Not long after waking up from my dream, I walked into the dining room in the penthouse. We were suppose to have a meeting during breakfast to make sure Loki and Steve knew everything they needed to. Dr. Banner was the only one sitting in the dining room with a newspaper in his hands.
"Morning." I spoke up first, announcing myself.
"Good morning," he responded, looking up to greet me. "You're up early."
"I've been sleeping for the past day, I think I've had enough for a while."
"Are you sure you're alright going back this soon? Some people take at least a week to recover from how much was in your system."
"Drugs have never played by the rules with me. Most of them don't work." I assured him, bringing my orange juice to my lips.
"Why not?"
"My metabolism works too fast for them. They can't keep up with it," I shrugged my shoulders. "It's a good advantage."
"Well, I was able to pick up a sample of the drug from your shirt." Dr. Banner started, folding the paper and setting it on the table in front of him.
"And?" I pressed.
"And I haven't been able to identify it yet. Tony and Jarvis are going to help out today while we're at the school."
"All I know is that it was a super version of chloroform," Then added as an afterthought. "If you find out what it is will you tell me the side effects?"
"Of course. Why?"
Before I could answer, more people began to enter the dining room. When they came, they brought the noise with them.
"I'm hungry." Clint muttered, rubbing his stomach.
"Well, if we're leaving at eight, then eat now." Natasha told him, sitting in a seat over from Dr. Banner.
Thor and Tony were mumbling about something that I couldn't catch most of. I gave up, not wanting to intrude on their conversation anyway. Logan came in quietly, the only one doing so.
"Where are the other two?" I questioned, noticing Steve and Loki's absence.
"Probably getting ready for their first day." Dr. Banner answered.
"It only seems like yesterday that our boys were just learning about Earth technology." Tony gushed, like a parent would about their child going to Pre-K.
"That was yesterday." Clint told him, wearing a smirk to match Tony's.
"Very funny." Steve said as he stood in the door.
He wore a simple white T-shirt and khaki pants with tennis shoes. He was still handsome and I found myself wondering if the girls would flirt with him.
Possibly.
"I figured that I should look casual, try to blend in." Steve shrugged, taking a seat.
"Good idea." I complemented.
"When is Reindeer Games going to get here?" Tony asked.
"You really need to stop calling me that." Loki said, answering Tony's question as he entered the room.
He was wearing a three piece suit. He looked like he was going to have dinner with the royal family. The corner of my mouth tugged upwards as I studied him.
Not bad. He looks really good. Except...
"Come here." I instructed, standing to meet him in the middle.
Unbuttoning his jacket, I began to explain.
"It's too hot outside for your jacket and it looks like the queen is waiting for you," I helped him pull off his jacket, setting it on the back on an empty chair before facing him again. "Stick out your arm."
After I unbuttoned the cuffs of his sleeves and rolled them up, I took a step back, admiring my work. He looked casual, but professional.
"Better?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Much. You look more like a teacher and less like a prince," I straightened his tie before my eyes found the clock on the wall. "We should head out. You two need to be at school well before most of the students get there."
"Agreed. We should go separately so no one gets suspicious." Dr. Banner commented as he stood up and grabbed his brief case.
"I'll leave first." I offered, already walking towards the door.
"Hold your horses." Logan spoke up, causing me to stop in my tracks.
Turning to meet Logan's eyes, I found that they were taking in what I was wearing. I looked down at my own outfit, but couldn't understand what was wrong with it. The red top hung off of one shoulder and my jeans had rips in some parts, but they were in good condition. My black boots stopped just under my knees, the color matching my leather jacket that protected my body from the wind when I rode my bike.
"Go change." Logan growled.
"Why?"
"Because I said."
"Well, why did you say?" I challenged, placing a hand on my hip.
Logan crossed his arms as he responded, "It's not appropriate."
I scoffed, not believing what I was hearing. Logan thought that my shoulder and a few strips of skin being exposed was scandalous? He should see the other girls who barely wear anything at all.
"If you think this is bad you should see Tiffany Groves."
"Who?" Thor questioned as he shot me a confused look.
"A girl who hates my guts and has been torturing me since freshman year," I smirked. "You can usually find her on her regular corner."
That being said, I turned on my heels and strolled out of the room. When I reached the elevator I could hear Tony's laughter booming through the walls.
