A/N: Aaaand, the plot is back! Dun dun dun!

I don't own The Avengers, Loki, Iron Man, or anything of the like. Just the thoughts inside my head. And my amazing collaborator KairacahraFlower Goddess owns his ideas that he's letting me use. :D


"It was just a little meeting, nothing to be worried about," Tony said as he watched the battle on the screen. Some scientist had gotten a little overzealous in some experiments and the results were running through Seattle. Tony had dubbed them a gremlins rejected cousin, but it seemed that they were able to combine to create larger forms. And the team was trying to figure out just how many of them there were, and if they could get rid of them all.

"Nothing to be worried about?" Loki's voice came back through the comm line. "You were in a car, alone, with the man that tried to kill you, twice." Tony noted that when Loki got frustrated or angry at Tony he started to use more slang. One day Tony would have to tell him about this, now was not the time.

"How did you even find out?" Tony had been wondering that ever since Loki had managed to bring it up into the battle. "It happened a week ago." He winced a little, he hadn't meant that detail to slip.

"Obviously not from you," Loki seethed out. Tony had that coming. "I got an interesting call from Pepper, telling me that for the fourth time this week you had denied a driver and was driving yourself from the offices. We know you Tony, you prefer a driver when you're working because you don't want to leave any of your precious vehicles in that parking garage." Tony nodded a little.

"You got me there. I wasn't aware that Pepper had become so observant," he scratched a little at his goatee and leaned back in the chair. "Couple more mama gremlins coming from the north, by the way."

"She also noticed that you had been going through employee profiles," Loki told him. "Why didn't you tell anyone!"

"Because he didn't do anything!" Tony sighed a little. "He was just talking, trying to freak me out, set me on edge. It didn't work."

"It didn't?" Loki asked, doubt evident in his voice. "It didn't affect you so much that you've been driving yourself, and you've started profiling your employees?"

"Listen ladies," Clint's annoyed voice sounded. "As much as we love hearing you squabble-"

"Just, shut, up," Natasha finished. "Tony's an idiot, I thought that was pretty clear. Loki's overprotective."

"I am not-" Loki started.

"She's right," Bruce's voice came through this time. "I've encountered it personally." Loki growled lightly.

"Can you guys finish this later at the Tower?" Steve sighed through the comm. "We're still down Tony, Thor is back in Asgard, and I'd really rather not have Loki irritated with us." There was a general consensus of hushed voices. "Good. I feel like an underpaid babysitter, sometimes."

"Hey Bruce," Natasha started. "When are we gonna get Iron Man back?" Tony's eyes widened a little. Bruce had been keeping up the front that Tony's reactor wasn't strong enough yet to accept the suit, while Tony and Loki thought of some way to tell the others. If they told the others. But being out of commission for three more months might start to look kind of suspicious.

"Not real sure," Bruce answered smoothly. "I'm running some more tests later this week."

"I resent being your science experiment," Tony mumbled, crossing his arms like an adolescent.

"I'm sure Tony will let everyone know by blasting a hole in the ceiling with his suit," Bruce said.

"Yeah, yeah," Tony rolled his eyes. "Just get on back now, you've taken out the last of the overfed gremlins." He cut the comm and sighed, spinning around in his chair. He almost stumbled out of the chair when it was stopped suddenly. "What the-" He turned his head then instantly rolled out of the chair, taking giant steps backwards.

"Seattle is a long travel, Mr Stark," Skir pushed the chair away.

"You made the mistake of breaking into My lab, that was your first mistake of the day," Tony told him waving around some of the tables.

"I told you I would come to claim what I lost," he slowly advanced on Tony. He eyes locked on Tony's arc reactor.

Tony blinked a little then reached over to the table where he was working on some Iron Man modifications and grabbed the gauntlet that was there. He slipped it on as he scrambled underneath the desk when Skir dove for him. Quickly attaching the wire to his arc reactor he pointed a glowing hand straight at Skir's face.

"One wrong move you'll have an extra hole in your face." Tony threatened as he moved back, coming to stand up on the other side of the desk, never taking his eyes off of Skir. "Now why don't you tell me real cool like what you want, then just get the hell out."

"You are wearing my prize," Skir growled out through clenched teeth. "Do you know how long it took to get my hands on that relic? The planning, the calculating, just to see you take it, and to have the audacity to place it in your chest." Tony blinked, a little lost now.

"My arc reactor?" Tony asked, heavily confused. "Whoa there buddy, this is mine, I didn't find it or take it from anyone." Skir moved to the side and Tony moved his hand, the gauntlet giving off a whine as it charged. "Although i'm not sure why you would want it with fists of steel there. Those are more powerful than the reactor could ever give you."

Skir laughed and Tony frowned. This wasn't going well. "Reactor? That's all that you think it is? The power that is held within is more than you could imagine!" He suddenly jumped over the desk and Tony reeled backwards, letting off a shot of the repulsor. Skir managed to avoid it and wrapped an hand around Tony's neck, ripping the cord from the reactor and pulling off the gauntlet. Tony saw his hand curl into a familiar fist and his eyes widened.

"NO!" Tony instantly wrapped his arms around his stomach, letting go of the hand around his neck. He shut his eyes, waiting for the impending impact that would probably break both his arms. It didn't come and he slowly opened his eyes to see a smirking Skir.

