No one was all that happy with their sudden disappearance from the Helicarrier. Tony had expected that. He had JARVIS ignore any of their attempts to contact him while he and Loki settled into one of the conference rooms in the tower and began the long and somewhat entertaining process of trying to iron out their own contract separate from SHIELD. Dealing with Loki was a pleasure and a trial all rolled into one. Tony had to continuously remind himself that he was playing a part here; that he had to treat this like they had never met before. That was indeed how Loki saw it. It wasn't easy, though.

By the time it was all said and done, they had the details of their contract ironed out, down to the very smallest detail. Everything they could both think of was included. It was much more in-depth than Tony's contract with SHIELD and a whole hell of a lot more binding.

They'd detailed out what information either side was required to share, as well as any kind of aid either would offer the other. Both of them fought to get as much on their side as possible, trying to sway things in their own favor, until it became almost a game between them to see who could get the better deal. What they ended up with was something that was mutually beneficial and something they could both live with.

When Tony had read through it for the third time, making entirely sure that everything was perfectly in order, he didn't hesitate to prick his thumb and combine magic and blood together as he pressed his thumb against the paper. He could feel the magic swirl around him as he did – and as Loki added his mark as well. Once both marks were on the contract, the magic flared hot and bright around the both of them, twisting and turning to twine together before settling down over them so deep Tony felt it straight down to his bones. There was no going back now. They were tied together in this no matter what the outcome.

Tony sat back in his chair and sipped off the glass of elfin wine he'd brought out just for the occasion. The vintage was an old one and carried a sharp yet sweet flavor to it that he rolled around his tongue. Across the table from him, he could see Loki enjoying his own drink just as much. The two of them looked equally tired and satisfied by this. It'd been a long day for the both of them. A longer day by far for Loki.

A sigh slid from Tony. So much had happened today, and yet there was still so much left to be done. However, just because he had to stay up and deal with, it didn't mean that Loki had to. "You look like you could use some rest there, Harry Potter. If you want, we've got a few floors with guest rooms already made up. JARVIS can help you get to one of them, and you can take a siesta." Shelter and a certain level of protection had been a part of their contract. At the moment, there was nowhere more secure than the tower.

Loki didn't bother denying that he was tired. But he took a moment to look Tony over and cock an eyebrow at him. "You should rest as well. You've done immense magic this day."

Oh man, rest sounded terrific. Too bad Tony knew it was still hours away for him. "Yeah, well, no rest for the wicked and all that. I still got Fury to deal with, getting the Avengers settled in, plus I still gotta call Pep. I should probably do that first, actually. J, you heard from Pepper? I'm surprised she's not breaking down the doors already."

"Her plane arrives back in the city in eight minutes, sir," JARVIS answered promptly. "She's already called to inform me she'll head directly here, and I'm to keep you present. She also requests you speak with no one until she gets a chance to go over the contents of your SHIELD contract with you, sir."

Tony snorted at that. Yeah, right. Like SHIELD was going to give him a choice in talking to them or not. He'd gotten lucky so far in that they hadn't tried to break down his doors. Not only had he vanished – and with Loki, of all people, who they probably still had plenty of questions for – he'd done it without telling anyone where he was going, and without answering any of the multitudes of questions he knew they were going to have for him. Nick wasn't going to be satisfied with what little information Tony had given him about who he really was. He was going to poke and prod and try and find out so much more.

Right now, what Tony really needed to do was try and get ahead of this. He needed to plan out what he was going to do with SHIELD – and for that, he needed Pepper. Hell, Tony needed her for a whole lot more than that. A lot of things about Tony were coming to light, and he really needed someone he knew was going to be in his corner. Pepper would always be in his corner. Tony had faith in that; he had to have faith in that. If he didn't, he wasn't sure what he'd do.

"Seems like I've got a few minutes, then," Tony said, draining the last of his glass. He wasn't stupid enough to ignore Pepper's advice right now. "J, pass a message to our buddies at SHIELD the next time they try and ring through. Let 'em know Lokes, and I are fine, no one's dead, and that they'll hear back from me as soon as my lawyer gives the go ahead. Also, let them know that the Avengers are free to make their way here whenever they're ready, and see about getting the floors ready for them."

"Already on it, sir. Mr. Liesmith, would you prefer a floor to yourself?"

The use of that title made Tony's lips twitch a little. Loki had made it clear at the start that he was no Odinson. He'd offered Laufeyson, and Liesmith, and JARVIS had chosen the second one. Tony was sort of glad about that. He didn't exactly hold all that fond of memories of Laufey from his time on Jotunheim.

Loki gave a low 'hmm' before taking another sip off his wine. "Yes, I believe that would be best. Perhaps underneath the other Avengers."

"Keep them between us, huh? Smart. Magical protection on either side, top an bottom."

Devilish humor sparked in Loki's eyes, bright and mischievous. He lifted his wine glass once more but didn't drink off it. Instead, he merely held it in front of his face as he arched one eyebrow at Tony. "I'll admit, I usually prefer to be on top, but I suppose I can make an exception this time."

It was a good thing Tony didn't have any wine left in his glass. He might've choked on it.

