EDITED :)

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3rd Person's POV

          "This guy totally stole my face!"

          Steve Rogers regards the jab with little interest, his arms crossed in front of his chest as he remains stationary while trying to stay focused. Only when Johnathan Storm starts to literally jab him in stomach, does he turn his attention to the flamboyant super hero.

          "You know, I was born ninety four years ago, so technically you stole my face," Captain Rogers reasons, only to receive a dismissal snort and more jabbing to his abdomen in response.

          "Were you just trying to prove a point? If so, the only thing you proved is that you're older than the cheese we have in the fridge back home, and who knows how long that's been in there."

          "Johnny!" Susan chides, lightly slapping his arm away from Steve's stomach "Stop poking him!"

          Johnny pouts. "But come on sis! Look at this guy! For a grandpa, he's not in bad shape. Heck, he's in better shape than most people here, except for me of course."

          "And I thought Tony's ego was bad," Natasha Romanoff mumbles into Clint Barton's ear from where they're both seated on the wide table, the SHIELD logo standing proud behind them.

         "Don't worry; he won't be taking Tony's title anytime soon. But on the downside, I think he's only just warming up," Clint whispers back, earning a sound that's in between a snort and a chuckle from the red headed assassin in reply.

          After having heard the call from the Fantastic Four, Director Nicholas Fury immediately summoned both teams to the Helicarrier to discuss their mutual problem; Lillian Nightshade. Four hours later and they all find themselves here, in the main room of the Helicarrier either seated at the large table or idly standing around it.

          "I would like to express my gratitude towards the four of you for reaching out to us with this information," Director Fury veers everyone's attention back to the matter at hand, talking to the Fantastic Four from his position standing at the head of the table.

         "After all," he progresses "she is the main priority for us at the moment. What started as another mercenary problem for SHIELD, has begun to turn into a global threat. Her capabilities are unfortunately tremendous, and while they weren't as threatening to us particularly before, now that she's joined forces with HYDRA, she's jumped to the front of our threat monitor right beside them. Can you possibly further explain the functions of this XCX machine that she stole the research and blueprints to?"

          "It—" Reed starts, only to be interjected quickly by Johnny.

          "When he said 'explain the functions', he meant in English, so there's no point in you trying to explain it. Susan, you do it."

          Throwing him a heated glare, Susan Storm nonetheless listens to her younger brother and begins to outline the capacity of the machine in as simplest of a manner as she's capable of. "In simple terms, it amplifies the super abilities of those who possess them. It works the best on mutants, but it also works for those who are later given their powers by other means, like we did. It would work on Dr. Banner, Captain Rogers, Thor, Spider-man, Deadpool and anyone who has capabilities out of the ordinary human category."

          "What if it's utilized on someone without such abilities?" Bruce Banner inquires, absentmindedly placing the tips of his glasses in-between his lips while his mind runs amuck with the various possibilities the machine could create.

          "We.... Haven't gotten that far," Reed almost cringes at his own words. Upon receiving admonishing looks from the other super heroes around him, he's quick to rush out "It was still in the early stages when she stole the research and prints; there are parts of it that require tweaking and formulas that need to be re-written."

          "Won't take long for HYDRA's scientists to figure that out," Steve bitterly bites out, his resentment directed towards his oldest adversary. Will he ever be rid of them? Waking up in this new day and age, he thought he would've rid himself of such an organisation, but if anything they've flourished and grown fiercer in numbers, resources, passion and motivation, and not to mention their undying loyalty. It's one aspect that Captain Rogers has to admire about his familiar foe, for loyalty and trust are very scarce traits to come by these days, and in HYDRA, almost every single one of their agents is wholeheartedly dedicated to their cause, however unjust and mad their cause may be.

          Bucky wasn't dedicated to their cause.

          Steve clenches his eyes shut and shakes his head firmly to rid the rogue thought from his mind. It's been a year since SHIELD fell, and in that time Director Fury has been able to not only build it back up to tolerable standards, but hired men and women who are completely trustworthy and are one hundred percent not part of HYDRA. If any aspects of one SHIELD's agents are somewhat sketchy, they're not permitted high level clearance or told highly confidential information about missions or people.

