Hello everyone! Welcome to the newest chapter of birds of a feather!

Searching for you.

She sat in the back of the truck and stared at the stars. The man had agreed to carry her to Tennessee with him. The trees were beautiful she had never actually seen so many trees in her life. Everything about this state was beautiful in her eyes. She honestly wasn't sure if this was the right way for her to go. She was searching for something, but she didn't know what she was searching for anymore. According to the humans and their tracking of time, it was late march. So according to her calculations, she had been here almost three months now. She felt as if she had been travelling in circles.

She had met so many different and strange people, but the all had looked at her like she was some sort of… monster. This legitimately pained her heart. Even though she always said she was a friend of Thor's no one truly believed her and so they shunned her away. She was lucky she had found certain people in the world who helped her and didn't judge her for what she looked like. She wondered if she could find Thor here on… Earth? Yes, it was definitely Earth. She couldn't deny that much.

She sighed as she looked at the silver and black object in her grasp. The woman had given her this strange piece of technology that needed a charge. The woman said it could be used to contact other people who had one and to find her way to different places. She had asked the man to help her figure out how it worked. He had smiled at her and showed her how to use the many different applications, as he had called them. She pulled up the calendar and stared at the date for a moment.

She then sighed and logged on to the internet. The news articles all spoke of the Stark tower and how it was a technological icon. She scrolled down the page with all the news articles on it and her hand trembled as she saw a picture of the start tower. It wasn't so much the Stark tower that had caught her eyes. It was the image of the two men standing on the balcony of the Stark tower when the picture had been taken. She couldn't be certain, but one man looked to bear a striking resemblance to Thor.

She knew where she was going to go now. At least she now had a destination in mind rather than the random wandering she had been doing as of late. The man pulled up to a small store and he patted the side of the truck to let her know he was coming around. "Miss?" he called out to her and she turned to look at him with a small smile. "Yes?" she asked and he offered her a hand to get out of the truck bed. "Have you figured out where you are headed yet, or still trying to decide?" he asked as she followed him into the small store.

"I think I may try to go to New York…" she said and he smiled at her. "Small town life not what you're looking for then?" he asked and she shook her head. "No, everyone here has been so kind to me, even though they clearly see I am different. I love this place… this beautiful and hospitable place… but I saw someone in a picture of the Stark tower and I realized I knew him. I didn't know he had come here as well so I was excited to see him in the picture." She said and the man smiled at her as he set some food in his cart. He motioned around him with a smile. "If there is anything you would like to eat, feel free to grab it. On me." He said and she stared at him in awe. "I shouldn't… You've already done so much for me…" she said and he chuckled softly.

"I must insist. You won't make it far without any food or drinks. You've been lucky to have found so many people willing to help you out so far, but I want to make sure that once you head to New York you have things to get there. Some people there are not so kind, dear." He said and she nodded. "Well I certainly appreciate everything you do for me." She said softly and he smiled at her. "You are very welcome. So you never told me, who are you searching for that has you basically hitchhiking across the country?" he asked and she smiled. "A friend of mine, Thor."

He stared at her in slight awe as the words escaped her. "That's actually pretty interesting. I never would have guessed that." He said as they strolled down another isle. "He took care of me while I was trapped in his father's prison." She said and he stared at her curiously, obviously taken off guard by the fact she said she'd been in prison. "I had snuck into the realm of Asgard by following Thor's brother, even though Loki hadn't noticed I had snuck in either. I was only trying to find somewhere I could call home, but seeing as the place I had fled from was filled with dangerous people trying to find me, they locked me away in the prison to keep me safe." She said and he nodded in understanding.

"Now that is more understandable." He chuckled and she stared at him oddly. "I couldn't picture you being some sort of criminal, but then again anyone could be in this day and age." He said and she nodded. Her eyes softened slightly and she looked away. 'I don't want to scare him away, so I can't ever tell him how dangerous I can actually be… this man… he is a friend in this world and I would like for him to stay as such.' She smiled and reached for a small box that sat on the shelf in her line of sight. "Pop… tarts?" she spoke the words slowly and he watched her with a small smile.

