Hey everyone, this was just an idea I had and really wanted to explore. If you guys want me to continue it, I would love to know. I hope you guys enjoy reading it and have a wonderful today. And remember constructive criticisms and reviews are always welcome. Chapter titles and title credited to Go Radio.

Loki's words still echoed in her head, sleep drifting further away as the words played on a loop in her head. Every night waking with a start, hands going directly to her gun, her fingers itching to snap Loki's neck. Killing him seemed to be the only way that she would ever get his words out of her head. However, it had seemed that she had long ago lost her chance at killing him. Her urge to snap someone's neck furthered even more as she heard her phone go off, so much for trying to sleep. Her efforts to sleep had been in vain, no one had ever been able to get under her skin like Loki had. Realizing that sleep was futile, she rolled over in bed and grabbed the phone answering it.

"Natasha." It had to have been something serious seeing as it was Tony who was calling her this early in the morning. At least it better have been important otherwise she might just take out her frustrations and ring his neck.

"Yes?" She answered her voice thick with sleepiness, as she finally rolled out of bed. Sighing as she realized that would be the last time she would be in her bed for the night.

"We have a new mission for you Natasha. What would have previously been seen as a much bigger threat, is now found to be a one-woman job. Loki has escaped." His tone was careful as though he knew how dangerous the waters he was treading in were. She had carefully listened to his words, and the phone almost slipped out of her hand when she heard the last three. Never had she thought she would be afraid, but now was a different time. This time the fear was crippling and it was unlike anything she had ever felt before. It wasn't exactly the fear of Loki however, instead it was the fear of how happy she was at the fact he had. "H-He escaped?" Her words were choked the fear she had at her reaction inhibiting her ability to speak.

The last thing she had known was Loki being kept in a prison on Asgard, one that should have been inescapable. All the false normalcy of everything began to fade away and she realized why she hadn't been able to sleep. Because somewhere in her mind there was apart of her that knew Loki would come back, apart of her that wanted Loki to come back.

"He escaped about an hour ago, and Thor has other business to attend to in ensuring Asgard's safety from another realm. We need you to retrieve Loki, and if you must kill him." His tone left no room to argue about the mission and for a moment she doubted that her skill would be a match for Loki's magic.

"I am at quite the disadvantage sir are you sure this is a one-man job. Sounds like the time to bring the team back together, seeing that Loki is not a man, but a god." She asked wondering how Stark and the rest of SHIELD could have so easily overlooked the fact that Loki was a god. Her mission at this point was practically a death sentence.

"When Loki escaped the price was him being stripped of all his Frost Giant magic. Now he is a mortal man Romanov and no match for your skill set." Stark said knowing that if there was anyone that could take Loki down, it would be the widow. It was what she did best, fighting and manipulating even the god of mischief himself.

"When do I start?" She asked the words with such finality excited at her chance to kill Loki. Her hands picking up the gun, that her fingers had been curled around ever since she had been told of Loki's escape.

"As soon as possible, the longer he is free the more time he has to re-develop his magic. I know that it is late at night agent, but the issue is pressing and needs to be addressed as soon as you can. We believe him to be in the New York area. Ho,wever I must warn you that Loki was able to retain the tricks that he learned from Frigga. He is still able to travel between realms and transport himself." Stark said his own voice quiet from tiredness, as he said good night and wished her good luck that she wouldn't need on her last mission. Finally she had been given a chance to get the god's voice out of her head and she was glad to take it. Anything to stop hearing his words play on repeat in her mind. Now that Loki was without his magic he didn't stand a chance against her, and in a way, it disappointed her. Natasha had always loved a good challenge and this just didn't seem like one yet. She very quickly suited up, itching to go out into the cold winter air of New York. She knew now that she had the upper hand. That was until she heard a low weak and broken chuckle from the other side of the room, sending chills all the way down her spine. It was unmistakable from the god of mischief himself. She spun around of her heels facing him, staring him down.

His usually pale skin, looked to have taken on a sickly sheen and he appeared to be even paler than before. The way he looked struck Natasha, she had really been hoping for a challenge. For Loki to go down with a fight. She assumed however that he looked so sickly because of his dissociation from his frost giant magic. It gave her only a moment of pause however before her hands wrapped around Loki's windpipe. Her nails digging into the soft skin underneath him. This was much easier than she ever could have imagined and apart of her was disappointed at the fact.

"S-Stop," The words were barely there, the god having hardly any air to speaker above a whisper and there was a fear in his eyes that she had never seen before.

It shocked Natasha to hear those words from him and she gently let off the pressure on his windpipe, giving him a little space to breathe. Their eyes locked in what soon became a sort of staring contest. The next thing the skin underneath her fingernails was disappearing as was the god, leaving nothing but a cloud of green in his wake. Natasha standing there frozen to the spot, her mind coulded with confusion at the behavior of the god. The assassins eyes were trained on a spot in the wall as her mind tried to process what had just happened. Now the only words of Loki that echoed in her head were stop, the rest of the thing he had said all faded away. Something about how terrified he had looked gave her pause and reason to feel more concerned than she had before. It threw her off balance because fear wasn't the only thing in his eyes. There was a look of regret in his eyes, something almost human about him in that moment. It pulled at Natasha's heart strings and she realized that this was going to be a lot more difficult than she ever could've imagined. Some of her bitter hatred was replaced with understanding and for a moment her walls came tumbling down. She had seen the look he had given her before, only she had seen it in the eyes that looked back at her in the mirror. She realized this was no time for trying to understand Loki and she tightened her jaw, setting her thoughts straight about him again. Readjusting the grip on her gun, before walking out of her small apartment.

She stepped into the streets of New York, at such an early time in the morning the bustling city seemed deserted. Gone was the hustle and bustle that existed in the day and now the only sight of human life was the faint glow of the street lights and the occasional passing taxi. The cover of the night making her feel more confident, this is where she knew she belonged, in the darkness. She wondered why Loki had come to her apartment, why was the the first place he went. Why her and why now? However, she knew that whatever it was, it was for a reason and he would be back again. For now, it was a waiting game, where she didn't have much time. She had long since forgotten how much she hated waiting.