See Chapter One for Disclaimer
Shortcut
Footsteps pounded loudly against the pavement. Sweat caused her clothes to cling to her body, making it harder to run…harder to keep up with the brothers running ahead of her.
As long as she could hear them, she was fine.
"Where are we? Make a mistake, did you?"
"This isn't," pant, "a mistake." Heavy panting. "It's a shortcut."
"Is it? We'll see about that won't we?"
"Shut up and run! You know if they catch us…we're dead!"
"Tell that to her! She's not even running!"
They were talking about her. Because she wasn't running anymore, she had stopped. She wasn't even moving.
This place felt very familiar to her…and nothing had felt familiar to her in a long time.
She must have said as much out loud because then a voice was hissing in her ear, "I promise, I will escort you back to this godforsaken realm so you can stand there like an idiot and stare at nothing for as long as you please. But for now…we need to keep MOVING."
She nodded, took one last look, and began to run again.
But she'd be back.
"Oddly enough, you could possibly be human."
She crinkled her brow. "I thought we vetoed that idea when you discovered that I didn't age."
The man at her side, wearing a long thick black coat and a deep green scarf, shrugged. "Perhaps you're an abnormal human."
"Hence why Earth feels so familiar to me…" She tilted her head. "Because it's my home."
The man at her side stopped walking. "Asgard is your home now."
She stopped walking as well and shot the man at her side a rueful smile. "Asgard has been wonderfully hospitable the last fifteen years, especially seeing as I appeared in your realm with no memory of who I was, and you and your family specifically, Loki, have been very gracious, granting me a place to stay and a job and a new life." She turned to look at the tall buildings around her, at all of the people…humans, walking around. "But as much as I've enjoyed that new life…I really just want my old life."
"But you know nothing about that life," Loki Laufeyson of Asgard shook his head. "It could have been horrible."
"But it was MY life, and I'll take it." She smiled.
Loki shook his head. "So that's it." He said flatly. "You're leaving me, then. For this." Loki grimaced at his surroundings.
And yes, compared to the magnificence that made up the realm of Asgard, Earth was horribly unkempt.
But she kind of liked it.
"I'm simply…relocating." She rephrased. When Loki didn't look appeased, she put one hand over her heart and held the other up. "I promise that I will return to Asgard whenever you require my presence…Loki I'm not leaving you." She shrugged. "I'm just trying to find myself."
Loki sighed heavily. Then he snickered. "Thor will be much harder to convince than myself," he mentioned.
She thought about Loki's older brother and his strange codependence on her since she'd accidentally appeared on Asgard, and she grimaced.
"You're right." She admitted. "But…does that mean you'll let me move? Here?"
Loki rolled his eyes. But then he nodded. "Only," He quickly held up a finger, "If you allow me to ensure you're not living in squalor."
"Deal!" She grinned. And because she couldn't help herself, she leaned forward and hugged the Asgardian that had been her best friend for the last fifteen years.
"There are some rules," Loki quickly spoke up. "And you do realize that not aging will dampen any relationships you make."
"I'll figure it out." She promised.
"And you'll need a name." He added. "We cannot just keep calling you pronouns or "The Advisor,"
"Name, got it." She nodded, a large grin overtaking her usually serious demeanor. Loki had never seen her look so happy, not in the fifteen years he'd known her.
And just like that, Loki caved.
"I do not like this." Thor's arms were crossed and his gaze was stormy, and Loki didn't look all that thrilled either, but she bounced on the seat of the limo excitedly.
"Pretend you like it for my benefit," she ordered.
Thor huffed and rolled his eyes, uncrossing his arms to pull her towards him, nestled into his side with his arm around her shoulders. "Cease with the movement." He ordered, "And then I will pretend."
She smiled up at the tall man, then settled down.
"Have you decided on a name?" Loki asked, and she smiled.
"Yes." She nodded.
"And?" Thor asked slowly.
"Grace." She smiled.
Loki and Thor thought about it.
"It's not horrible." Loki finally relented.
"But why Grace?" Thor prodded.
"For the same reason I'm moving to earth." She answered promptly. "Because it feels familiar."
The limo they were in began to slow, and "Grace" scrambled to the window. "Are we here then?"
"Yes."
Grace looked out the window then turned to glare at Loki. "Are you kidding me?"
"You promised I could pick your accommodations," He argued. "This is the best I could find."
Grace shook her head, jumped out of the vehicle, and inspected her new home that Loki had chosen for her.
"It's got seven bedrooms." She said flatly.
"So adopt some strays." Loki retorted.
Grace tilted her head.
"That was a joke." Loki pointed out, but Grace started to smile.
"Well your joke sounded an awful lot like a good idea." She pushed the two men in her foyer towards the front door. "thanks for the house, and the furniture, and the exorbitant amount of money you probably spent on everything that you also probably stole, but go away now."
"Wait!" Thor pulled the newly named Grace close, into a tight hug. "It will not be the same with you not close by."
"You'll be fine," Grace assured, though she hugged him back just as tightly. When Thor released her, she turned to Loki.
