THIS TOOK ME LIKE 2.5 HOURS GEEZ. It was supposed to be shorter, but then it kept right on going. 

I'm also currently editing Blue Moon, which basically means almost re-writing the entire dang thing, and writing Thea then and writing Thea now is like writing two different characters. She used to be really meek and dependent (and stubborn) and now she's really outspoken and independent (and stubborn). Sorry, little author's note ;0

:) Hope you like it! 

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Chapter Eleven

~Nobody's POV~

"Why have I not heard of these...these rondayven?" asks Thor.

Thea is sitting on a couch in one of the plush living rooms in Stark Tower. It's a large couch, with plenty of room for other people, but everyone seems to be afraid to go near Thea at the moment, so Thor, Tony, Kyle, Max, and Bruce all stand in front of her so that she's sitting like a queen in court.

"Because," she says, "Loki got it from Odin, so the Monarch's Secret went to him. When you took over management, I think he was too busy getting thrown into jail to tell you about them."

Thor doesn't react to her scalding tone. Instead, he asks civilly, "So what is our task now? To find these rondayven?"

"The first," says Thea, "Is for you to talk to the leaders of the countries. As the ruler of Asgard, they'd think you know about the gems. Convince them to protect them better because evidently, they're not doing such a great job. And convince them to keep that location an absolute secret, with just them and you knowing."

"And what happens if the leaders don't cooperate?" asks Kyle, his toned arms crossed and his wedding band flashing in the light.

"Exactly how many countries are there?" Thea asks.

"A hundred ninety five," replies Bruce, who has moved to a computer, "A hundred ninety six if you count Taiwan."

"Well then," Thes says, "I sure hope you guys are good at international diplomacy, 'cause this is going to take you just about forever."

"We'll get some help," says Tony offhandedly, "It can't be that difficult to send an SOS signal to every head honcho out there."

"You've got to keep it small," Thea says, "If Neidra gets an idea as to what we're doing, then we're all dead."

"We'll keep it small," assures Tony, "Just personal, and people we trust."

"Agent Hill was someone you trusted," she points out, "Now look where she is."

"Thea, are you saying that we need to just keep it with us?" asks Bruce, gesturing to the people in the room, "Because I just mentioned there are nearly two hundred countries."

"I suggest you get started then," Thea says.

"What happens if we can't get their cooperation, or can't get them locked up?" asks Bruce.

"Then we need to get the gems," she says, "And put them in the safe in Asgard until Neidra's under control."

"Oh sweet," says Tony, "It went from international diplomacy to international fraud."

Kyle claps his hands, "Now for you. Neidra's going after you soon enough, even Loki said that. Maybe we should keep you in a safe too."

"As long as it's not around here," she says shortly, narrowing her eyes at all of them.

"For the last time, we are sorry," says Kyle, "It was the only way we could think to get the information."

"Yeah, but you lied about torturing Loki, you knew that's what would make me do it," she retorts.

"That was his idea," says Kyle quickly, pointing at Thor. Thor opens his mouth and then closes it.

"I don't care whose idea it was, I'm pissed at all of you. Now are we done? Or is there something else I need to ask my imprisoned father?"

"Not at the moment, no," says Tony, "Thanks for asking though."

"Screw you all," she says, standing up and then striding out of the room. The door slams behind her.

"Well. That went well," says Tony.

"She's right," says Max, running a hand through his hair, "We went about this the wrong way. Now she probably won't trust us for very much."

"At least she got to see Loki," says Tony, "She should be thankful."

"That's the worst part," says Bruce, still on the computer, "We played with the thing she wanted the most."

"She's a manipulator too, just like Loki," says Tony, "She should've known that it would have come around full circle."

"And I think that the notable difference here is that she is a fourteen year old girl and we are fully grown men," replies Bruce, "We're supposed to be ever so slightly more mature."

"Thea's in a world that has to deal with inter-team trials too," says Tony, "She has to learn to deal or she won't make it."

"I think I'm going to go talk to her," says Max, "She's here for the weekend, we might as well get along with each other."

"Don't get scorched," says Tony as Max heads out of the room.

"I'll wear my fireproof pants," says Max sarcastically.

"I meant her comebacks," says Tony innocently, coming around to Bruce's computer screen, "Has anyone noticed that Thea's now a proper smart-ass?"

"Don't know how she couldn't be, hanging out with us all the time," says Kyle as Max shakes his head and vanishes.

*

"Thea?"

Max knocks on the door to the room that Thea usually occupies when she's in Stark Tower. Very loud music is vibrating from the other side of the door, and Max doubts that Thea can even hear him.

