It's All For You

Amara had always relished in seclusion and silence. She'd never been the social party girl stereotype. While she did attend parties on occasion, she was normally the girl nursing the same drink for several hours in the corner of the room, she much preferred a night in at home with a good book and bottle of wine. It wasn't that she disliked people, she just preferred silence. She enjoyed being alone. She found it calming and peaceful.

Manhattan was anything but calming and peaceful. Since the alien attack, it had become even less calming and peaceful. Constant construction to rebuild what had been destroyed occurred. Thankfully, talk of the attack on various news outlets was back to a minimum. She was no longer reminded constantly of the day that would likely go down in history as the worst day of her life. She didn't need news outlets or construction to remind her though, it was permanently seared into her memory. That was why she stayed in her apartment even more now than she ever had before. It was by sheer coincidence that she happened to be out that day when she saw him. Truthfully, if it wasn't so cold out, and if he weren't in a t-shirt and jeans she probably wouldn't have stopped. There were plenty of homeless people in New York City, but she hadn't seen him before, and considering she walked past that alleyway whenever she did venture out of her apartment, well, she figured that she would have. He didn't look all that homeless either. Maybe he'd simply had too much to drink the night before and had passed out in the alleyway? "Sir? Are you alright?" She asked, nudging his side with the toe of her sneaker.

---

If Tony hadn't insisted that he go then Steve probably wouldn't be at this party right now. He was kind of wishing that he hadn't let Tony talk him into going if he was being honest. He didn't know any of these people other than the other Avengers, and despite his outward appearance, he still felt like the skinny, somewhat awkward kid from Brooklyn. This type of thing had always been more Bucky's scene than his. The thought of his deceased best friend sent a pang through his heart. He still couldn't believe it had been as long as it had been since he had last seen him. Of course, he had been asleep for most of that time, but that didn't matter. It felt as though it had happened yesterday, and he honestly wished that Tony had let Thor bring some Asgardian liquor to the party.

Since he couldn't drown his sorrows with alcohol, Steve decided he should probably at least try to be somewhat social before Tony bugged him about it. After surveying the room briefly, he spotted someone who looked just as out of their element as he did. She was absolutely stunning, and he was honestly surprised that no one was talking to her already. Luck seemed to be in his favor that night, and he made his way across the room towards her. "Would you like to dance with me?" He asked, sending a small, shy smile her way.

@ sam winchester.
Elizabeth glared at her best friend, Natasha, as they walked into Stark Tower, "I hope you know, I hate you for this." Elizabeth said as she looked around the room, her eyes instantly found the bar and she made note to head there when Nat ultimately ditched her. Elizabeth would have been perfectly happy just having another night at home with her puppy, Jackson, but Nat insisted that Elizabeth attend this party with her. Elizabeth didn't know any of these people. She always wanted to keep her life with Nat separate from Nat's work life, yet here she was attending a work party with her best friend. Elizabeth already knew what the outcome of the night would be. Nat would leave Elizabeth and say she would be right back, but she would end up disappearing. Elizabeth would go to the bar and get a drink without talking to anyone and wait for Nat to get tired and want to head home.

Though she would never have guessed that she would have had someone approached her. She couldn't help but smile at him. When he asked her to dance, she was speechless, "Sure why not?" She replied as she set down her drink and started to walk toward the floor, "Elizabeth Reid. And you are?" She asked. Elizabeth made brief eye contact with Nat as she walked to the floor, rolling her eyes at the huge smile on Nat's face.

---

He groaned as he started to come to. His head was pounding and he had no idea where he was. His eyes squinted as they adjusted to the sun. He could hear a voice but he didn't know where it was coming from. As his eyes adjusted, the figure in front of him slowly start to come into focus, "Uh...no I don't think I am." He replied, his voice slightly hoarse. Loki looked around the alleyway where he was and frowned, "Where am I?" He questioned as he started to sit up. He couldn't help but stare at the girl in front of him. She was absolutely gorgeous. He went to move to stand up when he noticed the clothes he was wearing. He couldn't remember putting them on. He couldn't even remember what he was wearing before these.

