okay, first of all, I passed math for the year and got an A on my chemistry final. can we just have a moment of silence to appreciate all the studying I had to do to get that A? thanks. I'M A SENIOR NOW! I just have so many summer feelings right now. my best friend is flying in from California on the 12th and ugh so excited ok. well, this is the end of this story and the next one should be posted soon. enjoy xx

Chapter 17: The End.

Eleanor stepped out of the cab she shared with her mother and smoothed the wrinkles in the front of her yellow sundress. Everyone was just now arriving; Thor had Loki with him, muzzled and handcuffed with the Tesseract in his large hands; Tony had rolled up in a shiny looking new car; Clint and Natasha shared a S.H.I.E.L.D. car, as well as Bruce; and Steve parked his motorcycle beside Tony's car.

Ms. Bennett stayed back, but Eleanor walked quickly to Loki, who looked down at her and didn't look away.

It had been decided that Thor would take Loki and the Tesseract back to Asgard where humans wouldn't have to deal with it anymore. No one argued with it; it was a fine plan.

Eleanor turned to Thor, giving him the widest and saddest eyes the god had ever seen before in his life. She was holding on tightly to Loki's arm, not wanting to see him go so soon. The Avengers watched her closely, making sure she wouldn't free him. But she wasn't going to. She knew he had to return to Asgard. "Please – just… for two minutes, Thor…" Eleanor pleaded. She could have easily just communicated with him through her mind, but she wanted him to hold her one last time and kiss her. Finally, the thunder god gave in and pressed a button on the side of Loki's muzzle. The muzzle broke off his face and Thor caught it in his hands. Loki moved his jaw around.

She threw her arms around Loki, but he could not hug her back because Thor wouldn't take off the handcuffs. He nuzzled his face in her soft hair and Tony rolled his eyes, turning away. Everyone looked extremely uncomfortable and Ms. Bennett put her hand to her mouth, witnessing the affection he was showing her. She cupped his cheeks with her hands and her eyes filled with tears. "Do not cry for me," he whispered, seeking his lips with his own, but she hesitated and pulled away slightly.

"I'll come back for you," she replied, smoothing his jet black hair. Loki smiled weakly. He was battle worn and exhausted, threatening to collapse any second. "I promise you." She caressed his cheek bones with her thumb.

"It is too dangerous for a mortal like –"

"So?" she said angrily.

Loki smirked. "You would not last a second in Asgard," he told her teasingly, glancing at her lips. "Because no matter what, you will always be a weak and pathetic human."

Eleanor sighed sadly. "I love you, too." She pressed her lips to Loki's cheek. Eleanor laughed nervously and shook her head. She breathed on his lips and he sought out another kiss, but she refused and frowned. "This is goodbye."

"Do not cry, my love. Let me kiss you one more time." This time, Eleanor let him kiss her and he did so passionately. She smiled into the kiss and then started to cry. Thor put the muzzle back on his brother and everyone turned around, glad the scene was finally over.

Eleanor stepped up to Loki one last time and pressed her lips to the muzzle, where his lips should have been. The metal was cold against her lips and she sighed. Eleanor hugged him and then stepped away, crying as Thor took Loki out of her life for good.

She stood there as Tony and Ms. Bennett approached her. Eleanor quickly wiped her tears and crossed her arms. "You guys going back to London, then?" Tony asked, wrapping his arm around Eleanor's shoulders. She leaned into his body, staring at the spot where Loki had just been standing.

Eleanor looked to her mother and Ms. Bennett answered. "Yes, we will. There's a big party going to be happening."

"A party?" asked Eleanor.

"To celebrate your safety and the capture of the cruel man who took you."

Eleanor pushed Tony's arm off her and she blinked. "He isn't – Loki isn't – I don't need a party," she stammered. "In fact, I think I kind of like it here."

"In New York?"

"Yeah. It's nice. And it's a change from London," Eleanor smiled. She shrugged. "No one knows me here and I like it."

"But people know your mother," Tony interrupted and Eleanor glared at him.

"We'll talk about it later," Ms. Bennett sighed, putting her hands on Eleanor's shoulders. "But please just come to the party? I'm sure the Director will fly us there quickly."

Eleanor sighed again and nodded reluctantly.

Eleanor was curled up on her bed. The door opened and Directory Fury was standing in the doorway, his hands held behind his back and his posture straight like always. "I want to – apologize – for the way not only I, but others have treated you on this ship," he cleared his throat. "For example, throwing you into that dreadful cell should never have happened."

"Well, it did happen," Eleanor replied. "But I forgive you. I can see why you thought me a threat. I seem really powerful, don't I?"

"Don't get smart," snapped Fury. "I'm trying to apologize to you and you think it's a joke."

Eleanor looked at him. "No, I don't. Thank you for apologizing."

"Is there anything I can get you, Miss Bennett? We'll be in London in absolutely no time at all."