"Those ring a bell for you?" he asked and she nodded. "Thor loves them." She giggled lightly and he chuckled with her. "Well Thor can get his own. I am getting things for you." He joked lightly and she smiled brightly at him. "Well… I don't know what I would like…" she said and he scratched his chin in thought,the soft scratching noise his beard made resounding on her sensitive ears. "Well… do you like sweets? Or do you like salty or bitter things?" he asked and she pursed her lips in thought.

"Honestly I'm not sure. I suppose I could try a few things." She said and he nodded. "Alright, well we aren't going to start off with anything super sweet or bitter." He said and grabbed a small bag of powdered donuts. He placed them into the buggy only to push it further down the aisle and look around a bit. She reached and picked up a colorful box and was startled by the noise it made. She shook it once more and furrowed her brows. "Those are nerds." He said and she blinked at him. "They're really tiny candies. You can pour them into your hand and eat a whole bunch of them all at once." He said and she nodded, slightly understanding the idea of the candy within.

She looked around the aisle some more and her eyes landed on a familiar treat, causing them to light up. "Ah. So you like those do you?" he asked, seeing her grab the box in excitement. "Gushers and Fruit by the foot… Thor would bring me some when I was locked away." She said and he smiled. "Toss them in then. Then we can go find you something else." He said and she nodded. "I like water in those strange containers with the lids…" she said and he blinked. "The colored waters? The ones that taste like fruit…" she tried to explain, but she could tell he didn't quite understand. She jogged ahead and searched around for a moment, only to see what she had tried to talk about.

"These." She said, shaking the bottle lightly. "Oh! Gatorade and Powerade." He said and she nodded. "I couldn't remember the name and Thor couldn't pronounce it." She said with a small bashful smile. "I understand." He said as he motioned for her to grab a few. "I've had bottled waters, they are alright, I just would like some sort of flavor every now and then." She said and he nodded as he made his way down another aisle.

She was enjoying the time she spent with this man and he seemed to enjoy the time as well. "Why did you decide to help me?" she asked and he smiled. "I have a daughter, and if my daughter ever got lost and couldn't find her way back home I would want someone to be kind enough to help her get back. I would want someone to do for her what I would do for anyone. I honestly think its common human decency to assist someone who needs it, whether you know them or not. I figure it's just good karma on my part to help those in need. You also remind me of my daughter in a sense. She's an intellectual type and you just have that similar demeanor." He explained and she nodded with a smile.

"I do love to learn." She said as they walked up to the register with their buggy full of items. He had picked up a large backpack, a sleeping bag, and a travel pillow as well. "Are those for me as well?" she asked and he nodded. "There's going to be a time when I can't get you any closer to your destination, and if you have to head out walking once more, I would like to know that you have something to carry all of your items, rather than the small pull string bag you had when I met you." He said and she smiled appreciatively.

A chill ran down her spine and she began looking around. The man, Dave, as he had introduced himself to her; watched her carefully. "Are you ok?" he asked and she looked at him with fearful eyes. "I feel like someone is watching me… and it's not a friendly gaze I'm feeling." She whispered and he frowned deeply. "Why don't you head outside." He offered and she nodded. "I will see you when you get out of here then. If anything happens, please… do not chase after me." She said softly and he frowned.

"Please be careful. If you are being watched, meet me back here once you get away from whoever it is. I am gonna check into the hotel down the street. Just… meet back up with me so I know you are safe…" he said and she nodded. "I will, I promise." She said and he offered a concerned smile. She turned and made her way outside of the store only for a sound to hit her ears and she spun to try and pinpoint its location. The first projectile came at her and she managed to dodge it smoothly, the resounding echo the weapon created caused people to run out and try and figure out what was going on.

Her new friend, Dave, was one of said people.

A second shot rang out and it struck her in the shoulder, eliciting a scream from her. She clutched her shoulder tightly and saw that he was running over to her, but she shook her head. "You need to go back inside. It's too dangerous. Think of your daughter." She managed and he bit his lip but ran back into the store. She stood shakily and ran out into the surrounding woods behind the store. The person chasing her was definitely hot on her trail, she had heard his heavy footsteps.

