A/N: Thank you all for still reading the story! It is much appreciated.

Chapter Four) No other way.

Of course SHIELD would come knocking back on his door, but for the moment he'd hoped to have a little piece of mind. At the very least he expected SHIELD to show some manners and actually 'knock' his door, rather than burst in. The latter, however, seemed to have been their strategy. Along with them showing up when Tony was out. And Loki, unfortunately, was not.

"Loki!" Tony shouted for the fifth time, though he got no reply, nor had he expected one.

"Mister Stark, sir," Jarvis begun as he came into the living room, looking around for Loki.

"Give me a minute, Loki!" he shouted. "If he's gone, I'm going to do really nasty things to that son of a God-bitch and make him lie- okay that's a bit too far- Loki!" he shouted, looking around.

He walked down to Loki's room, where the door was shut. He typed in the code with a quick 'I'm coming in,' and gave the door a push. "Loki, come on, what's going on?" he asked, not seeing him inside of his room. "Did you lie again?"

He then suddenly heard noises noises a floor above and frowned. "No, no, no, where has he gone," he said, running back to the elevator and going up a floor. Once he got out, he heard a door slam shut. "Loki, I know you're in there," Tony said, stepping towards that door. "Loki?" he said. "Loki, what are you doing?" he asked, hearing more stumbling and a little clutter. He pressed in the combination to open the door. If he was holding a glass, he would've dropped it.

Three agents in black suits were paling and white on the floor, dead, Loki dragging them towards an open window. "Loki what areyou doing? Loki, stop it," he spoke, but Loki did not say a word. He stepped towards him, grabbing hold of the God's jaw, turning his eyes towards his own brown ones. Loki's eyes connected to Tony's shortly, before pulling his face back and away from the scientist, dragging the three closer to the window.

"What have you done?" he asked, grabbing hold of Loki's wrist, suddenly twisting it to make him let go of these men.

"You lied to me! This place is not safe!" Loki shouted at Tony, who raised his eyebrows in response.

"Since when do you need keeping safe? I thought you could look after yourself now, you're a big boy," Tony said, feeling incredibly angry about what Loki had done.

"That is what I have done! I-" he stopped speaking, not wanting to be rid of his speech again. "They tried to take me with them," Loki sneered. "Do you expect me to spare such souls? Do you truly expect me to spare the men that want to keep me as a captive for their own sick research?" he asked. Tony shrugged a little. He couldn't disagree with Loki that he'd had a right to protect himself, but to kill three agents. Why had SHIELD only sent three anyway? Clearly they had believed Tony when he'd said the God had been rid of his power. Here was to hoping they wouldn't sent a whole squad when they found out their three agents were dead, which would no doubtfully lead to the conclusion that Loki still had his magic. Great.

"You could have been a little nicer. You could have just locked them up somewhere in stead of killing them and then throwing them out of the window," Tony said, his voice getting more persistent at every word. "They are humans! Not only that, they are part of SHIELD, if they know these three agents are dead and that you did it, while under my supervision, I've got a really big problem."

"I'm not under your supervision, Stark. Stop acting like you need to look after me," he sneered, stepping closer to Tony, his eyes narrowing. The God had a point. Even Tony felt that Tony should stop acting like Loki was under his supervision, but it certainly did feel like he was.

"This is just..." Tony looked at the bodies. They were far from 'clean', which was probably the worst of it. Their paled faces were already a token that they had lost severe amounts of blood before they actually died. "What did you do?"

"I do not like this, either, but without my magic I could not be neat." To Tony's surprise the thread did not appear to seal the God's lips.

"But honestly, it was also just a good excuse for gruesome murder, wasn't it?" Tony said, although it was hardly a topic he wished to talk about. Especially with the bodies lying around. In his Tower.

"I can't deny it stirred me," Loki replied, quite flatly.

"Honestly I don't know what to do with you," Tony replied, frustrated. He could not help Loki bury these bodies and pretend that nothing had happened! If SHIELD would find out about his participation in this he would be as dead as the God would be. Not a good future.

"Pretend you didn't see anything," Loki said.

"But I did see something," Tony replied, looking at Loki as if he was stupid for thinking he could so easily deceive SHIELD. "You know what," he said, looking back at the door and stepping towards it. "Come with me." With his back turned to the God it was relatively easy to speak the words and set off, knowing what destination he had in mind, but knowing Loki could not. A moment of hesitation followed, before the God stepped after him.

"What is it now, Stark?" he asked, annoyed. "What is so important that it cannot wait?"

"A possible solution," was all he replied. Loki caught up with him and he knew the God was trying to look into his eyes, for a sign of what this solution was. "'ey, can I be mysterious too for a moment?" he asked, snappily. Why was Loki even following him? Why did the God trust him?

As he stepped into his bedroom, he wondered if Loki's void eyes would show hopefulness should he dare show such emotions. As he put on the suit, ignoring Loki's impatient questioning, he wondered how many more days he would have to spent with the God in his home before he would not feel the need to hide his emotions anymore. And as he turned to face the God, who was still standing - seemingly annoyed - he knew he was going to destroy the only peace Loki's heart had got to know on Midgard.

"Now, what is this great plan of yours?" Loki asked, boredom shimmering through his voice, which probably meant he didn't believe Tony's plan to be any good at all. Well, he was right.

