Training

The three of them burst into Fury's office to find him sitting at his desk, feet up drinking coffee. He eyed them with a calm but interested eye.

"Can I help you?" He actually seemed amused at this little ragtag group standing fuming in his office"BOSS! What the actual hell ? You sack me without even discussing it? You could at least have told Loki! He is the team leader after all. I love my job and I'm bloody good at it. You KNOW there's no-one better at translating their messages..." rage made Ali fearless, she wasn't going without a fight.

Fury held her gaze with a smirk, held up a hand for silence then put the cup to his lips, breathing in the aroma and paused. He motioned to them to sit down.

"So...it seems you heard then?" Was all he said, blowing gently to cool the hot liquid. "Ready to hear me out now - without shouting?" He placed the cup on his desk and stood up. With his long black leather coat and his eyepatch, Ali thought he could be some sort of modern day Pirate and she smirked to herself.

"Something amusing you?"

"No Boss, sorry. Go on." despite her anger at the situation, she knew she couldn't afford to be rude to him.

"Thank you. Now first of all, yes, you are very good at your job Miss Martin " he only used formal names when he was trying to reign in his impatience. "and second of all, you're not sacked. I have no idea where you got that, although I think I need to have a word with the maintenance team about making sure my door stays shut. Damn thing keeps popping open. ANYWAY" he sighed and sat down again. "You're NOT sacked. You're just going on secondment" he looked at Ali and then Loki. "If that's ok with your TEAM LEADER" the sarcasm just got thicker and thicker.

Loki looked at him then Ali and back again "To whom is she seconded? Who else could possibly have need of such a woman." he sounded calmer than he felt. He couldn't let her go. He needed her expertise. Dammit, he needed her! He masked his inner turmoil with an impassive stare.

"The Avengers" Fury said simply. "She's going on a mission,"

"WHAT!!!" the three of them said in unison, unable to believe their ears. Loki stood up, Ali buried her head in her hands and Natasha crossed to Fury from where she was leaning on the wall.

"You heard. 72hours from now, Steve Bucky and Natasha will be leaving on a mission. They're going to need a translator. One who can do it instantly, without hesitation. And more importantly, one who can read people, know when something's not right. Ali is that person. There's no-one better" he sat back, waiting.

"B-b-but don't you have software for that, in ear translators, that kind of thing?" Ali stammered, terrified. "I'm not a - I mean I don't even .." she had no words to describe how sick and afraid she felt.

"yeah yeah - I know you're not a field agent, you don't know how to shoot blah blah" he waved a dismissive hand "that's why for the next 72 hours you don't leave, you don't do ANYTHING but train. Miss Romanoff here will be your Tutor. And His Highness over here can just learn to live with it." he looked directly at Loki, daring him to object again.

"Fine" Loki said with an air of defeat. He held up both hands "I can see objecting will serve no purpose so in that case, I am accompanying her" he turned to Ali, eyes burning. She snapped her head round

"I don't need a babysitter Laufeyson" she spat "I may be a feeble Midgardian but...." she was cut short by both his hurt look and Natasha's response.

"That isn't actually a bad idea" she said, coming to stand next to Ali. She put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn and look up. "Loki might be a lot of things, some we wont go into here, but in a fight? No-one I'd trust more to protect what he cares about" A sly grin spread over the Widow's face, she knew exactly what she was doing. "You might just about be the most useful Midgardian he's ever encountered, he wont want to lose that in a hurry". Her eyes were boring into Ali's skull and Ali knew the game was up. She turned away and stood up, looking at Fury.

"Ok, you win. When do I start?" defeated. she put her hands on her hips and tilted her head challenging Fury again.

"Oh I'd say about 5 minutes ago when you stood up to me?" Fury laughed "now get outta here and discuss training plans. I'll drop by in the next couple of days and see how you're getting on." he waved them away dismissively.

"Oh Loki...could you hold on a minute? I need a word..."

Ali and Natasha left the room, Loki sitting in the seat opposite Fury, jaw set in a grimace as they left.

"Don't think that's gonna be pleasant "whispered Ali as they left and Natasha rolled her eyes in agreement.

An hour later the 2 of them had nailed down a plan. Knife play, marksmanship and basic hand to hand were the priorities. Ali would have the others to protect her and with the addition of Loki, a dedicated bodyguard. It would only be in an emergency that she might have to defend herself but as part of the team, she needed to be ready.

Natasha would help her with the hand to hand. Show her the best way to utilise her height - or lack of it - get in low and take them down. She had a lower centre of gravity so was harder to topple. She would hit low and run, self preservation was the key priority. That and utilising any thing hard and heavy that came to hand. Skulls all pretty much burst the same way when a heavy object came into contact with them.

She knew how to shoot, just not very well. Her Dad had taken her to a range a couple of times just for fun. She knew to squeeze the trigger, not pull and she could at least hit the body target. Worst case scenario? Shoot them as many times as she could and run. A few hours on the range here should sharpen that up enough, given the pressing urgency to get ready.

Knives were a whole different ball game. That was Loki's speciality.

When he came into the training room the next day, he gave her 2 daggers, small and shiny with his insignia on the gilded hilts. She turned them over in her hands -they fitted her perfectly. A surprise given how small hers were compared to his.

"They're perfect Loki" she said with a genuine smile "thank you. I just need to learn how to use them now." She had thought a lot about him over the last 24 hours. And her need for closure. Now was not the time. Now, for the first time, she needed him more than he needed her. Her personal agenda could wait. This was business.

"They were my mother's personal weapons." he said quietly, looking almost haunted for a moment. She actually felt sorry for him. She knew what it was like to lose the only person who really cared about you. She reached out a hand and touched his arm, he looked down to her, surprised at her gesture.

