I'm horrible. I start new stories all the time… I have how many waiting to be finished right now? Too many, that's for sure! So, I haven't decided who the romance will be with – I'm really leaning toward Thor; if you want, please give me some input! Who do you like? Who don't you like?

Oh, I have to say, though; it's not going to be Loki… Just sayin'…

Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers. But I'd be super excited if I did…

Prologue

The roar of the waves crashing against the craggy shoreline echoed around me, calming me. Rain pounded each and every blade of grass into the ground, pouring out of the deep, gray clouds overhead. Still, the driving droplets didn't deter me enough to get up and seek shelter; in fact, I remained motionless on the cliff's edge, resting back on my striped haunches, my long, black-tipped tail flicking slowly, methodically, behind me. Staring out over the churning waves, I stretched slightly and lowered my body to the ground, arms reaching out ahead of me on the muddy ground.

Resting my chin on my folded arms, I sighed contentedly, my heart rate finally returning to normal as I lazily blinked the water from my eyes. Where I should freezing, having been soaked to the bone, I simply watched, peacefully and mildly interestedly, the heavy droplets hit the water below. The cold didn't affect me, not in the way it did everyone else; in fact, I was rather warm, my striped coat catching the water and sending it trailing down to the ground on either side of me.

Somewhat bored now, I tried humming Glad You Came, but all that came out was a low, guttural growl. Ahh well, I'll just sing it in my head, then…

Huffing tiredly, I casually twitched an ear, picking up every little chirp and twitter from the trees at my back, every splash and crash of the waves below. I had finally stopped running, my pursuers getting lost in the thick foliage and bristly underbrush. Safe for the moment, I burrowed myself into the ground; unless it was SHIELD, I wasn't worried about them stumbling upon my little hideaway.

It was along the coast – obviously – but nearly a mile and a half in the air. The jungle at my back was incredibly thick, filled with more than a few dangerous creatures (myself not included) that my would-be captors would have a rough time tangling with. The peak I found myself on only had a small stretch of grass; about three hundred yards from the trees to cliff's edge. Closer to the edge was a patch of knee-high, pale green stalks – the patch I currently hid myself in.

Good luck finding me now, I smirked, huffing and checking my cover once more. Believe it or not, but the stripes actually helped me hide. Never did understand that – since when were people unable to pick out black and white from light green? – but hey, I wasn't complaining at the moment.

But suddenly, my ears perked up and I pressed myself further into the mud, eyes on the sky. The dull, repetitive thudding roared over the pounding waves and the pelting rain; I found myself eating my words. Peering quickly over my shoulder, I wondered if it was possible for me to dart back into the jungle before the helicopter landed.

I don't see it yet…, I mused, wrinkling my nose and glancing quickly up at the sky, indecision weighing me down.

Just as I made to stand, the helicopter burst into sight, out of the clouds just overhead, and began its rapid descent toward the ground. Crouching low, ears pressed against my skull, I bared my teeth and let out a low, menacing hiss.

This was not how I planned my vacation…

The force from the helicopter's blades bent the trees back, away from the cliff, and sent my cover to the ground. Claws dug deep into the soft mud, I backed away from the approaching craft. In the threshold stood a woman in a skin-tight black jumpsuit, her flaming red curls whipping around her face.

Romanoff. Last I knew, she was in Russia…

While I half-expected to see Barton at her side – those two were more inseparable than they liked to admit – I found myself surprised to see a man of average height, probably in his forties, clinging to the doorway as if his life depended on it. Obviously, he wasn't a SHIELD agent and was nowhere near thrilled about the flight.

The helicopter landed smoothly – a quick glance at the cockpit showed me that Barton was nowhere to be found – and immediately, the secret agent hopped out. She quickly made her way toward me, foregoing the gun at her hip; what if it wasn't me? What if I was just one of the locals? She might've ended up missing a hand, that's what…

"I-I don't think that's such a good idea," the man called, his voice uncertain as it carried over the slowing blades, "that's a… a really big cat…"

Fighting the urge to roll my eyes, I gave the spy a warning growl, one that actually had her stopping, brows furrowed, and reaching for her weapon. Still, she didn't reach for it – props to her – and called out, "Maeve Brady?"

Sitting up, I narrowed my bright, blue gaze and gave a slight nod. No use trying to fight; Natasha was an acquaintance (not a friend; I don't think she counted anyone as a friend, except, of course Agent Barton). Not to mention, there was a roaring ocean at my back and I didn't particularly feel like going for a swim…

"We need your help," Romanoff stated, raising an arm and shielding her face from the driving rain, "Director Fury asked me to come and collect you, along with a few others."

