"Well, it looks like you all are just about done fixing this mess." Fury informed us. He slapped down a large manila folder on the conference table, each of us wincing with the amount of paper work, release forms, and money transfers as they collided with the wood.

"You're just lucky I'm so god damn rich. And so ridiculously generous," Tony Stark curtly replied, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair, his freshly-pressed, gray pinstripe suit creasing slightly at his waist. Natasha Romanov sat in the padded conference chair next to the billionaire, listening to the meeting like an administrator analyzing a classroom of teenagers. Bruce Banner sat next to her, his brown eyes and blank face absent of most emotion. If anything, he looked slightly in pain. On the other side of the table sat Thor and Steve Rogers, both surprisingly dressed in casual wear of this era for once. At Tony's words, Steve sent a disapproving glance his way.

"No, Stark." Fury declared, his stern voice reprimanding. "If you couldn't put forth the money, then it would be your ass hauling out every single piece of concrete and re-bar of damaged civilian property that you and your team caused to fall out of the sky! Because sure as hell, even with it's last ten years of taxes the nation's great city of New York couldn't even cover the damage!" Fury banged his fist on the conference table, sending a loud thump reverberating about the small room.

All was silent for a single, shocked moment. I looked to Steve, who just opened his mouth to probably protest how wrongly accused we were, but leave it to Tony to make his own almighty opinion heard.

"Wait, are you saying that you're dumping the blame on us? The heroes that stood up to an entire outer space army lead by a megalomaniac moron and risked our lives for the people of this city, of, of this nation, even, are to blame for what happened here? We saved all those bastards out there, and now they're dumping this on us?" Tony exclaimed, obviously offended. "It's not like we're not helping!" He turned to the rest of us.

"Do you guys see the thanks we're getting?" I started to shake my head, but stopped after receiving a one-eyed death glare from Fury.

"Listen. I don't like this either. There's a lot of powerful people out there controlling this city, and some of which we've managed to piss off. It's my job to get things back to normal, so you guys can get back to being superheroes, or whatever the hell you want to call yourselves, and I can get back to my relaxing home in Malibu, and a bed that I haven't seen in months!" Fury concluded, ignoring a snort from Tony. I couldn't help but smirk. Even after all my years of knowing Nick, I still haven't figured him out. Just like Tony had said, the guy has more than just an empty socket hidden behind that eye patch, it's masking his entire life.

"But what I really did come here to say is, before Stark decided to make this entire discussion about him-" Fury he held up a single hand to silence Tony before he could protest, "I'm turning you all loose. SHIELD and I will continue managing the clean up of New York, so between our weekly sweeps of the city, you are free to do whatever you wish to do with your time. Keep your phones on, because I don't know when the next world-enslaving villain is going to show his face. That is all." And with that, the 6 of us Avengers stood up, nodded once to Fury, then left the all-too-familiar SHEILD conference room behind...


"I feel like we should throw a party or something. Vodka, anyone?"

It was the night after Fury's last conference, and we were crashing in Tony's place at Stark Tower to celebrate, so to speak. Well, of us except Bruce, that is. Tony and Pepper had the building fixed in a stunning month, though maybe that wasn't much of a surprise since Tony had employed half of New York to get it back to normal as fast as possible. The Tower kind of turned into the Avengers' base, since not only Tony and Pepper now lived there (Tony in spotted intervals, of course), but also Thor, Bruce and Steve. Thor lived with Tony not only because he really didn't have a place, but mostly because none of us trusted him quite yet to be on his own. We liked to say he was still... "adapting to Midgardian society." Bruce was going to return to India and bury himself in anonymity again, but Tony had convinced him otherwise. The promise of a lab was probably included somewhere in the deal. Steve on the other hand did start renting an apartment nearby, but somehow he always ended up at Tony's place.

"Yeah, yeah Tony. Any reason for you to drink more." I replied as I leaned against the back of Tony's leather sofa. Natasha sat on the edge next to me, her feet dangling a foot off the ground as she swung them absently, probably unaware that the motion made her look -may I say it?- cute. I considered reaching for her hand, but decided against it.

"Hey now. I just want to have a good time." Tony joked, smiling, and grabbed two glasses at the mini bar across the room, going ahead and pouring two drinks. I was about to ask why, but then he turned to Thor.

"Come on, buddy. Have you ever passed up a drink?"

"You know me well, Tony." Thor beamed, and then took the glass, downing half of it almost immediately. So is this what they teach their princes in Asgard? How to down strait Vodka in one gulp? Very useful skill for ruling a kingdom, I must say...

"So, Widower and SnakeEye, you guys still Fury's little servants?" Tony poked, settling himself on a bar stool in front of us. The man always seemed inclined to tempt me to punch him.

