Melting His Icy Heart

Summary: Tony Stark's younger half-sister, Andrea, follows him as he goes to help S.H.I.E.L.D. They have kept her special ability secret from the world up until now, but as events unfold her tenuous control will be tested. A dark-haired god of mischief only further complicates things for her.

Chapter 1

Natasha Romanov was keeping a small plane level while telling Loki to put down his scepter and surrender. A male voice overrode the plane's PA system and she rolled her eyes in mild annoyance and amusement.

"Miss me?"

Rock music blared over the system as Iron Man came in and blasted Loki with lasers. He looked down at the dark-haired god and showed just how much weaponry was aimed at him.

"Make a move Reindeer Games."

Loki's hands came up and his clothing shifted from armor to more normal clothing as he surrendered.

"Good move."

Another figure came walking up behind Iron Man as his face plate came down, revealing the face of billionaire Tony Stark. The figure was smaller than Tony, and obviously female with her curvy figure. Her long midnight black hair was pulled into a tight ponytail and a pair of black boots adorned her small feet. A black T-shirt bearing the logo of a band known as Within Temptation and a matching pair of tight black shorts covered her body. Loki's bright blue eyes locked onto her emerald green before Tony stepped between them.

"Eyes on me pal, not on her."

Loki gave him an amused smirk, figuring he must be her boyfriend or something. He would later find out how wrong that assumption was. Once they had Loki secured in the back of the plane they took off and headed for SHIELD's mobile base. A sudden thunderstorm had most of them confused, but the young female curled into Tony's side, his arms wrapping tightly around her while murmuring softly in her ear. A loud burst of lightning and thunder caused her to whimper and Loki frowned, both at her reaction and at what he knew was coming next.

"Afraid of a little lightning?"

Captain America Spoke up at the look on Loki's face, not seeing the venomous glare Tony was giving his back. Loki's voice was apprehensive as he spoke.

"I am not overly fond of what follows."

Loki looked at the young woman in Tony's arms and spoke softly to her.

"The storm will not harm you. That is not the intent of the one that brings the storm."

She looked up at his words as a loud thump outside made the plane jerk and rock. Tony let go of her as the Captain opened the back hatch. A large blonde man in armor landed before grabbing Loki and hauling him out the back of the plane. Natasha spoke first.

"Another Asgardian?"

"Think he's a friendly"

Tony gave the Captain a look as he spoke that clearly showed dislike.

"Doesn't matter. If he frees Loki or kills him the Tesseract is lost."

As Tony headed for the back door the Captain spoke again, not that it did any good.

"We need a plan of attack."

"I have a plan…attack."

Tony rocketed out the back of the plane, Captain America following after slipping on a parachute. The two women shared an exasperated look.

"Men…"

Andrea nodded at Natasha's comment and then ran out the back as well. As she neared the ground she activated the jets in her boots which slowed her descent so she could land safely near an amused Loki. He was laying on the side of a cliff and watching her brother fighting the large blonde man. As she landed he stood in a graceful motion, watching her with a curious look on his face. Her eyes widened as the blonde threw lightning at Tony and a sharp scream tore from her throat. Flames erupted around her body and she rose a hand towards the blonde, intending to burn him, before a pair of hands grabbed her wrists. Loki's hands held her in an icy grip, the cold cooling her flames and calming her down. His voice was silky smooth with a touch of danger in it as he spoke to her.

"I would recommend you not get involved little lady. He may like humans but in his current mindset Thor would cause you great harm before realizing what he's doing."

"Thor? As in the Norse god of thunder?"

He gave her a slow smirk and a mocking bow.

"Yes…and I am Loki, the god of…"

"Mischief, Trickery, Chaos, Magic, and Lust."

His eyes seemed to spark as his lips curled up in what was nearly a full smile. He was amused, and somewhat pleased, that she knew about him.

"You know my name little lady…might I also know yours?"

"Andrea, and it's a pleasure to meet you."

She held out her hand and he wrapped his long fingers around hers.

"The pleasure is all mine little lady."

He turned her hand over and laid a cool kiss to the back of her knuckles, causing her skin to flush scarlet. His eyes glittered with mischief as they locked onto hers. She frowned slightly when she realized that his eyes seemed to be more green now rather than the bright blue she remembered them being earlier.

"Hey! Hands of my sister pal!"

Loki gave the man of iron a cold glare, his mind processing the word sister. Andrea gave her brother an eye-roll before Thor stepped into the conversation.

"That is the proper way to greet a Lady metal man."

Thor proceeded to also kiss her knuckles, much Loki's displeasure. Her bright little giggle caused Loki to raise a questioning eyebrow and Thor to look a bit like a kicked puppy.

"Sorry…your beard tickles."

