Hey all! Over 200 reads- I'm so excited!!!!!!!!
There's an author's note at the end, plus some interesting behind the scenes facts about Blue Moon!
Thanks for reading!
~Sierra
Chapter Thirteen
~Nobody's POV~
Jane watches as Loki leaves the room without another glance back. She waits for Thea to come back, but when she does not, she turns to Dr. Banner, "Where's Thea, doctor?"
He looks up from where he is analyzing a set of maps and blueprints- Leah is sitting next to him, looking at them curiously. "Isn't she with Loki?" he asks, without concern.
Jane resists the urge to roll her eyes, then says, "No. Didn't you see Loki walk out of here?"
He shrugs. "She probably just wants to sit there by herself."
"I'm going to go check on her," she says, beginning to get up. "Stay with Leah, will you?"
Dr. Banner nods, and Jane thanks him. She then sets the computer that had been in her lap on the floor and walks towards the second division, where Loki and Thea had been. When she turns the corner, she stops cold.
Thea is lying on the floor, curled up in a ball. Her shoulders are shaking and Jane can hear her crying, her sobs choked and hoarse. "Oh my god," breathes Jane, hurrying over towards the girl. She crouches down and puts her hand on Thea's shoulder. "Thea, what happened?"
It takes a few minutes for Jane to convince Thea to sit up. The girl's face is contorted from tears: the area around her eyes is swollen, her hair is tangled, her eyes are half-closed and desperate, and tears stain her face, making clear stripes run down her skin.
"Thea, please, tell me. What did Loki do to you? Did he hurt you? Are you hurt?"
Thea coughs, obviously trying to control herself, but her body continues to shake. "N-o-o," she manages. "I'm fi-i-ne"."
"What did he say to you?" Jane demands.
"No-o-thing.'
"Thea, please!" begs Jane. "What did he say to you?"
"I don't want to talk about it," wails Thea.
Jane doesn't say anything for a few minutes. Then, she says, "Okay, please come with Dr. Banner and Leah and me, alright?"
"Okay," says Thea softly. Jane helps her up and walks her to the division where Dr. Banner, who has not moved, and Leah, who has not moved either, are sitting placidly against the wall.
However, when Banner looks up, he gets up with a start. "My god, Thea," he says, looking at her concernedly. "What happened? Wha-" He stops when he perceives that Jane is shaking her head firmly at him. "Hey, c'mere," he says, wrapping one of his arms around Thea's shoulders, who, surprisingly, does not turn away.
"I'm going to go do something," says Jane quietly. "Stay with her, please."
Dr. Banner nods, pulling Thea over to where Leah is sitting, concerned as she looks up at her big sister, who is still crying.
Once she knows that Thea has relatively calmed herself, Jane strides out of the room, banging the door behind her forcefully. She is aware that she is in danger by leaving the shelter so close to a pending (and relatively uncertain) attack, but she is driven by the anger that is building in her chest.
She finds Thor, alongside Steve and Tony, in the main control room, surrounded by the buzz of the other S.H.I.E.L.D. workers. The agents work efficiently and professionally, but Jane can sense the tension in the air.
Thor is the first to look up, and his expression clearly states that he is concerned. "Jane," he says, "What are you..." he trails off as she sees her stony expression. "What is it?"
Jane takes a second to compose herself, breathing slowly through her nose. Steve, meanwhile, uncharacteristically impatient, says, "What happened?" as he looks up from one of the computers.
"Loki came in and took Thea into one of the other room thingies in that shelter," she says, trying to control her emotions. "He left a few minutes later, and I didn't think much of it when Thea didn't return immediately."
Stark raises his eyes to the ceiling and sighs exasperatedly. "Please do not tell me that the brat ran away."
"She's not a brat," says Jane and Natasha simultaneously, the latter who has just appeared from seemingly out of nowhere. They exchange looks of mutual understanding while Tony rolls his eyes again.
"What happened, Jane?" asks Thor, his eyes dark from concern.
"I went back to check on her, and do you want to know what Loki did?" she exclaims. Without waiting for a response, she snaps, "That son of a-" she pauses and then continues, "I found Thea lying on the floor, sobbing, and shaking like a leaf."
Stark's face draws. "What the hell did he do?"
"She wouldn't tell me," sighs Jane. "Now where's Loki?"
"With Clint," replies Steve, typing a string of commands on the keyboard. "Downstairs in the secondary control floor."
"I'm going as well," says Thor as Jane turns to leave.
"So am I," replies Stark. "I want to see this."
"See what?" Thor demands as the four of them- Natasha had silently followed.
Stark shrugs. "What happened."
Sure enough, Loki is in the level below, looking out of one of the giant bay windows. Clint is nowhere to be seen, but then Jane spots him on the upper railing near the ceiling that wraps around the circumference of the room. This control room is less crowded, but perhaps the tension is even more heightened- the agents in the room are typing frantically, and the screens flash so much, Jane has to blink several times. But she is only here for one thing.