She frowned as she continued to run. She definitely wasn't his first target, she could tell because he wasn't going to try and kill her out in the open. He had tried to spook her into the woods and he had. She wasn't going to go down without a fight though. Whoever this person was, they knew what they were doing. Except she didn't think he knew who he was actually dealing with, or what to be exact. That didn't stop her from being scared though…

She spun on her heel and lunged for the attacker, who dodged her easily. She saw the shimmer of his mechanical arm in the dark of the night. "Who are you?!" she snapped and he swiped a knife from the holster on his thigh. He lunged for her but she attempted to dodge his every hit. She ducked and dodged swiftly but he was fast. He managed to clip some of her hair with the blade and it fluttered in the wind as she continued to avoid him.

She wasn't fighting back because her shoulder was hindering her. She reached in and tried to dig out the projectile that had hit her, all the while dodging him and his flurry of swipes. He relented for a moment and she took off running. "What do you want from me?" she cried out as he jumped from a tree and landed a kick to her back. "I have an assignment to kill you." He said and she stared at him with wide eyes as he slammed her back down on the ground. She cried out in pain and he grabbed her wrists with his mechanical arm. He forced them behind her back and he forced her to her knees.

The blade only needed to touch the soft skin of her neck before she began to panic even more than before. She didn't want to die. Her eyes bled red and the wind around her picked up, causing him to attempt to swiftly slice through the skin of her neck. As soon as he left her arms go, one hand flew up to her neck and ice coated the wound, sealing it off so no more blood could escape. She turned to him, her eyes shaky as she held a hand out in his direction. Ice began to form and she swung her hand up and the ice followed her movements. When she swung her wrist down, the ice flew at the man and collided with him, sending him flying backwards into a tree, destroying the metal arm in the process.

After she had done that, she fell face first into the ground her eyes rolling up and her ice beginning to melt. 'I… I'm sorry Loki…' she thought as she drifted into unconsciousness. The last thing in her line of sight was someone rushing at her, then darkness.

-:-:-:-

Loki stared at the screen that Stark had shown him before. He knew this thing had to work somehow. "Stark." He called out and the man peered out of his office to stare at him. "How do you make this thing work?" he asked and Tony chuckled and made his way over to the computer and rotated some holograms and pulled up a picture. "Is this what you're looking for?" he asked and Loki nodded. "I was hoping to see if anyone had seen her yet." He said and Tony pulled up a chair beside Loki.

"Lets see here then." Tony trailed off and started typing away on the holographic keyboard. "Is this her?" he asked and pulled a picture across the screen. "Yes, that is her." Loki sighed in relief. "She's in Tennessee…" Tony said as he pulled more pictures around. "Apparently she was attacked…" Tony muttered and Loki lunged to his feet and rand for the door. "Loki, where do you think you are going?" Tony asked and he swiveled to look at the frantic dark haired man.

"She's-" "Probably not there anymore. You people heal faster than humans, remember?" Tony interjected and Loki frowned. "But…" "But nothing Loki… there are no hospital records so she must have been able to walk away from it. According to the news article she had saved a group of people by leading the attacker away, but no one found him. They only found her injured in the woods." He said and Loki fisted his hands.

"She had a friend who helped her get the care she needed, so I'm guessing she is perfectly fine." He said and he watched as Loki sat down and rubbed his hands over his face. "You must care deeply for this woman." Tony said, breaking the silence that had befallen them. Loki looked at him with eyes swimming with emotion, but mainly confusion. "I don't know what I feel for her, all I know is that I want her to be safe. I consider her a friend…" Loki said and Tony smirked. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you don't have very many of those." Tony said, the smirk still lingering on his lips.

"Well, to be honest, I was starting to feel like maybe I could consider you a friend, but as I see it now with that little jab, that couldn't possibly be true." Loki said with a smirk and Tony feigned a look of hurt. "Oh, I'm so wounded. I thought we were friends though." He said, holding his hand over his heart like it pained him. "I mean, I have let you into my home so graciously and fed and clothed you." He said and feigned a sniffle.

"Ah now Stark, you forced me here, remember? You beat me to a bloody pulp in the middle of the street." Loki countered and Tony chuckled. "I'll do it again too if you don't admit I'm a dearly beloved friend of yours now." Tony threatened lightly and Loki smiled at him softly. "Is that a promise or a threat?" he asked with a playful narrowing of the eyes. "How about we figure it out?" Tony offered with amusement flitting through his eyes. They heard a tapping of a foot and they both smiled and look to the doorway where Pepper stood, tapping her foot in irritation.