          And in all this time that the phoenix of SHIELD has risen from the ashes and been reborn, Steve has yet to find any sturdy leads on his best friend.

          Sam Wilson has been a great friend, standing by Steve even when all odds were against him, or if his goals were entirely impossible. He's been a greater help than anyone in the room he's currently standing in. It still hasn't been enough though, and so this is why Steve has begun to question himself.

          Is it me? Am I the one who isn't enough to find Bucky?

          He shouldn't be thinking of this right now. No, he can't be thinking of this right now. Right now, his priority is Lillian Nightshade, a woman who has willingly thrown herself into a life of assassinating for an income, and signed herself up with the people that brainwashed and forced his best friend into doing immoral things that would haunt the man beneath for the rest of his days.

          "So you plan on what? Baiting her?"

          Steve attentions snaps back into place when Tony Stark's skeptical voice seems to overpower everyone else's, the small conversations that both teams had broken off into now wilting away like a flower under the harsh temperatures of a desert sun.

          "That's exactly what I plan on doing," Fury doesn't miss a beat, not at all hesitating in his words or decision.

          Natasha's eyes narrow in uncertainty. "What if she smells the trap? She's not stupid, we know that by now."

          "What? Her IQ of 161 didn't tell you that by itself?" Stark mocks, instantly backpedalling when Romanoff glowers at him so heatedly it could melt Steve's shield.

          Fury doesn't bat an eye at Stark, solely focused on Natasha. "Oh she will, but her ego will cloud any common sense that her mind still pertains. She thinks so highly of herself that she'll think she's able of taking us on singlehandedly, despite the fight being in our territory."

          "What if she doesn't do it singlehandedly though?" Ben speaks up, his doubt washing away but still staining his features. "What if she drags a couple squads of HYDRA agents into this?"

          "We have an agency of spies and two teams of super heroes at our disposal," Director Fury deadpans, hardly blinking "if we weren't capable of taking on an assassin and a couple squads of HYDRA agents, I would begin to question how any of us got into our professions and saved the planet more times than we could count."

          "I say we bait her," Reed agrees with the Director, elaborating on his decision when his team cast him questioning expressions "Director Fury is right; she's so high up on her perch she won't care if she's walking into a trap. She literally walked into our building wearing nothing but a pizza uniform – completely barren of any weapons – and stole from us right under our noses—"

          "Right under your noses," Susan corrects, sending her husband a reprimanding look.

          He sighs. "As long as we're prepared and plan well, she won't stand a chance. As for other agents that may accompany her? We're super heroes for crying out loud, I'd like to see them try and knock us onto our asses."

          "Wow there big guy," Johnny amusedly pats his team mate on the shoulder "didn't know you had such a flare in you, that's usually my thing. If you're going to be this riled up the entire time we're after her, I'm totally in."

          The two members of the Fantastic Four share glances with the other half of their team, Susan instantly giving in when both her brother and boyfriend stare at her with pleading looks. "Fine," she relents, uncrossing her arms and sagging in defeat "but let's try keeping the collateral damage to a minimum. I'm still getting hate mail from New Yorkers for desecrating hot dog stands and their apartments after our fight with Victor."

          "Well we ain't called the Fantastic Three, so I guess that means I'm in too," Ben concedes after Susan, not at all hesitant to follow his friends in their intentions. Having spent such a long time eating with them, living with them, crying with them, cheering with them and fighting with them creates a bond so strong its nigh impossible to break, they're his family, and he wouldn't trade them for anything in the universe.

          "Avengers?"

          Fury concerns the Avengers for their answer, his arms solidly crossed over his leather clad chest and his undamaged eye bearing down on them all. He's almost certain they will agree to his idea, after all, they've followed him this far already in regards to Loki and assembling their team as it was. Despite the idea being potentially hazardous and possibly ending with it blowing up in their faces, the level of trust they've all formed between one another is strong enough for them to follow each other to the ends of the galaxy.

          One by one, all the Avengers – bar the absent Thor – nod in agreement to the Director's plan, some – namely Stark – more disgruntled about it than others.

          "What will we be using as bait exactly?" Tony dubiously inquires, gazing at Fury with an expression of pure sassiness.

