Disclaimer: Don't own anything!
AN: Thanks for all the reviews, alerts and faves! They rocked my world and I hope this chapter will satisfy everyone. On with the fic!
~ Start Over Again ~
Chapter 2
Not making any brusque movements, Thor placed Loki on a bed in one of the many guest rooms of Stark Mansion. Carrying the hurt Loki in his arms had unsettled Miss Pepper when arriving, but Thor had deliberately ignored her many questions. She did not like the idea of his brother in the house and Thor could not blame her either.
As Loki's head fall back and ended up resting comfortably on the pillow of the bed, he gasped. His lips were white and dry. And every breath he took demanded unnecessary energy. Thor frowned worriedly as he had not expected the day to end like this.
Behind him, hurried footsteps approached and Thor watched Bruce hesitate in the doorway.
"Help him, " Thor ordered harshly. He hated how everyone seemed to just stand around while his brother could be dying - was dying.
Bruce entered the room carefully, perhaps expecting Loki to jump from the bed and shout 'got you!'. Loki only trailed Bruce's movements, his eyes lay deep within their sockets darting around the room. Last time Bruce had seen him had been weeks ago and now Loki looked deathly ill, like he had been sick for months already.
Hesitantly, Thor stepped away from the bed and watched how Bruce checked Loki's pulse and heart rate. Loki's eyes fluttered shut and it was only a matter of time before the dark haired God would fall unconscious. That idea frightened Thor. After having spent so much time fighting his brother, he had not expected to lose him like this.
He forced those thoughts out of his head, refusing to lose Loki at all. And he was a God, they tended to get their wishes.
-o-o-
"It was a stupid idea," Pepper said softly, her arms crossed before her chest as she observed Tony getting out of his iron suit. She watched him from a safe distance and cocked her head to the left. "He is Loki and he is trouble."
"And he is also dying," Tony countered, relieved that he would soon be able to wear a normal outfit. The suit wasn't uncomfortable, but it was restricting and at times, very hot. "We couldn't leave him behind, Pepper, especially not after he helped us."
"Another thing that doesn't make sense," Pepper said. She grabbed a clean shirt that lay on a desk nearby and handed it to her boss. "He has been fighting you at every corner, but then he suddenly changes his mind and decides to fight with you?"
Tony pulled the shirt over his head, still needing a shower. "We were losing," he sighed, recalling the events, "someone could have died."
Pepper remained silent for a moment, contemplating Tony's words. "You think he thought his brother was in trouble," she concluded, more a statement than a question, "so he still cares for him?"
The last part was a question, one that would not have an easy answer.
"Maybe," Tony shrugged, "or maybe he needed us all alive for his next grand scheme and he didn't want to risk us getting killed by that beast."
Rolling her eyes, Pepper turned away from Tony and was about to walk out of the lab when his voice called for her attention again. "Fact remains," he said, his voice surprisingly soft, "if he dies now, he'll have died saving Thor."
-o-o-
Thor was sitting with the rest of the Avengers in the living room of Stark mansion when Bruce appeared for the first time after hours. All that time, he had been alone with Loki, trying to help him. Thor's heart had raced furiously within his chest when he had been kicked out of his brother's room by Bruce. His pacing was a distraction and Loki seemed to mind as well. The trickster could not tell, but Bruce said his heartbeat grew unsteady each time Thor passed him.
And so Thor had retreated to the living room where he was quickly joined by Tony, Clint and Steve. None had said anything and the silence had been a welcoming one for Thor. It relaxed him, but only a bit.
But now Bruce stood before them, his hands resting in his sides. "I cleaned out the wound and stitched it," he explained before Thor could attack him with questions burning in the back of his throat, "but he isn't improving the way I thought he would."
Thor's eyes narrowed. "Why?" he demanded, his voice booming through the room.
"Poison," Bruce simply answered, "when the beast stabbed him, it shot poison through his veins. It's unlike anything I've seen on earth and it's killing him. I'll try anything to help him, Thor, but I need you to understand that this is something I have never dealt with before. The poison is unknown to me and Loki is a God. I don't know how how his body will react to certain drugs or medicine."
"Just help him," Thor snapped, uncaring of all those things.
"He asked for you," Bruce said then, letting his hands slide into the pockets of his jeans, "several times actually. You should go to him."
Thor did not have to hear that twice. He quickly rose from the couch and headed towards the bedroom where he found his brother laying still in his bed. He did not look like the old Loki anymore and the image send a shiver down Thor's back. He had never seen Loki so fragile and weak and it was very unsettling.
"Brother," he whispered when reaching Loki's bedside. For a moment, he hesitated to take Loki's hand into his own since it had been such a long time they had been remotely worried about each other. He finally took it and squeezed it gently. "I am here, brother."
