Two brothers stood on a busy sidewalk of Manhattan. The brothers stared dumbfounded at the Shady Acres sign as the brick structure came crashing down

"I swear, I left him right here." Loki gestured.

"Right here on the sidewalk?" Thor nodded. "Or right there, where the building that's being demolished? Great planning." He sighed.

"How was I supposed to know?" Loki immediately defended. "Can't see into the future. I'm not a witch."

"Then why do you dress like one?"

"Hey."

"I can't believe you're alive." Thor turned to his brother in all seriousness. It was the first time he had a chance to truly take in the fact that his brother was standing right in front of him. "I saw you die. I mourned you, I cried for you."

"I'm honored." Loki brushed off the sentiment.

Two giggling women walked up to the brothers asking for a picture with the god of thunder. Loki was completely ignore.

"Sure." Thor graciously agreed. "Start figuring out where he is." He addressed Loki before smiling at the camera to satisfy his fans while they snapped the picture.

One of the girls gave her two cents about the super hero's recent broken relationship as they walked away.

"She didn't dump me, you know." Thor shielded his pride as he turned back to his brother. "I dumped her. It was a mutual dumping." His attention was stolen when he noticed a light glowing around Loki's feet. "What's this, what are you doing!?"

Loki looked down to see ancient symbols circling around him.

"This... isn't me." Loki held his arms out.

Before either could react Loki found himself tackled from the side. Once the circle was broken it disappeared leaving only sparks. The wind was knocked out of Loki as the full weight of his savior landed on top of him.

Thor rushed to his brother's side. "Miss are you all right?"

"Her?" Loki complained as he tried to untangle himself from the woman unsuccessfully. "What about me?"

The woman pulled her face from Loki's chest and pushed the brown hair from her eyes as she glanced over her shoulder at the god of thunder.

"That-that thing?" She pushed herself up to her hands and knees. "Did you see it?"

"Yes" Loki propped himself up on his elbows impatiently waiting for the woman to get off. "A glowing circle appearing out of thin air is difficult to go unnoti-"

Woosh in a blink of an eye Loki drops out of sight. Their intertwined legs caused the woman to fall with him. Their screams were cut short as the concrete solidified and the glowing circle disappeared. Only a business card occupied the space that once held the couple.

Screaming. That was all she could hear. Screaming. The sound reverberated inside her skull. Was that her screaming? Her mouth was open. It had to be her screaming. She closed her mouth forcing the air through her nostrils. But the screaming persisted. How could she think with all this noise?

Her eyes opened to nothing but darkness. She blinked only to see more darkness. What the hell was going on? Closing her eyes she relied on her other senses. Hearing was a no go with all that screaming. Then she noticed it. There was a pain. there was an uncomfortable pressure digging into her cheek. She shifted and the solid object pressed at the side of her eye. Glancing up she saw the line of buttons up a collar shirt. It lead up to a raven haired man screaming at the top of his lungs.

It was the same man she had tackled on the street. He was flailing his arms and legs as she held onto him for dear life. What did he think he was accomplishing? Refusing to let go She pulled one of her hands from around his back and inched up his chest.

He paid her no mind until her hand was clamped over his mouth silencing him. Loki glared down at the woman pressed against his chest.

"Please stop." The woman whimpered. "I can't... I just need a minute to think."

Loki yanked his head away from the woman's hand but remained silent. She took in a deep breath to collect her thoughts. When she closed here eyes she felt her hair thrashing around in the wind hitting her in the face. There was an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, this feeling of weightlessness. She opened her eyes and rested her chin on the man's chest. His hair was also blowing upward uncontrollably. She fisted her hand into the back of his shirt. There was nothing beneath them. They were falling.

She needed a better view of their surroundings. Very carefully the girl untangled their legs only to wrap them around his hips locking her ankles behind him. Loki raised an eyebrow in a fake inquisitive look as she finally released her hold around his back and pushed off his chest.

She looked out only to see nothing. Turning her head from side to side there was the same pitch black scenery. How could there be nothing? There had to be something out there. Frantically she turned to look behind her. The jerking movement caused their balance to be lost. The couple spun uncontrollably. She closed her eyes as she hugged Loki close to her. Loki used his free arms and legs to stabilize them after a minute or so.

"I think I'm going to throw up." She mumbled into his shirt.

"You will not expel on me?" Loki ordered.

