Well hello there again! It's been a while hm? Sorry for taking so long, September has been a ridiculously crazy month for me. So far in school, we've had waaaaaay more homework than I would have guessed, so most of my time has been taken up with school-y-ish stuffs =P And FINALLY I have time to write now. Hurray!
So, because theres a holiday a month coming up, I'd like to start doing 'special chapters'. =D They probably won't be part of the major storyline, just little things expanding on Loki cuteness =) If that would be to confusing, please let me know and I won't do it 8o Anyways, enough with my ramblings! ALLONS-Y!

Loki sat in a cumbersome, metal chair with his arms and legs fettered in adjoining chains. The tricksters head lolled back feebly, his dark, matted hair sticking to the side of his face. He clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to ward off the numbness that threatened from the close-fitting shackles. Had he not been wearing the thick, green tunic custimary of Asgardian casual wear, the cutting rings of iron would have lacerated his wrists deeper than they already were. A pair of light brown pants worked similarly.

As his eyes adjusted to the dimly lit cell, he tried to remember how he had got there. Everything seemed so disjointed...the events of yesterday bled into each other and created a large jumble of nonsense that only made Lokis head hurt worse. He closed his eyes and sighed. In two days time, it would be Thors coronation. Surely the older demigod would be furious that he was not able to attend...

The last thought made him smile despite his current situation. Although he was marginally jealous of his older brother, Loki was genuinely happy for Thor. Although...he wouldn't be able to resist the urge for a bit of fun...nothing too detrimental...but just enough to entertain him...Loki's reverie was interrupted by the door ahead of him suddenly being opened, causing a blinding white light to flash him in the face. His face scrunched up in an effort to keep the offending light away. The light was eliminated just as quickly as it had come, though a dimmer light replaced it. And although at this point he was able to open his eyes, the glowing orb prevented him from seeing his attackers which were just beyond it. Indignance surged through him at this."Who are you? I am a prince of Asgard, I have the right-"

"We know who you are, Jotun! Do not weary us with your inane chatter...it wearies the mouth and spoils the senses...we cannot have that..."

Loki was taken aback. Jotun...? Why would they...?

"They will be looking for me. My father-"

"BE STILL!"

An ironclad backhand to the face silenced their prisoner, causing his head to spin and his vision to darken. Despite the sudden outburst, however, the trickster had become fully awake and was now further analyzing his situation. Whatever creature was holding him had needed to step out of the shadows to hit him, but the glimpse was unlike anything the young prince had seen. Gray scaled flesh covered a sharp boned skeleton, which was almost fully conceiled by multiple pieces of armour. The thing had almost seemed reptilian...suddenly the appearance summoned the picture of a being he had recently studdied. Black eyes, muscled body, warlike disposition...

Chitauri. Beings who traveled between dimensions, not ever on anyones side, shapeshifters. Creatures that ingested the very minds and souls of the mortals in order to further fool whomever they pleased, to accomplish whatever they wished...and now they had him..."Peace, Stein. I do not want him spoiled...remember your place."

The one called Stein gave a low growl, but supposedly stepped back from the orb with clanging metal footsteps. Uncomfortable silence followed, broken by Loki (though his voice trembled much more than he would have liked it too)

"What do you want with me...?"

The one who silenced Stein gave a deep gutteral chuckle. It was he who moved into the light, giving Loki his first long glimpse of his captors. Taller than he originally thought, the creature was deeply muscled and was clad in a long, dark cape. Black eyes glinted unnervingly, giving the illusion that it was able to look into the very soul. A tooth edged mouth stretched in the grotesque attempt at a smile, which offered the idea that an expression of pleasure almost defined the essence of terror associated with this race.

"Since you will not remember this...I will tell you, Jotun. We need a way into Asgard. We want control of the nine realms. What better way than to penetrate the very fortress of Asgard? However..."

At this the Chitauri moved behind Loki, running his clawed fingers along the rim of the headrest.

"...We cannot get in while in our true form. Far too noticeable. We need a new form...a powerful form...but we cannot ingest the minds of Asgardians. Thankfully...there is a Frost Giant in contendance for the throne of Asgard..."

Loki froze. Frost Giant? Surely they weren't talking about...?

The Chitauri stalked to the front again, smile gone and a general like persona taking over.

"These are the last memories you shall have in this form. I do not promise that this will be painless. But then again..."

A smile returned, and he stalked backwards back into the shadows.

"...You will not remember. Farewell, little prince."

Suddenly a blinding, terrible pain pierced his mind. In too much pain to even scream, he clenched his fists. It blinded him, choked him. It was as if his very mind was being ripped from his skull. Much faster than calculated in his mind, his memory began to fade. Memories of the past years were whisked away into oblivion, leaving way to terror as the whole of his identity was ripped from his grasp. During this time, he was faintly aware that everything seemed to grow larger, and the chains seemed to become looser. But then, it ended. Finally, blessedly, it ended. And there was only silence.