"Hey Thea, can I talk to you?" he calls, louder this time.

There's no response, not that Max had been expecting it, so he turns the doorknob, which is miraculously unlocked, and walks inside.

Thea is spread out on her bed horizontally, so that her head and her feet are hanging off of both sides. By the looks of things, she'd tossed her shoes off her now bare feet, because her sneakers are lying next to the opposite wall. Her black hair is disheveled around her face, and her eyes are closed, her head nodding in time to the blaring rock music. She's either completely oblivious to his presence or she's pretending he's not there. Max suspects the latter.

He looks around for the source of the noise and spots Thea's phone on the nightstand. He clicks off the music and glances at Thea. She doesn't move.

Max sits down on the end of the bed where her feet are. "Since when'd you become such a teenager?"

She answers monotonously, "I've been a teenager the entire time you've known me."

"Yeah, but you didn't use to storm out of rooms and listen to...what the heck were you listening to, exactly?"

"Does it matter?"

"Here's what matters," says Max, "I know we pulled a fast one on you, and you're pretty upset about it, and you've got every right to be upset."

"Hell yes, I do."

Max also wants to point out that he's noticed Thea cursing a lot more lately, but decides not to mention it right now. "But you've got to understand that even though we did that, it doesn't mean we don't care about you the same."

"Really." Her eyes are still closed.

"Yeah, c'mon, we felt awful. We knew we were doing something wrong, but–"

"So if you know you're doing something wrong and just accept it, then hey, everything's all right?" she demands.

"Of course not. But we don't live in a world full or right and wrong. There's that gray area where a lot of us get stuck and confused if we're good or if we're bad. The truth is, most people have a little bit of good and a little bit of bad in them. It's up to them to figure out what part of that to grow."

"I sure know what part you guys are growing," she says bitterly, "An entire garden of lies."

"Okay, let's not exaggerate," says Max with a smile, "There's a Cherokee proverb that says there are two wolves inside all of us. One is dark, and it contains all the greed, all the envy, all the revenge, all the bitterness, and all the lies. One is light, and it contains all the peace, all the generosity, all the truthfulness, and all the kindness. The wolves fight it out all the time. But the wolf that wins is the one that you feed."

Thea doesn't respond, but Max can tell she's thinking it over because she's not snapping at him. Her eyes have finally opened, and she's staring up at the ceiling.

"We've all been feeding the dark wolf lately," says Max, "That's what happens when war is coming. You've been feeding that wolf too, though. You've become bitter these last few months, bitter and resentful, Thea. You've been wearing heavy makeup to feel older, you've been locking yourself up in your room, and you've been cursing more. I know that your life has been tough for a heck of a long time, but unless you want that dark wolf to take over, you've got to start feeding the light one. It's starving right now, kiddo."

"Easier said than done," she mutters.

"I get that. And I know that we're not contributing well to that idea," he says, "But we've got our own battles to fight, and we've got to think of the bigger cost."

"So the options were 'lose Thea's trust' or 'wait patiently or even use your brains and compromise with Loki?'" she asks, "Great choice."

"You're right, we probably made the wrong one, the rash one. But we didn't know if there was any reasoning with Loki, and we've got an entire world, which apparently is made up of a hundred ninety five countries, to think about."

"A hundred ninety six if you count Taiwan," she says.

"I don't think the United States counts Taiwan as an independent country," says Max.

"And I don't think the United States is the boss of the world either," she replies.

"Fair point. Guess it depends more on if Asgard considers Taiwan an independent country. But hey, Ace, we really all do feel sorry, okay maybe except Tony."

She sighs, "I just thought families are supposed to trust each other, and not keep secrets from each other."

He subconsciously raises his hand to the area right above his collarbone. But then, he clears his throat and says, "Sometimes, families keep secrets because they're trying to protect people they love from heartbreak or from even more pain."

"I'd rather have the heartbreak and the pain than to know I can't trust someone," says Thea.

Max grimaces, "People don't always get that though. And they make decisions based on what they think is right."

"Even if they're wrong," says Thea as her phone begins to ring loudly.

"And that's the gray area I was talking about," says Max. He cranes his neck to look at the phone on the nightstand, "It's Dara."

"Do you know when Videl's coming back?" Thea asks, shrugging away the phone call.

"Nobody knows when Videl's coming back, including Angelique," says Max, and then smiles, "What, do you miss him or something?"

"God no, I'm just wondering how much peace and quiet I get before I get bombarded by him at school."

