As the weeks slowly passed, Thor stood ever vigil at his Brother's side. It was a heart-wrenching struggle to keep Loki calm whenever anyone who was not Thor entered the room. But after the first week Loki learned to accept the faces of his unexpected caretakers who chose to look after him. Luckily for Thor, he had managed to make contact once more with Jane Foster and would spend some of his precious time with her as well. Her presence made Thor feel as though he were home and in the care of his own family.

Bruce never left the tower. He was tired of always needing to run and hide, it was nice to wake up in the same place morning after morning. Though Loki accepted him as a doctor and was willing to admit that Bruce saved his life, he had yet to forgive Bruce for smashing him repeatedly into the floor. Not that something so extreme would be easy to get over anyway. Whenever Bruce attempted to check his vitals Loki would resist, not allowing the doctor to get an accurate reading. Luckily J.A.R.V.I.S. was capable of detecting what Bruce could not through the sensors and monitors. And fortunately Bruce had learned several tricks along his journeys, namely how to talk another person into either helping him or the at the very least, cooperating with him. To mention is was fortunate for Loki that Bruce had gained some degree of control over 'the other guy' and was able to put up with Loki's frustrating behavior. Seeing fear in the eyes of another person that looked into his own was a familiar and painful notion that Bruce had built an emotional defense against.

As for Tony, all he did when he was asked to look in on Loki was verbally reprimand and remind the God how he broke his window and tried to blow him up with invading aliens!

Loki was not amused but Tony was. That's all that mattered.

Though Tony did have a bit of soft spot for the fallen God. After all, the two of them did have a lot in common: Both came from less than nurturing homes, both have 'daddy issues' and they both have great difficulty with not only asking for help but admitting that they need help to begin with. Whenever one of them was in a talkative mood, (usually Tony) they found that by expressing their pain to one another it was a rather therapeutic experience. But Tony had spent as much time as possible back at his home in Malibu, while Pepper managed to rework her schedule to allow her to spend more time at the tower in New York. Of course Tony got lonely without her and started to travel with her back and forth from Malibu to New York, almost envious of the attention she was paying to another broken soul.

Pepper was easily the most helpful and willing of the caretakers, looking after someone as stubborn as Tony Stark was great practice for dealing with the needs of a fallen God. Every day she forced Loki to get up and walk around the tower, he needed to rebuild his strength and muscle mass after laying so idle and weak. Loki tried to repel her touch, but whenever she came near him he would instantly remember how she had been a calming presence during his first night in the tower. She even allowed Loki to lean his full weight against her as they walked through the tower. Sometimes, on a good day, Pepper got him to join her in a conversation, tearing away the walls of fear and suspicion.

Though Pepper was able to easily sense Loki's need to retain a strong persona. When they'd take their walks together she would cover the hand he placed on her arm for balance, with her own hand. This gave the appearance that Loki was simply being a gentleman and escorting a lady about the tower.

However, even with all the progress the God had made in his time with the Midgardian's and their unexpected care Loki , remained the most difficult and stubborn patient that anyone had ever seen. He refused to allow anyone to assist him for anything, always putting up a fight. In a suprising twist of fate, Loki was surprised that everyone seemed to welcome his fights, it was a stealthy way to monitor his progress as he recovered and regained his strength. Then again, he refused to eat, convinced that the sustenance was laced with poison. Thor had to hold him down and force him to take the nourishment for the first several days before Loki would admit that no one was attempting to kill him. Not to mention the indignity that comes from being force-fed by ones 'big brother'.

After the third week passed, Loki no longer needed to heavy bandages to protect his injuries or the assistance of Pepper to walk around the tower, but he would allow her to accompany him insisting that he was only doing so ease her mind about his activities. He'd never be able to admit that he truly enjoyed her company.

Too bad Loki was in the company of people who could be very stubborn, sometimes more stubborn than a God!

The situation looked brighter as Loki was finally able to put up decent bouts during training exercises with Thor. When he was able to hold his own against Thor all concern for Loki's health seemed to disappear. The bouts would grow increasing longer and more difficult, causing the two Gods to battle for hours on end. Loki would not admit that he had missed spending time with his Brother, even if it did revolve around combat. Thor knew the truth but remained silent to 'spare' Loki an embarrassment that might stem from Brotherly bonds.

