Mischief Makers Ch. 06

He took a moment to look himself over in the mirror. He would pass inspection, but didn't really like the jacket. He missed the weight and style of his old leather garments, which would likely look out of place anywhere in Midgard.

Loki used his agitation to bolster enough courage to make the trek to the kitchen. He found Steve and Maria in the sunroom, enjoying the view while they talked quietly. Steve offered him polite greetings as Loki passed through, which he acknowledged with a nod, realizing that he probably looked as unhappy as he felt.

Even from the top of the spiral staircase, he could hear conversations in the kitchen below. He descended the stairs to find Cami, Jane and Pepper managing the food preparation while the others chatted at the nearby table. Natasha was notably absent.

Loki didn't think he'd be much help with the food, and he didn't feel like joining the group at the table. When Thor looked up, noticing his arrival, Loki chose to continue out the back door to the large deck, taking the ramp down to stand at the edge of the sand.

He heard soft footfalls in pursuit.

"Please don't," Cami pleaded gently, walking down to stand beside him.

Loki didn't turn her way. Even the energy it would take to feign a smile was more than he was willing to offer right then. "Don't what?" he asked.

"You saw Thor and immediately walked away," Cami said. "Give him a chance. He's your brother."

"In fact, he's not," Loki said heatedly. "Really, you should stop calling any of them my family."

When he peeked at her, Cami's features had tightened. She swallowed hard before she looked down, dropping her chin almost to her chest.

Her wounded expression further frustrated him because it seemed so unfair and manipulative that she could rebuke him so effectively without saying a word.

Cami spoke softly. "You are punishing them and yourself because your family situation isn't perfect. They love you, even when you hurt them."

"You don't understand," Loki said, sounding harsh.

"Odin and Frigga chose to take you in and raise you as their son. No family ever chose to keep me," she said sorrowfully. "So, no... I don't completely understand."

Cami turned, walking briskly away along the beach.

Loki's heart felt heavy as he stared out over the sand at the water of the gulf and the golden sunrise beyond.

"Want me to go after her?" Natasha asked, startling him as she approached from the opposite side. She was strolling barefoot, carrying her sandals by the straps.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I suppose you heard."

"Yeah. Sorry; I..."

"It doesn't matter." It wasn't Natasha's fault that Loki had failed to notice her nearby.

Natasha held up her free hand to block the sun from her eyes. "Cami has unreasonable expectations sometimes. You don't have to force a relationship with Thor just to make her happy. Go ahead and hate him if you really feel that way."

Hate. Love. The two were not mutually exclusive, no matter how much Loki wanted to believe that notion when it came to Thor.

Cami had made it so far down the beach already that she almost appeared to be a small child, which brought to mind her youth. "I will probably apologize," Loki said.

"Up to you." Natasha stepped onto the ramp, but reached out to lightly grip his arm. "Nothing about her childhood is your fault."

He admitted softly, "I realize that."

"Let me know if you need backup. I've been dealing with her moods for a while now and Clint can help too."

Loki nodded. He did appreciate her offer.

"Oh, and if you choose not to come today, I'll understand," Natasha added. "Even I'm intimidated by what Tony considers a 'small' gathering of friends."

Loki realized that she had just confessed at least one reason for her solitary walk. He stood there, watching her slowly approach the house until she finally disappeared inside to the crowded kitchen.

Cami was sitting in the sand as Loki walked up and settled beside her. Because her hair was braided, she couldn't hide that she had been crying so easily this time.

She said after awhile, "I should not have made this about me."

He chose not to respond, though she gave him ample time to do so.

Cami leaned close, resting against his shoulder. "Thor is proud of how hard you've worked at S.H.I.E.L.D. Why can't he have a chance to tell you so?"

Loki saw truth in her features, even if it was only her own belief. Of course, Cami's words did not magically heal the anger and aching inside of him or wash away painful memories that he could recall with such clarity after so many centuries.

"Even if that's true, I can't just turn these feelings off."

"I get that. I really do, but Thor isn't here to torment you. He and Jane were invited to the party. Tonight or tomorrow he'll be gone," she said, appearing to sadden even more.

"I didn't realize you and Thor were such good friends now," Loki said softly. "Perhaps that will make me even more jealous."