"No, I'm fine, thanks."

"Just know this, Miss Bennett," Fury said. "You are always welcome on this ship. S.H.I.E.L.D. will always offer you a position aboard here."

Eleanor smiled. "Okay. Thank you."

The rest of the Avengers agreed to assemble one last time for the year for Eleanor's party. It was being held in the downstairs area of her home. The window of her bedroom, where Tony had rushed into earlier that month, was fixed up and the Great Gatsby was out of place on her bookshelf. A Norse mythology book was on her dresser.

Eleanor frowned, looking at herself in the full body mirror. Her mother had picked out a white, one shoulder tulle gown with a silver, crystal brooch on her right shoulder. Diamond earrings hung from her ears and her blonde hair was pulled into an elegant chignon. But looking at her reflection was scary. She had changed. Her skin was pale and cold, her eyes dead and dull. There were bags underneath her eyes which she tried to cover up with makeup, but there was really nothing she could do.

Ms. Bennett slid into the bedroom and walked up behind Eleanor, putting her hands before her daughter's eyes. In them, she held a pearl necklace. She clipped it around Eleanor's neck, but Eleanor didn't want it. It didn't make her look prettier. It only made her look wealthier. She didn't care about the accessories she wore. She knew it wasn't about making Eleanor beautiful, but making her look rich.

"Must I?" rasped Eleanor.

"Yes." Ms. Bennett pressed her lips to the top of Eleanor's head. "Show everyone how strong you are. They're all looking forward to seeing you."

"I'm not looking forward to seeing them," Eleanor muttered, turning to face her mother. "I don't want to go out there. I want to take off this dress and these stupid earrings. I don't want to go to anymore parties."

"Eleanor… what's wrong with you?" Ms. Bennett shook her head and looked into her daughter's cold eyes. "This party is yours. Without you, the party is nothing. Everyone downstairs is waiting to see you walk down those stairs." Eleanor's eyes began to well up with tears and Ms. Bennett's face turned angry. "It's him, isn't it? He's changed you."

"Say his name."

"How can I bring myself to say his name? I can't bear to think of what he did to him."

"I must see him."

You will.

Eleanor held her breath and glanced about the room. His voice rang throughout her head and she felt slightly relieved. "I'll come," she whispered to her mother. "I'll come downstairs."

So Eleanor followed her mother out of the bedroom and they walked to the staircase. Ms. Bennett's friends watched Eleanor gracefully climb down the stairs and they all clapped for her. She smiled weakly and looked around for her friends; Bruce, Tony, Natasha, Clint, and Steve were in the kitchen, all drinking. She joined them, picking up a drink herself.

"Thanks for coming," she muttered to them. "I didn't even want to come downstairs."

"You really don't like it here?" asked Tony. "You really don't like all this? Parties and… stuff?"

Eleanor shook her head. "No, I hate it."

"You know…" Tony started, looking around at everyone watching him. He smirked. "There's always room at Stark Tower for you."

"Oh," Eleanor waved an impatient hand at him. "I couldn't possibly – that's ridiculous. I mean, thank you for the offer, but that's – no."

"Brucey is staying for a while until he can get a place of his own," Tony shrugged and Bruce nodded slowly. "And don't tell me you'll have to talk to your mummy about it. You're an adult. You can make your own decisions."

"I don't know," said Eleanor quietly.

"And while you're there, you can train with S.H.I.E.L.D. to become a super spy or something."

"That would be fun," Eleanor said. "But I don't know. That's a big move."

"You think about it. We could use you in case Loki breaks out of his cell in Asgard."

Ms. Bennett pulled Eleanor away from the Avengers to meet her old school friends. Eleanor must have said 'hello, nice to meet you' about a hundred times and shook hands and kissed cheeks and hugged. There were some reporters that had snuck in along with the group and Eleanor had to answer questions.

"What was he like?"

"Where was he from?"

"Are you a spy?"

"Are you an Avenger?"

Eleanor shook her head and refused to answer any questions about them, but a very drunk Tony had interrupted. Natasha followed him around, trying to keep him from acting stupidly, but she couldn't control him. He kept pushing her off and she didn't want to break out the moves in the middle of a crowded party.

Tony draped an arm around Eleanor's shoulders and held up a glass of whiskey, which Eleanor took from him and put down on a coffee table. "This here," he slurred to the reporter. "Eleanor Bennett – great, great – hero. Hero."

Eleanor pushed him away and walked slowly back up the stairs, sneaking away from her mother and everyone else. She retired to her room, quite disappointed Loki hadn't shown up. But she knew that he wasn't stupid enough to appear in the middle of a bunch of people. Her mother would have attempted to call S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Avengers would have beaten him.

Looking down at her shoes, she whispered, "Loki…"

"Yes, my love?"

