The Light that Shines Within

Birds, Gods, and Monsters

( Love this fanart!!! )

The next day was pretty much about getting to our flight on time. Thor wanted to tag along last minute to keep an eye on his brother, which me and Loki vehemently refused a million times to say the least. Eventually having to tell the thunderhead I would give him a call should Loki decide to go evil on the gamers butts and Loki having to swear on thier mother's honor he wouldn't dare try anything in my presence. Then, once that crisis was averted, Steve wanted to just have Clint take us in the quinjet so we could have a more secure flight and there being less hubub about everything. But I had been paying for my first class seats for over a year and now they wouldn't give me my money back if I called to cancel my reserved seats. And I hardly doubted Fury would reimburse me when he was already paying for everything else. 

So things were nuts to say the least. 

"So, you really want to take a regular flight? Not get there hours earlier, without kids crying and eating stale peanuts?" Clint asked once more as I pulled our suitcases to the elevator doors. I nodded and shrugged. "I have been paying for these seats a long time and I highly doubt I'd get my money back if I called today and said " Hey, can't come today cause I've got a known criminal with me ...can I have my money back?" Clint laughed. "When you put it that way..." I rose an eyebrow in agreement. "See my dillema?" Steve pulled his suitcase up next to mine and gave me a half smile which caused me to blush. Loki eyeing Steve with an ice glare I didn't quite understand.

What was his deal?

"I do believe that the Lady Cass is correct in this matter Barton." Loki said putting his bag with ours and looking at Clint politely. "This is her vacation, and if she wishes to fly on a regular, mortal flight, I believe she has that right to do so." I gave my friend a smile of thanks which he returned immediately. Clint huffed. "Yeah, but if your going to be there Reindeer I think people would be jumping from the plane because you'd be telling them all to kneel." I looked at Clint with a pointed glance. What the fucking Hell Hawkeye?!

Silence......

Loki looked at me with a "Calm me down or else." Look. I looked at Clint. "Clint, that was uncalled for and you know it." He shrugged. "What? A year ago that guy had my mind in his possession! I did things I never wanted to do. Sorry Cass if I don't quite understand why you trust him so much..." I scoffed in hurt, crossing my arms. "Maybe because the same was happening to him."   I was getting sick of everyone picking on Loki just because he messed up a year ago. He was a much better person now! And the others saw it too these days. Loki was on his way to redeeming himself and I had no idea why Clint was still butthurt over New York. 

"He was as much in control over his actions as you were Birdbrain!" I scoffed and made a split decision. "You know what? I'm so sick of all of you thinking he's a bad guy here! There was no way Loki did all that on his own and I'm so tired of keeping the peace! He's innocent of all wrongdoing in my eyes and if you guys can't accept that certain fact then your a bunch of Thors!" I yelled and glared at everyone. Thor just blinked at me in surprise. "What is wrong with me? How am I an example? Lady Cassandra are you feeling alright?" I sighed and looked all thier shocked faces. I knew why they were still so shocked.

They were seeing my true form.

My eyes were likely red as blood instead of green, my skin as pale as a true vampire's. My teeth sharp and looking for a kill to make in my anger. I had a feeling of all thier eyes taking me in and I teared up in scared embarrassment. "I....I'm sorry.... I.....I'm...I'm a ...." I looked down. Steve and Loki froze next to me and I could tell at least Tony wasn't scared, he knowing all along what I was. The others were in stilled shock. Natasha was frozen and calm, Clint looked like he had an idea of what I was and Thor looked at Loki in question. To my great surprise it was Loki who spoke first to me.

"She, is an American vampire, mortals." 