Cami took his hand in hers and kissed it tenderly. "I'll always be yours."

She said it so sincerely that he could not doubt her, and didn't want to.

Cami sat there with him for a long while before she climbed to her feet and offered him a hand up. "Come on. You're probably as hungry as I am."

Loki stood, dusting the sand off his pants.

Cami pulled him along. "What can I do to make today easier?"

"Could you be suggesting a bribe?" he asked, with a stir of interest.

She smiled widely. "I guess; if that's what it's going to take to keep you sociable today. Do you have something in mind?"

"Leather," Loki said instantly. "Something black. A coat perhaps, because I don't like this one."

Cami giggled. "OK. I've heard Italy is a great place for leather jackets. It's probably going to be a bit expensive though."

"What else am I to spend my wages on? S.H.I.E.L.D. has provided everything I've needed thus far."

Cami continued to laugh at him as she said, "Alright. Mission accepted. We'll hunt down a black leather jacket for you while we're out. I know Pepper and Jane were both stoked about shopping. I'm sure we'll see our fair share of stores today."

The group was eating and discussing plans when Loki and Cami returned to the kitchen. Two seats had been saved at the end of the table between Natasha and Pepper. People started passing the food as they sat down.

Loki tried to keep his gaze on his plate or on those seated closest to him. By doing this, he didn't actually see Thor near the far end of the long table.

"I think we should split up," Steve said. "Between Thor and Tony, we're bound to get recognized by someone. We could inadvertently blow the covers of the field agents if people start taking pictures of the group."

"Steve's right," Maria agreed. "I don't know why Fury let you guys do this."

"Oh, come on," Tony said, sounding irked, "Who is going to recognize Thor wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt?"

"The first time one of us calls out his name bystanders will clue in pretty quick," Steve argued.

"I think you're a little paranoid," Tony said. "Thor is a common enough name in some countries."

Maria leveled Tony with a hard look. "Not in Italy. I think he'll have to use his alias today. Thor and Loki both."

"Alias?" Jane said with confusion.

"Donald Blake," Maria said.

"You still use my ex-boyfriend's name as your alias?" Jane asked. Her agitation was evident. "I refuse to call you Donald or Donny all day. I'm likely to develop a complex."

Natasha asked, "What about you, Tony? Have you got a plan?"

Tony gestured to himself, "Why do I need a plan?"

"Gee, I wonder..." Natasha said shrewdly, cocking her head and slipping a bite of her fruit-filled crepe into her mouth.

"You do tend to draw attention to yourself," Clint said to Tony.

"Wear your sunglasses and maybe a hat or something," Pepper said. "An alias might be necessary too."

Mike joked, "If half the group is using aliases, I am going to need a cheat sheet to keep track."

"Maybe we should just avoid using names all together then," Natasha suggested. "No one's cover gets blown that way."

Loki was listening to all this as he ate, already convinced that the day out together was bound to be a complete failure, with or without his contributions.

He noted a spark of mischievousness in Clint's eyes as the archer blatantly stole a gulp of Natasha's coffee. She in turn issued a silent threat with her eyes while grasping her butter knife in a menacing manner.

Loki glanced toward Cami to see if she'd noticed this behavior. Apparently she had because there was a hint of a smile in the corner of her mouth as she sipped her own coffee.

Their hired guides arrived at the house a short time later to take them to see the Duomo and the Basilica di Santa Restituta, where the group gaped in awe at the gothic architecture, historical statues and busts, as well as colorful frescoes and other figurative artwork.

Loki did not share such a strong fascination with the old cathedral as others in the group. There was a lot about Midgard's religions and history that had consistently failed to interest him through the centuries. He assumed that mortals were drawn to things and places that predated themselves as if a connection could be made to times long passed.

To fend off his boredom, Loki stealthily studied Clint and Natasha through most of the tour. They were noticeably uncertain standing together, yet more attentive and playful than usual.

"I do believe something has happened with those two," Loki whispered slyly to Cami as they followed the group out to the bus afterwards.

"Does it seem like they are both taunting and avoiding each other?" Cami asked.

"That's an interesting description," Loki admitted. "It certainly appears that they could be doing just that."