"It is not as if we'll never see you again," He sniffed, and she rolled her eyes.
"Just hug me you jerk," She ordered, and Loki rolled his eyes, but he hugged her.
And Grace Miller, human, settled into life on Earth.
Hold Me Back
May, 2012
"Okay ladies, listen up." Grace Miller stood at the head of the dining room table, staring sternly at the five teenagers eating breakfast. "I'm being forced to attend some stupid event, and I'll be out of the office till probably tomorrow afternoon, which means,"
"Party!" One of the younger girls raised a fist.
"Wrong, Quinnie." One of the older girls threw a piece of toast. "Ma's leaving Jordy in charge, so we'll be stuck eating lasagna and watching some dumb chick flick all night." She flicked blonde bangs out of her face and smiled down the table.
Seated at the opposite end, textbook open, the oldest teen at the table rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry that my evening plans are so boring to you, Rory, but, one, being a college sophomore equals horrible amounts of homework,"
"Not if you skip college to become an actress," Rory muttered, but Jordy ignored the blonde only a year younger than her to continue speaking,
"And two; you know if we tried anything more fun, Ma would tan our hides."
"Exactly." Grace grinned. "Plus, Abby and Milly agreed to make you guys dinner once they got off work, so you're welcome."
"Yes, no lasagna!"
"Shut up, Kate!" Jordy didn't throw a piece of toast, because Kate was the youngest at the table and the girls were nicest to her. "You love my lasagna."
"But not every night." Kate huffed.
"Right, settle girls." Grace rolled her eyes. "Now, today's agenda includes Quinnie and Kate getting done with middle school at three: Jordy, you're in charge of pick-up, so you'll take the SUV today. Rory has softball practice and Sammie," Grace turned to the only teen who hadn't spoken up at the table, her nose stuck in a book, "has to work on her junior English project, so they'll get the sedan keys today." Grace threw the keys at Sammie, who didn't look up but caught the keys in one hand. And on your way home Sammie, you have to pick up Ellie at six from Tae-Kwon-Do, which…ELLIE!"
"Yeah?" A voice called out.
"You've got a ride from the high school to kick butt class, right?"
"Yep!"
Grace paused. "You gonna come eat breakfast?"
"…Nope!"
"Even zombie killers need breakfast!" Grace tried.
A loud sigh. Then… "Fine." The last teen joined the rest of the girls at the table.
"White people," she muttered her breath, "and their strange obsession with breakfast."
Grace rolled her eyes. "One: I'm brown, and Quinn isn't exactly white either,"
Quinnie raised a fist, her mouth full of toast, "And two," Grace continued, "Breakfast is necessary. So…eat it." Ellie sighed but began to fill her plate and Grace smiled at the table.
"Hopefully this thing doesn't run too long, but with these guys," She shrugged. "One never knows."
"What is it again?" Sammy looked up from the book she was reading. The rest of the girls seemed interested as well, and Grace grinned.
"It's a coronation…Uncle Thor is going to be King today." Grace's smile tightened, and she shrugged. "Well…maybe."
"It's not going to work."
The first words out of Grace's mouth did nothing to soothe the anxiety Loki felt.
"And worse," Grace continued, "We're going to get caught. This was a terrible idea."
Loki huffed. "And it's too late now. You just went in and saw him?" Grace nodded, her hands playing nervously with the folds of her dress. "How is he?"
"He's excited. He thinks he's ready." Loki shook his head.
"Well, then," He said lowly, "Let's hope this terrible plan of ours works."
Thor was not crowned that day.
The Jotun that attacked kind of ruined it for him.
And the future king of Asgard was so furious that he walked blindly into a confrontation on the jotun's home turf, dragging his friends and family with him.
The resulting battle was his fault, cause due to his anger, to his inability to control himself.
Grace, the only human who had accompanied Thor and fought when the battle began to wage, was outmatched by the giants, and she was gravely injured.
Thor was grounded, Loki was reeling from discoveries he'd made, and Grace, the only person in 70 years capable of keeping Loki from totally losing it and Thor from making poor decisions…was in a deep sleep, healing from her wounds.
Frigga watched the situation unfold very closely, and only when she believed that there was no other option, she woke Grace up.
Family Matters
"Are you out of your mind?"
Loki hated himself for the way he jerked at the sound of Grace's voice.
He hated himself even more for the way he ducked his head like a small child being chastened.
Except…he was being chastened.
"The Destroyer? Really? You know very well that Thor is incapable of fighting that thing as a human."
"And?" Loki tilted his head. "That's the point."
Grace crossed her arms. "Thor is still going to try though, which will probably fufill whatever requirements he needs to in order to come back here, so in about twenty minutes, give or take, he's going to be back up here, at full power, and looking to hit something." Grace raised an eyebrow.
Loki made a face.
"I…had not thought this through." He admitted.
"Obviously." Grace rolled her eyes. "What's with the dramatics anyway?"
Loki leaned forward. He'd been waiting since he'd found out to tell her. "I'm adopted."
"What?"
"I'm not even Asgardian!" Loki threw up his hands. "I'm a frost giant!"