He let go of Tony's neck, but grabbed the mans shoulder before he could back away. "I had wondered why you were keeping a glamour," Skir commented. "Did I forget to mention that I have a sixth sense to most magic?"

"You may have left out that detail," Tony bit out. When Skir's hand reached out to cover the reactor Tony was torn about which was more important, what to protect the most. "No, nonononono," Tony moved with Skir's hand when he tried to grip the metal casing around the reactor. "You can't pull that out, please don't pull that out," Tony spoke quickly.

"I understand that it will be painful," Skir started, "but it shall teach you not to put it in such an easily accessible place." His fingers dug around to the actually reactor and tried to pull it, but Tony kept moving forward with each tug.

"I didn't put it there by choice, you idiot!" Tony glared. "You think I would put a power source where everyone could see it? Hell no! If I was stupid enough to do this to myself I would have put it somewhere else, not so visible. It probably wouldn't even be Attached to me!"

"Why would a mortal put the power of the tesseract-"

"What." Tony's eyes widened. "What did you just say." Tony's voice was deadly serious and even Skir wondered what the man was capable of. "You took the tesseract? You dared go and find it? To steal it? Then to Lose it!"

"If this is not the relic, then where is it?" Skir hissed pushing his face closer to Tony's. "You have-" he glanced at the reactor, then back to Tony, and smirked. "You would be able to find it for me."

"Oh no," Tony wrenched Skir's hand off of his chest, adrenaline coursing through his veins now. "I will not find it for you," Tony growled and pushed against the hand on his shoulder. "Rest assured, I'll find it, but when I do you better pray you are no where near me buddy." Skir let go of Tony as the shorter man advanced on him. He thought he noticed that Tony's eyes became brighter, that the air around him became electrified and slightly darker.

"Tony!" Both men turned when they saw Fury standing in the door of the lab, gun pulled and pointed at Skir. There was another click and Tony saw Coulson standing on the side of them, weapon also pointed at Skir. "I think you should step away from the scientist, sir."

Skir looked at Tony and smirked a little. "I look forward to finding the tesseract, Asgardian," Skir spit out before moving backwards. He shimmered away as both Coulson and Fury had moved towards him.

Tony took a couple of breath then stumbled backwards. Coulson immediately grabbed his arms and pulled him upright, weapon already in its holster. Tony was suddenly feeling drained and looked between the two men. "When did you come to join the party and why didn't you bring any scotch?"

"We got a frantic alarm from your computer," Fury started.

"Then an angry call from your boyfriend," Coulson finished.

"Aww, love dove cares," Tony breathed out as he found the closest chair and plopped into it.

"Don't call me that," Loki growled as he half jogged into the room. "I only called them because I wouldn't be able to teleport close enough in time, not with the power I used in the last battle." He stood in front of Tony and instantly started checking him over. He put a hand to his head, then it started to glow. It moved to Tony's chest, and finally to Tony's stomach, and stayed there for a few extra moments.

"If it makes a difference I had planned on telling you about this little visit." Loki shot Tony a small glare that told him it didn't matter. "I've got some news that the three of you are going to love."

"Better than the special display of powers you put on?" Fury asked, crossing his arms. Loki raised his eyebrows to look at Tony.

"Powers? Are you okay?" Loki instantly asked. Not even Coulson was used to this display of affection that Loki was showing, and he liked to visit often. With Pepper of course.

"I'm fine," Tony waved his hands away. "I think my new Asgardian roots were showing, that's all. I think I know why Thor went back to Asgard." Tony tapped his reactor a few times with one finger. "He's looking for this, thinks I took it."

"He's looking for your reactor?" Fury raised his eyebrow, but Loki's eyes had widened.

"He's looking for the tesseract that he stole," Tony explained. Coulson went still, and Fury's good eye started to twitch. "Somewhere along the way he lost here, and he thought I had taken it and put it in my chest."

"If it is on Midgard again," Loki said quietly and Tony waved his hand to tell him to stop.

"I distinctly remember a certain King promising me that this would not come back to bite me in the ass," Tony stated, looking more at Loki. "My ass hurts."

"If he can't find it then you can first, right?" Fury asked. "You and Banner found it the first time."

"I'm more interested in why he thinks it's your arc reactor," Coulson wondered.

"That's why you make the big bucks," Tony pointed at Coulson. "When the tesseract was destroyed two years ago I gave up one of my old, outdated for me, reactors to store the power in." He didn't always keep his old things around, but after a certain episode with Obie he liked having back ups. "The arc reactor doesn't work up in Asgard, so it was a hunk of metal up there."

"Now that it is down here, it has the added power of your science," Loki finished. "That power almost destroyed your suit last time."

"So let's not imagine if someone else got their hands on it down here," Fury muttered. "You can get those algorithms searching, right Stark?"

"JARVIS is already on it," Tony leaned back in the chair a little. "All this excitement can not be good for, me," Tony caught himself before announcing his own little surprise.

"Or the baby," Coulson announced, smirking.

"I'm not gonna be here for this conversation again." Fury held up his hands and started to walk away. "I'm not even believing it, so leave me out of this. Find that tesseract, Stark!" Fury growled as he left the room. Coulson rocked back on his heels a little.

"If you need any help, I watch a lot of Super Nanny." Tony was staring at him, desperately confused.

"How the hell did you even know?"

"You didn't check the medical for any new bugs lately, did you?" Coulson just grinned before leaving the room. "You're secret is safe with me!"