Here's a story I've putting put up on Tumblr. So I figured, why not here too.

Enjoy.

-Val

Tabula Rasa means "blank slate" in Latin. It is the epistemological theory that individuals are born without built in mental content and that their knowledge comes from experience and perception. So, if you apply it to the nature vs. nurture argument, this would be the nurture stance.

Sigyn had been in S.H.I.E.L.D custody for nearly two weeks. Her hair, dry from using the cheap shampoo they supplied stuck to the back of her neck. The cool air coming from the fan that blew occasionally in her direction relaxed her for only a few moments before the air blew around the room.

The Midgardian pants they supplied were bagging in the back and sagged in the front. Occasionally it would stick to her sweating skin and chaffed the skin along her outer thighs. The moisture of her back and neck pressed against the leather was becoming distracting, but it took away from the feeling of her feet roasting in her boots from the May heat. She wondered why the doctor didn't open a window.

Two weeks already. She couldn't get the thought of her mind. She's wasted two weeks of her life.

She had been through tests, needles, injections—which didn't affect her. Puzzles, mazes, observations and now they wanted her to express her feelings. She learned a perfectly good gesture of how she was feeling using only her middle finger. It was something she had learned from the Avenger, Hawkeye. She called him by his given name Clint Barton. He was the only nice one that she could think of at the moment. He didn't ask her a load of personal questions or insult her. The evil eyes she normally received from the staff had never gazed upon her by him. He talked to her as if she were an old friend.

She just noticed the "mental doctor" had looked up from his scribbling and had been staring at her for what seemed like forever. She stared back at him. Her hand was under her chin and her eyes never left his.

It was a game she used to play in her homeland with the other animals. If you stared hard enough the animal would either back down or charge. They rarely ever charged at her. Perhaps it wasn't worth their time. She had begun to practice on the Vanir, Aesir and more recently mortals.

Mortals are the ones who look away quickly. They would do anything to avoid having someone possibly looking through their souls, but the mental doctor was persistent. He didn't look away and only stared harder. Sigyn wasn't going to back down either. She was just buying her time. He would soon give in.

"Is this how you assert your dominance?" He asked. His eyes never wavered. Neither did she.

"Is that what you mortals call it?" She asked. She tried not to move or she would feel her sticky sweat leave the leather. It was becoming more uncomfortable by the second.

"It's nature. Everyone asserts their dominance." He placed the tip of his pen to his mouth. She hated when he did that. She couldn't explain why.

Now that she was thinking about it, she never did get his name. He had told her when they first met two weeks ago, but she purposefully forgot because she was sure she'd never see him again. His name was in black letters against a gold plate on his desk, but if she looked away he would take that as giving up. Her pride wouldn't allow such a thing.

"That may be so, but why is there a negativity when I assert my dominance?" She leaned forward with her elbows on her knees and her legs spread as though she could leap at him and grab his throat at any second. "Is it because I'm a bad person?"

"I don't believe in bad people." He said. Sigyn could read his tone and he didn't mean it. She could read it in his pupils. It was written clear as day. "I do believe in people who have been led astray and need to be set on the right path."

"What path is that?" She practically laughed. "Your path? After everything you've done to me and my husband, you have enough nerve to look at me in the eye and say that we should follow you." Her fist clenched tight enough for her nails to break the skin on her palm. She could hear the crackle of fire. The soothing candles grew and melted the wax.

"When my father had to force his kingdom over to that manipulator Odin, I was forced into the Aesir ways. I was told to lose everything from my culture, dress, the way I wear my hair and my whole purpose of life was to be a servant to a man. I watched my mother drag in my dead brother's body from the battlefield after they massacred him. Do not dare tell me-"

Her fist slammed so hard on the table beside her the glass shattered into pieces and the table bent inward. Sigyn inhaled and exhaled slowly to gather her composure and sunk into her seat.

When her emotions were uncontrollable, her magic became dangerous. She normally was a composed woman, but sometimes the rage and resentment she had for the Aesir and the pet mortals Thor choose to protect crept out of the cracks.

Deep breaths. Breathe, woman, breathe.

When she was learning to maintain her magic, her mother had once left a book of dark magic out on her bed. She turned to a page that looked fairly new despite the worn binding and cover. The page had probably been skipped over as many times as her mother read. It was a spell to that would cause immediate cardiac arrest. She shouldn't have learned that spell.

