Chapter one – The devil’s face

“Tony, Tony wait!” a redheaded woman was running after him. They were supposed to go back on the Helicarrier together, but he made the other choice. Even when his suit was totally destroyed, he wanted to fly there. “Your suit isn’t working properly. You can hurt yourself!” Her words stopped the man and she heard a painful sigh. “I know you want to see her but she won’t run, believe me.”

The dark haired man without a mask was now looking into his friend’s face. He saw that smile on her lips, the green eyes looking directly into his brown one. He took a deep breath and made some steps towards her. “Then what are we waiting for? We have to go there.”

“Everybody’s already on board and we are waiting for you,” she laughed a little. “Come,” she made a move with her head and started to walk away from him. “We have to secure Loki before he can run away again.”

Tony was quietly sitting in the jet, looking at his hands and thinking. For the first time, he was quiet and not a sarcastic asshole like he used to be. A black haired God with devilish eyes and a muzzle on his mouth was looking at him. His hands were in cuffs and there was no way he could escape them this time. A tall, blonde muscleman was standing next to him, checking his every move. He was ready to fight if the raven-haired man would try to do something reckless. But with one eye, he was also looking at silent Tony.

She’s awake… he heard in his ear for the twentieth time. The news made him shiver and an inconspicuous smile appeared on his face. He was now heading to her, to touch her and to talk to her. It was a very long time. If not two months. But the only thing what mattered was that she was alive.

“Guys, you have to deal with Loki. Tony and I must see Fury,” the woman said while she was driving the quinjet with one of the teammates. “We have some other things to do which do not include you.”

“Hey, what’s with the secrets?” a man on her left looked at her. “I’m your friend, you can tell me.”

“It is not a secret but it is not the right time. We have to deal with on object on board,” she had a smirk on her face. “It is a very sensitive issue and that is why you guys are not invited – just me and Tony.”

The man with an ARC reactor in his suit didn’t say anything. He was still quiet, thinking about the woman he thought he lost. Someone was talking to him but he wasn’t listening. His mind was focused on her and also on the events that happened just a few minutes ago. He almost died and that could mean he would never see her again. She would be alone in this world. He took a deep breath and tried to keep calm.

Tony… he heard his name. His eyes were focused on a dirt lying on the floor. It did sound like her voice – soft, sweet and caring. “Tony!” the redhead shook with him and he finally looked at her. The woman saw pain and fear in his eyes. Or was it something different? “We are here.” In a second, he was standing on his feet, looking around, discovering that everyone else already left the jet. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I’m fine, I’m just… I…” he lost words which made the woman smile once again.

“Don’t worry,” together they left the plane and walked through the internal landing strip. “I’ll be there with you, but first, you have to take the suit down or she’ll be scared.”

“Why do you have to be there?” he snapped a little bit. Afterward, he cleared his throat and gave the woman an apologetic glance. “She won’t be scared,” he continued. “She never was. She loves my suits,” and there it was, the smile that was missing. “JARVIS, would you mind…?” with that, the suit started to open and Tony was free. He stepped out of it and it transformed into the original shape. It looked like a very big egg.

After some minutes, they were in the director’s small office. Tony was getting more and more nervous and the woman could see it. “Can I finally see her?”

“What’s the rush, Tony?” a tall man with a black eye patch and dark skin said with a smirk on his lips. “I just need one more thing from you, Stark,” he sat on an office chair. “You have to stay here for one more night. We would like to speak to her, know something about her. She’s pretty unique.”

“I don’t think that is a…”

“It’s only one night, Tony,” the woman gently stroked his shoulder. “You and Banner can look at Loki’s scepter right after Thor and Loki leave this place. Plus you can be with her,” she sounded very friendly.

“Okay, enough you two,” the billionaire squinted his eyes, “I smell something. Spit it out.”

Fury looked at the woman with his one healthy eye and then back at Tony. “Agent Romanoff will be with you even when you’ll leave this place and go back to New York. She’ll keep an eye on both of you and also she will try to convince her on becoming one of the Avengers. ”

“What?!”

“With her abilities, she will perfectly fit into this group,” the man continued. “But, before anything happens, Natasha would have to obtain some information about her. Then it will be only hers decision if she wants to be a part of the team or not.”

“She won’t be a part of this,” he protested.

“She has to make the decision, not you, Stark!”

When Tony looked at Natasha, she gave him the puppy eyes. “Stop with the look, woman,” he rolled his eyes. “One night, then we are leaving. Now, if you excuse me, I have to see her now. It’s been a while since…” Tony squinted his brown eyes and without any other word, he left the room. She won’t be a part of the Avengers. He didn’t want to lose her again. All those bad memories and moments made him sick. He suddenly stopped. Tony couldn’t control his breathing. His right palm was on his chest, the brown eyes were wide open and the heart was beating very fast. What was happening to him, he didn’t know. It stopped after a minute.

