She's only twelve years old and she's going to die today. The thought scares her less than it probably should. Her life has never been such a valuable commodity. She's only a weapon, and weapons don't need self preservation, after all.

She's really just annoyed that it has to be like this that she dies. If she had been shot in the heart, she would have died quickly. If she had been shot in the head, even more so. Instead, they shot her in the stomach and she's left here bleeding out slowly on the floor, unable to crawl away because she feels so weak, dying by inches. "Just let it end," she moans quietly.

"Well, really," says a voice over her. "Liars rarely die painlessly. You see, they make people far too mad. People really hate being tricked, you know."

The girl looks up to see a man looking down. Their eyes meet, and his eyes are glinting green, calling all her attention even as she dies.

"Will you end it?" she whispers.

"The pain?" The man seems amused. "Why should I? You're the one who messed up, got caught. You have to deal with consequences."

"So I was stupid," she growls. "I'll do better next time." There will be no next time, but it's too automatic to say the words, and she can't take them back. She waits for the man to mock her.

Instead, he smiles and says, "Yes. You will."

He bends down and touches her stomach directly on the wound. She cringes, expecting her pain to increase tenfold. Instead, his hands feel cool and soothing, the pain fading away. She gasps a little as he takes his hands away, leaving her feeling perfectly fine.

"Well?" The man says impatiently. "Just a gasp? I heal you when you're approximately ten minutes from death and all I get is a gasp?"

"Who are you?" she asks as she slowly sits up. "What are you? How did you do that?"

"My name is Loki," he says with a smile.

"I'm Natalia," she says, because it seems like good manners to introduce yourself to the man who just brought you back from the brink of death.

"Call yourself Natasha," he orders her. "It sounds better."

She's a bit startled that she feels like she should obey his orders, just like that. Then again the man did just heal her wounds with his touch. She owes him, she supposes.

"Do I serve you now?" she asks cautiously.

He laughs. "Oh, Natasha. You are really very cute when you're puzzled. It doesn't happen often, does it?" He pulls her gently to her feet. "You already serve me, child. Every time you play a trick, every time you deceive someone, every time you tell a lie. You practically serve me just by existing. All tricksters are mine. And you are a rather good one, for your age, which is why you aren't going to die today."

"Oh," she murmurs, feeling her stomach. Her shirt is still wet with blood, but she doesn't hurt and there's no bullet wound.

Loki hands her a bullet covered in blood. "Here. A keepsake to remember me by."

"Thank you."

She's in shock, she supposes. She should have more questions, she should be figuring out what to do but she can't help but stare, fascinated, at the beautiful man standing in front of her and wonder what exactly he is. She almost forgets to pocket the bullet, but she does. It would be rude not to accept a gift, however morbid, from her rescuer. So she puts it in her pocket a bit dazedly, and gives Loki a small, confused smile.

"We'll meet again," he says.

And then he vanishes.

She doesn't feel that surprised, really. She doesn't have time to. She needs to get back to her superiors and tell them how messed up the mission is now, and she needs to have a look at that wound and see if it's really gone.

And then she's going to need to look up the name Loki.

/…/…/

You know your situation is desperate and a little ridiculous when the most plausible option you have is that the person who saved your life is the Norse god of liars and tricksters.

Natalia is in this situation.

Of course, chances are that he was just a man named after said Norse god. But what man could heal wounds with a touch and disappear into thin air? There is talk of such men, but Natalia has never really believed it, and such a coincidence would be too great.

It is frustrating for her. Few men have ever done as much for her as Loki. In fact few men have done very much for her at all, except for making her into a weapon. To know nothing of her savior, and be unable to thank him, irks her more than even the disappointment of failing her mission.

As the months pass by and she does not meet him again, she tries to forget him. But his green eyes still lurk, mockingly, at the corners of her mind.

/…/…/

When Loki returns to Asgard, only Thor has noticed he was ever gone. It's natural, of course. Loki, who knows the hidden passageways between worlds, is always coming and going. Still, he feels a bitter twinge of resentment when he thinks of all the feasts and jubilation that greet Thor when he returns from a journey. Thor is usually on a glorious quest when he leaves Asgard, so he supposes it makes sense.

Loki has saved a life, but that hardly constitutes a glorious quest. Particularly since the life was Midgardian, and since he saved it with healing skill, magic, cheating, instead of in honorable battle.

