Disclaimer:

I do not own The Mortal Instruments or The Avengers, their characters or plotline, nor do I take credit for the quotes I've used, related or unrelated to the movies (they should maybe be a bit more obvious than they are, but oh well…).

Only my imagination is my own :)

A/N:

I got this idea of a crossover between The Mortal Instruments and The Avengers, namely because I wanted to write about Loki, and Clary's story seemed to fit somehow. I hope it works and that you'll enjoy it. I'll be happy if you choose to review :)

Just for the record, if you have not yet read the books of The Mortal Instruments, there will be spoilers.

A KINDRED SOUL

"Love anything,

and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken.

If you want to make sure of keeping it intact,

you must give your heart to no one, not even an animal.

Wrap it carefully around with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements;

lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.

But in that casket – safe, dark, motionless, airless – it will change.

It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.

The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy,

is damnation. "

~ C. S. Lewis ~

"They send a little girl to try and make me talk?" He asked with a hint of veiled incredulousness and quite blatant mocking. "What could possibly in all Nine Realms possess me to take them seriously now?"

"Just one thing; I understand where you are coming from."

"I seriously doubt that." He eyed the green eyed girl, her red hair dancing in curls down her back, with murderous disdain. "You, a puny mortal could never grasp…"

She cut through his words with deadly precision.

"I am not, however, speaking about your homeworld or your abilities."

He shot her a poisonous look, which made her take an involuntary step back. She watched him warily. If looks could kill, I would unmistakably be dead right now.

"I understand you," she bravely continued.

He hissed. He actually hissed like a pissed off snake warning off an intruder.

"You imbecile! That I know for certain you do not. Don't lie to me; it would only ever lead to your inevitable demise!" His silver tongue remained contained, not rising a decibel above an indoor voice, but it punctuated every syllable and every threat.

The girl continued, valiantly, meeting emerald eyes, which definitely did not mirror her own, although they were the same color. His eyes were merciless and cold, hidden pain not accessible to the outer world.

"My mother lied to me my entire life about who I am, what I am, who my true father really is." She breathed in slowly. "I know how it feels to be betrayed by the ones you love, with the excuse they were only protecting you."

"Do you, now?" He asked, his temper rising, barely managing to conceal the burning rage which threatened to resurface. Do they seriously believe they may fool the Liesmith with a touching story mirroring his own?

"Yes," she answered, pain distinctly evident in her voice.

He stopped for a second, considering again this young redheaded mortal. If she was lying, she was good at it. No one could fake the salient pain in her voice, without knowing the true pain of betrayal. He met her eyes with a calculating frown. With each second that passed, he became more and more incensed. They would dare to hire an actor to outwit Him, a Master of cunning and manipulation!

He smiled at her, a dangerous and twisted smile. The trickster opened his mouth, a silky voice reverberating throughout his glass cage. He would play her game. She would not, however, like the outcome.

"Then tell me your story, mortal, but lie and I will make sure you never live to see the light of day."

Clary watched the fallen 'god' and knew she was treading on dangerous ground. If he ever managed to break out of his cell, which she assumed he would at one point, considering he seemed to be the only one who wanted to be here. There was, nevertheless, a reason for her being here as well, and this was it; to try and talk some sense into a deluded 'god'. Oh, joy!

"One day when I was out with a friend, my mother called, her voice frantic and begging me not to come home." She saw Loki observe her in eerie silence, but went on.

"I had just watched some teenagers kill a guy, claiming to be Shadowhunters killing demons and apparently they were invisible to the outside world. When my mother called I dropped everything and ran home."

She told him how she came home to a wrecked apartment, finding her mother missing and facing a demon for the first time. He listened without intervening, something she found almost disturbing coming from him. Loki looked bored, not in the least interested in what she was telling, but listening nonetheless.

"My world was turned upside down. My mum was gone. Luke, a family friend, didn't want to help me. The demon poisoned me, and the only one who could help me was the Shadowhunter who killed the guy at Pandemonium. He brought me to the New York Institute, the place he lived and was trained as a Shadowhunter. I met his teacher, who told me about the reality of the Invisible World."

She met his calculating eyes, before clearly reciting her next words:

"Everything you've heard... about monsters, about nightmares, legends whispered around campfires. All the stories are true."

"What legends and stories was he talking about?" Loki interrupted suddenly.