“Mr. Stark,” a gentle voice said behind his back. “Are you alright?” It was agent Maria Hill, frowning a little bit and checking the man with her eyes.

“Yes, I was just thinking. I’m on my way…”

“I know,” she smiled. “Follow me. She’s waiting in another room.” While they were walking through the corridors, the agent explained Tony some details. “When she woke up, we treated her well. She took a quick shower; had some food and she received clean clothing.”

“Did she say anything?” Stark was curious.

“No. Most of the time, she remained quiet. She didn’t ask about you or her family. She wanted to know where she was. We told her and she was just fine with it. Maybe it was caused by a shock or something. Her functions seem to be normal. Now it is up to you,” and they stopped in front of the door where a small transparent glass was. Tony saw her through it. The brunette was sitting on a chair, looking at her fingers and playing with them. He couldn’t see her face because she was facing the door with her back. She was wearing overalls of the color gray like she was a prisoner and plus there was a logo of the organization.

The billionaire was left alone when he opened the door to the room and stepped in. His heart stopped beating for a moment. Was this even real? Was she really alive? When the door automatically closed behind him, he whispered: “Adeline?”

The woman stopped playing with her fingers. When she heard the familiar voice, her green eyes went wide open and she carefully stood up from the chair. Very slowly, like she was afraid that her mind was only playing with her, she turned to him. “Tony?” her voice was meek. She tried to catch her breath but it was hard. There he was, the man she knew. Her green eyes meet his chocolate one. Her heart skipped a beat. Right in that moment, she knew it was him. It took her a while, but after some seconds of silence, a small sparkly tear run down her cheek and she run into his arm.

Tony’s lips immediately captured hers, kissing them gently, lovingly. “Oh my god,” he said during the kisses. “Baby, you are back,” he whined a little bit but there was a smile on his lips. Once again he found her lips but this time, he kissed the girl very passionately. His fingers brushed her long brown hair and the left hand was hugging her around the thin waist. He felt hot tears on the face. They didn’t belong to him. They were Adeline’s. “Hey, please,” he looked into her eyes, “don’t cry. You are safe, you are here with me. Shh, calm down, baby.”

Her arms wrapped around his neck and she put her head under his chin, nuzzling to his neck. “Tony,” she said his name once again quietly.

Together they slowly slide down on the floor. Tony put her on his lap and they remained in that position for a while. He was gently stroking her hair, playing with the ends, twisting them around a finger. “How is this possible?” he asked. Tony pulled her head up and looked into her pale face where she had the most beautiful green eyes.

“I don’t know,” she mumbled. It was then when she discovered his injuries. “Tony, what happened to you? Your lip,” her thumb lightly stroked his lips. “The scars and bruises, they are fresh. Are you alright?”

“We just won a fight,” the corner of his lips crooked into a smile. “I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me. Do you remember something? Do you know what date is today? They told me you weren’t communicating much. If you have any questions just ask me, okay? I’m here for you.”

“I didn’t want to talk to them because I don’t trust them,” she replied and scanned his wounds. “They didn’t tell me they know you. I thought they want me for what I am. I wanted to gain some energy and protect myself if they tried to attack me.”

Before Tony could reply, he gave her another sweet kiss on the lips. “I thought you died. I was looking for you for several weeks. I wanted to bury you somewhere nice. But you are alive,” he was smiling like a child. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too, baby,” she hugged him one more time when the door opened and they almost fell down on Tony’s back. Adeline’s eyes lifted up and saw a red-haired woman looking down at them, smiling. She was very familiar. Where did she see her before? Tony and Adeline slowly stood up from the floor. One of his hands was still on her back, gently holding her close to his body.

“Agent Romanoff,” he sighed. “You are interrupting.”

“I know,” she giggled. “Tony you have to go with the boys. It’s time.”

The brunette looked at Tony. “What’s going on?”

“I have to leave you here for a while, Ad,” he tried to explain. “We have some work to do – this Reindeer Games is going back from where he came. It is a very long story but Natasha is a great company,” he looked at the other woman and gave her a mocking smirk. “But I don’t know if she’s staying here with you.”

“You are going to be surprised because I was ordered to stay with her while you are away, Stark.”

Tony turned to Adeline and touched her face with a palm of his hand. “Honey, I’ll be back in an hour okay? Natasha will take care of you. You are in good hands. I’m sorry I have to leave you now. Will you be okay?” he was looking into the green orbs when she nodded. “Good girl,” and then he gave her a peck on the lips. Without any last words, Tony went away from the women, leaving them all alone.

There was an awkward silence between then. They didn’t know each other and they were supposed to be together. Luckily, Natasha broke the silence and started the conversation. “So, you are Stark’s girlfriend?” she went inside the room while Adeline sat back on the chair and stretched her legs.