"No!" Grace sounded properly aghast, and Loki continued.
"Odin took me after the last war with the jotuns, and he never told me! He lied to me! And you know very well he would've never let a frost giant on the throne! My entire life has been a lie, and everything I've fought for has been for nothing." Loki laughed harshly. "I'm not going to give up. If they're not going to give me a chance, I'm going to take it."
Grace narrowed her eyes. "that didn't work out so well for hitler."
"Who?" The strange name had Loki falling out of his funk.
Grace made a face. "Midgardian History, God Loki, read a book sometime. Anyway, not the point!" She shook her head. "Loki. This is a bad idea."
"How?" Loki demanded. "Look where I am!" He gestured to the chair he sat in, which was the throne.
"And when Odin gets back? And Thor shows up?" Grace shook her head. "Yeah, you're going to be grounded for centuries. Do you want to know what I think you should do?"
"What?" Loki crossed his arms.
"You talk to your brother." Loki growled at that, and Grace laughed. "I know, it sounds like torture, but if you tell him why you're freaking out, what you know, he'll understand. He'll forgive you. And when Thor is ready, and he's a few steps closer now, and he takes the throne, it will be with you by his side."
Grace shrugged. "Thor is a great man. But his weaknesses are your strengths, and Asgard needs both of you. Apologize to your brother, take your punishment, and give it time. And forget Odin. He's a rat, but he won't be in charge for much longer. And Frigga adores you. You may not be your father's son…but you are very much your mothers."
Loki grimaced…but he knew that Grace was right, and he sighed. "fine."
Grace smiled, and had the two angry men that stormed in moments later given her a chance to explain, everything would've been…fine.
But Odin came in roaring and Thor came in thundering and Loki immediately bristled and Grace was banished from the room and the resulting scuffle resorted in Loki falling off the rainbow bridge.
The two men walked back to where Grace had been banished, eyes downcast.
"Good job." Grace shook her head. "Brilliant."
Thor opened his mouth, but she shot him a glare so lethal that he lost his voice.
"I have to go. I've been away too long already, but," She pointed a finger at Thor, "Get ahold of me IMMEDIATELY when you find him."
Thor shook his head. "I…do not think he could've survived that fall…"
Grace snorted "Of course he could've! The same thing happened to me, and I'm just fine! Now…find him!" She ordered before disappearing.
Thor furrowed his brow, then shot a look at his father…then he went and did as Grace bid.
And less than a week later…he found him.
But Grace would NOT be happy at what he was up to.
Road Trip
"Ma, your phone is ringing!" Grace paused, a large pile of clothes in her hands.
"Give me a sec!" She called out, throwing the clothes into the washer and slamming the door shut. She hurried up the stairs to where her phone was plugged in in the kitchen, and slapped the phone to her ear when she realized who was calling.
"Did you find him then?"
The TV in the family room shut off immediately, and three heads poked over the back of the couch.
"It's not good." Thor started off, and Grace's heart sank. It continued to do so as Thor quickly filled her in.
"I'm going to get him now," Thor finished up.
"Back up a second." Grace shook her head. "It might not be that easy. There's a decent sized group of people that I've heard about who might try and stop you."
"Humans?" Thor scoffed. "They are no match for me."
"Eh…" Grace made a face. "From what I've heard…they might be. Do what you gotta do, Thor," Grace advised, straightening as she thought of a plan. "I gotta check something out."
Grace hung up the phone, then shot her girls a smile.
"We got a job then?" Jordy put down her textbook and started piling her long dark hair onto her head.
"Yes, but this is an intel gig, which means Elly, Quinn and Kate are going to Abby and Milly's.
The younger girls groaned.
"Jordy, go get Sammy and Rory. I've gotta call both sides, then we'll go from there." Jordy nodded and hurried up the stairs, and Grace turned back to her phone.
"Charlotte, hey, it's Mom." Grace began quickly. "Chloe is on the other line."
"Hey Char," A bright voice piped up.
"Hi ma, Chloe. What's up?"
"Uncle Thor found uncle Loki, but it doesn't look good. Both sides actually might be involved. Has anything interesting happened on either end?"
"Actually yeah, at least on the evil end. Some unknown guy is recruiting a mini army to attack Shield and some group called The Avengers that I've never heard of. You want me to get in on it?" The voice paused. "Wait. Is the unknown guy Uncle Loki?"
"I hope not, but like I said, it's not looking good. So yes, I would like you to get in on it, but do not engage. Can you fake credentials for Jordy? Uncle Loki hasn't met her yet, and I'd like more eyes on your side."
"No problem. I'll be by to get her in twenty."
"And, actually, we just went active on something called the Avengers Initiative just a few days ago." Charlotte spoke up. "It sounds like it's some kind of superhero first responder team. They've got some interesting…recruits, that's for sure."
"Can you get me the file?" Grace asked.
"Yep. The director is also designating a group to join him on a helicarrier, for a mission unknown. I can get myself and another on that helicarrier."
"Do that." Grace advised. "I'll have Rory go up with you. I might need to make an unscheduled visit as well, but I still have my creds. I'll just need Sammy in the control room to give me flight clearance."
