Loki watched as the Captain completed his lap of Central Park, slowing as he approached the ice cream stand. Like every other time he ran this route, the Captain fished a few coins from his pocket and chatted with the vendor as he drank his bottle of water. The usual gaggle of fans giggled in the distance, slowly venturing closer, but he ignored their presence. Loki amused himself by casting a spell that tangled their legs each time they drew nearer and smirked as one particularly obnoxious girl face-planted in the dirt.

A flicker of movement caught his eye and he swivelled to see the Captain relaxed on the bench beside him, like a lion bathing in sunlight, eyes closed, arms stretched out, seemingly oblivious to the world. However, Loki did not doubt he had been noticed. After all, that had been his intention. He scrutinised the man, and could easily see why they hailed him as the pinnacle of human perfection. He yawned, laced both hands behind his head and met Loki's gaze, eyebrow cocked.

"So. You gonna tell me why you've been stalking me, or am I supposed to guess?" Loki narrowed his eyes at the suggestion that he would stalk anyone, and declined to answer.

"She misses you." The Captain said, after a lengthy pause. Loki huffed before he could stop himself.

"Perhaps she should have thought of that before betraying me." He said with a bitter taste in his mouth. The other man scratched his head.

"Is that what you think happened?"

"It is! It is what happened!" Loki hissed. The Captain looked distinctly unimpressed by his outburst. His phone buzzed before he could reply, and he frowned when he checked it.

"Are you performing magic?" He said, voice low. Loki twitched, then released the spell on the admirers in the corner of the park. The Captain followed his gaze and sighed when he caught sight of one of them.

"There is an obnoxious girl attempting to get closer. I am merely hindering their attempts to accost you." The Captain snorted with laughter, then hid his smile behind a hand as if he hadn't meant for it to happen.

"She is slightly irritating." He agreed with a hint of forced nonchalance. Interesting. Perhaps there was some history there. There was a long pause as they both inspected the other, then the Captain slid smoothly to his feet, crossing his arms.

"So?" Loki didn't bother pretending not to know what he was asking.

"Why did you come for me?" The Captain tapped his foot, staring at the ground he contemplated his answer. He finally looked up, meeting Loki's glare with an earnest expression.

"We protect our own." Loki rolled his eyes and willed himself away to escape the honesty in the Captain's gaze. Perhaps he believed that… but Loki couldn't allow himself to.

Tony's impatience was far more obvious than Natasha's, her ability to appear calm honed to perfection. It did not diminish how she felt. She'd texted Steve the moment FRIDAY had detected trace amounts of energy in Central Park, and he'd only told them that Loki had been there, and now was gone. She fixed Steve with a steely glare the moment the elevator doors opened.

"Way to leave us hanging Cap." Tony said, stalking round to poke him in the chest. Steve scrunched his eyebrows in confusion before noticing Natasha sitting at the table behind him. He held his hands up in surrender and pulled up a chair. Tony paced back and forth as Steve detailed his meeting with Loki.

Natasha span one of her knives of the table, watching it revolve. To anyone watching, she might seem calm, bored even. She wasn't.

"Why didn't you tell us you thought someone was surveilling you? You said you noticed him more than once." Steve raised an eyebrow.

"Because I thought it might be Bucky. I told Sam, but you two have been so busy with the Loki case I didn't want to disturb you." Natasha bit her lip. How irritatingly logical and thoughtful.

"You should take a restraining order out on that Kathy girl. She's taken stalking you to a new extreme." Tony advised, also watching the knife. Natasha nodded. She was becoming enough of a problem that she'd considered taking care of it herself. Nothing permanent, just enough to give her a scare. Unfortunately she didn't think Steve wouldn't approve.

"At least we know our magic detector worked." Tony said with a bright grin and he wiggled in what she thought was a celebratory dance.

In the two months since Loki's disappearance on Earth and his banishment from Asgard, Bruce, Tony and Wanda had worked on a device for tracking Loki's magical energy signature. Every sighting, no matter how small, led to Natasha and another member of the team jetting to its location, chasing cold leads and reports of the supernatural. More often than not it was folklore and nonsense, but occasionally they'd find CCTV showing Loki's face, or a witness who recognised him from the Chitauri invasion. They'd tried tracking the bracelet, but that had led them to a landfill site. Tony had showed surprising tact that day, not commenting on the single tear that had escaped as she scooped the tarnished bracelet out of the garbage.

He didn't trust her, or any of them, and she didn't blame him. It didn't mean it hurt any less.

"So he's disappeared again." Natasha said with a sigh, and Steve nodded. Unfortunately the device was only able to give them the location of where the magic was cast, and they hadn't figured out how to determine where Loki would arrive next.

"Any luck contracting Thor?" Steve asked, and Tony growled.

"No. Besides, he's still insisting on his brother's need for privacy, so I doubt he'll tell us what we want to know regardless." She didn't blame Thor for not wanting to refuse Loki's request that he not be discovered, but she felt sick to her gut at the thought of Loki alone and in pain.

The next day Tony found her staring at the screens set up in what they'd jokingly named the Batcave, mainly because Tony squawked hilariously when he was compared to Bruce Wayne. The similarities ran a little too deep for his liking. They were currently displaying the algorithms FRIDAY was running, computing the different energy signatures they'd found, comparing them with definitive Loki sightings and attempting to generate predictions of where he might reappear.

"What will you do, when we do find him?" He asked softly. Sometimes, when Tony wasn't busy being a genius billionaire playboy philanthropic superhero, he could be quite nice. (Besides, since Pepper, she wasn't entirely sure he lived up to his playboy claims.)

"I don't know." Natasha admitted with a sigh.

"At first I thought I could explain, but I've lied so much to him I don't know if he'll believe me. Our entire relationship is based on lies." She took a breath to steady her voice.

"I wouldn't trust me. For all he knows we handed him to Ross on a plate, and then faked the rescue in an attempt to gain his trust." She shrugged.

"I'll tell him the truth and hope he forgives me. There's nothing else to do." Tony nodded.

"And if he doesn't?" He said, and damn him for asking.

"Then I'll move on." She said. She slammed her hand on the table and he jumped.

"I can't go back to Fury. I'll fight with the rest of us, if the world ever need saving again." She caught his gaze and they both laughed at the bitter likelihood that it would.

"But I'm not going back. I've had my fill of lies. It's time I found something else to do."

Sulking was not a word one ever used to describe a prince of Asgard, even one fallen from on high. However, Loki was trying his damn best at it.

Screw the Captain and his honest eyes. We protect our own. What did that even mean? Perhaps Thor had demanded that they release him, and the General had refused. Loki shivered despite himself at the thought of General Ross, and pushed aside thoughts of burning pain lancing through his veins. He slammed a hand into the ice, and watched it crack around where he lay. He dug deeper, allowing the chill to sooth him. A fierce wind whipped at his skin, snow and ice dancing in the air, and a fine layer settled over him. He embraced the cold. The Antarctic was near copy of his true home Jotenheim, a home he had no intention of visiting. Near enough that he found comfort in its icy wastes, nothing but snow for miles around. He did not deserve to live in a land other than one like this.

Without really noticing he was doing it, the ice began to form around him, glittering sculptures of flowers, lilies liked the ones lining his mother's grave, then snowdrops, each one more beautiful than the last. He hissed at the memory of snowdrops gifted to Natasha, of her wide eyed amazement and his own wonder, and smashed them to pieces.

He'd thought he'd revenge himself upon Natasha and her cruel betrayal, but couldn't find it within himself to hate her. They'd met when he'd rained fire and destruction upon her world. He couldn't blame her distrust, only blamed himself for his naivety.

When she'd appeared to him, and he'd believed her to be a dream, he'd wanted to welcome her with open arms, embrace her, confess his love from the rooftops and burst into glorious song. Then the ugly truth of reality hit harder than a swing from Mjolnir. His animosity had burned deeper than the electricity running through his veins, but still neither could burn away his care for her. He hated it. Hated that he could not end the human that owned him inside and out, and had betrayed him to his torturers.

He didn't know how long he lay there in the snow gazing at the deadly beauty of the snowstorm that whirled above him. Everything was relative, including time, and so time became fluid as the ice crept around him, a cocoon of sorts, sheltering him from the rest of the world.

Eventually hunger gnawed at him, and as he contemplated moving he felt a shudder of power. He stared at the sky as the familiar signs of the Bifrost began to form, snow swirling in concentric patterns, heralding the arrival of what he expected to be his brother. The familiar figure with hammer held high, complete with the gaudy red cape buffeting in the wind, slammed to earth and the ice hissed as it melted where scorch marks would usually form. He didn't move from his position, prone on the ice.

"Brother." Thor said. How predictable. Loki declined to answer.

"Brother! Are you well?" Thor dropped the hammer beside him, scooping one arm beneath his shoulders as the ice cracked around them. Loki rolled his eyes and shrugged him off, resting elbows on knees.

"I am well enough. What do you care?" He spat. Thor moved back, with a face like a kicked puppy, and knelt beside him.

"I have and always will care. I mourned for many moons when I thought I lost you. It was like a piece of me was missing, like I had lost a limb. It gives me great pleasure to see you, even under these difficult circumstances."

"How poetic. It did not prevent you from banishing me." Loki snarled.

"What else was I to do?" Loki met Thor's eyes, expecting to see anger and betrayal, but only seeing pain that matched his own. It took his breath away.

"Aye. Do you understand?" Loki stood and walked away for a moment. When he turned to face Thor he revealed his true colouring, the foul blue and black markings and blood red eyes.

"Now what do you see?" He hissed, and the wind howled around them.

"I see a mighty and fearsome warrior. I see a man in pain. I see my brother, with whom I dearly wish to reconcile." Loki slipped back into his Asgardian form. He felt nothing, only tiredness.

"Why are you here? You banished me indefinitely."

"Odin has woken from his sleep." Loki recoiled.

"I have no wish to see the old fool."

"I know." Thor sighed, and he looked as weary as Loki felt. "That is why I carry a message from him. He once again has taken his rightful place on the throne, and I will be staying in Asgard for a while yet to help regain order and retain peace."

"Since I ruled so horrifically and thwarted you with trickery."