Thor's booming laughter seemed to ease some of the tension between him and the other two heroes as they got back into the plane. Andrea sighed in relief as they landed on the aircraft carrier. Loki gave her a long look that she couldn't quite interpret before he was lead inside by a group of soldiers. Tony also went inside but she and the Captain, who she found out was called Steve, decided to stay out for a bit longer. The arrival of a nervous-looking man snagged both their attentions and Steve moved to greet the man.

"Dr. Banner. Word is you can help us find the cube."

"Is that the only word on me?"

"The only word I care about."

Her respect for Steve went up a notch as she watched some of the tension in Banner's shoulders ease slightly. He looked at Andrea, apprehensive and unsure. She just gave him a bright smile as she shook his hand.

"I'm Andrea Stark. My brother may just be your biggest fan."

He seemed a bit stunned at her uncaring attitude to what he could turn into, he was sure she knew otherwise she wouldn't be anywhere near SHIELD with him there.

"You three might want to come inside now. It's about to get a bit difficult to breathe."

They looked over the side of the carrier as a loud whirring noise followed Natasha's words.

"Is this a submarine?"

Steve sounded confused and curious, but Andrea was watching Dr. Banner becoming uncomfortable. She found herself amused at his sarcasm when he spoke though.

"They want to put me in an enclosed, pressurized, metal container?"

As the carrier lifted up out of the water Andrea burst into a fit of laughter, Banner's sarcastic comment was just perfect.

"Oh no…this is much worse."

The three of them arrived at the meeting table in time to watch Director Fury begin talking to Loki.

"It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me."

The wicked little smirk playing on his lips showed how amused the god was.

"Built for something a lot stronger than you."

Oh I've heard. A mindless beast…makes play he's still a man."

At the table everyone glanced at Banner who merely shrugged it off. It would take more than a few insults to make him lose control. A soft hand landed on his arm and he looked over to see Andrea's encouraging smile. He felt the Other Guy calm and relax, settling into the back of his mind once more as he tried to figure out why he reacted like that to her. They watched Fury show Loki what would happen if he tried to escape the cage, Banner scowling at the screen before that soft touch calmed him again.

"Ant…Boot."

Andrea snorted softly at Fury's words

"How desperate are you that you call on such lost creatures to defend you?"

"How desperate am I?"

Fury looked very angry and his voice seemed to cool several degrees as he spoke.

"You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill 'cause it's fun."

His face showed the fury of his name as he glared at Loki through the glass.

"You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did."

"Ooo."

Loki gave him a look of mock fear before it turned to a look of near-madness.

"It burns you to have come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power…unlimited power. And for what?"

His mad smile turned into a sneer as he looked at the camera.

"A warm light for all mankind to share? And then to be reminded what real power is."

Fury smirked slightly as he started walking away from Loki.

"Yeah? Well let me know if real power wants a magazine or something."

Andrea had to bite her lip to stifle the laugh that tried to bubble up at Loki's disgruntled expression before the screen clicked off. She lost that little fight when Banner's sarcasm made another appearance.

"He really grows on you doesn't he?"

Steve let out a long sigh as he looked at Thor.

"Loki's gonna drag this out…Thor…what's his play?

Thor had been pacing the length of the table but he paused at Steve's question, eyeing the assembled group with an unreadable expression.

"He has an army called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard, nor of any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."

"So he's building another portal…that's what he needs Erik Selvig for."

Thor frowned at Banner when he said that name, concern marring his handsome face.

"Selvig?"

"He's an astrophysicist."

"He is a friend."

Natasha looked at Thor, hearing and seeing his emotion at the thought of his friend being under the control of another…she understood perfectly.

"He has him under some sort of spell…along with one of our own…"

Steve leaned back in his chair.

"Why did Loki let us take him? He's not leading an army from here."

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell crazy on him."

Thor looked offended, and Andrea also scowled at Banner's words. She didn't think that was a fair comment to make but she was beginning to realize that she may be the only one that realized something was wrong with the trickster god.

"Have care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason but he is of Asgard…and he is my brother…"

"He killed 80 people in 2 days."

Natasha's tone was flat and Thor gave her a slightly sheepish look, his own tone questioning as he responded.

"He is adopted?"

Andrea frowned at that statement. She looked up at Thor with an odd look.

"Let me guess…you were the favored son?"

Thor frowned at her until Banner interrupted their little staring contest.

"I think it's about the mechanics. The iridium. What do they need the iridium for?"

"It's a stabilizing agent."

Everyone looked up as Stark entered the room, talking quietly with Agent Coulson before the agent left to go do something else. Tony stepped behind his sister and ran a hand through her hair before moving on.

"The portal won't collapse on itself like it did at SHIELD."

Tony slowed down and laid a hand on Thor's massive bicep as he passed him.