“Uh, I guess,” she replied unsurely. “Hey,” Adeline turned to the redhead. “Have we met? I think I know… Oh yeah! You were at Tony’s party.”

“You were there?” her eyes widened.

“Yes. I saw you two talking about something. I thought,” Adeline was laughing a little, “you were one of his girls – I don’t want to offend you or anything. So, you are an agent?”

“Indeed I am,” she smiled.

“Huh,” Adeline sighed and scratched her nape. “May I ask for something?” Natasha wasn’t replying so the brunette continued. “Do you have anything to wear? Not that I would be obsessed with fashion, it’s just,” she was nervous, “this is very uncomfortable and I feel like a prisoner.”

The woman started to laugh a little. “Of course, I have,” the smile stayed on her lips. “Come with me. I’ll give you something I have. I can’t believe they put you into this.”

“This agent Hill, I think, gave it to me,” she sighed and stood up from the chair. “Hey, um, by the way, I’m Adeline.” The women shook their hands.

“I’m Natasha. Well, this was the first part of breaking the ice; let’s move on, shall we?” Both of the women went down the corridors into another room. “What are you? I mean, what are your abilities? I saw the thing around you when we got you from the sea.”

“Oh,” she cleared her throat. “It’s a shield I can create do protect me and some people. Unfortunately, I can’t control it much. I don’t know how I created it while I was unconscious,” her glance went down on the floor and she bit the lower lip. Her whole body was shaking a little and she didn’t know why. “Wow, this has never happened to me before. I’m probably nervous and I’m way too polite, which is unbelievable,” she laughed at herself.

They came into another room. Natasha went to a metal cabinet where she had some clothes. She took out a black shirt with significant neckline and a pair of black leggings. “Here, have these. You can give it back later.”

“Thanks!”

“Oh, another thing, be yourself. I just hope you are not like Stark.”

“Oh…” Adeline rolled her eyes. “Mocking, insults, making fun… do I have to continue?” she was laughing. “I do that too but not at the first opportunity I have.”

“Go to my bathroom and change. Then we can burn the thing you are wearing,” she pointed at the overalls she was wearing at the moment. “When you’re ready, I’ll show you’re the Helicarrier.”

Natasha was a very interesting person. When she was talking, Adeline felt like she already knew everything she was about to say. The brunette was scanning her face and moves, figuring out why she had such a great feeling about this woman. Like she knew her ever since she was a child. They were walking from room to room, exploring the interior of this massive construction. They met a lot of people; Adeline saw all the special planes and fighter jets. Everything was very interesting. “So what is all this?” that was her question after a while.

“This is S.H.I.E.L.D. – Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistic Division,” Natasha answered.

“Yeah, okay, S.H.I.E.L.D. Got it,” Adeline laughed. “Such a difficult name for a company. And you are an S.H.I.E.L.D. agent?”

“Yes, and I belong to the Avengers as does your boyfriend.”

“Since when?” she was confused.

“Since the war in New York happened. Believe me, we would have to spend a lot of time together to explain you every single detail. Let’s do it slowly, shall we? You barely woke up. You must have a chaos in your head.”

That was true. She had many questions, many thoughts and she didn’t know where to begin. Tony should explain what happened to Goth. Was he alive and a thread? Another problem was her father and family. Did they know about her death? Did Tony talk to them? Everything was a mess. “Yeah,” she sighed and brushed her hair with fingers. They were slowly approaching the boardroom. “I hope Stark will explain me everything. It’s not easy being unconscious for several long days. I don’t even know how long it was.”

“Probably a month or more,” Natasha added.

“Oh my fucking god,” she whispered and shook her head. “That is way too unbelievable.”

“But you seem to be very calm.”

“Well, I am not. I’m panicking in my mind right now,” she pointed at her forehead. They stepped inside the most spectacular room. There were a lot of computers, screens and a gigantic window with the best view. The only thing she saw was a blue sky and some white clouds. Natasha left her side and walked down a path right to a man, standing in the middle of the room, looking at the view.

There were a lot of people working, communicating quietly when new voices came to the room. All of them were male, talking like little girls and laughing. Adeline was turning from side to side, looking at the agents. She saw four men coming to the room and one of them was Tony. A shiver came down to her arms and spine. She suddenly felt bad. Adeline again turned on the spot and her eyes landed on one big screen where she saw a person. The big green eyes, a grin so evil she had to blink twice. The man had longer black hair and a very unusual black and green outfit.

An unpleasant memory hit her in a blink of an eye. Her mouth dropped open and she tried to catch her breath. She saw him before. She remembered how he was standing above her, smiling like a Satan and holding some kind of a shiny scepter in his hand. Her whole body was shaking. She tried to take a step backward, but her legs weren’t listening. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly. She couldn’t control her breath. Adeline could see her own memory. The man made a move and he touched her shield with the thing. The power was strong and she could feel it. Suddenly a strong scream came out from the woman’s throat.