"Loki!" she exclaims, stalking up to him.
He turns around slowly, and looks at her as if he has not a care in the world. He raises his eyebrows at her, then, seconds later, dodges her as she tries to slap his face. "And what have I done to deserve such treatment?"
"What did you do to Thea?" Jane yells. When he does not immediately reply, she exclaims, "ANSWER ME." Thor puts his hand on her shoulders, but he too is wearing an expression of controlled anger as he peers at his brother.
Loki blinks at her, then smiles. "Ah, I was expecting this little bump to come around."
"Tell me!" she snarls. "I went to find her, and she was crying her heart out, collapsed on the floor."
He takes his time answering her, "I was merely ensuring her safety in the impending battle."
"And what," seethes Jane, "Does that have to do with sending a twelve year old-"
"Thirteen," interjects Stark. When Jane glares at him, he holds up his hands defensively. "What? She seems to think it's important."
Shaking her head in disgust, Jane averts her furious gaze back towards Loki. "Loki, answer me! What did you say to her that made her so..." she stumbles, "So... I don't know, whatever emotion it takes to leave a young girl sobbing on the ground!"
In comparison to Jane, Loki was rather calm. "If you wish me to tell you, then Thea's past will have to be revealed. As you know, Director Fury discovered it days ago and gave us the option to know. Of those so genially gathered around me, only Tony Stark agreed."
All eyes swivel to Tony, whose expression has gone passive. "So you want me to tell them?" he says to Loki.
"Better me than you. Perhaps they will believe you."
Tony sighs, then slumps in a chair. "Fine." He clears his throat. "So honestly, you know most about Thea. Her brother was killed by Loki-"
"Indirectly."
"Let me finish, okay?" Stark snaps. Loki shrugs his shoulders. "Point is, she was mostly normal, except for the fact that she was so good at martial arts or some other crap like that, which nobody here is probably surprised about. She also has good grades, if anyone really cares about that. I know I don't.
"So anyway, Thea didn't usually fit in to a group, but she went to the middle school dance anyway. As it so happened, the dance fell on the same day as the high school dance, because schools are really smart like that. Long story short, Thea left the party early because she didn't like it and I guess got scared by it. There was a junior boy out there, and he was drunk."
Jane closes her eyes.
"Anyway," says Stark, now much more serious and talking much more quickly, as if eager to be over with this as quickly as possible. "Anyway he took her in a dark, small room across from the gym. Storage room, I guess. She didn't think anything of it at first, I mean c'mon, she was young, she didn't think anything of it. Twelve or thirteen years old, that poor kid, by the looks of the dates on the charts."
Thor looks down, putting his fist to his mouth in concentration.
Tony clears his throat and looks at the ground. "But, um, anyway, the boy knowing they were alone, seized his opportunity. He tried to...he almost...he tried to..." he sighs, swallowing hard. "He tried to...you know...Thea."
Jane bites her lip, but it does not contain her tears that are flowing from her eyes openly. Thor has tensed his muscles angrily, and Natasha has grasped the steel bar alongside the computer counsel even tighter. Loki hasn't moved.
"That brute thought they were alone for good, but her big brother Bryce heard her pleading with him in that small little room. Bryce managed to get between the two of them and saved her. He also beat the sh** out of that boy. Good thing, too."
There is silence.
"So yeah," Tony clears his throat again, cursing under his breath. "That's about it. That's why she's also a good fighter- she's really cautious of who she trusts and all of that."
"That's horrible," whispers Jane. She turns to Loki, her eyes narrowed. "What does this have to do with what you said to Thea?"
"I threatened her," Loki says calmly. "I threatened that if she left the room during the battle, as I know all of you agree that she would do that, then I would lock her in one of the storage rooms. They are dark and extremely small. It would bring her worst nightmare back to her."
Jane is silent for several seconds in shock. Then, she snarls, "How dare you! Why did you do that?"
"Oh, so you would prefer that she dies trying to attack the Imeldi once they do come aboard? And why, may I ask are you not down there in that shelter, Jane?"
"Don't change the subject," snaps Jane. She lunges slightly at Loki, but Thor pulls her back gently. "Why couldn't you have threatened her with something else?"
"Yeah, you could have threatened to kill her," points out Tony.
"Tony!" exclaims Jane. "You're not help-"
"I considered it," replies Loki. He continues, ignoring the glare that Jane shoots at him. "But quite honestly, I think Thea may favor death a bit too much."
"Are you saying that she wants to kill herself?" asks Natasha, speaking for the first time.
"Not quite," Loki says, "Thea would be too frightened to die directly by her own hands- killing is not as easy as it seems for those who have never done it. But I would hazard a guess that she would, perhaps, help fate along."
