A/N: Well, most of you guys were pretty happy about the Fantastic Four being introduced, and a couple of you were not. That's okay by me, because I honestly thought you guys were going to hate me and stop reading! I swear on my life that I will try and make them fit into the group as best as I can. And for those of you who have seen the movies, yes, we all know that Chris Evans plays both Johnny Storm and Steve Rogers in the films. So, just picture someone else as Johnny, or picture him as Mr. Evans if it amuses you. Anyways, here's the next chapter :D
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"Three thousand two hundred and thirty six... three thousand two hundred and thirty seven... three thousand two hundred and thirty eight..." I counted out loud.
I was currently sitting in a chair, my legs curled up underneath me and strands of my hair wrapped around my finger. I was counting out loud partly because I was dying of boredom, but also because I knew that it would annoy Loki. I kept glancing up at him as I counted higher, trying to see if he was pissed off yet.
"Three thousand two hundred and thirty nine..."
He just stood a few feet away from me, staring silently at the opposite wall.
"Three thousand two hundred and forty..."
And still he stared at the wall. I had been counting for the last hour and a half, and he still hadn't made any move to stop me, or even acknowledged the fact that I was being a little brat. But what could I say? He had kidnapped me from my family, and then expected me to sit here for God knows how long, doing absolutely nothing! If I was going to be stuck here for the next couple of days, I might as well get some entertainment out of it, right?
"Three thousand two hundred and forty one..." I started once again, but since he didn't even spare me a glance, I knew that I had to try something else. Taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth and started singing.
"I know a song that get's on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, yes on everybody's nerves," I began, singing in my most horrid voice possible. "I know a song that get's on everybody's nerves, and this is how it goes!"
Loki turned to me, raising a single black eyebrow. I smirked, and sang even louder.
"I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, yes on everybody's nerves! I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves and this is how it goes!"
With another glance at Loki, I could tell that it was working. He was glaring at me with those beautiful eyes of his, and it nearly made me start laughing. I simply settled for another smirk, and kept on singing.
"I know a song that gets-"
Without warning, the chair that I was sitting on shot out from under me, and I fell to the floor with a thump. I was confused, my frown making Loki chuckle. My eyes widened in realization, and I then glared accusingly at him. Loki smirked, and held up his hands.
"What would you have done in my position? That was the most horrid song my ears have ever had the misfortune to hear," He said with a slight grimace.
I continued glaring at him as I stood, and swiped some of the dirt off of my jeans from where I had fallen. Loki just raised an eyebrow at me, to which I stuck my tongue out at him. Yeah, yeah. Childish, but did I ever claim to be otherwise? Dear God, I was one of the most immature people that I knew... but you know what? I was okay with it!
"I know that it was annoying, that's the reason why I started singing it in the first place... But you're still a mean person for doing that. And I suppose for trying to take over the world. And kidnapping me. And-"
"Yes, I do believe that I got the point," Loki drawled, staring at me with an expression that made my heart melt.
Wait.
I couldn't be thinking those types of things anymore... I mean, I was in the process of getting over Loki before he magically appeared on the Helicarrier and kidnapped me from my friends and family.
And you know what? I was actually able to be happy without him. I had gone out for drinks with Natasha, had successfully completed a difficult mission, and was able to joke around with my fellow teammates, all without Loki. I had known that I was never going to see Loki again, and I was starting to accept that.
And then this bastard over here decides that he wants to break out of prison and come to Earth to get revenge, not to mention steal me away in the process.
Maybe I really was better off without him, because every time he showed up, my life went to hell. I mean, seriously? Why couldn't I fall for a normal guy who wasn't trying to enslave the human race, and didn't want all of my friends dead? Maybe I should go on one of those dating sites or something, anything to get my mind away from Loki.
But then he had to go and be so damn cute and melt my heart with every word that he spoke. I was close to getting over him before, but would I be able to now that he had shown up again? Would I want to? Would my team even be able to find me?
I sighed, my head about to explode from all of the stray thoughts running through my head.
"What are you thinking, Samantha?" Loki asked, concern written on his face.
And there he goes again.
My heart = melted.
I groaned, and covered my face with both of my hands, purposely not looking up at the man standing in front of me. Why did he have to be like that? I uncovered my face, looking up at him with a question in my eyes.
"Why are you so sweet to me?" I asked, desperately needing an answer.
Loki tilted his head at me, and raised an eyebrow.
"And why should I not be?" He shot back at me.
I scoffed.
"I don't know... because we're on opposite sides of the war, because I'm your prisoner, because... well because there are tons of reasons why you shouldn't be this nice to me. I mean, I know that you have feelings for me, but-"
Loki cut me off.
"You say that as if you do not share those feelings. Have you lost all affection for me? Or does your heart still feel something of what it once did?" He asked, successfully making me frustrated.
Did I still have any feelings for him?
Well, I mean, he-
No. I was going to be completely honest with myself.
I, Samantha Anne Barton, still had feelings for the God of Mischief.