"Nay. Since your disappearance, and reappearance, there has been much upheaval. Admittedly you misled me into giving you the throne, however I do not resent you, and you did not rule badly. Besides, you still helped me save Lady Jane, and for that I am indebted and eternally grateful." Loki raised a brow, but did not argue.

"He has redefined the terms of your banishment." This was bound to be archaic and trying.

"If you find someone for whom you would lay down your life, and would gladly lay down their own for you, then you may come back to Asgard, and will be welcomed as a son of Odin."

"He wants me to find love. How antiquated. ButI am not a son of Odin." He snarled.

"Be as that may, but you are my brother, and I will welcome you as such." Thor said simply. He stepped back, summoning the hammer, and looked to the sky.

"From what I have heard, perhaps you have already found love." Thor said, and the Bifrost claimed him, leaving Loki alone, and with a burning pain in his chest that felt not dissimilar to heartbreak.

Loki willed himself to England, one of his favourite haunts, and watched Jane Foster and her brash intern, and her intern's intern, as they finished work for the day. What had she done that made her worthy of his brother? Something truly great, he had no doubt. Despite his flaws Thor was an irritating well of love and forgiveness, once that he could now admit he had taken advantage of. He wove another layer into the cloaking charm he had placed around them, shielding them from prying eyes. None but he or Heimdall would be able find them. It was one protection he could easily afford. He found himself strangely fond of Thor's lady, so much strength for such a small person.

Someone tugged at his mind, and he gazed around. He wasn't aware there were any psychics in this part of the world. It tugged again.

Free me. Forgive me.

Loki brushed it away, but the message only became more and more insistent. It was a woman, trapped, with a voice like silk and sugar. It pulled at him, tempted him. He was Loki of Asgard, and he should help this woman with whatever her heart desired.

Free me.

Loki stood. He blinked and stared at his hands. He'd begun to cast a spell that would return him to his home. He grabbed at the woman's voice, and tore it from his mind, and then traced it back to its origin.

The voice giggled, and it was like kittens and fairy tales and sugar and spice and nothing at all that he looked for in a lover. But he knew exactly who it was. Loki built a shield around himself and cursed. This was the last thing he needed. He willed himself back to America.

The archer's kitchen was quaint. He could hear the family moving around the house, kids nagging, laughter, the sound of a radio.

"I'll get started on lunch." Barton called over one shoulder, then froze when he saw Loki sitting at his dining table. Faster than Loki would have thought possible he had a bow in hand and an arrow notched.

"Laura baby. Get the kids, get the car and get out. Drive somewhere safe, somewhere I don't know about, and don't come back until I call." Barton said, never once looking away from Loki. Wise move, however unnecessary.

"Why?" Came the return call, presumably Laura, with a hint of worry in the tone of her voice.

"Just do it." The archer said through gritted teeth. The silhouette of a woman appeared in the door frame for a moment.

"Oh." Said the woman.

Barton and Loki stayed frozen in their positions until the sound of the car driving away had long faded.

"The only reason I haven't put three arrow in you is because Nat really wouldn't like it. I don't want to hurt her more than you already did." Barton hissed.

"I'm flattered you think she would care, but you are merely deluding yourself." Barton shook his head.

"You're the delusional one." He answered.

"I am not here to trade insults, nor blows." Loki said, dropping his gaze from the archer's heated glare. The silence dragged and he realised that Barton expected him to speak.

"I am here to warn you of a threat."

"Are you the threat?" Loki glared back at him.

"I am always a threat. However, that is not what I meant." Barton rolled his shoulders, and Loki realised that holding the bow must take effort and strength. He gestured to the chair before him.

"Sit. If I was going to injure you, I'd have done it when your family were here, to achieve maximum effect. If you were going to shoot me, you'd already have done it." Barton eyed him, evaluating his words and lowered the bow, declining the seat.

"There is a threat. Someone who is jealous of Thor's attention on this world, who seeks to wreak havoc and mayhem."

"A friend of yours?" Barton asked.

"Once." He replied easily.

"But no longer. She wishes Thor's attention for herself, and failing that will be happy in destroying those that he spends affection upon." The archer nodded.

"I-" Loki cocked his head. He could feel her presence already on Midgard, attempting to see through his protective spells. How in Hel had she been released so soon? His trusting oaf of a brother, no doubt.

"Oh for fucks sake. Thor you bothersome fool, you should know better." He growled. Barton watched him with curious eyes.

"It has begun." Loki said, and stood fluidly.

"Wait. Why tell me this?" Loki grimaced and stared at the paved floor. He had been meaning to do this for quite some while, but had not the nerve.

"I am also here to apologise. I ill-treated you, and many more. I acted in fear and rage and confusion, and I acted wrongly, influenced, I think, by a greater force at play, and driven to the edge of insanity by my fall. These are not excuses but... recent events have brought my actions into clearer light that ever before. This is a peace offering, if you will." Barton openly gaped at him.

"Now, if you will excuse me." Loki left the Barton house with a dramatic flourish, and settled himself on a rooftop to watch the unfolding events in DC.

Clint stared at the space where Loki had sat, and cursed in every language he knew, then made a few up. He grabbed his bow and quiver, the keys to his bike and his phone. He left a voicemail with Laura letting her know he was safe, and that she shouldn't return, and one with Nat, demanding she call him back. He muttered to himself as he stalked out the house.

"God damn Norse gods, why can't they stay in the fucking history books, no one tells you when you're a kid that they're gonna be so fucking tricksy. What's Thor done now? Got himself some strange stalker ex, oh no, he can't have normal ex-girlfriends, course she wants to destroy the earth, it's the next big fad, buy one crazy megalomaniac and get the next one free." He kicked the bike into gear and revved the engines.

"Trust Nat to find the most dangerous thing out there and fall in love with it, after Banner I thought her thrill seeking days were over, damn fool got a thing for a bad boys, what's wrong with apple pie and ice cream, no one wants it vanilla any more, 50 shades of idiocy is more like it." The bike roared to life and he settled forward on it.

"I'm supposed to be fucking retired, why does no one understand the word retired, can't even do without me for a month. All I wanted was some retirement cake, and to be left alone, even a cupcake would do if it had sprinkles, god damnit." He grumbled and started the long drive to New York.

The alert to assemble was like a fresh breeze on a hot summer day. Natasha supposed she probably shouldn't be thankful for the excuse to beat something senseless. Tony whooped as he suited up, so she wasn't the only one that was being driven crazy by inactivity. She grabbed her gear and met Steve in the elevator on the way up to the quinjet. Natasha started the engines and began the pre-take off checks, and Wanda appeared just as they were ready.

"Where is it?" She asked.

"DC." Steve grunted as she eased the jet out of the bay, and entered the coordinates.

"Precisely?" She asked and Steve settled into the co-pilot's seat.

"Foggy Bottom." He said through gritted teeth and Stark hollered over the intercom.

"Why Captain, I didn't hear that, say it louder?" Steve sighed.

"How? How does he manage it?"

"My effortless charm and endless wit?" Tony said in a sing song voice as Iron Man looped around the quinjet.

"Your ability to be a moron twenty-four seven."

"Ouch, you wound me, o Captain of my heart and soul." Natasha caught Wanda rolling her eyes and they shared a smile at the men's antics.

"Luckily, I have an iron suit around me or else your harsh words might offend my delicate sensibilities."

"Actually, it's a gold titanium alloy." Steve said and Natasha smirked as Tony was left speechless.

"Let's get married. Elope in Vegas." Tony said eventually, a note of joy in his words.

"You shouldn't have admitted you knew that Steve." Natasha said as she patted him on the shoulder.

"Now he'll never stop talking technobabble at you." Steve winced. Tony mumbled a relentless natter of marriage, and summer weddings, and could they have strippers in the cake?

"Stark. Quit the chatter, and stop propositioning my man." Hill's voice interrupted Tony's mutterings, and Steve smiled faintly to himself. Cute. They drew up level with their destination, and Natasha parked the quinjet a reasonable distance away.

There were enormous magenta slugs crawling along the banks of the Potomac.

Natasha closed her eyes, and reopened them.

There were still enormous magenta slugs crawling along the banks of the Potomac. The team snapped into action. Natasha, Steve and Tony engaged the slugs, while Wanda was tasked with the perimeter. Any slugs that got too far out were thrown back into the middle of the fray. They made a loud plopping noise as they landed.

The main problem was property damage, as the slugs moved too slowly to be of any real danger to civilians. Civilians with common sense, Natasha amended. One nearly suffocated as he tried to get a better angle for the video on his phone. Moron.

"I'm doing it for the vine man." He protested as Steve dragged him out from where he was trapped.

Iron Man had succeeded in vaporising a few, but Natasha and Steve were less successful. Steve's shield merely boing-ed off the offending gastropod, and clattered to the floor, failing even to return to its owner's hand. Steve looked like someone had put salt in his coffee, rather than sugar. Which gave Natasha an idea. She rounded on idiotic bystander.

"Where's the nearest food store?" She hissed, shaking his shoulders. He pointed.

"Urm, now's not the time to satisfy your pop tart cravings." Tony said.

"Cap!" She called and he followed, still staring sadly at his shield.

"Guys?"

They raided the store for table salt, and returned with boxes of the stuff.

"Oh I like how you think." Tony said approvingly, and swooped down to help them. The slugs hissed and shrivelled when they sprayed them with it.

"I feel like a Winchester." Tony remarked.

"Son of a bitch!" Wanda quoted as another slug plopped back into the melee and Natasha was so glad she'd introduced her to the TV show. Besides, watching two very hot men beat shit up and try not to cry was a great coping mechanism for emotional distress.

"Saving people, hunting things, the family business." She said in a deadpan voice, and Tony groaned.

"How do you manage to make even that sound boring?" He asked.

The magenta slugs began advancing on them as they finally made some headway into the cornucopia*. The bites were an effective deterrent when she ran out of salt, however the number of slugs seemed to be increasing, rather than the adverse.

"I've found the source. She keeps making more." Tony announced.

"Blonde chick, maybe Asgardian, really hot. I'd hit that."

"Tony!" Steve hissed.

There was a crackle, and the woman attacked them with a grin, easily throwing Natasha aside. She hissed as she tumbled to the floor. Fractured, maybe broken wrist. Steve barely matched the woman blow for blow as Tony watched his back, blasting slugs left, right and centre.

