Fixated

As they were on the plane back to SHEILD’s headquarters, Edie sat with her leg propped up. The blood had managed to seep through the piece of cloth she wrapped around it.

“Hey, Uncle Tony, can you hand me that first aid kit?” Edie asked. Tony’s eyes went from the kit to her leg and sighed heavily.

“The hell were you thinking?” he asked as he sat next to her.

“I was thinking some guy was digging my roommate’s father’s eye out of his head and I should do something,” Edie sighed. Iron Man’s mechanical hands tore off the cloth around her leg and both Edie and Tony cringed.

“I didn’t teach you how to fight so you could go charging into danger, I taught you so you could defend yourself in emergencies,” he scolded as he began wrapping gauze around the injured leg.

“If you want to be mad at someone, the culprit is over there,” Edie said, pointing to whom she now knew as Loki. He had been trying to catch her eye since they got on the plane but she refused to look over at him.

“Oh don’t worry, I plan on dealing with him later,” Tony frowned. “But in the mean time you’re going to need stitches.”

“Ow!” she whined as he accidentally touched her cut. “No shit, Sherlock.”

Loki began chuckling from the seats across from them. “See something that amuses you, chuckles?” Edie asked sarcastically.

“Why yes, actually,” Loki smirked to himself as his eyes ran over her exposed legs. Lightning and thunder shook the plane and he began looking around nervously. To this Edie raised a curious eyebrow.

“What’s the matter, scared of a little lightning?” the Captain asked as Loki kept his wary eyes on the metal ceiling of the plane.

“I’m not overly fond of what follows,” he retorted carefully, as if waiting for something. Sure enough, in what sounded like millions of metal nails on chalkboard, the roof was torn off of the plane and someone jumped down and took Loki by the back of the neck.

“What the fuck?” Edie cried, curling her injured legs into herself. She watched with wide eyes as the mysterious blond man took Loki and escaped from the plane.

Edie watched as her Uncle Tony put the Iron Man mask back on and began to walk towards the back of the plane. “Stark, we need a plan of attack!” Captain America called after him.

In typical Tony Stark style, he looked over his shoulder and said, “I have a plan: attack.” Just like that he was gone, flying off after the two Asgardians.

“Is he always like that?” the Captain asked Edie.

“Basically,” she shrugged. Rogers rolled his eyes and looked around the cabin. He then found the parachute he was looking for, strapping it to himself.

“I’d sit this one out Cap,” Natasha called from the pilot’s seat.

“I don’t see how I can,” Rogers shook his head.

“These guys come from legend, Captain. They’re basically gods,” Natasha warned.

“There’s only one God, ma’am, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t dress like that,” Rogers retorted before jumping off the back of the plane.

Edie hobbled towards the pilot’s seat and smiled at Natasha. “Can we follow them? I’d really like a front row seat to whatever ensues,” Edie smirked.

“I like the way you think, kid,” Natasha laughed as she turned the plane to chase after the two superheroes.

“So how have you been?” Edie asked. They had seen each other in passing since the fiasco featuring Ivan Vanko and Natasha’s assessment of Tony for the Avengers Initiative.

“Pretty good,” she shrugged as she piloted. “You?”

“Great! Just moved to New York,” Edie nodded. “And look at you, so much better at the whole small-talk thing.”

“It’s only because you’re not as annoying as some of your relatives,” Natasha retorted. Edie nearly fell over laughing.

“Is that them?” Edie asked as she pointed to three figures on the ground.

“Yeah,” Natasha nodded.

“In what once was a forest?” Edie continued.

“Looks like it,” Natasha answered. “This is going to be interesting.”

“You want to take bets on who will start the next fight? I’ll put fifty on Tony,” Edie giggled and Natasha smirked. As Edie has learned, that was as close as Natasha ever came to a laugh.

The four men once again boarded the craft, the blonde continually glaring at Loki. Loki was still trying to catch Edie’s gaze but she refused to look over at him. Tony kept fussing about Edie’s leg and Edie was worried that if she rolled her eyes anymore then they would actually roll out of her head.

“We’re here,” Natasha announced coolly.

The plane touched down and Edie stood up, the pain evident on her face. Tony rushed to her side and she held out a hand to stop him, “I can take care of myself.”

“Obviously not well,” Tony fired back. Edie pouted as he scooped her up and carried her off of the plane where nearly three-dozen SHEILD agents were waiting for them. Edie’s dress and hair were billowing wildly in the wind. She looked around at what appeared to be a flying aircraft carrier and held onto her uncle’s neck.

“Miss Cabral? What are you doing here?” Agent Coulson asked.

“Oh hey Phil!” Edie greeted with a smile.

“Phil? Really? First Pepper now you,” Tony muttered. “She was at the damn gala with her German roommate when Loki made his appearance. She needs stitches.”

“Follow me to sick bay,” Phil nodded, leading the way.

Edie turned to look over Tony’s shoulder as he carried her inside. Her eyes unfortunately connected with the one gaze she did not want to hold. As Loki’s icy eyes stared back at her with a clever smirk on his face a fearful feeling crept its way into Edie’s heart. He knew something she didn’t. And that was her least favorite feeling ever.

Tony carried her into a medical room and laid her down on the table. “Hey, Phil, can you watch her for about five minutes and make sure she doesn’t get into any more trouble?”

“Where are you going?” Edie asked sassily.

“To change,” he shrugged and waltzed out of the room.

Edie rolled her eyes and turned to Phil cheerily, “So, how have you been?”

“I’ve been busy, a little stressed,” Phil shrugged.

“Yeah, that Loki dude has everybody’s panties in a twist,” Edie nodded and Phil laughed out loud.

“To say the least,” he nodded. The physician injected some local anesthetic into Edie’s leg and she winced. Phil could see she was becoming slightly green at the image of a needle moving in and out of her skin. Edie didn’t like blood or the sewing together of body parts.

“How have you been, still aspiring to be on Broadway?” Phil asked, trying to distract her from the doctor’s motions.

“Oh, I made it!” Edie said cheerfully. “I just got the part for Christine in Phantom of the Opera about a month ago!”

“Well, congratulations,” Phil smiled.

“Thanks! Hey let me know next time you’re in New York and I’ll make sure to hook you up with a couple of tickets. You know, for you and a date,” Edie winked.

Phil chortled, “I’ll be sure to take you up on that offer.”

The doctor soon got to work stitching up Edie’s leg she couldn’t help thinking about the reason for her injury in the first place. When she first met Loki, she found him charming. Her taste in men was obviously getting worse and worse if she thought the homicidal sociopath seemed alright, even if she was slightly drunk at the time.

But the way he looked at her unnerved her. It left a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach that made her believe she hadn’t seen the last of him.