Peering past her, I watched the unfortunate man she had wrangled onto whatever crazy team Fury was planning; he looked between the agent and I, obviously unsure if she had lost her mind somewhere between picking him up and landing in one of the remotest parts of Asia.

Hehe, talking to a cat… she probably looks ridiculous…

Squinting at the man, warning bells erupted in my mind; I knew his face, and probably for good reason, but at the moment, I was drawing a blank. Probably the weeks on end of moving around the country in this form; made me a little dense after a while... Still, while he seemed harmless enough, I couldn't help but notice the agitation rolling off of him in waves.

Animals and their sixth sense and all…

"Are you gonna turn back; I think you're freaking him out and that's honestly the last thing we need right now…," the agent folded her arms across her chest and scowled, tossing a thumb back toward the other guy.

Shaking my head, I lifted a shoulder; I wasn't about to shift back into a person when I didn't exactly have anything on. No need to flash anyone, thank you very much.

Rolling her eyes in irritation, Romanoff simply nodded swiftly and turned on a heel, making her way back to the helicopter.

Why don't you just assume I'm along for the ride? I rolled my eyes, hesitating a moment as I eyed the SHIELD helicopter warily. As the agent climbed back into the aircraft, the man continued to watch me, his dark brow furrowed upwards as he nervously peered over his shoulder. The question was quiet, but I heard it all the same.

'That thing's not getting in with us, is it?'

Huffing, I stalked forward, reaching the helicopter in a few long strides; the man stumbled backward, his deep, brown eyes widening in horror. Placing my massive paws onto the floor of the chopper, I hoisted myself gracefully in as Romanoff laughed, "Might not want to refer to her as 'it', Dr. Banner. She doesn't like being insulted."

The man dropped gracelessly into his seat, his panicked eyes never leaving my long, striped form. Nodding fervently, he muttered, his cheeks flushing pink, "Right, sorry. I, uh, I didn't mean anything by it…"

Huffing, I made my way to the back of the helicopter as another agent slammed the door shut. Tensing at the sound, I peered over my shoulder, my eyes narrowing slightly; I wasn't the only suspicious one in the group. The doctor, Dr. Banner as Romanoff called him, was gripping the edges of his seat in a tight, painful grasp. His eyes squeezed shut, it was obvious he was trying to keep himself calm. I didn't like how concerned the usually calm, cool, and collected redhead looked at the prospect of the fidgety doctor getting a little high-strung.

Still, there was nothing I could do until the flight was over and we reached SHIELD's headquarters. Stretching out on the cool, metallic floor as the helicopter set off once more, I dropped my head to my paws and snorted.

Two and a half years running from SHIELD and I willingly step into the helicopter, just to see what had Nick Fury's panties in a bunch. Way to go, Maeve. Way to go…

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When Bruce was certain that the tiger had fallen asleep, he glanced frantically at the agent that had come to collect him. And the Other Guy. Nostrils flaring, he peered quickly at the eight-foot-long beast in the back of the chopper, "What the hell is this? Some kind of circus? You have me, now a tiger? Is Fury starting a zoo?"

"Don't get yourself too worked up, doctor," Romanoff stated sharply, peering over her shoulder at the white and black feline taking a – for lack of a better term – catnap. She flinched at the pun. "I don't want this thing going down before we get to the base. And for your information, Director Fury isn't interested in zoos or circuses; Maeve is kind of one-of-a-kind, just like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He had meant to sound a little more irritated, but he couldn't stop the curiosity from leaking into his tone, "Why do you keep calling her Maeve?"

Romanoff dug through the black duffel bag at her side and retrieved a folder, handing it over to him as they reached America, "See for yourself. Director Fury's been trying to recruit her for years…"

Bruce cast both the redhead and the tiger a curious glance before flipping the folder open. In black, bold print at the very top was her name, Maeve Brady, but the image beneath it showed a young woman, not at all what he had been expecting. Twenty-seven years old, short, chestnut hair, sky blue eyes... Nothing like the Maeve currently stretched out on her side, the deep, mahogany mud marring her lovely white coat. Rubbing a hand along his jaw, Bruce exhaled slowly, exasperatedly.

Just how many freaks like him were there in the world?

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So! Whatcha think? Hope you all enjoyed; please let me know! I can't wait to get into this story, woowoo!

I vote Thor, myself… What about you guys?