*

Thea spends the evening at Stark Tower, and finds Klaka waiting for her down in the training rooms. Kyle is out of the building for dinner, as well as most everyone else, so Thea and Steve, who has just arrived, are left painstakingly trying to figure out what to eat considering that Steve hates cooking and the last time Thea had tried to "cook", she'd burnt frozen pizza.

"Thea, I cannot believe I'm saying this, but we are going to journey out of this hunk of steel and get takeout," says Steve, who has spent the evening trying to figure out the computer. Thea, whose bad mood has been subdued by her conversation with Max, is helping him make a spreadsheet of all hundred and ninety-six countries complete with global leaders and communication information. It's taxing work, and by the time nine o'clock rolls around, they're both hungry and tired. "Get the keys and let's go."

"Can I drive?"

"You've still got a year until you get a permit. There is no way, Max will kill me."

"Kyle's taken me out before," says Thea as she grabs the key chain from the hook on the wall labeled "Emmaline's ride".

"In a parking lot. Nope, nope, not happening, it's not worth my head."

"In South Dakota, you can get your permit when you're fourteen, and you're licence when you're fourteen and three months," says Thea mournfully as Steve plucks the keys from her hand.

"Well we are in New York City, not in agricultural South Dakota, so there will be no driving for you."

"We're working on a spreadsheet that could possibly mean international fraud," says Thea, "Which makes underage driving extremely minimal."

"Absolutely not. It's dark."

"Fine, we could just grab a taxi," says Thea, getting her jacket and following Bruce out of the lab.

"You know how I feel about taxis. Nope."

"Then can I drive?"

"NO."

"Pretty please? It's been a long day full of being blackmailed and I'd really appreciate this little favor."

Steve turns and gives her a look. She smiles sweetly.

"It's official," Steve pronounces ten minutes later from the passenger seat,"I'm going to die."

"Don't be silly," says Thea gleefully as she makes a left-hand turn out of Stark Tower and zips the van down the stretch of road, "I'm a great driver."

"Max is going to kill me."

"I'll write a eulogy."

"Okay," says Steve, looking out the window and nervously talking in a slight sing-song, "We're going somewhere close and THEA, THERE IS A STOP SIGN THERE, OBEY THE SIGNAGE!"

"I see the blaring red stop sign, calm down."

"...Somewhere you don't have to get in traffic and somewhere you won't crash and get us both thrown in jail."

"Just smash us out of jail, with your shield" she says cheerfully.

"Be appreciative I don't smash this car," mutters Steve.

For about five minutes, Steve doesn't permit any talking and keeps an eagle-eye on the road while Thea calmly navigates the van down the dark street, towards a shopping center that has become partial to the Avengers.

"I'm still going to die," says Steve.

"Not with me driving," says Thea, "I'm sure you've faced worse."

"Oooh, someone's being a naughty girl," says Videl.

Thea shrieks, jerks the wheel, and if Steve hadn't reached over and helped her take control, she'd have rolled the car into the grass.

"VIDEL, WHAT THE HELL?!" screams Thea, looking in her rearview mirror. Videl is lounging in the backseat, leaning his head against the window and grinning at her wickedly, his curls as messy as always, and his amber eyes glittering.

"Videl, what the hell?" demands Steve, "You could have just killed all of us!"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

"I'm going to get takeout," says Videl innocently, "I vote Chinese."

"NO." says Thea, "NO TAKEOUT FOR YOU."

"Someone's breaking the law," taunts Videl.

"Wouldn't be the first time," says Steve under his breath.

"Stowing away is breaking the law too," says Thea stormily, turning into the parking lot of the shopping center, which is busy despite the hour.

"I have diplomatic immunity," says Videl cheerfully.

After she parks moderately well, Thea gets out of the car and wastes no time in shoving Videl into a tree. He just laughs.

"What's the news from Ardhigiza?" asks Steve, "You might as well be helpful if you're going to try and kill us."

"The good news is that Victoire learned how to say 'I won't' and it's become her favorite phrase. The bad news is that I'm still considered a bit of a freak by most of the population."

"I don't blame them," mutters Thea. Videl pulls her hair.

"Got them even a little bit convinced?" asks Steve as he opens the door to Thea's favorite Greek restaurant that also serves very quick takeout.

Videl shrugs, "A little bit. Amara's been helping me out, and so has Jijah when he's been in the mood, so that's something. They're still not budging though, but one thing at a time."

"Well Neidra might not give you a lot of time," says Steve.

"I know," says Videl, adjusting one of his rings, "I'm being as genteel and diplomatic as possible."

"No wonder it's not working," says Thea, "You're not genteel or diplomatic."

"Thanks for the support, idiot."