Clint and Natasha continued to act oddly as the group visited two different museums to see more art and then archeological discoveries.

Again, Loki had little interest in the tour material. He was actually beginning to wonder if the promise of a leather jacket was worth this complete waste of his time. He was regretting that he hadn't tried to talk Cami into staying in bed with him all day instead.

"Thank you," Cami said as she appeared out of nowhere to snuggle up to his side.

He wrapped his arm around her. "For what, My Dear?"

"I can tell you are immensely bored, yet you haven't complained at all," she said. "I think we're going to lunch next then on to shopping."

He nodded.

"I've decided that we were louder than I realized this morning," she said with a naughty grin, "and everyone's trying not to let on that we woke them up at that ungodly hour."

Loki smiled and smoothed down some wisps of hair that had escaped from her braid. "Privacy is a precious commodity," he muttered.

It wasn't long before Tony started herding the group together to leave. He gestured for Loki and Cami to come over whilst referring to them as Thumper and Bambi, two names which meant nothing to Loki, but caused Cami to glare at Tony in return.

Cami told Loki as they moved toward the group, "Thumper and Bambi are cute and innocent cartoon character animals. Though, I'm sure he is using their names in this case as sexual references."

The restaurant where they ate was a small, family-owned establishment, which their guides assured them was between two of the better, yet less frequented, shopping areas by tourists. Tony enthusiastically insisted on ordering more than half the menu, which caused chaos for the staff and prompted the owner to lock his doors so their private gathering wouldn't be disturbed.

Much like the grand feasts of Asgard, trays of food were paraded out of the kitchen at regular intervals as the group ate their way through mountains of bread, pasta, meats and cheeses in delicious combinations that had Loki consuming nearly as much food as Thor or Steve were managing to put away.

"Loki, I've never seen you eat this much," Cami said with concern.

His mouth was full at the time or Loki would have responded to her. Instead, Thor beat him to it.

"Don't worry, Cami," Thor said with a wide grin that appeared to be more comical than contemptuous. "Loki was raised in Asgard and there is little more our people do better than eat."

"Oh, I remember," Cami said adamantly. She gestured to the food that was yet to be touched. "I think we could use Volstagg's help about now."

Loki nearly choked, unable to contain his urge to laugh along with Thor and Sif.

The owner approached, asking if anyone wanted dessert. Groans caused by overindulgence immediately arose from the majority of their group members up and down the long table.

Tony and the owner walked off to settle the tab while everyone else collected their things and wandered outside to enjoy the fresh air and spring weather.

There were some women and their children seated across the way. The assemblage included much younger children too, and it didn't take long for Pepper to start fawning over them and insist that some of the others come admire the dark-haired darlings as well.

"Oh dear," Loki said softly when Cami's attention was also drawn that direction. "You do realize they're only cute for so long."

"I bet if you raise them right, they'll seem cute forever," she said in a mildly challenging tone. "I like kids, even if you don't."

It wasn't that Loki didn't like children. They just required so much attention and effort, which were two things that he had never excelled at much. His own children were especially known for being troublesome.

Loki was considering if he should breach the topic of his children with Cami or not when she suddenly called over Stefano, one of their guides and the limo driver from the previous evening, and asked him about good stores to shop for a leather jacket.

It became readily apparent that the group was splitting up to do their shopping. So, they decided on a time and place to meet back before everyone dispersed.

Loki was grateful to have some time alone with Cami as they strolled casually south and then west for a while, following the directions Stefano had given them to find the shop of one of his close friends who specialized in leather goods.

There were some small groups of other tourists moving between the shops, but they were too engrossed in their own Naples' experience to pay much heed to them.

Cami spotted the leather shop's sign and eagerly pulled Loki forward. As they stepped in, Loki noted that the inside of the shop smelled wonderfully of treated leather. He had to assume that similar chemicals were used both in Midgard and Asgard for the process as the smell was all too familiar and hauntingly comforting.

The owner, a man in his sixties, stepped out of the back to assist them. He showed them his varied selection of stylish jackets, encouraging Loki to try on as many as he wanted. There was no need to do this, however, as Loki spotted the style he wanted right away and only tried on a couple before he found the right size for him.