Frowning to myself, I realized that it was true. More than true. But damn it, I didn't want it to be true! I mean, this was the man that almost got me killed a few months ago! The man who had caused massive destruction to New York city with his stupid army.
"Fuck you..." I muttered, before crossing my arms with a huff. Loki seemed to look satisfied with my words, obviously knowing why I had cursed at him.
I sighed, and sat down on the floor, wondering how my life got here. Once upon a time I was a normal little girl with an older brother and a loving mother and father. Then the car crash happened, and we ended up in an orphanage. The S.H.I.E.L.D. got its slimy little hands on us, and my life changed forever.
Then Loki showed up, and everything changed once again. Why couldn't I have some stability to my life? Part of it comes with being an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., but the other part came from simple bad luck. Which I apparently had a lot of, because quite honestly, my life sucked.
Well, maybe it didn't suck too bad. I suppose it really only sucked when Loki randomly popped up. I rolled my eyes, and tried to think, to see just what it was about him that attracted me. I mean, of course he was a very handsome person, but it went beyond that. Whenever he smiled, I couldn't help but to feel like I needed to smile as well, and whenever I was around him, I felt complete somehow. Like it was meant to be.
Which was beyond stupid, but then again, I never claimed to be smart. In fact, I had to be exactly the opposite if I was dumb enough to fall for Loki.
I sighed, and hid my face in my knees.
What the hell had I gotten myself into?
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Meanwhile, On The Helicarrier...
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"The Fantastic Four?" Clint was the one to speak, his eyebrows raised in disbelief.
Fury clasped his hands behind his back, and nodded briskly at the six Avengers in front of him.
"We have contacted Dr. Reed Richards and informed him of our situation, and he has agreed to bring his team down to help locate Agent Barton and Loki," He spoke as he paced.
He looked over at Maria, who was still swiping away at her computer screen.
"What is Dr. Richard's ETA?" He asked.
"Thirty minutes out from headquarters, sir."
Fury turned back to the group, his eyebrows raised slightly.
"Think you can go that long without tearing the base apart?" He drawled, staring expectantly at the group of heroes.
They were silent, still shocked, and Fury took that as a confirmation, nodding to himself as he walked out of the room.
Clint blinked, still stunned about the turn of events. He'd take any help he could get if it got Samantha back, but the Fantastic Four?
This would be interesting.
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Sammie's POV
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There were no clocks on the walls inside of the warehouse, but I knew that at least two hours had passed since I had last spoken to Loki. And so I sat silently, staring at the wall in front of me.
There were so many things to think about, and yet, I didn't want to think about any of them. I wanted to close my eyes and just pretend that nothing had happened. My life was too complicated for intense pondering.
Maybe I'd take a nap.
I yawned at the thought, and ran a hand through my brown hair. I stretched out my arms, before lying down on the concrete floor beneath me. It wasn't exactly the most comfortable place in the world, but as there weren't any other options, this would have to do.
My eyes slowly shut, and I drifted off to sleep.
My dreams usually didn't make any sense to me; they were mostly colors and sounds, faces of those that I loved, and emotions that were often hidden until that point in time. Of course, I had nightmares like normal people did, perhaps more so after the Battle of New York, but nothing that ever made sense to me.
And so, I was dreaming about Clint and Loki when a sudden noise startled me awake. I shot off of the floor, my hand automatically taking my gun out of its holster and pointing it towards whatever had caused the noise.
As my eyes focused, I saw that there was a huge hole in the side of the warehouse wall, and the blinding light that streamed through made it almost impossible to see what was just outside. And then, of course, it was quite easy to see what it was when it flew into building in a flash of red and gold.
I lowered my gun, and groaned.
"Damn it Tony, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" I complained, but he was silent, his sight trained on something else.
Loki.
Oh, right, forgot about him for a second there.
Tony had his gauntlets trained on Loki, who automatically switched to his battle armor in that weird magical way of his. Well, apparently Loki didn't need his staff to use magic, because the next thing I knew, he shot some beam of glowing green light at Tony, which he barely dodged.
Tony shot back at Loki, but the blow was easily deflected by magic. I glanced back and forth between the two of them as the routine continued, not quite knowing what to do. So of course, when I don't know what to do, I just stand there awkwardly.
"Umm, can you guys stop? Or... something?" I pleaded with them. But knowing their history, knowing that they both hated each other with a passion, I knew it was useless.
And I was right, as the two of them continued to shoot at each other and tear up the whole warehouse. I was just about ready to tear my hair out from frustration when I heard the familiar sound of a quinjet just outside, confirming my suspicions that I was being rescued.
I headed towards the hole in the wall as fast as I could without accidentally being blown up by Tony or Loki (who were still going at each other), but the warehouse was rather large, and I was still way across the building from the opening. Several figures appeared in the makeshift doorway right then, and I recognized one of them immediately.
"Clint!" I shouted, wondering if he would be able to hear me through all the noise that the fighting was making. But he heard, and his whole body relaxed as soon as he saw me, showing how worried he had been.