He stood up and looked at the girl. He had no idea where he would have to go. He had no idea where he was, "I don't know where I am." He restated before he sighed and looked down the alleyway. Loki had no idea what was going on, how he had gotten there, where he was headed, who he was. The thought terrified him.

He definitely didn't look homeless. He didn't exactly look all that great though either. He didn't look like he needed medical attention or anything, but he definitely looked a little worse for wear. Despite this fact, Amara couldn't help noticing that he was rather good looking. Blonde curls were atop a sharp, angular face. His eyes were a piercing shade of blue though they held a softness to them in that moment. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind. That was the last thing she needed to be concerned over right now. "You're in Manhattan, Greenwich Village to be exact." She said. She would have gone with the whole drunk thing still, but he seemed a bit too panicked to be waking up after a night out drinking. No, this was definitely something else, though she didn't quite know what that something else was.

"Can you tell me where you were last? Or maybe who you are? I can get you to wherever you're supposed to be if you do. Something tells me that you don't live in this alley." Maybe medical attention was a good idea. This man could have a concussion or something.

---

Steve didn't really know where the confidence to ask her to dance came from. He had never been the type of person to just go up to someone and ask them to dance, that had always been Bucky. Whenever Steve had tried asking a beautiful woman to dance, it usually ended in disaster. Hopefully, that wouldn't be the case tonight. Things seemed to be running smoothly thus far, but he had only just asked her to dance now, and he was sure that anything could happen in due time. He smiled when she agreed to dance and walked out onto the dance floor with her. "Steve Rogers, it's a pleasure, Ms. Reid." He said politely

Once they were out on the dance floor, he almost panicked as he hadn't fully thought this through. He still didn't think he was the best dancer, but he quickly pushed his nerves and fears to the back of his mind as he placed one hand lightly on her waist and took her other hand in his. "Do you know Tony?" He asked her curiously. He had never seen her before, though he honestly had seen very few of the people in attendance at the party before so that wasn't saying very much at all.

@ sam winchester.
Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh at his words before she shook her head, "Please, no Ms. Reid. Just Elizabeth." She joked as she placed a hand on his shoulder and the other in his hand. When he asked if she knew Tony, she shook her head, "I came here with my best friend Nat. Against my will may I add." She replied and laughed once more. She was actually already enjoying her night now, and she had only just started speaking with Steve. Elizabeth remembered Nat speaking of Steve every so often, but she never really paid much mind to it.

Elizabeth could tell that he was anxious about the dance, clearly seeing it wasn't his strong suit, but she didn't mind it much and found it quite adorable, "So tell me, Steve, you here against your own will tonight too?" She asked with a smile. There were reasons why people just approached others, most times it was to seek out the comfort of someone in the same situation as yourself.

---

Loki shook his head at her words. Grennwich Village? He had no idea where that was, "I don't know where I was last." He replied, "I don't even know my name." He added. He was so confused on how he got here and what he was supposed to be doing, "What's your name?" He questioned her as he tilted his head and studied her. Why was she being so nice? It felt odd to him for someone to be so nice to him. He wasn't sure why of that either. Loki was starting to get frustrated because no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn't think of who he was and where he was supposed to be.

"Hungry." He stated as he heard his stomach growl. That was a thought that was on his mind, he felt like he hadn't eaten in days. He was really hungry, "Where can I eat around this Village?" He questioned her. He didn't know his way around or even if this Village provided food.

Amara's eyebrows furrowed slightly in concern. He didn't know where he had been last, and he didn't know his own name? He definitely wasn't just some other drunk who had passed out in an alleyway the night before. She wondered if he had hit his head at some point, though there was no visible indication that he had. "My name's Amara." She said. "Is there anything that you do remember?" If there was anything that he could help her, maybe she could help him better. She detected an accent in his voice, so he definitely wasn't American, but there were plenty of foreigners in Manhattan, so that didn't exactly give her much to go off of.

