A red, red rose

Chapter 4

The Avengers had managed to capture Loki. Even thought Charlie had her suspicions that Loki really hadn't tried very hard to avoid capture. The God was now in a circular prison cell that could be dropped thousands of feet into the ocean below. Not even a smug bastard like Loki could survive that.

Charlie really wasn't interested in what the God had to say so she went back to her room and had a shower, which she really needed after her sparing session with Natasha. The hot water was very relaxing on her skin as she relived the events of the last 48 hours. She had been shot at, had a building almost fall on her, met the Avengers and spared with a very beautiful redhead. All in all, it had probably been the most exiting 48 hours of her life.

Once Charlie had finished in the shower, she got dressed in the black S.H.I.E.L.D gear that filled her wardrobe. Before she could put on her shoes, a light knock sounded at her door. Charlie left her shoes at the foot of the bed and opened the door.

"Natasha, hi. You ok?" Charlie questioned the women stood outside her door.

"Yeah I just wanted to update you on the Loki situation before I have to interrogate him."

"You have to go in there alone? Is that safe?" Charlie looked a the redhead who just shrugged. Natasha walked into the room and sat down on the small couch at the end of the small space. Charlie closed the door and perched herself on the end of the bed, continuing to put on her shoes.

"Loki isn't saying anything important and Fury just threatened him with the thousand foot drop. Me, Fury, Rogers, Banner, Stark, Thor and your sister talked about what we should do about him, but it didn't really get anywhere." Natasha leant back into the couch and sighed. "You wanna come with me to interrogate Loki?"

"Firstly, you came in here to update me on the 'Loki situation', which there was nothing to update, so you came in here for nothing." Charlie smirked at the redhead. "Secondly, yes I will come with you to interrogate the bat shit crazy God, because frankly, I have nothing better to do"

-

Charlie was stood in the room which housed Loki. She leaned against the wall because she didn't want the full force of the God's gaze. Natasha and Charlie had silently entered the room and Loki was facing the opposite wall with his back to the two women.

Suddenly the black haired God spoke, "There's not many people that can sneak up on me."

"No, but you figured I'd come." The redhead's voice was calm and didn't stutter.

"After. After whatever tortures Fury can concoct, you would appear as a friend, as a balm. And I would cooperate." The God's English accent echoed around the room. His voice was coming from speakers as he was contained in the very strong cell.

"I wanna know what you've done to Agent Barton." Charlie could see that Natasha cared about the archer. Her fingers were fidgeting with each other behind her back. Charlie didn't know Agent Barton very well, but he did save her life back in the S.H.I.E.L.D base, so she knew he was a very considerate man.

Loki smirked at the women in front of him "I'd say I've expanded his mind."

"And once you've won. Once you're king of the mountain. What happens to his mind?"

"Is this love, Agent Romanoff?" Loki questioned the spy.

"Love is for children. I owe him a debt." For some reason those words made Charlie's stomach drop. She had only known Natasha for a very short period of time, but she already felt a connection between her and the spy.

Loki took a step back and sat down on the small bench that was located in his cell. The movement backwards made Charlie visible to the God. He smirked at the brunette and turned back towards the redhead. "Tell me." Loki seamed very interested in the spy's past. Surely if he really wanted to know, he could have had Barton tell him.

Natasha took a deep breath in and looked towards Charlie , "Before I worked for S.H.I.E.L.D, I uh... well, I made a name for myself. I have a very specific skillset. I didn't care who I used it for, or on. I got on S.H.I.E.L.D's radar in a bad way. Agent Barton was sent to kill me, he made a different call." Natasha was now also sat down in front of the cell.

"And what will you do if I vow to spare him?"

"Not let you out."

"Ah, no. But I like this. Your world in the balance, and you bargain for one man?" Loki smirked at Natasha, as if he found her caring about her friend funny.

"Regime's fall every day. I tend not to weep over that, I'm Russian, or I was."

"And what are you now?" Loki questioned.

"It's really not that complicated. I've got red in my ledger, I'd like to wipe it out." Natasha was standing now and she walked closer to the glass of the cell.

"Can you?" Charlie stared at Loki with venom in her eyes. She didn't know what Natasha had done in her past, but she knew it was something that the spy didn't want bringing up, especially in front of her.

"Can you wipe out that much red? Dreykoff's daughter? Sao Paulo? The hospital fire? Barton told me everything. Your ledger is dripping, it's gushing red, and you think saving a man no more virtuous that yourself will change anything? This is the best sentimentality. This is a child at prayer. Pathetic! You lie and you kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. But they are a part of you, and they will never go away."

Charlie watched as the God stripped down every layer of the spy's defences. Verbally punching her with each word that he spoke. "I won't barter Barton! Not until I make him kill you. Slowly, intimately, in every way he knows you fear. And then he'll wake just long enough to see his good work, and when he screams I'll split his scull."

Natasha turned away from Loki just as the God turned towards Charlie. He cocked his head as he looked at the girl questioningly.

"You," he pointed towards the woman, who was now closer to Natasha. "Why are you here. You provide no value to this interaction, in fact, you provide no value at all. You're sister works at S.H.I.E.L.D and what do you do?" Charlie looked at her feet, not daring to look in the angry God's eyes. "You clean up after the scum of the earth. Fury did a background check on you, there was nothing remotely interesting about you. You're boring. Useless.

Tears started to appear in Charlie's eyes. "You're a monster."

"Oh, no. You brought the monster" Loki smugly stated.

Charlie looked up at the God and Natasha turned around in her spot. Both women looked at each other with smiles on their faces.

"So, Banner? That's your play?" The redhead asked the now perplexed God.

"What?"

Natasha put her had to her ear and spoke to the people on the other side. "Loki means to unleash the Hulk. Keep Banner in the lab, I'm on my way. Send Thor as well." Natasha walked towards the exit and gestured to Charlie to follow her. She turned towards Loki, "Thank you, for your cooperation."

-

Silently Natasha and Charlie walked towards the lab in which Banner was located. Charlie thought about the fact that she had just helped the gorgeous redhead next to her manipulate the God of Mischief.

The silence was suddenly interrupted by the spy. "Thanks"

"For what?" Charlie questioned.

"Helping me with Loki. And about what he said..."

"Don't worry about it. Your past isn't squeaky clean, so what. It's about what you do now, not what you did." Charlie looked at the women next to her and smiled.

"When did you get so wise?" Natasha teased.

Charlie faked an offended expression, " How dare... I've always been wise, ask Mia."

"I'm sure Maria would agree with me."

A/N- Thanks for reading chapter 4. Hope you all had a good Valentines day!