Fated Marks

Will stayed until Sunday night when he decided to take a red eye back. He was really bummed out most of the weekend I tried distracting him by showing him all the sights and when that didn’t work I gave him my black card and told him to go nuts. He put a dent in it but not as bad as I was expecting. He even got me a few outfits. 

Tony tried to stick around for a bit longer but Pepper reminded him he had a Christmas gala to plan. I had to promise him that as soon as my last final was over I’d jet back to New York. Clint Natasha and Steve who had each tried to squeeze in as much time with me by planning mini dates throughout the weekend got called back on Saturday night so I took Bruce to see a play at the globe. It ended up being both our favorite Julius Caesar 

Thor decided to stay until I returned to New York but did tell Steve if there was an emergency he was a call away. The search for Delilah still hadn’t turned up anything so I resorted to checking the ledgers again to see if there was anyone in Hungary I could check out unfortunately for me the entire area was under control of the bratva and I had already risked getting close enough as is...

“Uh!” I groaned frustrated as I threw the ledger on the table. 

“Hayley,” Thor said rubbing my shoulders and kissing the top of my head “There is still time.”

“Yeah three weeks, it took me five months just to narrow it down to one country how am I supposed to find her in three weeks?” I said starting to feel my chest tighten.

“It will be alright. No matter what he won’t come near you ever again.” Thor said hugging me.

“You don’t know him like I do nothing will stop him he will kill anyone who stands in his way.” I said starting to hyperventilate. 

“We can handle him, we’ve faced greater foes” Thor said

“Not like him” I said burying my face in his chest. I could feel how worried Thor was but he didn’t say anything he just held me.

“How about we go on a date?” Thor asked

“Thor I don’t think...”I started but he interrupted me with a kiss.

“Please? It will help clear your mind?” He said giving me that adorable smile.

“You want to go right now?” I asked.

“It would be the perfect time.” Thor said looking outside at the sunset.

“I’ll grab a coat.” I said

“You may need more than a coat if you wish to stay warm.” Thor said

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“It’s a surprise.” Thor said with a smile

“If you say so.” I said kissing him before going to get dressed. I ended up grabbing a red coat and furry boots along with a knitted hat scarf and gloves set when I was ready I went back to the living room where Thor was also bundled up and messing with a scarf.

“Hold on.” I said taking the scarf I had made for him the Christmas before when I was still on mandatory bed rest and wrapped it around Thor’s neck before tying it on a nice knot. “There we go.”

“Thank you.” Thor said kissing me. “Are you ready?”

“I think so.” I said and Thor raised his hand making Mjolnir come to him. “Are we?”

“You do seem to enjoy flying.” Thor said with a grin.

“It’s a good thing I’m not afraid of heights.” I said taking Thor’s hand and following him to the roof

“Hold on tight.” Thor said putting an arm around me before spinning mjolnir and we flew off. 

We were up high in the sky and it was freezing but I couldn’t complain about how amazing the wind rushing through my hair felt. We flew away from London and out to the countryside. I lost track of time and before I knew it we were landing.

It was snowing and we were in a forest clearing.

“I’m guessing we’re not in London anymore.” I said.

“I have done a bit of exploring while you were studying the previous week and discovered that.” Thor said pointing at the sky.

“Wow.” I said taking in the sight of the northern lights. I didn’t even know you could see them from Scotland.

“We have something similar in Asgard, with more colors and a lot more rare. Legends say that the lights were reflections from the shields and armor of the Valkyrie, the fiercest and strongest warriors to have ever lived.” Thor said.

“Like Sif?” I asked making Thor chuckle.

“Not like that, though Sif would appreciate the compliment.” Thor said. “They were an order of all female warriors that would protect Asgard long ago. They died out but it is believed that they still watch over Asgard’s warriors and help the fallen find their way to Valhalla.”

“Sounds nice.” I said.

“It is also believed to be an omen of good news.” Thor said making me smile.