"Warlocks, vampires, werewolves and fairies, usually called Downworlders by the Nephilim. Angels and demons. All of it invisible to the naked mundane eye."

"Hmm," he murmured noncommittally, then urging her to go on. "Do continue your fantastic tale."

She gave him a scathing look. This was all a game to him, but her promise forced her forward. She needed to alter the status quo, somehow, but she hadn't a clue to as of how, yet. Deciding she didn't want to bore a guy bent on world domination, she skipped ahead a bit.

"There was a block in my mind, obscuring my Inner Sight. Prodding for answers only lead to a warlock named Magnus Bane."

Loki visibly perked up, a devious interest plain in his facial features. She didn't like the sudden curiosity. Playing with someone else's mind was his forte after all.

"I'm impressed; she actually got my brother to listen." Thor looked at the computer screen surveying Loki's cage, listening to every word.

The Avengers, the Nephilim and Magnus Bane were gathered in a conference room watching the scene playing out before them. A specific demon hunt had brought them under SHIELD's radar. A bizarre twist of fate now had them on a flying fortress.

"She can be quite stubborn… and she has the benefit of having experienced something similar," Simon commented, smiling at Thor.

Their conversation went unnoticed, however, as another one continuously went on right beside them. Tony Stark, being his usual self, was boasting about a particular invention of his; JARVIS, an artificial intelligence. He was interrupted, pretty rudely he might add, by Natasha, the female assassin.

"Before we work on artificial intelligence why don't we do something about natural stupidity?" Her voice was wry, the irony blatantly obvious.

Tony looked truly displeased; someone dared to make fun of his A.I. and his intelligence in the same sentence.

"And who among us graduated with an advanced degree in physics and engineering at 21 and managed to create the first ever building running on self-sustaining clean energy?"

"There is more to intelligence than science," she returned briskly.

"Oh, I do love how we are always on the same page," he said, sarcasm clear as the shining reflection of the sun on a metal surface.

"Same page?" she returned quickly. "We are not even in the same book, or even the same library. You live in your own world, Stark, completely oblivious to everything but yourself."

Something caught everyone's attention, though, efficiently cutting of all conversation. A blur of motion that was Jace, decided watching a computer screen was too dull and listening to the others wordplay wasn't much better.

"It's fun to do the impossible," Jace said mischievously, jumping fifteen feet straight up in the air, not even using an added momentum to gain height. He dangled from a pipe in the ceiling, before letting go in a fluid movement and landing on his feet with a cat's grace.

"Yes, if you consider jumping thirty feet out of a Malachi Configuration or jumping out of a third story window, fun," Alec commented dryly.

"In theory, everything works." Tony gaped, mirroring the Avengers expressions; "but that doesn't even have a theory. It defies gravity."

Jace sent him a satisfied smirk. "You'll find there's a lot which defies gravity, and your mundane scientific theories."

A voice cut through everyone's gasps with steely resolve.

"I do believe there was a reason for everyone being cooped up in this room, and it's not ridiculous banter or showing off," Magnus said, annoyance plain in his features as blue sparks formed at his fingertips.

No one really wanted to antagonize the warlock, and therefore dutifully resumed their watch of the conversation.

"Magnus told me what my mother had done to keep me safe from my father. He wasn't dead, you see, as I was led to believe. Valentine was a revolutionary, too preoccupied with shaping the world as he saw fit, and willing to go to extremes to get what he wanted."

"He couldn't lift the block on my mind, not without risking to damage it beyond repair. In her attempt to keep me from learning the truth about myself, she stole my memories of the Invisible World. The things I saw as a child, I would forget even as I saw it."

"Later, Valentine instigated a war against the Clave, a war to put himself in charge. He didn't shy away from any means, bringing an army of demons and his own son as a weapon. I had a brother, one my mother never told me about, because Valentine made her first child a monster. He poisoned the child in her womb with demon blood."

Clary saw him twitch, but he didn't say anything.

"After the Nephilim won the war with the help of Downworlders, an alliance which came about grudgingly, my mother told me everything, her life story. She wed a charming young man and they lived happily for some years until she realized what his plans really were."

"The day she gave birth to my brother, Jonathan, she realized what he had done. She looked at her son in her arms, but recoiled when he opened his eyes. Something was terribly wrong. As every mother recognizes her offspring, she'll also recognize an imposter."