**************
So far the day had gone smoothly, you know, except for the part where I had to tell Gwen why Steve and Loki were at our school. When she didn't question me being drugged by a strange man yesterday, she assured me that Logan had called her to keep her updated.
And as I predicted, the girls where making googly eyes at the two of them. Part of me wanted to laugh and the other wanted to smack the girls and yell at them for how idiotic they looked fawning over two men that were 95 years and older. Of course, they thought they were in their late 20's or early 30's.
What was so fun about the whole experience (note the sarcasm) is that I got to see it up close because Loki happened to be replacing my teacher. Grrreeat!
Loki was currently reading out of the textbook in front of him as we followed in our own. We had spent the first 15 minutes reviewing what Mr. Jacobs had taught us recently and many of the girls were enthused about French suddenly.
"Does anyone know what I said?" Loki asked, looking up from the book to be met with waving hands.
He surveyed the room before pointing to a girl in the front row.
"You, Miss..." Loki looked down at a paper on the desk. "Saunders."
The girl looked pleased that he got her name correct as she began to translate what Loki had read. Once she was finished she looked up at him through her eyelashes.
"Was that right, Mr. Montgomery?"
I had to fight back an eye roll, but it happened anyway as Loki told her she was correct. He caught my gesture and smirked to himself.
"Miss..." he pretended to read my last name off of the paper. "Howlett."
"Yes, Mr. Montgomery?" I mocked, him being the only one catching it.
"Que pensez-vous de cette classe?" he questioned in French.
(What do you think of this class?)
"Rivetage!" I replied sarcastically, causing him to chuckle.
(Riveting!)
"Vous ne semblez pas enthousiame." Loki walked around his desk and leaned against it, crossing his arms as he did so.
(You don't sound enthused.)
Taking a deep breath, I thought about how to respond. Shifting in my seat, I rested my elbows on my desk and rambled off my answer, explaining that I was only taking this class for credits and that I already knew fluent French because of my father's friends. I also mentioned that no one knew what we were saying and that most of them use google translator.
After I finished, I leaned back in my seat and smiled at him as he resisted from laughing. The corner of Loki's lips pulled up in a smirk as he turned back to the rest of the class.
"Does anyone know what Miss. Howlett said?"
No one raised their hand. They didn't know what just happened before them. We could have been planning to rob a bank and they would have no clue.
"Your homework assignment is on the board." Loki said, turning his back to write on the white board.
"What did you say to him?" A girl to my left asked, a few others listening in to hear what I did say to this new teacher.
"That I liked his tie." I lied, writing down the assignment in my notebook to do later.
The bell rang and before anyone else could question me I gathered my things and rushed into the hall. Soon, my phone buzzed somewhere behind the mess of papers, old tests, and gum wrappers that was my locker.
After putting in my combination and digging through the mess I found it underneath an old English essay. I answered it on its last ring.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Kat, it's Danny."
Daniel Capello was a 43 year old man who lived in New York his whole life. He claimed that his grandfather worked for the mafia during WWII and told me to keep that to myself. He also happens to own the garage I worked at.
"Danny Boy, how are you?" I questioned him as I replaced textbooks for others.
"Good, but I need ya to take a shift at the garage tonight." he sounded frantic.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, it's just-" he stopped as a sound vibrated in the background.
Danny started to yell at one of the guys that worked there in Italian as I grabbed my helmet and slammed my locker before heading to the back parking lot. I waited for Danny to come back as I slipped my jacket on while holding the helmet, my backpack, and cell phone. Don't ask how, I just did.
"Sorry, my nephew." Danny excused.
"It's alright. Tough day?"
"You have no clue. Look, can you work? I'll pay ya." he begged, making me laugh.
"Sure thing."
"You're a god-sent."
"I know." I laughed.
After I hung up I sent a text to Logan to let him that I'd be at work and tell him when I was on my way home.
Home? Was the Tower really home to me? The Bunker, of course, but the Tower? Maybe I was becoming attached to the extraordinary people that occupied the building.
My thoughts were torn away when I reached my bike to see a note taped to the seat.
Our little Kat is back in action, huh? Don't worry, we'll fix that soon.
-X
Do I know some whose name starts with X?
Nothing came to my mind and, despite the threatening note, I drove to Danny's garage. Yes, it was just the other day that I was drugged, but other people would be running around the garage so I wouldn't be alone. Not to mention that the garage usually closed before sunset.
