Z.R. Stein

The Avengers from Earthland – A Fairy Tail/Avengers crossover AU fic.

I do not own the characters to either series in any way.

Happy belated Fourth of July! This got out a little bit later than I wanted, but at least this chapter is now concluded.

I made some revisions to this chapter, mainly this starting scene between Thor and Erza. Keep in mind, Erza has no clue that Jellal was ever controlled by Ultear as she was transported before the timeskip ever happened.

Just gonna warn you guys now, awesomeness lies ahead. I've been looking forwards to this chapter for awhile.

Several hours later, Thor found Erza resolutely staring out of one of the windows on the Helicarrier bridge, clutching the guardrail with enough strength that Thor could make out handprints in the steel. He and Sif had been taken on a tour of the airborne fortress by Agent Coulson (Erza had declined), and he hadn't seen her since the meeting.

Resting his forearms on the metal bar in front of the glass, Thor joined Erza in her silent vigil, waiting for her to speak. He did not have to wait long.

"Thor?"

"Mmm?"

Erza didn't turn to look at him, but Thor could tell by the tightness of her jaw and the raw tone of her voice that she was experiencing extreme emotional turmoil.

"Tell me about Loki...what is he like, as a person."

Thor blinked, confused by the question and trying to think of how it related to whatever was twisting Erza up on the inside.

"...my brother and I do not have the...closest of relationships. He has ever been a scholar and trickster, walking among dusty bookshelves and staying to the shadows, while I am a warrior. And...well, Loki has never been open about his secrets. But...growing up together for a millenia...I can say I know more than most. He is...difficult to love sometimes, I admit. He sometimes would shut himself inside for days on end as he pursued one idea or another, neglecting all else for his latest project. He is biting and cruel, even to his friends and family, and his schemes are legendary on Asgard...but he's always had a soft spot for Mother. He took after Frigga greatly. And...when I look beyond his snark and sport, I see the little sveinn that I used to swordfight with through the corridors of the palace. We would play together under the eaves of the alder trees and annoy the healers and Lady Eir whenever we were bored." Thor smiled softly at the memory "I still remember the time we stole ten batches of freshly baked barley rolls from the kitchens. Heh, half of the servants must have ended up chasing us that day! So...to answer your question, Loki is a man with many faults, but he has his own hidden virtues if you look hard enough. Why do you want to know?"

Erza didn't respond at first, her hands tightening even further around the abused guardrail. Thor sincerely hoped that it wouldn't snap under the strain.

"After everything that has happened with him...everything he's done to you and I and to your home...and...what about the future? At what point do you stop forgiving him? At what point do his sins become too heavy to overlook, too heavy to excuse even if you love—" Erza cut herself off, a glimmer of tears visible in her reflection, and Thor's eyes lit up with understanding and a hint of jealousy.

"You love him, didn't you? Jellal?"

Erza squeezed her eyes shut.

"I think I did, once upon a time. Perhaps I still do. When I was a prisoner at the Tower of Heaven...he was my rock. He gave me my name," Erza said as she ran a hand through her crimson locks "...and hope when I was in despair. I want to believe that it wasn't him, that something was controlling him, that he acted not out of malice but madness...but...now, with Gajeel, and everything else that's happened...the Iron Dragon Slayer was my responsibility, my guild mate. Master Makarov told me he was seeking redemption for his deeds and sent me along to prove his worth and now Gajeel is...and I'm…" Erza trailed off before shaking her head and asking "How can you stand to fight your brother, to look into his eyes and see that same smiling face you once knew staring back at you accusingly?"

Thor placed one of his hands on Erza's and gently pried it off of the bent piece of steel. Erza turned to meet his eyes, more vulnerable than he had ever seen her.

Thor took a breath, steadying himself, and said "Our battle did not last long, luckily. Perhaps if it had, I would have doubted myself as you are now. All I have to offer you is this: I love my brother, despite his actions. I will forever be his kin, Thor Odinson...but I am also Thor, prince of Asgard, and if my brother threatens my home then it is my sworn duty to protect it. I will protect my people, even if I must fight Loki. And I must hope that no matter what happens...no matter how dark his deeds become, I must hope that I can still save him. And I do...I know that the little boy I grew up with is still inside of him somewhere. I think...as long as you can see that in Jellal, that you should not give up on him."