"There are a few restaurants, grocery stores, and coffee shops, but you need money for those." She said, eyeing him. Something told her that he didn't have any money on him though. "My apartment's in this building right here. I can whip something up for you. Maybe once you've eaten something and gotten out of the cold, you'll remember something."

---

A sheepish smile crossed his features. "Alright, Elizabeth it is then." He said with a slight chuckle. He wasn't used to the 21st century just yet. He still fell into old habits from seventy some-odd years ago. Truth be told, he hadn't woken up all that long ago, and shortly after he had, Thor's psychotic brother let loose an army of aliens across the city, so he didn't exactly have much time to adjust. He already could see that people were much less about the formalities during this time, but there was still a ton more that he needed to learn and he knew that.

Steve's eyebrows rose when she mentioned Nat. "You're friends with Natasha?" He asked. He hadn't spoken much with the redhead yet, didn't know her too well at all, and she seemed like a fairly private person, so that was to be expected. He chuckled when she asked him if he was there against his own will too. "Is it that obvious?" He asked.

@ sam winchester.
Elizabeth smiled at his words and nodded, "She and I have been friends for years." Elizabeth explained. She and Nat had became friends by sheer coincidence when they accidentally ran into each other at the coffee shop where Elizabeth was a frequent. They became really close friends after that, and the rest is history. When he answered her question, she laughed and nodded, "Kind of. But I mean it's not a bad thing! You don't stand out as much as a random girl who has never met any of these people before just standing alone at the bar." She joked and laughed once more.

"But I'm sure you came here because it's your work people and you had a bit of an obligation to show up, am I correct?" She questioned. She knew that Steve was an Avenger, only because Nat had mentioned him before in relation to work, and that was all she knew.

---

Loki nodded at her name. It was a pretty one, and it was the only other thing he could think about. When she asked if he remembered anything, she shook his head, "My head is blank. I don't remember anything." He replied. He was confused by her words of money, why wouldn't he be carrying money? It sounded like it was an important thing to have. When she brought up making him something to eat, he gave her a confused look but nodded anyway, "Maybe it will help." He replied.

He walked with her toward her apartment building quietly. His head was reeling at how he could just not remember anything. How was that possible? Who just turns up some place they don't know without knowing who they are or where they were headed.

Amara could honestly say that this was the last thing she expected to be doing when she went to pick up some groceries that morning. She was certain that there was someone laughing down at her, although, truthfully, she didn't really think there were very many people in Manhattan who would bat an eyelash if they saw a man facedown in an alleyway. She still didn't know why she had, but she wasn't going to turn away now. She couldn't bring herself to do so, her father simply hadn't raised her that way.

Some might find her foolish or strange for allowing a complete stranger into her apartment, but those were words that she was fairly familiar with amongst some much harsher ones as well, so it really didn't matter much to her anyway. "It's better than staying out here anyway." She said as she walked into her apartment building and up the four flights of stairs to her apartment. "The elevator's been busted for years, I don't think the landlord's ever going to get it fixed." She told him. She honestly forgot there even was one with how used to walking up the stairs she was. "I hope you don't mind cats." She said as she unlocked the door, knowing Chesire would probably be waiting for her as she had promised to return with more cans of food for him.

---

"Well, I can honestly say that she hasn't talked to me about you before, but she and I have hardly talked other than during the attack on the city a couple of months ago." Steve told her with a slight chuckle. He had been spending the last couple of months sort of just...adjusting. Or trying to at least. Thankfully, SHIELD hadn't needed him for much else as of late, so he'd been spending his time trying to re-familiarized himself with a city that he had once known so well. It was strange to say the least. He never imagined that he would ever feel like a complete stranger in New York City, a place that he had once called home. He hadn't ventured over to Brooklyn just yet, knowing that there would be too many memories to overwhelm him.