The growl in his command rubbed her the wrong way. How dare he take that tone with her. She wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for him. This was all his fault. But there was no was she was going to be an innocent casualty in this.

They had ended up in the same position with her on top and her legs wrapped around his hips. His hands were still off to the side not touching her at all. . He showed no signs of discomfort as she gripping him tighter with her legs and pushed herself up again in a sitting position. She released her hold on his shirt lifting her trembling finger to her head. She quickly gathered up her hair pulling it back into a messy ponytail. Loki jumped as she gripped his shoulders.

"Okay" She breathed out. "The way I see it we are falling through a bottomless pit of darkness." The man underneath her nodded in the affirmative. "Is there a way out?"

"None that I can deduce." He responded.

"Do you know why they took us?" She needed a motive. Anything to shed some light in this darkness. Loki shook his head.

"Alright" She sighed in defeat. Leaning in to rest her elbows on his shoulders she cupped the back of his head with both hands. She pulled him up indicating him to move slowly. When they were both sitting up she leaned slightly back taking him with her. "Whatever is going on right now" She laced her fingers through his letting the wind pull it back and out of his face. The man eyes her suspiciously. "We have a better chance at getting out of here" She used the other hair tie to secure his locks in a ponytail. "if we stick together." She pushed him back so they were both sitting straight. "Agreed?"

Loki reluctantly nodded once avoiding eye contact. He didn't see the point of any of this.

"Then I'm going to have to ask you to hold on to me." She ordered more than asked. Loki quirked an eyebrow giving her an annoyed look. "It will be easier to stick together if we are both." She squeezed her thighs to emphasized the point. "holding onto each other." Loki slowly moved his hands to her thighs right above the knees barely touching her. "Seriously?!" She scoffed at the pathetic attempt. "Are you always this difficult?" She grabbed his hands moving them to her hips. "Don't Let Go." She gave his wrists a little squeeze before she released him.

Loki rolled his eyes as he leaned back to his previous laying down position to gain some space between them.

She looked around at the same emptiness. They were falling but it didn't seem like they had moved. Why where they here? Where was here?

"I'm Laura by the way." She attempted small talk. What else could they do at this point. "What's your name?"

Loki's jaw almost dropped. His invasion of New York was only 5 years ago. How did this insolent mortal not know who he was?

"You look familiar." She looked down to study his face. Loki's ego was about to be restored. "You famous or something?" That ego was instantly deflated. "Are you on television or a movie star?"

Loki rubbed his face in aggravation. "Do not compare me to one of your pathetic Midgardian actors."

"Well you sure dress like one." She flicked a button on his shirt. "And you sure as hell act like a snobby rich type."

Loki smacked her hand away. "I am a-what in the nine relms is wrong with the way I am dressed?"

"Nothing... if you're a disney villain." She stiffened a laugh trying to break the tension. "I'm just trying to figure out why they targeted you. They sure as hell weren't after me. What about the blond guy? Is he well known?"

"My brother might be more recognizable." Loki refused to be overshadowed by Thor.

"Brother?" She asked. "Is he a powerful person in the community? Could they have taken you to ransom him?"

Loki was fuming. "I have more power in my little finger than Thor has in his entire- LOOK OUT!"

Laura shifted out of the way as a hand zoomed pass her shoulder. The motion caused them to flip over. Laura squeezed her thighs as she hung upside down. The hand reappeared in front of her. She immediately ducked spinning them 180 degrees. Both searched their surroundings waiting for it to reappear.

"What was-" A hand clamped down on her shoulder and yanked her back. Laura screamed as she lost her grip on Loki's sleeve. Another arm appeared around her collar bone pulling her harder.

"Help Me" She begged as her ankles unlocked from the force. Loki wrapped his arms around her waist before she could slip away.

"Don't let go." Laura cried as she tried to pry the arm away from her chest. "Don't let go."

She tried to twist out of danger. But the hand turned with every move. In a last attempt Laura lowered her head and bit down on the hand across her chest. She knew she broke skin when a metallic taste hit her tongue. Both hands released its target and disappeared the same way they came.

"Don't let go. Don't let go. Don't let go" Laura frantically clawed at Loki as he crawled up her body. She wrapped her legs around him as he held her shaking form to him.

"You stupid fool." Loki whispered softly to calm her. "That could have been your way out. You could have been free."

