Hey guys it's been awhile so I thought I'd treat you all. In this we find out a few hints of how bad Ellie's past life must have been. Also, thanks for the votes and ratings - you guys rock! Enjoy!

Chapter 4

Ellie's POV

The sleep I was in had probably been one of the most peaceful and comfortable sleep's I've been in since Simon died. A night without the nightmares of a past life I try and keep away from. Now I'm warm and cool at the same time, positioned comfortably. But of course the alarm on my phone goes off, ripping me away from the dark world I was in. I keep my eyes closed as I listen to my phone across the room on the table. I can tell I've fallen asleep on the sofa again, but when did it get so damn comfy? Is it the new cushions I bought? Or the arm draped over me? Wait...who's arm is draped over me? My eyes snap open and I'm met with the close-up view of the green threads of Loki's new shirt. I'm facing him and his arm has pulled me right up to his chest so I can faintly hear his heartbeat and feel his steady breaths on top of my head. I feel my face grow seriously hot as I realize my leg is wrapped over the top of his, my whole body curled up to him on the old sofa in my flat. He's still asleep so I slowly bring my leg down from his and attempt to untangle myself from his arms to turn off the alarm on my phone when the thin pale arm around me tightens considerably.

'I'm rather comfortable like this. Aren't you?' I don't need to look to see the grin - it's in his voice. At least all we've done is share the sofa, although I do have to admit it was a nice feeling to wake up to. I mentally shake myself and try to move again but within Loki's arm is plenty of invisible muscle which brings me back against his chest, wrapping his other arm under me and around my waist to meet his other. I can feel his smirk even though I can't see it as he rests his chin on my head.

'Loki. I need to get up.' I say as I squirm in his arms, but something in the pit of my stomach is wishing for me to stay still in his arms like this forever.

'Do you really? I can tell you're enjoying laying here as much as I do.' I feel red flood my face and I wiggle in his arms again to no avail.

'I swear Loki if you don't let me up now I'll knee you where it hurts most.' Loki gives a breathy chuckle but loosens his arm, allowing me up. I sit up on the sofa and see my shirt is pulled half way up. I quickly straighten it and stand, heading into the kitchen. I need coffee. Strong coffee. I fill the kettle and set it to boil, reaching over the counter to grab a mug from the top shelf of the cupboard. As the kettle heats the water, I rest on the counter as I try to de-fog my tired mind. As I reach for the coffee pot, long cold arms wrap around my waist. I freeze with a teaspoon in my hand as the kettle boils and as a body pressed up against mine, the arms now fully wrapped around my waist, hands resting on my hips, a heavy head resting atop of my own.

'Loki? What the hell are you doing?' I say as I try to control my voice from trembling at his touch.

'I'm simply doing what you, and myself, seem to enjoy, Lady Andrews.' I turn around to face him, his arms still encasing me.

'Ok drop the 'Lady Andrews', Ellie is just fine thank you. I think I prefer 'Quim' to being addressed as a Lady. Secondly, you can stop what your doing right now cause you're getting nothing from me.' I glare up at Loki who just flashes his teeth at me in a slight grin. One hand removes itself from my hip and he rests it against my face.

'You're quite attractive when you try to be angry.'

'Loki. Seriously. Stop it.' I say, but in my mind I'm against my own words. Oh god help me. What am I doing? I should kick this creep to the curb but I can't. I don't want to. Loki smiles again and leans his head in to rest his forehead against my own, his breath hot on my face.

'Why should I? You're enjoying this, I can see it in your eyes. You mortal, you're a lot braver than any of the others which inhabit this world which I have met. There's more fire in you than anyone else in this realm.' I close my eyes at that, to which I feel him smirk and give a small mirth laugh.

'You can't hide anything from me. You desire this. You little mortal.' He says as he moves in closer. Each second seems to take an age, but the world snaps back into normal time as my phone shrills, snapping Loki's attention away from me. I open my eyes and see him spin his head around in fury, his green eyes close to blazing at the small device. As he does this, I take the advantage and duck from under his arms, grab the phone and run into the bathroom, bolting the door behind me and leaning against the wooden frame. Oh my god. Was he going to kiss me? Seriously? I didn't realize my high heart rate at this. I rest my head back on the door and take deep breaths. Damn that guy. Why'd he have to make that move? Now I miss the feeling of his arms around me, his head against mine and the feeling of him breathing on my face.