Her mother had periods of madness ever since Sigyn could remember. She normally took to the refuge of her home in Vanaheim, but she was forced to stay in Asgard for therapy that Frigga recommended. She had heard Sif making a playful joke about her mother. Sigyn didn't remember much about what happened, but when she came to, her hand clutched Sif's chest. She could feel the other female's heart beating in the palm of her hand. Sif's eyes had widened and her breath stopped. She had no idea how she beat the warrior. Her only conclusion was she took her by surprise.

Her training to be a goddess was almost put into jeopardy because of her spontaneous reaction. She didn't want to kill Sif. She didn't even want to hurt her. She only wanted her to stop her ill talk about her mother.

Sigyn looked up to see the S.H.I.E.L.D guards with their batons and electric tasers at the ready. Sigyn wasn't going to fight them. She wanted to go back to her cell anyway.

The mental doctor waved his hand away and the guards left the room. "An outburst of emotion." He remarked. "Obviously there are some deep issues that have been troubling you for some time."

"Everyone has some issue they're hiding. What's yours doctor?" She asked with an eyebrow raised.

She noticed his eyes leaving hers and traveling down her body. She hoped she was being paranoid, but he had done it on several occasions over the past two weeks. She didn't know what to think of what he was doing to her mentally.

Sigyn was a beautiful woman. She was at average Vanaheim height at about five foot six. She was considered short if she was an Aesir woman. Her hair was a dark auburn and hung down her back in soft curls. She had light blue eyes and a pointed face. She was in her late teens or early twenties in Midgard years if she had to guess, but she looked as if she were still in her mid adolescents. She was slim, but with a tone of muscle. By most accounts, the young goddess was beautiful.

She broke contact to look at the clock. "Can I leave?"

"We still have five minutes."

"You're going to tell me the secrets of your realm in five minutes?"

"No." He said. "I just have a few questions regarding your husband."

Sigyn sighed and raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

"Do you feel any empathy for the mortals he's hurt? Don't you feel anything for all the lives wasted?"

Sigyn thought for a moment. She looked up and examined the mental doctor's face. He was practically emotionless, but armed with his pen in anticipation."No." She said. "My husband has desired a kingdom of his own. He was meant to rule. Odin was blind by his love and favoritism for Thor to see it." She paused to see if he was listening. The mental doctor said nothing and let her continue. "You mortals are such hypocrites. I have visited Midgard before your own grandmother was born. You have destroyed and conquered lands, killed innocent women and children, raped them, forced them to give birth to your wretched half breed children and did you feel one ounce of empathy? You make the survivors believe they are lesser than yourself, give them crumbs and expect them to be good girls and boys and make them polish your shoes and clean after you."

The mental doctor was unmoved, but Sigyn continued. "Is this land even yours?" She asked. "No. You kicked the natives off the land, conquered them, ignore them and hope one day the last one will die and you won't be bothered with the guilt anymore. Your whole life is built on this, but when the tables are turned we're the freaks of nature."

"So, that's why you hacked into the S.H.I.E.L.D database? To prove how hypocritical mortals are?"

"No. I took the game piece that has been used for thousands of years and put it to play. Your mortal computers are easy to learn if you bothered to try."

"I see." He scribbled on his page.

"Are we done here?" She asked.

"Yes, we're done." The mental doctor sighed.

She got a look at his nameplate on the table that read. "Dr. G Larrson." She held her wrists up for the guards. She was cuffed and the guards took her away back to her cell.

She was told not to eat or drink anything. They were prepping her for another experiment. They didn't have to spell it out for her. She wasn't the idiot that they took her as. An idiot wouldn't have figured out the encrypted codes to S.H.I.E.L.D's systems. An idiot would be completely clueless to the terrain, she wasn't. She mapped everything out for Loki's army. They underestimated her intelligence greatly.

The guards surrounded the nurses and checked her vital signs, nodded to each other, scribbled it on their charts and continued on their way. She was bored waiting for this experiment to take place. She paced around her energy beam cell, cracking her knuckles and watching the other prisoners and guards walk by.