I looked at my friend in fear and surprise. He knew? How did Loki find out about my vampirism and why hadn't he told me? Accused me of being a monster? Why had Loki been silent until now?  He looked at me with a smirk and a look inside of it that clearly read he didn't find me a monster at all. He was on my side as I was on his. "She is a vampire, first of her kind as I know it to be and I found out quite recently by use of her library while looking up her favorite holiday of Halloween." He was speaking in my defence....Loki, God of Mischief, was on my defence. I wanted to cry both happy tears and hug him at the same time I wanted to run for my life before the Avengers got out the old trusty torches and pitchforks that mobs always used against my kind.

Steve put a hand on my shoulder. 

"She's not evil and you all know she isn't. She's still our Cass....." He was quiet and soft in his speech. Loki actually gave an agreeing nod to Steve. "She is just a creature of the night, she does not even drink the blood of her victims Avengers. The man of iron knows his niece is one and hasn't disposed of her. Isn't this worth its own merit?" I looked at both the men I loved in thier own way and smiled in gratitude and warmth. Natasha was first to talk. "Clint and I knew already." She smiled a small smile at me and i guessed where they could have possibly gotten that delicate information. "Fury?" Clint shrugged. "He thought we might want to know our trainee was a bloodsucking monster." He didn't say it to be rude, but i still flinched at the word like I had been slapped in the face. It wasn't a pleasant thing to hear and Bruce looked at the archer with an annoyed glance. "Clint, that was insensitive. Can't you see that hurts?" Then he turned to me with a classic Banner shy smile. "I...I was aware...you were something. They told us all that much...i just, never expected this much." He looked at the others.

" We are all in agreement she's not going to be yelled at?"

Everyone nodded but the god of thunder. He was too busy grinning like an idiot and looking at me and his brother every so often like this was the greatest thing since Poptarts. Then he got loud. As Thor usually is...."THIS IS FANTASTIC! BROTHER, YOUR FEELINGS ARE NOT IN VAIN AFTERALL!!" Then he ran up to poor Loki and embraced him too tightly. Loki was in so much shock and surprise that he allowed himself to be hugged and set down. And it was his turn to look afraid at me, for what reason, I don't know. I knew Loki had feelings for me but they were only of friendship as far as I knew. That had to be why the thunderhead was yelling and I just shrugged, smiling at the green god with an apologetic smile. "Thor, don't embarrass your brother, hes positively green. Well...greener than usual.." Thor let go and grinned stupidly. "As you wish Lady Cassandra. My apologies.." The rest looked at Thor and shook thier heads as if he was just being stupid as usual. 

Well, because he was being stupid as usual.

Steve looked at his watch and tapped my shoulder. "Cass, its nearly departure time.." I quickly turned to him. "Your kidding." He held his watch out to me to see and I cursed myself for my outburst. There was no way were going to make that flight now and I growled in anger, shaking my head. "Great..thanks to me we are going to miss the opening ceremony!" Loki shook his head and shrunk all our luggage to tiny versions of themselves. "Not unless Barton wishes to take us in his quinjet." I looked at Clint pleadingly. "Pleaasseeee Clint?" I acted like I was praying, holding my hands together and blinking innocently as I could be. "Pretty please with arrows on top?" He gave me a smug smile and crossed his arms. "Depends... Can I call in a favor whenever I want later? No restrictions?" I nodded furiously. "Yes! Now come ooonn!!" I dragged everyone to the roof where the plane was and got on board. Loki sat across from me with a look I couldn't place and Steve sat next to me with a shy smile. Clint just got in his seat and we took off into the sky towards California. 

But I didn't pay attention to most of the ride, except for the crazy phone chat session we had, but I'll include that later. I kept going through Thor's little outburst in my mind, his brother's reaction and why Loki could be afraid that Thor told everyone, including me, that he had feelings for me as a friend. He had already told me I was his friend and he never gave me that look before....it was the same kind of look Steve gave me before he asked me to the museum....did...Loki?.....have feelings for me more than a friend? Did the God of Mischief....Have a crush on me? I pondered that thought and came up with an Even scarier question after thinking about how that made me feel.

Did I have a crush on him?!

Oh

SHIIT.