Seriously this guy is messing with my head. At first he was just a crazy man and now, since I let him move in, he seems to want to try and get closer to me for some reason. I mean, I've had only a couple of boyfriends in the past but none of them had left a longing feeling like this before, it's like I'm aching to be in his arms. Damn I'm messed up. He could just be trying to play me, I mean his name is the name of a God. The God of Mischief and Lies. Either he's taken this name for a reason or his parents are as crazy as he is. I feel the phone in my hand vibrate again and I unlock it to see a handful of messages from my friends wishing me good luck on the first day of my new job. Oh god. Damn. I've got that today as well. How could I forget meeting the Iron man. Well...I know who made me forget. I check the time on my phone and see it's nearly eight. Didn't Stark said someone was picking me up at nine?

I turn on my shower and step into the rainfall of hot water, doing anything I can to take my mind of the man who could be right outside the bathroom door. I finish my shower, dry off and pull on my old dressing gown. I open the bathroom door slowly and breath a sigh of relief as Loki is not there. Definitely not a sigh of disappointment. Right?

I jump across the hall into my room, once again bolting the door. I wriggle into a fresh pair of black skinny jeans - I really need to buy more formal pants but I hate wearing them - I pull on a plain purple tank top and my black jacket on top. Tony hadn't said anything about any uniform or anything for this job so I pull on my good pair of black Vans. Hell, I barely know anything about this job, all I know is it involves computers. If it didn't I would be royally screwed. I dry my hair and style it in it's usual wavy style which I'm stuck with no matter what I do to it, take out the thin silver ring from my nose and finally unbolt the door. I walk slowly into the hall and see the door to Simon's room has been shut. He's in there. I shake my head and head back into the kitchen, pouring myself a strong cup of coffee and placing a chocolate pop tart in the toaster. All the time I was at the counter in the back of my mind I craved for those long cold arms to wrap back around my waist. But nothing happens. I sigh and finish my breakfast, waiting for the car to pick me up at 9 o'clock before the tension in this flat burns the complex to the ground.

X-X-X

The car came at nine on the dot and I was more than happy to leave. I unlocked the front door and head down the corridor until finally I'm outside the apartment complex. The car is a sleek black Range Rover with tinted glass. I looked back up to the fourth floor and I swear I saw the blinds of my living room twitch. I immediately thought of Loki. I shake him from my head as best as I can to rid him from my mind as a tall man in a grey sharp suit leaves the Rover.

'Miss Andrews?' The man says with a thick New York accent. I nod slowly and he takes out a laminated ID card from his pocket, flashing it under my eyes and I got a brief glimpse of the name Agent. J. Peters.

Agent Peters opens the back door and I climb up into the high car, sitting on leather seats on my own as the car starts up. Agent Peters says nothing as we drive into the business district of New York and I can tell I'm in a higher security area as through the tinted glass I can see that barely anyone lingers on the streets and the roads are smoother and cleaner. After twenty minuets of silent driving, the car slows to a halt outside a small security post, several meters from a wide tall building seemingly made of glass, most likely bulletproof. I gaze through the window at the large glass building, the dark glass seeming blue from the reflection of the hazy sky, giving the near illusion of the building not being there at all. A man in a heavy set black uniform with a hand gun at his belt walks to the drivers window and Agent Peters hand the man his ID card. The security officer speaks into a walkie-talkie and a voice buzzes over, granting us access. The man opens the gates as we roll smoothly into a large stone courtyard in front of the building.

Agent Peters stops the car and I climb out after him, buttoning my black jacket as it flaps in the wind. At the sight of the impressive building and the layered security, Loki is pushed out of my mind as I follow Peters through glass doors into large reception rooms where I am forced to give them my iPhone, headphones and watch in exchange for an ID badge clipped to my jacket. I follow Agent Peters into a stainless steel shiny lift and watches as he presses the button for the sixth floor. We ride in silence until the lift halts at the fourth floor and a thin man in a grey suit with a purple shirt steps into the lift. He presses the button for the seventh floor.

'Morning Dr. Banner.' Agent Peters says in a polite tone.

'Morning James.' The man - Dr. Banner - says to Agent Peters as he wrings his hands nervously. He nods slightly at me and I frown as I think where I've heard that name before. Banner...

Before I can ponder it more the lift reaches the sixth floor and we leave Dr. Banner as we head along a clean corridor, walls of glass either side of us: the wall on the left showing large offices of computer banks and very high-tech looking equipment separated by small walls and the wall on the right was just a window of tinted glass, showing the impressive distance skyline of central New York. We pass the offices to the end of the corridor where Agent Peters was forced to show his ID again. The door unlocked and I was ushered inside. Peters left me after than. In the room several heads looked up and one man approached me.

'You must be Ellie Andrews?'

'Um, yes?' The man nodded his head and I followed him past the crowds stationed at more computers, to sit in front of a large desk.