"He hasn't indicated otherwise." Natasha responded, her voice smooth and controlled like usual. "I suppose that's because we can easily take care of any conflict that arises without use of the Avengers." I smirked when Tony's lower lip twitched. Natasha did have a way with landing stealthy blows on Tony Stark's massive ego.

But he was right. Fury's address to the rest of the team earlier that day didn't really apply to us. We'd been running missions for him all throughout the month of reparations on New York, and we didn't expect that to stop any time soon. Fury had us assigned to a separate unit, where we joined another man by the name of Ethan Price (code name Gunner) and worked jobs over in the Middle East. Fury had a knack for extreme paranoia, so Ethan, Nat and I were the ones he sent out as soon as a pin dropped over there. We also covered the little issues that popped up in the U.S. Lot's of mafia and political conflicts, where some idiot got involved with the wrong people and suddenly there's a gunman on every street corner waiting for him. Someone phones Fury, Fury phones us, and we take care of the head guy. Regardless of what, we've been busy. Very busy.

"Fair enough." Tony finally said. "At least you guys didn't have to participate in this 'let's clean Loki's shit up' gig of ours. That bastard Fury made me fly 7 full size buses to a junk yard 2 miles outside the city limits! Who does he think I am? Iron Man?"

At that Tony burst into laughter, his drink spilling over the edge of his glass. I couldn't help but laugh at that one. If I wasn't mistaken, Natasha may have even cracked a smile. I glanced over at Steve to see if he had lightened up a bit, but I just found him staring worriedly at Tony. I sighed inwardly. If Tony didn't watch himself, we were all going to have to witness a speech from Mr. Morals...

Tony seized his laughing, and went to take another gulp. "I'm hilarious, aren't I? Now I know why you guys all love me so much." But as his thick glass touched his lips, Steve shot forward and took it right out of Tony's hand. "HEY!"

"You also need to take it a bit slower, Tony. At this rate you'll be at glass number 6 before we even get to the movie." Steve corrected, placing the glass on the other side of the table before settling back down in his chair. Tony sighed.

"Fine, Rogers. Just for you." Then suddenly his brown eyes flicked up to me. "What movie did you say it was again, Clint? It better be good, or I'm gonna say you should have let me pick."

"The A-Team." I replied. "Stuff blows up, so it's probably pretty good. It's on HBO tonight. You do get HBO here, don't you?"

"Sounds entertaining! But seriously, Clint. I'm offended." Tony mocked a pout. "'Course I do, I have HBO1,2, 3, all the way through 37!"

"Tony, there aren't ev-"

"I know, I know. But I had to say that, because I need to have better stuff than everyone else around me, remember?"

I sighed, but an unwilling smile crept across my lips. "You can be such an ass sometimes, you know that?"

"I've been told before." Tony grinned, clapping me on the shoulder as he walked by. Our eyes followed him.

"Well, pizza's here in 14. We eat, then after our food settles, Clint and I have a cage match to the death, and then if we're still feeling up to it, it's movie time at 10. Sound good with everyone?" Tony asked, turning on a heel to face us again. I smirked as we all nodded.

"You're on." But a part of me really hoped he was joking about the cage match...


It had been a week. A pretty quiet week too, if I may say. Natasha and I rented a place in New Jersey, a small apartment on the 8thfloor with a nice view of the river. Fury called and said he didn't see any "immediate upcoming disasters" but that he'd call us again as soon as he did. I didn't doubt that for a minute. So, judging by the fact Natasha and I hadn't stayed in one place for more that two nights in a row for the last month, we decided to settle. But I found out pretty soon us assassins didn't 'settle' very well.

"Natasha! Why are there 3 deadbolts on this door?" I called out as I walked by the front door that afternoon. They were shiny silver, with neatly drilled screws holding them in place. Yep. Definitely new. I heard footsteps in the hall and I looked up to see Natasha walking towards me, her red hair grown just a bit longer since Loki's attack. I sighed as I looked into her green eyes, all anger from a moment ago gone. I used to be immune to her natural grace, but ever since I told her I loved her, I was just as weak as the rest of them.

Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around me, sliding her hands across my back and pulling me into a hug. Leaning my head on her shoulder and burying my face in her soft hair, I breathed in the scent of her cherry-blossom shampoo.

"There was only one when I rented this place." I murmured into her ear. She stroked my back softly, her elegant fingers trailing up to the seam of my t-shirt.