She wished they at least gave her a book to occupy herself, but they didn't want her learning anymore about their world that she could use against them. The growling in her stomach kept her from sleeping for more than a few minutes.

"Sigyn," She heard someone say. She turned her head to see Clint Barton standing by her cell. "You looked bored, I thought I'd say hi."

It was nice of him. If it had been any other day, she would've stood by the edge of the cell and made small talk with him for awhile until he was needed back among the other Avengers. However, the grim feeling in her stomach kept her from wanting to engage in any kind of communication.

"What are they planning?" She asked, standing from the corner of her bed and walked straight toward him.

He hesitated before shrugging his shoulders. "Don't worry about it." He said. "I'm sure it's just another formality."

"When will I be freed?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Is that confidential?"

"No, I don't even know myself. That's why I can't tell you."

Sigyn pursed her lips and leaned against the corner where she could see him. She hesitated on asking anyone favors. She felt like she owed them afterward. No matter what she couldn't refuse them anything after such an extreme favor, but she had no other choice.

"I need to ask you a favor, Clint." She said.

He frowned, but didn't say anything. He leaned closer to the cell and made sure no one else was listening to their conversation.

"I would like to see my husband before the experiment."

Clint scratched the back of his neck. "Erm, I don't know-"

"I have a bad feeling about this all morning. I promise we won't start any trouble."

"You're married to the god of lies." He stated with a flat look on his face. "He lies."

"I cannot control what Loki does, he's his own person." She said. "But you have my word I will not start any trouble."

"I'll have to get clearance for him, give me a few moments, okay? I can't promise anything."

"Thank you." Sigyn said giving him a small smile. "Your effort is enough." He nodded and walked away with quick strides.

She made her way back to her bed. She waited patiently with her hands within each other and her head down. She wasn't sure how long she had been waiting, but she heard heavy footsteps and Clint's voice say, "Sigyn."

She looked up. She must've fallen asleep waiting. Her eyes were heavy and her vision had blurred. She rubbed her eyes and walked to the door of her cell. Loki was in handcuffs and surrounded by guards. He smiled at her as the guards pushed her in her cell. His hands were still cuffed, but it didn't matter.

"They gave you five minutes then it's time." Clint said.

Sigyn nodded and placed her hands on each side of her face. Her finger felt bare without their wedding ring. She stood on her toes to kiss him. The stubble on his chin scratched her cheek.

"How are you?" He asked when they had parted.

"I've been better." She said. "But I've been worse. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Me too." He said. "This isn't anything we're used to."

"I know." She rested her body against his.

"You have to promise me something."

"Anything."

"This bond—our bond, shall never be torn asunder by anyone. Mortal or god, you should never forget what I am to you and what you are to me. Promise me?" He was rarely this affectionate in the company of others. Maybe he had no other choice or he probably felt the same dread she felt.

"I promise, my love." She pulled him in another kiss.

"Five minutes are up." Clint said solemnly.

Loki was grabbed and pulled out of her cell. He didn't take his eyes off of her and was led away. Sigyn refused to cry. It would solve anything. It rarely ever did. She rarely ever cried, but she had a sinking feeling she would never see him again. She had never felt so helpless in her entire life.

She was led down a long hallway in cuffs that left bruises along her wrists. The longer she walked the more the smell of disinfectant stung her nostrils and eyes. She blinked away tears and saw the guards approaching her to a bright room where everyone was dressed in white uniforms and had their faces covered. Sigyn's heart began to beat out of control. Her first instinct was to run. Run as fast as she could, but she kept walking. She couldn't escape with her hands linked together, but she could try.

She was at least twenty yards to the entrance. Then she heard Loki's voice exclaim.

"Get your hands off of me, filthy mortals!"

She stopped in her tracks and slammed her elbow into the stomach of the guard to the left of her and tried to take off in the other direction. She heard their heavy footsteps coming after her. She pulled on her cuffs trying to break them. She strained and struggled. Sweat fell down her back and arms as she moved and then a heavy pressure hit her head. Sigyn fell forward. She braced herself for the pain. Her head bounced off of the hard floor.

Darkness.

Her feet were dragging and she could taste iron. Was she bleeding?

Darkness.

Her wrists were bound and metal was sticking to her head. A person in white held a large needle that she carried with two hands. It stuck the tip deep into her arm. The warmth of the liquid rushed through her veins and turned her body cold. She tried to fight, but her arm felt so heavy. She struggled to stay awake.