"Now this is low, even for you." Said a man leaning against a nearby building, inspecting his nails. Natasha really hoped that she wasn't hallucinating as she rolled to her feet. Loki waved his hand, and the slugs returned to normal size, despite still being magenta.

"Loki Liesmith. I heard you passed through the gates of Hel." The woman said. What a bitch. That woman was a bitch. A bitchy bitch that bitched.

"I believe that reports of my death were greatly exaggerated." Natasha stepped closer. Loki didn't even look at her.

"Shall we?" The blonde said.

"We shall." He replied and they both disappeared with a crack.

"Well fuck." Wanda said.

"Language." Tony murmured.

Natasha slumped in chair as she checked her answer phone, left wrist in a cast, and downed two painkillers. Message from Clint.

"Nat. Call me ASAP. Alpha level urgent." Just what she needed. Another crisis in her already fucked beyond belief life. She hit redial.

"Hey Clint, it's me, if this is about the giant slugs then we dealt with them."

"Hi. Wait. Giant slugs? What?"

"Oh. Check the news."

"Can't. I'm driving."

"You've been driving for the last two hours?"

"I'm driving to New York."

"What? Are you okay? Is it Laura? The kids?"

"We're fine. It's Loki." Natasha sighed, and hit speaker phone.

"You too? Turn on your GPS we'll come get you, we've got the jet." There was a pause.

"Done it. Loki finally resurfacing then?"

"Yup." Natasha set the quinjet's destination to track Clint's phone. There was a muffled thump behind her, and she turned, along with the rest of the passengers, to stare at the dishevelled half naked man that had just appeared in the cabin.

"Um. Hi?" Said Bruce, brow crinkled.

"Bruce?" Natasha said, as the rest of them echoed her.

"Bruce? I thought when was he was done fining tuning that magic seeking device he was going to India to have a discussion with his other half about the meaning of the words possessive and jealousy. Hey man!" Bruce winced and Natasha blinked. She'd assumed Bruce had moved on.

"Damn. I shouldn't have said some of those words that I said." Clint muttered.

"How were you ever a covert operative?" Tony groaned.

"Coulson used to say that all the time." They all fell silent.

"Not to spoil the moment Bruce, but, how did you get here?" Steve asked. Always the practical one.

"Ooh. Ooh! Tell me you've perfected teleportation." Tony was practically hopping.

"Urm. Loki appeared when I was sleeping, muttered something about not turning green because his back couldn't take it, then waved his hands, and voila." Tony practically deflated. Then he grinned and they all flinched. It was Tony's 'I Am A Mad Genius Run For The Hills' grin. He chuckled, then he chortled, then he clutched his sides in laughter.

"What the hell is going on up there?" Clint demanded.

"Can't you see? Oh boy." Tony said with a snicker.

"Tony. I'm tired and confused and slightly angry." Bruce said, and Tony took a deep breath and smirked.

"He's assembling us. Loki's calling Avengers Assemble. I mean, we assumed he was helping the blonde, but actually he removed the slugs and the threat. What if he's helping us?" Natasha hadn't allowed the tiny flame of hope she had buried in her chest to grow, but with Tony's words she fanned it hotter.

"Pretty much what he said to me. He paid a visit to the farmhouse." Clint piped up. Natasha eyed the screen.

"We're a couple minutes away. Pull up, hold tight, then I think we better have a team meeting."

"Aye, aye, Cap." Clint said and Steve rolled his eyes.

"You know," Mused Clint after a couple minutes of silence, and Wanda groaned. Natasha loved Wanda. That girl fitted in perfectly.

"If Fury and Steve swapped bodies, then Fury would be a Captain, aaand he'd have an eyepatch." The cabin fell silent.

"No no no." Said Steve as Tony crowed.

"You're a genius, Brucie, this is more important than possibly hostile word takeovers. Bruce, Bruce!"

"Tony! No building body swap machines!" Steve snapped and Clint snickered.

"Missed me?"

"No." Said everyone, apart from Tony, who just cackled.

Loki delved into Amora's psyche the moment they materialized, ignoring his surroundings in order to focus on his attack. He'd given up the advantage of directing where they landed in favour of gaining the upper hand in their battle of the wills. He scoured her mind, but she threw him out before he could find anything definitive. What he had was still enough.

"Traitor." She hissed.

"You didn't think it was a social call." He said, and opened his eyes to a grey ad blue backdrop. Jotunheim.

"It might have been. Once. Before that Midgardian bitch turned you soft." She said. He spread the feelers of his awareness out further. The Frost Giants were drawing near, their own arrival too sloppy to be discrete.

"What is it with Princes of Asgard and that dull realm? First Thor, now his pathetic excuse for a brother." She snarled. He planted his hands into the ice, and slowly began the start of a spell, the first he had ever intentionally woven using his powers as a Frost Giant. Needs must.

"I heard you were banished. What happened? Daddy finally realise what a miserable excuse for a prince you are?" He glared at her.

"Together, we could have been so much more. Don't you want to find out?" She crooned, and he brushed off her attempt at seduction magics.

"Why pick here, exactly?" A look of confusion passed over her face, before derision replaced it.

"You tried, and failed, to destroy it. One could assume you have some sort of disagreement with the Frost Giants. I've bargained with them before. I wonder what they will give me for Loki Liesmith?" He grinned, baring his teeth. She had no clue. Obviously his origin was not common knowledge among the Aesir.

"Amora, your foolishness truly knows no bounds." The spell he wove gripped Amora tightly when he disappeared, preventing her from following him. He had no doubt she could seduce or scare away the Frost Giants and free herself from his trap, but it would take time, time that he sorely needed. He was due for a house visit.

Once everyone was up to date, and well fed, they retreated to the lounge. Tony and Steve bickered over possible plans of attack for an assault they didn't know anything about, other than it was coming, and the woman in question had a major crush on Thor. The tower was in a high state of alert, but Natasha forced herself to relax. Her wrist ached, only a fracture, but she needed it to heal. No use tiring herself with worry.

"Bruce." She murmured, and perched on the corner of his armchair. He was inspecting some of the energy readings they'd recorded earlier that day. He looked up from the tablet to meet her eyes and then looked away.

"I just wanted to say thank you for helping out. You don't owe me anything." He met her eyes again and gave her a painful smile.

"You helped me feel normal when the only other person who actively sought me out was Tony. At the time, it was what we both needed. Now, that moments passed. The other guy is protective, but he knows that. So you don't have to thank me. I'm doing this for myself, and for the team. I want to help, because it's the right thing to do." He said, fiercely determined. She nodded.

"Do you love him?" Bruce asked, and she supposed she owed him that.

"More than I realised." Natasha whispered after a moment's pause. He smiled kindly.

"Then I better keep trying to separate these two energy patterns." She smiled back and slid off her perch to curl up in the corner of the sofa next to Tony. He never stopped mouthing off to Steve, but a hand slid round and squeezed her leg tightly, just for a moment, before he wildly waved them to prove a point.

She drew up the footage of their fight today, planning to break it down to find ways to improve both herself and the team, but she paused on a still of Loki. He stood there, one eyebrow raised, staring imperiously at the woman, as if to say, I dare you. He wasn't dressed in Asgardian garb, rather a dark green suit, no tie, the first two buttons unclasped to reveal the pale skin of his neck. He looked well.

She'd seen him.

He was alive.

From a professional point of view, she'd known he was fine. But seeing him the flesh had been a metaphorical hit to the gut. The little flame of hope inside her burned brighter just at the thought of him. She had to make this right, make him understand. He made her feel alive, and in turn she knew that she grounded him. If only he would give her a chance. Together they burned so brightly they'd light up the whole world.

Natasha didn't believe in fate. What she did believe was that she'd never felt more herself than when she was with Loki. She only hoped that he still felt the same.

Tony pulled up the latest improvements to the suit, taking a sip of his beloved scotch. There was a flash of green in the corner of his eye and he span, dropping the glass, powering up a gauntlet that he'd fashioned into a bracelet and shooting a repulsor at the intruder in his penthouse. An icy shield blocked the beam and the room temperature dropped a few degrees as planes of ice formed against his windows.

"Woah there Elsa, conceal don't feel." He said as the rest of the suit formed around him. The green flicker materialised into Loki, who was sitting casually on one of his sofas, head cocked. Tony pushed the faceplate up and quickly flicked his gaze to the camera nestled in the corner of his room before focusing on Loki.

"Conceal don't feel?" Loki said. Tony rolled his eyes.

"You Asgardian's really need to catch up on pop culture." The ice slowly dissipated and Tony walked stiffly over to his bar.

"That's currently the least of your worries." Loki said. Tony really hoped that wasn't a threat.

"Come to collect that drink I owe you?" He said.

"Sure." Tony poured a large one for himself, and slid the other across the table, before leaning back against the bar. It could take the suit's weight. He'd modified it.

"I've got to warn you, I've only just finished the remodelling, so I'll be really pissed if you throw me through a window again."

"Luckily for you, that is not my intention."

"Well then. What the hell is your problem?" Loki frowned.

"My problem?"

"The two times I've ever seen Natasha show an emotion that wasn't amusement or disdain is when Clint disappeared, and when you disappeared. Clint came back. What did you do? Fuck off with your pretty, blonde girlfriend." Tony said. Loki raised his eyebrows.

"Amora is not my girlfriend, I can assure you of that."

"It's not me you should being reassuring." Tony growled.

"Natasha does not care for me more than one would care for a pet. A source of amusement perhaps, but nothing more." Tony snorted, and dismissed the suit, judging for the moment that Loki wasn't a threat.

"If you truly believe that bucko, then you've got another thing coming." Loki pursed his lips.

"She loves you." Loki stared at him blankly. Hopefully Natasha wasn't about to waltz in and kill him, or the both of them.

"This is beside the point." Loki said. Tony finished his drink while he contemplated Loki's words.

"Why are you here?" He said, deciding that blunt was the best path of action. Loki flashed him a bitter grin.

"Amora would like Midgard for herself. I find myself unwilling for her to succeed." Tony blinked.

"Did you just say, in a very round about manner, that you want to help us protect Earth?" Loki grimaced.

"I suppose you could interpret it in that fashion." This was good. Natasha had said Loki had changed, but it had been hard to believe.