"Oooh sexy," Cami openly flirted.

Loki winked back at her then reluctantly gave up the coat so the owner could bag it. At the register, Loki dispensed nearly every dollar in his wallet to secure the payment.

"Happy?" Cami asked as they walked out of the shop.

"Very," was Loki's cool reply.

"Let's head toward the bus. Maybe we'll run into someone who'll have some clippers or something we can use to take the tags off."

They had only begun the walk back when Cami unexpectedly halted. "Ummm..." Loki could see apprehension and confusion settling into her features as she looked at him. "I just remembered..." Again she had difficulty completing her thought.

"What is it?" he asked, leaning closer.

Then he quickly felt and knew what she was failing to express, for the memories simply popped into his mind, immense and detailed blocks of time and facts that seemed to stretch and strain his consciousness and intellect to the point of aching.

"Oh no," Loki said with dread, trying to do a form of mental triage on the images, emotions and sensations that flooded into him. "We should not be alone. Let us find the others quickly."

- - - - -

For Clint, it was a day that never ended. They were in a clothing store and Natasha was in the dressing room, trying on outfits. To distract from boredom, Clint was already thinking of the waiting villa on the beach in Santorini.

An ashen-faced Tony knocked on the window behind Clint, grabbing his attention. The billionaire had a cellphone up to his ear and gestured urgently for Clint to come outside.

"Nat, something's up," he called back to the dressing area. "I'm heading out." He gave the other customers little thought as their curious looks followed him.

Steve and Maria had joined Tony too as Clint walked up. Tony handed his phone to Maria, indicating there was someone waiting to speak with her on it and pulled Clint aside. "God; I don't know how to say this," he began, forcing eye contact. His dark brown eyes were conflicted and sorrowful. "Fury just reported that they found blood and traces of organ, skin and muscle tissue in Loki's room back at the carrier. Forensics checked everything twice..."

Clint was speaking before most of what Tony said had time to sink in. "Blood from whom?"

"It's Cami."

"No," Clint said. He took a step back. "They're wrong. Cami's fine."

"The doctors are fairly certain she couldn't have survived an attack like this without immediate medical attention."

Pop. A memory overtook him - an event that he'd forgotten completely.

~~~

"Are you so sure you want to get involved in this?" the Bad Loki had asked, rising from a crouch to his full impressive height. "I'm not quite the same as when we parted last. This is an entirely new game with much more powerful tricks."

"Oh, I don't doubt it," Clint had countered, purposely keeping his gaze from wandering to the bound and naked Loki on the tiled, shower room floor, "but he's my responsibility and I just can't stand by and let you hurt him."

~~~

Clint shook his head, attempting to clear his mind as more memories surfaced. A strong, yet hesitant hand touched his shoulder and it took great willpower to dismiss the influx of information and turn his head to see it was Natasha.

"We left her alone in the suite," Natasha uttered in disbelief, her lip quivering. "How could we forget to protect her?"

"The other Loki has been playing us all," Steve said stiffly. "I thought something was wrong. Cami didn't look right when we went to pick her up, but I didn't see any blood."

"Obviously the Bad Loki hides what he doesn't want us to see or remember," Tony said softly.

"Is this Cami a double too?" Maria asked as she ended the phone call. "Or the Bad Loki in disguise?"

Clint clenched his teeth and tried to think back over every interaction with Cami since she'd showed up in Naples. At the consulate she'd only danced the one waltz, though he knew she loved dancing. She'd been in such a hurry to get Loki alone and away from everyone else. At the hotel, only she had been able to wake Loki, which hinted at magical involvement.

Is my sister really dead? he pondered, feeling a crushing weight at his core and an instant throb in his head.

Clint asked in a strained whisper, "How can the doctors be so sure? They didn't find her body, right?"

Tony said firmly, yet with some sense to try and be delicate, "Clint, forensics says she would have sustained massive internal damage. It would have taken a miracle."

"We've got to find our Loki. He could be dead by now," Steve interjected. "Which direction did they go?"

Maria spotted Mike and Sif coming out of a shop that sold specialty chocolates. "Get everyone together," she ordered, waving the couple over as she caught their attention.