"We agreed to stick together." Laura pulled away to look him in the eyes. "We get out of here together."

"You truly are a moron." He smiled at her naivety. "You have no idea who I am. You have no idea if i belong here."

"Noone deserves to be left behind." She shook her head. "Why do you think you deserve to be here?"

"My name is Loki." He announced.

"Okay Loki, that doesn't answer my question?" She asked not making any sort of connection.

"Loki of Asgaurd, brother of Thor the god of thunder." He elaborated.

"Loki of wherever why do you deserve... Did you say Thor?" Loki nodded. "as in Avengers?" He nodded again. "You are his brother? The same brother that led the alien invasion?"

He could feel her hold on him loosen. "One and the same." Loki forced a malicious smile knowing where this will lead.

"All that destruction." He didn't react when her arms dropped to the side. "All that death." She leaned back to put space between their chest without releasing her legs. "How could you do that?"

"That's what happens when you try to take over a world." It wasn't an excuse or answer he offered.

He didn't stop her when she raised her hand. He didn't protect himself when she slapped him with all her strength.

"You destroyed alot of lives." She growled.

"What do you expect from a monster?" Loki spat back. Before she could retort He grabbed her my the throat forcing her backwards. "We do as we please without a care of the consequence to others." He was mere inches from her face as he sneered at her. "I could end your life now and feel nothing for your death."

She stared him in the eyes never blinking away. "I suggest you never try to make a career out of deception." She took hold of his wrist. "Cause you are a shit liar."

Loki searched but couldn't find what he was looking for in her features. There was no fear in her. In his distraction she pushed his hand away

"If any of that was true you would have let me go a long time ago." She rubbed the sore spot on her neck.

"I-I need you to aid in my escape." He searched for an explanation. "You weren't their intended. They don't want you."

"Bullshit." Laura pushed passed his lame excuse. "There was no guarantee they would come to get me out. They could have left me here to die for all we knew. Even not they could just leave me here with you."

"How witless do you have to be to point out your own uselessness?" Loki tried to deter the conversation.

"Than why haven't you let me go?" Laura answered for him. "You don't because you are not a monster."

"I've done horrendous things. I-" Before he could give her countless examples she finished his sentence.

"Bet you lay awake at night regretting all those atrocities. I bet you wish you could take it all back. You are no saint. But you're not a monster."

"I can't take it all back though, can I?" It was almost as if he was asking her for forgiveness.

"No" Laura shrugged. "It doesn't work that way. You could save a life for every life you destroyed and it still wouldn't wipe your slate clean. It doesn't matter to the people you hurt. But it would matter to the people you save. Make a difference in a person's life and it could mean the world to them."

"Is that why you tried to help me on the street?" He asked genuinely curious.

"I did it because it was the right thing to do." Laura rested her hand on his shoulder. "I did it because it looked like you needed help. I don't regret it nor would I take it back."

"Even after knowing who I am?" This woman made no sense.

"Everyone deserves a chance at life." She smiled up at him.

"Thank you" Loki lightly caressed her cheek. "For saving me."

a glowing circle appeared below them. Loki barely had enough time to flip them over as they fell through it. With a loud grunt Loki landed on the floor with Laura landing on top of him.

"We have been falling..." Loki guided Laura off his body. "for thirty minutes!"

"You can handle him from here." Dr. strange nodded in their direction.

"Yeah of course." Thor shakes the man's hand. "Thank you very much for your help."

"Handle me?" Loki staggers to his feet helping Laura up. Spotting the stranger he steps in front of Laura protectively. "Who are you?"

"Loki." Thor warns.

Loki draws his daggers in each hand ready to attack the stranger. "you think you're some kind of sorcerer? Don't think for one minute, you second-rate..."

"Bye-bye." Dr. Strange waves his hands and a new portal consumes both brothers as it disappears.

"Um hi" Laura waves uncomfortably.

"Hello" The man scans her once over for any injuries.

Laura notices him cradling his right hand to his chest. She can make out the distinct bite mark in the flesh between his thumb and forefinger.

"I just... gonna go now." She states awkwardly.

"I think that would be best." Dr. Strange forced a small smile.

"This way is it?" Laura pointed at the doors.

"Yep" He popped the p.

Laura quickly made her exit walking out into the busy city.

"Well that was interesting." She shrugged and walked away from the building back to her life.