It was then that I noticed the other people in the doorway, and there were only three people that I recognized: Natasha, Steve, and Thor. There were four others in the doorway though, four people who I had never met before, but knew very well who they were.
"Oh my God,"
I froze, my eyes wide at the sight of the Fantastic Four. The Fantastic Four. One of the most famous superhero teams in the whole world, was currently standing in the doorway of the warehouse to rescue me. Well, to take down Loki as well, but still, to rescue me! I guess that I was part of an equally famous superhero team, but they were the Fantastic Four!
My blue eyes took in the four figures: Mr. Fantastic; The Invisible Woman; The Human Torch; and the Thing, who were talking quietly to each other and probably figuring out what the heck to do with Tony and Loki brawling like they were.
I quickly shook myself out of my fangirl-ish moment, and turned back to the battle. I frowned, and put my hands on my hips, not knowing what to do. The others were obviously having the same dilemma, because Tony and Loki were leaving no openings for another to join in the fight.
So I just sighed, and started walking toward Tony and Loki. I knew that they both cared about me more than they hated each other, so I was in no danger. I kept walking until I found my opening, and sprinted right in front of Loki, successfully stopping Tony from sending off another attack.
Loki paused, and stared at me with one of those dang looks of his, before glancing back up at Tony, who had lowered his gauntlets.
"Sammie, what the hell are you doing?" Tony's voice came through his suit.
I simply shrugged, but before I could say anything, a flash of red and silver whistled by me, and knocked Loki to the floor. I raised my eyebrows, and looked down to see Thor pinning Loki to the ground. I quickly took a few steps back, standing beside Tony.
The others took the opening, and soon enough they were by our side as well. I beamed and turned to Clint, throwing my arms around him. He held me close to him, and let out a deep breath.
"Thanks, Birdy," I joked, smiling into his shoulder. He grinned, and nodded.
"Anytime, Sammie."
I let go of him and turned toward Loki. He was still pinned under Thor, but I just looked at him with a smile.
"I'm seriously trying hard to suppress the urge to say 'I told you so'. Because, really? I did tell you that they'd find this place," I said.
Loki didn't say anything, but alternated between glaring at Thor and staring at me. Finally, he settled on simply closing his eyes, and staying completely still.
Now it was my turn to frown, as I didn't know what the heck he was going to do. He was going to do something, that much I knew. I mean, since when was he just going to stop?
And (of course) I was right, as green mist began to swirl around Loki's figure, appearing out of nowhere. I frowned, knowing what this was, having experienced it before. I quickly looked to Thor, who was staring at his brother with a strange expression.
"Um, he's g-"
But I was cut off before I could finish my sentence, as Loki vanished with a dramatic gust of air that swept through the warehouse, making my brown hair fly into the corner of my eyes. I frowned, and glanced over at everyone else.
Thor and Tony looked to be a shade of red that easily matched a tomato, though they were upset for different reasons. Clint seemed annoyed, but his demeanor showed that he was just relieved to see me. Nat was acting the same as before, and Steve made his way silently to my side.
He rested a gentle hand on my shoulder, giving me one of his overly concerned looks.
"Are you alright, Samantha?" He asked.
I couldn't help but grin, and I quickly pulled him into a hug.
"You know you missed me, Steve."
When I pulled away from the Captain, he had turned a brilliant shade of red. I held in a chuckle, and swore silently to myself that I would find him someone who could desensitize his old fashioned manners.
When my inner ramblings had finally quieted down, my eyes wandered over to the four figures standing a few feet back from the rest of us, staring at the scene in front of them with varying expressions.
As my eyes took in the sight before me, I couldn't help but to let out a laugh. How had my life gotten here? I mean, it'd never been normal, but to have the Fantastic Four only a few feet away was a completely different level.
But then again, I was a member of the Avengers, the team that saved the world from an angry God and an army of aliens.
Whatever the case was, it was stilling pretty flipping awesome.
"Director Fury, this is Agent Romanoff. We've recovered Agent Barton, but Loki has disappeared."
I heard Natasha radio in the information to Fury, and knew that Loki's dramatic escape would only cause more problems for the rest of the team, as we'd probably be tasked with trying to find him again.
And then there was the possibility that Loki was working with someone else, and from the instant tightening in my gut, I knew that whoever it was not a person I really wanted to meet. It was quite ironic, really, that even after I was rescued, I didn't feel any more at ease than when I had been with Loki.
The was more to come, that I knew for certain. But what? It couldn't possibly be worse than an army of aliens, but at the same time, I didn't really feel like jinxing it. My luck was bad enough that I didn't need any more complications.
"Birdy?"
I turned toward Clint with a small smile on my lips.
"Yeah, Sammie?" He glanced over at me.
"I sure know how to pick 'em, don't I?"
He shot me a look, before shaking his head.
"Only you, Samantha. Only you."
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A/N: The next chapter will have a lot more of the Fantastic Four in it, as we'll have introductions and see which characters get along with which. Any predictions? ;D