Erza sniffed and wiped at her eyes, composing herself.

"Do you think I can? Save him, that is?"

Thor shrugged, suppressing another twinge of jealousy.

"I do not know. But," Thor said, a teasing smile making its way onto his face "I do know that if there is even the slightest chance, you will do it. You are far too stubborn to allow him to slip away that easily, Lady Erza."

The redhead snorted, cracking a small grin.

"You may be right."

A loud shout from one of the previously quiet Helicarrier technicians drew their attention.

"We got a hit. Sixty-seven percent match. Wait, crossmatch, seventy-nine percent. The hair colour is different, but the tattoo is still there and the facial structure is identical."

Fury, who had been directing from the helm and trying not to appear like he was eavesdropping on Thor and Erza's conversation, strode over to the technician and glared at the picture of Jellal that had sprung up on the monitor. Coulson appeared moments later and asked for a location.

"Geneva, Switzerland. One of the cameras at the CERN facilities picked him up."

"What the hell does he want with the Super Collider?"

The technician pressed a few keys, his eyes narrowed.

"He wasn't near the Collider. There's a Gala being held there tonight, he was spotted on the way there."

Fury cracked his jaw, thinking. There could be any number of reasons why Jellal would be at the Super Collider tonight, none of them good. He needed someone in Switzerland and he needed them there yesterday.

"Thor, Erza. How fast can you get to Geneva? It's a good four thousand kilometers from where we are now."

Thor glanced to Erza who said "I can make the flight in an hour if I Requip into my fastest armour. Thor?"

"I can do the same."

Fury nodded in satisfaction and said "Then you two will be the forwards assault team. I'll send Rogers and Sif after you in the Quinjet, they should be there twenty minutes after you two arrive. Here, take this headset, I'll give you your directions along the way."

The two nodded as well and turned to leave, quickly making their way out of the bridge. Before they stepped onto the flight deck to depart, Thor halted Erza and asked "Are you confident that you can face him?"

"As long as I have you by my side...yes, I believe so."

"That is good enough for me. Let us fly to battle, Lady Erza."

Thor smiled encouragingly and stepped outside, Erza following not far behind. The flight deck was lit by thousands of small running lights and was utterly devoid of any personnel.

"Requip: Wind God Armour!"

At Erza's shout, a yellow glow encompassed her form. When it disappeared, she was clad in a dark yellow robe that was lined with fur, a green sash securing it in place. A pair of ornamental wings poked out from on top of her head, and held an ornate broadsword in one hand.

"Another one of your armours?"

"I'll tell you about it later Odinson."

Thor laughed and began twirling Mjolnir.

"I should hope so. Are you confident you have enough Ethernano for this journey?"

"I should. The pill has worn off, but I have enough Ethernano to fly to this Geneva location."

"Then let us be off." With that, Thor released his hammer and went speeding off into the night, Erza not far behind.

. . .

The CERN Super Collider was one of the pinnacles of modern science. Along with the Arc Reactor and the International Space Station, it was a symbol of humanities prowess and ingenuity, a sign of their inventive spirit. Of course, Clint Barton didn't really care about that at the moment. He had orders that needed to be followed and equipment that needed to be stolen.

Selvig had come across the idea that, instead of building their portal from scratch, they could simply steal the necessary equipment from a location that already had it. Cannibalizing the Collider would be much easier than searching for 'enemies of SHIELD' and waiting for them to secure the necessary tools. It helped that iridium was one of the main components of the Collider; it could be repurposed to create the portal. Or it could be according to Selvig...science wasn't Clint's area.

The 'hired help' that Jellal had sent along with him were standing behind him, hoods up, covering their faces. After Clint disabled the security, the small group slipped into the building, killing anyone in sight. The area secured, they began the process of stripping down the enormous machine for everything on Selvig's list. Within an hour they would be gone, their stolen goods stuffed into the back of a rented semi truck.

. . .

Jellal looked out on the assembled people present in the converted ballroom. Vapid European officials danced with celebrities while scientists stood off to the side, discussing their latest work. How small all of them were. How insignificant.

