DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING! NOTHING WHATSOEVER! I SWEAR!

AN: Sooooo... I was asked if I would add to my 'River and Eleven are Parents' collection, and then requested this story, well, more or less, this is the result of that. This will be rather AU, I'm afraid.

After the battle, after they had collected Loki, they limped over to the shwarma place, and bought at least one of everything, on Tony's dime, of course. Loki seemed surprised when he was pushed into a chair and given a plate full of food, but Thor simply smiled at his brother. They enjoyed their food for a little while in silence, before Tony piped up. "So, Loki, when did they get to you?"

He stiffened in his seat. "I beg your pardon, Man-of-Iron?"

"You heard me." He turned to face him full on. "Look, I saw your eyes, ok? Stuttgart, the Helicarrier, the Tower, your eyes were bright blue. The same blue as the glow stick of destiny you were holding, same blue as the Tesseract, and the same blue as the eyes of your 'minions'. Now, your eyes are green. That tells me that someone not only placed you under mind control, but was cocky enough to hand you the very thing that was controlling you."

They all stared at the two of them, and Loki seemed stunned. As they watched, a lone tear slipped down his cheek so quickly, you'd have missed it. "You are correct, Man-of-Iron, however, I am not sure when the process began."

With that he fell silent, eating his food moodily, as Thor stared at his brother sadly. They finished their meal, and joined the cleanup going on outside. Between Loki's magic, Thor's strength, Mjolnir, and the thousands of volunteers pouring in from all around the country, the streets were cleared, Red Cross shelters and MASH units were erected, buildings were converted into relief centers by night fall.

Aching and exhausted, they stumbled back to the tower, and found Fury waiting for them. He calmly informed them that Coulson was, in fact, alive, and where he was, and actually stood there as Clint, Tasha, and Steve decked him. After he picked himself back up, Tony sucker-punched him in the gut, and Bruce, rather than going green, took him down. Tony ordered him out of the tower, and informed him that it would be a good idea to stay away from the Avengers for awhile.

He handed Steve an envelope on his way out and as soon as he was gone, they rushed out the door, not bothering to clean themselves up, as they had been patched up by a couple volunteers earlier. Besides, a little dirt and blood never hurt anyone.

To say Phil was ecstatic to see them would be an understatement. He smiled broadly through jis pain-medicine induced haziness.

Natasha sat down at the foot of his bed and curled up there, watching him carefully. Clint curled up in the vent just above his bed, keeping an eye on him. Tony immediately claimed the bench on the window, and started tapping away at his StarkPad, making notes on ways to improve the equipment and thus heal Phil faster. Steve got the chair beside his bed, silently laying a stack of signed, mint-condition trading cards, with a little foxing and blood on the edges, beside Phil's hand. Bruce quietly sat on a chair one of the nurses scrounged up. Thor stood in the doorway a little hesitancy.

"Son-Of-Coul?"

Phil looked at him, "Yes Thor?"

"Loki- he- my brother wishes to make amends to you. He wishes to, apologize." Thor looked at the floor and shuffled his feet nervously. Phil looked hesitant for a second. "He won't stab me again, will he?'

Thor shook his head. "Then let him in."

Thor brought Loki over to Phil, where Loki proceeded to stare at him silently. Phil, used to such behavior from his agents, waited, fighting the pain meds trying to make him sleep. Just as he was about to give in, his eyes drifting shut, Loki finally spoke.

"Son-of-Coul, I am truly sorry for my actions against you. I hope you can forgive me. I was not in control of my own actions, and I beg of you to forgive me, even though I know that I have no excuse and-"

Phil raised a hand to cut him off. "Loki, I don't blame you. I could tell just by looking at you that you had been tortured and were probably under mind-control as well. I blame you no more than I blame Clint."

Said archer flinched in the vents, and Phil cast a knowing look in his direction, resolving to talk to him, to them all later. Loki honestly looked like a child at the moment, scared, young, vulnerable, lost, confused, and heartbroken. It struck Phil then that Asgardians aged differently than humans. "Loki… how old are you?"

"Why do you want to know?" Loki asked, trying to recover his haughty demeanor.

"I need to know. Thor." Thor sighed heavily.

"My brother is 17,000 in Midgard years. In Asgardian years, he is 17. Time passes differently between here and there. He has not yet reached his majority, he will, however, in three Asgardian years." Thor's normally booming voice was subdued. This caused a sudden flash of fury through each and every Avenger. None of them were able to stomach the thought of children getting hurt, and to find that the man that had been used, abused, and controlled, and beaten up by them, was in fact a child… they felt sick at the very thought.

Thor spoke again. "Son-of-Coul, my parents have requested that you and the rest of this team visit Asgard, to vouch for my brother. They will need proof to settle the demand for his blood, if ever it arises. We can wait until your injuries heal on your own, or I can call Heimdall to send down one of our healers. It would not leave you with a scar as bad as the one natural healing will leave you with."

Coulson considered a moment. "Alright. Send for them."