"Understood. ETA 25."
"SO all I have to do is sit at a computer and then authorize your flight?" Sammy grinned, joining Grace at the kitchen island. "Best gig ever."
"What are we doing?" Jordan and Rory appeared next.
All three girls wore black from head to toe, their hair was pulled back, and they had black bags in one hand.
"Jordan, you're going dark with Chloe, ETA 15 minutes. Rory, you're on light duty with Charlotte. Dark side is on a Do Not Engage, Intel only. Light needs to focus on gauging this new initiative and its recruits. You might see Uncle Thor, but he's also a DNE. Got it?" The three girls nodded, and Grace took a deep breath.
"Okay. Our mission is to find Loki, figure out his plan, and see how we can stop it and get him home without getting him in more trouble with this planet."
"What's wrong with Uncle Loki?" Quinn and Kate shared worried looks.
"I don't know." Grace admitted. "But I'm going to find out."
She grabbed a set of car keys, told Elly she was in charge of Quinn and Kate until Abby and Milly got there, then nodded at the other three.
Loki's problem was that he always thought he was fighting the entire universe alone.
But he wasn't. He DEFINITELY wasn't. And Grace was going to prove it to him.
Meeting Crasher
"In case it's unclear…you try to escape? You so much as scratch that glass…" Loki looked down through the glass floor he stood on to see the ground beneath it retract, revealing the stormy sky and a fatal drop. "30,000 feet straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?" Director Fury snapped. He pressed the button again, and the floor came together once more.
"He looks sick." Charlotte stood behind Grace's chair, watching the video feed in front of her.
"Yeah." Grace agreed quietly. "Something's REALLY wrong."
The two listened as Fury and Loki continued to banter.
"He's being a dick right now." Rory made a face. "It's like it's not even him."
"Something like that," Grace admitted, eyes narrowed as she took in her best friend. She pushed her chair back and stood quickly. She shot her girls a grin. "Time for my grand entrance…stand by."
"Good luck," Charlotte said dryly. Grace winked and hurried out of the room.
"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" Dr. Bruce Banner broke the silence with a joke.
"Like a fungus," Bucky muttered.
"So." Steve turned quickly to business, facing Thor, who stood pensieve in front of the table Steve and the other "Avengers" sat. "Loki's going to drag this out. Thor," Steve addressed the man. "What's his play?"
Thor spoke slowly. "He has an army called the Chitauri. They are not from this world, nor from any world known. They will win him the earth, in return I suspect, for the tesseract.
"An army." Steve said dryly. "From outer space." He shared a look with Bucky, who looked like he thought this was hilarious.
"So he's building another portal. That's what he needs Eric Selvig for." Banner spoke up. Thor started.
"Selvig?" He repeated.
'He's an astrophysicist." The doctor clarified.
Thor tilted his head. "He's a friend."
"Ha! You don't have friends."
The comment came from one of the Shield Agents that was working just outside the bullpen. The comment was said just loudly enough to catch everyone's attention, but none of the Shield agents seemed to be paying any attention to them, so after a moment, everyone turned back to the problem at hand.
"Loki has him under some kind of spell." Romanoff informed. Her gaze shot away and her voice lowered. "Along with one of ours."
"I wanna know why Loki let us take him." Steve spoke up.
"He's not leading an army from here." Bucky nodded in agreement.
"I wouldn't focus on Loki." Banner snorted. "That guy's brain is a bag full of cats…you can smell crazy on him."
"Have care how you speak," Thor warned. "Loki is beyond reason but be but he is of Asgard…and he's my brother."
"He killed 80 people in two days." Romanoff retorted dryly.
Thor winced. "He's adopted."
"HARSH."
The comment came from a Shield Agent, but no one could identify who it came from. Thor growled and sent a threatening look to all of them to be safe, then turned back to listen to Bruce,
"I think it's about the mechanics. Irridium, what does he need the iridium for?"
"It's a stabilizing agent." Tony Stark entered the room, answering Bruce's question then turning to the man at his side to continue the conversation. Once the man nodded and stepped away, Tony turned back to the group, his eyes lighting first on Thor.
"It means the portal won't collapse on itself like it did at Shield." Tony finished his thought, then patted Thor's arm. "No hard feelings point break, you've got a mean swing." Before Thor could get a word in edgewise, he switched back to science. "Also it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long as Loki wants." He moved to where the main screens were. He muttered a few ship commands, earning him confused looks from the agents, and a snicker from a woman in the far right corner.
"That man is playing galaga." He suddenly blurted out, pointing a finger at the culprit. "He thought we wouldn't notice…but we did." He turned back to the main screens, head tilted.
"How does Fury see these things?" He asked.
"He turns." Maria Hill answered dryly.
"Sounds exhausting." Tony turned away from the screens to look at the group.
"The rest of the raw materials agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. The only major component he needs is a power source. Of high energy density. Something to kick start the cube." He switched back to science, and Banner nodded thoughtfully.
"When did you become an expert on thermonuclear astrophysics?" Maria called him out.