"I'm trying to say that you need to get their attention. Be bold, be firm," says Thea, nearly running into a group of middle school volleyball players. She looks at them and raises her eyebrows, "They look so young."

"Ah, high school," says Steve. "The years of superiority."

"Most of them are taller than you you do realize that, right?" asks Videl.

She ignores both of them, "But seriously, you've got to take control. You're the heir. You've got to show them who's boss. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"Whoa, calm down there," says Videl, pointing at her.

"When did you get a tattoo?" Thea gapes at the cross inked on his pointer finger.

"A while ago, it's too bad you didn't notice. I think Angelique nearly broke up with me when she saw it, but I told her I could have gotten a skull or something."

The conversation about Ardhigiza drifts away as the three of them order their food and lean back against a wall to wait. Thea's phone rings and she glances down at it. "Damn it!" she exclaims, "I forgot to call Dara back."

"Dear Lord, the world must be ending," says Videl.

Thea punches his arm and answers the phone, about to apologize, but Dara talks right over her.

"Where have you been, girl? I mean, besides New York, I know that, but why didn't you call me back?"

"I'm really sorry," says Thea, stepping away from Videl and Steve, "It's been a really really crazy day. Is something wrong?"

"Depends on what you think is wrong," says Dara, "I was walking back to the dorm, and you know, you have to pass the sophomore dorms, right? Well anyway, I heard someone yelling and I mean, I've got a mama and daddy who are spies, what's a girl to do?"

"Carry on," says Thea.

"Anyway, you'll never guess who it was!"

"MaryAnne and Jack?" Thea asks in a low voice, not wanting to catch the attention of Steve, who is looking at the dessert menu, and especially Videl, who is on his phone, probably texting Angelique.

"Okay fine, you can guess good. But yes. And MaryAnne was yelling at Jack for defending you over something, I don't know what it was, and then Jack was yelling back that why shouldn't he defend you? And then MaryAnne brought out the girlfriend card, and then Jack brought out the I've-known-Thea-much-longer-than-I've-known-you card, and then MaryAnne goes in that really annoying British accent of hers 'Then why don't you just date her instead? You obviously like her more than me!'."

"What did Jack say?" Thea asks, twirling her hair and turning away to hide the smile on her face.

"Well," gushes Dara, "That's the best part. He said, and I quote, 'Who wouldn't like her more than you?'"

"Really?!"

"I swear on my life," says Dara solemnly.

"That was so mean!" Thea says anxiously.

"Thea," says Dara very firmly, "We do not care about MaryAnne. In fact, we care very much about the fact that Jack broke up with MaryAnne."

"They broke up?" Thea asks in a hushed voice tinged with excitement.

"Why are you whispering?" Dara whispers.

"I'm in public. And with Videl."

"Oh, right, right, big brother radar," says Dara knowledgeably, "But yes, anyway, then MaryAnne started crying and said very dramatically 'fine!' and then there was some general exchange of 'fines' and then MaryAnne ran off to her dorm and Jack walked back to his. The difference being that MaryAnne was crying and Jack was whistling."

"Are you sure?" Thea squeaks.

"I told you I swear on my life! I'm not a cat, I don't have nine of 'em."

"Oh my God!"squeals Thea, then realizes she just squealed in public and says in a dignified tone, "I mean, how tragic for them, my thoughts and prayers extend to MaryAnne."

"Tragic," says Dara in the same solemn tone. "Truly tragic."

"Thea!" calls Steve. He's holding a takeout bag now and is gesturing to the door.

"Gotta go, I'll text you," says Thea hurriedly into the phone, "I love you so much, okay bye."

"Love you too, I'll keep you posted."

Thea practically skips back to Steve and Videl, grinning from ear to ear. "Mm, that smells great, did you get the brownie?"

"Yes I did," says Steve in a concerned voice.

"You look happy," says Videl, smirking, "Who are you and what did you do with Thea?"

"Shut up," she says, attempting to lose her grin, but all she succeeds in doing is breaking out into a giggle. "Nothing happened!"

"Oh yeah," says Steve, raising his eyebrow, "Nothing at all."

"So Jack didn't break up with MaryAnne?" asks Videl, looping his arm around Thea's shoulders as the three of them walk out of the restaurant and back to the warm September air.

Thea blinks. "Um..."

Videl chuckles and points to his left ear, which is pierced, "Supernatural hearing, remember?"

"Screw you," she mutters, taking out her phone.

"You wish," he retorts.

"I do not!"

:) Hey, the chapter ended pretty happy, yay!

Fun Fact: Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Videl, has a cross tattoo on one hand, and a skull on the other. 

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