Hello my lovely readers! 'Tis wonderful to see you all =D I actually ended up getting this one done relatively quickly, because I actually knew what I wanted to do (shocker XD) and I got some AMAZING suggestions/inspirations from mah reviewers (special shout out to GothChiq80 and EcHo246, because I used your suggestions ^_^ And thank you all again. You're all amazing. All of you 83) so I wanted to get this done so I could show ya'll =D I really hope you enjoy it! ^_^ ALLONS-Y!

I don't own anything owned by Marvel =)

The mall was absolutely packed. Countless people flowed in and out of stores, taking a few minutes to take a gander at odds and ends or to wave halfheartedly to someone that they knew. In many of the store windows were the signs 'SALE! Final chance to get what you want for CHEAP!' or 'Semi annual sale! Get it while its here!'. These signs were most probably the culprit behind the mall being more occupied than usual (a feat in and of itsself in New York). And while cheaper items were most always better, the crowded area was the equivalent to a warzone to the band of heroes (and Pepper). Because more often than not the cheap clothes, accessories, and makeup attracted the Avengers most fearsome foe; fangirls.

Steve winced at the thought. Alright, so maybe fangirls weren't the enemy. In truth, the fact that girls found them so fascinating and attractive was really quite flattering. There had been many days when he had gotten fanmale from girls that had brightened his day. But then there were others when they just flat out scared him. Days where he had gotten chased down the streets by camera weilding females screaming 'STEEEEEEVE I LOVE YOOOOOUUUUUUUU!'. Hopefully today wouldn't be one of those days.

He looked over to Thor. Judging by his slightly perterbed expression he was having the same second thoughts about their 'outing'. Thor had earned many more marathons down back alleys than Steve had, much to the point where he had stopped going out without a hood or something similar to hide his face and hair. Even now standing across the street in the shadow of a large building he fingered his red striped hoodie nervously.

The remaining few didn't have to much of a problem. Clints typically were more stealthy, generally hiding behind inanimate objects (or each other) with binoculars because of his nasty habit of threatening them with his ever handy bow and arrows if they so much as came within five feet of him. He wouldn't actually do anything to them, but as long as they thought he would they left him alone. And Natashas fans were boys, so they were a bit more relaxed. Blessedly, Tony didn't come along. The crazy man actually ENJOYED all the attention. Every trip outside was extended by at least an hour with pictures and almost every other fan request imaginable when he was present.

The picture on the streetlamp in front of the group turned into a little white picture of a man walking, awakening them from their silent meditation of fandom. Thor eagerly threw his hood over his golden hair and tied the drawstrings tight. He and the Avengers made their way along the impatient fray of traffic to the gargantuine building before them. As soon as they made it, Pepper guided them to a park bench to the left of the entrance.

"All right. Here's the plan. We don't want to be in here for too long because we have to get back for Nicks call. So, we'll have to split into groups to get everything done. I've divided us into two groups and each of us has something to buy. Boys, you get normal clothes and Natasha and I are going to be in charge of pajamas. Any questions?"

Everyone shook their head and Pepper nodded happily. With that she motioned for Natasha to follow her and they set off in the direction of the mall entrance. The boys remained standing there quite awkwardly.

"So...where exactly are we supposed to go for this...?"

Steve voiced what secretly all of them had been wondering. Obviously, none of them having children, they didn't quite know where to get childs clothing. Plus all avoided the mall if at all possible for smaller stores with less people, so they had absolutely no idea where they were going. With that in mind, they too made a beeline to the door in search of a childrens store.

Tony sat in his workroom gazing at the computer in front of him. On the screen was the seemingly unending list of functions in the tower, and in the top right hand corner was the percentile of outgoing power in the reactor. The neon blue display read 94%, a relatively morbid number taking into consideration all the pressure put on the generator. And at this point, Thor had been right; a candle was more reliable than Tonys invention. And Tony hated being wrong.

So the second everyone had left, he made his way down into the lower levels of the tower, into the workroom he had first perfected the implant in his chest. Around the room were the many different suits of armour he had, along with many machines and the few remaining cars that hadn't been smashed in the previous alien attack. In the centre of the room was a large computer, drab in comparison to everything else. But a dull grayish colour masked the heart of the tower. This was where the reactor, security, and weapons were controlled, along with Tonys mechanic butler, JARVIS. Unfortunately, JARVIS had to be shut off so the reactor would be more stable, much to Tonys dismay. And now he was on a mission to complete the mission, hopefully which would result in a power source that wouldn't shut off whenever it stormed.

Tony frowned and placed his chin on his fist. Everything seemed important in its own way. And the more he mulled it over, the more he found some situation in which every item would be necessary. In short, nothing was getting done. He had just about given up when Bruces face showed up on the screen, interrupting his thoughts.

"Hey, Doc. What's up?"

The side of Bruces mouth twitched and he glanced behind him, where a white sheeted bed lay in front of a screen laden with medical readings and the like. He looked back and down, where he began fidgeting with something out of Tonys line of sight.