"One night she heard a terrible sound. First she thought it was Jonathan, but he slept peacefully. It was one of the things that unnerved her about him; he never cried. She decided to follow the awful sound, which led her to an underground cavern, of sorts. When she opened the door, what met her was true horror. There were cages on each side, werewolves and vampires, fairies and warlocks, in every one of them. They were all in stages of the dead and dying. The screams came from them."

"Valentine had an almost scientific approach to it all. He tested what each creature could take, how many times skin would regrow, how much they could take of substances deadly to them. From then on my mother worked against my father, planning his downfall."

"The war I mentioned was just won, barely, but my brother yet lives. He is the only one I've ever met who I believe to be a true monster. The demon blood in his veins burned out everything human about him, every shred of compassion, sympathy and love. Taking a life is of no importance to him. Valentine thought him how to behave to be liked. He can be charming if he wants to. He fooled everyone, and killed my friends' kid brother just for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. We face a war in which we have to kill my brother, before he destroys everything we hold dear."

She gave him a sad knowing look, before finishing her little tale.

"You may think yourself a monster, but you truly aren't. You have loved and lost. It's only natural to lash out when you're betrayed, and everything you thought you knew is denied. As someone who has experienced a pain similar to your own, I understand. I don't pretend to know everything about you, but I see a kindred soul in you, one which has yet to heal."

Clary gave him a last look before retreating, leaving him to ponder her words. She was actually entirely surprised he had listened without causing trouble. A flicker of hope settled in her heart, maybe the silence was a sign her word had hit her mark. Did she dare hope? It seemed way too easy.

Loki saw her go with a frown between his eyes. If she was lying, she was the most convincing liar he had ever met besides himself.

Clary walked slowly back to the conference room, her steps resounding in the empty hallway. Still, she paid it no heed, her mind centered on her conversation with Loki and the reliving of painful memories. When Luke had told her she had a brother, she was shocked. Shocked by the truth and everything her mother had kept from her. And then to learn why she had never told her about Jonathan… it was a cruel twist of fate.

She pushed the door to the conference room open. Now she saw respect and sadness in the Avengers eyes, the patronizing attitude of their first encounter swiftly blown away. They were children, but they had already fought in a war, and one was still coming.

Jace closed the distance between them and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked silently, considering her features.

"I will be," she smiled sadly. "Loki has a lot to overcome; broken trust is never easily mended."

He said nothing, just listened.

"Sorry about bringing up Max," she knew the wound was still fresh. "I think the only way to reach him, is to be utterly sincere."

"It's okay," he said, gently stroking her back.

She smiled at him, thankful for the support and understanding she would always find in him.

A silent cough brought them out of their own little world.

"Do you truly believe your brother to be a monster?" Thor asked her, the topic clearly touching a sore spot.

"Yes, sadly I do." At this point the tears weren't far away. She had always wanted a brother. The reality of it was very different; remarkably like whishing for a puppy and getting a hellhound instead.

"My mother tried to love him, but found herself unable to love her own son. It brought her to the brink of suicide. Even Valentine said he went too far in creating the ultimate warrior, as he saw it."

"He did?" Jace perked up.

"Yes, despite all his faults, he loved my mother; it pained him to see what it did to her."

"Suicide?" Magnus asked solemnly, remembering the young woman on his doorstep asking for his help. She didn't seem the type for such drastic measures.

"Don't get me wrong. My mother is strong, but not being able to love her own child… it was the one thing that might break her."

"Then why didn't she?" Alec spoke for the first time in a while.

"She discovered she was pregnant again, with me this time. All she wanted was to hide me from him… and she did so for sixteen years."

Clary could see the idea of suicide didn't sit well with the Shadowhunters, they were warriors, but still they could sympathize, if not empathize, with her pain.

"Then, what about my brother?" Thor said urgently, changing the subject.

"When you told me his story, in a way I could relate to him, but not entirely. I know what it feels like to be lied to your entire life, as does he. Still, I have only been alive for a fraction of the time he has. The impact must be much greater. He prides himself in his cunning and intelligence, and then realizing the one you should be able to trust entirely has kept something like this from you, the trust shatters. You begin asking questions about everything. Was anything ever true? Asgardians consider him a trickster and liar, but did he ever before do something truly harmful, were his lies ever malicious? Did he ever lie like your father did?"

Clary paused for a second, watching the God of Thunder intently. Guilt was clear as crystal in his deep blue eyes. The Asgardians had all wronged his brother; abilities with a sword valued over magic, his talents not recognized as anything but petty tricks. Loki had always lived in the shadow of his brother, and worst of all; his adoptive father lied to him about his true heritage.