"Alright Jack Frost, give it to me."

"I dislike that comparison." Loki growled.

"Okay, okay, no more icicle jokes. Save em for Cap." Tony said with a grin. He could almost hear Steve's sigh.

"Amora plans to use glamour to imitate the First Lady, then seduce many of the cabinet. She has powers that make her very persuasive when it comes to men, let us say." Tony winced. A subtle but potentially effective way to insinuate herself into power and influence, without causing much or even any disruption.

"It is difficult for even an Asgardian to resist her charm. None of you will be able to. I believe Coulson encountered her younger sister earlier this year. He will be able to inform you of the chaos that even one day of her freedom caused." Loki winced at Coulson's name, and Tony growled.

"Coulson is dead." He said, resisting the urge to put the suit back on at the reminder of who Loki had been when they first encountered him. Loki stared at him wide eyed, then smirked.

"I think you will find he is not. Better to ask your Director Fury than trust me." Tony burned with anger, and carefully placed his drink down before he threw it at something. If that was true then they'd been lied to for four years.

"FRIDAY, get on SHIELD's old files. Search for anything related to Coulson." He barked.

"You. What was she doing in DC earlier?"

"A test run to see if you were a danger, I imagine." Loki replied. He rose in one fluid motion, brushing imaginary specs of dust off his suit. Two items materialised on his table.

"The first is a charm. Whoever wears it will be impervious to all but the strongest glamours. The second is a muzzle. Use it on Amora, and her spells will fail."

"Wait." Tony said, before Loki could perform his usual disappearing act.

"Help us. We could use it." Loki's face twisted and he glared at the floor hatefully, fists clenched at his side.

"Have I not done enough, that you still demand more?" Tony back tracked swiftly.

"No! It's not a demand, it's a request. We'd like your assistance, if you'll give it to us. Also I'm pretty sure Natasha would appreciate seeing you, and if I'm not mistaken, you'd like to see her." Pain flared for a moment in Loki's eyes.

"I think not." He disappeared.

Natasha stared blankly at the screen. Seeing Loki disavow her affection was painful, all the worse for its accuracy when she had initially met him. At first he had been a chore, but it had developed into something precious, the most precious thing she'd ever had.

They'd gathered in the Batcave the moment they'd been alerted to another of Loki's energy signatures. FRIDAY had thrown the video on the screen when they realised it came from within Stark Tower, and Steve had had to physically restrain her to stop her from breaking into the penthouse. She'd let him. The moment Coulson's name was mentioned the tension in the air had become palatable, and the suggestion he was alive was either cruel false hope, or a disturbing piece of news.

Clint gripped his bow so tightly his knuckles were white, and she stood beside him.

"If he's alive…" He said, and she didn't need him to finish that sentence to know what he was going to say.

"Fury." Steve growled. Tony joined them moments later, striding immediately to the keyboard, and began furiously typing. Clint walked over to place a reassuring hand on Bruce's shoulder.

"Keep it calm buddy." Bruce nodded.

"Find Coulson, then save the world?" Steve said, and they all nodded. It was as simple as that.

"TAHITI. What's TAHITI?" Tony muttered. She was helping Bruce scour details of SHIELD that had been dumped on the web, while Clint peered over everything Tony was hacking into, in the hope that former SHIELD agents could shed light on anything unusual. Steve was explaining to Wanda who Coulson was, and some of SHIELD's backstory.

"GH.325. The Guest House. Fury you bastard I'm going to end you." Tony said, and dropped the tab from everyone's vision.

"What is this?" Clint asked, rubbing his eyes. Tony ignored him and started on another screen.

"FRIDAY, determine whereabouts of Agent Philip Coulson, Director of SHIELD." Clint and Natasha stared blankly at each other. Tony swivelled and pointed at them.

"Out. Everyone out. Go eat something, grab a nap, a shower, because when FRIDAY's found Coulson we're going to have a little chat about keeping secrets. I'm guessing it'll take a couple of hours for the algorithms to run." Natasha exited the room on automatic. She found herself curled up against a shaking Clint in his bedroom. A coping mechanism they'd developed after the Chitauri invasion.

"Nat. What if." She gripped his hand tightly. What if he's alive. What if he's not. What if he's different.

"I know. Let's just find him."

The atmosphere on the quinjet was morose, each person huddled against another, nursing anger and grief. Even Tony was silent, speaking only to brief them.

"It looks like SHIELD have started again from scratch. Coulson's listed as Director, and this is their main base of operations. If there's proof he's alive it's here." There was a haunted look in his eyes, and Natasha wondered exactly how they'd brought Coulson back from the dead. She'd seen the medical reports. The wound had been devastating, maybe even too much for Steve to survive.

"We're in full stealth mode. Clint, Bruce, stay on the jet." Clint protested loudly at this, but Steve just held up a hand.

"What do you always say? That you see better from a distance?" Clint growled his acquiescence.

"Wanda, Nat and Tony, we're going in. No obvious gear, I'm leaving the shield behind, nothing distinctive. If footage was released of the Avengers attacking SHIELD HQ it would ruin both our reps." He grimaced. Natasha shed her customary bites and lethal weapons.

"Wanda, think you can persuade security to let us through, and make them forget us once they have?" She nodded.

"Tony. I doubt we need the full Iron Man regalia, just your tech skills. Keep us off the camera, reset any alarms, you know the drill."

"Got it boss."

"Nat. We'll cover them." She nodded.

"If Loki's lying, and there's nothing here, then we'll be in and out silently and we can place a call tomorrow to apologise. If he's not, then Fury and SHIELD can go fuck 'emselves." Tony quirked a smile and Natasha mouthed 'language' at him. Black humour was their speciality.

As the quinjet landed Tony began typing on a holographic keyboard that appeared to hover in mid-air and move with him, with a screen projected above it. Natasha stared at it.

"It's in the bracelets." He murmured.

"We've already set off three proximity alarms but I've silenced them. Let's go." They exited the quinjet and followed the schematics Tony had accessed. Natasha picked the lock for the door for roof access and they moved silently down the stairs, Tony first, then Natasha, then Steve, with Wanda bringing up the rear, as her powers worked in a similar manner to eyes in the back of her head. Slightly freaky but extremely useful.

They passed through the first set of corridors without a problem, Natasha checking the way before each turn, her and Tony communicating with silent signals they'd worked out from when they'd paired playing paint ball (team building exercise - they'd won), and Steve and Wanda following their lead. Tony bypassed the security check points, and each door hissed shut behind them. They stepped into a stairwell and Natasha came nose to nose with a security guard. His eyes went wide as he took in her entourage. She smiled and punched him in the throat so he couldn't scream.

"Lanyard." He gasped and stumbled. He grabbed his radio but she trapped his hand and pulled him into a choke hold. He struggled for a moment, and passed out. She lowered him to the ground, and duct taped his mouth, arms and legs after she checked his airways. Tony mouthed scary at her, and she rolled her eyes. They moved two levels down onto the floor that held the security booth.

Tony held up a hand with three fingers. Three security guards inside the booth. She gestured and Tony swapped places with Steve. She nodded to Wanda and the door clicked open.

"Why dya open the door Mickey?" One guard said. Mickey frowned in confusion. She flicked a flashbang away from them and he peered out, facing the wrong direction. Steve grabbed Mickey and threw him head first into a wall. Natasha slid into the booth as the two men jumped up. One fell to the floor with one of her tazer sticks in his gut and she slammed the other one's head into the desk. Steve dragged Mickey into the room and the others followed, Tony immediately tapping at the keyboards on the desk, the door clicking shut behind them. She bound these guards as before.

"Subtle." She said to Steve, eyebrow raised. He shrugged. Natasha scanned the CCTV screens. Hilariously, one guard was taking a sneaky cigarette break on the roof, just meters away from the cloaked quinjet. If only he knew. The others followed a strict patrol. One was heading their way.

The door opened and he stopped and gawked. Natasha closed the door shut behind him as he stared down the barrel of one of the guard's guns.

"Oh shit." He said. She searched and stripped him of all equipment.

"You're the Avengers." Natasha pretended to look surprised, and checked her reflection in a window.

"Damn. You're right." She taped him, but left his mouth free.

"Don't play with your food Nat." Tony said and Steve grimaced. She crouched down so she was eye level with him.

"Where's Director Coulson?" The guard's eyes widened.

"Oh shit."

"So he's alive."

"Oh shit." She could hear Clint swearing into the comm.

"Is he on site right now?"

"Oh shit shit shit." The guard said. Damn rookie.

"Yes? Where?" The guard realised even two words was two too many, and clamped his mouth shut.

"Tony - look for barracks. Or his office." It was late evening. He'd probably still be working, if he was the Coulson they knew. She ripped a piece of duct tape and covered the guard's mouth.

"Mmfph!" He said. She ignored him.

"Got it. Let's check the office first, it's closer." Tony said. Steve helped her stack the guards back to back and she taped them a bit more. Tony eyed her.

"Scary. Really scary." He said.

"Wanda, can you make them forget who we are?" Steve asked and she nodded. They exited the room and waited for Wanda to finish before Tony sealed it from the outside.

They walked the remaining distance to his office without incident. They stopped before the door and Natasha placed a mike against it. No vibrations.

"It's empty." She said, and picked the lock. She was pleased to note it was much more difficult than the roof access's lock. They all slipped in, and she shut the door behind her.

"Lola." She muttered.

"What?" Said Tony.

"Nothing." Natasha replied as she stared at a picture of a bright red car. She completed a rapid search of the office.

"This looks like Coulson's office from back in the day." Clint made a chocked noise, and she could hear Bruce calming him. Wanda cocked her head.

"There is a man who believes his name to be Phil Coulson walking down the corridor toward us." She said. Steve leaned against the desk, arms folded, and she could only imagine his anger. Tony didn't look much happier, standing beside Steve. Wanda folded herself into a corner. Natasha placed the mike against the wall, and they listened on the comm.

"What do you mean there's a whole security detail incapacitated and babbling about the Powerpuff Girls taking over SHIELD?" He snapped. Natasha only had a moment to appreciate Wanda's hilarious sense of humour until she heard a key at the lock. She wrenched the door open. Coulson stared at her wide eyed, phoned balanced between neck and shoulder, looking older, but very recognisable. He looked past her to Iron Man and Captain America glaring at him, and then to the Scarlett Witch.