"Just checked out the kid with the medical stuff. It's-"

He was interrupted by a small groan and he looked back again. Then the doctor looked back to the screen, eyes stony.

"I'm coming down, I'll talk to you then."

"Cool."

With that the image transitioned back to the display and Tony went back to looking at programs. Surely Pepper wouldn't miss her office functionability...and even if she did her reaction would be worth it. He grinned and moved it to the trash bin. Now if only the group would hurry up and get back...

Bruce entered through the glass door, causing Tony to twirl around in his office chair to face him. He crossed his arms and leaned back, motioning for Bruce to talk.

"Whatever technology was used on him is way beyond anything we have. All the cuts are done with precision, half of them going down to the bone. Somehow, he has whole bones that have been sawed in half without breaking skin or muscle tissue...a few of them have been..." He scrunched up his face in thought. The lack of technology was causing him to not be able to convey exactly what he was trying to say, and anything he found was far to amateur to explain it. "...kindof 'taped' back together. Not healed, just kindof...staying together like a puzzle. Any wrong move could cause it to completely shatter, so I can't fix it."

Bruce pursed his lips in irritation. He hated finding something he couldn't fix...especially where the problem caused pain to the subject involved. Part of this was attributed to his own unfixable condition, though he had long since grown accustomed to it. Especially after joining the Avengers.

Tony stared at him with his typical dry expression. It really didn't make to much sense in the scientists mind, whatever Bruce was trying to say sounding a bit silly because of the technology block.

"So...there's nothing you can do."

Bruce gave a helpless expression and a small shrug. Then his face suddenly changed to panic as he snapped his wristwatch up to his face, rolling his green/yellow flannel up to his elbow.

"Crap. I gotta go, Pepper wanted me to go to the mall and help shop."

Starks eyes went as big as saucers and his eyebrows shot up. He jumped out of his chair with his arm out in hopes of stopping his only other fellow babysitter.

"Woah. No, you have to stay and help I can't...I don't...I don't do kids. Like is there some kind of special language they speak, do I have to feed him some sort of...kid food or...what? How-"

"Hey. You've fought an army of aliens. You deal with fangirls on a regular basis. I think you can handle a three year old. Just make sure he's careful and stuff."

Bruce gave a smile (and a small sound Tony thought sounded deviously similar to a maniacal laugh) and waved, exiting out the glass door one, up the stairs, and into one of the two adjacent elevators, leaving Tony to seethe. He was supposed to stay and help. But no, Pepper had to recruit him for shopping duty. He didn't feel so bad about taking away her office now.

Begrudgingly, he followed Bruce but took the other elevator, punching in the number of the medical floor. A few seconds later he was in a white room, alone but for a thin, dark haired, three year old. He sighed and turned his smile up to 'fangirl swoon mode'. Maybe that's how toddlers communicated...thats how the Gerber baby commercials worked anyway.

Nope. Apparently not. Because Loki just stared at him as if he had three heads, making the man of iron feel completely and utterly vulnerable.

I'm never having kids...

Tony turned around and scratched his head, picking his brain for anything that might help him. Pepper had visited her younger cousins a few times, and she mentioned something about the fair and playing Wii. He exhaled. Last time he checked, there were no 'fair-ish' things in the Avengers building. And Tony sucked at Wii. Hm maybe he'd enjoy Arther reruns...

Starks thoughts were interrupted by a slight tugging on his button up shirt. He looked down to see a pair of enormous, striking green eyes gazing up at him with all the cuteness of a lost puppy.

"Might I have some form of sustanance...? I apologize for asking but..."

That...he was not expecting that. Tony knew Asgardians were more Shakespeare in their speech (he had no idea what Thor was saying half the time), but for some reason he wasn't expecting it out of someone so young and...tiny. And the way he looked just about ready to bolt seemed wrong. Far more expecting of a slave than a prince of Asgard.

Tony nodded and picked up the child, wincing slightly at the rough fabric the boy was wearing. Then he made his way back to the elevator and punched in the number of the debriefing room, shifting Loki in his arms slightly. The dark haired prince gave a gasp as the doors glided closed and a feeling of shooting up came over the pair. He clung a bit more tightly to Tony, something he was a bit uncomfortable with, and he patted the child on the back a bit awkwardly. He decided immediately he wasn't ever going to do this ever again.

The doors swished open, and Tony stepped into the debriefing room. He set Loki on the green couch and made his way back to the island. After a thorough examination of the cupboards he grinned and picked up a small bag of cotton candy. He had been saving it to see Thors reaction to the fluffy candy, but the 'bane of the nine realms' seemed a much better oppurtunity. He also found some Pop Rocks and a blueberry muffin, so no one would yell at him for not giving the boy anything healthy. Then, with a devious expression he walked over to the couch and plopped down next to Loki, tossing him a tuft of pink fluff. He looked at it incredulously, then followed Tony and popped it into his mouth. His eyes bulged out of his sockets as the candy disappeared, earning a surpressed laugh from Tony. He gave the child some more, and between the two of them they polished off the whole pack. The same was true with the pop rocks (though Loki hadn't liked them as much, as he began crying when the little nuggets exploded in his mouth. So Tony ate most of them) and just as Loki was finishing his poptart, the rest of the group entered...with an unexpected guest.

"GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF! GET OFF ME, YOU FOUL CREATURE!"

Thor was whirling around frantically, desperately trying to pry a costume clad fangirl off his back. She was holding on with a vicelike grip, squealing something between the 'unequal priviledge of being able to touch the god of thunder' and asking for his autograph. Steve was trying to help, all the while dodging Thors swinging fists and the girls red cape. Everyone else hung back, not quite sure what to do. Eventually the girl was flung off the flaxen haired prince, and a large tube labeled 'fangirl exit' suctioned her out. Thor leaned against the wall, panting.

"We were ambushed just outside the tower. The rest of us made it in without a problem, but Thor dropped his bag."

Steve stepped forward, humour tugging at the corner of his lips. Even though the sudden event had more than likely scarred Thor from ever going outside again, it was really very funny to see a warrior bested by a fangirl.

But the occurance was soon forgotten, and Pepper collected the few bags of clothing. The boys hadn't been to successful, though Bruce had been helpful in finding some stores. Their purchases mainly consisted of some jeans and a few shirts. Pepper and Natasha had gotten the best deals, so therefor had gotten a bit more (probably more than they needed to, as Tony pointed out). Though a certain pair of glow in the dark, Iron Man pajamas warmed Tony up to the idea of having a kid in the Avengers building. Not much, but just a little. So that's what he ended up wearing after a bit of arguing (Clint wanted a dinosaur shirt, Steve a tank, Thor an animal campfire (he had taken a liking to s'mores), and Pepper the Iron Man pajamas with Tony. Natasha and Bruce couldn't care less. Loki also didn't care much as he had begun to feel a bit sick after all the cotton candy).

And finally, after the 5 minutes of utter insanity, the band of heroes crashed on a group of chairs and couches. Thor took Loki, who had fallen asleep, and took residence on the couch next to Bruce. Natasha and Clint sat in a red couch opposite them, and the few remaining plopped down in recliners. But the peace was broken by Clints phone. Everyone was immediately alert, for they all knew who it was.

Nick Fury.

Sure enough, the leader of SHEILDs commanding voice came over the speakers. Thankfully he sounded a bit more relaxed than previously, leading them to hope.

"I've taken your current...situation into consideration. For my part..." He paused, causing everyone to hold their breath. "...I say what the heck, keep him if you want. But if he causes ANY trouble, he's gone. No questions, no whining. But unfortunately, it's not exactly up to me."

All hope that had been built up deflated a bit. But the main battle had been winning over Fury, so there wasn't to much that could be harder.

"Loki is an intergalactic criminal. I'm only speaking for this...realm. The real authority falls to Odin."

So there ya go! =D I hope you enjoyed! If you have any suggestions or critisizms let me know! I adore hearing from you ^_^ The next chapter will have some flashbacks of Lokis capture with the Chitauri (which will have some torture violence, just warning you ahead of time =D), another thunder storm, and stuffed animals! =D

Reviews:

Kelalexshipper: Haha ikr? I love fangirls in Avengers fanfics XD They're so insane XP

Guest: You know it! Avengers pjs are the best 8D (I made my own 8] They're really fluffy) And thanks!

Lady Ri of Cherith: Daw thanks! 83 Oh ikr!? Little!Lokis so cute! 83 Can't do to much against the older Loki either...83 /shot/ Like...Hiddleston smiles and the newly converted fangirls immediately do his bidding XD

HotaruSim989: Yeah, same. Especially shoes, personally =P And totally! Shopping for kids is so much fun, their clothes are so tiny XD And yeah guys clothes are beast.

GothChiq80: Agreed =D Loki definately would have turned out better had he gotten the attention he needed, instead of Odin giving it all to Thor (Not really a big fan of Odin personally...=/ Thor's awsome though ^.^). And oh. My. Gosh. O_O ...*adds it into story* That's a really good idea. And thanks you so much, I'm glad =D

septimaluna: Haha, here ya go! =D I'll do some more Loki mischief in either next chapter or the one after 8D

Ynath Esrith: Oh ikr? XD Protective big brother ftw ^.^ Yeah Odins...shmeh -_- And oh definately, with all the different personalities and strengths they'll do a better job =D

Jacquelina-Comm: Haha I'm glad you're excited =D Yaay I'm glad you think he's cute XD

Azatji2012: I know! I love deaged Loki XD He's such a cutie 83

EcHo246: Aw that'd be so cute! =D ...*puts it in story* Muahaha fangirls XD There'll definately be more in later chapters ;) And yay I'm so glad! =]

Arrows The Wolf: Haha nah maybe just terrify them a little bit...*maniacal laugh* ;P

Zedax: Omigosh thank you so much! =D So happy you like it! ^_^