Authors Note: English is not my native language so there might be some grammar issues. Feel free to PM me about it if you find mistakes that annoy the heck out of you. I don't own anything, etc etc. Oh, and I haven't seen much of SHIELD, so my impressions of the organisations are based on the comics and movies.

In the end, it was Loki who kneeled. Under different circumstances he might have found it funny, the trickster God enjoyed the cruel japes that faith would play, even when played on himself. Irony was never lost on him. Except for this night, when he finally kneeled down in the ash and snow, unable to keep on his feet for a minute more. This night he felt no humor, only fear, and animal-like panic as his otherwise seldom outwitted mind succumbed to desperation. He had fought, he had run, he had played his tricks and come up short. There was nothing left, he knew it even as his mind still scurried from half-formed plan to half-formed lie before discarding them at the same alarming speed. In the end, it was if the tiny weight in his arms became too much, it dragged him towards the snowclad ground and it wrestled a sound from this throat he had never before spoken in earnest:

"I surrender"

Kneeled down in the snow he hung his head so that the raven hair protected him from the intense flashlight aided glares of the agents positioning themselves around him with guns traced on this frame. Normally he wouldn't fear them, but tonight was different. Concealed from their prying eyes Loki looked down at his infant daughter and the pain twisted his heart so intensely it became hard to breathe.

"Put your hands up over your head. NOW!"

The commanding voice rang out over the sound of helicopters and the faint sound of Ironmans thrusters. He recognized Captain America's voice and he was thankful Thor was not with them. No doubt his brother was hunting him in Svartalfsheim, where Loki had set a false trail for him to follow. It took all Lokis remaining willpower to beat down the instinct that called out to him to run, to shield his daughter from what would come next. With herculean effort Loki managed to beat down the horrible feeling that every time he let go of one of his children, they were snatched from him. He slowly put the tiny wrapped body on the cold ground and raised his hands. The little girl, not used to not being held by her parent, started whining and twisting as soon as Lokis hands left her body. He had to remind himself that this was what he had hoped for, even if it was the very last hope he had left.

"She is born here, in Midgard" Loki called out, and lifting his eyes to meet those of Captain America he added "She is american"

The Avengers present found themselves slightly dumbfounded by one of their nemeses suddenly surrendering after a violent fight and presenting a small child, who he claimed was american. However, SHIELD was an exemplary organization when it came to bureaucracy and they had procedures for everything, including what to do if a norse deity suddenly showed up with an infant that may or may not be a trick. So while Captain America and Ironman were still gathering their jaws from the ground, the agents sprung into action. Machines bleeped to confirm that the child was indeed real and not an illusion and engraved cuffs were slammed down on Loki's wrists and around his neck which would dampen his magic. As two agents more or less lifted Loki to his feet another moved to pick up the baby girl.

"Leave it!"

Loki's head snapped up to see the one man he believed to be the most dangerous member of SHIELD, and whom Loki had sworn never to underestimate again, come striding across the battlefield. Agent Coulson stopped a couple of steps in front of the norse god, with the baby girl in the snow between them.

"Considering it's half frost giant it won't be cold, am I right?" Agent Coulson asked, his tone as pleasantly neutral as always.
Loki didn't respond, but what he said was true. The harshest winter on Midgard would not become someone with Juntenheim blood in their veins.

"Mr. Laufeyson, SHIELD accepts your surrender into our custody. By protocol I have to ask if you know your rights, but I doubt you've familiarized yourself with such customs"

"I have the right to remain silent." Loki started, and even when so desperate as he felt, he couldn't help himself from smirking slightly at agent Coulson's raised eyebrow " Anything I say can and will be used against me in a court of law. I have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If I cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for me... Whatever an attorney is"

"Well, mr. Laufeyson, it seems you and the director have much to discuss" Agent Coulson replied without a moments hesitation and gestured for the agents holding Loki to free his arms.

"Um, what are you doing?" Tony Starks voice had a metallic tinge when filtered through the iron suits audio system.

"I believe, Mr. Stark, that Mr Laufeyson is much less likely to do something reckless if he's carrying his child" Coulson responded, but his eyes never left Lokis. The god bent down and ever so gently picked up the fuzzing child, wrapping the blankets tighter around her small body. With the necklace still in place, his magic was almost useless. There was nothing he could do not but trust in what he learnt about SHIELD from his studies, and that this law-fixated country would not judge a child based on who the mother was, as was custom in Asgard.

When Agent Coulson started to walk back to one of the helicopters Loki did not struggle as the agents still grasping his arms pushed him to follow. Capitan America, still with a confused look on the part of his face that was visible through the mask, fell in behind them. When they were secure in the Helicopter (Loki more secured than the rest of them) the Captain asked:

"Boy or girl?"

Loki looked up at him, green eyes gleaming fiercely, mind searching for mockery or insult in the patriots voice, but he found none. After a moment of stone cold silence between them accompanied by the roaring of the rotors as the helicopter rose into the pitch black night

Loki responded: "Girl"

"What's her name?"

The question hit him with more force than a blow from the Hulk as he realized no-one had ever asked that very small question about any of his children before. Hugging the little body closer to his chest, he replied in a voice strangely void of snark and hostility:

"Hela. Her name is Hela".

Notes: The first couple of chapters are bound to be a little bit angsty. But the next one has Tony in it! Yay Tony!