Eleanor looked up and smiled weakly. Loki was standing a few feet in front of her, wearing a beautiful suit with a long, black coat. His hair was slicked perfectly back and instead of his scepter in his hands, he had a cane. He set it against the wall and stepped forward, holding out his hand.

She knew it wasn't the real Loki standing in front of her. She knew that he was stuck in a prison on Asgard and that the Loki holding out his hand for her was just a copy he had projected onto Earth with his mind. However, the Loki seemed very real to her and knew that it was just as good as the real one.

She started to cry. Eleanor took his hand lightly and he put his other hand lightly on her waist. She held his shoulder and buried her face in his warm neck. His skin was soft and reassuring. He smelled like the woods.

"Stop your crying," he murmured into her hair. "I will find a way to escape this madness. But I fear that I will not be able to project a copy of myself onto this world for a long time, for I am very weak."

Their feet moved slowly in little circles. He had a good five inches on her. "Are you okay on Asgard?"

"Not particularly, but I am alive."

Eleanor pursed her lips. "Loki?"

"Hm?"

"I love you."

"I know you do, my love."

It pained her to know that he would not say it back. She didn't really expect him to; she never expected Loki to genuinely care for her in the first place. He wasn't going to just tell a mortal he loved her. He would think about how ridiculous it was.

Before she could even think, she felt the pressure on her hand and waist gone. She opened her eyes and she was standing alone in the middle of her bedroom. Loki was completely gone, vanished before her eyes. She wondered what was going on in Asgard that he had to go so quickly – without saying goodbye.

She was going to find him. Eleanor was going to get him back.

Eleanor kissed her mother's forehead.

No matter how annoying she had been throughout the whole ordeal, she knew it was only because her mother cared about her. She had avoiding death very narrowly and the situation she was thrown unexpectedly into was hard on her mother. Eleanor hugged Ms. Bennett close to her.

"I'll visit," she assured the older woman.

"You better, Eleanor."

"I will, mum," replied Eleanor, laughing quietly. She kissed her mother one last time and exited the ship.

"When you offered me a place to stay, I didn't think you'd actually make me work," groaned Eleanor, holding up a pane of glass. Bruce helped her stand it up as a mechanical arm popped it into place with ease. "Can't your stupid robots do all this for us?"

"First of all, they aren't stupid robots," Tony said as if really offended. Eleanor wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her palm and put her hands on her hips. "Second, I never said you wouldn't have to work for your stay. Besides, it builds character."

Tony grinned at Eleanor as he swirled around the brown alcohol in the glass he had. She reached for it and Tony pulled it away quickly. "Ah, ah, ah!" he said, holding up his finger. "The drinking age is 21 in America, sweetheart."

"I'll get you two something to drink," Pepper laughed, walking off the kitchen to get Bruce and Eleanor lemonade.

There was a soft breeze coming in through broken windows that they had yet to fix. Tony had some robots clean up the glass on the floor and the dent Loki had made was gone. It was true, though; Tony made Eleanor and Bruce do plenty of physical and manual labor to pay for their rooms. Eleanor didn't mind that much, however. The room she was offered was beautiful.

"Was your mom a complete wreck?" Bruce asked, gratefully accepted lemonade from Pepper. Eleanor nodded, drinking her's quickly.

"Crying and everything," chuckled Eleanor. "But I guess that's normal. It's a big move – London to New York."

"She's just concerned, you know that."

"I know," shrugged Eleanor, setting her cup down on the ground and holding up the next window pane. Bruce helped her as Tony watched, drinking his drink. "I know that now. I did some pretty stupid things."

"You think?" teased Bruce. "Scared us all half to death."

"Less talking, more working!" Tony shouted. He had finally started working; he was setting up the power that had gone out during all the fighting.

Bruce and Eleanor grinned at each other and continued to work. "Have you considered S.H.I.E.L.D.'s offer?" asked Bruce, grunting as he snapped another pane into place with hardly any held from the mechanical arm. Pepper went to attempt to reprogram it to help with the work load. Eleanor and Bruce took another break, drinking some more lemonade.

"I have," answered Eleanor. "But I haven't come up with an answer yet for them. They said I'd be going through a year of training with Natasha mostly, but I'm not sure what to say."

"But if you do that," continued Bruce. "You could be a bigger help to us Avengers next time there's some kind of attack on our world by a group of aliens."

"True, true," Eleanor snorted.

"Plus the benefits are great."

"Also true," nodded Eleanor. "I'll think some more about it."

That night, Eleanor crept into the living room. She pulled out her phone and found Director Fury's number. She held her thumb above the 'call' button and hesitated, thinking it over quickly.

Finally, she pushed the button and held it to her ear, lounging in the leather couch. She ran her fingers through her hair over and over again as the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Director Fury, it's Eleanor."

"Hello, Miss Bennett."

"I've come up with an answer for you."

"Excellent – and?"

"Yes, I'll help you."