GENERAL DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything Marvel, just my own new characters and the plot-line changes in the story.

Chapter 1: Prologue

"You love someone, you open yourself up to suffering. That's the sad truth. Maybe they'll break your heart, maybe you'll break their heart and never be able to look at yourself in the same way. Those are the risks. You see two people, and you think 'They belong together'. But nothing happens. The thought of losing so much control over personal happiness is unbearable. That's the burden. Like wings, they have weight. We feel that weight on our backs, but they are a burden that lifts us. Burdens that allow us to fly."

- Bones

MOORE MANOR, EARTH

Walking down the hallway, Alexandria enjoyed the feeling that surrounded her as her sock-covered feet patted on. She moved around the silent hall, humming to Let it Snow as she made her way to her room, happy with her successful cookie nicking. Passing through one of the many rooms, she heard the soft murmur of voices. Intrigued, she backtracked a bit and slowly opened the door about an inch and turned to look in.

Before her lay Tony, on one of those sofas movie shrinks seem to always have (since when did her parents have that?), and beside him sat a very bored (and sleepy) looking Bruce. Chuckling and deciding to have some mercy on the man she had spent the last five months working with, she entered the room. Walking up to Tony, she nudged his legs.

"Move," she almost moaned, before grinning as he sat up and rolled his eyes. She sat cross-legged in front of him and munched on her cookie.

"So, with what story did my beloved brother decided to torture you with?" she said, looking at Bruce before munching on her cookie some more. (She wonders if they have discussed the latest of Tony's unfortunate adventures. She's honestly worried that he barely mentions them.)

Both men stared at her before looking at each other in surprise and then turning back to look at her. Confused by their actions, she frowned.

"What? Do I have something on me?" she asked looking down and catching sight of her half eaten cookie she asked, "Oh, did you guys want some? Sorry, I barely managed to nick this one..."

Both shook their heads and Tony said, "You do know it's already noon and yet you are here wearing your pj's and eating cookies?"

Deciding to finish her cookie before answering, she quickly swallowed down what was left and shrugged, "It's Christmas morning, or should I say Christmas day. And don't chastise me, brother. We both know that if it weren't for Pepper making you change you would walk around in your pj's on a daily basis..."

Tony glared at her a bit and she smirked, "Plus, I am not planning on dressing up until it's five and mom decides to haul us all to church," she watched as Bruce raises an eyebrow in questioning surprise, "And yes, that includes you, Dr. Banner, as well as the rest of the Avengers," she smirked, "although I don't believe Steve will mind it all that much..."

Before any of the men are able to answer, a knock drew their attention to the open door.

"Mrs. Moore says it is time for lunch," Steve announced, before looking a bit taken aback at the sight Alexandria still on her pajamas.

She simply rolled her eyes as Tony gets up muttering, "Speak of the devil," before leaving the room followed by a flushing Steve.

After they leave, Alexandria turned to the man who had lately become one of her closest's friends (after all, what else could have happened after a year of working and living together), "Do you believe he'll be okay? I mean, after the whole adventure in the portal I was worried enough as it is, but now... now, we weren't even here to help him," she finished, shaking her head.

(She should be worried about her own mental sanity, she knows as much, but still prefers to put her brother's issues over her own. She is not ready to confront her nightmares or heartaches.)

Bruce shifted a bit uncomfortably in his chair, before nodding and saying, "Yeah, um, about that, well, you we were worried so we um... we...we kind of madesureyouwouldn'tfindoutintimetocometryandhelp," he mumbled.

Looking at him and barely controlling her temper, she spat, "You did what?!"

"We kind of made sure you wouldn't find out in time to come try and help..." he said, shifting a bit more.

Glaring but keeping her tone as civil as possible she asked, "Who is we?"

Looking down at his fidgeting hands, he muttered, "Rai, Tony, and myself..."

At the mention of Rai's name, she turned to look at the her new pendant, one that had been unexpectedly given to her by the overly protective entity around a month ago, and which unexpectedness now made sense. Softly tracing the intricate design of the golden crescent moon, she suddenly remembered pendant had become another of those many things that recalled him to her mind, allowing his memory to make an ever present stay in it and as such deep pain, almost like that of a fresh wound reopening, took over her.

For his part, Bruce remained quiet, correctly guessing her need for the silent comfort his presence provided after so many months of working hand in hand. Shaking her head in order to try and appease her aching heart, she sighed.

"I... it's Christmas today, we can talk about this later, but you must promise never to keep something like this from me ever again," she paused and looked him in the eye, Bruce promptly nodded, "Very well, as for now, we will try and help Tony as much as we can..."

She stood up and moved towards the door followed by Bruce who just nodded in both relief and worry.

DINING ROOM, MOORE MANOR, EARTH

Sitting at the lunch table, Alexandria waited patiently until everyone joined. The table was very crowded, after all, all of the Avengers, with the exception of Thor, were sitting there, right in front of her, as her family sat beside her. General Joseph Moore sat at one of the table's end, his wife and Alexandria's mother, Mrs. Leonora Moore at his right and Bruce at his left, nervously shifting. On the other end sat Tony, Pepper at his left and Rhodey at his right.