He had decided not to just kill the girl's assailants. He does not think she would appreciate that sort of help. Tricksters are self sufficient. They never will accept that they need help until they've already failed. That is why Loki has very little work to do, most of the time, since good liars rarely need his help and he isn't particularly interested in helping people who are bad at lying.

It's still more work than most of the Aesir do. Many of those who ever went down to Midgard and were hailed as gods are now dead, and the others have no interest in helping Midgardians anymore. After all, there are few left who pray to them for help (in the old days Heimdall used to keep them informed of what mortals asked for their prayers). And not many Aesir bothered to help the Midgardians even back when they did pray. For back then, there were many requests, not all of which they could answer.

Once upon a time, Loki and Thor would go to Midgard regularly together to see their Midgardian followers. They would help those whom they could, and tell stories of their adventures, most of which were far from the truth. For some reason, Thor denied that Loki was his brother and always made him out to be the villain. It was just teasing, but the Midgardians took it as absolute truth.

Of course, Thor had far more followers than Loki. He was a god of war, strength and thunder. Men always worshipped him for these traits.

Loki, on the other hand, had received little admiration and been named god of liars and tricksters. None but the dishonest would ask him for help, send prayers for his blessing. Yet he found he rather liked his clientele. They were rather more amusing than those honest ones who came to Thor.

Of course, they all died soon. Loki always grieved the death of his most clever followers, but they lived short lives. In that, he could not help them.

In time, Thor grew bored with visiting mortals and mostly went to other realms. He forgot about Midgard, where he was worshiped as a god, and sets off to explore other lands. Loki does not forget. He goes to Midgard less, and is choosier about who he will reveal his existence to, but he never entirely stops.

Thor thinks him a fool, pursuing an adventure that ended long ago.

He says as much today, telling Loki that in the month he has been absent, Thor has gone on a new adventure with Sif and Fandral and Hogun and Volstagg.

"And was your quest successful?" Loki asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course it was successful!" Thor laughs. "My brother, have you ever known me to fail? Granted, it took some time. We were in a land hostile in its very nature, blinding sands and searing heat, and traveling was greater difficulty than fighting."

He regales Loki with a tale of challenging the champion of a certain city to battle, and the ease with which he won. Loki is hardly surprised, but he acts impressed. Thor is pleased enough at his audience to ask, when he is done, what Loki has been up to.

"I have found a new follower," Loki informs him. It took him the whole month. It is so hard to find truly clever and dangerous liars these days, liars who would be willing and worthy to take him as a patron. He is unsure of whether even the girl he had finally found would be willing. He is sure that she is worthy, though, as he followed her around for a few days before he showed himself to her, ascertaining her skill.

Thor grins and congratulates him and asks him no more, uninterested in such a plebeian feat when he has spent his month conquering warriors and traversing strange realms. Loki sighs and they talk about other matters. Of Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg's health. Of Lady Sif's health…and of her beauty.

For some reason Thor is quite determined that Loki should court the Lady Sif. Loki knows, however, that the lady prefers Thor to him, and so he has resolved to never do so.

Indeed, he quite intends to avoid the Lady Sif. But in the end he cannot help but speak with her, for at that night's banquet she seeks him out.

"Thor says you have spent these weeks in Midgard," she says as a greeting.

Loki greets her rather more formally. "Salutations, my fair lady. I have indeed been in that realm, though I am surprised my brother has remembered it, or that you thought to ask."

"I did not," the lady says haughtily. "He told me of his own accord."

"Ah," says Loki with a rueful grin. "Then that would explain it. I have heard that you have been adventuring, my lady. Have your adventures been fruitful?"

"I have no doubt Thor has told you all about them," Sif says sourly. "Tell me of yours."

"I searched many long hours in Midgard for a mortal worthy of my patronage. There were many liars and I helped them as I could, but most were pitiful and petty. The only one of worth was a twelve year old girl who has been trained in espionage. I intended to keep my presence secret for longer, but in the end I had to step in for her life was in danger."

"You saved her?" Sif says curiously, almost disbelieving. "Thor did not mention any battles."

"What battle there was she fought herself and lost. They have machines that spit bullets-less than our technology but greater than some. A bullet pierced her stomach. I waited for her assailants to leave and then healed her wound."