Loki laughed, low and husky, and pushed up to his feet. His glass was set down on the table before he straightened out his clothes, looking far too pleased with himself. "I believe I'll take you up on your offer of rest. Until later, Anthony Stark. May you sleep well once you've found your chambers."

With no more than that, the mage was gone, vanishing from the room to likely reappear down the hall by the elevator. Tony couldn't help the low laugh he let out. Dramatic little shit. Good to know some things never change! Loki still couldn't resist getting in the last word or making a dramatic entrance or exit. He'd always had one hell of a sense of theatrics.

The feel of Loki's magic in the air shifted enough that Tony knew it was going down now. He was in the elevator being taken to what was about to become his floor. Tony murmured a quick spell to make sure that no one would be able to spy on him in here by human or magical means. That, on top of the magic he'd done to get them here earlier, was pushing his already strained reserves. It was necessary, though. At that moment Tony needed the privacy.

With no one there to see him, he was free to slump down in his seat and let go of the rigid control that he'd been gripping ever since this whole thing started.

A shudder ran down him. Tony brought both hands up and scrubbed hard at his face. God, what the hell was he doing? What had Tony been thinking, bringing Loki here, making a contract with him? He should've turned him down, sent him in to make some sort of agreement with Nick. But, no. Tony had brought him here to his goddamn home and not only made a deal with Loki, but made one that gave Loki the right to stay here! "I've lost my mind, J. I think it's finally official, I've lost my mind. Either that or I have a sudden death wish I wasn't even aware of."

"No more so than normal, I believe, sir."

Tony dropped his hands away from his face and shot a glare up at one of the nearby cameras. "Someone's feeling sassy."

"I am as you made me."

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Somehow Tony doubted he'd made JARVIS to be that sarcastic and smug. Then again, JARVIS was made to learn and grow, and most of his interactions were with Tony, so what exactly did that say about Tony? He pushed that thought aside like he always did. "Why did I think it was a good idea to bring him here? I was pushing my luck as it was just interacting with them before. But as soon as I found out they didn't recognize me, I should've taken that as the gift it was and hidden out. Now Thor's going back with the Tesseract, and he'll tell the Allfather that Loki's staying down here on earth with a runaway elf, and they're going to be watching us like a hawk. Not to mention, Loki's one of the smartest people I've ever met. How long do you think it's going to take him to figure out there's something weird about me? I can't… I'm not very good at pretending I don't know him. Anyone else, maybe, but not him."

The overflow of words cut off as Tony gave another exhausted sigh and tipped his head back, closing his eyes. This whole thing was one giant mess. Yet, looking back over it, Tony didn't see anywhere he could've made a different choice.

Sitting there alone with nothing to occupy his thoughts allowed the thing he wished to think about least to push its way to the forefront. There was no way Tony could stop the swell of grief that filled him and burned in his chest and his eyes.

Odin had taken the memory of Tony from the minds of his family. Potentially from the minds of everyone. It was the only explanation that made any sense. And oh, how it hurt. It hadn't been enough to just cast him out! No, Odin had had to remove all traces of Tony from their lives. Was it only Thor and Loki that forgot? What about Frigga? Or the rest of Asgard? Was there anyone who remembered him? With the power of the Odinforce, it would still be difficult, but it was possible. He'd either put some sort of spell on them or one on Tony that would make people not remember him. He'd virtually wiped Tony from existence.

All those years of existence wiped away like a smear of mud across an otherwise beautiful image.

Tony let out a shaky breath and fought to keep the tears from forming. He couldn't afford to do this. Not here, not now. Not where there was a chance that anyone might walk in on him. Where Loki might find a way of some sort to try and spy on him. He'd already taken a risk by talking to JARVIS the way that he had. Sure, he had his wards up, and at one point in time there was no way that Loki would've been able to get past them, but he couldn't be sure that Loki hadn't learned anything during his time away. What if he'd found a way to slip past these kinds of wards? What if he'd discovered some sort of spell that would let him pick up something?

The thought was kind of terrifying. Considering all that Tony had already said, the idea that Loki might've heard it wasn't a good one.

Tony's downward spiral of thoughts was cut off when JARVIS let him know "Sir, Ms. Potts has arrived."

Had it been that long already? Tony rubbed his hands over his face and reached for the tattered edges of his control. He wrapped them around himself and fought to pull up the public look he'd perfected so long ago. It wouldn't last long, he knew. But it only had to endure long enough to get them somewhere safer than this room. Somewhere he knew for sure they'd be safe to talk.

When he met her at the elevator, he was smiling. One look was all it took for him to know that she saw right through it. Concern brightened her eyes. Immediately she was reaching out to him, one hand coming out to clasp his. "Tony?" That was the voice of his best friend talking, not his CEO, and it was almost enough to break Tony's control.

Tony drew in a deep breath as he caught hold of her hand. Control. Don't break down yet. "Hey, Pep." Still holding her hand, Tony stepped into the elevator, the doors closing almost silently behind him. "Come on, let's go downstairs. We need to talk."