“Ah, there it is.” I said realizing where he was going with this. “This is your way of telling me everything’s going to be okay.”

“I never said that.” Thor said “But it will be.”

“Thanks.” I said hugging him.

“No need. I love you.” Thor said.

“Love you too.” I said kissing him. “And I really like the view, it’s pretty but it’s really cold and I can’t feel my toes.”

“Oh of course.” Thor said pulling me close before we flew off. We landed back on the roof of the Penthouse and the second we landed Thor and I were all over each other. We stumbled inside and knocked down a few lamps before we landed on the couch. Just as I was taking off Thor’s jacket my phone started ringing.

“Mh… Hayley.” Thor groaned.

“Just let it ring, I’ll call Tony back later.” I said.

“Tomorrow.” Thor corrected.

“Uhuh.” I said.

“Ma’am, it is not Sir calling it is Captain Rogers, he is trying to get ahold of Mister Odinson.” Jarvis said and I pulled away from Thor.

“You need to call him.” I said panting a bit.

“I shall…” Thor said kissing me again.

“You told him if there was a mission you were needed on you would only be one call away.” I reminded him.

“Right.” Thor said.

“Jarvis bring him up on the TV.” I said and one second later Steve popped up on the screen alongside Tony, Clint and Natasha.

“Thor we just got a call on our ghost.” Steve said.

“I thought you were off that case?” I asked.

“No there just weren’t anymore leads.” Clint said.

“Where are we meeting?” Thor asked.

“We have a briefing here in DC.” Steve said.

“I can send a jet.” Tony offered.

“No need, I can fly over there at once.” Thor said.

“See you when you get here.” Natasha said.

“Hales, we’re going to have to go out in the field and may be out of reach for a few days. No matter what happens do not go chasing leads on your own.” Clint said.

“Not like there’s any leads to go after.” I said.

“Hayley.” They all said at the same time.

“Guys, I’m down to the wire and finding your ghost is a priority too. If anything on Delilah comes up I won’t do anything without letting you know.” I said.

“Hayley.” They all said again.

“Fine I promise I won’t do anything on my own or without letting you all know too.” I said.

“Good.” Steve said sounding relieved.

“We’ll call you before we leave anywhere.” Natasha said.

“You better.” I said before they hung up. Thor was already slipping on his coat. I grabbed his scarf and slipped it onto him. “Don’t want you to catch a chill.”

“As soon as we finish the mission I will return.” Thor said.

“I know, go be a hero.” I said kissing him. “Love you.”

“And I you.” He said kissing me and then pressing a lingering kiss on my forehead as he held me tight before letting me go.

Once he was gone I sat down and sighed. I really hoped they finally found that ghost. His disappearing act made Delilah’s and mine look like a game of hide and seek.

Five Days Later-

Apparently whatever had brought the ghost out of hiding had been big enough for an all hands on deck situation with the exception of Bruce since they were trying to handle things quietly and the Hulk wasn’t exactly quiet.

Finals week was in full swing but since most of my classes just required essays or a project I was pretty much done with school. I just had to wait for grades to be posted and my diploma to be mailed to me in New York but I was almost officially a college graduate.

Now if only Delilah could hurry the hell up and screw up again so I could find her.

“Still nothing.” Rebekah asked as I checked my phone for the tenth time since we sat down for brunch.

“No, god why is it so hard to find her.” I said.

“Considering who she’s hiding from and the lengths you also went to hide from him could you blame her?” Rebekah asked as my phone dinged. “Tony?”

“No Hadrian’s daily reminder of what’s going to happen if I fail.” I said. “Fucking slip up already.” I said hitting my phone on the table when suddenly it dinged.

“App reminder.” Rebekah asked.

I opened it and turns out the facial recognition software shield used that I had modified without their permission and refocused on the entirety of Hungary finally picked up something.

75% Facial Marker Match

It was a photo of some clown in a hospital and I didn’t see it as first but then I said the person standing by the reception desk in the background.