"Oh," Sif says with some disgust that she does not try to hide. "Magic. And why did you not step in earlier?"

"She would have seen it as interference. From what I could see she was an independent type," Loki explains. It was a delicate job. Help her too much and it would appear he disrespects her skills. Help her too little and she would be dead.

Sif snorts. "You would find any excuse for your cowardice."

Loki smiles sweetly and pins down his ire. "I am sorry the way I saved my follower's life does not please my lady. Would you prefer I act more as Thor?"

"You might learn a lesson or two from him," she says severely.

Loki does not tell her that he considers Thor to be rash, immature, uncouth and lacking in wit. Far be it from him to insult the court's favorite, the heir of his father, his elder brother. Instead, he says that he agrees with her and changes the subject. They speak of the quality of the food, a harmless subject, until Fandral comes to spirit her away. Fandral does not approve of him. Very few at court really do.

Loki spends the rest of the evening flitting from one conversation to the next. There are so many lies, venomous lies, floating in the air that he cannot even keep track of them all. But they serve no goal but to make the teller look good and the listener look bad. It is all very dull. A good lie is told for a reason. A good lie is part of a greater deception, involving acting and planning and extensive research. These lies are petty, just bee stings when they could be the bite of a cobra. They vex him.

He cannot help but remember why he prefers Midgard. There is so much more action there, so much more excitement. The ultimate exhilaration is to mess with the mortals' plans, spread lies further and further and watch excellent schemes come into fruition.

Alas, he will not be able to go to his favorite realm for some time, for Thor tells him that he will be needed on Thor's next adventure. He thinks it will probably be a bore but does not say so. He does like to please his brother, and perhaps if he goes there will be less chance of them all getting killed, so he consents.

/…/…/

Natasha does not see Loki again for two years. She is fourteen now, and she has just killed a man. Now she is staying in a hotel, waiting for further orders, where she must strike next.

When she hears someone behind her say hello, she has a gun pointed at his face in seconds.

"Natasha," scolds the man with green eyes, looking down at her reproachfully. "Is that any way to greet your patron?"

She knows it is him for three reasons.

The first is that he looks exactly as she remembers. But that could have been someone in disguise. Just a bare possibility. Alternatively, she could be under the influence of some drug to make her see someone she trusts. She hates to admit it but there are few people she trusts in this world, and she trusts Loki more than most.

The second is that he calls himself her patron. If he really is the Loki from Norse mythology, then that would make him the patron god of liars and tricksters, making him her patron as well. She thinks he mentioned it at their first meeting, though she is not sure. She has obsessed over that first meeting enough to jumble it a bit in her head.

The third is that he called her Natasha.

Natasha calls herself Natasha now, has felt a strange compulsion to ever since he saved her life. But her superiors and the world at large still call her Natalia. She never told anyone about changing her name. For some reason, the name Natasha seems like a private thing to her. Maybe she'll tell someone she truly trusts one day. Until then, she is Natalia to everyone except herself and this one man.

She finds she has already lowered the gun on instinct. She puts it down on her bed to show just how little she is inclined to shoot him. She thinks perhaps he could kill her even more easily than she could kill him, so it is important that he knows she does not plan on attacking.

"Good girl," Loki says. "You've grown since I saw you last."

She nods. "Are you a god?"

Loki smirks and sits down on the bed, pushing the gun aside to make room. "That's a rather forward question, don't you think? Still, you are my follower, so I will answer it. The answer is: in a way."

Natasha narrows her eyes as she sits down next to him.

Loki makes her wait a minute, seeing if she'll be rude enough to interrupt, then continues. "In the old days, I was indeed known as a god, and I believe mythology names me as such today. In truth I am an Aesir. I do not consider myself a god, but I am far nearer that state than a mortal such as you."

He goes on to tell her many things. He talks about realms and other Aesirs and monsters and liars. He talks for a long time about liars, and how to tell good lies and not get caught.

"I know how to lie," Natasha says.

"Yes," says Loki. "Indeed, I think you would be the perfect trickster except for one thing."

It is clear he wants her to ask what that one thing is. She hates being forced to say what he wants her to, but he did save her life and she sort of thinks that he wants her to serve him, be his follower. She sort of thinks she would like that. So she says, "What is that one thing?"

"You're a servant," Loki says bluntly.