"Um. I think I may have found the source of the problem. Book them in for a psyche eval and a disciplinary, then check the perimeter. Don't worry about me." She could hear the person at the other end of the phone start yelling, but Coulson flipped it shut, and stepped into his office. She ripped his shirt open. In the middle of his chest was a mismatch of scars that rivalled Tony's. She turned to Steve.

"Abduction?" She said. He nodded. She stepped aside and followed Captain America frog-march Coulson all the way back to the quinjet. He looked resigned to his fate, and very tired. The rest of them didn't bother to be discreet with their exit, removing any agents that opposed them. It wasn't difficult, and she wasn't sure if that spoke for the abilities of the Avengers, or the lack of abilities within SHIELD. Likely a bit of both, which was worrying.

"Hey lady! That's our Director. We'd like him back." Someone shouted at her and she dropped and rolled as a bullet flew over her shoulder. She span and eye-balled a man with short dark hair and a fighter's build. Wanda paused beside her, throwing up a red translucent shield.

"Oh honey, he was ours first." She drawled and smirked as he gawked. She was a rather recognisable figure these days, much to her chagrin, but it was useful for intimidation, and of course Wanda needed no explanation.

"Agent Hunter, I believe?" He narrowed his eyes at her use of his name.

As Steve kicked the door to the roof open, Natasha caught sight of May. She waved Wanda past her and stood in the doorway, staring down at May and Hunter.

"Are you going to try and stop us? Because that won't end well for you." She had seen May since Coulson had 'died', and that betrayal was another stab in the back to add to the many she already carried. Hunter shook his head and backed away, muttering about having enough crazy she-devils in his life.

"No." May said, and a brunette beside her protested.

"Shut it Skye." Natasha inspected the girl with interest. She'd heard about this one on the grape vine. How had news of a girl with powers made its way to her, but not news of Coulson? She had her suspicions.

"Not that foolish. I will be informing Fury and Hill." Ouch. She hated it when she was right.

"I look forward to it." Natasha said viciously, and joined the rest of the team in the already hovering quinjet.

Loki growled under his breath. After seeing Stark he'd been furious. Livid. How dare he speak of love to Loki? The life span of a mortal was a drop in the ocean compared to his own. Loki had lived and loved for thousands of years before he met Natasha, and he would again.

He tried to ignore the grumbling in the back of his mind that told him he had never loved like this.

He had been so close to Natasha. He had felt her, only floors away from him. He wanted her, he wanted to see her, to touch her, to see if she was well. All her companions claimed that he had not imagined her feelings for him, that she had not betrayed him. He allowed himself, for the first time since he left her, to imagine what would happen if he saw her, talked to her. Would the fire in her eyes burn as brightly for him as it had before? Would she still be soft and sweet under his lips?

Love is for children. It echoed round his mind.

Yet Stark had spoken of love, Barton had spoken of care and the Captain had spoken of loss.

He found himself in a bar once the Avengers left their building, presumably to look for their absent friend. He ordered the scotch that Stark was so fond of, more for something to hold than the enjoyment of the drink. The patrons of the bar steered clear of him. Even in his human form he exuded a threatening aura, like that of a wounded animal, cornered with nothing to lose. He knew that because he'd made the mistake of looking into a mirror and had seen the raw pain that simmered behind his eyes.

A bearded man in a flannel shirt with coarse, dark, not quite greying hair bumped into him, then had the audacity to turn and growl.**

"Watch it, bub." Loki raised an eyebrow as he inspected the rugged man. There was something… off about him.

"My apologies." He answered, then shook himself as the man walked away. Even just a year ago a slight such as that would have resulted in the other man's discomfort, if not death. The effort it would have taken to become that angry now tired him, and the thought bored him.

He had once thought that together Natasha and he could rule the world. How wrong he was. There was no need to rule, and no pleasure to be taken from it. But to exist, to fit into this tiny world, with Natasha by his side, that was what he truly craved. If she truly had loved him then he had left her, alone and hurting. Would she forgive him for that? He still wasn't sure he could forgive her, even if she hadn't explicitly betrayed him.

He contemplated Stark's offer. To work with them, to help them, perhaps atone for some of his sins. Tempting. More tempting was the chance to be close to Natasha. To protect her. She would surely throw herself into the fray, guns blazing, knives sharpened, wit even sharper. Amora would hate her, a woman who charmed men with little more than a smile, not needing magic to place them under her spell.

What would he do if Amora destroyed the Avengers, picked their minds and came after Loki, armed with knowledge of exactly how to destroy him?

It would not end well.

Perhaps he should join them. For his own sake.

Even to own his own ears it sounded weak.

The silence in the cabin was deafening. Tony programmed Stark Tower's coordinates into the jet and they checked for any updates on the Loki/Amora situation before turning to join the others who were glaring at Coulson. Coulson coughed.

"Well. I'm not dead." He said. Natasha slapped him. Steve would have stopped her if he hadn't been busy holding Clint back. Wanda eyed the man warily, and Bruce just sighed.

"Nice to see you again." Bruce offered his hand, and Coulson shook it. Tony glared at the both of them.

"The other guy means I don't hold grudges." Bruce turned and walked to the back of the plane.

"I am going to kill you. And then bring you back to life. And kill you again." Clint was saying, whilst wriggling in Steve's grip. Steve released him, only to catch him again as he threw himself at Coulson. Tony tapped his foot, arms crossed.

"Why didn't you tell us?" He said finally.

"Not high enough clearance level." Coulson said weakly. Tony eyed Clint, then Natasha.

"It might have been better if you stayed dead." He said coldly and walked away to sit in the pilot's seat. Coulson slumped. Natasha knew Tony didn't mean that, but Coulson likely wouldn't. Natasha wanted to feel pity, but her rage burned too high. Clint had finally stopped fighting and Steve let him go. Clint punched him in the arm then wrapped himself around Coulson.

"I thought you were dead. My brain was scrambled and I thought you were dead. Four years you bastard." He said, and Steve turned away as Clint started crying. He joined Tony at the cockpit and they spoke quietly. Natasha stared, her brain relearning the sight of them together, and safe. Some of her anger bled away and she pulled them to sit on the floor and curled around Coulson's other side.

"I'm so mad at you Phil." She said quietly. He hugged her with one arm.

"I can see that. I'm sorry. It took a year of rehab before I was fully myself again, and by then it was too late." He shivered.

"I'm sorry. I wish I'd done this years ago. You all deserved the truth. I just didn't know how to tell you." He said loudly. Steve's shoulders unstiffened slightly. Tony stalked over.

"What do you know about how they fixed you?" He said brusquely. Phil swallowed and gripped her tighter.

"Everything." He said, meeting Tony's gaze. Tony flinched.

"Fury wiped my brain, initially. It didn't take, but I've spent the last year figuring that out." Tony's face twisted at Fury's name and he moved back to the cockpit. Natasha let Coulson's calm voice sooth her as he slowly started telling Clint everything that had happened to him since Loki. He was omitting something, but Natasha wasn't sure she wanted to know, not judging from Tony's reactions.

Later that evening, back in the tower, Natasha caught the tail end of Tony and Phil's conversation.

"Please don't tell them. I can barely deal with the reality of it myself." Phil said.

"If they ask…" Tony warned.

"I'm not asking you to lie. Just don't volunteer the information."

"Fine." Tony said, and he left the room. She caught him further down the corridor.

"Anything I want to know?" She said, nodding toward where Phil stood in the doorway. He paused.

"You really, really don't." He said, voice low, and she stared at his bitter expression and nodded.

She walked back toward Phil and he gazed at her with surprise.

"You trust Stark now?" She thought about the last few months and his unwavering support, how she wouldn't have even come close to finding Loki without him, and his easy acceptance of her feelings for the trickster.

"More than you." She said, and walked into the kitchen to avoid seeing the pain on Phil's face.

"Incoming from Hill." FRIDAY announced. They gathered before the screen in the lounge, even Wanda, hidden in a corner. Tony answered the call, and they were greeted by Fury and Hill's faces.

"Coulson. Avengers." Fury nodded his head. At least Hill looked guilty. Poor Steve. She wasn't particularly happy about it either. She had thought that they were friends, that they were closer than his.

"I'm not going to apologise." The room exploded in a flurry of shouts and accusations, as Steve, Tony and Clint did their best to drown each other out. Natasha sat on a sofa and polished her knives. She felt it made her point succinctly. The room eventually fell to a hush, and Fury opened his mouth, but Bruce stepped forward.

"If you ever lie to us again, omit information or mislead us it will make all of us so angry that I cannot be held responsible for our actions." Bruce growled, and an overlap of the Hulk's voice resounded below his in an eerie and terrifying manner. He left the room.

"Steve…" Maria said and he flinched.

"I guess you always were Fury's gal through and through. I don't want to talk to you right now." He growled. Maria's face fell.

"With those pleasantries out the way, perhaps you'll update me on the situation from earlier this morning." Fury said. The nerve. They shared a silent glance and Steve cleared his throat.

"Certainly not." He said, and Tony ended the chat.

"So… Loki and a blonde enchantress attacked New York?" Phil said, and they moved to the Batcave to tell him everything. Natasha expected him to be surprised to find that they were helping Loki, but Phil turned grimaced and stared at a spot on the wall.

"I, actually know a lot of this, urm, I, they give me, I asked for updates on you all." He said lamely.

They continued with the story.

"I met Loreli, she was a nasty piece of work. Had men destroying their lives just to be with her." He confirmed. He inspected the gag that Loki had given them, and explained how it worked. At one point Steve disappeared, and he returned as they finished with Loki and Tony's conversation. Steve clapped him on the shoulder, and handed him a pack of trading cards that he'd signed.

"I think they're also vintage. And not covered in blood. I bought them after your funeral and kept them. Didn't really know what else to do." He said and Phil went pink for the first time she'd ever seen.

"Thank you." He said gravely, and stared at his hands.

"Let's go save the world!" Tony said and Natasha slipped him a small smile.

The problem with telling the President that his wife was actually a seductress in disguise, was, well, his wife was a seductress in disguise. They'd immediately dismissed that idea. However, they couldn't exactly launch a frontal assault on the White House and expect it to go unnoticed.