Jellal found himself in agreement with the blue. These people...these ants did not deserve this moment, this...self celebration. Their attitude was laughable, their belief in science and progress contemptible. He would show them true power, and they would kneel before the power of Thanos like good little sheep.

"Excuse me sir, might I offer you some hors d'oeuvres?"

Jellal turned his head to observe a middle aged Swiss waiter with a tray of caviar bites.

"Ah, caviar. How barbaric. The unborn eggs of a fish carved from their mother's womb, served fresh."

The waiter frowned severely upon hearing his comment, eye twitching.

"I assure you, our caviar is of the highest quality, and no fish suffered in its production. If you do not want it, sir, then I will depart."

Jellal shrugged and walked over to the waiter, eyeing the tray. His attention soon turned to the man holding it, and an unbalanced grin split his lips apart.

The waiter's body (or rather, half of it) crashed to the floor of the ballroom moments later. It seemed to be burning with some kind of black fire that danced and crackled in delight across the new corpse. The screams started almost immediately, people panicking as they fought to get away. Security guards snapped to action, searching for the source of the disturbing display.

They did not have to search long as Jellal leapt down and landed next to the body, his hair shimmering back to its natural colour. All of the guards in attendance aimed pistols at him and started shouting in French.

"Get on the floor, now! Get on the floor!"

Jellal simply grinned, amused by their weapons.

"Mmm...no, I don't think I will. Darkness Magic: Ghost Fireworks!"

Dozens of wraithlike figures boiled out of the magic circle that manifested in Jellal's hand. They charged towards the guards, howling in fury; bullets hit them and drew blood, but they kept on coming, latching themselves onto the guards. Those who found themselves in the ghost's clutches immediately collapsed to the ground in pain.

"Suffer, mortals. Wallow in your despair as Death comes for you. That is your punishment for attempting to stop the disciple of Thanos."

With the guards taken care of, Jellal turned his attention to the screaming masses of people that were swarming out of the door. With a flick of his hand, Jellal created another magic circle.

"Bind Snake."

A veritable flood of black serpents wound their way out the magic circle this time, each shooting out towards a fleeing human. Every person struck by the bind snake had it wrap around their body, holding them in place until everyone was still. The sounds of panic gradually died down, being replaced by the silence of disbelief.

Jellal walked forwards, weaving his way through the crowd. Hundreds of horrified eyes tracked him as he went.

"Tonight...tonight you people gathered here to celebrate yourselves. Your accomplishments. You toasted your own minds, imagining that you had advanced yourselves out of the shadows and into a new age of enlightenment and freedom. I am here to tell you that that is a lie. Freedom is nothing more than a paltry tale parents tell to their children at night to shut them up, to assuage their fears. You are not free. You have never been free. You just haven't realized it yet."

Jellal continued until he had passed out of the building, strolling between the bound people as if he hadn't a care in the world.

"I am here tonight to reveal that truth to you. Kneel, or die."

The bind snakes retracted from every person, giving them freedom of movement once more, yet no one ran. This man, this strange, terrifying man had powers beyond what any of them could imagine. No doubt he could stop them if he wanted.

Slowly at first, but soon gaining speed, people began to kneel, some shaking in fear and some dull eyed from shock. Within thirty seconds, everyone who had been attempting to escape the gala was on the ground. Jellal's smile grew, the manic gleam in his eye strengthening.

"Wonderful. You understand now, don't you? This is right. This is your natural state. You were made to be ruled. You have always kneeled, and you always will."

As if in defiance of all of Jellal's words, an old man stood up several meters away. His face was craggy, lined with care and hardship.

"Not to men like you."

Jellal chuckled, a tiny ball of black shadows dancing around his fingertips.

"There are no men like me."

The old man shook his head in the negative, unfazed by the demonstration.

"There are always men like you."

Jellal's good cheer disappeared in an instant, and he levelled a hand at the man.

"Very well. If you will not kneel, you will die. Altairis Minor."

The dark orb that had been circling came to a stop and grew in size until it was larger than a tennis ball. As the old man's eyes widened, it shot forwards, a swirl of wind forming around it.

