A Time of Gods

She was sitting alone in a make-shift room in the temporary base set up by Loki. Or rather, a room which had been prepared for him by a few of the highly skilled agents he had at his disposal. Not even Cat knew the location, she had allowed herself to be brought here in secrecy. Even at this stage in the game Loki wasn't telling her anything she didn't need to know. He was still very much aware of Cat's fickle nature, and the ability she had to change her mind in an instant -a behavioural trait common to women.

Cat crossed one leg over the other lazily, but still made the movement with the grace associated with her. She leaned back in the chair. Her eyes were focused on the entrance to the room, but her mind was already elsewhere.

Cat was replaying the past twenty four hours in her mind. She had never before been one to mull over the past, she tried her hardest not to, but it was something she found herself constantly drifting to these last few weeks. At one point, she had been certain she would not see or hear from Loki again, not personally, only when his image appeared on the news. That thought made he stifle a crazed giggle.

With Loki's hold fading, her thoughts had drifted to Steve; the way he made her feel, how she could once again be innocent and whole with him. If she let him care for her, let him in, she would care for him too.

Then Loki's words struck her.

Perhaps she wouldn't be satisfied with a normal existence. Perhaps she wasn't worthy of such a luxury, and perhaps it was too late now anyway, given what had happened with Loki only hours ago. The one who was standing just shy of her view now. Out of sight but certainly not out of mind.

Cat wasn't aware that her hand had drifted up to her face and the index finger lightly traced her bottom lip. She could still feel his lips on her lips on every part of her body, driven by fire but cooled by the sweet chill of his breath. She had finally tasted that infamous silver tongue when it sought hers. The rich colour rose in her cheeks now as she once again heard the purrs and moans she had made as their bodies became entangled -but Loki always remained dominant. Her body flushed with heat and she could feel the warm tones radiating from him. He was like marble, carved by the greatest of sculptures and her hands were persistently exploring his unblemished skin. And when she touched the taught muscles of his chest, she felt the humming beat of his heart which served to make him real to her, for the first time. This was as human as he would become.

Afterwards they transformed back in to their true selves. There had been no cuddling, no whispers of sweet nothings, no declarations of love. Cat had showered, while Loki dressed and lounged on the couch waiting for her, expressionless in contemplation, but smirking with a self-satisfaction when Felicia re-appeared as Black Cat.

Now, she just wanted to escape her own head.

Cat got to her feet and slunk out to see where the fun was. Cat liked to observe people, she always had. She watched the mechanical movements of those around her, they had been stripped of any free and natural flow. Concealed from her, some twenty yards away and guarded, Erik Selvig worked and Clint Barton stood close by.

When she had first seen those particular men, no longer working for S.H.I.E.L.D. but for the enemy, she had froze. She watched them, and saw that they were not here under protest. Whatever inner battle they were fighting because of Loki was not evident. Cat's curiosity washed over her in droves and now encouraged her. She wanted to talk with Erik Selvig - the greatly intelligent man she had watched at work before. She wanted to meet Hawkeye - the smooth talking, incomparable archer Fury spoke so highly of.

But she couldn't.
Even if, by some chance she had been allowed entry to that room, she would have been met by the mere shells of men. And there was also a fear which burnt at the edges of her guilty conscious. A fear they would somehow recognise her should they make it out of here and gain control of themselves. They could place her here. It wasn't that Cat doubted Loki's ability to see this through to the bitter end, but she also knew that Nick Fury would risk all to stop the trickster now that he had lost possession of the Tesseract.

Loki came through the tarpaulin that served as a door and the plastic was sent reeling in his wake. He saw her instantly and the vivid colour in his eyes darkened. He had told her to stay put, he should have known that she wouldn't listen. Of course, to her Loki was the most intriguing to observe. He was a multi-faceted character. Conflicting expressions and gestures flashed over him more and more. He could be cold, malicious and the very definition of a manipulator. He always had been, but now he wasn't even trying to deny that side of his nature. He was allowing it to consume him. He revealed in it. He would be a dictator and Odin's old bones would cower at his greatness.

Cat was aware of the other side. She had seen the glimmer of fear and doubt he had allowed to slip through only once.She wondered if he was thinking of the consequences his actions would have, and this caused more anxiety within her. It twisted around in the very pit of her stomach and began to wrap itself around her, like the motion of a boa constrictor with it's prey, squeezing so she was aware of the threat. If Loki could feel such fear what did it mean?

He strode towards her and she backtracked in to the room he had left her in earlier. It was still unoccupied.

"Is it time?" She asked when Loki joined her.

"Soon," he answered and searched her again for any tell-tale signs of regret, any wavering uncertainty. If she did what he asked of her tonight, he would no longer doubt her commitment to him.

Cat stepped towards him, but didn't reach out to touch him. His attitude had grown frosty once again and he was keeping her at arms length. "What have you done to them, those men?" Cat asked softly, "How are you able to control them?" She watched his hand grip the scepter tighter. She had already suspected this was the cause. "I knew from the start you were capable of such manipulation, I'm just wondering why you don't use that thing on me. It would be a hell of a lot easier for you, and then you wouldn't have to try so hard to ignore my taunts."

Loki smirked with the faintest glimpse of an actual smile.

A S.H.I.E.L.D. operative stood at the entrance, interrupting the rare moment. "Every thing's ready."

"It's showtime," Cat grinned.

"Your instructions are clear?" Loki asked, to which she nodded. There was no more time to be wary of what was to come and a shiver of excitement buzzed through her. She turned to leave him, resisting every urge to grasp him as she passed-it wasn't the time. "Felicia," she paused to look over her shoulder back at him, "don't disappoint me."



When Loki had said they were going to Germany, Cat had imagined being able to get out, wander around and explore a little before business had to be taken care of. Maybe take in a sight or two. In actuality, there was no time for her to explore Stuttgart, but when it came down to it she didn't care. This was when Cat was in her element. The highly charged moments when she had to be fully aware of what step she would make, two moves before she actually took it. Pilfering was her thing. Thievery was her niche. High security containers amused her. And though she was unfamiliar when it came to working with people, especially a group, they had no will strong enough to dispute her.

All the while, Cat was aware of how much trust Loki had given her by asking her to help obtain the iridium. The others had no choice, they were following instructions, but she could be a great asset, or a liability.

The moment their part of the mission was successful and Cat oversaw the safe containment of the iridium; critical for stability, she distanced herself. She seemed to have taken the form of a different person as she sat on the table with her legs crossed and a hand running through her hair. The anxious expression she wore as she waited. Loki had been the distraction, and she knew what to do if things didn't go their way.

Finally, after what felt like a year, an agent disturbed her with news.

"He's in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody?" She asked.

The agent confirmed this with a single nod.

Cat kneaded her temple with her bare fingertips. "I think it's time I checked out the competition."