This would be the part where I say what could go wrong, but I'm smarter than those people in horror movies.
Five hours later I was clad in a navy blue jumpsuit covered in grease with my hair in a ponytail to keep it out of the way. Grabbing a rag from my back pocket, I wiped the grease from my hands as best as I could.
Mr. Clark's engine was in the best condition I could get it. When he brought it in it would rattle whenever the car was turned on. It didn't take long to pull out the legos that were jammed in there.
Closing the hood of the car my eyes found the clock on the wall to see that it just about time to close up shop. After I returned Mr. Clark his keys and he paid the bill I was ready to jump on my bike and head for the Tower. Deciding to stay in the jumpsuit for the ride, I stuffed my leather jacket into my backpack as I headed to the front desk to tell Angelo goodnight.
The ride back to the Tower was quick one and I ended up going straight to the penthouse for dinner when my stomach growled. The note was still in the back of my mind as I entered the dining room and I weighed when I should show Logan.
He wouldn't let me out of his sight, but at the same time he should know. Let's see where the next couple of days lead and maybe, just maybe, I'll show it to him and the others.
"Hey, Kitty Kat. Wow, love the new look." Tony was the first to see me.
"Better than what you're wearing, Stark." I shot back, taking the seat in front of Logan and in between Loki and Steve.
"We were just asking the boys about their first day." Natasha spoke up before Tony could reply.
"Oh, yeah. How was it?" I questioned. "Any...trouble?"
"Yes, actually. There was such a know it all in my last class." Loki piped up.
He was smirking when I faced him.
"I sympathize with you. McKayla can be such a bother sometimes." I played off as I buttered a roll.
"Not Miss. Saunders."
"Mr. Montgomery," I fake a high pitched voice. "I can't believe you remembered her name. She would be so pleased and...honored."
Loki smirked as he replied, "Jealous?"
"Of what? Blonde hair and a voice that would put a mouse to shame? I think not," Before he could say anything else I turned to Steve. "How about you? Fending of the teenagers going well?"
"I was practically invisible to everyone." Steve answered.
"Not everyone." I muttered.
"What was that?"
"You were the main topic in the girls locker room and basically every bathroom I walked into."
"What did they say?" Natasha asked, wondering what teenage girls were saying about her teammate.
"They thought the whole blond hair, blue eyes thing really worked for him. One girl even said she could swim in them all day," I paused, trying to think of what else I caught today. "They also think Steve has a cute butt."
By this time Steve was as red as a tomato while the others laughed and snickered at what people thought of the Captain.
"Did you say anything to them?" Steve asked.
"How could I speak if I was laughing so hard?" I raised an eyebrow as my mouth held its grin.
No one could speak for a solid two minutes as they laughed so hard and smiled big enough to prevent them from doing so. Finally, they were able to get a hold of themselves and stop laughing.
Tony and Natasha were teasing Steve when my phone buzzed in my pocket. Taking it out, I saw that it was Gwen. I excused myself before walking around the corner to pick it up.
"Hey, Gwen." I answered.
"Hey, what's up?"
Just from her tone alone I could pick up the fear in it. She was in trouble and must have been around whoever was causing it.
"What's wrong?"
"I think I have a piece of gum stuck to my shoe."
"You're being followed?" I said, urgency taking over my body.
"Yes." her tone would sound calm to anyone who didn't know her.
"I'm on my way. Where are you?"
"Close to the pizzeria we go to."
"Gwen," I started, putting my bluetooth in my ear so could hear her as I took off my jumpsuit to reveal my catsuit that I usually wore under my clothes or kept near. "Stay in the restaurant and around big crowds, I'm on my way."
With Gwen still on the phone I entered the dining room.
"I need a ride. Preferably someone who can fly," I looked to Thor and Tony. "Gwen needs me."
Thor stood, grabbing his hammer off of the table, "I will take Lady Katherine."
"We'll be back soon." I told them as Thor and I headed to the platform to take off.
"Not a chance," Natasha said, standing from her seat. "We're coming with you."
The others nodded at what she said. I was touched that they would come help me when Gwen needed me. They really did have my back.
"Right." I agreed, telling them where she was.
Everyone suited up. Tony would fly that way with Thor and I while everyone else followed in cars if they needed to intervene.
***********
I loved writing this chapter and I hope you guys loved reading it!