"Neither of you will make it out of here alive if you try it." She threatened and they exchanged glances but chuckled lightly. She couldn't help the small smile that crossed her lips at this. "I'm glad you've changed for the better, Loki. You seem to be a decent person when you aren't trying to destroy a planet." She said and this time he feigned hurt in a similar manner to that of Tony, but more convincing.

"I'm honestly hurt you would hold that against me, dearest Mrs. Potts… I was being controlled after all." He admitted softly and she rolled her eyes. "No excuses. Now the two of you need to go play a game or watch a movie and bide your time doing something. Stop sitting around staring around at that computer." She scoffed and Loki smirked. "Of course, Mrs. Potts." He said and she rolled her eyes once more.

She walked over to the computer and started enlarging the pictures of the woman Loki was trying to find. "She's beautiful." She commented, catching Loki's attention. "I suppose so…"he muttered as he watched another picture flicker over the screen. "Where is she from?" Pepper asked and he frowned. "Jotunheim." He said and Pepper looked at him in confusion. "She was raised there, but she wasn't born there. She's a dark elf as well. She herself never actually told me her relation to Melekith, but I have reason to believe she is his granddaughter, seeing as the creature that killed my mother called her the princess." Loki said and Pepper watched him cautiously.

"She means us no harm, correct?" she asked and he nodded. "She wanted nothing to do with them. Honestly at one point she told me she wanted nothing more to get married and have a family, so I believe that sounds like there's nothing to truly fear from her." He said and Pepper nodded. "What is she like?" Pepper asked and Loki offered a small smile as he strolled over to the black couch in the room. "She loves art. She is amazing at sketching and painting. Not so good at illusory spells though." He chuckled and laid back on the couch and closed his eyes.

"She is the one who changed the way I look at the world, to be completely honest." He sighed and covered his eyes with his wrist. "I'm going to take a nap. It is a relief to see she is alright, now I can only hope she figures out what she's looking for in this world. I feel like I should leave her be, no matter how much I worry for her safety… It is my fault she was ever a prisoner in Asgard." He sighed as he scooted to get comfortable on the couch.

Tony crossed his arms over his chest as he motioned for Pepper to follow him to his office. Once there, they shut the door softly behind them. "So what do you think?" he asked and she glanced at him from where she was. "I think he is telling the truth. I don't think he is here to hurt anyone. I think he is here for her…" she said and he nodded. "I got that from the fact I practically rag dolled him all over New York and he didn't lift a finger to defend himself once when he first arrived." Tony said and Pepper stared at him with wide eyes.

"You never mentioned that…" she said and he shrugged. "Didn't think it was relevant till now." He said and she scoffed at him. "Not relevant. Hmph. The entire ordeal was relevant." She sighed as she rubbed her eyes. "What do you think he will do when he finds her?" she asked and he frowned. "I don't think he is going to do anything. I think he cares deeply for her but doesn't understand what he is feeling or why." Tony said and Pepper looked at him in a somewhat surprised manner.

"What, are you going to try and hook them up? Play matchmaker?" she asked with an amused snort. "Well, I suppose I could…" Tony said and he offered a smirk but she rolled her eyes. He was going to go on about something else, but Jarvis called in and caught his attention.

"Sir, you have a guest." Jarvis' voice rang out and Tony sighed as he straightened out his shirt to look presentable for whatever guest he was going to have. "I tried to stop him but he told me he needed to see you." Jarvis said and Tony nodded. "It's alright Jarvis, let him in." Tony said and the doors to the elevator opened revealing a certain blonde male. "Well shit." Tony muttered under his breath.

"Man of Iron, Stark. I have something to ask you!" Thor called out loudly, which caused a person with ebony hair to peek over the couch. This movement caused the jovial blonde to glance over at him, and the air became dense with rage. Thor stormed over to the couch and jerked Loki up by the collar of his t-shirt. "What is the meaning of this!" he snapped and Loki opened his mouth to speak but Thor laid into him once more. "I watched you die!" he snarled and Loki frowned but prepared to speak once more.