"Last night." Tony retorted quickly. "The packet. Selvigs extraction theory notes." He raised his arms exasperated. "Am I the only one who did the reading?
"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Steve interrupted Tony, eyebrow raised.
"He'd have to heat the cube to 120 million kelvin, just to break through the colomb barrier." Bruce mused.
"Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum fusion effect." Tony spoke up, eyes lighting up.
"Well if he could do that then he could achieve heavy fusion at any reactor on the planet." Bruce shrugged, and Tony grinned, moving towards the man.
"Finally. Someone who speaks English." He beamed.
"Is that what just happened?" Steve looked at Bucky, who shook his head and grinned.
"It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner." Tony shook Bruce's hand. "You're work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled." He complimented. "And I'm also a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster." Bruce smiled, confused, but before he could say anything, the man in charge was striding in, already speaking.
"Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube." Director Fury shot Tony a look. "I was hoping you would join him."
"I would start with that stick of his." Steve advised. "It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a hydra weapon." Bucky nodded.
"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube." Fury admitted. "And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest people I know into his personal flying monkeys."
"monkeys? I do not understand," Thor spoke up, eyebrows furrowed, and Steve snapped his fingers.
"I do." He said quickly. "I understood that reference."
"It's a movie." The Shield agent who'd been commenting rose and made her way forwards. "It's a classic, actually. We should watch it some time." The agent patted Thor's arm.
Romanoff's gaze had shot to Fury when the woman stood, and Fury's eye had locked onto her as she strode forward. Bruce and Tony watched her approach curiously. Bucky and Steve had shot up, eyes wide and mouths open in shock. Thor had huffed and rolled his eyes.
"I'm sorry." Fury said lightly. "Who the hell are you?"
The woman's eyes widened. "Oh right." She pointed to Thor. "I'm with him." Thor nodded and smiled. Fury crossed his arms.
"Now's not the time for visitors." Fury said coldly, and the woman laughed.
"No, you're right," she agreed. "But actually, I'm here to do your job for you."
"Perfect." Fury stepped away, hands raised. "I guess I'll take that vacation then."
"She would be a great asset," Thor spoke up. "She knows Loki better than any of us." Fury narrowed his eye, looking her over.
"You're his girlfriend then?" Romanoff stood.
"More like," The woman tilted her head. "His unwanted adopted little sister." She turned to Fury. "My story is unimportant right now, and honestly, I don't know all that much. I lost my memory a long time ago and I still haven't found it. But I've known Loki for almost 70 years, and that," She pointed to the video feed, where Loki paced his cage slowly. "That's not Loki."
"Really?" Tony snorted. "Big Guy? That look like your brother to you?"
"Loki has about as much control over himself right now as your little friends do." She snapped. "You give me five minutes, and let me speak with him, and we could end this now. I can give you a location, the cure for your little friend," She pointed at Romanoff.
"He has a name." Romanoff snapped. "Agent Barton is one of the best, and your little friend is responsible for where he is now."
"Loki's not responsible for anything right now," The woman retorted. "His strings are in someone else's hands and Loki doesn't even realize it! Wait…" The woman's eyes widened. "Did you say barton?"
Romanoff shot a look at Fury. Then she nodded. "Yes."
"First name Clint?" She leaned back, as if worried to hear the answer. Romanoff shot another look at Fury, and the woman groaned.
"Well this is perfect!" She turned to Fury.
"Let me talk to him." She ordered.
Fury tilted his head and thought for a long moment.
"No." He said finally. "We know what we're doing. But," Fury shot Thor a look. "You can stick around, just in case we have need of you."
"Stick around?" Grace snorted. "In case?" She shook her head. "you're going to ruin everything and you know it, and you want me to sit in a corner and say nothing while your people try to figure out who I am and your little band of superheroes go digging into your secrets. But fine." She moved towards the computer she'd been sitting at. "I'll be over here if you need me." She shot Tony a look. "Beating that other guy at Galaga."
Tony snorted. Fury shot Coulson a look, and the man nodded and hurried away. Romanoff shot Grace a dark glare, then moved away to take care of her own business. Tony huffed, then turned to Banner.
"Shall we play doctor?" He asked as the drama concluded.
"This way," Bruce answered with a smile, and the two men exited.
Thor made his way to where Grace sat, crouching down to speak lightly with her, and Steve and Bucky moved quickly to Fury.
"Do you know who she is?" Steve blurt out, not waiting for Fury to acknowledge him.
"Not a clue." Fury admitted. Then he took a good long at Steve, then Bucky. "But something tells me you do."
Steve leaned forward. "Look up a name. Danielle Marsh, Sergeant of the 107th. She was also employed by the USO…" Steve raised an eyebrow, "In 1943."
Fury shook his head. "You mean to tell me," He said slowly, "There there's another one of you?"
"Not exactly." Bucky admitted. "She's…kind of a class all her own." Fury huffed, but then nodded.
"I'll look into it." He agreed. "But for now," He pointed a finger at them men. "Focus on the mission at hand. She's not important, and you have a job to do. Understand?"