          "Not what," Fury corrects, knowingly staring down at Steve Rogers with a sly smirk curling at one side of his lips "who."

          "Me?" Steve curiously asks, one eyebrow at his hairline.

          "Makes sense," Clint admits "HYDRA hates you more than anyone."

          "Your bluntness is always appreciated Barton," Captain Rogers sarcastically replies, a tight, half-hearted smile playing at his lips.

          Clint chuckles, easing back into his chair a little more. "It's what I'm here for Captain."

          "You'll be her next target," Bruce finally chimes in again, pointing his glasses at Steve "you are the guy that stands in HYDRA's way. Sure, SHIELD would also be a major problem for them, but you have singlehandedly – well, almost singlehandedly – defeated them twice now. Their first move would be to strike against you now that they've got enough muscle behind them. So either way, if we bait them with you or wait for them to make their next attack which has to be against you, they'll be at our doorstep primed for our move against them."

          "Great," Johnny acerbically compliments "now all we need is an actual plan."

          Director Fury assures the flammable hothead "We've got time. They'd be focusing on the XCX machine for now, but when they're done with that they'll strike. So all we've got to do is—"

          "Oh my God."

          The voice of a single SHIELD agent manages to grab the attention of all the heroes at the table. Glancing down at the man on his computer a bit below, their faces contort with interest at the expression of pure shock on the man's face, his jaw opening and closing as he tries to form coherent words on his evident findings.

          "Agent Coopers?"

          Fury's voice manages to slap him from his stupefied daze, causing him to jump up and awkwardly point at his screen in jarred movements as he splutters out "Caught – on camera – she – she stuffed up."

          "Speak properly agent," Fury presses even more, his patience wearing thin.

          The man swallows. "Facial recognition picked up on the Nightingale."

          Everyone's eyebrows soar to their hairlines, their eyes like baubles and their jaws on the floor. "Where?" Natasha asserts, her face moulding into one of determination as she rises from her seat.

          The man almost quakes under the Russian's gaze. "McDonald's. She's at a McDonald's in Seattle."

******

Lillian's POV

          "I'm pretty sure I was sent to this Earth solely to eat mankind's greatest creation; McDonald's French fries."

          I almost choke on my food at Ally's words, having to set the burger down before I become one of those pitiful people that are in the newspaper for ridiculous deaths like choking on a burger. I mean, yeah sure, I'll die one day, but if I'm going die from anything other than old age, then it's going to be a heck of a memorable death – not death by grease and fast food.

          Reaching for a fry, I allow amusement to dance in my eyes when I respond "Because you weren't brought into this world due to your parents being hormonal lunatics who failed to use a condom one night."

          She snorts in disgust. "Screw my parents; they can be as hormonal or stupid as they want. Not like they ever cared about me after they dropped me on the front steps to the orphanage."

          "I'm pretty sure being an internationally acclaimed assassin would make my parents proud, well, my dad at least," I contribute, picking up my Frozen Fanta and taking one long sip from it.

          Ally brushes her long wavy golden locks to the side, her baby blue eyes glistening like the Hawaiian waters as fragments of sun peer through the windows and delicately touch down on her face. "Who needs parents when you have McDonald's anyway?"

          Lifting my drink up in agreement, I chant "Here here!"

          I don't know where I would be without my best friend Allison Renegade. She's gotten me out of more predicaments than there are women that Johnny Storm has slept with. That's a lot of predicaments.

          Computers wise, she's one of the best there is. When we started I was able to teach her some of the basics of computational sciences and hacking, but as soon as she started it, she immediately took an affinity towards it and had a certain knack for it. She flew past my skill level in a matter of weeks and proceeded to get better and better until she rose to a level that could rival Tony Stark.

           Yeah, she's that good.

           While she's computer smart and does all background checking, research and hacking for me, I'm more so smart in the tactical sense. Most people mistake my IQ of 161 to be for science, maths, engineering, etc. And while I'm somewhat experienced in those areas a bit more than the average person, I'm not smart in the Bruce Banner or Reed Richards sense.

          My intelligence is one you would find in a detective. I'm very good at problem solving and tactically identifying weaknesses, strengths, escape routes and things of the like. Reading body language and facts about a person from their appearance also falls under that category, but I'm not as refined and good at it like Sherlock Holmes or a friend of mine called Famine the Horseman.