Smiling as she saw the glare on the newly seated Romanoff (she had a feeling that her wearing pajamas to lunch wasn't buying her way into anyone's heart, especially that of the Russian assassin) she decided to make the most of it, especially since she was accustomed to her mother glaring at her for her lack of decorum. The truth was that lately, well, it had been months now, actually, she had been seeking any sort of outlet to her pain. She sought anything that could make adrenaline course through her blood as she tried her best to shut off her overly analytical mind and ease her hurting heart. Seeing an irritated Romanoff was just proving too tempting, really, and plan devised she turned to her brother.

"Hey, Sam, I've got a question for you, munchkin," the blonde haired boy simply rolled his eyes (he was more than used to the nickname and thought even more ridiculous now that he had already surpassed her in height)

"What would happen if I go and bear hug Agent Sourpuss right now?"

Sam looked between his sister and Romanoff with wide hazel eyes and whispered, "She'll kill you."

Smiling, she answered, "Ah, a good hypothesis, but you can't know that without performing an experiment, now can you?" she teased.

Shaking his head in dismay, he sighed, "I can't stop you, can I?"

Beaming she answered, "Nope, not when there's a theory worth testing."

As she moved to do just that, however, she was stopped by a hand on her lower arm and a hissing voice, "Sit down and behave... you should be thankful to even be allowed to wear your pajamas with guests here..."

Knowing better than to fight a loosing battle, Alexandria sat down. Beside her, Taylor laughed.

"You're twenty and you're still scared of mom," the now ten-year-old chuckled.

"Yeah, well, one would think you'd know better than to mess with a hot-headed ginger, what with being one yourself and all..." Alexandria muttered.

Taylor stuck out her tongue in reply. From beside her she heard her brother call, "You should really stop being such a hypocrite, after all, you were about to mess with a hot-headed ginger yourself," Sam chuckled.

"Allow me to inform you, Samuel, that of the two red-headed, grown women in this room, Agent Romanoff is the lesser evil."

Hearing her words, Tony chuckle, "Only you, Lexy, would find your own mother scarier than a trained assassin."

Alexandria only stuck her tongue out as a response, before Leonora interrupted their banter, "As well she should be, Anthony, as well she should be."

Surprised, Alexandria looked in between her mother and Tony, and seeing the glint in her mother's eyes as well as the nervous gaze in Tony's, she smirked as the rest of the table dissolved into laughter. And, just for that one moment, all the pain was forgotten.

LOKI'S CELL, PALACE DUNGEONS, ASGARD

Loki paced, angrily muttering to himself, "Who came up with the brilliant idea of asking the Beast for help? Really, the creature couldn't possibly lie to save his life..."

Sighing, he stopped for a moment to analyze what he had viewed. He wasn't even irritated at the Beast, in fact he was irritated at himself and Alexandria. Months of quite observation had proven to him just how reckless the girl could be. In fact, she had become more reckless than ever before, something that, according to his mother, was very normal. She really never failed to remind him of this whenever she made her almost daily visits to him, these ones in his dreams and through illusions, which put him more at ease in that prospect.

But, honestly, it seemed to him that the women in his life had it out for him with their reckless behavior. He did, however, recall that his mother had informed him that sometimes a broken heart wasn't able to mend and with it came pain. It was a sort of pain that one could only (and momentarily) forget in those moments of adrenaline pumping through ones blood... She had also said it allowed one a break from remembrance, which, with a broken heart, served only as a curse. And as such, Loki couldn't help but to curse himself for it. But honestly, he didn't need a Beast to fuel her suicidal tendencies, since he really couldn't allow himself to hope that the necklace was enough.

A sudden clattering of footsteps put a forceful stop to his darkening thoughts.

"Sir, you must really stop being so vindictive," Rai pronounced as he moved to stand in front of a pacing Loki in order to put a stop to the nerve wracking movement and glanced over the destroyed room noticing that most of the furniture had been turned over. Moments like this were the ones that had Rai wishing that the God of Mischief hadn't been able to recently discover that not all of his powers had been... suppressed.

"Well, how am I to be at ease when the only two people I have ever cared for have no sense of self preservation?" Loki growled, before turning away from the entity.

Rai stood there patiently acknowledging the irony of the situation: the more worried the mischievous god became about their rash actions, the rasher he, himself, became.

"Well, sir, all I can advice you is to keep a cool head in times like this," Rai says as he watched Loki take a deep breath.

Suddenly Loki tenses and his breath hitched as he turned to face the entity and hissed, "What do you mean by times like this, Mjolnir?"

"What I mean, sir, is that darker times are approaching..." Rai answers soberly, a hint of something, almost dread in his voice. (Loki had suspected as much, suspected that soon something within the chaotic Realms would surface and set his plans on motion, but something feels off, wrong...)

Pausing to study the entity before him, Loki asked "Your keeping something from me, Mjolnir... What is it? Does it involve her?" (He hopes it doesn't. He has no wish for her to come to him and endanger herself and his plans. He has always planned on returning to her, of course, but only when all was ready and done...)

Apprehensively, Rai nodded, "It does, but you must understand, sir, that I, myself, am not liking it at all, but we truly have no choice..."

Looking at the entity, he tried his best to keep his temper, and pointed the way out, "Leave me. Now."

Rai moved to do that, all the while inconspicuously watching as Loki blasted one of the chairs while whispering, "We all have choices. I just learned that far too late and now I pay..."

Yes, the thought circled Loki's mind, I pay for my sins and what is worse is that my mother and Alexandria will have to pay with me...