The elevator took them down to his workshop. JARVIS knew they needed the utmost privacy for this conversation and there was nowhere in the tower more secure than Tony's workshop. Between the human security measures and the magical wards he had built into the room itself as the tower was being made, no one was able to get in without him knowing and without his permission, and no one was going to be able to look or listen in. Everything in here was private. Not even Heimdall could see in here.

If Pepper was confused by their location, she didn't show it. She just followed him down and watched him with sharp, worried eyes. "Tony – what's going on?"

"Before we talk about the contract, I need to tell you some things. About…about me," Tony blurted out. God, this was hard. This was so hard! There was a chance he could lose Pepper here, and he knew it. But if he was going to go down this road, there was going to be at least one person he wasn't going to lie to. "Things I probably should've told you a long time ago. I just, I've never told anyone this, Pep. Never. And I need you to hear me out straight through before you say anything. I know how unbelievable it's all going to sound, and I know, I know, you're going to be mad at me for keeping this from you, but I hope you'll understand why I did. Just, please, listen to all of it first. Please."

The worry in her eyes grew even stronger at that plea. Never before had Tony come so close to begging her. Hell, he'd never said please so many times. Folding her hands in front of her, Pepper nodded at him. "Okay, Tony."

Opening up about this wasn't easy. Tony had started the whole thing planning on giving her just the bare bones of his story. The fact that he was banished, that he was actually an alien, that he could do magic. Maybe, maybe, Tony would tell her who his father actually was, so she could be prepared for the off chance this whole thing went horribly wrong, and Odin came after him. He didn't want Pepper left in the dark about what was happening.

Yet once Tony opened his mouth and began to talk about it, he was stunned by just how much came out. He didn't give Pepper just the bare bones of it all. No, he told her everything. Or, almost everything. The only thing he didn't say was why he'd been banished. But the rest of it? It all came spilling out like a dam had burst inside of him. Tony told her about his father exiling him, about the punishment it earned him. With his hands flailing and his body unable to stop moving, pacing here and there through his workshop, he told her about being sent to Jotunheim, and about the years that followed, until his last desperate move brought him here. To earth.

When he was done, Tony felt almost empty. Drained. He stood there in the middle of his workshop and finally lifted his eyes to look over at Pepper. This whole time, he hadn't been able to bring himself to look at her, terrified of what he might see there. But now it was all out there, and there was no more holding back.

What Tony saw wasn't what he'd expected.

Pepper was standing there staring at him, one hand up to cover her mouth and shining tear tracks on her cheeks. Tony couldn't help himself; he gave her a tired, half-smile. "More tears for your boss, Ms. Potts?"

"Absolutely, Mr. Stark." There was no hesitation in her voice. She dropped her hand down, and the look on her face was so sad, it made Tony's stomach clench. "I'm going to come hug you. If you don't want it, you better speak up now."

There was no way he was turning that down. Tony opened up his arms and let her walk right into them. It felt amazing to have her wrap herself up in him. She curled her arms around his neck and burrowed her way in against him until Tony felt like he was wrapped entirely around her. His world felt and smelled like Pepper, and he hadn't even known he'd needed that until he got it. Her presence steadied him and helped ground him. "I am so mad at you for not telling me this," Pepper scolded him. Then she pulled back and framed his face in her eyes, her eyes looking so sad at that moment. "But I understand why you did."

"Thank you." Those were the only words Tony could think of to say. He'd told so much already, poured out his heart, and he just wasn't sure he could manage anything more. He was too tired. Too broken open from the day's events.

Pepper, bless her, saw that. She didn't press him for anything else or force him to keep talking about this. Instead, she gave him a quick look over and then took her hands away from his face to put them on his shoulders and started pushing him, steering him over to the small space on the side of the workshop where he had a bed set up. "Come on, Tony. It's been a long day – you need to get some sleep. Things will make more sense in the morning."

"I can't," Tony protested, even as he let her nudge him down onto the bed. His eyes drifted closed almost against his will. "There's too much left to do. Fury and the Avengers…"

Pepper cut him off with a firm, "You just leave them to me."

"Pep…"

"You're in no shape to go up there and deal with all this. After the kind of day you've had, the only thing you need is sleep. JARVIS and I can handle everything else, all right?"

If there were anyone he was going to trust, it'd be JARVIS, with Pepper running a close second. Right now Pepper had Tony's story – a bit jumbled from his emotions, and probably missing pieces – but JARVIS knew everything. He'd know not only what had happened to Tony in the past, but what Tony was looking to make happen for their future. JARVIS knew him better than anyone anymore. He'd be able to steer Pepper towards what Tony wanted. "Keep an eye on her, J," Tony murmured, barely paying any attention to Pepper's hands helping him to lay down.

The exhaustion had really kicked in. Between the emotional shocks, plus the physical and magical strain, Tony desperately needed this rest. As soon as it looked like he might start to actually get it, it was as if his body stopped fighting to stay awake and instead was flinging itself wholeheartedly towards sleep. Tony laid his head on the pillow and couldn't stop the soft sigh he gave.

He didn't notice as Pepper pulled the blankets over him. By the time she pressed a kiss to his temple, he was already asleep.