Because He Loves Me

Chapter 18: Gods

9 days until KCM

13 hours until tests start

"Shh, come on, come on...." Natasha murmured to Kassidy. She had, miraculously, made it through the night. It was nearly seven in the morning, and Kassidy was due to start her first test by eight that night. Kassidy stirred in her sleep. She was wearing the same clothes as she had worn the night she was shot, except her shirt was pulled up and a large, white bandage wrapped around her waist. 

"Peter?" she asked weakly. She moaned slightly, putting her hand to her head and rubbing her temple. 

"No, no, Peter isn't here. I'm here, Natasha's here." Natasha said in a soft voice. A tiny smile appeared on Kassidy's face. 

"Natasha? Natasha i-is here?" she asked hopefully, not opening her eyes. 

"Yes, yes, she's here, I'm here." Natasha said. Kassidy let out a breath of relief. 

"What happened?" she asked, her eyes fluttering open, then closing again. 

"You were on the fence." Natasha said delicately, not wanting to force all the details on the little girl just yet. "And you were shot. But you're okay, it's okay." 

"Mm.." Kassidy moved her head in the direction of Natasha's voice, clearly uncomfortable. She turned her torso quickly, then gasped in pain and both her arms flew up to the place she had been shot. 

"Shh, no, don't move, it's okay, we're gonna be okay, shhh, it's okay." Natasha tried to soothe the little girl with little success. 

"Dad?" Kassidy asked. "Mom? P-Peter?" Natasha shook her head. 

"No, they're not here." she said. 

"I-I want them here." Kassidy said. 

"O-okay, I'll call them right now." Natasha replied. With slightly shaking hands, Natasha pulled out her phone and dialed Tony's number. He picked up on the second ring. 

"Hey Nat." he said. 

"Hi Tony. Look, Kassidy got in a little trouble last night." Nat said, not knowing how she was going to tell him. Tony sighed. 

"What'd she do?" he asked. 

"Well uh..so basically after she got off the phone with you yesterday, she-" 

"Hang on Nat, I gave the phone to Peter. So they must've said something." Tony interrupted. 

"Yeah. Well anyway Kassidy packed up her stuff and climbed the fence outside the training center. She was almost down the other side when they caught her. They told her to stop, and she refused. So...so t-they fired." Natasha said. Tony didn't miss a beat. 

"Is she okay? Did they get her?" 

"No Tony...she uh...they shot her side." Natasha said nervously. 

"Is she alive? Oh God, please tell me she's alive!!" Tony exclaimed. 

"Yes, she's alive! She wants you and Pepper and Peter though, she's really sick." Natasha replied. 

"Okay...Pep, can you get Peter from school? Yeah, we need to go. I'll explain later!" Tony's voice said from the background. "Okay, Pepper's getting Peter from the school, we'll be there by six." Natasha nodded. 

"I'm so sorry Tony, there was nothing..she jumped...I couldn't- there was no time, I just-" 

"It's fine Nat, the shooters are the ones who I'm going to beat the shit out of!" Tony said. And then he hung up. Only a few more minutes later, then the doors flew open. 

"Who holds Kassidy Stark captive?" boomed a voice. 

"Really Thor, it is quite an entrance you give." said a lighter one. 

"Silence, Loki! We've only come to save the girl, not to bicker." said the deep voice. Then the glass door was flung off it's hinges. 

"Where is Kassidy Stark?" Natasha spun around, a loaded gun tightly set in her hands. 

"Oh, Thor. Loki?" Natasha looked at Thor for an explanation. 

"He's on our side." Thor said, giving Loki a side glare. "And if he causes any mischief...well he best not." Loki rolled his eyes. 

"Always overprotective." he said sassily. 

"Kassidy is here." Natasha gestured to the metal container-like bed Kassidy had been moved to. There was an oxygen tank filtering air through the container, but it was locked shut. No one could get in..but Kassidy couldn't get out. 

"Well, is she coming out or not?" Loki asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"We can't open it. It's a brilliantly designed series of locks. One wrong step and the oxygen goes out." Natasha replied. Loki rolled his eyes. 

"Loki! No!" but it was too late. Loki shape-shifted into a mosquito, then astrally projected. His ghost-like soul of the mosquito slipped into the case holding Kassidy. Then his ghost-soul took the shape of Loki again. Loki mouthed something inaudible by Natasha and Thor, then golden swirls appeared and the glass shattered. Before it could fall onto the pair in the case, Loki waved an arm and the glass floated into the air to form a sword of sorts. Thor rushed forward and grabbed his baby brother, dragging him off of the case. Natasha rushed to do the same with Kassidy, but found that she was incredibly light and hardly needed to be dragged. 

They've starved her. Natasha thought, horrified. She hardly feels more than ninety pounds, I thought she was eating properly....

There was commotion outside, Loki jumped up and grabbed the sword as Natasha set Kassidy across two chairs. It was the jet. Pepper and Peter came running out, and in the doorway stood Tony Stark.