Silence...

Loki opened his eyes, gripping the covers. The dreams disturbingly vivid tone left him utterly shaken, and only after a moment or two was he able to distinguish reality from the dream world. But this had been the first time he had had a dream where it wasn't an actual reiteration of things he could remember. It was more an addage of knowledge. Much like someone telling you about something you did while sleepwalking...except no one told him this. No, it came directly from his own mind. And that terrified the fragile three year old.

The boy turned to his bear with a slight pout. After the incidedent at the store yesterday, Loki decided he wanted someone to talk too. The other people scared him a bit, seeing as how they left him at the mercy of the...Fangirls as they were apparently called. So he couldn't confide in them. All that was left was the bear (which he resolved to name Fluff)

"Am I going insane...?"

Loki ran his tiny hands along the fur, stopping at the head and shaking it gently in reply to his question. He then pulled it close and squeezed it. His face crumpled in worry.

"I think I am...Maybe you do not like me...I don't..."

Light poured through the blinds, drying out Lokis eyes and making them burn. Burn-

A hoarse, hissing voice shot through the childs mind like a bullet. Painfully vivid images of the Bad Things devices sent him to his edge, and he covered his face with the animal and screamed. He curled up around it (it basically hid him from view, as the toy was nearly as big as he was), laying in his bed for a while before stretching out cautiously.

I don't wanna sleep anymore...

A growl suddenly penetrated the otherwise quiet room, and Loki was made aware of his very empty stomach.

Maybe they'll have muffins.

He hopped out of his bed and pushed the door open (the door was always slightly ajar so he could open it, otherwise he couldn't reach the knob), Fluff trailing behind him. In the debriefing room, most were in a comatose state of half asleepness, most taking solace on random cushions. ONly Thor and Stark retained an air of their typical suave. Tony stood at the island fixing some of the mechanics while Thor sat on a large couch watching a large box. The black thing was mounted on the wall, colourful images moving and transitioning as the strange characters acted out stories. Strangely they seemed completely unaware of their prison, acting as if nothing were out of place.

Tony glanced up momentarily to see Loki at the top of the stairs, enormous eyes wide and mouth agape. He grinned, standing to greet him.

"Hey, kid. Hungry?"

Loki's expression changed to slight fear. Tonys heart further fell as the boy stared at the stairs below him as if he had done something wrong. He stood frozen, and Stark sighed. Abandoning his tools, he advanced to the boys line of sight, earnestly looking at him with pleading eyes (though his Devil Wears Prada shirt killed it a bit).

"Why don't you watch TV with Thor. I'll get you a muffin."

That got the boys attention. He looked at Tony with eyebrows raised. A slight smile brightened his face, crinkling his eyes.

"Muffin?"

The man of iron surpressed a smile and nodded. A quiet sound of a laugh came from the boy, ending however in his now typical frightened state. Tony sighed. Breakthrough? Yeah right.

Loki slowly walked down the stairs and moved to the couch next to Thor. Unfortunately, the seat was also much to tall for the overly small three year old. In an attempt to get on it, he pulled his upper body up, legs kicking in attempt to propel himself forwards. The movement startled Thor out of his trance. Realizing his brothers dilemma, he gently pulled the boy up. Loki voiced a thank you and transitioned to a sitting position. The older demigod watched with amusement while Lokis face adopted an expression of utter shock and amazement."T'is called television. Mortals created it as a form of hypnotic entertainment, it recieves many...'programs' and displays it on the screen."

Lokis eyes went wide and his head cocked to the side. Then he pointed to the screen and frowned.

"But...don't the programs get sad because they cannot leave the box...?"Thor was slightly taken aback, frowning and opening his mouth slightly. Not quite sure how he was supposed to explain the concept of the whole thing, he racked his brain for a way to explain.

"Well...no. The programs are not real, they're taped and sent somewhere that then plays them on the television. Here..."

Thor picked up the remote and flipped the channel. Instead of the bright, obnoxious colours of the cartoon they had just been watching, the TV displayed two men lounging in opposite chairs. Muted colours inhibited the room, and the man on the left reflected its bland taste. However, the one on the right looked familiar. Dark hair, the carefully shaped beard and mustache...

Both Asgardians gazed at the screen with matching confused expressions. The younger of the two looked back at the island (where Stark was busily searching for a muffin) and back at the screen. He looked back at Stark, peeking over the back of the couch so only his eyes and nose were showing.

"Are you real?"

Tony looked up in surprise. His dark brows furrowed, having no idea how the question could have come up.

"Of course I'm real. There's no one as real as me. I'm as real as they come."