The orb suddenly found its path blocked by a hammer, wielded by a tall warrior king with flowing blonde hair. The attack was almost casually deflected, shooting up into the night sky.

"This is not how a ruler should act. One of the first lessons my father ever taught me was that my duty was to the people. I do not feel like you have the people's best interests at heart."

Jellal scowled, icy blue eyes staring at the man who dared to interrupt his Lord's mission.

"Thor Odinson, I presume."

"He's not alone either."

Jellal's eyes darted to the side, ready to snarl at this newest insect. His words died in his throat, and a surge of emotion broke its way through the blue haze that surrounded him.

Jellal could remember red. Red like roses hanging down from lush, heavy vines. Red like the sunset over the ocean. Red like blood dripping down.

Red like the corona of power that surrounded this woman in front of him, her beautiful scarlet hair trailing behind her. Who was this woman to create such emotion in him? Why did he feel like he knew her from somewhere?

The woman examined him, and Jellal carefully schooled his face. Had she caught his moment of weakness? He hoped not; he would allow himself no weakness. This woman must die for affecting him so, the blue commanded it. She was too dangerous to be left alive.

. . .

Erza saw Jellal tense, quickly swallowing the magical pill that she had just popped into her mouth. She had a feeling that she would need every last scrap of magic she could use for this fight.

When the blue haired man exploded into motion, Erza was ready, her Wind God Armour already switched out for her Black Wing Armour. She blocked Jellal's charge with two summoned axes, gritting her teeth as she struggled against her former friend.

"You're getting sloppy, Jellal. It's unlike you to just charge into battle like this."

The man growled and sent a blast of dark fire at her head. Erza backflipped out of the way to avoid being singed, and Jellal found himself on the receiving end of a thrown Mjolnir.

The crowd quickly resumed panicking and scattered as soon as the fighting started, everyone trying to escape from the developing brawl. Jellal picked himself up from the small crater his body had plowed into the ground and spat out a globule of blood.

"I'll enjoy killing you, Odinson. Meteor!"

Thor found himself blown thrown the wall of the CERN building as Jellal slammed into him, the two of them breaking through several meters of reinforced concrete before Thor slammed both of his fists down onto Jellal's neck. Both men rolled to a stop and quickly stood up. Jellal brought his hands together and fired off a series of bolts at Thor. The demigod lifted a broken section of wall to protect himself, the bolts pulverizing the concrete but leaving him unharmed. While Jellal was doing that, Thor held out a hand and called Mjolnir to him.

Before his trusty hammer could arrive, Erza did, flying through the hole that he and Jellal had created. She threw one of her axes towards Jellal, the Dark mage only barely managing to stop it before it cut his arm off. Erza brought her other axe down in an overhead chop, her weapon clanging as Jellal used her own thrown axe against her.

Erza dismissed the axe that Jellal was holding and began a complex dance of slashes and cuts. Jellal avoided most of them, dodging and weaving with assistance of Meteor, but Erza was persistent, and over a dozen small cuts appeared on the blue haired mage with seconds.

Scowling, Jellal sidestepped another attack and kneed Erza in the gut, disarming her at the same time. The red haired mage twisted in the air and shouted out "Requip: Flame Empress Armour!"

When Erza reappeared, she was clad in a red armour with orange accents. She twirled the sword in her hands and slashed down at Jellal, cutting a narrow trench into his exposed cheek. While Jellal was off balance, Erza charged up her sword and released a fireball point blank into Jellal's midsection which blew him through another wall and out of the building. Both Erza and Thor quickly followed after, Thor taking the lead as he tackled Jellal and began to place him in an Asgardian headlock.

The mage, rather than resisting, melted into the shadows and reappeared nearby, holding a hand to his bleeding cheek. He glared at Erza and Thor, unnaturally blue eyes narrowed in hate.

"You worms! I'm done holding back! Altairis Major!"

A swirling ball of shadows once again formed in Jellal's hand, thought this one rapidly grew in size until it was larger than Jellal's body. Erza froze momentarily, remembered back to when she had seen Simon killed by the exact same attack. When launched, it was almost unblockable, and one of the most deadly attacks in Jellal's repertoire.