I started at the image in shock.

“Hayley?” Rebekah asked.

I turned the phone so she could see it.

“That’s Delilah…That’s Delilah!” She shouted.

“It’s fucking Delilah!” I shouted.

“You fucking found her!” Rebekah shouted.

“I fucking found her!” I shouted and everyone turned to look at us. “Mimosas for everyone on us!” I said and there was a round of applause before it quieted down.

“Where the bloody hell is she?” Rebekah asked.

“Uh… the photo was taken in a small community hospital in Tihany, Hungary. About a hundred and Forty Kilometers from Budapest.” I said. “Booking a flight now. If I’m lucky I can be back in New York tomorrow or the day after.”

“Make that two, we started this together we end it that way too.” Rebekah said.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way sis.” I said typing away.

“Wonder what she was doing at a hospital?” I asked looking at the picture.

“Probably stealing medical supplies.” Rebekah said with a shrug

“There is a market for it.” I said. “Looking through flights. Direct flight to Budapest leaves in a little over two hours.”

“If we just buy clothes once were there we could skip the packing and go straight there.” Rebekah said

“Check please.” I said waving down a waiter.

We quickly grabbed our things and thankfully I had brought my laptop with me or else we would have had to take a detour to the penthouse. 

I gave Tony a call but got redirected to Jarvis. Well they did say if I found anything to let them know before doing anything and not to go alone. I left a message and I was with Rebekah so technically I was keeping my promise. We made it just in time to check in and make it through security before the final boarding call.

“This is it.” Rebekah said

“Looks like.” I answered

“So you’re one step away from freedom what are you going to do?” Rebekah asked 

“I have no idea I guess for starters I’m going to get Steve, Clint and Natasha to reconsider having Hadrian on their team maybe hack Shield and have him reassigned to their office in Hong Kong or as far away as possible.” I said. “Going home once I have confirmation on her exact location.

“You’re not the least bit tempted to talk to her?” Rebekah asked.

“Why would I do that? She left Kol and I standing on a landmine. Besides that would just give her a heads up he’s coming and I’d rather not risk her slipping away.” I said

“So you don’t want to know why she finally ditched the sociopath?” She asked

“Don’t think it really matters considering they’re going to be reunited soon.” I said

“That’s going to be fun to watch.” she said 

“We’re not sticking around for that.” I said before closing my eyes to take a nap. It wasn’t until we felt our bumpy landing in Budapest that I opened my eyes.

I took our bags and followed Rebekah to the shuttle stop to get to the car rental place. About an hour later we were finally on the road.

“Anything special about this town?” Rebekah asked

“Nothing really it’s close enough to a major city so she had access to get anywhere she needed to be like say the towns Javi would mail those care packages to, the town itself is small and quiet, good for an assassin to quietly retire, Other than that I’ve got nothing.” I said.

“So you want to head over to the hospital first?” Rebekah asked.

“No it’s a small town, they don’t really have tourists so we just have to find a popular spot and keep our ears open, maybe even ask about any recent arrivals.” I said.

“So a bar?” Rebekah asked.

“It’s always five pm somewhere.” I said quoting something Kol had told us on various occasions.

Rebekah smiled as she started speeding up.

For a small town there sure were a ton of bars. We stuck to the ones closest to the town square and ended up in a dive bar that looked like a hunter’s lounge. There was an eagle with it’s wings spread out mounted on the entrance and once we got inside it got scary. Everyone inside was armed to the teeth speaking a variety of different languages ranging from Russian to Farsi and I think I even heard Swahili.

“I think we hit the jackpot.” Rebekah said.

“What jackpot are you talking about? Everyone in here look like their debating whether to kill us or hold us for ransom.” I said.

“Don’t give them any ideas.” Rebekah said leading us to the bar. “Hi two shots of tequila.”

“What kind?” The bartender gruffly asked.

“Whatever you’ve got.” Rebekah said.