Steve looked over at where Grace, no DANNIE, sat leaning over to speak lowly to Thor, who was crouched in front of her chair and nodded. Suddenly he laughed, and a bright smile grew on Dannie's face.
Steve's heart clenched, and he forced himself to turn to Fury.
Fury raised an eyebrow.
"I understand." He said tightly.
Mind Trip
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Grace stormed into the room, hands on her hips. "They send YOU to talk to him, but not me?" She pointed accusingly at Romanoff. She threw her hands up in the air and turned to Fury. "Really?"
Fury shrugged. "She got what we needed." He argued. Grace raised an eyebrow.
"So what's his play?" She interrogated.
Romanoff shot a look at Banner, who'd gently set down the scepter and had retreated to the corner of the room.
"Please." Grace snorted. "He's going to try and rile up the biggest threat on the plane?" She shook her head. "That's juvenile. There's more to it." She paused. "Wait a second. Are you guys fighting?"
She looked around the room, finally taking in the heavy breathing and angry faces. She smirked. "Your little dream team splitting at the seams already?" She turned back to Fury.
"His end goal isn't green. It's," She shook her head slowly. "It's this. And guess what?" She looked at Fury. "He's winning… So can I talk to him now?" She asked sweetly.
And before Fury could answer, an explosion rocked the ship and everyone went flying.
Grace found herself feet from Fury, and jumped up quickly to help the man sit up.
"Hill?" He questioned, and Hill's voice answered immediately.
"External Detonation." She reported. "Number three engine is down." She snapped out a few orders, and spoke quickly to her team, then her voice said worriedly, "If we lose one more engine we won't be."
"Somebody's got to get outside and patch that engine," she reported. Fury breathed heavily, and Grace stood at his side, waiting patiently for orders.
"Stark, you copy that?" He ordered.
"I'm on it." Tony announced.
"Coulson, initiate defensive lockdown," Fury began, but then his eyes drifted to Grace…who still patiently waited.
"Disregard that order." He said quickly. He shot Grace a look.
"He's to remain contained and aboard this ship." Fury demanded.
Grace nodded, and then hurried away.
Fury watched her for a moment, then he went quickly back to snapping orders.
Grace reached Loki's cell, where she quickly strode forward, head bent low, and began to work at the controls. She released him quickly.
"I don't recognize you." Loki said smoothly. Grace jerked her head up and made eye contact, and she pointed a gun directly at his chest. He froze and slowly raised his hands. Then he smirked.
"Loki you little shit!" She snapped, and Grace watched as Loki's eyes flickered from an intense blue to its normal green. The green lasted less than a moment, and then swirled back into blue.
"Not one of mine," He mused, "and yet you release me." He shook his head. "Amusing...but unfortunately I don't have time for this." Loki's body flickered, and because she knew him so well, she knew what that meant, and she turned quickly. She didn't move quickly enough, and Loki was suddenly on the other side of her, stabbing his scepter into her side.
She grunted, more in surprise than pain, and then shook her head.
"That's it!" She took the few steps necessary to be right in front of Loki and placed a hand against his forehead. She closed her eyes, and then pulled. Loki tried to rabbit again, but it was too late, and Loki's eyes flashed as he screamed, and then fell to the ground, panting harshly.
Grace's chest heaved, and she shook her head slowly.
"Loki?" She asked after a moment.
Loki panted a few more times, then slowly rose. He straightened his clothing, picked up his scepter, then finally looked at Grace.
His face was exasperated. "What," he said slowly, "is going on?"
Grace grinned. "No time to explain," She said quickly, "I need you to diffuse a bomb!" And she grabbed Loki's hand and dragged him off. Loki followed dutifully behind, eyes wide as he took in the sights and sounds around him.
"Target engaged." The plane outside informed. "Wait…what?"
He stared in shock as The hulk approached what was most likely Thor's limp body. But then the hulk stopped…and then…
"Target is glowing." The pilot announced."
"What?"
"Target is shrinking." He continued, awestruck.
"The hulk is transforming back into Banner?" Hill clarified.
"Dr. Banner has replaced the target." The pilot confirmed.
"All right then." Maria said after a moment. "Disregard the last order. Back to base."
Thor watched silently as Loki quickly managed to return Dr. Banner back to his human form. Grace shot him a smile.
"Told you I could do it." She grinned.
"He's back then?" Thor asked.
Loki turned to his brother. He sneered. "You doubt Grace's abilities?" He sniffed and turned away. "Idiot."
Yup. Thor grinned. That was his brother. He smiled at Grace and then rose, heading towards Dr. Banner.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
"What…happened?" He asked slowly.
"My brother has been returned to his right mind," Thor answered quickly. "And his first task once he returned to sanity was to return you to your right mind."
Bruce squinted up at Loki. Loki looked down at him and shrugged.
"Uh…okay then." Bruce began to rise and Grace turned quickly.
"You're naked!" She told him, and Loki waved a hand, pants and a shirt appearing on his body.
"Thanks." Bruce looked thoroughly confused at the thought of having to thank the man that was supposedly trying to kill them all. "So…you were being mind controlled then?"