"I'm sorry" she said "it must have been hard" and since he didn't seem to flinch under her touch, she squeezed his arm gently. "she would be proud of who you are now". She meant it, she really did. As she looked up into his green eyes, now flecked with dark clouds of sadness, suddenly her wall crumbled. As she felt genuine emotion for this - this - lost soul, for a moment she felt him inside her head and she couldn't stop it. She didn't want to. Then it was gone.

Loki was astounded at her tone, it was sympathetic but not patronising. She seemed to really mean it. He could see her empathy, feel her compassion and there was something else, something he wanted to believe but couldn't take the chance on. Just as he was potentially about to lose her? No. He had to stop. He severed the link with an inward groan. Fury had given him the low-down on the mission and he had almost gone and told her to quit on the spot. This wasn't a calculated risk, this was suicide. The Avengers could handle it, but if Hydra got her, in their own back yard? Well, even he would be pushed to save her. but save her he would to the last breath in his body. He just hoped she would remain as open to him as she was now. The mission briefing was tomorrow, after Fury had assessed her progress. She would see then what she'd agreed to. Gods help her.

They started gently, he taught her how the flip the knives in her hands, feeling their balance point. Then he showed her how to hold them effectively for fighting - each in a fist not as if she was about to carve a steak! Lastly he showed her - and this was the bit that gave her the chills - the best way to stab someone if she needed to take them out first. From behind, silently. That really was last resort territory, but he wanted her to be prepared. The only other thing she needed to do was actually stab someone so that she could get it over with. The first time was always the worst. The feeling of the blade sinking in, the noise that stayed in your brain and the overwhelming urge NOT to. In a kill or be killed scenario, there could be no hesitation. In the field, he would try to keep a protection spell on her, cast a duplicate so that hostiles would attack the wrong person. But if he was injured, or worse, she may have to kill to survive.

The battled ferociously, giving and receiving no quarter. Alternately they flipped and fought and brandished their weapons, he kicked one out her hand making her shriek in frustration.

"Come on then - make me pay for that " he goaded "or are you just a silly girl playing at spies?" he was deliberately trying to rile her. Make her lose concentration, make a mistake. The first few times she had been easily distracted. He had disarmed her and held a blade to her throat in just a few moves. He had been angry with her. To his shame, he had allowed himself to show it too. He wanted to be calm, collected, rational but every time he thought of her life in danger, his mind went into freefall. He dragged his mind back to the here and now, just in time to be slammed against the wall, her knee in his chest, her blade at his throat.

"What's the matter Laufeyson, day dreaming again? Thought you were the expert in this? Bested by a newbie? Hardly the work of a GOD" her sarcasm surprised even her.

She had been incandescent with rage at his mockery of her. He had repeatedly derided her and tried to make her feel she was out of her depth. In truth she knew she was, but she didn't need this arrogant, overbearing, self important, double-crossing, gorgeous, sexy and down right kissable god leaning over her making her heart race and her mind wander. How the hell was she supposed to concentrate when all he had to do was look at her? This was ridiculous. As she struggled to pull herself together, she became aware he now wasn't paying attention. In a matter of seconds she had him against the wall, slumped with her knee in his chest, the little dagger threatening to pierce his throat.

"What are you waiting for Midgardian Quim?" he taunted, "Do you really think I care about you or your silly mission? I only wanted to see just how good you thought you were. And I was not disappointed. Hydra will make mincemeat of you , and let's face it, that will be no loss to anyone. Gods know why they set such store by you. Fury must be truly desperate to come to you for help" he set his jaw and glared into her eyes. "And to think I almost found you acceptable company. You're just like all the rest" he squirmed but she straddled him, pinning him to the floor. " A weak and feeble human. In the end you will always kneel to your betters, you all deserve the same fate as you got in 2012, you are all beneath me.."

With a howl, something inside her snapped and she raised the dagger, plunging it into Loki's chest. He bucked and twisted at the thrust "is that the best you can do? Hardly even a scratch" he gurgled as the blood filled his lungs, he grinned savagely with blood stained teeth. She raised the weapon again, thrusting it into him repeatedly, screaming her anger and frustration and terror. He suddenly stilled, his eyes open, his mouth twisted in a grimace of pain. She fell back off him, instantly no longer angry, realising what she had done. She threw the bloodied dagger across the room as if it had burned her. Her hands flew to her face, covering her mouth as she silently screamed. Her eyes wide in terror - she had killed him. In her blind rage, she had killed Loki. She turned away and was violently sick on the training room floor. She looked back, the dead eyed stare and the crimson blood trickling out the corners of his mouth making her feel faint.

She crawled over to him, now hysterical with fear and remorse. What had she done? He had goaded her, taunted her, but she shouldn't have killed him. Oh my god what had happened to her? She collapsed on his chest, howling. "Oh Loki I'm so sorry, please Loki, please come back to me please, I lo...." She never finished the sentence as Natasha and Fury burst in.

"WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE?" yelled Fury wrenching her to her feet, dragging her to the edge of the room while Natasha crouched over the prone figure of the Jotun. "YOU FUCKING KILLED LOKI!!"

"Yes" she whispered, now wanting to die herself. "I - he- we were fighting and he said some things and I got angry and I just wanted to kill him and I stabbed and stabbed and I just wanted to hurt him and now.. " she blabbered all in one go, trailing off to cover her face with her hands. She started to sob uncontrollably, almost collapsing. Fury wrapped an arm around her to keep her upright.

"Take her away and let her calm down" Fury said more gently, handing her over to another pair of arms. "she did well, she's ready."

"Yes, she is, I am very proud of her" the strong arms said " She fights like Sif" Ali took her hands away and looked up, astonished, straight into the eyes of a very undead Loki.

"You fucking BASTARD!" she said as she tried to slap him before fainting into his arms.