Page After Paige

15. Center of Attention

Chapter 15

Center of Attention

Natasha~

I hadn't left until I was sure that Paige was under a strong security detail. Hill agreed to put two agents outside Paige's door and with a bit more convincing she put two inside as well.

When I did leave, however, I went straight to the tower. Now did I not only have to worry about Loki, I had to worry about Paige too. When I entered the common Fury was standing in the front of everyone.

"Agent Romanoff." He acknowledged.

"Director." I nodded back. He glanced around the room at the others. There was only Stark, Rogers, Banner and Clint.

"Thor thought he would check a few places, he'll be back soon." Clint informed me. I nodded.

"Now that there is an actual witness to Loki being on earth we can move on to finding him and containing him." Fury said starting the meeting.

"We don't know what his plans are either so we need to figure out what his angle is as well." I added.

"She's right, we need to find out his plans before something happens. Maybe try and stop it before it gets too big." Stark pitched in as well.

"You cant win a war before it starts. If we figure out what he's planning lets list all possible outcomes and be prepared to stop whatever comes." Rogers said. I nodded along with the conversation until a thought entered my mind.

"Paige." I said abruptly. They all looked up at me.

"Nat we talked about-." I cut him off before he could finish assuming.

"No, I mean he went to Paige, but for what? He didn't hurt her and didn't try to put her under his control. What did he say or do?" I asked rhetorically.

"I've looked at it and he cut the audio. JARVIS pull up the video feed from the other night of Paige."

A  hologram appeared in the middle of the room and suddenly voices came from the speakers of the room. Stark looked mildly confused.

"Hello Mister." Paige said greeting the tall figure, Loki, who stood in the middle of the room. She was seated on the windowsill of her room.

"You're not afraid?" Loki asked surprisingly. She shook her head.

"Should I be?" Paige asked. So naïve, I thought. So innocent. Paige studied the demi god.

"No my dear. I've only come to give you a gift." A gift? Paige never said anything about a gift.

"Oh," she said in a deflated tone. I remember her head was still hurting at the time."but I didn't get you anything." She said with a frown. I resisted the urge to face-palm but Stark didn't even try considering he face-palmed himself.

"Its quite alright." something small and barely visible flew around her neck. "If you wear this and never take it off, then I will be happy to leave without a gift in return." He compromised.

"Okay." She agreed. A few groans escaped from my teammates. Paige looked down at her gift and Loki disappeared. When she picked her head up she quietly whispered; "Thank you." to no one.

"Paige? Come here Bruce is gonna find out what's wrong." My voice said. It was then the hologram cut off. There was a moment of silence before Clint spoke.

"So we're looking for a necklace." He spoke.

"Yeah I guess we are." Banner agreed. I looked up at Fury who staring at me. I shrugged it off not feeling it was important.

"So are we going back to the hospital or what?" Stark said.

"Visiting hours are over, they wouldn't let us in." Bruce explained.

"We're the Avengers I'm sure they can excuse us."

"We cant risk going to the hospital, Tony." Steve told him firmly.

"How do we know-."

"She's asleep Stark. We aren't going to the hospital to wake her up from some much needed rest and we definitely aren't going to risk her health." I said. It was a new tone. One that I never knew I had and definitely not one that I knew worked. Stark sat back down in his seat and averted his gaze from me. "She'll be here in the morning, meanwhile lets just look for him."

"Romanoff is right. Tampering with the necklace could result in a tragic aftermath. We'll wait until Paige gets back." Fury agreed. I nodded my head in acknowledgement. The meeting was over so I asked him a non-related question.

"Where's Hill?" I asked him. He scoffed.

"You said you wanted extra security for Paige and that's where she is." My eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Wait, wait. You mean to tell us that Hill took the time to visit Paige after Romanoff left. Just for Paige?" Clint asked to clarify.

"She has the rest of the I night off. What she does on her own time is really none of your business or mine. And she didn't just 'take' the time to do it, she's still there, so the guards have told me."

Maria~

I sat in a chair next to the bed Paige was sleeping on. The beeps on the heart monitor being the only sound in the room. I hated hospitals. I hated them so much it was hard to sit in this chair and not be cautious of the nurses that came in and out to check her vitals. The reason that I'm here though is because Paige, my baby cousin, is here without someone she trusts to look after her. Sometimes guards aren't enough.

I did some research the other night on Paige. My mothers sister, one of her daughters was Paige's mother. The accident Paige and the rest of her family was in was terrible and no doubt traumatizing. The car slid off of a bridge, but her sister pushed her out of the car before it went over the side, according to the report. They were traveling to DC and moving there. That must have been why no one has come for Paige.

I heard a cough, a very rough cough, come from the small figure on the bed. I immediately looked up to see Paige's eyes barley open. She whimpered.

"Paige? You're alright, I'm here." I took the cup of water on her bedside table and put it to her lips for her to drink.

"M'rie." She said simply.

"That's me." I said with a small smile. She smiled back wider.

"Mama?" She asked. I opened my mouth to speak but closed it again. What was I suppose to say? That she was too busy working to come and watch you?

"You'll see her in the morning." I assured her. "Do you remember the man in your room from the other night?" I asked. She nodded.

"Raven." She said.

"Right, well your mommy didn't like that he was in your room without going through the front door so she's trying to find him."

"Oh." She said followed by another cough. I let her take another sip. I put a hand on her forehead, just because, and let my thumb brush over it until she fell asleep.

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