Loki turned to Grace. She shrugged. "I suppose so." Loki admitted after a moment. "Where am I, exactly?"
Bruce's eyes sharpened. "You mean you don't remember anything?"
"Not since my brother pushed my off my realm," Loki glared at Thor, then turned back to Bruce. "Why?"
"Because you're right in the middle of trying to wage war against Earth, and in a few hours some science mechanism is going to open a portal, allowing some alien army you've acquired to enter and attack and destroy everything."
"Oh." Loki's eyes widened. "Well…that is an unfortunate thing to remember." He admitted.
"Fury's not going to be happy." Bruce looked at Grace, and she shrugged.
"At least he's on our side now!" She argued.
"Yeah." Bruce snorted. "Try explaining that to the guy who's ship just got banged up, the leader of which is probably one of his own guys who's also been mind-controlled.
"Oh!" Grace's eyes widened and she grabbed Loki's hand. "I forgot about Barton!" She dragged Loki off once more.
Thor and Bruce shared a look. "No more cats." Bruce said after a moment. "He doesn't smell so crazy anymore."
Thor smiled. "Unfortunately, those truths do not make him much more pleasant to be around." He wrapped an arm around Banner. "Let us go find if we may be of help elsewhere."
Tasha fought Barton as hard as she could, sliding through the pipes and avoiding the knife in his hand. She slid away from him, waiting for him to follow. Then she heard a loud thunk.
"You could've been a little nicer about it." It was that strange friend of Thor's Tasha recognized.
"You weren't." The sullen voice was Loki's.
Tasha jumped out, and the two froze, Loki with both his arms under Clint's armpits, Grace crouched down and gently patting his face.
"It's not what it looks like," Grace tried, but Tasha stormed forward, only pausing at Clint's groan.
Grace immediately turned her gaze back to Clint, whose eyelids blinked open slowly.
"Grace?" He muttered after a moment. Grace smiled.
"Yep. What's the last thing you remember?" She asked.
Clint stared at her blankly for a moment. "Boom." He said dumbly. Grace chuckled and stood, helping Loki pull Clint into an upright position.
"Sounds about right." She said dryly. Clint took a moment to get his balance, then he turned. He stared hard at Loki, who grimaced.
"Sup." He said finally.
"Clint." Loki greeted after a moment.
"Barton." Tasha interrupted…whatever was happening in front of her. Clint smiled sheepishly at his best friend.
"Tash. To be entirely honest…I have no idea what's going on."
Loki and Grace watched Romanoff nervously, and after a moment, she shook her head.
"Neither do I." She agreed. "Let's just get Fury…so we can get to the bottom of this."
Clint nodded slowly, and the group moved quickly to find the boss.
As they walked, Loki leaned over to Clint. "I may or may not have put you under mild mind control and forced you to fight your coworkers."
"What?" Clint shoved Loki. "You little shit!"
"I was out of my mind when I did this!" Loki spoke up quickly. "I am a victim as well."
"Like hell!" Clint shoved Loki again. "What's wrong with you!"
Tasha rolled her eyes as she listened to her partner bicker with the alien as if they were friends. Loki was the enemy, mind controlled or no. She just wasn't going to act until she had orders to. Which is why she was taking the villain to Fury.
What a Show
"What the hell?" Tony, Steve, and Bucky shot upright when Loki entered the room.
"He's really nice now!" Grace jumped in front of Loki and held out her hands.
"Like Hell." Tony snorted. "He's the bad guy!"
"He reigned in the hulk." Bruce spoke up. Tony shot him a surprised look. Bruce shrugged. "he didn't have to…and he did."
"He was being mind controlled." Grace added. "I was right. And I told you I could fix him." She made a face at Fury. "I was also right. Loki is no longer the threat."
"Oh?" Fury crossed his arms. "Why should I believe you?"
"Hey!" Loki pointed his scepter at Fury, and everyone pointed a gun at him. Grace snatched Loki's scepter from him and he raised his hands, eyes rolling. "I tamed your beast for you." He pointed out. "Usually, thanks are in order."
"Thanks." Fury said dryly. "Now get back in your cage."
"Hey!" Clint raised a hand. "he did also fix me up too." He hit the side of his head lightly. "I'm all normal now."
"Did he?" Fury looked to Tasha, who rolled her eyes.
"I wouldn't say you're normal," She raised an eyebrow at Clint, who stuck his tongue out at her. "But," she shrugged at Fury. "Loki did reverse the mind control."
"Thor?" Fury asked for a third opinion.
Thor hesitated. "My brother is in his right mind," he admitted. "or what's left of it."
Loki rolled his eyes.
"I do not believe he is the threat anymore."
"BUT," Tony stepped forward. "We still have a portal planning to unleash an alien army on us." Tony crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Unless Mr. Nice Guy already took care of that part for us too."
Grace grimaced, and Loki shook his head. "Unfortunately, I do not remember anything I planned to execute under the influence of the mind gem." Loki shrugged. "My apologies."
"Perfect." Steve rolled his eyes. "So now what?"