The road to recovery was long and painful but soon Loki would find himself unable to hide his appreciation for his rescuers.***

When at last the six weeks had passed, and Loki was strong enough to carry his own weight once more, the two Brothers' had decided to take their leave.

"Friends. I thank you for your kindness and patience these past… What did you refer to them as, 'weeks'?"

"Six weeks. Six long, long weeks…" Tony answered in his less than happy tone.

"Then we shall take our leave. Let us-"

A large explosion from out at sea echoed loudly in the tower. The five occupants looked out the window and saw a large plume of smoke rising from the horizon.

Pepper turned on the TV in time to see a breaking news bulletin flash onto the screen with a blonde woman ready to break the story.

'Breaking news from New York harbor. It appears that a large bomb has detonated itself in the middle of the ocean. Sources cannot identify the cause of the explosion but it has been confirmed that radioactive particles could be released from the bomb and could potentially contaminate the surrounding water. '

"Radiation?" Pepper covered her mouth in concern.

"Well, whatever amount of radiation enters the water, it should be diluted by-" Bruce was cut off.

A second explosion, this time from the sky, shook the entire tower and forced the entire city below to a halt. For the first time in years, the city remained still in silent contemplation.

"Two explosions. One from the ocean and the other from the sky. That is not an accident." Tony was watching the smoke clouds, studying their pattern and distance from the city.

"Tony, what's going on?" Pepper was getting scared.

"I think that those explosions belong to a certain eye-patch wearing secret agent."

"S.H.I.E.L.D.? You think they're up to something?" Bruce was getting as nervous as Pepper. He still didn't trust the secret organization, and for good reason.

"Bruce, you know as well as I how much they've lied to us. Can you imagine how many secrets we didn't find? Yet…"

"Friend Stark, are you suggesting that this attack is one of intent?"

"Unfortunately yes. And I think I need to take a closer look."

Tony walked away from the group of worried allies and headed for his workshop. It was time to don the armor.

"Wait a minute. J.A.R.V.I.S., what have you picked up?" Bruce had become quite used to relying on the computer for answers.

'Sir, I am detecting an unusually high concentration of radioactive energy emanating from both explosions sites. The total estimated amount of toxic waste has been concentrated is far greater than any other known source found in all historical records.'

"Pepper, I need you and J.A.R.V.I.S. to try and hack into the S.H.I.E.L.D. mainframe." Tony reappeared in his armor, his scarred armor from the final battle with the Chitauri, the Mark VII.

"Where are you going Tony?" Pepper was being stern.

"Like you really need to ask." In a sudden burst of energy, Tony flew from the tower though the opened landing and flew off toward the direction of the smoke and explosions.

Bruce and Pepper anxiously awaited for his radio contact to inform them on the situation.

Thor decided that he needed to assist Tony he couldn't let his friend go face danger alone.

"Loki, wait for me here. I am off to aid Friend Stark."

Thor used his strength to spin his hammer and fly off in the same direction as Tony, hoping he wouldn't arrive too late to assist.

Loki walked up behind Bruce and Pepper, his curiosity overriding his personal grievances that still lingered against the two people who remained.

"Pep- Can-hear- Pepp- hear me?" Tony's voice, muffled by heavy static, finally responded to the tower over the radio.

"Tony? I can barely hear you!"

"Radi- rupting-ignal. This-not-dent."

"What? Tony try again… J.A.R.V.I.S., can you do something?"

"I am attempting to boost the signal now."

Suddenly Tony's voice came in loud and clear. "I repeat, this was not an accident! You need to-" A sudden static wave shot over Tony's voice and the communicator fell silent.

"Tony? Tony! What happened? Are you alright?"

Silence.

'Miss Potts, I am no longer able to read any signal from the Mark VII.'

"What? J.A.R.V.I.S., how is that possible?"

Bruce saw something approaching from the distance. "Look at that, there's something coming our way." He pointed out the window.

Pepper gasped when she realized that what was returning to the tower was Thor, with the Mark VII armor hanging lifelessly over his shoulder. Thor landed with a heavy thump on the exposed strip of the tower, Bruce and Pepper ran to their friends while Loki stood back just watching the scene unfold in silence. Use his strong hands Thor managed to lay Stark down on the floor without causing any further damage.

"Thor? What happened?" Pepper saw that the God was dripping wet, while the battle-scarred armor remained without power as the Arc Reactor in its chest flickered in and out, a static pulse accompanying every blink.