          All in all, we balance each other out. I wouldn't be able to do more than half the missions without Ally, and Ally isn't exactly the deadliest fighter in the world so she wouldn't be able to a lot in the field against highly skilled adversaries. We're two peas in a pod, fitting together in the puzzle just perfectly.

          "What's your new boss got you doing next? You gonna steal from the X-Men? Or has he got you lined up for babysitting one of his HYDRA squads?"

          Throwing Ally a weak warning glance for her teasing, I respond "Stolen enough from the X-Men to last me a couple lifetimes thanks. My next mission, actually, is to take out HYDRA's main threat."

          "Soap? Showers?" She inquires, and at my 'Really?' look, she defends "What? They all smell of sweat, mud, blood and death. Geeze, even a mint wouldn't hurt."

          I laugh softly, reaching for one of her fries and popping it into my mouth. "No, I'm not assassinating a bar of soap," I finish chewing the fry and reluctantly string out "I'm... supposed to take out.... Captain America...?"

          If she had any drink in her mouth right now, her spit take would be larger than a tsunami.

          "You what!?!" She exclaims as she stands, earning glances from curious onlookers.

          "Shhh!" I chide, standing to seize her shoulders and ease her back into her seat "Keep talking that loud and you may as well dial the damn man and tell him we're coming."

          She looks like she's going flip out – not that she already has. "You've never killed a super hero before Lilly," she stresses more quietly, running a fraught hand through her hair "and assassinating America's golden boy will a) not go well with the press or government, and b) may get you damn well killed. What are you thinking agreeing to such a thing?"

          I sigh tiredly, rubbing my face with my hands. "It's part of the contract I signed. I can't just back out now. I may be an assassin and mercenary, but I'm true to my word and wouldn't dare break a contract. I'm not doing it alone either; I've got another guy with abilities on my team and around fifty or so agents backing us up. HYDRA's numbers are growing so they can afford to lead such heavy assaults, and considering we're taking down their biggest adversary, I actually expected more."

          Her eyes glimmer in concern. "That makes me feel a bit better at least, but why would they give you something so big when you're only on your third mission for them? Surely you haven't gained a level of trust that great with them yet."

          Entertainment etches its way into my body. "Of course not, no one's that careless, especially not HYDRA. I'm only told the basics of the tasks, not like I'm told why they want me to do all these things. I'm not even told what their true goal is, only the vague cliché of achieving 'world order'."

          Her eyebrow arches. "So in other words world domination?"

          My face remains indifferent. "Pretty much."

          She swallows her amusement by finishing off her Pepsi. "Why are villains so cliché these days?"

          I snort, rolling my eyes. "Not like they have many good role models to look up to. I mean, look at Red Skull, the Mandarin, Loki.... They're all nutcases who want nothing more than power, death and destruction."

          "I'll drink to that," she concurs, snatching my Frozen Fanta and swallowing one large gulp of it. I make no move to steal it back, instead counting the number of seconds in my head until the inevitable happens.

          Three.... Two.... One....

          A small, almost inhumane squeal tears at her lips, her hands flying to massage her temple. "Jumping Jesus almighty that brain freeze is colder than the ice you control!"

          Reaching for it and taking the drink back, a wry smile rests on my lips as I revel in my little payback and completely neglect the small coat of frost that forms on the drink where my hand is currently holding it. "Payback's a bitch, and so am I," I cockily comment, sipping at the drink and not flinching at the brain freeze that supposedly harms everyone else.

          She scowls at me. "I'm kind of rooting for Captain America now, or for him to at least land a few hits on your smug ass."

          I feign hurt, clutching a hand over my heart and gasping dramatically. "After all these years Renegade, and you betray me for the Independence Day Mascot? That hurts Ally," I mockingly point to my heart "right here."

          "Well you can't blame a girl," she casually plays off, nonchalantly gnawing away at another fry "you have seen the man after all. There's more beef on him than there is in a burger joint."

          I hum in approval. "He is a rather attractive specimen. So is Thor though, have you seen those guns of his?"