"I guess you're probably right, but I should probably let you in on a little secret." He said leaning in a little closer to her so that he could speak a bit more softly. "I don't really know anyone here either." He chuckled once more. "I did have an obligation to be here, mostly because Tony wouldn't take no for an answer. He said he wanted to see every single member of the team here tonight, and since he even got Thor to come from Asgard, I figured I couldn't exactly just not show up, you know?"

@ sam winchester.
Elizabeth laughed lightly at his words and nodded, "Yeah I don't think Nat will ever willingly mention me to anyone from work, that means she has to admit she has a life outside of work." She joked before smiling, "She and I don't really talk about her work much either though. Its better that way." She added and turned her head to look over at Nat, who was chatting away with the only person Elizabeth really knew from the team, Clint Barton. He was inevitable to know about though considering how close he and Nat were as well. Elizabeth had spoken with him a couple of times before, but she never really got to know him that much.

Elizabeth felt her breath hitch in her throat when Steve leaned closer to her to speak. When he said how he didn't know most people here either, she smiled, "Well you certainly seem like you're okay with it." She replied to him. Elizabeth could already feel herself growing fond of Steve because he seemed to be a lot like her, and she really liked having someone she could connect with in a place where she essentially knew nobody.

--

Loki raised his eyebrow when she mentioned a cat before he walked into her apartment with her, a cat instantly greeting them at the door. Loki didn't know if he liked cats or not, but he made sure to greet the cat nicely on his way into the space. He looked over at Amara as she moved through her apartment. Loki felt awkward and just stood in her living room as he looked around her living room. She had a lot of pictures of her and her family and her and her cat. He thought about if he had any family.

"Are you by yourself here?" He questioned as he looked over at her, breaking the silence. He felt like since she was the first person he was meeting, he needed to have connection to someone. He just needed to feel like he knew someone. Even if she kicked him out after she fed him, just knowing that he made connection with someone before he went in search for his mind was all he needed.

Amara really didn't know what had possessed her to take a complete stranger in off the street. She had always been kindhearted, offering change to those on the streets of the city who asked for it, occasionally buying a falafel sandwich from a food truck for one she passed by, but never had she ever offered to take one into her apartment despite the cooler temperatures. She knew what her father would tell her. She knew that he'd likely reprimand her for her actions before ruffling her hair and saying, "Always thinking with your heart, 'Mara." She pushed the thought to the back of her head and slipped off her jacket, draping it over the back of the couch before continuing into the kitchen.

"Yea, it's just me." She said as she set the bags of groceries down on the counter. "I was planning on making some tea, but I can put on a pot of coffee as well if that's your preference." She glanced over to him, raising an eyebrow when she saw he was still standing in the middle of her living room. "You can sit down, you know."

---

Steve chuckled softly, nodding his head in agreement. "You're probably right. Nat having a life outside of work would come as a shock to far too many people." He was feeling a bit less on edge and a bit less out of place now that he had someone to talk to. He still didn't really feel like it was necessary for him to be there that night, but he was sort of glad that Stark had given him very little say in the matter or else he wouldn't be talking to Elizabeth right now. "That's understandable." He knew quite a few people who kept their work life separate from their personal life with SHIELD. It was easier that way, safer even. He honestly felt as though he would probably do the same thing.

"I hide it well, but I was honestly freaking out pretty bad earlier. This really doesn't feel like my scene at all." He didn't know why, but he found it extremely easy to talk to her. He didn't think he had been this honest with anyone in a really long time, and it was surprising him to say the least. "It's easier when I have someone to talk to though."