"No hard feelings Point Break, you've got a mean swing."

Thor looked equal parts amused and confused while Andrea shook her head. Her brother had a tendency to give people odd nicknames. Tony moved to Fury's command post as he looked out over the bridge of the ship.

"It also means the portal can stay open as wide, and as long as Loki needs."

Andrea sighed and shook her head again as Tony decided to mock Fury.

"Raise the mizzenmast! Ship the topsails…"

The staff on the bridge gave him odd looks before ignoring him in favor of their work.

"That man is playing Gallaga. Thought we wouldn't notice…but we did."

Tony pointed to a man who jumped, but his screen looked normal to everyone's sight when he moved. Tony put one hand over his eye as he looked at the screens in front of him.

"How does Fury even see these?"

Agent Hill gave him a flat tone and an unamused look.

"He turns."

"Sounds exhausting…"

Tony played with the monitors as he started talking again, eventually placing a tiny device on the arm of one in a way that no one noticed, though his sister suspected it.

"The rest of the raw materials Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. Only major component he still needs is a power source of high energy density. Something to…kick start the cube."

"When did you become an expert on thermonuclear astrophysics?"

Hill was giving him another flat look, though Tony's response was in a serious tone.

"Last night."

The blank looks he got from the rest of the group, minus Andrea who'd been reading over his shoulder all night and discussing the finer points of theory with him.

"The packet? Selvig's notes…the extraction papers?"

His hands went up in the air as a tone of disbelief entered his voice.

"Am I the only one that did the reading?"

The sound of a throat clearing had him looking at his sister and receiving a pointed look that had him amending his question.

"Besides my sister that is?"

She gave a quietly pleased hum as Steve spoke up again.

"Does Loki need any particular power source?"

"He'd have to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty degrees Kelvin just to break through the coulomb barrier…"

"Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect."

"Well if he can do that then he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion with any reactor on the planet."

The two scientists shared impressed looks and Stark looked highly pleased as he walked over to Banner.

"Finally, someone who speaks English."

"Is that what just happened?"

Andrea gave Steve an amused look, he had a fairly decent poker face but his tone of voice was clearly confused.

"Don't worry about it Captain…he's always like this. You'll get used to him eventually."

Steve got a sour look on his face that made her chuckle softly. Tony was busy introducing himself to Banner.

"It's good to meet you Dr. Banner. Your work on Anti-Electron Collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of how you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

Banner looked as though he couldn't decide whether to be amused or offended by Tony's words until Andrea's soft hand on his arm brought his attention to her instead.

"He means that as a compliment Dr. Banner. Just for reference."

"Please…call me Bruce Miss."

"Then you must call me Andrea…not miss. I'm not that old yet."

The two shared a small laugh as Tony chuckled quietly. He was happy to see his sister bringing the shy scientist out of his shell a bit. Fury chose that moment to walk into the room, blinking a bit at the two Stark's willingly being so close to Dr. Banner. Even he could see how calm the Doctor seemed to be with Andrea nearby…and to him that could only be a good thing.

"Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might help him Mr. Stark."

Steve spoke up again, his voice soft but clearly not happy with something.

"Id start with that stick of Loki's. It may be magical but it works an awful lot like a Hydra weapon."

Fury frowned as he looked at Steve.

"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube and I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest minds I know into his personal flying monkeys…"

"Monkeys?

Thor looked adorably confused bur Andrea was too busy laughing to explain it to him.

"I do not understand…"

"I do!"

Steve was grinning as he finally understood something being said.

"I understood that reference…"

Andrea smiled at him. He seemed a bit excited but who could blame him, being 70 years removed from everything you knew had to be more than a little confusing. Tony rolled his eyes and looked at Bruce.

"Shall we play Doctor?"

Bruce just huffed softly in amusement and led the way.

"This way Sir."

He was mocking Tony who just grinned in response. Andrea moved to follow them but was stopped by Fury's voice.

"Not you Miss Stark. From what I've heard Loki seems to be interested in you. I'd like you to talk to him, figure out why he's here…as soon as Agent Romanov is done of course."

Natasha headed off to go talk to Loki while Andrea scowled at Fury.

"I don't work for you Fury. I suggest you keep that in mind and learn to ask nicely when you want me to do something."

His scowl was her only response and she growled softly before storming off the bridge, Steve right on her heels. Out in the hall he stopped her with a gentle grip on her arm.

"Are you alright Miss Stark?"

"Andrea…and yes I'm fine. My brother and I are not fond of Fury. He tends to hide important information from people, and he's fond of lying about everything. He should know better than to try and order me around by now though."

Steve watched her as she headed off again, almost seeming to dance down the hallway towards the lab. He shook his head and went to follow, if only to check on the two scientists and make sure Stark wasn't pissing off the Doctor.