"Exactly. So three is better." She replied, gently lifting my head off her shoulder. Our breath caused a sphere of warm air between our lips as we slowly drifted into the adoration in each others eyes. "Wouldn't you agree?" Natasha smiled up at me, and unwilling to resist the urge, I leaned forward to kiss her. But before I could, I felt her slender finger pressed against my lips and a warning glance in her eyes.

"Watch it, Barton," She began, pulling away. "I don't want you compromised." But to that I just smiled and grabbed her arms in a strong, yet caring, grip as I turned her to look at me. Because in her eyes I saw years of my life, years of memories and experiences together. All the pain, the joy, the excitement, the trial and the victory of every single mission we shared. And I remembered each time that I looked into those eyes, I fell just a bit more until finally, I ended up in her arms.

"I already am." And with that, I kissed her.


So maybe I got slapped.

If I thought regular women were hard enough to read, Natasha Romanov was a whole new challenge. All I can say for her is that she's lucky I have some self control, because I did come pretty close to hitting her back. But hey, she was nice enough to fetch me a bag of ice.

"So what did we learn today, Agent Barton?" Natasha asked as she lounged next to me on our couch, her feet draped across my lap. Did she enjoy tempting me? I sighed in defeat as I pressed the cool ice against the side of my face. I feared it would bruise...

"I can't kiss you, but you can kiss me." I bluntly answered, repeating what she had told me moments before. Then suddenly I turned to her, lowering the ice from my cheek. "But seriously, that doesn't even make se-"

"Shhh, Clint." Natasha said, leaning forward and pressing her fingers to my lips once again. "I'm a woman, It doesn't have to." With that she flashed me a mocking smile because she knew she had won, and then stood, walking over to the kitchen.

"There's lasagna in the fridge if you want some. I'm off to SHIELD, Fury wanted me to check something for him." Natasha said, not looking up as she grabbed her bottle of Starbucks Mocha Cappuccino and took a few gulps.

"What? Why? Fury said he was going to leave us alone." I questioned, confused. I was hoping she'd stick around for once.

"It's nothing big. Just a few reconnaissance pictures from the west that need analyzing. I'll be back by ten." She replied, sounding much like the receptionist from a business firm that works by the calendar like a clock.

I sunk back into the soft leather sofa with a sigh. "Guess I'll be at Tony's."

"Of course." And then she was gone with the soft, but solid, thump of a closing door.

And there I was. Left alone on the couch in an empty apartment. Again. My head fell back as I stared at the scattered stucco pattern stamped into the ceiling, letting my eyes follow its mindless path. Should I go to Tony's? He's got a great firing range in the basement. Plus Thor's there. They're probably watching football or hockey. Or drinking. Tony had been doing a lot of that lately. I thought maybe it was just the stress of cleaning up New York. But now it seems he does it out of boredom. Steve hasn't been doing too well either. We met over at Tony's one day for a weapon check, and he looked pretty downcast. Don't blame the guy. Free time has given him free thought. He probably misses her...

Bored. I think we all were, in some way or another. We weren't complacent, we were restless. Pretty soon Thor would request a vacation to Asgard in evil's absence, and then Tony would go back to building arc-powered missiles in his bedroom. Although Natasha seemed content enough with Fury's few assignments, I wasn't. I fear it's just me, but I found myself waiting, almost hoping, for something bad to happen. Maybe not awful, no, because awful would be too much trouble, but just a decent challenge with a decent foe. No more, no less. But god be damned if Fury caught me thinking these things.

So with that I shut my eyes and waited. It was only 3 hours...


"Maintaining cruising altitude and enjoying the newly rebuilt sights of New Yo- Wait a second, Fury. I think you missed a spot."

Tony's mocking voice came through the radio as we all sat in the conference room of Stark Tower, watching as Tony projected his sights onto the large flat screen on the wall. And sure enough, the streets were clean and most of the buildings rebuilt, except for a block and a half near the bottom of Tony's view that showed a significant amount of rubble and orange warning cones in the intersection.

"Stark, I'd advise you to keep your gaze onwards and your unnecessary comments to yourself before I send Agent Romanov to shoot you out of the sky." Fury replied sternly.

"Okay, okay. Just joking, geez. But everything looks fine from up here." Tony continued, sounding slightly out of breath as he made a sharp turn towards Time Square for a final check. "Thor, you see anything out of the ordinary?"

"Nothing," Thor said, his voice barely audible over the rushing of wind over his earpiece. I still couldn't accept the fact that that guy could actually fly. "However, there appears to be an old woman struggling with some groceries, I think I shall-"

"Thor! Leave the lady alone, you'll probably give her a heart attack just by showing up! That hammer of yours and all the res tof you with it. What do you weigh, like, 375 pounds?"

"STARK!"Fury nearly yelled. "You two can chat over coffee later, but right now, eyes on the street!"