          She sends me a surprised look at the guns comment, but nonetheless nods in agreement. "So what we can take out of all this is that the Avengers are all attractive. Huh, must be part of the terms and conditions of becoming one. My favourite has to be Banner though."

          Upon my inquisitive expression, she further justifies "He's smart, he's handsome, he's sweet and he can turn into an enormous green rage monster. That's like the entire package."

          "Has someone got a crush on the Incredible Hulk?" I ridicule, biting my lip in entertainment and placing my drink back on the table.

          A soft pink dusts her sun-kissed cheeks, nearly unnoticeable to the human eye. "Me? A crush on Bruce Banner?" She awkwardly scoffs "That would be.... ridiculous. Don't be so absurd. You should really learn to not make assumptions of people, it's quite unbecoming of you," she rushes out, eventually intervening her own stumbling by placing a handful of fries into her mouth.

          Unable to help myself anymore, I burst out in an abundance of laughter, but attempt to muffle it by slapping a hand over my mouth. Eventually, Ally catches a case of the giggles as well, and it isn't long before both of us are just laughing purely for the sake of it, the motive behind it long forgotten.

          A few other people cast us estranged looks, a disapproving spark in some of their eyes. What? They never seen a couple of criminals laughing over a McDonald's meal before? God, they're acting as if it's an abnormality for them.

          Normally, I would ignore such irksome human beings, but when Ally starts to squirm under their judgmental looks, I pivot in my seat to stare them all down. "Can I help you nosey assbutts?"

          They all seem to suddenly find their food rather interesting, for all gazes shift back to their meals in a record breaking time of mere nanoseconds after the venomous words drip from my lips.

          Ally snickers. "If looks could kill, the body count in here would be higher than the number of computers I've hacked."

          "Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"

          She shakes her head confidently. "Nope, you should have seen your face Lilly. Heck, I almost pissed my pants just then."

          "Well they should learn it's rude to stare," I rationalize, the hairs on the back of my neck prickling in a way akin to Spiderman's Spidey sense. Something isn't right....

          "Can't exactly blame them for staring at a couple of pretty girls."

          Every muscle, bone and cell in my body tenses and readies itself for action at the unwelcomingly familiar voice. Clenching my eyes shut for but a moment, I stiffly crane my head to glance up at the complacent firecracker who is ever so smugly smirking down on us.

          A tight smile graces my lips. "Mr. Storm."

          His smirk broadens. "Now we're far past formalities, aren't we Jessica? And if my memory is correct, I did tell you to call me Johnny."

          "Sorry," I rigidly push out "old habit I'm afraid. I'm a very old fashioned kind of gal. Anyway, what brings you here Johnny?"

           You can tell he's having fun playing our little game, for he happily takes a seat right beside me in the booth, grinning at Ally across from the both of us and stealing a few of her chips. "Oh you know, I was in the neighbourhood," he chats as if we're talking over tea and scones, gesturing about with a French fry casually after draping his other arm around my shoulders "and then I began to realize, I never got that hot pizza girl's number. So I dropped by Pizza Hut, asking the manager where you were and he told me the funniest thing. Want to know what it is?"

          I dryly grin at him, feigning curiosity. "Pray do tell."

          "Well," he continues, snuggling in closer to me "he told me that not only did they not have any employees by the name of Jessica, but that their employee Mike was supposedly knocked out, stripped to his under pants, and stuffed into a broom closet. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?"

          "Unfortunately not," I monotonously respond, acting as carefree as I can while I lift my burger up and take a bite, placing it back down directly afterwards.

          He chuckles. "That's a shame. Anyway, after I'm told this, I begin to wonder; what if she lied to me? And if so, why would she? All these unanswered questions were really starting to annoy me, so I called a few friends that helped me track you down so I could personally ask why you would lie to me. I brought the gang along for the sake of it – Ben wanted an Angus burger, and who was I to deprive him of one? I hope you don't mind that I brought my friends too," he leans in closer, cheekily whispering in my ear "although between you and me, they can be a bit of a handful sometimes."

          "Talking about me Match Stick?"

          Dear God this couldn't get any worse.

          Tony Stark ever so indifferently slides in next to Ally opposite me, smiling at her and saying a quick "Hey," before finishing off her fries.