"He had fallen from the sky. He could not return to the surface. I retrieved him as quickly as I could."

Bruce had managed to remove the helmet exposing Tony's face. Inside the mask they saw Tony pale and sweating heavily, barely breathing.

"Oh no." Bruce pulled Pepper away from Tony. "J.A.R.V.I.S., scan for radiation levels."

'I am detecting a dangerous level of radiation. It appears the entire suit has been contaminated.'

"Get back." Bruce stepped forward and began to remove the armor from Tony. Once freed, Bruce took the armor and asked Thor to help him carry it into the workshop out of harms way.

Pepper ran back to her ailing boyfriend. The radiation had made him very sick, very fast despite the protection of the armor.

"Tony? Look at me. You're going to be fine." She was cradling his head on her lap. "J.A.R.V.I.S., what can we do."

'His exposure has been severe, the armor was not sufficient to withsa=tand the radiation or maintain power long enough for a return flight. There is little that can be done.'

"No, no, no…" She ran hand over his forehead and hair. "Come on, Tony. Wake up."

Loki stood in awe. During his short stint on Earth he had seen this same human risk himself once before. However this time he has come much closer to death than the last. Now he lay helpless, weak and dying. Just as he had been not long ago. He was lost in thought. 'If I save can save the human, perhaps they will keep their word and leave me be."

"Please, stand aside." Loki broke his silence and he approached Pepper who was still holding Tony, she was near tears. "I can save him."

"What? How?"

"Please, stay back."

Reluctantly Pepper stood up and stepped back. She watched as Loki placed one hand on Tony's forehead and the other hand on Tony's chest. A small green glow began to shine from beneath Loki's hands. The God closed his eyes and began to silently concentrate as the Arc Reactor's normal blue hue changed to a gentle green.

Thor and Bruce reappeared in the room in time to see Loki trying to assist the downed hero. Bruce's first reaction was to get to Tony as quickly as possible but Thro's strong grip on his shoulder kept him in place.

"Loki? What are you doing to him?"

"You know as well as I that I require silence, Brother."

Thor wanted to explain to both Bruce and Pepper what Loki was attempting but when Thor saw the fear in Bruce's eyes, he knew that his friends understood that there was nothing any Midgardian medicine could do to save Tony. An Asgardian cure was the last plausible hope and they were willing to rely on it.

The green light from beneath Loki's hands got steadily brighter, as the light grew stronger Loki seemed to grow weaker. A quick flash of white light and feeling of warmth filled the entire room and disappeared within the blink of an eye.

Loki fell to his side, weak and tired. Tony opened his eyes and sat up quickly taking in gasping breaths. Pepper was beside herself with relief, she collapsed on the floor next to him wrapped her arms around Tony and began to kiss him.

"What the hell happened?" Tony just stared at Loki.

Thor approached his Brother and lifted him back to his feet. "On Asgard, Loki was the greatest user of Magic, perhaps a master that could not be equaled. He had even learned to use this power to transfer the energy of one person into another. In this case, Loki absorbed the sickness that had taken Friend Stark and through this process, Stark could heal."

"Whoa, wait a minute." Tony covered his face with his hands. "You mean, it takes him six weeks to heal from cuts and bruises but he can absorb a lethal dose of radiation and walk away just a little sleepy? That's not cool! And very unlikely."

"I swear to your Friend Stark, if Loki had the capability of healing his body without assistance, he would have. But Father's power had prevented Loki's body from regenerating from his poor health. His Magic had been blocked."

"So, what unblocked his magic exactly?" Bruce was walking toward Tony.

"Time and distance. He needed time to heal and he needed to be away from Father's powers."

Bruce had kneeled down next to Tony and began to check his pulse. "Well, whether it was 'cool' or not, he just saved your ass."

Tony pulled himself up to his feet. "Yeah, well, maybe he can save everyone else's ass' too."

"Tony, what happened? What about the bombs?" Pepper suddenly remembered the explosions.

"Those bombs were detonated on purpose. I don't know who the target was but right now it doesn't matter. If that radiation reaches any coastal population, they are in big trouble."

"I can handle it." Bruce stepped up.

"Not out in the ocean, pal." Tony reminded the eager scientist of the location.

"But I can." Thor held out his hammer with pride.