"I know where the portal is going to open." Bruce stepped forward. "I got the coordinates right before Barton set off the bomb."
"I did what?" Barton made a face. "Whoops."
Bruce shook his head. "Stark Tower." He announced.
"You were going to open a portal on top of my house?" Tony shook his head. "That's rude."
Loki shrugged.
"So…" Steve looked at the group. "We know where the portal's going to be. Let's make a plan."
Everyone was quiet for a moment.
"Go ahead Cap." Tony crossed his arms. "What's the plan?"
Steve tilted his head, then he smiled.
"Selvig designed the portal. He'll be the one setting it up. If we can get to him and reverse the mind control, maybe he could tell us how to shut it down."
"Not if he doesn't remember." Tasha spoke up.
"Even if he doesn't remember, the man is brilliant enough that it shouldn't take him more than a few minutes to figure out the logistics and find a way to kill it." Tony spoke up. "Only thing is, we gotta let one of these crazies," he pointed to Loki and Grace, "Close enough to the doc to do whatever it is they do."
"And I don't trust either of them." Tasha crossed her arms.
"That one…" Fury jerked his head towards Grace. "I trust a little more." Grace smiled, surprised.
Steve was quiet for a moment, then he nodded. "Thor, you get her to the tower. Watch her back, and as soon as she's gotten to Selvig, get her out of there. Chances are we'll have to stall to give the man time to find the off switch. In that case, we'll be the bait. Let's keep to a six block radius and keep the fight focused on us. If the aliens are fighting us, they can't hurt the civilians. Stark, stick to the skies. Let's get Barton to a roof the second we reach the fight zone. Everyone else, let's keep the streets occupied." The others nodded quickly, accepting the plan. You've got ten minutes." He shook his head. "Suit Up." Dismissed, the rest of the room hurried away.
"Loki…" Grace turned to the tall man. She shot him a wink when no one was looking. "Go home." She demanded.
"Yes." Fury said dryly. "Before you can pay for your crimes in Germany."
Loki furrowed his brow. "What did I do in Germany?" He asked.
Grace shook her head. "We'll talk about it later," She promised. "Just get out of here." Loki raised an eyebrow at Fury. Fury huffed and turned away, and a moment later, Loki was gone.
Grace moved to Thor's side, and she shot Steve a bright smile. "We're ready when you are Cap."
Steve nodded quickly, then strode out of the room.
"Uh…move out?" Bucky said slowly, before following after his best friend.
"Was it something I said?" She asked worriedly.
"Worry about it later." Fury said briskly. "Go save my planet."
"Sir yes sir!" Grace saluted, then hurried out of the room, Thor on her heels.
She had a planet to help save.
Grace's part was done relatively quickly. She pressed a hand to Selvig's forehead, pulled, and waited while Selvig returned to himself. Then she relayed the message, left him to putter with his portal, and allowed Thor to whisk her home.
She found her girls, the younger ones, Quinn, Elliot and Kate, seated on the floor, the older sisters, Sammy, Rory and Jordy taking up the couch, along with a few other tagalongs: Chloe, Charlotte, Abby, and Milly. They all watched the news avidly, which broadcasted the Avengers fight. The news had little information…but they did have visuals, and Grace's group could fill in the rest.
"They had to stall then." Loki said from where he sat in the armchair. Grace rolled her eyes and joined him in the extra-large chair.
"Looks like."
"Corporate Shield sent out a missile." Charlotte informed, her mouth filled with popcorn. "They're waiting to close the portal until they can stick the thing where the sun don't shine."
"Gross!" Kate wrinkled her nose.
"But accurate." Chloe agreed. "Looks like Stark's taking it up."
"Is he gonna come back out?" Quinn leaned forward.
"He'll be fine." Grace promised, settling in as she watched the Avengers save the day.
The girls clapped and cheered when the portal closed, went deathly silent as Stark fell from the sky, then cheered once more as his eyes opened and the team of superheroes surrounding him slumped in relief.
"Wow." Jordy shook her head. "that was better than any movie!"
"I'll be sure to become mind-controlled again, specifically for your viewing pleasure," Loki said dryly.
"No!" Grace's eyes widened. "Never again."
"Yeah Uncle Loki." Kate leaned over the arm of the chair to hug Loki's neck tightly. "I'd miss you too much."
"Yeah, Uncle Loki." Grace teased quietly as the girls stood and began to disperse.
"It is your fault they are so attached to me," Loki accused. "Now I have to be a role model and I never to get to have any fun."
"You thought this was fun?" Grace scoffed. "This was stressful."
"What? After you made so many new friends?" Loki teased. Grace's gaze turned thoughtful.
"Well," She said after a moment, "Cap, and his friend?"
"What about them?" Loki asked slowly.
"I dunno." Grace furrowed her brow. "They just seemed…familiar." She shook her head and jumped up.
"But that's crazy!" She laughed. "It's been 70 years, why would my memory start coming back now?!" She hurried to the kitchen. Loki turned to the TV, where clips of the Captain and his best friend were playing.
"Why indeed?" Loki murmured.
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