He slumped back against the pillows and closed his eyes. He was well aware of the team surrounding him as he fell asleep once more. By nightfall, Thor had one of Asgard's best healers in Coulson's room, and Coulson was nearly completely healed. He was warned to take it easy for a few days, and then he should reacclimatize himself to his normal level of physical activity slowly.

He sighed and promised to do as he was told, and she just shook her head, muttering something about stubborn, hard-headed warriors who don't do as they're told. She left, telling the team to get cleaned up, as they were expected early the next morning. Phil ordered them to go get cleaned up, and they left reluctantly. He, however, had to stay behind overnight before he was officially discharged. That night, no one slept truly easily, they were far too wired, in too much pain, and were far too reluctant to close their eyes, wary of what lay behind their eyelids.

PPOV:

They next morning, I was allowed to get dressed in my typical black suit, and discharged. I was holding one of my prized possessions, a full set of signed cards that brought together the greatest heroes on Earth, and headed to Stark Tower, calling ahead so that they would know I was on my way.

JARVIS informed me that none of them had slept well, not that I had expected any different. Tony had severe PTSD and a screwed up life. Bruce was more afraid of himself than anyone should ever have to be. Steve had PTSD and Time-Displacement Induced Shock. Natasha and Clint were both broken and damaged, maybe more so than the rest of the team and, knowing them, blamed themselves for a lot of what happened, including what happened to me. Natasha is probably going to start having flashbacks of the Red Room, and Clint is going to need some major help coming to terms with being brainwashed. So will Loki, the child used as a scapegoat. A puppet.

I sighed, and got in the elevator, as we had agreed to meet on the roof, so our departure didn't damage the Tower further.

The team was waiting, Thor holding the Tesseract. As I joined them he held it out for us to take. As soon as all of our hands were upon it, I realized. "Where's Loki?"

"He was taken back by Karia, so he could get his wounds tended to. Now, we leave." There was a brilliant flash of light, and then we were flying, light streaking past us, and suddenly, abruptly, we landed in a massive golden room, and a dark-skinned man in full armor greeted Thor. Thor nodded at him, and led us to a team of horses.

The person who had any problem mounting up was Steve, but he rode my horse, both so he would be with an experienced rider, and so that it would be ensured I did not 'damage myself further', in Thor's words. We raced along the Rainbow Bridge, and for once, I saw pure happiness on their faces.

The castle was large, grand, and impressive. It gleamed under the sun, as Thor led them inside and to the throne room. Odin and Frigga sat on thrones, with Loki seated in a chair off to the side, and on the same dais as the three of them was yet another chair, this one empty. There was a multitude of people seated around the room. Like a court, I thought.

Thor settled into this one, as Odin spoke. "Heroes of Midgard, tell us of the events that transpired, involving my son, Prince Loki."

And so we all told our version of the Battle of New York, as the press had started to call it. With each word, Odin looked sterner, and Frigga looked sadder. The stern look must've been Odin's coping mechanism, because he was silent by the time we were finished. At last he spoke again. "Thank you. My judgment is this: Loki is not to be punished, as by all accounts he was not responsible for his actions."

There was a roar of approval, before he held up a hand for silence once more. "Now I have a tale of my own to tell. One that only a handful of people in this universe know, and even fewer know the entirety of."

He sighed heavily, and continued. "My son, Loki, is adopted."

There was a round of gasps, as the news shocked the room. "17 years ago, a couple, old friends and allies of ours, made the hardest decision of their life, giving their baby up to protect him, giving him a better life. They asked, when he was old enough, that he be told this, and given the choice to meet them. Loki has known he was adopted since the incident last year. The reason I tell you this now, is because I want witnesses to Loki's choice, so that all may know that we love our sons equally, and that we would never deny him the choice to meet his family."

Loki looked stunned, looking at each of his parents and his brother in turn. The crowd stared at him as he thought. Frigga warmly hugged him, as Thor clapped him on the back. Loki seemed to steel himself. "I-I want to meet them. How do you call them?"

"I will handle that, son. I will be back in a moment." Odin strode from the throne room. Loki looked at his mother.

"Mom, why did they give me up? What was so bad, so dangerous?" He demanded. "Who are they? If they're our allies, and your friends, why have we never met them?"

"Actually, Sweetheart, you have," A female voice came from the door way, and we all turned to look.

"You just don't remember it," a male voice finished. The couple that stood in the door way was certainly striking, to say the least. The woman had a mass of golden curls that seemed to defy gravity, blood red lips, and startling grey eyes. Her curls were loose, and she wore a midnight blue gown that trailed behind her as she strode further. The man was dressed in a matching midnight tux, with a top hat and cane, his bowtie slightly askew. His dark hair was slicked back, with an errant lock falling across his dark eyes. Both outfits shimmered slightly under the lights, and jewelry gleamed on their figures.

I smiled as they drew level with me. "Doctor. River. Good to see you again."

They looked startled for a split second, before wide smiles split their faces. River laughed, leaning against her almost giddy husband.

"Hello Phil."

AN: Love it? Hate it? Read, review, tell me what you think. I will always reply if I can.