Natasha raises her eyebrows with puzzlement. As far as she can tell, he wants her to be subservient to him. Is she doing something wrong? "Don't you want me to serve you?"

Loki looks surprised, and then smirks. "I was not speaking of myself. You serve me best, girl, by spreading chaos, lies and mischief throughout the world. That you would do of your own accord, and it is no inconvenience to you. No, I spoke of your current masters."

Her service to the Russian government. She had not thought Loki the type to care about such things. "If you want, I will abandon it and follow you."

"You would betray your country for me?" Loki says in surprise.

"You saved my life. They did not." And he seems wiser than them too, a master she would love to serve.

"Ah. Loyalty. Few of my followers have it," Loki sighs. "You please me, Natasha. But I do not wish for you to serve me so directly, for I am no master of yours. I am merely your patron, and I serve you farther than you serve me."

"That's a little strange," Natasha says with a frown. Surely it should be the other way around.

"Perhaps. My brother thinks so. But it is no matter. I am concerned because in all your actions you serve Russia. A true trickster has a mind of her own."

She grits her teeth. "What, you want me to quit then?" To do such a thing would be close to impossible. She would most likely be killed.

"No," says the green eyed Aesir. "I want you to discover what you want to do and do it. Use every tool in your book: lies, manipulation, murder, but find a goal you want to reach. And reach it."

Natasha narrows her eyes again. Then she laughs outright. "You sound like you're giving a pep talk."

"How bizarre," Loki says with a short laugh. "Usually that's Thor's job."

They talk a little longer, and he tells her tales of ancient deception, and she tells him tales of recent missions (all successfully completed) and when her phone rings, she feels annoyed at the interruption.

"Yes?" she says, picking it up.

"Agent Romanoff, you are to return to base immediately. Another agent will be taking over your operation. There is a new mission waiting for you."

"Fine." She hangs up. Normally she'd be more polite, ask a few more questions for clarification, wait to be dismissed, but her patron god's in the room and she has no time for protocol.

She turns back to tell Loki of the summons and ask if he wishes her to follow it or quit the organization like he'd mentioned earlier, but when she looks he is gone.

This time she is a little more coherent than when last they met, so she checks the door and windows and they are locked. Nor is he hiding in the hotel room, she concludes after a brief but thorough search.

She wishes he had stayed to talk and wonders when she'll meet him again.

/…/…/

"Brother," says Thor, as is customary. "Where have you been?"

"Midgard," says Loki. Though he was only gone four days this time, and two were just for travel.

"You are always going to Midgard," Thor complains. "You were there only two years ago, for a whole month, and now you have gone again. I swear, someday you shall try to move to Midgard permanently. You are in love with that pitiful realm."

"Hmm…" says Loki. "Perhaps that would be a good idea indeed."

"What?" Thor asks warily. He knows that his brother rarely compliments his ideas. He calls them idiotic more often, and even when they succeed on the battlefield, Loki will always say he could have done better.

"Moving to Midgard," Loki says with a sly smile. "After all, court is dreadfully boring. And I would not have to face Sif."

Thor growls in his throat. "If you try to leave me I will drag you back."

"Of course," says Loki in a tone that says Thor may try yet Loki doubts he will succeed. Thor growls again and they talk of other matters. Thor has been training much as of late. He will be crowned king in about a decade, and he must be prepared.

Loki does not think Thor will be prepared in a decade or even in a century, but he keeps his thoughts to himself.

/…/…/

Natasha sees Loki often after that. Sometimes he'll appear when she is at a crowded bar or a busy street, finding her in the middle of a crowd with ease. Sometimes he'll interrupt her in a mission, and sometimes he'll kill her target or enemy for her and make her mad (she doesn't need help!). Sometimes he stays for only a few minutes, sometimes for a few hours. And once in a while he'll haunt her for weeks. She can never predict when he'll appear or when he'll leave.

What she likes the best is when she is wounded or in trouble and he saves her. It doesn't happen often, only in truly desperate situations. When that happens, she feels a little embarrassed at needing the help, but also strong. Protected. Certainly her country, her government will not protect her, but her patron will and that is enough.

He's a gentleman and a tease, chivalrous and mocking, trustworthy but a liar. For she has learned from firsthand experience that he does lie. Not to her very often, but sometimes he'll claim that he won't come back until she is done with a mission and then come the minute the mission is over. His timing is so precise that she must suspect that he was watching her the whole time.