@ sam winchester.
Elizabeth grinned at his words before she nodded in agreement, "Totally easier." She replied. She really was enjoying talking to Steve. He was really easy to talk to, which was hard for her because she wasn't someone who talked to people she didn't know. Elizabeth knew how dumb that sounded because if you didn't talk to new people then how would you make friends. Elizabeth looked over toward Nat, who was still talking to Clint, but shot a smirk over her way before Elizabeth turned back to Steve.

"So are you adjusting okay?" She questioned him with a small smile. She may not talk to Nat a lot about work, but it wasn't hard for her to figure out that this Steve was Captain America, and she knew what he had been through and that he wasn't from this time.

---

Loki looked over and gave her a confused look when she asked about his preference and then shrugged, "I'll just take tea, thank you." He replied before he sat down and stared awkwardly around the apartment before her cat came over and started rubbing against his leg. Loki smiled lightly before he reached and started to pet the animal. Loki thought about this situation and how crazy it probably seemed to her. The situation was obscene to him as well. How do you just show up somewhere without knowing where you were before or who you were and where you were going?

Loki was getting angry with himself for not being able to figure out what his story was, but he also knew that it wasn't going to come back to him at some point, "What is your cat's name?" He questioned, trying to fill the silence he knew that was starting to become slightly awkward.

"Alright, tea it is." Amara said, offering a small smile before she filled the tea kettle and put it on the stove to heat it. She had noticed the confused expression on his face when she asked him what his preference was, tea or coffee, and she supposed it was a stupid question for her to ask. Why would he remember something like that but nothing else about himself? That would be beyond strange. Once the kettle was on the stove and she had turned it on, she pulled two coffee mugs out of the cupboard. She grabbed some milk, sugar and honey, not exactly sure how he took his tea or how he'd want to take it that day since she had a feeling he wouldn't really know the answer to that question from memory, before glancing over when he asked her cat's name. "Cheshire." She said, smiling when she saw that the animal had clearly taken a liking to him. "He likes you. Normally, he hides under the couch whenever company first comes over."

---

Steve smiled, honestly glad that he'd had enough courage to go over and talk to Elizabeth. He wouldn't admit it to Tony, but he actually was kind of enjoying himself tonight. He knew that it was because of the company he was in though. If he wasn't enjoying talking with Elizabeth, he would probably be pretty damn miserable. Physically, he might have changed, but mentally he was still, in a way, that scrawny kid from Brooklyn from seventy-some odd years ago. Parties and dancing had always been more of Bucky's scene. A pang ran through his chest at the thought of his late best friend. He quickly put the thought to the back of his head and instead focused on responding to Elizabeth's question. "I'm doing alright, I guess. Better than I was...it's just...a lot to take in all at once." He'd been extremely overwhelmed when he first woke up, and then shortly after that the whole incident with Loki happened, so up until very recently he hadn't had much time to adjust at all. "I'm catching up on things slowly but surely."

@ sam winchester.
Elizabeth nodded as Steve spoke, "I'm sure it was hard. I could never imagine going through what you went through." She spoke. The song they were dancing to ended shortly after her words, but she didn't want to leave the conversation with Steve, "Care to join me for a drink?" She questioned. She was really enjoying herself with Steve, and that was saying something since she usually hated talking to people. Steve just seemed different. Down to Earth. Talking to him was like when she talked to Nat. She didn't feel like she was forcing herself, which was weird since they had just met, "I'm not ready to be a loner again just yet." She joked with a smile.

---

Loki smiled at her words and nodded before scratching Cheshire behind the ear, grinning more at the cat's reaction, "He's sweet." He replied. Loki looked around her apartment once more. He didn't know Amara much, or at all really, but he could already tell that the apartment suited her and was definitely decorated to her tastes, "How long have you lived here?" He questioned curiously. Loki was anxious to fill the silence in the room. If there was silence, he would return to his thoughts, causing him to get upset over the fact that he knew nothing of his identity or life. He just needed noise to fill his thoughts until he got adjusted to the fact that he had no idea of who he was.