"Unfortunately."Natasha entered the room, her dry sarcasm spurring Tonys overacting male ego. The assassin walked over to the couch, leaning on the backboard between Thor and Loki. Their confused expressions hinted at their dilemma. She couldn't help but be amused despite herself.

"That's Robert Downey Jr. He's a lot nicer than Tony. Not as big of an ego."

"I heard that."

Tony joined the three and handed the muffin to Loki. The boy took it without taking his eyes from the screen, his face stony in contemplation.

"So...he's not real."

Thor shook his head and sighed. This was why he never strayed from watching cartoons. All the other shows were too confusing, trying to figure out who and what was real and what wasn't. With cartoons, you didn't have to strain yourself, you knew exactly what was false. Midgardians were so confusing. The demigod switched channels back to the one with cartoons. Not much else could be handled this early in the morning without the Midgardian potion referred to as 'coffee'.

"No, he is...just watch the cartoons."

Natasha sighed in defeat. She was used to talking to people who got it the first time. No explaining, no going into detail. Black and white. Just how she liked it. This boy seemed to want to know every component of everything...something that persistently annoyed her. Because of this, her voice held no little amount of irritation, causing her to hastily exit the room. Loki shrank back in the couch, completely drawing back whatever relaxation he had exerted in the past few minutes. Thor noticed this and frowned, glancing at Tony questioningly. Tony flicked his head back to the door, motioning for Thor to come with him. The pair made their way outside.

"Something doesn't seem right. One second he's fine, and the next he's scared of everything."

Thor nodded in agreement, replying to Stark with intensity.

"I agree. I do not know what is going on...he was allright when he came here."

"Minus the fact that he was beaten nearly to death."

Thor and Stark turned to see Banner walking down the hall towards them. His chiseled features were thoughtful and his arms were crossed in front of a plain white T-shirt. Tony mirrored him, crossing his arms and leaning up against the wall with one foot.

"So you're wondering the same thing as us."

Bruce shrugged.

"Not really. He's been having a lot of dreams, probably some of his time with the Chitauri with the way he's been reacting to them."

"And you know this...how."

"My room's right next to his and uh...the walls aren't very good at keeping loud noises quiet."

Thor frowned and turned his head, though keeping his eyes fixed on Banner.

"What do you...?"

"Um...screaming mostly. Not the most pleasant thing to hear at three in the morning. Unnerving, actually."

Banner gave a small shudder and looked from the two men in front of him. Both were frowning, though Starks calculating eyes stared at Bruce. Analyzing was one of the things he did best.

"So you ask him 'bout it yet?"

"No, doesn't seem like the kind of thing someone would like to talk about."

"Yeah but it's something someone needs to talk about. Take it from someone who knows."

Visions of torture flashed into Tonys mind. His own memories of capture had come back with a vengeance at the arrival of the small figure. Memories he thought he had control over, but apparently not. He hated it, but he also hated that the same mind ripping experiences that plagued him were happening to a three year old. An overly small, frail, terrified three year old. Tony in his own 30 year old state had had enough trouble dealing with it. He couldn't imagine what it was like for the small Jotun.

Bruce bit his lip and nodded. Dislike though he did, Tony was right. He motioned for the two to follow him and they all walked back into the debriefing room.

Nothing prepared them for the shock that followed.

The TV no longer showed the cartoons, but a newscast with a woman apologizing for interrupting the program. The cameraman turned from her to the road behind them. A tall man with shoulder length dark hair walked slowly towards them, a large army of Chitauri following him. In his hand he held a long, golden staff. The sight shook the three men to the core... For there on the screen was the older Loki.

There ya go! I hope it was worth the wait =D Thank you to all who are reading this, you're the bestest ever X3 *gives Asgardian cookies* My next update will most likely be a Halloween special, and that'll include more Loki dress up, trick or treating, and pumpkin carving! Oh what fun! =D

Fireheadgehog: Aw thanks so much =D

Hibatsulova1827 0-0: Muahaha FANGIRLSSSS! 8D 8D 8D 8D *Thor swings in on a vine and saves him*

CrazyForCatz: Hahaha yayyy! =D I had just watched the Hunger Games when I wrote that, so my mind was still in Cornicopea mode ;P Ah I'm so glad you liked it! 8D

HotaruSim989: Haha you and me both XD And aw thanks I'm glad you like him 8D *happy dance*

fan girl 666: Aw thank you so much that means a lot 83

Linzerj: Haha Ik the gag reel was so hilarious D Excellent...the Avengers...mascot...XD Haha I'm so glad you liked it! 8D Muaha yess Thor always saves the day 8D

pikachucat: Hey thanks =D

UnifiedNations: Yaaaaaay happy Loki! XDD And BAHAHA thats awsome!

Arrows the Wolf: Haha omigosh thats so perfect 8D