          Johnny's eyes twinkle in playfulness. "Aren't I always Tinman?"

          Draping an arm around Ally's shoulders, not unlike how Johnny currently has his arm around me, Tony informs her in a hushed voice "You see kid, the Torch and I have this bromance going on. It's kinda a big deal."

          "The social media is all over it," Johnny further explains, turning to face a passer-by who's about to snap a photo of the four of us and grinning while saying "Cheese!"

          Tony mimics him in his posing, while Ally and I undoubtedly appear mortified and dumbstruck all in one. When the member of the public scurries off, the two super heroes aloofly turn back to the conversation at hand, Stark notifying Ally "You're out of fries by the way."

          "Didn't notice," she mumbles, trying to scoot away from him as inconspicuously as she can.

          "I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this get-together short boys," I fake regret, shooting the two men a frown.

          The entire performance is one you would see in a movie. "You're leaving? Already?" Johnny's arm around my shoulders ever so slightly tightens "but we just got here."

          "I know I know, but we've got places to see, people to kill, pizzas to deliver," I list off "you know, all the works."

          "I really insist on you two staying," Tony urges "you haven't finished your burger Lilly, and we haven't even ordered yet."

          Lilly.

          Him saying my name is all I needed for me to do what I'm about to do.

          "Hey Ally?" I inquire, fixing my attention on my blonde associate who is currently eyeing the two males uncomfortably.

          "Yeah Lilly?" She replies quietly, her eyes pleading for me to do something.

          A small smile plays at my lips. "Do you feel a draft in here?"

          Everything that follows is almost a blur.

          Ally dives under the table faster than Tony or Johnny could even blink, allowing me to conjure up a powerful gust of wind that's strong enough to send both men flying across the restaurant. Stumbling out of the booth, I hold my hand out for Ally to grab and lightly help her to her feet while she bumbles about attempting to regain her balance.

          "I really do think it's time to go," I announce, her head frantically nodding up and down as she breathlessly agrees "Yeah."

         Dragging her along as we sprint for the exit, we're halted at the door when a burger splatters against it as a means to garner our attention. Turning around, our eyes trail up until they clash with the eyes of Ben Grimm, an empty smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

          "You seem like a kinda nice gal, but I'm afraid you're gonna have to come with me."

          I snort down my amusement, quirking an eyebrow and retorting "And who died and made you king?"

         With a flick of the wrist (look at the flicka da wrist), I manipulate Ben to soar through the air and into the lovebirds Susan and Reed as they both start to dart towards our general direction. During Ben's flying lesson, he manages to pick up both of them and demolish the McDonald's counter with them under his jagged body.

          Being able to control the element earth + Ben having a rock body = a very happy Lillian :).

          Seizing Ally's wrist in an iron grip again, I escort her from the restaurant with haste, all but slamming my body into the door to get it open. Luckily, the door shuts and acts as a shield when Stark evidently calls his Iron man suit to pick him up, for a pulsar beam fires straight into the door and safeguards the impact from Ally and I.

          The glass door is airborne, colliding into a large trashcan a few meters away. Pushing Ally off to the side to find cover, I constantly pivot around as to not have my back to Stark or Johnny who are exiting McDonalds, or to Romanoff and Barton who are just approaching the food outlet.

          "Oh look at this," I coo "my best buddies are here to fend off the hormonal, perverted men I have had the misfortune to meet. Well then, I'll leave you four to it—"

          "Enough games," Natasha interjects, a small spark jumping from her charged electro-shock gloves.

          I laugh elatedly, turning to Clint while jutting a thumb in Natasha's direction. "This chick, such a funny one. Didn't she read my file? I'm all about games! Speaking of which, let's play one. It's called, 'Whack-a-Hero'."

          When Johnny yells "Flame on!" and ignites himself on fire, I instantly lift a hand and force him to attack the other three heroes, watching as the fire licks and dances in its wanton destruction to devour all around it.

          Only possessing a few seconds window to bolt from the scene before either the assassins or the billionaire can escape Johnny's fire, I once again snatch Ally and run as fast as I can in a newfound flurry of determination.

