Chapter 1: Falling Apart

In his office, a man sat in his chair, with a phone in his hand and lips moving. Below him was a collage of four different people. One with armor and a red cape, a man in a costume with stars and stripes, another with a metal suit, and a green muscled monster.

Trees swept the side of the road as a blur fell behind him. The motorcycle purred for the last 21 hours and Steve couldn't help his heavy lids from falling. Riding his motorcycle is what kept him sane since New York. Steve saw a sign that said, "The Rocky Hotel" that sat snug in the Rocky Mountains and thought now would be a good time to rest.

"You know, just the other day we had the Tony Stark here. He is such a charmer", the concierge squealed.

Steve rolled his eyes, "He isn't all that, believe me." The concierge frowned and slid the key to him.

Without even searching for his room, Steve followed the path to the hotel's bar. He fell into a chair and flicked a wrist to the bartender for a scotch on the rocks. The bar's TV flickered showing Senator Kent Kennedy on his campaign trail. Kent said, "All my Americans, I'll give you what you want. I can provide with what you need and I will bring this country to the top where it belongs. Vote Kennedy for 2014 presidential election."

Steve put down his drink and went to his room. He opened the door to find one of the maids in there.

"Sorry, Mr. Rogers. I don't mean to intrude but once as I saw your name I had to come in here and ask for an autograph. Ever since New York, you're practically a celebrity." The maid smiled. She wore a yellow dress with white cuffs on the sleeves. She was pale with green eyes and light brown hair.

"Sure." Steve said while taking out a napkin and a pen but before he could turn around and hand it to her, she disappeared. Steve lay down in bed with an echo of Peggy Carter in mind, and for a change he wasn't thinking about how different this world is but rather how similar it was.

Meanwhile in a Malibu mall sat Tony and Pepper sharing a pretzel. Tony wore a "Suicidal Tendencies" tee-shirt and ripped jeans and Pepper wore a skirt with a white shirt and both wore sunglasses.

"It feels weird being normal." Tony said disappointed. Realizing that it takes more than an iron suit and a metal circle in your chest was the most important thing up until recently. "I really want to get in my suit again. I should go make one."

"Oh god, Tony. Please not again. Can we just try living normally for about 1 day?" Pepper said sliding out of Tony's arm wrapped around her shoulder.

"How can we live normally now that we just discovered that there are aliens. I mean really, we need to start creating new devices and such. Kent is interested in buying." Tony exclaimed as heads began to turn in the mall as one kid shouted out, "It's Tony Stark!" A herd of people surrounded Tony as Pepper fell out of the circle of screaming fans. Her eyes rolled as she walked back to the car.

"It was fun being with Iron Man. But being with Tony is a whole other story. " Pepper thought to herself. There wasn't anything else she could ask for except to go back to the way it was before, before the suit.

Eventually Tony snuck out from the wave of fans and back to the corvette in the parking lot where Pepper was waiting.

"Yup. I knew we should've brought Happy. But the people love me." Tony said hopping into the car and not using the door. The drove off in silence to the Stark Mansion, but before driving in, Tony stopped.

"Why are you so quiet?" He asked her and she looked away and said, "Nothing, just that I was waiting here for an hour. " She turned her head toward him, "I'm not the jealous type, and you know that. It's just who you are Tony. I can't change what you have been and who you have become. There is nothing you can do and I can't stand the fact of it but I'm leaving. "She opened the car door and walked down the private driveway to her blue Prius.

"Pepper! Virginia Pepper Potts, where the hell are you going?" Tony jogged to the car as Pepper rolled down the window and said, "Goodbye, Tony," as she drove off into the sunset. Tony collapsed on the asphalt. His heart sank into his stomach and it became hard to swallow the fact that she was gone. He had never loved anyone before and this was a first time broken heart. In a rare case of Tony's, the only cure sat in his workshop that held the metals needed to make another machine that seemed to fill his heart last time.

"Loki, I know there is no trust between us. You have to believe me when I say that there are other things to fight for instead of each other. You are my brother and I love you. That is why I am letting you go." Thor said through the glass.

"Sure you are. Why would you be so stupid?" Loki spat through the glass. Loki didn't want to be free. Inside all he ever wanted was to be loved and be treated fairly. Maybe it was time his brother realized it.

"I know you do not trust me, but I trust you. Come with me to is some signal that is reflecting our planet. Somting is happening and I cannot sit here and watch you and the earth waste away," Thor said as he picked up two metal bracelets. "These are cuffs that disable your abilities and basically make you as weak as a human. You won't be able to hurt anyone."

Thor's mother walks into the room and Thor unlocks the door of Loki's prison. She turns to Loki and says, "Son, I will always love you." She hugged Loki and the two men walked out of the room. They walked through the gates of Asgard and onto Earth.

The desert shook with a thud as a crater formed in a desert outside of California. Near the mountains sat a sign that said, "The Rocky Hotel".

"We are here. " Thor said as he and Loki walked to the hotel, while receiving many concerned looks and stares. Inside the hotel's bar sat a brunette girl grinning at the sight of Thor. Her eyes then caught Loki's and her grin slummed into a frown.

"What is he doing here?" Jane asked looking extremely scared. Loki walked closer while still catching a lot of attention from onlookers.

"Jane, this isn't what it looks like. He is powerless. I am only doing this for good." Thor said as he removed his hat and leaned over to kiss Jane. Jane turned her head in rejection and remembered how ridiculous it is to have a relationship with an alien.

"It can't believe you. " Jane said in disappointment. "It was supposed to be just us, and now we are babysitting your physco brother."

"I see how you expect me to warm up to these humans, brother. They are so nice…" Loki said sarcastically.

"Jane I'm sorry. There's something happening here and I need his help." Thor said taking a seat at the bar next to Jane. "I hope you know it's only for the best."

"Right it's in everyone's best interest to bring the guy who tried destroying Earth twice, back to Earth." Jane said getting up. "I'm going to bed. If you knew your place Thor, you wouldn't follow me." Jane went out of the bar and up the stairs. Passing her by was a light brown haired maid who looked quite excited as she told the concierge that Captain America was staying in this very hotel.

"I couldn't help but over hear but is Captain America staying here?" Thor asked. The concierge looked quite frightened but responded with a nod. "Can I ask what room?" The maid replied with room number A21.

The door of A21 swung open.

"Captain, I need a word with you." Thor said walking into Steve's room. Steve snored on the bed and jumped up in fright.

"What the hell are you doing here, Thor?" Steve said thrashing out of his bed and pulling on a pair of pants. He looked up to see the long black hair of Loki's. "No. You did not bring him back here. Are you kidding me?"

"I know what you are thinking, but you are wrong. " Thor looked at Loki, "There was a missignal sent out to Asgard. It wasn't meant for us, but rather our neighboring planet. The signal was a plot, a plot to destroy earth."

"So Loki isn't here to kill us all?" Steve asked.

"Sorry, maybe next time, "Loki said as Thor gave him a dirty glare, "I am only kidding. "

"The signal was sent through gamma rays." Thor told Steve.

"Why are you coming to me? There is no one else who knows gamma rays better than Bruce." Captain America said dumbstruck.

"Well then, we best be on our way. Come on Loki." Thor said as Loki followed mumbling under his breath, "I am not your pet."

"Wait," Steve called after them, "If you think you are going to save the world without me, you're wrong."