The holidays moved too quickly for my liking. Thanksgiving was a month ago and I had spent it with Clint and his family. It was only a couple of weeks until Christmas and then the New Year.

Natasha and Agent Richards along with Dr. Franz (who had cleared me) agreed that it was time to put me back into the field. I had a simple "bag and grab" mission next week. Until then I just trained with Bucky and Natasha to keep myself in shape.

Stark was hounding me about going back home to Seattle and spending time with my mother. I gave in when he bought nonrefundable tickets to Seattle and I had no choice but to go. Mom was on a return trip from London and would be in Seattle for a week.

I was busy packing my bag for my trip to Seattle, Wanda sat on my bed casually reading one of my books. Trix flew around the room, bringing me things to pack.

"You're mother is beautiful," Wanda remarked, as she picked up old picture of Mum and I.

"Yeah. She is." I said. I pulled out a black sweater from my closet and ebated if I should pack it or not. "Unfortunately, I look more like my father."

"What's you mother like?" She asked.

"She's something." I said picking up another picture next to my bed. I rember this one, it was when I was ten. The both of us went hiking that summer. "But there's always a sadness to her, almost like there's a burden on her shoulders that she refuses to share."

"She's beautiful." Wanda said.

"Yeah." I nodded absently as I looked into her blue eyes. "She is."

I never felt like I belonged next to mum.

Mums skin was fair, mine was tanned. Her eyes were a vivid blue, mine we a dull and boring brown. She had flaxen hair like starlight while mine was like crow feathers. There was a small resemblance in our facial structures, the cheekbones and nose but everything else was my father.

She always told me I was beautiful and that just because I looked different didn't mean that I was. I still bled red when I scraped my knee and I cried when I got called names.I wondered how many times mum looked at me and thought of the man she once loved. She could've hated me but she didn't. I guess that showed how much compassion she had.

"Sometimes I wondered if I was ever her own child," I said emptily as I petted Trix who nuzzled my face. "I don't like being so distant from her."

Wanda smiled sadly and held my hand in hers. I squeezed her hand silently thanking her.

"You're a lot like your mother in more ways than you know, Maya."

"I wish that was true."

------------

Loki stood outside Mays's door contemplating if he should go in or not. He sensed The Scarlet Witch nearby and set him on edge. Wanda Maximoff may be mortal but she possessed a powerful form of chaos magic that he had no intention of getting entangled with.

For once he listened to that pesky voice in the back of his head that told him to swallow his pride and go in. All he had to do was apologize for his actions during their duel and for the things he said after that. He didn't feel remorse for pushing her to her breaking point and not holding back. She had to use her powers, that was a given.

Guilt wasn't something he wasted his time on.

Frigga would have most likely disapproved of his methods but he was training a fighter not a sorcerer. Magic didn't apply to her, only force and intimidation did.

At least that's what he liked to think.......

'Just say sorry and go back to your room. It won't cost anything but your pride and maybe your ego."

'She hates me," Loki reminded himself. 'She loathes me. I'd be lucky if she didn't decapitate me the moment that I walked into the room.'

He placed his hand on his neck shuddering as he remembered how she stop him from breathing. Though he was glad that his plan worked maybe it had worked a little too well. Loki had to admit (much to his displeasure) that Maya was a force to be reckoned with.

She was a hurricane of anger and power that paraded around as a summer breeze.

'Well, what did you expect?" His inner voice asked. 'There's cruel and then there's just plain mean.'

Loki took a deep breath in and walked away from Maya's door. He would deal with Maya later. Right now, he had a mission to prepare for.

-------------

The mission was simple. Send in a recon team and then go in and arrest the high profile separatist then bring him in for evaluation and questioning.

Easy, right?

Wrong.

My partner for the mission, however, was not.

Hours before the mission I asked Steve to swap him out for Bucky. We didn't get along at all and we would most likely botch up the mission. I wouldn't preferred Bucky but he was Steve's partner, not mine.

Turns out I'm the only one without a partner.

Tony and Sam. Vision and Thor. Wanda and Pietro. Natasha and Clint. Steve and Bucky.

So it was Loki and I who had to be teamed up because Steve and Thor thought it would be a great idea. I was gonna kill those blonde morons when I got back. Maybe I could recruit Natasha to help me.

Sure, good idea to pair me up with the man who tried to kill me during our training session!