"Forgive me brother, but I had my reasons…" he started but the rage in Thor's eyes didn't fade in the slightest. "Reasons?! What reasons could you have possibly had, brother!?" he yelled angrily and Tony took this time to cut in. "Whoa, guys I don't think it-" "Silence Stark! This has nothing to do with you!" Thor snapped and Tony took a step back. "I see…" Tony muttered and made his way across the room.

"What could have been that important that you would force me to mourn your supposed death!?" Thor asked angrily and Loki opened his mouth to speak once more. "I needed-" "You needed nothing! You are the same liar you have always been! Nothing has chan-" "I DID IT FOR HER!" Loki managed to yell and Thor's mouth fell open in confusion. "You… did it for her?" he asked and set Loki back on the floor.

"Yes, brother… forgive me if I forced you to mourn me… I couldn't think of any other way you would let me slip away to help her." Loki said and Thor pursed his lips. "You faked your death to try and save Syndra?" Thor asked and Loki nodded. "But why?" Thor asked, causing Loki to look at him in surprise. "Because… she's my friend." He said and Loki offered a smile. "Well, tell me. Where is she?" he asked in excitement and Loki's eyes became saddened.

Thor caught on to this and he frowned. "So you didn't get to her?" he asked and Loki shook his head and opened his mouth to speak, but Tony cut him off. "She was last in Tennessee. Where she is now, we have no idea, but she seems to be getting closer and closer to this general area." Stark said and Thor held a mischievous look. "I see brother, how did that happen?" he asked with an amused tone.

"Father tried to exile me and she jumped in the way." Loki said simply and Thor chuckled. "No, brother… I know about the exile. Father told me he was letting us go… that he wanted you and I to live our lives as we pleased. So how did he come to that conclusion that you were lacking something?" Thor asked and a pink tint covered his cheeks. "I believe father assumed that I was in love with her." Loki said and Thor laughed.

"Well are you?" he asked and Loki gave him an unamused glance. "Of course not." "But are you sure about that?" Thor asked and Loki quirked a brow at his blonde brother. "Thor… you do realize I am married, correct?" he asked and Thor blinked at him. "Oh, yeah… of course." Loki rubbed his eyes and glanced at Tony for assistance, but Stark was staring at him with interested eyes. "You… YOU… Loki… are married?" he asked and Pepper pursed her lips and punched him in the arm lightly.

"He is a prince of Asgard, one would assume he would be married you fool." She hissed and Loki rubbed his eyes and lay back on the couch. "Hey, in my defense, Thor isn't married." Tony countered and Pepper sighed as she turned away from her husband. "Thor, would you like some pop tarts?" she asked and rattled the box. "Of course." The blonde said and made his way over to her to indulge on the treats she had offered.

"So… Loki…" Tony called out and the dark haired man looked at him from over the couch. "If we managed to get her within range of New York, what would you do when you found her?" he asked and Thor watched his brother with just as curious eyes. "Honestly, I'm not sure… she helped me through a dark time, so I suppose I should at least repay the favor." He said and Tony nodded. "I see…"

"Brother…" Thor called out and Loki looked at him in confusion. "Keep her safe." Thor said and Loki nodded. "She is going to be a targeted outcast of this world, so please take care of her. Melekith made sure of that." Thor said and Loki looked down at his hands with a small frown on his lips. "She only wants to fit in and be happy, Thor. And because of what she is… because of Melekith and I… she will never get that, no matter where she goes." He said and Thor placed a hand on his shoulder.

"She may have followed you into Asgard, but she was trying to find somewhere better. Asgard was better for her either way… there is no denying that much." Thor said and Loki nodded. "Although she was imprisoned, she told me more often than not she was happy to be safe." Thor said softly and Loki glanced up at him. "So, she will be happy wherever she goes then?" Loki asked and Thor nodded.

"That's just who she is." Thor said and Loki nodded. "I guess… I guess I should leave her be then, let her find her own purpose here." He said and Thor smiled at him. "Do what you think is best little brother. In the end it is your choice." He said and Loki nodded. Loki understood fully what his brother meant. Loki didn't want to worry about her, but she was his friend so he was bound to worry about her no matter what.

"I suppose I could keep tabs on her, but let her lead her life as she pleases."