"She's depressed," points out Stark. "She's also alone, orphaned, scared, distrustful, temperamental, and stubborn."
"Could you name something good?" moans Jane.
Tony shrugs. "She has a mean backswing."
Jane glares at him while Thor adds, "I disagree with Loki. I do not think Thea would mean to kill herself. I also do not think she fears killing."
"Why is that, brother?" asks Loki, his green eyes curious.
"Because her greatest fear is death."
"No," says Loki, "Her greatest fears are her nightmares that continue to haunt her."
Thor hesitates, then says, "Perhaps not. But her emotions can perhaps play out and she would not mind killing, I do not think. She has threatened death to Loki countless times."
"Yes," says Loki with a smirk. "Yet here I am."
Thor ignores the comment, adding, "Perhaps she would not like to kill, I do not know. But I rather doubt she is so at the depths of despair that she would wish her own life away. There is still a bit of innocence clinging to Thea. It is her innocence that is keeping her alive."
There is silence again for a few moments. Then, Loki says, with the tiniest glimmer of a smile, "So I could have threatened to kill her. My, now wouldn't that have been rather interesting to witness."
Stark shrugs. "I doubt she would have taken your words seriously. She knows that you wouldn't dare kill her with us around."
"The point is," says Jane. "You scared her, Loki! She's terrified now!"
"That was the general idea," says Loki with a touch of sarcasm.
"What kind of idea is that? Scaring her into obeying you?"
"Apparently, it worked," counters Loki.
"Technically, we don't know that," points out Stark.
"Trust me," smirks Loki. "She isn't going anywhere."
"You wouldn't actually lock her up in a dark, enclosed space, would you?" says Jane.
"I might," Loki amends. "If I got angry enough."
"But her fighting would make you angry," concludes Natasha.
"Always so perceptive," says Loki.
"I am going up there right now and telling Thea that you lied to her," snaps Jane. "And am going to try to get her to-"
"Please don't," says Loki. "Because if you do, I'll just threaten her again. Or go ahead and lock her in that room to spare me the trouble and the time."
Jane stares at him in shocked anger. Before she can reply, Stark holds his hands up. "Time out, guys. How about this. We won't tell Thea Loki didn't mean what he said until-"
"But I did," says Loki. "Aren't you people rather fond of telling the truth?"
"Yeah, whatever," says Tony. "But we'll tell her after the Imeldi come and leave."
"Assuming they leave," says Natasha.
Tony snorts. "Of course they will. Now," he turns to Jane. "I am going back to some very important work that needs to be done. See you all later, if we don't die."
He leaves, followed by Natasha, who (purposely) bumps Loki on her way out. Loki merely raises his eyebrows at her.
"You," says Jane to Loki. "Are a tricky, serpentine, cruel-"
"You know, you remind me oh so much of Thea," says Loki with a smile, before walking past her.
"That's a compliment," snaps Jane. Thor tries to hide his smile, but fails.
Loki stops and turns around with a slight air of annoyance. "I would rather imagine so."
Please remember to read, vote, and comment! :-) Thanks lovelies
A/N
Hey all!
So... thirteenth chapter---- thanks so much! It makes me so happy. My goal is for, by the end of the school year, to have over a thousand reads (or sooner) and 50+ votes. Please help me reach this goal! :)
So I actually put a lot into the planning and development of this story. I plan back stories ahead of time and some of the events beforehand as well. So of course, that means there were some scrapped ideas. I've decided that at the end of each chapter, I'll share a cool little behind-the-scenes thing with you guys, since you're such awesome readers (particularly Annie_Vail- gotta love her).
One more thing- I write this story everywhere- in my head at night and in the shower (I've gotten to the point where I've begun to dream about Blue Moon- gives you some sort of idea), during school breaks, during classes (usually chemistry and English) (usually when I am not supposed to), and so forth. And I love it- and it's mostly due to the few readers I have that I do it- gotta make them happy! :)
Okay, that was really boring and long... Here's the quick three Blue Moon facts of the day (some days might have more, some days might have less):
BM Behind-the-Scenes Facts
#1:
Originally, I had imagined that there would be only one sister: a girl around Leah's age who would form a bond more with Loki. I ended up hating the idea, because even though in thie story, Loki isn't the villain, he can still be pretty nasty, so I got rid of the idea (rather quickly). And at one point, Leah was gone and Thea was the only sister.
#2:
I like to watch YouTube clips (or full movies if possible) of the characters (mostly from the Avengers or Thor) to help me get inspired. Actually, for chapters 11 & 12, I was watching The Avengers).
#3:
Contrary to what you might think, the idea of the Imeldi poison was not based on the Ether from Dark World. I thought of the idea before I even saw the move- which, btw is awesome- and I expanded on it from there.
Sorry if that was boring! Ta ta and thanks for reading- love you all! <3