(A/N: Okay, I have been gone for quite some time. I didn't mean to be, and I know that I could have gotten around to working on this one sooner, but I am now so you should be happy, because this is the last chapter and that means that you won't have to wait anymore for me to get my act together! I haven't changed any of the warnings and I still don't own the Avengers, so I don't know why I keep writing these warnings, but oh well. All that said, I am both happy and sad to see this finished, but it just feels complete to me. On with the show!)

Part 4—Rain, as it Falls

Loki sighed, eyes closed as rain slipped down his scalp, cool but not cold, warming along his skin so that when it dripped onto his back he barely noticed a difference of temperature. Barefooted, clad in a pair of gym shorts and one of Thor's hoodie sweatshirts, he found himself standing again on the roof of Avengers tower. Nothing felt right, not his magic, and not Midgard around him. He was miserable.

"Dad?" Billy stepped out onto the roof, quiet, reserved; a young man in his mid-20's, Loki cared not to think of specifics regarding age. His children were mortal. His friends were mortal. He at last understood the final punishment that Odin had leveled upon him and Thor, of all people.

"I wasn't expecting you today," Loki whispered, turning to face his son. No one would ever guess their relationship. Not a single line adorned Loki's face and yet William, first born of the twins, already had laugh lines near his eyes.

"You were the only one that didn't show up for the memorial service. I figured that you were here," Billy said and cold lead filled Loki's gut. He clenched his fists by his sides and tilted his head into the rain, damning Odin silently, even as the pendant signifying the Allfather's blessing rested against his collarbone.

"I could not find the words to say good-bye. I did not wish to say them. He would have understood, and so too do my niece and nephew," Loki replied, avoiding names, refusing to think of faces, cursing his mind for bringing laughter to his thoughts.

"Yeah, I know. I understand. Or, I would like to, you know? But he has a place in Valhalla, and that is enough for me," Billy said, clasping the man that had given birth to him by the shoulder, trying to give him reassurance. A broken sound left Loki's lips and he pulled his son tight against his chest. He hadn't allowed himself to hug his sons once they were grown, but it seemed right to bury his face in the soft blonde hair atop the boy's head and kiss his temple. Strong arms wrapped around Loki's back and returned the hug.

The other Avengers had long since retired, but they still kept the tower as a residence. Loki and Thor were the last acting members of the original team, several generations of heroes having come and gone around them. But Tony was the first of their members to succumb to mortality. With the shrapnel in his heart and the toll that the Arc reactor had taken on him, it wasn't all that shocking, but it still dealt a crushing blow to their hearts. Loki didn't know how Steve was dealing with the loss; no one had been able to reach Steve in years. The Super Soldier serum had finally revealed itself as having consequences; Alzheimer's being one of them, the slow deterioration of his body being another. He was almost 70, and Loki had to figure that he didn't have very much time left.

"They should not be apart. They never deserved that. And now, I can only hope that soon we say good-bye to Steve. I am awful, and I do not deserve to stand at their memorials when the only thought that I can muster for my friends, is that I hope they all pass soon," Loki sobbed, fingers digging into Billy's back as he did so. Billy clenched his jaw and nodded grimly, both of his fathers had remained young and unchanged and the Avengers, their family, had aged around them.

"You hope for them to stand in Valhalla, restored to their fighting glory, the brave strong people that they were before. I cannot know how you feel. I am not like you or Pop, and neither is Tommy. But Dad…I will say this…" there Billy swallowed thickly and seemed to hesitate. "It is time for you and Pop to go home. You don't have to stay here anymore. You did right by Tommy and me. Now it is your job to go ahead and welcome our friends and family home," he said and Loki's body froze, his arms locked around his son. It was the conversation that he and Thor had been having for so many years, debating whether they could really stand to stay on Midgard. He would be relieved to have the choice taken away from him.

"William. Don't…"

"No. You and I both know that this is what needs to happen. And I will see you again. I will have a good life, Tommy and I have always taken care of each other, and that won't change, I promise. He won't say good-bye, he knows how you are about that, and you know how he is. But he wants you to go," Billy said and his voice left no room for argument, any doubt that he may have had seemed to vanish.

"You have spoken to your Pop already?" Loki asked, knowing that Thor would always be one for emotional good-byes. He himself still hadn't let go of his oldest son, and he truly wished that he didn't have to.

"Yeah, he will be here in a minute to take you home. He's…he is trying to explain to Uncle Steve that it is okay for him to come home too. Then he is going to say good-bye to the rest of the team and he will be here," Billy replied, taking a step back so that he could look at his father, a small smile on his lips.

"A gift and a curse then…" Loki whispered, realizing that yes, he had been forced to know that his friends and family were to age and die, but given the knowledge that he would have them eternally young in Valhalla. Billy smiled, knowing in a sense what his father was talking about.

"It is time, brother," Thor's voice was smooth, not much louder than the rain around them. Loki nodded, watching as Billy gave a nod and vanished in a flash.

Loki closed his eyes as Thor's arms wrapped around his middle. They had not been to Asgard in nearly 45 years, but he knew that the only thing that would be different would be the addition of Tony's presence.

"Take us home Thor," Loki breathed, allowing himself a smile. He knew that he was being morbid over nothing and that going home would fix that. The Avengers had lived full, happy lives, and they had been granted the highest honor among warriors. Odin had given them all a place in Valhalla. For their years serving as the finest warriors and mightiest heroes of Midgard, he had granted them the ability to live on for all time.

The transition home was barely noticeable and it was Tony that welcomed them, punching Loki in the shoulder for having the audacity to cry and then hugging them tight.

They stayed together as the decades wore on, welcoming friends and family into the Halls of Valhalla and spending a joyful eternity in the comfort and peace that they had earned.

(A/N: And there you go. I always wanted this to end on that sort of positive note. I think they deserve it after all. Let me know what you thought. I am done with this now, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to know what you thought. Sorry to end this with the sad stuff, but it would be wrong for him not to feel sad over it, really.)