Loki's eyes fluttered open and Thor was shocked to see that they barely held any color. What used to be Loki's bright green eyes were now pale, nearly white ones. Thor swallowed away his unease and allowed himself to sit on the edge of the bed.
"Thor." Loki's voice was barely audible as he spoke, the name coming out in an almost filthy breath.
"Why did you help us?" Thor couldn't help but ask. He didn't know why he asked this question when there were another dozen on his mind, but it was certainly the one he needed an answer to most. "Loki, why did you fight with us?"
"Y-you," Loki answered, using much effort to enunciate the words, "w-were lo-losing." He coughed and groaned in pain. He wrapped arms around his torso with trembling movements and revealed a patch skin on his neck. Thor frowned when noticing the black veins there, seeing how the poison was spreading quickly.
Thor was powerless. "I will help you, brother," he promised, "I will do whatever it takes to save you."
Loki managed a weak smile. "I know." His eyes fell shut and Thor did nothing to prevent from falling into a sleep. At least Loki could escape from the pain for a bit then. Though the idea that Loki might not wake up, made Thor's heart skip a beat.
An idea was beginning to form in his head and he knew none would like it.
Especially not Loki himself.
But if no person on Midgard could help him, then perhaps someone on Asgard might.
-o-o-
Two whole days passed before Thor took a final decision. He had carefully weighed the pros and cons against each other, but in the end, they barely mattered. Loki was not improving, the poison from the beast raging through his veins, slowly and painfully killing him.
As he gazed at the ghost of his brother - white skin, pale lips and trembling hands - Thor swallowed heavily. He was beginning to doubt Loki could even survive a trip to the desert. However, there was little choice and so Thor spun around on his heels and strode from the guest bedroom.
He found his fellow Avengers together in the kitchen and by the way they all fell silent when the thunderer entered, Thor knew they had been talking about him and his brother. He had not expected it, but their eyes betrayed worry.
"He is not improving," Thor said steadily, "and I must help him."
Bruce nodded, crossing his arms before his chest. "I agree, but I've already tried everything. We should inform SHIELD and-"
"No," Thor said quickly, shaking his head, "they will only take him away, test him and lock him in a cell like some kind of animal. I will take him back home."
Tony's eyes widened. "To Asgard?"
"Yes," Thor clarified, "it has become our only option. I would ask of you to support me in this."
There was a short silence which Steve eventually broke. "How can we help?"
Thor smiled faintly.
-o-o-
Carefully, as if every bone in Loki's body was broken, Thor - Mjolnir already in his left hand - lifted his brother and helped him out of the car. Loki's labored breathing did not assure Thor at all and it was a constant reminder of how little time the trickster had. Carrying him away from the car, Thor gazed up and prayed to every God he knew that Heimdall was watching.
Since they were now in the middle of nowhere, not a soul was around to see them, but SHIELD would soon be aware of what was happening. They had equipment to trace these kind of activities and Fury would not be pleased with their actions. However, Thor was ready to take full responsibility. Loki needed help and Thor was willing to defy every authority on this planet to get it to him.
"What now?" Steve asked, the last one to exit the car.
Tony, Clint and Bruce followed Thor close behind and scanned their environment. They felt uneasy, but Thor had no time to pay them any attention. He only had eyes for his little brother.
"Heimdall?" Thor voiced the name as loud and clear as possible. He tore his eyes away from Loki and directed them at the clear, blue sky. "Heimdall, can you hear me?"
"I think we should stay back," Tony said, knowing perfectly well how the bifrost worked. No matter how grand and magnificent Asgard sounded, he had no plans to actually visit it in these dire times. The others listened to his advice and kept their distance as well.
"Heimdall, please!" Thor knew he was beginning to sound desperate and he sensed Loki's restricted movement in his arms. He quickly focused on his brother and smiled reassuringly when locking his blue eyes with a faded green stare. "It is all right, brother, I am helping you."
A wheezing breath escaped Loki's lips. "No," he barely managed to utter, "no."
"Shh," Thor returned to observe the sky, "we are returning home. Heimdall?"
"No!"
A dark cloud began to form itself above the gathered group and Thor felt Loki tense. He could not blame his brother since much had happened in Asgard, but this was his life they were talking about and Thor had to save it. Surely Loki understood this and forgive him.
The wind was growing stronger and Thor squinted his eyes as he turned to look at the others. They all appeared cautious and a little frightened, but none moved to come closer.
"I will return, my friends," Thor shouted, the wind whooshing in his ears, "this is not goodbye!"
And then he felt the familiar pull of the bifrost and Thor knew he had left Midgard. There was no telling what might happen next.