Jellal cackled and held his hands up higher, the ball growing in size as little bits of rubble flew into it.

"Hahahaha! I'll destroy you, and when I'm through with you, I'll kill Odinson as well! Nothing can survive against my erk—"

Jellal's monologue was cut short as Mjolnir smashed into his nose at full speed, the enchanted stellar metal easily breaking it. The Altairis sphere soon petered out, fading away until there was nothing left but a ball of compacted concrete.

Erza blinked in surprise and turned to Thor, who recalled his hammer to him.

"Do all people talk so much during fights where you are from, or is it just him?"

Erza shrugged, her attention on Jellal. That last blow had stunned him enough that he was simply laying on the ground groaning for the moment. He soon struggled up, hand holding his nose.

"You will pay for dis, Odidsod! Your suffering will be legedary!"

Erza and Thor glanced at each other for a second.

"You can have the honours."

"Thank you, Lady Erza."

A quick blow from Thor had the already unsteady mage unconscious and laid out on the ground. The Asgardian looked down at the man, grimacing as he flexed his arm.

"I will say this for him; he is quite the fighter. He could match any Asgardian I know."

Erza nodded in agreement, eyes fixed on Jellal's unmoving form.

"I saw it in his eyes when he first saw me...a flash of...something. Recognition, maybe. Which is odd...it's almost as if he doesn't remember me. And his eyes as well...they were never blue. Especially not a blue like that."

Thor frowned, thinking.

"Perhaps he is being controlled after all."

"By who though? Zeref shouldn't have any influence over him here."

"Someone had to give him that staff that allowed him to control Gajeel, correct? He did not obtain it in Earthland?"

Erza paused then said "I think so. Yes, that makes sense." Erza rubbed her eyes "Though this raises even more questions."

Whatever Thor was about to say was interrupted by the sound of something landing outside. Thor jerked his head, indicating for Erza to take point. The Quinjet wasn't slated to arrive for another few minutes, even at top speed, so whoever this was, they were likely on Jellal's side. In a blur of sudden motion, Erza charged out of the building and threw her spear at the red and gold armoured man who had landed on the rubble filled lawn of CERN.

The man (at least, that's what Erza thought it was) blasted away the spear with a beam from its palm and settled into a crouch.

"Stand down, baby cakes, I'm just here for Dumbledore."

Erza blinked, momentarily thrown by the man's strange turn of phrase.

"Who?"

"The blue haired magic guy. Jellal. Fury sent me. You know, Iron Man, Tony Stark? Former CEO of Stark Industries, any of this ring a bell?"

Erza's eyes narrowed.

"How do I know whose side you are on, Man of Iron? Fury never mentioned a Tony Stark. You could be working for Jellal, coming to save him after Thor and I beat him."

The armoured man turned his head, looking between the two warriors opposing him.

"Ok, A, Fury is a jackass and probably just didn't mention me out of spite, B, there's no way I'm working for that punk metal reject, and C, you two look like reserves for a Warcraft porno."

"A...what?" Erza screeched. How dare he!

The man seemed to take her question as a lack of knowledge, however, and continued on speaking.

"You know, getting down and dirty in costume? Little Elf girl having sex with a warrior of Lordaeron? You two really look the part. Specially you, Thunder thighs. There is no way in hell that armour is practical."

Erza's face lit up like a bonfire in anger and embarrassment.

"Are you insinuating that...you...AGH!"

Erza quickly sprang forwards, stabbing her sword into the ground as she aimed a roundhouse kick at this contemptible man. With 'Tony Stark' reeling from her blow, Erza quickly Requipped into her Lightning Empress Armour.

"I'll show you practical, Man of Iron!"

Erza spun the spear around her shoulder and shot out a series of lightning bolts, each impacting the man in the armoured suit. Inside the Iron Man armour, Tony Stark winced. Ok, maybe he could have held back a bit on the comments. But hey, he was Tony Stark! It was kinda his thing. And that armour looked like something a cosplayer would wear, not some kind of interdimensional warrior chick.

"Power at 200% capacity."