"Could we take her out from long distance?" Phil suggested.

"She will be strongly shielded from any Midgardian weaponry. I have neither the time nor the skill to fashion something that you might wield to destroy her." The entire room jumped, and turned to see a familiar trickster leaning against the door to the Batcave, complete with his usual expression of disdain.

"Loki." She breathed. He looked at her with sharp eyes.

"I see you've changed your mind." Tony remarked.

"If you fail to defeat her then she will have every tool she needs to destroy me." He said with a sneer. His predicament rang true to her ears. He acknowledged Phil with a nod.

"I apologise for your untimely demise at my hands, and applaud you for your bravery." He said briskly. An apology? Natasha's heart hammered in her chest. Clint stiffened beside her, and she could tell he was itching for his bow. Loki frowned, and his eyes settled on Wanda.

"Who are you, and why are you cloaked from me?" Natasha was fiercely, irrationally jealous of Wanda as she was treated to the full exposure of Loki's curious inspection.

"I am Wanda Maximoff." She sent a flutter of magic toward him. It was stopped several feet before him by what Natasha presumed was an invisible shield. It flared green where the magic touched it. He tilted his head, raised a finger and touched the red energy. It flowed through him and he sighed.

"I see. I am sorry for your loss." Wanda was tight lipped.

"You are the reason I was not aware that I was betrayed until it was too late. Impressive." He said and Natasha flinched.

"How do you suggest we defeat Amora then?" Steve asked, arms folded, ever practical. Loki smiled viciously.

"With cunning and trickery. You have all proven to be adept in both these fields."

Loki outlined the details of his plan. He didn't look at her once. They agreed to get a few hours of sleep and some food in them, and to launch their attack early morning. Steve left to call Maria the moment they finished. As Loki stood to leave, Natasha crumpled.

"Loki, please." She whispered. The others exited the room promptly. Loki paused, but didn't look back.

"What do you want from me?" He said. Everything. Nothing.

"A chance to let me explain." She said. She moved closer and placed a hesitant hand on his shoulder. He flinched away and she clasped her hands together.

"I lied and abused your trust, and Ross did use the tracker I placed on your phone to find you, but we didn't betray you. He stole from us, and the moment I found out I came to get you. I was going to tell you everything after the night we watched the sun set, but I didn't know how." She said, letting her emotions show on her face. He watched her like a mouse might watch a cat; with a sense of inevitable and impending doom.

"I'm so sorry Loki." She tried to imbue her voice with emotion that she would normally hide, to show him that he was her weakness, and a tear trickled down his face.

"I understand if you never want to see me again. But I just needed to tell you this in case I never do: I loved you then, and I love you now." Loki was shaking, and he grabbed her fractured wrist. She winced and he snatched his hand back.

"What did I do?" He said, voice wrecked. She stroked his cheek with her other hand, and he leaned into her touch, a myriad of emotions flickering across his face.

"Nothing, it's fractured from our earlier encounter with Amora." She replied and he hissed and reached for it again, long fingers stopping just short of her wrist.

"Let me fix it." He said and she offered it to him. She gritted her teeth as he healed her and when it was done they were standing, holding hands, face to face. When she looked into his eyes she only saw pain, pain she had caused. She swallowed, choking down her regret and anger.

"How can I trust you?" He murmured, and she closed her eyes, placing her forehead on his chest. Her eyes were wet and she blinked angrily. He didn't need her tears.

"I don't know." An idea struck her. She mulled it over as he stroked her hair. It would make her vulnerable, more vulnerable than she had ever been, but it would be worth it.

"Can you look inside my head, like Wanda?" She asked. He froze.

"Do you trust me to? You'd have to let me in." He replied. She pulled back so she could look him in the eye, and nodded. She should have been wary, should have been worried, but she wasn't.

She could feel him in her mind, brushing over her memories, every secret available for inspection. She pushed some forward, of her memories of the night together on the beach, of her pain when she had discovered he'd been kidnapped, the regret she felt for not being truthful. He dove through them, and it wasn't painful exactly, but it wasn't pleasant. He relived each of their encounters and she found herself cringing at the callous woman that had first lied to Loki. He paused over her thoughts of snowdrops and she shivered as he brushed her cheek as he dwelled on the memory. She couldn't pinpoint the moment she'd realised that she was falling for Loki, but there was evidence of it in each prolonged caress, each second of longing and regret. He touched on her panic and pain that had barely subsided since Fury had informed her than Loki had been captured, and she could feel him trying to sooth her.

Loki extracted himself and stared at her in awe. It was like a switch had flicked. He brushed a kiss over her lips, and she wondered if he could hear her heart rate increase. He pulled her close and she drank in the smell of him, like mint and freshly cut grass and leather.

"Clint thinks I have a thing for bad boys." She mumbled into his chest, before peering up at him. He treated her to a crooked grin.

"He's not wrong." He said wryly, before planting another kiss on her lips. She kissed back, curling her hands into his hair as he settled his on her lower back. Electricity tingled up her spine and she licked his lip. He held her tighter and nibbled on her lip in return. When she pulled back to breathe she saw a figure standing in the doorway. Tony smirked at her.

"Either join in, or piss off." Loki said succinctly, and Tony spluttered and backed away. The door slammed shut of its own accord and Loki crowded her against a wall, running his hands up her arms, with a frankly dangerous smile playing on his lips. Her breathing quickened. She had missed this thrill. No one could replace it. She'd tried.

"Not in the Batcave. Too many cameras." She gasped as he kissed his way along her jawline. He pulled back to stare at her.

"Batcave? Is that like the bat phone?" He said, brow raised. Natasha stifled her laughter.

"It's from a movie. We'll watch it together once we've flattened Amora." She said, and slid out from his grasp.

"Let's join the others. Prove we haven't killed each other, if Tony hasn't already blabbed." He sighed, but allowed her to escape.

"Plus. We need food, and sleep."

"You are terribly sensible." She paused as they entered the lounge to the sight of every member of the team sitting and watching the doorway. Loki slid his arms around her waist and nuzzled her hair.

"Why the delay? Let us make their acquaintance quickly so that we may escape sooner."

"Hello Loki." Thor said, out of her line of vision, and Loki stiffened.

"Brother." He replied, not relinquishing his grip on her. Thor's face lit up at the term of endearment.

"Father sent me to deal with the discord in this realm. I hope you do not mind." Loki nodded. Natasha wriggled away from Loki and swiped a slice of pizza, and glared at everyone, daring someone to say something. Both Clint and Phil just looked resigned. Steve looked sad, but she was pretty certain that was related to Maria. Tony looked faintly amused, one arm curled around Pepper who looked tired but content, and Wanda beamed at her. She was probably giving off some seriously pleased vibes. Wanda had once explained how the moods of those in the room impacted on her own. Bruce seated in his usual armchair, and looked wistful, but not sad.

Natasha requisitioned a whole box of pizza, and then Loki took her by surprise as he swept her off her feet into a bridal carry. She laughed, then mock glared at him, and it felt natural. It wasn't as if nothing had changed, but in that moment, it didn't matter.

"Did Nat just giggle?" Clint whispered to Phil. She flipped him the bird as Loki carried her out the room.

"Bed?" He said, kissing her nose.

"Sleep." She said firmly, directing him to her floor. They ate the pizza while he told her his stories of exploring the world, and she told him stories of how they followed him, trying to track his magic. He laughed at the idea of Tony's device. She felt like they were caught in a bubble, frozen in time for a few hours before they faced the reality of the world. She curled up against his chest and he carded his fingers through her hair soothing her into a peaceful and worriless sleep.

Loki watched his red-headed firecracker drift off to sleep and stretched himself around her, like an added layer of protection.

This wonderful, gorgeous and terrifying woman was his, and his to keep. How had he ever thought he could do without her? She had let him into her mind, into her soul, and he'd seen the truth, one that he had barely allowed himself to dream of. She felt for him too and when he brushed over her consciousness he saw how much she'd been hurting without him; it was a pain that echoed his own.

For all his long life he had not known what it meant to live until he met her. He could die happy with the knowledge that she felt the same.

He slipped out the room and back up to the communal floor, not needing to sleep as the humans did. He was unsurprised to find Thor and the Captain there, both with a serious twist to their mouths.

"Loki."

"Thor."

"It is good to see you well." Thor said. Loki rolled his eyes.

"Indeed. But we would not be meeting if you hadn't released Amora." Loki muttered. Thor looked sheepishly at the Captain.

"My apologies. She told me she wished to repent and I was fooled by her guiles." Loki sniffed.

"You are very foolish." He said.

"I know. But Loki, a grave thought has passed my mind, and I have been discussing it with Steve. What of Lady Jane? Would Amora hunt her down?"

"Most likely, but it is not of consequence." Loki said before a crackle of thunder interrupted him, a loud boom on an otherwise silent evening.

"How can you say it is not of consequence?" Thor hissed, fists clenched. Loki held up a hand.

"It is not of consequence because I have placed several shielding charms around her and her companions during the time that I have spent upon Midgard… I admire your Lady Jane." He admitted.

"Amora will not be able to break them without expending a lot of energy, energy that she cannot spare. Your lady friend is quite safe." The Captain looked at him strangely, but Thor stared at the ground before gathering him in a tight hug.

"Brother! My apologies. Truly I do owe you! This brings great lightness to my heart. We were not sure how to protect her without dangerously splitting our forces." Loki patted Thor on the back, and decided forcibly removing him would cause offence. Luckily Thor eventually relinquished him.

They stayed in the sitting room discussing strategy, Amora's talents and various plans of action if their original one went wrong. In dribs and drabs the rest of the Avengers joined them, in varying states of alertness. Stark made a beeline for the coffee machine and everyone slowly came to life as the first sign of the sun showed on the horizon. The room buzzed with restless energy. They were uncomfortable with him, but did not avoid him, and he did not resent their wariness.

Natasha's face lit up when she saw him and he suddenly felt bad for leaving her to wake alone. She leaned into him as she ate a cereal bar and watched the Witch and Barton bicker over who should get the last banana. The Witch smirked, and waved a hand before Barton's face, a flicker of red energy slipping from her to him.

"This is not the banana you are looking for." She intoned.

