A/N: I'm going to go out on a limb here, and do something very very bad to my precious characters. I swear I love them...I really do...so I'm seeing Age of Ultron this Friday night, and I have not read the comics, so I don't know how this will turn into Civil War, or the third Thor movie...so, yeah, this will be my whacked out version of the end of AOU, and how to tie in the other movies...sort of. Anyways, lots of angst, torture, just feels in general. You were warned...

"One son who doesn't want the throne, another who wanted it too much. Is this to be my legacy?" Odin asks.

Thor looks at his father, still hurting after seeing his brother die in his arms. "Loki died with honour. I shall try to live the same. Let that be your legacy."

Odin looks at his son, with no change of tone. "I cannot give you my blessing, nor can I wish you good luck. Even if I could, it could only come from my heart...Go..."

Thor sets down his hammer in front of the throne.

"It is yours, if you are worthy enough to wield it."

"I shall try to be. Thank you." Thor bows, and turns to leave, closing the grand doors behind him.

Odin's appearance changes, revealing Loki, having been in disguise all along. "No...thank you." Smirking like the trickster he his, having pulled another one over his stupid brother, Loki basks in his achievement. Finally, he is king. Even if he has to stay in Odin's form...it will just make things less cumbersome...he is still the ruler of Asgard. Things are finally going his way.

Months pass without much to excite him over. Loki is lounging on his throne, his pale fingers of his true self moving sensually up and down the staff. He is bored. He can't play tricks and go through his schemes as king. He finds it a little unsatisfying. He hasn't seen his brother in Odin knows how long.

"Maybe that monster destroyed them all..." Loki mumbled to himself. He had heard from Heimdall about the war on Midgard, and Loki pretended to carefully feel some concern, telling his main guard that all will be well. Of course, Heimdall believed him to be his king, and never brought it up again. Still, Loki would've liked to have been there to see the destruction. Even though it was not by his hand, he can still ruin Asgard when the moment was right. He just wanted to make sure his brother was gone so he couldn't get in the way of his plans...again.

"Maybe you're right."

Loki reacted a little to late as a blast to the temple left his vision dark...and then nothing.

His vision started coming back to him as Loki grunted in pain and confusion. Where in Odin's realm was he. Definitely not Asgard. He tries to push himself to his knees, head spinning. He can feel the sticky blood glue his ratted hair to the side of his temple where he was hit. He notices he is chained by his wrists and ankles. Torture, how typical. But who could his captor be? Maybe it's the robot whom his brother's "team" couldn't defeat. How fun it will be for him to bask in more glory as to defeat his brother in battle.

"Lokiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii..."

Loki looks around, finding two red lights beaming at him in the darkness. He smirks. "Am I to be graced by the presence of Ultron? Stark's many screw-ups...he is a genius to create such a pathetic-"

"I AM MY OWN!" Loki stopped mid sentence as his windpipe was constricted by a large metal hand. "Stark is not my master. I answer to no one."

"Then..." Loki tries to swallow. "do what do I owe the pleasure?"

Ultron's expression doesn't change of course, but his tone does. "You are nothing but a puppet for their demise."

"I see." He drops Loki to the ground, and Loki pants, rubbing his neck, but showing no other signs of weakness, much less, fear. It was more curiosity. "You want me to lead the Avengers to you so they can be destroyed once and for all. And since you couldn't do it yourself, you need my help."

"I need you as bait...not as help. They thought they scared me off. They think their planet is finally safe. But I am not finished with them yet."

"And I suppose you think I am just going to cooperate in being but a mere pawn in your game?" Loki raises an eyebrow.

"You have no choice."

Loki screams in agony, as everything goes black again. The last thing he hears as Ultron walks away sends his stomach in knots.

"There are no strings on meeee."