Huh. Guess it wasn't just for show. Tony charged up his chest repulsor and blasted Erza full force before being slammed over the head with something which hurt like hell.

"You will not lay a hand on the Lady Erza!"

Stark ducked out of the way of another hammer swing (good god, that thing must weigh a ton) and punched the blonde haired cosplayer in the jaw. An alert from JARVIS had him turning around to fire a missile at the woman, the explosion doing nothing against the weird blue Gundam armour that she was now sporting.

Grinning with battle lust, Tony activated the lasers inside his gauntlets and fired at the redhead, testing the strength of this new armour. To his surprise, it failed to penetrate an observable distance.

"What the hell is that stuff made of, adamantium?"

Any further questions were halted as Tony was struck by yet another bolt of lightning, this time from the blonde guy.

"Power at 500% capacity, approaching critical meltdown."

Shit. He needed to vent some energy and fast.

"JARVIS, overclock my left hand repulsor as much as you can and give me a bead on Point Break!"

Erza watched as Thor was blown backwards by a concentrated blast from the Iron Man. With a snarl, Erza ran forwards, only to be halted by a rain of darts that emerged from the man's shoulders.

A quick armour change later and Erza was back in her Wind God Armour, creating a cocoon of protective wind that blew away all of the tiny projectiles. Whirling her arms around her, Erza funnelled the tiny storm into a tornado that blew Stark off of his feet, allowing Thor to recover from the onslaught against him. As the two men struggled to right themselves, Erza charged forwards and began wailing on the Iron Man with her fists, knuckles grazing off of the hard metal shell. His armour was tough, probably as tough as her adamantine armour, but that also made him slow. Wind God Armour was one of her fastest armours, enabling her to move far more quickly than the eye could normally see. Erza struck blows to his arms, head, chest, and legs before he blasted her away with one of the beams from his glowing chest.

Thor slammed into Stark immediately after and headbutted him, leaving a massive indent in the helmet of his armour. He picked the entire suit up and slammed it into the ground, cracking the pavement before bringing Mjolnir down. Before it could connect, though, Tony activated his thrusters and threw Thor off his feet, flying for a short distance before coming back down to punch him in the head. The blow narrowly missed and the two men backed away, fists raised.

Before another punch could be thrown, however, a shield spun through the air and bounced off of both of them before returning to the hand of a man clad in blue.

"That's enough!"

Thor resisted the urge to continue battle and remained at ready, his hammer by his side.

"Captain Rogers. This man insulted the Lady Erza and is not to be trusted!"

Rogers held up a hand to calm Thor and said "He's on our side. Fury sent him."

Tony turned to Thor and Erza, saying "Told you! Fury sent me to help with Dresden Files in there. Didn't even say thank you."

Erza growled, levelling a newly summoned axe at Tony.

"You are a vile man, and I will not have my honour besmirched by one such as you! Take back what you said about my armour and about…" Erza's face reddened "...those other things."

Tony coughed and rubbed the new dent in his helmet.

"Alright, alright, I give. Your armour's fine, you don't look like you're a porn star. There, is everyone happy?"

"Not at all, but it will do for now." Erza turned away and stalked away, Thor following closely behind as the two of them left to ensure Jellal was still where they had left him.

Steve Rogers turned a disapproving eye on the Iron Man.

"Mister Stark."

"Captain. So, you're working with the LARPers?"

"Thor and Erza are on the same team as we are. You should remember that, try not to antagonize them."

"You're no fun, Capsicle. Oh, hey, look. Who are you supposed to be, Xena Warrior Princess?"

As Tony began bothering Sif (whom he hadn't talked to much on the flight over) Steve felt a headache beginning to form. This was not what he had been expecting when Fury had come to him. Suddenly he was glad he hadn't made any more bets, because at this point, he knew the surprises were just beginning.

Man, fight scenes are awesome. And they're surprisingly hard to write, in order to not make them repetitive. Let me know what you think of it in a review.

I'm in the market for a Beta for all three of my fics. I'm pretty good about mistakes most of the time, but sometimes a few slip through. Hit me up if you're interested.

Next chapter: Gajeel's little mission, Jellal's interrogation, and Tony Stark pissing people off