"This is not the banana I am looking for." He repeated, and the room burst into laughter. Loki looked to Natasha for direction as Barton shook his head and blinked at her as she started unpeeling the item of fruit in question. Natasha smirked at him.

"I knew teaching you about American pop culture was a bad idea." Barton grumbled as Stark started muttering about designing some kind of weapon.

"What is this sabre of light? It sounds like a mighty weapon!" Thor boomed and a flicker of delight crossed Coulson's face before he schooled it to a stern expression.

"Not now, Stark." Loki noticed Barton and Natasha exchange a joyous expression as Coulson spoke, and he guessed that they missed their compatriot, for which he was almost solely responsible. He tugged Natasha closer, and gripped her upper arms.

"Don't die today." He whispered and she smirked.

"I'm pretty hard to kill. Don't you die either."

"I can't. I have something to live for." He replied, brushing a soft kiss over her lips. Stark made a noise of nausea behind them, only to be silenced abruptly by a swift kick from Natasha. He clung to her, and had he believed in a higher power, he would have prayed to it to keep her safe. Instead, he believed in himself, and resolved he would do anything to protect her.

Eventually everyone was fed, armoured and ready for battle. It was time.

"Ready?" Loki asked, extending his arms. The Avengers reached out, forming a large circle, holding hands, and with a crack, Loki willed them away.

Natasha and Phil projected an air of impatient boredom as they waited for the security guard at the gate to buzz them through.

"Who?" Said the voice at the other end of the phone.

"Director Phil Coulson of SHIELD, and Agent Natasha Romanov of the Avengers. Here to see the President sir, national security matter they say." The guard looked nervously at them and Natasha smiled sweetly at him.

"I thought we decided this was a dumb idea." She muttered under her breath to Phil. He shrugged.

"Send them up. He says he'll see them with the Joint Chief's." Came the reply. They were buzzed through, stripped of their weapons and issued visitor badges, then escorted through the White House. They were shown into a briefing room, and were greeted by the sight of the President with whom appeared to be the First Lady, and several Chief's of Staff.

The First Lady moved sinuously through the room and Natasha wondered how no one else had managed to spot how differently she was behaving. Served them right for having a mainly male ruling body. Natasha squinted and the effort it took to see past the glamour made her slightly nauseous.

"Mr President." Phil took the lead.

"I regret to inform you that the woman masquerading as your wife is actually an enchantress from Asgard, here to take over the world." The Lady smirked, and the men in the room stared at him for a moment, before bursting out with laughter.

"I regret to inform you that I already know." The President guffawed. Amora snaked toward Phil. Natasha bit her lip and cast him a worried glance.

"Why, we're going to help her." They laughed some more. Natasha placed herself between Phil and Amora.

"Stay away." She warned, and Amora giggled. Natasha narrowed her eyes at the Asgardian witch.

"I think the Director of SHIELD could be quite useful to me." Amora smirked. Natasha stared forward. One of the enchanted men blocked her.

"Security!" She called, and two guards burst into the room.

"Take this woman away!" She commanded, and Natasha was set upon. She struggled but they gripped her arms strongly, and she didn't want to kill them to free herself. Amora stroked a hand down Phil's cheek. Phil sagged, then a sappy smile took place from his frown.

"My Lady." He said, bowing and that was the last thing Natasha saw before she was dragged to another room. The guards released her, and the air around them shimmered.

"Hello boys." She murmured as Steve and Loki shook off the last remaining residue of their disguises. The two actual guards lay bound and gagged in a corner, eyes wide with confusion and fear.

"Did it work?" She asked Loki, who nodded.

"Amora's main powers lie in seduction and manipulation. However mine lay in deception. Of course she was fooled." He said in a snooty voice. Steve handed her a comm.

"Ready to rock and roll?" Tony asked. Steve answered an affirmative and moments later an explosion shook the ground, and they grinned. Natasha pulled on the widow's bites that she'd left with Steve.

"Clint's new explosive arrows seem to be working." A terrible roar echoed down the corridor and Loki winced.

"I shall be staying as far away from the mindless beast as possible." He said. Natasha couldn't help but privately agree that it was a wise decision. She had enough troubles without reuniting her ex's alter-ego with her current boyfriend/partner/beau. (She decided she'd figure out what they were later.)

"It might help if you didn't call him a mindless beast." Steve remarked mildly. They jogged out of the room and followed the sounds of battle to find the others.

"Loki and I will get the President and the Joint Chief's. Widow, you get Phil." Steve commanded. They reached the edge of the Presidential lawn, and watched as the Hulk tore up the West Wing. Iron Man was rescuing civilians, while Hawkeye picked off the Secret Service with what she assumed were non-fatal shots. The Scarlet Witch was shielding the three of them from Amora's magic. Thor approached Amora, arms wide, a serious expression upon his face.

"Amora. Release your spells and come in peacefully and I will plead for mercy on your part from the All-Father." Amora grinned and threw a dart of power toward Thor. He dropped to his knees and she heard Loki curse behind her.

While Amora was distracted with Thor, Steve swept the President and the Secretary of Defence up and Loki grabbed the other cabinet members that Amora had charmed, and they disappeared. Thor roared and threw himself toward Iron Man and the Hulk. Fuck. Natasha winced as Iron Man careened head first into a wall. That was definitely not meant to happen. She could hear Tony cursing over the comm. The Hulk took him on, reminiscent of the first time they had met, and they exchanged staggering blow for blow.

Natasha drew closer to Amora, but Phil blocked her path. She knocked him to the ground, but he pulled a gun and pressed it into her stomach. She backed off and growled at him, unwilling to use fatal force.

"Lady Amora." He said, voice steady.

"No! Phil!" Natasha pleaded. Amora whipped around to face her. She stalked in front of Phil, an enormous sword materialising in her hand.

"I should have killed you before!" She spat. Phil followed, close on Amora's heels.

Loki appeared again.

"No Amora don't!" He cried and dropped to his knees. Amora paused, eyes flicking from Natasha to Loki and back again, sword tip brushing Natasha's chest. Her eyes flashed with delight.

"This is the woman who has enchanted you so?" She hissed. Loki glared daggers at her.

"I beg you not to kill her. Take me instead." He growled and Natasha thought her heart would break at those words. Amora giggled.

"I think I prefer you like this." Natasha watched as the sword plunged deep into her chest and she gasped. Loki screamed and Amora cackled then choked, sword dropping to the ground, as she clutched at her neck. The collar buzzed and ticked as it climbed her face to gag her, and suddenly men dropped to the ground around them, holding their heads and crying out. Phil was standing behind her looking smug, gun drawn and pointing at Amora. The illusion of Natasha faded, leaving the real one alive and panting on the ground where she had rolled aside in the brief moment that Amora had been distracted. Seeing herself stabbed hadn't been pleasant, to say the least.

"Hard work pretending to be a sycophant." Phil said, examining the charm that was looped around his neck. Loki swept her from the ground, checking her for injuries and she gripped his shoulders tightly.

"That was too close." He murmured, bracing his forehead against hers.

"Steve'll be pissed he missed the action in favour of babysitting duty." Tony remarked over the comm. Loki rolled his eyes and disappeared again to retrieve Steve, the President and his staff.

"Hey there big guy." Wanda said, and Natasha stared as she realised she was trying and succeeding to persuade the Hulk to return Bruce. Clint ambled over, Iron Man in tow, and they both fist bumped Phil. Loki and Steve rematerialized with their kidnapped ensemble. The President looked sheepish, and informed the Secret Service to stand down.

"My wife is going to kill me." He mumbled. Loki rubbed his hands together.

"I love it when a plan comes together." The whole group turned to stare at him.

"What?" Said Steve.

"Um." Said Bruce.

"Really?" Said Clint.

"Did he just?" Said Tony. Loki frowned.

"I do. A well-made plan is the key to success." He said, and Tony spluttered.

"What exactly was New York?"

"Oh just a bit of fun." Natasha tripped Clint before he could punch him. She shook her head at Loki, and he smirked.

"You just quoted the A-Team." Steve pointed at him. Loki cocked his head.

"The A-Team. Like, the Avengers-Team?" He asked. The group collectively groaned.

"How does Cap know?" Tony whispered.

"Shut up Tony, I've been awake for five years."

"Isn't that a song?" Said the President. Everyone stared at him.

"Joking. It's a joke. Calm down."

Loki caught sight of her again and pulled her close for an adrenaline fuelled kiss. They ignored the wolf whistles, although Natasha decided that revenge would be sweet.

"Brother! Shield-sister!" Thor boomed, and pulled them close for a rib-cracking hug. Loki shoved him away.

"Fool! Claiming you were impervious, then falling under her spell. That's twice now she's tricked you!" Thor had the sense to look abashed. He handcuffed Amora, who managed to look angry and still beautiful beneath the mask, and called for Heimdall to collect them.

"Still no regard for lawn maintenance." Tony muttered, and Steve snorted.

"I believe we have some catching up to do." Natasha murmured, and grabbed Loki.

"Take us home?" She asked and Loki smirked. With a crack, they were gone.

Loki deposited Natasha on the bed, and began a thorough examination for injuries. If that involved ridding her of her clothing, then so be it.

"You infuriating woman." He hissed as he kissed his way along her collarbone. She arched under his touch and stroked her hands along her shoulders. How she intoxicated him, drove him crazy, drove him wild with longing and lust and love.

"It was the plan." She gasped as he moved back up to her mouth. He bit one of her lips and she moaned.

"The plan was for Thor to distract her, not you!" He growled, pulling her uniform over her shoulders and off her arms. She tugged at his shirt and he moved back to strip the upper layers of his clothing.

"Loki." She whispered, knotting her hands in his hair.

"Thor was bewitched and she had to be stopped. You said that she would destroy you if she wasn't. I stopped her for you." She tugged him down to her and brushed their lips together.

"And risked your life." He murmured against her mouth.

"Worth it." She whispered back and wrapped herself around him.

There was a loud crackle, and a boom, and Loki cursed as the Bifrost opened and deposited them in Heimdall's Observatory. He pulled Natasha close and summoned a cloak to shield her from prying eyes, before turning to glare at his brother and Odin, still bare chested.