She smiled at him, sadly.

"A well-meant lie could well be infinitely more harmful than the devastating truth."

"So, you decided to grace me with your presence once again," he remarked sardonically.

"If you think anything you said, made my resolve shatter or seriously alter my plans, you are sadly very wrong."

"So, you'll temporarily rule the world forever?" Clary countered, not really surprised he had not come to a life-altering choice merely by her words.

"Not temporarily," he specified darkly. "I intend to make all humans revere and bow before me!"

"Do you even believe that yourself? Regimes rise and fall every day, as that is the course of history and time itself."

"Your ridiculous little opinion has been noted," Loki countered savagely.

"How could you, a mere mortal, understand history like a God who has lived through millennia?" he asked rhetorically, dismissing her question like a particularly obnoxious fly bussing around his ear.

"You live and die like every other being, even if your lifespan is decidedly longer. A being who can't conquer death, is not a god in my opinion."

She continued, not letting Loki counter her words.

"The Japanese say you have three faces. The first face, you show to the world. The second face, you show to your close friends, and your family. The third face, you never show anyone. It is the truest reflection of who you are."

She paused.

"What is your true face, Loki?"

He didn't answer her; she hadn't really believed he would.

"All I'm certain of, is that the warmonger is not your true face; him you let everyone see."

"You seem to think yourself quite clever, girl," he said, his voice dangerous, but utterly calm. It made the hair on her arm stand on end, this quiet rage was alarming. He seemed like a sleeping volcano, which could erupt at any moment, laying waste to all in its path.

Still, she pushed forward, walking on thin ice, cracking and looming in warning.

"Do you believe yourself to be a monster, Loki, one without a shred of humanity?"

"What humanity? I'm not human."

"Obviously not, that was not what I meant, and I think you do know what I was referring to."

"I am a Jotun, a monster in the eyes of every Asgardian."

"Really? And what do you believe?"

That one he didn't answer.

"You are not yet damned, Loki, you care too much for that. Your cold and calculated facade cracks too easily. You clearly care how others perceive you. You long for companionship, family."

He cocked his head, displaying bored interest, but his eyes betrayed him. For the first time since they met, she could see a glimmer of the man's true face. She saw her chance and drove the argument home, or at least, tried to. Only time would tell.

"I don't think you really want to lose your brother or your family in Asgard. What you want is recognition for who you are, not a throne; a misguided invasion of this world. Like every sentient being alive yearns for acceptance and, yes, love, you do too. You are not incapable of love or hatred, you're incapable of indifference."

The silence in the room was deathly still, a falling pin could easily be heard. She felt a glimmer of hope beyond hope, that she had cut through his towering walls. His face was a mask… unreadable. Seconds ticked away, awaiting the coming judgment of things past and present.

Finally, Loki spoke, seriousness mingled with the shenanigans of an entertained beguiler.

"In an uncanny way you seem quite perceptive, my kindred."

He smiled slightly at her, warily accepting abandoned truth, the pain finally evident in his voice. But it was a true smile, which was all she could hope for at this point. Somehow some of her words had hit their mark. Now her work was done, it was another's turn to carry the torch onwards.

"Would you ask Thor… my brother," he amended quietly, "to take his chances on a conversation?"

"It would be my genuine pleasure," she smiled from ear to ear.

"It seems you have been truthful," he pierced her with a solemn glare, "if you had not been, I would have carried out my threat."

"Still, it is quite satisfying knowing you're not a liar on par with me," Loki said with a wicked grin, the trickster coming alive once again in his familiar guise as God of Mischief.

She sincerely hoped he was being sincere, if not, things could get ugly fast. But, she was optimistic by nature, and surprisingly discovered she believed his words.

"I'll tell Thor to come," she promised before leaving.

Loki laughed, mirth mixing with the amusement of an obnoxious prankster.

"You do that, my mortal kindred."

"I'll be waiting."

A/N:

So, I hope you found it entertaining :)

For those of you who have read my story Lucy, there will soon be an update. I'm immensely sorry I have not yet updated it, there is no excuse. I have a bit of the ever famous writer's block... In addition, I mentioned earlier about a fanfiction about Harry Potter; the first chapter will soon be released :)

Thank you for reading and reviewing!

- Elysia