          A few blocks later, and my mind is still stuck in the loop of 'Run, turn here, turn there, avoid any super heroes with a '4' or an 'A' on their suits'  until Ally drags me into a desolate alleyway for a brief break and catch of breath. She directs me towards the back of the building, so no one on the street could peer into the alley and see a couple of sweating girls on the run from a few super heroes.

          "Why.... Why didn't..." she heaves, leaning against a brick wall for support "why didn't you just fight them? You... You have to do it tomorrow," she swallows "anyway."

         "Because," I breath, my greedy lungs gulping in the air hungrily, but not as hungrily as Ally "you're with me. I could've gotten distracted and one of them could've snatched you. You're my priority, not them. Get you to safety, and then I'll deal with their dumbasses. If anything happened to my best friend, I don't know what I would do."

          She weakly chuckles, resting her head against the harsh bricks. "I'm your only friend Frosty."

          Happiness and fondness surges through me at the old nickname. It's derived from the element water/ice, for it was the first element I discovered I had the capacity to manipulate and create. I accidentally froze a Chinese take-out guy when he was getting a tad too handsy with Ally when we were eleven years old. To say that the three of us were shocked was a complete understatement.

          Now, however, let's get back to the matter at hand; the Fantastic Freak Show and Earth's Mightiest Weirdoes.

          That was cringe worthy, even for me.

          "ROOAAARRHHH!"

          After the almighty roar that could be heard a few blocks away reaches our ears, a pin could be dropped on a neighbouring planet and yet both Ally and I would still hear it. If that particular super hero finds us then that's it, we're done.

          "Was that—?"

          "Your boyfriend?" I finish off "Yeah, I think he's looking for you."

          Her face is a ghastly shade of white, almost pale enough to put a ghost to shame. "N-Not funny Lilly."

          I snicker, my breath becoming even again. "Actually, it was pretty funny—"

          I hear it first; the distinct crunch of gravel under a heavy boot like a crinkled bag of chips. What follows, is the sound of something thin and light cutting through the air like a shark's teeth through the flesh of a defenceless fish. And within a second, I've grabbed Ally yet again and thrown her to the side to avoid being hit by a—

          – Shield?

          The blue, red and white shield lodges firmly into the brick wall, right where Ally's head was moments ago. A flare of rage convulses deep within me, and I turn to the perpetrator with a glint in my eye that would remind him of the edge of a blade winking in the sunlight.

          "Do you make it a habit of yours to try and decapitate young girls while they're doing nothing but minding their own business in suspicious looking alleyways?" I ask of the Avenger, moving to stand protectively in front of Ally.

          A lip twitches up on Steve Rogers' face. "No, but if it makes you feel any better, I was aiming for you."

          I can't help but chuckle for a moment at that. "Well then, you better work on your aim a bit more soldier."

          Silence hangs over us for a while. We do nothing but stare at one another as the overbearing thread of the pregnant pause and peace dangles above, threatening to break as soon as one muscle of our's flinches a millimetre.

          "You've been a lot of trouble," he acknowledges, eyes flickering to his shield imbedded in the wall beside me.

          I smirk mischievously. "It's my middle name; Lillian Trouble Nightshade. God given trait of mine I'm afraid, it's a gift and a curse."

          "Haven't seen the gift side of it yet," he comments, his unblinking eyes piercing into my own.

           My eyes dance in lust for danger. "Oh don't worry, you will."

           When another five or so seconds of heavy silence overpowers the space between us again, I can hear an exasperated sigh spurt from Ally's lips behind me. "Stop flirting and giving each other googly eyes! Just fight already!"

           He's the first to act, charging forwards for his shield and ripping it from the wall. Ally scampers out of the way when I have to weave aside from Rogers' strike, for the moment he wrenches his shield free, he spins and drives it towards my face.

          Normally, I would simply fight hand-to-hand with my targets and enemies, for using my powers for too long strains me and begins to drain my energy. However, considering the fact that my primary goal here is to just momentarily subdue my enemies in order to get Ally away from them, utilizing my abilities seems like the quickest and most logical path to take.