I may have done terrible things but I am not evil. Evil is a choice and I certainly did not make that choice. I'm just lost and for a second I thought that Loki was too.

'Serves me right,' I thought to myself as I strapped my gun to my belt.

"Evil?"

Shit.

"You think I'm evil?" He asked, leaning across the table as I picked up a gun.

"No comment." I said picking up some magazines off the rack behind me. Two knives were neatly placed next to the mags. I picked one up, inspecting it.

"How so?"

"Were you even paying attention to the speech I made after I punched you?" I sighed exasperatedly, putting down the the knife. "Evil is a choice."

"I'll ask again. This time give me a clear answer," Loki said, picking up the knife and testing its balance. "How so?"

Great.

Now I have to have a philosophical debate with a fallen god on the difference between bad and evil. This is not what I expected for this day to go. Can we just get this mission over with?!

"Bad and Evil are just two sides of a coin but the only thing that is different about them is perception."

"Hmmm. Too vague," he said.

"What do you want Loki?" I asked, pinching the bridge of my nose. "You're all over the place with me. You act friendly then you want to kill me and then you act distant as hell. Look, in the field I'm gonna need you. I need to know that I can trust you to watch my back and I need to know that you won't stab me in it. So whatever is going on between us, it ends now. Got it?"

"And what if I don't want to talk about it?" He crossed his arms. "You can't even use your powers effectively, how can you do anything to me?"

"Then I'll cancel the mission," I threatened through gritted teeth.

"If I must complete a mission on my own, so be it." Loki thought I bluffing. "It wouldn't be my first, Ms. Anwar."

I narrowed my eyes.

"Oh? Who said anything about you going alone? According to Fury, we're a team now. So that means whatever missions I go you have to come with me. That means that if I refuse to go then we have to cancel the mission which wouldn't sit well with you. After all, these missions are just a way for you to earn time off your exile here so I suggest you get along with me or you can kiss your chance of freedom goodbye."

You're move, asshat.

Loki seethed, he narrowed his eyes and the temperature in the room dropped at least ten degree. I wonder how Thor dealed with his temper tantrums or his family for that matter.

"You are full of surprises, aren't you?" He rolled his eyes. "I never knew that you were this low. Fine. You win, I don't want to be stuck in this accursed planet with you more than I have to."

"Good," I said. "Now to the main question: What the fuck is your problem, Loki?"

"My problem is mainly with you." Loki answered.

"Oh gods," I said in a deadpan. "You're not in love with me, are you? I told you before. I hate fanfiction moments."

"I'm offended. I think I've told you before that I have better taste," he snipped. "But no, Maya.  I am not in love with you but I am curious about you."

"You know, you're terrible at flirting."

"You're terrible at fighting," He said right back.

"The day I kick you ass will be here soon enough so I'd watch it if I were you." I said. "What's so curious about me, Trickster?"

"Just you overall. How are you not........."

"Spiteful? Angry? Resentful? Generally hate humanity as a whole?"

"Yes, but my question is how are you not evil?"

"What?" I asked, turning around.  "I chose to be better. I chose to do the right thing. It was tempting to hurt and kill and maim. This world hasn't been forgiving so why should I? But I didn't let that happen to me because I refused to let that happen to me even though it was tempting."

"Why aren't you?" Loki narrowed his eyes. "You're not a good person either."

"I'm not, I'm a decent person." I shrugged. "But I chose to do better now. That's all that matters. As I said, evil is a choice. Bad just happens."

"You're not going to try to tell me that I'm good person and that I should forgive myself, are you?" Loki grabbed his spear. "Oh please. Tell me how I'm a saint despite how much blood I've spilt. I'm not deserving of such things as redemption and love and all of those sentimental things."

His voice dripped in in sarcasm. Maybe that should be his weapon. Loki could just snark the enemy to death.

"Does this look like a sappy fanfic to you?" I snapped. "I'm not going to overlook what you did just because I like you. This is the real world. Own up to your shit, Loki."

"So you like me?" He asked, smug.

"No!" I said. "This isn't a fanfic, asshat."

"What is this Fanfic you speak of?"

"I'll explain later. We have a mission to get to, Trickster."

A/N: aw! Look at Loki being an adorable little shit. JK. Comments and votes are appreciated but it's totally up to you! Thanks!