Darkness.

She opened her eyes to see the white light brightening and then the figure of a woman with black hair spread out with the wind. Over her shoulder she could see her brother in law, Thor, Clint Barton and a man with dark hair staring down at them. She begged with her eyes at them.

Let me go. This is cruelty.

Clint Barton quickly walked away and out of her sight. Thor's bottom lip curled up and then he joined behind Barton. The man with the dark hair stared at her with a fierce hawk look.

The woman's figure came closer to her. Her warm hand touched Sigyn's cheek and she made eye contact. She knew those violet eyes from anywhere. It was Karnilla, the Norn Queen.

Sigyn could feel he strength draining and her body couldn't control it's own temperature.

"Hello, pretty." She smiled. Her white canine teeth seemed sharper than usual. "This won't hurt a bit."

Karnilla's eyes turned white as she mumbled an incantation that she couldn't hear over the blood rushing through her ears. Her whole body broke out in another coat of sweat and her head felt as if it would explode from impact. Her ears were ringing so loud she thought she would go deaf and her teeth grinded into each other. She couldn't hold in the pain. She screamed so loud her whole body revolted against her. And then there was darkness.

She opened her eyes to see she was in a white hospital room. Her head was pounding and she could feel her nose was bruised and sore. Her entire body was either tingling, bruised or destroyed with pain. She lifted her arm slowly to rub her sore head. She didn't know what landed her here.

What had happened? She strained to think, but it was a misty memory, almost like a dream. She backtracked to the small details she would know, such as her name, her parents, where she was born, and her date of birth. She felt a twinge of panic and her heart banged against her chest.

She had no memory of anything. The cardiac monitor was beeping louder in her ear and the soreness of the IV in her arm was all she could feel. She looked around the room. Her room was clean, practically untouched.

She had to assess the situation. There was nothing she could do, no one by her bed or visiting her. She was completely alone. Then an idea came to her. Hospitals put identification bands on their patients. Maybe it would explain something. She checked her arm and read the dark courier ink.

"LEMON, MARGOT. DOB: MARCH 15, 1985."

"Margot Lemon?" She said out loud. She didn't like the name, but it was her name. She was Margot Lemon, born on the Ides of March. She could've cried. She had never been more relieved in her life. Her joy was disturbed when a nurse came in and smiled at her.

"Well, hello, sleepyhead."

"Uh, hi." Margot said, taking the warm greeting with disdain. "Uh, what happened to me?"

"You were in an accident." She said. "You hit your head pretty hard. The doctor said you might experience some amnesia."

"What?" Margot asked. She rubbed her head and winced in pain. "I mean-yeah, I suppose. I don't remember a damn thing."

That was a stupid comment.

"That's to be expected. The doctor should be here soon."

"Erm, yeah."

"Can I get you anything?"

"Uh, nothing. Thank you."

"Are you sure?" The nurse asked.

"Yes," She snapped. "I'm fine." The nurse shot Margot a hurt look and left in a hurry. She felt horrible for being so cross with her. She had only just found out her own name and she was already twenty-seven. She reminded herself to smile and speak softly to the nurse next time she saw her.

The doctor explained everything the nurse had. Dr. Notz was a short, thin man with thick eyebrows and heavy black eyelashes. He looked like he had placed eyeliner under his eye so carefully. They were beautiful. She was jealous of them. She wanted thick eyelashes, but that was an assumption. She didn't know what was real or what she wanted anymore.

Dr. Notz went over her chart and spoke to her in a soft voice. "Well, Ms. Lemon, you were in an accident."

"We established that." She said. She needed another painkiller. Her migraine had doubled since his arrival.

"You are in good condition and your head seems to be healing nicely."

"What about my memory?"

He hesitated. "You are suffering from a severe case of retrograde amnesia. Which means any memories you have created prior to the accident is lost."

Well can you find them? I would really like them back.

"Mm." She said. "Will I get them back?"

Dr. Notz shook his head. "There's a chance you can regain some memories back, but it is unlikely." Dr. Notz smiled. "But you can make new memories." His optimism was sickening.

"Mm. I appreciate this, doctor, but I would like to be alone."