Under his guidance she becomes something more like her own woman, but she never breaks ties with Russia. Not until another assassin shows up, who goes by the name Hawkeye and shows sympathy to what her life is like. No one but Loki has ever understood before.

She switches from serving Russia to serving his organization, called SHIELD. She is surprised at how easy it is. She knew she had little attachment to her old masters, but never realized just how ready she was to desert them.

She should have known, of course. She's been ready ever since Loki suggested she was in the wrong place.

Hawkeye's name turns out to be Clint Barton and she is casual enough to call him Clint as soon as she learns this. He in turn calls her Natalia, which he supposes is her first name.

It's not his fault he thinks that. She has never told anyone otherwise. Loki knows, but only because he is the one who gave her name to her.

She tells him, "Call me Natasha."

He does. From then on she feels much more comfortable with him. They are ideal partners for each other, able to complement each others' abilities perfectly.

They have a friendship unlike any other she has known. He makes her feel vulnerable-and makes her like it. Sometimes they cross the line a little. Sometimes when the tension is high enough they find themselves in each others' arms. Sometimes she'll let her guard down enough to let him kiss her. When she kisses back, she doesn't do so in the seductive way she uses for missions but awkwardly, gently, well aware of how much she leaves herself open.

He doesn't know about Loki. Natasha is not surprised, since he is not a liar. He is a spy but he shoots arrows and watches people instead of deceiving them. He is not Loki's type.

Of course, just because he does not know Loki does not mean Loki does not know him. Loki visits Natasha one night and tells her that he is proud of her.

"You usually are," Natasha says. "Which mission is it this time?"

"No mission," says Loki. "I am proud that you have changed sides, Natasha. Finally you begin to understand the true nature of a trickster. I was worried at your being loyal to Russia all those years you know, but you have finally started to bloom."

Natasha glares at him. "If you think I'm going to start double-crossing everyone every time I have a chance now, you're wrong. I am loyal to SHIELD."

"Oh?" says Loki. "And why?"

"They're giving me a second chance," says Natasha. "I can wipe the red off my ledger and become a good person."

Loki smirks. "You see? You could care less about their ideology and you are not afraid of their threats. You serve them because you want to, because you like them."

From anyone but Loki, Natasha would see that as an insult. Even from Clint, a statement like that would be an insult. From Loki she takes it as a compliment. She knows he follows Thor in all his doings for the same reason, and helps her for that reason as well.

So she says, "I suppose you are right." Though she still wants to change. She wants to believe in the things SHIELD believes in-protecting the homeland, guarding the world against powerful threats. She just hasn't managed it yet.

Loki says, "I hear they call you the Black Widow now."

"A few do." It's a formidable name, but Natasha already has the only name she'll ever need. It's not Black Widow, and it's not Natalia either.

Loki smirks. "Aren't you a bit young for that name? Are you even planning on getting married?"

Natasha glares at him. She thought they were having a serious discussion, but no. Loki must always turn everything into a joke, a trick, a silver tongued prod to annoy her. She thinks nothing amuses him more than seeing other people annoyed.

"Perhaps to that man you are always with these days," Loki says smoothly, ignoring her glare. "I believe his name is Clint."

"Yes," says Natasha. "But you have no permission to use it."

"Oh, I'm sorry if I am too familiar. I will just call him hawk then," says Loki. "You do not deny your love for him."

Natasha raises an eyebrow. "Should I?" She did not know that Loki knew of Clint, but she is not ashamed of the relationship she has built up, nor does she feel the need to hide it.

"Yes," says Loki. "You should always lie, particularly about love."

"Even to you?" Natasha asks.

"Oh, Natasha," Loki sighs in amusement. "Especially to me."

/.../.../

/.../.../

AN: This is the beginning of a story I started writing quite a while. After some internal debate, I have decided to begin posting it, but I am not entirely sure I will ever finish it. As it is, I have only three chapters fully written, and I'm working on a couple other things at the moment so this is hardly my focus. But better this than nothing, right? Frankly, I think at least this chapter could stand alone as a oneshot.

More about content: This story is not Lokitasha. Lokitasha is a lovely pairing, but it's not happening here because he met her when she was twelve and I don't think it's going to work out. Other than that, any thoughts people? I love reviews, and I love suggestions for my stories.