"Come," he spoke and stepped back to the living room. Again Loki followed, but it caused Tony to halter in his steps. "Will you stop doing that?" he shouted as he turned to the God, who looked clearly taken aback. "Stop doing as I say!"

"What?" Loki's eyes narrowed at that. "I thought you were going to show me your great plan."

"I was- I mean- I am," Tony said. He sighed audibly, feeling so much anger, though the source stayed unknown. That was to say; he didn't dare go there himself, afraid to find out what it actually was.

"Well, show me, oh mighty genius," Loki hissed. And that was it. That was all the motivation he needed. He stepped forward, firmly took hold of Loki's wrist and yanked him along.

"Jarvis," he spoke, ignoring Loki's struggles and the many sneers and swearwords, half of which were in languages that Tony did not speak. "Get someone from SHIELD- get that Felix guy, on the phone."

"What is this newfound game, you idiot?" Loki growled and as Tony waited for the guy to pick up, he quickly pulled Loki closer so he would not escape.

"Just be silent," he said.

"What for?" Loki asked, struggling only more.

"Stay still! Or I'll-"

"This is agent Felix, how may I be of assistance, mister Stark?"

Loki was struggling, but the iron grip Tony held on the God's throat was enough to stop him from being heard over the line. Well, he better make this quick.

"You, without notifying me, sent three agents to my house. Do you have complaint forms or something, because I would be able to fill a few of those out, if you don't mind."

"Get to the point," the agent spoke, which was probably exactly what Loki was thinking at this point, who was trying to pry Tony's fingers lose.

"It seems you have underestimated your target, for I found him trying to get rid of the evidence of said agents, when I conveniently came home, after a long day of hard work, which I might add, you profit of."

"You- Where is he now?"

"Don't worry, he's here. And he's yours." At that Loki's struggles doubled, but to no avail. "Now, you better hurry and make sure you can carry the bodies back too. I don't want them."

"Certainly, mister Stark. Thank you for your cooperation and we will be with you shortly."

"Yeah, 'kay. Bye."

He let go of Loki's throat the moment the line went dead and the God breathed in sharply, immediately starting to cough afterwards. For a moment he stood quite shaky on his legs, before he turned around, eyes icily staring. He was still panting and Tony could see bruises were forming where he'd been held.

"You better stay here and don't do anything stupid," Tony warned and it was true; he wished the God wouldn't do anything stupid, as he truly didn't want to have to respond to it, but he'd have to. "Loki, I'm serious."

"What are you doing?!" the God shouted then, madness shimmering once more in those green eyes. He blinked, tried looking away, but nothing could stop the emotions from showing and it pained Tony only more. "I will not go along with them!"

"You'll have to," Tony replied matter-of-factly.

"You can't do this! I am here, under your trust! I have done naught to wrong you! They have no right to take me, yet you pretend to be the hero to hand me over! What is it you wanted of me, that had you allow my presence here?! Is this the ultimate compensation you force upon me? Had my former defeat not risen enough worshipof you?!"

"No, Loki, this is simply the only way," he replied, quite harshly so, but it was also the truth. And because it was the truth he could not say it without that line of hatred around his tone of voice.

"But it is not! Tell me, honestly, you know not every secret SHIELD keeps."

"Well, I sort of know a lot, yeah," he replied, willing to confirm that.

"Then I am certain you can outsmart them!" If it hadn't been for their current situation, Tony would've made a remark about this strange new habit Loki had developed, in which he would honestly state Tony's 'genius' and his abilities to 'outsmart'.

"Shut up, I do not owe you anything," Tony said then, doing a step in Loki's direction, who did not step back.

"Oh, but you do now," Loki replied, that wickedness in his eyes again that Tony feared above all else, despite how he wouldn't say so out loud. It was the side of Loki that was truly mad, irrevocably insensible and manipulative. It was a selfish side that fought for no-one but himself. It was tortured into uncontrollable craze.

"I thought I told you to shut up," Tony snapped.

"You will not silence me again, man of Iron, for do not think for one moment I will be quelled below your betrayal. It will empower me, like the loss of my family has, the murder of my true heritage has and the banishment from my homelands has."

"Suddenly you're talking," Tony said, figuring that to tell the God ones more to 'shut up' would only provoke the opposite. A moment later Loki was trying an escape, which was bound to fail, as Tony was much faster and stronger than the God was.

"Let me! Grand me this much!" the God said and there was a hint of a plea in his voice that Tony could almost not ignore.

"I can't, I wish I could, but I can't," he replied, violently pulling Loki back from his way towards the door and throwing him into the counter with quite some force. A groan escaped Loki's lips, but he was soon on his feet again.

"Tell me why not! Why can't you let me go?!" Loki shouted, stepping towards him angrily. Oh, that wickedness was nearly too much to bear. "Would you be ashamed to explain how a powerless God escaped your iron grip? Is that it?! Your arrogance!"

"You're too late," Tony replied and he stepped forward to take hold of Loki's wrists and force them behind him. He moved closer to the God, his voice turning to a whisper as he moved closer to his ear: "tell me, you want to be taken conscious or not?" But as he heard Loki's faltering breath and knew that all his self-control had failed him, Tony knew there was only one fair way of doing this. Loki would not want to be seen like this and thus Tony raised his wrist, hitting him over the head, causing his body to go weak in Tony's arms, who made sure he did not fall to the ground, to spare him. His head would be hurting enough when he woke.