“Coming right up.” He said pulling out a bottle.

“Incoming at your six.” I told Rebekah as I noticed two guys walking toward us.

“Bring out your best sorority girl act.” She said.

“Ladies.” One of them said in a heavy accent slurring a bit.

“Hi.” I said plastering on my best flirty smile, good thing they were too drunk to notice how forced it was.

“What brings such beautiful girls to this dump?” The other one said.

“Oh just passing through.” Rebekah said.

“Most people stick to Budapest.” One of them slurred out.

“We’re not most people.” I said.

“No you are not.” The other said checking us out.

“A friend of ours said she was living in Tihany and we just loved this photo of the sunset by the lake she took. We just had to get one for our instagram.” I said.

“Ah, you must be talking about the blonde from the diner.” One of them said.

“Oh the one with the…” He said gesturing to signal a butt.

“Best view of Oktoberfest ever.” The other said. “The Dirndl dress is god’s gift to man.”

“What’s this girl’s name?” Rebekah asked.

“The tag said… Alice…” One started.

“No Alison, I would know I got a really good view of her assets if you know what I mean.” One said as they both started laughing. Leave it to Delilah to use my dead mother’s identity to hide from my brother who’s one goal in life besides making my life a living hell was to please mother.

“And you said she worked at the diner? The one down the street?” Rebekah asked.

“Well it’s the only diner on the street, It’s a good thing you’re pretty.” The guys said.

“I really want to punch this idiot.” Rebekah said in french.

“Same here.” I said smiling.

“Well this has been fun but we have an early day tomorrow if we want to get that photo at sunrise.” I said.

“But you said sunset?’ One of the drunk idiots slurred.

“Come on ladies the night is young.” The other said.

“Maybe some other time.” Rebekah said.

“Night boys.” I said putting money under my shot glass before getting up.

“Catch you next time.” Rebekah said following me. “Any reason you’re sister in law keeps using yours and your mother’s old aliases?”

“We never shredded any of our old fake ID’s or passports in case we needed to go back to any safety deposit boxes or access old bank accounts. We kept them all in the safe. Hadrian knows I wouldn’t use a compromised alias so he wouldn’t think much of it. She must’ve gotten them and altered them so she could use them.” I said.

“Thrifty.” Rebekah said.

“Sometimes its better to spend a bit more.” I said looking around the streets as we made our way down to the diner.

“Wait, we shouldn’t go. She’ll see us and run.” Rebekah said.

“That’s not going to be a problem.” I said looking the street camera across the street pointing right at the diner’s entrance.

“I’ll find us an inn with Wifi.” Rebekah said.

“It’s 2013, that’s a given.” I said.

Rebekah dialed a few places she found on trip advisor and we ended up at a bed and breakfast on the outskirts of town. The couple that owned the place were excited to have guests during their off season and gave us a free upgrade to a suite. We couldn’t understand what they were saying half the time but they seemed happy so we assumed they were being nice.

I went into a trace and started hacking and typing away. I hacked town records, maps, and then started watching live feeds surrounding the diner and even tried rewinding it as far as I could. The feeds were only stored for a week but that was enough to spot Delilah coming in for one of her shifts. All I had to do now was wait for her to show up again.

The worst part of looking for someone was the waiting around. I watched the live feed of the diner for three days straight.

Three days of watching homeless people digging in the garbage out back. Three days of elderly couples coming in for the early bird special or just kids coming in with their parents for a bite to eat.

“Still Nothing?” Rebekah asked as she came back from grabbing us lunch.

“No though I do know which waitress has been stealing all the tips.” I said annoyed.

“I guess it’s a good thing I managed to talk myself into an impromptu job interview while I was out getting us lunch and got you the address of one Alison Adler.” Rebekah said.

“What?” I said.

“I got tired of just sitting around and doing nothing so I decided to be a bit proactive and take matters into my own hands.” Rebekah said. “And before you say anything… no hits were put out to get this intel.”