Dr. Notz nodded and left quickly. Margot leaned back in her bed and tried to think of something that would cheer her up. It was silly to think about. What did she enjoy? She couldn't remember. She turned on the television and the first image on the screen was a commercial about Viagra. She forgot what sex felt like. Did she even like it and if she did, whom would she like to have sex with? She thought about trying it with a man and working her way through the possibilities. Hospitals gave her odd thoughts. It was another memory she learned.

After taking another painkiller and a ten-hour nap, she was hungry. She rung her buzzer and the nurse brought in broccoli, chicken and macaroni and cheese with applesauce for dessert. It tasted like wood, but she didn't complain. She popped another painkiller in her mouth and took another nap.

When she woke up, her legs were antsy. She couldn't sit still. She needed to go for a walk. The confined space in the hospital was giving her an even bigger migraine and her thoughts were drifting from one subject to the other.

She stood up from the bed and realized the gown she was still wearing. The ones that leave your bottom exposed to the air and anyone passing by could get an eye view. She hated the damn thing. It was convenient when she needed to use the restroom, but not on a hospital stroll. She wasn't ashamed of her nakedness. It was a hospital. They had seen worse. But she didn't want the other head cases (as she called them) to know what her bare backside looked like under the pale hospital lights.

She wrapped her blanket around her like a toga and walked around the hospital. It was comforting to Margot to see the other head cases walking about as she was. Since she was starting anew she might as well find someone with the similar problem to talk to.

A young boy with a bandage on his head held the hand of his father. He looked up at her and smiled. She smiled and waved at him and continued on her aimless journey. She ran into a woman with long white hair tied down her back in a beautiful braid. She was a handsome woman except for the tubes in her nose.

"Hello." She said to the woman. The woman jumped slightly and smiled at Margot. She must be a lonely woman. She was probably used to being ignored or shove aside and as a result, whenever someone did notice her, she was surprised. But she looked happy to have the short exchange of human contact.

She finally passed by a man with black hair down to his shoulders walking to the elevator. He had a pack of cigarettes in his hand and one hanging out of his mouth.

"Hello." She said to him. He looked at her nodded his head and turned his head back to her. She caught a long glance at him and they stared at each other for a moment. For a second, she thought she knew him. The feeling must've been mutual. He gazed at her for a long time before he stepped on the elevator. She wanted to follow him. Why did she feel such a connection to him? She had to follow him. She went with her instinct and entered the elevator.

"What floor?" He asked.

"Uh-" She hesitated and watched the button by the number 1 light up."The first floor."

He pressed the button to close the door and glanced at her again. She held the blanket around her tighter and tried to watch the floor, but she could feel his stare on her. It felt like a ray of sunshine.

"Do I know you?" He asked.

Yes? No? Maybe? I'm a head case, I don't know.

She looked up and shook her head. "Not to my knowledge, but I'm with the other head cases. I don't remember anything."

"I suppose we're in the same boat." He said. She looked in his eyes and saw the bright green iris. There was something she liked about the evergreen color, possibly even loved. She could stare at them all day. Maybe when she left the hospital she would ask him for a drink and they could—

Don't think about that. You're restarting your life and you're going to have sex with a stranger. What a great way to start your life.

"You seem pretty collected for a head case." Margot commented.

"I adapt well, I guess." He shrugged. "There's nothing anyone can do about it. We might as well get used to it."

"You don't mind if I call you a head case, do you?" She asked suddenly, fearing she had offended him because of how quiet he was. The elevator dinged and they both stepped off at the same time and walked outside through the automatic doors. She was more or less following him. She wanted to stay by his side. "I call myself a head case too. It's because something is wrong with your head-"

"I got it the first time." He smirked and lit his cigarette. "It's very clever." He took a drag and exhaled smoke. "And to answer your question, I don't mind at all." He sat down on a bench farthest from the door and held the pack up to her. "Do you want one? I stole it off of a nurse. The lighter too."

She chuckled and took one. He lit it for her and she smiled at him. "I'm Margot. At least that's what it says on my tag." She sat close to him on the bench.

"It says I'm Serrure Rey. Date of birth is April 1st 1981." He said holding out his hand.

She shook it. "It's nice to meet you, Serrure."

He winked at her. "Likewise, Margot."