"Right, but how can you stop radioactive fallout?" Tony loved pointing out the obvious, even if it wasn't necessary.

"With my magic." Loki finally spoke up.

"We're going to trust the only two Asgardian's on Midgard, to protect Midgard?" Tony was not thrilled.

"We don't have a choice." Bruce enthusiastically vouched for the volunteers.

"Okay, you're right. Look Thor…" He glanced at Loki. "And Loki. If you do this and S.H.I.E.L.D. is responsible, I don't think we'll be able to bail you out if you get caught stopping their little game of target practice."

"Then we shall not get caught." Loki was sounding more confident with every sentence.

Thor laughed. "Then Brother, shall we?"

"Before I take my leave of this dreadful tower I wish to acknowledge your assistance toward my recovery health. I do not see any of you as friends or allies, but I do see that you are compassionate. Perhaps even worthy of trust. But for now, I will shall merely thank you for your kindness."

Smiling at his Brother's gratitude, Thor used his hammer to once more take off into the sky with Loki.

"Hold it there 'Mario Brothers', just so you know, if you need to a place to hideout; this tower is yours. Think of it as a second home. Alright?" Tony tried to sound as if he didn't care but it was clear that he was in fact grateful for Loki saving his life.

Tony, Pepper and Bruce watched as thundering clouds followed the Brothers out into the ocean.

"You know Pepper I think that once they take care of that radiation, we aren't going to see either one of them again for a long time." Tony interrupted the lingering silence.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"I think it depends on where they end up going."

Bruce chimed in. "You know Tony, Loki did save your life."

"I know. But I technically we saved him first, so now we're even. Wait, I take that back. He still owes me one for throwing me out the damn window."

"But he didn't have to do it. He wasn't keeping score." Pepper tried to bring Tony's thoughts back to the present.

"He didn't have to throw me out the damn window either! I liked that window."

Tony didn't have anything else to add. And Bruce was right, Loki had no reason to save his life. As far as anyone was concerned, leaving Tony to die was unavoidable. No one knew that Loki had the ability to heal him, even Thor seemed surprised by the gesture.

As the day wore on, the three tower patrons watched on the news as a sudden thunderstorm seemed to miraculously appear and shift the oceanic tides with the contaminated water away from any major population and how the radiation levels seemed to be dropping at a fantastic rate. The top scientists in the world were trying to give any plausible reason for the phenomenon but everyone in the tower knew it was all a bunch of bull! They just grinned knowing that they were in good hands.

"Hey Tony."

"Yeah Banner?"

"Think S.H.I.E.L.D. is going to have a little chat with you after this?"

"Probably. But I'm just going to tell them the truth."

"And what's the truth?"

"Everything that happened, you know, the radiation being eliminated by the two Gods that you invited into the tower; was your fault! They'll go after you and leave me and Pepper alone."

"Thanks for the support buddy.

"No problem."

After a few moments of quiet tension, J.A.R.V.I.S. computerized voice filled the air. 'Sir, I am no longer able to detect the presence of either Thor or Loki. It can be confirmed that they have left the East Coast. Also, there is an 'Agent Hill' attempting to make contact. Shall I connect with her?'

Tony smiled smugly at Pepper who sat beside him on the couch, then turned his focus to Bruce who was sitting on the other side of Pepper. He gaged their reactions before answering J.A.R.V.I.S. in the affirmative.

"Sure, patch her though. Gee, I wonder what's up..." His sarcasm only drew rolled eyes from Pepper and a smirk from Bruce.

-The End

Author's Note: Now, I wanted to have a super climactic ending but in order to do that, I'd have to write at least another 10 chapters. I know I have a lot of dedicated readers who were really into this story but I don't think I have the energy to pull off another 10 chapters. Besides, if I were to end this story with all answers given, then that'd make it hard to write a potential second story that revolves around Loki and Thor alone. Or to bring in Captain America or HawkEye or Black Widow.

As for the "Mario Bros." reference. Come on! Thor is the slightly older brother with a thicker build, higher popularity, carries a friggin' hammer and wears red! Loki, the younger brother, is leaner, is well known though not as much as his brother and wears green! Clearly this connection is brilliant! ;)

Any questions that you feel were poorly answered during this story, ask and I shall do my best to answer. As for the obvious: "What's with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the nuclear bombs?" That's an answer for another time, another story!

Thank you for reading! I appreciate all your support and feedback!