          Clicking my fingers, I spout a large mass of vines from the earth far below the gravel floor, gesturing my hands about to make them wrap around Rogers' arms and legs in a vice grip. The vines drag him to the floor, constricting him like an anaconda as he struggles and squirms with all the might in his bones to work himself free.

          I placidly stroll over to him, smirking darkly down at his fuming face. "Aw that's cute, you fell for me," I tease, relishing in toying with him like a kitten would with a ball of yarn.

          His eyes narrow angrily, his lip curling up in a dark manner which seems foreign to his usually kind features. "I will find you, I will always find you."

          I grin playfully, a gleam of mischief and hope in my eyes as I reply "I'm counting on it."

          Kicking him in the abdomen once for trying to decapitate Ally earlier on, I only stare down at him for a couple more seconds before sprinting off with Ally in the direction we were previously heading.

          Ally and I eye a few 'break-into' worthy cars before she excitedly points to a white Lamborghini Aventador, pleading with me "Please please please!"

          Exhaling sharply in defeat, we dash over to the car with the driver idly standing in front of it, a warm cup of coffee in his hand. Slipping a flip knife out of my converse, I sneak up behind him and press the edge of the blade into the man's throat, demanding "Keys please."

          He fumbles for the keys in his front pocket, his trembling hand offering them to me when he finally manages to find them. Gratefully accepting the wonderful gift, I assure the man "On the bright side of all this, imagine the great story you'll be able to tell your friends! The Nightingale held you at knifepoint and stole your beloved car. Not everyone gets to boast about that these days, you're special."

          When he only mumbles and begins to tear up, I speak for him "Is that a 'Thank you Nightingale' I hear?"

          "T-Thank you N-Nighting-gale," he stutters out, his entire body quivering under the knife pressed against his neck.

          "See! Manners aren't so hard to use," I convince, smiling happily at the man before tossing him to the side and opening the car door.

          Ally slides into the seat next to me, staring in awe at the car's interior as I jam the keys in ignition and listen to the beauty purr like a tiger. "Nothing like a lesson on manners from Lillian Nightshade," Ally jokes, buckling herself in.

         Taking the breaks off and gripping the steering wheel, I impishly send her a crooked smile. "And he even got it for free. Lucky bastard."

         I speed and weave in and out of traffic, wholeheartedly disregarding the traffic lights and signs littering the streets of Seattle. Twenty or so minutes later, when Ally and I are sure we're not being followed, she finally decides to pipe up.

          "Where to Frosty?"

          "Do we still have that safe house in Vancouver?" I inquire, flickering my gaze to her for a split moment in order to acknowledge her nod.

          I sigh in relief. "Good, you'll stay there for a few nights while I finish the job tomorrow."

          I can feel the waves of anxiety rolling off her onto me. "Don't you think we have enough Lilly?"

          Occasionally glimpsing over to her, my brows furrow into a knot while I change lanes. "What do you mean?"

          "Enough money," she tiredly elaborates "we don't need to do this job. We have enough to set ourselves up comfortably for the rest of our lives. Why can't we just... disappear now?"

           A large inhale files up my nose, and my gut clenches and churns as if a dagger has been imbedded in it and is being twisted slowly as we speak. Being an assassin is all I know. To just... up and leave that life is a lot easier said than done. Yet when I look at Ally, I see someone who is desperately fighting tooth and nail to escape the clutches of such a life, a life where she's constantly targeted and hunted, purely for her association with me. I may find a normal life bland, tedious and boring, but after everything the girl besides me has done for me, it's the very least I can do.

          "One more job," I conclude, an edge of finality slithering into my tone "one more job and then we'll drive to the place I've always promised we'd go."

          Her face lights up brighter than New York City after dark. "Do you mean...?"

          Upon my affirmative nod, her ecstatic squeals bounce off the car walls, the sound drawing a small smile to my lips.

          This time however, as I ride into the sunset away from my enemies, I don't feel happy nor cocky like I usually do, I feel worried and anxious. Worried that tomorrow might not go as planned. Worried that my life may forever be condemned to a boring, normal lifestyle. Worried that a certain couple groups of super heroes may yet get the better of me.

          Worried that after tomorrow, I may never see Ally again.

Picture of Ally above :)

Thanks for reading and that's all for now, bye! :) xxx

 ~ T.L