"Ay ay Captain, geez." Tony breathed, and his digital sights trailed back down to the street as Jarvis projected zoomed images of whatever specifics Tony set his eyes on. "But I already told you, there's no-"

Just then Tony's screen flashed a blinding white and cracked down the center, just as a deafeningly cacophonous static erupted in the room. "Holy SHI-IT!" Tony's voice cracked and suddenly the screen showed Tony spiraling towards the ground. "What the FU- jus- SHIT!" The audio of a violent crash rebounded off the walls of the conference room, causing us all to jump.

"Get your ASSES over here, RIGHT NOW!" Tony yelled as his sights continued to crack and flash sickeningly. And it didn't take any more than that for the remaining Avengers to grab our weapons and get to the roof. Jumping into one of SHIELD's jets, it took us a max of 4 minutes to get to where Tony was. Landing the hover jet in the street in a quickly clearing mass of panicked New Yorkers, we ran out of the jet and looked towards the source of the chaos. Iron Man shot into the sky from what was previously a building, and began firing blast after blast down the street.

I snapped my bow open, and knocked an explosive arrow as we ran forward down the street, our eyes straining to focus on whatever or whoever Tony was firing at. I heard a few people yell, "Look! It's the Avengers!" But their shouts of joy were spotty at best, because they seemed to know the seriousness of the situation more than we did. But then, suddenly a blast of green flew into a building, energy crackling through its supports until the entire thing crumbled to the ground. Screams echoed through the air as the ground shook with enough magnitude to almost bring down two more buildings.

"Dammit!" I yelled, covering my head as rubble propelled itself through the air, raining down on everyone in the vicinity. I turned around to Rogers and Natasha and yelled, "Get the civilians out of here!" I ducked again as another tremor tore itself through the ground, and desperately threw a look towards Banner, who was bracing himself against an abandoned car. His confused gaze met mine.

"Now would be a good time, Doctor!" I yelled at him as I ran forward. I heard the familiar tear of fabric followed by a tremendous roar and footsteps of a weight that nearly challenged that of the falling building. We ducked between some scattered cars until finally we reached the location Tony kept focusing all of his shots.

In the middle of the 8 lane road was a large pile of torn up asphalt and an assortment of public transportation vehicles towering 30 feet into the air. But at the very top, there was a fluctuating white-ish green glowing dome that sent out crackling bolts of energy.

"Holy shit..." I breathed as I stared in dreadful awe. I specifically said 'not awful', didn't I? Taking a deep breath and cursing myself for even thinking, I drew back my bow and prepared to launch an arrow when suddenly the dome disappeared in a blinding flash of white light. I blinked quickly, urging my retinas to recover, and just as I could see again, my eyes widened at the single figure standing tall on top of the mass of cars.

"H-keye! Wh- at the -ll you waiting for?" Tony's crackled voice blasted through my earpiece from his latest crater a few blocks back. I began to re-extend my draw, but suddenly I was locked under the man's stare.

"Miss me?" He said, his voice confident and mocking as he slowly walked towards me, long black leather coat flowing at his ankles.

"Who the hell are you?" I demanded, my voice slightly shaky as I tried to keep my shot aimed. But the man with the jagged, short black hair just smiled a kind of sick, twisted grin.

"You forget me so soon? I thought I had made a better first impression, Agent Barton." My eyes went wide, and I felt my draw weaken as the man stopped just a few feet away from me, easily pushing the tip of my arrow away from his chest.

"For I am Loki of Asgard, and I expect you to kneel."


[end first chapter!] Let me know what you think! :)

[[[Author's Note: At this point I'm currently writing Chapter 5 and I realize now the fact that this story may require a bit of explanation in order to keep the reader's interest, because I feel that I am lying to you all! At the end of this chapter you don't know this yet, but hey, it only takes the first sentence of the next chapter to have you realize- Surprise! Not actually Loki. I've been saying for a while now that yes, Loki will show up, but well, he has a very complicated plan figured out, so it takes a few chapters for that to come into play! This is where the explaining comes in :)

To me, this fanfic functions in 3 separate plot sections. The first is the conflict with The Sorcerer, the second is the realization and execution of Loki's plan (yippee!), and the third and final plot is the most important villain and conflict (but also unifying factor -hint hint!-) of this fanfiction. You guys excited yet? Yep, I got this all planned out!

So perhaps I've given too much away, but I couldn't fit a proper summary in the space provided, and I feel you guys need a better outline of this fanfic! But then again... where's the surprise in that? But I haven't told you all everything yet, so keep posted cause I'll keep writing! ;3 Fanfic ON!) ]]]