Everybody in the boardroom was looking at her. They saw how the woman fell down on her knees, eyes locked at the screen and screaming her lungs out. Her fingers were in the long brown hair. She was in pain. Subsequently, her right arm stretched out and the beautiful purple shield surrounded her.

“Adeline!” Tony yelled her name and run to her. All the eyes were looking at the frightened woman.

“What’s happening?!” a man with the eye patch asked. Natasha was already running to Tony and the new girl.

“Adeline?” Tony was standing in front of the shield, waving his hands. “Hey, it’s me. Cancel the shield. You are safe here.” The woman looked into his brown eyes which were still wide open. The green orbs were shining like never before and the breathing was very heavy. When she focused on Tony’s face, the hand slowly fell down and the shield was gone. He took her into his warm embrace. “Are you alright? What happened?”

She was holding him tightly against the blazer. “Him…” she whispered. “Who is he? What is he?” the brunette pointed at the screen with the man on it.

“Are you afraid of Loki?” he asked her calmly.

“Loki…” Once again, she saw herself while unconscious. He was talking to her, smiling and scanning her shield. “He was there,” she slowly started to talk about him. “He was talking to me,” Adeline dryly gulped. “The man, Loki, he touched my shield with the thing!”

“Fury!” Tony sounded angry. “You told me…”

“I want a record from the day when Loki was here!” the man gave orders to his whole team. “You were supposed to keep an eye on this girl. Some of you had only one job!”

“What is going on?” a man with a grayer curly hair asked and came closer to his friend Tony.

“Where is he?” Adeline asked. “Where is the man now?!”

“He’s gone,” Tony explained quickly. “I want to know what happened, Fury. If you have any records of that moment, show them now!”

“Adeline, just keep breathing. Your face is red. You need to calm down,” Natasha was talking to her very nicely. “You don’t have to be afraid anymore. He won’t hurt you or touch you. He’s back from where he came. Focus on me, focus on Tony.”

The brunette closed her eyes. Even when the people were talking, she tried to do what Natasha told her to. The breathing was getting better and she let Tony go. Why was she so afraid of that man? When she opened the green eyes, she saw a record from that moment. She was protected by the shield, levitating in it, which was a big surprise for her. Loki was in the room, almost touching the shield with his hand.

-Now this would be a nice supplement for me,- he was smiling, gazing at the magical thing he saw. His hand with the scepter made a move towards the woman. –Magic can be broken by magic,- he whispered and with that, the tip of the scepter touched the purplish cover. What came next was a shock even for Loki. A massive pressure wave came from the shield and he was thrown against the wall. There was a unique mixture of colors blue and purple. Nothing happened to her, or the shield. However, Loki was grunting from pain and anger.

“I could feel it while I was unconscious. I can feel it even now,” Adeline whispered into Tony’s ear.

“It’s okay baby. You are now safe,” he whispered back.

“I know I am,” she nodded.

“Why don’t you go and get some rest?” he gently stroked her cheek. “I know you were unconscious for a very long time but you must be tired after everything. We will deal with this. Tomorrow, we will go to New York. I wanted to show you the Stark Tower before that happened. Now you’ll only see what has left from it.”

She didn’t protest. With a nod, Adeline and Tony slowly stood up while he was still holding her hands. “I think you are right. I’ll see you in the morning,” she gently kissed him on the cheek and without any other word, she slowly left the room. Just in case, Natasha went with her.
Tony felt pain in his soul. Seeing the woman he liked hurt was unbearable. He needed to protect her. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt her ever again. He was determined to not lose her again. His fingers scratched his beard and he turned to the rest of the team. The men were looking at him, waiting for an explanation. “That is my eh…”

“Stark has a girlfriend,” a shorthaired brunet laughed a little. He was holding a bow in his right hand. “Tell me I’m dreaming.”

“Why is she here?” a tall blonde guy asked.

Tony turned to Fury. “You didn’t tell them? I’m impressed.”

“I could have but I decided not to,” the man with the eye patch replied. “Some things do not concern you, Rogers.”

“You know very well, we don’t like secrets, Fury. So tell us now what is happening. Who is she and why is she here and don’t forget the part about the thing she created,” he crossed his arms over his breasts and took a deep breath.

“Can’t you see? That’s Tony’s girl!” the man with the bow laughed. “She’s pretty. Where did you find her anyway?”

Tony rolled his eyes. “That’s Adeline,” he started very slowly. “And as you could see, she’s very unique. Don’t worry, Capsticle, she’s not dangerous for any of us. You would be very surprised by her abilities. I don’t think I need to talk about her. You’ll get to know her one day. And now, Bruce and I have some work to do in the lab.”

Notes