been well enough to rise and dress of her own accord, that no foul play had contributed to her absence.

He'd checked his room next, in case she'd gone searching for him. Nothing. Running on the same 'Maria might be looking for him' string had led him to the training facilities next, then the meeting rooms, then the front control centre of the vessel.

Nothing.

Maria had been nowhere to be found.

Then Thor had started getting anxious, knowing full well he should have found her by then, if not just glimpsing her from his long stalking of the corridors.

The lab had been his last hope before he'd surrendered to his absolute irritation, Marias significant lack of presence playing on his impatient temper. He wasn't mad at Maria herself, he was simply mad. Perhaps he still had Loki's taunts echoing in his mind: she will abandon you, his brother had said. It hadn't even been a day and yet his brothers words were starting to look painfully accurate. He'd just been cursing S.H.I.E.L.D's ludicrous lack of security, thinking they ought to keep better track of someone as vital as Maria was, when he strode into the Maria-less laboratory of superheroes, teeth gritted with enraged frustration.

All eyes flew to Stark instantly, knowing that he was the only one brave - or stupid - enough not to even remotely fear the God in this agitated, hammer wielding state. "Alright Thunder Boy." Stark calmly greeted, his face retaining a stiff blankness that Thor only found more infuriating. "Quite the storm last night; sounded like someone got a little something in the bedroom-"

Thor closed the gap in a few short strides, almost nose to nose with Stark as he glared at the genius. "My patience is already on a tether, mortal. I am in no mood for your games." He growled. "Where is Maria?"

Stark ran his eyes up and down the god's dangerous form, Thor noted, uncaringly. "How should I know?" he shrugged. "You're the one who bedded her, not me. Sure you didn't bolt her back down to Earth, or teleport her off to some alien world or something?"

Mjolnir instinctively rose a few inches before Thor stopped himself, the muscles in his arm trembling from the effort. He clamped his jaw down tightly, not trusting himself to speak yet as he collected his thoughts, trying to scrape back some of his rationality. He was a lot better at that when Maria was around to help him.

Finally, he shuddered out a relatively anger-free breath. Well, anger-free enough not to have hit Stark yet.

"I have warned you before about speaking so disrespectfully about Maria, and do not like having to repeat myself." He half snarled at Stark, clinging to his patience. "Secondly, what occurs between Maria and myself in private is none of your concern and I do not appreciate you talking about her in such a lowly, degrading form. Thirdly," his hand was trembling again. "Tell me where she is or I shall destroy every last one of these monitors until you do."