"Worst timing ever." He remarked drolly. Thor looked embarrassed. Good. Idiot brother. Heimdall merely smirked. He suspected that this was a semblance of revenge for when Loki had frozen him. Natasha pulled back on the rest of her uniform that had been wrapped around her waist, then turned to glare at the King of Asgard, the Prince of Asgard, and the Guardian of Asgard. A knife appeared in her hand, although from where Loki did not know as he thought he'd been doing a pretty spectacular job at patting her down. She placed herself between him and Odin, which would be amusing if not for the nature of their visit.

"Why am I here?" He asked.

"Your banishment has ended." Odin boomed.

"You have found someone for whom you would lay down your life, and would gladly lay down their own for you. You may come back to Asgard, and be welcomed as my son, or Thor's brother, or simply as one of the Aesir." He announced, as if he was bestowing a great boon upon Loki.

"You're Odin?" Natasha asked, face blank. Confusion crossed his face but he nodded. She raised a brow and Loki was certain she was fixing him with a glare that had made even him flinch.

"I've heard about you." She said, the knife once again hidden, but no less dangerous. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. Loki decided it was time to interfere.

"And what wonderful things they were." He said breezily, wrapping an arm around her.

"Heimdall, if you will, return us to where you snatched us up from." Odin looked shocked, while a small smile played upon Thor's lips. Thor placed a restraining hand on his father's shoulder, and they were returned to Midgard. He breathed a silent sigh of relief. Natasha stared at the smouldering bed in dismay, the residue energy from the Bifrost having destroyed it. She sighed.

"There's a spare room." She dragged Loki out her bedroom and into the other one. They landed upon the pillows in a tumble of limbs.

"Now make me forget that I was just cockblocked by a Norse God." She whispered, shedding the outfit and revealing very little underneath. Loki was only too happy to comply.

He kissed his way down her body, relishing each soft noise she made, each whimper and moan and cry. He lapped at her core and stroked her centre and she shivered and pulled him up to kiss her.

"I need you inside me." She whispered, and he rid himself of the rest of his clothing. He seated himself in her slowly, each velvet inch a pleasure he had not ever thought he would be granted again. She licked at the planes of his chest and he moved, stroking her slowly inside and out. Their pace quickened like a wildfire lit between them until all he could think of was Natasha, it was all he could see, all he could feel. She came around him, calling his name and he followed her over the ledge and gripped her tightly in his arms.

"Don't leave me again." She murmured into his neck and he stroke her hair, so soft between his fingers, a vivid red reminder of how brightly she burned.

"Never." He promised, both to her, and to himself. Never again.

The end credits of The Dark Knight Rises rolled and a hush settled upon the room, despite the dramatic theme that played. Loki stared at her with an empty expression. Clint was pretending there was something in his eye as he rubbed away a tear - the ending always got him. Bruce was patting his shoulder awkwardly. Thor was unashamedly sobbing. Apparently Alfred reminded the Asgardians of someone from their childhood.

"He fixed the autopilot." Loki whispered. She nodded.

"You know Stark, some aspects of Bruce Wayne do remind me of you." Phil remarked. Tony flinched and Natasha hid her laughter behind a hand. He'd slipped in halfway through the second movie, for all his pretence of hating Batman.

"He's nothing like me!" Tony squawked.

"What's it you said to me? Ah, yes, genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist, and that's without the suit." Steve's eyes sparkled. Tony huffed.

"I have far more style." She caught Bruce's gaze and he rolled his eyes, and they both couldn't hold back their laughter.

"Betrayers." Tony hissed at them.

"I'm more intelligent. And I have a Pepper. She's better than any of his partners." He grumbled. Natasha couldn't argue with that.

"Is that why you call that room the Bat Cave?" Loki asked and Natasha winced.

"NO!" Tony growled and Loki just raised an eyebrow.

"It's not the Bat Cave, no one calls it that!" Everyone averted their eyes and stared at the ground guiltily. Tony threw his hands into the air and stalked out.

Tony tilted his head as he walked toward the gym's entrance. It sounded like they were watching Star Wars in the gym. Which was strange, because he hadn't set up any movie equipment in there. He frowned, and then stopped in the doorway to stare in amazement at the sight before him.

Natasha somersaulted over Loki, red lightsabre in hand, the recognisable buzz the noise that he had heard. He met her assault with a flick of his own sabre, glowing the customary green. Not possible. They were mathematically and scientifically impossible. He should know. He'd harangued Bruce until he'd agreed to spend a day with Tony trying to create one. After 34 consecutive hours without even finding somewhere to start they'd given up, and decided never to speak of it again.

Loki and Natasha fenced with inhuman speed, which he supposed was accurate. He thought that she was faster, which made up for Loki's strength, and they were both equally cunning, although Loki had hundreds of years of experience on his side. However, that didn't account for Natasha's vicious and brutal training at the hands of the Red Room, raised with the sole purpose of becoming an assassin. When he thought about it, she terrified him. He tried not to think about it. She landed on Loki's chest, sabre deflecting his, and a knife in her other hand pressed against his throat.

"Cheat." Loki murmured. She pressed a kiss to Loki's lips, and Tony started backing away.

"Enjoying the show Stark?" She called. Ah. Well. He hadn't exactly expected them not to notice him.

"How did you get them?" He asked instead of complaining about the serious case of PDA on a communal floor. He wasn't exactly the epitome of discretion himself. (Although one could argue that it was his building.)

The lightsabres faded until two metal poles of the same size were left in the same place.

"Magic." Loki said with a shrug, and a smirk. Tony rolled his eyes. Of course. Magic. He fucking hated magic.

"I'll just leave you to it." He said as Loki flipped Natasha onto her back. They didn't reply. He went to find Steve. Maybe Captain Self-Righteousness would clear the gym of scary assassins and horny gods.

Wanda quite liked Loki, for various reasons.

Wanda had been the one who had sought Loki out, rather than the other way round, as some people assumed. She supposed the Asgardian might have had better things to do than teach a human witch some of his tricks, but there was no harm in asking. With a laborious sigh he agreed, and to her surprise was an excellent teacher. In return, she offered to educate him on the fantastic world that was Supernatural.

Wanda loved Supernatural. The Winchester's relationship reminded her of the one she had had with Pietro, and once her friendship with Natasha had moved past getting drunk together this had been the first thing the other woman had shown her. She thought perhaps Loki could relate to the relationship between two brothers as well, although she hadn't mentioned it, just showed him the first episode. He was hooked.

"Do these monsters really exist?" Loki had asked her once, with horrified eyes, and she shook her head. He didn't like to be laughed at, so she grinned at her lap.

Wanda knew she was a naturally quiet person, and still partly an outsider to the Avengers, and she didn't have a history with Loki like they did. She thought he found her presence soothing, and when Natasha was absent they naturally gravitated toward each other. Tony had once suggested she was the third partner in their bed, and she and Loki had spent a delightful day together where he taught her how to create life-like illusions, and they created one of Captain America who followed Tony around and berated his every act. Unfortunately Steve had put an end to that when he discovered what they were doing, but Tony had never joked about it again.

Natasha had been the first person to treat Wanda as if she wasn't a dangerous and useful ally, but a friend, and Natasha never smiled in quite the same the way as she did when Loki walked into the room. She looked vibrant, alive, carefree, and above all, happy. Loki made her feel loved.

So Wanda quite liked Loki.

"What shall we watch tonight?" Clint asked. They spent their spare evenings educating Thor and Loki on Midgardian culture. Well. In reality it was just an excuse for them to re-watch their favourite shows and movies. Team bonding, Steve liked to call it. It also allowed him to come to grips with the fact that the man who had attempted to take over the world many years ago was an altogether different person from the man that sat with them today. They had Nat to thank for that, in the most part.

"Star Trek? We haven't done that yet, have we?" Tony suggested.

"Peace and long life." Clint said to Tony, making the customary Vulcan sign with his hand. From where Loki was wrapped around Natasha, without looking up, he returned the gesture and answered.

"Live long and prosper." The room fell silent and Loki looked up. Thor frowned.

"It is the Vulcan greeting, is it not?" Thor asked.

"How do you know that?" Clint said.

"We met with their Ambassador many years ago. He and Father are great friends." Tony spluttered and Clint just stared at the Asgardians. That couldn't be right.

"You must be joking." He said. Loki furrowed his brows.

"About what?" Clint and Tony exchanged a glance. Tony looked confused to the point of panic.

"Vulcans… are real?" Tony whispered, awe spreading across his face. Then Steve started laughing. Wanda elbowed him.

"Ruined it." Bruce muttered as he chortled, and Natasha began to snicker. Loki and Thor grinned wickedly at each other and Clint realised they'd been had.

"Bloody trickster god." He muttered, and glared at Thor, blaming him. Tony turned pink and stormed out the room. They fell into a hush and could hear him shouting at FRIDAY for not informing him, and Clint joined their raucous laughter.

How To Train Your Dragon was a guilty pleasure of Natasha's, or so she'd told him. Thor and Odin were mentioned on occasion, no doubt in reference to human's belief that they were Norse Gods. Thor cheered every time their names cropped up, and Loki just rolled his eyes. Foolish brother.

Natasha leaned into him with a purr, and he enjoyed her enjoying the movie. Admittedly the vibrant colours and comedic elements made the viewing aspect also pleasant.

The movie finished and Natasha crawled up him, a dangerous look in her eye. She bit his lip and he tumbled them off the sofa, pinning her to the floor with a growl.

"Not again." Stark muttered.

"My eyes." Barton cried. She grinned up at him as he tried to tune the others out, a ridiculous smile wide on his face.

"Love you." Natasha said. He nuzzled her neck, his smile impossibly wider. Every time she said it he glowed with pleasure, even still.

"Love you too." He answered.

"I guess that's our cue to go." Doctor Banner (not the Hulk, he always made that distinction) said with a dry note to his voice.

"You're paying if you ruin my sofas." Tony growled, but left the room nonetheless.

Loki gazed down at Natasha, willingly trapped in the depths of her gorgeous eyes and didn't think he'd ever been more joyful.

And they all lived happily ever after...

*You may or may not be fascinated to discover that a group of slugs is called a rout in the US, and a cornucopia in the UK. Despite the fact that I assume the majority of my readers are American, I myself am English, so I chose to use the English version of the word.

** Cheeky Wolverine cameo, if you hadn't guessed.