'Alright Ellie, I'm Agent Saunders. I'm head of this IT. Security division here at S.H.I.E.L.D. I assume Mr. Stark gave you an idea of what we do here.'

'He mentioned the Avengers...' I trailed off as every drop of confidence drained away.

'We're basically a form of Home-Land security, except we're on a global scale. We've been watching you for a while and believe you're an exceptionable recruit for my division.' So Sophie was right, these people have been watching me! Creeps...

'Why me? Sir?' Saunders smiled and rubbed his small glasses with a silk handkerchief.

'We basically want someone who can keep up high mainence levels of security and understand every thing there is to know about computers. Think you're up to it? This is your last chance to walk away.' Before I can even register my thoughts, my head nods in eager excitement.

'Perfect. Right, we've got a lot on your personal information already but we just need you to confirm it. Alright? Then we'll have you fitted for security clearance and a uniform then we'll send you home. You will start officially on Wednesday. ' I nod at Saunders' words as he logs on to the advance computer on his desk, the screen tilted slightly to allow me viewing rights. That computer must have cost a bomb - it's probably not even on the high street yet.

'Ellie Samantha Andrews, born 17th of October 1992 at Royal Hope Hospital, London, England?'

I nod at the infomation as he begins to type it into official S.H.I.E.L.D records.

'Death cetificate of Parents Martin and Julianna Andrews for 9th of May 2009? Cause of Automobile accident?' I nod again as I begin to sweat at the fantasy world Simon had created for us years ago to escape, to live off the grid. I clench my fists, waiting for an alarm to blare, for them to realize the data being false. But no alarm blares, instead Saunders keeps asking me questions for me to respond to.

'Death certificate for Simon Joseph Andrews 4th of May 2012? Cause of the New York city Invasion?' I nod at that and feel the tense inside me swell up at Simon's name. I hold back the tears and clench my jaw. After that Saunders rattled on through basic things such as my address, last placemet of work and things such as my height, weight, eye and hair colour and if I have any tattoos, piercings or any other distinguishable markings. Once it was all typed up Saunders pressed a few more keys and the screen was still before my worst nightmare appeared. A red banner appeared across the screen, white writing flashing, reading 'Data Falsified'. Enter panic attack moment. Saunders peered over his glasses at me momentarily before typing a few more keys and the red banner was replaced by a green one, reading 'Data Accepted'. Saunders gives me a warm smile.

'That's why we need people like you here, our systems are overloaded.' I smile but inside I'm screaming and on the verge of tears at the idea of being sent back to what I never want to see again. Saunders then pressed an intercom button and two men appeared, dressed in the same security black and I very nearly throw up until Saunders' words put me at ease.

'Please take Miss Andrews here to be given her security clearance pass. And Miss Andrews, I will see you here first thing on Wednesday morning, bright and early.' Saunders smiles at me in a warm fatherly way and I feel myself lower into a slight ease as I walk out of the office.

Forty-five minutes later I have been given my security pass, signed numerous contracts of secrecy and dedication - as if signing away my life - and given my sized uniform for Wednesday, which is a gray and black full bodysuit like everyone else here, an ear piece and black boots and belt. I'm then ushered back to reception to retrieve my things then back into the car, driven once more by Agent Peters back to my flat.

'Listen kid,' Peters surprises me as he turns back in the drivers seat to talk to me once he'd parked. 'I know this is going to be one hell of change for you and all, but don't worry; as long as you've got nothing to hide S.H.I.E.L.D will give you a much better life.' I nod in silence and scamper out of the car. Oh god, are they going to find out who I am? What I've done?

I rush upstairs to the fourth floor to my home, not caring about anything in slightest. I push open the front door and run into my bedroom, aimlessly throwing my new things onto the carpet without care as I collapse on my bed, the barriers of tears broke and my pillow is soaked in seconds. I can't do this. I cry at lost hope, the death of my brother and the fear of what awaits if I am found out.

Through my sobs I don't hear my bedroom door slowly open, nor do I hear the soft and slow footsteps across my carpet. I barely even register the extra weight added to my mattress as someone sits besides me. A cool hand is placed on the back of my head and I look through tear clouded eyes to see Loki's green eyes watching me in curiosity and sadness. He opens his arms and without hesitation I crawl into them. He pulls me onto his lap and cradles me like a fragile doll, my head against his chest as I listen to his heartbeat through my hiccups and sobs. My head begins to hurt drastically. Loki must have sensed it and placed his cold palm to my heated skin on my head. I bury my face into his shirt as he hold me, resting his head back on top of my own. His arms are wrapped around me and I match him my wrapping mine around his strong figure, as if trying to get closer to him than the physical form will allow me.

During this moment, I am glad he is here.

Notes