“I was going to hug you and say how amazing your recon skills are but that’s also good to know.” I said.

“Let’s go get the bitch and get out of Pleasantville.” Rebekah said.

“We can eat in the car.” I said grabbing my coat and laptop bag before running downstairs.

“Okay punching this into the GPS…” Rebekah said.

“Are you sure this is the right address?” I asked.

“It’s the one that was on the file. The one where her paychecks are all addressed to.” Rebekah said.

“It’s in the middle of nowhere.” I said.

“If you were an assassin with enemies everywhere who all wanted you dead wouldn’t the middle of nowhere be the best place to disappear to?” Rebekah said.

“Or it’s the perfect place to commit murders and not get caught.” I said.

“It’s a good thing I brought this then.” She said pulling out a gun.

“Dude what is it with you and Kol always having a gun on you?” I exclaimed.

“It’s a job requirement.” She said starting the car.

“Judging from the satellite imaging from Google maps there’s only one road leading to the cottage from the highway.” I said.

“Meaning we need to ditch the car somewhere and walk the rest of the way.” Rebekah said.

“Not what I would have hoped for but as long as we can snap a few pictures and then send them along with the coordinates to him we’re done.” I said pulling out the camera and making sure both of our cell phones we’re on silent.

“She probably has a security system installed, something to keep an eye on the perimeter.” She said.

“Way ahead of you. Got this from Tony. Targeted Pocket EMP. Knocks out all tech in a small radius from the origin point already set it up so it won’t knock out the car, our phones or camera.” I said.

“And he just gave it to you?” Rebekah said.

“He needed a trial run away from his suits and tower and I was still adjusting the programming for the targeting.” I said.

“Well we’re nearing the start of the private road.” She said.

“We can hide the car in those trees.” I said.

“I’m sure I’ve seen a horror movie that started like this before.” Rebekah said and she parked the car.

“So have I.” I said getting my phone to start scanning for any security systems. It wasn’t until we got to a few yards from the edge of the forest that it picked up anything. I activated the EMP and it was out.

“Does this seem to easy to you?” Rebekah said.

“We’ve been searching for months and I’ve literally stood on a landmine, no part of this has been easy.” I said taking out a pair of binoculars. The car was parked out front and the chimney of the cottage was letting out smoke. To my surprise the front door opened and Delilah walked right out carrying a duffle bag.

“There she is.” Rebekah said pointing the camera at her and snapping a few photos, which were automatically synched to my phone.

“There she is.” I said with a smile. I pulled up the photo that gave a clear view of her face so there’d be no way Hadrian could doubt it was her. I typed out the coordinates and sent the message. “We’re done. It’s finally over.”

“Uh Hayley… You may want to take another look.” Rebekah said. I grabbed the binoculars and noticed that she was loading the car with a suitcase and boxes.

“Shit.” I said.

“She’s making a run for it.” She said.

“Yeah, she is.” I said.

“If she leaves then…”

“We’re back to square one.” I finished her train of thought.

“What do we do?” Rebekah asked as another message came through.

I’ll be there in a few hours don’t let her get away or I’ll have your head- Hadrian

“She’s not going anywhere.” I said getting up from my crouched position. “We have the element of surprise. There’s a front entrance and another one around back.”

“What do you suggest? We go knock on her door?” Rebekah asked incredulously.

“Of course not. I’ll knock you go around back, sneak up behind her and knock her out.” I said.

“She’s a trained assassin I don’t think she’ll let us get the drop on her.” She said.

“It will if she’s sufficiently distracted and me showing up out of the blue will do that.” I said.

“Hayley…” Rebekah started.

“Beks, we lose her here we won’t find her again.” I said.

“What makes you think she won’t just shoot you on sight?” She asked.

“She could have blown Kol and I up in Berlin but she didn’t.” I said. She didn’t kill me then maybe she won’t now. At least I hope she won’t.